Summertime is proving to be a lean period for The Beachland Ballroom and they (as many venues are nationally) are experiencing monetary issues that led them to recently reach out via their email newsletter with a couple of messages asking for help. Here’s the latest word from Beachland co-owner Cindy Barber: Dear Beachlanders…Thanks to everyone […]
Author: Matt Wardlaw
153 different nicknames (or so) for your favorite Def Leppard recording engineer
This weekend a friend of mine asked me if I had the liner notes handy for the Hysteria album by Def Leppard. Why? In the liner notes, the band give album engineer Nigel Green (assistant to album producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange) an extended tribute (and paragraph of his own) featuring 153 different nicknames that […]
Setlist: Yoso at The Kent Stage, 8/19/10
I caught the Cleveland area debut of Yoso on Thursday night at The Kent Stage. Judging by the small number of folks in attendance, I’d say that most of you reading this right now probably missed the show, so I’ll be happy to fill in the gaps and let you know what you missed. Yoso is the new project featuring former Toto vocalist Bobby Kimball with former ’90s Yes guitarist Billy Sherwood (the creative mastermind of Yoso, who shifts to bass playing duties with this group) and original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye (with a couple of auxiliary players filling out the lineup on guitar and drums). I’d classify the show as “good but not great,” which is not meant to be a slam – it’s just constructive criticism of the show that I saw.
40 Years of The Numbers Band: A Celebration with Robert Kidney
If you spend a few minutes talking with vocalist Robert Kidney of The Numbers Band, you’ll quickly realize that the man has a few stories – and he’s willing to share them, but you have to have time, because there’s a lot to talk about. Kidney’s soft spoken voice reminds me of another storyteller – […]
Show of the Week: Tommy Womack at the Beachland
This week’s show of the week is a benefit for Evan Pattison, a local boy with autism, headlined by all-American singer/songwriter/author and general good dude Tommy Womack who you’ll know both from his solo work and his collaborative work with buddy Will Kimbrough under the band name Daddy. Womack is 13 albums deep into a […]
Crowd Surfing: Asia in Cleveland, 8/13/10
I caught prog rock super dudes Asia here in Cleveland at the House of Blues on Friday night. My proper review of the show can be found here, but I also took time to jot down a few sarcastic thoughts regarding the interesting people watching opportunities (as well as random band-related thoughts) that were all […]
Setlist: Tears for Fears in Detroit, 8/12/10
Thursday night found me crossing another artist off of my rock and roll bucket list with a road trip to Detroit Rock City to see the opening night of a fresh set of U.S. dates for Tears for Fears. In a word, it was “awesome.” Curt and Roland sounded great and the show went a […]
A Peculiar Life: The ATV Interview with Richard Page
Life is full of happy accidents — I was in the midst of setting up an interview with Gary Wright via his publicist and mentioned to him that former Mr. Mister vocalist Richard Page (Wright’s current tour mate) had a new solo album out. Wright relayed to his publicist that Richard was willing to speak […]
Getting Connected: The ATV Interview with Gary Wright
As a younger guy in my mid-30s (unlike my Jurassic ol’ pal Bear), it’s always a bit of a rock and roll history lesson any time that I get the opportunity to talk to a classic artist like Gary Wright. The rock and roll resume of Wright is mind numbing to read and even more […]
Good Listening: Bruce Hornsby & The Roanoke Symphony in Salem, 10/9/97
Before I developed my appreciation for the music of the Grateful Dead, I found it hard to understand the tape collectors with hundreds to thousands of hours of Grateful Dead shows. You’d hear them talking about that one version of “Dark Star,” recorded on that one night in Albany. (I’m still fascinated by Grayfolded, the […]