I first off want to apologize for not posting this earlier. I finally have a few minutes to post up some new material.
This week has been crazy. From work, to podcast things, to just getting ready for the baby, I have been burning the candle at both ends. This post starts way back on Friday, July, 3.
It felt like electricity in the air. Anticipation. It's what happens when you are excited to go somewhere or do something. Something you haven't done in a while. That is how I felt all day Friday. It was go time at 8pm when my shift ended and my friend Julie showed up bearing a Venti Iced Coffee from Starbucks. It would be my evening fuel.
Now once we got to Beachland Ballroom, it was time to party, or so we thought. The web said that the doors opened at 8, shows start at 9. Well that's one thing that irritates me about going to local shows. They rarely start on time. About 9:30 or 9:45-ish in one part of the venue, Adam Taylor started his set.
This kid has the authenticity of a folk/pop singer, the feel of a established act, and even the musical chops to push the boundaries of his genre. His music has attractive hooks and an upbeat sound, with a few melancholy tunes, and overall he was wonderful. I was so impressed with his tunes that I e-mailed him from my BlackBerry as I sat in the back grooving and asked for an interview. I haven't heard back, but then again, who would want to come on a podcast in Cleveland? He had bigger fish to try. Cleveland was just the first stop on his journey to play Summerfest in Wisconsin. What I loved the most was that on the way out of the show he had free music to give away. I will assure you that I plan on making his music a part of the podcast so I am patiently waiting for his permission to play his tunes.
After his set, we went back to the other end of the venue, to listen to another band called, The Hot Rails. A Punk fusion with tight harmonies over punk. Not too bad. Although as I watched them, they had a decent crowd, but didn't seem to hold too many people's attention as the crowd was transient. I tuned out and saw Mike, the bassist for the band I was really there to see, The Ohio Sky, and I talked to him for a bit. I am proud to say that as a result of our conversation, we have a solid date down for a session on the podcast. I have been prepping for this interview and writing questions, and putting together stories for it. Look for that soon, but with the show at hand, the Hot Rails finished a set so we went back to the OTHER part of the venue to see what was going on over there.
Now this band that took the stage in the Ballroom wasn't very good. When I say not very good I mean, the drummer could be seen counting to stay on beat. Julie dubbed them, 5th Graders on Parade, but their real name escapes me. That just proves that its a crap shoot when you attend local shows and not touring acts. The sound for the Ballroom was on the band, whereas in the Tavern, there was a professional sound guy. So the level of professionalism was drastically better in the Tavern.
After the 5th graders, the Guile took the stage in the Tavern. Good music? Not bad. Great Stage presence? Absolutely. The lead singer gave out beer tokens, chugged beer, and at one point asked the drummer not to play the next song because it was new and he was drunk. He came out into the crowd and literally got in your face while he was spitting lyrics that were in your face. The literal meets the figurative. I had a great time listening to these guys.
After that Julie and I took a break and stepped out into the night sky. It was not hot but not cold. It was like the little bear's porage. As the Ohio Sky set up, I decided to snap some photos in the lobby, just because playing with a 35mm camera is fun. You hit the button and you can hear the film move. It's something I haven't experienced in a while. It was fun, and the photos of me aren't worth showing.
As I heard the Ohio Sky sound check start, we ventured back inside. Now the Ohio Sky definitely has the swagger of an established act, and are hands down the best band in the building that evening. Once their show started, what was left of my ear drums were gone I think. Their set always blows up the room! Loud yes. Properly mixed? Yes.
They kicked off the set with a metal instrumental. No words, just a killer riff! I have never experienced a band that ran the gamut of hard metal to chill acid rock in one set. They were the like the ADD of rock, but believe it or not, every song they did held you.
After the show, my god, I couldn't hear a damn thing. Julie and I were out way past our bedtime, but we had a great time.
I can't wait to have the Ohio Sky on the show. We will get an up close and personal look at what makes the Ohio Sky tick.
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