best for guests. bart cummings (bart & friends)

Bart started as a bassist for the early 90s band Girl Of The World. After that, he went on founding classic indie pop bands like The Cat's Miaow, Hydroplane and The Shapiros. Probably his best known project is Bart & Friends and its short pop songs with jangly guitars.
Bart has released music via fellow bandmate Mark Monnone's The Lost And Lonesome Recording Co. and his own Library Records.

I asked Bart for a photo of him and the band. He said there's no new photos of the band but there's this:


Here's Bart:

"2012 was a busy year for Bart & Friends. We released 2 EPs, I played 3 shows, which doesn't sound many but that's a lot for me, and given that one was at Indietracks and another was at the launch of the Sugargliders CD they were quite special. Ok here's some of my favourites for the year.



Lightships Sweetness in her spark
I could quite happily put the first 20 seconds of this on an endless loop and listen to it for days.

Veronica Falls Teenage
I much prefer Veronica falls poppier side to their gothy side. This is up there with Bad feeling, catchy chorus, lovely harmonies, chiming guitars, splendid choice of polka dot shirts.


September Girls  Wanting More

I didnt actually get to see that many bands at indietracks, i think i spent half my time in the playground with my kids. one band i did see, rather than just hearing in the distance was September girls. What puts them above other bands working a similar vein is that 4 of them have fantastic voices which make some truly lovely harmonies. this clip is from their show at indietracks and i'd like to clarify that none of the bald heads at the front are mine.

Black Tambourine  What's Your Game
It's a very rare occurrence when a band sounds better 20 years after they've broken up. i was quite envious when i first heard this, i think pam sounds even better here than on my songs. i love the layers within the recording, the melodica, and tambourine that you only really notice after you've listened a few times.

Pat Kelly How Long Will It Take
Ok, not from 2012 but i was completely unaware of Pat Kelly until this year and this has easily been the song i've listened to the most this year. Pat Kelly has such a lovely voice, when he hits those high notes it breaks my heart. The sound of his voice conveys much more emotion than the actual lyrics. The last few months i've been listening almost exclusively to 60's ska and rocksteady from Jamaica, and it's been a really enjoyable trip uncovering more and more lost gems like this.