Author: Barry Dreyfus

Concert Review: Power Popaholic Fest Day 1

Barry Dreyfus
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Review by Barry Dreyfus  |  Photos courtesy of Tom Parisi

The summer officially ended this past weekend and went out in a blaze of power chords, melodies and catchy songs at the 2014 Powerpopaholic Fest at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. Friday night’s sets opened with Brooklyn’s own Rhino House Band; who immediately brought the energy with a brilliant and almost funky rhythm section and edgy, kinetic tempo shifts In their well-conceived songs. Augmented by excellent guitar work and some truly memorable songs, I’m sure they’ll become a staple on the scene. The Lisa Mychols 3 followed and brought a furiously punky West Coast texture to Lisa’s new songs. With a far punchier sound than in her studio work, Lisa ripped thru a great set with her usual joy and the band provided more than solid support.

Corin Ashley came on to pull fully realized pop gems off his latest album and inject them with charm, a great sound with nice colorization by the keyboards and his playful manner. And of course, the requisite “la-la’s” and harmonies expected from a top power pop band. Then came Bryan Scary and Evil Arrows; who were, to my ears, the surprise of the night. Fusing disparate pop elements from Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to 60’s garage bands to late 70’s pop-punk Bryan whipped the crowd into a small frenzy. So many blended influences manifested themselves in their songs it was hard to count them all. This band sure bears watching. The night was brought to a close by The Thigh-Highs with their mix of Yardbirds-like guitar play with strong rock n’ roll backing and cleverly written songs. The lineup highlighted the various styles and influences that go into good power pop and there was still a 2nd night yet to come.  Visit Power Popaholic’s Facebook page to see video of the event!

Concert Review: The Bell House Power Pop Festival

Barry Dreyfus
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One didn’t need Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine this past weekend if one yearned to return to the heyday of 70’s power pop. One merely had to purchase a weekend pass to The Bell House’s 1st Power Pop Festival (May 9 & 10). For one glorious weekend, we all were transported back to 1978 watching legendary 70’s power pop stars Dwight Twilley, Shoes, Pezband and Paul Collins. The iconic music mag Trouser Press promoted the shows and brought back to NYC these legendary bands, 3 of which haven’t played in the city for decades.

Friday night opened with the Pezband’s original lineup (Mimi Betinis, Mick Rain & John Pazdan). They mixed classic Pezband (“Stop! Wait A Minute”, ” Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, “Please Be Somewhere Tonight”) with well-chosen covers (“Not Fade Away” and “Hippy Hippy Shake”) all with meaty hooks and well-crafted, punchy songs they proved to be a truly potent musical force still.  Dwight Twilley was next and he still has one of the most recognizable voices of all the 70’s power poppers and aided by 20/20 mainstay Ron Flynt on bass (and harmonies), Twilley had the sell-out crowd galvanized from the start. Pulling tracks primarily off his first 5 albums, Dwight’s set displayed the full range of his influences, melding rockabilly, British harmonies and basic ol’ rock n’ roll.

On Saturday it was time for Paul Collins to haul out a treasure trove of iconic songs from his vast catalog. He played earlier chestnuts like “Rock and Roll Girl,”as well as later gems like “Ribbon Of Gold”. And to cap off an already stunning weekend were power pop pioneers Shoes. From the first notes of opener “Head Vs. Heart” you could hear the excitement and joy from the crowd  soaking it all in like a sponge. After the show the throng staggered out into the rain of a late Saturday night feeling nothing but elation; protected by nothing more than the lingering melodies and memories of a weekend in Brooklyn in May of 2014.

Concert Review by Barry Dreyfus | Photos by Joanna Ente