Tag Archives: Ohio

Festival, Music, Music News, Punk, Road Trip

The 2010 Interpunk American Skate Fest @ Skatopia – June 25th & 26th

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This goes out to all you skateboarders and punk rockers out there…

There is a pretty interesting festival that is going to take place in Rutland, OH this June.  The 2010 Interpunk American Skate Fest will be taking over the skateboarding mecca that is Skatopia on June 25th & 26th.  Tickets are $55 for two days (camping not included) worth of punk rock, skateboarding demos, and endless enter-at-your-own-risk fun.

Interpunk stated the following on their website:

Music! Mayhem! Skateboarding! Anarchy! Interpunk American Skate Fest!!!

This summer marks the beginning of the Interpunk American Skate Fest at Skatopia! This is the first in what promises to be a long line of amazing bands, skateboarding demos, and entire weekends of chaotic fun.

Despite being the first link in the chain, an amazing lineup of bands are ready to blow you away and drench you in blood. Brace yourself before checking out the list of bands below or you risk snapping your wrist in half from clicking the buy tickets link.

The festival grabbed my attention not only at it’s location but also the line up that includes:
GWAR, Fishbone, Meat Puppets, 7 Seconds, Youth Brigade, DOA, Agent Orange, DI, CJ Ramone, Murphys Law, Nassau Chainsaw, Teenage Bottlerocket, El Destructo, Frontside Five, Machine 22, Downtown Brown, Mustard Plug, Greg Ginn & The Taylor Texas Corrugators, Sleeper Agent, Fast Piece Of Furniture, Agression, Dirty Filthy Mugs, Trusty, Pinstripes, McRad, Minus One, Shot Baker, Kirkwood Dellinger, Dirty South Revolutionaries, Rezzin & More…

That is a sick line up if you ask me…  I am not sure if I am going to hit this festival up yet but at only $55 for a weekend of amazing bands including some classic artists it is worth it.  What?  You can’t make both days, well just fork over $30 and you will have yourself one full day of punk rock goodness.

All of the bands will perform on the recently built Amity Whitelight Amphitheatre located in the skate park.  Don’t be too quick to judge the picture of the stage below, it is petty large in size (that’s what she said…) and I am sure it will be a little built up once all the equipment and bands take over.

Honestly looking at the above picture though remind me of something you would see at a campground  It is not fancy and does not look like the kind of amphitheatre I would imagine to host such an event but I am sure that Skatopia and Interpunk are going to pull this off.

It’s about time something awesome in Ohio happened.  If I do decide to hit up this festival I will be sure to share.  I think I will be leaving my board at home though as I am not the skateboarder I used to be and I like my bones not broken.

Click HERE for information on purchasing tickets to the 2010 Interpunk American Skate Fest.
Click HERE for Skatopia information and directions.

Cleveland, Folk, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Concert Review: The Avett Brothers – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 02/27/2010

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It’s really not a secret anymore, The Avett Brothers are kind of a big deal these days.  Not even a year ago brothers Scott and Seth Avett along with bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon brought their folk act to the Akron Civic theater to a decent sized crowd.

That show was just months before the release of the Rick Rubin produced I and Love and You, an album that would change their status as a band forever putting them in the spotlight they so deserve.

Last Saturday night the North Carolinian foursome returned to Ohio and played to a sold out crowd at the House Of Blues in Cleveland.  With tickets being sold out months prior, it was pretty apparent that this was a show many folk were looking forward to be it new fans or long time followers. Looking around the venue as I arrived it was clear that the attendees of the night were a fine mix old and young.  There were frat boys pounding Miller Lite’s as well as a dread-locked couple hanging back against a wall and even a couple punk rockers loitering by the bar.  It would almost seem as if the night was all about bringing people together at the expense of music.

Folk act The Low Anthem from Providence, Rhode Island had the pleasure of being the opening act.  Starting off with a couple slow folk songs off their latest release Oh My God Charlie Darwin it was clear that most of the crowd was not interested in them at all.  Lead singer Ben Knox Miller did not let that bother him one bit though and continued playing songs to the packed house along with Jeff Prystowsky primarily on the stand-up bass.  Joining them as well was Jocie Adams who took care of most of the percussion duties, and Mat Davidson.  The band all played multiple instruments throughout their set showcasing their talent.

Just about half way into the set they switched gears and started rocking out heavily with Miller and Adams belting out vocals and Prystowsky beating the crap out of his stand up bass ever so passionately.  Adams really caused some jaws to drop when she sang in full force as she was just a small framed thing.  Many of the crowd soon quieted down and gave them the respect they deserved and by the set’s end the whole place was cheering for them.

It was clear that The Avett Brothers have reached that “rock star” level once the curtains were drawn introducing the Avett brothers, Bob Crawford, Joe Kwon, and a new touring drummer Jacob Edwards (of Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers) to the crowd that night.  The entire place cheered and sang along as they opened up with the ever appropriate “Salina”.  When the lyrics “Cleveland, I ain’t never felt nothing so strong” were recited the entire crowd went crazy and that would not be the last time that happened.  In fact the boys kept the momentum going following the opening song by playing “Slight Figure of Speech”.

Continuing for the hour and a half set the band played a few songs off their latest release but also dug deep into their catalog as well as even hammered out “Where Have All The Average People Gone”, a Roger Miller cover.   Not surprisingly the touring drummer entered and exited the stage when the time came for Scott Avett to get behind the drums.  It was also nice to see a very energetic Joe Kwon stay on the stage for the entire show.  The last time I had the please of seeing the Avett’s the celloist walked on and off the stage throughout the night but this time he stood his ground and played his heart out.

There was no “Kick Drum Heart” or “I and Love and You” played during their as many might have wanted to hear but “January Wedding” as well as “And It Spread” was suffice to all as everyone sang along when each was played.  I myself was most thrilled to hear “Murder In The City” as I just had listened to the song the other day on my record player.  Still fresh in my mind I sang along with everyone around me just enjoying every second of it.

“Go To Sleep” was perhaps one of my favorite tracks to hear during the evening.  Joe Kwon took his cello and played the beginning of the song and in no time the entire crowd decided to help by screaming “La La, La La La La” throughout as the rest of the band sang and played the boot stomping jam.  Sure the song is not about the happiest of times but the energy exhumed out of the song from all was just incredible.  As the song came to an end the boys left the stage to an over-adoring crowd.

All I could think of in my head was “they get it”.  When I say “they” I meant the crowd, and “it” of course was the music.  Sure the place was sold out, packed, and full of people who had one too many but they all were there for a good time with good people thanks to good music.  Better yet I was overly pleased with the set list of the night as the Avett’s took and played songs from a whole slew of their albums and tried not to just focus on the new stuff and most of the fans around me sang along to every single song.

As the crowd continued to sing “La La, La La La La” in a rather collected harmony the boys returned to the stage and started their encore with a slowed down version of “Traveling Song”.  Ending the night with “If It’s The Beaches” off of The Gleam, the crowd was not ready to let the Avett Brothers call it a night but sadly they exited the stage and the lights were turned back on.  As those lights became brighter I could start to see more people’s faces with smiles reaching ear to ear.  It was proof of how amazing the night was and just how great of a time was had in the venue on a Saturday night in Cleveland.

Set List:
Salina
Slight Figure Of Speech
Where Have All The Average People Gone? (Roger Miller Cover)
Please Pardon Yourself
Distraction #74
Perfect Space
Murder In The City
Tear Down The House
At The Beach
Laundry Room
And It spread
Head Full Of Doubt
I Would Be Sad
January Wedding
Famous Flower of Manhattan
Colorshow
Go To sleep

Encore:
Traveling Song
If It’s The Beaches

Columbus, Contest, Metal, Music, Road Trip

Contest / Free Show: Scion Rock Fest In Columbus, OH – 03/13/2010

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Looking for a way to rock out for free?  Well if you live in the Columbus area you are in luck…

The Event:

Scion Rock Fest – Columbus, OH – 03/13/2010

The Bands:

CANNIBAL CORPSE – SHRINEBUILDER – VOIVOD – D.R.I. – BRUTAL TRUTH – HATE ETERNAL – YOB – PELICAN – 3 INCHES OF BLOOD – ABSU – LUDICRA – ACRASSICAUDA – TRAP THEM – MAGRUDERGRIND – LANDMINE MARATHON – THOU – SAVIOURS – LITURGY – STRUCK BY LIGHTNING – BLACK TUSK – DEADSEA – BLACK ANVIL – LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH – LULLABYE ARKESTRA

That’s a lot of metal bands.  I myself am most excited for the chance to see D.R.I., 3 Inches Of Blood, and Pelican.  I’ll be trying my best to make it out there for the event.

The shows will be held at the following locations throughout High Street:

Circus:
1227 N. High St
Columbus, OH 43201
18+

Newport Music Hall:
1722 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
All Ages

Skully’s:
1151 N. High St
Columbus, OH 43201
18+

Bernie’s Distillery:
1896 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
21+

So how do you get your tickets to this free event you ask?  You can RSVP by 02/15/2010 or you can post a comment on this here blog and I will choose one winner and give them a pair of tickets I have acquired thanks to Revolver Magazine.  My only rule for this contest of sorts is that you are over the age of 18 and actually plan on attending.

I read the FAQ on the Scion Rock Fest site and there is something there that states “entry is not guaranteed” and I am thinking that is for the folk who did not get tickets or their name put on a roll call.

I’ll pick a winner on 02/20/2010.  Don’t forget to enter your email address!

Babble Blog, Good Eats, Good Times, Photography, Random

Babble Blog: The Weekend TX Invaded OH

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The internet is a crazy thing and of course we have Al Gore to thank for it…

Within the last couple months a friendship was created between a guy in Ohio who likes to blog and a girl in TX who found his blog through Twitter.  Small talk started and things slowly progressed to the point where phone conversations started.  Music taste was shared as well as appreciation for literature, art, and history.  It was clear that these two people had a lot in common.

Weeks later a plane ticket was purchased and TX invaded OH.

If you have not figured this out yet, I am OH and TX is my pal Jenn who I am more than thrilled to have started a friendship with.  Last weekend she visited me and I thought I would re-cap some of the fun we had.

Friday was one of those work days I wanted to hit fast-forward on until the shift was over.  It was a long day because in my mind I was trying to figure out all the things I wanted to show Jenn.  As soon as 2:30 hit the clock I was out of the building and off to the Akron / Canton airport to pick up Jenn.

After the initial meeting he hopped on Route 8 and searched for something to eat.  I immediately thought of an Akron staple and headed to Luigi’s Pizza where we caught up face to face and lunched on some great food.  After lunch we headed to Highland Square as I wanted to show her one of my favorite Akron music stores, Square Records.  We checked out some other shops in the area and decided to head back to my pad to hang out as Saturday was going to be a busy day.

Saturday was one of those days that I had been planning in advance for weeks upon hearing Jenn confirm she was going to visit OH.  We started the day by heading out to Lakewood to eat an early lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Cleveland, Melt Bat & Grilled.  I called the ever cool Matt from Addicted To Vinyl as he agreed to meet up with us to see if he was awake or passed out in a ditch somewhere.  Surprisingly he was not only awake but waiting for us to arrive at Melt.  He even put his name in for a table and stated we only had to wait 30 minutes!

I actually had something to take care of upon entering the Melt establishment that i had been meaning to do for quite some time.  So the moment I walked in and was greeted I rolled up my sleeves looking for a staff member…and showed them my Melt tattoo.

Yes, a Melt tattoo.

Melt Bar & Grilled started a tattoo promotion recently where if a loyal fan of the establishment gets the Melt logo or a variance of it they will receive 25% off their sandwich, FOR LIFE.  As a grilled cheese fanatic I could not pass this up so I had my tattoo artist Ronnie Castro tattoo the permanent coupon on my arm in November.

Now that I was standing there in Melt it was time to get into the gang of loyal grilled cheese lovers.  After some appreciated compliments, photos, and the ever important “Tattoo Family Member” card I joined Matt and Jenn at a table for some grilled goodness.

Matt the trendsetter ordered a “Mighty Mac Melt”, the sandwich of the month and as a huge fan of mac & cheese I had to order the same.  Jenn had to be a rebel and ordered an Italian grilled cheese.  The three of us chatted so much that it seemed like only moments passed until we were served our sandwiches.  That meal was a highlight of my year!  No joke…  My sandwich was a giant friend mac & cheese nugget snug in a grilled cheese.  My arteries clogged and I only ate half (don’t worry I saved the rest for dinner, as did Jenn) but it was worth it.

After we stuffed ourselves silly Jenn and I said by to Matt and I decided to take Jenn to the park down the street to see the Cleveland skyline.  I do not care how cold it is outside, there is something about the Cleveland skyline I think everyone needs to see from Lakewood Park.  She really enjoyed it a lot as did I.

Once our fingers turned blue we decided to pack it up and head downtown.  I drove up and down the streets and gave Jenn a mobile tour of one of my favorite cities.  We really did not make any stops as I wanted to get to Collinwood before it started to get dark so Jenn could see Waterloo during the daylight.

After a couple of laps through the city we hopped back on the highway and headed out to the artsy district of Cleveland also known as Collinwood.

Stopping at Music Saves and Blue Arrow Records were on my agenda while out there but much to my surprise I was informed while at Music Saves that there was a Rock N Roll flea market going on at the Beachland Ballroom.  With plenty of time we headed down there and checked out what was good.  I really wanted to buy stuff there but money is tight these days on the BHP ranch so I was a good boy and looked with my eyes and kept the $1.27 I had in my wallet.

I plan on checking that out again one day when I have a couple bucks to spend.  There was a guy there who’s name escapes me but he had this box full of CDs from local Cleveland bands of the 90’s.  There were a few bands in there I remembered hearing about or even seeing live as a young music lover.  If I had it my way I would have grabbed a bunch just for the memory.  The guy said he had vinyl too but left it at home so I am hoping next time he is there.  We shall see.

Merchants were starting to pack up so I headed down to see Pete at Blue Arrow Records to see what was good.  I love that store and I had to show it off to Jenn.  While there I flipped through endless vinyl and found a Pacific Gas & Electric LP I had been looking for so you could say I was excited.

As we headed back to good ol’ Akron, OH it started to snow ever so slightly.  It was a nice end to a long day.  Once home we just kicked it and geeked out (relaxed) for the duration of the evening.

Sunday morning I did my best to make a breakfast of sorts and was pleased with the outcome. I cubed up some potatoes and fried them up as well as made eggs and refried beans.  I then fried up (with Jenn’s help) some corn tortillas and make tacos.  The outcome was an OH take on a Tex-Mex staple breakfast meal and I was thrilled.

I scored major brownie points there.  Speaking of brownies, the night before while we were geeking out I snuck in the kitchen and made brownies with chopped up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Yeah, they were amazing.  I pride myself on those.

Sunday morning I did not want to do much of anything but relax and Jenn was ok with that.  Suddenly I came up with the great idea of taking the pups up to Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls to show Jenn the fun little area as well as the Cuyahoga River.  While walking around she took tons of pictures and I just soaked in the beauty of the river and surroundings.  I love having that place just down the street from me.  The pups had fun dragging me all over the place.

Right before heading back home I noticed that the open light was on at Metropolis Popcorn so we picked up some snacks for afternoon football watching.  I got my favorite Chicago style popcorn (cheddar mixed with caramel) and Jenn chose the dill popcorn.  Both were amazing.

The rest of Sunday was chill and of course the Browns lost but at this time it does not bother me anymore.  There is always next year – and a hopeful first round draft pick.

Monday was departure day.  I know Jenn had fun because she thanked me multiple times throughout the morning.  I thanked her as well for coming up.  Not only was it a pleasure to have met her face to face but it was also awesome just to show her around Cleveland/Akron at the places I love.  Had we more time I would have taken her to many more places but I think I did good with what was shown.  Still, I wish I would have dropped by Cleveland Hts. and showed her Coventry.  Oh well, next time right?

Jenn is back in TX and I am sure she left OH with a good idea of how fun our city is, well at least I hope she did.  Upon exiting my car at the airport she reminded me that I was always welcome to visit her in TX and I hope to do that one day very soon.

90's, Hip Hop, Music, Music Video, Punk, Rap, Rock, Times Of Yore

Times Of Yore: DINK

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So I am slacking on updating here with good quality reading material. My apologies. It was Thanksgiving weekend you know…. I know not a good enough excuse…

Anyways, let’s talk about the gem I came across recently, rather…a few weeks ago.  Well actually let’s clear that up by saying my friend John hooked me up with a CD I loved from the past (read on for an explanation) so I guess I was handed the gem.

Where was I?  Oh yeah…

It all started when I tried to buy a CD from the Ex-(we’d never fire you after xmas)-change in Kent last month.  I was looking for something I have not listened to in a while, something completely random.  As I was shopping in Kent I could not help but to think of a certain alt-industrial act from Kent that had a small taste of success.  The band was Dink.

As soon as I came to the decision that I would leave that music shop with a Dink CD in hand I went searching for it and found nothing.  The CD that comes through the store a lot according to a certain pal who works there just ao happened to be out of stock at the time.  I managed to find the Blame It On Tito EP that Dink released but after getting home I realized the wrong CD was in it…

Fail.

My buddy John who hung out with me later in the week confessed that he had an extra copy of the CD and gave it to me after finding out I was having a hard time finding it.

Score.

Dink
Dink

Dink was not around for a very long time but they sure are not a band many have forgotten about.  Hailing from Kent, OH the band formed in 1992 and stood out from may of the bands at that time combining elements of industrial metal, hip hop style (mainly excessive samples), and alt punk sounds.

The first time I heard them I was an instant fan.  In 1994 the band released their debut self-titled CD under Capitol Records.  To me it was a fine mix of bands like Ministry with the industrial feel and Faith No More with the rock jam.  At times the lead singer even sang like Mike Patton.

Included on that CD was a song called “Green Mind” that was the band’s big commercial hit.  I to this day still listen to the track once in a while.  The song, produced by Skinny Puppy‘s Dave Ogilvie, was really the only success the band tasted.  The video for “Green Mind”, which I need to mention my good friend Kevin can be seen in it for a brief moment, debuted on MTV’s 120 Minutes.  The band was actually discovered by Capitol Records as the track was played contently on a Cleveland radio station program, 107.9 The End’s Inner Sanctum (recently resurrected on Cleveland’s 92.3).

After Dink was released the band recorded some more songs for a follow up CD that would never be released as Capitol Records dropped the band due to a change in the music scene (some of the tracks can be found on the Blame It On Tito EP).  Industrial apparently was not “in” anymore and the record label said bye bye to the talented band.  With no record deal the band called it quits.

Sucks to see such a talented band just stop because they were let go.  I would be very interested in hearing some of the unreleased material that may still be out there.  Rumor has it there are 3 cassettes worth of demos floating around out there that the band sold at their local shows before they made it big.  I wonder if any of the original band members continued with a musical career or if they just all called it quits and ended their short stint of fame?

Hopefully I will find out one day.

Until then, enjoy the “Green Mind” video:

The voice at the beginning of the video is none other than Ohio’s most overheard rightwing car salesman Bob Serpentini.

Here is an interview I found while surfing the net with an unamed member of Dink.  Pretty interesting read.