Spongetones
Encyclopedia
The Spongetones, formed in 1981, are a power pop
band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They formed from a Beatles cover act that had been playing at a local Charlotte bar.
Very much influenced by the British Invasion
, the Spongetones carried on the musical genre through acclaimed original songwriting, jangle pop
riffs, and lilting vocals of Beatlesque quality. In his 2007 book, Shake Some Action, John M. Borack
rated the Beat and Torn album at number 25 of his Top 200 Power Pop Albums of all time, comparing the album to early Beatles and Searchers
, calling the album "simply wonderful." Rolling Stone
gave Beat and Torn a 3-1/2 star review.
Also:
The band cites the following influences: The Beatles
, The Rolling Stones
, The Dave Clark 5, The Animals
, The Zombies
, The Hollies
, Manfred Mann
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
, The Searchers
, The Kinks
, The Beach Boys
, The Yardbirds
, The Byrds
, Cream
, Jimi Hendrix
, The Doors
, The Who
, and Spirit
.
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They formed from a Beatles cover act that had been playing at a local Charlotte bar.
Very much influenced by the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
, the Spongetones carried on the musical genre through acclaimed original songwriting, jangle pop
Jangle pop
Jangle pop is a genre of alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming or jangly guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Byrds, with their electric twelve-string guitars and power pop song structures. Mid-1980s jangle pop was a non-mainstream "pop-based...
riffs, and lilting vocals of Beatlesque quality. In his 2007 book, Shake Some Action, John M. Borack
John M. Borack
John M. Borack is a music critic and musician from California.-Writer:Borack's reviews, columns and feature articles have appeared in periodicals such as Goldmine, Amplifier, The Garden Grove Journal, Audities and Popsided...
rated the Beat and Torn album at number 25 of his Top 200 Power Pop Albums of all time, comparing the album to early Beatles and Searchers
The Searchers (band)
The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
, calling the album "simply wonderful." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave Beat and Torn a 3-1/2 star review.
Band members
The following are the original and current members of The Spongetones:- Jamie Hoover (guitars, vocals, occasional bass and drums) -- Hoover also has toured and recorded with Don Dixon and Marti JonesMarti JonesMarti Jones is a singer and painter originally from Uniontown, Ohio.Jones was initially a member of the band Color Me Gone, who recorded one EP for A&M Records in 1983. Her first solo album, 1985's "Unsophisticated Time" , was produced by Don Dixon...
, the SmithereensSmithereensSmithereens may refer to:* Smithereens , a 1982 film by Susan Seidelman* The Smithereens, a rock band from New Jersey* Smithereens a book by Shaun Micallef* Natives of Smithers, a town in Canada...
, Graham ParkerGraham ParkerGraham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
as a member of "The Small Clubs", and produced Americana artist Rebecca RippyRebecca RippyRebecca Rippy is an American singer/songwriter, most notably in the roots country and Americana genres. She was born to a musical family and grew up singing gospel music, picking up a guitar and starting to write at 19 years of age. She has released two critically acclaimed records, Secrets , and...
, as well as playing several instruments on both of her releases. He owns and operates a project studio in Charlotte, NC, called "Hooverama@Liquid Studios". Musician Bill Lloyd collaborates with Jamie Hoover via "through-the-mail writing".http://www.billlloydmusic.com. Hoover has produced (or co-produced) all the Spongetones' albums.
- Steve Stoeckel (bass, vocals, guitars) -- Stoeckel is also the "stagecoach" for the Spongetones (i.e., he organizes the setlists, etc.)
- Rob Thorne (drums, percussion) -- Thorne also handles the booking for the band.
- Pat Walters (guitars, vocals and keyboards)
Also:
- Greg James (bass, keyboards, backing vocals) -- James took over as the official Spongetones bassist during 1985 and 1986, when Stoeckel left the band for a time. This occurred between the releases of Torn Apart and Where-Ever-Land; Stoeckel returned in time to replace James for the recording of Where-Ever-Land. However, James maintained a working relationship with the band thereafter, playing a role in the creation of every Spongetones album from 1987 to 2005, either as a co-writer of original material, or as a session musician (or sometimes both).
Influences
The band cites the following influences: The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Dave Clark 5, The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
, The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
, The Searchers
The Searchers (band)
The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and Spirit
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
.
Reviews
- "The Spongetones are aglow with a forward-thrusting musical abandon that recalls the glory days of many of the most familiar British Invasion front-liners, including the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five, the Zombies and the Who....But the SpongeTones' music has little of the rote, dogmatic obeisance of mere revivalism; instead, it sounds like the soundtrack to a party so good it could never happen in real life." - Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, September 15, 1983
- Chris Woodstra (Allmusic) called the Spongetones' albums "effortlessly catchy." Woodstra wrote that 1995's Textural Drone Thing was more subtle than the Spongetones' other albums.http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003076/The-Spongetones.html
- "The SpongeTones are without a doubt the finest example of pure, unadulterated Beatlesque joy to emanate from the indie pop underground." - Goldmine Magazine, November 2006.http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2008/05-01-08/pb_scotts.htmhttp://events.gastongazette.com/charlotte-nc/events/show/85415290-the-spongetones
Albums
- Beat Music (1982)
- Torn Apart (1984 - mini LP)
- Where-Ever-Land (1987)
- Oh Yeah! (1991)
- Textural Drone Thing (1995)
- Odd Fellows (2000)
- Number 9 (2005)
- Too Clever By Half (2008)
- Scrambled Eggs (2009)
Compilations
- Welcome to Comboland: A Collection of Twelve Artists From North Carolina (1986), which also included songs by The ConnellsThe ConnellsThe Connells are an American band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They play a guitar-oriented, melodic, power pop style of rock music with introspective lyrics that reflect the American South. Though mostly dormant, the band continues to play to this day...
, The Othermothers and Fetchin' Bones - Beat & Torn (1994) (compiles Beat Music and Torn Apart, + one bonus track)
- Beat the Spongetones (2005) (compiles early demo recordings)
- Mersey Christmas (2006) (compiles Christmas-themed fan-club releases)
- Always Carry On: The Best of the Spongetones (2007)
Jamie Hoover solo
- Coupons, Questions and Comments (1990)
- Jamie Hoo-Ever (2004)
- Lind Me Four (2006)
- Most Loved Melodies (2006 - compilation)
Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel ("Jamie and Stevehttp://www.jamieandsteve.net")
Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel continue to work together, writing and recording new music.- English Afterthoughts http://www.jamieandsteve.net/english_afterthoughts.html (2009)
- The Next Big Thing (To be released late 2011)