Friday, Nov. 20: Celebrity Bartending Night – Plenty of local heroes and celebs will be on hand for tonight’s Celebrity Bartending Night that takes place from 6 to 9 at Barley House. There will be a 50/50 raffle, more than 20 raffle baskets filled with a variety of items, silent auctions items including tickets to a variety of sporting events, a tour of radio stations at iHeart Media, engraved custom tiny footprints or a paw prints pendent from Jak Figler Designs and a variety of signed sports memorabilia. All proceeds will go toward the Rec2Connect Foundation that aims to build a scholarship fund for individuals with special needs. Former Browns wide receiver Brian Brennen and former Browns wide receiver and return specialist Josh Cribbs will be on hand as will be former Indians reliever Jensen Lewis and Indians play-by-play guy Jim Rosenhaus. Tickets are $25. (Niesel, photo via CleveScene archives)
Friday, Nov. 20: Carl Strong – Comedian Carl Strong likes to joke about everyday frustrations — traffic, road construction and extreme weather. His material comes off as rather pedantic but he’s such a good-natured guy, he can make even the simplest observations sound amusing. A veteran comic who’s toured with musical acts such as Paul Anka, Little Richard and Smokey Robinson, he performs tonight at 7:30 and 10 and tomorrow night at 7 and 10 at Club Velvet at Hard Rock Live. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Niesel, screenshot via Facebook)
Friday, Nov. 20: CAN Journal Release Party – The release of the latest issue of CAN Journal is always reason enough to celebrate. The Winter 2015-16 issue includes an article updating the story we brought you this summer about the attempted theft of Frank Oriti’s painting, Clarity, from London’s National Portrait Gallery. The new issue includes firsthand insight into the upcoming season’s full schedule of events and exhibitions throughout Northeast Ohio galleries, museums and nonprofits, as well as a number of additional featured articles by some of the region’s most respected and accomplished arts writers. Stop by Heights Arts to pick up your copy this today from 6 to 8 p.m., or look for it around Northeast Ohio in the coming days. In addition to picking up your copy of CAN Journal today, you’ll have a chance to view Heights Arts 14th Annual Holiday Show. Free. (Usmani, courtesy photo)
Saturday, Nov. 21: Adult Swim – Home to an incredible shark tank and several interactive exhibits, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium provides an overview of all kinds of marine life. The place also regularly hosts wine and beer tastings. Tonight from 7 to 10 p.m., you can sample a variety of Christmas ales and ciders at the Underwater Holiday Tasting Adventure. The $45 ticket includes 20 sample tickets, a souvenir glass, appetizers and an aquarium tour. Designated drivers only pay $25. (Niesel, photo by Emanuel Wallace)
Saturday, Nov. 21: Risk! Live – If you like The Moth, This American Life or Snap Judgment, chances are good that you’ll like Risk!, Kevin Allison’s award-winning storytelling show and podcast that regularly sells out its monthly residencies in New York and Los Angeles. Allison will host a live show at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, in the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library. Local talent will also participate. Allison promises the show will feature “compelling, personal tales that can range from hilarious to highly emotional and are always uncensored.” Each Risk! show is recorded for a podcast that gets over one million downloads each month. In the past, guests have included comedians such as Marc Maron, Margaret Cho, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt and Reggie Watts. Admission to the show is free but tickets are required. (Niesel, photo via Wiki)
Saturday, Nov. 21: Knucklepuck – Earlier this summer, Chicago-based pop-punk band, Knuckle Puck released their debut full length, Copacetic on Rise Records. According to the official press release, “the band set out to flip the script.” “Going into it, we still wanted to be the same band we always were,” says guitarist Kevin Maida via phone from a Jacksonville tour stop. “We didn’t want to write the same 11 songs. To us, that was boring concept. We had an opportunity to impress ourselves and see how different we could make certain aspects of this while still maintaining the current band because we like the current band are. We didn’t want to pull a 180. We just wanted to do different stuff. It was fun to see how our music has changed over time.” The intro to the ballad “Ponder” features cooing harmony vocals. It’s typical of the band’s more nuanced approach on the album. Not that the band’s lost its edge. “Pretense” commences with parched, rapid-fire vocals before giving way to quieter guitar riffs. And “Untitled” pairs call-and-response vocals with noisy guitars. $14 ADV, $16 DOS (Niesel, photo via Facebook)
Saturday, Nov. 21: The Dumbass – Playwright Najee Mondalek’s latest play. Ghashee w Mashee (the Dumbass), centers on Im Hussein. a woman who must deal with “the ignorance of her know-it-all husband.” The play takes on issues that affect the Arab American community as it addresses divorce, drug abuse, welfare fraud and more. Tonight’s performance takes place at 8 at the Hanna Theatre. Tickets are $50 to $85. (Niesel, photo via Instagram, pumkin_peach)
Sunday, Nov. 22: Spirit Caravan/Elder/Fistula – After a short run of seminal stoner rock albums in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, Spirit Caravan faded into the ether. They reunited in 2014 (with a new drummer) for a handful of festival gigs and an earnest touring schedule. The band’s 1999 EP, Dreamwheel, mainlines all the best aspects of their music niche: desert highway guitar melodies, pulsing percussion, full-bodied vocal work, etc. After being away from the stash for so long, we can only imagine the band will be firing on all cylinders at shows like tonight’s in Cleveland, feeding fiery classics like “Sun Stoned” and “Burnin’ In” even more energy. Pack the bowl and turn the lights down low. $13 ADV, $15 DOS (Sandy, Photo via CleveScene archives)
Sunday, Nov. 22: Alice – This month, the Cleveland Museum of Art presents four classic screen versions of Lewis Carroll’s imaginative novel Alice in Wonderland. Today at 1:30 p.m., it will show the 1988 Czech film Alice, a film that’s been described as “the screen’s darkest descent in the Rabbit Hole” with its “Kafka-esque mix of stop motion and live action.” It’s not recommended for young children. Tickets are $9. (Niesel, photo via Wiki)
Sunday, Nov. 21: A Tribute to the Life, the Music, the Love that is Carlos Jones – In order to “recognize and celebrate those who have filled the cultural coffers of our beloved Northeast Ohio, especially with their music,” local folk singer Charlie Wiener launched an annual tribute concert a few years back. Local singer-songwriter Carlos Jones will be the fourth honoree following tributes to Alex Bevan, Pat Dailey and Michael Stanley. Local groups such as the PLUS Band, Umojah Nation, Dave Katz (from Ekoostik Hookah), Big Ship, Prayer Warriors, Colin Dussault, Alex Bevan, Robin Stone, and Outlaws I & I along with other special guests will play his music at Celebration of — A Tribute to Carlos Jones. The show serves as a benefit for Purple Heart Homes, an organization founded to provide “housing solutions to all generations of qualified Service Connected Disabled Veterans.” (Niesel, photo via Scott Sandberg)

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