Incubus Rescheduled. Again.
Cleveland fans, that “Anna Molly” video is all the Incubus you’re gonna get for a couple months. Again.
Relocating strippers to a neighborhood near you
Last week, the Ohio Senate passed a bill that would place super strict restrictions on strip clubs, forcing them to close at midnight and eradicate lap dances, among other things.
The Softer Side of Dennis Kucinich
It looks like Dick Cheney will stay in the Oval Office for at least another day. West Side congressman and Christmas elf Dennis Kucinich elected to delay today’s press conference calling for Cheney’s impeachment after doctors discovered a blood clot in the vice president’s leg.
This Just In… Concert Announcements
This week, 29 new shows: Bob Dylan. Beatallica (the world’s finest simultaneous tribute to both the Beatles and Metallica). Bone Thugs. Brave Combo. Built to Spill. Boston Afro-Beat Society. And 23 other artists that don’t start with B.
An Evening in Ohio City
Part Food Network, part HGTV, the annual Evening in Ohio City is always one of Cleveland’s coolest parties, raising funds for the ongoing renaissance of the West Side neighborhood while giving people a chance to eat, drink, and ogle other peoples’ homes.
30 Rock’s Cleveland show: Praise or parody?
Some “television critics” have suggested that 30 Rock’s Thursday night episode on the beauty that is Cleveland might have been a bit tongue and cheek.
Mikey G’s Entertainment Picks of the Week
This week’s top arts and entertainment picks around town, from the guy who’s paid to pick them…
Why you should see the Stab-o-matic show
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Scene’s music is so overcome by Bjork’s performance on Saturday Night Live, that we let Stab-o-matic speak for itself.
Intimidated witnesses and bad news coverage
Ever since 18-year-old Shawrica Lester was tragically gunned down outside an Akron nightclub, Summit County prosecutors have struggled to bring her killers to justice, thanks to being out maneuvered by a bunch of shitheads better known as the V-not street gang. Several members, including 17-year-old Tyree Feaster, were charged with Lester’s murder immediately after the…
The ultimate oxymoron: charter-school accountability
Forget “jumbo shrimp,” “military intelligence,” and “Browns win.” State Auditor Mary Taylor has invented the ultimate oxymoron: charter-school accountability. Hoping to bring fiscal prudence to what’s easily the state’s most wasteful program — and that’s saying a lot — Taylor’s office is offering financial-training workshops to Ohio’s charter schools. Attendance is voluntary, but those who…
It’s damn hard to have a foot fetish these days
Robert Holloway is the former principal of St. Anthony of Padua School. He resigned last year after betting on a volleyball game with three 14-year-old boys, saying he’d pay them $15 and kiss their bare feet 50 times each if he lost. He did. And then he carried through with the bet. “Some wonder how…
Cuyahoga County once again recycles failure
Cuyahoga County just can’t get enough leaders. Former County Commissioner Jim Petro was The Laziest Man in Government as state attorney general, and failed miserably in his bid to be a gubernatorial candidate. Yet as soon as he left Columbus, the county was quick to snap him back up as a $200-an-hour consultant. Now the…
“We’d All Like to Flee to the Cleve”
A national TV show has finally realized that Cleveland is okay. On Thursday’s 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s character, Liz — a neurotic, sarcastic executive on a variety show that looks a lot like SNL — is dating Floyd, a lawyer originally from Cleveland. Struggling with ennui and stress, Floyd suggests the two of them take…
New Music Friday: Suede Brothers
The Suede Brothers: The James Gang for the 21st century? The Suede Brothers – formerly the Black Diamonds, and sans BD singer Chad Van Gils — have posted two new retro-rawk tracks at the band’s new MySpace page. The songs are available for streaming or download. Stuff’s heavy, dude. — D.X. Ferris
Headbanger’s Ball Mixup
Despite what you’ve seen or read, this is not a video from Canton metalcore band Inhale Exhale. Last weekend, MTV aired two different videos labeled as “Redemption,” the new video from Inhale Exhale. The first clip was actually Overkill’s “Hello From the Gutter,” a cheesy souvenir from the ’80s. Don’t worry; IE are signed to…
Rock Hall to Get Makeover
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will get an extreme makeover next year. Most of the galleries will benefit from the interior overhaul, which apparently includes better placement of items and displays. So visitors will no longer confuse Little Richard’s role in the Warped Tour. The $3 million project is set to wrap during…
Thank Mom in Style
Sweeping through the entrance of downtown’s Ritz-Carlton — high heels clacking just so on the shiny marble floor, valets and doormen murmuring warm greetings — is about as close to feeling famous as most mothers ever get. So what better way to indulge the old girl than by taking her to the hotel’s special Mother’s…
PD sports columnists are the “dullest and laziest columnists in America”
Some of the wisest commentary to emerge from the punting of Sam Fulwood’s column last week was uttered by Justice B. Hill — and it had nothing to do with Fulwood or his writing. According to this journalism blog, Hill is a senior writer with MLB.com and a Cleveland native, and he recently wrote an…
The unseemly fight over Delvon Roe
Delvon Roe I never used to understand my female friends’ fixation with celebrities. Who gives a rat’s ass where Paris was partying last night? That all changed a couple years ago when I started following college recruiting. Football. Basketball. Doesn’t matter. Want to see grown men moved to celebratory tears or bawl like babies over…
Gay Pride Festival preview
The committee for Cleveland’s Gay Pride Parade and Festival is giving gay cruising a new meaning; this year’s fest on June 16 is going to flaunt a nautical theme. At Sailing With Pride, Voinovich Park will get a queer-eye makeover to resemble a Caribbean port, with palm trees giving shade to a cruise-ship replica docked…
Western Reserve delves into gay and lesbian history
Even Cleveland’s gay glitterati is amazed at itself for becoming historical packrats. At an invite-only reception Tuesday night at the Western Reserve Historical Society, the curators let 75 VIPs thumb through old diaries, letters, maps, and newsletters for its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Archives now on permanent display. The 1,500-piece collection now joins similar…
Tony Bennett Backs Out
The great jazz and pop crooner Tony Bennett was scheduled to help kick-off Cleveland’s 2007 Tri-C JazzFest. Scene writer Mark Wedel even wrote a feature previewing Bennett’s Friday, April 20 gig at the Allen Theatre downtown. But alas, Bennett has been forced — at the very last minute — to postpone his appearance due to…
Sam Fulwood Strikes Back
For the first time since he was hired as a Plain Dealer Metro columnist seven years ago, Sam Fulwood III has expressed a coherent opinion: Editor Doug Clifton is mean. Clifton did his best last week to make Fulwood’s “reassignment” to the Arts & Life section not seem like what it was. “Sam’s rich background…
The Latest Concert News
Count ’em: 52 new shows this week. Dave Matthews. A couple guys from Night Ranger. Eddie Money. Raging metal from the Sounds of the Underground. Beatles, Megadeth, and Metallica tributes. The Olympic Ass-Kickin’ Team. And a couple guys from the Doors, with the guy from Fuel on vocals. Really. THIS WEEK: THURSDAY Horrible Fest: Thursday…
Christina Aguilera Photo Gallery
Click here to see Christina Aguilera in action April 13 at the Wolstein Center. All photos are by Scene’s god of photography, Walter Novak.
Pere Ubu Returns
Pere Ubu, the best band to ever crawl out of Cleveland (sorry, MSB), reissues four of its late-’80s/early ’90s albums tomorrow. The rub? They’re only available as imports, so you’re gonna have to pony up a little extra scratch if you want to own the expanded CDs. But they’re worth the money . . .…
The Original American Idol
Want to know just how far the art of American vocal pop has come? Then you should’ve watched Tony Bennett on American Idol advising contestant Blake Lewis on how to interpret “Mack the Knife,” a pop standard (about rape and murder) made famous by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin in the ’50s, but originally composed…
Mr. Speed
Three reasons to see Kiss tribute Mr. Speed: “Cold Gin,” “Rock and Roll All Night,” and “Shock Me” (complete with expert simulation of Ace’s guitar solo).
Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but Rent
Chanté Carmel Frierson has spent the past 16 months with the touring production of Rent, which comes to Akron today. At each and every show, she uses her role as outspoken lesbian lawyer Joanne Jefferson to warn other black women about AIDS. You’d think that this late in the game, folks would be taking precautions.…
Africa in Black and White
Seventeen black-and-white photographs make up Seydou Keïta: Portraits From Mali, a collection by the late Malian artist that’s now on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Most of the large- and medium-scale works are from the 1950s and ’60s. It’s a captivating look at how the 20th century permeated an ancient land with such…
Avril Lavigne
Responding to “Girlfriend,” Avril Lavigne’s new single, one iTunes commenter recently wrote, “The avril i looked up to was her own person, and proud of it. She wasn’t afraid to act like herself and rebel against things she didn’t agree with. Who is she now?” It’s a brilliant observation. The lyrical and musical sophistication heard…
Encoder
Encoder will play its first and perhaps only live show Tuesday — with this lineup, at least. They’ll open for VNV Nation and And One, as the only local band playing the main stage. Former 20goto10 vocalist Sara Eugene (pictured) and a backup singer will front for former UV programmer Bruno and industrial scene mainstay…
Luck of the Draw
At today’s Gorilla Poker Tournament, the winning player actually gets to take home some cash — unlike many other local Texas Hold ’Em Tourneys, which hand out prize baskets and gift certificates to the victors. At March’s outing of the monthly gathering, 200 people competed for a $1,500 prize. The tournament has been a regular…
Green Scenes
Just in time for tomorrow’s Earth Day celebration, Standing Rock Cultural Arts’ Group Environmental Art Exhibition features work by a half-dozen green-minded artists. The fifth-annual outing features paintings, sculptures, and collages by folks like P.R. Miller, Vince Packard, and Lori Fields. The artists — most of whom live in the area — were asked to…
Rich Boy
Last year’s hit “Throw Some D’s” was a dazzling triumph of style over substance. With its spacious synth sample from Switch’s “I Call Your Name” and Rich Boy’s alien drawl, it made the usual hip-hop ode to rims, as well as its star-studded remix, sound refreshingly strange. Of course, such massive success early on made…
Be Like Mike
Besides “Yippee!” what’s a Clevelander to say when a hometown hero finally earns a nod from the James Beard Foundation, that prestigious group of Big Apple foodies dedicated to promoting the culinary realm’s brightest and best? No point in churlishly muttering, “It’s about time.” Why cry over spilled merlot, now that Michael Symon has finally…
Escape From L.A.
Like most comedians, Ohio-born Gary Owen headed to Los Angeles to make it big. But he quickly returned to the Buckeye State. “You can’t ask your friends in L.A. to babysit,” he says. “They’re like, ‘We have to get to this party’ or ‘I have this audition.’” Owen — who played a police officer in…
Neil Young
This Toronto performance has been widely bootlegged over the years, but the official release is still essential because the sound is just impeccable, lending a cavernous depth to Young’s singing and playing. This can be attributed to the late David Briggs, Young’s longtime producer, who also did the sound for the show. Briggs tried to…
Water Works
For a city with a Great Lake and a rockin’ river, Cleveland’s waterfront dining options sure run dry. Happily, Cyrus Waterfront Restaurant & Patio (2000 Sycamore Street in the Flats) is launching soon, and it sounds assuredly shipshape. At various times home to T.G.I. Friday’s and the Riverwalk Café, the soaring space at the end…
Ladies’ Night
In the Caryl Churchill play Top Girls, five historical and fictional ladies get together for dinner. “If you had the opportunity to invite women out of history, whom would you ask?” asks Phil Robb, who directs a production in Canton this weekend. “These are women who were feminists of their time.” Breaking bread are Lady…
Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts
Framing Let’s Just Be as Joseph Arthur’s breakthrough release hardly does the music justice. Though a talented musician, the Akron-born singer-songwriter has sometimes gotten in his own way, penning overwrought lyrics and busy arrangements. But clearly last year’s tour — Arthur’s first time with a band — changed some things. Dramatically. Backed by a sextet,…
Full Nelson
This week’s generically titled studio suspense-thriller, Fracture, has the good sense to begin where last week’s generically titled studio suspense-thriller, Perfect Stranger, ended — with the solution to that tedious riddle: Whodunit? The answer this time is Anthony Hopkins as Ted Crawford, an aeronautical engineer whose pockets of money and glassy modernist mansion aren’t enough…
Service With a Sneer
BamBoozles has played the same joke on customers for nearly 25 years at Tuit Nite. When someone orders a drink on Thursday and Saturday nights, the bartender plunks down a wooden token emblazoned with the word tuit. Barmaid Sandi Powell even slams it down with attitude. “You’ll get your drink when I get to it,”…
Viki
Viki has always been a true Detroit eccentric, operating well beyond genre — a point this 15-track collection of rarities and outtakes drives home. Viki’s gargantuan beats, bee-buzzing distortion, cheap sci-fi sound effects, and reverb-soaked sauciness should be the toast of underground dance music; in fact, the electro-freaks in Adult, who are fellow Michiganders, love…
All About Adam
Adam Brody made his name playing a neurotic, self-absorbed California Jew on The O.C. , so it’s no surprise that he’s cast in In the Land of Women as a narcissistic, whiny Los Angeles Heeb named Carter Webb. (Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like Seth Cohen, does it?) In this maudlin, formulaic affair, Webb…
Home Alone
Singer-songwriter Jana Hunter recorded her new CD, There’s No Home, appropriately, at a friend’s house in Houston. The 15 cuts feature titles like “Palms,” “Babies,” and “Sleep.” Fittingly, the songs are just as spare — mostly acoustic-based ditties about love and life. Hunter is part of Devendra Banhart’s freak-folk Gnomonsong Records crew, so expect plenty…
What Garry Didn’t Know
Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show (Sony) The greatest boxed set ever — not so much for the made-up irritainment as for the real thing, which this collection serves up by the ton. There are 23 brilliant episodes of the HBO show here, but they pale in comparison to the eight hours…
Byron Nemeth Group
Prog is quickly becoming the new corpse paint in metal. Bands like DragonForce are blowing up, mixing new metal ideas with the kind of ’80s power metal/technical thrash favored by the Byron Nemeth Group. The Cleveland quartet could try and cash in, but it admirably prefers to keep its progressive concepts pure, which translates into…
Grand Motel
To fully appreciate the merits of Vacancy, you need to have the proper technology. Digitally projected lurid images and THX-amplified creaks and moans are all well and good, but what director Nimród Antal’s creepy cockroach of a thriller really cries out for are the shabby delights that can only be found at a hometown drive-in.…
Dead Ened
In Laura Lippman’s new novel, What the Dead Know, two young sisters head to a mall . . . and never return. Thirty years later, a woman flees a hit-and-run. She’s tracked down and claims to be one of the missing girls. “Two years ago, I drove past a shopping plaza and remembered that two…
Hot Mama
We’ve all seen Super Mario eat copious amounts of mushrooms, but have you ever considered the care that goes into preparing such delicacies? In Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii, Wolfgang Puck wannabes are thrust into the kitchen — alongside “Mama,” the game’s titular chef — where they’ll chop, sauté, and mince virtual vegetables…
Mike Christopher
These are truly the times that try men’s souls. Civil-rights violations in the name of homeland security so concern Mike Christopher that the one-man band has dropped his weed-and-Jesus shtick and reinvented himself as a protest singer. But while he hasn’t abandoned the Bible completely, his MySpace blog now features writings on the Illuminati. What’s…
Arresting Development
For all the huzzahs heaped upon 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, the zombie-flick spoof was little more than an extended sketch taken, oh, 19 minutes beyond its breaking point. But the movie, created by director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg, provided such a bloody good time that its acolytes and admirers didn’t mind that…
Our Town Redux
Raymond Bobgan’s first impression of Our Town was one of contempt. As a typical high-school student, Bobgan — who directs Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of Thornton Wilder’s classic play — couldn’t have cared less for the musty ruminations on small-town life. “Because the play has been increasingly done without invigorating it, it has become a…
Our top DVD picks for the week of April 17:
Brute Force: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) Cutie Honey: The Movie (Bandai) Double Happiness (Image) Forgiving Dr. Mengele (First Run) Freedom Writers (Paramount) George Lopez: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (Warner Bros.) Happy Days: The Second Season (Paramount) The History Boys (Fox) The Image (Warner Bros.) La Haine: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) Laverne & Shirley:…
Horrible Fest
“We wanted a place to support the underground and not the commercial side of music,” says Paul Schlacter, part owner of Now That’s Class, Cleveland’s latest punk hangout. Occupying the former home of Deco, a gay bar on the city’s West Edge, the joint still boasts a giant mural featuring a dude cupping his cock…
Schlock & Awe
Most of us would never entertain the idea of writing a rock musical, but the task would be simplified if we started with songs already in the can. The relative simplicity of this approach has led to a range of “jukebox musicals,” including the hits Mamma Mia! (ABBA ditties) and Movin’ Out (Billy Joel). But…
It Has Nothing to Do With Ashton Kutcher
Tonight’s Butterfly Effect event at the Pop Shop benefits the DebRA Foundation, a New York City-based organization that assists people with the serious skin disease epidermolysis bullosa. Artists like Jeff Hulligan and Debbie Donaldson contribute work. Plus, gift baskets and artwork will be up for grabs in raffles and auctions. All proceeds go toward finding…
Burka or Bonnet
Soldier finds life’s mysteries in Iraq — and Middlefield: I read this article [“Amish Girls Gone Wild,” March 14] and found it very interesting, as I sit here in my office at Camp Anaconda, Iraq. I don’t agree with those who think the Amish are intolerant because they choose to live a different lifestyle. See…
Joey Belladonna
As the high-flying voice of classic-era Anthrax, Joey Belladonna stands as the premier metal singer of the late ’80s. He had the best name and best hair, hitting notes Dio couldn’t reach even if he was standing on Viv Campbell’s shoulders. But seriously — dudes out there still listen to vintage Metallica and even Megadeth,…
Crepe Cecile
Avenue Montaigne is a French soufflé of the old school, a romantic comedy set in Paris’ arty district, where neurotic writers and actors wring their manicured hands. Charm, it seems, comes altogether too easily to the French, and Gallic whimsy only serves to prop up infantile Anglo fantasies about the ceaseless glamour of la vie…
It’s a Date
At a recent Date Night (or Just Bring a Good Friend), Bob Shope and Pam Darnell cuddled at a corner table at Corks over a bottle of chardonnay and a pepperoni pizza. The cozy scene has become a familiar one on Tuesdays ever since the Willoughby bar launched its $20 wine-and-appetizer deal last month. The…
It Ain’t About Race
Last year we introduced you to Norman Edwards, head of the Black Contractors Employers Association, whose aim is to bust city and county projects for discrimination. But Edwards can’t blame Whitey for his lack of work: He’s been repeatedly accused of stiffing workers, subcontractors, unions, and creditors [“Slave to His Past,” April 5, 2006]. Now…
RJD2
When considering the recent fuss over his latest incarnation, RJD2 seems unfazed: “Somebody’s gonna be disappointed one way or another. It’s inevitable.” Truth is, his shift from hip-hop to pop isn’t all that shocking. While RJD2 has spent his career freaking an MPC sampler and some turntables, a knack for songcraft has always shone through.…
Toes Up
Is there any better way to mark the passing of a loved one than with a New Orleans-style jazz funeral? It begins with a slow and mournful shuffle to the cemetery, accompanied by a band playing a somber dirge. But on the way back, the music becomes upbeat, and the mourners break into impromptu dances…
The Good Old Days
A pair of nostalgic newcomers performs at the Beachland tonight. Headliner Richard Swift’s second album, Dressed Up for the Letdown, features jaunty piano riffs, sunny melodies, and wistful longing for ’70s AM radio. The Minnesota-based multi-instrumentalist occasionally lets his freak flag fly, but there’s pop smarts to his music. New York’s White Rabbits play stripped-down…
Dream Small
As Anthony Kobak steers his city-owned Jeep down a potholed road in eastern Youngstown, he notices some workers near what used to be an abandoned house. Today it’s a pile of rubble. This makes Kobak very happy. “That’s a city demolition crew,” he says, pointing like a proud father. Kobak is Youngstown’s chief planner –…
Galactic
Tonight’s dose of the Big Easy comes in hot and cold. Galactic is the epitome of cool; the group’s jazzy, low-riding funk shimmies with the sexy, careless sway of a chest-painted hippie tripping topless. But unlike many of Galactic’s groove-obsessed peers, they deal in melody and not just endless noodling. Unfortunately, their albums fail to…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
CD — Leonard Cohen reissues: Cohen is the singer-songwriter’s singer-songwriter. He’s been known to labor over compositions for years. We should be thankful that these three albums from 1969 and ’70 — Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs From a Room, and Songs of Love and Hate — ever saw the light of day. Previously unreleased…
Mask Marvels
The Cleveland Museum of Art helps folks prepare for the upcoming Parade the Circle bash with a Circle of Masks festival today. Artists will lead workshops where participants can make their very own masks to don at June’s annual University Circle parade. They can also show off their intricately designed creations at today’s party capper…
Knight Moves
Stocked with three generations of Cleveland rockers, Bedford’s new Galahad Recording Studios is also the base of operations for a new record label, Galahad Records. “With the right support and the right business minds, we can move Cleveland music forward,” says co-owner Patrick Lally. “Growing up in this town, I’ve seen a lot of great…
VNV Nation
Emo, goth, and punk fans who don’t go for dance music may already know the Euro-duo VNV Nation: Multi-instrumentalist Ronan Harris manned the samplers on AFI’s smash LP Decemberunderground, while his thumping remix of “Miss Murder” caused a sensation in underground dance clubs. VNV (short for Victory Not Vengeance) has been lurking around European clubs…
Spoiler Alert
It may be hard to believe in the aftermath of the 2000 and 2004 elections, but Ralph Nader, the Benedict Arnold of the weathervane bleeding-heart set, was once a hero — a little guy who brought Big Auto to heel, helped prevent more than 190,000 automotive deaths in 30 years, and was directly responsible for…
Look! There’s Uranus!
Unfortunately, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp won’t be at today’s Star Gazing event. But 200 billion dots scattered throughout the Milky Way will! NASA’s fourth-annual daylong bash features plenty of hands-on activities to keep visitors busy. Kids can make crafts, grown-ups can look through telescopes, and everyone can act like they’re floating in space with…
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
It was around 10 p.m., and Trenton was getting fussy. The three-month-old was convulsing like a worm in his father’s arms. Nathan Humrighouse held him with outstretched arms, raising him just above his head. “Ssh, ssh, ssh,” Nathan chanted to his son. But Trenton wasn’t having it. He wiggled out of Nathan’s grip and dove…
Bloodyminded
The music known as “power electronics” is basically experimental noise, aflame with industrial-strength testosterone, über-violent sociopathy, and bald men sporting black boots. At its best, all the headachy sine tones and distorted yelling about bondage and other sexy things becomes absurdly overblown and turns frothy — just like the top of a lemon meringue pie.…
Independents Night
A trio of Jim Jarmusch films screens as part of B-Side Liquor Lounge’s latest outing of Indie Movie Night. Every Monday through summer, the club will unspool kung-fu, blaxploitation, and Quentin Tarantino movies. On tap tonight are three films directed by Akron native Jarmusch: the Western Dead Man, the Neil Young doc Year of the…
A Night at the New Opera
Opera Cleveland launches tonight with a performance of Richard Strauss’ Salome. Two groups — Cleveland Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland — merged last year to form the brand-new company. Now, the city’s musical-drama needs can be fulfilled by one troupe that’s capable of exploring both grand and light opera! “This company is filled with consummate…
All Aboard
There’s music that reveals its intent and structure within the first 30 seconds, providing easy, straightforward thrills. And then there’s music that proves puzzling at the outset, yet usually rewards a similar high if treated with patience. The work of Busdriver (aka Regan Farquhar) typically falls into the latter category. One of underground hip-hop’s more…
The Ponys
Like the Black Angels, the Ponys are enthralled by the Velvets. But instead of channeling their VU-love into an arid, coursing drone, the Ponys — by way of the Dream Syndicate’s billowy psych — fashion perky, distortion-spiked nuggets whose gloomy undercurrent and dispassionate croon can’t hide the band’s shimmering hooks. The Chicago outfit’s third album,…
That New-Time Religion
Alex Ennes says he’s no comedian. Then what’s the 36-year-old pastor of Gateway Church doing onstage at Hilarities? “We got your attention, right?” he laughs. Every Sunday morning, Ennes leads church services at the comedy club. “People think there is this division between church and culture,” he says. “A church in the heart of an…
Rad Thai
With Tears of the Black Tiger, filmmaker Wisit Sasanatieng made Thailand’s best Western. Granted, we can’t name another Thai oater, but this fast, funny, and visually gorgeous movie would undoubtedly top the list. The story is a conventional one: Peasant boy loves rich girl whose daddy doesn’t approve. So he becomes a notorious bandit. But…
Sympathy for the Devil
If Hollywood soundtrack composer John Williams formed a black-metal band, it would sound like Dimmu Borgir. For years, these Norwegians have inspired worship and scorn in more or less equal measure by combining black metal’s raw guitar fury with pomptastic orchestral backing — sometimes, as on 2001’s Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and 2003’s Death Cult Armageddon,…
David Lindley
One quiet afternoon a few years back, a guy walked into my friend’s music shop. After a few minutes, he asked to see a vintage lap-steel guitar that was hanging on the wall. Plugging it into a small, old tube amp, he sat down and played for the next 20 minutes or so. But it…
Reaping Willowz
Having a song tapped for a movie or TV show typically means a sudden windfall of cash is on the way. But most new artists really don’t like to play up the fact that their deeply personal tune about, say, overcoming heroin addiction was used during a make-out scene between two hot doctors on some…
As Time Goes By
Longtime champion of the arts Bill Busta is always on the lookout for up-and-coming local artists. His new William Busta Gallery keeps the spotlight on them. It launches with First Time, Long Time, the inaugural solo exhibit by Cleveland State University painting prof Timothy Callaghan. Subjects include down-on-their-luck characters lurking in vacant alleys. “I celebrate…
Teen abstinence program sponsors a sex movie
Last week, C-Notes caught an early preview of Knocked Up, the new Judd Apatow movie with Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl, due out June 1. The film depicts Allison (Heigl), a rising E! entertainment reporter, who heads out to celebrate her promotion to on-air reporter. She might have celebrated a bit too much, however —…
The Best in TV News: Mall Security’s Cold Case Files
You could say Brandon Shawhan’s life wasn’t going the way he might have planned it. For starters, the 24-year-old was stealing from stores at Rolling Acres Mall in Akron to survive. He had the racket down pretty well, too — jimmy the locks late at night, go on a quick shopping spree, and sneak off…
A Stoner’s Guide to Avoid Getting Busted
With Ohio cities like Cincinnati making the mere possession of a joint punishable by up to 30 days in jail — and our very own Punch planting seeds for similar legislation in the minds of local councilman (unintentionally, of course!) — maybe its time for a refresher course in surviving police encounters. Below you’ll find…
Table 45 shooting for the same league as Lola, Fahrenheit
At the newly opened Table 45 in the InterContinental Hotel, the concept is classy, the vibe is exciting, and the space is packed with sex appeal. Thanks to executive chef Zack Bruell, we have no doubt that the global cuisine will rock. What’s been harder to discern are the prices; menus weren’t made available at…
Mayor Jackson’s half-baked crackdown
Good news: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has finally decided to punish Anthony Allega Cement Contractor, the white-owned firm accused of being at the center of a massive front-company scam at Hopkins airport. According to a city-hired lawyer, Allega paid black and female-owned companies a small cut of multi-million dollar contracts to do little or no…
