The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presents it’s 2012 FREE live concert series. Beginning on Wednesday, July 11th some of the country’s most buzzed about up and coming artists will perform on the Museum plaza (weather permitting, if necessary it will be moved inside to the Main Stage), and concessions will be available for purchase from the Museum and local food trucks on the plaza, as well. Summer in the City is sponsored by KeyBank, Jim Beam, Yuengling and Panasonic Automotive.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
JULY 11 – 7 p.m.
Cloud Nothings with Herzog
· Cloud Nothings have gone from making lo-fi indie rock in a parent’s basement in 2009 to releasing an EP, a handful of singles, a compilation album and two studio albums of new material, as well as touring North America and Europe, where their live performances showcase songs full of energy and precision. In 2010, the band recorded in Baltimore’s famed Copycat Building (home to the original Wham City and many of the city’s best musicians). The resulting self-titled album released in 2011 featured group founder Dylan Baldi playing all of the instruments. The band released the critically acclaimed Attack on Memory, which was engineered by Steve Albini, in early 2012 and performed at SXSW in March. Cloud Nothings have been featured in Rolling Stone, Spin and the New York Times.
· Cleveland-based band Herzog is an indie rock band consistently compared to iconic bands in the pantheon of ‘90’s “slacker rock” acts. Their arrangements are beautifully complex and catchy, and the instrumentation ideally and intelligently complements the lyrics of each song. The band’s new album, Cartoon Violence, is their first full-length since their 2010 album, Search, and embraces sounds ranging from 1970s FM radio ballads, McCartney-esque pop stylings and straightforward power-pop. They have received positive reviews for their albums from the likes of NME, Pitchfork, and NPR’s All Songs Considered.
JULY 25 – 7 p.m.
Torche with Ohio Sky
· Formed in Miami, Florida, Torche has rocked fans, critics, and stereos alike since their inception in 2004. Referred to as “stoner pop,” “thunder rock,” and “sludge metal,” the band was built around lead vocalist/guitarist, Steve Brooks’ signature “bomb-string” detonation-detune. Their self-titled album, Torche, was declared as the #7 album of 2005 on Decibel magazine’s annual top 40 list. Decibel magazine also ranked the band’s second album, Meanderthal, as #1 on their list in 2008. Their latest album, Harmonicraft, was released in April. The band has toured with Mogwai, Isis, Baroness, and in 2010 they opened for Coheed and Cambria on their tour alongside Circa Survive.
· Ohio Sky is a Cleveland-based quintet combining indie aesthetics with pounding rock rhythms and pop sensibilities to form a unique concoction as accessible as it is original. They are known for their boundless songwriting, striking imagery, and winning over crowds with their highly energetic live performances. Their visceral, sonic vibrations range from heavy to light, and are always ethereal. Ohio Sky’s honest experimentation with music gives their style a powerful poignancy that’s rare to find in a band.
AUGUST 1 – 7 p.m.
Bear in Heaven and Mr. Gnome (co-headlining)
· Known for entertaining a crowd while defying musical boundaries, Brooklyn-based band Bear in Heaven emerged in 2003 with their album Tunes Nextdoor to Songs and have delighted listeners ever since. Their sound is ahead of its time with unexpected, futuristic rock music that is written in the present tense but ready to speak to the future. Their latest album, I Love You, It’s Cool, was released in April 2012 following their well-received album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, released in 2010. Three days after their performance at the Rock Hall, Bear in Heaven will take the stage at Lollapalooza.
· Inspired by a taste for the surreal, Cleveland’s Mr. Gnome has been creating a singular amalgam of gritty, space-psychedelia since 2005, gaining them an ever-growing cult following across North America and Europe, as well as praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Paste, Spin, Bust and more. Singer/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer/pianist Sam Meister bring an unfiltered approach to their craft, allowing for emotional and sonic variance. With a nod to the off-kiltered, the constantly touring duo are supporting their third full-length album, Madness In Miniature, which was recorded at Josh Homme’s (Queens of the Stone Age/Them Crooked Vultures) Pink Duck Studios in Los Angeles. While the previous two albums offered mere glimpses, the new album is an all-encompassing gaze into two delicate yet roaring, hypnotic and beautifully disconcerting minds that come together to make sense as one.
AUGUST 22 – 7 p.m.
Sharon Van Etten with Bethesda
· Since 2009, Sharon Van Etten has been continuously recognized by her expanded sound and unmistakable voice. Since her second album, Epic, Van Etten has opened the Pitchfork Music Festival, played the Hollywood Bowl with Neko Case and performed at Radio City Music Hall with the Antlers. Her latest album, Tramp, defies and illuminates the unsteadiness of a life in flux. Throughout the 14 months of scattered recording sessions, Van Etten was without a home – crashing with friends and storing her possessions between varied locations. The only constant in her life during this time was spent in the garage studio of the National’s Aaron Dessner. Van Etten has traveled far, and if her displacement took an emotional toll, she offset those setbacks with a powerfully articulated vision.
· Although Bethesda is an Ohio-bred band whose homespun tales and sounds are grounded in the folk tradition, the members’ eclectic musical backgrounds, creative energy and flair for the dramatic ensure that they’re never beholden to the trappings of one particular style. Instead, the group’s core of musicians – violinist Christopher Black, bassist Dan Corby, vocalist Shanna Delaney, guitarist/vocalist Eric Ling, drummer Justin Rife and guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Jesse Sloan – have cultivated a refreshingly vibrant sound that has made them a band to watch. Their music has been slated to appear in programming on Showtime, MTV, Oxygen, VH1 and E!; they’ve shared the stage with such noted indie acts as Azure Ray and fellow Ohio native, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and exposure on more than 200 independent and college radio stations nationwide has given them serious buzz.
Please visit rockhall.com/events/summer-sessions and follow the Rock Hall on Facebook and Twitter for more information on the Summer in the City bands and concert series.
About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.
The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays (and Saturdays through Labor Day), the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), children under 8 and Museum Members are always free, for information or to join the membership program call 216.515.8425.
For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK(7625) or visit www.rockhall.com