Carnival of Soul

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Welcome to the latest edition of “Listen Up, Cleveland,” our weekly Northeast Ohio music newsletter. This week, we rank the 50 greatest bassists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, pay tribute to Blossom Music Center architect Peter van Dijk and preview “My Violin Weighs a Ton,” a hip-hop concert by Lexington Bell Community Center students scheduled for Friday at Severance Hall’s Reinberger Chamber Hall. We’ve also got new music from Cleveland’s Mollo Rilla, a preview of Luke Bryan’s Saturday night show at Blossom and coverage, including exclusive photos, from recent concerts by The Who and Avett Brothers.

It’s time to Listen Up, Cleveland.

50 greatest bassists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Legends like Paul McCartney, Larry Graham and John Paul Jones changed the way the instrument is played while creating some of the most iconic songs in music history. Just think about what the world would be like without the bass lines on “Come Together,” “My Girl” or “Another One Bites the Dust.” Cleveland.com’s Troy L. Smith ranks the best players inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Limiting the list to Hall of Famers ruled out some of the greatest bass players of all time, from Charles Mingus to Jaco Pastorius to Victor Wooten. But it left us with a who’s who of innovators in the genres of funk, metal, pop, jazz and so much more. READ MORE

Stars added to Rock Hall Honors Mavis Staples tributeJackson Browne is joining the bill for the Rock Hall Honors program celebrating fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mavis Staples at Playhouse Square on Friday, Sept. 20. Newcomer Valerie June also will be one of the performers. READ MORE

Bob Dylan to play Akron show

Folk and rock legend Bob Dylan will perform at Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall on Nov. 9 as a part of his upcoming fall tour. Dylan, a 1988 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, has had a prolific career that started in the ’60s. He’s released 38 studio albums, and is best-known for some of the most popular rock songs of all time like “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” “Like A Rolling Stone” and “Times They Are A-Changin.'” He won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. READ MORE

Chance The Rapper postpones Cleveland show

The Grammy Award-winning Chance the Rapper, aka Chancellor Johnathan Bennett, is postponing his upcoming U.S. tour, citing the birth of his second child and a need to spend more time with his family as the reason. His Nov. 2 show at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is being pushed to Feb. 4, 2020. READ MORE

Blossom Music Center architect Peter van Dijk dead at 90

Peter van Dijk, who designed Blossom Music Center and who authored a master plan that helped rally Clevelanders to save Playhouse Square’s theaters from destruction, was one of the most admired and influential architects in the city’s history. Van Dijk died Saturday at age 90 at his home in Cleveland Heights after a two-year battle with cancer, said his wife, Roberta van Dijk. READ MORE

CONCERT PICKS

Luke Bryan at Blossom Music Center

Country star Luke Bryan is bringing his tour to Blossom on Saturday, Sept. 14. Two weeks later, his long-running Farm Tour, in which he brings a concert to actual harvest fields at working rural farms across the United States, comes to the Murray Family Farms in Pleasantville, near Columbus. Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic Chuck Yarborough talked with Bryan to preview both shows. 7 p.m. 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls. READ MORE

Heights Music Hop

Three nights of music in three Northeast Ohio neighborhoods will take place this weekend during the Heights Music Hop. On Thursday, Sept. 12, Afi Scruggs, Jul Big Green, Mr. Carnivore and more will perform at Coventry Village venues. On Friday, Sept. 13, Orange Animal, Alyssa Boyd, AJ & The Woods and more will perform at Cedar Fairmount venues. On Saturday, Sept. 14, the festival will conclude with performances by Holden Laurence, Red Rose Panic, Michelle Romary and more at Cedar Lee venues. Free. Various locations. 6-9 p.m. Sept. 12; 6-10 p.m. Sept. 13; 6-11 p.m. Sept. 14. MORE INFO

Akron Recording Company’s one-year anniversary

The Akron Recording Company will celebrate one year of business with a party on Friday night. Attendees can enjoy tours of the recording studios, shopping with local vendors and live music. Performances are scheduled to include Time Cat, Oregon Space Trail of Doom, Peachcurls, King Buu and more. The event will also include a special vinyl release of the studio’s compilation album, “Where The Hell Is Akron Ohio? Vol. 2.” Suggested $5 donation. 243 Furnace St., Akron. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Sept. 13. MORE INFO

Avenue of the Arts

Art and music will fill the Superior Arts district Friday night for the annual Avenue of the Arts event. The night will include various art showcases at Zygote Press, Tower Press and Hotcards, along with musical performances by Paulo Costa Trio, Kyle Kidd and more. Free.Superior Ave., between East 19th and East 25th St. 6-10 p.m. DETAILS

Celebrate Tremont fundraiser

The Forest City Brewery will host a fundraiser for Tremont West Development Corporation on Friday. The event includes a fresh dinner from the Farm Team, unlimited beer and wine and entertainment all night long, including a performance by the Ark Band. Tickets $100.2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland. 7-11 p.m. DETAILS

BURNING QUESTIONS

Should Nicki Minaj retire from music?

The head “Barb in Charge” says she is retiring from her lustrous music career to start a family but asks that fans still support her. Should she stay or should she go? VOTE HERE

Favorite countdown show: ’106 & Park’ or ‘TRL’?

Back in the good ol’ days—AKA the early 2000s—when you wanted to see the hottest new music video, “106 & Park” and “Total Request Live” were the quintessential programs. BET’s “106 & Park” debuted in 2000 and almost 20 years later it remains one of the channel’s most coveted shows. MTV first aired “TRL” in 1998 and recently tried to reboot the program but it just couldn’t live up to its glory days. Which show did you run home from school to watch? VOTE HERE

LOCAL SHOWCASE

Mollo Rilla puts out summery new single ‘Sangria’

Cleveland rock band Mollo Rilla is hanging on to the final days of summer with its new single, “Sangria.” The song, produced by former Cage The Elephant lead guitarist Lincoln Parish, was released this past weekend with a party of a music video. Parish and Marco Ciofani, the singer-guitarist of Mollo Rilla, have been friends for the past five years, meeting when Ciofani lived in Nashville. Cleveland.com’s Anne Nickoloff talked with Ciofani about the song, the band and more. READ MORE

‘My Violin Weighs A Ton’ hip-hop show set for Reinberger hall

After months of music lessons and educational outings, students from Lexington Bell Community Center will show off their skills with a concert at one of Cleveland’s most prestigious music venues, Severance Hall. The My Violin Weighs A Ton concert was arranged by Lexington Bell administrators and Cleveland rapper and mental health advocate Archie Green. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at Severance Hall’s Reinberger Chamber Hall. Cleveland.com music reporter Anne Nickoloff has a preview. READ MORE

Bad Hooks honor Cleveland’s Flats neighborhood in new song

Bad Hooks describes itself as “swampy rock & roll.” That description is more of a vibe than a real genre, though — the new Cleveland band is making whatever kind of music it wants. “We’re all guys that didn’t really mean to make this kind of music in the first place,” singer-guitarist Matt Hertweck said. “This was our time-off stuff, and it’s the kind of stuff that stuck with us. We decided to stop avoiding it and ignoring it, and start embracing it.” The band recently debuted a new song and music video, “Flat Pack.” READ MORE

CONCERT REVIEWS

The Who rock Blossom Music Center

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, the two surviving members of the Who, put “Tommy,” “Quadrophenia” and other rock classics on display at Blossom Music Center on Tuesday, backed by a symphony orchestra. The Plain Dealer’s Chuck Yarborough has review. Cleveland.com’s David Petkiewicz shot photos. READ MORE

Browns fans find comfort with The Avett Brothers Sunday

It wasn’t long into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Browns vs. Tennessee Titans game that a pronounced hush came over the city of Cleveland. All the hype leading into the 2018-2019 season had turned into the harsh reality that this year, like most others, will be an uphill climb. Yet, there was ambition to be found at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center in the form of The Avett Brothers. “There is hope for sure!” Seth Avett proclaimed during the band’s performance of “High Steppin.’” You couldn’t help but feel like he was speaking to the inner Browns fan within the audience, many of whom were sporting Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham jerseys. Cleveland.com’s Troy L. Smith and photographer David Petkiewicz were there to chronicle the festivities. READ MORE