PREVIEW
Wax Bodega Grand Opening
Saturday, Feb. 25
13339 Madison Ave., Lakewood
In-store performance by Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (Solo project of Dan Campbell The Wonder Years), Noon to 2 p.m.
Performance tickets available in store (Shop open to public from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kyle Roeger can remember the rush of being in the middle of a mosh pit on the night he fell in love with punk. He's been active in the scene ever since, and his newest project gives him one more way to raise the profile of the music he grew up on.
Together with Josh Martin, the bassist of The Wonder Years, Roeger is opening a new record shop in Lakewood that plans to elevate the punk, pop-punk, indie, hip-hop and hardcore sound. Wax Bodega, 13339 Madison Ave., located just down the street from the Mahall's bowling alley and concert venue, will be a vinyl-focused store that plans to host regular events, including in-store performances and meet-and-greets.
It opens this Saturday, Feb. 25, with an intimate ticketed performance by Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, the solo project of The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell, from noon to 2 p.m. Boedga opens to the public directly after.
"We felt like there was an opportunity to support the community that he and I grew up with," says Roeger. "We want to take an alternative approach to amplifying it by offering more than product to buy. This is intended to be a home for a younger generation that's getting into music culture and discovering vinyl for the first time, so we want to be a place that connects people with more of the scene we all love."
Raised in New York, Kyle Roeger has been active in the punk scene since his days playing in a band in high school. It wasn't long before he was interning at a New York record label and working for Kevin Lyman, the owner of Warped Tour.
He connected with Martin when he landed a gig as marketing director of the clothing brand Glamour Kills. The two had previously hosted a pop-up shop for the Wonder Years in Martin's hometown of Philadelphia.
A job as marketing director of Alternative Press led Roeger to Cleveland, where he also has family. With the strength of Cleveland's DIY scene, he saw a hole to fill when it came to a place that catered to the niche genres. One of Cleveland's gems is its treasure trove of specialty record shops, and Roeger and Martin wanted to add their own mark.
Bodega had a modest online presence, but when Roeger moved to the city he knew it was the right time for a brick-and-mortar. He says they've already been embraced by local promoters Bravo Artists and concert venue House of Blues Cleveland.
"With a music community like Cleveland that's sometimes been overlooked, there's an underground scene here that has a lot of talented musicians that have really rallied together," says Roeger. "The camaraderie here is incredible."
While vinyl is the star at Bodega, Roeger and Martin also hope to begin showing more art, including graphic design, photography and paintings.
"I want this to reflect the entire culture," says Roeger. "When you're really a part of this community, it's more than just the music. There's also the artist behind the album covers, the tour posters, the photographer on the road with bands. And we want to make sure we're doing that community justice."
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