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Review by Barry Dreyfus | Photos courtesy of Tom Parisi and Elizabeth Racz
Having decided that one day of incredible power pop wasn’t sufficient, Day 2 picked up right about where they left off. Opening the 2nd night was Paul Bertolino, whose sophisticated take on pop harkens to Bachrach/David and a Cali sunshine feel. His voice showed power and versatility and the band, augmented by a great horn player, created a rich that layered sound. Eric Barao followed and wowed the crowd with a set of songs that ranged through a number of tempos and some songs had nice psych-pop touches.
Chris Richards & The Subtractions traveled the farthest to play this night and yet came out stormin’ with dual jangly guitars and big thumping rhythm. Playing songs from throughout their decade together (and greatest hits album Decayed), they sure showed Brooklyn what we’ve been missing. Nick Piunti (on rhythm guitar) played 2 tunes from his acclaimed CD and we were also treated to a Legal Matters song. The next artist hadn’t appeared for years on stage but the overwhelming success of Obscuriousity pushed Stephen Lawrenson to take the act on the road. And the crowd could not have been more pleased. Terse guitar leads and beautiful harmonies from his band mates added the right amount of embellishment.
If anybody’s energy was wavering NYC’s neo-mod whirlwind of sound, London Egg alleviated that by delivering a blistering set of ultra-crunchy power pop. Fleshed out with a new drummer and rhythm guitarist their focused intensity gained more “swing” and bounce to go with the thunder. A fast and furious cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking” had everyone on their feet as Powerpopaholic Fest 2014 wound down. It was a weekend of music that needed to be heard and anyone here can attest to that. Power-pop mission accomplished!
