Finding Cinderella

As is the norm, Bash assembled a stunning and diverse array of talent that span the traditional definitions of pop, with a keen eye on rock & roll. —Brett Callwood, LAWeekly.com Omnivore Recordings and The International Pop Overthrow Music Festival are proud to present International Pop Overthrow: Volume 25, a 3-CD compilation featuring 69 tracks by artists from all over the world who have played the International Pop Overthrow festival—along with some who haven’t. The IPO compilation series goes back as far as the 1998 when Volume 1 was a single disc. Since then, the compilation had expanded to two discs the following year, and then three discs in 2002 for Volume 5, and it has remained a three-disc set since that time. International Pop Overthrow: Volume 25 showcases artists from around the world from different countries, doing just about every sub-genre of pop music, including power pop, pop/rock, folk/pop, psychedelic pop, garage, indie-rock, modern rock, etc., making it one of the most well-rounded compilations available to the general public. Although the International Pop Overthrow festival is essentially a showcase for unsigned bands, the compilation has featured some signed acts, and some who have gone on to be signed. These include: •Jason Falkner •Brendan Benson •Roger Joseph Manning Jr. •Peter Holsapple •Shoes Among those acts on Volume 25 include: •Van Duren & Good Question •The Cowsills •Iron City Houserockers •Fernando Perdomo When mainstream pop/rock fans are played any volume of the IPO compilations, their first response is invariably “this is great; I had no idea people were still making music like this!” Well, they certainly are, and you can find some of the best examples of it on IPO Volume 25.

An East L.A. band from the 1960s, Thee Midniters are a bit of a well-kept secret. Led by the soulful vocals of Willie Garcia, the guitar playing of George Dominguez, and the ferocious drumming of George Salazar and Danny LaMont and featuring horns, timbales, and congas Thee Midniters were solidly professional, and essentially set the template for later pop horn bands like Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago, although almost any musical form was in play for this band, including British Invasion, R&B, salsa, gospel, and straight-out soul.

The gift of storytelling may be one of life's most powerful—and envied—skills. A story well told can make us laugh, weep, swell with pride, or rise with indignation. A story poorly told can be not just boring or ncomfortable, but positively painful to experience. Humans seem to be fundamentally hard-wired for stories—they’re how we record both the monumental events of life and the small, everyday moments.

A magically entertaining work, Rossini’s version of the Cinderella folk tale features neither pumpkin nor glass slipper. Don Ramiro the prince (Argentinean tenor Juan Francisco Gatell) changes identities with his servant (Vito Priante) in the hopes of finding a girl who likes him simply for himself. Italian mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi stars as Angelina (Cenerentola). Emma Dante's innovative production is brimming with talent. Recorded live at Teatro dell' Opera, Roma, January 22, 2016.

An East L.A. band from the 1960s, Thee Midniters are a bit of a well-kept secret. Led by the soulful vocals of Willie Garcia, the guitar playing of George Dominguez, and the ferocious drumming of George Salazar and Danny LaMont – and featuring horns, timbales, and congas – Thee Midniters were solidly professional, and essentially set the template for later pop horn bands like Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago, although almost any musical form was in play for this band, including British Invasion, R&B, salsa, gospel, and straight-out soul.

Peter Holsapple never quite stepped away from music, but he did put his solo career on ice. After releasing Out of My Way in 1997, he busied himself with the Continental Drifters and as a sideman, reuniting with his longtime collaborator Chris Stamey for a duo album in 2009, then a full-fledged dB's reunion in 2012. It was enough to keep him away from performing on his own, so Game Day – his second proper solo album – wound up appearing a whopping 21 years after his first. Those years can be felt on Game Day, particularly in how Holsapple embraces his status as an older guy, going so far as to write a song called "Yelling at Clouds."