Michael DeCapite and Kidney Brothers at Beachland

With the holiday season upon us, it is time to announce the fourth annual Old Home Night at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, December 22. Hosted by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, Home & Garden), the night will feature California Speedbag, Home & Garden, The Kidney Brothers, Where To Now, and readings by Cleveland’s own Mike DeCapite and New York City’s Janice Johnson. California Speedbag is one of the triumphs of the Cleveland music scene. Originally formed in the mid-eighties from the wreckage of the pioneering Kneecappers, Dr. Bloodmoney, and Neptune’s Car, they were documented on Smog Veil’s Fire of Misery CD, and are widely-beloved, deeply-grieved, and resurrected with a vengeance after the death of front man Gary Lupico - a ferocious reminder that you can’t keep a good band down.

Called "one of the best rhythm sections in rock," Scott Krauss and Tony Maimone are known as the propulsive force behind classic-era Pere Ubu. On and off since 1981, they have also plied their trade in their group Home and Garden. This spring their classic LP, History and Geography, was released on CD by Cleveland label Exit Stencil. All Music Guide calls it "a delicious blend of sound and innovation." Wire Magazine writes, "It’s amazing how something as potent as Home and Garden disappeared under the radar." Old Home Night is your chance to catch up with this formidable Cleveland musical force before they blast into the future to record new material next year. Michael DeCapite’s first novel, Through the Windshield, was a gritty, often hilarious account of his young days as a Cleveland cab driver and a sort of love-letter to the city. The book earned favorable reviews (including one in the Austin Chronicle by Harvey Pekar, a writer not unfamiliar with Cleveland’s street life) and has achieved iconic status in the literary “underground.” Through the Windshield has been optioned for a film, and DeCapite has completed a second novel. He will read new work at the Beachland. Fiction writer Janice Johnson comes to Old Home Night by way of New York and Pittsburgh. Her former collaborator, Mike DeCapite, calls her work "funny, smart, questioning, sexy, completely original and not to be missed." Bob and Jack Kidney will make your jaw drop. We promise. As Bob said in Creem, "We are not interested in making hits; we are interested in making history." And make history is what they’ve done, with over 30 years of live performances in their Numbers Band, which has been praised by almost every national and several international music publications. Ask anyone who’s seen Bob and Jack at Old Home Night in the past three years, where they’ve been backed by Tony Maimone and Scott Krauss. Where To Now, featuring Tony Maimone’s brother Joe Maimone, will open the evening with a Cleveland-style rock and roll set.

Location