Sat 6/8
For the first time in five years, Lottery League returned, taking place at the Ingenuity Labs in the Hamilton Collaborative building. Intended since its founding in 2007 to be a triennial event, it got thrown off schedule by the pandemic.
Once again a large, diverse pool of musician participants was assembled, and a draft was held to place them in ad hoc bands with people they’d never played with before. They were then given a couple of months to put together a ten-minute set to play for the Big Show MMXXIV.
The event had the vibe of an ’90s underground scene reunion with a lot of familiar faces from the audience and stage of the old Euclid Tavern and the Grog Shop when it was on the corner of Mayfield and Coventry (Both Craw drummers played! Disengage members kept popping up! College radio t-shirts were everywhere!)
Forty-three bands performed on three stages over 12 hours, a real marathon. Some bands took the easy route, blasting ten minutes of basic hardcore or punk. Other bands worked in spacey instrumental rock, country or jazz. Many sported fright wigs and cheesy costumes.
One thing that’s really changed since the old Euc days: these performances will be well documented for posterity. The front of the stage was lined several deep with phone-wielding photographers and videographers.
View the PHOTOSTREAM here,
Cleveland, OH 44114