The Coctails

Clever lads who combined multi-instrumental swank with design-school savvy, the Coctails were one of the most creative bands to circulate on the Chicago indie scene in the early '90s. Mark Greenberg, Archer Prewitt, Barry Phipps and John Upchurch played everything under the sun and never recorded the same kind of record twice—horribly confounding trendies who mistook the band's name, and Greenberg's effervescent vibraphone, as evidence of its "lounge rock" status. The Coctails' catalog (distributed on its own Carrot Top and Hi-Ball labels) is a gumball-machine of styles, from sugared power pop to quasi-ambient soundscapes. There's lots of experimentation and novelty, including a jazz homage (1993's Long Sound), a 7-inch EP of children's songs (Songs for Children, natch) and a companion edition of Yuletide jingles (Winter Wonderland).

The band's Christmas reunion show wasn't supposed to be a theme gig, but since the opening act is called Holiday Music there has been some confusion. In true Coctails fashion, the quartet is embracing this and will "holiday it up a little bit," Greenberg tells TOC. Though Prewitt, in particular, has enjoyed a busy, post-Coctails career (playing in the Sea and Cake as well as on his own solo albums), the outfit toured Japan this year and recorded some new songs. Expect to hear those, as well as flashbacks to the group's entire career.

The musicians, whose knack for marketing suggests a tongue-in-cheek art project that got out of hand, also will introduce their new line of Coctails action figures designed by Prewitt and on sale both at Rotofugi (where you can get them autographed) and at the Sunday 18 show—stick 'em under the tree for the collector on your list. See "Guys and Dolls".—Steve Dollar