THE WEASEL POTPIED PIPER: THAT 1 GUY
LEADS US TO THE LAND OF THE MUSICALLY BIZARRE ON SONGS IN THE KEY OF BEOTCH

"Rats only charge you when they're cornered," pontificates Mike Silverman (a.k.a. That 1 Guy) on his debut record, Songs In The Key Of Beotch. If the classic stories are true, then Silverman will have no trouble putting these creatures under his spell, because he is the inventor and master of a spectacular musical instrument: The Magic Pipe.

For years, That 1 Guy has been stunning crowds with his remarkably peculiar one-man show, applying his stand-up bass prowess to the monstrous, homemade instrument. Standing nearly seven feet tall, The Magic Pipe is a chaotic collage of galvanized steel, duct tape and electronic gadgetry, run through an array of samplers and effects boxes.

On Songs In The Key Of Beotch, the pipe's unique, throbbing sound propels Silverman through tales about roadkill meals, sadistic birds and showers of meat. The album's opening cut, "One," sounds a bit like Soul Coughing, Tom Waits, The Neptunes and Brian Eno having a tea party on the moon. The irresistibly strange song kicks off a record packed with slamming rhythms, slithering, bass-heavy grooves and outlandish lyrics.

From the thumping, squeak toy-laden "Weasel Potpie" to the 10-minute, ambient exploration "Forgotten Whales," Beotch is an inspired work of sonic insanity. It's the antithesis of modern pop convention ("It's Raining Meat" probably wouldn't go over well as a prom theme), but the music captures the imagination just like any fresh-faced musical innovator, from The Beatles to Björk.

For centuries, the one-man band has been on the outskirts of our musical consciousness, surfacing on street corners and carnival stages, wowing crowds with remarkable coordination and musical pyrotechnics. On Songs In The Key Of Beotch, That 1 Guy not only lives up to this bizarre tradition — he blows it into another dimension.