Busy Month for Avon Lake Singer Includes Opening for Mindy Smith, Video Debut

Avon Lake’s Jerry Popiel will perform before critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter

Mindy Smith at Lakewood’s The Winchester on Friday, Nov.  18 and the introduction of his new video, “Buck Bacon.” His 9 p.m. performance is just one of several events the busy singer is participating in, and playing at The Winchester is one of those highlights. 

"The Winchester is definitely one of the area's best venues for original music,” Popiel said. “It's an intimate setting where fans can see great national and international acts and also stand a good chance of meeting the performers and chatting with them after the shows.  It boasts superb live sound and a friendly, personable owner Jim Mileti who runs the venue for the right reasons -- supporting quality musicians and performers and making a hometown haven for real, ‘non-homogenized’ music. He's one of the biggest supporters of the Cleveland-area local music scene and I'm grateful for the many opportunities he's given me to open for big-name acts.”

Popiel said he has been a big fan of Mindy Smith since her debut album and is excited about opening the show.

Mindy Smith is best known for her duet Jolene with Dolly Parton and her heartfelt songs Train Song and Come to Jesus from her debut One Moment More. Popiel will celebrate surpassing the 4,000 sales mark from his albums Hard Times and Hair Triggers and Ohio with a solo acoustic performance before Mindy takes the stage.

Popiel will be performing several new songs off his upcoming album with The Hazel Chapman Show, which will air onfrom Nov. 16 – 22 and online at avonlake.pegcentral.com.

Chapman, the mother of famed singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, interviews Popiel about songwriting, performing, baking and NAFTA.

His appearance includes performing That Girl and Buck Bacon on the show. Popiel recently completed a video for Buck Bacon.

"It was a lot of fun making a video for my song Buck Bacon,” Popiel said. “I've wanted to make a concept video for a long time and finally got up the gumption to do it. I didn't have much of budget, or a lot of time for that matter, so the challenge was to be creative in making something artsy and interesting without staff, expensive gear or props.  

Viewers may recognize the scenery.

“My brother John helped me shoot it in downtown Cleveland in one evening,” Popiel said. “ I learned a lot about video editing during the process, which was fun in and of itself.  Hopefully the video reflects the spirit of the song, which is one of my favorites."

The moody video about a drifter who becomes a minor hero features footage shot at a number of Cleveland landmarks including the west bank Flats, Center Street Bridge and Cuyahoga River. Click here to see the video can be seen here on YouTube.