Tag: Friends of Cesar Romero

The last of March: Rob Bonfiglio, Tamarack, Gooey Cookie, Friends of Cesar Romero, The Linda Lindas, Al Ham

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Bob Bonfigio returns with a really strong single, and I know an album review isn’t far behind. Next we have Tamarack, an indie pop band from Michigan, and it’s a freebie. Well they reference Alex Chilton on “Everything You’ve Heard,” so it gets bonus points in my book. It’s also got lots of lo-fi charm and harmonies. Gooey Cookie is a melodic punk grunge outfit, and I really liked “Bored to Tears” and “Wired Weird.” Next a high energy freebie from Friends of Cesar Romero, as part of a trilogy of albums for 2026, so far. These guys are super prolific! Next, The Linda Lindas do a Ramones version of an old cover “California Sun,” originally a hit by The Rivieras in 1963. And finally a special thanks to Joe Giddings for turning me on to this rare slice of 1970s pop, “Move Closer to Your World” by Al Ham. This iconic anthem was created by the same team that gave you the “Buy the World a Coke” commercial at the time. Young adults can look at the last episode of “Mad Men” for the reference.





Singles Late June: John Larson and The Silver Fields, Late Cambrian, The Dogmatics, Friends of Cesar Romero, Star Circus, The Jive

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John Larson and The Silver Fields has a new album out called ‘Rumble Candy’ and, we feature the video for “Turnaround, Girl” one of the better tunes here. Fans of rock and roll jangle should check it out! Late Cambrian was looking to make happy music for the zombie flick “28 Year Later,” it’s an awesome tune, even if it doesn’t match the movies tone. On the harder track, we have The Dogmatics punk-pop of “You’ve Got What I Want” and it speeds through our headphones quick. Friends of Cesar Romero is sounding more like Sloan on it’s new freebie – check out “Summer Boyfriend” and “Rebound Baby.” Star Circus is a band that walks the line between power pop and stadium hard rock. Influenced by Queen, Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick and Def Leppard, it works nicely. The new album is ‘From The Wreckage’ and I’ve inclined to get it based on this single, visit the Bandcamp page for more. Finally, along the same lines The Jive is another strong power pop band with a hard rock edge. Check out “Good Time Call” and you’ll see what I mean. So these hot bands should help you cool off!





Fourth of July Special: Brian Ray, The Drolls, Gentlemen Rogues, Friends of Cesar Romero, Steven Wright-Mark, Brad Marino, Muck and the Mires

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It’s been a long time, but Brian Ray (guitarist with Paul McCartney) returns with a new album in August. The new single, “When The Earth Was Round” is a small sample of what to expect. Freebies are here! The Drolls and Gentlemen Rogues deliver plenty of fuzzy punk power pop. Check out “Happy Hour,” and “Connection.” Then South Dakota’s Friends of Cesar Romero have a new high-energy EP, so check out “Last Summer a Year From Now.” Speaking of summer, we have a wonderful pop single from Steven Wright-Mark called “Summer Sky,” Hopefully, a new album isn’t far behind. Another great EP is Muck and the Mires newest, “Zoom Breakup,” with a high-tech way to dump your date. Finally, Brad Marino has been listening to those old hot-rod-era Beach Boys and The Rip Chords. He decided to add to that vintage genre with his car songs on “Hot Rod Rampage.” I love that cover of “Shut Down!” And in case you missed Steve Conte’s new song… Happy 4th of July!






More March singles and EPs: Oh Bummer, Extra Arms, Friends of Cesar Romero, Orbis Max, Paul Crane and the Overend Watts, The Electromagnets, Vanilla

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Here we go again. We start with a video from Oh Bummer!, a band from the mind of Seattle-born, LA-based singer/songwriter Tanner Houghton. Tanner makes honest anti-pop music for people who don’t always fit in. He does this by combining his bedroom-pop delivery with trip-hop-inspired beats. It’s not power pop, but it still has a hook that kept me listening. Most impressive is the new single by Extra Arms, “I Don’t Wanna Surrender.” Ryan Allen and crew pick up after his top ten performance of last year and continue to dazzle us. Great energy from Friends of Cesar Romero, these guys get better every year and this freebie is a good example. Orbis Max and Dw Dunphy seem to channel Roger Waters a little here, and Paul Crane and the Overend Watts debut EP has plenty of crunchy guitars, from the pop-punk “Halfway Home” to the bouncy “Dypsomaniak.” When you gather like-minded artists, you could come up with The Electromagnets, a “supergroup” with Steve Stoeckel (The Spongtones), Peter Watts (Spygenius), Chris Church, and Dolph Chaney. Finally, I thought Vanilla’s Pish Posh project was confined to 2023, but it continues to grow, and some real gems appear, like the Lennonesque “Coil Memory.”







May Singles, EP and Stuff: Sparks, Charlie Reiling, Joe Dilillo, Friends of Cesar Romero, The Heatwaves, Richard Turgeon

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Cute babies are for the new Sparks video “Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is”, from the new album ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte‘ by Sparks, out May 26th. This week’s freebie is “Closed Minds,” a jangling gem softly song by Charlie Reiling. Joe Dilillo is a true craftsman and came out with the brilliant “Loser Girl” a few years ago. And now he’s expanded it into a full EP. “Superhero Star” and “Mend Your Heart” are just as amazing. On the garage end of things are Friends of Cesar Romero with a 3-song gem that deserves to be heard. The Heatwaves from Spain, have an ’80s-era charm, so enjoy “Take Back” and “Nothing New Under The Sun.” Richard Turgeon has a funny story about a kid with a weird nickname, and a solid melody. It doesn’t quite replace “Piss Aaron,” as far as “if it’s stupid, enough it’s cool,” but it will do.