“I was sitting on my throne, for I am King Alon[e],” recites Alon Hafri (alter-ego=King Alon Hafri), clad in a red velvet suit and crown, from the stage at the World Café Live. He deliberately sneers and looks out onto the audience quizzically. No, this isn’t some terrible, interactive children’s performance—it’s the Josh and Pete Band.
A rollicking new force on the local scene, the Josh and Pete Band are a West Philly-based story-rock quartet who understand that music-making—above all—should be fun, and who rocked the crowd last night with a rolling, upbeat blend of psych-pop, carnival rock and sweet, unfettered humor.
They were joined by a trio of jam-y jazz and psych-rock acts—Agent Moosehead, G. Calvin Weston, and the Juice—resulting in a night of lighthearted humor and laidback groovy tunes.
The Josh and Pete Band take the stage second, and already the venue is filled with eager fans. There’s something intensely likeable about these guys—their goofy costumes, innocent smiles—not to mention perfectly tuned 3-part harmonies and jaunty psychedelic ditties.
The band offers a mix of covers and new material, delightfully weaving them all together in an epic tail of a king seeking his queen. “Hey Mr. Bassman” (the old Johnny Cymbal number) is lively and animated, while the Zombies’ “She’s not there” has the audience bopping. The band ends with their take on “Killer Tofu”—the silly cartoon song from Doug and The Beets. These dudes are so much fun—I want to drink a beer with them, then watch them play a house party!
