I got the opportunity to redeem myself when I reviewed The Figgs Anthology a few weeks ago, in this interview Mike Gent rightfully calls me out for not covering the Figgs previous releases. He opens up about working with Mike Viola (The Candy Butchers) and Jed Parish (The Gravel Pit).
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Also, power pop musician John Brodeur is Kickstarter funding his newest album Little Hopes. With only 7 days left, Brodeur has no label, no agents, no corporate funding, and is trying to do everything himself. So give the man a hand. See his video and pre-order your copy today.
New York City “King of Power Pop” Paul Collins (The Nerves, The Beat) will have the 2nd Annual Power Popalicious Festival at NYC’s Cake Shop on February 1 & 2. Power-pop-A-Licious 2 is ground zero for the growing DIY power pop scene, and a welcome addition to the collective of music festivals, including IPO (International Pop Overthrow) and our own Power Popaholic Fest.
In the extensive interview we talk about the origins of the festival, and his ill-fated Nerves reunion along with what makes power pop an important genre of music. Collins states “Today’s power pop bands blend punk, garage, retro-power pop, and psychedelic into one swirling sound. Personally I am not a purest about power pop, I am more interested in promoting bands that have cool songs and use electric guitars to get their point across.”
It’s coming up in the Spring of 2013, the ‘Monsters Of Lite Rock’ Tribute album. And one of the artists featured is Michael Carpenter, doing a great job on the Cliff Richard classic “We Don’t Talk Anymore.” To find our more about this awesome tribute go to the Monsters of Lite Rock Facebook Page.
THE POWER POPAHOLIC INTERVIEW:
It’s been a few months since I interviewed some artists so I’m trying to make up for some lost time here. First I reached Roy “Holmes” Shakked. He is still promoting his 4th album ‘Complication Simplified’ and I got to talk with him here. Then the very next day I contacted my old friend Vinnie Zummo who just finished three albums in the last six months! I recently reviewed the last volume of his trilogy called ‘Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America’ – our conversation is here. Of course you can navigate to our interviews section and find them there too.
So I was lucky enough to get an interview with the lead guitarist and vocalist of Tsar, Jeff Whalen. We talk about what happened after the debut, and the new EP that I reviewed early last week. Check out the interview here.
NEWS UPDATE:
Musicians from around the world will pay tribute to the words and music of the incomparable Elvis Costello on “Beyond Belief: A Tribute to Elvis Costello,” a compilation to be released in 2013 on Futureman Records.
Co-produced by longtime Costello fans Olivia Frain and John M. Borack, the collection will feature more than two dozen artists putting their own spin on both Costello classics and deep cuts. Listeners will be treated to everything from 30-something-year-old gems from the new wave era to musical infants from Costello’s more recent work. Proceeds from the release will benefit the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates musical instruments to under-funded school music programs.
Why Elvis Costello? Well he’s a got a 35 year track record as one of rock’s most prolific artists, and Borack adds “There are just so many amazing songs in his catalog, and we wanted to hear what some of our favorite musicians could do with them.” See the Facebook page!
Cliff Hillis gave me an exceptional interview last week, and we talked about the new album Dream Good and possibility of a new Starbelly album coming soon. The conversation also touches on many points in his life and the other bands and arists he’s played with. Check it out here or visit the interviews page.
