The New England Pop Music Festival

Random Rogue presents...

The New England Pop Music Festival (a/k/a New England PopFest, a/k/a NE PopFest) is a music festival celebrating and showcasing the pop music of New England musicians.

The New England Pop Music Festival is currently on an indefinite (perhaps permanent) hiatus,
as the founder and organizer has moved out of New England.

The 2011 New England Pop Music Festival was held September 15-17, 2011 at The Rosebud Bar and Grill
in Somerville, MA (just outside Boston). NE PopFest 2011 ran in three evenings, Thursday through Saturday, with 6 bands performing full sets each evening.

All the proceeds from the festival went to benefit three nonprofit organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Animal Rescue League of Boston, and Community Music Center of Boston.

Click the poster below for more information about NE PopFest 2011. Information about previous years' festivals may be reached by clicking on the posters further below.

Special thanks to Q Division, RewardsGold, The Rosebud, Martsa on Elm and Creative Union for their generous donations for the raffles.

Past performers at NE PopFest include Dave Aaronoff & The Details, The Phil Aiken Army, Angeline, Corin Ashley, Auto Interiors, The Bandit Kings, Bleu, The Buckners, Butterknife, Wayne Cabral, Bart Caruso Band, The Cyanide Valentine, The Crybabies, Casey Desmond, Allen Devine Group, Din, The Doom Buggies, Dragsville USA, Eddie Japan, The Fawns, Fireking, Mike Gent, Girl On Top, Hank Crane, Heavy Stud, Max Heinegg and The Nervous, The Hero Cycle, Rosie Huntress, Illustrious Day, International Pen Pal, The Paula Kelley Orchestra, Robin Lane, Logan 5 & The Runners, The Luxury, Ray Mason Band, Melt, Mercy James Gang, Miskatonic, Mollycoddle, The Montgomerys, Muck and The Mires, my own worst enemy, The One Smith, Polyethylene, pome, The Pomps, A Pony For My Birthday, Popfilter, Preacher Roe, Brett Rosenberg, The Rudds, Scamper, Scarce, Shepherdess, The Shods, The Silver Lining, Sool, Static of the Gods, The StereoBirds, Temper, Jen Tobey, Joe Turner & the Seven Levels, Uranium Daughters, The Shellye Valauskas Experience, Watts, Eric Waxwood, Welcome, and Yes, Sir.

You can find out about the previous NE PopFests, including photographs and links to band websites, by clicking on the posters below. And don't forget to listen to our theme song.

The New England Pop Music Festival Theme Song
Performed by Robin Lane

What is Pop Music?

Good question! :-)

There is, of course, no simple answer to this question. What is considered pop music varies greatly depending on the year (or possibly time of day), the place, and the person answering the question.

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (original 1983 edition) says

"Pop is the melodic side of rock -- the legacy of show tunes and popular songs of the prerock era. Pop's standards of what makes a well-constructed song still apply to much of rock, which strives for memorable tunes and clear sentiments; the tension between pop virtues (such as sophisticated chord structures and unusual melodic twists), and incantatory, formulaic blues elements animates much of the best rock, like that of the Beatles."

Not bad. But perhaps not complete enough (and over 20 years old, though more current descriptions are not necessarily better). Pop includes "power pop" and "pop/rock," but is not limited to those. Most music described as "Beatlesque" is considered pop. Pop music can be based on any number of styles, including folk, country, punk, blues, reggae, garage rock, as well as many others. That doesn't mean that everything in those categories are pop, but some things are. It can rock hard or not at all, though having a melody (often with hooks) is generally a necessary component.

But what it basically comes down to, adapting Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's words regarding pornography, is "I know it when I hear it."

You can check out NE PopFest 2006, NE PopFest 2005 and NE PopFest 2004 by clicking these links or the posters below.

NE PopFest 2006