Steve - heart.
John - soul.
Sam - savoir faire.
Chris - thumb in dike.
Influences
From the Kinks to the Jam to the Replacements to the Popes and back again to the Who to Love to the Clash to Stumble and back again to the Beatles to the Velvet Underground to Nirvana to the Lovely Lads and back again to the Rolling Stones...
Bio:
Washington DC's The Public Good is led by songwriters John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal, who were also the nucleus of North Carolina’s now legendary The Popes. One of the most acclaimed bands to emerge from the early 90s Chapel Hill music scene, The Popes’ first release, “Hi We’re The Popes,” received national airplay on college radio stations and made a splash on the College Music Journal charts, landing a spot higher on the Hot New Release poll than REM’s release at the time. Billboard, Cashbox, and Jon Pareles of the NY Times all gushed about the record.
As The Popes, Elderkin and Ruppenthal went on to write songs for independent releases such as the cassette-only “Afar” and WXYC’s collection “DemoListen,” and compilation records such as Mammoth Records’ "Frequency." The Popes also contributed to the internationally released tribute to Alex Chilton, “Not the Singer But the Songs" on Munster Records.
What has always separated Elderkin and Ruppenthal’s songs from the pack is their ability to both rock the house in their own style while singing with humor, originality, and empathy about the foibles and pleasures of everyday life. When one of their songs cranks up, you know it’s them right away.
After a failed record deal with First Warning Records, The Popes split up. Elderkin spent time in Central Asia working on an anthropological study of emerging rock music in remote locations, then found himself in Ruppenthal’s new hometown, Atlanta, GA. They played together again first with muscular pop group Stumble and then with the hard rocking Lovely Lads. The Lads released two acclaimed CDs on Put It On A Cracker Records, first “The Lovely Lads v. The World” and then “Lucky Jim.”
Another break in the music followed as Ruppenthal, a munitions and weapons specialist, was called back to active duty as the world turned dangerous. Returning from that explosive experience ready to rock, he and Elderkin are focused and, as longtime listeners have noted, are writing the best songs of their career. The Public Good, which includes the crazy-talented, multi-instrumentalist Sam Esquith and drummer/producer extraordinaire Chris Garges, has a new CD, “The Public Good No. 1” to be released in May. Check back for more details on this.
Press Billboard: "... tuneful and inventive ... excellent tunes ... sparkle with incomparable harmonies ..."
Cashbox: "... unpretentious, witty, hard-edged pop ...what sets them apart is their spunk, their smarts, their cohesion and their songcraft ... completely natural, spontaneous and correct... songs about real, concrete things rather than hazy emotions (which, by the way, are leading us straight to hell) ... "
SPIN Magazine: " ... [they] really do deserve attention ... "
Bruce Warren, THE BOB:
"... can't honestly remember when pop songs were so darn uplifting ... sparkles with power-punk/pop harmonies ... a totally pleasing post-post experience ... they remind me of baseball cards and London Calling; of Batman and Tommy Keene; of 20 minutes of "Elizabeth Reed"; of my first band ..."
NY Times: "I like your songs quite a bit."
Pulse! "... Songwriters John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal have a knack for landing on melodies that'll take you away faster than a hi-ho Silver ... rare combo of pop smarts, sloppy-go-lucky attitude and sound unself-consciousness ... so dazzlingly untrendy, so devastatingly friendly, they might just be a movement unto themselves ..."
Spectator Magazine: "... a cracked wit that can only come from enduring the slings and slander of sultry young Republican sorority queens ... sharp songwriting ... shot through with scruffy, Westerbergian self-deprecation ... emotional tension combined with the elliptical use of detail ... musical maturity ... and promise ... not to mention loads of energy ..."
99XPress: "... inspired simplicity ... raw energy and immediacy ... instantly memorable ... neither bandwagon punk nor Britpop regression ... just great rock and roll ..."
Indyweek: "... exuberant DC rock ..."
The Independent (Raleigh, NC): "Their performances are remarkably strong and confident. They rock--hard. Like the Who and Clash, they are one of us, champions of the underdog."
Rett Snotherly, Ah Bartleby! Magazine: "As awesome as the Public Good is on CD, they are even awesomer live."
I Cover the War Magazine says: "Best unsigned band in America. Neglecting them will lead to your soul burning in Hell."
