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There seems to be something special about the classic gay boy/straight girl dynamic. So it makes perfect sense that when Dan Fishback and Sara FitzSimmons-two self-professed "nerd" college friends-decided to form a band, they would name themselves after another classic combination, Cheese on Bread.
While Fishback insists the cheese on bread was "the only edible entrée on the [college] meal plan," both the name and their considerable talent garnered the West Philly-based group some attention in New York's Antifolk movement. Fishback notes, "Antifolk isn't a genre-it's an orphanage for songwriters who don't really belong anywhere else. Antifolk kids won't judge you if you can't sing, or if you can't play your instrument-they'll judge you if you're boring. As someone who is often flat and refuses to learn how to finger-pick, I appreciate this."
Buoyed by the success of their debut album, Maybe Maybe Maybe Baby, the duo added three "open-hearted, free-spirited heterosexual men" to round out the band for their latest effort, The Search for Colonel Mustard. Who is this Mustard exactly? "For me, he represents a dedication to seriousness and substance," says Fishback.
"The whole album is an argument between seriousness and unseriousness, between hedonism and responsibility."
And the album is exactly that-a rip-roaring good time paired with the underpinnings of sweet harmonies and strong musical substance. Original tracks like "The Awkward Song" explore a nerdy, ill-timed romance while "Sexy Anarchist Boy" and "Basketcase" are highly amusing takes on falling for the wrong guy. Let's just say what Ugly Betty is to television, Cheese on Bread is to music.
But considering the band started as a joke, how did they come to take themselves seriously? "Being funny and clever made us more palatable, so even straight boys could listen to us without feeling like they were at Lilith Fair or The White Party," explains Fishback. "I think it became serious when we became more confident. When we knew that we could command attention without a punch line."
So, what else do they like putting cheese on? "Most things high in carbohydrates are adequate substitutes for bread," insists FitzSimmons. "Pasta. Crackers. Potatoes. But fruit is also an excellent pairing. Grapes with goat cheese. Oh my goodness, I'm making myself hungry." Time for lunch! N
The Search for Colonel Mustard available now at cheeseonbread.com. Catch Dan Fishback solo at the Sidewalk Café (94 Ave A, 212-473-7373) for the Summer 2007 Antifolk Festival on Aug 21 at 10pm.
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