Posts
OctoberOct 25 Saturday 08
Cobra Verde's Rock 'N' Roll Circus Takes Over the Beachland Tavern Tonight
To celebrate the release of Haven't Slept All Year, Cobra Verde's first disc of new material since 2003's Easy Listening, the band will be throwing the mother of all CD release parties tonight at the Beachland Tavern. Starting at 9 PM, there will be belly dancers, …
Parts and Labor, National Suicide Day Live @ Grog Shop Cleveland Heights. 10.23.08
Receivers, the latest release by the Brooklyn based band Parts and Labor, showcases a new, kinder and gentler band. Of course, those words, kinder and gentler are relative. Their previous release, Mapmaker, contained an explosive mix of haywire electronics, abrasive …
OctoberOct 24 Friday 08
I Rock Cleveland's 31 Days of Rocktober Continues with a Classic Cut From Party of Helicopters
The history of Northeast, Ohio Rock 'N' Roll is littered with bands like Kent's Party of Helicopters. Bands who could have, band who should have, but never quite did break through. Maybe their timing wasn't quite right: Choosing to break up right about the time a …
OctoberOct 22 Wednesday 08
"Offend Maggie" by Deerhoof
Similar to TV on the Radio, I've always considered Deerhoof a band with limitless talent, but also a band who doesn't always use that talent with the listener's best interest in mind. Try as I might, I could never get into Deerhoof's last album, 2007's Friend …
A Rocktober Surprise: M'F'n "Chinese Democracy"
Call me a cynic, but even with a preorder link on Best Buy, I had a hard time believing that Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy was really, honestly and truly, being released on November 23rd. How many times in the past 15 years have we been led to believe Chinese …
"Black/White" by The Raveonettes
There comes a time in every band's life when a decision must be made: Continue along the same creative path and risk limiting your future endeavors, or believe in yourself and your fans, and break free of your self-imposed shackles, then pray your fans and your band are …
OctoberOct 21 Tuesday 08
"Refined" and "Bearfight" by Ten Kens
Many of the songs on Ten Kens debut disc follow the same pattern, that is they follow no set pattern at all. You're never quite sure if they want to be Radiohead, Blur, Boris, Black Mountain, or My Bloody Valentine, and where a song begins is no indication of where it …
Celebrate Rocktober with Some Hot Guitar Action From That Other Stone Roses Album
Before there was Chinese Democracy, there was The Stone Roses' Second Coming, an oft delayed album by a highly influential band, weighed down by its own expectations long before it even hit the shelves. Books have been written about the Stone Roses' debut. Critics …
"Saints" by Army Navy
You'll be hard pressed to find a more accurate approximation of '90s power pop than Army Navy's "Saints." It would fit in rather nicely next to tracks by Matthew Sweet, Jellyfish, The Gigolo Aunts, The Posies, Redd Kross, Zumpano, and the other artists who contributed …
Culture Bully's 60 Hour Blog for Charity
Chris DeLine and Culture Bully is taking on an enormous task for a good cause. They will be blogging 60 hours straight, over the next three days, in an effort to raise money for music programs and education efforts in the Twin Cities. I know it's tough to give in …
OctoberOct 19 Sunday 08
Obama: A Live Video from This Moment in Black History and a Message from the Editor
I do my best to stay out of the political fray on I Rock Cleveland, but some days its hard. Really hard, especially when you consider the news of the past week, where John McCain and the RNC recent campaign tactics consisted of spreading terrorist fear via robocalls,
OctoberOct 18 Saturday 08
I Rock Cleveland's Rocktober Celebration Continues With a Live Performance of Mclusky Shredding for an Audience of Teen Girls
The description for this clip of Mclusky's "Too Hell With Good Intentions" is almost too good to be true: "Mclusky record a blistering live performance in 2001 for the Pop Factory TV music show. See them blow the minds of an audience consisting entirely of pre-pubescent …
OctoberOct 17 Friday 08
The Very Best (Free) Mixtape by (Who Else) The Very Best
When Vampire Weekend's debut album dropped earlier this year it gave critics the opportunity to talk once again about the often strained relationship between American rock and world music. What was striking about the discussion, was that whenever the topic of influence …
From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Jennifer O'Connor Interviews Team Music Saves for The Matablog and The Cleveland Scene Profiles Jigsaw's Phil Lara
*Matador Records recording artist Jennifer O'Connor stopped by Music Saves before her show at The Beachland Tavern last night, and conducted a quick interview with Kevin and Melanie where they reveal the perks of running an independent record store (The $$$), their …
OctoberOct 16 Thursday 08
Cleveland's Exit Stencil Records Announces 2008 CMJ Showcase
Cleveland's Exit Stencil Records have announced the details behind their first CMJ showcase. It's taking place, Tuesday October 21st at Spike Hill in Brooklyn and will feature Spanish Prisoners, Mystery of Two, Hot Cha Cha, The Dreadful Yawns, and Home and Garden. …
Cleveland Concert Update: October 16th - November 2nd
And this is why I love Rocktober. There is (and it's no exaggeration) a plethora of great shows coming to town over the next two weeks, starting tonight with a free in-store performance by Frightened Rabbit @ 6PM at Music Saves and ending with Wolf Parade at The …
I Rock Cleveland's 31 Days of Rocktober Continues with Some Hot Bass Guitar Action Courtesy of Fugazi's Joe Lally
I've already hit on a few of my favorite guitarists during I Rock Cleveland's 31 Days of Rocktober with videos from Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth, Neil Young, and J. Mascis and Dinosaur, Jr. (What I can say, I love my guitars fuzzy and with lots of distortion), so I …
OctoberOct 14 Tuesday 08
The Rockometer feat. Grails, Jay Reatard, Crystal Antlers, and Fujiya and Miyagi
Grails
Doomsdayer's Holiday
Temporary Residence
When considered in tandem, the songs "Reincarnation Blues," and "Predestination Blues" from Grails' latest full length, Doomsdayer's Holiday, would seem to indicate a belief that not only are you f*cked in this life, you're …
Make This Rocktober One to Remember With a Pair of Tickets to Either Parts and Labor/National Suicide Day or Minus The Bear/The New Year/Uglysuit
As part of our ongoing celebration of Rocktober, I've teamed with my good friends at Jagjaguwar Records and Touch and Go Records to give you the opportunity to win two tickets to either Parts and Labor, National Suicide Day, Tanked, and Lozen on Thursday, October 23rd …
OctoberOct 13 Monday 08
I Rock Cleveland's 31 Days of Rocktober Continues With Sonic Youth's "Sugar Kane" Filmed Live in '93
While most people in the music press hold Sonic Youth's 1988 release, Daydream Nation, as their crowning achievement, I always go back to their two early Nineties releases: Goo and Dirty. This is partly due to timing, as I was decidedly un-hip at my Catholic junior …