The Britannicas and Pearl Aday

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The Britannicas “s/t”
The enviable talent of Herb Eimerman (Nerk Twins) returns and is joined by Swede Magnus Karlsson (Happydeadmen) on guitar and Aussie Joe Algeri (Jack & The Beanstalk) on drums to form a truly international pop band called The Britannicas (despite the fact that no one here is British). The irony here is that these musicians have a common love of merseybeat and classic British pop. The gentle jangle of “Those Good Vibrations” is supported by some bright harmonies in the songs second half. “Baby Say Yeah Yeah” has that classic pop beat, Herb’s vocals are very reminiscent of Chad & Jeremy, but with more of an edge. “Friday Night Alright (Come Out And Play)” is a guitar gem with an Eddie Cochran styled rhythm.  Another favorite here is “Don’t Go Back,” chock full of Byrdsian jangle and a solid melody. The group harmonies work fine throughout – if anything, the band is a bit too tame in it’s choice of tempo and mood. Still, fans of The Byrds, Moody Blues, Gerry & The Pacemakers and British styled pop will enjoy this one immensely.

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Pearl Aday “Little Immaculate White Fox”
Pearl Aday first started singing in her father’s (Meat Loaf) band, and worked on five of his tours. She quickly became a crowd favorite with her wonderful backing vocals. She continued to make a name for herself as a backup vocalist for Motley Crue. Her impressive voice is similar to Alannah Myles or Melissa Etheridge and grabs you right away. As someone who grew up in the business and is named after Janis Joplin, she’s more than ready to release her first LP. The autobiographical “Rock Child” opens with guitar stabs and rolling drums that’s part Led Zepplin, part AC/DC, but all Pearl. She takes on the Tina Turner signature tune “Nutbush City Limits” and makes it all her own. The impressive “Broken White” has a very dark and disturbing tale, and Ted Nugent adds his sinister licks to “Check Out Charlie,” but the signature tune here is “Mama.” Like Grace Potter, Pearl has a ragged soulful approach to heavy rock that overflows with authenticity and conviction. The albums second half doesn’t quite live up to those opening tunes, but it still connects with the listener on a visceral level. An impressive debut for sure.

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The Grip Weeds "Strange Change Machine"

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Those musical brothers Kurt and Rick Reil are at it again, after revisiting and remastering the debut album and the last studio release “Giant On The Beach,” the band produced this massive double CD set stocked with great power pop and pysche pop gems. Joined once again by Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass) the band devoted one disc to Kurt’s songwriting and the other to Rick’s compositions.

The band’s opening tunes are a culmination of influences, and they are no longer pinned down by one type of sound any longer. “Speed Of Life” is a joyous sonic celebration of rock and things are more akin to classic Yes than The Byrds (although that 12 string sound is still there). The heavier meaty rock of “Don’t You Believe It” is right along with the Who or Golden Earing playbook. The bands smooth harmonies on “Be Here Now” never sounded better and Kurt’s acoustic skills shine on “Sun Shower.” The Beatlesque “Twister” is a another catchy gem you shouldn’t miss.

It’s tough to sustain a listeners interest through one disc, but the band succeeds in doing this with disc 2. Rick’s opener “Coming and Going” is more mid-tempo and his songs have more of a psychedelic flavor. A great cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” is followed by the energetic “Truth Is (Hard To Take).” Another perfect psyche pop melody is on “Used To Play” with it’s multilayered harmonies in the chorus. The instrumental fills are very short and support each disc nicely, without any throw away songs. Throughout the entire album you will hear bits of Fleetwood Mac, Love, Cream and Todd in spots. In short, they have evolved and this album should be savored like a fine wine. Yes, five years is a long wait — but boy was it worth it. My last interview with the band was while they were building this work of art. It gets a top ten album nomination for 2010, easily. Best of all you can get eight songs from this great album FREE right here.

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More power pop legends pass away…

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Two players in both rock and pop passed away recently: Tommy Hoehn died last Thursday. Hoehn was part of the Memphis music scene and an integral part of Argent studios work with Big Star. He played with The Scruffs as well and the 1977 single “Blow Yourself Up” was his biggest hit, eventually earning Hoehn a new generation of followers thanks to its inclusion on 1993 Rhino Records compilation D.I.Y.: Come Out and Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78). He also recorded two albums with another Memphis power popper, Van Duren. *******@**********on.edu/msg08445.html”>This article mentions how that occurred.


Another rock legend, Pete Quaife passed away after a long bout with kidney disease. Pete was The Kinks original bassist. He left the band in 1969 becase of all the fighting among band members. In a 1998 interview, Quaife pointed to the band’s 1968 disc Village Green Preservation Society as his favorite. “For me, it represents the only real album made by the Kinks,” he said. “It’s the only one where we all contributed something.” The 2010 video below is Ray Davies’ tribute to Pete at Glastonbury.

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