The album’s lyrics feel like a sort of red-blooded reverie, in a Golden-Aged American way. Like Marlon Brando or James Dean with a fuzzy microphone and a rhythm section. Even Connie herself, the emblematic portrait of the band’s first album, is a sort of Tom Waits-ian caricature of a late-night diner waitress.
“In the early days, people would call me sleazy,” Weiner says from his Philadelphia home. “They called the band sleazy, and I think they meant it in a derogatory way. But at this stage now, I really embrace that.”
The group is now the subject of a documentary, Art Dealers, and viewers can witness "mild-mannered Adam Weiner become superhero Low Cut Connie," as Rolling Stone wrote in August.
“There’s a lot of music documentaries that are from A-List, top-tier performers, like the top 1% of the music business,” Weiner says. “I want to show people working-class artists in this industry.”
The band’s latest release, also titled ART DEALERS (though capitalized) came out last September. Sonically, it drops a bit of the 1950s piano in favor of wailing guitars. It’s more glam than rugged, but maintains a sort of tongue-in-cheek writing style.
“I wanted to do this kind of classic rock 'n' roll album,” Weiner says. “Something like endemic ‘70s rock and roll. I wanted to embrace the sleaziness of that era.”
The album’s second track, titled “SLEAZE ME ON,” ushers in the next 40 or so minutes of smooth, T. Rex-style melodies.
“During the pandemic, I didn't know if we'd ever get to do this again,” Weiner says. "We built this thing for 10 years. The shows were magic, the crowds were magic. The thought that we might not do it again was terrifying.”
Weiner gained notoriety for his “Tough Cookies” virtual variety show, which he live-streamed during the height of U.S. lockdowns. When venues opened back up, he was greeted with thousands of new fans picked up online.
“When we came back at the end of 2021 it was different,” he says. “I looked out at the audience and they were laughing, screaming and dancing like usual, but there were a lot of people weeping. I’d never seen that before. There was this extra level of magic in the room. I said, ‘We have to make this film right now. We have to capture this moment.’”
A crew picked up filming mid-tour, with music video director Roy Power co-directing with Weiner. Power, 32, had previously directed the band in their “HEY! LITTLE CHILD” music video in 2018.
“There’s something about that young and hungry energy,” Weiner says. “I don’t really want to work with a seasoned filmmaker. I want to work with somebody who’s got something to prove, and who’s going to make this film in an unconventional way. I chose him and he did an absolutely incredible job.”
The film Art Dealers is a concert film/documentary hybrid. It’s Power’s first feature-length film, combining old footage of a young Weiner playing piano at gay bars and karaoke joints with new footage of the band navigating their biggest tour to date, all spliced between footage of a full concert shot at Sony Hall in New York.
Low Cutting to the Chase
“It was completely explosive,” Weiner says. “Twelve years in the making for that night. Everything had to hit. The performance has to be amazing. The crowd has to be amazing. The technology has to work. We were blessed, all the stars aligned, and we knew at the end of the night that we were going to have a film.”This month, Weiner hit the road for a screening tour of Art Dealers. On Sept. 18, the film hits The Texas Theatre, followed by an in-person Q&A with Weiner hosted by Dallas producer John Pedigo. The tour’s last date is on Sept. 27 in Los Angeles, before the film goes to VOD on Oct. 1.
“We played at The Kessler close by and I was admiring The Texas Theatre,” Weiner says, referring to his April 2024 tour date. “I never thought that my film would play at The Texas Theatre, let alone anywhere.”
Art Dealers marks a significant checkpoint for Low Cut Connie.
“I always wanted there to be a record of what I do,” Weiner says. “You never know what the future holds, but at least now I know there's this really beautiful document. It sort of takes the pressure off.”
As for the future, Weiner says he’s working on a new Low Cut Connie record. On Saturday nights, he hosts The Connie Club, a live radio show on WXPN in Philadelphia that includes live music recordings, interviews and a few in-person tapings. He remains a star of the artistic working class, albeit as close to breaking out of it as he’s ever been. With Art Dealers, he cements the first phase of the arc of his career, with no limit to what the future may hold.
“We’re the folks that change our clothes in a porta potty,” Weiner says. “We do this because we love it and we’re called to do it, not because we’re getting rich or because there’s fame and fortune. I want people to see the grit and grime of it, and an image of how tough it is to be an artist in America.”
