When she performed at the State Theatre earlier this year with headliner Bryan Ferry, singer-songwriter Judith Owen immediately endeared herself by greeting the crowd with a “Hello Cleveland” as she began to play a 30-minute set of Norah Jones-like mellow jazz/pop tunes.

As she explained, she had every right to use the phrase since her husband, Harry Shearer, plays a character in Spinal Tap, the cult classic that spawned the expression.

In this clever video posted below, she again exploits that connection and holds up a photo of her husband portraying Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap. She made the video to promote her upcoming show at House of Blues Cambridge Room on Thursday.

At House of Blues, she’ll perform with the “legendary” bassist Leland Sklar (Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Phil Collins), and she promises she’ll play her “sexy version” of “Smoke on the Water” too.

Youtube video

This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2017.

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.