Two Piece Fest 'jams econo' Saturday
Founded in 2008, the event, featuring only two-piece bands,puts Phillys DIY scene on the national map.
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Not everyone plans on ending up in a two-piece band. The story frequently goes the way it did for Philly/Chicago band Peter & Craig (Peter Helmis of Philly's Dogs on Acid and Craig Woods of Chicago's Hot Bagels and Pink Eyes): One member drops out, or you and somebody else are the only ones left standing after several bands fall apart.
"We still wanted to play music together, and were just, like, find somebody else to play with or just make it about the two of us," Helmis said.
"It's all about economics - we jam econo, like the Minutemen said. It's just easier to write stuff, easier to make decisions."
Similar on-the-fly thinking led Helmis and Woods, a Philadelphia native, to create Two Piece Fest in 2008 after a successful event they did in 2006, built around touring two-piece bands. Its ninth edition runs from 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday at First Unitarian Church.
The format has been pretty much the same since the start: scores of two-piece bands (22 this year) of various genres (punk, hardcore, hip-hop, indie, and more) play 15- to 20-minute sets on alternating stages at DIY or underground venues.
"It's fun to see all the weird, different genres and creativity of bands only having two people," said Jenna Pup of the gleefully explosive Philly grindcore band HIRS, which has appeared under various names at every Two Piece Fest.
Having two stages underlines the ingenuity of doing more with less, said Kevin Keenan of another local festival regular, Joint Chiefs of Math. He likes to watch bands arrange their "sometimes interesting setups. Just seeing how they approach being a two-piece band, I personally enjoy that sort of thing."
Joint Chiefs of Math's setup involves a loop pedal, keyboard, and guitar, all manned by Keenan and backed by drummer Marcus Denke. Brown Rainbow has Sean Reilly of Mumblr on bass and Kevin Paschall on drums.
"I'm doing many things to give the illusion that there's more happening than just two people playing," Keenan said. At the same time, he and Denke "sort of operate as one big instrument, one big loud, percussive guitar thing."
Another theme at Two Piece is a familiarity between band members that's often intense enough to get a best-friend label.
"A two-piece is a special medium," Helmis said. He, Keenan, Pup, and many others playing the fest have even lived with their bandmates at one point or other. There's a lot of closeness in the room, too, as the musician-heavy crowd pays rapt attention to each band.
Though they still play together, Woods moved to Chicago a few years back, taking the Two Piece Fest model with him. Two Piece Fest Midwest III will be held Feb. 12 and 13. The pair also organized a fest last year in Berkeley, Calif.
"Philly's buzzing around," with the local scene generating notice nationwide, Woods said. While Two Piece IX will feature mostly local bands, the touring bands on the bill are sure to take some of the energy they experience here back home with them.
Two Piece Fest IX, 2-11 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 1 p.m.), First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., $12, all ages, 215-821-7575, r5productions.com.