Local musician Adam Rich launched his Love Muffin Records way back in 1994 when he wanted to put out a cassette he’d recorded in his basement. In the wake of that initial release, he’s kept the label going all this time and has also managed to put on an annual festival dubbed LoveMuffinPalooza too (this year’s version of the festival takes place on Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Bop Stop).
To celebrate Love Muffin’s 30th anniversary, Rich has enlisted local acts Shake Ground, Blue Antidote, State of Being, Spirit of 74, Flowers Love Being Kurt, Mallory SanMarco, SweetSour, Saints and Eerie Invaders to perform on Sunday, June 30, at the Beachland Ballroom.
In this interview, Rich talks about the label’s history and what to expect from the anniversary concert.
Talk about your background. What kind of music did you listen to while growing up?
I listened to Top 40 stuff — Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, the Ghostbusters theme song. I used to record American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. When I was 10 (this would be 1984), I met a kid in school who was into hair metal. The first rock cassette I bought was Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation. Over the course of high school, this friend turned me onto Metallica, Poison, Overkill, Testament, Savatage, White Lion, Def Leppard and more. When I was 13, I heard about this local band called Beau Coup, and listened to the cassette every morning on the school bus in 7th and 8th grade. Another local band called the Janglers played my senior prom, and one of my classmates turned me onto a band called First Light. The band I was in at the time with the above-mentioned best friend got to open for Jason and Jack of the Janglers when they played the Beachland in 2010. I have kept in touch with the First Light guys, and their current band Shake Ground is headlining the 30th anniversary concert. I’ve known them longer then I’ve had Love Muffin. In college, I discovered Ben Harper, Helmet and Social Distortion. I’ve recently gotten into Halestorm and Avenged Sevenfold.
When did you start playing around town and what was the local music scene like back then?
I went to college at Bowling Green State University and tried out on guitar for a band called State of Green. I didn’t make it, but they also needed a bassist. I tried out again on bass and got in. We did covers, but we had original songs also. We recorded a three-song demo in early 1995. Mad Hatter Music in BG used to carry Scene. I saw an ad in it for the Labatt Ice Local Band Showdown. I mailed the demo in and was shocked when we got in. So my very first Cleveland gig was at the Euclid Tavern in mid-1995 when I was 21. We won the first round and advanced to the Odeon. We ended up winning for Cleveland and made it to the Agora — on the big stage! While we lost overall, we won enough money to record our lone CD in 1996. After college, I moved back home in mid-1998. I decided to stay on bass and found another band within a few months. Since then, I have played bass in Tadpol, Girth, Oliver Buck & the New Madrids, the Flavor and the Smeltztones.
What made you want to start your own record label?
I wanted to release my own music. When I was a senior in high school, I heard about these instrumental guitarists Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. I bought [Satriani’s]Flying in a Blue Dream and [Johnson’s] Ah Via Musicom. Both were different from the hair metal I was into. Satriani grabbed me more, mainly because he played nearly every instrument on his first few releases. At this point, I played drums and guitar and was just starting bass. So I bought the entry level Tascam four-track at that time and recorded a four-song EP in my basement. My dad, who was a photographer, took the cover photo. I remember buying blank tapes and putting the labels on myself. I hadn’t come up with the name Love Muffin yet, I used the name Rich Records. I made about 20 copies and took the cassette to college my sophomore year. I ended up writing more songs and put a blank sheet of paper on my dorm room door asking for album titles. The result was my first full length eight-song cassette, Virgin Freak. I had upgraded to the next level Tascam 4-track, got better mics, and had it professionally mastered at Modern Recording Services while mixing it myself at home. I had 100 copies made and took them to college. In 1997, I released another cassette, Flavor Savor, before I graduated college and moved back home. I would go on to release my first CD in 2001, and new CDs in 2005, 2014, 2018 and 2021.
What are some of your favorite releases that the label has issued?
The releases on the label other than my own were by Tilt 360 out of Youngstown, Skychief out of Akron, the Darker Shore out of Cleveland and the Chromes also from Cleveland. None of the bands exist anymore. I am proud of the DVD I did of my college band State Of Green in 2015. God bless my parents; my mom would lug around a VHS video camera to almost every Cleveland gig we did, and my dad would always take photos. So I used seven songs including one from the reunion in 2009. I had a college friend who still lived in BG film a video tour of the bar we always played there and set it to one of our songs. I got a former WBGU DJ to do an interview, and I included my mom filming two of our photo shoots, which my dad shot.
What made you want to start your annual showcase, LoveMuffinPalooza?
I wanted to do my own version of Undercurrents, the music festival from the mid-1980s to late-1990s. I loved attending it, going to the educational events during the day and then bar hopping at night making out my schedule of which bands I wanted to see. I even got John Latimer [of Undercurrents] to be the MC for it last year. At first, it was a multi-evening event running Thursday thru Saturday nights. The Barking Spider was kickoff night on Thursday for several years until they closed. At one point, I tried running two venues on one night at the same time. I probably tried every small venue in Cleveland at one point. I’ve had it at the Grog Shop, Wilberts, Brothers Lounge, Symposium, Euclid Tavern, Bop Stop, Beachland, Phantasy, Winchester, Maple Grove, etc. When the Spider closed, I moved to a Fri/Sat/Sun format. Then, just Sat/Sun. I tried in the afternoon and evening. When Covid hit in 2020, I had to get a new job delivering The Plain Dealer. I could no longer do it on the usual Fri/Sat when I had to be up at midnight to deliver. So since 2021, it’s been a Sunday night at the Bop Stop. I also wanted to book bands I liked, so I could see them and give exposure to newer bands.
Some of the proceeds from that festival go to charity. Talk about that.
In 2011, I was very discouraged. I had been putting on three to four concerts a year since I started Palooza in 2008 and really stepped it up in 2011, doing a concert every six weeks or so. I was not really making any money, and attendance barely covered my expenses plus paying the bands. I decided to add raffle, get local businesses to donate prizes and find a non-profit charity to donate the money to. A bandmate’s wife worked for the Animal Protective League, so she got me connected. I ended up getting half a dozen prizes, some sponsors and raised around $200. About a month before Palooza, one of my cousins got a rare form of cancer and passed away quickly. I decided to find a local cancer charity for 2012. I found the Gathering Place and have been working with them since. The first raffle with the Gathering Place got around a dozen prizes and raised $400. Over the years, the number of prizes increased. The bands started donating their pay. In 2018, I officially named the event LoveMuffinPalooza — a benefit for the Gathering Place. To date, the event has raised $18k in 12 years. The number of prizes hit a record 150 in 2022. Last year saw the biggest amount raised, near $1800 after expenses. One hundred percent of all money raised goes to the Gathering Place after expenses. Eventually, I stopped putting on other concerts in 2015 and focused on LoveMuffinPalooza, as it takes me a solid 6 months to find a date/venue, book the bands, get raffle prizes, get sponsors and promote. I’m much happier knowing all my hard work will really help people.
What will the 30-year anniversary concert at the Beachland be like?
Fun! It’s really the last 30 years of my life, and I turned 50 this year. For starters, there will be a looping montage of photos from past concerts and events on a screen going all night. One of my high school friends will be selling his artwork there. I have printed up more copies of all of my CDs as well as the DVD of my college band to sell. As far as the bands, there are nine. Mallory SanMarco has played probably half the Paloozas, so I had to have her on. Shake Ground is headlining. Seeing them takes me back to being 18 again back in Peabodys Cafe when most of the members were in First Light. State of Being is also playing. This year is the 30th anniversary of their debut CD in 1994. Saints and Eerie Invaders are the main bands of guys in my band. Flowers Love Being Kurt is my band. Back in 2016, I needed one more band for Palooza. I decided to form my own band and play my songs. I asked guys from bands who had played on my shows. That lineup lasted three years. [The festival that was to take place in] 2020 was erased by Covid. In 2021, I assembled a new lineup while retaining the drummer. The name comes from a combination of parts of the names of the other members main bands. Spirit of 74 goes back to the aforementioned best friend. We went our separate ways after high school, but he moved back here in 2007 needing a bassist and drummer. I knew a drummer, and we formed a band that lasted until 2010. When I had a last-minute cancellation at Palooza last year, he played solo as he had released a CD during the pandemic. For this anniversary concert, I reached out to our drummer. He was up for it, and this will be our first gig in 14 years. SweetSour is the new band from the singer-guitarist of Skychief, who was on the label. Blue Antidote is new to me; I saw them at a house party several years ago.
What does the future hold for the label?
I will keep doing LoveMuffinPalooza and releasing my own music. I also offer graphic design services since I design my own CD artwork. I also have a recording studio where I’ve recorded all but one of my CDs. I still use the drum set I got when I was 15. So if any band wants to record cheap, needs CD artwork done or wants to be part of Palooza, please contact me at [email protected] or visit the website, lovemuffinrecords.com.
Love Muffin 30 Year Anniversary Concert, 7 p.m. Sunday, June 30. Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124. Tickets: $15 ADV, $20 DOS, beachlandballroom.com.
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Jeff Niesel
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