On Oct. 31st, Hamilton College’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) announced some not-so-spooky news to the Hamilton student body: Peach Pit will be the Fall Concert artist featuring Annie Dirusso as the opener.
For those who do not know much about the Vancouver natives, the members of Peach Pit started off as your regular high school guys. One worked as an Amazon delivery driver, one worked at a local brewery, and one worked as a hometown carpenter. Peach Pit was created in 2014 by high school friends (vocalist/guitarist) Neil Smith and (guitarist/keyboardist) Chris Vanderkooy when they chose to collaborate with (bassist/vocalist) Peter Wilton and (drummer) Mikey Pascuzzi on an upcoming project. In 2016 the band found some quick success following the release of their EP
Sweet FA
, which features hits like “Peach Pit” and “Seventeen.”
The following year the band created their LP,
Being So Normal
, an extension of their EP that includes songs such as “Alrighty Aphrodite” and “Tommy’s Party.” Now, three albums later, Peach Pit has left behind their life of brewing beer and packing boxes to go on worldwide tours and perform at sold-out festivals like Bonnaroo and Shaky Knees Music Festival. They released their latest album,
From 2 to 3
, earlier this year.
While Peach Pit is known for their indie pop rock songs, you can hear a wide range of bluegrass, folk, blues, indie and rock undertones throughout their albums. They are unafraid to experiment with different tempos or instruments, smashing together different styles of music and chords that you wouldn’t expect to work on a singular record, but with the husky vocals of Smith and Wilton, just do. The members of Peach Pit have also been working to defy musical and instrumental limits by trying out different members on musical instruments, creating new sounds and fluid positions for the members in the band that approach songs at new angles.
As the band members shift to being in their late 20’s, they channel their aging maturity into their songs but still love to include lyrics about the classic existential teenage crises, whether it be reflecting on a lost love or trying to fit in at a party. While some might say they yearn for their younger days, the band does it not only for a sense of nostalgia, but for the authenticity of their sound, a connection to their audience, and to stay humorous and playful with their tracks.
Through the happy and the sad, the good and the ugly, Peach Pit wants to show that they are just like your friendly Canadian neighbors trying to navigate this ever changing world.
If this is the kind of music you’re interested in, then it is definitely worth it to come down to the Annex on Friday, Nov. 11th, at 7:30 p.m.
Until then, it is highly recommended to get ready to sing your heart out by listening to Peach Pit. Tickets can be reserved through the link in a campus-wide email that will be sent out by CAB on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 8:00p.m. You must have a ticket to gain entry to the concert. Tickets are free and only available to Hamilton students.
