Last October, the skinny tie wearing rock and rollers here at the TVD HQ office were rabidly awaiting Power Popalicious II, the weekend long celebration of Power Pop curated by the King of Power Pop, Mr. Paul Collins, that was to be held at the Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ.
Well, a storm named Sandy had some other plans for the area, and PPII was cancelled in the wake of the destruction that hit the Jersey Shore and beyond. But proof that you can’t keep a movement and a ringing Rick’ down, Power Popalicious II has been rescheduled and for the weekend of February 1 and 2 at New York City’s venerable Cake Shop, and once again we’re media sponsors of what is sure to be a fine weekend of ass shakin’, hook laden, gritty guitar work your sweet tooth has been pining for.
Collins explains the concept behind this year’s festival: “I wanted to keep the spirit of last year’s fest going. It was going to be a challenge to come up with a whole new bunch of bands that I personally believed in and that I thought meant something… In the end we were able to do that. All these bands are serious about what they are doing; they are all out there trying to make something happen, I am proud to be able to help them achieve that goal.”
Power-pop-A-Licious 2 is ground zero for a burgeoning DIY power pop scene fueled by the devotion of its fans, the immediacy of the internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Each day will feature bands from the East Coast that are left right and center of the new generation of the guitar driven melodic rock scene.
Collins adds, “Today’s power pop bands blend punk, garage, retro-power pop, and psychedelic into one swirling sound. Personally I am not a purest about power pop, I am more interested in promoting bands that have cool songs and use electric guitars to get their point across.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1
DJ Tony Lofi
Psycho Hippies (Brooklyn)
The Disconnects (NJ)
Party Lights (Brooklyn)
The Connection (Portsmouth, NH)
Kurt Baker (Portsmouth, NH)
Kid Sentiment (Montreal)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2
DJ Tony Lofi
The Electric Mess (NYC)
1 800 Band (Brooklyn)
The Pow Wows (Toronto)
The Modulators (NJ)
Paul Collins Beat (NYC)
Tickets are still available right here—but act quickly!
