Concert Calendar

Feb 08, 2013 00:06

It's been a while, hasn't it? In my defense, I did a lot of holiday traveling since my last concert calendar, but I did still manage to fit in a few shows since then.

- gieves, her parents and I saw Bela Fleck perform his Banjo Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra on December 8. Fleck said in an interview that not being able to improvise was challenging for him, but he needn't have worried; I'm sure there aren't five other people in the worlds who could play the banjo piece he wrote. It was a most interesting and excellent piece. Throw in Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and music from Copland's "Billy the Kid" and it was a more than satisfying evening.
- My last show of 2012 the next day at the Beachland Ballroom where I saw El Vez, who is a combination Elvis impersonator, Latino rights activist and entertainer extraordinaire. He was joined the by his backing band, The Memphis Mariachis, and two very lovely El Vettes for a Christmas show that was disturbing and entertaining all at the same time.
- I started 2013 with another visit to Severance Hall on January 17, where the Orchestra performed with violinist extraordinaire Joshua Bell, who performed Beethoven's famous Violin Concerto in D major with verve and heart. It was truly amazing, and although my nostalgia gives the advantage to Itzhak Perlman, it is only by the smallest of margins. gieves and darlox and I enjoyed it greatly.
- The next day my sister was in town for Supper Club and we saw the Kronos Quarter at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It's a little hard to evaluate them. On the one hand, they had a truly eclectic set that went all over the place, including a performance of WTC 9/11 which nearly made me cry. On the other hand, a lot of what they do is playing along with recordings, which somehow seems vaguely sterile compared to a truly live performance. I enjoyed it and would see them again.
- On the 21st my radio co-host Shari and fellow radio staffers Katy & Jeff drove down to Pittsburgh for Morrissey, which was rescheduled from October. We avoided bad weather and enjoyed a powerful set which my friend Adam writes about here. The less said about his opener, the better.
- Lastly, on the 29th of January, I unexpectedly got a free ticket to see the sold out Flogging Molly show at the House of Blues courtesy of jackofmany. I saw them ten years ago at the Agora and crowd surfed and everything. This time didn't match that (what could?) but was still a good time, although honestly talking with Todd in the bar beforehand was almost more fun than the show.

Anyway, enough nostalgia. Let's move forward into our glorious new future with a shiny concert calendar! Bold means I'm in like Flynn; Italics means strong interest. As always, I really want to know what cool shows I'm missing, whether here in Cleveland or in immediate driving distance. And also as always, tune in to 91.1-FM on Sundays at 2pm and you're likely to hear a lot of these bands and so many more on "Fantasy for Transmitter and Two Hosts", or pull down the MP3 from WRUW.org.

February
S 2/09 - Cyrille Aimee & The Guitar Heroes @ Nighttown. My current favorite jazz musician returns with a brand new sextet, including three guitarists. I'm there.
T 2/12 - Jozef Van Wissem @ Now That's Class. Why is an experimental lute player at Now That's Class? Does it matter?
F 2/15 - Retribution Gospel Choir @ Beachland Tavern. The guy from Low, which is enough reason for an $8 bet.
F 2/15 - WJCU 2013 Radiothon Benefit Concert @ Peabodys. All metal.
F 2/15 - George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic @ HOB. Twice was enough for me, but if funk is your thing this is a band you need to see at least once.
F 2/15 and S 2/16 - Hot Club of Detroit @ Nighttown. Will sell out. Gypsy swing.
S 2/16 - Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites @ Happy Dog. The finest soul band in the area. They should just move to Brooklyn.
T 2/19 - Classical Revolution @ Happy Dog. Classical music for those on a budget.
T 2/19 - Soul Asylum @ Beachland Ballroom. My god, they've reached the "20 years after our peak touring small venues" stage of their career.
R 2/21 - Dropkick Murphys @ HOB. Punk from Boston. This show has SOLD OUT!
F 2/22 - Daedalus @ Beachland Ballroom (sponsored by Grog Shop). This electronic artist is moving up to the larger room.
F 2/22 - Hall & Oates @ Akron Civic. Listed especially for bart_calendar.
F 2/22 - Murder By Death @ Grog Shop. "They brawl like Johnny Cash’s cellmates or dreamily swoon like Nick [Cave], stomping saloon floorboards in 4/4 time as grand strings fade into high noon."
Su 2/24 - Emilie Autumn @ Peabodys. She's still on my list to see one day. I'm not sure why, mind you, but she is.

March
F 3/01 - Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Beachland Ballroom. Part of their 13th Anniversary Weekend. Jessica is from Kent; she was the first guest vocalist to appear on a Black Keys album and her first full length (which is excellent) was produced by Dan Auerbach.
F 3/01 - Natalie MacMaster @ EJ Thomas. One of the world's premier fiddlers.
W 3/06 to Su 3/10 - CityMusic Cleveland at various locations. Free classical. If I go it will be Friday or Saturday
S 3/02 - Eileen Jewell @ Beachland Tavern. Sounds like a good $10 bet as the 13th Anniversary Weekend continues.
S 3/02 - Wesley Bright & The Hi-Lites @ Beachland Ballroom. Or see Wesley Bright instead!
W 3/06 - Buddy Guy & Jonny Lang @ Akron Civic. The former is a great blues guitarist who I got to see in 2001. The latter is the best musician from North Dakota currently working.
F 3/08 - The Queers @ Now That's Class. Once again I list these 3rd wave punks. Once again I probably will not see them, but I do have good intentions...
S 3/09 - Bon Jovi @ The Q. SHOT THROUGH THE HEART... I saw them twice and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
S 3/09 - Shemekia Copeland @ Winchester. If you like female blues singers, it's hard to get better than Shemekia, who I saw back in 2004 or so.
S 3/09 - The Clarks @ Grog Shop. My sister likes them.
M 3/11 - Animal Collective @ HOB (sponsored by Grog Shop). I believe they count as 'weird stuff'.
F 3/14 - YoYo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble @ EJ Thomas Hall. It's a bit pricey, but if anyone else wants to go let me know and I may be up for it.
Su 3/17 - They Might Be Giants @ Beachland Ballroom. It is on the verge of selling out.
T 3/19 - Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Nighttown. Admit it, you want to know what Afro-Peruvian means.
R 3/21 - Rachel Brooke @ Now That's Class. $6 bet on someone described as country blues.
F 3/22 - Ana Moura @ Cleveland Art Museum. Finally, I get to hear some live fado in Cleveland, and even better it's someone really good. I have a ticket!
S 3/23 - Jewel @ Lakewood Civic Auditorium. Nope.
S 3/23 - Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Beachland Ballroom. Loud and awesome.
T 3/26 - Alejandro Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys @ Beachland Ballroom. I've seen him twice, and I'm likely to again. Austinite. Punk country. Fun.

April
T 4/02 to R 4/04 - Fela @ Playhouse Square. Fela Kuti is dead. You can see one of his sons, but they mostly do their own material. Or you can see the inevitable stage production, which by all accounts is pretty good.
R 4/04 - Bad Religion @ Newport Music Hall in Columbus. Their new album is excellent, but this is as close as they are coming to Cleveland.
S 4/06 - The Slackers @ Peabodys. Ska!
Su 4/07 - Esperanza Spalding @ Playhouse Square. One of my top three shows of 2012! Remember when Justin Bieber lost the "new artist" Grammy and his fans were pissed? This is the woman he lost to. I'm amazed that the Grammy voters had such good taste, as she's the best new talent in jazz in a really long time. gieves and I have the cheap $10 tickets, which are almost gone, but if last year's show is any guide Esperanza is worth the $30 for the good seats.
Su 4/07 - Galatic @ Beachland Ballroom. One of my top three shows of 2012! New Orleans awesomeness.
R 4/11 through Su 4/12 - The Cleveland Orchestra performs Carmina Burana @ Severance Hall. gieves and I are going on Thursday.
S 4/13 - Fu Manchu @ Grog Shop. Mitch from "Kick out the Jams" is really excited. Man, I miss his radio show.
M 4/15 - Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band @ Southern Theatre in Columbus. My top show of 2013! He has a new album out... and he's not coming back to Cleveland. Dammit.
T 4/16 - Canadian Brass @ EJ Thomas. I think they qualify as legendary.
T 4/16 - Anthrax w/Exodus and others @ HOB. Performing all of "Among the Living".
W 4/17 - Bernie Worrell Orchestra @ Beachland Ballroom. I'm not sure if Bernie is actually part of this, but for $10 I'm sure it's worth a shot.
R 4/18 - The Proclaimers @ Beachland Ballroom. 500 Miles and all that.
R 4/18 - Los Vigilantes @ Now That's Class - $5 bet on Puerto Rican garage punk / doo wop band. Why not? NOTE- listed as T 4/18 on their website, but 4/18 is a Thursday. Better call ahead.
F 4/19 - Aaron Neville & Dr. John @ Playhouse Square. This is by far the best show in the Tri-C Jazzfest this year.
Su 4/21 - Mindless Self Indulgence @ HOB. I'm listing this mostly because my ex had a CD of them doing "Bitches/Molly" eleven different ways, and that merits a mention, right?
T 4/23 - Bobby McFerrin @ EJ Thomas. Judging McFerrin by "Don't Worry Be Happy" would be like judging Frank Zappa by "Valley Girl"; You can do it, but you'll miss ridiculous amounts of really innovative and interesting music.

Beyond
T 5/07 - Crystal Castles @ HOB. I knew the kids liked them, but I didn't realize how they were big enough to be a HOB show.
S 5/11 - The Kelly Richey Band w/Freekbass @ Winchester. I don't know Kelly Richey, but when Freekbass toured on his own I saw him nine times.
F 6/07 - B.B. King @ Akron Civic. He's getting up there in age, so if you want to cross this blues legend off your bucket list you should probably jump on this.
S 6/15 - Fleetwood Mac @ The Q. I saw them (also McVie-less) some years ago and had a good time. Cross it off your bucket list while you can.
Su 6/30 - Sharon Jones @ the Dap-Kings @ Cain Park. OH YES THANK YOU. Tickets go on sale April 12. Not cheap, alas, but so damn worth it.
T 7/09 - Fun w/Teagan & Sara @ Nautica. If you liked their big hit "We're So Young" here's your chance.
F 11/1 - The Smithereens @ Beachland Ballroom. Ok, I'm intrigued. Not $25 intrigued, but still.

How do you find local shows? Try these: Pollstar. Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, Peabodys, CSU Convocation (aka Wolstein) Center, HOB, Winchester, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, Wilberts, Quicken Loans Arena, Night Town, Playhouse Square, Rock Hall, Cain Park, Blossom, Nautica Pavilion, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Severance Hall, E.J. Thomas Hall (Akron), Musica (Akron), Akron Civic, CityMusic Cleveland, Now That's Class, Happy Dog, Mahall's 20 Lanes, Tri-C Jazzfest.

If you go to a lot of concerts, you won't find yourself on your deathbed wondering why you wasted so much time watching television. Just saying.

concerts, concert calendar

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