Hailing from New York City, Panama Wedding is known for putting out catchy indie-pop songs that are a perfect soundtrack to summer. I caught up with frontman Peter Kirk before their show at the Hi-Fi on Monday July, 25.
Jacob Click: July 25th will be your first time playing in Indianapolis–how do you like performing in the Midwest?
Peter Kirk: I love playing in the midwest. So many great bands that I grew up listening to came from there. The people are great and take music very seriously.
I grew up on Long Island and have lived in Manhattan for many years. I love NYC, but it’s become so sterile and expensive. It’s turned into a giant mall of European tourists and the wealthy top 1%. The midwest still has a very idiosyncratic old American charm that I find unique and special.
JC: What made you want to cover Easy Lover by Phil Collins?
PK: Our friend and sound guy, Chris Madden, suggested that I record a cover of it with Great Good Fine OK. Chris has toured with both Panama Wedding and Great Good Fine OK in the past. So when we were planning a joint tour this past tour, he floated the idea. But it wasn’t until we started working on the cover in the studio together that we fully realized how amazing of an idea it was.
JC: Did you ever find Phil on Snapchat?
PK: Is he on Snapchat? I doubt he is, but haven’t looked!
JC: You recently tweeted that The Neptunes are a massive influence. When can we expect a Panama Wedding and Pharrell Williams collaboration?
PK: I’m just waiting for the phone call! Hey, maybe I’ll call his people. But I would only do it if Chad was in the room too.
JC: How often do you eat Quiznos on tour?
PK: Haha. Not too often! But if we see one on the road, we’ll likely stop by and say hello.
JC: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of quitting their day job to pursue their dreams?
PK: Well, I didn’t quit my job to pursue music. I wrote and produced music for awhile while I was still working a full-time job. It just so happened that I got an opportunity to leave after putting in so many hours into music. Nothing wrong with working a job, you gotta pay those bills!
