IPO Blow By Blow: Second Night (part 2)

So, continuing on into the second day of the Internationl Pop Overthrow, following Jon Auer was a unique experiment called My Brave Face. For those not familiar with those words, they are a song title of a tune co-written by Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, and performing co-written songs by this duo is all that My Brave Face does. Interesting concept and well delivered. Here's a shot of them:


"Paul" and "Elvis" in My Brave Face

Gary Reynolds and The Brides of Obscurity then took the stage, and while I enjoyed them while they were playing, I'm sorry to report I can't recall that much in the way of specifics about them. I do know that Gary got some great sounds from a Nord keyboard and that I was tapping my foot a lot during their set. But, the details escape me. I can say they sold the second most merch of any of the bands (behind Jon Auer).

I would like to temporarily rename this page the Kurt Bloch Appreciation Blog, because last night during the Sgt. Major set, he experienced just about every equipment malfunction one could have (guitar strap kept falling off, cables coming unplugged, mic stand dropping in mid song), but the man just radiates joy and is fully commmitted to THE ROCK! The band rocked it out, Mike Musberger is a monster on the drums, and Carmella demands your attention at center stage with her vocals and Katrina and The Waves style dance moves. Here's a shot of them:



Sgt. Major

Closing out the evening was The Tripwires. I'm a fan. They do this cool powerpop with roots and twang, veering into a country feel with loud guitars thing that I love. Especially songs like "I Hear This Music" and "Arm Twister." Great stuff. At the end of their set we were treated to a Tripwires/Sgt. Major conglomeration that was silly and carefree and rocked out. I tried to capture this moment on my digital camera's "movie" setting. But, apparantly the rock overpowered it's ability to capture sound.

Tune in tomorrow, as there are 8 more great bands tonight.