After playing three pop fests in a row, I wanted to share some of the highlights (If a certain band is not mentioned, it may be because I missed their set) Congratulations Mike Nicholson and David Bash! (and all those behind the scenes helping) All three of these festivals were OUTSTANDING! *******SPARKLEFEST: Ed James---Delivered a more rockin set than usual and performed with his new band. This is the best he has sounded yet! Paul Kelley---Delivered a superb set of truely classic pop. Too bad the violinist's instrument got broken at the end of the set. She had a great attitude about it though. Jeff Hart and the Ruins---Nice jangly guitars and sweet vocals! Cliff Hillis----Great sounding band and vocals. Very tight and cool guitar sounds. Frosted Sugar Bombs---Nice new and up and coming band! Watch for them. Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings---Great fun, great vibe, and a true "party band" His new cd is his best! Terry Anderson and the Olympic ass-kickin team---Also a great thrill to see. What the Stones ought to be! The Shazam---Sounding better as a four piece and delivering the true "Rock star thang" The Mockers---Their best set ! Freakin killer version of Highway Star!!! Who woulda thought...? Having Robbie Rist in the band kicked things up a notch! Bobby Sutliff---THE Master of guitar tones and sweet catchy jangle!!!!! This guy writes great songs! A timeless wonder of pop! ( thanks Bobby for having me play guitar in your band. That was fun! ) The Feindish Minstrils---Mitch Easter's new band! Alot like "Lets Active" and very delightful! Hope he puts out a cd soon! Boss Martains---Over the top energy that blew alot of people away!!!! Elvis Costello meets the WHO? The Connells---Classics sounds and deep sentiments in their music. I could see the crowd all singing along to their songs! Robbie Rist---Acoustic jive and humour! Amazingly talented guy going right over the top~! I believe this guy wants to shake your tree! Look out! *******IPO LIVERPOOL (personal note: Liverpool is a wonderful place to visit!) Go there if you get the chance! Marshmallow---Great jangly sounds with perfect harmonies. Like a British Everly Brothers meets Oasis, meets Dodgy. Their new self titled cd is sublime! You can get it from Jam. The Orgone Box---Awesome psych pop. Their set didn't sound much like the cd because it was acoustic. In a live setting they remind me of the The Lilac Time (who I really like by the way) The Pendletones---This Swedish band really knocked me out with their cool attitude and great energy. In true Who fashion they trashed their eqiupment on stage at the end of the set! The bass player ripped the strings right off the bass, and the keyboard player even trashed his keyboard! Boy did David Bash have a surprised look on his face!!!! The Venue----Three handsome mod pop lads with an elderly drummer who beat the heck out of the drums as if he were Keith Moons grandpa! A strange sight indeed! Very good band! Dorian Grey --The lead singer really stood out with his exceptional and distinctive vocal style. Great band! The Gurus--Super psychedelic pop. Very cool and well done! Spanish bands rock! My only regret was just missing the Protones set. I love that band. Sweet Apple Pie--One of the best sets of the festival. This is a family band! Two brothers and one sister along with a drummer. The synergy and interplay in this band is truely blood born!!! I would rate them as currently the best French pop band on the planet! Get their cd! The Scooters---Super polished and tight sound. Another high point. Tony Rivers and company---Classic stuff and the VOICE! Its all about that voice! His son sings alot like him! The pop apple did not fall far from the tree! The Mop Tops---Great Swedish POP...more rocking than I thought it would be. The Spyders---Another excellent Swedish pop band! Swedish pop sure is special! This band again, rocked more than anticipated! RockFour---Great set, overcame some equipment failure and did a stunning Floyd cover of " Astromine Domine" along with the live favorite "Astronauts!" Grip Weeps---Getting more hard rockin every time I see them. I think that touring with RockFour has certainly rubbed off on them! The Singles---Great band that is proudly waving the Mod pop/60's flag! The Rhinos--Another up and coming Swedish band! New cd on Rainbow Quartz! *******IPO PHILADELPHIA Personal note: Besides some awesome food, Philly is a great place for cd shopping, there are tons of music stores on South street!) Phil Angotti---This guy has one of THE BEST pop voices around! His set was great and Dave Dietrich on drums delivered one super solid back beat! The Villas---This husband and wife team have a great band with a killer drummer. Both Bill and Angie Villa sing and play guitar together--and something truely special is going on in the music . Husband and wife bands ROCK !!!! Their new SET FOR LIFE cd is excellent. Check it out. Blank Pages--Their new cd " 45 and 33" is very good with a heavy Big Star thing going on in the guitar work. Their set almost sounded exactly like the cd. (Yes, that's a compliment in my book!) Great band and nice guys Blue Ash----An amazing set. Super catchy songs and finely tuned band. These are seasoned professionals.Look for a new cd on Not Lame. ( Great meeting Ray from Kool Kat and super nice guy Mark Hershberger!) Stewkey's Nazz---They did the classic "Open my Eyes" and I loved every second of that. This band brought back visions of classic 60's music. A treat to get to see such a legendary band...even great without Runt! Ed James--Another blistering set with killer vocals. This guy has got the pipes man....I'm talking 'vocal pipes" that is! Dipsomaniacs----Their new cd Freakin Eureka is freakin excellent. Their live set delivered the goods. Another great band that is worth seeing live! Acme Rock Group---I liked their set. It was a bare bones 3 piece deal but they pulled it off quit well! Glowfriends---Stunning, beautiful, and sweet , acoustic styled pop music. Believe me, "the kids are alright" So you may ask.......did any of the bands I saw at these festivals suck? Honestly, NO!!!!!!! That's a testimony of what an excellent and thriving music scene there still is out there!!! The underground is becoming the overground! Its just a matter of time! POP IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING ON PLANET EARTH!!!!!!!!! jeremy www.jamrecordings.com ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!