The year 2003 marks the second coming of L.A.-based pop promoter David Bash and his epic International Pop Overthrow festival to the city of Chicago. For those out of the loop, IPO is a 17-day (!), more-bands-than-can-be-counted music event that celebrates all that is poppy, hooky, and Beatle-esque. It seems right that IPO returned to Chicago as it takes its name from one of the Chicago scene’s most influential pop artists first album. That band is, of course, Material Issue and its leader, the late Jim Ellison, would undoubtedly be pleased to see so many of the pop faithful gathered together in his name. Unfortunately, Mr. Bash should probably change the "Overthrow" to "Overload", as IPO presents a dizzying amount of music as a whole and on each individual night, which makes it difficult to process and report on. Adequate coverage of IPO would require something about the size of an issue of Rolling Stone to truly do justice to the scope of this event. This particular show, Not Lame Records Night at the Abbey Pub, was the first IPO show I had attended and I did end up overloaded by the nine bands on the bill. However, my IPO veteran friends have told me many times that IPO is about discoveries, about seeing someone new who really blows you away and, in that spirit, I will give this review over to the high points of the show I witnessed.

There were three acts at the Abbey this night that were difficult to forget, all for different reasons. Doug Bobenhouse, formerly lead singer of St. Louis popsters The Sun Sawed in ½, opened the show with his very first ever solo acoustic performance. He was clearly a bit nervous, and in fact stopped and started songs again a couple times, but it really didn’t seem to matter. He was still well received by the friendly crowd gathered at the Abbey and his striking tenor singing voice did much to smooth over any rough edges that might have been present. He also won my personal "Show Some Class" award by closing his set with a Material Issue song, "The Very First Lie," which was hands-down the best song played that night.

The Blakes are a pop-based band from New Jersey that were at The Abbey playing songs from their latest EP "New Tattoo." They are a young, fresh-faced foursome that plays with a lot of energy and a tight modern pop/rock sound. Lead singer/guitarist Jones had the best voice of the night and really cut through the band without ever sounding strained or ragged. Highlights of their set included "Something Good," "Hysterical," and their title track "New Tattoo." The Blakes were also the least overtly Beatle-influenced band I saw that night and it was nice to hear a different flavor in and amongst all the offerings from the Church Of Liverpool.

Following The Blakes was Seattle/San Francisco singer/songwriter Chris von Sneidern, who performed solo save for his 12-string guitar. Mr. von Sneidern seems to be somewhat of a legend in IPO circles and has released a large body of musical work over the years. He was a completely new face to me, however, and was a set I was glad to have caught. He is an accomplished guitarist and vocalist and comes across very much as an American George Harrison with a gutsier voice. His opening number, "Put The Money In The Hole," which he described as the "story of my life," was an interesting blend of classic pop with a subtle Americana influence that brought the song to life. He went over very well with the large crowd assembled at the Abbey for the show and it appeared that many were already familiar with his music.