My name is Mike DiAlesandro and I have been commissioned by Ben at The Portager to write a bi-monthly column highlighting local music events that are happening here in Portage County.
If you own a venue and want live performances included in this roundup, please email me at miked@theportager.com. I’ll want to know who you have booked, the date, time, and any costs or restrictions. If you know of a venue that provides live music, please contact me and I’ll take it from there.
I have a long musical history, dating back to my first piano lesson at age 8. Being the last of four children raised in the ‘60s - ‘70s, I was introduced to music early, as were my older siblings. Of course, at age 12 I had to start on guitar, as my older brother Jack had years earlier. And with that, my musical “career” was started!
I played in high school bands in my hometown of Maple Heights and continued on in the late ‘80s here in Portage County. Playing at the infamous Greenville Inn, and all throughout the Cleveland/Akron bar scene, I honed my skills as a blues-rock guitar player, with bands such as Black Cat Bone, and later with the Bluestones. One of my most memorable moments was opening up for the Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor, at the Rathskeller at KSU in April of 1995.
Around this time my attention turned to the wonderful sound of the pedal steel guitar, and for the past 30+ years I have pursued its alluring, yet difficult to achieve, sound. Playing local wineries in the early 2000s and then hitting the bar scene with the band Last Of The Red Hot Burritos, I also developed my new skillset. Playing in other bands such as the Skillet Lickers and The Flat Earth Ramblers, I have incorporated this sound into the setlists as an additional layer of musical interpretation.
Today finds me playing steel guitar with other local artists and bands, and striving to keep the spirit alive in my personal musical project, The Flat Earth Ramblers.
Hope to see you out and about at some of my gigs in the future!
You can catch me playing at the Heritage Fest on July 3rd with Guy Pernetti & The Flat Earth Ramblers on the Dan Smith Stage at noon. I hope to see you there.
Aurora
City of Aurora Summer Concert Series — Veterans Memorial Park, 40 W. Garfield Rd., 6:30–8:30 p.m.
- June 25: The Rebeats (Beatles tribute)
Brimfield
Old European Day & Bierfest — June 27–28, German Family Society of Akron, 3871 Ranfield Road. $5 admission; children 12 and under free.
- June 27:
- 3–6:30 p.m.: Gemütlichkeit Cleveländer Musikanten
- 6:45–11 p.m.: The Shotskis
- June 28:
- Noon–3 p.m.: The Culkar & Golab Band
- 3:30–7 p.m.: Enzian Aus Detroit
Freedom Township
Time Out Sports Bar & Grill — 7160 Route 303
- June 20: Two Docs Down, 8–11ish p.m.
Garrettsville
Garrettsville Farmers Market — 8119 Main St., Thursdays 4–7 p.m.
- June 18: Crazy James
- July 2: Tom Quinn
Garrettsville Summerfest — June 26–28, downtown Garrettsville. Two stages of live music. Details TBA.
Kent
July 3: Kent Heritage Festival, downtown Kent.
Live music all day at Dan Smith Community Park and Hometown Bank Plaza
Standing Rock Cultural Arts — 300 S. Water St.
- July 3: Old Time Jams, 6 p.m.
Water Street Tavern — 132 S. Water St.
(See ad in The Portager. Thanks for supporting live music, Mike!)
- June 19: J.J. Vicars & The Desiatos, 6–9 p.m.
- June 26: Backstreet Blues Band, 6–9 p.m.
Venice Cafe — 163 W. Erie St.
- June 20: Fred Tribuzzo 8-10 p.m.
Gigi’s Ristorante & Market — 210 S. Depeyster Sr. #100. All performances 6-9 p.m.
- June 18: Art Michaud
- June 25: Diana Chittester
- July 2: John Gall
Haymaker Farmers' Market — Corner of Summit St. & Franklin Ave.
- June 20: Jazz by Jeremy, 10 a.m.–noon
- June 27: The Ragged People, 10 a.m.–noon
The Kent Stage — 175 E. Main St. Note: Purchase tickets only through kentstage.org or the box office on W. Main St. Tickets from alternative vendors may be invalid.
- June 23: Christopher Cross
- June 27: An Evening with Paula Poundstone
Bell Tower Brewing Co. — 310 Park Ave.
- June 24: Monthly blues jam with the Cleveland Blues Society, 6:30–9 p.m.
Dan Smith Community Park — Downtown Kent
- June 20: Time Machine, 6–8 p.m. Sponsored by College Town Kent.
Hometown Bank Plaza — Downtown Kent
- June 25: Punching Oswald, 7–9 p.m. (Hometown Bank Concert Series)
The Outpost — 4962 Route 43
- June 27: The Blues at the Outpost, 3–8 p.m.
- 3:30 p.m.: Becky Plush & John Markovic
- 5:30 p.m.: The Highway 61 Band Sponsored by the Cleveland Blues Society & Northeast Ohio Blues Association. Presale tickets $15; day of show $20; CBS/NEOBA members $10 (membership card required).
North Water Brewing Co. — 101 E. Crain Ave.
- June 20: The Squatch Doctors, 7-9 p.m.
- June 26: Jack Windsor, 7-9 p.m.
- June 27: Wishgarden Acoustic Duo, 7-9 p.m.
- July 3: Feral Company with Susan Wojnar
Mantua
Los Venados Mexican Restaurant — 11697 Route 44
- June 19: Two Kings Duo, 6–9 p.m.
Farmers & Makers Market at the Granary — 4690 E. Prospect St., Mantua Grain Building parking lot, 4–7 p.m.
- June 26: Joe Abate (mandolin & guitar) with Lorne Franklin (percussion)
Restoration 44 Coffee Co. — 10675 Main St.
- June 21: Ava Leone, 3 p.m. "A sweet acoustic sound and perfect coffee shop vibe."
Nelson
Classic Fest 2026 — June 19–21, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. See website for details and cost.
GrassFire 2026 — July 3-5, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. See website for details and cost.
Ravenna
Hometown Bank Concert Series — Ravenna Courthouse lawn
- June 18: The D.B. Band, 7–9 p.m.
Reed Memorial Library — Outdoor pavilion
- June 28: Babies in Black, 2–4 p.m.
Rootstown
Dusty Armadillo — 3147 Route 44
Sunday Funday concerts 3-5 p.m. on the patio stage. No ticket required.
- June 21: Emily Raff
- June 28: Ryan Mundy
Streetsboro
Streets Tavern — 9107 Route 14
- June 20: Blueshift, 8–11ish p.m.
Wild Eagle Steak & Saloon — 9470 Route 14
- June 20: Dueling Pianos (Elton John & Billy Joel tribute), 9 p.m.–midnight
- June 27: Pet The Cougar (John Mellencamp & Tom Petty tribute), 9 p.m.–midnight
Chuggers Bar & Grille — 9244 Market Square Dr.
- June 27: Badseed, 8–11:30 p.m.