The Petty Thieves
The not so legendary rock group "Petty Thieves" started to form in the dorms at the Illinois Institute of Technology in late 1999. Lead guitarist and part time drummer Wade "Bad Ass" Burkard and lead singer and guitarist Austin "No Lyrics" Mroczek had frequent jam sessions where they learned to groove their styles together to form masterful works of art (they were actually learning how to play guitar but we won't talk about that). However, they were still missing something beside the ability to play, and soon were blessed with the funky rythym of bassist Ryan "Two Shoes" Pendleton.
 
Talent Show 2000
This fearless trio decided to try out the IIT talent show, which was only one week away. A few practices later they were playing Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me" in front of the tremendous crowd at the IIT auditorium.
The BOG gig
Although not the winning act, they gained the attention of big time talent bookers in the Bog, IIT's campus bar. The next week Petty Thieves played the Bog as the opening act. The band rocked the mesmerized crowd for more than half an hour with the songs below:

• Tom Petty - You Wreck Me
• Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
• Better Than Ezra - Good
• The Eagles - Hotel California
• Lynyrd Skynryd - Free Bird
• The Beatles - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
• Tom Petty - Last Dance with Mary Jane

Petty Thieves memorabilia from the BOG gig

• Bog payment invoice (yes they actually paid us)
• IIT's Technews review part 1 and part 2

 
Talent Show 2001
Word spread quickly about the return of the Petty Thieves to their first venue, and many people packed the auditorium at IIT. The band had quite a surprise for their fans with the addition of Vito as the drummer. They confidently belted out Nirvana's "Come as You Are" and "Learning to Fly" by Tom Petty. Here is a picture of Austin and Wade stunning the crowd.

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