All posts by Brian Mc

Cleveland, Indie, Live Shows, Music, Punk, Review, Rock

Concert Review: Cobra Skulls / Nothington / Signals Midwest – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH – 10/05/2011

6 October, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I need to be honest with you on a couple of things. First, I have not been that kind to my teeth for years and neglected to take them to the dentist for a long while. Second, I have never been to a punk show at the Beachland Tavern. Both are true statements, and both were taken care of yesterday.

After I had the pleasure of getting the shit drilled out of my teeth for a couple of hours after the paying gig, I headed out to the glorious Beachland Tavern to take in my first ever punk rock show in the Waterloo District featuring Cobra Skulls, Nothington, and Signals Midwest. For the record, there have been plenty of punk rock shows at the Beachland ever since the venue opened its doors in 2000, I just never made it to one.

Why?

I have no freaking idea and I kind of hate myself for it. Enough of me beating myself up over missing countless good and wholesome punk rock performances by one of my favorite Cleveland venues. Let’s talk about last night.

Local punk/indie/rockers Signals Midwest opened the night with their fine and technical style. 1/2 of this band are homies of mine, and I am pretty sure I will charm the other 1/2 soon. Rocking out to songs like “In Tensions” off their latest release Latitudes & Longitudes, the band had no problem warming up the crowd and other bands, for that matter, all who of which gathered around the stage to hear these guys out. This has to be said: This band has the ability to be the next best thing to come out of Cleveland, OH. If you have not heard these guys yet, do yourself a favor and check out their Bandcamp page.

San Francisco’s Nothington followed shortly after and hand down blew me away with their performance. Having just gotten into these guys a couple of weeks ago, I was beyond impressed with their sound. It reminded me of all of the good things about 90s punk rock that surrounded me growing up. Already familiar with their recent release, Borrowed Time, I was treated to some of their older material and really liked what I heard.

Primary vocalist Jay Northington actually took a moment from their set to give praise to the local openers Signals Midwest saying that they were “the raddest local band” he’d heard in a long time. He was dead serious too. Later Northington commented on his last trip to Cleveland with his former band, Tsunami Bomb, when they played the old Grog shop years ago…or so he thought. Apparently he had been to Cleveland since but was too messed up to remember.

The band cranked out a ton of foreign tracks through their set but I did manage to pick out a few I knew like “Stop Screaming” and “Far To Go” with Chris Matulich taking over vocal duties. At the end of their awesome set, Northington and their drummer hung out on stage where he played a very old song of his that he said “validated” what he’s been doing on the road all these years. The entire crowd basically stopped what they were doing to listen to the song. I was unable to catch the name of it, but it was pretty damn awesome. Their set seemed short-lived, but luck for me they are playing a Fun Fun Fun Fest after show and I will be there.

The headliners of the night, Cobra Skulls, took to the stage and were more of a comedy act than a punk rock band. The band, that’s been around since 2005, cranked out old and new tracks and made every effort to throw in a joke or comment that resulted in tons of laughs though out. I know I kept cracking up when Adam Beck congratulated the entire crowd multiple times and then congratulated his band for being so professional and playing two songs in a row.

“Hot Sand”, “Faith Is A Cobra” and “Solastalgia” were a few of the many tracks they played that kept the crowd going. I want to say they covered Bad Religion’s “Give You Nothing”, but I honestly am not 100% sure – I know, I am a bad reviewer. I do know that Devin Peralta killed it singing “¡Hasta Los Cobra Skulls Siempre!” to the crowd as well as one of my all time favorite Cobra songs, “Muniphobia”. The band seemed to play an endless amount of songs and when they tried to finish up their set with Phil the merch guy on banjo (which was amazing), the fans still begged for Cobra Skulls to play more.

Lucky for the fans, most of the band was done, but Beck wasn’t and started playing 80s cover songs to which the entire crowd san along to. Admitting he was a huge fan of Eddie Money, Beck broke into “867-5309 (Jenny)” followed by aHa’s “Take On Me” and Cutting Crew’s “Just Died In Your Arms”. In all the year of going to live shows, I have never seen people most of 80s pop rock, but last night that happened. Beck promised his performance was not affiliated with Cobra Skulls and he just kept playing covers. In fact, I am not sure how much longer he went because I left during Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'”. I wanted to stay, but had to venture on home.

For my first punk rock show at the Beachland Tavern, I must say it was the best one I have ever been to there. Signals Midwest impressed, Nothington stole the show, and Cobra Skulls brought on the fun. It was definitely a good night to be out and about with good friends and great music.

Cleveland, Indie, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Luther – Siblings & Sevens

26 September, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Philadelphia pop punkers Luther recently dropped an EP titled Siblings & Sevens on Black Numbers Records. This is the bands first official release and I must say, it’s catchy as hell. Having formed just about a year ago, the band has a great sound to them that compares to The Menzingers, Get Up Kids, and even a little Superchunk. The EP may only be seven songs, but each song proved this band has the potential of being a big deal.

The acoustic “Siblings” opens up the EP with a gentle, quick start. Reminding me a lot of something The Riot Before might throw into one of their albums, I loved the song, especially the lyrics, but it just seemed to just stop. This melodic song alone impressed me even if I felt the guitar was set down too soon. “This Is Light Fight Club” immediately took over and set the level for the rest of the EP. I loved the breakdown during this track that really reminded me of the 90s rock I used to adore. The lyrics on this track begged to be sung along with as well.

“The Suitor” was without a doubt my favorite track on this EP. Starting off like an old Gaslight Anthem song, it jumped into a tough track. Carrying a lot of Jawbox similarities, it even had a nice little bridge in the middle with “tell me you don’t want this, tell me you can’t remember” repeating after. At just over 5 minutes and if I had it my way, would have gone on for 5 more. I may have been impressed before, but after hearing this track, I was a confirmed fan.

“There’s Always Money” actually featured fellow Philadelphian Tom May of The Menzingers. I could not help but imagine this song being played in a cramped, humid basement of some random house full of excitable kids. The gritty, raw singing just fit in well and was far from an overproduced punk rock song. “The Communion” on the other hand leaned towards more indie rock, almost a Jimmy Eat World feel. Good song, but not one of my choice tracks by far. “Aztec Tomb” finished up the EP with a lasting punk imprint as well as some group vocals at the end leaving me wanting more.

I am really looking forward to seeing what these guys have to offer on their full length release. I have the feeling that they will not be wasting any time making that happen. Siblings & Sevens as far as I am concerned is just a sample of of their talent. The band has been touring like crazy (see below for dates) and will actually playing Cleveland on November 14th with Tom May (The Menzingers) at Now That’s Class. It’s safe to say I will be there that night.

Check out Luther’s Bandcamp page and check out Siblings & Sevens for yourself!

Acoustic, Akron, Folk, House Show, Interview, Music, Music Video

Interview: Jeff Rowe

25 September, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Singer / songwriter Jeff Rowe is one of the most DIY guys I have had the pleasure of meeting. A few months back, he stopped and played a show in Akron at the Gurley House. I remembered canceling plans to see another band that night just to make sure I could see Rowe play. I’ve been a fan of his music after I reviewed his solo-debut Barstool Conversations last year. There was just something about his sincere-ness in every song that I ate up and when I found out he was touring, I really wanted to make sure I was in attendance.

That night, I chatted with Rowe for a while and I will say this: He is hands down one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His wife was pretty damn awesome too. His stories were great and he was just so happy to be able to play for everyone at the house that night.

I finally got some time to chat with Rowe again, this time through email, as I feel more people need to know about this DIY musician. I look forward to the next time he swings through Akron and can not wait for his next release.

BHP – First and foremost, for those who do not know you, who are you and what is it that you do?

JR – I’m a songwriter (sigh) from just north of Boston. I tour a lot and do my best to have a great time and make friends along the way. I’m more of a story collector than a story teller.

You grew up in a tough town just outside of Boston. How did you deal with the hard times as a youth?

The fair city of Gloucester, Massachusetts made for an interesting childhood. In all my travels I’ve still not yet come across a place quite like it. “The Island” is really a conundrum of sorts that is packed with characters that Hemingway would have been banging the keys for if he were writing an episode of the twilight zone. I had a mixed bag of a childhood but falling in love with music in many ways created an exit strategy for me and a way to not fall into some of the trappings that we all know too well.

What types of music were you listening to while growing up?

In the kitchen and living room my mom would be listening to Neil Diamond, Joan Baez and various Motown artists…from my brothers room i would hear Metallica, Slayer and COC… From my sisters room could be heard The Dead Kennedy’s, The Pixies and the Violent Femmes… I think all of that wound up giving me a healthy appreciation for music and shaped my listening habits as a child.

So how did you get your start as a musician? Was Boxing Water the first band you were in?

I got a guitar when I was fifteen years old and started a few local punk bands and helped start a small venue that would later play a vital role for the north shore punk scene as a whole, a life source of sorts. It was a room that held maybe 40 people but we’d pack in a hundred. It still amazes me today thinking about how many bands came through our little venue that went on to be national acts. It was all very DIY for me from the start, my feeling was that if you want something to happen you’ve got to make it happen because no one is gonna do it for you.

What happened to Boxingwater? Where can I find some of their songs at?

Boxingwater was together for 6 or 7 years, we started moving around a bit and it just got to be too hard. Two of the members of Boxingwater are now in the band Landmines and they are fantastic. I was in several bands before Boxingwater but that band was the first time i took it seriously and tried to do something that would go beyond Massachusetts. Most of our stuff is now out of print but I think we may try to get some kind of discography going one of these years, I’ll send you some songs though.

Sweet! You left a punk band and completely shifted in musical style. When did you decide that punk music was not your thing anymore?

I’ve never felt that punk wasn’t my thing at all, playing acoustic is something that I’ve been doing for many years now and it just sort of took over organically and went from convenient to a legit outlet. I love playing songs alone and feeling like I’m walking a wire of sorts with no band to fall back on but at the same time I really do miss playing in a band. That is something I am going to re-visit at some point for sure. Right now its so much easier to tour and write on my own.

Playing acoustic music huh? How did that transition happen?

To be honest I started playing acoustic shows years back when I couldn’t find a drummer and it forced me to take a more detailed look at my songs and how I’d be able to format them to be played acoustic. It really just kind of stuck and i got offered more shows and just went with it. My horizons have been broadened as a result and I’ve stumbled (literally) across some great music that exists beyond the bounds of the punk community.

I heard that you left Boston for Richmond, Va., to more or less perfect your musical style. Is that true? Did you have any influences there that helped you fine tune your act?

I actually moved down to RVA with a bunch of Boston friends because it was much cheaper and we thought it would be easier to tour, not to mention that Richmond is a great city as well. I made many friends down there but I’m not sure how much of an effect it had on my music or playing acoustic in general. Richmond has always had a wealth of great bands from Born Against and Inquisition up to Smoke or Fire and Landmines.

Your debut full length Barstool Conversations was dropped about a year ago, how personal were the songs on that release to you? It was not the most upbeat album, but to me hit me hard in a good way.

Barstool for me is a very personal record. There is a lot of myself and my close friends in those songs. In a way I think songs are my way of confronting some things in my life that I otherwise couldn’t find the words to articulate or convey what it was exactly that I was feeling. Those songs are all very real for me and I’m proud of that record for what it is and even though in some cases it makes my head spin that those songs had to be written, I wouldn’t change a thing.

You have toured not only the US but also overseas. What were your experiences like while traveling?

The travel is one of the absolute best parts of touring for me. Music has taken me to places that I never thought I’d get the opportunity to see and I’m real thankful for that. I’ve made some friends in far off cities and countries that I will have for the rest of my life and nothing can touch that. The experience of letting your guard down in a foreign country and just going with whatever the days and experiences bring is something that I’ll always keep close and those memories are the ones that inevitably stick when the tour is over.

You tour with your wife correct?

I always tour with my wife Alissa. She is my best friend and to be honest she’d much better with handling the rigors of the road and more adept than most folks I’ve ever traveled with. At the end of the day we both want the same things and neither one of us is willing to fracture our relationship over extensive touring so we do it together, the planning, the routing, merch etc…

You dropped an EP in the spring called New Winter, New England. I dug what I heard, but what exactly is a Tragabigzanda?

Tragabigzanda is what the city of Gloucester was called by its original inhabitants. All that seems to be left of that history is a road on the outskirts of town where wealthy folks “summer” called Tragabigzanda. I used it because I thought it was fitting because the song is really about trying to remember the innocence of teenage years and the steps that were taken to inevitably lose it. Also there is an amazing poet from Gloucester named Charles Olson that dropped it a few times in his earlier work.

Are you going to record a new full length anytime soon? Will you put that song you recorded in a hotel room in it? I forget what it was called, but I loved it when you played it live at the Gurley House.

Right now I’m writing and culling through a bunch of new songs to start piecing together the next record, not sure of any timeline, but by the end of 2012 I’d very much like to have a new record out. That song is called “simple & fair” and I’m 99.9% sure that’s going on the next one.

When we chatted the night you played Akron, you were telling me some funny stories about touring Europe. Care to entertain the readers here with one or two?

Where to begin… I’ve actually thought about compiling a bunch of road stories for a zine and giving them out at the merch table to anyone interested. I could take up pages and pages for this one. I’ll just say that I’ve got a doozy that takes place in Russia and involves a man that’s incapable of reading social queues, a potential kidnapping, wild dogs and Dostoevsky.

Potential Kidnapping? I do not think you told me that one. I would totally love to read that. So, when not touring you have quite the cool job back home in Boston. Who is it that you work for again?

I have been a professional craft brewer for the last five years with Harpoon Brewery in Boston. It’s a fantastic job that couples hard work with science… perfect for a dork like me.

Two dream jobs, man you lucked out. What’s next for Jeff Rowe?

I’ve got a split 7″ with a sick pop punk band called Mayflower. We both have an original and we cover one of each others songs. I’ll be playing Fest 10 and plan on hitting the road again in Feb. It looks like I’ve got Europe, U.S., Canada and beyond on the docket.

Check out Jeff Rowe’s website, http://jeffrowemusic.com/, for more videos and updates from this one man band (and his lovely wife). If you want to hear more of his music, head over to his MySpace page or Facebook page. Better yet, head over to Anchorless Records and grab one of his albums!

Jeff Rowe from efi on Vimeo

This video was Jeff on a boat overseas. I remembered him telling me he played a show on a river. I love it when the fans sing along…

Acoustic, Cleveland, Country, Folk, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Outlaw Country, Review, Rock, Rockabilly

Concert Review: Wagons / Dirt Daubers / Heelsplitter – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH – 09/11/2011

14 September, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Well Cleveland, I hate to say it, but you all missed out Sunday night on one hell of a show. I am not one to usually say things like that, but Sunday night was an amazing night of music and chances are, you were not there. For those of you who were though, I am sure you can all agree that Wagons, The Dirt Daubers, and Heelsplitter all put on a memorable show.

Sunday night was all about Americana, folk, and outlaw country inside the Beachland Tavern. Making a triumphant return to the best little venue in Cleveland, Henry Wagons and his band Wagons traveled all the way from Melbourne, Australia making sure that Cleveland was one of their stops. About a year ago, Henry Wagons came to the states without his band and played a solo set at the Beachland Tavern. Later that night Wagons told me that he would bring the rest of his band back soon and play Cleveland again. The man kept his word.

Local openers Heelsplitter wowed me instantly with their “Frankenbass”, a homemade upright bass with the body being a drum and one string bolted to neck of the instrument. The two bearded males and cute female act played some awesome songs and had me actually question myself at one time, “are these guys really from Cleveland?” The band reminded me of Split Lip Rayfield, a band I really adore, but did not completely rip them off. Frankenbass, banjos, washboard, and no drums provided for a great start to the night. I loved it when the trio all switched up their instruments and played more tunes. I witnessed various Frankenbass playing styles from plucking to beating the hell out of and must say, marveled at its creation.

Up next was the husband / wife act The Dirt Daubers. Featuring JD Wilkes of the Legendary Shack Shakers, the duo, normally a threesome, admitted that they were missing their bass player and Jess would be filling in on the kick drum. Their set was full of rockabilly, blues, country goodness and it was just two people on the stage playing the music. Never mind the fact that Jess was dressed in quite the adorable dress, she kicked that drum all through their set in high heels as if she had done it many times prior. Laughs were shared by the duo and crowd she Jess admitted a couple songs in that “this is fucking hard” and soon said that if she kept playing the kick drum she was going to have one Popeye leg.

JD looked like Buddy Holly in a way with his banjo and harmonicas strapped to him. Throughout their set, they played songs from their upcoming new album titled Wake Up Sinners. I could not help but be amazed when JD would rip a harmonica out of one of the holsters attached to him and would play it. I was more impressed when JD grabbed his washboard and showed the crowd his secret to not using a strap to secure the washboard – he stuck the legs in his front pockets.

The duo played a few more songs and covered Elvis as well as Gene Autry. Towards the end of their set played a fast paced jam featuring a kazoo. It was the best kazoo playing I have ever heard.

I wanted to hear more from the couple, and I think they wanted to play more, but had to kindly exit the stage and make way for the headliners.

It turned out a lot of people came to see The Dirt Daubers over Wagons and I thought for a moment some people might pick up and leave before the main act, but Jess told the crowd how amazing and fun they were the other night. She even stated that Henry dedicated each of the seven songs on his set to each of the seven people that were in the bar the night before. I would estimate that there were about 20 people in the tavern by the time Wagons took stage.

Opening with “Shake & Tumble” off the bands brand new release, Wagons turned the heads of anyone who was not looking at the stage. It was not all business for the band as Henry talked to the crowd throughout songs confessing he knows “what a big deal primetime television is” and admitted that he has been powered by buttered vegetables for the last couple of days.

Henry mentioned Cracker Barrel quite a few times. The man loves his American cuisine. He even took a moment to ask the crowd where he could get some bacon ice cream and seemed disappointed when someone screamed back IHOP.

While playing “Save Me”, Henry left his band behind and jumped into the crowd headband and all. Masking the best of his surroundings, he joked with the crowd how the band was probably sick of him and soon returned to his brethren and played “Never Been To Spain”. I heard Henry play this song last year at his solo performance, but when the band backed him up this time, I was just floored with how awesome it sounded. The band then moved into Wagons’ version of “The Gambler”, where Henry told the crowd that he wanted to be the next Kenny Rogers.

Before the band broke into “Driving Home” Henry asked for tips on getting to Chicago. Someone mentioned toll booths and, of course, Henry found humor and asked “tall boobs?”

The rest of the band was included in discussions as well and props were given to This Way Out, the sweet shop that lies below the Beachland. Once of the band members actually bought a shirt there prior to the show. They did not say why, but after the show I found out he did that because he was wearing a Cincinnati Bangles shirt. He was not trying to be crude, he seriously had no idea. Apparently someone yelled at him before the show started.

Hoping to hear more songs by Wagons, they played more personal “Moon Into The Sun” and then closed the night with “Willie Nelson”, a track about, you guessed it… The soon crowd was all singing along “he likes some salt and pepper with his evening meal” with the band and soon after the set came to an end.

There could have been two people or two hundred in the tavern Sunday night. The band did not care one bit and played their hearts out to all those who attended. The people that were lucky enough to witness that which is Wagons showed their approval throughout the entire set. Ironically one of the guitarists told everyone that he had played a ton of shows and Cleveland was one of the best shows he ever played. He was dead serious too. After everything was said and done I was chatting with the band and it was either Mark or Chad that told me he was dead serious about what he said. He loved the tavern that he just played in and was glad to have been able to do so. They all told me they would be back again one day to rock out. I know that is not a lie either. I see big things coming from this Aussie outlaw county band.

Mid-Week Pick Me Up, Music, Music News, Progressive Rock

New Coheed & Cambria Song…

14 September, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Well it’s been a little over a year since prog-rockers Coheed and Cambria dropped new material. Today the band released “Deranged”, a track to appear on the upcoming compilation called Batman: Arkham City – The Album. For those of you who do not know, Batman: Arkham City is actually a video game that is going to be released in mid-October.

Check out the track here: