70Lewis "East Coast Sunday Morning" 2010

70 Lewis, a four piece band from Lakewood who has been making a name for itself on the local music scene, have recently released their first CD “East Coast Sunday Morning.” Recorded at Lava Room Recording and featuring 12 original songs, the CD has a very professional feel to it, and features the band’s sound of guitars, piano, a bit of a horn, and some pretty good vocals and harmonies.
70 Lewis is Mike Gray (vocals, piano), Scott Young (guitars, vocals), Chris Hoffman (drums) and Kenny Kerns (bass, keyboards, and horns).
Amongst the highlights are “Hurricane” that shows off Gray’s vocal range; “Winter,” that shows off both his vocals and piano skills; and “Underwater and Divided” which has a British Invasion beat to it. I really enjoyed the tracks that featured Kerns’ horn playing; maybe my only criticism of this fine album is that they didn’t use it enough.
After listening to this CD several times, I got more impressed by it each time. This band has got some potential, I’m anxious to see them play live some place this summer. This Friday, May 28, they will be playing at the House of Blues at 8:00. On Friday, June 18, they will be at Fat Fish Blue. For more about 70 Lewis and their music visit www.myspace.com/70lewis.
A special nod to the band for thanking in the liner notes, amongst many, the Lakewood City Schools music program. So many of Cleveland’s working musicians have come out of that program, with Colin Dussault and Denis DeVito immediately coming to mind. It’s good to see successful people credit their teachers, it doesn’t happen enough.

Last Mass at St. Barbara's 9 May 2010

Shelby Lynne at the Beachland Ballroom 5.5.10

Shelby Lynne had to compete with something huge last Wednesday at the Beachland, herself and the last show she did there. At the time she was supporting her Dusty Springfield tribute album “Just a Little Lovin’,” and that show was one of the best I have ever seen at the Beachland. This time around she’s touring in support of her new album of original songs “Tears, Lies, and Alibis,” and I was worried that show would be a bit of a letdown.
Fortunately, for the most part, it wasn’t. Lost in all the good publicity and vibe she got from the Springfield tribute album was the fact that Shelby Lynne is a great singer/songwriter whose own work stands very well on its own. Last Wednesday’s show featured songs from the new album, the best of her older original music, and one song from the Dusty album. Backed by only a guitar and bass, each one was slightly stripped down and that suited the almost capacity crowd fine. The new songs sounded very good, including a couple of heartbreaking ballads “Alibi” and “Like a Fool”; a tribute to mobile homes “Airstream”; and a nod to whiskey drinkers “Old #7.” The highlights of her older tunes were “Where I’m From” (“I’m never far away from an Alabama state of mind”), and “When Johnny met June.” She closed the show with the only song she did from the Springfield album, her haunting version of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” with her doing the first verse acappella. All of it was wonderful.
After years of bouncing around record labels, she put the new album out on her own. I wish her good luck with it, she definitely deserves it. The only negative of the evening where the self centered jerks in the audience who thought they had a personal one on one relationship with Shelby Lynne, yelling out “I Love You’s” and requests, even while she was telling a story between songs. Where do these idiots come from? Haven’t they ever been to a concert before?
For more about Shelby Lynne and her music visit www.shelbylynne.com. As always, there is a number of great show coming to the Beachland, especially over the next few weeks, including Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson on May 13; the Reverend Horton Heat with Cracker on May 16; Crash Test Dummies on May 18; and Wayne “The Train” Hancock on May 19. Looking ahead to the summer, they just announced blues diva Marcia Ball on August 19.

Skitzki CD by Matthew Skitzki 2009

Pianist Matthew Skitzki’s self titled 2009 solo release features ragtime, 60’s jazz, several standards, and some very good originals. Amongst the highlights are his ragtime original “Gnarled River Rage”; a good interpretation of Thelonias Monk’s “Straight, No Chaser”; and solid versions of “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Love for Sale” backed with Roger Hines on bass and Elijah Vazquez on drums. Skitzki, who is a graduate student in music at Cleveland State, can be seen around town doing a variety of gigs, whether as a solo jazz pianist at a wedding to a recent recital of classical standards as part of his Masters program. He is a part of the Tower PressFest! Cleveland Summer Music Series, which takes place the first Friday of every summer month at Café Artefino in the Tower Press Building, 1900 Superior Ave. He will be performing from 6 p.m.-7p.m. on both May 7 and June 4. For more about Matthew Skitzki and his music visit www.MatthewSkitzki.com. For more about the Tower PressFest! visit www.TowerPress.com, and for more info on events at Café Artefino visit www.cafeartefino.com.

"Gay Marshall Sings Piaf: La Vie L'Amour" 2009

Gay Marshall is, amongst many things, a Cleveland original, even though she hasn't lived here for years. She is a much of a product of the arts scene in our city as anyone who has gone on to big things. She started taking acting classes at the Cleveland Playhouse when she was nine, went away to boarding school and college, then returned to start her singing career at various venues around town before leaving for Paris, where she lived for twenty years.

She has done Broadway, cabaret, the French production of "Cats," one-woman shows, and recordings including a cast recording of a revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well.

After discovering Edith Piaf years ago in a book while on vacation, after doing her music on stage on and off for years, late last year Marshall released "Gay Marshall Sings Piaf: La Vie L'Amour," and it is a wonderful piece of music. The disk includes nineteen Piaf standards, some in French, some in English, some switching back and forth between the two languages. Marshall is very talented; she doesn't have to try to sound like Piaf, her own voice and her phrasing ability get the job done. The band behind her is almost perfect for the material, with piano and accordions, a touch of violin and clarinet, and cello, bass and drums. The album has gotten great revues, and has spent time on Billboard's World Music Chart.

Gay Marshall will be in Cleveland on Friday, May 7, to record a live album of New Orleans style jazz and blues at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights. It should be a great night of music from a wonderful singer.

Becky Boyd & Tim Matson, Self-Titled CD, 2010

Amongst the surprises in a recent stack of new CD releases is a disk from two of the old pros of the local music scene, blues diva Becky Boyd and guitarist Tim Matson. Both of them go back a long way, and have played with a who’s who of local and national musicians over the years. Becky Boyd fronts the blues band Real Life, while Tim Matson goes back to the glory days of Mr. Stress’s Blues Band. The self-titled release features Boyd’s terrific vocals set against Matson’s tender acoustic blues guitar. It is a very entertaining disk with only one problem; it is too short with only seven tracks. Amongst the highlights are the Boyd original “Girls Night Out” (complete with a tribute to the Big Egg!); the Matson standard “Fridgedaire Man”; and a soulful acoustic version of the Motown classic “Baby I Need Your Lovin’.” The duo has been doing shows all over town in support of the CD, for a complete schedule check them out on MySpace at myspace.com/beckyboydtimmatson.

Paul Thorn Band at the Beachland Ballroom 25 March 2010

He is becoming another one of those Cleveland darlings, a regional artist from somewhere else who comes through town once a year or so, and solely by word of mouth each time the crowd gets a little bigger. Paul Thorn is becoming the latest in the long line of semi-unknowns who has gathered a solid fan base here in Northern Ohio, even though his music isn't played on the radio here (hear that 107.3!), and he lives 1200 miles away in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Last Thursday before a good crowd in the ballroom at the Beachland, Thorn and his band put on another well-received show, featuring Thorns blend of blues, rock, and small town humor and wisdom. He played crowd favorites including "Long Time from Tupelo," "I Have a Good Day (every now and then)," "Mood Ring," and his Elvis Presley tribute "Even Heroes Die." He has a new album coming out in June, and the songs from it also sounded good, including a tribute to Tequila ("there's no sure fire remedy when love tears you apart/but tequila is good for the heart"), and a song filled with things his mother told him titled "Enjoy the Journey that is Life."
Paul Thorn is a great songwriter, a solid performer, and an American musical original. His observations of the world around him are priceless. If there was any justice in the world, he'd be sitting on the top of the music industry. His show last Thursday was part old time revival, part roots music, part blues show, part old time rock and roll concert.
For more about Paul Thorn and his music visit www.paulthorn.com. As always, there are a lot of great shows coming up at the Beachland, including Fred Eaglesmith April 8; Drive-By Truckers on April 11; The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue featuring Tommy Castro on April 12; the Deadstring Brothers with California Speedbag on April 17; and Shelby Lynne on May 5. I'm really looking forward to the Shelby Lynne show; her last time around at the Beachland in support of her Dusty Springfield tribute album was one of the best Beachland shows ever.