Nailed on Cross

The Earl, Nov. 17 — Though fliers boasted an appearance by Protest Singer Ainsley McTree sandwiched between performances by Ultrababyfat and the Heroin Sheiks, by show time no one was fooled into expecting an earnest Phil Ochs wannabe. When word hit the streets that David Cross — hometown hero of HBO’s “Mr. Show” fame — was in town filming a movie and would be doing an evening of stand-up comedy at the Earl under an assumed name, it generated a buzz around town that brought more fans to East Atlanta than any tree-hugging folkie could’ve dreamed to get, no matter how poignant his protest songs.
The festivities for the evening were scheduled to begin around 10:30 p.m. with Ultrababyfat setting the night in motion. McTree was supposed to follow shortly after, and headlining act the Heroin Sheiks — featuring Shannon Selberg of the Cows — would bring the evening to a close. But alas, after it first seemed the Heroin Sheiks were fashionably late, the group proved to be too chic for its own good by not putting in an appearance at all, leaving a large track-mark in the evening’s lineup.
Finally around 11:30 p.m., Grand Moff Tarkin/Greasepaint frontman Jim Stacy appeared on stage to request a very special welcome for a man who teaches non-violent activism through puppetry at the fully accredited Acworth Vocational and Technical School; “all the way from Marietta, Georgia: Mr. Ainsley McTree!”
Sporting a fake long black beard and an acoustic guitar, McTree took the stage looking like a young, fair-skinned Shel Silverstein. As the roar from the audience subsided, McTree let out a refined chuckle as he announced that while he is indeed a protest singer, he has no idea how to play a guitar. He then eased his way through the only two songs he claimed to know, both satirically addressing pertinent social issues (mistreatment of Native Americans, oppression of women).
Soon after, one audience member yelled out a request for “Free Bird,” at which point McTree removed his beard to reveal his true identity and offer a check for 17 cents to the unruly attendee (local scenester Henry Owings) for being the “one-millionth asshole in the crowd to yell out ‘Free Bird!’”
Throughout the rest of his hour-and-10-minute set, Cross unleashed a torrent of old and new material poking fun at everything from rednecks and necrophilia to Jesus Christ. Bringing a close to his highly entertaining, often subversive comedy, Cross read selections from a book titled Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper, claiming, “[Promise Keepers] are all about keeping women down, but I’m not knocking them.” Here he proved one last time that his brand of humor was not for the easily offended or faint of heart.
Faced with the arduous task of following Cross on stage, Atlanta-based four-piece Ultrababyfat proved worthy by blazing through an hour-long set of Southern belle pop-punk. Featuring the triumphant return of bass player Britta Phillips, who has been in New York performing as a member of Luna, the group was rounded out by new drummer Shane Sanders and singer/guitarists Shonali Bhowmik and Michelle Dubois. The group held the audience by performing a solid mix of material from its upcoming, as-yet-untitled third release, along with a few older numbers as well. Drawing upon influences ranging from early Go-Go’s, David Bowie and the Pandoras, the group’s rapid-fire set of guitar-driven rock ended the night on a strong note.
In what was possibly the hippest lineup the Earl ever presented, the absence of the Heroin Sheiks (“What’s in a name,” Cross mused on learning they were a no-show) absence was hardly noticed.