Kat Harlton
Lead Photo provided via PR team
East Coast rock band Andre Pettipas and The Giants recently released their rocking new single “Definition Of A Dweeb” on June 2nd via all streaming platforms.
In addition to the new single release, Andre Pettipas and The Giants have also announced their upcoming Canadian tour dates for this summer, including a stop in Saskatoon, SK at the Capitol Music Club on June 10th.
Andre Pettipas and The Giants are a rarity, an act who absolutely refuse to let anything take the fun out of their creative process and performances on record or on stage.
The Nova Scotia natives have seen great success the past few years, with multiple singles on the nationally syndicated show, “East Coast Countdown”. They were also named Arkells “Leather Jacket” cover contest winners, were Casino NS Artist in Residence Finalists from 2016-2018, Q104 Homegrown Champions out of 120 bands in 2017, and Jim Beam National Talent Search Regional Winners (Halifax) in 2019.
In 2021, the band released their album No Fools No Fun, which received national recognition with the track “Sympathy Card” hitting #27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. The album was also nominated for “Rock Recording Of The Year” at the 2022 East Coast Music Association Awards and Nova Scotia Music Week, and led the band to record a live album at legendary El Mocambo in Toronto during their release tour.
The band and Q97.9 / Q104 are also proud to announce the inaugural Giantstock, a three day festival of music, camping and Pettipasitivty on a beautiful private waterfront property in Merigomish, NS! Kicking off on Friday, September 1st, the festival created by Andre Pettipas and The Giants, will feature performances from the band, Morgan Toney, Slowcoaster and more.
For more details on the band’s upcoming tour dates, visit andrepettipasandthegiants.com/shows.
I had the opportunity to chat with the band (marked as A.P below) about their new single, their journey so far and what’s next.
Kat: Can you tell us a bit about Andre Pettipas and The Giants and your music journey so far?
A.P: The journey has been amazing thus far. It’s the most important part of it all. Making memories with my best buds; setting goals and hitting them is so rewarding. We’ve been a band for eight years and got to do some super fun things during that time. Highlights include touring Canada twice, touring internationally (Live At Heart, Orebro) and winning some cool competitions (Q104 homegrown challenge, Jim Beam National Talent Search – Halifax Region.)
Our last studio album, “No Fools No Fun” really helped our development. Produced by Brian Moncarz and tracked at Chalet Studio, this album landed us nominations for rock album of the year at both the East Coast Music Awards and Nova Scotia Music Week conferences. The album also landed us collaborations with a number of our favourite bands/artists in Blind Melon’s Christoper Thorn playing on “Homesick” and John-Angus MacDonald of The Trews producing “Sympathy Card”; that song landed us our first charting Billboard song as it peaked at #27 on the active rock chart. It also led us to recording a 22 track live album at the legendary El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto. We did back-to-back nights in 2021 and it was one of our coolest experiences to date. That album included 5 previous unreleased tracks which the studio versions will be on our upcoming album, Under Control that was recorded at The Tragically Hip’s studio, The Bathouse in summer of 2022 and is set for a July release this summer. The recording of the upcoming album is perched on the top of the list for our favourite things we’ve done thus far. The entire vibe, atmosphere and comradery that is imperative during studio sessions was knocked out of the park. We finished overdubs (vocals and extra guitars, fiddle etc.) at Shoebox Studios as Moncarz flew in for the week and we had a lot of fun on our home turf with him in town. The whole team brought their A game for this album and we can’t wait to share it with the world.
Kat: Can you shed some light on the inspiration behind your new single “Definition Of A Dweeb”?
A.P: The story of Dweeb stems from a haircut gone bad in grade 9. I was giving myself a mohawk for soccer provincials and I thought I had finished the cut so I left the bathroom and went about my day. My mother had informed me a while later that there was a long hair that I missed. I went back into the bathroom to trim it and didn’t realize the guard was now off of the hair clippers that I left on the counter. My brother, Travis (bassist of the band) had removed the guard (unbeknownst to me) and now as I went to trim that spot I had left a bald spot close to the middle of my head.
Being distraught and a young teen thinking it was the end of the world, I shaved the rest of my head bald. My mom sent me to school with a letter that noted I was feeling under the weather and informed the teachers to let me wear a hat during school. Ultimately this song is about the growing stages of life; going through the motions and dealing with letdowns, upsets and thickening your skin (“to-and fro from side to side, you’re tough as leather”) are all crucial factors in growth.
It’s also an outside view at bullying and the mental health of young people. We have to be aware that these issues exist and primarily within our schools. It’s hard enough dealing with hormones as a kid (“show a little sign of remorse, hormones and growth, unnecessary violence”) let alone having to deal with being bullied for being different. The Faces said it best, “I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger.” We all could have been a little more helpful to the less unfortunate. Ultimately it’s never too late to start helping and progressing.
Musically the inspiration came from Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag.” It has been one of my favorite songs since I was a kid and always wanted to write a song with a similar feel (we approached that on the chorus and music video for the track.)
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the new track?
A.P: This track is one of my favourite songs that we’ve written to date. It’s got personality, big hooks and lots of ups and downs throughout. It translates really well to our live show as we extend the interlude after the bridge and have a bunch of fun with the crowd during it. Sometimes I hop into the crowd and dance with them and others we mash up the song with a handful of some of our favourite songs from our highschool days. I want to open up further connections with our fanbase. Hear stories from their youth or inspire the youth of today to realize that things that happen in your teens years aren’t as awful as they seem to be at the time (even if the story sticks around 20 years later.)
Kat: What have you learned along the way, and do you have any advice to share with other aspiring artists and creators?
A.P: Success doesn’t happen overnight and this rollercoaster ride has lots of thrills, ups and downs but staying true to your vision and self will pay off. Set goals for yourself, write down all the small steps that go along with achieving those goals, rinse and repeat. Don’t get caught up in the RIGHT NOW mentality. Although life moves very quickly it’s important to take the time in the planning stage. Opposing that you must be ready to drop everything and go in the matter of a day. Opportunities can arise out of nowhere in the music industry and being prepared will help you make the most out of those opportunities.
Kat: What else are you currently working on, and what can fans expect from you for the balance of 2023?
A.P: We are working on tour dates for the remainder of the year. We are looking to tour heavily this fall in support of the new album. We will be creating a GIANT amount of content during these times to continue getting to know our fanbase and looking forward to pursuing our dreams on this journey with our fantastic supporters.
Connect With Andre Pettipas and The Giants
Instagram: @apandthegiants
Facebook: /Andre Pettipas and The Giants
Twitter: @APandTheGiants