Category: Concert Connection

Live Concert Albums: Lannie Flowers and The Sharp Things

powerpopaholic

Lannie Flowers “Live in NYC”
I’ve been a huge advocate for Texas popster Lannie Flowers over the years, and his new live concert album is perfect for fans. It selects songs from the current discography, and in a live setting has that spontaneity and energy that the studio tracks lack, improving each song like “Come On Girl” and “Give Me A Chance” as well as a great cover of Big Star’s “Back Of A Car.” The set was recorded at The Trash Bar in Brooklyn on November 19, and the band is really tight here. This is also the closest thing to a Lannie Flowers “Greatest Hits” LP, so if you’ve never listened before this is an excellent place to start.

CD Baby | Amazon

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The Sharp Things “Live At Galapagos Art Space ”
Perry Serpa’s orchestral pop creation The Sharp Things was crammed onto the small stage at Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space last September.  The live environment allows all the players to add even more personality to the sprawling musical epics and detailed arrangements. The great thing about this concert is most of it is posted on You Tube. The performances have a warmth seldom seen and its highly recommended. Check out the excellent “Goodbye To Golders Green” and “An Ocean Part Deux.”

Bandcamp | Amazon

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

Concert Review: Cavestomp! The Garage Rock Festacular

powerpopaholic
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One of the coolest radio shows on the planet is Little Steven’s Underground Garage and they frequently feature great power pop on the show. Many of these artists receive the accolades “Coolest Song” or a spot in his yearly top ten — and at this occassion several played live at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn (site of our Power Popaholic Fest). The show continues Sunday night (4/27) at the Mercury Lounge (NYC), so you still have time to see this great show.

Hosted by Handsome Dick Manitoba of The Dictators, and one of my favorite veteran bands The Jellybricks opened things up. They did a great set of songs from their new album Youngstown Tuneup, one of my favorites this year. The follow up with John and Brittany, that’s John Faye (IKE, The Caulfields) and Brittany Rotondo served up a grunge covered set of sour sweetness. The dynamic duo were then followed by Palmyra Delran, and she totally rocked the house down. Finally The Connection took the stage, they were in my top ten last year and they did not disappoint onstage. Overall, it was an amazing night of music!

Celebrating The Arrival of The Beatles at JFK Airport

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[cycloneslider id=”honoring-beatles-50th-anniversary” fx=”fade” timeout=”5000″ speed=”1000″ width=”600″ height=”400″ show_prev_next=”true” show_nav=”true” hover_pause=”true”] I was very lucky to get into the ceremony celebrating the arrival of The Beatles at JFK Airport in 1964. The NY news media was there in force as they met with Beatle fans and other dignitaries at the event in the famous TWA Flight Center, a building that Port Authority Executive Director  Pat Foye described “painstakingly recreated” as a symbol of the early sixties “jet age.”

The one official getting most of the attention was Gary Millar, the Lord Mayor Councillor of Liverpool (UK). I also met Billy J. Kramer, a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer who often opened for the Fab Four in those early days. A commemorative plaque was unveiled for the occasion, and the Beatles cover band Liverpool played a few songs in advance of this weekend’s Fest for Beatles Fans. Check out Liverpool’s performance embedded on the last slide above. (Note: Keep your mouse pointer in the slide area to view the video without interruption.)

Glen_BurticI was fortunate to do a mini-interview with Liverpool lead singer/guitarist Glen Burtnik. It was pretty cool even though I was “winging it.” Glen was very friendly and approachable, he’s worked alongside Marshall Crenshaw in Broadway’s Beatlemania and mentored Graham Alexander. We started talking before I even got his full name!

Roger Hodgson back in the US for the “Breakfast In America” Tour

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Roger Hodgson helped propel Supertramp to international superstardom in the 70’s with album sales of well over 60 million, including 1979’s stellar blockbuster, Breakfast in America, which alone sold upwards of 20 million copies. Timeless in nature, his songs have played on the radio continuously for more than thirty-five years. Now, in concert, Hodgson reignites memories and emotions with a heart-stirring voice that both critics and fans declare is sounding better than ever. This is an experience you do not want to miss.

He’s visiting the Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York area.