ReleasedOctober 10th, 2015 |
Director |
Producer |
Editors |
Pavo Pavo - Check The Weather
Oliver, Eliza and Nolan played together as “Plume Giant” since they met in 2009, but moving to NYC inspired a brand new style. Now, with Austin and Ian on board as the rhythm section, they’re exploring new territory and redefining their sound in this first time recording collaboration as “Pavo Pavo.”
Oliver, Eliza and Nolan met in college in 2009. The two music majors and a finance major made their first forays into writing and performing under the name Plume Giant. When they finished school and moved to New York City, they found themselves overwhelmingly inspired by so many of the artists they were exposed to and their sound started to shift. In 2014 they recorded an album with the help of Yellow Birds’ Sam Cohen, with Austin and Ian sitting in on drums and bass. Eventually they made the decision to restructure the band around this new sound, adding the rhythm section full time and starting fresh, naming the new project “Pavo Pavo” - a reference to the peacock constellation.
“...A lot of our music is about this time in your life when you’re becoming an adult, or trying to, and there is almost something sort of hubristic about it...you kind of let yourself have an unchecked imagination even though you’re kind of aware that that’s maybe inappropriate.”
-Eliza Bagg
The new 5 piece band arrived at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia the night of June 26, 2015 to record “Check the Weather,” their first song written for the new group. While they had worked in the studio together before, this song was crafted from the ground up with the rhythm section in mind, and thus presented a new set of challenges for the acoustic trio. They expected to have to navigate a hiccup here or there, and even though the session went well into the night, in the end, the issues were few and far between.
Not to be unexpected, they had a little difficulty finding their rhythmic pocket in the beginning of the day. Producer Brian McTear and Engineer Matt Schimelfenig ended up bringing bassist Ian Romer into the control room where he could potentially hear himself and the mix a little more naturally, which worked well. The day then continued with more focus on rhythm, as Oliver’s guitar parts had somewhat of the same issue fitting in with the new drums and bass, before ultimately focusing on synths and vocals.
“This song is about trying to find a partner and...realizing that that’s really different from just trying to find someone...and trying to figure out...whether it’s helpful to do that in a very measured or intentional way...or if doing that is isolating and sort of self-sabotaging”
-Nolan Green
Beyond the meaning that “Check the Weather” has for Nolan personally, it’s has thematic relevance for the band as a whole. They’re not just learning to play as a group, but they’re spending long hours on the road, sharing responsibilities, and ultimately managing their hopes for Pavo Pavo, together for the first time. What hasn’t changed are Nolan, Eliza and Oliver’s incredible connection as a singing trio. Their voices blend in the way that only a tight-knit group of friends who developed as singers together can.
"Finding ways to feel like you're creating things with people that you care about is really the most important thing...and I feel like we're in a place where we’re feeling that way."
-Eliza Bagg