Stay and Dot Dash

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Stay “The Fourth Dimension”
Another band from Barcelona, Stay caught my ear, a groovy retro-rock similar to Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye (so it’s no surprise that Stay opened for them on tour). “The Change Is Coming” has those familiar rhythms and a carefree melody. Continuing with “Yellow Rainbows” it’s got harmonies similar to The Small Faces or Supergrass, depending on your reference.

The blues ballad “Everything” and sun kissed anthem of “You Got Me Going” are very clean and well performed. To get the ambiance right, the album was recorded in Liverpool by the producer Fran Ashcroft (Damon Albarn). No missteps here, but nothing distinctive steps out here to blow me away either. Fits in very neatly with all my Rainbow Quartz artists and a welcome addition to my hippy rock mixes.

Dot Dash “Winter Garden Light”
The industrious D.C. band is hard at work after their debut, Dot Dash leaves behind some of its rough edges, and packs hooks into its 2nd album. Highlighted by “Countdown” its got a little Joy Division, The Vapors and early REM in its DNA. The jangle break on “Two Octobers” is a fine new wave progressive tune, “La-La Land” continues the flowing goodness with “oooh” backing vocals to a blistering guitar solo. The tempo increases on the latter album tracks, “Shouting in The Rain” is another standout to be savored. It’s nice to hear a band find its “voice” and Dot Dash does it here.

CD Baby | Amazon

Concert Review: Power Popaholic Fest

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Lannie Flowers onstage at Power Popaholic Fest

It was a great night of music and a real treat to run Power Popaholic Fest. Things went as smooth as can be, and even though attendance was light early, it filled up as the night continued. We started with a solid performance from Buddy Love, who did a soundcheck with Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll” and then got the audience cheering for the ballad “Crying Town” and “Little Sheila.” Jeff Litman took the stage next and all by himself had the crowd spellbound by his renditions of “Outside” and “Over and Over.”

Jacob Callis, Joey Kelly (Buddy Love) and Jana Peri

Jana Peri looked great and belted out some new songs she’s been working on, but also included crowd pleasing favorites like “I Wanna Rock.” I was honored to welcome the prolific Lane Steinberg next. He played selections from his new CD with David Grahame including “Crazy Maisie” and “Layabout” from his band 8×8. After his set, Lannie Flowers arrived with a five piece band (including keyboards) and brought the audience to a frenzy with selections from his new album New Songs Old Stories.

Lannie was warmly received and then The Heatless Devils took to the stage, they took everything up a notch with their own set of hard charging rock and roll. Shortly after a spirited version of “I Blame You,” the special guest Mark DiCarlo (Fuzzbubble) joined the band as they performed covers of The Records “Starry Eyes” and Cheap Trick’s “C’mon C’mon.”  The evening was capped by a laid back acoustic set by The Turnback, who played new selections from their upcoming EP. The sound quality was excellent and it was great to see the enthusiasm of fans enjoying original music by these talented artists. I will have more photos to show and videos up on YouTube soon.

Jeff Litman

Overall it was a great experience for both me and the bands involved, and I intend to build on this for an even bigger Fest next season. Once again I wanted to thank all the bands involved, and our great sponsors: Mid Island Drum and Guitar, Lulu’s Village Pub, and 11L Radio New York International.

 

 

 

Nick Lowe “Stoplight Roses”

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Now that Power Popaholic Fest is over, I need to decompress and relax. I will give you all a full review on the Fest in a day or two. Enjoy this sweet video from one of the greats, Nick Lowe from his album The Old Magic out on YepRoc. The song opens the album with finely crafted lyrics and strong melody, so typical of Nick Lowe.  The video features a forlorn-looking Paul F. Tompkins wandering away from a party to find a place to be alone.

Any Version of Me and True Hearts

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Any Version Of Me “A Matter Of Time” 
The French artist known as Any Version Of Me has returned with a new release, and those familiar with late sixties pop will find another treat here. Moving away from the Brian Wilson sound of past albums, it drifts more towards The Beatles, Donavan and the Aerovons. Especially good is the title track, with its simple strum and double tracked vocal.

Each song has its own wry charm, but I really enjoyed “I Won’t Let You Down” with it’s harpsichord chords and catchy chorus. Like his past albums, AVOM doesn’t exactly sing anything at a quick tempo, as “Say You Don’t Mind” plods along like a John Lennon ballad. And too many songs use the same technique, on the other hand it’s well written and performed. Worth exploring and if you reward Beatlesque tendencies you’ll enjoy this even more.

Bandcamp

 

True Hearts “True Hearts”
Its been a while since I could say a power pop treasure has been uncovered from years of obscurity. The True Hearts were a Houston-based band that was born when Gary Littleton convinced Terry Carolan (Just Boys) to move to Texas where they performed in several local bands (The Pinups, The Flirt).

The band recorded a limited release EP under the name, True Hearts in 1977. Heavily influenced by The Raspberries, it found only a limited audience at the time. But listening now I wonder how the majors missed these guys. The Raspberries soundalike single “Not Tonight” has a strong hook in the chorus, and you can hear the bands confidence improve with each song. The impressive musicianship and songwriting on “Talkin’ Bout Girls” and “If I’m Late” will appeal to fans of Pezband, Off Broadway and The Rich Kids. The band is a great example of classic late 70’s power pop sound, and this collection compiles all the songs, so discover this lost album at last.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

 

BREAKING NEWS: Mark DiCarlo of Fuzzbubble added to The Fest!

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Okay I don’t think I have to mention that The Power Popaholic Fest is tomorrow night. But I just got word that Mark DiCarlo of legendary power pop band Fuzzbubble will be singing along side The Heartless Devils for a few songs. If you want to hear how good Fuzzbubble was, just listen to the vid above. Get the debut album here.

Holy crap, it’s gonna be a wild night. Just be there early to catch all the action!