OCTOBER 19 – (opening party of too-new-to-be-named venue), CLEVELAND, OH [SHOW #108]
Day 132. 30,603 miles. PCC HEART CLEVELAND
Got up and around today at noon and walked down to the Root Café where we took up our usual business of searching for a show to play that night. We were considering Buffalo, but our few attempts were dead ends. There was talk of going down to play some club in Akron, but that place passed on our offer. Starting asking our new Cleveland friends if their bands were interested in setting up a show with us. The hours at the cafe sending out messages, making phone calls and waiting for replies made us restless, our anxiety fueled by coffee. Finally a breakthrough. At 4pm Roxanne sent me a text saying “just got a message from a pal: ‘nick rybrow having a party in his new building tonight w/ band poison control center <—good band kinda’ ha.” “This is news to us,” I replied. We were relieved, but it was still a couple hours before we had any details or an address. Nick is the drummer for the band Filmstrip, who were going to play, along with another local band, Safari. This inaugural party was to take place at Nick’s newly acquired 4-story building in the Flats – an old industrial area just across the Cuyahoga River from Downtown Cleveland. Before the show we met up with Matt Taha –bassist for Filmstrip (and brother of guitarist Dave, whom we met Sunday at Happy Dog). He treated us to dinner at Melt – a gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich joint in Lakewood.
Later we followed Matt out to the warehouse. Nick took us up to the top floor. It was spacious and divided into a few rooms, brick walls and hardwood floors. The performance room was smaller, but perfectly intimate for a show. Nick led us up the iron spiral staircase to the roof, where we had an incredible view of downtown, the various bridges of the city, and the blackness of Lake Erie at nighttime. We unloaded our van into the building, onto the freight elevator and up to the fourth floor. After 10 o’clock people began arriving, and it was nearly midnight when Safari began to play. Rocked it. We played second, had a blast. Girls were doing handstands in front of us, Liz sang the choruses on ‘Start The Revolution,’ and when Dave P arrived he went directly to Devin’s feet to untie his shoe. Filmstrip (pictured) finished the show, also rocked it. We took turns hoisting different people off the ground to crowdsurf. The whole evening was incredible. As everyone was hanging around visiting and swapping hugs at the end of the night, I went up to Dave Taha and said “isn’t it incredible how just 48 hours ago we walked into the Happy Dog and into each others’ lives?” It was such a celebration for us, to have everyone together that we have come to know so dearly during our 3-day love affair with Cleveland. It was like a movie in the way that all of the characters have come together for the perfect ending. Everyone we met so warmly welcomed us into their town and treated us with unmatchable hospitality as if we were one of their own. We were expressing our gratitude so much to everyone that night that we were practically choking on our thank yous, but we really do feel like the luckiest band to have stumbled into the most wonderful people living in the most wonderful place. Dave P, the Taha Bros, Tom, Nick, Roxanne, Liz, Gabe, the folks at Happy Dog and Zephyr Pub, the dudes in Safari, and everyone else we met during our stay, we love you all. You’ve got the greatest rock & roll town in the country, and we can’t wait to return and be together again!
The jam in the van: Queen / Prince / Cornershop
The word we heard: “You are the Bob Dylan of Dave Ps” – Patrick
Dinner was a winner: Melt (thanks Matt!)
The pad was rad: Roxanne
The fill of the bill: Safari / Filmstrip
Joe: escorting the band in Cleveland
Monument / Friends In The Band / Pacific Sunrise / By The Wave / Start The Revolution / Magic Circle Symphony / Don’t Go / Porcelain Brain / When The World Sleeps
![thepoisoncontrolcenter (Ames, IA) gives nice recap of their shows in Cleveland and many shoutouts:
OCTOBER 19 – (opening party of too-new-to-be-named venue), CLEVELAND, OH [SHOW #108]
Day 132. 30,603 miles. PCC HEART CLEVELAND
Got up and around today at noon and walked down to the Root Café where we took up our usual business of searching for a show to play that night. We were considering Buffalo, but our few attempts were dead ends. There was talk of going down to play some club in Akron, but that place passed on our offer. Starting asking our new Cleveland friends if their bands were interested in setting up a show with us. The hours at the cafe sending out messages, making phone calls and waiting for replies made us restless, our anxiety fueled by coffee. Finally a breakthrough. At 4pm Roxanne sent me a text saying “just got a message from a pal: ‘nick rybrow having a party in his new building tonight w/ band poison control center <—good band kinda’ ha.” “This is news to us,” I replied. We were relieved, but it was still a couple hours before we had any details or an address. Nick is the drummer for the band Filmstrip, who were going to play, along with another local band, Safari. This inaugural party was to take place at Nick’s newly acquired 4-story building in the Flats – an old industrial area just across the Cuyahoga River from Downtown Cleveland. Before the show we met up with Matt Taha –bassist for Filmstrip (and brother of guitarist Dave, whom we met Sunday at Happy Dog). He treated us to dinner at Melt – a gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich joint in Lakewood.
Later we followed Matt out to the warehouse. Nick took us up to the top floor. It was spacious and divided into a few rooms, brick walls and hardwood floors. The performance room was smaller, but perfectly intimate for a show. Nick led us up the iron spiral staircase to the roof, where we had an incredible view of downtown, the various bridges of the city, and the blackness of Lake Erie at nighttime. We unloaded our van into the building, onto the freight elevator and up to the fourth floor. After 10 o’clock people began arriving, and it was nearly midnight when Safari began to play. Rocked it. We played second, had a blast. Girls were doing handstands in front of us, Liz sang the choruses on ‘Start The Revolution,’ and when Dave P arrived he went directly to Devin’s feet to untie his shoe. Filmstrip (pictured) finished the show, also rocked it. We took turns hoisting different people off the ground to crowdsurf. The whole evening was incredible. As everyone was hanging around visiting and swapping hugs at the end of the night, I went up to Dave Taha and said “isn’t it incredible how just 48 hours ago we walked into the Happy Dog and into each others’ lives?” It was such a celebration for us, to have everyone together that we have come to know so dearly during our 3-day love affair with Cleveland. It was like a movie in the way that all of the characters have come together for the perfect ending. Everyone we met so warmly welcomed us into their town and treated us with unmatchable hospitality as if we were one of their own. We were expressing our gratitude so much to everyone that night that we were practically choking on our thank yous, but we really do feel like the luckiest band to have stumbled into the most wonderful people living in the most wonderful place. Dave P, the Taha Bros, Tom, Nick, Roxanne, Liz, Gabe, the folks at Happy Dog and Zephyr Pub, the dudes in Safari, and everyone else we met during our stay, we love you all. You’ve got the greatest rock & roll town in the country, and we can’t wait to return and be together again!
The jam in the van: Queen / Prince / Cornershop
The word we heard: “You are the Bob Dylan of Dave Ps” – Patrick
Dinner was a winner: Melt (thanks Matt!)
The pad was rad: Roxanne
The fill of the bill: Safari / Filmstrip
Joe: escorting the band in Cleveland
Monument / Friends In The Band / Pacific Sunrise / By The Wave / Start The Revolution / Magic Circle Symphony / Don’t Go / Porcelain Brain / When The World Sleeps](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lanhmk8k4K1qahyhxo1_500.jpg)
