Deutschtown Music Festival Artist Spotlight–Fuck Yeah, Dinosaurs!

Part 2 of the 2019 Deutschtown Music Festival In Review

Fuck Yeah, Dinosaurs! are Pittsburgh’s resident dino-punkers. From what I can tell, they’re into two things: herbal tea and prehistoric mammals. Just kidding; they like beer and dinosaurs, of course.

After The Petals’ set at Max’s Allegheny Tavern ended, the first night of my Deutschtown Music Festival experience continued at St. Mary’s Lyceum on Chestnut St, a smoky pool hall/dive bar that was about 110 degrees inside, and muggy, like a Jurassic rainforest. I decided to go and see Fuck Yeah, Dinosaurs! on a whim, because how could you see that band name on an event brochure and then abstain from listening to the corresponding music?

Merriam-Webster defines the word lyceum as “a hall for public lectures or discussions.” On July 12th, the denizens of St. Mary’s were treated to a fast-paced, ridiculously fun musical lecture on dinosaurs, backed, of course, by breakneck drums, guitar, and bass. Many erudite topics were covered: dinosaurs drinking beer, dinosaurs playing hockey, dinosaurs on drugs, you name it. FYD’s lyrics are fantastical and absurd, describing the daily lives of ancient beasts that just want to get through the day without falling into a tarpit. The music is hard-charging–this is punk, after all–but comes complete with poppy melodies and sticky hooks. I found myself humming the “Hey, hey, hey!” refrain from “Primordial Ooze” (a song that also interpolates the theme from Jurassic Park) for days afterward.

The band’s lead singer (not sure of his name, I did about 10 minutes of unsuccessful internet sleuthing and gave up) really knew how to put on a show, gyrating and gesticulating with an eccentric-yet-knowing flair not found in artists who take themselves overly seriously. I suppose you’ve gotta have some fun if you’re going to be singing from the perspective of a stegosaurus that got sick from eating too much ice cream.

The highlight of the show for me was when the singer donned a dinosaur hand puppet while performing “T-Rex Arms,” a song whose lyrics consist of, “You’ve got T-Rex arms/You don’t know how to use ’em/Stupid humans/And your fucked up drinking games.” Several front row audience members were brutally chomped by the puppet’s set of plush teeth.

FYD expanded on their own back catalogue, too, including in their setlist a cover of fellow local artist Weird Paul Petrosky’s masterpiece “Pay For Your Tacos Quickly And Securely.” I had never heard this song before, but it made me want to order Taco Bell quickly, securely, and immediately on my phone. Even without this final stroke of genius, the set would’ve been a blast. Very glad I decided to stay out a bit later than expected and listen to some dino-core.

Check out the rest of Fuck Yeah, Dinosaurs!’s album Jurassic Drunks and make sure to like them on Facebook.