DEWEY BEACH, Del.聽鈥斅犅爃as聽been rocking the beaches for 25 years, and this Saturday the band聽celebrates its 25th anniversary at its unofficial home bar, the Rusty Rudder.
For years and years, Thursdays in Dewey Beach have been synonymous with Love Seed playing on the deck of the Rusty Rudder. But the band also brought parties to life from Ocean City, Maryland, up to the Jersey Shore, as well as in the DMV, ever since a group of friends who grew up at the beach started jamming together.
鈥淚t means people used to come out and see us 25 years ago are now bringing their kids to come out and see us,鈥� said singer and bassist Pete Wiedmann.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad but it鈥檚 true,鈥� chimes in lead singer Rick Arzt. 鈥淣o, we love it. We鈥檙e happy we鈥檙e still around. We are definitely grateful that people still enjoy watching us play.鈥�
But on a more serious note, Wiedmann said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 longevity, which is something I don鈥檛 think anyone thought when we started 25 years ago that we would still be doing this now.鈥�
Over the years the band has released five albums, starting with 1994鈥檚 鈥淒runk at the Stone Balloon鈥�, a live album recorded at a now-shuttered bar frequented by college students in Newark, Delaware,聽where band members often played. Additionally, Love Seed Mama Jump has opened for acts, including the Dave Matthews Band and Matchbox 20. And while there鈥檚 been some turnover inside the band, original members include Arzt, Wiedmann, Brian Gore and Paul Voshell.
Wiedmann said he believes the band,聽combined with Rusty Rudder’s deck, has really “become synonymous with vacation in some people鈥檚 mind.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people I consider my friends, and I only see them a couple times a year in the summer but I鈥檝e been seeing them for so long, I kind of consider them my friends now,鈥� said Arzt.
Original songs, such as 鈥淔ree鈥� and 鈥淪he Likes The Dead,鈥� still slip into the playlists, but most of the sets are filled with singalong cover songs. But every Thursday night, the outdoor deck at the Rudder is still packed with people dancing off the stress of their 9-to-5 lives with cheap beer spilling out of their cups.
鈥淚f you could see what we鈥檝e seen,鈥� teases Arzt. 鈥淎ll you D.C. people, we鈥檝e seen you! You lobbyists! You people that put on a coat and tie every Monday morning, we see you on Thursday night in all your splendor and glory.聽It鈥檚 awesome, that鈥檚 the whole deal, it鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e like a part of their vacation plans. They include us into that, and that鈥檚 a great thing,” said聽Wiedmann.
This Saturday, the Rusty Rudder hosts . Tickets are $10 and have been on sale for months already.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to celebrate,鈥� said Arzt. 鈥淚 think I can speak for all of us, we definitely were never expecting to be doing this for this long. It鈥檚 been quite a journey and we love the fact that people still want to come out and see us play. We鈥檙e hoping to make a big celebration of it.鈥�
You also can catch Love Seed Mama Jump on Aug. 12 at Friday Night Live in Herndon, Virginia, and as the official band of the Washington Redskins, the guys also rock every home game played at FedEx Field.
