Drink Up Buttercup

Doylestown rockers mix style with substance and go nuts.

by John Vettese

Neal Santos (L-R) Ben Money, Mike Cammarata, Farzad Houshiarnejad and Jim Harvey

You know, if you're not paying attention, you might mistake Drink Up Buttercup for some seriously demented dudes. The Doylestown-bred psychedelic rock band has earned a reputation, and considerable buzz, for its high-energy live spectacle, shows that are undeniably fun but nervously unhinged, a blur of bushy hair and bright colors. They flail around the stage, bash auxiliary drums and trash cans and toss mannequin parts to and fro. "We pull on their hair, dude. We beat 'em up," says bassist Ben Money. A little disturbing, right?

Then there's the matter of Born and Thrown on a Hook, their debut due out March 23 on Yep Roc Records. The cover photo by Neil Krug shows a blood-splattered model weeping in the front seat of a crashed car. Inside, insanely catchy songs seem to exalt in a world of death and violence. If Drink Up Buttercup sets off your worry instincts, we understand — and so does the band.

Guitarist and songwriter Jim Harvey puts it this way: "I feel like we make music that can be very easily misinterpreted." Consider the tune "Young Ladies." Its lyrics very plainly describe a date-rape scenario, set at a party with "all the ladies, pretty ladies." The host entreats us to "enjoy your drinks, let it take your heads away," and the scene concludes with unmistakable horror: "The room is spinning round and round/ Say goodbye to all your friends, your head is going up and down."

With its bouncy carousel beat and a bright '60s pop melody, the music seems to side with the host. But is it an endorsement? Harvey breaks down the misunderstanding: "To me, 'Young Ladies' is more of a social observation," he says. "The lengths people go to so they can get laid. Think about if you're at a party, and you look at what's really going on. It's about how disgusting that can be."

Deeper into the album is "Mr. Pie Eyes," which feels less malevolent, more a pure celebration of lunacy. Its jagged guitar, thumping drums and rhythmic sing-along follow the title character, an old man who ambles about his day, beginning at "a low-class bar in a high-class town" and ending with a late-night swim out to sea.

In this case, the wacky psych hooks lead one to read the scene as delightfully absurdist and surreal — it's a number that always kills it in concert, besides — but the song is actually painful, sad, and one Harvey calls the album's most autobiographical. "I wrote that one when I was going through a rough time, trying to figure out my life and what I wanted to do with my music," he says. "I'm Mr. Pie Eyes, going to the bar, getting drunk and coming home, going crazy."

Make no mistake — this music is an absolute blast, and the harsh content is softened by the band's charismatic delivery. "Mr. Pie Eyes" was the first song Drink Up Buttercup worked on collectively when they convened in early 2007 to flesh out Harvey's demos that had been passed around the Doylestown scene. "We all pretty much have a theatrical background," Money says. "We love acting, we love performing and we shaped the songs as performance pieces."

Ironically, one of Drink Up's catchiest refrains demands, "Shut your brain, don't you even think." That's the exact opposite of what Harvey wants. Listeners should really listen, he says, look beyond the flash and frenzy. "We want them to feel that energy [when we play]," he says. "But when they pop in the album, we want them to take a closer look."

Drink Up Buttercup plays Sat., March 13, 7:30 p.m., $8, with Conversations With Enemies, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.