The Greeting Committee - Live in DC
It’s pretty rare that you go to a show alone, in a place you’ve never been to see an artist for the first time, and walk out of the venue with tears in your eyes, blood buzzing, and a goofy smile on your face. It’s even rarer that you find yourself with that “Wait— this is it. This is the start of something.” feeling. Well, that’s how I felt after seeing The Greeting Committee live.
The Greeting Committee has been on my radar for a while now, but I didn’t fully become a true fan until about 5 months ago. I instantly fell head over heels, as their sound filled a void in my world that I wasn’t even aware of. These rock anthems paired with hand claps, melodic guitar solos, and smooth sax pieces create such a unique combination, one with a beautiful complexity that can not be accurately depicted with words. I found myself listening to their latest release, 'This Is It', on repeat. Seriously. Like, a month straight of just this album. ‘You’ve Got Me’ and ‘More’ have the insanely perfect balance of groove and full bodied rock elements. Tracks like ‘Gold Star’ and ‘Birthday Song’ make me tear up, reaching a vulnerable spot in me that music rarely ever comes close to. Lead singer Addie Sartino’s enchanting vocals holds so much passion and raw emotion— even though you can feel Sartino’s heart and soul in these narratives, they feel handcrafted just for you.
The whole crew is composed of Sartino on lead vocals and guitar, Brandon Yangmi on lead guitar, Pierce Turcotte on bass & sax, Austin Fraser on drums, and Noah Spencer on guitar. Keep in mind, however, that the band members all rotated a few times, with every person on stage taking their turn at a different instrument, which only impressed the entire crowd & I even more. From the moment the set started with 'She's A Gun', the tone was immediately set— you’re not there to have a good time… you’re there to have the best time. Instant electricity from the group, with Sartino constantly interacting with the audience and encouraging jumping, yelling along as loud as one can, and eventually opening up a mosh pit in the tiny sold out club.
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During one of TGC’s slower songs, ‘Elise’, Addie asked the entire crowd to sit down and take a break halfway through the set. Everyone, along with Addie, sat on the dim nightclub’s sticky beer covered floor, reminiscent of our elementary school days sitting criss cross applesauce for storytime with our peers. I looked around at everyone in the room, catching a glimmer in their eyes and a slow sway as they sang with Sartino and the strum of her acoustic guitar. That was one of my favorite moments of the night, and reminded me why I love music and live shows so much.
This is The Greeting Committee’s first headline tour, and I am not being perverse when I say that I am wholeheartedly so excited to see them thrive in the upcoming months & years. I’ll sign off with this string of texts I immediately sent to some of my friends the second the show ended:
“Okay, best fucking show fucking ever.
I have not felt that way about music in so long.
Maybe ever.
They are going to go so far.”
Catch The Greeting Committee on their headline US tour now, and their upcoming tour with Rainbow Kitten Surprise on the west coast in June. You can listen on Spotify and Apple Music, and keep up with the group on Instagram and Twitter.