Pere Ubu
You might not expect Cleveland to be the birthplace of underground rockers Pere Ubu, whose French-sounding name and frequently off-the-wall music sounds more rooted in the European avant-garde and German prog than Cleveland rock. But singer David Thomas (whose hiccupping vocal style could be described as the blues sung through a coffee percolator) has been slinging his rotating band of performance art players around the world for the better part of 40 years, ever widening the reach of his frequently experimental brand of get-up-and-boogie. The newest Pere Ubu album, 20 Years in a Missile Silo, drops at the end of this month, giving you several weeks to check it out before they hit the Belly Up, where advance press promises a setlist mainly featuring “new songs, peppered with a couple of tracks from previous albums, and David Thomas’ infamous narratives in-between.” In other words, you won’t be getting a selection of greatest hits, but you will be treated to a four-piece backing band featuring all-analog syths and an onstage theremin, a bunch of brand new music, and a whole lotta chatter to chew on.