Mike Starcher – Drivin' It!

Hi gang!

Last week’s Cleveland Music Club Jam was a great time as always, starting with guest hosts Tim Hamman and Bill March. More thanks to John Hamley, Bob Laeng, David Poirier, John Kerver, Pete Vardous, Clayton Higgins, Jim Belanger, Tj Plechaty, Tom King, Greg Kern, Dennis Raymond, Chris Rembold, Joan Skelley-Watts and Matt on the sax for entertaining us all evening. Joining in the festivities were George, Tracy, Niki, Niko, Stacey, Scott, Georgeanne, Pam, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful.’ Thanks for coming out to support all the players and share some laughs. Finally, as always, huge thanks to our sponsors Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center N. Olmsted and to the staff and management of Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe for keeping us all out of trouble every Tuesday night!

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week we welcome guest hosts Becky Boyd, Mike Dixon and Paul Lewis! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Come on out this Friday as Shady Drive debuts at Danny Boys (8158 Broadview Rd., Broadview Heights, 9pm-1am)! Let’s rock the house!

This Saturday, Shady Drive returns to the fabulous Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 9:30-1:30). The food is great, drinks are frosty cold and the service is awesome…add Shady Drive’s rockin’ blues to that and it’s party on!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week’s CMC Jam was really off the hook as we welcomed first-time host John Kerver and celebrated his 50th brthday. Joining us on bass was none other than GS Harper! Things got musical in short order with the assistance of our jammers: Skip Werke, Bob Laeng, Todd Starr, Kurt Leonard, Dan Elliott, Dan Haller, John Powell, Gregory McGill, Elaine Reisdorf, Patricia Reiter, Jerry, Tom Leatherman, Ron Jackson, Aimee Bellinger, Bob DeVries, Jaime Flores and JMY T. Thanks to them and to everyone else who came out to enjoy some music and help celebrate John’s birthday, including: Tim, Bob, Lisa, Susie, Suann, Nancy, Jane, Jimmy, Colleen, Helen, Gerald, Tricia, Rick, Amanda, Jason, Rob, Kathy, Bill, Jim, Pamela, Pam, Vern, the dancing Marilyns, and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful.’ Thanks to this week’s sponsors: John Kerver, Guitar Center N. Olmsted and Dirty Town Guitar and Amps. It’s not every day someone wins a Harley at jam night! Special thanks to the management and staff of Bullfrogs for being so accommodating with our special jam.

On to Friday, when Shady Drive debuted at Aces Grille – Middleburg Heights. It was great to see Sandy, Ken, Chris, Daryl and Gabby! Amazing job on the sound boards by Brett Young. We’re back there on November 21.

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week we welcome guest hosts Tim Hamman and Bill March! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Shady Drive is off this week. We’ll be back on November 7!

That’s all for now. We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week’s Cleveland Music Club jam was a great night of music! The first ever CMC-“Superhost” award goes to Gary G Rock Stulak (aka Grock.) In addition to playing all night he got the honor of being my roadie. There’s no trophy or prize for this… just stunned admiration and gratitude. You rock, G-rock! Speaking of rocking, there’s plenty of gratitude left for this week’s other guest host, George F Hartwig who brought his usual 150%, and then some, to the party. Stopping by to jam with us were John Hamley, John Kerver, Joey Samide, Jmy T, Matt on sax, Dan Elliott, Gregory McGill, Greg Kern and Don Lydon. Thank you all for coming out! Big thanks also to Mark, George, Pamela, Vern, Michael, the Dancing Marilyns, the Dancing Effie, and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful’ for hanging out. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. As always, big thanks to our sponsors Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center N. Olmsted as well as the staff and management of Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe for all of their support.

Shady Drive was off last weekend.

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week we welcome guest hosts John Kerver and GS Harper! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun! Also this week Rogue Farm will be at Bullfrog’s to offer a taste of their new 7Hop beer!

Join Shady Drive on Friday October 24 as we make our debut performance at Aces Middleburg Heights (6849 Pearl Rd.)! Let’s rock the house!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

It’s been a while since I’ve written. I’m back behind the kit now and doing much better. There’s a lot to catch up on so let’s get started!

First, please join me in welcoming Paul Lewis to Shady Drive on bass and vocals. Paul has recently returned from Nashville where he spent a number of years touring with country artist Matt Stillwell. Don’t let the country gig fool you though, Paul can rock it out with the best of them. Come on out to a Shady Drive gig and see for yourself!

Shady Drive appeared at Cleats – Strongsville on Friday in front of a very enthusiastic crowd that included Laura, Gary, Merle, Sandy, Ken, Mary, Rick, Jackie and Bill! We had a blast! Sadly that was our last gig there as they are remodeling and discontinuing music at that venue.

On Saturday we returned to 42 Eighty and another great crowd. Together we rocked the house all night long! Thanks to the entire 42 Eighty gang for coming out to party with us. It was a fun night as always!

Sunday found us at the Galleria Courtyard at Erieview Plaza. We had a great time partying with the crowd before the Browns victory over the Steelers! Look for us there before every Browns home game.

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week we welcome guest hosts Furious George Hartwig and Gary G Rock Stulak! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Shady Drive was scheduled to appear at The Bier Haus this Friday. Unfortunately, the restaurant has closed and our gig is cancelled. We wish all the best to Bob, Michelle and their staff and thank them for having us as a regular part of their live entertainment over the past two years!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang,

For the next few weeks at least, my emails will be a little different than usual. I was involved in an accident last Sunday night and while I’m okay, I’m not able to play for at least the next few weeks while I mend. I’m not entirely sure how long I’ll be out, but I’ll keep you all posted. I’ll still be attending jam night on Tuesdays, but Jon Darling will be filling in on drums each Tuesday until I’m able to return. Jon will also be filling in for me with Shady Drive, along with John Cardillino and Dave Bauer. My thanks to the three of them for stepping in!

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are GS Harper, Paul Lewis and filling in on drums, Jon Darling! This is Mr. Harper’s last Cleveland gig for a while to come, so let’s give him a HUGE CMC send off! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Shady Drive is off this weekend.

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week started off with a great jam at Bullfrog’s on Tuesday! Thanks to guest hosts Rob Hayes and Tim Hamman, to our sponsors Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center N. Olmsted. Thanks also to the staff and management of Bullfrogs. These are the folks that made it possible for us to hang out and make some music. Most of all, thank you to this week’s jam participants: Hayden Frosti, Jimmy Deamiches, Bob Laeng, John Kerver, Zack Becou, Dominick Dulin, Jim Belanger, Jason Neitenbach, Greg Kern, Dan Haller, Don Lydon, Greg McGill, Dane & Mike, Bob DeVries and Jmy T…. and to everyone who came to listen, dance or just hang out, including: Justin, Effie, Erika, Amanda, Gary, Derek, Helen, Kathy, Vern, Pamela, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful.’

Friday’s appearance at the Bier Haus was a fun night! Erika and Pattie were there, as well as the regular Bier Haus gang! Huge thanks to Justin Butcher who filled in on bass!

Many thanks to Paul Lewis and Chris Hanna for turning in a great performance at Saturday’s private event. :c)

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are ‘Furious’ George Hartwig and Gary ‘G Rock’ Stulak! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

This Friday evening, Shady Drive returns to Clay’s Park Resort to appear at John O’s (13190 Patterson NW, North Lawrence, OH) from 8pm – 11pm. Good food and drinks and always an abundance of fun! Jeff Beam will be joining us on bass! Come join us!

On Saturday night, Shady Drive will team up with Jeff Beam on bass, Adam Constantine on keys and the North Coast Horns to back Blues Brothers Tribute – The Soul Men at 100th Bomb Group Restaurant from 8-11pm! This show is always a blast, so make plans now to join us!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Great week! We kicked it off on Tuesday with the Cleveland Music Club jam at Bullfrog’s. Thanks to hosts GS Harper and Paul Lewis, jammers John Kerver, Bob Woodruff, Bob Laeng, Jimmy Deamiches, Mike Wypasek, John Rafter, Tim Hamman, Jim Ennis, Jake, Dave Lowe, Greg Kern, Dan Haller, Greg McGill, “Sludge”, Vinnie Napoli, Jmy T., and our loyal cheering section Wes, Pamela, Rachael, Mark, Mark G., Hayden, Terri, Vern, Julia and the Dancing Marilyns. Thanks also to sponsors Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center N. Olmsted and to the management and staff of Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe. Great night of music!

Friday at Time Warp it was good to see Gary, Derrick, Laura, Gary and Vinnie, Many thanks to Tim Hamman for a great job filling in on bass!

There was a great crowd on Saturday at Greenbriar Commons, but we were able to spot Pat, Wally, Paul, Sandy, Ken, Michelle, Tony, Megan and Cyndi! Special thanks to Adam Constantine on bass and Bob Gerhard on keys for a great job filling in!

Sunday’s show with the Soul Men at Richfield Home Days was lots of fun and we spotted Patti and Stephanie in the crowd. Special thanks to Tony Koussa Jr. on bass and Bob Gerhard on keys for turning in a stellar performance and to Tim and Eric for a great job on the sound boards.

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are Rob ‘Shady’ Hayes and Tim Hamman! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

On Friday, Shady Drive appears at The Bier Haus (17692 Pearl Rd., Strongsville, 8:30pm – Midnight). The food there is amazing and they feature dozens of craft beers. Not to mention that Bob, Michelle and staff rock the house in their own right with service that can’t be beat. AND… Justin Butcher will be filling in on bass! Come join us! You’ll be glad you did!

Saturday will find Shady Drive playing a private event.

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week was a blur, but I think I remember it starting off with the Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam Night. Huge thanks to Becky Boyd, Ben Nieves and Paul Lewis. Quite an impressive hosting debut! It was a pretty impressive night all around with jammers Bob Laeng, TJ Plechaty, Dave Lewicki, GS Harper, Curtis Leonard, Don Lydon, Greg Kern, Greg McGill, Jared Bergen, Jim, Hichem Ferrah, Jake, Tim Hamman, and Jmy T. Thank you all for entertaining us! Thanks also to Effie, Pam, Mary Beth, Tricia, Gerald, John, the Dancing Marilyns, and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful’ for stopping by to hang out enjoy the music and support the jam. Finally, big thanks to Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center N. Olmsted for sponsoring and to the management and staff of Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe for keeping us fed and “watered.”

Thursday’s Cactus Jack appearance at Savannah was an extremely fun night with Stef, Marilyn and the whole Savannah gang! Props to Shaun who filled in on bass and backing vocals and to Ross for a great job on the sound board!!

On Friday, Shady Drive joined up with Chris Hanna and the fabulous North Coast Horns to appear at Twilight at the Zoo for the 6th year running. As always it was an amazing night! We noticed John, Erika, Chris, Daryl, Carolyn, Gary, Mary, Cayla, Dan, Dawn, Pat, Nicole, Pam, Mary and Bob in that crowd of 7,000! Hats off to Beth Gladen for a great job on the sound board and to Jess and Andy for manning the merch table. On a sad note, this was Kevin Fancher’s last gig with Shady Drive, as he’s off to the Big Apple and new adventures.

Saturday night found Shady Drive back at 42 Eighty for our monthly appearance there. It was great to see George, Jess, Andy, Timmy and the 42 Eighty gang. Kudos to Adam Constantine for a stellar performance on bass and to Ann and Misty for keeping everyone’s glasses full!

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are G.S. Harper and Paul Lewis! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

This Friday, Shady Drive will cruise into our debut performance at Time Warp Bar (26261 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake, 9pm – 1am). We’ll have Tim Hamman with us on bass and vocals and it’ll be time to party, so c’mon out and help us show Time Warp what a Shady Drive show is all about!

This Saturday, Shady Drive with Adam Constantine on bass will join up with keyboard wizard Bob Gerhard to appear at Greenbriar Commons in Parma Heights from 6-8pm! But wait..THERE’S MORE! Saxman Mark Rasnick will join us at 9pm and together we’ll back up Blues Brothers Tribute – The Soul Men until 11pm! It promises to be a fun rockin’ night, so mark the date on your calendar now!

Then on Sunday, Shady Drive, Adam Constantine (bass), Bob Gerhard (keys) and Mark Rasnick (sax) will join up again to back up Blues Brothers Tribute – The Soul Men from 7-9pm at Richfield Home Days! C’mon out!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week’s CMC Jam marked the official debut of Bob Laeng as guest host on bass. Due to a scheduling mishap our regularly scheduled guest bassist couldn’t make it. Luckily our other guest host Brian Davidson brought a bass. Mr. Laeng, in fine “Tuesday Night Jam Night Irregular” fashion, accepted the call to service and got us through the host set (without an amp!) Thanks Bob, and nice job! Also luckily, Mike Abraham arrived with amp right as the host set ended and lended us his considerable talent, also. Whew… Thank you guys for stepping up on zero notice. Thanks also to everyone else who came out to play or sing: Jimmy Deamiches, JmyT, John Kerver, Len Scafiddi, Hichem Ferrah, Greg Kern, Gregory McGill, Don Lydon, Jack Hrush and Paul Franks. Gene, Shelly, Vern, Joann, Tom, Effie, The Dancing Marilyns and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful,’ thanks for hanging out and listening, dancing and sharing some yucks with us. Finally, thank you Dirty Town Guitar and Amps for sponsoring us each week and to the management and staff of Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe for giving us a great venue.

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are the remarkable Becky Boyd, Ben Nieves and Paul Lewis! Our sponsors each week are Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Guitar Center of N. Olmsted. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Mark this Thursday on your calendar and get yer best boots and hat ready, ’cause Cactus Jack is back! C’mon down to the Savannah Bar and Grille (30676 Detroit Rd., Westlake, 8pm-Midnight) and get yer country on as we play all of your favorite classic country hits! There’s great chow, frosty cold beer and a huge dance floor so come join us! :c)

On Friday, Shady Drive along with Chris Hanna and the North Coast Horns will appear at Cleveland’s biggest music festival, Twilight at the Zoo! There are still a few tickets available at http://clevelandzoosociety.org/events/2014/08/twilight-at-the-zoo

This Saturday night, Shady Drive returns to 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy., Brunswick, 9:30pm – 1:30am) to rock the house with your favorite blues and rock tunes. Adam Constantine will be appearing with us on bass. C’mon out and let’s party!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last Tuesday’s CMC Jam was a rockin’ good time! Thanks to everyone who came out to host, play, sing, listen, dance or hang including ‘Furious’ George Hartwig, Gary ‘G Rock’ Stulak, Hayden Frosti, Skip Werke, Scott Urbas, Joey Samide, John Kerver, Gregory McGill, Greg Kern, Jmy T., Lenna Pauley, Janette Emmerling, Pete, Gary, Joe S., Peanuts, Alyssa, Vern, Scott, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of the ‘Frog Faithful.’ Thanks also to our sponsor Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and to the staff and management of Bullfrogs for making it possible each week!

Friday night’s Shady Drive gig at the Bier Haus was fun as well! Great to see Chris, Daryl and Erika out there. Props to Bill March for a great job on bass!

On Saturday we played a private event with Paul Lewis on bass and Adam Constantine on keys. Awesome job guys! Many thanks!

Coming up this week…

The Cleveland Music Club – CMC Jam happens every Tuesday at Bullfrog’s Sports Cafe (33137 Center Ridge Rd., N. Ridgeville, 8:30 – 12:30) This week’s guest hosts are Brian Davidson and Bill March! Our sponsor each week is Dirty Town Guitar and Amps. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancin’ shoes and come join the fun!

Shady Drive is off this weekend, but next Friday we’ll join up with the amazing Chris Hanna on keys and the fabulous North Coast Horns to appear at Cleveland’s biggest music festival, Twilight at the Zoo! There may still be tickets left, so hurry and get yours now!

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

Mike :c)