There are dozens of musical principles that guide Too Much Rock. The first asserts that the best bands in the world are local bands. Any band that you can regularly see in a tiny room twenty minutes from your house for $10 is automatically elevated above the far-flung competition. Another lodestar steers us toward the jangly guitars, the bubblegum harmonies, and simple-is-smart arrangements that have defined power pop throughout all its eras. When tiny tot Sid heard Cheap Trick sing "I Want You to Want Me" from the backseat of the family Corvair, a love was sparked that has never faded. Of course, the site follows many other equally arcane waymarkers, and maybe we'll get to them sometime, but these are the relevant ones tonight. Let's see how they apply.

Although Gary Charlson is not a household name even for the casual power pop fan, to the truly obsessed, he represents an important chapter in our liturgy. First, Charlson released a string of peppy singles in the late '70s on the (posthumously) influential Titan Records. Second, and just as importantly, both Charlson and Titan Records were based out of Kansas City. Together, it's enough to crown Charlson as Too Much Rock local power pop royalty – and it got him into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame to boot. It was also enough to get Sarah and I to Mike Kelly's Westsider on Friday the 13th. Sadly, it wasn't enough to get us there on time.

I called the venue earlier in the day and was told to expect a "seven-ish" start time. Jaded by years of punk rock shows, I assumed that meant eight o'clock. However, when I parked at what I thought was a safe 7:15, live music was already pouring out of the neighborhood dive bar and grill. I hurried inside with my camera and reviewed the setlist. We had missed three songs, including the opener – a cover of "Hey Deanie" (written by Eric Carman for Shaun Cassidy). Charlson released that one on a Titan EP in 1981 and I'd been listening to that cover for decades. Thankfully his should-have-been-bigger debut single "Real Life Saver" was up next. Charlson is no spring chicken, but his voice sounded good – honeyed, but still strong. His rhythm guitar work retained all the magical jangle that the genre is known for. Behind him was a spry backing band that included a bouncing Rickenbacker bassist, the springy drums of Larry Bell, and an absolutely fire lead guitarist. Charlson's original "You're My Girl" was particularly tight and fierce. A cover of Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" moved the track past the jangly folk-rock telling given to it by The Turtles and pushed it firmly into the power pop oeuvre. It was a delight. The whole set was.

After a twenty-minute break, Charlson returned to the stage as a sideman in Honeywagen. For over twenty-five years this Lawrence, Kansas-based act has been playing chiming power pop in small bars and releasing stellar, yet unheard albums on CD – often only on CD-R. The line-up has shifted countless times as friends have come and gone, but it's always included the vocals and rhythm guitar of chief songwriter Mike Penner. On this night the band was augmented by Charlson's lead guitar (or "something like it" as he quipped), Scott Gribble's bass, and Charlie Paulter's drums. Both Charlson and Paulter also chipped in backing vocals. The foursome played two sets offering up two hours of smoothed-out power pop and jangly rock 'n' roll. About half of the set was covers. Highlights included a rockin' version of Paul Revere's "Hungry" sung by Gribble, an on-the-nose cover of Matthew Sweet's "I've Been Waiting," and a duo of adoring Big Star covers ("In the Street" and "September Gurls"). There was a Beatles cover in there as well. And was there a cover of the Byrds' "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" sung by Paulter, or am I just remembering the band's own "Down the River?" And that's the point. Not only was each chosen song an exemplar of rock's greatest and forgotten nuggets, but it was also a glimpse into the group's own inspirations. From the giddy up of "Falling Star" to the chiming perfection of "All the little Things You Do" to the raucous "About a Dog," the quartet's originals told the same rock and roll story – many of them told it just as well as any that came before.

It was only 10:15 when the band ended its second set, freeing the audience of a certain age to head home. Although probably twenty years younger than the rest of the bar, I too love a night that ends before 10:30. In fact, that is another guiding principle of Too Much Rock. So if you love seeing power pop shows featuring local artists that end in time to catch Perry Mason, I invite you to join the Too Much Rock faith. Stay tuned for our next meeting and that complete list of musical guideposts.