A Little Local Lovin

Saturday night I had the pleasure of seeing DC’s Middle Distance Runner and Philly’s Drink Up Buttercup. The evening was slow to get going. We had to wait for three rather tedious singer songwriter acts to do their thing before these two acts stormed the stage.

Middle Distance Runner
First up was Middle Distance Runner. Riding a cheese steak / cheap booze high the five fellas plowed straight into their set. I feel compelled to point out that on this particular evening it appeared as though Keanu Reeves, Jason Mraz, Pete Wentz, your high school band teacher and that kid in your dorm who was a geo major and played ultimate Frisbee a lot had come together for a jam session. However, while each member had their own distinct style their sound was a fine example of well orchestrated chaos. They busted out their tracks hitting the older stuff I was familiar with like the great Man of the People and the bits off of their new EP The Unbeliever [which I promptly purchased]. Their sound was a little more punk than I had expected and I think their new release is really pushing that edge. They loose a little bit of their polish with this effort but not only do I think the change does them good I like what is suggests of future drops. They set the vibe perfectly for…

Drink Up Buttercup
These Philly favorites have been on my radar for a while and after hearing their next release will be mixed by the same guy who works with Animal Collective I’m guessing they’ll be on a lot of others radars as well. The evening was intended for them to flex some new songs in front of a crowd and just like MDR they dove right in. Let me tell you, any band that starts their set playing a trashcan will forever have a spot in my heart. Listening to their recorded work does not even come close to capturing the energy and character of Drink Up Buttercup. They are brash, loud, fun oh, and wickedly talented. They gave us a wee bit of the old (Mr Pie Eyes) stuff but, as promised, it was mostly the new stuff. It didn’t matter whether or not you’d heard it before you couldn’t help but groove to it. About 2/3rd’s through there was some snafu that was hardly noticeable to the crowd but threw a wrench in DUB’s set list but without missing a beat they grabbed their various noisemakers and came straight out into the audience. Instead of tripping up their momentum the impromptu audience participation session only pushed it to 11. There was singing, there was clapping, there was stomping, there was a grand moment of concert making. Even though the show was cut short I can’t imagine a better way to go out. I have a feeling its going to be a big year for Drink Up Buttercup.

*Image courtesy of Brian Reguera