Detroit alternative rock band Sponge is offering a reward for the return of six instruments stolen from their equipment trailer outside a Holiday Inn in College Park, Maryland, following a performance earlier this week.
The band, best known for 1990s hits including “Plowed” and “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain),” played The Fillmore in Silver Spring on Tuesday, October 20, as support for Candlebox on the Can’t Quit You Tour. While members slept at the nearby hotel, thieves broke into the locked trailer parked in the lot. Band members discovered the damage Wednesday morning, with the trailer door forced open, locks sawed or broken, and empty cases scattered nearby. Prince George’s County police responded around 7 a.m. to the report of theft in the 10000 block of Baltimore Avenue and are investigating. No injuries were reported.
The stolen gear consists of four guitars and two basses: a vintage 1990s orange/pink sparkle Reverend Commando with an offset body and cream pickguard; a satin-black Reverend Pete Anderson Signature Eastsider S with a Railhammer Hyper Vintage bridge pickup; an avocado/green-burst Reverend Warhawk with a white pickguard; a black Fender Stratocaster made in Corona, California, around 1997-98 (serial Z0152378); a black Fender Jaguar bass; and a black Fender Precision bass. Guitarist Andy Patalan called the loss especially painful, describing the Reverend Commando as “especially dear to my heart” and “kind of irreplaceable.” He said the thieves “sawed off the locks and just cracked it enough to get the small items out of the back.”
Sponge has notified area pawn shops and Guitar Center locations and is asking the public to watch for the distinctive instruments. The band is offering a $1,000 reward, no questions asked, for information leading to their safe return. Anyone with details can contact Bobafrog@aol.com. Lead singer Vinnie Dombroski emphasized that the trailer was secured: “This was not a crime of opportunity. Everything was locked up. Everything was secure.” The band noted on social media that this is not their first such experience, with one member observing that “it feels heartless.”
Despite operating on a tight budget without a road crew and traveling in a van, Sponge continued the tour. Candlebox loaned instruments so the Buffalo show on Wednesday could proceed, and Reverend Guitars has provided additional gear for the remaining dates. The run continues through Pittsburgh and other cities before wrapping October 30 in Sayreville, New Jersey. Patalan said the band will press on: “No, we’ll sing a cappella if we have to.”
For working musicians, instruments are both livelihood and personal history. The distinctive Reverend models in particular hold sentimental and practical value that is difficult to replace on short notice. Prince George’s County police continue their investigation as the band and fans hope the gear surfaces.
