Tag: Rick Hromadka

SLD and Rick Hromadka

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SLD

SLD “Lost”

SLD (aka Sounds Like Digging) is back – Tom Parisi and his cousin Paul Costanza return with a smooth rich sound on “He’s Got You Now,” a slick single with a grand chorus backed by psyche pop guitars. This is like a double album with 17 tracks.

“Fly Away” is a McCartney-like piano gem, that slowly picks up steam to its magical chorus, with an upbeat “ooh-la-la,” rhythmic harmonies, and a wicked guitar break that begs for repeat listens. “Don’t Want Get Over You” is a wonderful jangling pop gem full of great chord changes and Tom’s guitar riffs are supported by Paul’s bright vocal that defines the SLD sound. A few songs get bogged down where the rhythm, not the melody is the focus (“No Way,” “She”) but even these are decent.

There are many highlights here: “12 to 5” has brilliant harmonies across each verse, “Lost” is ultra-smooth pop, and “Last Night” is a polished, atmospheric song with an expansive melody. Using synths and an ’80s slow pop rhythm, “Circles” could’ve been a Tears For Fears hit, and “Midnight Eyes” boasts a hand-clapping beat with underlying phased guitar chords. Fans of ELO, Pilot, and The Nines will really enjoy this. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Rick Hromadka

Rick Hromadka “Better Days”

A solo new album from Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars, Ruby Free) is a tour de force plus it’s loaded with talented guest stars. Very polished compared to his last LP, starting with the title track it makes clear that’s he’s embracing the “dad rock” label with a variety of vintage rock influences – almost a combination of his previous bands.

“State Of Mind” boasts an addictive chorus and inventive lyrics throughout. Both “Searchlight” and “The Ever After” have terrific guitar work, reminiscent of Thunderclap Newman. As a break from the seriousness, the whimsical “I’m Here To Entertain” makes use of many musical circus tropes, as the video shows.  Additional gems include “Full Blown Freakout,” “Pinwheel,” and the epic harmonies are all over “The Last Volcano.” No real duds here, so it also makes my top ten for 2020 list. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Paul Collins and Rick Hromadka

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Paul Collins

Paul Collins “Feel The Noise”

Like a man possessed, Paul Collins is still having a full fledged comeback that started with The King Of Power Pop. Except now Paul gets closer to his roots on “Feel The Noise.” He cries “I let my guitar do the talking now!” and it blasts away a perfect rock and roll anthem. And “Only Girl” is a little closer to his work with The Beat with its angular fast paced rhythm.

“I Need My Rock n’ Roll” is another hook-filled gem that makes this LP a joy to listen to. Then influences of early rock artists from the 1950’s get more pronounced as the album continues. The structures of each song speak to Collins expertise when it comes to crafting a “hit” single like “Don’t Know How To Treat A Lady” or “Baby I’m In Love With You,” which sounds like an updated Buddy Holly classic. In an acknowledgement to the past influences, we hear a rousing cover of The Four Tops “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Rick Hromadka “Trippin’ Dinosaurs”

Maple Mars frontman Hromadka has been pretty busy, his last project Ruby Free, a collaboration with his wife was a welcome change of pace. Now he has another project that’s purely solo Hromadka, exploring progressive rock and psyche-pop landscape similar to Jeremy Morris. From the slow fade-in of “Conversation” its part Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd and Mystery Tour-era Beatles. Fun hooks here along with the free flowing guitar reverb, The solid “It’s All In Your Head” has a little 10cc influence about the life of reality TV stars. “Dreams of a Hippy Summer” is a self explanatory title, and the trippy melodies continue all through the album.

It can get a little monotonous with the long improvisational jams (“Face On”) but the long melodies are what win you over, an excellent example being “Waiting For The Show.” Another gem is the harmonic “There She Goes” with an impressive guitar outro. The album closes out with a six minute opus “Listen I’m Waiting To Sleep” which combines slow and fast melodies across its running time. Fans of The Pillbugs, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, and The Lemon Pipers will find plenty to love here.

CD Baby | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Video Wednesday: Rick Hromadka and Justin Levinson

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Power Popaholic Live This Sunday (8/24)

Get ready for Aaron to appear on Dave The Boogieman’s show streaming live at 7:30pm – 11:00pm this Sunday on 11L New York Radio International. And if you tune in you could win some FREE music! I will be playing favorites from the Power Popaholic Music Vault and later in the show we’ll be playing artists from the Power Popaholic Fest. We’ll also be interviewing these artists live on the air. And if you think, Dave, Barry, and John Lightning deserve it, it wouldn’t hurt if you threw these guys a few bucks.

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Rick Hromadka has a new album coming soon, and here is the first big single!

Vermont-bred singer-songwriter Justin Levinson returns with his new single and music video “Free Love”, about the surprising woes of the one-night stand.

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New Music that needs your support!

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Last month I took down the old “Help an Artist” page on the site and decided to add these pledge opportunities as regular posts, where they would get more exposure anyway. Well now we have 3 new projects that deserve your attention.

cliff hillis

Cliff Hillis has a new campaign for his upcoming E.P. “Song Machine” under way. Lots of goodies for contributors including Blue vinyl, CD, download & much more! Check it out at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/cliffhillis

late_cambrian

Late Cambrian is presently in the mixing stages for their forthcoming album. It’s called “Golden Time” and is being partially funded by their Pre-Order Campaign. You could even get “The Scream of Destiny” for a price! Visit http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/latecambrian

The YouTube ID of oGfA0tQLX4Y?list=UU29XN6xhKMmgktFzRgFR8Ag is invalid. The first solo album from Maple Mars and Ruby Free frontman Rick Hromadka needs funding for mastering and duplication! Okay so he titles this pledge “Another Idiot Frontman Goes Solo,” but Rick is no idiot and I can’t wait to hear his latest. Visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/another-idiot-frontman-goes-solo

Slink and Ruby Free

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Slink “Desert Gem”
Lead by Sam Boukas, Slink is a hidden treasure of power pop just waiting to be discovered. “Dizzy” opens with a classic Big Star riff and harmony filled chorus. “Super Laura” is about the excitement of a new girl, with buzzing riffs and backing harmonies that recall The Greenberry Woods. “Money” is another good one, full of jangle and descriptive lyrics. The hooks get a bit more sparse at the mid-point, the punchy “Sweet Life” reminds me of “East Side Story” era Squeeze and stands out the most here. A very promising debut, we hope you dust off this “Desert Gem” and see it sparkle.

Ruby Free “Introducing Ruby Free”
Rick Hromadka (Maple Mars, Double Naught Spies) has put together a warm, rustic production with his wife Lisa Cavaliere called Ruby Free. Rick puts away the hard rock riffs in favor of sunny upbeat harmonies and 60’s styled pop on the opener “Bongos and Beards.”

Lisa’s vocal adds much needed sweetness to the mix here. “Deep In The Valley” is a real homegrown gem that reminds one of McCartney’s first LP. Each tune has it’s own charms, “Slow Parade” is a catchy slice of guitar perfection and “Good Company” is a dreamy piano number that layers the harmonies and psychedelics. Rick sounds more relaxed here too, the light folk duet “Sonny and Cher” floats along as a tale of hippy heartbreak. No filler here — every song keeps the ball rolling, to a “Hey Jude” styled crescendo in “Three Cheers For The Sun God.” Lots of nice orchestral touches close out “One Last Song” like an Elton John/Brian Wilson epic. One of this year’s best, it belongs high on my top ten for 2012.

Artist Direct | Amazon | Kool Kat Musik