Fri 9/20 @ 9PM
Last June, an obscure Cleveland garage-rock band from the early ’00s called the It*Men reunited for a concert at the Beachland Ballroom. It was celebrating the release of a double vinyl LP, Greatest Its, that added some newly recorded tracks to material from their first incarnation.
Claiming influences from proto-punk bands like the Stooges, the MC5 and Blue Cheer, the defunct band made the kind of devilish racket that a certain type of rock fan reveres.
While the It*Men may not have set the scene on fire, all its members — vocalist Ken Janssen, guitarist/vocalist Matt Cassidy, guitarist Ben Gmetro, bassist Dave Molnar, and drummer Charlie Druesedow — are well-known in the local indie rock community from bands like the Volta Sound, New Planet Trampoline, Dreadful Yawns, Volcano Fortress, the New Lou Reeds, and Extra Medium Pony.
The evening served a second purpose: to raise money for Janssen, who in 2011 had left a long-time gig booking and bartending at the Beachland to work on the real estate side of the developing artist-oriented Waterloo neighborhood — and then in late 2012 was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
That show, which featured guest vocalists performing with the It*Men, raised $21,000 and was filmed.
The concert film from that night, dubbed The Last Waltz of the It*Men, will be shown at the Happy Dog for those who weren’t able to make it.
There’ll also be a live performance by the Exploding Lies, and members of the It*Men will spin tracks by their influences before and after the show.
Admission is $5.
https://www.facebook.com/events/160685510792500/
https://www.facebook.com/theitmen