Review from Dagger website - http://www.indiepages.com/dagger/reviews.html
12/10/05 Reviews section:
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THE SPRING COLLECTION- S/T- BLINDSPOT- I’m always amazed at bands
who manage to come up with fresh songs doing the classic Beatles/Beach Boys/Byrds
format of jangly pop. In essence , you could say, yes, it has ! all been done before but
a great song is a great song and a solid batch of 16 songs is a solid batch of 16 songs
and San Diego’s The Spring Collection have done it in glowing fashion. The band is led
by singer/songwriter Joe Mendoza (his brother Bart, also in The Shambles among other
bands, plays bass ) the band has their chops down and Joe seems to come up with a
never-ending supply of chewy hooks for us listeners to sink our buck teeth into.
“On and On”, “Something Happened”, “You’re the One”, “Going Away”, the list goes
on and on. If you like the type of music usually championed on labels like Not lame,
Paisley Pop, Jam, and the like then this will indeed perk your ears up.
(mendozab@juno.com )
excerpt from Eric Sorensen's top cds of 2004 list:
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THE SPRING COLLECTION - The Spring Collection (self-released;
available from Not Lame) Joe Mendoza, with help from brother
Bart (of the Shambles), has released an exceptional disc that
is overflowing with jangly tracks - including a Byrdsian
version of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." Think Shoes,
Records and Shambles.
excerpt from Eric Sorensen's January 2005 fufkin column:
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The Spring Collection - by the Spring Collection. I cannot say
enough about this terrific disc! The album cover and insert
photos picture an assortment of Rickenbacker guitars and an
acoustic 12-string guitar - so this is a clue regarding the
contents. Joe Mendoza, with support from brother Bart Mendoza
(of the Shambles), is the driving force in this band - that,
too, is a clue regarding the contents. This disc jangles from
start to finish - with two tracks that will compete for Song
of the Month honors ("But, I Did" and "Wonderful Tonight" - a
power pop take on Eric Clapton's ballad). America's Finest
City has provided the indie pop community with an album that
truly represents the sunshine pop of Southern California. Long
may you run, Sir Joe and bandmates!
Copyright © Fufkin.com. All Rights Reserved.
from October 7, 2004 issue of www.sdreader.com/
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The Singing Cop
"I've looked down into the audience and seen guys I've arrested!"
Feature by Jay Allen Sanford
Photograph by Sandra Castillo
Published October 7, 2004
'This is what I really want to do; music isn't just a hobby for me,"
says San Diego cop Joe Mendoza. A 13-year sheriff's department
veteran (10 years at the Encinitas station), his debut CD The Spring
Collection was recorded at a local recording studio owned by
Stereotypes drummer Mike Kamoo (who also produced and engineered).
Teen stringsmith Derek Duplessie performs on pedal steel guitar, and
the deputy's brother Bart Mendoza, of the Shambles and Manual Scan,
plays bass and sings backup on the CD. "Bart kind of knew that I
played guitar and sang," says the 39-year-old. "A couple of years
back, he heard me playing some originals at our mom's house, and he
suggested we go into the studio and record. I'd been a closet player
until then. I hadn't played in public...the first one we did
together was a Christmas song."
Now that he's playing solo acoustic sets at clubs like Hennessey's
(in Pacific Beach) and the Surf N' Saddle (in Solana Beach), his
professions have been known to cross. "I've been coaxed into picking
up a guitar a couple of times while on duty. I walk into a bar where
I've played before and, I don't know, the peer pressure is kind of
hard to resist if someone begs me to play a song. A lot of other
officers know what I do; I've played at a few [police department]
picnics. I actually sold five CDs at work [laughs]. I wouldn't bill
myself as 'the Singing Cop' though."
Although Mendoza performs a few covers (Clapton's "Wonderful
Tonight" being the only one on his CD), he prefers doing original
songs. Asked if his music is similar to his brother's
'60s-influenced power pop, he says, "I write love songs, Bart writes
relationship songs." The difference? "My songs are really
straightforward, more country. They're about loves lost and loves
won, standard 'I love you, I hate you, I miss you' kind of songs.
His stuff is a little harder to understand, you know? It's not
always easy to tell what he's singing about."
TOP FIVE DESERT-ISLAND DISCS?
1. The Beatles Rubber Soul and Revolver
2. Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend
3. Don McLean's American Pie ("the whole album, not just the song")
4. The Eagles ("a CD compilation I burned myself")
TOP FIVE FILMS?
1. Three Amigos
2. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
3. The Rutles' "All You Need Is Cash" [TV special]
4. Top Gun
5. Batman: The Movie (1966 -- "I'm a huge fan. I have tons of Batman
memorabilia")
GUITARS USED?
1. Rickenbacker 360 6-string ("my Paul Weller guitar")
2. Rickenbacker 360 12-string ("with wood grain, like Roger
McGuinn's")
3. Rickenbacker 325 v58 6-string ("my John Lennon replica")
4. Rickenbacker 360 v54 12-string ("like George Harrison used in
Hard Day's Night")
5. Taylor 355ce acoustic 6-string ("made in San Diego") and Taylor
315ce acoustic 12-string ("like butter")
WEIRDEST GIG STORY?
"I've looked down into the audience and seen guys I've arrested!
I've had gang members buy me beer. It's bound to happen; I'm playing
in bars -- that's just the atmosphere. On the other hand, sometimes
when I make traffic stops, someone will recognize me from playing a
gig. Then it can get awkward...a lot of times they'll try to play up
that they know who I am because they want me to let them off the
hook for something."
©2004 San Diego Reader. All rights reserved.
from June 2, 2004 issue of North County Times:
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http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/06/03/entertainment/6_2_0411_48_10.txt.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 12:00 PM PDT
Rockin' cop returns to Fiesta del Sol, this time without his badge
By: PATRICIA MORRIS BUCKLEY - For the North County Times
He's a cop by day and a rock star by night ---- he's Joe Mendoza.
No, not a superhero, just one of the acts for Fiesta del Sol.
"The joke is if you work the fiesta five times, you get to play
onstage," said Ken Leighton, the event's promoter. "Sheriff's deputy
Joe Mendoza has actually worked the fiesta five different times in
uniform. This time, he'll be there in a different capacity, with his
band, Spring Collection."
Mendoza is just as surprised by his appearance at the event,
especially since he works out of the Encinitas Sheriff's Station,
which covers Solana Beach.
"It's interesting to play on the beat you work on," said Mendoza, an
Escondido resident. "It's not a fit that people expect. They don't
expect to see cops out there singing. But it's going to be fun
getting out there and doing it."
This split personality is nothing new for him. Both he and his
brother, Bart Mendoza, have played music since early childhood. His
brother, a freelance writer, has a band called Shambles, and he'll
be appearing with Mendoza.
"I've been writing songs since I was in high school," Mendoza said.
"It's mostly an acoustical solo act, and I play anywhere I get a
chance. Mostly it's at local open mike nights. This is my first real
professional experience."
The original songs he'll be performing (plus a cover of Eric
Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight") are rhythm-oriented rock 'n' roll.
"I've always been a huge Beatles fan," he said. "My music is sort of
a blend of the Byrds, the Beatles and '60s pop."
Yet he has a flip side. In fact, if he ever did decide to try a
professional career in music, it would be as a country-western
singer and songwriter.
"If I had to choose between the law and music, it would be a tough
decision," said Mendoza, who has 13 years in with the San Diego
County Sheriff's Department. "Law is the perfect fit for me. I enjoy
interacting with people and being the guy they call for help. That's
my night job.
"The other side of me is an outlet. It feels good to get my feelings
out on paper, so I would be interested in seeing where my music
takes me. But I would still like to be able to do both."
Spring Collection
When: Noon June 6
Where: Fletcher Cove, Solana Beach
Admission: Free
Info: (858) 755-4775
© 1997-2004 North County Times
