Fans of great power pop can rejoice. A number of top purveyors of the genre are coming together to form a pop “super group” of sorts and Hitfix has exclusive details about recording plans.
Tinted Windows is Hanson vocalist Taylor Hanson, Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, former Smashing Pumpkins’ guitarist James Iha and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos.
Billboard had the news of the group’s formation but Hitfix is breaking that the foursome has signed with S-Curve Records, the label best known for releasing such acts as Joss Stone, Fountains of Wayne,Tom Jones and Baha Men. The album is expected out this Spring.
“We’re thrilled to be involved with Tinted Windows. The S-Curve team has been involved with the careers of most of the members of this extremely super group, and we’re honored that we’ll get to help bring their collective effort to the world,” says S-Curve founder Steve Greenberg. “They’ve made an amazing record together and I think the music audience will be blown away when they hear it.”
Indeed Greenberg was the talent scout who signed Hanson to Mercury Records and oversaw their breakthrough album, quadruple-platinum “Middle of Nowhere.” He introduced the Hanson brothers to Schlesinger to write together in 1996 and they’ve been friends ever since. Schlesinger and Iha ran Scratchie Records, which Greenberg worked with when he was at Mercury. Plus, S-Curve president Steve Yegelwel worked with Fountains of Wayne for years, including on their most successful album, 2003’s “Welcome Interstate Managers. The S-Curve release included their biggest hits (and in my mind, one of the best pop songs ever: “Stacy’s Mom.”)
According to Billboard, the foursome’s first gig will be at Billboard’s South X Southwest showcase March 20.