Featured IPO CD Artists: Amoeba Teen, David Minchin, Sex Clark Five, The Lilacs, Emperor Penguin
Featured IPO CD Artist: Amoeba Teen
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “(Coming On) Stronger”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
“(Coming On) Stronger” is the precursor to our new album, Medium Wave, that comes out on 1st June 2019. It seemed like the perfect introduction to what’s to come.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
All four of us have diverse influences. If it was a Venn diagram wrestling match you’d probably find Jellyfish, The Beatles and Teenage Fanclub fighting it out, with The Beach Boys and ELO at the side of the ring ready to be tagged. It’s simple really: we’re suckers for classic songwriting, crunchy guitars, great hooks and lush harmonies.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
Does Wilco or The Flaming Lips count as ‘contemporary’? We met Sean Lennon a while back and have enjoyed his work with G.H.O.S.T.T. and the Claypool Lennon Delirium.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
We were fortunate enough to meet Dawn Eden in Liverpool, a lovely lady with lots of tales of her time hanging out with power pop’s titans. We listened in awe as she shared some of her stories. Dawn graciously offered to write the liner notes to our first US release and her perspective on our sound opened our minds to what we were trying to achieve with music.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival//CD?
First of all, it was the opportunity to play at the iconic Cavern – who wouldn’t want to experience that?! But since that time it has been the sense of community with other likeminded bands and music fans that brings us back each year. Without IPO we wouldn’t have discovered such great music from around the world.
6) Where can people who love your song on the IPO CD go to get more of your music and/or find out when and where you’re playing?
Our website has everything you need and if you sign up we’ll send you a whole album’s worth of music for free. www.amoebateen.com
Featured IPO CD Artist: David Minchin
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Come With Me Now”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
I chose “Come With Me Now” for the IPO CD because it was the song we were working on as the follow up single to Beathovens “Shy Girl” for EMI in 1978. It was meant to be a tribute to our two heroes…Badfinger and The Raspberries….verse one and two being entirely constructed from their better known song titles. As it happened we shelved the idea and worked on Charles Touber’s “Sooner or Later” title instead….using much of the same chord structure, and borrowing the distinctive introduction riff and middle 8 originally written by me for “Come With Me Now”, with some minor alterations.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
So in answer to which 2 or 3 artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s we admired…the answer is obvious…Badfinger and the Raspberries….the third being of course The Easybeats from Australia who probably wrote the template for power pop with “Friday On My Mind” amongst other songs in their magnificent catalogue……of course the elephant in the Universe was The Beatles, naturally, who created everything before them with their eclectic pop genius and consistent prolific output.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
Contemporary artists seem to pale into insignificance except for perhaps the Cars, XTC, Squeeze, The Knack and The Records….but all these bands really began in the late ‘70s already!!! The only band (s) really making GREAT pop since were sporadic one song artists such as Tal Bachmanns “She’s So High”, Michael Penns “No Myth” and The Cures “Friday I’m in Love” but the task for me has been like trying to find needles in a haystack.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
My greatest Artist Fan interaction was when I met Graham Gouldman in May 2018 backstage after the Ringo All Stars concert in Hamburg! I was dumbstruck and totally not my normal cool collected self! I found myself blurting out verbal praise for his songwriting genius and legendary status, only to be interrupted by a skinny short large nosed Liverpudlian drummer saying in his best Thomas the Tank voice ‘What about me then …what about Me ???’
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival//CD?
IPO is an amazing community of musicians, singers and songwriters who would have-should have been successful in a more equitable world…perhaps they all are huge artists in a parallel universe….most of them deserve it. It is a tribute to IPO that they give a platform to their dedication, music and talent!!
6) Where can people who love your song on the IPO CD go to get more of your music and/or find out when and where you’re playing?
Where can people who like my song get more of my music? Go search You Tube for Beathoven and The Innocents….check out the new Innocents CD Teardrop Kiss (recorded by my former colleagues) and soon I will be finally releasing 5 CDs simultaneously after an 8 year hiatus from recording….followed by some mini tours and appearances at some IPOs in the USA later this year hopefully….and a new web-site David Minchin which is almost ready.
Featured IPO CD Artist: Sex Clark Five
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Rainbow Sunshine”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
Gave Sex Clark Five the chance to write incidental music for Riot on Sunset Strip.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
Kinks, Yardbirds, Killing Joke for the sound of their guitars.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
Sorry, don’t know any.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
Don’t ever let fans watch you eat!
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival//CD?
Old fashioned being run on and off the stage like Shower of Stars.
6) Where can people who love your song on the IPO CD go to get more of your music and/or find out when and where you’re playing?
sc5songs.com
Featured IPO CD Artist: The Lilacs
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Jennifer”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
“Jennifer” encapsulates so much of what the Lilacs stand for — clean power pop, great guitar hooks, memorable chorus. I don’t know that I have a favorite Lilacs song, but if I had the opportunity to play just one for someone to introduce the band, it’d be this one.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
The Kinks, Jimmy Cliff, David Bowie, The Knack, The Cars, The Clash and a thousand others, all for the same reason — because they created memorable pop music that uplifted my spirit.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
I love tons of contemporary artists, from Young Giant to Parquet Courts to B-Side, which I discovered through IPO, and for the same reason — my life is happier for having these artists in it.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
I got to play drums for a set with RnR HoF member John Sebastian. I’m not a great drummer but he couldn’t have been lovelier about it.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival//CD?
I’ve been a fan of the festival for years, so the chance to finally play in it a few times, in both Chicago and Liverpool, was particularly meaningful. I watched IPO’s head honchos get engaged in Liverpool in 2017 and then I did the same the next year.
6) Where can people who love your song on the IPO CD go to get more of your music and/or find out when and where you’re playing?
The Lilacs Facebook page is the best bet for updates.
Featured IPO CD Artist: Emperor Penguin
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Jensen Interceptor”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
We chose Jensen Interceptor because it is a cautionary tale of drunken impropriety, abuse of power and ultimate redemption that we feel has much to offer in these difficult times. Anyone who ever went up Spaghetti Junction, ate in a Berni Inn or saw Kate O’Mara in “The Vampire Lovers” will understand. Also because “Jensen Interceptor” is the coolest name for a car, ever. Fact.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
(Many of the artists we love started making music decades ago and continue to do so; please don’t take offence if you feel we have dated them incorrectly.)
We yield to none in our admiration for The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and The Move. It’s so obvious, as Wire said. (Wire are also great.)
But additionally:
Buzzcocks, the pop-punk poets of romantic confusion and yearning. Fizzing guitars, pounding drums, plaintive vocals and every song an instant classic straight to your heart.
XTC, for their awkward brilliance, charming idiosyncrasy and apparent determination to avoid being successful and popular.
The Wombles, partly because of Chris Spedding’s fiery guitar work, partly because of Great Uncle Bulgaria’s physical resemblance to our drummer, Rich, and partly because we dream of one day writing a tune as brain-bogglingly correct in every respect as “Remember You’re a Womble”.
And because two or three isn’t enough: Roxy Music, Ramones, Status Quo, The Fall, Queen, Big Star, Nick Lowe, The Clash, Bowie, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, The Sweet, Johnny Cash, Dr Feelgood, Leonard Cohen, The Only Ones, Joni Mitchell, Television, Jellyfish, The Velvet Underground, Orange Juice, The Pretenders, The Smiths, Prefab Sprout, The Associates, Sparks, Prince, The Carpenters, AC/DC, SAHB, Bacharach & David, Cheap Trick, Matt Monroe and Errol Garner.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
The Monochrome Set: for the songs, the wit, the sophistication, the foppish insouciance.
Teenage Fanclub. A favourite band. Ineffable. And Fountains of Wayne, same.
I was just listening to Aldous Harding today; she’s amazing.
And the album Future Me Hates Me by The Beths is great. They sound like The Sundays with punkier guitars.
Public Service Broadcasting and, while we’re at it, Public Access TV.
Oh, and the latest Elvis Costello album (Look Now) is the work of a master.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
We got a message from Dave, from Lincoln, Nebraska, who is a cancer survivor. He told us, “When my time’s up, I’ll go without a moment of regret. But to ensure that, I have a policy of telling folks when — whether they know it or not — they have made my life better. Your music has. It gives me strength some days, puts a smile on my face others and it’s fun to sing along at top volume with my kids.”
That meant a lot.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival//CD?
The adulation of the kids.
6) Where can people who love your song on the IPO CD go to get more of your music and/or find out when and where you’re playing?
You can find us at emperorpenguintheband.com
And https://emperorpenguin.bandcamp.com/
Our stuff is on iTunes and Spotify and all the usual streaming sites.
And our music is available on CD in the US from Kool Kat Musik