Tomorrow: Moon King / Key to the Mint @ Mahalls

Two great bands performing at Mahalls tomorrow night! Detroit-based artist Moon King and then Cleveland’s own Key to the Mint.  Never having heard of either of these bands before, I instantly fell in love with their respective dance/pop/punk sound!  I found this quote in Moon King's PR material that sums up his sound nicely: “Daniel (Moon King) put together a completely new band with a sound drawing from dance music's early days, from synthpop, disco and house music up through the more pop-oriented songcraft of the Bee Gees or Prince.”  Yes please.

Check out the videos...

Local band Key to the Mint calls themselves a post-punk.  I’m mostly getting some amazing 80’s retrowave sound from these guys, and can’t wait to see them live.  They’ll also be at Brite Winter Festival this year too!

Video for One Version of the Truth:

Against Me! (10/4/17)

I love getting press passes at the House of Blues.  For all the problems I have with that place, when a press pass comes my way, I’m thrilled to be going.  This is because of the pit access for the first 3 songs per band.  I’ve been a casual fan of Against Me!, though I’m probably more familiar with the trans rights efforts by their lead singer Laura Jane Grace. Still, it was a great pop punk show and I was so happy to be able to shoot it!  Also, check out the Tom Petty cover in the video, which even made Stereogum (not my version)!

Opening was Bleached, who I was pleasantly surprised to be seeing perform with Against Me!

Dead Boys (9/21/ 17)

A random series of events brought me to Now That’s Class to see the sold out Dead Boys show (I’m still not sure how we got in).  Still, I could tell this show was something special by the energy of the crowd.

"Formed in Cleveland in 1976, the Dead Boys were one of the first American acts to play what would come to be known as hardcore punk. Young, Loud and Snotty, their 1977 debut, featured the blistering underground hit ‘Sonic Reducer.’

The band broke up in 1979 but reunited for a few shows in the 1980s. After the death of singer Stiv Bators in 1990, the band members have rarely played together.” 

(Via Reunited Dead Boys to Bring Their Anniversary Tour to Now That’s Class | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

PWR BTTM (10/25/16)

This is one of two amazing shows happening at Mahalls 20 Lanes on this night.  PWR BTTM performed in the basement with Bellows opening.  I’ll let the Bellows bio describe their sound, as "sensory and delicate, subtle and quiet but erupting with frantic wobbling drums, large orchestral sections and bursts of noise that defy the limitations of pop and folk.”  So there… 

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been crushing on PWR BTTM for some time now.  Their brand of queer punk folk glam is fun and refreshing.  It was also nice to not have to drive out to Oberlin to see them this time. 

Archie & the Bunkers (9/3/16)

I’ve been hearing so much about Cleveland’s own Archie & the Bunkers, that I was glad to finally catch them at the Grog Shop.  Some quirky pop punk sounds, and pretty impressive for their young age.  Will keep an eye on these guys...

 

 

PWR BTTM (12/5/15)

This would be the third show, in three nights, in three cities that weren’t Cleveland.  This show was worth the drive, though a stop at Fat Heads Brewery helped.  Opening was Joey Nebulous from Chicago, though from his interaction with the crowd - I feel like he was of local kin. 

PWR BTTM has been a recent favorite - from the moment I started listening to Ugly Cherries. Their last-minute announcement of their show was pretty exciting, and seeing it in Oberlin topped off the night. Their post-gay punk pop sound is refreshing.  

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2015

I was lucky enough to attend, but unfortunately forgot my phone for this marathon 6 hour event.  Thankfully Matt had his to document the experience, otherwise it's like I wasn't even there. :-P  After a great Record Store Day that morning, the excitement continued to this event...  Overall, this was a phenomenal experience, with an impressive list of venerable artists.  Go Cleveland!

Bleached @ WRUW's Studio-A-Rama (9/6/14)

I didn’t get to spend much time at Studio-A-Rama, but was glad to catch Bleached.  Their grungy, pop-punk sound was a real treat, especially for free on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

The Julie Ruin (4/7/14)

Being a fan of Le Tigre, I would shave seen this show anyway, but after watching The Punk Singer at Cleveland Cinemas, I was even more stoked (trailer below).  Opening was ShiSho, a couple of girls from Kent, OH - who were quite a bit of fun, in a nerd punk kinda way.

Up next, I was finally able to catch the Screaming Females - who put out more rock power than I’ve seen in a long time.  Impressive.

The Julie Ruin were great.  It’s fun seeing Kathleen Hannah back on stage - the only thing that could have made the show better would be the band having one-less guy on stage (one who I felt needed his own fronting gig).

"Featuring legendary riot grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) at its helm, The Julie Ruin released their debut full-length album, Run Fast, last September. “Running fast” into 2014, The Julie Ruin will take their “bursting dance rock songs” (Los Angeles Times) & “engaging, endearing presence onstage” (The Austin Chronicle) to the road once more on a North American tour, including stops in Cambridge, Toronto, Cleveland, Ferndale & Chicago.”

Austin Craig / Allison Weiss (12/14/13)

The Beachland Tavern wasn’t my primary stop for the night, as I had other plans later, but I wanted to stop and catch Austin Craig. I saw him open for Joe Pug in Akron and thought he’d be a great performer for another house concert!  We’ve been talking and it’s sounding promising (details to come).  He was the first of 3 acts, of what looked like it was going to be a long night.  Austin’s voice is amazing and I really like his songwriting.  He’s only been at this a couple years, and I can’t wait to see what he does with his talent.

I zoned out for P.J. Bond, but sounded good enough.  Allison Weiss was next and she caught my attention.  Super voice and very engaging and polished, which felt surprising for her perceived young age.  Turns out she’s got quite a few albums out.  She was balancing between pop punk and acoustic sounds that night with no drummer - and it worked.  Even the Katy Perry covers.

She was unfortunately my last band for the night and I missed headliner Austin Lucas.

Tomorrow: Andrew Jackson Jihad @ Grog Shop

I'm so glad I took a couple minutes to listen to Andrew Jackson Jihad when deciding if I should go to this show… a couple minutes is all I needed to see how much talent, humor and insight these guys have.  Sure it's a bit curt, but it's amazing at how it can be poignant at the same time.  I can't wait to see these guys...

The Underground Railroad to Candyland (10/16/11)

The Underground Railroad to Candyland was not a band that I wasn't expecting to see on this night.  I was stopping up at the Beachland to grab some posters, knowing that the Screaming Females would be performing that night - but not quite sure if I would stay around to catch them (it was a Sunday night).  Well, I didn't - but I did stay long enough to really, really enjoy this band.  The hard-driving punk/pop sound of these guys were amazing.  Throw in some face paint, horns, and a cutie with butterfly wings and I'm sold.  I'd love to actually stay for a proper-show by them sometime.