Mike Starcher – Drivin' It!

Hi gang!

Following up a great private gig at The House of Blues last Tuesday, we had another great weekend, playing The Lampliter on Friday and the Fairview Tavern on Saturday! Thanks to Mr. Billy Fischer of Sky’s The Limit for coming up and singing a tune with us at The Lampliter on Friday!

Next up, I’m at Bullfrog’s on Tuesday with “The List” for the Musicians’ Jam Night from 7pm – 11pm. Then on Friday, I’m with Shady Drive at Fat Little Buddies on Cook and Fitch in Olmsted Falls. On Saturday, I’m with Shady Drive at a private function at The Renaissance downtown.

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

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Winter got a bit ugly this past weekend and took a little bite out of our attendance at Irish Kevin’s and Loco Leprechaun. Even though the crowds were smaller, they definitely weren’t any less fun! We had a great time both Friday and Saturday and chased away some of those winter blues! Thanks to everyone who braved the snow and cold to come out! Thanks also to Morgan at Irish Kevin’s and Carol and Vanessa at Loco Leprechaun for taking such great care of us. :c)

Coming up this week, Shady Drive is playing a private function at the House Of Blues on Tuesday February 8, so Sam Romano will slide behind the drum kit and Ron Jackson will hop aboard on keys when The List takes the stage at Bullfrog’s for the weekly Musicians’ Jam Night.

On Friday February 11, Shady Drive returns to The Lamplighter in Parma. This is a fun venue with great bar staff and a lot of history, so come on out and join us!

Next, on Saturday February 12 I’ll be with Erin Rossi, Rob Hayes and Derek Poindexter as the Cleveland Music Club appears at the Kidstock 4 Kidsrock fund-raiser at Wilbert’s Food and Music. We take the stage at 4:45pm for a 30-minute set. Come help support a good cause and get a sneak preview of Cleveland Music Club!

Later that evening, Shady Drive takes the stage at the fabulous Fairview Tavern! The show starts at 9:30pm, but come early to get a seat and feast on one of the Tavern’s many specialties. My current favorite is the Primavera Pizza, but they have awesome burgers, great wings and a host of other delicious dishes. The Tavern makes the best patty melt I have ever tasted!

That’s it for this week! Hurry spring!

We’ll talk soon,

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Wow, what an amazing weekend! Great shows at Doc & Louie’s on Friday and Bullfrog’s on Saturday! Many, many thanks to everyone who came out! A special tip of the hat to Erin Rossi, who came straight from the airport to Bullfrog’s on Saturday night to sing with us. Make plans now to see Erin appearing with Shady Drive at the Parkview Nite Club on February 26 and Doc & Louie’s on St. Patrick’s Day! Something special happens whenever Erin is singing with us, so don’t miss these dates!

You can hear Erin along with the fabulous North Coast Horns and Shady Drive anytime you like on our new demo CD! We wrapped up production this past week and had the discs back in time for our show at Bullfrog’s on Saturday. Copies will be available at all our shows going forward, so make sure to come out and get yours!

You’ll also have an opportunity to see Erin and me along with Dwayne Dickman (guitar/vocals) and Derek Poindexter (bass/vocals) as we debut ‘Cleveland Music Club’ at Irish Kevin’s on February 25th. ‘Cleveland Music Club’ is a group of top Cleveland-area musicians who gig together based on availability. This group format allows us to cover any gig and any budget. Whether an acoustic duo, a power trio or a full band with male and female vocalists, ‘Cleveland Music Club’ can fill the bill! Cleveland Music Club musicians include Tony Camerato, Jon ‘JD’ Darling, Dwayne Dickman, Tim Hamman, Rob Hayes, Ron ‘Papa J’ Jackson, Art Mason, Derek Poindexter, Sam Romano, Erin Rossi, Eroc Sosinski and Mike Wypasek. You never know exactly what combination of these artists you’ll see at a Cleveland Music Club show, but you can be sure you’ll spend an evening being entertained by some of Cleveland’s best! Stay tuned for more info and show dates!

Coming up this week, I’ll be with ‘The List’ hosting Bullfrog’s Jam Night on Tuesday, February 1; with Shady Drive at Irish Kevin’s on Friday February 4; and with Shady Drive at Loco Leprechaun on February 5.

That’s it for this week! Stay tuned!

We’ll talk soon!

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

Last night was another great time at The Fairview Tavern! The place was jam-packed and rockin’ from wall to wall! Thanks to Erin and Steve, Efrain, Chris and Wally, Mari and Marty, Chris and Daryl, Dan and everyone else who came out! It was a really fun night, in spite of the gear malfunctions we experienced!

Coming up, I’ll be at Bullfrog’s with The List on Tuesday January 25, hosting the Musicians’ Jam Night at 7pm.

This Friday January 28, Shady Drive returns to Doc & Louie’s at 9pm. Doc offers great food and drinks and a spacious dance floor, so come join us and bring your dancing shoes!

Next, on Saturday January 29, Shady Drive is back at Bullfrog’s in North Ridgeville at 9pm. Bullfrog’s features 30 different beers on tap as well as a full service kitchen. This venue is perfect for live music, so come on out and rock the night away with us!

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

Mike:c)

Hi gang!

Last Friday night at The Mad Cactus was amazing! Many friends stopped by to rock the night away with us! Erin Rossi sat in with us and delivered killer versions of ‘Me and Bobby McGee’, ‘Cold Sweat’, ‘Love Me Like A Man’ and ‘Give Me One Reason’, just to name a few. Thank you Erin! You can find more info on Erin at www.erinrossisinger.com. You can also hear her on our new demo CD, out in a couple weeks.

Next up for me is Bullfrog’s Jam Night this coming Tuesday, January 18 with The List. The Bullfrog’s Jam Night is always a fun time! Some of Cleveland’s finest musicians attend regularly, so you never know who you’ll hear! Bullfrog’s is a very nice venue with a great menu and beer selection and a friendly staff. What more could you ask for?

After all of that, I’ll need a few days to recover, but I don’t have long. On Saturday, January 22, Shady Drive and I return to the Fairview Tavern! Great food, drinks, staff, ownership and clientele make this one of our favorite places to play. :c)

All in all, a very busy month coming up, so stay tuned!

We’ll talk soon!

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

I hope you’re enjoying the ‘mild’ winter we’re supposed to be having! Ha! Tuesday’s Bullfrog’s jam night drew a nice crowd, despite the heavy snow we were getting. Some of Cleveland’s finest musicians show up to jam with us, so it’s always a great time! Bullfrog’s has a great $8.00 steak special just for jam nights, so you can have dinner and check out the jams without emptying your wallet! I’m there every Tuesday hosting the jam night with The List. Stop in and say hi!

Coming up, I’m with Shady Drive at The Mad Cactus on Friday January 14! We start at 9pm, but the southwestern cuisine at the Cactus is great, so come early, get a good seat and enjoy dinner before the show!

We’ll talk soon!

Mike :c)

Hi gang!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving! I ate more than I should have, so I’m writing this while running around the block! :c)

It’s been a while since I’ve written, so lots of new things are happening! Following the success of our initial performance on November 19, Shady Drive will begin appearing regularly at Irish Kevin’s in Lakewood. Thanks to all of you who came out and helped make it a great evening! In addition to Irish Kevin’s, we appear regularly at The Fairview Tavern, Doc & Louie’s, Parma Tavern, The Mad Cactus and The Lamplighter.

Don’t miss our upcoming debut performance at Harpo’s in Brookpark on December 17! Harpo’s is a great place to hear live music and enjoy a night out with friends, so mark this one on your calendar now!

I really enjoy attending the various musician’s jam nights around town at the Sly Fox, Parkview and Brothers to name a few. As a result, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some of Cleveland’s finest musicians. So, when I got the chance to work with Sam Romano (My Three Sons), Mike Wypasek (TCB, Mercury Rising) and Tony Camerato (Band of Brothers, Entourage) to host a couple new jam nights, I was all over it! “The List” can be found at the Loco Leprechaun on Monday evenings at 8:30pm and at Bullfrog’s on Tuesday nights at 7pm. The List plays an hour set to get things rolling, then it’s YOUR turn to get onstage and jam with some of Cleveland’s best! Bring your sticks, picks, axes and saxes and let’s jam! If you sing, play guitar, drums, bass, keys, horn or even the glockenspiel, we’d be glad to have you onstage! A full backline of PA, bass and guitar amps and Sonor drums are provided. These jam nights are just pure, unadulterated fun and a great way to network and meet other musicians in the area. C’mon out and sit in with us!

Here’s what’s on my calendar for the remainder of this year:

November 26 – The Lamplighter (Shady Drive) – 9:30pm

November 29 – Loco Leprechaun Jam Night (The List ) – 8:30pm

November 30 – Bullfrog’s Jam Night (The List) – 7pm

December 3 – Loco Leprechaun (Shady Drive) – 9pm

December 6 – Loco Leprechaun Jam Night (The List ) – 8:30pm

December 7 – Bullfrog’s Jam Night (The List) – 7pm

December 10 – The Fairview Tavern (Shady Drive) – 9:30pm

December 13 – Loco Leprechaun Jam Night (The List ) – 8:30pm

December 14 – Bullfrog’s Jam Night (The List) – 7pm

December 16 – Private Event (Shady Drive)

December 17 – Harpo’s (Shady Drive) – 9pm

December 18 – Private Event (Shady Drive)

December 20 – Loco Leprechaun Jam Night (The List ) – 8:30pm

December 21 – Bullfrog’s Jam Night (The List) – 7pm

December 27 – Loco Leprechaun Jam Night (The List ) – 8:30pm

December 28- Bullfrog’s Jam Night (The List) – 7pm

That’s all for now! We’ll talk soon…

Mike

Hey gang!

What happened to summer?? I can’t believe it’s time to start buttoning up the house for the winter. It was an extremely busy summer for Shady Drive. I also filled in with Run Avril Run and Burnt River Band as well as doing a few gigs with The Remainders and Swingtown Rebels.

Coming up in the month of October are the following:

October 1 – Shady Drive @ Saucy Bistro

October 6 – with Entourage @ Savannah

October 8 – Shady Drive @ The Mad Cactus

October 14 – Shady Drive @ Claddagh Irish Pub

October 15 – The Remainders @ The Sly Fox

October 16 – Shady Drive @ Sportsterz Bar and Grill (Geneva on the Lake)

October 22 – Shady Drive @ The Fairview Tavern

October 28 – Shady Drive @ Claddagh Irish Pub

October looks to be a busy month so far! Hope to see you at a gig!

Before I close, I’d like to take a moment to remember good friend and fellow drummer Dean Ward (known on drum forums as Junglelord), who passed away on September 19, 2010 at the age of 48. Dean’s enthusiasm for drumming, and for life, never wavered in the face of the many challenges and roadblocks he faced. His spirit and light will be terribly missed.

God bless you Dean. Rest in peace, brother. :c(

Hi gang!

I hope you’re having a great summer! It’s hard to believe that Labor Day is just around the corner! Shady Drive has been very busy this summer, and we have more great shows coming up! Also, Charlie, Randy and I will fire up The Swingtown Rebels for a Friday/Saturday at The Fairview Tavern over Labor Day weekend!

Friday August 20, Shady Drive @ Crocker Park – 6:30pm

Saturday August 21, Shady Drive @ Lamplighter – 9:30pm

Sunday August 22, Shady Drive along with Blue Lunch, Juke Hounds and Nightwalkers @ Wilbert’s – 4pm. This show is a fund raiser for the Cleveland Blues Society!

Friday August 27, Shady Drive @ The Mad Cactus – 9pm

Saturday August 28, Shady Drive @ Doc & Louie’s – 9pm

Friday September 3, The Swingtown Rebels @ The Fairview Tavern – 9:30pm

Saturday September 4, The Swingtown Rebels @ The Fairview Tavern – 9:30pm

That’s all the news that’s fit to print!

We’ll talk soon!

Mike

Hey gang!

After a weekend off, I’m ready to rock! This Saturday (July 17), Shady Drive makes their debut appearance at The Brew Keeper in North Ridgeville at 9:30pm. Come on out and party with us!

Next, on Thursday (July 22), we return to The Brothers’ Lounge in Cleveland. Brothers is an extraordinary venue, so you don’t want to miss this show. We take the stage at 9pm.

Then, on Friday (July 23), we’re back at Doc & Louie’s in North Olmsted at 9pm. It’s always a great time with Doc and his staff! The club features great food and drinks as well as a large dance floor. C’mon out and get your groove on!

On Saturday (July 24), I’ll be at Aces Grille in North Ridgeville with The Remainders. Aces features great pizza and other favorites. The Remainders make a limited number of appearances, so don’t miss it!

Sunday (July 25) will find me back with Shady Drive for an appearance at Walk + Roll Cleveland at Washington Reservation in Slavic Village. This is a 90-minute show beginning at 4:30pm.

Wrapping up the month of July on Saturday the 31st, Shady Drive returns to the Fairview Tavern at 9:30pm. Awesome food and drinks are the Tavern’s feature as well as a friendly and attentive staff. Don’t be late if you want a good seat!

Looking ahead into August, on the 6th we’ll appear at Twilight at the Zoo for the 4th consecutive year. Get your tickets now if you haven’t already!

That’s all for now! We’ll talk soon!

Mike :c)