The Homophones, Ape School and Caveman @ Milkboy.

Text and images by Kirsten Stamn.

It was the worst of circumstances – a beautiful, summer-like Friday that gave way to torrential downpours and bright flashes of lightning, effectively ruining any and all plans for those (i.e., me) who are too skittish to venture out in the rain. A rather brilliant compromise? Taking refuge at Milkboy, where three bands decided to keep the low key crowd entertained with a variety of vaguely dreamy yet peppy music.

Opening the night was Philadelphia’s very own The Homophones (above), who kicked off their set with hilariously mumbled goading of the audience.

“How’s everyone doing tonight? I can’t see shit,” said lead singer Jason Ferraro, who took a long swig of his drink before commanding listeners to approach the stage. Nobody (myself excluded) complied.

With their drawling dreamy, retro tunes, The Homophones have a very distinct and appealing sound. When not rocking out on his baby blue guitar with his taciturn bandmates, Ferraro took the time to interact with the audience, ranting about people who tell others they look like celebrities, thanking his sister for coming and explaining the inspiration behind certain songs.

“I’ve been writing songs about Encore shows lately,” he said. “This one is called ‘Fried Green Tomatoes.’”

Next up: Ape School, another Philadelphia-based group that could barely fit on the tiny stage with their plethora of members. After some complaints about broken equipment, the group launched into their rather beachy and breezy (yet also somehow old-school psychedelic rock) songs. At this point, the crowd was warmed up and, with a rapidly filling bar, approached the stage less cautiously than before.

Ape School certainly got the love from their local musician friends, who laughingly shouted advice and taunts from the crowd. Despite technical difficulties, the group delivered a great show.

The final act, Caveman (below), introduced themselves with, “We’re from Brooklyn, baby.”

Steadily gaining buzz for their indie mellowness, the group has been booking gigs faster than you can say “hipster” five times fast. They ended their national tour the day after playing at Milkboy, on a lineup with Beirut and Atlas Sound at New York’s Howard Gilman Opera House (Fun fact: Caveman frontman Matt Iwanusa used to sing at the venue back when he was with New York’s Metropolitan Opera for six years).

Overall, while the music was solid, friends of the bands deemed the vibe “weird.” Maybe it was the stormy weather outside. Perhaps the technical difficulties, which plagued all three acts, were a factor.

However, the undeniable fact remains that all three groups were a success in delivering great music for folks in desperate need of a little brightening to a dreary night.