MUSIC NEWS

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A moment of silence, please, for arena rock. OK, it's not quite dead yet. But the days of the big rock 'n' roll concert would seem to be numbered. Certain things we won't miss. The high-priced tickets. Those long bathroom lines. The view (through rental binoculars) from the nosebleed seats.

Still, you have to admit, when you and 20,000 of your closest friends used to sing along at the top of your lungs while Bruce Springsteen was belting out "Born to Run," the communal experience was pretty cool. So what happens when The Boss and other consistently top-grossing road warriors hang up their guitars for good? Will there be enough younger artists to fill the void on the arena circuit -- not to mention all those seats?

Some experts think not.

Continue reading "Arena rock: Has it left the building?" »

Alvin Frazier, Christian soul

Hometown: Cleveland

Years performing: 15

Day gig: professional musician

As Light of Liberty Church Praise & Worship Leader, Alvin Frazier is familiar with taking his audience to new spiritual heights. Now the singer-musician is hoping to do the same with his sophomore project "Love & Faith: Vol. 2," which is due out next spring. "Lyrically, it'll still be a Christian-themed album of course but you'll still have some jazz elements there, some soul and some R&B flavor," said Frazier, a 1994 East High School graduate. "I'm not going to alienate those who enjoyed my first album, so it's just going to be a mature growth and show some versatility. . . . I don't want to duplicate the same album." New songs already in his live set include the R&B ballad "Wonderful Love" and the up-tempo jazz-inspired "The Calling." Frazier is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights. Tickets are $20. Call 216-795-0550.

Continue reading "Christian soul singer Alvin Frazier releases sophomore CD" »

Led by ex-Nirvana member (and Warren, Ohio, native) Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters are on tour behind their Grammy-winning "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" album. The hard-rocking quartet had to postpone two gigs last week, though, so Grohl could rest his voice. Guitarist Chris Shiflett, 37, spoke to us by phone from Los Angeles.

Continue reading "Foo Fighters invite Youngstown prizefighter to gig" »

"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus unveils her latest CD, "Breakout," on Tuesday. Will it keep the teen star at the top of fickle tweener pop market? Will it divert attention from those naughty pictures floating around the internet and in Vanity Fair? Most importantly, is it any good?

Here's what the critics are saying:

Boston Globe: With her new CD, Miley Cyrus breaks out -- a little

Houston Chronicle: Miley Cyrus declares here indpendence

Chicago Sun-Times: Miley Cyrus' solo debut relies on the fun, empowering pop that made her famous

Los Angeles Times: Miley Cyrus' 'Breakout': A long way from Montana

Newsday: Miley Cyrus not ready for `Breakout'

Washington Post: A Disney star's `Breakout,' minus the blast

USA Today: Miley breaks mold, but little shines through

New York Times: Miley Cyrus - It comes down to fewer pink tops and more gray thoughts

Katy Perry's chart-topping single, "I Kissed A Girl" has become the song of the summer. But haven't we heard that tune before? Well, not exactly. But Jill Sobule had a hit with a song of the same title a few years back. Which `Kiss' is better? You be the judge.

Continue reading "`I Kissed a Girl' wars: Katy Perry vs. Jill Sobule" »

Kidz Bop Live, the concert scheduled for Saturday at Lakewood Civic Auditorium, has been cancelled, promoter Live Nation said Friday.

Refunds are available at point of purchase.

Ticketmaster can be reached at 216-241-5555 (Cleveland) or 330-945-9400 (Akron).

The series of albums for children has youngsters putting a pipsqueak spin on Top 40 hits.

Before she became a bright light on Northeast Ohio's music scene, vocalist Mary Cushman grew up in Paris. No, not the French metropolis. We're talking about the small town of Paris, Ohio, east of Canton.

"I used to walk around in the woods, just singing to myself and writing songs, starting when I was 5 years old," said Cushman, 24, who performs under her first name only.

Her latest endeavor teams her with a pair of veteran local rockers, guitarist Jack Dean and drummer Jonathan Richey. Their band Greenhouse 27 released its album "Smashed" via the New Jersey indie label Bar/None Records in 1993, but the group never really took off.

Continue reading "Mary -- just Mary, thanks -- goes pop-rock with new project, in cahoots with Greenhouse 27 vets" »

REVIEW
Vans Warped Tour
Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
July 17, 2008

It wasn't the heat. It wasn't the humidity, either. When the 14th annual Vans Warped Tour rolled into Cleveland for a stop Thursday at Time Warner Cable Amphitheater, it was all about the anarchy -- at least in a musical sense.

Where else were you going to encounter the 1983 hit "Our House" by Madness, reworked by HorrorPops? The psychobilly trio's singer-bassist, Patricia Day, changed the words to: "My fist -- in the middle of your face!" All in good fun, of course.

Anything went, from the feel-good ska of Reel Big Fish and Oreskaband to the classic punk stylings of Pennywise to the truly bizarre neo-disco inferno set alight by Youngstown's own Gil Mantera's Party Dream.

More than 90 acts strutted their stuff on 10 stages during the 10-hour festival. Colorfully decked-out teens dominated the 12,000-strong crowd, although many a mohawk wilted as temperatures climbed into the upper 80s.

Continue reading "Vans Warped Tour heats up Cleveland with Gym Class Heroes, Katy Perry, Say Anything and dozens of other acts" »

Will Bowen, edgy pop-rock

Hometown: University Heights

Years performing: 6

Day gig: professional musician

It's an exciting time for local singer-songwriter Will Bowen, who just signed a record deal with Universal Records subsidiary Hero Records. The plan now is to re-release the University Heights native's latest album "Love is War," his third studio effort in the vein of the Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind and Gin Blossoms. Although he's been a rising star in the Northeast Ohio music scene for years, the 22-year-old performer said he resisted any temptation to move to the coasts to pursue his dream. "It's just my theory you can be a big fish in a small pond in Cleveland as long as you're smart and you can take trips and meet people and network correctly," Bowen said. "If you move to Nashville, New York or Los Angeles, there are 10,000 people just like you, but as long as you're legitimately good enough to get people's attention in those cities, I think it's easier to sort of stand out in Cleveland." So far, Bowen's theory has worked. A publishing deal a few years ago led to one of his songs being recorded by international Latin pop star Soraya Arnelas and Grammy nominated Tejano artist Rebecca Valadez. Bowen has booked a local date for 9:30 tonight at the House of Blues, East Fourth Street and Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Tickets are $10. Call 216-523-2583.

Continue reading "Will Bowen takes his sound national" »

Widespread Panic released its 10th studio album, "Free Somehow," in February, but this Georgia jam band is a dish best served live. Frontman John "JB" Bell, a Cleveland native who graduated from University School in 1980, gave us a ring last week from a tour stop in Boston.

Continue reading "Led by ex-Clevelander John Bell, Widespread Panic masters the art of jamming succinctly" »