Farewell To A Fellow Hollies Fan

The World’s Biggest Hollies Fans. Me (on left) and Bruce.

I was saddened to hear the news this morning that Bruce Brandt has died. I met him back in 2002 when my wife Pam was kind enough to drive up to Stillwater, Minnesota so she and I could see an outdoor Hollies concert at the town’s annual Lumberjack Days festival. Since The Hollies were going to be performing on a barge on the river, I correctly surmised that we would be able to watch their sound check. When we arrived a good five hours before the concert, we spotted roadies setting up The Hollies’ gear. The area around the stage was empty, except for Bruce, who was sitting in a lawn chair.

“I’ve been waiting 30 years to see this band,” he said as we approached. Bruce and I immediately hit it off, swapping Hollies stories, and talking about our separate treks to Minnesota. Bruce had driven all the way from Iowa. We exchanged our email and home address info. When Carl Wayne, the lead vocalist for The Hollies at that time, walked on stage, Bruce, in his exuberant way, yelled a request for an autograph. Amazingly, Carl shrugged, made the long walk off stage and came out to talk to us.

A short time later, we watched The Hollies run through their sound check. The concert itself got canceled due to a massive rainstorm, but I later learned that Bruce had decided to follow The Hollies on their short tour, and catch all their other shows. He and Carl became good friends, which of course, was a fan's ultimate dream come true. Bruce himself developed a loyal following when he chronicled his adventures at those Hollies gigs and his friendship with Carl, on a Hollies fan page.

A few years later, when Carl passed away from throat cancer, Bruce was devastated. I only saw Bruce one other time, when I met up with him and his wife Beth at Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago. Terry Sylvester, the former Hollies vocalist-guitarist was a guest that year. We had a great time, and I joked that I was going to write an Onion story called World's Two Biggest Hollies Fans Crash Beatles Convention.

So here's a toast to Bruce and Carl: Two great guys that I'll always be glad I met.

IPO - Chicago: Monday Night Preview

Kevin Lee

International Pop Overthrow welcomes music fans to the working week with a five-band line-up at The Red Line Tap tomorrow (April 14th) night. The complete schedule, with links to all the artists’ websites, is available online at the IPO website.

Here’s tomorrow’s night’s lineup. All of these bands are from the Chicago area. 

8:00 Owen Stevenson: This singer-songwriter has an extensive background that includes performing in the musicals Tommy and Urinetown, and forming an a cappella group. He’ll be backed by bassist-vocalist Josh Murtha amd drummer Josh Dresser while performing at The Red Line Tap tomorrow night. Stevenson lists his influences as John Mayer, Jamie Cullun, and Dave Matthews.

8:45 Kevin Lee And The Kings:  The veteran singer-guitarist and his most recent band offered muscular and melodic power pop songs about relationships on Dusk Till Dawn in 2010 and last year’s Breakout. Lee has played a number of times at IPO - Chicago, as well as clubs throughout Chicago. Songs like “Tell Me Why” and “Too Little Too Late” are particularly impressive.

9:30 Sketch Middle:  The trio has been performing together since the late 1990s, and their debut release, Time Capsule, was produced by Jeff Murphy from Shoes back in the day. They’ve released a number of EPs since then, while drawing inspiration from Material Issue and Smoking Popes. Sketch Middle’s most recent effort was Destination Run For Your Life.

10:15 The Aaron Williams Band: Aaron Williams, Dan Wonsover, and Kris Ahrens mix elements of classic, indie, and punk rock on their original material. They’re also slated to play at SXSW in Austin later this year, and have a new album on the way.

11:00 Shortstop: Yet another trio for this Monday night. This one has been playing power pop since forming in 2005. 

IPO - Chicago: Sunday Night Preview

Just like The Beach Boys, he gets around.

Ralph Alfonso photo of Dave Rave from Mr. Rave’s Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow’s second showcase of the day at The Red Line Tap features five bands, and kicks off at 8:00 PM. That puts it on a collision course with Cosmos on the Fox Network, but you can always record Cosmos and watch it later.

Here’s tonight’s lineup.

8:00 The Intimate Machines: The members of this quartet have almost two decades of experience playing in bands like The Cells, Box-O-Car, and The Webb Brothers on the Chicago music scene. Their mission statement is simply, “We play the rock and roll,” and they cite Big Star, T-Rex, The Cars, and Neil Young as influences.

8:45 King Mixer: This is a new power pop band led by Eric Howell, a veteran Chicago musician with loads of important friends in the entertainment industry. In addition to performing rock and roll, he creates comedy video clips. King Mixer also includes drummer Nick Kitsos, bassist-vocalist Jake Crowe, lead guitarist-vocalist Grant Tye, and keyboards player Matt Nelson. Expect the unexpected.

9:30 Emily Martin Band: This indie/folk singer-songwriter is a Chicago open mic veteran who started performing at age 13 and recorded her first CD five years later. Her newest effort, the Yellow And Blue EP came out last summer. She lists Laura Marling and Iron And Wine among her influences.

10:15 Jennifer Fletcher And The Reckoning: This Country And Western/folk singer-songwriter grew up in Beal City, MI listening to Patsy Cline, Alabama, and Johnny Cash. The Reckoning is comprised of Frank Loria, Jason Vinluan, and Jeremy Schmidt.

11:00 Dave Rave: If you’re dying to know what it would be like to perform at every IPO festival throughout North America and the UK, just ask Dave Rave. He’s done just that over the past few years. He’s originally from New York, is a renowned session musician, and was a lead vocalist-rhythm guitarist for Teenage Head.

IPO - Chicago: Sunday Afternoon Preview

Photo from the Facebook page for The Artist Formally Known As Vince.

It’s another two-headed beast for International Pop Overthrow tomorrow, Sunday, April 13th, with afternoon and evening showcases at the Red Line Tap. The International Pop Overthrow website has the full schedule for the fest’s entire run in Chicago, with links to all the artists. So grab an umbrella and head out for some live music tomorrow.

Here’s the lineup for the earlier Sunday showcase. All of the artists are from Chicago.

2:00 Todd From Hop On Pop According to the official website, Todd Leiter-Weintraub is not only from Hop On Pop. he is Hop On Pop at this point. There was a full band when the As Drawn By Ethan, Age 2 was released on Spade Kitty Records in 2004. Leiter-Weintraub released Chicken On A Bicycle in 2010, and his unbridled approach to music allows him to dabble in everything from techno pop to Country And Western.

2:45 Gretchen Erickson This folk/blues/rock singer-guitarist started writing songs at age 16, and lists The Who, Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline, Cheap Trick, and John Lee Hooker as influences. She performs original tunes, along with the occasional cover.

3:30 The Unswept Cousins Charlie and Ryan O’Brien always exude a witty charm at their  IPO-Chicago gigs. They moved here from Sheffield, England a few years ago and have a knack for catchy, 1960s-influenced pop. Last year’s IPO gig found the cousins backed by a full band, so they may go that route again. The Unswept recently signed with Draco Records, and will be selling their full-length record at the show tomorrow.

4:15 Mike McKenna This singer-guitarist brings his emotionally charged songs like “The Green Room” and “Five Mile Stare” to life with little than his vocals and acoustic guitar.

  

5:00 The Artist Formally Known As Vince The shelf life may have expired for a name like The Artist Formally Known As Vince, but any band that claims “Glitter, pretty things, and late nights” as its interests is guaranteed to be fun. Plus, they draw upon the likes of  Cheap Trick and T Rex, and their high-energy CD On Display is filled with dynamic male-female vocal interplay.

IPO - Chicago: Saturday Night Preview

Photo from The Dead On Facebook page.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago has two showcases tomorrow, April 12th. One in the afternoon and one in the evening. I provided a breakdown on the afternoon lineup in an earlier post. Here’s a look at what’s going on tomorrow night. All acts are from Chicago except where noted otherwise.

8:00 The Dead On: This new hard-hitting but melodic quartet is comprised of former members of Woolworthy, The Reputation, Penthouse Sweets, and Empty Spaces. If the band’s name sounds familiar, it could be because Richard Milne played one of their songs on his weekly program Local Anesthetic on WXRT. The Dead On have an album out Boss Tuneage Records UK.

8:45 Rob Schulz Band This singer-songwriter tends towards a liberal point of view but never lets his politically charged lyrics overwhelm the catchy arrangements of his music. On his CD Tragedy And Comedy, his approach ranged from  humorous to hard-hitting. His band is influenced by The Kinks, Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, and The Who.

9:30 The Velvet Cadillacs This power pop quintet mixes elements of The Ramones, Cheap Trick, and Johnny Cash in its original material. The band plans to release its second release, Pretty Little Boxes, in the near future. 

10:15 The Cubes This quartet puts an emphasis on guitar-driven arrangements while taking the occasional journey into psychedelic or spaghetti western music. They like to think of their approach as a little twisted. 

11:00 The Queue This band has changed members over the years while evolving from being heavily influenced by the 1960s to taking a harder-edged, more modern approach. Influences include The Beatles, Oasis, Gomez, and Collective Soul.

11:45 La Republica This Goshen, IN trio draws influence from The Beatles and seeks to represent the Latin American culture. All three members—guitarist-bassist Daniel Moya, guitarist-bassist Juan Mora, and drummer David Guevara—contribute vocals. The band’s latest album can be heard on Spotify. 

Slumgullion

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago continues tonight at the Red Line Tap. For a preview of tonight’s lineup, and tomorrow afternoon’s, see my previous two posts.

The 12th Annual CHIRP Record Fair And Other Delights will be held tomorrow, April 12th at the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Hall, which is just west of downtown. Sixty vendors will be selling vinyl, CDs, DVDs, and various collectibles. Food and beverage vendors will also be on hand, including Goose Island, Dark Matter Coffee, Big Star, and Upton’s Breakroom. Tickets are $7, or $5 with a CHIRP ad, flyer, or a coupon that can be printed from the official website. The doors open at 10:00 AM.

The Patio Theatre on Irving Park Road in Chicago is hosting a Sci-Fi Spectacular tomorrow, starting at 10:00 AM. Organizers promise “16 HOURS of SCI-FI MOVIE MADNESS!” along with special guests Doug Jones from the Hellboy flicks and Pan’s Labyrinth; and Kyra Schon from Night Of The Living Dead. The films being screened include Godzilla VS. King Kong; Legend; Buckaroo Bonzai; Night Of The Living Dead; Pan’s Labyrinth; Buffy The Vampire Slayer; and the vintage A Trip To The Moon, accompanied by an organ player. 

SOPRO presents its 27th Annual Easter Parade Chicago All Star Blues Revue at Sullivan’s Pub in Midlothian next Saturday night. The critically acclaimed quartet The Chicago Horns will once again be performing, and the list of musicians scheduled to jam together includes guitarist-vocalists Joey Drada, Frank Anastos, and Billy King; bassist John Falstrom; drummer Jay Frank; harmonica player-vocalist Doug Lee; and vocalists Peaches Staten and France Marie. The show starts at 9:00 PM, and in addition to the live blues, there will be prize giveways.

Nirvana was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame yesterday, just about a week after the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. I found an interesting Facebook post describing the experience of discovering this groundbreaking grunge band. Back when I was in the Famous In The Future comedy group, my fellow founding member Frank Carr and I would often lend each other CDs. Frank has an extensive appreciation of music ranging from Pink Floyd to punk, and has attended numerous concert events.

Here are his thoughts on Nirvana’s impact on rock and roll. “Nirvana was like a cool breeze rushing into a stagnant room. They led me to Sonic Youth, Rollins Band, Chili Peppers, NIN, Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, and others. I got to see them once. I stood behind the mosh pit. When “Smells Like Teen Spirit” started, the pit grew and you were in the pit whether you liked it or not. I lost my drink, got hit, got bruised, fell, got helped up, and got hit some more, slamming against strangers. It was awesome.”

Chrissie Hynde has created a sort of slice-of-life video for the song “Dark Sunglasses” from her upcoming first-ever solo effort, Stockholm.  The album is due out June 9th in Europe and June 10th in America, but is available for pre-order on iTunes.

A while back, I mentioned the Shoes and Paul Collins Beat double bill coming up at The Bell House in Brooklyn on May 10th. Shoes will also be at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, IN on May 31st, and there’s a TBA for an upcoming gig on July 19th.

Rubber Soul rubber soles. The March issue of the UK magazine Record Collector is now out here in the States, and it’s devoted to the original British Invasion. There’s a reference on the News page about some new Beatles shoes from Van’s. They look pretty cool.

This is a bit off in the future, and you’ll need to be in the UK to enjoy it, but Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze will tour as a duo during the month of November. The At Odds Couple show will present Difford and Tilbrook “In Conversation And Playing Songs From Their 40 Year Career” and includes dates in Cambridge, Reading, Birmingham, London, and Manchester. Meanwhile, reviewer Glyn Brown gives Tilbrook’s new solo effort Happy Ending four stars in the March issue of Mojo magazine. Brown writes, “Stuffed with ludicrously catchy melodies, it’s stripped-to-acoustic, Tilbrook on lead, bass, iPad keys and atmospherics.” 

The Twigs, AKA Linda and Laura Good, have live dates coming up in Los Angeles on June 6th and 7th, and at the BoxerwoodStock Fest in Virginia on July 12th. The duo’s Facebook page promises upcoming dates in Chicago and other locations. Details have yet to be be revealed, but it looks like The Twigs will be playing a mix of songs from their recently released children’s CD Jump Right In, as well as other material.

IPO - Chicago: Saturday Afternoon Preview

As Ernie Banks used to say back in the days when the Cubs were capable of winning an afternoon baseball game, “Let’s play two!” International Pop Overthrow has double-headers lined up for tomorrow, Sunday, and next Saturday, April 19th at the Red Line Tap. The full schedule, with links to every artist, can be viewed on the International Pop Overthrow website.

Here’s the schedule for tomorrow afternoon.

2:00 Arts And Letters: Singer-songwriter Joe Grazulis performs under the name Art And Letters, drawing influences from the British Invasion and Simon And Garfunkel, as well as more modern acts such as Supergrass, Blur, and Super Furry Animals.

2:45 Marc Teamaker: Multi-instrumentalist Marc Teamaker likes to mix elements of soul and jazz into melodic rock songs like “So What Do You Think,” and draws influences from Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Humble Pie, Traffic, and Burt Bacharach. He can often be found performing with Ray Herrmann and Jared Nixon.

3:30 Shimmercore: This aptly named Indianapolis-based, five-piece shoegaze/indie/psych/pop band is led by Mike Contreras on vocals and guitar. Shimmercore’s 14-minute Stay New Forever Mixtape, which can be heard on the group’s Bandcamp page, mixes techno beats and synthesizers on songs that, well, shimmer.

4:15 The Hurtin’ Kind This roots rock/power pop quartet is led by Matt Rhodes on vocals and guitar. Guitarist John Leonard amd bassist Bill Kavanagh provide backup vocals, and Jerry King plays drums. Songs like “Settle” and “Soft Landing” combine high energy and strong melodies. 

5:00 The Spindles: This four-member power pop band includes guitarist-vocalist Jeff Janulis of The Abbeys, along with bassist-guitarist Jerald Cross, and drummer Duane Spindle. Influences include The Beatles, The Hollies, The Kinks, The Pretenders, and The Plimsouls. The Spindles’ melodic new single “Young Heart,” which features Brad Elvis on drums and Bill Corston on bass, can be heard on their Reverbnation page.