The concert’s first set will feature interpretations of classic rock songs from the Moody Blues, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Alice Cooper and more. The second set will feature rock orchestra arrangements of some of Led Zeppelin’s most iconic tracks, including some deep cuts. An Ohio native, Baldassarre has had success in the rock bands Abraxas and Syzygy.
During his career, Baldassarre has worked with the London Symphonic Chamber Orchestra and with members of Tower of Power, Tears for Fears, Genesis and Chicago. Baldassarre studied composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a product of both the Cleveland Music School Settlement and John Carroll University. He even has a YouTube channel where he has received more than five million views as the Professor of Classic Rock.
Guest vocalist Mark Boal, who played in Syzygy with Baldassarre and has played with acts such as Savoy Brown, Ted Nugent and Dokken, will join Baldassarre for the upcoming concerts.
The two recently spoke in a Zoom interview from Baldassarre’s Madison home, where they were rehearsing for the upcoming gigs.
Can you each talk about your musical backgrounds a bit?
Boals: For me, straight out of high school, I started playing in local bands around the Youngstown and Cleveland area. Back in those days, the drinking age was 18, and it was big clubs and packed houses with college kids. We played six to seven nights a week. From there, I joined Savoy Brown and then Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen and the list goes on. I won’t bore you with that. I’m still doing it many, many years later, and I’m still loving it.
Baldassarre: My background is similar. We crossed paths back then but never worked together. In the late ’70s and early ’80s I was in the Cleveland music scene. One time, we played on the same bill at the old Agora. I had my band Abraxas and Mark had Lazer and a whole bunch of other bands. I toured with Abraxas for four years and then focused on composition. I did a lot of progressive rock stuff in the ’80s and was raising a family but stepped away for a little bit. Mark and I then had a band called Syzygy. With the rock orchestra, Mark and I have joined forces to bring this cool show to Cleveland.
You’ve both worked with a slew of different artists. Who was your favorite?
Boals: My favorite is what I do now. I have solo work and European bands and Japanese bands. It’s all favorites to me. I wouldn’t trade anything. Good and bad, it’s all been a learning experience and made me the singer I am today.
Baldassarre: Mark is one of my favorite artists to work with. He’s such a pro, and his voice is incredible. He is very diverse and can sing arias and then he can rock like nobody’s business. It’s been fun rotating through different bands all these years and playing with so many great musicians.
You both have a deep love for Led Zeppelin. Talk about that.
Baldassarre: For me, it was part of the mosaic of all the music of all the music I was listening to as a kid. You couldn’t be a guitar player in the late ’60s and early ‘70s and not want to learn Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple songs. It’s an unnatural way to play the guitar. It fell into my hands and was a fun parlor trick that I could do all those things. More recently, I have become ‘the Led Zeppelin guy’, for better or worse. It’s a facet of what I do (amongst other material both covers and original), and we like playing all of it.
Boals: It goes back to the first time I heard Led Zeppelin I. It goes back to the time I bought the “Whole Lotta Love” 7-inch with my paper route money. I think “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)” was the B-side. I love the middle section. I had never heard anything like it before. It was spacey, and I thought that must be what it’s like when you are on drugs.
Baldasarre: I had a sister who was seven years older than me, and she came back from her first semester of college in 1970 and dropped needle on Led Zeppelin II. The first song I heard was “Heartbreaker.” That changed my life when I first heard that. When you hear the right song at the right time, it can change where you go with your life.
For your upcoming shows at the Kent Stage and Robins Theatre, you will do a set of classic rock tunes and then a set of Zeppelin tunes. How’d you pick the classic rock tunes to do?
Baldassarre: We did some of that last year. This year, we’re focusing on more album-oriented things. We’re getting back to the roots of things we heard growing up like the Moody Blues and “Nights in White Satin” and the Rolling Stones and “Sympathy for the Devil” and rearranging the songs. We put funk grooves on it. Picking music for the set list is always a challenge. You have a small amount of time to do a set. We have 200 songs we know and how do you pick just 10? You’re never satisfied. Mark always has a lot of good ideas and was suggesting songs yesterday that we should try.
Boals: There’s so much good stuff from back in the day. It gets lodged in people’s heads. They just relate to it when they hear it, and it brings them back.
Baldassarre: One piece we’re doing in the first set that I’ve never done before is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That takes a lot of nerve to play it live. Even Queen didn’t play the whole thing live. We have an arrangement that goes back and forth with the string quartet and rock band. It’s a challenge and should be an interesting version. I’ve never heard anything like it.
Boals: It’s different. Having the string quartet adds so much.
Baldassarre: [Queen’s] Freddie Mercury was so orchestral-minded, and it lends itself well to the string quartet.
And talk about what the Zeppelin part will be like?
Baldassarre: We’re going to do a lot of the standards and put some twists in it. We’ll do acoustic tunes like “Going to California.” I’ll be doing the acoustic part. Victor [the violinist] will jump on the mandolin. The bassist will play a vintage ten-string, which is like a ukulele and together it gets you that jangly sound. We’ve also added an accordion for a unique Parisian vibe.
Carl, what is it like trying to play like [Led Zeppelin guitarist] Jimmy Page?
Baldassarre: It’s unforgiving. It’s such a different mindset and technical approach. It’s hard to do in the same night as other material. It’s not friendly at all. It’s also hard to do if you don’t do it every single night. When you look back at Led Zeppelin videos, you can see in the middle of their tours that they’re finding their way. It’s very complicated music, and it’s tricky music to play as an ensemble. It’s a living organism and hard to nail it right. The trick is to not cover it exactly.
Boals: Since Carl is so highly educated and analytical, he can analyze Jimmy as a college professor would. He really nails it.
Baldassarre: Coming from you, that’s high praise. Mark’s played with some of the best guitar players in the world, so I’ll take that.
Mark, what is it like trying to sing like [Led Zeppelin singer] Robert Plant?
Boals: That’s challenging too. I don’t try to sing exactly like him. He does a lot of head voice stuff. I do it in my own way. I try to get his vibe. I think it comes out well.
Baldassare: When we do it, we try to be ourselves. We’re not doing the cabaret thing with the wigs and costumes. Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury would appreciate the fact that we bring our own thing to their art.
The current musical landscape features more pop artists than rock artists and more solo acts than bands. Do you think arena rock is dying a slow death?
Boals: The old bands are dying off, unfortunately. There are new bands trying to pick up the gauntlet. I don’t think it’ll ever die because there is a turnover of new fans discovering classic rock. The original people are getting up there and 80 years old now and won’t be around forever, but the music will be.
Baldassarre: I don’t follow the contemporary scene, but I am told there are some good bands. The idea of the band has gone through a deconstruction over the past 30 years. Back in the day, the record labels and DJs really helped fuel the creative band environment. Today, it’s more visually important to have the artist as a frontperson and entertainer. You have several producers and one featured artist. The whole industry’s structure changed and that manifested the way the music has changed. But as long as there are drums and guitars, there are always going to be rock ‘n’ roll bands.
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This article appears in Apr 24 – May 7, 2025.