First thing in the morning, he stepped out of his Northern Liberties rowhouse and looked down at his feet. There it was, a cooked crustacean, with a dash of Old Bay. In its pincers, a little sign read, "You've been crabbed."

He and his bandmate-housemate Robert West kicked it to the curb and went to work. There have been a half-dozen other crabbings of local musicians and scenesters over several days: Kris Muller and Mike Kennedy, who play in the band Audible. Brian Wilkinson from Like a Fox. The guy known as the Virtual Bruder, too. The Dadaist statements were first reported by the blog Philebrity.

"Just random people around Northern Liberties and Fishtown," says Alvarez, 28. "It's kind of funny. We're not sure who's doing it. It's been the talk of every event I attended this weekend. Everyone was accusing each other of it.

Someone who goes by CraB has created a page on the social network site that leaves a trail of evidence. That page, with the phrase Uvebeencrabbed in its address, was put up by a prankster who identifies herself as a 27-year-old Philly gal. In the bio area, she writes: "I am a crab. And I am coming for you."

She drops more hints, listing her musical interests as "surf rock, all of the time." Her favorite flick? Attack of the Crab Monsters. On TV she's partial to Flipper and The Snorks. Old Bay seasoning is her hero. You can guess her sign.

Mike Kennedy of Audible got two messages from the crab requesting a MySpace friendship on Thursday. He ignored them. "I assumed it was probably an emo band from Long Island or thereabouts." It was about then that his girlfriend-bassist Kris shouted from the front of the house, "Why is there a crab on our front step?"

By e-mail he wonders if it is some devious promotional technique for something that will reveal itself later. Or "one of our weird friends who was bored."

Wilkinson was watching the Phillies on TV last Wednesday when the crab came calling. "I'm actually wondering when this person is going to step forward, but then again, it would be even funnier if they kept a mystery," he e-mailed.

CraB has posted four videos of crustaceans in action, although one of them is from a Honda Element ad. From the videos, it seems she has some confederates - a guy who does the shooting, and another woman who sports a serious farmer's tan.

After getting nowhere by being tough in a message, the Virtual Bruder softened his approach: "Make yourself known crab! Show me to where there are more of you. I'll bring beer if necessary."

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