Jason Trzaska and Peter Hill formed Cow Pals on a lark, following the collapse of their more sober, straight-faced indie bands, US Funk Team and Except After Sea. The financial pressures of touring and the anxiety of searching for a small press label soured both musicians on the business.
In the mood for a lighthearted project, they decided to write a series of songs around canned Casio drumbeats. The result was the 13-song album, “Eskimo Kisses,” plus a few less-than-serious DIY videos.
But these days the Casio is back in the shed in favor of Tank — US Funk Team’s mononymous drummer — and Cow Pals are officially climbing out of their camp phase. “Sometimes the funny stuff can be a double-edged sword,” says Trzaska. “Some people get it right away, but others hear the tongue-in-cheek kind of stuff, and they just assume we’re not serious. That’s far from the truth.”
On Saturday, Cow Pals headline The Fire with a new batch of songs from their upcoming EP, due out in May. And Trzaska promises a set that’s far more earnest than snarky. “When we started, we didn’t know how far we going to take it. But we just kept writing more songs, and we started to evolve a bit,” he explains. “So we went from a Ween-ish kind of duo to more of a full-on rock band.”
Cow Pals
Saturday, 9 p.m.
The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave.
Monday, 8 p.m.
Kung Fu Necktie
1248 N. Front St.
