Twenty years ago the Power Pop scene in Los Angeles was exploding, and at the top of the mountain was the only unsigned band to have a guitar displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe, The Piper Downs. 

Led by a Virginia transplant Bobby Bognar, The Downs were a fixture on the LA scene and toured as far as Australia and Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo festival in Hawaii. In 2015 they simultaneously put out Heartbreak’s a Disease their follow up to their excellent debut album, Varying Degrees of Failure and Tunelessness, played a 21st anniversary show and immediately broke up.

A heady achievement, indeed.  Not one to be idle, lead singer and primary songwriter Bobby Bognar has been plying his craft in various musical endeavors ranging from solo work to his country-tinged project, The Bognar Brothers and now he’s finally back with a brand spanking new band, Bobby Bognar’s Handsome. I caught up with them at one of the Downs' frequent haunts, Molly Malone's for a raucous birthday show. 

Bobby's unique blend of tortured emotions coupled with dynamite hooks and catchy choruses proves he still has the old Piper Downs elixir. Opening with the crunchy power pop we have come to expect from Bobby, “Get Out” immediately reminded me of Detroit’s Ryan Allen’s Extra Arms and before long the entire set was blistered with one hook-laden piece of rock contagiousness after another. “Give It Up”, “Did You Lie” & “Angry Little Bird” dished out to the audience sing-along choruses while Bobby peppered the set with his trademark self-deprecation and self-aggrandizement. 

It was around the song, “So Long” that I realized what it was I have always enjoyed about Bognar’s material: There is a Venn diagram of Pop Punk, Power Pop and Country and they all meet in a place in the middle where Bobby Bognar’s Handsome lives. Good to have you back, Mr. Bognar. I look forward to more. 

Instagram

Artist Website

Review & Photos by: @areallulu

Like what you read? Follow our social media and playlist for the latest in independent music: