Contact poorbutsexydc at gmail.com for all inquiries
Poor But Sexy is:
- David Brown: Vocals, Guitar
- Jason Caddell: Guitar, Recording and Mixing
- David Durst: Keyboards, Vocals
- Bruce Falconer: Drums, Vocals
- Brandon Kalber: Bass
Biography
In a time when too many bands follow the same set of cultural touchstones and fashion ideals, PBS is more interested in making you sweat than making you feel cool. Their sound can be polarizing, either you love it, or you hate it. That's ok, the band wouldn't have it any other way.
Improbably, it is five veterans of Washington DC's post-punk scene that have chosen this voyage. Singer David Brown and bassist Brandon Kalber met playing in the punk-funk band Travis Morrison Hellfighters. Guitarist and producer Jason Caddell brought the noise for 10 years as the guitarist in the Dismemberment Plan, a DC group that earned an international cult following for incorporating samples and dance grooves into punk rock long before it was de rigueur for indie bands. Keyboardist David Durst composes for the punk-chamber music collective Anti-Social Music when he's not working out his Stevie Wonder licks in PBS. Like a lot of DC bands, PBS also includes an investigative journalist, drummer Bruce Falconer.
Poor But Sexy played its first show in May 2008 and has completed a self-titled debut EP, which is now available for download. The band is writing a full-length album, which should be complete by fall 2010.
...or just...
...and still...
Download the full Poor But Sexy One Sheet [PDF]
Photos
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Reviews
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download the full Poor But Sexy Press Kit [PDF]
Washington City Paper, December 3, 2008Standout Track: No. 1, "The Only Good Thing," a slinky blue-eyed soul number that's one saxophone solo away from inclusion on an AM Gold compilation. "Walk away and show me just what I'll miss," sings multi-instrumentalist David Brown to an imaginary lover who, given the song's funky '70s vibe and falsetto-heavy chorus, almost certainly favors clogs and caftans.
Musical Motivation: Fascinated by R. Kelly's talent for smuggling filth into melodious soul tunes, Brown was at first inclined to make "The Only Good Thing" a little lascivious. "The original concept was 'The only good thing about saying goodbye is looking at your ass when you walk away,'" says the 30-year-old Petworth resident. Brown eventually lopped off the second half of that notion. But some lewd impulses remain in the vocal, if only subliminally. "The whole thing is the chorus is all, 'Turn around,' as in, 'Let me see your ass,' but I never actually go there," says Brown. "Still, if I'm not meaning that on some level it's probably not a very good performance."
Steely Fan: Ever since Poor But Sexy started performing last May, friends have drawn comparisons between them and another band that paired dark sentiments with smooth tunes. "To be honest, I don't think that the comparison is totally appropriate - that we sound like Steely Dan," says Brown. Not that he's displeased. "I started spreading the rumor further," he says. "I think Steely Dan is great - great-musicianship, kinda freaky songs, you don't really know what they mean. I like to think we're a little more sincere, but they made hits. There's nothing wrong with that." ...less
DCist, September 4, 2008...Poor But Sexy came on next, delivering their brand of soul - infused indie rock tunes. They brought a cool '80s vibe to the evening. David Brown's smooth and honest vocal delivery was on point with the music.
Their songs are refreshing in a town where it sometimes feels like you need a stern disposition to get your message across. Sometimes audiences need love songs; sometimes this city needs love songs.
Poor But Sexy, as a band, are relatively new to the scene, but their members, who have made their own impressions individually elsewhere, have lots of love in the area. It showed as tons of local music lovers and musicians alike came out on a holiday Sunday night to check out Poor But Sexy's set. ...less
Washington Post Express, May 15, 2008"I WAS A GUY who told people that Fugazi was my favorite band for a lot of years," says David Brown, best known as utility percussionist with the Travis Morrison Hellfighters. So, how to explain his new soul-inflected project, Poor but Sexy?
"I was obsessed with R. Kelly," Brown says. "I tried to make some R. Kelly songs, basically. I literally tried to make what I thought sounded like R&B radio hits. But it didn't really turn out that way. People say it sounds like Steely Dan. There's a lot of '70s radio rock in there."
Then came a months-long job in Ukraine alongside former Dismemberment Plan guitarist Jason Caddell. "I played him the demos, and he offered to work on one song and record them. So, I recruited the rest of the guys." Those guys being longtime hotshots of the D.C scene: keyboardist David Durst, Brandon Kalber on bass and drummer Bruce Falconer. This equals a lot of chops in one room.
That room is Caddell's basement studio. "The recordings turned out good and people seemed to like it. So, we recorded a bunch more at Inner Ear, "aka the studio Dischord Records all but built.
But Brown's accomplished vocals are a far cry from the martial shouts of "Repeater." Or the de rigeur indie rock whine. "When I sing, I do have classic R&B in mind, "he says, "copying Otis Redding and that."
Brown is ambivalent about the dog-and-pony show of finding a label, generating hype and touring until the wheels fall off. For now, PBS jams can be found at myspace.com/poorbutsexydc. But, says Brown, "I'd like to play every club in D.C. by the time the year is done, "thus ripping a move from the local go-go playbook.
"There's a bit of a new-soul scene in D.C., and I'd like to hook up with them. I don't even know who they are. But there's a whole other world of people" beyond those raised on Fugazi, says Brown. "I would like to tap into that." ...less
"When Brown took the stage with Poor But Sexy, his skinny, red-headed exterior gave way to an Otis Redding-like soul crooning alter-ego. "I was so passionate about that last one, my hand cramped," Brown said, after the set. The band released a new self-titled EP, which has garnered comparisons to Steely Dan for pairing ridiculous, salacious lyrics with smooth tunes, but the songs also manage to evoke Dirty Projectors and Elvis Costello."
The Onion AV Club, March 15, 2009
"Poor But Sexy (PBS), featuring members of Dismemberment Plan and Travis Morrison Hellfighters, opened the show. Playing a mix of funk and what can only be categorized as Yacht Rock, PBS won over an audience that I thought was not going to respond well.
There were hints of irony, but PBS definitely can sell what they're playing. As much as I love Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald I couldn't help but enjoy the band's 45-minute set. Sure, it doesn't have the visceral edge I normally go for, but they don't call them hooks for nothing."
Brightest Young Things, November 24, 2009
Interviews
- Brightest Young Things: March 12, 2009
- Washington City Paper: December 3, 2008
- Brightest Young Things: August 29, 2008
- Express Night Out: May 15, 2008
Discography
- poorbutsexy EP, self-released, 2009, 4 tracks