Pit er Pat / Shakey

Pit er Pat is a band I happened to stumble upon recently, but when I started digging around for information, I was flabbergasted that I could have missed all the press (the Desert News in Utah scooped me for Pete’s sake - that’s like being one step behind Donny Osmond!).

Formerly a backing band for a singer/songwriter, the members regrouped when the singer left Chicago for New York. They forged on as a three piece, now going by Pit er Pat: Rob Doran (bass, vocals), Fay Davis-Jeffers (keyboards, vocals) and Butchy Fuego (drums, vocals). The press that the band puts out plays down their musical roots, so I will highlight them: Rob Doran was a founding member of Alkaline Trio (he left in 1997) and Butchy Fuego has collaborated with Need New Body and Neutral Milk Hotel.

The band’s name hints at their “toddlerclash” aesthetic. Fuego’s drum work churns under Doran’s teetering bass line and Fay’s breathy, child-like, lilting vocals. Their sound is akin to 90 Day Men (at least their last two LPs) and Blonde Redhead. They’ll be playing a couple of shows in Chicago in July with Need New Body, and have been playing some shows with Thrill Jockey label-mate Sam Prekop. I wish I had more to tell you, and more music to offer you, but there is only one legal mp3 floating around out there. Take it and run.

The One Track Available:

• Underwater Wave Game