“Jeff Zittrain obviously is a true student of his instrument being able to take a song into his capable hands and transform it at will”
– West Coast Performer Magazine
“A guitar God, a guru, a piano man, a philosopher—someone I am honored to call friend!”
– Chance the Poet (as a birthday greeting…)
This page is being updated. Here is the original 2006-11 text written by Kynd Music editor Dave Terpeny.
“To understand Jeff Zittrain you have to understand his roots. He grew up in Pittsburgh, home of the rough and tumble Steelers, listening to the sounds of Blue Oyster Cult, The Who and The Doors. Then along came the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Band…and Zittrain went on the road. Along the way he met T.S. Eliot, Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. He followed the Dead into the Rockies, left his body and went jumping for joy with “The Mighty Quinn”, and hit the ground running in the promised land – San Francisco. There Zittrain began shaping his ragged, psychedelic and soulful rock and roll sound. Blending his gritty roots with poetic lyricism and improvisational inspiration he performed with the alt-country rockers Absent Iris, the jamband Shirking Violet, the roots rockers Personal Demons and the genre-bending power trio Famous Last Words (FLW). As the primary songwriter in FLW he released two critically acclaimed albums, garnering an All Music Guide 4 Stars and a CD Baby Editors Pick as well as features and reviews in Relix Magazine, Hittin’ The Note, An Honest Tune, HearMusic, West Coast Performer Magazine and KyndMusic, a song on NBC TV, a “Lyrics as Poetry” award, and a streaming slot on The Rex Foundation website. But Jeff Zittrain is not content to rest on his laurels. Stepping out as a solo artist with the Z-Trane Electric Band, he has taken his expansive and raw music to the next level. The response has been incredible. In the first 9 months of 2007 Zittrain was invited to perform as a featured artist at:
Living With War Neil Young Hootenany
The San Francisco Folk Festival
The British Invasion Showcase
The prestigious Music & Dance Collaboration Project, where he graced the program’s cover
In the midst of all that excitement Zittrain, who’s shared a bill with Steve Kimock, Carlos Santana, Mike Gordon, Leo Kottke, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Leftover Salmon, Little Feat, Derek Trucks and Eliza Gilkyson, has continued playing select shows throughout the Bay Area with the Z-Trane Band and side project Flaming Telepaths “the thinking person’s psychedelic Blue Oyster Cult jam band.” He is represented by Spirit Vibrations Booking in CA and KyndManagement out of Washington D.C..As 2011 races into winter Zittrain is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming live album. Recorded over three nights in San Francisco and Berkeley, CA it promises to highlight classics and introduce new material to his ever growing legion of fans.”
– Dave Terpeny, KyndManagement