Lullabye Arkestra

A gritty guy/girl duo that combines an aggressive attitude and fights conformity through an unconventional genre clash of Motown soul and hardcore punk, Lullabye Arkestra were formed in 2001 by drummer/vocalist Justin Small of Do Make Say Think and bassist/vocalist Katia Taylor. After recording an eight-song CD-R release in their first summer of existence, titled Bzaster (not a typo), with Small's Do Make Say Think bandmates on horns, in 2002, they expanded their roster to include organist Shelton Deverell and a variety of other rotating members. Sometimes playing live as a duo, and other times including up to a dozen musicians on-stage, their sound filled out drastically over the next few years. Their 2006 release on Constellation Records, Ampgrave, took two years to construct, and included over 20 guest guests layering violin, Hammond, horns, and assorted other instruments on top of Taylor's fuzz bass and Small's drum bashing. The duo was particularly busy in 2009: as well as touring, signing to Vice Records, and singing backup on F****d Up's The Chemistry of Common Life, Small and Taylor got married. They didn't exactly settle down, though. Not long after their honeymoon, the newly christened Katia Taylor-Small and Justin Small released a much heavier follow-up to Ampgrave titled Threats/Worship, with an accompanying video for "We F**k the Night," inspired by George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, in which audience members transform into zombies and are mutilated by Lullabye Arkestra's music.