Patrick Hayes, Sarah Fleck, Garrett Williams, Greg Lang
Sarah Fleck & the Palpitations began during September of 2004 in the musically-fertile Susquehanna Valley, when four Lycoming College students joined forces to create a rock & roll band in the tradition of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Garrett Williams, Patrick Hayes, Greg Lang, and Sarah Fleck were friends before they were a band. All four shared a love of classic rock & roll, and their first few weeks of college were largely spent sitting outside, jamming on Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, and Beatles tunes. Although their instrumental makeup (three rhythm guitarists, one drummer, and no lead singer) was neither customary nor particularly convenient, the quartet began learning to play together and generally having a groovy time.
The band's first opportunity to perform in public came at an open mic night on November 6th, 2004. The fledgling group was still without a moniker and had decided to perform nameless for the event, but an organizer demanded that the band provide a name. Williams registered the band as “Sarah Fleck & the Palpitations,” an obscure reference to a 1973 London concert when Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Steve Winwood, and several other British rock luminaries performed for one night as “Eric Clapton & the Palpitations.” The band was a hit with the audience, and the name stuck.
During the next few years Sarah Fleck & the Palpitations evolved in a number of ways. Roles within the band became more defined, with Williams assuming lead vocalist duties and Hayes emerging as the principal soloist. The group expanded to include bassist Kristin Gdula in 2006. Most notably, they began working on original compositions -- songs which fused the groove of classic rock & roll with modern "indie-rock" sensibilities. Many of these tunes, such as “Aviator Baby,” “Iridescent Lover,” and “Copper Shoes” became staples of the band's live show.
During the summer of 2007, the Palpitations recorded and independently released their debut album, Blue Jeans & Daydreams. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tom Pouchot and Jim Haydon at Complex One Studios, the album features eleven original compositions and showcases the band's stylistic diversity. The 2007-08 school year was spent playing shows in support of the new album -- including a showcase performance at the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania -- all while subsisting on campus cafeteria food.
Following their collective graduation, the band moved to New York City in September 2008, determined to bring their music to a wider audience. Despite parting ways with Gdula due to artistic differences, the change of scenery sparked the group's creativity and led to a new songwriting process and more mature sound. The band is currently crafting an entirely new collection of songs and hopes to showcase them live as soon as possible.
