Jeff Pettit Band

Jeff Pettit recorded his first full-length record 'It Is What It Is' (2012) by himself in his Philadelphia basement studio. He wrote all the songs and played every note of the ten-song disc. These facts by themselves are not so extraordinary; it seems anyone with a computer and musical ambition is capable of the same feat. What's stunningly different about this project, is that the quality of the songs, singing, lyrics, playing, and overall vibe/sound quality is that of a major label release. The songs are ecclectic enough to keep the disc interesting (and Yolk fans happy?!), but there is a cohesiveness/ uniformity of vision that gives the album a classic quality. This is definitely the work of one person; one person finding and defining his musical identity.
Jeff's musical journey started in earnest when he started the uncategorizable, regional touring band Yolk in 1992. The septet played over 1,000 gigs from Canada to Florida to Colorado. They sold almost 40,000 copies of their 3 cd's and played soldout shows at all the major clubs on the Eastern Seaboard. The popularity of the band gave Jeff opportunities to play with the Violent Femmes and to play and record with moe. (Sony550).
After Yolk fizzled out near the millenium change, Jeff tried his hand at Jazz school. He graduated from Purchase Conservatory with honors in 2003 and moved to NYC to try his luck with the jazz thing. Jeff also tried his hand at film scoring (The Lottery) and at commercial music (CNN, NBC, ESPN, and Nissan). After playing in various projects in NYC and Philly (Andy Stack, Suzie Brown, Adrien Reju, LAdy Rizo) he decided it was time to finally give his own vision a shot.
After the album was released, Jeff teamed up with two kindred spirits from his road days with Yolk : Steve Bailey on guitar (Grinch, Fat Daddy Hasbeen) and Anthony Sabol on Bass (Freight Train).
Jeff plays drum kit and sings lead vocals live. Though more stripped down than the album, the live incarnation of the material is energized by the ferocity of Bailey's guitar and Sabol's taste and ears. The band stretches out a bit instrumentally, but not to the degree you may expect given their Jam band pedigree. Songs are showcased and instrumental prowess seems to be aimed at making that possible, rather than for it's own sake.
The trio started touring in July of 2012.