Homestyle Dinner Rolls Concert Review: Worthless Highs Takes Over Philadelphia
“Wait, she's actually going to talk about a band her age-?!” is probably what you're thinking right about now.
But yes, it’s true; I do listen to music from this millennium, and I do prefer my dinner rolls to be homestyle. In fact, I drove all the way to Philly to get my hands on some of these scrumptious buns. They were hot and fresh out of the oven, and they were worth every aggravating mile I traveled.
I’m not just talking about any old piece of buttered bread, though; I’m talking about none other than the alt rock kings of Utah themselves, Homestyle Dinner Rolls.
If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram reels anytime in the past two years, chances are, you’ve probably come across at least one video wherein two curly-haired, 20-something year-old dudes list off ridiculously fake band names to get a few spit-takes out of each other. If not, then you’ve probably seen them “curse you” based on what your favorite band is— or maybe they’ve just popped up in some other music-related skit on your Instagram feed. They’ve been putting in the overtime to garner attention online, and I can’t say it hasn’t been working!
Though they excel at the craft of playing the Instagram algorithm like a fiddle, that is far from the only thing they have mastered.
The Utah Valley duo, composed of bassist/vocalist Danny Kawai and guitarist/vocalist Jake Follette, has prided themselves on creating their own honest, raw, and unique breed of rock music. If you’re not familiar with their material, let me give you a few examples of genres they tap into: hard rock, thrash metal, blues, pop-punk, doo-wop, sea shanties— and the list goes on. I'd love to hear in the comments what category you think they fall under, because these guys really do touch a little bit of everything.
After months of being exposed to their charming and hilarious marketing technique, I caved and bought their debut album Worthless Highs for the hell of it. That CD has been living rent free in my car radio ever since. Though this record was completely unknown to me at the time, it wasn’t long before I was craving an opportunity to talk about it. So when word came around that HDR was going to be hitting up the east coast (specifically, Pennsylvania) for the first time on September 19th, I purchased my ticket with very little thought.
I’d never been to Philadelphia for a concert before, because I’d been intentionally avoiding it for years. Driving in any city is a particular kind of hell (and parking is another), but I was so over the moon about HDR coming to my side of the country that I finally gave in and willingly drove into downtown Philly on a Saturday evening— and lived.
The venue for the night was Kung Fu Necktie; a hole-in-the-wall bar that perfectly reflects the vibes of the city it resides in. With its worn-in vintage interior, endless graffiti/stickers plastering every inch of every surface imaginable, and the mannequin bulge hanging from the ceiling, it’s a place that embraces both the taboo and the unabashedly loud. It was a much tinier establishment than I was expecting, and I was wondering how I would shoot the acts in such a dim, cramped area. With only one way to find out, I dove into the night’s events as things got underway.
First up on the bill was Lavalove: a female-led group from Los Angeles whose music, I feel, can be best described as soft surf rock, girly-pop, and bubblegum punk (is that a thing? It is now!) Think of what it would be like if the Powerpuff Girls were from SoCal, maybe a little psychotic, and also started a rock band (and I mean that as the highest of compliments, of course). Lavalove takes guitar licks as breezy as the Pacific wind and smashes them together with their sassy, screamy, tongue-in-cheek attitude that’s present in both their studio recordings and live performances. Some signature tracks of theirs, such as “Guts” and “Hopelessly Devoted”, are the picture-perfect soundtracks for when you’re barely holding it together, or even when you’ve already snapped and are in denial of it. This was also their east coast/Pennsylvania debut, so go give their newest album Tan Lines some love as they continue to conquer!
Now, because this tiny hub lacked a backstage area that was actually behind the stage, there was no use in Homestyle Dinner Rolls trying to hide themselves as they crossed in front of the crowd and stepped onto the cramped 1 foot-tall platform. The surreality of seeing them in person was one thing, but hearing them explode into their performance was like a bullet of enthusiasm that went straight into my old soul. I very, very rarely ever find myself in crowds of people my age, but I instantly found myself surrounded by an insane amount of mutual energy when the show began.
As for photography efforts, it was so dark in there that I quickly abandoned the idea of shooting for just the first three songs, as I desperately needed more lighting changes to work with. That, and these guys were just moving too damn fast! Since Kung Fu Necktie isn’t exactly a “concert venue” by definition, I figured that the standard protocol for concert photography didn’t exactly apply, either. I’m glad I chose to hold my camera as I pounced and whipped my hair throughout HDR’s set; it gave me more chances to try and get something. ISO be damned, but that’s the price you pay for supporting the small indie venues!
As for the setlist selection, Mr. & Mr. Dinner Rolls were locked and loaded with the entirety of Worthless Highs at the ready, and many of their loyal followers were already aware of this. I was completely ecstatic myself, as I greatly anticipated hearing every song from this no-skip album live. I’ve written a few reviews already about artists playing an entire record all the way through, but this occasion wasn’t nearly as straightforward as those. There were several side quests, scene changes, and unexpectedly perfect improvisations— but we'll get to those in a minute.
For starters, Homestyle Dinner Rolls are the experts of accurately ventilating what I like to call “gen Z rage”. By that I mean they loudly express their frustration with the current state of our country and how we (as young folks) are essentially powerless to fix it, and they do so while also screaming a healthy amount of the word "fuck". How can a 20-something-year-old even convey that they are able to feel every little thing that’s wrong with the U.S. and this world at once, and that no matter how angry they get, nothing ever changes?
Well, they do what they’ve always done: they get fucking pissed and resort to music.
That is how HDR lays down the line right off the bat with their album opener, “A Bit Too Heavy”. This fast track rejects the state of modern society and the money-hungry people who fuel it, and how it reflects in your own actions. “Take” further expands on this narrative with a killer bass riff, putting the truth more bluntly, and urging one's lover to partake in a furious but carefree acceptance of society’s downfall with them. "The world's a cigarette and, honey, I got a light"; is it playful nihilism at its finest, or is it simply the concept of becoming defeated on one’s own terms?
Both during and in between these fits of rage, HDR was still just as hilariously captivating in person as they are online. Ad-libs and kiss-ass Eagles jokes (gotta cater to your audience, right?) were just a few of the ways Danny and Jake kept us on our toes, but breaking into random songs in the middle of their own songs was another. One thing I discovered about their showmanship in person is that they are capable of making any song headbang-able. Whether it's "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds", "In the Air Tonight", or the “Dayman” song from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, they somehow manage to make it happen.
You never knew what their next move was going to be. I could only imagine what it was like being a fly on the bar and hearing them suddenly break into the doo-wop intro for their mid 2000’s emo-type song “Mrs. Serendipity”. To be fair, though, I don’t think the Dinner Rolls knew what any given next move of theirs would be, either— especially when they spotted a small group of people at the back of the bar who just so happened to be wearing sailor hats. Remember when I mentioned that they tap into sea shanties? Their track “Fire & Gasoline” bears its own maritime ditty at its conclusion, but before sailing into that verse, they urged the “sailors” to come up onstage with them to stomp and sway along. Believe it or not, those people were just your average Kung Fu Necktie patrons who were out after a nautical-themed gathering, had no idea there was live music, and had certainly no idea the band would be singing a sea shanty! It made for a perfectly fated moment, though, and instantly turned that small group of pals into local legends for the night.
Even amidst the rage, the chaos, and the seafaring coincidences, Homestyle Dinner Rolls still had a lot to say about how that special someone can make your mind completely tangled, even if you know it might not be right for you. “Everyday” is the joyous realization you want someone around all the time, “Mrs. Serendipity” is just the pheromones talking against your better judgement, “Sweet Like” reminds me so much of “The Stake” by the Steve Miller Band, and “Greyish Purple” is the overthinking that comes with the joy of finding your person. I would say that the slow, heavy “Drink Me Dry” also falls under the theme of these songs, but in reality, that’s just the gothic “I’m a slave to my vampire lover” song that everyone’s been waiting for!
But apart from the standard romance-fueled content present throughout the entire history of music, HDR also dips into the uncomfortable topic of substance abuse. Two pieces of theirs, “Honey Almond Blues” and the titular album track “Worthless Highs” play on this narrative from two different views. While “Honey” tells the tragedy of addiction from the perspective of someone who is well aware of their problem (and is only just beginning to see it as such), “Highs” has a tad bit of humor in describing how several forms of short-term intoxication are blocking the narrator from experiencing both love and worth in their life.
The Dinner Rolls are also fearless when it comes to shouting what they stand for from the rooftops. From rallying the crowd into chanting “Fuck Trump! Fuck ICE!”, dedicating their performance of “Greyish Purple” to the LGBTQIA+ community, urging those struggling with drug dependency to seek help, and denouncing generative AI content, they are confidently unapologetic about defending the marginalized and denouncing the evil they see in humanity. Not only that, but they have also been supporting local drag performers in every city they’ve stopped in by bringing one up onstage during their cover of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! At the Disco. This night’s performer was Fagliacci Feral, a red, black, and white drag creature who was fabulously armed and ready to bathe itself with a vial of glitter at the height of the song (to the audience’s wild delight).
Can I finally talk about “Lying Awake”? If you want a good summary of HDR’s fury with the state of the American government, look no further. The catharsis this song provides is unmatched, the lyrics perfectly summarize what is blatantly occurring on a daily basis, and being able to scream every last heavy syllable with the band and the crowd fundamentally healed something in me. I had earplugs in my pocket, but voluntarily took them out to hear their performance in its rawest form. Did I lose my hearing a bit? Yes. Did I hurt my neck from headbanging so much? Also yes, but I’m all better now, and still hold no regrets.
For the longest time, “But I Blinked” was my favorite Homestyle Dinner Rolls song (but I can’t decide anymore!) As the grand finale to the Worthless Highs album, it’s the tragic conclusion to the “Everyday” pipeline; the relationship falls apart, and our protagonist Dinner Rolls lament the death of love in January. This tune really gives me flashbacks to early 2000’s alt rock, though I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what group or song it reminds me of. I’ve never been able to place just exactly what HDR’s music reminds me of in general, come to think of it, and I now realize that I don’t want to. To me, they’ve made a home in their own corner of the music world, and I can’t wait to see what they do next in this realm of theirs.
To close things out for the night, Jake took center stage to play the epilogue of Worthless Highs, a mellow acoustic guitar and harmonica-led track called “Knockin’”. With Danny on harmonica off to the side and someone in the crowd holding up a lighter, it was one of the songs I had anticipated hearing the most from them. It’s so short, simple, and hits me in the heart to the point where it’s been battling for the title of my favorite HDR song. I truly think it’s one of the most perfect album closers there is, but it absolutely was not how the group decided to end their live set.
Staying true to their 2000’s emo inspiration, Danny and Jake went out with a bang last Saturday night in Philly when they closed their show with an extremely energized rendition of “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance. Everyone both on the floor and onstage jumping in sync to this song was something that still makes me smile when I recall it. Their entire performance that night, as a matter of fact, had everyone including myself dancing, jumping, headbanging, wailing, and laughing nonstop. The crowd begged for another song or two, but, unfortunately, rules were rules, and they had to pack it up and beat it when they were told to. Again, that’s what you get for supporting the small indie venues— you’re on their turf!
Just like that, it was over. Holy shit. My hearing was shot, I had made a few friends in the duration of a few hours, ended up in what I’ll call my first mosh pits (with Jake included), got to talk briefly with both bands afterwards, handed out a few business cards, did a shot of French toast whiskey, and got attention for my painting of Gritty when Danny held it up onstage. I didn’t have any sort of expectations for the night, as this was not my normal scene to be in, but it went exponentially better than I could have expected. Homestyle Dinner Rolls has loyal fans randomly scattered throughout this country, and as the band aims to bring only the best of vibes to each city, their limited tour dates also attract as many of these wonderful fans as possible.
What started out with me knowing them as “those funny guys on Instagram” has evolved into knowing them as one of my favorite bands. I greatly encourage everyone reading to stop by their local bakery at once to get their hands on some Homestyle Dinner Rolls— they might just be more delectable than you think!
All hail to Utah’s greatest band! HDR in Philly part two, maybe?
Homestyle Dinner Rolls’ tour with Lavalove (select dates) and HummusVacuum (select dates) runs through 10/27 in Denton, TX, and their debut album Worthless Highs is out now. Lavalove’s sophomore album Tan Lines is also out now on Pure Noise Records. Follow Fagliacci Feral on Instagram @fagliacci.
Shoutout to Danny, Jake, Chase, & Connor for being rad as hell, and to Lizzy and Saturn for being my crowd pals!
(No setlist because this was all over the place and I couldn’t keep track. Just listen to the albums, dammit!)
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