Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Sat, Apr 9| 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Hayes Carll
    Shovels & Rope
    Roger Hoover
    $10 adv / $12 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Sun, Apr 10| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    John Mark McMillan
    All The Bright Lights
    $10adv / $12 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Mon, Apr 11| 7 PM (6:30 PM door)
    Scott Hanson & The Champagnes
    Mary Mee
    $7
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Wed, Apr 13| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
    Tristen
    The Apache Relay
    $10 adv / $12 dos
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Sat, Apr 9| 8 PM
    Subhumans
    MDC
    ODFX
    Masakari
    $12
  • Sun, Apr 10| 8 PM
    Starfucker
    Champagne Champagne
    Hot Cha Cha
    The Nude Acid American Revolution Band
    $10
  • Mon, Apr 11| 8 PM
    Mike Watt + The Missingmen
    The Lawton Brothers
    Restless Habs
    $10
  • Thu, Apr 14| 8 PM
    Royal Bangs
    Clovers
    The May Company
    $8
  • Fri, Apr 15| 8 PM
    The Black Angels
    Suuns
    Terminal Lovers
    $13 adv / $15 dos

Now That’s Class

  • Sun, Apr 10| 10 PM
    Davila 666
    The Wooly Bullies
    Mr. California
    $8
  • Tue, Apr 12| 9 PM
    Des Ark
    Pygmy Lush
    Reverse the Curse
    Craig Ramsey
    $5
  • Thu, Apr 14| 9 PM
    Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout!
    Let Me Crazy
    Powerhead Kids
    FREE

Peabody’s

  • Sat, Apr 9| 8 PM
    Chip Tha Ripper
    Ace Boogie & Sauce
    Blac Cease
    Mister Mick Fizzle
    J.Will
    SGM
    $15

Wonder Bar

  • Fri, Apr 15| 9 PM
    The Hounds

Quicken Arena

  • Fri, Apr 15| 7:30 PM
    Rush
    $46.50, $69.00, $93.50

Musica

  • Fri, Apr 8| 9 PM
    Peter Murphy
    Livan
    $25
  • Fri, Apr 15| 8 PM
    Local H
    The Dig
    User Sets Mode
    $12

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Mar 18| 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
    The Blasters
    The Party Stompers
    $15 adv / $17 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Fri, Mar 18| 8:30 PM (8 PM door)
    The Spikedrivers
    Hey Mavis
    $10
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sat, Mar 19| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    Pere Ubu
    (Performing Modern Dance & More)
    Scarcity of Tanks
    $17
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Sat, Mar 19| 9 PM (8:30 PM door)
    Founding Fathers
    The Ferals
    Exploding Lies
    $6
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Thu, Mar 24| 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Eli Paperboy Reed
    & The True Loves
    We The People
    DJ Charles McGaw
    $12 adv / $14 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Fri, Mar 25| 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Warpaint
    PVT
    Family Band
    $15
    Ballroom | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Fri, Mar 25| 6:30 PM
    Henry Rollins
    (at Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art)
    $25

Now That’s Class

  • Fri, Mar 18| 9 PM
    Druid Perfume
    Terminal Lovers
    Pleasure Leftists
    $5
  • Tue, Mar 22| 9 PM
    Capsule
    Antilles
    What’s Wrong Withya Missy?
    Big Fat Japan
    $5

Happy Dog

  • Thu, Mar 24| 9 PM
    Columboid
  • Fri, Mar 25| 9 PM
    The Cynics
    Rainy Day Saints
    Meeting of Important People

House of Blue

  • Fri, Mar 25| 9 PM (8 PM doors)
    Willie Nelson
    Drake White

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Sat, Mar 12| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    The Schwartz Brothers
    $6
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Mon, Mar 14| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Morgan O’Kane
    with Ferd “Four” Moyse
    (of Hackinsaw Boys)
    Hiram Rapids Stumblers
    $8 adv / $10 dos
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Sun, Mar 13| 8 PM
    MEN
    Katastrophe
    Eternity Zone
    Fangs Out
    $10 adv / $12 dos
  • Thu, Mar 17| 8 PM
    Elephant 6 Orchestra
    $12

Now That’s Class

  • Sun, Mar 13| 11 PM (10:30 PM door)
    Sic Alps
    SIC ALPS
    Unholy Two
    Puffy Areolas
    $7

Happy Dog

  • Sat, Mar 12| 9 PM
    The Very Knees
    NIGHTS
    How to Breathe Underwater
  • Thu, Mar 17| 9 PM
    James Leg

Kent Stage

  • Fri, Mar 11| 8 PM
    Arlo Guthrie
    $50 / $80

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Mar 4| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Beachland 11th Anniversary Weekend
    Wayne “The Train” Hancock
    California Speedbag
    $12
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sat, Mar 5| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Beachland 11th
    Anniversary Weekend:
    This Moment In Black History
    Wussy
    Cloud Nothings
    The Modern Electric

    Hosted by:
    Miss Firecracker
    Charles Peachock

    Special Advance 2 for $11 Admission!
    (Limited number available)

    Free Downtown Soulville After Party in the Tavern
    @ Midnight-ish!

    $8
    Ballroom | All Ages

  • Sun, Mar 6| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    Beachland 11th Anniversary Weekend
    The Parting Gifts
    The Jay Vons
    Little Bighorn (members of Coffinberry, Prisoners)
    $10
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Tue, Mar 8| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Gifts From Enola
    If These Trees Could Talk
    Purse Snatcher
    $6
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Thu, Mar 10| 8 PM
    Obits
    Jaill
    Wooly Bullies
    $10

Now That’s Class

  • Sat, Mar 5| 9 P< 13th Annual Queens of the Iron Mic Aaqila Indica Mz. Crazy Tee Rain the Quiet Storm Neshia-Nee Dominique Larue B. Jorda Ms. Moone Ebonie Lane Marvelous Miles Early Girl $7
  • Sun, Mar 6| 9 PM
    Koffin Kats
    Benedict Arnold
    Rockabye Ransom
    Gunfire Getdown!
    $8

Happy Dog

  • Fri, Mar 4| 9 PM
    Bird Names
    Milk & Cookies
    Beardo Bandini
    The Mummified Bat

Kent Stage

  • Fri, Mar 4| 8 PM
    Joe Diffie & NewFound Road
    $25
  • Thu, Mar 10| 8 PM
    Twista
    $18

The Tangier

  • Sat, Mar 5| 9 PM
    Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
    Laura Varcho
    $35 / $45

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Sat, Feb 26| 8:30 PM (8 PM door)
    All Dinosaurs
    Hot Cha Cha
    Trigger Effect (Montreal)
    Struttin’ Cocks
    $5
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Thu, Mar 3| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Beachland Barn Dance
    J.P. & The Chatfield Boys
    Heelsplitter
    One Dollar Hat Square Dance
    Blue Ribbon Bluegrass Band
    $7
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Fri, Feb 25| 8 PM
    Founding Fathers
    Nights
    Brian Straw
    Fangs Out
    Me!
    (Benefit for Preston’s H.O.P.E.)
    $5 minimum donation
  • Wed, Mar 2| 8 PM
    Say Hi
    Blair
    Brian Straw
    Lowly, the Tree Ghost
    $10 adv / $12 dos
  • Thu, Mar 3| 8 PM
    Akron/Family
    Delicate Steve
    $10

Now That’s Class

  • Fri, Feb 25| 10 PM
    Bruce Lamont
    Harms Way Fayre
    Nate Weininger-Nate Scheible Duo
    FREE
  • Sat, Feb 26| 9 PM
    Purse Snatcher
    The Alaya Conscious
    Oblivea
    Stole on Scintilla
  • Wed, Mar 2| 9 PM
    Chloe Charles
    Aly Tadros
    Corissa Bragg
    $5

Rainy Day Saints/Frosting/The Godfathers at the Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH, 2.13.11

Rainy Day Saints

When I had previously seen Rainy Day Saints, their sound mix was muddy, making it difficult to gauge anything but a beat. Sad to say, this night was more of the same. Even sitting at the bar situated at the back of the Grog Shop, the sound seemed to be mixed for some point 20 feet behind the back wall. They might be a great band, but if they don’t gauge their sound mix down a little, it’s going to be hard to tell.

Frosting

“This song’s on capo 1, everybody.”

Chicago band Frosting have a full complement of women and bald dudes and a good sense of humor. The group, led by a singer/guitarist who is not bald or a woman but does sort of look like a mashup of Doug Fieger and Mark Arm, powered through an upbeat set of guitar pop. A post-song comment from the singer gives a good idea of their sound: “I tried to sell that song to Matthew Sweet. He said, ‘No fucking way.'” An enjoyable set from a solid band with good stage presence and some nice harmonies.

The Godfathers

The fucking Godfathers, people.

As I’ve noted before, the Godfathers’ album Birth, School, Work, Death has been a staple for me since youth. In that previous post, I mentioned that I had never become a big enough fan of the group to pursue any of their other albums (which, in Ohio in the late ’80s/early ’90s, would have taken a good amount of effort), but seeing them Sunday night for their first show on American soil in over 20 years has changed that.

From the moment the Godfathers – singer Peter Coyne, guitarist Del Bartle, drummer Grant Nichols and a bassist whose name I did not catch, filling in for Chris Coyne who was detained in the UK as he’s apparently a threat to national security or something – stepped on stage, it was clear that there would be no fucking around. Peter Coyne still seems pretty pissed off, and the Godfathers’ music still carries the same intense energy. Still sharp in their pinstripes, the band delivered a punishing set spanning back to the Sid Presley Experience (the band from which the Godfathers formed in 1985) all the way up to brand new song “Back into the Future”, hitting some amazing high points in between: “‘Cause I Said So”, “Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues”, “When Am I Coming Down”, “This Damn Nation” and on.

Coyne cuts as imposing a figure as ever, gripping the microphone like he’s going to shoot you with it, spitting lyrics with as much vengeance as he did 20 years ago, grazing the audience with his blue-eyed, hard-edge stare between snarls – though he was never anything less than gracious to the appreciative audience. “It’s been too long,” he told Cleveland at one point.

Almost as a counterpoint to Coyne’s ever-serious demeanor, Nichols’ drumming was almost gleeful, backing the songs with on-point propulsion. Bartle’s guitar playing is so precise you wouldn’t know he hadn’t written the lines himself (he played in the Sid Presley Experience and joined the Godfathers in 2008). And the low end was more than competently held down by the bass player.

It was a gratifying show on a number of levels, not least of which was being able to shout along to “Birth, School, Work, Death” and have it feel just as vital now as it did when I first heard it 20-some years ago. This is no nostalgia act. This is goddamn rock ‘n’ roll.

(And while I don’t usually do this, I feel so strongly that you should see the Godfathers live, here’s a list of their remaining U.S. dates:

Feb. 15: Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
Feb. 16: Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA
Feb. 18: Black Cat, Washington, D.C.
Feb. 19: Frankie’s Inner City, Toledo, OH
Feb. 20: Double Door, Chicago, IL
Feb. 21: Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee, WI
Feb. 22: Off Broadway, St. Louis, MO)

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area + Patrick Sweany

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Feb 11| 9 PM (8:30 PM door)
    Waterloo Alley Cat Project Fundraiser
    Prisoners
    Rainy Day Saints
    Filmstrip
    $5 / $3 admission with dry or canned cat food
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sat, Feb 12| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Cabinet
    Hoots & Hellmouth
    Holy Ghost Tent Revival
    $10
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Mon, Feb 14| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    James Hunter
    Blue Lunch
    $15 adv / $17 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Tue, Feb 15| 8:30 PM (8 PM door)
    Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds (feat. Kid Congo Powers – ex Cramps, Gun Club, Bad Seeds)
    Exploding Lies
    Shouting Thomas Torment
    DJ Hot Trash
    $8
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Wed, Feb 16| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Chris Bathgate
    The Modern Electric
    Brian Straw
    Chad Hill
    $7
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Thu, Feb 17| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Cowboy Mouth
    The Ray Johnston Band
    $15 adv / $17 dos
    Ballroom | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Sun, Feb 13| 8 PM
    The Godfathers
    Frosting
    Rainy Day Saints
    $12
  • Wed, Feb 16| 8 PM
    Orgone
    Groovesmith
    $8

The Winchester

  • Fri, Feb 11| 9 PM
    Commander Cody
    $12

House of Blues

  • Tue, Feb 15| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    The Robert Cray Band
    Kristine Jackson
    $25 adv / $27 dos / $45 balcony

Patrick Sweany will be playing at Zephyr Pub in Kent, Ohio, on Friday, February 18, and I couldn’t be more excited. Here’s a clip of the Patrick Sweany band playing on an old local show called Crooked River Groove back in 2006. Check out Patrick’s big-ass belt buckle.

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Feb 4| 9 PM (8:30 PM door)
    Whiskey Daredevils
    Heelsplitter
    $7
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sat, Feb 5| 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
    Charles Bradley
    $28
    Ballroom | All Ages

    SOLD OUT
  • Sun, Feb 6| 8 PM (7 PM door)
    Baby Soda
    $10
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Wed, Feb 9| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    Hugo
    Attack Cat
    Dan Miraldi & The Albino Winos
    $6
    Tavern | All Ages

Kent Stage

  • Fri, Feb 4| 8 PM
    Leon Redbone
    $25
  • Tue, Feb 8| 8 PM
    Justin Townes Earle
    Jessica Lea Mayfield
    $25

Wolstein Center at CSU

  • Fri, Feb 4| 8 PM
    Salt-n-Pepa’s Legends of Hip Hop tour
    Whodini
    Kurtis Blow
    Rob Base
    Doug E. Fresh
    $42.50 / $52.50

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Jan 28| 8 PM (7:30 PM door)
    The Schwartz Brothers
    Physical Rockett
    $6
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Wed, Feb 2| 7:30 PM (7 PM door)
    Two : Two – First Annual 2 Man Band Festival
    Qix – 11:30 PM
    Green Abyss – 10:50 PM
    Beach Stav – 10:10 PM
    Madame & The Moist Towelettes – 9:30 PM
    The Walkies – 8:50 PM
    < me > 8:10 PM
    Highland – 7:30 PM
    $2
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Mon, Jan 31| 8 PM
    Tapes ‘n Tapes O
    berhofer
    Filmstrip
    $10 adv / $12 dos

Now That’s Class

  • Sat, Jan 29| 9 PM
    Dog That Bites Everyone
    Antispetic
    Lorain Skum
    $5

Musica

  • Sun, Jan 30| 6 PM
    Queens Club
    Lystrata
    Poema
    The Whenever Plan
    $9

Happy Dog

  • Thu, Feb 3| 9 PM
    Winters Warm
    Triggers
    Shivering Timbers

Wilbert’s

  • Fri, Jan 28| 8:30 PM
    C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band
    Mo’ Mojo

Akron Civic Theatre

  • Sat, Jan 29| 8 PM
    Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt
    $38/$48/$58

Notable Shows in the Greater Cleveland Area

Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Fri, Jan 21| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    Roy Loney (original Flamin’ Groovies frontman)
    Purple Knif (w/ Chris Butler of The Waitresses & John Teagle of the Walkin’ Clampetts)
    Living Stereo
    $12
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sat, Jan 22| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    The Hesitations (legendary Cleveland soul vocal group)
    DJ Charles McGaw
    DJ Racecard
    $10
    Ballroom | All Ages
  • Sat, Jan 22| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    15-60-75 (The Numbers Band)
    $7
    Tavern | All Ages
  • Sun, Jan 23| 7 PM (6:30 PM door)
    Whistle Pigs
    Hey Mavis
    Johnny & The Apple Stompers
    $6 adv / $8 dos
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Sun, Jan 23| 8 PM
    Red Buttons
    The Poland Invasion
    Cereal Banter
    Galactic Moustache
    $5

Happy Dog

  • Sat, Jan 22| 9 PM
    Terminal Lovers
    Pickering/Scheible
    Melted Face Constitutional

Annabell’s Bar & Lounge

  • Fri, Jan 21| 10 PM
    Ashely Brooke Toussant
    Shivering Timbers