Cleveland Verses has it covered

MG/CT Cleveland VersesJohn BensonThe Chronicle-Telegram/The GazetteFor more than a decade The Modern Electric has explored its self-coined cinematic rock genre that 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 Rock Hall City music scene.It's this local love that led Komyati to create the nonprofit organization Cleveland Verses, which provides an outlet for musicians to use their artistic talent to benefit their community."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 as a compilation album raises money for local Cleveland issues."To kick off the effort The Modern Electric released a charity single to attract attention. The band decided to re-imagine Bob Dylan's "Queen Jane Approximately," which then set the tone for the compilation album."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, which boasts a mission to support and preserve Cleveland's popular music culture and enrich local economic development by stimulating music-centered initiatives.Considering the pandemic's stay-at-home spring shut everything down, Cleveland Rocks' mission is now even greater. So far Komyati said the response to Cleveland Verses has been largely positive raising roughly $500 in a little over two weeks."The money donated will go to artists and venue employees that are in need," Komyati said. "So far 15 local artists have contributed to the compilation album, which will eventually be available digitally with perhaps a vinyl release in the future.What's missing — for now — from the Cleveland Verses initiative is naturally a live concert celebrating the album."That will definitely happen; however, I don't know how long it will be until concerts are a thing," Komyati said.For more information, visit clevelandverses.org.Contact John Benson at Ndiffrence@att.net.