As summer quickly approaches, we’ve given a refresh to our Cleveland Current playlist, now newly stocked with recent releases from artists and bands in Northeast Ohio's music scene.
Here, find new funk, blues, pop, hip-hop, punk and more, spanning our 30-song selection. (And be sure to follow the playlist; we update it every month!)
Tune in here, and hear from a few musicians about their projects featured in this month’s playlist below.
The Michael Weber Show, Stereogram
If you get this new record in vinyl record format, you’ll see a couple of visual treats. A stereoscopic cover features a 3D image of singer-guitarist Michael Weber, visible only if you cross your eyes — and when the record is spinning at exactly 33 ⅓ RPMs, the carefully designed center label appears to stand still when viewed with a phone camera.
“I think it’s so important when there’s a physical medium to bring something special to the tape,” Weber says. “There’s something that’s special about holding an actual, physical copy of something in your hands.”
Weber recorded Stereogram in his Hudson-based Lighthouse Recording Studio with his band: bassist Evan Baker, drummer James O’Connor and pianist Will Baughman. The 10-track album features Weber’s singing, guitar-playing, keyboard-playing and songwriting skills, dipping into power-pop, ‘70s alternative, punk, indie and new-wave influences.
Weber, known for his throwback sound, energetic stage presence and colorful, vintage outfits, plans to put everything he’s got on the stage during a summer tour that visits Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There are also plenty of chances to see Weber’s band in Northeast Ohio, including at Cuyahoga Falls’ Falls Downtown Fridays concert series (July 5), Broadview Heights’ Home Days festival (July 13) and Wade Oval Wednesdays concert series (July 31).
“I will put everything out there on stage, every single time. I pride myself on that,” Weber says. “I feel like if people are going to spend the time to come out to a show to want to hear me sing my songs, then I’m going to give it back to them — every ounce of love they give me, I’m going to give right back to them, and tenfold.”
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Shawn Poe, Fruit Ninja EP
Colorful fruits like strawberries, pears, peaches, cherries and pineapples all blend together in a musical smoothie on the latest project from Lashawn Gordon — aka Shawn Poe. The local hip hop artist, who has also released music as Karate P, put together the project with input from his dad, who he reconnected with in the past couple of years.
“The tough guy music was getting boring to me, so I just wanted something smooth, for the fellas to get dressed to, that you could listen to and feel yourself,” Gordon says. “Like motivation music for the Black guys, that’s pretty much what it is.”
The musician, who grew up writing battle rap verses and who has participated in a slew of musical projects in Northeast Ohio, stays flexible in the far-ranging genre. “I don’t lock myself in as a certain type of rapper; I’m just an entertainer,” he says. “I might make a country song next week, you know?”
He also doesn’t lock himself into just making music. Gordon works to support local musicians with his company, Kartel Media Korp, which assists artists and creatives with content, branding and the business side of the arts.
“Any artist in the city that feels that they don’t know what it takes to get to the next level or feel like they don’t have the numbers or the team around them, I want to extend the olive branch — reach out to me,” Gordon says. “Cleveland is a major music location, and people just haven’t looked in our direction yet. We just want to make sure that when they look, they’re gonna see the best show on earth.”
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Speaking of shows, Gordon has plenty planned for June and July. You can catch him at the B-Side Liquor Lounge’s Lyrical Rhythms night (June 18), Euphoria Lounge (June 29), Dunlap’s Corner Bar (July 3), Medieval Pub (July 12) and Diamond 8 Restaurant and Lounge (July 26).
Zach Angeloni, Versions of Ourselves
After participating in local record producer Tuck Mindrum’s collaborative “One Take Series,” Zach Angeloni’s collection of songs had an appropriate album cover — a colorful silhouette of a family and a dog, painted by Sean Wheeler. It turned out to be a perfect fit for the tunes’ inspirations.
“They’re all really inspired by family members and friends. I started thinking about grandparents and ancestry; I like to go there a little bit when I’m writing, and I think I let all of these songs come out of that space a little bit,” Angeloni says. “That’s why it was called Versions of Ourselves.”
The album, which arrived on May 23, marks Angeloni’s first full-length solo record release. Formerly a member of the band Sans Rebellion, the 34-year-old Canton native says he naturally gravitates to folk music when songwriting, with influences from artists and bands like Buck Meek, Twain and, locally, Ray Flanagan.
“Being out front and actually singing and saying things that were actually meaningful to me, that was a big transition, just coming out of my shell — from being in the background to just singing my own songs,” Angeloni says.
The musician has a few shows coming up, including a performance at the Rialto Theater (June 21) and with Ray Flanagan at the Winchester Music Tavern (June 24).
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