Arthur Nasson and The Well Wishers

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Arthur Nasson “West Cambridge Cowboys”
Nasson just finished playing IPO Boston, and I was shocked not to have heard him before. Clearly a lover of melodic pop in the Beatles meets Joe Jackson vein, starting with “She Was Never Really There,” the piano chords are accompanied by Nasson’s Lennonesque harmonies. “Watch Your Back Now” and “Phil’s Pony” are also great catchy songs with the unmistakeable Todd Rundgren influence. “Blind To Reason” is a bass heavy slice of electric guitar with a catchy beat.

“I’ve Got A Flanger In My Heart” is another dense guitar tune filled with echoing riffs and synths. Stylistically he keeps to the 60s through the 80s on most songs. He also has an inventive use of sound effects on the textured mid-tempo “From A Window On A Train.” At times the sonic experiments feel more like an indulgence, (“Robot Trouble” and “Auntie-Matter”) but they are mercifully short. Enough great tunes here to make this highly recommended listening.

CD Baby | Amazon

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The Well Wishers “Dunwoody” EP
The brand new EP from San Francisco’s Jeff Shelton (aka The Well Wishers) encapsulates five acoustic styled vignettes of some mythical folk in Dunwoody, Georgia – a real suburb of Atlanta. In a change from the heavy rock of his other project  Hot Nun, this Well Wishers EP comes from a mellower melodic place.

“Peel Away” starts off with gentle acoustic and electric guitars to a bouncy pastoral melody. This style continues on “Good Luck” another optimistic love song with some a gentle harmonies in the chorus. Next “Real Today” and “Open Up Your Eyes” are more standard Well Wishers jangle-pop. Overall, the wonderful melodic compositions without any filler, makes a great holiday gift. Highly Recommended.

Well Wishers Direct (with bonus CD) | CD Baby

Fest for Beatle Fans 2014 in NYC

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Cbeatles10boming to New York City on February 7 – 9, 2014. It was 50 years ago that The Beatles first came to America, and The Fest For Beatles Fans is a huge celebration of all things Fab. You’ll see many close associates of the Beatles, including Donovan (“Mellow Yellow”), Peter Asher (Peter & Gordon “World Without Love” and former A&R at Apple Records), Billy J. Kramer (“Bad To Me”), Chad & Jeremy (“Yesterday’s Gone”), and former UK head of the Beatles Fan Club, Freda Kelly who is profiled in the recent documentary Good Ol’ Freda.

The Fest started in 1974 as the brainchild of a Beatles fan Mark Lapidos. In 1974 he was a 26-year-old manager of a Sam Goody record store. As a Beatles devotee, he simply wanted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the year in which the Beatles first came to America. So he decided to create a weekend convention in Manhattan for fellow Beatles fans. Now its officially the longest running Beatles convention in the country. Buy advance Tickets!

 

DVD/Blu-ray Review “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me”

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If you didn’t see it during its premier or the follow up concert, now is your chance to own this very thorough documentary on one of the most important bands in the history of power pop. Big Star is better known for their massive influence than hit records or performances. Born in the shadow of the Memphis rock scene of the 1960s it couldn’t catch a break, despite critical acclaim and the legendary Alex Chilton and Chris Bell combination.

The first half concentrates on the Memphis scene at Ardent Records, and studio founder and engineer John Fry giving the group a chance. It seems like a Southern fried Haight Ashbury at the time, with interesting interviews of trippy photographer William Eggleston, Fry and others close to the band. It goes into details on both Chilton and Bell’s background, but often leaves you with more questions than answers. The band interviews are sparse and mainly audio (with photos) and include bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens. The bottom line for Big Star’s commercial failure at the time is clearly record distribution and promotion.

The second half of the film talks mainly about the influence the band’s songs had with the next generation of musicians. How the Posies (Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer) reformed the band and got Chilton to play again till his death in 2010. Musicians Chris Stamey, Mike Mills (REM) and Paul Westerberg (The Replacements) are a few of the many interviews with fans who championed Big Star, a band that managed to find their audience decades later. The extra features on the disc include more details on Bell and Chilton’s childhood, as well as “Big Star in the Studio,” another interview with Fry about the band’s recording style. For the non-fan I would recommend listening to the band’s music first, but for the initiated this is a validation of the greatness that was Big Star.

Amazon

1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco and Nick Vernier Band

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The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco “The Cruise Control EP”
I know almost nothing about this UK band, but it does have a slick melodic style very much in the mode of early Steely Dan with a touch of Squeeze or Randy Newman. Most impressive is “The Legend of Josie & The Juke” with its catchy melody in the chorus, solid harmonies and lead guitar. “List Study” is a detailed study with classic jazz rhythm guitar punctuating each chorus.”Breakfast Of Kings” is a rousing bar sing-along.

The band has a few other singles on Bandcamp from earlier this year, one I liked here was “Jackie & Norm & The Hairdresser to The Stars.” a livid character study.  And the earlier LP Private Jet Flashback is a “name-your-price” download. A real buried treasure of a band that deserves to be heard!

Bandcamp

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Nick Vernier Band “Don’t Know What To Say”
Eric Van Den Brink (Nick Vernier Band) has a knack for picking great collaborators. He’s worked with Gerry Beckley (America), The Monkees, and Probyn Gregory (The Wondermints, Brian Wilson Band). Now with David Paton (Pilot,) Eric has put together a single called “Don’t Know What To Say.” Its a nice catchy song, and we hope a full album follows.

Itunes

Lamar Holley and David Brookings

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Lamar Holley “The Color of Day”
Lamar Holley has been busy making childrens pop music since we heard his Confessions as a College Student. And he certainly starts off with the goofy kiddy theme “Planet Puzz,” but he examines the growth and death of teenage romance with the remainder of the album. “Roller Coaster” is a peppy pop tune, that gradually grows from kiddie theme to full fledged teen crush on the catchy “One and One.” This song is the album highlight, most similar to Confessions layered pop style.

Holley’s next song is the subtle moving ballad keyboard focused, “Beside You.” Next, “Acting in Love” is the true story of a New York City actor who met his future wife at an audition. With “Are You Really Mine?” he begins to question whether his girl really loves him in a show-tune styled monologue. “Feeling Famous” is a burst of optimism with its Beatlesque rhythm guitar. Things start to slow down after that, as the tone of the songs gradually trace the break up. The song cycle ends with the dramatic “Who Am I?” and the renewal of spirit in “Joe.” While it doesn’t surpass his debut, Holley’s vision holds as a very satisfying follow-up.

Bandcamp


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David Brookings “the maze”
Seattle singer/songwriter David Bookings is back with his 6th album. As a songwriter Brookings growth since 2009 is subtle but equally visible, since his move to the West Coast. Brookings guitar centric style is a hybrid of Kenny Howes and Jeremy, and he gets right to it on “If I Don’t Make It Back” with up-beat, hand clapping rhythms and solid solo breaks. The songs are sort of semi-autobiographical, “Cora” is a standout with rich instrumentation and fuzz guitar chorus; a great character study tune.

I’m sure most indie musicians appreciate “The Greatest Songwriter No One Ever Heard,” who “used to be an outcast, used to be a nerd” channeling his soul into music. Another highlight is the crunchy “Heroin Donna” and the title track with its Lennonesque echoing melody. “I’ll Wait Up For You” is another easy-going slice of life, with a tight composition and a terrific middle eight. Brookings is a young artist with a melodic gift and we should encourage him to continue his journey. Highly Recommended.

CD Baby