Category Archives: TVD Cleveland

Second weekend in May and you need ideas on where the music’s at, right? Cleveland’s brimming with possibilities and unlike our sports teams, our musicians always deliver. If you’re a college student you probably just wrapped up finals week and you need a little music to unwind. Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered, too.

We’re going to tip our hats to some visiting musicians from New York as our featured show for the weekend. Just a little band by the name of Pearl and the Beard.

Alright, little is an understatement. This three-piece is quickly gaining speed as they tour the United States, spilling forth soul-filled tunes that exude such brilliance and hope. Tonight they’ll be playing at The Winchester in Lakewood. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, OR if you’re a student and you’ve got a valid ID, just $8! Don’t miss out on this band! They’re the perfect way to kick of summer vacation.

Here’s the best of the rest for the weekend:

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I’ve been itching to catch The Damn Choir and Paper Thick Walls on the same bill in their hometown of Chicago since first hearing both, and last Friday I had just that unique opportunity as the bands were billed together in celebration of the release of The Damn Choir’s sophomore album. They we joined by Boston band Kingsley Flood.

The show took place at The Hideout, a small gem of a venue that is aptly hidden amongst a bunch of buildings. I walked in the back door with the bands for soundcheck and was greeted with a ceiling full of twinkling lights and a venue that’s probably about the same size as Cleveland’s Beachland Tavern.Venues of this size allow the crowd a certain level of intimacy with the performers; they allow you to feel a part of what’s happening onstage, rather than just an onlooker sitting or standing far off into the distance.

As Boston’s six-piece barnburnin’ band Kingsley Flood took the stage, people swarmed inside as moths drawn to flame. I can’t blame them. I had taken my usual spot towards the middle of the room, but found myself inching closer as frontman Naseem Khuri drew us in with his nuanced performance.

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With all of the good weather, you may wonder to yourself, “My, what will I ever do during the weekend in Cleveland?” And as soon as you finish this sentence, in your head I hope you hear my voice ringing out loud and clear, “Why, go to a concert, of course!” You’ll thrust your hand into the air with an extended index finger and shout, “By golly, of course!”

After holding this pose for no less than 46 seconds, you will then gasp, put your hand over your mouth, and say, “But what concert will I go to!?” Ah, yes, now this is a good question. Let us here at The Vinyl District tell you that whilst in the drunken stupor that so many people are likely to fall into on March 17th for some reason, you should stagger your way over to the Happy Dog to catch three local acts: Shit-Box Jimmy, Tinko, and Prisoners.

Tinko is a great rock band comprising members from legendary Cleveland bands such as Viva Caramel, Grain, Coffinberry, The Swills, and Confront. They have two excellent releases under their belt (2007′s If It Ain’t Fixed Don’t Break It and 2011′s Empty Furnace Bucket) and are sure to please fans of Built to Spill, Neil Young, and My Morning Jacket.

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As many of you make the trek to SXSW or follow along diligently from your couch, I find it necessary to tell you a little bit about a band from Cleveland who is making waves as they travel to Austin.

Allow me to formally introduce you to The Lighthouse and The Whaler, a band comprising five good guys with a lot of love in their hearts, some guitars, a mandolin, a keyboard, a glockenspiel, some violins, drums, and an undeniable energy that courses through their live performance, extending far out into the crowd.

The Lighthouse and The Whaler is Michael LoPresti (lead vocals / guitar / keyboard), Matthew LoPresti (percussion), Aaron Smith (violin / guitar / keyboard), Mark Porostosky (mandolin / guitar / keyboard / glockenspiel / vocals), and Steve Diaz (percussion / guitar). Each member of this band floats effortlessly between multiple instruments, showing true musicianship and dexterity that is unmatched by any band I’ve encountered.

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It has always been important to me to find music that speaks to human emotion. When I first happened across Seattle’s The Head and The Heart last year, I remember feeling awakened. Their debut self-titled album touched me in such a profound way that it has become a daily listen.

Thankfully, I got to see them perform at the Beachland Ballroom last year. Very few music experiences have moved me as much as that one, so to me it was very important to chat with a member of the band and get to know the person behind these songs that have had such a huge impact on me.

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The stage was set for an interesting night last Sunday as people milled about, filling the dark corners of Cleveland’s Grog Shop in anticipation of Atlas Sound.

Who’s to say if these people were there because they love Deerhunter or if they were there to witness Deerhunter’s frontman, Bradford Cox, as he performed under his solo moniker of Atlas Sound. It doesn’t matter either way. What matters is that as soon the gaunt, towering form of Cox took the stage, all chatter stopped, and the crowd stood in awe as one man changed our lives with a few guitars, a bass, a drumset, and a smattering of pedals.

The first thing I’ll tell you about Atlas Sound is that his records cannot do his sound justice. You cannot capture his essence and truly experience it without a live performance. To hear it live is to hear it with a new set of ears. In live performance, you will be swirled around within the sound, carried on the air, and delivered to some plane of existence where the world is calm and people can just be. It’s a transcendental experience, the kind that stirs change within your soul and makes you reach towards a life you had discarded as frivolous. In summation, it’s awe-inspiring.

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It’s that time again, weekend warriors! This weekend is full of birthday singalongs as the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern is celebrating their 12th birthday, and Now That’s Class is celebrating their 5th!

To party it up, the Beachland is packed full of music all weekend, and Now That’s Class is having… sumo wrestling? That’s right, Friday and Saturday, they will be putting on shows and renting out sumo gear and mats. Loser buys drinks!

If those soirees don’t cut it for you, Atlas Sound will be performing at The Grog Shop on Sunday if you need a fix for dancing. Either way, there’s something for everyone happening this weekend in Cleveland. We’ll see you around!

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There’s this certain feel to a sold out-show. A nervous energy, if you will. You can feel all the bodies sardined together rustling with kinetic energy, ready to explode when the bands take the stage. Last Sunday’s Young the Giant/Walk the Moon show at the Beachland Ballroom was no exception. 

The stage goes pitch black, and the room gets quiet. We wait together in anticipation, our breaths aligning. The lights slowly rise, and the five gentleman of Young the Giant take the stage. Our ears meet the opening chords of the tune “I Got,” and vocalist Sameer Gadhia takes the mic as the lights rise and nearly blind the crowd.

Young the Giant has that laid-back feel you’d expect from a band from California. Theirs is a sound fueled by beachy guitars, steady bass, and set work that is laced in delicious cymbals. Vocalist Gadhia is a tour de force, shifting easily through his vocal range. His veins pop on the side of his neck, and he spins into an explosive dance frenzy; I was left waiting for that tambourine to explode like a dandelion head, tiny gold circles chiming to the ground.

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Having never been involved in what I can only describe as “The Flogging Molly Experience” (not to be confused with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, that’s a different experience), I was surprised, dumbfounded, intrigued, amped up and entertained by the resulting shock-and-awe campaign put into motion.

This is accomplished by the band as well as the participation of the fans themselves, who demonstrate a total immersion into the music that makes Flogging Molly not only a seven-piece Irish-infused rock group, but one with a rotating line up of hundreds depending on what city they happen to be in. It’s something I’ve never really seen first-hand until last Sunday at the House of Blues, a band inspiring a sold-out crowd of drunken hooligans into a cult like fervor, all in synchronization, and all creating the atmosphere of an epic pub hoe-down, complete with crowd surfing and mosh pits.

By the time Flogging Molly took to their throne, the crowd was already jittery and pretty beered up. Fittingly, they came out with their classic, “Drunken Lullabies,” which instantly endeared them to their loving fans. A frontier of even faster songs followed, building up to “Speed of Darkness,” which got everyone going with its catchy ascension. I began to see the appeal of what was happening on the stage, as their Celtic-infused speed pacers were driven by the stage energy of the band members and singer-guitarist Dave King’s rapid-fire strumming and duckwalking.

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