Chad Baker
After being on the road for most of the start of 2016, Chad Baker has finally returned home. The country singer will be opening the show for Josh Thompson at Thirsty Cowboy in Medina on Saturday, May 7th along with his band The Undertakers.
An Akron native, Baker returned from his Wild West Tour last month. The tour started in February in Cincinnati and had stops in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The 22-show tour had Baker on the road for two months, and he is already planning the next one.
Catch Baker while he is back in town at Kickin’ Kountry in Bolivar on Friday, May 6th, opening for Thompson on May 7th or at The Bar Akron along with Kyle Thomas and Noah Smith on Friday, June 3rd.
Whiskey Bound
Whiskey Bound is one of the newer bands in town and has already started filling up their calendar with shows from Cleveland to Wooster to Painesville. The band plays country mixed with southern rock and some classic rock. The band is Chris Grabbe on Lead vocals and lead guitar, harmonica and keys; Cody Adkins on guitar; Dan Pyne on vocals, guitar, keys and cowbell; Chris Tripp on vocals, bass guitar; Steve Grabbe on drums.
Whiskey Bound will be at the new Wild Eagle Saloon in Cleveland on Saturday, April 30th; on Saturday, May 7th they head to Wooster for the Harleys & Hot Rods event at the Ugly Duck and on Saturday, May 14th at Lake County Speedway in Ashtabula and return to the Wild Eagle Saloon on Friday, June 10th; Saturday, June 11th they will be playing The BAR Akron.
For more information on the band, upcoming shows or to buy the Whiskey Bound t-shirts and other swag, got to whiskeyboundmusic.com
WACO Homecoming Festival & Parade
The Waco Homecoming and Community Festival is an annual fundraiser for the Waco Firefighters Association and will take place May 5th – May 7th. Come and enjoy the many different foods, games and entertainment that the festival has to offer. All grandstand entertainment, including the nightly live bands, are FREE. Tony Rio & Relentless will be performing at the WACO Festival on Friday, May 6th at 8:00pm.
The Waco Homecoming parade will be held on Saturday at noon. The Waco Homecoming Queen Pageant will take place at Saturday at 2:00pm. Rides, crafts, food, and other concessions pack the Waco Festival grounds during this fun filled weekend.
The Waco Homecoming Festival is held on the First weekend each year in May. The Waco Homecoming Festival is located 1/2 Mile East of Waynesburg Dr, on 17th Street SE in Canton, Ohio.
For more information o the WACO Homecoming Festival go to wacohomecoming.com
Tony Rio & Relentless / Pay it Forward for Pets
Tony Rio & Relentless are not only playing the WACO Homecoming, but will also be at the Red Dog Saloon in East Sparta, Ohio on Saturday, April 30th; on Friday, May 13th at The Whiskey Ranch CAK in Green and on Saturday, May 14th they will be playing a benefit for Pay it Forward for Pets at St. Sebastian Church in Akron.
The Pay it Forward for Pets Benefit is the organizations 3rd Annual Casino Night. In addition to live music by Tony Rio & Relentless, your ticket includes Doggie Dollars to gamble the night away; delicious food by Two Hungary Sisters catering of Akron; two drink tickets (cash bar also available); silent auction, side bets and many chances to win great prizes!!
Also on hand for the Casino Night will be WQMX personalities and long time friends of Pay it Forward for Pets, Scott Wynn and Sue Wilson, who will be emceeing the event.
Pay It Forward for Pets improves the lives of people and “rescued” pets through several special programs. Reserve your tickets: Call 330-620-8102 or Email Dalal@PayItForwardForPets.org
Chris Salyer
Chris Salyer has toured all over the country including two performances at showcases at SXSW in Austin, Texas where he opened for Collective Soul. He was a 2015 Country Star Playoffs runner up in Celina, Ohio and Opened for Cody Jinks at Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton, Ohio. He will also be opening for a national country act at this year’s Wayne Country Jamboree.
Salyer and his band, The Shooters, will also be performing at Ohio Spring Fest in Toledo on Sunday, May 15th; and on Sunday, May 29th they will headline the Ottawa County Farm Fest, Matt Goodrich of Port Clinton will open the show. Salyer will also perform a solo acoustic set at the 5th Annual Tiffin Music and Arts festival on June 10th and will play, along with his guitar player, at the Wayne Country Jamboree on Saturday, July 23rd.
For more information and show dates for Chris Salyer & The Shooters check out their Facebook page or look them up at ReverbNation.com.
Monica Robins
You may know Monica Robins from her “day” job as Senior Health Correspondent with WKYC in Cleveland. She has over 25 years experience as a reporter and received an Emmy Award for her work, But, a lot of folks still don’t know that she sings in her own bands and has been doing it since she was a teenager.
She fronts two bands, The Whiskey Kings, a classick rock band and The Ninja Cowboys, a country band that covers Top 40 country. The Ninja Cowboys have been taking off, and their popularity continues to grow with country music fans and country line dancers.
At a recent performance I caught up with Robins and The Ninja Cowboys who are: Sid Solomon on guitar, Jim Bacha on bass, Jim McShane on keys, and Deke Kumler on drums.
Monica Robins and The Ninja Cowboys will be keeping busy all summer and you can catch them at Northfield Park on Saturday May 7th (3:30pm) for the Kentucky Derby simulcast; on Friday, May 20th they will be at Brothers Lounge in Cleveland and on Thursday, May 26th they will be performing at the Hard Rock Rocksino in Club Velvet for the WQMX Rockin’ Country Night.
You can find out more about Monica Robins and The Ninja Cowboys, including more upcoming shows, at their website MonicaRobins.com or follow them on Facebook.
Mark Leach
Mark Leach celebrated the release of his latest EP, Homemade, earlier this month at Thirsty Cowboy in Medina. The EP was in the top 10 country preorders on iTunes for 3 straight weeks. If you haven’t ordered a copy, here’s the link to pre-order! Maybe you can send Homemade back into the Top Ten before it’s expected release on Tuesday, May 3rd. https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1099925852?ls=1&app=itunes
As far as this summer, Leach will be opening for one of his biggest idols, Eric Church when he plays The Country Fest at Clays Park Resort on Saturday, June 11th.
“He’s been my idol for like 6 years now so it’s pretty surreal to have this opportunity, Leach stated. “It was at one of his shows that I decided to take the plunge and go all in with my music.”
In addition to his performance at The Country Fest, Leach will also be performing at Jerzee’s in Canton on Saturday, May 14th; Block 7 in Barberton on Saturday, May 21st and at Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown, Ohio July 16th.
Jimmy Parker
Nashville recording artist, Jimmy Parker will be performing at the Broadview Heights Historical Societies, “Country Comes to Broadview Heights” house concert on Saturday, May 7th. Parker, a Virginia native stays true to his love of “traditional country music,” and has recorded five albums since he returned to the music business in 2004.
Parker first moved to Nashville in 1990, but left the music business in 1996 to take care of his wife who had become ill and passed away in 2003. Parker returned a year later and started by creating his own record label (Heart2Heart) and by 2012 he was awarded the “Best Male Country Artist” award by the Independent Country Music Assoiciation (ICoMA). As a result, CMG Nashville record label took notice and signed Parker to a recording contract in 2012. Their first release with him, “Thought I’d Be Home By Now,” hit Americana radio stations and began picking up airplay on many other stations.
Currently, his song “Jonesin’” is sitting at #1 on the Independent Hot Country Singles Chart. The song is reminiscent of his influences, which include Johnny Cash, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard and many more classic country artists.
Parker’s concert will start at 7:00pm on Saturday, May 7th at the Broadview Heights Community Center, 9543 Broadview Road. Tickets are $15 and no reservations are required. For more information call Judy Bender at 440-237-5281.
Kyle Thomas
Kyle Thomas released his self-titled EP at Whiskey Ranch on April 8th, and despite the blizzard that night the event was a success. Thomas sold copies of the EP that night, as well as numerous more on iTunes.
Thomas continues booking through the summer to keep the momentum going with his music and build upon the success of the release. He is very pleased with the reception of his music and was happy to tell CCM that just a week after the release he had fans singing along to his originals when he played Nashville Nights. Thomas is working hard to book some regional tours and is heading out to his alma mater, West Virginia University, April 30th to perform at West Virginia’s premiere music venue, Schmitt’s Saloon. He says he is excited to perform to his college town where he played football and play for old teammates and coaches, as well as, the local following he has from playing there when he was at WVU.Locally, one of the highlights for this summer is a cross genre show with an up and coming rock band, Flight 619, at the Outpost in Kent. The Crossroads show will take place May 13th and is sponsored by 97.5 WONE and Monster Energy Drinks.
Thomas will be performing at Thirsty Cowboy in Medina on Saturday, May 14th and Friday, June 10th; he returns to Whiskey Ranch CAK in Green on Sunday, June 5th and Saturday, June 25th and will be making his debut at the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown on July 9th. Keep up to date on other shows at Kyle Thomas Country on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you haven’t heard his new EP yet you can grab a copy at his next show or listen to it online on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and Reverb Nation.
Erica Dawn
The Canton Repository featured Erica Dawn in an article a few weeks back. The story asked the singer a lot of questions, one being what people can expect from her live shows. She explained it like this, “We try to give out as much energy as we can, and the crowd gives it right back. My set list features my originals and of course country covers. But you’ll find me throwing in a lot of classics from ZZ Top to Eminem. I like to feature songs for everyone. My band and myself take pride in not being your typical country band. We want our audience to feel the atmosphere we’re all about. It’s like coming out to a party!”
A party indeed, especially if you were at her show at Whiskey Ranch in Green for her EP Release Party. Dawn, released the EP titled Break of Dawn on April 16th and from the response she has found that people love the song, “Stayin’ In.” The song was written by Dawn, and her musical partner, Dustin Allen. Another one of the songs on the EP, “Officer Hero” is a song in honor of fallen Akron police officer Justin Winebrenner, who was killed in the line of duty in November of 2014.
Dawn and her band has a summer that is filled with shows. Her next is at Main Street Saloon in Akron on Saturday, May 14th, followed by a show at Fire and Ice in Akron on Saturday, May 21st. On Friday, June 24th Dawn will open the show for Vonn Kiss, a new southern rock artist, at Somewhere Else bar in Newark, Ohio. Dawn is also very excited to play at Diet’z Landing on Portage Lakes on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
Erica Dawn’s debut EP, “The Break of Dawn” is available on iTunes and Googleplay. You can follow her on her website, EricaDawnMusic.com or on Facebook and Twitter at @EricaDawnMusic or find her shows at BandsInTown.com/ EricaDawnMusic
