Anni Kellam The second annual Sing Us Home Festival took place May 3rd-5th, a rainy and dreary weekend in Manayunk, PA (a neighborhood in Philly). Below is more of a recap rather than a full review because I can’t read my notes thanks to water damage (yes I still use pen and paper, I’m old and set in my ways, get off my lawn).
Friday night kicked off the weekend with the Hause Family Campfire–individual performers doing a blend of their own original songs and some covers. The set really does evoke the feeling of being around a campfire with friends and just goofing around and singing tunes. Amythyst Kiah was the take-away artist for me; her cover of Green Day’s “Hitchin’ a Ride” was hauntingly beautiful.
Saturday opened with audience participation via Fishtown Choir, a self-described bar choir, who led the crowd through a version of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” (Dave Hause joined in on the sing-along). Sets by Space Cadet and Sug Daniels followed, but when Laura Jane Grace and the Mississippi Medicals took the stage, the rain started falling and didn’t stop until Sunday. Tim Barry, Dave Hause and the Mermaid, with headliners the Jayhawks all put on great, albeit damp, sets.
With rain still falling, the Sunday crowd a bit more sparse, but what they lacked in size they made up for with enthusiasm. Mercy Union, Fire in the Radio, and Sarah Shook and the Disarmers were engaging and fun, and with Ocean Avenue Stompers playing in the audience between sets throughout the weekend, the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves. Strike Anywhere took the stage and the crowd doubled in size and energy. Closing out the weekend was a recently reunited The Loved Ones. From the first note to the last, the energy was high, the audience were scream-shouting the lyrics for each song, and the band members were smiling the entire time.
Overall it was a great festival, even with the wet and cold.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
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