Shaped by the similarly grey and rainy skies of England and the Pacific Northwest, acoustic duo Petty Chavez — made up of songwriters Simon Petty and Celia Chavez — formed when their musical paths converged in sunny southern California. After meeting onstage in Los Angeles at a David Bowie tribute gig in 2013, they have combined their disparate experiences ever since in harmony, life and song.

Petty Chavez marries smoky baritone and sweet alto voices, a rotating assortment of guitars and percussion, and intimate soundscapes to tell their modern day love story in a timeless fashion.   

After earning a degree in English Literature at Cambridge, researching rare birds in the Madagascan jungle, fronting an Americana band in the UK before it was cool, and winning a label deal that launched his band Minibar into the studio with legendary producer T Bone Burnett, Petty found himself  touring North America from coast to coast. Opening up for Pete Yorn, and eventually becoming his backing band, Minibar’s life on the road helped Petty to hone the unique brand of world-weary optimism and musical eclecticism that typify his songwriting. His distinctive voice lies somewhere between Nick Cave and Nick Drake, between finger-picked romanticism and a seam of more dissonant darkness, as featured on his solo albums, The Sea, The Sea by Solomon’s Seal (2009), The Sad Carousel (2015) and —with Seth Rothschild — Recovery Time (2019). 

After leaving her hometown of Seattle, Celia rose through the clubs and studios of New York and Los Angeles, singing with the likes of Pink, Burning Spear, Julia Fordham and Melody Gardot, which brought her to her current role touring the globe as backup vocalist for Enrique Iglesias. Between countless sellout nights in international arenas — duetting with Enrique in Kiev’s Olympic Stadium to 80,000 Ukranians, for instance —Celia uses her downtime on buses, planes and hotel rooms to compose and refine her own brand of wistful lyricism, tempered by her unique clarity of vocal delivery, showcased on the album Sailor’s Daughter (2007) and EPs White Flag Blue Sky (2013), Live at Rockwood Music Hall (2015) and Dare To Love (2017). 

Together, Petty Chavez showcase their smoky harmonies and complementary writing styles on “Jodrell Bank” and “Our Apartment,” the first two singles from their upcoming debut album, One Last Look At the Stars.

Both songs made their world premiere debut on KCSN 88.5 FM (Cal-State, Northridge) and championed by tastemaker DJ Nic Harcourt who hosts the Morning Music Mix on the acclaimed LA-based station.

About their single, Our Apartment:

Simon and Celia co-wrote the song, and Simon recalls: 

"Celia had come up with this beautifully evocative line, “one last look at the stars,” and one night when she was away on tour, I started writing something around the idea of it. It was just one of those “describe the here and now” moments: what can you hear, what do you feel? The Expo train line to Santa Monica runs close by our place, but at enough of a distance for it to be comforting, rather than a continual interruption. It’s the soundtrack of our little oasis in the city; and when we hear it through our windows, we know we are home. The song became an ode to this place that we’ve built together, filled with musical instruments and books and song. Once the first verse solidified, Celia came home and wrote that beautiful melody for the second, and then we combined the two for the end. Finally, the original line that inspired it all became our album title.”

The Family Record Collection

Simon’s family record collection included mostly Chopin etudes and great musicals. “My Dad wrote witty Noel Coward style songs, which he played on an old Spanish classical guitar,” remembers Simon. “He taught me two chords (E and B7) when I was about 13, which, it turns out, for a career in popular music, is all you really need!”

Celia’s mother played piano and sang beautifully, though not professionally. As a Merchant Marine, her dad played sax in the engine room when he was out to sea, not wanting to bother the rest of the crew. There was a broad selection of music playing in the Chavez house — from opera to doo wop, to folk, big band and soul. Celia is very clear on what she learned from growing up with lots of diverse music, saying, “Opera made me fall in love with the drama, dynamics, the sounds of different languages and the power and deftness of the singer’s voice. 1950’s and ‘60’s vocal pop, jazz and folk sparked my lifelong love of harmony.”

What Brought Them Together

The music of David Bowie, an artist they both loved, was the catalyst for bringing them together.  “We met on a Bowie tribute gig, on Friday the 13th, 2013,” Celia remembers vividly.  “Simon was a featured artist that evening, and I was a singer in the house band. Simon was assigned the song ‘Aladdin Sane,’ which has a high part in the chorus out of his usual range.” Simon adds to the story and admits, “To be ruthlessly accurate, we met because I can’t hit a G sharp. I had asked for some help on the chorus of ‘Aladdin Sane’ and very fortuitously, Celia was allotted the task.” 

The Chemistry

 “The first time we sang together,” Celia remembers, “when he opened his mouth that night standing next to me onstage, I became so distracted I nearly dropped my mic and almost forgot to come in on my part. I remember my head turning and my jaw dropping; there is something really rare and special in Simon’s voice. He somehow conveys a complex cocktail of emotions: he sounds simultaneously childlike and world-weary, hopeful and desolate, nostalgic and present, honest and reticent, tender and masculine. I knew I wanted to sing with him again. “

Simon also felt chemistry. “The songs and the vocal blend have just evolved very naturally, as an extension of our compatibility. We couldn’t be more different to look at or listen to, but when we sing, her sweetness blurs all my rough edges.”

What’s Next

Celia explains what makes this musical collaboration work so magically.  “We just have fun, and we truly want the music to be the best it can, to both express and evoke honest emotion. There’s deep mutual respect, trust and admiration that we have built over the years. We also share an ongoing good-natured curiosity and wonder about each other, and we look forward to see what the other has to bring to the creative partnership with every new song and professional adventure.”  

Write from the heart, sing as often as you can, play music with the people you love. — Simon Petty

Stay open and connect meaningfully, approach creativity as a form of service to the world and recognize and own the worth in what you do. — Celia Chavez