The most prolific and exciting band in the jam scene, this side of Phish, is Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (PPPP), and they brought their rabid flock of fans and patented bevy of groovy tunes to the famous Brooklyn Bowl for the opening night of a 3 night run on April 13th. The 3 hour show showcased the band’s vast talents and was buoyed by a fervent fan base happy to see their favorite band return to New York City. The show was brought to us by Dog Fish Head and Record Store Day.
Baltimore-based, Pigeons has been around longer than one might suspect. The members have been performing as a unit for over 15 years. The band formed at University of Maryland when Greg and Jeremy were in the dorms together in 2007 – the boys inform me that Wikipedia has this wrong. Drummer Gator was hired in 2015 to complete the current lineup of Scrambled Greg Ormont (Vocals, rhythm guitar), Jeremy Schon (lead guitar) and Ben Carrey (bass.) Some acts PPPP has opened for include Umphrey’s Mcgee, Moe., Disco Biscuits, String Cheese Incident, and Lotus. Some acts that have opened for PPPP include Goose, Kitchen Dwellers, Tauk, Karina Rykman and Magic Beans. PPPP present their own festival, Domefest, which is highly respected and regarded in the scene.. The band serves up a lively chat of all things PPPP in their FB group appropriately titled, “The Flock.” There is another FB group for merchandise and tickets. The band has released an initial EP and then 5 full length albums that all start with the letter P.
Over a tasty dinner, I was able to ask Jeremy and Greg some questions. Greg ordered the salmon – a dish he orders almost every night for dinner on the road because it packs on protein and energy while being easy to digest before the show.
Chadbyrne: What’s the most challenging song you play live and why?
Greg: I find our newest songs are most challenging, especially when they have vocals. I’ve been focusing more on lyrics these days, sometimes finalizing them right before showtime, which makes them tricky to memorize. Instrumentally, our new song “Miyagi” is a doozy.
Jeremy: You’ll know when you hear it!
Chadbyrne: PPPP has blown up in recent years, is there a specific moment when you felt like you “made it”?
Greg: That’s really nice of you to say. I don’t know if I’ll ever truly feel like we “made it” per se, but it was so exciting when we decided to quit our day jobs to pursue music full-time about 12 years ago. I held a few jobs after college, but we were simultaneously touring almost every weekend of the year. We would go on these epic weekend runs and then I’d show up for work just so beat. Eventually we decided it was time to give this thing a real shot and tour full-time, and the fun hasn’t stopped.
Jeremy: Every time I look into the crowd and see people smiling and/or losing themselves to our music, I get that amazing feeling that “we made it”. We’ve had so many awe-inspiring moments at shows and festivals that it’s hard to just pick one, but a few big ones that come to mind are some of our Peach Festival sets, our first headlining shows at the 9:30 Club, and All Good Festival in 2015.
Chadbyrne: As a songwriter, what song are you most proud of and why?
Greg: All of them! Writing music is so fun because you always remember each song’s origin and development. Some ideas develop quickly, others take years, but in both cases it’s so exciting when they’re finally played live because you remember the journey.
Jeremy: I try not to pick favorites, but it’s always a proud moment when I hear people singing along with our songs!
Chadbyrne: If music hadn’t worked out, what profession do you think you would have undertaken?
Greg: I was in sales after college. I had a knack for it, but I wasn’t passionate at all. I don’t know if I could go back to a 9 to 5, but I could see myself getting into real estate as a means to an end to spend more time with my family.
Jeremy: If I didn’t find myself somewhere in the music industry, I’d probably be working some sort of IT job. I have degrees in Marketing and Business Information Systems, in case anyone is wondering the secret behind my playing.
Chadbyrne: Who is your favorite guitarist and why?
Greg: I always keep my ears open for inspiration and don’t play into the favorites game much. That said, I love Nile Rodgers, but I also love Shmeeans from Lettuce, Ryan from The Motet, Dan from Kyle Hollingsworth Band and countless others. They’re all great listeners, unique players, always melodic and in the pocket. Also since we don’t have a keyboardist, I often listen to those elements live. Huge fan of Joey Porter from The Motet and his funky approach on the clavinet, and everything Page from Phish plays.
Jeremy: I’m a huge Phish fan, so I can’t deny that Trey Anastasio has been a huge inspiration – he’s a master of tension/release.
“Let Your Cup Overrun”
Yam Yam opened the night. Pigeons took the stage just after 9pm. This was the only night of the run anticipated not to sell out but that was just as well for the hard core members of The Flock in attendance as they were afforded more dancing room. “Distant Times” was the perfect up-tempo opener and the crowd knew all the lyrics. But it was “Live it Up” that was the highlight of the first set. The popular Pigeons staple builds and builds until Jeremy and Greg get locked into a tight call and response ultimately paying off with an exquisite crescendo.
After a Chili Peppers cover, as usual, Fun in Funk provided a spark near the end of the set. PPPP are masters of no matter the genre or the song – they can always find a groove and it is usually danceable. Manny Newman again demonstrated why he is one of the best LDs in music.
PPPP is like going to the Circus. Greg is the affable and enthusiastic carnival barker who lures in patrons, Jeremy is the lion tamer guiding and patient who leads the posse to the next level and Ben is the charismatic clown always entertaining the masses with zest.
A highlight of the 2nd set was Gator on the drums – he is a heavy hitter adept at keeping impeccable time behind the kit as best exemplified by his bombastic extended drum solo at the end of “Water.” PPPP should do the soundtrack to a sci-fi film as the music is not of this world. Jeremy continues to demonstrate that he is the most underrated guitarist around – with the fastest fingers in the scene. The show was complete, with even Ben singing a tune. The encore was special with arguably the band’s best tune, “Dawn a New Day.” Upbeat and packed with lyrics ala “Strawberry Letter 23,” it is a lengthy joyous romp and a proper way to end the epic night on a positive note.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg – Thursday, April 13
Set 1: Distant Times, Henrietta, Live it Up, Hit the Ground Runnin, Around the World, Overrun, Fun in Funk>Skinner
Set 2: Fall in Place, Water, Beneath the Surface, Bad for You, Melting Lights, Ha ha ha yeah, su casa, schwanthem
Encore: Dawn a New Day
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