Drink Up Buttercup

The daisy age of Philly indie-rock is upon us.

Led by bands like Dr. Dog and The Capitol Years, Drink Up Buttecup are the latest in this group of very creative up-and-coming day-glo indie-rockers from outside Philly in Bucks County, where there's definitely something good in the water. The four lads in the band include Jim Harvey guitars and vocals, Farzad Houshiarnejad (Keys/Bass/Melodica/Vox/Percussion), Ben Money (Keys/Bass/Melodica/Vox/Percussion) and Mike Cammarata (Drums).

Sometimes when people use words like quirky or eclectic it doesn't always connote a positive thing. However as I think of these words to describe what these lo-fi demos sound like to me, I say it in only the most positive manner. This is the sound of a young band with an ambitious musical vision. Clearly there's psychedelic influences however there's something more going on here which will present greater opportunities once the band gets down to doing more proper recordings. They're working on an EP which could be out in the Fall. They are touring a lot. They do a residency at The Fire in Philly the last three Wednesdays in September, as well as a show in Brooklyn at the Lit Lounge in November. Be on the lookout for them.

Drink Up remind me of Love You era Beach Boys and early Frank Zappa. Drink Up! - http://www.blogadelphonic.blogspot.com/

The young musicians I came to see were attentively listening to The Downtown Harvest’s set. They looked a little anxious and so was I. It is hard to play, following such an accomplished group.

Drink Up Buttercup came on stage, bringing with them an assortment of strange instruments. One large metal garbage pan, stumpf fiddle, maracas, an acoustic guitar with duct tape over the hollow to create a muffled sound, tiny Casio keyboard, a tubular instrument called the melodica and distortion and delay pedal. Then there was the usual; drums, keyboard, bass.

Well in an instant the unbridled energy and fun-loving spirit of this young band came to life. James Harvey the steady vocalist and guitar player enthusiastically leads as Farzad Houshiarnejad and Ben Money play and change instruments as fast as a blink of an eye. Mike Cammarata keeps the beat up with drums and auxiliary percussion. Sing along, shaky percussion and bells, crazy beats, theatrical acrobatics with instruments in tow, shape their circus like commotion.

James Harvey’s voice is strong and authoritative but to my surprise he is an opera singer. He is classically trained and when he lets go it is a treasured delight. As his voice travels up and down the band picks up the pulse.

This is a newly formed band with James Harvey having the most experience formally of Playwright. They are just getting started and only have demos out. Playing to a supportive crowd in Doylestown PA gives them the opportunity to hone their craft with supportive fans. At some point they have to venture out to the cold hard world. I think they will get a warm welcome. - Obsession Collection Blog

Who is ...
Rachel Perry
Staff Writer
05/01/2007


Drink Up Buttercup?

With deceptively peppy vocals (think the sound of the Beatles, circa 1967, meshed with Weezer's sappy-sad lyrics), Drink Up Buttercup brings the emo without actually having that annoying sound. In fact, their cheerful-sounding tunes are downright infectious, and if you sing along, you can reflect bitterly on your latest break-up while never wiping that sweet smile off your face. How cool is that?

But really, guys, you've gotta hear these boys to believe 'em. They're ridiculously talented, and they're still off the radar - so let's show Pa. kids why they should jump on the Buttercup bandwagon before the band gets so big that it won't be cool to like them anymore. Ok, we jest, we jest. Go ahead and check out what band member James Harvey had to say about the band. If his strange and mysterious answers don't convince you to check them out, we don't know what will. Seriously.

Tell us about yourself. Give us the basics.

James: I'm James Harvey, 25. I write the songs, play guitar, and have an okay beard. Farzad Houshiarnejad is my brother; he is 18 and plays a bunch of instruments including, but not limited to, keys, melodica, guitar and bass. He wears a beard. Ben Mazzochetti is 21. He plays bass, but is also constantly trading instruments with Farzad on stage. He claims that there are certain spots on his face where hair can grow. Mike Cammarata is the coolest 16-year-old we know and he plays the drums. Numbers aside, Mike secretly takes trips to the men's room at least twice during our set in order to shave and maintain his youthful appearance. He's so smooth you don't even notice he's gone.


Where ya from?

We are based out of Bucks County. Lots of cool bands coming out of this area right now.


What's with the name? Is there a story behind it?

We thought it sounded kind of deceptively sweet. We play pretty happy-sounding songs, but they are most definitely not about anything happy at all. They are tricky.


Tell us about your sound.

We've been billed as singalong-psychedelic. We hear the words sergeant, carnival, magical, bar, opera, mystery, circus, lonely, wild, peppers and weird being mumbled a lot after our shows.


When and how did the band
get together?

I've been writing the songs that we are playing now for the past year or so. I'd been playing out with a couple of different guys for a while. My brother Farzad started coming up on stage at the shows and singing along and bashing on stuff. We had always liked playing music together, so him ending up in the band was kind of a natural development. We played a couple of great shows with the first line-up, but we eventually decided to try and find some rattier folks. We wanted to play with people who dug the same kind of music that we were into (which wasn't necessarily the case in the past), and honestly, some people who we could hang out with after the shows (also not necessarily the case in the past).

When my brother and I went off on our own, we had still had a bunch of shows booked. I emailed the other bands who we had shows with to inform them that we wouldn't be playing with a full band. One of the guys had mentioned that he had a friend who was really talented but wasn't playing with anyone at the time. That's how I met Ben. Farzad was friends with Mike. He dug his style and invited him to practice the same week I met Ben. We are now really happy that we closed that first door. You have to close one if you want to open another.


Any finished albums?

Right now we just have a few solo demos that I recorded with the pinhold mic on my laptop. Therefore, we're thinking really hard about recording our first record. We have a couple of videos from our shows up on our MySpace for people who want to see what they can expect live.


What are people going to see when they watch your show?

First off, this band has three frontmen. I do lots of singing, but I wouldn't consider myself a lead singer. Farzad and Ben are just too entertaining. We're probably the only rock band that you will see using a boomba (also called a stumpf fiddle). Lots of people say our shows feel like a carnival. Other people say that our band is straight up drinking music; they feel like they are at an old Irish bar or something of the sorts. People like to party and sing along at our shows.


What's the weirdest thing that ever happened during a show?

Cock rock fans would definitely say that our music is the weirdest thing that has happened while we were doing a show.


What inspires you?

We are inspired by each other's playing, mostly. We like trying the same basic idea a bunch of different ways. I think we are inspired by the possibilities. On a less corny note, probably the little things in life that make you mad, ratmen, and any can with a P, a B and an R on it.


Got any stalkers/groupies? Give us the dirt.

MySpace is a scary place. I ho - Play Magazine