Cheers Elephant @ Johnny Brenda’s.

Text and images by Rick Kauffman.

At one point while Cheer Elephant’s Derek Krzywicki cranked his torso around like a windmill, he stopped and looked suddenly calm.

“Whoa, that got a little crazy,” he said, probably while regaining equilibrium.

Krzywicki pulled off moves that would make Springsteen blush with conceit. The amount of torque he generated in his hips would cripple any normal man but the energy of the crowd made him limber. His gyrations were hypnotic in a way and he encouraged the audience to move as he did – not through words or requests but simply through leading by example.

And yet he quipped, “I want silence, total awkward silence.”

Cheers Elephant rocked Johnny Brenda’s Wednesday and the Fishtown faithful were in full attendance with their dancing shoes and dancing pants and whatever else kept the body moving.

Bassist “Travelin’ Matt” Rothstein, lead guitarist Jordan del Rosario and drummer Robert Kingsly (or just King), rounded out the foursome and with their combined powers laid down smooth harmonies and steady rock in the garage-style that will never die.

It’s hard to believe almost a year has passed since their third album, Like Wind Blows Fire, was released. But, along with the upbeat and catchy turns from Elephant’s discography, they swooned with a downbeat jam that was still under construction, according to Krzywicki.

If there’s one member who can upstage Krzywicki, despite the fact that he is being swallowed by the rear curtains, it would be Kingsly, a true madman on the drum kit. Give that dude a couple buckets and he’ll lay down something sick. Drenched in sweat, moments before the final encore, he turned his snare and tom into a bed where he laid motionless in the fetal position until the gang reunited for a appropriate sendoff.

Cheers Elephant will play at the upcoming SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, repping Philadelphia proper with pride.