So Please Just Go Do What You Please

TooPoppy favorite Jon Auer of the Posies, Big Star, and some must-have solo artist fame has a new project - Dynamo Royale. This is with his band mate/partner Tiz Aramini.

What makes this interesting is he's reaching out via social funding site Kickstarter.  For as little as $1 you get sincere thanks and a listing on their forthcoming website. For $10 you get that plus what you really want - a digital download of the album.  For $1,250 you get all that plus rights to their first born.  Okay, not really, but you do get some really cool stuff.  They are less than $500 away from their goal of $8,000.  Make it happen people.  Album is due October 2013.  Personal plea from Jon and Tiz below.

Thank You Friends

In celebration of Record Store Day tomorrow, Steven Wilson of Plasticsoul and Brandon Schott have released a cover version of Big Star's Thank You Friend. It's a very limited download for the first 200 fans here! Quite nice, but I would not have expected any less.


Big Star is also celebrating the bygone era of record store glory with a test pressing vinyl release of Third (from which Thank You Friend comes). Other notable releases include Bruce Springsteen, Built to Spill, Crowded House, Death Cab for Cutie, Fistful of Mercy, Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, Green Day/Husker Du (!!), Nirvana, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., The dBs, The Flaming Lips, and the like (not the band). See a full list here.

Many of the releases are exclusive to Record Store Day and quite rare. A few bands make the product available after, but many don't. Lines have been known to form early in the day so go to your favorite local shop and support a dying breed for at least one more day! I'll be hitting Zzz at some point tomorrow!

Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay

One of the greatest joys in life is "discovering" a band no matter how old or new. Do you remember the first time you heard The Beatles? How about Jellyfish? Two defining bands in my life and I remember vividly those first few moments of discovery.

The A.V. Club's Better Late Than Never? column documents such discoveries that arguably should have come much sooner in life. The latest is Big Star, a band I didn't discover until college when I realized virtually every band I loved called Big Star a primary musical influence. This author was turned on to them for tragic reasons, but gives us a glimpse into what it's like to discover.

I've listened to a lot of music through the years so discoveries of past greats are becoming rare. Thankfully my son is ripe for learning the ways of Too Poppy so I can live vicariously through his ears. Nothing is more amazing than seeing your 7-year-old's eyes light up while listening to the music you love on his iPod! I'm not sure he's up for Big Star quite yet, but he'll get there!

The Day, It Will Abide

Man, it's been a tough year for us Big Star fans.

R.I.P.
Andy Hummel, 59 years young
story link

This Sounds a Bit Like Goodbye

The surviving members of Big Star old and new along with some very special friends played a tribute this past weekend in Memphis to Alex Chilton. I would've gladly witnessed the "affirmation" of the brilliance of Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow in addition to R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Brendan Benson, and John Davis of Superdrag.

Check out a review here. Let's hope they officially release this or I'll have to beg, borrow, and steal a bootleg!

I Never Travel Far Without a Little Big Star

No!

R.I.P. - Alex Chilton (via)

The singer and guitarist, best known as a member of '60s pop-soul act the Box Tops and the '70s power-pop act Big Star, died today at a hospital in New Orleans. Chilton, 59, had been complaining of about his health earlier today. He was taken by paramedics to the emergency room where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack.

Terrible.

I'd Really Like to See You Again

NPR had a great feature on "The Unluckiest Band in America" today. Big Star has had an immeasurable impact on the many Too Poppy-friendly bands that would come after, but they never had their true moment of glory. Check out the great segment documenting their story and buy the new box set to catch up.

Previously...

Keep an Eye on the Sky

Big Star - the "quintessential power-pop band?" The best way to argue this point is to sample the tunage. Out on September 15 is Keep an Eye on the Sky, a new 4-disc box set that chronicles early 70s Big Star...

...a trove of unreleased demos, unused mixes, alternate versions of songs, and a 1973 concert recorded in Memphis. The lavish packaging includes extensive liner notes, rare and never-before-seen photos, and insightful essays about the cult of Big Star and the band's history.

Pre-order now. NPR.org is streaming disc one already!