Frank has led Bay Area punk band The Mr. T Experience since 1985, with a dozen-plus releases, and has also written three successful music-related books for teens since 2006. We discuss "Down With the Universe" from King Dork Approximately, the Album (2016), "Big, Strange, Beautiful Hammer" from Yesterday Rules (2004), and "More Than Toast" from Our Bodies Our Selves (1993). Continue Reading …
NEM #53: David Brookings Is Obsessed
David has recorded seven albums since 2000. Usually one wants to avoid the term "Beatlesque," but David is a Beatles freak who once recorded his performances all 209 Beatles songs over 209 days. We discuss "Time to Go" from David Brookings and the Average Lookings (2016), "Dead Battery" from Chorus Verses the Bridge (2005), and the title track from Obsessed (2007). We Continue Reading …
NEM #42: Karla Kane: Don’t Choose Princess
Karla has put out four albums since 2006 with the Corner Laughers, a Bay Area band that has been categorized as "twee" given Karla's ukulele, sparkly Brit-pop ornamentation, and similarly colorful lyrics. We discuss "Queen of the Meadow" from Matilda Effect (2015), the Nov. 2016 charity single "Don't Hush, Darling" (which gives us the title of this post; it's a message to Continue Reading …
NEM #32: Bradley Skaught’s The Bye-Bye Blackbirds: Crafting Power Pop
Bradley started as a drummer, graduated to front-guy, and in 2005 formed the Bay Area band, The Bye-Bye Blackbirds, which inhabits the niche of Byrds-influenced "power pop" even though Bradley really doesn't like that term or its sometimes very shallow connotations. We discuss the band's 2016 boogie single "Let Your Hair Fall Down," the country ballad "Hats" from Fixed Continue Reading …