[2] Jeff was adopted at three months of age by John Pehrson, who was an electrician and flight instructor, and Janice Quintana (née Petrie), who was an administrative assistant.

[5] In 1985, Jeff matriculated at San Francisco State University, where he majored variously in broadcasting, political science, theater arts, and ultimately, creative writing.

In 1991, Jeff first met singer-songwriter Jim Brunberg, who came to hear the duo perform at Simple Pleasures, a café in San Francisco's Richmond District.

[7] In the summer of 1992, the two bought one-way tickets to Europe, where they spent several months playing their music in the streets, selling demo tapes, and writing songs.

Shortly thereafter, the group began touring nationally, opening for a number of bands, including Huey Lewis and the News and RatDog, and were signed by Capricorn Records, releasing the CD, Thread, in 1998, which was produced by Grammy Award winner Joe Chiccarelli.

[2][11][12] Box Set continued with a rigorous touring schedule, performing with groups such as Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson, Hot Tuna, Blues Traveler, and the Goo Goo Dolls, until 2004, when their touring pace slowed, in part due to Brunberg's moving to Portland in 2002, and eventually entering law school (though he never pursued a law career, opting instead to open Mississippi Studios recording studio/music venue).

[16] In early 2012, Jeff Pehrson and Jim Brunberg performed together for the first time since 2006 with a Box Set Duo reunion and later played a 7 night run in June 2012 at McMenamins Al's Den in Portland, OR.

When not performing with Furthur, Box Set or The Fall Risk, Jeff enjoys riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, jet-skiing, reading political satire, sampling regional wines, and traveling with Sara.