Songheads

Make a right on Sunrise Highway and just keep going as you are immersed in a timeless pop sound that will put a big smile on your face. A fine collection of songs inspired by 60’s AM radio & 70’s FM with influences like, The Beach Boys, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, Laura Nyro, Bacharach, Carole King, Lovin Spoonful, Mamas & Papas,  Byrds, Cyrkle, Steely Dan and many others creates a wondrous sound that will always be fresh and uplifting!  Before Sunrise Highway the band was called NEO.  Every  review  compared  the music to that of  the Wondermints. The CD reminded others of  Jellyfish. One reviewer said the vocals reminded him of Carl Wilson and the vocalist from Teenage Fanclub. Splendid songs, great musicianship, sublime vocals drenched in golden sunshine pop harmonies, now there’s a road that never ends!

It’s Out Now !

Just in, purchase your download of SUNRISE HIGHWAY  from: CD Baby or iTunes, and the CD from Notlame, and Kool Kat Musik or Amazon.com

SHINDIG MAGAZINE  REVIEW   April issue

Sunrise Highway

just in time for summer, New York City-based retro power-poppers Sunrise Highway (named after a local interstate) – led by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Silvert and formerly known as NEO and The Sunshine Boys – surface with this inspired 12 song project that not only delightfully and self-assuredly channels the likes of the Brian Wilson-era Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful and The Association but also Burt Bacharach, early Kinks and Byrds, The Young Rascals and Todd Rundgren among others. Not to mention those Mamas & Papas-like, joyful, mirth-barely-suppressed vocal harmonies.

            Lead vocalist Greg Schlotthauer is particularly impressive on titles like the bittersweet tale of a ‘Lonely Guy’ and a dreamlike ‘Life On Mars’ while some creative drum programming enhances both the swept away ‘Baby Be Good’ and the chiffon textured ‘Roundabout’. Also noted is the clever tale of the 14th floor ‘Mini Bar’.

Gary von Tersch 

NOT LAME  REVIEW

Every year there are a few albums that stand out as *the* one to recommend to picky Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fans. Ushering in 2010 with a bomb of a pure pop gem, Sunrise Highway is, most certainly, one of those albums. Drop that mouse of yours down below and get clicking for proper proof. Sunrise Highway is, simply, an inspired work. Influenced by the best sounds, Carole King, Pet Sounds/Surfs Up era Beach Boys, Wondermints, Beatles, Todd Rundgren`s wonderful “Something Anything,” Byrds, The Lovin` Spoonfuls infectious good vibes or Mama and Papa harmonies, Sunrise Highway pulls no punches to hide where their hearts and affection lie – most thankfully. There is a timelessness and emotion to these sounds that really resonates with folks like us, right? Well, Sunrise Highway is a celebration to them, artfully, masterfully done.

Lovely, lilting melodies glide smoothly, crisply over gentle Turtles inspired melodies. “Not only is it a trip for Beach Boys enthusiasts, it also sounds like Todd Rundgren playing cream of Glasgow pop with a little Teenage Fanclub and a lot of Pearlfisherisms in there.” – Next Big Thing. Even though this is a New York City based band, there’s a soaring injection of California pop sun on all the material here that excavates the Beach Boy/Wilson charms so many Not Lamers can’t resist. Well, don’t, this is a gem. With its layered vocals, rich production style and inspired artistic vision, Sunrise Highway harkens a bright, sunny and joy-filled new day for you, for me and for a whole army of power pop fans. MASSIVELY Highly Recommended!

KOOL KAT MUSIK REVIEW

WOW!!! No, make that a DOUBLE WOW!! This one’s practically cemented itself as a 2010 “Top Tenner” contender! We try not to gush over too many things, but it’s not often that a true, timeless, genre-defining release comes along – and THIS IS! This brilliant gem of a debut contains all of the elements that make this an instant classic – top-notch singing and songwriting, production, and playing! In fact, we’ll make the case right know (a la “Yellow Pills”) that when a compilation of this first decades’ true pop is released by Sony/Legacy (?) that they should name it “Sunrise Highway”! Bold, eh? While Brian Wilson is an obvious influence, there’s so much more going on here! Lovers of Dwight Twilley-like jangly guitars will not be disappointed. Lovers of a solid, start-to-finish hook-fest will not be disappointed! AND IF THAT AIN’T ENOUGH, IT COMES WITH AN EXCLUSIVE, 5-SONG BONUS DISC OF VERY, VERY KOOL OUTTAKES/WORKING VERSIONS OF SONGS FROM THE FINISHED RECORD! Can’t nearly say enough about this one! GREAT!!!!”
You can also purchase your copy of  the SUNRISE HIGHWAY CD from  KOOL KAT MUSIK

POWERPOPAHOLIC   REVIEW

On this site, we make a big deal about groups that follow the classic power pop influences, like The Beach Boys, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, The Byrds, etc.  However it’s not enough to just have an influence, or be a sound-alike… it’s what you make of it. I am happy to say Marc Silvert has created a great album that honors these past greats with excellent songwriting and brilliant musicianship. He also gets support from a stellar band, including Gary Feldman of Radio City. Opening with “Life On Mars” it has a classic Rundgrenesque storyline and rich arrangement that carries the melodies along, it’s an instant classic. And it’s followed by one of the best Beach songs ever with “Endless Summer” full of soaring harmonies and jangling chords. Lead vocalist Greg Schlotthauer does an excellent job with Silvert, singing in tandem. The Beach Boys cadence continues on several songs here including “Baby Be Good” and “Roundabout.” The style varies enough on songs like “Big Brown Eyes” and “Magic” with it’s shimmering Rickenbacker chords to keep things from getting predictable. Almost every song has a great hook and pop structure similar to those 60’s/70’s adult radio favorites. If you have been looking for an album to lift your spirits with sunshine, then look no further. For fans of Jeff Larson, Jamie Hoover, Richard Snow and Nelson Bragg this truly is manna from heaven, and my first top ten recommendation for 2010.  Go to POWERPOPAHOLIC

 
 BUCKET FULL OF BRAINS REVIEW   BY DAVID BASH

Sunrise Highway       Self-Released   
Man, there sure are a lot of Brian Wilson homages out there (see reviews of The Passports and The Sunchymes), but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as they’re well done, as is Sunrise Highway, essentially the teaming of Marc Silvert’s sunshine-oriented songwriting with the classic pop vocals of Greg Schlotthauer. Don’t let titles like ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Baby Be Good’, ‘Magic’ and ‘Roundabout’ fool you; all the songs on the album are Silvert originals. Though the Brian-isms are ever present, ‘Life On Mars’ and ‘Jerry In The Skies’ offer some jazzy chords not unlike The Pearlfishers, while ‘Big Brown Eyes’ and ‘Magic’ have a bit more of a power pop bent. Nothing particularly original here, but if ’60s-inspired Sunshine Pop is your cup of tea, then Sunrise Highway will taste mighty fine. David Bash

PETER’S POWER  POP REVIEW
Australia

Well, I’ve spent some time with the songs that Marc sent, and I can safely say this: if you want to listen to them you’ll need to put on sunglasses first. This music is so bright, and the songs so dazzling, that it won’t matter what time of the day, week or year you play it – when you play it, it’ll be summer. You may also find yourself squinting while the music’s playing and wondering if you turned on too many lights where you are. (If you live on the beach, however, then you won’t notice much difference.)

The music of Sunrise Highway sounds to me as if it lives in the world of 70’s AM radio – a world full of sunny tunes, sunny harmonies, and just a few more sunny harmonies thrown in for good measure.

BMF – BILL’S MUSIC FORUM REVIEW

I am going to take a wild guess that the studio Sunrise Highway used to record their self-titled CD is full of windows that let in generous amounts of sunlight. I make this assumption because “Sunrise Highway” just sparkles with sunshine. It radiates a warm, feel-good vibe that makes you feel like you are chillin’ under the sun with an ice cold lemonade by your side and no cares in the world.

The Sun gods have been appeased, and Greg Schlotthauer and company have recorded a gem of pop genius. Sunrise Highway sounds remarkably like the Beach Boys for a new generation – breezy riffs, shimmering guitar tones, bouncy piano, and loads of amazing harmonies. It makes for a great mellow listen the whole way through, but standouts for me included “Endless Summer”, “Baby Be Good”, and “Lonely Guy”. If you dig classic pop from the era of the Beach Boys, or if you just want a good spring and summer record to lift your spirits, you cannot miss Sunrise Highway.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 5, 7

BLOODY RED BARON WEBSITE 
            
Sunrise Highway is another new band that uses the Beach Boys as a jumping off point.  Less purely Wilsonian than Explorers Club, Sunrise Highway nonetheless effortlessly evokes the Beach Boys with its sunny harmonies and bittersweet chord progressions   Songs like “Endless Summer” and “Lonely Guy” are obvious tributes.  The rest of the album never strays far from the reservation while remaining totally fresh.  “Big Brown Eyes” could easily be an Eagles song.  The rest of the record is sui generis and pure delight. Mike Baron

Radio Citys “Class of ‘77″ is my favorite album of 2009!”>>> Frank Secich/Blue Ash/Deadbeat Poets  The previously unreleased full album from this amazing New York band! Hunkered in the studio in the late ’70s, these guys made a beautiful testament to the power of pop! Before the skinny ties, these guys followed the path laid out by BIG STAR, THE RASPBERRIES, BLUE ASH and BADFINGER, mixed with their own raw sound, to dizzying results! A mandatory purchase for powerpop fans everywhere-Soundflat-Germany

In the 70s, a handful of bands would not give in to the pressures of the music industry and produced music from their hearts that would last forever because of its honesty and integrity. Given the climate of the industry in those years, this was, in hindsight, heroic action. Radio City tops this list and due credit may finally be given to them. They picked up where bands like The Beatles and Badfinger left off; gave us back our innocence in their fun, imaginative music that held us to what we thought we could be and would be in our minds and in our hearts. Where other bands crumbled to industry pressure, Radio City stayed true to their beliefs and gave us melodies and song crafting that makes one want to go out to buy a guitar and learn how to play. Radio City should have made it big but instead are now legendary. We need them now more than ever >>> Danny Shonerd, The Boys(USA)       
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