All posts by Brian Mc

CBS Radio Kicks Cleveland’s Music Lovers In The Pants By Yanking Radio 92.3 From FM Radio

I figured I might as well talk about the 92.3 change while I had a moment.  I know that many of my friends are all sorts of excited for the sports radio station to take over.  Honestly I would be happy too if I were into sports as much as they are. 

I guess I look at the change a little differently and not even because I think Cleveland needs to have  crappy music like Paramore and My Chemical Romance played along with even worse music like Audioslave and Staind.  Oh, dare I mention Sublime???  (It was not that bad, they played the hits of Bad Religion, Rise Against, and Rancid too sometimes…)

The rumors are true.  92.3 is now called The Fan.  Its Cleveland’s first sports radio station.  Rejoice!!! 

The logo looks….well…you decide:

Seriously, how many people that you know actually have HD radio?  I know I don’t know anyone who has one of those, and if they did, they never told me because it just is not anything worth mentioning about.  I honestly think that not many people are going to listen to the iPod on shuffle, I mean, HD-2 92.3.

Yes, HD-2 will still play music, list shows, and keep listeners informed, but it is not going to be the same.  I have no desire at all to even jump onto the HD station’s website and stream music.  Done.  Maybe me recall the time I bought a portable XM radio player thinking it was a good idea. 

92.3 has been around for as long as I can remember and it was always music related until now.  There was 92 RQCK, Jammin 92.3, 92.3 The Beat when I was younger, and then the more memorable 92.3 Extreme Radio, K-Rock, and of course Radio 92.3. 

I know that not everyone out there was a fan of Radio 92.3.  A lot of the music they played was not really my thing and sometimes repeated one too many times, but every once in a while they would throw a gem in there.  They took the liberty to cater to as many people as they could, and that is no easy task.  They kept the community informed on what was going on and even threw together some awesome shows.  One in particular was the impressive Kuyahoga Fest that K-Rock threw together years back at Blossom.

There were a couple people who worked for the FM station I felt owe a shout out to.  Not only were they entirely too cool to me, but they also supported this dinky little website of mine.

Nard, the man behind the curtain, really gave it his all when it came to that station.  Not just inside the studio, but also during promotions and events.  It’s tough to please one person, but he managed to keep the attention of all of the surrounding communities of Cleveland that set their dials to 92.3. 

The regular Sunday night locally focused Inner Sanctum, featuring Pat The Producer and Matt Wardlaw, just celebrated 18 years as a continual program only to have to find a new home.  Luckily WNWV 107.3 FM Cleveland was quick to pick them up and they will not even skip a beat sharing the local music scene with Cleveland every Sunday.  There’s some good news for some good people who I have had the pleasure to call friends for a few years now.  If you have not checked out Inner Sanctum yet, you should.  They play a lot of good quality tunage by some amazing local talent.

Will there be a new radio station to jump in and take over? Is the HD-2 92.3 going to stick around, or will CBS ax that too?  Does it matter really anymore?  How many people really listen to radio these days as much as they did 10 years ago?  I know I do not.

The fact of the matter is that Cleveland has lost another alternative rock station and good people have lost their jobs because of it.  Where as I did not listen to the station daily, I did have the pleasure of making friendships with many of the staff that CBS released.  Regardless of how shitty some of that music was on that radio station at times, the people I knew there were incredible and I am happy I was able to network with many of them.

Good luck to everyone from 92.3 that CBS took a giant Cleveland steamer on.  Thanks for all you have done for me (and the rest of the city for that matter) with music.  I am sure you will have no problem finding something else soon.  I have no problem if you all collaborate and decided to make a radio station that played all punk rock and Clutch.  In fact, I would totally be ok with that.

RIP Radio 92.3…

Friday Night At The Gurley House

Once again, the Gurley House in Akron, OH, has proved for a great evening of music.  There is nothing quite like seeing a show in the basement of a house that just makes it that much more personal.

Tonight I got to see four bands, some of which I have heard of and some who I have been wanting to check out after hearing about them through friends.  The result was four performances by different genre bands all of which caught my attention in various ways.

My resident pal Roscoe started off the night with an electric acoustic solo performance.  He played some of his material, some of which I really think needs to be recorded.  Seriously, it was good shit and even though he hardly plays solo shows anymore, he had no problem jamming out a few tunes.

The Ohioans followed with an acoustic set.  The last time I saw them is when they opened for Jeff Rowe in the very same basement a few weeks back.  I was really impressed by their initial set and really enjoyed the acoustic session.  If you like folky rock you need to check out this up and coming local act.  Head on over to their BandCamp page and download their  self-titled album for free and see why I dig these guys so.  Check out the track  “512”, one of my favs off the album.

Michigan’s Protected Left were supposed to be the headliners of the night, but one of the bands was running late due to a previous commitment.  The threesome had no problem shifting slots and just rocked out hard to the gathering of music loving people.  This band seriously rocked.  Mixing punk, metal, and thrash (sweet sweet thrash…), the band got all technical at times when playing reminding me of shit Strung Out likes to pull yet kept a melodic pop-punk feel throughout.   I loved this band’s sound and really hope to see them push out a full length one day.  Until then, head on over to their BandCamp page and download their 3-song EP titled Songs Of The Doomed for free.  Check out “At Least I Didn’t Cut My Ear Off” and tell me it is not catchy and just bad ass to listen to.  Not only do they play good tunes, but they are also a bunch of cool peoples to hang out with.  Really stoked I had the opportunity to meet them and see them play.  Can’t wait thill them come back to Ohio again.

The last band to play the night was a local act I had heard of through friends but had never seen (or heard) before.  The band, Cherry Cola Champions, not only has a great name for their two man act, but also pretty much blew me away with their set.  Just download the Cherry Cola Champions EP for free and see what I mean (check out “Fievel Goes Midwest”).  I honestly did not think I was going to be able to get into them after their first song, but suddenly I was hooked.  It was experimental at times and very post-hardcore.  I look forward to seeing these guys again.

So that was my Friday night.  What did you do?  Never mind telling me, I’m too tired now…  Just do me a favor and check out the bands I just talked about.  They are all free downloads and worth listening to.

Free Show!!! – Ninja Gun @ Kent, OH This Sunday!!!

So as many of you know, Broken Headphones has turned 3 years old this month.  I am so stoked to have been able to continue fueling this site with nonsence and without you, the reader, it would never have been possible.

So thanks to everyone out there that has wasted some of their life on my site.  It means a ton to me.

In a celebration of sorts, I have gotten a few bands to play a show in Kent on Aug. 28th.  That’s this Sunday for those of you who may not have a calender handy.

On Sunday night, The Stone Tavernin Kent, OH will host Valdosta, GA’s Ninja Gun with special guests Playoff Beardfrom Pittsburgh and local heros (and fellow homies) Worship This!.

I have made acquaintances with the folk/punk/country/rock Ninja Gun thanks to this site.  Jonathan Coody, the lead singer of the band, emailed me a while back thanking me for giving a review I did on their sophomore release Restless Rubes.  We have kept in touch ever since.  Mixing a bit of country and folk into rock and punk has never sounded so good.

Punk rockers Playoff Beard (love the name) hail from Pittsburgh and Kent (I know one of the members is a fellow alumni).  I wish I could say I knew more of their material, but I guess I will find out more in a couple of days.  I will be sure to fill you all in.

Worship This! are a group of good guys who I am happy to call friends.  They also have a good thing going for them as their DIY punk rock band is just awesome.  I try and not talk up my friend’s bands a lot, but I am just thrilled about their sound.  Recently the foursome opened up for Iron Chic in NYC.  That right there is bad ass.

The show is going to start around 9pm and is 21+ only.  Formerly Professor’s Pub, the Stone Tavern is in the heart of Kent located at 110 E. Main St., Kent, OH, 44242. 

This is a free show, but donations are encouraged for the touring band.

Come out and have fun.  The Stone Tavern has a great beer list and is just a fun place in general to hang at.

Who cares if the show is on a Sunday night?  Get your music-loving butts out to Kent and come see these kick awesome bands!!!

Daytrotter’s Barnstormer 5 Is Coming To Akron, OH!!!

Something cool is going to happen on Aug. 31st in Akron, OH…

The ever cool Daytrotter (also known as the Horseshack recording studio) is bringing Barnstormer 5 to Akron.  Daytrotter had the clever idea years ago to bring together up and coming country, folk, rock, and indie acts together and had them play in barns, hence the tour name.

The Akron stop will take place at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn in the beautiful Cuyahoga County  National Valley. This place rules and I can honestly say that as one of my best buds and his lovely wife tied the knot there almost a year ago.  The barn is amazing as is the scenery that surrounds it.  This is a show not to be missed.

The Akron stop will feature White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Priceton, and Hacienda.

Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased through the Daytrotter website.  Tickets will be $25 the day of show. 

Doors are at 5:30p and the show starts at 6:30p.  Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn is on 3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH 44333.

For more info, head over to Daytrotter.  While you are there, check out all the amazing bands they work with and download some sessions!!!

Here’s a couple of videos from past performances:

Don’t Miss The Inner Sanctum 18th Anniversary Concert On The Pier This Saturday!!!

Tomorrow, Inner Sanctum (as heard on Radio 92.3) will be celebrating 18 years of Pat The Producer and friends pimping out local music to Cleveland by throwing a huge festival downtown. 

Featuring live music by a bunch of great Cleveland musicians/acts like the Suede BrothersPrisoners,  Craig Ramsey, Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes and many more, this is going to be one hell of a day-long fest!!! 

The fun starts at 1pm on Saturday the 20th at The E. 9th Pier located next to the Rock Hall.  There will be plenty of local food vendors to keep your stomachs full and even an on site tattoo shop if you care to get that tramp stamp you always wanted (I actually told Pat that I would get Pat The P tattooed on me if someone else paid for it…).

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.  If you would like to purchase tickets now, click HERE and grab one!!!

See you there tomorrow!!!