Playing the music of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick
Hello there, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to rock!?!
Those Men Inside My Brain to bring the music and excitement of one of the most electrifying live acts in rock-n-roll history to today’s tribute scene. Enjoy exploring this site, there's a lot to see. We hope it will inspire you to listen to more Cheap Trick and you'll be "ready to rock" at our next show!
BAND BIO
Allow Those Men To Introduce Himselves!
Hailing from Cleveland and formed in 2018, Dan Loy (bass/vocals), Chris Noble, (drums), Pete Ortenzi (guitar/vocals) and Blair Cameron (lead vocals) bring the sensational music of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick to today’s audiences. Iconic songs like "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender," "Dream Police," and "Ain’t That a Shame" are synonymous with rock concerts and festival stages everywhere and Those Men Inside My Brain play them with the energy and edge of a young Cheap Trick emerging onto the late 70s rock scene.
Those Men Inside My Brain, whose name comes from the refrain in the song "Dream Police," is rooted in Cheap Trick’s early music, namely their “built-to-be-rocked-live” repertoire, their anti-rockstar identity, their punk-edged irreverence and off-kilter quirk, and above all, their impeccable power-pop delivery. Those Men Inside My Brain draw from those elements to play the best from Cheap Trick's illustrious five-decade career, promising the hits you know, the concert classics you love, and the album cuts you will want to hear again and again!
Cheap Trick cleverly claims to “have no past,” but celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. For the past six of those years, Those Men Inside My Brain have been there to help reconnect long-time fans and introduce new audiences to the magic and excitement of the legendary band. Cheap Trick has been culture-checked countless times throughout their resilient career, from “roller skate rockers” to arena upstarts, to MTV darlings, to record company cast-offs, to Hall of Famers, to one of the longest enduring 70's classic rock bands! Pete points out that, “Multiple generations of bands aren’t simply inspired by Cheap Trick, they want to be Cheap Trick and would settle for any part of their long list of accomplishments.”
Those Men Inside My Brain’s audience has been steadily growing in Northeast Ohio and the band will be playing throughout Ohio and its neighboring states in 2025. They clearly connect to Cheap Trick’s legendary style and sound but don’t aspire to simply imitate. “Our tribute,” explains Dan, “Is to infuse the songs with our own personality, energy, and insight to achieve a more personally relevant and electrifying performance.” Chris adds, “It’s what gives our show its edge.”
Those Men are more than of capable rocking the house on their own but also love being part of multiple-tribute band events. Great pairings showcase the best of what each band has to offer, which delivers a super-charged rock-n-roll experience to the shared audiences. Blair notes, “We are huge fans of our friends who play with the same passion for their band as we have for Cheap Trick. So, let's rock!"
Perhaps you were a Cheap Trick fan from the very beginning, lucky enough (and old enough!) to discover them before the At Budokan album came out. Maybe you found them because you love the bands that inspired them (Beatles, Yardbirds, the Who, Slade, the Move, etc.). Maybe you discovered them through the multitude of rock bands they’ve played with (literally everyone from AC/DC to ZZTop), or because of the countless bands they have influenced, such as Poison, Weezer, and Foo Fighters just to name a few...
...Or maybe you are just hearing for the first time, as Mike Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High would say, about “the magnetism of Robin Zander, the charisma of Rick Nielsen, and the tunes, don’t forget the tunes, da-na-na-na-na-na-na!” Whatever brought you to this website, Those Men Inside My Brain hope you enjoy this site and asks the same question Cheap Trick asks in the first line of their first song at every concert they play:
"Are you ready to rock? Are you ready or not?"
ON STAGE
Those Men Inside My Concert
"It's fun! It's exciting! It's powerful! The band is engaging and tight! The well-known songs are like little musical time machines and the lesser-known songs are like discovering the coolest family you will ever meet just moved into the house next door!!!"
DOUBLE CLICK image for full-screen:
MEET THE BAND
Those Men Inside My Skin
CLICK the PICTURE to enlarge it or go one at a time:
Blair Cameron (singer)
Before Blair joined the group, he was living on a mountain way down over in Australia. Well, rainbows crawled across a mid-day sun, and now we all think he's number one! Blair loves singing the edgier songs like Stiff Competition and Big Eyes as much as he likes crooning a bluesy number like Can't Hold On or the playful On Top of The World.
Pete Ortenzi (guitar)
Pete doesn't imitate Rick Nielsen's big persona, but when he plays Rick's dazzling guitar riffs, you'd swear his fingers all have little checkered bow ties! He especially likes I Want You to Want Me and Ain't That a Shame because there are two solos in each song. He also likes discovering newer gems like No Direction and Wake Up Tomorrow, even though there is only one solo in each!
Chris Noble (drums)
Chris credits Bun E Carlos for inspiring him to first pick up the drumsticks. Then Bun said, "Hey, go get your own sticks!" And with his own sticks, Chris relentlessly pounds out Bun's fantastic beats and fills. His favorite songs to play are Downed, High Roller, and Lookout, but doesn't need much persuasion to take a bite out of You Got It Going On or On Top of the World.
Dan Loy (bass)
Dan usually stands next to himself during shows and wonders what is he going to do next. Aware that he is watching himself, he pretends Dan is much shorter than him and lifts Dan to the top of his amplifier for a better view. But Dan is afraid of heights and slides down the cable, accidentally stepping on Dan's effects pedal and changing the sound. It's a better sound than the one Dan was playing, and everyone cheered. This happened four more times during the set, during California Man, Reach Out, and twice during Dream Police.
Some people say, "I like Cheap Trick, but I only know two songs." No, you know a lot more than two Cheap Trick songs! Even if it's not the songs by name you'll always recognize Cheap Trick when you hear their radio hits, concert classics, M-TV hits, soundtrack songs and so much more.
For most of us, these songs really are the soundtrack of our lives! Those Men Inside My Brain play them for the Tricksters to help bring back some of your favorite rock-n-roll experiences and life's memories. Those Men also play for the positive reaction of fans who hear the magic, excitement, and timeless appeal of these songs for the first time! Every day is a great day to discover Cheap Trick!
-Those Men Inside My Brain