New Release – Live At The ElMo (album) by Andre Pettipas and the Giants
Nova Scotia (Canada) based rock band Andre Pettipas and the Giants released their sophomore album ‘No Fools No Fun’ in 2021. They are to release a live album ‘Live At The ElMo’ with 22 tracks on June 17th. Time for me to ask lead singer Andre Pettipas some questions about the upcoming live album.
Why did you decide to do a live album?
“We have always been a band that is focused on our live show and the experiences that come with it. There is no comparison to the energy and feeling you get from attending or performing a concert. We recorded our last studio album, ‘No Fools No Fun’ live off the floor and it was the best experience/product we have received to date.”
“We had the idea of recording a live record shortly after recording the studio album and the stars finally aligned after a long pandemic wait. On my 30th birthday we recorded the live album at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto in September of 2021. It was one of those manifest moments; you have an idea and with the right people lined up to help with the process, you make it happen.”
Can we expect any new material on the album?
“The album consists of 22 tracks, five of which are previously unreleased songs. We are currently in the process of recording our third studio album at The Tragically Hip’s studio in Bath, Ontario. The live album will segue our fans (new and old) into the third studio album with a full listen to our live show and giving new material in the process.”
Where was it recorded or was it curated from multiple gigs? How did you choose what to use?
“The album was recorded on September 18th and 19th, 2021 at The El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario. This place is a musical institution and recently had The Rolling Stones release their iconic surprise show at the venue in 1977 as “The Cockroaches”. We compiled the best performances of from each night to put the record together.”
What should artists/bands learn from making live albums?
“My best advice to give would be to not overthink things. Go out there and do your regular show; the best performance while shine through that way and it will feel so much more organic on record. Another bit of advice would be to make sure you stay close of your vocal microphone to capture the performance in the best possible way.”
What’s your favourite live album?
“This is definitely a tossup but one way up there for me is Rush – R40 Live. Our producer/mixing engineer, Brian Moncarz (Alice Cooper, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party) reached out to João Carvalho the mastering engineer who did that record and he did the mastering for our record.”
“Another one of my favourites is Aerosmith – Classics Live. That record captured there essence so well and sonically was a great sounding live album. We took inspiration from that one when it came to the production side of mixing. Moncarz and I had a great chat before mixing had begun to stir up some angles of inspiration from previously released live albums. That one was one that high on the list for live albums for all of us.”
Pre-save the album here.