I am still looking for an actual confirmation about this but it looks as if the Cleveland Agora will be shutting it’s doors after tonight’s show.
I really hope this is not true. Just looking at that neon sign brings me years of memories of countless shows I had attended. Since I was 15 years old I have gone to shows at that amazing venue.
I was supposed to be there tonight too. I was going to check out Strung Out and Death By Stereo play in the ballroom tonight but was just too tired to make the trip out there. Around 9pm my friend Dan Z. messaged me asking if the Agora shut down. I did not have an answer for him so we started both texting everyone we know in the Cleveland music scene.
Sadly Dan got a text from the girl that used to work in the box office at the Agora with a message neither of us wanted to hear. Tonight’s show would be the last show for an undetermined amount of time.
If you have not heard of Suburban Home Records yet you really need to, it might just make you a better person. The music label is home to a slew of great indie, punk, and even country/folk artists and has been putting out some great releases by, just to name a couple, Tim Barry of Avail, Joey Cape of Lagwagon, Ninja Gun, and even Austin Lucas.
Just today I received an email from Tony @ No Idea Records that I thought I should share with everyone out there about a pretty sweet offer:
Gainesville’s newest outlaw country band, The Takers, have just posted a free downloadable MP3 from their upcoming debut album, entitled Taker Easy, that will be released by Suburban Home Records on LP/CD July 21st.
You can download an MP3 of the title track “Taker Easy” on the Suburban Home Records website HERE.
The band recently leaked three other tracks from the album. You can stream “Curse of a Drunk,” “Drift,” and “Friends in Bottles” on the band’s MySpace page.
Members have been playing in various Gainesville bands for years, with two members currently pulling double duty in No Idea Record’s Whiskey & Co.
The Takers released a 7” version of “Curse of a Drunk” on Suburban Home Records this past fall and have plans to release a collaborative split 7” with Austin Lucas in the near future
Take advantage of this opportunity. As a fan of outlaw country I really got a kick out of this song and can not wait till the full release of the album.
If you liked what you heard here are a following options you have if you would like to order a copy:
If you want to be ahead of the game and would like to pre-order a CD copy of Taker Easy you should click HERE.
If you want to be a little cooler, pre-order a copy of the Taker Easy beer colored LP by clicking HERE.
If you want to one up everyone else and be the coolest, click HERE and pre-order the deluxe set that includes the LP, CD, T-Shirt, Beer Cozie, Shot Glass, Poster, and Button. Now that is DELUXE.
Finally if you are the ultimate vinyl collector in the world, click HERE to order a hand-numbered and hand-written test pressing copy of The Taker’s Curse Of A Drunk 7″. Keep in mind though that only 5 to 20 pressings are created each time a test pressing is created so supplies are extremely limited.
I can not be held responsible for empty wallets so order at your own risk. I know I am seriously contemplating pre-ordering the LP because I know I am going to listen to it over and over. The CD and LP will be released on 07/21/2009.
The Takers Tour Dates:
Jun 23 – The Atlantic-Gainesville, Florida
Jun 24 – TBA-Daytona Beach , Florida
Jun 25 – Tobacco Road -Miami, Florida
Jun 26 – Propaganda -Lake Worth, Florida
Jun 27 – New World Brewery, Ybor City, Florida
Jun 28 – Wills Pub , Orlando, Florida
(Hopefully one day they will make it up to Cleveland…hint hint)
It’s no surprise that all who attended the Grog Shop last Tuesday night to see Those Darlins, The Dexateens, and The Features had a blast. The sad thing though was the turnout for the evening and with tickets only $8 I really expected a bigger turnout. Nevertheless all the acts that night played just as hard as they would to a full crowd and I along with the handful of fans got our money’s worth.
Arriving early I had a picture perfect moment when Those Darlins came rounding the sidewalk outside of the Grog Shop. Clearly the ladies decided to check out their surroundings on a possible quest get a bite to eat and were returning to work. Respecting their privacy I kept the camera down and shyly smiled at them as they walked in the doors of the venue. I laughed when one of them screamed “blech!” as a Radiohead song greeted them when they entered. Not everyone can be a Radiohead fan I guess…
A couple of months ago Those Darlins had their first taste of Cleveland when they opened for Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys at a sold out show at the Beachland Ballroom. A nice size crowd greeted them as they took the stage. Sadly their return to Cleveland to play again had a crowd that barely made it to twenty. Still the sassy ladies of Tennessee did not let the lack of attendees kill their spirit and started playing through their songs at full force.
Ripping through tracks from their upcoming self-titled debut release Those Darlins played just as good, if not better, as the first time I saw them. Hearing “The Whole Damn Thing” cracked me up as the ladies sang about getting drunk and eating chicken. Other tracks like “DUI or Die”, “Snaggletooth Mama”, and “Wild One” seemed to get some of the folk sitting at the bar to turn their heads and pay attention to the three country cuties up on stage. Their mustache wearing drummer even had a moment when one of the toms on his kit fell off while playing. All of the girls laughed mid-song and continued to stomp their boots and play hard. Ripping through a nice sized set I could not help myself from getting excited when their album is delivered to my front door (I pre-ordered it).
I am sure Those Darlins were a tad frustrated with the small amount of people at the Grog Shop seeing they drove all the way up to play out, but thanks to their great set they won a few new fans and I am sure the next time they return to Cleveland there will be a much bigger crowd waiting to see them. I’ll do what I can to make sure that happens.
Not knowing the two other bands I decided to stick it out and see what each had to offer. Alabama’s The Dexateens took stage and it seemed like a few more people actually surrounded the stage as they played including the mustache clad drummer of Those Darlins. Some of the fans looked to have been friends of the band but still, fans are fans. The band’s mix of southern rock and folk really won me over and I made sure to pick up one of their vinyl albums from the merch booth just so I could check them out more.
The main act of the night, The Features, took stage to a very small welcoming crowd including a handful of folk who traveled all the way from Erie, PA just to see them. The Tennessee indie rock band played well but was not what I was looking for so I called it a night.
As I headed to the door I spotted Kelley Darlin sitting at the bar with one of the guys who works at the vintage shop below the Beachland Ballroom called This Way Out. I did not want to pass up the opportunity to thank her for playing Cleveland again and also wanted to tell her that she would be seeing me at Bonnaroo in less than a month. Kelley Darlin smiled from ear to ear and give me a high-five / handshake / hold hands type response that had me smiling too. She was a real pleasure to meet and I hope to see her again next month.
Yes, I have a crush on all three Darlins. So what!?!
I really wish that more folk would have come out the the Grog Shop that night not just because I felt that the band deserved a fuller crowd but also because I think a lot of people would have had a great time even if they never heard any of the acts before. Better luck next time to the bands and the fans I guess. I am just glad I was there.
Here are some photos I took of the evening:
Those Darlins at SXSW:
-Visit Those Darlins to pre-order a copy of their debut release. LP drops on 6/23/09 and the CD drops two weeks later on 7/7/09.
I’m not sure if you know this or not, but I am a pretty big fan of Those Darlins so when I received and email today from Oh Wow Dang you can bet your you know what I was going to post it! These three sassy ladies are going to be turning heads this year, and not just because of their looks!
I’ll be at their Cleveland show next week as well as be seeing them at Bonnaroo so expect me to be posting some more stuff about them soon!
Brand Spanking New Debut Release!
Vinyl Release Date 6/23/09 CD Release Date 7/7/09
Those Darlins
1–RED LIGHT LOVE
2–WILD ONE
3–MAMA’S HEART
4–HUNG UP ON ME
5–THE WHOLE DAMN THING
6–WHO’S THAT KNOCKIN’ AT MY WINDOW
7–GLASS TO YOU
8–SNAGGLE TOOTH MAMA
9–CANNONBALL BLUES
10–222
11–DUI OR DIE
12–KEEP MY SKILLET GOOD AND GREASY
Pre-order Those Darlins debut full length album now on vinyl or CD. The vinyl comes with the full debut CD inserted. The first 1,000 pre-sale orders will be $1 off regular price and receive a free autographed publicity photo for your scrapbook or bedside table! In the country music industry tradition:
THOSE DARLINS ARE SO EXCITED TO HAVE THE BLACK LIPS PLAY THEIR NASHVILLE VINYL RELEASE SHOW!
Here is a poster Jessi Darlin designed for the debut event:
TOUR DATES
MAY.
12 – Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel+
13 – Charlottesville, VA @ IS Venue+
19 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop+
20 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas+
21 – Newport, KY @ The Parlour+
22 – Lexington, KY @ The Dame+
23 – Knoxville, TN @ Barley’s Tap Room+
It was a memorable punk rock event Thursday night at the Grog Shop thanks to The Bouncing Souls, The Loved Ones, and Black President. The three bands actually had just performed to a packed the house the night before as the bands made a two night stop at the well known Cleveland venue. Having not been able to attend both shows I am glad I was at least able to be at one seeing how great of an evening I had.
New Jersey’s The Bouncing Souls have taken this entire year to celebrate being a punk rock band for 20 years. To commemorate their success the band has been releasing a song a month for download available on their own label’s website Chunksaah Records for the entire 2009 year. The band also will be releasing a limited edition 7″ every third month of the year available online, at select music shops, and of course at their live shows. If that was not good enough for a festivity, the band decided to hit the road on a string of tours to select cities. Accompanying The Bouncing Souls were friends The Loved Ones and punk rock super group Black President.
Bouncing Souls Celebrate 20 Years
The venue filled up quickly and featured all sorts of fans, many who were at the previous night’s show. Punk rockers of all ages hung out in the dark venue waiting for what was to come. I joked to my friends how old I felt seeing that I saw The Bouncing Souls open for NOFX in 1998. Still I refused to let age affect me and was excited to be a part of the evening as I had been looking forward to this show for weeks.
Black President started off the evening and pretty much set the mood for the rest of the evening with their energy. Formed in 2005 well before Barack Obama because his quest, a lot of ticket holders thought that the band name was created after the fact of our current president. The band consisting of some pretty important punk rockers like Charlie Paulson of Goldfinger and Dave Raun of Lagwagon did not get the full credit they deserved by all who attended from the start but the crowd seemed to warm up to them. I myself was enthralled the moment the band broke into a Motorhead cover of “Iron Fist” and then announced it was their first time playing the song live. Blasting through selected songs from their self titled debut release including “Last F#cking Hope” the band won me over and much of the crowd as well.
The Loved Ones, hailing from Philadelphia, may not have been around for twenty years but they took stage and played their hearts out to the welcoming crowd. This Fat Wreck Chords act has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now so it was great to finally see them play the stage. Playing songs from their recent EP Distractions as well as former releases Build & Burn and Keep Your Heart, including the catchy song “The Bridge”, the band sounded solid and looked to be having a great time performing to the near sold out crowd.
Before The Bouncing Souls even took stage fans were screaming the trademark Bouncing Souls soccer chant “Ole” jointly. The moment the Bouncing Souls took stage and started playing the temperature rose a good ten degrees in the venue from all the movement in the crowd. With arms in the air, and some legs too, the fans were truly going ballistic for the main act of the evening.
Greg Attonito and crew were all smiles as they ripped through show starter “True Believer”. Classic tracks such as “That Song”, Here We Go”, Lean On Sheena”, and “I Like Your Mom” continued the set with almost all the fans singing along to. At times the lead singer looked more of a lounge act as he slowly graced the stage to the left and right and just seemed so at peace with the environment surrounding him.
Towards the middle of the set Greg Attonito grabbed an acoustic guitar and played a very chill version of the Misfits‘ “Hybrid Moments” which brought grins to the faces of all the real punk rockers in the crowd. I sang along with everyone else and for a brief moment felt like a kid all over again.
I was not at a Bouncing Souls show that night, I was at a Bouncing Souls celebration for them being a punk act for 20 years. Having been a fan of them for most of those 20 year I felt so fortunate to be a part of the festivities and enjoyed every moment of the evening. Openers Black President were a treat to see live as were The Loved Ones making for an ultimate night of punk rock fun.
I managed to take a couple of photos that night at the show but the Grog Shop has terrible lighting and I do not use a flash out of repsect for the artists performing. Here are a couple that came out that looked ok in black & white. I would have gotten closer for some shots but the pits for all three performance were pretty insane and I love my camera too much to risk damage to it.
(ok, I’m not going to lie…these pics SUCK. Better luck next time I guess…)
Here is a video of the acoustic version of “Hybrid Moments” taken from another venue:
(or maybe check out one of my 
