When: Tuesday, 8pm-10pm
Where: South Stage
Web: gravity-store.com
Straight out of Cleveland, the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, Gravity is causing quite a stir with their energetic and engaging music. Their live shows continue to receive rave reviews from the progressive rock community. The band has already opened for world-renowned acts such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Kamelot and King’s X, and they have won numerous competitions in Cleveland, including the Cuyahoga Community College Battle of the Bands, the Ohio State University’s Romophos Battle of the Bands, the Medina County Fair Battle of the Bands, and most notably the Live Nation 2007 High School Rock Off at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame where they placed first out of over 200 Ohio bands. In 2009, they performed at the Three Rivers Progressive Rock Festival (3RP) in Pittsburgh alongside some of the most well-known U.S. prog bands. Their first full-length CD Into Oblivion was released in 2007 and they are currently performing in support of their 2010 release, Midnight Sonata.
When: Wednesday, 7pm-10pm
Where: South Stage
Web: stranger80s.com
Stranger is a band that was formed in 1996. The concept of the band is simple...the 80's RULE! The ironic thing about Stranger is that the songs we play are the same ones on the radio back in 1985. That's where the idea for the "Party Like It's 1985 Tour" came from (and an advertisement for the movie "The Wedding Singer").
In recent years, we have opened for Hall & Oates/Chicago at Polaris in Columbus, Survivor and Rick Springfield at Courthouse Square in Dayton, and, most recently Starship at the Moraine Heritage Festival. The music of the 80's is fun and upbeat. It brings back fun memories of high school and college. It is the soundtrack of our lives. If you want to experience the 80's like you are actually back in time, check out an upcoming Stranger show. See for yourself why they are referred to as...an 80's band.
When: Friday, 8pm-10pm
Where: South Stage
Web: xpendablerocks.com
Xpendable is a christian Frunk band from Ohio made up by...
Courtnee Morris (voice and acoustic guitar)
Gideon Fisher (voice and drums)
Paul Eckert (voice, keys, sax and trombone)
Scott Frobel (bass)
David Smith (electric guitar)
Amanda Wolford (voice)
Frunk is a genre of music that we created which utilizes jam funk, rap and rock. You gotta see it to believe it!
When: All Week on the Midway
Where: Midway (by Fair Office)
Web: jeffpanmusic.com
One-time organist for the Cleveland Indians and professional musician since 1970, Jeff Cavello had already had a distinguished muscial career when in 1987, he brought his first steel drum back with him from Grenada. The rest is history. A fan favorite at the fair, Jeff has become a steel drum virtuoso. In his trademark Hawaiian shirt, he injects the fair atmosphere with a Caribbean flavor which reminds everyone that it's summertime. And in Cleveland, where the weather all too rarely suits his clothes, that means it's time for some fun in the sun. Jeff also plays the electric keyboard, and has added some new instruments to the mix, namely the Hammond B-3 organ (the Jazz standard, with the Korg CX-3 keyboard). He also added the digital marimba and vibes sound of the MalletKat—a 3-octave keyboard sized percussion unit.
Jeff recently recorded and released a CD of Steel Pan favorites. CLICK HERE for CD and ordering information.
About the Steel Drum
The steel drum originates from the island of Trinidad, in the Caribbean (off the coast of South America) in the 30's and 40's. The first large drums were created from used oil drums, which had been left over from WWII, when the United States had a Naval base in Trinidad. The islanders had been using dented biscuit cans that someone discovered could produce simple tones and melodies by striking different parts of the indentations. Through experimentation and use of better materials, it was found if the metal was stretched and heated with fire (tempering the steel), the notes could be tuned. A Lead Pan (Soprano/One Pan) can have over two octaves (26 notes) and is used for playing the melody and some harmony. The next range are The Double-Seconds (Altos/Two Pans), and the notes are larger in size which produce a lower tone for melody and harmonies. Next come The Cellos (Tenors/Four Pans), and are used for harmonies. At the lowest end of the tone range are The Basses (Bass/Six to Eight Full-Size Drums). Because of the size required to produce bass notes, each drum has only three notes each.
