BY NATE BROWN It’s 1 a.m. on a Monday night in downtown Youngstown. The streets are largely empty. The smokestacks that once lined the Mahoning River, puffing their exhaust into the sky around the clock, are gone. But it’s 2012, and early morning smoke is rising into the downtown sky once more. Only now it’s not the blast furnaces, but instead, bar goers lining Federal Street with their cigarettes. Pretty girls stand outside the downtown bars like sentries signaling a rebirth for Youngstown. Yes, you read correctly: Pretty girls by the dozen in downtown Youngstown on a Monday at 1 a.m. ...
Joseph Rafidi, drummer and founder of Cereal Banter, is being featured in the June issue of DRUM! Magazine, which is in stores now. DRUM! interviewed Rafidi and learned that he honed his unique, frenetic rock forte as a teenager in his parent’s dining room where his drumkit replaced the dining table. The feature also talks about Rafidi’s personal drumming influences, musical resume in the Cleveland and Youngstown music scenes, and notes that Cereal Banter is reserved for his most experimental ambitions. Cereal Banter is a Cleveland-based art rock duo. Their next show is at the Beachlan...
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...
Our Buddies, The Zou from Youngstown have a new video out! Tarantino would be proud... ...
POOBAH @ Lemon Grove Sat. April 7 downtown Youngstown Rolling Stone magazine chose Poobah for Top 10 of the year, and called them great ! Goldmine magazine called Poobah "the most collectible psych rock band in the world" After thousands of shows in the US and Canada, Poobah is a well oiled rock machine with a wild show and guitar powered madness. Psychedelic fun for everyone. www.poobahband.com...
February 25 - Youngstown - The Lemon Grove Jones for Revival is currently working on another studio album, but bring true jam culture to each of their shows. Community is big for these guys, so while you’re in the midst of a hippie dance break, hug a stranger, exchange info or just say hello. Also keep an ear out for Jones for Revival playing The Grateful Dead. It’s an awesome thing. Read our interview with Jones for Revival here!...
February 18 - Youngstown - Covelli Centre This country superstar has ignited the genre ever since becoming a finalist on the reality show, Nashville Star, where she finished third but signed to Epic Records. Now on the roster of RCA Records Nashville, Lambert has continued your rise to the top. Photo: Randee St. Nicholas...
The Youngstown Playhouse is thrilled to present TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK, an autobiographical collage based on the life of Lorraine Hansberry. Fast paced, powerful, touching and hilarious, this kaleidoscope of constantly shifting scenes, mood and images recreates the world of a great American woman and artist. Uniquely and boldly, the play dramatically weaves through her life experiences and the times that shaped her. Hansberry's best known work, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, (winner of The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play) was the first play written by an African-American wom...
Local artists Ron Copeland and Dave Desimone have been to cities like Buffalo, NY; Pittsburgh; Youngstown; Akron; Gary, Ind.; Detroit and Flint, Mich., all of which have endured the hardships of job loss, population decline and urban decay. It’s a pattern they know well. “When I was about nine years old, I witness the collapse of the steel industry … The once prosperous steel valley region deteriorated and rusted away with it tens of thousands of good paying jobs and a way of life for so many people,” Desimone said. Growing up around boarded-up houses and buildings, he realized and ...
This is the third record put out by Youngstown rockers Asleep and this one was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini — yeah, that Steve Albini who has worked with Nirvana, the Pixies, and Iggy Pop and the Stooges. If that testament to Asleep's ability to craft some serious jams isn't enough of an enticement to check “Unpleasant Companion” out, it's hard to say what else is. The group's high-energy indie rock is well represented on their latest record, which captured the band's raw live sound on two-inch analog tape, giving the listener a taste of their live sets. Unlike other records tha...
December 3 - Youngstown - Stambaugh Auditorium Scottish ABBA cover band, ABBAMania, will be at Stambaugh Auditorium on December 3, along with Night Fever. Listen to covers of some of your favorite disco tracks by the bands that know them best, thanks to Monday Musical! Also, Monday Musical has made some changes: they have rescaled their ticket prices to make it even more affordable. Season Tickets are now $90, $75, or $55. Can you believe it, 3 great shows for $55? Single tickets are now on sale for $40, $35, or $25 for each event. They have brought back their popular dinners with a new flavo...
Red Wanting Blue covers “Grinch” for the holidays; Announces tour in support of new album out Jan. 10th. Red Wanting Blue covers “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966 cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” “Audition” is the first single from Red Wanting Blue’s upcoming album “From The Vanishing Point.” Download it here. Columbus, Ohio’s Red Wanting Blue has recorded a cover version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” for the holidays. Produced by Jamie Candiloro (REM, Ryan Adams) and recorded at the band’s El Rancho Relaxo studio on Novem...
Not only will you be able to get "Unpleasant Companion," the album Asleep produced with the help of the legendary Steve Albini, on vinyl, but Hot Cha Cha, Modulated Tones and Class A Bandits are coming out to play and show their support. It will be a mustache party, and I hear Punchy the Party Robot™ might show up. The show is 18 plus, free (they'll be accepting humble door donations), with a mustache party and a craft booth set up so people can make their own mustaches. 9-9:30 Class A Bandits 9:45-10:15 The Modulated Tones 10:30-11:30 HotChaCha 11:45-12:45 Asleep DJ Ludo...
Youngstown has always been rich in boxing history and seeps with the sort of tradition you’ll find in working class towns. Rust Belt boxers are hard-nosed, hard-working fighters who use mistakes of the past to their advantage in the ring. Jake “The Bull” Giurieco (13-0-1, 3KO) is one of those fighters. Like Harry Arroyo, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, and Kelly Pavlik before him, Giurieco sports a work ethic often unmatched. His beginnings at Burnside Boxing after a troubled childhood led him to a promising amateur career, and eventually he turned pro. In the time since he ...
In November, the award-winning drama “Gee’s Bend” will be at the Youngstown Playhouse for two weekends. The play is an intimate look at an African-American family that begins in the late 30s and moves through the new millennium. As the play progresses, topics like the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement are covered from the perspective of a rural community that is mostly cut-off from society. The Youngstown Playhouse production of “Gee’s Bend” is directed by Carla Gipson, who also brought attention to the play when she showed it to her executive director. “I had hea...
Like my previous One Tanked Trip, this month's visit was to an establishment tucked away in the most unlikely of places. Just south of Youngstown is the city of Boardman. Nearly hidden in a sea of chain restaurants sits Vintage Estates Wine and Beer, a craft beer heaven known as the best kept secret in town. I stumbled across this little gem, earlier this year after Boardman's annual beer festival, The Big Tap In, and have been dying to return ever since. Containing over 900 craft beers and 1000 wines, Vintage Estates is one of those rare stops that bring a smile to the face of both craft ...
The Youngstown Playhouse is presenting Winter Wonderland November 26th and December 3rd at 11:30 a.m. at The Playhouse. This year's interactive theatre event will feature Santa's elves, Mrs. Clause, Rudolph, Snow People, Talking Christmas Trees and Presents and of course Santa IF he can be found. Santa is lost and no one knows where he is. Will he be found in time to deliver presents on Christmas Eve? That's what the children will be helping our North Pole friends to do. This promises to be a great time for everyone. A children's lunch will be served while all of our favorite holiday characte...
November 11 -Youngstown - Stambaugh Auditorium Opera Western Reserve is performing Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" on November 11 at the Stambaugh Auditorium. OPERA Western Reserve is deeply engaged in creating the scenery and three sets prior to the opening of the box office on Oct. 3 and rehearsals beginning Oct. 23. They are very excited about being able to add the newly restored E.M. Skinner Pipe Organ to their orchestra. Also, they are delighted that their Young Artists have been invited to open the new season of Sundays at Stambaugh again. They will present a program of popular opera favorite...
It wasn’t but a few years ago that on any given weekend Tracy Morgan, Bobcat Goldthwait, Nick DiPaolo and dozens of other great stand-up comedians would convene on the Funny Farm Comedy Club in Youngstown. Every weekend you could see established stand-ups or fantastic up-and-comers for little cash. It was a fantastic alternative to the bar scene. But after the club’s closing, the void left was anything but small. Much like the closing of The Nyabinghi affected the original music scene and consistent touring acts, the Funny Farm fell and suddenly the Valley had lost its go-to place for...
November 5 - Youngstown - Cedar's Lounge On November 5, pop-rockers Dolson will be sliding through Cedar's Lounge with After Z, calleBand and Woodson. Tickets are just a five dollar bill. As a teenager, singer/songwriter Andy Dolson was breaking the strings on his family’s Wurlitzer spinet piano writing pop songs reminiscent of a modern Jackson Brown. These songs ended up landing the young musician some pretty high profile solo gigs and some local radio-play. The culmination of the latter, along with a growing fan base attracted the attention of some of Northeast Ohio’s most respected mu...
