Music

A NEW CHAPTER

Echosmith returns to Beachland with two new singles and a retooled version of its big hit

By Jeff Niesel

Echosmith

ECHOSMITH SINGER SYDNEY

Sierota says that the shimmering “Hang Around,” the first single from the indie pop band’s forthcoming album, aptly sets the tone for what she’s calling a “new chapter” for the group of siblings.

“It was literally the first song we wrote where we said, ‘This is what we want to sound like,’” she says in a recent phone interview from her San Diego home. The band performs on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Beachland Ballroom. “It opened up the floodgates of inspiration for all the songs afterward. All the new songs happened after ‘Hang Around.’ It happened in a very natural way. [‘Hang Around’] was written by just Echosmith. It was cool to thing for us. We did it all ourselves. Noah [Sierota] produced it. It was Noah’s first time producing our stuff. It was so cool to give ourselves the space and freedom to try that out even though that was different for us.”

Sierota’s voice fluctuates on the track as she nails both high notes as well as lower, Sheryl Crow-like registers. Taking a DIY approach, she even recorded her vocals at her own home studio.

“It’s just an extra bedroom,” she says of the space. “It’s not a crazy, built-out studio. I did my vocal on a Shure SM7B microphone. I don’t even have a mic stand. I was holding the mic and sitting in my chair and singing alone. It was so fun. We wouldn’t have done that before. It always had to be in a certain setting. I was able to get a more honest vocal because it was just me. I could try things. I had full freedom.”

In a way, the band has gone back to its roots. Formed in Chino, CA, a place that’s really a musical void in Southern California, the band started out by doing things on a shoestring budget and had to take a 45-minute drive to Santa Monica to find anything resembling a gig. And even that involved busking on the street to passersby.

“The schools we went to didn’t think it was cool to be in a band,” says Sierota, adding that she even thought about trying out for the cheerleading team. “It was all about sports.”

That feeling of being on the margins inspired the band’s first hit single, “Cool Kids,” a catchy number that finds Sierota whispering with sarcasm as she croons, “I wish I could be like the cool kids because all the cool kids seem to fit in.”

The band recently recorded an updated version of the song that takes on an even more personal meaning.

“‘Hang Around’ was coming out the very next day,” says Sierota when asked about what led to the new version. “We were trying to be on Tik-Tok and do the promotion things we needed to do. I was scrolling on there, and I came across an Addison Ray video. She was mouthing the words to a sped-up version, and at first I didn’t recognize it. That was when I heard of what was happening.”

The band held an informal meeting and decided it made sense to redo the track.

“We asked ourselves what if the song is not finished yet,” says Sierota. “There has been this instrumental moment and that’s when I address the crowd when we play it live. it was this spot I felt like I had to fill. When we were messing around with it, we didn’t know that we would write a bridge and put out the new version. Once the bridge came out, we wrote the rest in 30 minutes. I recorded the vocal right away sitting in a chair in the studio with my brothers. I got teary-eyed because I felt that full circle moment happen. It just felt really special to do that. It’s like telling people that it’s more than just my song. That’s why we called it ‘our version.’ It belongs to everyone else as well.”

In advance of the upcoming tour, the group has also just released another new single, the snappy “Gelato.”

“It’s about how we are all going through a lot, and we have a lot on our minds,” says Sierota when asked about the track. “I struggle a lot with feeling present. I find myself romanticizing the past or worrying about what might happen tomorrow. This song encompasses that feeling of ‘we do feel that way and that’s real, but let’s take a moment to be here right now and choose to be okay without knowing about tomorrow.’ Sometimes, you need a break from overthinking and overanalyzing and your bills and loans and all those things we struggle with. Sometimes, you need a break from that or life can be too exhausting. It’s about being present with the people you are with and deciding to choose to that.”

So far, the band’s two new songs come off as cheerful, uplifting numbers. So how does Sierota manage to stay positive with the world is falling apart?

“[My marriage] has been a huge rock for me throughout the whole pandemic and the ups and downs that have come with it,” she says. “Everything was so inconsistent, but my marriage was so consistent. That was helpful for me, of course. There are songs that will come out next that capture that feeling of despair. You have to capture that stuff too. I have always loved melancholy songs, which is funny because I’m very bubbly by nature. Something about that melancholy feeling has always spoken to me. These past few years have been really challenging, but I’ve seen more growth for myself than I ever have. It meant a lot of work and a lot of tears.”

ECHOSMITH, LOSTBOYCROW, BAND OF SILVER

7 P.M. TUESDAY, OCT. 25, BEACHLAND BALLROOM, 15711 WATERLOO RD., 216-383-1124. TICKETS: $25+, BEACHLANDBALLROOM.COM.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

MUSIC

A CLASSIC ACT

Sophie B. Hawkins celebrates the 30th anniversary of her debut album

By Jeff Niesel

Sophie B. Hawkins

INITIALLY, SOPHIE B. HAWKINS

had a hard time finding a record label willing to put out her debut album, 1992’s Tongues and Tails. Undeterred, the New York-born singer-songwriter started writing and recording songs in her bedroom.

“Nobody would sign me, but I had fans and would play the songs outs,” she says via phone from her home just outside of New York. Hawkins performs on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Kent Stage. “I had about 100 songs. I was prepared. When we got to the album, I had a great sense of myself as a full artist and a singer and percussionist and keyboardist. I had done all the percussion. I had done all the background vocals. I had done all the arrangements. I knew what I wanted. I walked to the Electric Lady Studios every day ready to make the best album I could make in my whole existence, and no one was going to mess with me. By the way, people liked that attitude and wanted to work with me.”

Hawkins says she grew up listening to and admiring artists who wrote their own material, and that was partially why she felt compelled to do the same.

“I wanted to be a classic artist,” she says. “I was comparing myself to the great artists. I thought I should write my own songs. I think writing with other people is fun, but it’s absolutely not what writing by myself is. When I do that, I’m bringing my insides out. I don’t know who I am without my songs. My songs tell me who I am.”

She’s says she uncertain whether the LGBTQ+ community embraced her first single, “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover,” but Hawkins, who identifies as omnisexual, says she embraced the community at the time by playing New York venues that catered to those artists.

“I will say that when I was writing the music, that community was the most inspiring,” she says. “I was down there at [the New York performance space] PS122 playing bass and singing with Holly Hughes and doing anything I could do to work with those great artists of the time. I was trying to get in on their performances at the WOW Café Theatre and Dixon Place. I was so excited to work with artists and learn from them. I was happy to have that third verse be what it was. As my wonderful aunt says, it’s not like I was on the cutting edge. I was with the ancients. Homophobia is modern. Ancient societies were fine with gender creativity.”

For her new single, the catchy “Love Yourself,” she sings about selfempowerment over bluesy guitars, a beefy bass riff and strings. The track’s cooing backing vocals give the tune a classic R&B feel.

“I love the song because it was a real moment,” Hawkins says when asked about the tune. “I always remember every moment that inspires a song. The story is in the song. I actually went to a party and ate coconut cake and drank red wine. And then, a voice said, ‘Love yourself.’ That’s exactly what happened. It was my unconscious. My mind was unwilling to love me. That doesn’t come easily. It’s one thing if someone else says, ‘You should respect yourself.’ Artists have the hardest time loving ourselves. When the unconscious kicks in, don’t take it for granted. I was so happy about the song. You hear all these songs on the radio now about hating yourself. That’s not where I am at. I want to give this transcendence and this human experience. You can create self-love and lasting happiness and joy no matter what your situation is.”

For the live show, Hawkins will not only celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tongues and Tails, but she’ll also debut “Love Yourself” and more material from a forthcoming studio album.

“It’s going to be really fun. I’m doing my favorite songs from Tongues and Tails, and then I have the Whaler hits and then the Timbre hits and then I have a few covers, which are going to be surprising,” she says. “And then, I have the new songs, and people love the new songs. People love the new songs. It all works together. I’m playing with these musicians who are fabulous singer-songwriters — Seth Glier and Katie Marie — in their own rights. People should go to my Facebook and Instagram to see them. It’s real. We’re not saying, ‘What did Sophie do in 1992?’ We’re saying, ‘What can we do now that’s going to be really powerful, so the audience can go away from the show thinking that they really got it?’”

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS

7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2, KENT STAGE, 175 E. MAIN STREET, KENT, 330-677-5005. TICKETS: $34 TO $49, KENTSTAGE.ORG.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

MUSIC

THE MEMBERS OF THE

Furious Bongos, a tribute act to the late, great Frank Zappa, have some serious musical credentials. A self-proclaimed “freak of nature,” drummer Filip Fjellstrom can play just about anything, including a toilet seat. Keyboardist Kevin Bents toured with Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil Zappa and worked as Jewel’s musical director at the height of her career. Bassist and band leader Conrad St. Clair has worked with people like Mick Fleetwood and Yo Yo Ma, and singer Jenna Paulus has a Master’s from Boston Conservatory.

Not to be outdone, percussionist Zachary Bowers has a Master’s from Vanderbilt and has played with the Nashville Symphony.

St. Clair put the band together back in 2017 in Madison, WI, and it played its first gig in 2018.

“I was working a lot with a violinist, and we had worked together in an original project,” says St. Clair via phone from his home outside of Washington D.C. The band has worked up some new Zappa tunes for its upcoming show on Monday, Oct. 31, at the Beachland Ballroom. “We were both Zappa fans. We just started talking about how it would be fun to put together a Zappa project with some of the musicians we knew in Madison. We thought it could be fun. I asked [singer] Lo Marie if she wanted to do it, and she said she did. It just fell together.”

Toward the end of 2018, St. Clair moved to the East Coast.

“With that, there was a shift in how we approached things,” he says. “If we were spread out across the country, the only way to make it work was to tour. It had to be set up like Frank [Zappa]’s tours. He brought everyone together for exhausting rehearsals that last for two months, and then he hit the road. I don’t have Frank’s budget, so we fly everyone in, and I have a big house, and we have a week’s worth of rehearsals.”

In the wake of Zappa’s death nearly 20 years ago, various tribute acts involving people who once played with him have emerged. St. Clair says the Bongos have charted their own course and don’t aim to produce note-for-note duplications of Zappa’s tunes.

Rather, they let the personalities of the individual musicians shine.

“One of the things that I appreciate most about Frank [Zappa] is that he hired musicians who had a unique voice,” says St. Clair. “Yes, there were things you had to do on the record but the point of him hiring someone like [guitarist] Steve Vai was to have their voice as a tool in his tool kit. There are certain things you have to learn note for note, but the spaces in between are songs you have to make your own. We’re not trying to copy Zappa. We don’t play ‘Inca Roads’ note-for-note. That misses the point. For Frank, it was about growing and changing and finding new things.”

St. Clair says that one of the most important aspects of Zappa’s legacy is the desire to have fun on stage.

“[Singers] Ray White and Ike Willis’s job during some of those shows was to make Frank laugh,” he says. “If you did that, it’s a good night. It’s [about] that organic letting things grow and evolve and not just looking nostalgically at the albums.”

“There has hardly been a show that I’ve made it through without laughing at something on stage,” says Marie.

The Furious Bongos

NOT JUST A NOSTALGIA ACT

The Zappa tribute Furious Bongos play special Halloween show at Beachland

By Jeff Niesel

THE FURIOUS BONGOS, DALAND BRASS BAND

8 P.M. MONDAY, OCT. 31, BEACHLAND BALLROOM, 15711 WATERLOO RD., 216-383-1124. TICKETS: $20 ADV, $25 DOS, BEACHLANDBALLROOM.COM.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

Eliza & the Delusionals come to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. See: Sunday, Oct. 30.

FRI 10/21 SUN 10/23

The Airborne Toxic Event

Known for its sweeping anthems that recall the likes of Bruce Springsteen and U2, Airborne Toxic Event initially formed as a strippeddown two-piece featuring singer Mikel Jollett and drummer Daren Taylor. The lineup has morphed over the years, but Jollett remains a constant. On tour in support of 2020’s Hollywood Park, the band plays tonight at 7 at House of Blues. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

Jonah Koslen, Tommy Dobeck, and Daniel Pecchio

Jonah Koslen, Tommy Dobeck, and Daniel Pecchio — three original Michael Stanley Band members — have gotten together to play the Kent Stag. This is the first time all three have been on stage for a concert since the classic MSB Stagepass album was released in 1977. They are only playing songs from their first three MSB albums and sharing stories about that era. The band plays tonight and tomorrow night at 7. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

Marcus King

This 26-year-old Grammy-nominated songwriter and guitarist worked with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys on his latest effort, Young Blood, a riveting collection of rock and blues numbers. King performs tonight at 6 at the Agora. Neil Francis and Ashland Craft open. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

Pinkshift

This indie rock act comes to Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood tonight as it tours in support of its debut album Love Me Forever, which was recorded by Will Yip (Turnstile, Mannequin Pussy, the Wonder Years, Circa Survive, Tigers Jaw). The concert begins at 7, and tickets cost $16. 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

Martin Sexton/Dan Hubbard

The word prolific is often thrown around when talking about singersongwriters, but with Martin Sexton, it’s no exaggeration. He got his start in Boston, playing open mics and busking in subways and on street corners. He’s released numerous albums, received awards for his music and reaped praise from the likes of John Mayer and Dave Matthews. Sexton’s music is difficult to categorize due to his fusion of country, soul, folk rock, gospel, jazz and other genres, but he blends them all seamlessly. He performs tonight at 8 at the Kent Stage. Tickets cost $33. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

MON 10/24

NNAMDÏ

A mainstay in the indie-community for years, especially in Chicago where he was named a Chicagoan of the year in 2020 by the Tribune, NNAMDÏ has toured with Wilco and counts Kaci Musgraves, Jeff Rosenstock, Danny Brown, Moses and Sumney as fans. He performs tonight at 7 at Mahall’s 20 Lanes. 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

Jonathan Richman

Perhaps best known from his role as the troubadour in the quirky ’90s comedy There’s Something About Mary, Jonathan Richman has a career that stretches back decades. He famously led the proto-punk band the Modern Lovers in the 1970s. Since then, he’s embraced the singersongwriter role and often plays live while accompanied only by drummer Tommy Larkins. Richman and Larkins will perform tonight at the Heights Theater in a show presented by the Grog Shop. Tickets cost $22 in advance, $25 the day of the show. 2781 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, grogshop.gs.

WED 10/26

American Authors

As a fun twist this rock band just released six different versions of “Blind for Love,” the first track from its forthcoming fourth studio album. There’s a piano version, an acoustic version, a sped-up version and more. With its percolating handclaps and caterwauling vocals, the tune shows off the group’s sharp pop sensibilities. Expect to hear it when the band plays tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom. Madeline Finn opens the show. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

project fronted by Sarah Shook of Chapel Hill, NC’s Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Mightnare has just released its debut album, Cruel Liars, out on Kill Rock Stars., The album’s three singles — “Saturn Turns”, “Easy” and “Enemy” — all offer introspective lyrics and mid-tempo, highly accessible melodies. The group plays the Beachland Tavern tonight at 8. Mol Sullivan opens the show. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

THU 10/27

Lucero

Produced by Grammy-winning engineer/mixer Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Jason Isbell), Lucero’s forthcoming studio album finds the alt-country band playing more uptempo music. The single, “One Last F.U.,” opens with clanging cowbell and crunchy guitars and features sneering vocals. It should translate well live. L.A. Edwards opens the show. Tickets cost $30. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Jon McLaughlin

Singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin has released six full-length albums since his 2007 debut, Indiana. His current tour, which stops at the Kent Stage tonight at 7, celebrates that album’s 25th anniversary. Tickets cost $25 to $35. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

SAT 10/29

Chelsea Cutler

Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler released the deluxe edition of her sophomore album, When I Close My Eyes, and put out her latest single, the infectious pop number, “the lifeboat’s empty!” She brings part two of her When I Close My Eyes tour to House of Blues tonight at 7. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

Mushroomhead

The pandemic put Mushroomhead’s annual Halloween concert on hold, but now the veteran local band is back at the Agora to keep the tradition alive. Half Raised Heathens and Bittersweet Revenge open the show. Doors are at 6:30 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

Smashing Pumpkins

This tour featuring the ‘90s acts Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction arrives in town tonight for a stop at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Founded in Chicago in 1988, the Pumpkins draw from rock, pop, shoe-gaze, metal, goth, psychedelia, and electronic. The band has sold more 30 million albums worldwide and collected two Grammy awards. In 2020, the group released its 11th full-length album and latest double album, CYR. More new music is slated to come out this year. The concert begins at 6:30. 1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

SUN 10/30

Eliza & the Delusionals

Written by Eliza Klatt and Kurt Skuse with added writing credits from acclaimed songwriters/ producers in Sarah Aarons (Zedd, The Rubens, Childish Gambino), John Hill (Cage the Elephant, Charli XCX, Lykke Li) and Keith Harris (Madonna, the Black Eyed Peas), Now and Then, the latest effort from Aussie rockers Liza & the Delusionals, is a properly international effort. Sessions took place between Australia’s East Coast and Los Angeles. A tune like “Save Me” features lilting vocals and indie pop harmonies that hearken back to the days of Throwing Muses and Veruca Salt. The group performs tonight at 8 at the Grog Shop. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

The Wood Brothers

Celebrating the release of their seventh studio album, Kingdom in my Mind, a live audio-to-tape session, the Wood Brothers perform tonight at 7:30 at the Kent Stage. Kingdom follows the band’s most recent studio release, 2018’s One Drop of Truth, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and gave the band its first Grammy nod for Best Americana Album. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org. scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

MOTHER’S MADNESS

By Jeff Niesel

MEET THE BAND: Rich Ramsey (drums), Jay Steadman (bass), Trent Cochran (guitar), Jason Christner (vocals)

LUCK OF THE DRAW: While the band formed more than 15 years ago, it didn’t have a lead singer until 2018 when Christner became singer by default. “It was about 2018 when we knew one of us needed to take over vocals, and Jason Christner just drew the shortest straw,” Steadman says with a laugh. “But really, we knew he had the ability. I tried, but it’s hard for me to play bass and sing at the same time. Jason was a better fit for our sound. [My voice] is definitely not as deep as he is, and it didn’t sound right.”

A STONER ROCK SOUND: For Steadman and Co., it all starts with Black Sabbath. “We also like classics like Zeppelin and Metallica and Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses,” says Steadman. “We’re all there with that. I’ve talked about this before with the band. Are we metal? Are we hard rock? Are we stoner rock? It might be better classified as stoner rock.” Separately, Christner says that because stoner rock encompasses so many different musical styles, it’s as apt a term as any to describe the band’s sound. “Stoner rock can be super heavy or super bluesy or kind of psychedelic,” he says. “We like all aspects of that and kind of come together in the middle. As a result, we can play with a lot of different bands. We can play on both heavier and lighter shows.”

A DIY APPROACH: The band recorded its latest album, Prodrome of Psychosis, at Christner’s Basement Studio with Ramsey handling production duties. “He did a pretty dang good job,” says Steadman. “We did the editing, and it wasn’t back and forth with someone else who was charging us as we sit there and make decisions.”

WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR

THEM: The Clutch-like “March of Tyrants,” an industrial-strength hard rock song that literally begins with the sound of people marching, features beefy guitars and gruff vocals. The sludge-y “Hell Priest” commences with a highly technical guitar riff before the defiant vocals kick in. One song didn’t make the album, and the band has quickly written another three tunes since the Prodrome sessions wrapped, so it’s already on its way to the next release, whatever that might be. “I think Trent even has another dozen songs ready to go,” says Christner. “The next release might be a single or it might be an EP or LP. We just want to keep the fans engaged.”

Mother’s Madness

WHERE YOU CAN HEAR

THEM: facebook.com/ mothersmadnessband/.

WHERE YOU CAN SEE

THEM: Mother’s Madness performs with Bonded by Darkness and Death Weapons at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Maple Grove Tavern in Maple Heights. jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

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