I-Tal is a name well-known to Northeast Ohio music followers from the late 1970's and into the 1990's. Originally featuring two native Jamaicans, one of whom, Kingston-born George Gordon, who knew Bob Marley, suggested the band's name, I-Tal, from the patois for "vital" or "natural," like what the body does when it hears reggae.

Leader Dave Smeltz, interviewed here by Big Cool Cats Music Festival organizer Thomas Mulready, was tuned into a wide range of music: Hendrix, James Brown, The Grateful Dead, John McLaughlin. The band got bigger and eventually disbanded, spawning top acts such as First Light and Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band, and now I-Tal only makes special reunion appearances, like the one at the Big Cool Cats fest on June 20 at Cain Park. http://www.BigCoolCats.com

Mifune kicks out a hi-energy blend of R'n'B, Funk, Jazz, Classical, and World grooves that don't stop until everyone's on the dance floor.

Chris Fader sings lead and plays keys, percussion and flute, and calls herself a "little pop princess" and a "soul junkie" that loved Michael Jackson and soul music growing up, but Mifune has won awards as the best Ethnic/World Music band in the region, with an Afro-Pop sound that starts in Africa, with a stop in Jamaica, a detour through New Orleans, and up the Mississippi to hi-energy electric Chicago Blues. Watch the video with Chris and Big Cool Cats Music Festival co-creator Thomas Mulready, recorded at a recent Mifune gig at the Barking Spider Tavern.

After a few years of heating up the festival circuit in Michigan & Ohio, Mifune recently released their 2nd album, Time Is Watching Us, a triumph of their new groove featuring horns (trombone & sax), plus flute, keys, synth and lots of polyrhythmic percussion.

Catch Mifune at the Big Cool Cats Music Festival on Sat 6/20 at Cain Park from noon to 11PM, and snag some tix at https://www.coolcleveland.net/tickets/bigcoolcats.

The Magpies are currently on a tour of Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, and just played the Stingaree Music Festival in Crystal Beach, Texas for the second year in a row, where they won over fans and received accolades for their quality songwriting and scintillating roots-rock approach to music-making.

In Cleveland, they've won awards for Best Songwriting and Best Roots Band. But the rest of the country is catching on fast: Little Rock: "...The Magpies are phenomenal." St. Louis: "...stuffed with Byrdsian jangle, Springsteen-style sprawl, and, yes, the occasional Dylan-like wordplay." Norman, Oklahoma: "...The Magpies rocked an extraordinary one hour show." Watch this video with bassist Doug McKean and decide for yourself.

The Magpies will be featured at the Big Cool Cats Music Fest on June 20 at Cain Park, and you can get tix here.

http://www.myspace.com/magpiesrock, http://www.MagpiesMusic.com

Mo' Mojo just loves being a Zydeco jam band from Ohio. In this interview with ''Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready, accordionist Jen Maurer talks about their 7-member band, including Bill Lestock on fiddle (their gig at the Big Cool Cats Music Festival on June 20 will be his birthday!), plus harmonica, guitar, bass, drums and rubboard. http://www.myspace.com/momojomusic

Watch the video and get ready to dance during their gig at Big Cool Cats. See more videos by the other featured bands and buy tickets online here

70 Lewis became friends when three of the four band members were featured in The Lakewood Project rock orchestra in high school, a mere two years ago. The band members play multiple instruments and have totally disparate influences. Keyboardist Kenny Kern's father was in Brooks & Dunn, and he plays trumpet & bass. Guitarist Scott Young is the metalhead in the band, and also plays violin. Chris Hoffman, on drums and percussion, is into rock and pop. Vocalist Mike Gray featured in this video interview with Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready, loves pop and also plays drums & guitar.

70 Lewis has just finished an EP, and they are featured at the upcoming Big Cool Cats Music Festival at Cain Park this Sat 6/20 at Cain Park. Get more on 70 Lewis, hear some samples and check out their videos and new EP at http://www.myspace.com/70lewis. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/70LewisVideos. Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/70lewis. For tix to the Big Cool Cats Music Festival, visit https://www.coolcleveland.net/tickets/bigcoolcats

Steve Presser, the proprietor of Big Fun toys on Coventry Road, recently named one of the Top 20 coolest stores in the US by Playboy.com. Now, to the great celebration of the geographically challenged, he's opened a West Side branch called Big Fun Cleveland at W.116th & Clifton, in the storefront that used to house the Clifton Web. You gotta see it to believe it. http://www.BigFunBigFun.com.

Presser is also the brainstorm and one of three organizers behind the Big Cool Cats Music Festival, along with Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready and Denis Devito of the band Cats On Holiday.

Watch this video by music critic and Cool Cleveland correspondent David Budin, which was shot on the grounds of Cain Park, where the Big Cool Cats Music Festival will take place. For tix visit https://www.coolcleveland.net/tickets/bigcoolcats

Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band are one of the top musical acts in Northeast Ohio these days. But back in the day, Carlos was a member of the premiere reggae band in the Midwest, I-Tal.

In this exclusive recent video interview with Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready, Carlos talks about his experiences in I-Tal and what made that band so great. Watch the video, and to secure tix visit https://www.coolcleveland.net/tickets/bigcoolcats