ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Philadelphia’s Square Peg Round Hole is an instrumental percussion-based trio described by NPR’s Bob Boilen as a “creative adventure.” Evan Chapman, Sean Gill, and Carlos Pacheco utilize drum kits, vibraphone, samples, found objects, and synths to create music that draws on elements from post-rock, electronic, ambient, and contemporary classical genres. The music is expansive, intricately textured, and dynamic, but the group’s knack for hooks and melodic structure provides a soulful center.
Square Peg Round Hole formed in 2011, when the members met while studying at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The band has performed at venues and festivals across the US, serving as direct support for The Bad Plus, Kneebody, The Album Leaf, Dawn of Midi, The Mercury Program, and touring the East Coast with Son Lux’s Ian Chang. Collaborators have included Sō Percussion, Darren King (Kanye West, MuteMath), and Variant Six (members of Grammy-award winning vocal ensemble The Crossing).
ABOUT THE SHOWCASE CONCERT: Percussion Ensemble: Redefined
Square Peg Round Hole’s studio albums illuminate the group’s capacity for exploration. The second record, Juniper, released in 2016 on Spartan Records, garnered the band national attention. The introspective album was composed rural Maryland and remote Wisconsin, and was recorded almost entirely live in full takes. The creative process around Juniper established a tighter sound, with more clearly defined roles, and greater confidence.
Square Peg’s third LP, Branches, stands as a more collaborative and outward-looking artistic endeavor. The album was recorded in Nashville with producer and drumming legend Darren King (MuteMath, Kanye West, Sucré). Living in King’s attic and immersing themselves in his studio opened the group up to new techniques, and pushed them into unexpected sonic terrain.
Square Peg Round Hole’s PASIC showcase will feature genre-defying selections from these two records, presented in conjunction with the ensemble’s mesmerizing signature self-contained light show.