Author: April

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JP and the Chatfield Boys & Cadillac Sky at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH, 6.5.10

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JP and the Chatfield Boys

The evening began a little quietly with JP & the Chatfield Boys playing straight-up bluegrass of a somewhat sedate nature. While they’re certainly a skilled group, they were pretty by-the-book. But the harmonizing on “Midnight Moonlight” stood out, as did the fiddling on “Stoney Lonesome”. They would be a great group to catch at an evening outdoor event.

Cadillac Sky

A sure sign of a good show: when you, as an audience member, are exhausted, yet the band is still going.

To call a Cadillac Sky show a bluegrass show would be akin to attempting to recreate a Brueghel painting with one brushstroke – there is so much more going on. Cadillac Sky assured us they meant business by opening their 2-hour-plus set (from my calculations, but I didn’t pay close attention to what time they came out, so I may be off – I can tell you they played longer than I’ve seen any band play in years) with a high-energy rendition of “Trapped Under the Ice” that only hinted at the levels of energy and excitement they would build up as the night moved along. Exuberantly rambling through nearly all of the songs on their upcoming album, Letters in the Deep, all the songs from their Weary Angel EP and some earlier fare. My favorite CS song, “3rd Degree”, was wrenching. “Weary Angel” became a blistering rock-out with David Mayfield taking the lead on electric guitar. The Stanley Brothers’ “How Mountain Girls Can Love” was given the barbershop quartet treatment. And I may have embarrassed myself by actually jumping up and down to CS’s stellar cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star”.

It was possibly the best show I’ve ever attended, combining elements from all of my past favorite shows: the joy of a Hothouse Flowers show, the fun and humor of a They Might Be Giants show, the crowd-hushing ability of an A.A. Bondy show, the heart-aching beauty of a Church (the Australian band) show, the full-on rock of a Black Keys show. There was laughter, dancing, booty-shaking, beatboxing (yes, seriously – and, yes, it worked), and it was difficult not to get choked up when Ohio-born David Mayfield grew teary-eyed as he sang the last verses of “Tired Old Phrases” (And I’m sorry for being so bad/To my dear old mother and dad/I threw some fits/They put up with it/And now I owe them all that I am. And some day when my folks meet their end/If by chance I live longer than them/For the love that they gave/And the music we made/I’ll be proud to have called them my friends.) to his parents, who were in the audience.

Inevitably, when I go to a show, I begin writing my review in my head as soon as the show is over. My initial review of the Cadillac Sky show was going to be one line: If you were in Cleveland the night of June 5 and weren’t at the Cadillac Sky show at the Beachland Ballroom, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? But perhaps berating you is not the best way to talk you into seeing Cadillac Sky when they play near you. How about this: Rock ‘n’ Roll Photog, Jennifer, said of the CS show she attended at Union Hall in New York that it was possibly the happiest she’s been at a rock concert in her life. A Cadillac Sky show makes you feel good to be alive.

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Slackday: Welcome to Collinwood

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There’s going to be a damn lot of good music happening in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood this weekend. Arts Collinwood will be hosting A.L.L. Fest Saturday from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M. A collaborative effort between the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and Arts Collinwood, the fest will feature food, drink, art, opportunities to record video messages, write letters and paint messages to bring attention to the importance of funding for HIV/AIDS programs and, at the top of our list, good music. NTSIB is going to make a point of catching Muamin Collective and This Moment in Black History before we get our tail down the street for Cadillac Sky’s show at the Beachland Ballroom.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bTZkN3zknU]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0YZhpO7SDY]

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Don’t Say I Never Gave You Anything: Cowboy Junkies, Futurebirds, Young Mammals

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Here, people, have some music.

First up, a humid, languid tune called “Cicadas” from the upcoming Cowboy Junkies’ album Renmin Park. Renmin Park will be the first album in a four-album series called The Nomad Series, and the following album in the series, Demons, will be made up of covers of songs from the late, great Vic Chesnutt.

Cowboy Junkies – Cicadas

Cowboy Junkies Official Website

Even though I gave them a lukewarm concert review here last week, I still like the guys in Futurebirds. Damn those Southern charmers. Their debut album, Hampton’s Lullaby, will be dropping on July 27, and here’s a track from the album called “Johnny Utah”.

Futurebirds – Johnny Utah

Futurebirds MySpace

Finally, an energetic ditty with a seasick rhythm called “Confetti” from Houston band Young Mammals. They will be releasing their album Carrots on June 22 and playing at the Happy Dog in Cleveland on July 2.

Young Mammals – Confetti

Young Mammals MySpace

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Bits: The Wu is coming through, Strummerville by Letts, the story of K Records

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  • There’s never a shortage of news from the Wu-Tang Clan, and our first four items are devoted to them. Up first: The Wu will be playing the Rock the Bells festival tour at the end of August, performing their masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) in its entirety. This year’s bill also includes Rakim, KRS-ONE and Slick Rick, among others.

  • Raekwon has released a new mixtape, Cocainism, Vol. 2, and you can download it here.

  • Pollen, The Swarm Part 3 is on its way, and you can download the first track, “Roll with Killer Beez”, here.

  • It was inevitable: RZA is making a kung fu film. The Man with Iron Fists was co-written by RZA and Eli Roth and will be directed by and star RZA.

  • Filmmaker Don Letts has produced a documentary about the creation of Strummerville, the foundation that carries on Joe Strummer’s work of promoting music from beyond the fray, and the DVD of the film is being sold exclusively through the Strummerville site where you can also watch a trailer for the film.

  • Pitchfork’s One Week Only feature this week is The Shield Around the K, the story of K Records, the independent label founded by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening in 1982 and still operating to this day.

And because you know I can’t let an opportunity to push the Black Keys pass, here’s a web exclusive of the guys performing the excellent “Ten Cent Pistol” during their appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week. (And you can see their televised performance of the bangin’ “Howlin’ for You” here.)

http://widget.nbc.com/videos/nbcshort_at.swf?CXNID=1000004.10045NXC&widID=4727a250e66f9723&clipID=1231142&showID=243

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Muamin Collective & GZA (and many others) at the Grog Shop in Cleveland, OH, 5.29.10

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Not only was this my first hip hop show outside of a festival, but it was also my first show at the Grog Shop, so I am unqualified to say how much of the chaos was the norm for either aspect. But GS is notorious for their late start times, and nothing really kicked off Saturday night until after 10:00. Fortunately, up unil then, members of Muamin Collective served as DJs, spinning fine tunes that had the heads of those of us who were there “early” in constant motion. Unfortunately, once the show did start, I kind of wished they’d go back to straight deejaying. For one thing, there were a freaking lot of openers – even more than the four openers slated for the night, as additional acts who were brought on to fill time. All the acts had a lot of heart, but none of them had much game (and even when they had promising beats, the GS sound system rendered them unappetizingly muddy).

That is, until Muamin Collective stepped up. These guys had some of the most amazing energy I’ve ever seen, with great beats and great spirit. They rocked the crowd and, for a while, made us forget how long we were waiting for GZA. I’m looking forward to seeing Muamin Collective again.

Perhaps inevitably, the night hit another lull after Muamin Collective’s set, as 1:00 a.m. was within view but GZA was not. One of the Collective tried to keep the crowd entertained, but there was only one person who could entertain at this point, and chants of “G-Z-A”, “Wu-Tang” and “G-ZA” were going up around the room.

The Grog Shop stage is short. I am also short. So I didn’t see GZA when he hit the stage, but I certainly felt him. While GZA the Genius has always been one of the more understated members of the Wu-Tang Clan, relying more on his skill with words and ideas than theatrics, he still maintains a presence that you can’t ignore (and I spent most of his set standing on the rungs of the stool I had been occupying so I can take that presence in).

GZA is royalty who, along with his cousins RZA and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard (who was paid tribute during the show), forms the backbone of the Wu-Tang Clan. As royalty, he can get away with taking it easy, and he let the audience fill in a lot of rhymes throughout a number of songs, but just when you think he’s going to phone the show in (because he could have gotten away with it, and we would all have been happy just to be in a small room with the GZA), he rockets in with a gut-punching rendition of “Crash Your Crew” (after one of two mis-starts, the other caused by a mic that went out in the middle of a song) or pulls out a mellow, lights-down “Animal Planet”.

At one point, GZA broke into an impromptu reading of “B.I.B.L.E.”, which I found hypnotic. But he apparently didn’t think the crowd was feeling it and abandoned the rap halfway through.

Of course, the show was replete with crowd-pleasers like “Cold World”, “I Gotcha Back” and “Breaker Breaker”. And you know you can’t have a GZA show without “Clan in da Front”. He brought the show to a close with a medley of songs from the Wu-Tang Clan’s benchmark debut Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers), including “Shame on a Nigga”, “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Protect Ya Neck”.

There were aspects of the show that could have been better, but seeing GZA in a small club is not an experience many people who were in that room Saturday night are going to forget.

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Notable shows in the greater Cleveland area

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Shows worth checking out this week in and around Cleveland:

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

  • Mon, May 31| 9 PM (8 PM door)
    The Brian Jonestown Massacre
    Elephant Stone
    In Association with the Grog Shop / Special Memorial Day discount!
    $18.00
    Ballroom | All Ages

  • Tue, Jun 1| 8:30 PM (8 PM door)
    Mynabirds
    Cowboy and Indian CD Release
    Alan Madej Band
    $10.00
    Tavern | All Ages

Grog Shop

  • Sat, May 29| 9 PM
    GZA
    Muamin Collective
    All Day Recess
    D Roof
    Brainsick
    $15

  • Tue, June 1| 9 PM
    Holy Fuck
    Nice Nice
    Radio People
    $10 adv
    $12 dos

State Theater

  • Sun, May 30| 8 PM
    Doug E. Fresh
    Slick Rick
    Big Daddy Kane
    MC Lyte
    Too $hort
    $27.50-$52.50

House of Blues

  • Sun, May 30| 8 PM
    The Swell Season
    Mark Dignam
    $32.50 adv
    $35 dos

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Slackday: Hip Hop, Ya Don’t Stop

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Hi, I’m white. Very, very white. As the subtitle of this post has probably already informed you. But I grew up in the time when hip hop was breaking into the mainstream, when Run-D.M.C. was as big as any rock band. It was just as divisive a genre then as it is now, and some people – those who didn’t know that the roots of hip hop went much deeper – were convinced it was only a novelty that would fizzle out after a year or two. But then, as now, there was really good music to be found for those willing to listen.

I’ll admit, I’ve never been as into hip hop as other genres, but there have always been MCs I’ve been excited about. I’ll be seeing one of those MCs in my first non-festival hip hop show when GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan hits the Grog Shop Saturday, and I’m fucking jazzed about it. In tribute, Slackday is about some of the hip hop songs that stuck with me from my youth.

First up, it’s gotta be Run-D.M.C. I still think “King of Rock” is pretty badass.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXzWlPL_TKw]

This next clip is dedicated to my friend Amanda because, as we are linked at the brain, when I brought up the idea of an old school hip hop Slackday, we both thought of this admittedly terrible song – “I Got a Man” by Positive K. (And Amanda informs me that K did both the male and female vocals.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvYIpa1Ulvw]

A Tribe Called Quest’s “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” stuck with me from the first time I heard it playing at a friend’s house back in 1990.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILyWmT2A-Q]

Enter the Wu-Tang Clan. (Yes, I know that was cheesy. It’s Slackday. Shut up.) Along with predecessors like Public Enemy, N.W.A. and Ice-T, Wu-Tang came stronger and more aggressively than the hip hop the mainstream was used to hearing. They scared the shit out of white people. That’s right: Ice-T used to be scary. But unlike many “gangsta rappers”, these artists had depth and style.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GDPZpRmTg0]

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Cadillac Sky: Keep the Melody Ringing

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It might not be the first thing you notice. The first thing is probably the musicianship throughout or the down-home quality harmonies on a song like “Hangman” or the sweetness of David Mayfield’s voice on a song like “Human Cannonball”. But it doesn’t take long to notice it, and it is the thing that will stick with you the most about this third full album from Cadillac Sky (made up of Bryan Simpson, Matt Menefee, Ross Holmes, Andy “Panda” Moritz and Mayfield), Letters in the Deep: the emotional wallop. It is not solely one thing or another; it is all the elements, from lyrics to instrumentation to vocals to dynamics, combining to make an incredible whole.

Recorded at the home studio of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys in Akron, Ohio, with Auerbach in the producer’s chair, in many ways, Letters in the Deep is, as Auerbach declared at the end of the four-day recording session, Cadillac Sky’s “first record”. With new band member Mayfield (brother and cohort of Jessica Lea Mayfield, who has also benefited from Auerbach’s production skills), a new direction and a new commitment to capturing the vitality of their live shows on record, Cadillac Sky is like a new band, vibrating with energy and hunger, bursting with stories to tell.

Founding member Bryan Simpson and aforementioned newest member David Mayfield were kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Can you give a brief history of your band? I know a number of my
readers will just be learning about Cadillac Sky for the first time as
they read this.

Bryan Simpson: A brief history of the band: well, we sort of kicked things off in November of 2002 in Fort Worth, TX- I met Matt our banjo, piano, drum guy in Texas at a benefit we were both playing with other bands, and a friend of mine knew I was looking to put together a sort of pseudo-bluegrass band and had seen a gold plate on Matt’s banjo (a banjo he had won in the contest) that read “2000 National Champion …..”- Matt hates that story, but he will stress he only played that banjo ’cause that’s the only one he had. So, anyway, my friend said I ought to check him out. So, we sort of got together at the back of the parking lot and played a few tunes- and it was love at first sight. He was my long lost musical soulmate. Ha. And from there, it came together easy. He knew Ross, and I knew a couple of other guys, and it came together pretty quick- within about two weeks.

Well, we wandered around in the desert for a while, but it never went anywhere. We were making music but nothing else. Weren’t even really trying (too left-brained?). It was sort of our virgin voyage for most of us to really be true partners in a band, and by 2004 we broke up. We all went off and did our own thing for about a year and just felt like what we had was or could be special, and, so, Ross leading the way (he’s to blame), we put it back together. Made a record in 2005 that Ricky Skaggs got wind of and really loved. He signed us to his label- around that time our bassist bailed and we scavenger-ed the countryside only to found the perfect guy in our backyard- Houston- Andy Moritz- now forever known as “Panda”. We then made another record- under what one would not call the best of circumstances- with a division in our band forming between us and our guitar player at the time that I feel like even showed up sonically on that recording. So we knew it was time to make a change- far past time, so we went looking for a guitar player. I called a friend of mine named Tyler Grant- he gave me a list of great guitar players he thought would work, but in triple-faced bold print he had David Mayfield written- said he would be perfect for our band if he would do it. I called him up- he was into it. And once he jumped on board, it started something that’s become more than a band. A real brotherhood was created, and God has moved this thing along at such a swift rate musically and more importantly spiritually, that it really has been jaw dropping.

Then at some point last year, David was out with his sis Jessica Lea Mayfield playing bass- which he does between tours with us, and they were opening for the Black Keys. Dan asked him what he was doing musically outside of his sister, and he passed along our CD. Dan must’ve heard something because he wanted to take us into his studio – and that all came to fruition last September in the making of “Letters in the Deep”. And here we are today. Four glorious days in Akron , Ohio, at Akron Analog Studios. That’s basically where we’re at- too much I know- brief? Not so much, sorry.

Tell me about your personal history with music. What did you hear or
see that first sparked your love of music? Who were the artists you
listened to early on that had the most influence on you?

BS:
Well, I can’t really quantify what sparked my love of music- it was just there early on- maybe it was the sense of community that music is usually such a part of. Maybe my grandfather’s love of traditional roots music was what sparked my interest in that style- early on at least- the opportunity to hang with him- mostly it’s probably because it’s the only thing I have ever been halfway decent at, ha!

The artists that influenced me early on were- Bill Monroe- Tim O’Brien big time, Ricky Skaggs, Tom Uhr and the Shady Grove Rambers- a local group that had an original sound-

David Mayfield: I grew up in a very musical household. So I was constantly surrounded by musicians and instruments. You had to move a guitar or a mandolin to sit down in our living room because they were always laying around. My mom or dad would just walk into the room, pick one up and start playing. So the first music I heard was my parents and my Papa. I remember also listenting to my parents’ records a lot. Stuff like Reno & Smiley, Jimmy Driftwood, all the way to Jackson Browne and The Starland Vocal Band.

The new album, Letters in the Deep, has such an emotional rawness to
the whole thing – the words, the music, the vocals, all of it. Do you
think that came from Dan Auerbach’s “hit it and quit it” recording
style, from the addition of David to the band, something else entirely
or a combination of things?

BS: Certainly a combination. I think our fans had a lot to do with it- a few very honest fans expressed that, although they loved our previous records, that they didn’t contain the same energy, sincerity, “raw emotion” that our live show unveiled. And we agreed, btw. So when me and Dan were talking, we sort of found common ground in the fact that he wanted to put something on tape that was us and nothing else. No computers- just five guys staring each other in the eye, around a few mics, making music mixed with blood, sweat and tears… certainly believe that added a certain humanity to this record, which, to me, makes it more relatable even though the music is far more blurry in definite direction. But yeah, Dan, David, the fans, all of that.

DM: I don’t feel like I really changed the band when I joined, I think of more as I allowed them to be themselves fully because I was an outsider who was excited about new possibilities, they really just needed some big change to jar them creatively.

I love what it says on your MySpace page about Dan Auerbach saying “BE
who YOU are RIGHT NOW” being a mantra during the recording of this
alb
um. Can you talk a little about that experience of recording with
Dan and what things you might have learned from that session that
you’ll carry into future recordings?

BS: Our prayer is to not live in the past, not live in the future, but just to stay concentrated on the moment so you don’t miss the beautiful subtleties of life. Our faith has allowed us that freedom, and I think that’s what “be who you are right now” is about.

Dan just served as a constant reminder that most of the best things that we’ll ever experience in life will not be planned- and so it is with this record. We went in the studio with somewhat of a plan- Dan thought great records are made by prepared bands- but we certainly didn’t have it all worked out- and there are some moments on this record that, without Dan’s humble approach to recording and producing, would’ve never seen the light of day.

DM: As far as Dan’s influence, he really shaped the sound of the record, but as for the arrangemnets, they were all there beforehand. I think we could have made this record somewhere else, and it would have all the same lyrics and notes, but that emotion would not be there. That came from Dan and his method of pulling the trigger and making decisions on the spot. Too many options can really stifle you in the end. Dan’s process forced us to live with little anomalies that would have been ironed out in a modern studio setting, ironing out all the life of the track as well.

The instrumental pieces on the new album are beautiful, and the names
of the pieces – Lee of the Stone East, West and North and The Long
Sigh – made me wonder if there was a story behind them. Do you think
there might be longer pieces like that in the future?

BS: Yes, I hope so- they really tie the whole record together and really took it to another place- I didn’t have much to do with those- Matt and Ross and Panda- really brought those things to life- but they do seem to tell a story- and sort of give the record an almost score, if you will- like the lyrical songs are the dialogue in the movie, and the musical vignettes are the score- I don’t know, maybe.

What albums are going to be playing in the Cadillac Sky tour van this
time around?

BS: Well, I’ve just gotten my hands on the new National record, and the first few listens have proved deserving of many more listens- it’s pretty great. The new Mumford and Sons record will keep you attentive while navigating the dark highways, and of course, the new Black Keys record- I can’t stop singing “Next Girl”.

DM: You know I can’t go on tour without my copy of Bridge Over Troubled Water. I think it is possibly the best album ever made. But, along with that, I’m listening to Among The Oak and Ash, Leslie and the Badgers, Tywanna Baskette, and my sister Jessica Lea Mayfield’s new album, which isn’t out yet but is blowing my mind.

Letters in the Deep will be available June 8th, and here are a few mp3s to illustrate just why you need to buy this album: the instantly likeable “Hangman”; my favorite track from the album, “3rd Degree” (which still knocks me out with its intensity, even after several spins) and instrumental piece “Lee of the Stone: North”.

Cadillac Sky – Hangman
Cadillac Sky – 3rd Degree
Cadillac Sky – Lee of the Stone: North

Cadillac Sky are on the road now, landing in Cleveland to play the Beachland Ballroom on June 5. It promises to be a great night.

Cadillac Sky Official Website
Cadillac Sky MySpace

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Bits: free Jay Bennett album, Hell and Half of Georgia and The Famous shows, listen to Peter Wolf Crier, the Black Keys on late night

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  • The Jay Bennett Foundation, an organization supporting music and education started by the late musician’s mother and brother, will be releasing Bennett’s final solo album, Kicking at the Perfumed Air, as a free download on July 10 (a portion of physical album sales will go to the foundation). You can take a listen to two of the songs from the album at Pitchfork.

  • NTSIB friends Hell and Half of Georgia and the Famous have shows coming up. HaHoG will be playing Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, California, on June 5, and the Famous will be playing at the first annual Brewfest, hosted by the San Francisco Giants, on May 29 at AT&T; Park in San Francisco.

  • Inter-Be, the debut album by Peter Wolf Crier, is up for free listening at Spinner.com. They’ll be playing the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland on July 22 with the Builders and the Butchers and Heartless Bastards. There’s no way that show could be anything but killer.

  • Because you know we can’t help ourselves mentioning them right now, the Black Keys will be playing The Late Show with David Letterman tonight and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow. If you’ll be in NYC tomorrow, you can enter the Band Bench Sweepstakes for a chance to hang out in the bleachers on stage for the performance.

This sweet-ass video of the excellent “Too Afraid To Love You” from the new Black Keys’ album, Brothers, gives a glimpse into Dan and Pat’s time at the historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11883860&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

“Too Afraid To Love You” by The Black Keys from Jorge Ortiz on Vimeo.

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Futurebirds & Jessica Lea Mayfield at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH, 5.19.10

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Futurebirds

With six members playing pedal steel guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin and drums – switching off instruments and vocals throughout the set – Futurebirds have a hell of a lot of strings, but you wouldn’t mistake them for a string band. You might mistake them for a really big bar band, though. I’ll just be honest and say that their music didn’t do much for me, but their sense of humor did. A band who can play to a nearly-empty hall and still enjoy the hell out of themselves is okay in my book. The crowd was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and they were rewarded when the band kicked in three great songs at the end of their set, one led by drummer Payton Bradford who came out from behind his kit to strap on a Fender and go.

(One song was dedicated to LeBron James. “This one’s for LeBron. Maybe he’ll stay,” they said, perhaps in a bid to further endear themselves to the crowd. “He won’t,” came the reply out of the audience. The blacklash has begun. Have fun with that, King James.)

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Jessica Lea Mayfield is so laconic in speech and movement that you may sometimes feel as though you’re watching slow-motion film when you see her. This has led some to deem her bland. But Mayfield’s true talent – that of holding a microscope up to emotion, whether good, bad, ugly or indifferent – doesn’t require glitz or stagey charisma. But don’t think for a moment that Mayfield doesn’t know how to capture a catchy tune. The wordless refrain of “Kiss Me Again”, as one example, will lodge itself in your brain the first time you hear it.

Mayfield, who is impressively pale and is all skinny arms and legs, seems shy between songs, bowing her head bashfully as she thanks the audience for their cheering appreciation. But in her song subject matter and in her voice, Mayfield is bold. Though only 20 years old, she has long had an old soul self-awareness, and while she seems her age between songs, once she is playing and singing, Mayfield becomes an ancient sage, holding up a mirror to all of us as she holds one up to herself.

But a Jessica Lea Mayfield show is not a solemn occasion, partially thanks to her support band which, this evening, consisted of her brother, David, on upright bass, Richie Kirkpatrick (in unnervingly tiny shorts) on electric guitar and a drummer whose name I didn’t catch (not Anne Lillis). Kirkpatrick is sometimes caricaturish, but entertaining, in his rock and rolling, and David Mayfield is a powerhouse of energy and vitality. During the scorching crescendo of “I Can’t Lie to You, Love” (don’t let it be said that Mayfield and company don’t know how to kick it), the Mayfield brother could be seen laying on the stage, holding the bass up with his feet as eh played, then laying the bass down and beating percussion on the strings.

Perhaps Jessica Lea Mayfield’s music is not for everyone, but it’s still surprising – and disappointing – how small the audience was for the northeast Ohio native’s show. But , as seems so often the way within our little cradle of civilization, Mayfield will gain more recognition and success ass he continues to tour with friends like the Avett Brothers and the Black Keys, and then NEO will embrace her with open arms after the rest of the world warmly embraces that which was right under our noses the entire time.