Family friendly

The members of LovePop! have joined forces to reclaim their Reno following after an absence that has given them time to recreate their sound. Clayton Stanfield, Monique Jade and Kent Miura have played music together since the early ’90s and are no strangers to the pop rock genre. Former members of All About Me, the three know exactly what they want to achieve musically, but this time they’re doing it on their own terms.

“We’re not going town to town scraping money together,” says percussionist Kent Miura. “We don’t have to anymore. That’s the beauty of it. I have no desire to go back to playing in smoky bars in the middle of the morning. Before, the commodity that was precious was money, but now it’s time.”

The members of LovePop! pride themselves on enjoying the time they have to create and share their music. After all the years they’ve spent together, along with their full-time occupations and families, they’re not looking to “make it big.” The band instead hopes to inspire a strong local fan base of families, old friends and new faces.

“We’re a good representation of what it means to be adults with real lives and full schedules who appreciate art and music and make time for it,” says vocalist/ bassist Stanfield.

“We’ve got a good niche here,” says vocalist and guitarist Jade.

LovePop! works to fill a void in the Reno nightlife and play music that’s easily accessible, family friendly, and fun.

“My parents didn’t go out to shows, but my friends with kids do, and there’s a need for people to play music that satisfies the tastes of the 30-to-50-year-olds,” says Stanfield.

It’s pop rock all grown up. Fronted by female vocalist/guitarist Jade, LovePop!’s sound is reminiscent of ’90s female pop artists like Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton. While many of the band’s songs seemingly would fit well on the soundtrack of a moody teen drama, not all of what LovePop! has to offer is bubblegum pop. Stanfield’s background in alternative rock and Miura’s skill in percussion at times pushes LovePop!’s sound in a soft rock direction.

Some of the songs on their new EP are refurbished renditions of songs the three compiled when playing together in All About Me. Others are brand new. LovePop! is in the process of expanding their song base, and possibly even their band to include a fourth member.

“These guys are really open to the potential of something different, they’re not stuck in a box,” says Miura. “I think they both understand what makes a hook.”

The three have a history together and share a caustic sense of humor about their past.

The name LovePop! evolved as a response of sorts to an article published in the Reno Gazette-Journal about their former band. The article was titled “Love Pop” and acted more as an exposé of the relationship between Stanfield and Jade than a commentary on their music. Stanfield and Jade chose to embrace their namesake and teamed with Miura to create LovePop!