Sextapes, a new band from former Spook Lights frontman Rob Gillaspie

Raconteur and Lawrence man-about-town Rob Gillaspie is better known as Scary Manilow, the former frontman of Lawrence garage-rockabilly sleaze purveyors the Spook Lights. Since that band’s breakup, Gillaspie has been working on several new projects, and one of them – a full-on bit of death-rock called Sextapes – debuts tonight (Wednesday, June 20) at the Eighth Street Taproom.

I asked about how Sextapes might compare with more over-the-top bands he’s been in the past (the Donkey Show, Icarus, the Spook Lights) and whether this new project might be more of a straight-ahead band thing with a little less schtick. Gillaspie replied, “I don’t know if I’m capable of ‘straight ahead’ anything … I’m not wearing dresses or lighting myself on fire yet, if that counts for anything. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.” Listen to a brand-new recording from Sextapes, “Pretty In the Morning,” below.