Panza Foundation Showcases Its 5th Class of Musicians, Names Its 6th, at the Happy Dog

Punch Drunk Tagalongs

Sat 11/23 @ 8PM

In 2015 local musician and Tri-C faculty member John Panza and his wife Jane did something unique: they launched the nonprofit Panza Foundation to provide small grants to local bands to allow them to move ahead on a project such as recording, pressing a record, touring or making merchandise.

Since then, each November, they’ve held a showcase featuring the previous year’s grantees and naming the next class. In the past they’ve included names most people don’t know, as well as better known area bands such as Goldmines, Mourning [A] BLKstar, Obnox, the Village Bicycle, FreshProduce and Uno Lady, as well as more obscure bands, drawn mostly from the area’s indie rock scene. In each year except one, they’ve given money to four bands (one year had five recipients). They’ve also provided funding for Lottery League 2016 and 2019 and the Blank Slate DIY music venue in Elyria.

There’s no application process. Panza and his board keep an ear to the ground and stay tuned to the grapevine to learn who has something in the planning stages that could use a little financial juice, Panza told CoolCleveland last year. “We haven’t found [another similar operation] around the country for what we do. We stand out because we don’t have an application process. We operate like a record label in that sense. We always say to the bands, ‘We find you.’ When we approach bands now, generally speaking, they’re pretty knowledgeable about what we are, although they always have like 50 questions.”

With the dream of a big record contract rescuing a band from obscurity pretty much a thing of the past, Panza is happy with helping bands move ahead in small increments.

“For us, the measure of success for the bands we sponsor is, do they keep playing, do they still enjoy it and are they still able to get out there?” he said. “Of course, we encourage our bands to tour. We think that’s enormously important for their development, but also the development of the Cleveland music scene. The more bands travel a bit and learn what it’s like to play in other cities they come back bringing that knowledge with them. That helps other bands. We’re very much interested in mid-career bands, where they’ve been doing it for four or five years, and are doing their own thing.”

The 2019 class included Joey Sprinkles, Cotton Ponys, Harvey Pekar and Punch Drunk Tagalongs (pictured) who will perform at the Happy Dog Sat 11/23. That same evening the sixth class of grant recipients will be named. There will be raffle prizes including $4000 worth of musical gear, and Panza is promising a “HUGE announcement” about the foundation.

Admission is $5.

panzafoundation

facebook.com/events/

Cleveland, OH 44102

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