Kay Pettigrew

Original music, edgy sound

Posted on Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Written by Simone Zucker

Their music is a new sound — a mix of folk and rockabilly.

Kay Pettigrew is an up and coming band that consists of bassist Adrian Cook, drummer Aaron Friend Lettner and lead singer Kay Pettigrew.

On Oct. 28, the band played an intimate show at the Rogers Communication Centre (RCC) to an audience of 20 people. Kay Pettigrew was the first of five bands to play at the show Third Floor Sessions. This was one of the practicum projects for a group of fourth-year radio and television arts students. Pettigrew has a versatile voice, with both edge and vulnerability.

Although Pettigrew began as a solo artist, she decided to expand and include a band. “I wanted my music to move forward,” she said.

Friend Lettner, a first-year photography student, was one of the additions. As a photography student, he has to balance both passions.

“Photography and music are very different from each other [but] a song might make me think of a particular image. Or the other way around,” he said.

Having a solid dynamic within the band is important and their musical connection shows on stage.

“All of us understand each other. As people and as people making music,” said Friend Lettner. “To play music with two people who truly inspire you is more than I could ever ask for.”

Kay Pettigrew gained popularity for a cover of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song. Although the band received a lot of attention, Pettigrew doesn’t want to be known for it.
“It was a curse and a blessing,” she said. So you may not be hearing a cover of Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” any time soon.

If you missed the show, go to www.spiritlive.net to download the mp3 packs and video performance clips from Third Floor Sessions for free. You can also listen to Kay Pettigrew at www.myspace.com/kaypettigrew or check out “Go Fish,” a music show she curates on the first Tuesday of every month at Bread and Circus in Kensington Market.


http://www.theeyeopener.com/articles/4297-Original-music-edgy-sound - The Eyeopener

On which this Toronto singer-songwriter, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, takes lyrics that Will Smith originally rapped, such as "In west Philadelphia born and raised/On the playground is where I spent most of my days," and transforms them into a surprisingly credible folk song. (You can also see a video here: myspace.com/kaypettigrew.) A smart, mischievous and, ultimately, impressive exercise.

-John Sakamoto - The Toronto Star

Canadian singer-songwriter Kay Pettigrew is a perfect treat. A beautiful face framed by a crop of dark hair, an acoustic guitar and a honeyed voice delivering folk and blues ditties with a gentle intensity – what more could we ask for? She may describe her musical inspirations as “rain in the trees, spoons clinking in tea cups, friends laughing, riding the greyhound”, but, like Jenny Owen Youngs, she’s also partial to a bit of hip hop. I have to admit, a folk cover of the theme to legendary ’90s teatime TV hit ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel Air’ was hard to imagine, but on hearing Kay’s interpretation my scepticism blew away with easy detachment. Pettigrew takes the friendly rap swagger of Will Smith’s soundtrack and transforms it into something thoughtful and sweetly reflective, a mellow composition made all the more appealing for her gentle jazz-tinged vocals. Her self-titled EP, release in December through For The Love Of…Records, is definitely worth checking out.

-Charlotte Richardson Andrews - Wears The Trousers (magazine)