Pete Panek & The Blue Cats

Pete Panek & The Blue Cats have been wowing CNY audiences since 1981. With their unique blend of Pete's original tunes and some Blues standards, they never fail to entertain to the bone. And always enjoy watching people enjoy themselves. Pete and Taz have been doing it together since the inception with one minor detour and have had only four bassists since the band started over 30 years ago. The original bassist was Mr. Bruce Lockwood who moved here along with Peter back in the early 1980's. Next was Mr. Tim Odell who eventually moved to England with his wife after which I set up an audition with Mr. Joe Bruno and played with him up until his untimely death in 2012. Our current bassist is Mr. Billy Benson who enjoyed a small career playing with Huey Lewis while attending Cornell University. With that being said Pete, Taz, and Billy continue to entertain crowds all over the Central New York area and Pete continues to host the longest running Blues Jam in the country, under the same roof, and with the same ownership. You can also catch Pete every Wednesday morning hosting Ithaca's own Blues Progressions show. Bruce and I also hosted the show for a period, so we have had every member of the band do it at one time or another.