3rd annual BARFLY PICKS THE BEST OF INDIANAPOLIS SHOW

It's been four years since the Barfly cartoon by Wayne Bertsch began appearing in the pages of NUVO Newsweekly. After drawing nearly 200 strips reviewing local music, Bertsch, in conjunction with Birdy's Bar and Grill, has put together the third annual showcase of live music hand picked by 'Barfly' as a sampling of the best live music Indy has to offer. The May 12th multi-genre show begins at 9:30 pm and boasts a diverse lineup that includes Indy's best rock, pop, country and funk-inspired soul.
Bertsch's Barfly strip was born four years ago after he drew a band flyer for local blues-rock cover band Karen and The Beast. The strip was reprinted in NUVO Newsweekly and soon became a regular feature of its music section. The strip is available every Wednesday in NUVO as well as online at its website NUVO.net. Barfly strips have also appeared occasionally at Indianapolismusic.net.
The line up for the May 12th show consists of 6 bands:

Harley Poe: Best acoustic Punk/Horror rock. These guys are currently signed on Standard Recording, and their style is hard to describe. Imagine what the Violent Femmes would sound like if they were writing the soundtrack to Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride, on mandolin and Mariachi bass under heavy influence of pirate sea shanties.
http://www.myspace.com/harleypoe


The Future: Indy's best power-pop band. A tight four piece from Bloomington whose songs range from ass-shaking rock reminiscent of INXS to melodic, larger-than-life tunes that invite comparisons to U2 or Oasis. http://www.myspace.com/thefutureband


The Cousin Brothers: Indy's best bluegrass. Too much twang for rock and roll, and too badass for bluegrass, they play a form of amped-up, in-your-face music that can only be called powergrass. Whether you've heard them mornings on X103 or heard about their terrific performance at this year's Elvis tribute show, you know that these guys are not to be missed.
http://www.myspace.com/thecousinbrothers


Little Voice: Indy's best alt-rockers: This three piece from Indianapolis has been making waves and turning heads for a year now with their femme-centric take on alt-rock that places emphasis on great songwriting. This band features Lori Davis, one of the very best drummers to come out of Indy's music scene. littlevoiceband.com

Living Proof: Indy's best soul/funk/R&B: As a cover band, Living Proof is one of the most in-demand acts for weddings and corporate events. What the public might not know is that they're a fantastic original band as well. They fuse hip-hop, jazz and old school funk into well-crafted, catchy dance songs that fit right in between the Commodores and Earth, Wind and Fire on my mix tapes. It also doesn't hurt that Jessica Epp is among the very best female vocalists in town. http://www.livingproofmusic.com/

Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes: Indy's best country/rockabilly: When The Freightliners broke up, many rockabilly fans took it pretty hard. With every show Mandy Marie has come out front on the mike and now appears to be channeling Wanda Jackson when she twangs out these rockin' country tunes with her new band, the Cool Hand Lukes.
http://www.myspace.com/mandymarieandthecoolhandlukes

Contact information:
Wayne Bertsch
317-696-9751
Email at wayniac5@comcast.net