On October 20th, the Baltimore-bred funk-jam juggernaut Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will release their fourth studio album, Pizazz. Back in January, the group launched a Kickstarter to help fund the album, and in the months since, their fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the band’s latest project. Now, with the release of Pizazz on the horizon in less than two weeks time, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has recently been giving fans a taste of what to expect from Pizazz, and thus far, it’s been everything we’ve wanted and more.
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Today, Live For Live Music is proud to premiere a brand-new single of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Pizazz—a funky, horn-heavy number the band has dubbed “Doc.” The upbeat and rollicking song shows Pigeons at their finest, with the energy of Pigeons’ high-octane performances perfectly translated in the tune. Greg Ormont’s vocals are both pristine and playful, with his verses regularly accented by punchy, stand-out backing vocals. During the catchy instrumental breakdown in “Doc”, Jeremy Schon lays out a high-flying guitar solo that charges through to the song’s close, all of which is made all the finer by the group’s tight rhythm section of drummer Alex “Gator” Petropulos and bassist Ben Carrey.
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As Ormont and Schon told Live For Live Music about this newly released single, “Doc is a legend. Back when we played weekly residencies at The 8×10 in Baltimore, we began to notice a familiar raspy voice shouting, “Piiggeeooons,” whenever we arrived. It quickly became a hometown tradition for us to be greeted by Doc, our offbeat yet upbeat homeless friend and lifelong supporter of Baltimore’s live music scene. Doc reminds us of our early years when we began planning musical themes and stretching our material with more improvisation, new songs, covers, mashups and wacky costumes. To this day, we still prepare musical themes for big runs like Halloween and New Year’s Eve and can’t help thinking back on those rowdy Baltimore nights. Doc’s a wildfire whose never-quit attitude deserved to be immortalized on Pizazz with blazing horns, scorching solos, and the love for ‘beats and funky psychedelia.'”
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You can take a listen to the premiere of “Doc” below, with the single becoming widely available starting Friday, October 13th. Pizazz is currently available for pre-order on Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s website here. Those of us still looking to get our Pigeons fix, the band is in the midst of an extensive fall tour in promotion of the album, and you can peep their upcoming dates below. Enjoy!
[Photo: Silky Shots]
Upcoming Pigeons Playing Ping Pong 2017 Dates
10/12 – Sandpoint, ID – The Hive
10/13 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge
10/14 – Portland, OR – Star Theater
10/15 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub
10/19 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
10/20 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Atrium
10/21 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
10/22 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
10/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit Live
10/26 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
10/27 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk
10/28 – Houston, TX – The White Oak
10/31 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
11/1 – Chattanooga, TN – Revelry Room
11/2 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
11/3 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
11/4 – Richmond, VA – The National
11/24 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
11/25 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
11/30 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
12/1 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
12/2 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Den
12/8 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Art
12/9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theater
12/29 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
12/30 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
12/31 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater
1/17 – 1/22 – Miami, FL / The Ocean – Jam Cruise