Langhorne’s Uptown String Band earns eighth place for 2019 Mummers performance
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Not even the route 4 SEPTA bus to City Hall was immune from the outbreak that plagued Philadelphia on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 1. An infectious disease triggered by biohazard waste rippled down Broad Street, transforming citizens into, you guessed it, zombies.
Sporting tufts of vomit-green hair and rotting, peeling skin, this collection of undead was certainly a terrifying one. But unlike those slow-walking creatures in the movies whose only objective is to eat brains, these zombies were musically inclined and well-choreographed.
Of course, we’re referring to the members of the Langhorne-based Uptown String Band, who dazzled audiences on New Year’s Day with their scary-good performance of “A Night to Dismember” in the annual Mummers Parade.
After earning fifth place in 2018 for “Voodoo Gras,” an unprecedented feat due to the bitter cold weather conditions, Uptown knew it had a lot to live up to for 2019. Despite an eighth-place finish this year, the band is reflecting on its performance with a sense of pride.
“I thought we maybe could’ve done a little bit better,” said Nick Franks, music director. “But overall, at the end of the day, you have to worry about your organization and maybe not so much about the prizes. Our organization has grown over the last few years, and sometimes that’s really what’s important.”
When taking into consideration Uptown’s 4.5-minute-long performance, which boasted intricate formations and sharp choreography, it’s clear that Franks’ statement holds true. “A Night to Dismember” invited audiences into a seemingly abandoned town with boarded up diners and garages — the sort of middle-of-nowhere spot in which a traveler wouldn’t want their car to break down.
In a massive puff of red smoke, teams of zombies emerged from the various prop buildings, dancing away from the handful of soldiers sent in to put an end to the outbreak.
Captain Jamie Caldwell was in constant action as he moved among his bandmates, each of whom donned exquisitely detailed costumes and makeup. From the sagging, peeling skin on their masks to the chipped, black nail polish, it was clear all aspects of the performance were well-thought out.
“A Night to Dismember” encompassed a number of catchy horror-related songs, including themes from Beetlejuice and Tales from the Crypt, “Zombie” by The Cranberries and “The Kraken” from Pirates of the Caribbean.
For the grand finale, the zombies overpowered the soldiers, forcing them to join their army of the undead as a larger-than-life skull prop appeared, confetti flies circling its exposed brain.
According to Franks, who celebrated his seventh parade with Uptown this year, the theme selection process began in February. All members were invited to submit ideas to the presentation committee, which is made up of the music director, president and captain. After a discussion of each submission, the committee chose a final five. Theme selection then opened for all bands at the exact same time, with each required to choose their favorite on a first-come, first-served basis.
From there, the committee met weekly from March until late summer, outlining the music and song transitions, and designing the costumes, props and overall production.
“Everything sounds like a working order,” Franks said. “Every year, you have this baseline you have to go over, and you have to refine it every year.”
By August, approximately half of the music was written, and Uptown began rehearsing every Tuesday.
“The band is continuously practicing for New Year’s Day starting in the summer,” he said. “We just don’t have all of the music yet.”
All production details were ironed out by Thanksgiving, which is when the band entered into full-swing Mummers mode. Before Uptown knew it, the big morning had arrived.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Franks said of New Year’s Day. “Everyone’s kind of focused, everyone knows what they need to do. You put an entire year’s worth of effort into 4.5 minutes.”
Though the props they worked so hard to build were soon disassembled, and the elation felt after the performance slowly died away as members returned to work, Uptown made sure to enjoy the moment before switching gears to 2020.
“You have to celebrate what you did,” Franks said. “There’s all that work that everyone has put in to make this production happen.” ••
Uptown String Band is based at 831 Avenue D in Parkland. Visit uptownstringband.com or facebook.com/pg/UptownStringBandMummers for more information.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
