“We try to show people that it's a good thing to be an all-girl band,” says Jessica Kostelnick of the Potties. “We want to show people that we can really do it (be successful as a four-woman band, that is), but we also really want people to have fun.”
This commitment to showmanship, as well as their lust to entertain, is only partially evident on the group's debut release Clog the Toilet, Break Your Heart. The CD, for example, unlike the Potties' live shows, does not feature any incredible acrobatic maneuvers. It does, however, give some indication of how much the group enjoys playing together. Many of the songs end with a chorus of laughter and the lyrics, even those of the more serious variety, have a tongue-in-cheek quality to them that let's you know it's all in good fun. “People don't want to be told what's wrong with them,” says Kostelnick, who's shy, cordial over-the-phone demeanor gives no indication of the shrieking, unapologetic persona that's present on Clog the Toilet. “We want to offer people a brief escape from all the stuff they have to go through,” she says.
As jubilant and carefree as the Potties may often seem, Kostelnick says the band has had to endure their share of adversity. Whether it's an argument over how to spell “Sherry's” (one of the members pushed for the more grammatically correct “Sherries”) or fighting with nosy neighbors, the Potties have seen it all. “We were practicing at my house before 9 at night and my neighbor came over and demanded that we stop playing,” Kostelnick explains. “She was horribly bitchy and there hasn't been any resolution. We just see each other and growl.”
There's no doubt that these Fukrot- and Pixies-inspired punkers are committed to doing everything as a group. They design all their T-shirts, stickers, CD covers and flyers themselves and everybody in the band constantly trades off instrumental and vocal duties. “We are definitely a democracy,” Kostelnick says. “There's no lead singer in our band and there's no one on the front lines. We just all share the stage because we feel really confident when we're all together.”
The Potty Mouth Sherry's will celebrate their release of Clog the Toilet, Break Your Heart at Burt's Tiki lounge on Friday, Oct. 28. The show will feature Millard Filmore and New York's The Swanks. The Potties will also put on an acrobatics exhibition before their set. For more Potty talk, visit pottymouthsherries.com.
