Update: Police Arrest Suspect in Shaker Heights Hit-and-Run That Killed Elementary School Teacher
Update: A Cleveland man has been arrested in connection to a hit-skip that killed beloved Shaker Heights school teacher James Caffrey earlier this year. 45-year-old Derick Ward has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide for allegedly driving the vehicle that fatally struck Caffrey from behind back in January. Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that Ward…
Grog Shop to Host Bob Marley Birthday Celebration
Reggae icon Bob Marley would have turned 70 this year and to celebrate, the Grog Shop is hosting a birthday celebration on Feb. 5 featuring the Ark Band, Organik Sounds and DJ Soundsystem. The club will also show vintage Bob Marley movies, and Bratenhal Kitchen will serve Jamaican food. The $5 ticket includes a free…
In the 216 Opens Retail Storefront in Coventry Village
In the 216, an artisan shop showcasing the work of dozens of local doers and makers, has opened up a storefront in Coventry Village. The store quietly launched on Friday afternoon, occupying the old Phoenix Coffee Company space at 1854 Coventry Road. “We offer the work of 42 local artists,” Steven Goe, husband of store owner Jenny…
Local Musician Strives to Finish Debut Solo Album Before Cross-country Move
Brandon Zano’s forthcoming solo album has had a long gestation period. His first mark on the Cleveland music scene was when he started playing with the hard rock act Tender Blind Spot in 1997. “That was the first band I started to tour with,” he says. “We did a three-week tour that was a lot…
Rock Hall Announces Events for Black History Month
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has a slew of events slated to take place in honor of Black History Month. Sinkane, an electronic/funk musician who spent some time living in Northeast Ohio before moving to his current home in Brooklyn, starts things off on Feb. 6. He plays the Rock Hall’s…
P.J.’s Luncheonette to Close after 30 years, Jack Flaps to Expand Brand to Downtown
It’s the end of an era for P.J.’s Luncheonette (530 Euclid Ave., 216-861-2475), the no-frills breakfast and lunch diner in the Colonial Arcade. For 34 years, owners Gene and Odie have been dishing up 3-dollar breakfasts, cheeseburger deluxes with fries, and grilled liver and onions to an appreciative and loyal set of downtown customers. That…
Experimental Rockers If These Trees Could Talk Reissue Two Out-of-print Albums
Akron’s experimental hard rock band If These Trees Could Talk have spent the better part of the past decade under the radar of the local rock scene. While local art rockers Mr. Gnome regularly take them on tour and acknowledge their significance, the band isn’t incredibly well-known. That might change now that Metal Blade is…
Cleveland Loves American Sniper, America Does Too
Though Scene Music Editor Jeff Niesel wasn’t moved or deeply bestirred by the patriotic allure of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, starring an enbeefed Bradley Cooper as superlethal Iraq war sniper Chris Kyle, viewers across America certainly have been. With a record-breaking second weekend at the box office, Sniper is on pace to become the biggest…
Public Square to Close February 1 for RNC Construction
Update: Looks like Laketran jumped the gun. Though the official date of Public Square’s closure will be announced in the coming days, both the RTA and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance say the Feb. 1 is incorrect. Stay tuned for more orange barrel news as it comes in. *** The long-awaited groundbreaking for the master makeover…
Primus Tribute to Willy Wonka Coming to Masonic Auditorium
Primus frontman Les Claypool was only 7 years old when David L. Wolper’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the fantastic film based on the Roald Dahl book by the same name, debuted in movie theaters. Yet, the film has stuck with him. Last year on New Year’s Eve, Claypool and co. paid homage to…
Forgotten Souls of Antiquity Dedicate New Album to Bassist
When locals Forgotten Souls of Antiquity released their self-titled debut in 2011, we wrote that the band plays a mix of “SoCal punk and straight-up psychobilly.” With its raspy vocals and sped-up tempors, the group evokes acts such as Social Distortion. Now, the guys are prepping the release of their terrific new album, Desolation Ridge.…
Add Paco’s Tacos to the Growing Roster of New Local Taco Joints
The seemingly unstoppable taco trend will make a layover in Solon this summer when Paco’s Tacos & Tequila opens up in the former Solon Applebee’s location at 6140 SOM Center Road. The new concept is being unleashed by Bret Adams, whose Chef Art Pour Restaurant Group also manages five Burntwood Tavern locations – including one…
City Responds to PD/NEOMG Inquiries in Email to Press, Citing “Spirit of Transparency”
Here’s one important question the PD’s Rachel Dissell and the NEOMG’s Leila Atassi asked of the city as part of their ongoing series, “Forcing Change,” about the Cleveland Division of Police and its use of excessive force: The mayor has said repeatedly that the findings of the U.S. Justice Department are allegations, and that the…
Country Megaticket Goes on Sale on Friday
One of the perks of living in Northeast Ohio is that — at least during the summer months — the area is a destination for country music concerts. Starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, fans who want to attend all the big shows that are slated for this summer can pick up the Megaticket which…
Snag a Free Burrito from a Cleveland Chipotle
If you’re anything like this kid, you’re always on the lookout for free Chipotle and today the fast-casual Mexican grill is offering up a deal: Buy any item from the new Sofritas menu, then bring back your receipt between Jan. 27 and Feb. 28 and you’ll receive a free burrito, burrito bowl, salad, or order…
Yahoo to Live Stream Cold War Kids and Ani DiFranco Concerts
The fine folks at Yahoo Live have partnered with Live Nation to live stream shows throughout the year. Their goal — to live stream a concert every day of 2015. They’ll be in Cleveland this week to stream two shows at House of Blues — the Ani DiFranco concert on Tuesday and the Cold War…
Cleveland Play House Named One of the Best Regional Theaters in the Nation
Need another reason to catch a show at the Cleveland Play House this winter? Here it is: Fodor just named the play house one of the best in the U.S. From Fodor: The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Play House, the country’s first professional regional theater. Over the decades, the company…
Mentor Middle School Wrestling Coach Under Investigation, Suspended From Position
Details are scant so far, but the head wrestling coach for Mentor Memorial middle school was immediately placed on leave when the district was informed of allegations involving a student. The coach is not a teacher at the school, and Mentor says he will not be returning. All information has been turned over to the…
Sufjan Stevens to Play Masonic Auditorium in April
Talented indie singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens will release his new album, Carrie & Lowell, on March 31. According to a press release, “Thematically the 11 songs address life and death, love and loss, and the artist’s struggle to make sense of the beauty and ugliness of love.” Stevens named the album after his mother and stepfather.…
Cavs Quiet Thunder, Continue Rounding Into a Juggernaut
In a measure of how far we’ve come the last three weeks, the Cavaliers beat one of the West’s best teams, at full strength, without playing a particularly great offensive game or forcing a lot of turnovers. That’s a testament to how good this reshuffled lineup is. They did it the same way they’ve won…
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams Defends Department in ’60 Minutes’ Interview
As you probably know, Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams was interviewed for a segment on 60 Minutes that aired last night. WIlliams says yes, there are bad officers on the street, and it’s his job to weed them out. He says he’s sad that a 12-year-old boy lost his life at the hands of an…
Josh Gordon Tests Positive For Alcohol, Could Face Another Long Suspension
Like most bleak entries in the annals of modern Cleveland Browns lore, the news came via a Sunday afternoon tweet from Adam Schefter: “Browns WR Josh Gordon flunked another drug test and now will be subject to a one-year banishment, per league sources.” It was an alcohol test, which he gets screened for regularly after…
The Cavs Are Cruising; We Break Down Why
The way the Cavaliers beat the Hornets, you feared protective services were going to show up. Charlotte, who lost 129-90, had a playoff team last year, and after a rough start had won 8 out of 9 before running into the woodchipper that is the post-Trade/LeBron R&R Maroon & Gold Everyone on the Cavs scored…
Oldboy’s Shawn Brewster and Shelby Lynn Sangdahl To Release Debut EP
Known as one of the better indie rock bands in town, Oldboy plays somber folk-inspired music that can often quiet a noisy room. Now, the band’s Shawn Brewster and Shelby Lynn Sangdahl have started up a band they’ve christened Shawn & Shelby. The group celebrates the release of its debut EP, Sleeping in a Spell,…
A Lakewood Detective Played Aerosmith’s ‘Dude (Looks Like a Lady)’ While a Transgender Woman Was Being Interviewed
After being arrested for shoplifting at Sapell’s in Lakewood, Robin Spitfire Adelmann found herself at the Lakewood Police Department on Dec. 21, 2014. The booking process and the stint in jail were standard-issue police protocol. Robin, a transgender woman living at a women’s shelter in Cleveland, says the officers were polite — issuing her a…
The Saga of a Conspicuously Absent Dennis Kucinich Portrait
Cleveland Magazine’s Erick Trickey — who won’t be with Cleveland, or Cleveland, much longer — has updated a story he’s been following for some time regarding a portrait of Dennis Kucinich and its rightful place in City Hall. The portrait was completed last year, Trickey reports, and with any luck, should soon find its way to…
Local Rapper Releases Music Video With Positive Message
Local rapper K-Von and the crew he calls the New Generation regularly go into city schools to talk to kids about the value of education. “I want to hide my ego and not my intelligence,” he told Scene in 2013. “I can’t tell kids to get their education and treat their women right and then…
Bill Cosby’s Show in Sandusky Will Go On Next Week For Some Reason
Noted sleazeball and unprosecuted alleged serial rapist Bill Cosby wants to let the world know he’s really excited that a venue in Sandusky hasn’t done the right thing by not canceling the despicable old man’s show next week on January 30 despite the never-ending parade of victims coming forth to tell their stories. Here’s his…
Scene Podcast: Talking Sports with Will Burge
Today, Will Burge joins host Craig Lyndall to talk sports. They discuss the greater Cleveland Sports awards, the Cleveland Browns and their free agents, Buster Skrine, Tashaun Gipson, Jabaal Sheard and Brian Hoyer. Also on the table: the Indians and how they have fewer questions to answer than in recent memory. Tune in! And do subscribe.
Nelsonville Music Festival Lineup Stacks Higher With New Announcements
Nelsonville Music Festival, that Southeast Ohio music-lovers congregation that grows by leaps and bounds each year, is looking mighty fine this year. The fest takes place May 28-31 in bucolic Nelsonville, Ohio. Camping is an option, as are any of the wonderful roadside motels that dot Route 33 and such. If you have never been,…
11 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, JAN. 23 Less Than Jake Still riding the ska punk wave that crested in the late 1990s (Less Than Jake having been formed in 1992), this band is primed for another album release this week. A glance across Less Than Jake’s progression over the years reveals moves toward fuller playing. To be sure, they’ve…
Here’s How to Watch the East Tech Basketball Team Play
This week’s cover story — “The Program: Meet the East Tech Scarabs, a Cleveland Team Actually Worth Rooting For” — is an in-depth profile of the city’s best public school basketball program in a generation. Led by coach Brett Moore, star sophomore guard Markell Johnson (#5 jersey), seniors Anthony Carmon (#2/#32) and Kory Cullum (#4/#23),…
State Threatening Lodi Couple With Forced Removal of Pet Bear
Jeff and Debbie Gillium, of Lodi, have owned their black bear, Archie, for 30 years. They rescued him from nightmarish captivity when he was 6 years old. USA Today has the gist of the issue at hand: Now, Archie is nearing 40 — and near the end of his life. But Gillium fears his beloved…
Gregory Scott’s ‘In Still Motion’ Opens Tonight at 1point618 in Gordon Square
Beginning with an opening reception at 7 p.m. tonight, Jan. 23, 1point618 in Gordon Square presents its first new exhibition of 2015. Gregory Scott’s In Still Motion is a surreal viewing experience; presented in collaboration with Catherine Edelman Gallery of Chicago. Cleveland-based artist Gregory Scott uses an eclectic variety of media in his process –…
Mayor Norton Can’t Fend Off Press Forever, Losing Control of Euclid Traffic Light Story
“It’s not about money, it’s about safety,” East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton reportedly told WEWS Channel 5 reporter Michael Baldwin Tuesday night, when confronted about the blinking red traffic light at Euclid Avenue and Forest Hills Boulevard. That light, which residents claim is unsafe, has been in “flash mode” since November, according to Councilman Nathaniel…
Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle to Play Mechanic Street House
Mechanic Street House, the Ohio City house that hosts living room concerts once a month, is a great place to see a show. The concerts literally take place in a living room and guests often have the chance to mingle with the artists before and after the performances. The venue’s first concert of the year…
Ryan Humbert’s Dylan Tribute to Make Cleveland Debut at Music Box Supper Club
One of the more talented singer-songwriters in town, Ryan Humbert has paid tribute to singer Roy Orbison and country icon Hank Williams with elaborate stage shows. He’s also done the same for Bob Dylan with Tangled Up In Dylan: The Music of Bob Dylan, a tribute show that features many of the singer’s most famous…
Cavs Play Richard Kimble, Take Out Fugitive Jazz 106-92
The Cavaliers have been a one-armed man. And however extraordinary their other qualities, most people are going to see a guy with one arm, which is pretty much how the Cavaliers played defense (with occasional lapses of excellence) until a week ago. They had perhaps an additional sense of entitlement that comes with being the…
Scene Podcast: No Sleep in the CLE with Justin Markert, Ramon Rivas and Ohio Sky’s Vince DiFranco
This week on No Sleep in the CLE, Justin Markert and Ramon Rivas sit down with Vince DiFranco, singer/guitarist from the band Ohio Sky. They talk about what it takes to be a professional musician, the long journey Ohio Sky has taken, Suma Recording studios (one of Cleveland’s best kept secrets), Nancy Grace’s incompetence, and…
Intoxicated Cleveland Police Officer Faces Charges for Pissing in Public, Carrying Loaded Weapon
A Cleveland police officer is facing misdemeanor charges after a superior saw him bumbling around a residential neighborhood, then dropping his drawers to take a drunken leak, all while carrying a loaded handgun. The officer, 57-year-old Paul Juliano, was off-duty at the time of the incident. Cleveland.com has the details: Cleveland police Sgt. Robert…
Cleveland Heights Residents Will Host ‘Democracy Day’ Tonight To Discuss Opposition to Citizens United
Cleveland Heights — and several other Ohio communities in the coming weeks — will hold an annual public hearing tonight, dubbed “Democracy Day” in opposition to the 2010 Citizens United v FEC Supreme Court decision. The hearing is mandated as part of a 2013 ballot initiative, in which 78 percent of city voters called on City…
Cleveland Vacuum Company Gives Autistic Virginia Boy An Amazing Birthday Present
BuzzFeed, ever the social portal into what makes humans the best and the worst, gives us today a look at 14-year-old Dylan Johnson, an autistic teenager from Virginia who loves vacuum cleaners. When his mother, Jodie Greene, reached out to Cleveland-based Kirby Vacuums, salesman Al Archie came out to their house to do a personal presentation…
1,500 Body Cameras Coming to the Cleveland Police Department
Body cameras are officially coming to the Cleveland Police Department. The news comes via the company the department is buying from, TASER International, which announced yesterday the city had purchased 1,500 of their “AXON flex and body cameras” (above) and a five-year subscription to their digital storage and management site, evidence.com. “These orders were received…
Australian Psychedelic Rock Band Includes Footage from Now That’s Class in New Documentary Film
A psychedelic band from Australia, the morning after girls sound like a ’60s band and play the kind of lysergic music that’s made Brian Jonestown Massacre popular. The group toured the States last year and has released Alone in North America, a short documentary capturing many of the live performances from that tour. If you…
All Systems Go for Downtown Eatery, Church-Based Brewery From Barrio Group
We just announced that Barrio will be a new fixture at Progressive Field as part of the sweeping changes set to debut for the 2015 Tribe season. But long before you can build your own taco at the ballpark you’ll be able to do so a few blocks away on Prospect. All systems are go…
New Local Foods Options Announced For 2015 Tribe Season
It used to be that Major League Baseball fans were lucky to grab a hot dog, box of Cracker Jack or bag of peanuts and a cold beer while watching their favorite team round the bags. But over the past few years, more and more ballparks have been hopping on the local foods bandwagon, featuring…
Check out this Insane Dunk from North Olmsted Junior Andy Lucien
We thought you’d like to see this huge huge huge poster dunk from 6’6″ North Olmsted High School junior Andy Lucien. And, yeah, you’ll like it. (While we’re on the subject of high school basketball, check out Doug Brown’s feature on the East Tech team.)
Opening Soon: Santorini to Bring Greek-Themed Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late-Nite Eats to Downtown
Downtown residents and visitors will soon gain that late-night diner option they have been sorely missing when Santorini Greek Taverna opens in the coming weeks. Now just waiting for his final permits to clear, owner Tommy Karakostas says that his new Greek-themed eatery in the Warehouse District should open in the next two weeks. “We’re…
Cleveland Named the Best Beer City in America
Clevelanders know a thing or two about beer, both the drinking and the brewing. And we’ve been recognized for our efforts, it seems, as Conde Naste Traveler has named us the number one beer city in America.You won’t find any argument here. Our long and constantly growing list of local brew houses is proof enough.…
Film Spotlight: Cake
Cake, the new film from director Daniel Barnz (Beastly, Won’t Back Down) that opens on Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre, begins with a particularly awkward scene. Claire (Jennifer Aniston) isn’t coping well. She can barely walk since she had a few pins put into her leg after a debilitating accident. And her friend Nina…
The Mother of Invention: Singer-Guitarist Ani DiFranco Enters a ‘New Era’ with Allergic to Water
“I’ve changed a lot as a person since I was 18,” says singer-guitarist Ani DiFranco via phone from her New Orleans home as she reflects on her career that stretches back decades. “I was doing an interview the other day on the phone with someone who had interviewed me 20 years ago. He said, ‘Wow.…
Miles Ahead: Local Rapper Takes a Conceptual Approach on his Forthcoming Album
Halfway to a show in Washington D.C., Cleveland hip-hop artist Tae Miles was set to play for the largest crowd he’d seen yet when his car broke down. The alternator was blown and the battery drained, and his girlfriend who accompanied him on the trip was freaking out, in part because she was the one…
A Mellow Take on Prejudice: In Driving Miss Daisy, Good Sense and Affection Eventually Prevail
If you didn’t have a calendar, you might think that, in terms of racial relations, we’re living in the 1950s. There are explosive confrontations between predominantly white police forces and black communities in several cities, and then the Academy Award nominations include no actors of color among the 20 nominations in four categories. This, in…
Mega Man: Vine All-Star Nicholas Megalis Takes to the Written Word in his New Book
Cleveland native Nicholas Megalis became a huge deal on Vine, amassing millions of devoted fans on the short, looping video network. His imaginative outlook on life, transposed into song and vignette, struck a chord with our modern society. In March, he’ll publish his first book, where his weirdness will grow further and inspire ever more.…
Distractions From Above: Ohio Sky Drops its Strongest Album Yet, Solidifying its Progressive Songcraft Cred
The first track they cut for this one was a thrilling statement to themselves. That much was clear after the long day in the studio, after the months of toil and excitement. Ohio Sky began the recording work for The Big Distraction, which will be released Jan. 24, by cutting “Vulture Cascade” live at Suma…
Fine and Pricey Dining: Dispelling the Celebrity Mythos of The 9’s Adega
To be candid, I’ve been avoiding dining at Adega at The 9 because of what I expected to find there. Frankly, the accounts of celebrity residents, entourage-led security details, and crazed, slap-happy sports fans all but soured me on the place. But what we found there during two weeknight dinner visits was quite the opposite:…
Band of the Week: Gatlin
Meet the Band: Don DeBiase (guitar, vocals), Jon Drake (vocals, bass), Patrick Ols (guitar), Warren Cadle (guitar), Kenny Irizarry (bass, vocals), Stephen Lockhart (drums), Michael Morrison (drums), David Miller (drums) A Teen Dream: DeBiase was only 18 when the band first formed; the group was an extension of bands he and Cadle had in their…
Song of the Week
This tune kicks off with a simple piano-based melody and then develops into something that resembles a Maroon 5 ballad as Lamar begins crooning, “I found love and it was there all the time.” You get the sense that this guy is a good enough singer that he could even pull the song off without…
Meet Melanie Bauer: The Recipe Blogger
Melanie Bauer still seems humbly in shock at the attention she’s garnering from behind the computer screen in her Shaker Heights home. Since creating her blog, Melanie Makes (melaniemakes.com), Bauer has racked up praise from the likes of Better Homes and Gardens and her original recipes have appeared everywhere from Cosmopolitan to Huffington Post to…
The Program: Meet the East Tech Scarabs, a Cleveland Team Actually Worth Rooting For
With two minutes left in the third quarter in the jam-packed Glenville gym, the home crowd is getting restless, as visiting East Tech takes the air out of the ball. It’s Dec. 9, and the East Tech guards are calmly playing keep-away well beyond the 3-point line, content with slowing down the fast-paced game to…
For Cold War Kids, Staying ‘Scrappy’ Has Been the Key to Success
A year after forming, Cold War Kids, a terrific indie rock act out of Los Angeles, purchased a piano. From that point forward, the band added a soulful sort of edge to its sound, something that distinguishes its new album, Hold My Home. “It sounds so audacious but I just wanted to get one and…
New Exhibit at Fawick Showcases Local Artists’ Vision of the Land
SCAPE is a group exhibition of five accomplished local artists, each with a unique way of depicting a common subject matter: landscapes. Through this lens, the artists’ unique voices create a dialogue between realistic depiction and emotional abstraction. SCAPE opens at Baldwin Wallace University’s Fawick Gallery, inside the Kleist Center for Art and Drama, with…
Film Review of the Week: Song One
A-lister Anne Hathaway stars in Song One, a somber, fitful, folk-infused romance opening Friday at the Cedar Lee for an exclusive one-week engagement. Hathaway is Franny. She’s out in Morocco studying nomadic tribes for her Ph.D. when she gets a call from her mom (Mary Steenburgen), saying that her brother Henry (Ben Rosenfield) has been…
