Bad Copy

DAY 1 – Friday

Last year, I fell head over heels in love for Sing Us Home Festival (despite a practical monsoon that almost washed away The Bouncing Souls. And before I even left Manayunk last May, I had decided to come back in 2026. And as I walked over the bridge to the peninsula, I began feeling that rush of pre-show excitement that I am always amazing that I still feel, after all these years of shows and festival. At the gate, I spoke with a few of the security guards that I recognized from last year and they kindly whisked me through the entry line and onto the grounds where I caught a few minutes of sound check, the calm before the storm.

Like last year, a quick opening ceremony took place in the VIP indoor area before Dave, Tim, and their families walked through the crowd and to the stage to officially begin Sing Us Home 2026. The first set of the day was Philly’s Moustapha Noumbissi and his band. Balancing soulful restraint with raw emotional delivery, the band set the perfect tone for the day. Lancaster, PA’s Apes of the State were next, a band that I don’t know how I’ve missed before, as we travel in the same circles. They are one of those bands that plays not just a set, but puts on a show. I found myself in awe. There was violin, gang vocals, vulnerability, and a little bit of chaos. It was the perfect set.

The highlight of the evening was my favorite part of last year’s festival as well, the Hause Family Campfire. This year featured Dave and Tim Hause alongside Ted Leo, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Will Hoge, all sharing the stage in an in-the-round format that felt equal parts performance and conversation. Every song was punctuated by stories, banter, and laughter. Watching the artists experience each other’s songs in real time, sometimes seemingly hearing them for the first time, felt both intimate and inspiring. And looking around at the crowd, I could see that everyone was having their own deeply personal moment while standing together in the middle of it all.

The campfire went past schedule; it really felt as if the group didn’t want to get off the stage and end the night. Luckily, for those with VIP credentials, there was one final set, a tribute to Lilith Fair. The artists from the day had committed to playing covers of well known and loved ’90s songs sung by Lilith Fair alums. But they were playing against the clock, as there was a hard stop time before fines were imposed. Will Hoge played “Fast Car” and I struggled not to tear up. Ted Leo played just the music and backing vocals for Lisa Loeb’s “Stay” while Jenny Owen Youngs laughed and commented her way through Jewel’s hit “You Were Meant For Me.” Eric Bazilian (of The Hooters fame) accompanied Alexis Cunningham on a song he wrote (to my surprise!) that we all know, “What if God was One of Us.” The whole night culminated in the whole group taking the stage to sing “Closer to Fine.” As I walked back across the bridge and to the car, I considered how I felt about Day 1. It didn’t feel as emotional and new as last year. It felt comfortable and communal and I was excited to see what else was in store. It felt like home.

DAY 2 – Saturday

I plopped my butt into a seat in the indoor venue at 11:30AM and caught the Blood Harmony Panel featuring Dave and Tim along with their business partner, tour manager, human organizer extraordinaire Alex Fang. The team answered crowd questions about music, life, touring, and more before walking out to the front of the main stage to open up day 2 with a few songs. The first act of the day was Nashville’s Laney Lebo who balanced vulnerability and charm through her soft folk songs. Inside, Will Hoge took the stage and captivated the crowd. While I had heard the name (because Dave spoke so highly of him at last year’s festival), I had never taken a deep dive into his music. The songs are familiar yet fresh. His vocals are perfect and many of his songs balance story telling with humor. Perfection. I got the chance to talk with him for a few moments later in the day and he was completely humble and down to earth to boot.

Back outside Tim Hause & the Pre-Existing Conditions delivered one of the weekend’s most heartfelt and high-energy sets, blending rough-edged punk with Tim’s deeply personal songwriting. Compared to last year, it seemed like even more people were singing along to the songs, a testament for the band’s hard work. Indoors, The Flatliners’ Chris Cresswell played a few acoustic sets. He has one of the best voices in music today. Without the volume and intensity of a full band behind him, the emotional weight and beauty in his lyrics hit even harder. 10/10 set, no notes. On the outdoor stage, Emily Wolfe and her band captivated the crowd. I was familiar with Emily’s work; I also had the pleasure of having her as a guest on a podcast which I co-host. But I had never seen her live. I, along with seemingly every other person in the crowd, were drinking in every minute of it. For the rest of the weekend, I hear people all over the festival talking about their set.

Indoors, there was something that had been billed as a Surprise Set. Who was it going to be? Brian Fallon was playing tomorrow night in the city; maybe him? Nope! It was a mish-mosh of artists from the Hause & Co. extended family. Luke Preston and his lovely wife Maggie sang a beautiful song together. Mark Masefield and his father took the stage next to cover a Billy Joel song which was one of those moments that, as you’re witnessing it, you realize is going to be one of your favorite memories for the weekend. Mark is one of the best, most entertaining and talented musicians I’ve had the pleasure of watching and his father has a beautiful voice. The set ended with Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus launching into “Teenage Dirtbag” as the crowd lost it, turning the venue into a giant sing-a-long.

Back outside, Big Boy Brass was keeping the crowd entertained with their brass cover of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” as The Flatliners took the stage. It had been years since I had seen the band that I once followed so closely. But, damn, they’ve still got it. Their performance felt both electrifying and deeply nostalgic, with the crowd (and me!) shouting along to nearly every word while the band tore through songs with the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of playing together. They’ve only gotten better with age. And, they have a new album, Cold World, coming out on May 8th which I cannot wait to dive into.

Dave Hause and the Mermaid took the stage next. They invited Big Boy Brass onstage to help them open with “A Knife in the Mud.” Last year, I remember Dave mentioning that, by the end of the weekend, he had sang something like 74 songs. I had decided to start a count for this year, but that idea quickly went out the window because I was enjoying myself and singing along and losing myself in the set. The band played a good number of songs off their new self-titled album. If you’ve seen Dave Hause at his finest anywhere else in the country, no you haven’t. Seeing he and the band in the Hause hometown of Philly surrounded by family and friends is a whole other level. From the opening notes, the energy in the park shifted into something powerful that had been brewing all day. For a few moments, the world became a giant singalong. I tried to stay grounded as waves of emotion and of gratitude washed over me. This is what music should feel like. The setlist was 14 songs long (thanks Setlist.com!) but I could have easily stood for 60 more.

The Menzingers was the last band to take the outdoor stage. The hometown heroes leaned on their newer material alongside key fan favorites (hello On The Impossible Past, nice to sing along to you again). Like The Flatliners, it had been a few years since I had seen The Menzingers. And what stood out to me was how dialed-in their performance felt. I remember the first time I ever saw them, in a back room of a Mediterranean restaurant in Pomona, CA. Despite the huge stage, their sound was steady and unflashy, and every. single. song. was an epic singalong.

For those lucky VIPs, there was one more set for the night. Dave & Co. would be celebrating the 15 year release of Resolutions by playing the album in full from beginning to end. And because Dave is an overachiever who doesn’t know when to quit, the evening doubled as a tribute to the 20-year anniversary of The Loved Ones’ Keep Your Heart, culminating in three final songs – “Suture Self,” “Breathe In,” and “The Odds” which brought the night to a roaring, full-circle close.

DAY 3 – Sunday 

I woke up WAY too early, full of this hard to explain anxiety and over-energized feeling I get sometimes after events where my senses just get maxed out from being overstimulated for hours. I laid in bed, feeling like shit, until my friend who had accompanied me on my grand road trip to Philly finally woke up. I told him to take the car, go out into the world and enjoy the city, while I rotted in bed with my tiny dog, Penne, recentered myself, and slowly prepped for the day. By the time I got to Manayunk a few hours later, I felt a bit better and hoped I could shake of the

As Church and State took the stage, us photographers filed into the photo pit. As a fumbled through my camera’s settings, I glanced at the stage and the band’s drummer caught my eye. Is that… No… was it? I looked at the other photographers to see if they noticed. They did not. I looked back at the stage. All the sickness melted away. IS IT??!! Someone in the crowd has been watching me and shouted in my direction, “It’s HIM!” Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show fame) is the drummer of the band. Out of all the amazing people that were within an arms’ reach all weekend, this is the one that got me. Hero worship was in full affect as I took in their set. They describe themselves as “old man emo” out of New Jersey, but to me they sounded a bit like Death Cab mixed with some tried and true Midwest-based indie. Easy, chill listening and a great way to start the day (once I stopped losing it over the fact that Jon Stewart and I were breathing the same air).

The crowd absolutely lost their shit for the next band, Augustines. Being completely foreign to me, I did some pre-show Googling to find out that this was a reunion, as the band amicably broke up ten years ago. They easily delivered one of the most triumphant and emotionally overwhelming sets of the weekend, filling the park with massive singalongs that were so thunderous that you could feel it reverberating the concrete. Lead singer Billy McCarthy’s passionate stage presence turned every song into a communal release, with the crowd hanging onto every word as the band balanced heartland rock grandeur with deeply personal vulnerability. I may have come into the set unaware, but I understood it all by the end. And… from what was shared onstage… there should be more shows on the way.

Rick Barry of Church and State brought a bit of chill back into the world with a solid acoustic set. And without any drum-related distractions onstage, I was able to better focus on the beauty in his voice and songs. Back outside, Dave and the Mermaid took the stage for the last time for the weekend. They played a completely different set that Saturday night, 14 new songs. And they made the announcement that they will be headlining The Stone Pony, one of Asbury Park’s famous venues, in November just after Thanksgiving. So mark your calendar and get your airline tickets.