Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Volume #245: Dog Rock IX

June 13th 2026

Maple Grove Tavern

Greetings to all my fellow music lover. To the Metalheads and Punks; The Rockers and Stoners; The Freaks, Nerds and Romantics. Good evening to all you strange and enigmatic folks who frequent the pages of my endless drivel. Here we sit at the beginning of the two hundred and forty fifth issue of the RbRR, and we have a quite a doozie of a show to discuss. The event in question is of course, Dog Rock IX aka DR9. “What is Dog Rock?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Dog Rock is a long running concert series based in Northeast Ohio. It features a large bill of bands, a free potluck dinner, a 50/50 raffle, baskets and other prizes to raffle off including a Guitar autographed by James Taylor. All the proceeds from Dog Rock go to benefit local “No Kill” animal shelters. It is a noble cause, and a hell of a lot of fun. So that brings us to the afternoon of the 13th. For me, it all began around 3pm when I hit the highways and headed south and west. My destination: The Maple Grove Tavern. I arrived not long before the show was set to kick off. I rendezvoused with shows Host, and my home boy, Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio, and we headed up into the club. Once inside we slid up to the stage, threw in our earplugs and got ready to Rock.

Up first was Monque. After their ceremonial introduction by The Dook, they jumped into their set with their own brand of high energy, slightly poppy, Punkish Rock N’ Roll. They utilized clean Vocals with bouncing tempos and some nice solos. To me they sounded like if you took The Ramones and had Elvis as their front man; Deep resonant Vocals over and early Punk vibe. During their track “I’ve Been Drinking” they threw out a T-shirt for the crowd, which is always a cool move. They played 8 total songs and then took their bow. With the first of the bands now finished, we headed downstairs to check out the pot luck.

The spread was large and delicious. After devouring an Italian sausage, some pulled pork and a pile of cabbage and noodles, I found myself back at the stage preparing for Stone Cold Killers. The set began as they introduced themselves, proclaiming that they “play dirty Rock N’ Roll.” Their Guitarist immediately left the stage and began wandering the club. They had clean Vocals, some nice Guitar solos and a vibe that reminded be slightly of The Stooges. They performed five total tracks including “The Raven,” a song about “killing your old lady” and a cover of Johnny Thunders’ “So Alone” before calling it quits.

Third in the lineup was Flint, Michigan’s Nic Stevens. Nic, along with his Guitar, and his Drummer, Dylan, are on tour performing as a two piece. He did a blend of originals as well as covers, including Creed’s “Higher” and “The Red” by Chevelle. He used clean Vocals that were often delivered with extreme passion. For only being a two piece Nic was extremely entertaining. He had some incredible stage presence, as he Rocked out and headbanged like a mad man. He finished up his set to strong applause from the crowd and I believe he made some new fans indeed. We wish him the best of luck on his remaining tour.

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Fourth to Rock The Grove was Balloon Knot. The first thing I noticed, before they even played a note, was that their Bass player was wearing a Vandalizard shirt. I also had my VL shirt on that night so I had to give him props. This three piece plugged in and jumped into their set with a fast, energetic brand of Punk Rock. Each member of the band had their own mic, and they used them to be sure. With a three way clean Vocal attack, and a hard Rockin vibe, Balloon Knot crushed it. Behind the multilayered Vocals was the true powerhouse of the band, the man behind the kit. He laid out tight, hammering tempos while pulling down his Vocals, even taking lead at times. It was impressive. With bitchin’ riffs and grooving Bass lines they rolled through nine songs before finishing strong.

Fifth to the Stage was Horror Business CLE, Cleveland’s premiere Misfits tribute band. This band is led by Dog Rock Founder: Guitarist Nick Lewis. They opened up with “Hybrid Moments” and I have to say they sounded pretty damn good. They looked good too, with great stage presence, particularly their Vocalist and Guitarist, who both threw down hard. The fans sang along as they cranked out a total of 10 Misfits Classics including: “We Are 138,” “Skulls,” and “Astro Zombies.” Eventually they closed out with “Horror Business” and left the room begging for more.

Our sixth act of the night was Broton. This band is a killer. I love their sound. Their vocals, primarily delivered by their Guitarist, are coarse and gravelly. Imagine if you can... take Motorhead, you keep the slick Guitars and Lemmy’s Vox, but remove his classic Bass tone. (Hear me out.) Now replace the Rickenbacker with a funky grooving six string; that’s Broton. You get that hard fast driving force that Motorhead delivered but you add in this smooth layer that makes the music so danceable. It’s a pretty excellent combination. They tore up the stage with songs like “Broton,” “Friends (Eat Last),” and a cover of Elvis’s “Hound Dog.” As I review my notes on this “Stoner Punk Metal” band, I come to one conclusion, it is that they are extremely talented and a true force to be reckoned with.

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Seventh up in rotation was Agnes Warhead; Nick Lewis’s second act of the day. This band, forged from the pieces of a shattered Galactic Reptile, is a thing of terrible beauty. They are a female fronted maelstrom thatpacks prime time Metal energy. Their leading lady’s voice is big and rough, with the capacity to produce some soaring notes when she chooses to flex. I likened her to Janis Joplin crossed with Pat Benatar. Her powerful Vocals aside, she also had excellent presence and a command of the stage which was impressive. Surrounding her, the boys of Agnes Warhead threw down as well, creating a savage vibe. The band collectively cranked out a bunch of formerly Galactic Reptile tunes, reimagined with their new Vocalist. While it was strange hearing these songs resurrected, I have to say they sounded pretty damn good. Take those jams, throw in a sweet Deep Purple cover and you’ve got yourself an Agnes Warhead set. The crowd loved it. I loved it. We all cheered. It was excellent.

Our eighth band was Dark Secret. They opened up extremely heavy with a pounding Bassline, hammering double kick Drum and a nice guitar solo. Their Vocals were clean, huge and piercing. Overall I have to say they had sick riffs, crushing Drums and exceptionally powerful Vocals. They kicked out monster tracks like “Darkest Tribunal” and offered up the new song “The Nightmares” for examination. They played a total of seven songs, closing out with the devastating ballad “Silence.” The crowd cheered enthusiastically, clearly big fans of the Dark Secret sound.

The final performer on the docket was Attaxe. Led by the vocal powerhouse Juan Ricardo, this four piece took to the stage with raw power. Hard, fast and ripping Attaxe came out swinging. Their singer delivered massive energy, both with the power of his Voice as well as by the strength of his stage presence. The crowd was drawn in to the performance, cheering, singing along and chanting “Ay! Ay! Ay!” The Drums were relentless. The solos scorched. The words took flight and soared from the speakers as Juan Ricardo led us on lyrical journey’s. Attaxe seized control of the Maple Grove and simply refused to relinquish it until they’d had their way. They cranked out 10 total songs including “When Tyrants Fall,” “Braving the Tempest,” and “Embrace the Darkness.” They closed out with “Avenging Angel,” bringing their set to a climactic finale.

I said good night to The Dook and hit the door as soon as Attaxe finished. I was exhausted and ready to roll after a long day at the Maple Grove. I navigated the city streets, found the freeway and was gone into the night. I made it home and was asleep even as my head hit the pillow. And there you have it. A brief rundown of my time at Dog Rock IX. It was a blast of a day, Rocking for a good cause. For what it’s worth, we did some real good too. When I last checked Mr. Lewis announced that DR9 had raised 2,200 dollars for the puppers. That’s pretty damned good, if you asked me. On that note I will bring this edition to a close. Thank you to everyone who attended DR9 and who helped to make it a success. As always thank you for reading, for Rocking and for supporting the Scene.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

6/14-6/15/2026

Vol. #245: Dog Rock IX

Vol. #244: Northeast Ohio Deathfest