Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #158: Mercury Music Lounge, Grand Re-Opening, Night 1

Friday October 11th, 2024

Mercury Music Lounge 18206 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107

Hello my friends and welcome back to another stunning edition of Ye Olde Rustbelt Rock Review. This week I’ve got a fun one for you. This past Friday I made a voyage into the Mercury Music Lounge for the first night of it’s Grand Reopening celebration. With eight bands advertised to perform, it can be assumed I had a busy night. We’ll get to that in time. My evening began at home with a bowl of Devil Driver as I awaited Joha. He arrived and I packed another one while he twisted a few doobies. I snagged a bag of gummies on our way out the door and then we were off.

We arrived at the Mercury shortly after 7:30 and we found the music had already begun. At the corner of the bar we found Swamp Donkey (Bass/Vandalizard) as well as my little brother the elusive Shrape. We gave them a quick hello and they informed me the band that was currently performing was Bosco Jigs. Before we get into the band, lets start with the stage itself. It is located both behind and ABOVE the bar. So the bands perform in an elevated position and are clearly visible from all points in the room. While hauling their gear up and down the stairs must be a serious bitch for musicians, it makes for great sight lines from the floor. Suffice to say I found the layout of the bar stage to be unique and very cool. Upon that stage Bosco Jigs was doing their thing. They are a four man band, put together from Guitar/Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass/Backing Vocals and Drums. I would categorize them as a Hippie Jam Band sort of thing. They had a funky, happy type of sound that was lively and grooving. They had obviously clean vocals, that were smooth, melodic and often harmonized expertly. They played long and complicated songs that went on and on, one blending into the next seamlessly. They reminded me of the Grateful Dead, Phish and at times The Allman Brothers Band. All in all I have to say that Bosco Jigs was very good at what they did. They earned strong applause from the crowd and had handful of people dancing throughout the room. While Jam Band stuff really isn’t my thing, I have to say it was damn good music and it kicked the show off in a great way. While Bosco Jigs rocked on I noticed that the rest of the boys from Vandalizard had arrived, as well as the notorious quartet known simply as HAMS.

Bosco Jigs finished up and I headed into the back room to check out the “Venue Stage.” What I can tell you is I was impressed. The room was pretty large, I would compare it to the Winchester or even the old Peabody’s. The stage as well was of considerable size, where Apostle Jones was already off and running. I approached the stage and took a quick accounting of the band. They are a six man operation made up of Vocals, Bass, Drums, two Guitars and a Trumpet. Their social media proclaims them as being “The church of Cleveland Rock n’ Soul.” I am not 100% certain of what that means, but having heard them, it certainly makes some degree of sense. They are certainly Rock and they did have some very Soulful qualities. I would categorize them as some sort of Pop Rock. However you want to brand them is your prerogative. Here’s what I observed. This band is tight. With six members, including a horn section, they have a lot of moving pieces. Despite that, they produced a very professional sound that moved and grooved. They were clearly talented musicians. Their play was both technically solid and passionate in it’s performance. Finally, they were entertaining. They had fantastic stage presence with each and every member of the band Rocking out and throwing down. I really can’t stress that enough, this band knows how to perform. I watch them for a time before I found ou tthe next act had already begun on the Bar stage. This was a problem for me throughout the night. The two stages simply were not in sync and as such, it was often necessary to miss a portion of one set in order to check out the next one. (Them’s the breaks, am I right?)

So back in the bar stage I was treated to the sounds of Rodney Dewalt. This was a solo Guitar/Vocalist. He produced mellow, chill vibes, Rockin’ melodies and clean vocals. He brought a smooth old time Rock n’ Roll feel to the show. I hung around with the boys from Vandalizard and enjoyed what Mr. Dewalt was producing. He had a “song for the alcoholics,” a western swing number” and a whole lot of classic guitar work. All in all it was truly good shit that was much appreciated by both myself and the rest of the attendees. At the conclusion of each song Rodney received strong applause from the still growing crowd. In good time his set came to a close and he received a fitting send off from the appreciative concertgoers.

Following Rodney Dewalt on the Bar Stage was Vandalizard. This is a four man Punk Rock band that is woven together from Guitar/Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass and Drums. They have a Punk sound that is firmly based in Rock N’ Roll, with rough and grainy vocals. Their Bass play is dynamic, with lively and ever evolving lines. The Drum work is incredibly tight and delivered lightning quick. Meanwhile, their two part Guitar work is a conflagration of classic Punk riffs with excellent leads. Put that all together and it creates a sound that is both melodic and ripping. They performed with solid stage presence, big balls and a lot of heart. I was stoked and appreciative when they dedicated their song “Bad Influence” to me. It was somewhere between the eighth and ninth song when their Bassist Swamp Donkey dropped his pants to the delight of crowd. Over hard driving Punk songs, dance-able Ska Riffs and even a re-imagined sea shanty Vandalizard provided a severely Rockin’ good time that was enjoyed by all. They played I believe 12 songs before calling it a night and they left the stage to uproarious applause.

As Vandalizard came to a close I heard music coming from the back room. I spun on my heels and made a break for the Venue Stage where I was dismayed to see that Brothers at Arms was well underway. As I mentioned before the two stages were not in sync. This was the first major casualty of this unfortunate scheduling snafu. You see, I have seen Brothers at Arms before and I know them to be a singularly bad ass band. I was bummed to have missed a portion of their set. That being said, here’s what I observed: Brothers at Arms is a five man band that is made up of Vocals, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. They play a style that I would categorize as Groove Metal with an excellent overall sound, and great stage presence. The vocals were coarse and forceful. They had awesome riffs and magnificent lead work. Right from the get I could see the crowd was really into them and the vibe was… well, simply put: Fucking Killer. With hard charging tempos and hammering cadences Brothers at Arms tore the roof off of the Mercury Music Lounge. I enjoyed what remained of Brothers in Arms set and I have to say it was time well spent. They rocked pretty damn hard and laid a beat down upon all those who stood looking.

Eric Stevenson: The Official Tattoo Artist of the Rustbelt Rock Review

Joha and I slipped out the side door and smoked a joint while we waited for HAMS to set up. I wandered to the back corner of the parking lot to take a leak, and I stumbled upon the legendary Igno-minibus. Owned by Death Metal monstrosity Ignominious I wanted to know what it was doing on site. I approached and was greeted by Ignominious’ front man, Colin, and was subsequently invited on the bus for beers. Unfortunately I had to decline, as HAMS was about to start. However I did learn a valuable piece of info around this time. Ignominious was the evenings “surprise special guest headliner!” That’s right! You read that correctly. Ignominious was performing and for some reason it was kept secret. Well I took this knowledge and headed back into the club, just in time for HAMS to fire up their set.

HAMS is a four man Punk group built from Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They opened up with a blistering Bass line delivered by a mad man in a werewolf mask. Across the stage from him, wearing a pig mask, was his six stringed counterpart. Their vocals are described in my notes as a meat grinder of Rock N’ Roll magnificence. Meanwhile the drums work was nothing short of album perfect and utterly precise. Immediately I was blown away both by the quality of their sound and by their stage presence. HAMS is a band that always comes to throw down and this night was no exception. The crowd was continuing to grow and there was a healthy amount of Punks in place as HAMS erupted with energy. Early in the set they played my favorite of their jams, “Comeback.” This one had me shouting along, and I wasn’t alone as the crowd below the bar stage was clearly feeling it. They continued to blast us with their Punk Rock onslaught, delivering jam after jam with absolute fire. I believe they played a total of 10 tracks of blazing Rock N’ Roll before their time had expired. The crowd roared in absolute approval of what HAMS had done. With the set at a close, I again slipped outside to smoke before I headed to the Venue stage yet again.

When I finally got into the back room, The Ray Flanagan Band was already well underway. Due to bad time management on my part, I got stoned and lost track of myself. By the time I got in place, I had missed a sizable portion of what I can only guess, was an excellent set. I make that assumption based on how engaged the crowd was when I walked in. Everywhere I looked I could see people dancing with their attention devoted completely to the performance. I found Swamp Donkey and Shrape and joined them for the set. Shrape turned to me and told me “These guys rip!” And from where I was standing he told it true. So here’s what I gathered from my time with The Ray Flanagan Band. They are a four man group made up of Guitar/Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass and Drums. They play a straight up Rock N’ Roll style that is undeniably smooth. They have clean vocals, sick guitar work and great stage presence. I was particularly impressed with their Guitar solos. And most importantly, as I said before, they seemed to be holding the crowd in the palms of their hands. The fans were wild for The Ray Flanagan Band and rightly so. From what I saw they are an act not to be missed.

I headed back to the Bar Stage just in time to catch the beginning of GRVE. This is a band that I really didn’t know what to make of. They were a two man outfit, comprised of Guitar/Vocal, Bass and a laptop. I’m not really sure how to categorize them. Possibly as Industrial, or maybe as some sort of Electronica (Is that still a thing?) Joha called them Technopop, but I don’t know. They were an enigma, that much I can say for sure. They used clean vocals, over electronic beats and sounds combined with live Guitar and Bass. They seemed to have some technical difficulties early in their set, and I found it hard to hear the Guitars. They did have great stage presence, as both members rocked out pretty hard as they performed. With pumping bass drums and distorted guitars they kept the bar room dancing as the night rolled on. I watched GRVE for a while, but soon I got the itch for some Death Metal. I turned from the Bar Stage and headed back into the Venue, as it was time for our final act of the evening.

Arriving in the Venue Stage, I was just in time for our “secret headliner,” the mighty Ignominious. This four man Death Metal abomination is stitched together from Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals. (Fun fact: This would be my first time seeing them perform with their new drummer.) In true DM fashion their Vocals are the deepest of guttural roars. The band is also known for it’s phenomenal low end as well as it’s slippery Guitar style. Opening up with “Dunkleosteus” they took the stage with sheer force. The band exhibited solid stage presence, particularly their frontman who windmilled his hair whenever not singing. Next came “Bestial” with it’s devastating Bass line, followed by “Tractor Smasher.” By this point I had officially proclaimed the new drummer as “sick.” His play was flawless and his stage presence was considerable. He spun his sticks between strikes and headbanged almost continuously behind his kit. My personal favorite, “Mothman,” came next. “Huge Alligator” was both savage and brutal, but it was “Gorgy” which sent a family of four running for the exit. (The kids had their hands over their ears! I laughed and laughed.) Next we got a new one, which they introduced as “a song about being forklift certified.” It had a great riff, that vaguely reminded me of some spy music. For this song two drunk guys went off, tried and failed to get a moshpit going. Their energy was not entirely wasted though. For the next song was the all powerful “Sewn Inside a Whale’s Cock.” With if came an inflatable orca, which was cast into the crowd to be fought with and fought over. The orca flew, was kicked stomped and used as a weapon. It soared like a volleyball and was beaten like police suspect. Finally Ignominious finished up, with another new one. It was really fantastic and it spoke to how the band continues to improve. I have to say that in both song writing and in performance Ignominious just keeps getting better. With a monster breakdown the song came to a close and the set ended. The boys and I said goodnight and we headed to the door. On our way out I noticed there was a DJ spinning in the bar, but we didn’t stick around. It was late and we had a long ride back into the East. Into the cars and onto the highways we rolled.

And that was my Friday night. Nine bands on two stages makes for one hell of a night. Put aside the poor time management and it was a great evening of music. I enjoyed my first trip to the Mercury Music Lounge and I look forward to going there again. I loved the set up of the bar stage and the size of the Venue room. I foresee many a good show going down there in the future. On that note I will bring this installment of the RbRR to a close. As always bang your head, wear your earplugs and thank you for reading.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

10/14/2024

Links:

Ignominious

https://www.facebook.com/ignominiousmusic/

Apostle Jones

https://apostlejones.com/

Brothers at Arms

https://www.brothersatarmsband.com/