JoyFocus

So, we’ve started the process of making our next record, and I got to tell you, this record, for us, is the most exciting piece of musical expression we’ve been involved with yet.
We’ve spent days slaving over sounds and working on arrangements, weeks working on pointed, thought provoking lyrics and now we’re gearing up for months of inspired performances. All of this, to capture and record the beauty & complexity of our art, so we can share it with the world. We’re making an album. A cohesive, layered, collection of music packaged in cool artwork and complete with liner notes, song lyrics and “thanks” to those that have helped along the way.

As artists, it’s the details that we enjoy. Making everything as perfect as possible.

Not a perfection gauged by any commerce driven standards, but rather measured by our vision of the ideal marriage of sound, emotion & execution. It’s about following our hearts to the logical conclusion of what we feel will make this project perfect. Our hope is that all this attention to the detail will manifest itself in a deep musical connection with our fans.

However, being very critical of ourselves and our work, questions tend to race through our minds all the time about the validity of our cause. Being stark realists, one of the questions we constantly ask ourselves is; “will any of this even matter?”

I mean, lets face it; the current ipod dominated musical landscape doesn’t really look favorably on the album concept. To a large part of the world community, music has become just another financial loss leader to sell technology and validate a particular lifestyle obsession. Everyone we talk to is telling us that “singles” are the next big thing – albums are passé – no one has the time, or more importantly the desire to listen to an entire completed work by an artist. Technology has made it possible to conceptualize and complete a piece of music in a few hours and then distribute it to the world marketplace that same day. With all of that potential, why wait till a collected body of music is recorded & ready to release it? Why not just throw songs out for consumption as quickly as possible and as soon as they are completed?

Well, that’s a valid question, with many philosophical points to address and debate. I could write a thesis on the importance of albums and their impact on not just popular culture, but society as a whole. More than likely, one day I will. For now, I answer that question with one simple statement; “Queen’s A Night at the Opera”.

If you don’t have it, or haven’t heard it, than you’ll never understand.
Just know that in art, very much like life, there are two types of people – those who travel for the sole purpose of getting somewhere, and those who travel because they enjoy the journey along the way. It really is that simple.

When it comes to music & art, JoyFocus is all about enjoying the journey. We may never get to all the places we’d like to, or that others have reached, but we will enjoy, cherish & respect the journey every step of the way.

That’s right the unforgettable theme song from one of the best movies the 1980s had to offer The Breakfast Club.

As a matter of fact, The Breakfast Club was one of many movies written and or directed by the incomparable John Hughes - a man who through his movies single handedly created the blueprint for which all teenage coming of age films and television shows would follow and still follow to this very day.

No film maker has ever captured the complexity, awkwardness, humor or triumph of the teenage spirit like Mr. Hughes. Period.

In addition to his knack for crafting the perfect adolescent story line, John Hughes also had an amazing talent for identifying and including some of the best music of the decade in his films. The songs from his movies are almost as famous and in some cases more famous than the films they appeared in. Bands entire careers have been built and sustained as a result of the inclusion of their music in a Hughes film just ask Simple Minds, OMD, Yello or even New Order.

Although undeniably brilliant and influential, Mr. Hughes appeal is definitely generational. Many of the subtleties found in his work are lost on today’s youth as a result of his often optimistic outlook on teen trial and tragedy. Kids today seemingly find no solace in the hope that underlines the often moral plot structure of a John Hughes film.
Too bad.

If you want to know why the mass majority of music and movies today are so underwhelming and lifeless compared to those that have come before them, look no further than the absence of talented people like Mr. Hughes from the landscape of youth oriented cinema.

We need John Hughes, and all those like him, to go back to doing what they do best telling stories that inspire, uplift and entertain us in ways we carry with us our whole lives.

So what does all this have to do with us here in JF land?

Well, we’ve been asked to be involved both musically and personally in a film celebrating this very thing.

Yup, that's right - Don't you forget about me - the movie!
It's a super cool documentary on the portrayal of teenagers in film and the impact of directing great JOHN HUGHES on the genre.
Better yet, we've been asked to not only contribute music to the film (our song "Mr. Hughes come home") BUT we were also interviewed by the film makers and those interviews are set to be included in the movie!

How cool is that? The answer is VERY COOL.
Head down to our “top friends" on myspace and click on the one that says "Don't you forget about me". It will take you to the film's official myspace page. Or you can just go to www.dontyouforgetaboutmethemovie.com and check out the official web page for the film.

The film is not due out for a while, but our song in rawking on our page as we speak - so go check out "Mr. Hughes come home", if you haven't already, and tell your pals to “keep the Hughes alive!” – we’re trying to.

We get asked this question a LOT. I guess it's just easier to ask a band what they sound like than to just listen to them for a few minutes. I digress.. Anyway, like most bands/musicians/artists, we here in JF land aren't all that keen on being labeled -but it seems to be a part of making music theese days. When ever we are nailed down for a definitive genre, for marketing and radio purposes normally, we always go with 75% "Power Pop.", 10% "Areana Rock", 10% Classic Rock & 5% Pop.

We're big fans of all the above genres, and feel our music reflects it.
In an attempt to define these generes/ sounds, we have found what we feel are some the best definitions / explinations out there. Thank you Wikopedia.

To understand our sound, or at least the first 75% of it, all you need to do is read the following;

Power pop (or powerpop) 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 usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesizers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, it's among rock's most enduring subgenres.

Pete Townshend of The Who coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview[3][4] in which he said "Power pop is what we play." As early as 1965, the Everly Brothers were playing music that can be called power pop. The duo's "I'll See Your Light" and "It Only Costs A Dime" displayed jangling guitars and an oblique harmonic approach that built upon the innovations of The Beatles and The Byrds. Those groups, along with The Who, The Small Faces and the Beach Boys, are often cited as the progenitors of power pop.[5]

The Who, inspired by the melodicism of The Beatles and the driving rhythms of American R&B, put out several songs in their early mod phase (1965-1966) that can be considered the first true power pop songs: "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Substitute", "I'm a Boy", "Happy Jack", "So Sad About Us", and in 1967, "Pictures of Lily". These songs are propelled by Keith Moon's aggressive drumming and Pete Townshend's distinctive power chords, and have strong melodies and euphonic harmonies.

The Beatles took inspiration from The Who's contemporary singles and released hard-edged, yet melodic, singles such as "Paperback Writer" and "Day Tripper" in the mid 1960s, as well as album tracks such as "And Your Bird Can Sing". However, four years before the term "power pop" was coined, The Beatles were already recording a series of influential hits that some have retroactively classified as power pop, including "From Me to You", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Can't Buy Me Love".

Several groups that arose in the wake of The Beatles' success were important in the evolution of the power pop style, such as The Beau Brummels, The Hollies, and The Zombies. Other acts such as the Knickerbockers, the Easybeats and the Outsiders contributed iconic singles.

Modern power pop gained momentum in 1970 with recordings by the British group Badfinger (although at this time, the musical style was not yet classified as power pop). Badfinger singles such as "No Matter What", "Baby Blue", and "Day After Day" (all recorded in 1970 and 1971), were the template for the power pop sound that followed in the late 1970s.

In the early 1970s, the form was further codified by the work of The Raspberries (who may have been the first band to earn the power pop appellation, in a mid-1970s article in Rolling Stone).

At this stage, British pop had taken a stylistic turn (notably, with the rise of glam). The bands performing music that was later to be labeled power pop were nearly all American. The first albums by Big Star and the Raspberries are considered among the genre's essential recordings. Some of Todd Rundgren's early and mid 1970s solo work also touched upon the emerging genre, as did the recordings of Blue Ash, The Flamin' Groovies, Artful Dodger, and The Dwight Twilley Band.

Rundgren, The Raspberries, and The Dwight Twilley Band achieved sporadic chart success during the period. However, the most influential of all the early-to-mid 1970s "pre" power pop-era groups was arguably Big Star, who released two unsuccessful albums and spent years relegated to cult status. Big Star's reputation rose in the early 1980s, after bands like R.E.M. and The Replacements spoke enthusiastically of their work. The Replacements even recorded a song entitled "Alex Chilton" in honor of Big Star's front man.

This early generation of power pop bands found they could not sustain their careers, as their British Invasion-influenced sound was strongly out-of-step in a 1970s rock music world increasingly dominated by soft rock artists like The Carpenters, singer-songwriters such as Carole King, and hard rock and heavy metal groups like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Todd Rundgren moved on to different styles and production work, Badfinger splintered in a management dispute, Big Star disbanded early, and the Raspberries' lead singer left the group for a solo career in softer pop.


In the late 1970s and early 1980s, spurred on by the success of new wave and punk rock (music which was similarly driving and stripped-down), power pop enjoyed its most prolific period, with American groups like The dB's, Cheap Trick, The Knack, The Romantics, 20/20, Paul Collins' Beat, and Shoes all releasing significant albums. Eventually, all would sign deals with major record labels. For the first time, acts of this type were commonly referred to and promoted as "power pop bands".

These new power pop groups favored a leaner, punchier, more punkish attack; many were influenced by early-1970s acts like Badfinger and The Raspberries, rather than the British Invasion bands that kickstarted the genre. Perhaps the most successful power pop single of all time, The Knack's "My Sharona," spent six weeks in the number one position of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. Cheap Trick's "Surrender," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl," The Romantics' "What I Like About You" and Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" were other notably successful power pop singles of the era.

The term power pop, as used in the UK, referred to a somewhat different style of music than that of the USA. The Evening Standard used the descriptive in January 1978 while writing about the band Tonight, and it was commonly applied to British "mod" groups such as the wildly popular Jam.

Other British bands labelled as power pop included Squeeze, Buzzcocks, The Vapors, and The Chords. Many of these groups have also been described as mod revival, punk rock, or new wave. Lacking the influence of American pioneers such as Big Star and The Raspberries, these bands were more directly inspired by 1960s beat music/British Invasion groups (particularly The Who, The Kinks, and The Beatles). They also took a cue from the energy and aesthetics of the contemporary punk movement, speeding up the tempo of their music.

Other UK artists of the late 1970s commonly identified as power pop were the new wave groups XTC and Elvis Costello & The Attractions. They played driving, melodic music, but neither group sported the mod image or overt 1960s influence of The Jam and their followers.

A handful of successful bands in the UK did boast the traditional power pop sound as inspired by The Raspberries and Big Star. Singles from such groups, such as The Records' Starry Eyes, Nick Lowe's Cruel To Be Kind, and Bram Tchaikovsky's Girl Of My Dreams, rivaled or even surpassed their American counterparts in capturing the essential elements of power pop. Perhaps as a consequence, these bands were more commercially successful in the United States than in their homeland.

Additionally, the American new wave group Blondie was often labelled as "power pop" by the UK press. The band's second single, a cover of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone," demonstrated Blondie's power pop roots.

In the 1980s and 1990s, power pop artists continued as a commercially modest genre. Artists such as Marshall Crenshaw, The Smithereens, Matthew Sweet, The Bongos, Teenage Fanclub, Tommy Keene, Redd Kross, Material Issue, The Posies and Jellyfish drew inspiration from Big Star, the Beatles, and glam rock groups of the early 1970s like T. Rex and Sweet.[6]

In the mid-1990s through the 2000s, power pop flourished in the underground, with acts such as The Shazam and Sloan. Independent record labels such as Not Lame Recordings, Kool Kat Musik and Jam Recordings specialized in the genre. The sound made a mainstream appearance in 1994 with Weezer's commercially successful Blue Album and hit single "Buddy Holly". In the late 1990s, several Scandinavian power pop groups such as the Cardigans, Merrymakers, and Wannadies enjoyed a modicum of critical favor.

Power pop traits are also currently displayed by North American bands such as Fountains Of Wayne and the New Pornographers, commercially prominent acts such as Jimmy Eat World and The All-American Rejects, and by pop punk bands such as Green Day, Blink-182, Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup and Good Charlotte. The influence of power pop is also readily apparent in contemporary British groups such as the A Sides[7], the Futureheads, Maxïmo Park, Farrah, The Feeling, Razorlight, and Babyshambles.

Badfinger's "No Matter What" (1970)]
The Raspberries' "Go All The Way" (1972)
The Cars' "Just What I Needed" (1977)
The Records' "Starry Eyes" (1979)
The Knack's "My Sharona" (1979)
Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" (1979)
Blondie's "Dreaming" (1979)
Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" (1981)
Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny" (1982)
Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" (1991)
Weezer's "Buddy Holly" (1994)
Gin Blossoms' "Follow You Down" (1996)
Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" (2001)
The All-American Rejects' "Swing, Swing" (2003)
Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" (2003)


So there you have it - part of the JoyFocus Sound. We'll look at the other genres that make up our musical identity in future blogs. Why? Because -that's why. Knowledge is power. It's good to know what you like, but better to know why you like it.