Cleveland Verses aims to help

Created by Modern Electric member and Painesville resident, effort will spawn compilation album for charity

For more than a decade, The Modern Electric has explored its self-coined genre of “cinematic” rock, which combines a powerful piano-charged sound with a lush pop-symphony aesthetic. While the Northeast Ohio-based quartet — Garrett Komyati (vocals, piano, guitar), Matthew Childers (bass, drums), Holden Laurence (guitar) and Michael O’Brien (drums) — has gained a national following, the outfit remains beholden to the music scene of the Rock Hall City.

It’s that local love that led Komyati to create the nonprofit organization Cleveland Verses, which provides an outlet for musicians to use their artistic talents to benefit their communities.

“I wanted a snapshot of a bunch of local bands in Cleveland and what they sounded like collected onto an album,” said Komyati, who lives in Painesville. “I was just saying this idea out loud to some of my friends, who had backgrounds in nonprofits.

“They kind of helped me with the idea. We decided to turn it into a nonprofit that, (via) a compilation album, raises money for local Cleveland issues.”

The album is expected sometime this year, but to kick off the effort and garner attention, The Modern Electric released a charity single. The band decided to re-imagine Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately,” which then set the tone for the compilation.

“We’ve been playing that Bob Dylan cover live for so many years that we just decided we wanted to put it down on tape,” Komyati said. “We thought Bob Dylan was a great choice because he’s one of the most-covered artists of all times.

“There are so many famous covers by other people who have done his songs. He’s kind of like the master of verses. So we thought it would be perfect to kick off the first year with him.”

The recipient of the Cleveland Verses initiative is Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present Future, the mission of which is to support and preserve Cleveland’s popular-music culture and enrich local economic development by stimulating music-centered initiatives.

An Avon natives talks about contributing to the album, as well. NEWS-HERALD.COM/ENTERTAINMENT

SUBMITTED The Modern Electric is a nationally known, Northeast Ohio-based band specializing in “cinematic rock.” Online:

SUBMITTED This is the cover for the single release of The Modern Electric’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Queen Jane Approximately.”