Gavin Guss "Mercury Mine"

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Seattle’s Gavin Guss is pop veteran who’s played with Nada Surf, Jon Auer, Harvey Danger, Fountains of Wayne and his own band The Tycoons. Important to note, Gavin was also lead singer/songwriter with the short lived group Tubetop who produced a pure pop masterpiece in Three Minute Hercules. Given these facts you know what to expect and he really delivers with his solo album Mercury Mine. Starting with the gentle acoustic hook in “X” it leads to a glorious McCartney-like chorus, that builds to sticky goodness in the multi-track harmonic ending with ascending basslines. The title track “Mecury Mine” has echoes of Harry Nilsson and Squeeze with it’s tinkling piano lead. There are too many gems here to count, so I’ll just indulge in my favorites, “Oasis” rings with the piano melody that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Michael Carpenter album. “Lifeboat” is another musical metaphor of the creative process at “…the bottom of The Puget Sound.” The album’s middle slows down a bit, but it has wonderful ballads that resonate, like the poignant “Marie” and the weary “Jetlagged.” Fans of Teenage Fanclub will love the guitar melody “Bud” and although the album doesn’t approach the highs it starts with, nothing here is filler, as most tunes fit in under three minutes and it’s sure to be repeated on your ipod playlist. Pure ear candy that is not to be missed.

Gavin Guss Site | Amazon

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The Power Popaholic Interview: Plasticsoul and The Dudes

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Meet the man behind the swagger. I had a great conversation with Steven Eric Wilson, the driving force behind Plasticsoul. We talk about how his groundbreaking album Peacock Swagger got started, his experiences in India, and his favorite  guitar. Listen to the interview with Steven Eric Wilson here.

Can a band be cursed? Some seem to think the Canadian band The Dudes are! After the album Blood, Guts, Bruises, Cuts was released, lead singer Dan Vacon and drummer Scott Ross suffered numerous physical injuries. But these scrappy dudes keep on rocking. Read my interview with The Dude’s Dan Vacon here or check it out on The Rock and Roll Report. If you want to talk about a real cursed band I can think of none worse than the story of Badfinger, the saddest tale in rock and roll.

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Film Review: 1974 On The Road With The Beach Boys

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Musician Billy Hinsche has a long storied history, but in 1974 he played front and center in The Beach Boys during the “Holland-era” tour. Billy playing guitar and harmonizing with the Wilson brothers is all documented in this new film. Not so much a concert film, but a selection of never before seen “home movies” of the band onstage and off. Lots of footage of the late Dennis and Carl Wilson are shown, intercut with current interview clips of other players in the band and some archival photos. It also really lets you learn about various background players, like sound engineer Steven Moffitt and musician Ricky Fataar and how important they were to the stage show. Highlights include Al Jardine playing bits of “Heroes and Villians,” Carl getting silly at breakfast, Dennis coming off very cool and some concert footage. You really feel like you are hanging out with the band in spots and traveling with them on tour, boarding the band’s private Fairchild F-27 plane in Kansas City, landing in Chicago and then checking in the hotel with Brian Wilson upon landing. Hinsche filmed plenty of private moments with the band, like Dennis and Al discussing transcendental meditation or a rowdy game of backgammon. Most of the movie was shot on Portapak black and white video, so it’s not exactly high definition. But for Beach Boys fans this is must-see TV, in addition is the Hinsche penned theme “Under A Beach Boy Moon” performed by John Hunter Phillips. Don’t miss the extra features: “Director’s Comments” and “Where are they now?” with an update on what became of the players.

FREE Gamilons "Blue Whispers" EP from Kool Kat Musik

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The Gamilons “Blue Whispers” EP is a project of Cliff Hillis (IKE, Starbelly). From what I’ve heard it’s a great hook-filled 3 song classic and I’ve been told a full length album is in the works. Best of all you can get it  for FREE (with any purchase from Kool Kat Musik) while supplies last. Listen to some of the music at the MySpace Page.

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The Brambles "Lost Recordings"

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The Brambles were a well established power pop trio from 1987 to 1993, consisting of Tim Anthony (vox/guitar), Tom Aureli (drum kit) and Lou Anthony (vox/bass). The band had a string of excellent light pop albums, notably Next Big Thing. Well a pile of old dusty 8-track tapes were recently found from that era. These songs were essentially demos,  and they capture the spirit and energy of The Brambles at the time. Lots of great stuff here, and fans of The Beatles, Elvis Costello and the La’s will be sure to enjoy this. This is straightforward pop full of jangling guitars and harmonies that stick in your head long after the song’s chorus fades. A few tracks here sound dated with some of the synth piano and drum machine beats that were very common in pop music back then. But the melodies come through – especially nice is the minor chords in “Listening Now” and urgency in “Kick Inside.” Other gems include “Girl Next Door” and “If It’s True.” Best of all the band has priced this collection super cheap.  The entire album is only a $1.99 download from CD Baby – for that price it’s not a “lost” recording – it’s found pop treasure!

MySpace | CD Baby

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