Michael Stanley: Behind the Scenes

For our May/June issue, Medina photographer Kim Stahnke, Boomer art director Laura Chadwick, magazine publisher Brad Mitchell and I met up with rocker/songwriter Michael Stanley at Cleveland’s famed Agora Theatre and Ballroom.

The setting was a good one. After all, Stanley along with hundreds of musicians, have played the Agora, both at its Euclid Avenue location and its previous locations in Little Italy and near Cleveland State.

Our Boomer team got there early to scout shots. We walked through the dark and narrow hallways, explored the two stages, checked out lighting options and then ventured outdoors into a parking lot and a side alley. What you see above and in the magazine are just a few of Kim’s great shots.

As for Michael, he was extremely cooperative while we worked on the shoot, gamely sitting on fire escapes and perching on the stage. During our hour-long shoot he was as cool in person as you would imagine.

Our July/August issue continues with a focus on NEO’s role in rock history. Our pop culture columnist Mike Olszewski will tell us about why rocker Meatloaf credits Cleveland with the success of his pivotol album “Bat Out of Hell.”