By Zach Mosca
Jambar Contributor
Winter is in full swing in Youngstown, but so is the live music scene. These three concerts coming up just might do the trick in helping you stay warm this February.
If you’re looking to rock hard, local rock band Where’s Winona Now has you covered. The band will be coming to Westside Bowl on Feb. 16 at 9 p.m.
Lead guitarist Dom DiVencenzo describes the band as hard rock with some punk influences in their sound.
“The roots originated with pop-punk rock, but we’re trying to evolve into a heavier sound while still trying to keep our punk rock roots,” DiVencenzo said.
He said the band tries to appeal to fans of all subgenres of rock to attract a variety of groups to their shows.
“We try to offer a little bit of everything and everyone has their own personal tastes, like some people like a few songs and then there will be another group that likes a certain set of different songs. So, we try to bring multiple groups in to blend it all together,” DiVencenzo said.
The band cites bands like Metallica, Nirvana and Avenged Sevenfold as their influences, so fans of those bands might enjoy Where’s Winona Now.
If you’re looking for a more low key, calm experience, Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts also has a show going on Feb. 16 featuring Akron-based folk artist, Ben Gage. Music starts at 9 p.m.
Gage grew up in the Rust Belt of Ohio in a blue-collar family. He describes his music as a way to tell stories about what he and others around him go through in that life.
“It’s a lot of life experiences that I myself go through or that I see my friends or family go through. Just anything to make you think,” he said.
Gage cites Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, the Wood Brothers and the Avett Brothers as his influences.
“I listen to a lot of old folk musicians now. A lot of guys who were just poor, traveling around and writing about the things that they saw,” he said.
Gage writes his music to give his audience insight into his life, and possibly connect with others in the audience who are going through the same situations he is. So, if you want a more relaxed experience with some musical storytelling, Gage has you covered.
In terms of big-name musicians coming to the Valley, popular country singer Kane Brown will be at the Covelli Centre Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. This is a big event, as tickets are sold out at the box office, but some tickets are up for resale on sites like Ticketmaster.
Kane Brown fuses country music with other genres such as hip-hop and pop. Covelli Centre marketing and sales assistant Phoebe Breckenridge compares his sound to artists like Florida Georgia Line and Maren Morris.
“Kane Brown’s music combines the youthful energy of pop and hip hop with country music. His music is similar to that of Florida Georgia Line, who are also country artists that have dabbled into the pop music genre,” Breckenridge said.
She said this show will be a great opportunity to attract new visitors to the Covelli Centre and aims to get them to come back for future events.
“When guests come here to see a national artist like Kane Brown, it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our exceptional operations, productions, and customer service abilities to a larger audience that we hope will encourage a crowd of this size, as the show is sold out to continue to look to us for entertainment,” Breckenridge said.
Brown will be supported by Granger Smith and Jimmie Allen, so this is a must-see for fans of country music.
With so many shows and venues to choose from, there’s something for all music fans to enjoy this month. So fight the cold and have some fun jamming out to some live music.
