Cheese On Bread is an indie-pop band, currently residing in both New York City and Philadelphia. Known for their mix of goofy subject-matters and catchy melodies, they are heavily associated with the Anti-Folk movement. Their two lead singers are Dan Fishback, a homosexual male, and Sara FitzSimmons, a heterosexual female. Though heterosexual men comprise the rest of the band, they are known for dealing with queer and feminist issues.

Beginnings

Cheese On Bread began as a twee-folk duo in 2002, when Dan Fishback and Sara FitzSimmons met as students at the University of Pennsylvania. FitzSimmons was studying biology, while Fishback was crafting an individualized major about self-narrative and American identity. They began crafting songs together, and frequently played them at a local campus open mic night that FitzSimmons co-produced. The band, which began as a joke, gathered steam as the duo was bombarded with invitations to perform. Early on in their career, they opened for now-defunct electro-pop act Atom & His Package, and were featured in Ladyfest Philadelphia.

Bush Dick = Fucked

During the lead up to U.S. invasion of Iraq, Fishback became heavily involved in University's anti-war movement. He organized several leftist benefit concerts, around which a vital but ephemeral Penn rock scene emerged, including prog-jam-funk band For Sale, folk-pop girl band Makeshift, folk-rockers Sustaining Simple, electro-performance artist Shiragirl, and, of course, Cheese On Bread. After numerous performances at The Loft, an underground performance space, Fishback and FitzSimmons began to solidify their aesthetic of child-like harmonies and frenzied, bouncy melodies. Shiragirl later became the founder and organizer of an all-girl stage at on the Vans Warped Tour.

Four Slices

Before the school year came to a close, the duo recorded a four-song demo called "Four Slices: a demo." The demo was produced by close friend Matthew Keesan, For Sale's electric guitarist. Though they sold it only to friends, the recording mysteriously made its way to Philadelphia's City Paper, where an enthusiastic review begged the band for a new CD. They haphazardly began recording more tracks with Keesan, with most of the sessions transpiring in the summer of 2003, after Fishback had graduated Penn, and was living in New York City.

NYC Anti-Folk

After one week in New York, Fishback attended the legendary Anti-Hootenany at the Sidewalk Cafe, the hub of the Anti-Folk movement. Though a fan of Anti-Folk acts like The Moldy Peaches and The Babyskins, Fishback did not guess the correlation between the movement and the club until he arrived. He soon became a fixture on the scene, and brought Sara to the city for frequent performances, leading up to the November 2003 pre-release of their debut full-length album, "Maybe Maybe Maybe Baby."

New Friends

Fishback and FitzSimmons soon befriended members of many Anti-Folk acts, such as Huggabroomstik, Schwervon, Urban Barnyard, The Babyskins and Dream Bitches. Noteable among them, Dibson Hoffweiler of Huggabroomstik, a 20-year-old NYU computer programmer, took interest in the duo. Fishback assigned him the job of Cheese On Bread intern, bringing Hoffweiler along to shows in Philadelphia for labor and conversation. Meanwhile, FitzSimmons began collaborating with Kevin Kelly, a doctoral student in music composition at the University of Pennsylvania. After many jam sessions and live guest appearances, the trio of Kelly, Hoffweiler and Keesan became known as "Side of Fries," the Cheese On Bread backing band. By July, 2004, the group had absorbed drummer Daoud Tyler-Ameen of Urban Barnyard and Art Sorority 4 Girls. The sextet made their New York debut at the "Maybe Maybe Maybe Baby" CD Re-Release party. The album was re-released on Luv-a-Lot Records, an Anti-Folk recording collective.

A Real Band

Cheese On Bread spent much of 2004 and early 2005 honing their new bombastic rock band sound with new drummer Gregg Mervine of the Klez Dispensers. The group became known for wild, bacchanalian shows, which would often climax with the entire band collapsing on the floor with their instruments and equipment. Side of Fries was subsequently absorbed into Cheese On Bread proper. During this period, the band received numerous positive reviews in the United States and the United Kingdom, in such publications as Time Out New York and The Advocate. With stand-up comic Jessica Delfino, they began co-curating The Cheese On Bread Variety Show Party, a performance art showcase at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn.

Touring, Maturing

In the spring of 2005, Mervine left the band, and the remaining members regrouped as a milder, more musical quintet. They took their new, less chaotic act on the road that summer with New York rock band The Bloodsugars. "The Search For Colonel Mustard" took them all around the eastern half of the United States. Well-received by chic urbanites and hearty rural folk as well, Cheese On Bread ended the tour with a more refined sound and a catalogue of new songs.

The Future

Reportedly, Cheese On Bread is preparing to record its sophomore full-length album.

The Current Line-Up

Sara FitzSimmons: voice, keyboards, claves<br>
Dan Fishback: voice, acoustic guitar, extra percussion<br>
Dibson Hoffweiler: acoustic guitar, drums<br>
Matthew Keesan: electric guitar, keyboards<br>
Kevin Kelly: bass guitar, drums

Notable Quotes

"I would be so vegan, you could feed me to other vegans." - I Like Cheese<br>
"Sexy anarchist boy, I ask you on a date, and you say, 'No, it'll just happen.'" - Sexy Anarchist Boy<br>
"You look fine. Your body is as good as mine. And I'm dead sexy." - Stepping Out of Ketosis<br>
"Sometimes you gotta shake the hand that's covered in your blood. Cause then at least you might get some of your blood back." - Shakin' Hands<br>
"I feel like brand new strings on a piece of shit guitar." - The Kiss Song

External links

Official Website<br>
Dan Fishback's Official Website<br>
Dibson Hoffweiler's Official Website<br>
Antifolk Website<br>
Luvalot Records Website<br>

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