Neighborhood Nights gain steam at Beachland
Manhattan Beach, an all-star collection of Shore Acres residents led by husband and wife team Scott Stettin and Meredith Pangrace.
The North Collinwood neighborhood has a rich tradition of musician residents and performance spots. We have the Frank Yankovic square at E. 152nd and Waterloo in honor of the legendary polka man who took his Cleveland Slovenian-style ethnic music up the pop charts in the ‘50s, and in ‘60s era the neighborhood drew music fans to the pavilion at Euclid Beach and the dances at the Green Darby on Lakeshore. At the Beachland, we are trying to keep that tradition alive by once a month showcasing some of the musicians who currently live in North Collinwood and inviting all of our neighbors to sample this experience for free. We are celebrating the success of this monthly gathering on Sunday night February 16 in the tavern with an extra special lineup of performers.
The tradition started about a year ago but picked up steam with the help of Dan Bode, a Shore Acres resident and lead singer/harmonica player for the band Moko Bovo. Dan has been regularly offering the jazzy blues of Moko Bovo. which also includes guitarist Al Moses, bass player Rick Kodramaz and drummer John Stebal, as a centerpiece for these nights.
Other regular performers have been: bassist Albert Dennis, a longtime resident of Overlook Park street, who has retired from his day job and now spends much of his time playing with blues singer/guitarist Mary Martin and others; Maura Rogers, who moved into a house rehabbed by Northeast Shores Development Corporation not far from the Beachland a couple years ago, but is also one of Cleveland’s strongest up-and-coming singer/songwriters on the scene; and Mike Uva, another Shore Acres resident who created his own record label and performs his own beautifully penned Americana-style songs solo or with a band.
On February 16th, we are putting together a solid lineup of local performers starting with John McGrail, who lives off E. 185th Street and has a rich history of performing and recording his heartfelt folk music. Next up will be Jeff Powers, who currently lives just past the North Collinwood border in Euclid and just did his CD release party at the Beachland. His special guest will be Dolfish (Max Sollisch) who just moved to this neighborhood a few months ago but is a nationally touring artist we are proud to welcome into our fold. Jeff plays a three string cigar-box guitar and is a bluesy singer/songwriter. And then comes Manhattan Beach, an all-star collection of Shore Acres residents led by husband and wife team Scott Stettin and Meredith Pangrace on guitar and accordion respectively. They have ensnared both Dan Bode and Mike Uva into this group with Mike taking on the bass duties and added neighbor Mike Moritz on drums, even though the neighborhood knows him more for his construction of the Waterloo leaning tower. This band in many ways is the perfect outgrowth of our monthly Neighborhood Night gatherings. And closing out the night is Beachland doorman and favored singer/songwriter Joey Beltram and his Goodmorning Valentine trio. Joey is one of Cleveland’s strongest songwriters and has been on Mike Uva’s label in the past.
Come join this celebration of neighborhood and music and cross connections in North Collinwood.