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| From | "Perry R. Stearns" <pstearns3@wi.rr.com> |
| Subject | IPO_Milwaukee 5-1-08 |
| Date | Fri, 2 May 2008 15:36:07 -0500 |
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Last night, Milwaukee was treated to its first International Pop Overthrow
festival. Linnemans is hosting the entire event and it's worth commenting
on how smoothly the evening went. Jim Linneman (and wife Martie) are super
supportive of the local music scene and have steadily remodeled their club
to where it's perfect for this, or any other type of similarly sized live
musical event. Jim also runs the sound board and made every band sound
their best. The change-overs were so minimal that less than 15 minutes was
needed between bands. This kept the show moving almost seamlessly
throughout the evening.
First up was Drew Neely (http://www.myspace.com/DrewNeely), who drove up
from Chicago and delivered a strong solo performance of mostly originals,
with a couple nice cover songs. This was Drew's fourth IPO performance and
undoubtedly not his last. Drew has a CD-R available, titled "<3" on Makes
No Sense Records. That should clear up the title - and it's great listen.
Next up was Litmus Vinyl (http://profile.myspace.com/litmusvinyl), an
extremely tight six-piece band that displayed some very mature song-writing.
Their jazzier style reminded me of Leon Russell, Dr. John, Tom Petty and
Santana. Their (female) keyboard player added some extraordinarily soulful
vocals (as did their main singer) along with some very tasteful keyboard
work. Power pop with conga drums? Oh yeah!
Fresh Pulp (http://profile.myspace.com/freshpulp) played a spirited set of
mostly originals that injected a fresh punk/pop sound and a ton of energy
into every note they played. Their upcoming CD ought to be a power house
release based upon their IPO performance. They literally had to split after
their set to get up for high school Friday morning. You gotta love that
energy and devotion. High energy covers of Who and Stones songs
complimented their originals nicely.
Certain Stars (http://profile.myspace.com/certainstars) kept the energy
level high with their power laden set list. Lots of relatively short songs
laced with punk/pop energy. Particularly talented bass player added his own
John Entwistle-like flourishes throughout their set and the dual Les Pauls
jacked the crunch level real high. Their set was tight and seamless. If
any aspiring band is wondering how to merch themselves properly, these guys
definitely have it together.
Trolley (http://www.myspace.com/trolley1) put on another spirited
performance showcasing their brand of mod-influenced power pop. Every tune
they played was crammed full of catchy hooks, melodic vocals and great
harmonies. I swear their drummer was hitting the snare so hard you could
not lose the beat for a second. Their forthcoming CD is sure to be another
winner. Ending their set with a cover of "Nothing Can Change the Shape of
Things to Come" was a real treat and Trolley made it their own. Now, if
Nick Pipitone will only play "Five O'clock World" on Sunday.
Revolush (http://www.myspace.com/revolush) rounded out the evening. They
were previously voted Best Rock Band in Milwaukee in 2007 by the local
reigning music magazine, the Shepherd Express. It was easy to see why. In
addition to the extraordinary lead vocalist that channeled everything from
Cheap Trick to Queen, their original songs were well beyond the confines of
simple rock songs. They added a medley of Queen songs to wrap up, leaving
the crowd pleased and wanting more.
Friday evening should be another special evening, featuring a Spill reunion
and the hot, young band Plexi 3. Stay tuned.
Perry
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