Best Of Cleveland: Cover Band

Dressed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costumes, Billy Likes Soda is not deterred by a bar full of self-serious wallflowers. Try to resist dancing as singer Justin Chabek jumps from the bar during “Uptown Funk,” bassist Cody Willoughby bounces through “It’s Tricky” or guitarist Mike Radzimski pops an Uncle Sam hat on your head before ripping the “Jessie’s Girl” solo. Last time Billy Likes Soda played Wild Eagle, a blow-up shark even ended up in the chandelier. “We use wireless mics and guitars so all the guys up front can roam around,” says drummer Greg Wereb, who founded the band in 2013. A mix of former heavy metal heads, country pickers and even a karaoke DJ, the band’s current lineup, which Wereb calls its best, offers a genre- and decade-spanning set list — “like 106.5 The Lake, but so much better” — that lands them more than 50 dates a year at The Time Warp, West Park Station and more. “If we’re up there acting like goofs,” Wereb says, “it make them feel good and want to act goofy.” facebook.com/billylikessodacle

Click here to read the full list of 2018 Best of Cleveland Editor Picks.