Mom Jeans. formed in 2014 in Berkeley California and have since been a highly talked about band, especially in the pop punk/emo realm. Their most popular and first full-length album, Best Buds was released in the middle of 2016 and is still a favorite of many fans and new listeners. After two years, they released their second full album in 2018 Puppy Love, which was nearly just as good as their earlier works.
Wednesday night at Rams Head, Mom Jeans. opened with a popular favorite, “Death Cup” off their first album. Fans immediately got the crowd moving wildly before the first song was over and the energy carried on throughout the entire set. They played old classics from Best Buds, as well as several of their other fan-favorites from Puppy Love, ranging from “Shred Cruz” to “Edward 40hands”.
Personally, I am a huge fan of Mom Jeans. and having never seen them play before, I was not expecting for them to bring the energy that they did. I’ve loved their music for nearly two years now and after having the chance to see them live, I now can fall in love with them all over again. There was never a dull moment during their set and you could feel the love and adoration for the band throughout the entire venue from the moment it started until their last song.
Hobo Johnson and the LoveMakers first exploded on the internet in May 2018 when they released their NPR Tiny Desk Contest submission on Facebook. The song Peach Scone rapidly received millions of views within weeks, however that wasn’t the start of Hobo Johnson. In 2017 they released a full-length album titled The Rise of Hobo Johnson, but they were quickly discovered beyond original fans after the release of Peach Scone, and have since grown even more popular. With their most recent release and second full-length album The Fall of Hobo Johnson, Hobo Johnson and the LoveMakers kicked off their 2019 fall tour with Mom Jeans.
Frank Lopes Jr., professionally known as Hobo Johnson, has always been known to be very goofy during his performances, and this definitely did not fall flat. On Wednesday night he made his entrance with the LoveMakers, accompanied with “Love Story” by Taylor Swift before swiftly jumping into their first song, “Demarcus Cousins & Ashley”.
In between songs, Frank interacted with the crowd hilariously by calling out individuals and telling stories around the songs. Overall he provided a humorous and unforgettable experience for everyone in attendance, while playing some classic favorites – including his beloved song “Peach Scone” – and keeping the audience on their toes by spraying water over everyone several times. The night was one for the books, and if you haven’t given Hobo Johnson a chance by now, you are truly missing out.
Enjoy these photos of both bands performing on November 6th at Rams Head Live in Baltimore. All photos copyright and courtesy of Jacob Tomlinson.
