IPO Portland 2013
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Artists from Portland
A Million Suns – With one foot firmly planted in the past’s classic sounds and the other pushing forward, A Million Suns are preparing to work on their debut album. Lead singer/songwriter Steven Skye also spends time as the lead singer of Portland’s Kinks Tribute band, “Kinked,” but his own songs blend a much wider range of classic influences – think The Kinks, Sly and The Family Stone, and Yes all rolled into one!
Beyond Veronica – This four-piece dubs themselves “instrospective power pop, with guitars”, but they might convince you that they’re extroverts at heart with their live performances and songs that will call to mind bands like Blondie and The Pandoras. Their latest fab disc (or vinyl!), Hard Times for Dreamers, will also appeal to fans of the Paisley Underground!
The Cool Whips – The Cool Whips (pardon the pun!) whip up a cool slice of old school rock ‘n soul reminiscent of the best of Mersey Beat, Sun Records, The Brill Building, and early Motown combined! We can’t wait for these guys to release a CD!!
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! 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! Come on out and enjoy Evan “Maus” Mersky’s last show with the band!
Deepest Darkest – Formerly of The Carolines, Nate Purscelley, Matthew Lenhart and Jared Abraham have joined forces with Nat Johnson of Derby to form Deepest Darkest, a band grounded in rock history. Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Simon & Garfunkel are few of the influences, and the vibe is classic. Check out their brand new (and aptly named) EP No. 1, and you’ll hear what we mean!
Don’t – Featuring former members of seminal Northwest punk/surf/rock bands such as The Wipers, Napalm Beach, Ladies of the Night, and Foot Stompin’ Trio, Don’t are making a name for themselves in Portland and beyond for their cool combo of surf, rockabilly, and punk rock. Imagine if The Stray Cats were more punk and had a girl lead singer, and you get pretty close…or better yet, check out their groovy 7” pink vinyl!
Jeff Jacks – Jacks is practically a legend in ‘60s garage pop circles, having been a member of such bands The Termites, The Treblemakers, The Berkeley Squires, The Chocolate Watchband, and The Beau Brummels, to name but a few! We are truly honored that he and his band of merry men are bringing their fun-loving jangle garage pop to IPO – you will not want to miss this show!!
The Lonesomes – Jangly rockin’ Americana with a twist is served up quite nicely by this quartet on their latest disc, There’s No Denying Josephine. The typical Byrds meets Allman Brothers influences common to the genre are there, but mixed with unexpected trumpet flourishes and British pastoral folk melodies. Nice!
Metropolitan Farms – A power trio in the truest sense of the word! The songs on their Our Hero Pleads His Flimsy Case CD achieve the powerpop trifecta: catchy sing-along choruses, sparkling vocals, and energetic lightning quick chord changes! Fans of classic purveyors of the genre such as Jellyfish, The Posies, and Fountains of Wayne should sit up and take notice! Definitely a band after IPO’s heart!
Christopher Reyne – A very talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who has just released his debut album, A Stranger at the Wheel, on swanky 150-gram vinyl no less! The songs on the album meld a wide range of influences into a unique voice that is all his own. Whether your thing is piano pop, indie rock, glam, or dreampop, you owe it to yourself to check this one out!
Rocket 3 – A power trio led by the effervescent Ramune, a musician/engineer whose music is characterized by electric guitar with a wide range of effects, meaty bass lines, high energy drums, and pretty vocals. The songs on their debut EP, Truth and Beauty, are fun and cheerful on the surface, but the lyrics have deeper meaning…and their blend of upbeat pop with early punk influences will surely appeal to fans of Radiohead, Regina Spektor, and Veruca Salt. A full length album is in the works for release later this year, so watch for it!
Slutty Hearts – A fun, swoony-dark-pop trio from Portland, Oregon, who make songs that make you wanna dance and get it on. With music equally charming and DIY in nature, Slutty Hearts cut and paste the best elements of lo-fi garage rock. It’s gritty, it’s raw, it’s sexy, it’s a bewitching vamp of simplicity.
Swim Atlantic – A quartet of songwriters engaged in a friendly competition for who can produce the best songs (not unlike that of a certain well-known Liverpool based quartet). They put the emphasis of their work on two things: (1) Vocal harmonies; (2) Hook-heavy pop songs. With songs that cull influences from the 1960s through today, the band draws on a variety of influences that include The Beatles, Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys, Queen, Sparks, Motion City Soundtrack, and onward. Together, they bring their influences to create a buffet of pop tunes that promise something for everyone. As they say in Liverpool, “These Are Too GOOD!”…so you NEED to check them out now!
Cronin Tierney Band – Tierney and his band offer up original rock music, infused with flares from the ‘60s British pop and ‘70s rock icons. This is pure hook-filled turn-it-up-loud-and-enjoy- it-over-and-over fare with a dash of psychedelia and harmonies on the side – so dig in!
Throwback Suburbia – Collectively these four individuals from “the PDX” are irrefutable. All being musical purists, they seem to have tapped into the heart and soul of everything we love about rock music. Throwback Suburbia blends infectious hooks, pop sensibility and a confident yet unpredictable rock ‘n roll attitude that can be described as immediate and refreshingly familiar. Their debut self titled full length CD made the top of many a “Best of” list in 2009 and their recently released second disc, Shot Glass Souvenir, is even better! They are heading into the studio this fall, and we can hardly wait to hear the results!
UHF – Their music has long been known as a brain-embedding potent blend of fuzzy, slightly shoegazer-ish psych pop that mixes classic pop songwriting, modern electronic experimentation and ‘60s-era British psychedelia. Their latest opus, Here Come The Ghosts, is a genre-bending journey of 21 tracks on both double vinyl and double CD! Straying somewhat from the psychedelic soundscapes of their past work,
Wild Bells – Wild Bells is a Portland area guitar pop supergroup, featuring members of such bands as King Black Acid, The Quags, and Mission 5. Their songs combine influences from roots rock to Beatle-esque psychedelic pop to powerpop into a mesmerizing hook laden concoction! A debut album is the works, so watch for it!
The Zags – Purveyors of energetic lo-fi garage meets new wave inflected powerpop, this quartet is hard not to like. Fans of Elvis Costello and Boz Scaggs should check out their debut single, It’s Over…but don’t let the name of the single fool you, as this is really just the beginning of what we hope will eventually become a full length album!
U.S. Artists From Outside Of Portland
302 – A band formely based in Atlanta, but now relocated to Eugene, Oregon, who offer up guitar pop founded on The Beatles and legions of bands they’ve inspired, like ELO, Barenaked Ladies, and Coldplay. 302’s live shows feature originals from their debut CD, Platform Souls, as well newer tunes from their forthcoming sophomore CD.
Anny Celsi – Continuing in the pop-noir vein she mined on Little Black Dress and Tangle Free World, Anny’s new self-produced album, January, once again combines Brill Building hooks with her “beatnik-cool” feel and a storyteller’s eye for detail. In addition to guest-performers that reads like a “who’s who” list of the LA music scene, the album also features Anny’s son Ivan Pyzow, who contributed horn, string and vocal arrangements that are steeped in Motown, New Orleans jazz, and classic pop vocal harmony style – amazingly, for someone just past voting age — as well as trumpet, piano and that rare blend of voices that can only be found between family members. Pretty cool!
Kady Z – As the daughter of singer and actress Pia Zadora, Kady Z began performing at the age of three(!) as both a solo artist and onstage with her mother, developing her connection with audiences as well as her vocal talents. Her debut EP, One Million Pieces, was co-written and produced by Grammy winner, ToneDef (Green Day, Santana, Chris Isaak.), and helped to shape Kady Z’s musical vision of “unique dance music with a soul.” “Beautiful Disaster”, the single from her debut full length, Ordinary Girl, is already hitting the Top 100 radio charts, debuting at #53, and the album is set to be released just prior to her IPO Portland showcase. Fans of Gwen Stefani and Robyn should definitely check this one out!
Kladruby Gold – Americana singer songwriter meets former Grunge lead guitarist? What seemingly made little sense on paper, continues to bloom into a refreshing Seattle (by way of California and Chicago) sound. The band has recently completed its debut, full-length album Lure of the Stars (which may even be released just in time for their IPO Portland appearance). The band’s favorite quote from those who have heard it so far is “an edgy, melodic, ameri-gaze missive from a parallel pop universe.” Intrigued? Then check out their IPO showcase!
Phamous Phaces – A purveyor of those classic power pop stylings, this Salem, Oregon band’s New Pop City CD was one of the better discs of 2001, and their long awaited and most recent disc, Spider Ball, is even better, and word has it a new disc is due out soon! They’ve played many an IPO in many cities around the world, and we’re always glad to have ‘em!
