Most Popular
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An ancient Apollo statue landed in Cleveland and touched off an international outcry
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Joe Cimperman hopes to tear down his former hero, Dennis Kucinich
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Beat Down
Cleveland teachers swap stories of school violence.
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Everybody Hates Mike
The peril of coaching an icon.
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Secret Valentines Notes from C-Town Celebs
Our I-Team uncovered the private love letters of Cleveland's biggest names. You'll be shocked by what we discovered.
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$100 Bounty on That Kid (19)
Copley-Fairlawn finds a way to keep the impostors out.
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At Indie-Rock Singles Night in Cleveland, an event for hipsters lacks one key ingredient: Hipsters (17)
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Dennis Kucinich’s brave talk about working and fighting — from the safety of the officer’s tent (10)
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Beat Down (3)
Cleveland teachers swap stories of school violence.
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An ancient Apollo statue landed in Cleveland and touched off an international outcry (3)
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Crazy Talk
Miranda Lambert is a lot like any other girl with a soft spot for guns and setting exes on fire.
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The Bravery's New World
New-wave revivalists discover the power of three-chord guitar rock.
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Beer, BBQ, industry schmoozing: Rounding up SXSW 2008’s local delegates
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Keep on Truckin'
Jason Isbell finds life after the Drive-By Truckers.
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Years after he gave up on rock music, Bob Mould plugs back in
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Review: Jonathon Richman at the Grog Shop
05:18PM 03/11/08 -
Copley-Fairlawn schools hire private eyes, lobby state lawmakers to root out illegal students
04:59PM 03/11/08 -
Now with help from Britney Spears, Shaker Heights grad finds success on 'How I Met Your Mother'
04:20PM 03/11/08 -
Jump!: The latest Obsessive Fringe Competition Flick rocks Film Fest, and sparks a few ideas of our own
02:52PM 03/11/08 -
DJ Mick Boogie releases new, free mixtape with Talib Kweli
02:42PM 03/11/08
What we are writing about
- Black Sabbath
- Bob Dylan
- classic rock
- Cleveland art
- Cleveland dining hotspots
- Cleveland theater
- family films
- foodie media
- Get religion!
- great video games
- hip-hop
- indie pop
- indie rock
- jazz
- legal eagles
- Metal
- murder & mayhem
- must-see movies
- Neil Young
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- political clap-trap
- Punk
- R&B
- racism
- read your music
- Singer-Songwriter
- sporting life
- urban crime
- weird theater
- white-collar baddies
Recent Articles By Will York
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Down
Tuesday, October 23, at House of Blues.
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Ruins
With Wolf Eyes, Made in Mexico, Self Destruct Button, and Tusco Terror. Monday, October 15, at the Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights.
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Kamijo/Shuttah
Martha/The Image Maker (Shadoks)
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Little Feat
Wednesday, June 6, at House of Blues.
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Danny Cohen
Shades of Dorian Gray (Anti-)
National Features
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Houston Press
"It Was Like an Armageddon Movie"
For days after Hurricane Rita, a Texas prison was hell on earth.
By Chris Vogel -
SF Weekly
The Candidate
Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.
By Matt Smith -
The Pitch
How Not To Be a Rap Star
First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.
By Nadia Pflaum -
Village Voice
Project Runaway
What becomes a gossip columnist most?
By Michael Musto
Tesla
With Poets and Pornstars. Monday, September 10, at House of Blues.
By Will York
Published: September 5, 2007Classy isn't the first word I'd use to describe prototypical hair-metal bands like Poison and Bon Jovi. But Tesla? That's another story. More workingman's rock than genuine hair-metal, Tesla recently returned with Real to Reel, an album of '70s rock covers that solidifies my opinion that the California outfit is legit and worthy of shelf space next to my Thin Lizzy and Trouble CDs.
First off, Reel sounds great: The band recorded it on vintage gear and (gasp) live in the studio. The liner notes, which describe why the band chose each song, are a nice touch -- as is the snazzy, eight-panel gatefold Digipak.
Musically, it's a tour through the band's longhaired FM-rock upbringing, featuring raw versions of songs by Lizzy, Robin Trower (the excellent "Day of the Eagle"), UFO, as well as Uriah Heep and freaking Montrose. There are a few too-obvious choices on the album (the Stones' "Honky Tonk Women," the James Gang's "Walk Away"), but those are atoned for with a flat-out killer take on the Tempations' "Ball of Confusion," the disc's real highlight.
For its current tour, Tesla is performing a mix of these and other covers, along with a smattering of its own hits and deep cuts.
