Courtesy of Mossom
Mossom
Produced and mastered by locally based multi-platinum veteran, Michael Seifert, this local band's debut EP delivers what frontman David Moss describes as "an authentic, broad-shouldered blend of indie-meets-progressive rock." The EP commences with the menacing "No Fomo," a song that features some Neil Peart-like drum fills and sputtering vocals. The Rush-like "Levels" offers a warning about the consequences of global warming as Moss sings in a near falsetto over a snappy bass riff. Moss has said the band's style of music corresponds to that of indie rock bands like the Dead Weather, and he's right. It's good stuff. (Jeff Niesel) 8:30 p.m., $8. Beachland Tavern.
SATURDAY, JAN. 30
2016 Tri-C High School Rock Off
As a way of nurturing and supporting the talent native to Northeast Ohio, the folks at the concert promotions behemoth Live Nation devote what is traditionally a slow time of the year for concerts to this annual event, a battle of the bands that pits high-school bands against one another in a competition to crown one final winner the best high-school band in the land. Last year, the event returned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where a handful of bands battled it out each weekend before one winner was crowned in the Final Exam. This year, the event will also take place at the Rock Hall. Every Saturday in January, regional bands will compete before a panel of judges for the right to move on to the "Final Exam," which takes place on Feb. 13 at the Rock Hall. Now in its twentieth year, the event will also feature special appearances by alumni acts who'll perform at the end of each round. (Niesel), 6 p.m. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band
Carlos Jones is to Cleveland reggae what Jim Brown is to Cleveland running backs: the undisputed champ. With Jones at the forefront of the scene for more than 25 years — first in I-Tal, then in First Light — this city's reggae following was practically built upon his back. Devoutly spiritual, Jones is a Bob Marley devotee who eschews dancehall for galvanizing roots-reggae. Tonight's show is a special one; Jones will record it and then release it as a live album. 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.
Red Sun Rising
For latest album, this Akron-based act worked with producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Shinedown, Seether) and recorded at his Los Angeles home where he has a studio in his barn where he did records by Filter and Rob Zombie and Shinedown. The band counts Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Tool as influences and that shows on songs such as "Other Side" and "My Muse," tunes that feature heavy guitars and powerhouse vocals but retain pop hooks and harmonies. As a whole, the album strikes a balance between hard rock and metal with a subtle nod to classic rock too. In "Blister," the soaring vocals recall those great Scorpions power ballads from the '80s. (Niesel), 9 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. Grog Shop.
SUNDAY, JAN. 31
The Oh Hellos
On first blush, it’s hard not to roll your eyes at the idea of an album “inspired in part by C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, mythology and folklore, and apocalyptic literature.” “In part.” But, hey, the Oh Hellos, a sibling duo based out of a house in southern Texas, assembled a pretty goddam touching work of art in Dear Wormwood, their second album. This is delicate folk songwriting, anchored wonderfully by Maggie and Tyler Heath’s emotional vocal work. We’ll point to album closer “Thus Always to Tyrants” as a great example of the duo’s instrumentation — hearty chord progressions, swift percussion, an entire atmospheric system caught up in song. (Eric Sandy), 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.
