Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Power Pop for sale! Come on Down! Paul Collins Concert coming soon!

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Power POp for sale

The Power Popaholic Sell-A-Thon

If you are near Massapequa Long Island tomorrow, there is a big music expo going on at American Legion Massapequa NY Post 1066 at 66 Veterans Blvd, Massapequa, New York 11758. I will be selling a big pile of my music collection. This stuff has been accumulating for over 10 years now and I’m ready to give it to you for pennies on the dollar. Many CDs will be $2 each and some $4 each. I will also be selling a few very rare items, like my Squeeze Box Set and Cheap Trick Box Set.

And many other vendors will be there, lot of records and other goodies will be for sale. So come on down!

The Paul Collins – Rockinghams Concert

Coming up next month….

Friday Freebies: The Well Wishers, Vegas With Randolph, The Skullers and I Prefer Guitars

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Long-time power pop favorite The Well Wishers (aka Jeff Shelton) give us an album of covers. Many are album tracks and not the big popular hits, which makes this collection even more compelling. Shelton covers Tom Petty, Sloan, ABBA, Bowie and more. Also it’s a totally FREE download.


Vegas With Randolph flies the friendly skies with this eminently catchy boarding pass of a song that happily charts a sweet flight path for these Washington, D.C. popsters. While it isn’t free, it’s only a buck and this is a quality single that deserves to be heard!

The Skullers are a new band from New Jersey that are looking for a little exposure. The debut single “Can We Do That Again” is a sharp bit of guitar pop that certainly is worthy of a FREE download. Learn more about these guys at The Skullers.com

The band I Prefer Guitars is a bit of a mystery. I can’t find any bio information except that this band may be from Hamburg, Stockholm or Warsaw. The music is pretty straight forward modern guitar pop. And it’s also a FREE download, so why not check it out?

The John Sally Ride and The Creation

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“The John Sally Ride“

The John Sally Ride “A New Set of Downs”

John Dunbar teams up with Sal Maida (Milk & Cookies) and drummer Sal Nunziato to form this solid trio. Anchored by Maida’s great bass line, Dunbar makes the best of the opener “One of These Days You’ll Have One of Those Days,” a very Kinks-like composition with kazoo and guitar flourishes. The steady rhythm of “I Didn’t Know I Was Saying Goodbye” is another gem about an unexpected break-up.

Dunbar gets stuff off his chest with “Your Closest Friends,” a rant that mentions “If you met them now for the first time you’d hate their guts.”  And easily the catchiest tune is the single we heard last month “Not Taking Credit.” Another big highlight is “The Girl You Won’t Leave Your Wife For,” with its dense melody and harmonies in the chorus. Not everything here hits the mark, but this is easily Dunbar’s most accessible work. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

“The Creation“

The Creation “Action Painting”

Back the days during the height of the Mod rock movement 1963 -1968, a handful of bands lead the way and their influences have persisted across the decades of rock and roll. The biggest bands at the time were The Who, The Small Faces, and The Kinks but a band that arguably belonged in that strata was The Creation. Produced by Shel Talmy (The Who) the band traveled in the same circles and hit it big in 1966 with “Making Time” and “Painter Man.”

The band line-up never stayed consistent, as their rotating membership contributed to the eventual breakup in 1968. But the band’s short life was profoundly influential on many artists following them including Paul Weller, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistol and many others. Read my full review of the new “Action Painting” CD Box set on http://www.50thirdand3rd.com

Amazon

https://youtu.be/rLPRM12ewr0

The Lunar Laugh and Fancey

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“The

The Lunar Laugh  “Mama’s Boy”

The Lunar Laugh combine elements of power pop and folk rock with their signature harmonies on their much anticipated second album, Mama’s Boy. The Oklahoma City-based trio is lead by the singer/songwriter duo of Connor Anderson and Jared Lekites, assisted by Campbell Young. The title track opens with a catchy chorus about “just another kid from the suburbs” growing up without a father.

The layered folk guitars and harmonies on “Sticks and Stones” are the main stylistic sounds here, but you do get great catchy singles like the jangling “Work In Progress,” which we heard a few months ago. My favorite here “She Gets Stoned” is a modern update to a classic story about a sister that needs to “erase a worried mind.” This song will definitely get those feet tapping. Memorable tracks include “Living A Lie” that has a distinct Harry Nilsson influence with a sweet guitar break and “Take A Little Time” layers strings on top of an epic melody. The entire album stands up well to repeat listens and makes this one Highly Recommended.

Amazon


“Fancey“

Fancey ”Love Mirage”

Todd Fancey (The New Pornographers) shows us his retro-influenced love on his third LP. This album is rooted in 70’s AM pop, and the cheery opener “Baby Sunshine” evokes The Cowsills, The Free Design and similar bands, but after that it’s time to put on your boogie shoes. Vocalists Angela Kelman and Olivia Maye provide harmonies and songs like “Dream All Night” and “Witch Attack!” evoke that early disco era, without any distinct lead vocal. The album is recorded with vintage instrumentation, no computerized loops or modern synths.

For some this nostalgic exercise will be a fun change of pace from today’s over-produced pop factory. And it is, to a point. Unfortunately, the era Fancey picked to emulate is not known for memorable songwriting (until The Bee Gees or Earth, Wind and Fire came along). And it falls into the same trap as those original artists back then (like Yvonne Elliman, Andrea True, and Silver Convention) sounding contrived and very “white bread.” If you like that — good for you. But for me, it’s like finely produced elevator music.

iTunes

Exclusive: Lost power pop release from The Tomboys

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The Tomboys

The Tomboys “Sessions One”

The Tomboys were young teens when they formed and quickly took to performing and songwriting. Their local popularity spread quickly due to their catchy, melodic songs as the trio performed hundreds of local shows and concerts. They could’ve been considered South Florida’s biggest power-pop band of the ’80s. Now this “lost” band can be heard again with newly remixed and remastered recordings from their first sessions. Best of all, power popaholics the Sessions One EP is absolutely FREE. Get it here: www.thetomboysmusic.com or download through the soundcloud player below.

The Tomboys promo photo


So who were The Tomboys?

Tommy Anthony – Vocals/Guitars

Tommy took a break from music following the band’s breakup, later forming Tommy Anthony & Goza (1991) and the Four O’Clock Balloon (1997). He enjoyed varying degrees of success locally and nationally with both projects. During this time, he had begun doing studio/session work in 1993 as a vocalist and guitarist, which lead to extensive touring. After stints with Jon Secada, Steve Winwood, Gloria Estefan, Carol King and many others, he formally joined Santana in 2005, with whom he still works and tours. He lives in Miami.

Raul Malo – Vocals/Bass

Raul formed the Mavericks in 1990 after the band split up, signing a record deal with MCA and relocating to Nashville, where he still lives today. The Mavericks received various industry awards, strong press, and has been credited with creating a sound often described as equal parts Country, Zydeco, Americana and Tex-Mex. As of this writing, they are currently back together and on tour, after having taken some time off several years ago, while Raul pursued a solo career.

Joe Alonso – Drums

Joe replaced performing for a stab in the music “business”, enjoying an 18-year run following his departure from the band. He ran his own independent labels (one, fostered an Epic/CBS distribution deal and a Billboard Dance Chart hit in 1990). He later owned/operated a very successful CD/music distribution business, with vendors such as CBS/Sony, Universal, EMI-Capitol and BMG Music. Ever ambitious, he inaugurated the first School of Rock franchise in South Florida, enjoying national recognition. Presently, Joe is a direct lender in the residential and commercial sector, and also lives in Miami.