Thursday, September 2nd: The Breeders, Times New Viking, Hot Cha Cha @ Beachland Ballroom with pre-show party featuring former End DJ’s in the Tavern and an aftershow party in the Tavern with Founding Fathers.
Friday, September 3rd: Asobi Seksu, Annabel, Corissa Bragg @ Grog Shop. Polka Happy Hour with DJ Kishka @ The Happy Dog. Weird Al Yankovic @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 15th Anniversary Party @ The Rock Hall.
Saturday, September 4th: Filmstrip, Cloud Nothings, Fangs Out, Safari @ Now That’s Class.
Sunday, September 5th: Daily Void, Wizzard Sleeve, Folded Shirt, Bad Cop, Primitives @ Now That’s Class.
Tuesday, September 7th: Gorevette (Feat. members of The Gore Gore Girls), Miss Amanda Jones @ Beachland Tavern. Young Widows, Helms Alee, Wreck Havoc! @ Grog Shop. TV Buddhas, Odd Alibi, The Give and Go’s @ Now That’s Class.
Wednesday, September 8th: Canadian Rifle, The Mermaids, Sun God, Uno Lady @ Now That’s Class.
Thursday, September 9th: Efterklang, Buke & Gass, Leia Alligator’s Music Box @ Beachland Tavern. Fu Manchu, Black Tusk, Venomin James @ Grog Shop.
Friday, September 10th: Jamie Lidell, Tony Castles, DJ Charles McGaw (On The One) @ Grog Shop. Herzog, Megachurch, Wombs @ The Happy Dog.
Saturday, September 11th: The UV Race, Civil Victim, Anal Warhead, Homostupids, Flying Trichecos, Bad Noids @ Now That’s Class. Studio-A-Rama with the Black Angels and Afternoon Naps, Sun God, Self Destruct Button, Nick Riff’s Freak Element, Prisoners, Fawn, Teenage Grandpa, The Ethiopians, Sloth @ CWRU Campus.
Sunday, September 12th: Main Street Gospel, Mondo Drag, Blacklight Betty @ Now That’s Class.
Monday, September 13th: Caspian, If These Trees Could Talk, Like Bells @ Beachland Tavern.
Tuesday, September 14th: Jenny & Johnny, Love As Laughter, Jaill @ Beachland Tavern. Crosby, Stills, and Nash @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City. Deftones @ House of Blues.
Thursday, September 16th: Matt & Kim, So So Glos, The Very Knees @ Beachland Ballroom.
Friday, September 17th: Polka Happy Hour with DJ Kishka @ The Happy Dog. Bill Fox @ The Happy Dog
Sunday, September 19th: Land of Talk, Suuns @ Beachland Tavern. Jackson Browne @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City.
Tuesday, September 21st: Those Darlins, Turbo Fruits, Henry Wagons @ Beachland Tavern. Best Coast, Male Bonding, Clovers @ Grog Shop.
Wednesday, September 22nd: El Ten Eleven, Dosh, Baths @ Grog Shop. Grant Hart, Bill Fox, Filmstrip, Doomstar @ The Happy Dog.
Thursday, September 23rd: Hot Cha Cha, We Are Hex, Fangs Out @ Now That’s Class. The Gaslight Anthem @ House of Blues.
Friday, September 24th: Strange Boys, Gentleman Jesse and His Men, Natural Child, The Wooly Bullies @ Now That’s Class.
Saturday, September 25th: Holy Fuck, Indian Jewelry, Teengirl Fantasy @ Grog Shop.
Sunday, September 26th: Built to Spill, Founding Fathers @ Grog Shop.
Monday, September 27th: Menomena, Suckers, Tu Fawning @ Beachland Ballroom. A Place to Bury Strangers, Freedom, Hot Cha Cha @ Grog Shop.
Wednesday, September 29th: Bettie Serveert, Lawton Brothers, All Comers @ Grog Shop.
Thursday, September 30th: Bobby Bare Jr., Blue Giant @ Beachland Tavern.
Without giving away too much of what I have to say about Herzog’s debut LP, Search (There is a record review on the way), I can tell you that this one is going to be big in Cleveland. Hell, it may even be big in New York, Chicago, and LA. This isn’t a stretch. Herzog already has influential fans in the UK, and the nature of modern music press, where no one wants to be left behind when there’s a next big thing to find, means more praise is likely on its way.
When you listen to “Living Alone,” or “Paul Blart and the Death of Art,” the first single by Nick Tolar and band, it’s easy to hear why. Tolar takes slacker rock, and its can’t be bothered to make this sound good attitude, and complements it with the songwriting and musicianship he’s honed during his time in the Dreadful Yawns and Expecting Rain. Consequently, Herzog has both the charm of those beloved pranksters from the early ’90s, and the type of professionalism, craft, and care needed to have a hit. It’s a winning mix.
Don’t let the first 20 seconds on “She’s a Trap,” and those dubby, cut-up sounding guitars fool you. Gentleman Jesse and His Men aren’t about to change, not when they’ve got that ’70s, power pop sound down so good. After a short into, they’re sent to the background, and it’s back to the quick and immediate, blasting fun which made his debut record such a treat.
The “She’s a Trap 7″ single is available now through Douchemaster Records. It’s limited to 1,000 copies, with 100 on glorious pink vinyl. Also, be on the lookout for another 7″ from Gentleman Jesse and His Men this fall from Hozac Records. Lastly, you can catch the band here in Cleveland, September 24th at Now That’s Class with The Strange Boys, Natural Child, and the Wooly Bullies.
Last night, it was my pleasure to deejay for Mellon’s Melons at The Old Angle in Ohio City. It was a different crowd and a different setting than most of my dj gigs (i.e., not a bunch of tune junkies at The Beachland or Blue Arrow). Consequently, I had to lug a whole bunch of gear up and down the steps to the basement of The Old Angle. It meant I needed 30 minutes to troubleshoot a nasty buzz from the speakers (One turntable wasn’t properly grounded). And, it meant I got to put together a largely upbeat set of music which went deeper and wider than many of my past performances. It couldn’t have gone any better.
Here’s a big thank you to the organizers of Mellon’s Melons and the Old Angle, and a big best of luck to you, to Terri Mellon.
1. The Breeders – No Aloha
2. Happy Birthday – Girls FM
3. Spoon – Got Nuffin’
4. Black Keys – Act Nice and Gentlemanly
5. Rolling Stones – Tumbling Dice
6. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Magical Colors
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Rosalita
8. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
9. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Bottled Up in Cork
10. Wilco – Box Full of Letters
11. Prisoners – Little Old Me
12. The Faces – Stay With Me
13. The Replacements – Bastards of Young
14. Lou Reed – Sweet Jane
15. The Dirtbombs – Chains of Love
16. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – Just Dropped In to See What My Condition Was
17. The Detroit Cobras – You Don’t Knock
18. Pretenders – Stop Sobbing
19. Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La
20. No Age – Glitter (12″ Version)
21. LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
22. Love and Rockets – Kundalini Express
23. Jesus and Mary Chain – Sidewalking
24. Ceremony – Stars Fall
25. Suicide – Ghost Rider
26. The Clash – Magnificent Seven
27. A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It
28. Urban Dance Squad – Deeper Shade of Soul
29. Blondie – Rapture
30. The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty in Pink
31. Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Whats So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love and Understanding
32. Jay Reatard – See Saw
33. Nirvana – Love Buzz
34. The White Stripes – Fell in Love with a Girl
35. Slade – Mama, Mama We’re All Crazy Now
36. Guns N Roses – Paradise City
37. The James Gang – Funk #49
38. T Rex – Telegram Sam
39. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Afro
40. LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk is Playing at My House
41. MIA – Paper Planes
42. Biz Markie – Just a Friend
43. Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock – It Takes Two
44. Cobra Verde – Temptation
45. Sonic Youth – Kool Thing
46. The Raincoats – Fairytale in a Supermarket
47. Thee Oh Sees – The Masters Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In
A short break
48. Bruce Springsteen – No Surrender
49. Spoon – Sister Jack
50. Split Enz – I Got You
51. Pavement – Cut Your Hair
52. Smashing Pumpkins – Today
53. Flaming Lips – Race for the Prize
54. Gypsy Kings – Hotel California
55. Devo – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
56. Kelly Clarkson – Since U Been Gone
In an interview published on Ithaca Underground, Michael Baranick, aka Mikey Machine, described the intensely throbbing, bass and drum sound of his new band Megachurch as Christian stoner-metal made by people who are neither Christians nor stoners. It’s such a departure from speedy, sanguine pop of his former band, Machine Go Boom, that it renders his previous output hardly worth a mention. Instead, if you’re looking for references, one should consider bands like the influential, instru-metal band Pelican, on Southern Lord, or the bass-heavy chaos of Lightning Bolt, for whom Megachurch opened on a recent Cleveland date, or even the early Nineties industrial output of Ministry. This is heavy, heady stuff, with song titles and imagery meant to provoke (“More Mormon Than Mormon,” “The Gay Agenda,” and “The Second Coming”) and riffs that will rattle you straight to your immortal soul. Or, it might just save your immortal soul, as is the case with “Exorcism.” If any riff could lift a demon out of a human host, it’s somewhere in this cut’s four minutes of fury.
After a well thought out, albeit very long, post on Tedleo.com last week, many in the music media took Ted Leo at his word. Today would be the first day of a new chapter in Ted Leo’s career. He would put those years and years on the road behind him and begin a new career in musical theater.
There was no reason to doubt his sincerity. Leo’s as sincere as they come. He sings about his worldly travels, and what it’s like to be an outsider in another man’s land. He sings about perceived injustices and crimes committed in the name of freedom. Look at the man. He even looks deadly sincere.
Nor, was there was no reason to doubt his success in this new endeavor, either. Admit it. You thought to yourself, hmm…If there’s any man alive who could make a musical about the Banana Wars in Guatemala, and not make it suck, it was Ted Leo. Except, the long missive, the new calling in life, the paradigm shift, as Leo called, was all a send up. It was a long, brilliant send up to promote his new video for “Bottled Up in Cork,” which premiered on Funny or Die this morning. Well played, Ted.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t the move of Black Keys drummer, Pat Carney, from Akron to NYC, or the seemingly imminent relocation of bandmate Dan Auerbach, which led me to start taking stock of all musicians who have departed the Cleveland-Akron Metro over the past year. Rather, it was the less publicized breakup of Cleveland rock mainstays Coffinberry, spurred on by bassist guitarist Tony Janicek’s move to Portland. For those of you not scoring at home, here’s a list of some of those who have left NEO in the past year:
JR Bennett of Unsparing Sea (Nashville)
Pat Carney of the Black Keys (Brooklyn)
Jon Finely of Beaten Awake (California)
Tony Janicek of Coffinberry (Portland)
Ryan Weitzel of Mystery of Two (Brooklyn)
In the order of hurt, it’s hard to single out one of these recent exits as the most painful. Carney’s relo stung because he was on record as harboring resentment towards Devo, and The Pretenders, and other acts from previous eras who left NEO. Bennett’s was a case of a group, Unsparing Sea, which should have garnered a much bigger audience outside of Ohio, but never did, leaving untapped potential on the stage and in the studio. The consistency off Coffinberry, meanwhile, was taken for granted, and only after announcing their dissolution, did an overflow crowd come out to Pat’s in the Flats.
The Black Keys will soldier on, to be sure, and the breakup of Mystery of Two isn’t a given. Even if Mystery of Two’s drummer Nick Riley has been gigging around town with Filmstrip, it remains unclear how active the band will be in the coming months and years. Unsparing Sea, Coffinberry, and (presumably) Beaten Awake are all down for the count.
Let’s be honest, Cleveland didn’t get its reputation of being an anti-destination (Rightfully so, or not so much), because all of its artistic talent (And jobs, for that matter) chose to stay in the city. And, Cleveland and Akron bands have this habit of dissolving, re-forming, and absorbing other musicians from other bands in the cycle, all with little fanfare, meaning there are even more names which probably should be added to the above list.
Now, add Brandon Stevens, the head of Exit Stencil Records who recently re-located his label’s operations to Brooklyn, and the talent drain in the Northeast, Ohio music scene becomes even more apparent.
So, which departure hurt the most? It’s like asking which nun in Catholic school had the most vicious ruler. They all did. They all hurt.
Being from Cleveland, the capital of Rock ‘N’ Roll and the capital of self-defeatism, cynicism, and pessimism, it would be all too easy to sulk. We lost Lebron. We lost The Black Keys. The Indians lose, the Browns lose. We always lose.
Yet, should you stop being a Clevelander for a moment, you would realize it all isn’t doom and gloom. Anecdotal evidence suggests Cleveland is and has always been near the top in the United States in terms of per capita live music venues. Plus, Cleveland holds its own in per capita drunkenness. Add these two together and (in theory) there should be no shortage of new talent. Whether that talent sounds any good the morning after, however, is up for debate.
Two acts which do sound good, sober or otherwise, Cloud Nothings and Prisoners, have already started making headway with lo-fi pop and ragged, Replacements rock, respectively. Cloud Nothings, in particular, have garnered more press than any recent Akron or Cleveland act not named the Black Keys. Prisoners, on the other hand, should be busting out of this town any minute. Granted, both bands are years away from becoming the Godfathers of Northeast Ohio, Rock and Roll, but when you also consider veteran bands and artists like This Moment in Black History and John Petkovic of Cobra Verde and Sweet Apple, have both released invigorating new albums this year, one has to conclude the scene is in good hands. It’s just lacking the one act, the one band, that everyone in town can rally around. It used to be The Black Keys. It may still be the Black Keys, however, the opportunity is there for someone new to be the national face of Cleveland rock.
Now, let’s hear from you. Which recent exit was the biggest to hit the Northeast, Ohio music scene? Which band or bands to you see stepping up in the coming months to take the place of the likes of Coffinberry, Mystery of Two, and Unsparing Sea? With the Black Keys mostly out of town is their even someone you would hold up as the face of Northeast, Ohio music?
Good news for those who were shut out of the Guided by Voices reunion tour when the first round of fall tour dates were announced: Uncle Bob and the Boys have added three additional Midwestern dates to their fall itinerary. Now, in addition to the sold out dates on October 15th and 16th dates in Columbus and Cincinnati, the classic GBV line-up of Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Kevin Fennell, and Greg Demos will also be making stops in Bloomington on the 29th, Detroit on the 30th, and Oberlin, Ohio on the 31st. Tickets for Detroit at the Majestic Theatre and Bloomington at the Bluebird are on sale now, while tickets for the Oberlin show at Hale’s Gym will go on sale to the student population on August 31st and to the general public on September 8th.
Over the past two decades, the gravelly, boozed and burdened voice of Mark Lanegan has been featured in grunge, hard rock, American roots, country, folk, and even electronic music. Yet, rarely does it sound any better than when paired with the sprite-like charms of Isobel Campbell. “You Won’t Let Me Down Again,” from the soon to be released album, Hawk, finds Lanegan’s slow, hungry yowl taking the lead with Campbell providing a stark contrast with her light, fluttery background vocals. The guitars featured here — One loosely strummed acoustic, and one twanged-out electric only add more of a load to Lanegan’s established weariness. At this point it may be fair to ask, how much more can that torn voice take, but with the results so startling, the answer has to be more, long enough for more.
When reviewing Woven Bones’ debut release In and Out and Back Again, I noted how this psycho-sounding pyschedelic rock band could use a second song. “I’ve Gotta Get,” isn’t that song. It follows the band’s established formula of evil on top of evil vocals fronting otherwise innocent, beach party jams. Which, for now is fine. “I’ve Gotta Get” is the band’s first release for their new label, the Subpop imprint Hardly Art, and maybe some of their customers haven’t had the chance to immerse themselves in the Woven Bones sound. Next album, however, a new expression of this style would be much appreciated.
Sex Church’s debut record, Six Songs by Sex Church features some good, scuzzy psychedelic rock, littered with grit and obscured by reverb, with the right amount of danger and more than a bit of spit. It wouldn’t sound out of place on Chicago’s unstoppable Hozac Records, and in fact, they were recently featured in the label’s latest round of Hookup Club Singles. Side one, track one, “Old Enough,” especially, has a similar psycho-beach vibe as another Hozac Band, Woven Bones. Yet, the further you dig into this song, and the further you dig into Six Songs, the more you realize this Vancouver band has more going for it than sound and style. Structurally, dynamically, and um, rockingly, these guys have it going on.
Six Songs by Sex Church is out now on Colvusive Records. If you’re lucky there still may be a copy over at My Mind’s Eye (I bought one of the two they had stock. If not, there’s always the internet.
For those familiar with the output of Cleveland musician, Nick Tolar, in Expecting Rain, the work of his new band Herzog, may arrive as a bit of a surprise. Gone are the easy-rocking sounds of West Coast psychedelic pop and those carefully constructed arrangements. Gone are the wistful memories and the never ending daydreams. In their place are guitars, lots and lots of guitars, loud fuzzy, buzzing guitars screeching like it’s 1993 all over again. This change of direction, however sudden it may seem to you, the listener, seems all but natural for Tolar, and the other members of Herzog (Dan Price, Brian Hall, and Dave McHenry). Price and Hall both played with Tolar in Expecting Rain, giving the band a leg up on most newcomers. Plus, one can’t discount Tolar’s talent as a songwriter. Whether he’s penning an album to Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, as he did with Expecting Rain, or lamenting Kevin James’ shameful Paul Blart Mall Cop, here on Herzog’s “Paul Blart and the Death of Art,” he does so with an inescapable sense of melody.
Herzog’s record release show will take place Friday, September 10th at the Happy Dog. For those not interested in vinyl or live music (And shame on those), you can download Herzog’s debut album now for a modest fee via the band’s page on Bandcamp.
