Dan Miraldi “Rock and Roll Band” 2011

One of the best CDs to cross the Cool Cleveland music desk the last several years was Dan Miraldi’s 2010 release “Thirsty.” The local born and bred singer/songwriter follows it up with an EP titled “Rock and Roll Band,” and my only complaint is that it is too short. The five songs clock in at fifteen minutes on the nose, but what a fifteen minutes it is. The five tracks are all catchy tunes, with sing along choruses and snappy lyrics. Miraldi’s vocals are good, and the quality of the band is very respectable.
This time around Miraldi is backed by his current performing band the Albino Winos with Joe LaGuardia on bass, Sarah Lufred on drums, and Alex Bowers on lead guitar. After listening to this disk several times I can guarantee you the band spent a lot of time while growing up listening to their parent’s records. This short CD is filled with great pop songs that very easily would have fit in during the Sixties, Seventies, or early Eighties. I hear the Kinks, the Raspberries, early Bryan Adams, even the Beach Boys as influences.
Dan Miraldi and his band the Albino Winos are having a CD release party for “Rock and Roll Band” this Wednesday, September 28, in the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues. Why don’t you check them out, who knows, one day you might be able to say I saw them back in the day. For more information visit www.danmiraldi.com.

September and October Club Concert Preview

Although summer is winding down, things will be hopping at the area’s favorite music clubs during September and October…
Things are really happening at the Winchester in Lakewood starting this Friday, September 9, with the John Ford Coley Band (remember “I’d Really Like to See You Tonight”?). Mississippi Delta blues pianist Eden Brent stops in on September 14. The month finishes up at the club with the awesome Candye Kane and her band on the 30th. October at the Winchester features Rick Emmett from Triumph doing another solo show at the club on 10th; the Kelly Richey Band on the 15th; and Debbie Davies on the 28th. The big one at the club this fall will be on October 22 when Kasim Sulton from Utopia brings his solo band in for a show. For more info about these shows and all the other great things at the Winchester visit www.thewinchester.net.
Down south in Kent September means the Kent State Folk Festival and the Kent Stage is the home for some great shows. The festival gets a little rootsy this year with a show on September 21 with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the next night with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The Stage hosts festival headliner Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame on September 25. Two promising post festival shows are sax man David Sanborn on September 30 (who remembers “Choice and Sanborn” from the ”Ladies Choice” album?); and everyone’s favorite singer songwriter Richard Thompson on October 6. Visit www.kentstage.org for info on these shows and a lot more.
Downtown at the House Blues more than few Cleveland favorites will be visiting this fall. September 17 has the BoDeans taking the stage; on the 21st singer songwriter John Hiatt takes over; on the 23 Robert Randolph and the Family band make another appearance; and September closes with a tribute night to the music of the late Ronnie James Dio on the 28th. Two October highlights are Ziggy Marley on the 18th and G. Love and Special Sauce on the 22nd. For more info about these shows and everything else going on at the House of Blues, including some great local acts playing the Cambridge Room (check out Dan Miraldi and the Albino Winos on September 28) , go the www.hob.com/Cleveland.
The Beachland Ballroom will be busy this fall starting this Friday, September 9, with “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves. On September 13th it’s the Zombies with original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. Wayne “The Train” Hancock returns to the Tavern on September 14, and there is a sold out They Must Be Giants show in the Ballroom on the 16th. Wednesday, September 21 Marshall Crenshaw returns to the Beachland. The last weekend of October finds the Beachland with what should be three great (and probably sold out/get your tickets early) shows, starting with the living legend Ian Hunter on Friday the 28th; soul diva Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on Saturday the 29th; and one of my favorite Beachland acts on Sunday the 29th, singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne. For info on these shows and more, including a couple of great fall charity events at the club, visit www.beachlandballroom.com.
And finally, as always, there are good things going at everyone’s favorite jazz venue Nighttown in Cleveland Heights. Sunday, September 11, Fourplay guitarist Chuck Loeb brings his trio to town for a show. Pop and blues diva Maria Muldaer comes in for two shows on the 21st, try to check it out she is a lot more than “Midnight at the Oasis” and always puts on a good show. Wednesday, October 12, local blues stalwarts Blue Lunch will be hosting the “Saxophone Shootout” with a bunch of guests sitting in. And on October 21 Cleveland favorites the Hot Club of Detroit returns for a show. For more info about all the great things happening at Nighttown go to www.nighttowncleveland.com.
(photos courtesy of the artists)

Rick Stone at Nighttown 7 August 2011

Jazz guitarist Rick Stone is yet another player on the New York and international jazz scenes with Cleveland roots. Born and raised in Parma (Valley Forge Class of ’74), Stone played in a bunch of rock bands in high school before discovering jazz at shows at the old Smiling Dog Saloon on West 25th Street.
Stone lives in Brooklyn, New York; teaches jazz guitar at several NYC colleges; tours extensively, he just completed a month in Europe; and returns to Cleveland each summer to do a show at Nighttown for family, friends, and fans.
His two set show at Nighttown last Sunday was very enjoyable. It was a nice mix of jazz standards and original material. Backed by drums and bass, Stone did a great job on Irving Berlin’s “the Best Thing for You is Me,” Jimmy Van Huesen’s “Dance that Dream,” and Ornette Coleman’s “When Will the Blues Leave.”
His original material as just as varied with titles like “Key Lime Pie,” “Stella by Starlight,” and “Nachos Mama’s Blues.” He played several pieces from his current album “Factels,” including the title song, which had a little bit of B.B. King to it. Besides the king of the blues, other obvious influences for Stone include George Benson and Chet Atkins. It was a very enjoyable night of music and story telling, as Stone gave a little background on each of the songs played.
For more about Rick Stone and his music visit www.rickstone.com. For more about Nighttown and all the great things they have going on there go to www.clevelandnighttown.com.

Summer of 2011 Road Trip to Oregon

Special thanks to Coach Jim Pallazolo, Regis and Carol Scafe, and John and Katie Shaffer.

"The Sixties" A Gilder Lehrman Institute of America Summer Workshop for Teachers at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., June 2011

Steve Popovich

I did not know Steve Popovich for a very long time, but like many others he had crossed paths with, I had a great love and respect for the man.
His fingerprints are all over the music of my youth, that Sound of Cleveland that put the city on the rock and roll map. He played an active roll, either as a promotion man, producer, or label owner, in the careers of Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Spector, the Michael Stanley Band, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Ronnie Spector, Ian Hunter, and, of course, Meat Loaf. It sounds like a set list of a Kid Leo show back in the glory days of Cleveland radio.
Although he has lived recently in Nashville to be near his son and his family, he often returned to Cleveland. And when he did return, he often stopped in at the University Inn in Tremont for lunch, a drink, or just to say hi. (The picture of him on the front page of the Plain Dealer announcing his death was taken in one of the dining rooms at the Inn). He liked the place for the same reason hundreds of others do too, he was friends with the Sokolowski family who run the place, and the smell of the ethnic food there reminded him of the kitchens of his youth growing up on Cleveland’s east side. He liked hanging out at the Inn because he felt comfortable with the people there, including many music lovers like himself he grew up with one foot in the polka music his parents grew up with and the other in the rock and roll he and his friends grew up with.
What has been left out of the many tributes to Steve written about him the last few days is that he was a great storyteller. On several of the occasions when he dropped in unannounced at University Inn I was lucky enough to be one of the guys who sat around and listened to his stories, whether it was about Emmylou Harris singing “Amazing Grace” at June Carter Cash’s funeral; Tony Bennett getting upset with him because Andy Williams’ version of the “Theme from Love Story” became a hit and his version didn’t; or just talking about what a great guy the late guitarist Mick Ronson was.
Mike Sokolowski, one of the siblings who runs University Inn, was an especially close friend of Steve. Besides seeing Steve when he did stop into the Inn, they talked several times a month on the phone and emailed each other often. Last fall when Mike and several of the Inn regulars attended a roots music festival in Nashville, Steve delayed a trip he had planned to show the boys around town. “I’m really going to miss him,” said Mike. “He was a wonderful man. I can’t believe he is gone.”
It has been stated in several of the tributes written about him that you can give Steve Popovich the highest compliment you could ever say about someone from Cleveland that when on to great success nationally in any walk of life, whether it is entertainment, sports, or business. He never ever forgot where he came from.
Good bye, Steve Popovich, thanks for the music and the stories.

Concert Highlights for Local Clubs and Smaller Venues for the First Half of Summer

Now that summer is finally here, hopefully, music fans will be out and about to the various venues around Northern Ohio. Just because it is summer, please don’t ignore our smaller music clubs and venues. Many a time as you fight the traffic to get in and out of Blossom on your way to hear today’s “in” generic country band sound just like they do on their video and pay eight bucks for a beer, you could’ve seen someone a lot more talented, in a lot smaller venue, for a lot less money. The first half of summer alone has a great line up of national acts coming are way at various clubs including…
Nighttown has three great reasons for those who don’t like jazz to come to Cleveland’s best jazz club. This Friday Raul Malo, former lead singer of the Mavericks, will do a solo show. What an opportunity to see the best singer in the business in an intimate setting. On Wednesday, June 8, tango music comes to Nighttown with Argentina native Hector Del Curto, and on June 28 & 29 is the return of California rock legend J. D. Souther doing solo acoustic shows. I saw him the last time at Nighttown and he was terrific. If you are into singer/songwriters check one of his shows out. And, as always, there are also a lot of great jazz acts coming through Nighttown this summer, check out www.nighttowncleveland.com for more info.
Beachland will be rocking this summer also, starting with guitar legend David Bromberg this Friday. The man has played with everyone in rock and blues and folk over the last thirty years. On May 24 John Oates of Hall and Oates brings his solo band in; on June 9 blues guitarist Jimmy Thackery, co founder of the Nighthawks, brings his current band to the Beachland; and on June 21 Jimmie Dale Gilmore makes an appearance. For information on these shows and all the great stuff going on at the Beachland visit www.beachlandballroom.com.
The Winchester in Lakewood has a CD release party for the Rick Bay Band’s “Can’t Lie Hard Enough” on June 3; Blues guitarist Kelly Richey and her band make an appearance on June 10; and British rock icon Ian McLagen comes in on June 17. McLagen played in both the Faces and the Small Faces, and played keyboards on many of Rod Stewart’s early hits including “Maggie May.” For information on these shows and more visit www.thewinchester.net.
Down in Kent they will be getting into blue grass, country and the blues this summer with Sam Bush on June 3; the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on June 4; and Cleveland favorites Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes headlining the Kent Blues Festival on July 23. For more info go to www.kentstage.com.
And let us not forget our friends downtown at the House of Blues with the legendary Robin Trower on June 2; jam rockers Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on June 4; and blues guitarist Jonny Lang on June 23. For more info on these shows and a whole lot more go to www.hob.com/cleveland.