After about a month of tweaking, I’ve got our new interviews section up and running. I had a very brief chat with Sick of Sarah drummer, Jessica Forsythe. Read the interview here. You can browse the older interviews, and no doubt I will be fixing formatting issues as time marches on.
Archie Powell & The Exports "The Ballad Of John And Yoko (Beatles Cover)"
This is a great Beatles cover and also a reminder to folks that Beatlefest 2011 is coming March 25-27 at The Meadowlands in NJ. It’s a gathering of fans and merchants to celebrate all things Fab.
Ian Moore and The Lossy Coils "El Sonido Nuevo"
Seattle-based rocker Ian Moore is already a studio veteran as he constructs an excellent album with The Lossy Coils, assisted by bassist Matt Harris (Oranger, Posies) and drummer Kyle Schneider. Blasting out the first song “Secondhand Store” is about the Austin SXSW festival where every hipster is trying to find a payoff. Another gem here “Birds Of Prey” is a perfect roots pop song that fans of Old 97s will appreciate. “The album is a retrenching in the face of a diffuse pop culture landscape,” says Moore, as his jaded take on pop culture is enhanced by some excellent blues riffs added to this song.
A bit more traditional is “Belle, My Butterfly” and on “Newfound Station” the shuffling rhythm and solid musicianship recall Wilco’s best moments. But power pop fans will flip over “Silver Station” which brings to mind the best Jason Falkner tune he never wrote. The entire album is full of top shelf melodies and Ian’s guitar work is exceptional. This is by far the best alt. country pop album I’ve heard this year.
Spark and Shine | Amazon
Album previews: Sloan, The Smithereens and The Nines
Sloan
One of the greatest power pop bands to cross the Canadian border is Sloan, and the new album Double Cross is a shout-out to the band’s 20th (or XX) anniversary. Just to get you salivating here is the first single “Follow The Leader” free for a limited time. Full release due 5/10/11 – Download Here
The Smithereens
With all the Beatle and Who tributes out of thier system, the band comes out with a new album full of originals. It has released “Sorry” as a new single from the up coming album, and it marks a return to the greatness for The Smithereens. You’ll be sorry if you don’t get this one. Itunes exclusive
The Nines
Steve Eggers from The Nines gives us a preview of a song from the new album Polarities, featuring 15 years of unreleased songs by the Nines. I’m sure over that time he’s collected plenty of untapped melodic gold. Here is a preview of “Goodbye Janine.”
Book Review: "I Slept With Joey Ramone"
Mickey Leigh literally grew up with Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) and wrote it all down from the humble family beginnings in Forest Hills, Queens to the final days of Joey’s battle with lymphoma (and beyond). Often cited as the first punk rock band, The Ramones were born through Joey’s frustration and love of classic rock and roll. The days of Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s are told through Mickey’s eyes as a part diary and commentary on the history of the band.
Leigh has numerous descriptive passages from Joey as a “strange-looking figure towering over a curious crowd of onlookers” and taking pride in being “different.” The narrative succeeds in making you feel like you’re in the room listening to the first time Mickey heard “Judy Is A Punk” or playing through numerous injuries and dealing with band in-fighting. The fact that the band continued on for so many years despite all the conflicts and shuffling memberships is proof of Joey’s toughness. And Leigh does make himself look good here in the story, after all it’s his POV. For Ramones’ fans this is a must-have. Even if you aren’t a big fan of their music, you will still enjoy reading this book.