Including but not limited to Erik Petersen on guitar, vocals, mandolin, and metal percussion...along with Shawn St. Clair on the bass guitar, Greg Taylor on the drums, and Chris "Doc the drummer" Kulp on the percussion, bodhran, trumpet, marching drum, and marimba. Also at times with Miss Denise Vertucci singing, Chris Petersen on the backup drums, Jim Kydonious on the upright bass, Mr. Franz Nicolay on the squeezebox, Peter Hess on the clarinet...and finally, STZA chimes in to chant now and again, Shantz played bass on "Smash the Windows" record/tour, Julian "Hool" Buchanan on the sax, and Diapers the Crusty filled in on bass for a few shows.
Influences
Flea markets, junkyards, rusty old farm tools, rum, whiskey, the sound a needle makes when it hits vinyl, the sound a tape makes when you push play, metal childrens toys, wood stoves, the hiss-and-crank sounds of traveling amusement rides, a monkey wearing a fez, old wood cuts, hole-in-the-wall French fry joints, cinnamon, Halloween and the night before, cider, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (all three books and art), Rudimentary Peni, SubCultureShockFishCitizenHumans, Crass, Zounds, The Levellers, The Pogues, Django Reinhardt, Tom Waits, Dead Can Dance, Chumbawamba, The Mob, Burlesque jazz, Chaos U.K., Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Sydney Bechet, Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, the Renaissance Faire, meade, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, the art of Heironymous Bosch and Peter Bruegel, The Dragon's Den in New Orleans, Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis, Freddy's Bar in Brooklyn, Fiume in West Philadelphia, the books of Daniel Quinn, Emma Goldman, "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., "Jitterbug Perfume" by Tom Robbins, and that campfire smell you can't get out of your clothes.
Sounds Like
A skeleton with a banjo, a clown with a trumpet, a carnival barker with a wooden spoon...
Emerging from pist-off Pennsylvania punk rock troupe The Orphans, Mischief Brew was started with a single scratchy demo tape by Erik Petersen...utilizing such instruments as acoustic guitar, 12-string Bolivian mandolin, junk percussion, yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum. It 'grew' into a one-person band/acoustic act in the vein of Billy Bragg, Stan Rogers, or Woody Guthrie...and nowadays, you never know what to expect. From a live three-piece punk/folk parade to a multi-piece studio experience with accordions and marimba...Mischief Brew aims to keep you on your boot-tips with a chaotic sampling of pirate-swing, gypsy-jazz, and polka-punk. In the mood? Tune in on the heart of Saturday night at a basement or bar near you...
To book Mischief Brew please email fistolo@hotmail.com.
(Video by Scott Willis. Mischief Brew on a boat, on the East River in NYC)
great show last night. even though that girl who called you guys "one great adventure" wouldent shut her mouth while you played, and that other guy behind me kept shouting "PUNKS WIN!!" when it was obvious you and guignol were playing fantastic and wonderful new music, the show was still great. one of the best shows ive seen you play, and ive seen about a dozen of them. thank you.
Just got back from your show. I must admit that I was disapointed when I realized that you wouldn't have a set of your own, but it was still pretty great anyway.
It's about time you made it to providence again. But I wanna hear some mischief brew songs. Still great to see you play though. Please come back on your east coast/northeast tour
