While you're reading, stream a special local music playlist compiling 2023 song releases by more than 180 artists and musicians from Northeast Ohio:
Find more year-end stories: 2023 CLE Wrapped, Cleveland's Year in Review
Alan Madej, Christmas singles
Local singer-songwriter Alan Madej has been releasing new, original festive singles every year, for the past 12 years. (12 Days of Christmas… get it?) And this year was a big one, with the final installment “Christmas Time!” arriving to complete the collection. alanmadej.bandcamp.com
Angie Haze, Time Thief
Akron’s Angie Haze showcases her gritty, genre-blending rock on her latest full-length album, incorporating orchestral flourishes, electronic soundscapes and Haze’s honest approach to songwriting. angiehaze.com
Austin Walkin’ Cane, Muscle Shoals
Classic blues guitarist Austin Charanghat teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Chris Allen and released his latest album Muscle Shoals in March. The project found inspiration from Alabama’s FAME Recording Studios, where the singer recorded much of the project. walkincane.com
Ben Gage, Two Singing Songs
Akron Americana singer Ben Gage put out a selection of gentle rootsy songs, featuring his guitar-playing and singing skills. Queue it up the next time you’re around the campfire. bengagemusic.com
Chimi, National Geographic/4.25
You might have seen Chimi join the ranks of acclaimed Afrofuturist music collective Mourning [A] BLKstar, recently lending her powerful voice to the group — and the artist also put out a stellar solo EP earlier this year. instagram.com/justchimi_
Curtail, Crimson
This year we still got our Curtail fix. The Akron rock band put out a four-song EP, giving us a few new tracks after 2022’s full-length When the Sway Sets. facebook.com/curtailmusic
Dame Drummer, Black Daddy
Damon Jamal Taylor, aka Dame Drummer, had a busy year. After releasing the film Black Daddy last year, the musician then put out the film’s powerful album of songs he wrote himself. Oh, and in between all of that, he won a Grammy award for production work on an album by Alphabet Rockers. damedrummer.com
(Photo courtesy Shane Wynn)
Dan Wilson, Things Eternal
Jazz guitarist Dan Wilson breaks out on his latest album, a collection of originals and eclectic covers, dedicated to his friend and mentor Joey DeFrancesco, who passed away in 2022. danwilsonguitar.com
Detention, Lost Time // New Fix
Punk is alive and well in Detention’s newest EP, showcasing the Akron rock band’s driving energy over the course of four songs. facebook.com/detentionbandofficial
Drag Daze, Stress Dreams
Originally a solo project for singer-guitarist David Coughlin, Drag Daze has expanded into a fully-fledged band — one which released its catchy, scuzzy sophomore album this year. dragdaze.bandcamp.com
(Photo courtesy Cowtown Chad)
Falling Stars, Lonely No More
This Cleveland rock quartet released its sophomore album this year: an upbeat collection of eight power-pop tracks from Chris Allen, Tim Parnin, Dave Padrutt and Gerry Porter. fallingstars.net
Grumpy Plum, Real Tough Guy
Finally, this Cleveland “slop-pop” band put out its anticipated debut album, showcasing a trio on the rise with a slew of grungy, heartfelt tracks. grumpyplumband.com
(Photo courtesy Ryan Johns)
Heart Attack Man, Freak of Nature
Heart Attack Man put out its latest rocker of an album this year — bringing on new collaborators and producers like Lil Aaron (known for work with Kim Petras, Lizzo, Selena Gomez and Saweetie), plus songwriting collabs with Ryan Scott Graham of State Champs, Nick Wheeler of All American Rejects and Lil Aaron’s brother, who performs under the name Brasko. The result is an eclectic, unapologetic and fierce collection of 10 tracks. heartattackman.com
Hiram-Maxim, Colder
The industrial rock quartet put out a genre-bending batch of eight songs this year, experimenting to create its latest doomy, post-punk album. hiram-maxim.bandcamp.com
Holden Laurence, Fires Fading into Black
Few local musicians create as vivid of sonic scapes as Holden Laurence — and you’ll hear a whole lot of that on his latest album, which explores lost love. holdenlaurence.com
Honeybee, Soft and Less Kind
Honeybee’s just started buzzing, in Cleveland. The band’s debut EP gives a mix of shoegaze, punk and indie rock — a vibey, spirited collection of songs. thehoneybeeband.com
Jason Kaminski, Far Away Places
Indie singer-songwriter Jason Kaminski returns with his latest album since releasing Until Tomorrow in the midst of the pandemic. Here, on Far Away Places, Kaminski’s indie guitar playing and moody lyricism are on full display — with touches of twang and grunge flavoring the somewhat gloomy project. jasonkaminskimusic.bandcamp.com
John’s Little Sister, Clear As Glass
Jessica Lauren Sikon (aka, JLS — aka, John’s Little Sister) expanded her sound this year with her latest twangy, lowkey album. instagram.com/johnslittlesistermusic
Joy Ceiling, To The Wind
The “slacker-pop” band popped out its debut album this year: a scrappy, frenetic project that builds on the band’s previously released singles and EPs. facebook.com/joyceiling
KennyHoopla’s singles
This punk musician, who grew up between Cleveland and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has had a breakout couple of years — including 2023, which saw several songs released with the likes of Travis Barker, Grouplove and Bloc Party. kennyhoopla.com
(Photo courtesy Apertured Studios)
Kipp Stone, 66689 BLVD Prequel
Cleveland rapper Kipp Stone earned accolades for his latest album, and for good reason. A Pitchfork review notes Stone’s natural delivery and called 66689 a “sleek and quietly intense new album,” while Rolling Stone called it a “raw depiction of Kipp’s inner dialogue.” kippstone.com
The Labra Brothers, Home
The Latin-funk-rock album Home arrived from this 2023 Best of Cleveland honoree, showcasing the family band’s soulful sound. thelabrabrothers.com
Liz Bullock, Where To Begin
Where to begin? With a three-track EP from local singer-songwriter Liz Bullock, who turns stories into song in the guitar-driven project. facebook.com/LizBullockMusic
LoConti, Cherry Red
Named after brothers and bandmates Henry and Michael LoConti, the band LoConti established its groovy alt-rock sound in a debut album this year. loconti.net
Maria Jacobs, Back at the Bop Stop (Live)
There’s no place like the Bop Stop when it comes to seeing live jazz in Northeast Ohio, and jazz vocalist Maria Jacobs made use of the space for her new live album. mariajacobs.com
Marottes, Languish: Under The Full Moon
Electronica artist Marottes played with his previously released EP Languish, rethinking the songs to be a “nocturnal dance version” of the original beats. marottes.bandcamp.com
Me:You, Field Tapes in Der Trash
Mourning [A] BLKstar musicians LaToya Kent and RA Washington often improvised together outside of the band, and those improvisations turned into an experimental duo called Me:You. The musicians released their first album under the moniker this year. meyou1.bandcamp.com
(Photo courtesy Molly O'Malley)
Molly O’Malley, Noise Beyond the Mantle: A Mixtape
Cleveland’s Molly O’Malley dug into her life stories and relationships for a new mixtape: a homegrown mix of personal, punky pop songs. facebook.com/mollyomalleymusic
(Photo courtesy Igor Luppa)
Moises Borges, Baiano
Bossa nova and Brazilian jazz take center stage on this guitarist and singer’s latest album, an easygoing project that features big guests like Chuchito Valdez, Diego Figueiredo and Ken Peplowski. moisesborges.com
The Monday Program, West$ide Market 2
Plenty of musicians collaborated on The Monday Program’s latest mixtape, building a selection of songs off of a regular meetup in DJ Corey Grand’s house that, of course, comes together every Monday night. instagram.com/themondayprogram
(Photo courtesy Tarantino Vision)
Nuke Franklin, 90Five
Cleveland hip-hop artist Nuke Franklin’s range is on full display on his third album, which arrived this year. You’ll hear his hard-hitting delivery on songs like “Die Broke” and “GMFU,” or a more laid-back approach on “Love Song #3” and “Look Mama I’m a Man.” instagram.com/nukefranklin_
Public Squares, Hits!
The conceptual punk band Public Squares beamed up another album of new-wave-tinged punk rock this year. Like the band, it’s a little bit out of this world — and a whole lot of pure Cleveland. publicsquares.bandcamp.com
Ray Flanagan, Not Allowed Vol. 1
You can get a solid sampling of this singer-songwriter’s far-ranging songs, recorded in one-take voice memos and quietly released in Not Allowed Vol. 1. rayflanagan.net
Ricardo Morales Vivero, Introspectiva
A new Clevelander, Ecuador native Ricardo Morales Vivero brought his genre-bending Latin American jazz to Northeast Ohio with this smooth album of originals, standards and interesting covers. ricardomoralesvivero.bandcamp.com
Rob Kovacs, Straylight
Pianist Rob Kovacs used his electronic-influenced experience in making music as 88bit to inform the creation of the Straylight soundtrack, designed for a new virtual reality game from Cleveland developer Dr. Bloc. drbloc.com
Runaway Brother, Bedhead X
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its breakout album Bedhead, Runaway Brother released a reboot of the project, with added features mixed into songs fans of the band know and love. runawaybrother.bandcamp.com
(Photo courtesy Sam Supreme)
Sam Supreme, I Lost My Hard Drive Twice in One Year
A four-track collection of infectiously funky songs from Samantha Flowers, aka Sam Supreme, arrived this fall, including fun songs like “Sam!” and “Great People Make Great Music.” instagram.com/samsupremedj
The Shootouts, Stampede
With a Grand Ole Opry debut to celebrate its latest album release, this Akron honky-tonk band fronted by Ryan Humbert further solidified its place in modern country stardom this year. shootoutsmusic.com
Skuff Micksun, Wrapped Up in Wind
Skuff Micksun released a full-length album this year that showcases his eclectic, genre-bending sound. skuffmicksun.com
Slowspin, Talisman
Slowspin, aka Zeerak Ahmed, crafted Talisman while living in Northeast Ohio, before relocating to New York City this year. The experimental ambient project earned accolades upon release; Pitchfork rated the album at 7.8 out of 10, stating that, throughout the album, Ahmed’s voice is “shading each repetition in overlapping hues of meaning and emotion.” slowspin.bandcamp.com
Slow Wake, Falling Fathoms
Formed in the middle of the pandemic, Slow Wake released a sprawling, atmospheric metal album this year. All five of its tracks are at least seven minutes long, showcasing building and crashing heavy riffs. slowwakeband.com
Smoke Screen, From The Yard
Before leaving for Los Angeles, Cleveland hip-hop duo Smoke Screen found a unique way to say farewell to its Northeast Ohio home base: through an album inspired by Cleveland culture and music. smokescreenmusic.com
Songstress Jo, Witching Hour
Appropriately, Songstress Jo waited until Halloween to release her goth-rock album Witching Hour: a batch of spooky-themed songs fitting for the holiday. Expect more to come from the 21-year-old, who’s currently an artist-in-residence at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. songstressjo.com
(Photo courtesy Kaitlin Purdham)
Sugardeer, Good Names for Strays
Danny Boyle’s solo project Sugardeer has its heart in indie-rock, with orchestral moments that pop out of six inventive songs. The self-produced, self-released project arrived in Cleveland’s DIY scene following the pandemic. sugardeer.net
Summer Rios’ singles
America (and Cleveland) rooted for Brunswick’s Summer Rios as she competed on America’s Got Talent this year. On the way, the singer released a few new singles to showcase her vocal talent, including a cover of Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” and the original song “The Long Way.” instagram.com/summerrios
Thor Platter, As Fast As It Goes
The well-known Cleveland singer-songwriter teams up with a full band for this full-length album, giving new layers to his Americana and roots-rock catalog. thorplatter.com
(Photo courtesy Andy Schumann)
Total Downer, Caretaker
Indie “friendly punks” Total Downer put out their high-energy, intense album Caretaker early this year. It’s full of ska, grungy skate-punk and political punk rock with songs nodding to a handful of celebrities, including Dr. Phil, Dolly Parton and Taylor Lautner. facebook.com/totaldownerband
Welshly Arms, Wasted Worlds & Bad Decisions
Cleveland blues-rock band Welshly Arms drifts a little closer to pop music in its third studio album, a selection of gospel, soul and peppy electronic-influenced earworms from one of the city's most well-known current rock groups. welshlyarms.com
(Photo courtesy Braxton Miller)
WesWill, Here For A Good Time
WesWill’s rapping style blends R&B roots with an easygoing flow, resulting in a uniquely vintage sound on his latest studio album. weswill.bandcamp.com
(Photo courtesy Alison Scarpulla)
Wish Queen, Saturnalia
Grace Sullivan, aka Wish Queen, put out her dreamy debut album this year, showcasing her ethereal voice in a stream of inspired indie and folk songs. facebook.com/wishqueenmusic
Xanny Stars, Getting There
“The Land’s most anxious band” released an angsty new album of bangers this year, showcasing home-grown punk energy from the trio. facebook.com/xannystars
Youth Pallet, Deformer
This Cleveland rock group put out its latest album this year. The pandemic informed the latest batch of grungy tunes, which follow up Youth Pallet’s 2019 debut Feast on the Youth. facebook.com/youthpallet
Find more year-end stories: 2023 CLE Wrapped, Cleveland's Year in Review
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