Happy National Pet Day! Here are some much loved animal best friends sent in by listeners today. If you want me to shout out your pet… text a picture to our Forest City Shuffleboard text line: 216-578-1073 before 2PM and you may just get a shoutout:) 

And if you’re looking to adopt, make it a rescue! Tune in to my girl Jaci Fox every Wednesday at 4:40PM for Welcome Home Wednesday where she showcases shelter animals that need to find a loving home.

My breakup-anthem queen Melanie Martinez is coming to Cleveland!! And all week long I have your chance to win tickets to the show! 

You may be familiar with the two-toned hair singer from her humble beginnings as a contestant on The Voice in 2012. After the show aired, she was signed to Atlantic Records, and in 2014 she released her debut single, “Dollhouse” following it up with her debut studio album, “Cry Baby” which went platinum in 2015. You’ve probably heard her song “Playdate” if you were scrolling on TikTok at any point this past summer.

I’d like to thank her for that debut studio album because it has gotten me through almost every single breakup/rejection/broken heart I’ve experienced since 2015. (For those new to her music, I recommend checking out “Pacify Her” “Recess” and "DEATH”- featured below)  

Her third studio album PORTALS, also the name of her tour, just dropped on March 31st. It features a song, “EVIL” which she admitted to fans on Instagram is about “dealing with a narcissist who ironically calls you evil just because you're able to see through their bullshit.” Who was she with in her last relationship you ask? Quirky alternative artist, Oliver Tree. OHHHH THE DRAMA.  

If you want to win tickets to her SOLD-OUT show at Jacob’s Pavilion on July 5th, tune in all week long around 11:30 AM, I’ll be telling you the keyword you need to text! 

Wednesday I got to sit down with up-and-coming Cleveland band, Girl Cologne. They've released two singles, “Let Me Know” and “My Baby” and hope to release their next song "Help You Help Me" (which they performed live on the air) soon. Aside from a unique punk sound, they pride themselves on a dedication to social issues that effect the queer as well as the chronically ill community (HELL YEAH). Three of the four members--Jenna, Cade, and Parker (shoutout to Em who couldn't make it as they had to work their day job -- but hopefully not for much longer)--arrived at the station bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to show off their stuff. Besides that, I just had a great time hanging with them. Check out our conversation and their live acoustic performance below. 

In honor of National Hug a Newsperson Day, I am sharing with you some alternative news, and all I ask for in return is a virtual hug: 

All-American Rejects Go All Around America (but not to Cleveland)

The All-American Rejects Announce their first headlining tour in 10 years! They’ve got a 27 dates for the “Wet Hot All-American Summer Tour” featuring The Get Up Kids, New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack and The Starting Line. And typically my ex would be in my head while I sing along to their song, “Gives You Hell” but today I am singing it directly to the band BECAUSE THEY AREN’T COMING TO OHIO FOR THE TOUR. The closest they’ll be coming to Cleveland is Indianapolis on August 24th, which is still driveable so I’ll stop my complaining now. 

Foo Fighters To Headline Replica of 9:30 Club 

It was just announced today that Foo Fighters will be headlining the opening night at the brand-new DC venue The Atlantis, which is a replica of the infamous 9:30 Club. It’s so small that it has a capacity of 450 people. And to celebrate the 44th year of the original space, they’ll be having a series of 44  different shows with 44 different headliners, and tickets selling for, you guessed it, 44 dollars. They’re also having shows with Billy Idol, The Pixies, Maggie Rogers, Portugal The Man, and so many more. Check out the lineup here. 

Today for Alt Rewind we played Run-Around by Blue’s Traveler in honor of their founding member and frontman John Popper’s birthday! The Grammy-winning artist was born in Chardon, Ohio 56 years ago today! 

Popper originally wanted to become a stand-up comedian, that is, until he performed a Blues Brother’s routine for his high school talent show. Once he graduated, he headed to New York City to enroll in the New School for Jazz but dropped out in 1990 when the Blues Traveler signed their first contract. 

Where does their band name come from, you ask? Well, they went by Blues Band for a bit until they changed it, getting the second word from the main demon in Ghostbusters, Gozer The Traveler. 

Happy Birthday John Popper. Thanks for making Northeast Ohio proud! 

If you’re looking to have a fun weekend and hear all your favorite throwbacks LIVE in concert, go check out The Goods Band! They are coming to The Grindstone Tap House in Berea this Friday. March 31st at 8PM. And even if you cant make it out this weekend, youll wanna keep up with all they’re doing! Find them on Facebook or check out their website goodsband.com. 

I personally LOVE a good cover band. It’s a perfect way to hear a bunch of eras of music in one show. And these guys do not disappoint! Plus, it’s always the move to support local musicians. 

Hope to see you at the show:)

Today in Alt Rewind we played No Doubt’s “Underneath It All” from their 2001 album Rock Steady. It features DJ Lady Saw, who in 2003 because the first female DJ to win a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. 

Gwen Stefani wrote that song with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, and she actually pulled out a journal she kept after one of her dates with her soon-to-be husband and lead singer of Bush, Gavin Rossdale. In that journal, she wrote that after everything they had been through, she still loved him and though he had the rough rock n’ roll exterior he was just lovely “underneath it all” 

And seeing that she dated her bass player Tony Kanal for several years prior to this, it is such a power move to then make him play the song she wrote for her new boyfriend. Go WOMEN go (It's still our month, people)! 

Ahead of his sold out show at the Agora on March 10th, I got to sit down with the lead singer of Blue October, Justin Ferstenfeld for a quick chat before he had to run off to sound check. To set the scene, I, along with our P.D. Alyssa, and her mom were led to his green room where he welcomed us with hugs, some water, and a general earnesty you wouldn’t typically expect from a rockstar. He carried that same energy with him the whole night. Whether it was with fans at sound check or talking to people in the crowd in between songs, he spoke to everyone from the heart. It helped explain why, aside from liking the sounds of Blue October, people love (and I mean LOVE) Justin… and they have for decades. 

You’ll hear Alyssa’s mom in the beginning mention her love for Blue October. Justin then goes on to call her “Mom” throughout the interview saying things like “sorry Mom” after he curses.

So on a whim, I joined a bowling league thats hosted by our sister station, 97.5 WONE. A family friend had formed a team for the league but needed one more person! Even though I have never really bowled without bumpers or a pitcher of beer, I was surprised and honored to be asked. 

I don’t think I realized it would be every Thursday for twelve weeks, but after the first week I was hooked! It’s a bunch of people of all bowling abilities that come together each week to make new friends, listen to some great music, maybe win some prizes, and of course to bowl. Tonight is week eleven and oh how the time has flown! It’s brought me so much joy and has reminded me of the importance of ‘third places’ something I first heard about reading an article in The Atlantic. 

The term “third place” was coined in the 80s by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, and it basically refers to a “location other than work or home where here’s little to no financial barrier to entry and where conversation is the primary activity.” You see, your home is your first place, work is typically your second, and third places can be anything from a park, to a bar, to a library, to a gym, or even a bowling alley! They used to be much more common, but over the years, as costs have risen and more people spend their extra time in front of screen, third places have been slowly disappearing. It’s a problem because third places are crucial to our social development, general well-being, quality of life, and sense of community. 

So, today I want you to ask yourself, “Do I have a third place?” and if you don’t try to find one! It’s difficult to find free things, but if stretch the “third place” rules a bit, you could test out a yoga class, maybe read a magazine at a new coffee shop, go for a walk in the park, join a book club, or better yet, join a bowling league. Soon I’ll be on the hunt for a new third place, so hopefully I’ll see you around. :)

With the Cleveland International Film Festival kicking things off tonight March 22nd at Playhouse Square, I thought I’d reminisce a bit… 

Every year growing up I would go with my dad to the Cleveland Film Festival (back when it was in Tower City) and make some of my best memories. One of these years, back in high school, my dad took me to the merch table where I got a shirt and a bumper magnet that read CLE FILM FEST. I had just gotten my license the year prior and was hoping the bumper magnet would give off the cool, manic-pixie-dream-watches-experimental-art-films-in-her-free-time-girl aesthetic I was going for in my teenage years. Little did I know, that bumper sticker was gonna do a lot more than that. 

Sometime after I stuck the magnet to the back of my 2006 Nissan Rogue, I was late driving up 480 on my way to a tutoring gig in Parma. Although “allegedly” I was “speeding”. I get pulled over for the first time in my life. The highway patrol officer walks up to my window and tells me, “You were going pretty fast back there.” And I, most likely not knowing my rights, start apologizing basically admitting to it. 

But the next thing I know, he points to the back of my car and says “So I see you have a Cleveland Film Festival sticker back there… you know this highway patrol thing is my day job, but my real dream is to be an actor.” He then goes on to list a few minor roles he’s had… even having a scene in a movie with Steve Carrell! 

At this point, I realize he’s NOT aware that I am a 17-year-old going to tutor a 4th grader in math, but instead thinks I am someone with some kind of pull in the film industry. So I lean into it and act interested. He then pulls out a business card with his SAG membership info and his phone number on it. He hands it to me and says, “You know if you’re ever looking to cast someone like me, or have any other opportunities, give me a call”. 

He let me off with a warning….

So the moral of the story: if you’re a white, attractive young lady with a Cleveland Film Festival Bumper Sticker, things might go your way.