Thu 9/22-Sun 9/25
One of Cleveland’s premiere rock & roll nightclubs is turning 30 (!) this week. It was opened by three friends in their 20s at the dawn of the ’90s, an explosive, expansive era for indie rock, hosting an eclectic array of such bands from all the “next Seattles” across the country (as well as actual Seattle bands such as Love Battery and 7 Year Bitch.) All the hot local bands played there as well, from pop rockers such as World in a Room, Jehova Waitresses and Odd Girl Out to headbangers such as Mushroomhead.
That was when the club was on the corner of Coventry Road and Mayfield, in a rundown, funky spot where you really didn’t want to use the bathroom unless you were desperate. Two of the former partners moved on, leaving the club to current owner Kathy Simkoff Blackman. Then in 2003 it moved up Coventry to the much larger former Arabica Coffeeshop spot, which has air conditioning and clean bathrooms. And it has continued to book generation after generation of touring buzz bands and promising locals, often up to seven days a week, with comedians, drag queens and silent discos thrown into the mix. (It also operates the more laidback dance/electronic-oriented B-Side Lounge downstairs, which hosts things such as DJs and spoken word.)
This weekend, it celebrates with a weekend featuring four talent-packed shows. Thursday September 22 it’s all locals: R&B-influenced rockers Colin Miller & The Brother Nature, the Latin rhythms of Hello! 3D, and Akron hip-hop band Red Rose Panic. Friday is headlined by Cloud Nothings, founded by Clevelander Dylan Baldi while he was in college and now a band with a national reputation. They’ll be joined the Missed and Little Lions Den. Cleveland doom rockers Frayle headline Saturday, with Rexaler and Rebreather. And things wrap up Sunday with bludgeoning rockers the Melvins, foinded in Washington state in 1983 and a significant influence on grunge music — and on Nirvana. Austin, Texas noise/power trio WE Are the Asteroid shares the bill.
Check the Grog Shop’s website for times, tickets and other upcoming shows.