Whiggin' Out

Parker Gispert is having one of those "Twilight Zone" moments at a Waffle House in Little Rock, Ark. The 24-year-old vocalist of The Whigs is sitting near his manager, Josh Rifkind, who seems to be regressing to a former self back when he fronted the band Lithp, known for its vulgar puppet shows in Manhattan.

"The scene's kinda strange," Gispert confirms with a baritone snarl. "We have an elderly man on one side of the restaurant with a puppet. He's sitting by himself and trying to flirt with the waitress."

The Athens-based musician, who was plucked from virtual obscurity when Rifkind first met The Whigs at an open mic contest in Atlanta, laughs as he recounts the surreal Waffle House scene in graphic detail over the phone. "It's all weird if you ask me," Gispert jokes.

After The Whigs won the open mic contest several years ago, the veteran puppet master agreed to manage the trio of college students-Gispert, bassist/guitarist Hank Sullivant and drummer Julian Dorio. Their Southern-fried sound coupled with Rifkind's street cred led to a string of shows with red-hot acts like Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and The Scissor Sisters.

While studying at the University of Georgia, Gispert and crew recorded "Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip" at an empty frat house near campus. The Southern indie rock gem earned the group national ink, including accolades from Rolling Stone magazine who named the trio one of the "Top 10 Acts To Watch" back in March 2006, and ultimately landed The Whigs a deal with ATO Records.

Recently graduating from college with a degree in philosophy, Gispert chats about his surreal life on the road, the band's y'all-ternative sound that hearkens back to the glory days of indie rock in the 1990s and whether or not he believes The Whigs will lead an Athens, Ga. music renaissance.