Orion Free Concert Series: Pezz

Part of the Orion Free Concert Series.

About the artist:
In tribute to their favorite candy that comes out of a little plastic head, Marvin Stockwell (guitar/vocals), Ceylon Mooney (guitar/vocals), Scott (bassist), and Nick (drums) got together to form Pezz in 1989. Taking their home of Memphis, TN, by surprise, the band released their first EP, Jalopy, in 1992, followed by Free Ride the next year – – both on Truant Records, both inspired by the likes of Jawbreaker, Hüsker Dü, and Articles of Faith. After Roy was recruited to fulfill the bass position in 1995, Pezz’s first full-length, Living the Life of Riley, came out that same year, followed by a brief tour of the East Coast. Joey Mullinix soon took over the four strings the next year before they recorded the split CD with 2 Line Filler on Bittersweet Records.

With the lineup finally settled in 1997, courtesy of drummer Chris Coble, BY Records hooked them up to release their second album, One Last Look, that same year. Their third album, Warmth & Sincerity, followed also on BY in 1999. A North American summer tour in support of the record found Pezz hooking up with bands like Hot Water Music, Elliot, and At the Drive-In; shows continued into 2000, including a month of dates opening for U.K. legends Leatherface. In 2001, the band released the 7″ EP And So It Stands and the full-length With Everything We Got, both issued through local indie Soul Is Cheap and recorded with bassist Christian Walker in tow. U.S. and European tour dates followed before the year’s end and Pezz went on an indefinite hiatus. ~ Mike Daronco, Rovi