HALIFAX: Local rock band Andre Pettipas and the Giants are getting ready for a busy summer of touring across Eastern Canada.
The band is also finishing up recording their upcoming album after only recently releasing a new double live album on June 17, titled Andre Pettipas and the Giants Live at the ElMo. The live album was recorded at the well-known El Mocambo in Toronto, and their upcoming album at the Tragically Hip’s studio in Kingston, both events a dream come true for the band says frontman Andre Pettipas.
With Mark Cosh on drums, John MacDonald on guitar, and Travis Pettipas on bass, Pettipas takes vocals and guitar. The band is known for a high energetic performance and songs which transition well from album to stage. The band’s last album, No Fools no Fun, was nominated for the 2022 ECMA rock recording of the year.
Pettipas says recording the live album at El Mocambo was an amazing experience. The band wanted to use the live album as an opportunity to transition into new music, while providing fans with some favourite hits. They ended up playing two nights with 22 songs each night.
“The El Mocambo is this legendary venue,” says Pettipas. “The Rolling Stones did a live album there, Stevie Ray Vaughan … the list goes on and on.”
He says this was one of the shows he felt the most pressure playing, since everything had to go properly for the recording. The band picked their favourite takes from each night, playing their sophomore album top to bottom to start the night, then a mixture of previously released and unreleased songs to end the night.
“We wanted to give new listeners an opportunity to hear what we’ve been up to over the last few years. And give those fans that have already been following us a little sneak peek from what’s going to come in 2023 from us,” he said. “So, this is like a segway into our third studio album.”
For their next album, which is tentatively named Under Control, Pettipas says the theme is fitting for the times.
“It’s just about keeping yourself under control through all this chaos, trying to keep your head straight when the world is falling apart,” he noted. “And this studio album was mostly written during the pandemic, so it’s kind of fitting.”
The band recorded this upcoming album at the Tragically Hip’s studio in Kingston, Ontario, an old 1880s house now turned music studio called The Bathouse. Pettipas says the four days spent there went by extremely fast and it was an experience of a lifetime.
“You go in there and the vibe is so cool,” he recalled. “There’s so many great albums recorded there, so many great bands that did their thing and for us to be able to play there was a dream come true.”
One thing Pettipas mentions about their upcoming album is they’re more under control with what songs they choose, while making sure each song fits.
“For this one it was more or less which song fits this album better, rather than which song is best in a strange way. Some songs that got cut were good songs, but they just didn’t fit the narrative.”
Prior to leaving for their tour of venues across the Strait area, Pettipas said he was excited to join forces with The Stanfields at the Granville Green on July 8.
“It’s always a blast they do the Celtic rock genre and we do the straight up rock and roll and they’re slightly different, but the energies are really similar.”
Michelle Farrow, Director of Recreation, Marketing, Tourism and Culture for the Town of Port Hawkesbury, says the town loves working with Andre Pettipas and the Giants.
“We are so proud of their accomplishments and were beyond excited to book them for Granville Green.”
Pettipas, who is originally from Linwood, is proud to have grown up in a small community and says this is where his original fan base is. He’s happy to have the support of different communities and it’s one of the reasons he keeps making music.
Another reason is hearing the impact their music makes when talking to fans after a show.
“People will talk to me and tell me stories of what they’ve been through and what the songs mean to them. I think that’s one reason I keep pushing this music.”