Tag: Smash Palace

Smash Palace and Geoff Palmer

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Smash Palace

Smash Palace “21”

The Butler brothers Stephen and Brian are back for “21” and once again it’s a stellar example of pop musicianship. With the aid of Cliff Hillis (Starbelly), David Uosikkinen (The Hooters), Greg Maragos (Quickstep John), and Wally Smith, they help give the band a fresh, crisp sound.

“Then She Disappeared” opens with tight harmonies and an easy-going chorus with a fantastic baseline leading the way. The mid-tempo rocker “Travel Into Light” brings to mind classic CSN with its memorable hook and soulful guitar break. The songs are allowed to grow organically, so less of the quick three-minute pop gems that the band is famous for, although the layered “Dart in My Heart” with its slide guitar flourishes do just fine. The band still mines from the Beatles/Kinks book of influences as the dream-like “Upside Down World” and “Mr. Maybe” are pure delights. The richer, lush rock sound is part of “Enjoy The View,” a well-written call to seize the day while you can. Overall a highly recommended album by a veteran band that is similar to expensive whiskey. Smooth and satisfying.

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Geoff Palmer

Geoff Palmer “Charts & Graphs”

Geoff Palmer (The Connection) continues his evolution after the fantastic Pulling Out All The Stops. The punk-pop of “Many More Drugs” and “Don’t Be” are fun tunes with a wry sense of humor akin to Bowling For Soup or Green Day. Geoff carves out an even better track with “This Monkey,” a catchy gem that seems both pensive and apprehensive simultaneously.  “Tomorrow” is a more reflective tune, that looks back on a wild youth, and it’s another winner.

After a brief respite of mid-tempo rockers, it bounces to the catchy “Jammed Up” which has a terrific harmonic-guitar break midway through. The speedy tempo returns on the foibles of being a musician on “A Hard Day’s Life” which riffs on Dylan lyrically (“The answer ain’t blowin’ in the wind”) and the Western-themed plea “What Would Paul Westerberg Do?” The entire album breezes by and deserves multiple spins to really appreciate. Highly Recommended.

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Ruler and Smash Palace

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Tommy Lorente

Ruler “Winning Star Champion”

Ruler is the project of Seattle-based singer and songwriter Matt Batey, a seasoned veteran of Seattle’s music scene. The debut full-length album Winning Star Champion starts with “Petrified” a song about dealing with anxiety about the future punctuated by a strong beat and strong layered vocals in the chorus. The title track is another ode to self-doubt and fear of failure set to a catchy indie rock chorus.

The production and composition of the first 4 tunes are all very strong, “Cars and Houses” is another standout single with a buzzing riff about travel on the road. The style is modern indie rock, and it reminded me of Paul Westerberg’s early solo work, especially when we get to the jangling melody on “Unhindered Pace.” Matt manages to shift gears to mid-tempo effectively on “The Cure” and I didn’t hear any filler here. Overall, Ruler is an impressive new talent who’s highly recommended.

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Smash Palace

Smash Palace “Right As Rain” EP

Philly brothers Stephen and Brian Butler are once again joined by longtime bandmates Fran Smith Jr. on bass and drummer David Uosikkinen (of the Hooters) and Cliff Hillis on guitar and Wally Smith on keyboards. And just like that, Smash Palace returns with another EP that’s just as tight as Some Kind of Magic.

It starts with the jangling “It Happened To Me” as it lays down a memorable chorus and “Love Light Shining” is like a lost McCartney single. It adds a little Americana on “Heart of A Loving Man” as a message to your girl to “come back home,” with a smooth guitar solo during the break. The finale “Love Surrounds You Now” is an epic melody that echoes Tom Petty with some great harmonies. Don’t miss this one, it’s highly recommended!

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The Power Popaholic Interview: Stephen Butler of Smash Palace

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I was lucky to get an interview with Stephen Butler of The Smash Palace. We talked about the new release “Some Kind of Magic” and please ignore my ignorance about the order of album releases, as I was pointed out that “Extended Play” and “Live at The Auction House” came out before the last full LP “Do It Again”. We’ve been covering Smash Palace for years and we hope they continue to make great music.

Jeff Larson and Smash Palace

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Jeff Larson “Close Circle”

Like an old friend visiting, Jeff Larson’s new album is another comforting pop tonic. Larson’s regular crew include Jeff Pevar (CPR, Crosby, Stills & Nash), Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell (America) and Jeffrey Foskett (Beach Boys). The opener “Rescue” is a pensive plea about aging and hope, sung with an earnest and simple guitar strum. “Following The Echoes” is a bit closer to that Eagles/America light rock sound. The layered vocal chorus of “Every Hour On the Hour” is a real treat with added backing vocals from Jeddrah Leiterding.

My favorite song is “Rain Soaked Cloud,” about a broken relationship with a great instrumental break here by Jeff Pevar. Larson tends to get so mellow on “Even When The Rains Come” or “Goodbye Ocean Street Beaches” that I tend to drift off, but we pick up the pace with “How Long Running.” Often the love of people and places is the theme, like on “Arizona” and “The Lay Of The Land.” With his “close circle” of friends Jeff invites us into his comfort zone. And its a nice place to be.

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Smash Palace “Extended Play” EP

New Jersey natives Smash Palace are back with an EP  that’s a perfect summertime soundtrack, chock full of guitar themes and catchy hooks. It’s notable that along with the Butler brothers is Fran Smith Jr. (bass) and Dave Uosikkinen (drums). And this 5-song set stands alongside their best work.

We start out with “Isn’t It Just Like Me” a strong jangling rocker in the mold of Tom Petty, with the self loathing lyric “Isn’t it just like me to cause all this pain and misery.”  Next, “Walk Alone” is an aching reflection of a lost love, layered with so many wonderful Rickenbackers in the chorus — it’s just amazingly tight. Another highlight is “Hold On” with its steady beat and statement of faith, to “hold on to what you believe in.” Really each track is great here and its one of the best EPs of the year, you’ll want to listen to it “Again and Again.” Highly recommended (of course)!

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Smash Palace and The Wheel Workers

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Smash Palace “Live at The Auction House”
Live concert albums are not so easy to pull off, but this one by Southern New Jersey band Smash Palace proves you can capture the “live” sound with great clarity. Recorded for a PBS broadcast, the 12 songs featured here represent a good mix of the band’s long and prolific career. This line up includes Stephen Butler (lead vocals/guitar), Phil Rizzo(guitar), Wally Smith (keyboards), Fran Smith Jr (bass) and David Uosikkinen (drums). Special guests include Brian Butler who lends vocals to “Count The Days” and DyAnne DiSalvo, who sings on the acoustic version of “Give You My Word.”

If you don’t have the last Smash Palace Greatest Hits, this makes for an even better hits album as it takes from the band’s more recent (and stronger) material. The Butler brothers are master musicians and this highly recommended live performance is a treat for the ears.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik
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The Wheel Workers “Past To Present”
There are plenty of good “protest message” albums out there (i.e. The Sharp Things) but its rare when the music is as impressive as the message. The Wheel Workers are an indie rock band from Houston, TX with a sound that invites comparisons to “OK Computer”era Radiohead and Midnight Oil. The title track is intense orchestral pop-rock with a wild synth lead that’s both brooding and catchy. Masterminded by singer/guitarist Steven Higginbotham, his environmental messages are overt, but its the melodies that win you over. The best one here is the snappy “Chemicals” which reminds me of Peelgreems a ltttle bit.

Then we shift to the grim, fast paced “Starve The Beast” that ultimately become a defiant theme, as Steven chimes “Let’s get together and occupy the world over.” Nearly all the other tracks work well, fans of Guided By Voices will like the driving melodies of “Drone” and “Compromise.” The musical textures and swirling rhythms throughout also make this album a great listen, although the slower tunes “Animals” and “Want” overstay their welcome. Highly Recommended.

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