Cheaper Than A Dime

Here they go again. The Beatles are relentlessly relieving our wallets of our hard-earned cash with even more releases. They must be the most prolific band that broke up more than 40 years ago.

It's George Harrison week on Conan, which means four performances of classic Harrison tunes. Beck kicked it off last night with Wah-Wah, a refreshingly unique choice.


Of course what I love most is his band, which includes Jellyfish's Jason Falkner and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Of course Jr. has been playing with Beck for many years and Falkner has played with McCartney himself, so it's legit. Paul Simon, Dhani Harrison, and Norah Jones will finish off the week. Each of the remaining artists have some personal connection to the Quiet One, which makes the whole idea that much more special.

It's all to celebrate this week's release of George Harrison's The Apple Years, a six album box set that includes, well, all his albums released by Apple Records, including his tour de force All Things Must Pass.

Official Site | Amazon | iTunes

The Stage Is Set And The Show Is Beginning

Jason Falkner. Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. Brian Reitzell. All names that Too Poppers are likely familiar with. For context, how about Jellyfish, Moog Cookbook, The Grays, Imperial Drag, Air, and Beck? All three have been in or worked with those artists and together, they are TV Eyes.

I've been covering TV Eyes since the early days of Too Poppy. She's a Study was the first tune we all heard, instantly hooking us with the keyboards and beats that uncannily sound more authentic 80s than merely reverential 80s. Their debut album was finally released in 2006 after several months and years of being teased. Sadly, it was only released in Japan, as was their follow-up EP.

We should've seen this coming. Omnivore Recordings clearly must be run by fans of Jellyfish and its many branches - er, tentacles - given their ongoing reissue campaign. Indeed, on October 7, Omnivore is finally releasing TV Eyes' debut album stateside complete with most of the Softcore EP. CD. Digital. Yellow vinyl! I'll let the trailer finish this post off...



Pre-order

They Just Seem a Little Weird

Check out Jellyfish's Roger Joseph Manning Jr. playing keyboards with Cheap Trick!

Watch the full episode. See more Austin City Limits.

Like it? Like Austin City Limits on PBS? Like NPR's All Songs Considered? Well then you damn well better support public broadcasting. Too many in Congress think there is no longer a point to funding such a fundamental piece of our culture. It's time to tell them they are so fucking wrong. Public broadcasting is in serious danger and Too Poppy relies on it in more ways than you'll ever know. I bet you do too. Here's one place to start voicing your support and let Congress know that we cannot take this vital resource for granted. In the meantime, I'll step off my soapbox so you can enjoy Cheap Trick above!

We All Race For The Finish Line

Bleu is previewing a few new tunes from his upcoming album Four on Facebook and one of them prominently features Jellyfish's Roger Joseph Manning Jr.! Sounds fantastic - quite Macca-esque. Can't wait to hear the rest.

I Hope the Party Never Ends

Holy freakin' moly, look at this lineup for the Charlotte Pop Festival on September 24-26, 2009 -

The Posies | Roger Joseph Manning Jr. | The Spongetones | Pat DiNizio | Mike Viola | Myracle Brah | and so much more!

Tickets are $25 per day. Proceeds from Charlotte Pop Fest will benefit The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science. I have no idea what the hell that is, but it sounds like a good enough cause for me!

Charlotte is 3 hours from me. Anyone up for a road trip??!!??

You and Your Angelic Shout

Mogul = Bleu, Mike Viola, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and Rooney.
Mogul performing Jellyfish's That is Why = stunning.


Thanks, @myhmphs!

Life is Full of Living

Today marks the release of Bleu's long-awaited new album A Watched Pot. Download it from iTunes or Amazon, or get physical copies from Not Lame (w/bonus EP) or Newbury Comics (w/autograph).

He's playing with Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Mike Viola, and the Rooney rhythm section - collectively known as Mogul - tonight at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood! Those Hollywood bums have all the luck.

Here's what Roger said is on tap tonight:

The 4 songs I will be playing with the band are: That is Why, Sebrina Paste & Plato, The Land of Pure Imagination, and a song that Bleu and I recently wrote called Everything Is Fine.

Excuse me for awhile - I need to somehow lift my jaw from the floor.

I Won't Go Hollywood

...but I should. Just look at who Bleu is playing with in the coming weeks...

Jun 30 - 9:00P - Hotel Cafe - Record Release w special acoustic set from Rooney, Hollywood, CA
Jul 07 - 9:00P - Hotel Cafe - Record Release w Drake Bell, Hollywood, CA
Jul 09 - 8:00P - Knitting Factory w Ace Enders, Hollywood, CA
Jul 14 - 8:00P - Hotel Cafe - Record Release w Mike Viola and special guest Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Hollywood, CA
Jul 22 - 6:00P - In Store at Newbury Comics, Faneuil Hall Location
Jul 24 - 8:00P - TT The Bear's - Record Release w Hooray For Earth, Air Traffic Controller & Count Zero, Cambridge, MA
Jul 25 - 8:00P - Joe's Pub - Record Release w Jim Boggia, NYC - EARLY SHOW!
Jul 31 - 8:00P - Puck Live - Record Release w Jim Boggia, Doylestown, PA
Aug 01 - 9:00P - The Listening Room - Record Release w Sandra McCracken, Nashville, TN

Bleu, Mike Viola, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Rooney? Mind-blowing.

When I Think Back

Today is the day Too Poppers and members of the Jellyfish Army have been waiting nearly a year for - the US release of Roger Joseph Manning Jr.'s new solo album Catnip Dynamite. I've spent nearly a year becoming fairly intimate with it and I'm happy to report that it's well worth the extra change I spent having it imported from Japan. You will not be disappointed.

The US version comes with three bonus tracks:

Bonus Tracks - Live From Fuji Rock, Japan
12. Europa and the Pirate Twins
13. You Were Right
14. Love Lies Bleeding

Cool Popper Powerpopaholic has a great interview with the former Jellyfish right here. You can get an autographed copy of the album from - who else? - Newbury Comics here. Not Lame fan? Here. And of course here are the links for the iTunes and Amazon MP3 downloads.

Do it. Now. Enjoy the hell out of it and revel in the beauty of perfect pop.

Let Me Take You Out To A Movie

I had a pleasant surprise in my inbox this morning. Too Poppy favorite Willie Wisely interviews Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. regarding the release of Catnip Dynamite in the US. They both are now on the same record label. The first of three clips is below with the remaining here.



Catnip Dynamite hits the states on 03 February 2009. Pre-Order

Down In Front - the first single available @ iTunes.

Bonus: Too Late For Us Now (Free MP3 Download)

Let the Good Times Roll

A followup on US release of Roger Joseph Manning Jr.'s latest:

Oglio Records will be releasing the US version of Catnip Dynamite on Feb. 3rd, 2009. The US version contains 3 bonus tracks.
01.The Quickening
02.Love’s Never Half As Good
03.Down In Front
04.My Girl
05.Imaginary Friend
06.Haunted Henry
07.Tinsel Town
08.The Turnstile at Heaven’s Gate
09.Survival Machine
10.Living in End Times
11.Drive Thru Girl
Bonus Tracks – Live From Fuji Rock, Japan
12.Europa and the Pirate Twins
13.You Were Right
14.Love Lies Bleeding

Download Down in Front on iTunes now.

Let It Flow

This just in from Mr. Willie Wisely:

Many of you are big fans of Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook, TV Eyes, also Beck, Air, Morrissey, Glen Campbell, Cheap Trick and more).

Roger has a new record coming out on Oglio Records, home to my latest release "Wisely". As his label-mate, I've been invited to welcome him to Oglio, in a sort of "Rush Week" gesture, with an artist-on-artist video interview (aka: a Paddling).

Do you have a question you'd like me to ask our favorite songwriter/keyboardist wiz. Email it to me and I'll try to slip it into the punch.

Dig Roger's forthcoming album, streaming here: http://snipurl.com/5871u

It's been a bit less than a year since Catnip Dynamite was released in Japan. This is indeed great news for all of you unwilling/unable to pay import prices. A release date is unclear at this point, but I'll keep digging. It also appears the track list is a bit different and longer than the Japan-only release. Sweet.

Wisely's email address - can't wait to read/hear the interview.

The Birth of an Accident Grew to a Spectacle

Set your TiVos, because this is about as close to a reunion as you'll be getting any time soon.

Whoa. This is Roger Joseph Manning Jr. talking about Jellyfish. Specifically, he and Jason Falkner will be backing up Glen Campbell on Jay Leno tonight! That is half the original Jellyfish lineup in case you were wondering. I think it's pretty cool we'll be able to watch them tonight, but as a Jellyfish nut, it's the "any time soon" that really caught my attention. I've never once believed they'd ever reunite and I pretty much still feel that way, but "any time soon" is just the slight opening that any rabid fan needs to get the salivary glands working.

Whoa.

By the way, Campbell's new album Meet Glen Campbell features Glen covering artists that range from John Lennon and Tom Petty to Travis and Green Day. Cash in or reinvention? That's a matter of personal opinion. Interesting if not original project, though. Manning and Falkner both perform on the album hence the Leno performance tonight.

You'll Love What We Have Planned

Popshifter has quite an extensive interview with Roger Joseph Manning Jr. of Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook, Malibu, TV Eyes, Air, Beck, and the like. Nice!

Assimilation Process

TV Eyes (the 80s new wavey side band featuring Falkner and Manning of Jellyfish) have a new release! It's merely an EP called Softcore, but it features a few new tunes and several remixes of songs from their full-length.

The bummer is that so far, this - like their full-length - is only available via Japan. You can order the import at Amazon.com or you can order it from CDJapan, which Manning recommends. I bought one of Manning's albums from CDJapan and I was impressed at how quickly I actually received it despite their warnings that it could take awhile.

So, why no downloads to make this easier for North American fans? Can't be too tough to get it on iTunes, emusic, or any of the other outlets. Take a cue from fellow popsters The Major Labels who have figured this thing out. Harumph.

Tracks:

1. STOP ME
2. ASSIMILATION PROCESS
3. WON'T LAST FOREVER
4. FASCINATING (JASON FALKNER REMIX)
5. SHE'S A STUDY (ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. 'MALIBU' REMIX)
6. FADE AWAY (QURULI 'NOISE MCCARTNEY' REMIX)
7. TIME'S UP (BRIAN REITZELL REMIX)

Order the one with the DVD - it appears to be the same price as the regular release ($15-ish) although it is region-2 encoded (making it that much more frustrating.)

My Imaginary Friend

It's not everyday you receive a package from Japan. But today, Roger Joseph Manning's follow-up to the awesome Solid State Warrior (Land of Pure Imagination stateside) arrived. While I'm still listening to it as I write, it is AWESOME so far. Everything I expected, hoped for, and more! If you liked Solid State Warrior, you'll like Catnip Dynamite. That's a TooPoppy Guarantee™. Rock, Pop, Power Pop, Retro - it's all there.

Order from Not Lame today!

Previously...

The Quickening

How terribly rude - such inessential matters such as work, children with pneumonia, and family visits over just the past few weeks forced me to neglect the Japan-only release of Roger Joseph Manning Jr.'s new album Catnip Dynamite.

It is neglected no more.

Yes, disappointingly it is only available in Japan or through this fancy new thing called the Interwebs. The price surely ain't right (Amazon, seriously, $50+?!?), but the good people on ManningSpace, Inc. told us a little secret - you can find it relatively cheap (for an import) at cdjapan.co.jp (2300 yen = $20-something). To save on shipping, it's going to take something like 2 years to get to me, but I'll let you know how it is.

UpdateIt is also available through Not Lame for pre-order for $36. Better than $50. It is due at Not Lame by the first week in April so it will ship faster than the Japan site. Too bad I already ordered mine from Japan. I should have known Not Lame would come through.

Maybe You Think I'm Lucky

Our favorite pop-centric online record store is giving away music today! Over at the Not Lame blog, you can freely download the aptly-named NOT LAME BLOG Soundtrack, Vol. One, complete with 15 nuggets of power-pop goodness. Bleu, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Myracle Brah, need I say more? No, I don't. Those three are good enough for me, but I'm sure I'll enjoy at least another ten of them.

For the full tracklist, head on over.

I've made it a bit more convenient for you Not Lame lovers by zipping all the files. I hope they don't mind.

MP3s: NOT LAME BLOG Soundtrack, Vol. One (zip file, tracks via Not Lame Blog)

In Their Quest For Buried Treasure

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. announces an all new album on 19 March 2008. Curiously named "Catnip Dynamite", it will only be released in Japan. Roger finds himself without a label in the United States and is looking for suggestions. I suggested NotLame of course!

The Bounce

Roger Joseph Manning Jr.'s electro-alter-ego Malibu released Robo-Sapiens earlier this year in Japan. Now it's available stateside.

Download via iTunes
Purchase via Amazon.com
Download via Amazon.com
Preview at hisspace
Learn more here