Murder City Devils' Spencer Moody: Five Reasons He Fucking Rules

Spencer Moody and his beard.

Spencer Moody, who played with the Murder City Devils, is playing the Hemlock Tavern this Sunday. And if you care about rock 'n' roll and punk and experimentation and all that is right with music, you will squeeze your ass into that tiny, little, dark room and go watch him. Here are five reasons Spencer Moody fucking rules.

1. Sometimes he's a bit scary -- in a good way

Any Murder City Devils fan on earth will tell you that, on stage, Spencer Moody looks like he's about two drinks away from being the half-naked crazy guy on a corner in the Tenderloin at 2 a.m., loudly delivering a slurred sermon in which everyone on earth gets sent to hell because his heart got broken. Watch this video -- he even does it in the middle of the day, at massive festivals, where no one understands what the hell he's trying to do:



2. He is a genuine, bonafide maverick

Moody in his junk shop, The Anne Bonny

When he's not making music, Spencer Moody writes poetry for books with titles like Dear JD Salinger, I Forgive You. Signed, Yoko. Also -- and we're really sad this no longer exists -- he used to have an antique/junk shop in Seattle named The Anne Bonny, after an infamous lady pirate. Spencer Moody does whatever the fuck he wants, whenever the fuck he wants, regardless of what he was doing five minutes ago. And then he just wanders off and does something else. He's keeping the punk rock spirit alive, baby!

3. He doesn't want you to remember his band's name, okay?


Who calls a band Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death? Spencer Moody does -- along with Andrea Zollo from Pretty Girls Make Graves (on drums) and some other awesome dudes. We saw the band play in Elbo Room a few years ago -- and it was an amazing, weird, compelling show. We spent the entire set vowing to tell all our friends to listen to this lunacy the next day. Sadly, we'd forgotten what the band was called by the time we got home. We can't help but admire such willful awkwardness.

4. He's just as great at doing crazy dramatic, emotional songs, like this...




5. ... As he is at writing crazy-party drinking music, like this:



Spencer Moody plays the Hemlock Tavern this Sunday, Feb. 24, 10:30pm, $7. In all likelihood, it will be awesome.