Former Clevelander, Alex Lombardo, relocated to New York City after graduating college and was pleasantly surprised at just how many people he met around the five boroughs that had also made the fateful trek across I-90 to the most famous island in the world.
But before Alex also left for NYC, he worked as a bartender at Peabody’s Concert Club in Cleveland, where he got to know a lot of the local Cleveland bands who would play there. “When the local bands would hit the road and play NYC, I’d go and support them,” he said. “So many bands would perform in NYC where there was little or no fan support and I felt bad that these guys would drive eight hours for a terrible turnout.”
Bands like Duvalby Brothers, Roue, Magpies or Viva Caramel, to name a few, were bands, that in Alex’s opinion were fantastic – not to mention had incredibly strong fan support in Cleveland. And he wanted to help them any way that he could.
So once he was permanently established in NYC, Alex founded Cleveland Fest, and on May 3, for the second year in a row, the sounds of Cleveland took over New York City.
“Last year I contacted a venue in Brooklyn about hosting a festival for Cleveland bands, and we also included bands from Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles,” Alex said. Although it was a tough sell, trying to promote a show for local Cleveland acts, eight hours away, in a city like New York, Alex made it work and Cleveland Fest was born.
“I wanted to find a way to bridge that gap, so I decided to donate all profits of the 2007 show to the local Cleveland and New York City AIDS charities.”
Last year, 15 bands played on two stages and Cleveland Fest had a great turnout. “I was amazed by how many Clevelanders are living in the NYC area and came out to support their hometown,” Alex said.
This year’s event was held at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan, and Alex was able to bring six great bands together. “I was really hoping to put the Cleveland music scene back on the map [with Cleveland Fest 2008],” he said. “I couldn’t wait to see Cleveland bands like the Suede Brothers and Mr.Gnome [take over the stage in NYC].”
For Alex, it’s been extremely refreshing to hear all of the great music coming out of Cleveland these days. And for only $10, a steal for a full night of entertainment in pricey NYC, to see such a show is an amazing deal – one all relocated Clevelanders will surely enjoy.
Nice to see my home town make a road trip and bring some good tunes to the big apple. Great show!
I’m from the 216 and have recently moved to Ocean City, MD. I have mutual friends with mr. Gnome and made the 4 hour trek to NYC for this show. Great venue at the historical Knitting Factory. Good turn out, but room for more. I paid $75 for a cab ride and $9 a piece for Captain n’ Coke but I’m looking forward to next year’s already.
I am originally from Parma and moved out to NY 5 years ago, I have attended both Cleveland Fest shows and can’t wait for next years concert. The Suede Brothers were amazing!