Although he's not a household name - and fought hard against media to make sure he never became one - Cleveland's Bill Fox has a cult following among music fans. In the 1980s, Fox lead The Mice, a Cleveland-based power trio featuring his brother Tommy on drums and bassist Ken Hall. With Fox's young Paul Westerberg-like vocals, and music that recalled the pop sensibilities and infectious melodies of Big Star, with the upbeat freneticism of British contemporaries The Jam and McCarthy. The band released one EP For Almost Ever in 1985, followed by the Scooter LP in 1986, before breaking up. Scat Records, managed by Cleveland-native Robert Griffin, released both recordings in a singular LP in 2004, titled For Almost Ever Scooter. It's an absolute must-own record for power pop fans. Fox disappeared from the music scene for years, then returned in the late-90s with two critically acclaimed records: Shelter From the Smoke and Transit Byzantium. The releases were a marked departure from The Mice, with Fox cultivating an inspired folk sound that served to better highlight his everyman lyricism, which often discussed his hometown on the North Coast. And then Fox went off the radar, again. His silence is now the stuff of legend, but who cares? He's been back playing music for months, and he takes the stage at the Beachland Tavern this Friday at 10:30 PM, as part of the two-day International Pop Overthrow Festival. As if you needed added reason to go, Afternoon Naps take the stage after Fox's set. Tickets are $10.