IPO Seattle 2012
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Artists From Seattle
Accidental Heroes – Accidental Heroes is a four piece pop-rock combo from the South Puget Sound featuring the talents of Tim Monaghan, who some may remember as one of the main men of GE5. Mixing a high energy stage show with dynamic musicianship and harmonies, and throwing in a classic powerpop cover or two amidst their originals, it’s no – pardon the pun – accident that fans of Cheap Trick, Train, or Maroon 5 will love them!
Afraid Of Figs – Quirky high octane powerpop at its finest is on tap when Afraid of Figs take the stage! The songs on their I Ate A Vegan CD combine strong hooks with irreverently humorous lyrics and whimsical horn touches that fans of artists such as Oingo Boingo, They Might Be Giants, and Fountains of Wayne are sure to appreciate!
Automatic Theory – A Tacoma three-some who take their diverse musical influences and backgrounds and fuse them to make their own brand of refreshing melodic rock. Like Weezer, the band brings a punk-rock energy to the stage, with songs that have a strong pop structure in arrangement, along with prominent melodies. Check out their recently released Two Sides EP!
The Balloons – A band whose recent CD, Georgette and Other Songs, is filled to the brim with jangle, reverb, and classic pop melodies! Imagine the combined talents of Brian Wilson, The Flaming Lips, Roy Orbison, The Monkees, and The Zombies…or better yet, come check out their IPO showcase!
Emilio Banda – Dripping with all kinds of cool Britpop influences from The Beatles to Bowie to Elliott Smith, Banda’s music is warm and catchy and full of memorable hooks. Catching some major label attention from the likes of Epic and Dreamworks, Banda seems destined to be a huge musical force from the Pacific Northwest to the rest of the world, so check him out now!
Boom City – The latest project of John Howk (formerly of The Lashes, who had a deal on Columbia Records), Boom City combines hard hitting drums with a wall of keys and quirky upbeat melodies that will embed themselves in your grey matter for days! Fans of artists from Weezer and The Ramones to The Beach Boys and The Zombies will want to check out their six-song sampler EP, Small Fun, which is a preview of their upcoming full length, likely to be titled Big Fun. Very aptly named indeed!
The Copper Kings – A band who are definitely after IPO’s heart! They’re all about creating perfect pop-rock songs: catchy melodies, big guitars, and even bigger hooks! Their CD, Hellos and Goodbyes should be part of the required curriculum at “The School of Rock” and should also be in the CD player of every powerpop fan!
In Cahoots – With crushing guitar riffs, down-tempo melodies, and soaring, golden vocals, In Cahoots is the real deal. Sometimes likened to Seattle darlings, Visqueen, they hit sweet spots with energy to spare, blanket crowds with fuzzy tones, and uplift with expert songwriting that transports those lucky enough to catch them onstage to an exalted place. Check out their debut self-titled EP and their IPO showcase and you’ll see what we mean!
Lights From Space – “Lights From Space are an alt/pop/rock band….They…have that buzz of ‘yore’ to them, but they also have a fresh new style and also seem to sprinkle in some ‘60s pop into the mix.” (Ryan Swope, Brutal Control Blogspot) Fans of artists such as Nirvana, Black Sabbath, and The Strokes will appreciate the all out rock intensity tempered by pop sensibilities on their debut Six Song Set EP.
The Little Black Bottles – A rather enigmatic combo who deftly combine glam, folk, psychedelia, B-grade sci-fi and horror movie influences, and vaudevillian pop into a rollicking signature style all their own! Their debut CD, Let Them Eat Red Velvet Cake, will appeal to fans of artists as wide ranging as David Bowie, ? and The Mysterians, Peter Paul and Mary, and Frank Zappa, to name but a few!
The Piniellas – The Piniellas are a well-named trio of Power Pop/Ramones-core influenced musicians whose goal is to create catchy pop songs (which they do quite well!) They believe in “all Ramones, all the time,” and will make a believer out of anyone who hears them! Check out their Without A Fight EP!
Post Adolescence – Combine wall-of-fuzz guitars, a frenetic intensity, and some ‘80s British post punk echoes, and what do you get?…Post Adolescence! Their latest full length CD, My Nothing, will appeal to fans of Manic Street Preachers, Ash, Oasis, or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, while their recent single What You Would Call Socialism (I Would Call Civilization), takes aim at the Tea Party, putting a thoroughly modern spin on the political protest song tradition! One of the best bands we’ve heard out of the Pacific Northwest in quite awhile!
Salvadore Dali Llama – A band who create a sonic soundscape that is part modern alternative and part ‘80s Britpop, with a few psychedelic flourishes thrown in for good measure! Fans of artists such as Echo & The Bunnymen, The Church, and The Rolling Stones will want to check out their Foretoken EP!
Smile Brigade – They’re into simplicity; a strong melody and a good hook, and have the knack for putting it all together, so it’s no wonder that their music hard to get out of your head! Their songs range from mildly sugarcoated pop to sleazy and riff-laden rock to melancholic lullabies. All the while they maintain a fluidity of impenetrable hooks, rich vocal harmonies and tactful composition, which can be heard on their latest CD, Do You Come Here Often?
The Torn ACLs – A band who deliver delightfully lighthearted indie-pop with artful touches – they even have limited edition CDs with cover art by local Seattle artists! Their latest, Real Risks, will appeal to fans of Brian Wilson, Belle and Sebastian, and Roy Orbison!
U.S. Artists From Outside Of Seattle
The Cry – It’s always cool to see such young men sporting ‘60s styled clothes and haircuts, but even more so when they can deliver the goods as well as these guys from “The PDX”! Their self-titled debut CD is filled with lots of ‘60s and ‘70s inspired tunes spiked with in your face vocals, hooks galore, and their live show has enough energy to light up the city of Bend, Oregon!
Sweet Diss and The Comebacks – A quartet from all over Washington state who describe their music as catchy melodies, soaring harmonies, and more key changes than your ex-girlfriend’s apartment! Lovers of all things soft- (and also not so soft!) pop from The Beach Boys and Linus of Hollywood to Jellyfish and Green Day will all find something to appreciate in their Emerald City Love Song CD!
International Artists
The Irises – A band known for their characteristic melodic splendor with a touch of glam! Their latest CD, Not Good In Bed, “is for the hopeless romantic and is pure rock pop at its best” (Icon Magazine). This is also the current project of Roxanne Heichert and Stephen Quinn, whose band from the late ‘80s, Go Four 3, is still one of Vancouver’s most beloved. Definitely one of Vancouver’s finest bands!
Fleur Jack – Jack was the lead singer and bass player for dirty post punk rock and rollers The Twitch, who have etched themselves indelibly on the New Zealand music scene, winning the NZ Battle of the Bands in 2005. Her debut album, Ghosts of Cimarron, is much more country-folk pop than rock, more in the vein of Neil Young and Reba McEntire than The Twitch. She’s toured all over New Zealand, Australia, The US, and Canada – including a stint at last year’s IPO Vancouver – and had so much fun, that she’s back for more! She’s even making Seattle her temporary home while recording her next album – a definite score for the city of Seattle!
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’s played every IPO the past two years, with hopefully many more to come. Thank you, Dave!!
