NE PopFest 2004 Bands

September 9-11, 2004
The Abbey Lounge

	Dave Aaronoff & The Details (Boston, MA) www.detailsband.com Dave Aaronoff, Adam Goodwin, Pat MacDonald, Corin Ashley Dave Aaronoff & The Details is the new rock 'n' roll sensation that's taking America by storm. Dave Aaronoff formed the band after leaving the successful and raucous pop/punk band The Shods. The Details songs are punchy and well crafted, and display a veritable encyclopedia of influences. Springing from a strong foundation of roots rock 'n' roll, and British pop, The Details play a style of music that has become a rarity.
The Crybabies (Worcester, MA) www.dinorecords.com Art Sneiderman, Joe Sheehan, Cheryle Crane, Steve Aquino, John Papas The Crybabies is a continuum of garage rock whose band members have been involved in for 20 plus years. It's Rock & Roll, garage, folk and soul fused into their sound.
	Allen Devine Group (Somerville, MA) www.allendevine.com Allen Devine, Chuck Vath, Booth Hardy The Allen Devine Group is a pop trio specializing in short catchy numbers highlighting vocal harmonies and complimentary guitar work not unlike The Three Bs. If you like The Beatles, Badfinger and Bigstar, don't miss this Group!
Din (Boston, MA) dinpage.home.comcast.net Glenn Steadman, Bart LoPiccolo, Bob Palumbo, Carlene Barous The alt punk vibe of Din's 2001 debut album, Oleo, has evolved, with their second album, The High End, introducing a pop rock feel driven by keyboards and girl/boy vocal harmonies. Now Din's two primary songwriters, Glenn and Carlene, deliver brand new material to live audiences, drawing on both the Oleo and The High End styles. Din's live performances are schizophrenically appealing -- listeners hear the eclectic product of punk, rock, and pop colliding. (For the PopFest performance, Tribe's Eric Brosius will be filling in on guitar.)
	Girl On Top (Somerville, MA) www.girlontop.com Karen DeBiasse, Jack Rootoo, David Simmons, Dan Gharibian Girl On Top is an all-original Boston-based band, formed in 1988, with a diverse sound ranging from punk to pop to heavy and dark to straight ahead rock n' roll. They have opened for such bands as Tracy Bonham, Extreme, Goo Goo Dolls, Iggy Pop, and had won first prize in National Music Search with bands trying out from over 300 cities worldwide.
Rosie Huntress (Boston, MA) www.rosiehuntress.com Rosie, Justin, Mark, Ando After moving to Boston in 1995, Rosie Huntress co-founded the rock band Flexie as one of the lead vocalists and keyboard player. After six years of Flexie, Huntress started The Baby Reds in 2002 as a vehicle for her developing songwriting skills. Rosies's current band provide a strong foundation for her bittersweet and intelligent brand of pop-rock.
	International Pen Pal (Providence, RI) www.internationalpenpal.net Pat Healy, Peter Hanlon, Heather Del Balso, Rick Stattler, Ethan Cruze Let's keep it simple: They're a rockish band with tons of happy energy. Influences vary, but they all swear by backbeats and catchy choruses. Someone said Camper Van Beethoven. Someone else said Pavement, or maybe it was Modern Lovers? While they like those bands, they'd inevitably disorient typical fans in a very life-affirming way.
The Paula Kelley Orchestra (Boston, MA) www.paulakelley.com Jeff Norcross, Jim Collins, Aaron Tap, Angie Shyr, Chris Barrett, Paula Kelley The Paula Kelley Orchestra has received international critical acclaim for their modern orchestral pop, combining elements of different musical styles into original and catchy compositions. Their latest release, The Trouble with Success or How You Fit into the World was named "local disc of the year" by both the Boston Herald and the Boston Phoenix. (For PopFest, they played under the pseudonym "Arthur Ape's Leaky Cello", which is an anagram of "Paula Kelly Orchestra".)
	Robin Lane (Western Mass.) www.randomrogue.com/robinlane Robin Lane's songs have always demonstrated a combination of strength and sensitivity. From her recordings with Neil Young, through her years with The Chartbusters, and into her solo career, Robin's voice and melodies consistently appeal to the emotions while her lyrics maintain a keen insight. Robin currently lives in Western Massachusetts, writing her memoirs and facilitating songwriting workshops for youth at risk and women in recovery.
Ray Mason Band (Northampton, MA) www.raymason.com Ray Mason, Stephen Desaulniers, Tom Shea, Frank Marsh Although he's never without his trusty 1965 Silvertone guitar, Ray Mason has made a reputation over 22 years of club gigs as one of New England's more durable and respected songwriters. His 14th solo album, Idiot Wisdom, finds him firmly in command of his style's mix of Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry directness with the edge and clever wordplay he shares with other keen-eyed pop tunesmiths who emerged in the early '80s, like Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey of the db's.  -Ted Drozdowski, The Boston Phoenix
	The Montgomerys (Boston, MA) www.petemonty.com Peter Montgomery, Tony Savarino, Andrew Malone, Bob Melanson, Mike Levesque The Montgomerys play inspired, catchy pop with hooks that will stay in your head. For PopFest they will be playing as a duo: Pete and Tony.
Muck and the Mires (Boston, MA) www.muckandthemires.com Joey Muccarino, Brian Mire, Frankie Mire, Jessie Best Muck and the Mires write songs reminiscent of the British Invasion: two minutes songs which they deliver loud and fast. This year they won the Grand Prize in Little Steven's nationwide Garage Rock Battle of the Bands, earning them a slot in the August festival with Iggy Pop & The Stooges, The New York Dolls, The Strokes, and others.
	my own worst enemy (Boston, MA) www.myownworstenemy.net Sue, Steve, John Sue plays a Fender Jag-Stang and sings most of the songs; she likes Patti Smith and Billie Holiday. Steve plays a Danelectro Mod 6 and sings some of the songs; he likes the Real Kids and Big Star. John plays the drums and likes the Ramones and The Neighborhoods. He can sing, too. There is no bass in the band. They love to play the Boston/Cambridge area clubs and have made two records. MOWE rocks!
Brett Rosenberg (Boston, MA) sodapoprecords.net The Brett Rosenberg Problem excels in the realm of Power Pop behind Brett Rosenberg's prolific output of catchy songs and strong performances. A finalist in this year's WBCN Rumble, Brett is currently playing shows in support of his fourth CD, Shocktwins. For PopFest, Brett will be performing a solo set.
	The Rudds (Cambridge, MA) www.therudds.net John Powhida, Brett Rosenberg, Nathan Logus, Jamie Griffith The Rudds are a rock 'n' soul band in the tradition of Todd Rundgren, Cheap Trick and Prince. It is this marriage of potent rock and soul, coupled with John Powhida's has-to-be-heard vocals, that makes The Rudds a Boston dynamo!
The StereoBirds (Providence, RI) www.TheStereoBirds.com Heather Rose, Kenny Cardoso, Johnny Ronci, Dave Hemingway The StereoBirds (formerly The MockingBirds) are a Rhode Island based Rock / Pop / Alternative Band, with a tiny twinge of Country twang. They mix the energy of Rock and the craftsmanship of Pop with social and political commentary. This year they won Best Female Vocalist and were runner up for Best Song in the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll.
	The Shellye Valauskas Experience (New Haven, CT) www.shellye.net Bruce Crowder, Rocco Villavacencio, Shellye Valauskas, Dean Falcone The stupid truth about The Stupid Truth is that Shellye Valauskas’ debut CD was destined to be a pop album. With the help of old friend Dean Falcone -- a local pop guru and former guitarist for New Haven legends One Hundred Faces -- the band formed. Arranging her songs for a four-piece band, and making room for Falcone’s Badfinger-esque guitar solos, made perfect sense. The songs have the fullness, warmth and instrumental experimentation reminiscent of The Posies, The Pernice Brothers, Crowded House, Aimee Mann and Lucinda Williams.
Eric Waxwood (Somerville, MA) www.theautointeriors.com Once again, area astronomers are at a loss for words as to the explanation of the latest celestial offering that has descended to Earth. Scientists are heralding the arrival of this unknown "space debris" and have given it the name Auto Interiors. Sounds of buzzing, muli-layered guitars propel the songs heard emitted from the projectile, while droning farfisa organs cascade over undulating basslines that flow along with pillowy, upbeat rhythms. Eric Waxwood, lead of Auto Interiors, will be performing a solo set for PopFest.

  [ PopFest Home ]    [ NE PopFest 2004 ]    [ The 2004 Bands ]    [ The 2004 Schedule ]    [ 2004 Photos ]  

Copyright © 2004-2024 Roy S. Rubinstein. All rights reserved.
The New England Pop Music Festival theme song Copyright © 2006 Robin Lane/Roy Rubinstein. All rights reserved.
"The New England Pop Music Festival", "NE PopFest", "Random Rogue", and the nepop logo are trademarks and may not be used without permission.
Web site designed and maintained by Roy S. Rubinstein.