PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG/BROCCOLI SAMURAI – THE AGORA
By Eric Rauert
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Broccoli Samurai play the iconic Agora Ballroom in Cleveland.
Walking into the Agora on the infamous Dec 7th 2023 in Ohio (marijuana legalization) to a jam band show, I wholly expected to immediately be choked out by the poison cloud in the city’s newest and largest hotbox. Much to my surprise, barely a wispy cloud threatened me and I had arrived early for a show that had already started.
There was in fact a different kind of green in the Agora that evening, as Ohio based Broccoli Samurai was slicing up some funk to be served fresh for us. It seemed like long time friends of the Pigeons were playing a special opening show, as I couldn’t find much of their public presence as of late. I also wasn’t able to confirm their lineup, as it seems they’ve been through some changes since late 2021.
Regardless, I was quickly sucked into the music. They call this genre “jamtronica” and jam it does. Totally instrumental, Broccoli Samurai is composed of a four piece with guitarists, bassist and drummer. The funk was unstoppable as soon as I walked in. Each member was given space to be the star in several jams, showcasing some cool and collected talent. Funk can sound a little samey to me and a few of their songs did suffer from this but they inject unique energy into songs like “Up For Debate”. Varying the pace of this song in the instrumental verses and bringing it back into a cool tempo in the choruses really brings something new to this funky space for me.
At one point, two female vocalists were brought up on stage and the combined act absolutely blew the house down. I wasn’t missing lyrics from Broccoli Samurai’s main act but this was on another level. The backing band pumping soulful funk was a great complement to their voices, in a short performance in the middle of the set. This was a sit in I certainly wasn’t expecting but was definitely a highlight of their set.
I was impressed by this Ohio talent and can’t wait to see more of them in the future, whenever they return to the stage. For a two set jam band, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (PPPP) didn’t have to add an extra treat to the night but this vegetarian is always coming early for the Broccoli now.
Until now, my only exposure to one of the hardest working jam bands on the scene was from studio albums that would pop up on my recommended lists. Songs with playful lyrics about all sorts of cute creatures, tacky lyrics, and to this cynic, an almost sickly positivity. I thought the Pigeons playfully prancing on the promenade would be similar to my opinion of their studio albums: sillier songs bouncing along with lyrics from a twisted kids song. Speaking honestly, novelty or only something to pay attention to tangentially.
But their command of the stage and music alleviated any of these concerns in the middle of the first set when they melted into “Penguins” from “Landing” > “The Turn”. This was an excellent jam and showed a harder edge to these usually playfully styled songs. Hearing “Penguins” live was the evolution I needed and brought several of their tunes from a fun fascination to me to something I would regularly listen to.
As only a four piece with no set of keys, I was worried they might be lacking a little complexity to their music, especially with the lighter songs I was more familiar with. But I have to say, their ability to dive into a new genre at the turn of the hat (if not every song) is masterful. To finish the first set, PPPP started with an original song “King Kong”.
This funky song almost tries to imitate a big band with the backing track and Ormont shredding on guitar took the place of extended vocals. A jam in the middle gave way to a familiar tune in “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. There was a solid chance to rock out before they crashed back into the refrain of “King Kong” and a monster end to the first set.
The second set started shortly after and after a two quick song jam in “My Own Way” > “Live It Up”, we got a non-stop song frenzy that was one to remember. Starting off the chain was a cover, “Pussy” by Brazilian Girls, picked I can only imagine to further celebrate legalization. It’s simple chorus of “Pussy, Pussy, Pussy, Marijuana” was certainly entertaining but not my favorite. Still, the reggae slant of this song further shows PPPP’s ability to turn genre at will.
Inexplicably, a song about pussy and marijuana morphed without pause into the “Hava Nagila”. This was the third time I’ve heard the song live in 2023 and I have to say: without the traditional dance, it doesn’t hit nearly as hard. But seeing as December 7th was the official start to Hanukah, the dance party that ensued became an oddly fitting start to celebrate the holiday.
Three originals concluded the second set with “Burning Up My Time” > “Horizon” > “Sunny Day” and “Horizon” was my clear highlight. A cool and almost ambient funk start takes a step aside for a jam on the studio album before cutting the pace again and returning to a funky conclusion. Everything about this studio pattern followed live, only turned up to 11. Funky riffs gave way to an absolutely killer jam session in the middle with Ormont and Schon trading spotlights all song (and all night).
After a quick cheer for the encore, both “Miyagi” and “Cliffs” brought a fun and light ending to the show. Prophetic for both the band and some of the crowd, “Cliffs” ended with the repetitive but topical lyrics “We’re smoking weed at the cliffs… We’re smoking weed after this” as one final nod to the weight of the day.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong completely changed my opinion from their studio output to their live show. The mastery of live musicianship in their performances is not something you catch on a static studio release, with breakneck turns into other genres and funk sessions turning any playful song into a masterpiece. What seemed at first to me as a silly or unfocused sound became something of an incredible positive energy live. Every fan I met was having the time of their life and the dance party happening on stage infectiously transferred to everyone in the audience.
Drummer Alex Petropulos is a wonderful conductor of the jam steam engine, leading the charge and orchestrating the chaos of improv. Greg Ormont and Jeremy Schon on dual guitars (its hard to call one a lead for me) play with a familiarity only seen from playing up to 200 shows a year together. Ben Carrey has some of the greatest energy I’ve seen from a bassist; less commanding the stage than just becoming swept up in the act and the music.
I also have to shout out the lighting director, Manny Newman. These were great visuals from the pit and I especially appreciate a director who can cut lights so in sync with a band that is pivoting as hard as PPPP in the middle of songs.
I’ll be seeing these guys again whenever they’re back in town. Knowing how much they tour, that won’t be too long. I look forward to holidays beyond legalization and Hanukkah with a band who really knows how to bring the fun and celebration.
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