Fri 6/15 @ 8:30PM
Mike Uva has been kicking around the area music scene since the early ’00s, first as a member of the band Machine Go Boom and then as a solo artist who makes understated music with intriguing tales to tell. He’s never had a particularly high profile, but he’s been a steady presence on local stages.
He’s giving local music lovers another reason to check him out with the release of Lights Coming Up, his first full-length album since 2012’s Lady, Tell Me Straight, released on the local Gotta Groove Records in limited 12” vinyl. They describe the record as exploring “solitude, crime & punishment, light & dark, recurring dreams, family trips, and the 1993 Branch Davidian siege.”
What you won’t find is a lot of noisy, in-your-face stuff. The messages are dropped casually into indie folk tunes with a touch of Americana that insinuate their way into your consciousness with their subtle, engaging melodies. Uva shares his dusky, scuffled stories in a conversational voice and gentle, offhand manner that quickly establish a bond between performer and listener.
When he celebrates the release of the album at the Beachland Tavern, Uva will be backed by a full band, which will include some of the people who played on the album (drummer Dan Price, bassist Mike Allan, keyboard player Mike Lyford and guitarist Nick and Tony Cross and Stelianos Simantiris).
Istvan Medgyesi and Sleepykid open the all-ages show. Admission is $5.
Cleveland, OH 44110