Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at the Camel

Wednesdays, 9 p.m.

I can’t help it — I’m the type of person who if a band calls itself Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, it’s going to elicit my interest. I had grand hopes for this constantly touring band on name alone, but when I sought them out online I was horrified — as any serious music fan would be — by the group’s glaringly obvious connection to the hippie-jam-band circuit. Not wanting to judge a book by its cover, I clicked play despite my reservations only to have my worst suspicions confirmed: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is a hippie jam band. Its incestuous brew of funk, rock and jam isn’t without its merits — it’s good-natured, upbeat and played with strength and conviction. It’s just not my cup of tea. That said, the group’s playing a month of free Wednesdays at the Camel, 1621 W. Broad St., and if Dave Mathews, “Fire-on-the-Mountain”-era Grateful Dead or Primus tickles your fancy, you definitely should check them out. Doors open at 9 p.m. thecamel.org.

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