The Red Hearts lean heavily on early ย70s punk groups such as The Clash, The Jam and Elvis Costello. The L.A. foursome is led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Lenny Pops, who takes his cue from the stylings of those groups to create songs that force you onto your toes. Tunes such as ยThe Big Ripoffย swing to perfectly paired bass and drum lines, reminding music fans of why The Clash was able to capture the ears of both mainstream and underground listeners. ยMore and Fasterย proves Pops studied his Costello, with organs and vocals inspired by This Yearยs Model. Itยs hard to write anything but catchy, universally appealing tunes when pulling from these sources. And with a made-up last name like Pops (Iggyยs -plural cousin?), itยs likely Lenny isnยt trying to hide his adoration for his obvious influences. The Red Hearts close out todayยs show after the sounds of local groups Prodigal Sons and Focusyn start things off at 8 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 10, 8 p.m.
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2007.