Drink Up Buttercup

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. The band's full-length debut, Born and Thrown on a Hook, arrived in 2010. ~ Heather Wellman