Today, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong releases their fifth studio record, Presto, out now: https://fanlink.to/PPPPPresto.
“We went from a lengthy tour straight into the studio to record Presto,” says PPPP guitarist and vocalist, Greg Ormont, “and I think that had a big impact on the sound. We had just finished playing a lot of these songs on the road, and that experience made our performances on the album so much more confident, lively and electric.”
While on tour behind Presto this year, the band is committed to donating $1 from every ticket sale to Backline during their initial 2020 run via their recently announced Dawn A New Day Foundation. Future partnerships are expected to be shared later in the year.
"As a band we try to focus on the sunny side of things and try to find the joy in life in an otherwise troubling time these days," Ormont shared with Billboard around the debut of "Dawn A New Day" and their foundation of the same name. "Dawn a New Day," he explains, "is a reminder to look at the glass half full and use the support of your friends and yourself to get through tougher times and dawn a new day."
Recorded in the band’s native Baltimore, Presto draws on everything from funk to rock to electronic music, building off the group’s unparalleled live energy and stretching their sonic boundaries further than ever before. Ormont breaks fresh ground with his lyrics here, too, reflecting new heights of emotional and technical maturity as he carves out a space for fans to cut loose, forget their struggles, and celebrate the present together.
“We want to offer people an escape, a place where they can leave all their troubles and worries behind and embrace the joy of human connection," says Ormont. "Our mission with our music is to create the most blissful, carefree experience possible.”
Writing is a never-ending process for the band—comprised of Ormont, fellow guitarist Jeremy Schon, bassist Ben Carrey and drummer Alex "Gator" Petropulos—who also tour roughly 130 dates a year. What starts as an extended improvisation in the group’s rehearsal space will often lead to an unexpected melody or chord progression, which will go on to form the foundation of a track. Once the foursome fleshes out the song's structure and Ormont adds lyrics, the band will take the song on the road and perform it live for their most trusted confidants: The Flock.
In advance of Presto, the band shared tracks "King Kong,"—featuring Here Come The Mummies horns— the uplifting "Dawn A New Day" and "High As Five."
The official music video for "King Kong" was directed by legendary rock photographer, Jay Blakesberg, and featured cameos by Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico from moe., and D.J. Williams from Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, and made its debut on Rolling Stone Country.
The lyric video for "Dawn A New Day" was released in conjunction with a fundraiser in support of Backline, the music industry's source for mental health and wellness resources.
In the past two years alone, the psych-funk trailblazers have co-billed at Red Rocks, played halftime at Madison Square Garden, performed on Adult Swim’s FishCenter Live, celebrated the tenth anniversary of their beloved music festival, Domefest, and even earned their first headlining arena show at ExploreAsheville.com Arena to close out 2019.
All newly announced dates, including tickets to the band's 11th annual music and camping festival Domefest, are on sale now. Tickets and more information available at pigeonsplayingpingpong.com.
