Pigeons Playing Ping Pong land in State College

Baltimore-based band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will bring its antics-filled musical stylings to The State Theatre on Feb. 6.

“We play high energy psychedelic funk,” said Greg Ormont, singer/guitarist for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. “It’s not quite like George Clinton. We don’t have that many people on stage, it’s just the four of us. It’s more like old school Red Hot Chili Peppers mixed with Lotus, Talking Heads and Phish.”

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong formed as a college project, but have grown together to become career musicians. On his first day of freshman year at the University of Maryland, Ormont remembers walking around with his guitar, looking to jam and learn from someone.

“I walked into one room that was pretty fun. We played ‘Wagon Wheel’ by Old Crow Medicine Show, and then I walked into a second room and met our lead guitarist, Jeremy Schon, and started playing some funk,” Ormont said. “We played dorm rock and cover mashups and it just clicked. We started doing coffee shop gigs and open mic nights, and eventually we met the other two guys.”

Ormont and company are always looking to the future. The band’s goals include reaching even more audiences around the U.S. and playing “bigger and badder venues.”

“We have a few festivals that we’d love to play eventually, but in the meantime we’ll continue to play some amazing festivals in the summer,” Ormont said. “We’re about to go down to Aura Music Festival in Florida in March. And we throw our own music festival called ‘Domefest’ which is actually only an hour and 15 minutes from State College (in Bedford). ‘Dome fest’ is one of the highlights of our year, and this will probably be the biggest year yet.”

Domefest has become an annual staple for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. It got its name from the property near the University of Maryland where the festival started, where bands stayed in houses with dome-shaped roofs.

“Since then, we’ve moved to a bigger venue as it’s continued to grow,” Ormont said. “Pigeons Playing Ping Pong plays all three nights as the official hosts. We’ve already announced the first wave of bands all found at www.domefestival.com.”

A love for performance struck Ormont in primary school.

“I was in the kindergarten circus when I was 5 years old,” he said. “I was the doggie in the window, and you know, I just haven’t looked back since. Something about being up there and barking at the smiling faces struck a chord with me. And, I still bark on stage to this day.”

Ormont believes the band is in a great place and looks forward to the future. In five years, he sees the band “in a nicer tour bus.”

“We’re happy to still be playing,” Ormont said. “What started as a college project has turned into our careers. Things are moving great. Within five years we’ll have played the whole country, I hope. We’re very patient with our touring. We just want to continue to build and play bigger venues and bigger festivals and continue to have the ability to make people smile.”

The band’s mysterious and quirky name may carry special meaning, but Ormont says you will have to see it to believe it.

“I guess you’ll have to come to the show to find out what the meaning is,” Ormont said. “I’m going to let your imagination run wild, then I’m going to try to fulfill that imagination.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Pigeons Playing Ping Pong land in State College."