{"id":7336,"date":"2025-12-11T14:18:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T14:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/feed-the-fire-pigeons-playing-ping-pong-on-their-new-album-prs-partnership-and-playing-200-shows-a-year\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T14:18:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T14:18:21","slug":"feed-the-fire-pigeons-playing-ping-pong-on-their-new-album-prs-partnership-and-playing-200-shows-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/feed-the-fire-pigeons-playing-ping-pong-on-their-new-album-prs-partnership-and-playing-200-shows-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Feed the Fire: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on Their New Album, PRS Partnership, and Playing 200 Shows a Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Alex-Culbreth-BHT08259crop-scaled.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2174\" alt=\"\"><figcaption>Photo Courtesy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is a unique star, a bright constellation within the multiverse of jam bands. This Maryland-bred quartet fuses funk, rock, and electrifying showmanship into what they call \u201chigh-energy psychedelic funk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since forming in 2009 at the University of Maryland, they\u2019ve built a devoted following through relentless touring (as many as 200 shows a year) and electrifying performances where kaleidoscopic improvisation reigns supreme and no two shows are ever alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More from Spin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/12\/caro-kelley-finds-her-voice-by-losing-it-the-quiet-brilliance-of-2025s-most-overlooked-album\/\">Caro Kelley Finds Her Voice by Losing It: The QUIET Brilliance of 2025\u2019s Most Overlooked Album<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/12\/liquid-canvas-launches-music-centric-black-paint-on-linen-series-turning-smart-tvs-into-living-art\/\">Liquid Canvas Launches Music-Centric \u201cBlack Paint on Linen\u201d Series, Turning Smart TVs Into Living Art<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/12\/now-hear-this-dec-2025\/\">Now Hear This: Dec. 2025<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While their contemporaries might lean into either pure funk or sprawling psychedelia, Pigeons threads the needle, creating dance-worthy ear worms that can spiral into 20-minute face-melting, cosmic portals that never lose the crowd\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their latest album, Feed the Fire, marks an evolution for guitarists Greg Ormont and Jeremy Schon, who pushed beyond their comfort zones by bringing in collaborators like Moon Taxi\u2019s Wes Bailey and Chalk Dinosaur\u2019s John O\u2019Hallaron.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s their most textured work yet, though you\u2019d never guess these intricate studio creations get stretched and reimagined nightly through their PRS guitars, like Ormont\u2019s battle-tested 2004 Custom 24 (a thousand shows deep) and Schon\u2019s modified Hollowbody II that\u2019s been his companion for over a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I caught up with both guitarists to discuss how they\u2019re nurturing their creative fire, why their collaboration with PRS guitars is a natural marriage, and how they balance their dense touring schedule while keeping every performance completely unique. Plus, what their favorite songs are, and how SpaghettiOs may, or may not, have made the band\u2019s name miraculously materialize from the soup realm.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"860\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1290x860.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-650204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1290x860.jpeg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-340x227.jpeg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-240x160.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-498x332.jpeg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Greg-Ormont-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1668x1112.jpeg 1668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Courtesy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Greg, you\u2019ve described \u201cFeed the Fire\u201d as being about nurturing and spreading the passion that the band and fans share together. How do you hope this fire will catch with new audiences, and what do you want listeners to feel when they experience the record?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: We poured our hearts and souls into this album and I hope people feel inspired to do the same in their lives. We look at recording albums as a metaphor for how we approach life in general. We\u2019ve all been given this amazing opportunity to live, create, and spread joy, so we\u2019d be fools to squander it. I never want to look back at our albums, shows, or anything for that matter, and ask myself if I could\u2019ve tried harder or given it more. I sleep well at night knowing that we gave everything we had recording Feed The Fire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s your favorite song on \u201cFeed the Fire\u201d and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: I\u2019m not one for \u201cfavorites\u201d per se, but I must admit that I love playing the title track, Feed The Fire. There\u2019s something about the triumphant peak that sends me through the roof every time. But I truly love playing all the new stuff. As a band, we\u2019re always chasing novelty, which is a big reason why we improvise every night; we never know where the music will lead us.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>What inspires you creatively?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: As a lyricist, there are all these big grand ideas that are constantly bouncing around in my head, but it\u2019s often hearing a unique turn of phrase that actively gets my wheels turning, which is partly why I\u2019m such an avid reader. Just the other day, I was watching an interview of one of our contemporaries talking about songwriting when something clicked and I wrote a new song on the spot. As for inspiration on guitar, nothing gets my blood flowing more than catching an incredible live show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I read that the band plays as many as 200 shows per year, which is wild! How have you found PRS guitars to handle through your pretty rigorous touring schedule?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: My Custom 24 is a thousand shows deep and ready for 10,000 more. It\u2019s a testament to the craftsmanship, precision and consistency that we\u2019ve all come to expect from PRS.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What specific PRS features (pickups, switching system, neck profile) are essential for your playing style?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: I\u2019m pretty easygoing when it comes to guitar specs. Most importantly, I\u2019m looking for a Pattern Thin neck with a volume knob within pinky\u2019s reach for volume sweeps and economy of motion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Favorite guitar and why? Does it have a name?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: I absolutely love everything about my 2004 PRS Custom 24. As for a name, I\u2019m a bit superstitious there. In the past, whenever I\u2019ve named inanimate things, they would break immediately. So don\u2019t expect a name for it any time soon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In some of the interviews I\u2019ve read, there\u2019s a fascination with the band\u2019s name and its origins. Can you share how the band\u2019s name came to be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: Believe it or not, I\u2019ve been asked this question a lot and I\u2019ve given a variety of phony answers. Today, I will finally tell the truth: I discovered our band name in a bowl of SpaghettiOs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jeremy, you\u2019ve talked about how \u201cFeed the Fire\u201d reflects where you are personally and musically, and that you really leaned into exploring textures and pushing boundaries. Can you give us some specific examples of how you pushed those boundaries and what new fibers you\u2019ve woven together through the process?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: We really embraced the idea of collaborating with other musicians on this album, and decided to feature more guest contributions than we have before. For example, our friend Wes Bailey from Moon Taxi added a bunch of production layers to the song Feed The Fire, and we decided to keep them all, and feature them in the mix more than we would have on previous albums. This album also marked our first time collaborating on a writing level with our guests.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s your favorite song on \u201cFeed the Fire\u201d and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: Hard to pick a favorite, as I really like them all. As a guitar player, I\u2019ve been really enjoying playing Underworld live. The song has a deep funky pocket, a fun 2-part guitar harmony section, and it revolves around a dark E minor phrygian based progression that is really fun to play over. When we play that one live, we tend to stretch it out pretty far too. We also collaborated with one of my favorite musicians, John O\u2019Hallaron (AKA Chalk Dinosaur), on this track, and he helped re-write my guitar parts over the verse, along with contributing some very tasteful synths throughout the song.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"860\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1290x860.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-650205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1290x860.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-340x227.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-498x332.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1-1668x1112.jpg 1668w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/Jeremy-Schon-Pigeons-Playing-Ping-Pong-x-PRS-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Courtesy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What inspires you creatively?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: Nature and music. Going hiking and immersing myself in nature definitely recenters me and helps me get inspired. However, nothing inspires me creatively more than seeing live music, and I\u2019m constantly listening to music at home, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re known for these incendiary, face-melting jams that can stretch for 20+ minutes. How do you know when to push further into the psychedelic void versus when to bring it back home? Is it reading the crowd, reading the band, or purely intuitive?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: It\u2019s a combination of all the above! If we\u2019re in the zone, we might just keep pushing each other in a jam or solo until we feel we\u2019ve reached our peak moment before bringing it back home. We\u2019re always listening for musical cues from each other, and since we\u2019ve been playing together for so long, it really has become very intuitive for us to improvise cohesively as a single entity. Sometimes you gotta read the room too, and if a crowd isn\u2019t feeling a 15-minute psychedelic journey, we try to tailor the jams appropriately to match the vibe and energy in the room. We try to write our setlists to have an appropriate balance between songs and improvisation, keeping it interesting for us and the fans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How does your PRS setup complement Greg\u2019s in creating the band\u2019s layered guitar sound?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: My PRS Hollowbody II has a woodier and more resonant sound compared to Greg\u2019s solidbody PRS. We also run through pretty different pedalboards, and I run through a 1968 Fender Bassman amp with a closed-back 2\u00d712 cab, versus Greg\u2019s more tweed-voiced Victoria Golden Melody combo amp.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you made any modifications to your PRS guitars to suit the band\u2019s needs?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: I have! On my red burst 2006 PRS Hollowbody II, I\u2019ve had a few modifications done. First I installed PRS phase 3 locking tuners. Then I had the piezo system removed since I occasionally would accidentally hit the piezo switch during a show, which would sometimes cause the signal to cut if the battery was dead. I\u2019m generally not a fan of having anything that relies on batteries in my signal chain. However, the PRS piezo pickup sounded awesome, and I still have that on my 2022 HBII \u2013 just wasn\u2019t something I ever used with the band. I also just recently swapped the original Archtop pickups out for the new PRS McCarty III pickups, which seem to cut a bit more in the mix, and added coil taps so I can get single coil tones too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Favorite guitar and why? Does it have a name?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JS: Both of my PRS Hollowbody IIs are my favorite guitars. I\u2019ve been playing the red burst one for 11+ years so that\u2019s been my go-to, but I really love my newer 2022 yellow tiger model too, and I go back and forth between which one I play live.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Greg and Jeremy, what song would you consider to be your individual theme songs and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: We have a song called Horizon which starts with calm lyrics about settling into a concert, then propels down an epic guitar-driven odyssey, finally culminating with the uplifting refrain, \u201ccelebrate the people you love.\u201d Every album and every show serves as another chance for us to \u201ccelebrate the people you love,\u201d and I hope that always resonates from the stage and through the speakers.<\/p>\n<p>JS: Agreed on Horizon, it definitely captures a strong essence of what our band is about both musically and lyrically. Gotta celebrate the people you love!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"1613\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-1290x1613.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-650206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-1290x1613.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-340x425.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-498x623.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-1668x2085.jpg 1668w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/12\/DaveDeCrescente_PigeonsPlayingPingPong_LevittPavillion_20250601-2-1-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Courtesy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Can you both describe a moment on stage where your PRS guitar really came through for you and created a memorable experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: I was smiling ear-to-ear when I first played my Silver Sky live. As a funk guitarist, I\u2019d been searching for a strat sound that still felt like home in my hands, and PRS came through in the clutch. Things got funkier, fast.<\/p>\n<p>JS: I used to have to fix my intonation pretty regularly when I toured with my Epiphone Dot. Once I switched to the PRS Hollowbody II, I\u2019ve hardly ever had to touch anything beyond a yearly tune-up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>OK, so if your PRS guitars could talk, what stories would it tell from the road?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: \u201cYou think I\u2019m covered in sweat? You should see the strap!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>JS: \u201cRemember that time Marcus King played me late night on Jam Cruise? I can\u2019t believe you let someone play me after 3am!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>If Paul Reed Smith came to a Pigeons show, which song would you guys want to be playing when he walked in, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GO: I\u2019d have to point back to our song Horizon. I would love for Paul to experience the pure joy bouncing around the room at the song\u2019s peak, and for him to appreciate his role in creating such magical moments of human connection.<\/p>\n<p>JS: Ideally we\u2019d pull Paul on stage for an epic jam on Poseidon! Consider this an official invite.<\/p>\n<p>To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2021\/07\/the-greatest-rock-stars-of-all-time\/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=bottomlink&amp;utm_campaign=yahoolink\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo Courtesy of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is a unique star, a bright constellation within the multiverse of jam bands. This Maryland-bred quartet fuses funk, rock,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[214,213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ad-takeover","category-partner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}