WKSU News: Northeast Ohio's roots in Rock Hall inductions

Thursday, April 12, 2012 Northeast Ohio's roots in Rock Hall inductions Guns ‘n Roses, Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys among this year's class headed to Cleveland by WKSU's AMANDA RABINOWITZ and KABIR BHATIA	Reporter Amanda Rabinowitz

Original Guns 'N Roses drummer Steven Adler lived in Cleveland Heights until he was 7-years old

In The Region:

Guns ‘n Roses frontman Axl Rose is refusing his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro passed away in 1997, as have several members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Faces. But on Saturday night, the remaining members, plus Donovan and all three Beastie Boys, are expected to turn up in Cleveland. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia and Amanda Rabinowitz explored the Northeast Ohio connections of this year’s inductees.

Northeast Ohio's roots in Rock Hall inductions

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Guns 'N Roses
Guns 'N Roses are one-fifth Buckeye -- drummer Steven Adler was born in Cleveland Heights and lived with his grandparents until the family moved to California when he was 7. Adler has some early memories from Cleveland, including his grandmother's house, their bakery, their cat...and the snow.

In 1988, Guns 'N Roses were big enough to play at Buckeye Lake Music Center south of Columbus. Hank LoConti founded the Agora in Cleveland and ran Buckeye Lake in the 1980s. He says it was rowdy and the venue needed as many as 200 security personnel.

GNR adrenaline rush
One die-hard Cleveland fan, Rich Hanchette, says the Guns N’ Roses concert experience with unpredictable lead singer Axl Rose is what has really defined this group. He’s seen the band four times in Cleveland and once last year in Youngstown.

"Axl has started many riots where people have been seriously injured on his tours. Sometimes he doesn’t show up, sometimes he shows up and he’s really aggravated and stops the concert. Sometimes he jumps into the crowd and beats a fan up and it starts chaos. So for me that little adrenaline rush you get before going into a show, is what I enjoy."

Hanchette, 37, first heard “Welcome to the Jungle” on MTV late one night when he was 13 – before the band broke out. He says the music signaled a shift away from the so-called hair bands that dominated the 80’s.

"They were about real life. The drugs, the alcohol, and everything that was involved in the whole seedy side of L.A. For me, and I think for a lot of people, the songs on that first record, “Appetite for Destruction,” really showed a side of humanity that I don’t think was exposed at that time."

Beastie Boys
The hip-hop trio from New York City started mixing rap, punk and rock in the early 80’s. The group’s landmark album, 1989’s “Paul’s Boutique,” was among the first to experiment with sampling. The Agora’s Hank LoConti hosted the band when they were starting out.

"I think they drew probably 900-1,000. You take Springsteen. First time he played for me he only drew 400-450. Three years later he’s a superstar."

Big record store sellers
The Beastie Boys also have remained big record-store sellers. Dave Ignizio, owner of Square Records in Akron, says the group has kept its albums available on vinyl.

"For some records, they do become expensive because there’s no re-presses available. Especially stuff like theirs that’s for the most part 20 years old or so, you’ll still find used copies of 'Licensed to Ill'-that one was pressed on vinyl in pretty high numbers. The other stuff it was pressed on vinyl originally but it was limited edition for a while until they started doing these re-presses."

Other inductees
And at Ignizio’s store, new inductees the Red Hot Chili Peppers fall into that same category. Mixing punk with funk, the band didn’t hit big until the early ‘90s, but have been steady sellers ever since.

Another inductee, ‘60s-sunshine-superman Donovan is also popular in Akron. "A lot of the young kids still seem to be into his stuff and discovering his music. We get that 'Donovan’s Greatest Hits' record in almost all the time. That’s one that comes in and goes out almost constantly. He’s just one of those timeless artists."

Hank LoConti of the Agora didn’t think 2012 inductee and singer-songwriter Laura Nyro ever played in Northeast Ohio. The writer of “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Stoned Soul Picnic” essentially retired in the early ‘70s, occasionally re-emerging and rarely touring.

It turns out she made at least one appearance in Cleveland… she played Case Western Reserve University’s homecoming in 1969. She played for almost an hour, without a backing band.

Backing bands
Several backing bands are being inducted this year, the result of a new rule. This year, the list includes: The Crickets (Buddy Holly), The Midnighters (Hank Ballard), The Blue Caps (Gene Vincent), The Miracles (Smokey Robinson), The Comets (Bill Haley) and The Famous Flames (James Brown).

Also, The Faces, who morphed from The Small Faces; both groups broke out on Cleveland radio in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The Rock Hall inductions are Saturday night in Cleveland.

Images with audio

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Fan Rich Hanchette of Cleveland talks about Guns 'N Roses lead singer Axl Rose (pictured). Hanchette was at a GNR concert in Youngstown the day the Rock Hall inductions were announced.

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Rich Hanchette of Cleveland talks about the guitar he got that resembled one that Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash used.

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The Rock Hall's Lauren Onkey talks about how NYC hip-hop trio The Beastie Boys "changed the game"

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GNR drummer Steven Adler (left) and guitarist Slash (right) made up the original lineup of the band being inducted. Adler talks about the bands break-out album.

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Rich Hanchette of Cleveland says he started following Guns 'N Roses from the beginning

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The Rock Hall's Lauren Onkey talks about the range of inductees, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers

(Click image for larger view.)

A 2012 Rock Hall inductee known for creating a shift in music is the Beastie Boys. The hip-hop trio from New York City started mixing rap, punk and rock in the early 80’s.

The Guns N’ Roses concert experience with unpredictable lead singer Axl Rose is what has really defined this group, according to die-hard Cleveland fan Rich Hanchette

Related WKSU Stories

Friday, April 13, 2012

Donovan still mellow as Rock Hall honors awaits

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Axl Rose tells Cleveland Rock Hall "no thanks"

Listener Comments:

i saw laura nyro at case...a few times, sitting at the piano between songs she told jokes...quite a surprise

she also played blossom the next summer...a concert with one of the most ill suited opening band match ups ever...the boneheaded bloodrock...and yes, they did "d.o.a"

Posted by: rusty (c. falls) on April 12, 2012 1:04AM

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