Posted: October 3, 2024 by Alt Editorial Staff
Photo credit: Alex Ramirez
Doing well pays off — that’s the DIY mantra of the masterful Super Bowl opener. After coming in second place in a Battle of the Bands-style show for a spot at the festival’s fifth annual festival, the band was invited by members of the 4333 Booking Collective to perform anyway. I sat down with Armbite right after their set at the Ukey Club to discuss their story and their respect for the Philadelphia scene as a whole.
Armbite’s story reads like some kind of divine intervention, but perhaps they found themselves under the magnetic pull of Philadelphia’s DIY scene. The trio consists of guitarist/vocalist Harrison Lennertz, bassist/vocalist Malin Duff, and drummer Matt Guardiola. Duff became a key figure in the formation of the band after meeting Guardiola via Tinder. “I knew about Harrison because our universities were affiliated with each other and we were both on the board of FUCS, the university’s concert booking group. They sent me some demos that, in my opinion, were fully produced and ready to release songs. They had drums and everything. I went through a certain stage. I met people on Tinder and went to their house the next day. That’s what I was doing at that point. I went to Matt’s house and he said, ‘Yeah, in the basement. Let me show you.’ I thought, “Okay, this is normal.” Let’s go to this person’s basement. What do you have to lose? Matt’s basement is The Underworld, a very prolific venue in Philadelphia’s DIY scene. ”
FOUR’S COMPANY by armbite
Guardiola has been running Underworld for two years and is the only one in the series to donate profits from every show to associated charities such as the PCRF, Operation Olive Branch and local mutual aid funds. This venue prides itself on safety and building community, with complimentary water and harm mitigation resources provided at all shows. “I mean, we’re biased, but it’s a really great venue,” Duff says.
They continued: “I went to the basement and Matt was in a bad situation. I think he played some shit on the drums. I created a Spotify blend and it was a 97% match. Who was the only one? And the whole thing went out of my head and I was like, “This guy has bigger plans than[the date].” So I said to him, “Yeah, you’ve got to meet my buddy Harrison, believe me,” they recall. Needless to say, Guardiola was impressed by the demonstration. The three of us were able to meet for the first time at a show at the very venue where I heard the story. In just a year and a half, they’ve gone from being spectators to performers in front of sold-out crowds. The night’s headliners are Taiwanese math rock trio Elephant Gym, a band Lennarts has been listening to since high school. “This is truly a dream come true show for me,” he says sheepishly on stage.
Less than two months after their first meeting, Armbite played their first show at a venue that epitomized the spirit of the scene: an independent pizzeria. While the uninitiated might think the unconventional use of fast food joints is just an homage to the infamous Denny’s Grand Slam, Philadelphia-style pizza is a classic, as it features both local and touring bands. is a permanent venue. If there’s one thing the Philadelphia scene does well, it’s adapting and thinking outside the box. While underground venues certainly abound, venues also take shape in churches, community centers, skate parks, porches, and any other space with an outlet that can accommodate a few dozen people. While studying urban development, Duff produced a documentary highlighting how Philadelphia’s housing infrastructure allowed DIY underground venues to become so widespread. “Although a far cry from what was intended when the city’s original plans were drawn up with William Penn and the Quakers, the form of the built environment maintains the kind of landscape we find ourselves in.” ” they explain. “Geographically we’re between New York and Washington, D.C., with New Jersey to the east, so a lot of bands tour and go to those places because they’re right next to each other. Philadelphia is just Being in the middle, we have the advantage of being influenced by people from so many different places and so many different subcultures and subgenres,” Duff continues.
Venues like Guardiola’s are built in row houses, which make up the bulk of Philadelphia’s residential space. “We found that these homes were built as perfect music venues. They all have really spacious basements, main floors above ground with living room areas, and the bedrooms are all upstairs. , just block the stairs so no one can come in,” Duff explains.
Armbite are jagged and unapologetically reflective of their unique brand of American punk. They wear their influence on their sleeves and aren’t afraid to reveal it with a wink or a smile. Lennertz admits that he wrote his debut single “catsitting” with the intention of sounding like Grocka Mora, and that much of his guitar writing was directly influenced by Philadelphia natives Sweet Pill. are. Guardiola went on to say, “I often describe us as a combo of Grocka Mora, Origami Angel and Remo Drive,” with Duff always identifying him as “Old Remo, Greatest Hits era.” do. Duff got into a controversy in the comments section of YouTube’s Remo Drive music video and spoke like a true punk.
Duff and Lennertz share a respect for the Crow Daoboys, a math score band from Duff’s home state of Georgia. “We stole lines from them,” they admitted. At the end of his set, trying to impress the audience one last time, Duff commands, “If you have health insurance, prove it!” Straight-edge Lennarts acts as if he’s smoked three cokes. “Sometimes I look at me and think, ‘White man, go!’ He’s losing it and he’s shaking his butt on stage,” Duff added. “I’m getting more and more into shaking my ass,” Lennertz replies.
Cat sitter biting the armpit
Despite having released only three songs (four if you include the 35-second thesis statement song “Oh, I Have to Have Fun”), Armbite has a recognizable identity in their lyrics. and whether or not you are optimistic. An inconspicuous annoyance. In their song “spine,” Duff preaches: Help me,” the band bellowed, descending into a dizzying meltdown. They’re done trying to entertain this lover – the only thing they want is to get their shirts back. Lennarts’ lyrics ooze a similar sense of defeat. “If I never saw your face again, that would be okay/Cause I don’t need this/So I’m sorry,” he admits on “catsitting.” Lennarz is the type of person who instinctively picks up any instrument he sees and starts playing it, whether he knows how to play it or not. “[Harrison]writes like a fucking rabbit,” Guardiola quipped.
After it was all said and done, I chatted with the band outside the venue for another 25 minutes, and their optimism and camaraderie was palpable, even at 1am. We hear about their desire to record an LP, with Lennarts laughing out loud at the age of 8 after watching the video for “Annoying Orange” and praising other bands in the scene that got him kicked out of the library. We talked about a time when we almost died.
Armbite’s story couldn’t be more indicative of the values and attitudes that keep Philadelphia’s DIY scene vibrant even after the pandemic. The trio have known each other for less than two years, but they speak openly as if they’ll meet once in a lifetime. If anything, Guardiola’s words are most appropriate. “The future is bright.”
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Leah Weinstein | @leahetc_
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