Cherry Poppin' Daddies

The Cherry Poppin' Daddies came together in the gray light of the pre-grunge dawn, when a University of Oregon chemistry major named Steve Perry posed a question to fellow musician friends: what if a punk rock rhythm section shared a practice space with jazz-schooled horn players and an equally trained keyboardist? The beaker-busting result made a stellar EP, sold out local clubs and soon drew comparisons to contemporaries like Fishbone, Faith No More and Bad Brains. It also irritated the local PC police. When the moniker hit the streets of "liberal" Eugene, OR, an angry group hired a lawyer who proceeded to hamstring any hope of a case by physically removing the band's fliers - a practice known as censorship (apparently in violation of an obscure constitutional provision). Not ones to count their blessings, the Daddies then employed a kinetic sculpture of an ejaculating male member - affectionately called the "Dildorado" - as a stage prop.
Now in their 19th year, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies are poised for a whole new phase, starting with a brand new record. Like its predecessors, "Susquehanna" revels in facets of the group's ourve ranging from the familiar (White Trash Toodle-oo begins with the same type of Krupa-joins-Motorhead tom intro heard on 1989's "Dr. Bones") to areas where the musicians might have had to reach for their compasses. Opener "Bust Out" begins with a blast of trumpets and Spaghetti-Western guitar like a sonic inverted-exclamation mark at the start of the record. A nod to the Rock En Espanol of bands like Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, the tune explores what Perry sees as an important strand of Pop's future. "My prediction is that in 30 years, American pop will owe a huge debt to world sensibilities", he wrote in a recent MOG (music blog) post, "and to me...exploring the creation of a new, more international style is a worthwhile pursuit." "Mongoose and the Snake" might be the Daddies' first stab at the genre known as Psychobilly, while "Julie Grave" picks up on a glittery vibe first felt in the aforementioned Diamond Light Boogie. "Roseanne" frames Jacque-Brelian lyrics in flamenco guitar and percussion played by real dancing feet, altogether a lovely and dark meditation on the sway of sex and death. "Wing Tips" will feel most comfortable to neo-swingers - that is until the chorus continues "...Black Socks/And Diaper".