June 2018

Live Review – Five Reasons Summerland Tour is Best Value For Your Money !

This is one not to be missed !

Cleveland, Ohio – In honor of Art Alexakis bringing both his Summerland Tour and Everclear to town last week ,we decided to list why the Summerland Tour is the best value for your money.

Number One-

Nostalgia – The tour brings the best of 1990s’s artists together in a intimate setting where every ticket is the best seat in the house ( even if you are standing ) Where else can you get top artists playing radio hits and hidden gems for your delight . I honestly have never seen either Local H or Marcy Playground but damn I am glad i was at this show .

Number Two-

Value – Three bands, many hits , one low price . To be honest at three times the cost it still would be a great value , they even kept the band merch at reasonable prices so no over priced $ 75 shirt . The merch lines were long but well worth it .

Number Three –

A Fans Band – Both Local H and Marcy Playground came out after their sets to meet the fans and pose for pictures and I know Everclear did meet some the fans before their set as well. One of the things the bands know is being accessible to the fans is how to keep the fans happy and coming back tour after tour besides I am sure it is nice see familiar faces and new one .

Number Four-

The Music- It is what started us all and the most important reason for a show . Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground along with several other hits and not to forget Local H as well .Bound For The Floor was one of my favorite songs and to get that sound out of a two piece band is beyond imagination .

Number Five –

Art Alexakis -The man behind the music, the ringleader, the MC and all around great guy . The band Everclear and the music they created really has touched me over the years and Art in particular means a lot to me. We share a bond over the song ” Father of Mine ” so if a kid from the projects can become a success without a father in the music industry so can a kid from the projects without a father in the media industry so my hats of to Art .

There is a little under a week left on the tour but to see if a date is near you please check out the official website at http://www.summerlandtour.net

RIP Vinnie Paul

Las Vegas , NV- It is will great sadness we announce the passing of iconic metal and rock drummer Vincent Paul Abbott better known as Vinnie Paul .He was best known as the drummer in HELLYEAH and co-founder of PANTERA with his late brother ” Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. Our condolences to friends and family of Vinnie. I met him once at NAMM and he was as gracious as could be . RIP Vinnie

Photo of the Day -Max Portnoy of Tallah

Today image of the day is Max Portnoy of the band Tallah .Max is the son of MIke Portnoy the legendary drummer and that is one hard legend to live up to . I had the chance to watch Max drum last month with his band Tallah and I can say one thing , the apple doe not fall far from the tree .His chops and sense of timing cannot be understated . I look forward to seeing many things from him the the future , here to you Max !

Live Review – Poison-A Night To Remember

One of the top concerts I have been to in my life , make sure you get them on your bucket list.

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – The mighty 80’s powerhouse house Poison , descended on Blossom Music Center last week on a warmer then usually summer night . The heat on stage however was much , much hotter and the audience could not have been more pleased. I knew with just the intro video that this night is one I was never going to forget and one for my musical history books.

I have seen and worked with Bret Michaels several times over the last few years and he always put on a stellar show however this was ever better .The brotherhood of Poison , and yes it is a brother hood ,let me make my case. If you have worked and lived together, toured the world and had ups and down and still survived you are brothers in every sense of the word. To see the brothers together on stage again is a moment I have waited years to see and I could not have been happier.

The night started out with ” Look What The Cat Dragged In ” and in a sense of irony it was fitting as it was where the band started from as it was a hit from their debut album. The next two hours were a blur of hits, guitar solos , smiles and bass and drum fills. ” Ride The Wind ” ,” Fallen Angel ” and ” Something to Believe In ” were some of the best versions I have witnessed.

I did something at this show I usually do not do , I was within close proximity to C.C. Deville and I communicated with him via hand jesters signaling that I had mad respect and love for the music and thank you for all you do . Not only did he acknowledge it , he thanked me for the comment . A true class act all the way .

If you have been living under a rock or are related to Rip Van Winkle the members of Poison are Bret Michaels on vocals acoustic guitars. Mr C.C. Deville on guitars, Mr Bobby Dall on bass guitar and Rikki Rockett on drums .

To learn more about the tour and see this five star show . please see the official website at https://www.poisonofficial.com/

Live Review – LaureLive 2018 – Music With A Mission

Proving yet again while they are simply the best large scale independent festival in the state .

Geauga County, Ohio- The Butler Campus of the private all girls school Laurel set the stage for one of the best run festival in Ohio for the third straight year in a row. LaurelLive, in conjunction with the Elevation Group and the Laurel Academy is the end all to beat all of festivals . Not only do you get great music from some of the best international artists around . The festival features workshops, student empowerment , community education and support and a plethora of healthy lifestyle choices from food to yoga and everything in between.

It is impossible to cover the entire festival in one article so we decided to list some of out favorite highlights from it .

The most active performance I saw was from Magic Giant , a band that I never saw before but I will always check out once they are in town . Wow is all I can saw .

Most spiritual and enlightening was Matisyahu , a genre defying artist who does reggae , rap, sings , poetry all mixed together . Extra points for having local resident Joe Tomino as his drummer who did an excellent job .

One to watch is newbie Sage of https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrGSHbH60p13T4YSgBx-zA

.Her song ” I Want To Be Famous ” should be featured on a movie soundtrack , its deep message and and soft sounds , really break thru the muck of today’s millennial society .

I am really glad I was able to catch Flint Eastwood who I have heard about for years and finally was able to see .

Most surprise for me was Hannah Wicklund and the Stepping Stones. The woman can wait on a guitar like Hendrix and needs to be seen live wow .

Well that’s my wrap up , make sure you check them out in 2019 because they will be back and it will be no small feet to top this years artists.

Exclusive Interview with John Corabi

https://youtu.be/61R-z7L_lSI

John Talks with us about the upcoming Dead Daisies tour, the new record , Nashville , Ira Dean and life in general , have a listen it’s a great time

LaureLive This Weekend

LaureLive Tickets

Still Available

BUY LAURELIVE TICKETS

FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

About This Weekend

1. Parking is free! Four area lots are available for parking with continuous Cortland Bank Shuttle Service to/from the Laurel School Butler Campus. THERE IS NO ON-SITE PARKING AT LAURELIVE.

The Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field
- 3841 Chagrin River Road, Chagrin Falls, OH
Ursuline College
- 2550 Lander Road, Pepper Pike, OH
West Geauga High School
- 13401 Chillicothe Road, Chesterland, OH
Gilmour Academy
- 34001 Cedar Road, Gates Mills, OH
- Enter off of SOM Center Road, just north of Cedar Road

Lyft is the official rideshare partner of LaureLive. Download Lyft for an affordable ride in minutes. New Lyft users can save $15 off their first ride using code LAURELIVE15. Existing Lyft users can save 10% off two festival weekend rides using code LAURELIVEX.

2. Tickets are still available. Options include VIP tickets, general passes, child (3-10) discounts, single day and weekend. Burntwood Tavern is providing all VIP Catering. Get your tickets today.

BUY LAURELIVE TICKETS

3. Gates open both days at 11:30AM. Music runs 12:30P-11:00P on Saturday, June 9. The day ends with Foster The People, Fitz and the Tantrums and X Ambassadors. Sunday, June 10 begins at 12:15P with Yoga presented by WEYV, featuring the music of Magic Giant. The day concludes at 10:00P with Brandi Carlile, Cold War Kids and Trombone Shorty.

4. The South Side – New and Improved. The Medworks Stage will feature a serious array of international talent including: flor, Tall Heights, The Aces, Lewis Capaldi, Muscians from Apollo’s Fire, morgxn, Castlecomer, Hannah Wicklund and the Steppin’ Stones, Walker County, Flint Eastwood and Emily Keener.

5. Our sponsors rock! We could not stage this festival without their support.

LAKE EFFECT COMIC CON TAKES PLACE JUNE 24!

We are excited to tell you (if you have not heard already) that the 9th annual Lake Effect Comic Con will be taking place on Sunday, June 24th at the Holiday Inn on Rt. 306 (conveniently located between both 90 and Route 2) in beautiful Mentor, Ohio! The show will run from 10 AM- 5PM, and boy do we have some cool stuff lined up for you guys this year!

Admission is $8 for adults, children under 13 are admitted free. Free parking is provided.

Here is a complete list of confirmed Creators and Dealers that will be at the show!

Comic Book Certification Service – CBCS

Willowick Public Library

Confirmed Creators:

Confirmed Dealers:

We will also be holding our popular costume contest!

There will be four categories for judging

Girls 12 and under
Boys 12 and under
Women 13 and over
Men 13 and over

The first place winners in each category will win a grand prize
All entrants will receive a gift
Judging will occur in the Hotel Lobby promptly at 3:15 PM

(We would like to remind everyone- no weapons of ANY KIND are permitted at LECC. If you are found to have one, you will be asked to leave with no refund and the proper authorities will be contacted. Cosplay is NOT consent. Please respect our guests and fellow attendees and their right to enjoy the show. Treat people how you would want to be treated. If anyone is caught violating these rules we WILL eject you from the show and no refund will be given.)

So we look forward to seeing you all there! Start working on those costumes, and making those back issues lists!

Live Review – Five Reasons To See Sumo Cyco in Person !

Cleveland, Ohio – I recently saw Sumo Cyco in direct support for The Butcher Babies a few weeks ago and was immediately blown away by the band. In honor of the over the top performance we decided to list the five reasons you must see Sumo Cyco live and in person .

1-Fun

The band is just a fun band to watch and listen to. The comradeship on display in the band reminds me of the best part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers just having fun on stage .The smiling , the fun , the games and the shoulder rides makes it just a fun band to be around.

2- Audience Participation

The audience is part of the show whether they want to be or not.With singer Skye crowd surfing , drinking shots and riding the shoulders of guitarist Matt Drake, the fans are at the center of attention. Skye reminds me of the first time I saw Gwen Stefani and I knew that she was going to be huge one day and I feel the same way about Sumo Cyco so see them now before it arenas only .

3- The Music

Ill be honest, I didn’t know a single song or lyric of the band and most of the audience didn’t know them either at the start of the show.But the ability to hold onto and control a crowd and leaving them begging for more when they were not even there to see you shows you the power of the songs. The bass, the guitars , the drums and the vocals work as cohesive team to delight the ears and thrill the eyes. This is one band you will never forget.

4- Social Media

The band is very active on social media and fan interaction. They know when and how to meet the fans and anticipate what an audience needs. Showing that life on the road can be fun but is not always glamorous .

5 – The Members

The members included on this tour were ,

Skye “Sever” Sweetnam -Vocals
Matt “MD13” Drake- Guitars
Oscar Anesetti- Bass Guitar
Matt “Trozzi”- Drums

This is one band that must be seen to enjoy the full force of them . Two albums and 17 music videos and binge on it is time to absorb all you can . To learn more about them please see the official website at http://sumocyco.com/

Live Review – 5th Annual Spring Bash and Thrash -The Good , The Bad and The Ugly !

Mentor, Ohio – The 5th Annual Spring Bash and Thrash was held a couple of weeks ago at Mentor on The Lakes Music Lynxx with many eclectic styles of music to delight even the fickle fan . The night had a mix of good , bad and ugly . In true movie review mode , we give you our assessment of the night .

The Good-

I was already a fan of The Bunny The Bear ( The headline artist ) so I was excited about seeing them .One of the best parts of the evening was being pleasantly surprised by some outstanding acts that even thou I never heard of them, I was delighted to see them perform .Some of the outstanding acts of the night were FayTree , Echo Black ,You Are a Toy and of course The Bunny The Bear . I saw Konipshun Phit a few times in 2006 and 2007 but this was an almost completely new line up and I see major growth in the band .Another good point of the evening was the staff of Support Cleveland Metal Scene ( The Promoter) specifically Breanna ” Dragonblade ” Hamilton .She worked tirelessly to make sure the bands were paid and well fed and all their needs were taken care of as they were on the road . Hats off to her I wish all promoters were that involved .

The Bad – The really only bad point was that one of the bands decided to set up outside of the venue and perform , hence drawing fans always from the bands on stage and just being rude in general .

The Ugly-

The Ugly of the night was the delayed times of the acts as some acts were there on time and others late, it thru the schedule into a black hole never to see the light of day .I mean I’m old so I need my beauty sleep so 130am start time for a band it even too late for me . But I also understand it could not be helped and was not any one persons fault.

Konipshin Phit at Bash and Thrash — Konipshun Phit at Bash and Thrash

All in all if was a good evening and I hope to get to to see future shows put on by them . Please see the official Facebook page for further info https://www.facebook.com/SupportClevelandMetalScene/