"I showed up about halfway through the set of 'the bad things'....coming in time to burst into the scene and be totally tickled and enthused by the group that brilliantly laid out the stage for firewater.  the bad things is a group...playing a glorious assortment of instruments: from accordion to banjo to contrabass, saw, and even dobro!  The performers go by names such as 'the pickpocket,''stanislov the gypsy,''captain panto,' and 'lord kamke,' and have a total gypsy/pirate-vibe going (as you can probably imagine!).The group had the most success with upbeat tracks...encouraging the lively, rollicking spirit they pulled off so well that felt so infectious (and PERFECT for the occasion).  When they stuck to the bizzarre, morbid, and sinister, strumming instruments with flourish and singing with devilish looks in their eyes...then I was totally delighted.  I imagined all the best of the fictional pirate troops; and usually, wicked grins don't make me bounce bemusedly, but 'the bad things' had the ability to induce even the most unexpected of reactions.  "junkyard waltzes and shameless shanties," their website says.  There's no way I could describe it any better myself."

- Review of The Bad Things with Firewater at Chop Suey.  Posted by Sophie Lippert on the Seattle Post Intellgencer blog site:  www.seattlepi.com

" Welcome to The Bad Things universe, a place where anything from drunk carnies to flights of fancy can and will happen....

The Bad Things are the fantastical phoenix that rose from the ashes of Seattle's A Midnite Choir.  They combine beautiful traditionals, humor darker than Hitchcock film noir could ever dream of being, a punk/goth rock feel, and delectable circus-like delights to form a fabulous new sound best described as junkyard gypsy goth.

If you're a  fan of danceable music that will get you noticed in a crowd, this group is definitely for you!  They're unlike anything you've ever heard, because they combine the best of "everything" you've ever heard.  They're so good, the only explanation is that they've crossed the line from genius over to insanity - and enjoyed the trip!

-Mind o'Mousie website

"Seattle's The Bad Things have a pedigree that's hard for me to argue with: they pulled a phoenix by growing out of the ashes of the great A Midnite Choir. While the 'Choir was an intimate trio The Bad Things have blossomed into a wonderfully complex ensemble of (at least) six performers. And they are performers. They evoke characters on stage, they entertain with a show. But at the heart of it all they're talented musicians.

"Vaudeville Show" is their second release and continues to explore the band's scruffy and dark, yet entertaining, world view. At its essence vaudeville was like watching television without being able to control the remote: every few minutes the channel would change and a new performer would appear to try to grab your attention. The ,,Bad Things understand the audiences desire for constant variety. The instrumentation on this CD is wonderfully varied and any number of song styles are plundered. This recording has polkas, waltzes, sea shanties, circus themes and junkyard cabaret.

This is a well rounded album, it's peppered with sinister asides (thanks to Seth "Danny Dead" Witz) and tempered with instrumentals. It can make you laugh as on the slightly scatological introduction of "The Bad Things Vaudeville Show" or the gleefully mean-spirited Spike Jones-meets-Dead Kennedys rave up of "Kill Yourself". But they're not always a scream... at least not in a comedic way.

Th Bad Things have developed a reputation as a dance band. True there are danceable elements and it's refreshing to see an audience actually DANCE (as opposed to drunkenly bashing into each other). But the songs are so frequently funeral and bleak that you'll stop waltzing to slit your wrists.

Don't worry about getting lost in such an assortment of sound. On "Vaudeville Show" the band has created a loose story line for you to follow from piece to piece. The concept album strategy isn't really necessary, it's interesting and fun but the songs all hold up on their own. Because, at their heart, The Bad Things know that to be a great band means writing wonderful songs that are catchy and moving.

Their skill at song writing is illustrated no better than on the song "The Breaking". The two greatest themes in storytelling are falling in love and falling OUT of love. It should come as no surprise that the end of a relationship is what would appeal to these musical freebooters. accordionist/singer Jimmy "The Pickpocket" Berg and percussionist/singer Stephanie "Miss Funi" McLaughlin trade verses reminding each other why they got together and why the can't stay together any longer. "The Breaking" is a classic of the lost (or losing) love genre. It shows that the end of a relationship is a ghost of what it started to be, Love becomes a revenant of hope, possibility echoes itself in a list of regrets. If you can't hear your life in this dirge waltz then you've never had a real love to lose. Yet the darkness of the song is still balanced by the band's bitter humor.

The Bad Things know that you're here for the show, for entertainment. They are a vaudeville act in that they help us forget our problems for awhile, we get caught up in it all. In a way it's too bad that the band is performing now because they may have missed their perfect venue: The Bad Things should have been playing the ballroom when the Titanic went down."

Jordn - Sepiachord.com
 

""It's only natural that a city with a healthy cabaret scene would sprout a band like the Bad Things.  A mix of old-world revelry  and punk-rock grit, the Bad Things' music is a twisted carnival of Gypsy folk, klezmer music, and Appalachian balladry.  They evoke an atmostphere both chilling and wine-soaked, like a party being held at the edge of the world.  Fitting for a band that calls itself "Music of the Post-Apocalyptic Depression Era."

Brian J.Barr -Seattle Weekly

"If you've been wondering what "traditional post-apocalyptic music" sounds like, well The Bad Things will demonstrate.  Formed from the aftermath of A Midnite Choir, they play folk and Americana laced with punk rock and dementia" 

The Stranger"s 2007 Bumbershoot guide

Death by Accordion

"My own technical problem plagued performance aside, Tuesday night the 19th at Mr. T's Bowl was a truly enigmatic experience. Not one to toot my own horn (or squeeze my own bellows, although I do do it on occasion), I won't call attention to the pounding, droning, hypnotic ("... you are feeling agitated... head for the door... you are feeling agitated... head for the door...") performance I laid at the doorstep of my Mr. T's debut. Nor will I linger too long on the set cranked out by LA locals the Cat Hair Ensemble, although their uncanny mix of waltz, tango, russian cher, and cubicle unrest is obviously incomparable (definitely in a good way).

What I really want to get to is the sheer beauty of despair woven over the entire room by the timeless and timely Bad Things. Packing into their van a drum kit, stand-up bass, banjo, guitar, mandolin, musical saw, accordion, bag of inumerable tricks, several wandering souls, and a healthy dose of inclement psychological weather these purveyors of folk music for a post-apocalyptic era have headed south to pontificate a musical message of desperation, debauchery, and all the good times that come with questionable behavior.

What I really want to know is, why has it taken so long for them to come to town... and when are they coming back? Because, if come back they do, anyone who did not come out on Tuesday night for their Southern California debut had best take my recommendation and go see them. Never has a band made such lamentable situations as arson, cannibalism, alcoholism, and sheer nihilism so much fun without losing the sarcastic big picture that we are all in this together and had better do something about it... even if it is just coming to terms with the possibility that all that can really be done is to laugh about it all. It's all going to burn anyways, so the least we can do is all laugh together as it goes up in flames.

And if being philosophically and cranially challenged is simply not your thing, watching Miss Funi contort like a living, flesh and blood rhythm machine is worth the price of admission alone. She will swing all manner of percussion instruments in her mesmerizing hands, dazzle you with a pounding tamborine on her hip, rake your senses with the venerable washboard tie, and make you a witness to what must be the first brasierre steel drum set solo in notated musical history... and all the while supplying a vocal range that reaches from the dark, forlorn depths to the winged, haloed heights. I'm sorry... I waxed poetic.

Experience Seattle's The Bad Things. It is not a matter of "seeing" or "hearing" them... it's truly a situation where "experiencing" is the only acceptable verb available. There is nothing better that you could possibly have to do. Take it from all of us who went to Mr. T's Bowl on Tuesday night.

The end of the world is suddenly only the beginning."

Squeezebox Sam - reviews The Bad Things Los Angeles debut

"Musically, the highlight tonight is an oddball band called The Bad Things, led by vocalist Jimmy the Pickpocket.  He sings over a cacophony of accordion, saw, banjo, mandolin, concertina, and glockenspiel.  You can hear why they call it "Post-apocalyptic Depression-Era" music..."

Tom Scanlin - The Seattle Times

"Halloween and rock 'n' roll are natural bedfellows, so it comes as no surprise that this week brings a wide array of entertainment options for people who prefer to mix the macabre with the musical. My pick for the most perfect pairing is the Bad Things, a band of lovable, local loonies who have garnered themselves a slavish cult following, thanks to their wickedly weird, devious carnival soundtrack. Working with the intriguing, antiquated ingredients of traditional klezmer music, Appalachian balladry, and a strong streak of Gypsy-folk and Mexican influences, the Bad Things are both charming and creepy. If your idea of a good time includes ghostly accordion playin', German clowns, diminutive deviants offering disquieting spoken-word interludes, aerialists, a darkly beautiful siren leading you astray, or just a general sense of old-world rapture colliding with modern punk sensibilities, then the Bad Things will leave you delighted." 

Hannah Levin - The Stranger

"As you can tell from the title, The Bad Things are a twisted bunch of players. You might assume they know their Brecht from their Brel and they say ten 'ave Tom Waits' each night. The singer calls himself 'Jimmy the Pickpocket' and the rest have equally fancy nicknames. Either you'll know it's for you or hate it.

"Thy Will Be Done" is like an Americana song seen though a prism of gaudy cabaret. "Angel's Disguise" features a musical saw while Jimmy sings of meeting a bewildering girl. "Kill Yourself" is a very merry, very Waitsy song giving spiteful advice to the angel girl of the previous song. "All The clowns Are Now Garbage Collectors" is an ace title for a great song.

The Bad things are a great group and their vaudeville show is most inspired."

- Anna Maria Stjärnell - Luna Kafe.com
 

"As an avid fan of the novel "Geek Love" and all things reeking of Coney Island, I find that (The Bad Things) demented carnival tunes - as featured on their new album "Vaudeville Show" resonate vividly in my addled brain." 

- Kurt B. Reighley -"Border Radio" The Stranger
 

"The punk influence...courses through the sesibility of The Bad Things...the outfit mixes folk, mountain music, and Klezmer into a seamless and delerious live show...the (instruments) might all be acoustic, but the energy is bare wire punk, with a joy buzzer of hilbilly thrown in for good measure." 

-Nate Lippens - "Drunk By Noon" The Stranger
 

"I never would have imagined such a display of carnival-esque debauchery. I was simultaneously delighted, amused, turned-on (!!), horrified, and inspired. The audience this band draws to shows are as much a part of the circus scene as the band itself."
 

- Erinn J. Hale - photographer for Three Imaginary Girls

"...if you're looking for junkyard polkas in the graveyard at midnight, look no further.  The Bad Things have dug up the remains of all the Gypsy-folk, Klezmer bands in the graveyard, set them ablaze, and danced around the fire singing some alcoholic hillbilly rave-up about dust, death, and the devil."
 

-Barnacle Brian - Shite N' Onions Zine
 

"I was invited to a show by the band The Bad Things on Saturday, the 11th of December. My friends and I headed out to a place called The Flying Kangaroo in Georgetown, Seattle. (editors note: it's actually the Firebreathing Kangaroo!) When we arrived we discovered it was basically a party house for squatter punks, but that the place had hosted plenty of shows and earlier that day had been the end destination for a performance group of bicyclists who dressed in war-paint and odd costumes. Many of them still lingered around for the upcoming show.

The only bands on the bill were The Bad Things, with a guy by the name of Pipsqueak as an opening act. I was looking forward to The Bad Things after hearing their music for the first time about a month ago and having several friends claiming to be true fans.

(The Bad Things) are a band of misfits making a sound similar to old world European gypsy music, with just a hint of the punks they keep company with. The band was comprised of a male and female singer who played washboard and accordion as well, a banjo, a drummer, a guitar, a stand up bass, and a wheel-chaired dwarf vocalist with a tambourine. Their look alone deems them cooler than most. Their set was solid with lots of folk styles alike to polka and waltz formats. Occasionally one of the band members took breaks from their preferred instruments to play the saw or the liquor bottle handed to them.

Their songs mustered images of sad faced vaudeville characters and farmers singing to their sheep beneath paper moons. PickPocket and DiTolvo, the duet who sang such sad songs looked a perfect match for the words they gave forth. He appeared as a drunken dirty-faced young man who could have just returned from the coal mines to put down a few pints before the pub closed. And lovely DiTolvo though beautiful in so many ways had a curve to her smile that hinted that everything wasn't all together upstairs. The occasional lyrical interludes by the little man in the chair they call Danny Dead were always clear and haunting, adding another notch in the spooky belt The Bad Things wear everywhere they go. Although by this time I was two sheets to the wind with my friends Johnnie Walker and Bier I remained clearheaded enough to count the performance as one of the best shows I had seen in a year or more."
 

- Fatal Beauty.com
 

"People that claim that folk is dead in the Northwest have one thing in common: they have not seen the Bad Things play live. Formed from the ashes of Seattle underground favorites A Midnite Choir, the Bad Things have been performing in pubs, clubs, and your local Seattle sidewalks for the past year and a half. Combining elements of gypsy, folk, klezmer, hillbilly ballads, mariachi crooners, and a vaudeville theatrical aesthetic, the group has a reputation for drunken debauchery and feverish dancing at their live shows. The instruments are all acoustic: banjo, percussion, accordion, guitar, and upright bass, and the group blends their old-fashioned style with a post-modern sense of black humor in the lyrics. Their name is derived from the Midnite Choir song "Physical Withdrawals" a twisted fable of being attacked by a demonic legion of supernatural beings in the night (Pickpocket's note: The song is actually about alcohol withdrawalsÂ…courtesy of Mr. Greg Adair!). "There's definitely a punk influence just in the way we go about it, just not with loud guitars or anything." notes Jimmy the Pickpocket, the group's lead singer and accordion Player. "It's all based (in) different kinds of folk music-Mexican, Russian, Tango, and Hillbilly. Now it's become more of our own sound."

In addition to regular appearances at the Nine Pound Hammer, The Beacon Pub, and the Funhouse, it is not uncommon to stumble upon the Bad Things playing outside Westlake Center or at the Pike Place Market in the spring and summer. "That's what this music is about, it's meant to be played on the streets." When I traveled through Europe, the one thing I really loved was seeing the gypsy musicians and accordion players out on the sidewalks. There weren't people just brushing them off; they were part of the culture. That's something that doesn't happen in America enough," adds Jimmy. However, the group has limited their appearances on the waterfront and at Pike Place because of new permits that buskers and street musicians are now required to purchase before performing. McBee (the banjo player) remarks, "The crowd you're going to encounter on the street is so different from when you play a show; it makes you proud to be a musician, especially when someone stops and pays attention. You're just kind of naked out there."

The Bad Things plan to record a full length album in May with producer Kearney Barton (known for his work with The Sonics in the sixties!), with intention of releasing it on Silent City Records, their own label."

- Robert Hanna -The Tablet Magazine