The Greeting Committee, a Kansas City-bred band with the talents of Addie Sartino (vocals) Brandon Yangmi (guitar) and Pierce Turcotte (bass). Who you might recognize from their appearance and music in Netflix's To All The Boys: Always and Forever, or when they previously toured with beloved indie artists Bombay Bicycle Club, Hippo Campus and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. The are going to be back on the road this February performing their sophomore album Dandelion. An Album where the band shares a detailed portrait of a life thrown into freefall and the journey back to self possession. The track titled "Ada" showcases the bands affinity for great storytelling, the song tells the story of their good friend, Ada - a transgender woman, while partially taking inspiration from Addie's own coming out story as well as a fan's. Dandelion is a raw and revelatory body of work, primed to create the kind of communal catharsis The Greeting Committee has endlessly brought to their audience since forming as high-school kids in 2014.
With their storytelling being so prominent in their work I wondered if there was a universal message or theme that they wanted the audience to receive from Dandelion?
Addie responded: I would say overall, I don't know if there's necessarily a message and if there is I haven't uncovered it yet. That happens a lot when i'm writing songs or full records, I write without fully knowing what it is I'm saying. Not for every song obviously like for "Ada" there was a lot of intention there, but a lot of the time it's this cathartic experience that helps me uncover how I'm feeling. With dandelion, it was really always meant to be an album about grief and the different processes of that not necessarily from the perspective of breakups but from the perspective of life itself. 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 not in the typical way just in the way of… I don't know I guess feeling lost. When your in high school I feel like the word potential comes up a lot. There's so much potential for what you could do for what you could become, and then you get to where that potential probably should have kicked in and you're like “am i doing it? Is this right?” I think that's the biggest thing that I feel from dandelion. As far as the lyrics go, and it very much is a story that's told in I would say chronological order when you listen to the full album and you start with “Can I Leave Me Too” which is the first song and end on “Ten”.
Brandon added: I'm one of those people I guess who usually just find it for yourself. I just try to put myself into it the best I can, and try to be as honest and vulnerable as possible doing it . And if it connects with you it connects with you, if it doesn't it doesn't that alright.
Pierce added onto the discussion about that connection stating: I definitely feel the same way about just music in general. Like there could be a total, specific story to a song and I, I am horrible at listening for lyrics that's usually the last thing I listen for so, I think when we were all sort of writing the music- like Addie sort of had that theme in the background that she had spoken of. Like talking about grief we kind of knew like some of the stories that she was talking about but finding ways to fit into that world it just sort of just like throwing a dart at a dart board, with a blindfold on. And I think wherever it lands is like that's cool. Maybe we can keep taking it down and like to develop a whole story for it but I hope this ends up meaning something to me, and whatever it means to someone else is kind of just like a perk along the way.
Addie: I really liked that imagery you used with the dart, and the dart board because I think a lot of what our song writing is, is me watching you guys throw darts, and then i’m imagining this whole wall full of darts and I go pick the ones that apply to what I've been looking for. That's kind of how it's sort of always been but definitely was for this writing process, because I think I work really well in themes. I want to know the bigger picture, the story I'm trying to shoot for and I've noticed that, Brandon specifically, I don't know- I think Pierce, you kind of like lean in the middle but like Brandon doesn't want any of those boxes. So for him it’s kind of this thing where I keep quiet, and navigate where I want to go from what they're presenting.
I was curious with the lack of live music within the last year because of the pandemic, what was everyone looking forward to most about getting back out there this tour?
Addie: The people!! Definitely the people! I think that where I feel the most comfortable is when the greeting committee is performing so getting to contact with everybody will be really wonderful, I feel very connected to our fanbase in the sense of if we play a city and I've met you before I'd probably notice whether or not you’re in that crowd and if your not I'm wondering where you are, and if you're okay, for sure so I’m happy to be able to see everybody again.
Brandon: I feel like a lot of the time I’d say maybe in the last year and a half it kind of feels like your screaming into an abyss, in a way and going on tour is a actually hearing the people you have been screaming at for that whole process and so I think yeah the community is a big part that I am looking forward to as well.
Pierce: I would like to eco that and just the community and connecting with people again, playing music. And I also feel like there’s this life of like writing and recording music that's very important but that's only like half of its life is that creation process then there's something about going on tour and living these songs with people's energy coming straight back to you that is very interesting and almost meditative once you do it for like a month at a time. When I go back and listen to our album or our Ep or whatever song it is I think back to writing and stuff but I also think about the shows we played and playing those songs and the memories and experiences that we have playing those songs live so It's always interesting to see those songs have more lives to it after recording it.
Brandon; Yeah I think I feel like I am able to kind of chronologically place my life at least in the last 5 years based on, “oh what did we do in 2019” Oh we did these tours oh yeah thats what happened that year and then I feel like I am able to kind of like place this sort of like where was I mentally at that time during that tour and usually there these month long segments like “oh that was a good month, that was a bad month” but I guess as much as like highs and lows come it's interesting how you can kind of like place yourself in the sort of chronological order that way.
The Greeting Committee is a band you don't want to miss out on, don't forget to check out Dandelion available on all streaming platforms. And follow the band on their socials to never miss a song, tour date and more!