Best of 2011

Best Albums of 2011

10. The Black Keys - El Camino

9. Saintseneca - Last

8. The Boy Who Could Fly - Brain Cloud

7. Total Babes - Swimming Through The Sunlight

6. Underground Railroad to Candyland - Knows Your Sins

5. Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor

4. Herzog - Cartoon Violence

3. Tin Armor - Life of Abundance

2. Vacation - Vacation

1. Tenement - Napalm Dream

Honorable Mentions:

The Slow Death - Born Ugly Got Worse

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

Reverse The Curse - Hither and Yon

The Gateway District - Perfects Gonna Fail

Best Songs of 2011

10. Cloud Nothings - "Understand At All"

9. Acid Fast - "Rainy Treason"

8. Joyce Manor - "Leather Jacket"

7. The Boy Who Could Fly - "Weather"

6. Vacation - "Better Days"

5. Jessica Lea Mayfield - "Our Hearts are Wrong"

4. Herzog - "Rich People Ballad"

3. The Sidekicks - "Little James"

2. Tin Armor - "Queen Mob"

1. Tenement - "Taking Everything"

Best Shows of 2011

Library Time, Frankie Rose and The Outs, JJ Magazine

Friday, January 14, 2011 at Happy Dog

Solid Attitude, Beardo Bandini, Total Babes

Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Happy Dog

Brick Mower, What Gives, Asinine, Basement Attic

Sunday, February 20, 2011 at Soggy Dog House

Paul Baribeau, The Boy Who Could Fly, Richard Wehrenberg Jr. Lightning Yin-Yang, Time and Temperature

Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Soggy Dog House

Cake

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at Cleveland Masonic Auditorium

Ghost Town Trio, Delay, RVIVR, American War, Reverse The Curse

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at Grog Shop

Bomb The Music Industry, The Sidekicks, Signals Midwest, Worship This

Monday, August 29, 2011 at Grog Shop

The Dreadful Yawns, Tadpoles, Mild Mannered

Saturday, September 24, 2011 at Happy Dog

Village Bicycle, Extra Medium Pony, 28 Degrees Taurus

Friday, October 7, 2011 at Happy Dog

Herzog, Spacer Ace, Shoreway

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at Oboe

Screaming Females, Underground Railroad to Candyland, Founding Fathers

Sunday, October 16, 2011 at Beachland Tavern

Built To Spill, White Pines

Saturday, November 12, 2011 at Musica

The Max Levine Ensemble, Traveling, Annabel, Crain Willow Lake

Sunday, December 11, 2011 at Stone Tavern

Delay, The Sidekicks, Tin Armor, Asinine, Northwestern

Friday, December 23, 2011 at Dag House

Total Babes, Village Bicycle, Smooth Brain, The Greater Outdoors

Friday, December 30, 2011 at Double Feature Gallery

FRIDAY

Show this Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 at the 71st Door

The Wooly Bullies are releasing their newest tape this Friday at the 71st Door (1946 E. 71st St.) with support from Village Bicycle, Strutin' Cocks, and The Frustrations.

Show Tonight Thursday, November 10, 2011

Village Bicycle plays Bela Dubby Tonight with Bird Names and Milk and Cookies. Starts at 9pm. Bela Dubby is located at 13321 Madison Ave. Lakewood, Ohio 44107 and is a great coffee shop where you can also get a nice cold beer. We play around 11pm. It's Free, but $Donations are cool too.

Happy Birthday Tracy Morgan/Jordan.

Show Reviews 10/12/2011 - 10/19/2011

10/12/2011 @ Oboe

Spacer Ace / Shoreway / Herzog

Oboe is a residence / art space that occasionally does shows and one-act plays. It was my first time there and I hope they continue this sort of thing. Cleveland can always use more DIY venues. There's nothing quite like the atmosphere of a house show. There's more anticipation for the bands to play. No drum mics or drink tickets. The bands just set up and play. People are there to hang with their friends, sing along with the lyrics, and drink out of brown bags.

I saw Spacer Ace once before and I remember thinking they were trying to imitate an '80s hair metal band. Recently I heard a few recorded songs and now I think more highly of them. They remind me of a thrashier version of the Marked Men. While it might be fairly easy to try to sound like the Marked Men, it is in fact very difficult to sound as good as the Marked Men. Spacer Ace are really close to that level of goodness as on this particular Wednesday night they ripped through their set like they were late for work. They even forgot to play one new song on their set list. There is still some heavy thrash riffage in their songs, but its mixed with a solid garage rock vibe that makes the songs whiz by before you can realize how great the melodies are. It's great when a band leaves you wanting more. I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon.

There are some familiar faces in Shoreway. You could call them ex-Casual Encounters or ex-a bunch of other Cleveland bands. Like Casual Encounters, Shoreway has a great band name and the songs sound really tight, but like the time I saw Casual Encounters I could barely make out the vocals and there's always a few redundant parts spread throughout their tunes though there's equally as many great moments. I really hope this band does not resemble Casual Encounters in the aspect that Casual Encounters broke up before they got to the point where they wrote songs full of the good parts and lost the forgettable stuff. The first two songs of Shoreway's set really rocked, but from there on out only parts of songs made my ears perk up. When one such song started I was sure they were covering the Tom Petty classic "American Girl", but it quickly became its own song. After it concluded another crowd member yelled out that he had that very same thought, not that it's not a bad thing to sound like Tom Petty. I think Shoreway are still working out the kinks just like most bands that have been around less than a year. But don't get me wrong, Shoreway are definitely worth seeing (check them out Nov 23 at the Happy Dog), I just think they'll get a lot better on their next record if they can manage to not break up before then.

Herzog are golden. They played a few songs from the usual set and then played a brand new really heavy rocker of a track. I mean really heavy. And then they ended their set with "War Pigs." They rocked the place hard. It was nothing short of epic. It's been fun hearing them play the Black Sabbath classic, but their own songs are just as much fun to hear so I hope ending their sets with it are a temporary thing. Look for a week long tour from them some time in December and a two week stint on the road next spring, but more importantly grab their new LP Cartoon Violence at their record release show Nov. 23 at the Happy Dog. Click here to listen to another song from Cartoon Violence very appropriately titled "Fuck This Year" courtesy of the excellent I Rock Cleveland blog.

10/16/2011 @ Beachland Tavern

Founding Fathers / Underground Railroad to Candyland / Screaming Females

As I walked in I heard the final song of Founding Fathers' set and I'm pretty sure it was "Chasing Shadows" from their soon to be released LP Rapid Transit. I really like that song and hopefully there will be a few more like that on the new record. For a Sunday night, the Beachland Tavern was unusually packed, but that just means that I'm not the only one who knows how good the Underground Railroad to Candyland and the Screaming Females are.

The Underground Railroad to Candyland's debut LP Bird Roughs is one of my favorite records. Ever. Period. This past year saw the release of their sophomore album Knows Your Sins. It's hard to top such a great record like Bird Roughs and while I don't think Knows Your Sins is better, it's almost Bird Roughs version 2.0 and I have no complaints about that. They played a good mix of tunes from both records including "Yuppie Hip Hop Ad", "Suey", "That I Dunno" and "Jimmy V", which is about the late great college basketball coach Jim Valvano. Even if you've seen it before check out his inspirational 1993 ESPY speech. The addition of trombone and keys to URTC's live show gave them a much fuller sound and as always, Mike "Jimmy" Felix knows how to use a floor tom. I'm always blown away by his drumming abilities. I was happy to see Todd C. and the boys making a stop in Cleveland, but I'd be surprised if they toured again before they put out another album and with all of Mr. Congellliere's projects that might be a while so if you get the chance to see them, don't miss it.

I think just about everyone in the crowd's jaw dropped after Screaming Females took the stage. Marissa Paternoster is all of five foot nothing so at times her stratocaster looks bigger than her, but the sounds that come out of her amp are huge. They played a ton of songs before finishing with my two favorites, Bell and Wild. Jarret Dougherty is a different type of drummer than Jimmy Felix, but he's equally as great when it comes to knowing what drum parts fit each song. I could tell he wasn't trying to do too much, but in doing so he did it all. Paternoster is there to melt faces, and believe me she did, but the rhythm section held the songs together perfectly. While URTC warmed up the crowd, the Screaming Females rocked everyone's socks off making for one of my favorite shows of the year.

10/19/2011 @ Now That's Class

Village Bicycle / Afternoon Naps / Red Pony Clock

Village Bicycle started the show playing the same set from our show the previous week at the Happy Dog. I'd never played at Now That's Class before, but from the many shows I've been to there I know it's loud. From on stage it wasn't too bad, but I don't know how we sounded to the crowd. I think we had more energy as a band when we played at the Happy Dog, but it was still a fun show. I was pleasantly surprised to see some people playing chess before the bands started. Now That's Class is a such cool place.

Village Bicycle has four shows coming up in November: On the 10th at Bela Dubby in Lakewood, on 11th at the Blueberry House in Akron, on the 18th at the 71st Door in the Cleve, and on the 23rd at the Beachland Tavern. Check out the upcoming shows list on the right side for all the details. Free 'za before the Beachland show!

I hadn't seen the Afternoon Naps in quite some time so I was excited to hear their great twee pop tunes again. They played their hits including "Beach Bums", "Orange Paws", and "The Day We Started", as people danced to their songs. They're always worth seeing.

Red Pony Clock had a ton of fun with their set. Some extra-groovy basslines and more xylophone than a band could ever need got the crowd dancing yet again. I enjoyed their set a lot more than I anticipated. It was a much better Wednesday night than the constant drizzle outside projected.

Show Tonight Wednesday October 19, 2011

Tonight at Now That's Class come rock out with Village Bicycle, Afternoon Naps, and Red Pony Clock. It's going to be twee as french toast. See you there around 9pm. Bring $5.

Tournament Edition

Nick Kastner and I have been talking about our new band Tournament Edition for a while now. We mostly talk to each other about it while disc golfing. Hence, little progress. (a.k.a. A lot of talk and a whole lot less rock) However, before Nick moved to North Carolina a few weeks ago we practiced twice and worked on some songs. We then recorded three songs at the (in)famous Believeland Studios. Nick wrote all the lyrics and composed the bulk of the music for these songs. I spent most of my time figuring out what guitar parts Nick was playing when he demoed these songs and I added a guitar lick or two where appropriate. I'd really like to put these out as a 7", but we'd need to book some shows first. These were mixed, produced, recorded, and engineered by Mr. Eric Schulte between the hours of 11pm on Thursday, September 15, 2011 and 3am Friday, September 16. He did us a solid. Thanks Eric. We're really happy we recorded these and they actually sound pretty good.

Tournament Edition on SoundCloud

Show Reviews 9/29/2011 - 10/7/2011

9/29/2011 @ The Happy Dog

Herzog / Dirty Beaches / Frankie Rose and the Outs

Herzog was great. They opened with "Publishing" and hits just kept on coming. Look for Cartoon Violence to be out soon. Then the night took a 180 degree emotional ollie with Dirty Beaches. I guess there's a chance that the songs would sound a lot better live if they hand some more band members and less pre-recorded stuff, but in their present state the live show was awful. Of course, it's really hard to follow Herzog. Frankie Rose and her band were pretty solid, but I remember them being a lot more enthusiastic when I saw them this past January. Since then they've been through a line-up change and penned a new batch of tunes of which they played with more gusto than the rest of their set. Perhaps everyone was too blown away by the awesomeness of Herzog or the complete crap in a hat of Dirty Beaches that there was just not enough energy left in the room for Frankie Rose and the Outs. It's interesting how shows can have their ups and downs. This one certainly did.

9/30/2011 @ Bela Dubby

Cassius Blair / Extra Medium Pony / No Pony

Cassius Blair played cute little songs on his ukulele. It was good. I like the basslines of No Pony's songs. Extra Medium Pony are for real.

10/7/2011 @ Happy Dog

Extra Medium Pony / 28 Degrees Taurus / Village Bicycle

Extra Medium Pony killed it again. I hope their full-length surfaces sooner rather than later. 28 Degrees Taurus make me think of my first car, a royal blue 1994 Ford Taurus featuring a classic Stop 'n Shop Cleveland Indians bumper sticker. The band is from Boston and they had a few really solid tunes. I would bet they sound pretty good recorded and perhaps being familiar with those recordings would make the live show more interesting. Though they had a few stand out tracks, the others seemed to blend together into one reoccurring song. My first show with Village Bicycle was a shit load of fun. For those unfamiliar with the term "shit load" its nearly equivalent to eight times the size of a "whole bunch."

The Black Keys New Album Out Dec 6, 2011

El Camino Track-Listing

1. Lonely Boy

2. Dead and Gone

3. Gold on the Ceiling

4. Little Black Submarines

5. Money Maker

6. Run Right Back

7. Sister

8. Hell of a Season

9. Stop Stop

10. Nova Baby

11. Mind Eraser

The Black Keys never disappoint in the album art department. I love this cover, but I'm a little confused. The vehicle pictured on the cover is a mid to late 1980s Chrysler van. My aunt and uncle had an nearly identical white with wood paneling Chrysler van in the early 1990s. I'm sure the Black Keys have a good explanation for this and it makes me want to have the album in my hands even more.

Dan Auerbach has said that the songs on El Camino are the fastest they've ever written citing The Cramps and early garage rock as influences. Did I mention I'm excited for this? El Camino will be available in your local record store December 6, 2011.

Herzog - "Rock and Roll Monster"

Tomorrow make sure you catch Herzog at the Happy Dog with Frankie Rose and the Outs. Here's a new Herzog studio track called "Rock and Roll Monster" off their soon to be released lp Cartoon Violence from their feature in the Plain Dealer's "25 Bands to Watch" in Cleveland. If you've got some time on your hands or even if you don't, check out these videos of both of Herzog's sets from their performance earlier this month at Open Air Market Square where they played a bunch of new tunes. Should be a great show tomorrow.

Also make sure to catch Extra Medium Pony this Friday at Bella Dubby. They're the best band in Cleveland that no one has heard of. Listen to "Two Halfs" if you don't believe me.

Show Reviews 9/23/2011 - 9/24/2011

Great Weekend

9/23/2011 @ Five O'Clock Lounge, Lakewood, Ohio

Tinko / The Strange Notes

This past Friday I caught Tinko at the Five O'Clock Lounge where they played a great version of the Discount Drugmart theme song. That, however, was not the highlight of their set as they played a mix of americana, punk, and something else. They have a new record coming out which I am excited to get my hands on so I can tell you what that "something else" is. Check them out October 29th at Now That's Class.

9/23/2011 @ Happy Dog, Cleveland, Ohio

Megachurch / All Dinosaurs / Sistered / Verma

A little later that evening after making the short drive down Detroit Ave. I saw the end of Megachurch's set at the Happy Dog. The place was packed and luckily the kitchen was still open so I could get a dog topped with fried hard boiled egg, bacon bits, and fritos. In hindsight I would have left out the bacon bits and gone with sauerkraut, but anyway, Megachurch ripped. The beginning of "The Mission" always sounds amazing live. They played a good mix of songs from both their old record and their new one. You really need to see them live if you haven't already.

9/24/2011 @ Happy Dog, Cleveland, Ohio

The Dreadful Yawns / Tadpoles / Mild Mannered

Saturday at the Happy Dog the Tadpoles played some solid tracks, especially this one, to warm up the crowd. That's some great guitar work. The Yawns led things off with one of my all-time favorite songs "Kill Me Now" and proceeded to play a good chunk of songs off Take Shape. I love their performances of song after song flowing into one another with little time in between. After jamming other classics "Like Song" and "Don't Know What I've Been On", they ended the evening with the tightest rendition of "Queen and the Jokester" that I've ever seen thanks in large part to Chris Russo's drumming. What a band. What a set. Thanks Dreadful Yawns.

So Much Good Stuff

Hey, It's been awhile...

I've still been updating the shows all this past year despite not writing anything. I felt that I just had to post something because there are some really great shows coming up from now till the end of October as well as new records coming out soon from some great bands.

There's a nice run of 7 shows in 5 days that started yesterday with RVIVR at Now That's Class. If you missed it then we'll just call it a nice run of 6 shows in 4 days starting with Wombs tonight at Now That's Class. Then Megachurch on Friday and the Dreadful Yawns on Saturday both at the Happy Dog. Also on Friday night Tinko plays at the 5 O'Clock Lounge. Finally you can wrap things up Sunday with Village Bicycle at the Beachland Tavern and Cloud Nothings at the Happy Dog. As always all the details for all the upcoming shows that are worth going to are on the right hand side of the page a little further down. Some really great stuff coming up. Check it out.

If you go anywhere this weekend make sure its Saturday at the Happy Dog. The Dreadful Yawns are so good its not fair. My copies of Rest and Take Shape are always in heavy rotation and soon to join them will be Picnic, their "new" record, which was supposed to be released at least a year ago. Unfortunately its been rumored that the Yawns will not be playing live for a long long time after this show as each member has a slew of other projects going on. I know there have been a few "last" Yawns shows, but this might just be it. I sure hope not. Be there.

Here are 3 records that recently came out that everyone should listen to on repeat for the next lifetime or so.

Vacation - Vacation

I once read Vacation described as a more spastic version of Delay. Not sure that's possible, but the author was clearly trying to complement the dudes in Vacation. Their debut full-length takes their previous seven inches and demos to a new level and I thought it was impossible for them to write a better song than "Ratricks Day 2k9." This is my favorite record of 2011 thus far. Think of The Ramones writing Guided By Voices songs after listening to The Marked Men for a few hours. Actually... calling them a more spastic Delay is just right.

Tenement - Napalm Dream

I've heard a few Husker Du and Replacements comparisons, but I hear a whole lot of Ergs influence in a few of these tracks. Now, I know The Ergs are Tenement contemporaries and its kind of strange to say The Ergs influenced a band when they have such obvious influences themselves, but "Spit in the Wind" and "Skyscraper" could easily have been on any of the near-sighted three's many releases. However, Napalm Dream could never have been an Ergs record as there's something totally different about the recording. What that is I can't quite pin down, but I'll let you know after another hundred listens. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with living in the Midwest.

Tin Armor - Life of Abundance

At first I did not welcome the change in tempo and the gospel-like vocals from Tin Armor. Their first record moves a lot quicker than these new tunes, but after a front to back listen of this album I am sold. Older tracks from the band tend to stand out on their own, but the songs on Life of Abundance work so well together as an album. "Queen Mob" is my favorite track, partly because its the name of the band a couple of these guys use to be in (Where's the song called "The Merkurs" or "Yikes"?), but mostly because the guitar riff is unforgettable.

New records this fall / winter from Herzog, Delay, The Sidekicks, Guided By Voices, The Black Keys, and the aforementioned Dreadful Yawns should be more than enough to keep my ears satisfied.

Finally, it's been over a year since I promised show reviews. Maybe reviewing these shows will get me in the mood... maybe. In the mean time please do yourself a favor and check out some shows around Cleveland and listen to those three records listed above. Do it.