“Fields” features Lindsay Murray (Gretchen’s Wheel) and Orbis Max with drums by Daniele Silvestri. Neil Christie (Emperor Penguin) produced the video. The song compares the end of a relationship with the shifting of a landscape and how even the most permanent landmarks crumble to time and “progress.” Fallon Cush returns with a lively blues-rocker “Sweet Johanna” and Tony Marisco has a sweet EP of jangling songs, fans of The Byrds will certainly enjoy this, check out “Sleepwalker.” The Krayolas honor Dwight Twilley with a classic cover of “I Hear You Knockin’.” The late great Tommy Keene is al ..read more

The Cynz “Little Miss Lost” New Jersey-based The Cynz is the duo of Cyndi Dawson and Henry Seiz, and although they’ve been around for several years, it took Jem Records to shine a brighter light on their songwriting prowess. Cyndi’s punk attitude and Henry’s melodic rock style are perfectly balanced here on Little Miss Lost, with assists in production from a bevy of stars: Kurt Reil (The Grip Weeds), Michael Giblin (Split Squad), and Tommy Kristich (The Jellybricks). Even Smithereens legend Jim Babjak plays on a track! With all this in the mix, you will have a great album. Cyndi’s vocal styli ..read more

Scarbrough Affair “Leftists Unite” Dave Scarbrough went back through some older recordings from 2006 and remastered them for a fresh re-release. “Leftists Unite” is a political rallying cry about “taking away my rights,” and other causes. Maybe we should approach Taylor Swift about singing this because it would be a huge hit with a female performer. Dave goes through several styles here from yacht rock (“Take Me Home,” “Care for the Caregiver”) to light adult balladry (“No Sure Bet”) and these early tracks are nicely done. However, he really strikes gold with “Isabella Mae.” It sounds like a ..read more

Thomas Walsh (Pugwash)  It has been a while since I interviewed Thomas Walsh (way back in 2020) but I was lucky enough to chat with him after a show in person at the 11L-Radio NY International Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Many thanks to my “crew,” Dave “The Boogieman,” and Steven Korn for their assistance. We chat about the new album, The Rest Is History, plus The Duckworth Lewis Method, XTC, Jeff Lynne (ELO), and Joe Elliot (Def Leppard). It was great! The Rest Is History by Thomas Walsh The post Power Popaholic Interview: Thomas Walsh appeared first on Powerpopholic ..read more

Retro influences are all around. It’s been a long time since I heard from Frank Royster, and this song is great. It’s a perfect mix of Beach Boys-Beatles with gorgeous chord shifts. Love it! I can’t wait for the album! Another winner channeling the past is Bryan Estepa. “Is There Anybody There?” is a beautiful single that recalls yacht rock classics. Super 8 delivers a little sunshine pop with “Keep Doing It” from his upcoming album. Jamie Turner turns back the clock a little further with “Ordinary Song.” The boys from It’s Karma It’s Cool have a side pop project called Solitary Bee with an e ..read more

New Jersey band Kanak, produced by the legendary Ed Stasium (The Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead) made a good impression – and their new EP is out next week. One of the best EPs I’ve heard is The Second Summer, with each song a winner from their debut undertow. Fans of The Posies and Teenage Fanclub will love this highly recommended EP. Round Corners is Greek artist Elias Papastamatiou with a slick 70s-styled pop on “How Do You Do?” Japanese band Nerd Magnet attracted me to their new single “Take A Walk.” Native New Yorker Tony Low returns with an EP of Covid-inspired songs (that was a whil ..read more

Wesley Fuller “All Fuller No Filler” We all knew Perth-born, Melbourne-based Wesley Fuller’s follow-up to Inner City Dream would be good. Wesley was kind enough to be interviewed about this album while promoting the singles earlier this year. But from the opening chords of “Back to Square One,” you can see that his songwriting has improved exponentially. With the casual retro synth-pop of “Alamein Line,” or “The House of Love,” and the guitar riffs of “The Velvet Affair,” Wes takes the late ’70s influences and builds from that point. Even though Wesley looks a lot like Jeff Lynne—and Lynne’s ..read more

Eric Carmen We lost another legend. Eric Carmen, the lead singer of The Raspberries, whose soulful voice and electrifying stage presence defined an era of 1970s rock and roll, passed away on March 12, 2024, at 75. Carmen’s voice soared above the driving rhythms and catchy tunes as the lead singer of The Raspberries. His raw emotion and undeniable charisma captivated audiences. He was one of the best rock singer-frontmen ever because of how he moved on stage and how his voice sounded. With hits like “Go All the Way,” “I Wanna Be with You,” and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” The Raspberrie ..read more

Here we go again. We start with a video from Oh Bummer!, a band from the mind of Seattle-born, LA-based singer/songwriter Tanner Houghton. Tanner makes honest anti-pop music for people who don’t always fit in. He does this by combining his bedroom-pop delivery with trip-hop-inspired beats. It’s not power pop, but it still has a hook that kept me listening. Most impressive is the new single by Extra Arms, “I Don’t Wanna Surrender.” Ryan Allen and crew pick up after his top ten performance of last year and continue to dazzle us. Great energy from Friends of Cesar Romero, these guys get better e ..read more

 It’s been a long time since I saw and chatted with Mike Viola. But I attended a show in Roslyn, NY, and was lucky enough to say hello. Not an interview, and the sound is terrible, more of a “meet-and-greet,” and he’s got a new album follow-up to last year’s Paul McCarthy. I filmed one of the new songs, an acoustic ballad titled “She’s A Blur.” He mentioned on the next tour he would have a full rock band. I can’t wait! The post Mike Viola New Song! “She’s A Blur” appeared first on Powerpopholic ..read more