Esquire Records-Choir,Cyrus Erie-Listen Up!

[ira]

Is this old news? Go to www.esquirerecords.com click onradiocmc and scroll down to letter "C" and listen to the "Choir" doing "Cold Outside" and"If These Are Men" and "Cyrus Erie" doing "Sparrow" and"Get The Message".It is a site for great Cleveland bands.By the way-in my humble opinion "Raspberries Live in 2005 do a far better "Cold Outside"-enjoy-Ira.

[suede]

thanks a lot , i never heard those cyrus erie tunes before

[Raspberries4ever]

Thanks for the link, Ira! There are also songs from Damnation of Adam Blessing, James Gang, THE QUICK!, Circus, Michael Stanley Band... lots of good old Cleveland bands! Brought back lots of memories! Definitely worth a look & listen!

[darlene]

Thanks, Ira! How do you find all of this stuff?!

Very cool website!

--Darlene

[sterling]

Ira,

The esquire website is how I first heard The Choir and their great #1 hit Its Cold Outside. It took me a while but I finally heard the song. Its a great website that includes Sonny Geraci (or at least it did). Check your mailbox the next few days. You should be getting more than Raspberries Tonight.

Phil

[beachberry]

Listen to the Action. Heavily influenced by the Berries....right down to the "c'mon,c..mon"

80's band out of Akron, Ohio

[beachberry]

Darlene,

This is Cleveland at its best. The website covers 40+years of rnr history. The great things are most of the people still live in the area are really cool to be around as many still play the music in clubs. Also they are grooming a new generation to their music, and the kids are taking in a different but cool direction.

[LobsterLvr]

Wow...I had never heard Billy Sullivan until visiting this site. It's amazing how much he sounds like Eric!

Dave

[raspberrywine]

Thanks Ira, cool.

[beachberry]

Check out The Quick, with Eric singing like Robert Plant

[John Shaft]

Does anybody, by chance, remember a band from Cleveland called Nation Of One? WMMS used to play a cut of theirs called "Devil Or Angel" that I absolutely fell in love with. I have a so-so recording of it taped off the radio but if a single was ever released I'd sure love to get a copy. Can anybody help out the man in the purple hat?

[kazumi]

Ira, Thank you for the link. Very cool website, indeed.

Kazumi

[sllvnbil]

Hey John, Nation of One was the brainchild of Mark Addison {formerly of the Generators}. "Devil or Angel" was indeed a great record! 1986 was the year that WMMS was playing local Cleveland artist on full rotation maily because of the newly appointed Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, the record industry was "briefly" looking at promising Cleveland acts. It was definately an exciting time for all of us! Not only Nation of One, but my record 'Never Again {Without You}" was getting strong airplay as well as 'Beau Coup", Exotic Birds" and Eric's 'Rock Stops Here". I played in a short lived band w Mark Addison called the "Honor System". Me and Mark also played in the very first 'Cleveland" version of "Gary Lewis & the Playboys" back in 1986. Mark now resides in Austin, TX and runs a recording studio. Billy Sullivan

[Keith Nivan]

Cleveland music freaks check out this cool book:

Rock \'N\' Roll and the Cleveland Connection

by Deanna Adams.

Lots of cool stuff about Raspberries and all the bands mentioned in this thread.

Very well-researched, lots of great pictures. A terrific read.

"K"

[John Shaft]

I agree, that book is incredible. Reading that book made me realize that I was definitely born ten years too late. Man, what I would've given to have been able to hang at the Agora and all of those classics haunts .... ahh, to dream the impossible dream.

[Leff'tHome]

Dee is a great writer and a good friend. Seems like I see her at all the Cleveland shows. She worked on that book for YEARS and did loads of in-depth interviews with anyone and everyone. And, like the Raspberries, had a tough time getting her publisher to help promote the book. She's a little wiser now (sound familiar?). Her book would be an excellent gift for anyone who is interested in the Cleveland music scene.

[MikeM]

Listen to the Action. Heavily influenced by the Berries....right down to the "c'mon,c..mon"

80's band out of Akron, Ohio

Since no one else has pointed this out, I will. The Action featured Brent Warren on bass. Brent later wrote some songs with Billy Sullivan for Scott McCarl's "Play On" album. He's been a good friend of mine since his earliest Action days.

The main singer/guitarist in the band was Mike Purkhiser, who's the brother of Lux Interior of The Cramps.

[sllvnbil]

Thanks Mike for the mention! I first met Brent Warren when he was in the Action. At that time,I was in a Cleveland band called "Club Wow" which featured Jimmy Zero from the Dead Boys and Frank Secich from Blue Ash along w myself and Jeff West on drums. We used to play shows together like at the old Pirates Cove in the Flats and the old Agora on E.24th. Me and Brent became friends and some years later, we started writing songs together. We had some artists like Dave Edmunds and Brian Setzer interested in a few songs of ours. The first song we wrote together was "I'll Be On My Way" which Scott McCarl recorded for his CD "Play On". Brent landed the gig as co producer for an upcoming album project w Scott McCarl. Scott is a great guy and was great to work with. I remember one day just for fun working out the harmonies to the Beatle song "Yes It Is". During the recording, I had to leave on a Gary Lewis road trip out west somewhere and when I got back, Scott and Brent finished the vocal tracks for 'Yes It Is" without me!!! I was crushed!! But I have to admit, the finished product was great especially having the great Gary Grimes from 1964 {Paul} doing harmonies along w Scott & Brent. Another Raspberries connection,, the band "Club Wow" opened for the "Secret" {Wally & Dave} at the Phantasy Night Club in Lakewood, Oh. Jimmy Zero bein the stylish punk that he proudly is, was shaking in his boots that gig simply because it was Wally & Dave!! Jimmy is a big Raspberries fan. I remember him saying "Oh my God,, there's Wally Bryson & Dave Smalley from the Raspberries!!!" Sorry for the rant! Just remembering some great times!!