More dancing in Cleveland!!
"When Touch reopened, longtime fans were greeted by major updates throughout the place. In particular, the newly remodeled basement featured a nice zinc-topped bar and plenty of additional seating. Always home to special events, the basement at Touch had suddenly become a chic addition to the westside's musical offerings. 'The basement is all about dancing,' Petty says."
Man Made Mountain have me ready for Summer with this smooth groove and video for Cachaça ft. Tom Scott. Speaking of Summer, let’s go tropical (and SEXY) with Bomba Estéreo's Somos Dos. Next up is Milky Chance who I’m just now discovering, thanks to oWOW Radio! How did I miss this album when it was released??
Bonus: Years & Years are back with another great video, albeit a little more risqué this time. I’m looking forward to seeing them open for Ellie Goulding at Jacobs Pavilion (moved from Wolstein!)
Starting off with my newest favorite Ezra Furman song - listen to the lyrics. Lily & Madeline are simply luminescent with their video For The Weak. Chairlift’s video for Crying in Public is crisp and refreshing, like the song.
Bonus: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are back with No Live Like Yours, well, after a few minutes of setup first… The song is the grand romantic folk you’d expect (and welcome).
A nice write up on the history and state of Cleveland as a concert destination.
"'It's a mixed bag,' says Zitterbart when asked about Cleveland's status as a desirable tour stop. 'I think there are a lot of tours out there. A lot of good ones come to Cleveland, and a lot of good ones miss Cleveland. It comes down to simple economics. I can assure you that if every show was sold out, bands would not skip Cleveland. A big part of it is that if fans want the shows to come, they have to go out and support the shows that are booked."
Troye Sivan finally comes out with his light-soaked video for Youth. Rostam has separated from Vampire Weekend and has this great new video out for Gravity Don’t Pull Me - I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album. The new video for Oberhofer’s Hey Man makes me want to be hanging out with him in NYC - or anywhere for that matter.
Bonus: Calvin Love really earned his keep on this new video for Creepin. (What about the trees?!)
Tomorrow night at the Grog Shop will be a GREAT show. Chad Valley is coming back as a headliner this time. His dreamy pop/electronica should be great in the Grog Shop space.
"The last thing we heard from the Oxford, UK singer and spell-caster Chad Valley was the 2012 synth-streaked ’80s-pop pastiche Young Hunger, an album that featured collaborations with people like Twin Shadow. He’s still playing around with those sounds on the new album Entirely New Blue, but he’s doing it to more personal ends. The album has glittering production from Joel Ford, of Ford & Lopatin and Yung Ejecta, but it’s a breakup album, not a genre exercise. First single ‘Seventeen,’ which stretches luxuriously over nearly six minutes, gives plenty of room to Valley’s wounded falsetto. The FADER posted the song, and you can hear it below."
However, I think I’m more excited about the opener Blackbird Blackbird. I’ve been loving everything of his lately...
"When it comes to putting out organic and uplifting electronic, Blackbird Blackbird is one of the few artists that can consistently impress, and his latest instrumental, 'Strawberry Girl', greatly portrays our claim. While the San Franciscan synth maestro continues to be quite frequent with new releases, this particular piece of his is reminiscent of his earlier work, as wavering chord progressions accompany well what climbing tempos he uses. From his arpeggiated saw waves, to his mesmerizing guitar hook, there isn't the slightest sonic crevasse throughout the track."
(Via Blackbird Blackbird - "Strawberry Light" - Hillydilly.)
Plants & Animals are back (!!!) and are dancing it out (among random other things) for this video for Stay. RATATAT has a beautiful video for the melancholy Supreme. And speaking of beautiful, Mount Moriah brings us a heaping load of beautiful scenes in Baby Blue.
Bonus: That beauty and strangeness continues to blend with Youth Lagoon’s (RIP) video for Rotten Human.
Happy Birthday Beachland! They were hosting some of the best local bands for their Sweet 16 - in both rooms for $15! I’d been wanting to see Jivvden since catching them briefly in the basement of Mahalls a year ago or so. Throw in Cities & Coasts (who I booked for the Gay Games) and our local legends, The Modern Electric - I knew this was going to be a great night.
In the Tavern we caught some of Shit-Box Jimmy, who was quite compelling on stage. Unfortunately we left before catching the Shivering Timbers in the Tavern. But having access to the full building that night was a fun treat (especially being able to choose between the different beer selections!)
Pillar Point gets me with another “dancing in the streets of a foreign city” video. Love those… POLIÇA gets political with Wedding. Computer Magic is a new find with a fresh take on the 80’s synth.
Bonus: This beautiful video for PWR BTTM’s West Text (one of my recent favorite albums!)
Another winter, another Brite Winter Music Festival. Though this wasn’t much of a winter, which made for an even better festival! I think the temperatures were up in the 50’s that day - though it was still best to dress warm to spend long amounts of time outside. Though the number of people in t-shirts until late in the night was astounding. I think people were just thrilled to be outside. And for what better reason…
There was a little consternation about it’s transition back to the Flats. The festival had been getting more and more successful in Ohio City - but it was getting way too busy. The lines were awful. While I had my reservations about how it’d turn out going back to it’s roots - the festival couldn’t have asked for a better weather day to really kick off it’s new location right. What a great night.
