Cloud Nothings' Dylan Baldi never graduated college, but that has not stopped him from becoming a historian of sorts, specifically in the rich history of Cleveland punk.
For Baldi's contribution to International Tapes he writes, “Cleveland, Ohio isn’t exactly known for it’s music scene,” which is a naive and grammatically incorrect statement (get a GED, kid), but excusable since Baldi nerds out with obscure information on each of his 12 selections. I don't think the city of Cleveland would put up $65 Million to house the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just to build a tourist trap on Lake Erie. Oh, wait…
The Cloud Nothings' Cleveland mixtape includes songs from The Dead Boys, Pere Ubu, The Electric Eels, Rockets From The Tomb and a few truly lost heroes of the mistake on the lake, one of which is either dead or just on bed rest from a run over foot. Initially, I was perturbed as to why Baldi selected the 80's lite-rocker “Waiting For Mary” from Pere Ubu's Cloudland LP and not “Non-Alignment Pact” or “Navvy”, which are far more exemplary of the “art-garage” reputation. But then I found a video of Pere Ubu performing “Waiting For Mary” with Debbie Harry on a television show that included guests Phillip Glass and Loudon Wainwright.
Download Baldi's Cleveland mixtape here.
