100 Watt Horse rides away

George Pettis woke up one day and realized he didn't need to stay in Atlanta any longer.

The singer, songwriter, and founding member behind the burgeoning folk-pop outfit 100 Watt Horse honed his craft in the wake of Atlanta's garage-punk era, at first gaining attention with the electro-pop group Wowser Bowser. But with the arrival of 2014's self-titled 100 Watt Horse EP (Boom Done!), his songwriting hit a new stride.

While his voice took shape, Pettis became a motivating force for local music, booking shows at the Mammal Gallery, and spearheading events such as Boomstock, a showcase of local indie rock acts that took place May 1 at Eyedrum.

But now, Pettis is on the road, bound for Olympia, Wash. "I needed a physical catalyst to change myself, and avoid complacency," Pettis says.

Though he has no return date in mind, Pettis' indelible contributions to Atlanta music linger, even in his absence. Not the least of which is 100 Watt Horse's debut full-length, Everything Is Alright Forever and Forever and Forever and Thank You Thank You Thank You Amen (EAFAFAFATTTA) — a split release between local labels Bear Kids Records and Deer Bear Wolf that arrived in June. There's already a follow-up album ready to go. But to keep developing his craft, at just 25 years old, Pettis has transplanted himself to the opposite end of the country.

Since 2013, 100 Watt Horse has undergone various personnel changes. The lineup that appears on EAFAFAFATTTA features Gabe Seibel on bass and Anna Jeter on vocals.

But now that he's on the road, making his way West and playing shows along the way, 100 Watt Horse is a solo act. The project began as a spin-off from Wowser Bowser, birthed to quell Pettis' desire for constant change. "I don't want to make any records that sound the same," he says.

Truly, EAFAFAFATTTA is a departure from the lush production of 100 Watt Horse's debut EP. New songs such as "Ardnacrusha" and "Systematic" keep the rustic melodies rolling along while pushing the folk aesthetic to wholly new terrain. "Hold It" ventures into synth pop, building around a drum machine rhythm, while "Julie," the album's most gentle folk song, ends suddenly with Pettis' and Jeter's intertwining voices reaching an emotional climax.

Pettis' songs find balance between the honesty of his writing and the power of self-restraint. "You want to make people feel like you're giving them an absolute and direct glimpse into your soul, but muddying it up a bit by being abstract," he says.

And while pop and folk are rarely seen as Atlanta's strongest musical exports, they're in Pettis' DNA. His father, Pierce Pettis, has held down a successful career as a songwriter since the late '70s. His songs have been covered by dozens of artists. Even Joan Baez offered a rendition of his "Song at the End of the Movie" for her 1979 album, Honest Lullaby.

Folk sensibilities lie within the young Pettis' structural simplicities, and the honesty that underscores songs such as "Bees 1," "Bees 2," and "Seagull." But 100 Watt Horse is a pop project at heart, standing willfully apart from Atlanta's thriving hip-hop, indie, and post-punk scenes. "Atlanta has a couple genres that it is naturally drawn to," Pettis says. "As someone who grew up inundated with the Beatles and the Beach Boys, sometimes I felt a little out of place here."

100 Watt Horse's strengths lie in the vulnerability of Pettis' voice and lyrics, and sparse arrangements. Still, the music is a reflection of his time in Atlanta.

Pettis will forever call Atlanta home, even though he has set out for another city. "Wherever you go and whatever scene you're a part of, the important thing is that you do your own thing," he says.

The difficult part, for him, is not being around to watch while his fellow Atlanta musicians develop and grow with the city, just as he did. He says he'll be back — sometime. Atlanta is still a part of who he is, and that will never change.