Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Petrillo Relents is the real deal. Honest songs with real lyrical and melodic depth. The talent of the quintet is boundless. Their vocal harmonies are flawless and passionate. Petrillo's live show is the best way to experience them. Any chance I get to book them I jump at as they always please audience and venue alike."
- Marty Fort, Promotions Coordinator, Jam Room Studio
"Local opener Petrillo Relents use a similarly ecumenical approach to country, rock, soul and more, with a rambling sound that is anchored by the country noir vocals of Andrew Francis. Together only a year, the band has plans for a CD release later this summer — here's hoping it captures even a portion of this complicated combo's lively, confident stage presence." - Free Times
‘Petrillo Relents has a soulful, old timey kind of feel to its blues -something you might hear pouring from a club in Kansas City or New Orleans, or from an AM station during an all-night drag through the Midwest.’ – Kevin Foster Langston (Free Times – Columbia SC) - Free Times (Columbia, SC)
It seems that whenever music is classified as "Southern," the automatic assumption is that it will be uninspired, Skynyrd-esque classic rock. This gross misuse of a geographical connection is unfortunate, as a band like Petrillo Relents is decidedly Southern, but without the cheese factor. The singer drawls and croons like a Columbian Bing Crosby, the guitars twang and the beats fall like sweat down your back during a sweltering South Carolina summer day. Fans of Licorice Tea Demos-era Jump, Little Children will appreciate the slow, Southern songcrafting. Plus, they use an acoustic double bass! How cool is that?! - Free Times (Columbia, SC)
Petrillo Relents
Live at the Art Bar
Columbia, SC
March 11, 2004
This is my favorite new band. What does my favorite new band sound like? I hear early Stones mixed with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, honky tonk and Memphis blues. It's nothing particularly new, but it's good stuff and all of the players are well accomplished. On this particular night the band was without their drummer but still played an awesome set, which included what I gather to be mostly original songs, except for the Parsons/Byrds tune played second. If you like good music, which should always prevail in the end, check out Petrillo Relents. - Step Out of the Line (Columbia, SC)
Discography
"Such Is" (EP) - released in October 2004
"Strange Passengers" (LP) - released in July 2006
Conspiracy (single - 2007)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Born in the sultry summer months of 2003 in Columbia, South Carolina, Petrillo Relents is the heart-child of songwriter Andrew Francis. Americana? Art-blues? Country noir? There is a dark southern mystique to the music that has drawn comparisons to the Band and early Rolling Stones, among others. Over the past three years, the band has performed at music venues and outdoor festivals around the southeast, sharing stages with diverse acts like the Avett Brothers, Grupo Fantasma, Faun Fables, Hope for a Golden Summer, and the Blue Dogs. Petrillo Relents was chosen 2004 "Best New Local Band" by the writers of Columbia's Free Times. In 2006, Petrillo Relents was awarded a grant from the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.
The band has recorded two albums with engineer Steve Slavich at the Jam Room in Columbia: Such Is (EP - 2004) and Strange Passengers (LP 2006). Both recordings were produced by the band and are available through their website, www.petrillorelents.net. The recordings capture the essence of this five-piece band; however, the full impact of Petrillo Relents is most evident at their live performances, where the interplay of the five friends and the personalities of each individual merge and create an uncommon musical energy.
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