The Jilters

The Jilters originate from a college pit band.  Twenty years ago, drummer, Chuck Kapelke, and pianist, Chris Dubois, were part of the rhythm section for a Harvard theater company called The Hasty Pudding.
 
After years of travel and relocation, the two ended up living as neighbors in the island city of Alameda, California and spent many late nights improvising together in basements and makeshift spare room studios. Their initial attempts at making music could best be described as “bad jazz fusion”.

Travis Hanna, a former luthier and R&B bassist, moved to Alameda to pursue a career in tech. By the time Hanna first jammed with The Jilters, Dubois had sketched out a few pop song ideas while commuting to his day job as an attorney. Hanna had also written a handful of his own songs and, as luck would have it, both songwriters had focused their lyrics on love, loss, ambivalence, and a hint of snark—a natural fit.

In a final round of expansion, The Jilters completed their misfit ensemble with an incredible horn section anchored by Jeff Worrall on trumpet and Ethan Levitt on tenor sax (both recent transplants to The Bay Area). Worrall and Levitt have an affinity for pop, rock and funk, but they also have the jazz chops The Jilters need for the extended jams that have become a major part of their draw at live shows.

In the summer of 2016 The Jilters finalized their current lineup with the incomparable Matt McLean on guitar. 

The Jilters have developed a sound that serves the party scene well, powered by 70s-style grooves and 80s-style hooks.  They perform a blend of original music and covers spanning multiple decades from popular artists such as Steely Dan, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, The Who, and Sting.