4/30/99
ACE AND THE RAGERS, SWAGGER KINGS
Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Ace and the Ragers have been doing some touring, and have recently been breaking in a new guitarist, so they haven't played Cleveland in a long time, maybe a few
months. So you would think that the Grog would sell out quick for this show. There were maybe 150 or 200 people there by the time Ace played. Apparently
Quazimodo was playing at the Euclid Tavern, but I don't see how a crappy band like Quazimodo could pull any of the draw away from Ace. It's funny how that
works though.
Is it just me, or do the Grog Shop shows start later and later every time? It must have been about 11 pm by the time the Swagger Kings took the stage. The
Swagger Kings are a decent band. They do what they do really well. However, what they do is loungy swing music of the sort you might find cannibalistic candies
playing if go to a theatre to see a movie. They did do one cool slow song in the same style (and probably same chords) as "Stray Cat Strut".
It was good to see Ace and the Ragers again. They always put on a great show, always full of energy. Their new guitar player rocks, and fits right in with them. They
did probably all their songs from their new CD (Light This Sucker Up), including my favorites, "Little Lizzy" and "Christine". They also have a batch of newer songs.
And is it just me, or was one of those new ones a ska song? I thought I heard the ska riffs in there, emphasizing the upbeats. And then I noticed Ace had pulled out
an electric guitar in lieu of his standard acoustic, so something was different.
A final note... I have discussed with Bryan (the Ragers' bass player) in the past, what style of music he thinks he plays. He likes to think it's just plain rock and roll.
They get classified a lot as a "swing" band, probably because they have two horn players (and this show was billed as a swing show in the Grog ads) but that would
be a misnomer. They just aren't cheesy and loungy enough to be swing. They have a definite rockabilly sound, but apparently rockabilly bands aren't supposed to
have horns. And you can't call them a Happy Days band because I don't think Richie and Potsy had any horn players (but I could be wrong). And if you think of
rock and roll, you think of dorks like Bruce Springsteen or Michael Stanley. So Ace and the Ragers are unique. But what's really important is that they are good and
entertaining. They'll get lumped with rockabilly bands and swing bands, but what do music industry people know. So next time Quazimodo and Ace and the Ragers
are counter-programmed against each other, keep this in mind: Ace and the Ragers rock hard, Quazimodo sucks. So there.
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ACE AND THE RAGERS
...Light This Sucker Up
CD Review
Ace is by far one of Cleveland's best bands, any genre. They have a hoppin live show with a couple horns, an upright bass, an energetic and charismatic singer, and
fun sock-hop style music. They seem to play the kind of stuff Richie and Potsy might be jamming out at Al's. It has the feel of old rockabilly, and the horns give the
feel of swing (but don't say that to them, they don't want to be called swing). They're too fast and upbeat to be swing anyway.
The content of the songs is far less than sophisticated, with titles such as "Girl Crazy" and "Too Many Chicks". The music is meant to be fun. Dance to it, sing right
along, laugh at their stage antics, but don't go analyzing their lyrics for your "Pop Music as Modern Literature" thesis. It's purely good time music, with no seriousness
at all.
At an Ace show you might see plenty of mini-pompadour greaser haircuts and plain white t-shirts, but the music is fun for anyone. Ace played the Bossfest in
January with a bunch of ska bands, and the ska kids totally dug them. Ska folks know how hard it is to be entertained by a non-ska band, right?
(Pin-Up Records, PO Box 330, Chagrin Falls OH 44022; www.ragers.com)
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ACE AND THE RAGERS, SWAGGER KINGS
Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
As always, Ace fans fill up the Grog. The Swagger Kings opened with a nice sounding but not too exciting set of swing songs. Ace and the Ragers took the place
over and played their high energy old-style rock and roll and kicked ass as usual. I've been to a bunch of Ace shows lately and I'm completely entertained every
time. For anyone who hasn't had a chance to check them out, do it soon. They are on the verge of going national and pretty soon you'll have to pay $30 at the
Convocation Center to get a glimpse of them once a year when they decide to play here after they've become rich and famous rock stars.
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11/25/98
ACE AND THE RAGERS, QUAZIMODO
Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
The Grog already had their doors open when I called over there at around 8:00, but the show didn't start till around 11:00. By the time the first band got on stage the
place was pretty packed, probably near capacity. About 50% of the crowd had mini-pompadours and white t-shirts or some similar fashion statement. I had no idea
the 50's greaser scene was so big in Cleveland. I assume the swing trend ties in and populates some of that scene, but this was a rockabilly crowd, and fairly young
(early 20's?). It was an interesting experience anyhow.
Quazimodo sucked. They had a 40-year-old bass player in the middle of the stage with a receding-hairline-pompadour, his shirt unbuttoned with an Austin Powers
chest wig, a big gold chain, and leopard-print dress shoes. Their crappy singer stood off to the side. The music was yelly rockabilly and not good at all.
So I had never seen Ace and the Ragers before that so I didn't know what to expect. I decided to keep an open mind. So they have a really charismatic singer
(Ace) who looks like Biff from Back To the Future and plays and acoustic-electric guitar, two sax players, a standup bass, an electric guitar, and a very energetic 12
year old (or thereabouts) drummer. That's a lot of big instruments for the Grog's little stage and looks impressive. Then they started playing and they actually have a
lot of talent. They play good old-time rock and roll without resorting to swing and without putting on an Elvis-impersonator voice. And if that isn't enough, they play
with full energy. The drummer pounding on his little drum set, the singer smiling and dancing around, the one sax player always high-fiving the other. Their live show is
high energy and lots of fun. They played a really long time and we left before the end of their set. For all I know they played all night.
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