Rock Hall featured on American Idol tonight
After years of being parodied for our alleged dowdy dreariness, it’s about time Cleveland started scoring on national TV. And we have to admit, it feels kind of good. 30 Rock seems to have made it its personal mission is to raise our self-esteem, going so far as to pen a song about our city’s…
No, a title won’t make Cleveland fans more depressed. But thanks for asking
“Man, I hope we don’t win! I can’t afford to go on Paxil!” In advance of tonight’s second-round opener between the Cavaliers and Celtics, a blogger and former Clevelander penned a piece today suggesting that Cleveland fans would not be any happier – truly more content – if the Cavs somehow beat the odds, dispatched…
Oh, it’s on: Cleveland Orchestra punks Detroit’s Robot Conductor with visit from Virtual Maestro
The feud between struggling post-industrial towns is heating up. And the biggest blows aren’t being thrown on the hardwood or in the shared waters of Lake Erie. No, for evidence that the long-festering rivalry between Detroit and Cleveland has boiled over, one need not look further than the staid halls of their respective symphony orchestras,…
Hello, Cleveland: This Week’s Concert Cheat Sheet
It’s a good week for dance and electro music, from she-male Jeffree Star to Cali crooners the Metro Station. But the real discovery of the week is the White Tie Affair, who out-pop them all, with emo looks and a boy-band sound. Click the video for a sample. And click “more” for a full rundown…
Market Forecast: Cocaine Prices in Cleveland, Not So Good
It looks like Chad’s Mother’s Day after-party won’t be as fun as it was last year. Cokeheads won’t be happy to hear that a shipment of 30 kilos of cocaine, destined for the nasal passages of Northeast Ohio, was confiscated by authorities on Friday night. Turns out that the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement tipped…
The cinema of Don King: Get in touch with Cleveland’s most magnamoniously flamboytastic boxing promoter
Only Cleveland could have produced a character as splendiferously vindictive as Don King. A Kent State dropout and former local numbers-runner, King killed two people in our fair city (one was ruled self-defense, the other manslaughter) before breaking into the boxing racket as a ruthless promoter — or, more appropriately, a pugilistic embezzler. From Larry…
This Just In: Nine Inch Nails, Neil Diamond headline the latest Cleveland concert announcements
Neil Diamond, Merle Haggard, KT Tunstall (click the video for a taste), and Cleveland’s own Nine Inch Nails headline this week’s list of new shows. Reznor and Nails probably deserve the spotlight, but Tunstall’s way cuter. And that’s how C-Notes rolls, y’all. Read on for the rundown. — D.X. Ferris
Meet Delonte West, the funniest dude in the NBA
Judging by the way you’re burning that Paul Revere oil painting while your buddy paints your entire body wine and gold, you’ve heard that tonight the Cavs and Celtics are kicking off Round 2. We were eternally pleased to see that Cleveland got Boston, not for any super-strategical reason, but because it gave us a…
Nine Inch Nails at the Q: Tickets on sale Wednesday
Tickets for the Friday, August 22 Nine Inch Nails show at Quicken Loans arena go on pre-sale Wednesday tomorrow – which means they’re sort of on sale, but you have to jump through a couple hoops. And, for once, it seems worthwhile. The NIN newsletter describes the process: “Premium tickets for all NIN headline dates…
Welcome to America. This is a pencil. Now fill in those bubbles!
The Ohio Achievement Test lived up to all its grand ridiculousness at Joseph Gallagher school, on West 65th Street, last month. The K-8 school, which we profiled last month as the equivalent to a model United Nations, had yet another refugee family enroll two days before the start of the first statewide standardized test. The…
Radiohead offers preferred parking to fans who cram into one car
Radiohead have a pretty cool deal for fans heading to their Blossom Music Center concert on August 4. Cars with five or more people will get preferred parking to the show. And anyone who’s ever tried to leave Blossom after a packed show (and believe us, the Radiohead show will be stuffed) knows that it’s…
Pangea Day comes to Sarava and Talkies
It’s no Live Aid, but thanks to the power of modern communication, Clevelanders can be part of Pangea Day from 2 to 6 p.m. this Saturday, May 10, at both Sergio’s Sarava on Shaker Square (13225 Shaker Square, 216-295-1200) and Ohio City’s Talkies (2521 Market Ave., 216-696-FILM). Symbolically named after Earth’s original supercontinent, the event…
Dick Feagler: What’s the big deal with this Rev. Wright?
Today’s topic: Dick thinks people shouldn’t be bagging on Barack Obama just because his preacher is a nut… I was at the coffee shop, and the guys all agree: This Rev. Wright is a fruitcake. A nutjob. His elevator don’t reach the top floor. So what’s the big deal? Back in day, everyone knew that…
Vincent Carbone: An indictment didn’t keep him off the Orange school board
Getting indicted for bribery is such a common occurrence among politicians in these parts, it’s hardly worth mentioning on a resume. But it does take a special talent for a businessman to get indicted – while still receiving government contracts and maintaining an elected position. For this unprecedented trifecta, we salute Vincent Carbone as Northeast…
Black Keys play free show. You’re invited!
“Says here we’re playing a free show.” The Black Keys are playing a free show at the Beachland Tavern on Wednesday. Here’s the scoop: MySpace (which is sponsoring the gig) will hand out wristbands at the Beachland, starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday. It’s first-come-first-served. Plus, only one wristband per person. Doors open at 8 p.m.…
C-Notes’ Entertainment Picks of the Week
Every Monday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do in the week ahead. For more options, log onto entertainment.clevescene.com. And check back Friday for C-Notes’ Picks of the Weekend. Monday: New Jersey’s Black Hollies crank up a medley of ’60s-inspired garage rock tonight, when they command the…
In Bay Village, cycling is not, at least for the moment, too cool for school
Bay students race to Mrs. T’s first-period bio class. Word is there’s a pop quiz worth hella points. Readers: Be careful when driving out near the Bay Village area. Hundreds of Bay High School students are pedaling to school this month on their bicycles. It’s irrefutable proof that Al Gore and Lance Armstrong are slowly…
Slide Show: Megadeth at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
“Are you ready to rock!” Megadeth rocked Time Warner Cable Amphitheater yesterday as part of the Gigantour, which included a bunch of other longhaired guys who play guitar solos you’d never be able to replicate on Guitar Hero. Scene photographer Walter Novak was there. Check out his slide show. – Michael Gallucci
Nine Inch Nails make another record. And it’s totally free!
That Trent Reznor sure is busy. Mere months after releasing the instrumental Ghosts I-IV, the former Clevelander has made another Nine Inch Nails record. The Slip, um, slipped out as a totally free download after midnight. And unlike the sorta-snoozy Ghosts, The Slip sounds like a genuine NIN record, complete with vocals. If you’re not…
The great art heist, Collinwood style
Last winter, crime took a new and creative twist in Collinwood. Thieves smashed a window at the True Art Gallery on 156th Street and stole 33 pieces —mostly paintings. The works, created by a group of six Akron artists known as Raw Umber, had only been on display for about a week before they disappeared.…
Alex Arshinkoff wins reelection; Satan buys a round for the house
Summit County Republican Chairman Alex Arshinkoff may be the most spineless man in Northeast Ohio. Still, it’s hard not to admire how he puts his lack of vertebrae to use. For the past thirty years, Arshinkoff has managed to wiggle his way out of controversies that would have knocked most politicians on their asses. He’s…
Cleveland makes another appearance on 30 Rock
Tina Fey won’t move to Cleveland until we get an IKEA. There are many reasons why C-Notes loves “30 Rock” – for its wit, for Tina Fey, and for its endlessly loving riffs on Cleveland. In last week’s show, our fair city once again played a prominent role. Liz Lemon’s (Fey) old flame Lloyd is…
A very strange battle over autism fundraising
Last year, Marianne Seaman threw the kind of bash only possible for well-connected rich ladies. As a Springsteen cover band rocked out in the background, 1,000 of Seaman’s friends and friends-of-friends packed the House of Blues for Cleveland Rocks Autism, an event inspired by her 12-year-old son Austin and Northeast Ohio’s dearth of research money.…
University Hospitals, where minority contractors are screwed once again
Port Authority inspector Bon Dean long ago fingered Granger Trucking as a minority front company. Mayor Frank Jackson won kudos earlier this year for helping broker a deal with University Hospitals that was supposed to give more work to black builders. The healthcare giant, which is planning $730 million worth of construction projects over the…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Flowers in Flames at Phantasy tonight
Every so often, we rope a band into explaining why you’ll be empty inside without seeing it this weekend. Today, C-Notes passes the mic to Flowers in Flames, goth revivalists featuring a member of Full Wave Rectifier, who are currently recording with Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices) in Kent’s Waterloo Studios. Band: Flowers in Flames…
Pajamagate: Attorney General Marc Dann admits to affair
Last month, things got really weird in the Ohio Attorney General’s office after Marc Dann’s scheduler, Jessica Utovich, was rumored to be hanging out at her boss’ apartment in her pajamas. At first, it seemed much ado about nothing – a longtime friend and employee wearing sweatpants over to her boss’s place for some last…
Hello, Cleveland! This weekend’s concert cheat sheet
It’s a great week for every kind of bangin’ club music, whether you like techno, electro, or underground hip-hop. But the show that’ll blow your mind, ears, and eyes is Bad Boy Bill tonight at Traffic. Click the video for a sample. And click “more” for a full rundown of shows and why you should…
What the Cavs have to do win Game 6
Step 5: Find DeShawn Stevenson’s Gatorade, and … The Cavs blew a golden chance on Wednesday to seal up the Wizards series at home and wait for the Boston Celtics to dispatch of the Atlanta Hawks. Instead, the series, now 3-2 in Cleveland’s favor, is heading back to Washington with momentum seemingly on the side…
C-Notes’ Picks of the Weekend
Every Friday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do this weekend. For more options, log onto entertainment.clevescene.com. And check back Monday for C-Notes’ Picks of the Week. Friday: Dress designers across Northeast Ohio have been looking ahead to the start of the eight-day Fashion Week Cleveland. It…
Laugh and live forever (on DVD) with comedian John Caparulo
Comedian John Caparulo’s Saturday, May 3 show at Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theatre (1519 Euclid Ave.) will be taped for a DVD. The funny man appeared in Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy show. The show takes place at Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theatre (1519 Euclid Ave.), 8 p.m., tickets $17.50 with student ID/$22.75 without (Tickets.com). He’s a…
For Michael Symon, a Rachael Ray charity event is all about the kids — and the Clinton
Michael Symon likes Bill Clinton. Like, likes him likes him. Even celebrity chefs have their heroes, and for Cleveland’s own Michael Symon (Lola, Lolita), that would be former president Bill Clinton. “When he speaks to you, it’s like nobody else exists,” an awestruck Symon told C-Notes this week, still high on his Monday night meeting…
The Costas Now Debacle: Tracking Braylon Edwards’ inner thoughts
Will Leitch On Costas NowUploaded by Machochip (Editor’s note: This blog more or less reinforces every criticism of the blogosphere and its lack of credibility. But f**k it! Making s##t up is fun!) On Tuesday night, Bob Costas hosted a town-hall meeting on HBO regarding the state of sports and the media. The now infamous…
Attention Cleveland: Don’t eat that fig newton lying on the ground
We know how it is. One day you’re walking down the block, minding your own business, when suddenly you see some tasty morsel just sitting there on the sidewalk. Question is: do you eat it? Most days C-Notes would say go for it (we’re big proponents of the 35-second rule). But next week, the game…
Neil Diamond’s coming to America — Cleveland, specifically
Neil Diamond — the immortally schmaltzy icon and songwriting genius behind hits like “Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Comin’ to America” — is coming to the Q Sunday, August 3. He’ll be promoting his new album, Home Before Dark, his second with producer Rick Rubin, who rejuvenated Johnny Cash’s recording career, stood by the…
Non-profit touts lemon development as the best housing project in Cleveland?
They look pretty on the outside, but the construction quality might be best described as Early 21st Century Scab. Three years ago, we introduced you to the Villages of Central, a massive, publicly-subsidized development featuring hundreds of new homes in one of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods. The houses were affordable and charming, with cozy porches and…
One more reason to hate DeShawn Stevenson
DeShawn Stevenson, the outspoken Wizards guard who just accrued a $25,000 fine, was photographed outside the Ritz yesterday in a Michael Vick jersey and backwards Falcons hat. As you know, Stevenson’s been carrying a feud – at least the effete basketball version – with LeBron since the Cavs-Wizards series started. Now, in addition to his…
Cavs lose to Wizards: Thoughts from a bowling alley on East 30th
Get out of our heads, Jason Kapono. You’re making it smell like vanilla in here. Watching the Cavs lose last night via a Caron Butler lay-up over LeBron James sure dampened the mood of those bowling at Twin Lanes. Even the lovably grumpy twin owners were further downtrodden. It was the sudden nature of the…
Daddy’s: If you can get past Glamazon, you’ll have fetish-tastic time
So this is what you get when you Google-image “fetish bar.” I’d never been to a fetish bar until last weekend, for the grand opening of Daddy’s in the rehabbed basement of the rustic gay club, Cocktails Cleveland. But thanks to a dominatrix named Glamazon and her intimidating cat o’nine tails, I was given a…
The $960 piece of shit
It’s an axiom long known: what someone considers shit, someone else considers gold. In this case, the expression has never quite been more literal. Steve Tsenges, a Fairport Harbor resident and owner of OurPet’s, a company that manufactures odor control products for animals, just bid $960 at a New York auction in an effort to…
Ohio U. names journalism building after Roger Ailes; what’s next, the Jimmy Dimora School of Manners?
If we give you a coupon to BW3s, Roger, would you name your neck C-Notes? Just wondering. Shat hath hit the sputtering fan of journalism once again. The famed E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University has renamed its newsroom after Roger Ailes, a man who brazenly corrupts more or less everything they teach.…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Nudity at Now That’s Class tonight
Yeah, we were disappointed by the picture too. When a band has a name like Nudity, it’s best to shut up and let them speak for themselves. So … Band: Nudity Web: MySpace.com/NudityTheBand Hometown: Olympia, Washington Sounds like: “Group meditation through rock’n’ roll rhythms, in flashing reds and purples.” Recommend for fans of: “Psychedelia, hard…
WMMS plays more music. Unfortunately, it’s the same crap you’ve heard a million times
WMMS celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. And it’s commemorating the event by adding more old music to its playlist! With the recent addition of Rover’s Morning Glory to the schedule, the onetime rock behemoth was in danger of becoming an all-talk station. Between Rover’s five-hour marathon blabfest every morning and Maxwell’s similar chat-athon sucking…
Restaurant of the Weekend: Lopez Southwestern Food Club
Monday marks Cinco de Mayo – the date in 1862 when Mexico struck a decisive blow against an invading French army at the Battle of Puebla – making this the perfect weekend to pop the top on a couple of Coronas and dig into some tuna tacos. Our pick for Party Central? Lopez Southwestern Food…
Tribe: Pronk ruminates on his own suckitude
As our resident anguish-stricken Cleveland sportswriter has pointed out, the man we once revered as Pronk is beginning to look a lot like Paul Sorrento. Which is frustrating, because if you study old photos of Municipal Stadium, you’ll notice there’s no seating section called Sorrentoville. Travis Hafner is well aware of his struggles. On Tuesday…
Channel 19 reporter nabs carjacker
Shannon O’Brien: TV anchor/ crime fighter. It started out as a normal morning for Shannon O’Brien, a news anchor for Channel 19. It was 5 a.m., and she was on East 9th getting a live shot of National City for a story about the bank “getting an influx of cash blah, blah, blah,” O’Brien says.…
Judge Linda Teodosio sentences a rapist to no prison time
In this week’s issue of Scene, our feature story delves into the world of Summit County Juvenile Court, where discipline isn’t always handed down the way it should be. “Canning Miss A” tells the tale of Laura Asbury, a model detention officer who dedicated seven years to helping at-risk girls stay out of trouble. The…
Untitled
As if Eddie Izzard’s Monty Python-inspired stream-of-consciousness comedy routines weren’t weird enough, the dude has to do it in drag and then remind us that he’s not gay – just a straight guy who just loves performing in pantyhose and heels. Still, Izzard’s oddball delivery – a lengthy strand of tangents about British history, vacuum…
Today is Beat Up A White Kid Day in the Cleveland schools
In some cultures, May 1st is a celebration of spring. Parties are held, poles are decorated with ribbon, and kids get off of school. In Cleveland, some students might be staying home today too – but in their case it has nothing to do with springtime celebrations. In these parts of the woods, May 1st…
$13 at … Shaker Square’s Fire
In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because, as it turns out, most bistros don’t accept Monopoly money. The picky bastards. This week … Fire Food & Drink 13220 Shaker Square, Cleveland, (216) 921-3473, www.firefoodanddrink.com For Scene’s full review, click here. What $13 got us: Braised pork crepes with…
Juanita Myrick gets 20 years for stealing from Cuyahoga County
Only in Jimmy Dimoraland could someone steal $864,000 over 13 years — and keep getting promoted. When last we left Juanita Myrick, the meticulous bureaucrat and longtime veteran of the Cuyahoga County Department of Employment and Family Services had been indicted for stealing $864,000 in welfare checks from the agency. In a marathon scam that…
The Beachland Prom: It’s coming up, so ask her soon before that burn-out with a band does
The Beachland (15711 Waterloo Road) will host its annual adult prom night Saturday, May 17. The Helper T-Cells and Dreadful Yawns will provide the music to which you will cut your rug and, if your date lets you, slide your hands inconspicuously onto his or her ass until Miss Heinrich comes by with a ruler…
Roz G, Jim Jeffries play Cleveland this weekend
Unless you recognize a comedian’s name as That Girl From that Movie or the Dude from That One HBO Special, it can be hard to tell whether a stand-up is worth seeing. Lucky you: C-Notes did the legwork, and the skinny on this week’s big comedy shows, video included, is just a click away. Read…
Travis Hafner: the new Paul Sorrento?
I used to look at Travis Hafner standing at the plate and see something like this. Now, all I see is this. That’s right Wahoos, that’s Paul Sorrento, the Indians’ first basemen and sometime DH from 1992 to 1995. And while the first image might be scarier for pitchers to glare down in the batter’s…
Luxe Kitchen opens Thursday
The bar is stocked, the staff is trained, and the permits have all been signed: Luxe Kitchen and Lounge, Marlin Kaplan’s much anticipated Gordon Square restaurant, opens on Thursday. The vibe is hip, the décor is funky, and prices are moderate – all aimed to attract the neighborhood’s growing number of young professionals. “It’s gonna…
Last Night in Cleveland: The B-52’s
The last time the B-52’s released an album, it was 16 years ago. Good Stuff was a brave but futile attempt at soldiering on without founding member Cindy Wilson. The new Funplex, in essence, sounds like the proper follow-up to the 1989 blockbuster, Cosmic Thing. Two days after celebrating her 60th birthday, Kate Pierson joined…
Cult Films: ‘Harold and Maude’ at the Cedar Lee
The first Saturday of every month, Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 440.564.2030) plays a different cult flick at 9:30 and midnight. It’s their “Cult Film Series”, and this week, they play one of the more F’ed-up love stories in Hollywood history. Harold and Maude is a 1971 dark comedy about the carnal…
Times: For now, saving Ohio with wind- and solar- energy is a pipe dream
Something to gnaw on when you hear your esteemed mayor, city council, and other leaders pinning this fine state’s future on alternative energy, namely wind and solar energy, which they seem fond of doing: If it’s going to happen, The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman writes today, it’s going to take some folks in Washington…
Michael Symon’s Roast — bringing one kick-ass ribeye to the Motor City
One of the high-points of covering last week’s story on Roast, Michael Symon’s Detroit restaurant slated to open in late October, was the chance to chat with the charming Chris Ferchill, VP of development for Cleveland’s Ferchill Group, which owns the historic Westin Book Cadillac Hotel where the restaurant will be located. …
Breaking news: Beacon Journal theater critic breaks balls
The Bang and the Clatter Theater group has been getting reviews. But this week the Beacon Journal lit them up. It’s been a while since The Akron Beacon Journal has had a reputation for thought provoking reviews of anything, let alone theater. Thanks to massive lay-offs, diminishing content, and a totally demoralized newsroom, we’ve come…
Fall opening set for Michael Symon’s ROAST
Last week was another big one for Cleveland’s Iron Chef, Michael Symon (Lola, Lolita): Not only did he announce that he’ll be hosting the Food Network’s third-most-popular show, Dinner: Impossible, but details of Symon’s long-rumored Detroit project, in the renovated Book Cadillac Hotel (1114 Washington Boulevard), were finally released. Those include the name, Michael Symon’s…
Mariah Carey
It’s a tad disconcerting to hear Mariah Carey’s once-unrestrained voice squeezed through producer T-Pain’s trademark auto-tune warble machine. “Migrate” kicks off E=MC², Carey’s 11th album, and you could call it a symbolic moment: the final taming of Carey’s vocal excesses in service to a song. Carey’s triumphant comeback has been less about the Emancipation of…
Diverse Universe
Exercise your right to be yourself at this morning’s Walk, Rock & Run at the Rock Hall. Literally. “It’s a way to get the community to appreciate each other’s differences,” says Brittny Bell, an associate director of the Diversity Center. “Most of the time, we exist in our own boxes. This is a way to…
When Less Is Less
When the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I first hit theaters, some fans bought tickets for the movie it was presented with, watched the trailer, and then walked out — essentially paying full price for a fraction of the final product. Superfans are happy to do that sort of thing — heck, I did it…
Boris
Japanese metalheads Boris continue their progression from deep-riffing stoner band to experimental noise wizards on Smile. There’s still plenty of Western-metal heaviness: the Sabbath-like brooding of “Buzz-In,” “Laser Beam”‘s Metallica-style speed-crunch, and “Statement,” which power-amps Blue Cheer’s shredded guitars. Boris also takes some time out for daydreams (“My Neighbor Satan” is so heartbreaking, it’s gotta…
If the Shoe Fits
Think of MTV’s The Hills in toe shoes this weekend, when the Ballet Theatre of Ohio dances three performances of Cinderella. With a pair of bitchy sisters and a prince with a foot fetish, the production screams hilarity. “We have this misconception that ballet is boring,” says Val Renner, the troupe’s spokeswoman. “This show is…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
The Blacks: A Clown Show — Jean Genet’s The Blacks: A Clown Show is a brutally confrontational tone poem that will leave an imprint on your mind. Genet — the white, French playwright who spent a good chunk of his youth as a thief and male prostitute — was a master at creating theatrical ceremony…
Hayes Carll
Poor Hayes Carll. His girl just left him for Jesus. “She showed me a picture,” sings the Austin-based troubadour on his major-label debut. “All I could do was stare at that freak in the sandals, with his long purty hair.” Carll’s ex even tries to persuade him to give her new man a chance. “If…
The Fabrics of Your Life
Step aside, New York and L.A. It’s Northeast Ohio’s turn to work the catwalk for Fashion Week Cleveland.An eight-day stretch of fashion shows and galas starts tonight with the admission-free Glam Party — for revelers in “fashion-forward” attire, who’ll be dancing to spins by DJs GO and Impure (8 p.m. at La Dolce Vita, 12112…
Otis Redding gets blue, tops this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collector’s Edition) (Rhino) One of the greatest R&B records ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this two-CD set, which includes the original 1965 album (in both stereo and mono versions), live songs, B-sides, and alternate mixes. Redding — who died in a plane crash a…
Flight of the Conchords
In real life, Flight of the Conchords snagged a Grammy nomination for an EP it released last year. And hipsters adore the goofy New Zealand duo. Funny thing is, on the group’s HBO series, the fictional Flight of the Conchords never would have scored like this. The whole show centers on the guys’ failure to…
Worth the Weight
Charmaine Spencer doesn’t mind if you paw over her mud-and-pulp artwork in her latest exhibit, A Place to Dwell. The Cleveland Institute of Art grad even invites you to stand inside the pieces at tonight’s opening of the next installment of the Window to Sculpture Emerging Artist Series. “They have to be strong for people,”…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
The Formal Absences of Precious Things — Tannaz Farsi’s work has presence. It must be reacted to, not merely looked at. Farsi fills the room with oversize, clear vinyl pillows, over six feet tall and four feet wide. As viewers maneuver through the claustrophobic space, four plastic tubes run from the side of each pillow…
Robert Forster
Forster’s first solo album in more than 10 years is also his first record since the 2006 death of Grant McLennan, his longtime musical partner in the Australian indie-pop band the Go-Betweens. McLennan’s passing hovers over The Evangelist — he co-wrote three songs — but never suffocates it. The Go-Betweens’ rhythm section is also here,…
Artists’ Block
Since Acme Artists opened more than a year ago, co-owners Mark Ball and Christian Harwell have tipped their berets to Canton’s burgeoning art colony. On the first Friday of every month, the duo rounds up painters, sculptors, and furniture makers to sell their pieces outside the gallery during the Acme Artists Block Party. “It is…
The 3rd Police District gets rave reviews from Slavic Village. But the mayor wants to kill it
As Mayor Frank Jackson barrels ahead with his plan to consolidate the city’s police districts in May, the fight is getting nasty. Under current conditions, there’s only a 50-50 chance a cop will respond to your 911 call, unless you use the words “officer down.” The mayor’s new plan, according to union chief Steve Loomis,…
Los Campesinos!
The debut CD by the Welsh septet Los Campesinos! is packed with so much youthful energy, it oughta come with its own supply of Ritalin. Like the Go! Team — another group of coed U.K. kids who dig exclamation points and pep-rally cheers — Los Campesinos! play vigorous indie-pop, spiked with the sounds of glockenspiel…
Manfeeders
Testosterone fuels the culinary talents of the 100 armchair chefs competing in today’s Real Men Cook benefit for the Women’s Alliance for Recovery Services. And you can thank Sylvia Pacifico for making sure the foodie roster for the 20th annual cook-off is strictly male-dominated. “I am known for not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” says…
Why did Judge Linda Teodosio fire a model detention officer?
Laura Asbury flips through a stack of photographs. Her long, manicured nails graze dozens of smiley faces, inspiring deep dimples in her own. Each shows the 32-year-old juvenile detention officer embracing a different girl. In one, Asbury wraps her slender arms around the broad shoulders of a girl who looks like any other happy 17-year-old…
User Sets Mode+
Ages ago, User Sets Mode+ singer Mandy Lashua and guitarist Derek Lashua played in the Frans and Racermason. After a long layoff, they’re rocking harder than ever — which is less surprising when you factor in new drummer Craig Ramsey, who’s played metalcore and swing with Ascension and Ace & the Ragers. Derek plays like…
Being Here
Although New York’s Lost October has two follow-up CDs in the can, the alt-rock foursome is still touring to plug its debut disc, Being There. But fans will get a taste of what’s to come on both Electrosentimental and Return, when the band plugs into the amps tonight at the Barking Spider. “I have a…
A mystical shaman, returning bandmates, and grinding riffs renew thrash kings Testament
Filled with spirits, prophecies, and demons, Testament’s music and story are better than most bands’. The details of the group’s 20-plus-year history, though, are quite common: Popular 1980s thrashers make some landmark records. The band fractures. The music changes. A major-label deal dissipates. Sixteen replacement players rotate through the group, keeping the name alive with…
Plastic Crimewave Sound
Plastic Crimewave Sound merges droning psychedelia with a brutal bottom-end churn that recalls the rhythmic throb of fellow Chicagoans Big Black and the Jesus Lizard. The band’s six-string squall meanders from Eastern-soaked downpours to atonal, Sonic Youth-style counterpoints — with occasional sheets of distortion thrown in for good measure. While all of this brings the…
Baloo
Corey Farrow is the gifted producer behind some of Low in the Sky’s best cuts. Sky paints musical soundscapes that have giant beats and irresistible melodies. On his solo Baloo project, Farrow is free to wander way off that grid, and he does. Giraffula has some brilliant moments — like the simple, happy guitar jam…
Pregnancy Test
Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days paints a bleak yet pointed portrait of what happens when you hide the truth from your family and friends.The year-old flick tracks the life of Otilia, a college coed who helps her roommate, Gabriela, borrow money to get a back-alley abortion from a seedy doctor in…
At Willoughby’s Burgers-N-Beer, the name says it all
You’ve got to hand it to Burgers-N-Beer owner Doug Ciancibello: In an era when restaurant names seem chosen more to mystify than to enlighten (who, exactly, is Lola, and what the hell is a Parallax?), the owner of this eight-year-old Willoughby tavern lays it all out, right in the name. Burgers. And beer. Couldn’t be…
Uncle Monk
According to Thomas Erdelyi, old-time folk music and punk rock have a lot in common. He should know. He was the Ramones’ original drummer, back when he was known as Tommy Ramone. These days, Erdelyi is pickin’ and grinnin’ with Claudia Tienan in the acoustic bluegrass duo Uncle Monk. “It’s more about emotions and feel,”…
I’m Game!
Time Warp owner Rob Rogers is at his savviest, most nights of the week, when he comes up with games for his patrons to play. Tonight, revelers pay half-price for their drinks if they can beat a bartender at a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. And for the past six months, chances have been sweet…
Wastin’ Away Again
Downtown Cleveland’s newest Mexican joint, Zócalo, has figured that it should make up for lost time during Cinco de Mayo. That, or it just really likes to party. Starting tonight, the “tequilería” hosts a five-day fiesta, with $4 Tecate big boys, $5 margaritas, and $6 Mexican car bombs. There’s also the $9 ski shot, for…
U.S. Maple blew up indie-rock tradition. Singer pieces it back together
U.S. Maple fans, some of the most rabid in all of indie-rock, are walking around with granite-strength boners these days. That’s because axe-master Todd Rittmann and drummer Adam Vida have a new project. It’s called Singer, and the quartet sounds a lot like its predecessor. Those old fans will instantly begin frothing at the mouth…
The AP Tour
You pretty much know what’s in store at the AP Tour: a bunch of fresh-faced pop-punks who sing about how the world just doesn’t get them. And girls; they’ll be singing a lot of songs about girls. This year’s headliners — All Time Low and the Rocket Summer — embody Alternative Press’ core readership. The…
Chopin & Chardonnay
Classical music pairs with fine wine tonight for the Cleveland Institute of Music’s sophomore outing of Uncorked!, in the Flats. And while students musicians hit the right notes by the masters, wine connoisseurs can sip samples from 20 vintners and feast on grub by 18 Northeast Ohio restaurants. “This is a concert with a food-…
Punt, Pass, & Shtick
When you ask comedians to name their heroes, most of them will spout off about their favorite yucksters of yesteryear, influential TV shows, even cartoons. For East Liverpool-born John Caparulo, the Cleveland Browns top the list. “East Liverpool is basically Steeler country. Had I picked the Steelers, even the Bengals, I don’t think I’d be…
Poisoned by Purina: The case of the alpaca massacre
Magical Farms sits on 1,000 acres in Litchfield, a place so quiet you can hear the wind smack against the branches of naked trees far off on the horizon. The googly eyes of 1,600 alpacas peer curiously from a maze of pens, where mothers feed their young and mammoth males with names like Powder Keg…
Caribou and Fuck Buttons
Using the same powers of deduction that earned him a mathematics Ph.D., electronic psych-popster Dan Snaith made a name for himself in 2004 — by literally changing his name. Up to that point, the Canadian-born Snaith had been known to fans as Manitoba. But when former Dictators frontman Dick Manitoba threatened a lawsuit, Snaith deftly…
Flower Power Trip
Here’s your heads-up to listen for a medley of ’60s-inspired garage rock, pop, and soul tonight, when New Jersey’s Black Hollies command the Beachland stage. But bassist Justin Angelo has a more ethereal take on the foursome’s tunes. “One time, we were asked what we sound like, and I just happened to be in the…
Local indie label Exit Stencil opens studio
Collinwood’s new Exit Stencil Studio is run by the same Cleveland indie impresarios behind the Exit Stencil record label, the sadly defunct Parish Hall venue, and Miller Weitzel art gallery. The studio is at East 161st Street and Waterloo Road, near the Beachland and Music Saves. “I have a notion of inviting touring groups in…
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man is a thing to marvel
I’ve always been more fond of comic-book heroes who emerge by intent rather than happenstance — the ones, like Batman’s Bruce Wayne, whose transformation from average Joe into masked crusader is an act of will instead of the unintended result of a spider bite or a meteor ride to earth. The ones who, underneath the…
Ill Bill
Growing up in Brooklyn during the ’80s, Ill Bill heard similarities between Slayer and Public Enemy — and it wasn’t just the sampled guitar riff that linked the Def Jam artists. “The common thread was aggression, anger, energy, the vibe,” recalls Bill. “At the time, there were only two forms of music where you’re going…
Literary Lady
Author Anne Fadiman thinks a new bookstore should scream bright lights and alphabetical book titles, while a secondhand shop should be more “chaotic,” with at least one cat asleep in the corner. There’s no telling how the National Book Critics Circle Award winner will size up the Cleveland Public Library today, when she talks about…
Ministry calls it quits. But it has one more tour to get through first
After more than a quarter-century of assaulting eardrums with squalling synths and amp-shredding guitars, Al Jourgensen is pulling the plug on Ministry. He’s had enough, he says. And it’s not one of those Beatles things, where he’ll continue to make Ministry records after he takes the group on one final tour across the continent. This…
McDreamy is in love with his Made of Honor gal pal — well, you know the drill
In Made of Honor, Patrick Dempsey plays a conveniently rich and willfully single serial “fornicator” who slowly but surely is domesticated by his unspoken love for longtime BFF Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), who’s on her way to Scotland to marry Mr. Right Now since Mr. Right’s too chickenshit to say boo before her “I do.” Which,…
Gigantour featuring Megadeth
Megadeth headlines the third not-quite-annual edition of Gigantour, a metal mini-fest that’s reacquainting the masses with the lost art of the guitar solo. This year’s lineup includes In Flames, Job for a Cowboy, Children of Bodom, and High on Fire. Every single one of them have hard-earned calluses on their fingertips. Megadeth frontman and Gigantour…
Hog Wild
On the first Sunday of every May, Louie Run chairman Michael Warren stands in front of a crowd of 9,000 bikers, takes a sharp Buck knife, and slices his left thumb. He then holds up his hand and squeezes it until blood oozes from the gash. “May this be the only drop of blood shed…
Letters published April 30, 2008
“Victim Dimora,” First Punch, April 23 Same Old Same Old Will The PD change its tune on Dimora? Finally Jim Dimora is seen for what he really is: a fat-cat politician who has done nothing for the voters. He promises everything at election time, but never produces anything. Ask organized labor how he has turned…
Steve Earle
Over the past two decades, singer-songwriter Steve Earle has been a country-music outlaw, a junkie, a convict, an alt-country troubadour, and an activist. He’s now turning into a cranky old man who writes songs about Condoleezza Rice and the FCC. Last year’s Washington Square Serenade softened the political blows a bit, focusing instead on backwoods…
Kings of Queens
You can trace snobby tea dances back to Victorian England, with their hoity-toity airs, their civility and royalty, and all that live orchestral music. At Carl’s Badass Tea Dance at gay bar Adams Street every Sunday, gentility rules — if you consider its leather-clad host a product of proper breeding and decorum. For starters, Carl…
After a strong Cleveland debut, The Bang and the Clatter hits the wall with Cagelove
Look around in life, and you’ll see plenty of people acting naturally, but few acting interestingly. That’s just one of the problems with the “naturalistic” acting in Cagelove, now at the Bang and the Clatter Theatre in Akron. And when you combine underwhelming performances with an uncharacteristically sloppy production, you have the makings of a…
Bad Boy Bill
Bad Boy Bill: The Chicago electro-house DJ puts on a massive show that would fill an arena — a strobing extravaganza of lights, video screens, and bass that’ll leave a bruise. And for a DJ, he rocks. This ain’t no sissy techno show.
Doobie Do
If a large plume of smoke over downtown Cleveland smells like Cheech & Chong’s favorite herb, then potheads are uniting for today’s Million Marijuana March. And the surname-free Laura will lead the kite-high parade of ganja smokers. “I’m a weed scientist, basically. There’s never been a pot overdose. You might forget some things and maybe…
The Play House delivers a playful, predictable take on brotherly love in All Hail Hurricane Gordo
Tossing around a little foam ball is fun because you can whip it fast and aim it anywhere, and nobody gets hurt. The theatrical equivalent — let’s call it Commedia dell’Nerf — is now on display in All Hail Hurricane Gordo at the Cleveland Play House. And though it makes no lasting impact, it’s mildly…
DJ Assault/DJ Mike Filly
Detroit’s DJ Assault puts the ass in assault, rapping like a horny thug (which isn’t a bad thing) over hard club dance music. A lot of rhymers claim to be a pimp, but when he says it, he sounds pretty convincing. Some sample lyrics from either “AssNTitties” or “Asses Jigglin'” (they’re so hard to keep…
Give ‘Em a Mint
A steady stream of mint juleps flows down the hatches of hundreds of horse-racing fans at today’s Kentucky Derby Party fund-raiser for the West Side Ecumenical Ministries.To go with the Running of the Roses’ alcoholic staple, the agency will also dish out a buffet of tender turkey breast, beef tenderloin, and bread pudding, doused with…
