Ty Kellogg to release second full-length album April 2

A cool spring breeze is blowing up from Appalachia and on it the tintinnabulation of a bronze-stringed guitar plucked by Ty Kellogg. Raised in Geauga County, Ohio, Kellogg does not hail from the misty mountains of the eastern United States but that is where he’s found the muse for the music he creates.

Kellogg is releasing his second full-length album on April 2. The self-titled folk country record, originally planned for release in 2010, features 10 songs, nine labeled and one untitled “hidden track.” He calls it "dirt" music, nitty-gritty tunes from another time in which the vocals aren't clean but gruff and a twang of the guitar may result from a misplayed chord.

"It's about how into the music are you," Kellogg said.

Kellogg shared with The Rhythm Report a sneak preview of a song on the album called "Chain Gang," a call-and-response work song inspired by Tom Waits and Cool Hand Luke, the 1967 film in which Paul Newman plays the role of a man imprisoned in a harsh Florida prison camp for popping off the tops of parking meters. Kellogg actually used chains to recreate the sound of leg iron dragging in the dirt on the side of a road. It is like listening to a record pulled from an early 20th century archive; one almost expects to hear the pop and crackle of the 45.

"This song will likely never be played live," Kellogg said. "It would be to hard to recreate its sound in a live show."

However, music fans can hear it here by clicking the video below and, if they're lucky enough to pick up one of the albums at Saturday's show, can add it to their own collection.

The album release show is being held at The Hambden Grange in Chardon and starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Special guests will include members of Gypsy Dave & the Stumpjumpers of Pennsylvania, The Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers of New York, Rebekah Jean, Leah McCoy, Bluebird and many more. Rumor has it, Kellogg and his band of misfit musicians will be equipped with banjos, a mandolin and a cross between the two called a banjolin, an upright bass, harmonicas and even a tuba to put on a show that is sure to be a boot-stompin’ delight.

“I’d like to think, even if someone doesn’t like folk music, they’ll be entertained,” Kellogg said.

Preview: "Chain Gang" Ty Kellogg

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

Artists review Cellar Door Records Volume III

You’ve read The Rhythm Report’s review of Cellar Door Records Volume III. Now it’s time to hear what the featured artists thought about the album. The Rhythm Report asked a few of the artists which is their favorite song or whom their favorite musicians are on the compilation. This is what they said:

“It’s difficult to pick just one, but Tom Evanchuck is pure talent. His voice and guitar playing have developed so much over the years, and he knows how to write a song. But I’ve also been enjoying Humble Home, Tinamou and David Beans. It’s a great compilation.”

-Rob Geer, The Conductor and The Creator

“'Enough' by Keith Vance. I initially felt guilty choosing this track because it's like picking your brother first for the kickball team. Yet through working with Keith over the past year or so with Division Sound, as well as playing live with him, I've grown a great appreciation for his work ethic. Knowing and being apart of the process that involves Keith writing, recording and mixing all of his own music makes it that much more genuine and passionate.”

-David Beans, solo artist, producer and DJ

“Some of my favorite bands on the CD would definitely be The Lighthouse and The Whaler, and The Modern Electric. Both bands are good friends, and they create great music together. Tinamou's music is very close to my heart as well, for obvious reasons!”

-Anthony Foti, Humble Home, former Tinamou drummer

“That's a hard call. A tie between the Craig Ramsey track and The Lighthouse and The Whaler. I've dug those two bands for some time. Of course, there's a bunch of other stuff on the compilation too, but you made me whittle it down.”

-Joshua Jesty, singer/songwriter

“I was really in to the Tom Evanchuck tune. I think that he is a fantastic singer and songwriter. I also feel like there aren't a lot of younger people playing that kind of music around here.”

-Jeff Sutton, Humble Home

"If I had to pick just one, I'd have to go with Humble Home's 'Ghost.' That song is legit, and they killed it at the CD release show! Tom Evanchuck and David Beans come in pretty hot, too! Tom pours his heart into every note and David creates compositions that just blow me away. I like when I hear something that I know I can't come close to pulling off. The album is full of keepers, how dare you make me pick just one!"

-Keith Vance, Division Sound recording engineer and musician

Cellar Door Records Volume III is available at www.cellardoorrecords.com and at Music Saves independent record store in the Waterloo District of Cleveland. Watch Humble Home and Rob Geer perform live at the release party via The Rhythm Report's video page.

Interviews conducted by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

Cellar Door Records release: The sign of new era for NEOhio music

There is a revolution stirring in the underground.

Listen …

You can hear the cry ringing out from rural taverns to suburban pubs to hole-in-the-wall lounges and stage venues in the city.

Cellar Door Records is at the charge of change in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland-based label released its third compilation album, Cellar Door Records Volume III, this month featuring 15 artists who are reconstructing the foundation of an industry once thriving in the heart of Cleveland — music.

“It's so encouraging to see some fire being stoked in the Cleveland area and in the city's music scene,” said Anthony Foti, Humble Home percussionist and former Tinamou drummer.

The album is a rebirth of the city’s rock and roll history featuring artists, who like their predecessors inspired by the melding of R&B, country and blues, are mixing their own musical influences of rock ‘n’ roll, indie rock, electro-dance with a pinch of hip-hop to the foundry.

Cellar Door Records Volume III offers light, airy tunes made for easy listening and danceable, upbeat songs for all-out rock-out sessions.

“All the bands brought there own thing to the table, but I think they all meshed well with one another,” Singer/Songwriter Joshua Jesty said.

Compositions that truly stand out include “Mistakes” by The Modern Electric, Diamonds & Pearls’ “Brawhide” and Tom Evanchuck’s rolling-river guitar picking on “Come one, come all.” Albeit, each artist and band contributes his, her or its own distinct sound.

Find more artists like the modern electric at Myspace Music

Diamonds and Pearls- Brawhide from zach christy on Vimeo.

Find more artists like Tom Evanchuck at Myspace Music

Cellar Door Records Volume III is available at www.cellardoorrecords.com and at Music Saves independent record store in the Waterloo District of Cleveland.

Featured artists:
Humble Home
Diamonds & Pearls
The Modern Electric
The Lighthouse and the Whaler
Justin Markert
E.React
Craig Ramsey
Tom Evanchuck
Tinamou
Keith Vance
Frozen Hellsicles
Joshua Jesty
Rob Geer
David Beans
Doug Ivancic

Videos of The Conductor and The Creator (Rob Geer) and Humble Home performing at the record release party at The Grog Shop are available on The Rhythm Report's video page.

Read what the artists thought about the compilation.

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

Humble Home plays album release party at The Grog Shop

Humble Home played at the Cellar Door Records Volume III album release party at The Grog Shop on Friday, March 18. The compilation album features 15 artists from various musical backgrounds and areas of the Northeast Ohio region.

Drummer Anthony Foti shared his thoughts on the event and the release of the record with The Rhythm Report.

"There is so much talent here that is yet to be discovered. So I thought the show was a great way to get different artists, bands and fans from different backgrounds together into one place, and have everyone get exposed to new music that they most likely would not hear otherwise," Foti said.

Stay tuned to The Rhythm Report for more updates on the Cellar Door Records release.

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

Video filmed and edited by Priscilla Tasker, De los angeles Productions

Rob Geer opens with demo at The Grog Shop

Rob Geer played at The Grog Shop for the Cellar Door Records Volume III compilation album release, opening with a demo the band started writing the night before and recording over the weekend.

Originally called The Conductor and The Creator, the band plays under pseudonyms such as Rob Geer and the Flashlights from show to show.

The band includes vocalist and guitarist Rob Geer, lead guitarist Matthew Augusta, bassist Dan Thompson and drummer Tim DePasquale.

Stay tuned to The Rhythm Reports for more information on the Cellar Door Records release and other updates.

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

Video filmed and edited by Priscilla Tasker, De los angeles Productions

Review: The Only Man - Lydia Loveless

Lydia Loveless' album, The Only Man, released under the Columbus, Ohio-based Peloton Records label in February 2010, is a country music revival. I mean, real country -- traditional American tunes born in honky-tonks and rooted in folk fables and quilted farmlands.

The Only Man is a promiscuous, dark-humored diary of lost love, bourbon whiskey binges and revenge. Amidst today's neo-country-pop craze, Loveless boldly breaks out with this 33-minute roots-country medley of self-written originals.

Traditional country music of this caliber is not an easy sell in mainstream markets but this 10-song compilation is a loaded gun, and this songstress is ready to take a pinpoint shot at the country crown. Loveless is coming up as a strong contender against the genre's finest, even the "Queen of Country" herself, Kitty Wells, and she's only 20 years old.

Recommended tracks: "The Only Man" and "Paid"

Find more artists like Lydia Loveless at Myspace Music

Editor's note: Loveless signed with Bloodshot Records in 2011.

Read about Loveless' recent performance at The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in this article: The Conductor, Oldboy roused fans at The Grog Shop

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report

'The Conductor,' Oldboy roused fans at The Grog Shop

The Conductor and The Creator packed the house at The Grog Shop on Saturday night, playing, in jest, under a naughty pseudonym, “Ralph Geer and the Flesh Lights.”

(If you’re wondering what a “flesh light” is, as did this reporter, you’re better off left in the dark; just beware unabashed pokes from below the belt.) Led by frontman Rob Geer, the group’s popular rock sound is a bricolage of early British pub rock (before the punk revolution), blues rock and modern alternative with folk and swing influences. Ultimately, this band offers a unique sound complementary to easy-listening or a full-on progressive jam fest. It was no secret that this artistic group has made an impression with audiences as the wall-to-wall crowd dissipated following the conclusion of the band’s set.

Lydia Loveless followed up with a country-bluegrass set. A long, curly haired rube slapped the upright bass on stage left as the singer from Coshocton, Ohio, crooned angsty, down-home melodies sure to rile up a boondocks bonfire. Loveless proved herself a talented vocalist and songwriter, but, on first impression, she seems to lack the stage presence to back it. The singer’s indifferent demeanor may be in line with a “country outlaw” persona but drove the set into a lull in between songs. Luckily, the band was able to pick up the energy with each twang of the guitar and bass strings. I’d like to catch this artist on her home-turf to watch her liven up. [Read up on this artist's debut album on donewaiting.com. The Rhythm Report review is available here.]

Headlining act Oldboy closed the night on a high note. The band’s Americana-jam-band sound harkened me to an open-field festival in mid-August. The dynamic five-piece is fronted by the energetic Shawn Brewster, who pulled the audience in with quirky, so-bad-they’re-good jokes and lighthearted commentary on familiar individuals in the crowd. Brewster’s vocals channel a Dave Matthews quality; perhaps contributing to why I felt as if I ought to be dancing in the lawn area of Blossom during the set. Alas, at the show’s end, winter chilled to the bone outside but Oldboy provided a nice breakaway into the mind’s favorite memories of summer. Perhaps we’ll see this group opening for arena acts in the future.

Oldboy was recently featured as the "Local band in focus" in Cleveland Scene magazine and also received a media hit on Cleveland.com.

Watch The Rhythm Report's latest videos, including Rob Geer performing Assassin live at The Grog Shop.

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report