Rio Neon is folkjazz and more

By: Jay Minkin
Date: 01/14/2008
I spent my early years growing up in Canton, hanging out at establishments like the original Quonset Hut, Cosmic Blues, and a place just up the way called Boulder Junction in Uniontown.

By day, Boulder Junction built and repaired dulcimers, guitars, banjos, and folk harps. On the weekends, local songwriters such as John Bassette, Jim Ballard, Alex Bevan, and Charlie Weiner & Penny would entertain and present new songs in a small area of the building.

A few of my high school classmates, Sally Kandel and Steve “Red” Michaels, were part of the young entourage to find refuge here. Red was known to have guitar-in-hand during class lunch breaks for those who ventured down the railroad tracks from GlenOak East to Willow Springs Park when the weather was nice.

Some of those early exposures to music led to Sally and Red forming the musical group Rio Neon. Their sound will take you back in time with the flavor of Tin Pan Alley, ragtime, early jazz and swing, and a touch of ‘60s Peter, Paul, & Mary harmonies.

Along with Red on guitar and Sally on percussion and ukulele, the band consists of some exceptional craftsmen including former Boulder Junction employee Roger Phillips playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin; John Reynolds on violin and mandolin; and Bob Smith handling the bass guitar. The band released their first album entitled Midnight Surprise this past August and were asked to write and perform a song titled “Ornaments and Icing” for a National Public Radio show produced by WKSU and distributed to over 60 NPR Stations the past two years.

You can catch Rio Neon January 19th at Jimmy’s Café in Cuyahoga Falls; January 24th at The Rusty Nail in Kent; and February 23rd at Mangiamo! in Twin Lakes, Ohio. For more about Rio Neon and additional performance dates check out www.RioNeonBand.com or visit www.myspace.com/rioneon.

Reach Jay at blues4bird@aol.com.

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