Let There Be Rock Calendars!
I've got four more shows to report since the last calendar. I saw both Jonathan Richman and The Books for the first time; both were worth seeing but not necessarily someone I'd rush out to see again. I saw Eli 'Paperboy' Reed & the True Loves and really enjoyed it; he's definitely on the list to see again. And finally, I caught The Budos Band again, who were their typical excellent self.
That brings my total to nine shows on the year, almost all of them in the friendly confines of the Beachland Ballroom. I didn't keep track of exact prices (5 were free, let's hear it for connections) but it's somewhere around $7/show. Not too shabby, but there are plenty of good shows coming up that may entice me to spend my hard earned money.
April
S 4/23 - New Pornographers @ HOB Cleveland, with the Walkmen. One of the finest bands of the last decade. The Walkmen are pretty good too.
Su 4/24 - The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Beachland Ballroom. When I saw them last year they were totally awesome live.
T 4/26 - The Joy Formitable @ The Grog Shop. My friend EJ is a teacher, so when he goes out on a school night you know the band is worth seeing.
W 4/27 - Cavani String Quartet @ CIM. Performing Beethoven
R 4/28 - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ HOB Cleveland (Tri-C Jazzfest). I really had a good time when I saw him last year.
R 4/28 - Femi Kuti & The Positive Force @ Beachland Ballroom. Originally famous for being Fela Kuti's son, but now mostly famous for generating excellent Afro-beat in his own right.
R 4/28 - Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers @ Grog Shop. How often do you get to watch someone play a harmonium?
F 4/29 - Iron @ Wine @ HOB Cleveland (sponsored by Grog Shop). SOLD OUT.
F 4/29 - The Smithereens @ Kent Stage. If it keeps Pat DiNizio from doing another standards album, I'll chip in a few bucks.
S 4/30 - Jon Stewart @ PSQ. I assume that if you were going to go see this, you already know about it. But just in case.
May
Su 5/01 - Captured! By Robots @ Grog Shop. Robot based ska. Sort of. It's complicated, dammit.
T 5/03 - Kinky Friedman @ Wilberts. For him, I might even go back to Wilberts. It's not like there are tons of other Jewish country singers out there I can support. Plus it'll give me a reason to play "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore."
T 5/03 - Beats Antique @ Grog Shop. I liked the description, which was basically "lots of atypical instruments cause dancing."
W 5/04 - Electric Junkyard Gamelan @ Beachland Ballroom - home made instruments, weird arrangements, it's an $8.00 bet show! Vaguely inspired by actual Gamelan, but I suspect no real connection.
W 5/04 - Ted Leo (solo) @ B-Side (downstairs from Grog Shop). The head pharmacist tours on his own
W 5/04 - Daphne Willis @ Wilberts. Pop. I really like her (especially her voice).
R 5/05 - The Hot Club of Detroit @ Nighttown. Django's legacy lives on.
F 5/06 - Medeski Martin & Wood @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). With the famous organist Dr. Lonnie Smith as an opener. This should be pretty awesome, and I got tickets as my telethon premium..
F 5/06 & S 5/07 - 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes @ Playhouse Square. Not an ironic band name, this is actually a lot of circus stuff in short amount of time.
S 5/07 - Cloud Nothings @ Beachland Tavern. It's a local indie rockish band that's blowing up fast and could very quickly become national.
S 5/07 - Smokey Robinson @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). The main man from Motown.
Su 5/08 - The Right Now @ Beachland Tavern. A big band doing soul. Now, I have high standards for soul, but for $7 I might just take a look.
T 5/10 - Bad Manners @ Beachland Ballroom. The famous second wave ska band is still anchored by Buster Bloodvessel and is still making rude boys skank.
W 5/11 - Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs @ Beachland Tavern. Dammit, this time I *will* see them. Hopefully I'm not disappointed.
F 5/13 - Craic @ Beachland Tavern. A Dublin punk band, supposedly along the lines of Flogging Molly. Only $5.
S 5/14 - Mavis Staples @ Cleveland Convention Center. Gospel legend. The only person more important to the history of gospel is God. Or something.
T 5/17 - Cake @ Cleveland Masonic Auditorium (sponsored by Grog Shop). We've got tickets.
T 5/17 - Reverend Horton Heat with Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Beachland Ballroom. A limited number of $12 tickets are available.
5/17 to 5/22 - City Music Cleveland @ Various venus. Cellist Matthew Haimovitz returns.
F 5/20 - Neil Innes @ Winchester. Monty Python collaborator, member of the Bonzo Dog Band and the Rutles.
F 5/20 - Anti-Flag @ Grog. Pittsburgh political punk.
Su 5/22 - Sepultura @ Peabodys. Without a doubt the finest Brazilian death metal band. I'll grant you there's not much competition, but that's because they were killed.
T 5/24 - John Oates @ Beachland Ballroom. Listed mostly for the humor value.
R 5/26 - Front Line Assembly @ Peabodys. Electro-industrialish. I saw them about a gazillion years ago.
June
T 6/02 - Charlene Kay @ Beachland Tavern. Looks like another great $5 bet.
S 6/04 - Phish @ Blossom. I have friends who like them, so this is for them. I don't.
S 6/04 - T-Model Ford @ Beachland Tavern. He's getting old, so if you like this kind of Delta blues you might want to check it out.
S 6/04 - Grace Potter & the Nocturnes @ HOB. My sister says they are pretty awesome.
Su 6/05 - Southern Culture on the Skids @ Beachland Ballroom. Once was enough for me, but I know some of the people reading this love them (*looks at JJ*).
M 6/06 - Zoe Keating @ Beachland Ballroom. Cello & sample looping.
T 6/07 - Panic at the Disco w/Foxy Shazam @ HOB. The headliner is merely meh, but I've been told Foxy Shazam is awesome. Not sure if it's worth catching them as an opener though.
F 6/10 - Elizabeth Cook @ Beachland Tavern. Grand Ole Opry style country, if that even means anything now.
S 6/11 - New Bomb Turks @ Beachland Ballroom. Hope you like it loud.
S 6/11 - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones @ Cain Park. Will sell out. Will probably be awesome.
T 6/14 - Glee Live! In Concert! @ Quicken Loans Arena. Listed solely for my friends who love Glee. You know who you are. And no, I wouldn't admit it either :-)
W 6/15 - Hot Club of Cowtown @ Nighttown. Can never have too much gypsy swing.
July
F 7/01 - Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones @ Beachland Ballroom. Seems like Dave only has guilty bands, which is appropriate for rock & roll.
Su 7/03 - Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers @ Grog Shop. And I don't have to work the next day!
W 7/06 - Cabinet @ Beachland Ballroom. Bluegrassish.
M 7/18 - Interpol @ HOB. My wife and I saw them on an early date. The date went well, so I can't say I remember the band too much :-)
F 7/22 - Scythian @ Berea Irish Fest. My wife's new favorite band.
S 7/23 - Rockapella @ Cain Park. I got to boo them once. I guess that doesn't happen too much.
T 7/26 - The Decemberists @ Nautica. Great band, terrible venue. Tickets on sale today (friday 4/22).
F 7/29 - Los Straitjackets @ Beachland Ballroom. Everyone should see the surf sounds of Los Straitjackets at least once in their life.
F 7/29 - Girlyman @ Cain Park. Listed just for RH.
Su 7/31 - Steve Earle & the Dukes @ Kent Stage. Saw him once, it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Beyond
T 8/02 - Journey w/Foreigner & Night Ranger @ Blossom. I'd go, but how could it possibly be better than singing Don't Stop Believin' in Rock Band?
W 9/31 - Carolina Chocolate Drops & Kent Stage. Bluegrass/countryish, who have parleyed a cover of "Hit'em Up Style" and serious musical chops into recent success.
F 11/04 - Anthony Bourdain @ PSQ. Not singing, just talking. Well, as far as I know anyway.
Su 2/26/12 - Marketa Irglova @ Beachland. The girl from Once, The Swell Season. Now that's planning ahead.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Pollstar. Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, Peabodys, CSU Convocation Center, HOB, Winchester, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, Wilberts, Quicken Loans Arena, Night Town, Playhouse Square, Rock Hall, Cain Park, Blossom, Tower City Amphitheater, Nautica Pavilion, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, E.J. Thomas Hall (Akron), CityMusic Cleveland, Now That's Class.
Note: Very atypically, Pollstar listed shows that weren't on the main venue pages. Check before you go, as always.
As always, if there are shows you think I should check out, or bands you'd just recommend in general, this would be a great time to leave a friendly comment. Or an unfriendly one, it's all good.
EDITED - added shows on 4/26 and 4/27. Fixed a typo or two. Or five.
That brings my total to nine shows on the year, almost all of them in the friendly confines of the Beachland Ballroom. I didn't keep track of exact prices (5 were free, let's hear it for connections) but it's somewhere around $7/show. Not too shabby, but there are plenty of good shows coming up that may entice me to spend my hard earned money.
April
S 4/23 - New Pornographers @ HOB Cleveland, with the Walkmen. One of the finest bands of the last decade. The Walkmen are pretty good too.
Su 4/24 - The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Beachland Ballroom. When I saw them last year they were totally awesome live.
T 4/26 - The Joy Formitable @ The Grog Shop. My friend EJ is a teacher, so when he goes out on a school night you know the band is worth seeing.
W 4/27 - Cavani String Quartet @ CIM. Performing Beethoven
R 4/28 - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ HOB Cleveland (Tri-C Jazzfest). I really had a good time when I saw him last year.
R 4/28 - Femi Kuti & The Positive Force @ Beachland Ballroom. Originally famous for being Fela Kuti's son, but now mostly famous for generating excellent Afro-beat in his own right.
R 4/28 - Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers @ Grog Shop. How often do you get to watch someone play a harmonium?
F 4/29 - Iron @ Wine @ HOB Cleveland (sponsored by Grog Shop). SOLD OUT.
F 4/29 - The Smithereens @ Kent Stage. If it keeps Pat DiNizio from doing another standards album, I'll chip in a few bucks.
S 4/30 - Jon Stewart @ PSQ. I assume that if you were going to go see this, you already know about it. But just in case.
May
Su 5/01 - Captured! By Robots @ Grog Shop. Robot based ska. Sort of. It's complicated, dammit.
T 5/03 - Kinky Friedman @ Wilberts. For him, I might even go back to Wilberts. It's not like there are tons of other Jewish country singers out there I can support. Plus it'll give me a reason to play "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore."
T 5/03 - Beats Antique @ Grog Shop. I liked the description, which was basically "lots of atypical instruments cause dancing."
W 5/04 - Electric Junkyard Gamelan @ Beachland Ballroom - home made instruments, weird arrangements, it's an $8.00 bet show! Vaguely inspired by actual Gamelan, but I suspect no real connection.
W 5/04 - Ted Leo (solo) @ B-Side (downstairs from Grog Shop). The head pharmacist tours on his own
W 5/04 - Daphne Willis @ Wilberts. Pop. I really like her (especially her voice).
R 5/05 - The Hot Club of Detroit @ Nighttown. Django's legacy lives on.
F 5/06 - Medeski Martin & Wood @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). With the famous organist Dr. Lonnie Smith as an opener. This should be pretty awesome, and I got tickets as my telethon premium..
F 5/06 & S 5/07 - 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes @ Playhouse Square. Not an ironic band name, this is actually a lot of circus stuff in short amount of time.
S 5/07 - Cloud Nothings @ Beachland Tavern. It's a local indie rockish band that's blowing up fast and could very quickly become national.
S 5/07 - Smokey Robinson @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). The main man from Motown.
Su 5/08 - The Right Now @ Beachland Tavern. A big band doing soul. Now, I have high standards for soul, but for $7 I might just take a look.
T 5/10 - Bad Manners @ Beachland Ballroom. The famous second wave ska band is still anchored by Buster Bloodvessel and is still making rude boys skank.
W 5/11 - Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs @ Beachland Tavern. Dammit, this time I *will* see them. Hopefully I'm not disappointed.
F 5/13 - Craic @ Beachland Tavern. A Dublin punk band, supposedly along the lines of Flogging Molly. Only $5.
S 5/14 - Mavis Staples @ Cleveland Convention Center. Gospel legend. The only person more important to the history of gospel is God. Or something.
T 5/17 - Cake @ Cleveland Masonic Auditorium (sponsored by Grog Shop). We've got tickets.
T 5/17 - Reverend Horton Heat with Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Beachland Ballroom. A limited number of $12 tickets are available.
5/17 to 5/22 - City Music Cleveland @ Various venus. Cellist Matthew Haimovitz returns.
F 5/20 - Neil Innes @ Winchester. Monty Python collaborator, member of the Bonzo Dog Band and the Rutles.
F 5/20 - Anti-Flag @ Grog. Pittsburgh political punk.
Su 5/22 - Sepultura @ Peabodys. Without a doubt the finest Brazilian death metal band. I'll grant you there's not much competition, but that's because they were killed.
T 5/24 - John Oates @ Beachland Ballroom. Listed mostly for the humor value.
R 5/26 - Front Line Assembly @ Peabodys. Electro-industrialish. I saw them about a gazillion years ago.
June
T 6/02 - Charlene Kay @ Beachland Tavern. Looks like another great $5 bet.
S 6/04 - Phish @ Blossom. I have friends who like them, so this is for them. I don't.
S 6/04 - T-Model Ford @ Beachland Tavern. He's getting old, so if you like this kind of Delta blues you might want to check it out.
S 6/04 - Grace Potter & the Nocturnes @ HOB. My sister says they are pretty awesome.
Su 6/05 - Southern Culture on the Skids @ Beachland Ballroom. Once was enough for me, but I know some of the people reading this love them (*looks at JJ*).
M 6/06 - Zoe Keating @ Beachland Ballroom. Cello & sample looping.
T 6/07 - Panic at the Disco w/Foxy Shazam @ HOB. The headliner is merely meh, but I've been told Foxy Shazam is awesome. Not sure if it's worth catching them as an opener though.
F 6/10 - Elizabeth Cook @ Beachland Tavern. Grand Ole Opry style country, if that even means anything now.
S 6/11 - New Bomb Turks @ Beachland Ballroom. Hope you like it loud.
S 6/11 - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones @ Cain Park. Will sell out. Will probably be awesome.
T 6/14 - Glee Live! In Concert! @ Quicken Loans Arena. Listed solely for my friends who love Glee. You know who you are. And no, I wouldn't admit it either :-)
W 6/15 - Hot Club of Cowtown @ Nighttown. Can never have too much gypsy swing.
July
F 7/01 - Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones @ Beachland Ballroom. Seems like Dave only has guilty bands, which is appropriate for rock & roll.
Su 7/03 - Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers @ Grog Shop. And I don't have to work the next day!
W 7/06 - Cabinet @ Beachland Ballroom. Bluegrassish.
M 7/18 - Interpol @ HOB. My wife and I saw them on an early date. The date went well, so I can't say I remember the band too much :-)
F 7/22 - Scythian @ Berea Irish Fest. My wife's new favorite band.
S 7/23 - Rockapella @ Cain Park. I got to boo them once. I guess that doesn't happen too much.
T 7/26 - The Decemberists @ Nautica. Great band, terrible venue. Tickets on sale today (friday 4/22).
F 7/29 - Los Straitjackets @ Beachland Ballroom. Everyone should see the surf sounds of Los Straitjackets at least once in their life.
F 7/29 - Girlyman @ Cain Park. Listed just for RH.
Su 7/31 - Steve Earle & the Dukes @ Kent Stage. Saw him once, it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Beyond
T 8/02 - Journey w/Foreigner & Night Ranger @ Blossom. I'd go, but how could it possibly be better than singing Don't Stop Believin' in Rock Band?
W 9/31 - Carolina Chocolate Drops & Kent Stage. Bluegrass/countryish, who have parleyed a cover of "Hit'em Up Style" and serious musical chops into recent success.
F 11/04 - Anthony Bourdain @ PSQ. Not singing, just talking. Well, as far as I know anyway.
Su 2/26/12 - Marketa Irglova @ Beachland. The girl from Once, The Swell Season. Now that's planning ahead.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Pollstar. Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, Peabodys, CSU Convocation Center, HOB, Winchester, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, Wilberts, Quicken Loans Arena, Night Town, Playhouse Square, Rock Hall, Cain Park, Blossom, Tower City Amphitheater, Nautica Pavilion, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, E.J. Thomas Hall (Akron), CityMusic Cleveland, Now That's Class.
Note: Very atypically, Pollstar listed shows that weren't on the main venue pages. Check before you go, as always.
As always, if there are shows you think I should check out, or bands you'd just recommend in general, this would be a great time to leave a friendly comment. Or an unfriendly one, it's all good.
EDITED - added shows on 4/26 and 4/27. Fixed a typo or two. Or five.