Photos by Steve Cerf

Review Written By Erin Hunter

Photography By Steve Cerf

The Greeting Committee brought energy to the stage of World Cafe Live in Philadelphia as part of their 2-month tour celebrating the release of their third album, Everyone’s Gone and I Know I’m the Cause

The Greeting Committee, originally hailing from Overland Park, Kansas, is composed of founding members Addie Sartino and Pierce Turcotte and includes Noah Spencer and Micah Ritchie. Their music is emotive, as Sartino is not shy about being vulnerable. This is reflected in their recent hit, Where’d All My Friends Go, which explores the all-too-familiar experience of rejection. “Time well spent is time well wasted. You should've been there, but you couldn't make it.”

In moments like this, Sartino physically leans into heavy lyrics, shutting her eyes and banging her arms in an exaggerated air drum. Yet most of their songs have an upbeat rhythm, inspiring joy and emotional release. They fuse this with undertones of punk and jazz for a playful spin on a traditional indie sound.

Play cements the concert experience—there are surprise saxophone breaks, mid-song instrument swaps, songs that go from sweet to screamo in 30 seconds (Call in the Morning), and random flops on the floor (#relatable). Sartino even dedicates a song to Sebastian, a backpack shaped like a furry animal that someone in the crowd felt the need to show her.

Ultimately, the band’s stage presence and “intuition,” as crowd member Francisco Mabera puts it, made them a joy to watch.

EVERYONE’S GONE AND I KNOW I’M THE CAUSE – Out Now