Sin Tax Passes, but Opposition is Just Getting Started
Voters in Cuyahoga County approved the twenty-year extension of the Sin Tax yesterday by a margin of roughly 56 to 44 percent. The Issue 7 opposition released a statement Wednesday morning which characterized the race as a David vs. Goliath battle in which Sin Tax backers (led by the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the sports…
Valley View Mayor Pleads Guilty to Corruption
Randy Westfall, the lately resigned former mayor of Valley View, has pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering and racketeering, via the Plain Dealer’s John Caniglia. Westfall’s crimes consisted largely of siphoning funds from campaign donations for personal use. According to documents reviewed by Caniglia, Westfall used the money for trips to Mexico, car payments,…
Inaugural Dead Grass Festival Sets Up Camp In Medina This Weekend
If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that we can always use more jam band festivals. Thankfully, there’s a new one that will set up shop in Medina this weekend. The inaugural Dead Grass Festival will be held Friday through Sunday on the wooded property of the Medina Coon Club (8150 Coon Club…
Plans Back on Track for East Side Happy Dog
Following the untimely death of partner Sean Kilbane, Happy Dog partners Eric Williams and Sean Watterson placed on hold their plans to open a second Happy Dog in University Circle, in the historic Euclid Tavern. “Kilbane was the heart and soul of the Happy Dog, a huge advocate for the Cleveland music scene and a…
Akron Based Harris Stanton Art Gallery to Open Second Location in Cleveland’s Warehouse District
The new Harris Stanton Gallery will reside at 1370 West Ninth Street, formerlly Dylan’s Barber Shop. Akron’s Harris Stanton Gallery has unveiled plans to open a second location in Cleveland’s Warehouse District this summer. Located at 1370 West Ninth Street (literally a stone’s throw from the Scene headquarters), the new gallery will showcase a variety…
The Milk Carton Kids Thrill Cleveland With Gentle Songcraft and Witty Stage Banter
INSTAGRAM USER daniellebeaudin The room was very quiet as I walked sort of clumsily through the crowd to get to the bar. Brian Wright was doing a solo acoustic set onstage, and he sounded terrific, but I needed libations. The Milk Carton Kids were headlining. I ordered a Dale’s and the guy next to me…
Popular Walnut Wednesday Food Truck Meet-Up Returns Tomorrow
Walnut Wednesday returns to Perk Plaza at Chester Commons, at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and East 12th Street, on Wednesday, May 7. The 2014 Walnut Wednesday season — its fourth — runs each week through Wednesday, September 24. Food from more than a dozen of Cleveland’s best-known food trucks will be available from 11…
Editorial: Make Cleveland Strong — Vote NO on Issue 7
Taken directly from my Facebook page. This is a personal view of me, Sam Allard, not Scene magazine: From the bottom of my heart, PLEASE VOTE *NO* ON ISSUE 7 TODAY. This is extremely important. If you’re already opposed — maybe because you don’t feel that residents of the nation’s second-poorest major city should continue…
Cleveland to Host Q & A with Actors of New Film “The Fault in Our Stars”
Tower City is hosting a fan event on Wednesday, May 7 at 5 p.m. in anticipation of the upcoming film release The Fault in Our Stars. A handful of actors will be on hand, including Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, and author John Green, to share clips and answer questions about the movie and…
The Clifton Beat Plays Debut Show at Winchester Music Hall
Over the weekend, The Clifton Beat performed their debut show at Winchester Music Hall in Lakewood. The band features musicians from a number of other local acts, notably including the bulk of Inner Ring Conspiracy. Bill Rouse, Mark Bluhm, Paul Nickels and Jim Butterfield craft a really enjoyable sound. Their songwriting is a nice throwback…
Interview with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey General Manager
Friday night’s “Dazzle the District” event in Playhouse Square was, oddly enough, not this weekend’s biggest news story involving a chandelier. Sunday afternoon, nine Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performers were injured during a matinee show in Providence, Rhode Island, when a “human chandelier” apparatus plummeted to the ground. The accident occurred an hour-and-a-half…
A Bit About Thrive
What do a lunchtime dance party in the middle of downtown Cleveland, a farm-to-table tasting experience with a mystery chef in the middle of the National Park, random acts of kindness in public places, contagious laughter with total strangers, a cocktail party staffed by ninjas, all have in common? These are a few of the…
Cher Thrills Capacity Crowd at the Q with Theatrical Concert
Cher is still the diva of all divas. And she knows it. Early in last night’s 100-minute concert at Quicken Loans Arena, she admitted that her live shows are so extravagant, it’s as if she’s saying, “follow this you bitches” to other female performers. At 67, she has earned the right to brag. While plenty…
Alabama Shakes Brings its Distinctive ‘Kozmic Blues’ to Hard Rock Live on Wednesday
Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson was working at a small musical instrument store in Athens, Alabama when some of his musician friends asked him if he wanted to join their band. Since they were pals with whom he had jammed on numerous occasions, he said he’d give it a go. So he showed up one…
Harsh Winter Impacting Local Wineries
#153531657 / gettyimages.com Cold weather and growing grapes do not mix well together. Just ask the folks up in Geneva who say this past winter ravished their grape farms. Harpersfield Vineyard, an estate winery (meaning all grapes are grown on the property), will be totaling the damage in the coming weeks. “The jury is still…
Michelle Knight is Changing Her Name
Cleveland kidnapping victim Michelle Knight announced this morning on The Today Show that she is changing her name. “I felt like every brand new start needs new beginnings,” she told Today. Her new name? Lillian Rose Lee. She says she’ll go by Lily. While in captivity, Knight also suffered from identity fraud, after a family…
Scene Podcast: Viral Fame, Charles Ramsey, Election Day and More
This week, host Craig Lyndall chats with Sam Allard, who penned a fabulous profile of Charles Ramsey filled with insights and reporting you won’t find elsewhere, and Eric Sandy. Beyond Sir Ramsey, topics covered include the race for county executive, the sin tax debate, the pot march and some Browns talk, because it wouldn’t be…
Celebrate National Star Wars Day at Melt Bar and Grilled this Weekend
Image via Melt Bar and Grilled Sunday, May 4 is National Star Wars day and if you’re looking for a way to celebrate locally, look no further. Melt Bar and Grilled has Clevelanders covered this weekend with an array of Star Wars-themed sandwiches and drinks, including The Obi Wan Cannoli Melt (Deep fried cannoli shells,…
Top 10 Cinco de Mayo Bars and Restaurants in Cleveland
Cinco de Mayo has become just as big of a national holiday in America as it is in Mexico (some say it’s more of a fiesta here, than there). One thing’s for certain: our celebration involves lots of cerveza, chips and salsa. We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of some of the best…
Bac Unveils Plans for New University Circle Café
Back in January, we told you about Bac Nguyen’s plans to open a second Cleveland restaurant. He opened his first, the popular Bac Asian Bistro in Tremont, approximately four years ago. At the time, Bac divulged that the new restaurant would be located on the east side of town and that it would not be…
7 Concerts to See this Week in Cleveland (May 1 – 7)
Thursday, May 1 YG/DJ Mustard: The Compton rapper takes an autobiographical route here on his debut album, My Krazy Life, tapping into a home-based rage that has fallen out of most corners of hip-hop in the past decade. YG (Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson) spits tales of his youth and the family that had to contend…
10 Things Going on in Cleveland this Weekend (May 2 — 4)
Cleveland is showing its true colors this weekend, and everyone’s invited to take part. First up is Dazzle the District, where Playhouse Square’s new chandelier will light up over Euclid Ave. Whether you’ve been an inconvenienced Healthline rider, or a curious part of rush hour traffic, on Friday you’ll finally get to see what’s held…
Earlybird Brewing Looking at Late Summer Opening in Ohio City
Add Earlybird Brewing to the long and growing list of Cleveland breweries. About a year in the planning, the small brewery is on schedule to open late summer or early autumn near the border of Ohio City and Stockyards neighborhoods. Owner Pedro Sarsama says that had the legislation not recently changed, which dramatically lowered the…
Here’s One Minute of Dialogue That Encapsulates the Real Sin Tax Debate Perfectly
Below is one minute of transcribed dialogue from yesterday’s Sound of Ideas episode, in which WCPN hosted a conversation about the sin tax. In 59 seconds, the back-and-forth between a sin tax proponent, a sin tax opponent, and a neutral radio host perfectly demonstrates the crux of the argument that’s captivated the county (and is…
Mini Melt to be Part of the New Case Western Reserve University Student Center
When it’s completed in late summer, the $50 million Tinkham Veale University Center on the campus of Case Western Reserve University will feature a little taste of a big Cleveland landmark. Along with the usual student-focused amenities like coffee shops and cafes, the center will boast a Melt University. “Bon Appétit approached us two years…
Excerpt from Charles Ramsey’s “Dead Giveaway”
Our cover story this week, “Charles Ramsey Has a Goal,” looks at Ramsey on the brink of his book’s publication and what he hopes to achieve with it. Gray & Co. Publishers was good enough to provide an excerpt from the book itself: Dead Giveaway © 2014 by Charles Ramsey with Randy Nyerges. Reprinted with…
30 Photos from Bal Ingenieux 2013
Bal Ingénieux is a modern day celebration of 20th century Kakoon Arts Club parties, complete with period entertainment, food, and drink. Come clad in your finest era attire, and enjoy a night of mingling, mayhem, and much much more.
Lorain County Law Enforcement Receive Armored Military Vehicles
Photo via Chronicle Telegram Two armored military vehicles were gifted to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and the Lorain Police Department this week through the Ohio LESO Program, which provides surplus military property to law enforcement at no cost. The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles weigh about 50,000 pounds a piece and are equipped to withstand…
Charles Ramsey Has a Goal
Charles Ramsey, palming the small of a stranger’s back with one hand and flashing a peace sign with the other, poses for an iPhone between two pretty little white undergraduate blondes who don’t know what to say. So they say nothing. They giggle as Ramsey kisses their hands in turn and then eyes the throng…
Future Feasts: Cleveland’s 12 Most Anticipated Spring and Summer Bar and Restaurant Openings
Following a generally sleepy winter, the local food and drink scene will soon kick into high gear and deliver a roundhouse of hotly anticipated projects. Here are the ones we are most looking forward to: » Mason’s Creamery » Ohio City | » May Ice cream entrepreneurs Jesse Mason and Helen Qin have taken Mason’s…
Shop Local: Cleveland’s Farmers Markets
The spring growing season is upon us and it’s time to usher in an abundance of fresh, flavorful produce. The best place to find that produce, of course, is at your neighborhood farmers market. Plus, you’ll often have the opportunity to meet the farmers and producers who work hard all year to deliver these choice…
Learning How to Breathe: The Endless and Fruitless Search for Chuck Standberry
Willie Stanberry has been trying to solve the mystery of his elderly father’s disappearance for seven years. The police sure haven’t helped; Stanberry and his own private investigator had to supply East Cleveland police with hard-earned notes on the case. The streets aren’t coughing up answers, either. Willie, the kind of son who takes up…
Film Review of the Week: The Amazing Spiderman 2
Apologies folks, but generic Spiderman movies beget generic Spiderman movie reviews. Such is the case with The Amazing Spiderman 2, a competent and often fun superhero flick in which co-stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone sizzle with Oscorpian chemistry, but which is otherwise indistinguishable from its Spiderman predecessors. The landscapes, the villains, the conflicts, the…
Film Spotlight: Finding Vivian Maier
When he first read about the work of street photographer Vivian Maier, Charlie Siskel admits he didn’t think it would make a great documentary film. But after he got a call from his friend Jeff Garlin, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star who also works as a producer, he changed his mind. The resulting film, Finding…
Their Voices Carry: A Co-Headlining Tour Led Ted Leo and Aimee Mann to Collaborate as the Both
When Ted Leo and Aimee Mann toured together in 2012, Mann discovered she was particularly fond of Leo’s tune “The Gambler,” a song Leo wrote despite the fact that its title was the same as a famous song by Kenny Rogers. Mann convinced him to go for it, especially since, as she jokes, a “clerical…
Whole Milk Harmony: The Milk Carton Kids Serve Up Stark American Folk Music
Joey Ryan is catching a plane back to L.A., and somebody on the intercom at the airport keeps calling his name. His seat is apparently being upgraded, and now Ryan expresses understated joy as he returns to his phone call with Scene. “Fantastic,” he says dryly, his speaking voice much more low-key and reserved than…
Paint and Party: Local Promoter Puts a Twist on this Year’s Life in Color Event
When asked to describe the multi-media event that is Life in Color, a rave/paint party/concert extravaganza that defies categorization, promoter Michael Mellon is at a loss for words. “People dress in spandex and they put balloons on their heads,” he says one afternoon from Liquid, the Warehouse District bar where his company Tru Events often…
Band of the Week: The Modern Ruins
Meet the band: Andy Bopp (guitar, vocals), Ken Schopf (drums, vocals) The early days: Bopp and Schopf have been making music since the ’80s, and Bopp’s band Myracle Brah was even signed to Universal Records for a minute. “He’s well known in pop circles,” Schopf says of his band mate. “The first Myracle Brah album…
Long-Distance Love: A U.S.-Ireland Romance Surmounts Familial Obstacles in Kin at Dobama Theatre
Romantic relationships are fraught excursions, often resembling the old Buster Keaton silent movies. Those are the flicks where he walks from one airborne steel beam to another at a construction site, the next beam swinging into position just as his foot lands on it. Every romance needs a lot of good fortune as the two…
Also on Stage
The last romance If the idea of a play involving two oldsters who meet cute in a dog park sets off your “cloying alert” alarm, you’re not alone. But this play at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre features some genuinely funny lines and benefits from delightful performances by two longtime Cleveland acting pros. Mary Jane…
President of Drug-Testing Company Is Brother of St. Edward High School President
One of the big news items this week has to do with St. Edward High School, St. Ignatius High School and Gilmour Academy all kicking off a mandatory drug-testing program for their students in the fall. It’s an interesting story because no other schools in Northeast Ohio presently test their students for drug use. Another…
