Working Backstage for Rock’s Greatest Bands

Storytellers: Kevin Dugan & Tom Perme

 
 
 
 

Doors open at 5:00pm, with the storytelling beginning promptly at 7:00pm

• Weekly series combining great food with great stories about Cleveland’s past
• FREE ADMISSION – NO COVER CHARGE
• In addition to our regular menu, a Prix Fixe 3-course dinner special is available for just $25
• Check back for this week’s special
  

Story topic this week…

Working Backstage for Rock’s Greatest Bands
When it comes to rock and roll, these guys have seen and done it all! Musician, roadie, manager, you name it and one of these two have done it. Tonight, they’ll share some of their unique stories about a side of rock n’ roll you don’t hear much about.
 

Kevin Dugan Bio

Kevin Dugan worked for various Cleveland bands including Rainbow Canyon, The James Gang, and The Raspberries. He also worked as part of the production crew at The Cleveland Agora (pre-Rowdy Roadies). In late 1975, he moved to California and began working out of the Los Angeles area. Throughout the next few years, Kevin worked for a variety of bands, covering the entire spectrum of music and learning to work as a stage manager.

In 1978, he started working in the Fleetwood Mac camp. He has also worked with Bob Welch, Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Great White, Sammy Hagar, The Cult and too many others to mention. Kevin was also the stage manager for the show which included the “topping off” ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was the fourth individual to be inducted into The Roadie Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was given the Tech of the Year Award and inducted into Rock Godz. In the course of his career, he has earned over 25 Gold and Platinum records. Over the last decade he has been the Production Manager for the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. Kevin has worked for Van Halen for thirty some years.
 

Tom Perme Bio

When the Beatles first appeared on the Jack Parr show back in 1963, a flame ignited in the then 13 year old Tom Perme, better known to his friends as simply Perme. Saving up for a Dan Electro guitar and a Supro Amp, Perme formed a band called Jade East. Their first few gigs were so painfully bad that Perme quickly knew that if he was going to have a job in music, it would have to be from behind the stage, and not on it, so he set out for what has become a 50+ years career in the music industry.

Perme first cut his chops as one of the Rowdy Roadies at the Agora Ballroom, working with the band Law. He then expanded to national tours with groups
including the Runaways and Eddie Money, and continued on to worldwide tours working with Foreigner, Billy Squier and Miles Davis. Circling the globe more than 8 or 9 times, Perme has worked with some of the biggest groups in the world. He has a wide variety of experience, ranging from monitors and front-of-house management, to guitar and drum tech expertise, to music supervision for hit television shows.

Perme is mostly retired now and lives in Lake County, Ohio. He continues to do backline for special events, such as Love Rocks NYC.
 

The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past – from sports, to rock ‘n roll, to Millionaire’s Row, — the series will focus on tidbits from Cleveland’s past that will really thrill the audience. The Music Box is presenting this series in partnership with the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. We think the Cleveland History Center is one of the most important museums in Cleveland. An unknown gem that Clevelanders should know more about, and support. It is the only museum in Cleveland dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Cleveland. The Cleveland History Center includes two mansions, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, Chisholm Halle Costume Wing, Research Library, Kidzibits Hands-On Gallery, rotating exhibitions, and the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.

See all Cleveland Stories dates here.