We start off with Willie Dowling being a “Rat in a Maze” with a jaunty bounce about how small the world is, and how modern life is really a mess. Next, Stephen Kohler shares an energetic single “Step Into Your Shoes” with some interesting key shifts in the melody, and unexpected breaks. Very cool! Then, everyone’s favorite punk popper Geoff Palmer wonders about Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and “Where Did His Hair Go?” complete with a conspiratorial rant midway through. Then we have a jangling gem from Gentle Hen. “Comfort Zone” is a freebie single in advance of the new album ‘Wink.’ It’s been ages since I heard some solo work from the legendary producer/musician Mitch Easter, but “Wall of Mist” does the job, and kept me engaged. Next Kurt Baker rips out a 70-styled rocker about “Wonder Woman” and I’m so glad Gene Simmons is retired! Finally, the determined Chris Church is back with a Suprise EP. The opener is a banger and “New Way Down” features cascading riffs and deep percussion. A great EP indeed! Enjoy!
Tag: Mitch Easter
The Power Popaholic Interview: Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter
Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter
Founder of Sneakers and the dB’s, Chris Stamey stands alongside Alex Chilton as the progenitor of the Southern jangle-pop sound. I get the chance to talk with him and famed producer-musician Mitch Easter (REM, Sneakers, Let’s Active) about Yesterday’s Tomorrow: Celebrating the Winston-Salem Sound, a live concert recording. Bonus news about upcoming dB’s material!
“Condition Red,” from Sneakers’ first record, was originally recorded during the bicentennial celebrations of 1976, which perhaps partially explains its insistent, fatalistic jingoism. In this live performance from 2018, we see Mitch Easter (guitar, SR), Will Rigby (drums), Chris Stamey (guitar & singing), and Robert Keely (bass). Musicologists, take note: Its lyric includes a “lift” from the inner groove message of another American group, Memphis’s Big Star: “The more you learn, the less you know.” From the new album, Yesterday’s Tomorrow. Get it on Amazon