Holiday in a Box! Cats on Holiday COH 1201 Spring 2012

Cats on Holiday in one form or another have been putting out good music and putting on great live shows around Northern Ohio for a very long time.  Holiday in a Box is their fifth effort, and it is another good one filled with their unique Cleveland meets New Orleans sound. This is the first CD that really features lead singer Denis DeVito’s button box playing, which can be heard on each track.

The disk features five DeVito originals, two reworkings of Cajun classics, and a great Cats on Holiday bouncy version of the Kinks’ “Apeman.” Probably the best track on the disk is a lively version of Andrus Espree’s “Just One Kiss,” complete with a spoken word poetry intro by percussionist Jeffrey Bowen.

We get a lot of CDs here at CoolCleveland to review, many from local artists putting out their first serious work. Before you and your band think about putting out a disk, talk to the guys in Cats on Holiday about doing it right. Everything about this disk, from the sound and mixing to packaging and design, is first rate. Track down Rick Christyson or Denis DeVito and they will send you in the right direction, you won’t be sorry.

You can pick up a copy of Holiday in a Box! At any of the Cats’ shows this summer. They are playing everywhere between now and when autumn rolls in, including but not limited to the Flat Iron, the Sunset Grill, the Rush Inn, the Islands, Shaker Square, and numerous arts and street festivals. Amongst their May gigs are the Voice of Homeless Benefit at Brothers Lounge on May 11; the Kamms Corner Hooley on the 12^th; and the Hessler Street Festival on the 20^th. For their complete summer schedule, or to hear samples of their music, go to www.catsonholiday.com.

Carlos Jones and the Plus Band "Positive Vibrations" 2011 Little Fish Records

We are in the middle of the best spring in years, and that means summer isn’t too far away. And one of the best things about summer here in Northern Ohio is seeing Carlos Jones and the Plus Band play somewhere. Whether it’s an afternoon at Whiskey Island or a street festival Jones and his band will have the audience up and dancing and moving to what he calls his brand of American Reggae.
He has been doing this for thirty years, and hopefully he will keep doing it for another thirty.
Late last year Jones and his band released a four song disk titled “Positive Vibrations”. The only negative about the disk is that it is too short, with only four cuts, all of them very good. Jones is right in calling his music American reggae, because it not only contains elements of traditional reggae but almost every genre of American roots music, including but not limited to funk, Motown, jazz, and calypso. Amongst the tracks are a cover of Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood,” and a Jones original “Apartment Living.” The songs all feature Jones’ signature sound of percussion and guitars, with two of the tracks having a horn section that really jumps. Jones vocals remind me a lot of New York artist Garland Jeffries, who put out a great album last year "King of the In Between", which featured the single "Roller Coast Town." This disk is just as good.
Next time you see the plus Band perform pick up a copy of "Positive Vibration" so you can take a little bit of them home with you.

Upcoming Northern Ohio shows for Spring of 2012

As a mild winter turns into, hopefully, an early spring, our local concert clubs and small hall venues have a variety of great shows in almost any genre for music fans to enjoy as the seasons change.
The House of Blues welcomes the coming of spring with a line up of classic rockers and singers with Eddie Money on the March 1st; Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes on March 2nd; Boys II Men on the 16th; the Saw Doctors on March 23rd; and blues guitarist extraordinaire Johnny Lang on May 13. For info on these shows and all the stuff going on at the HOB on Euclid and East 4th go to www.houseofblues.com/tickets.
The next several weeks Nighttown on the top of Cedar Hill has a stellar lineup of shows, starting with Boston jazz vocalist Michelle Wilson, backed by Cleveland bluesmen Blue Lunch, on February 25th. The next night February 26th Manhattan Transfer original member Janis Siegel does a solo show. Comedian and social activist Dick Gregory stops in for two nights, on February 29th and March 2nd. On March 7th guitarist Murali Coryell (son of Larry) brings his trio in for a show. For more info about everything that is Nighttown go to www.nighttowncleveland.com.
The Beachland Ballroom will soon be celebration its 12th Anniversary with a whole menu of great shows over the next several months. On February 23 its Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires; on February 24th it is the Del Fuegos on a small mini-reunion tour; the Greenhorns on March 12th; Dave Alvin, once of the Blasters, on March 7th; the Reverend Horton Heat returns March 15th; Loudon Wainwright III returns April 19; Jonathon Edwards will take the audience back to Athens on April 27; and Sonny Landreth and the Brickhouse Blues Band will play May 17th. This is just a small sampling of the shows on tap at the Beachland in the coming months, get the full calendar of events at www.beachlandballroom.com.
If you love guitarists and rock legends, the Winchester is the place to be this spring. Starting with Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials in February 25th; followed by Denny Lane (of Wings amongst other bands) on March 9;blues legends Savoy Brown, with original lead guitarist and founder Kim Simmonds, takes the stage on March 10; and bluesmen Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers play on March 23. In April local legends take over the stage, with the Wally Bryson Group playing April 13, and Jonah Koslen’s Stagepass Now coming back for a return engagement on April 20. April closes out with Kelly Richey and her Band on the 28th.
And, finally, don’t forget about all the good things happening south of town at the Kent Stage in downtown Kent. On March 2nd they too host the Del Fuegos on their reunion tour; followed the next night by blue grass legends Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys. Guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza has a CD release show on March 16; Greg Brown returns on March 31st; Leon Redbone appears on April 27th; and the beautiful Judy Collins returns on April 28th. For more information about all of the shows at the Kent Stage visit www.thekentstage.org.

Into the Night by Josh Rzepka, 2011 self-release

Recently, some of the best, if not the best, news about a local musician has been about trumpet player Josh Rzepka and his new CD Into the Night, which is currently making some noise on the national jazz charts (currently #14 on Jazzweek’s chart) and is being played on over seventy jazz stations across the country. It is quite unusual for a self produced and released album to get this much national attention in the jazz world.
Rzepka recorded the CD at Oberlin’s new jazz recording studio, and it features a solid group of musicians, all with Oberlin and/or Cleveland roots, including Jackie Warren on piano, Peter Dominguez on bass, Ron Godale on drums, Andy Hunter on Trombone, and Steve Kortyka on sax. The best thing about the album is that it not only shows off Rzepka’s talents, but also the talents of this band. Over the course of the disk they all do their part on numerous solos.
The CD has a real 60’s jazz feel to it, with a touch of Latin rhythms and features numbers with catchy titles like “Blues for C.T.,” “Sarah’s Samba,” and “When I’m with You.” I really like the title tune, which has a real Dave Bruebek feel to it, and “Salsa Queen,” which could have fit in nicely on an old Herb Albert record.
Rzepka has two shows coming up in the Akron area, February 25, he will be performing at Winter Dance Showcase at the Akron Civic Theater, with both Verb Ballets and the University of Akron Dance Company. On Saturday, March 3, along with fellow musician Scott Stein, will be doing a benefit show at the Tangiers to benefit both the Copley and Firestone high schools’ music programs. For more information on both of these shows go to www.joshrzepka.com.

Great Shows Coming Up in February

There is a lot of great music over the next month at the smaller concert venues splattered across Northern Ohio. No matter what your genre, there is something for everyone.

Nighttown at the top of Cedar Hill has several jazz legends playing next week, with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli playing on Wed 1/25 and Thu 1/26, and organist Reuben Wilson following him on Fri 1/27 and Sat 1/28. Also check out the Hot Club of Detroit [pictured] for some Valentine magic on Mon 2/13 and Tue 2/14. Go to http://NighttownCleveland.com for more info and their complete music calendar.

The Kent Stage kicks off its Tenth anniversary with country legend Glenn Campbell on his farewell tour on Sun 2/19. And they are presenting the return of the Del Fuegos on Fri 3/2, featuring former Rock Hall Education Director Warren Zanes and his brother Dan Zanes, better known to area youth for his kid-friendly CDs and shows.

The Winchester in Lakewood has two great blues shows coming up, a CD release party for guitarist/vocalist Kelly Rickey on Sat 1/28, and Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials on Sat 2/25. As always, great stuff happening at this Madison Avenue gem, go to http://TheWinchester.net for their complete line up of show.

The Beachland Ballroom in Collinwood, as always, has a lot of great stuff happening, including two big benefits over the next few weeks. The Annual WJCU benefit is Sat 1/28, and Rock and Reggae Show for the Free Clinic is on Fri 2/17. Amongst other shows at the club is the Fri 2/24 Del Fuegos date, part of a small 12-city mini reunion the Boston-based band has put together. Go to http://BeachlandBallroom.com for info on everything going on at this landmark music club.

And, most importantly, for those of us born and raised on rock and roll here in Northern Ohio, the Tri-C High School Rock Off is in full swing at the House of Blues downtown. Does the sound of badly produced rap music played way too loud in the car next to you drive you crazy? How about that cotton candy weak ass pop music that passes as country on the radio? Do you think pop music is going to hell? Do you think our young people are all clueless American Idol fans? If you do, go down and check out the Rock Off, featuring some of the best young musicians in the area performing their own music and all of it nothing but true real rock and roll. It will warm your soul in the middle of yet another North Coast winter. At the HOB on Fri 1/27 and Sat 1/28 with the finals on Sat 2/11.

Succeeding at the Pro Level

(I still write for the Orange and Brown Review, a fan magazine owned by FoxSports. Below is a recent column I wrote about what the Browns have to do before next season.)
As I am writing this article the Browns are nearing the end of their season, I just watched a tough overtime loss to the Phoenix Cardinals. As the case has been most of the season, the offense struggled as the defense played solid. Fans are once again disappointed in another losing season.
Last month I talked about football and the high school and college level, and this month I want to talk about what it takes to succeed on the pro level and what the Browns need to do to be competitive in 2012. The highest level of football is, of course, the NFL. Teams, for the most part, are owned by extremely rich men, and coached by very smart coaches. The NFL gives us a game, which is incredible, with very fast and athletic players taking the field every Sunday.
But many of these men who own the teams have found it easier to become a billionaire than to be a consistently winning NFL owner. There is not a business school model to be a winner in the NFL. Yes, even the losing teams each year make incredible amounts of money. But to win that championship can be an elusive thing.
And don’t forget it is still a game, that same game it still shares with the college level all the way down to CYO and Pop Warner leagues. A game that has so many intangibles, and is played with a ball that sometimes takes funny bounces.
The NFL is a player driven league, where the players are the best of the best. They are big, quick, fast, and can jump. They are instinctive, aggressive, and many of them hate to lose. Since the Browns have been back the team has pretty much been a disaster, and much of that can be attributed to not having enough good players, and fingers can be pointed in many directions. The current Mike Holmgren regime is the best that has ever been in place since the team has come back, and if left alone they will bring success to the team.
When Holmgren and Company came on board two winters ago they found a team missing most of its parts. There was Josh Cribbs, Joe Thomas, Phil Dawson, and a few maybes. They knew the team had to be built with young talent through sound drafting, and their first two drafts have been outstanding. Joe Hardesty, T.J. Ward, Alex Mack, Phillip Taylor, Jabaal Sheard, and Jason Pinkston, are amongst the players that have brought on board. At one time this year they started nine players drafted in the last two years.
They drafted mostly for defense first because that would make the team competitive sooner. What has made this past season so frustrating is they have been in so many games, and that has been because of the defense. One thing that wasn’t done was throw money for over priced free agents to be stop gap players. The Browns have drafted young kids and have let them play, to prove their worth to the team.
General Manager Tom Heckert is on record as saying that after two drafts centered on building the defense, this year the draft will be about the offense. He has also stated, now that a fair amount of pieces are in place, it might be time to add a few free agents.
I’m as unsure of the quarterback position as much as the next guy. I’ve rooted for Colt McCoy all season and seen him at different times look very good and very bad. But I do know, at least I’d like to think so, that Mike Holmgren has made his decision. Let us hope that whomever it is behind center next season, whether it’s McCoy or not, will lead the Browns to big things.
I have been on record in this column that the Browns will be competitive next year, and I still stick by that. I have much faith in the Browns front office, and their drafting track record has been outstanding.
For as inconsistent the offense has been this season, several important pieces are in place. The offensive line is both very young and very good. Joe Thomas and Alex Mack play like first round draft picks, Jason Pinkston has proved he is a player. Shawn Lauvao has shown improvement. Hopefully Eric Steinbach will return next year. I will be very surprised if the Browns don’t sign at least one solid free agent lineman to add to this group.
This group has shown it can do the two things an NFL line needs to do to be successful, run the zone play and protect the quarterback.
As the season is winding down Peyton Hillis is finally playing like the Peyton Hillis of last year. Let us hope he has things together on and off the field for next season. His absence from the team allowed Chris Ogbonnaya to show some good things. Montario Hardesty is still a question mark, but having three guys this good for one spot is a plus. The team could use a blocking back a la Lawrence Vickers, and maybe that might be addressed in the off-season also. They drafted Owen Marecic this year to fill that role but I have yet to see enough of him to see what he can do.
The tight end spot is solid; let us hope Ben Watson comes back next year from his concussions. We are in the era of the tight end in the NFL, and as I wrote several months ago the Browns have a good group of them. Let us hope the young guys, Evan Moore, Alex Smith, and Jordan Cameron, keep improving.
The wide outs have been much maligned this season, and with leading the league in drops must of the criticism is deserved. However, if you threw in a legitimate home run receiver or two in with this group of guys you would have a solid group. I have visions of Justin Blackman from Oklahoma State in brown and orange. I have a feeling the Browns first draft pick will be a receiver that can stretch the field.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Add another lineman, maybe a fullback, go out and get a top speed threat, and resolve things at quarterback. If only it was that simple, but based on the last two years you have to have faith in Holmgren and Heckert.
The other top priority for next year is to get the special teams back to where they were. This season was a mess of bad snaps and bad kick coverage. There should be no excuse for this. You still have Phil Dawson and Josh Cribbs, build around them once again. This is very doable.
The Browns can also add some depth to the defense, especially some speed and athleticism at outside linebacker. Even the most pessimistic fan has to be impressed with how well a switch to a four-man line went, with the Pro Bowl caliber play of Ahtyba Rubin and the drafting of Taylor and Sheard.
The teams that have dominated the NFL the last fifteen years have had solid defenses, depth on both sides of the ball, special teams that don’t make big mistakes, and offenses that have playmakers. Even with a disappointing record, the Browns showed this year they can play with those teams for three quarters. Hopefully with another good draft and some wise free agent signings the Browns can finally play a whole game each and every week no matter who the opponent is.

Billy Joe Shaver @ the Beachland Ballroom, 2 December 2011

I went to the Browns game last Sunday and they were advertising on the score board for a Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw concert for next summer at the football stadium. I’m sure tickets won’t be cheap, and most people will sit somewhere where they will need binoculars to see the show, or just watch it on a large video screen. Parking around the stadium will be fifteen to twenty bucks, and beers will be in the eight dollar range. All that for what too many people think is real country music.
It’s too bad, because for a quarter of the price admission and beer at neighborhood prices they could have gone to the Beachland on December 2 and saw real country music from one of the last of the original Texas outlaws, Billy Joe Shaver. The three hundred or so that were in attendance got to see a great singer/songwriter who at the age of 72 can still get it done. He spent the night given the audience what they wanted to hear, playing one great song after another, most of them originally hits not for himself but for guys with names like Waylon, Elvis, Willie, and Johnny. He opened with “Fast Train to Georgia,” followed it with “Honky Tonk Heroes,” and never looked back. The highlight for me was “I’m Going to Live Forever,” which was originally done by the Highwaymen on their second album. Almost every song came with a story, some happy and funny and some sad but true, and Shaver told each one like he was telling it for the first time.
If you like the genre of music now called Outlaw Country, which by the way is real country music not that corporate country that passes itself off as the real thing today, you should check out locals California Speedbag who opened the show. Good original songs, a couple of quality covers, by a five piece outfit of veteran musicians.
As always, there are a lot of great things coming up at the Beachland Ballroom, check them out at www.BeachlandBallroom.com.