Power Pop News 'n Tunes
DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020
your monthly fast-track summary to what's happening now in pop
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Welcome to Issue #7!
(if you want to download a PDF of this newsletter, click HERE. The links to the videos will not work with the PDF, though. Click on 'view entire message' to view all information and links.)

Welcome to Issue #7!

It's been two months - did you miss me?!

After six straight monthly issues and tracking the time each one took and the available time I had to do this free service, I've been forced to come to grips that I'll keep doing this but I will do a new issue every two months, not every month. It takes over 10 hours to pull this all together.

As this issue will attest, each one will be rather large. Huge, in fact. (make sure you read the message at this top of this newsletter, it's vital for you to be able to read the entire issue ) Soooo, the upside! Glass half-full.

On a personal note, the last two months were ones filled with...well, loss of loved ones. All sudden death, kind of things. Brother-in-law, next door neighbor and a good friend in town. That's life sometimes, as we all know.

As a 'bonus' to the above, the CD manufacturer that was going to manufacture "BEST POWER POP OF 2018" 3-CD set decided to call it quits after 30 years in business back in October and I finally got my deposit back(I'm not made 'o money). Oh well. Ya just adjust, keep smiling and live forward. ANYWAY, it would be awesome(and fabulific) if you'd support these efforts and the PGH blog and pick this release up when you hear about it next week. (ships last days of December) There's a whole lotta coolness and great music connected to the CD itself and the offer that goes along with it.

Speaking of, keeping smiling 'n such, that is exactly what I do with my hobby time activities like this. Focusing on the music, even though this is not my daily work anymore has been a nice salve, a nice contrast. You'll be seeing a stream of promotion from me for this "Best Power Pop of 2018" project for about 10 days and then it will be over. Just a heads up.

Bsides all the great news music, I'm enjoying a new power pop called "Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop" by co-authors Paul Myers and S.W. Lauden(a pen name from the drummer of the fab band The Brothers Steven, whose 2019 album you really need to own). It's an really interesting angle and approach - see details and links below).

Which is all I try to keep inside the efforts of these newsletters every month. So let's get to it! If you don't don't to view it on your browser, download the PDF w/ the link above. Issue #8 will arrive first week of February.

Peace 'n Pop,
Bruce
UPDATE: "Best Power Pop of 2018" CD Package
'Best Laid Plans' Department

Well, I was hoping to get this offer out by now and, alas, the issues and struggles mentioned in my intro above have pushed this forward into later this month.

There will be about a one week promotional window for this project and then it will be over. If you don't care about supporting this project and still want to receive these newsletters, just hang in there for a week or so and 'deal with it' - or just 'unsubscribe' and I'll wish you well and Godspeed! :-)

" The collection of music he’s made in the last five years, I would argue, is pretty much unrivalled by anyone.  He has pretty much become the king of the three minute pop rock song, and ‘This is The Sound’ is the sound of a statement. ” MaximumVolumeMusic
RYAN HAMILTON & THE HARLEQUIN GHOSTS
"This Is The Sound"
This came out back in June and I only just had this arrive to my desk and....what a Whopper of Awesome! (first time I ever typed that phrase!)

It's just freakin' KILLER. All great. It's on Steve Van Zandt's Wicked Cool Record label. They usually go in a garage-y oriented direction but, honestly, their latest slate of releases is decidedly 'not so garagey'.

2019 is certainly another great year of great power pop and just flat-out GREAT music. Put this album at the front of the class with a few other stellar releases.
 


Kool Kat - order HERE
Band site: click HERE and HERE
Interview and Article - click HERE

V/A - A KOOL KAT KRISTMAS - Vol. 3
PIt's been five years since "Volume 2" came and here comes #3! In label head's, Ray Gianchetti's words: " I’ve always tried to stay “in-house” with the previous two “Kristmas” volumes, but this time it actually happened!  That makes it extra kool and special for me.  Artists present here are Everet Almond, The Decibels, The Junior League, The Season’s Greeters (featuring Kurt Baker), Nick Frater, Athanor, Richard Turgeon, The Stan Laurels, Stephen’s Ruin, Emperor Penguin, Tommy and The Rockets, Ed Ryan, and Steve Somerset’s Shadow Kabinet!   It‘s important to note that $5 from the sale of every copy will be donated to The American Cancer Society  – it’s a wonderful collection of great music for an even greater cause!"

CLICK HERE for more info & to order
THE JAC - Broken Gnome
Every year for almost 10 years, Joe Algeri records and releases a Christmas single.

His latest has a classic 80s distinctively Australian indie rock feel!


Click to unearth the Gnome HERE

Joe has a (very) large catalog of must-hear music.
Click HERE to explore
THE WEEKLINGS
Gonna Be Christmas

An IMMEDIATE Christmas Power Pop Classic!

Just released so it's about as fresh for the month of December than a pop geek could ask. More to come from the band in January, 2020 - that's next month!

Crank It Up The Merry - HERE

Explore more from The Weeklings - HERE
JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR
Little Saint Nick

Get used to seeing this name, fellow power pop geeks. "Johnathan Pushkar".

It's so great to see 'the youngins' embrace, full-on the history and power of the genre and do it so exceedingly well. His tag line(yes, he has one)?
"Writing songs like it's 1965"

Give him a virtual hug, already.

Shake Your Sunny Christmas Cheer - HERE

Hear more from Pushkar:
TODD HERFINDAL
Two Track Mind
Todd Herfindal has been around a bit, if you were a Not Lamer 'back in the day', his first album coming onto the site in the mid/late 00s. I had lost track with him and then this album arrived a few months ago and it's not let go. It's just an out-right winner so I want to call attention to it for you.

"A n excellent example of what hugely popular pop music  ought to  sound like in 2019" - BabySue

It's more rootsy than his past releases, certainly but songwriting-wise, it's his strongest and one of my favorites of the year.

Listen to it on Bandcamp - HERE
More info & to order at Kool Kat - HERE
"The Long Lost Not Lame Recordings Release"...
Well, I hope that those have been around me for awhile have not forgotten my work with Not Lame Recordings(1994-2010) and this headline got your attention. Time does fade...but when I heard that A. Michael Collins was readying to dig out the tapes from this missing, never heard project from around 2002, I was very excited. Very. You see, VICTORY LAP was their name. You never heard them or heard of them. I wanted to help power pop fans 'back in the day' to hear them because they were good, real good - especially for fans of The Posies, their strongest influence. At least to my ears.

I sent the band some money to finish recording and, alas, the project petered out and the advance, graciously returned. I kept the tapes(cassettes) and every few years I would come across them and usher out a meek, quiet sigh.

Now, it';s your turn to hear what I heard years ago - and you can decide.

Oh yeah, forgot. Produced and mixed by Ken Stringfellow. ;-P

CLICK HERE to pick it up.
NEW ALBUM FROM JEFFREY FOSKETT

What better way to talk about this new music but direct from the mouth of BRIAN WILSON: " Jeff’s voice is one of the top five greatest voices I’ve ever heard, because of the way he expresses himself. It blows me away. "

Click HERE for more info and to order from Kool Kat
Wonderful review from Powerpopaholic - click HERE
Bill Lloyd and Tom Petterson(you know, Cheap Trick!) together with other pro veterans helping out? Come on, give it up - and listen to video below and check out the seven songs.... CLICK HERE
More Details on Carl Cafarelli's book, " THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Volume 1" 


Two links to share here with this upcoming and very exciting project coming in 2020. Chew on the details but I'll let Cafarelli lead it off: " As always: an infinite number of songs can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

I had a quick check-in with my agent yesterday, and the finalized formal proposal for my book  The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1)  will be submitted to prospective publishers by mid December. I viewed this as another opportunity to tweak its Table of Contents."


Click HERE for details on that Table of Contents
Then, click HERE for even more information
Wonder what NICK GILDER is up to?

TISDALE - Nick Gilder opened at Rockin' the Square this year with his rock band, Sweeney Todd. This incarnation of Sweeney Todd has been together for more than ten years, but it's not the first. "I don't think I thought, even 20 years ago, that I ...

Read more
www.humboldtjournal.ca
Gran Jukle's Field + Bonus Singles Collection (Japan...

One of the many classic albums from THE NINES but now seeing bonus treatment in Japan with bonus trax. Shipping December 25th.

Read more
www.cdjapan.co.jp
Michael Carpenter - The Start of Being Alone (single)

Brand spankin' and jangly enjoyable new tune from the immeasurable talented Sir Michael of Carpenter! I would expect we'll see a new album sometime in early 2020 judging by the inspirations on display here.

Read more
orcd.co
Danny McDonald: Modern Architecture, by Popboomerang

Danny McDonald has long been hailed as one of Australia’s finest & most underrated songwriters. This one builds on McDonald’s growing body of classic guitar pop work while showcasing a master songwriter in his prime.

Read more
popboomerang.bandcamp.com
INTERVIEW WITH POPBOOMERANG FOUNDER, SCOTT THURLING
(link below)

You know how hard it is release CDs? No? Well, take from someone who released close to 130 of the round, silver buggers, there's a lot to it bsides grit, hard work and an ability to look at red ink, shrug and do it again. Sexy stuff.

Well, Scott Thurling is over 100 CDs released on his label, POPBOOMERANG RECORDS and you deserve to know more about his work and the artists that have come through the labels' turnstiles and into your homes.

Click HERE to learn more about the man behind it all

Check out the latest news at Popboomerang Records
click HERE
"Shake 3" Out On Saturday

Listen to the samples songs here, especially a classic track from the 80s indie Aussie greats, the Ups & Downs. JANGLE FAN ALERT! It's classic!

Read more
popboomerang.bandcamp.com
LANNIE FLOWERS - FREE SONG

The latest single from Lannie Flowers! Check in with Spyderpop's site every month as they'll giving away a song each month until Flowers' next album, HOME is released.

Read more
spyderpop.com
Finding My Way Back... 2011-2019, by Johnny Stanec

JOHNNY STANEC is also featured on the "Best Power Pop of 2018" CD collection shipping at the end of this month!

Read more
johnnystanec.bandcamp.com
ZERO HOUR RECORDS - Bundled Pure Pop JOy

Some outstanding selections of Australian-based power pop, glam, garage and more from Zero Hour Records - something for everyone.

Read more
www.zerohourrecords.com.au
JANGLE ON!

Posted on 19 November 2019 by Eric Sorensen There has been no shortage of chiming, jangly pop/rock material in the past two months. Here are some of the CDs and single tracks that should appeal to fellow jangle enthusiasts: Forward To The Past -...

Read more
www.popgeekheaven.com
"Work of Love"- new David Myhr single from the...

My brand new song "Work of Love" is part of the soundtrack written by film music composer Jimmy Lagnefors for the new comedy Tills Frank skiljer oss åt (Until Frank do us part) that premieres in Swedish movie theatres on October 18. (The same...

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www.davidmyhr.com
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ANC4 - ANC4

The band breathes new life into Rickenbacker-fueled, 60’s style nuggets with strong melodies and sweet harmonies whilst keeping relevant in the current music scene.  “A diverse collection of bright, hummable pop tunes drawing on a wide scope of influences from The Beatles to The Byrds." Power Pop News

for more info & to order
THEATRE ROYAL -
B-Sides & Other Cuts 2010-18

“Why the f*ck are they not really famous?... sheer melodic pop genius, intelligent lyrics with brilliant harmonies.” Louder Than War    ““Theatre Royal, you boys have got it!”   Cyril Jordan/The Flamin’ Groovies  “The paisley-shirted sound of the Medway Towns meets the West Coast of the States.” - Steve Lamacq/BBC 6   

for more info & to order
Nick Frater’s fourth solo album is once again packed with the hooks, harmonies, and ear-worms that have earned him the critical acclaim!  Fans of The Raspberries, Todd Rundgren, Cheap Trick, and classic pop songwriting are in for a real treat. “Excellent melodies and unique chord changes are what characterize Frater’s music.” - Shindig! Magazine   Frater is also featured on the upcoming "Best Power Pop of 2018" CD collection for last's year release. He's on a big roll!

for more info & to order
KURT BAKER COMBO
Let's Go Wild!

There's no power pop artist over the past, say, 6/7 years who has been as busy, passionate and consistently freakin' AWESOME than Sir Kurk of Baker. 'tis a fact. The latest proof is all right here.

Go Wild, indeed!

CLICK HERE to rawk and spread the good word
JESSE MALIN
Sunset Kids

A bonafide NYC legend for 30 years, Malin has worn many skins throughout his career but the colors that have been consistent and which make his music relevant is a passion, grit and energy that elevates his songcraft to exciting, gripping levels.

CLICK HERE to experience his latest
THE DOLLYROTS
Daydream Explosion

PUNK-POP bands have always been a dime-a-dozen and it's hard to find one that begs the urge to play an album more than once. On "Daydream Explosion", the Dollyrots blow that cynical generalization up as they deliver their tour-de-force as they rise above the classification with defiant yet hook-drenched grabbers.


CLICK HERE to lean into the punk pop glory
BIG STIR SINGLES -
The Fourth Wave Benefit CD

First off, $5, folks. Second, all monies to great charity. Third, fantastic collection of artists and music. Fourth, a statement: no brainer. Stuffed with 25 songs!

Including: sparkle*jets U.K, Shplang, the Reflectors, Broken Arrow, Joe Normal & The Anytown'rs, Blake Jones & The Trike Shop and many others!

Click HERE for more info & to order
SHPLANG - Los Grandes Escritos

Peter Marston band returns! SHPLANG have been gracing the power pop scene for 3 decades now and an long-overdue retrospective of their body of work has been completed. This collection gathers up fan favorites with a bunch of unreleased treasures. (btw, speaking of 'treasures', Marston did fabulous work for the Pop Geek Heaven blog for years inside of the "Lost Treasures" section, check it out below, too).
Click HERE for info & to order
Click HERE to check out "Lost Treasures"
GO ALL THE WAY: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop (The Mixtape Series)
After years of being ignored in the literary world, the last 10 years has seen a regular flow of great and geek-filled tomes covering our beloved genre. It's really quite remarkable - just view the two right here.

Let's start with "Go All The Way". Just look at the cover? Right?! If that does not pull the inner pop geek heartstring, whaddya doing here?

Compiled by musician and biographer Paul Myers and S.W. Lauden, this is a collection of essays on the subject of 'power pop' by a long list of excellent writers, many known by you and me and others fans lurking on the sidelines but fully tuned into the glorious history, sounds and relevance of our beloved genre. Here are some(but not all) of the essays' subject matter.

Heather Havrilesky on Blondie
Carrie Courogen on Liz Phair
Michael Chabon on Big Star
Jeff Rougvie on Cheap Trick
David Yaffe on XTC
Kate Sullivan on Jeff Lynne and ELO
Dylan Champion on Guided By Voices
David Bash on His So-Called (Power Pop) Life
Justin Fielding on The Road to Power Pop
Paul Myers on Sloan

(list continued to the right)

CLICK HERE to order on Amazon
Jeff Whalen on Power Pop as Beatles Obsession
S. W. Lauden on Fountains of Wayne
Ira Elliot on Putting the Pow! in Power Pop
Rex Weiner on September Gurls
Marko DeSantis on Surrender
Ken Sharp on The Secret Power Pop History of KISS's Paul Stanley
Tom Petty on The Strange Magic of Jeff Lynne (as told to Ken Sharp)
John M. Borack on The Women of Power Pop
Dave Holmes on Tommy Keene
Daniel Brummel on Weezer
Allison Anders on Nick Lowe's Pub Rock Roots
Annie Zaleski on How Jelly Fish Changed the Game
Chris Holm on The Brainy Power Pop of Allan Carl Newman
Scott Miller excerpts from  Music: What Happened?
Kurt Baker on Pop Punk to Power Pop
BULLSOGRAPHY:
The Bullseye Records of Canada Story

This book came out in the Spring of 2018 but I did not become aware of it until last month. Canada-based Bullseye Records was run by Jaime Vernon and from its inception in 1985 until its closure in 2017 featuring such artists as Klaatu, The Kings, Killer Dwarfs, Randy Bachman, Guess Who, Brave Belt, Honeymoon Suite, Santers, Segarini, Moxy, Goddo, Dave Rave, Jeff Jones, John Boswell, Terry Draper, Dee Long, Maureen Leeson, Dr. Lotech, The First Time, Soap Opera, Jaimie Vernon, Spare Parts, Moving Targetz, Swedish Fish, and so many more.

It's a bit pricey in printed form as it's over 400 pages(and ships from Canada) but it's only $10 on Kindle!

Click HERE
THAT'LL BE THE DAY:
A Power Pop Heist
by S.W. Lauden

Before "Go All The Way"(above), S.W. Lauden came out this work of fiction that has 'power pop' as a major character - imagine that! Well, actually don't - just read this hilarious and utterly enjoyable short book of 74 pages that will make you smile as knowingly nod and smile as names and album titles are dropped around a rare record heist story.

"an engaging page-turner of a read, with vivid imagery and a sense of gritty realism permeating its pages. Lauden’s style is breezy and enjoyable, even as the story takes some dark and foreboding turns. And hey—where else are you gonna find crime fiction that name checks power pop royalty such as 20/20, Dwight Twilley and Raspberries?”—John M. Borack, author

“Imagine if Bob and Tommy Stinson went on a crime spree. That’ll Be The Day is a smart, fun, and focused crime fiction." - Jay Stringer, author

to order on Kindle or Paperback
Album Review: The Muffs' 'No Holiday'

It is heartbreaking that Kim Shattuck, the forthright singer and cocksure songwriter for the Muffs, died at the beginning of October. Renowned for her short, sharp brand of power-pop punk song, yearning but prickly lyrics, and screamy, shredded...

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variety.com
The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of White Reaper

Forgive me for this, but real quick we need to jump back in the pool with Chris Holmes, then lead guitarist for heavy metal gods W.A.S.P., as he conducts one of the more harrowing (and rock 'n' roll) interviews in film history.

Read more
www.theringer.com
Empty City Squares

Tripped across this one out of the blue. Just start playing the first song w/ the Beatley McCartney bass lines and...off you'll go! Don't know who John Fotiadis, who this is but this one was overlooked from 2011. Don't miss "Sitting Alone" here!

Read more
emptycitysquares.bandcamp.com
About Jokerman by Bob Dylan, by Peter Case

Let's see, it was October 1983 and I was still in the Plimsouls, but we had come in from the road, and had wound down, and I was just knocking about, living alone in a tiny pad up in Laurel ...

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petercase.com
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New Pornographers' Carl Newman Can't Define Power-Pop

As the de facto leader of supergroup The New Pornographers, Carl Newman has been tagged as a power-pop purveyor for many years. He doesn't exactly understand the genre, nor does he necessarily consider himself part of it.

Read more
www.talkhouse.com
6 Reasons to Love the Kurt Baker Combo ...

By John Visconti Sometimes when we focus on the more serious side of rock and roll, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that, at its heart, it's supposed to be fun. Portland-born rocker Kurt Baker certainly hasn't forgotten that fact.

Read more
goodmenproject.com
Meet Niña Lobo, Uruguay Power Pop's Best-Kept Secret

Well, a few things. One, I figured I'd catch all the dudes with checking this out with the picture of the lead singer. How'd I do? Second, the article sez 'power pop' but it's more like early/mid 90s fey indie pop. Anyway, thought this was funny.

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remezcla.com
40 years ago, The Clash shattered punk orthodoxy and...

Martin Scorsese described "Janie Jones" by The Clash as the greatest British rock'n'roll song. Interesting choice. I can still recall the day in '77 picking up the debut at the Harvard Coop in Boston - and same thing with "London Calling".

Read more
www.independent.co.uk
Three Steps to Better Listening, by Propeller

Featured on "Best Power Pop of 2017" CD, Propeller are all about crunchy guitars. verses as hooky as choruses and rollicking rhythms that would frighten most metronomes. Mixed and served loud. 3 excellent new songs here!

Read more
propeller.bandcamp.com
Tina Tina!, by Kurt Hagardorn

Kurt Hagardorn Portland, Oregon Kurt Hagardorn grew up in New Orleans, later moving to Tennessee. There he formed Brian and the Nightmares, a band that played in the 1980s. He formed Gumption in 1994. The group released a single and EP.

Read more
kurthagardorn.bandcamp.com
In Memoriam: Kim Shattuck - Goldmine Magazine

By John M. Borack I didn't know the Muffs' Kim Shattuck well, but I did know her well enough for her untimely death to hit me pretty damned hard. I've been a fan of The Muffs ever since they burst onto the music scene like a loud, brash breath of ...

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www.goldminemag.com
Interesting Times, by Big Quiet

Entering the studio with legendary producer Mitch Easter (Pavement, Ex Hex, R.E.M.), Marisa Cerio (guitar, vocals) and Chris Mattheson (bass, vocals) deliver more of the sublime jangle pop with a post-punk edge that's won them a fervent following

Read more
unblinkingearrecords.bandca...
The Lovetarians

Here's what you need to know(and hear). The Lovetarians will be performing Spilt Milk from top-to-bottom. Yeah, I had never heard of them before, too! Check out the two videos isolating vocals.

Read more
www.facebook.com
Listen to Peter Bjorn and John's new power-pop song...

Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John have released 'Reason to Be Reasonable', a new track they're calling a "power-pop song" - listen to it below. The group - made up of Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson - recently announced they will be...

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www.nme.com
SONG PREMIERE: KC Rock Vets The Pedaljets Give Power Pop ...

Don't know much about these guys but sure LOVE this song but do recall them in the 80s and thought they were long gone. They are not. Don't miss this song and check it out now...WELCOME BACK! This was worth the wait...

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glidemagazine.com
Wilco's John Stirratt On Ode to Joy, Classic Cars And...

Not surprisingly, intricate melodies and thought-provoking lyrics fill Wilco's latest release, Ode to Joy. The new LP arrives 25 years into the band's career and still manages to match the subtle beauty and understated virtuosity that any of its...

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www.leoweekly.com
Chasing the Essential - Episode # 210 (Covers 4 you))

"If you both have faith you'll find a sunny day. Don't be bothered by what smaller minds have got to say" The Remains Playlist: A.C.D.C. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Green Tambourine Missing Persons Every Word Means No The Kariannes always love...

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www.podomatic.com
BOBBY EMMETT - Brighter Days (Mono Edition)

Remember the album by BOBBY EMMETT, "Learning Love" from 2009? It was an absolute corker and one that year's best. After it came out...pretty much nothing from him. Until I recently found out THIS...

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open.spotify.com
Eddie & The Hot Rods' Barrie Masters has died

Eddie & The Hot Rods have issued a statement after the "sudden" death of frontman Barrie Masters. Tributes have since flooded in. The pub rock legends took to Twitter to share the news and pay tribute to their "legendary" singer. "It is with...

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www.nme.com
Inspirational Strawberries, by Wyatt Blair

Just came across this guy and..whaat?!? He's got a huge body of work and I certainly have not heard him before(nor heard of) and it sure seems like most in this world power pop haven't. Blair may not searching out fans like us but we found him now!

Read more
wyattblair.bandcamp.com
LOOK FOR ISSUE #8 IN TWO MONTHS - First Week of February, 2020