THE ZOU – “Soon! OK?” Official Music Video from their new album KILLS – Part 1! The CD Release Party happens Saturday May 25th at The Lemon Grove in Youngstown!

The album is available at www.iTunes.com/thezou and a physical CD can be mailed to you within 24 hours by purchasing at cdbaby.com .

“Our core influences for Ragers are Nirvana, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.  We really like the UK group, Band of Skulls and you’ll also hear some AC/DC in our music as well, ” Jauch said.

On Friday, April 19th at Cedars West End, located at 706 Steel Street Youngstown, Ohio, Ragers will take the stage with  Underground Pete, Pilot The Mind and The Mast.  The show starts at 10 PM and admission is the “magic number 5″ aka $5.

Ragers includes Matt Jauch, on vocals and  lead guitar, Brandon Zano, on guitar and lead vocals , Cailtlin Dorney, vocals and bass  and Stephen Nicholson, vocals and drums.  Bassist Caitlin Dorney is a former resident of Youngstown.  Jauch said that Brandon Zano (guitar & lead vocals) formed Ragers in late 2011.

” He was working on a solo album, and this came in the wake of the breakup of Zano’s previous band, This Is A Shakedown. He played me some of the early demos and I liked them a lot. At the time, I was on a hiatus from playing in bands , but I knew I’d come back at some point. Zano and I had known each other since 1996 and we’ve worked together in different capacities, but never started our own full-time band together from the ground up. We played  together in some side projects and filled in for each other’s bands here and there. We did a Nirvana tribute band  for fun in 2009 and that went over really well here in Cleveland,” Jauch said.

Zano then decided he wanted to pursue Ragers as  more of a full-band effort, recruiting Dorney and  Nicholson. In 2012, Ragers released the “Amnesia” EP . Currently ,Ragers has many great moments ahead of them.  On July 7th the band will open  for Bad Religion at Summerfest in Millwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I am extremely excited  for that, as Bad Religion is one of my all time favorites. Bad Religion was the first punk show I ever went to in 1992. We are working on a full-length album. We have a lot of songs leftover from the beginning, some from the same time period  as when we were  writing for the ‘Amnesia’ EP  that didn’t fit  the release and others  that were written shortly thereafter. We are currently writing a bunch right now. So add all that up and we’re going to go in with 16-20 tracks and whittle it down to around 10-12.  We just came off a  9-day tour  of the east coast in February,” Jauch said.

The year 2013 brings in more plans for Ragers, which includes a  10 day tour in September , which Jauch said will end in Rehoboth, Delaware at the  Dewey Beach Festival.  The band plans on doing 2 full tours in 2013 and then playing the regional weekend gigs.

“We build all  our tours around  festivals and it seems to work well. We want to finish writing for our debut full-length and then start recording. We recorded and produced the EP ourselves, with some help along the way from friends. We will most likely record and produce the upcoming album ourselves, which we like doing.  Zano has spent the past few years learning how to engineer, mix and produce. He is getting very good at it and is working on a lot of recording projects here in Cleveland. He is also recording and producing our friends from West Virginia, Jesse Smith and The Holy Ghost (former member of the hardcore band, Zao),” Jauch said.

Jauch said that hopefully Ragers full length will be out later in 2013. The band is working rather rigorously, sculpting their sound into rock-powerhouse- perfection. Ragers sound is designed to please fans of neo-psych rock, and heavy post punk.

“We are getting heavier, faster and crazier. I suppose this is the normal progression when your band name is ‘Ragers’ right? Once in awhile, we do like to write ‘ballad’ -type songs, but not in a cheesy way, but more like psychedelic mind-benders. One or two of those may show up on our full-length,” Jauch said.

Listening to Cleveland’s Extra Medium Pony’s full-length debut, “11868,” I was immediately hooked because it  reminded me of the pure,  honest emotion and  musicianship of Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers,  The Grifters, Silkworm and The Beatnik Filmstars.   For  Extra Medium Pony singer/songwriter and guitarist, Rick Spitalsky,  “11868” is an honest musical showcase.  The band’s debut clearly shows that the subject of heartbreak is the perfect ingredient to a passionate pop song. This album was an actual godsend for me, as it was a therapeutic listen for me as well.

“The number 11868, is the apartment building I lived in  with my ex-girlfriend  when things were going well.  It seemed to be a magical place and when we moved out  it was like something was lost or left behind. We split up a couple of months after and needless to say, it was shitty. I wrote these songs full of raw emotion and passion and that’s why I think so many people  have been reacting to it. I don’t get  the satisfaction  some people might get out of the songs, hearing them as  upbeat,  poppy anti-love songs,” Spitalsky said.

On Saturday April 6^th at Cedars West End, located at 706 Steel Street, Youngstown, Ohio, Extra Medium Pony will take the stage with Kid Detective and Ultrasphinx. The show starts at 10 PM and admission is $5.

Extra Medium Pony includes Rick Spitalsky on vocals and guitar, Ben Gmetro on bass, and Jimmy Frysinger on drums.  Some previous bands the members of Extra Medium Pony have played in include, the shoegaze act, Minute of Arc, The Dreadful Yawns,  Afternoon Naps and Herzog.  Spitalsky formed Extra Medium Pony in 2010. He was writing songs for and playing in Minute of Arc.

“I started writing songs that didn’t fit with Minute of Arc at the time.  Minute of Arc released an album  called ‘Future Forests,’ which is dreamy, distorted space rock similar to Hum or Failure. Extra Medium Pony’s  sound is different because  it’s more lyrical based with simpler guitar parts and melodies. The whole concept is different too, the lyrics are very obvious with most of the Extra Medium Pony songs as opposed to the more abstract  approach with the Minute of Arc songs,” Spitalsky said.

The band also released an EP titled “Middle Pony” in 2010, which Spitalsky said is more lo-fi than “11868.” The “Middle Pony” EP is available on the band’s Bandcamp page.  The release “11868” is packed with  18 minimalist post punk gems  that evoke vivid word paintings of feeling.  The album is released on the Cleveland –based label, Exit Stencil Recordings, which has released some fine albums from Mystery of Two, The Dreadful Yawns, and Coffinberry.  Spitalsky said that “11868” is also getting some international exposure, being released in Japan on Water Slide Records. He said the album is being distributed all over Europe.

“As far as the future goes, I see the band headed in a higher quality audio direction, with more shorter, upbeat pop hits. The future will hopefully see us traveling, playing shows, meeting people and having fun,” Spitalsky said.

“The songs on ‘Welcome To Reason,’  reflect angrier times in my writing. Many of the lyrics deal with the questions of spirituality and commitment.  The album has acted as a very therapeutic experience  for me and has now helped me to be more interested in writing music with a more positive tone,” Edwards said.

On  Saturday March 30^th ,at  Pal Joey’s, located at  968 E. Midlothian Blvd. in Youngstown, Ohio,  Neon Avenue will  celebrate the iTunes release of “Welcome To Reason.”  Neon Avenue will take the stage with The Royal Remedy, Particle 17 and Bunderthird.

“Our March 30^th  performance at Pal Joey’s will consist of tracks from our new CD.  Moving forward, we are planning  to add new material and also to continue to play some of the old tracks. However, the March 30^th show  will be the last time most of these tracks will be played the same way they have been recorded,” Edwards said.

Neon Avenue has been together since late 2010. The local bands Denial Stage and Sexton are the seeds to Neon Avenue.  The band includes Justin Edwards on vocals, guitar,  John Cutlip, on bass and backing vocals, Ryan Mehle, on drums and Stephen Pappas , on lead guitar.

Edwards said that during the next month the band will go through a lineup change.

“The group dynamic  helped Neon Avenue grow and change. We will actually be seeing two new members debut in our April shows along with new songs and lyrics that have been co-written by my girlfriend and best friend and me,” Edwards said.

Edwards said that the band has been  playing the songs on “Welcome To Reason” live  at shows for two years.  Edwards feels that the March 30^th release party is a perfect time for Neon Avenue to finally release their effort.

“I almost view this release party  as a celebration of the past two years  and a way for our fans to remember  how we started.  My favorite track on the album is called, ‘Try, Try, Try.’ The song is a simple suggestion to try to live a better life and has almost become a mantra for me,” Edwards said.

Neon Avenue will be busy this summer recording new material and playing local shows.  Edwards and the band will continue to move on with a clear positive perception. Positivity is the only force that can allow one to proceed and be aware of life’s green lights.

“I want to get the idea across with the help of  Neon Avenue, that the  key to  living a happy life  for me  is  simplicity, and creativity. I’ve come to realize that I don’t need much to be happy and as long  as I am doing  something creative, my mind is beyond content.  I want to share this  with anyone  who is willing to listen and I hope  to continue to use  Neon Avenue as a platform for this,” Edwards said.

I first saw Pittsburgh’s Amplifiers open for hometown heroes, Sam Goodwill the fall of 2010. I immediately got into the band’s sound as it nostalgically reminded me of the post- rock glory of listening to post- rock staples such as Life and Times, Seade, Stella Ink, Failure, Shrimpboat,  HUM, Centaur, Starflyer 59, with occasional big-rock meets shoegaze  nods to Swervedriver. From my alternative historian viewpoint, I always see every post genre from “90’s eyes.”   The album’s state of the art production quality gives it a nice modern tinge and filled out sound.

Si Lewis, front man and guitarist, said the band recorded  about two-thirds of “Everything Obsolete” by  themselves. The band then reached for the stars and made the big jaunt out to Los Angeles to complete the rest of “Everything Obsolete,” with the help of  acclaimed musician Casey Crescenzo, of Receiving End of Sirens and The Dear Hunter. Crescenzo served as co-producer of the record and sang some background vocals. He also wrote some of the instrumentation.  Lewis said that Crescenzo mixed “Everything Obsolete” in it’s entirety with producer Mike Watts at Vu Du Studios in Long Island, New York.

With the band’s latest release, “Everything Obsolete,” Amplifiers took these post- rock principles, but with a quite ambient approach. The band incorporates intriguing dramatic intros, which is quite evident in the title track, “Everything Obsolete.”

The biggest highlights and replays on the record for me are “Formations,” “Redemption Song” ( which you could hear the classic Failure influence with the Ken Andrews-esque  basslines), and “A Night In Grayscale,” The moment that really sticks out on the album is the classic guitar lead on “Mannerisms & Misconceptions,”  which crafts the song with a nice finish, making it stand  as the straight up post-rocker as it is.

All together ,“Everything Obsolete” is an introspective journey that is well complete with clear production, excellent songwriting capabilities and most importantly, the instrumentation. This instrumentation  on “Everything Obsolete is the key element to pay attention to and focus on. Instrumentation is everything ,but obsolete, on “Everything Obsolete.” –Gary S. Angelo –YoungstownRock.com

It was a cold and damp weekend,  the usual accoutrements that garnish the average fall season in northeast Ohio. Fall is not complete without these cozy bedfellows defining the atmospheric barometric mood.  With bone chilling temperatures and remnants leftover from my “annual” fall cold, nothing stopped me from my usual venture to Cedars Lounge.  It was worth the travel, because it was an magical evening of music.

The night opened with Akron, Ohio’s Stems, who really caught my attention musically. The band’s sound harkens back to college radio circa the mid-80’s, when postpunk acts were balancing a working class twang/Americana sound with a “Paisley Underground”  neo-psychedelic  foundation.  I heard influences like Green On Red, Uncle Tupelo, and a sprinkle of Galaxie 500 and Red House Painters.

I got to speak with frontman and guitarist, Justin Seeker and we talked about the Akron music  scene and his relatively new band, Stems. Stems includes Seeker on guitar and vocals, Charlie Collins, on guitar, Michael Voris on bass and  Josh Weiss on drums.

The band arose out of Seeker’s past projects:  Sleepy Giant, Octolope and Company Picnic.

“Bassist Michael Voris and I were in a band years ago called Sleepy Giant ,who played a few shows in Akron. Drummer Josh Weiss and I were also in a band called Octolope, from Kent,  for a while. We released one CD before disbanding. Octolope played around Kent and Cleveland a lot. I was in a band before that called Company Picnic with my good friend, Joe Dennis of Party of Helicopters. We also did a bunch of shows but never got anything properly recorded,” Seeker said.

Seeker met guitarist Charlie Collins through drummer Josh Weiss and the men of Stems went with the idea of forming a band. Seeker said that during his pre-band days,  he originally started out making 4 –track recordings of his music on his own.   Seeker is also a Lead Builder at Earth Quaker Devices in Akron, Ohio. Earth Quaker Devices builds guitar effect pedals.

“Honestly, we are all relatively new as a band in the Akron and Kent scene, compared to my friends who have been in various bands for the past 15 years or so. Stems is a process of taking songs that I have written and seeing how they  work in a band setting,” Seeker said.

Seeker said the band is reworking the songs he had previously written on his own, plus writing songs as a band.

“We are in the process of recording right now, and we are aiming to have a full-length or a couple of EPs done by the end of the year,” Seeker said.

For Seeker, the musical sphere of influences and creativity has absolutely zero limits.

“We all work together quite well and there is no set notion of what we should sound like, so it’s not limiting,” Seeker  said.

Photo Courtesy of Jami Blaire Lasky

Turbo Lovers frontman and guitarist, Bj Lisko  is sticking to the  traditional punk and rock ‘n’ roll  sound, but with a powerpop tinge, on the band’s new  album, “Hopelessly Addicted.”  This effort  will mark the band’s 6^th release.

“The new disc is our first full –length since our 2009 release, ‘Roll  Your Vice.’  It has a lot of the same elements that  our previous records have had, and takes on a life of its own as well.  The full-length, ‘Roll Your Vice,’  sort of set the tone  for what I wanted Turbo Lovers to be about  and ‘Hopelessly Addicted,’  takes it a step further. It’s definitely got a no-  frills rock ‘n’ roll vibe to it , but we structured a lot of it in a pop format this time,” Lisko said.

On Saturday  March 9^th at the Royal Oaks, located at 924 Oaks Street, Youngstown, Ohio, Turbo Lovers  will take the stage  with Idle Shades and  The Spastic Hearts. A very special guest of Youngstown’s Gunk Punk/Garage past will be joining Turbo Lovers, the almighty Ted Laskowski, frontman and guitarist of Hellvis. So the night will be a nice balance of  nostalgia and a celebration of the glory of Youngstown’s music scene of today. This is a show you cannot afford to miss.  Admission is $5  and the show starts at 8 PM.

Much of the pop direction comes with Turbo Lover’s new musician lineup. Lisko recruited, Keith Colcolough, on bass and  Christian DeSantis on drums, who were both  former members of the Youngstown powerpop  act, Manifold Stud.

“I’ve gone that route  for certain songs  in the past with Turbo Lovers , but never an entire record, which is the case here.  It’s still plenty rock , but it’s definitely more accessible to a wider range of listeners. Trying to balance  those two aspects can be difficult, but we think  we’ve done it without alienating either side of the spectrum,” Lisko said.

Turbo Lovers discography includes, “No Longer Attractive,” (2004), “Cock of The Walk,” (2007), “Outstanding”  (2008), “Roll Your Vice,” (2009),  “A Hot Minute” EP (2010) and “Hopelessly Addicted,” (2013).

For Lisko, “Hopelessly Addicted,” is a more lyrically personal record in its entirety. Lisko said that “Hopelessly Addicted” will be released later in March.

“In the past, I’ve gone in that direction for certain songs, but this time, it’s more at the forefront.  I can honestly say I really like every one of the tracks  we’re putting on this record.  There is no filler  and there’s a lot of  really huge rock ‘n’ roll hooks, some really big choruses and big rock riffs.  It’s the most cohesive lineup  I’ve had heading into the studio,” Lisko said.

As far as musical influences on the new record, Lisko said he is influenced  by  the high octane rock sounds of  Supersuckers, AC/DC, Danko Jones,  and Wolfsbane.  Even though  “Hopelessly Addicted”embodies a pop drive, the  straight up underground punk ‘n’ roll influence is still heavily present in the band’s sound.

“Not to say that AC/DC  and Danko Jones  don’t have pop structures to a whole lot of their songs , but we were a little more obvious  about it this time than on previous records.  With new players in the band,  you tend to shift slightly on where you pull influences from.  Specifically the more pop stuff that I have always listened to and a few newer acts were evident  during the writing of this disc include:  The Galvatrons, Reckless Love,  Huey Lewis and The News, American Heartbreak,  and Rocket From The Crypt,”  Lisko said.

As far as future plans for Turbo Lovers, Lisko hopes to get “Hopelessly Addicted”  out in the open for music fans local and beyond.

“Over the spring, summer and fall  our plan is to just get our album in the many hands of as many people who will listen . We’ll release it again on the Pittsburgh- based  Garage/ Rockabilly/twang label, Cracked Piston Recordings,” Lisko said.

Over the many years, Cincinnati, Ohio has been home to such wonderful musical greats including, Libertines US, Caterpillar Tracks, The Ass Ponys, Afghan Whigs, Thistle, The Fairmount Girls and Mad Anthony, I could sure can go on and on.

The Sundresses hail from this wonderful scene. Bassist McKenzie Place said that when the band formed during the early 2000’s, there wasn’t much of a music scene. Sometimes less competition allows one to blossom. This was the case in The Sundresses story.

“That was awesome because we wanted the scene to grow and expand. In the late 90’s, there was not a lot of places to play, now there are a lot of venues,” Place said.

Place said the idea of The Sundresses was brought to fruition in 2001 and the band itself formed in 2002.  The band includes McKenzie Place, on bass guitar, Brad “Loans” Schnittger, on drums, guitar and vocals, and J. Remy “The Revelator” Springer, on guitar, drums and vocals.

On Friday March 1^st ,at Cedars West End, located at 706 Steel Street, Youngstown, Ohio, The Sundresses will take the stage with Nervous Jerks, Class A Bandits and November Loop.  The show starts at 10 PM  and admission is $5.

Some bands christen their names from  literary works, novels, films/famous movie lines, or even advertisements. This is just a few examples. I first heard the band on the compilation, One Two Three:  Datawaslost Recordings Compilation 2003 and their track, “Universe, Universe,” which I purchased at the merch table the Cincinnati indie pop band, Post Haste, at a show at Youngstown’s legendary club Nyabinghi. This song also appears on The Sundresses 2003 debut, The Only Tourist In Town.

“When we first started playing, it was cold outside and we wore these winter coats and we thought, ‘what is the opposite of  wearing a coat?’ I thought, a ‘sundress,’ the band loved it and that is how we came up with the name.  It’s a long, cool, sounding name,” Place said.

The band’s discography includes The Only Tourist In Town (2003), Barkinghaus (2008), An American American single (2008), Fuck Yeah I’m With The Sundresses EP (2009), Motel EP (2010), OFF (2010), and Pick and Play Sampler (2013).

Place said that The Sundresses sound has changed dramatically over time. The band is currently working on a new album. They have acquired new musical influences over the years.  Place said that the band has written all kinds of music and that their sphere of influences spans across a diverse wheel of genres. For instance, she said that some songs embody a rockabilly feel, while some go into bluesy and riff rock directions.

“Our songs used to be angry and political, but now the tone of this new record is more positive  and it’s more radio friendly. We got into Middle Eastern music and Soviet Marches. Guitarist Brad “Loans” Schnittger  and I both love  1940’s Big Band music. We are all into different types of music and we love hearing new things,” Place said.

The Sundresses have played the acclaimed music festivals and music conferences including South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and  the Cincinnati Midpoint Music Festival. The band has shared the stages with some famous Cincinnati peers, including Heartless Bastards and Wussy.

“At South By Southwest, there was so much live music and we got to meet a lot of people that you don’t think you would meet otherwise,” Place said.

One of those bands which really hit home for me was Paranoid Lovesick and Medicine Men  (later known as Medicine Show). The two  bands  have a wonderful, inspiring story packed with clever songwriting and infectious hooks.   I remember the excitement  of finding a copy of Medicine Show’s 1994 CD full-length  “Welcome To The Show,” at the used bin.  Just the coolness of songs like “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out,”  “Lucky The Dog”  “Wait For You,” and “Swirl,” just capture the perfect essence of a fun neo-psychedelic powerpop  gem, with a nice trippy humorous touch.  Paranoid Lovesick had some powerful stompers including, “Universal Boat,” “Marginalia,” “Postman Bob”  and an awesome cover of Badfinger’s  1973 gem, “Icicles.” This cover appears on the Copper Music Badfinger Tribute compilation, “Come And Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger”  (1995).

In 2012, Paranoid Lovesick was included in writer and musician, Joe Oestreich’s book , “Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll. Oestreich is a good friend of the band and  plays bass in the Columbus, Ohio Powerpop band, Watershed. Like Paranoid Lovesick and Medicine Show, Watershed has also played Cedars Lounge numerous times. In fact, their recent Youngstown performance was at Cedars Lounge in June 2012.

Right out of Medicine Show rose the almighty Paranoid Lovesick. I got to catch up with Paranoid Lovesick and Sky Dragster vocalist and guitarist, Bill Stone on band talk. I got the privilege to meet Stone at the November 2008 International Pop Overthrow Festival (IPO 10) at Cedars Lounge.  The festival IPO was founded by  IPO   Ceo, and Music Journalist, David Bash. Paranoid Lovesick includes Bill Stone on vocals and guitar, Kurt Maracz, on vocals, bass and guitar, Rick McBrien, on lead guitar, vocals, and John Potwora on drums.

Bill Stone’s music journey began in high school in a band called Back Pages, which included future Cowslingers/Whiskey Daredevils drummer, Leo Walsh (aka Leo P. Love) and Jimmy Ashenbener.  Stone and Walsh then went  on to  form The Gyspy Moths with Lou Vogel, who played the Vox organ.

“The Gypsy Moths played a lot at Pats In The Flats in Cleveland, etc.  We were a bunch of goof-offs,  so the stage show just kept getting weirder and weirder. There was a whole Elvis cardboard standup, xmas lights, and bubble machines. It was a lot of crap to take to a gig and it was fun while it lasted. Lou Vogel played a Vox Organ and he would line up his drinks on his organ before we would start. Maybe 10 or so bottles of beer. He usually ended up in a locked arm toast with an audience member, both drinking out of the other’s shoe.  Later I hear that he did a thing where he’d  swallow whole eggs. Interesting guy,” Stone said.

After The Gypsy Moths,  Stone and Walsh met Kurt Maracz and Tom Dannery, which became the seeds to the band, Medicine Men.  Before the Medicine Men, Stone, Walsh, Dannery and Maracz formed the Airdales.

“That later became the Medicine Men. Walsh left after a year or so to join The Cowslingers and now plays The Whiskey Daredevils.  For the next year or so,  we used to pick up drummers for gigs,” Stone said.

On Halloween of 1992, Stone left The Medicine Men. Stone said the Medicine Men settled on a regular permanent drummer, Bill “Juice” Atkins. Stone and Atkins did not get along  and Stone continued on with a new band called, The Jehovah Waitresses.  Stone said he was playing in The Jehovah Waitresses for a year and then formed Paranoid Lovesick with John Potwora on drums. Medicine Show included Tom Dannery on guitars and vocals, Kurt Maracz, on bass and vocals, and Bill “Juice” Adkins on drums and vocals.

Inside Cover of Medicine Show’s 1994 effort “Welcome To The Show”

During the early 1990’s,  The Medicine Men changed their name to Medicine Show.  Stone said that The Medicine Men  released a six song cassette EP.  In 1994, approximately two years after Stone left the band, The Medicine Men,  rechristened as Medicine Show, released the CD, “Welcome To The Show,” on Drink ‘N’ Drive Records.

“That CD had a lot of songs from when I was with the band, but all recorded without me. That was their one and only release. Tom Dannery and drummer Bill ‘Juice’ Adkins made some  really great music  in their last days together . It’s a shame that music never  came out, I think it was their best,” Stone said.

Stone got Paranoid Lovesick on a roll by settling on guitarist Rick McBrien. ( Note:   McBrien passed away in February of 2003. Stone said that McBrien played a   key role in Paranoid Lovesick. He was an excellent guitarist).

“We ran an ad and landed Rick McBrien, one of the best unsung guitar players out of Cleveland.  Tom Dannery and I were still working together  at a recording  studio at the time.  Paranoid Lovesick  practiced in the basement  while Medicine Show  was recording upstairs. Kurt Maracz would hang out and play bass with us. Over time, we sort of stole him,” Stone said.

Stone said that Cleveland was having a happening scene during the early to mid 90’s. The band  received  airplay on commericial radio and later played shows with the groundbreaking mid 90’s mainstream acts such as Oasis and Weezer.

“We were always on the fringes. The other bands were a few years older than us. When you are 18  and they are 22, that’s  a huge gulf.  There was Cleveland Scene Magazine  and college radio fanning the flames , so there were more than enough gigs for everybody.  Peabody’s Downunder  was the ‘we made it locally’ and we finally started  opening for bands club.   There were a few of those gigs during the Medicine Men days  and a lot of shows in the 1990’s with Paranoid Lovesick.  Things shifted between the Grog Shop, The Agora,  and Peabody’s,” Stone said.

Peeking over the smokestacks of industry, was a jangly echo of hope. Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania brought the airwaves, listeners and venues a rich slice of powerpop history. This roster included such acclaimed acts such as  Artful Dodger, The Raspberries, and  Blue Ash.

“That was our scene. We thought the Raspberries were cool.  We loved Big Star, The Beatles, The Byrds and the Beach Boys.  Melody, hooks, two and a half minutes of sheer pop was what we dug.  So we did what came naturally, and it happened  that we were already  doing it when everyone else took notice  of that scene.  I often wished Rick McBrien had  survived  and we were playing today. There is such a powerpop movement  today,” Stone said.

Rewinding to the winter of 1994/1995, Paranoid Lovesick, headed into Youngstown, Ohio to  Ampreon Recording Studio, owned and operated by engineer and musician, Pete Drivere (Infidels, Pretty Demons and Deadbeat Poets). Drivere recorded the band’s 1995 EP “Molly,” which includes the iconic tracks, “Universal Boat” and “Big Star.”  The band also had some help from  acclaimed Youngstown musician, Frank Silver, who was the vocalist and guitarist of the band, Drain. Silver  also played in the popular Youngstown act, Ivet, who helped launch the career of Larry Kennedy and The Jellybricks.  Stone talks about his experience working at Ampreon.

“ We would record all night in this old warehouse across from a U-Haul lot. I don’t think I have ever seen that building in the daylight. Frank Silver of the band, Ivet, was always hanging around. This was pre-Ivet , and he  helped on the EP too.  We sold a few thousand copies of ‘Molly,’” Stone said.

During the fall of 1995, Stone and the boys headed over to  Mars Studio in Cleveland to work with acclaimed engineer, Bill Korecky to record their 1996 debut full-length, “Suburban Pop Allegro.”

“Korecky taught us more  than anyone.  We have the utmost respect for  Bill Korecky,” Stone said.

In 1996, Copper Records released a tribute compilation of one of the most influential artists of American powerpop, Badfinger.  The compilation is  “Come and Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger.” Paranoid Lovesick appeared on this compilation  covering Badfinger’s 1973 classic, “Icicles,” which appears on Badfinger’s  fourth full -length release, “Ass.”  This compilation featured artists such as The Plimsouls, 20/20, Cherry Twister, Aimee Mann, The Posies, The Knack  and  Loud Family, all paying tribute  to Badfinger.

“I honestly don’t know how that came about. On that compilation, we were  clearly an ant among giants. Aimee Mann , The Posies,  and The Knack  were  amazing company  and a huge, huge honor.  Bruce Brodeen , founder of Not Lame Records, put that compilation out. We got handed that song and we reworked it to our own style, adding trumpets etc, and it sort of clicked. It was the transition between  the struggle to record  ‘Suburban Pop Allegro’ and the ease with our next album, ‘Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown’ .  When we finished ‘Icicles,’ we knew we had pulled off something big. When we got our copies of the compilation, we knew it sounded good as the material Bob Clearmountain had produced. That was a big deal to us ,” Stone said.

Not Lame Records was a powerpop empire founded by the passionate music enthusiast, Bruce Brodeen  in 1995. The label sadly unfolded to a close.

“Brodeen had a lot of great artists on his label  like The Shazam,  Cotton Mather and many of The Underground Garage staples,” Stone said.

Appearing on  “Come and Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger,”garnered Paranoid Lovesick some positive press and feedback.  Stone said the band received requests to appear on other tribute compilations such as a Replacements tribute. The band wanted  to cover  the seminal Replacements hit, “Bastards of Young.”

“We got mentioned with Aimee Mann, how cool is that?  We tried to cover ‘Bastards of Young’ for a Replacements tribute, but luckily we held back.  We just weren’t getting it right , so we just declined,” Stone said.

Another iconic tribute opportunity opened up for Paranoid Lovesick.  Futureman Records put out a tribute compilation for The Who’s 1967 release, “The Who Sell Out.” This compilation was titled, “ A New Sellout:  A Tribute To The Who’s Sellout.” Paranoid  Lovesick appeared on this  compilation with  iconic bands like The Jigsaw Seen, The Shazam,  Zumpano, Mitch Easter ( acclaimed producer  and from the legendary band Let’s Active)  and The Grip Weeds, all covering songs from “The Who Sell Out.”  Stone said that Futureman Records was a small label founded by Paranoid Lovesick  guitarist, Rick McBrien  and Keith Klingensmith.  Paranoid Lovesick covered the records opening track, “Armenia City In The Sky,”  which was written by British musician, producer  and songwriter,  John David Percy Keen, also known as John “Speedy” Keen.

“They rounded up a lot of talent, The Flashlights, Mitch Easter, The Magic Christian (includes members of The Flamin Groovies and The Plimsouls)  Jim Babjack ( guitarist of The Smithereens), Brendan Benson, The Gripweeds, and The Jellybricks. It’s an amazing record. We did the opening track, “Armenia City In the Sky,”  and it’s one of the most things I am most proud of,” Stone said.

The band finally had “Suburban Pop Allegro”  mixed and mastered with the artwork all completed.

“What do we do?  We decided not to release it, but to use our money to record  the new songs which became our next record, ‘Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown,’ which was recorded in just a handful of sessions. It’s like we had a magic code  for making a record at the time  and I think you can hear it on that record. .  With ‘Suburban Pop Allegro’ we had to struggle every step of the way, while ‘Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown,’ was just  way too easy,” Stone said.

Stone said that around  the early 2000’s the band’s popularity started to diminish. He said the band  resumed back to their original lineup with him , Maracz and McBrien.   Even though the band’s popularity was starting to wane, Stone believed that  Paranoid Lovesick  embodied something musically special.

“Even if we no longer had success by the traditional measure, with big crowds at shows and radio play, we knew we had something that we were onto with our music. Then Rick McBrien suddenly died in  February of 2003 and it just destroyed us all.  We were all good friends  and everybody played such a key role. Without McBrien, how could we go on? We had 90 percent of ‘Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown’ completed, and we all just went home,  gave up and mourned McBrien. I don’t think there was ever a discussion. We all attended his funeral in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and rode home together and that was it. I don’t think we talked or anything ,” Stone said.

For awhile, the boys didn’t do much in terms of music and took a break.  Stone said that he and  Maracz started to form a project called Sky Dragster.   Then in 2010, they decided to  complete the Paranoid Lovesick albums. Stone said that 1996’s “Suburban Pop Allegro” was pretty much mixed and mastered. All he did was tack on a few bonus tracks  and then “Suburban Pop Allegro” was completed and released in 2002. The album was produced by the band and Bill Korecky  and recorded at Korecky’s Cleveland studio, Mars Studios from January 1996 to August 2000.

The next step was to complete “Tuexedo Avenue Breakdown,”  which is a wonderful collection of songs.   The album was  finished  in 2009, and features wonderful guest appearances by various acclaimed musicians, including Masticators vocalist and guitarist, Lisa Mychols.  The record is a fine treasure made in the loving memory of guitarist, Rick McBrien.

“For ‘Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown,’ we brought in our friends to play  the incomplete parts, mostly McBrien’s leads. The final album has appearances by Tom Dannery (of Medicine Show), Larry Kennedy of The JellyBricks, and  Colin Grawel  of Watershed.  Adam Marshland of   Cockeyed Ghost  came in from California to do some work on the album. We finished it in one really special weekend. Lots of toasts  to McBrien and cigars were smoked. John Potwora and I were so honored that all these folks pulled together  and put forth so much effort in Rick McBrien’s memory . They in turn told us how honored they felt. We all felt that McBrien was somewhere smiling that weekend,” Stone said.

The releases, “Suburban Pop Allegro” and “Tuxedo Avenue Breakdown”  finally reached the hands and ears of crowds  at a show at  Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom.

Stone said that during this past summer,  he and Potwora started collaborating and working on some music.   At this point, Stone said he got inspired to write  his first new song in years. He said he currently  performs this song with Sky Dragster and Potwora.

“Potwora said ‘can you listen to some songs for me?”  We got together and he  played  40-50 songs for me! There were a solid 15 great  and I mean really great songs.  Some dated back to the Paranoid Lovresick days.  We can be brutally honest with each other, and I think that is so necessary in collaborations,” Stone said.

As Stone  reflects on the musical quest  of Paranoid Lovesick,  he said he loved and enjoyed the band’s journey. To Stone,  everything from the van rides, camaraderie, to the friendships he has built, has made the experience fulfilling.

“Almost everyone I associate with is connected through music. I was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania  a few years back  and saw and stayed out all night with The Jellybricks after a show. I was saying how much I missed it all, and a  friend  said , ‘well these people are your tribe, everybody  wants to be with their tribe.’  Well put, I just don’t mix well with the sports crowd. I hope I can play for a bit more, to have a few more road trips, maybe record some songs  and have our peers give us one more ‘at a boy.’ Thats all I really want,” Stone said.