“Where are we going?” That is exactly what 4 students attending the University of Maryland asked themselves back in 2008 as their college band had begun to gain its footing. 11 years later and it now seems, “Where have we been?” is now just as relevant a question for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Since the early years of playing house parties in College Park, P4 has been bringing the funk and the heat just gets hotter every year. The following gained from heavy rocking and rolling in the campus scene translated into venue success and eventually an opportunity on a nearby farm to throw a party worth talking about. The inaugural Domefest was thrown in 2009 and coined after the dome shaped structures on the land. Since then “Dome” has evolved into much more than a local college festival and has seen major success leading into other ventures. In 2013 the boys were given a chance to spend 5 straight weekends playing their jams for fans at their local venue in Baltimore, the 8X10. Joined by acts like Tauk, Twiddle, Big Something, The Mantras & Deaf Scene, the month was a smashing hit, a new peak musically for the psychedelic funk band. On the road but a little lost, it was decision time, what to do to survive. The search for a new drummer was on and extremely vital to where they would be going moving forward. The answer was found in a young and hungry “Gator” ambitious to show his worth and ability to slay. Adding a new dynamic the band continued to roll on right into a spot on the 2018 Jam Cruise, putting on a pink pigeon party on deck in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. The heat staying turned up kept steaming with a three night run less than a month later in a much different climate up north. Pigeons melted snow and minds with some of their best performances three nights in a row at the 123 in Morgantown, West Virginia, yet again another peak musically for the band. As the band bounced between their roots at smaller venues and flirting with larger more renowned ones, an opportunity bounced their way that couldn’t be passed up. A halftime show at Madison Square Garden, the largest crowd P4 would play for to date. Being able to put themselves on the map like that led to opportunities at more legendary venues like the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Now, The Flock will fill the historic Capitol Theatre. So as we get ready to enjoy another year of growth for the boys at Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, we turn to the young “Gator” and ask once again, Where are we going? Well, “I’d love if we played a headlining set on the summit of Mount Everest……..” Where the Pigeons fly, The Flock follows, see you on Everest Gator!! -Aaron Christopher Gilliam
