The last time the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection saw The Greeting Committee was just this February, when they headlined The Lounge at World Café Live after selling out the venue almost immediately. However, the Kanas City indie rockers are already prepped for their return, when they will headline The Foundry at The Fillmore next Wednesday, December 7th. And the band has undergone some major changes since the start of the year, most notably in their lineup, which is now centered around lead vocalist Addie Sartino and bassist Pierce Turcotte. This January we got a chance to chat with Addie about The Greeting Committee’s first-ever sold-out show in Philly, and earlier this week I got a chance to chat with Pierce about – amongst other things – how the live show that we saw in February can compare to the band that will be here next Wednesday.
“We did our winter-ish tour back in February. That was an event for us as a band… This most recent tour has been a signifier of bigger things. We’re playing bigger rooms… A lot of the rooms we’re playing are rooms we played when we were opening for MisterWives… From the production level, things will be a lot different. The last time we toured we were five people in a band. We were a lot looser in a way. For this tour we’re a four-piece and incorporating more elements and sounds being played in the background. I think our show in general is a lot more professional.”
However, Pierce does admit that for those who have previously seen The Greeting Committee live, their current tour – dubbed To Feel Alright Again Tour – will likely be mostly familiar, with, “Lots of dancing and singing along.” “We want it to be a fun, safe place for everybody. Addie has a fun way of trying to force people to be part of the show,” he says, before admitting, “I’m more of the introvert.” But, unlike previous tours, this jaunt will offer fans the possibility of purchasing a VIP Meet & Greet Experience (featuring one general admission or premium reserved ticket, a meet & greet and photo opportunity, an exclusive poster signed by the band, and early access to merch before doors), which Pierce tells me is a first for The Greeting Committee.
“VIP’s a brand new thing for us. We’ve never done VIPs before, so we really thought about, ‘What can we offer that doesn’t feel like we’re ripping people off?’ If we’re gonna do a VIP thing, we want it to feel special… We come out and play a song, but my favorite part is we let the fans do a Q&A. I always like hearing what questions people ask; it’s a more candid moment with fans. And then, of course, we take a pic!”
This June The Greeting Committee released the deluxe edition of their sophomore LP, Dandelion, which originally dropped last year. The expanded release includes “Sort of Stranger” (their collaboration with Briston Maroney), a cover of MGMT’s “Kids,” an “8-Track” version of “Make Out,” a Tune-Yards remix of “How Long?” and a live recording of single “Can I Leave Me Too?” However, it is since then that Pierce and Addie took over as core members, joined by Noah Spencer and Micah Ritchie. And earlier this month they released “Hopscotch,” their first new music since the recording of Dandelion, which Pierce tells me was a little something new for he and Addie.
“I feel like Dandelion was a very experimental album for us, in terms of the people who wrote on it. At the time we were a four-piece band… [“Hopscotch”] felt like a natural evolution, with Addie and I being the main songwriters at this point. We were just like, ‘Let’s just write some music and see what comes of it,’ knowing it would not be part of a third album. We’re about to put out another song in like a week.”
I ask Pierce what The Greeting Committee is planning post-To Feel Alright Again Tour, and he tells me that, for him, it’s mostly about working on more music: “I really think writing is the main thing I’m excited about… I just really enjoy writing new music.” However, he also tells me that there’s a good chance you will have another opportunity to see them live, albeit likely in a different format than their most recent shows in the 215: “We did a lot of headlining tours this year, so next year will be about finding a great support slot, or a co-headlining tour.” And while Pierce admits to having no more details on that at the moment, he does tell me that potential dream pairings would have the band alongside someone like COIN or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
*Get your tickets here.
