| The International
Pop Overthrow is a guitar pop music festival that began in Los Angeles. This is the
first year it has come to Chicago, and it makes its debut here with gusto. 140 Bands at
eight venues in two weeks is an impressive feat of organization, and the people at IPO
pulled the event off without a hitch. This Saturday evening at the Beat Kitchen featured
eight bands from California based Smile Records.
The evening began with Supremium, a tightly knit
group featuring former members of Adam and the Ands and the Romantics. Well-composed vocal
harmonies and sweetly dissonant guitar chords made this one of the most memorable groups
of the evening.
The Barry Holdship Four took to the stage next,
with a sound reminiscent of the catchy melodies of the La’s. Holdships’s lead
vocals and well planned song writing stood out as some of the strongest of the evening.
The Stand was my favorite band of this event.
Singer Tony Valenziano’s messy pompadour, skinny tie, and ‘80s suit matched his
Elvis Costello vocals perfectly. The members of this group were slightly older than the
average pop musician. This maturity was reflected in their intricate song writing and well
rehearsed performance.
The most aggressive musical style of the evening
came from Hutch, a power trio with a big sound and skilled rhythm section. They combined
edgy guitars with the sort of innocence Mathew Sweet has mastered so well.
 The Andersons are one of two bands on the bill that
featured the talent of Robbie Rist. If you attended this show and puzzled like I did as to
why this bundle of energy looked so familiar, I urge you to tune in to a few reruns of the
Brady Bunch. Rist is none other than Cousin Oliver. The Andersons held the title of
"best vocal harmonies" of the evening.
Rist plays drums for sparkle*jets UK, an
eclectic band that drifted between punk and lounge overtones. After an energetic set they
ended their performance with a quirky number featuring vocalist Susan West’s girlish
voice.
Supermint captured the story telling song
writing style of late Replacements and made excellent use of rhythmic patterns to
highlight vocalist Kerri Ridout’s lyrics.
The Grip Weeds closed out the evening with a
powerhouse of a drummer, Kurt Reil. Sixties pop-rock influences abounded with this band
from their vocal style, to their effect use of guitar pedals.
The only small mar on the evening come from the
last minute change in the program, causing the bands to play in a different order than
listed and forcing me to pester the gracious folk at the Smile Records merchandise counter
to identify each group for me. Considering the enormity of the festival and even just the
length of the bill this evening, the collective quality of these bands was outstanding. As
a person who often gravitates toward darker and heavier artists, I was amazed at how an
evening of upbeat catchy tunes can elevate ones mood quicker than a fist full of Prozac.
Smile indeed.
All Photos Provided by Dan Locke DLL Productions © 2002
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