Waterloo Makes Music
Waterloo Makes Music is a free summer concert series on Waterloo as a gift to all the music lovers in the community, and a celebration of Cleveland’s amazing musical legacy.
Cleveland Rocks: Past Present Future has been creating free public concerts in the Waterloo Arts and Entertainment district for the past 4 years and we are back at again in 2021, as we all emerge from the COVID shutdown of the past 14 months. The impacts of COVID-19 have been dire for working musicians and the music industry as a whole. Last year we had to pivot and do virtual concerts, but we were able to pay our scheduled musicians and actually help expand audiences because of the added online reach. This year we hope to do both live and live streaming.
The Waterloo Makes Music series will take place the first Friday of the month June-September as part of the monthly Walk All Over Waterloo Art Walk. Your support allows us to again pay musicians and the production team needed to mount our Waterloo Makes Music series.
Friday, June 4, 2021
Eddie Baccus, Sr.
Eugene Ross
Friday, July 2, 2021
Erin Neal and the Chill Factors
Non Bruises
Friday, August 6, 2021
MoKo BoVo
The Covemen
Friday, Sept. 3, 2021
Nancy Redd-Shelton
Mary Martin and the 9th Street Tuna Band
The 2021 Waterloo Makes Music series is made possible with support from
Past Events
Friday, September 3, 2021
Waterloo Arts & Entertainment District | 7-9pm | FREE
Join Us In-Person or Online via Livestream
Join us for this free event at the Waterloo Tower. Standing Room Only.
Want to join online? Watch Live on September 3rd.
Nancy Redd-Shelton
The Sounds of Jazz featuring Nancy Redd on Flute and Vocals originated in 2004. The Sounds of Jazz is a mix of Jazz and Pop Standards. The Sounds of Jazz continues to celebrate the authenticity and origins of “REAL JAZZ” with a hint of smooth jazz and pop standards.
Friday, August 6, 2021
The Waterloo Tower, Waterloo Arts & Entertainment District | 7-9pm | FREE
MoKo BoVo with The Covemen
Join Us In-Person or Online via Livestream
Join us for this free event at the Waterloo Tower. Standing Room Only.
Want to join online? Watch Live on August 6th.
MoKo BoVo
MoKo BoVo was founded to improvise and experiment in 1989. We want to reach people, draw them in, and take them new places. Insert spoken word and "out" sections in the middle of a traditional blues. We play covers that people don't recognize. Get deep into tradition and experiment in that fertile place. Dan Bode, Rick Kodramaz, and Al Moses have been a constant over the years; for this special Tower Series showwe have Pete Dell on drums, who played with us in the 90s. Let's play.
Friday, July 2, 2021
Waterloo Arts & Entertainment District | 7-9pm | FREE
*Moved to Beachland Tavern due to rain
Erin Neal & The Chill Factors with Non Bruises
Join Us In-Person or Online via Livestream
Join us for this free event at the Waterloo Tower. Standing Room Only.
Want to join online? Watch Live on July 2nd.
Erin Neal & The Chill Factors
Eclectic Cleveland based band formed in 2015. Erin Nicole Neal & The Chill Factors, delve into Blues, Rock, Pop, Soul, Jazz, Funk, R&B, Gospel and Reggae. The band plays all over Northeast, Ohio for private and public events. Covers include artists like Aretha Franklin, BB King, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, The Temptations, Bill Withers, Bad Company, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and more!
Non Bruises
Non Bruises are locals Elliott Hoffmann (drums), Carol Schumacher (bass/vox), Andy Stibora (gtr/vox), and Mike Uva (gtr/vox). non bruises is a real team effort, representing both east and west neighborhoods in our fair city. non bruises write songs on the fly and title them impulsively. Drone-y, chime-y, bend-y, space-y, non bruises puts their collective ear to the ground for sweet hooks, tangled guitar lines, and propulsive rhythms. non bruises hope to inspire others to start a band with friends, hang out, and make music. it can be a fun and healthy activity!
Friday, June 4, 2021
Beachland Ballroom
Featuring Eddie Baccus, Sr. and Eugene Ross
Join Us In-Person or Online via Livestream
Reserve your FREE ticket or table by calling (216) 383-1124 or visit www.BeachlandBallroom.com.
Want to join online? Watch Live on June 4th.
Through a very special partnership, we’re kicking off the summer concert series on Waterloo as a celebration of Cleveland’s amazing musical legacy. Soul City Cleveland, the National Rites of Passage Institute and the Youth Resiliency Institute, are helping us celebrate the artistry, self-determination, and wisdom of elder Black musicians during a special concert taking place on June 4, at the Beachland Ballroom, in celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month. East Cleveland-native Fanon Hill is already creating the film Soul City Cleveland as a love letter to Black music, Ohio, and the unheralded elder musicians who most embody its spirit of self-determination.
Our June concert event will be a celebration of that mission, and will also kick off the live music season in the Waterloo Arts District with a roster of some of our greatest black musicians paired with an exhibit of artwork and photography reflecting this remarkable music culture. From studio sessions with Jimi Hendrix, to launching world-renowned independent record labels, the stories that Soul City Cleveland has uncovered tell the story of Black music in one of America’s most important musical cities, taking viewers on a music-filled journey from Cleveland to Japan, the U.K and beyond. In addition to creating this documentary, Soul City Cleveland and Cleveland Rocks PPF are planning to host a variety of activities and events throughout the year that help to reduce the social isolation and invisibility of elder Black artists while actively preserving, promoting, and celebrating their rich contributions to music culture in Cleveland.
By supporting this concert, you will not only be getting the opportunity to attend a one-of-a-kind celebration of African American musicianship in Cleveland – you will also be helping to preserve and share this legacy for generations to come!
Eddie Baccus, Sr.
Joining him will be an All-Star Soul City Cleveland lineup including:
Cecil Rucker, Sr.
Vibraphone
Shirley Cook
Featured Vocalist
Eugene Ross
One of Cleveland's most versatile entertainers. Ross is an accomplished singer, guitarist, songwriter and total performer who has worked with legendary Motown Stars and opened up for Liza Minnelli, Scott Hamilton, Kenny Loggins, and the Beach Boys. Ross has performed at the White House, Martha’s Vineyard, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and beyond.
Khairiya Reid
The event will include a photo exhibition anchored by the photography of 20-year-old Soul City Cleveland Stories photographer, Khairiya Reid at Space:ROCK Gallery (adjacent to Beachland Ballroom). Reid has been documenting Soul City Cleveland film focal points and locations significant to Greater Cleveland’s African American music heritage as part of Soul City Cleveland Stories.
A partnership between Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future, the National Rites of Passage Institute and the Youth Resiliency Institute, Soul City Cleveland Stories is a culturally responsive community arts pilot project designed to connect youth and young adults residing in under-resourced communities to elder Black artists through generative immersion.
2020 Waterloo Makes Music artists:
• June 19: Erin Nicole Neal, The Covemen
• July 17: The Smeltztones, Shawn & Shelby
• August 7: Maura Rogers & The Bellows, Non Bruises
• September 4: anitakeys, MoKo BoVo
2019 Waterloo Makes Music artists:
• June 7: David Smeltz, John K. McGrail
• July 5: Erin Neal and The Chill Factors, Crazy Marvin
• August 2: Shawn and Shelby, MOSSOM
• September 6: Lawrence Daniel Caswell, Goodmorning Valentine
2018 Waterloo Makes Music artists:
• May 4: Shelby Sangdahl, The Sounds of Jazz
• June 1: Erin Nicole Neal and The Chill Factors, MOSSOM
• July 6: Donnie Lynee Music, Sands & Hearn
• August 3: MoKo BoVo, Mike Uva
• September 7: Church of the Lazy Bastards, Manhattan Beach Project
• October 5: The Brave Girls, Istvan Medgyesi
