--- In audities@yahoogroups.com, Tim Leonard <timleonard2004@y...> wrote:

> Any reports from boston? specifally, how were the Flashcubes?

I will second Andrea's enthusiastic commentary on The Flashcubes show.  I've
seen them several times at IPO, and this was the best show they've ever
done!  They are so much the quintessential live classic power pop band!
Tight, professional, full of energy, and consumate performers.  Everything
you could possibly want from a power pop band!

As for IPO Boston, I am proud to echo Andrea's sentiments there as well.  It
was very successful, and Andrea had a great deal to do with this, as her
acumen for coordinating several details at once was invaluable to making it
come off without a hitch.

I've already offered my accolades toward several of the IPO Boston bands
during their previous IPO sets, so I will comment on some of my favorites of
those I'd not seen before:

The Halogens: Excellent young band with a strong Brit-pop feel.

The Charms: Female/male combo with strong garage leanings.  They pull off
that style really well.  Little Steven should be all over them!

The Day Jobs: Simply a tight power pop band with catchy songs.

Lemonpeeler: Normally I'm not a huge fan of the twangy side of pop, but
these guys do it so well I couldn't help but be won over.

Ad Frank And The Fast Easy Women: No, there were no actual women on stage
with him (fast, easy, or otherwise), but Ad was a delightful performer, with
the passion and mannerisms of David Byrne.  Very cool!

The Spaceshots.  A good young modern rock band.

The Montgomerys: The other project of Peter Montgomery, of The
Irresponsibles.  Not too far off from the patented, quirky pop of The
Irresponsibles, sans the hystrionics.

School For The Dead: A last minute replacement, brought to my attention by
Andrea Kremer.  Young guys who are taking the reigns of They Might Be
Giants, and giving it a bit of a modern spin.

> Also, can anyone explain to me what would be some good examples of "
Northern soul". Kinda curious. I tend not to listen  to too much powerpop in
the winter months. Weird seens how i'm living in California and all.

Northern Soul is a term which describes '60s and '70s soul music which
became popular in the dance clubs of Northern England, starting in the mid
'70s.  A lot of it is Motown and Stax styled and most of the artists are
American, which I guess made it more exotic to British fans.  Most Northern
Soul 45s are very obscure, and some are extremely collectable, often
fetching three figures. Many DJs at these clubs started becoming identified
with the records they played, and similar to club DJs of today, would be
lauded if they were able to achieve a strong dance flow throughout their
evenings.  Some artists of the '70s, like Frankie Beverly, Eddie Holman, and
R. Dean Taylor (yes, the guy of "Indiana Wants Me" fame!) released records
uncharacteristic of their general style, which went on to become Northern
Soul classics.

There are lots and lots of CDs chronicling Northern Soul; many record stores
have sections devoted to the genre.

There's a great book on the subject which I found in Liverpool called
"Northern Soul: Top 500" by Kev Roberts, which as the title would imply is a
list of the Top 500 Northern Soul records of all time, in the author's
opinion.  Each record is accompanied by a sonic description and a little
informational background.  Very cool stuff!  It's published by Goldmine Soul
Supply Limited, which is also a label that has released several CD comps of
Northern Soul tunes.

Pop and Northern Soul Rule!!!!!
Take Care,
David