Tour diary: We are Seahorses lead singer knifed at Baltimore show
Get ready. This is the most wild, hilarious story you will ever read on Midnight Sun.
Well, maybe the J-Roddy Walston samurai sword story was weirder. But this one is pretty freaking far out there.
I had heard something about the lead singer of the New Jersey-based band We Are Seahorses (pictured) getting knifed at a recent Baltimore gig.
His name is Darren Mabee, but everybody calls him Dale. He describes himself as a "300-pound monster singer guy."
Since there is no way I can do this story justice, I'm going to let Dale describe it in his own words ...
Me: What happened?
Dale: Everyone was wearing Halloween costumes, so we decided our Halloween costume would be Hitler releasing a comeback rap album. We went to the Goodwill store and we got a bunch of clothes: Really baggy jeans, some Allen Iverson jerseys, hoodies and stuff.
We put those on, and we painted on Hitler mustaches. Then we cut swastika bling out of cardboard. So we were wearing these big swastika chains. We came out and we started our song -- we made this really cheesy punk song with a Knight Rider sample; it was really cheesy -- and we start in, and this guy that looks like he's possessed by the devil -- he kind of looked like Charlie Manson -- his eyes were all cloudy, he was small but kind of intimidating and he came over and stood where we were playing ...
I could tell he didn't get the joke or didn't appreciate it. I was like, 'This guy is going to punch me. What is he going to do?' So I start humping him. I started grinding on him.
The next thing I know, I feel a blade in my side. He was trying to kill me! He cut me a little bit. It was just a little bit. I didn't need stitches or anything. There was blood and stuff. As he was doing it, I pushed the knife away and backed up.
Nobody realized he had a knife. I was like, 'That guy has a knife! Can somebody please pull him out of there before somebody gets hurt?' ... I'm obviously trying to offend people a little bit -- trying to make you laugh. So they took this guy out and he came back maybe 20 minutes later and, finally, I stopped and I grabbed somebody and was like, 'That kid has a knife. He cut me right here. Can you please remove him?' He told people afterward he was trying to cut my swastika off, and I guess he fumbled the knife. 
Me: How old was this guy?
Mabee: I have no idea. ... He thought we were actually Hitler releasing a comeback rap album. He didn't realize it was a joke. He didn't understand that. He thought Hitler was actually reincarnated as a Southern rapper. It was pretty intense. That was probably the closest I've come to death. I had a guy throw a microwave at me once, and I've had people throw punches, but never knife me. That was a new one.
Me: Did you learn anything from your near-death experience?
Mabee: I just learned the Holocaust really did happen, and Hitler was a bad person and we should keep it that way. ... It was fun. We got to dance and share some laughs and learn a little bit. It was unexpected, unwanted and kind of little bit necessary.
Me: How bad was the cut?
Mabee: It was just a scratch. He cut my shirt more. I was backing up as he was doing it. But he was going for it. I'm a big guy, and he stabbed me in my fat, so it probably wouldn't have done much. It was a little sore the next day. I got a whole bunch of glitter and paint in it, but I'm fine. I'm going to live another day.
(These are photos of Dale from previous gigs -- not from this particular show. These photos are from the band's MySpace site.)
Editor's note: To be clear, Dale did not seek medical attention or go to a hospital. The police were not called, and the venue declined to confirm his story.
Categories: Bars & Clubs, Local music, Tour diaries
I've been The Baltimore Sun's nightlife and local entertainment reporter for a couple years, and it's surprising how much the scene has grown in that time. Most of Baltimore's bars and clubs are unpretentious places with fairly cheap drinks and plenty of character. I like dancing and think this city needs more clubs, but nothing beats having a cold, locally brewed beer with friends in a comfortably full corner bar.
Comments
Zink!
Posted by: Sam Sessa | October 31, 2008 10:38 AM
Holy crap, I know that guy...He was in the crowd at Popped fest in Philly during Dan Deacon's set wearing only shorts smaller than that last picture...truthfully, a sight I hope to never view again
Posted by: Terry | October 31, 2008 10:47 AM
J.M. Giordano,
"should have had the Hells Angels as security."
So 1960's Hippie San Francisco.
Posted by: GDA | October 31, 2008 10:59 AM
You shoulda wrote that he got shot...would have been as accurate as saying he got knifed.
Posted by: Jeff Mewbourn | October 31, 2008 11:01 AM
300 pounds? come off it, 400 much closer unless he's a midget.
Posted by: karlosi | October 31, 2008 11:04 AM
should have had the Hells Angels as security.
Posted by: J.M. Giordano | October 31, 2008 11:05 AM
why cha post the last picture of this guy for, you needed something scary for halloween?
Posted by: karlosi | October 31, 2008 11:10 AM
more to love, more to cut through. but seriously, wow. next time, ask him to tell about the microwave being thrown at him
Posted by: Allan | October 31, 2008 11:11 AM
Uh... edgy?
Posted by: Mykel | October 31, 2008 11:37 AM
Zink!
Posted by: Sam Sessa | October 31, 2008 11:40 AM
There's been a lot of back and forth about this on Beatbots.
http://www.beatbots.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?num=1225205515
Posted by: Justin | October 31, 2008 11:43 AM
I second the Hells Angels. Just swing by a sparrows point bar.
Posted by: Rob Brulinski | October 31, 2008 2:37 PM
Jeez, can't a girl throw a party without getting people stabbed?
Posted by: molly | October 31, 2008 3:25 PM
Here's the video.
Posted by: peter | October 31, 2008 4:36 PM
Sam,
For someone who's overly concerned about the "curse words" people may use, the third photo of this guy is a visual obscenity. If he appeared on the street this way he would probably be arrested for indecent exposure. But damn will usually be bowdlerized into darn. It seems to be inconsistent and a little capricious
The second photo is rather crass as well.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2008 5:15 PM
There HAS been a lot of back and forth on Beatbots, but nobody realizes that (right or wrong for pulling a knife) that guy is actually a schizo and you SHOULD be wary of him if you ever see him. I'm not joking about him being a schizo. I'm surprised no one else has found out about this.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2008 5:21 AM
Beatbots bloggers, maybe a third, are crazy, at least on the first page.
1) they don't seem to think or consider that pulling a knife in a public place warrants any concern.
2) wear a swastika for any reason, even to ridicule, is flammatory and justifies this guy's behavior.The guy deserved to be stab for this
3) If this guy really had a problem with all this, he should of just left didn't never seem to enter in to it.
Their atitude is as scary as guy with the knife
Posted by: Stebbin | November 1, 2008 12:54 PM
"Beatbots bloggers"?
Correction: posters/users.
Blogs and message boards are two different things.
To echo a tongue-in-cheek post toward to the end of that thread--maybe crazies with knives are what is needed to combat mediocrity. Maybe Sessa would actually report on breaking, relevant news instead of trolling on a message board?
Posted by: Alex | November 2, 2008 4:26 PM
Alex,
We are all "users". What is the line between being a poster and blogger?
One hopes that a crazy with a knife doesn't deem you as represntative of mediocrity
Having looked them up I've discovered that:
1) Their name is "We Are The Seahorses", but in some places they are listed as "We Call Ourselves Seahorses"
2) The photos of their stage act are such that outrage is a major element of performance and they have a solid grasp on being crazies themselves.
3) If you are curious. WE ARE THE SEAHORSES 4.26.08: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Snzr6hMFok
I didn't watch more 15 minutes.
Posted by: GDA | November 2, 2008 9:42 PM
Alex,
Let's clear something up here. First off, I didn't find out about the stabbing from Beatbots. I didn't even know there was a discussion going on Beatbots, or I would have linked to it in the post.
You don't think the lead singer of a band getting stabbed at a local show is relevant? Granted, he didn't press charges or go to the hospital, but Dale's tale is definitely not something to just brush off.
In case no one else has seen it, here is a link to a video of the incident that a friend sent me. Careful, there is some profanity on the video:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petergoode/2980444090/
Posted by: Sam Sessa | November 3, 2008 10:29 AM
Altamont!!!
Posted by: J.M. Giordano | November 3, 2008 11:13 AM
make that Baltimont!
Posted by: J.M. Giordano | November 3, 2008 11:29 AM
J.M. Giordano,
More like Altamont reversed, the victim was on stage, not in the audience.
Posted by: GDA | November 3, 2008 5:42 PM
Uh, Mr. Sessa, from the flickr video you posted it doesn't look like he was even touched by the knife, albeit pretty darn close and still pretty scary. Still a great entertaining story though. But it does appear that he is lying about being stabbed at all (it *Would* make for an even better story and more publicity). And the video almost makes me wonder if it was set up-- though I doubt it since Mabee [eventually at least] seemed genuinely angry and the other guy seemed genuinely insane (either that or a complete moron). Kind of sad if it was an exaggeration or lie though. But I apologize if I am wrong.
PS
That dude with the knife looks and acts a heck of a lot like a guy who lives down the street from me. That's a little unsettling.
Posted by: Q | November 12, 2008 1:08 PM
Q, from that angle, it's hard to tell. And Dale said it wasn't a bad wound, and I believe him. I don't think it was a setup.
If I were you, I wouldn't wear any swastika necklaces while walking on your street. Better to be safe than sorry.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | November 12, 2008 1:14 PM