Another month is here: and with it, another batch of new music to share from Northeast Ohio.
Check out our Cleveland Current playlist for a taste of new releases from artists and bands based in Greater Cleveland. These 30 songs feature new rock, hip-hop, folk, pop, R&B and more.
Tune in to the playlist here, and hear from a few musicians in this month’s playlist below.
Sianah, “Ride With Me"
While she’s been pushing forward in the local music scene under the name Sianah since 2017, Tyciana Johnson says she’s been in music her whole life, helping her mom lead her church choir and, later, singing at Temple of Passions, a local poetry and music performance series.
“I started at a poetry event; I always say I’m a singer first, songwriter second and a poet last, because I really didn’t want to do poetry, but I was like, ‘This is my way in,’” Johnson says. “Then eventually, I just started transitioning from poetry into just doing music and then I got booked for music shows, and I’ve been going ever since.”
The R&B musician plans to release her first full-length album this fall, titled Memoir of My Heart Part II. The project’s songs look at the ups and downs of romantic relationships, ending with a message of self-love.
Before that album arrives, you can hear Johnson’s song “Ride With Me,” which she says was inspired by a past tour in Atlanta and her start in independent music work. You can also catch the singer live at the “Let Me Sang” event (May 3, Diamond Lounge, 3400 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland), the Rated R (Reflect, Rewind, Renew) women’s empowerment event (May 18, 15416 Saranac Road, Cleveland) and the Bop Stop (June 5, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland).
Rye Valley, Miss River
Performing its signature blend of rootsy Americana music since 2021, Akron’s Rye Valley took a major step forward in early April when it released its debut full-length album Miss River. The album compiles singer-guitarist Brett Auerbach’s travels along the Mississippi River in 2022 and 2023 and fuses the inspirations with the band’s bluesy folk sound.
“I grew up in Northeast Ohio, have a place here, but also had a home away from home for 2022 and 2023,” Auerbach says. “I had a place in Mississippi, and that was central to the district I was traveling in. I just got a lot of inspiration from those travels, and that’s how the record was born.”
The group — primarily a duo of Auerbach and singer-percussionist Landon Kearns — recorded in its full band format, with pedal steel player Tyler Lobdell, bassist Kevin Brosien and drummer Tim Ellinger at Tuck Mindrum’s Plastic Dino Records in Bay Village.
The band, which formed when Kearns and Auerbach met at an open mic at Cuyahoga Falls’ Silver Swan Tavern in 2021, has several shows slated for May: at Hoppy Dude Brews (May 4, 1369 Ridge Road, Hinckley), George’s Lounge (May 11, 229 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton) and Collision Bend Brewing Co. (May 25, 1250 Old River Road, Cleveland).
Corry Michaels, “(Red Yellow) Green Light”
Local pop singer Corry Michaels' bop is just the first bit of new music this year from the singer, and you won’t have to wait long for more: He already has a remixed version of the addictive track ready to release, a second single for June and (“fingers crossed") a record due out in the fall.
First came “(Red Yellow) Green Light,” a song he wrote in less than 45 minutes off of a beat that collaborator Vrdnyn crafted and posted online. Michaels decided to release the song on March 8 and followed up with a music video filmed in New York City.
“I decided that was gonna be my first single just because it felt fresh, it felt cool, it gave a different energy. I was doing things different vocally than I had done before,” Michaels says. “I was like, ‘You know, this might feel like a really cool start.’”
Michaels, who is involved in the Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future local musician incubator program, has a few shows lined up, including a CRPPF concert (May 3, 15801 Waterloo Road, Cleveland) and the Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minneapolis (June 28-30, Loring Park, Minneapolis). He plans to get more live performances scheduled after his album’s release later this year.
Hear these musicians, and more, on the Cleveland Current playlist below, and follow Cleveland Magazine on Spotify for more.
Have a song you’d like to include in a future edition of Cleveland Current? Email nickoloff@clevelandmagazine.com.
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