Concert Review: Roger Hodgson (Supertramp)

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RHodgson_loves_powerpopaholicI reported on his tour a few weeks ago, and I happen to catch Roger’s last NY area show at The Westbury Music Fair. There are few vocalists instantly recognizable from the first few bars of a song but Roger Hodgson is certainly one of that unique group. As the primary singer/songwriter of Supertramp, his voice is as unmistakable as the distinct keyboard sound of his early hits.

The venue “in the round” had fantastic acoustics and the audience loved the warm, intimate ambiance. The band was precise and production was lush. Special kudos to Aaron MacDonald who played all the horns and wind instruments with such note perfect skill. Every hit song got a standing ovation, from “Take The Long Way Home,” “Logical Song” and more, ending with a big sing-along for “Give A Little Bit” as an encore. Backstage, he was gracious and enthusiastic that I reported on his performance. Hope he comes back for an interview someday, it was quite a special night. Visit his website here.

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Leslie West “Still Climbing”

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In our interview (see below) Leslie remarked on his amputation from Diabetes “It’s just a good thing it wasn’t my arm, or we wouldn’t be talking about an album.” The durability and toughness comes through on every track here. Starting with “Dyin’ Since the Day I Was Born” West rocks heavy and hard (Creed’s Mark Tremonti guests here). Next Johnny Winter adds his axe to “Busted, Disgusted or Dead,” which neatly sums up the attitude. Other guests include Jonny Lang and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider.

The songs all have a blues-rock style, which is quintessential West. My favorites here are “Feeling Good,” and the re-make of Mountain’s “Long Red” but the best thing here is the classic “When a Man Loves a Woman” with Lang and its gospel approach. Leslie hits all the right notes here, vocally and guitar-wise. Rock on, Mr. West.

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The Power Popaholic Interview: Leslie West (Mountain)

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Leslie West is one of those little known guitar legends that everyone has heard, but few know just how influential he really is. In this interview, despite his leg amputation he’s all fired up for the release of Still Climbing. Leslie has been in rock for so long, there are few musicians he hasn’t had a relationship with. I try to ask some unique questions, and ask about some of the friends he’s played with over the years.

Note: all my musician interviews are now located on the top menu in alphabetical order (roughly).

Radio Jellyfish coming soon!

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Brand spankin’ new Jellyfish “unplugged” is coming out on Omnivore in December. Radio Jellyfish offers the bare essence of why Jellyfish is one of the most beloved power pop bands in music history: the voices and the songs. Unlike a live concert with dodgy sound or the glossy production brilliance in the studio – this is just the artists performing their hits in minimal arrangements with acoustic instruments. So who’s “joining a fan club”?

The Pengwins, Gentlemen Rogues and The Connection

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The Pengwins “Naive/Life After High School” EP
Way before Lannie Flowers became one of the most beloved musicians in power pop, he had a band called The Pengwins that played from 1978 into the ’90s. In fact this Texas band was one of the great “lost” power pop bands of the midwest. The band also had Alan Petsche on guitar and vocals, Delbert Raines bassist, and Danny Wilkerson on drums. This box set EP is the first of the remastered singles. Its amazing how good they were, and unfortunate that they weren’t well known outside of Texas. Now you have your chance to re-discover them.

CD Baby | Amazon

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The Gentlemen Rogues “The Gentlemen Rogues”
Speaking of Texas, A new group of guitar centric rockers from Austin wow’ed me with their riffage skills. Even if the first track “Run From The Light” is a bit long winded, the ’90s melodic skills shine through on “Persistence is Futile.” Another standout “Is Tomorrow Worth Tonight?” with its Green Day-ish pop cynicism. This is a decent start and I look forward to hearing more from these Rouges.

Amazon | Bandcamp

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The Connection “First Time”
What else can I say about The Connection?  The album Let It Rock is already on my top ten list. But while my Poperpopaholic Fest was playing,  Brad Marino and
Geoff Palmer were off touring in France. They got a day off and decided to hit the recording studio to do this nice addendum. Pick it up now only on Bandcamp.