Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant Now Open in Cleveland Heights
Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant opened this week in Cleveland Heights (2240 Lee Rd., 216-465-3239). Ethiopian cuisine is characterized both by its unique flavors and its communal presentation, a family-style approach with multiple items arriving on a large platter. Vegetable, grain, meat and fish-based stews, some of which are spicy, are scooped up and eaten with small pieces…
Cleveland Bagel Co. Now Open in Ohio City
Update: Cleveland Bagel officially opened its doors recently and the response has been overwhelming so far, to say the least. Yesterday, for instance, they were all sold out before 9 a.m. The lesson: do get there early and check their Facebook page before you head out. The shop opens at 6:30 a.m. *** (Original story…
Vote for the Cleveland Museum of Art in USA Today’s ‘Best Free Museum in the U.S.’ Contest
Cleveland is once again a finalist in one of USA Today’s “10 Best” contests, this time with the Cleveland Museum of Art in the running. We all know it’s one of the greatest treasures of art in America, the bonus, of course, being that it’s free. It’s high time we ring out the vote and…
Lawsuit Coming Over Canceled Hall of Fame Game
[image-1]In a not-at-all surprising development, lawyer Michael Avenatti says a lawsuit will be filed by Friday over the Hall of Fame game cancellation fiasco in Canton. (He’s the same lawyer who handled a suit five years ago against the NFL over Super Bowl tickets.) Via Pro Football Talk, who spoke to Avenatti this morning: The…
Ohio-Based Fuzz-Rockers Dune Pride Themselves on Playing ‘Extreme Head-Banging Rock ’n’ Roll’
The bio on the Bandcamp page for Ohio fuzz-rockers Dune treats curious listeners to a brief origin story. “Four friends from Athens, Ohio,” it reads, “who threatened to start a stoner rock band together each time they met at local bars, finally came together to form Dune in 2011.” As far as seemingly empty promises…
Twist Social Club Hosts Queer Art Show to Kick Off Pride in the CLE Events
Following the unexpected cancellation of the 28th Annual Pride Parade — due to a “changing social climate” — Pride In The CLE is stepping into its place this weekend. Kicking off the festivities early, Twist Social Club hosts a Queer Art Show on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. in its side bar…
Cleveland Considering $2 Million Inner City Dirt Bike Track
Wednesday morning, Cleveland City Council will consider building a $2 million dirt bike track over in Kinsman — at Marion Motley park, a stone’s throw from the Opportunity Corridor! — to provide a safe, legal venue for the city’s hordes of urban wheelie kings. Mayor Frank Jackson is committed to the cause. He’s evidently been…
Pop Singer Sia to Headline Free Concert at Wolstein Center in September
[image-1]A five-time Grammy Award nominee and multi-platinum selling artist/songwriter/hitmaker, Sia is one of pop’s biggest star. She recently landed her first No. 1 on the Billboard HOT 100 Chart with her current single, “Cheap Thrills.” Earlier this month, she announced the dates of her Nostalgic for the Present tour. While that tour doesn’t include a…
Lakewood Native Biking Around the World
Lakewood native Jason Lape is doing something few people have done: circumnavigating the globe by bicycle. Yes, traversing the entire latitude of the Earth by bike. Circumnavigating the world by bicycle is nothing short of incredible, but Lape is no stranger to odysseys. Lape spent much of his childhood in Lakewood, but left in 2010…
Cleveland’s Soccer Team Won a Championship Saturday Night, If You Didn’t Know
Update: The summer of Cleveland continued, as it were, with AFC Cleveland’s Saturday evening victory over the Sonoma County Sol in the NPSL championship game. The final score came in at 4-2, but the game was tied 2-2 as the clock crept toward the 90-minute mark. AFC Cleveland’s Antonio Manfut changed all that in the…
“Glengarry Glen Ross” Doesn’t Close the Deal at Blank Canvas
David Mamet, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Glengarry Glen Ross, a play which is now on stage at Blank Canvas, is noted for his unique style of writing dialogue. Dubbed “Mamet speak,” his vocal tone centers on precisely crafted street-smart narrative style. His characters talk “real.” They sound like the way people…
How Grassroots LGBT Organizers Rebooted Pride in Cleveland
State Representative Nickie Antonio was driving back from the DNC, exhausted and sleep-deprived from her busy week in Philly, when she heard that the Pride Parade had been canceled in Cleveland. “I thought, this can’t be possible,” she told Scene. “I could not imagine — I cannot imagine — not celebrating Pride in Cleveland. Right…
Ru-El Sailor Case: New Affidavits Could Clear Way for Wrongful Conviction Release After More Than a Decade Behind Bars
More than a decade into a prison stay for a crime he says he didn’t commit, Ru-El Sailor may finally have a sturdy foundation for hope. As we detailed in a cover story earlier this year, the 30-year-old Clevelander is serving a 28-years-to-life sentence for a 2002 street killing, a flash of violence tied more to…
A Northeast Ohio Native Living in the Netherlands, Reality Star and Singer Jaclyn Bradley Palmer Releases New Album
Most famous as Danny Bonaduce’s assistant on Vh1’s documentary-style series Breaking Bonaduce, Northeast Ohio native Jaclyn Bradley Palmer is also a singer-songwriter. Back in 2007, she moved back to Cleveland and worked as a hospital music therapist where she researched how music could be used to help patients get through difficult surgeries. Currently living in…
Singer-Songwriters Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin Tell Stories, Share Songs at Music Box Supper Club
Singer-songwriter Steve Earle has said that he and touring and recording partner Shawn Colvin don’t plan who’ll sing which line of a song they sing together or which lines they’ll sing in unison. For less talented musicians, that might spell disaster. But for these two veterans, their unconventional approach works perfectly on their new album,…
Reviewing Rob Portman and Ted Strickland’s Political Ads, Without the Sound On
[image-1]It’s early August, the November 8th election is less than 100 days away, and here in Ohio TV has become nothing more than a string of political advertisements that never end, a binge-watch session no one asked for and no one wants. The senate race between Rob Portman and Ted Strickland is particularly close and…
Xavier University to Get America’s First Pizza ATM
Magic is happening at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we can only hope it reaches Cleveland ASAP. Paline, a French vending machine company, has chosen the school to be the first location in North America to have a pizza vending machine. After all, what better place for the trial balloon of ready-made cheap food…
Man Caught Driving a Lawnmower While Drunk, Gets Sixth DUI
There are all sorts of ways to endanger yourself and others and get a DUI. One of the more unique methods is to be busted driving some landscaping machinery while drunk. A man in Massillon was arrested for his sixth DUI Friday night, but this one was a little different than his previous endeavors. Police…
Local Rockers the Moxies Show Some Real Swagger on New EP
Since the release of their 2013 self-titled debut album, the Moxies have practically taken over the Cleveland music scene. The past three years have been particularly busy ones. When they weren’t in Cleveland playing, they were down in Nashville working with Lincoln Parish, former guitarist of Cage the Elephant, on new music. Well, the new…
24 People Got Extremely High at Machine Gun Kelly’s EST Fest and Ended Up in the Hospital
[image-1]Machine Gun Kelly’s EST Fest, ever the fount of troublesome headlines, landed in the papers again this weekend after two dozen festival attendees went to the hospital for drug treatment. As we’ve learned, Matthew Lee Gross, from Michigan, was handing out bags of edibles — specifically bags of candy laced with THC and labeled “Nerd…
‘Suicide Squad’ Squanders Opportunity to Capitalize on the Rise of the Anti-Hero
In the superhero movies of the ’80s and’ 90s, a clear boundary separates right and wrong. The superheroes are good; the villains are bad. Somewhere along the line, that boundary became blurred. Now, Batman and Superman battle one another. Deadpool relentlessly wreaks havoc. The Avengers have splintered. Enter Suicide Squad. Based on a D.C. comic…
Cleveland’s Got Talent to Debut in September at Crocker Park
As an answer to the long-running reality show America’s Got Talent, MD Productions has announced plans to launch the inaugural Cleveland’s Got Talent. The event kicks off with an audition that takes place on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Crocker Park in Westlake. There will be live judges and prizes, and spectators are encouraged to cheer…
Hip-Hop Act the CrossRhodes to Play Special Showcase at Musica in Akron
The Keepers of the Art Music Showcase Concert Series, an “inspirational and thought-provoking meeting of progressive minds designed to provide heightened stimulation through underexposed artists and their music,” regularly brings national acts to town. The group’s mission: “to socialize and entertain the masses through soulful meetings that showcase soul music and next level hip-hop music.”…
Rhinegeist Brewery to Expand Distribution into Cleveland and Akron
Cleveland craft beer fans will soon spot the popular Cincinnati-based Rhinegeist beers and ciders in local bars, restaurants, liquor and grocery stores. Draft products will begin popping up the second week in August while packaged beer will start showing up the last week in August. Rhinegeist translates to “Ghost of the Rhine” and refers to…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, AUG. 5 Anders Osborn Restless, hardworking singer-guitarist Anders Osborne found time between recording and touring for his last album, Space Dust and Ocean Views, earlier this year to cut his second album of 2016 (and fifteenth since ’95), Flower Box. Distorted, layered guitar and classic rock drums drive all eight tracks as the album…
Twelve Literary and Performative Arts Incubator to Showcase Visual Artist Dakarai Akil
Born and raised in Cleveland, the visual artist Dakarai Akil [pictured], who attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and founded the brand Lame Brotherhood, uses old magazines and photo books to create “visually striking collages and murals from an Afrocentric lens.” His mural work has appeared in the Detroit Shoreway area and the Waterloo Arts…
August’s Arts Events Are Heating Up
With August officially here, the schedule of art events and exhibitions is heating up as much as the temperatures. As the month begins, we’ve compiled a list of the most highly anticipated events. With so much to cover, let’s get right to it. For the past 10 years, local cartoonists and illustrators Ron Hill and Gary…
Akron Man Among President Obama’s Record-Setting Drug War Commutations
Now, as the Obama era is rounding third and heading for home, we can safely say one of the President’s largest benchmarks has been his commitment to opening up a conversation about sentencing reform and the hangover from the Drug War (whether or not the president has actually done enough to correct those problems, we’ll…
Original Batmobile and Batcopter to Appear at National Air Show
Sure, the original Batman TV show comes off as campy and corny now that big-time directors have rebooted Batman and turned the Caped Crusader into a badass. But the series from the ‘60s still has its charm. Fans of the show can embrace their memories of it when the original Batcoper and Batmobile come to…
Fred Bidwell and Others to Launch Major Triennial Art Exhibition in Cleveland in 2018
In two years, a Rust Belt version of big-time art gatherings that dot the calendar and the globe will officially launch in Cleveland. “Front International: Cleveland Exhibition for Contemporary Art” will run July 7 through September 30, 2018. That’s far off, but the planning to get to today, when news of the triennial art exhibition…
Cleveland’s Most Inspired Change.org Petition Wants to Transform Water Tower into Lego Man
“Turn the Water Tower into a Giant LEGO Minifig,” beckons the local petition on Change.org, created by Cleveland Public Library employee Terry Metter. “For many years, the water tower has been emblazoned with ‘[City of] Cleveland est. 1796.'” Metter writes. “While this historic message is appropriate and important, our collective vision for that site should…
Local Hardcore Act Harvey Pekar Gets Conceptual on Its New Album, ‘The Astral We’
Guitarist Elliott Frank and singer Nick Kratsas have been friends since they were kids but never played in a band together until they formed the hardcore outfit Harvey Pekar a few years ago. The lead screamer in the local outfit Heads Held High, Frank had “fucked around” with playing guitar and in the wake of…
Lake Affect Studios to Host Concert Event with CLE Bazaar and Platform Beers
In coordination with frequent partners CLE Bazaar and Platform Beers, Lake Affect Studios will be wrapping up a summer of events on Aug. 13 with an open gallery, local vendors and the final installment in the summer concert series. Lake Affect Studios, located at Payne and East 25th in the Campus District, has been working…
Singer-Pianist Kandace Springs Offers a Track-by-Track Analysis of Her New Album, ‘Soul Eyes’
Inspired by her father, who’s a Nashville-based soul singer who’s worked with the likes of Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin, singer-pianist Kandace Springs began playing piano at age 10 and then started singing when she was 13. She took classes at Nashville Jazz Workshop, the city’s community center for jazz, and honed her chops there.…
Director and Stars Appear at Rock Hall for Local Premiere of ‘The Land’
Last night at the Rock Hall before the invite-only local premiere of his new movie The Land, writer and director Steven Caple Jr. admitted he was more nervous than he had been when the film debuted at Sundance earlier this year. The event, hosted by local rapper Machine Gun Kelly, who also stars in the…
North Union Farmers Market Debuts Today on Public Square
Add a farmers market on the list of things to do on the new and improved Public Square. Today the North Union Farmers Market debuts from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. “We’ve been pretty excited about this,” executive director, Donita Anderson told cleveland.com. “Have you been downtown lately? The foot traffic is amazing. It’s like a…
Pride is Happening in Cleveland, But With New “Pride in the CLE” Branding
The “alternate event” scheduled to stand in for the canceled 28th annual Pride parade on August 13 is basically the Pride parade. But now, it’s called “Pride in the CLE” and it’s being organized by the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland with backing from the city of Cleveland and support from 18 local organizations. More…
Right-wing Media Outlet Breitbart Thought Cavs Parade Crowd Was a Trump Rally
We agree, it was a great and possibly record-breaking crowd, but it was no Trump rally. Right-wing media outlet Breitbart tweeted out a picture of a Donald Trump rally in Jacksonville in an article titled “Trump’s Jacksonville Rally Draws 15,000”. Rumor has it the site used it after a Twitter user claimed it was in…
The 2016 World Yo-Yo Championship Is In Cleveland This Week and You Should Go (Or At Least Watch Live Online)
All of the best yo-yo experts (yo-yoists?) in the world are in Cleveland today and will be plying their skills through August 9th at the Renaissance hotel downtown. “We are excited to showcase the sport of yo-yo’s top competitors and provide a substantial $1.5 million boost to the economy,” said Jeff Pacini of the Greater…
Blues Singer Curtis Salgado Delivers His Most Adventurous Album with ‘The Beautiful Lowdown’
Known as the home to many indie and emo acts, Portland, Oregon, also features a thriving blues scene. Singer-guitarist Curtis Salgado would know. Born in Washington, he has lived and worked in the Portland area for decades. “Yes, there’s a great music scene here,” he says via phone from his Portland home. He comes to…
Rapper Quan Recounts Tamir Rice Shooting in New Music Video
No stranger to politically inspired hip-hop, rapper Quan, who teamed up with Nas on the 2005 track “Just A Moment,” has delivered another song that takes on current issues. On “All On Him,” a track featuring Pusha T., he references social injustice. For the song’s video, he recounts the tragic shooting of Tamir Rice. He…
The Ugliest Cleveland Cop Shooting You Don’t Know About Is Going to Trial Thanks to Recent Court Decision
It’s hard to pick out a Cleveland police shooting that takes top (dis)honors as the ugliest, most questionable use-of-force in the department’s recent problematic run. Of course, there are the usual tragic frontrunners. But one shooting that, for some reason, has slipped below the radar is the 2011 death of Dan Ficker, an officer-involved death…
The Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Rest of the Classical Music Events You Should Catch This Month
After a busy summer so far, August is ind-down time for classical music events. Here are some interesting events on this month’s calendar that either bring series to festive conclusions, or celebrate summer with outdoor events (we’ll move inside again soon enough). The Cleveland International Piano Competition makes a crescendo into the weekend, after a…
Former Browns WR Reggie Rucker Will Serve 21 Months in Prison
[image-1]As previously suspected, Reggie Rucker, the former Cleveland Browns wide receiver and former head of two local “violence interruption” organizations, was sentenced to 21 months in Federal prison Wednesday for embezzling funds from his local non-profits. Rucker had agreed to a plea deal in February in which he’d be sentenced to 21-27 months in prison. (He…
Mayor Frank Jackson’s Dirt Biking Grandson Arrested
On Sunday afternoon, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s grandson, also named Frank Jackson, was arrested on MLK Boulevard for a traffic violation and resisting arrest. The young Jackson was riding a dirt bike — illegal on city streets — and as he attempted to evade a police zone car, his bike stalled out. From the officer’s…
Electropop Singer Halsey Brings Intensity to Sold Out Show at Jacobs Pavilion
“I just have one question for you Cleveland,” pop singer Halsey asked the sold out crowd at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica last night. “Are you ready?” Judging by the deafening screams in the affirmative, we suspect Halsey got the answer she wanted. Performing with a certain amount of swagger, the pint-sized singer certainly didn’t disappoint.…
Back Again, Weapons of Mass Creation is Not Your Grandfather’s Arts Conference
Seven years ago, Cleveland-based design firm Go Media launched Weapons of Mass Creation Fest as the region’s premier design conference. In the years since, the festival has grown and evolved. Now held at Playhouse Square, WMC Fest brings artists, designers, illustrators, art directors, freelancers and students to downtown Cleveland for three days of inspiration, networking…
Band of the Week: Car2n Hooligans
MEET THE BAND: Zen Master Phe (vocals), Diamond Dezjuan (vocals), Dusky Dog (vocals), Valeria Ward (vocals), Tucker Jones (bass), Brandon Bowe (drums), Ben Walsh (guitar), Matthew Herold (keyboard) STRAIGHT OUTTA SANDUSKY: The Sandusky-based band formed back in 2011 and evolved over time. The group originally started releasing mix tapes, but in 2013, Herold, who…
History, Architecture and Scenery on a Downtown Cleveland Hotel Bar Crawl
An excellent hotel bar can be the difference between a good and great travel experience. The welcoming lobby bar is often the first stop a guest makes after a long day of sightseeing, and just as often the last one he or she makes before calling it a night. Hotel bars bring out-of-town visitors together…
‘The Land’ is a Gnarly Ode to Cleveland
When The Land director Steven Caple Jr. spoke with Scene earlier this summer, he said that his debut feature film, a Sundance darling that opens at the Cedar Lee on Friday, shouldn’t be considered “just another gritty ‘hood film.” It’s an ode to the Cleveland he grew up in — a city with all the…
Savage Love: Pokemon NO
Dear Dan, I can’t believe this is why I’m finally writing you. My husband is using Pokémon GO as an excuse to stay out until 5 a.m. with another woman. She is beautiful and about a decade younger than him, and he won’t hear me out on why this is bothersome. Our work schedules don’t…
