Makin' the Scene
Singer-songwriter Harry Bacharach recently quit his day job at On the Rise Bakery to devote himself to his musical career fulltime. He now plays around town six nights a week. His biggest show of the summer happens at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cain Park's Alma Theatre, where he'll perform with the Mojo Generations Big Band. Bacharach often sits in with the ensemble during its regular Brothers Lounge Monday-night gigs. "It's a dream come true to sing with a big band," he says. "It's so cool to hear my songs blown up for a 17-piece band. It's going to be a hell of a night." Tickets are $23, $20 in advance. Find more info at harrybacharach.com.
Prog-rockers the Rick Ray Band are opening for the New York-based Pink Floyd tribute group the Machine at Lock 3 on Friday. Ray and his cohorts just released a new video for "Something a Little More Original," which features Ray's black-and-white character sketches. Ray says he's working on an animated pilot for HBO. Even if it doesn't get picked up, he says, "It's good to be doing animation again. I haven't done it since 1983." Go to rickray.net to check out the video and find more info on the concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m.
After many delays, Integrity's new album, The Blackest Curse, has finally hit shelves. Frontman Dwid now lives in Belgium, but the rest of the band (guitarists Matt Brewer and Michael Jochum, bassist Steve Raukhorst, and drummer Nathan Jochum) is Cleveland-based. They recorded their parts in town at Galahad Studio; Dwid did his vocals overseas. More metalcore than hardcore, the album features some fierce guitar work. Dwid has been touring with a new lineup, but no local dates are on the itinerary.
The Rascal House pizza joint across from Cleveland State University is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a free concert on Saturday featuring Buff Hooters and Pieces of 8, cover bands that were the House's biggest draws during the '80s and '90s. They perform at 2 p.m. as part of a benefit (proceeds go toward leukemia research). "We're bringing back some of the old customers," says founder Mike Frangos. "We want to start booking bands here again in August." Tickets are $10. Go to rascalhousepizza.com for more info.
If you've been watching America's Got Talent, you might recognize one of the contestants. Kira Leyden — who fronted local pop-rockers Jaded Era in the late '90s and then took her new band, the Strange Familiar, to Los Angeles a couple of years ago — has been performing as a duo with longtime guitarist Jeff Andrea. The easiest way to follow their progress is at facebook.com/pages/the-strange-familiar.
Billing itself as "Ohio's largest free music festival," Painesville's Party in the Park returns this weekend with a lineup featuring more than 40 acts performing on three stages. Local reggae stalwarts Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band, alt-country practitioners Hayshaker Jones, and singer-songwriter Alex Bevan join national artists Devon Allman's Honeytribe and blues axeman Eric Lindell at the three-day fest, which takes place Friday through Sunday. Find more info at partyparkinfo.com.
Usually lumped into the goth/industrial genre, Morticia's Chair just released their fourth album, Trampled by a Muse, and it's a pretty eclectic affair that includes grunge-inspired rockers ("Dog and Bone") and Bauhaus-style ballads ("It's All So New"). You can find the album on iTunes or at morticiaschair.com.
New York-based percussionist and composer Bobby Sanabria, a former colleague of late Cleveland jazzman Roberto Ocasio, leads students at the free annual Roberto Ocasio Latin Jazz Camp Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music. Cuban percussionist Candido Camero will join them. Go to robertoocasiofoundation.org for more info.
Listen up, local bands: If you want to be part of WRUW's 29th annual Studio-A-Rama listener-appreciation concert, the deadline for submission is Sunday. And if your band was part of the daylong music fest in the past four years, you can't participate this year. Send a CD with at least three songs to 11220 Bellflower Rd., Cleveland 44106. Find more info at wruw.org.
The Black Keys recently released a deluxe version of their latest album, Brothers. It features a 56-page hardbound book with exclusive photos. A limited number of copies are autographed. The set retails for $39.98.
The Champion Bubblers will play a pair of 20th anniversary reunion shows on Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17, at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Nelson Township. The gigs will be the first in 10 years for the hybrid alternative-dancehall outfit.
"We were a damn good band before, but now that we're a lot older and hopefully wiser, it'll be a lot better," says founder-frontman Billy Wa!
Also on the bill are Outlaws INI, One Day's Notice, Local Delivery, Leo Lou & the Two Left Shoes, and Skinny B and the Shams. Afternoon freakshows and midnight movies round out the schedule.
Send feedback to [email protected].
