Hometown Sounds

You may know the distinctive Javier Diaz from the bands Spirit Plots or the newer Trajectories. His brother Nestor is a veteran of post-punk trio Golden Looks. But now, in the surreal fictional reality of The Electric Grandmother‘s new album Cancelled, the Diaz brothers are corrupt cops in the shlocky TV drama “Cop Force”, rival to the feel-good neighborhood romp “Police Department” from their previous music video. They’re probably better at violating civil rights than catching high-profile criminals, but these law enforcement officers always rock hard. Grab Cancelled for free while you can, and catch The Electric Grandmother next at the Uptown Art House on Monday October 16th.

Pete Faust, a.k.a. John Mellor, and his wife Mary Alice Hamnett, a.k.a. Donna Jo Tanner, perform what they describe as “Sitcom-core” under the name The Electric Grandmother. Their new concept album Cancelled tells the chilling tale of a man driven insane after his favorite cop-drama TV show is cancelled due to the popularity of the evil rival show “Cop Force.” The show’s theme song is the album’s first single, “Police Department Theme Song”, featuring a pair of blissful, friendly cops working the outdoor parks beat. If only DC was more like this, and less like what we imagine happens on “Cop Force”. Stronger Sex’s Johnny Fantastic turns in a quick gender-nonbinary cameo, but you’ll see their full band show open The Electric Grandmother’s album release gig on Wednesday September 6th at the Black Cat.