Last week I interviewed Ken Stringfellow for The Rock and Roll Report. Please check out the site and read the full transcript of the interview.
In addition, an interview with Dennis Diken (Smithereens) is now posted on The Rock and Roll Report by Gary “Pig” Gold. These are two HOT artists that pop fans will definitely want to know more about.
Rock geeks, get ready to drool. If you just can’t get enough of rock nostalgia, then Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken has been joined by a group of special guests to make this love letter to the golden age of rock. Oh yeah, those guests include, The Wondermints, Andrew Sandoval, Brian Wilson producer Andy Paley, The Honeys and Jason Falkner. Fellow New Jersey native Pete DiBella collaborated with Dennis to bring these songs to fruition, reflecting their mutual love of classic pop and rock genres. Fans of all the old school greats: The Four Seasons, The Who and The Beach Boys will find this pure ear candy. Each song evokes the spirits of each of these rock gods. The first track “The Sun’s Gonna Shine in the Morning” is a half Monkees and half Dave Clark Five, complete with studio echo. Then the Beach Boys/Four Seasons vibe is all over the gorgeous wall of sound in “Standing in Line.” And the Shel Talmy-era Who is all over “Long Lonely Ride.” Each song sounds like a lost classic! Even on “No One’s Listening” the vocals are almost identical to Howard Kaylan (The Turtles). “Fall into Your Arms” is a dead ringer for a solo Brian Wilson hit. I could go through each song here, but you get the idea. It’s a Diken’s vision to make you a “mix tape” of his favorite influences. Diken’s drumming and vocals are awesome, and even a throwaway instrumental like “Lost Bird” is pleasing in it’s own bossa nova way. Towards the albums end, it gets more experimental, mashing up these “pure” influences, so “No One Does It Like You” is both weird and compelling to listen to. As much as I like derivative music, there are so many potential AM pop “hits” here, you can’t ignore it for our year end top 10. Mark Deming from Allmusic Guide said it best: “An album made by music fans for music fans.”
Listen to “Standing in That Line” at on Bob Brainen’s show
Listen to the clip here!
As a band matures, you can hear a specific direction. Ohio natives First In Space had a decent debut re-released this summer and this new follow up sets the trio (Dolus McCormick, Johhny Stanec, and drummer Beau Basement)on a more commercial power pop sound. The clean guitar work and rich chorus of “Goddamn Shame” recall the best tendencies of The Gin Blossoms and alt-rockers Cracker. On “It’s All Gone To Hell” the vocals of Dolus McCormick really shine here. It’s the consistent guitar work that also wins you over as “Take It Away” is my favorite here, where the bridge builds, and builds to a harmony filled chorus. The tracks are all good, so no filler here – although it slows down the tempo on “In My Dreams,” it picks right back up with tough layered guitar riffs on “Stuck Around You” and stays on an even keel through all ten tracks. The mid-western flavor of tracks like “Down On Me” and high energy harmonies between McCormick and Stanec on “Taking Over” recall the Rembrandts at their most aggressive and melodic. Keep your eye on First In Space, as they continue to produce first-rate power pop.
Who says power pop doesn’t break through to mainstream? Official video for “Raining Sunshine,” the new single from the ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’ motion picture soundtrack performed by Miranda Cosgrove, the star of Nickelodeon’s hit series iCarly. The song was written by Matthew Gerrard, Jay Landers and Charlie Midnight, a team that previously worked on Hillary Duff’s musical career. Not sure what Miss Cosgrove’s solo album will sound like when it’s ready, but this single full of huge musical hooks is a nice way to start.
As Charlotte Pop Fest runs into this weekend I wanted to let readers note that Saturday (9/26) morning and afternoon shows on the Main Stage at Freedom Park are FREE. On hand are The Parallax Project, Tony Low, The Singles and other favorite artists. And if you’re stuck at home, you could do yourself a favor and get the Compilation CD. It’s a massive pile of 35 great tracks. The starting point is a NEW Smithereens track, “Someday Boy” and then The Spongetones “Lost Weekend” pulled from their latest album. Although Roger J. Manning Jr. wasn’t able to make the festival, he is represented with “Living In End Times.” There are several exclusive tracks you’ll not find anywhere, like Ed James riff heavy “Princess Perfect”and The Jellybricks “Beryllium.” Having the light touch of Jill Sobule on “A Good Life” is a nice change of pace, and the familiar, but awesome Mike Viola adds “Maybe, Maybe Not.” It also gives us an opportunity to hear lesser known groups, like The Stellas and Crisis. There is something here for all types of power pop fans from the hard (Popdudes) to the soft sounds (Linus of Hollywood). No weak tunes here, as James Deem has done a great job of picking tracks, and he even covers XTC’s “Dear God” too.
MySpace | BUY THE COMPILATION | The Pop Fest website
| Lala | Kool Kat Musik (includes a bonus disc!)