Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio is the archive for the premiere website that covered the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features. We are now closed for new activity.
Longtime Pure Pop Radio favorite Michael Carpenter took to the road, literally, and on the way to a gig spoke with me about his latest musical endeavors on the April 25 edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation.
Top of our agenda was the Supahip’s terrific new album, The Two Sided Face. Michael has crafted, with Mark Moldre, a classic collection of songs incorporating such varied influences as rock, pop, and country. Michael and Mark entered the studio each day without a written song to sing; by the end of each day, a song was written, performed and mixed. Working without a net has never sounded so good.
Michael and I also talked about creativity, the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, and a whole lot more. We played three songs from The Two Sided Face: the upbeat, joyous “With the Radio On,” the country toe-tapping (and Rolling Stones leaning) “Fourarms,” and the four-on-the-floor rocker “Motor” (Listen to these songs from Big Radio Records’ Bandcamp page). Plus: we played Michael’s rousing, one-man-band cover of the Beach Boys’ “You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone” and a surprise track from Beatle Paul.
Purchase the Supahip’s The Two Sided Facehere (get the digital download right away; the CD will be available June 1).
Listen to my interview with Michael Carpenter from the April 25 edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation by clicking the play button on the following player, or click on the Pure Pop Radio button to the left to download (then right click and choose “Save audio as” to save the file to your computer). (This interview is presented in scoped format; the songs have been removed due to copyright concerns.)
Listen to a wide selection of previously-aired Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation interviews by clicking here.
Pure Pop Radio’s signature shows, Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes Deejay Show, playing the latest and greatest melodic pop songs from today and across the decades, and Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, the premiere Internet melodic pop talk show, air weekly on Pop that Goes Crunch Radio.
Listen to the Pop Tunes Deejay Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm ET (two different shows every week); In Conversation airs every Wednesday night at 9 pm ET. Don’t miss a minute!
Tune in to Pop that Goes Crunch Radio by clicking on the following snazzy-looking button:
Your lucky number for tonight is 18: That’s how many top-flight, straight-from-vinyl nuggets Brian Bringelson is bringing you on an all-new edition of Needle Meets Vinyl. The fun begins at 8pm ET (5 pm PT) on Pure Pop Radio.
Bob Dylan, with the Band in tow, kicks off tonight’s festivities. Next up: tracks from the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young, who’s featured with a trio of top tunes: “Out On the Weekend,” “Revolution Blues,” and “Little Thing Called Love.”
Brian Bringelson
Brian continues to bring the vinyl love with tracks from Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Paul McCartney and Wings, Etta Jones, Charlie Rich, Big Star and lots more.
Don’t miss tonight’s all-new Needle Meets Vinyl. Tune into Pure Pop Radio at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) and dig the tunes.
Needle Meets Vinylis the weekly show during which all songs are played from vinyl records. The music spans the decades during which popular music has flourished. Curated and presented by Brian Bringelson, a member of the band Anchor and Bear and a solo artist under the name Paul Starling, the show airs every Wednesday night at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). An encore performance runs on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm ET (10 am PT).
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the original 24-hour Internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. From the Beatles to the Spongetones, the Nines, Kurt Baker, the Connection and the New Trocaderos, we play the hits and a whole lot more. Tune in by clicking on one of the listen links below.
Anchor and Bear’s Brian Bringelson is back tonight at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) with another, brand-new edition of his Needle Meets Vinyl program.
On the docket tonight are 19 songs chock full of melody and those ever important hooks. From the Move, the Hollies and, naturally, the Beatles to Del Shannon, Brian’s band Anchor and Bear (singing “Waiting for the Dogs to Bark” from their album, Ahoy!) and, indeed, Spike Jones, Needle Meets Vinyl, show 22, hits the spot and then some. And remember: all songs played are taken from vinyl. It’s vinyl only, baby!
Tune into Pure Pop Radio tonight at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) for the latest edition of Needle Meets Vinyl. Brian Bringelson spins the tunes and you dig ’em!
Brian Bringelson
Needle Meets Vinylis the weekly show during which all songs are played from vinyl records. The music spans the decades during which popular music has flourished. Curated and presented by Brian Bringelson, a member of the band Anchor and Bear and a solo artist under the name Paul Starling, the show airs every Wednesday night at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). An encore performance runs on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm ET (10 am PT).
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the original 24-hour Internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. From the Beatles to the Spongetones, the Nines, Kurt Baker, the Connection and the New Trocaderos, we play the hits and a whole lot more. Tune in by clicking on one of the listen links below.
Last night’s premiere episode of Brian Bringelson’s Needle Meets Vinyl hit the pop and rock spots with a great mix of classic and lesser-known songs from a variety of fabulous artists.
Here’s what Brian played:
The Kinks | “Victoria” from The Kink Kronikles
Buffalo Springfield | “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” from Greatest Hits
The Beatles | “Talkin’ Bout You” from On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2
The Beach Boys | “Wake the World” from Friends
The James Gang | “Funk #49” from Rides Again
Fleetwood Mac | “I Know I’m Not Wrong” from Tusk
Derek and the Dominos | “Keep On Growing” from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Bob Dylan | “New Pony” from Street Legal
Oasis | “Hey Now” from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Amy Winehouse | “Love Is a Losing Game” from Back to Black
Aretha Franklin | “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” from The Best Of
Paul McCartney | “Not Such a Bad Boy” from Give My Regards to Broad Street
Harry Nilsson | “Best Move” from Flash Harry
Randy Newman | “Baltimore” from Little Criminals
Billy Preston | “Do What You Want To” from That’s the Way God Planned It Barbara Lynn | “Suffering City” from Here Is Barbara Lynn
Bonnie Raitt | “Runaway” from Sweet Forgiveness
Joan Baez | “The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down” from Blessed Are
Nina Simone | “I Loves You Porgy” from Little Girl Blue
Harry Nilsson | “Marry Me a Little” from Nilsson Sessions 1967-1975
Brian returns next Wednesday, October 28, with a special program devoted to the scariest holiday in existence…Halloween! Don’t miss it! The ghostly fun begins at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) right here on Pure Pop Radio.
Needle Meets Vinylis the weekly show during which all songs are played from vinyl records. The music spans the decades during which popular music has flourished. Curated and presented by Brian Bringelson, a member of the band Anchor and Bear and a solo artist under the name Paul Starling, the show airs every Wednesday night at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). An encore performance runs on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm ET (10 am PT). Needle Meets Vinyl has its own Facebook page; click here to be magically transported, and please hit the “like” button. Thanks!
Listen to Brian invite you to listen!
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the original 24-hour Internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. From the Beatles to the Spongetones, the Nines, Kurt Baker, the Connection and the New Trocaderos, we play the hits and a whole lot more. Tune in by clicking on one of the listen links below.
We are delighted to be bringing you musician Brian Bringelson’s wonderful show, Needle Meets Vinyl, starting this Wednesday, October 21, at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT), exclusively on Pure Pop Radio.
Gary Gebler, Trax on Wax
None other than Gary Gebler, owner of Baltimore, Maryland’s premiere vinyl shop, Trax on Wax, has become an instant fan of Needle Meets Vinyl.
Gary says: “As soon as the needle drops on the record and you hear that warm crackle, you know this is something special. Nothing takes you back to this special place like hearing your favorite songs by the Beatles, the Smiths, Dylan and the Stones to name a few on glorious vinyl. Needle Meets Vinyl is one bad-ass program and gets two thumbs up from Trax on Wax.”
Your Host, Brian Bringelson
A member of the glorious pop band, Anchor and Bear, who releases solo records under the name Paul Starling (his latest, The Wild Wolf, is currently playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio), Brian Bringelson has a golden ear that’s tuned into the great and melodic music of today and yesterday. He’s also got an inviting, easygoing deejay style, which we know you’re going to fall in love with. And, for vinyl aficionados everywhere, this is going to be your weekly meeting place: Every song heard on Needle Meets Vinyl is played from records. Nice, right?
Needle Meets Vinyl makes its Pure Pop Radio debut this Wednesday night with a typically engaging and tuneful show that runs the gamut from straight-ahead pop (The Kinks’ “Victoria”) to classic, melodic rock (the James Gang’s “Funk #49”) and the classic standard show numbers of yesteryear (Harry Nilsson’s sublime rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Marry Me a Little,” from Sondheim’s homonymous Off-Broadway revue). In between, Brian spins tunes from the likes of Bob Dylan, the James Gang, Barbara Lynn, Joan Baez and, of course, the Beach Boys and the Beatles, and relates cool facts and figures about them.
Each Wednesday night, Brian will bring you a new, wonderfully-realized and impeccably curated show that brings together the sounds of the run of decades in which popular music has flourished. We are proud to be adding Needle Meets Vinyl to Pure Pop Radio’s slate of specialty shows. We think you’re going to enjoy yourself each and every Wednesday night.
Set your alarm clocks for this Wednesday, October 21, at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). Don’t miss the premiere of Brian Bringelson’s Needle Meets Vinyl.
Needle Meets Vinylis the weekly show during which all songs are played from vinyl records. The music spans the decades during which popular music has flourished. Curated and presented by Brian Bringelson, a member of the band Anchor and Bear and a solo artist under the name Paul Starling, the show airs every Wednesday night at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). An encore performance runs on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm ET (10 am PT).
Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the original 24-hour Internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. From the Beatles to the Spongetones, the Nines, Kurt Baker, the Connection and the New Trocaderos, we play the hits and a whole lot more. Tune in by clicking on one of the listen links below.
We popped and we rolled and felt the good vibes of catchy melodic tunes designed to put a big smile on your faces! The fourth edition of Pop Tunes, hosted by Alan Haber, premiered last night (if you missed it, it plays again this Thursday, September 3, at noon ET (9 am PT) and this Sunday, September 6, at 3 pm ET (noon PT).
Here’s what Alan played last night:
Set One: One and Begun
The Cowsills | “Hair” from The Best of the Cowsills
Set Two: Whole Lotta Beautiful!
Pop 4 | “Beautiful” from Summer
Parthenon Huxley | “Beautiful” from Thank You, Bethesda
The Beach Boys | “It’s a Beautiful Day” from 10 Years of Harmony
Dada | “Beautiful Turnback Time Machine” from Dada
The Rascals | “A Beautiful Morning” from Ultimate
Set Three: Rhodes Still Traveled
Emitt Rhodes | “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (Split 45)
The Merry-Go-Round | “Textile Factory”
Ray Paul | “‘Til the Day After” from Rhodes of Perfection (Unreleased)
Ray Paul (with Emitt Rhodes) | “Some Sing, Some Dance” from The Charles Beat
Emitt Rhodes | “Farewell to Paradise” from Farewell to Paradise
Set Four: New and Nearly-New at Pure Pop Radio
Pugwash | “The Fool I Had Become” from Play this Intimately (As if Among Friends)
Scot Sax and Suzie Brown | “Two Babies” from Our Album Doesn’t Like You Either
The Universal Thump | “Sunset Park” from Walking the Cat: The Abbey Road EP
Nick Piunti | “It’s a Trap” from Beyond the Static
Set Five | The Songs We Were Playing
David Myhr | “Record Collection” from Soundshine and the Record Collection digital EP
Phenomenal Cat | “Mellow Lane” from Postcards from the British Empire
Fun of the Pier | “Fun of the Pier (I Can See the Sea)” from I Can See the Sea
Graham Gouldman | “The Halls of Rock ‘n’ Roll” from Love and Work
Set Six | Beatle Blast
Stackridge | “Something About the Beatles” from Something for the Weekend
Set Seven | One and Done
Glen Campbell | “Guess I’m Dumb” from Pet Projects: The Brian Wilson Productions
We hope you enjoyed this week’s show. It was a lot of fun! Join Alan next Monday night, September 7, at 9 pm ET (6 pm PT) for an all new episode of Pop Tunes.
Alan Haber’s Pop Tunes is a cool deejay show playing the greatest melodic pop music from the ’60s to today. The show airs every Monday night at 9 pm ET (6 pm PT) on Pure Pop Radio, and repeats on Thursday afternoons at noon ET (9 am PT) and Sundays at 3 pm ET (noon PT). Please like us on Facebook by clicking here.
For the second edition of The Musician’s Opinion, we asked the Legal Matters’ Andy Reed, Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith to talk about some of their favorite songs. Their choices may well surprise you. You will certainly be delighted. (The Legal Matters’ self-titled, debut album took a top spot in Pure Pop Radio’s Favorite Records of 2014. Read the entry here.)
Andy Reed:
“Tiny Spark,” by Brendan Benson| I was very lucky during the beginning of my musical career. My first official album was recorded and produced by Brendan Benson in his home studio in Detroit. I had been a huge fan of Brendan’s first record, One Mississippi. I was a sponge during those sessions, as I realized I was in the presence of a true genius. Then the moment came about half way through the record. Brendan turned on his tape machine and played me a track he had been working on. The song was “Tiny Spark.” I was blown away instantly. The song had everything I loved about music wrapped up in three minutes. When we finished recording and mixing, Brendan gave us our CD. He also gave us a CD of what would later be released as his album Lapalco. This was the first album I had ever made and my CD never made it into the car CD player on the way home.
“One,” by Harry Nilsson | Nilsson will always be my favorite vocalist of all time. He could sing just about anything and transform his voice to fit the tune perfectly. There is a lot of beauty in the lyrics and the melody of this tune. If you are going to write a sad song, this is a great one to take notes on.
“I Am the Cosmos,” by Chris Bell| I am a huge Big Star fan but I may be an even bigger Chris Bell fan. The song itself is gut-wrenching in the best sort of way. The vocal performance is even more so. You can hear and feel Chris’ pain. It also sums up what I love about Big Star. The guitar tones are huge and warm. The production is flawless.
“Waltz #2 (XO),” by Elliott Smith| I caught on to Elliott Smith late in the game. The first record I bought was XO; it was referred to me by a friend. I was instantly drawn in. I will still say that Elliott is the closest we would get if Lennon and McCartney were one guy. He had Lennon’s desperation and McCartney’s melodic sense and musicianship. This became my favorite track early on and still is to this day. The imagery of the lyric is very trademark Elliott. This haunting track still gives me chills when I listen.
Chris Richards:
“The Good in Everyone,” by Sloan | Picking a favorite Sloan album would be hard enough…but a favorite track? Please. That being said, for this exercise I shall choose “The Good In Everyone,” the leadoff track from the brilliant 1996 release, One Chord to Another. After spending big Geffen money on their first two records, Sloan found themselves looking to flip the script in a sense and record their third record minus big label funds (their first two records had 100K budgets; this masterpiece was recorded for 10K). This song is really Sloan at their core–it has an enormous hook elevated by harmonies that will resonate in your memory for what should be a lifetime. And if you really want to feel the power of this song, watch the video–it’s a majestic piece that reenacts a scene from the movie Easy Rider in its intro. This is a band that couldn’t be stopped.
“Marie Provost,” by Nick Lowe | Nick Lowe was more important to the secondary British Invasion than sales would indicate. His imprint on what was coming out of the UK in the late ’70s through the 1980s was undeniable; consider the countless records he produced by such artists as Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and the Damned. Nick Lowe’s records were charming, witty and rocked, despite the overt poppy overtones. “Marie Provost” perfectly molds all that is Nick in one song. You get incredibly funny lyrics based on a very true and tragic story of a Canadian silent film actress who died alone in her apartment amongst countless liquor bottles, a $10 promissory note to Joan Crawford, and a barking dog that may or may not have tried to take matters into its own paws, as far as food goes.
“Big Sky,” by the Kinks | I suppose I could’ve selected any track off the Kinks’ exemplary 1968 release, The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society. This is truly a mind-blowing record as a whole, but when you take a track out of the original mix, you see how these little English classics can live on their own. “Big Sky” may be the perfect Ray Davies composition, in my opinion, as it has the key elements that make a great Kinks song, such as the immediate, yet simple melodic hook married to an introspective lyric. This song is delivered as a heavier rock piece, a style that the very proper Kinks were clearly moving away from.
“Pictures of Lily,” by the Who | At one point I hope the world realizes the brilliance of Pete Townshend as a holistic composer; his ability to wax poetic on an array of simplistic, yet direct subjects and write complex, truly diabolic songs about introspective demons made him the genius that we have today. “Pictures of Lily” will always be a favorite of mine. I especially love the key change in the second half of each chorus that takes you to the breakdown, at which point Keith Moon brings you to the best part of the song: the ba-da- da-dum-dum–“Pictures of Lily!” This is followed by an amazing French horn “solo” by John. Lyrically and in two minutes and 35 seconds, Pete tells a full story of an individual with insomnia who is given a picture of a pin-up girl (the eponymous Lily) from his father. The individual falls in love with the pin-up girl, which leads to sleep and the realization that the girl has been dead since 1929.
Keith Klingensmith:
“Please Let Me Wonder,” by the Beach Boys| I’m firmly in the Pet-Sounds-is-the-greatest-record-ever-made club, but side two of The Beach Boys Today contains every bit of that same magic. “Please Let Me Wonder” starts the side off with a perfect dose of Brian Wilson longing. I’m a harmony guy and as heartbreaking as this song is, the Beach Boys’ harmonies are mixed so loud they could almost be considered the second lead voice. I wish every song was mixed this way! I could happily spend the rest of my life listening to Beach Boys vocals-only mixes; you need to do yourself a favor and check out the “Please Let Me Wonder” vocals-only outtakes, if you haven’t already.
“Lady Friend,” by the Byrds| There are times when I think this amazing David Crosby song is my fave song of all time. If I could ever manage to make a favorite songs list, this would be near the top for sure. Everything I still love about pop music is entirely contained in this song–an inspired melody, giant harmonies, driving guitars and horns. Some top-notch girl lyrics can never hurt, either. There’s mystery to this song. I can never fully get to the bottom of why all these pieces are able to combine in a way that destroys me every single time. If I ever had to play a single song to define myself musically, I’d be comfortable playing this one.
“Teenage Kicks,” by the Undertones | That sound! The sound of this record kills me. This song sends electricity directly from the speakers to my nervous system. Something about that opening riff is pure magic. Feargal Sharkey never sounded better or more alive, and the solo just ruins me every time. I didn’t hear the Undertones’ first record until the Ryko re-release in the mid-’90s, but it’s been in regular revisit rotation ever since.
“Keepers,” by Del Amitri | Somehow, Del Amitri’s self-titled, first LP gets ignored and belittled by every Del fan that came after this record. No single LP made more of an impression on me than this one; I seriously love every single note contained within. “Keepers” has always been a fave song on the record. It’s an absolute epic with multiple peaks, told from the point of view of a man who only appears to only be interested in owning females. But like all great pop music, this song is wrapped up in gorgeous paper so that the lyrics take a few listens to sink in. Always an appreciated bonus. Go find this record!
(Read the first entry in the Musician’s Opinion series by clicking here!)
by Alan Haber (See below for 35 songs that have been added to the Pure Pop Radio Playlist)
The act of musicians paying tribute to a favorite artist’s art for the purposes of expressing adulation and exposing some other idea or sound to fans is not a new concept, but it is a great and honored tradition that is happily carried out by adept craftspeople who know a thing or two about quality and wish to communicate their joy.
In the case of musicians paying their respect to the Beach Boys (and Jan and Dean and others that have blossomed under the California sun), it is a longstanding tradition that continues to this day. Witness XTC’s spot-on “Pale and Precious” as an example from years back, and point to the work of current pop artisans like Dave Caruso, who captures the Boys of Summer’s sound and spirit in the audio bottle known as “Champion,” and Dana Countryman, whose vocal arrangements evoke the kind of depth of construction favored by the Beach Boys’ central spirit, Brian Wilson. And also factor in the songs of The Dukes of Surf, Hawaii based and steeped in the same melodic tradition.
All of this adulation and expressing the joy of influence would mean nothing at all if artists didn’t infuse their loving tributes with a piece of their own hearts. In the case of Matt Tyson–singer, songwriter, artist and such a smart cookie–heart is the center of the attention he gives to what has come before. In his music, Matt starts with the central concept of the meeting of minds between melody and harmony. He constructs a framework within which he plants the spark that gives birth to the idea that grows the song and places the cherry–an explosion of sweet vocalizing–on top. That’s not easy to do; Matt pulls the whole deal off as if it were second nature to him. And it probably is.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that, prior to making the album Goodbye Jumbo in a studio with better equipment than he was used to, World Party’s Karl Wallinger recorded “…a lot of Beatles and Beach Boys songs… His goal was to figure out exactly how those records were made.” In Matt’s case, he probably listened, greatly admired the Beach Boys sound and, knee deep in that euphoria, started sculpting songs that would celebrate his joy. The point is, I think, he figured it out.
Playing all of the instruments and singing all of the vocals himself about 99.9 percent of the time, Matt tucks his influences in his pocket and turns out song after song kissed by golden sunshine. Matt’s latest album, Summertime Girls, begins with a gorgeous Jan and Dean-inspired a cappella opening to “My Old Bel Air.” The harmony stack is deep; if the six seconds it takes to get through that a cappella bit were all the song had to offer, it would probably be enough to satisfy. But there is the song–a car song, no less, that is all about the love for the 1950s version of the hovercraft. “All these custom cars, yeah they look real nice/They sit around at shows for a trophy prize/But my ’57 Chevy is not for show/It’s old and worn but always ready to go,” Matt sings. The song is a tribute to an ideal that still resonates: The things that define us in our lives matter.
In another car song on Summertime Girls, Matt tells the story of the “Five Window Coupe.” Anchored by Brian Wilson influence, the singer takes listeners on a detailed tour of his ’34 Coupe. “Nothing can touch my Plymouth five window Coupe,” he sings over a decidedly considered, slowed down beat, laying on the harmonies as if they were the main ingredient in the icing slathered on top of a delicious, five-layer chocolate cake. These songs are about more than cars: Girls figure into the landscape, too. In the title song, Matt’s mix of joyous harmonies and Hal Blaine-styled drumming takes you to the summer soaked beach to check out the scenery.
The same attention to detail is paid to all manner of songs on all of Matt’s albums like 2007’s Keep an Eye On. “My Car, My Board and You” sums up the summer scene of the mind in beautiful ballad style, with Matt’s usual vocal and instrumental dexterity in tow. And let’s not forget the melodies–dreamy, three-dimensional, and true. “The Calm Song,” a co-write with Barry Thomson, who played all of the instruments, is nothing less than a perfect pocket symphony with surprising and satisfying changes. It is a musical marvel sporting swirling harmony constructs and room to breathe. The a cappella parts particularly shine and delight.
Now!, from 2008, begins with a lovely, upbeat, summer soaked love song to a girl named Marianne (“Marianne (Makes Everything Different)”) and continues with a wonderful Beach Boys-meets-Jan and Dean nod (“Fun When the Weekend Comes”). On 2010’s Malibu Jukebox, Matt celebrates the whole ball of wax that figures into his songs with the catchy, name-checking vibe of “The Ooh Wah Song.” 2009’s California Myth is another total melodic celebration, with great girl songs (the upbeat “Judy Knows Malibu,” and “My Kind of Girl,” percussion heavy with a layer of sleigh bells and a punctuating bass line that could have been waxed at Gold Star). Add to that a whole lot of spirit. Catch a wave, anybody?
It is rare to come across an artist whose vision is as true as that which fuels the songs that populate these albums. In Matt Tyson’s music, the art of homage, and of reinvention, is at the heart of all things. In our lives, adept craftspeople like Matt Tyson are important–vital, even, as they lift our spirits when they need lifting, which may well be more often than not these days. It is all about the art, and the state of the art is just fine.
[We’ve added 35 songs from five of Matt Tyson’s albums. All are now playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio. The breakdown: “My Old Bel Air,” “Down by the Beach,” “Summertime Girls,” “Five Window Coupe,” “Aloha Wagon,” and “Only in My Dreams” (from Summertime Girls, 2014); “The Ooh Wah Song,” “Belief,” “Cars, Surfboard and Girls,” “You Shoulda Been Here Yesterday,” “Playin’ in the Sun,” and “That Kind of Girl” (from Malibu Jukebox, 2010); “I Just Can’t Reach the Beach,” “California Myth,” “Felicity,” “Land Lovin’ Beauty,” “Top Down,” “The Big Kahuna,” and “Judy Knows Malibu” (from California Myth, 2009); “Marianne (Makes Everything Different),” “Fun When the Weekend Comes,” “You Know What I Mean,” “Go Little Malibu,” “New Girl in the Neighborhood,” and “MCMXLV” (from Now!, 2008); “Keep an Eye On Gina,” “It Don’t Mean Much Now,” “My Car, My Board and You,” “Surf’s Up,” “Wish I Was the Sunshine,” “Ride With Me,” “The Calm Song,” “Tell the Teacher I’m Surfin’,” “Summertime,” and “Lucky in Love” (from Keep an Eye On, 2007)]
By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio
Top of our agenda was the Supahip’s terrific new album, The Two Sided Face. Michael has crafted, with Mark Moldre, a classic collection of songs incorporating such varied influences as rock, pop, and country. Michael and Mark entered the studio each day without a written song to sing; by the end of each day, a song was written, performed and mixed. Working without a net has never sounded so good.
Listen to my interview with Michael Carpenter from the April 25 edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation by clicking the play button on the following player, or click on the Pure Pop Radio button to the left to download (then right click and choose “Save audio as” to save the file to your computer). (This interview is presented in scoped format; the songs have been removed due to copyright concerns.)
Listen to the Pop Tunes Deejay Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm ET (two different shows every week); In Conversation airs every Wednesday night at 9 pm ET. Don’t miss a minute!
Your lucky number for tonight is 18: That’s how many top-flight, straight-from-vinyl nuggets Brian Bringelson is bringing you on an all-new edition of Needle Meets Vinyl. The fun begins at 8pm ET (5 pm PT) on Pure Pop Radio.
e are delighted to be bringing you musician Brian Bringelson’s wonderful show, Needle Meets Vinyl, starting this Wednesday, October 21, at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT), exclusively on Pure Pop Radio.
Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio 