Mike Starcher – Drivin’ It!

Hi gang!

It doesn’t seem possible that I’m writing my last note for 2011. You’ve all played a big part in making this a most wonderful year. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your support and enthusiasm during 2011. I wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you again in 2012!

This past year was the busiest ever for Shady Drive as we played over 90 dates at the House of Blues, Twilight at the Zoo, Fairview Tavern, Irish Kevin’s, Doc and Louie’s, Savannah, Parkview Nite Club, Harpo’s, The Mad Cactus and The Lampliter among others. We’re scheduled back at all of those and more in 2012. Last year also saw the debut of the full 8-piece version of Shady Drive featuring vocalist Erin Rossi, keyboardist Bob Hayes and the fabulous North Coast Horns at Twilight at the Zoo in August and Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe in November. Look for more appearances in this configuration coming up in 2012, including a return to Twilight at the Zoo.

It was a busy year for Cleveland Music Club as well, as we celebrated our 1st anniversary with the debut of our Musicians’ Jam Nite at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday nights. Many thanks to Dirty Town Guitars and Amps, Grabbit Stands, Guitar Center of North Olmsted and Sonor Drums for sponsoring and providing some great prizes, to Doc for hosting the jam night and to the amazing Kristen for her tireless efforts to keep our glasses and plates full! Thanks also to my amazing co-hosts and fellow Cleveland Music Club members Adam Constantine, Brian Davidson, Dick Devries, Dwayne Dickman, Drew Doman, Kevin Fancher, Sammy Free, Tim Hamman, G. S. Harper, George Hartwig, Rob Hayes, Bill March, Erin Rossi, Uncle Steve Smith, Eroc Sosinski and Cy Sulak for sharing the stage and their talents this past year. I could NOT have done this without all of you.

Also sharing their talents and the stage were our jammers and listeners! We owe you the biggest thanks for coming out week after week and making the jam night work. Without all of you, jam night wouldn’t be possible or even necessary. So without further hesitation, a huge Cleveland Music Club thank you to jammers Marc Alu, Ernie Arroyo, Ted Bahas, Jim Belanger, Dennis Bilinski, Mike Bomback, Jeff C, Jimmi Chance, Angelo Ciu, Chloe Cottom, Mike Cottom, Brittany Davidson, Carl E. DeScott, Bob DeVries, Dick Devries, Carol Dieball, Doug Doman, Billy Fischer, Joe Graceffo, Tony Graceffo, Dale Hartmann, Rob Hill, Dave Holmberg, Rick Hong, John Horvath, Ryan Iammarino, Ron “Papa J” Jackson, John Jannuzzi, Tom Jacquet, Greg Kern, John Kerver, Larry Ketola, Blake Kniola, Tony Koussa Sr., Bob Laeng, Brent Lane, Greg Lapsevich, Rick Lowe, Don Lyton, Wayne “Woody” Mesker, Dave Millard, Josh Narramore, Rick Palencar, Chris Patacky, TJ Plechaty, Nate Prahst, Phil Quidort, Alex Raz, Steve Raz, Elaine Reisdorf, Simon Rogers, Nick Samson, Sean Samson, Bill Sanders, Steve Simantiris, Charlie Simms, Snake Rock, Katyana Speckman, Todd Starr, Lori Matusz-Tibbitts, Norman Tischler, Terry Tobin, Georgeanne Urminski, Melissa Williams, the mysterious “Bass-er X”, bands Ignoring Daniel, The Melz, and Party Plates, our faithful audience Ami, Barb, Bob, Brittany, Cheryl, Chey, Dave K, Diane, Donna, Eric, Gene, Jay, Jim, Joanne P., Joanne S., Judy, Julia, Lenna, Leslie, Lisa, Mari, Mark, Marty, Mike, Patti, Pete, ‘Uncle’ Peanuts, Rick, Ross, Scott, Shelly, Tom and all of Doc’s music loving patrons! Thanks to all of you for a wonderful year!

Coming up this week, I’ll be back at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd. North Olmsted) on Tuesday January 3rd (7pm-11pm) to kick off the 2012 edition of Musicians’ Jam Nite with my co-hosts G.S. Harper and Sammy Free and sponsor Grabbit Stands. Doc features 2 for 1 burgers and $3 Margaritas all served up by the Amazing Kristen while we make some music, give away some prizes and generally have fun! Where else can you find all this in one place on a Tuesday night?

On Wednesday, January 4th,I’ll be with Cleveland Music Club as we begin a series of monthly acoustic performances at the Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 8pm – 11pm). On the first Wednesday of each month join me, G.S. Harper and a guest performer as we play your favorites in an acoustic setting. This should be loads of fun, so come join us for dinner or drinks! Our guest performer this month is Adam Constantine, so don’t miss this one!

On Saturday January 7th, Shady Drive will kick start 2012 with our first show of the year at Irish Kevin’s (13601 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 9pm – 1am). The Irish Kevin’s crowd is always a blast to party with, so come join us and let’s start 2012 off in fine fashion!

That’s all for this week (and this year!) We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

It was another busy week! Doc and Louie’s rocked on Tuesday with the Cleveland Music Club jam night in full swing. It was a fantastic night with a ton of great performers. Thanks go out to Ernie Arroyo, Mike Bomback, John Kerver, Elaine Reisdorf, Dale Hartmann, Bob Laeng, Don Lydon, Dennis David Bielinski, Rob Hill, Ryan Iammarino, Nate Prahst, Dave Millard, Marc Alu, Rick Lowe, Robert DeVries, Kevin Fancher, Carol Dieball, Greg K., Doug Doman, Josh Narramore, Jimmi Chance, Terry Tobin and the mysterious “Bass-er X!” Also to John J., Katyana, Rick H., Dave K. (not be confused with George Harrison!! ) Jim, Scott, Lisa, Ami, Gene, Shelly, Uncle Peanuts and Doc’s music loving patrons. Thanks are also in order to Dirty Town Guitar and Amps for sponsoring tonight’s jam! Congrats go out to Bob DeVries, Don Lydon and Ernie Arroyo who won an over-drive pedal, a certificate good for either a guitar or bass set up and an LED lighted pick holder respectively. Last but certainly not least, thanks to The Amazing Kristen for keeping us all fed and watered all while never losing her smile and Doc for giving us a roof over our heads. On Friday, The Mad Cactus was the scene of Shady Drive’s final 2011 performance. The Cactus crowd was out in full force with Teddy and Tischa behind the bar! We had a great time. :c)

Coming up this week, I’ll be at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday (7pm – 11pm) for the weekly Cleveland Music Club jam night. Joining me as co-hosts are Brian Davidson and Bill March and this week’s sponsor is Guitar Center of North Olmsted! Come join us for some good food, great music, fun and prizes! Shady Drive is off until January 7 when we’ll be back at Irish Kevin’s.

That’s all for this week. We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week was a blast, starting with the Cleveland Music Club Jam Nite on Tuesday at Doc and Louie’s. Grabbit Stands sponsored the night and thanks go out to Wayne Mesker, John Kerver, Dennis David Bielinski, Angelo Ciu, Brian Davidson, Greg K., Don Lydon, Tom Jacquet, Carol Dieball, Carl E. De Scott, Marc Alu, John Jannuzzi, Rob Hill, Georgeanne Urminski, Rick, Julia, Scott, Pete, Donna, Mark, Bob, Peanuts and all of Doc’s music loving patrons for making it a great Jam. Thank you also to John Trip who was recording the night to stream online and to Grabbit Stands for sponsoring! Speaking of Grabbit… congrats to Rob Hill who won a shiny new Grabbit Stand. As always a big thanks to Kristen for all of her hard work and to Doc for giving us all a place to hang out and jam every Tuesday. Finally, a shout out to Bob Laeng who is traveling and couldn’t make the Jam. We missed you, Bob! And to Barb… poor Marc had to smoke alone! :c)

On Friday night, Shady Drive was back at the Fairview Tavern for our monthly gig. The house was definitely rockin’ wall to wall and the Tavern crowd made it a great night. On Saturday I filled in with the G.S. Harper Trio and had a ball! What a great gig. Many thanks to G.S. Harper and Adam Constantine for asking me along! :c)

Coming up, this week’s Cleveland Music Club Tuesday jam (7pm – 11pm) co-hosts are Drew Doman and Uncle Steve Smith and the night is sponsored by Dirty Town Guitar and Amps, so look for some great music and some very cool prizes! Don’t forget Doc’s 2 for 1 burgers and $3 Margaritas all served up by the amazing Miss Kristen behind the bar!

On Thursday evening, Shady Drive is playing a private function, but we’ll be back out to party with you on Friday as we hit the Mad Cactus (9pm – 1am) for our last gig of 2011! This is Shady Drive’s final appearance of the year, so come out and help us rock the house!

That’s all for this week! We’ll talk soon.
Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Another week is in the books and what a great week it was! The theme of last Tuesday’s Cleveland Music Club Jam at Doc & Louie’s was definitely fun. The line-up was Dwayne Dickman, Tim Hamman and me and there were lots of laughs and lots of good music. Thanks to Bob Laeng, Dick Devries, Marc Alu, Don Lydon, Carol Dieball, Jim Belanger, John Horvath, Bob DeVries, Blake Kniola, Pete, Mark, Diane, Bob, Scott, Jim and Doc & Louie’s music loving patrons for packing 6 hours of fun into 4 hours!

Congrats to Bob DeVries who was the big prize winner, taking home the Sonor kick-drum pedal. Congrats also to Marc Alu, Blake Kniola, Bob Laeng and Don Lydon who snagged some Sonor T-shirts. Thanks to Kristen Grove for continuing to provide great service with a heavy dose of fun! As always, thanks to Doc for letting all of these fine performers borrow his stage every Tuesday!

Friday found Shady Drive at Irish Kevin’s partying with the Kevin’s regulars. A great time as always, we’ll be back there in January for our monthly gig!

Coming up this week, I’m joined onstage by G. S. Harper and Adam Constantine at Doc and Louie’s this Tuesday (7-11pm) for the Cleveland Music Club Jam Nite. Bring your trusty axe and come join in the fun. This week our sponsor is Grabbit Stands and we’ll give away some nice door prizes. Also, last month’s Sonor pedal giveaway was so much fun, we’re gonna do it AGAIN this month! Each time you attend and participate in the jam night during the month of December, you’ll be entered in the drawing. We’ll give away the pedal on December 27th, so make sure you get your entries in! Doc’s Jam Nite specials are 2 for 1 burgers all night and $3 margaritas until 9pm. So, there’s great food and drinks, great music, prizes and most of all, FUN! You can’t miss, so get on down to Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday! On Friday, Shady Drive pulls into the Fairview Tavern (9:30pm – 1:30am) for our last appearance there in 2011! The Tavern features a mouth-watering menu, great drink specials and fast, friendly service. Add an evening of blues and rock favorites played Shady Drive style and you can’t go wrong! Come join us! :c)

On Sunday, December 11, I’ll appear with G. S. Harper and Kevin Fancher as Cleveland Music Club plays a set at Cebar’s during their Toys For Tots benefit. Call the club for details. After that, we’ll zip out to Bullfrog’s to catch Emily Keener from 5-8pm. If you haven’t experienced Emily’s show, you’re missing something special! Don’t miss this one. :c)

That’s all for this week. We’ll talk soon…
Mike :c)

Hi gang!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It really doesn’t seem possible that the holidays are here already, does it?

It’s been a very busy week, starting with the Cleveland Music Club jam night on Tuesday at Doc and Louie’s. Many thanks to George Hartwig and G.S. Harper for a great job as co-hosts, to Bob Laeng, John Kerver, Katyana Speckman, The Party Plates (John Jannuzzi, Dennis David Bielinski, Sean Samson, Chris Patacky), Nick Samson, Marc Alu, Angelo Ciu, Bob DeVries, Todd Starr, Carol Dieball, Blake Kniola, Chloe Cottom, Mike Cottom, Carl E. De Scott, Jim, Scott, Ross, Mike, Peanuts, Barb, Doc & Louie’s music loving patrons, the amazing and tireless Kristen Grove for her hard work and to Doc for giving us a great place to hang out every Tuesday night! Congratulations go out to Carol Dieball and Marc Alu for winning door prizes!

On Wednesday, Shady Drive was off to Legacy Village and Claddagh Irish Pub for our annual Thanksgiving Eve show there. We always have a great time with the staff and patrons at Claddagh and this year was no exception! On Friday, we appeared at Harpo’s to work off the holiday calories and had a blast! Shady Drive was off on Saturday, so Erika and I were able to catch Tie Dye Harvest (Eroc Sosinski, Jim Tigue Bob Gerhard and Vince Broncaccio) at the Fairview Tavern. These boys know how to rock the house and put on a fantastic show. thanks for a great time, guys!

Coming up this week, I’ll be at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd. North Olmsted) on Tuesday for the weekly Cleveland Music Club jam night (7pm – 11pm). This week, my co-hosts are Dwayne Dickman and Tim Hamman. Our sponsor is Sonor Drums and we’ll give away a Sonor bass drum pedal among other prizes. As always, Doc features 2 for 1 burgers all night and $3 Margaritas until 9pm. It’s always a fun evening filled with great music, good food, drinks and prizes, all on a Tuesday night. Bring your favorite axe or just your ears and party attitude!

On Friday, Shady Drive returns to Irish Kevin’s (13601 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 9pm-1am) to rock out with the Kevin’s gang while sampling a few of their 50 new bottled beers. If this sounds like a great way to spend a late fall Friday night, you’re right! Come on out and join us. :c)

That’s all for this week! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last Tuesday, the Cleveland Music Club Jam Night absolutely rocked at Doc and Louie’s. Many thanks to Drew Doman and Steve Smith for co-hosting with me, to Guitar Center of North Olmsted and Dana Clarke for sponsoring, to Doc for having us, Kristen for keeping our glasses full, and to The Melz (Melissa Williams, Simon Rogers, Rick Palencar and Dick Devries), Don Lyton, Doug Doman, Blake Kniola, John Kerver, Bob Laeng, Larry Ketola, Ted Bahas and Steve Simantiris for coming out to jam. Thanks also to Joanne, Tom, Marty, Mari, Ami, Harry, Rick, Jim, Scott, Carl, Bob and Tina for hanging out with us and making it a fun night! Congrats to Rick Palencar, Dick Devries and Doug Doman who won T-shirts, Melissa Williams and John Kerver who won sets of Fender guitar strings and Ted Bahas who won a Harley-Davidson guitar strap!.

Last night was a remarkable night at Bullfrog’s! Thanks so much to everyone (and there were a LOT of you) who came out. Thanks also to our special guests: Erin Rossi who always brightens our stage when she appears with us, Tim Hamman for an outstanding job filling in on bass, Bob Hayes on keys and the fabulous North Coast Horns. Great show everyone!

Coming up, it’s a busy week! It all starts on Tuesday November 22 (7pm – 11pm) at Doc and Louie’s for another installment of the Cleveland Music Club Jam Night. This week, my co-hosts are George Hartwig and G.S. Harper. You don’t get many chances to catch these two very talented guys on the same stage so make plans now to be there! This week’s jam is sponsored by Forcefield Entertainment, so we’ll be giving away some nice door prizes and continuing to take entries for the Sonor Drums giveaway on November 29, when some lucky jammer will walk away with a Sonor bass drum pedal. Definitely a “don’t miss”!

On Wednesday, November 23 (9pm – 1am), Shady Drive returns to Legacy Village and Claddagh Irish Pub to kick off your Thanksgiving holiday weekend in style! This will be our last East side appearance for 2011, so mark your calendars now! Claddagh has great food and drink specials to start the weekend off right, so come join us!

After sleeping off our Thanksgiving turkey, we’re right back to work on Friday November 25 (9:30pm – 1:30am) as Shady Drive heads out to Harpo’s in Brookpark! Harpo’s has a great dance floor, an amazing menu and great drink specials, so come on out and dance off that second piece of pumpkin pie!

Shady Drive is off on Saturday November 26, so I’m headed down to the Fairview Tavern to catch the Tie Dye Harvest annual reunion show with Eroc Sosinski, Jim Tigue, Bob Gerhard and Vince Broncaccio. Where are YOU gonna be? :c)

That’s all for this week! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Another stellar week began with the Cleveland music Club Jam nite at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday with Brian Davidson and Bill March co-hosting. Then Shady Drive was off to The Lampliter on Friday followed by a gig at the Fairview Tavern on Saturday to wind up an amazing week! Thanks so much to all of you who came out and supported live music in Cleveland!

Coming up this week, my co-hosts at Doc and Louie’s tomorrow are none other than Drew Doman and Steve Smith. Bring your axe and come jam with us, enjoy a 2 for 1 burger and a $3 Margarita and have some fun on a Tuesday night!

I’m off on Friday, but on Saturday Shady Drive pulls out ALL the stops when we reprise our Twilight at the Zoo appearance at 9pm at Bullfrog’s. We’ll be appearing with the full 8-piece band including featured vocalist Erin Rossi, the fabulous North Coast Horns and keyboardist Bob Hayes! Come early to get a good seat! You definitely don’t want to miss this show!

That’s all for this week. We’ll talk soon!

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

This past Friday, Shady Drive had a great gig at Cebars, where the crowd was light but mighty. We had a great time partying with our East side friends and hope to be back on that side of town soon! We had a rare Saturday night off, so Erika and I caught Jim and Eroc at The Oriole, which is always a sure bet for a good time. Thanks guys for a fun night! :c)

Coming up in the week ahead, G.S. Harper and Sammy Free join me as co-hosts for this Tuesday’s installment of the Cleveland Music Club Jam Nite at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted). This week’s jam is sponsored by Grabbit Stands, so we’ll have some nice door prizes to give away. Also, this week we’ll begin taking entries for the Sonor Drums Night on November 29, when some lucky jammer will win a Sonor bass drum pedal. Starting this Tuesday, until and including the Tuesday November 29 jam night, each time you attend and participate in our Tuesday jam you’ll receive one entry in the drawing. For example, if you attend and participate in every eligible Tuesday jam night (Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29) you’ll be entered in the drawing 5 times. The grand prize winner will be drawn at the jam night on Tuesday, November 29 and you must be present to win.

This Wednesday November 2, a young lady by the name of Emily Keener (www.emilykeener.com) will make her debut performance at the Fairview Tavern from 7-10pm. Emily sings while accompanying herself on guitar, harmonica and piano, performing your favorite folk, classic rock and country hits as well as her original material. She has recorded two CDs of original material and appeared at The Winchester, Brothers and this year’s Fairview Summerfest. She’s fresh off an October 15 appearance on The Huckabee Show, where she performed her award-winning song, “We The People”. Did I forget to mention that Emily is all of 12 years old? This young lady is nothing short of amazing, so make plans to be there this Wednesday!

This Friday, Shady Drive will be performing at Irish Kevin’s (13601 Detroit Ave., Lakewood) on Friday November 4 from 9pm to 1am. It’s always fun with the Kevin’s crowd, and this week the Gummy Vodka folks will be there from 9pm – 10pm giving away some free stuff, so you definitely want to be there early!

On Saturday we’re playing a private function, but we’re back on the stage this Sunday November 6 when we appear at The Hive (5324 State Rd., Parma) to compete in the Cleveland Blues Society’s Memphis Challenge event. Come early to get a good seat and you’ll be rewarded with lots of great bands. Shady Drive is scheduled to appear at 6:15pm. We would love to see you all there!

That’s all for this week! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week was amazing! Shady Drive bandmates Rob Hayes and Kevin Fancher joined me to co-host the Cleveland Music Club jam night at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday night. We had a great time and gave away some nice prizes. We were right back at Doc and Louie’s on Friday as Shady Drive took the stage and played to a full house. From there, we were off to The Mad Cactus to party Saturday night away with the Cactus crowd. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us last week!

Coming up this week, my Tuesday night co-hosts are Dwayne Dickman and Tim Hamman and the jam is sponsored this week by Guitar Center of North Olmsted. Doc’s features 2 for 1 burgers all night and $3 Margaritas until 9pm. Add in great music and prizes and you’ve got a whole bunch of fun!

On Friday, Shady Drive returns to Cebars Euclid Tavern for another fun night. This crowd loves the blues, so it’s always a great gig. Come join us!

We are off this Saturday, so we’ll be out and about supporting local bands! See you out there!

We’ll talk soon…
Mike :c)

Hi gang!

What a great week! Tuesday was a blast with Brian Davidson and Sammy Free at the Cleveland Music Club jam at Doc and Louie’s. Friday night was great with Shady Drive at the Fairview Tavern and the Tavern crowd out in full force. On Saturday, Shady Drive and special guest Erin Rossi played to a packed house at the Savannah and the dance floor was NEVER empty!

Coming up this week, Rob Hayes and Kevin Fancher (my Shady Drive bandmates) join me to co-host the Cleveland Music Club jam at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday at 7pm. Doc’s features 2 for 1 burgers all evening and $3 margaritas until 9pm. Bring your favorite axe and jam with us or just come and listen, either way you’ll have a great time!

On Friday, Shady Drive is back at Doc and Louie’s to rock the house and party down with Doc and the gang. This is always a great time so come out and join the fun! Then on Saturday we’re back at the Mad Cactus to rock out with Teddy and the Cactus crowd. These folks know how to have a good time, so don’t miss this one!

Looking forward to another fun week! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)