The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a group of young African-American stringband musicians who play the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music in Carolinas’ piedmont. Members Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson strive to carry on the legacies of countless black musicians who have passed beyond memory and recognition, all the while remaining true to their own unique style. Each member brings something different to the table, but collectively, they draw their musical heritage from the foothills of the North and South Carolina. With their beginnings grounded under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, of Mebane, NC - said to be the last black traditional string band player - they strive to carry on the long-standing traditional music of the black and white communities. They strike a chord with the American public by keeping innovation at the front of their minds and tradition deep within their hearts.

Check out Hiram Rapids Stumblers here.

Rubblebucket Orchestra is a cutting edge nine-piece afrobeat/rock band led by trumpeter Alex Toth and fronted by alluring vocalist Kalmia Traver. Comparisons have been drawn to Portishead, Fela Kuti, Bjork and James Brown, but Rubblebucket's afro-beat inspired, all original trip-rock soul experience is beyond classification. In addition to winning Relix Magazine's Jam-Off competition in July 2008, Rubblebucket was recently named "Best New Band of 2008," by Seven Days Vermont. The title had previously been held by GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS (2005, 2006) and PHISH.

Check out Vitium here.

 

Chec(2003, 2004).

The music community lost a good soul when Greg Stiles, owner of Heights Guitar, lost his short battle with cancer on Monday, February 8. Everyone is still in shock because Greg was diagnosed only a couple of weeks ago and was given 6 months to a year; no one expected things to happen this quickly. Hundreds of students, friends and colleagues packed into the Beachland Presbyterian Church on Sat. Feb 13 to give Greg an emotional send off. The love was everywhere. His wife Nina is working with the staff at Heights Guitar to see how to keep the store open, but they have obviously incurred expenses from Greg's illness and passing. So Heights Guitar longtime employees are coming together to create a benefit for the family tonight and Jake Fader from Mifune and Gary from Whiskey Daredevils are offering up their bands in service. Others will be announced soon. There will also be a silent auction says Jake, a guitar has already been donated. If anyone out there wants to donate other items please call Heights Guitar at 216-397-7700 and ask for Jake.

 

Wherever, whenever and with whomever you talk local music, the band name Cabinet seems to come up. With a tasty blend of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass and acoustic guitar, the six-piece group has caught the ears of bluegrass aficionados, jam band lovers and even fans in the indie/all-ages scene. When discussing Cabinet, the inevitable question emerges: when is the album coming out? Until recently, the answer was speculative. But this week, Cabinet will finally celebrate the self-titled full-length CD at a release party at the River Street Jazz Cafe. The CD will also be available at Gallery Of Sound stores. The band — J.P. Biondo (mandolin, vocals), Pappy Biondo (banjo, vocals), Mickey Coviello (acoustic guitar, vocals), Todd Kopec (fiddle, vocals), Dylan Skursky (electric/upright bass, vocals) and Jami Novak (drums/percussion) — had been working on the CD since the fall with Eric Ritter at Windmill Agency Studio in Mt. Cobb. The album includes tunes Cabinet fans will be familiar with from the live shows, Kopec says. "They're definitely tighter on the album but still have that air of improvisation," he says. "One or two are radio-ready in that sense as well. We retained a little bit of the jam-band feel, but it's definitely more organized, and there's no 20-minute tracks." Cabinet formed about two years ago but has already forged a dedicated and growing fanbase in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, playing a bunch of shows at venues like the Jazz Cafe. Kopec says that the band is also planning a release show in Pittsburgh. Soon after, it's off to Jim Thorpe for an Earth Day celebration, where Cabinet will perform on April 19 with Natural Breakdown at the Mauch Chunk Opera House. The band also has festival slots lined up at Some Kind of Jam in Kempton, Pa., and in August at A Bear's Picnic in Milton, Pa.; it'll be the band's third appearance at the latter. Penn's Peak, also in Jim Thorpe, is also a key room for Cabinet, which in December landed a gig there opening for national act Railroad Earth. "Penn's Peak was interesting, because we had to kind of gamble and make them know that we could bring people to the show," says Kopec. The band organized a bus trip and brought 150 of its own fans to the show. More remarkable, though, was what happened when Cabinet finished its set: the crowd demanded an encore. "It's not usual for an opening act to get an encore," Kopec says. "We had a lot of people say it was the first time they saw that kind of thing. It wasn't necessarily an ego boost, but we felt a little validated." Northeastern Pa. is Cabinet's core area, but the band has also focused .. markets" like Vermont, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Kopec says. And at press time, the guys were gearing up for a possible trip to somewhere much farther away: Thailand, where they would perform with Todd Lavelle, a Scranton-area native who's popular on the world-music festival circuit. Cabinet's diverse sound is the product of a diverse group of musicians with unique influences and backgrounds.

Check out Pete McDonald here.

Born in 1985 in Cleveland Ohio as just one guy with a drum machine, MDID is currently writing songs for it's unlucky 13th CD for release hopefully before we all get blown up by our crazy "leaders". The band's long and relatively obscure history includes 3 records on the Homestead label in the 80's, 2 on Scat Records in the early 90's, and 2 on Emperor Jones Records in the late 90's, 2 European and several U.S. tours.

check out All Comers here.

15 60 75 The Numbers Band has been praised by almost every national music publication and several international publications since the beginning of their 30 years of live performances and recordings. Many fans are under the impression that the band remains obscure by choice. In fact, they have never been offered a contract from any recording company in the industry, ever.
The music "cannot be categorized", "it is undefinable", "too original". The music industry is not about music anymore. It is about selling products the public can relate to. After all, it is a business. Even "alternative" music has become a label. The founder of the band, Robert Kidney, explains, "The music industry, the media, and the tellsusourvision (TV) are defining for the American public what is good music by only playing and supporting what is profitable. We are taught to disregard everything that is not familiar. We (The Numbers Band) give the people our best. Our effort goes into being creative, unique and original. We define our own sound. There are no rules because we don't play the game. We are not in it for the game, we're in it for the music."

So, the band continues to create and evolve outside of the "Rock & Roll" establishment. The majority of the recordings were financed by friends who loved the music enough to put up their own money. Hundreds of photographs taken of the band in different stages of it's existence by different amazing people tell a story of intense performances, long nights, and the passing of time. Band members have come and gone, and returned again. Robert sees music as much more than an emotional release or a performance. It is a job, a job for which he demands respect and payment for services.
Photo right; Robert Kidney in 1967 at The Berth, Akron, Ohio.

Robert Kidney picked up a guitar and began teaching himself to play when he 16. He bought a 45 record called Guitar Boogie Shuffle and his cousin, Larren Hesson, taught Robert the licks. He also taught him to play one of his favorite songs, Riders On The Storm. At 17, Robert played solo in coffee houses and also opened for several acts at La Cave in Cleveland such as Linda Rhonstadt and the Stone Ponys and Janis Ian. He never found the time to learn to read music. After a short stint in the service in Chicago, he moved back to northeast Ohio in the spring of 1969. A friend, Gary Hawk, had formed a band called Pig Iron in Wadsworth, Ohio. Robert opened for them at the Akron Art Museum and several band members asked him to come to a rehersal sometime. When Robert did show up, Gary had left the group, and the remaining members wanted him to be their front man. Robert changed the name of the band to 15 60 75.

With nothing more than just 3 minutes, and a "verse-chorus-verse-chorus-end!" motto, Afternoon Naps are a vibrant indiepop band from Cleveland, Ohio. Like Brian Wilson if re-imagined by Felt or the Primitives, these teenage symphonies are relics from the past, brought back to save the 21st century from complete and utter pop boredom. Influenced by the C86 scene, 60's bubblegum, and sunshine pop act Yellow Balloon, songwriter/guitarist Tom Dechristofaro and keyboardist/arranger Leia Hohenfeld have been happily playing together since 2006. Having no expectations and "Walk away Renee" constantly spinning on the stereo, the duo recruited some close friends to help bring the band to life. A consistently enthusiastic live show that's the equivelent of a 20 minute sugar rush, has helped establish them as one of indiepop's brightest young acts. Their 2007 debut "Sunbeamed", a loving homage to sand and summer, was self-released and modestly well recieved. The 8 songs clocking in at just a hair under 22 minutes doesn't mean they're short on ideas, just really good at editing! Many swell things have been said about "Sunbeamed"..."It may very well be my favorite album of 2007"(fab UK blog Indie-Mp3) and "the best american group that doesn't use distortion" (some random guy in Sweden...ha!). A quick selling Cloudberry Records single was to follow, along with some nicely played shows at notable festivals like Athens Popfest, NYC Popfest, and the first ever of the popular UK night "Twee as Fuck" to be held in the united states. 
Now singing their hearts out to wider audiences, Afternoon Naps signed onto Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records, the cozy Athens, GA label, to release their next batch of fun. "Parade", a new record that's full of everpresent now-ness, day-glo reverb, and energetic hooks for kids,and also adult kids, is due just in time for the summer of 2009. Highlights include the "all-things-Cleveland-by-way-of-Morrissey" bombast of "Plum City Fight Song", the Orange Juice future-disco of "Mitten Fingers", and "The Day We Started" featuring Leia's mix of Motown's heartbroken soul and a flirtatious Amelia Fletcher. Do you wanna smile? Sulk over lost love? Cringe at pictures of yourself from school years past when you wore that ONE sweater and the boy in front of you never spoke a word? Well they can't help you there, but one listen to these sparkling tunes and you just might cheer up and be ready to take on the impending dullness that is the near future! Afternoon Naps are a band to listen to if you are doing some or all of the following things: petting animals, hammocking, beach combing, dancing, looking out a window. -Yodar Critch,2009 Check out Afternoon Naps here.

Check out Summer Cats here.

Check out Lowly the Tree Ghost here.

 

Get Hep Swing is hosting Sunday Swing Sessions at the Beachland Ballroom.
A combination of practice and social dance sessions open to dancers of all levels! Beginners are welcome! Sunday Swing Sessions begin with a half-hour mystery "taster" lesson.  Music of varying, but easy tempos will be provided by one of our great DJs for you to practice your Charleston, Balboa, or Lindy Hop.   Sunday from 12 PM to 3 PM   $5.00 per person

check out GetHepSwing.com for announcements/schedule)

What are they?
A combination of practice and social dance sessions open to dancers of all levels! Beginners are welcome! Sunday Swing Sessions begin with a half-hour mystery "taster" lesson taught by a GHS or guest instructor. Music of varying, but easy tempos will be provided by one of our great DJs for you to practice your Jitterbug, Charleston, Balboa, or Lindy Hop.

Check out Valerie's website here.

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$9 ENTREES
Deep Fried Poached Eggs (v)
Creamed spinach, roasted peppers

Fried Scrambled Eggs (v)
Panko crusted, chipolte sauce

Beachland Hash (v)
Potatoes, onions, peppers & poached eggs

Fried Risotto Cake
With poached eggs

Eggs Roulade (v)
Asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, provolone

Eggs Beachland
Poached eggs, baguette, capicola, gouda sauce

Steak & Eggs
Marinaded in chile & lime, then char-grilled

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