We had the pleasure of interviewing Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Greg Returns!) over Zoom video!

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is just one of the many acts gearing up to celebrate Suwannee Hulaween’s 10th anniversary, the festival is returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida from Thursday, October 26 - Sunday, October 29, 2023.
Hulaween is one of the last truly-independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape, and after selling out its last five editions, the festival is commemorating a decade of success with its most impressive lineup yet.

Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. It's been nearly two decades since Pretty Lights started originating his signature, sample-heavy sounds that redefined America’s electronic music scene, and his exclusive East Coast festival set at Hulaween promises to showcase vibrant, bass-fueled sounds to the festival’s feverish audience.

Known globally for his playful demeanor and rip-roaring sets, tech-house maestro John Summit marks another Hulaween headliner. The Beatport chart-shredder will host Hulaween’s first-ever takeover by Off The Grid, Summit’s party-starting imprint, which will offer up sets by label favorites famed for igniting dance floors.
Other electronic music heavyweights headlining Hulaween include Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist/producer Elderbrook, producer polymath Big Wild, and revered house producer/vocalist Channel Tres.

On the jam side of the lineup, Hulaween founders The String Cheese Incident will serve up three nights of headlining performances. Phish-offshoot Trey Anastasio Band and critically-acclaimed indie-jam five piece Goose will play consecutive sets on the same night, following their joint tour across the North East last fall. Other headlining bands include Hulaween staple Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (2 sets), the Hulaween debut of Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and legendary roots-rock outfit Dispatch.

Hulaween will also welcome neo-soul rapper Smino as the festival’s sole hip-hop headliner, as well as a headlining set by five-piece indie rock band Mt. Joy.

The festival will present a bevy of in-demand, electronic music support acts, including Montreal producer BLOND:ISH, underground bass purveyor Eprom, multi-faceted Italian DJ/producer duo Gioli &amp; Assia, ascendent bass producer ISOxo, genre-bending producer Manic Focus, ascendent trailblazer Moore Kismet, bass-focused producer supergroup Lab Group, and future-funk maestro Yung Bae.

Staying true to its band-focused roots, Hulaween will boast a medley of celebrated acts including funk-fusion ensemble Lettuce, funk-jam group Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and critically-acclaimed, Anatolian rock/Turkish psychedelic folk outfit Altin Gün.

The Hulaween 2023 lineup is brimming with more than 90 acts that cover all corners of the dance floor. Over the course of the past decade, Hulaween has hosted a plethora of genre-crossing artists the Spirit of the Suwannee’s idyllic grounds, which serves as perfect setting for attendees to fully immerse themselves in Florida’s lush, enchanting nature. 

Hulaween’s Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations, and both visual and performance art, catch performances at Spirit Lake’s two stages, and groove into sunrise at the Silent Disco.
Thursday, October 26 - Sunday, October 29, 2023 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida

Tickets on sale now!
https://suwanneehulaween.com/passes/

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Interview with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Greg Returns!)

At 17, Complex Theory embarked on a journey he never intended to take. In 1999, his mother gave him his first set of turntables, as an early graduation gift, what she really gave him was the gift of expression. Complex Theory aka Jonathan Reeves began DJing in Columbia, SC. His belief in DJing is, "Im always looking to take constructive criticism, and pointers from anyone. The one thing I learned early on was, if you dont listen to what people have to say, then you will get stale, lose the love, and never push harder." Keeping this in mind, Jonathan began branching out to many other clubs in Columbia, Rock Hill, and Myrtle Beach, SC. In 2003, Jonathan grew tired of the normal day to day college life and found he might be better suited for other endeavors in the US Army. "I was working full time, sitting in class, and DJing part time to stay afloat.Oh, and drinking. He enlisted, left DJing as a memory, sold his equipment, and immediately deployed to Iraq from Fort Bliss within 2 weeks of arrival as Military Police. Jonathan said "I was so lost. Here I am, just barely able to legally drink, and now I'm holding a rifle in the middle of Baghdad. I didn't know what to think, except just get home.".  In 2005, while stationed in El Paso, TX a chance meeting led Jonathan back to music. In 2005, while in a music forum, he ran into the former owner of Dust Traxx Chicago. Charles and Jonathan became close friends and encouraged Jonathan to begin DJing again with a mutual friend of his. After a 2 year break, Jonathan was once again drawn back into DJing. He began playing several different venues in El Paso, TX. He played anywhere and everywhere he could just to play. In 2006, Jonathan voluntarily deployed once again to Iraq and never touched the decks again. In 2011, after struggles from his combat experiences, a stressful job as a Recruiter, and no healthy outlets, he once again returned to music simply, as he puts it "to find the closest alternative to an adrenaline rush of combat that I get when I crush a set...except without all the explosions, rounds, and heavy ass gear..." He now resides in Columbia, SC, as a disabled combat veteran and married with his 15 year old son and 11 year old daughter...who is already getting the itch to learn. "My son, Mason, must be either standing next to me when I play at home, or directly behind me, or he's pissed...unless I drop a track he digs and then he's jamming and getting down to it..."  Contact Jonathan directly at (803) 261-6411 or through any links below!

Bringin’ it Backwards’ mission is to provide a platform for both legendary and rising artists to tell their personal stories on how they achieve stardom so that all artists and music enthusiasts have access to meaningful and memorable advice to inspire their own musical journeys. 

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Interview with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Greg Returns!)

Bringin' it Backwards Podcast