Buzzbin Art & Music Shop – one of Northeast Ohio’s best-known live music venues – is working hard to reopen on Kenmore Blvd. after a decade-long tenure in downtown Canton.

In an effort to offset the massive expense of relocating, the owners have set up an online donation link and organized “Benefit for the ‘Bin” – a multi-venue benefit concert beginning at 3 p.m. this Saturday, September 24. Twenty bands and solo artists will take over the stage at Buzzbin’s new location at 952 Kenmore Blvd. (the former Live Music Now!) and The Rialto Theatre two blocks away at 1000 Kenmore Blvd.

With the help of some awesome people we have a secured a new home for Buzzbin on the Boulevard in Kenmore!” said Chris Bentley, who co-owns Buzzbin with his wife Julia (Masalko) Bentley. “We still have a mountain of bills and fees for permits etc and decided to throw a huge party [to help raise money to cover the costs] and invited some amazing bands and musicians!”

Upon learning the closure of Buzzbin’s downtown Canton location was imminent in June, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance wasted no time in inviting Chris Bentley to come visit Kenmore Blvd. Where he was given a tour of the former Live Music Now! building located between 13th and 14th Streets. Chris was immediately blown away by the potential of the space and the creative hive of artists and musicians buzzing around Kenmore. “I thought it was absolutely perfect for Buzzbin,” Chris said of the former bar at 952 Kenmore Blvd. “It has everything that Buzzbin would need to be successful.”

Julia agreed it was the ideal new home for Buzzbin, so the couple wasted no time getting Buzzbin going on The Blvd. and hosted their first show in their new home during Kenmore First Friday on September 2. Despite quickly securing a new home, Buzzbin is in need of substantial financial support to make its move successful.

“Buzzbin was almost destroyed by COVID and the Canton location never really was able to come back to full strength after that,” Chis explained. “This led to a mountain of bills and problems that piled up in the past two years. The Benefit for the Bin is extremely important because it is an extension of what we spent ten years building in Canton. A legendary environment for fans of underground music.”

Buzzbin’s success on the Blvd. not only means the world to the Bentley’s – it means a lot to the revitalization of Kenmore Blvd.

“The addition of Buzzbin Art & Music Shop to Kenmore Blvd. not only reactivates a building that has been vacant the past few years, but it brings more people to The BLVD,” Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Promoter & Experience Manager Corey Jenkins said. “Buzzbin isn’t an upstart, it’s an established business with a devoted following who will bring additional business to Kenmore’s restaurants and shops.”

Amongst the performers who are donating their time by playing for free at “Benefit For The Bin” are Tommy Stewart from legendary heavy metal band Hallow’s Eve and 72 Legions featuring guitar gods Dan Gates from TON and Kenmore resident Curran Murphy, who played in progressive metal band Nevermore.

“Music that has heart, passion and guts. That’s what we are building in Kenmore and that’s why we fit in,” Chris emphasized. It’s a place that is rebuilding for all of the right reasons. Come out and watch great independent music and support that dream.”

Help support Buzzbin’s move to Kenmore – get your tickets for “Benefit for the ‘Bin” or donate at buzzbinkenmore.com.

City of Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan addresses “Great Places Rock” attendees at First Glance on Kenmore Blvd.

Kenmore Boulevard was front and center during the first ever Summit County Placemaking Institute, held Wednesday, Sept. 14 on Kenmore Boulevard. Subtitled “Great Places Rock,” the event featured some of Ohio’s leading thinkers in the areas of community development, public space and art, including Tod Wormstedt of the American Sign Museum, Guide Studio’s Cathy Fromet and LAND Studio’s Greg Peckham, both renown public space planning experts based in Cleveland. Other speakers included local artists, government officials and nonprofit representatives, including Tina Boyes, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance’s executive director.

“Kenmore is a leader in authentic neighborhood placemaking, so this was the perfect place to launch the initiative,” said Nicole Mullet, executive director of ArtsNow, the event’s organizer.

While she admitted the general public might not know the word placemaking, they know good placemaking when they see it.

According to People for Public Spaces, placemaking “strengthen(s) the connection between people and the places they share.” It is a collaborative process of shaping spaces so they’re more valued by everyone and reflect the physical, cultural and social identities of their community.

“When ArtsNow embarked on the Akron Cultural Plan, this was one of the major goals: to strengthen the city through the arts, humanities, culture, natural resources and heritage of each unique neighborhood,” she explained. “This event is the perfect next step to get greater Akron’s creative juices flowing.”

Event sessions focused on the power of placemaking in community development, how branding and signage can improve neighborhoods and business districts, how visual art, programming and events can brand a neighborhood, and how philanthropy, government and nonprofits can work together to implement substantive placemaking efforts.

“For Akron to grow to 250,000 residents, it must grow through its neighborhoods,” Boyes said in the opening plenary. “We need to recreate emotional connections to those places.” She also gave attendees a tour of the art, branding and improvement initiatives underway along Kenmore Boulevard.

City of Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan kicked off the meeting, saying he hoped the event would be the first of many such conversations in the city. He added it’s the residents, artists and community developers, not government, that will create authentic change. “Our question is simply, ‘How we can help?’”

For more information about the Akron Cultural Plan, or to receive updates about future cultural plan-related events, visit artsnow.org.

BY JENNIFER CONN AKRON

PUBLISHED 5:00 PM ET SEP. 02, 2022

AKRON, Ohio — When visitors meet Kenny Lambert at his “Just a Dad from Akron” clothing store or one of the many community events he’s hosted, they are met with a tall, heavily tatted, energetic young man with cool hair and a genuine smile.

It’s no surprise Lambert has a growing following. His clothing line touts positivity and encouragement, especially for young parents who he encourages to be positive role models.

Lambert uses proceeds from clothing sales to host events that draw hundreds of people and feature giveaways of food, shoes or school supplies. He takes his daughter when he personally delivers merchandise purchased online to his customers homes.

His store is open to young people struggling with drugs and alcohol, but drawn to Lambert’s confidence and energy. He has partnered with many local businesses to spread his positive messages, all of which he calls “the movement.”

But what might be a surprise is that Lambert is a recovering addict and three-time felon, who was in and out of jail, homeless, and eventually shunned by family and friends.

He’s not guarded about it; it’s a story he often tells so those caught in the grip of addiction know there’s hope. In the end, Lambert said it was fatherhood that spurred him to get sober to stay alive for his daughter, Amelia.

Now Lambert’s story is coming to a much larger audience through the documentary, “Just a Dad from Akron: The Movement.”

Produced by Nate Ankrom of Enjoy the Epic, the premiere is set at the Akron Civic Theatre in downtown Akron on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. There are 2,500 seats available for the free viewing.

More than two years in the making, the documentary follows Lambert through the early days of building his brand online and opening his Just a Dad from Akron store on Kenmore Boulevard. But it’s not so much about the business as it is the movement.

The film weaves the story of Lambert’s turbulent past with candid interviews with friends, authority figures, young people he has inspired — even a judge who sent him to jail.

“My life before, you know, like the life of a drug addict. The hardships that I went through, and how sobriety and faith has, you know, restored me as a person, to be a positive member in the community,” Lambert said of the film. “To give hope, you know, and inspire change.”

The documentary captures interviews with Lambert’s family members. His parents talk, not for the first time about their son’s addiction, but about the deep pain he caused, said Lambert, who admits he burned every bridge — with family and friends, and even his dealers.

“So it’s very raw and organic, as far as, the emotions,” he said. “It’s like inspiration, to give people hope. The film is not about me, by any means, you know, but it’s more geared towards what happens when community comes together, what builds community, and the positive things that are the outcome of that.”

Ankrom said he learned about Lambert through friends, who sent him a link to something Lambert posted on social media in 2020. He contacted Lambert to say he was open to helping out with any videography Lambert might need.

When the two met, the intention was for Ankrom to create one or two short pieces on Lambert’s work. Fast forward two years, and they are making final edits to an hour-long documentary.

“The movement, really, it’s contagious. I’m not always the most positive person,” Ankrom said. “The more we’re around positive people, people are like good energy. It’s almost like you can’t be negative, you know. We all have our ups and downs. We lift each other up as a team and as a community.”

Parts of the documentary are bittersweet, and include an interview with Lambert’s one-time business partner Sebastian Spencer, 19, who died tragically.

When Ankrom met Lambert, Spencer was a company representative, helping Lambert launch the Just a Dad from Akron brand online and plan the brick-and-mortar store opening.

Ankrom and Spencer were both soon to be new fathers, and with much of Lambert’s messaging focused on good parenting, a strong bond formed.

In early 2021, Spencer died in an accident, leaving a three-month old son.

The popularity of the Just a Dad from Akron movement has been a boon to the Kenmore business district, said Tina Boyes, executive director of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, a community development corporation.

The store has brought business to the Kenmore Boulevard district, but in ways that’s secondary to the sense of community Lambert has helped strengthen in Kenmore, she said.

Having lived through addiction and recovery and coming out positive on the other side, Lambert has reached many people who need support but don’t know how to get it, she said.

“They’re looking for someone on the side of the street to say, ‘hey, let’s talk,’” Boyes said. “You know, he’s that guy. And that’s like a beacon.”

For more information on the documentary “Just a Dad from Akron: The Movement,” visit the event page. Visit the Just a Dad from Akron website to learn more about the company.

Organizers hope program will lead to lasting relationships with local musicians

By Jeff Niesel, Cleveland Scene

Published Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Akron-based band Glenn Lazear performing at the Rialto. (Photo by Jason Chamberlain)

Located in Akron’s Kenmore Neighborhood, the Rialto Theatre has just announced that it’s teamed up with 91.3 the Summit to launch Emerging Sounds, a series of live music showcases designed to showcase new local musical acts.

The first event will take place in November.

“Anyone who has been in a band knows how hard it is to get started,” says Corey Jenkins, Promoter & Experience Manager for Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance and guitarist in the Akron-based band Big Pop in a press release about the event. “Not only is it challenging to get a venue to book you when you’re starting, it’s equally hard to get people to come out. We’re hoping Emerging Sounds can help artists get past both of those hurdles.”

Beginning on Nov. 17, the series will take place on the third Thursday of every month. Admission is free, $5 if you are under 21.

“The Summit and The330.net are both local public radio services that play music 24/7 and are dedicated to emerging artists and local talent,” says Brad Savage, Program Director for the Summit FM. “Giving artists several platforms to be heard is a big part of our mission, and we’re thrilled to partner with Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance and the Rialto Theater.”

Bands and artists featured as part of Emerging Sounds and bring 50 or more audience members to their Emerging Sounds showcase and will be offered the opportunity to record one song for free at the Rialto Theatre’s recording studio and a Friday or Saturday night show.

“We want to build lasting relationships with the musicians who play here,” says Rialto Theatre co-owner Seth Vaill. “We want them to come back to record their music here and then have their sold out album release party here one day.”

Interested bands and musicians who are starting out and trying to get their names out there of all ages and genres are encouraged to email booking@therialtotheatre.com to request a spot on an Emerging Sounds showcase.

The Rialto Theatre, which opened in 2015, has contributed to the revitalization of Kenmore Blvd. and the development of the district as Akron’s Music Row. The Rialto building houses a music venue and performance art theatre, a front room known as the Rialto Living Room that features a small stage for solo performances, and Buon Cibo, a new restaurant serving paninis, desserts and drinks. Additionally, the Rialto is home to a recording facility that has produced records for a number of up-and-coming and established artists.