The Heavy Pets Phish Post Party Atlantic City

by Kevin Anderson

After Phish’s “Little Feat” Halloween costume stomped all over the Boardwalk Hall on Halloween, The Heavy Pets laid down a powerhouse set of original music at Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City. The Pets took the stage about 2:15 am in the wild west themed casino where over 400 people gathered to enjoy the band's blend of funky grooves and dance music. Setting the vibe for the rest of the evening, The Heavy Pets played a fun version of “Hedi Sigismondi” followed by a crowd pleaser, “No More Time,” off their recently released self titled album. The energy in the crowd was extremely high with Alice in Wonderland, Kenny Powers, a double rainbow, and a very authentic looking Blues Brother grooving to the music. Perhaps becoming their trademark jam vehicle, “So Thank You Music,” guitar players Mike Garulli and Jeff Lloyd dueled it out for 30+ minutes. Getting back to the funk, Jim Wuest struck the opening synth line to “Dewpoint,” a song which features his vocals and masterful ability to solo on keys.

Playing well past their allotted time slot of 4am, The Heavy Pets showed no signs of stopping and played another song off of the new album with “Jackie Bones”. Although the song is about Lloyd’s dog, it showcases the absolutely ridiculous skills Justin Carney has to offer on bass. Wuest asked Dr. James Dunstan to join the band on keys for the song “Bibbles”. He ripped a serious jazz influenced groove and was eventually joined by Wuest to finish the song out together. After taking a quick five minute break the band came back on to play a few more songs including a new original from drummer Jamie Newitt who truly served as the backbone driving force of the band throughout the entire show. They wrapped things up about 5:15am and were incredibly grateful for the fans that had danced all the way into the morning.

Check out Justin's review of the Marco Benevento and Friends post show at the Trump Plaza

Heavy Pets Tour Dates & Festival

I really think this band is worth checking out if you get a chance.

From JamBase:

Having spent early June battling the tornado gods of Wakarusa, and harmonizing at the Green Parrot with the four-toed cats of Key West, The Heavy Pets have just begun their 2008 Summer Roxafari Tour.

The 26 date Jumbo Jamathon is anchored by two Independence Day sets at The High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA, and the North East tour closer at the Gathering of The Vibes Festival in Bridgeport, CT. Knowledge is dropped on all points in between.

Colorado gets four-to-the-face; starting with the Pets first appearance at Boulder's Fox Theatre, July 9 with the Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. The band then circles the state, spreading their endangered flavors to Crested Butte, Vail and Denver.

The Heavy Pets give the Midwest one chance to dance on July 15 at Chicago's Kinetic Playground, before gil'n out in the Northeast for three weeks straight.

The Lark Tavern, Albany, gets the Pets three Thursdays in a row, while Vermont is scheduled for a double-dizzler-surprise at RimRocks in Stowe. NYC also gets the double take; once at the Knitting Factory and once upon the Half Moon groove ship as part of the Rocks Off Boat Cruise.

The speculated cherry atop the 2008 Summer Roxafari is likely to be the first ever PetZoo! Set for July 26 on Spring Mountain, in Spring Mountain, PA, The PetZoo! features two day sets and two evening sets of The Heavy Pets. Other acts include The Slightest Chance, AlyCat, Downtown Harvest, and Si Senorita. Lights by Pulse Lighting.

The Heavy Pets return home August 16 and perform with The Spam All Stars at The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale.

Tour Dates
06/27/08 Fri Dunedin Brewery Dunedin, FL
06/28/08 Sat Mellow Mushroom Destin, FL
06/29/08 Sun Blue Moon Saloon Lafayette, LA
07/02/08 Wed Moe's Alley Santa Cruz, CA (w/ Ryan Montbleau Band)
07/03/08 Thu High Sierra Music Festival Quincy, CA
07/04/08 Fri High Sierra Music Festival Quincy, CA
07/06/08 Sun Mojito San Francisco, CA
07/09/08 Wed Fox Theatre Boulder, CO (w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad)
07/10/08 Thu The Eldo Crested Butte, CO
07/11/08 Fri Sandbar Sports Grill Vail, CO
07/12/08 Sat Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO
07/15/08 Tue Kinetic Playground Chicago, IL
07/17/08 Thu Lark Tavern Albany, NY
07/18/08 Fri Rimrocks Tavern Stowe, VT
07/19/08 Sat Rimrocks Tavern Stowe, VT
07/20/08 Sun Bodles Opera House Chester, NY
07/23/08 Wed Al's Wine and Whiskey Lounge Syracuse, NY
07/24/08 Thu Lark Tavern Albany, NY
07/25/08 Fri Knitting Factory - Tap Bar New York, NY
07/26/08 Sat PetZoo! - Spring Mountain, PA
07/31/08 Thu Lark Tavern Albany, NY
08/01/08 Fri The Khyber Philadelphia, PA
08/02/08 Sat Gathering of the Vibes Bridgeport, CT