UCA JULY 2006

Hi! We had a really great Open Mic session at U.C. Arabica last Wednesday night, thanks to all my pals who showed up to play: Noah and Rebecca, Elaine, Mike, Mirriam M., Nelson, Emily F. - thanks soooo much for coming out folks, it makes for a very special evening! I even made a few recordings that night, capturing several songs by Elaine, and a few songs of Emily's as well, maybe you will get to hear them soon! Depending on how 'things go' we may host a couple or a few open mic sessions this July, keep your eyes on the webpage for up-to-the-minute UCA entertainment calendar changes, augmentations, enhancements, etc.

July is gonna be good at the cafe with Matt Gerovac coming to town and playing the Grog Shop June 30 (with Xela and Mifune) and then UCA on July 1 he will play an acoustic solo show - Todd Carey will come to town and play UCA on Wed. July 5 - Allan S. from NYC will be in town at Bella Dubby in Lakewood for a show on Tues. July 11, then he is at the Barking Spider for a show Wed. July 12 - Luca Mundaca will play UCA on Sat. july 22 - and Chris Squier will be at UCA Friday July 28

Jim Snively has a brand spanking new EP out - he has been handing out 'sample discs' of tracks that have not yet been mastered or packaged however he is currently working on a packaging design and will have an actual professional grade CD package out in the very near future, I suppose he will have a CD release party, but he has not said anything about it yet - catch Jim Snively this Thursday as he hosts open mic at Poor Richards Tavern in North Ridgeville

More later ........

SUMMER SOLSTICE OPEN MIC

Hi Folks and Folkies! I hope your getting out of work and getting your butt outside ASAP during these sweet pre-summer days of sunshine and moonlight (we just had a nice full moon this past Sunday) - I have been, and since I am living in Lakewood I am less than 2 miles from the MetroPark entrance and I just dash home, change, and usually just ride my bike right down into the park for some riding. It's great, I love the park, and I love SUMMER! And here it comes - the first day of Summer (and the LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR - SUMMER SOLSTICE) is next Wednesday and or Thursday, June 21 and 22. To celebrate the coming of Summertime, University Circle Arabica will host the Summer Solstice Acoustic Open Mic Night starting early at 7pm and going until about 10 (or 11 if things really heat up). Please plan on attending, we will have good sound, finger foods for the artists, and I will probably struggle with some live recording gagetry as well. See you there!!!

FLIPSIDE AT ART HOP TREMONT TONIGHT

This Friday night June 9th (and the second Friday of each month) catch the Art Hop in Tremont. Tonight you will hear the sounds of Beth Highland and Mark Ronan's band "Flipside" outside Eye Candy Gallery on Professor Avenue. Flipside will play lot's of classic covers, and many original tunes, they have a clean folk rock sound with smooth blended vocal harmonies. Nice bunch of folks!

This is always a great night in Tremont with crowds of people walking about, particularly in the Summer with the galleries all open, the weather nice ... Pizza by the Slice at Edisons after 11 I think - although don't quote me on that exact time but it's something around there - why not pizza by the slice all night long? I don't know why not all night, ask them.

TORI SPARKS AT BARKING SPIDER JUNE 15

Tori Sparks , the singer songwriter from Austin who's name I have mentioned before, is on tour and coming through town on JUNE 15 - she has been swinging through NY and is creating a buzz as she works her way through some of NY best known venues (The Bitter End) - check out Tori's Travel News Tori and her travel mates will play the early opening set at Barking Spider on JUNE 15 at around 8pm. This will be a good set of tunes!

Hey, dig this: Chris Keffer has mastered the new Black Keys album right here in CLE OHIO at Magnetic North Studios! Not that this is news, the Scene or the Free Times already blurbed this, but I just think it's a kinda big deal.

JUNE IN CLEVELAND

Hi folks! You might notice I changed my blog template, and I know it needs customization, I will get to it ... what's been going on in YOUR life? I hope that yer havin' as much fun as I AM! What kinda fun have I been havin'? Well, let me run down a little list for you here:

WHAT I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO:
I have been listening to LUCA MUNDACA and NATE MILLER and WINTER TOOK HIS LIFE among other things ....

WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING:
News papers mostly, not much book reading right now.

It's been really warm and muggy in Cleveland this week, I have been riding my bike and walking around town, visiting the Phoenix Coffee Shoppe - they are trying to expand into a space upstairs of the shoppe, it's going to be real nice, I hope they can get the funds together to do the expansion. They have a CD coming out (thanks to Gary Hoopengardner) that they will sell to raise some money ... there are several local artists on the CD.

STEVE2 & GUESTS AT ENCLAVE SAT MAY 20

Hey, Steve2.Net will be at THE ENCLAVE IN WILLOUGHBY THIS SAT MAY 20 with my new friends SHEELA & JANE (who perform as a multi instrumental duo) -- we will perform together and apart. We will also be getting together, informally, at U.C.A. at 7 on that same day during the hessler fair to 'jam' together before we go to Enclave.

MAY & JUNE & JULY 2006

Hi, been awhile since I have updated my blog, here's some small news:

BEACHLAND BALLROOM was nice last night, G.S. Harper and his friends performing a Townes Van Zant retrospective of sorts...really nice music, I didn't stay long, but heard good stuff.

U.C.A. IN JUNE will be lightly booked, because, lots of reasons. In brief: Zach on Fri. June 2, Jenna, Sean Brewster, and Ben Barr Sat. June 10 (which is also parade the circle) Teresa Storch coming through Wed. June 14, Ben & Dan Fri. 23, and brazilian guitarist (fabulous voice) Luca Mundaca on Sat. June 24

STEVE2.NET & GUESTS SHEELA & JANE AT ENCLAVE: I have recently met Sheela and Jane at my open mic, and we all seem to like each other, so we are jamming a bit and getting some songs to happen between us. Join us at about 7 at U.C.A. where we will be musically goofing around before we go to The Enclave in Willoughby for a more formal show from 9-11

TORI SPARKS OPENS FOR HILLBILLY IDOL AT BARKING SPIDER JUNE 15 Tori is from Austin TX and she is the goodness. She might stop into U.C.A. for a set before the Spider.

OPEN MIC APRIL 26 WITH THE PLAIN JANES

This wednesday will feature an appearence by an acoustic duo name of the Plain Janes! They will start right around 9pm and probably will play for about an half and hour or so - the remainder of the night will be acoustic open mic as usual.

OPEN MIKES AT U.C.A. MARCH & APRIL 06

Ok, the U.C.A. Open Mike schedule is outa whack right now, it has to be that way...it's a flexable type deal-e-o, I like things a little flexible at just this time.

It was that we had open mike night on the first and third wednesdays - at least for AWHILE that is the way it was - change being the order of the day - so, we are having Open Mike Night at U.C.A. this WEDNESDAY MARCH 29 and that is the way it is.

Be there or be square!

And then in APRIL we will have a little different schedule for open mike night - we will hold open mic on the SECOND and FOURTH WEDNESDAYS IN APRIL -- in order to accomdate a couple of N.Y. artists who will be coming through the cafe on WEDNESDAY APRIL 19TH: ALLISON TARTALIA & RHONDA EVERITT so, we will have our open mic night on wednesday april 12 and wednesday april 26. Mark these very important open mic dates on your open mike calendar.

P.S.: We recently 'fixed' a nice ole 12 inch P.A. speaker we had sitting around - so we have just a little bit more umph for our open mic night now, with two nice speakers instead of just one - c'mon in and give our cafe a whirl!!!

See you at U.C.A. for OPEN MIKE NIGHT!!!

TORI SPARKS COMING TO CLEVELAND IN JUNE

TORI SPARKS COMING TO CLE FROM NASHVILLE TN:

Tori Sparks has contacted me by email and has indicated that she will be coming to CLE in JUNE to play a show ... most probably at the U.C.A. but who knows, summer is a ways off still, another interesting stage or show could open up between now and then.

In the meantime, check out her Sonicbids profile and her site, she sounds great, your gonna like it!

STEVE2.NET AT THE ENCLAVE FRI MARCH 31

STEVE2.NET AT ENCLAVE IN WILLOUGHBY FRIDAY MARCH 31 9-11PM:
I haven't played out at the Enclave in downtown Willoughby for a long time, but when I called over there they seemed to remember me right away, so that's gotta be a good thing, right? I have not decided wether or not I will bring an opening act - I played for a couple hours last night at the Starbucks in Rocky River and felt real good about my song list/set list, so I may just tackle this one all by my lonesome, on the other hand, it might be more fun to put on more of a show with at least one other act....hey, you tell me what you think!

EMAIL NEWSLETTERS IN MY BLOG:
Some of you may have noticed that I am re-printing or re-publishing, in my blog, the email newsletters that I get from songwriting friends in CLE - sometimes I may not make it perfectly clear at the top of the article that it's not my voice your reading, however, I have taken note of my own foible and will start to make it clear in the tops of the articles that I am reprinting an email newsletter.

GREG HARPER SHOWS

THIS IS THE GREG HARPER NEWS EMAIL REPRINTED AT THE STEVE2.NET BLOG FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!!

===================
From Greg Harper (AKA: G.S. Harper)
===================

Greetings y’all! Time for this months update, and it looks like the month of March is going to see me a rather busy boy.

Upcoming shows:

Friday March 10th- The Town Fryer, 3859 Superior Ave. in Cleveland, w/Terry Berrett and Andrew Zeager

Thursday March 16th- I’ll be with Hayshaker Jones at Cowboy Food and Drink, check www.hayshakerjones.com for more details.

Friday March 17th-St. Patty’s day at The Town Fryer! w/Terry Berrett and Andrew Zeager.

Saturday March 18th- Poor Richards Century Tavern, Center Ridge Rd. in North Ridgeville, w/Terry and Andrew

Friday March 24th- TWO SHOWS!! The Agora w/Hayshaker Jones, opening for Cross Canadian Ragweed, then later that night at The Town Fryer with Terry and Andrew.

Saturday March 25th- W/ The Big Bananas at Tommy Rockers in Elyria. Crazy stuff, kind of silly, but a lot of fun.

Friday March 31st-The Town Fryer, w/Terry and Andrew.

That’s what’s cookin’ for March, stay tuned, and come on out and see us anytime. Special thanks to Susie Porter at The Town Fryer, February 10th marked a whole year of Friday nights there, and things just keep getting better. We love you Susie! And here’s hoping for many more! Keep an eye out for next months update, when you’ll hear all about our Tax day extravaganza on April 15th, and the very special Townes Van Zandt Tribute show that I have put together at The Beachland Ballroom for May 15th.

Until next time, thanks for continuing to support live roots music in Cleveland!

Love and Fried Macaroni and Cheese,

G.S. Harper

SUSAN WEBER SHOWS

SATURDAY March 11
Barking Spider Tavern
11310 Juniper Rd in Cleveland
8:30 - 9:30 pm
Susan Weber with Walt Campbell. Gary Hall goes on at 10 pm
______


In both of these one hour shows, we perform songs from my upcoming CD in two great venues...


The Lakewood Public Library has become a regular home to our music. Its excellent acoustics and concert lighting bring performer and audience to a rich time-out-of-mind artistic experience.


The Barking Spider is a cozy, wood paneled listening space with live music every night, tucked inside University Circle. If you are new to the Spider, here are some directions:


The Barking Spider Tavern is located about fifteen minutes east of downtown Cleveland (a little past East 105th) off of Euclid Avenue. At the Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Rd. intersection, take a left (north) on Ford (immediately across from Mayfield.) Go up three streets and take a right (east) on Juniper Rd. On the right-hand side of the street you'll see an Arabica coffee house. Entrance to the Spider is the first driveway past the Arabica driveway, and additional parking is available from the second driveway.


As always, we want you to be part of us and hope to see you soon!


Cordially,
Susan
http://www.susanweber.com

(EMAIL NEWSLETTER REPRINTED HERE AT STEVE2.NET FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE!)

LINKS TO LIVE RECORDINGS @ ARCHIVE.ORG

You may have noticed that I have recently added a 'feedburner' links list to my home page that contains live links to recent live recorded audio that has been uploaded to the Internet Archive I think it makes a great content addition to my home page, what do you think? These live recordings come from all over the globe, and this is a really exciting resource for those of us who love live recorded audio! The Internet Archive has waaaaay so much material available for free download, if your not aware of it's vastness then take a moment or two...of course, your gonna need high speed internet to make sense of it. Happy listening/watching/reading!

SONG WRITING W/ BRENT KIRBY

Roots of American Music "Roots Acoustic Pickin' Circle" on Sunday!!! On the first Sunday of every month, this month being Sunday, March 5th, Roots of American Music will be presenting a "Roots Acoustic Pickin' Circle" hosted by Rick Sockel. It will take place from 2-4pm at the Roots of American Music/Fairmount School of Music space at 3475 Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, call (216) 321-9350 for further details.

Jack Fords Shows This Upcoming Week!!!

It's a busy week for the Jack Fords...Monday we hit the Grog Shop for a great show opening for the Damnwells. Wednesday we'll attending the Cleveland Free Times Award Show at The Beachland. Wish us luck! Thursday, we'll be at Guggy's starting to work on the new CD. On Sunday, you will find us at the Beachland Ballroom opening for Joe Bonnamassa. Come out and hear the new tunes if you haven't yet, and if you already have, come join us for a drink or two and let us entertain you!!!

Special Thanks!!!

Special Thanks go to Ryan Humbert and Emily Bates for having me join them for a really great show at Boba in Akron last Friday! I sold out of the CD's I brought to a very attentive crowd. Also, special thanks to Anastasia at the Free Times and The Scene for helping us promote our CD Recording!!!

Songwriting Class- Last Chance!!!

Time is running out to sign up for the my Songwriting class at the new space for Roots of American Music/Fairmount School of Music at 3475 Fairmount Blvd. Check out their website at http://www.fairmountmusic.com/ and www.rootsofamericanmusic.org. Classes will be Tuesday evenings, at 7-8pm with tuition at $130 for the 13 week course (that's right, only 10 bucks a class!) The last day to sign up is March 24th and the first class will be Tuesday, March 28th. I by no means would ever say I'm an expert in the field of songwriting, and I plan to learn as much as anyone, but I am looking forward to facilitating some good dicussions about songwriting. Come join me!!! I know before I had mentioned it would be an "adult" class, but I have decided to invite anyone of any age who is interested in writing songs. Class description: This class is for people who want to obtain some skills to create their own music. While studying the craft of songwriting, students will learn the structure of songs, hooks, lyrical idea, melodies, rhythm and harmony, genre related, and the merging of lyrics with music. The students will listen to music, write songs, be involved in interactive group creative sessions, and present their own songs for constructive critique. Other topics covered will be home recording, copyrighting, andthe business aspect of songwriting. Please e-mail me back at this address or call (216) 321-9350 for more information. And of course, forward this to anyone you might think would be interested. Thanks!

Upcoming shows!!!

Monday March 6th The Jack Fords The Grog Shop 9pm
Opening for the Damnwells www.grogshop.gs 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd. (216) 321-5588
Friday, March 10 Brent Kirby Solo Acoustic Poor Richards's Century Tavern 10pm-1230pm
Brent's first time at The Century!!! Historic Ridgeville www.centurytavern.com
Saturday, March 11 Hayshaker Jones The Winchester
Opening for Commander Cody!!! www.thewinchester.net (216) 226-5681
Sunday, March 12 The Jack Fords The Beachland Ballroom 8pm SHARP!!!
Opening for Joe Bonnamassa!!! We will start right at 8pm sharp!!! www.beachlandballroom.com

(this has been re-published from an email letter from Brent)

RYANN GUITAR ANDERSON E-NEWSLETTER

RYANN GUITAR ANDERSON will be across the parking lot from U.C. Arabica this WED MARCH 1 so come to UCA Acoustic Open Mic then go over to The Barking Spider for a brew and Ryann Anderson:

Wednesday March 1
Barking Spider Tavern
11301 Juniper Rd Cleveland, OH
10:00pm

Thursday March 2
The Place(On Belllfower)
11401 Bellflower Rd Cleveland,OH (Near Case Western Reserve Campus)
6:30-8:30pm

Thanks & take care

MIRANDAS MOON LAST SHOW MARCH 17

These are friends of mine, they are losing multiple band mates to medical studies, they are having a St. Paddy day blowout at Sachsenheim here is the newsletter:

Ladies and gentlemen, as some of you may already know, Miranda's Moon
is playing a final farewell concert on Friday, March 17, 2006. It will
undoubtedly be the greatest St. Patrick's Day celebration of all time.
We knew that the end of Miranda's Moon was approaching, but we didn't
realize it would be so soon.

The Bot Abbas is a such a stellar medical student, that he is willing
to relocate to North Carolina to complete his lab work. A good portion
of his graduate program centers around this continuing project, and
therefore the matter is largely out of his hands.

Jewbacca, aka Penoyar, has decided to finish up his medical studies in
the majestic state of Oregon. Being an outdoorsman and a native of
Washington state, he longs to return himself to the wilderness. Oh, and to
practice medicine as well.

In lieu of all these changes in lineup, Miranda's Moon has decided to
go out in the biggest way imaginable. The concert and party will be free
and open to all, with cheap German drafts and plenty of live
entertainment. We'll be playing nearly everything we know, from electric to
acoustic, and maybe even some piano work. Bring everyone you know and have a
blast!

The venue chosen for this monumentous occasion is the Sachsenheim - a
111-year-old German fortress on the west side of Cleveland. Our main set
will be in the gorgeous 2nd floor ballroom, and the later set will be
on the 3rd floor, which has a great view of downtown. The Sachsenheim is
located at 7001 Denison Ave, right near the Ridge Rd. intersection.
Parking and admission will be free!

Face it, this is easily going to be the best St. Patrick's Day event in
town. And remember, this will be the final opportunity to see Miranda's
Moon! Come say goodbye and have a great time on us.

Here's the show's flyer - feel free to hang it wherever you want!
http://www.mirandasmoon.com/lastshow.jpg

For directions to the show - see our website: www.mirandasmoon.com

Sincerely,
The Moon

CATS ON HOLIDAY AND CLE ORCHESTRA JULY 7

READ: Cleveland "Cats On Holiday" newsletter reprinted here for your convenience!!!

------------------------------------------------

Happy Valentines Day from The Cats!

I hope all you Cat fans are loved by someone! You are all so
deserving. :)

All is well with the band. We videotaped a Tri-C “Crooked River
Groove” program last week. Our good friend Greg Ciolec, brought a bus load
of his students from Streetsboro High School to enjoy the taping. The
kids were a very gracious and appreciative audience and made the
potentially sterile studio a high-energy concert setting. The Cat’s thanked
all the students and staff with a small gift, so Streetsboro should be
overrun by teens wearing the hot new COH t-shirt. The show should air
in the next couple months. We are planning to release it as a DVD as
well.

Cats On Holiday was nominated for the second year in a row in the Free
Times music awards. Please vote for the band to win the best
“Americana” category so we can take home the $1,000,000 prize money. Go to
www.freetimes.com to vote or find the ballot in the latest Free Times issue
and mail in the ballot. The Cats will split the winnings with all
their loyal fans.

The band is currently working on pre-production for a new disc and will
start in the studio in the next couple of months. Denis has been on a
bit of a writing spree and has a bunch of new refreshing tunes. We
also are very happy with our new bass player Brian Wildman. Brian has
performed in the past with Austin “Walkin Cane”, Nightbridge, Kristine
Jackson, Colin Dussault and others. He has added a big bottom to our
“Swamp Pop” sound.

The Cats are very happy to announce a collaboration with the Prayer
Warriors. If you haven not heard them, the Warriors are a unique 20 piece
gospel choir. We are going to join forces for a featured program,
opening for the Cleveland Orchestra’s July 7th public square concert. We
then will perform again at the Ingenuity Festival on July 15 or 16th.
Both groups are very excited about the possibilities of this very cool
collaboration. Stay tuned for more details.

The COH “unplugged” trio will be at the Harp (4408 Detroit) 9:00 on
Saturday Feb. 18. Come on out and sit with the band at the quaint bar and
check out Brian playing the upright bass. It's like seeing the band in
your living room. I hope to see ya soon. As always, Thanks for the
wonderful support.

Denis D. and The Cats
---------------------------------------------

BRIEFLY: WHAT'S HAPPENED & HAPPENING

The U.C.A. recently hosted C.I.M. (Cleveland Institute of Music) pianist Adam Whiting and a couple of his C.I.M friends for an evening of classical music and wow was it ever fantabulous! Adam was joined by Violist Emily Grossruck and Suzuki Violinist Breana Bauman and they played a selection of classical pieces including both of Beethoven’s (Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 - 1827) Violin Concerto Romances 1 & 2 and pieces by composer and violist Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979). This was a real treat for U.C.A. and we hope to have Adam and his associates back at the U.C.A in the very near future – and frequently!

In town recently from Pittsburgh PA was singer songwriter Brad Yoder (coming to U.C.A. Friday March 10) who was found playing a solo set at the Century Tavern in North Ridgeville. Brad gave me a copy of his most recent CD “Used” which I literally have not been able to stop listening to! Brad’s song “Used” has appeared on the new CBS show "NUMB3RS" (on 2/11/05) and has also been played on NPR's syndicated radio show, "Car Talk" – also, his song "2nd Thoughts" has been compiled into the DVD of the 5th season of “Dawson's Creek” (episode #503) – congratulations Brad, I am anticipating your return to Cleveland! That same night at the Century Tavern featured Greg Harper and his newly conceived acoustic trio (guitars, mandolin and violin) and these guys continue to have a successful Friday night scene at the Town Fryer 3859 Superior Ave E, Cleveland, 44114 - (216) 426-9235 and they will be at U.C.A. for a Tax Day Party on April 15 so be there with your laptop to finish your taxes or, if you already finished them, come in and listen to the great acoustic jams.

What is going to happen at U.C.A. this weekend?

Friday Feb. 17
U.C.A. will host an evening’s performance by Detroit Singer Songwriter and Times Beach Records recording artist Audra Kubat . Audra is an established veteran of the Detroit Michigan music scene and a fully realized singer songwriter of particular subtlety and power. If you want a taste of Audra’s music before the show, tune into WRUW 91.1 FM on Thursday Feb. 16 at about 9PM for Cuzin’ Dave’s show “When the Roses Bloom Again” and you will hear Audra perform, live, songs from her albums and probably songs that we have never heard before! Oh, and if you want too, you can listen to live streaming broadcast of WRUW over the awesome Internet...heh. And or if you’re heading up to MI for the weekend, be sure to catch Audra opening for Aimee Mann at the historic Michigan Theatre Monday Feb. 20! Whatever you’re planning to do this weekend, please make time in your busy schedule for the opportunity to spend Friday evening at U.C.A. with one of the Motor City’s most respected, prolific, established, popular and original female singer songwriters!

Saturday Feb. 18
U.C.A. features the acoustic New Grass duo of Brent Hopper and Brittany Reilly! Brent is a veteran of the Florida music scene where he has enjoyed a great deal of touring success with his bands “The Almost Acoustic Band” and “The Grass Is Dead” which have both had huge followings – if you want to hear some of the music just visit the Internet Archive and search for Brent Hopper, there are many live shows available for free download from this site. Brent has only recently relocated to Cleveland with his wife and these two now share a brand new baby daughter as well as their burning passion for Bluegrass, Reggae, Country, Blues, and other old-time music influences which they effortlessly fuse into a smooth, flat-picking instrumentation with sweet vocal harmonies and musical dynamics - they will be playing mandolins, guitars, and probably a couple other instruments during this show.


Just a reminder that U.C.A. is the University Circle Arabica and our first floor library, coffee bar and music rooms are smoke and alcohol free (we do have a spacious smoking room upstairs) and that our shows are all ages’ events. We host the best in live acoustic music at 11300 Juniper Road Cleveland Ohio 44106 216-791-0300 and we offer free wireless internet, coffee, espresso, deserts, and good hearty food. Shows are always free of cover and usually start at about 8:30 PM.

EMERALD FREQUENCY ARE SO GOOD!!!

Uhm, if you haven't heard Emerald Frequency yet then you should come to UCA and catch them. They are a father daughter duo - the only father daughter celtic styled duo in Cleveland for all I know - and they are both multi-instrumentalists and they have SUCH a nice sound! They sing FANTASTIC HARMONIES and they play a very beautiful mix of tunes while alternating lead vocals. They both have great voices with Starlie covering the soothing, sweet, and high lonesome tones while William compliments in a plaintive low to mid range..come hear them soon!