About Pezz

There is more than one artist with this name: 1) Pezz (USA) 1989-Present. 2) Pezz (Canada) 1993-1999, now known as Billy Talent. 1) Pezz formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1989, released two 7" ep's and their first full-length 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. Most recently Pezz released the 2008 Split 12" When Giants Walked The Earth backed with fellow Memphis band While I Breathe, I Hope on Makeshift Music. After a 5 year hiatus of only playing once or twice a year, Pezz is now currently working on new material for releases and playing live in and around the Memphis area. It is not likely that Pezz will ever tour again, but we're not ruling out playing the occasional out of town show. Marv is a daddy twice over, and that makes piling in the van hard. Since we all live in the same city now, we saw no reason why we wouldn't carry Pezz into it's 17th year and beyond. While most punk bands last only a few years, if even that, Pezz has held together through a myriad of line up changes, gruelling tours and personal struggles. The thing that has held Pezz together is the intense friendship between its core members and its honest approach to music. They've been able to make many lasting friendships through the U.S., Canada and Europe and have been fortunate to tour and play with such great bands as: Leatherface, Wesley Willis, At the Drive In, Hot Water Music, Bouncing Souls, SamIam, 7 Seconds, Youth Brigade, All the Answers, The Unit Breed, DBS and too many others to count. They've slept on many floors and had great adventures. Some of the band's other projects include: Bury the Living, Akasha, That Was Then and the Riverbottom Nightmare band. 2) Pezz originated in Streetsville, Ontario, where they released two tapes entitled Demoluca and Dudebox in the early/mid 90's. They also released a full-length album, entitled Watoosh! in 1998. In 1999 the band changed their name to Billy Talent from a character in Michael Turner's novel Hard Core Logo because another band already had the name in use.