When Richard X Heyman was putting together Tiers And Other Stories – an album about life in New York City – he would have to confront the memory of September 11, 2001. Three songs eventually were included – the first deals with the day itself (“Gravity”), the second contemplates the initial disbelief and then coming to terms with the reality and aftermath (“Day Before Tomorrow”) and the third addresses the sense of loss (“Beyond The Setting Sun”). These three songs are posted on his website, www.richardxheyman.com, in their entirety this week.
Having spent part of this weekend at Beatlfest in New Jersey, I got to meet and greet with Joey Molland of Badfinger. As the last surviving member of the power pop pioneer band, it was truly a memorable occasion. It was nice to watch Joey soak up the love from Badfinger fans, and he’s so open and personable.
He has launched a new Badfinger website and it’s not quite finished yet, but it’s a great start. For those unfamiliar with the band, Badfinger is often credited with being a) The very first power pop band and b) a textbook example of how the music “business” can destroy a great band. The word “tragic” is an adjective often associated with the band. The best intro to neophytes I can point to this documentary.
Last October, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had its 25th Anniversary Concert in New York City. The highlight of the night for Power Pop music fans was seeing Kinks frontman Ray Davies preform live with Metallica. After the show, whilst mingling backstage, Davies began putting together ideas for a collaboration project. The concept was to recruit a stellar cast of musicians to collaborate on re-recording a handful of the Kinks’ Power Pop masterpieces.
For almost a year now, rumors have been floating around the Power Pop music forums speculating on who will be joining Mr. Davies in the studio and what Power Pop classics are going to be revamped on this record. Some have been confirmed, some have been denied, and in the case of Vegas based quartet The Killers, confirmed and denied. Even the press has reported falsities on the topic.
Last February, numerous online music journals were reporting that Power Pop music group The Killers were in the studio with Davies collaborating on a track for the collection. Unfortunately, late last week this report was retracted by several sources. Although the track was recorded, it is not certain why the track will not end up on the final product and once again rumors and speculation are floating around on what lead to this track’s demise.
As of now, Davies’ collaborators consist of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Spoon, Frank Black (The Pixies), Mumford & Sons, Amy MacDonald, Paloma Faith, and the late Power Pop music icon Alex Chilton (Big Star, Box Tops).
The release date of the Davies collaboration is still set for sometime in 2010. A song list has yet to be confirmed and despite The Killers’ absence, this has become one of the most anticipated Power Pop music releases of the year.
About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to led tv.
