The New Sheriff in Town
After two decades as prosecutor in little Lorain County, Greg White knew corruption when he saw it. He made his bones busting mayors, cops, judges. At times, it seemed as if he were checking names off the guest list for a charity ball. So in January 2003, a month before he was appointed U.S. Attorney…
Head in the Sand
If nothing else, give Dana Brown credit for enthusiasm. A documentary filmmaker in name only, he is really the camera- and microphone-equipped president of several booster clubs — among them what might be called the International Society of Beach Bums and, thanks to his latest exercise in hero worship, the Dune Buggy Irregulars. Brown’s Step…
Nora Jean Bruso
Give a quick listen to Nora Jean Bruso, and comparisons to Koko Taylor and Etta James make instant sense. Taylor’s tectonic force and the sass and bite of James are both evident in Bruso’s delivery, along with the built-in advantage of relative youth. The fortysomething Bruso’s brash and brawny belting evokes a Koko from the…
The Peanut Butter Jam
Regan Quaal remembers well the day in winter of 2000 when he opened his mail to find a letter from the J.M. Smucker Company. It demanded that he immediately stop peddling his unique peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches — the ones with the crusts cut off. Smucker’s, the letter read, already owned the U.S. patent for…
Brave and Crazy
Whatever else can be said about Tarnation — and there is plenty to say — there is no denying this: It is a very brave movie. Rarely is the subject of a documentary willing to lay himself bare before the camera, exposing his very consciousness to the audience — and it’s still more uncommon for…
Less Than Jake
Ska is not dead. It’s just in a vegetative state, can’t breathe without a ventilator, and hasn’t had solid food in years. Less Than Jake is doing its part to keep the pulse beating, albeit faintly. The Florida-bred ska-punk band has gradually become more punk than ska as the pop-punk wave crested at its mainstream…
Dorm Fight
It’s hard to tell if Jeffrey Wilson had sophomoric roommates, or if he was merely the kind of nancy boy who begged to be tortured. A year ago, some of the Case Western student’s roommates and their friends put up fliers around campus bearing Wilson’s photo and the announcement: “Gay White Male, seeking GWM for…
Cleveland Yocks
Many years ago, there was a news report of a drunken driver on the West Side, who, in the wee hours, fell out of his slow-moving car. The vehicle continued without him and, as the man slowly staggered to his feet, the car turned into a nearby parking lot, continuously accelerating until it came full…
Undertones
Seems like the Undertones are way late on the ’77-punk-reunion trend. At least, they have the seminal lineup in tow. Well, they are without the original singer, Feargal Sharkey, whose helium holler was pretty damn integral to the sound of these Derry, Ireland punk heroes. But then again, his replacement is purportedly more than suitable.…
Jane Must Go
When Jane Campbell was first elected mayor, we seemed to know what we were getting. Magnetism wasn’t part of the package. This was no headbuster who could move the immobile scrap heap of Cleveland government. She didn’t possess that fire, that muscle, that certainty, that makes people want to follow. But at least she seemed…
On Stage
Beauty and the Beast — Carousel’s version of the ubiquitous show features some terrifically enjoyable performances, but it lacks visual appeal. Many scenes — even intimate two-person moments — are played on the theater’s immense but essentially bare stage, sometimes in front of a painted backdrop or a silvery curtain. At times, it feels like…
MewithoutYou
Ex-Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch’s decision that hanging with Jesus was more important than chilling with groupies amused many familiar with that band’s rather heathen endeavors. But hearing a rocker admit to being down with G-O-D isn’t the albatross it once might have been. Just witness the burgeoning success of the Christian-rock-centric label Tooth &…
Soft on Microsoft
Soft on Microsoft David beats Goliath — now, that’s news: The Plain Dealer sucks, okay? Scene had a story on March 30 [“Kill Bill”] about David Zamos, who got into some legal hassle with Microsoft over selling software on eBay. Zamos, instead of just caving, countersued. He didn’t even have a lawyer. Microsoft was so…
On View
NEW Dissent: Political Voices — Spaces’ hard-hitting new exhibit of up-to-the-minute political art takes aim at numerous cultural preoccupations. A set of silkscreen-and-oil-stick pictures by Kayrock, Jef Scharf, and Michael Smith presents detailed, colorful, and humorous summaries of the national mood in such pieces as “Guarded Severe.” Jason Byers’ “Study for a Full Scale Assault,”…
Nile
Like ancient embalmers, Nile can yank brains out of earholes. This musically and intellectually intimidating outfit combines death-metal riffs with the meticulously researched lyrics of amateur Egyptologist Karl Sanders. Annihilation of the Wicked, its forthcoming fifth record, combines cerebral content and cathartic noise. Nile’s inhumanly swift concerts conjure the ghost of John Henry, hammering himself…
Dream Weaver
David Copperfield’s grandfather was a sucker for the lottery. He grew so passionate about playing the numbers that he had his favorite six-number combination stamped on the vanity plates of the vintage Chevy convertible he couldn’t afford. Yet the dream didn’t die when Grandpa did in the mid-1990s. In David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of…
Tipping the Upscale
The human mind seeks congruence between appearance and reality. That is, if an object looks like a ball, we expect it to bounce; if it looks like a fish, we’ll assume it can swim. Our tendency to make judgment calls based on appearance extends to restaurants too. Sit us down in a renovated fast-food joint,…
The Game
Dr. Dre has discovered a foolproof method for creating superstars. First he casts an unknown with the right profile — in this case, Jayceon Taylor (aka the Game), who hails from Compton, used to deal, and has been shot five times. Then he introduces him via a disc whose high-profile producers (Timbaland, Hi-Tek) and megawatt…
This Week’s Day-By-Day Picks
Thursday, April 21 If nothing else, Florida’s contribution to screamo, Underoath, has some of the lengthiest song titles in recent memory. “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door,” “I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today,” and “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape” are three tracks from its latest album, They’re Only Chasing Safety. On top…
Crazy Good
Mexican restaurants seem to be filling the niche once carved by Chinese eateries: They’re inexpensive, ubiquitous, and often not so great. So when chef Brian Doyle of World’s Fare Culinary Services raved to us about Mentor’s new Jalapeño Loco (7289 Mentor Avenue, 440-918-1503), we couldn’t wait to check it out. A recent chow-down there revealed…
10 Hours Anthology
The ongoing monthly phenomenon that was 10 Hours, 10 DJs is going on hiatus for the summer. “This is the last one for now,” says DJ Doug Burkhart. “So it’s a wrap party, with a question mark.” The 10 Hours Anthology will celebrate the event with a retrospective of the project, featuring 20 DJs, who…
Rebel Yell
Sharon Waxman expected some backlash surrounding the publication of her new book, Rebels on the Backlot, which, according to its subtitle, takes a look at “Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System.” The New York Times Hollywood correspondent knew that there would be universal praise for some of her choices (Quentin…
The Kid Is Alright
She sang with Sinatra, opened for the Police, and even threw Sly Stone out of her house — all before she finished elementary school. Nikka Costa doesn’t mind discussing those times today, but she does so with an air of pleasant detachment, almost as if she’s talking about someone else. And maybe she is. “I…
Velvet Tango Room
If you visit the legendary, subtly elegant Velvet Tango Room just once this year, trust us — this is the night to do it.
Central Parks
FRI 4/22 A roller coaster isn’t just a roller coaster to David Francis. And Skeeball isn’t just an opportunity to blow $17.50 on a chance to win an oversized Bugs Bunny. Nope. To Francis, co-author (along with wife Diane) of Cleveland Amusement Park Memories, Ferris wheels, arcade games, et al. are barometers that gauged the…
Political Exile
In the fourth grade, Tom Morello was royalty. At least his classmates thought as much. They’d ask the future rock star if he was the prince of Africa. The son of a Kenyan anticolonialist and a schoolteacher who headed up the anticensorship advocacy group Parents for Rock and Rap, Morello was the only kid of…
Forty-Fives
This Atlanta group — seven years down a rough road of rocking dives and making perfect party records — always gets caught in the middle. It’s too groovy for the punks, too scruffy for the retro rulebook, too girl-ogling for alt-country sensibilities. And luck ain’t exactly the Forty-Fives’ forte. Umpteen van troubles stalled the tour…
Off and Running
SAT 4/23 Cleveland Fit founder Nicole Davis is no athlete. On most days, she’d rather read a book or watch TV. But when her husband talked her into signing up for the national running club’s Houston chapter a few years ago, Davis discovered that there were other novice marathoners who were determined to finish a…
Bono for Pontiff
Bono would make an excellent candidate for pope. Yes, pope. He’s outlandishly charismatic, reasonably eloquent, vaguely spiritual, tremendously photogenic. His popularity, meanwhile, is unparalleled — the devout already deify him, and even skeptics and nonbelievers offer grudging respect. No one alive can more effectively claim to be a uniter, not a divider. Does Bono crap…
Ben Folds
Only Ben Folds could make Dr. Dre’s FCC-frightening ditty “Bitches Ain’t Shit” — currently an iTunes extra — sound sympathetic. But garnering sympathy for sometimes-unsavory underdogs is something the ivory-tickler has been adept at for his entire career. The difference with Songs for Silverman, his second solo studio album, is that the persona in its…
Yo Quiero Cookies
4/23-4/24 During Working Dog Weekend, beware of the frisky Chihuahua judging the canine-cookie contest. The two-day Fidofest features more than 200 dogs — from sheep-herding border collies and raft-pulling Newfoundlands to members of the Ohio Search Dog Association that scoured Ground Zero after 9-11. But the highlight of the fest is when three wet-nosed judges…
Indecent Proposal
Rover’s not sure if he should jump for joy — or jump off the nearest overpass. His popular morning radio show, Rover’s Morning Glory on 92.3 Xtreme Radio, recently went into syndication. Now he gets to riff on poop and pubic hair in Cleveland, Columbus, and Madison, Wisconsin. But any excitement the pugnacious radio personality…
New Order
Only two of New Order’s three signature elements are present on Waiting for the Sirens’ Call — Bernard Sumner’s airy voice and Peter Hook’s springy bass — and that’s not enough to keep the magic going. The Manchester legends have joined R.E.M. on the growing list of ’80s icons who have declined from revolutionary rock…
Atom Dancers
4/21-4/24 If its mouthful of a name hasn’t attracted enough curiosity, its performances may do the trick. Subatomic Frequency Modulation Overdose is a homegrown dance company that, says dancer and managing director Zoe Schultz, “likes to keep it ambiguous.” Nine dancers, three musicians, and an art director combine their talents in six new works under…
Sting
Sting’s given name is Gordon Sumner, he’s beginning to look a lot like Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill, and his boner lasts for like four hours without the benefit of Viagra. This much we know about the man. What we don’t know about Sting is now readily available in the form of a memoir, Broken Music,…
Eels
For most of the last year, Mark Oliver Everett, aka E, the singular talent behind the Eels, has been in his basement studio working on Blinking Lights, a two-CD set crammed with 33 tracks — more than an hour and a half of music. A few high-profile names pop up here and there, including Tom…
Chow Time
“No more soccer!” declares small-time thug Sing (writer-director-star Stephen Chow) as he vigorously stomps on a child’s ball. In the context of Kung Fu Hustle, it’s a pathetic attempt by Sing to make himself look tough. The larger signal, however, is to followers of Chow’s work — it’s a direct reference to his last international…
Rock City
New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon is one of rock’s major annual showcases, and now CMJ (short for College Music Journal, the monthly music-industry bible) is teaming with the Rock Hall for the CMJ/Rock Hall Music Fest. The festival kicks off June 8 with two concerts by the Pixies, followed over the next three days…
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Like Travis Bickle muttering about scum in Taxi Driver, this talented one-man band actually belongs to the L.A. “Creepshow” that he scorns here on his second Paw Tracks album. Having recorded some 200-300 master tapes on bad equipment in his bedroom over nine years, Ariel Pink somehow caught the attention of his fellow innocents in…
A Lot Like Good
Amanda Peet. Ashton Kutcher. Romantic comedy. Who’d have thought it could work? And yet A Lot Like Love is an entertainment success, a triple threat of fresh writing, inspired directing, and, yes, good acting. Fortified with a healthy dose of intelligence, it manages to leap clear across an entire field of pitfalls, including the no-longer-quite-so-glaring…
Hot Souse
A band versatile enough to show several musical faces sometimes risks diluting its identity, a fate that the Canton septet Hot Souse avoids. Blues sounds of the jump, Chicago, and Delta variety, along with old-school R&B, jazzy moments, and the occasional original track are all part of the group’s arsenal. While each member is a…
Lost in Translation
Among the many mysteries surrounding The Interpreter is the one that finds Sydney Pollack heralded as a major American director, a maker of Serious and Important Movies. His filmography, marked by mawkish mediocrities (Out of Africa, as vibrant as a coffee-table book; The Way We Were, its romance as plausible as sci-fi) and self-important bores…
The Alter Boys
Formerly known as Mushroomhead singer J. Mann, Jason Popson has a new band, and it’s not nearly as metal as that gun-toting hit squad, though it’s just as colorful. The Alter Boys features members of Unified Culture, the Spudmonsters, Dog Fashion Disco, and MTV’s Jackass — Ryan Dunn sings, and Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera…
Off Topic
The Groden family lives out in the middle of the New Mexico desert, far from main roads. They grow, harvest, and/or kill all their own food, own their own home, and make what little money they need from crafts. They’ve got no phone or indoor plumbing, and they haven’t paid taxes in several years. Since…
