Steve Stoeckel - The Power of And (2023)

Steve Stoeckel is best known as the vocalist/bassist for the Spongetones , a band familiar to even the most casual of power pop fans, with their tracks an essential inclusion on any (if not all) anthology compilations of the genre's best. They're literal hall of famers, currently celebrating their fortieth anniversary as a band with live gigs and laying claim to 12 albums. Carl Cafarelli rates them as “one of the greatest groups that power pop has ever produced.” We're told that while the performances will continue, future Spongetones recordings are unlikely – never say never, of course, and there have been Stoeckel's exemplary contributions to the records of pop co-op to savour in recent years. But what we haven't had throughout his storied career is a full-length solo album... Until now.