Let’s just call them our region’s reigning supergroup. When CoolCleveland last spoke with Robert Kidney, it was on the occasion of 15-60-75 The Numbers Band’s 50th anniversary. It’s been five years, and now the band, founded by Kidney in 1970 in Kent, Ohio, is crossing another milestone with a concert on March 8 at The Kent Stage that will include founding members Terry Hynde on sax and Robert’s brother multi-instrumentalist Jack Kidney, along with longtime members Bill Watson on bass and Clint Alguire on drums, plus a few special guests. Info & tix here.
CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready spoke with Kidney in a wide ranging interview, discussing the roots of the band, it’s role as a spawning ground for punk rock, (via former members Jerry Casale, co-founder of Devo, and Chris Butler, creator of The Waitresses), Kidney’s collaborations with The Golden Palominos, and some of their surprising gigs with the likes of legends Bo Diddley and Duke Ellington. The interview was conducted with the assistance of Jason Pruffer, author of Small Town, Big Music, who is working on a feature-length documentary on The Numbers Band. View the video here.
Info & tix here.