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International Pop Overthrow Vol. 19

November 7, 2016July 10, 2018 powerpopaholic

Although I’ve been reviewing IPO compilations since this blog has been active, this collection is the one of most eclectic I’ve heard in a long time. The breadth of artists here cannot be overstated, and the music really can’t be stuffed into a narrow genre anymore. Also, these 65 tracks appears more balanced than in the past, so there isn’t a “favored” disc out of the three.

Disc 1: Right away the man David Bash himself gets a tribute, “Bash” by The Tearaways. Another gem is “Remake The Stalls” by Cartoon Spirits, and the legendary Ron Dante appears with a Reggae beat on “Skills.” Some retro sounding tracks include “Shake It Out” by Starfire Band channeling The Who, and Hailee Rose and Dave Rave deliver a sweet Motown styled duet on “So Invisible.”

Disc 2: Always enjoyed Zach Jones Rundgrenesque “Everything’s Fine,” and its hard to match the amazing Greg Ieronimo on “Best Day Of Our Life.” I also loved the danceable mantra of “You’re Never Gonna Have Enough Money” by The Black Lemons. The plaintive mid-tempo ballad “All in This Together” by The Hard Way is another melodic and catchy gem. Lighter jangle is part of Hummingbird Syndicate’s “Waterfall Away” and Trip Wire’s “Winter Song.”

Disc 3: Starts out with quirky pop of New Man’s “Maybe I’m Feeling Fine and Jordan Andrew Jefferson’s “White Light.” The romantic “Linda’s A Maybe” by Dave Birk, is an funny ode to the girl who you wish would come to the party. The wild punk melody of “I’m Free” from The Forty Nineteens is a great party anthem, and the Beatlesque “Mohammed On Top Of The Mountain” is a gem from Butch Young. The reverbing bass guitar from The Dives “On The Spot” and Marston’s “These Blues” both make a psychedelic impression.

Overall a great value (as always) and a showcase for the ever expanding array of pop artists that fit under the IPO tent. Highly Recommended!

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon | Pop Geek Heaven

I was present for IPO New York at Bar Matchless, Brooklyn — Mike Daly & The Planets were introduced by my buddy Dave “The Boogieman” here. It was a great show with lots of local and international artists, and unfortunately due to illness the festival CEO David Bash couldn’t attend live. He need not worry as the artists came through for him and played to an enthusiastic audience!

Concert Review: IPO NY 2016

November 9, 2015May 31, 2018 powerpopaholic

The Modulators

Lane Steinberg Quartet

John Faye and Cliff Hillis

This year at Bar Matchless as always, I see old friends and manage to always make new ones at International Pop Overthrow. Dave Bash has not skipped a beat and continues to make International Pop Overthrow the November “must see” event in New York. I came for two nights and found the crowd has increased compared to last year. Great performances by perennial favorites The Modulators and Dave Rave bring the audience to loud cheers. And the historic reunion of John Faye and Cliff Hillis was mesmerizing as they played tunes from their solo records and IKE.

It was also great meeting new artists like singer Hallie Rose (a Dave Rave discovery) and Spain’s Jose Estragos. I was also impressed by The Pengwins and Lannie Flowers (both from Texas) and Lannie even played my favorite cover “Baby Blue” by Badfinger. I also enjoyed performances from The Reign (Feat. Joe Caravella) and Meyerman, both artists have brand new players in their bands and did a great job. Dave filmed and posted many performances on Facebook.

Obviously some of these lucky artists will be invited to play at Power Popaholic Fest 2016 coming this June. If your band would like to be considered for our summer show, please contact me before March.

International Pop Overthrow “Vol. 18”

November 4, 2015July 2, 2023 powerpopaholic

It’s that time of year in New York, the fallen leaves and chill in the air reminds me that the International Pop Overthrow is almost upon us! It’s coming back to Bar Matchless in Brooklyn starting tonight! Check out the schedule and come early and often, and show your support for new power pop.

I have to say, this 18th volume of the IPO 3 disc set is the most diversified and stretches beyond the traditional sound of power pop with a new crop of future pop superstars. All produced by maestro David Bash, mastered by Alan Brownstein, and put out by Bruce Brodeen‘s Pop Geek Heaven Record label, making a concerted effort to keep the CD format alive in the age of ephemeral electronic files. God bless these power pop taste makers for continuing to deliver the best music value on the planet. This set is noticeably balanced in that no single disc really stands out, so lets get started onto my favorite tracks:

Disc 1: I’ve never seen so many new bands in an IPO comp, so I’m sure to find some new favorites like Ivan Mudd’s “Wake Up Call” and the DIY gem “First In Class” by newcomer Steve Rosenbaum. Sweden-based Cranbury Sauce’s “Merry-Go-Round” and Marston’s “Shabby Shakes” upholds those psychedelic guitar traditions and of course old friend Jeremy Morris leads The Jeremy Band in a rockin’ theme song for the festival with “The IPO Song.” I heard some distinct 80’s influence in Vinyl Floor’s “Colorblind” and The Pickpockets “The Ostrich Defense.” Also note even more female vocalists than ever before, at least 2 per disc.

Disc 2: Kylie Hughes (a fave from last years set) returns with the bouncy “Dream Dream Dream” and another favorite, Dave Rave comes back with some “Sweet American Music.” Some bands still clearly have that sixties pop influence here like Junebug (“She’s An Ape, Not A Monkey”) and Cloud Eleven (“A Sadness in Sorry”). More standouts include the catchy guitar rhythm on Harvest Moon’s “Wanna See You Dancin'” and Claire On A Dare’s “She Knows/Photographic Memory” channels Chrissie Hynde perfectly. Tommy Sistak delivers the requisite Beatlesque “Ordinary Words,” but you’ll find music that really pushes the pop envelope like the atmospheric “The Boy and Marlene’s Ghost” from Warm Morning Brothers.

Disc 3: Greg Ieronimo’s opener “You Love Me,” rocks as he continues to deliver impressive melodies, followed by the crisp harmonies of Coke Belda’s “I Understand.” And “The Perfect Year” by Vanilla stands out with its glossy production, as Cash For Gold’s “Out All The Time” does with its wicked glam sound. I’ve already raved about Jared Lekites “Five Separate Lives,” and Honeywagen’s “The Only One” is a classic power pop single sure to thrill listeners. I heard less garage styled power pop than past volumes, but Stacked Actors “Disinfect” is a strong example here. Listen to select tracks at the IPO website, and get this long awaited compilation. As usual, it’s the cure for the common playlist and Highly Recommended every year!

Pop Geek Heaven | Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

David Bash’s Top Ten Power Pop Albums and more

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015 powerpopaholic 2 Comments

As you might know, International Pop Overthrow CEO and Founder David Bash has an extensive list of the years best power pop music in several categories. I will only showcase his “top ten” on this post, but you can read the entire list of his Top 125 albums here.

He also gets into the Top EPs, Top Live albums, Top Compilations, Tributes, Re-issues, etc. so definitely check out that list. I found many on my year end list also part of his. Here is David’s top ten:

Spirit Kid-Is Happening (EZ Beats)
Linus Of Hollywood-Something Good (Magic Beach)
The See See-Once, Forever and Again (Dell’Orso)
The Paul & John-Inner Sunset (Mystery Lawn)
Mothboxer-Sand and The Rain (Self-Released)
The Bobbleheads-Make Yourself Happy (Poppop)
The Wicked Whispers-Maps Of The Mystic (Electone)
Temples-Sun Structures (Fat Possum)
The Dowling Poole-Bleak Strategies (Sugarbush)
The Jigsaw Seen-Old Man Reverb (Vibro-Phonic)
(continue to the rest of the list…)

Concert Connection: IPO and Roger Hodgson

November 7, 2014November 7, 2014 powerpopaholic

It’s that busy time of year and IPO is in New York this week. It started Wednesday and continues on this weekend at Bar Matchless, 57 Manhattan Ave @ Driggs Ave, Brooklyn. Don’t miss the fun and fellowship of like minded power pop bands: Eric Frisch, George Usher and Lisa Burns, Bubble, The Modulators, The GO-NY, The Pomps, Milkshake Jones, Joey Kelly (of Buddy Love), Adam Randy, Gianni Paci, The Thigh Highs, Tim Lee 3, Tenterhooks, Josh Fix, Morty Shallman, Gail George, Dave Rave, Sonny Lee & The Layovers, The Lannie Flowers Band, London Egg, Rorie Kelly, Zombies Of The Stratosphere, Oberon Rose, The Turnback, The Peaces, Joe Caravella (of The Reign), Jana Peri, The Rousers, The Anderson Council, and The Q. For showtimes visit the IPO Facebook page — we will review the concerts next week.

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Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) returns to New York!

Accompanied by a four-piece band, Roger Hodgson continues to perform all his hits he wrote and later recorded with Supertramp. Enduring rock standards such as “Breakfast in America,” “Give a Little Bit,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer,” “It’s Raining Again,” “School,” and “Fool’s Overture” are all part of the show. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of “Crime of the Century,” released in September 1974 and Hodgson’s song, “Dreamer,” became Supertramp’s first international runaway hit, driving the album to the top of the charts. Roger will be at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on Tuesday, November 11. For more info visit the Paramount!