Funeral Crashers

The Funeral Crashers were always a fickle proposition. Formed on a lark by vocalist PH Lovecraft and other members since (dearly) departed, the group careened through rotating lineups and lengthy breakups in the early 2000s like a corpse that wouldn’t stay dead. The name, if you’re wondering, predates 2005 and if you insist on a cinematic reference, it was Harold and Maude. The band’s inspiration draws from punk, postpunk and early gothic rock, not to mention The Velvet Underground, 70’s glam and the Jesus and Mary Chain’s aggressive shoegaze. But rather than yet another nostalgia trip, the Funeral Crashers are focused on bringing their influences into the now.

In winter 2005, Lovecraft and co-conspirators Edward Raison and Oliver Lyons, all vets of other local bands, were quite finished with plotting in obscurity and cut the demo EP “Children of an Indifferent God.” With the addition of bassist Frankie Teardrop, the group has since launched an attack on the New York City scene with their musical Grand Guignol. They twitch, creep and assault, wailing the Apocalypse and loves lost on one hand, winking references to historical oddities, horror novels and 50s sci-fi on the other: it’s the perfect soundtrack for your postmodern crisis.