In the 1990s, three men from Seattle armed with five guitar and bass strings between them, built a lasting legacy of energetic, eccentric pop rock masterpieces.<\/p>\n
Sassy Chassis, a tribute to the music of The Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA), will perform two local shows this weekend, bringing hits like \u201cLump\u201d and \u201cPeaches\u201d back to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do it out of a deep love and appreciation for the band and we wanted \u00a0to educate people who weren\u2019t there back in the day about how great this band is,” said band founder and drummer Ryan Golob.<\/p>\n
Golob, along with Stephen Fahlsing and Konrad Szupinski, formed the band to have fun and to play the music of the Presidents.<\/p>\n
The band’s quirky eccentricities drew Fahlsing to the band and the project.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI like anybody who does something unique and different and does something that goes against what normally would be considered a good idea,\u201d said Fahsling. \u201cIf you told me you \u00a0were going to start a band with a two-string bass and a three-string guitar and you were going to write songs about bugs and fruit and reptiles and it\u2019s going to sell 5 million records, I\u2019d say you were crazy. But lo and behold, for a while they were a huge deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while the band may seem like a novelty with their simple music, odd name and whimsical lyrical content, Fahlsing stresses that the band is still fondly remembered for their good pop songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose songs are great. You can\u2019t stop a great song, ultimately,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With mom jeans, grunge and mullets back in vogue, nostalgia for the \u201890s is at a fever pitch. And while many bars can be found to have a Nirvana, Green Day or No Doubt cover band on weekends, PUSA is a little more quirky. Somehow, despite selling millions of records, they\u2019re a little more niche.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play a lot of shows with other tribute bands \u2014 Nirvana tribute bands, Weezer tribute bands. Those bands have a different type of popularity. They have a different place in the musical lexicon. But, we have an inside joke that at every show there\u2019s always one. At least one super die-hard Presidents fan,\u201d Fahlsing\u00a0said, adding that often there will be at least one fan wearing a vintage 30-year-old PUSA T-shirt.<\/p>\n
Golob admitted that while Sassy Chassis doesn\u2019t play the most popular music from the \u201890s alt\/grunge era, they do aim to have the most fun performance every night they play \u2014 which falls right in line with the PUSA ethos.<\/p>\n
In addition to hits like \u201cVideo Killed the Radio Star,\u201d \u201cKitty,\u201d and \u201cMach 5,\u201d Golob said that fans are often surprised when Sassy Chassis plays the sleeper hit, \u201cCleveland Rocks,\u201d a song which is most famous for being the theme to \u201cThe Drew Carey Show.”<\/p>\n
The band will perform with Dave\u2019s Not Here, a tribute to the Foo Fighters, at two local shows this weekend. The first show will be at Plan B Taphouse at 9 p.m. Friday, July 10. Plan B is located at 129 W. Fifth St., Hanford. Call 559-707-2941 for more information.<\/p>\n
The second show is planned for 9 p.m. Saturday, July 11 at Procreations Brewery, located at 1929 Santa Clara St., Fresno. Call 559-825-5875 for more information.<\/p>\n