The Heavy Pets brings Beatles tribute show to High Dive

Ft. Lauderdale-based quintet The Heavy Pets will be playing a set composed entirely of Beatles covers Friday at High Dive in a tribute show the group affectionately calls “Walrus.”

The Heavy Pets is a band that blends elements of jazz, funk, blues, reggae and rock into its eclectic sound. Originally formed in 2005, the band has released six full-length studio albums since and played countless music festivals across the country, including hundreds of shows in Florida alone. This will be the first time The Heavy Pets will perform a “Walrus” set in Gainesville.

“Walrus” includes several Beatles favorites such as “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “All My Loving” and “A Day in the Life,” in the jazzy, funky, rock ’n’ roll style The Heavy Pets is known for.

“Walrus started as a one-off idea that we had last October,” Jeff Lloyd, the group’s guitarist and vocalist, said. “We were celebrating our 10-year anniversary for the band, and we wanted to do something special for our fans. We played a Beatles tribute set once, and we enjoyed it so much we took it all over the country. But this might be one of the last ones we do for a while.”

“Walrus,” however, is just one facet of The Heavy Pets career. None of the group’s six full-length albums is a cover album. The band has plenty of original material that ranges in style and sound. Every member of The Heavy Pets has written songs for the band, and four of the five members sing.

“Working to dissect these Beatles songs, as a band, has had a great impact on the way that we write our own original material these days.” Lloyd said. “I think we’re a better band for having done this.”

Many consider The Heavy Pets to be a jam band, and some find this term to be indicative of long winded, hard-to-listen-to music. While the band members accept this label and agrees they are a jam band, they realize the term sometimes brings a negative connotation.

“‘Jam band’ is kind of a dirty word these days, but it means a lot to people who are in the know,” Lloyd said. “I think the jam band scene has some of the most talented musicians in the game right now, whether it’s through electronic music, jazz music, world music or straight rock ’n’ roll.”

No matter what your opinion is on jam bands is, The Heavy Pets show Friday at High Dive will feature only reworked Beatles songs that fit into a variety of genres. Take the band’s cover of “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” for example. Lloyd describes The Heavy Pets’ take on this classic track to be heavily inspired by New Orleans-style funk.

“The Heavy Pets bring a high energy, genre-bending live show every time I have seen them play,” Pat Lavery, the promoter for High Dive, said.

Gainesville folk-rock band Captains of the Frontier will open the show Friday. Admission to the show is $14 at the door, with advance tickets for $10 at the High Dive box office and $11 at Hear Again Records. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the show starts at 10 p.m.