Youngstown says farewell to downtown rock club

YOUNGSTOWN — Pete Drivere remembers the first time he went to Cedar’s Lounge.

“I walked in for the first time in 1982 to play with my band, The Infidels,” he said. “I was 15 years old. As I made my way along the bar, I saw Timber Gilliland up on the stage with a full head of red hair. He was the lead singer for The 8 Balls, a band that I had only heard of, being a little kid from West Middlesex. We were going to open for them that night, and Timmy looked like a god to me, there with his guitar.”

The Infidels would go on to become one of Youngstown’s most popular bands in the ’80s and ’90s, with Cedar’s as its home base.

After that, Drivere would become the sound technician at the downtown club, a post he has filled since 2000.

It’s just one vignette about a room filled with history and with rock music in its pores.

That history is about to enter a new chapter.

Last week, it was announced that the club will be forced to leave its

location at 23 N. Hazel St. downtown, where it has been since it opened in 1975. The new owner of the building housing Cedar’s, The Gatta Co. of Niles, intends to renovate the structure and turn the first floor into a restaurant and wine bar, with offices and apartments on the now-empty upper floors. The timetable calls for the restaurant to open in the spring.

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com