Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesizers. While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres.^[1][2]

Formative years: mid 1960s through the early 1970s[link]

Writing for Allmusic, John Dougan described the genre's origins:

The musical sourcepoint for nearly all power-pop is The Beatles. Virtually all stylistic appropriations begin with them: distinctive harmony singing, strong melodic lines, unforgettable guitar riffs, lyrics about boys and girls in love; they created the model that other power-poppers copied for the next couple of decades. Other profound influences include The Who, The Kinks, and The Move, bands whose aggressive melodies and loud distorted guitars put the "power" in power-pop.^[3]

Pete Townshend of The Who coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview in which he said: "Power pop is what we play—what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop The Beach Boys played in the days of 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which I preferred."^[4] The Beatles and The Byrds, along with The Who, The Small Faces and The Beach Boys, are often cited as the progenitors of power pop.^[5]

Influential British rock band The Kinks in 1965.

The Who, inspired by the melodicism of The Beatles and the driving rhythms of American R&B, released several songs — "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Substitute", "I'm a Boy" and "Happy Jack" — in their early mod phase (1965–1966) that can be considered the first true power pop songs. These songs are propelled by Keith Moon's aggressive drumming and Pete Townshend's distinctive power chords, and have strong melodies and euphonic harmonies.

The Who's role in the creation of power pop has been cited by singer-songwriter Eric Carmen of the Raspberries, who has said:

"Pete Townshend coined the phrase to define what the Who did. For some reason, it didn't stick to the Who, but it did stick to these groups that came out in the `70s that played kind of melodic songs with crunchy guitars and some wild drumming. It just kind of stuck to us like glue, and that was OK with us because the Who were among our highest role models. We absolutely loved the Who."^[6]

The Beatles released harder-edged, yet melodic, singles such as "Paperback Writer" and "Day Tripper" in 1965–66, as well as album tracks such as "And Your Bird Can Sing". However, four years before the term "power pop" was coined, The Beatles were already recording a series of influential hits that some have retroactively classified as power pop, including "From Me to You", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Can't Buy Me Love".

Several groups that arose in the wake of The Beatles' success were important in the evolution and expansion of the power pop style, such as The Hollies and The Monkees, as well as "softer" acts such as The Beau Brummels, The Cowsills, The Zombies, and the "bubblegum" singles of the Kasenetz-Katz production team. Other acts such as the Knickerbockers, The Easybeats and the Outsiders contributed iconic singles. Writer John Borack has noted, "It’s also quite easy to draw a not-so-crooked line from garage rock to power pop."^[7]

Alex Chilton, of Big Star, seen in 2004.

By 1970 the distinctive stylistic elements of power pop were clearly evident in recordings by the British group Badfinger, with singles such as "No Matter What", "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day" serving as templates for the power pop sound that would follow ^[8]:50.

Although the formative influences on the genre were primarily British, the bands that developed and codified power pop in the 1970s were nearly all American. The Raspberries' 1972 hit single "Go All The Way" is an almost perfect embodiment of the elements of power pop and that group's four albums can be considered strongly representative of the genre. Some of Todd Rundgren's early and mid 1970s solo work also touched on power pop, as did the recordings of Blue Ash, The Flamin' Groovies, Artful Dodger and The Dwight Twilley Band. The most influential group of the period may have been Big Star. Though Big Star's initial early 1970s career met with no commercial success, they developed an avid cult following and members of later bands like R.E.M. and The Replacements spoke enthusiastically of their esteem for the group's work. The Replacements even recorded a song entitled "Alex Chilton" in honor of Big Star's frontman.

Commercial peak: late 1970s to early 1980s[link]

Cheap Trick playing in 1978.

Spurred on by the emergence of punk rock and new wave, power pop enjoyed a prolific and commercially successful period in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Although coined in the 1960s, and used as early as 1973 in reference to Sweet^[9], the term "power pop" was not widely used until around 1978. This unique band are often overlooked by so called music historians / researchers which is mainly due to the fact that they never had a major No. 1 hit record. But amongst the people who were actually there at the time The Pleasers were a massive force to be recon with as it was this bands brand of music and fashion that helped pave the way for their contemporary's. As the novelist Michael Chabon has written, "Power pop in its essential form... did not come into existence for a number of years after it was first identified. Like so much of the greatest work turned out by popular artists of the 1970s, true power pop is quintessential second-generation stuff."^[10] The term was often used in reference to critics' favorites Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, whose style was viewed as a less-threatening version of punk rock.^[11][12] Los Angeles-based Bomp! magazine championed power pop in its March 1978 issue, tying the genre's roots to 1960s groups like The Who and The Easybeats through Raspberries of the early 1970s.^[13]

Like their punk brethren, late–1970s power pop groups favored a leaner and punchier sound than their early–1970s predecessors. Some occasionally incorporated synthesizers into their music, though not to the same degree as did their new wave counterparts. Representative singles from the period include releases from the Bomp! Records label by 20/20 ("Giving It All"), Shoes ("Tomorrow Night") and The Romantics ("Tell It to Carrie"). Major label groups like Cheap Trick, The Cars and Blondie merged power pop influences with other styles and achieved their first mainstream success with albums released in 1978. Cheap Trick's 1979 album Cheap Trick at Budokan went triple platinum in the United States,^[14] and singles such as "Surrender" and "I Want You To Want Me" brought power pop to an international audience.

Doug Fieger of The Knack performing.

Visually taking their cue from 1960s British Invasion groups, some power pop bands decked themselves out in skinny ties and matching suits. Other groups such as the The Romantics adopted matching red leather outfits reminiscent of 1950s rock n roll stars such as Little Richard. Some bands such as The Beat adapted the look of punk rocker contemporaries such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols.

The biggest chart hit by a pure power pop band was The Knack's debut single, "My Sharona", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks in the summer of 1979. The accompanying platinum-selling album, Get the Knack, paved the way for major label debuts that fall by The Pop, Shoes, 20/20 and The Beat. However, "My Sharona"'s ubiquitous radio presence that summer spawned a popular and critical backlash against the band, which in turn led to a backlash against the power pop genre in general. Few of the power pop albums which followed Get the Knack charted at all, and those that did attained only middling positions on the Billboard 200. The Romantics had a minor hit with "What I Like About You" in early 1980, but, by then, power pop was seen as a passing fad by many critics.^[15] Most of this crop of bands continued to release albums throughout the early 1980s, but with the exception of The Romantics' In Heat (1983), none garnered much attention. Other groups such as The Plimsouls and the dB's found a home on college radio, where power pop would endure for the remainder of the decade.

United Kingdom[link]

Nick Lowe playing in 1980.

The term power pop, as used in the United Kingdom, referred to a somewhat different style of music than that of the United States. The Evening Standard used the term in January 1978 while writing about The Rich Kids and Tonight.^[16] Other British bands labelled as power pop included The Jam, The Boys, The Pleasers, Squeeze, Buzzcocks, Starjets, The Vapors and The Chords. The term became something of a catchall, as many of these groups have also been described as "mod revival", "punk rock" or "new wave". Lacking the influence of American pioneers such as Big Star and Raspberries, these bands were more directly inspired by 1960s beat music bands, particularly The Who, The Kinks, and The Beatles. They also took a cue from the energy and aesthetics of the contemporary punk movement, speeding up the tempo of their music.

Other UK artists of the late 1970s commonly identified as power pop were the new wave bands XTC and Elvis Costello & The Attractions. They played driving, melodic music, but neither group sported the mod image or overt 1960s influence of The Jam and their followers. A handful of successful bands in the United Kingdom did boast the traditional power pop sound as inspired by the Raspberries and Big Star. Singles from such groups, such as The Records' "Starry Eyes", Nick Lowe's "Cruel to be Kind" and Bram Tchaikovsky's "Girl of My Dreams", rivaled or even surpassed their American counterparts in capturing the essential elements of power pop. Perhaps as a consequence, these bands were more commercially successful in the United States than in their homeland.

Additionally, the American new wave group Blondie was often labelled as "power pop" by the UK press. The band's cover of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone", demonstrated Blondie's power pop side. The most notable Australian power pop band of the period was probably The Innocents; rock historian Glenn A Baker claimed they were "the greatest power pop band since the demise of Raspberries".^[17]

Having influenced the development of power pop from the beginning, British rock group The Kinks made several well-received songs in the style in their 1984 album Word of Mouth, such as "Do It Again".^[18]

Contemporary power pop: 1980s to 2000s[link]

The New Pornographers in concert.

In the 1980s and 1990s, power pop continued as a commercially modest genre. Artists such as the Spongetones,^[8]p. 58 Marshall Crenshaw, Del Amitri, Enuff Z'nuff, The Smithereens, Matthew Sweet, Tommy Keene, Redd Kross, Material Issue and The Posies drew inspiration from Big Star, the Beatles, and glam rock groups of the early 1970s like T.Rex and Sweet.^[19] Albums such as Jellyfish's Bellybutton (1990) and Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque (1991) would be greatly influential within the genre, but few translated to mainstream success.

In the mid-1990s through the 2000s, power pop flourished in the underground with acts such as Sloan. Independent record labels such as Not Lame Recordings, Parasol, Kool Kat Musik and Jam Recordings specialized in the genre. The sound made a mainstream appearance in 1994 with Weezer's commercially successful "blue album" and hit single "Buddy Holly".^[20] In the late 1990s, several Scandinavian power pop groups such as the Cardigans, Merrymakers and Wannadies enjoyed a modicum of critical favor.

Power pop traits are also currently displayed by North American bands such as Gin Blossoms, Fountains of Wayne, The New Pornographers, Guided By Voices, Semisonic, Jimmy Eat World, The Click Five, The Dandy Warhols, Sloan, The Apples in Stereo, Cotton Mather, and Fastball. The influence of power pop is also apparent in contemporary British groups such as Silver Sun, the Futureheads, Maxïmo Park, Farrah, The Feeling, Razorlight, Babyshambles and The Libertines. There is also a movement of bands directly inspired by the British powerpop sound made popular in the late 1970s. "Boy bands" like the Jonas Brothers have also sometimes been referred to as "power pop."^{[21][22][23][24]}

The Click Five interviewed in April 2006.

Festival bills[link]

International Pop Overthrow - named after the song of the same name by Material Issue - is a power pop festival that has been organizing events since 1997. Originally taking place in Los Angeles, the festival has expanded to several locations over the years including Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, and Liverpool, England (the latter event included performances at the re-created Cavern Club).

Books and internet resources[link]

Ken Sharp and Doug Sulpy released Power Pop: Conversations With the Power Pop Elite in 1997. The book contained interviews with power pop artists from throughout the genre's history. Sharp has also written books on Raspberries and Cheap Trick.^[25] In 2007, John Borack published Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide in association with power pop label/retailer Not Lame Recordings. The book contained essays by several writers including Borack, a list of 200 "essential albums," and an accompanying CD.

The popular blog PowerPop includes daily entries on "the precursors, the practioners, and the descendants of power pop."^[26]

Notable power pop singles[link]

Certain power pop songs have had substantial mainstream visibility or commercial success, have been critically described as being emblematic of the genre, or are regularly cited as being influential to later performers. These include:

• The Who – "I Can See for Miles" (1967)^[27][28]
• Badfinger – "No Matter What" (1970)^[29][30]
• Todd Rundgren - "Couldn't I Just Tell You" (1972)^{[8][30]p. 10}
• Raspberries – "Go All the Way" (1972)^{[8][31]p. 13[29][30][32]}
• Big Star – "September Gurls" (1974)^{[8]p. 13[29][30]}
• Cheap Trick – "Surrender" (1978)^{[8]p. 16[32]}
• The Cars – "Just What I Needed" (1978)^{[8][30]p. 10}
• Buzzcocks – "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" (1978)^[32]
• The Records – "Starry Eyes" (1979)^{[8]p. 140[29]}
• Nick Lowe - "Cruel to Be Kind" (1979)^[30][33]
• The Knack – "My Sharona" (1979)^{[8]p. 59[29]}
• Shoes - "Too Late" (1979)^[34][35]
• The Romantics – "What I Like About You" (1980)^{[8]p. 140[29]}
• Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl" (1981)
• Marshall Crenshaw – "Someday, Someway" (1982)^[29][30]
• The La's - "There She Goes" (1990)^[36]
• Matthew Sweet – "Girlfriend" (1991)^[23][37]
• Weezer – "Buddy Holly" (1994)^[30]
• The Wonders - "That Thing You Do" (1996)
• Gin Blossoms – "Follow You Down" (1996)^[38]
• Jimmy Eat World – "The Middle" (2001)^[39][40][41]
• Fountains of Wayne – "Stacy's Mom" (2003)^[42][43]
• OK Go – "Here It Goes Again" (2006)^[23]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Article about power pop from Rolling Stone 1979, RS306
• Information about power pop from Allmusic

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Look up power in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Power may refer to:

Philosophy[link]

• Power (philosophy), the ability to control people or events

Physics[link]

• Power (physics), the rate at which work is performed or energy is converted
• Electric power, the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by a circuit
• Human power, the rate of work performed by a human
• Motive power, an agent used to create motion
• AC power, power in an alternating current electric circuit
• Optical power, the degree to which a lens converges or diverges light
• Transmitter power output, the power used by a radio transmitter
• Effective radiated power, a standardized theoretical measurement of the power of a radio transmitter
• Power spectral density, a real function denoting the power or energy of a signal
• Electrical power industry, companies generating electricity for the electrical grid

Mathematics[link]

• Exponentiation
• Statistical power
• Power of a point

Surname[link]

• Power (name)

Computing[link]

• IBM Power (software), an IBM systems software operating system enhancement package that provided spooling facilities for the IBM/370
• IBM POWER, a RISC microprocessor architecture developed by IBM
• POW-R, a set of commercial dithering and noise shaping algorithms used in digital audio bit-depth reduction

Film[link]

• Power (1986 film), a 1986 film about how political power affects both those who wield it and the people they try to control
• Power (2012 film), an upcoming Bollywood film
• The Power (film), a 1968 science fiction film, based on the Frank M. Robinson novel

Music[link]

Albums

• Power (Barrabás album)
• Power (Boys Noize album)
• Power (Ice-T album)
• Power (Kansas album)
• Power (Q and Not U album)
• The Power (album), an album by Vanessa Amorosi
• Power, an album by SSD (band)
• Power, an album by Lakeside (band)

Songs

• "Power" (Helloween song)
• "Power" (Kanye West song)
• "The Power" (Snap! song)
• "Power", a song by Lipps Inc. from Mouth to Mouth
• "Power", a song by Rainbow from Straight Between the Eyes
• "Power", a song by The Temptations
• "Power" (KMFDM song)
• "The Power", a song by Manowar from Louder Than Hell
• "The Power", a song by Cher from Believe
• "Power" (Juvenile song)
• "Power", a song by Fields of the Nephilim
• Power, a song by B.A.P

Literature[link]

• Power (novel), a 1962 novel by Howard Fast detailing the rise of the fictional Benjamin Holt to lead a powerful labor union
• Power (2004 novel), a by J. A. Stiehl novel about a boy who develops superhuman abilities of nearly god-like proportions
• Power (play), a play by Nick Dear that explores the events that led King Louis XIV of France to become absolute monarch
• The Power (novel), a 1956 book by Frank M. Robinson, on which the 1968 film is based
• The Power (self-help book), a 2010 book by Rhonda Byrne
• Girl Got Game, originally Power!! a manga series about a girl whose father forces her to pretend to be a boy to play on a basketball team
• Power: A New Social Analysis, a sociology book by Bertrand Russell that defines powers as one's ability to achieve goals

Sports and games[link]

• West Virginia Power, a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed "Power", an Australian rules football club based in Port Adelaide, South Australia
• Phil Taylor, an English darts champion, nicknamed "The Power", who has won a record 15 World Championships

Other[link]

• 2C-P, this psychedelic phenethylamine is popularly known as power
• Power, Montana, a census-designated place in Teton County, Montana, United States
• Power98FM, an English-language radio station in Singapore, owned by SAFRA Radio
• De Coelesti Hierarchia, a Pseudo-Dionysian work on angelology which has an order of angels called "Powers"
• The Power (XM), an XM satellite radio channel
• Pittsburgh Power, American Football League team in Pittsburgh, PA
• J. D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services firm
• Power Corporation of Canada, a Canadian conglomerate known for its active participation in Canadian politics

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up pop in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Pop may refer to:

Music and dance[link]

• Pop music, a musical genre
• Pop!, a UK pop group
• Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
• PoP!, the fictional band in Music and Lyrics
• Pop (U2 album)
• Pop (Mao Abe album)
• Pop (Gas album)
• Pop (Same Difference album)
• Pop (Joachim Witt album)
• "Pop" (song), by 'N Sync
• Popping, a style of dance

People[link]

• Iggy Pop, musician
• Iulian Pop, Romanian mayor of Cluj
• Gregg Popovich, National Basketball Association head coach
• Pop Chalee, also known as Merina Lujan (1906–1993), American painter, muralist, performer and singer
• Pop Corkhill (1858-1921), American Major League Baseball (MLB) player
• Pop Dillon (1873-1931), American MLB player
• Pop Foster (1878-1944), American MLB player
• Pop Gates (1917-1999), American basketball player and Harlem Globetrotters coach
• Pop Ivy (1916-2003), American football player and coach
• Pop Levi, English singer, musician, record producer and filmmaker
• Pop Robson (born 1945), English footballer
• Pop Schriver (1865-1932), American MLB catcher
• Pop Smith (1856-1927), Canadian MLB player
• Pop Snyder (1854-1924), American MLB player, manager and umpire
• Pop Tate (baseball) (1860-1932), American MLB player
• Glenn Scobey Warner (1871-1954), American football player and coach better known as Pop Warner
• Pop Williams (1874-1959), American MLB pitcher

Sports and games[link]

• Pop (professional wrestling)
• Pop (video game)
• Pokémon Organized Play, a trading card and figure organization
• Prince of Persia

Computing and technology[link]

• Package on package, a circuit packaging technique
• Parallel Ocean Program, an ocean circulation model
• Partial-order planning, an algorithm
• Point of Presence, a demarcation point between communications entities
• Post Office Protocol, an Internet e-mail protocol
• An operation of a stack data structure

Media and publications[link]

• Pop (UK TV channel), a UK channel
• Pop (fashion magazine), a British fashion magazine
• Pop Magazine (Australia), a sports magazine
• Pop (Swedish magazine)
• POP TV, a Slovenian television network
• Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, a medical journal

Places[link]

• Pop River (Jijia), Romania
• Pop River (Sadu), Romania
• Puerto Plata Airport, IATA code POP
• Poppleton railway station, station code POP
• Pacific Ocean Park, an amusement park

Other uses[link]

• Eton Society, an organization at Eton College, nicknamed "Pop"
• Pay on production
• Plaster of Paris
• Persistent organic pollutant, an organic compound resistant to degradation
• Pop art, a visual art movement
• Pop culture, the mainstream phenomena of a society
• Pop, another term for soft drinks
• Population, the collection of humans or organisms in a given area
• Probability of precipitation, a weather forecasting measure
• Problem-oriented policing, a policing strategy
• Process Oriented Psychology
• Progestogen only pill, a contraceptive
• Point of Purchase used often in retail
• Proof-of-payment, a fare collection approach

See also[link]

• Pops (disambiguation)
• PoP (disambiguation)
• Popping (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Charlyn Marie Marshall (born January 21, 1972), also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands. Over a twenty year career she has produced eight studio albums, one live album and two EPs.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Marshall loved soul, rock 'n' roll and country music from childhood and began to play guitar in experimental bands with friends in her early adult years. After a move to New York at age 20, Marshall recorded two lo-fi, improvised solo albums, Dear Sir (1995) and Myra Lee (1996), collaborating with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. Cat Power then signed to Matador Records to release her third, more focused album, What Would the Community Think? (1996), which united her with notable indie musicians. She followed with Moon Pix (1998) and The Covers Record (2000), receiving notice for her spare, intense originals and radically stripped down takes on folk songs and familiar songs. You Are Free (2003) was more structured indie rock and brought Cat Power wider attention. Marshall followed it up with the one-take performance film, Speaking for Trees (2004), filmed in a forest. The Greatest (2006), in which she worked with classic R&B and gospel musicians, was her most recent collection of original songs, and her best-selling. A second covers collection, Jukebox (2008), with a horn-led backing band, is her most recent album.

Marshall has been praised for her soulful vocals and raw, minimalist guitar playing. Cat Power's concert appearances were unconventional and unpredictable for many years, and critics often called her an erratic live act. Marshall faced substance abuse problems which she said affected her performances, and recently her act has been notably more polished, although her musical style has also changed significantly. Marshall has also done modelling work. She has been photographed by notable fashion photographers and in 2006 became a spokesperson for Chanel. She has appeared in three films, including Wong Kar-Wai's My Blueberry Nights (2007).

Early life[link]

Chan Marshall was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Marshall's father, Charlie, is a blues musician and pianist. Her parents divorced when she was a child and were reconciled at a later date. Her mother remarried to another man, the family travelling around a lot because of her stepfather's job. Marshall attended 10 different schools throughout the Southern United States in places such as Greensboro; Barlett and Memphis and throughout Georgia and South Carolina. At times she was left with her grandmother. In interviews she stated that the constant traveling prepared her for the touring life of a professional musician. She was not allowed to buy records when she was growing up, but she listened to her stepfather's record collection which included such artists as Otis Redding, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Rolling Stones.^[1]

Marshall became estranged from her mother at 16 at the same time she dropped out of high school, having no contact with her until she was 24 and says they are still not close. She went back to live with her father in Atlanta but only stayed with him until she was 18, when she moved out. Marshall claims he never taught her any music, forbidding her to play his piano. Her first instrument was a 1950s Silvertone guitar, which she did not touch for a year after buying it, because “It was art in the corner.”^[2]

After leaving home, she started playing in Atlanta with a collective of musicians made up of Glen Thrasher, Marc Moore, Damon Moore and Fletcher Liegerot, who would get together for jam sessions in a basement. The group were booked for a show and had to come up with a name quickly, when a man walked through the door of the pizzeria where Marshall worked, wearing a Caterpillar trucker cap that read: "Cat Diesel Power". Marshall immediately decided on Cat Power as the name of the band.^[3] While in Atlanta, Marshall played her first live shows as support to her friends' bands, including Magic Bone and Opal Foxx Quartet. Due to her close relationships with the various people involved, she has stated that her involvement in music at this time was primarily a social interest rather than an artistic one. She also stated in a 2007 interview for Soft Focus^[4] that the music itself was more experimental and that playing shows was often an opportunity for her and her friends to get drunk and take drugs.

Career[link]

Early work (1992–1996)[link]

In 1992 she moved to New York City with Glen Thrasher. It was Thrasher who introduced her to New York's free-jazz and experimental music scene. In particular she cites a concert by Anthony Braxton with giving her the confidence to perform in public. Her first New York show was at a warehouse in Brooklyn and she has described her early New York shows as "more improvisational."^[5] One of her shows during this period was as the support act to Man or Astro-man? and consisted of her playing a two-string guitar and singing the word "no" for fifteen minutes.^[6] Around this time she made the acquaintance of God Is My Co-Pilot, a relationship that resulted in them releasing her first single "Headlights" in a limited run of 500 copies on their Making of Americans label.

In 1994 she opened for Liz Phair in New York. In attendance were Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, who encouraged her to record, and played on her first two albums, 1995's Dear Sir and 1996's Myra Lee, the latter taking its name from Marshall's mother. Both albums were recorded in New York on the same day in December 1994 and display a lack of conventional song structures.

Matador records and hiatus (1996–2002)[link]

Cat Power performing in Toronto in September 2006

In 1996 she was signed to Matador Records and, along with Foljahn and Shelley, recorded her third album, What Would the Community Think, which spawned a single and music video, "Nude as the News". In 1998 Marshall released Moon Pix, composed of new songs that resulted from a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare whilst she was living at a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina. The record was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne in eleven days with backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three.^[7] The album was well received by critics, and gained her recognition in the indie rock scene. In late 1996, Cat Power completed a three-month tour co-headlining with the band Guv'ner in support of the release of What Would the Community Think.

By 2000 Marshall stated that she had grown tired of touring her own material. This resulted in a series of shows during 1999 where Marshall provided musical accompaniment to the silent movie The Passion of Joan of Arc. The shows combined original material and many covers, many of which would later see release on The Covers Record. The Covers Record was a collection of cover songs by Marshall recorded at various sessions in 1998 and 1999. A selection of covers that didn't make it on to the album were recorded at Peel Acres, home of the British DJ John Peel. The session was broadcast on his BBC Radio 1 show and featured Marshall's own interpretations of Bob Dylan's "Hard Times in New York Town" and Oasis's "Wonderwall", amongst others. Her contract with Matador for 2000's The Covers Album reportedly consisted of a Post-it note signed by herself and the company's founder.^[8]

Reemergence (2003–2006)[link]

In 2003 after a long gap Marshall resumed releasing original material with You Are Free, which featured guest musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and the Dirty Three's Warren Ellis. A music video directed by Brett Vapnek was released for the song "He War." Marshall toured extensively through 2003 and 2004 on a tour that covered Europe, Brazil, the US and Australia.^[9]

Marshall toured through 2005, including an Australian tour supporting Nick Cave and an appearance at the Patti Smith-curated Meltdown festival. The shows largely consisted of material that would appear on her next album.

The Greatest was released in January 2006. This was not a greatest hits record but rather the Matador Records-arranged collaboration with Al Green's guitarist Teenie Hodges and other musicians. She returned to live performance in April 2006, playing with the Memphis Rhythm Band and as a solo performer, including a performance at a Bob Dylan tribute concert in New York, a fund raiser for the charity Music for Youth.

[edit] New band, Jukebox and recent activity (2007–present)

Marshall put together a new band in late 2006 with whom she toured and recorded throughout 2007. The Dirty Delta Blues Band features Judah Bauer (from Blues Explosion), Gregg Foreman (The Delta 72), Erik Paparazzi (Lizard Music), and Jim White (from Dirty Three). The Dirty Delta Blues band recorded an album of covers called Jukebox which was released on January 22, 2008, on Matador Records. On December 9, 2008, an EP entitled Dark End of the Street was released by Matador. The release consists of left-over cover songs from the Jukebox sessions.^[10]

In a January 2011 interview, Marshall hinted that new material may not see release until as late as summer 2012, stating "I would like to continue what I'm doing [professionally], but I'd also like to not divert from what I've been creating in my personal life. I don't wanna jeopardize being a mom by working. Because in my work, I have to 'go', y'know?"^[11]

Marshall released a new version of What Would the Community Think? album track "King Rides By" for download from her official website on December 25, 2011, with all proceeds from sales of the track being donated to The Festival of Children Foundation and The Ali Forney Center.^[12] A music video directed by Giovanni Ribisi and featuring Filipino boxer and politician Manny Pacquiao was released to promote the song.^[13] In February 2012, Marshall cancelled a scheduled appearance in Tel Aviv, Israel, citing "much confusion" and "[feeling] sick in [her] spirit." She had faced calls to boycott the Jewish state over its conflict with Palestine.^[14] Two months later, she cancelled her appearance at the Coachella Music Festival, claiming that she "didn't think it was fair to play Coachella while my new album is not yet finished," also hinting that her forthcoming record is "almost done" and will see release later in 2012.^[15]

In April 2012, it was announced that Marshall's new LP, entitled Sun will be released on September 10, 2012 in the UK.^[16]

Collaborations and contributions[link]

Around this time, Marshall collaborated with Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs) on a recording of Ludwig Rellstab's poem "Auf Dem Strom" for the film Wayne County Ramblin'.^[17] Marshall sang the poem in German, though she does not speak the language. Since returning to the stage Marshall has contributed guest vocals to several albums. She performed a duet with model Karen Elson on an English cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime... moi non plus" for the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. She also sang lead vocal on the Ensemble track "Disown, Delete" and reworked "Revelations" with Yoko Ono for Ono's 2007 album Yes, I'm a Witch. She also performed guest vocals for Faithless and El-P. She also duets on the Dexter Romweber Duo song "Love Letters". In 2007, Marshall contributed songs to the soundtrack of Ethan Hawke's movie The Hottest State, recording with Jesse Harris and Terry Manning, and the Academy Award-winning film Juno. In early 2008, she collaborated with Beck and producer Danger Mouse on the album Modern Guilt. She contributed backing vocals to two tracks, "Orphans" and "Walls". The album was released in July of that year.^[18] Chan Marshall provides backup vocals on Marianne Faithfull's cover of "Hold On, Hold On" by Neko Case on the 2009 album Easy Come Easy Go. In 2011 she also featured as guest on "Tonight You Belong To Me" on Eddie Vedder's Ukulele Songs.^[19]

Other work[link]

Fashion[link]

Cat Power sporting her signature "neo grunge" look at a concert in 2009.

In the early 2000s Marshall was embraced by the fashion industry for her "neo grunge" look, and seen as a muse by designers such as Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière. She was invited to many high profile fashion shows. In 2001 she modelled in New York Magazine's Fall fashion issue and was photographed by her friends Mark Borthwick and Terry Richardson, who featured her in Purple Magazine alongside Catherine Deneuve.^[20]

In October 2006 she became the celebrity spokesperson for a line of jewelry from Chanel, after being seen by Karl Lagerfeld smoking a cigarette outside the Mercer Hotel in New York. Lagerfeld chose Cat Power for the soundtrack to his Spring 2007 fashion show. He also photographed Marshall for a purple magazine feature.^[21]

Advertising[link]

In 2007 Marshall's voice could be heard in commercials for Cingular^[22] and De Beers^[23] in the United States and Garnier in the United Kingdom. Previously Marshall had done advertisements for GAP. In September 2008, Marshall and members of the Dirty Delta Blues (Erik Paparazzi & Gregg Foreman) recorded their version of David Bowie's Space Oddity for a Lincoln car commercial.^[24]

Film work[link]

2004 saw the release of the DVD Speaking for Trees, which featured a continuous, nearly 2-hour static shot of Marshall performing in a woodland. The set was accompanied by an audio CD containing the eighteen-minute song "Willie Deadwilder," featuring M. Ward on guitar. She had a small role in the 2007 film My Blueberry Nights opposite Jude Law.^[25] She also appeared in Doug Aitken's MOMA installation Sleepwalkers,^[26] which followed the nocturnal lives of five city dwellers. Marshall can be seen as a postal worker living in New York, performing with other notable participants such as Tilda Swinton.

Charity work[link]

A live version of the gospel song "Amazing Grace"—culled from a performance with the Dirty Delta Blues band—was released on the charity compilation Dark Was the Night. Released by independent British label 4AD on February 17, 2009, the set benefited the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

Performance style[link]

Cat Power performing in May 2008

Marshall’s live shows have been known for their unpolished nature, with songs beginning and ending abruptly or blending into one another without clear transitions. She has also cut short performances without explanation.^[27] On some occasions this has been attributed to stage fright^[28] and the influence of alcohol.

Recently, Marshall's performance style has been said to be much more enthusiastic and professional. An article in Salon^[29] called The Greatest "polished and sweetly upbeat", stating that Marshall was "delivering onstage". In the article, Marshall states that her newfound musical collaborators and sobriety are largely responsible for her increased confidence onstage.

Awards[link]

Also in 2006, she became the first female solo act to win the Shortlist Music Prize when The Greatest was voted album of the year in June.^[30] Earlier in the year she was nominated in the Best International Female Solo Artist category at the annual BRIT Awards.^[31]

Marshall was featured in Maxim's Hot 100 women of 2009, she was placed at number 19.^[32]

Personal life[link]

In 1992, Marshall moved into a New York apartment which she maintains to this day, only paying $160 a month in rent. Around 2003 she bought a house in South Beach, Miami from a high school friend.^[33] In 2009 Marshall moved to Los Angeles to share a house in Silver Lake, California with her boyfriend. They also have a rental house in Malibu where she has a studio.^[34]

Relationships[link]

When Marshall was working as a waitress in Atlanta her boyfriend died, causing her to have a breakdown. She says this coupled with the prevalence of heroin use amongst her friends and the loss of her best friend to AIDS was the impetus for her moving to New York. Her boyfriend in New York helped her get a job in a restaurant, but she realised he was having an affair with the owner, a married woman with two children.^[9]

In late 1996, following a three-month tour co-headlining with the band Guv'ner, Marshall disappeared from the music scene, initially working as a baby sitter in Portland, Oregon and then moving to a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina with then boyfriend Bill Callahan. The plan was to permanently retire from public performance but during a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare, Marshall wrote several new songs and returned to recording.

In 2001 Marshall was romantically involved with a runway model named Daniel, who was seven years younger than her. He left her in 2003 at a time when her drink and drug use was out of control. Marshall referred to him as “the ex-love of my life”.^[35] Following the release of "The Greatest", Marshall cancelled previously arranged live shows in North America and Europe. She was struggling with a relationship with a young Miami investment banker.^[36]

According to an interview in January 2011, Marshall has been in a relationship with actor Giovanni Ribisi since 2009 and lives with Ribisi and his 14 year old daughter in L.A..^[34]

Alcohol and mental health difficulties[link]

By the turn of the century, Marshall's live performances had become erratic and unpredictable, with The New Yorker suggesting, "It is foolhardy to describe a Cat Power event as a concert," citing "rambling confessions" and "[talking] to a friend's baby from the stage."^[37] Marshall later attributed this period to a drinking problem, telling HARP magazine in 2006 "I didn't know I was messed up."^[36] Marshall has admitted abusing alcohol in the past; in a 2006 interview with The New York Times, she declared herself to be sober, which she defined as having had "seven drinks in seven months."^[38]

Following the cancellation of the arranged tour of "The Greatest" album in 2006, Marshall used the hiatus to recover from what she described as a "psychotic break," brought on by mental exhaustion and alcohol abuse, which had left her feeling suicidal. As part of her recovery, she was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Miami's Mount Sinai Medical Center but left after a week, stating "being in there wasn't me." She later likened the experience to "a pit of hell."^[36] Marshall gave a first person account of her breakdown in an interview for the November 2006 issue of Spin.^[39]

Discography[link]

• Dear Sir (1995)
• Myra Lee (1996)
• What Would the Community Think (1996)
• Moon Pix (1998)
• The Covers Record (2000)
• You Are Free (2003)
• The Greatest (2006)
• Jukebox (2008)
• Sun (2012)^[16]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

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