BYT Empire

Poor But Sexy is a good (great?) local band which also comes with some serious DC pedigree (the band was founded by David Brown, best known as the percussionist for Travis Morrison Hellfighters, along with Jason Caddell of Dismemberment Plan with the added support of Brandon Kalber on bass, keyboardist David Durst, and drummer Bruce Falconer) seemed like a perfect choice for it.
They bring their soul-filled rock (Express was caught comparing them to Steely Dan, and we all know how we feel about Steely Dan) to second Saturdays @ the Cat this weekend (along with Travis Morrison) and we figured we'd have them let you know what's up.

So, here is their EP, in their own words:

The Only Good Thing (About Saying Goodbye)

The original concept for this song was that it would be a raunchy come on: "The only good thing about saying goodbye is is looking at your ass while you walk away." I even had an obscene rap tacked on the end that really caused a riot whenever I played it for my friends. Thing is, I discovered that what I was trying to say with the rest of the song was kind of a sweet sentiment. So I axed the Method Man bit and focused on what the song was really about - the love of a good woman with a nice behind.

You Don't have to Ask Me Twice

This is one of the few songs I've written about real people that are not me. It's about someone I met while I was working in the Ukraine. This guy, let's call him Scotty Pippin, was an old political operative - supposedly he had done advance for the Nixon White House. Anyway, Scotty was in his late fifties, but he looked like he was going on about 75 He seemed to be on a mission to pickle himself with vodka and cigarettes, and he had a voice like Howlin' Wolf.

The most outrageous thing about Scotty was that he hired a different prostitute every night for nearly a month before he eventually got sent home for getting in an argument with a pimp. I found the whole thing just heartbreaking...on the one hand for these young women that he referred to as his "nieces" who had to touch his wrinkly flesh for what probably amounted to the price of dinner for two at Chipotle, but I was also sad for him. When he wasn't dispensing pearls of wisdom like "you always pay for it...one way or another" (see verse 2) or complaining about last night's "dry box" over lunch, he was actually kind of a sweet, mild mannered man. I thought that surely, at some point, this old bastard must have had some tender feelings for at least one woman in this world.

So, I concocted this fantasy that had him falling in love with a hippie while he was working on Nixon's first campaign, then becoming jaded and horrible. Contrived? Perhaps, but I want to make it clear that the song is not, as some have surmised, about me being "the brother on the side."

Breathe Deep

This song is about being young and bored in Berlin. Maybe you can tell from our band name and the TV tower on our record that I am obsessed with Berlin. Have you heard Peter Fox? He is the singer of Germany's biggest dancehall reggae band, and his new solo album is genius. You think I'm kidding?

You can't really buy Peter Fox's record in the states, so you'll have to download ours to tide you over. I'm working on German versions of all our songs, by the way.

Strong Pants

This song is about being in a band. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it makes you ornery. But it is such a wonderful thing to make music with your friends. I'm so lucky to play in the bands I'm in.

Also, you can hear me growl like Rowlf the Dog when I say "I'm going to put on my stroooooong pants!" during the guitar solo. I have since learned how to add some gravel to my voice without going all muppet - but here it is, preserved for the ages on the Internet.

want more:
myspace
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live show this Saturday
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this great little feature they did for us a while back

God loves a cheerful giver.