As Charlotte Pop Fest runs into this weekend I wanted to let readers note that Saturday (9/26) morning and afternoon shows on the Main Stage at Freedom Park are FREE. On hand are The Parallax Project, Tony Low, The Singles and other favorite artists. And if you’re stuck at home, you could do yourself a favor and get the Compilation CD. It’s a massive pile of 35 great tracks. The starting point is a NEW Smithereens track, “Someday Boy” and then The Spongetones “Lost Weekend” pulled from their latest album. Although Roger J. Manning Jr. wasn’t able to make the festival, he is represented with “Living In End Times.” There are several exclusive tracks you’ll not find anywhere, like Ed James riff heavy “Princess Perfect”and The Jellybricks “Beryllium.” Having the light touch of Jill Sobule on “A Good Life” is a nice change of pace, and the familiar, but awesome Mike Viola adds “Maybe, Maybe Not.” It also gives us an opportunity to hear lesser known groups, like The Stellas and Crisis. There is something here for all types of power pop fans from the hard (Popdudes) to the soft sounds (Linus of Hollywood). No weak tunes here, as James Deem has done a great job of picking tracks, and he even covers XTC’s “Dear God” too.
MySpace | BUY THE COMPILATION | The Pop Fest website