“Live Coffee — Hot Music — Loud Food”: That’s the slogan proudly emblazoned on the awning outside of Sonnets Espresso Bar and Restaurant in Wadsworth. Add an impressive selection of 75 Ohio-brewed beers to the mix, and according to co-owner Brian Power, you’ve got the formula for this venue’s success. “The gourmet coffee, fresh food, beer and music all overlap,” Power said, “and the result is a great and unique overall experience for everybody.” The live music happens five times a week, and in the middle you’ll find a very popular Wednesday night open-mic. Signup star...
January 29 - Cleveland - Nighttown Rising Singer/Songwriters team up for showcase event! Solo and group selections featured. Hosted by Carrie Rodriguez. Carrie Rodriguez Love and family have always been sources of inspiration for critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/musician Carrie Rodriguez, but never have they featured so prominently than on her brand new release Love & Circumstance, a covers album that includes songs written by her father, and once performed by her great aunt. Rodriguez' journey from teenage violin student to touring the world with the likes of Chip Taylor (fame...
January 26 - Cleveland - Beachland Ballroom Directly from the band:We have done a number of national tours before, most prominently supporting Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. This time we are headlining ourselves. If you're not familiar with the band, we are from Southern California (Echo Park) and feature brother and sister singer-songwriters Rob and Rachel Kolar, tap dancing drummer Lauren Brown (sounds like a gimmick but she transcends that and amazes every night), stand up bassist Oliver "Sparkles" Newell, and sit down (slide) guitarist Aaron Robinson. We have just emerged fro...
Open-mic events thrive here in Northeast Ohio. We’ve counted over 50 occurring every week, with the true number probably exceeding a hundred. Why are they so popular? One obvious reason is amateur performers’ desires to claim their fifteen minutes of fame and maybe even start a career. But there’s more to it than that. A good open-mic also delivers great entertainment value for non-performers, particularly in an area as densely packed with high-quality talent as this region is. This article is the first of a series exploring the local open-mic scene, highlighting a different event each m...
Imagine four acclaimed singer-songwriters, Grammy nods among them, criss-crossing the USA throughout December, trading original holiday songs in a Bluebird Cafe-styled “writers-in-the-round” tour before intimate rapt audiences. That was brainchild when Amy Speace conceived of Decembersongs in 2010. So Amy, a critically-acclaimed Nashville-based Folk/Americana artist with songs recorded by Judy Collins) immediately tapped local pals Jon Vezner (Grammy-winner for Kathy Mattea‘s “Where Have You Been”) and Sally Barris (Grammy-nominated for Trisha Yearwood’s “Let The Wind Chase You...
Imagine four acclaimed singer-songwriters, Grammy nods among them, criss-crossing the USA throughout December, trading original holiday songs in a Bluebird Cafe-styled “writers-in-the-round” tour before intimate rapt audiences. That was brainchild when Amy Speace conceived of Decembersongs in 2010. So Amy, a critically-acclaimed Nashville-based Folk/Americana artist with songs recorded by Judy Collins) immediately tapped local pals Jon Vezner (Grammy-winner for Kathy Mattea‘s “Where Have You Been”) and Sally Barris (Grammy-nominated for Trisha Yearwood’s “Let The Wind Chase Yo...
What is there to say about Bob Dylan that hasn’t been said before? In a career that has spanned some 50 years, he’s seen the dizzying highs and the withering lows. He’s tasted the rewards of success and the bitter sting that accompanies the fall to obscurity. Despite his legendary status, his more recent records have fallen from their once-lofty perch, critically acclaimed but no longer the momentous albums of their predecessors. Yet his legacy is so ingrained in the social subconscious that new singer/songwriters of any weight instantly become fodder for comparison. “To be the...
“Cellar Door Records Volume III” Eight years ago, a small coffee shop in Madison, Ohio opened its doors, hoping to give local bands a place to play. Cellar Door Coffee had a 135-person capacity and two visionaries at the helm: college students and musicians Justin Markert and Rick Fike, who wanted to bring the electricity of local music to their small town. Since then, Cellar Door has attracted the likes of Oh My God, The Detachment Kit, Hero Pattern, The Heavenly States, Xela and The Pink Spiders. Their coffee shop had an organic vibe that could encompass whatever act caught their e...
Last Friday Concert Series! Allow us a little self promotion here. Like we’ve said numerous times our office is a record store in downtown Canton. You’ll dig it. We’re holding free concerts now the FIRST and LAST Friday of every month. At the kick off Last Friday event we’ll have Matt Woods & Michael Dean Damron (whiskey soaked singer/songwriters - badass to watch). Oh yeah, two doors down the Amvets 555 (Triple Nickel) will be doing 75 cent Pabst cans all night. Booyah! 6pm -9pm Friday 3/25 Buzzbin Art & Music Shop • Canton ...
