The Shivvers wrote power-pop of the absolute highest order during their short run (’79-’82), but sadly, their powers didn’t break them outside of their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin—a bit too far from LA or NYC to grab the nation’s attention. Check out this promotional video for “Please Stand By”, one  of several Shivvers tunes that could’ve (and should’ve) been hits, and you’ll get the Shivvers in no time.

Led by singer Jill Kossoris, the band had their songwriting roots in ’60s pop/rock sounds, as well as earlier power-pop groups like the Raspberries, whose Eric Carmen (a big Shivvers fan) was supposedly set to produce the album the Shivvers never ended up recording. The band broke up in 1982, but easily available today is the compilation called Lost Hits from Milwaukee’s First Family of Power Pop 1979-82 (Teenline/Hyped to Death, 2006), which includes their sole single, “Teen Line” (Fliptop, 1980), as well as “Please Stand By” and a number of other studio recordings, demos, and live recordings. Read more about the band’s history here.

Here’s another Shivvers clip for you—a live performance of the aforementioned “Teen Line”, one of the videos included on the Lost Hits disc: