Tag: Friends of Cesar Romero

Fourth of July Special: Brian Ray, The Drolls, Gentlemen Rogues, Friends of Cesar Romero, Steven Wright-Mark, Brad Marino, Muck and the Mires

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It’s been a long time, but Brian Ray (guitarist with Paul McCartney) returns with a new album in August. The new single, “When The Earth Was Round” is a small sample of what to expect. Freebies are here! The Drolls and Gentlemen Rogues deliver plenty of fuzzy punk power pop. Check out “Happy Hour,” and “Connection.” Then South Dakota’s Friends of Cesar Romero have a new high-energy EP, so check out “Last Summer a Year From Now.” Speaking of summer, we have a wonderful pop single from Steven Wright-Mark called “Summer Sky,” Hopefully, a new album isn’t far behind. Another great EP is Muck and the Mires newest, “Zoom Breakup,” with a high-tech way to dump your date. Finally, Brad Marino has been listening to those old hot-rod-era Beach Boys and The Rip Chords. He decided to add to that vintage genre with his car songs on “Hot Rod Rampage.” I love that cover of “Shut Down!” And in case you missed Steve Conte’s new song… Happy 4th of July!






More March singles and EPs: Oh Bummer, Extra Arms, Friends of Cesar Romero, Orbis Max, Paul Crane and the Overend Watts, The Electromagnets, Vanilla

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Here we go again. We start with a video from Oh Bummer!, a band from the mind of Seattle-born, LA-based singer/songwriter Tanner Houghton. Tanner makes honest anti-pop music for people who don’t always fit in. He does this by combining his bedroom-pop delivery with trip-hop-inspired beats. It’s not power pop, but it still has a hook that kept me listening. Most impressive is the new single by Extra Arms, “I Don’t Wanna Surrender.” Ryan Allen and crew pick up after his top ten performance of last year and continue to dazzle us. Great energy from Friends of Cesar Romero, these guys get better every year and this freebie is a good example. Orbis Max and Dw Dunphy seem to channel Roger Waters a little here, and Paul Crane and the Overend Watts debut EP has plenty of crunchy guitars, from the pop-punk “Halfway Home” to the bouncy “Dypsomaniak.” When you gather like-minded artists, you could come up with The Electromagnets, a “supergroup” with Steve Stoeckel (The Spongtones), Peter Watts (Spygenius), Chris Church, and Dolph Chaney. Finally, I thought Vanilla’s Pish Posh project was confined to 2023, but it continues to grow, and some real gems appear, like the Lennonesque “Coil Memory.”







May Singles, EP and Stuff: Sparks, Charlie Reiling, Joe Dilillo, Friends of Cesar Romero, The Heatwaves, Richard Turgeon

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Cute babies are for the new Sparks video “Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is”, from the new album ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte‘ by Sparks, out May 26th. This week’s freebie is “Closed Minds,” a jangling gem softly song by Charlie Reiling. Joe Dilillo is a true craftsman and came out with the brilliant “Loser Girl” a few years ago. And now he’s expanded it into a full EP. “Superhero Star” and “Mend Your Heart” are just as amazing. On the garage end of things are Friends of Cesar Romero with a 3-song gem that deserves to be heard. The Heatwaves from Spain, have an ’80s-era charm, so enjoy “Take Back” and “Nothing New Under The Sun.” Richard Turgeon has a funny story about a kid with a weird nickname, and a solid melody. It doesn’t quite replace “Piss Aaron,” as far as “if it’s stupid, enough it’s cool,” but it will do.




More March Singles, Freebies, and EPs: The Tearaways, The Deadlights, Peter Hall, The Plus4, Ransom and Subset, Friends of Cesar Romero

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Great song from The Tearaways, from the upcoming album ‘And Now For Our Next Trick.’ due out at the end of the month. The jangling alt. rock alter-ego of Jeff Shelton The Deadlights returns with a new single here, and I was impressed with the melodic EP by Peter Hall called About Last Night. The title track rocks, and “For Love” has some ELO overtones, but overall very very good. Keith Hale aka The Plus 4 sings about a UFO sighting I guess and the radio-ready single by Ransom and Subset is a real treasure that’s a free download. Loud punk rock from Friends of Cesar Romero all the same tempo, but I liked the “Bittersweet Nothing Symphony” best, and it’s a free download too.





October EPs and Freebies: The Persian Leaps, The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, Rum Bar Records, Canadian Invasion, Friends of Cesar Romero, The Chords UK, Gavin Guss

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New music that deserves to be heard. The Persian Leaps return with a fresh new EP, and they still impress with their solid songwriting on “Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget” and “Beautiful Inside.” It’s an early Halloween treat from The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club on the Vanishing Point EP, with creepy synths on “Every Night I’m Dying” and heavy riffs on “Why You Ghosting Me Girl?” Both are recommended. Rum Bar Records’ newest sampler is another great FREEBIE, check out the strong female rockers Cindy Lawson and Abbie Barrett. Canadian Invasion is a bit more subtle in approach, check out the mid-tempo “Swim Club,” it’s one of the better singles this month. Friends of Cesar Romero adds some garage swagger and fuzz to their new EP. Each song rocks and it’s also a FREEBIE (no excuses)! The party continues with The Chords UK, check out the anthemic opener “All For Nothing At All” with its handclaps and high-energy riffs. Finally, a single cover from Gavin Guss, was initially done by The Police, but it sounds like a perfect Nick Lowe version.