Editor’s note: This story originally incorrectly stated that Marc Lee Shannon is the former guitarist for Michael Stanley. Shannon is still with the band A few city blocks in east Akron are coming back to life with the help of musicians. For this week’s Shuffle, WKSU’s Amanda Rabinowitz walked Kenmore Boulevard to hear how the community is rebuilding a music district. When you make the turn off the I-76 exit ramp and onto Akron’s Kenmore Boulevard, it’s hard to tell at first glance that this is

[Editor's note: This previously aired on WKSU on May 4, 2017] The iconic music and pop culture magazine Rolling Stone turned 50 last year. Next month, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum closes its yearlong exhibit that takes music fans through the magazine's vast archives of photos and interviews. WKSU’s Amanda Rabinowitz talked with Cleveland Scene music writer Jeff Niesel about Rolling Stone Magazine at 50. Rolling Stone Magazine was founded in San Francisco 1967. It was a big year

It’s easy to hear live Irish music during the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. But local Irish musicians say their scene is thriving year-round. For this week’s Shuffle, Maureen Conway-Reich and Marcus Dirk of the band Ballinloch talk about their roots. 'Ballinloch' means 'our town on the lake' in Irish, and the band says it's a tribute to their homeland of Ireland and their hometown of Cleveland. Generations keep the culture alive Reich says Northeast Ohio has a rich Irish music scene. "

A rock band from rural Stark County is touring the Midwest after releasing its latest album. For this week’s Shuffle, WKSU contributor Brittany Nader talked with the lead singer of White Buffalo Woman , Evan Rutledge, about the small-town band from Minerva that’s building a following.

A teenager’s hobby has turned into the go-to website for showcasing Cleveland’s hip-hop scene. For this week’s Shuffle, WKSU's Amanda Rabinowitz talked to John Stursa about how his site, ImFromCLeveland.com , is helping the city's hip-hop community find its identity. From hobby to career Twenty-three-year-old John Stursa of Lorain, grew up listening to artists like Chip the Ripper and Lil Wayne with his brother. At the age of 13, Stursa began posting videos of his favorite local hip-hop artists

Singer-songwriter Matt Hectorne was raised in the South but now calls Northeast Ohio home. His latest album, “Work,” explores the challenges of living as a married musician often on the road. The album’s direct, one-word title refers to Hectorne’s own efforts to build a career and improve himself. Hectorne was born in Memphis and raised in Mississippi, but he grew weary of small-town life and eventually ended up in the Cleveland area. “There wasn’t too much modern stuff going on,” Hectorne said

Two northeast Ohio songwriters who spent years on their own are starting a new band, as a couple. For this week’s Shuffle, WKSU contributor Brittany Nader talked with Dan Socha and Bethany Svoboda about finding a new role for men and women in musical spaces. Harmonizing old tunes Making beautiful music isn’t just a well-worn euphemism for romance. Dan Socha and Bethany Svoboda are both musicians who, until recently, worked separately. They started bumping into each other at open mic nights in

An Akron heavy metal band that broke onto the national scene in the early 2000's is trying to help other local bands get out of their parents’ basements and into other cities.

Music is being used as a healing tool for some Northeast Ohio veterans. For this week’s Shuffle, we hear about a new project that pairs songwriters with soldiers. On a recent Sunday afternoon in Avon Lake, a handful of veterans and their families gathered for a concert -- just for them. The performance was the culmination of a weekend workshop called Project D.R.E.W., Delivering Restorative Energy to our Warriors . A veteran shares his or her journey with a musician, who writes a song about

Composer Evan Fein studied piano with Gerardo Teissonnière at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Fein now lives in New York and teaches at the Juilliard School. But he and his former teacher share a lifelong love of Schubert’s music that recently brought them back together as collaborators. A shared love of Schubert Teissonnière’s relationship with Schubert’s music goes back to his student days. Even though Schubert wrote plenty of music for solo piano, Teissonnière especially fell in love with