Thanks to the efforts of Philadelphia-born musician brothers Dave and Tim Hause, Manayunk’s Sing Us Home Festival will be returning to Venice Island for a second year. The three-day festival, which runs from May 3 through May 5, will feature different genres of music each day: singer-songwriter, Americana and rock n’ roll, and lastly, punk.
The Hause brothers have been staples of the city’s rock and punk scene for decades. Although Dave moved to California 12 years ago, he still considers Philadelphia, and more specifically Roxborough, to be his home. It’s a home where – despite growing up in a house filled with the music of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and The Beatles – he found himself lead vocalist of punk band The Loved Ones. That band, founded in the early aughts, will be featured in the Sing Us Home lineup. Dave, who worked as a manager at the appropriately named fondue restaurant The Melting Pot; once located in Chestnut Hill more than two decades ago, said he’s enjoyed the role of host ever since.
“I’ve always loved getting a bunch of different kinds of people together,” Dave said, explaining the diverse choice of artists who will be performing. “I would love, back in the day on like, a Tuesday night, inviting people from all walks of life, and just throwing them into the bar and seeing what happened.”
That spirit, with a bit more planning and care, is behind the curation of this year’s Sing Us Home lineup. From the world of punk and hardcore music; Strike Anywhere. From the world of folk and alt-rock; Amethyst Kiah. From Philadelphia; the Fishtown Choir. Organizers promise these disparate acts, 16 in total, will come together as seamlessly as they did last year, and last year was seamless.
“Year one went about as smoothly as we could’ve imagined,” Tim said. “It’s certainly a family-first type of event, which is really cool because kids come out and people don’t need to hire a babysitter.” Dave shared a similar sentiment; affirming that there will be a play space for children beside the stage, as well as a tattoo artist, a barbershop pop-up, and a variety of food trucks from around Philadelphia.
“I’m not a huge fan of festivals,” Dave said. “I wanted to make a festival that I would actually want to attend.” Ideally, he said, the experience would be “comfortable, cozy.”
Both Dave and Tim believe in the magic of a Philadelphia crowd – and say that Philadelphia’s die-hard attitude towards its sports teams is analogous to its level of focus and appreciation for live music.
“Philadelphia’s one of the best crowds you can play to in the world,” Dave said.
“It’s the most fervent and energetic crowd in all of the US,” Tim said.
This idea is shared by more than just the brothers.
“I feel like Philadelphia’s really fun because everyone came to dance,” said Musician Sug Daniels, who is playing Sing Us Home for the first time this year. “Like, it’s such an interactive crowd. They’re ready for it. They’re going to sing along with you; they’re going to have a good time; they’re going to dance and mosh in the pit.”
When asked what she was most looking forward to, Daniels replied: “I’m really excited to watch Amythyst Kiah, and they just announced Laura Jane Grace will be playing at the festival. I just found out my slot is right before her slot; so that’s pretty iconic and epic.”
Indeed, Laura Jane Grace is well known in the punk scene and unexpectedly joined the festival just this month. She is best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist in the band Against Me! Her decision to perform at Sing Us Home is yet another good omen for the festival.
And Dave, who is hoping that the weather helps deliver a fabulous outdoor event, said he feels grateful for the chance to produce it right in the neighborhood where he and his brother grew up.
“It just feels like we’re putting our little stamp on the city,” he said.
