Josh Rouse (9/11/22)

Josh Rouse has been on my bucket list for a long time, and surprisingly I’ve never him live.  I wasn’t thrilled that my first time would be at the Music Box Supper Club, but whatever. 

Article: Cleveland internet radio station oWOW channels WMMS' past with a twist

"Gorman went online in 2014 with oWOW Cleveland, an internet station billing itself as the 'sweet spot between classic rock and indie rock.' Making the story more interesting is that oWOW is one of a handful of stations bucking conventional wisdom and aiming to make internet radio local."

(Via Cleveland internet radio station oWOW channels WMMS' past with a twist | cleveland.com.)

I’ve been a big fan of oWOW Radio (despite the name) since they started streaming.  Hard to believe it’s been going since 2014!  This is quite an extensive write-up, and I’m glad to hear they’re still doing well!

I also like seeing how they’re partnering up with local companies, like this series with Music Box!

Dar Williams (11/13/16)

Just going back through my posts, I can easily say that I’ve seen Dar Williams about 7-10 times.  In fact, I had just seen her at Music Box last year.  This time she was touring on the 20 year anniversary of Mortal City - a seminal album for her - so this was a must-see show.  Though it’s not like I really need a reason to see her.  Her wit and charm on stage is reason enough.

 

 

 

The Black Lillies (8/6/15)

Scored some free tickets to this Black Lillies show at the Music Box Supper Club.  I’m still not completely sold on this venue (at least food-wise), but I’m sold on the Black Lillies.  I’ll take a solid folk/bluegrass band any day.  You’ll get another chance btw - they’re coming back to the Beachland on November 20th!

Shawn Colvin (5/27/15)

This is one of those shows where I really go for the opener.  Sure, I liked Shawn Colvin back in the 90’s (that one album), but tonight was all about me catching my first glimpse of Tom Brousseau (A soon to be total crush).  Everything that man does sounds amazing to me.  Light & fresh, but with depth and complexity.  Unfortunately for this evening (not entirely) he was performing with Andru Bemis and was not playing any of his original songs.  Oh well…  There’s always next time.

Shawn was OK.  She’s a little stiff for me on stage, but she definitely has talent.  But not quite enough there for me to grab the album or see her again… 

Dar Williams (5/2/15)

Dar Williams returned to Cleveland - finally!  This time she was performing at the Music Box down in the Flats - and with Lucy Wainwright Roche opening (yay!).  I was really excited for this show at this venue.  We had quite a large group of people and were set right up front (I was sitting next to the stage).  I will however, avoid doing this in the future - as the sound from the monitors overwhelmed the overall sound.  Still… it was Dar and Lucy.  (no video since I was so close)

Over the Rhine (12/10/14)

I’ve seen (and enjoyed) Over the Rhine in concert before, but this show was more about seeing Lily & Madeline for me.    I’ve been enjoying the last two albums from these ladies - immensely.  They were soft spoken, but their music was effortless and refreshing.  Unfortunately for us though, our seats at the Music Box were obstructed, but now I know where we should be sitting for future shows.

Over the Rhine were superb as well.  Seeing both these acts at the Music Box, with a great dinner in front of us, was quite a treat.  I would also recommend seeing Over the Rhine at Christmastime as well, as it’s one of their favorite genre’s for music and storytelling.  What a delight.

New Music Venues in Town

There’s been a lot of music venue activity happening around town.  Here’s a couple articles about the new music venues that have opened so far… 

Music Box (on the West Bank of the Flats)

I’ve been able to see a couple shows so far in this venue.  The seating for me is nice... for shows that you should be seated for.  It becomes a challenge with upbeat shows.

"This is the first show I've covered at the new venue on the west bank of Cleveland's Flats. It is a beautiful, wonderful place. The supper club is elegant, in an industrial sort of way, and the forced camaraderie from what I call a 'Benihana-style'' seating – all the tables have six seats, so you're almost definitely going to be seated next to a stranger – is actually a plus."

(Via. Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle fill Music Box with songs and stories (Concert review) | cleveland.com)

Bevy in Birdtown (formerly the Winchester)

I have yet to see a show here (or even go) but I’ll be excited to see what they’ve done with this space.

"New owners Patty Lim and Beth Scebbi of New Century Builders have completely refreshed the space. The bar area has new flooring, a new ceiling, fresh paint and custom-designed lighting crafted from old wine bottles. There are eight draft beer lines, and a new kitchen will allow for a full-service menu that is scheduled to start sometime in October.

'We felt that Madison Avenue is really going to be taking over,' says Lim. 'Detroit Avenue is at its peak, and this is the next phase of development in Lakewood.'"

(Via. new owners transform winchester music hall into the bevy with live music and food)

Macy Gray (10/1/14)

While this show didn’t take much convincing for me to go - I was basically walking into this show blind.  I knew Macy’s hits, but hadn’t paid *any* attention to her recently.  Fortunately, I was going with probably one of her biggest fans in Cleveland who gave me a last minute crash course update.

This woman deserves respect.  She is very talented (and so is her band!) and very entertaining, despite the near-comatose crowd at the Music Box.  I would totally see her again, and give this show a 9 on the DAKS scale.

Tonight: Macy Gray @ Music Box

Not sure what I’m getting myself into tonight, but Macy Gray does have some new stuff out.  Not half bad!

Brent Kirby & His Luck (9/13/14)

I scored some free tickets from a newsletter sign-up promotion that the Music Box carried earlier - and chose this show as the one to attend. I didn’t have much choice though, I was busy every other night, and didn’t even have much time to spend at this show either.  But despite not having a choice - I still would have picked this show anyway.  Brent’s a cool guy who’s doing cool shit in this town.

AND - this was my first show at the new Music Box venue, though we were only in the smaller of the two spaces.  Nice tables, nice chairs, nice stage… We didn’t have a chance to eat - but overall, things were very clean and nice.  But I kinda miss having some grit.