Petey USA might just be the most relatable rockstar on the internet. Blending his early pop-punk influences from the suburbs of Chicago with dancey electronic synths and lyrics laced with humor, existential dread, and heart, Petey creates music that speaks to a vast community of souls. The Los Angeles–based artist is currently on tour following the release of his latest album, The Yips—a record set in a dive bar where each track unfolds like a different patron’s conversation, exploring everyday anxieties in a flowing stream of consciousness. His words can take you from sadness to laughter in a heartbeat, all while the music keeps you moving. But more than anything, Petey just wants you to have fun.

Don’t miss out on your chance to catch the We’ve Got The Yips tour live at Webster Hall on Monday, October 13th. Snag your tix here.

We caught up with Petey ahead of his New York show where he answered a few questions for the groovement.

What was the first concert you ever attended?
First concert I ever attended was REM at The Chicago Theatre when I was in the sixth grade.

Is there any place you've lived that had a significant influence on you musically?
Yeah, Chicago definitely. I think just growing up in the Midwest, the whole early pop-punk there in the early 2000s is pretty instrumental. Just the ease of being able to go into the city of Chicago and take the train and all the legendary concert venues just made it so easy to see live music, so that was definitely my formative music listening. And that's the stuff that I still put into my music today so yeah, definitely like Midwest over everything I would say.

Was there a moment when you realized that you wanted music to be your career or wanted to start making music?
I think when I was a kid, it was basically like going to Lollapalooza and wanting to play it so bad. I always had dreams of being a professional drummer and never being the front man of my own project because that I always thought I'd be too scared to do, so it's funny how that worked out. But yeah, definitely lofty goals of being a big-time drummer in a big-time band for sure.

What was the first venue you ever performed at?
First I ever performed at was— well if we're talking way back— the youth organization in my town. That classic, you know, very sceney youth organization situation, like maybe the Wilmette Warming House or something. But the first legit venue that I ever played— I think it was Subterranean in Chicago. Yeah, that was when I was playing drums in a band called Young Jesus, probably around 2006 or 2007.

You've played a bunch of venues in New York that are different sizes, from Baby’s All Right to Brooklyn Paramount. Is there a spot in New York that really stands out to you?
Yeah, Warsaw is one of my favorite venues I've ever played at. I thought that place was so cool. I loved looking out and it just feels like a high school gym. You're like, playing a prom or something, there's not a lot of bells and whistles. I love that they make pierogies. It's just a good vibe, and it just invites people to have a really, really good time. Last year, we played Irving Plaza, and then we played Warsaw, and it felt a lot more homegrown.

So beyond New York, you've played to a wide range of crowds, like opening for blink-182. Is there a certain setting that you feel your music translates the best in?
Yeah, I feel like we're hitting it right now. I went on a really intimate acoustic tour with Medium Build. We played small venues and played our songs like, quietly and acoustically and it really took some learning from Nick [Carpenter]. He’s just so good at that, like he can just rip his songs and acoustic guitar and perform them so well and that was a big learning curve for me. It was a bit too intimate, and I would get a little skittish and kinda in my head about that sometimes.

And then we've done a handful of stadium shows with blink-182 and Zach Bryan and stuff that's the opposite. That's like, not intimate at all, you know. First fan is like 40 yards away. And you're just kinda up there with your buds and it's super fun. I love being in the innards of a stadium. It’s so fun but you don't really feel as connected. I guess ‘cause people are still ushering in and getting their beers and what not. So the sweet spot for us I think is 1000 to 2000 cap rooms. Because a lot of songs border on stadium rock or like a lot of alt-rock, heavy guitar stuff, so it's nice to be playing in venues that can support the big sound and put on a kind of huge sounding show while still feeling like you can connect to the audience. So I think Webster is like the perfect, perfect size.

Where did the name Petey USA come from?
Petey was just always my nickname ever since I was a little kid. So that was the original thing, and then we just put that tag on Instagram so we could have the profile and that's what kind of stuck. And it's kind of just coincidental that a lot of my lyrics revolve around just what it's like to grow up, you know, kind of like the American dream in mind, and being a little bit disillusioned with it and having complex feelings about the country you live in, kinda not sure how to think about it. That confusion it's— I don't know— it’s really what a lot of my songs are about so it's kinda cool and just tacked onto the name. And it looks cool on T-shirts, so.

The Yips has a bunch of different characters, your comedy has a bunch of different characters. Are these inspired by people you know or just things you've created in your mind?
Yeah, it’s kind of a mixed bag of everything, like some of the stuff is autobiographical, some of the stuff is writing from other people's experiences that I know. Sort of drawing from feelings that I felt in the past, feelings that I currently feel, and then some are just imagining a future where things either go really well or things don't go really well, so it's a real mixed bag. And it's kind of a combination of stories from people that are really close to me that I can understand and feel real deeply, and stories of my own, and then like, ethereal stuff in there too that kind of go in the TikTok lane a little bit.

When you're writing a song, do the lyrics come first or does music come first? Is there a certain process?
Well, I have a lot of instrumental tricks I just make on Logic. And I've got like hundreds of them and sometimes it all comes together at once. Sometimes I have a lyrical idea that I just write down. And a lot of my lyric and melody ideas come from just kinda like old country songs, like old folk songs. So I kinda try to take that pentameter and style of writing. So I'll imagine in my head just drumming along on an acoustic guitar, and then I started challenging myself to just put these words and this phrasing over an electronic kind of synth beat that I made, just cause that's how I really like to make music. So trying to get the perfect combination of that is my goal every time.

Do you have any routines you like doing on tour?
Yeah, I like to just hang out with my band with as few outsiders as possible and just really lock it down and watch whatever sporting event is going on at the time. So we've been really lucky that the MLB playoffs are going on right now. The NHL just started, so no shortage of sports to watch. But yeah, basically we've just been watching sports on the bus and chilling out and it's really nice. It's really nice to just take a beat and watch the sports and be quiet and not talk to more than five people at a time. That’s kind of my limit.

Do you have anything that you want people to take away from your music
Yeah, I think for these shows it’s been really obvious that people are just having a ton of fun. That for me feels the best— when I'm confident that the audience is just having fun, specifically even more so than really attentive, introspective listening. I like it fun, and I like it really rowdy, and that's what it's been so far. The most rewarding part of it to me is to feel like I'm giving people a good time.

Do you have anything exciting coming up after this tour?
Well, I'm releasing B-sides that we recorded from the album. I’ve got two more so I'm gonna be releasing a song on the 21st I think, and then another one in November, so just kinda capping up the album cycle. And then I'm gonna be independent after this tour. I'm excited to just start recording and releasing music pretty soon after I get off. I'm excited to get back in the studio.

Connect with Petey USA on Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, and his website.

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