La Estrella Group & Twirl Radio Present a Psych-Pop Social: w/Rain Parade, The Cherry Bluestorms (LA) & The Bottle Kids

Description

La Estrella Group & Twirl Radio are pleased to present a not-to-be missed psych-pop social at The Starry Plough May 2. Headlining the show are the moody and magnetic pied pipers of the Paisley Underground, Rain Parade, with an exclusive local appearance guaranteed to draw you in and right up close to the stage. Opening the show are The Cherry Bluestorms (LA) & The Bottle Kids offering up two generous portions of old school, West Coast power pop—with no skimping on the tight harmonies, sing-along melodies or driving hooks.

ABOUT RAIN PARADE

The legendary Rain Parade is a Los Angeles-based outfit among the first of the post-punk generation to draw heavily on their subliminal 1960s roots, and from a communal love of the Byrds, early Pink Floyd and Love, the group fashioned their unique, updated version of psychedelic rock. They were easily the most hypnotic of the early 80’s LA Paisley Underground bands, which also includes the Bangles and the Dream Syndicate. In operation from 1981 to 1986, Rain Parade had only a handful of album and single releases, but toured the world to great acclaim. They are now considered the most influential of the Paisley Underground acts, with their trippy echoes audible in successive generations of bands in both Europe and the US, from the early 90s onwards. A spate of recent reunion shows have proved just how beloved Rain Parade remain.
The current Rain Parade line-up includes original members Matt Piucci, Steven Roback and John Thoman, augmented by Mark Hanley, Alec Palao and former Game Theory drummer Gil Ray.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rain-Parade/105679546131394

ABOUT THE CHERRY BLUESTORMS

Shortly after Glen Laughlin returned to Los Angeles from the Stukas Over Disneyland tour as second guitarist/keyboardist with punk rock legends The Dickies, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the way to the studio. His left hand was crushed, seemingly ending his career as a musician. As we know, the story didn’t quite end there.
With his hand still in a cast, Laughlin formed The Skin Trade. Seven months later The Skin Trade played their first show, featuring Laughlin on lead vocals and two-fingered bass. He later rejoined The Dickies as bassist and then as guitarist for several years. He also began to use the many non-standard tunings he developed as a result of his hand injury.
Following The Dickies’ Idjit Savant tour, Laughlin purchased part of the studio where “Idjit” was recorded. Since then, in addition to The Cherry Bluestorms, he has produced The Dickies, movie star Heather Graham, tracks for CSI: Las Vegas and indie artists Neil Ormandy, Reuben “Big Reub” Vigil and The Reloaders, The Ben Gunn Society, and The Greatcoats. He has also performed with David Swanson (The Pop), Buffalo Springfield Again (featuring Dewey Martin), legendary songwriter P.F. Sloan and seminal New Wave band The Furys. Having landed a development deal with A&M Records which led to collaborations with recording world luminaries Chris Lord-Alge, Mike Clink and with engineer, Jon Ingoldsby (Madonna, K.D. Lang), Deborah Gee placed several songs from her debut solo album “Portal” in TV and films. She was looking for a collaborator for her next venture. After meeting Glen at a coffeehouse and discovering their mutual love for ‘60’s guitar-based melodic rock, the two began working on what was to become The Cherry Bluestorms’ debut album, Transit of Venus. TOV was noted as one of the top 100 indie albums of 2007 by International Pop Overthrow’s David Bash. TOV has been critically praised by L.A. Weekly, Glasswerk UK, Powerpopaholic, Not Lame, Absolute Powerpop and others, many singling out the bands’ version of the Beatles' "Baby, You're a Rich Man". The band subsequently entertained crowds and enjoyed critical praise from their hometown Hollywood haunts to Canada and the UK, including The Cavern, famous home of The Beatles. Following the success of Transit of Venus, the band has recently released Bad Penny Opera, an ambitious concept album. BPO, a 13 track song cycle chronicling "Penny's" journey South to find herself, via the 1960's British Rock influences that inform the band's music. The album includes The Bluestorms' version of Donovan's "Wear Your Love Like Heaven". "Violent Heart” from TOV and “A True Heart Wears A Thorny Crown” from BPO were placed in hit Stephen Cannell television shows. Meanwhile, Gee has also begun tracking her second solo album, Geeology, with Laughlin co-producing. The band is also working on their third album with new drummer Mark Francis White, who has also performed with Laughlin in The Furys.

ABOUT THE BOTTLE KIDS

“Man oh man does THIS one hit the center of our target...!”----Baby Sue, June 2013

It’s quintessential old school power pop ala The Nerves, The Rubinoos or The Plimsouls. Wielding an inherently California blend of pop harmonies, swooning melodies, crunchy driving guitars and pleasantly lingering hooks arranged with an auteur’s precision, The Bottle Kids offer a soundtrack equally appropriate for an afternoon daydream, a poolside party with your crush or a long drive down the rocky, windy coast. Conceived as the musical vision of frontman/songwriter/producer/engineer Berkeley native, Eric Blakely, The Bottle Kids embody the best of both “then” and “now,” combining Blakely’s deep roots in early 80’s power pop with a keen sense of songwriting and production for a refreshing, innovative and stubbornly irresistible sound. The Bottle Kids’ debut release, Such a Thrill, came out in the summer of 2013 to widespread critical praise. Musoscribe’s, Bill Knop, a key voice in contemporary power pop, conveyed a simple yet common theme, “Harmonies meet guitar crunch and the result is as good as the genre gets.” Baby Sue listed the album as a highly recommended Top Pick for 2013, with the insightful assessment, “We’ve been on the lookout for some great music perfect for driving around to yard sales this Spring…and this is IT,” while Something Else reviewed it, “high on the scale as one of the greatest debut albums to sail down the street in many moons,” noting that, “spirited pop rock, dripping with vintage vestiges in the vein of the Nerves, Paul Collins and Doug Derek and the Hoax are the order of the day here.”For Berkeley-born & raised Blakely, The Bottle Kids represent both a departure and a return to his roots. Blakely cut his musical teeth in the heart of the emerging Bay Area power pop/new wave scene of late 70’s/early 80’s, recording his first album (1983/Eric Blakely and The Blame) with the late Dave Carpenter of The Greg Kihn Band as producer. He quickly gained an enviable musical pedigree in the genre, performing domestically and abroad with artists such as The Plimsouls, The Rubinoos, Dwight Twilley, Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, Greg Kihn, SVT, Chuck Prophet, Paul Collins' Beat, Wire Train, Bobby Keys, Powell St. John and Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater revival. Wanderlust and touring spirited Blakely to LA then Paris and finally Austin, TX in 1989, where he made an equally impressive name for himself as a country/Americana singer/songwriter. The Houston Post was not alone in its praise for his debut CD Uncle John’s Farm, calling Blakely "one of the most promising young Austin songwriters." In Austin, Blakely spent two decades honing his craft as a songwriter and performer, recording/producing five albums to critical acclaim, starting his own recording studio (Folk Reel Productions) and touring throughout the United States and Europe with what England's Bucket Full of Brains called his "bright, witty and erudite country-pop songs." In 2010, Blakely joined with Paul Collins to play lead guitar on his "King Of Power Pop" album, sewing the seed of what he calls “a menacing power pop itch.” It was this itch that returned Blakely back to his roots in Berkeley, where after recording The Bottle Kids debut in Austin, he relocated himself and his studio to debut the live incarnation, like a power pop prodigal son. Right here, “back where it all began,” the arrangements are clean, with melodies, harmonies and hooks elegantly placed, demonstrating Blakely’s evolving expertise as a producer and enduring talent as a gifted songwriter. While the album was recorded entirely by Blakely, both performing and producing the tracks, the release of the album in 2013 also gave rise to a live incarnation of the project. Joining Blakely in the fully realized Kids, are an impressive cast of Bay Area musicians, including Larry Tracy on guitar, David Wenger on bass and Jose Zavaleta on drums.

More Info

Link

http://www.starryploughpub.com

Call

(510) 841-2082 (Box Office)