Telethon Concert Calendar
Normally I'd start off a new concert calendar with a recap of all the six concerts I've gone to since the last concert calendar. However, I am skipping the recap this time so I can plug something I really care about.
As most of you know, I have been hosting a Sunday afternoon radio show at WRUW-FM (91.1) since 2002. I've been affiliated with the station since spring 1998. Over the years many have you listened both via the terrestrial radio waves, via our live webcast or via our MP3 archive. Me and my collection of co-hosts have hosted shows with a lot of freeform music, not to mention classical, blues, jazz, country, punk, electronic, ska and undoubtedly some other genres I've forgotten. I put together this concert calendar largely so I can make sure I play good bands who are coming to Cleveland or the surrounding environs.
Once a year, and once only, WRUW asks for you financial support. Half of our annual budget comes from listener donations. We like to say that what CWRU gives us lets us survive, but what you gives us lets us thrive. Our new air studio (2006), web streaming / archives (2003), digital library (2010ish), and new website (2015) are just some of the things that we've improved over the years with listener donations. If you think this is important, I'd ask that you donate to our annual telethon. The telethon officially starts Monday, April 13 and goes through Sunday, April 19. You can call 216-368-2208 to donate during that week, or you can go to our website and donate right now. We'll happily thank you with all sorts of cool premiums, and your donation is tax deductible to the amount allowed by law. For an extra special warm fuzzy feeling you can select my show "Number 9" in the drop down, but it all goes to the same place so I'll thank you no matter where you donate.
This year I'm going out of my way to request this because for the first time ever, I am going to miss my own telethon show on April 19 because I'll be out of town. Poor timing on my part, I know, but I swear there's a reason for it. In any event, my intrepid co-host Shari will be rocking the phones.
Thank you in advance for your support. And now, on to the concert calendar. As always, bold means I'm going for sure and italics means I'm strongly considering it. Everything else is listed so I can consider playing it on a future edition of Number 9, or for my own personal entertainment value.
April
R 4/09 - Shana Falana @ Happy Dog. I've been playing her new album and it's a weird enjoyable pop thing with some electronic overtones.
F 4/10 - Dumpstaphunk @ Beachland Ballroom. New Orlean funk with a couple of Neville brothers thrown in for fun.
F 4/10 - Oh Honey @ Beachland Tavern. Might be a good post-opener bet on a indie band.
S 4/11 - Dopapod @ Beachland Ballroom. I'm not much into jam bands, but I've listed these guys in the sure knowledge that AP will call me out if I don't :-)
Su 4/12 - Random Rab @ Beachland Ballroom. West Coast electronic.
M 4/13 - Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Nighttown. Latin jazz.
T 4/14 - The Calder Quartet @ CMA. Classical quartet. I have tickets. I may have a +1, comment if you are interested.
T 4/14 - Foxygen @ Rock Hall. $5 bet on another neo-soul band.
R 4/16 through S 4/18 - The Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance. Bolero.
R 4/16 - Hot Club of Cowtown @ Music Box Supper Club. I'll wait until they return to Nighttown, hopefully.
R 4/16 - Sufjan Stevens @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored by Beachland. On the plus side: Illinoise. On the down side: Christmas Unicorn.
R 4/16 - Green Day @ HOB. The guy I trained with on the radio station played them, because he had been playing them before they were big.
F 4/17 - Nightwish @ Agora Ballroom. Operatic metal.
As is typical I leave town for the rest of April on 4/18 and miss a ton of cool looking shows. I'd go to at least five of these if I was here.
S 4/18 - The Monday Sound @ Happy Dog. My friend Emma is fronting a band. Everything else she does is awesome, so I can't see why this wouldn't be.
Su 4/19 - Portland Cello Project @ Music Box Concert Hall. Covering Elliot Smith, classically.
Su 4/19 - Charlie Hunter Trio @ Nighttown. What does an eight-string guitar player play? Jazz, in this case.
T 4/21 - They Might Be Giants @ Beachland Ballroom. "Hey, can I hear some pretentious accordion-oriented 1980s college eclectica?" SOLD OUT!
W 4/22 - Neutral Milk Hotel @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored by Grog Shop. One famous album, but what an album it is. SOLD OUT!
W 4/22 - Joan Armatrading @ Kent Stage. Again, way too expensive, but have enjoyed playing her back catalog off and on for the last several months.
W 4/22 - Mountain Goats @ Wexner Center in Columbus. Because John Darnielle hates Cleveland and won't come near here. If I was in town, I'd drive to this show or the one the next night.
R 4/23 - Mountain Goats @ Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh. John Darnielle still hates Cleveland.
R 4/23 - The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Grog Shop. Country-rock. Quite good the one time I saw them to celebrate not being married.
R 4/23 - Alash Ensemble @ Nighttown. Tuvan throat singers.
F 4/24 - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ Beachland Ballroom. Generally loud and generally good.
F 4/24 - Trampled By Turtles @ HOB, cosponsored by Beachland. The bluegrass-traditional oriented pride of Duluth. And to think I saw them in the Tavern years ago with a tiny little crowd.
F 4/24 - Tom Chapin @ Nighttown. Singer-songwriter. Harry's brother.
S 4/25 - Eileen Jewell @ Beachland Tavern. I saw her a few years go. She's got an interesting rockabilly/old country sound.
S 4/25 - Europe @ HOB. Sounds like an excuse to play The Final Countdown, or at least the Laibach cover.
M 4/27 - Primus @ Cleveland Masonic Auditorium, sponsored by Grog Shop. Look, I've seen various Primus variants several times and never been much impressed, but this time they are playing a concept album based on the Gene Wilder Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Really. And it's actually a pretty good album.
R 4/30 - Acid Mothers Temple @ Grog Shop. Psyche rock.
May
F 5/01 - Southern Culture on the Skids @ Beachland Ballroom. They do faux white trash rock well.
S 5/02 - Ekoostik Hookah @ Kent Stage. Hi Amanda!
S 5/02 - Dar Williams @ Music Box Concert Hall. Once was enough for me personally.
S 5/02 & Su 5/03 - Arlo Guthrie @ EJ Thomas. My father says he is a lot of fun live.
T 5/05 - Diego Figueiredo & Gabriel Grossi @ Nighttown. Diego is a brilliant jazz guitarist. I've seen him twice and recommend him. Gabriel is apparently a harmonica player.
T 5/05 - White Mystery @ Happy Dog. Years ago I saw the female half of this duo as Miss Alex White and the Reds opening for the Black Keys, which is a lot of colors in one lineup. Anyway, it was rock, and not bad. Might be a $5 bet.
W 5/06 - Neil deGrasse Tyson @ EJ Thomas. Advance notice for all you Cosmos fan boys and fan girls.
W 5/06 - FIDLAR @ Grog Shop. A bunch of my coworkers are super excited about this.
R 5/07 - Xavier Rudd @ Beachland Ballroom. Apparently he's gotten real popular since I saw him in Australia in 2004, since the show goes for $30. Anyway, he used to play world music-ish rock, complete with didgeridoo.
F 5/08 - George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ HOB. Shit, goddamn, get off your ass and jam. Thanks George, for being one of my first real concerts. Halloween night 1997.
F 5/09 - MxPx @ Agora Ballroom. Let's go down to the punk rock show!
T 5/12 - Matt Pond PA @ Grog Shop. I saw him years ago when heheadlined Studio-A-Rama. It was good. It seems odd to be doing a "ten year anniversary" for his album Several Arrows Later, but it was a really good album.
T 5/12 - Black Pussy @ Beachland Tavern. Taken from the original name of the Stones song "Brown Sugar", billed as a revival of 1970s cock rock. For $5, who knows?
W 5/13 - The Baseball Project @ Music Box Concert Hall. Baseball themed songs from Peter Buck, Steve Wynn and Mike Mills. Their songs are awesome for baseball fans.
R 5/14 - Welcome to Night Vale @ Playhouse Square. The podcast goes on tour.
F 5/15 - The Antlers @ Beachland Ballroom. Hot indie rock band.
F 5/15 - Stephane Wrembel Gypsy Jazz Quartet @ Nighttown. Featured in the Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris"
S 5/16 - Mr. Gnome @ Beachland Ballroom. Last year's album from the Cleveland favorites was very good.
Su 5/17 - Pixies @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored HOB. Well, they aren't really the Pixies since Kim Deal isn't there. I will not be swayed on this!
T 5/19 - Matt & Kim @ HOB. I know nothing but that others like them.
T 5/19 - Dr. John @ Kent Stage. It's hard to get more New Orleans than Dr. John.
R 5/21 - Jane's Addiction @ HOB. I feel like I should make a cheap joke about getting caught stealing here, but I'll resist the urge. For now.
F 5/22 - Ray Wylie Hubbard @ Beachland Ballroom. Country singer-songwriter in the vein of Joe Ely. I saw him once as part of a trio and liked him.
F 5/22 - Rubblebucket @ Grog Shop. One of the more interesting neo-soulish bands out there. I liked them when I saw them.
S 5/23 - Silencio @ Beachland Tavern. They play David Lynch inspired music. I've seen them twice. They are brilliant. A must for Lynch fans, or anyone who likes strange and weird music.
W 5/27 - Whitehorse @ Beachland Tavern. $10 bet on a husband and wife duo/ Hey, it worked for Sonic Youth, right? NOTE: does not actually sound like Sonic Youth.
R 5/28 through S 5/30 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues. Free classical.
S 5/30 - Weird Al @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica) - However, I believe this has SOLD OUT!
June
W 6/03 - Taylor Swift @ The Q. I have a feeling I have friends who will be super excited about this, and I don't blame them.
W 6/03 - My Morning Jacket @ Playhouse Square. The other mainstream option for the night.
W 6/03 - Wildhoney @ NTC. Shoegaze.
R 6/04 - Shonen Knife @ Happy Dog. Japanese girl pop rock. "Hello Osaka, Hello Osaka!"
R 6/04 - Tame Impala @ HOB. My co-host Shari likes them. Actually, pretty much everyone at WRUW likes them.
S 6/07 - Elizabeth Cook @ Beachland Tavern. I saw her back in 2011. Countyish.
M 6/08 - Wire @ Beachland Ballroom. It's Wire, or at least some of the members. Don't know Wire? Get educated, please!
W 6/10 - Shabazz Palaces @ Mahalls. A lot of my friends liked their 2014 release.
F 6/12 - The Sonics @ Beachland Ballroom. Practically the archetypical garage band.
S 6/13 - Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions @ Blossom. Your guess is probably better than mine, but I assume classical versions of video game music?
M 6/15 - Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion @ Music Box Concert Club. He's still around, but mostly doing jazz.
T 6/16 - Voodoo Glow Skulls @ Agora Ballroom. Late 2nd wave / early 3rd wave ska core band.
T 6/16 - Esperanza Spalding @ Cain Park. Jazz bassist, singer and composer.
W 6/17 - New Kids on the Block @ The Q. I'm listing this for one specific person, and my entertainment value from that alone.
F 6/19 - Heartless Bastards @ Grog Shop. Rock. May be worth a re-listen, it's been some years since I saw them.
F 6/19 - Herman's Hermits @ Cain Park. Is it wrong of me to kind of want to see this?
T 6/23 - The Helio Sequence @ Beachland Tavern. Listed so I can go listen to them again and see why the name sounds familiar.
T 6/23 - Mates of State @ Grog Shop. I liked them once, will have to check out the new album. Oh yeah, indie rockish.
W 6/24 - Hall and Oates @ EJ Thomas. I'm sorely tempted. Does that make me a bad person?
R 6/25 - Dear Rouge @ Mahalls. Another husband and wife rock duo. Might be worth a $8 bet.
F 6/26 - Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn @ Cain Park. The power couple of banjo music. Alas, I am out of town.
F 6/26 - Herzog @ Happy Dog. Put out a great album in 2014.
M 6/29 - Morrissey @ EJ Thomas. Hi Shari!
Beyond
W 7/01 - John Fogerty @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica) - No mocking here; Fortunate Son is still brilliant.
S 7/04 - Los Straitjackets @ Beachland Ballroom. Last year's album with Deke Dickerson was hilarious. I have no idea if Deke will be with them, but even if he isn't, everybody should see guys in luchador masks playing surf guitar at least once.
Su 7/05 - Steve Earle & The Dukes @ Music Box Concert Hall. My top concert of 2005.
S 7/11 - Wycliffe Gordon/Cyrille Aimee @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). I love Cyrille so much.
S 7/11 - Pete Escovedo and Sheila E @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). Father and daughter percussionists bring it.
R 7/16 - Ex-Hex @ Grog Shop. They are a power trio including Mary Timony and they put out one of my very favorite albums of 2014. I already bought a ticket and I recommend them strongly!
F 7/24 - Cake @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica), sponsored by Grog Shop. I think once was enough for me, although that might be because it was the last show I saw with my ex. In any event, worth playing on the radio some more.
S 8/01 - The Beach Boys @ Cain Park. I went once for nostalgia value and had a good time.
M 8/03 - Van Halen @ Blossom. David Lee Roth, not Van Hagar.
W 8/05 - Dick Dale @ Grog Shop. Presumably one day the King of the Surf Guitar will die, and you'll be sorry you didn't see him. Go!
F 8/08 - Phish @ Blossom. Of course, all of you Phish fans already knew this.
F 8/21 - Idina Menzel @ Blossom. Seems like a weird venue for her to play; I guess Frozen really made her huge.
S 9/05 & Su 9/06 - The Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom. Performing the music of John Williams.
T 9/08 - Jackson Brown @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica). I do want to see him some day, but this is not the venue for it with the acoustic issues.
I've checked two new venues. First, the Euclid Tavern is back, although you may hear it called Happy Dog East. Second, the Odeon returns from the dead, for at least a moment.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, CSU Convocation (aka Wolstein) Center, HOB, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, Quicken Loans Arena, Night Town, Playhouse Square, Rock Hall, Cain Park, Blossom, Nautica Pavilion, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Severance Hall, E.J. Thomas Hall (Akron), Musica (Akron), Akron Civic, CityMusic Cleveland, Now That's Class, Happy Dog, Euclid Tavern (aka, Happy Dog East), Mahall's 20 Lanes, Tri-C Jazzfest, Dionysus (Oberlin), Oberlin College, Cleveland Museum of Art, Transformer Station, Hard Rock Live, The Music Box, The Odeon.
As most of you know, I have been hosting a Sunday afternoon radio show at WRUW-FM (91.1) since 2002. I've been affiliated with the station since spring 1998. Over the years many have you listened both via the terrestrial radio waves, via our live webcast or via our MP3 archive. Me and my collection of co-hosts have hosted shows with a lot of freeform music, not to mention classical, blues, jazz, country, punk, electronic, ska and undoubtedly some other genres I've forgotten. I put together this concert calendar largely so I can make sure I play good bands who are coming to Cleveland or the surrounding environs.
Once a year, and once only, WRUW asks for you financial support. Half of our annual budget comes from listener donations. We like to say that what CWRU gives us lets us survive, but what you gives us lets us thrive. Our new air studio (2006), web streaming / archives (2003), digital library (2010ish), and new website (2015) are just some of the things that we've improved over the years with listener donations. If you think this is important, I'd ask that you donate to our annual telethon. The telethon officially starts Monday, April 13 and goes through Sunday, April 19. You can call 216-368-2208 to donate during that week, or you can go to our website and donate right now. We'll happily thank you with all sorts of cool premiums, and your donation is tax deductible to the amount allowed by law. For an extra special warm fuzzy feeling you can select my show "Number 9" in the drop down, but it all goes to the same place so I'll thank you no matter where you donate.
This year I'm going out of my way to request this because for the first time ever, I am going to miss my own telethon show on April 19 because I'll be out of town. Poor timing on my part, I know, but I swear there's a reason for it. In any event, my intrepid co-host Shari will be rocking the phones.
Thank you in advance for your support. And now, on to the concert calendar. As always, bold means I'm going for sure and italics means I'm strongly considering it. Everything else is listed so I can consider playing it on a future edition of Number 9, or for my own personal entertainment value.
April
R 4/09 - Shana Falana @ Happy Dog. I've been playing her new album and it's a weird enjoyable pop thing with some electronic overtones.
F 4/10 - Dumpstaphunk @ Beachland Ballroom. New Orlean funk with a couple of Neville brothers thrown in for fun.
F 4/10 - Oh Honey @ Beachland Tavern. Might be a good post-opener bet on a indie band.
S 4/11 - Dopapod @ Beachland Ballroom. I'm not much into jam bands, but I've listed these guys in the sure knowledge that AP will call me out if I don't :-)
Su 4/12 - Random Rab @ Beachland Ballroom. West Coast electronic.
M 4/13 - Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Nighttown. Latin jazz.
T 4/14 - The Calder Quartet @ CMA. Classical quartet. I have tickets. I may have a +1, comment if you are interested.
T 4/14 - Foxygen @ Rock Hall. $5 bet on another neo-soul band.
R 4/16 through S 4/18 - The Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance. Bolero.
R 4/16 - Hot Club of Cowtown @ Music Box Supper Club. I'll wait until they return to Nighttown, hopefully.
R 4/16 - Sufjan Stevens @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored by Beachland. On the plus side: Illinoise. On the down side: Christmas Unicorn.
R 4/16 - Green Day @ HOB. The guy I trained with on the radio station played them, because he had been playing them before they were big.
F 4/17 - Nightwish @ Agora Ballroom. Operatic metal.
As is typical I leave town for the rest of April on 4/18 and miss a ton of cool looking shows. I'd go to at least five of these if I was here.
S 4/18 - The Monday Sound @ Happy Dog. My friend Emma is fronting a band. Everything else she does is awesome, so I can't see why this wouldn't be.
Su 4/19 - Portland Cello Project @ Music Box Concert Hall. Covering Elliot Smith, classically.
Su 4/19 - Charlie Hunter Trio @ Nighttown. What does an eight-string guitar player play? Jazz, in this case.
T 4/21 - They Might Be Giants @ Beachland Ballroom. "Hey, can I hear some pretentious accordion-oriented 1980s college eclectica?" SOLD OUT!
W 4/22 - Neutral Milk Hotel @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored by Grog Shop. One famous album, but what an album it is. SOLD OUT!
W 4/22 - Joan Armatrading @ Kent Stage. Again, way too expensive, but have enjoyed playing her back catalog off and on for the last several months.
W 4/22 - Mountain Goats @ Wexner Center in Columbus. Because John Darnielle hates Cleveland and won't come near here. If I was in town, I'd drive to this show or the one the next night.
R 4/23 - Mountain Goats @ Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh. John Darnielle still hates Cleveland.
R 4/23 - The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Grog Shop. Country-rock. Quite good the one time I saw them to celebrate not being married.
R 4/23 - Alash Ensemble @ Nighttown. Tuvan throat singers.
F 4/24 - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ Beachland Ballroom. Generally loud and generally good.
F 4/24 - Trampled By Turtles @ HOB, cosponsored by Beachland. The bluegrass-traditional oriented pride of Duluth. And to think I saw them in the Tavern years ago with a tiny little crowd.
F 4/24 - Tom Chapin @ Nighttown. Singer-songwriter. Harry's brother.
S 4/25 - Eileen Jewell @ Beachland Tavern. I saw her a few years go. She's got an interesting rockabilly/old country sound.
S 4/25 - Europe @ HOB. Sounds like an excuse to play The Final Countdown, or at least the Laibach cover.
M 4/27 - Primus @ Cleveland Masonic Auditorium, sponsored by Grog Shop. Look, I've seen various Primus variants several times and never been much impressed, but this time they are playing a concept album based on the Gene Wilder Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Really. And it's actually a pretty good album.
R 4/30 - Acid Mothers Temple @ Grog Shop. Psyche rock.
May
F 5/01 - Southern Culture on the Skids @ Beachland Ballroom. They do faux white trash rock well.
S 5/02 - Ekoostik Hookah @ Kent Stage. Hi Amanda!
S 5/02 - Dar Williams @ Music Box Concert Hall. Once was enough for me personally.
S 5/02 & Su 5/03 - Arlo Guthrie @ EJ Thomas. My father says he is a lot of fun live.
T 5/05 - Diego Figueiredo & Gabriel Grossi @ Nighttown. Diego is a brilliant jazz guitarist. I've seen him twice and recommend him. Gabriel is apparently a harmonica player.
T 5/05 - White Mystery @ Happy Dog. Years ago I saw the female half of this duo as Miss Alex White and the Reds opening for the Black Keys, which is a lot of colors in one lineup. Anyway, it was rock, and not bad. Might be a $5 bet.
W 5/06 - Neil deGrasse Tyson @ EJ Thomas. Advance notice for all you Cosmos fan boys and fan girls.
W 5/06 - FIDLAR @ Grog Shop. A bunch of my coworkers are super excited about this.
R 5/07 - Xavier Rudd @ Beachland Ballroom. Apparently he's gotten real popular since I saw him in Australia in 2004, since the show goes for $30. Anyway, he used to play world music-ish rock, complete with didgeridoo.
F 5/08 - George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ HOB. Shit, goddamn, get off your ass and jam. Thanks George, for being one of my first real concerts. Halloween night 1997.
F 5/09 - MxPx @ Agora Ballroom. Let's go down to the punk rock show!
T 5/12 - Matt Pond PA @ Grog Shop. I saw him years ago when heheadlined Studio-A-Rama. It was good. It seems odd to be doing a "ten year anniversary" for his album Several Arrows Later, but it was a really good album.
T 5/12 - Black Pussy @ Beachland Tavern. Taken from the original name of the Stones song "Brown Sugar", billed as a revival of 1970s cock rock. For $5, who knows?
W 5/13 - The Baseball Project @ Music Box Concert Hall. Baseball themed songs from Peter Buck, Steve Wynn and Mike Mills. Their songs are awesome for baseball fans.
R 5/14 - Welcome to Night Vale @ Playhouse Square. The podcast goes on tour.
F 5/15 - The Antlers @ Beachland Ballroom. Hot indie rock band.
F 5/15 - Stephane Wrembel Gypsy Jazz Quartet @ Nighttown. Featured in the Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris"
S 5/16 - Mr. Gnome @ Beachland Ballroom. Last year's album from the Cleveland favorites was very good.
Su 5/17 - Pixies @ Cleveland Masonic Hall, sponsored HOB. Well, they aren't really the Pixies since Kim Deal isn't there. I will not be swayed on this!
T 5/19 - Matt & Kim @ HOB. I know nothing but that others like them.
T 5/19 - Dr. John @ Kent Stage. It's hard to get more New Orleans than Dr. John.
R 5/21 - Jane's Addiction @ HOB. I feel like I should make a cheap joke about getting caught stealing here, but I'll resist the urge. For now.
F 5/22 - Ray Wylie Hubbard @ Beachland Ballroom. Country singer-songwriter in the vein of Joe Ely. I saw him once as part of a trio and liked him.
F 5/22 - Rubblebucket @ Grog Shop. One of the more interesting neo-soulish bands out there. I liked them when I saw them.
S 5/23 - Silencio @ Beachland Tavern. They play David Lynch inspired music. I've seen them twice. They are brilliant. A must for Lynch fans, or anyone who likes strange and weird music.
W 5/27 - Whitehorse @ Beachland Tavern. $10 bet on a husband and wife duo/ Hey, it worked for Sonic Youth, right? NOTE: does not actually sound like Sonic Youth.
R 5/28 through S 5/30 - CityMusic Cleveland at various venues. Free classical.
S 5/30 - Weird Al @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica) - However, I believe this has SOLD OUT!
June
W 6/03 - Taylor Swift @ The Q. I have a feeling I have friends who will be super excited about this, and I don't blame them.
W 6/03 - My Morning Jacket @ Playhouse Square. The other mainstream option for the night.
W 6/03 - Wildhoney @ NTC. Shoegaze.
R 6/04 - Shonen Knife @ Happy Dog. Japanese girl pop rock. "Hello Osaka, Hello Osaka!"
R 6/04 - Tame Impala @ HOB. My co-host Shari likes them. Actually, pretty much everyone at WRUW likes them.
S 6/07 - Elizabeth Cook @ Beachland Tavern. I saw her back in 2011. Countyish.
M 6/08 - Wire @ Beachland Ballroom. It's Wire, or at least some of the members. Don't know Wire? Get educated, please!
W 6/10 - Shabazz Palaces @ Mahalls. A lot of my friends liked their 2014 release.
F 6/12 - The Sonics @ Beachland Ballroom. Practically the archetypical garage band.
S 6/13 - Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions @ Blossom. Your guess is probably better than mine, but I assume classical versions of video game music?
M 6/15 - Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion @ Music Box Concert Club. He's still around, but mostly doing jazz.
T 6/16 - Voodoo Glow Skulls @ Agora Ballroom. Late 2nd wave / early 3rd wave ska core band.
T 6/16 - Esperanza Spalding @ Cain Park. Jazz bassist, singer and composer.
W 6/17 - New Kids on the Block @ The Q. I'm listing this for one specific person, and my entertainment value from that alone.
F 6/19 - Heartless Bastards @ Grog Shop. Rock. May be worth a re-listen, it's been some years since I saw them.
F 6/19 - Herman's Hermits @ Cain Park. Is it wrong of me to kind of want to see this?
T 6/23 - The Helio Sequence @ Beachland Tavern. Listed so I can go listen to them again and see why the name sounds familiar.
T 6/23 - Mates of State @ Grog Shop. I liked them once, will have to check out the new album. Oh yeah, indie rockish.
W 6/24 - Hall and Oates @ EJ Thomas. I'm sorely tempted. Does that make me a bad person?
R 6/25 - Dear Rouge @ Mahalls. Another husband and wife rock duo. Might be worth a $8 bet.
F 6/26 - Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn @ Cain Park. The power couple of banjo music. Alas, I am out of town.
F 6/26 - Herzog @ Happy Dog. Put out a great album in 2014.
M 6/29 - Morrissey @ EJ Thomas. Hi Shari!
Beyond
W 7/01 - John Fogerty @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica) - No mocking here; Fortunate Son is still brilliant.
S 7/04 - Los Straitjackets @ Beachland Ballroom. Last year's album with Deke Dickerson was hilarious. I have no idea if Deke will be with them, but even if he isn't, everybody should see guys in luchador masks playing surf guitar at least once.
Su 7/05 - Steve Earle & The Dukes @ Music Box Concert Hall. My top concert of 2005.
S 7/11 - Wycliffe Gordon/Cyrille Aimee @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). I love Cyrille so much.
S 7/11 - Pete Escovedo and Sheila E @ Playhouse Square (Tri-C Jazzfest). Father and daughter percussionists bring it.
R 7/16 - Ex-Hex @ Grog Shop. They are a power trio including Mary Timony and they put out one of my very favorite albums of 2014. I already bought a ticket and I recommend them strongly!
F 7/24 - Cake @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica), sponsored by Grog Shop. I think once was enough for me, although that might be because it was the last show I saw with my ex. In any event, worth playing on the radio some more.
S 8/01 - The Beach Boys @ Cain Park. I went once for nostalgia value and had a good time.
M 8/03 - Van Halen @ Blossom. David Lee Roth, not Van Hagar.
W 8/05 - Dick Dale @ Grog Shop. Presumably one day the King of the Surf Guitar will die, and you'll be sorry you didn't see him. Go!
F 8/08 - Phish @ Blossom. Of course, all of you Phish fans already knew this.
F 8/21 - Idina Menzel @ Blossom. Seems like a weird venue for her to play; I guess Frozen really made her huge.
S 9/05 & Su 9/06 - The Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom. Performing the music of John Williams.
T 9/08 - Jackson Brown @ Jacob's Pavilion (Nautica). I do want to see him some day, but this is not the venue for it with the acoustic issues.
I've checked two new venues. First, the Euclid Tavern is back, although you may hear it called Happy Dog East. Second, the Odeon returns from the dead, for at least a moment.
How do you find local shows? Try these: Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Grog Shop, CSU Convocation (aka Wolstein) Center, HOB, Kent Stage, Agora Theater & Ballroom, Quicken Loans Arena, Night Town, Playhouse Square, Rock Hall, Cain Park, Blossom, Nautica Pavilion, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Severance Hall, E.J. Thomas Hall (Akron), Musica (Akron), Akron Civic, CityMusic Cleveland, Now That's Class, Happy Dog, Euclid Tavern (aka, Happy Dog East), Mahall's 20 Lanes, Tri-C Jazzfest, Dionysus (Oberlin), Oberlin College, Cleveland Museum of Art, Transformer Station, Hard Rock Live, The Music Box, The Odeon.