thu 04/03
Gomez Addams/Root Bottle/Dead Buckeye Six: 8:30 p.m., $5. Grog Shop.
Atlantic Thrills/Teen Vomit/Swirly in the Fryer: 9 p.m., $5. Now That's Class.
Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Hathaway Brown Musical Showcase: 7:30 p.m., $5. Nighttown.
Chris Hatton (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Neck Deep/Knuckle Puck/Light Years: 7 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Spyder Stompers/Charlie Mosbrook/Rupert Wates: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Stoned & Beautiful/Scarlet & the Harlots: Calling itself a "garage funk power trio," this local act boasts, "We like to rock. If your face likes to rock, we will rock your face." It's an appropriate motto given the trippy music on the group's debut, Songs for My Mom. The woozy opening tune "Lines in the Sand" features cooing vocals and a snappy bass riff. It's hardly representative of the band's approach, however. The group quickly shifts gears with the hard-rocking "Fuck It," a twangy tune that recalls early Wilco. And the band lets its funk flag fly in the synth-y tune "Your Love." Some of the sonic shifts are rather abrupt (the wispy intro to "The Woods" doesn't really work) but these guys are good enough musicians to pull it off. 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. (Jeff Niesel)
fri 04/04
American Authors/Wild Cub/These Knees: Even if you don't recognize this band by its name, chances are you've heard at least one of its catchy pop tunes. "Best Day of My Life," the first single from their new album Oh, What a Life, has been used in a variety of different contexts. It was in a Lowe's TV ad, a trailer for the film Delivery Man, the Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, a Major League Baseball Fan Cave commercial, and the opening sequence of this year's ESPN World Series Of Poker coverage. Whew! The music on Oh, What a Life veers from Mumford-like anthems ("Home") to pretty pop ballads ("Love"). All the tunes have a jubilance that suggests this show, part of a small club tour before the band hits bigger venues with One Republic and the Script, will have a similar vibe. 8 p.m., $15. Grog Shop. (Niesel)
Desert Rose Band — Acoustic: 8 p.m., $26-$36. The Kent Stage.
Elm Street Blues Band/Elderly Brothers/George Foley & Friends: Barking Spider Tavern.
Kristine Jackson (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
John Brown's Body/Easy Star All-Stars: High on something that can really only be called progressive reggae, John Brown's Body have been building a castle of enticing grooves for nearly two decades now. At times buzzing along like the Wailers on acid, JBB has always focused on how far they take the music — both outwardly and inwardly. That plan is heard most definitely on All Time and Spirits All Around Us, early albums that threw down a bass-heavy gauntlet. The band has only expanded on its sound since then, releasing Kings & Queens in 2013. The new stuff, like "Step Inside," still bears the same jazzy-reggae DNA that first flared in tunes like "33 RPM" and "Garden Tree." Semi-relatedly, JBB alumni dot all corners of today's jam and reggae scenes. (If you haven't yet, do look up Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver in Rubblebucket, which carries the JBB torch quirkily well.) 9 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. (Eric Sandy)
Keratoma/Filament 38/Discordia/Squidling Brothers Circus Sideshow/Swingshift Sideshow/Painsolution: Tonight, Cleveland industrial metal band Keratoma reunites for a one-off show at the Foundry, and it's sure to be an intense one. The band played around town from 2002 to 2011, challenging the standard tropes of metal culture: "not dressed up for radio, and too damn ugly for TV," as they put it. Imagine Pantera, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM and Slayer having a whiskey-fueled orgy. The hell spawn that emerges from this debauchery is Keratoma. Traveling sideshow act the Squidling Brothers open; they'll offer their take on the humorously bizarre/grotesque. These guys do it all: sword swallowing, glass bathing, fire breathing and knife play. 7 p.m., $10. The Foundry. (Eric Gonzalez)
Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys/Rachel & the Beatnik Playboys: 8:30 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
The Ohio Weather Band (Album Release)/Cody Martin/The Hawkeyes: 9 p.m., $7. Musica.
Mwatabu Okantah & Vince Robinson: It "ain't hip-hop, but it's hip!" That's how Mwatabu Okantah has described the music he's makes with Vince Robinson & the Jazz Poets. You may have heard Okantah perform with Cavani String Quartet or the Muntu Kuntu Energy Ensemble over the years. Now he's joined up with local poetry and arts advocate Vince Robinson and his band to deliver the power of words set to gospel, funk, blues, jazz and African-inspired beats. If you're familiar with hip-hop poet Gil Scott-Heron, you've got a good idea what this sounds like. Expect to hear a more modern point of view from these very relevant poets. 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown. (Gonzalez)
Quiet Riot: 8 p.m., $15-$25. Hard Rock Rocksino.
Cal Scruby/Lorrine Chia/Ezzy/Swah: 6:30 p.m., $19. Agora Ballroom.
Michael Stanley and the Resonators: Last year was a solid year for heartland rocker Michael Stanley. The guy self-released his new album, The Ride, which came on the heels of last year's The Hang, an introspective album he's referred to as his darkest release yet. The Ride presents a much more positive perspective, something that's reflected in Stanley's more regular live appearances (last year, he held down a four-night stand at the Tangier). Expect to hear MSB favs as well as a good sampling of Stanley's solo material as the guy opens a multi-night stand at the Tangier. 8:30 p.m., $45-$90. Tangier Cabaret. (Niesel)
Taste of Nashville: 7 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Victory High: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Zoso — A Tribute to Led Zeppelin: 9 p.m., $10-$15. House of Blues.
sat 04/05
The Cleveland Battle of the Bands Finals: 4 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
The Flip Side CD Release: 8:30 p.m., $5. The Winchester.
Get On Up: 9 p.m., $6. Musica.
Joe Hunter CD Release: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown.
Kiss Army: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. House of Blues.
Knyce Presents Potluck: 10 p.m. Grog Shop.
John Krautner/Chomp: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.
Bill Lestock/Luca Mundaca/David Bavos & Willow: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Richard Marx: $20-$55. Hard Rock Rocksino.
Steve Masek (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Kim Richey/Stevie Ann: 8:30 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
Michael Stanley and the Resonators: Last year was a solid year for heartland rocker Michael Stanley. The guy self-released his new album, The Ride, which came on the heels of last year's The Hang, an introspective album he's referred to as his darkest release yet. The Ride presents a much more positive perspective, something that's reflected in Stanley's more regular live appearances (last year, he held down a four-night stand at the Tangier). Expect to hear MSB favs as well as a good sampling of Stanley's solo material as the guy plays a multi-night stand at the Tangier. 8:30 p.m., $45-$90. Tangier Cabaret. (Niesel)
Walkin' Cane: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Welshly Arms/Teddy Boys/Dan Miraldi & the Albino Winos: Riding the crest of newfound recognition following Positively Cleveland's Cleveland Anthem marketing video, Welshly Arms is eyeing nothing but blue skies. And rightfully so. This is one of those local bands — one among many, sure — that deserve a broader fan base. This year, the band dropped a six-song EP, Covers, that revives classics like Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming" and the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today." It's an exciting roundup of tunes, all of which work really well in Welshly Arms' throwback rock style. Check out last year's Welcome EP. "Two Seconds Too Late" and "The Touch" became much-loved singles over the past year, helping to lift Welshly Arms' shows to must-see status. And that song in the Cleveland Anthem video? That'd be the newly recorded "Never Meant to Be," which boasts that great, woozy riff we all have stuck in our heads now. 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Ballroom. (Sandy)
