Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence. Welcome,
welcome. It's a brand -new season of Pop Rocks
Radio, and as always, I am still your host, Bijan.
I'll be dragging you lovingly through the margins
of Power Pop, punk, indie rock, and the weird
movies that raised us. Why did we start a new
season? Well, seemed like a good idea. If you
think it's way too arbitrary, I suppose you could
take it up with the management. Alrighty then.
So what's ahead? Well, more of what you've hopefully
come to love here at Pop Rocks Radio. More indie
gems, deep cuts, power pop anthems, and some
cult movies you probably saw to sleep over in
1989. Speaking of which, this week's pick is
like That Thing You Do's drunk cousin who still
thinks the vines are about to blow up. This is
the latest from the band Lola's released by our
friends at cool cat music from their new album
big hits and freak disasters This is underneath
the waves The Sharkeologists from Seattle would
forget about it from their self -titled debut
album. Now, long -time listeners know this spot
has always been reserved for a song by my favorite
band, 2020. And look, they are still my favorite
band, and one of the reasons I started doing
this show in the first place. Those guys are
legends. This season, however, I'm shaking things
up a little bit. For this season, song number
two will be dedicated to bands from the Pacific
Northwest. Why? Well, because I live here. And
because the rain makes people write great songs.
Trust me, if it didn't belong on Pop Rocks Radio,
it would not be here. Call it pride, call it
bias, I just call it home. And if you want to
learn more about Power Pop in the Northwest,
Kurt Vance from Power Pop Overdose just did a
great guest blog post on SW Loudon's Remember
the Lightning blog you should check out. I will
put a link for that in the show notes. man's
been blasted out of his wheels and your king
-sized brother has been twisted like a pretzel.
You're all that's left, lover, and you ain't
gonna be around for long. Okay, kicking off this
set, here is another one from Seattle. Just worked
out that way for this week. This is Acapulco
Lips from their new album Now. This is Slowly
Disappearing. Josephine Network from last year
with Static Walls, a track recorded and mixed
by Brian and Michael D 'Addario of the Lemon
Twigs. Before that, we had Help Me Janie from
the Sponge Tones from North Carolina with their
latest Big Stir Records release, the 40th anniversary
concert, and beyond. As maybe you can tell from
the name, the album includes 18 tracks from their
40th anniversary performance, plus a few great
new singles as well. But what if you finally
get your big break and you just plain suck? I
envy musicians. No cares. No money worries. No
money. Released in 2002 and directed by Alex
Proyes, Garage Days feels like one of the last
gasps of a pre -YouTube rock movie era, back
when you could still believe that one great gig
might change your life. It's messy, it's loud,
it doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's
exactly why it works. The film follows Freddie,
played by Kit Gury and his ragtag band of misfits
trying to make their mark on the Sydney music
scene. There's Tanya, the bassist and maybe girlfriend,
Lucy, the perpetually zoned out drummer, and
Joe, Freddie's best friend and lead guitarist,
whose mental health struggles have gifted him
both an imaginary girlfriend and a baby that
is actually a melon. Bruno is their clueless
manager, Kevin is a washed up rocker mourning
the days when groupies did his laundry, and then
there's Kate, Freddy's dream girl who also happens
to be Joe's real and not very imaginary girlfriend.
The band hustles for that one gig that will change
their lives, and when they finally land one,
no one shows up. They accidentally befriend the
manager of a major rock band who agrees to listen
to their demo, but they let their own internal
drama get in the way and miss the meeting. Over
and over, they fumble the ball. And yet, Freddie
won't give up. This is all I've ever wanted,
to be up on stage and have everyone loving my
music as much as I do. You know, about halfway
through the movie, I realized we still actually
haven't heard them play. But the thing is, we're
not here for their music yet. We are here because
we want the underdog to win. Because we want
the dream to matter. Let's be honest, most of
us are not destined to be rock stars. But that
doesn't mean you have to iron your khakis and
give up on the person you are. Garage Days isn't
about making it. It's about doing it. Not for
the fame, not for the likes, just because it
feels right. And the soundtrack is a perfect
time capsule of early 2000s alt -cool David Bowie,
Sparkle Horse, The Hives, UMI, Travis, The Jam,
ACDC, and yes, Tom Jones. Okay, spoiler alert,
just skip ahead if you're planning on watching
this fresh. Freddie does not become a rock star.
When all their determination finally puts them
on stage in front of 40 ,000 people, we finally
get to hear them play. And they're terrible.
But by this point, I'm not sure that bothered
me because you get something just as good. To
quote Freddie, he says, Rockstar not in my destiny.
Still, you don't need to be a rockstar to feel
like one. And that's what Garage Daze is really
about. The bands who make it in this movie, they're
the punchline. The real story is what it means
to feel like a rock star, for one night, one
song, or for the rest of your life. If you're
doing what you love, then it's like that one
fleeting set that always reminds you that you're
alive. You can rent garage days from all your
favorite streamers, so pick a good one, okay?
yourself. with their 2016 single, Anybody's Girl.
I chatted briefly with Tipper Newton from the
band and she said they're starting to play live
again and have a new album done. I am really
looking forward to that. Their catalog so far
is on Bandcamp and if you haven't seen them already,
there are some live performances on YouTube.
Just love their sound and their energy. We'll
be back after this quick message. Support the
show by sticking around. No, we don't have a
sponsor yet, but these ads help keep the lights
on and the coffee brewing. This week's featured
artist is a godfather of Aussie power pop, Dom
Mariani. Whether fronting the stems, cranking
out jangly fuzz with DM3, or channeling surf
noir with the majestic kelp, this man has never
stopped moving forward. And he's still at it,
recording, designing buildings, seriously, and
reminding us that melody never goes out of style.
If you don't know Dom's work yet, let's fix that.
While most bands were leaning into New Wave and
AOR, these guys came roaring out of Perth with
a turbocharged garage sound. Equal parts 60's
grit and Aussie revivalists like The Scientists
and The Hitmen. From their explosive 1987 debut,
At First Sight, Violets Are Blue, this is The
Stems with The Other Side. The Stamps split up
just before a European tour and the release of
their album in 1987. Even so, at first sight,
Violets Are Blue went on to national and international
critical acclaim and was a huge seller in Australia.
But even during his time with the band, Dom was
already branching out. In 1986, he teamed up
with Darrell Mather to form the Someloves. From
their 1989 album, Something or Other hears Know
You Now. from the Someloves was originally from
the Lime Spiders and later the Orange Humble
Band. We'll spend some more time on each of those
bands in another show. Not one to stand still,
in 1992 Dom started DM3 with Tony Italiano, Pascal
Bartolone, and Ian Campbell. This is a tune that
was originally released on 1996 Road to Rome,
which was produced by Mitch Easter. This version,
however, was released on a compilation in 2001.
This is mixed by Jeff Murphy of Shoes. This one
is called second floor. DM3 released three studio
albums in their run till disbanding in 1999,
though they did regroup and tour Europe in 2013.
From there, he joined the Stone Age Hearts, started
Dom Mariani and the majestic Kelp, which is the
music you've been hearing in the background throughout
this episode, by the way, and he also formed
the DomNicks with Nick Sheppard from The Clash.
His first solo album was 2004's Homespun Blues
and Greens. To play one from that, this one is
called at full speed. And that is just gorgeous.
Melodic, rich, and totally unhurried. Dom Mariani
really knows how to let his song breathe. So
pretty, I almost forgot I'm supposed to be a
jaded punk guy. Almost anyway. Sure, Jan. This
one is from Datura 4, another project that he
has going on that is actually still running.
I've heard they have another album in the can
that will be coming out later this year on Alive
Natural Sound. Each of these bands are a showcase
for the various pieces of his musical personality.
This one is from 2020's West Coast Highway Cosmic.
This one is called Get Out. My last one was Only
If You Want It from the Stem's second album,
Heads Up, released in 2007. That was the last
album released with the original lineup. Unfortunately,
we lost Richard Lane in 2020. The Stems have
continued to record and perform from time to
time. They just released Deep Freeze, a single
on Cheer Squad Records and Tapes, which we had
played on the show before. Dom continues to write
and record across his many active projects. I
didn't cover all of them, believe it. And he
has his own architectural firm. Not sure how
he has time to do anything, really. And now the
latest single also on Alive Natural Sound. This
is Apple of Life. featured artists this week.
Thanks to Dom Mariani for just creating some
amazing music over the last 40 years. If there
is someone you'd like to see us feature here
on Pop Rocks Radio, just shoot me a note at bijanbignan
at poprocksradio .com. This is your gentleman's
first visit to a military facility? Fine, may
I start by saying how thrilled we are to have
you here. We are such fans of your music and
all of your records. I'm not speaking of yours
personally, but the whole genre of the rock and
roll and so many of the exciting things that
are happening in music today. from Hotel Saturn
off the new international pop overthrow compilation
out this year. By the time you're hearing this,
IPO would have just taken place at the Redwood
Bar in Los Angeles, with Hotel Saturn playing
on August 3rd. I was there last year, couldn't
make it down this year. As always though, David
Bash put on an impressive lineup over the 11
days that they were there. Before that, we played
The Frigs with Palmyra Delran, you know her from
her awesome show on SiriusXM. Palmyra's Trash
Pop Shindig, that was their 1993 single Shake.
And of course we kicked off the set with the
Kowalskis with their new track ODD. More to come
here on Pop Rocks Radio, but first a word from
our sponsor. Since we don't really have a sponsor,
we still don't really have a sponsor. It's really
just a word. You like DIY? Razor Cake is DIY.
They're the longest -running all -volunteer punk
zine in America, fiercely independent, anti -corporate,
and totally community -driven. No ads, no algorithms,
just real voices, underground bands, and punk
lifers keeping the zine alive in print and online.
If you believe punk is more than a phase and
you want to support independent journalism that
actually gives a damn, go to razorkake .org and
throw them a few bucks. Buy a zine or become
a monthly donor. Razorkake, punk printed persistent.
Okay, back to the show. Listen, young lady, I
don't know who you are or where you came from,
but you most certainly don't fit in this town.
Why, you don't even fit in that dress. Listen,
sister, if I want your opinion, I'll beat it
out of you. This is Mono Groove, a band we've
played here before on the show. Rin Lennon from
the band. You also know her from the 80s power
pop band On the Air. This is from Mono Groove's
latest popsicle drive -through. This is Hello,
Everyone. That was Juliette from the new album
Superette from Beta Trip, the project of Toronto
-based Steve Lewin, who wrote, performed, and
produced the entire album himself. Before that,
we had Daisy from the band Beauty, they are from
New Jersey. Their album, I Do Almost Anything
For You, just dropped and is available on Bandcamp.
You see, I'm writing in the style of an Indonesian
folk tune, so this is not one you've heard. So
if it sounds familiar, it's not. Up next is an
artist from Argentina who I learned about from
social media. Jeff McDonald from Red Cross posted
a video of this gentleman recording a Red Cross
tune for an upcoming tribute album, and I just
stopped in my tracks. It sounded awesome. I'm
looking forward for that to come out. In the
meantime, this is Nahuel Pizano with his 2020
single, Birds in the Night. We heard from the
memos from Liverpool with their new single, Born
Again, and we closed out that set with Deadlights,
another project of Jeff Shelton, also from The
Well Wishers, who we have played several times
on the show. Deadlights is his vehicle for exploring,
as he says, the shoegaze, dream pop, and brick
pop corner of his musical palette. The EP is
called Blue Sides, and that's available now on
Bandcamp. to the end of another episode of Pop
Rocks Radio. Join us again next time as we keep
digging through the crates for all the good stuff,
new, old, and everything in between. You know,
no matter how far I come on this journey, I can
never forget what brought me here. Artful Dodger
was a band ahead of its time and their music
still sounds timeless to me. This is off their
second album, Honor Among Thieves. This is Remember.
And this is Bijan from Pop Rocks Radio. Thanks
for listening. Be good. Be weird, and we'll see
you next time.