Tinted Windows. Your New Supergroup.

I’ve always been intrigued by supergroups—bands that form from the prominent members of other bands. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Audioslave; Asia; Damn Yankees; Traveling Wilbury’s; Velvet Revolver; Cream; Bad Company; Temple of the Dog; Journey; and Eagles (to name a few) have all formed from at least two members of other popular rock/pop bands coming together in a new amalgamation.

So, imagine my excitement when I recently got news that a new band was forming with four prominent power-pop icons. Strap on your seatbelts for Tinted Windows.

Meet the band:

Adam Schlesinger, currently of the band, Fountains of Wayne, has been a hero of mine for the past ten years. Long before “Stacy’s Mom” was playing in every mall and heating up living rooms with it’s corresponding video, FOW has been on my iPod or in my CD player. Schlesinger wrote songs for my favorite family-friendly movie, “That Thing You Do” (including the Oscar nominated theme song) and the box office bomb, “Music and Lyrics” that had some great pop tunes even if the movie sucked. FOW songs have been on at least 20 other TV shows and movies from Gilmore Girls to NFL commercials. Schlesinger is a freaking genius. Period.

James Iha, formerly of The Smashing Pumpkins is one of the biggest reasons The Pumpkins rocked the Casbah in the early to mid nineties. If you ever screamed out the lyrics to “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” while driving down the road at breakneck speed, or were mesmerized by the repetitive yet haunting guitar hook in "1979", you owe a little gratitude to Iha. Sidenote: Iha is a co-owner of independent Scratchie Records with Schlesinger.

On lead vocals . . . Taylor Hanson. Yes, that Hanson. I don’t care what you say, the Hanson boys were not cut from the same cloth as the other boy bands of the 90’s. Did the radio play “MmmBop” to death in the late 90’s? Yes. Did it get stuck in your head? Yes. Did many think it was annoying? Yes. Do people make fun of it? Yes. Was it nominated for two Grammys? Yes! These kids wrote great hooks. Great pop. Played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. And, the kid has a great voice. Do I own Hanson albums? Yes. No apologies.

Last but not least . . .

Cheap Trick drummer, Bun E. Carlos is 32 years older than Hanson and has been rockin’ like Dokken since the 70’s. Cheap Trick first kicked my booty with a little offering entitled “At Budokan.” I was 11 years old. I remember screaming out the lyrics to “I Want You To Want Me’ in the back of the bus on the way to school when I was in 6th grade and Bun E. Carlos was laying down the groove. I saw Mr. Carlos rock with Cheap Trick a couple of years ago with my friend Scott and he still has it.

The band will be on The Late Show With David Letterman on my birthday, April 20th. The album hits stores the next day.

Do I think the band will stay together for years and years? Probably not. I don’t care. This will be fun as long as it lasts. What an incredibly eclectic and wonderfully bizarre lineup.

What weird party did these guys meet at?