Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems and Wendi Dunlap

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Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems

Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems “Still Dirty”

Kris Rodgers upped his game. Kris is a talented pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and his band, The Dirty Gems are a solid crew; Tom Hall is on guitar, Ryan Halliburton on bass, and Craig Sala on drums. The band signed onto Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records this year. And Still Dirty starts with a funky “She Likes To Party,” which could be a lost companion to Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” But Rodgers’ energy and melodic power are more akin to a young Elton John playing in the E-Street band. “Across the Galaxy” and “See You Again” showcase his superb vocal chops and songwriting skill.

And the band rocks away on “I’m Your Man” and gets stronger with each song, “Don’t Turn Around” has a touch of Motown DNA, and he gets jazzy on “Tortuga.” Plenty of varied influences and most of these tunes hit the mark, even a cover of Elton’s “Take Me To The Pilot” is inspired. Super highly recommended.

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Wendi Dunlap

Wendi Dunlap “Looking For Buildings”

Wendi Dunlap has an elegant vocal that catches your ear right away on the opener “Buildings.” The album was produced by Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, and despite his recent controversy – his solid work helps Wendi shine here. The guitar jangle and heart-felt “Season of Loss” is a bittersweet rocker about the Pandemic, with a hook-filled chorus. Next, the sophisticated “Field of View” shows a depth of emotional joy seldom heard. This trifecta is hard to follow up on.

Wendi slows the tempo, and “You=Spring” is a nice slice of dream pop, and things pick up with “Wonder Whys,” another catchy gem that tries to decipher a partner’s bad behavior. However, toward the second half of the album, Wendi broods about rejection on “Don’t Throw Me Away” and “Second Heartbreak” and the hooks are missing. Still, this is a strong debut that deserves to be heard. Check it out.

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Papa Nez takes the last train

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59-atxl1

What can I possibly say that hasn’t been said about the “smartest” Monkee, Michael Nesmith. I’ll pull a quote from one of my favorite music writers Bob Lefsetz who said:

“So when it was over, Nesmith was the only one who had any traction as a musician. Dolenz stayed in TV, Jones went to legitimate theatre and Tork faded away, but Nesmith had the First National Band, and consensus was they were good, and credible, which was quite a leap if you consider his start in the public eye as a member of the Monkees.”

Here is his first hit song by himself, a rare version of “Different Drum”

It’s taken me some time to process the loss of Mike Nesmith. I have been lucky enough to interview him a few years ago for the Ernie Kovacs Award.
As for his work in the Monkees, a TV show about an imaginary band … that wanted to be the Beatles, he helped turn this “fake band” into a real one. By May of 1967, Headquarters proved to the world that these guys were real musicians with great songs. To honor him, please listen to the music that made this a uniquely American band that has stood the test of time, and long outlasted those early naysayers of the music press. Rest in peace, Papa Nez.

Holiday Videos and singles: The Kut, Kai Danzberg, Librarians With Hickeys, The Incurables, Ken Sharp, Radio Days, The Weeklings

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So I let loose the flow of Christmas music again! We start with a re-release The Kut‘s Christmas Single “Waiting for Christmas,” while the reliable Kai Danzberg has two great singles; firstly the jingle-jangling “Making It Shine” and then the energetic “Could’ve Been You” featuring Andy Patchell (and it’s a FREEBIE!) Next, we deck the halls with Librarians With Hickeys and The Incurables, courtesy of Big Stir Records where you’ll find more goodies. Two more new singles are out; Ken Sharp‘s “Mr. Sun” seems to channel the late Davy Jones and Italy’s power-pop powerhouse Radio Days returns with “Mercy Baby” and “1998.” Both are impressive singles, and how could we forget  Lefty, Rocky, Zeek and Smokestack (aka The Weeklings) with “Christmas Day” which has an Elvis Costello/Beatle vibe! Enjoy. We have 3 more weeks of last-minute reviews before our year-end countdown!







DoublePlusPop and The Red Locusts

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The Brothers Steve

DoublePlusPop “Too Loud, Too Fast, Too Much”

Never say never. That should be the motto for bands that recorded music but never thought it would ever be heard, much less released. Paul Averitt formed Doublepluspop in the late 90’s/early 00’s with Jon Lenzer on guitar, Mike Bowman on bass, and Neil Saunders on drums. After recording a pile of songs the band split up and Averitt assumed it was over before it even began. But last March, an audio engineer found the ADAT tapes and “rescued” them from obscurity, and here we have that “lost” debut.

The opener “Stumblin Back” has a dominant riff that engulfs the song above all else. But “The Dark Inside” and the anthemic “Here’s To The Losers” have a bit more personality, similar to The Velvet Crush (without the harmonies). An early standout “My Verona” has a catchy ascending chorus, and “Everyone” adds harmonies to this potent mix. The guitar parts in some of these later tracks recall Matthew Sweet, especially on the excellent “Coincide.” It’s clear this band would’ve been signed by Not Lame Records, had it come out when it was recorded. Other winning tracks include; “If I Wasn’t In Love,” an epic rocker, and a cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.” It makes this one a highly recommended album that belongs in your music collection.

Kool Kat Musik | Amazon

The Red Locusts

The Red Locusts “The Red Locusts”

So how does a Beatle-obsessed rocker let off a little creative steam? Rick Springfield got together with some old friends, brothers Matt and Gregg Bissonette (who’ve both played with David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, and Elton John) and they wanted to let their Beatlesque flag fly free. They concocted a “secret” band called The Red Locusts, and built a bunch of pseudonyms for themselves, and released this gem in May to much buzzing excitement. Influenced by The Beatles, Jellyfish, Electric Light Orchestra, Big Star, The Raspberries… fans of Machine Gun Kelly need not apply.

The results are dynamic and satisfying for power pop fans. “Under The Rainbow” is a melodic celebration that rewards with each listen, it’s a bright melody with excellent musicianship and production akin to ELO’s best. “Another Bad Day For Cupid” continues the fun, with a sweet jangle, and then it slows down for the blues shuffle of “Deep Blue Sea.” It grabs the sitars for “Glow Worm,” a neo-psychedelic five minutes that compares well with Andrew Gold’s The Fraternal Order of The All. The songs have familiar musical reference points, but these are still original and unique melodies, and that’s what makes it so good. The vocals strain a little on the corny “Love is Going To Save The Day,” but it’s played so sincerely, it works. “Miss Daisy Hawkins” is a cribbed sequel to “Eleanor Rigby,” and Rick adds as many Beatle-isms as possible in the lyrics. Each song is so finely crafted you’ll need to hear it several times, as you peel away each initial influence. For musicians and listeners alike, this is a mutual guilty pleasure (but there is no reason to feel guilty). This is also high on my top ten list for 2021. Super Highly Recommended.

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Hank Idory and more Spanish Power Pop

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Hank Idory

Spain has always been a hotbed of power pop, even Kurt Baker set up residence there. One of my favorite Spanish language power pop artists is Hank Idory, and he returns with a Sentimental Jamboree. The gorgeous chord shifts in “Nadie Sabe Nada” (“Nobody Knows Anything”) is a ballad that will move you even if you don’t know the language. Officially releases in January 2022.


Here is a playlist that features my favorite power pop en español. If you don’t see an artist that belongs here, just let me know and I will add it. Over 600 songs! Sin inglés. ¡Solo en español, por favor!