As Passion Pit wraps up its 2013 touring stops, the Avenue spoke with keyboardist and guitar player Ian Hultquist before the band’s trip to South Florida as Coastline’s headline act.
Q: Where does Passion Pit stand in the music industry’s current obsession with singles and overnight hits?
A: I think it’s made things hard for bands like us. We have popular songs — but we’re not Rihanna. I’m still really interested in it, though. I’m curious about what makes a Ke$ha or Rihanna song so magical.
Q: Frontman Michael Angelakos made a pretty big decision recently and suspended his Twitter. He told the Salt Lake Tribune that the current norm of musicians connecting with their fans through social media demystifies the artist, and he really wants to communicate through his music. What are your thoughts on that?
A: I agree with it to a certain extent, but I also think you just have to be stronger. You can have Twitter and not check it every five seconds and not share your entire life on it. I enjoy having it, and I’ve made a lot of connections through it.
Q: What are the top five things you can’t live without while touring?
A: My laptop, an acoustic guitar, my iPhone — I can get by pretty well with those three. As long as I have something to work on and something therapeutic to keep me calm, I’m pretty happy.
A version of this story ran on page 7 on 10/31/2013 under the headline "Where we belong: Passion Pit closing 2013 with Coastline Festival stops"
Passion Pit will be performing at Coastline Festival in Tampa on Nov. 9 and in West Palm Beach on Nov. 10. The band performed at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville last Fall.
