Welcome back to Schecky’s Jam Bands, where we unpack the stories behind the bands lighting up festival fields coast-to-coast. Today, we’re diving into Baltimore’s own gleaming beacon of funk and good vibes: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong began in 2009 as a dorm-room project between college freshmen Greg "Scrambled Greg" Ormont and Jeremy Schon at the University of Maryland. From humble beginnings jamming on covers and silly original songs, the band organically expanded and began touring.

The name? It literally jumped off a “Psychology 101” textbook page. Greg spotted the phrase “pigeons playing ping pong”, pointed it out to Jeremy, and both instantly agreed – that was their name. He later linked it to B.F. Skinner’s famed pigeon experiments, connecting positive reinforcement to how music rewards and habit-forming performances feel.