Drink Up Buttercup - New Songs (EF Premiere) ! More Shows!

BoW alums and ramshackle sorcerers of freaky bliss Drink Up Buttercup continue to dazzle our ears and blow our minds with the unveiling of two new tracks. First up, another full-throttle masterpiece - "Mr. Pie Eyes" - that picks up where the Syd Barrett-esque magic of previous stand-outs "Seasickness Pills" and "Gods and Gentlemen" left off. Then, there's the breezily melodic sing-along of frontman James Harvey's solo recording "Everything Else That's Been", a charming blend of early Beatles and The Moldy Peaches just in time for the perfect weather here in NYC today.

We've said it at least twice before, but here it goes again: go see them live okay?! It just so happens DUB will be playing a great show this Saturday evening, April 19th, at an awesome new venue - LESS ARTISTS/MORE CONDOS. You can read more about this show - which also features Cutter, J.A.C.K., and Bottle Up & Go - as well as the venue itself over at Sleep When Dead NYC. So there you have it, new song premieres and plans for Saturday all at once. Happy Friday!

Listen:
"Mr. Pie Eyes"
"Everything Bad That's Been"(DUB's James Harvey solo demo)

See Also:
- Drink Up Buttercup @ Pianos - 19 February 2008 (SXSW Day 2, pics, live video/mp3)
- Band of the Week: Drink Up Buttercup

See Drink Up Buttercup Live:
19 April - New York, NY @ LESS ARTISTS/MORE CONDOS (All Ages)
25 April - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
04 May - Newtown, PA @ Cambridge Sound Systems
09 May - Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records (All Ages)
17 May - New Hope, PA @ John & Peter's
30 May - New York, NY @ Cake Shop
14 June - New York, NY @ Pianos (Music Slut Anniversary Show)
31 July - Brooklyn, NY @ Galapagos (Crashin' In Party)

Visit Drink Up Buttercup on MySpace

Drink Up Buttercup @ Pianos - 19 February 2008

Drink Up Buttercup began their residency at Pianos last night with a bang...and a thwack, and a kablammo, and tons of other onomatopoeic expressions as they literally smashed their way through a raucous early set with little more than trash cans, a few worn instruments, and a hell of a lot of energy.

Seeing these guys live was a big payoff for us, as we've been spinning their new demos regularly since their turn as Band of the Week and were left wondering just how they could pull it all off live. Well let me tell you something Mean Gene, the Bucks County crew proved their ability to morph the great promise shown on demos such as "Gods and Gentlemen" and "Sosey & Dosey" into something else altogether when played live, an infectious blend of harmony, deceptively enthralling rhythms, and workmanlike showmanship.

Arms-folded New Yorkers, you've been warned twice now: this band rules. Do yourself a service and make it out to their upcoming shows. We'll even make it easy for you....after the jump, check out pics, mp3s, live video from last night's show, and upcoming dates.














Watch:
"Sosey & Dosey" (live from this show) on YouTube|download QT
"Seasickness Pills" (live from this show) on YouTube|download QT

Listen:
"Gods and Gentlemen" (Demo)
"Seasickness Pills" (Demo)

See Drink Up Buttercup Live:
20 February - Philadelphia, PA @ Silk City
26 February - New York, NY @ Pianos (Residency)
1 March - New Hope, PA @ John & Peter's
4 March - New York, NY @ Pianos (Residency)
7 March - Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber
29 March - Washington, DC @ DC9
4 April - Philadelphia, PA @ Millcreek Tavern
5 April - Brooklyn, NY @ Luna Lounge
11 April - Doylsestown, PA @ Stephanie's
19 April - New York, NY @ The Annex

Visit Drink Up Buttercup on MySpace

Band of the Week: Drink Up Buttercup

Much fuss has been made over the last few years about the exodus of musicians and artists from Manhattan and Brooklyn to the relatively greener pastures of Philadelphia. Hey, we get it. We pay rents here too and have watched neighborhoods seemingly gentrify themselves overnight. To that end, Philly has offered our displaced and huddled masses an attractive alternative, a (gasp) somewhat affordable and thriving arts scene without a lot of the bullshit.

But what happens when we move beyond Philly? Apparently, we arrive at a place where Mel Gibson once spied crop circles (if we're to believe M. Night Shyamalan) and where a band self-described as sounding like "throwing up after a nauseating carnival ride" formed while fishing on the Delaware River. Refreshing, yes? Welcome to Bucks County, home of Drink Up Buttercup.

"It's a microcosm," singer/guitarist James Harvey said of his home. "It's similar to Philly, but everyone on the scene is five years younger. Everybody is excited to be involved, and we feel lucky to be a part of something so pure."

Chatting via the internets with EAR FARM following the final show of their residency at the Khyber late last night, Harvey could well have been referring to the band itself (continue reading).... The group's elder statesmen at 26, Harvey is joined by younger brother Farzad Houshiarnejad (keys, guitar, melodica, bass - age 19), Ben Money (bass, keys, melodica, percussion - age 22) and Mike Cammarata (drums - age 17!). Having only been together since last March, the gents in Drink Up Buttercup approach their music with the same enthusiasm of the broader Bucks County scene, and even their rough demos crackle with a wonderful sense of vitality and unbridled energy.

But hell, we've only had their 4-song demo to go by so far. Joanne at Obsession Collection recently caught the band at Cake Shop and remarked, "Their insanely zany acrobatic stage antics mixed with a full-bodied sound of harmonic delight produced an atmosphere of sensory overdrive."

She hit the nail on the head. Their sound is a grab bag of delicate chamber harmonies nestled in between swaggering boogies and gruff, drunken sing-a-longs, a mashup of the Beatles, early Pink Floyd and Captain Beefheart. The band's name reflects it all, a reference that Harvey maintains is "the balance of what's pretty and disgusting. It's perverted."

Not that surprising then that Harvey lists Mothers of Invention, early Pink Floyd, David Bowie, his own training with classical singing, and even talk radio as personal influences that have shaped the band's sound. Check out the two demos below to hear these forces at play, as "Gods and Gentlemen" approximates "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" being simultaneously covered by a 60s garage band and a boys choir while "Seasickness Pills" is pure Syd Barrett and Captain Beefheart melodic weirdness.

So, with such promising goods in hand, what's next for Drink Up Buttercup? According to Harvey, the band will spend 2008 converting these demos into a finished album while continuing to play as many shows as possible. For those of us still living in the NYC area, this means being treated to a Pianos residency in February. Drink up!

Listen:
"Gods And Gentlemen" (Demo)
"Seasickness Pills" (Demo)

Visit Drink Up Buttercup on MySpace

See Drink Up Buttercup Live:
16 February - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire (Northern Liberties Fest)
19 February - New York, NY @ Pianos (Residency)
26 February - New York, NY @ Pianos (Residency)
1 March - New Hope, PA @ John & Peter's
4 March - New York, NY @ Pianos (Residency)
7 March - Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber
5 April - Brooklyn, NY @ Luna Lounge
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In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
The Big Sleep
Pete and the Pirates
Dead Confederate
Throw Me The Statue
Screaming Tea Party
Graveyard
Helvetia
Pale Young Gentlemen

See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.