IPO Austin 2013
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Artists From Austin
Buzzie – Formed by lead singer/songwriter John McElhenney after leaving local Austin pop darlings Blue Cartoon, Buzzie thrives on the 3:30 minute harmonic convergence with lyrics that are not about sex, or drugs, or being a rockstar. Their latest album, Shooting Beer Cans Off The Buddha, has drawn comparisons to Wilco, Radiohead, Old ‘97s and The Beatles, so check it out now!
Dead Recipe – Drawing their inspiration from a wide range of influences – including country, blues, surf, ‘60s soft pop, rock, indie pop, and a bit of down home Texas twang – this Austin quartet blends them seamlessly to paint a mesmerizing musical palette that is all their own. Check out their debut self titled album and you’ll hear what we mean!
Phil Dutra – A man after IPO’s heart, Dutra delivers sparkling pop melodies that have been described as REM Dreaming of BNL on a hit of XTC. His recent EP, Right Behind The Rain, has been garnering well deserved attention, including a Garageband.com “track of the day” for the song “Let Me Be Your Superman” and winning the National Michael Lloyd song contest at the TAXI Road Rally held in Hollywood, California with the song “She Walks Away.” If you love having a great song stuck in your head for days, then you need to check him out now!
Ron Flynt – Best known to many a pop fan as one of the main men in the beloved band 20/20, whose 1979 debut self-titled album is still considered to be a power-pop classic, Flynt is a force to be reckoned with in his own right, with three fine albums under his own name. His solo efforts range into new wave, roots rock, alt rock, indie pop, and jangle pop, while retaining the melodic sensibility and catchy feel borne of his powerpop roots.
Freddie Steady 5 – As the name would suggest, they’re a quintet who blend British Invasion and ‘60s psychedelic garage influences with country and blues into what can best be described as just feel good rollicking good time music! Their latest CD, Live at the Saxon Pub, is available now in both CD or download formats! They are also led by the inimitable Freddie Krc, main man of Fat Pete records, tireless promoter, and one helluva guy!
The Go Wows – A quartet who take their inspiration from all the usual suspects of ‘70s Power Pop and ‘60s Garage/Rock n’ Roll, and proudly channel these influences with a touch of Texas twang. If you dig crunchin’ melodic geetars and tunes with hooks…don’t be shy, be a Wowser!
Just Boys – IPO is honored to present a reunion show (the first performance in 35 years!!) of the band fronted by Terry Carolan (known to Austinites as a member of beloved popsters, Blue Cartoon) in the late ‘70s. While often mislabeled as a punk or new wave band, Just Boys were a melodic rock band with strong pop tendencies who fit better into the powerpop category. From 1976 to 1978 they wowed crowds from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California, playing such storied venues as The Troubadour, earning serious interest from Arista Records, and sharing management and booking with the likes of Stephen Stills and Firefall. Although their legacy up to this point has been just a debut single, that is about to change as they take the stage at IPO and prepare for a book/CD package, including many of their original recordings that were previously unreleased! This is one show you will not want to miss!!
Craig Marshall – Over the past two decades, Marshall has quietly built a remarkably accomplished body of work, drawing upon his wide-ranging musical background to craft engagingly melodic, personally-charged music that’s as emotionally resonant as it is catchy. The title of his newest release, Hiding in the Doorway, underlines the artist’s longstanding status as a well-kept secret, treasured by a devoted cadre of discerning fans and music-biz insiders, and ripe for discovery by a wider audience. Fans of Crowded House, Mathew Sweet, and The Beach Boys should check him out!
Mount Pressmore – Fast becoming a fixture of the Austin club scene, Mount Pressmore is committed to creating great music one song, one performance, and one album at a time. Their first single, “Trampoline,” has invited comparison to the dance-inspired rock of Talking Heads, soaring choruses of Peter Gabriel, raw energy of the Police and sophistication of Steely Dan. Their debut album, set for release later this year, is aptly titled Enjoy, and we can hardly wait to do just that!
JoDee Purkeypile – Known to past IPO attendees and many an indie-pop fan as one of the main men of The Alice Rose, JoDee Purkeypile’s music eschews Texas twang in favor of farther flung influences, most notably those from Seattle and The United Kingdom. Captivated early on by both ‘60s British invaders and grunge, he adapted a sound that’s part power pop, part rock riffage and part Beatles-meet-Kinks on a sunny afternoon. Check out his latest CD, Messenger, and hear for yourself!
Radio Fallout – An alt-rock power trio, their music has been described as having an “[u]rgent melodicism, a fondness for heavy, heavy guitars and sharp sense of harmony, all driven home at a maximum volume.” (jamsphere.com) Fans of Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and Billy Joel will want to check out their Modegreen EP, and keep an eye out for their soon to be released debut full length!
Rich Restaino & The Obits – Reuniting for their IPO show after over a year on indefinite hiatus (for which IPO is truly honored), Rich Restaino & The Obits fuse elements of UK powerpop with soul grooves and girl group harmonies to create their own infectious sound. Fans of Earth, Wind & Fire, Martha & The Vandellas, and early ‘70s era Elton John will want to check out all three of their fine CDs!
Sheboygan – “Sheboygan’s Triple Fantasy takes the songs and voices of three different writers/singers and turns them into one distinct style. The band’s third release is a guitar driven album full of diverse songs and moods.” (CDBaby.com) Think Big Star meets Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers crossed with Jellyfish and Teenage Fanclub, and you get the idea…or better yet, just come to their IPO showcase!
Chris Smith – A singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer/engineer whose versatility in modern rock, pop, blues, and country styles keeps him busy in several Austin area projects (Jordann Mitchell and the New Usual, Philip Q. Morrow, Smith and Co.), as well as in writing, recording, and playing his own music. His songwriting builds on the rich texture of the songs of our youth, with a look to the future: melody is king, simple chord progressions are used when appropriate, and complex ones are used when the melody requires complex harmony.
The Soulphonics – The Soulphonics play American garage rock and roll: three to four minute songs full of hooks and mostly about the pain of love, of life, and death…and no guitar noodling! Fans of The Seeds, Flamin’ Groovies, and AM radio circa 1966 will want to check out their debut album, The Dynamic Sounds of The Soulphonics, which features 13 original tunes plus three obscure ‘60s covers chosen from their vast repertoire. Groovy!
Stealing Heather – In an age of thirty-second attention spans and banal pop songs, Stealing Heather’s sincerity and their emerging reputation as “the thinking person’s pop-rock band” stands in stark contrast. Their debut album, Your Mistake, follows the unpredictable storyline of the love between two people who mean everything to each other yet seem to excite each other’s worst tendencies. Stealing Heather represents a cohesive musical force as they dissect regret and hope, while the album’s dual antagonists search for the elusive love that is seemingly right before them and yet always just out of reach. Fans of Snow Patrol, Keane, and Nada Surf should definitely check them out!
Stükenberg – A combo led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and son of nomadic missionaries, David Stükenberg, who spent his early years traveling through many different schools and gravitated naturally to music as his one consistent friend. After stints in both Nashville and Wisconsin, he settled in Austin a few years ago and put together an amazing band. If you like crunchy pop songs with delectable melodies, underscored by elements of jazz and ‘60s influenced orchestrated softpop, you will love their Buy In EP (Volume One), and look forward (as we at IPO do!) to a soon to be released full length!
Wiretree – Wiretree melds hints of the Shins, Brendan Benson, Elliot Smith, Wilco and ‘70s era Nick Lowe. Their recently released album, Get Up, “… reveals its pleasures through repeated spins, insinuating itself intellectually at first, but eventually settling permanently into the heart.” (The Austin Chronicle). Definitely one of my fave bands to ever grace the city of Austin. Check them out now!
U.S. Artists From Outside Of Austin
Ashbury Keys – A straight-up pop rock band from Houston who have garnered multiple nominations as one of the best bands of the city! On their latest CD, Growing Up, you’ll hear trendy pop-rock music and love song lyrics with a sound not unlike Weezer meets The Cars, and that will meet with your approval! Returning last year from a brief hiatus, they released their Wake Up EP, and have been going strong since, flooring crowds at IPOs both near and far with their muscular powerpop and sibling harmonies, and preparing to release a brand new EP early next year, so watch for it!
The Black Sundays – The Black Sundays grew out of wide musical influences: Everything from the Posies and XTC to Nada Surf and Matt Pond can be heard on their debut, The Resonate EP. A revolving musical cast (including Ashbury Keys’ Bill Walter on bass-see above) based around singer-songwriter Patrick Finn, The Black Sundays recall the best of ‘90s alternapop while staying in touch with contemporary sounds. Emerging from the Texas BritPop scene, Finn currently makes his home in Atlanta, so come on out and welcome him back to his old stomping grounds!
Walter Clevenger – IPO is proud to host a rare solo performance by the main man of Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, a rockin’ Orange County, CA quintet which has for many years been known for distilling the best of Nick Lowe, Marshall Crenshaw, The Beatles, and Hank Williams to create a fresh, original brew that works well both live and on CD. Clevenger’s newest material has taken on more of a blues-bent without eschewing his pop sensibilities, so this should be a very cool performance!
Jasmine Kostraba – Kostraba was the main force behind the excellent Los Angeles combos The Otterpops and the Swedes, and currently splits her time between LA and Austin. Her solo work promises to deliver the same power-packed melodic rock n’ roll punch of her previous bands, with a dash folk-edged indie rock on the side, of so if you like that kind of sound, you’ll surely want to check her out!.
The Rosedale Highs – San Antonio’s The Rosedale Highs are self-proclaimed champions of the “New Power Pop” movement which emphasizes melody, harmony, and the classic Beatle-esque pop sound, updated for the 2010’s. Their music has been described as having the “lyrical complexity of Ben Folds” and the “sunny but melancholy rock of The Replacements” (Adam Coronado, The San Antonio Current). Their recently released EP, Let’s Get Wrecked With The Rosedale Highs, is sure to gain new converts to the new Power Pop cause…check it out and hear what we mean!
International Artists
Dave Rave – He began popping very powerfully indeed a near quarter century ago as part of the legendary Canadian bands Teenage Head and The Shakers, and has often been referred to as “The Canadian Nick Lowe.” His latest CD, Live With What You Know, was nominated for a Grammy, as was one of its songs “Anne Marie”!! He played every IPO for three years running (that’s a total of 50, folks!) before taking a brief hiatus earlier this year. Join him on the 3nd stop on his latest IPO journey! Thank you, Dave!!