I’ve only spent four days in LA, and while I did the tourist thing (an escorted bus tour of California with my mom in 2003), I liked what I saw a lot and felt it was a very friendly city.

This covers collection by Sparkle*Jets U.K., all of LA power pop from the aughts and late 90s, makes me feel like I know the city even more, even though I'm from the East Coast (Philly) looking West. LA has some great music and while most of these bands aren’t as well known as some LA bands are, I like them a lot better than say, the Eagles, if that’s not too much of a cliché.

Lead and backing vocalist Susan West was kind enough too to answer a few questions I had.

Andrea Weiss: How did the project come about?

Susan West: Many, many years ago. When we were the new kids, playing shows with our new friends, who were all very good, by the way, they would ask, “What's next for SJUK?” We only had one album out, and somebody was joking about how many tribute CDs there were and how there might as well be a tribute to SJUK.  We asked “If there were, would you wanna be on it?” And then on the long way home from a gig... because the 405 freeway was closed, we were laughing and talking and said, "well, how about a tribute record to ourselves?” Next day, sparkle*mike (SJUK vocalist/guitarist Michael Simmons) sent out a message and officially asked the ask and everybody (and more) said yes and we made a fun record with the versions of our songs done by our new friends. We even ran out of songs and some folks wrote songs about us like “Sparkle*Jets Surprise” (The Andersons) and “The Orange County Song” (by Nipper & the SeaTurtles). It was great fun and marked a sweet spot in our friendship and music timeline. And we come full circle, recording versions of songs from our friends from that sweet spot in our timeline. It was a joy to make. The hardest part was whittling down the song choices. It is a double record but, we kept saying “but what about that one song we should have done?” You should know that the original tribute CD, sparkle*jets u.k. love you, is part of this release campaign; the vintage CDs from 2000 are bundled with the new album when you order it directly from our label, Big Stir Records, and it'll appear on all the streaming services along with Best Of Friends on the release date!

 

AW: How did the LA scene get together?

 

SW: We were just about the last band to hop onto that train, so we aren’t entirely sure. Probably little festivals turning into bigger festivals. Ten pop loving bands playing 20 minute sets, all sharing a back line, everybody watching everybody play.

AW: What’s the scene like today?

 

SW: I don’t know, but we went to see the Lemon Twigs play at the Troubadour last week and everybody in the scene including a SPARKLE*DRUMMER or two were all upstairs.  We don’t really know what’s happening since COVID, but we can feel something brewing for sure.

AW:What would you say to someone new to the scene, who didn’t really know LA pop beyond a few bands? What band would you point them to?

SW: I’d make them a mix tape/Spotify playlist, though much of their music still isn’t readily available. Anyone we covered on Best Of Friends, and everyone on the tribute record to us, for sure!

AW: If someone was visiting LA and wanted some pop, where would you tell them to go?

SW: Go check Mike’s record room.  He’s got thousands to choose from.  As far as live shows, we shall see.

AW: The sad songs aren’t so sad, which I like, and the happy songs are really happy. Why did LA pop go in that direction?

SW: Because happy is where it’s at!!! At my house growing up, we woke up listening to music every Sunday morning. It was sort of our church. We would always be some Kris Kristofferson, and then my dad would always say  you can’t write a great song unless you’re really sad or hitting bottom, and I remember that every time we write/sing/enjoy a happy ditty. And then I’d say, sorry dad, you might not be 100% right on that one!

AW: “I Want A Pony” is feminist, which is great. Was it fun singing that?

SW: It’s a fun song to sing, for sure! Everybody should have a pony (if they want) and everybody should be a feminist, if you love your mom, your girlfriend or if you ARE A GIRL! It has become a dirty word, and that makes me worried FOR EVERYONE!

AW: What comes next for Sparkle*Jets U.K?

SW: Another magical record, our third of original material, is all done and ready for the world to hear.  But it’ll have to wait until next year!

 Sparkle*Jets U.K.

Best Of Friends

Big Stir Records

This collection of covers, all from the late 90s and early Aughts, is very specialized: all LA power pop bands on the local scene. Sparkle*Jets U.K. pays tribute to these bands, and a very good and fitting tribute it is.

All of these covers are pretty faithful to the originals, by some well known bands like The Negro Problem's “Mahnsanto.” If the band rings a bell, remember the Tony Award nominated Broadway musical Passing Strange. Stew and Heidi from TNP wrote and created that. Or Brian Wilson’s touring band, The Wondermints, with "In And Around Greg Lake." The covers here give a slight edge to TNP.

Other wonderful covers include The Masticators' “He’s Coming Out,” as in getting out of town, but it may also represent a new start sexually. In Candypants' feminist “I Want a Pony,” the singer wants her mom to pony up on things like being president or a rock star.

Sparkle*Jets U.K. are Michael Simmons (vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums), Susan West (vocals), and Jamie Knight (bass). They’ve done LA proud with these covers. It certainly seems like a labor of love for them. So if you’re curious about LA and have never really been there, this is a starting place to get to know the city's scene beyond the famous bands, and it's more than worth the time to listen to.

Andrea Weiss

 The Midnight Callers

Rattled Humming Heart

Jem Records

This New York band with real power in their pop, and punk attitude, makes for a real pick me up, especially on “New York Tramp.”

What is also striking is their kindness and respect toward women. Even when they're chasing someone, as in the really good, Tom Petty-esque “Girl On The Run,” they’re daring the woman in question to dump them. With “Tramp” it’s a tribute, not a put down. “Maggie" is a nice tribute to a dear friend who passed away.

There is also some social commentary. On the thought provoking “What Goes Around” the stoner kid gets the prom queen pregnant, Mr. Pretty sneers over everything, and all will get theirs in the end. It’s good to hear adults rocking out without nostalgia.

So if you like what you read here and want to check out some truly adult rock that draws from Petty as much as, say, the Strokes, and is women friendly too, this is the band to go for.

Andrea Weiss

 The Midnight Callers rock, and roll. Their nicely adult relationship songs are women friendly, and, on “Maggie,” feminist, making this an exciting new find for me.

The band -- Chris Paine (vocals/rhythm guitar), Martin Stubbs (vocals/lead guitar), Julien Budrino (vocals/drums) and Marley Myrianthopoulos (vocals/bass) – were kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?

Julien Budrino: Chris and I were in another band together and Chris had some original music he wanted to try out that didn’t really fit with their vibe. The two of us went looking for a lead guitarist and bassist to try out some of those tunes, that project became Red Letter Glow, and the rest is history!

AW: Who are your influences?

Marley Myrianthopoulos: We all love all of the classic 60s and 70s power pop acts, like Big Star, The Raspberries, The Knack, The Who, The Beatles, and so on. Everyone kind of brings their own personal tastes into the mix as well -- Chris was raised on early rock 'n' roll, Martin is a huge glam fan, Julien loves 80s rock, and I can’t get enough Motown.

AW: I like that your music is aimed at adults. Is that one of your aims?

Chris Paine: It’s not a particular goal of ours, but I think our musical style is heavily influenced by our musical experiences growing up. We’re all from the iPod generation, where all the best classic rock songs spanning 50 years were on shuffle every morning on the school bus, so it’s not surprising that our sound reflects that particular experience and speaks to people in our age group.

AW: “Girl on the Run” sounds like early Tom Petty. Is he one of your influences?

Marley: Yes, we’re all big fans of Tom Petty. I think with that song, rather than trying to sound like Tom Petty, we were trying to sound like The Byrds or The Beatles…which of course meant we wound up sounding like early Tom Petty, who was trying to do the same thing!

AW: “Maggie” sounds feminist, which is great. Was that your intention?

Martin Stubbs: Maggie is a proxy for a close friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. Creating a character was an easier way to express the emotions I was feeling in lyrics. 

AW: “Without Ya” mourns some who isn’t there. Is it a breakup song or something more? 

Martin: I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “rock 'n' roll saved my soul.” “Without Ya” is written about a character who owes his everything to the godfathers of glam, specifically Marc Bolan and David Bowie. He laments that they’re gone and he’ll never get to tell them how much they mean to him. So in a way, a feeling of mourning is part of it. 

AW: I like that you rock so hard and are so positive. Is that your outlook in general?

Chris: People play music for a lot of reasons, but I think one reason the four of us gel so well together is that for all of us the act of creating music is a joyous experience. We’re all having a good time basically every minute that we’re on stage or in the studio together, and I’m glad that comes through.

AW: Are you planning to tour?

Chris: We’ll be at The C Note in Hull, MA on June 24th, then the Roscoe Beer Company in Roscoe, NY on July 22nd. We’re teaming up for a show in Ringwood, NJ with our good friends and label-mates the Anderson Council on July 29th, and then August 27th we’ll be at Cisco Brewery in New Bedford, MA. If you follow us on Instagram or check out our website you’ll be sure to keep up with any additional dates that we add in the next few weeks!

https://www.themidnightcallers.com

 Shadwick Wilde

Easy Rider (Single/Video)

Sofaburn Records

Not a clip from the 1969 Peter Fonda/Dennis Hopper film of the same name, this video, directed by Scott Carney, showcases an old-fashioned, good, and quiet time spent with family, and taking a joy ride.

The lyrics hint, though, at depression, where everything isn’t as good, so maybe riding around in a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair, courtesy of Vinnie Lafronza, in a video shot on 16mm Kodak Vision3 50D film on a Bolex H16 camera, is not what it seems.

But the overall effect is very good, with the film making the colors glow brightly. It’s a folk/ Americana sound, and very gentle. The actresses are Wilde’s actual family, and they all seem to be having a good time. So this clip can be taken both at face value, and for the deeper meaning of the lyrics. Either way, it’s great.

Andrea Weiss