Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (21+)

For Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, music is a living flame—one demanding relentless tending, fresh kindling, and the collective breath of community to sustain it. On their eighth studio album, Feed The Fire (No Coincidence Records), the Baltimore quartet—“Scrambled Greg” Ormont [vocals, guitar], Jeremy Schon [guitar, vocals], Ben Carrey [bass, vocals], and Alex "Gator" Petropulos [drums, vocals]—push their psychedelic funk odyssey into its most expansive incarnation yet. Across sixteen years, eight albums, and countless sweat-soaked performances, Pigeons have mastered transformation, deepening their connection with their devoted fanbase and channeling life's seismic shifts into fuel for their unquenchable fire. "The ‘fire’ represents our passion," explains Ormont. "Making music feels like something we were born to do... Feed The Fire is the perfect metaphor for our unwavering commitment to keep evolving." Significant milestones, from headlining major stages to their fan-centric Domefest, underscore their remarkable journey.

Feed The Fire shatters boundaries through adventurous collaboration. The band invited Nashville virtuoso Wes Bailey (Moon Taxi) to co-write the title track's spiraling guitar hooks—a first for the group. "As soon as I played him the demo, he came up with the soaring lead melody on the spot. It ended up being our first true collaborative writing experience," recalls Schon. In another debut, Ben Carrey steps into the lead vocal spotlight on his heartfelt groove anthem “Hit The Ground Runnin’.” Horn collaborators Here Come The Mummies and West End Blend amplify tracks like “Fantasy” and “Calm Before The Storm,” while guest producer Chalk Dinosaur enhances the psychedelic layers on “Twitch” and “Underworld.”

The band's relentless evolution is evident in standout tracks like the buoyantly infectious "Right Track," which distills their live energy into a concise message of resilience and self-trust. According to Schon, "Every album we make is a reflection of where we are personally and musically. For Feed The Fire, we really leaned into exploring textures, pushing our boundaries, and letting the songs guide us." From the patient disco-funk simmer of "Fantasy" to the driving rebel cry of "Undivided," the album showcases the band’s sharpened musicianship and rhythmic intuition.

Ultimately, Feed The Fire is more than an album title—it's a rallying cry emblematic of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s enduring philosophy. Refreshingly dynamic, resonant, and irresistibly danceable, it marks a milestone release poised to captivate listeners across genres. Ormont sums it up perfectly: "We've been given the gift of this fire, this passion. So it's our responsibility to nurture it, embrace it, and spread it wild. Because when the band and fans reach new heights together, that's the real spark.”

Formed during the lockdown days of 2020, Houseplant emerged post-pandemic a band fully evolved. A group of veteran players with the chops and vision to hit the ground running. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Dropping singles from a soon-to-be released debut record, selling out shows in Louisville and Cincinnati and galvanizing a passionate fanbase that has risen up to support them.

They are undoubtedly a jam band, but there is a songwriter’s twinkle in their collective third eye. An indie rock band with a penchant for collaborative jams and improvisation. Led by the rhythms of the electric mandolin, mixed with deep rhythmic grooves and rich sonic textures, they seem complete, but the timeline suggests Houseplant is only getting started