Happy Talk Band is a favorite local dive bar band steeped in classic alt country-rock and fueled by the wry wit of frontman and songwriter Luke Spurr Allen. With subjects that explore murder, booze, exotic dancing, and “easy listening for the dystopian funhouse on the horizon,” Happy Talk Band’s tunes keep audiences engaged and entertained. Nowadays, Allen and original member Bailey Smith on lead guitar join forces with former Morning 40 Federation rhythm section Steve Calandra on bass and Mike Andrepont on drums, along with Casey McAllister on keyboards (and theremin) and the iconoclastic songwriter and guitarist Alex McMurray. Records out on the Piety Street label include the 2004 Total Death Benefit, There There (2007) and Starve A Fever (2010).