What do you get when you put three musicians and a drummer into a brand new band and give them 10 weeks to create 10 minutes of original music? Cleveland’s own the Lottery League, of course.
The Lottery League brings musicians together from all over Northeast Ohio for a 10-week-long project where band members are tossed together at random to establish a new band, with the results playing out in one concert at the end of the project.
Two local musicians started the Lottery League in 2007. Founders Jae Kristoff and Nate Scheible wanted to try more experimental projects with musicians outside of their direct circles. They brought fellow musicians Ed Sotelo, Michael James and John Delzoppo into the project to form what became the first Lottery League Council.
“The project is really the sum of its parts,” Kristoff explained. “It is driven by the musicians who challenge themselves and dedicate their time.” He also credits the Panza Foundation, a local nonprofit supporting independent music, and other sponsors for keeping the Lottery League operational, free and open to the public.
More than 700 musicians have participated, with over 270 Lottery League bands created. This year on Draft Night, more than 150 musicians participated. They were teamed up into 44 new bands.
I decided to follow two of the new bands through the process to get an inside look at how the music, and camaraderie, is established among groups of total strangers with only 10 weeks to write 10-minutes worth of performance material.
But first…
How does it work?
Local musicians register to be a part of the Lottery League Draft. On Draft Night, names are chosen at random by the Lottery League Council: three musicians to one drummer, to form a band of four.
The new bands then have 10 weeks to establish an identity, form partnerships and create 10 minutes worth of original songs. Each band performs their material at a day-long event at the end of the project. This year, the Big Show MMXXVI is at Ingenuity Cleveland on Saturday, June 27. It’s free to attend.
Week 1: Meet the bands
Band No. 5 features drummer Michael Cornacchione of Mild Animals, Mikey Silas of the popular Cleveland band Apostle Jones on vocals and synth, guitarist Zach Haines of Ponietail, and Michael Kinsella of Millions of Mighty Horses, also on vocals. They have no bass player.
Band No. 14 features drummer Steve Metcalf of Brute Squad with three other musicians playing instruments they do not normally play. Paul DeMelto is an electronic artist but plays guitar in this band. DeMelto said this will be the first time he’s performed on stage with a guitar in about 30 years. Graham Beck is a drummer for Nurse Ratched also playing guitar. Meanwhile, guitarist Matt Sliter, of the punk band Church & State, is now on bass.
Listen in while Band No. 14 experiments with different drum beats as they put together their second song. Notice how the song changes its feel as drummer Metcalf changes the backbeat:
Five weeks ‘til showtime…
When I check in again several weeks later, Band No. 5 is now known as “You Get What You Pay For.” They’ve completed one song and are now working on their second. Silas and Haines have a few melodies in mind, and Silas suggests they figure out a song structure next:
Listen in as Song No. 2 begins to take shape:
Now hear as Song No. 2 finds its footing:
Meanwhile, Band No. 14 is now known as “Lee Marvin Oswald,” a take on the game show Wheel of Fortune’s “Before/After” category. DeMelto tells me the band got together the week before for an impromptu practice session. One of the guys brought beers, and they ended up jamming for several hours. The result? The main structure of all three songs is now complete.
Listen in as the guys of Lee Marvin Oswald talk about establishing camaraderie and musical identity:
‘Throwing stuff at the wall‘
A few weeks later – just weeks out from the Big Show – the members of You Get What You Pay For say their musical identity is still uncertain and it may end up just a mix of things. But all members say they’ve established a good working relationship with each other. They credit the Lottery League staff with selecting the right personalities to participate in the first place.
Drummer Michael Cornacchione talks about establishing a musical identity in a brand new band. Guitarist Zach Haines, the only member of the group who has not participated in the Lottery League before, explains how he has chosen to approach this new process:
The members of Lee Marvin Oswald report they have had some excellent practices. Their confidence in their music grows with each practice, as do their budding friendships and a shared love of beer. Sliter says there have been some gaps in between practices, but they’ve been able to get different elements of each song together at every practice so they’ve all been productive. “You don’t need everybody there for a good practice,” he says.
At one recent practice, Metcalf had each band member face away from each other as they played through the songs. The goal? To help them learn their own parts better without relying on the visual cues watching other members play.
“I’m sick of looking at you anyway,” Metcalf teased Sliter.
Song No. 2 is now known as “Blood Red Number.” Here’s what the song sounds like now:
If you want to hear how the bands all turned out, go to the Lottery League’s Big Show MMXXVI. The show will be at Ingenuity Cleveland on Saturday, June 27. Lee Marvin Oswald will play the Lottery League’s Big Show at 2:30 p.m. You Get What You Pay For plays the Lottery League’s Big Show at 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit the Lottery League’s website.
