Words & Photos by George Heftler
As March came to a close, it was a dreary and drizzly Sunday in Philadelphia. Between the rain and the looming threat of yet another work week, the city was pensive and quiet… except at PhilaMOCA, a tiny venue built into an ex-mausoleum standing tall across from the more well-known Union Transfer.
Inside this DIY haven, an incredible show was on deck with The Sloppy Boys kicking things off. A self-labeled “party rock” band comprised of Tim Kalpakis, Mike Hanford and Jefferson Dutton, they let loose with an energetic set containing mostly of songs from 2018’s Lifelong Vacation, but kept things fresh with a song from their next< album – which they hinted at coming out in summer of 2019. They also launched into a wonderful cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”, initiated by Mike “testing out a trick his friend Rami Malek showed him.”
With lively banter between songs including assurances they were familiar with such little known Philly landmarks as “Broad Street” and the artists switching instruments and rotating lead singer, the performance was electric and full of laughs.
Up next was Don’t Stop or We’ll Die, with Paul Rust and Michael Cassady taking their usual roles on bass and keyboard- but for the tour, they’ve received some excellent backup by Motion City Soundtrack’s Tony Thaxton on drums and Spirit Kid’s Emeen Zarookian on guitar.
Now, before I go any further, it bears mentioning that PhilaMOCA does tend to get on the warm side – especially with a sold out crowd like this one. I believe it was Tim Kalpakis who referred to it as “Lucifer’s living room” and while I haven’t been there, I have to imagine it does feel similar. Despite this, and not to take anything away from the Sloppy Boys excellent performance, DSoWD’s performance was simply on another level.
The terms “great hustle” and “leaving it all on the floor” typically apply to sports, but there is no other way to describe what happened at this show. Paul was leaping around the stage, dancing, singing, playing bass, attempting (and more often than not, failing) to keep his glasses on his face, and the rest of the band wasn’t exactly slouching either. I truly thought we might see someone pass out on stage as they went full octane, giving this performance their all.
But despite the heat, the energy was contagious and their performance killed. The crowd was dancing and singing along the entire time, bringing a huge smile to Rust’s face as he interacted with them and led them in a raucous and joyous cacophony. They played from a well-mixed variety of their EP and albums, including several tunes from their recent album Dazzle Me.
As the night wound to a close, there was also a touching tribute to their ex-bandmate Harris Wittels, a comedy icon and victim of the opioid crisis. Also worth noting is Michael Cassady’s promise to write a song about Philadelphia. He was clearly joking, but hey, if we say it enough, maybe it’ll happen.
