Akron’s five-piece hip-hop band, Red Rose Panic , will headline this year’s Highland Square PorchRokr Music and Art Festival Saturday. Self-described as “dynamic hip-hop,” the group’s sound is an eclectic blend of rap, funk, pop and jazz highlighted by improvised live performances where no two shows are quite alike.

The Cory Grinder Band will drop its debut album, “Cahoots and Other Favorites,” Aug. 17. The release contains 13 original tracks, which frontman Cory Grinder describes as “hillbilly music that’s easy to play, fun to dance to and goofy.”

Musicians have certain nightclubs and concert halls where they love to play. Sometimes it’s the look, the feel and the history. But what’s even more essential is the sound. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia finds out more in this week’s “Shuffle.” Groups like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band , The Cars and Badfinger loved Cleveland’s old Agora . The dark, crowded, low-ceilinged club was once one of the most famous music venues in Northeast Ohio. But the Agora burned down in 1984. Twenty years later,

A music showcase in Akron next month is all about the bass. This is the fifth year Akron solo bassist Jared Lees has organized LoHio . The concert brings together solo bassists from around the country. Lees has been playing electric bass for more than 20 years. He started out playing in several bands throughout Northeast Ohio and with musicians, including Ryan Humbert . Then he decided he wanted to make his own music. He’s released a handful of albums over the last decade, including " Landscapes

A new concert series is working to bring big-name jazz artists to rural Tuscarawas County. Tuscomusic 's director of operations, David Ryder, said before the series began earlier this year, residents had to go elsewhere to see popular jazz musicians.

Young indie rock band Spirit of the Bear is working to put Youngstown’s music scene on the map – by curating its own music festival. The second annual Fiction Forest takes place this Saturday.

Akron rockers The Ohio Weather Band have a new EP out this week called Don't Try . It's the third release for the trio that's been friends long before they were bandmates.

Holden Laurence released his first full-length album last year with Wild Empty Promises . Now, he's releasing a new summer anthem the same week he plays a concert that draws on another of his great loves – Cleveland professional sports. Laurence grew up in Willoughby and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He returned home after graduating in 2013 and rejoined his friends in the popular Cleveland indie rock band, The Modern Electric . Last year, when the band was on a break, he went

A group of female-fronted bands in Cleveland is coming together for a cause. The second annual Women Rock CLE concert at the House of Blues next month was organized by the roots rock band AJ & The Woods , fronted by musican Alison Tomin. Tomin says the show on July 6th is all about rallying around women -- from the bands on the bill to the proceeds that will go to Laura’s Home , a Cleveland shelter for women and children. She says the idea actually came from one of the male members of her

Steel Yard SoundSystem , a monthly dance party in Cleveland, celebrates its first anniversary this Saturday. In this week’s Shuffle, we revisit an interview from last year. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia spoke with then-Cleveland Scene Managing Editor Eric Sandy who wrote about Steel Yard SoundSystem. Sandy says it’s driven by Electronic Dance Music, Reggae and Dub . To understand the sound, it’s helpful to understand what “Dub” is. Sandy calls it a loose musical term incorporating reggae and the early