May/June 2019

I know there are a lot of people in the world that don’t get to do that. But whatever you loved when you were 10 and 12 years old, whether it’s baseball or music, or whatever, you have to keep that alive within you, because being in touch with that 10-year-old is the thing that keeps the joy in your life. So, if you’re not doing a job that lets you be that person or live within the career you thought you might want to go, then do it as a hobby. ...

If you like music, then you probably like to listen to music outdoors. There's something about the combination of a summer breeze with music that makes both better. Here's a roundup of places to catch some of the best music makers in NEO. Don't see your community? Check your city or town website and see what's playing. ...

The National Senior Games start next week in Albuquerque, and Northeast Ohio will be well-represented in more than a dozen events. Athletes gathering in New Mexico -- all 50 and older, have been training for months, sometimes years, to prepare for the 20-sport, 800-event National Senior Games. From cycling to archery, pickleball to volleyball, the athletes will compete throughout the Albuquerque region. Cleveland hosted the games in 2013, sparking local interest among age 50+ athletes. Get to know some of them in our story. ...

Boredom grants children the opportunity to be alone with their thoughts and feelings, which create an environment for personal growth. This can help them learn about who they are and where their thoughts go without other influences. ...

If you put pen to paper, later on, your grandchildren can have the love embedded in your handwritten pages to hold in their hands when they are old enough to appreciate them. Those of us who have experienced the pleasure of having a grandparent’s handwritten recipes understand that special feeling. ...

 

Welcome to our Music Issue.

With our feature story on, and incredible photography by, long-time Cleveland rock-and-roll photographer Janet Macoska, we’re honoring the region’s role in rock history. She’s got tales — plenty of them — and she shares a few in our music section that starts on page 30

We also know that music covers many genres. We’ve put together a list of places to enjoy for free, or mostly free, outdoor music. From folk artists to opera singers, one of the best places to listen to music is outdoors, in a park or sitting around a community bandstand, letting a warm breeze push the notes through the summer air.

Many of us indulge our love of music later in life. We’ve got profiles of several Northeast Ohio residents who’ve rekindled their passion and reframed it for the second stage of their lives, sharing it with others along the way.

And our music issue wouldn’t be complete without our pop culture columnist Mike Olszewski weighing in. He talks about NEO’s music venues and the personalities who performed there. We’re also happy to print an excerpt of his latest book, co-written with his wife, Janice, “Smoky, Sweaty, Rowdy, and Loud: Tales of Cleveland’s Legendary Rock & Roll Landmarks.”

 

Don’t Judge

 

Some people can’t imagine life without music. I’m not one of them, or at least I don’t think I am. As the first of four kids, I didn’t have older siblings to influence my musical development. The best we had was a console stereo and hand-me-down albums from my bachelor/ cool, Uncle Don. He owned a Corvette. I remember a Marty Robbins album with the song “A White Sportcoat and a Pink Carnation” — and that’s it; a sorry foundation for a ‘70s teen.

A high school friend — an enviable only child —  introduced me to The Beatles.

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My thanks to Emerson, Lake & Palmer for a convenient headline. Spring is in the air, music everywhere and Janice Olszewski has a new book about Northeast Ohio’s historic performance venues.

Oh, who am I kidding? Jan is my co-author for our latest book, “Smoky, Sweaty, Rowdy, and Loud: Tales of Cleveland’s Legendary Rock & Roll Landmarks.”

We do not cover all the venues in this first volume. There are too many to include and way too many stories. The research was great fun but the only real problem was picking out the best stories from each venue.  

One of the most surprising aspects was how well the artists who played here remembered even the smallest details. Even though he debuted at Cleveland Music Hall in 1972 and played two sold-out dates at Public Hall just a few weeks later, David Bowie loved the Agoras. He played keyboards behind Iggy Pop at the location near Cleveland State and later with his band Tin Machine when Hank LoConti moved operations to East 50th and Euclid.

You can write volumes about the Agora and the people who played there. Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 show was the most heavily bootlegged concert ever, Free made its U.S. debut on that stage, Prince’s bodyguard roughed up a TV cameraman, U2 and The Police made a huge impact and Buddy Maver showed Elvis Costello’s manager why you NEVER insult The Plain Dealer’s rock critic Jane Scott.  Let’s just say it never happened again.

 

More Stories

Derek Hess booked Green Day at The Euclid Tavern after the band was starting to get really huge, and flat-out refused another act for “hygiene” issues. That huge cloud of powder that Trent Reznor threw out at Nine Inch Nail’s Empire Concert Club show wasn’t talcum, and Jimi Hendrix played a little-attended third show when he appeared here in March 1968.  

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