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Thursday, June 17, 2021
GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon
Keeping Tom Petty’s music alive
■ Petty Fever, a tribute band to Tom Petty, plays Saturday, June 19, in Baker City
By Lisa Britton
“A lot of people miss
Tom Petty. We do
what we can to keep
it going. Hopefully
we do it justice.”
Go! Magazine
BAKER CITY — Frank Murray
and his tribute band weren’t very
busy in 2020.
“You can count them on one
hand,” he said of their concerts. “It
was not a good year, but things are
getting better. Things are starting
to pick up.”
Murray plays guitar and lead
vocals for Petty Fever, a Tom Petty
tribute band founded in 2009.
The band lands in Baker City
this weekend.
Petty Fever plays Saturday, June
19, at the Ison House Bed & Brew,
1790 Washington Ave.
Gates open at 4 p.m.
Local band Trailer Hitch starts
the music at 5 p.m., followed by
Petty Fever at 7:30 p.m.
Beverages and food will be avail-
able. This event is for ages 21 and
older.
Tickets are $20 and can be pur-
chased at www.theisonhouse.com.
Limited tickets will be sold at the
gate.
— Frank Murray, lead
vocalist for Petty Fever, a
Tom Petty tribute band
Petty Fever/Contributed photo
Petty Fever, a Tom Petty tribute band, plays in Baker City on Saturday, June 19, at the Ison House.
the other band,” Murray said with
a laugh.
Plus, he bears a resemblance to
the famous singer.
“I kind of look like Petty, to a
degree,” Murray said. “It was one of
those things. I fell into it.”
Petty, he said, was a gifted song-
writer.
“I gravitated toward his song-
writing style,” Murray said. “He’s
in the top fi ve modern songwriters
P
etty Fever started with fi ve
members, and still has the
same fi ve today.
“Which is rare,” Murray said.
Band members are Murray on
guitar and lead vocals, Tim Baltus
on guitar and backing vocals, Steve
Kuepker on bass and backing vo-
cals, Jack Codron on keyboards and
backing vocals, and Craig Ostbo on
drums.
But Tom Petty had six band
members.
“There are a lot of extra parts, if
you really sit and listen,” Murray
said.
Now Petty Fever has six mem-
bers, too.
Todd Jensen now plays bass,
while Kuepker will focus on the
extra parts of Petty’s songs.
“This will be our third show with
the new lineup,” Murray said of
of all time. I’m constantly jealous of
his songwriting skills. The guy was
brilliant.”
When asked if he has a favorite
Petty song, Murray goes silent.
Then: “What day is this?”
In other words, he could never
choose just one favorite Petty song.
“It’s like asking what my favorite
guitar is,” he said.
The fans who attend Petty Fever
shows might also have a hard time
choosing a favorite.
“They go crazy, they love it,” he
said. “A lot of people miss Tom
Petty. We do what we can to keep it
going. Hopefully we do it justice.”
Providing quality and compassion to all his patients.
Trailer Hitch/Contributed photo
Baker City band Trailer Hitch opens for Petty Fever on June 19.
Saturday’s concert.
They’ve worked on their playlist
for seven months.
“We took every song, dissected
them, and relearned them,” he said.
Murray has always liked Tom
Petty songs.
“I’ve been a Petty fan since Petty
was on the radio,” he said. “His
musical roots are similar to mine
— back to the ’50s, ’60s, R&B, rock
‘n’ roll, The Beatles.”
He remembers hearing “Break-
down” for the fi rst time in 1976.
“I learned it the next day,” he
said.
In the 1990s, people suggested
Murray do a Tom Petty tribute.
He responded, “Nah, I’d rather
concentrate on my own music.”
Fast forward a few years to when
another band asked him to open
with a tribute to Tom Petty.
“The crowd loved it more than
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