Music without labels III
Elaborated country rock by Poco
The magic of Mabel Millán´s guitar
Powering pop with Big Tide
Country Rock III: California Standouts
At the same time as bands such as The Eagles or The Flying Burrito Brothers were emerging, hundreds of country rock bands from all over the country chose California as the epicenter where they would create their music.
This contributed to the emergence of an authentic Californian country rock school with artists such as Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt or supergroups such as The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band.
Poco – Foreword/What a Day (1969)
These two songs were written by Richie Furay, Rusty Young, and Kathy Johnson. They opened their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, which is considered an influential album in the genre.
Poco was formed by Richie Furay, Buffalo Springfield's singer, after this band's breakup in 1968. He was accompanied by producer and bass player Jim Messina and guitar player Rusty Young, who were also part of Buffalo Springfield's albums. They amazed with very elaborated country rock music, which they captured in albums such as Pickin' Up the Pieces (1969), From the Inside (1971) or A Good Feelin' to Know (1972). After Furay's departure, they evolved into pop music full of brilliant voices which culminated with the album Rose of Cimarron (1976).
National: Mabel Millán
Mabel Millán is a classical guitar player with ties to music since her childhood. She holds an impressive résumé where a long list of prizes and collaborations with great maestros and orchestras stands out.
After debuting as a soloist in 2008, she has had an enviable career which led her to be awarded the trophy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2017. They are considered the music industry’s Oscars.
Mabel Millán - Güijes y gnomos (2017)
Interpretation of the first movement of the Sonata del Decamerón Negro, composed by the Cuban maestro Leo Brouwer. It opens her first album, Gran Recital.
Mabel Millán has an impressive musical training, given that she has studied with maestros such as Pedro Mateo, Gerardo Arriaga or Paolo Pegoraro. She has been awarded the prestigious scholarship by Fundación David Russel and she has taught master classes. She has performed as a soloist in great stages such as the Palau de la Música Catalana, the National Theatre in Oslo or the London Guitar Festival, among others. She has also performed as a duo, accompanied by her sister, the well-known pianist Celia Millán.
International: Big Tide
Big Tide is a band from Liverpool (United Kingdom) formed in 2017 by Ben Thomas. Along with the prestigious songwriter Matt Johnson (The The) and the musicians Rob Baldwin and Ged McGurn, they have released two teaser singles.
Ben Thomas, who was successful as an electronic music composer, gathers the power pop music of bands such as Teenage Fanclub and mixes it with elements of The Byrds' folk rock music, creating an elegant and optimistic sound.
Big Tide - Hide Me in Your Spaceship (2018)
Song written by Ben Thomas himself. It is the new single with which they tease their debut album, Sync or Swim, to be released on April 2019.
Power pop is one of the most long-lasting music genres and it is inspired by US and British rock from the 70s. In this genre melody gains importance, being supported by clear voices and guitar phrasing. It emerged in the early 70s with groups such as Big Star, and it had its most prolific era in the 80s, coinciding with new wave (The Pretenders). Later, it has been mixed with new subgenres of alternative rock, such as noise pop, britpop or grunge (Teenage Fanclub or The Posies).