The Spongetones

The Spongetones, formed in 1979, are an American power pop band from Charlotte, North Carolina. They formed from a desire to play the music of the Beatles and other 1960s artists they grew up hearing. Influenced by the British Invasion, the Spongetones carried on the musical genre through original songwriting, jangle pop riffs, and Beatlesque vocals. In his 2007 book, Shake Some Action, John M. Borack rated the Beat and Torn album (a re-release of Beat Music with Torn Apart on CD) at number 25 of his "Top 200 Power Pop Albums" of all time, comparing the album to early Beatles and Searchers, calling it "simply wonderful." Rolling Stone gave Beat Music a 3-1/2 star review and Torn Apart a 3-star review.