By Gillian McGoldrick
Entertainment Editor
“We’re just so ecstatic to get to this point where we’re playing a main stage,” Sophomore Tom Collins II said as he patted down his wild curly fro. The look on his face showed not only happiness, but almost nerves. He spoke of not an arena stage (which of course he one day hopes to get to that point) but he spoke of his upcoming show at the Trocadero Theater (Troc) in Philadelphia on Feb. 18.
Collins is not a solo act, he is a part of a five man and instrument band named Phatboy. His band mates, all completing the band in November of 2012, include sophomore Andrew Northrup on the bass guitar, senior Alvaro Hurtado as vocals, and Collins himself as lead guitar. The football rivalry of hatred of Pennsbury does not stretch for this band: Pennsbury junior Andrew Brommer is on the drums, and senior Mike Houser is on the keyboard and as vocals.
The name “Phatboy” originates back to May 2011, when a past band member suggested “Fatboy.” “I wanted to add the ‘Ph’ because I listen to tons of the band, ‘Phish’,” Collins said.
The setlist for the band’s upcoming shows includes all new songs written by this recently completed band, debuting last Friday at Swugfest and will be amped up for future shows. According to Collins, these newly composed songs range from fast and upbeat, slow, depressing, and emotional, to a few songs that make no sense at all. “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a personal favorite of Hurtado’s to sing. “It’s a real crowd pleaser,” said Hurtado.
Coming with the territory, the band has not always been “smooth sailing.” After some band members threw in the towel, the audition process had to begin again. “We had nothing going on for about a 4 month period. And once we got back to practicing, we still didn’t play any shows for about another month after that. So we’re looking forward to getting out and being able to play again,” Collins said. “Plus, it’s awesome to be able to play with other awesome local bands, like Gape, The Static Locals and Public Noise.”
The gig at the Troc did not just fall into their laps: a little bit of begging was involved. After talking to one of the promoters, the band sent out an email to the theater. “We just hoped for the best and it worked out,” Collins said.
This is not the bands only upcoming performance post-Swugfest: the band will be playing at the Backstage at the Championship Bar in Philadelphia on Jan. 26 with many other local bands. The bands include: The Racer, Post Departure, Blind Breed, and Collins’ acoustic duo with Sophomore Nathan Badgley named Secondhand Touch.
“My favorite part is being able to play different instruments/sing and gel with really good musicians,” Houser said. “We practice a lot, especially for [these] shows.” His short membership in Phatboy has been pleasant: “They are all serious about making good music.”
