Winter is Coming Concert Calendar
It's time for a new concert calendar! In the three months and two weeks since my last calendar, I saw a bunch of shows to drive my totals for year to 39 concerts and 73 bands. Ten I summarized a few weeks ago, but here are the most recent three.
37. My de facto birthday party show was the Thee Oh Sees at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, November 18. They are one of those bands I've heard for a few years and never quite got around to extensively listening to, let alone seeing, so I figured I'd combine the two. It was a hard charging rock and roll show. The only problem was that during the opening act by the Ma Holos a guy standing near me managed to kick my bad knee while dancing. I went down hard and spent most of the rest of the show in significant pain. It was still a good show, but it's hard to concentrate on high quality rock and roll when you're trying to keep from screaming.
38. The Sunday after Thanksgiving I saw The King Khan & BBQ Show in the Beachland Ballroom, a week and a year after the the first time I saw them. This show was very similar to their first show, and without the novelty factor it was less effective. I had a good time, but I think I can skip them next time. The Gartrells provided competent rock & roll support.
39. Daptone Records is one of my favorite labels, so when my cohost Colleen informed me that they'd started a rock subsidiary call Wick and signed a band called The Mystery Lights, I was enthused. On the Wednesday, December 7, she and I and her husband Kevin caught their second Cleveland appearance in the Beachland Tavern. It rocked pretty hard and some dancing was done. Their sound was reminiscent of mid era Black Keys with some organ thrown in. I bought a copy of their first album. Warbly Jets provided better than average opening support. I'd check them out if they returned.
And now, on to the calendar. Bold means yes. Italics means possibly. It's cold out and the list is short, but there are still some reasons to leave the house.
December
F 12/23 - Archie & the Bunkers @ Beachland Tavern. Local favorites, with one very good stripped down rock & roll album.
M 12/26 - Machine Gun Kelly @ HOB. Listed only because he was in the Cavs victory parade, which means he's the most famous local musician currently working, right?
S 12/31 - Clutch @ Agora Theatre. If you want a rock & roll New Year's Eve, this is a good bet.
January
Su 1/01 - Dominick Farinacci @ Nighttown. His two New Year's Eve shows are sold out, but if you can stagger out of bed for brunch, you can catch a reprise at noon.
R 1/05 - Galactic Empire @ Agora Ballroom. Stars Wars themed metal. I shit you not.
S 1/07 - 45 Spider @ Beachland Tavern. Local rock. Cramps-esque, seems worth an $8 bet.
Su 1/08 - Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven @ Music Box Concert Hall. 90s Alt Rock Heroes.
T 1/10 - The Nude Party @ Beachland Tavern. $10 bet on a band who has opened for a lot of other rock bands I like.
T 1/10 - Reel Big Fish and Anti-Flag @ HOB. 3rd wave ska legends (ok, that's debatable) with Pittsburgh's finest punk.
S 1/14 - Run the Jewels @ HOB. Their video with DJ Shadow was great. In fact, let's show it here (NSFW, language).
Su 1/15 - Justin Towns Earle @ Music Box Concert Hall. Steve's son has some pretty good albums.
T 1/17 - Rebirth Brass Band @ Beachland Ballroom. Out of New Orleans. I saw them with Galactic once.
T 1/24 - Sara Watkins w/Liz Longley @ Kent Stage. Fiddler and a folkie.
R 1/26 - Cloud Nothings @ Beachland Ballroom. Locals made good. Former Studio-A-Headliner. Harsh electronic rock. Played the only gig I've ever been to that got turned into a live album.
S 1/28 - The O'Jays @ PSQ. Rock Hall of Famers for their soul/r&b career.
Su 1/29 - Sierra Hull @ Music Box Concert Hall. She signed to Rounder when she was 13 because of her mandolin chops, which already means she's a 10 year veteran of the music biz.
M 1/30 - Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox @ HOB. The Youtube sensation takes his act on the road. I assume they'll bring one vocalist to do their jazz covers of modern songs. Or as they put it: today's hits, yesterday.
February
M 2/06 - That 1 Guy @ Beachland Tavern. Somewhat of a novelty thing, but weirdos are a thing I like.
R 2/16 - KT Tunstall @ Music Box Concert Hall. A really long time ago on one of my first concert calendars, I said something like "her song is really good and she's going to be popular." Hey, I was right. Too bad I never actually saw her.
S 2/18 - Low Cut Connie @ Beachland Tavern. I had a great time when I saw these rockers last February. Loud, raucous and organ driven, all for just $10.
Su 2/19 - Martin Sexton @ Music Box Concert Hall. Moxy Fruvous's sound/merch guy Toby used to work for him. I saw him once and had a fine time.
W 2/22 - Al Di Meola @ Kent Stage. The single best guitarist I have ever seen live, although I'll admit his edge over Slash is minuscule.
R 2/23 - Mike Doughty @ Beachland Ballroom. The former Soul Coughing front man and long time solo artist is back with a new band and a new album.
March
R 3/02 - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears @ Grog Shop. Soul. Good soul.
S 3/04 - Los Campesinos! @ Grog Shop. I've liked a few of their albums.
T 3/07 - Nikki Lane @ Beachland Ballroom. I saw her two November's ago in the Tavern. She's got a new album and has moved to a larger room.
T 3/07 - Agent Orange, Guttermouth, The Queers @ Grog Shop. Punk, delicious punk.
3/08 through 3/12 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues.
Su 3/12 - Dinosaur Jr. @ Beachland Ballroom. M loves them. Brandt tells me this lineup is a better lineup to see.
S 3/18 - The Smithereens @ Kent Stage. Perpetually on my "maybe one day I'll see list", which is odd because now that I listen to their albums I'm not blown away beyond "Wall of Sleep."
T 3/21 - Galactic @ Beachland Ballroom. The boys from New Orleans make their annual visit to Cleveland. Funk/soul/jazz/dancing.
S 3/25 - Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express @ Beachland Ballroom. Temple Beautiful was a great album. I've seen Chuck once with the Express and once solo, and both were really good.
Su 3/26 - Bryan Ferry @ PSQ. The Roxy Music front man has had a long solo career.
Q2 2017
T 4/04 - Peter Frampton @ PSQ. Frampton Comes Alive in Cleveland. I just wanted to type that sentence!
F 4/07 - King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard @ Beachland Ballroom. Loud rocking weirdos.
R 4/20 - The Wedding Present @ Grog Shop. 1980s band returns. Good excuse to play more of their stuff.
F 4/21 - Sondre Lerche @ Grog Shop. My old co-host Shari loved this guy's last album, and he was good opening for St. Vincent.
F 4/28 - The Damned @ HOB. 40th anniversary tour. Punk is old. These guys are older.
5/17 through 5/21 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues.
F 5/19 - The Orwells @ Grog Shop. My current co-host Colleen likes these guys, plus anyone who names an album Disgraceland is all right by me.
W 5/24 - Norah Jones @ Nautica. My first instinct is that this is a terrible venue for her, but maybe she's soft enough that the bad acoustics won't be a problem.
T 5/30 - Neil Diamond @ The Q. 50th Anniversary Tour. One for my personal bucket list, maybe.
F 6/02 - Sigur Ros @ The Masonic in Detroit. Icelandic weirdos. May have to do a weekend in Detroit for this Nick Cave (next).
S 6/03 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Masonic in Detroit. Australian legends.
S 6/10 - Tom Petty @ The Q. Once was probably enough for me, especially since the pot has nowhere to vent to inside.
Q3 2017 and beyond
T 8/15 - Bruno Mars @ The Q. Uptown Funk is the best mainstream single of 2014/2015.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, CSU Convocation (aka Wolstein) Center, HOB, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, 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, Euclid Tavern (aka, Happy Dog East), Mahall's 20 Lanes, Tri-C Jazzfest, Dionysus (Oberlin), Oberlin College, Cleveland Museum of Art, Transformer Station, Hard Rock Live, The Music Box, The Odeon.
I'm always happy to hear about new venues or shows within a long drive of Cleveland.
37. My de facto birthday party show was the Thee Oh Sees at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, November 18. They are one of those bands I've heard for a few years and never quite got around to extensively listening to, let alone seeing, so I figured I'd combine the two. It was a hard charging rock and roll show. The only problem was that during the opening act by the Ma Holos a guy standing near me managed to kick my bad knee while dancing. I went down hard and spent most of the rest of the show in significant pain. It was still a good show, but it's hard to concentrate on high quality rock and roll when you're trying to keep from screaming.
38. The Sunday after Thanksgiving I saw The King Khan & BBQ Show in the Beachland Ballroom, a week and a year after the the first time I saw them. This show was very similar to their first show, and without the novelty factor it was less effective. I had a good time, but I think I can skip them next time. The Gartrells provided competent rock & roll support.
39. Daptone Records is one of my favorite labels, so when my cohost Colleen informed me that they'd started a rock subsidiary call Wick and signed a band called The Mystery Lights, I was enthused. On the Wednesday, December 7, she and I and her husband Kevin caught their second Cleveland appearance in the Beachland Tavern. It rocked pretty hard and some dancing was done. Their sound was reminiscent of mid era Black Keys with some organ thrown in. I bought a copy of their first album. Warbly Jets provided better than average opening support. I'd check them out if they returned.
And now, on to the calendar. Bold means yes. Italics means possibly. It's cold out and the list is short, but there are still some reasons to leave the house.
December
F 12/23 - Archie & the Bunkers @ Beachland Tavern. Local favorites, with one very good stripped down rock & roll album.
M 12/26 - Machine Gun Kelly @ HOB. Listed only because he was in the Cavs victory parade, which means he's the most famous local musician currently working, right?
S 12/31 - Clutch @ Agora Theatre. If you want a rock & roll New Year's Eve, this is a good bet.
January
Su 1/01 - Dominick Farinacci @ Nighttown. His two New Year's Eve shows are sold out, but if you can stagger out of bed for brunch, you can catch a reprise at noon.
R 1/05 - Galactic Empire @ Agora Ballroom. Stars Wars themed metal. I shit you not.
S 1/07 - 45 Spider @ Beachland Tavern. Local rock. Cramps-esque, seems worth an $8 bet.
Su 1/08 - Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven @ Music Box Concert Hall. 90s Alt Rock Heroes.
T 1/10 - The Nude Party @ Beachland Tavern. $10 bet on a band who has opened for a lot of other rock bands I like.
T 1/10 - Reel Big Fish and Anti-Flag @ HOB. 3rd wave ska legends (ok, that's debatable) with Pittsburgh's finest punk.
S 1/14 - Run the Jewels @ HOB. Their video with DJ Shadow was great. In fact, let's show it here (NSFW, language).
Click to viewSu 1/15 - Justin Towns Earle @ Music Box Concert Hall. Steve's son has some pretty good albums.
T 1/17 - Rebirth Brass Band @ Beachland Ballroom. Out of New Orleans. I saw them with Galactic once.
T 1/24 - Sara Watkins w/Liz Longley @ Kent Stage. Fiddler and a folkie.
R 1/26 - Cloud Nothings @ Beachland Ballroom. Locals made good. Former Studio-A-Headliner. Harsh electronic rock. Played the only gig I've ever been to that got turned into a live album.
S 1/28 - The O'Jays @ PSQ. Rock Hall of Famers for their soul/r&b career.
Su 1/29 - Sierra Hull @ Music Box Concert Hall. She signed to Rounder when she was 13 because of her mandolin chops, which already means she's a 10 year veteran of the music biz.
M 1/30 - Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox @ HOB. The Youtube sensation takes his act on the road. I assume they'll bring one vocalist to do their jazz covers of modern songs. Or as they put it: today's hits, yesterday.
February
M 2/06 - That 1 Guy @ Beachland Tavern. Somewhat of a novelty thing, but weirdos are a thing I like.
R 2/16 - KT Tunstall @ Music Box Concert Hall. A really long time ago on one of my first concert calendars, I said something like "her song is really good and she's going to be popular." Hey, I was right. Too bad I never actually saw her.
S 2/18 - Low Cut Connie @ Beachland Tavern. I had a great time when I saw these rockers last February. Loud, raucous and organ driven, all for just $10.
Su 2/19 - Martin Sexton @ Music Box Concert Hall. Moxy Fruvous's sound/merch guy Toby used to work for him. I saw him once and had a fine time.
W 2/22 - Al Di Meola @ Kent Stage. The single best guitarist I have ever seen live, although I'll admit his edge over Slash is minuscule.
R 2/23 - Mike Doughty @ Beachland Ballroom. The former Soul Coughing front man and long time solo artist is back with a new band and a new album.
March
R 3/02 - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears @ Grog Shop. Soul. Good soul.
S 3/04 - Los Campesinos! @ Grog Shop. I've liked a few of their albums.
T 3/07 - Nikki Lane @ Beachland Ballroom. I saw her two November's ago in the Tavern. She's got a new album and has moved to a larger room.
T 3/07 - Agent Orange, Guttermouth, The Queers @ Grog Shop. Punk, delicious punk.
3/08 through 3/12 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues.
Su 3/12 - Dinosaur Jr. @ Beachland Ballroom. M loves them. Brandt tells me this lineup is a better lineup to see.
S 3/18 - The Smithereens @ Kent Stage. Perpetually on my "maybe one day I'll see list", which is odd because now that I listen to their albums I'm not blown away beyond "Wall of Sleep."
T 3/21 - Galactic @ Beachland Ballroom. The boys from New Orleans make their annual visit to Cleveland. Funk/soul/jazz/dancing.
S 3/25 - Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express @ Beachland Ballroom. Temple Beautiful was a great album. I've seen Chuck once with the Express and once solo, and both were really good.
Su 3/26 - Bryan Ferry @ PSQ. The Roxy Music front man has had a long solo career.
Q2 2017
T 4/04 - Peter Frampton @ PSQ. Frampton Comes Alive in Cleveland. I just wanted to type that sentence!
F 4/07 - King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard @ Beachland Ballroom. Loud rocking weirdos.
R 4/20 - The Wedding Present @ Grog Shop. 1980s band returns. Good excuse to play more of their stuff.
F 4/21 - Sondre Lerche @ Grog Shop. My old co-host Shari loved this guy's last album, and he was good opening for St. Vincent.
F 4/28 - The Damned @ HOB. 40th anniversary tour. Punk is old. These guys are older.
5/17 through 5/21 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues.
F 5/19 - The Orwells @ Grog Shop. My current co-host Colleen likes these guys, plus anyone who names an album Disgraceland is all right by me.
W 5/24 - Norah Jones @ Nautica. My first instinct is that this is a terrible venue for her, but maybe she's soft enough that the bad acoustics won't be a problem.
T 5/30 - Neil Diamond @ The Q. 50th Anniversary Tour. One for my personal bucket list, maybe.
F 6/02 - Sigur Ros @ The Masonic in Detroit. Icelandic weirdos. May have to do a weekend in Detroit for this Nick Cave (next).
S 6/03 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Masonic in Detroit. Australian legends.
S 6/10 - Tom Petty @ The Q. Once was probably enough for me, especially since the pot has nowhere to vent to inside.
Q3 2017 and beyond
T 8/15 - Bruno Mars @ The Q. Uptown Funk is the best mainstream single of 2014/2015.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, CSU Convocation (aka Wolstein) Center, HOB, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, 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, Euclid Tavern (aka, Happy Dog East), Mahall's 20 Lanes, Tri-C Jazzfest, Dionysus (Oberlin), Oberlin College, Cleveland Museum of Art, Transformer Station, Hard Rock Live, The Music Box, The Odeon.
I'm always happy to hear about new venues or shows within a long drive of Cleveland.