Sunday, February 16, ArtRat Gallery hosts the latest in its roots music series curated by The Stableford Agency. Americana Sundays: An Afternoon with Super Secret Cult Band runs 3-5pm at 46 Division Ave. S. (Admission $25; tickets available on Eventbrite.)
Clad in ceremonial robes and gathered around a single microphone, Super Secret Cult Band delivers cheerfully apocalyptic folk tunes and Lovecraftian doo-wop earworms. Performances feature three-part harmonies and acoustic guitar. The Lansing-based trio claims to represent a secretive and esoteric organization, the identity of which remains a secret. We do know that the members of this act have backgrounds in vaudeville and Michigan folk music, with past performances at venues like The Calumet Theatre, Bell's Brewery and The Robin Theatre.
Before Sunday’s event, ArtRat reached Brother Dylan at an undisclosed location to learn what awaits the audience.
SSCB bases its operations out of Michigan’s capital city, under the noses of our state’s leadership. Is Lansing an especially fertile location for eldritch horrors?
Oh, it’s certainly horrifying out here, and we love that. When we first recognized The Call, back in 2019, we thought the end times we surely soon to come. Turns out we were right! Now, our job is to make sense of what it means to exist in … whatever this is.
How did SSCB manifest? Have the three of you worked together in other incarnations?
The three of us are longtime collaborators. We joined the circus back in 2011, but escaped when we heard The Call. Been sharing this message ever since! You might know Brother Dylan, Brother Michael or Sister Abbey from their alter-ego projects like The Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle or Abbey Hoffman Music.
Your songs and arrangements combine the dulcet tones of American popular music with some of the spookiest lyrics this side of The Cramps. Does one element or the other generally come first?
We couch our eldritch message in nostalgic American pop music, because it’s fun to play and sing along with. We spend a lot of time around the bonfire with our friends, singing songs of praise while lit by the burnings of heretical texts. Just good, American fun.
What can Americana Sundays attendees expect from your performance?
We could not be more excited about making our Grand Rapids debut! Attendees can expect two sets of haunted, original, slightly spooky, pop songs. We’ll be sharing a joyful message of the end of days, and much more. I’m just about to go pick up our robes at the dry cleaners. It’ll be fun!
And looking at it from the other side of the mirror: What is SSCB looking forward to during this mission to Grand Rapids?
We love Grand Rapids. We will likely eat poke bowls while we are inside of it. We will commune with extended family, and meet new friends. With any luck, we will make some new converts to our dark purpose. Every day we get to don the robes and speak the truth is a good day, especially when it’s a beautiful Sunday in Grand Rapids!
