Sunday Music Spotlight – Drink Up Buttercup

There are times in life when you discover something you like purely by accident. I happened upon Drink Up Buttercup when they opened for Bishop Allen last night. About 30 seconds into their set I thought to myself, “What the hell is going on? And why do I like it?”.

Let me explain a little bit. At that point the drummer was using a maraca as one of his drumsticks. The bass player was dancing around like a maniac. The guitar player was singing opera. And I couldn’t even tell what the other guy was doing. All I could really tell was that the music, while strange and confusing, had me bopping my head. After a couple more songs, with trashcans and trashcan lids used as percussion instruments, maracas used to play drums, cymbals, and bass, the seemingly-high bass player knocking out a microphone, and the entire band coming down into the crowd for their last number, I headed over to the merch table to buy a CD. I should have known not to expect anything conventional from these guys. What I found was a box full of hand-decorated, self-burned discs, every one of them different.

Drink Up Buttercup consists of four slightly deranged guys from Philly (which explains a few things). James, guitar player and lead singer, is a former opera student. Michael plays drums, loudly. Ben and Farzad trade off playing bass, keys, and beating on things. They’re working on an EP right now, but they have a 7″ single coming out next week. Until then they only release they’ve got is the homemade demo.

“Sosey Dosey”

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This song sounds like a Dr. Suess having acid flashback at the circus. In a good way. And that sums up a lot of Drink Up Buttercup’s songs.

“Gods and Gentlemen”

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This track is a little more traditional, sounding like an updated version of The Kinks or The Beatles.

Videos
“Lovers Play Dead”

“Pink Sunshine”, live

Links
MySpace
Official Site