Poverty Level (now known as "Good Citizen") is a rhythm-based, pop trio from Long Beach, CA. They have been compared to Elvis Costello, X, and Richard Thompson. Veterans at blending voice and instrument, Poverty Level has been writing, singing, and playing together for 19 years in various incarnations. Gene Whitright plays upright and electric bass, banjo, dulcimer, and sings. Dina Predisik plays guitar, accordion, piano, and sings. Carrie Coleman play Saxophone, tin whistle and sings. They explore paranoia, frustration, lust, politics and their intermingling and subsequent separation. -------- Review from OC Weekly June 27, 2003 Review by Chris Ziegler There's a place musicians go when they've been around; too bad there's hardly any drummers there. But Long Beach duo Poverty Level can do without, plucking out minimal acoustic guy-on-bass/girl-on-guitar pop that's as refined as one of those top-shelf bottles of whiskey. They like Elvis Costello and X and show it. Fortunately or no, bassist Gene Whitright has a voice that dips from a strident Costello to a twitchy David Thomas of Pere Ubu fame ("I Don't Want to Be Like That" sits down on the happy side of "Sentimental Journey" or "Humor Me") or Frank Black to -- and we hate to say it but we know the masses need a reference -- Tenacious D's Jack Black. But unlike Tenacious D, Poverty Level makes real music that's funny to your brain, not just your bonghole. Songs like "I, Rodan" or "Dr. Thompson" might be portraits of people hanging by their fingertips, but it's still precariously hilarious -- who knew your drab, frustrating life had so much in common with a movie monster? And penultimate "For the Life of Me" shuffles together the Blue Orchids post-industrial (the society, not the genre) blahs with Camper Van Beethoven's bleary-eyed kind of blues. "Underground music is the new disco, quiet is NOT the new loud, kiss my a** I'm going out for a smoke, it's the last real vice I have left," sings Gene. One day we'll be that dignified!