May The Better Man Lose was the debut disc from Peter Bernas, the Chicago-born son of Polish immigrants. The quite, polite young man of today with songs that seemed wrenched from his heart may have taken a number of musical paths based on his early experiences.

Coming from a family where the struggle of a new life in America did not include the arts, as a child he perchance purchased a junkshop guitar and seemingly found a partner for life. Working to afford lessons, he yearned to learn the songs of Metallica and Motley Crue. He became skilled enough to become the jazz guitarist in his high school band. After being in several bands, he thought that a rock guitarist was, to borrow an appropriate phrase from John Lennon, something to be. But there are the pressures of the real world and rent paying that causes many to hang up their toys and dreams. Yet, if music is indeed your salvation and true means of emotional expression, the songs will come out and be realized eventually. Hence, eleven original, very personal songs from Peter Bernas make their debut, plus an adaptation of a Ralph Covert song sung in Bernas' parents sole language, Polish.

When he picked up the guitar after a few years of not playing, it was not to re-invent macho riffs but to serve the songs he was compelled to write. He took his prototype compositions to the open stages in suburban Chicago such as Durty Nellies and the Lunar Brewing Company. His childhood friend, Ken Jagmin, was doing the same at the time. For a time, Bernas did play guitar in Jagmin's band. "Even tho' I've known Ken since grade school, we rarely played together. While we share similar tastes, Ken is much more of an Elvis Presley fan and I'm a Trent Reznor admirer." Jagmin and Bernas both decided to take the Old Town School of Folk Music songwriting class taught by Ralph Covert. Covert is the former leader of the longtime popular rock'n'roll band, The Bad Examples, with almost a dozen albums and successes on both sides of the Atlantic. Another classmate was Dean Goldstein, leader of the band Coin. Covert has now produced debut albums for all three of his former students.

On the first day of recording, a cancellation from a guitarist proved most serendipitious. Blues guitarist John Duich, who also was in The Bad Examples for over two years, was to fill in for just one track. That first track worked so well that he wound up playing on the entire album. His sudden death from heart failure at a young age in January of 1998 meant that this was his last recording session. A short instrumental from these sessions is included on this album. Bassist Pickles Piekarski, a longtime musical collaborator of Duich's, has dubbed the piece "The Paul Super Apple Blues" for reasons he says, "John would have definitely approved." The band assembled for the recording includes Ron Barnes (Middle 8), Pickles Piekarski (Bad Examples), John Siegle (Insiders), and Buddha Slim (Remainders). Ken Jagmin, Dean Goldstein and Jeff Vezain appear as background vocalists. Originally the bassist in Dean Goldstein's band Coin, Greg Interdonato collaborated on the music for "With You On My Mind."

"I'm not a born performer," says Bernas. "These songs come from my depths as a person. Making the recording is a way of validating my artistic side - something that wasn't part of my family experience. My parents still have never owned a phonograph. I wanted to create something permanent that I could keep with me for a long time."

Peter Bernas unexpectedly passed away in his sleep on Friday, January 30th, 2007.