The Spongetones | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina |
Genres | Power pop |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Ripete Records Triapore Records Loaded Goat Records Black Vinyl Gadfly Records Big Stir |
Members | Jamie Hoover Steve Stoeckel Pat Walters Eric Wilhelm |
Past members | Rob Thorne Greg James Jon Rozzelle Chris Garges |
Website | www |
The Spongetones, formed in 1979, are an American power pop band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They formed from a desire to play Beatles and other 1960s music they grew up with.
Very much influenced by the British Invasion, the Spongetones carried on the musical genre through acclaimed original songwriting, jangle pop riffs, and lilting vocals of Beatlesque quality. In his 2007 book, Shake Some Action, John M. Borack rated the Beat and Torn album (a re-release of Beat Music with Torn Apart on DVD) at number 25 of his Top 200 Power Pop Albums of all time, comparing the album to early Beatles and Searchers, calling the album "simply wonderful."[1] Rolling Stone gave Beat Music a 3-1/2 star review[2] and Torn Apart a 3-star review.[3]
In 2023, The Spongetones signed with power pop label Big Stir Records, and are planning a live album from their 40th anniversary show along with some new material.