Coffeehouse……………………………………………………………………………………………1/25/24
Coffeehouse……………………………………………………………………………………………4/10/24
These two dates are adorned on the back of an otherwise plain cotton t-shirt. The shirt was worn by Levi Brandt (‘25) the first time he performed his original music at Mouth of the River’s Winter 2024 coffeehouse, joined by three Oyster River High School (ORHS) graduates.
The first performance of newly established band, Limpin and the Implements, made a memorable appearance for the entire coffeehouse audience. “I was the coolest guy ever, for like a week,” said Brandt.
The audience raised questions about the creation of the band, how some of the members had not set foot in ORHS for four years, where the intriguing sounds and lyrics came from that coffeehouse had previously been missing. To find the answers to all these, the recent history of one man comes to light.
Brandt, under the alias Limpin, had been writing music for over two years by the time of this performance. “Most of it was garbage. After a while, it started to sound a lot better, and there were elements that would sound good live,” said Limpin.
This realization turned him to his older brother, Elijah Brandt (‘20), who had played for numerous coffeehouses during his time as an ORHS student.
“My brother had some friends that were really, really good musicians. I just asked ‘hey, you think we could get these guys together for a coffeehouse set?’” said Limpin. With that one question, Limpin’s live performance dreams had been set into motion.
“Up to that point, my brother played on a few of my songs, but I hadn’t had anyone else on my music often. So, as a band, I kind of implemented them into my sound. That’s really where the name came from. It’s also just sick. I pride myself in my insane rhyme scheme, limp with imp,” said Limpin.
Implementing anyone into a band for the first time in front of an audience, especially original songs, is no easy feat. Each of the four members are talented musicians individually, but they fit together in a unique way that had ears perking up during the first notes played. “They have a pretty jam-bandy background, which lends a lot of subtle funk. I feel like there’s not enough funky coffeehouse. There’s been a funk drought. We’re bringing that back,” said Limpin.
Brandt (’20), Colin Flores (’20), and Liam Weglarz (’20), played coffeehouses together as students. “We got together to jam, have fun, and mess around,” said Weglarz. While they had met up since graduating, they hadn’t stepped in front of an audience with their instruments as a group for the past four years.
“We talked before the first coffeehouse of the year, but never put anything together. In February, we really locked in, put a setlist together, and just went for it,” said Brandt, who plays the bass behind his younger brother.
Bringing a different sound to coffeehouse is why Limpin and the Implements were so well received during their first two performances. Flores said, “Putting together a solid setlist is having varied sound, some that’s a little funky, some that rocks a little. With our last set, we opened with a hard hitting, rock driven song, ‘I Ask You This,’ and then followed it up with ‘Feel Good Inc.,’ which is just total funk, and then closed it out with a little bit more chill and darker song.”
With such an ambitious setlist, the band knows they have to nail the sounds to get the desired effect. “Whenever we get into the studio, we’re all locked in and laser focused,” said Limpin. They know how important this focus is, especially since they only have around two or three practices as a group before each coffeehouse.
“It’s about tuning in on each song when you rehearse. You want to get solid takes of all the songs in consecutive order, back-to-back, until you feel really good about it,” said Brandt. He said the biggest piece of advice, from the kickstart band with a new set of eyes on them, is to, “practice up and lock in as hard as you can.”
While they may be serious about these limited rehearsals, the band still has fun collaborating and bouncing ideas off of each other. “We all listen through albums and pick out songs, anyone can really throw out a song, and if we want to play it, we’ll play,” said Weglarz.
Limpin and the Implements don’t just play covers, as Limpin has been writing music for two years. He releases music on Spotify completely solo, but his lyrics are one of the memorable parts about their performances.
“Recently, I made a huge train wreck an EP where I played all of the instruments. People think it’s good, but I think it’s terrible,” said Limpin. Even without feeling totally confident in all the music he was releasing, Limpin knows he creates captivating performances. He continued, saying, “I realized people enjoy my music more when it’s live.” ‘
Besides crafting his own performance, Limpin kept the eyes on him during the quarter 3 coffeehouse, when he made an appearance with rap group Chris and Koushik. He had previously created a sense of competition, and this feature only furthered the discussions surrounding controversy between the two groups. He said, “I dissed them in my first set, now I’m on a sworn journey to erase them… I made them think I was on their side, but really it’s all just one big manipulation. Part of my master plan.”
Limpin and the Implements have a bit more work to do to entirely take down another group, but the reactions thus far have given them the possibility of a larger audience. Limpin said,“right after that first night, I kept saying, we have to play other venues, and everyone else said, yeah we totally should. We never did, but we’re going to try to put it together in the future.”
These future plans seem to be ambitious, but no band has sold out stadiums without shooting for the stars. “The trajectory is looking like Carnegie Hall. We can only go up,” said Limpin. The rest of the group is in complete agreement. “Madison Square Garden would be dope. TD Garden we could probably nail down,” said Brandt.
“We’re gonna hit all the gardens,” said Limpin. It may take a while, but they’ll get there.
For now, they’re appreciating the more mellow scene of this school year’s last coffeehouse, while creating more memories from a dormant part of their lives. “It’s surreal, returning to high school three or four years later, and rocking the house once again,” said Flores.
Rocking the house is an understatement. Limpin and the Implements are bringing coffeehouse out of the funk drought, and they’re doing it without stumbling, hobbling, shuffling, or limpin.
– Amelia Rury
Mouth of the River 
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