Eat the Mystery

One of the most flamboyant of all the recent Milwaukee bands warped by too many Tom Waits records, Eat the Mystery has a soft spot for warbled vocals, carnival accordions and bawdy lyrics, but with their cabaret-styled approach to performing, the troupe never rides one idea long enough for it to become grating. With a rotating cast of singers, male and female, they run through peppy drinking ballads, throaty dirges and sultry torch songs with equal aplomb. The group, whose bloated lineup now finds room for a pit band and innumerable guest performers, celebrates its third year together tonight with a 10 p.m. show at the Uptowner.