Drink Up Buttercup
Born in a Buck’s County barn on a frigid winter night, Drink Up Buttercup has
gained an international following in only one year’s time. After being kicked out of
their practice space for disturbing the horses, Drink Up was soon besieged with
praise in publications like Philadelphia Weekly and in blogs such as Almack’s Dance
Hall, Ear Farm, and The Music Slut. The Fishtown Spirit called Drink up the “reigning
darlings of the underground press,” and said, “It's almost ludicrous that a group of
kids could garner the sheer amount of media fawning that's been basically foisted
upon Drink Up-all before they even play their one-year anniversary show.” The
praise was quickly followed by residency offers in both Philadelphia and New York
City and after a year’s worth of shows along the East Coast, Drink Up’s sound has
attracted interest from across the pond. The band will be releasing a 7 in the UK this
fall and will be touring worldwide after the completion of their first full-length
album, which is currently being recorded by Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Man Man).
Drink Up Buttercup consists of an ex-opera scholar who refused to exchange sexual
favors for solos, a comic book kid who still uses a discman to play music in the car,
and two teens who are engaged in an epic battle of side projects for myspace plays.
James Harvey is the lead singer/guitar player of Drink Up Buttercup, and Michael T.
plays drums and percussion. The rest of the Drink Up sound comes from Ben Money
and Farzad Houshiarnejad, who constantly trade off on bass, keys, melodica, vocals,
and other random instruments throughout their shows. Collectively, the band has
created what Almack’s Dance Hall described as “The Beatles in a Blender.” Critics
often liken Drink Up’s sound to classic bands like Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, and
Frank Zappa as well as to contemporary bands such as Man Man and Animal
Collective. In an attempt to describe what he heard after a Drink Up show, one critic
of Staggered Works was left wondering: “What if John Lennon snuck into Gentle
Giant?”
Throughout most of Drink Up Buttercup’s reviews runs a common thread of
excitement and appreciation of the band’s ability to put on a performance as
opposed to simply a musical showcase. Drink Up’s shows have often been associated
with the spectacle of a circus, the buzz of a barroom sing along, and the comfort of a
nursery rhyme. Meridith Valiando of Almack’s Dance Hall described the end of one
drink up show as follows: “The crowd formed a circle around them and as they
strummed and banged on a trash can lid and demanded everyone chime in for a
sing-a-long - and EVERYONE did - I felt like a little hipster girl scout.” Artifact of
Obsession Collection said, “It is great to see a young band with so much promise and
enthusiasm, who are eager and ready to make somebody's day. They made mine.”
The Music Slut called one show “more than just a breath of fresh air. It somehow
managed to lift all jadedness from our respective souls (a truly difficult feat,
indeed).” As NYC’s Ultragrrrl, who according to New York magazine “has more
power than any print music critic” puts it: “They’re so fucking good!”
Instrumentation
Farzad Houshiarnejad; keys, wolf-howler, melodica, bass, vox, smashcan
Ben Money; bass, keys, melodica, mannequin head, percussion, vox, smashcan
Mike Cammarata; drums with water, lemon, and sugar packets
James Harvey; vox, guitar, sawed-off-seagull, walki, opera sounds