Featured IPO CD Artists: The Pozers and The Brothers Steve
Featured IPO CD Artist: The Pozers
IPO Vol 22 CD Song: “The Time and Place”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
We chose to submit my song “The Time and Place” for the IPO Volume 22 CD. “The Time and Place” was the first release and music video from The Pozers’ CD, Embrace Your Addiction. It’s probably my personal favorite song I’ve ever written. I’m proud of each section of it: music, melody and lyrics. Lyrically, it is about reflecting back on certain memorable events in your life. Sometimes (for example in dreams) the subconscious memories of such events can seem so real that you are transported back to that original time (with the images, feelings, and even smells) almost like total recall. Essentially “The Time and Place” evokes vivid nostalgia connected to an exact time or place of certain activities experienced. Although the physical places or objects may or may not stay the same, the feelings connected to those people and places rarely change. This particular 2019 version of “The Time and Place,” that appears on the IPO CD, is slightly different from the original version released on Embrace Your Addiction. So if you want the 2019 version you can only get it on the IPO CD Volume 22.
2) If you could spend the day with any artist who is no longer living, who would it be, and why?
There are so many great artists who are no longer with us that I would have loved to spend the day with. But if I had to pick only one artist who is no longer living, it would have to be John Lennon. Not only would I love to hear him talk about his experiences and songwriting, he seems to be a very funny and interesting person. I would imagine my experience with Lennon would probably be very similar to the Jack Malik scene in the movie Yesterday. “Can I give you a hug?”
3) Same as question 2, but for any contemporary/living artist.
Once again, there are so many great living artists I admire; if I had to pick only one artist who is still living I would love to spend the day with Paul McCartney. As a multi- instrumentalist myself, McCartney was probably the single greatest musical influence on me growing up. I would imagine that spending the day with Paul would be like the video of “Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke with James Corden.” Of course both questions 2 and 3 are contingent on if the real people can rise to my unrealistic expectations–maybe not who I think they are, but who I hope or want them to be.
4) What has been the most inspirational moment of your musical career thus far? (can be from either the perspective of performing yourself or of seeing someone else perform)
That’s a great question. It’s probably too difficult for me to pick one single inspirational moment of my musical career, without shortchanging other equally significant events. I’ve been so fortunate to have several of these moments over the years. Many of the ones that come to mind are the “first times…” For example, the first time I recorded in a professional recording studio at age 15, signing my first recording contract, the release of The Pozers’ first CD, seeing The Pozers’ albums in record stores (remember those?) for the first time, hearing my songs on the actual radio while driving down the road, my first touring experiences, getting national and then later worldwide distribution, seeing The Pozers in magazines for the first time, getting fan mail, signing autographs, taking pictures with fans, meeting and performing with famous musicians I admired growing up, and later forging friendships with many of them. All of the aforementioned was very inspirational and humbling at the same time. I look back on it all with utmost humility, gratitude, and appreciation. It has been a wonderful musical ride. But still, one of the greatest compliments I receive (that never gets old) is having a person tell me that they love or connected with one of my songs. That is the ultimate high for songwriters.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
What I most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD is the community of like-minded musicians who value similar genres of music–genres that focus first and foremost strong melodies, as well as thoughtful lyrics. I have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with David Bash. David has devoted most of his life to exposing the world to great music that deserves to be heard by the masses. The Pozers are always proud to play the IPO!
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 Pozers just released our 7th CD, Crybaby Bridge. We had saved our official CD release party for the 2020 IPO Austin, which unfortunately did not come to pass. You can email The Pozers:
Listen and/or purchase CD’s and songs from The Pozers here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-pozers/id89893248
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ThePozers
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=%22the+pozers%22+cd&ref=nb_sb_noss
http://shop.koolkatmusik.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?
https://www.jamrecordings.com/catalog.php
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_aLdcOr_W0QoFOBKBKpuQ
Featured IPO CD Artist: The Brothers Steve
IPO Vol 22 CD Song: “She”
1) What was the reason you chose the song you did for the IPO CD?
Jeff Whalen: We were in the midst of mixing our record—our first—and didn’t yet have a complete sense of which songs had turned out the best. We contacted IPO guru David Bash for his input on a couple tracks and he suggested “She” for inclusion in the IPO collection. It’s a good choice in a lot of ways for a power pop compilation —harmonies, Beatles references, whatnot.
2) If you could spend the day with any artist who is no longer living, who would it be, and why?
J.W.: Like spend the day with their corpse? Weekend at Bernie’s-style? Or are have they come back to life in a horrible kind of moaning, undead misery? Or is it more that they faked their death, Eddie and the Cruisers-style? And are they as old as they’d be if they’d never died or are they still whatever age they were when they were alive?
I guess it doesn’t matter; I’m always reluctant to meet my heroes because it just doesn’t seem worth it. The likelihood of disappointment is too real. I need heroes and myths to look up to. So I wouldn’t want to hang with John Lennon or Marc Bolan or Kurt Cobain or David Bowie. What if Marc Bolan called me a dummy? You know? That’d suck.
So I’ll say somebody I like but who doesn’t mean the total world to me but seems like someone it’d be super-fun to have lunch and hang out and go to Target with. And that would be Lou Reed. Early-70s Lou Reed, Transformer-era. Propped up Weekend at Bernie’s-style, even though he was still living. I’d totally feel way cool just wearing sunglasses and drinking espressos and smoking and getting some heroin and going to Target with Lou Reed. Sound incredible? Brother, you betcha!
3) Same as question 2, but for any contemporary/living artist.
J.W.: Jeff Lynne. He seems like a nice guy. And a great sunglasses man, too. I imagine we’d coffee-achieve together and I’d ask him about his recording techniques and also what it was like to be a rock star in the ‘70s. Like, was it fun to play in big arenas and sell millions of records and do a bunch of cocaine and meet a lot of girls? I mean, it seems like that’d be fun, but was it?
4) What has been the most inspirational moment of your musical career thus far?
J.W.: For me it’d be a lip sync contest I was in when I was a freshman in college in the dorm cafeteria. I know that sounds like it probably isn’t true, but it is. Anyone who was in the cafeteria that night would understand. We crushed it.
5) What do you most enjoy about being associated with The IPO Festival/CD?
J.W.: The sense of community! There’s nothing really like 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?
Website — thebrotherssteve.com
Facebook — Facebook.com/TheBrothersSteve/
Instagram — @thebrotherssteve