Author Archives: Geoff Wilbur

Live Review: Ayla Brown at Solomon Pond Mall

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ayla Brown

Solomon Pond Mall, Marlborough, MA

August 16, 2025

You may know Ayla Brown any number of ways. Here at the blog a few years ago, I reviewed Ayla’s performance at the 2019 Local CountryFest as half of a duo with talented singer-songwriter (and, for a few years now, her husband) Rob Bellamy. Prior to that, you may know Ayla as an American Idol competitor during Taylor Hicks’ season. (Though I recalled Ayla’s Idol stint, I didn’t remember the specific season until Ayla mentioned it during her between-song banter.)

In recent years, Ayla has been a prominent local country music radio personality. She currently appears on The Flyover Podcast, serves as spokesperson for Solomon Pond Mall and the Wachusett Brewing Company, and has other entrepreneurial ventures. Of course, within my world as a music journalist, as far as I’m concerned, she’s a singer-songwriter, and in that role, she’s one of New England’s best. Ayla frequently performs with Rob Bellamy, though this Solomon Pond Mall show, for the mall’s Pond Fest ’25 event, was a solo performance. Rob was there on Saturday, and he got involved a little, but this was an Ayla Brown solo gig.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Ayla’s set was the centerpiece of Saturday’s Pond Fest, a family-friendly event with food trucks, sponsor tents, and a “touch a truck” event featuring Marlborough’s fire and police departments. Ayla’s 12:00-2:30 set was flanked, before and after, by music from the day’s emcee, DJ Craig Sutton. I knew going in that I was only going to be able to catch the first half of Ayla’s performance, but it was such an engaging performance, I wish I had been able to stay ’til the end.

Ayla kicked her set off energetically with Lady A’s “Downtown.” Her voice has the rich power to capably drive songs like this one. It also has the sweet tunefulness to make you take notice when she croons, as she did on Shania Twain’s “Still the One,” her second song of the day, while also hitting of that song’s big notes.

After those two openers, Ayla went even bigger with the third song of the day, a special request for the kids in attendance, a Disney detour that’ll test lesser vocalists, “Let It Go.” And though it’s not part of Ayla’s regular repertoire, she still, of course, nailed the big notes.

After belting out “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and unleashing a booming, dynamic performance of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten,” Ayla turned to a few originals. First, “Country Found Me,” a largely autobiographical tune that catchily kinda swoops and sways. Then the cool, attitude-filled, anthemic “Beat By a Girl.” Next up was a booming, heartfelt performance of “Pride of America,” from Ayla’s patriotic Heroes & Hometowns album. She followed it with “Let Love In,” a soaring uptempo number.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Rob Bellamy joined Ayla and her guitarist for the day, Sean Compton, on stage for the next several songs. First, “Jolene,” which is the kind of power-country tune well suited to Ayla’s voice. Then the softer touch – but still soaring – “Hooked on a Feeling.” Next, Rob performed a song without Ayla, a cover of John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” he delivered vocally smooth and gruff with a slight twang.

Next up was a neat moment, as Ayla yielded the microphone to a talented young singer, 11-year-old Zoey, giving her an opportunity to sing before the crowd.

Then Rob and Ayla followed with a duet, a love song, “I Keep Running Back to You,” before breaking for a raffle drawing. It reminded me of what’s special about an Ayla and Rob combo performance, as Rob’s low end blends well with Ayla’s during duets.

Ayla came out of the very brief raffle break soaring and booming, with a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” followed by her outstanding original, “I Just Wanna Be Your Baby,” then a fun performance of “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” And with that, I had stayed 15 minutes longer than I had originally planned, so I slipped out to get to my next errand, but it’s clear those able to stay for the entire show were gonna be treated to an excellent 2-and-a-half hour concert performance.

Looking Ahead

A good way to keep current with Ayla Brown’s goings-on is via her Facebook and Instagram pages. Also, for a schedule of Ayla’s upcoming performances, you can check the “Tour” page of her website.

Live Review: Jennifer Tefft & the Strange at Framingham Centre Common

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Jennifer Tefft and the Strange

Framingham Centre Common, Framingham, MA

August 8, 2025

Last weekend, on Friday night, award-winning local band Jennifer Tefft & the Strange rocked the latest installment of Framingham’s Friday Night Concert Series. The band, whose most recent album Strange Beginnings was named Album of the Year at the 2024 New England Music Awards, lived up to its pedigree on this particular evening, rocking into the night (well, OK, rocking for a couple hours around dinnertime) to kick off the weekend before a large, appreciative crowd.

The band opened with “Going Out,” Doing that edgy JT&tS rock thing, followed by one of the few covers of the night, a rockin’ rendition of KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” The only other covers of the first set were an energetic performance of the Cranberries’ “Zombie” and a hauntingly-delivered set-closing production of the Lumineers’ “Salt and the Sea.”

First-set originals spanned decades, including “Enemy,” noisy alt-rock “My Own,” and haunting “Undone,” showcasing the depth of Tefft’s catalog. Particular pre-intermission standouts included “Paper Cut,” whose opening chords grab the listener before the song pounds along powerfully to the more finesse-y chorus, and jangly, hooky, guitar driven alt-rock “Cooler than You,” a song that might make a good personal theme song. Right?

photo by Geoff Wilbur

After a short break, the second set kicked off by rockin’ hard with “Rollercoaster” from 2017’s Cutting for Stone release. I found myself digging the nifty axework on this number, something the was sort of a theme in the second set. I’m not sure if John Parillo’s axemanship was featured more in the second set or if I just took notice, but for me, it was a recurring theme.It was followed by another power rocker, “Too Late,” and then one of the kickass newer songs, “Down on My Knees,” that showcased that trademark Tefft howl.

“Lullaby,” next, was another song that featured some top-notch axework and anguished vocals, delivering a sound that filled the outdoor concert venue, like so many of this band’s songs. A version of the Doors’ “People are Strange,” which featured a low-key opening before slowly amping up the song’s psychedelic coolness, helped build the raw energy that led into edgy, emphatic heavy alt-rocker “Shoulda Known Better,” whose performance culminated in some guitar hero-caliber shredding in the late song bridge.

“Control Freak,” next, sported some heavy distortion. It was followed by a Cover of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance,” which added some funkiness to the rock guitar, and then hard rocker “Love and War,” a song with a unique aural vibe.

As the show neared its closing time, Jennifer Tefft & the Strange rolled out a new song “Silver,” noting it was the first time they’ve ever played the song live and that it’s scheduled to be recorded in September, a nice treat for those who had stayed to the end (basically, almost the entire crowd, which steadily grew throughout the performance). The song has a modern mainstream rock vocal style and rhythm. “Silver” shows that, creatively, this is still the same, cool raucous rockin’ band, but the song has a new twist in the vibe that’ll keep things interesting. It’s a great live song, but also I can’t wait to hear the studio release!

The evening closed with “Caffeine,” a hit single from Strange Beginnings, featuring the mix that drives many of Jennifer Tefft and the Strange’s best songs: great power vocals from Jenn and a kickass guitar hook. A great sendoff for a fun two-hour outdoor concert.

 

Live Review: Andrew Geano at Chopps

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Andrew Geano

Chopps Italian Steakhouse & Bar, Burlington, MA

July 25, 2025

First of all, it’s probably becoming obvious that I like this restaurant. Tonight I went with a pizza. Delish! But, of course, it’s not just the food I appreciate about Chopps. It’s the fact that they reliably book excellent singers to entertain their restaurant patrons (and guests passing through the Boston Marriott Burlington hotel lobby). Of course, if I’m unfamiliar with the singer, I still check them out. This is a bit of a drive for me, so I don’t take any chances.

Now, it’d be cool to catch Andrew at a venue where he’d play more of his originals, as songs like “Head Voice” and “Wanna Be Right” are pretty cool. A dinner show with lots of folks just passin’ through, though? Well, that’s gonna pretty much be covers. With a top-notch vocalist singing ’em, that’s still plenty good.

I only really caught the tail end of Andrew’s performance tonight – less than one of his three hours behind the mic. But he covered a lot of ground, nearly all of it while leaning into the insistent edge of his vocals, which is particularly good at slashing through background noise and restaurant chatter. The first song I sat down for was his version of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.”

Andrew began his final mini-set with a heavy strumming-driven rendition of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” then transitioned into a rendition of “Teenage Dirtbag,” on which his vocals sported a ’90s alt-pop-rock flavor, chameleonically speaking.

He added some whoopy squeals, fittingly, to the Beatles’ “Come Together,” then followed it with a nod to new hitmaker Chappell Roan with “Hot to Go!” And the Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” That was actually a pretty good transition. Who knew?!

Speaking of “who knew?”… I wouldn’ta believed it, but Andrew does a good Taylor Swift. On his rendition of “You Belong With Me,” sure, maybe his vocals are a little deeper than Taylor’s, but he nailed the tone.

Andrew went back to the ’80s to officially close his final set with his lively rendition of Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.” It was a song with a “woo!” or two, and Andrew’s good with the “woo!”s.

It had become clear that Andrew had won over a table or two of devoted fans, at least for tonight, even before the end of his performance, so it was no surprise they called for an encore, and he obliged. I mean, he wrapped up five minutes early, so this was one of those planned encores, but still, the audience called for it. The song of choice? Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.” And talk about giving an audience exactly what they wanted – several tables were singing along!

It was definitely a good choice to catch some Andrew Geano tuneage tonight. As I noted in my last review of a Chopps performance a few weeks ago, you will occasionally upcoming performances occasionally mentioned on the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram pages. As for Andrew’s upcoming performances, the “Shows” page of his website shows that the next month packed with gigs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and even a gig in Maine, so look there for upcoming performances near you.

EP Review: Billy Dodge Moody – Ephemera

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photo courtesy of Billy Dodge Moody via Knyvet

EP Review of Billy Dodge Moody: Ephemera

The first musical comparison that comes to mind when listening to Billy Dodge Moody‘s Ephemera is the Moody Blues. The full, rich sound and pleasant, pop-friendly rock melodies on Ephemera recall that classic radio-(soft)-rocking sound.

The first single from this EP, “Meaning to Disaster,” is a soft-touch tune with a full sound that builds in both power and lushness over the course of its three-and-a-half minutes, supporting thoughtful lyrics with a sneaky-catchy chorus that turns this ballad into an unexpected earworm.

image courtesy of Billy Dodge Moody via Knyvet

“Nobody,” which was the second single released in advance of the EP, is a more uptempo strummer, a song that hides its melancholy lyrics behind a relaxed yet uptempo, on-vacation-ish, hooky soft-pop energy.

Track three, “Made to Decide,” takes a more introspective tone musically, adding harmonious backing vocals from Hannah Foxman to the mix, supporting more obviously sad lyrics and a thoughtful pick-and-strum, all combining to bring a lump to the listener’s throat. Yes, even when you’re not paying particularly close attention to the lyrics, which were inspired by the agonizing decisions brought about by Billy’s ailing cat. (Knowing the inspiration, I can relate even more.)

Album-ender “Suddenly” ties things together nicely, helping provide a consistent style for the EP but also adding a few new elements to the mix, as the introspective number adds a harmonica and a moderately folky guitar picking style while maintaining the record’s rich, full production style.

Unless your heart is stone-cold, you’ll be touched by this record. Subtle differences between the songs ensure that, while you’re likely to enjoy the entire collection, you’ll probably also have a favorite track. Maybe two. Or possibly a different one each day, depending on your mood. Regardless, with this EP’s timeless broad appeal, anyone who enjoys song-driven music needs to at least give it a test-drive.

Album Review: Jason Miles – Cosmopolitan

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photo courtesy of That Jazz Girl

Album Review of Jason Miles: Cosmopolitan

Jason Miles (keyboards, synth) recorded Cosmopolitan back in 1979 with Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Gerry Niewood (saxophone), Marcus Miller (bass), Ricardo Silveira (guitar), and Jeff Williams (drums), with Badal Roy on tabla, percussionists Armen Halburian and Henry Castelanos, and vocalist Clarice Taylor. However, that record was shelved for… 46 years before its 2025 release.

image courtesy of That Jazz Girl

The jazz fusion album that resulted from those 1979 sessions, Cosmopolitan, is simply remarkable. The title track is so engaging that its 7:15 runtime simply flies by. The entire album is that way, in fact. Album-opener “Cosmopolitan,” though, in addition to incorporating some actual city sounds in the opening, delivers a lively very city-like tempo, with energetic, sometimes abrupt horns, an occasional funky beat… it’s a jazz fusion representation of the sound of a lively city, of the City. Very cosmopolitan.

And yeah, that’s my favorite track among the six on this 37-38 minute-long album. But not by much. The next song, “Powder,” meanders a lot more, slowing the pace down a bit, before “Gale Warnings” splits the difference a bit more. While the first two tracks leaned heavily into wind instruments (Spotify lists featured performers for each song, and saxophonist Gerry Niewood was featured on the first two cuts), “Gale Warnings” gets things rolling with some noticeable synth-work before the song notably begins to delve into other instrumentation, as Michael Brecker (tenor sax) is mentioned as the featured collaborator on this track.

“The Man Who Pushes the Buttons,” also featuring Brecker, is a bit more angular and frenetic than the record’s preceding songs. “Kashmirian Twist,” meanwhile, lists as featured artists both Niewood and Badal Roy, who plays tabla, which I was completely unfamiliar with. (Google found me this “What is Tabla?” article.) And indeed, the tabla (pair of drums) did add a unique sound as a co-featured instrument, probably bringing forth the suggestion – for me, at least – of a subway car rattling a bit as part of yet another cityscape-evoking number.

“Poetry” closes the record with a smoky barroom-scented piano opening that belies the forthcoming liveliness, as this number, with Niewood again listed as the featured artist, recovers some of the liveliness of the album-opening title track, providing nice bookends to this broad-appeal jazz fusion collection.

As I hope you know by now, I love sharing music that’s brilliantly-assembled and fun to listen to, and that is most definitely true of Cosmopolitan. With its lively rhythms and cool cityscape-recalling sounds, this record is likely appeal well beyond its particular subgenre’s core audience. So give it a listen. And yes, start with the opening number because it’s the most likely to get you hooked. But then play the record in order to appreciate Miles and his collaborators’ collective vision.

Single Review: Alison Brown & Steve Martin – “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” feat. Tim O’Brien

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photo by Joseph Spence; photo courtesy of Compass Records

Single Review of Alison Brown & Steve Martin: “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” feat. Tim O’Brien (Compass Records)

I’ve been getting a few bluegrass songs sent my way lately, and “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” is a bluegrass number that simply jumps right off the vinyl, metaphorically speaking. A cool tune you’ve really gotta hear! Alison Brown and Steve Martin teamed up with several top players, notably including featured vocalist/mandolinist Tim O’Brien.

image courtesy of Compass Records

The song’s topic is something touring musicians – particularly those with families – will relate to with ease. But it’s really not that hard for anyone to relate, negotiating time away versus time with family, cleverly phrased making it a fun listen. Of course, lyrics alone don’t make a song, and it’s really the tune, its delivery, and cheerfully plucked, energetic style that are the catchiest, most enduring part of “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back.”

Martin’s lyrics, Brown’s melody, and O’Brien’s vocals are an ideal blend for a song that’ll appeal beyond its genre’s core fans. Indeed, while familiar, the song’s structure doesn’t always turn in the most typical direction, helping the music remain fresh across multiple listens, while the rich, warm, and sincere vocals provide a trustworthy narration with a cheerful, pleasant tone.

In any case, bluegrass fan or not, if you enjoy well-written songs – perhaps singer-songwriter types of songs, though this would be more of a singer-songwriter trio – give “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” a listen.

EP Review: Micki Free – Dreamcatcher

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image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

EP Review of Micki Free: Dreamcatcher

Micki Free is a Grammy winner and recipient of a Native American Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. His 2024 EP release, Dreamcatcher, is an excellent mostly-blues album, with a bit of musical variety and variations among the songs, making for a fun listen that’ll soon become a welcome addition to your music collection or playlist. Micki’s band is comprised of Cindy Blackman Santana (drums), Benny Rietveld (bass), and Ray Green (vocals). Dreamcatcher also features guest appearances from Rhonda Smith (Prince, Jeff Beck) on bass and Mark “Muggie Doo” Leach (Buddy Miles) on Hammond organ and piano.

The album kicks off strong with my personal favorite in the collection, the rollicking blues number “When The Devil’s At Your Door.” It’s followed by the funky blues – or perhaps it’s bluesy funk – “My Sweet Honey.”

The instrumental “Dreamcatcher,” next up, has kind of an adult contemporary vibe, a bit reminiscent of ’70s mellow blues-based rock ‘n roll, and features the notable inclusion of some Native American flute musical runs (played by Micki, per the liner notes). It’s followed by “Night Crawler,” a heavy, moderately psychedelic, throwback blues rocker with a rattling, omnipresent background buzzing wall of sound.

“We Are One,” the last studio recording on the EP, has kind of an acoustic vibe, with the guitar strumming giving it an almost folky blues flavor, though the electric guitar line that dances through the song add a classic rock ‘n roll energy to the song, too. It’s a very cool arrangement!

Finally, the sixth song is labeled a “bonus track.” It’s “Dreamcatcher Live,” a live version of the instrumental number “Dreamcatcher.” Surprisingly, it’s much shorter than the studio version of the song, and I think it levels up the song by imbuing it with an energy that’s hard to duplicate outside a live setting.

In all, Dreamcatcher is a very cool EP, one I simply couldn’t resist sharing with you via review. Definitely worth checking out!

Single Reviews: TELL – “Sweet Proximity” and “Boiling the Ocean”

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photo by Dan Saltzman; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of TELL: “Sweet Proximity” and “Boiling the Ocean”

TELL delivers some heavy, distorted, edgy tunefulness with its two latest singles, “Sweet Proximity” and “Boiling the Ocean.” With these releases, David Wildman (guitar, lead vocals), Jay Raffi (bass, vocals), Patrick Crann: (drums), and Jim Foster (guitar, vocals) serve up a pair of sneakily hooky, noisy rock songs for the consistently unnerved and persistently agitated music fan.

illustration by Morrison Digital Art; designed by J. Kaliontzis; image courtesy of Knyvet

“‘Sweet Proximity,’” notes Foster, “manifests the band’s intense feelings about the current global situation; it’s the drastic sound of things falling apart. It might be an unhinged, disjointed fit somewhat resembling a muscle spasm or near-fatal conniption, but you can definitely dance to it.” Indeed, from the very first distorted guitar riff, the song is engaging, with its intense delivery mixed with a finesse that dances around the song’s rhythm and melody. It’s hypnotically catchy with a punk edginess, all the while being undeniably rock ‘n roll.

illustration by Morrison Digital Art; designed by J. Kaliontzis; image courtesy of Knyvet

“Boiling the Ocean,” meanwhile, covers a dramatically different topic; namely, the band’s willingness to do whatever it takes to get its music noticed. It’s a musically jangly rock ‘n roll tune that at times angrily laments the role the internet plays in music promotion and discovery while at other times seeming to resignedly accept it – lyrically, “whatever it takes is cool.” The opening drum beat sets the stage, while the guitars and vocals seem barely constrained in the verses, congealing into a singalongable chorus.

Together, “Sweet Proximity” and “Boiling the Ocean” offer two very different vibes that are tied together by TELL’s identifiable almost-unhinged, raucous rock delivery style. Two very engaging songs that fans of a broad swath of rock ‘n roll should check out.

 

Live Review: Lee Biddle at Chopps

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Lee Biddle

Chopps Italian Steakhouse & Bar, Burlington, MA

July 5, 2025

Tonight, I popped into Chopps – the restaurant in the Boston Marriott Burlington – for a quick bite to eat and caught the last hour or so of Lee Biddle’s performance. In the past, back in 2016 and 2017, I wrote about a couple Chopps performances and noted that whoever books Chopps knows their music. I had thought perhaps live music at Chopps was a thing of the past, since it’s not mentioned at all on the restaurant’s website anymore. However, as I discovered tonight while taking notes for this review, you will occasionally find it mentioned on the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram pages. I can’t find July’s artists mentioned anywhere online yet, though, so I had to walk up and get a close look at Lee’s merch – his CD cover – to make sure I got his name right. As for the quality of the restaurant’s musical line-up, a glimpse at June’s live music line-up suggests Chopps is still booking reliably excellent performers, so it’s a reliable musical destination on Friday and Saturday nights if you’re looking for an evening of covers from some of the area’s high-quality vocalists.

Enough about the venue; let’s talk about the artist I caught tonight, Lee Biddle. Lee’s rich, controlled voice is an idea fit for the wide range of music he selected this evening. I’m sure the playlist reflected the audience at a place like Chopps, hotel guests and restaurant guests only a few of whom are paying super-close attention to the musician. The crowd is likely to skew older, not likely to know anything obscure, and most wouldn’t be too interested in originals. Fortunately, Lee’s vocal talents allow him a broad range of songs befitting such an audience. Lee’s voice and vocal delivery lend themselves well to mid-tempo timeless rock and country. The country songs seem more pop-rock than country, based on Lee’s delivery, especially when guided by his straightforward acoustic guitarwork. But man, they sound good.

Some of the country songs I heard Lee perform this evening were very old country like “Folsom Prison Blues,” ten-year-old country like “Wagon Wheel” and Ryan Bingham’s “Nobody Knows My Trouble,” and newer country like Tyler Childers’ “All Your’n,” Chris Stapleton’s “Starting Over.” Lee equally deftly tackled classic rockers like “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Brown Eyed Girl.” And he closed out the evening with a neat pairing. First, clearly knowing his audience, he delivered a solid rendition of “Margaritaville,” and then he closed with a song that had me scrambling – I knew the song; heck, I reviewed the album way back when it came out. It was Blind Melon’s “No Rain.” In all, it was a nice mix of styles and, though all the songs were easily recognized, there were several less-frequently-covered yet well-known songs that kept the performance interesting.

Tonight’s live music attendance was unplanned, but it was a pleasant surprise. I’ll be following Lee on Facebook and Instagram, as well as checking out his originals on Spotify. I can’t imagine his original music being anything short of enjoyable given his strong voice and song delivery talents.

Album Review: Smoking Popes – Lovely Stuff

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photo by Meredith Goldberg; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Album Review of Smoking Popes: Lovely Stuff (Anxious and Angry)

Smoking Popes‘ Lovely Stuff is like a brand new blast from the past. The band, whose broadest mainstream success came in the ’90s, clearly hasn’t lost a step with this new release. For those (few) of you who’ve followed my writing from the early days, all the way back to when I launched my print publication, Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter, you’ll recall that I was based in East Lansing, Michigan. The rock bands in Midwest college towns like East Lansing had a trademark sound in the mid-’90s. The biggest band to emerge from the East Lansing scene was The Verve Pipe, but that scene had several equally talented bands that very easily could have equaled or exceeded The Verve Pipe’s success. It was almost shocking that a half-dozen bands didn’t emerge from that scene; East Lansing for a couple years there seemed like it might be the next Athens. But we were a little myopic in the East Lansing scene; in fact, that alt-rock/college rock sound with catchy hooks and a pop sensibility was thriving throughout the Midwest. One of the bands that emerged with a similar sound, though musically a bit more aggressive and punkier, at least around the edges, was Chicago’s Smoking Popes. So, you know, not a sibling of the East Lansing sound but maybe a first cousin.

In the 1990s, the Smoking Popes had modest success, with their sophomore album, 1994’s Born to Quit reaching 37 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and that album’s top single “Need You Around” reaching 35 on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart in 1995, due in part to its inclusion on the Clueless soundtrack.

Lovely Stuff is the first Smoking Popes album in seven years, the band’s first release since 2018’s Into the Agony. Of course, I haven’t heard the band since the 1990s, so, as I mentioned in the review’s first sentence, this really does sound like a blast from the past. There’s not a lot of new music being made with this jangly, classic Midwestern college-town alt-rock sound these days. Still, it’s not too far off from modern alt-rock with a dash of pop-punk’s mainstream sensibilities. Still, the classic warmth and fullness atop the sometimes-frantic strumming is the mainstream appeal that many of today alt-rockers often miss.

The jangly guitars in disc-opener “Golden Moment,” as well as the tone of the vocals in the verses, are almost reminiscent of 1980s-era U2. But then the song jumps into uplifting, faster-paced alt-pop-rock mode when it reaches the chorus. It’s a nifty blend that makes “Golden Moment” a memorable song and a terrific choice for kicking off the disc.

I think the next track, “Fox River Dream,” might be the album’s most engaging, as the drum and guitar runs following the ends of the chorus are cool elements that unexpectedly push the song forward following the big harmony-driven chorus, something that would seem to call for a pause. That’s not just the only pop-friendly element in the song, as “Fox River Dream” is somehow noisy and raucous while, at the same time, being big and warm.

photo by Chris Tracy; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Where “Fox River Dream” may be the most engaging, I think “Never Gonna Break” might be my favorite song on the record. One of two, anyway. The verses start out steady, the beat picks up in the lead-up to the chorus, and then the chorus’ key-change makes it absolutely pop, as lead singer Josh Caterer’s voice delivers raw and tunefully cracking, as if he’s singing in anguish, “My heart is never really gonna break. It’s only gonna bleed a little while. I won’t be falling all the way apart. That’s not my style. You’re never going to have the satisfaction of knowing that you hurt me any more than I could take, ’cause my hear is never really gonna break.” Yeah, sure. It’s not entirely convincing, which is part of what makes it such a cool lyric. You can’t expect any better than this from a broken-heart rock song.

My other personal favorite is stylistically similar “Young and Dumb.” The sound is a bit more broad and open in the verses, and the guitars are steady. The post-chorus full-stop is well-executed. There’s a cool variety of complementary musical styles, with the broader more open sound that accompanies the verses standing in contrast to the more frantic, noisy, anarchic sound-filled backdrop that accompanies the main chorus phrase “always for someone else, never for us.” Tack on the rhythmic basswork and open space vocals repeating “oh to be young and dumb again” in what seems to be late song bridge but actually just bridges to the song’s close, and it’s a memorable song.

“Racine,” “To This Very Day,” “When the Sun Goes Down” – these are all also songs similar in style to most of the songs on the record, though each with their own variances (like the guitar squeal at the opening of “When the Sun Goes Down”) that are likely to make each of them other people’s personal faves. They’re great songs in their own right, but I’m gonna run out of descriptive phrases if I try to go track-by-track, so I won’t.

Tucked in near the middle of the album is “Madison,” the closest Smoking Popes come to pure, modern pop-punk on this record. The verses have a somewhat slower, more flowing tempo, but you may just find yourself pogoing to the song opening and the verses, so be sure to listen in a safe space… or a padded room, perhaps. There’s also some cool guitarwork in the song because you can’t be a rock band from the ’90s without giving your guitarist a chance to show off – fitting within the context of the song, natch – every now and then.

As the album nears its close, Smoking Popes shake things up. The penultimate track on Lovely Stuff, “You Will Always Have My Heart,” is a softly instrumented strummer, almost stylistically folk-rock, though you’d never mistake the rough rock ‘n roll edges of Caterer’s voice for those of a folk singer. As for the lyrics, if you learned only one thing from TV’s The Big Bang Theory, it should have been that “always” always makes it worse.

The band continues its detour from its types style on album-ender “Over the Rainbow.” Yes, it’s a raucous, noisy, distorted guitar rendition of the song Annie made famous. It’s crunchy, it’s rocking… it’s a surprisingly strong way to end an alt-rock record: “Why, oh why can’t I?!” That’s Lovely Stuff, indeed.