Bill popp and the tapes upcoming shows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 2023 70 Is The New 50—Popp’s Party Veteran New York Rocker Bill Popp Plans 70th Birthday Bash New York, NY-- The ever-present steadfast popster Bill Popp of Bill Popp and The Tapes wants to celebrate 70 years on earth with New York.
On Monday June 5th 2023 from 6PM to 11PM , please be Popp’s guest at The Wild Goose for his 70th birthday celebration, which will be open to the public. Refreshments will be provided by the host, along with a free CD of Popp’s
Music . No gifts please, just your presence will do.
To give the party a bigger kick, there be an open mic hosted by songwriter Jeannie Skelly from 8 PM to till ? -sign up and sing your heart out.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all Long before Popp was hailed in publications such as Billboard, New York Daily News and New York Press (where George Tabb duly noted “this guy rules”), he was like any other kid from Queens bitten by the rock and roll bug. Born June 5, 1953, he attended Saint Fidelis where, in the second grade, Popp joined the choir and discovered he could sing. In 1964, Popp discovered The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and his life (and school) was never the same. He went from the somewhat behaved choirboy to driving the nuns crazy with his antics. In June of ’66, Popp got a drumset for his 13th birthday and shortly thereafter, defiantly grew his hair and wore Beatles boots to school, to the dismay of the principal. In lieu of expulsion, he was instead transferred to the PS194 Annex that November. In his ninth year at the Annex, Popp convinced his English teacher to accept a poem for his homework. This was Popp’s first brush with writing, and it worked. In 1966, Popp’s mother Cecilia, who played piano by ear in her youth, attempted to rekindle her passion for the instrument after receiving a piano for Christmas from Bill’s dad George and sister Judy. Unfortunately, whenever she attempted to play, her arms and hands swelled with pain, which she attributed to a reaction from the drugs she was taking to battle her cancer. It had plagued her since 1963 and eventually took her life in August 1978. Cecilia’s unplayed and somewhat out-of-tune piano laid silent, collecting dust until the fall of 68, when a friend taught Popp to play The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” Popp’s interest was sparked in playing the piano. He took a crack at writing a song for a rejected love, naively thinking this would woo her back. It didn’t, but it did inspire Popp to continue writing songs. While music was his newfound passion, when it came time to attend high school, a friend convinced him to go to a trade school rather than an academic one, so in the fall of 1969 he enrolled in Thomas A. Edison Vocational High School in Queens, where he graduated in 1972, majoring in plumbing. While in 10th grade, Popp was talked into joining a Led Zeppelin cover band. Not knowing anything but Beatles beats, he lasted just two rehearsals, and was asked to leave. Feeling limited as a drummer, Popp turned his focus back to songwriting and, a year later, the same two musicians who dumped him as a drummer were playing his songs. After graduating in 1972, Popp was forced to take a minimum wage job as a plumber’s helper. Today he is a retired plumber for New York City Parks and Recreation, and through the years his passion for music has never flinched. Through the 1970’s, Popp showcased solo, played in cover bands, had a short-lived original band, called The Poppsickle, but, in 1981 he formed the band he still performs with today, called The Tapes, now better known as Bill Popp and the Tapes. Forty-eight years and counting, Bill Popp has been a fixture on the New York music scene, and is recognized as one of the area’s most prolific and melodic songwriters, having won critical acclaim in countless tri-state and national publications. Today, with two singles two EP’s and Six albums under his belt (with a new single on the way), all released on his own label, 121st Street Records, Popp performs regularly in the New York area as a solo artist and with The Tapes, he's played solo in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. For more information on Popp go to www.billpopp.com email billpopp@verizon.net or call 718-359-4110
bill popp and the tapes
saturday june 10, 2023 6-9 pm
2949 24th AveAsotria, NY
bill popp and the tapes
saturday july 22, 2023 6-9 pm
2949 24th Ave
Asotria, NY
bill popp and the tapes
saturday august 19, 2023 6-8pm
2949 24th AveAsotria, NY
bill popp and the tapes
monday August 21, 2023 5pm
Central Park Naumburg bandshell
Come enjoy this beautiful outdoor venue!
bill popp and the tapes
saturday september 30, 2023 3pm
tompkins square park
2018
bill popp solo
out now!
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Meet The band
Singer/songwriter Bill Popp is a fixture on the New York City rock scene. He has been performing live in NYC venues since the 1970s, and he has been leading his own band, Bill Popp & the Tapes, since 1981. There have been many different Tapes lineups over the years; the current lineup has been together since 2001 and consists of Popp on lead vocals and keyboards, Gerry Barnas on guitar and background vocals, Mary Noecker on bass and background vocals and Roger Foster on drums and background vocals.
An original music veteran of early 60's rock influences, the legendary alternative pop composer and member of the Recording Academy-(NARAS), Bill Popp, in the classic tradition of The Beatles, REM, and XTC, delivers melodic hooks, combined with dance grooves and poetic, infectious punk. Drunk with harmony, his clever lyrics for the broken hearted, and his passionate piano phrasing keep a timeless hold on the hearts of his fans.
An original music veteran of early 60's rock influences, the legendary alternative pop composer and member of the Recording Academy-(NARAS), Bill Popp, in the classic tradition of The Beatles, REM, and XTC, delivers melodic hooks, combined with dance grooves and poetic, infectious punk. Drunk with harmony, his clever lyrics for the broken hearted, and his passionate piano phrasing keep a timeless hold on the hearts of his fans.
