For three years now, Secret SOUL Club — DJs Antoine Henderson, Tom Dechristofaro and David Petrovich — have thrown wild monthly parties that show off their good taste in music. The guys hunt down records that "really sizzle" and "make the dancefloor go bananas," and they feature "original vinyl pressings" of both new and old 45 rpm singles. The monthly events also include "crazy dance contests" during which celebrity judges distribute prizes donated by local businesses. The group circulates between a number of venues, touching down at the 5 O'Clock in Lakewood, the Beachland Ballroom, and Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights.
Earlier this year, singer-guitarist Brandon Zano, a veteran of the local music scene, launched a crowd-funding campaign to fund recording for his solo debut, which he's working on with veteran local producer Ben Schigel, a guy who's produced a number of big-name rock acts and currently plays in the up-and-coming alt-rock act SomeKindaWonderful. He's posted a couple of songs online, and tracks such as "Something in the Air" and "I'll Do Anything" feature a balanced mix of electronic and organic instrumentation. Each song has a catchy chorus and sounds like something that could be heard on commercial radio — think the Killers if the music had more of an edge to it.
Earlier this year, singer-guitarist Brandon Zano, a veteran of the local music scene, launched a crowd-funding campaign to fund recording for his solo debut, which he's working on with veteran local producer Ben Schigel, a guy who's produced a number of big-name rock acts and currently plays in the up-and-coming alt-rock act SomeKindaWonderful. He's posted a couple of songs online, and tracks such as "Something in the Air" and "I'll Do Anything" feature a balanced mix of electronic and organic instrumentation. Each song has a catchy chorus and sounds like something that could be heard on commercial radio — think the Killers if the music had more of an edge to it.
Cleveland Cinemas has successfully commodified the "so bad it's good" entertainment genre, with weekend cult screenings of films like The Room and Rocky Horror. But they've also recognized another key aspect of entertainment: People dig staying up really late and hanging out to watch movies together, marathon-style. We all secretly or not-so secretly binge on Netflix, and Cleveland Cinemas lets us do it with friends, at low cost. Whether it's the annual 12 Hours of Terror festival or, for the first time this year, a 12 Hours of Terrible festival commemorating some of the worst films in history, these all-night movie events are a blast and a half.
For awhile there, it looked like Dave Lucas, who founded and runs the Brews & Prose reading series in Ohio City, would be the only game in town. That's why we're so thrilled to see a new series emerge, this one devoted to poetry and housed each month at the Galleries at CSU on Euclid Avenue, an acoustically (and stylishly) apt location for a literary event. Caryl Pagel, the new director of the CSU Poetry Center, is the creative force behind this series, and it's a treat to hear new voices, many of them published by CSU's Poetry Center press, in a new, exciting location. Hats off!
The Cleveland Orchestra is an international force, and the city is blessed to have these musicians and conductor Franz Welser-Möst working here. A few years ago, the orchestra began branching out and setting up shop in neighborhoods around town as part of a budding residency program. Gordon Square and Lakewood have each hosted the group — via smaller ensembles and full-orchestra performances. Next up, provided you're reading this shortly after publication, is Slavic Village in April 2015. The music begins with a free Cleveland Orchestra concert at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on April 10. "This year's residency is embracing the mission of the Slavic Village community through the cornerstones of their recent economic redevelopment," the organizers write. "These cornerstones include education, community service, and health and wellness."
Though Tremont's annual month-long arts festival, held on the serene grounds of Lincoln Park, is an all-inclusive affair — theater, music, dance and more — it's the eclectic dance groups that year after year continue to be must-see entertainment. On consecutive weekends in 2014, you got to see Cleveland Public Theatre's STEP group, the Inlet Dance Theatre, the always mesmerizing Verb Ballets, the Movement Project and GroundWorks Dance Theater. The concentration of killer choreography is dense and marvelous. This year's event promises more of the same — which is always different.
We'll cram the Nash — more formally known as the Slovenian National Home — over on East 80th into the Arts + Entertainment section even though it could fit in just about any category. There is, of course, the bowling alley in the basement, which is open for private parties or through the Both Siders bowling league in conjunction with Mahall's and a hidden gem worth seeking out. But there's more. Semi-regular social gatherings for Browns games, clam bakes, holiday-type stuff — just about any reason they can find to get family and friends together.
3563 East 80th St., facebook.com/TheNashon80th.
Public art is a necessary element of an engaged city. Cleveland has lots of it — from commissioned murals to informal graffiti. Titled "It's Up to Us," the mural on Clark Avenue (on the northwest corner of the West 25th intersection) showcases the vibrant ethos of the Clark-Fulton district, as well as Cleveland writ large. Christopher "Chris" Luciani and John Rivera-Resto, along with 30 local students, designed and painted the mural between 2012 and 2014. "A great mural lives within an environment. But it does not preach, it does not blame; it makes us understand," Rivera-Resto said upon completion of the work. Based on community feedback and overall aesthetics, we'd say the painting accomplishes precisely that.
Clark Avenue (at West 25th Street).
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