Jan 3, 2022 By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 4 min read

Customers of the Gyro Place in Canonsburg may be surprised to know the guy serving their tzatziki with pita also plays endorsement-worthy guitar, along with an assortment of other instruments.

“That’s all I do. If I’m not here, you’ll find me in my studio,” Peter Graigs said prior to welcoming a weekday lunch crowd at the West Pike Street restaurant he’s operated since 2006. “I could be there until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and then start my days again. You get used to it.”

His main musical focus is a band called Sinister’s Army that has one other member, singer-guitarist Keith Ferrari of Albuquerque, N.M. Technology allows them not only to collaborate remotely, but to develop a full ensemble sound through multitrack recording.

“I write pretty much all the music,” Graigs said. “When he has ideas, he sends me his vocals and rhythm guitar, and from there I build the drum parts, the bass parts, add my own lead guitar.”

They met about five years ago as fellow musicians on social media, expressing admiration for each other’s work.

“He started talking to me about his mishaps with studio recording and everything with his songs. I kind of wanted to help, so I said, ‘OK, I’m willing to help out if you want me to try,'” Graigs recalled. “So he sent me three songs. All I had was the guitar and his voice on it.”

Ferrari’s instructions basically were: “You’ve got the green light. Do whatever you want with it.”

And so Graigs began the process of layering in other instruments, something he never had done before with basic tracks recorded by another musician.

“I was scared like heck,” he said, “because I didn’t know if he was going to like it.”

Ferrari did, of course, and the Sinister’s Army partnership was launched. The band has released two albums, “Sinister” and “Criminal Race,” and another full-length effort, “Follow,” is due out soon. Singles include “Sinister’s Christmas” and ”Whispering Winds,” the latter with lyrics based on Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”:

I walk in the shadows, I stay out of sight

I avoid human contact, I fear for my life

I don’t speak a word, afraid of what I might say

Persecuted, but I’ve committed no crime

I can’t go on living this way

Graigs described Sinister Army’s sound as somewhat comparable to heavy-metal stalwarts Queensrÿche, with Ferrari’s voice reminiscent of Geoff Tate, the band’s original singer.

On the instrumental side, Graigs integrates some European and Middle East styles, especially with his distinctively fluid lead guitar. In fact, he is endorsed by Proton Guitar Co., which also counts Journey co-founder Neal Schon among its customers.

Starting as a teenager, Graigs primarily played bass guitar in bands around his native Montreal. In 2001, he suffered a parachuting accident.

“Time spent for healing, it made me think a lot: Where am I going from here?” he recalled. “I decided to challenge myself, restarting a second life. I figured, what else can I do different?”

Following a friend’s advice, he moved to the Pittsburgh area, eventually establishing permanent residence. Not knowing any musicians in the region, he built a studio to create his own recordings, sans vocals until he met Ferrari.

“For me to sing like him? Nope,” Graigs claimed, acknowledging: “Instrumental music is popular, but it’s not as popular as having a vocalist.”

Along with their studio work, he and Ferrari play live Sinister’s Army shows, hiring other musicians to complement them. For example, a gig at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles featured Chris Hager, formerly of Ratt, as second guitar player and Tony Franklin, a member of the Firm with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers, on bass.

Back in Canonsburg, Graigs continues to run his restaurant.

“You know how they say about musicians, they starve? I didn’t want to starve,” he said. “So this is my backup plan.”

For more information, visit petergraigs.com and www.sinistersarmy.com.