More Commercials

This time it's A Flock of Seagull's Bud commercial. Yeah, I know they're not really power pop, but they're a lot of fun. So Here it is.....

Cheap Trick's Commercial

Over the years, powerpop bands have made some great contributions to Madison Avenue, occasionally raising commercials above noise pollution to, dare I say it, art. I'd like to showcase a few. Here's Segment one for your listening pleasure. Enjoy Cheap Trick's contribution to superbowl history and the ecosystem, The Green Police.

Nick Lowe - The Old Magic Coming Soon!

In "Checkout Time", one of the cuts from his soon to be released CD, Nick Lowe sings "I'm sixty-one years old now, Lord I never thought I'd see 30". When YepRoc releases his LP, The Old Magic, in September of 2011, it will be Lowe's 13th full length effort (14th if you count 2004's live "Untouched Takeaway"). 'The Old Magic' was recorded in London with Lowe's backing band anchored by Geraint Watkins (keyboards), Steve Donnelly (guitar), and Robert Treherne (a.k.a. Bobby Irwin, drums). Additional musicians include Ron Sexsmith, Paul Carrack, and Jimmie Vaughan among others.

On the heels of YepRoc's release of FOW's Rithcie & Rubin, it promises to be quite a summer for music fans.

New Fountains of Wayne On The Way!

Various outlets have reported that a new FOW LP is on the way, due out
this summer. Richie & Rubin" will be the first ever release for the
band on YepRock out of North Carolina. In the last few years YepRock
has released CDs from Nick Lowe, Liam Finn, and The Baseball Project (think Scott McCaughey and Young Fresh Fellows) so this seems to be a good fit. The video of the first single, Richie & Rubin, is available
here.

Could Gene Simmons Be Running?

When I'm president my cabinet will consist of Gene Simmons, Richard Simmons, and Homer Simpson. Gene will be my Secretary of State. Here's why:


Nuff said.

The Bangles and Records Together!

If you were really lucky, you attended a recent performance of The Records in LA. Powerpop fans went ga-ga when Debbi Peterson of The Bangles joined John Wicks and the rest of The Records for a song entitled "Liverpool 6512", a great new song about growing up a Beatles fan. This was an incredible treat and thanks to a concert goer with an iphone, I've got a video of it for you right here. Enjoy!

Go Gos Remastered!

On or around May 17, Capitol/I.R.S. will release a 30th Anniversary Edition of The Go-Go's double platinum debut album, Beauty and the Beat, which has been digitally remastered and expanded.

The commemorative edition will be available in a 2CD package and in two digital collections featuring the remastered original album plus exclusive, previously unreleased concert audio recordings from 1981.

On the same date, the remastered original album will be reissued on pink vinyl with replicated original artwork.

I remember hearing "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the first time (the first single from Beauty and The Beat), then the only recorded track for the band, on the Rutgers University student run radio station and running out and seeing the band the following Saturday night at a converted Go-Go bar in New Jersey (no kidding). I have to be honest, I remember very little about the evening due to my overindulgence of alcoholic libations. That being said, I recall there being a small crowd of about 30-50 of us all cramped up near the edge of the "stage". I was about 10 feet away from Belinda Carlisle when a fight broke out right in front of me. Carlisle stopped the band and, shaking her finger in a dismissive gesture, said "Now, now boys". Bouncers threw the fighters out and the show resumed. I'm told I had great fun that night.

The Go-Go's will hit the road this summer on their Ladies Gone Wild tour in support of the new release. Here are the dates:

August
12 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
13 Portland, OR Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre
14 Seattle, WA Woodland Park Zoo
16 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
17 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theater
20 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
23 Aspen, CO Belly Up
24 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
26 Dallas, TX House of Blues
27 Houston, TX House of Blues
28 Austin, TX Paramount Theater