DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene Pittsburgh paper's music critic performs with Breakup Society

Here's a different kind of April shower -- names of note in local entertainment news.
UWhat brings Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pop music critic Ed Masley to Youngstown? Not a story, but a gig. Masley is lead singer and rhythm guitarist with the five-man alt-rock band The Breakup Society, which will play at 11 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Lounge, 23 N. Hazel St.
Much has been written about Masley's songwriting style, both as a member of now-defunct Frampton Brothers and on The Breakup Society's first CD, "James at 35." The gist is, critics like Masley's average-Joe laments and heartache songs that are honest but never self-pitying.
As for the sonic side of the band, there's something maddingly addictive about The Breakup Society. It's energetic pop-meets-rock-meets-punk. It's by musicians who give a damn about vocal and instrumental harmony but aren't slaves to it, either. With the obvious inspirations of The Who (early years) and Elvis Costello grounding the sound, there's plenty for the 30-and-older set to appreciate. And I can already hear the under-30 group ridding itself of anxiety by singing along to "Never Wanted to Be Your Disappointment." Is your membership in The Breakup Society overdue?
UChad Gridley, Jeff Smith, Doug Kost, Greg Parnell, Shawn Marko and Ron Coulter have two things in common. All are alumni of Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music, and all are now members of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which performs in the second half of the Leonardi Legacy series at 7 p.m. April 23 in Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown.
Who's who
Gridley, a baritone player, is from the city. Smith, a trumpeter, is from Portersville, Pa. Kost, on trombone, hails from Zelienople, Pa. Drummer Parnell is from Vandergrift, Pa.; Marko, a Warren native, plays bass; and Coulter, of Hermitage, Pa. -- a limited-service instructor at Dana who completed his master's degree in music performance just last year -- also plays drums.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra will play from 7 to 11 p.m. The evening will include swing dancing and a light buffet. Tickets are $50. Make reservations by calling YSU at (330) 941-3105.
UTim Slaton, general manager and technician with Roto-Rooter plumbing and drain cleaning service in Youngstown, will be a contestant on Ohio Lottery's Cash Explosion Double Play TV game show this Saturday (watch it at 7:30 p.m. on WFMJ Channel 21). Slaton, 46, bought an instant lottery ticket that qualified him for a drawing to be one of eight contestants. If he wins big money, Slaton says it'll help him to finance his daughter's wedding and his first vacation in at least three years.
UKenny Loggins, Mark O'Connor, Three Dog Night and John Pizzarelli are just some of the performers who will be accompanied by Youngstown Symphony Orchestra during the 2004-05 season.
Details
Loggins, who will perform Feb. 18, has a cache of pop-rock hits including "Footloose," "Your Mama Don't Dance" and "Danger Zone" (from the Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun"). His will be an extra event in the symphony's 2004-05 season. Subscribers who begin or renew by May 31 will save $5 on Loggins tickets. Call (330) 744-0264 for details.
O'Connor will bring together the worlds of classical violin and traditional fiddling when he plays his "Fiddle Concerto" on Nov. 20. He's been named Musician of the Year winner six times by Country Music Association. He also shared a Grammy with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer for best classical album.
Three Dog Night and the symphony will play fresh arrangements of "Joy to the World" and "An Old Fashioned Love Song" on Nov. 6, and jazz guitarist-vocalist Pizzarelli's Dec. 4 show will have a holiday theme.
Other soloists will be violinist Elmar Oliveira, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto on Oct. 23; pianist Ursula Oppens, Feb. 5; pianist Garrick Ohlsson, March 12; jazz pianist Joe Augustine of Warren in a Pops program, April 9, 2005; and pianist Joseph Kalichstein, April 16, 2005.
UMarlene Menaldi Strollo is at the helm again of Move Over Broadway Productions, a local theater troupe. Strollo founded the group a decade ago but gave up control while she lived out of state. Move Over Broadway suspended productions last fall to reorganize. Upcoming events include the annual Terry Olinski Scholarship Fund benefit show May 8 and Youth Theater performances of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" on May 15 and 16.
UTenor Lawrence Brownlee, a 1991 graduate of East High School and three-year member of the city schools performance group The Youngstown Connection, has a contract with the famed Metropolitan Opera. Carol Baird, Youngstown Connection director, says Brownlee is on a performance tour in Europe. Brownlee earned a bachelor of arts degree at Anderson University in Indiana and a master's degree in music at Indiana University.
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.