I recently played drums on the debut album by a Los Angeles-based garage rock/power pop band called The Brothers Steve. Our two song digital single (“Angeline and Carolanne“) was released by Big Stir Records on June 28. Our debut album (on limited edition, color vinyl) is available for Pre-Order Now. We’re also playing a show in LA on July 27th.
Still not convinced? Maybe this creepy video for “Carolanne” will seal the deal…
Hey everybody! Today marks the release of my first self-published book, That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist. I say “book,” but technically I believe that the 17,000-word length qualifies it as a “novelette.” In other words, it’s a quick read.
Here’s The Skinny: Jackson Sharp is a former guitar player fresh out of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He’s on a mission to settle the score with his dead beat dad, but needs to collect some cash from his younger brother and former bandmate, Jamie. He finds Jamie at his struggling Tulsa record shop, but the cash is long gone. Jamie offers up a heist instead—steal a rare copy of a pre-Beatles 45 from a wealthy collector in Memphis. The road trip that follows is the violent family/band reunion that Jackson never wanted.
First and foremost, I’ve always been a sucker for a good pop hook with energetic guitars and driving drums. Power Pop is that it’s timeless music inspired by the early music of bands like The Beatles, The Who, The Byrds and The Beach Boys. Listen to songs like “September Gurls” by Big Star, “Little Red Light” by Fountains of Wayne, “We Got The Beat” by The Go-Go’s or “Starry Eyes” by The Records and you’ll at least get the idea. It makes the perfect soundtrack for my book about a couple of desperate brothers on their way to steal a rare 45 by the pre-Beatles band, The Quarrymen.
Fans like to debate what does and doesn’t qualify as Power Pop, but I put this playlist together with the help some music-loving friends on Facebook. It’s not definitive, but there are some truly great songs on there. Hope you dig the music, and my new novelette, That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist.
S.W. Lauden is the author of the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series including Bad Citizen Corporation, Grizzly Season and Hang Time. His Tommy & Shayna novellas include Crosswise and Crossed Bones. A new novelette, That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist, was released on June 18, 2019. S.W. Lauden is the pen name of Steve Coulter, drummer for Tsar and The Brothers Steve.
Patrick Whitehurst generously invited me over to his blog after reading my new novelette, That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist. We did a fast and furious interview about crime fiction and music. Here’s a snippet of what Patrick had to say about the book:
“With a setting near Tulsa, Lauden’s toe-tapping, gritty novelette is like the Outsiders on a punked-up, rockabilly high. It’s a smooth crime story with a playlist sure to get a song or two stuck in your head while you read.”
I’ll take it! You can read the whole thing right HERE.
S.W. Lauden is the author of the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series including Bad Citizen Corporation, Grizzly Season and Hang Time. His Tommy & Shayna novellas include Crosswise and Crossed Bones. A new novelette, That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist, will be released on June 18, 2019. S.W. Lauden is the pen name of Steve Coulter, drummer for Tsar and The Brothers Steve.
I’ve been falling back in love with Power Pop lately.
Not familiar with the elusive musical genre known as Power Pop? Here’s Michael Chabon’s definition:
“True power pop is rueful and celebratory at the same time, glorifying desire and frustration, which is why so many power-pop songs concern themselves with the subject of Tonight, or Tomorrow Night, or Saturday Night, or some other night that will only be perfect for as long as it can be deferred.”
Anyway, in digging through the old songs I decided to throw this “Power Pop Plus” YouTube playlist together. Hope you dig it.
The Music Posts You Might Like:
S.W. Lauden is the Anthony Award-nominated author of the Tommy & Shayna novella, CROSSWISE, and the sequel, CROSSED BONES. His Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series includes BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, GRIZZLY SEASON and HANG TIME. He is also the co-host of the Writer Types crime, mystery and thriller podcast. Steve lives in Los Angeles.
I started playing drums in my early teens and pretty much didn’t stop for twenty-five years. Picking up that first pair of sticks radically changed the course of my life. Not only did I make great friends, but I got to record and tour a little along the way.
Once drumming took a back seat, I was fortunate to find another passion in writing crime and mystery fiction. It’s been a real thrill getting to know that community as well, which—as luck would have it—includes several musicians. A few of us even tried to launch an ill-fated band featuring five crime authors. That project, like countless bands before it, was sunk by infighting over REO Speedwagon.
These days I still get the occasional chance to play. Most recently it’s with my good friend and former band mate, Jeff Whalen, who just announced his first solo record, 10 More Rock Super Hits. I was stoked to play drums for two songs on this stellar collection (pen name, S.W. Lauden; drum name, Steve Coulter). Having made two albums and a couple E.P.’s with him in the rock group Tsar, I can honestly say that the songs on 10 More Rock Super Hits are among Jeff’s best—but don’t take my word for it:
S.W. Lauden 