DRGN King @ Johnny Brenda’s.

Text and images by Tim O’Donnell.

It was a typical Friday afternoon, as I sat quietly on the El heading home from a busy day at work. I gently bobbed my head to the slow and groovy jam “Warriors” off DRGN King’s debut album, Paragraph Nights, when a long-haired guy sat down next to me. He looked vaguely familiar, but I thought nothing of it at the time.

Several hours later, I strolled into Johnny Brenda’s to catch DRGN King play their first show back in their hometown since their grueling SXSW schedule. Coincidentally, the first person I saw at the bar was the same guy I was sitting next to on the subway, lead singer and guitarist, Dom Angelella.

“I rode the El about four different times today,” Angelella said, sipping a beer before his set.

Angelella then took the stage, accompanied by his bandmates Joe Baldacci, Steve Montenegro and Brendan Mulvihill, and they churned out an energized and eccentric set. Montenegro kept a steady bass line while Angelella almost whispered the lyrics “Down in the trenches with barbarians.”

“That song was about paying taxes and this next song is about Jesus,” Angelella explained before the band dove into their funky and offbeat jam “Holy Ghost.”

It was a fitting song to play on Good Friday although Angelella confessed, “Hey, I ate pepperoni today, that’s all I know.”

The crowd gently swayed in harmony during the slow build up of “The Cardy Boys” but once the chorus broke, the swaying quickly turned to all-out dancing. Fans were packed tightly into the intimate club — dancing, drinking and having a glorious time.

The band’s second to last song of the night, “Wild Night,” did not disappoint. Angelella’s guitar riffs consisted of an upbeat style with Baldacci’s drumming keeping an equally fast pace. The crowd of people danced and sang along to the chorus, and it was clear that Angelella fed off of this kind of energy and gave a truly great front-man performance.

The irony of sitting next to Angelella on the subway earlier in the day, mixed with the energy of both the band and the crowd, made Friday night at Johnny Brenda’s something special. DRGN King was welcomed back to Philadelphia with open arms, and Angelella promised there would be plenty of shows to come in the future. Until then, I’ll have to be more observant on the subway, I mean, I was sitting next to the “Holy Ghost” after all.