Back in 2005, before Midge Ramone was in kindergarden, she and her sister's indie-pop band, ShiSho, wrote and recorded, "Get Behind Me Santa," a comedy song inspired by the White Stripes project du jour, "Get Behind Me Satan." Little did they know, this funny ditty would earn them a recording deal with England's Filthy Little Angels Records, rotation on BBC radio and attention from Pitchfork and the Sufjan Stephen's camp. Seven years have passed and ShiSho's Vivian and Midge Ramone have found their single's sleeve art published in a new book titled, "Covered: Classic Sleeves and Their Im...
BY EMILY RICHARDSON “It’s our clubhouse!” exclaimed Jared Gonzalez of the Dover Ballroom, a DIY venue in Dover that he and friends also call home. “It’s where we make the posters; it’s where the songs are written. We play Nintendo on the movie projector. It’s a family.” Dover, Ohio, is not exactly the musical epicenter of the nation, but Gonzalez and his crew have created and fostered something authentic and special for their community with the venue and associated record label, Mewn Wrox. The Dover Ballroom has two floors: the first features an old stage from the 1920s, and ...
Canal Fulton native DJ Mekadog cites a childhood love of music as the reason for his acquiring a turntable at age 26. An expanded record collection followed, and so did his venture into professional turntabling. Mekadog began to play in heavy-metal bands in Canton. The experience led to the recording of his first concept/scratch album, “Dog vs. Cat,” released by local indie label Intolerance Records. Together with “Dog vs. Cat” collaborator MC Wally, he evolved the recording project into a live hip-hop act with much local success, though this would hardly be the beginning of his care...
The Human Furnace said it best: “Horrible Fest is a gathering of the sickest, shittiest, punkest, rudest, strangest, most horrible bands on the planet. Imagine the cantina from ‘Star Wars,’ but with disgusting music, more aliens, more explosions and more scumbags. It’s Horrible Fest! Duh!” Featuring a weird, wide array of bands, Horrible Fest VII will take place May 10 through 12, mainly at Now That’s Class, with a Saturday matinee show at Mahall’s. Since its start in 2005, Horrible Fest has taken pride in bringing together the filthiest underground rockers of the punk, metal ...
Since forming in 2008, Akron’s Mockingbird, made up of Chadd Beverlin (drums), Mike Gilpatrick (bass) and Andy Strickland (guitar, vocals), having been shredding the scene in the Rubber City with its heavy hybrid of stoner rock and progressive metal. Since releasing its self-titled debut record in 2010, the band has been through a few changes. Fans of the band will notice than they are back down to a three-piece, as bassist Gilpatrick explained: “We were working with a few guitar players, looking for a bigger sound, but it just wasn’t working out like we thought it would.” Accordingly...
On February 10, many of the local Cleveland venues will be banding together to get the word out about how admissions tax is harming local businesses. Now That's Class, Beachland, Brother's Lounge, Happy Dog, Peabody's, Rockstar, Rocbar and the Garage Bar are all holding special concerts to help promote this unifying cause. EXEMPT SMALL VENUES FROM CLEVELAND’S 8% ADMISSIONS TAX Cleveland’s admissions tax is high relative to other cities Cleveland increased admissions taxes twice in the last 25 years to fund sports stadium-related construction. Neighboring suburbs have much lower...
AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Civic Theatre in conjunction with RSM Productions, LLC will present The Rubber City BeatleFest on October 8, 2011 at 6:45pm. Experience the anticipation and excitement of Beatles concerts, carefully and skillfully recreated by Ohio’s most popular Tribute bands! Performing on the stage will be The ReBeats, Revolution Pie, The Liverpool Lads and The Nowhere Men with a special appearance by Jim Bonfanti of “The Choir” and “The Raspberries”. This group of performers will make it possible for music fans to experience Beatlemania as felt by fans fortunate enou...
Jay-Z and Kanye West, “Watch the Throne” A collaboration the hip-hop world has been waiting for. The duo got all H.A.M. on us back in January with their first single, giving us a taste of what was to come. Expect music fans to love or hate this release, as the hype on this one is over the roof. Portugal. The Man, “In the Mountain, In the Cloud” “In the Mountain, In the Cloud” is the band’s debut full-length on major label Atlantic Records and once again does not disappoint. Indie darlings Portugal. The Man have once again assaulted our senses with their psychedelic jam-ban...
Upon first impression the Bonnaroo complex looks like a giant carnival surrounded by a hippie-shanty commune. After spending nearly a week there it becomes clear that is exactly what it is. A giant four-day gypsy party attended by 100,000 people, a heavy majority of which are getting completely out of their minds on whatever kicks they're into. All of it scored by plethora of amazing bands that would satiate any musical pallet. The music being the main purpose for the festival it is no surprise that the line up was intense. The big surprise is the variety that is booked. Lorett...
Since 1989, Seattle’s influential recording artists Earth have been changing the way music fans expect a band from the “grunge” state to sound. This past February saw the release of their latest record, "Angels of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1." Buzzbin Magazine picked the brain of Earth founder/guitarist Dylan Carlson to get the real deal about the genre-splitting band. How did Earth first come to fruition? I had already been in two bands but was not happy with my playing so after taking some time off to woodshed, I moved back to Olympia and started a new band with Slim Moon and Gre...
At only two years old, Fire Breathing Bear may seem like a relatively new band, but the members are veterans of the Northeast Ohio music scene. Andy Masalko (guitar), Colin Smith (bass), Eric Frank (vocals) and Heath Boniphant (guitar) have known each other since high school and have been playing music just as long. Frank Swanson (drums) has been an area mainstay for years. Fire Breathing Bear is the outlet for these five to finally play the music they love together. The band’s name may be reminiscent of an old-school circus act, but its origins are anything but. “I was drinking a bottl...
It's a night of hard-rock and metal, fresh new bands and a convergence of talent. Annabell's is packed with Akron music fans getting their first glimpses of two brand new amalgamations of the Akron music scene: Duunes and Octiger, with the increasingly popular Megachurch sandwiched between them. Duunes are up first, priming the crowd with ear-splitting distortions before diving into their brand of aggressive rock. The riffs go from funky to metal, and their range keeps it interesting. The Duunes are made up of ex-members of Sofa King Killers, Six-Parts Seven, Hell's Information and Beas...
The Speedbumps By E.M. Serensky When people think of speed bumps they think of having to slow down. However, for the Kent band The Speedbumps, this couldn't be further from the truth. On June 11th, they are hosting a CD release party at the Kent Stage. Who are they and what does this entail? Read on. Erik Urycki is the founder, guitarist, and lead singer of The Speedbumps. He founded the band in the summer of 2003. He headed east with a friend and ended up in Boston, sleeping on couches along the way. "It was my first taste of being poor and on the road. I loved it," says Urycki. ...
By Will Flannigan I strolled into my local record store and found an ultra-rare album that music collectors cream over: Nirvana’s “Love Buzz” vinyl. Unfortunately, I just sold half a nut to buy orange juice and a fifth of cheap vodka. My pockets were empty. It’s not right to steal, right? Seriously, who is it hurting? Million dollar record companies? Besides, with the economy in the shitter, nobody has money to spare. And, damn it, I need my vodka. I looked around to see if anybody was watching. I think spotted the gnarly looking, long-haired, beer-bellied Metal monster who owns the...
