The Blendours’ Trevor Treiber is a contemporary and West High classmate of Lipstick Homicide, and the one time I met him he was hanging with Rachel and Kate at Gabe’s. So, it’s no surprise that there’s a strong affinity between The Blendours and Lipstick Homicide when it comes to songwriting: They both write songs that are short, sweet and infectious. The Blendours songs on this EP are performed simply with acoustic instruments. Still, there’s a lot of pure punk rock energy even with a single guitar and no band.
The Blendours
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: The Blendours – Level 99
The continuing influence of The Ramones’ music on the face of rock years after their breakup is a testament to the idea that simple and direct is the most effective approach to getting to the hearts of youth. Directly or indirectly, any variation of punk rock today owes a debt to the amphetamine-driven sped-up version of ‘60s rock that The Ramones made.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Music: King Pop – An Interview with Paul Collins
“One of the things I enjoy most about touring now is playing with up-and-coming bands.” This was one of the first things Paul Collins said to me when we recently chatted about his 2013 Midwest tour. It makes sense because thirty years ago, Paul Collins was in two up-and-coming power pop bands, The Nerves and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: October 25-27
Hello and welcome to the “HalloWeekender!” If you’re planning on getting down in the name of Halloween, this is the weekend to do it. Over the next few days, I’m predicting that I’ll see 7 college aged Waldos, and crossing my fingers for at least two “Gangnam Style” guys. Is it weird that I can’t […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Weekender: January 19-21
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Weekender. We’ve got a little bit of a party weekend ahead of us, complete with a dance party, an anniversary bash and, uh, a punk farm. A number of other musical and cinematic events are going down to fill out what’s about to be a pretty rad […]
