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Jellybricks get a little more serious on latest CD
The band is now in its second decade.
The new CD from the Jellybricks is another helping of refined power-pop.
Nothing new about that. The Harrisburg, Pa., band fronted by Boardman native Larry Kennedy has been putting out insanely catchy albums for more than a decade.
However, “Goodnight to Everyone” has a different edge.
Don’t be alarmed: The punchy JB sound is still at peak level, as are the typically wry and witty lyrics. Longtime fans won’t be yearning for the carefree days of old.
But there’s a little darkness around the edges — or at least as much as is possible for a band like the 'bricks.
It’s probably imperceptible to new listeners. But the album is weightier in tone, both lyrically and, to a lesser extent, musically.
The Jellybricks return to Cedars Lounge Saturday as part of International Pop Overthrow. With that in mind, The Vindicator caught up with Kennedy to answer some questions.
Q. I sensed a subtle change in “Goodnight to Everyone.” It’s not quite so lighthearted. The title song is about a person who is pondering (and committing?) suicide. Where did that come from?
A. A very close friend of mine had developed some problems which seemed to suggest an inevitable, willful (in a sense) demise, and things had reached a point where I could no longer locate this friend to communicate, let alone be of any help or support. “Goodnight” started out as a musical idea which was pretty fun and jubilant, but the lyrics began as a kind of frustrated open letter to my friend. The light at the end of this story’s tunnel is that this person has defied the odds, survived and is doing well, so the song is already like a time capsule of a woeful moment which has fortunately passed.
In general, I think most of the songs on the new album are coming from a place that is more beat-up and burdened than we’ve done in a while. Our first album, “Kinky Boot Beast” was comprised of a lot of songs about difficult times and feelings, so many of the songs were perhaps “snottier” than we’ve done since, but the new album revisits some of those feelings of anger, sadness and frustration.
The main difference is that we’ve been together 11 years since we released “Kinky,” so our sound, subject matter and approach have all evolved in various ways. The album isn’t a dirge, though. We’re still playing to entertain musically in any way we can. It’s a fairly diverse collection of rock tunes, and the vibe remains fairly lighthearted, I believe.
Q. It’s been a while since “Power This” was released (2004). Update us on what the Jellybricks have been up to.
A. Sometime during that period we got to record and release two Beatles covers (“She Said She Said” and “You Won’t See Me”) on Majestic Records’ “Majestical Mystery Tour” collection, while also releasing a couple of Christmas songs (a version of The Kinks’ “Father Christmas,” and “The Chipmunks’ Song,” which is very silly indeed).
We also got to open for Fountains of Wayne and Vertical Horizon, visited Atlanta and Athens, Ga., for the first time, and played our first show on a riverboat.
Q. Talk about International Pop Overthrow. When did you first get affiliated with it, and how?
A. During our second year together, we performed at the very first IPO in Los Angeles in August 1998, at Jack’s Sugar Shack at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. On the bill with us that night was Cleveland’s Paranoid Lovesick, some of whose members are now in Sky Dragster, also appearing at Youngstown IPO. It was a memorably great time for us, and introduced us to some of the underground pop scene’s more influential writers and enthusiasts. We proceeded to play several more Los Angeles IPO events over the next few years, the highlight of which was a standing-room-only show at the El Rey Theater where we shared a bill with both Phantom Planet (who sang the theme from “the O.C.”) and Kara’s Flowers (who later became Maroon 5). We’re still waiting for the magic dust of that evening to kick in for us!
The festivals are basically an all-you-can-dig power-pop free-for-all. Each band has it’s own sound, look and personality, but they all generally have in common a melodic sense and energy level to appeal to a wide variety of music fans.
The easiest way to explain the vibe, though, is that it’s a haven for folks who love the guitar music of the 1960s, the punk, pop and new wave of the ’70s and ’80s, and anything as tuneful as Nirvana to Oasis and beyond. For us, it’s exciting to see the festival come not only to my hometown, but to my hometown club, Cedars Lounge.
Q. It’s been a while since the band last played Youngstown. What can we expect at Saturday’s show?
A. The truth is that we played there not too long ago, but with another out-of-town band from West Virginia, and with our own promotional wires crossed, so many folks who would normally come to the show didn’t even know we were playing.
But it was a while before that show that we’d been to Youngstown, so hopefully some people have missed us and will want to come to check out IPO. We’re playing less than usual, because the IPO format is for six or seven bands playing 30-minute sets, with very short changeovers. It means that the bands you really love leave you wanting more, and if you’re not crazy about someone, you’ll get another act before you know it.