Crying Town (Live!)

As a teaser for our upcoming CD (Yes, it's actually been mastered and Yes, it's actually schedule for release in January 2011, I have a live version of our song Crying Town.

Enjoy!

Crying Town (Live @ Southpaw Brookyln 11-3-2010)
by Buddy Love

Return of Simple at IPO NY 2010

IPO NY has come and gone and I guess I'm a little disappointed. I knew that being booked for a Sunday evening wasn't going to be great but the turnout for our performance was almost non-existant! The only people in the place were either our friends or the other bands who were also waiting to perform (to an empty house).

One consolation though, I saw a GREAT band! Not the usual pop fare but a jazzy trio (piano, bass & drums) called Return of Simple.

Rob Kovacs (pianist, vocalist and songwriter) crafts beautifully intricate (yet very listenable) songs reminiscent of Coldplay on one hand and Bruce Hornsby on the other.

I urge you all to check out their music. They are AWESOME!

It's that time of year again...

For the fourth year in a row, IPO NEW YORK! And again, the festival is going to be at Kenny's Castaway's on Bleecker Street (the heart of Greenwich Village).

Come out to see us this Sunday at 7 PM, yea it's a Sunday but it's early so you have NO EXCUSE!

Sorrows (and Buddy Love)

We have been asked to open for The Sorrows, (one of New York's great 1980's Power Pop groups), who have reformed and have released a compilation of their un-released and rare recordings this week (now where have I heard that story before...?)

The venue is Southpaw on 5th Ave in Brooklyn and the date is Wednesday November 3rd.

Click the pic above to connect to the iTunes store where you can hear samples of NYC Power Pop at it's finest.

PS. IPO New York is coming up! We'll be appearing Sunday November 14th...

This Friday @ Kenny's Castaways

Howdy followers! Just reminding you that the band will be appearing at Kenny's Castaways this Friday night (for those who don't already know, Kenny's is on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village, NYC) for the "Roots of New York City Convert and Film Event"

Wang Chung

So we've been making Wang Chung jokes among ourselves all week long after we found out that we were to open for them at my home town venue, The Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre. But the truth of the matter is this; They Were Awesome!

They played their hits (of course) but not just right off the record but with beautifully intricate new arrangements which brought them into the realm of prog rock all the while keeping their pop sensibilities intact. The hilights (to me) were "Fire In The Twilight" and a semi-acoustic version of "To Live and Die in L.A.".

The band was incredibly tight and focused and their performances were totally relaxed.

It was a privilage to be their supporting band. Who'd a thunk you coulda seen such a great show five minutes from your own house?

Joey Kelly's new blog and other Buddy Love Happenings...

My band mate and friend has joined the ranks of bloggers! Joey Kelly's new blog
Officialjoeykelly.blogspot.com has come online today. Here are some of the other "social networks" he belongs to

http://www.myspace.com/MUDDCLUBJOEY
http://www.myspace.com/classicjoeykelly
http://www.facebook.com/pages/JOEY-KELLY/101301908138
http://twitter.com/muddclubjoey
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BUDDY-LOVE/74517749007
http://www.myspace.com/officialbuddylove
Did I forget any?
check him out.


Further to Buddy Love's exploits, we were invited to open for (better sit down) Wang Chung at my hometown venue, The Vibe Lounge (Rockville Centre, NY) this Friday the 10th! Kinda crazy...

And of course we're appearing at Otto's Shrunken Head this Sunday the 12th

for the Max's Kansas City reunion concert.

Tributes or Not Tributes V

My friend Angelo over at Power Pop Criminals has done it again, created a compilation of fantastic (and unexpected) covers by the cream of the (power Pop!) crop.

Click the pic above and read all about it!

Rock And Roll Tribe

I just joined a unique social network tailored SPECIFICALLY to us aging hipsters who don't wanna stop rockin'!

The Rock And Roll Tribe, where gathers ALL the Power POP fanatics into one place (is that a good thing?)

Special Guest at last Saturday's Cha Cha's Show

As I had mentioned in my previous post, we were booked for a last minute gig at Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk in Coney Island last Saturday night. Here's my impression;

Rock and Roll Circus as seen on The Twilight Zone! First of all, right on the beach and even at night alot of people are walking around practically naked. Second, the place is filled with eccentrics. The "Master of Ceromonies" was Luigi Babe from All Mobbed Up. One of the "attractions" that night was a bizarre S&M rodeo. You can visualize that for yourself.

Two other attractions that night were welcome ones, the first being Michael Zuko who I've had the pleasure of socializing with (and who rescued me from myself one night for which I will be forever grateful) but never heard play before. My loss because he is a talented singer and songwriter and a great showman to boot.



The second was non other than THE KING OF POWER POP HIMSELF! Paul Collins! who performed a solo acoustic set of his hits (Hangin' On The Telephone, Don't Wait Up For Me, Rock and Roll Girl, etc...) for our very enthusiastic crowd.

what a pleasure it was to meet and to listen to him.

All in all, a splendid time was had by all!

Last Minute Show!

After slaving over preparing our CD for actual sale we can finally get back to what we are in this band for in the first place; playing music!

We were invited to appear at the Wold Famous Cha Cha's on the Boardwalk in Coney Island this Saturday (august 7th).

I'm not supposed to mention this but I heard from a very reliable source that a very special member of power pop royalty is going to be making an "unannounced" solo acoustic appearance that night as well. don't tell anyone I told you...

a rose by any other name...

After our last mixing session I've been experimenting with song orders, volume and tone setting, not to mention cross fades for the new CD. I think we are all in agreement that what I've come up with is THE CD! Nice job from everyone involved, I'm proud of this disk!

In the meantime everyone is wondering what the hell we're gonna call it! We've been using "Crying Town" as a working title for a while but now that push comes to shove we're back to the drawing board.

Joey has come up with what I think is a funny and apropos title and with that in mind, I came up with an appropriately self deprecating cover idea, the details of both not to be divulged at this time! (Yea, I'm a tease.)

I know it sounds arrogant but I think people (meaning you, gentle readers) will really like this album. So with that in mind, if you would like to pre-order it! (half-kidding) send $13.99 via PAYPal to store@buddylove.us and you will be among the very FIRST to have our new CD!

Another review of "Crying Town" from iTunes

by drumgod

For 30 years I've known this band to be the kings of "power pop" but this single is something like a dream. If Jeff Lynn took all the Beatles while they were alive and stripped down George Martin's strings and just let the band play natural. (Remember it's a dream). This would be the new Beatles single. Mr.Kelly nailed the vocals and Doug and the guys come in at the precise time to make the melody hum in your head 24/7. The Harrison/Weezer guitar break is a stunner and no offence to Lady GaGa but this IS THE RECORD OF THE YEAR. And I can't wait for an album(VINYL PLEASE!!!)

Thanks Drumgod. I don't know about vinyl, but our album is almost done. Look for it by the end of the summer...

Mxing the album proceeding nicely nicely, thank you...

Now that all recording for our album/CD is done ( a process that took a year and a half!) we have begun mixing, which for me is the most fun AND the most stressful. Beleive me, after an eight or ten hour mixing session, you can come away NUMB!

The first four songs are done which are Crying Town (the original pre-Tommy Byrnes version), Almost In Tears (Featuring some awesome saxaphone from Joey's pal), Tearing You Down (a song from my late 90's band Radio Flyer) and Tell Me (one of the last of the Milman/Khazzam Buddy Love songs we still perform).

I'm looking forward to finishing the other tracks and assembling the CD. I'm sure everyone in the band has an idea about how the songs should be laid out and as usual, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

By the way, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Joey for being such an easygoing and inspirational collaborator on this (and our previous) disk. He's DA BOMB!

Crying Town released as a Digital Single!

We have released Crying Town, which is the signature song from our upcoming CD (due out this summer) and it's available as digital download RIGHT NOW! on iTunes, CDBaby, Zune, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3's, eMusic, Napster, MYSpace Music, Verizon V-Cast, Liquid Digital (Walmart! of all things!), Shockhound, Spotify and Nokia (whew!).

Here's what someone who got it from CDBaby had to say...

Very cool song

Just saw this on the CD Baby main page. I don't know this band, but the preview sounded pretty good, so it's a 99 cent impulse buy. At first I was a little skeptical of their "playing the Beatles card" so heavily in the short description, but this song really does have some of that Beatles feel without being totally derivative. I especially like the bridge and the guitar solo. Nice work!
author: Bruce Irving

Here's what some iTunes customers said...

Good stuff
by NYCPopFan
This is the best Buddy Love song I ever heard! And I've been following this band on and off for years. I saw them perform this song live recently and thought, "Wow, this is different...", not their usual Power Pop fare but more mature and "adult contemporary". This recorded version is even more engaging. Joey's vocal has a restrained emotional edge I never heard from him before. The whole thing has got a great Beatles vibe and the guitar solo channels George directly from wherever he is.

So yes, two thumbs WAY UP!

by Rinhey
I have been following Buddy Love from the very beginning. Crying Town is a triumph on many levels. Writing, vocals, production. It's a home run. Joey's vocal on this song shows his range and ability. The band never sounded better. I've got a fever and the only cure is more Buddy Love, and cow bell.

So please follow their lead, buy our single!

Mental Melodies

Recently I introduced a new unfinished song to the group which following my trend, has been completely different from my previous output. The guys embraced it quickly even though I wasn't done with it and Rich later reported that he absolutely could not get the hook out of his head, in fact he was desperate!

So desperate that he consulted the internet and found on an article on NYTimes.com which stated that there isn't clear scientific evidence for why songs becoming stuck in your brain but someone has a good guess...

Q. Why do I find some of the melodic themes “playing” in my mind for several days after a concert?

A. A catchy tune, whether classical or pop, is so well known for staying in the brain that the effect has long been exploited for advertising jingles, and there have been efforts to define what makes a melody “sticky.” But a hard-to-shake melody can be a burden rather than a welcome souvenir, turning into what is called an earworm, and the reasons are not definitely known.

The mental pathways for music are complex, sometimes including not only auditory areas but also the visual cortex of the brain. Recent research suggests that musical perception is entwined with primitive parts of the brain and that it can influence emotions through the limbic system.

How a melody becomes an earworm, however, is unclear. A 2001 survey by James J. Kellaris of the University of Cincinnati, a consumer psychologist, found that “music characterized by simplicity, repetitiveness and incongruity with listeners’ expectations is most likely to become ‘stuck.’ ” Up to 98 percent of people will experience a sticky tune, his study suggested, and some people, like musicians, women and the worry-prone, are more susceptible than others. The causes may be psychological or even physical, tied to sound frequencies that resonate in the body.

After further research, Dr. Kellaris theorized that one way to scratch what he called a “cognitive itch” is to sing the mental tune aloud.

C. CLAIBORNE RAY

East Village Radio - For The Sake Of The Song

Last time we played at Otto's I met a fan from our first incarnation who told me that in 1980 he was too young to get into the clubs where we were appearing. Of course he was excited to FINALLY get to see us live and apparently he was not disappointed. After the show he proceeded to extol the band's virtues and specifically our songwriting. He then went on to tell me that in the intervening 30 years he has not only become a musician in his own write but is also journalist.

It turns out that Jim Allen (didn't I mention his name?), has written album reviews, concert reviews, artist features, CD liner notes, and more, for RollingStone.com, The Village Voice, Mojo, Uncut, CMJ, The Wire, iTunes, V Magazine, Amazon.com, VH1.com, CMT.com, Harp Magazine, Musictoday.com, Perfect Sound Forever, MTV Digital, Blurt, Stylus Magazine, The Advocate, We TV, Women's Health, Prefix, Country Weekly, Goldmine, Amplifier, BarnesandNoble.com, and more.

But that's not the end of it cause he also has a radio show on
The East Village Radio Network which deals with songwriters and their processes.

Today I taped a show with him that is set to be aired this Friday Morning 6 AM EST. For those of you who don't get up at that ungodly hour, click the picture above and you can pick any of his previous shows (after this Friday mine will be included).

Remember, May 28th at 6 AM on
The East Village Radio Network.

Buzzcocks in NYC

Way back in 1977 me and my buddies Dan, George and Matt used to collect, listen to and discuss all the latest British Punk Rock singles as each one came out. Looming large (of course) were the Buzzcocks, first of all the Limey punks to release anything (early 1976!).

So 30+ years later me and my buddies ventured into Irving Plaza to hear if the Buzzcocks still had that punk spark. how did they stack up? Actually pretty damn good! They played their first two albums IN THEIR ENTIRETY and did a good job of getting the sold out crowds attention and keeping it from beginning to end. Below is a review of the show that has a suprise!

Buzzcocks Refuse to Stop Show During NYC Bomb Scare
5/14/2010 By Greg Pratt

Sure, Buzzcocks may be a bunch of old men, but they still have that punk rock attitude, no doubt about it. They still love to tour and as a recent incident in New York City proves, they still don’t give a toss about personal safety when they’re rocking out, which is a vital component of any punk show, isn’t it?

The band were playing a sold-out show at New York City’s Irving Plaza on Thursday (May 13) when there was a bomb threat outside the venue. During their set, police evacuated other buildings around the venue and blocked off some roads after a car was found outside with two gas cans in its back seat.

At around 11:30 p.m., the police interrupted the band’s performance and told vocalist/guitarist Pete Shelley to ask the crowd if anyone owned the vehicle. The band’s other guitarist/vocalist, Steve Diggle, said to the cops, “Tell them to fuck off,” reports Spin. “Isn’t there a robbery going on around the corner?” Then, in true punk fashion, the band continued the song they had stopped (“E.S.P.”) and finished their set.

Maybe they didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation or that the venue was on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave, as perhaps they couldn’t see the message the venue had posted on the television monitors, points out Spinner. But we like to think they knew and didn’t care. After all, if everyone’s stuck in there and potentially about to get blown up, why not keep playing?

In the end, it turned out the owner of the car — a blue 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass — was at the show. As for the gas cans, dude is no terrorist; he mows lawns for a living.

Buzzcocks’ last album was 2006’s Flat-Pack Philosophy; they also recently reissued three of their classic albums.

The band are currently on tour playing their first two albums, Another Music in a Different Kitchen and Love Bites, both originally released in 1978 (and two of the aforementioned albums that got reissued), in their entirety.

The Martial Arts - Your Sinclair

Call it an obsession. Perhaps I relate to Paul Kelly's quirky delivery or his deceptively simple arrangements or his fun yet hearfelt songwriting. Whatever it is, I can't stop playing this record!

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland they have gained attention all over Europe. Blending 60's beats with 70's and 80's delivery The Martial Arts really deliver.

Even though you can get it for free (click the pic) I urge you to actually seek out and purchase this disc. We must all support the musicians and music we love.

Band Meeting

I was avoiding this issue for almost a month but now that it's resolved I am comfortable talking about it...

At our last recording session Joey and I had a huge misunderstanding, stemming not from the matter at hand but from many unspoken (and incorrect) assumptions on both our parts. Even though our current relationship has been on an even keel (not like it was 30 years ago), there were some unresolved issues that bubbled to the surface and manifested themselves in the studio, causing both of us great distress.

Over the course of that month, my mind was in full recovery mode, thinking about how to pull "the fat of this CD project and all it's almost year long sessions" out of the fire. In that month I re-evaluated our new and old songs with what I hope was an unbiased ear. What came of that (rock) and soul searching was a fine tuning of melodies and lyrics that (I think) bring the songs in question up to a new level.

What level? Well, the bar was raised by our experience with Tommy Byrnes during the recording of Crying Town. Shouldn't ALL of our new recordings (and for that matter our current live set) be at that new level? My thinking is, yes it should.

At the meeting, we discussed many things, discovering (after three years) that resentments from young adulthood don't just go away. I guess we were both afraid to rock the boat but now that these issues have been aired, discussed and resolved we (as a band) now know how to proceed to take us (the songs and the band) to that new level.

Will it be easy? Probably not. Old habits die hard and we all have 30-some odd years of habits to break. Will it be satisfying in the long run? My answer (and I can't speak for anyone else) is ABSOLUTELY!

Growth always comes at a time when your resolve is tested. I for one have grown both artistically and personally from this experience and I have a new found excitement for the band.

Let's move forward!





PS The meeting was hosted by Scott at one of the furnished appartments he rents. A beautiful place with a unique lobby. See photos.

RIP Doug Fieger

I was surprised and saddened today to learn that Doug Fieger, leader of The Knack has succumbed to a long illness today.

I've decided to celebrate his talent not with a rehash of their well known (and worn out) debut album Get The Knack! instead I present one of their less known but totally rocking albums, Serious Fun.

Check it out!

Finishing the new CD?

We've been working on our new album in fits and starts since March 2009 and now it looks like we're gonna actually finish it, starting with a final all-day session this coming Saturday. Hopefully we'll get all the actual recording done on the dozen songs we've been assembling and then one last MIX-A-THON!

Hard To Get(rough mix) by buddylove

Now the question is, what should we call it? Someone suggested "Flowers and Kittens". what do you think?

Wo Hop

Where does a starving rock and roll band go to eat at 2 AM in the morning after a gruelling evening of entertainment? There's only one place in New York City and that is Wo Hop in (where else?) Chinatown!

A fixture in my life since high school, when me and my friends would at a moments notice (most likely after an evening of "ahem") drop everything and head into Manhattan for a late night snack.

Here's the band after a typical hard day's night, enjoying the after effects of our after gig meal.