Becoming a band with a cause brings out new strengths

The band's sophomore album will be released late this year or early next year.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
Youngstowners will get to hear Cherry Monroe's new material next week when the band makes its first Valley appearance in more than seven months.
The rock band, whose members hail from Youngstown, Austintown and western Pennsylvania, will be at Jillian's in Southern Park Mall, Boardman, Thursday for an all-ages show.
The quintet recently returned to the area after spending a few months in Los Angeles, where they wrote and recorded tracks for the follow-up to their 2006 debut, "The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful" (Universal Records). The new album will be released late this year or early 2007.
Lead singer Matt Toka said he's fired up about the Jillian's gig, which comes the day before his birthday. "It's been crazy coming back home, where it all began," he said. "I can't wait till Thursday."
Best Group award
It's been an up-and-down period for the band, which has met with mixed success. The euphoria that surrounded last summer's album release has been tempered by the inevitable setbacks.
One high point came last month, when the band was named Best Rock Group of the Year in the 2006 Free Times Music Awards. Free Times is a weekly alternative news magazine in Cleveland.
Toka is excited about the upcoming album, which he said will reflect the band's experiences.
"We've been through a lot of things," he said. "We've matured as a band. We've grown up ... and musically, we have something to say."
The Youngstown native's recent round of songwriting was influenced by classic rockers such as The Police, Motley Crue, Guns 'N Roses, AC/DC, The Who, The Kinks and Bob Dylan, to name a few.
"There are more old-school influences, without it sounding like garage rock," he said. The new material has been going over well at shows. "It might attract some new fans to the band, but the old ones also appreciate it," said Toka.
Public service TV spot
Cherry Monroe recently shot a suicide-prevention public service announcement aimed at teenagers that will air on television stations.
Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV2 was the first to pick up the PSA, agreeing to air it four to six times a day for six months, according to James Sliman, the band's manager. Sliman is working with Youngstown and Cleveland stations to air it.
There are two versions of the PSA -- 30 seconds and 60 seconds -- which features the song "If You Go." It was done in conjunction with The Jason Foundation, a Nashville, Tenn.-based organization whose goal is to prevent youth suicide and raise awareness of the problem.
Cherry Monroe has made a series of appearances at regional high schools, delivering an anti-suicide message along with a performance.