The Greeting Committee
From Kansas City, MO, The Greeting Committee is getting vulnerable in their most recent album “Dandelion.” An album that found its beginnings during quarantine, band members Addison Sartino, Brandon Yangmi, Pierce Turcotte, and Austin Fraser were able to fully put themselves into their writing process.
“We wanted to write and get things going on the creative side of the album, but we wanted to be very mindful of people in our life and COVID in general. So, we decided we were going to quarantine together down at my parent’s lake house,” Yangmi said. “We kind of lived with each other for two weeks, getting the first steps of the album going. Something about being in that domestic life, just waking up, working together, cooking dinner together, playing cards. Something about that set the tone for the greater process of this album.”
The Greeting Committee’s most recent release before the new album, “Ada,” proved to be the most difficult to write as it touches on the story of the band’s good friend Ada - a transgender woman, while also drawing inspiration from Sartino’s coming out story.
“The lyric, 'if God had a favorite, I wouldn’t be it,' is actually a lyric I’ve been holding onto for a long time from that song. I just really tried hard to listen to what she [Ada] was saying and convey that emotion,” Sartino said. “I knew when I set out to write this song that I didn’t want the entirety of it to be about struggle, but it was really important to me to have some kind of blip, where you get to the end of the song and it’s a little more heavenly.”
The release with “Ada” brought about many positive fan reactions, with some fans thanking them for using same sex pronouns in their love songs.
“I don’t think I was ever intentional about bringing about LGBTQ+ themes in our music, I just live as a queer women, so that’s kind of what happened,” Sartino said. “I am not a part of the trans community, so I was able to use a friend of mine, listen to their story, and Ada was kind enough to be that person for us.”
Another song on the album that the band found to be vulnerable is “Makeout.”
“'Makeout' actually might be the most vulnerable song on the album because I am way more comfortable being serious in my lyrics, because I want to be taken seriously as a lyricist versus being lackadaisical and goofy with this,” Sartino said.
Having previously toured with indie artists such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Hippo Campus, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, The Greeting Committee is excited to get back on tour and interact with fans.
“I feel a lot of the times it feels like you’re screaming into an abyss. And going on tour is actually hearing the people you’ve been screaming at,” Turcotte said.
With “Dandelion,” Sartino explains she hasn’t uncovered the message yet, but rather views her writing process as a “cathartic” experience that helps bring to surface her emotions.
“I wouldn’t say there’s necessarily a message and if there is, I haven’t fully uncovered it yet and that happens a lot when I’m writing songs or full records,” Sartino said. “I noticed that at 23, I really feel like I’m watching my life a lot of days instead of living it. There’s a lot of going through the motions and feeling lost. It is a story that is told in chronological order when you listen to the album.”
“Dandelion” is on all streaming platforms. Keep up with The Greeting Committee on Instagram @thgcband