Monthly Archives: January 2010

CD Review: Martin Gordon “Time Gentlemen Please”

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Martin Gordon is ringmaster in the grotesque pop circus known as Time Gentlemen Please. After his last album, we pick up where we left off. The combination of guitars, brass, ukulele provide the raucous opening to the absurdist “Elephantasy.” Only a talent like Gordon can make a song about alcoholism with the lyric “It’s official, we’s a hero/but I’d be happier drinking a beer-o.” Gordon’s melodic talents and pessimistic viewpoint make him the perfect combination of XTC and Randy Newman. Fans of 10cc will also enjoy the catchy “On and On” layered with bright harmonies. Another standout is a dark prog ballad version of The Beatles “I Feel Fine.”

The influence of Zappa is sprinkled throughout here and there. The deliciously un-PC “If Boys Could Talk and Girls Could Think” and “Talulah Does The Hula From Hawaii” are a lot of fun and will get you humming. With 16 tracks, some tunes work better than others and Gordon sparkles when he moves beyond novelty tunes. A great example of this is “Incognitio Ergo Sum,” a depraved celebration of celebrity culture. And I love the “Lady Madonna” bass line thrown into the catchy “Passionate About Your Elevator” too. If you prefer your rock/pop to have a sharp wit, look no further.

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More reviews at Power Popaholic.

Aaron Kupferberg

BAMBOOZLE WILL FEATURE UNSIGNED ACTS ON LOCAL STAGES

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The Bamboozle Festival has announced that MGMT will join the growing roster of artists scheduled to perform at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ, on Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd. This year’s lineup includes Mute Math, Girl Talk, Paramore and Tom Delonge from Blink 182′s side project Angels & Airwaves, and many more, playing alongside alternative rockers Weezer who are set to co-headline the festival. Both the NJ Bamboozle, as well as the previously announced Anahem, CA Bamboozle (March 27th and 28th), will feature up-and-coming acts on a local stage as well as a more national younger artist stage. All artists will be selected by the festival’s producers. Package and single tickets for Bamboozle are on sale now via www.thebamboozle.com.

CD Review: IKE “Tie The Knot With All That You Got”

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John Faye and IKE break open the new decade with another winning record, “Tie The Knot With All That You Got”. This record sees a personnel change (longtime bassist Joann Schmidt has departed), but the one constant thing about IKE is that they never fail to deliver a fine collection of new pop rock gems. The 2010 version of IKE includes John Faye of course on lead vocals and guitar, Brett Talley on lead guitar and backing vocals, Tommy Kristich on drums, and Susie Steen on bass.

For those less familiar with IKE, frontman John Faye used to be in the fantastic yet grossly underrated 90s band, The Caulfields. Upon their break-up, John Faye released a solo effort (The John Faye Power Trip), with another power pop master, Cliff Hillis, on board. Incidentally, Hillis was also a member of IKE for their first two records, “Parallel Universe” and “In Real Life”. But I digress – how is “Tie The Knot With All That You Got”?

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‘IKE’ frontman John Faye on musical failures, successes, new band members, and the Philly rock scene

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You may know John Faye as the former frontman of The Caulfields: the Power Pop band who had a major label deal with A&M in the ‘90s and scored a minor hit with Devil’s Diary (how can anyone forget lines like “I’m bigger than Jesus now” and “It’s never good to be understood by a girl in acid wash”?)

Or, you may know him from his first solo effort in 1999: The John Faye Power Trip. Or, from the band he currently calls home, IKE, who have just released their fourth record; Tie The Knot With All That You Got.

If none of this rings a bell, it’s time we change all that. Get to know John Faye of IKE by reading our interview. (But just before you do, seeing as IKE is not a one-person band, let me introduce you to the remaining members: Brett Talley (guitar), Susan Steen (bass) and Tom Kristich (drums).)

Q: Looking at the latest release, Tie The Knot With All That You Got, my first thought was that this record was going to be an advertisement for getting married, but what is the real story behind the title?

A: [Laughs] Well, I think that after listening to the record you’ll probably sense just a tiny bit of irony in the title where marriage is concerned. The way that line is used in the song of the same name is more related to lacing your shoes up tight because you’re in for a crazy ride: “An epic adventure in the forces of nature.” The title itself comes from my friend Brittany Rotondo, who co-wrote the song Last Act with me. It was a random line in one of her poems and I asked her if I could use it as the title for a new song [and] she generously obliged.

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UnCovered Interview – The Pacific Eye & Ear years, with designs by Ernie Cefalu and Drew Struzan

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6 albumsOur Interview with Ernie Cefalu – Part 3

Having spent a number of years working with “creative types” in the music, television and computer/web production worlds, I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to talents both large and small. While I often times found myself relying on a short list of “go-to guys” I’d developed over time for projects that required a fast turn-around or had limited budgets (wasn’t that most of them?), there were occasions that I was able to approach projects without those constraints and look at a greater number of options for people who might bring their unique abilities to bear and help me/my team produce some awesome products, making both myself and my bosses/clients quite happy with the results.

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CD Review: The Honest Mistakes “Break Up”

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THM_LP_Cover

“Break Up” is the debut released January 5, 2010, from a new Baltimore band calling themselves The Honest Mistakes. The band personnel have been around the block, though – founders Joylene Dalia (vocals) and Chris Ehrich (guitar) were formerly in the aptly titled outfit, The Chris and Joylene Show from 2000 to 2004. They’ve teamed up with Adam Kivisaari on bass and Frank Corl on drums/percussion to create this record for those disenchanted with togetherness.

The Honest Mistakes have aligned with The Beechfields Record Label, who were responsible for bringing us the notable power pop of The Seldon Plan and the eclectic Gary B and the Notions.

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International Pop Overthrow’s David Bash Picks His Favourites of 2009

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ipohiresHi Everyone,

Here are my lists of favorite albums of 2009. As is my usual custom, I’ve broken this down into several categories, as I’m just not comfortable ranking unlike entities on one list.

David Bash
International Pop Overthrow

Contemporary Categories

I. Top 100 Albums

1. The Madd-The Madd Are Pretty Quick (Excelsior)
2. Mark & The Spies-Give Me A Look (Screaming Apple)
3. Philip John-Master The Monster (Self-Released)
4. The Tomorrows-Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Kool Kat)
5. Throwback Suburbia-Throwback Suburbia (Self-Released)
6. The Resonars-That Evil Drone (Burger)
7. The Lovedays-The Lovedays (Self-Released)
8. David Brookings-Glass Half Full (Self-Released)
9. Curtains For You-What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here (Spark & Shine)
10. The Humbugs-On The Upside (Oddvious)
11. The Telepathic Butterflies-Wow & Flutter (Rainbow Quartz)
12. Wiretree-Luck (Self-Released)
13. Paul Steel-Moonrock (Ray Gun)
14. Valley Lodge-Semester At Sea (Explosive Industries)
15. White Star Liners-The Rural Electrification (Self-Released)
16. Roger Klug-More Help For Your Nerves (Mental Giant)
17. Dennis Diken With Bell Sounds-Late Music (Crypto Vision)
18. High Child-Yesterday Today (Self-Released)
19. Tony Cox-Unpublished (Self-Released)
20. Brendan Benson-My Old, Familiar Friend (ATO)
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VENICE MUSIC FESTIVAL TAKING SUBMISSIONS

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Now through June 1, the Venice Music Festival will be accepting applications from artists and bands to perform. If you have any questions before submitting, contact event producers at [email protected]. Send all CD and promo info to: VBMF 5, 20 Westminster Ave #2, Venice, CA 90291. You can also visit www.myspace.com/venicebeachmusicfest.

THE iNSIDERS NETWORK Exclusive for Supernova Bands & Artists

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(Press Release)

Supernova.com’s Indie Music Community continues to grow, attracting over 21,000 artists; some are just starting out, while others are ready to advance their musical ambitions to the next level – they just need a little help.

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THE iNSIDERS NETWORK specializes in independent artist consultation, entrepreneurship, and well-being. Their unique whole-artist approach combines practical advice with artistic nurture for the independent artist. With membership, artists can also receive further discounts of up to 40% on services, including social media marketing, fundraising, composing and licensing, touring, publicity, legal guidance, counseling and more. As a member of Supernova.com, bands can try out the services without membership PLUS save 20% off your initial consults – a perfect introduction to artist industry services.

As the only social network to bring up-and-coming musicians to the live concert stage, Supernova.com is proud to bring their artists a discount of 20% off introductory consultations. For artists who are ready to advance their musical ambitions, THE iNSIDERS NETWORK can provide affordable and trustworthy industry advice while keeping the artist’s best interest at heart.