WHAT’S GOING AHN ‘n NEW – Early October

It’s been two weeks and, as usual, there is a whole lot of important and music-driven information to share.  Let’s hop to it!

PARTHENON HUXLEY – A few days ago, he launched KICKSTARTER campaign for his upcoming record.  He’s raised more than $5,000 this week(of his $8,000 goal) .  I know there’s a lot of fans of Parthenon here.  I’ve heard of it and I can tell you, it may very well by one of very best – and that includes comparing it to “Deluxe”.   Get on board. Let’s get him over the top in the coming week, Pioneers!

Check it out at – THIS LINK

THE GRIP WEEDS:  I am featuring them in the upcoming “Power Pop Prime – Volume 2” book(shipping in a few weeks), the band has a new DVD that is just out.  Performing live in their New Jersey recording studio, The Grip Weeds tear through songs from their impressive catalog of ‘insanely catchy psyche-pop’, with equally psychedelic mind-blowing visuals. Exclusive interviews illuminate their back story and the unique group chemistry that drives them.  Pick it up at Amazon – HERE

CLASSIC OLD SCHOOL  POWER POP – Kool Kat continues to dig deep, finding long lost(and totally unknown) power pop treasures from the past.   The latest is TRUE HEARTS and it’s one that I’ve been, personally, excited to see come out for many years.   TRUE HEARTS were fronted by one Terry Carolan, one of those totally (sadly) unknown power pop greats that few have  heard about.  I first heard about Terry’s music from the late Gary Littleton, who was co-founder of AUDITIES magazine, a power pop  fanzine that shined so very bright for a few years in the late 90s.   He touted his awesomeness and had planned to release a collection of his unreleased music but that, sadly, never happened.  While there are dozens of songs still unreleased, the floodgates have begun to open with one of Carolan’s old bands, TRUE HEARTS.  Ray at Kool Kat said this about this release:  “If you like pop-rock that has similarities to Pezband, Artful Dodger, Off Broadway, Cheap Trick and an occasional tinge of Raspberries (‘Starting Over’ era), you may enjoy the album. “    Look for a song in the Surprise Box very soon but pick it up now at Kool Kat Musik – HERE

NEW MICHAEL CARPENTER side project just released!   Carpenter is always working on something musicially.  The man does not…STOP.  Ever.  He, also, is beautifully incapable of creating  anything that sucks.  FAR, far, far from sucking, THE MALADAPTIVE SOLUTION is a new project featuring Michael Carpenter and Pop Geek Heaven Pioneer, Brad Beard(actually, they both are Pioneers) and it features ex-Cherry Twister/Parallax Project member, Mike Giblin as a guest.  Listen to it at THIS LINK.

ELVIS COSTELLO TRIBUTE ALBUM!   “Shake Some Action” author John M. Borack is working on compiling a tribute album, “Beyond Belief: A Tribute to Elvis Costello”. Co-produced by longtime Costello fans Olivia Frain and John M. Borack, the collection will feature more than two dozen artists putting their own spin on both Costello classics and deep cuts. Listeners will be treated to everything from 30-something-year-old gems from the new wave era to musical infants from Costello’s more recent work. Proceeds from the release will benefit the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates both new and refurbished instruments to under-funded school music programs throughout the country.  Info on the release is at the following Facebook page – HERE.   The album will be coming out on Futureman Records, who have a special feature this month in the MONTHLY CD area where you can download a 19-song compilation from the label – an exclusive for Pop Geek Heaven.   Grab that comp HERE.

POP GEEK HEAVEN scribe, MIKE BARON has just published a new book.   Sir Baron is a world-renowned graphics novel writer and originator of such faves in that realm as Nexus and Badger.  This fiction novel is called “Helmet Head” and here’s the brief summary from Baron himself:  ”He was just a rumor to the one percenters–a monstrous motorcyclist dressed all in black who rode the back roads of Little Egypt cutting off the heads of other bikers with a samurai sword. But on one terrible stormy night, Deputy Pete Fagan discovers that Helmet Head is all too real and filled with a fury that won’t be satisfied until his demonic sword drinks deeply.”   Amazon Prime members can grab it for free for a short time.  All others, it’s a modest $4.99 for a truly original and engaging read.  Check it out – HERE

THE WORLD RECORD – During the later day Not Lame years, The World Record were a band that released a few records that continually impressed me.  In fact, probably one of them will make it into Top 100 of the decade of the 00s, when I start working on that list.   They have a new album out and you can hear at THIS LINK.   Their home page is:  http://theworldrecord.net/

BLEU – has just released a new song that is a preview for his next album, due in February, 2013.  Listen to it at THIS LINK.

WANDERLUST is officially back!   The full original band reunited in 2011 and have finished a new studio album and it is now OUT on ZIP RECORDS.  Pick up the new album at THIS LINK.

Also, look for a song from the album in the Surprise Box very soon but get more details, watch videos and listen to the music HERE.

POWER POPAHOLIC FEST – the long running, highly influential power pop blog, Power Popaholic recently put on a festival in New York that featured that was a rousing success.  Seeing smaller power pop festivals like Power Popaholic Fest and others all over the world in the last year really shows that there’s so much happening locally out there in the big ‘ole world.    Check out what happened – HERE  and at THIS LINK

DEMOS FROM PROBYN GREGORY – the POP FAIR blog had a wonderful surprise they posted back in August.  A collection of demos from Wondermints/Brian Wilson multi-instrumentalist.   Grab the awesome collection – HERE

ATTENTION:  Fans of England Dan & John Ford Coley, Ambrosia, Little River Band and Christopher Cross.  MONSTERS OF LITE ROCK  has arrived  and superstar charged tribute album is in the works!  If you’re wondering what exactly Lite Rock is, it’s a style of music that rose to prominence in the ’70s, and is typified by bands like Ambrosia and Little River Band. Think feathery hair and feathery ballads. Its peak was around 1978, and by 1982 or so, it was more or less done as a force. So please don’t mistake the corny balladeers of the ’80s and ’90s for Lite Rock. Richard Marx? Uh uh. Michael Bolton? No way. But Firefall? Or Pablo Cruise? Now you’re talkin’.  Join their Facebook page and get more information at THIS LINK –

SHOES – Well, by now you should know they have a new album out entitled “Ignition”.  Here’s a really nice review I came across that gives a nice run-down on the release – HERE 

THE BEATLES WERE PLAGIARISTS!  There’s a new book out that makes a case that the Fab Four were, in fact, extreme stealers of others’ music.  “This is as much a book about regrettable race relations as it is the most revered band in history. In the end, author Edgar O. Cruz defines the Beatles more as fantastic and brilliant plagiarists of mostly African-American music, not the greatest composers since Beethoven.  Indeed, The Beatles: Extraordinary Plagiarists concludes that the Beatles DNA is more about songwriting wizardry, trend-chasing, and sly borrowing than innate, God-like genius.”  Read more at the Digital Music News blog – HERE

More from the DMN blog, this post about a sudden decline in the sales of…VINYL.  Read about it at THIS LINK

BUT then read THIS LINK

PEZBAND have launched a new Facebook fan page.  Join up and stay in touch with the activity going on with the members of the band – HERE

Very cool new Power Pop friendly blog, well worth spending some time with.  Visit MR. SUAVE’S MOD MOD WORLD – HERE

DUST & GROOVES blog – I missed their Kickstarter campaign by a few days and I’m kicking myself, which you should check out at THIS LINK.   However, this blog is amazing for any serious music collecting geek.  Dust & Grooves is a photography and interview project documenting vinyl collectors in their most natural and intimate environment: the record room. Dust & Grooves maintains the integrity and history of vinyl, as well as the musical heritage that goes along with every record in these collections.  Get on over and lose a few minutes or hours at THIS LINK

THE 20 WORST BANDS EVER – The L.A. Weekly did an article earlier in the year covering the worst of the worst, that is evidently part of an ongoing “20”-themed series.  You’ll disagree with many on their list and agree with a few and, more importantly, think of many more that should have appeared in THIS ARTICLE HERE.  

CANDY – Their 1985 “Whatever Happened To Fun?” album was reissued by the  Rock Candy label last year and I just wrote about one of the bands that came out of the ashes of the band in the latest book in the POWER POP PRIME series, The Loveless(their one album made my Top 100 indie power pop albums of the 90s list).   I just found this interview with some of the Candy guys that is a lot of fun for fans to read.  Go HERE to read it.

(the Power Pop Prime book that has that aforementioned list – you check it out it HERE   )

Speaking of power pop festivals.  INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW is the “Big Daddy” of them all and the longest running.  The BOSTON IPO is happening in November.   Go HERE to check out to see the schedule of bands playing.  Also, go the main web site to get the full run-down on what is happening in the IPO world.  The main IPO web site is at THIS LINK.

Going back to Power Popaholic blog, PP blogger Aaron Kupferberg posted an interview with Jeff Whalen of the much-adored pop band, TSAR a few weeks ago.  Read it – HERE

THE ORGONE BOX – THE BARRACUDAS.  Did I get your attention?  If you’ve been around power pop the last 10-20 years, you probably just did a double-take and did a slight body quiver of excitement.   While those bands are long gone(sadly), there is a project of featuring ex-members of those bands that has been just released in the U.K.   THE DUKES OF KENT have released their debut album and its members say its sound is a blend of 70s style Rock, West Coast, Psych, Folk and Americana.   What’s not to dig there?   Get more information and pick it up at THIS LINK.

THE BIGGER LOVERS used to be a very popular band 10 year or so ago and their classic 2002 album, “Honey in the Hive” has been out of print for many years.  It’s now available digitally and you listen to samples of all the songs at THIS LINK.