The Crash Test Dummies are (and were) unique and weird (in a cool way) among '90s pop stars who are still raging. There's the uncommonly deep baritone of lead singer Brad Roberts (which he attributes to a fictitious third testicle) and a lyrical lexicon with words like “bronchi,” “phalanges,” and “nomenclature." While most of the songs are based around the acoustic guitar, the Dummies are equally apt to jettison rock & roll for country, a funeral dirge, or a Celtic reel. The 1991 single "Superman" was a hit in their native Canada but it was the 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet that made the Dummies famous worldwide finding fans of all ages at multiple radio formats. “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," the humming song about blue hair and birthmarks, had everyone from soccer moms to metal-heads singing along. "Weird Al" Yankovic even parodied the song in 1994 with "Headline News." The band remains delightfully original and entertaining and we are excited to have them visiting Bombyx to brighten up a bleak midwinter Saturday night.

Opening the show is Canadian singer-songwriter Carleton Stone, a founding member of the band Port Cities and a solo artist with three albums to his credit. On his third solo album, the self-produced Papercut – armed with a couple lifetimes of songwriting and touring in his rear view mirror, he reveals his most candid songwriting to date woven through sax-blasted Americana, power-pop laced with ‘80s synth, and dreamy, sophisticated pop melodies.