 <---Click Here To Go Listen to CFSB Right Now!
WHO WE ARE: Started in August 2001, Power Pop Guitars CFSB (Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs) is an independently-run non-profit internet radio station on Live365 devoted to maintaining a continuously-streaming 24/7 random playlist of the best power pop tracks available. 1500+ songs (over 700 artists) from The Beatles to the present day with emphasis on more recent/active/up-and-coming artists.
...with apologizes and quiet grattitude to Watterson :)~...
WHAT IS POWER POP?...essentially a cross between the melodic sound of the Beatles and the crunch of the Who. Good Guitar Power Pop combines strong melodies, clean chiming guitars, memorable hooks, apolitical romantic/teen lyrical themes, luscious vocals and harmonies, interesting bass lines and a driving uptempo rhythm section. Good Guitar Power Pop is NOT tedious ballads, posing arena rock, shrieking incoherent singers, totally distorted guitars, boring/souless keyboard work, dark depressing lyrics, uninteresting song-craft, or pretentious art-rock. CFSB INFLUENCES:
**THE 60s BRITISH INVASION SOUND** - The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, The Hollies, early Yardbirds, The Byrds, The Monkees **70s CLASSIC POWER POP** - Big Star, Badfinger, The Raspberries, The Nerves **THE MELODIC END OF THE 70s PUNK/MOD/NEW WAVE SPECTRUM** - The Knack, The Cars, The Beat, The Shoes, The Go Gos, The Records, 20/20 **THE 80s UNDERGROUND KEEPERS OF THE FLAME** - R.E.M. (on the IRS Label), The dB's, melodic Replacements, The Bangles, Tommy Keene, The Connells, THE DEAL (a world-class Charlottesville, VA band that the fates conspired against to prevent you knowing about them) **THE 90s POWER POP REVIVAL** - Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, The Gin Blossoms, Velvet Crush, Matthew Sweet, Weezer, Material Issue **90s FEMALE GUITAR POP** - The Breeders, Belly, Julia Hatfield, Liz Phair, Magnapop, Velocity Girl, that dog
...AND THE MANY "MIDWIVES" OF THE POWER POP REVIVAL...like David Bash's International Pop Overthrow festivals, Rhino Record's Poptopia and D.I.Y. CD series, Jordan Oake's Yellow Pills CD series, Bruce Brodeen's fabulous Not Lame Recording Company (see below) a power pop label and outstanding online CD store, other outstanding online indie CD outlets like CD Baby (www.CD Baby.com), Trouser Press, a great alternative band resource, and countless other internet-based sites, stations and reviewers too numerous to mention here...
 <-- visit NotLame's online power pop store!
HOW TO LISTEN TO CFSB:
Internet Radio is EASY to listen to...just go to the station page (www.powerpopradio.us) and hit the "play" button. If this is your first time to Live365 you may have to install a software internet radio player on your computer (which is quick, safe and easy.). A pop-up blocker is recommended for listening. You can listen for FREE to a stream peppered with radio spots, or for a small monthly fee (the equilvalent of a Starbuck's coffee) you can become a Preferred Member of Live365 and listen ad-free (while directly supporting indie radio on Live 365 to boot!). Remember, Live365 offers not just CFSB, but access to hundreds of other stations and genres of music as well. Say NO to tedious ballads, posing arena rock, shrieking incoherent singers, boring/souless keyboard work, and pretentious art-rock. We're talkin' crunchy, melodic, uptempo GUITAR POP FUN!!! This is what today's @%!*#& Top 40 Radio WOULD sound like if the big corporate "pop" station outlets were about playing fun rock music people enjoyed hearing instead of always focusing on marketing trends, promoting product sales and making the most $$$$$$$ possible!
CFSB PRINCIPLES:
WE ARE NOT FOR PROFIT - the station runs on Live365.com out of our own pockets out of love for this vibrant style of music. This in turn allows our programming decisions to be based purely on what musically sounds right for the station. We view our mission as one to help expose and promote power pop music and up-and-coming artists who perform the same...we hope the artists we feature will feel honored/complimented to be selected to appear in our program (or at least benevolently tolerate their appearance therein...) WE PROMOTE WITH INTEGRITY - by trying our best NOT to rip-off other artists!!! I have purchased LPs, cassettes, CDS or iTunes of EVERY track from EVERY artist featured on the Station through legitimate commercial venues whenever possible. We pay additional royalties through our Live365 membership fee. (the song uploads above were posted only AFTER obtaining email permission to do so from the copyrighted artist). WE BELIEVE IN FREEDOM OF THE AIRWAVES AND BROADENING LISTENER CHOICE...why are virtually all the airwaves and media outlets in the U.S. controlled by just a few large corporations? Could that be why there is so little choice of formats in commercial radio and TV? Why is Congress moving to squash internet radio the raising royalty fees to a level that eliminates most independent broadcasters? Find out more here:Save Internet Radio WE SUPPORT INDIE BANDS AND LABELS - While we do run some major-label artists to broaden the station's appeal (our own little bow to "The Man"), the "major" labels tend to be so profit-oriented that their A&R efforts seem disappointingly focused on duplicating what already sells by promoting artists also willing to pander to some degree to the corporate marketing system themselves to achieve popular noteriety...!!! - rather than risking resources on new or different acts. For this reason we believe strongly that it is the indie labels that are typically the true music industry innovators who keep original music alive. Thus we enjoy supporting and promoting labels and artists in this niche - provided their material in fact appeals to our ever-sharpening powerpop ear drums!!!
GUIDELINES FOR UNSOLICITED FRIEND-REQUESTS:
1) BE POWER-POP RELATED...either an artist or a power pop label/resource (like IPO, SXSW, etc). Not looking for fans or others (though your email feedback is always welcome...).
2) I WILL GIVE YOU LISTEN...if you send me a "friends request" (particularly with some sort of note attached) and meet #1 above, I promise I will at the very least visit your site give your sound clips a listen. If your sound sufficiently meets the basic ground rules below, the friends link is yours even if I am unable to fit you on the station. Networking is a good thing.
3) HOWEVER...I reserve the right to restrict positive responses to friend-requests to artists who
a) meet MY definition of guitar power pop and
b) meet a certain subjective level of talent. This is in keeping with the site's goals of promoting good guitar powerpop through the station and myspace.
4) TYPICAL TRACK LENGTH: an ideal good power pop track can typically clock in at about 3:20 or less. In part this helps me maximize the number of tracks I can feature on the station. There are exceptions, but generally these are reserved for REALLY REALLY special tracks.
5) YOUR INFLUENCES/MY INFLUENCES:...read the artists listed above carefully. If your sound is not in the ballpark of at least one or two of these artists, you're probably barking up the wrong tree here.
All that said, keep those requests coming! It is exciting or fun to see who's out there and make new contacts. Even if you are not necessarily a fit for CFSB, you may have a sound that I dig, so don't be TOO discouraged by the above... ;-) GUIDELINES FOR MYSPACE FRIENDS FOR POSTING PROMOTIONS ON OUR COMMENTS PAGE (please do!):
The purpose of this page is promotion of up-and-coming power pop guitar artists as well as the CFSB station. Once all the the playlist artist links are in place to the left, I expect a decent amount of traffic to come through this site in search of specific artists, and frankly hope they will become interested in similar artists here as well! Therefore, once an artist or promoter has been accepted as a MySpace Friend, you are welcome to please use the MySpace Comments section below on this page to promote power pop guitar-related CD releases (recent and upcoming), promotions, events and shows! In the name of bulletin board quality I do of course rserve the right to nuke any inappropriate or redundant materials that are posted. All we ask is that you don't abuse the privilege... REMEMBER - IT'S ALL ABOUT EVERYONE DISCOVERING, HEARING AND ENJOYING MORE AND MORE FUN GUITAR POWER POP! WOO-HOO!!! 
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