NE PopFest 2006 Bands

September 14-16, 2006
The Abbey Lounge

	The Phil Aiken Army (Boston, MA) www.philaiken.com Phil Aiken, Russell Chudnofsky, Jefferson Davis, Joe Klompus Although best known around town as a piano/organ player at large, Phil recently released his 2nd solo album entitled It's Always the Quiet Ones. Though this is a more stripped down and piano-centric affair than his previous CD, recent shows have been upping the Rock quotient, with a stellar backing band, and some new, as of yet unreleased material. The band bring a wealth of musical references and versatility to the table, allowing Phil to drastically shift gears in the course of a set, or even within a song. Not your slightly younger cousin's piano-rock.
Corin Ashley and Dave Aaronoff (Boston, MA) www.corinashley.com, www.daveaaronoff.com Corin Ashley, Dave Aaronoff, Eric Schmider, MattB Corin Ashley and Dave Aaronoff are well known in the Boston area for their respective previous bands The Pills and Dave Aaronoff & The Details (where they played in each other's band), as well as several other endeavors. This year they each released critically acclaimed solo CD's, Corin's Songs from the Brill Bedroom and Dave's Into the Drink, both of which highlight their talents as singer/songwriters and musicians. For NE PopFest 2006, they will play a set with selections from each of their repertoires.
	Bart Caruso Band (Boston, MA) cdbaby.com/cd/bartcaruso Bart Caruso, Dave Schlichting, Allen Devine, Dave Desimone Bart Caruso (former Buzzarian,1979, "C'mon Denise" ) formed the Dharma Bums in 1986, David Schlichting joined the band in late 1988 (after their Rumble appearance) and continued to play bass as the band morphed into Naked Lunch Box around 1991. When that band ended, Allen Devine joined Bart and Dave (circa the beginning of the 21st century) in the Bart Caruso Band. The drummer seat has been variable as drummers are wont to explode suddenly, without prior notice. Currently Dave DeSimone occupies the throne.
Casey Desmond (Boston, MA) www.caseydesmond.com Casey Desmond, Taylor Barefoot, Nate Christie, Andy Reitz, Magan Tracey Casey Desmond is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist whose material is a blend of powerful rock/folk melodies, soaring harmonies, provoking lyrics, and soulful pianos & deep rocking guitars.
	The Doom Buggies (Lynn, MA) www.myspace.com/thedoombuggies Bruce Allen, Carl Biancucci, Alex Leacock The Doom Buggies have been kicking around Boston since 1995 performing our own brand of hybrid garage rock. We have been described as "the Monkees meet the Who" and "Arena Garage Pop," though some others have described it as "Absolute Rubbish." Call it what you will... It's all rock. Members also play with other bands including Pop Gun, The Strangemen, and Classic Ruins and a few others.
Dragsville, USA (Wakefield, MA) www.myspace.com/dragsvilleusa Kevin P. Stevenson, Craig Thomas, Jenny Riddle, Dave Livingston Former frontman and songwriter of Boston favorites The Shods is back with a new band featuring members of The Shods, Hank Crane, and Melvern Taylor. Kevin and the band are currently recording their debut album for a fall release. The Shods released five critically acclaimed albums during their eight year career. While retaining the pop sensibilites of the Shods, the new songs are more personal, infusing darker sentiments, with dogged optimism, and "what the hell" humor. Hook-laden and immediate with lyrics that make you think.
	The Hero Cycle (Burlington, VT) www.theherocycle.com Frank Smecker, John Gorman, Mike Prall, Tom Kelly, Hannah Wall, Shawn Flanagan, Adam Fuller The Hero Cycle started in the Green Mountains of Vermont in 2005, combining the varied talents of drummer John Gorman, synthist Tom Kelly, and guitarists Mike Prall and Frank Smecker. Soon after, the band quickly grew, including fellow Burlington residents Hannah Wall on keyboards, Shawn Flanagan (Fire the Cannons) on bass, and third guitarist Adam Fuller (The Year's Best). Thus, The Hero Cycle's unique sound has been shaped by the eclectic mix of energy brought forth by each individual member.
International Pen Pal (Somerville, MA) www.internationalpenpal.net Pat Healy, Peter Hanlon, Ethan Cruze, Jeff Bartlett, Buggsy In 2002 in Providence, RI, the quartet of Healy, Hanlon, Stattler and Cruze performed their first show without a proper moniker, beoming International Pen Pal by asking audience members to suggest a new name for the new band. Healy and Hanlon relocated to the Boston area in 2004, and Buggsy went to see a show in their new hometown upon the recommendation of a friend, joining the band shortly thereafter. After the recording was finished, Stattler left to work on writing a non-fiction book, and was replaced by bassist Jeff Bartlett.
	Logan 5 & The Runners (Boston, MA) www.myspace.com/logan5andtherunners David Berndt, Nick Balkin, Chris Barrett, Mike Delisle, Marc Beaulieu Logan 5 are the result of the last 30 years in guitar-based, song-oriented pop/rock. With influences like Bowie, The Smiths, Pulp, and Radiohead, it is a Brit-pop sound, but heard through Yankee speakers.
The Luxury (Allston, MA) www.theluxuryband.com Jason Dunn, Steve Foster, Daanen Krouth The Luxury's brand of melodic rock is accumulated from decades of pop music, from Sinatra to the Beatles to Stereophonics and Blur. Centered around critically acclaimed songwriter and producer Jason "Halogen" Dunn and the incomparable drumming of Stephen Foster, The Luxury are finishing work on their long-delayed debut record, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, which should be finished sometime this fall, or at least this century. "Seven Stories" was selected as N.E. Product Spotlight song and mp3 of the week by WFNX and the Boston Phoenix.
	Melt (Boston, MA) www.melttheband.com Rachel Drucker, Nils Freiberger, Paul Pipitone, Chris Gagnon Melt was initially formed by Boston music scene vets Paul Pipitone and Chris Gagnon (bass and drums, respectively) to combine jarring underground sounds along with more melodic and commercial ones. Enter Providence music scene veteran and old friend of Paul's, Nils Freiberger on lead guitar and they were on their way. The line up was greatly improved upon with the later addition of singer Rachel Drucker. Rachel's interest in exotic musical instruments and world music has really expanded the scope of the band's sound and future.
Mercy James Gang (Boston, MA) www.mercyjames.com Jim Gerdeman, Kevin Quinn, Chris Harris, Nicole Berard, Charlie Jones We play odd pop. Our last album (Sunsetting) was a big flowery monster-production piece that at times hinted at ELO meets MBV bombastic hooks and sonic plastering. "Whisper Whenever" was downloaded over 15,000 times from our website. Our new one (Yuck Yum) is more of a return to the live sound and the first to feature the complete 5 piece band. It's got songs like the 'underground' anthem "Ride On, Red Line," the girl punk-pop of "Don't Do It," the dream-pop of "Odd Evening 06" and the patriotic single "The Decider."
	my own worst enemy (Boston, MA) www.myownworstenemy.net Sue, Steve, AJ, with special guest Lindsay 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. AJ plays the drums and likes the Clash and the Shins. He can sing and play harmonica, too. There is no bass in the band. They love to play the Boston/Cambridge area clubs and have made two records with a third in the works. MOWE rocks!
Polyethylene (Charlestown, MA) www.polyethylenemusic.com Elena Proakis-Ellis, Neal Ellis, Richard Reed, with special guests Maria Cincotta and Katie Teitler Polyethylene hails from Charlestown, Massachusetts and is proud to be part of the prominent Boston indie rock scene. Polyethylene has developed a distinctive sound while incorporating a variety of influences and has been praised for its ability to combine innovative songwriting with warm melodies and catchy riffs. Their 2005 full-length debut, Paper or Plastic, has been played on over 100 radio stations nationwide, and they plan to record their second full-length album in Fall 2006.
	The Silver Lining (Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, MA) thesilverliningband.com Matt Rhodes, Anna Price, Ted Collins, Greg Radawich, Doug Fuller Cool harmony pop-rock band in the spirit of the late Sixties/early Seventies. Debut CD released on 6/6/06 to lots of good press and positive reviews, including Stuff At Night, the Boston Phoenix, The Metro, The Noise, etc. Recent appeareances on WFNX and WMFO, additional airplay on WBCN and WAAF, upcoming appearance on WAAF, upcoming article in Northeast Performer.
Sool (Boston, MA) www.soolmusic.com Kevin Quinn, Pete Weiss, Neal Spaulding, Ken Lafler, Jeff Norcross, Jim Gerdeman Sool is the musical experiment led by Kevin Quinn, Neal Spaulding, and Pete Weiss. In 2006 they released their sophmore effort Sooltime consisting of 52 pop/eclectic rock gems clocking in at around one minute each. Their live shows include the three "Sool brothers" fronting a top notch backing band while they churn out a copious array of diversely styled tunes and mini-suites. A recent Boston Globe article describes Sool as one of "the area's cleverest and most idiosyncratic bands". Seeing is believing.
	Temper (Somerville, MA) www.myspace.com/bostontemper Pete Sutton, Carlene Barous, Nancy Delaney, Skyla Fay A veteran of the Boston music scene for over 15 years, Pete Sutton has been an in-demand bass player and part of some of the most influential music to come out of the city, including The Barnies, Trona, Baby Ray, The Willard Grant Conspiracy, Ray Corvair Trio, Mick Mondo, and Electrolux. Temper is Pete's first foray into songwriting as well as fronting his own band. A marked difference from previous gigs, the music is more atmospheric and dynamic, driven by Pete's trademark thumping bass with two lead vocals switching back and forth.
Jen Tobey (Greenfield, MA) www.jentobey.com Jen, Tony, Jeff, Colby, Rick Jen Tobey has been performing audiences big and small for over a decade. She had been playing the rock circuit since 1997 and has sold albums all over the world. Her song, "Mary Jane" hit #1 on Mp3.com's Rock charts in 2000 and won her worldwide exposure. She finally put together a band of solid players in 2004 after she won the Valley Advocate's "Best Songwriter" award. Their live show is very energetic. They have been rocking stages all over the Northeast.

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