RARITIES FROM THE ARTISTS APPEARING IN “VOLUME 2”
HELPFUL INFORMATION: Click on the song title and click ‘save link as’ and pick your destination that you want your music to go to. I recommend creating a new folder on your desktop and call it something like “POWER POP HEROES – Vol. 2 Downloads” and save the songs below into that folder.
So here we have a selection from the Not Lame Recordings label. In case you do not know, Not Lame ran from 1995-2010 and, in that time, released over 120 CDs and through its mail order are carried and distributed thousands of DIY/Indie CDs through its web site and mail order catalogs. Thousands of indie power pop bands. Over $6 million was sold of good ‘ole power pop in those 16 years so we be a small army in the world of rock ‘n roll but we were and are ready for battle for this music, right?!
There are TWO file types here. FLAC and MP3, though the MP3 have gone through a rigorous process of making them as pristine as possible by a serious audiophile to get them in the very best shape possible and as lossless as ‘lossless’ can be.
In case you do not know, FLAC files are *huge* and, generally, are for people who have high-end systems and when push comes to shove can self-identify as being ‘audiophiles’. Or given the choice, just will go for the so-called better sounding file – though, for the average set of listening ears, the difference can be negligible.
Let’s put it this way: if you worry about the space on your hard drive and are not even quite sure what the FLAC format is, you’ll be fine with MP3. 🙂
IF YOU ARE ON A MAC, here’s some basic information since I’ve been asked this by quite a few people the last two weeks. There are two links(one w/ a video) and a short video. (if this information does not work, please use ‘Google’ – I’ve not been a MAC-user for along time so all I am sharing below is from ‘Google’….)
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/downloading-urls-in-safari
ENJOY and keep this music alive and other fans aware of these great, talented artists…
Bruce
(Note: With my comments below, you may tire of me using superlatives like “genius”, “super-talented” and so on but I’m telling you – so many of the artists I worked with on the label – and below – truly are, most literally, the descriptives I use below. And, also, wonderful human beings. I was truly blessed to have them intersect in my life and implore you to follow the links below and discover more from the artists below as well as dozens of others connected with the label’s work. When I think of that Not Lame issued 8+ CDs a year(and over 120, in the end), on average, in its 16 years, I now think: ‘no wonder, I burnt out so spectacularly!’ and lost so much money in its final years. Well, I followed my heart and gut, at every turn – for better and worse…and years later, I still don’t have any regrets as it pertains to the music. I stood behind these artists and releases (and the rest of the many releases on the label) then and do so now. Explore…and experience. )
THE SHAZAM – I can’t begin any talk about Not Lame Recordings without The Shazam being at the forefront. Why? Because they are one of my absolute favorite bands of all time and I had the honor of working with them and becoming good friends with their Headmaster Hans Rotenberry, one of the most incredible songwriters I’ve ever encountered. Hans and I could(and still do) talk endless hours about music geek stuff before attacking Shazam-agenda items over the years. I had a bit of a Svengali connection with Hans, I think we would both agree but not in any negative sense. Hans has so many(so many!) incredible ideas that it was difficult to have him prioritize and focus so we wrestled the options, talked them through, fully vetted them and made a decision together.
Personally, Hans seethes everything that’s righteous about rock ‘n roll. We spent a lot of money investing in creating amazing sounding records(w/ Brad Jones, mostly) and two of my favorites, “Godspeed the Shazam” and “Tomorrow the World” I think are some of the best rock ‘n roll in the last 20 years. Period. The band and I went into battle with the records we did together. It’s hard out there in rock ‘n roll land, folks. And I think we came out on top. Life-long fans were made, we avoided the band breaking up there at the beginning and the band got a chance to play Earl’s Court in London opening for Paul Weller(good times, I was there) and touring the U.S. and parts of Europe. All of the guys are a special breed. True believers – in rock ‘n roll and Hans’ true grit, intelligence and to-the-core talents beyond measure. MORE people will discover their body of work and be in deep wonder and have, hopefully, a bit of righteous indignation that they have not sold millions. Because, truly, I say to you: they should have. I will continue to believe and trust that the good Lord and the gods on the top of Mount Zeus will bring some justice to the proceedings of grace and they will have their day, sometime soon in our near futures. I still believe – and never will stop. There has not been a new album from the band since 2009 but a new project is near-ish future. I have heard demos and I think this epic in the making will be possibly their best. That another larger, better financed label has not snapped them up and invested in their brilliance will forever befuddle ‘n perplex me. They are…THE SHAZAM.
Site: http://www.theshazam.com/
AMG: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shazam-mn0000419095/biography and http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shazam-mn0000419095/discography
“So Awesome” – FLAC – Click HERE
“So Awesome” – MP3 – Click HERE
“Cool City” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Cool City” – MP3– Click HERE
“Getting Higher” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Getting Higher” – MP3 – Click HERE
“Stranded Stars” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Stranded Stars” – MP3 – Click HERE
HAWKS – In my opinion, one of the more overlooked bands when discussing the ‘new wave’ era of power pop circa 1979-1982. Their debut album is quite near perfect. A proper two-fer of their two CBS albums is desperately needed. If you know anyone at the Columbia or CBS family, track someone down and demand a reissue! Not Lame released “Perfect World Radio” in 2003. It featured excellent studio demos and unreleased tracks and it was awesome. For those of us who were around when this album came out, we have clear, vivid memories. All the majors were looking for new wave and power poppy bands but so many of them did not quite hit the mark and resonate with us. HAWKS did. Plus, as a bonus for us, they were even played on MTV those first few months of its launch in late 1981. There’s an spunky, youthful innocence to the two albums and it’s a time capsule to a very special time. We were lucky they arrived on the scene – and the music was not spoiled by the machinery of the big leagues they played. The made it to ‘the big game’ and left good bit of legacy. Read this 4 1/2 star review at All Music Guide: http://www.allmusic.com/album/perfect-world-radio-mw0000317537 (though the song “Need Your Love” an is incorrectly credited to Rick Nielsen, along with a whole bunch of other songs – that’s what you get with automation.)
Dave Steen’s site: http://www.davesteen.com/band_bio/ and his new soul-drenched album: http://www.davesteen.com/listen__buy/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_(band)
(Iowa) Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame: https://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductees/174/the-hawks/
AMG: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawks-mn0001783548/biography
“I’m Alive” – FLAC – Click HERE
“I’m Alive” – MP3– Click HERE
“It’s All Right, It’s Okay” – FLAC – Click HERE
“It’s All Right, It’s Okay” – MP3– Click HERE
MYRACLE BRAH – I have countless special memories with Not Lame. One of my favorite is how the relationship with Andy Bopp and Myracle Brah began. Andy was in a band called Love Nut, who made one excellent, hard rocking pop(ish) album on Interscope Records, a huge label then. They had the classic bitter major label experience and it went nowhere. Their manager(John Lay), one of the nicest guys to work in band management in the history of music business(he managed Squeeze during their best and brightest days), called me up and asked to send me a cassette(still common and quite novel back in 1996) of ‘this massively talented artist, Andy Bopp’. From the moment that bugger played, I was hooked. Andy is – you guessed it(and I mean it) – a genius songwriter. Everything under the Myracle Brah manner, released on the Not Lame label and, one of the best power pop labels ever now sadly long in digital obscurity, Rainbow Quartz, you should find. Andy Bopp is one of a kind. He’s a take no prisoners leader of men. As a producer(what ears!) and as a songwriter and band leader. He’s a Colonel who takes orders from only those he respects and who have bled in the trenches for a cause bigger than us all. More than any other musician I’ve worked with, I can think of no one I would want to take into battle for what is right and righteous. By the way, “Life On Planet Eartsnop” is probably my all-time favorite home-recorded, DIY project…ever(and I’ve heard thousands of them). Andy was so far, far ahead of everyone else in 1996 with this record in terms of professional sound, vibe and feel. Gawd, I love it.
SITE: http://www.andyboppusa.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/myracle-brah-mn0000616022/discography
“Whisper Softly” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Whisper Softly” – MP3– Click HERE
“When She Cries” – FLAC – Click HERE
“When She Cries” – MP3– Click HERE
MICHAEL CARPENTER – Where to begin? This one is special – always will be. I met Michael in Los Angeles at the last Poptopia festival in 1998, I think. I say, ‘I think’ because this era for me is a blur. Not Lame was exploding, I was starting travel more and Los Angeles was filled with all kinds of excitement and energy for pop fans. People were coming in from all over the world to go the Poptopia festival(started by Not Lame artist, Tony Perkins, a/k/a Martin Luther Lennon, who is a necessary story when this whole “Not Lame Story” more formally evolves into a full documentation of its entire history..) and the newly christened International Pop Overthrow, started by David Bash and STILL running to this day. Fans and bands came in from Europe, Japan and Australia. Michael is Australian. In 1998, he was old-school, laborer on the touring circuit in his homeland, playing for other people’s bands and just starting to figure out his own muse and hone some self-production skills.
You see, at this time, the whole DIY, produce your own record AND having it sound GREAT, like a studio-produced one, was hitting a whole other level. That extra layer of expense was being set aside or, at the least, better managed so as to not have such a huge expense of a project be swallowed up by the recording itself. This was HUGE for indie labels, in my opinion because these incredible sounding records started to arrive at label heads and A&R men’s desks.
Anyway, I ramble. Michael will forgive me. You see, in 1998, Michael had a project in the can and he wasn’t getting any takers and was a bit uncertain as to whether this going for this ‘all in’ commitment to being a musician was going to be viable, realistic for him. “The Feedback Loop” was not affirming that he…’should’. He gave me a CD-R of the project. I can recall the moment I put it on and listened to it in my hotel room, where I was staying with my good friend(and one of the most important, unnkown people in the Not Lame story that I shall share in the future), Jim Horan. This material sounded…so PROFESSIONAL…and he was doubting if he was any good or not?!
I was a believer. Then and now. We did five records together between 1999-2004, all of them excellent and each one growing, sensibly and solidly creatively. He was a classic “Leap Frogger”, making quantum movements inside the creative process. Michael always called(and still does) me “Boss”. I think he’s the only one I ever felt comfortable letting me call me that – not sure why. Anyway, Michael Carpenter has become in the last 10 years one of most respected producers and collaborators in Australia. A man respected, so rightfully, for his massive array of talents and rewarded with the blessing to be a full-time musician now for two decades. It’s not been easy for either of us – or any others who walk this page but the success of Michael Carpenter, when I ponder it fully, could make me cry if I stopped writing now. For some reason, it means a lot to me I suppose because I’d like to think and hope he thinks that we came alongside each other at a key time in our careers, different junctures but somehow connected in the movement forward and parallel. Micheal has got it all. When you have a cynical moment and scream to the heavens that music has lost its soul, remember, there’s a lot of good, good people doing ‘it’ for all the right reasons and making a go for it.
SITE: http://www.mcarp.com/his-story/
AMG: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/michael-carpenter-mn0000457379/discography
NEW song from him(which has him doing, of course, everything connected to it performance, including the video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t07uZeqRfCQ
Oh, let’s do another as I go down the rambling rabbit hole again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEn5srF0vC0
“Thinking of You” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Thinking of You” – MP3– Click HERE
“She Dreams” – FLAC- Click HERE
“She Dreams” – MP3 – Click HERE
“Emily Says” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Emily Says” – MP3 – Click HERE
PARTHENON HUXLEY – A story: Living in Los Angeles, working in the business and going out the clubs – a lot. It’s the late 80s. Hair bands. Everywhere. I mean…EVERYWHERE. You’ve not seen anything like it. It was mass, lemmin-like behavior in Hollywood, all day and all night. A moderately cool club that was used to showcase recent signings by the major labels: Club Lingerie. Good sound, weird layout and awkward stage. I am checking out a band the label I’m working is ‘working’. They, quite literally, do not matter, though a band featuring an ex-Plimsouls guitarist on the bill and a recent signing from Columbia is, also, playing. His name: Parthenon Huxley. His band played a song that blew me away that night. The following day, I bought their album, hoping ‘that song’ would be on it. It was not -and he never made another record for Columbia(they album, sadly, was a poor representation of how good the band and the artist were, a not uncommon story, of course…). Fast Forward: 1995. An album called “Deluxe” comes out from Parthenon under the name P. Hux. It’s a great, great album but does not have ‘that song’, which have NO idea what it’s called. Forward another year or two, I am talking w/ Parthenon and ask about this song I’ve not heard in 10 years. He said, it’s called “Dozers Away” – listen to the lyrics to understand why he wrote it(it’s below). Forward a few more years: we do a record together! Hooray! Parthenon’s a god, imho. ALL his solo albums are stunning beauties and, yes, you should own them all. 😀 As we work on this album, a collection of unreleased songs from the 90s, I made one ‘demand'(not really but you get the idea, at this stage, right?!): “THAT SONG” must be on it. It was. I was happy. I am happy. Experience Parthenon. Get on his list at the link below. He writes great ‘newsletters’, too!
Site: http://www.parthenonhuxley.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/parthenon-huxley-mn0000158034/discography
and http://www.allmusic.com/album/mile-high-fan-mw0000722260
“Dozers Away” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Dozers Away” – MP3– Click HERE
TOMMY KEENE – “TOMMY KEENE”. A Legend in this genre. You know how hard it is to be an artist for going on 4 decades not make one single record that does not suck?! It’s freaking H-A-R-D. Tommy’s one of the rare few who has a large body of work and not made a dud. Sure, one could argue(not me) that there’s a few ‘okay’ records but you work with musicians over 30 years as I have and I’m telling you, you need to understand, that it’s really, really difficult to make consistently good records that one can be proud of if you are talking about the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s. Tommy Keene hasn’t made one single bad record. They are all good, to very good, to great to absolutely essential. HOW does he do it?! He works at his art. He’s committed to writing his next best song. He cares. And has a new record coming out in 2015. In world that values music more than it does presently, Tommy Keene would be rich. Instead, rock ‘n roll is a dying art form. The millenials don’t understand going to a record store. All things change and that’s fine. What is not fine, that more do not know of Tommy Keene outside this little world of ‘power pop’. By the way, now that I’m rambling, Tommy should write a book about his experiences from all the amazing concerts he’s been to in his life and the legends he’s seen. Trust me, you would not believe who he’s experienced live. I am in awe.
SITE: http://www.tommykeene.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/drowning-mw0000727937
“Drowning” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Drowning” – MP3– Click HERE
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THE ROOKS – Michael Mazzarella. A man of our time. I was convinced back in 1995 and, in 2015, I am still certain that the man will be recognized as the supreme, sublime and deep thinking crafter of the pure pop song along the lines of the greats like Harry Nilsson and Paul Simon, though the sound of the Rooks is, arguably, nothing like this artists. Its a rare devotion to the perfection of every sound, every nuance in an arrangement, the emotions embedded inside every note and implied note, ‘the colors’ subtly, sub-consciously transmitted by a complete commitment that every single sound, note and performance has its place and fits perfectly into the exacting vision of the artist. To say that that rare is an under-statement.
I have never before or since met an artist so invested and unrelentingly in his/her pursuit to have the end result of the recording process achieve that artists’ hope and vision for ‘the song’. “THE SONG”. The alpha and omega. I spent a shit-ton of money(for a wee little label in the mountains of Colorado, at least), an irrational, non-sensical amount, one could argue to help Michael Mazzarella arrive at a place he felt a project could be…’finished’. Yeah, the proverbial ‘red ink’, a good bit of it but I do it again and again. I felt then – and now- that it’s rare for any label, big or large, to work with a talent like Mazzarella. It was an honor to ‘bet the house’ inside my naivete. Someone told me, some years back, hearing of how the records came about and called me a ‘romantic’ and ‘clueless’ in the same sentence. I was not hurt because it was true. Money never mattered, the music did. That lasts. Having or not having, never goes away, too. Enjoy the journey.
The Rooks is all Michael – though, he would argue it was the band, too – and there’s a case there. My memories of talking to on the phone and him excitedly playing new songs and primal demos over the phone line are some my happiest with Not Lame. To be associated and help mid-wife one of the greatest, most beautiful records I have heard to this day is such a blessing. It took years to complete and Michael was all-in – as was I. It was never rushed. Its long gestation was necessary, required. Perfection sometimes requires that kind of enduring effort. All this said, you need, NEED, to have “A Wishing Well” in your life if you have only have one Rooks record. It was an epic, Homer-esque drama-drenched journey. Filled with loss, death, tears, toil and the inexorable joy of reaching an end. Birth. I’ve lost touch with Michael because life has been tough, busy, complicated, beautiful still – and I tend to be quite solitary outside my family and friends in the town in which I live and hate, hate ‘the phone’. I don’t like that about myself but hearing this music, anew, as I wrote this piece for you, I realize that it still inspires me. To be better. To work harder. To work towards an end that…matters. If only for yourself and what you are called to do. I love the man deeply for what he stands for and the projects we worked on(as much as a ‘label guy’ can) for six years fill me with a pride I’ve never shared with anyone – I guess until now. The beauty of his best makes me weep at its vulnerability, its purity.
Two of my favorite songs together on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWB0mF-bt1Q
In the studio recording another favorite, Music Sound Sensation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5-4TMixhZ8
Video compilation of some of the “Wishing Well” sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjjsJyCdBgI
I love this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7EA_jljjao
SITE: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rooks4 (but then do a search on ‘the Rooks’ and pull up their albums there…)
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-rooks-mn0000491091/discography
“Colors” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Colors” – MP3– Click HERE
“Music Sound Sensation” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Music Sound Sensation” – MP3 – Click HERE
DOUG POWELL – We banter about the words like ‘talented’ every day. As music fans, especially. And, certainly, me here on this page of sharing and desiring to have you keep this music alive and in some degree of awareness so others may encounter it somewhere down the line. I’m not sure I’ve met a more decent man in the music business than Doug Powell. I am bias but the man can do anything. He’s an outrageously talented graphic artist(for decades), a theologian(really!), a Christian apologist(a natural congruency with how he lives his life), a musician who got a major label and was dropped inside the classic, lame-brained machinations of why major labels are so irrelevant to most musicians these days and, most importantly, a great father and husband. If you ever in Nashville and you are a fan, and I may be over-reaching here, connect with him and buy him lunch. The encounter will warm your soul and, potentially, change your life. The two records I did with Doug amaze me. Below I want you to hear “More”. I am not a lyric guy, some may find it shocking. Generally. There are plenty of exceptions. I am a melody and hook guy. However, “More” has it all but its lyrics are some of the most inspirational and moving I was ever associated with during Not Lame’s time. I asked him to put him to put type them out and put only them into the inside of the jewel case, so when you took the CD out to put in, the lyrics were ‘there’. I hope the do something for you, too.
SITE: http://dougpowell.com/ and http://dougpowell.com/music/
AMG: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/doug-powell-mn0000803098/biography and http://www.allmusic.com/artist/doug-powell-mn0000803098/discography
“More” – FLAC – Click HERE
“More” – MP3 – Click HERE
EASTERLY – Noah Hall was Easterly. This was a record that arrived where I was at a turning point with the label. I remember the feelings well, now that I step back to 11 years ago. “Should I Stay or Should I Go”. The music business was changing, had not a ‘hit'(sic) in a good while but the music was still getting better and better – but no one appeared to be listening, caring and, increasingly, buying. Post-Napster days. Power Pop fans had figured out file sharing! In my mail arrives a laid back, not-in-your-face beauty. Songs that did not scream, they whispered. Hard to pin down, genre-size and it certainly perplexed music journalists. I heard back “I love the record, Bruce” but many of them did not write the promised reviews. When I followed up, I heard something along the lines of “I just could not pin it down and put it into words’. Bruce: “Well, that’s your job, right?!” Writer: “Uh….uh, but well…you know…”. Something along those lines. Shame on them for their laziness. Still pisses me off as I revisit. “Easterly” was key with me continuing on with the label for another gut-drenching five more years. The apathy and indifference this beautiful record was met with should have been my sign post to stop. Instead, it turned me on the path to fighting on. The music was worth it, dammit. And…it was. Noah Hall continues to record music that matters and…you should hear. One of the better unknown ‘secrets’ connected to Not Lame.
Site: https://www.facebook.com/easterlymusic and http://bric-a-bracrecords.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/easterly-mw0000326682
“Lover is Fine” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Lover is Fine” – MP3– Click HERE
“Blister” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Blister” – MP3– Click HERE
FRESH MOWED LAWN – Ahhh, Tim Rose, the leader of Fresh Mowed Lawn and of…Sun Sawed in 1/2, a great, great band that Not Lame did records with in the 90s that are, of course, ‘musts’. (come on, indulge me at this point!) That band, recorded with the legendary Keith Olson in the early 90s and while the music of SS 1/2 slots itself in the ‘power pop’ realm, the band never quite saw the connection though fans certainly did. Move 6 years after the last record Not Lame did with SS 1/2 and, while Tim is living in Estonia, we keep in touch. He’s on fire. Tim is meeting some incredible musicians in this land far, far away. While his work as a art director for big ‘n powerful ad agencies is what pays the bills, his identity as a musician is never in doubt and these encounters with others like him in Eastern Europe have him wanting to use them on his next record. It’s gonna be ‘different’, something definitely not ‘power pop’ and possibly strange – would I be interested in putting it out? I never heard even a rough demo – I said ‘yes’. And waited until its time arrived. Yeah, you know the ending…no one got. Except maybe the talented journalist at AMG Mark Deming when he wrote: “boasts richly detailed arrangements and sophisticated melodic structures which suggest XTC (circa Skylarking and Nonsuch), or an updated version of 10cc, while Rose‘s songs reveal a wit and warmth that’s open and sunny without going sickly sweet… this is peerlessly executed stuff, the craft of Fresh Mowed Lawn sometimes overwhelms the soul of the music. Rose has put so much effort into creating a record that’s impressive in its sonic sheen and musical sophistication that what he has to say (and the passion with which he says it) seems almost besides the point.”. I could live another 3 lives and not come up with a better description of this record. THIS is how music reviewers should evaluate good music.
SITE: https://www.facebook.com/thesunsawedinhalf and http://thesunsawedin12.bandcamp.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/fresh-mowed-lawn-mw0000734653 and http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-sun-sawed-in-1-2-mn0001640311/biography
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FRESH MOWED LAWN
“Watching the World Turn Slowly/From This Day Forward” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Watching the World Turn Slowly/From This Day Forward” – MP3– Click HERE
“Wish It All Away” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Wish It All Away” – MP3– Click HERE
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THE DOTTED LINE – The Dotted Line is Scott Bennett, who is has been in Brian Wilson’s band for, man, I would guess close to 20 years. Scott plays everything – extremely well. Uber-super-duper talented. “Scott Bennett” should be a house hold name because the music on this one, self-titled album is so accessible, commercial and appealing to anyone over 35 years old, music fan, casual music fan and everyone else in between. The Dotted Line arrived at yet another existential crisis for me, in the running of Not Lame. It was clearly dying a slow death but I was stubborn. Stubburn as #%@&. I had employees that depended on me, as well as their families. I was gonna FIGHT for them, for me, for my family, for the artists, for the music – some more. I guess, in retrospect, I was delusional: I thought this record was gonna be hit some kind target, as much as a “hit” could occur in 2005 in the music business for a small indie label in Colorado. Why? Because this was the best darn Jon Brion/the Grays inspired pop album I had ever heard. Surely, the power pop faithful and Not Lamers would trust me and sing its praises upon hearing it. They did not – and shame on them and shame on me for nothing throwing every last little bit of resources I had, despite all the mounting debt, because it deserved better than I had. This one smarted and hurt. Year later, I’m still perplexed but philosophical because it was caught in the jet stream, sturm and drang, of all the changes going out with people’s changing tastes and new orientations with so many new, emerging forms of entertainment. Still, I feel I let Scott and this amazing music down, even if the forces of where the music business was clearly going I could not control. It was the last ‘real’ record I would do(plenty of compilations and tributes were yet still to come). This one slayed my soul, to some degree – and was, for all intents and purposes, I was…’done’. “So, power pop fans, you’re gonna ignore this gem that sounds like the freakin’ legendary, the Grays? Okay, screw you. I’m outta here.” Well, it was not quite like that but to be ignored is worse than than hearing negative feedback. Seriously, this record is downright great…and it’s the best Grays inspired record you’ll hear that does not have the names “Brion” and “Falkner” connected to it. Some of these songs will have their day yet…
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dotted-line-mw0000673997
“Unbelievable” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Unbelievable” – MP3– Click HERE
“She Is Light” – FLAC – Click HERE
“She Is Light” – MP3– Click HERE
THE GENERAL STORE – Off spring of famous artists can have it pretty tough. I’m not sure Tam Johnstone would say that is true but there’s no question that being the son of Davey Johnstone, Elton John’s longtime guitarist flowed some interesting inflections of music into Tam’s life. Tam is a geniune gem of a guy. Sweet, sincere and passionate about music. There’s only been two albums released under the General Store moniker, the first being Not Lame’s “Local Honey”. No, they are not ‘power pop’. In fact, in the 120+ CDs on the ‘power pop’ label Not Lame Recordings, I would venture to guess that a good 30% of them are not even close to that, including Tam’s little gem here. I love when a music journalist truly gets a record and Jason Damas(who always seem to ‘get’ the ethos and reason d’etre of Not Lame), nailed this one perfectly, imho: born in 1970 and spent his childhood years immersed in the easygoing, laid-back vibe of Southern California singer/songwriters and country-tinged acts like the Eagles and Jackson Browne. Local Honey is his attempt to recreate this sound 30 years later — and, here’s the kicker — it was recorded live to four-track in one prolific week following a bitter breakup. Ouch. But with Local Honey, Johnstone’s misery is your joy, since at least his muse didn’t leave him. The album is bursting with highlights, from wounded, Eagles-esque country-rock like “Letdown” to more shambolic country-rock like “Airport Breakfast” and soaring, almost Fleetwood Mac-styled pop like on “Coming Down” and gut-wrenching ballads like “Stay.”…this fine, gorgeous record, perfect for a rainy Sunday morning and a cup of coffee.” – AMG. I am fully expecting that Tam Johnstone has been working up another gem since 2008’s “Mountain Rescue”. When you hear of its arrival, pay attention. Tam will never just push out ‘product’ – it will present itself to the world, when it’s ‘time’. Be ready.
SITE: https://about.me/tamjohnstone and https://www.facebook.com/tamjohnstone1970 and https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/local-honey/id6240424 and http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/generalstore
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/local-honey-mw0000509756
“Airport Breakfast” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Airport Breakfast” – MP3 – Click HERE
“Coming Down” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Coming Down” – MP3– Click HERE
THE CHEVELLES – One of the rarer records on Not Lame was “At First Glance” by the Chevelles was one of them. Only 500 copies were pressed. 250 stayed in their homeland of Australia and 250 made their way to me in the United States in 1996. They were gone shortly thereafter. The album was a compilation of three albums and was meant to be an introduction of the band to the United States(and it was). Their garage-inspired, hard rocking rock-cum-power-pop just worked for me. Their has been a slow, hard slog and, with the support of Little Steven Van Zandt on his syndicated radio show, the band continues to build an audience. They never have stopped since they began in the early 90s. The sound is always a bit down and dirty but the hooks and melodies are always reaching for the sky. They, simply, ROCK. I had the pleasure of finally meeting some of the band at SXSW in 2009, if I recall correctly – and seeing them rock live. We drank, laughed and affirmed that, despite the pain of working in this business for so long, we still loved it. No wonder Little Steven is such a fan. It it right and true that it is so.
SITE: http://www.thechevelles.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chevelles-mn0000762864/discography
“She’s Not Around” – FLAC – Click HERE
“She’s Not Around” – MP3– Click HERE
THE EVERYDAY THINGS – One of my favorite ‘lost treasures’ in the Not Lame catalog. I just coming out of a long span of releasing a lot of albums on the label and was starting dial it back because I was getting pretty burnt out. I was not looking for new albums to release. A big part of me was resistant to releasing, “Lighten Up, Francis!”(great title!) because I was starting to sense that I was doing too much, over saturating the so-called ‘market’. That might have been true – I have no objectively still to this day – but Troy Paterson and Rory Ordani’s talents kept winning me over so the point where I could not ignore it. No other labels seemed to biting, which was surprising because this was classic Romantics and 20/20 inspired power pop AND it was produced by Jamie Hoover, of the Spongetones so it reeks of “Beatles-inspired’! I’m working on a list of the true “Lost Treasures” from the Not Lame label and power pop, in general, right now(for a ultra cool project I’ll be announcing next month) and this one rises to the top. Troy’s earlier 90s band the Hippycrickets was good but the Everyday Things had…everything a power pop should want to embrace, rocking, updated Beatley new wavey power pop, excellent musicianship and a contagious spirit that made it difficult to anyone to not smile while listening to.
SITE: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/everydaythings
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/lighten-up-francis-mw0000703246
“She’s Like That” – FLAC – Click HERE
“She’s Like That” – MP3 – Click HERE
“Wonderful” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Wonderful” – MP3– Click HERE
KING RADIO – King Radio is one Frank Padellaro, a man who won me over by professing his love for my beloved and his beloved, Boston Red Sox. We both grew up in Boston and when he got in touch with me in the early 00s, he pitched this unusual CD EP projects. Now, I hate EPs. At least, I did during Not Lame’s time. Not Lame only released three of them. The Rooks’ “Chimes”, Dead Flowers and this one, “The Mission Orange” – and it is probably the most difficult for you to track down and own a copy of because it had a pressing of only 250 copies, 100 of which went to Frank and 150 which arrived at Not Lame sometime in 2002. The details of why this went off the way it did are lost the hazy, sleep deprived memory bands of this period of Not Lame’s activity(I was working 60-70 hour weeks for a few years, at this time). I warned people it would be gone fast, ‘buy it now’. And those who ordered it quickly, did. It gone in a few weeks. Pretty much impossible to find. And I love when that happens, as a music geek. The experience of tracking down an album on your want list -handwritten for this of us over 45 yrs old – is one of those special encounters with culture that is lost on the younger generations. I’m not sure what Frank is up to these days, I could not find any specific to share with you below, which saddens me. He’s a man of great passion and ebullience. I love those qualities.
FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/frank.padellaro
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-mission-orange-ep-mw0001307467 and http://www.allmusic.com/album/mr-k-is-dead-go-home-mw0000601095
“Booze Beaten” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Booze Beaten” – MP3– Click HERE
“Underachiever” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Underachiever” – MP3– Click HERE
ICE CREAM HANDS – Early days, Not Lame. 1996. A tape(tape!) hits my desk. I’ve listened to bad, bad, bad demos all week. Nothing good. Nothing for the label. Nothing that would work for the now-growing fast, fast, fast mail order distribution arm of Not Lame Recordings. In it goes. And the first thing you notice w/ ICH is….that voice. Chuck(Charles) Jenkins. Still, one of my favorite singers in the genre or any genre. It’s pure silk and smooth and sexy and a whole lot of other luxurious ‘s’-based adjectives. Not Lame released the U.S. version of this record and added a bunch of a B-sides that were of supreme quality. It’s been out of print since 1998 and FIND the U.S. version but really, every single album from ICH and the solo work under Charles Jenkins, you should seek out and make part of your life. Jenkins is a true craftsman. You can *feel* the obsessive sweak that rained down on the studio console board as decisions were being made with arrangements and takes. But it’s the soft, sinewy and salacious(there I go w/ the “s” alliteration again…) that weave inexorably towards their over-ridingly hook conclusion. He can’t help himself. Jenkins, I’ve deduced over the years, can’t write a song that does have not have that ‘sticky’ sense of itself, that hits a mark that is trying to connect to some emotional core of its listener. Musicians, live ‘n learn – Charles Jenkins is a master to take under your wing to bring your work into a more emotional centeredness. For the rest of us everyday music fans, well…his work is just a simple joy, easy to listen to under almost any mood and a body of output that lends itself to extensive custom playlisting.
AMG: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ice-cream-hands-mn0000085865 and http://www.allmusic.com/album/memory-lane-traffic-jam-mw0000597864
“Iron Shoes” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Iron Shoes” – MP3 – Click HERE
THE DONS – Don Mogill is/was…the Dons. The band featured Ken West, who was the guitarist in Receiver, another Not Lame band around the same time that “Dawn of the Dons” was released(2002). Two excellent, unknown Los Angeles-based bands who Not Lame endeavored to turn the ‘the world’ onto. It was a limited pressing and it was a slow burner. While it was hard to get even power pop folks to take a chance on a band out of ‘nowhere’, as more and more people heard this classic, old-school power pop in an updated form, the Dons found a modest audience and groove. All the reviews that came back to me were incredibly positive which was great, naturally, because I thought this was SUCH PURE POWER POP that journalist would rip to sheds. As far as I know and last I heard about five years ago, he was still ‘out of the game’. I’m sure he has dozens of great songs waiting for the right time – and you will want to bring them into your life.
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/dawn-of-the-dons-mw0000228806
“Till We Meet Again” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Till We Meet Again” – MP3 – Click HERE
“On My Way Down” – FLAC – Click HERE
“On My Way Down” – MP3 – Click HERE
IDLE JETS (Pat Buchanan) – On my first trip to Nashville in 1997, I had so much fun. Who wouldn’t, right?! I met the Shazam for the first time and planted the seeds for working with them 18 months later, I met Doug Powell and met the sweetest of rock ‘n roll guitarists, Pat Buchanan. A legend in Nashville for being a studio musician who would just get the job done – a touring guitarist who would keep it clean on the road and deliver the goods always. Pat has worked with tons of country greats including Hall and Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Travis Tritt, Kim Richey, Amy Grant, Dixie Chicks as well as crazy weird tangents w/ early/mid 80s funk greats, Cameo. And more. Much more. But his heart was in ‘power pop’. He had this project he was dying to get out of him and out into the world. He called it “Idle Jets” and it was incredible. He recorded it pretty much all himself and it done and in the can. Ready to roll and no one was interested in it Nashville or elsewhere. I heard it and pretty much halfway through the first song, I knew I had to do it. Find the “Atomic Fireball” record Not Lame released. Watch him play a full set(featuring many of the songs from “Atomic”) here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZOu1pPqIC0 and play “Crossfire” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdVI1Y09ymQ and interview with him talking about equipment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d349LNce2Fk
SITE(it’s old but up): http://patbmusic.tripod.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/album/atomic-fireball-mw0000260977
and
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pat-buchanan-mn0000158275/discography
“Genius of the Obvious” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Genius of the Obvious” – MP3 – Click HERE
RICK ALTIZER – Nice how things work out. A Not Lame customer(hey, Bruce!) had an artist he was managing, contacted me to inquire. He was an artist in the CCM world. For you non-music industry folks(thankfully, most of you), that stands for “Contemporary Christian Music”. It tends to be a ghetto – very insular, creatively restrictive and a place it’s hard to grow forth from for many artists. Rick Altizer is a Christian. I’m a Christian(3 generations of Swedish Lutheran preachers on – get this – *both* sides of my family). Let’s do it! So we did. I thought the songs on “Al-Tie-Zur” were uniformly fab-u-lous. Extremely well recorded, hook as a tackle box and flat-out fun. It bombed. Which, in this business, most of your records just do anyway. I still scratch my head on this one but the music stands tall and proud and Rick is one heckuva awesome guy who continues to try different twists with his talents.
SITE: http://www.rickaltizer.com/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rick-altizer-mn0000298032
and
http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-tie-zer-mw0000658137
“Disco Ball” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Disco Ball” – MP3– Click HERE
TERRY ANDERSON – I just think of Terry and I smile – out loud. Terry Anderson is a southern boy. The good ‘ole type – all that is good ‘n righteous and all the best connected to Deep South livin’. He’s never taken the lyrics of his songs too seriously(though, they are very well constructed and conceived – just not ones that take the metaphorical Don Henley highway to haughty self-importance) but making each and every one of the RAWK? Well, that he takes seriously. Very serious. If you ever get the chance to see Terry live, DRIVE whatever it reasonably takes and see him in his natural element. Any band he’ll put together is gonna be a knock-down, throw-down-then-up hard driving’, heavy drinkin’ and sweaty encounter with the spirit of having a good, good time. Anyone you take with you, will thank you. I mean, the name of his band is:
The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team
Perfect. And true.
The record I did with him, may be his best – though, I am bias. He’s not made a single half-good record. They all rock. They are GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, which means…they are ‘great’. REAL GREAT. Terry Anderson is a rarity: a talented giver and bequether of the spirit of rock ‘n roll. I only wish I could have talked him into doing a cover version of “Kumbayah”. I only thought it years later.
SITE: http://oakteam.me/
AMG – http://www.allmusic.com/artist/terry-anderson-mn0000019201/discography AND http://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-drink-to-that-mw0000107100
“Killin’ Down In Dillon” – FLAC – Click HERE
“Killin’ Down In Dillon” – MP3 – Click HERE
