Band: KB and the Riptides (www.kbandtheriptides.com)
Hometown: Cleveland
Sounds like: “Hyper surf rock and maximum blues.”
Fun fact: “Official house band for the Wagner Surf Club, the crazy Cleveland group that surfs Lake Erie on the really nasty, windy, cold days, year-round.”
Playing: The Hi -Fi Concert Club, Sunday, March 19
Why you should see them: “It’s St. Paddy’s Day for the non-Irish, at the only place on the planet that will have the world’s No. 1 hyper-surf rock band (KB and the Riptides) performing with special guests like world-famous bagpiper Patrick Coleman, a leprechaun, and belly dancers (The Belly Dance Bombshells).” — KB, lead guitar
Artist: Kev Rowe (www.kevrowe.com)
Hometown: Jamestown, New York
Sounds Like: “If James Taylor or Paul Simon were handed a loopstation and given the opportunity to play lead guitar and instrumentals along with their songs.”
Fun fact: “Once when I was in college, our dog got into a pan of my magic brownies. I still feel bad about that. I walked her for hours.”
Playing: Fat Fish Blue Thursday, March 16
Why you should see him: “I do a wide variety of material I’ve amassed in bands (Big Leg Emma) and an occasional cover. It is a great show for friends to get together and enjoy some quality, original, acoustic music.” — Kev Rowe, guitar-vocals
Band: Smiley Baldazar (www.smileybaldazar.com)
Hometown: Lakewood
Sounds like: “Primus filtered through the Allman Brothers, added to two parts Zappa.”
Fun fact: “Planet Mars called — they want their house band back.”
Playing: The Happy Dog, Saturday, March 18
Why you should see them: “At a Smiley Baldazar concert, you are going to have a hard time sitting still. We pride ourselves on our interplanetary concoctions, masked deftly by traditional rock structure! And the Happy Dog has great food and drink selections.” — Mike Jacobs, guitar
Band: Tracey Thomas (www.traceythomas.com)
Hometown: Akron
Sounds like: “Acoustically, it’s an Allison Krauss vibe. With a band, it’s like a rockier Sarah McLachlan.”
Fun fact: “Current band consists of Tracey and her 18-year-old son on guitar, bass player Mark Jendrisak — her bass player off and on for 25 years — and his 16-year-old son on drums. Mark and Tracey have been friends for 28 years and were both members of Unit 5.”
Playing: The Lime Spider, Friday, March 17
Why you should see them: “It’s rare that a singer-songwriter with this much to offer stays local and accessible.” — Tracey Thomas, vocals-guitar
This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2006.
