Mrs. Fletcher R.I.P.

By the pricking of my thumbs something wicked this way comes, Ray Bradbury's words recounted to introduce Memphis band Mrs. Fletcher. Well, okay not wicked like globalization or preemptive warfare but more like the Aqua-Teen Hunger Force in a remake of Nosferatu.Formed in 1999 as the world prepared for a millennia meltdown, Mrs. Fletcher was held in a garage making the most of their last few days in civilization. The result was a hybrid rock sound with soluble epidermis that sucks you into the band's demented dimension that ripples just left of reality. Thankfully the cybergeddon was premature and the band decided that together they were quite a force.Mrs. Fletcher's name stands boldly on the Memphis heavy scene: Fletcher tees and stickers graffiti walls and humans alike. Their demo tapes have permanent homes in stereos around town, pulsating a subliminal message of what was to come. Official releases :Homestyle Suicide Devices (2001), The Evil EP (2002), and "If Jesus Is My Co-Pilot Then The Devil's Riding Bitch" (2004) offered soundtracks to counter-culture life for five spooky kids. A faithful defender of heavy music, the quintet (that sounds so wholesome) is influenced by the larger than life reverberation of acts such as Faith No More, Clutch and Marilyn Manson. But you can't ignore the flashbacks to Ziggy Stardust, the Misfits, and the Ramones.Mrs. Fletcher is always willing to push over practicalities and expectations to intensify their live show, no severing of appendages or anything (just wait for the Mrs. Fletcher Farewell Tour 1 when cutting off arms and legs will enliven the old age performance). To date live show highlights include the group's Halloween extravaganza where they dressed as their favorite characters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Then there are their old school, bootleg power, street gigs under the Sistine Chapelesque entrance to a historic Beale Street venue or the groundbreaking IMAX theater performance opening for the premiere of horror film Darkness Falls (The unusual show was touted the following week in the local alternative weekly as "cool" (whatever that means).Ask any member of the band to describe their sound and you�ll get confused looks. They understand they are different, but humbly wonder why anyone could be so stunned - Weaned on shock T.V., lifelike video games and the search for flesh and blood self in a microchip operated world. The result is heavy yet melodic, aggressive while often swooningly emotional, and lacking self-pity or apologies. Imagine a cherry red Popsicle left on the sidewalk in the middle of summer. As it melts and permeates the ground it leaves a stain. Now lets try a metaphor or two - the ground represents the world, the cherry Popsicle equates society and Mrs. Fletcher is that crimson colored sticky sweet stain.