IPO San Francisco 2018

 
Click on artist name to go to their music page
 
CLICK HERE to see IPO San Francisco 2018 Artist Yearbook Photos
 
 

Artists From San Francisco

 
The Bobbleheads – An absolutely engaging combo who’ve created, as they put it, a “niche of niceness” with their “bubblegum flavored indiepop”, in which can be heard musical influences ranging from flower power pop to experimental chamber music! Their Automatic Fun CD still ranks as one of the good feelin’ CDs of The New Millennium, and their latest, Make Yourself Happy, is even better!
 
The Clarences – The Clarences were hatched by Robert A. Medeiros in Oakland, California. He was traumatized because Mego never made a Green Lantern action figure. Then, he met Erin Shannon at a reading aboard a b-52. After that, he met Leslie Outhier at a Canadian bunny farm. Together, they are The Clarences…part vaudeville sideshow, part ELO-inflected glammy orchestrated power pop outfit, and definitely one of the most fun bands in the Bay Area!
 
Corner Laughers – A band known for quirky intelligent lyrics, catchy melodies, harmonies, and fun! The Corner Laughers’ latest album, The Matilda Effect, offers the clever wordplay, magical melodies and heartbreaking harmonies fans and critics have come to expect from the group, while displaying their wry and witty spirit of adventure. Corner Laughers fans will also want to check out front woman Karla Kane’s debut solo album, King’s Daughters Home for Incurables, on which she leads listeners into an intriguing land of acorns and tea leaves, feminism and fairy tales, pagan pop and pastoral protest songs, whimsical wanderings and sharp observations on the current state of the world, where sunny California indie meets melancholy English folk and the redwood meets the oak.
 
Jimmy Dias (of The Love Dimension) – They say that music heals the soul, and that is especially true in this case, as Dias’ personal journey while training to be a shamanic healer led him to start the band. The Love Dimension can shrink to just Dias himself (as it will for his IPO showcase) or expand to an 11-piece collective steeped in the music of the psychedelic ’60s, infused with the sound of ‘90s grunge and other more contemporary influences to create “mind-expanding music” for the 21st century. Resonating with the consciousness expanding goals of the ‘60s psychedelic movement, The Love Dimension creates sonic architecture for the benefit of all sentient beings across the multi-verse. Whatever the configuration, The Love Dimension will deliver a performance that will elevate the spirit and move the soul.
 
Droneyard – An East Bay power trio who make sweet fuzzy power pop meets classic rock n’ roll for the masses! Their Devolver album has been described as “Beatles + Buzzcocks + Cheap Trick + Big Star + Squeeze + Queens Of The Stone Age = this record” (a guy who has a wicked awesome recording studio) With praise like this, how could you not want to come check them out??
 
Eric Friedmann and The Lucky Rubes – The songs on their latest CD, Telephone Girl, perfectly straddle the line between the alt-country vibe of bands like Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Kings or The Jayhawks and the traditional power pop of Cheap Trick or The Knack. The current lineup rocks harder than ever…and boy, can Friedmann write a good hook!
 
Scott Gagner – Originally from Minneapolis, Gagner began his musical career in San Francisco, writing songs with hooks both surprising and inevitable. He’s released three LP’s: the sprawling debut Rhapsody in Blonde, the lush Rise & Shine, and his latest LP, Pins & Needles, which was released late last year and seamlessly blends power-pop, psychedelia, alt-country, rock, and heartfelt balladry into a cohesive whole. “His potential is limitless!” (Powerpopaholic)
 
Goggy – A space capsule was sent centuries ago with hibernating space felines. Their mission: to share their music with earthlings. They are amongst us, stealthily humming tunes while we slumber. Goggy is people!! Goggy is rock! The side-project of keyboardist/
singer-songwriter Margrit Eichler (of the bay area trio, True Margrit), in the studio Goggy is just Margrit tinkering away, until her cats Luc and Freddi purr approval, but onstage Goggy is Margrit, Nick O’Connor (of Sweet Peaches) and Pam Delgado (of Blame Sally), and together they deliver quirky experimental piano pop at its finest! Check out their IPO showcase and their recent Satellites and Saints CD to see and hear what we mean!
 
The Morning Line – After a long hiatus, The Morning Line is back, with songs that range from chunky power pop to spacious and melodic Americana! Fronted by singer-songwriter Stephen Smith (Salem 66, God’s Eye, and Green Magnet School), the band also features Brian Mello on guitar, Peter Craft on drums, and David Knupp on bass.
 
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – If you like the grittier, angular side of folk rock with just a touch of twang, you will certainly appreciate the music of this man and his band(s)! Having been a member of The Meantime, True West, Cottonmouth, The Mariettas, and Denim TV, he now performs with his band The Dirty Hands. The current live band features Greg Lisher of Camper Van Beethoven on guitar; Kevin T. White of Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express on bass, and long time co-producer/engineer Matt Boudreau on drums, and deliver pure angular power pop led by O’Brien’s David Byrne-esque vocals! His brand new album, My Colors Dark, is due out in late 2018 or early 2019, but you can pre-view the title track on this year’s IPO CD!
 
Dawn Oberg – We’d like to thank Leisure McCorkle (who played IPO San Francisco last year) for introducing us to this very eclectic and electric local pop chanteuse! With an engaging storyteller’s gift for lyrics (some of which are subversively witty, so you’ll definitely want to pay attention!) and a wide range of musical influences – everything from jazz, R&B, and pop to punk and country – her songs will seem instantly relatable and catchy to just about everyone! Check out her IPO showcase, as well as her recent EP, Nothing Rhymes with Orange!
 
TRIP WIRE – A quartet made up of founding members Marty Schneider and Bill Hunt, plus the more recent additions of Stu Shader on drums and Jeff Shelton (main man of The Spinning Jennies and The Well Wishers – see below) on bass. Together, they produce short catchy songs that revolve around that perfect juxtaposition of power pop, indie-rock, psychedelic rock and garage styles. As such, fans of The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Guided By Voices, and REM will surely dig their latest album, Cold Gas Giants, and brand new single, Act Fast!
 
The Well Wishers – The latest project by the main man of San Francisco stalwarts, Spinning Jennies, The Well Wishers sound is a little less power pop and closer to that of Shelton’s long time musical heroes, The Posies. Based on a solid foundation of melody, song-craft, and the ever important “musical hook”, the Well Wishers’ deliver a warm, full-bodied sound and engaging take on the typical power pop formula. The latest Well Wishers album, A View From Above, amplifies the crucial elements that have brought the Well Wishers to the top of the power pop heap: hook-filled melodies, soaring vocal harmonies, big crunchy guitars and bold, layered arrangements that highlight a honed and skilled pop songcraft, and may be their best yet!
 
 

U.S. Artists From Outside of San Francisco

 
The Armoires – Led by the paisley-clad duo of Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko and hailing from Burbank, CA, The Armoires have turned heads worldwide with their unique harmony-driven, jangly songcraft, blending the sounds of SoCal legends like The Byrds, X, and hits-era Fleetwood Mac with a lyrical sensibility that’s all their own. It’s on display on their acclaimed debut album Incidental Lightshow, with more to come on a follow-up release later this year. Renowned as community builders on the global pop scene, they’re also the founders of the Big Stir: Power Pop & More concert series, which has blossomed into a record label and touring company, which they used to turn their IPO Liverpool appearance last year into a whirlwind month long tour of the UK, alongside a cavalcade of the UK’s finest pop bands!
 
Jason Berk – A critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who comes to the west coast (he splits time between Los Angeles and San Francisco) by way of New York, Berk has proven himself to be a musical tour-de-force, teaching himself guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, ukulele, mandolin, and banjo, and garnering nationwide radio-play. His classic musical style has drawn comparison to such greats as The Beatles, Randy Newman, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Costello, to name but a few! Check out his latest album, Everything Old Is New Again, and his IPO showcase to see and hear what we mean! His newest material (new album soon…we hope!) is neo-classic blue-eyed soul at its finest!
 
Blame The Bishop – A band based out of Citrus Heights, CA who exist at the intersection where traditional American rock and British pop meet. The band’s namesake and guitarist/singer, Warren Bishop, and fellow guitarist/singer Todd Weber have been playing together for 11 years through The Holy Men/The Onlymen combination before a reboot as Blame The Bishop. In addition to their original songs, the band often will dig into their collective memories and pull out some choice covers, so this is one show you will not want to miss! Check out their latest album, New & Used, a collection of their recordings from 2009 through 2015!
 
David Brookings and The Average Lookings – This transplant to San Jose (by way of Memphis) has consistently released stellar albums. His music has been compared to the likes of Jellyfish, Matthew Sweet, and Rooney. His recently released self titled CD with his new band, The Average Lookings, “…bears all of the necessary hallmarks required of top-notch Power Pop: solid, mid-tempo melodies that stick in the listener’s memory after the songs fade; carefully-crafted close vocal harmony; chiming guitars; and freedom from musical gimmickry.” (Spill Magazine)
 
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop – Hailing from the unlikely hamlet of Kingsburg, California, this ensemble uses just about every instrument under the sun to create some bizarre, witty, quirky, yet ultimately melodic sounds, and have become an IPO fan favorite from LA to Liverpool! The Trike Shop’s “The Turtles meets Frank Zappa” stylings never fail to be delightful enigmatic and quirky, and their latest album, Make, showcases them at their delightfully zany and melodic best! Definitely something a little bit different!
 
Plasticsoul – Led by singer/songwriter/producer Steven Wilson, who over the past two decades has been performing various roles in multiple bands while compiling a large catalogue of original, dynamic pop songs. Their classic album, Peacock Swagger, took the top spot on several “best CDs of 2009” lists, and their latest, Therapy, is their best and hardest rocking yet! Wilson recently relocated from Pasadena to the East Bay, and Pasadena’s loss is most definitely The Bay Area’s gain! Come show them some Bay Area love at their first new local IPO!
 
Morty Shallman – Creator of the world’s first Novel with Songs, Last of the Zacharys, this dapper, affable Los Angelino is known for his cutting-edge mashups of pop songs and pulp fiction. Fusing elements of disco, dance pop, indie pop, alt-rock and EDM, with soaring melodies, intelligent lyrics and classic pop song craft, Shallman serves up a glowing succession of catchy tunes and infectious beats that will brighten the playlists of listeners, dancers, youtubers and radio programmers alike, and was recently named LA’s #1 Indie Artist (February/March 2018) by Reverbnation! Check out the brand new summer remix of his single, “HALO,” and his IPO showcase, but be forewarned….his song “Young and Stupid” is an ear-worm of insidious catchiness!