Drink Up Buttercup

by Heather Wellman
Philadelphia foursome Drink Up Buttercup formed in 2008, practicing their psychedelic campfire rock in a barn until the inevitable farm animal disturbance forced them out onto the Pennsylvania music scene. With the band immediately conjuring comparisons to throwback giants such as Frank Zappa, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles, Drink Up Buttercup's three-ring circus-inspired interactive live shows included trashcan banging and drunken hipster singalongs wherever they played. Somehow, the band still manages to sound modern and punk-tinged, channeling Animal Collective or perhaps a more whimsical version of the Arcade Fire. James Harvey's vocals (sometimes sung, often screamed like a child on the playground) lead the bass, keys, melodica, and can-smashing tradeoffs by Farzad Houshiarnejad and Ben Money. Mike Cammerata's drums round out Drink Up Buttercup's dizzying sound. Their debut 7", Mr. Pie Eyes, was released in England on Make Mine in late 2008, and its American counterpart, Farewell Captain, on Brooklyn's Kanine Records in April of the following year. After a solid spot in the spring lineup in Texas at SXSW, at the end of March 2009 the group also released an EP entitled Complications of Fractured Spooks and Breakables, a collection of free MP3s made available through Daytrotter.