Pezz formed in Memphis in 1989, released two 7" EPs and their first full-length, Livin’ the Life of Riley, on their own Truant Records between '92 and '95 and recorded a split album for NYC's Bittersweet Records in 1996 before signing to BYO Records in 1997. One Last Look was recorded at Westbeach Recorders in Hollywood in the summer of 1997 with producer Steve Kravac (MxPx, Supertones, Doughboys) and marked Pezz's BYO debut. Received well in the press, the album also enjoyed a good bit of col... (more)
Pezz formed in Memphis in 1989, released two 7" EPs and their first full-length, Livin’ the Life of Riley, on their own Truant Records between '92 and '95 and recorded a split album for NYC's Bittersweet Records in 1996 before signing to BYO Records in 1997. One Last Look was recorded at Westbeach Recorders in Hollywood in the summer of 1997 with producer Steve Kravac (MxPx, Supertones, Doughboys) and marked Pezz's BYO debut. Received well in the press, the album also enjoyed a good bit of college radio air play. After three national tours in support of One Last Look on their own, two shorter stints with the Bouncing Souls and 7 Seconds, the band went to Chicago's Electrical Audio in March of 1999 to record a new record with engineer Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Jawbreaker, Pixies).
Released early in the summer of 1999, Pezz's sophomore release for BYO, Warmth and Sincerity, was supported by a three-month summer tour of the U.S. and Canada in which the band toured with Hot Water Music, At the Drive-In, Elliot, Discount and Canadian friends D.B.S. The band took time out in the fall to record for a Tennessee anti-death penalty organization's benefit record, a split 7" EP released on the Soul is Cheap label, before hitting the road again in early October for a seven-week tour of the U.S. and Canada. In 2000 Pezz went on two regional U.S. mini-tours, first covering the east coast and Midwest and then out west with Wesley Willis in May. In the fall, the band went on a month-long U.S. tour with UK punk legends Leatherface, playing some of those shows with Hot Water Music and Samiam. In 2001, Pezz played shows closer to home for most of the year while it concentrated on writing and recording new material. In April, the band recorded four songs at Memphis' House of Blues Studio with engineer Kyle Johnson. Three songs from that session were released later in the year on Soul is Cheap as a 7" EP called And So It Stands. In July the band went into Easley-McCain Studios in Memphis to record the follow up to Warmth and Sincerity with engineer Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Rocket From the Crypt, Jets to Brazil, Promise Ring). Released in September 2001 on Soul is Cheap, With Everything We Got marked a further evolution in the band's songwriting.
Still present were the power, drive, hooks and unconventional, melodic song writing that set Pezz apart from other bands, but new wrinkles were added which incorporated bass player Christian Walker's ideas more fully and which embraced a newfound freedom to try new things. The epic What If Someday Never Comes was a song that grew out of one of those spontaneous moments that happen when a band becomes one unit, seemingly acting with one mind. No two songs were written with exactly the same process and no song is the creation of one writer. Even songs primarily written by one member were strengthened in the band's ensemble writing process. The band agreed earlier in 2001 that it would go on an indefinite hiatus after one last tour. Pezz hit the road on a brief U.S. tour of the Midwest and east coast in September. Most notable was playing two nights in a row in New York City just two weeks after the attacks of September 11th. The band flew to London in early October for a six-week tour of Europe which included shows in England, Wales, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. Pezz returned home in mid-November 2001 and played one last show in their hometown of Memphis before going on what would end up being a five-year hiatus.
During the hiatus, founding member Marvin Stockwell moved to northern Illinois so his wife could go to graduate school. While there, he worked as a reporter, editor and columnist at the Northwest Herald, a suburban Chicago newspaper. He also worked as weekend host on the local public radio station, WNIJ. Band co-founder Ceylon Mooney continued playing music and devoted more time to peace-and-justice activism, booking the Wheels of Justice Tour and making several trips to Iraq and Palestine as part of humanitarian delegations. He continues to lecture about his experiences and remains an active presence on other social justice issues as well. Christian continued playing music and working as a carpenter and studio engineer. More recently, he has devoted more time to acting, appearing in several films, most notably in the lead role in “Live Animals,” which screened at the Hollywood Film Festival in the fall of 2008.
In the fall of 2004, Marvin and his wife returned from Illinois with a baby girl in tow and also celebrated the birth of second daughter in 2007. Currently, Marvin works as the public relations manager for the Church Health Center, a nonprofit organization which provides affordable healthcare to working, uninsured people, their families and the homeless. Pezz played a few one-off shows in 2005, but became a truly active band again in the fall of 2006, with Ceylon moving from guitar to drums and adding Anthony Siracusa on guitar. Anthony is founder and executive director of Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes volunteers to recycle bicycles. He is also a full-time student at Rhodes College and cycling columnist for the Commercial Appeal newspaper. Pezz recorded five new songs in the summer of 2007 for a split LP with their friends in While I Breathe I Hope.
The record, which is set for release in December 2008 on the Makeshift Music label, will also feature a track recorded in 2001. Recently, film director Brad Phelan produced a video for “I Liked Your Rough Draft Better,” from the band’s “With Everything We Got“ album. The video debuted at the Indie Memphis Film Fest in October 2008 and was received well. Ceylon is headed back to Palestine in January and February of 2009. The band is writing new songs and plans to record a proper full-length in the spring. Pezz draws inspiration from the likes of: Husker Du, Social Distortion, Articles of Faith, Leatherface, Crimpshrine, Jawbreaker, Fugazi, Marginal Man, Superchunk, Naked Raygun and of course, the Bad Brains.
