Holiday Spectacular Shows: Music Fills The Night in Northeast Ohio

Folks are home for the holidays and Northeast Ohio musicians and venues from Cleveland, Akron and Canton are celebrating. Here is the event list for the night.

Kent – The Speedbumps Christmas Fun Time Show

8 p.m. - The Kent Stage 

Painesville – The Carsons Holiday Party and Reunion Show

7 p.m. - Scores Fun Center 

Akron – David Ullman Album Fundraiser with Enormity and Bushman

8 p.m. - Musica 

Lakewood – A Very Acoustic Christmas with Tom Evanchuck and Cool Jason

9:30 p.m. - Merry Arts Pub 

Lakewood – Pilgrim and Echo Canyon Players in Concert

9 p.m. - The Winchester Music Hall 

Canton – !Dance Night! 

11 p.m. - The Auricle Venue

There is No Music Scene Here

Written by Priscilla Tasker

I was always one of those kids growing up who lived on pop music. Sure, I had friends who played in bands – which was cool – but I never gave them much credit for what they created. Let's face it. Most teenage bands flat out suck. In my mind, at the time, they never could have lived up to the artists and bands with radio airplay and music videos on MTV. Sound familiar to you? A lot people can admit they've written off the talent of friends based on the fact that they're only playing in basements and at a local level. 


Here's the thing. Those kids grow up. They hone their talents, and what they create may be extraordinary. You only have to listen, see and experience it. 


Yet, it is that mentality – if something is not appealing to the masses, it must be mediocre – that plagues local music and arts scenes. The Northeast Ohio music scenes are beset by this stigma. I've heard it, and I'm sure you have as well. "There is no music scene in [Cleveland, Akron, or insert your city name here]."


The truth of the matter is, there is a scene and great things are happening in it. If you don't know, you're simply not in it.

Ohio produces big name acts

In recent years, the nation and the world has seen acts like The Black Keys, Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) and Jessica Lea Mayfield explode in popular culture. Where do you think they began? The Black Keys formed and started their music career in Akron. MGK came up in Cleveland. Jessica Lea Mayfield, if I recall correctly, still calls Kent home. 


In the past, artists like Macy Gray, Reliant K and Marilyn Manson cropped up out of Canton. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony started in Cleveland. Going back even further, Devo and Chrissie Hynde were Kent State University students. And, to throw it out there, although they're not from the northeast part of the state, John Legend hailed from Springfield and short-lived 90s pop sensation 98 Degrees was from Cincinnati. Out of those acts – love them or hate them – almost every person reading this article could attest to how each has impacted pop music and changed our world in some way.


I recently pointed this out to a friend who works in Los Angeles as we discussed my potential move out West. As I made the case for why I am dedicated to the music scene in Northeast Ohio, I reminded him of the numerous musicians who've originated in this great state. In response, he said to me the one thing most of them had in common was that their careers took off after they had left Ohio. This is true, but every one of them had small beginnings in some local scene. 


At the time when most of those groups or individuals "made it," an artist had to pursue a career in a major music hub to be heard. In today's tech-centric world, kids and adults who are still making music in their basements, living rooms or bedrooms can upload their tunes and videos to the Internet for the world to hear and see. Location barriers have been broken down. Just as I am reaching you from the sofa in my apartment to wherever you are, musicians have at the tips of their fingers the opportunity to amass a following through the Internet. The challenge many local musicians face is the lack of wider appreciation for the live shows they play in their home towns. It's disheartening. 

Artists build careers from NEOhio home base

In 2009, Cleveland-based hip hop band Vitium released "Never Looking Back" on the Goon Trax label in Japan. The single produced by re::plus hit No. 3 on the country's iTunes hip hop charts. You're probably asking yourself, "Who the hell is Vitium?" It's one of the many professional bands that can be seen playing in the Northeast Ohio area. Sadly, one of the last times I saw this band play at Beachland Tavern, the venue was nearly empty.


Another terrific band on the bill that night was Winslow, a group which originated in Kent and is now based in Akron. Earlier this year, the soul-rock fusion ensemble recorded its latest single "Quarter Life" with Grammy-award winner Edwin "Tony" Nicholas. The song was released nationwide on a Sony RED promotional album. But you didn't know that, did you?


The Greater Cleveland and Akron areas have a plethora of artists who are making great music. Some of them are paving their way into the national and global scenes. Daytrotter took interest in The Lighthouse and The Whaler of Cleveland and recorded a session with the band in July. If you don't know Daytrotter, it is a music project in Rock City, Indiana that has recorded hundreds of live session with independent artists; a short list includes Death Cab for Cutie, Adam Arcuragi, Ingrid Michaelson, The National, OK GO, Scars on 45 and Tegan & Sara. In addition, this past October, The Lighthouse and The Whaler was a feature act at Paste & Rdio's Afternoon Delight party during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. 

Bethesda, another Kent-based band, signed a major licensing deal with Discovery Network, which operates in 187 countries. The band's music will be featured on more than 30 original shows on Discovery Channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network, Military Channel, Animal Planet and more.


Do you know what each of these bands have in common? 
They comprise a diverse representation of Ohio music and can frequently be seen in the "non-exsistent" Northeast Ohio music scene. There are plenty more from where they came, so support the local music in your home town. 


Come out to a show at Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, the Grog Shop, Happy Dog, The Winchester, Kent Stage, Musica, Auricle Venue or any other venue supporting the live, local music.


For God's sake, Cleveland is the home of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Do you really think we're not making music here? Wake up!


And don't forget about the people and businesses behind these artists. Bad Racket Recording Studio, Cellar Door Records, Buzzbin Magazine and, of course, The Rhythm Report are among those that stand behind the scene to cultivate and capture the culture and art being created here and share it with you. Tune in. 

Hear the music

Concert Review: Saturday at The Auricle with The Singular, Vinny Vegas

Since the launch of The Rhythm Report, I’ve covered a handful of artists from Greater Cleveland and Akron, as well as others who’ve passed through town. For the first time, Saturday night I delved into Canton’s rock scene, which found a new home at The Auricle on Cleveland Avenue NW in the city’s downtown Arts District. Here’s the run down on the four-band lineup, which included The Good 19, The Singular, Vinny Vegas and Air is Watching.

The Good 19

The Good 19 started the evening off with a short psuedo-punk-infused modern rock set, playing to less than 30 people. During “Please Believe Me,” a song frontman Brendan Quine said the band hadn’t played in while, The Good 19 broke out into an instrumental jam as Quine called out to the audience, “Everybody dance.” There was a slight air of awkwardness as a few people unsurely glanced around and began nervously rocking back and forth or side to side.  

While the early evening crowd was still cool, The Good 19 was a good warm-up act to jumpstart the kinetic energy. Many of their tunes incorporated mini-movements as the band experimented with a variety of tempos. The stop-and-go rhythm of “Wanderlust” was a case in point. Interestingly, the band’s live set is much heavier than the recorded tracks featured on its Facebook BandPage.  

The Singular

Next in the lineup, The Singular emerged transmuting the atmosphere with dreamy synth sounds produced by keyboardist Nichole Catalano-Miller. Lead vocalist and guitarist James Pequignot led the group in a clean startoff. However, throughout the set I found myself thinking the songs sounded replicated and forgettable. The odd thing is I liked what I heard. I don't disregard the band’s musicianship. Each member's ability to follow and play off one another without missing a beat was quite evident. It’s simply that upon first impression, I felt I’d heard it before and most of the songs lacked the kind of melody that sticks with you.

After a couple of up-tempo songs, Pequignot introduced a melancholy mood changer "Box," which he described as "a song about getting the shit beat out of you.” To Pequignot’s credit, he’s not shy to speak the thoughts on his mind lyrically or in between songs on stage. At one point, an audience member, likely a friend or acquaintance, cried out a mocking request for “Freebird” to which Pequignot lightheartedly responded, “No, no. Why have you done this?”