Local singer-songwriter Brian Straw. Credit: Courtesy of One in a Million Media
Local singer-songwriter Brian Straw launched his career in the early 2000s by touring in the U.S. and Europe. The Indiana-born songwriter released three LPs, Once You’re Lost You’re Encouraged to Stay Lost (2000), Backfeed Pools (2001) and Bleeding Sun (2006).
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Now, he’s returned with a new single, the Springsteen-like “Needle in the Creek.”

A new LP arrives next year.

Straw recorded the album at his Survival Kit studio/gallery space located on Cleveland’s west side, and it chronicles his journey to sobriety.

“Everything I was dealing with emotionally went in the music,” he says in a press release. “I was hard on myself. I carried around a lot of shame and regret. I broke down a lot. I lost my girlfriend. The making of the record became my therapy.”

Straw had his last drink in 2017 and resumed his live performances then too. 

This article appears in Sep 22 – Oct 5, 2021.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.