Meet Whit Petrell of Steel Rod Band in Whittier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whit Petrell.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our band formed in March of 2000, starting with one residency on Thursday nights at a Mexican restaurant called Zendejas in San Dimas. What began as a hobby quickly turned into a career, as we established new residencies, traveled to Asia and Eastern Europe for USO tours, and grew our fan base by performing in large Hollywood venues. Today, Steel Rod Band is a full-time job. We perform locally 5 to 6 nights a week, from small intimate acoustic shows to corporate private events and everything in between. We travel performing on cruise ships through the Caribbean and are looking at taking our show to possible residencies in Las Vegas.

Has it been a smooth road?
The hardest part for us was transitioning from being “a guy in a band” to being “a professional musician”. Many people play instruments in groups for fun but to make music a career takes focus, organization, drive, follow through and much more than most people think. Learning to be an entrepreneur and handle the business side of things while maintaining the artistic side of performing is easier said than done. It’s definitely a challenge and a delicate balance.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Steel Rod Band – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Our band is comprised of 3 core members. Whit Petrell on bass/vocals, Rod Pantoja on guitar/vocals and Johnny Reyes on drums/vocals. We can perform as small as a power trio or add other musicians depending on what the performance requires. We have a songbook of over 800 songs from all different genres, which we believe to be one of the secrets to our success. Not everyone likes all the same music so the fact that our song list is so diverse, we have a better chance at playing songs everyone likes. We also have a Live Band Karaoke show called “Be A Star Live” that we perform in casinos and corporate functions across the US.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The people is probably what we love most about Los Angeles. Our job is pretty cool when you think about it; We get to do something we love to help our fellow Californians enjoy their evening. It’s all about the good times with us. The hardest part though is how difficult the state is making it for us to do our job. With Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) going into effect this year, it’s creating a tougher road as a musician to be compliant with tax laws. There are more questions than answers right now and more venues are skeptical at hiring musicians for fear they will have to pay additional state fees, overtime, insurance and make us employees vs keeping us categorized as independent contractors. It’s definitely an uphill battle and I’m no professional on the subject but thats why it’s so important to educate ourselves as much as we can.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.steelrodband.com
• Phone: 6266449832
• Email: steelrodbandla@gmail.com
• Instagram: @steelrodband
• Facebook: @steelrodband

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.