The message behind Andre Pettipas and The Giants’ single “Sympathy Card” has always been clear: the best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley—and over the course of the past year, things have been agley more aft than na—making it all the more necessary to have plans upon plans upon plans. That goes doubly so when it comes to the music industry.
Andre Pettipas & Co. have put some action behind their words by taking advantage of a lull in the storm to create a music video that captures all the energy of a live performance.
For most of us, it’s been a long hard year without live music, but legend has it that on the right nights, in the right places, when the stars have aligned just so, you might catch the occasional band performing something that looks conspicuously like a show.
Filmed at Halifax’s The Derby Showbar, Dillan Tate (The Stanfields) captured one such night with Andre Pettipas and The Giants and you can practically smell the warm familiar smells of sweat and stale beer again.
“Oh God, the smell of the Marquee green room is one that is ingrained in the nostrils,” laughs Pettipas, revelling in something most of us may have once taken for granted.
“Frig, that night was like covid was a distant memory. We did a 30-song straight set and had a buncha buds as guests. Andddd we all got to our hotels by midnight.
“We started load-in at noon and began shooting scenes shortly after the rest of the crew showed up. We had an acoustic rehearsal in the green room in the early afternoon. Had Jessie (Brown) join us for 8 tracks and had her lead on Alanis’, ‘You Oughta Know.’
“Basically, we wanted to feel like the suffocation of this pandemic was over for a bit; bringing in people that have really inspired us over the years to make the show and video shoot something special.”
Special guests also included both local legend and honorary Giant, Leith Fleming-Smith on stage, as well as Q104’s Tom Bedell joining the band in a Travelling Wilbury’s cover, while some lucky, loyal fans and friends were blessed with spots in the audience.
“We wanted to recreate that throwback feeling and excitement you get while recording your favourite music video in much when you get home after school… wanted the nostalgia to run through,” says Pettipas.
“The whole night really made us feel alive again. The chaos of this pandemic will be a memory soon enough and nights like this will be ones that we remember most that helped us get by.”
The song is the first single to be released from Andre Pettipas and The Giants’s upcoming album No Fools No Fun, out early this summer, and, according to Pettipas, the outfit he wears in the video is a hint at what their next single will be…