Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Volume #261: Violet Ray, Shed Dwellers, Vandalizard & Wasted Society

October 23rd, 2026

The Five O’clock Lounge

Greetings and salutations to you, my most esteemed Rock N’ Roll disciple. It is with the utmost pleasure that I sit down to share with you another tale from the Cleveland Underground. It began at about 6:45, when old boy Joha rolled through. We hit the road, scooping up my brother along the way, and pointed the ride West. Our destination: The 5. This is without a doubt one of my favorite spots to see a show. The Five O'clock Lounge provides an exceptional atmosphere, better than reasonable drink prices and, most importantly, great bands. This past Friday was no exception as The 5 was hosting the Violet Ray CD release party for their new album “Sk8t Gang.” In support Violet Ray brought out Shed Dwellers, Vandalizard and Wasted Society. With a line up like that, the night was looking to be a good one. So we arrived, headed inside and began to mingle. In good time the first band began their sound check, and the people began to trickle in from the bar, patio and sidewalk.

With the crowd now in place, the music began without further delay. Opening the show was Wasted Society. This band is a three piece Rock N’Roll band, built from Bass/Vocals, Guitar and Drums. My very first note says simply: “Fucking Great!” Whatever Wasted Society did to start off their set must have really impressed me, because I was calling them “great” before I even got into my basic descriptions. As for that description, here’s what I learned about W.S.… Their Bass player utilizes clean Vocals, with a good bit of grit to sharpen the sound. They had very solid Drum work, hard Rocking and precise. Their Bass lines were great; bouncing and driving. The real show was their Guitarist though. This guy could play, and I type that with the utmost intensity. His skills were mind blowing. He was a shredder without question and we all stood in awe as he ripped the frets with ferocity. Add his skill together with all those other elements and throw in some exceptional songwriting and you’ve got Wasted Society. The songs were excellent, they were fun, energized and they opened up the show just right. The fans were really into them from the get go and they applauded heavily after every track. I think they played a total of six songs, closing out with their flagship song: “Wasted Society.” When it was over the fans cheered vehemently, letting Wasted Society know they were greatly appreciated. Joha and I wandered to the sidewalk out front where we encountered Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor, my co-host on the Heavy on Cleveland Podcast. Together we chilled as we waited for the next band to assume control of the stage, which in due time, of course, they did.

Up second was Vandalizard. This is a four piece Punk Band made up of Guitar/Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vocals, Bass/Backing Vocals & Drums. They have an outstanding style with grainy Vocals, great melodies and plenty of top quality “Whoas!” Also they have an excellent two Guitar attack, acrobatic Basslines and a Drummer who truly crushes. They opened with “Show Me The Way To Go Home,” a sort of cover lifted from the reels of JAWS. This gave way to their tale of two siblings: “Bad Influence.” “Walk the Earth” came next, followed by “Jenny Destiny,” “Dissonant Dude” and “On The Tracks.” I stood and watched them jam. They Rocked out, threw down and played hard, for sure. Behind that though they were all smiling and laughing, and I realized that this was simply four old friends, messing around and having a good time. No better time for this realization to hit me then when they broke into “Roaches.” This song is about the younger years, the good times, the yesterdays. It is pure nostalgia and one hell of a good song as well. “Heartless” went hard for sure, its notes ringing out true and clear. Then Vandalizard slowed things down a bit with their immigrant’s tale “Coyote’s Teeth.” Now we were in the home stretch and so they hit us with some serious firepower. First was “The Thing From Railroad Street,” followed by “Good Deeds” and then finally “The Grove.” In what felt like a flash, Vandalizard blew through 12 songs and still left us wishing for more. The fans cheered, the band said goodnight, and then it was on to the next thing.

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Out to the patio smoke pit and back again we migrated, returning us to the stage just in time for the third act of the night: Shed Dwellers. This is three piece band made up of Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Vocals & Drums. Their style is hard, fast, noisy and aggressive. They utilize a savage, two pronged Vocal attack. Both voices were shouted and coarse; intense and furious. They ranted and screamed in a similar style, though in differing and unique tones. This created a maelstrom of chaotic layers, laid over punishing music. Early in the set I noticed the Drumwork. It was rock solid with a decent groove, considering the rough edge to the overall sound. At one point even leading the crowd in a call and response which went more ore less like: “I say WAR, You say BAD!” “War! Bad! War! Bad!” This was a chant the crowd could get behind, and we all joined in. They played 14 songs, I think, before calling it quits. The fans applauded and thanked Shed Dwellers for their musical contributions to the evenings vibe. Then it was one more trip outside before the main event.

Violet Ray, the Kings of Skate Rock, was up next and I was stoked to see it all go down. With their new album fresh from the presses, and new songs in their arsenal, it promised to be an excellent set. For those of you who are new here, let me introduce you to our hosts. Violet Ray is a four piece Punk Rock band made up of Guitar/Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums. They are known for sick riffs, throbbing Bass lines and concussive percussion. More than that they are synonymous with Skateboarding and Skate culture. They kicked off with their new albums opener: “Birdman.” This tribute to Tony Hawk is nothing if not a classic Violet Ray track. It packs in all their standard traits: blistering lead licks, intricate grooving Bass and relentless Drumwork. This song launched the set with incredible force. Next was “Master of Disaster” followed by “Don’t Jump Off” and “Break Your Face.”

“Ripper Girl,” a Pro girl skate anthem, was followed by “Skate Army Never Dies” and “Grosso.” “Skate Gang” blasted off with the Bass player standing atop the Bass Drum. Continuing to hit heavy on the new album they broke into “Frontside Grind” and “Exalt the New God” as well as “Skate Rat.” Then closing out with some classic old material they belted out “Phillips 66.” This they dedicated to “the greatest skater to ever skate” the one and only “Jeff Phillips.” People danced and sang as frontman Billy hoisted a metal “No Skateboarding” sign, presumably on loan from the Cleveland PD, as well as a sign displaying a classic Thrasher pentagram. The fans went wild with delight and cheered enthusiastically as Violet Ray took their final bows.

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And then it was over. We said our good nights, and headed for the door. Homeward bound we road East and toward the impending dawn. I went home, ate some tacos and passed out in a heap. What a night it had been though. Cold drinks, hot smoke, good friends and great music. The bar was crowded and the vibe was Rockin.’ There’s not a whole lot more that I can ask for from a Friday night. So there you have it Cleveland. Another weekend and another show. Another log entry in the captain’s chronicle that is the Rustbelt Rock Review. Thank you for continuing down this road with me. We’ll see where it take us next. Your guess is as good as mine. Bang your heads, hoist your horns and always wear your earplugs.

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

10/24/2026

Vol #261: Violet Ray, Shed Dwellers, Vandalizard & Wasted Society

Volume #260: Mastodon w/ Deafheaven & Alcest