Heights Music Hop is Sept. 18

A band plays outside Best Gyros at the 2019 Heights Music Hop.

The eighth annual Heights Music Hop, a celebration of a diverse community through music, returns on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 5 to 11 p.m. This free music festival features a stellar lineup of artists on three outdoor community stages in the Cedar Lee Business District of Cleveland Heights.

The University Heights Symphonic Band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, will open the festival at 5 p.m. on the Flaherty & Collins ~ City Architecture Mainstage @ Lee & Meadowbrook. The evening continues with music from acapella group Elegie (R&B, Soul, and Gospel), Ms. Reec Pearl and the Groovemasters (Jazz, Blues, and R&B), Top Hat Black (Blues and Rock), and Dan Bruce’s Beta Collective (Jazz). Apostle Jones (high-energy Rock and Soul) will cap off the evening.

The North Stage @ the Cedar Lee Mini-Park will feature performances by Jesse Jukebox (fun music for kids and adults), Kiss Me Deadly (Rock, Punk, and R&B), OPUS 216 (classical) and The Buffalo Ryders (Alt-Rock).

Noble Cigar Box Guitar Project will open the South Stage @ Kensington Road. This group of middle-schoolers and their adult mentors from Cleveland Heights’ Noble neighborhood is a FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grant recipient.

The stage will also feature performances by SpYder Stompers and Sugar Pie (Americana/Folk), Eric Everett Jazz: Elation (Jazz), and C-Level (unique blend of Funk, Punk, Reggae, Bluegrass, and Rock).

“Due to COVID, this year’s festival is limited to one night, and the application process was extremely competitive,” said Deanna Bremer Fisher, executive director of FutureHeights, the nonprofit community development corporation for Cleveland Heights that organizes the festival. “We received more than 120 high-quality submissions, and could only extend offers to 12 acts. We are hopeful that next year the pandemic will be behind us, and we will once again be able to host official stages inside the many unique business venues in our walkable commercial districts.”

Since 2013, Heights Music Hop has featured free live music performances in a variety of genres, in restaurants, bars, shops and other unique Heights businesses. The festival, which had grown to include three nights of live music by more than 80 acts in 30 venues, did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic.

"We've all missed live music during the pandemic,” said Kelley Robinson, executive director of Cedar Lee Special Improvement District. “Keeping social distancing in mind, we look forward to a re-imagined Heights Music Hop for 2021. Featuring three outdoor stages, and a diverse mix of performances, we encourage music fans to join us for patio dining, libation, and the hospitality of our local merchants on Lee Road. We look forward to a fun night out in the community on Sept. 18."

“The event is free and open to the public,” said Fisher. “Heights residents who wish to support this year’s event can make a donation through our project crowdfunding page.” To donate, visit https://ioby.org/project/heights-music-hop-2021.

FutureHeights will once again host the Chance Raffle at the Hop, with all proceeds going to support the costs of this year’s event. Each $10 donation gives attendees a chance to win one of several fabulous prize packages, featuring gift certificates or merchandise from popular, local restaurants and shops. Each $10 donation receives one chance; each $50 donation receives six chances. Look for the Chance Raffle at the Hop stations located at Lee and Tullamore roads, and at the Cedar Lee Mini-Park.

Heights Music Hop is presented by FutureHeights and is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Heights Music Hop is also made possible, in part, by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically; and with support from The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Flaherty & Collins, City Architecture, Best Gyros, the Cedar Lee Special Improvement District, the city of Cleveland Heights, the Heights Observer and A440 Sound.

“Several of this year’s musicians live in the Heights, and we have several Heights High grads among them,” said Fisher. “Cleveland Heights is truly ‘Home to the Arts’.”

View more festival information, including the performance schedule and full list of musicians, at www.heightsmusichop.com, and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

2021 Heights Music Hop Performance Schedule:

Flaherty & Collins ~ City Architecture Mainstage @ Lee & Meadowbrook

5:00-6:00 p.m. - University Heights Symphonic Band

6:20-7:00 p.m. - Elegie

7:20-8:00 p.m. - Ms. Reec Pearl & The Groovemasters 

8:20-9:00 p.m. - Top Hat Black 

9:20-10:00 p.m. - Dan Bruce's :beta collective

10:20-11:00 p.m. - Apostle Jones 

South Stage @ Kensington

6:00-6:20 p.m. – Noble Cigar Box Guitar Project

6:40-7:40 p.m. - The SpYder Stompers and Sugar Pie

8:00-9:00 p.m. - Eric Everett Jazz:Elation

9:20-10:20 p.m. - C-Level

North Stage @ Cedar Lee Mini-Park

6:00-7:00 p.m. - Jesse Jukebox 

7:20-8:20 p.m. - Kiss Me Deadly

8:40-9:40 p.m. - OPUS 216

9:40-10:20 p.m. The Buffalo Ryders

Jason Patrick Meyers

Jason Patrick Meyers is a Heights resident, singer-songwriter, executive director of Roots of American Music, and program coordinator for the music therapy department at University Hospitals. He has served as music liaison for numerous local festivals, including Heights Music Hop.

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Volume 14, Issue 9, Posted 10:26 AM, 09.02.2021