Cop Ralph Flynn pleads guilty to assault
Last August, Scene brought you the tale of Ralph Flynn, a Cuyahoga Falls police officer who was facing criminal charges after he put his 10 and 12 year old daughters in the hospital with bruises and broken arms. It hadn’t been Flynn’s first run in with the law. A few years earlier, Flynn had been…
A famous painter, a wife, and exhuming two bodies
Abstract painter Mark Rothko was controversial in life, and remains so 38 years after his death. Shortly before dying in 1970, the artist met with financial adviser Bernard Reis about creating an arts research foundation that would receive the majority of his works when he died. But after Rothko’s death, Reis, who was made chief…
Governor Strickland encourages young job-seekers to smoke … or something like that
Congrats on the internship, kid. Now smoke up! At his press conference on Monday to announce a new $1.5 billion economic stimulus package, Governor Ted Strickland unveiled plans for a $250 million college-internship program intended to quell the dreaded brain drain currently afflicting Ohio. And in a coup for committed smokers, Strickland’s internship program means…
In Cleveland, even the chimps see the writing on the wall
The Brain Drain has struck again. Despite Governor Ted Strickland’s new plan to retain Ohio talent, the Plain Dealer reported today a great loss for Cleveland. Binti, Bo, and Jackie, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s three chimps, are headed South. They are following a well-worn migration pattern of residents fleeing the Cleve for warmer climes and…
Come on, get sticky: The Twilight brings “I’ve Got Love” to the Grog Shop
There are a slew of songs in the contemporary history of pop music that get stuck inside your head so hard a scant note or phrase can bring back the entire tune. The African tune “Mbube,” which became “The Lion Sleeps to Night,” and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” are two mega-hits that immediately come to mind…
In Kent, Big Brother is watching
For those who feel they don’t get enough attention from their peers, now’s your chance to have cameras following you around 24 hours a day like you’ve always deserved. Tomorrow, CBS casting directors will be holding auditions for the popular reality show Big Brother at Kent State’s student center. The show, which centers around a…
This Just In: Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots, Robert Plant & Alison Kraus, and 53 others
This week, an onslaught of 56 new concerts. Radiohead will rock Blossom, and the reunited Stone Temple Pilots will Stone-Temple pummel Playhouse Square’s State Theatre. Sarah Bareilles has been added to the Maroon 5/Counting Crowes show – you know, the girl who sings “Love Song” from that Rhapsody commercial. Led Zep frontman Robert Plant will…
Still Going: Bizzy Bone celebrates release of new album at Club Envy
Bizzy Bone will host a listening party for his new album, A Song for You, at Club Envy on Wednesday. Bizzy’s first major-label album since 2001’s The Gift is pretty much the same ol’ sing-songy hip-hop from the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony member. Bizzy just released another album, Ruthless, last month. But A Song for You is…
Tough Tables: Suddenly the waiting list at Lola hardly seems daunting
For any dining devotee who chafes at the wait for a prime-time table at one of Cleveland’s hot spots, here’s a little business story that puts it all in perspective. (Thanks to chef Mark Wilson, formerly of Grovewood Tavern and Brass Tap Bar and Grill, for sharing this link.) Seems that tiny Talula, 35 miles…
Tribe Weekend Report: Wahoos forget how to hit, lose series to A’s
Who are you and what have you done with Cliff Lee? After salvaging one game from their almost disastrous trip to Oakland, Eric Wedge threw out this post-game gem when asked about sitting Franklin Gutierrez (currently in a 0-15 slump): “I just thought Franklin could benefit from sitting and watching some baseball.” Personally, the way…
This just in: The reunited Stone Temple Pilots to play State Theater on May 20
It was only a matter of time before music-industry prick Scott Weiland would get back together with his old bandmates. They broke up five years ago. Robert and Dean DeLeo formed Army of Anyone with Filter’s Richard Patrick; singer Weiland joined the more successful Velvet Revolver. He was kicked out last week for being his…
The LeBron James Leave-o-Meter: Oh! Jay-Z got married, and guess who didn’t show?!?
MySpace Countdowns The Latest Sign of Impending Doom: Jay-Z and the lovely Beyonce got married Friday in New York. LeBron did not attend the ceremony. How It Went Down in Cleveland’s Mind: Sure, it might have been hard for LeBron to logistically make it to the wedding, what with a game against Chicago on Thursday…
Lance Allred, the deaf Mormon satirist and 14th-string big man, resigns with the Cavs
C-Notes is putting the over/under on weeks until Lance Allred buys a Hummer at nine. Any takers? We spent the weekend trying to think of some Mormon or Jane Austen jokes with which to break this news. But there’s just something about Lance Allred – could it be the smarts, the humor, maybe the incredible…
Are you ready for some tofu? It’s Monday Night Vegetarian Night at Lago
Health nut or meat-head, a vegetarian meal always makes for nice change of pace – particularly when it comes on an “I-really-don’t-feel-like-cooking” Monday evening. That’s tonight’s deal at Lago (2221 Professor Ave), the contemporary-Italian eatery in Tremont, where Executive Chef Josh Hartfranft cooks up an ever-changing rotation of 10 meat-free entrees every Monday evening. …
Reader: It ain’t “reverse racism.” It’s just racism.
Just like a number of contributor’s comments to the October 2007 article “Racism Reversed,” I found fault with the implications of its title. Racism is racism. Implying that discrimination against whites is the opposite of “standard” racism doesn’t aid tolerance or progression. The term itself is bigoted, although I appreciate the content of the article.…
Get somebody to remember this for you: A Million Marijuana March in Cleveland
Fight the power, march for pot. If you’re suffering from glaucoma and have for years been patiently waiting for the legalization of marijuana to ease your pain – or if you just really like getting baked and watching Escape to Chimp Eden in HD – mark your calendars: May 3 is your day…
Does this man even have an IQ?: Bush’s response to the foreclosure crisis
Archeologists hope to someday uncover the president’s IQ, which was last seen in 1974. Last fall, when President Bush belatedly realized that the foreclosure crisis was about to capsize the economy, he decided to do something about it. His administration helped set up the Hope Now alliance, a group of banking and lender types that…
Good Taste Wine & Food: A restaurant that understands customer criticism
Hello Elaine, I wanted to thank you for the review [“The Accidental Restaurant,” April 2]. Your comments were fair and we are deep into correcting those concerns you had. The acoustics, the staff, the information that the two and a half-pound ribeye takes 30 to 45 minutes to cook, the undercooked) haricots verts — it’s…
Plot Fiction: In Twinsburg, a nightmare in home buying
In 2001, Angela McClain bought a Twinsburg home for her and her four children. It was nothing fancy — a little aluminum-sided place on an 80 x 115 ft. plot. “I wanted to have property of my own,” says McClain, an inventory control clerk, “and somewhere for my kids.” But while she’s still making mortgage…
Who says women aren’t funny? Maria Bamford at Hilarities this weekend
Pictured above, proof that chicks are indeed funny. Whoever said women aren’t funny never saw Maria Bamford in action. The 37-year old Comedy Central star is appearing at Hilarities Comedy Club this weekend, and the woman is hysterical. If one didn’t know better, you’d think she had no bones in her face for the contortionist…
Picks of the Weekend: If you like house music and ladies on skates, it’s your weekend
Every Friday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do this weekend. For more options, log onto entertainment.clevescene.com. And check back Monday for C-Notes’ Picks of the Week. Friday: Windy City DJ Alex Peace saunters into Kent with a new attitude in the middle of his cross-country tour…
Ohio Proud logo, coming to a cucumber near you
Living in Ohio certainly has its perks — immunity to hurricanes and alarmingly cheap beer among them. But another fine facet to living in the Heart of It All becomes especially evident this time of year — when those tender new shoots of asparagus beckon, when we remember the promise of what will (God willing)…
Hello, Cleveland: This Weekend’s Concert Calendar
Pearl Jam tribute Ten headlines K-Rock of the ‘90s, a tribute show’s that’s better than most of the Lollapoozas you paid $50 to see. Other big shows include frayed-nerve singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick, Laurie Anderson’s multimedia extravaganza, and muy caliente groove from Cordero. But the discovery of the weekend is California singer Tristan Prettyman, who will…
Nicknames for Ryan Garko, and other deep, deep thoughts on the Tribe
Before the Tribe heads to California for some glorious West Coast baseball – seriously, is there anything better than going about your day, then flipping on the TV to watch baseball as you go to sleep? – let’s recap the season’s opening series, a 2-1 win over the sort of awful White Sox: I’ll Be…
Mic Check: Laurie Anderson at E.J. Thomas Hall on Friday
Laurie Anderson is one of the twentieth century’s most intriguing performance artists. This lady doesn’t just urinate in a pot, shove a bonsai in it, and call it art. She creates sprawling and thought-provoking pieces that prod viewers to play along. Her most epic and ambitious multimedia piece, United States, included animated bits, spoken-word performances,…
Get drunk, get stuffed, stay classy: Introducing the Moxie Wine Dinner
Fun, friendly, and not a bit snobbish, our region’s well-attended wine dinners provide a perfect opportunity for grape heads of all caliber to sniff and swirl their way toward viniferous enlightenment – all while filling up on some fabulous fare. By the sounds of it, that goes double for the upcoming six-course Burgess Cellars’ Wine…
$13 at … Flying Fig
Yes, you can get fat on $13 at Karen Small’s Ohio City stalwart. In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because despite what that letter said, you’re probably not already a winner. This week … Flying Fig 2523 Market Ave, (216) 241-4243, www.theflyingfig.com For Scene’s full review, click here.…
Now pitching for the Indians: racial diversity!
An artist’s rendering of Jorge Julio and Masa Kobayashi’s post-game handshake. Lost in the tedium of last night’s drumming of the White Sox were a couple of Indians debuts. And since one was Japanese and one Venezuelan, we felt we finally had an opportunity to use the above headline, one we’ve been storing impatiently for…
Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi to speak at Case Western
For all you Iranian ex-pats living in Cleveland, get ready. One of your greatest exports is coming to the city. Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi will be at Case Western university tomorrow afternoon to give a free lecture. Satrapi is the creator of the graphic-novel series Persepolis. It’s a coming-of-age story about a young Persian girl…
Rating the great guitar riffs
We never heard of Guitar-X before this morning, but we figure if anyone’s qualified to rank the Top 25 Guitar Riffs of All-Time, it’s the London-based “guitar and bass school.” Little surprise that Deep Purple’s 1973 air-guitar classic, “Smoke on the Water,” tops the list. What budding guitar player hasn’t mastered that song’s four-chord intro…
Rodney Bowling is scamming again
Just when you thought you’d heard the last of Rodney Bowling, he appears again. As you may recall, Bowling is the Cleveland scam artist who convinced hundreds of girls to sign up for a model search that never actually happened, and persuaded dozens of restaurateurs to buy air time for a cable food network show…
Get drunk for the kids with Browns tackle Shaun Smith
“Hey bartender! Can I get your autograph?” Shaun Smith has made a career of knocking down quarterbacks in his four-year NFL career. But tonight, the Browns’ defensive tackle will watch you knock down cocktails as he guest-bartends for his 91 Ways Foundation at Lakewood’s Around the Corner. Starting at 7 p.m., the 6-foot-2, 325-pound Smith…
Robert Plant and Alison Kraus to play Tower City
The bad news is: Led Zeppelin isn’t reuniting for a tour this summer. If it’s any consolation, Robert Plant is still hitting the road, in the company of Alison Kraus, performing songs from their rootsy, transcendent new collaboration, Raising Sand. T Bone Burnett, the performer/behind-the-scenes whiz who helped put together the O Brother, Where Art…
Rolling Stone has a total crush on the Cleve
Northeast Ohio is all over the new issue of Rolling Stone. The Black Keys rate two mentions, first on page 12, where the Akron duo’s new record, Attack and Release, makes the editors’ Hot List alongside Usher and Santogold. The album receives a 3-and-a-half-star review (which is pretty standard, and scores a tie with both…
Restaurant of the Weekend: Crop Bistro
It’s that time of year when our better restaurants start rolling out the new menus: Out with the heavy braises and root veggies, in with the light, bright flavors of early spring. Among the most mouthwatering menus we’ve come across lately is the one that recently debuted at Crop Bistro (1400 W. 6th St., 216-696-2767),…
WTF?: Commissioners’ deals could blight Lakeside Avenue
In their ongoing quest to blowtorch your wallet, then stomp it to death while doing Cherokee war cries, Cuyahoga County commissioners may have fashioned their worst deal yet to build a new convention center/medical mart in Cleveland. In an ongoing series, Ace Reporter Lisa Rab breaks down the absurdity of the deal for those of…
Cuyahoga County Commissioners caught fixing contracts again
Jimmy Dimora, caught once again doing unseemly things with your money. A story on the front page of today’s Plain Dealer provides new details about just how screwed up the county’s new headquarters project has become. As you may recall, the commissioners’ first mistake was hiring a construction manager, R.P. Carbone Co., whose chief was…
Widow of Superman creator may finally cash in
The Glenville creators of Superman sold their rights 70 years ago for 130 bucks Seventy years ago, in what might be described as the worst business transaction in history (at least among those not negotiated by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners), Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Glenville natives who created the original Superman character, sold…
Missing: Joe Smith from Cavs rotation. Reward: Something that resembles offense
Has anyone seen this man? On Saturday night, with his team trailing the Pistons 29-18 at the end of the first quarter, Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown trotted out a lineup of Boobie Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Wally Szczerbiak, and Devin Brown. By my count, that’s exactly 1.75 offensive threats – 1 point for Z,…
Plan to move Heaven & Earth nightclub into old Moda space quietly killed
Last month, at a town hall meeting in Ohio City, 150 residents showed up to voice their concern over a proposed plan to move Heaven & Earth nightclub from the Flats’ east bank to the former home of controversial nightspot/cocaine emporium Moda. Owners of the building were stabbed repeatedly, Councilman Joe Santiago was tarred and…
The Akron Independent Film Festival: It’s no Cleveland Film Fest, but if you’re jonesin’…
You can’t believe that it’s more than 11 months until the next Cleveland Film Festival. And Superhero Movie just isn’t doing it for you (by the way, when exactly did spoof producers get too lazy to even come up with real titles for their movies?) You’re desperate for a dry documentary, or a tale of…
Reports: Sean Levert was restrained before death
You really didn’t think Sean Levert’s death would come to a tidy conclusion, did you? According to the latest reports, the R&B singer – who was in jail for failing to keep up with child-support payments when he died Sunday night – passed away while strapped to a restraining chair in the Cuyahoga County Jail’s…
Unlike us, the Hoegaarden Draft Club does Hump Day with class
Us beer-bellied schmucks may think we’re getting a Hump Day deal by forking over five bucks for a six-glass pitcher of ho-hum Coors Lite. But there are some highfalutin’ import-beer critics who disagree. Meet the Hoegaarden Draft Club, a loosely knit alliance of beer connoisseurs who meet every Wednesday night in Tremont to sample $2.50…
The Dead Boys are revived again in new DVD, ‘Return of the Living Dead Boys’
Read this week’s Scene for a review of Return of the Living Dead Boys, a new DVD of a 1986 reunion show by the Dead Boys, Cleveland’s official representatives to New York City’s 1970s old-school punk scene. Never regarded as the brightest bulbs in the movement, the band were best known for the classic song…
Tommy Davidson leads the week in Cleveland comedy
Unless you recognize a comedian’s name as That Girl From that Movie or the Dude from That One HBO Special, it can be hard to tell whether a stand-up is worth seeing. Lucky you: C-Notes did the legwork, and the skinny on this week’s big comedy shows, video included, is just a click away. Read…
Foodie paradise: The North Union Farmers Market’s annual benefit
A celebration of all things seasonal, sustainable, and locally grown Forget those clouds and icy breezes: We know it’s spring because we just got our invite to Let’s Get Fresh!, the annual benefit for the North Union Farmers Market. Scheduled for Monday, April 28, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Eton Chagrn Boulevard (28601 Chagrin…
Born Ruffians
On its debut album, Red Yellow & Blue, the Toronto-based Born Ruffians glides along a mix of mesmerizing shouts and childlike unruliness — sorta like Hot Hot Heat stuck in an elevator with the Go! Team. Frontman Luke LaLonde’s guitars swap between jagged Pixies pulses and more lugubrious indie-rock noodling (think Built to Spill). With…
Doing Her Justice
“Justice Maureen O’Connor says campaign money doesn’t affect her,” March 19 Reader passes judgment on story: I applaud Denise for this outstanding work. It took great courage and a lot of investigation to report such a groundbreaking story. The public has often questioned the massive campaign war chests held by some elected officials. It is…
Tokyo Roses
Give props to the Cleveland Botanical Garden for making winter go away with today’s opening of the new flower-and-photo exhibit Zensai: The Horticulture of Japan. On display through the end of June, the show features the center’s Japanese Garden, with its sculpted evergreens, funky rock formations, and easy-on-the-eyes color scheme Experts will also be on…
Laurie Anderson
Performance artist and multimedia maven Laurie Anderson has little time for small talk or small ideas. Yet the 60-year-old icon is far from pretentious, condescending, or willfully oblique. In fact, she appears to inhabit a world of perpetually deep thoughts, lofty concepts, and strange snippets of logic and revelation — few of which can be…
Forbidden Hollywood’s old-school filth tops this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Two (Warner) Back in the early 1930s, Hollywood churned out tons of racy movies about drug abuse, murder, and loose women. This three-DVD set gathers five films from the era and a documentary that puts them all in perspective. Best: The Divorcee, in which the title…
Silent Treatment
In this age of surround sound, special effects, and larger-than-life color images, is there any reason to watch monochromatic melodramas on the silver screen anymore? You betcha, says Rare Blend keyboardist Bobbi Holt. “I had been wanting to do this type of presentation for a long time,” she says. “I thought it would be a…
Brad Mehldau
Composer and pianist Mehldau stumbled on the music of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker when he was 12 years old. He’s been a jazz freak ever since. He made his name as a sideman for legends like Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman, and Wayne Shorter. Last year, Mehldau released Quartet, a collaboration with guitarist Pat Metheny.…
North Union Farmers’ Market keeps growing, and growing, and . . .
When the North Union Farmers’ Market opens on Shaker Square on Saturday, April 12, it will be with more vendors and more locations than ever before. According to executive director Donita Anderson, the market’s soon-to-launch 14th season will feature a bumper crop of vendors, including 130 regional farmers, 30 gourmet-food purveyors, and 80 local artists.…
Judy’s Callin’
Since the autumn of 1998, when her 21-year-old gay son, Matthew, was brutally attacked and left to die near the University of Wyoming campus, Judy Shepard has crusaded for hate-crime laws. Tonight, she gives the keynote speech as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community Center of Greater Cleveland marks the one-year anniversary of its…
Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes
Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes reflect just how expansive indie record companies (in this case, Sub Pop) have become. The six-member Trapper comes off a lot like that crazy homeless dude you see on your lunch break, who yells at you for no apparent reason. The band can certainly shred (check out “Miss Spiritual Tramp”),…
Guinness writes the book on gaming, but doesn’t shatter any records.
As a kid, I spent countless hours thumbing through a dog-eared copy of The Guinness Book of World Records, determined to find just the right stupid human trick to vault me into freak-show history. Turns out I didn’t need to waste all those years stretching my neck with metal rings; I could have just popped…
Movie à la Mode
The saving grace of tonight’s triple screening of Waitress is that you can scarf down slices of pie afterward. Here’s why: The folks at Case Western Reserve University’s Strosacker Auditorium have put together a benefit for the Cleveland Domestic Violence Center. To see the movie, you either have to shell out cash at the door…
Buddy Guy
Age hasn’t slowed down this legendary Louisiana-born blues guitarist, who began his career as a session man at the equally legendary Chess Records after a chance meeting with Muddy Waters outside a Chicago club. At 71, Guy continues to regularly record and perform wildly entertaining shows — which often feature him playing his signature polka-dot…
George Clooney’s ode to screwball comedies of yore, Leatherheads, is sooooo close, but yet . . .
When Time recently called George Clooney “The Last Movie Star,” you didn’t have to read the article to know where it was coming from. Stars of the postpubescent variety are an increasingly rare commodity these days, whereas Clooney seems a supernova of effortless, old-Hollywood élan. Clooney is a holdover from another time — which may…
Peace March
Give it up for DJ Alex Peace as the Chicago turntablist’s tour kicks up dirt tonight in Kent. With fellow jock Bad Boy Bill, the 34-year-old Peace is in town to hype his remixed Justin Timberlake track, “LoveStoned,” off his CD, The Great Chicago Fire. The disc gives Peace the latest bragging rights as the…
Ha Ha Tonka
It’s hard to tell whether the members of Missouri’s Ha Ha Tonka love or hate their home state. There’s definite affection in the grooves for the small-town Americana they carve out on Buckle in the Bible Belt. Then again, most of the songs revolve around people who are strung out on drugs and barely surviving…
Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones, together again in Shine a Light
Shine a Light, Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stones concert film, is not only a vanity project for everyone involved; it’s a total tongue bath. The backstory: Scorsese has used Stones anthems in countless movies (Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed), so the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band asked the Very Excellent Film Director whether he’d…
So Hungary
Ohio could well be the epicenter of bake-offs, as only a cursory glance at the Food Network suggests. Every county fair has its share of contests for bakers and barbecuers. But none of them compares to Matthew Cook’s Chicken Paprikash Contest, which comes complete with the hardware for the winners to take home. “For the…
R.E.M.
Accelerate is a perfect title for R.E.M.’s best record in a decade. Not that it’s had much competition in that time. Most of the CD, like the single “Supernatural Superserious,” sounds like the band covering itself, but Accelerate’s sturm-und-strum assault carves out its own niche in the group’s catalog. Eight years of Republican rule have…
A witch hunt devours lives in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s superb staging of The Crucible
In human beings, there is a pestilent and deliciously stimulating tendency: the thrill of banding together and declaring other people evil or outcast. And no play has explored this phenomenon as well as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, now being given a riveting staging by the Great Lakes Theater Festival. The play, an extended allegory for…
Hail the Cabs
Cheers to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s northern Ohio chapter for this sweet deal at tonight’s Akron Wine Opener: A lucky ticket-holder will take home a 30-bottle, temperature-controlled cooler, already stocked with 12 liters of vino inside. The raffle is part of the third annual benefit, with six distributors showcasing top-of-the-line wines from around the world.…
Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu may be hard on her country, but she’s not exactly Chuck D. Ever forgiving, she promises to love it “tooth for tooth and eye for eye” — no matter which electorate boob sucked it dry. On her first album in seven years, Badu languidly threatens, “Come out with your skills up!” That line…
A lively production of Pride and Prejudice graces the Cleveland Play House stage
Despite 19th-century novelist Jane Austen’s small lifetime output, her proper literary stylings continue to fascinate. And there’s now a lively production of Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s witty take on love, class-consciousness, and the fragility of female reputation, at the Cleveland Play House. In this brisk adaptation by James Maxwell, as revised by Alan Stanford, the…
Vocalicious
A Troubadours of Divine Bliss concert is equal parts Mardi Gras, Christmas, and Southern Baptist tent revival. In thrift-shop outfits, playing unique guitar-and-accordion arrangements, the Indiana duo of Aim Me Smiley and Renee Ananda make another trip to Cleveland tonight for an evening of folksy ramblings from their CD, Off the Cuff, which they recorded…
The Black Keys
The biggest knock on the Keys’ 2006 major-label debut, Magic Potion, was its failure to innovate. That can’t be said about Attack & Release, which remains steadfast in its blues allegiance while expanding the Akron duo’s territorial reach. Tastefully done, it’s undoubtedly a Black Keys album, with a musky grime exposing the band’s dark, dirty…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
The Color Purple — It’s possible to turn a complex and nuanced book like this renowned Alice Walker tome into a Broadway musical, but it’s a daunting task. And this touring production now at Playhouse Square’s Palace Theatre flubs the assignment on many levels. The musical’s book, as written by the acclaimed playwright Marsha Norman…
Dance Till You Drop
Check your attitude at the door for the weekly Dance Dance Party Party in Tremont. That’s because the 75-minute exercise workout, which happens in a spacious yoga-and-pilates studio, posts three rules: No boys, no booze, and no behind-the-back gossiping. Since the classes began a month ago, gals have been showing up to dance to mixes…
West Side blues club reopens
The newest incarnation of the Brothers Lounge (11609 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood) finally gives the West End a top-notch blues bar — and then some. The club has been open in various forms since 1959, but has been closed for years. The new owners have been pouring money into the club since 2004. It opened in…
Counting Crows
Counting Crows’ fifth album — the group’s first collection of new songs since 2002’s Hard Candy — is a two-for-one deal: half-electric, half-acoustic. The general debauchery and dissolution detailed in the raucous Gil Norton-produced first part of Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings is underscored by fierce, blasting guitar riffs. In the hooky “Hanging Tree,” singer…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Exurbs: A Collected Environment — In this three-artist show, Laura Sanders, Dana Oldfather, and Susan Danko exhibit stylistically varied paintings loosely united by themes and settings exploring mindscapes as well as landscapes. In her “Heads Above Water” series, Columbus artist Sanders paints realistic pictures of children and adolescents swimming outdoors. This subject matter may…
Black Is Glamorous
A cup of style, a teaspoon of elegance, and dashes of glitz and glamour make up Chynna Martin’s recipe for her annual Black & Gold Affair in Bedford tonight. And are you ready for your close-up? A paparazzo will also be on hand as you pig out on roast beef, pork tenderloin, and chicken Marsala.…
Derf takes you on another season of thrills with the Indians — the most cursed team in baseball!
Click here for Derf’s take on the 2008 Indians.
Rick Ross
Notes to Rick Ross: A) First of all, don’t make your intro a shout-out track. B) If you’re going to have DJ Khaled do an interlude, ask him not to refer to you as “the definition of the projects,” because that doesn’t really make much sense. C) For God’s sake, put Akon on the album.…
Safe at Home
While the Lake County Captains baseball team has posted a losing 64-74 record in each of its last two seasons, its top brass assures that the squad is much better than the numbers indicate for its home opener tonight against the Baltimore Oriole’s Class-A affiliate, the Delmarva Shorebirds. “As always, developing players is our primary…
Flicks Fix
Flicks FixLike a pack of smokes to a nicotine junkie, a couple of film fests are keeping Northeast Ohio cinephiles from checking into rehab tonight, now that the Cleveland International Film Festival has unreeled its last movie frame. Take the Cleveland Institute of Art’s student-film showcase, E.M.I.T., which is an anagram of the acronym for…
Surprise success leads to growing pains at Medina’s Good Taste Wine & Food Shop
When Chris and Robin Rose opened Good Taste Wine & Food Shop last fall in Medina, their concept was simple: Offer a welcoming gathering place, fill it with an array of fine foods, wines, and gourmet accessories, and then step back and watch the fun. Happily, the concept scored — so much so that the…
Silence of a Silhouette
This Cleveland screamo group’s debut EP follows its idols’ styles like they were recipes not to be diverted from. Anyone familiar with Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein has heard it all before. Escaping Reality certainly includes some super-catchy melodies, but they’re often marred by a heavy dose of growling backing vocals. Too bad, because singer Danny…
Just Joshin’
Comic Josh Sneed is starting to feel middle-age creep up behind him, now that he’s turned a ripe old 31. Even a trip to the department store makes him pause. “I’ve realized that, when you start asking for things like vacuums and Tupperware as gifts for your birthday, you’re not a kid anymore,” laughs Sneed,…
Taking stock of 2008’s most buzzed albums . . . so far
Hard to believe that 2008 is already four months old. It seems that only yesterday we were counting the days till our New Year’s Day hangover would subside. As we take stock of some of the past three months’ hits (Jack Johnson catches his biggest wave), misses (maybe it’s time for another wardrobe malfunction, Janet?),…
The Dead Boys
This DVD captures a surprisingly solid 1986 Halloween reunion show by the legendary Cleveland punks in New York. The concert amounts to an hour-long punk-rock history lesson. Joey Ramone introduces the Dead Boys, who play their most famous song, “Sonic Reducer,” twice, as guitarist Cheetah Chrome’s dark notes thud through the venue like boot heels…
Juggle Fever
If you’re sitting at the bar in Traffic tonight, don’t be surprised if you see a beer bottle sail past your head. At Dakota’s Challenge 2, the star of the show won’t be the drink in your hand; it’ll be the 15 top-ranked flair bartenders juggling beer, liquor, and wine bottles as part of the…
Explosions in the Sky’s post-rock instrumentalists have no use for words
More than a thousand bands were milling around Austin last month for the increasingly gargantuan South by Southwest music festival. But one of the city’s most successful exports was conspicuously absent from the proceedings. “We try to be out of town when it happens,” laughs Chris Hrasky, drummer for the instrumental rock quartet Explosions in…
De Novo Dahl
De Novo Dahl is about to drop its debut for Roadrunner Records, but don’t let that scare you off. The gently rocking Nashville band is nothing like Slipknot, nor is it much like Nickelback — or the Dresden Dolls, for that matter. The eclectic quintet is closest to the Dolls, playing lively, feel-good tunes like…
Veggie Palates
Sidney Abdoo is no vegetarian by any stretch of imagination. The 25-year-old marketing rep from Lakewood even admits she adores a rare T-bone steak swimming in A-1 sauce. But she’s not going to turn down an invite from a couple of her co-workers for Lago’s Vegetarian Mondays. “It’s not like I’m chained to beef for…
One day, every song ever recorded will fit into your pocket. But will you listen to any of them?
There was a time when I knew what I wanted to listen to, when I was poor but bought CDs anyway. I had stacks of CDs, purchased with enthusiasm and knowledge shared among friends. Finances stopped counting, however, once I discovered Napster and CD-burning. When I started storing my music on my computer, saving songs…
Massillon football star and Ohio State recruit Devoe Torrence charged with rape
In January, we told you about the rumors unfolding in Massillon concerning an “underage sex ring” [“Waiting for the Ax,” January 30]. At that time, it had been three months since word had leaked to the Massillon Independent that 14 boys, ranging in age from 14 to 21, were suspected of having sex with three…
The Lady Wears a Mouth Guard
The Burning River Roller Girls aren’t like the roller-derby queens your mom used to watch on TV 25 years ago. Just ask Ursula “MILFinator” Allison, as the four-squad league starts its sophomore season today in North Olmsted. “I pretty much feel like I was in a car accident after a bout,” she says. “Recovering takes…
Baroness, Converge, Genghis Tron, and the Red Chord
Baroness’ Red Album is one of the best psychedelic hard-rock albums of the past few years. Calling it “metal” would be a stretch, but it is heavy and engaging. The real question is, why is Baroness headlining over these other three bands? Converge is one of the most forceful — not to mention assaultive —…
NASCAR Sundays
Every weekend through November, the Jigsaw opens up its side stage for NASCAR Sundays. Watch the race on three theater-size screens, with blow-your-hair-back sound pumped over the club’s concert PA system. The cheap seats at the actual race aren’t this loud, and even the expensive seats don’t have a view that’s anything close. The Jigsaw…
Geezer, Interrupted
In the film Starting Out the Evening, an aging New York author tries to finish one more novel before he dies. Enter an ambitious grad student, who wants to write her master’s thesis on the old man’s career in an attempt to revive him from near obscurity. Reluctant at first, the scribe eventually agrees to…
