The Greeting Committee has come a long way since forming as high schoolers in Kansas City, Missouri. With several EPs and two albums to their name — including last year’s mighty Dandelion — The Greeting Committee have returned with one goal in mind: They’re on a mission to make you dance and cry.
Returning to their indie pop roots and honing in on their relatability with their latest singles “Anything But You” and “Hopscotch,” The Greeting Committee are here to bring unfettered joy back to indie music. The wistful and shimmering ballad “Anything But You” manages to pull on heartstrings while the upbeat “Hopscotch” is one of their catchiest and most endearing numbers to date.
Celebrating the release of their new singles, The Greeting Committee band members Addison Sartino and Pierce Turcotte sat down with Uproxx to talk Death Cab For Cutie, staying at gnarly motels, and how magical a gifted book can be in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Sartino: To dance and cry.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Sartino: Timeless and true.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Sartino: Depends on the tour. So far, San Francisco has won this round.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Sartino: My bandmate Pierce has most inspired my work because he approaches music so innocently. He wants it to be fun and interesting. He doesn’t look through a lens of pretension. He doesn’t ask me to bleed for it.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
Sartino: The Southern in Nashville has the best fried chicken dinner I’ve ever had.
What album do you know every word to?
Sartino: Plans by Death Cab for Cutie or The 1975’s self-titled record.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Sartino: The Killers at Madison Square Garden.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Sartino: Although I’m branching out now, suits were my go-to for a long time. They’re comfortable but elevated.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Sartino: Matty Healy on either.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
Sartino: I put The National on shuffle in the van multiple times a week.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Sartino: “How old is Suki Waterhouse?” She’s 30, by the way.
What album makes for the perfect gift?
Sartino: Bambi by Hippo Campus.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Sartino: A gnarly motel where our van broke down in Yonkers, New York.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Turcotte: I got my first tattoo with my older brother and sister. We ended up deciding on each getting one of the Powerpuff Girls. However, my brother and got the Rowdyruff Boy version so mine is Butch, the boy version of Buttercup. Still my only tattoo so far.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Turcotte: I definitely have my comfort artists that will keep me from changing the channel, but I always love listening to new music from stations/playlists that I generally trust. 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City is one of those stations where I can leave it on and be happy.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Sartino: My stepdad gave me 18 of his favorite books with little notes in them for my 18th birthday. He would get me books for my birthdays growing up with a check as the bookmark. I could only cash the check once I had written a one page essay on what I learned from reading the book.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Turcotte: I remember feeling really stuck when I was 18 and trying to figure out what to do with my life. I would tell myself to not hold on so tightly to that version of myself.
What’s the last show you went to?
Turcotte: I went to see Phoenix and Paramore in the same week. Phoenix had an incredible light show, but it was such a blast seeing Paramore and singing songs I grew up with.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Turcotte: Back when I would watch a lot of cable TV: Star Wars, The Matrix, or Lord Of The Rings would be on all the time. It was always these fantasy movies that would replay throughout the day. I couldn’t help but watch at least some of it, even if the commercials made the movie twice as long.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Turcotte: Creative writing is a big passion of mine. Any free time I get at home, I will chip away at a fantasy novel that I’m working on. Outside of that, I’ve always been interested in coffee culture. I’ve worked in coffee for several years and it’s often where I spend my time at home or on the road.