Music

On Monday, the Cleveland Browns announced that its Fan Kickoff Concert, which was due to feature Bon Jovi, has been cancelled.

The show was slated for Sunday, July 14, at FirstEnergy Stadium, and was also supposed to include a performance by Michael Stanley. The Browns have said that those who purchased tickets may get a refund from the original point of purchase.

The Postal Service performed with opening act Advance Base to a sold out crowd at the LC Pavilion in Columbus on Saturday June 8th.

Advance Base is Owen Ashworth, formerly of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. It was important to me to arrive at the venue early because I was expecting this opening act to be good and I wasn't disappointed. Owen seems like a very down to earth and creative guy. He appeared on stage alone with just his keyboard. He doesn't have a band or backup singers it's just him.

Ashworth's music is different, mellow and in his own words "sad". However it is enjoyable. You can tell the music is meaningful and composed with a a huge amount of effortless talent.

The song titled "Summer Music" has been gaining press and hopefully we will hear more from Advance Base this year. Check out the Advance Base website to read more and check out the video for "Summer Music", it's worth watching. http://www.advancebasemusic.com/

Of Monsters and Men and opening act Half Moon Run sold out the LC Pavilion in Columbus on Wednesday May 29th.

The crowd was very enthusiastic as the the indie rock band from Canada appeared on stage around 8 pm. Half Run Moon has been touring heavily although they have only been together since 2010.

While looking forward to hearing Half Moon Run, I wasn't sure what to expect. They have been gaining press since performing at SXSW and touring with Mumford and Sons.

Their sound is definitely different. During most of the performance I happen to be standing off to the side of the stage. The base was so heavy that it drowned out the lyrics during parts of the show. I blame this on the venue and not the band.

Half Moon Run performed for about 30 minutes. They were definitely a great opening act and succeeded in keeping the crowd energized.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Noelle Scaggs. Noelle is the co-lead singer of the band Fitz And The Tantrums.

Fits And The Tantrums is headlining their own tour this summer while aslo opening some shows for Bruno Mars.

What's the difference between headlining your own show and opening for another artist?

The time slots, its 35 - 40 min when opening when headlining its hours. Also all of our fans buying tickets to see us when headlining and when opening we are trying to gain fan base so its a mixture of fans. There's a difference in fans depending on the city. In New York we have a huge fan base already.

Have you always had a passion for music?

Yeah I kind of stumbled into it. My father had a huge vinyl collection front to back. I listened to Parliament and Temptations while digging through his vinyl collection. I was aloud 1 hour of television a day so I would watch the video channel writing down the lyrics of songs and trying to learn the process of song writing. Trying to learn by singing in my room before performing in front of crowd.

Sarah Brightman, a classically trained singer and actress, says that she is planning to become the first recording artist to venture into space and is setting her sights on a trip to the International Space Station.

Brightman, 52, revealed that she has wanted to explore space ever since 1969 when she was a little girl watching the historic Apollo 11 landing on the moon on her television. She said:

"I was very lucky and privileged to be living in that time to see that actually happen on a black-and-white TV screen and it changed many of us. I don't think there's been anything to date that was like that."

Brightman says that since that moment, she's wanted to go to space and now is making plans for it to become reality. She added:

"It looks as if a special journey into space will be happening for me in a couple of years."

A news conference was held on what would have been funk music pioneer James Browns' 80th birthday, during which a group of Dayton, Ohio, residents announced their intentions to create a hall of fame for funk music in the southwestern Ohio city by collecting $10 donations from 10 million people.

The Dayton Funk Dynasty Group held the press conference late last week to talk about the details of the planned Funk Hall of Fame and Museum. They also urged fans of funk to contribute to the cause.

Taylor Swift performed at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday April 25th. Ed Sheeran opened the show this evening and also performed with Swift during her set.

Taylor appeared on stage in dramatic fashion with an array of dancers, back up singers, and drummers being hoisted to the ceiling. Her bright white smile and red lipstick sparkled on stage. Swift had at least four wardrobe changes throughout the evening.

She opened the show with "State of Grace". After her opening song Swift greeted the crowd and said she was happy to be in Cleveland. She noted that every single seat was sold out at The Q.

Each song was as happy and cheerful as the last. Even if the lyrics were not cheerful Taylor somehow makes the song seem happy. The entire arena sang along to every note sometimes even drowning out Taylor's voice. Everyone had a smile on their face, even parents who brought their young children.

Swift entertained the crowd for nearly two hours. She worked the stage and performed every song with a high level of energy. At one point Taylor was carried through the crowd on someone's shoulders so she could reach a different part of the stage and be closer to some fans.

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern's future is in jeopardy after the city of Cleveland appealed a March ruling at the last minute on April 11 which stated that the concert venue should only have to pay the back admissions taxes it owed, and not what it accrued in interest and penalties. If Cleveland is successful in getting the ruling over turned, which would mean Beachland would be on the hook for the $119,320 owed in back taxes plus the $285,707 accrued in interest and penalties, Beachland co-owner Cindy Barber says that the concert club would have to shut its doors.

The $119,320 tax bill is in itself steep, but Barber says that Beachland was working to increase its cash flow in a way that would allow it to eventually pay down the debt.

Beachland is planning to grow its business by expanding food sales and its vintage store, which sells old accessories, apparel, and records. The venue also hosts a popular Sunday brunch, which they've recently expanded to Saturdays. Barber also reveals that they're planning to serve lunch seven days a week, and have informed the city of their plans to increase business.

In recent years, city of Cleveland officials have aggressively pursued concert club venues in the city to make good on back admissions taxes. This has inspired local clubs to lobby for exemption from the admissions tax law, arguing that the nature of the music business already forces them to operate on a slim budget.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see a fantastic band in Chicago. Frightened Rabbit performed at The Riviera Theater. The opening act was The Twilight Sad, also a Scottish band.

The band from Glasgow is currently on tour promoting their new album titled "Pedestrian Verse". Before attending the show I had only been a fan of the band for a couple of months. I was initially surprised to hear the show was sold out. Now, I know why. It was a great show and the band sounded perfect.

To me, every song from Frightened Rabbit has some similarity. That's not a bad thing because they definitely have a unique sound. When you hear a song from Frightened Rabbit you immediately know it's them.

They played a lengthy setlist including 18 songs from all four of their albums. Fans heard many favorites including "Old Old Fashioned", "December's Traditions", and "Backyard Skulls".

There was one very disappointing aspect of the show in Chicago. The venue, was horrible. This was my first time attending a show at The Riviera and I will never go back. It was impossible to see the stage. It's one big room with no elevation in the floor.

Maroon 5 will be headlining a concert at Blossom Music Center on August 26th. Former American Idol star Kelly Clarkson will be the special guest at the show. PJ Rozzi will open the gig and Honda has been named as sponsor of the show.

"We are very excited to team up with the Honda Civic Tour," said Adam Levine. "Kelly, PJ, Rozzi and Tony are all such unique and amazing artists. I'm really looking forward to hitting the road with them. Each night will be a great night of music."

"We are pleased to welcome Maroon 5 to the Honda Civic Tour stage," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Now in its 12th year and arguably the biggest year in the Civic Tour's history, it's another great opportunity to bring music and Civic fans together."

August 1

St. Louis, MO

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 3

Indianapolis, IN

Klipsch Music Center (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 4

Cincinnati, OH

Riverbend Music Center (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 6

Pittsburgh, PA

First Niagara Pavilion (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 7

Camden, NJ

Susquehanna Bank Center (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 9

Mansfield, MA

Comcast Center (Rozzi Crane to open)

August 10