“Somebody give me a fender sponsorship so I can start breaking strings for free,” declares Sachi DiSerafino, guitarist and vocalist of Philly based Joy Again, in the midst of soundcheck. The band is preparing to play their Piano EP Release show at Market Hotel. The environment is lax as Juul smoke dissipates in the air in front of the venue backdrop of the Myrtle Ave train station. The twenty-something year old’s marvel at the scene while discussing their favorite pedals of the 90ʼs and fiddling with their gear. Arthur Sheaʼs vocals sound crisp, echoing through the room to an audience of two friends from home, the promoter, the sound engineer, and myself.
After some fine tuning, the group decides to take a break. Bassist Blaise O’Brien seats himself on one of the venues benches and holds his phone speaker up to his ear, projecting a familiarly unique voice. He listens to a demo sent over from fellow musician and friend, Claire Cottrill, who the band are set to play a house show in Philly with the following day. He tells me itʼs their first time playing with her since 2016, shortly before she seemingly became an overnight sensation.
The group resume sound checking and soon feel comfortable with their sound, dispersing shortly afterwards. With the other members nowhere to be found, I accompany half of the band on their journey to grab pizza. On our walk, we talk Phillyʼs music scene and even run into a member of Brooklyn slash Connecticut collective Peaer, who congratulates Joy Again on their recent release. “You too!” they reply.
As we make our way back to the venue after eating, there are already people lining up. Itʼs nearly show time. Upon our return, a fan stops Sachi and Blaise to ask for a picture, which I happily take. The band has recently acquired a younger fan base, partly due to spending the first half of the year touring with Los Angeles trio Wallows. Despite this, the crowd is a well-balanced mix of teens and twenty somethings, who have most likely been fans since the bandʼs Self-Titled EP or even earlier work.
The first act on the bill, who is no stranger to the sounds of Joy Again, is Sean Henry Posila, who sings under the shortened moniker Sean Henry. Posila was once part of the ensemble before moving away to Connecticut. He now fronts his own band and his second album A Jump from the High Dive comes out November 1st on Double Double Whammy. His sound is reminiscent of a crossover between Elliott Smith and Alex G. The standout of Sean Henry’s set is the twangy Surf Song, which serves as a crowd pleaser. Even the Joy Again boys join in on the fun and dance along to the song. “This one’s my favorite,” shouts Blaise.
Next up is the NYC native collective MICHELLE. There is barely enough room to fit the ensemble on stage, which serves as a metaphor for their larger than life presence. The masterminds of the group are Charlie Kilgore & Julian Kaufman, who do the writing, instrumentation, and production. The group is fronted by 7 female vocalists: Emma Lee, Layla Kuriloff, Isa Reyes, Rix Chan, Jamee Lockard, Sofia D’Angelo, and Aidan Ludlam. This wasn’t my first time seeing the bunch, but the performance was just as impressive. The crowd is hypnotized by their bedroom R&B moves and grooves.
After a stacked opening line-up, Joy Again finally take the stage. The setlist is a perfect mix of old and new, encompassing hits while also celebrating the latest EP. Drummer Will Butera and keyboardist Zachary Tyndall fuse obscure harmonies together, creating the distinguished sound that makes Joy Again utterly unique. Their music has matured with them since starting the project 5 years ago as teenagers. The audience knows every word by heart, even the lyrics released only a few weeks ago. Things are only looking up for the five piece whose sound keeps evolving with the times.
Check out the gallery of both the Market Hotel and house shows below.
