Best of Friends POPcast - podcast cover

Best of Friends POPcast

Michael Simmons / sparkle*jetswww.spreaker.com
Join members of the venerated power pop band sparkle*jets u.k. as they chat with their peers from the late 90’s - early ‘00’s pop music scene, which was mostly centered in Los Angeles. Using their 2023 double album release ‘Best of Friends’ as a topical springboard, your hosts discuss their musical experiences and reminiscences of those heady days with many of the people involved. The goal of this podcast is to get the conversation started about the music and artists from this time, and catch up on where they have been and what they are up to now.
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Episodes

SJUK Box of Letters Podcast

We are continuing this podcast to start discussing our upcoming LP 'Box of Letters'. Sitting in as our host today is none other than Mr. Ken AKA 'Ken Fusion' or 'The Modfather' Ken Caldretti, long time friend of the band. We discuss Box of Letters and how it came to be.

Jul 02, 202450 minSeason 2Ep. 1

19 Adam Marsland of Cockeyed Ghost

We talk to the man behind Cockeyed Ghost and myriad other projects, Adam Marsland. He's done so many different things, and continues to. We get a glimpse into his career, life, and personal growth.

Oct 03, 20231 hr 5 minEp. 19

18 The Bonus Track with John M. Borack

Join us for a little Q&A with our good friend and occasional partner in rawk... acclaimed author, journalist, and drummer John M. Borack.

Sep 26, 202358 minEp. 19

18 The Andersons!

We finally get all three of the Andersons! in the same virtual room for the first time in ages. You will hear (about half way in when Robbie shows up) a reasonable facsimile of the wacky stage patter that made every Andersons show a unique and fun experience. We went kinda long but we had fun.

Sep 19, 20231 hr 32 min

17 Kerry Kompost

Join us as the wacky and loveable Kerry 'Kompost' Chicoine gets all up in everyone's bidness.

Sep 12, 202353 minEp. 17

13 Rick Hromadka of Double Naught Spies

Today we talk to Rick Hromadka of Double Naught Spies, Maple Mars, Ruby Free, etc. Learn how it was that Mike Simmons took his dating profile pic in San Francisco.

Aug 15, 202354 minEp. 13

12 Florapop

We sit down with Lisa and Mark Flora of Minnesota. They occasionally get the bug to do fine power pop records under the moniker 'Florapop'.

Aug 08, 202349 minEp. 12

11 Don Mogill of The Dons

Our guest today is gunslinger turned bandleader Don Mogill of the Dons... the man behind the last great Not Lame release, "Dawn of the Dons".

Aug 01, 202347 minEp. 11

10 The Sugarplastic

Watch sparkle*jets u.k. turn into goo as they 'interview' one of their all time favorite bands, The Sugarplastic. Yep, we got the whole band back together for this one!

Jul 25, 202344 minEp. 7

09 Stootsie of The See Saw

Today we have an international chat with the most famous Power Pop musician in Austria, the one and only Stootsie of acclaimed band The See Saw.

Jul 18, 202349 minEp. 9

08 Kenny Howes

Join us as we have a super chill late-night chat with our good friend and master of the Rickenbacker / Vox Amp / Fluevog Boot / High Kick / Mutton Chops. The one and only Kenny Howes!

Jul 11, 202340 minEp. 8

06 Morley Bartnoff of Cosmo Topper

He's the man in the Top Hat with the ironing board keyboard stand.... Morley Bartnoff of Cosmo Topper (and the Burning Sensations, Andy & the Rattlesnakes, The Negro Problem, etc.) joins us.

Jun 27, 202354 minEp. 6

05 Stew

From punk rock kid, to the king of the LA Pop scene, to Broadway, to the Ivy League.... the story of Stew is one of art, success, humilty, and craft. We talk to one of our favorite writers (and sometimes bandmate) about the old days and all that's happened since... and what's yet to come!

Jun 20, 20231 hr 24 minEp. 5

04 Chloe F. Orwell & Brad Elvis of the Handcuffs

We sat down with one of the most interesting rock couples around, Brad and Chloe... we knew them from their band Big Hello... which soon became (and remains) the Handcuffs. They share with us their unique perspective on the 2000 pop scene from the Chicago side of things.

Jun 13, 202355 minEp. 4

03 Hans Rotenberry of The Shazam

In this episode we chat with Hans Rotenberry, primary songwriter and lead vocalist of the legendary Power Pop group THE SHAZAM! The allbums they made for Not Lame Records in the late 90's early 2000's set a high standard for our genre, and they were widely recognized as the standard bearers for Badfinger meets The Move style Pop-Rock.

Jun 06, 202345 minEp. 3

02 Lisa Mychols

She was the sweetheart of LA Power Pop. I guess she still is. Tune in for our fun hang with our old pal Lisa as we talk about all the crazy days in the studio and the clubs with the Masticators.

May 30, 202347 minEp. 2

01 Rex & Christina of Big Stir Records talk to sparkle*jets u.k.

In this first episode of our podcast series, sparkle*jets u.k. discuss their origin and history with Rex and Christina of Big Stir Records. We talk about 'Best of Friends', how it happened and why, and what's on the horizon as this podcast unfolds. There are also a few bits of music here and there to whet your collective whistles.

May 22, 20231 hr 34 minEp. 1
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