Press\Reviews
Philadelphia City Paper                                 November 6-12, 2003
	Twice Popped Stewkey revives The Nazz for the International Pop Overthrow by A.D. Amorosi    While it¹s thrilling to hear The Capitol Years, Acme Rock Group, Cordalene and the Nixon¹s Head/Trolleyvox continuum under one festival banner -- that of the annual traveling circus, International Pop Overthrow -- bands and audiences must worship at the altar of Stewkey¹s Nazz.     Here¹s the history: In the Upper Darby of 1967, Todd Rundgren, departed guitarist/songwriter of psych-blues band Woody¹s Truck Stop, formed what would be the 1960s¹ first Brit-inspired, well-dressed, good-looking "boy band," The Nazz -- for what turned out to be the start of a Anglo obsession continued today amongst men with shaggy hair. Unlike their modern descendants, The Nazz shimmered with a crystalline Anglo-pop-fizz courtesy the influence of The Kinks, The Who and The Move, songs written from within, and crisp, cutting vocals from keyboardist Robert "Stewkey" Antoni.     They made big waves with self-produced hits like "Open My Eyes," a swirling masterpiece of phase-shifted melody and heartbroken lyrics (see the new two-CD Open Our Eyes comp on Sanctuary); found themselves at odds with labels, management, each other and busted apart -- but not before a Runt-less Stewkey released Nazz III in 1970. After that he stayed on the Anglophile tip with Fuse (Rick Nielsen¹s pre-Cheap Trick locals) a swanky solo CD Hello it¹s Crazy Me, and songs on the Last Minute Jam Band¹s CD Minutes to Millennium.    So, why a new Nazz and why now? "One of my favorite questions from fans, old and new, that I¹ve met is 'Are there any live recordings?¹" said Stewkey of the band¹s rumored sizzling showcases rarely available on rarer bootlegs. "The music is timeless. Why not give fans what they want? Live Nazz." Stewkey promises rabid, rapid-fire takes on songs written by him, Rundgren and Company and -- in anticipation of a live CD and further recording -- that his Nazz will play songs even the old unit dared not play live. "This band consists of seasoned musicians who were Nazz fans when they were young and love the music as I still do" said Stewkey proudly. "So the energy is like it used to be."     International Pop Overthrow, Thu., Nov. 6, $8, 9 p.m., with Dan Kibler, Kara Lafty, The Dent, Steve Ward, John Faye, The Jellybricks, King Radio and Milkshake Jones, The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 267-671-9298; Fri., Nov. 7, 8 p.m., $8, with Tan Sleeve, Nixon¹s Head, Parallax Project, The Trolleyvox, Rich Cox Band, The Everyothers, The Vague and The Family Jules, The Fire; Sat., Nov. 8, 7 p.m., $10, with The Nazz, Blue Ash, The Chains, The Capitol Years, Cordalene, Acme Rock Group and Hoppers 13, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888; Sun., Nov. 9, 7 p.m., $10, Glowfriends, Phil Angotti, The Villas, Ed James, The Dipsomaniacs, Blank Pages and Jeremy, The Khyber. © Copyright 1995­2003 Philadelphia City Paper.
Philadelphia Weekly news update:                      November 7, 2003
	International Pop Overthrow Festival     It's extremely difficult to read up on the history of fossilized Philly rockers Blue Ash without conjuring a mental image of John Belushi in the Blues Brothers insisting "we're gettin' the band back together." Early pioneers of the power pop sound, Blue Ash rolled into Philly in 1970 to record some cuts at Sigma Sound. They've carried the "Philly rockers" torch ever since. After 10 years of recording and touring--not to mention enduring more personnel changes than an average Radio Shack--Blue Ash finally hung it up in June 1979, effectively setting the stage for Saturday's reunion gig.      As part of the International Pop Overthrow Festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday and includes showcase sets at both the Fire and the Khyber, the four original members of Blue Ash will take the stage once again, channeling the spirit of the '70s back into Old City.      Joining Blue Ash on Saturday's Khyber bill is another relic of yesteryear, Stewkey's Nazz. Originally formed in Philadelphia in the latter half of the '60s, the Nazz, like Blue Ash, focused on Anglo-influenced power pop. The original lineup paired the songwriting prowess of Stewkey, aka Robert Antoni, with that of local legend Todd Rundgren. After Rundgren left the Nazz to pursue a solo career in 1970, Stewkey assumed total creative control of the band, even going so far as to erase Rundgren's vocals from the then-unreleased third album, replacing them with his own.      For years, both the Nazz and Blue Ash bore the burden of being labeled as critics' darlings. Roughly translated, "critics' darling" is just a nice way to say "technically proficient and artistically sound, but nowhere near commercially viable." Regardless, the legacies woven by these two acts over the past 30-plus years have certainly garnered enough attention to warrant a relatively high level of anticipatory interest in Saturday's show.      Rounding out the bill will be a handful of bands comprised, comparatively speaking, of a bunch of young whippersnappers. Local bands Cordalene, Hoppers 13, the Acme Rock Group and the Capitol Years will be on hand to turn a few heads. Arguably Philly's best shot at reclaiming a larger reputation as a rock 'n' roll town, the Capitol Years may do well to take a few notes from the annals of history surrounding Blue Ash and the Nazz. Both bands were perched on the precipice of rock stardom before ego and hubris joined forces to form an impenetrable wall separating critics' darlings from arena rock stars. Perhaps these reunion gigs will provide a few footholds that will assist in scaling that wall. (Joshua Valocchi) >> Sat., Nov. 8, 7pm. Khyber