"Slow to Anger" by Superdrag

To some, Superdrag are nothing more than a one-hit Alternative Nation band, who scored their brief flirtation with fame thanks to the 1996 single, "Sucked Out." Others, admittedly fewer in number, hold the Knoxville foursome in high regard, as one of the past decade's …

From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Dreamscape, The New Album by GMPD, aka, Gil Mantera's Party Dream, Is Out Now

Raise your hand if you're in the mood for a little synth pop played by some mostly naked and mostly drunken dudes from Youngstown? I think I see a couple hands out there. Well, the two of you can put your hands down now and get your mouse clicking fingers ready 'cause …

Cleveland Concert Update: January 27th Through February 14th

Friday, January 30th: The Black Keys, Buffalo Killers, Other Girls @ Cleveland Agora.

Saturday, January 31st: The Black Keys, Buffalo Killers, Other Girls @ Cleveland Agora with an after party show with The Doctor Teeeth. Paul Collins Beat, Uncle Scratch's Gospel …

Moving Pictures: "Right Back Where We Started From " by Army Navy (Unofficial Fan Video)

First things first, that isn't Army Navy in the video. No, some enterprising youtuber synched up Army Navy's modern power pop take on the Maxine Nightengale R&B classic, "Right Back Where We Started From," with the video for a cover of the same song by '80s Simon …

The Rockometer feat Animal Collective, Glasvegas, AC Newman, Robert Pollard, and Brethren of the Free Spirit

Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Domino

Listen too closely to Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, and their insistence on pushing fluttering, fanciful keyboards high in the mix, becomes tedious and tiresome. Less ear candy. More ear ache. Pull …

Flashbacks and Throwbacks: "Modern Kicks/I'm a Pretender/Boulevard Trash" Live at Bottom of the Hill

The above footage comes from the second to last show ever played by Portland, Oregon's punk rock and power pop revivalists, The Exploding Hearts. Soon after this show, three band members: Adam Cox, Matt Fitzgerald, and Jeremy Gage, all died in a car accident while …

Moving Pictures: "Dickshaker's Union" by Surf City

NZ's Surf City could've named this one "Song 2," but they didn't, 'cause it's actually song 3 on their EP, and "Song 3" just doesn't conjure up the same sort of malaise as a bunch of dudes engaged in dickshakery 'cause they got nothing better to do. Yet, even as the …

Moving Pictures: "Your Own Backyard (Dion Cover)" by The Lemonheads Live at The Laundromatinee

Back in the days of the Alt-Rock explosion, Evan Dando of The Lemonheads maintained a persona of a slacker, and a lovable loser. Even as he gained magazine covers and bigger sales numbers, he had a bad habit of playing to low expectations and engaging in dangerous …

From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Pre-Sale for The 2009 HOF Induction Ceremony Takes Place This Saturday

A limited number of pre-sale tickets for 2009 Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be made available to general public this Saturday at the HOF Box Office. The balance of public tickets will go on sale this Monday 10AM through Ticketmaster. Now, if …

"The Box" by 1990s

Though often grouped with The Gossip, CSS and other dance rock bands, the 1990s new single, "The Box," goes back a little further than Franz Ferdinand. This one is vintage English Glam. It has a big chunky guitar riff ready for bedroom rockers and air guitar heroes, a …

These Songs Do Not Rock: "Holiday in Congo" by Rainbow Arabia and "Tunnelvision" by Here We Go Magic

...but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them.

















If you've spent the past week in the American Arctic, aka the Midwest, chances are you're ready for a holiday somewhere, anywhere sunny and warm, and while the Congo may not be the first place on your list, Rainbow …

A Thursday Rock Block with The Black Lips, Japandroids, WAVVES, and Young Lords

My first thought, as the first guitar chords from the Black Lips "Starting Over" hit my ears: "Wow, listen to how clean they got that guitar to sound. These garage punks are all grown up on their grown up record, with the not so grown up name, 200 Million Thousand." …

Do You Notice a Pattern Here?

I mean besides the fact that Animal Collective's reviews on Pitchfork tend to get a higher score with each subsequent release. Don't you think we, as music fans, would be better served if Pitchfork would have someone besides their designated Animal Collective reviewer, …

From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Rock Hall Announces Latest Inductees

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the 24th Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, taking place this year in Cleveland, will see Run DMC, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Cleveland native, Bobby Womack all enshrined into the museum. …

"The Mountain" by Heartless Bastards

The Heartless Bastards' Erika Wennerstrom has an unmistakable voice. It's a big, brassy voice. One which conveys the power of a woman who's seen plenty of hard times, and rocked them all. It's not a perfect voice in the American Idol sense, I'm pretty sure it's flat …

Moving Pictures: "It's Hard to be a White Boy in 1992" by Hot Cha Cha

Writing about Hot Cha Cha for Scene Magazine's article, 12 Bands to Watch in 2009, Anastasia Pantsios tries to see past their energetic live shows, and find value in their music, something not easy to do, if you've witnessed these ladies live:

You might miss the nuances …

Bill Fox Live at The Beachland Tavern. 01.08.09

Following Bill Fox's abrupt retirement from performing some ten years ago, his legend grew exponentially amongst members of the Cleveland underground. It seemed everyone had their own story about the singer/songwriter who once fronted Cleveland's power pop band that …

Cleveland Concert Update: January 7th through January 25th

Thursday, January 8th: Charlie Parr, Bill Fox, Rick Spitalsky @ Beachland Tavern.

Friday, January 9th: Uncle Scratch's Gospel Revival, Lost State of Franklin, Miss Firecracker @ Beachland Tavern. Blastranauts, The Dreadful Yawns, Lazy Susan @ Matinee Cleveland.

Tuesday, …

"The Facility" by Other Girls

"The Facility" by Cleveland's Other Girls, may have the heart-ache heavy re-verb of Pacific Northwest folk rock (Due in no small part to the added guitar work of Robin Peringer from Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Elliott Smith, and 764-Hero), but instead of crafting …

The Beachland Ballroom Is Off the Market

In a newsletter addressed to the Beachland Ballroom mailing list, Beachland co-owner Cindy Barber announced that the venue is now off the market. Not because she has sold Cleveland's premier live music establishment to another owner, rather, Barber and partner Mark …