But Me First, which includes Fat Mike from NOFX, a couple of guys from Lagwagon, and Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, somehow pulls off atrocities like Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" by piling on fancy drum fills, snippets of vintage punk tunes and barbershop-quartet-like harmonies to back up their golden-throated crooner Spike Slawson. Claiming homage rather than satire, they've nailed Neil Diamond and Kenny Loggins on Have a Ball (1997), re-created show tunes from Evita to The Sound of Music on Are a Drag (1999), grinded their way through the hits of the '60s on Blow in the Wind (2001), and pummeled out '80s R&B jams on their latest album, Take a Break (2003).
While the connection between Barry Manilow and punk rock might seem elusive, Me First successfully bridges the gap between smelly punks and the antiquated record collections of their baby-boomer parents.