Happy, Happy Smart Pop – Billie Burke Estate Live at the Tractor

It was a big day for Billie Burke Estate. The band's lead singer/keyboard player (and only member) Andy Liotta spent the afternoon at The Mountain talking up the release of his new album and trying to persuade listeners to come out to the Tractor to check him out live.

It worked, sort of. The place had a decent amount of people in it, considering folks don't usually turn out in such force at the Tractor if it’s a local on the bill.

The opening act - Darren Loucas - was forgettable. The only two descriptive phrases pertaining to his set that made their way into the notebook were "good whistler" and "guitar face." During one memorable moment, he sang out loud and proud, "Wanna be a rock and roll star / You're just a cashier with a nice guitar / Oh yeah you are."

Moving along.

As one-man bands go, Billie Burke Estate puts on a heck of a show. He can sing so hard that the one big neck vein pops out in full force. His tunes bring to mind the Beatles, Elton John and, more often than not, Ben Folds. Except for one song that he claimed was titled "Happy," but which sounded more like it was titled "Whooo Uh Uh Eh Eh," we were thoroughly impressed with his skills.

Songs like "Look What You've Done To Yourself," "Jenny Ran Away," and "I'm Gay and I Don't Mean Happy" (these may or may not be the actual titles) are so cheekily catchy that pop radio would be doing a disservice to its listeners if it didn't pick up the new album and run with it.

For the encore, he pulled out a rather incredible cover version of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down," which sealed the deal even more, as far as we were concerned.