Web Cover Story: City Of Brotherly Shove: Who Is Robbing Bands In Philadelphia?

Kill Hannah


STORY: Ryan Wasoba


On the morning of Nov. 11 at a Philadelphia Holiday Inn, Chicago’s KILL HANNAH experienced the rudest awakening a touring band can imagine. "We’d gone out to the parking lot one by one, and then we realized we were all standing together but our van wasn’t there," says frontman MAT DEVINE. "We ran through all the options, and then realized it was gone. It sort of just felt like a dream, and then reality set in. It’s just this disturbing, empty feeling."



But what’s even more disturbing is that another touring band stood in the exact same spot under the same circumstances only six days prior. Virginia rockers MAE also had their van and trailer containing all of their instruments stolen from the same hotel. Mae vocalist DAVE ELKIN tells a tale that’s eerily similar to Devine’s. “I went down to the lobby and saw two guys in the band sitting there,” he says. “They asked me, ‘Do you know where the van is?’ I checked to see if anybody took it to get breakfast or something like that, but then everybody came downstairs. Then it all made sense."




Mae



Mae were able to borrow equipment from friends Jenny Owen Youngs and Deas Vail to finish their trek, but they had to put their “song per month” project on hold. Kill Hannah, however, were forced to drop off the remaining two shows of their tour with Jet, Papa Roach and Morningwood. "This is a grueling lifestyle, and nobody at our level is doing it for the money,” says Devine. “Things like this can straight up destroy a band."



Vans come and go in this business, but the customized instruments and gear bands rely on are nearly irreplaceable. Kill Hannah’s heavily modified guitars have become an integral part of their music, and in the wake of the robbery, each band estimated replacement costs of more than $100,000.



So what can bands do for protection? Sadly, both bands were already doing all they could–keeping everything insured, locked tight and relatively hidden from plain sight. Mae even keep all of the serial numbers from their gear on file so that they could itemize each piece of stolen equipment to police. A local pawnshop owner who wished to remain anonymous told AP that his business checks all serial numbers from new acquisitions–musical instruments or otherwise–with Philadelphia police. But Devine isn’t optimistic that it’ll help Kill Hannah’s cause. “The gear isn’t going to end up in Philly pawn shops the next day,” he says. “We’ll be lucky if we see one of our instruments on Russian eBay five years from now, totally modified with its serial number stripped."



Still, one can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the similarities between these two incidents. Both bands were robbed while staying at the same Philadelphia Holiday Inn and both had their vans parked near the hotel’s front door. Both bands contacted the hotel in advance of their arrival and both robberies are suspected to have transpired in the morning around 7:30 a.m. This particular hotel, nestled between several stadiums in South Philadelphia, has housed major acts ranging from Jay-Z to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra without incident. But the hotel has also had its share of prior thefts. Just four days before Mae were robbed, a van carrying $80,000 worth of DJ equipment was also stolen from the hotel.







Even for unabashed skeptics, it’s difficult not to suspect a conspiracy on some level. "Sometimes I wonder if [the hotel staff] were involved just because it did happen three times in one week," says Elkin, who is weary of passing judgment. "I don’t want to put blame on them. But it’s just hard to figure out how this could have happened without some help or ‘mastermind’ behind it." Devine is slightly more confrontational. "It’s not like crackheads are doing this,” he says. “It’s a crime syndicate, and the hotel is tipping people off. I think [the hotel manager] should be in jail right now.”



But the Holiday Inn’s manager, William Green, insists that the hotel chain and his particular establishment take security seriously. "We have Philadelphia police officers specifically assigned to our lot for security at night,” he says. “But, in both cases, we think the thefts occurred in broad daylight after our security had left. If I would have known that [the bands] had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, we definitely would have worked with them to make sure their vans were safe. I don’t think bands realize that we’re willing to work with them for their business. Nobody wants to be on the back-end of damage control on this thing." Green also denies that any employees are behind the thefts and poses the possibility that thieves follow bands, learn their tour schedules and plan their attacks accordingly.



CHRIS WARD, drummer for Philadelphia band PATTERN IS MOVEMENT, says he doubts criminals are memorizing tour schedules, but that in a city like his, bands need to be exceedingly cautious. "It’s an economically depressed city, and shit gets stolen here constantly," he says. "When people ask me which hotel they should stay in, I always tell them to instead get out of the fucking city. Because when a bunch of guys with tattoos get out of a big, white van with a trailer late at night, somebody who wants to steal something thinks, ‘Bull’s-eye.’”
But Devine thinks there’s little bands like Kill Hannah can do to protect themselves without sacrificing their own quality of life. “Is somebody going to suggest that bands wear disguises? That’s ridiculous,” he says. “If bands have to start taking those sort of precautions, why would anybody tour ever again?" One positive that Devine does see coming from the robberies is that they’re bringing greater attention to the problem of van thefts. News stories on local TV stations offered exposure, and, thanks to social-networking websites like Twitter, the bands were able to let fans know what was going on in real-time. “We’ll do anything we can to prevent this from happening to other bands,” says Devine. “It’s great that people are finally paying attention to these situations.”



Both bands have set up donation sites: You can help Mae here and Kill Hannah here. Although no arrests have been made in either case, both vans were recovered, emptied of their gear, days later. For Mae and Kill Hannah, however, it’s little consolation. “It’s awesome we got our van back,” says Devine. “But I’d rather have the guitars.” alt




TOURING TIPS

If you’re heading out on the road and the stories of Mae and Kill Hannah send chills down your spine, it’s time to learn from their experiences. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you’re not the next band featured on the evening news for all the wrong reasons.



– INSURE YOUR GEAR: Your instrument is your livelihood. Most insurance companies will cover your gear in all circumstances and will reimburse you in the case of theft. Be sure that you’re going to get replacement value-not necessarily the amount that you paid. If your guitar or bass rig is customized or expensive, have it professionally appraised.



– KEEP RECORDS: We know you got into music for the sole purpose of not having to do paperwork, but you’re gonna want to keep track of your gear’s serial numbers. This is your only protection when the police and insurance companies come calling. After all, do you think they’re gonna trust the word of a kid with sleeve tattoos without printed documentation?



– KEEP IT SECRET, KEEP IT SAFE: If you’re on tour, you really can’t be too paranoid when it comes to locking up. Use industrial-strength locks for your trailer, a coupler lock between the trailer and your van and-if you can afford it-use your own tire boot to keep thugs from driving off with your entire life. alt