Thrashing wildly like practitioners of some ancient cult that has only grown more fervent in its processions of mayhem as the years roll forth. With disregard for life, limb and those who find themselves in Canton's The Said So's sphere, even if temporarily, the band bashes and crashes through its numbers as only those that are truly possessed, or perhaps have seen the vision, can. First formed in 2010, the band has gone through some lineup changes, according to drummer Bill Locke. “The original band Rickey (Mendell, vocals) and Dan (McPherson, guitarist) worked together and they kind of...
When musician Bill Corgan lost Pat Beck, his longtime friend and former bandmate from The Nimrods, the reality of mortality set in. It was time to finally do something he’d always wanted to do: learn to play the banjo. Life, after all, is fleeting. As a youngster, Corgan had enjoyed bands like Kiss and Mötley Crüe. Black Sabbath brought him eventually to heavier music and finally to punk rock, which in turn led to a period of all angst-ridden music, all the time, he says. “It got to the point where I had so much negativity that I kind of broke down, and I stopped listening to altoget...
The Franklin, Ind. -based and provocatively named punk-rock outfit Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes will make an appearance at the Buzzbin Art and Music Shop on January 20, in the midst of a tour that runs from Anaheim, Calif., to Cape Coral, Fla. The tour also includes stops in Las Vegas, Indianapolis and a handful of other Florida locales. The punk trio’s sound might be described as a mix of classic Breeders and the Dead Milkmen, with a noise-punk framework that is often interspersed with more straightforward musical sections. The song “White Cow,” for instance, begins as a riffy pu...
Music critics, while notoriously fussy, are charged with a daunting task: Objectively describing a purely nonobjective subject. Of course this also opens the floodgates for nearly anyone to pass themselves off as serious press. This is something that Johnny Bell, frontman for psych-punk band Crystal Antlers, is all too familiar with — though he doesn’t believe in what he reads, or more precisely, what he doesn’t read. “Everyone has their right to pontificate, but why listen to anyone else when now you have access to any music anywhere, anytime,” Bell said. “You think some 19-...
Dave, Cindy and the two Jeffs come together to form local the post punk / psychedelic band Flowers in Flames. They describe their sounds as having “colorful energy,” so check out their show to see if you agree. 8/3 Grog Shop • Cleveland Heights ...
If ever there was a band out today that not only wears its working class emotions on its sleeves, but lives it, it is Flogging Molly. The Celtic-Punk band, which defies classification and yet draws one of the most loyal followings in every city, hamlet, borough or hillside it traverses, is in the middle of another solid year of touring which has taken them all over the world, in promotion of, Speed of Darkness, the band fifth and most populist recording to date. Singer-Leader Dave King and wife and violinist Bridget Reagan who split time between their two homes in Wexford, Ireland and ...
1.You grew up in Detroit MI, how did you get started playing music? I got started trying to make a drum out of an oatmeal cannister. Then I saw a neighbor kid's electric guitar and knew I had to have one, even before I heard it. I had to wait several years, but in the meantime, my mom brought home a used acoustic, which I beat into splinters eventually. My first electric came to me from K-Mart: a Tiesco Del Ray. 2. I know you have been in many bands through the years from 80’s punk band ANGRY RED PLANET to the rowdy bluegrass folk of THE SALT MINERS. Do you only play solo now? I l...
Over the last 20 years, Clutch has bred a cult following most artists would give their left arm for. Alternatively described as a punk band, a jam band, a stoner rock band and a metal band, their discography proves that they are all that and more. Clutch is made up of Neil Fallon (vocals, guitar), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums). Though they have nine studio albums and a selection of live albums, EPs and B-side compilations, they maintain their fan loyalty through a steady touring schedule with a variety of accompanying acts. The band has its roots in Ma...
Jennifer Egan’s “A Visit From the Goon Squad” made headlines (and a certain bookstore owner with a first printing just a little wealthier) when it won the Pulitzer Prize for Best American Novel a couple months ago. The big question for the reader is whether or not the book is destined to be an American classic, like recent winner “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, or a dreary snoozefest like Jonathan Franzen’s Pulitzer-losing (runner-up is too kind) “The Corrections.” I hate to damn “Goon Squad” with faint praise, but this reviewer found it to be an enjoyable and quick rea...
This Minnesota punk band caught the eye of Epitaph records by being “one of the best punk bands going right now.” And after the release of their latest album, Off With Their Heads is once again picking up life on the road. ...
Not a concert for a “Twilight” fan, but if you like the idea of things that go bump in the night, this punk band is definitely one to check out. With songs titled “House on Haunted Hill” and “Salem’s Lot,” and Mr. Hyde on guitar and Doomsday on drums expect a horror homage. Not for the faint of heart. ...
This Akron punk band’s July performance celebrates its 11th birthday, and they show no signs of stopping. Skychief has a quick, headbangin’ beat that you can jump around to. ...
Expect Christmas in July when Missile Toe takes the stage: They do punk covers of Christmas songs as well as some non-Christmas songs, including “Blitzkreig Bop,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Stepping Stone.” The post-punk/psychedelic band Flowers in Flames will perform as well. ...
This garage, surf punk band from West Lafayette, IN are spending much of their June “tour” (5 dates) in Cleveland (3 dates) kicking it off at Now That’s Class. The band also performs at the Happy Dog (6/24) and Larchmere Porch Festival (6/25). ...
Like cro-magnon neanderthals bashing on guitars and drums, the music of Canton’s The Said So will bludgeon and beat you into senseless bloody submission. Their music doesn’t really groove as much as it “oozes” and catching these guys live is always a booze-filled rampage of primal garage rock fun. I interviewed them recently at their practice space next to a butcher shop…. rather fitting for these five carnivorous cavemen. The story of The Said So, as with so many bands, starts with the ending of a few other ones. Rickey Mendell has been part of the local Canton music scene since ...
Michael Dean Damron is the real deal. He has been playing music most of his life and you can tell by the raw throated raspiness of his voice that he has spent his share of time in smokey bars screaming his soul out. His new album, "Plea From A Ghost" is available now from Denver based label Suburban Home Records and we highly recommend it! It's jam-packed with some of the finest heartfelt outlaw country songs you could ever hope to hear. Currently on a national tour that is bringing him through Ohio, Buzzbin caught up with Mike D to talk about his new album and his gigs in Canton on March 25...
Did you almost forget about Good Charlotte? Nicole Richie’s husband, together with his twin brother and the rest of long-term pop/punk-rock band Good Charlotte, are coming to Cleveland. In their first national tour in more than three years, Benji and Joel Madden return celebrating their most recent release, fifth studio album “Cardiology”. 3/12 House of Blues ...
A 1970s Clockwork Orange-themed Oi! punk band? Sometimes drug-induced hallucinations do come true! Launder your best droog outfit and hit up the milk bar before this show. Ultra-violence discouraged. ...
Mike Ness may never make it to the rock and roll hall of fame, and while he just assume be in the country hall of fame, maybe he should one day be in both. If there has been one rocker who has lived the songs he sings about - heartbreak, drug addiction, regret and redemption on his own term - it is Ness. The 48-year-old punk veteran has persevered through heaven and hell and is still standing with a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe in hand. He should be credited with fearlessly melding classic country music with punk attitude and sweet reckless rock and roll abandon. Not bad for the sole survi...
If you are like many outsiders Dover and New Philadelphia, Ohio, are nothing more than farm towns. Separated by the Tuscarawas River, these two rural towns with a combined population of just under 30,000 have always been about being down home. “We are part of Tuscarawas County, which for non-residents is hard to pronounce, so people from outside the county affectionately abbreviate it to T-County. We are the Southern outpost of NE Ohio.” says Don Whittingham, Dover native and founder of the Unreal McCoys, who are one area band on the reunion trail. This August 21 at Bud and To...
