by Steve Hammer
Entertianment/Music Editor
April 24, 1997
(Review of Spring 1997 Broad Ripple Music Fest)
Sound section, page 32.
It was a little after 2 a.m. and I'd soaked up a few Black Labels by the time I followed some friends over to J.C. Bistro. The lights were off there, or seemed to be; the band tuning up onstage was cloaked in darkness. But when the group started playing, there was no need for lights. I'd never heard of the band, the curiously named Magical Attraction of Booty, but after a few notes I realized it's what I'd been dying to hear all night: Strange samples mixed in with goofy playing. A lead singer with a distinctive voice and an arresting stage presence. Songs about buildings and food.
It was the best thing I'd seen all night. After the set was over, and the band emerged from the darkness of the stage, I noticed a couple of familiar faces. They were Matt Sommers and Rich Barker, two well-known local artists and madmen. It was the group's first-ever gig, but, hopefully, not their last. I'd personally pay a ton of money to see these guys headlining at the Patio. That's the attraction of these local showcase gigs. You get to see bands that you never normally see. Forget the Why Store; give me more groups like The Magical Attraction of Booty! Give me things I don't even know that I want.