Cloud Nothings Mixtape

Cleveland, Ohio isn’t exactly known for it’s music scene. Sure, right now we’ve got Emeralds, and my band is starting to do alright I guess, but any nationally recognized artists from the city have been few and far between. However, in the late 70s and early 80s, Cleveland was a breeding ground for the kind of punk weirdos that labels like Siltbreeze or Sacred Bones would eat up these days. The scene was fragmented and small, with shows that were sparsely attended at best, but its influence on punk music as a whole can’t be overlooked. This mix is intended to point out some of the standout bands of the era, and hopefully shed some light on a city that has been unfairly ignored for the better part of its existence.

1 The Styrenes – One Fanzine Reader Writes

The Styrenes’ playful music was informed by both the avant-garde and pop schools of songwriting, tuneful vocals underscored by odd chord changes and gurgling electronics. Styrenes’ Singer Paul Marotta described the band as “loners – in our own loft, doing our own thing,” which is as accurate a description as any. Though many of their songs are piano-based, any comparisons to more popular keyboard rockers couldn’t be further from correct. The Styrenes had their own “proto-punk” sound, making music that was entirely unprecedented, bizarre, and fully their own.

2 Dead Boys – Sonic Reducer

Rising from the skuzzy garage ashes of Rocket From The Tombs, The Dead Boys gained most of their fame from playing in New York, though the group was originally from Cleveland (where they went by the name Frankenstein). The move was inspired by a friendship with Joey Ramone, who thought the band’s wild on-stage antics would go over well in the punk club scene of NYC. Playing often at CBGB quickly led to a record deal with Sire, a division of Warner Brothers. The label pressured the band to tone down the less marketable elements of their music and appeal to a more mainstream audience, leading to the breakup of The Dead Boys; but not before generations of young punks had been motivated by their ferociously vulgar live performances and snotty, angst-fueled records.

3 Chronics – Test Tube Baby

The Chronics hailed from Ashtabula, Ohio, and are possibly the only band with a record out who can make that claim. After hearing the Sex Pistols, friends Bill Elliot, Dave Deluca, Dan DiDonato, and Tim Dorman formed the band and toured around Ohio and Michigan, playing in Youngstown, Detroit, and at the legendary Pirate’s Cove club in Cleveland. Their friends (who happened to be lawyers) got some money together for the group to record a 7”, the A-side of which was “Test Tube Baby.” The 7” turned out to be the only recorded output the band ever released, though a CD of a live show exists somewhere, hopefully to be dug up and reissued soon. The Chronics broke up after a scuffle between Bill and Dan, but the timeless power pop of their sole single is more than enough to cement their place in Cleveland punk lore.

4 Bernie & The Invisibles – I Don’t Know Where I Am

This group is an odd one, even by Cleveland standards. No one seems to know Bernie’s last name, and his backing band is called “The Invisibles” because he couldn’t find anyone else to play with him. Their releases are few, their songs are short and furious, and information about them is scarce. Some people think Bernie is dead now, but someone claiming to be him recently said that he didn’t die, he just got “hit on the foot by a car.” One time Bernie walked from Columbus to Cleveland, just because he wanted to go home. That’s about two hundred miles. And that’s really all there is to say about Bernie & The Invisibles.

5 X-X – You’re Full Of Shit

X-X were a Cleveland punk band who were, if I do say so myself, miles ahead of the more modern XX in terms of, well, everything. Featuring John Morton of Cleveland legends The Electric Eels, X-X was a side project that released a few 7” singles in their time. Aggressive proto-punk that is actually far more punk than plenty of music that came after it, so maybe the “proto” isn’t even needed.

6 Pere Ubu – Waiting For Mary

One of the few Cleveland bands to achieve anything resembling success outside of their home city, Pere Ubu are something of a Cleveland treasure. Though bandleader David Thomas dislikes genre pigeonholing, he has described the band as “avant-garage,” combining their academic avant-garde and blues-rock influences into one term. The band has had myriad lineups and sounds, respected mainly for sticking to their own artistic impulses rather than letting a desire for public acceptance guide any decisions they make. Thomas has said that the band “is not a viable commercial venture,” and that their one success is in their longevity in spite of their tumultuous existence. Changing greatly from album to album, Pere Ubu aren’t a band that can be pinned down easily, but their “avant garage” sound has been influential to countless current art rock and avant garde musicians active on the scene today.

7 Rocket From The Tombs – Ain’t It Fun

Rocket From The Tombs consisted of members of The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu, but had a sound that was far more violent and primitive than either of the two. There isn’t too much more written about this band, but the music speaks for itself. They play a kind of Stooges-informed punk, songs ranging from massive slow burners to all-out rockers. The kind of band that can say their lead singer got a platform shoe thrown at him, which broke his nose and caused him to vomit blood the entire day (true story).

8 Electric Eels – Jaguar Ride

THE Cleveland punk band. Nothing like them has existed since. Just look at their insane website for a taste of their brand of weird.

9 Mirrors – Living Without You

Mirrors, Cleveland’s answer to the Velvet Underground, started (and ended) in the small-time. One of their first shows was at a bowling banquet – the one prior to it had been at the local YMCA, where a boy invited himself onstage to accompany them on piano. They continued their career much in the same vein, never graduating to bigger stages (except for the local battle of the bands they played, not winning any new fans in spite of the 30’ high stage). They played Velvets-style music because, as member Jamie Klimek says, “it was easy.” They bragged about knowing more than three chords, but never seemed to use more than two of them in any one song. Truly minimalist rock and roll, Mirrors broke up and their members moved on to The Styrenes and The Electric Eels, leaving behind an album’s worth of classic, stoned psych pop for Clevelanders to zone out to for years to come.

10 Clocks – Confidentially Renee

Featuring members of The Pagans, Bernie & The Invisibles, and Chronics, Clocks originally formed in ’79 to make a song called “Ticktockman,” about a sci-fi book by Harlan Ellison. The single got national press and garnered comparisons to such musical luminaries as the Chocolate Watchband, among others, and provided the band with the impetus to stay together and record more. In their short lifespan they somehow managed to open for AC/DC and Iggy Pop, as well as gain a small and loyal Cleveland following. Their psych-tinged acid pop was a bit behind the times, but not worse off for it. Every song they released was a hit, and the members went on to form a band called Venus Envy – how could they be anything but good?

11 The Baloney Heads – I’m A Drunk

A gloriously dumb party punk band that formed out of a conversation in a Cleveland living room, The Baloney Heads sound exactly like their name suggests. This could come out on Burger Records today and feel right at home. There isn’t too much information about these guys floating around, so no deep back story on this one. I’d imagine The Baloney Heads would like it that way, though. They weren’t around to dwell on the past, they were just focused on the present – and that present always seemed to be taking place at a party.

12 The Pagans – What’s This Shit Called Love?

THE OTHER Cleveland punk band. As with The Electric Eels, I direct you toward an outside source for this one… a geocities page, of all things.

Cloud Nothings Cleveland Mixtape

01 The Styrenes – One Fanzine Reader Writes
02 Dead Boys – Sonic Reducer
03 Chronics – Test Tube Baby
04 Bernie & The Invisibles – I Don’t Know Where I Am
05 X-X – You’re Full Of Shit
06 Pere Ubu – Waiting For Mary
07 Rocket From The Tombs – Ain’t It Fun
08 Electric Eels – Jaguar Ride
09 The Mirrors – Living Without You
10 Clocks – Confidentially Renee
11 The Baloney Heads – I’m A Drunk
12 The Pagans – What’s This Shit Called Love?

Submitted by Dylan Baldi of Cloud Nothings