NYC Scene Report – Pom Pom Squad, Young Ejecta, & Michael Buono

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Pom Pom Squad covering a Tommy James & The Shondells classic, Young Ejecta making a request to “Call My Name,” and Michael Buono with a tale of terrible first dates.

* It wouldn’t be hard to argue that that music of Tommy James & The Shondells has been made even more timeless thanks to the litany of artists who have covered their work over the years. Billy Idol’s cover of “Mony Money,” Tiffany’s cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and Joan Jett’s cover of “Crimson and Clover,” are three especially memorable takes on Tommy James & The Shondells classics.

Brooklyn-based rock outfit Pom Pom Squad, led by frontwoman Mia Berrin, has become the latest to cover the band, creating their own version of “Crimson and Clover.”

Something tells me if Tommy James were to hear this, he’d wholeheartedly approve.


* Young Ejecta has been a column favorite here for quite some time, as their unique brand of indie electro-pop can be downright spellbinding.

The duo of Leanna Macomber and Joel Ford recently released their third album, Ride Lonesome, and the latest single off the project is “Call My Name”

Check out the awesomely trippy video for the song, which features an appearance by a supremely fluffy feline!

It’s beautiful electro-pop AND a beautiful cat! That’s my kinda combo!


* Remember when New Found Glory sang “I still pick my friends over you”? NYC-based indie pop singer-songwriter Michael Buono can relate, as he has similar feelings in his bad date inspired single, “TV.”

Written before the stay-at-home directive, Buono explains the inspiration for the song, saying, “I wrote this song after a really bad first date, on a day that my friends had all met up and gone out. I had such a feeling of missing out, and that I was wasting my time going on these terrible first dates. The next day, I was inspired to write a song about how sometimes you just want to stop trying so hard and actually spend time with the people who matter most to you – your friends!”

Buono continued, adding, “This is definitely a super sarcastic song, and I tried to make sure the music itself conveys that. The verses are super stripped down, a reflection of how not amazing the dating scene is, but then the chorus hits you in the face and is SO over the top, which is sort of the song’s way of saying, ‘Is this REALLY what dating is supposed to be like? It’s this amazing??’”

Whether or not you consider dating to be amazing, Michael Buono’s “TV” certainly is, so click play, and give it a listen.


For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.