CLEVELAND IS ON A (ROCK ‘N’) ROLL
MAKING MUSIC THAT MAKES CENTS: Joe Walsh and the James Gang . . . the Raspberries . . . the Michael Stanley Band . . . Buzzy Linhart . . . Wild Cherry. It doesn’t take long to run out of names when you try to put together a list of famous (well, semi-famous) Cleveland rock monikers. So it comes as no surprise to find that, for a local musician trying to hit the spotlight, it’s an uphill struggle.
“It does get pretty frustrating,” explained Mark Addison, the 29-year-old leader of Nation of One, probably the city’s most celebrated local band. “When things don’t keep rolling along--when it’s too long between minor goals being obtained, whether it’s getting played on the radio here or getting some recognition--it can be really tough.”
Addison has been playing in bands here since he was in high school. His first group, the Buzzards, was Buzzy Linhart’s back-up band, until, as Addison recalls, they were fired onstage in the middle of a show. From 1979 to 1982, Addison was in the Generators, another popular local group that helped serve as a model for portions of “Light of Day,” a coming Paul Schrader film about a struggling Cleveland bar band. (Addison served as an unofficial script consultant, has written a song for the film and plays a small part in the movie, which was shooting in Cleveland last week.)
Addison’s current group, Nation of One, has been together for nearly four years. WMMS is playing one of the group’s new songs, but Addison acknowledges that it’s been hard to attract much record company interest.
“Hey, they never send A&R; guys out here,” he said, with a trace of bitterness. “If you want them to see you, you have to go to New York or L.A., rent some studio space and do a showcase gig. That’s the only way to get their attention. They think we’re a real backwater out here.”
Still, Addison remains optimistic. One record label--Epic--did fly out an A&R; man to scout the band, while several other companies have expressed “some” interest. Addison added that Eddie Money has recorded one of his songs, which is “supposedly” going to appear on his next album.
“It’s too bad there’s not more interest,” he said. “Because Cleveland is a real rock ‘n’ roll town. It’s not sophisticated, but people here work hard five days a week and then they really go crazy. Friday night is party night, Saturday night is date night and they both revolve around music. Rock ‘n’ roll is everyone’s salvation around here.”
Addison grinned. “It’s as if we’re all submariners and we’ve been on a U-boat for weeks on end. And when you come back to land, you turn on the radio and (WMMS deejay) Kid Leo says, ‘It’s the weekend! ‘ Then he plays ‘Born to Run’ and everyone goes out and goes wild.
“Rock ‘n’ roll is everything. It means more around here ‘cause there’s nothing else. People work here and they play here, and in Cleveland, play is rock ‘n’ roll.”