Category Archives: The Awesome

Check It Out: Wooden Idles

19 October, 2016 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I know I say it a lot, but I have some talented ass friends.

My pal Cory Maidens, who I actually previously spoke about in a blog about his mix-tape project called Maiden-Stone, has created what he likes to call Wooden Idles.

These tiny little caskets are hand-made and then etched with a laser. Each casket Cory sells has a lyric from a song that is more than appropriate for a headstone. One side of the casket has the lyric and the other has the artist name, song title, and year the song was released. There are even some band logos on some of them.

I scored a Frank Turner casket as seen below, but he also has a Misfits one, an Alkaline Trio one, and a Bruce Springsteen one just to name a few.

Check out his Etsy page to order one. They are only $20 a pop and he even does custom work. This is a definite must have for any music lover.

My goal is to send one of these to Frank himself as I know he would think this is amazing. I know I do…

Check out Cory’s Etsy page and order one today!

Akron, Cleveland, DIY, Got Local?, The Awesome

Check It Out: Akron’s WhiskerTin Lighting

21 September, 2016 Brian Mc Leave a comment

“Hand Made Crafted Light”

That is what Akron’s WhiskerTin Lighting is all about.

So what is WhiskerTin you ask? Well, two friends from Akron, OH had an idea of making lamps from leftover sheetmetal parts. Each lamp is hand-made by the duo. As each lamp was created, their passion for their creations grew and ideas were formulated. They were reinventing the way people looked at lights.

At first, it was just the hand-made lamps. Don’t get me wrong, these lamps are amazing. I have seen them in person.

Soon they were taking requests and creating one-of-a-kind floor and desk lamps for their customers. Heck, they have even made commercial lights out of Great Lakes Brewing Company keg halves. No seriously, next time you are at GLBC restaurant in Cleveland, head down to the basement and check them out.

They have had booths at many of the craft and vendor shows in the Cleveland / Akron / Canton area this past summer. Novak even sets up a display at the Worship This! merch table, his punk rock band, just for people to see.

With new ideas, the duo decided to up their game and take their brand to a new level. They created t-shirts of their logo and artist renditions that people are buying up left and right and even started making custom lamps for businesses like Melt Bar & Grilled in Akron as well bands like Beach Slang.

These guys are always making lamps. Not even a year into their venture, Aaron Novak and Glenn Miller have taken lamp making to the extreme.

Just when I thought they were already on top of their game, they made an announcement that I could not help but share. Earlier this week, WhiskerTin announced a collaboration with Say-10 Records.

Wait…a lamp company and a record label? What exactly could these two possibly have in common?

This:

How cool is that? Seriously, my jaw dropped when I saw this for the first time.

Say-10 Records also happen to sling skateboards featuring tons of punk rock bands. Novak and Miller have taken custom lamp-making to a new dynamic and turned a skate deck into a ceiling light.

They also shared this photo today of a wall lamp:

They are taking orders now. Hit them up on their website or on Facebook page for more information.

I can not wait to see what these guys come up with next.

Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Documentary, Good Eats, Personal Entry, Tattoos, The Awesome

Melt Tattoo Family Reunion 2016

9 September, 2016 Brian Mc Leave a comment

If you asked me six years ago if I thought I would be sitting in a Melt Bar & Grilled with hundreds of people who share the same love and passion for carbs and cheese to the point they dedicated a part of their skin to showcase it, I probably would have believed you.

Back in 2009, Melt’s founder and creator, Matt Fish, announced a fun promotion of sorts: Get a Melt tattoo and receive 25% off of your Melt purchase for life.

My question to myself immediately was, “am I bold enough to get a permanent coupon?” The answer was a quick “yes.”

Being the type of guy who acts now and asks later, I set up an appointment as soon as I could with my favorite tattoo artist, Mr. Ronnie Castro, and got a hand-sized Melt-inspired tattoo right on my forearm for the world to see.

Initially, I wanted to take the NOFX Never Trust a Hippie album cover and alter Jesus to be holding a grilled cheese, but my tattoo artist was thinking of something a little bit more traditional. Sometimes I wish would have gone with what I initially wanted, but I do love what he came up with:

I waited for my tattoo to heal fully before making it up to the Lakewood location to sign up for the tattoo club causing my membership number to increase some. For anyone who has ever gotten a tattoo, I am sure you can understand why I waited. No one wanted to see a scabby mess, especially when it is going to be showcased on the restaurant’s Melt Tattoo Family website page.

I was presented with tattoo member #47. At least I made it into the top 50, right?

Hell, this tattoo is what got me my in to the Cleveland Man vs. Food episode:

As of today, there are over 500 members. Talk about dedication folks. With locations in Cleveland, Columbus, and most recently in Akron, it only makes sense that this one time promotion has turned into a following of sorts.

Last night, Fish and crew wanted to show their appreciation and love to all of the Melt Tattoo Family members by hosting the first ever Melt Tattoo Family Reunion.

Open to the first 200 members (plus 1 guest) to RSVP, the private event had a free appetizer buffet, photo booth, opportunity to be filmed for an upcoming Melt documentary, and best of all, a one-of-a-kind Derek Hess print. They also offered a healthy discount on drinks and food too.

Arriving just after the event’s start, I waited in a decent sized line to get checked in and secure my Hess poster (photo to follow once I take one, it is a sweet print).

From there, I snagged some free eats and found a spot up at the bar to camp out at. The free eats I speak of were beyond generous-sized offerings and consisted of most of the appetizer menu items including fried pickles, mac and cheese bites, and even s’mores bread pudding.

As I waited for my Dude Abides sandwich, I sipped on a couple of Melt City Lights and just looked at all of the people in there. Everyone was happy, having a good time, and all had something in common with me. They all felt inspired enough to put something permanent on their skin not only to achieve a discount, but to show support to a man and the company he created.

I started up a conversation with a couple sitting by me just to hear their story. They were married for 25 years, loved Melt, and the husband got a tattoo and the wife plans on one soon. They found Melt when they were looking for a restaurant in Cleveland with a good beer list. They found the beer list that intrigued them and then they found the food. Hailing from Canton, the couple drives to the Independence location frequently to enjoy a meal before having a night out and prefer it over the new Melt in Akron.

Before heading out, I decided to get my ugly mug on camera for the documentary they were filming. It was kind of cool to be able to stand there and just explain why I got the tattoo and what it means to be in a family like this.

Fish and I chatted a few times throughout the night and he just looked so happy. Can you blame him? His comfort food idea has turned into a cheesy empire with thousands of adorning fans.

Tattooed or not, people love what Fish has built up over the last 10 years. Here’s to 10 more years of cheesy goodness.

Cleveland, Documentary, Film, Review, The Awesome, Watch This

Film Review: Draw Hard (Turnstyle Films)

24 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I sometimes feel like I am an 80 year old man when I write. I am not sure that is going to make much sense to you yet until you read the following:

In my life, I have met a lot of good, amazing faces.

Granted I have yet to turn 40, but that sentence holds so true. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people in my short existance on this planet.

One of those people is Jon Nix. He is a fellow Cleveland resident with a bigger love for music and film than I will ever have in my lifetime. He has leaped boundaries I could only have imagined doing at his age and currently runs the fast-moving Turnstyle Films.

Next week, Turnstyle Films is dropping Draw Hard, an amazing short form documentary on Cleveland’s most bad ass underground comic artist John G.

I watched the documentary not really knowing what to expect.

I know who John G. is and I have seen his art everywhere from his Lake Erie Monster comic illustrations to the numerous concert posters he had done for many local acts.

Chances are if you are from Cleveland you have even seen his artwork on the monthly menu fliers that make those Melt Bar & Grilled sandwich of the months look even more enticing.

What I did not know was John G.’s story.

Draw Hard did a hell of a job bringing me to speed with a solid dude I am sure I rubbed shoulders with back in the 90s. In one sitting, my appreciation for John G. grew easily 100 times.

The story is real and the best part about it was how it was told throughout. It is a truly inspiring short documentary that everyone needs to check out.

You do not even need to love comic books to appreciate this documentary. This showcasing of a man who overcame tragedy to his advantage proving you can do anything when you put your mind to it and without looking back.

On February 27th, Draw Hard will be available for rental or purchase on VHX . For $10, you can even get digital versions of the first 5 volumes of the Lake Erie Monster comic as part of a bundle deal.

The documentary will also be available for streaming through Fandor,

Don’t pass this up. Seriously. It is well worth your time.

Props to Jon Nix and Turnstyle Films for creating such a captivating documentary about one of the most talented humans in Cleveland.

Check out the Draw Hard packages available on VHX:

Take A Dip Package – $4.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDF of “The Lake Erie Monster” Volume #1

The Monster Package – $8.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of the First 5 Volumes of “The Lake Erie Monster” & The Summer Special issue

The Gritty Package – $9.99
-A Digital Copy of the Film
-Director’s Commentary
-Trailer
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of the First 5 Volumes of “The Lake Erie Monster” & The Summer Special issue
-Hi-Res Digital PDFs of The John G Art collections “No Gods No Monsters” & “No Gods No Monsters Non Grata”

70's, Cleveland, Indie, Music, Music News, Punk, The Awesome, Vinyl

Cleveland’s Blue Arrow Records To Release Jonathan Richman Singles

11 February, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I am so stoked to be able to share this:

Cleveland’s Blue Arrow Records have started their own record label with the same name and first on their roster is the amazing Jonathan Richman.

Seeing that I am huge fan of them both, I could not help but stop what I was doing tonight to share the good news.

Jonathan Richman is easily one of my favorite singer-songwriters out there. His career reaches all the way back to the 70s with the Modern Lovers and has continued over the years with him turning more into a solo artist. I have always appreciated his upbeat outlook on life as well as got a kick out of seeing him in There’s Something About Mary and Kingpin.

Blue Arrow Records is a brick and mortar record store staple on Waterloo in the East Cleveland neighborhood of Collinwood. Owned by the good folk Pete and Debbie Gulyas, the store has been selling vinyl and other music related formats/memorabilia since 2009. I adore that store (and the owners) and have found some incredible gems there over the years including a lot of Richman’s catalog.

The Gulyas’s actually used to own a shop on Coventry in Cleveland Hts. and met Richman in the area some 18 years ago.

Over the years, a friendship was formed between the Gulyas’s and Richman. Just a few years back, Richman asked the Gulyas’s to help sell merch on an East coast tour. It just makes sense that this is happening.

On March 1st, Blue Arrow will release 7-inch singles by Richman, “O Sun” and “Keith”. There are plans for a full length to drop in the Fall as well as extending the label to other acts in due time.

Click on the album covers below to place your pre-order today at Blue Arrow Records ($10 each – Ships in April):

Richman is actually playing the Euclid Tavern on March 8th with Tommy Larkins on drums. If you know what is good for you, you will make it and see him perform. It is a show not to be missed.