Submitted photo Twitch, shown here in a publicity photo from the late ’90s, will play its first show in 26 years on Saturday at Westside Bowl in Youngstown. The band features, from left, Jeff Killin, Dave Moondogg Mooney, Alonzo Smith, Big Rick Paige and Brandyn Marlon Thomas.

Twitch got the itch to play again, and the band will do its first show in 26 years on Saturday at Westside Bowl.

Twitch formed in 1996 when Dave Moondogg Mooney, lead vocals; Brandyn Marlon Thomas, guitar; and Jeff Killin, DJ and vocals, split with their original rhythm section in The Good Vibe and teamed with Alonzo Smith, bass, and Big Rick Paige, drums.

The funk/hip hop band played originals and covers at popular local venues such as The Jambar, Varsity Club, Nyabinghi, Cedars Lounge, Tully’s and Kahunaville, and Twitch opened for Eddie Money at the Mahoning Valley Rib Burn Off in Niles. Twitch won battle of the bands competitions in both Cleveland and Akron. The prizes included a headlining gig at Cleveland’s Peabody’s Down Under and enough studio time to record a five-song EP.

However, those issues that tear apart major bands — egos, addictions, missed opportunities — also impact those on the rise, and Twitch broke up before that EP could be released.

Most of the guys continued to make music, and Thomas and Mooney played in a group together, but the others didn’t stay in touch, Killin said. However, they did continue to hear from the fans who used to pack those clubs.

“I DJ a lot, and I run into a lot of people that used to come see us, and I kept hearing it all the time, ‘When are you guys going to do a reunion show?,'” Killin said. “Then Brandyn — I hadn’t talked to him in years — he called me out of the blue. I guessed someone asked him about (a reunion), and he said, ‘Well, I’d like to do it. I’m gonna call the rest of the guys.’ He ended up calling me, and we got a hold of everybody else, and everybody was down to do it.”

Paige lives in North Carolina, but the other guys have been getting together for regular rehearsals in preparation for the reunion.

“For us to rehearse, what I did was I isolated the drum tracks from our recordings, and we played the drum track through the PA, and we rehearsed to his drum track,” Killin said. “It was like having him there. And then he came home in May and rehearsed with us for the first time. It was just like riding a bike. He did very good for how long it’s been.”

Paige will be in town this week for more rehearsals before Saturday’s gig.

While the band probably will include a Rage Against the Machine cover that was a setlist staple in the late ’90s, Killin said the emphasis Saturday will be on the band’s originals, songs such as “The Bump” and “Don’t Bug Me” that always got a big reaction from the crowd.

“We used to rent a room out in this building in Girard, and we used to practice there all the time,” Killin said. “We were constantly getting harassed by the cops about, ‘It’s too loud.’ We got kind of angry with them and wrote a song about it, and it’s called ‘Don’t Bug Me.’ It became one of the favorites. It was a lot heavier, and they always screamed the words out loud.”

Killin said he expects Saturday’s show to have a family reunion vibe with the band members getting back together and seeing some familiar faces in the audience. And it definitely will feel like a family reunion for Killin. Opening act Danny Hedrix is Killin’s brother, and jcreexh, the other act on the bill, is led by his nephew.

Audiences might not have to wait another 26 years to hear Twitch. Thomas has been posting the EP recordings to YouTube and creating videos with old live footage and photographs, and Killin said the band is talking about releasing the EP in some form, and more live shows are being considered.

“The only issue we’re having is Rick, because he lives in North Carolina, we may have to go with another drummer, because he, you know, he’s not going to be able to come home all the time,” Killin said. “But all the other guys want to keep moving on after this. They want to keep playing a few more shows.”

If you go …

WHAT: Twitch reunion show with Danny Hedrix and jcreexh

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $10 in advance through Eventbrite and $15 day of show.