Ahhhhh the Ole Lakewood Phoenix Open Mic is TONIGHT!

With host XELA MAN !!

Count on a sizable crowd and lots of singer-songwriter types! Uhm, I might not make it, I am plain beat. Ran and walked on the treadmill last night, lifted some weights, ouch. It's not like I do that everyday, I am not a big 'Work Out Guy' but have to make an effort now and then.

Spending too much time tweaking and twiddling around with both the Steve2 MP3 site and the Steve2.net home page

I suppose that’s part of the reason that I had put the creation of those two sites off for as long as I did, I just knew that they would be time consuming. I dearly want to see everyone I know visit the pages everyday, all day long, I want one million hits, is that too much to expect? If I am to continue to pour time and effort into managing the content of the pages, then I need all my friends and associates to support the effort by reading the page and sending email to me indicating that they are doing so (gawd, I am soooo anal) . I suppose my enthusiasm for daily content updates will inevitably begin to wane, but for now it’s just fun to change the pictures and add to the blog.

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If you have not done so, please visit the MP3 site soon in order to listen to the newly recorded version of ‘Snuggly Places’ because it’s good. I just submitted the song for review today, so it’s going to be a couple of days until posted to the page. I thought about adding it to this site, but I want yawl to visit the ‘official’ MP3 site for the ‘official’ MP3 files, huh, that’s why I pay for the service. Well, shit, the premium GOLD service is not at all expensive like 5 bucks gets server space for over one hundred songs – I dunno seems kinda cool for right now anyway, I get all excited about stuff like that. I would just love to see my MP3 site with a 1000 visits logged into it.
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So, is anyone really reading this blog thing? Lemme know if yar.

Have decided to change the name of the blog to (drum roll) just plain old OMNL because its so short and sweet that way.

Geez, don't know about you, but I have hadda helluva long boring day, can't wait to get out of work and into the, uhm, evening. Not that I plan on going out tonight - I gotta go home and - do stuff. You know, it ain't easy trying to have a LIFE and also be at work every day like a clock and then on top of that eat good food, work out a little bit, and all that other stuff. So whazza guy to do.
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TERRI WRITZ TONIGHT FEATURED ARTIST AT THE HI FI 10-11pm - OPEN MIC SIGN UP STARTS AT 6 O'CLOCK
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And I have it on good word from the HI-FI bartenders that you can phone ahead and reserve a time slot - I dunno how reliable a method that would be, there is always lots of traffic after 7:30-8:00 - the best plan is to GET THERE EARLY FOR SIGN UP.

What fun to hang around the Lakewood Phoenix with Adam Smith and the Bachelors Hall – yep, those guys are a hoot. There weren’t that many folks at the Phoenix – and that’s par for the course at that particular café venue. In my experience the only time the Phoenix really gets ‘packed’ for a band is when it’s a punk act that attracts the local teens. I have very little interest if any in that particular sector of the Cleveland music scene. I am after all well over 30, and I don’t mind playing at all to only a few people at the Phoenix – it’s relaxing and mellow. The only other exception to the generally applicable mellow rule at the Lakewood PHO is the Open Mic Tuesday with host XELA - ordinarily that scene crowded – so if you ARE looking for crowds at the PHO, then show up on Tuesday nights.

In regards to Adam Smith and the Bachelors Hall, I have heard Adam play solo, and I have hung out with Adam, but I have only heard the band play together now three or four times. I enjoy the levity of the band act - so much so that I have asked Adam and his guys to jam with me in the near future, I hear compatibility between our acts and I am eager to capitalize on that edge. I hope to work up a few of my originals with Paul, Gary and Adam along with a couple of jazz standards, those guys seem to think it’s a pretty good idea, so now all we need to do is ‘get it together’.

If you didn’t already know, The Bachelors Hall recently completed a CD with 7 songs on it and if you have never heard them play together ‘live’ than the CD is a great way to introduce yourself to the music. Getting the CD without going out to hear the band is a kind of a catch 22 because the Hall guys don’t have a label, they don’t have a manger, and I don’t think you can find the CD in any music store – you pretty much have to go to a show to get the CD – it’s one of those low budget DIY artist things. Low budget or not, the CD sounds really good – recorded on a four track tape deck not a hard disk. The recordings sound very ‘live’ – I think the band performed the material together live – or some of it – the overall sound is very roomy and organic (you know, lively) – and I really like it that way. If I had to criticize something (and I do – what fun is it to say only good things about the art of ones peers – heh), then I gotta point out the obvious: The bass was recorded straight too (line in) and it sounds sterile within the context of the live drums and guitars, so much for constructive criticism. Hearing and seeing the band play out is the preferable experience, with the live experience you get to watch the guys have fun and if you’re lucky you get to see and hear Adam play his freaking blinking Theremin do dad while simultaneously strumming away on his Fender and blowing on a Kazoo!! Oh yeah – catch em live at the HI-FI TOMORROW NIGHT!

Until next time – email me, OK? By!

In case you were wondering, It was never really my specific intention to begin to ‘review’ any of the recorded efforts of my musical artistic peer group here in Cleveland. In all honesty, I can make no claims to any professional integrity whatsoever in regards to music criticality! However, as opposed to writing about my own personal life (as interestingly complex as it might be), I find that the effort is better directed towards some artistic cause. An artistic cause is a perfect excuse to right some about what the hell is going on around me here just below the frantic surface of things! I started the Open Mic News Letter with the idea that I would simply start to attempt to clearly connect names and faces to guitars and songs, perfectly innocent intentions, really! Things have just gotten out of hand and look what has happened – a full on web blog devoted to the Cool Cleveland semi professional and amateur music scene! Considering I have been in Cleveland for all of four years, well, I just have THE NERVE don’t I! As my friend Chris Nekvinda has been wont to say “Everyone is entitled to my opinion” – damn straight huh!

Last night I decided to listen to Jim Steigerwald’s CD ‘LOST IN DRIED FLOWERS’ – all the way through, no interruptions, for only the second or third time. This is pretty thick song writing with 11 songs total making up the work – at times the songs lyrics are impenetrable to a less than concerted and or repeated listening effort – it would be great to be able to READ the lyrics in the CD liner notes! On the surface of things, this disk sounds more or less like what you would get if you were listening to Jim live, the major difference being the presentation. The recordings are more broadly representative of Unsub’s writing and artistic efforts, and less about performance technique. The songs are set against straight, rhythmic, mostly low-key guitar music with very few overdubs, making for enjoyable listening even if one is less than inclined to focus on the lyrics. However, it will take an average listener some time and effort to break into the writing for the SUBTERRANEAN meanings. Overall and so far I feel that I have failed to unravel the tightly wound stories and lurking shadowy imagery of the UNSUB CD, but I will continue to try. On the recorded version of RED BALLOON GOES BOOM Jim really has captured a fittingly round and rich acoustic guitar tone. It tells us in the liner notes that this song was recorded at Magnetic North Studios and I wonder – on good old analog tape or straight digital to hard disk? Jim highlights the lyrics in this version by recording the song with a somewhat less frantic tempo than you might have heard him play it live, lending poignancy and depth to the material. UNSUB is an artist yearning to be heard, confident and plaintive of voice, Jim deserves the artistic respect of his peer group, and this disk proves it.



Contact Jim: Jim Steigerwald AKA: UNSUB UNSUB33@MSN.COM

This dog hauled his ass up to the new improved GROG SHOP in Coventry last Thursday night to hear ACROSS THIS SWAAMP (www.swaamp.com) and was treated to a two part surprise: FIRST SURPRISE: The new GROG SHOP is soooo great! It's just so right and nice - it has a big roomy room with a shiny concrete dance floor, a large stage area, a great sound system, a loaded juke box, and a nice long bar - the whole place is cleaner - it looks better, it smells good, it feels nice. It's a nice place to be to hear/see a band! SECOND SURPRISE: A most refreshing and invigoratingly 'New Improved' rhythm section has been added to the Swaamp lineup - and the new guys really sound mature and professional, bending the whole band sound towards a more energetic, focused, Rock and Roll personality. I had only a few minutes to speak with Phil, the new drummer cat, he brought an all electronic kit and played it deftly - this dog has detected that Phil is contributing needed dimension, accuracy, and depth to the Swaamp mix. I did not unfortunately even get a moment to talk with the new bass player (I didn't even get his name .. Oops) as he arrived late and just jumped up onto the stage (front and center) ready to go! Whoever this New Swaamp Guy is, he is all there from the first note to the last - playing with equal parts gusto, subtlety, abandon and go-juice. And go they did - the band sounded great, the harmonies between Tim and Charlie were tight, the whole band played with admirable dynamics (Tim Fry tastefully interjected clean guitar riffs here and there into the ebb and flow - at times sounding more than a little Jerry Garcia-esq) leaving enough space in the music to allow Charlies easily recognizable voice to cut through the mix. The last song of the set was energetic and rocked up - this has been an approach that the Swaamp has used since the beginning of the band, starting the set with a somewhat subdued, and building towards a swooping rock and roll climax. After only this one show, it is most obvious to this listener dog that with the current rhythm section, The Swaamp has moved closer to a 'lighter and tighter' more professionally focused sound, one that I am looking forward to hearing again and again in the near future - look for them around the town!

Well, hello Cleveland Open Mic movers and shakers (you all know who you are)! I guess your wondering what happened to the OMNL - well, it has, uhm, changed a bit. Significantly in fact! You see, it needed to evolve. It was just taking to darned long to write the whole thing at once - know what I mean? - this old world just moves to darned fast anymore - you know, time flies and all that - frequently it was diffifcult to keep up-to-date information going on. Getting it all written down at once was tough - and by the time you were getting that information, it was kinda outa date, wasn't it? So, the solution is simple enough, write a web log instead! So, here it is the first official entry of the newly improved - and recently bloggified - OMNL !! Yeah!! (Insert the sound of champagne corks flying)