Harry Merry

"Little Dutch sailor boy" takes on an entirely new context when Harry Merry takes the stage. The Holland-based, one-man band, dressed in full nautical regalia, puts on a bizarre freakout circus that's both riveting and uncomfortable to watch. Goofball lyrics modulate from a high Pee Wee Herman-inspired timbre to Draculian low growls in a mixture of Dutch, broken English and adult goo-goo gah-gah, especially in cult hits like "Moody Bus Driver" and "Sharki Supermachine." It's unclear why he dresses and acts the part of a Dutch seafarer — maybe it's in response to his hometown of Rotterdam, southern Holland's version of gentrification, where quaint wooden windmills have been replaced by EuroPort's money-hungry steel versions flexing their metallic muscles. Whatever the inspiration, Harry Merry's music is some weird, wild stuff. We've been told that he may perform solo or with a band. The latter could be a problem because dude's English ain't so good, but that could make things more interesting — though imagining so seems impossible.