Cheap Trick's Surrender - Buzz Zeemer

Recalling how legendary Tommy Conwell hit those Cheap Trick high notes at the end of "Surrender" with Buzz Zeemer. 
Live at Ardmore Music Hall AKA The Best Concert Ever at Ardmore Music Hall!

🎸🤩🎶💓😍💥💯

Onstage at TLA: Buzz Zeemer

Bring back the 90s! 😍 Watch the complete live 1996 performance of Buzz Zeemer at Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts. Premiered July 1996 on PRISM.

Lost and Found Record Release Party - Buzz Zeemer

Last week on Friday, March 29—two concerts in one day from a band that I found out about in 2004. When I shared my “Buzz Zeemer reunion” meme last year, I did receive a couple of “yeah, it’ll never happen”-type comments. So, I never thought I’d get to witness them live in my lifetime, but dreams do manifest themselves in the most unusual ways! 🤩 

The WXPN Free at Noon was a solid performance, but I could never have imagined the transcendental event that would transpire later that evening. What Frank Brown, Tommy Conwell, Dave McElroy and Ken Buono, brought to us onstage that night didn’t happen by magic—they must have practiced for a long time and been really thoughtful about their performance to give us the kind of quality show they knew we would be expecting from them. Buzz Zeemer was the best band in America in their prime and they truly lived up to it! 🎸🎶 

I went through a universe of emotions with each song as it was playing and thinking about the years I’ve spent enjoying them: Don’t Hang Up, This Town, Porch, Sometimes, Lost and Found, Crush, Don’t Pull Away, These Things, Shelly Don’t Mind—so many songs! 🥰 

How awesome was it to hear the cheers of “one more song”—the audience was so loud! And seeing the younger kids in the audience flashing “heart hands” after “Through It All” in the encore—amazing! 

Life can make us see our past in rosy shades and attempts to recreate moments may only muddy our memories. But the music experience with Buzz Zeemer in 2024 has left a positive impact on me--getting to meet new friends, hearing their stories and realizing how much the music means to any community willing to support their artists. 

Yes. Let’s do this again next year.

Audio Rumble: End Year Review 2023

 Audio Rumble end of year review for 2023:

Dec. 10 – Video of Buzz Zeemer at the Franklin Mills Mall in 1997 released on YouTube on Good Day Philadelphia with “Psychedelic Santa.”

Dec. 2 – Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers perform at The Recher in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dec. 1 – Tickets go on sale for Buzz Zeemer reunion to promote “Lost and Found” at Ardmore Music Hall on March 29. https://wl.seetickets.us/event/buzz-zeemer/578079...

Nov. 11 – Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers perform at Ardmore Music Hall.

Oct. 16 - Frank Brown (Flight of Mavis/Buzz Zeemer) interview “Yo That’s My Jawn"

https://theimpactplayers.com/.../yo-thats-my-jawn-the.../...

Oct 24 – Frank Brown (Flight of Mavis/Buzz Zeemer/Travel Lanes) interview with “25 O’Clock” – Philadelphia’s longest running music podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtnd8ObESnQ

Sept 30 – Tommy Conwell plays Ardmore Music Hall with David Uosikkinen's In The Pocket.

Sept. 24 – Video of Buzz Zeemer performing “Crush” live on Walnut Street at HMV in 1996 released on YouTube.

Sept. 23 – From Sept 23 – Oct 13, Buzz Zeemer’s “Lost and Found” topped the Radio Free Americana charts and remains near the top at the end of 2023.

Sept. 8 – Released on Main Street Music Records, Buzz Zeemer’s “Lost and Found” is their first album release in almost 30 years. And a very personal project for Pat [Feeney], the owner of Main Street Music, who managed Buzz Zeemer during their run. Curated from recordings done with Adam Lasus between 1993 and 1997. MainStreetMusicPA also hosted a record release listening party that evening.

Aug. 30 – Buzz Zeemer’s single “Sometimes” is released on all streaming platforms! This early version features Kevin Karg, Andrew Chalfen and Gus Cordovox.

Aug. 28 – Video of Buzz Zeemer performing “I Live Next Door” on Walnut Street 1996 in front of HMV.

Aug. 9 - All Better Said,” the 3rd single from LOST AND FOUND by Buzz Zeemer, is out on all streaming options.

Aug. 8 - Tommy Conwell Rumblers and the Young Rumblers released their national debut album 'Rumble' 35 years ago on August 8, 1988.

July 28 – Tommy Conwell and the House Rockers perform at the 37th Annual Upper Merion Concerts Under the Stars in King of Prussia, PA.

July 23 – Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers perform at Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach Delaware.

July 18 – “Shelly Don’t Mind” released on streaming sites.

June 30 - Dan DeLuca includes Buzz Zeemer’s “C’mon If You Can” in his Summer Music article in @phillyinquirer: “Before you hop in the car, roll the windows down and drive into the sun, you need some good tunes.”

June 24 – Flight of Mavis (3/4 of the band Buzz Zeemer: Frank Brown Ken Buono and Dave McElroy) perform to a sold-out audience at 118 North in Wayne, PA.

June 24 – Buzz Zeemer’s first single “C’mon If You Can” hits streaming across the internet.

June 20 – Main Street Music Records announces their inaugural record release of Lost and Found by BUZZ ZEEMER on September 8.

April 28 – The Return of the Guild! Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers perform at Ardmore Music Hall. https://audiorumble.blogspot.com/.../the-return-of-guild...

Jan. 20 – Tommy Conwell and the House Rockers perform at 118 North.

Buzz Zeemer - Psychedelic Santa

Buzz Zeemer at the Franklin Mills Mall in 1997. Psychedelic Santa is from the Record Cellar release, Season's Greetings. 🎅🎄❄⛄

Music Dreams Do Come True!

 And they said this day would never come! Tickets go on sale today for Buzz Zeemer at Ardmore Music Hall with The Tisburys. Tickets can be purchased here.

R.E.M and Ardmore Music Hall

Dude:  What’s up, DJ Caterina?

DJ Cat: Hey, did you hear that Michael Shannon, part-time musician and full-time famous Hollywood actor (and he’s so amazing as an actor!) and musician Jason Narducy (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk) are taking their act on the road for a tour in February?

Dude:  Really?

DJ Cat: Yup, the duo is going out for a seven-date concert tour where they will perform R.E.M.’s debut album “Murmur” in full every night. And one of the stops is at Ardmore Music Hall.

Dude:  Sounds intriguing.

DJ Cat:  Maybe. I’m not necessarily a big R.E.M fan, but I have enjoyed hearing R.E.M.’s lead singer Michael Stipe discuss how he was in awe of Michael Hutchence's (lead singer of INXS) songwriting.

Dude:  But are you going to this concert?

DJ Cat: Another R.E.M story that I’m familiar with is that when Philadelphia’s Flight of Mavis was touring with The Reivers in 1991, people began hearing ‘underground’ stories that R.E.M. were performing secret concerts on the East Coast under the name, Flight of Mavis. Except it wasn’t R.E.M.—it WAS Flight of Mavis.  

Dude:  …and?

DJ Cat:  Frank Brown, the lead singer of Flight of Mavis, now fronts a band called Travel Lanes. AND his other band, Buzz Zeemer has also just released an album of “new-to-us” songs recorded in the 1990s, hence the name, “Lost and Found.”
It’s on bandcamp!

Dude:  Am I in a commercial here?! Look, I’m leaving.

DJ Cat:  I’m all out of R.E.M. stories, anyway.

A Buzz Zeemer Concert Story

Thanks to Dave Maybaum for this incredible Buzz Zeemer concert story!

"The GREATEST BUZZ ZEEMER SHOW in history took place at The Tin Angel one night in 1997. Two friends and I went out for dinner and a concert. On this night, Buzz Zeemer were scheduled to play a double-bill with a group called The Bathers and we planned on seeing both sets. 

We got there a little early and Buzz Zeemer had just finished rehearsing—I had my copy of Plaything with me. I had the entire band autograph the CD and Tommy Conwell said, “Don’t let this go to your head, guys!”

We saw The Bathers play and then Buzz Zeemer—they were spectacular! But then Buzz began playing new songs that I had not heard before and weren’t available yet:  “Useless Information,” “Red Balloon,” “I Don’t Want To Fall,” and “There Should Be a Book.” 

One of my friends left early after the first set—but he was going to be sorry for missing what we were about to see at that second set.

The Bathers came back and played again and then Buzz Zeemer came back, took the stage-- and played the show of a lifetime!

Song after song after song--the band would NOT stop playing and we were not complaining! I remember singing along to “What The Hell I Got” and just grooving. Finally, the band seemed to run out of tunes and started playing covers like Fats Domino’s “My Blue Heaven” and Cheap Trick’s “Downed.” 

We were worn out by the end of the night. Me and my friend still talk about Buzz Zeemer’s amazing 2nd set at The Tin Angel to this day!"

Lost and Found | Buzz Zeemer: On Main Street Music Records

It’s *officially* Buzz Zeemer summer!

LOST AND FOUND out on Friday, Sept. 8--get your pre-order on BandCamp!

From Main Street Music:
We are so excited to announce a debut release on Main Street Music Records: Lost and Found by BUZZ ZEEMER out September 8th. Almost 30 years in the making, this is a very personal release for Pat [Feeney], the owner of Main Street Music, who managed Buzz Zeemer during their run. Curated from recordings done with Adam Lasus between 1993 and 1997, Lost and Found is more than a collection of loose recordings; it’s truly a standalone record that tells the story of a band underrated during their time that sounds both classic and modern. If you’re a fan of 90s power pop and classic songwriting, Lost and Found is for you. Pre-orders for black and red translucent vinyl are available now on Bandcamp and in-store. First single “C’mon If You Can” will hit streaming this Saturday, June 24, the same day as the sold out Flight of Mavis reunion show at 118 North. More to come soon!

One of the greatest of all time!

To quote a Tommy Conwell [interview]--"Frank (Brown) is a great songwriter..." 🎶🎸

Happy Birthday, Tommy Conwell!

Another birthday and forever cool. 

Happy Birthday, Tommy Conwell! [January 14, 1962] 

🎸🎶🎉😎

Buzz Zeemer No Depression article - 1999

A July/August 1999 No Depression Buzz Zeemer article written by Phil Sheridan.

Buzz Zeemer - Nothing Comes Easy 
June 30, 1999 

The story of Buzz Zeemer is really two stories, each straight out of the standard rock 'n' roll manual. First, there was Flight of Mavis, a three-piece band from the Replacements school of melodic, attitudinal rock. Distinguished by Frank Brown's cut-above songwriting and warm, personable singing voice, Mavis seemed in flight toward great things in the late 1980s and early '90s. 

The highlight and lowlight were one and the same: a six-week tour opening for the Reivers. "We were exhausted," Brown said. "We were gone for six weeks and we each came home with $50 in our pockets. I mean, it was a great experience. It was fun. But 50 bucks?" A lot more than 50 bucks was riding on the second story, whose star was a promising rocker named Tommy Conwell. Signed to a big bonus and hyped to the hilt by Columbia Records, Conwell and his band, the Young Rumblers, were all set to be stars. Surprise, surprise: It didn't quite happen. 

The stories collided in the mid-1990s. Brown broke up Mavis around the same time that Conwell got his degree in education and became the hippest second-grade teacher in North America. Eventually, the two started playing together in a new band, Buzz Zeemer (whose lineup also included other former Mavis members). Their debut disc, Plaything, came out in 1995. 

Looking back, Brown can't say whether it was a mistake to break up Flight of Mavis. Any momentum they'd built up seemed to disappear with the name change, but Brown's view is that there wasn't much there to begin with. "We had momentum when the first Buzz Zeemer came out; that was like another round of attention," Brown said. "But I think you only get a certain amount. You have certain periods, and that really goes with any band." 

Buzz Zeemer's new record, Delusions Of Grandeur, is a subversively brilliant pop-rock record on Philly's Record Cellar label. Brown, 34, is a master of the three-minute pop song, a quality craftsman along the lines of Jack Logan or Tommy Keene. Brown's innate gift for melody is surpassed by spare lyrics that reveal layers of meaning and emotion not apparent on first listen. "Red Balloon", from the new album, is a straightforward tale of a kid being goaded to spend more money by the barker at a midway water-gun game. But when Brown lets loose with "Nothing is free, nothing comes easy," you realize the barker is every slick A & R guy and the kid is every wide-eyed musician who ever stepped up to take a shot at the grand prize. 

"I love pop songs," Brown said. "You get to a point where you invested so much time listening to rock music, it doesn't do you any good. You can't make any money from it, but you have all this worthless knowledge." 

Again and again on Delusions, Brown establishes the foundation with a catchy verse and memorable chorus, and then Conwell steps up and elevates the song to another level with a virtuosic solo or two. That might sound formulaic, but the whole thing is carried off with a joy bordering on goofiness. You can't help smiling along. 

"Tommy's great," Brown said. "My feelings about getting anywhere [with the band]...I mean, I don't think about it. But just the idea of playing with Tom, that's half of what keeps you going. I'd write a song and I always had this hole left for Tom. It's so hilarious to be able to write something you're happy about and then have Tommy put the icing on. Anything you imagine, he can play." 

There is a definite connection between the relaxed brilliance of the tunes and the life stages of the band members. Brown has a 1-year-old son and is working on getting his degree. Conwell is teaching. The pressure is off. 

"You still hope," Brown said, "but everyone has so much going on in their lives. It's so different from eight or 10 years ago. That's a whole different world. There's nothing you can do to make yourselves bigger. You can't just go, 'We're big.' Because we just can't take it seriously enough to believe it."

Through It All - Buzz Zeemer (live)

Fans on YouTube sometimes leave the most amazing quotes: 

“Wow!! Thanks for all of the videos. This one makes me wish i could go back in time. We're all lucky to have been part of this sh*t! And for all of you that missed it… Sorry about your luck. It was one hell of a ride!!!”

This statement really sums up the adoration for this amazing Philly band! Hope you enjoyed Buzz Zeemer week on Audio Rumble!

Gerry McGoldrick

From Gerry McGoldrick, frequent song co-writer with Frank Brown, a Record Cellar alumnus and songwriter behind Napalm Sunday, Emily Valentine and Solid for Sixty--with his thoughts on Buzz Zeemer’s Plaything. #BuzzZeemer20

Useless Information (live) - Buzz Zeemer

Just one of the many examples of their great live showmanship, here’s audio of Buzz Zeemer performing “Useless Information” live at Upstairs at Nicks in Philly, USA - ‪‬ April 4, 1997. With Tommy Conwell on backing vocals!

Audio featuring Frank Brown on lead vocals and guitar, Tommy Conwell on backing vocals and guitar, Dave McElroy on bass and Ken Buono on drums.

 

Bonus images of Buzz Zeemer [Brown, Conwell, McElroy, Buono] at the same event--Upstairs at Nick's in Philly! [April 4, 1997]

Thanks to Henry Kujawa for posting to his Facebook page.