Drink Up Buttercup was one of the stand-outs of last month's CMJ Marathon (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Union Hall
702 Union St., Brooklyn
Thursday, November 12, $10, 11:00
718-638-4400
www.unionhallny.com
www.myspace.com/drinkupbuttercupband
When we first saw the crazy Bucks County band Drink Up Buttercup at the Mercury Lounge on July 3 of this year, we were immediately taken by their DIY charm; after the dazzling set, played with an intoxicating, reckless abandon, lead guitarist and singer Jim Harvey was stalking around, desperately looking for a small piece of missing equipment, while the rest of the band packed up their gear in the back of his dad’s rug van. (At the time, Jim and his half-brother, Farzad Houshiarnejad, who contributes keyboards, bass, and smash percussion, were working for their father part-time, selling and delivering Oriental carpets.) But since then, the band has signed with Yep Roc, which led to their own van, a relatively plain white one that bass player and keyboardist Ben Money excitedly showed us before a CMJ gig at Cake Shop, proudly beaming that it came complete with Nintendo built in. But when Harvey broke a guitar string early on at the Ludlow St. show, he had to stop the set and ask if anyone in the audience or from one of the other bands had a guitar he could use so they could continue. While waiting, he led the foursome – which also includes the still-teenage Mike Cammarata on drums – into the center of the narrow, packed club, where they sang a cappella until a replacement guitar arrived, at which time they returned to their manic set, switching instruments, banging on a trash can and toolkit, bounding dangerously across the stage, and bumping against each other and the low ceiling.
Drink Up Buttercup gets wild and crazy night after night (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
A few days later, they toned things down only a bit for an acoustic set in the scenic Delancey rooftop garden, where they powered through another stellar performance that really showed off the strength of their vocal harmonies, musical chops, and songwriting abilities – as we’ve said before, their tunes just kick ass, in whatever format they’re played. And they’ve just expanded their repertoire – which features such raucous songs as “Mr. Pie Eyes,” “Sosey and Dosey,” and “Seasickness Pills” – with their first single on Yep Roc, the groovy new “Even Think” backed with the older “Heavy Hand,” available for free download from their Web site, along with a remix of “Even Think” by Andrew W.K. One of the busiest and best bands at last month’s CMJ Marathon, DUB will be at Union Hall in Brooklyn on November 12 playing at 11:00 on a bill with Blood Warrior, Beat Circus, and Larkin Grimm that gets going at 8:00. You just have to see these guys. Really. We’re not kidding.