Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Spring 2021, Episode One: Brian Bringelson and Katy Pearson

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

We’ve just happily slid into spring; everything is new again–warmer, sunnier, and full of promise. In Conversation’s spring 2021 season kicks off with a sunny conversation with one of melodic pop’s happy, productive couples whose passion, no matter the season, is music.

Brian Bringelson and Katy Pearson, married and musical, have long been Pure Pop Radio favorites. My love for Brian’s music goes way back to when he was writing and recording under the nom de plume Paul Starling; Brian’s current release, Desperate Days, a superb long player billed as by Brian and Gabe Dulek and released by Keith Klingensmith’s Futureman imprint, is delighting listeners from here to there and back again. Katy, who writes and records as Bearkat, or Miss Bearkat, to be more formal, is a multi-instrumentalist with a lovely voice and lovely songs.

During this ongoing pandemic year, these married music makers have reached out to their fans with performances of various songs captured on video and posted online; behind the scenes, they have thought about and look forward to going back on their local live circuit to delight audiences with in-person performances. Whether on their own, in duo mode, or creating beautiful music with their group, Anchor and Bear, this couple is magical.

Brian and Katy are quite simply terrific music folk, big favorites of mine, and my guests on this new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation. During this charming half-hour talk, recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, we cover all manner of subject from their separate and together musical work to Brian’s ongoing search for the best vinyl pressings available. And that, as one might say, barely scratches the surface.

After you watch and listen to this latest In Conversation offering, you are invited to click on the videos below to hear some of the music that Brian and Katy have been making, after which I would bet you will be off and running to your local online retailer for the purpose of adding some of that music to your own collections (purchase links below).

But now, here we go with our latest back-and-forth. Enjoy.

And now, some magical music you will enjoy:

Where to get it: Brian Bringelson: Bandcamp (Desperate Days), Bandcamp (Paul Starling), Bandcamp (Anchor and Bear)
Katy Pearson (Bearkat): Amazon, Bandcamp

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Reviews: 12.19.19: Last-Minute Melodic Stocking Stuffers!

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

And now, a few more melodic Christmas goodies to add to your gift lists (another 11 are reviewed here). There are only five more shopping days until the big day, so you’d better get clicking…

Have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, everyone. We’ll see you again in January, with the kind of reviews and articles you expect from the premier website covering the many moods of melodic pop music.

Dana Countryman and Matt Tyson, featuring Scott Bennett | “It’s Christmas Time” (2019)

Pure Pop Radio favorites Dana Countryman and Matt Tyson stir up a cheery, upbeat, non-alcoholic cocktail echoing the sounds of the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and Jeffrey Foskett–a joyous two minutes and forty-five seconds worth of catchy musical magic. With a rocking guitar solo played with “I Get Around” aplomb by Scott Bennett, this is Southern California pop under sunny holiday skies.

Where to Hear It and Get It: Bandcamp

Bearkat | A Very Bearkat Christmas (2019)

Aka Katy Pearson (Anchor & Bear), Bearkat’s richly drawn holiday collection, bringing together a pair of previously-released EPs–2012’s It’s Christmas Time and 2013’s A Winter Suite–and two new recordings, is an endearing survey of vocal harmony pop painted atop spare instrumentation and a whole lot of holiday heart.

Pearson’s sweet voice quietly dazzles, whether as a strong solo instrument or as elements within rich harmony stacks. Her songs paint a snowy, emotional portrait of holiday feelings, each one alive with lovely melodies.

Here is just one example, the banjo-driven, folky, harmony-laden, wintry wonder, “Snow”:

And here is another, a breathtaking, a cappella version of “Auld Lang Syne,” sung passionately by Pearson and her husband, Brian Bringelson, also from Anchor and Bear:

Where to Hear It and Get It: Bandcamp, Apple Music. Listen on Spotify

Zach Jones | “I’ll Be Home (Xmas Day)” b/w “Joy to the World” (2019)

Zach Jones paints his pair of holiday tunes with a quite different, yet catchy, soulful brush. The emotionally-cast, mid-tempo ballad “I’ll Be Home (Xmas Day)” and the slightly funky instrumental take on perennial carol “Joy to the World” are soulful pop gems. A wonderful holiday listening experience.

Where to Get It: CD Baby, Apple Music

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premiere website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We’ve been around since the first weekly Pure Pop Radio shows, which began broadcasting in 1995, and the 24-hour Pure Pop Radio station, which ended last August.

Welcome to your number one home for coverage of the greatest melodic pop music in the universe from the ’60s to today.