Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Volume #250: Les Savy Fav, Suitor & Beast Killer

Friday, July 24th

The Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106

Hello, hello my friend and fellow Rocker. Allow me to welcome you to the two hundred and fiftieth edition of the Rustbelt Rock Review. I am flabbergasted that I have reached this milestone, and I would like to thank you for continuing on this journey with me. As for this installment, well, I am simply happy to be back again with a fresh tale to tell from the depths of the Cleveland, Ohio Rock Scene. This week I found myself back in Cleveland Heights at the infamous Grog Shop. It was around 6:30pm when I arrived on the Scene and the street was already bustling with activity. Up and down Coventry Road people went about their Friday evenings seemingly without a single concern. There were all sorts of folks creeping about. A whole menagerie of the bizarre was on display on The Street that night, and I was there to take it all in. I grabbed a seat at a picnic table outside the club, hit my vape and set about reviewing my notes. While I was waiting for the rest of the Heavy on Cleveland team to arrive, I got to listen in on soundcheck as the bands warmed up and dialed in. In good time the remainder of my squad showed up. As always it was the furious four working the job: Myself, my Co-host Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio and our ace photographers Jessica Mowrer of Stargazer Studios and Kelly Funk of Funky Photos. Once we assembled I went inside and made contact with the subject of our evening’s interview: Beast Killer. Chris and Kris were happy to oblige us and swiftly came outside, grabbing up the seats opposite myself and The Dook at the picnic table. So we did our interview. It went well and before we knew it I was all out of questions. The boys returned to the club and the team and I drifted around waiting for the show to begin.

Music kicked off around 8pm with Beast Killer being the first to the stage. They are a two piece outfit made up of Guitar/Vocals & Drums. They took their positions, illuminated from below by their own lighting rig, and dropped into some new material right away. Kicking things off with a song called “Bread” they set things on a Hard Rockin’ course. Keeping with their unreleased new material, they hammered out “MMRNR,” “Deciever,” “Colors of War,” “The Great Decline” and “Suffer.” Once we’d received a healthy dose of the new shit, it was time to pile on some of the classics. They played their flagship song: “Beast Killer,” with it’s driving chords. Chris head banged his way through “It Cycles,” then after a quick Guitar change, they belted out “Comet.” “Fairy Tale” was dark, disturbing and powerful. Finally they closed out with “Sparks” which is a ripping, Rockin’ ass kicker of a track. Chris ran through the riffs like a Buzzsaw, while behind the kit Kris was hammering away like a machine. In a huge melee of slamming notes Beast Killer brought the final song and their set to a crushing end. Tossing his sticks over his shoulder Kris exited the kit and left the stage. They played a total of eleven songs, shaking the Grog Shop down to the foundation before they called it quits. It was incredible. With Beast Killer finished we returned to the picnic table in front of the club. Once the band was done moving their gear we were able to conduct the second part of our interview thus completing our Heavy on Cleveland filming for the night.

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Due to that second interviews with Beast Killer, we were late getting back into the club and as such we missed a portion of the second bands set. When we came in they were already well into the sway of their songs and they had the crowd entranced. By this point the fans had really started packing in. It seems many had come down to the Grog stage to see what this second band had to offer. The act was called Suitor. They were made up of five members, a Vocalist with two Guitars, Bass and Drums. I would place their sound as somewhere in the vicinity of Indy Rock or Alternative. They were like a band out of time, as they packed a sort of late 80’s early 90’s vibe. Their music reminded me of Sonic Youth, while their Vocals had a very Tori Amos energy. Their Singer had solid stage presence, Rocking out as she belted out her notes. As the set progressed they gradually seemed to get heavier, eventually reaching a fairly Rocking pitch by their final song. At it’s climax the song produced a big, heavy ending that was as welcome as it was surprising. Suitor took their bows, said goodnight and the crowd cheered.

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After another interlude to the street for a breath of fresh air, I found myself back before the stage preparing for the evenings final act. Closing out the night was Les Savy Fav. This five piece, made up of Vocals, Two Guitars, Bass and Drums, is known as much for their music as they are for the antics of their front man. The singer came wearing a priests collared shirt, with his hair and beard dyed a fiery orange. Their style was a sort of Punky Indy Rock with the Vocals providing an odd twist. His delivery was… unique to say the least. He had over the top stage presence that dominated the performance. Almost immediately he was off the stage and into the crowd, writhing on the floor while singing. He took peoples drinks and flung them about, spraying the room with booze. He disassembled his mic, then entered the sound booth and began molesting the lighting board. He stripped down to his boxers, went into the men’s room and managed to step on a piece of glass. It went on and one, one outrageous stunt after the next. He even took down the iconic curtains from behind the stage and wore one as a cape.

Meanwhile the music was upbeat and energetic, Rocking along and in general being pretty damn good. The musicians got down on stage and put on a pretty good musical performance. In a way it was unfortunate, because of the singer’s behaviors around the club, the focus of the show remained on him. If he would have stayed on stage a bit longer, maybe the crowd would have had the opportunity to appreciate the bands contributions a little more as well. But I digress… despite this, the room was packed, the fans were hyped and whether they were there to hear the music or just watch the sideshow, they were there in droves. The Dook and I stood by the stage and watched all this go down and I'll tell you, it was a sight to behold. In the end Les Savy Fav played 14 songs before calling it a night. The crowd howled in approval and the band said farewell.

And just like that it was over. We walked out to the cars, and hit the road. I was off into the night making my way east with all speed... But what a night is had been! The Beast Killer interviews went very well and the live set in between them as absolute fire. Suitor was cool and Les Savy Fav was truly something wild. The crowd was lit and the sound was on point. Yes, all in all it was another fine evening at the Grog. So there you have it. Another night and another adventure logged and sealed into my 250th edition. As always thank you for Rocking and reading and supporting the Scene. Don’t forget to bang your head, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

07/26/2026

Vol. #250: Les Savy Fav, Suitor & Beast Killer

Vol. #249: Hot Dog Fest IV