bios

Meet the who-whats? What's a metrolite? Why doesn't Scott take his pants off on stage anymore? All good, well-articulated questions. First of all, a metrolite is a bus stop advertisement. It's also a model of baby carriage. But we're so much more than those. We formed in the spring of 2002, all restless musicians seeking a way to amuse ourselves. The band was formed to give us misfits an outlet where we could play the diverse genres of music we all love while putting on an entertaining show for our audiences. "We shall call ourselves Metropolis Cosmopolis!" said Scott. "No -- the Haunted Socialites!" said someone else. One day Kathleen mumbled the two proposed names together and the new monkier was born. The Metrolites are the next logical step in the musical direction taken by the legendary Quad Cities band the Kabalas (formed in the early '90s by Neal and Scott). Towards the end of the Kabalas' reign, the polkadelic klezmer had given way to a new, loungy, lush (pun fully intended) sound. The Metrolites now explore that sound with hints of surf, spy, crime jazz, spaghetti western, rockabilly, sci-fi, noir, and lounge music. Our originals and carefully selected cover tunes are all of these types of music and more, creating a soundtrack for your life. Now... let's meet the players...

Nervy, a.k.a. Dr. Spacepants, is THE sax man of the Quad Cities. His shiny pants don't even begin to hint at his specialness. He has worked with so many artists and groups, we're not even going to list them. Okay, maybe a few... Neal has performed with the Kabalas, Noble Spirit, and even Alex Chilton. But you can't have him. He's ours.

You may recognize Scott as the accordian-playing frontman of the Kabalas, but his virtuosity on loathed instruments doesn't stop there. How about xylophone AND ukelele? In between the Kabalas and the Metrolites Scott formed a '20s and '30s Tin Pan Alley/flapper jazz group called the Anachronistics with Josh and Neal. You may also know him from the Scary Tweezers, a punk rock band he fronted in the '80s and '90s, influenced by his days as a first-generation punker. Scott was in Catseye with Devin and Kathleen. The man has even played on Muzak recordings. The wonders of Scott never cease. He currently performs with Josh Duffee and his Orchestra on xylophone.

Josh is a young'un still but he's accomplished much. As a drum student of the late Joel Dick (drummer of the Kabalas), he got hands-on musical experience from the hard-living, hard-partying klez kats of kool. After playing in the Anachronistics with Scott and Neal, Josh formed the 15-piece big band Josh Duffee and his Orchestra. The orchestra plays early jazz in the style of Jean Goldkette and became the first Quad Cities-based band to headline the Bix Society Jazz Fest in 25 years.

Kathleen is not only a girl, but she also plays guitar! Left-handed! She, along with Devin, likes to tug the band in the direction of that heathen rock and roll music. She's been playing guitar for about twelve years and previously played with Scott and Devin in the folk-punk band Catseye.