Featured IPO CD Artists: The Injured Parties, Sue Hedges, Steve Rosenbaum, Kai Danzberg, Cait Brennan
Featured IPO CD Artist: The Injured Parties
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Got A Tatoo”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
It’s the leadoff track on our forthcoming sophomore album, Product Placement. Opening songs should grab the listener’s ear, but I think they should also say something about your thematic concerns (considering you have ’em, and we certainly do). The song was written as a response to The Who’s “Tattoo,” which is a great song but one that fails to deliver a denouement; so I felt the need to express some ideas about tattoos, their hipness factor, and marketing that reaches some recognizable conclusion.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
This is a tough one, but — The Kinks, The Byrds, XTC. Tough because that’s a broad range and a lot of admirable artists have been sidelined. The Kinks are a no-brainer to me — best, smartest, and most consistent pop band of their era and beyond. The Byrds because of their overall output and having a sound that could vary yet always remain uniquely identifiable. XTC chosen as representing the whole post-punk melded with pop thing.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
Drive-by Truckers, Sloan, The Bats. These three bands continue to make resonant, song-driven pop music that is timely as well as timeless.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
Me as a fan, it would be knowing that the late, great Alex Chilton was aware of the annual birthday bash I’ve been putting together in honor of his songwriting since 2004, and hearing that he was “threatening” to show up and play one year! This was 2007, just two years before his untimely death.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
Sharing the stage (and discs!) with so many amazing, kind, and lovely artists.
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?
Best is actually larryodean.com, since I have a melange of musical projects.
Featured IPO CD Artist: Sue Hedges
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Strong”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
The reason I chose the song I did is because it‘s the title track of my album, Strong. I feel that the song has a powerful message. Also by putting a song on the IPO CD, it offers a platform to enable me to reach an audience that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
I would say The Beach Boys because I think the vocal arrangements they have are unlike any other band I’ve heard. I’ve liked them ever since I was a kid. Back then though I didn’t have the ability to express what I thought was different about them. I just knew something was different. I used to wonder how they created the vocal arrangements for things like “Sloop John B” and I also wondered what the high-pitched whine was in the song “Good Vibrations”. Now I know what it is and I can impersonate it with my voice and my impression of that iconic “theremin riff” is now a “crowd pleaser” at parties! I also admire Bob Dylan for a few reasons. The lyrics of “Forever Young” resonate a lot. The sentiment is just right, not too schmaltzy and it’s not too clever. The lyrics have a lot of meaning. Also back then in the ‘60s to go from building up a folk audience playing predominantly acoustic folk music to then suddenly change and go electric was an incredible risk to take. He knew that he would lose some fans in the process but still he went ahead and made the change. Dylan did what he felt was right for him. Paul Simon is another great songwriter that I admire! I‘ve also liked Simon & Garfunkel ever since I was a kid. Lines such as in the “59th Street Bridge Song”, “Let the morning time drop all its petals on me” I mean where did that metaphor come from? The verse about the lamppost where he says “Ain’t you got no rhymes for me”. I can get writers block sometimes so I can relate to that.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
I would say Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Sia as I think they write great songs! And they all have distinctive voices. You know it is them as soon as you hear them sing. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have also written big hits for Gwen Stefani and CeeLo Green and people like that before they became artists in their own right, so they know how to write good songs!
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’ve been doing the IPO for a number of years now and I met a couple back when I first started doing the IPO festivals, their names were Frank and Yvonne Barker. We have kept in touch ever since the first festival I did for IPO about 16 years ago. We used to speak on the phone regularly and they used to come to a lot of my gigs as well as the IPO ones. At one time he used to keep and take notes of set list from the gigs. Last year, Frank passed away leaving me and Yvonne with many great memories. At the funeral they mentioned me and the impact that my music had on Frank!
A humorous fan interaction I had was actually at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, when I was opening for Elvis’s guitarist James Burton and piano player Glenn D Harding. Now I’ve been blind since birth so after I finished one of the songs at this gig I went to reach for my bottle of water which I discovered had been knocked accidentally out of my way and I didn’t quite know where it was. There was no one to turn around to to ask where it had gone so I said down the mic “Has anybody seen my water?” Usually someone would nip on and hand it back to me, however this time, all the crowd shouted “To your right, to your right, forward” and cheered when I had found it!
5) You say that you’ve been blind since birth, how has that impacted your life and in particularly your music?
Well obviously being totally blind it affects every aspect of my day-to-day life. Some things are harder but I’ve learned to adapt and not let any challenges get me down. As far as my music is concerned, with me being blind I don’t occupy my down time the way that sighted people would, e.g, watch TV, so I have a lot more time to listen to different types of music. When I was growing up, a sighted kid would come home and play in the street with the kids they went to school with, whereas I would come home and just listen to different types of music. I feel that this has broadened my knowledge of different genres of music. I’ve always believed in casting my net wide to listen to lots of different genres of music as possible and I feel it’s helped with my songwriting.
6) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
I love the fact that you meet people from all over the world! Everybody seems to get along! It’s like one big family! Also thanks to the IPO I wouldn’t have been given the opportunities to perform at places I wouldn’t normally think of visiting as a tourist,e.g cities such as Austin, San Francisco and San Diego.
7) 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?
My music can be found on Amazon Music, YouTube music, Spotify and CD baby. Here is a link to stream some more if you like what you hear.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0f2ArN8XqUCW6sSuGzK7DI
If you have an Alexa enabled device and are subscribed to a streaming music service such as Amazon or Spotify, simply try saying “Alexa play songs by Sue Hedges” you can find all about my gigs on my Sue Hedges Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Sue-Hedges-232148786795753
You can also follow me on Twitter@hedgessusan and also my ReverbNation page.
https://www.reverbnation.com/susanhedges
Featured IPO CD Artist: Steve Rosenbaum
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Get The Hell Out Of My Lane”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
I originally wrote and recorded “Get The Hell Out Of My Lane” as a one-off for my friends Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko for their first Big Stir compilation. I had the idea for the song for a while. While many folks may think it’s about driving (as it could well be), it’s actually from the point of view of a lap swimmer, unhappy with dilettantes in the pool, churning up the water, and ruining it for us “real” swimmers (please note the sarcasm). I think it’s a unique point of view, not usually represented in your average pop song! Anyway, the version I originally released to the Big Stir folks really needed a re-do on the vocals and the mix, so I did that, and that’s the version that is on the IPO CD. It’s a bit rougher edged than my previous IPO contributions. Also, it features a somewhat manic guitar solo, which is something I rarely get to do on my very poppy tunes. I hope it shows the IPO comp listeners another side of what I’m about!
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
Let’s go chronologically through my influences: ‘60s: Banana Splits, Monkees, Tommy James, Tommy Roe, Grass Roots, Beach Boys. ‘70s: Raspberries, Three Dog Night, Todd Rundgren, a bunch of prog stuff that probably should remain a mystery, a bunch of fusion stuff that should definitely remain a mystery, Joni Mitchell, Andy Pratt, and, of course, around ‘77, The Ramones, Elvis Costello. ‘80s: XTC, REM, The Replacements / Paul Westerberg, The Blake Babies / Juliana Hatfield, Lloyd Cole. ‘90s: The Wallflowers, umm….
Why? I like artists who make music from the heart. Good songwriting is at the core of good music. All of the folks above either wrote great songs or played great songs written by others. Also, I like a catchy tune, who doesn’t? 🙂
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
My tastes are really all over the map. These days, I’m more likely to be listening to something that is not so obviously “pop”. I love Brazilian music, including Bossa Nova, and there are so many modern Brazilian artists doing great things: Ceu, Paula Morelenbaum, Rosalia Da Souza, Leila Pinheiro. Also Portuguese artists, Luisa Sobral, Ana Moura. I love what Hollie Cook is doing with pop and reggae. There are some great young rock bands, many fronted by women, like Tancred, Lemuria, illuminati hotties, Pale Waves. Just too many to list I think!
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
Every time I get in front of at least a few people to play, it feels great. I’ve found a couple of guys and put a band together, Mess Of Fun, and it’s always a rush to play. I always believe that my next gig will be the most rewarding!
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
I know I’ve said it before, as have many others: it’s the camaraderie, plain and simple. Here we all are, doing music we love, that is often not appreciated by a large audience. Many of us are well past the point where we will be on the cover of Rolling Stone. But we are all doing this because we love it. The support between the bands is solid. Finally, the stewardship, love of the music, and just plain tireless positivity of David Bash, holds it all together.
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?
There’s Facebook, a web page, word of mouth, give me a call – lots of ways!
http://steverosenbaummusic.com
http://messoffun.com
facebook.com/steverosenbaummusic
facebook.com/messoffun
Featured IPO CD Artist: Kai Danzberg
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Welcome To The Show”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
I thought this song most shows what kind of musician I am. It’s the opener of my album Pop-Up Radio and I believe it’s one of the favourites of my fans. And obviously I was hoping to be on CD 1 with a title like “Welcome To The Show“ 😛
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
The Beatles changed everything in pop-music when they appeared in the early ‘60s. When I heard their album Srgt. Pepper it was like a epiphany to me. The same goes for Jellyfish. If you haven’t heard about Jellyfish you missed something. Everything changed for me when I discovered them. There are so much more bands/artists like ELO, Chris Rainbow, Roger Joseph Manning. Too much to pick only three.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
That’s a hard one. To be honest, I don’t care for most of the nowadays music. There are only a few ones who I like. Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth for example. Those are the more famous ones. But also there are The Lemon Twigs which I love since 2016.
4) What has been your most rewarding (and/or humorous) artist-fan interaction to date? (Can be with you as artist or as fan)
Easy, for my latest album Not Only Sunshine Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish) did sing lead vocals on one of my songs. That will always be something special for me.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
It’s the whole power pop-community. I looked up to all those artists for years thinking. I always wanted to be a part of it. Now I am here on your CD. And I had the pleasure to work with Roger Manning, Lisa Mychols, David Myhr and more artists. That’s unbelievable and definitely the best part of it.
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?
Stay updated here:
www.facebook.com/danzbergmusic
www.danzberg-music.de
www.kaidanzberg.bandcamp.com
Featured IPO CD Artist: Cait Brennan
IPO Vol 21 CD Song: “Miss Valentine”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
“Miss Valentine” is a song I wrote at Ardent Studios in Memphis during the recording of my Omnivore Records album Third. I actually recorded parts of the song in the atrium at Ardent while Fernando Perdomo and Adam Hill were in studio A working on tracking some stuff. IPO was a huge part of how I got to Ardent and Omnivore, and I wanted to give back by providing something special that nobody had ever heard before.
2) Which 2-3 ’60-‘90s artists do you admire most (and why)?
That’s a tough one! Obviously the giants of the rock era mean a lot to me, from the Beatles and Beach Boys to Bowie, Nilsson, even Nirvana–adventurous people who weren’t afraid to chase something new and different by whatever means. But I’m at least equally influenced by eclectic soul, pop artists like Kate Bush, Prince, Kirsty MacColl, Otis Redding. I tend to hang with the outsiders a bit, and all these artists have led by example and found their own voice. That’s what I try to do.
3) Same as question 2, but for contemporary artists
So much amazing stuff being made now. In melodic guitar pop, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the brilliant work being done by peers and friends like Fernando Perdomo, The Armoires, Ken Sharp, Plasticsoul, Gretchen’s Wheel, Carol Pacey and the Honey Shakers, Sitcom Neighbor, so many others–the list is just endless. So much great music being made today. Unlike a lot of people in my general age group, I’m a huge, huge fan of contemporary pop music as well, so I’m as likely to be listening to Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, King Princess or Lizzo as I am to listen to the ‘60s classics.
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 love all the Caitiebots so much, and literally none of the things I’ve done would have been possible without this overwhelming outpouring of support from so many people, a lot of whom I haven’t even met yet. We did a release show in Memphis for my album Third, and Jody Stephens from Big Star played drums on a couple of tracks for us, alongside the great Van Duren (whose own legendary power pop work is finally being celebrated), and I had fans who drove all the way from Atlanta to Memphis for the show. People flew in from LA, drove over from Nashville. It was absolutely the greatest night. But equally meaningful is when people send you a message saying that your music got them through a hard time in life, or meant something special to them. That’s what it’s all about for me, that connection, and I’m so grateful for that.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
IPO has changed my life for the better in so many ways. The first LA show I ever played was IPO 2012, and I met my dear friend and musical collaborator Fernando Perdomo at that show–we’ve traveled the country and made so much music since, and that’s all thanks to David Bash and IPO bringing us together. It’s the same story with so many other fans and musicians who have become friends and collaborators over the years thanks to David and IPO. The artists on the IPO CD are all doing such great and interesting work, and it’s an honor to be among those names and those songs. Hopefully listeners will discover new acts they love, and I hope some folks who haven’t heard of me may dig my IPO CD track and give my other stuff a listen.
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?
My first two albums — 2016’s Debutante and 2017’s Third — are available on all the usual shopping and streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, etc), and Third‘s available on CD in finer record stores everywhere. (Debutante is going to get a deluxe CD reissue in the not too distant future, but it’s currently out of print on disc). I’ll have a new record coming out this fall, but for now, come visit me at http://www.planetcait.com for all the music, lyrics, shows and news that fits. And thanks so much for listening and for caring. I appreciate it a lot.