Concert Review: Power Popaholic Fest Day 1

Barry Dreyfus

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Review by Barry Dreyfus  |  Photos courtesy of Tom Parisi

The summer officially ended this past weekend and went out in a blaze of power chords, melodies and catchy songs at the 2014 Powerpopaholic Fest at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. Friday night’s sets opened with Brooklyn’s own Rhino House Band; who immediately brought the energy with a brilliant and almost funky rhythm section and edgy, kinetic tempo shifts In their well-conceived songs. Augmented by excellent guitar work and some truly memorable songs, I’m sure they’ll become a staple on the scene. The Lisa Mychols 3 followed and brought a furiously punky West Coast texture to Lisa’s new songs. With a far punchier sound than in her studio work, Lisa ripped thru a great set with her usual joy and the band provided more than solid support.

Corin Ashley came on to pull fully realized pop gems off his latest album and inject them with charm, a great sound with nice colorization by the keyboards and his playful manner. And of course, the requisite “la-la’s” and harmonies expected from a top power pop band. Then came Bryan Scary and Evil Arrows; who were, to my ears, the surprise of the night. Fusing disparate pop elements from Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to 60’s garage bands to late 70’s pop-punk Bryan whipped the crowd into a small frenzy. So many blended influences manifested themselves in their songs it was hard to count them all. This band sure bears watching. The night was brought to a close by The Thigh-Highs with their mix of Yardbirds-like guitar play with strong rock n’ roll backing and cleverly written songs. The lineup highlighted the various styles and influences that go into good power pop and there was still a 2nd night yet to come.  Visit Power Popaholic’s Facebook page to see video of the event!

Rob Bonfiglio “Freeway”

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Rob Bonfiglio

On his third LP, the veteran musician (guitarist/songwriter/producer with multi-platinum pop act Wilson Philips; guitarist & co-conspirator for former RCA power-pop band Wanderlust) still knows how to create joyous power pop, like the opener “Lonely World” by contrasting the sweet chorus with the isolating lyrics “What is love, what is wealth, when you’re all by yourself?”

This effort has a more laid back California feel than previous albums, using more contemporary pop rhythms with rich melodies. “Almost Blue” is a smooth Eagles-like tune with some great slide work in the break. “I am Tomorrow” is another great song with a simple pop beat that builds into a complex tapestry of melody with sharp backing harmonies. “Beautiful” has a good mix of chord shifts and dramatic romantic lyrics. The pop craftsmanship here can’t be discounted, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Not that Rob has forgotten how to rock, “Best Plans Never Made” is an excellent rocker with a nod to Ringo and Paul, catchy swagger and the dense guitar outro.

The album goes through adult themes like hope, forgiveness and the frustrations of life and love. Bonfiglio’s pop sensibility is similar to Andrew Gold with the bouncy “Under The Gun” and the sunny “Golden State” with its sunny, deliberate tempo and some heavenly harmonies very reminiscent of Bob’s famous father-in-law. Overall a low pressure album that hits all the right notes, even with the slight instrumental “Prelude”and it makes my year end list for 2014.

Amazon | CD Baby

 

The Posies “Failure”

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Special re-mastered edition of The Posies debut album out now!

Back in 1988, teenagers Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow created a demo tape that they handed out at shows. Created at Jon’s makeshift 8-track studio in his parents TV room, little did they realize they were making power pop history. Despite some inexperienced quirks, the band has the Posies sound-craft fully realized on the second track “The Longest Line” with guitar hooks, catchy melody and sunny harmonies. The talent was evident, as this was the best DIY power pop debut since The Shoes.

Most of the album is a flawless mix of influences old (The Hollies) and new (XTC) from the epic “Under Easy” to the guitar jangle genius of “I May Hate You Sometimes.” Although this wasn’t as widely heard or finely produced as later Posies albums, it still resonates with old fans and sounds as fresh today as it did back then. This edition comes with 8 bonus tracks and a little booklet with old reviews and notes. Highly recommended, of course!

Amazon

The Ugly Beats and The Roaring Juniors

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The Ugly Beats “Brand New Day”

Austin, Texas band The Ugly Beats have been making glorious 1960s garage-styled power pop for over ten years now, and their newest release is testament to this approach.  However on this album there is less a reliance on the stomping rough style (like The Troggs) and more actual melodies and harmonies that get in your head quickly. “Up On The Sun” starts with a fast tempo guitar attack and “Throw Me A Line” has a driving rhythm that compels you to clap along with the countdown.

The punchy riffs of “I Want That Girl” and “Gone For Good” are more irresistible treats with energy and cool to spare. Every cut here is great, even the bouncy instrumental “Beataroo” works wonders. What you have here is a band at their peak and a smokin’ retro all-American power pop album. Fans of the Animals, Outrageous Cherry or The Above are sure to love this one too. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


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The Roaring Juniors “Almost Grown”

If it seems only a month or two since we reviewed The Roaring Juniors, its because we did. The Ann Arbor based band is back for more punk pop fun with its newest EP. Stylistically the band is more consistent here, channeling The Ramones, Replacements and The Buzzocks. The opener “Movers and Shakers” is the highlight here, with its killer guitar hook. From there the energy level stays high on “Very Clydesdale,” a snearing punk anthem, but lyrically gets lazy on “Angel Friend” which is an excuse to cuss. Still catchy though. Only available on Bandcamp.

Video Wednesday: Rick Hromadka and Justin Levinson

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Power Popaholic Live This Sunday (8/24)

Get ready for Aaron to appear on Dave The Boogieman’s show streaming live at 7:30pm – 11:00pm this Sunday on 11L New York Radio International. And if you tune in you could win some FREE music! I will be playing favorites from the Power Popaholic Music Vault and later in the show we’ll be playing artists from the Power Popaholic Fest. We’ll also be interviewing these artists live on the air. And if you think, Dave, Barry, and John Lightning deserve it, it wouldn’t hurt if you threw these guys a few bucks.

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Rick Hromadka has a new album coming soon, and here is the first big single!


Vermont-bred singer-songwriter Justin Levinson returns with his new single and music video “Free Love”, about the surprising woes of the one-night stand.

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