Auld Lang Syne

Once one of the hardest-working, most popular bands in the city, The Poison Control Center, has been largely defunct for the past three years, as the band’s component members have become busier with other projects. The group pops up now and again at special events, but has not debuted any new material in a while. However, when Vaudeville Mews booker Ladd Askland came calling, the band’s history played a big part in the decision.

The Poison Control Center plays Vaudeville Mews’ New Year’s Eve Party on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.

“I think it’s definitely a nostalgia thing,” said PCC guitarist Patrick Tape Fleming. “It goes back to maybe a time when we were playing more. It’s a fun thing. It’s kind of like seeing your old buddies.”

PCC has no shortage of old buddies. The band was one of the most recognized names in the local indie rock scene, and plenty of local artists cite them as an influence. Additionally, Mews had long been a favored stomping ground for the band, so it was an easy ask.

While all of the band’s members have stayed busy with other projects, and Fleming says they still swap demos and talk about the potential for recording together in the future, he also admits that you should not come to the New Year’s show looking for new ground to be broken.

“People know what to expect from us,” he said. “I think they would be really pissed off if we came and played an hour of new materiel on New Year’s.

“It’s a cool thing. We toured so much for two years, so I know there are people coming from Chicago and Nebraska to see us play, which is totally cool. It’s kind of like a reunion.”

It will serve as a reunion of sorts for the band members as well, as founding drummer Donald Curtis will rejoin the band for the first time since before PCC hit the road in 2010. The band has never needed much practice time to get back in the saddle, but Fleming admits that this show might take a little extra effort.

“I suppose the pressure will be on a little more now, since people are paying to see us,” he continued. “But as a band, we never got any better, but we never really got any worse. We’ve always been us.” CV