HUMAN
MATTERS:
Authenticity
matters in music and other parts of life
Steven
Kalas
Las Vegas
Review-Journal
I'm
looking down the barrel of a five-hour drive, but I'm armed with
the new CD Bitter Suite Swan Songs from the pop
band Poppermost. Never heard of Poppermost? Well then, give yourself a
smack on the forehead and come with me.
Poppermost
is the songwriting duo Alex Oliver and Roy Al Rendahl. I
have followed and enjoyed their career for a few years, but Bitter
Suite
is like nothing they have ever done. I listen to it three times during
my five-hour drive, and I keep shaking my head and smiling. Melody.
Relentless melody that just takes you apart. Vocal harmony to send
shivers down your back. Lyrics that combine a disarming innocence with
ruthless candor.
My
favorite track is "Down," a song that, without irony, lets us
remember the way love draws us like a moth to the flame, illuminating
everything, then tearing us limb from limb: "Love can be as
trivial
just like a matchbox / Left beside somebody's birthday cake / And love
can pierce the soul just like an arrow / If it feels at odds with your
mistakes."
I
opened my e-mail this morning to find yet another story about Britney
Spears. This time she has been busted lip syncing. The fans boo.
Actually, the only thing that surprises me about the story is there
remains any appreciable number of "music fans" in America who
understand such things ought to be booed.
Unfortunately
for her, Britney has become, for me, an icon of sorts,
and not the sort of icon you'd want to be. She represents for me all
that is false and empty about the modern music industry. She's not a
musician. She's not a writer. Her singing voice, reasonably ordinary to
begin with, is poured through multiple filters and compressors. Maybe
it's a person. But maybe it's an android escaped from a Stanley Kubrick
film.
Britney
herself brought two special gifts to the table to place before
the gods of entertainment whimsy in America. She can dance. Oh my, she
can dance. The bulk of her training as a child was in gymnastics and
dance. And she has a compelling navel.
Mostly
I'm just sad for her.
I'm
going on record right now. You'll never see "Britney Unplugged" on
VH1, and, 50 years from now, nostalgic, aging music fans will not be
buying boxed set anthologies of Britney Spears. Never gonna happen.
Actually,
I blame the soulless state of the modern music industry on
The Monkees. That's where it all began. In the wake of the peerless
Beatles, the British Invasion sent great pop act after great pop act to
America. ABC and Colgem Records had a brainchild: Why wait for the
emergence of a great American band when we can invent one? The casting
call yielded Mike, Davey, Peter and Mickey. They hired stud songwriters
such as Carole King and Neil Diamond. Ripped off the format from the
movie A Hard Day's Night. One audience of
eager Monkee fans couldn't wait, so they booed the warm-up act off the
stage. Guy named Jimi Hendrix.
If
you were part of that audience, I urge you to go to rock 'n' roll
confession and clear your conscience.
Used
to be the fundamental job of a disc jockey was not to cue records
and make happy talk, but to listen to listeners. They spent off-air
time combing coffeehouses, bars, street corners, small theaters,
international news services, always on the lookout for brilliance,
talent, poetry. They looked for great songwriters.
Today,
disc jockeys play what they are told to play. Guys in suits
gather in boardrooms and decide what you and I are going to like next.
If
Bob Dylan were 19 today, sitting on a bar stool in a Minnesota
coffeehouse with his hardly above-average guitar skills, using that
wretched-but-real voice of his to launch lyrics that don't happen but
once every 100 years or so ...
...
we'd never know. Because he'd never stand a chance.
The
reason you've never heard of Poppermost is because it isn't famous.
I only know the band because I hang out in bars at open mic nights and
listen to gutsy, courageous, sometimes gifted, sometimes not-so-gifted
nobodies (like me) play and sing original music in smoky rooms for an
audience of mostly other songwriters.
I
listen to Alex and Roy not just because I like them, but because they
are real. Authentic. Loaded with talent. Their craft matters to them.
They risk themselves.
I
don't buy Britney Spears records for the same reason I will never buy
an artificial Christmas tree.
Steven
Kalas is a behavioral health consultant and counselor at Clear
View Counseling and Wellness Center in Las Vegas. His columns appear on
Tuesdays and Sundays. Questions for the Asking Human Matters
column or comments can
be e-mailed to skalas@reviewjournal.com.
May
27, 2007
Copyright
© Las
Vegas Review-Journal
Return to Top
 Las Vegas
Review-Journal
26th
Annual Best of Las Vegas 2007
Best
Local R&B Band -- Reader's Pick
POPPERMOST
Las
Vegas, NV
Not
many R&B bands cite The Clash and Barbra Streisand as
influences, and true to form, Poppermost isn't an obvious fit for this
category: It certainly won't be confused with Pretty Ricky, and for
this, we are eternally grateful. But while not a straight-up
R&B
act in the traditional sense of the term, these hot-blooded rockers do
possess a bit more soul than many of their peers, which manifests
itself in a slick, steady groove. They've been described as the
"anti-Hootie fronting The Who," and thankfully, the band's way more
Live At Leeds than Cracked Rear View.
Return to Top
Nevadan
at Work: Musician finds inspiration between the booths at Denny's
Hubble
Smith
Las
Vegas Review-Journal
Musician
and independent record label owner Alex Oliver says he
finds
fodder for songs in his day job as a Denny's restaurant host.
Photo
by Isaac Brekken.
By
day, Alex Oliver is host at Denny's restaurant on Las Vegas
Boulevard South, near the Stratosphere.
Away
from Denny's, Oliver is lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for
Poppermost, a local pop-rock band that he formed in 2001 with drummer
Phil Kaz and bassist Roy Al Rendahl.
He's
also founder and owner of Suicide Pop! Records, producing the
band's compact discs with the technical assistance of Rendahl.
Poppermost's latest recording, Absolutely Sonic,
released in 2004, is a collection of 12 songs that draw upon Oliver's
experiences at Denny's.
"A
lot of these people are my seeds of inspiration," Oliver said during
an interview at Denny's, where he drank chocolate milk, munched on the
sampler plate and chatted with co-workers. "They were the topics in the
new album. Each of those songs on there was written about someone in
here, their strange habits. It's easier to write about me if I see what
they're doing and what they're up to."
Born
and raised in Los Angeles, Oliver came to Las Vegas in 1998 for a
"change of scenery," to visit his brother and take a vacation. He'd
played in several bands in L.A., took music classes at L.A. City
College that he found boring, earned a degree in psychology at the
University of California, Los Angeles, and taught for two years in the
Los Angeles Unified School District.
"I
just got tired of teaching. It burns you out relatively quickly. You
work with kids and parents who don't know how to raise them because
they're kids themselves," he said.
It
was the peak of summer when Oliver came to Las Vegas, 115 degrees
outside, and he found that he really liked it.
"It
wasn't Los Angeles. I was also a musician in Los Angeles, but
people don't take it seriously, even though the industry is out there,"
he said.
Poppermost
takes its name from a term the Beatles coined in their quest
to become "the toppermost of the poppermost." The band has produced two
CD singles and its self-titled, first full-length CD, Poppermost.
The band's Web site is www.poppermost.com.
Question: You're a singer, songwriter,
musician and producer. Which do you do best?
Answer: I would have to say songwriter.
Question: What's your favorite of the songs
you've written and why?
Answer: My favorite all-time song, on our
first CD, is
called "Lady in Waiting." That's probably my favorite. I wrote it for
my mom while she was sick (with cancer) and she passed away before she
could hear it. You can tell on the recording that's my favorite. I
worked hard on the guitar and vocals. I just really wanted to capture
that feeling of her not going to be around much longer. There was so
much she wanted to do. Being a nurse and a mom and a student, it took
up so much of her time.
Question: How much does it cost to produce
an
album?
Answer: Poppermost is very fortunate in that
Roy, our
bassist, sound engineer and technical wizard, has his own Trimordial
Studio. Because he and I are the band's chief architects, he fronts the
band studio time. After we've finished recording, he calculates time
spent in his studio and is paid accordingly. With Absolutely
Sonic,
we recorded 35 songs and mixed 15 of those for release at a low cost of
about $2,000. CD sales paid for the studio time about three months
after its initial release, thanks to our faithful homegrown fan base, a
growing European fan base and Internet radio.
Question: What do you like least about the
music business?
Answer: Performing. I've been doing it since
I
was 20. I'm
36 now. My knees are starting to give out. There's only so many times I
can fall off the stage and let the music take me over. I'm not Iggy Pop.
Question: What do you like most about the
business?
Answer: When I write music and record. I can
pretend to be
any of my heroes. I can pretend to be the Beatles or Led Zeppelin or
Sly Stone. I think that's the reason I got started. When I was a kid, I
got a guitar and pretended to be the star of the moment, like Pete
Townshend and smash my guitar.
Question: What's the worst job you've ever
had?
Answer: I was a teacher in Los Angeles. As a
teacher, we
were told there's a certain percentage of kids who just won't make it
and we were told to pass them along, just get them through (school).
It's unfortunate. We're rated No. 46 in education in the whole world
and we're the richest country.
Question: What are some advantages and
disadvantages of producing your music on an independent recording label?
Answer: The big disadvantage is you don't
have
a lot of
money to promote yourself. You have to be extremely creative in
promoting your music and your band. If I was independently wealthy, I'd
have plenty of ways to get my songs on the radio.
One
big advantage is I can do whatever the hell I want. I don't have to
follow industry standards. If I want to put out one song, I can. If I
want to put out 12 songs, I can.
Question: How tough is to get exposure as an
independent label?
Answer: The Internet makes it very easy, but
you're put in
there with a lot of other independent labels, so you just keep plugging
away and make sure your music connects with people. So we've actually
had more exposure through the Internet than in Las Vegas. We've been
played a lot more. Once we put stuff on the Internet, people actually
started buying our songs.
Question: What are your musical influences?
Answer: First off, the Beatles, the
(Rolling)
Stones, the
Who. In their day, they were musically the best and they were the best
performers. The thing that pushed me is songwriting and nobody comes
close to the Beatles. They were the best songwriters and their music
touched on everything: rock, folk, R&B, even Indian music.
Question: Do you still have hope of making
it
big? If so, what will it take?
Answer: There's being big and there's being
successful. To
be big, you've got to be in your late teens and early 20s and have
sexual appeal. A lot of bands look really good, but their music is
suspect. Then there's those bands you never see what they look like,
but their music really gets you going. Like Steely Dan. People caught
on to their music rather than the image of those guys. If you want to
be big, look like a rock star. If you want to be successful, write
great songs.
Question: How are you able to balance your
music and your recording business?
Answer: Being schizophrenic. There's part of
the day where
I'm creative and I love that. Then there's part of the day where you
shut that out and become a businessman. If you don't take care of the
business of music, the business will take care of you. You have
copyrights, so if anybody wants to use our music, unless you have a
claim on your work, there's no way to get paid for your work and make
sure you actually did it. There are too many robber barons out there.
May
15, 2005
Copyright
© Las Vegas
Review-Journal
Return to Top
LOCAL
CD [Review]
Poppermost
(3 stars)
Absolutely
Sonic
Local
pop-rock trio Poppermost return with their
second
full-length release, a fun collection of garage-style rock that's
reminiscent of Oasis and the poppier moments of bands like Jet and the
Hives. Some of the arrangements could be a little tighter, but songs
like the energetic "Catch Me If I Fall" and the Southern-flavored "Bang
Bang" are catchy, infectious good times.
--
Josh Bell Las
Vegas Weekly Oct 14.2004
Return to Top
Poppermost
CD Review, LVLocalMusicScene.com, June 2, 2003
The
songwriting is solid, the instruments are played
well,
and the vocals are definitely on (key). Credit that all to the
respective members of Poppermost's musical maturity. These guys have
been around the musical world for a while, and it's evident. The track
"This Time Tomorrow" had some toe-tappin' appeal. Give that one a spin
for sure.
--
traVis d' interN, LVLocalMusicScene.com
Return to Top
What
We Think, Our picks for the best bands (p. 26)
Las
Vegas Weekly, The Music Issue, April 25,
2003
Poppermost:
With an acoustic pop sound reminiscent
of
classic '60s rock, Poppermost don't sound like your typical Vegas act,
and they don't act like it, either. You're just as likely to catch them
at Downtown landmark the Iowa Café as at a typical local
rock
club.
--
Las
Vegas Weekly
Return to Top
CD
Review, Music Noise: For the Record (p. 27)
Las
Vegas Weekly, August 29, 2002
POPPERMOST
(Suicide Pop! Records)
POPPERMOST
On
its self-titled debut, Poppermost pops on through
pleasant, pure, and psychedelic musical licks. This newly formed band
consists of singer/songwriter, guitarist and pianist Alex Oliver and
Roy Al Rendahl, who plays bass.
The
album's sound could be best described as a mix of the '60s band
America, a little bit of the feel-good band Phish, and the unassuming
charm of Elvis Costello. The easy groove of the acoustics matched with
harmonizing vocals takes you to a different time and place.
The
disc opens with the upbeat and quirky "Bang Bang." Oliver's
distorted voice is reminiscent of Social Distortion's Mike Ness, and
the song even has that great rockabilly vibe. This is one track that
demands repeated play because of its infectious rhythm and lyrics.
Poppermost
not only offers up happy upbeat songs but lays down some
serious tracks that give the album substance. With "Lady-In-Waiting,"
about a young woman's lost battle with cancer, Poppermost delivers a
beautifully sad song.
This
new band and its new album are worth lighting the incense,
clearing the mind, and letting the music take you on a magic carpet
ride.
--
Shawna Edge, Las
Vegas Weekly
Return to Top
Article
from the October 2, 2002 issue of Southeast
View and the September 25, 2002 issue of Green
Valley/Henderson View, published by the Las Vegas Review Journal
Duo
having fun on the way up
Poppermost
performs at local restaurants, bars and
nightclubs
Alex
Oliver and Roy Al Rendahl are two halves of the local alternative
band Poppermost. Their name comes from The Beatles, who said they'd be
going "to the toppermost of the poppermost."
Performing
in restaurants, nightclubs, bars and bookstores, Oliver and
Rendahl have a ways to go to get to the top. But the musical duo is
determined to have fun on the way.
According
to Oliver's wife Debbie, both Poppermost band members are
multi-talented renaissance men. Rendahl is trained as a mechanical
machine design engineer. He actually holds a patent on a fancy hinge he
designed for a previous employer. In addition to engineering, he works
as a fine and graphic artist, and as a recording studio technician. The
artist has three mixed-media pieces and several photographs on exhibit
in the Cirque du Soleil corporate offices. In Fresno, Calif., he
designed a ceramic tile roadside mural that was eventually built by
schoolchildren.
Oliver
has ties to schoolchildren, as well -- he taught elementary
school, junior high and high school in Los Angeles. The singer still
explores teaching when the band volunteers at the Snyder Unit of the
Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas.
"After
a couple of times over there, they would actually sing our songs
with us," Oliver said. Then we'd play little things for them like the
theme song from 'Scooby Doo.' They really seemed to like that. There's
a lot of kids there who are aspiring singers. They want to grow up to
be the next Brittany Spears."
Poppermost
began with another band, which the Olivers and Rendahl
insist remain nameless.
"We
were the only two communicating musically, so we left that band
behind. They found people to replace us, but they were ultimately fired
at knife-point by the drummer's wife," Oliver said.
"Allegedly,"
Debbie Oliver added. "We heard it second-hand. They got
out just in time."
Performing
without their former bandmates is challenging. When they
play live, the duo is just bass and acoustic guitar, punctuated by
Oliver's voice. But when they record, the sound captured in Rendahl's
home music lab is easily mistaken for a whole band.
"Alex
can play the whole percussion set on the keyboard with his
fingers like he's playing a piano," Rendahl said.
"We've
been looking for other singers and musicians to make a full
band, but we decided we couldn't find anybody who fit, so we just
finished our CD and now that that's done, we're looking for musicians
again," Oliver said.
The
band would like to add a drummer, a second guitarist and another
vocalist or two to add harmonies and contribute to the songwriting.
"But
they need someone to come in who can carry their own weight. These
two do so much that if someone came in and couldn't keep up, they'd be
miserable," Debbie Oliver said.
Oliver
knows the meaning of musical misery. As a young black man
growing up in a predominantly black and Latino South Central Los
Angeles school, he was frequently teased about the poster of The Who's
Pete Townshend hanging in his locker.
"My
first guitar, when I was three years old, I smashed just like Pete
Townshend," he said. "My mother took one look at it and said, 'There's
only 364 more days 'till next Christmas. You're not getting another
guitar until then.' "
Oliver
always has loved pop music. He's just grateful none of his
friends knew about his love for Barbra Streisand.
Poppermost
can be heard Friday at the Iowa Cafe, 300 E. Charleston
Blvd., #101, from 7 to 10 p.m.; and Oct. 12 at the grand opening
celebration of the Summerlin Borders Books Music & Cafe, 10950
W.
Charleston Blvd., from 1 to 3 p.m.
--
GINGER MIKKELSEN, VIEW STAFF WRITER
Return to Top
CD
Release Party Notice
from
July 12, 2002 issue (p. 35) of Las
Vegas Review-Journal's NEON
What
Local Scene?
At
Iowa Cafe today, a local, alternative-light-pop
band,
Poppermost, throws its first CD-release party to celebrate the groups's
self-titled album on independent label Suicide Pop! Records.
If
you're one of those annoying people who always complains that
there's not a big enough platform for Vegas-based bands, well, here's
your chance to toss a little support to the way of a decent, eclectic
Vegas act.
The
shindig runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the cafe, 300 E. Charleston
Blvd.
--
Doug Elfman, NIGHT BEAT
Return to Top
CD
Release Party Notice
from
the July 11, 2002 issue (p. 24) of Las Vegas
CityLife
[We
made City Picks! -- CityLife's best bets for the week ahead!]
Fri/12
Ted
Geisel, aka Dr. Suess, wrote a book called The 500 Hats
of Bartholomew Cubbins.
It's a story about a little boy who has a seemingly unlimited supply of
hats. Every time he removes a hat from his head, a new, bigger, fancier
hat appears in its place. This proves problematic when the king orders
his head chopped off for not removing his hat in his presence, because
one can't be executed with a hat on one's head.
CityLife and assumingly other individuals
and
news outlets
around the valley had a similar experience lately. A local band,
Poppermost, is having a release party for their self-titled debut
effort. To spread the word, they mailed out postcard invitations to
each editor at CityLife. And then another. And then
another.
Then another. In fact, it seemed as though the moment we would throw
one in the trash bin, two more would appear in the mailbox. So there's
one thing that can be said about them before even hearing their music:
You've gotta give the Pops props for promo.
Poppermost
will celebrate the release of their first full-length CD
from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. at the Iowa Cafe, 300 E Charleston Blvd.
Admission: free. Info 366-1882.
[NOTE
from Poppermost: In our own defense, to the best of our knowledge
we only sent one invitation to each appropriate press person, and while
that naturally amounted to a lot of invitations into their office, we
tried not to be negligent with duplications like the article says.]
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