Connect with us

Ohio

The Ohio City Singers bring holiday spirit from Northeast Ohio to Germany

Published

on

The Ohio City Singers bring holiday spirit from Northeast Ohio to Germany


For greater than a decade, the nine-piece band the Ohio Metropolis Singers has been performing conventional and authentic holiday-themed tunes for audiences all through Northeast Ohio.

The rock group has launched 5 albums over the span of its tenure, beginning with 2008’s “Love and Hope.”

On Nov. 4, the debut album was rereleased in Europe by German-based label Hoboville Information.

Christopher Allen, the Ohio Metropolis Singers vocalist and guitarist, stated this worldwide launch may open new doorways for the Northeast Ohio-based group.

Advertisement

“In Germany, they love Christmas music,” Allen stated. “The aim could be to recover from there, clearly it must be subsequent 12 months, and the hopes with the label is that they will launch one of many albums yearly.”

The Ohio Metropolis Singers will spend December enjoying dwell exhibits all through Cleveland, together with a sold-out present at Forest Metropolis Brewery Dec. 10 and a bigger gig on the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame Dec. 18.

Beginning a Christmas-themed band

The band has an intensive catalog of Christmas-themed songs, with titles like “White Cleveland Christmas” and “Gingerbread Woman.”

Advertisement
Meredith Pangrace performs accordion within the Ohio Metropolis Singers, a nine-piece vacation band that launched its debut album in 2008.

Allen stated all of it started when he and his sister, Molly, determined to write down and carry out some authentic Christmas music collectively as a gift for his or her household within the early 2000s.

Allen has been a longtime staple of the Cleveland music scene, performing with bands just like the Boys from County Hell, the Responsible Hearts and Rosavelt.

He recruited his bandmate Doug McKean to assist flesh out some holiday-themed tunes.

“We had a giant Christmas celebration in Ohio Metropolis. Therefore the title the Ohio Metropolis Singers,” Allen stated. “We recorded the celebration, and it was simply an enormous hit with our household and mates.”

Allen and his collaborators determined to proceed writing and performing holiday-centric songs annually round Christmas following their debut.

Advertisement

“We did that for a number of years, till 2008 we determined, let’s launch an actual document,” he stated.

Allen stated the band grew to 9 members, every bringing ahead reminiscences of Christmas events and enjoyable vacation occasions from their respective childhoods.

These themes impressed the songs on the band’s debut album, which he stated resonated with households and children.

“I imply, we thought it was only a large grownup Christmas celebration that we had been writing for,” Allen stated. “However the exhibits instantly drew households and drew individuals of all ages. The Christmas celebration that we had in Ohio Metropolis we now have at venues such because the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame, which is mind-blowing to us.”

Writing seasonal music year-round

Advertisement

Allen stated his father inspired him to write down Cleveland-centric Christmas songs for native audiences.

He stated approaching Christmas songs, that are immediately recognizable to listeners for his or her affiliation with custom and reminiscence, was initially troublesome for him as a songwriter.

“I feel there’s most likely some nervousness with individuals when they consider a brand new Christmas track,” he stated. “Like, that is going to be like [a] ‘Grandma Obtained Run Over by a Reindeer’ form of factor.”

He stated placing down his guitar and writing songs on the piano helped open the floodgates for artistic inspiration.

He stated the album titled “Love and Hope” was deliberate, because the band made a rule to maintain the songs optimistic. Even when the theme of the track is wistful, its sound needed to be energetic and uplifting.

Advertisement

“I imply, we thought it was only a large grownup Christmas celebration that we had been writing for, however the exhibits instantly drew households and drew individuals of all ages.”

Christopher Allen

“Our songs actually typically are likely to fall into two camps. There’s the celebration songs,” Allen stated. “These are particular form of songs, however we even have an entire slew of songs which might be extra of the sentimental songs. Like ‘Snowflake’ — completely different songs like that that should form of pull on the heartstrings of Christmas.”

Allen stated he, McKean and Austin “Sweet Cane” Charanghat begin planning out their vacation songwriting in January, so that they spend a lot of the 12 months with Christmas music on their minds.

“However then, you already know… we’ve got recorded, I feel, two of the albums over the summer time,” he stated. “So yeah, numerous occasions it is a year-round factor.”

He stated he and his bandmates are “rock ‘n’ roll writers” at coronary heart, so suggestions on their music has been usually optimistic.

Advertisement

“Even among the guys within the workplace stated, ‘You realize, I do not usually like Christmas music, however that is one thing I may hearken to on a regular basis,’” Allen stated.

Gearing up for December holidays and past

The Ohio Metropolis Singers celebrated the preliminary recording of “Love and Hope” with a Christmas celebration on the Glad Canine in Cleveland, with household and mates singing numerous the backup vocals.

The nine-piece band has continued to thrive for therefore lengthy as a result of it’s a gaggle of longtime mates.

Advertisement

The rerelease of “Love and Hope” in Germany may imply the band travels abroad yearly.

However the group stays Christmas targeted and Cleveland-centric, for now.

“ [‘White Cleveland Christmas’] has been a giant staple,” Allen stated. “Once we began reserving exhibits at common venues, among the reserving brokers would say to me, ‘There may be nothing like this taking place.’ Lots of people will make Christmas albums, however that is particularly not a band doing a Christmas album. It is a Christmas band.”

Allen stated he and his bandmates have extra new songs written and hope to launch a brand new album in 2023.

Members of the Ohio Metropolis Singers

Advertisement

Christopher Allen – Acoustic and electrical guitars, vocals

Austin “Sweet Cane” Charanghat – Electrical and acoustic guitars, vocals

Don “Dingle” Dixon – Keys, percussion, trombone, glockenspiel, Christmas magic, vocals, manufacturing

Brent Kirby – Drums, vocals

Doug McKean – Electrical guitar, keys, accordion, vocals

Advertisement

Dave Padrutt – Bass guitar, vocals

Meredith Pangrace – Accordion, vocals

Matt Sobol – Acoustic guitar, elf sounds, vocals

Kelly Wright – Vocals

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ohio

Penn State lures defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Ohio State

Published

on

Penn State lures defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Ohio State


STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State has lured Tom Knowles away from Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions hired Knowles to serve as their defensive coordinator. Knowles held the same position with the national champion Buckeyes for three years.

Knowles replaces Tom Allen, who left to take the same job with Clemson after Penn State fell to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Ohio State had the top-ranked defense in the country in 2024. The Buckeyes held opponents to 254 yards while going 14-2 and earning the program’s second national championship of the playoff era.

Advertisement

While Penn State will lose several starters off a defense that finished seventh in the FBS in yards allowed — including Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Carter, who is heading to the NFL — defensive linemen Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton, linebacker Tony Rojas and cornerback A.J. Harris will return.

Penn State head coach James Franklin called Knowles “a strong strategist and excellent defensive mind.”

The hiring is a homecoming of sorts for Knowles, who grew up in the Philadelphia area. He played collegiately at Cornell before going into coaching. Previous coaching stops include Duke, Oklahoma State and Mississippi.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Ohio

Ohio will soon allow military children to open enroll in school of their choice

Published

on

Ohio will soon allow military children to open enroll in school of their choice


When Air Force Col. Cassie Barlow moved to Ohio to become the base commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, her teenage daughter enrolled in her 10th school in 16 years.

“The first thing I always thought about when we moved was: ‘Where is my daughter going to go to school?’” Barlow said.

Barlow’s daughter excelled in smaller schools but that wasn’t an option for those living on base, so Barlow enrolled her in a private school instead.

A new change in state law, which will take effect on April 9, will allow children of active-duty military parents to enroll in any public school − as long as the district has space for them.

Advertisement

Sen. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, championed the changes in Senate Bill 208, which passed with unanimous, bipartisan support. She said the new law is both a tool to recruit military families to Ohio and a way to express gratitude for their service.

“Education is one of the most important things that families care about because it defines the future for their children,” Roegner said. “We’re hoping that this will make it better for those people who are willing to lay their lives down for our country.”

Barlow’s daughter has already graduated high school. But she wears another hat as president of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education focused on workforce development. This bill will help recruiting military families to come and stay in Ohio.

“We are in an incredibly competitive workforce market right now. To be able to have something like this make us much more attractive to military members and to veterans,” Barlow said.

Advertisement

How would the change help military families?

Under current law, school districts must decide if they will allow students to enroll from other school districts under any circumstances. If districts allow open enrollment, the option can be limited to surrounding school districts. Soon, schools will make an exception for children in military families.

It’s not clear how many students might take advantage of the option. More than 7,300 students from military families were enrolled in Ohio schools during the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a legislative analysis. Many live near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton or the Defense Supply Center Columbus in Whitehall.

School districts that enroll military children could see a bump in state money while districts that students leave might lose some funding, according to an analysis of the bill’s financial impact.

Ohio will join 17 other states that offer open enrollment for children of military families. The change will help military families, whose children change schools up to 10 times before graduation, said Shane Preston, the Great Lakes Region liaison at the U.S. Department of Defense-State Liaison Office.

“Military families are at a disadvantage when it comes to enrollment options available to their children, due to the timing of military-directed moves,” Preston told lawmakers.

Advertisement

Roegner introduced the bill to help military children after passing about a dozen laws that allow nurses, physical therapists, counselors, audiologists and other professionals to use their licenses from other states in Ohio. These licensure compacts help anyone considering a move to Ohio, she said.

When deciding where to move, families consider how hard it will be for their spouses to find work and their children to find a school, Roegner said. “Hopefully, this will make it easier.”

Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Ohio

Ohio State Buckeyes Freshman RB Gets Major NFL Comparison

Published

on

Ohio State Buckeyes Freshman RB Gets Major NFL Comparison


The Ohio State Buckeyes are losing both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to the NFL Draft. Heading into the 2025 college football season, Ohio State will need to figure out how to replace them.

Both Henderson and Judkins are legitimate stars. Finding a way to replace them will not be easy.

James Peoples and CJ Donaldson are going to be the top two running backs on the roster, but the Buckeyes also have some young talent coming in.

One of their 2025 recruits, Anthony Rogers, appears to have a very bright future ahead of him.

Advertisement

Rogers is a four-star running back hailing from Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He is the No. 11 ranked running back in the nation.

Andrew Ivins of 247 Sports has also made a very intriguing comparison for Rogers. He thinks the incoming freshman is a similar player to current Miami Dolphins running back Devon Achane.

Here is what Ivins had to say about Rogers in his evaluation:

“A quick-twitched slasher that’s fearless as an inside runner. On the smaller side, but has exhibited strong contact balance and can power his way through his fair share of tacklers,” Ivins wrote. “In his first two years at the prep level, totaled 2,765 yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 9.2 yards per carry. Transferred into IMG Academy in advance of his junior season and received glowing reviews right away from the staff at the FBS factory.”

“Patient feet and plus vision allows him to pick his lane before he hits the turbo. Gets out of trouble with swift laterally cuts and a slick spin move. Has experience working out of a variety of different offensive looks and has proven to be a tough cover while deployed in the slot. Will need to keep improving as a pass blocker if he wants to be a true three-down back on Saturdays, but is already viewed as one of the top playmakers in the 2025 cycle as he’s a threat to score anytime he finds a crease in a defense. Should be able to add value as a return man at the school of his choice. NFL potential, especially with his long speed as he already owns a laser-timed 4.48 in the 40-yard dash.”

Advertisement

If he can live up to that comparison, Rogers is going to be a future star for Ohio State. He has shown off dynamic playmaking ability throughout his high school career and could end up pushing for some carries as a freshman.

Along with Rogers, the Buckeyes are also bringing in another freshman running back. Bo Jackson will be joining the running back room at Ohio State as well.

Ryan Day and company will have to figure out how to utilize the roster to replace all of the talented players who are leaving the program for the NFL. They have a lot of young talent coming in that could help.

Hopefully, Rogers and Jackson can live up to the hype they’re receiving. If they do, the Buckeyes could very well be looking at their next great running back duo for the next few years.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending