Here's what you really need to know about the Palpitations:  We were friends before we were a band.   Before we ever thought about lyrics or recording techniques, before we had a band van or a practice space and certainly before we were briefly homeless in New York City, all we did was hang out in the sunshine and strum Dylan songs.

   We met in September of 2004, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  The four of us -- Garrett Williams, Patrick Hayes, Greg Lang, and Sarah Fleck -- literally met on move-in day at Lycoming College.   Some of us actually met in line at the campus store, buying textbooks which would largely go unread due to the aforementioned guitar habit.

   Things were pretty ragged at first.   One drummer, three rhythm guitarists, and no lead singer is not an ideal configuration for a rock & roll band.   But as time went on, roles became more defined: Patrick emerged as our lead guitarist and principal soloist, and Garrett assumed lead vocal duties.  Greg became our jack-of-all-trades, switching between guitar, bass, or keyboards as necessary.

   2006 brought two developments: bassist Kristin Gdula joined the group and we started to write original compositions.  We also almost got kicked out of our dorm for having too much fun.

   By the summer of 2007 we'd written enough songs and saved up enough money to hit the studio.   We hunkered down at Complex One Studios in Garrett's hometown of Indiana, PA and recorded our debut album, Blue Jeans & Daydreams.

   We spent the '07-'08 school year playing a mess of shows in support of our album.   Somehow we also managed to graduate during this time.

   By this point we were too far in to turn back, (plus we still had some t-shirts to sell), so we did what any self-respecting musicians would do: moved to New York City.

   There's a scene in the excellent film The Last Waltz where Levon Helm talks about how New York City kicks your ass the first time you go.  This held true for us.  Our first two New York years were marked by slum-lord landlords, court appearances, unstable employment, and a general sense of futility.   Kristin left the band in 2008; Greg became our full-time bassist.   Once again a quartet, we enjoyed a brief period of artistic creativity which was offset by an utter lack of gigs.

   We faced our biggest challenge yet when Greg was forced to move back to Pennsylvania for job reasons.   We needed those bass notes, but Garrett can't play bass for shit.   So in a Hail Mary move, the Palpitations were reborn as a blues trio: guitar, organ, and drums.

   In 2010 we moved to Brooklyn, and immediately things picked up. New songs, new van, new practice space, and best of all, new musician friends.   Energized by the thriving music scene, we're now just trying to play as many shows as possible and show you why this long, weird, seven-year journey was totally worth it.