A Double Shot Of IPO - Chicago: Part 2

Graphic from the cover of the International Pop Overthrow Midwest ‘11 Official Program And Guide. Graphic Design and Layout: Jim Horan; Art Director: Steve Stanley.

The sights, the sounds, and the people of International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2011.

Shortly after arriving at The Abbey Pub around 7:30 Saturday night, I went over to say hello to Founder and CEO David Bash and Executive Vice President Rina Bardfield of International Pop Overthrow and congratulate them on another great Chicago festival. Over the past 10 days, they had brought an amazing range of talent to the stages of The Red Line Tap and The Abbey Pub, and now it had come down to the 2011 finale. Bash confirmed that the April 23rd showcase was the first in IPO - Chicago history to be sold out.

With the line-up down to five bands (I have no idea of what happened to Johnny Monaco) the starting time for Saturday night’s opener, Waiflike was pushed back to about 8:15. The trio, comprised of founding member guitarist-vocalist Richard Neil Miller, drummer Lucas Frantom, and guest musician bassist Lennie Dietsch from Verbow, were dressed in black and played a hard-hitting type of catchy pop. Miller and Dietsch both seemed to be playing lead, which made for some powerful music.

There was a large crowd at The Abbey by this time, and the mood was genuinely festive. Several of the night’s musicians were already in the house, including members of The Valley Downs and Van Go. Brad Elvis and Chloe F. Orwell of The Handcuffs were hanging out, as well as members of Penthouse Sweets. An old friend of mine, Boris, came up to say hello. I hadn’t seen him since the days when we used to hang out at Harlows/Pips/Haywires (the club went by various names but basically kept the same format) on the southwest side back in the mid-1970s to early 1980s.

“They don’t sound like their name,” Boris noted, referring to Waiflike. I also ran into Althea Legaspi, my former editor at the Illinois Entertainer, who now writes for the Chicago Tribune, among other publications. She wrote the liner notes for Material Issue’s International Pop Overthrow 20th Anniversary Edition, and did an interview with bassist Ted Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko for radio station WBEZ.

Material re-Issue blasted through the unforgettable opening trio of girl songs from the International Pop Overthrow album (“Valerie Loves Me,” “Diane,” and “Renee Remains The Same”) before directly addressing the crowd. Phil Angotti wisely didn’t try to imitate the late Jim Ellison’s personality or dress like him; he was basically the same guy who had performed songs from his own CD on the previous night. He let the nattily dressed bassist Ted Ansani do most of the talking, and humbly waved off the occasional compliment Ansani paid him.

“We’ve got the whole album to do for you this evening,” Ansani said after the trio had played the romantic “This Letter.” The trio excelled on all 14 original tracks, as the audience sang along, clapped, and cheered. Angotti was impressive on guitar, and varied his vocal approach from the yelp of “Trouble” to the more subtle “Very First Lie.” The songs, like The Ramones-inspired title track, the joyous “Crazy,” and the abrasive “Chance Of A Lifetime,” have held up well over two decades.

Material re-Issue left the stage after playing “Li’l Christine,” the final track from International Pop Overthrow, but quickly returned for an encore, joined by guitarist Jay O’Rourke from another one of Chicago’s premier bands, The Insiders. They performed “Next Big Thing” from the Destination Universe album, plus “Goin’ Through Your Purse” and “Kim The Waitress” from Freak City Soundtrack. The band returned for yet another encore, with the song “Sixteen Tambourines,” and probably could have played all night as far as the audience was concerned.

“I’d hate to be the poor band following these guys,” Mike Galassini of The Valley Downs joked as he passed by me while everyone was still in the midst of Materialmania. As the next act up, he knew his band would be facing a major challenge. Then again, if The Valley Downs were shrinking violets, they wouldn’t haven’t gone to Liverpool to play an IPO gig at The Cavern Club. Moments later, Galassini received a Karate Kid type message of encouragement from his brother Lou, who would be playing bass for the evening’s final act, Van Go. Unfortunately, a good deal of the crowd had left immediately after the Material re-Issue set.

I saw guitarist Brent Seatter, a veteran of Thrift Store Halo and Kevin Lee’s band, in the crowd, along with his wife Pam. He told me that Thrift Store Halo was back in business and ready to release another CD, which is good news since their last effort, World Gone Mad, included a number of power pop gems.

The Valley Downs, led by vocalist Marianne Shimkus-Galassini and bassist-vocalist Mike Galassini, played songs from their Behemoth EP, along with some energetic new material like “Break My Heart” and “Last Days Of Summer.” Shimkus-Galassini, an engaging performer with a strong voice, frequently harmonized with her husband, while guitarist Todd Rusin cut loose with some inventive strumming. The band took a risk with a slowed-down, Country & Western flavored take on The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” but made it work.

Velvet Cadillacs provided more evidence that sticking around after the Material re-Issue set was a great idea. This is a young band with boundless energy and a brash lead vocalist in the comically-named CD Riviera. Guitar-driven songs like “Wish I Was Cool” and “Somebody’s Crying” had a punk intensity while remaining melodic. “Inside Out,” the title track from a forthcoming release, bodes well for the band’s future.

Unfortunately, I had to leave at around 12:20 to make sure I could catch the last Metra train back home. Van Go was just taking the stage as I was going out the door, so I’ll have to go with what I wrote about them at last year’s IPO - Chicago gig. Back then, I mentioned that the band had four CDs to draw on, and its experience was evident on several melodic but hard-hitting songs. I did get a copy of Van Go’s The Long Lost Last Call, which I’ll be reviewing here in the new future.

And so, the book closes on another successful International Pop Overthrow - Chicago. David Bash will set up shop with a different line-up of bands in Detroit from April 28th-30th, and then wrap up his swing through the Midwest in Milwaukee from May 5th -7th.

IPO - Chicago 2011: On With The Show, This Is It

Mike Zelenko and Ted Ansani on their way to meet Phil Angotti at The Abbey.

Almost from the moment the 2011 International Pop Overthrow - Chicago schedule was announced, the bands slated for April 23rd were warning their friends on Facebook to buy tickets in advance. The reason for their concern was a Material re-Issue gig, set right in the heart of the six-band showcase. Veteran singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, joined by original members bassist Ted Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko, would be playing Material Issue’s legendary debut, International Pop Overthrow from start to finish.

It’s a safe bet promoter David Bash, who staged his first International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles back in 1988, is thrilled to have International Pop Overthrow the album playing such an integral role in his traveling festival’s 10th anniversary visit to Chicago.

As expected, the April 23rd evening lineup at The Abbey Pub has sold out. But here’s some advice for anyone who does have tickets: Arrive early enough to see the bands performing before Material re-Issue, and check out the bands coming on afterward. One of the true joys of International Pop Overthrow the festival is the variety of talent Bash brings together for his showcases.

Singer/multi-instrumentalist Richard Neil Miller is by no means fragile in his Waiflike project, which finds him performing energetic, British Invasion inspired songs like “Sober Now” and “Dime Store Daisy.” In addition to catchy power pop, Waiflike also dabbles in more acoustic material like “Running In Place.”

Former Enuff Z’nuff singer-axeman Johhny Monaco carried on the tradition of that industrial-strength power pop band with the songs on his 2007 solo debut, Overrated. “Still Haven’t Called” and “LetsSetOurHeartsSelfDestruct” combine layered vocals and strong melodies within energetic arrangements, while “I Like You More” has a White Stripes whimsical feel.

It’s common to find a lot of musicians hanging out at International Pop Overthrow, supporting each other’s gigs and catching up with old friends. The WXRT-sponsored Material re-Issue show has been getting loads of media attention, which should mean even more musicians at the Abbey Pub. In my recent review of the International Pop Overthrow 20th Anniversary Edition for the Illinois Entertainer, I described the album as proving “the staying power of lead vocalist-guitarist Jim Ellison’s songwriting ability, and the memorable songs he created with bassist Ted Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko.” I also noted that, “Ellison pretty much concentrated on affairs of the heart, but approached the topic from various directions and filled his songs with believable characters whose emotions were readily recognizable.” Angotti will face a mammoth challenge in playing Ellison’s role onstage, but he’s a longtime friend of the band, as well as a gifted artist in his own right. It’s not likely anyone will come away from this show disappointed.

The Valley Downs, led by the husband wife team of singer Marianne Shimkus Galassini and bassist-vocalist Mike Galassini, have released two EPs of well-crafted indie rock. In my Broken Hearted Toy review of the band’s untitled second EP, I said, “the band continues to craft melodic songs that sound like tracks from a Bangles CD, or perhaps The Continental Drifters. There’s also a definite Beatles influence running through these four tracks.” The band has played several IPO gigs in Chicago and other cities.

The Velvet Cadillacs add a Warren Zevon type of dark humor to revved up songs like “Things I Plan To Do” and “Holiday Inn.” The guitars of CD Riviera and Karl Caprice Classic are always prominent, and Riviera’s raw vocals suit the frequently criminally-inclined lyrics.

While listening to the Van Go CD, The Long Lost Last Call in preparation for an upcoming BHT review, “Your Three Minutes Are Up” sounded strikingly familiar. Sure enough, that song had jumped out at me during a 2010 IPO Van Go performance. Led by vocalist-guitarist Dave Sippel, the band charged through a cover of Elvis Costello’s “Girl Talk,” as well as hard-hitting originals like “London Underground.”

Slumgullion #22

Godzilla art from G-Fest website.

Oh No, There Goes Tokyo: If people in the Chicago area are hearing the stomping of huge feet, it might be because of the G-Fest XVII Godzilla Convention, which is running from Friday through Sunday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Subtitled The Return To Monster Island, the fest will feature Q & A sessions with some of the actors and crew from the big guy’s films, as well as a dealers room, and fan presentations on various topics. Admission is $25 per day or $40 for the whole weekend. Visitors are encouraged to come in Godzilla or Raymond Burr costumes.

Beatles Day Tripper: Members Of The British Beatles Fan Club, a group on Facebook, has a report on what Mike Badger, who formed the short-lived and much-missed English pop band The La’s, has been up to lately. According to writer Mark Sumner on the Internet site Click Liverpool, Badger was commissioned by the Cavern Walks shopping center in Liverpool to create a sculpture honoring The Beatles for the city’s third annual Beatles Day on July 10th. The result is an intriguing piece titled “Musical Composition” that will be comprised of Badger’s own Zenith guitar (the sort Paul McCartney often played) and other musical instruments. Music wise, Sumner reports that Badger is currently working on a solo career.

Hello Again, Goodbye Girl: Squeeze has just uploaded three songs from its upcoming CD Spot The Difference to its MySpace page. The new CD features the band playing new versions of some of its best-loved tunes, like “Goodbye Girl,” “Pulling Mussels (From A Shell),” and “Loving You Tonight.” Squeeze will be performing with Cheap Trick at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park tomorrow (July 10th) night.

Believe It Or Not: Bass player Mike Galassini of the Chicago bands The Valley Downs and 92 Degrees, will be performing with yet another combo, The Ripleys, at Navy Pier on Saturday from 5:00PM to 7:00PM in the Beer Garden. This one’s a cover band that plays songs by The Beatles, Matthew Sweet, and Cheap Trick, among others. Meanwhile, The Valley Downs have created a video for the ironically titled “Lucky Day,” a catchy, C&W flavored tune with lines like, “You leave me in the dirt, the dirt is where I’ll stay.” It’s from their latest, self-titled EP. The clip features footage from the band’s performances in Liverpool, Nashville, London, and New York, and can be seen on The Valley Downs MySpace page, and on YouTube.

Y’all Come Back Now, Little Susie: Guitarist-vocalist Mike Cohen, who was impressive with The Pop Dollys and The Abbeys at this year’s International Pop Overthrow in Chicago, has a side project called The Everly Hillbillies. As the name suggests, they cover a lot of Phil & Don material, plus some originals. The Everly Hillbillies will be performing at Willow Stream Park in Buffalo Grove this coming Tuesday, July 13th, starting at 7PM.

Ten-hut! Freewheeling rockers Genral Patton & His Privates will be performing from 6:00PM to 7:00PM tomorrow night at the Gallery Cabaret, as part of the Gallery Block Party celebration of food and music. Admission is free.

Rockin’ In Palatine: The American English concert, which would have kicked off the suburb’s outdoor concert series this past June had it not been rained out, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 3rd, at 8:00PM. American English covers the entire career of The Beatles, from the early days to the Let It Be era.

Would You Like Some Handcuffs With Those Fries? Indie rock band The Handcuffs will be performing at the Roscoe Village Burger Fest 2010 in Chicago at the Damen and Belmont Stage from 6PM to 7PM tomorrow night. The Handcuffs have been slaving away on their third CD. Also performing at Burger Fest 2010 will be 10,000 Maniacs, Liquid Soul, Dot Dot Dot, and Gin Blossoms.

Slumgullion #5

Picture from The Valley Downs' MySpace page.

Another free, all-you-can-read buffet of entertainment items for a Friday.

International Pop Overthrow, the traveling showcase of power pop music, returns to Chicago on April 22nd with a seven band line-up at The Abbey Pub. It continues through May 1st with more showcases at The Abbey, as well as The Spot, Bird’s Nest, and Red Line Tap. I won’t go into too much detail here, but I’ll be doing reviews of various performances at the time of fest. The entire schedule can be seen on the International Pop Overthrow - Chicago page on Facebook, and hopefully soon at the official IPO website. There are still some TBA slots, but so far, a few of my favorites, like The Lackloves, The Goldstars, and The Handcuffs are MIA. Just a few quick recommendations: Ellis Clark & Epicycle at The Abbey on April 23rd; a 92 Degrees daytime gig at The Abbey on April 24th; an afternoon show by Hollus at The Abbey on April 25th; back-to-back sets by The Valley Downs and The Webstirs at Bird’s Nest on April 30th; and The Cliff Johnson Band at The Abbey on May 1st.

This should come as no surprise to listeners of Underground Garage, but the syndicated radio show’s wicked cool host Little Steven Van Zandt will be the person who inducts The Hollies at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony on March 15th. Van Zandt has been a champion of the band for some time, and I can’t wait to hear his introduction. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website also lists the presenters for the other inductees, including Barry and Robin Gibb for ABBA; Trey Anastasio for Genesis; Wyclef Jean for Jimmy Cliff; and Billie Joe Armstrong for The Stooges. The ceremony can be seen live online at http://www.fuse.tv on March 15th at 8:30 EST.

Moving on to a different Hall Of Fame, The Buckinghams, one of Chicago’s most successful bands of the 1960s, were among the 64 inductees for the 2009 Hit Parade Hall Of Fame. (Inductees from the past year are announced in January.) Formed in 2006, the Hit Parade Hall Of Fame honors recording artists who had two or more hit singles in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The nominating committee is comprised of several veteran radio personalities, including Larry Lujack and Wink Martindale. This news comes courtesy of former Buckinghams lead vocalist Dennis Tufano’s blog, which also notes that he will be performing a 4th of July concert in Arlington Heights, along with The Cryan Shames and former Shadows Of Knight lead singer Jimmy Sohns.

Vocalist-guitarist Jimmy Herter of the 1960s tribute band The New Invaders is going the solo route for a show on March 13th at the Prime Time Restaurant in Hickory Hills, Illinois. Herter is one of the six talented singers and musicians who enable The New Invaders to cover a wide selection of material, including pop, garage rock, and soul. It should be interesting to see what he comes up with for his own gig. He’ll be back with The New Invaders for a show on March 27th at the new Ballydoyle’s at the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomington.

I’ve been following Todd Wright’s quest to raise funds to fight Juvenile Diabetes through his 40x40 project in the Elevated Observations column of this blog, but the singer-songwriter has other things going on as well. He’ll be performing with a full band at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia on March 10th, and will be at The Belmont in Texas on March 17th as part of the Manic Fest Destiny. Meanwhile, Wright has reached week 23 of 40x40 by making the song “Anything At All” available to download for free at www.orangepopsongs.com That’s also the site where you can get details on how to help find a cure to Juvenile Diabetes.

CD Review: The Valley Downs - Behemoth E.P.

Photo from The Valley Downs website.

Aside from their annual performance each April when International Pop Overthrow touches down in the Windy City, we just don’t see or hear enough from The Valley Downs. Led by vocalist/guitarist Marianne Shimkus and her husband vocalist/bassist Mike Galassini, the Chicago-based quartet’s catchy power pop is certainly worthy of wider exposure. It’s been a while since The Valley Downs’ debut, the Behemoth E.P. was released, but it’s worth revisiting while we wait for a follow-up.

“Better” is an optimistic mid-tempo number that sounds remarkably like The Bangles as Shimkus sings of the power of love and support. She uses a tougher vocal approach for the social satire of “Drama Queen,” declaring, “I’m gonna rule the world just for you” and “Everything I do, you’re gonna do too.” The more energetic “Sorry” deals with leaving a relationship, and Shimkus channels Deborah Harry on the hard-edged and sexy “Twister.” Galassini, who got his start with the power pop trio 92 Degrees and still performs with them on occasion, brings his bass playing to the forefront throughout the E.P., and joins Shimkus on harmonies.

Hopefully, the band will release a full-length effort in the near future. Their MySpace page, at www.myspace.com/thevalleydowns, offers a professional video of a new song, “Play For You” as well as live performance videos, and a photo montage of the The Valley Downs’ visit to Liverpool (for an IPO performance) set to their version of The Beatles’ “For No One.”

Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Bash

(photo from David Bash Facebook page)

Since September 2nd is David Bash’s birthday, now would be the perfect time to pay tribute to him. As the founder of International Pop Overthrow, David brings the gift of power pop music to boys and girls around the globe. He doesn’t do it all in one night, and wears a cowboy hat instead of a red cap, but for many of us, he works magic.

Named after a song by the Chicago band, Material Issue, International Pop Overthrow made its debut in L.A. back in 1998. The festival has since become a world-wide affair, making stops in numerous cities, including Liverpool, Vancouver, Boston, and San Francisco.

Chicago power pop fans eagerly anticipate David’s annual arrival around the middle of April, with visions of settling into a club like the Abbey Pub where they can catch an eight-band showcase for a mere $10. IPO Chicago usually offers a mix of local bands like The Valley Downs, The Bad Examples, and The Handcuffs; visitors from neighboring cities, like Milwaukee’s The Lackloves; as well as an overseas act like Anison, who are based in England.

A tireless supporter of the power pop genre, Bash enthusiastically introduces all the acts with a brief bio and explanation of why he chose them for the fest. Musicians interested in being part of International Pop Overthrow can contact David via SonicBids. See http://www.internationalpopoverthrow.com for details.

So let’s raise a glass and wish David a Happy Birthday!