(Almost) 5 Questions for… Poor But Sexy!

By Emma Norman

D.C.-based band Poor But Sexy may not be rich and famous yet, but these five musicians (including former members of Travis Morrison Hellfighters and Dismemberment Plan) mix a promising recipe of upbeat rock, funk, and smooth soul grooves to serve up solid, catchy tunes. Their sound has been compared to a wide variety of bands from the edgy Dirty Projectors to the classic Elvis Costello. Intriguing, no? See for yourself— Poor But Sexy will open for The Wrens on the Black Cat main stage on November 20. I interviewed them (minus Jason Caddell, who was a busy at the mixing board) to find out their deal first-hand.

How did you meet and decide to play together?

David Brown (drums, guitar, vocals):  Jason and I started talking about doing a recording project together when we were both working as audio engineers on a long tour overseas. There wasn’t much actual work to do, and it was a record cold snap in Europe that year, so we spent a lot of time playing guitar in our hotel rooms and talking about music while schwitzing in the sauna. I met Durst and Bruce when we played in an Elvis Costello cover band for a benefit concert.  I had already played with Brandon in Travis Morrison’s band, and I decided pretty early on that he had to play bass in any band I was ever in.

There is a strong narrative quality in your lyrics. Do you think a song is better when it tells a story?

DB: I’m so psyched you noticed!  I have sort of been taking notes on commercial country music for a while now. You can understand every word, and the singer is usually telling a story or painting a scene in very literal language without hiding anything behind metaphors or other poetic tricks until the chorus. You can follow it in your mind with images as if you were reading a screenplay.  Take that song “Some Beach” [by Blake Shelton] where it’s just a litany of complaints about city life, and then the chorus is just a pun on “son of a bitch,” or that Randy Travis song about  looking at his dead wife’s negligee, and the chorus is about digging up bones.  Of course, R. Kelly is also a master of storytelling, but he substitutes raunchiness and self-parody for the corny sentimentality.

I want to tell stories with the same clarity and a touch of raunchiness and sentimentality.  I usually feel like it’s a good sign when I’m afraid to sing lyrics in front of people. It’s hard to get up there and actually say something, you know?

How has the local music industry changed since the 90’s, and how would you describe it now?

David Durst (keys): It seemed to go from a post-punk indie boom in the late 90’s/early 00’s to almost a vacuum a few years back when the bigger name bands shut down. Now I feel like it’s a time of rebirth for the local scene and it’s producing much more diverse music. And it’s great to hear.

Where has been your favorite place to perform and why?

Brandon Kalber (bass):  Black Cat is always a good time.  Fort Reno - It’s hard to beat a free outdoor show that promotes family and having an honestly good time. Iota is always a nice place to play and it has a great sounding room.