What to Do Tonight: Roger Waters — The Wall Live
“Is there anybody out there?” More than 30 years ago, Pink Floyd’s main songwriter Roger Waters endured a legendarily difficult creative birthing process in order to unleash The Wall, a complex, highly theatrical rock opera based on some of the most painful experiences of his life. The double album reached No. 1 and became one…
What to Do Tonight: Menomena
Rub a dub dub! Menomena’s name may be a nod to Jim Henson’s scat-singing Muppets from back in the day. Or maybe not. Whatever. Just know that if you’re looking for that kind of playful whimsy in music, the Portland, Oregon, trio scratch that itch. The trippy, experimental indie rockers’ recently released fourth album, Mines,…
What to Do Tonight: Holy Fuck
Holy fuck indeed Does Holy Fuck’s moniker follow the Smucker’s paradigm that something this horribly named has to be good? Of course not. The Ontario electro-space pop quartet could quite easily suck rusty circuits. But they don’t. On their latest album, Latin, Holy Fuck plug all of electronica’s permutations into a three-pronged outlet — from…
What to Do Tonight: Zee Avi
“What rhymes with Kierkegaard?” Zee Avi’s voice is gentle and sweetly beguiling. The jazzy, breathy tones tiptoe in like the smell of spring through an open window and throw themselves into your bed with lighthearted indifference. The arrangements on last year’s self-titled debut are tastefully simple, often featuring little more than Avi’s acoustic guitar or…
What to Do Tonight: Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
Margot’s potluck dinners are a blast To say the latest version of Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s is more straightforward belies the band’s central nature, even as it captures its constant changes. Between the just-released Buzzard and 2008’s Animal!/Not Animal, Margot shifted gears. Frontman Richard Edwards moved his group from Indianapolis to Chicago,…
What to Do Tonight: Strange Boys
It’s strange that they would line up like that When Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones got together in the early ’60s, they rallied around their love of authentic Chicago blues, which in turn inspired them to name their band after a Muddy Waters song and record at the legendary Chess studios. Austin’s Strange…
What to Do Tonight: The Gaslight Anthem
“Funny — the edge of town isn’t as dark as I thought it would be” You’d think after months of endless Springsteen comparisons — on blogs, in magazines, on Internet message boards — Brian Fallon would stay far, far away from the subject of Bruce. But the Gaslight Anthem frontman is more than eager to…
Out Today: Maroon 5
MAROON 5Hands All Over(A&M/Octone) Isn’t it a little early for Maroon 5 to get back to basics? After all, Hands All Over is only their third album. Their last record, 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, was surprisingly durable, propelled by “Makes Me Wonder” and “Won’t Go Home Without You,” which were far craftier…
Out Today: John Legend and the Roots
JOHN LEGEND AND THE ROOTSWake Up! (Columbia) As a hip-hop fan, John Legend favors intelligence over bravado. Check out his terrific collaborations with Lauryn Hill and André 3000 for proof. On the lovely Wake Up!, Legend hooks up with rap’s smartest ensemble for an all-star jam session — and what a jam session it is,…
Bubba at the Barley, or Clinton Comes to Cleveland
The scene this afternoon on West 6th. When the former leader of the free world comes to town, you expect a lot: cordoned-off streets, Blackhawks above on a circle pattern, snipers capping the roofs of nearby buildings — all the Hollywood fixings. That, however, was not the case downtown today. Except for around 75 onlookers…
Less Than a Week Until Browns Tailgating
And there’s nothing that will get you in the mood for Muni Lot mayhem faster than watching this video showing Bone Crusher drunkenly performing on top of a Port-o-Potty early in the morning.
Cedar Point Ranked Best Amusement Park… Again
Fun, except for the lines, sun, people… For the 13th year in a row, Cedar Point has been named America’s best amusement park by Amusement Today, the industry’s leading (and probably lone) trade magazine. What else can you say about the Sandusky landmark other than it’s pretty awesome? Besides Best Amusement Park, Cedar Point took…
Cleveland Turns Down KFC’s Offer to Advertise on Fire Hydrants
“This is what I think of KFC’s chicken.” Kentucky Fried Chicken, the purveyor of America’s one and only chicken sandwich where chicken serves as the bread, was looking for new ways to advertise the fast food giant’s “New Fiery Grilled Wings.” Looking to go above and beyond the usual routes of commercials and billboards, KFC…
Out Today: Jamey Johnson
JAMEY JOHNSONThe Guitar Song(Mercury) Jamey Johnson’s The Guitar Song is both the most conventional and unconventional country album you’ll hear this year. Its main theme is a country-music favorite: redemption. But this two-CD concept album about a self-destructive musician who eventually sees the light is an ambitious song cycle that travels new paths to get…
Out Today: Mavis Staples
MAVIS STAPLESYou Are Not Alone(Anti-) R&B legend Mavis Staples’ last album, 2007’s We’ll Never Turn Back, was a stirring concept record about the Civil Rights movement. The follow-up is more direct, bringing the singer back to her gospel roots with a collection of songs (including a few remakes of tunes she originally recorded with her…
Morning Brew: New Auditor, Continental/United Agreement at Hopkins, Dip in Violent Crime, and Akron Police Layoffs
“I hereby swear to do everything 100% differently than Frank Russo did.” Good morning, Cleveland. The Browns lost, here’s some stuff to read that doesn’t involve the Browns. — David Reines was officially sworn in as the temporary auditor this morning. Barring something bizarre, he’ll have the job until January when the position is dissolved.…
Lessons in Office Friendly Cutlery: Russo Had Machete at Work
Corruption? What Corruption? Is the Cuyahoga County corruption story getting a little too dry for you? Too many redundant articles circling the same ground, he-said-this, he-said-that, Russo-blah-blah-bribe, Dimora-blah-blah-sandwich? Unfortunately, this two-year scandal has been heavy on number crunching and backroom deals, with only the occasional refreshing reference to Las Vegas hookers spicing things up. Well,…
Pic of the Day: Frank Russo Behind Bars
Just about every news outlet in town did a story on those ubiquitous stickers bearing Frank Russo’s smiling face following his indictment and resignation last week. The gist: They’re not going anywhere from now, and though the sticker itself says it’s illegal to remove or deface it, plenty of would-be artists are lending their strokes…
Jang Kongthong, Wellington Doctor, Allegedly Paid Patient for Sex
Don’t open wide and say ahhh. All those playing doctor jokes now just seem ew. According to reports beaming in from the far reaches of the West Side, a Wellington doctor has been arrested after authorities discovered he was up to some paid-for hanky-panky with a patient. 69-year-old Jang Kongthong has been charged with a…
Swensons Tops Skyway on Symon’s New Show
The voice of authority, at least when it comes to Cleveland cuisine, has spoken. Michael Symon’s new Food Network Show, “Food Feuds,” stopped by Akron to film this week at Swensons, Skyway, and two Barberton chicken joints. The point? Focus on a long-held food grudge and pick a winner. The debate between Skyway and Swensons…
Cleveland Ranked 4th Worst Winter City in America
Snow doesn’t put a damper on tailgating. Dispatch from the “Really? No shit?” Department… The Farmer’s Almanac has some breaking news: Cleveland has bad winters. How bad? Their very scientific formula, which we believe involves asking an old farmer living in Farmer City, Illinois, what he thinks, pegs Cleveland as the fourth worst winter city…
Pic of the Day: Roxy Theatre, 1971
Roxy Theatre at E. 9th and Chester in Cleveland, circa 1971. (Via this tremendous Flickr collection of old Cleveland photos.)
Shannon Johnson, Drunken Rager, Throws Fit at Hospital
Textbook crazy lands you in the slammer. Lorain (lawr-ane) — 3 definitions 1. — noun. A city in Ohio; northeastern part; Lorain county; 70,000 (2000 est); 24.2 sq mi; established 1807. Example: Dude, the craziest shit goes down in Lorain. 2. — noun. Nautical: A difficult overhand knot, used in big-game fishing, marlin, etc. 3.…
Black Keys Take Home VMA for ‘Tighten Up’ Video
The Black Keys, Akron’s favorite sons, took home an MTV Video Music Award last night for the video for “Tighten Up.” The duo won for best breakthrough video.
John Boehner Defends His Tan After New Round of Jokes
Blends right in. House Minority Leader John Boehner has endured quips about his tan going back to last year, but his orange-ish hue was the subject of some fresh ribbings last week from George Stephanopoulos and others. The latest jab came from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who tweeted out a link to a…
Talthina Jackson Beat Her 14-Year-Old Son With An Iron, Forced Him to Eat Feces (Update)
Not in the running for Mother of the Year. Update: Back in mid-August when we wrote this story, the details available at the time were scary enough: Mom hits son with iron. Now, further allegations have emerged against Talthina Jackson’s treatment of her children that are simply nauseating and heinous. NewsNet5 reports that police have…
Concert Review: Jamie Lidell at the Grog Shop
The deer-in-the-headlights look is good on him Ladies and gentlemen, as Jamie Lidell calls his audience, Lidell has left most of the solo improvising and experimental layering behind, in favor of touring with a five-man band. Rather than balancing roles of producer and singer-performer, the strong support allowed for Lidell to simply sing a little…
Miami Homeless Totally Want Cleveland’s LeBron Jerseys
See, Patches will wear it. The plans of Break Up With LeBron to donate Clevelanders’ unwanted LeBron jerseys to Miami-area homeless shelters hit a snag last week when politics got in the way of a good deed. According to the Broward New Times: “It’s on hold right now,” says Rita Clark of the Miami Coalition…
Miami Homeless Totally Want Cleveland’s LeBron Jerseys
See, Patches will wear it. The plans of Break Up With LeBron to donate Clevelanders’ unwanted LeBron jerseys to Miami-area homeless shelters hit a snag last week when politics got in the way of a good deed. According to the Broward New Times: “It’s on hold right now,” says Rita Clark of the Miami Coalition…
Concert Review: Kiss at Blossom Music Center
We think we see Kiss The last big action blockbuster of the summer, and possibly the most explosion-filled, came to town last night in the form of Kiss’ at Blossom Music Center. At the start of the decade, it seemed the energy from the band’s 1996 return to facepainting had run its course, with surprisingly…
Indians Are Turning Progressive Field Into a Winter Sports Park?
That seems to be what’s going to happen on November 26 according to a very general pic posted on their site. Skiing? Skating? Sledding? Snowman-making? Can I throw snowballs at Andy Marte? Who the hell knows. It could be their best on-the-field decision in the last ten years.
Phil Davison Talks About the Speech That Made Him a Viral Star
Phil Davison, shown here more calm than you’re used to seeing him. Phil Davison became an overnight internet sensation this week after a fiery, bizarre speech he made while campaigning to become Stark County Treasurer. He lost his bid, but he’s won some fans. (If you haven’t watched the video yet, do so here.) So…
Medical Mart Competition (Politely) Slams MMPI
My Mart is going to be bigger than yours. In the three party arms race over which city will be the first to build a permanent medical mart facility, Cleveland has — on paper at least — an apparent upper hand. The project is scheduled to break ground a full year before competitors New York…
DVD In a Box Looks to Challenge Redbox in Cheap Rentals
It’s red, but not Redbox. Redbox, that little wonderful kiosk of $1 DVD rentals, is getting some competition in the Cleveland market. A stroll down to Constantino’s Market on W. 9th today revealed a similar self-serve destination hawking the latest and greatest in flimsy Hollywood fare for a buck. And by similar, we mean almost…
No One Wants to Be Mayor of Lakewood, OH
If you want to be mayor of one of the coolest suburbs in the United States, opportunity is knocking. That’s because if Democratic primary winner Ed Fitzgerald wins the general election for county executive in November, Lakewood—with its long-burning coolness recently noted by the uber-cool Travel + Leisure mag—will loose its mayor. And rumor has…
Donald Jackson, “Lead-Foot Loser”, Tries to Rundown Cop
Don’t want to get caught in his crosshairs. We’ve got a certain affinity for whoever puts together the Web copy over at 19ActionNews; they’ve got the alliteration-lovin’ newsfair too often absent from the average staid headlines. This next one, for example, they dubbed the “Lead-Foot Loster.” Nice. Hat tip. The Lead-Foot Loser, one Donald Jackson,…
Bad Computer Deal Continues to Dupe Customers
Not the prodcut in question, but a better piece of technology. Earlier this month we clued readers in on an alleged scam hitting up a number of Northeast Ohioans. To recap: Indiana-based bogus tech company Top Ten Imports, of shitbox iHeater infamy, came to town peddling an offer in the ad sections of local publications…
Pre-Show Q&A: Kiss
“Calling Dr. Love. I think I broke something” When drummer Eric Singer joined Kiss in 1991, the circumstances were far from ideal. The band’s popularity had plummeted — the ill-fated decision to drop the make-up probably had something to do with that. Drummer Eric Carr had just died, and Singer, a Cleveland native who had…
Concert Review: Fu Manchu at the Grog Shop
Fu Manchu enjoy a quiet moment before rocking your ass off Last night at the Grog Shop, proud Californians Fu Manchu delivered an excellent, alternate-universe view of what hard-rock music can be when it’s stripped of some of its current, often tiresome baggage. Singer Scott Hill and company hit the stage free of tattoos, chains,…
Phil Davison, Stark County Treasurer Candidate, Freaks Out
Phil Davison, a GOP candidate for Treasurer in Stark County, goes on an absolutely hellbent rant in this video. His speech, which will either convince Stark County residents to vote for him in some future election or commit him, is simply intense. You would think he’s talking about national security or something, but no, he’s…
Frank Russo Resigns as Auditor, Charged in Corruption Scandal (Update)
Frank Russo and housemate Michael Calabrese, who will have the chance to spend a lot more time together now. There’s bound to be an avalanche of revelations today. We’ll post all the updates here. Update: Here’s complete video courtesy of WKYC of Peter Lawson Jones speaking this morning with the media. He seemed pretty angry…
Afternoon Brew: Frustaci Sentenced, Standoff Ends, Akron Cops Angry, and Joseph Gallucci’s Sham Campaign for Russo
Who doesn’t love this picture? Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you celebrate the end of Russo’s reign. — To stick with the theme of government corruption: A judge sentenced Vincent Frustaci to ten years in prison for embezzling almost $3 million from Stark County. Here’s to hoping Russo’s sentence is as…
Joel Williams, Handcuffed Fugitive, Runs Into Black River
Maybe he’s a good swimmer with both arms? We’ll never know. Escape plans while in police custody are risky business. Chances — and we’re talking 99% — are that you’re going to get caught anyway, and your attempts to elude the authorities are just going to a) Piss them off, and b) Probably lead to…
Man Arrested Three Days in a Row for Being Drunk
The ‘Hoff can empathize. A North Olmsted man just could put down the bottle, or leave people alone, or avoid the police, or act like a reasonable human being. Three days in a row, three days in a jail cell. That’s not a good streak. The trouble began August 29 when our unnamed gentleman was…
Jim Jarmusch Directing Stooges Documentary
Cuyahoga Falls-born filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is planning a documentary about the Stooges, according to Rolling Stone. The movie is nowhere near done, but Jarmusch gave Rolling Stone some details, like the fact he’s staying away from a typical “talking heads” documentary. We hope that means there’ll be plenty of live footage. Jarmusch also mentioned that…
Crystal Bowersox, American Idol Star, Endured Illegal Snooping By Ohio
Many Ohio employees found her very interesting. Ohio native Crystal Bowersox rose to fame through her appearance on last season’s installment of American Idol. The nation loved her, Ohio loved her, and her devoted fans followed every story about the singer in the hopes of learning just a bit more about the American Idol runner-up.…
The Blizzard of Oz Is Blowing Into Town
“Um, boo” Ozzy Osbourne is coming to Quicken Loans Arena on December 5. This is great news for fans who missed out on this year’s OzzFest, which blew right past Cleveland. The stop is part of Ozzy’s world tour in support of his latest album, Scream, which came out earlier this summer. The rock giant…
Venomin James Return to Stage, Release New Album Next Week
Venomin James will open for Fu Manchu at the Grog Shop tonight. The show will be the Cleveland band’s first gig since drummer Jared Koston succumbed to cancer in June. (Living Stereo frontman Brandon Abate will fill in on drums. Pro-Pain/Spudmonsters drummer Eric Matthews will sit at the kit in upcoming shows.) Koston played on…
David Dickerson and Family Use 72-Year-Old Woman’s Bank Card on Shopping Spree
He should have used the card to buy a real haircut. During a shopping trip to Wal-Mart in Strongsville last month, David Dickerson and his wife Gloria were strolling behind a kindly old lady. The 72-year-old, perusing tube socks and discount laundry detergent and probably buying gifts for her great-grandchildren, mistakenly dropped her bank card…
Sam Mazzola Gets to Keep His Bears
You can look at the bear, you just can’t take the bear. Sam Mazzola, the man whose bear mauled and killed Brent Kandra just a few weeks ago, has been under increased pressure from groups around Ohio and authorities to get rid of his wild animal collection, which includes a lion and tigers in addition…
Bill Clinton is Coming to the Barley House
“This is what I think about W. 6th.” Former President Bill Clinton will be dropping by the Warehouse District on September 14 for an appearance at the Barley House. Will he be wearing a striped shirt? Will he also think the street has become the epicenter of the douchenozzle universe? Is it simply a cover…
Food Network’s ‘Food Feuds’ Coming to Akron Next Week
Anyone else hungry? ‘Food Feuds,” the Food Network’s new show hosted by Michael Symon, pits restaurants who specialize in similar dishes against each other in a final showdown of longstanding battles where each claims their own dedicated and loyal following. The best example locally also happens to the subject of one of the show’s first…
Big Dipper, Famous Ohio Rollercoaster, For Sale on eBay
Could have been in your backyard… Geauga Lake — Cedar Point’s little, very little, brother to the east — shuttered its doors in 2007. Relatively more accessible than Sandusky, cheaper, and with fewer crowds, the amusement park did decent business back in the day before facing mounting money troubles. Many a kid spent time there…
Your Cavs NBA Jam Roster: Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varejao
The Cavs are boring and I was worried the video-game version of the Wine and Gold on the upcoming NBA Jam would be boring as well. I was wrong. Mark Price and Brad Daugherty are back, ladies and gentleman. From ESPN: Cleveland Cavaliers Players: Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao Legends: Mark Price and…
Ohio’s Vegan Snuff Film Industry
Delicious movie stars. Last month, Governor Ted Strickland brokered a deal between animal advocates and hamburger lovers that will require Ohio’s livestock farms to kindly ease off their use of torture devices over the next several years. Included are plans to keep sick animals out of the food supply, set up rules for killing them,…
Morning Brew: Obama in Cleveland, Primary Results In, NBA Jam, and a Huge Freaking Wal-Mart
But, but, where’s Ramon Sessions? Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you check the calendar for the next holiday. — President Obama is in Parma today for a speech at Tri-C. Look for him to tout new small-business tax breaks that he hopes will kick start the economy. Don’t look for him…
Felix Wright, the NFL’s Uniform Inspector at Browns Stadium
Chad Ochocinco strode onto the field at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium for this year’s Hall of Fame Game wearing orange cleats. That was a no-no; the Bengals were slated to wear black shoes for the contest. While it was one of the renegade wide receiver’s tamer uniform shenanigans — more so than, say, the time he…
CD Review: Of Montreal
False Priest’s cover art is a grotesque mess, which sorta sums up Of Montreal’s music. The revolving collective’s tenth album comes down from the alter-ego orgies of 2008’s Skeletal Lamping, with lots of hate (“Go away/You’re a bad thing/Useless thing”) and incoherence (“I can’t cope with such an abstract blackmail domination spasm”) from frontman Kevin…
At the Arthouse
Breathless This 1960 classic from Jean-Luc Godard modernized movies in a mere 90 minutes. Pretentious, revolutionary, and downright riveting, it tells the story of a young thug on the run. But the heart of the movie lies in Godard’s stylistic filmmaking. Breathless celebrates its 50th anniversary with a restored print. Seriously — see this one…
Rice on the Side
During their five-year courtship, singer-songwriters Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice have collaborated on each other’s solo albums, supported one another on tour, and shacked up together in one of Laurel Canyon’s standard-issue rock & roll bungalows. The next step was inevitable. On August 31, Lewis and Rice finally tied the knot — musically, that is…
Starting Off With a Bang
The debut album by the hip-hop rock band Big Bang Theory (reverbnation.com/bigbangtheorybbt) just hit the streets. The group — which includes former Prhymal Rage frontman Jacob “Ref” Rockwell — names Flobots, Rage Against the Machine, and Atmosphere as influences. Rockwell is no Zack de la Rocha, but he comes damn close to capturing the RATM…
Bites: Half of Dim and Den Sum Departing
It’s misleading to call Market (1137 Linda St., 440-799-4292, marketbeer.com) a sports bar. Yes, there are TVs — in this case svelte 60-inch LCDs. And sure, there’s a bar: a huge granite oval that seats 40. But the attractive space could just as easily house a hip bistro. Much like they did with nearby Wine…
Diamond Life
In the 15 years since they formed in Sacramento, Deftones have upped their game with each album. Other less-complex bands they were lumped in with have sold more records, drawn bigger concert crowds, and are more visible (we’re looking at you, Korn and Limp Bizkit), but Deftones expanded their sonic palette over the years to…
Talking Turkey
If it seems like Turkish restaurants are invading our culinary landscape at an accelerated clip, that’s because they are. Until 2004, Clevelanders had precisely zero Turkish eateries in which to sup. By the end of summer, we will have four. Perhaps that’s because, despite its exotic-sounding pedigree, the cuisine is remarkably approachable, largely healthful, and…
Ripped at the Seams
Wayne Weber’s corner of the world is textbook suburbia, complete with a postage stamp of lawn and a one-story cottage that sits on a quiet side road branching off from downtown Chagrin Falls. The short, dapper block is crowded by leaning trees and stitched overhead with telephone wires and power lines. On summer afternoons, neighborhood…
We Get Mail
BENT SPOKES AND ANGRY FOLKS The faux-Dickensian language and reliance on a thesaurus meant that Vince Grzegorek was probably trying to be funny when he wrote “The Bicyclist’s Guide to Cleveland” [August 4, 2010]. But the humor failed, and the reader was left wondering whether he thinks bicyclists are clots in the veins of Cleveland…
Hide the Brains
When Resident Evil: Afterlife opens on Friday, it will mark the fourth movie in the series based on a hit video-game franchise about hungry zombies. But how well do you know Resident Evil? Here’s a primer to get you ready for the series’ first 3-D outing. The Origin The evil multinational Umbrella Corporation was experimenting with…
Eat to the Beat
Within the first three minutes of Soul Kitchen, an amiable comedy set in and around a rundown restaurant owned by a shaggy-haired German-Greek, Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos) is called an asshole by two different people: his girlfriend and an old boat builder he shares the building with. He takes it in stride because he’s used to…
Stay In!
TOP PICK — DVD Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season (Walt Disney) We’re still scratching our heads over the last episode of the millennium’s greatest TV show. At least now we can dissect it as part of this terrific five-disc set (watch it on Blu-ray if you can). Best of all, a brand-new short…
The NFL’s Fashion Cop
Chad Ochocinco strode onto the field at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium for this year’s Hall of Fame Game wearing orange cleats. That was a no-no; the Bengals were slated to wear black shoes for the contest. While it was one of the renegade wide receiver’s tamer uniform shenanigans — more so than, say, the time he…
In Theaters This Week…
The American (R) — “You are American. You live for the present,” says Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), a priest who befriends The American’s enigmatic protagonist, a mystery man played by George Clooney who calls himself both Jack and Edward. Americans also like plenty of action in their thrillers, which director Anton Corbijn bravely ignores, reserving…
Get Out!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 COMEDY Pickwick & Frolic Turns 8 If you’re not Chinese, you probably regard the Bronze Anniversary with something resembling apathy — eight seems so inconsequential, after all. But it’s considered auspicious in Chinese culture because the word for “eight” sounds so similar to the word for “prosper” or “wealth.” This information is…
This Week’s Concert Calendar
Sublime With Rome Besides No Doubt, Sublime are the most successful band to come out of the SoCal ska revival of the ’90s. But they never had a chance to go on tour with their breakthrough self-titled album from 1996 because frontman Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose two months before the record was…
Art? Art!
AN INVITATION TO LUBBER-LAND Brooklyn-based Duke Riley is making new work out of Cleveland history for his season-opening show. He brings his interest in people living in the margins of society to Cleveland’s famed “Torso Murders” and the former shantytown that sprung up along the now-buried creek known as Kingsbury Run. For An Invitation to…
CD Review: Interpol
By this point, there’s not much to distinguish one Interpol album from another. Since their 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, the dapper New Yorkers have combined ’80s post-punk reservation with modern indie-rock disconnection. Their fourth album — self-titled, so it’s supposed to herald some big changes after 2007’s major-label bomb, Our Love to…
CD Review: RYAN BINGHAM & THE DEAD HORSES
There’s a timeless quality to Ryan Bingham’s best songs that drops them in the middle of the 1940s, 1970s, or 2000s. It’s one of the reasons he won an Oscar this year for “The Weary Kind,” his plaintive theme from Crazy Heart. He’s also a sharp songwriter. On his third album — on which he…
CD Review: The Thermals
The music on the Thermals’ first four records has been relatively straightforward — fleshy power chords, wiry bass, and the kind of sing-talking that encourages shouting along — but their themes have been a bit more complex (2006’s The Body, the Blood, the Machine was a concept album about a couple fleeing a fascist U.S.…
