A Cleveland artist described as a one-woman choir is out with an album that combines experimental music, guided meditation and breathing exercises. Listen back to our January conversation with Christa Ebert, who performs as Uno Lady. She says she hopes “GROUNDED” will help listeners find peace amid the stresses and anxieties of the pandemic.

Brittany Nader talks with contributor Larry Gargus, who has been active in the Northeast Ohio music scene for decades, playing in bands like Persistent Aggressor and The Unholy Three. Larry started his own podcast, "Bleachmouth Post Script," during lockdown in 2020 to replicate the conversations he'd have at the bar or after concerts with other music fans. He also reflects on Akron's music scene past and present, and shares some of his local musical influences.

Children and their parents flocked to Akron’s Hardesty Park to attend a hip-hop “boot camp” this July. The event was hosted by Alien Arts, a new Akron nonprofit founded by Ameer Williamson, who performs as Minus the Alien. Williamson's organization is working with kids in the city to help them experience the four elements of hip-hop culture: DJing, MCing, breakdancing and graffiti art.

On this week’s Shuffle, we catch up with Cleveland pianist Rob Kovacs. He's also known as 88-bit for his piano arrangements of classic Nintendo video game themes. This past year, he launched a solo career with an album 10 years in the making, 'Let Go.'

The pandemic brought down the curtain on The Cleveland Orchestra for a year and a half. This month, they finally returned to their summer home at Blossom Music Center. Hear the sounds and reflections from the orchestra’s first rehearsal back from the shutdown, along with a review of their summer schedule and more with ClevelandClassical.com founder and editor, Daniel Hathaway.

We reflect back on our favorite Shuffle episodes of 2020, from how artists adjusted to the pandemic, to a performance piece that speaks to the racial justice movement. We also explore how you can help local musicians recover from a year of lost shows. Artists featured in this episode: Justin Tibbs, ZOD1AC, Quinn Starkey, Mina Aevum.

Two Northeast Ohio independent music venue owners, The Happy Dog's Sean Watterson and The Kent Stage's Tom Simpson, explain why they've waited to reopen, and about the long, frustrating wait for promised federal funding. Also, Shuffle contributor Annie Nickoloff shares how reopening plans have been going at other venues in the region, detailed in her Cleveland.com series: "Concerts during COVID."

Cleveland's Cory Grinder and The Playboy Scouts is out with its new album, "Honky Tonkin' Beauty Supreme." The band is the first recipient of a new micro-loan program to support local musicians, and is the first signed to new Cleveland label, Blue Arrow Records.

Cleveland nonprofit Twelve Literary Arts will release its debut album, “In Search of the Land,” June 19. The release, which includes contributions from more than 40 Black artists in Cleveland, will fall on Juneteenth.

Cleveland.com's music writer, Annie Nickoloff, shares four of her favorite local albums of the year so far, and has details about the return of Cleveland's Wonderstruck music festival. Artists featured in this episode: Uno Lady, The Sonder Bombs, Rob Kovacs, Juice Newson.