Be Here Record Release
Over the course of the 6yrs that Nomad had a brick and mortar space it hosted almost 200 bands. We were as DIY as it gets. No permits, borrowed sound gear, and the general “sure, let’s see how that goes” attitude. Some of the bands that played regularly became family and when the shop closed, I suffered from a huge feeling of loss not only for the shop itself, but the fact that I wouldn’t see my “family” as often.
When Adam Eckhoff of the band “Oh, Are They?!” reached out and asked if I wanted to help him put together an album release party, it felt like a homecoming of sorts. Naturally, I said, HELL YEAH!
The backstory of the album is that Adam wanted to put together a compilation of area bands that are currently defining the sound of the times around Philadelphia. He was able to get 12 different bands holding some of the most pivotal musicians in our area. They each recorded one song and BAM! an album was made.
Now, how do you throw a party for an album of this caliber? We threw around all sorts of ideas and places; Doylestown, Philly, Hatboro, etc and landed on Broken Goblet in Bensalem. It was perfect. They have a beautiful venue space, a large brewery, great food, and deliciousdrinks. We decided on 2 stages since there were 8 bands to cut down on breakdown and setup times. We called up our vendor friends to sell their art and products. We enlisted a tattoo artist (because all good festivals have tattoo’s) and we knew that we were going to CELEBRATE the culture of DIY the best we could.
But, one problem. We have 12 bands that we want to showcase, and how do you get 12 bands together on 1 day? Nearly impossible, no it IS impossible. After throwing out dates that began in July we were able to finally land 8 bands for October 3rd. Mostly a massive success.
After the date was set the emails and planning began. The thing with events like this is that it always feels so far away when you’re initially talking about it but those 4 months showed up SO FAST. It wasn’t until the morning of the show that the emails finally stopped. We did it, theoretically, and now it was just time for a show.
Now, picture a community that doesn’t have the chance to be in the same room very often. The amount of hugs was insane. People I haven’t seen in years or even decades, walked thru that door to play music for me, for all of us,. Some of these faces I haven’t seen since we were in the basement of a rented out church in Warminster, sweating to high school punk music. We all might be a little fatter, have more wrinkles, and maybe less hair (I’m speaking about all of them of course, definitely not me) but we all love some good, fast, and loud music.
For 5hrs we celebrated the culture that we helped build. A place where everyone is accepted and we can let out some aggression just a few chords at a time. A place where art is respected. A culture that doesn’t ask for permits or permission. A place where we know we have each other’s back.
I’m so proud to have helped with that night. It makes me feel so incredible to bring people together, just like I did in the walls of Nomad. It was always about you, the community, and I’ve missed you all, A LOT. I miss the skate jams. I miss the concerts behind the store. I miss worrying that the neighborhood would be mad at me. I miss yelling at kids to get off of the roof. I miss you. I miss what you helped me make in Doylestown.
Adam, I’m so honored to have worked with someone as passionate about music as you are. So passionate about bringing everyone together to celebrate life. Adam, you deserve all of the recognition for what you did. Thank you for letting me be a part of this magical experience and reminding all of us to “BE HERE”.
-Chris
