Artist The Extraordinaires

For seven years, wacky Philly rockers The Extraordinaires have charmed crowds with their creative, spirited take on folk-punk, crafting whimsical, feel-good tunes with storybook lyrics (about arsonists, cacti, and Christopher Columbus) and performing them live with a notable amount of fanfare—think bear hats, dance breaks, and a fish-shaped guitar—with an end result that’s as likely to attract your six-year-old cousin as yourself. Along the way, they’ve also released 3 LPs, uniquely packaged as home-made hard-bound books, and a 7” playable board game; they’ve also hit the road with bands like Man Man and Gogol Bordello. But the core of the band’s appeal has always been heart, in the Captain Planet sense (yeah, we went there), so clear in the obvious care that goes into each LP-book and the frenetic commitment in each spastic dance move.

Updated 05/25/2011