The Vindys new live album represents a milestone for the Youngstown-based rockers.

“Live from West Side Bowl,” recorded in 2019 at the Youngstown rock club, is the first release by the band since 2017’s “Keep Going.” The dry spell was made longer by the pandemic-driven ban on live performances.

Clevelanders ain’t afraid of a little cold. Thousands of them proved that by packing the West Bank of the Flats Saturday night for the 11th annual Brite Winter music and arts festival. With more than 40 acts on five stages, food trucks and immersive art exhibits, the festival once again showcased the region’s great breadth of diverse talent and demonstrated with a very well-attended event that winter can be a blast. Here are five quick takeaways from the event.

Brite Winter is still serving the same mission that it started with 11 years ago: Provide entertainment to Clevelanders in the typically boring winter season.

The music festival has always embraced chilly February outdoor weather and put on a day of locally focused music, art displays, games, bonfires and more.

Women who Rock, an annual benefit concert that raises money to support women's health, is back for its fourth year on Fri., May 15 at Stage AE. The event takes place during National Women's Health Week and proceeds will benefit Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI). Based in Pittsburgh, MWRI is the nation’s largest research institute dedicated solely to women’s health.

Clevelanders are tough. So tough that our favorite music festival is outdoors, smack-dab in the middle of winter. But we’re also creative. So while others would cower in fear of the cold, we embrace it by packing the West Bank of the Flats for Brite Winter, the 11th annual celebration of regional music and art. The free ticketed event, 3 p.m.-1 a.m. on Feb. 22, features more than 40 bands on five different stages as well as immersive art exhibits, food trucks and more. “There’s so many festivals, but Brite Winter does something special by bringing regional acts to the stage,” says singer-songwriter Emily Keener. We talked to five bands we’re most excited to see about what fans can expect from their Brite Winter performance.

I'll never forget the last concert I attended pre-pandemic because it was epic.

The Vindys, a rising band from Youngstown, headlined the Canton Palace Theatre on Jan. 25, 2020, and played a roof-raising show for an impressively large crowd of 500-plus fans.

The first time the Vindys played Canton, it was a sweltering First Friday in July 2017.

The venue was George’s Lounge downtown, packed to the rafters with people, and with a very compact stage area.

“I remember driving to that show and none of us knew how big the stage would be and what we were getting into,” guitarist Rick Deak recalled.

“There was barely room for my drum set, let alone a five-piece band,” drummer Ed Davis said.

The Youngstown band — Jackie Popovec, guitar and lead vocals; John Anthony, guitar; Rick Deak, guitar; Ed Davis, drums; and Matt Jackson, bass — plans to release a follow-up to its 2017 full-length debut “Keep Going” and a live set in 2021.

The studio album “Bugs,” was started at the beginning of 2020 at Court Street Recordings and was finished in early March just before the statewide shutdown, Anthony said. It was mixed by Jim Stewart, Michael Estok and Ryan West, and features some songs that are a stylistic departure from the bluesy, jazzy rock that has built a growing regional following for the band.

Earlier this year, the local internet radio station oWOW.radio announced that it was signing off the air due to financial struggles brought on by the pandemic.

And yet, the folks at the radio station have still managed to put together a compilation album of local artists.

Dubbed oWOW presents NEO – The Soundtrack, the release features local artists that wound up in heavy rotation on the station during its run.

The Vindys proved themselves more than capable of providing guests with a spectacular experience on Nov. 1 during their performance at Music Box Supper Club in Cleveland.

According to guitarist John Anthony, the band’s live performance rivals their recorded music.

The interplay between the members worked to keep the crowd engaged, while singer Jackie Popovic stunned the audience with her incredibly powerful and soulful voice.

When popular Youngstown band The Vindys play Westside Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 19, they will commemorate the occasion by recording a live CD/DVD.

“We’ve been getting fans requesting that we release some live material since we have such a great dynamic on stage, and this seemed like a great opportunity,” says singer Jackie Popovec in a news release. “We will have our larger ‘Family Band’ with us as well so it’ll be great to have documentation of what the full band can do in a live setting!”