In honor of Cleveland legend, Drew Carey, turning 65 today, I’ll be playing Cleveland Rocks from The Presidents of the United States of America, which served as the theme song for The Drew Carey show from 1997 to 2004. 

If you were preparing for Y2K by living under a rock, maybe you hadn’t heard of The Drew Carey Show. It was a sitcom that started airing in 1995 that was based around a fictionalized version of the actor, and set in the city we call home - Cleveland, Ohio!! Amongst other things the show was known for, it was the first ever to have a simulcast on the internet. 

The song, Cleveland Rocks, was initially released by Ian Hunter in 1979, instantly becoming an anthem for the Land. In one interview, Hunter almost changed it though, stating, ‘I originally wrote “Cleveland Rocks” for Cleveland. I changed it later to “England Rocks” because I thought it should be a single somewhere and Columbia wouldn’t release it as a single in the US (too regional). “Cleveland Rocks” is Cleveland’s song and that’s the truth.’ Never underestimate the power of Northeast Ohio pride. 

The version you’ve heard in The Drew Carey Show, and the one in today’s ALT REWIND is a cover from The Presidents of the United States. In that version, Drew Carey, a Cleveland native, can be heard yelling "Hey!" and then laughing in the beginning and shouting "Ohio!" at the end. For the last season of The Drew Carey Show, the theme song was performed in a different musical style in each episode. 

Happy Birthday Drew Carey! Thanks for always remembering the city that raised you.

Coming off of Blink-182, I can’t get enough of live alternative music! Yesterday we had the band Don’t Believe in Ghosts come into the studio. They traveled all the way from new york and even brought us pizza! Check our chat and their acoustic on-air performance of “Living Like This” below. We got to see them play at the Rialto Theatre in Akron last night, but you can go see them TONIGHT at The Foundry in Lakewood!

Another band that came into the studio was The Aquadolls! They are on their Spring Fling tour, making a stop at the House of Blues tonight! Opening for them is Detention, a local band you may have heard on Live & Local with Aaron Lux. We chatted about music, women in the industry, Freaky Friday, and much more. Check out our chat below and consider seeing them live TONIGHT!

Blink-182 is coming to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse TONIGHT! 

They’ve made the comebacks of all comebacks, getting the original group back together. And now, we get to relive our childhoods while rocking out to some newer music as well (still waiting on that new album Travis Barker promised they’d be releasing before the tour…).

While the show has been sold out for quite a while, you can still get resale tickets here.

But as we look to see what we can expect for tonight’s show, I have been reading reviews from other cities. They were in Chicago a few weeks ago, and one concert-goer wrote that despite Blink not being “known” for their live performances, “they proved they’ve matured and grown (in some ways) sounding tighter than ever with a thrilling performance that included pyro, towering stage props, and confetti.” 

I CANNOT WAIT!!!

We’ve got yet another way to spend your lunch break thanks to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, an initiative to bring economic growth to the city we call home! 

Every Monday through September we are celebrating Memorial Mondays, with food trucks and live music at Fort Huntington Park from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM! 

Today’s food truck lineup is: 

Wrap It Up

His & Hers

The Food Depot

So eat some food for me and on your way there, make sure you keep that radio on 107.3 Alternative Cleveland.

In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, I got to have my mom, Jeannine do my show with me! She killed it as expected, and I am just waiting for the news that she’ll be taking my job. 

If you’re still unsure how to treat your mom this weekend, Cleveland has so many things to offer! You could go on a hike with mom at the Holden Arboretum. Take her to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens to see the House Plant Exhibit and visit their special Mother’s Day Boutique! Or if she likes historic architecture, consider taking her down to Akron to see Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, where moms get a free tour this Sunday. 

Learn fascinating animal parent facts, and look at all the fishes in the sea at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. They’ve got Mother’s Day themed contests as well as extended hours this weekend. All Moms receive a parents pin when they arrive. 

Maybe your mom would rather relax and lounge for a Mother’s Day Tea and Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton. If the Ritz isn’t your speed, maybe head to the Stone Oven Bakery for afternoon tea and cookie decorating! And if you want an extra unique Mother’s Day tea, the Emerald Necklace Tea Room and Inn has psychic readings!

Whatever you decide to do, have the best time with your mom, whether its biological, your chosen mom, or whoever nurtures you in life! 

We’re reaching 60 degrees today, which isn’t a hot as some of you may have wanted but it beats the rain last week. Because Wednesday means another Walnut Wednesday brought to you by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, an initiative to bring economic growth to the city we call home! 

Every Wednesday food trucks line the streets around Perk Plaza for one of the largest food truck events downtown has to offer! They’ve got local musicians adding to the ambiance as well. So do something different for lunch today and support a local restaurant! Here’s the food truck lineup for today. 

Swensons Food Truck

Steaks and Hoagies Truck

Smooth Rider Smoothies

off the GRIDdle

Rabbit Food

Fried

What are you in the mood for? 

Today in Alt Rewind we’re playing Mazzy Star! A song I know you’ve probably cried to, thinking about Jimmy in 9th grade who didn’t have a clue you liked him. Or maybe it makes you think of Sarah, who you dated for a year but couldn’t ever feel satisfied in your relationship. Or possibly you think of your friend, Dan who seemed like a good friend, but he kept trying to change you.  

It’s off her 1993 album So Tonight That I Might See, the one and only “Fade Into You”. It was composed by Hope Sandoval and produced by David Roback. In an interview when the song was released, Roback told the LA Times, “You have to leave something to people’s imagination, so they feel they can participate. Music is music. We don’t want to be part of that over-determination. We feel you should be able to shut your eyes and listen to it.” It’s a perfect message for this song. You don’t really need to over-analyze it, because its power lies in what it means to the individual listener. 

It’s a song about falling in love, a universal yet deeply personal experience. We’ve all fallen in love or lust a little too hard for someone who, for whatever reason, couldn’t give it back to us in the way we deserve. And oftentimes, that unrequitedness only seems to make us yearn for someone more.  “Fade Into You” is about trying to be everything for somebody, when actually you’re losing (or fading) into that somebody’s identity instead. 

It reminds me to seek out love in the people that feed you. I don’t mean literally giving you meals, but someone who nourishes your soul. And when you feel validated, seen, and heard, your soul is more likely to be nourished. And I hope when you hear this song, you remember that the pain of unrequited love is real, but doesn’t need to last. Find someone who makes you stand out, instead of making you fade. 

I've been sharing with you by time spent in Las Vegas attending The Gathering which is, quite literally a gathering of radio programmers, DJs, music journalists, record labels, and, of course, up-and-coming musicians meeting to discuss the future of the industry. We learned a lot about how to make our station the best it can be and saw a ton of awesome performances from musicians we can’t wait to play for you!

Night 2 was such an amazing show, but for today’s blog, I’ll be focusing on the opener.  The crowd was getting amped at Backstage Bar & Billiards in Downtown Las Vegas. Blue lights filled the whole room, and we awaited the arrival of King Falcon. We had been hanging with the members of the band, Michael, James, and Tom, in the days leading up, so I was extra excited to see their performance. Especially considering they drove nearly 40 hours from New York, with their car breaking down in Colorado, just to put this show on for us. 

King Falcon took the stage with so much energy. Their lead singer Michael had a powerful voice with great control. Tom’s drumming made me want to get up there and hit some drums myself.  And James was bouncing around, putting his leg up on the drums, and just getting the crowd going. They all really knew how to work their instruments and the audience, which checks out, seeing as they’re all teachers at The School of Rock in NY. 

I got a chance to chat with them the following morning. We sat on the floor of their hotel lobby and talked about their journey to The Gathering, how teaching informs their music, and some more about who they are as a band. Listen below, and also check out their single I can’t get enough of, “Shake, Shake”. 

We'd love to hear your feedback, so let us know if you wanna hear more of this band on 107.3! Either email us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or text our Forest City Shuffleboard text line 216-578-1073 !

As I mentioned on Monday, I was out last week in Las Vegas attending The Gathering which is, quite literally a gathering of radio programmers, DJs, music journalists, record labels, and, of course, up and coming musicians meeting to discuss the future of the industry. We learned a lot about how to make our station the best it can be and saw a ton of awesome performances from musicians we can’t wait to play for you!

Day 2 of The Gathering did not disappoint! It was a full day of music, so I’ll touch on the first half of the day here and keep the blogs coming in the following days with more details on the all the performances we saw! But for the start of Day 2, we ventured to Atomic Liquors in downtown Las Vegas, which you may known from it’s feature in movies like The Hangover and Casino, to see a few acoustic sets from some up and coming artists. 

To kick things off, Blurry took the floor. The 25-year old Texas native was ready to impress. Though the set was acoustic, the power of her voice felt like it could fill a stadium. Her sound is heavenly, and she had amazing control of her voice. Check out one of her live-non acoustic performances here.

Following up Blurry was another Texas female rocker with a lovely sound, 19-year old Remy Reilly. I found out later that she had actually been writing music since she was 5 years old, which make sense, cause her lyrics were so meaninful and inspiring. You could tell shes been fine tuning her sound for a while. I recommend watching her live performance of her latest EP title track “Avalanche”. 

Then we moved on to Cleveland’s very own, JACK HARRIS. I am partial because I believe Cleveland has the best music, but despite my bias, he performed a great acoustic set in preparation for the next day where he’d be opening for K.Flay. We’ve had Jack in the 107.3 studio before and have played him on Live and Local (Sunday nights at 9 with Aaron Lux), but boy has this kid elevated his sound. He performed at The Gathering when it was in Cleveland last year, and I really didn’t think he could get any better. Though this year round, his voice was stronger, his new songs were elevated and catchy, and he still gave off that boy next door persona the fans love so much! I can’t wait to write more about his non-acoustic performance he did the following day… so keep an eye out for the next blog. But in the meantime, please check out the song that was stuck in my head the whole plane ride home, “Spider”. 

We want to know what you think of these artists so we can better curate your perfect playlist here at 107.3 ! If you can, send us some feedback to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.