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Fun Fun Fun Fest scene report: Bankrupt and the Borrowers
It’d be easy to walk away from Bankrupt and the Borrowers’ impassioned blast of blues rock on Sunday afternoon with the impression that the band had a host of demons to exorcise. Denis O’Donnel from The Bread, Tyler Hautala of the Bridge Farmers, Pete Brown of Watching the Moon and Blake Van Buren of The Van Buren Boys joined in for what was said to be the band’s last performance in the wake of the Oct. 9 death of multi-instrumentalist band mate Jon “Baggage” Pettis in an East Austin house fire. The assembled group belted out gritty roadhouse blues with the kind of fervor that suggested they were still reeling from a painful loss.
But then, that would have been par for the course for Bankrupt and the Borrowers, even had the band not tragically lost Pettis early last month, another sad casualty in what has turned out to be a sobering year for the Austin music community. The local quartet had built a reputation on rocking out, with furious, animated jams and shouted harmonies. That’s the spirit that dominated Sunday’s show. After starting by piping one of Pettis’ acoustic songs over the PA, Bankrupt and the Borrowers and guests launched into a blistering half-hour set that doubtless would have made their departed band mate proud.
There were signs that it was no ordinary show for the band, though. Tearful hugs abounded, both backstage and in the audience, and as several in the crowd locked arms and sang along, it was clear that the powerful experience marked the passing of a bright light in the Austin music scene.
“It was an extremely emotional experience for the band, friends, family, everybody, but it was something that needed to be done and I’m glad they decided to go ahead and do this show today,” said Gene Griffin, 27, the band’s manager. “He would have wanted us to do this, absolutely. So it was kind of a no-brainer. It wasn’t up to us. We had to do this for Jon.”
The band is still raising money through private donations online to help start a Jon Pettis memorial scholarship in his hometown of Westford, Mass., as well as a crisis fund for other musicians in need. Donations have already helped secure a new home for the fire’s survivors and helped Pettis’ fiancée to get back on her feet. You can visit the band’s home page to donate. A benefit show will take place Dec. 6 at the Hole in the Wall.
Although the performance was announced last week as the band’s last, the future remains ambiguous. The band members have no immediate plans as they put the pieces back together and figure out their next steps.
“It may be a while and it may not be ever, but I can honestly say that I could see these musicians playing together again,” said Griffin. “They have a strong bond. I have a feeling these guys are going to do something again. It might be two weeks from now, it might be a month from now, it might be a year from now but I think they’ll continue to play together one way or another.”
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