Foxy Shazam

Let’s face it, folks: Rock bands are boring nowadays. No one wants to go out on a limb — musically, live, or in the press — for fear of an ever-dwindling music-buying population turning its back on the band. Luckily for us, God has given the world Foxy Shazam. Guided by frontman Eric Nally — who’s a cross between Freddie Mercury and Andy Kaufman — the Cincinnati, Ohio band doesn’t just walk the line between pop art and performance art; the quintet stomps a mudhole all over it. With piano-guided songs sounding like Meat Loaf for a new generation backing him, Nally contorts himself all over the stage, pausing only to tell bizarre stories about his life (many of which are made up, some of which — scarily — are true) or eat a handful of lit cigarettes. Part circus freak show, part standup comedy act, Foxy Shazam is exactly what rock ‘n’ roll needs.