Columbia College Chicago Theatre alumnus Mikey Silas ’11, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Musical Theatre, and his popular “Cleveland Rock ‘n’ Soul” band Apostle Jones will celebrate the release of their first studio album, Second Chances Don’t Come Easy, on Friday, March 7, with an album release show at Cleveland’s iconic Beachland Ballroom.
Over the past six years, Apostle Jones – three-time winner of the Cleveland Music Award – has built a reputation as one of Cleveland, Ohio’s most immersive and dynamic live bands, performing regionally across five states and releasing live albums and EPs including Lilith and Don’t Open Until 3 AM.
Mikey Silas (seated lower right) and Apostle Jones.
“Making the album with a large band with equal contributions from everyone is a massive undertaking for a busy schedule, and I’m so proud of the work my band mates did,” says singer-songwriter Silas, the band’s cofounder and lead vocalist. “It was a very freeing, rewarding experience and I’m already writing for the next one.”
Mikey Silas
As previously reported in this blog, Silas was voted Best Singer-Songwriter in Cleveland Scene‘s Best of Cleveland 2025 Arts & Entertainment readers’ poll. He was also chosen Best Male Vocalist in Cleveland Scene’s Best of Cleveland 2020 poll, and was named one of Cleveland’s Most Interesting People of 2024 by Cleveland Magazine in an article chronicling the artistic path that led Silas, a Cleveland native, to Chicago, where he studied musical theatre at Columbia College and performed in Chicago musical-theatre productions before returning to his hometown in 2016, where he cofounded Apostle Jones in 2020.
Mikey Silas
“While I think it is important for the artist to reflect the times,” says Silas about the new album, “this album embraces the ups and downs of relationships, challenges stylistic norms, and lives more central in the human experience. The next album will have a lot to say about the times we are living in right now. For today, we want to celebrate community and the individuals that make it special by being
themselves. It’s the Apostle Jones way.”
Recorded at Signal Flow Studios and co-produced by Chris DiCola, Second Chances Don’t Come Easy represents a defining moment for the band — a fully collaborative effort from every member of the ensemble. A majority of the album was recorded live-tracking in the basement of the historic St. Josephat church in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood — the band’s longtime rehearsal space and creative headquarters — capturing the raw energy and chemistry that have defined Apostle Jones‘ live performances for years.
