Tuesday Ticket Giveaway: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
We have a pair of tickets to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ show at House of Blues on June 9. Want them? All you have to do is send your name, e-mail address and phone number to freetickets@clevescene.com with the subject “Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.” We’ll pick a winner at noon on…
Thursday Ticket Giveaway: Saw Doctors
We have a pair of tickets to the Saw Doctors’ show at House of Blues on May 9. Want them? All you have to do is send your name, e-mail address and phone number to freetickets@clevescene.com with the subject “Saw Doctors.” We’ll pick a winner at noon on May 6.
Were You There? Owl City
Owl City played House of Blues last night. Did you go? Tell us what you thought.
What to Do Tonight: Adrian Belew
So, is that sort of a balding-man’s mullet he’s rockin’? Adrian Belew is primarily renowned for his guitar work in King Crimson, which helped establish him as a visionary talent — particularly for his use of midi on the guitar. But his influence is as pervasive as dandelion seeds. Belew has served as sideman on…
What to Do Tonight: Owl City
Such great heights Of course it’s bizarre for Adam Young — who records as Owl City — to claim he’s never heard of the Postal Service. The similarities between Owl City’s Ocean Eyes (which came out last year) and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard’s side project (which released one album, 2003’s Give Up)…
Out Today: Melissa Etheridge
Melissa EtheridgeFearless Love(Island) Melissa Etheridge’s last album, 2007’s The Awakening, was a semi-religious meditation on her battle with breast cancer as well as the spiritual awareness that developed during her recovery. On Fearless Love, her tenth album, Etheridge plugs in and unleashes a dozen-song set about love and fear and the hazy line that often…
What to Do Tonight: The Business
Meet the Business Most guys who do the same thing for 31 years eventually get a gold watch and settle in for some TV and maybe a little leisurely metal detecting at the park. Micky Fitz is having none of that. He co-founded the British punk band the Business in 1979, and there’s a good…
What to Do Tonight: Horse Feathers
Playing ’til the cows come home For all intents and purposes, Justin Ringle is Horse Feathers. Originally formed as a duo with Peter Broderick, Ringle has been perfecting a wispy folk and country hybrid since the group’s 2006 debut, Words Are Dead. Broderick has since bowed out of the project, and Ringle recruited three new…
Were You There? Clipse
Clipse played the Grog Shop last night. Did you go? Tell us what you thought.
What to Do Tonight: Bane
Flyin’ the flannel The Youth Crew revival of the late ’90s was far from innovative. New hardcore bands sprung up to fill the void left by the originators, but all they brought was more breakdowns and hackneyed lyrical themes. Then there was Bane. Born out of the same movement, Bane have outlasted most of their…
What to Do Tonight: Clipse
“Yo! Who dropped the casket?” So much hype preceded Clipse’s third album, Til the Casket Drops, that when it finally came out in December, it seemed sorta underwhelming. Especially after the pair of mixtapes that were released in the three years following the Virginia-based brothers’ terrific Hell Hath No Fury. But skim off some of…
What to Do Tonight: The Lions Rampant
Roar! Ever since their formation in Cincinnati six years ago, the Lions Rampant have worn custom-made lion suits onstage as they churn out the most visceral and joyous garage-rock imaginable. The idea was that the outfits would make the band look so ridiculous, they’d have to work even harder to prove themselves to an understandably…
What to Do Tonight: Bleeding Through
Hangin’ tough Bleeding Through are embarking on the next phase of an already impressive career. Their self-titled sixth album is the first to feature new guitarist Dave Nassie, formerly of No Use for a Name. Musically, they’re still a deathcore band, with frontman Brandan Schiappati ranting and barking while semi-melodic guitars roar and Marta Peterson’s…
What to Do Tonight: Angels and Airwaves
Poop-joke free … for now Toward the end of their decade-long career — which they restarted last year with a reunion tour — Blink-182 had finally started to mature. Their last album, 2003’s self-titled effort, included songs about subjects other than masturbation and poop. That mentality also carried over to Angels and Airwaves, the side…
Thursday Ticket Giveaway: Wish You Were Here
We have a pair of tickets to Wish You Were Here’s show at House of Blues on May 1. Want them? All you have to do is send your name, e-mail address and phone number to freetickets@clevescene.com with the subject “Wish You Were Here.” We’ll pick a winner at noon on April 29.
Clear Skating
Soon-to-be home of skateboarders, Ed Hardy t-shirts The City of Cleveland built a downtown skate park back in 2004 in hopes of luring the Gravity Games to the lakefront. At the time, it seemed something of a disingenuous gesture: For years, the city booted skateboarders from its streets, often issuing tickets to those it managed…
Indoor Bike Track Latest Greatest Hope For Slavic Village
Bicycles will save Slavic Village. Leo pictured just for being dreamy. Citizens of Slavic Village (slogan: “Can We Bum a Smoke?”) warm quickly to rumors of economic development. But the hottest plan — – no, wait— quite possibly the only plan — currently afloat for the downtrodden neighborhood relies on the promise of a fringe…
Breaking News: 100-Year Old Vampire Arrested in Lorain County
Wait, you don’t look anything like Robert Pattinson. Andrew Whiteman might look like your normal twenty-something kid out for a good time on a Saturday night, but he claims he’s a 100-year old vampire. That’s what cops in Lorain County found out Saturday when they arrested Whiteman, who was muddy, drunk, and wet at the…
This Just In: Cleveland Concert Announcements
Brad Paisley and his big-ass hat are coming to Blossom NEW DATE Bryan Adams: Tuesday, April 27. All previously purchased tickets will be honored, 7:30 p.m. Canton Palace Theatre, 605 Market Ave., 330-454-8172. Wednesday, April 21 Cleveland show will proceed as scheduled. CANCELED Budgie: Monday, April 26. Agora. THIS JUST INBallyhoo/Mike Pinto: Sat., July 10,…
Bathroom Stall Tactics
There’s a fine line between peeping tom and political tracker. This is the line. Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate hopeful Jennifer Brunner took a break from her statewide campaigning last Saturday to attend a forum for Cuyahoga County Executive candidates held at John Adams High School. Designed to showcase the growing field of…
Lake County Captains Doing Their Part to Fight Childhood Obesity on National Cheeseball Day
How, you ask? Well, on National Cheeseball Day (yes, there is such a thing, and it’s as prominent as National Roasted Chicken Tail Day, which I just made up but sounds like a day worth celebrating) the Captains solicited two young fans from the stands at Eastlake Stadium and plopped them in front of a…
Lake County Captains Doing Their Part to Fight Childhood Obesity on National Cheeseball Day
How, you ask? Well, on National Cheeseball Day (yes, there is such a thing, and it’s as prominent as National Roasted Chicken Tail Day, which I just made up) the Captains solicited two young fans from the stands at Eastlake Stadium and plopped them in front of a table with two huge chunks of spherical…
John Stossel Has Issues With the West Side Market
The miserable masses heckling the vendors: “You call those tomatoes!” The latest chapter in America’s continuing series “Cleveland: Who Let It In Here?” comes courtesy of Fox Business Network host John Stossel. You may recall Stossel for his marvelous facial hair, which was a longtime fixture on ABC’s 20/20. These days, Stossel has taken up…
Out Today: V.V. Brown
V.V. BrownTravelling Like the Light(Capitol) Insanely catchy, shamelessly but brilliantly derivative, V.V. Brown’s Travelling Like the Light is the sharpest pop recording since Katy Perry captured the charts two years ago with One of the Boys. A young British singer with an uncanny knack for appropriation, Brown kicks off her debut CD with “Quick Fix,”…
Pre-Show Q&A: Echo and the Bunnymen
Mac the Mouth in a pensive mood Early on, the British press dubbed Echo and the Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch “Mac the Mouth” because of his brash attitude and overwhelming ego. Thirty-plus years after the post-punk group came out of Liverpool with college-radio hits like “The Cutter,” “The Killing Moon,” and “Lips Like Sugar,” McCulloch…
Gang Starr’s Guru Dies
Rapper Guru, one-half of the great Gang Starr, died yesterday of cancer. He was 43. Guru was born Keith Elam. He grew up in Boston and founded an early version of Gang Starr in 1985. In 1989 he hooked up with DJ Premier, and they released No More Mr. Nice Guy. It took a few…
What to Do Tonight: The Appleseed Cast
Laying low Nearly ten years ago, the Appleseed Cast released Low Level Owl 1 and Low Level Owl 2, two heady albums that relied on the kind of undulating melodies that post-rock bands Tortoise and Trans Am are known for. But unlike most records in the genre, their albums aren’t instrumental, even though they include…
If Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher Is Tonya Harding, Who’s Jeff Gillooly
Not pictured: Lee Fisher in a figure skating outfit The race between Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for the U.S. Senate is, as the Columbus Dispatch said in a headline this morning, “flying under the radar.” Brunner had only raised $61,000 by the end of last year and Fisher had raked in about…
Any Cool Record Store Day Finds?
Speaking of Record Store Day, what did you find on Saturday? Pick up anything cool or rare? Or maybe you found something you’ve been searching for the past half-decade. We’d like to hear what you got and where you got it.
Music Saves Appears in New Record Store Day Doc
Collinwood indie music store Music Saves makes an appearance in the new documentary I Need That Record: The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store. The store and its owners — husband-wife team Kevin Neudecker and Melanie Hershberger — appear alongside musical luminaries like Fugazi/MinorThreat frontman Ian Mackaye, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, author…
Drew Carey Getting Yet Another TV Show
Here’s to hoping he brings the big mic to the next show. Native Clevelander, soccer fanatic, and “Price Is Right” hoster Drew Carey has been tabbed to host yet another TV show. The Hollywood Reporter says Carey will be at the helm of a hidden camera prank show for CBS called “WTF” — Wow, That’s…
Check Out LCD Soundsystem’s New Wild Video
Apparently director Spike Jonze is still in a Where the Wild Things Are kinda mood. In the new video for LCD Soundsystem’s “Drunk Girls,” a bunch of guys dressed in cheap-ass panda suits harass a group of people (including LCD’s James Murphy) who are trying to sing the song. They bring an arsenal of eggs,…
Essential Questions: Will Cleveland Casino Serve Liquor 24 Hours a Day?
Two great tastes that taste great together. One of the 2,352 reasons casinos are great is that you can grab yourself a drink in the wee hours of the morning as you double down just one more time at the blackjack table. A stiff little double whiskey makes the losses a smidgen better or at…
Monday Music News Roundup
Lady Antebellum: You’d think they’d be able to afford a more comfy couch Apparently there was a big country-music awards show last night. And apparently some group we don’t care about won big. Another music festival, another bunch of overly praised bands playing abridged sunlight-soaked sets for thousands of drunken texting fans. Kelly Bundy is…
Bryan Adams’ Canton Show Tomorrow Night Is Postponed
He’ll cut like a knife … whenever he gets here Bryan Adams’ show at the Canton Palace Theater tomorrow night has been postponed a week due to that whole European-volcano-travel thing. The show will now take place on April 27 at 7:30 p.m. Previously purchased tickets will be honored. Adams’ show at the Ohio Theatre…
Ozzie Guillen Very Familiar With Matt LaPorta’s Scouting Report
The term “word vomit” was made for guys like Ozzie Guillen. And even that doesn’t do justice the profanity-laced tirades of the White Sox manager, the jibberish that comes out of his mouth, or his seeming disregard for getting facts and names right. Take his postgame press conference after the Tribe’s 3-2 win the other…
Siegel & Shuster Society Officially Proclaim Shaq NBA’s Real Superman
“See, I told you it looks just like Shaq.” The only group who can officially settle the Shaq vs. Howard “Superman” nickname debate has finally weighed in. The Plain Dealer reported this morning that the Siegel & Shuster Society has given Shaq their official blessing.Dwight Howard laid claim to the Superman moniker. Shaq said it’s…
Concert Review: The Church at the Winchester
The Church in an unguarded moment Aussie alt-rockers the Church are so serious about their 30th anniversary acoustic tour, they printed programs that were handed out to fans who came to Saturday night’s Winchester concert. Playing for more than two hours (with a 15-minute intermission), the band went through its catalog in reverse order, beginning…
Concert Review: Blue October at House of Blues
We know how he feels The Pick Up the Phone Tour, which came to House of Blues last night, started with a snore. Openers Hurricane Bells and Stars of Track and Field’s sets were the aural equivalent of taking massive amounts of Ambien. Their respective sets managed to put the audience in a catatonic mood,…
A LeBron to NY Google Parody Ad
The famous “girl in Paris” Google commercial that aired during the Super Bowl has been getting parodied ever since. Now, YouTube and Google allow you to create your own stories. Naturally, someone decided to make a LeBron and New York version. Any enterprising and creative Cavs fans out there want to make a rebuttal? Follow…
Were You There? Blue October
Blue October played House of Blues last night. Did you go? Tell us what you thought.
A Q&A with Deadly Impact director Robert Kurtzman
Out on DVD this week, Deadly Impact stars Sean Patrick Flanery as Tom Armstrong, a cop who can’t seem to catch up with a ruthless bad guy (Joey Pantoliano). Armstrong has given up, in fact, when the Feds track him down in a Mexican bar and recruit him to give it one more try. The…
What to Do Tonight: Nora McCarthy
Jazz hands The intrepid and experimental vocalist Nora McCarthy will make a rare hometown appearance tonight at 7 at Nighttown, performing material from her three independently released albums. A striking woman of unusually elastic voice, McCarthy infuses her music with poetry and theatricality that’s both stark and sensual. McCarthy left Cleveland for New York 17…
What to Do Tonight: Blue October
Pain, misery, old house, blah blah blah … Blue October’s Pick Up the Phone Tour — which is tied to a half-dozen suicide-prevention and help groups — was originally scheduled for last year, when the Houston alt-rockers released their fifth album, Approaching Normal. Ironically, frontman Justin Furstenfeld suffered a severe mental anxiety attack and the…
Yes, Miss Commander! debuts at CMA
A documenatry about women who train some of the Israel’s most troublesome recruits into the military, Yes, Miss Commander! makes its local debut at 1:30 p.m. today at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Lecture Hall. Here’s our review of the film. Yes, Miss Commander! (Israel, 2009) In the opening scenes of Dan Setton and Itzik…
What to Do Tonight: Hal Walker
Walker, singing a song about Ohio or something Leading a dual life, local singer-songwriter Hal Walker teaches the importance of music to students during the day, then writes, records and performs as a folk bard at night. On first listen, his new album, Home in Ohio, smacks of cheesy local pride set to overly wholesome…
What to Do Tonight: Lair of the Minotaur
The boys say hello Chicago-based thrashers Lair of the Minotaur have always pursued their own path. Choosing to emphasize raw power over technical precision, their albums are filled with the sound of picks on strings and guttural roars from guitarist and singer Steven Rathbone, bone-shattering drums from Chris Wozniak and down-tuned bass from Nate Olp.…
What to Do Tonight: Dosh
Dosh and his gear Martin Dosh is a man on a mission. He interweaves acoustic instrumentation (violin, guitar, winds) with sounds generated or altered by electronic media. Instead of going deeper into sample-land on his latest album, Tommy ups the ante by including more drums (real ones!) and singing. (On the previous Dosh album, Wolves…
What to Do Tonight: The Church
Under the milky gaze Even though it doesn’t sound particularly conducive to recreating their sonically dense music, Aussie alt-rockers the Church have been performing acoustic on their last couple U.S. tours. The format is partially a function of adapting to smaller venues and not having the budget to lug around a bunch of gear and…
Ohio University Professor Goes With the Old “She Just Liked Fruit-Related Nicknames” Defense
Pretty sure this isn’t the Mr. Banana the guy was talking about. C. Aaron Kelley, a professor at Ohio University, has finally quit after the school found him trying to play “hide the banana” a few too many times with students and subordinates. OU alleges that Kelley had a string of inappropriate relationships over a…
Born to Play Congressional Fundraisers
Does Thunder Road lead to Capitol Hill? I’ve been annoying Bruce Springsteen fans for years by insisting that he’s never had a working-class audience but rather one consisting of stockbrokers, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals living out their blue-collar fantasies through him. A Washington Post article called “Nearly two dozen congressional fundraisers held at D.C.…
Public Forum on Local Campaign Finance Reform
“That’s a good question.” That’s a good answer, Bill. Bill Mason’s handpicked campaign finance reform panel continues to slog away at possible improvements to local elections. Their meetings — held during business hours and mostly at the Justice Center – have been sparsely attended, but the panel is now ready to get public input and…
The Kelly Pavlik Reader — Heading Into the Weekend’s Big Fight
World Boxing Council middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik defends his crown against WBC super welterweight champion Sergio Martinez Saturday April 17. HBO will broadcast the fight at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, where Pavlik has become a top draw. The program starts 10 p.m. EST. The bout marks Pavlik’s bid to re-enter international prominence. Youngstown’s Pavlik, 36-1,…
The Byron Nemeth Group — Now With Words!
Proggy The Byron Nemeth Group, fronted by area guitar whiz/recording-studio owner Byron Nemrth, has been making waves in the prog-rock community for years. With the recent addition of Ray Richter, it has a vocalist in the fold for the first time. The band re-recorded a pair of old tunes, “Demon’s Wing” and “Dreamcatcher,” adding vocals.…
Pete Steele RIP — Are your Type O Negative Memories Positive?
Cleveland-based Classic Metal Show Radio Network (CMS) radio network is paying tribute today to Type O Negative and frontman Peter Steele, who passed away on Wednesday from a sudden heart failure. The tribute runs through 6 p.m. Type O Neg is one of the bands that kept metal alive during the waning days of the…
Who Was the Last Indian to Wear No. 42?
With teams wearing No. 42 for games yesterday in honor of Jackie Robinson, it’s that time of the year where everyone likes to look back and remember the last major leaguers to wear the number before it was retired. Who was the last one to don ole No. 42 for the Tribe? Answer after the…
Shaq Singing Rick James With a Wig On
You probably have seen this already, but it’s worth posting anyway. Gold. Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack.
KJBlues and Robin Stone Play House of Blues This Weekend
Robin Stone and her invisible chair Two of Cleveland’s most soulful singers will co-headline a show at House of Blues’ Cambridge Room on Sunday. Kristine Jackson, who opens the show at 9 p.m., broke into the local blues scene about ten years ago, playing trumpet behind other performers. Eventually, she moved to the front of…
Rock ‘n’ Roll Photo Show Coming to Akron Art Museum
Tina Turner’s big-ass face is part of a new photo exhibit coming to Akron New York’s Brooklyn Museum gave rock-music photography the stamp of legitimacy when it mounted the sweeping exhibition Who Shot Rock and Roll, which it describes as “the first major museum exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the foreground,…
Concert Review: Ben Folds at House of Blues
“I am this close to trying out that Chatroulette thing” “You all don’t know what it’s like, being male, middle-class, and white,” Ben Folds shouted loudly and repeatedly during the first song of his encore last night. “Rockin’ the Suburbs” pretty much summarizes Folds’ physical appearance and sense of humor, but it doesn’t even begin…
What to Do Tonight: A Day to Remember
“Um, what day is it?” From the very start, a Day to Remember have blazed a sonic trail by combining metal and hardcore’s visceral shred with pop-punk’s melodic punch. The band formed seven years ago in Florida and immediately hit the road, establishing a reputation as relentless road dogs. Their first album, 2005’s And Their…
Bob Feller Not Impressed by Most Famous Catch in Baseball History
The same reason that a lot of people are irked by Bob Feller is the same reason that I tend to like him very much: he says some crazy shit every once in awhile. Last week was one of those cases. In a long, two-part interview with the Plain Dealer, Feller snuck this little gem…
Thursday Giveaway: Grateful Dead Movie Passes
On Tuesday, April 20, Rhino Records will release Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo, yet another batch of material from the band’s extensive archives. The DVD/CD package includes material culled from the July 7, 1989 show at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. You can see the film portion of the box set on the big…
About Those “Breast Milk Satisfies” Billboards
Does a body good, I hear. You’ve probably seen this billboard around town — there’s one on the side of I-71 near the Fulton Rd. exit, and a reader spotted this one in Lakewood. It’s jarring, for sure, and while one might say to one’s self, Sure, that baby looks pretty satisfied with some mammary…
Do It For Ehlo
The Cavs tip off the 2010 playoff run Saturday and they’ve unveiled “All Together” as this year’s slogan. This after previously using “One Goal” and “Rise Up” for past playoff campaigns. Reception to the new slogan has been lukewarm. I mean, “All Together”? Really? The Cavs PR team couldn’t do better than that? Glen Infante,…
Ohioans Really Pumped About Chance to Lose Money Playing Powerball
You have a 1 in 195 million chance of being able to afford this dude’s hat. The multi-state behemoth of Powerball officially comes to Ohio tomorrow, providing the Buckeye State with yet another outlet to satisfy its apparently insatiable appetite to gamble on stuff. With the Ohio Lottery’s litany of games, Keno, scratch offs, Mega…
What Do Andrew WK, a Restraining Order and Cleveland Have in Common?
Andrew and his CDs C-Notes fave Andrew WK recently posted something on The Guardian’s music blog about the inspiration for his song “My Destiny.” It has to do with a high-school crush, a restraining order and Cleveland. The girl actually took out a juvenile restraining order (really? Who knew there was such a thing?) against…
Chuck Mosley Reunites With Faith No More
Clevelander Chuck Mosley, the Faith No More singer who was replaced by Mike Patton, briefly reunited with his old band in San Francisco last night. Mosley and the reformed Faith — which is in the middle of a series of reunion gigs with Patton — played a single song, the seminal rap-rock tune “We Care…
WORKPLACE WTF?
Well now, here’s a little something for the kids . . . A guide to get you through those work situations that must happen to someone, somewhere. Gregory Bergman and Jodi Miller’s WTF? WORK: How to Survive 101 of the Office’s Worst F*#!-ing Situations (Adams Media, 2010, 248pp., Paper, $995) has a self-explanatory title, if…
The LeBron 2010 Billboard — Full View
Jesus, Glen. Bravo, sir. That is one sharp billboard design. While not up yet, this mockup shows the The LeBron 2010/Real Cavs Fans billboard that will be hung on the side of the building that houses The View and Nick’s. Great location, just about a block away from the Q, and in full view of…
Death at a Funeral remake is only so-so
After his ill-fated Wicker Man revision (recently cited on Chud.com as one of the top-ten turkeys ever), once cutting-edge filmmaker Neil Labute remakes another British property, and the good news is that humor here is intentional. It’s a so-so Americanization of the 2007 Death at a Funeral, an ensemble farce of escalating disaster and humiliation…
What to Do Tonight: Ben Folds
“Hello, ladies” You never know what to expect from piano maestro Ben Folds. After a sound-alike recently appeared on Chatroulette, making up songs about the people who showed up on the other end of the line, Folds paid tribute to the guy by staging his own rounds of Chatroulette in concert. It’s that strange spontaneity…
Free tickets to Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo screening
On Tuesday, April 20, Rhino Records will release Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo, yet another batch of material from the band’s extensive archives. The DVD/CD package includes material culled from the July 7, 1989 show at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. You can see the film portion of the box set on the big…
The “In LeBron We Trust Guy” Brushes His Teeth With Hot Sauce
Lat time we checked in, the guy from In LeBron We Trust was getting his chest waxed, just No 1 on his list of 23 crazy things he plans to do to show how much he wants LeBron to stay in Cleveland. Dude’s gotten some press after that, appearing on ESPN and landing in the…
Ticket Giveaway: Smooth Jazz All Stars at Tri-C Jazzfest
Tri-C’s annual Jazzfest has a full schedule of talent you should be checking out. One show in particular worth your attention — the Smooth Jazz All Stars. Lucky for you, we have two tickets to give away. If you’d like to see them perform April 24th at the Allen Theatre, email freetickets@clevescene.com with “Jazz” in…
Kickdrums Make a Three-Part Mixtape
The Kickdrums – Out To Get Me! from The Kickdrums on Vimeo. Cleveland’s supercool DJ team the Kickdrums have just released a three-part mixtape called The Indio Sessions. The mixes, which you can downlaod here, are based on the Coachella music fest, so there’s plenty of music-snob-approved tunes and artists. MGMT, Passion Pit, Spoon and…
Wednesday Ticket Giveaway: Echo & the Bunnymen
We have a pair of tickets to Echo & the Bunnymen’s show at House of Blues on April 22. Want them? All you have to do is send your name, e-mail address and phone number to freetickets@clevescene.com with the subject “Echo & the Bunnymen.” We’ll pick a winner at noon on April 20.
“Bootyism” Airplane Banners Mocking Tiger at Masters Have Ohio Connection
Tiger Woods returned to golf at the Masters and the only hint of heckling came from an airplane that flew over the course on Thursday pulling a, “Tiger, did you mean bootyism?” banner. There were to be more banners, of course, but by some coincidence, the FAA decided to inspect the plane that had been…
A Peek at LeBron 2010’s Billboard
(UPDATE: Head to this link for the full view.) In case you’re not a regular reader of Real Cavs Fans, Glen and company announced that the LeBron billboard, the one they’ve been collecting funds for over the last year, will soon be unveiled. While the location isn’t official yet, nor the day it will be…
Charles Pinkney Finally Gets a Headstone
For years, visitors have left mitts, balls, bats and other assorted paraphernalia of America’s pastime at Ray Chapman’s grave at Lake View Cemetery. The remembrances are propped against his headstone, left in honor of the only major leaguer in history to die from being beaned by a pitch. A short stroll toward the Euclid Gate…
Wednesday Music News Roundup
Britney and her touched-up butt Britney Spears releases untouched pics from photo shoot. Shockingly, none of them include her vagina. Justin Bieber: So much love, such a little guy. Uh-oh, a Christian-music singer says she’s gay. Does this mean we have to start a new genre? Adam Lambert does Elvis on American Idol. We imagine…
Never Mind Tom Bullock’s Embellished Claims
The problem with bluffing is that if you’re called on it, you can end up looking pretty stupid. And we’re calling out Lakewood Democrat Tom Bullock, a candidate for a House seat in state District 13, for misrepresenting news articles in a campaign mailer that attacks his opponent in the May 4 primary. Bullock, in…
Drunken Akronite Would Teabag Everyone If Not For Those Pesky Handcuffs
This young gentleman from Akron had the unfortunate luck of not only being arrested, but being arrested while a reality show was filming — a double whammy of douchetacular success. Captured on video for Tru TV’s Over the Limit, the clip also made an appearance on The Soup last week thanks to this young gentleman’s…
Midwest Reggae Fest Announces 2010 Lineup
Dread Zeppelin are not only still around, they’re playing the Midwest Reggae fest Local reggae maven Packy Malley has hosted the area’s premier annual reggae event, the Midwest Reggae Fest, since 1992. He’s just announced the dates and lineup for the 19th annual event, taking place August 13-15 at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. Headliners include…
Get Your “Hot Sauce in My Bag” Ringtone
Delonte West stopped at a KFC for some delicious late-night chicken sustenance last year. KFC was running a little slow that night, so Delonte had to wait with his passenger in the car and kill some time. They rapped, they filmed it, it went super-viral. That golden five-minutes has really provided endless fun — t-shirts,…
Concert Review: Wale at House of Blues
Someone needs to get on the phone with NBA Commissioner David Stern immediately to let him know that there is no need to play out the upcoming postseason. Wale, the 25-year-old hip-hop artist out of the DC area, confirmed as much to the House of Blues crowd last night. That’s right, the playoffs may as…
*whew*
So that was something. The second Big Show was better than the first, flat-out. Just from my own vantage point, there were way fewer bands I didn’t like (didn’t even need one hand to count ’em) and far more that I thought were just fantastic. The League raised the bar pretty high. I won’t do…
PULITZER CRIES
Is it coincidence that The Pulitzer Prizes awarded in literary categories this year had a topical flair, dealing with tycoons and economic crisis, and nuclear doomsday? I don’t think so. The prize in History went to Liaquat Ahamed’s Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke The World, published by Penguin Press, which the jury cited…
Concert Review: The Hold Steady at the Beachland Ballroom
Hoodrats Two years ago, the Hold Steady kicked off their tour in support of their fourth album, Stay Positive, in Cleveland. It was a relatively restrained show. After a blistering and drunken Grog Shop performance in 2006 (in which half the audience was onstage with the band by the end of the night), the 2008…
CD Review: Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck has the sweetest tone and most elastic conception of the great ’60s guitarists. But he’s also prone to sentimentality, rendering some of his forays relatives in bombast of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. That duality, along with his talents and unbelievable technique, characterize Emotion & Commotion, his first disc in seven years. It’s a mixed…
CD Review: Freelance Whales
Banjo, glockenspiel and harmonium are just a few of the instruments that run through Freelance Whales’ hyperactive debut. The New Yorkers love making sounds out of their environment, and their giddy enthusiasm is splayed across Weathervanes. They made their rep playing on city streets and in subways, so there’s a messy charm to the 13…
CD Review: The Nels Cline Singers
Initiate is a startling, brilliant display of a band of huge, determinedly modern range. Spearheaded by Nels Cline, better known as Wilco’s lead guitarist, Initiate offers two CDs with more than two hours of driving, daring music spanning blues, ambient, electronic and industrial. Presented in a foldout package featuring mesmerizing images of the Large Hadron…
CD Review: Rafter
Rafter Roberts is quite the musical renaissance man. He made his bones building and operating a popular San Diego recording studio. As a recording artist, he’s probably best known for Bunky, a duo project with Emily Joyce that seems like a one-off since it’s been four years since their debut. Animal Feelings is Roberts’ third…
CD Review: Stanton Moore
In the old Dick Tracy comic strip, Diet Smith postulated, “He who controls magnetism controls the universe.” A case could be made that he who controls rhythm is a major-league big cheese. I nominate drummer Stanton Moore of New Orleans jam-funksters Galactic as a likely candidate for Boss of Boss Rhythms. Accompanied by guitarist Will…
Around Hear: Yay! Record Store Day!
More than a hundred recording artists will release exclusive EPs, albums and limited-edition singles at independent shops for the fourth annual Record Store Day, Saturday, April 17. Three local bands are among them. Akron’s Black Keys will release a 12-inch vinyl single with two tracks, “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” from the duo’s album,…
Film Capsules
Opening Death at a Funeral Reviewed at clevescene.com. Film Ist. a Girl & a Gun (Austria/Germany, 2009) Gustav Deutsch’s film starts with an old black-and-white image of a “girl and a gun” (a riff on the Jean-Luc Godard maxim about moviemaking) and then informs us that it’s going to be “a creation story in five…
ANCIENT MYSTERIES
Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks 10 closes its month-long run with with performances on two stages by three local companies that explore dance’s power to establish community and individual identity. In the Gordon Square Theatre, MorrisonDance presents a collection of works called Mysterious. The Etruscans — the ancient people who lived where Rome is in the…
Highway to Hell
The family at the center of Ursula Meier’s film has it good. Their house is perched on the side of a freeway, but the road is abandoned, so they make good use of the unused blacktop. Some nights they turn it into a hockey rink. On other nights the kids practice driving the family car.…
Arts District: City Music, Busy Music
It’s a busier than usual performance week for CityMusic. In addition to the ensemble’s regular program conducted by Gregory Vajda, the ensemble will perform a second program especially for kids. Directed by Damon Gupton, they’ll play Prokofiev’s classic introduction to the orchestra, Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Steve Moretti. Also on the program: Rossini’s…
Reel Cleveland: The Jew Who Dealt With the Nazis
Gaylen Ross’s documentary Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With the Nazis examines the life of Rezso Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who helped many other Jews escape the concentration camps but who was also accused of collaborating with the Nazis and withholding information about Auschwitz. Ross will be in town this weekend when the film…
GOING MOBILE
Conductor Gregory Vajda has had a couple of busy weeks. Just back from vacation in Hungary where he was visiting family, he hardly had time last week to catch his breath before being called to rehearse the Oregon Symphony when guest conductor Pinchas Zuckerman’s flight was delayed. Two days later he flew to Cleveland to…
Super Zeros
Given that Superman debuted in 1938, you’d think by now someone would have been impressionable enough to attempt to emulate the comic hero in real life. What would happen if they did? Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides to find out by donning a green wetsuit and christening himself Kick-Ass. Unknown to Dave, he’s not the…
BAT OUT OF HEAVEN
WHILE THE NATIONAL focus has been on transitory issues like health care and unemployment, the local buzz has centered on something far more significant: accusations that Great Lakes Theater Festival has betrayed the muses by abandoning its classical mandate. This controversy has arisen over the company’s production of Bat Boy: The Musical, which uses an…
Dee Has Her Day
Baby Dee’s forthcoming album, A Book of Songs for Anne Marie, had a particularly long gestation period. The flamboyant transgendered singer with a colorful past started working on it in 2002 during a brutally cold Cleveland winter. “Basically, it’s one of those things that hit me like a ton of bricks,” says Dee. “I worked…
Running in Place
If watching dry paint were nearly as boring as watching paint dry, everybody would put on weird glasses, and 3D technology could just take over. But so far this hasn’t (quite) happened. For one thing, artists keep rethinking what it means to make symbolic objects. For another, painted marks are of inherent interest to the…
Golden Moldy
Singer-songwriter Adam Green admits he can be difficult. So when the folks at his record label suggested he make some changes and not work with longtime producer Danny Myers on his new album, Minor Love, you might think he would react negatively. But Green, who co-founded anti-folk icons the Moldy Peaches and has been doing…
Wild Things
TOP PICK Fantastic Mr. Fox (Twentieth Century Fox) One of last year’s best movies comes to DVD in a combo pack that also includes Blu-ray and digital copies. Be sure to watch the HD version, which highlights the groundbreaking stop-motion animation. The farmland fable is basically a Wes Anderson film with puppets, starring George Clooney…
Local CD Review
Simeon Soul Charger All Rather Dead (self-released) myspace.com/simeonsoulcharger These warlocks of Akron rock orchestrate a stellar second act on All Rather Dead, their second EP in a year, following a self-titled debut. These five new tunes form a pentagon of dark, atmospheric musical alchemy. Join the “Coffin Party” or try “A Dance for the Moon…
NO SUCH THING AS BAD MEX
Fair or not, any casual burrito joint in Northeast Ohio is going to be compared to Chipotle. The national chain has at least 19 locations here and has done an admirable job reclaiming the concept of Mexican fast food from Taco Belch. But it is still a chain, and so a small indie burrito purveyor…
All That Jazz
Tri-C JazzFest keeps adding new facets to the formula it’s developed over 31 years. It’s now the largest music festival in Ohio and the largest educational jazz festival in the U.S., offering clinics and workshops for local musicians, and performance opportunities for area high school and college bands. And a distinct Cleveland flavor runs through…
CD Review: Coheed & Cambria
Proggish bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd and Queensryche have shown that albums can tell a story, and still be entertaining and even compelling. Others, unfortunately, attempted this kind of literary rock with half-baked concepts and/or execution. No one can accuse Coheed & Cambria of that. Frontman Claudio Sanchez told an epic science-fiction tale — a…
Invasion
Nothing was normal about this fishing expedition. The water was not a natural pond or stream. The temperature was well below freezing. We weren’t allowed on the fishing boats, our guides told us, because it wasn’t safe today. And the fishermen we watched were hoping not to catch the very fish we had all come…
CD Review: MGMT
MGMT became the toast of the hipster elite two years ago with a mix of sonic bombast and psychedelic shenanigans. Oracular Spectacular swirled its ingredients into a frothy blend of electronic-kissed indie-pop until it came out sounding like a galaxy-hopping version of the Flaming Lips. On its second album, the Brooklyn-based duo gets headier, pushing…
Some Sunshine But Mostly Cloudy
Cuyahoga County government-transition leaders promised to make their work open and transparent two months ago. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio contends that nothing has changed, and the impression of secrecy remains a troubling concern. A spokesman for the open-government watchdog says that documents illuminating the work of the transition group — and…
CD Review: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones makes music the way it’s supposed to be made: with an eight-track and a voice that fills the holes in your stomach with a fullness that leaves no room for fluff. A backing band that plays horns with saucy, polished verve only enhances the thick, soulful yearning that oozes from her. The band’s…
‘CUPID’ FINALLY GETS HIS DUE
For years, visitors have left mitts, balls, bats and other assorted paraphernalia of America’s pastime at Ray Chapman’s grave at Lake View Cemetery. The remembrances are propped against his headstone, left in honor of the only major leaguer in history to die from being beaned by a pitch. A short stroll toward the Euclid Gate…
The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond is bad even by b-movie standards
Bad even by b-movie standards, The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond has a familiar premise. A group of twentysomethings head to a small Maine island to stay at a rustic cabin. When they discover an archaic game that’s a cross between “Truth or Dare” and “Spin the Bottle,” jealousy rears its ugly head. As the…
