Category: Power Pop Concerts

Concert Review: Power Popaholic Fest

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Lannie Flowers onstage at Power Popaholic Fest

It was a great night of music and a real treat to run Power Popaholic Fest. Things went as smooth as can be, and even though attendance was light early, it filled up as the night continued. We started with a solid performance from Buddy Love, who did a soundcheck with Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll” and then got the audience cheering for the ballad “Crying Town” and “Little Sheila.” Jeff Litman took the stage next and all by himself had the crowd spellbound by his renditions of “Outside” and “Over and Over.”

Jacob Callis, Joey Kelly (Buddy Love) and Jana Peri

Jana Peri looked great and belted out some new songs she’s been working on, but also included crowd pleasing favorites like “I Wanna Rock.” I was honored to welcome the prolific Lane Steinberg next. He played selections from his new CD with David Grahame including “Crazy Maisie” and “Layabout” from his band 8×8. After his set, Lannie Flowers arrived with a five piece band (including keyboards) and brought the audience to a frenzy with selections from his new album New Songs Old Stories.

Lannie was warmly received and then The Heatless Devils took to the stage, they took everything up a notch with their own set of hard charging rock and roll. Shortly after a spirited version of “I Blame You,” the special guest Mark DiCarlo (Fuzzbubble) joined the band as they performed covers of The Records “Starry Eyes” and Cheap Trick’s “C’mon C’mon.”  The evening was capped by a laid back acoustic set by The Turnback, who played new selections from their upcoming EP. The sound quality was excellent and it was great to see the enthusiasm of fans enjoying original music by these talented artists. I will have more photos to show and videos up on YouTube soon.

Jeff Litman

Overall it was a great experience for both me and the bands involved, and I intend to build on this for an even bigger Fest next season. Once again I wanted to thank all the bands involved, and our great sponsors: Mid Island Drum and Guitar, Lulu’s Village Pub, and 11L Radio New York International.

 

 

 

Video Reviews: The Doughboys and John Wicks

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It’s a real rarity that I review concert DVDs, but I wanted to show my appreciation for these talented artists.

The Doughboys “Rock N Raw Live”
You thought you knew the New Jersey band, The Doughboys? Well I’m sure no one told you the history of a band that is over 40 years old and one of the best live rock bands in the east. It all started with Richard X. Heyman and Mike Scavone in the early sixties and how they formed a band, drifted apart and re-united. This documentary is very well done, similar to the Beatles Anthology with photos, radio clips and between each biographical segment is a live concert performance from the reunion at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC. Highly polished and beautifully filmed it will give the average viewer a special insight into how good the Doughboys really are.

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John Wicks “Lessons Learned (Live & Unplugged)”
This is a rare DVD release that captures an acoustic performance of John Wicks of The Records and guitarist Dennis Taylor at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA on August 20, 2010. It’s an intimate and simple setting, one camera and no frills here. Wicks and Taylor do a great job performing from John’s extensive catalog of material. For Wicks and Records fans it’s a must buy.

Only at Kool Kat Musik 

Best Live Bands to See Now!

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Part of the fun in discovering new music is to find a band that’s really good, but hasn’t yet become too big yet, so you can see them in smaller venues and pay a fraction of what traditional “famous” rock bands charge. You can’t do that with Ringo! Anyway, here is a list of bands to see before they get too big:

Eureka Machines – Based in Leeds, England the band Eureka Machines are a force to be reckoned with. This is power pop with an accent on the power – a sonic assault that is as hard as barbed wire and sticky as glue. These guys are playing all over the UK. The next one is Friday 29 January 2010 – Casbah, Sheffield and best of all, only £4… follow them here.

The Doughboys – New Jersey’s favorite sons, with Richard X. Heyman! Set to play in support of thier new release “Act Your Rage” on February 5, 2010 at 7:30pm at Sullivan Hall, 213 Sullivan Street, Between Bleecker & West 3rd, NYC See them for $10… follow them here.

The Dudes – If you are in Canada on January 30th, head on over to Henotic at 402 2nd Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta. Show starts at 8:00pm This band can rock with the best of them, and are supporting the “Blood Guts Brusies Cuts” album that recently released… follow them here.

Plasticsoul – This band made our number one album for 2009. The band is already set to play at the International Pop Overthrow in San Diego, CA on Februray 19, 2010. The fest starts at O’Connell’s, 1310 Morena Blvd. in San Diego and the show starts at 7:30pm for $10 you see 8 different bands!… follow them here.

Jackdaw4 – just had a show this Thursday at 100 100 club, 100 Oxford Street, London. And only £8, but I’d keep my eye on this band to make a few more appearances. These guys are one of the most underrated power pop groups in recent memory… follow them here.

Looking for a deal on music? VoucherCodes.co.uk is a British site where you could pick up music cheaply with an Amazon promo code.

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