Punk band Potty Mouth plays vulgar Valentines day set

Alternative band Potty Mouth opened their Valentine’s Day set at Players Pub Friday evening with their song, “Granny Was a Tranny.”

Lead guitarist Levi “Salad Fork” Hovis-Tedrow said the first time they were booked at the pub, the woman in charge of booking said they would only be allowed to play if they didn’t play any “potty mouth kind of stuff.” The band responded by telling her their band name.

The show began shortly after midnight and went on for about an hour and a half. Between songs, lead vocalist Austin “Butter Knife” Clayton riled up the crowd with lewd jokes and witty humor.

The band combines fast-pace punk rock songs with a variety of acoustic country songs to form their sound, but they experiment with all genres. Their first song was basically reggae, Clayton said.

Audience member Jackie Morris has been a fan of Potty Mouth since they formed more than three years ago.

“I have never seen them play a show here before,” Morris said. “But every time they play at a different place they kind of draw in new people.”

Potty Mouth formed when Hovis-Tedrow and Zach “Steak Knife” Frasier — also members of the band Fire Engine Red — teamed up with Clayton Tyler “Tablespoon” Reeves.

Hovis-Tedrow said Potty Mouth came together after Clayton played with them in Fire Engine Red for the first time.

“Then afterward we were hanging out and Austin said, ‘We should start a punk band,’” Hovis-Tedrow said. “I was kind of on the edge, but Zach said, ‘Yeah, we have to.’”

The band soon decided the name for their band.

“Shit Lips was one of the ideas, and then we decided that Shit Lips may be a good album idea for a band named Potty Mouth,” Hovis-Tedrow said.

“I remember Sister Hazel Anus really stuck out, but then we finally decided on Potty Mouth.”

He said he thinks they live up to the name Potty Mouth.

Many of the lyrics written by Clayton have crude connotations. Nathan Little, a fan, described the band’s music as being a forthright expression.

“If you can listen to it and have a good laugh about it, and also at the same time recognize the musicianship behind it, more power to you,” Little said. “But I think in a sense it is supposed to be offensive to certain people. Sensitive people.”

The vulgarity of some lyrics and stage banter occasionally limits the venues the band can play.

“We got banned from the Comedy Attic,” Clayton said. “They told us we were too vulgar to play there again.”

Potty Mouth has performed at Rhino’s Youth Center, Amused and various house parties.

Unlike some punk rock groups, Potty Mouth focuses little on political messages and more upon musicianship, band camaraderie and having a good time, Clayton said.

“We are pretty particular about our sound,” Hovis-Tedrow said. “We see things kind of differently.”

Clayton said he agreed the band takes an unconventional approach to music.

“Punk rockers are very proud people,” Clayton said. “The thing is, anyone can be in a punk rock band and anyone can play she-left-me-on-our-anniversary-type country music, but we are something different.”