Andre Pettipas and the Giants Have It Under Control
WRITTEN BY: DARCY WALSH 
Andre Pettipas and the Giants (contributed)
On July 7, Andre Pettipas and the Giants are back with their third studio album, Under Control.
"It was the best experience of our lives,” said frontman, Andre Pettipas. “We were at The Tragically Hip studio for a couple of days, just hanging with the boys there and then we had Brian fly to the Shoebox and spent the week with him there," he said.
The band says they chose to record the album at The Bathouse Recording Studio because it’s where some of their favourite albums were recorded. "It was a lot of hands-on work with this project, whereas we kinda got to choose what we wanted, with the help of Ian, he was always up for that kind of assistance and Brian was great to work with, as always," noted Andre.
Building on the success of their sophomore album, Under Control, highlights the trials and tribulations of navigating through life. "It’s got some cool ass tones, a lot of fuzz guitar and then I did a lot of the harmonies in my basement," said Andre. "It is our most accurate representation of what the band is going forward. It really shows growth from the previous album and it's something that I think will change our lives for the better," he added.
Definition of a Dweeb
The first single from the upcoming album, Definition of a Dweeb, is inspired by a time Andre accidentally shaved his head in grade nine after his bandmate and cousin, Travis removed the guard on the clippers without him knowing. “I went to trim up a long hair, and it went right to the scalp,” said Andre. “I was a kid who wore a stocking cap for about a month straight until my hair grew back a bit,” he laughed.
Touring support for the album kicked off with the group recently departing on a cross-Canada tour. “We’re going into new territory. We haven’t been to BC yet, and we’re gonna go,” said Andre. While the band is on the road playing music, they’re also looking forward to some sightseeing along the way. “We’re gonna go to Seattle to see Cobain’s memorial underneath the bridge there. So that’s something I am looking forward to as much as all the dates we’re playing,” he added.
Upon their return to Nova Scotia, the band celebrated the Definition of a Dweeb single release with a show at the Shoebox Cantina and will be playing an album release show at The Carleton on July 21.
Giantstock: Three Days Of Music, Camping and Pettipasitivity
In addition to the album release, the band has been busy launching the first annual Giantstock Music Festival, in Merigomish, NS, which will be taking place Labour Day weekend. The lineup is made up of friends of the band including, KIJU Boyz, Whygo, Loviet, Sweet Serene, Morgan Toney, Slowcoaster, Altered By Mom, Not Like Yesterday, and a special tribute to the music of the ’90s. The festival will have activities, including swimming, washer toss, beach volleyball, stand-up comedy from Dougie Snakes, food trucks, and jam sessions. Festival goers can camp on-site and everything is included in the ticket price.
The location might be familiar to some live music fans, as it’s the same location The Stanfields host their annual music festival, Blacktop Ball. “The Standfields introduced us to this property and they’re the best kinda dudes,” said Andre.“Orville, the property owner, wanted us to do our own festival and we reached out to the Stanfields. They were stoked on the idea,” he added.
What’s Goin’ On Dre?
Leading up to Giantstock, Andre Pettipas started a new podcast series called, What’s Goin’ On Dre?, which features interviews with friends of the band and guests from the festival lineup, including Leah Samson, Steve MacDougall, Elyse Aeryn, Gina Kennedy, and Landon Morris.
Album release and upcoming shows
With more national dates and festivals booked throughout the summer and fall, there will be lots of opportunities to see Andre, Travis, Mark, and John take the stage. Catch them at their album release show at The Carleton on July 21, with special guests Brad Milligan and June Body.
Andre Pettipas and the Giant’s album, Under Control, is now available everywhere.
