So I’m having trouble describing what kind of sound I’d like to sing (and start a band) for. Every guitarist around here wants to be Jerry Garcia and noodle around for 7 minutes while the bassist does the same damn vamp and the singer just…stands there. I need to find musicians willing to play actual songs.

I’ve described what I like as power pop with intelligent lyrics, and no one seems to know what that means. Did some searching, and found some newer bands that have the sound, like The New Pornographers, The Strokes, Spoon, The Apples in Stereo. That’s in addition to the older acts I know (The Smithereens, Lloyd Cole, Marshall Crenshaw, The Smiths, The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies, Gin Blossoms…) Sound like something people would like to hear?

I mean, I have eclectic tastes in music, so I could do lots of different things, but I’d like to work with a band who doesn’t treat the singer like they’re interrupting your performance by making you play a verse instead of a solo, and who does things like acknowledge the crowd once in a while…