The Greeting Committee

The Greeting Committee is an indie-rock band formed in the summer of 2014 in Overland Park, Kansas, that became one of the Kansas City metro’s most recognized current indie acts.¹ Founded by four classmates at Blue Valley High School and fronted by lead singer Addie Sartino, the band broke out locally when its single “Hands Down” drew airplay on Kansas City alternative station KRBZ (96.5 The Buzz), leading to a deal with Harvest Records and a national touring career that has spanned three studio albums.²³

History

Formation in Overland Park

The Greeting Committee formed in the summer of 2014 while its founding members were students at Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas.¹ The original lineup consisted of Addie Sartino (lead vocals), Brandon Yangmi (guitar), Pierce Turcotte (bass), and Austin Fraser (drums).¹

Breakout & signing

The band self-released its debut EP, It’s Not All That Bad, in 2015.¹ A copy reached Lazlo Geiger at Kansas City station KRBZ (96.5 The Buzz), who began playing the single “Hands Down,” giving the young band its first significant exposure.¹³ “Hands Down” went on to accumulate millions of streams.³ The band subsequently signed with Harvest Records, which re-released It’s Not All That Bad in October 2015 with re-recorded and additional tracks.¹

Releases

The Greeting Committee released the EP Meeting People Is Easy in March 2017 on Harvest Records, followed by its debut studio album This Is It on October 26, 2018.¹ A second EP, I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry, arrived in October 2019.¹ The band’s sophomore album, Dandelion, was released on September 24, 2021.¹ Its third studio album, Everyone’s Gone And I Know I’m The Cause, was released on June 21, 2024.⁴ Founding drummer Austin Fraser departed the band in October 2021, and the lineup saw further changes around the 2024 release.

Members

Current lineup:

• Addie Sartino — lead vocals (founding member)¹
• Pierce Turcotte — bass, saxophone (founding member)¹
• Noah Spencer — guitar
• Micah Ritchie — drums

Former members:

• Brandon Yangmi — guitar (founding member)¹
• Austin Fraser — drums (founding member; departed October 2021)¹

Sources

See also

• kansas-city-music-scene

Footnotes

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greeting_Committee — asserts: The Greeting Committee formed in summer 2014 in Overland Park, Kansas, at Blue Valley High School; founding members Addie Sartino (vocals), Brandon Yangmi (guitar), Pierce Turcotte (bass), Austin Fraser (drums); self-released EP It’s Not All That Bad (2015), played by Lazlo Geiger at KRBZ; Harvest Records re-released it in October 2015; EP Meeting People Is Easy (March 2017); album This Is It (October 26, 2018); EP I’m Afraid I’m Not Angry (October 2019); album Dandelion (September 24, 2021); Austin Fraser departed October 2021. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

2. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2019-05-10/hello-from-the-greeting-committee-4-blue-valley-grads-who-are-kansas-citys-breakout-pop-band — asserts: The Greeting Committee, four Blue Valley graduates, is characterized as Kansas City’s breakout band. ↩

3. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2019-05-10/hello-from-the-greeting-committee-4-blue-valley-grads-who-are-kansas-citys-breakout-pop-band — asserts: The band’s local breakout came via Kansas City radio airplay of “Hands Down,” which accumulated millions of streams. (KRBZ is the call sign of 96.5 The Buzz.) ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. https://thegreetingcommitteeband.bandcamp.com/album/everyones-gone-and-im-the-cause — asserts: The album Everyone’s Gone And I Know I’m The Cause was released June 21, 2024. ↩