What are some of the bands on the local scene?

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a rock and roll city, we get this question a lot. And, of course, it changes from day to day, week to week and year to year. Although opinions differ from fan to fan, right now, we thought local writer Keith Gribbins had a good beat on what’s going on. So here’s his submission, “Cleveland Rocks: The Top 1o Local Albums Released in 2009 (So Far . . .).”

Coffinberry

- Coffinberry, Coffinberry (Collectible Escalators) In the basement of their house on West 117, the four friends in Coffinberry recorded a Cleveland rock classic. The 14 tracks on their self-titled sophomore album are a crew of local blue-collar roots rockers, filtered, distorted, and re-recorded to morph everything from acid folk to heartland rock. “Celebrate the Holy Innocents” dances like Bone Machine-era Tom Waits. “Monster” chugs Southern Comfort and impersonates Kings of Leon. “Cell Mates” gets stoned before getting all Exile on Main St. This is one of the best albums of the year — anywhere.

- Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid (Nonesuch)
The voice and guitar behind Akron’s famous blues rock duo the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach released his most dynamic and diverse album to date in 2009. Combining the psychedelic soul of songs such as “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” with the poignant folk balladry of tunes like “When the Night Comes,” Auerbach paints a whole new soundscape of brooding guitar tales. It’s more organic and honest than anything the Keys have ever released — a combination of Junior Kimbrough and Led Zeppelin that new and old fans will love alike. We hope Keys’ percussionist Pat Carney’s other band Drummer will release something equally as impressive.

- Operation Rockstar, Ticket II Mars (Chop Shop)
 The three otherworldly MCs in Operation Rockstar (Native, Ed Haze, and Arrogant) are back from uncharted rap galaxies with the best local hip-hop album in ‘09 (so far). Ticket II Mars is a nebulous fog of phat beats, mad rhymes, and crazy genres — R&B, funk, jazz, techno, and neo-soul. The album’s 18 tracks (tunes like the cash-rap-opus “Accounts-n-Balances” and the sci-fi soul charger “Drop It Low”) sound like the Cleveland version of OutKast, but instead of deep-fried funk, it’s all mothership mayhem. Operation Rockstar’s decision to leave earth and go to Mars to record this album was a good decision indeed — we’re just glad they came back.

Mystery of Two (photo: Scott Meivogel)

- Mystery of Two, Mystery of Two (Exit Stencil) 
Casting a hot white glow not unlike classic Cleveland surreal-rockers Pere Ubu, the trio behind the Mystery of Two is setting the avant-garage scene on fire with their just-released, self-titled second album. Like their new wave touchstones, from Television to the Talking Heads, these three guys experiment with dark and bizarre art punk energized with staggered rhythms, sudden tempo changes, fuzz effects pedals, and non-linear lyrics that came across like a musical savant’s psychobabble. Check out everything else on Exit Stencil Records too — from This Moment in Black History to Hot Cha Cha — it might be Cleveland’s best indie label.

The Whiskey Daredevils

- The Whiskey Daredevils, The Very Best of the Whiskey Daredevils (Knock-Out)
Greg Miller and friends has been trucking around the countryside for 20 years blasting righteous rockabilly punk music in bands like the Cowslingers and the Whiskey Daredevils. On the latter’s fourth, full-length album (not to be confused with “Old Favorites,” “Essentials,” and the “Greatest Hits”), the Whiskey Daredevils take it off cruise control to pack their 18-wheeler full of surf music, cattle westerns, garage rock, and cowpunk. Songs like “Skunk Weed” and “Friend in Jesus” capture the four-piece’s great crazed psychobilly sounds (something you need to witness live), proving once again these are some of the best rural rock banditos in America.

- DoHM, The Circus (Self Released)
 The Lakewood nu-metal masters have brought their musical carnival back to town. These ten songs, from “Blood on the Borderline” to “Levyathon,” are wild animals with teeth, caged in Max Dixon and Conor Heldorfer’s metal guitar work, pummeled with Brian Pritchard’s lead-fisted drum blows, and taunted by Brian Noll’s death growls. The entire album (which shape shifts from the alt-metal of System of a Down to the grunge howls of Soundgarden) confirms these metal music mongrels need steely cages and short leashes, but it’s a circus hard rock freaks will want to hear and see.

- MiAPOLLO, The Southern Gentleman EP (Self-Released)
Only together for a year plus and these five guys from Warren, Ohio, release an EP that makes cannonade out of most debut albums. From “American Sex Machine” to “Stepping Stones,” this mini-album mixes the alkaline emo of Glassjaw with the dorm room rock of the Foo Fighters. It’s a balanced attack of hard-hitting shock waves and beautiful stingers, delivering each tune like a warhead directly between your ears. The album’s gorgeous production is courtesy of Casey Crescenzo from Boston’s sensitive prog-pop rockers the Dear Hunter.

Jeff Powers

- Dead Guy Blues, Cold Wind in Cleveland (Whiskey Island)
Jeff Powers brews great blues music. He leads the Cleveland trio Dead Guy Blues, bootlegging loud, caustic, and in-your-face Tex-Mex styles of pentatonic rock. New songs like “I’m Gonna Leave” and “Pocket Full of Money” are reminiscent of ZZ Top tunes like “Francene” or “Tush,” overpowered with long loud solos and Powers’ tequila-scorched vocals. Backed by Chris Boross on bass and Steve Zavesky on drums, this three-piece turns the page on their so-so 2005 self-titled debut, now playing loud, fast, and dirty garage rock with sharp blues edges that will turn Johnny Winter’s long locks even whiter.

Carlos Jones

- Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S Band, Leave a Trail (Little Fish)
Cleveland reggae has been defined by Carlos Jones and his three great bands — I-Tal, First Light, and today his P.L.U.S. Band (Peace Love Unity Syndicate). At the age of 50, he’s just released his best album to date — Leave a Trail — a mixture of old favorites (“Where Reggae Comes From”) and new classics (“Nursery Rhyme”). Somewhere between Peter Tosh and Third World, Jones and friends create a mixture of melodies and lyrics that culminate three decades of great rustbelt reggae bands. These are good vibrations.

- The Very Knees, The Very Knees 7-Inch (Gravity Place Art & Commerce)
If you like the feel of vinyl between your fingers, this 7-inch single from Cleveland’s raucous two-piece is the bee’s knees indeed. With David Petrovich screeching on guitar and Cindy Ciulla pulverizing percussion on the skins, the duo blasts out two new tunes — “Anthony Rogan Cross” and “Hidden O(h)ms” — that will melt your face with sonic excess. This is nervous, disjointed garage punk that conjures the ghosts of the Ramones to play a few tunes with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. We can only assume “Anthony Rogan Cross” is some sort of bizarre homage to Coffinberry co-founder Tony Cross, completing this top ten cycle. –Submitted by Keith Gribbins (whose writing you’ll find in our 2009 Spring/Summer Cleveland Plus Official Visitors Guide)