In this week’s CityBeat, veteran local Power Pop genius Roger Klug discusses the various guises he has donned over the years, particularly the one used for his recent single, a hooky Pop Punk ditty about social media called “Facebook Friend.” The song, a humorous, Blink 182-style number, was released under the band name Rant to Save Yourself because it didn’t fit in with Klug’s solo repertoire.—-
With the catchiness and timely subject matter, “Facebook Friend” has given the “band” (featuring the same lineup as the Roger Klug Power Trio, with Greg Tudor on bass and Mike Tittel on drums) a song with the potential to draw some widespread attention. (Not that Klug’s fantastic, hyper-melodic tunes aren’t largely all hits-in-waiting, it’s just that this one has been cleverly retrofitted to grab some ears.) Maybe “Friend” will become a viral sensation on YouTube (check the clip, which the band showed before a recent show at the 20th Century Theatre, below) and Rant to Save Yourself will be the next OK Go? At the very least, one could easily imagine the tune earning some commercial, TV or movie placements.
The Roger Klug Power Trio performs a free show tomorrow night at the Northside Tavern (details here), if you want to be annoying and yell, “Play ‘Facebook Friend’!” at them all night.
The song is available on iTunes for under a buck (a penny under, but still …). Here’s a look at the video clip, which also showcases the band members’ acting chops (not quite on the level of their musical ones, though The Monkees weren’t exactly master thespians either and they did all right for themselves) and a few seconds of a gloriously disastrous version of Little River Band’s 1978 Soft Rock hit, “Reminiscing” (rumored to be one of John Lennon’s favorite songs — fun fact!).
