Harlem Shuffle is an eclectic combination of styles, textures, and attitudes.  They play dynamic original material, that has popular form and a focus on the “Groove”, “Feel”, and “Tone” of the music.

The group met in 2009 while Nick Petty, Jake Bills, Alec Jackson, and Matt Howitz were enrolled at the School of Rock. There, they learned basic performance skills from which to expand upon. They started working together when called upon for various recording work, playing as the backup band for local singer/songwriters, and performed in groups of different combinations of players. Ultimately, the group was formed while playing for a singer/songwriter, a project that fell through. The four enjoyed playing together so much that they decided to start a project. Having general experience in many genres, they did not know which direction to go in, so they started jamming rock, funk, and jazz. They quickly caught the attention of many people in Salt Lake City, and began getting called for gigs 2-3 times a week. After performing together for a year, learning what they like to play and what audiences liked hear from them, they decided to start writing soul music, and found Sierra Petty Fry, a perfect fit. They then explored writing music that had influences of rock, pop, disco, funk, jazz, all while keeping the “soul” sound in their music.

Currently, Harlem Shuffle is writing, recording, and studying music in school. They write and record all of their original material entirely by themselves, furthering their experience engineering and producing music. They are the house band at a popular sushi bar, Sushi Groove, where they play twice a week. They carry several endorsements with companies such as Apogee Digital, Logarhythm, and Hipshot products. All of the members of the group (with the exception of Sierra Fry Petty) teach lessons and direct student-based rehearsals at the School of Rock.

Harlem Shuffle’s musical goals include writing, recording, and touring with their original music (in case you hadn’t figured that out already). They are also interested in arranging and composition professionally.

Members....

Nick Petty - Guitar - Vocals - The tireless front man and driving creative force. Coming from a musical family, being the cousin of the groups vocalist Sierra, music has been the focus of his life since he picked up the guitar at age 13. Greatly influenced by rock players such as Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, Ty Tabor, Eric Johnson, Tosin Abasi, and Jazz/Fusion players such as Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, and Frank Gambale, Nick furthers his love for jazz by majoring in Jazz Performance at The University of Utah.

Jake Bills - Bass - Began playing Bass at age 11, he has toured the Northwest twice with the School of Rock All Stars, has been awarded “Best Bassist” in the 2011 SchoolJam USA competition, and is studying to get a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance at the U of U.

Alec Jackson - Keyboards - The reckless prodigy of the group. Alec has no musical fears or boundaries. He began teaching Keyboard Lessons to even younger students at the age of 15. He has played with greats such as Napolean Murphy Brock (Frank Zappa) and Earl Slick (Davide Bowie, John Lennon).

Sierra Fry Petty - Vocals - The newest, youngest member of the group. A badass hippy, Sierra has a natural, soulful voice that can tear your heart out, or get you on the dance floor singing along with her. Born with perfect pitch, Sierra has an incredilbe understanding of music, especially for her young age of 16.

Matt Howitz - Drums - The Heartbeat of the band, Matt has opened for national acts such as The Bouncing Souls and has toured the west with the School of Rock All Stars multiple times. With the work ethic of a spartan, Matt provides style and an image to the band.