Mike Starcher – Drivin' It!

Hi gang!

It’s hard to believe that January is almost over and it’s time to recap another week! The fun started at Doc and Louie’s on Tuesday night with Mike Wypasek and Tony Camerato guest hosting the CMC Jam Night. Braving the cold to come hang out with us were Jay Smith, Hayden Frosti, Bob Laeng, John Kerver, William Kiehn, Sammy Free, Carol Dieball, Dan Elliott, Jason Neitenbach, Andrew Heitz, Brian Davidson, Jeff, Dave, JMY T, Mal Mapes, John B., Jimmy D., Amanda B., Terri, Vern, Pat, Steven, Barb, Uncle Peanuts, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons. Thanks all! Thanks also to Tracy and Doc for keeping us all fed and watered.

On Friday Shady Drive was back at 42 Eighty Food and Drink for our monthly appearance there. The dance floor got quite a workout, as did we! Fun night!

Saturday night found Shady Drive back at the Parkview Nite Club playing to a packed house. It’s such a treat to play at the Parkview and we were especially glad to see Jen, Kendall, Stephanie, Joe, Lisa, Mary, Bob, Paul and John among the crowd. Our thanks to all of you and to Norm and his staff for an amazing night!

Sunday’s CMC Sunday Jam may have been a little short on jammers but not on fun! Thanks to Mario Talarico, Jason Neitenbach, Don Nero, Alexis Dae, and Blake Kniola for coming out to jam with us, to Amanda, Patricia, Peanuts, and all of the rest of the 42 Eighty music lovers for filling up the club and to sponsor Studio 42 Music in Brunswick (Congrats to Alexis and Blake who won a teeshirt and a glass, respectively). Finally, thanks to Emily and Vern at 42 Eighty for all of their hard work and to Robert for providing such a great venue.

Coming up this week….

This Tuesday’s edition of CMC Musicians’ Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm) features guest hosts Rob Hayes and Eroc Sosinski. As always, Doc’s amazing burgers are $4.95 (w/fries) all night and margaritas are $3 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and their front lot after they close at 9pm. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums, Alesis QS6 keyboard and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancing shoes and come join the fun!

On Friday, Shady Drive sets up shop at The Mad Cactus (9175 Pearl Rd., Strongsville, 9pm – 1am) to party the night away playing your favorite rock and blues tunes while Tischa and Kelly serve up your favorite beverages. It’s always a great time at the Cactus, so come join us! :c)

This Saturday Shady Drive cruises to the Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 9:30pm – 1:30am). Come out early and try the $10 hand cut strip steak dinner (w/ baked potato and salad) and then sit back with friends and enjoy a few of the Tavern’s wide selection of beers while we play some of your favorite tunes. Great food, cold beer, fast friendly service and Shady Drive…what’s not to love? :c)

There will be no CMC Sunday Jam this week due to the Super Bowl, but we’ll be back on Sunday February 10, so stay tuned!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Tuesday’s CMC Musicians’ Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s was another fun-filled night with guest hosts Drew Doman and Steve Smith and jammers “Slowback Gin”, Dave, Andrew and Jeff, Jimmy Deamiches, Jason Neitenbach and Dan Haller, Dale Hartmann, JMY T, Kevin Palm, Katy Speckman, Jaime Flores, Dominick Cataldo, Bill K., Roger Forster, Frank Casrucci, Ronald Bill, Carol Dieball, Mike Cottom, Jay Smith, John Kerver, Ed Sarley, Bob Laeng, Hayden Frosti, Luke Pernici, Steve Raz, Rob Hayes, William Kiehn, Wally Marflak, Pauly Deneau, Tim Hamman, and Louis Johnson. Thanks also to everyone else who came out and made it another great Tuesday night including Ira, John J., Dan E, Ron, Lisa, Amanda B., Steven F., Jessica, John B., Sheri, Vern, Uncle Peanuts, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons. Your continued support of local live music is appreciated! Congrats to prize winners Dan Elliott (CMC t-shirt), Wally Marflak (CMC t-shirt), Jeff ($10 itunes GC) and Louis Johnson ($10 itunes GC). As always, thanks to Tracy for keeping us fed and watered and to Doc for providing an arena for our chaos each week. :c)

Friday’s Shady Drive gig at The Lampliter was loads of fun and the house was rockin’ all night. Thanks to Gary, Laura, Tom, Jane, Jen, Sandy and Ken for coming out to party with us!

Cactus Jack’s debut at Fat Boy’s Country Club on Saturday night was a huge success. It was great to see Jen, Rhonda, Kendall, Chris, Daryl, Marilyn, Thor, Danielle, Eric, Laura, Mark, Teresa, Mary and Noreen (Happy Birthday!). We had a blast and hope you did too!

At the CMC Sunday Jam at 42 Eighty, there was lots of great music. My thanks to Becky Boyd, Michael Bay and Kevin Fancher for a wonderful job as guest hosts, to Arno, John Powell, George Shumway, Bob Laeng, TJ Plechaty, Luke Pernici, Reese Black, Tim Hamman, Louis Johnson and Katy Speckman for stopping out to jam with us, to everyone else who came out to enjoy the jam tonight including: Nancy, Ro, Gene, Lisa, Ray, Julie, Darrin, Debbie, Jason, Amanda, Ken and the rest of the fine folks at the 42 Eighty! Finally thanks to Jess, Anne and Vern at 42 Eighty and to Robert Valore for letting us come back again this week.

Coming up this week…

This Tuesday we pop the tab on another can of CMC Musicians’ Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm) with guest hosts Mike Wypasek and Tony Camerato. As always, Doc’s amazing burgers are $4.95 (w/fries) all night and margaritas are $3 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and their front lot after they close at 9pm. Full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums, Alesis QS6 keyboard and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancing shoes and come join the fun! :c)

On Friday, Shady Drive rolls into 42Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy, Brunswick, 9:30pm – 1:30am) to rock the night away at Brunswick’s hot spot. Come join us and let’s kick the weekend off together! :c)

Looking ahead to Saturday, Shady Drive returns to the legendary Parkview Nite Club (1261 W. 58th St., Cleveland, 9:30pm – 1:30am). It’s always an amazing experience playing The Parkview, come out Saturday night and be part of it! :c)

The third installment of the CMC Sunday Jam features Brian Davidson and Bill March as guest hosts. The food is awesome (40 cent wings!), the beer is cold ($4 pitchers of domestic beer and happy hour prices until 9pm!) and full backline (two guitar amps, bass amp, Sonor drums, Alesis QS 6 keyboard and PA) is provided, so bring your favorite axe or sticks and come jam with us!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

A fun time was had by all at our first CMC Jam of 2013 at Doc and Louie’s. Great music by the Fischer Brothers (Eric, Frank and Billy), The Cottom Catz (Mike Cottom Sr., Mike Cottom Jr., Kaylee Cottom and Chloe Cottom), ET King, Luke Pernici , Louis Johnson, Wally Marflak, Ronny B., Up N Runnin’ (Jay Smith, Dan Elliot and Gary Ames), John Powell, John Nestor, Hayden Frosti, John Kerver, Bob Laeng, TJ Plechaty, Blake Kniola, Honeycomb, Reese Black, Priscilla Zietlow, Mike Binder, Lenna Pauley, Katyana Speckman and Mal Mapes
Cheering on the night’s performers were Vern, Amanda, Jimmy, Jason, Katie, Lisa, Pam, Cathy, John B., Joe D., Emily, Nate, Mari, Marty, JoAnne, Tom, the Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons. Thanks to Dirty Town Guitar and Amps for sponsoring! Congrats to Mike Binder who won the $25 gift certificate, ET King who won guitar strings and to TJ Plechaty who scored a coveted Dirty Town tee shirt. G.S. Harper and Kevin Fancher were their fantastic selves as guest hosts and Doc and Tracy were working double time in the kitchen and behind the bar.

On Wednesday, CMC’s “Stuffed Crust” show at the Fairview Tavern drew a light but very enthusiastic crowd. We all had a great time!

Cactus Jack, however, played to a full house on Friday at 42 Eighty. It was great to see Pat, Charlie, Chris, Daryl, Laura, Gary, Merle, Dan, Nancy and all of the 42 Eighty regulars that filled the dance floor. We’re back there again on March 2.

On Saturday, Shady Drive’s monthly appearance at the Fairview Tavern was a lot of fun, despite a lighter turnout than usual. It was a special treat when Eroc joined us onstage for a few tunes with Kevin on guitar and Rob on harp! Thanks to Eroc, the Dancing Marilyns, Al, and the Tavern regulars for hanging out with us!

Sunday night’s maiden voyage of the CMC Sunday Jam at 42 Eighty was a big hit with musicians and listeners alike as G.S. Harper, Eroc Sosinski and I were joined by Charlie Simms, John Powell, Mike Cottom, Kurt Triptow, Bob Laeng, TJ Plechaty, Ken Porter, John Kerver, Blake Kniola and Norm Tischler! You guys rocked! We hope to see you all back again, soon.
Thanks also to all of the fine folks out in the audience tonight including: Ro, Barb, Nancy, Lenna, Tiffany, Katie, Steve, Jim B., Bob Jr, Dan, Nancy and the 42 Eighty regulars. Happy birthday to Nancy and Barb! Big thanks to Jess who did a fantastic job keeping the food and drink moving all night, and Vernon who was manning the kitchen. Finally, thank you Robert Valore for bringing Sunday night jams to Brunswick and to Bruno Brothers Music for sponsoring the night!

Coming up this week…

Tuesday brings another installment of the CMC Musicians’ Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm) as guest hosts Drew Doman and ‘Uncle Steve’ Smith join me for another rippin’ good time! This week’s sponsor is Forcefield Entertainment. Doc’s delicious burgers (w/fries) are still $4.95 all evening and margaritas are $3.00 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and their front lot after they close at 9pm. Bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancing shoes and come join the fun! :c)

On Friday, Shady Drive heads back to The Lampliter Lounge (6339 Olde York Rd., Parma Heights, Ohio, 9:30pm – 1:30am) to rock the house with some classic rock and blues! It’s always a fun party with the Lamp crowd…come join the fun! :c)

This Saturday, Cactus Jack will debut at Fat Boy’s Country Club (13835 Lorain Rd., Cleveland, 9pm – 1am). Cactus Jack is one of the most fun country party bands around. You won’t hear any Top 40 or Country Rap, just the real deal. Dust off yer boots, grab yer hat and come join us! :c)

On Sunday, the second edition of CMC Sunday Jam at 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy., Brunswick, 7pm – 11pm) kicks off with guest hosts Becky Boyd, Michael Bay and Kevin Fancher. I’m really excited about hitting the stage with such amazing musicians, not to mention the fun that’s sure to follow! Come join us! :c)

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last Friday’s gig at Parma Tavern was awesome! We celebrated Rick’s 50th with him and his posse, Sandy and Ken stopped by as did Erin and Steve! We were lucky enough to convince Erin Rossi to sing a few tunes with us and she brought down the house with her renditions of White Rabbit, Me and Bobby McGee and Cold Sweat. We also had a surprise visit from Michael and Denise. What a great time! :c)

On Saturday, Erika and I ventured down to the House of Blues to catch Wish You Were Here’s 9th Annual Holiday show where we were definitely treated to an amazing evening. These guys ALWAYS put on one hell of a show. If you haven’t seen them, you are missing a great experience. You can see them at Tangier on February 23 and at House of Blues next on May 4th. Check out www.floydtribute.com for details!

Coming up this week…

This Tuesday, the CMC Musicians’ Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm) returns from our holiday hiatus! Join me and guest hosts G.S. Harper and Kevin Fancher as we warm up the crowd from 7 – 7:45 and then it’s YOUR turn to rock out. As always, Doc’s delicious 1/2 pound burgers (w/fries) are just $4.95 and margaritas are $3 until 9pm. Plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and also their front lot after they close at 9pm. Bring your sticks, picks, axes or saxes and c’mon out and jam with us!

On Wednesday, join G.S. Harper, Kevin Fancher and I for Cleveland Music Club’s monthly “Stuffed Crust Show”at the Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 8pm – 11pm). We’ll play all of your favorite cheesy hits, so come out for dinner and a few drinks and join us for some cheesy goodness!

This Friday, Cactus Jack hits the stage once again at 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy, Brunswick, 8:30pm – 12:30am). This is country with an attitude, so grab your boots and scoot on down to Brunswick and get yer country on with us!

Saturday will find Shady Drive at the Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 8pm – 11pm) as we play your favorite rock and blues tunes Shady Drive style. The food is second to none, the beer is cold and the fast, friendly service can’t be beat. Add in Shady Drive rockin’ the house and you’ve got a recipe for a great Saturday night!

On Sunday the CMC Sunday Jam Night debuts at 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy, Brunswick, 7pm – 11pm) with guest hosts G.S. Harper and Eroc Sosinski! This week’s sponsor is Bruno Brothers Music in Brunswick. G.S., Eroc and I will rock it out from 7-7:45pm and then it’s YOUR turn! Bring your favorite axe and come jam with us!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Thanks to everyone who came out this past Friday and Saturday night for Shady Drive’s last two appearances of 2012! It was great to see Gary, Laura, Merle, Sandy, Ken, Barb, Rick, Chris, Daryl, Ron, Jen and Rob at the Grayton Road Tavern and Charlie, Pat, The Dancing Marilyns, Eileen and Karen at Doc and Louie’s! We had a great time. :c)

Many thanks to everyone who has come out to see us and support the band during 2012. It was a great year and 2013 is looking even better.

Speaking of 2013, Shady Drive will kick off the new year’s schedule with an appearance at The Parma Tavern (5680 Broadview Road, Parma, 10pm – 2am). We’ll be rockin’ the house with all of your favorite rock and blues tunes all night long. Come on out and let’s start 2013 off with a bang!

We’re off on Saturday and I’m headed down to the House of Blues to catch Wish You Were Here’s 9th annual holiday show. There are still some tickets left, but hurry!

CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s will restart on January 8. CMC Sunday Jam at 42 Eighty Food and Drink will begin on January 13. Both jams start at 7pm.

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Erika and I have been pretty busy during the past two weeks with the CMC 2012 Jam-a-Thon Tour. We had a lot of fun, heard a lot of great music and hung out with lots of very cool folks during our tour of 8 jam nights in 11 days. Big thanks to Dirty Town Guitar and Amps, Sonor Drums, John Kerver and Forcefield Entertainment for sponsoring the Jam-a-Thon, and to The Peppermill Pub and Grill, Doc and Louie’s, The Parkview Nite Club, Grillers’ Pub, Cebars Euclid Tavern, McCarthy’s Ale House, The Sly Fox, The Brothers Lounge, The Cleveland Blues Society, Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues, Butch Armstrong and the Tower City Blues Band, The Alan Greene Band, George Hartwig, Eroc Sosinski, Cy Sulak and Jon Darling for all of their help and patience during this event. We can’t wait to do this again next year!

This past Tuesday was was the last CMC Jam of 2012. We heard some jazz, some Elvis, some Sabbath and even a vibraphone. There were cookies and brownies, cake and chips, T-shirts and coffee mugs courtesy of Sonor Drums. It was a good night and a great way to say goodbye to 2012. Our most sincere thanks to all of the jammers who’ve graced our stage this past year (in no particular order) including: Lenna Pauley, Arno (vibes), Dave (sax), Ron ‘Papa J’ Jackson, Katyana Speckman, Mal Mapes, Rich Gross, Greg Kern, John Powell, Darrin Meecha, George Shumway, Celeste Harsa, Blake Kniola, Jay Smith, Ronny B., Mike Horvath, Dave Dietke, Steve Raz, Ryan Fletterick, Hayden Frosti, Bob Laeng, John Kerver, Bob DeVries, Jason Neitenbach, Jimmy Deamiches, Dan Haller, Charlita Anderson, JMY T, Dawn Bellini, Chloe Cottom, Louis Johnson, Wally Marflak, Mike Cottom Jr., TJ Plechaty, Luke Pernici, BC Hudson, Skip Werke, Rob Hayes, Mike Cottom Sr., Kaylee Cottom, Justin Melcarek, Don Lydon, Carol Dieball, Ray Varga, Rob Garuccio, Carl DeScott, Dan Elliott, Jon Darling, Eric Sosinski, Tim Hamman, Mike Bereznak, Tony Shultz, Dale Hartmann, Ted Bahas, Jeff Sherman, Nate Mysza, Marc Alu, Jennifer Hanchey, Adelle Borchetta, Efrain Hernandez, Kevin Fancher, Ed B., Paul Franks, Taylor Lamborn, Rob Hill, Angelo Ciu, Jaime Flores, Dominic Cataldo, Mark Trigalet, John Y., Keith, Pete Vardous, Alex Strekal, Carla Funk, Joe Pettit, Jake Rapp, Dave Poirier, Drew Oxley, Drew Doman, Vic Connard, William Kiehn, Emily Keener, Charlie “Freakin” Simms, Larry Ketola, Art Blakey Jr., Buddy Collura, Greg Harmon, Doc K., Jim Belanger, Tony Fortunato, Dan Hearns, Aimee Belanger, Erin Rossi, Sammy Free, Kevin Palm, Todd Allen, Frances O’Daniel, Charlie Adams, Billy T., Norm Tischler, Dave MacAskill, Ira Swartz, Craig Hawkens Hari, Jim Stamper, Jerry Colosimo, Eddie Santos, Ray Flanagan, Eric Potapenko, Dennis H., Dylan Free, Greg Lapsevich, Clayton Higgins, Frankie Eron, Scott Emerson, Jerico White, ET King, Don Day, Dave Koler, Izzy, Julie Craig, Dan Voytek, Dave Doyle, Dave Frank, Derek Berger, Chase Ockuly, Bob Sinkovic, Dan Pfeiffer, Brent Lane, Brandon Austin, Craig Kapolka, Mike Binder, Silas Barker, Danielle Barker, Jeff C., Julian Gonzales, Tony Demko, Dana Clarke, Dave Lewicki, Eddie Tomecko, Phil Barker, Ernie Arroyo, Mike Bomback, Frank Thomas, Brian Bomback, Ginny Valentik, Rich Spina, Rick Lowe, John Jannuzzi, Bill Sanders, Dennis Bielinski, Charlie Vanek, Bill Crowley, Ken Hammer, Michelle Hennis, Priscilla Aldridge Zietlow, George Hartwig, Gene Frantz, Jimmy Miragliotta, Greg Grandillo, Joe Bilardo, Aaron Tassler, Bob Rozboril, Jarrett Schneider, Coda Krose, Rick Bulea, Bill Terry, Henry Stadler, Dave Holmgren, Dan Robertson, Jay Guerrero, Tom B., Joe Zarucha, Paul Lewis, Grant Elliott, Mike Reed, Elaine Reisdorf, Skip O., Drew Oxley, Ken Porter, Michael Bay, Troy, AJ Henke, Gary Ames, Jill Joreski, G.S. Harper, Linda Durvan, Dan Bortik, Roger Fosser, Jen Glick, Scott Striffler, Rex Emmons, Dick Devries, Jack Shaarda, Heston Biziak, Rick Chillem, Kirk Morgenstern, Lauren Smith, Leah, Black River (Jack, Larry and Matt), Phil Palumbo, Sheila Petro, Rick Hong, Ian Shaw, Adam Rich, Roger Busser, David Mast, Neal Nemeth, Jimmi Chance, Peter Adams, Jeremy, Danny Sidoti, Nick Malakar, Alex Raz, Todd Starr, Brian Davidson, Lou Santoro, Dakota Domanich, Mike Layton, Hichem Ferrata, Dave Tupa, Wayne Mesker, Bob Woodruff, Josh Narramore, Jake Thornhill, Ed Ehrbar, Rob Nilo, Wayne Leach, and anyone I may have missed!

Thanks also to all of the great people who come out each week to cheer everyone on including: Amanda, Vern, Lisa, Ron, Jim, Scott, Shelly, Sheri, Marty, Mari, Steve F., Steven F., Julia, Ro, Cheryl, Eric, Toni G., Mark, Pam, Sharon, Tom, JoAnn, John B., Debbie, Nancy, Breann, Tommy, Ami, Jen A., Cathy A., Karen, Susan, Laura, Chey, Bob Jr, Kyle, The Dancing Marilyns, “Uncle Peanuts” , “Our Barb”, and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons!

Thanks to this year’s hosts Dwayne Dickman, Tony ‘T-Bone’ Camerato, Kevin ‘Hollywood’ Fancher, G.S. Harper, Drew Doman, Steve Smith, “Furious” George Hartwig, Gary “G-Rock” Stulak, Erol Sommer, Sammy Free, Rob Hill, Rob ‘Shady’ Hayes, The North Coast Horns, Bill March, Eric ‘Eroc’ Sosinski and Brian Davidson. Thanks also to Becky Boyd and Michael Bay who were slated to host when Sandy cancelled our jam night. Thank you Doc and Tracy (and Kristen!!) for taking care of us every Tuesday. See you all in 2013!

Friday brought us to the Upper Deck and Shady Drive’s debut there. Thanks to Amanda, Jason, Jimmy, Chris, Daryl, Nicole and Judy for coming out to make our debut special! We had a great evening. Thanks also to Tim and his staff for taking such great care of us. Look for us to be back there soon. :c)

Coming up this week…

CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s will resume on Tuesday, January 8, 7pm – 11pm.

This Friday, Shady Drive returns to the Grayton Road Tavern (4760 Grayton Rd., Cleveland, 9pm – 1am)! The food is delicious, the drinks are amazing and Miss Brandy will be behind the bar keeping your glass full! Add your favorite blues and rock tunes performed by Shady Drive and it’s PARTY TIME!! Come out and help us rock the house!

On Saturday, Doc and Louie’s Bar and Grill (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 8:30pm – 12:30am) will be rockin’ with Shady Drive as we crank out your favorite blues and rock tunes! The show starts at 8:30, but come out early and grab a bite to eat (the burgers are awesome) and get a good seat. Bring your party attitude, your dancin’ shoes and come join us!

Keep your calendars open on Sunday evenings starting January 13, when CMC Sunday Jam begins at 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy., Brunswick, 7pm – 11pm).

That’s all for this week, and this year. May your holiday season be filled with love and light, family and friends. :c) Have a Happy New Year and a rockin’ 2013! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

It’s been a crazy week and it’s not over yet! On Monday, Erika and I kicked off the 2012 Cleveland Music Club Jam-a-Thon Tour with a stop at the Cleveland Blues Society Jam Night at The Peppermill Pub & Grill in Brecksville. Great food and an awesome jam night!

Next, we were off to the Cleveland Music Club Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s for “Night 2” of the tour. Thanks to all of the musicians who played including John Powell, Carol Dieball, Jon Darling, Greg Kern, Justin Melcarek, Mike Cottom, Dan Haller, Jay Smith, John Kerver, Rob Hayes, Hayden Frosti, Skip Werke, B.C. Hudson, Luke Pernici, TJ Plechaty, Jimmy Deamiches, Bob Laeng, Mike Cottom Jr., Wally Marflak, George Shumway, Blake Kniola, Jason Neitenbach, Louis Johnson, Chloe Cottom, Dawn Bellini, Katyana Speckman, Mal Mapes, Charlita Anderson, Bob DeVries, and guest hosts Drew Doman and Steve Smith. Thanks also to all of the folks who came out just to support the jammers and participate in Jam-a-thon 2012 including: Lenna, Lisa, Amanda B., Vern, Stephen F., John B., Don, Jen, Ami, Cathy, Ron, Ro, Ken, Karen, Martha, David, The Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons! Thank you Guitar Center of N. Olmsted for sponsoring the eveming and congrats to the winners: JD (drumsticks), Dawn (strings) and Justin (strings.) Don’t forget Dirty Town Guitar and Amps who is sponsoring the Jam-a-thon tour. Keep all of our sponsors at the top of your “where to buy!” lists. Thanks finally to Tracy for breaking the news gently that the Christmas Ale was gone… and to Doc for not running out of shrimp!

On Wednesday the Jam-a-Thon Tour moved to The Parkview Nite Club with hosts Tim Askins and Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues. Another great jam night! Erika and I stayed way later than we’d planned. ;c)

Thursday’s tour stop was Griller’s Pub with Butch Armstrong and the Tower City Blues Band. An awesome jam night and extremely well organized! If you’re ever at Griller’s, beware of the Black and Blue Tater Tots…they’re dangerously addicting! ;c)

On Friday, Shady Drive headed out to 42 Eighty Food and Drink with special guest Blake Kniola on bass. Thanks to Diane, Janet, Jen, Louise, Karen, Jo Anne, Phyllis, Brian and everyone else who came out to make it a great night!

Saturday’s crowd at our debut at Anthony’s was a bit on the light side, but thanks to Chris, Daryl, Rob, Becky, Rick, Sue, Sandy and Ken it was still a bunch of fun! Thanks also to Bill March for turning in an awesome performance on bass in Kevin’s absence. :c)

Coming up this week, the insanity continues as we kick off the second half of the Cleveland Music Club “Jam-A-Thon” Tour 2012. We will be giving away prizes (Thank you Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Forcefield Entertainment) from small “party favors” at each jam to the Grand Prize (for the top finisher) at the end of the promotion. We’ll also be giving away some “tour shirts” at the finale on 12/20. You do not need to be a player/participant to win shirts or receive any “party favors”, however you must be a player/participant to be eligible for the grand prize. Attendance at all of the jams is not required to take part in the event. The remaining tour schedule is as follows:
Sun. 12/16 – Cebar’s Jam (Euclid) with Alan Greene (8:00pm-?)
Mon. 12/17 – McCarthy’s Jam (Strongsville) with George Hartwig (8:30pm-11:30)
Wed. 12/19 – Sly Fox Jam (N. Olmsted) with Eroc, Cy, JD and guest Billy Sullivan (9:00pm-12:30)
Thur. 12/20 – Brothers Jam (Cleveland) with Bad Boys of Blues and “finale prize give-away” (9:00pm-1am)

On Tuesday, I’m joined by guest hosts George Hartwig and Gary Stulak for the CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm). This is our last CMC Jam Night of 2012, so come help us close out the year in style! The evening’s sponsor is Sonor Drums. Erika and some co-conspirators are baking lots of goodies for our year end jam, so come help us dispose of them properly! As always, Doc’s delicious burgers (w/fries) are $4.95 all evening and margaritas are $3.00 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and their front lot after they close at 9pm. Bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancing shoes and come join the fun! The CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s will resume after the holidays on January 8, 2013. :c)

On Friday, Shady Drive will have Kevin back in the bass chair for our debut at The Upper Deck (375 W. Bagley Rd., Berea, 9pm – 1am) It’s a great venue with plenty of parking and a spacious bar and dance floor, so come on out and party with us!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

The week began with a bang at Tuesday’s CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s. Things were hopping with a lot of musical talent in the form of Ronny B, Jason Neitenbach, Tim Hamman, Louis Johnson, Chloe Cottom, Eroc Sosinski, Ray Varga, Dave on Sax, Bob Laeng, Mike Bereznak, Tony Shultz, Luke Pernici, Hayden Frosti, Jimmy Deamiches, Jay Smith, Mike Cottom Jr., John Kerver, Carol Dieball, Dan Haller, Dan Elliott, Carl DeScott, Mike Cottom Sr., Rob Garuccio and Kaylee Cottom! In addition to a bunch of fabulous musicians playing great music we also had some of our favorite music lovers providing the hoots, hollers, whistles and cheers including: Amanda B., Kim, Dennis, Sheri, Mari, Marty, Karen, Lenna, John B., Patty, Suzy, Vern, Steven, “Uncle Peanuts”, The Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons. Thanks to all of you guys for being so supportive of live music around town! Big thanks to our guest hosts Bill March and G.S. Harper, to Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Dennis Belinski who are always first in line to support not only CMC Jam but many other local events. Congrats to prize winners Rob Garuccio, Eroc, Dan Elliott and Hayden Frosti! As always, thank you to Tracy for keeping all of us fed and watered all night and to Doc for giving us a place to plug in every Tuesday!

On Friday, Cactus Jack returned to Doc and Louie’s and a full dance floor all night long. It was great to see Chris and Daryl, Charlie and Pat, Karen and Patti, Jason, Jimmy, Amanda, Nancy, Lenna, Thor, Dani and John! We had tons of fun and hope y’all did too! :c)

Coming up this week, there’s a lot going on, so I’ll list my performances first, and then the rest. :c)

Tuesday brings another installment of the CMC Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm). Guest hosts are Drew Doman and “Uncle Steve” Smith and the evening’s sponsor is Guitar Center of North Olmsted. As always, Doc’s delicious burgers (w/fries) are $4.95 all evening and margaritas are $3.00 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and their front lot after they close at 9pm. Bring your favorite axe, sticks or just your party attitude and dancing shoes and come join the fun! :c)

On Friday, Shady Drive returns to 42 Eighty Food and Drink (4280 Shenandoah Pkwy., Brunswick, 9:30pm – 1:30am) with special guest Blake Kniola filling in on bass. We’ll be playing your favorite classic rock and blues tunes all night long, so come join us and kick off your weekend right!

Saturday marks Shady Drive’s debut performance at Anthony’s Sports Bar (10703 W. Pleasant Valley Rd., Parma, 9pm – 1am) with special guest Bill March on bass. Anthony’s has great food and a friendly staff, so we’re looking forward to our first show there!

Also happening this week, on Monday we’ll begin the Cleveland Music Club “Jam-A-Thon” Tour 2012. CMC would like to thank the Northeast Ohio music community for a fantastic year in music with a sponsored tour of 8 local jam nights in 11 days! This is a great way see old friends, meet new friends and celebrate another year in local live music. Are you up for the challenge? Come take the tour with us! We will be giving away prizes (Thank you Dirty Town Guitar and Amps and Forcefield Entertainment) from small “party favors” at each jam to the Grand Prize (for the top finisher) at the end of the promotion. We’ll also be giving away some “tour shirts” at the finale on 12/20. You do not need to be a player/participant to win shirts or receive any “party favors”, however you must be a player/participant to be eligible for the grand prize. Attendance at all of the jams is not required to take part in the event. The tour schedule is as follows:

Mon. 12/10 – Peppermill (Brecksville) Cleveland Blues Society Jam (7:00pm-11:30)
Tue. 12/11 – Doc and Louie’s (N. Olmsted) Cleveland Music Club Jam (7:00pm-11:00)
Wed. 12/12 – Parkview Jam (Cleveland) with the Bad Boys of Blues (9:30pm-?)
Thur. 12/13 – Griller’s Jam (Parma) with Tower City Blues (8:30pm-?)
Sun. 12/16 – Cebar’s Jam (Euclid) with Alan Greene (8:00pm-?)
Mon. 12/17 – McCarthy’s Jam (Strongsville) with George Hartwig (8:30pm-11:30)
Wed. 12/19 – Sly Fox Jam (N. Olmsted) with Eroc, Cy, JD and guest Billy Sullivan (9:00pm-12:30)
Thur. 12/20 – Brothers Jam (Cleveland) with Bad Boys of Blues and “finale prize give-away” (9:00pm-1am)

Hope to see you out and about! That’s all for this week! We’ll talk soon…

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last week was a busy one, starting on Tuesday with the CMC jam night at Doc and Louie’s. We had yet another fun night, thanks to all of the great players and music lovers in attendance, including: John Powell, Ronny B, Greg Kern, Dan Elliott, Dan Haller (welcome and congrats on winning the Dirty Town gift certificate!), Don Lydon, Marc Alu, Mike Cottom, Carl E. De Scott (congrats on winning the T-shirt!), Jay Smith, Nate Mysza, Bob Laeng, Jeff Sherman, John Kerver, Tony Shultz (congrats on winning the strings!), Mike Cottom Jr., Ted Bahas, Mike Bereznak (welcome!), Mal Mapes, Chloe Cottom, Adam Constantine, Dale Hartmann, Kaylee Cottom, Lisa, Katyana, John B., Amanda, B., Jason N., Jimmy D., Sheri, Karen, Vern, Ron, The Dancing Marilyns and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons! Many thanks to guest hosts Drew Doman and Uncle Steve Smith and, as always, thanks to Doc and Tracy for all of your hard work and support.

Next, Shady Drive packed up and headed out to the Peppermill for our first gig there since the change in ownership. We were welcomed by an amazing staff (thanks Kelly and Anna!) and a brand new stage, not to mention an awesome crowd of folks including Lisa, Joe, Cathy and their seemingly ever-growing army, Joel and Kelly, Bill and the Peppermill gang. We had a great time and can hardly wait for our next gig there. :c)

From there, we headed to the fabulous Fairview Tavern for our monthly appearance. All of the regular Tavern crowd was in attendance in addition to our good friends Chris and Daryl, Dave and Laurie and Denny. Always a great time at the Tavern! :c)

Coming up this week, we’ll kick things off with the CMC jam night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm). Guest hosts are G.S. Harper and Bill March and our sponsor is Dirty Town Guitar and Amps! Bring your picks, sticks, axes, saxes, keyboards or kazoos and come join us! :c)

Friday marks the return of Cactus Jack to Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 8:30pm – 12:30am). This is country with an attitude and Doc’s sports a great dance floor, so grab your hat, pull on yer boots and come help us fill it up! In the words of G.S. Harper, “This here dance floor is all paid for, so get on up here and put it to good use!”

On Saturday, I’ll travel out to the Uncorked Wine and Coffee Bar (365 North Whitewoman St., Coshocton, 8:30pm – Midnight) with Buzzy J and the Verbs. I’m looking forward to hitting the stage with Ed Sarley and Jeff Beam once again. This should be an extremely fun night!

Don’t forget, the CMC Jam-A-Thon 2012 starts next Monday night at The Peppermill and runs until Thursday December 12 at Brothers Lounge. The tour includes 8 jam nights, loads of fun and some prizes too. Check out next week’s email for all the details!

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

I hope everyone had a great holiday! Our week was really busy, but loads of fun. We were able to spend time with family and friends over the holiday weekend and hope you were also. :c)

The week began with Cleveland Music Club’s Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s. It was a stellar night with guest hosts ‘Furious’ George Hartwig and Gary ‘G Rock’ Stulak; and jammers Jay Smith, Hayden Frosti, Nate Mysza, Bob Laeng, John Kerver, Mal Mapes, Paul Franks, Rob Hayes, Jeff Sherman, Jimmy Deamiches, Jennifer Hanchey, Ronny B., Kevin “Hollywood” Fancher, Blake Kniola, Jason Kelty, Jon “JD” Darling, Efrain Hernandez, Justin Melcarek, Greg Kern, Mike Cottom, Jason Neitenbach, Albert Hanchey, Dave on sax, Katyana Speckman and Adelle. Thanks also to our awesome audience including: Vern, Lenna, Jen A., Lisa, Tommy, Kim, Michael B., John B., Amanda B., Michelle, Sherry, Al, Barb, Ray, Ron, Ron and Cheryl, “The Dancing Marilyns” and the rest of Doc’s music loving patrons. Finally, thanks to Doc and Tracy for all of their hard work and support and to our sponsor for the night, Sonor Drums!

On to Friday, and Shady Drive’s appearance at 42Eighty Food and Drink. It was great to see all the 42 Eighty crowd, as well as Laura, Lenna, Mark, Steve, Kelly and Missy. Lots of fun! :c)

On Saturday, we joined up with the North Coast Horns and Tony Koussa Jr. and headed off to Doc and Louie’s. It was an amazing night with an equally amazing crowd. The place was standing room only for the majority of the evening! Many thanks to Chris and Daryl, Debbie, Stephanie, Tina, Jen, Jess, Jeff C., Mark and Lenna, Joe and Lisa (and their army LOL), Shelley, Linda, The Dancing Marilyns, Charlie (missed you Pat!), Blake, Janette, Jen, Denny, Joe, Liz and Doc’s regular gang of music lovers. We had an absolutely remarkable time and hope you did too. We’re gonna do this again, so stay tuned. :c)

Coming up, we’ll kick off the week on Tuesday with the Cleveland Music Club Jam Night at Doc and Louie’s (24280 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted, 7pm – 11pm). Guest hosts this week are Drew Doman and “Uncle Steve” Smith and our sponsor is Dirty Town Guitar and Amps. Doc’s delicious 1/2 pound burgers (w/fries) are just $4.95 and margaritas are $3 until 9pm. There’s plenty of parking in Doc’s front and back lots, O’Reilly’s back lot and also their front lot after they close at 9pm. Come get your jam on with us!

On Friday Shady Drive returns to The Peppermill (7011 Mill Rd., Brecksville, 9-Midnight) for the first time since the venue changed ownership, so we’re VERY excited about playing there again! Come out and let’s show some love to the new owners! :c)

On Saturday, Shady Drive rolls back to the fabulous Fairview Tavern (21867 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, 9:30pm – 1:30am) to rock the house at our December appearance there. The food is amazing, the service is fast and friendly, the beer is cold and the blues are hot! Come join us and let’s PARTY!

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

Mike :c)