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Heavy Petty performing at Bo Diddley Plaza on August 17 as part of the venue’s Free Fridays Concert Series.
TRIBUTE BAND >> HEAVY PETTY
HOMAGE
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS TRIBUTE BAND
Heavy Petty W R I T T E N B Y H AY L I Z U CCO L A
Tom Petty’s songwriting – rock ‘n’ roll to the core with an addictive aftertaste - was often wrapped in a subtle longing for the hometown he left behind over 40 years ago. Despite his lyrical homesickness, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rarely played in Gainesville, which for the locals generated a perpetual yearning for the band’s landmark-laced verses, captivating rhythms and Petty’s distinctive nasally voice – something only the Gainesville natives themselves could provide or so it would seem. In 2009, Heavy Petty – A Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band – came together to offer residents the closest thing to Petty besides the iconic singer himself. Throughout their nearly 10-year history, Heavy Petty has become almost as much of a local icon as their Heartbreaker muse. 42 |
OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
So You Want To Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star “My interest [in music] actually goes back to ‘Back to the Future’ the movie when I saw Michael J. Fox play ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and I thought he was the coolest guy ever,” said Jason Hedges, the lead singer and cofounder of Heavy Petty. “That led me into listening to Chuck Berry... and I started becoming a huge fan of rock ‘n’ roll.” Before playing the mellowed-out tunes of Tom Petty, Daniel App, Heavy Petty co-founder and lead guitarist, went through a metal phase, finding inspiration from Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett. PHOTOGRAPHY: HAYLI ZUCCOLA