The Upper Crust

Combining high-camp aristocratic foppery with hard rock, Boston combo the Upper Crust appear on-stage wearing powdered wigs and the attire of 18th century nobility, and have a lyrical sensibility to match. Formed in 1994 from a surf act called the Clamdiggers, the Upper Crust's power pop antics have been described as "<a href="spotify:artist:711MCceyCBcFnzjGY4Q7Un">AC/DC</a> meets <a href="spotify:artist:2DxlS3lTLFIq70S7ap5H3y">the Buzzcocks</a> at a theater showing of This Is Spinal Tap." After packaging their trademark on the 1995 album Let Them Eat Rock, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Emperor+Norton+Records%22">Emperor Norton Records</a> signed the band and released their 1997 follow-up, The Decline & Fall of the Upper Crust. Inspired as much by <a href="spotify:artist:07XSN3sPlIlB2L2XNcTwJw">Kiss</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:62OSqVRTfWPbv9EovmbH4l">Bon Scott</a>-era <a href="spotify:artist:711MCceyCBcFnzjGY4Q7Un">AC/DC</a> as by the European nobility whom they mock, the quartet works under the assumed names of Lord Bendover (guitar, vocals), Count Bassie (bass, vocals), The Duc D'istortion (guitar, vocals), and Jackie Kickassis (drums). Following a 2000 live double album appropriately called Entitled, the Upper Crust released their third studio album, Once More into the Breeches, in 2001. Amid frequent tours of the U.S. and Europe, the band was the subject of a documentary called Let Them Eat Rock and placed their song "Eureka, I've Found Love" in the Guitar Hero video game. By decade's end, the Upper Crust had released two more LPs, 2006's Cream of the Crust and 2009's Revenge for Imagined Slights. They have made numerous festival and late-night television appearances, and also wrote the theme song for The History Channel's 2014 series American Daredevils. ~ Timothy Monger & Mike DaRonco, Rovi