THE SOUND AND THE FURY

Druggist, one of SA’s most talented underground-pop bands, is on the road this week, building a case for its new sophomore release, There’s Already an Everything.

A followup to last year’s addictive Early Michael Keaton, the new disc finds the pharmaceutical lads in radically altered form. After the band’s bassist and drummer quit in April on the last night of a national tour, frontman Blake Cormier and guitarist Zach “Death Machine” Dunlap decided to carry on as a duo, with Cormier devoting more of his attention to the piano. What hasn’t changed, however, is Cormier’s gift for tuneful songcraft and witty, sensitive wordplay.

Rather than scheduling a local CD-release gig, Cormier and Dunlap decided to celebrate the new disc’s release with a two-week tour through the nation’s farm belt, with gigs in Fort Worth, Tulsa, Wichita, Madison, Omaha, and St. Paul. Joining them for the entire trek will be Eaton Lake Tonics.

When Cormier and Dunlap return to town, they’ll host a modest Druggist CD-release bash at Sarovar. We don’t know if this will inspire other local bands to throw release parties at Indian restaurants, but it’s an idea that S&F strongly endorses.