"Welcome Home" by IKE

We've seen quite a bit of John Faye in our time here, through his work in The Caulfields and as a solo artist, but today we're highlighting his other band, IKE. Based in Philadelphia, IKE has released several records since their formation in 2003. If you are a fan of power pop in the vein of Cheap Trick, be sure to check out more of IKE.

"Welcome Home" is a terrific tune about welcoming a newborn into your life, and home. Great lyrics, great music, nicely sung. You just can't ask for more. The song comes from the band's debut record, "Parallel Universe."

"Keep The Blue Skies" by Cliff Hillis

From the 2012 album, "Dream Good," "Keep The Blue Skies" is one of the best songs of that year. Cliff Hillis is the indie singer/songwriter behind this great little tune of optimism, and he has much more where that came from. Before his solo career, Hillis was a member of the underground power pop favorites, Starbelly. He then played with John Faye in the John Faye Power Trip before starting his solo career in 2001 with the album "Be Seeing You."  

"Hand Me Down" by John Faye Power Trip

In a perfect world, John Faye would need no introduction. This talented singer/songwriter from Philly was first featured on this site when we covered his 90s band, The Caulfields. His first venture as a solo artist after their break up was called the John Faye Power Trip. He/they released a single record under this moniker and what a terrific record it is. "Hand Me Down" is just a small sample of the excellent alternative rock you'll hear on this forgotten gem.

Faye next formed IKE, which we will cover in due time. He also put out another outstanding solo record in 2015 called "Meddling Kid."

"Devil's Diary" by The Caulfields

You know a song with lines like "I'm bigger than Jesus now" and "It's never good to be understood by a girl in acid wash" has got to be awesome. "Devil's Diary" was the lead off track to this alternative rock band's debut 1995 album, "Whirligig". The band had all the right ingredients to be huge, and you could say "Devil's Diary" earned them a "cult" following, but "Whirligig" didn't set the world on fire.

The band completed an excellent follow-up recored called "L" in 1997, but it didn't get any traction thanks to A&M dropping the ball. Since then, lead singer and songwriter John Faye has completed several solo projects (his latest, "Meddling Kid", was released just last year) and fronted another band called IKE. All worth checking out.