It's All Part of the "fun."

Almost every year there's one album that is a "find"... the discovery of an amazing band that I know nothing about that blows me away with an incredible new release. Previous "finds" have included Dissociatives, Tally Hall, Sugarbomb, Bryan Scary, Self and more. This years "find" is fun. ...literally and figuratively. It's the new band called "fun." (the band name is all lowercase with a period at the end). As it turns out fun. has 3 members, all from other groups, but they're not a "super group" because the sum here is definitely greater than the parts. fun. is Nate Ruess from The Format, Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train. These three put together the best release of the year so far, and they had a little help with arrangements from Roger Joseph Manning Jr. of Jellyfish fame. There are many sounds and influences that pop up here and there, like the Jeff Lynne/ELO vibe of the hot single and my favorite track "All The Pretty Girls." Those of you that want more than just fun power pop will enjoy all the instrumentation and originality of the cool and original "Be Calm" or the lyrical "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)." Aim and Ignite is the debut release from fun. and it's a winner from start to finish, I love every song. Fans of ELO, Jellyfish, Fountains of Wayne and They Might Be Giants should definitely give this one a listen. You can also hear them on the upcoming episode 19 of the ObviousPopCast (coming soon).

For more on the band go here: http://www.myspace.com/fun

The Best of John Hughes - In Loving Memory

To me John Hughes will always be the greatest filmmaker of all time. No one captured the teenage spirit and teen angst like John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Days Off, Some Kind of Wonderful). He also wrote the funniest scripts (Vacation, Christmas Vacation and Plains, Trains and Automobiles), and he could touch the heart with amazingly moving moments like the endings to Uncle Buck and Plains, Trains and Automobiles. He's gone now. He passed away today, tragically, at the age of 59 of a heart attack. I used to go to see some of his movies as many as 6 times each at the theater during their first run. I can't imagine doing that for any movie now. I've probably seen the movie Vacation more than 100 times and it's still as funny today as it was the first time that I saw it. He was one of the first to put an emphasis on the music, helping to break new and undiscovered talent, even starting his own label for his soundtracks, taking a personal role in picking the music for his movies.

Here are my top 10 John Hughes movies... It's hard to put them in order, and hard to pick just 10, he's written and worked on so many...

1. The Breakfast Club
2. Vacation
3. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
5. Christmas Vacation
6. Uncle Buck
7. Some Kind of Wonderful
8. Sixteen Candles
9. Mr. Mom
10. Pretty In Pink

Favorite John Hughes Movie Soundtracks:
1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. The Breakfast Club
3. She's Having A Baby
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Never officially released)
5. Vacation
6. Pretty In Pink
7. Sixteen Candles
8. Plains, Trains and Automobiles
9. Weird Science
10. The Great Outdoors

ObviousPopCast Episode 18 is here! New Music and More!

Episode 18 of the ObviousPopCast is here and it is ALL NEW!! Brand new music from Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, Cheap Trick, Air, Ian Tanner and more! This is 50 minutes of music and mayhem that can be streamed or downloaded as a high quality MP3 and best of all, it's free.

To stream it now click play:

Download it now: ObviousPopCast Episode 18

Add it to your iTunes podcasts: CLICK HERE

(If you use the link to download it to iTunes, it may go into your podcast folder or possibly be listed in the main music library under the title: ObviousPop or the artist name: Dr. Tony Shore.)

Joe's Garage Act IV

They could jam in Joe's garage...

There was an amazing concert last night and you'll never guess where... In Joe Cote's garage in Stillwater, MN! Previously the most exciting thing that ever happened in Joe's garage was an oil leak or Joe trying to tackle an ill-fated handyman project. Last night was monumental for more than the location...Mike Roe of The 77's (on the right below playing the electric) and solo artist-songwriter extraordinaire Michael Miller (on the left below playing the acoustic) put on an AMAZING show.

First up was Michael Miller, who I'm now embarrassed to say I had never heard before last night. His songs were enchanting and melodic and his unique voice fit the music perfectly. He's a world traveler and had amazing stories to go with each song. The great melodies help underscore the fantastic and artistic lyrics. He works with the cream of the musical crop in California and his brand new album features Lyle Workman, Mike Roe and more. I highly recommend seeing him live and his new CD, "I Made You Up."
Find out more on his site: www.michaelmillercrusade.com

Mike Roe never dissapoints. Ever. He's one of the few people who doesn't need a band to keep me entertained live. His voice and his guitar are more than enough and more than you'll get at most major concerts. I would have said "his songs," too, but on this tour he is doing a lot of old gospel and blues standards, which to my power pop sensibilities would normally mean trouble but Mike makes them his own. They all end up sounding like The 77's or Mike Roe in one way or another. He also did 2 Gene Eugene songs and I have to admit I teared up when he talked about Gene and then played his Lost Dog's classic "Jimmy." He played his 77's hit "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" but not his classic arrangement but the Terry Scott Taylor arrangement which Mike said he now prefers. Mike is one of the few performers not limited by the house concert format. If you caught him on this tour you were one of the lucky ones, and if you were in Joe's garage last night you were a part of something very special.
Check out Mike's latest release and get more info here: www.michaelroe.com