Pit Er Pat

Chicago post-rock trio Pit Er Pat consisted of bassist Rob Doran, a founding member of Alkaline Trio, classically trained pianist Fay Davis-Jeffers, and drummer Butchy Fuego, an onetime contributor to Neutral Milk Hotel. The musicians first assembled in 2003 under the name Blackbirds to accompany a local singer/songwriter, yet that performer suddenly relocated to New York City, compelling the trio to write original material so they could fulfill a previously scheduled concert. The performance succeeded so strongly that they chose to keep going and soon issued the EP Emergency on their own Mythologies label. After discovering another band already using the Blackbirds name, they took the new moniker Pit Er Pat from a painting by Chicago artist Jim Nutt; in early 2004 they reissued Emergency on the Overcoat label. Following the release of the 12-inch “The Babies Are Tired” on the tiny Born and Raised on Sugar label, the group signed with Thrill Jockey and delivered its first full-length album, Shakey, in early 2005. The next year they entered the studio twice with Tortoise’s John McEntire serving as producer, first for the 3D Message EP and again that fall for the album Pyramids. Pit Er Pat tracked its third album, 2008’s High Time, in its own studio, adding a horn section and percussion that ranged from bongos to agogo bells and thereby creating its most musically complex record to date. A European tour and an appearance at the ATP Festival prompted the 2010 release The Flexible Entertainer, which combined the exotic feel of High Time with broader structures and reduced instrumentation.