For several years now, the Dipsomaniacs have watched their career progress on a rather slow, manageable plane. Each year found the Trenton based band playing bigger shows and each new record receiving more recognition than the previous one. It's a path that has definitely built a fanbase throughout the area, but one that practically ensured that the band would never be an overnight success.
That is until now. The plan for the band is changing quickly because the Dipsomaniacs, or Dipsos as their fans call them, were the recent winners of the Little Steven Rockin' Garage competition for Philadelphia. To do so, they first had to beat out hundreds of bands just to make the list of 20 who took the stage at the Pontiac Grille for the competition. The Dipsos played on May 14th. After being announced as one of the four finalists, they had to come back the next night to battle yet again. Only this time, they left not only as the winner, but with $6,000 worth of Gibson equipment in their van and a date at the Finals on July 22nd at Irving Plaza in New York City.
"It was a long weekend," said Mick Chorbo. "When we got picked for the finals on Friday night, we were unexpectedly enthusiatic and emotionally into it. There was a lot of high fiving and all that. And then Saturday, we were just exhausted. Just kind of surprised really because I had convinced myself we wouldn't win. That's just the way I handle things - figure the worst will happen."
The weekend found the members of the Dipsomaniacs often in front of cameras, interviewed for a documentary being made about the competition. They were interviewed before their first set on Friday, after the set, and had an extended interview early on Saturday.
The constant rehashing of the band's history revealed how the band was named. A dipsomaniac is defined as "one who has an irrepressible desire for alcoholic drinks." According to Chorbo, the name originally came from the band's drummer, Tom O'Grady. Tom and Mick had been in bands together since they were 13 and Dipsomaniacs was on one of Tom's lists of band names for one of their old bands they had in high school.
"He found it in the dictionary," said Chorbo. "And when you're 17 and you find a word that means drunks, but nobody knows it, it seems pretty cool. When you're over 30 and you're still stuck with that name, it might not mean the same thing, but we're just stuck with it."
Their name may not represent their current lifestyle or philosophies, but it is a nod to two of their favorite bands and biggest influences - the Who and the Replacements. The band's sound is often compared to the Replacements and Chorbo admits to being a big fan of the songwriting from Paul Westerberg.
"Part of what I try to get from the Replacements is the honesty in the songwriting," explains Chorbo. "Despite all of the stuff they write about the 'Mats, the songs are really good. They really do stand up."
Although the band is known for a great live show - they've even had reviews which basically said the Dipsomaniacs would blow the Who away - Chorbo actually prefers the studio over the stage.
"Me personally, I like the recording process," he said. "But I've kind of polled the band and each guy gets off on a different aspect of it. I like the whole recording process; writing the songs, bringing them to the band, arranging them, recording them, and then releasing them."
The band has released four CDs since 1996 with the last effort being Freakin Eureka in 2003. The CDs were released on Facedown Records, a label run by Chorbo. In addition to his own band, the label features other area artists like Bastards Of Melody, Blank Pages, J Horndog, and Taggart.
The Dipsos are currently wrapping up a collection of rarities containing b-sides, live tracks, and songs that have previously shown up on compiliations around the world. The goal is to have the CD, tentatively called Sodds &?Odds, out later this year. They have limited their appearances during the summer in order to finish the CD and work on a new full-length release for 2005.
Chorbo says that all of the members of the band were born in Saint Francis Hospital in Trenton and they still consider themselves very much a Trenton band. They regularly do shows at the Sidestage and have played the Conduit several times as well. In addition to Trenton, the band has played many shows in Philadelphia, New York and New Brunswick.
The changes in the Trenton music scene seem to have soured Chorbo on the immediate area a bit. "Every time it's going somewhere, it takes a step back," he explained. "It actually takes two steps back. I don't know... If you had talked to me maybe four months ago, I'd probably have felt differently but I don't see much of an opportunity in the area. I see some people trying, but I just don't see the interest. I feel like it's kind of a losing battle. Hamilton Township, the suburbs of Trenton, is huge. There's three high schools, Rider University and Trenton State. I just don't understand what everybody does."
With the exposure the band is bound to get this July for the Little Steven Rockin' Garage finals, they may soon add to the list of Trenton Makes and the World Takes. Be sure to catch them while you still can.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
