Congratulations to our three winners! Each wins a copy of The Research Turtles CD. They are:
- Lauren Edelstein Henry
- Barry Eisenberg
- Ryan Phillip Sulapas
Winners need to send me a mailing address asap, so your CD goes in the mail this week.
Best Live Bands to See Now!
Part of the fun in discovering new music is to find a band that’s really good, but hasn’t yet become too big yet, so you can see them in smaller venues and pay a fraction of what traditional “famous” rock bands charge. You can’t do that with Ringo! Anyway, here is a list of bands to see before they get too big:
Eureka Machines – Based in Leeds, England the band Eureka Machines are a force to be reckoned with. This is power pop with an accent on the power – a sonic assault that is as hard as barbed wire and sticky as glue. These guys are playing all over the UK. The next one is Friday 29 January 2010 – Casbah, Sheffield and best of all, only £4… follow them here.
The Doughboys – New Jersey’s favorite sons, with Richard X. Heyman! Set to play in support of thier new release “Act Your Rage” on February 5, 2010 at 7:30pm at Sullivan Hall, 213 Sullivan Street, Between Bleecker & West 3rd, NYC See them for $10… follow them here.
The Dudes – If you are in Canada on January 30th, head on over to Henotic at 402 2nd Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta. Show starts at 8:00pm This band can rock with the best of them, and are supporting the “Blood Guts Brusies Cuts” album that recently released… follow them here.
Plasticsoul – This band made our number one album for 2009. The band is already set to play at the International Pop Overthrow in San Diego, CA on Februray 19, 2010. The fest starts at O’Connell’s, 1310 Morena Blvd. in San Diego and the show starts at 7:30pm for $10 you see 8 different bands!… follow them here.
Jackdaw4 – just had a show this Thursday at 100 100 club, 100 Oxford Street, London. And only £8, but I’d keep my eye on this band to make a few more appearances. These guys are one of the most underrated power pop groups in recent memory… follow them here.
Looking for a deal on music? VoucherCodes.co.uk is a British site where you could pick up music cheaply with an Amazon promo code.
Sunrise Highway "s/t"
On this site, we make a big deal about groups that follow the classic power pop influences, like The Beach Boys, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, The Byrds, etc. However it’s not enough to just have an influence, or be a sound-alike… it’s what you make of it. I am happy to say Marc Silvert has created a great album that honors these past greats with excellent songwriting and brilliant musicianship. He also gets support from a stellar band, including Gary Feldman of Radio City. Opening with “Life On Mars” it has a classic Rundgrenesque storyline and rich arrangement that carries the melodies along, it’s an instant classic. And it’s followed by one of the best Beach songs ever with “Endless Summer” full of soaring harmonies and jangling chords. Lead vocalist Greg Schlotthauer does an excellent job with Silvert, singing in tandem. The Beach Boys cadence continues on several songs here including “Baby Be Good” and “Roundabout.” The style varies enough on songs like “Big Brown Eyes” and “Magic” with it’s shimmering Rickenbacker chords to keep things from getting predictable. Almost every song has a great hook and pop structure similar to those 60’s/70’s adult radio favorites. If you have been looking for an album to lift your spirits with sunshine, then look no further. For fans of Jeff Larson, Jamie Hoover, Richard Snow and Nelson Bragg this truly is manna from heaven, and my first top ten recommendation for 2010.
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Listen to “Endless Summer”
Daemon Familiar "Dawn of the Albatross"
The Illinois band Daemon Familiar has plenty of raw talent here, one listen to the guitars on “Buddha’s Little Helper” and “Oprah” you can’t help think about Cheap Trick or Husker Du. Lead vocalist Pablo Mena has a clean light vocal that really contrasts with the much heavier guitar sound. Some songs are excellent examples of power pop and it works fine on the memorable “Kiss Me”and the catchy baseline on “Barnyard” are just fun to listen to. The song “All’s Forgotten” is wonderfully written and played, but could really use double tracking and stronger group harmonies (you barely here the other band members). Mena’s vocal is much better suited to the mid tempo ballads here like “Gcc”and “So Sad.” I suggest he chew broken glass and add a little more Tom Waits influence before trying to pull off a song like “Tales of Sad Ulysses.” The album also suffers a bit from lack of polish overall, but despite this you will be rewarded by the guitar gems sprinkled here (“Was”) and there (“Walkin’ Away”).
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The Pretty Faces "Another Sound"
Canadian trio The Pretty Faces is not just a band, but a family unit with a passion for garage pop and new wave rock. They’ve toured on IPO and cites influences from Elvis Costello to Elliot Smith. The opening track “Right On The Money” pretty much describes the best this band has to offer, with a great tandem of guitars and melody. The follow up “Rib” has a decent rhythm and ringing guitar riffs sure to please. Lead vocal Jeph Thorslund does his best, but can’t mask his limited range on tracks like “Inch by Inch” and “Pistolera.” Hannah Thorslund fairs much better on the excellent “Elephant” – and it’s a shame she is only on one track. The title track gets closer to a full band effort with Jeph’s Costello-like vocal and strong riffs taking equal credit. A good effort, but the band will need to improve on it. It’s recommended you cherry pick the “hits” here and encourage the band’s future musical development.