Feast on Pittsburgh’s delicious Grand Buffet

The Grand Buffet Cigarette BeachRecord Release Party

Grand Buffet…

The Grand Buffet Cigarette BeachRecord Release Party

Grand Buffet

With The Modey Lemon, Sage Francis, Sole and Evolution Control

Club Laga

Tonight, 10:30 p.m.

$10 at the door

All ages

(412) 682-2050

Stick around after tonight’s Casualties show at Club Laga for even more craziness: Freestyle rhymers Grand Buffet are back in town to release their latest recording, Cigarette Beach.

Lord Grunge (a.k.a. Fred Durts) and Grape-a-don, Grand Buffet’s current lineup, put on their shows using only a few mics and amps, electronic beats from a laptop and props such as jumpsuits and inflatable penises.

Grand Buffet has been around Pittsburgh since 1997, though both members are not originally native to the area. They performed at venues such as the Beehive, Millvale Industrial Theatre and Graffiti before they were defunct. Through their extensive touring, the white hip-hop duo is known around the country for their unpredictable, often hilarious, onstage antics.

“We met in high school, we go to movies a lot,” Lord Grunge said, explaining how the two got together.

Grand Buffet recorded all four of their records, Scrooge McRock, Undercover Angels, Sparkle Classic and Cigarette Beach in their home studio, using two Macintosh computers.

“[Cigarette Beach] is the quickest thing we’ve ever done,” Grunge said. “Twenty percent of it was done over a year, then 80 percent was done within a week.”

The 25-minute Cigarette Beach, contains a wealth of Batman references that are explained during the outro.

In the tradition of groups such as The Bloodhound Gang and The Beastie Boys, Grand Buffet couple suburbia-themed rhymes about junk food, arcades, capture-the-flag and God with minimal electronic beats and sounds, occasional sampling and noise. Grand Buffet retain a benevolent off-kilter style on their albums, occasionally letting out some aggression, but usually directing it at authority figures of some type, which are often baby-sitters and businessmen.

Grand Buffet unite both hip-hop and indie rock crowds, because of their unique style and lasting friendships and performances with other local independent musicians. They have performed often with groups more toward the rock end of the spectrum, such as two-man drums/guitar/Moog fit The Modey Lemon and lo-fi musical comedian Weird Paul.

Modey Lemon and Grand Buffet even went as far as to spontaneously join forces a few summers ago to form a supergroup known as The Four Seasons Boys while performing at The Four Seasons campground in Central Pennsylvania Lord Grunge said.

The campground’s show promoter suggested the two bands combine and finish soon, since “only four kids were watching,” Grunge said. The two groups then became “an actual rock ‘n’ roll band,” covering Bob Seger and other classic rock tunes, immediately attracting the attention of bystanders.

“I was straight-edge until The Four Seasons Boys,” Grunge said, adding that the collaboration may start up again, depending on what fans call for.

Grand Buffet also enjoyed the opportunity to tour with Wesley Willis, the quirky street musician turned touring performer. The two artists met when Grand Buffet opened Willis’ show in Pittsburgh a few years back, at a show promoted by Manny Theiner, Squirrel Hill promoter and experimental music guru. Grand Buffet also appeared on Circuits of Steel, a compilation of electronic music exclusively native to Pittsburgh arranged by Theiner.

“[Willis] grips it on that other level. People always want to hear some stupid story, but really he’s just a great person,” Grunge said.

Pittsburgh is being offered a rare opportunity to witness the spectacle that is Grand Buffet before they head out on tour once again during December, along with an equally spectacular lineup of musicians.