“I don't know who, but they what me?”iDKHOW’s iMPENDING GLOOM Tour makes a stop in Baltimore

Dallon Weekes of iDKHOW playing bass and singing at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD 11/9/24.

Being a musician on tour comes with staying up late into the AMs, this is why bassist (and

sometimes guitarist,) of I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (iDKHOW) Isaac

Paul, runs on caffeine. His drink of choice: Orange Citrus Mountain Dew Kickstart. If he does

not get his fix, things can get ugly.

Unfortunately, Paul was having trouble finding the drink on the East Coast, and by the time the band reached their Baltimore tour stop, he was experiencing withdrawals.

Jacob Spreng, photographer of the band, posted on his Instagram story hours before the show at Rams Head Live! Paul is shown in the picture comedically holding onto a part of the ledge of the Baltimore port in desperation. “Someone bring this man an orange mtn dew kickstart or he’s going to drown himself in the port,” reads the text placed over the image.

Upon seeing the post, and recognizing the direness of the situation, I made it my mission to hunt down some Orange Citrus Mountain Dew Kickstart for Paul.

After scoring some at my local Giant, I head over to Ram’s Head. When I got in line at the venue, I DM’d Spreng and let him know of the good news.

Not long after, Spreng and Paul rushed out the doors to the venue line. When they find me,

Spreng asked, "Do you have the Kickstarts?" They were in my car.

We start walking the couple blocks to where my car is parked, chatting about everything from

Paul’s recent haircut, (which leads into a tangent of him trying to convince me to go bald, saying “Everyone should go bald at least once in their life.”) to his cat, to the time I brought Anthony Purpura (Guitarist of iDKHOW) a guitar strap with cats on it. To show his appreciation, for the energy drinks, he offers me free tickets to the band’s DC show.

When doors opened the venue quickly started filling up with fans. No surprise, as the line was wrapped outside the main building. The opener for the night was Los Angeles-based alt-rock band, ALEXSUCKS. The band’s music has an angsty garage-rock influence.

Frontman Alex Alvarez was not shy to engage with the audience and found ways to interact with the crowd, whether it be shouting back at those who were requesting songs, or playing a game to get the crowd to cheer. Throughout the band’s set, one could easily tell how enthusiastic and energetic they were.

As for iDKHOW, the band went with a simplistic stage setup this time around, just a Gloom

Division (album) themed banner and some flowers to compliment it, decorating the mic stands and drum kit. Perhaps not too grandiose or flashy, but it was aesthetically pleasing even if it might be considered “playing it safe.” But playing it safe was likely a beneficial move for the band anyhow, as accident-prone Purpura has been notorious for falling off his stage platform on previous sets throughout the last couple of tours.

Frontman and bassist Dallon Weekes is no stranger to crowd work, he knows just how

to put on a memorable show. In between songs, he made funny remarks and dad jokes but did not forget to show his appreciation for Baltimore too, which really excited the crowd.

Now, with the newer additions to the band, Weekes has enough bandmates to sub in for

him on the bass guitar if he desires. But a bass-free Weekes results in his having a full reign over the stage, leading to some impromptu mic-swinging, and occasionally, his signature move of wrapping the cord around his neck. When Weekes is unrestrained by the bass, he can fully unleash his energy.

As well as being engaging and entertaining, vocally, Weekes is an impressive live

performer. The band as a whole is made up of very talented instrumentalists and they can easily transition to another instrument throughout the setlist. This seamlessness shows how good their chemistry is and it is apparent how much fun they have playing with one another on stage.

A fan favorite is Visitation of the Ghost, a song from one of Weekes’s old projects, The Brobecks. For this song, it is typical that Weekes made his way into the crowd to do a call and response with the audience. This time, he brought a megaphone.

The band ended the show with a crowd-pleaser, Razzmatazz, the staple of their debut album. Upon finishing their set they were heavily applauded and quickly departed. But the band would leave the crowd unsatisfied if they did not come back for an encore. Thus, returning to the stage, the band played Nobody Likes The Opening Band and Choke, their certified platinum hit.

It seems more national bands and artists have been stopping in Baltimore over, or in addition to Washington, DC. iDKHOW is no exception, which Baltimore fans surely appreciate, being able to go out to see their favorite artists at venues close to home.

After the DC show at Lincoln Theater on the following Monday, I talked with Weekes and asked him for a quote. He begins to tell me that he had been feeling down in the dumps because the venue for iDKHOW’s Philadelphia date had just been downgraded, because of lackluster ticket sales. This made Weekes feel discouraged before the DC show that evening, but a quick reminder of the venue’s rich history helped him get back on track.

Weekes stated, “I was making tea, for warming up my vocals. I don't like tea, but I do it because it helps. And on the wall, about this big, was a picture of Cab Callaway playing here back in the '30s. And Cab Callaway is the guy that I got that hi-de hi-de hi (Referencing the call he does during the call and response portion of the show.) So that picture got everything rolling for me.”

“That’s a good quote,” I say.

He responds, “What's the quote?” clueless of the quality of the material he had just given me.

Nonetheless, he wants to try something else, “Here, use this instead,” he says. “You know what I almost said? When you have a significant other and they have a bad dream about you, they wake up and they tell you, ‘Oh, you were an asshole in the dream, and you did this, and this, and this.’ And you hear them out and say, ‘Tell me more about what the dream version of me did.’ And so you let them finish the dream, and then you wait for a beat, and then you say, ‘Well, you know what they say, dreams are real,’” he chuckles.

Weekes seems satisfied until he realizes what bad advice he just delivered. He decides he wants to change his quote once more, stating, “No that’s terrible! The students of your college will be like ‘That guy definitely did not go to college.’”

Finally, he decides to make a joke that will confuse those unfamiliar with the band, “How about this, then? I don't know who, but they what me?” Here, Weekes mocks how nobody can ever get the band name right because of how long it is.

“You think they're going to cut that from the article?” I say.

“Could be. Try it out and see what happens.”