Gay Marriage’s Slow Jog in Ohio
The warm winter is expected to cause a surge of irritating bugs this summer. In much the same way, a glut of constitutional amendment proposals should cause an extended surge of irritating petition gatherers at your door. Last Thursday, the Ohio Ballot Board approved two more constitutional amendment proposals, bringing to four the total number…
City Amps up Police Presence in Anticipation of Casino Opening
When big cities ramp up to host the Super Bowl and other similarly gargantuan soirées, local officials are quick to gussy up their downtown areas: more cops, fewer bums, maybe some tasteful origami centerpieces for the park benches. It’s like that final bit of cleanup to impress your date before she shows up, which only…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland.Garbage Out: Cleveland agrees to pay $200K for a second consultant to guide the way on trash-to-power plans after firing its $1.5 million consultant last month. The city is no closer to having a trash plant, but its consultant-recycling initiatives are earning praise in sustainability circles. Dash of Peppers:…
Rock Hall Library & Archives Officially Opens
It’s been two years in the making and it’s been open to the public since the beginning of the year. But last night — taking advantage of the buzz around induction week — the ribbon was snipped on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library & Archives. After the ribbon cutting and…
Former 806 Wine Bar Proprietors Arrested
Lisa Gottschalt in happier days Mug Shot: Not Gottschalt’s best day 806 Wine Bar on Literary Avenue, just around the corner from Tremont’s hot restaurant strip on Professor Avenue, has been the source of a lot of neighborhood drama. We covered some of it last year in a cover story about Tremont’s congestion issues, and…
2012 Is the Year of Missed Love Connections at Golden Corral
A notable trend is emerging on the Cleveland Craigslist Missed Connection boards: Golden Corral, that hot spot of infinite mashed taters and endless mini meatballs, is ground zero for missed love connections. Not only do folks actually head down to buffet central (who knew?), they’re bumping into people left and right, passing ships in the…
James Earl Jones Narrated This 1978 Film on the Cuyahoga River
NEORSD posted this a few months back. It’s just a clip of a longer documentary piece on the Cuyahoga River’s recovery, but it’s narrated by James Earl Jones. How did we never see this before? And how much did the Cleveland Harbor Preservation Committee pony up for God’s gift to voice-overs for the gig? Worth…
Driving Instructor Pulled Over With Vodka Bottle
Driving school is a significant pit stop on the way to adulthood – mostly because it hammers in the lesson that grown ups have to knock off awkward, mindless, time-sucking items from checklist in order to get an official stamp. So you sit in a damp classroom learning which signal is left, which is right,…
Ohio Man Arrested for Trying to Steal Sand from Masters Tournament
Augusta National is a land of decorum, rules (not all good ones, of course), the hushed tones of Jim Nantz, and the green jacket. The Masters holds a stratospheric reverence among golf fans. It’s a pilgrimage, an honor, a legend. It’s also a place to get shit-housed while watching the best golfers in the world.…
Update: Red Hot Chili Peppers Playing Free For Obama Fans at House of Blues on Sunday
You probably heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be in town this weekend getting a little award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame people. Turns out they’ll be sticking around an extra day to perform a free concert at House of Blues on Sunday. It’s just for Obama supporters, but you can…
Jacques Brel Returns to Playhouse Square
Old-timers and Cleveland theater fans alike have a soft spot in their hearts for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Produced by Ray Shepardson in the lobby of the State Theatre in 1973, the musical revue ran for 522 performances — not only providing some much-needed live downtown entertainment, but planting…
Experts: Casinos Lead to Gambling Addiction; Cue the Hysterics
Dangerous addict. Now that we’re only about a month away from pulling back the curtain on the Cleveland casino, you can already see what’s going to be on the menu for the next couple of weeks: sugary moral hysterics whipped into a fine foam by speculation and served with a heaping helping of the obvious.…
It’s a Green World After All!
Oberlin’s George Jones Farm We’re just deluged with “green” news today — a great way to start a Monday. First, we spotted Brad Masi’s piece, posted at EcoWatch today, talking about the efforts by farmers to reclaim land that has been degraded, compacted and/or overfarmed — pointing to Oberlin’s 70-acre George Jones Farm, which transformed…
Frank Russo Does Volunteer Work Now, Puff Piece Proves
WKYC managed to conveniently bump into former auditor Frank Russo on Easter Sunday while the Feds’ star witness slung meals at St. Augustine’s. Channel 3 managed to get a two-minute puff piece out of the random encounter which taught us that Russo a) volunteers there every day, and b) still has fabulous taste in eye-wear.…
Pic of the Day: Cleveland — Many Peoples, One Language
Via Reddit, as seen at the Ellis Island Museum.
Video: Tossing Softballs from Terminal Tower is a Poor Publicity Stunt
Man, there’s something about cuing up old TV footage on a Monday morning that just nudges everything into historical perspective. The minimalist décor, weird clothing, unscripted awkwardness – it all makes for a glorious Delorean ride that either leaves you appreciative of our ADD-what-now news coverage today or nostalgic for the times when a walking…
Concert Review: Cloud Nothings at Grog Shop
In a few days, Cloud Nothings will be awarded temporary relief from an extensive tour schedule before taking their aggressive brand of indie rock overseas in May. There were signs of fatigue in Dylan Baldi’s voice, laid barren against the raw backdrop of the entirety of their game-changing Attack on Memory, but last night at…
Sawyer Featured in New Wusthof Knife Campaign Video
The German knife company Wusthof has just launched their new “defining the edge” ad campaign, which features Cleveland chef Jonathon Sawyer, among others. More than just a print campaign, the website features a stunning short film about Sawyer, his restaurant, and his city. It may just give you goose bumps it’s so good. Give it…
Video of the Day: Bone Pugs-n-Harmony
We know most of you are at the game today and not stuck at work like some of us. So here’s something special for all of you not watching the Tribe: a bunch of cute dogs singing Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s “1st of Tha Month.” And yes, this is exactly why they invented the internet. —Michael Gallucci
Botanical Garden Daffodil Show Cancelled — Victim of Early Spring
The mild winter has claimed a casualty: the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s annual Daffodil Show, scheduled for April 28-29, has been axed from the schedule because there won’t be any daffodils left by then. The way things are going, we may be picking our first tomatoes by then. Generally, daffodils start poking out in the next…
Ohio Won’t Execute People For Awhile (Updated)
Update II: U.S. District Judge Gregory Frost ruled today that Ohio can begin killing people again, even though he has concerns. Executions had been put on an informal hold as courts ruled whether the state followed its own guidelines in lethal injections. There had been some, uh, minor hiccups, including a guy who survived an…
Cleveland Really, Really Doesn’t Want Helicopters in West Park
The City of Cleveland is in court again, trying to block Cleveland Clinic from building a helipad atop Fairview Hospital. After the city zoning board refused to issue a permit for the helipad last year, saying that helicopters landing near Kamm’s Corner don’t fit in with its definition of a retail business district, the Clinic…
Easter Bunny Arrested for DVD Theft
Our holiday heroes are not always angels. Santa was seen puking in Lakewood last Christmas, for instance, and with Easter upon us we have bad news to share: the Easter Bunny is a DVD thief. From the News-Herald: Justin Medema was arrested Saturday on an outstanding felony warrant as he reportedly wrapped up a shift…
CD Review: The Headwhiz Consort Moderne Internationale
(mindfryenterprises.com) Picking up where 2005’s Baobob left off, the latest album by this 10-member group — which has its origins in nine countries but is now based in Cleveland — unleashes an avant-garde sound that’s downright strange at times. Songs like “A Treat I Do Not Desire” and “Blue Tinge” hint at the exotic, readymade…
CD Review: Screaming Females
It’s hard not to compare Screaming Females to Sleater-Kinney or the new band where two-thirds of Sleater-Kinney ended up, Wild Flag. That’s because the New Jersey trio (disclosure: not all of them are female) play a turbocharged version of grrrl-punk that tears and shreds at the very core of indie rock and your perception of…
Savage Love
Dear Dan: I have an awesome relationship with an awesome guy. He loves me and takes care of me. I’m GGG, and he’s vanilla. I only draw the line at poop, animals, and children. But he’s never asked me for anything other than vanilla sex. Which is why I don’t know what to do. I…
A Lion in Spring
Jason Wagner had vague designs on owning a bar one day, but not this way. He was content for the moment, working on the business side of Ryan Homes, flexing his marketing skills and saving for a rainy day. “That rainy day came sooner than I could have expected,” he says now. For 25 years,…
Get Out!
Thursday | 05 Funny Stuff Unsuitable Language Alert Cleveland funny man John Wellington wasn’t kidding when he picked a title for tonight’s comedy showcase at Kennedy’s: The humor really will be unsuitable for some audiences. “Let’s just say it’s not going to be Two and a Half Men,” says the standup guy. “It’s not something…
The Soul of Super Pimp
From the next urinal over, David Michael Toth tilts back his matinee-idol grin. “It’s another beautiful night in Cleveland, Ohio,” he sings out to the line of guys anxious for an opening. “And you know why? Because we’re here.” Breaking out in a cackle, he turns back to the main room, fingers straightening his hot-pink…
Concert Calendar
Cloud Nothings Take a one-man low-fi bedroom project, add a band, stir in a liberal amount of Steve Albini, cook over high heat, and slice into eight deliciously crunchy tracks robust enough to satisfy anyone with a taste for the Pixies on a cough-syrup binge. That’s Westlake resident Dylan Baldi’s potent recipe for Attack on…
Drink Up
We’re a sucker for a barkeep in a tropical shirt — even more so when he’s crafting us a classic cocktail. So how could we turn down an offer from Bahama Breeze’s Louis Jones to try a cool, refreshing Dark & Stormy? Jones tells us the $6.99 cocktail — an eye-catching pour of Gosling’s Black…
At the Arthouse
All In: The Poker Movie Filmmaker John Dahl (who directed the Matt Damon poker movie Rounders) and singer Kenny Rogers (who recorded that ode to guys who know when to hold and fold ’em, “The Gambler”) talk about why people are so in love with a card game that’s been around forever. It’s an engrossing…
CD Review: Johnny Cash
It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are — when Johnny Cash sings spiritual songs, you can’t help but pay attention. Mixing traditional hymns, folk tunes, and a few originals, this two-disc set collects 51 mostly unreleased songs Cash recorded in the ’70s and ’80s with help from his musical family, including daughter Rosanne, wife…
We Are All Robots
If there’s a unifying theme to the work you’re likely to see at Rotten Meat Gallery from show to show, it’s the exalting of regional artists whose work stands free of pretension and embraces an experimental, sort of indie-rock aesthetic. With Obsolete, happily, we get more of the same. Gallery co-owner Dan Miller’s first exhibition…
In a Pickle
Add Cleveland Pickle to the ever-growing list of new eateries dotting Euclid Avenue. Joining Cowell & Hubbard, Hodge’s, Nexus Café, and Colossal Cupcakes, the Pickle is a pint-sized sandwich café opened by chef Josh Kabat, former owner of Reddstone, and partner Kiaran Daley. “I love sandwiches, and you can’t really get a good one downtown,”…
On View This Week
Akron Art Museum: Stranger in Paradise. The late Rev. Howard Finster is one of America’s most recognizable outsider artists, even creating album covers for R.E.M. and Talking Heads. Through June 3 at One South High St. Call 330-376-9185 or go to akronartmusuem.org. Artists Archives of the Western Reserve: Art Interprets Alzheimer’s. Sculptor and potter George…
Hot Licks
If you’ve ever tried juggling a cold beer, a basket of hot nachos, and a smartphone for snapping pics — all while grooving to the beats of your favorite live band — you know how valuable a table can be. A table and chairs? Now that’s priceless. While music fans are willing to put up…
Home Movies
War Horse (Walt Disney) Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated World War I epic is modern-day filmmaking at its most old-fashioned. There’s little digital gimmickry in this family-friendly story about a boy and his horse, whose adventures span the family farm to eventually the battlefield. There’s a pivotal scene where the horse, trapped bloodily in barbed wire, brings…
We Get Mail
Suck It, Columbus I have been to Columbus many times, and you know what? It is a boring town filled with boringness [“Cracking the Bucknut: How Ohio State fans came to be so obnoxious, and who we should blame for it,” March 14]. It is White Bread Land. And all they have is Buckeye football.…
Film Capsules
The Forgiveness of Blood (NR) — Welcome to modern-day Albania, where a man still delivers fresh bread by horse-drawn cart every day but uses his cell phone to text his customers to let them know he’s coming, and where a murder brings the police — but also brings a blood feud between families. And the…
On Stage This Week
The Addams Family drops in at Playhouse Square: Creepy? Kooky? Check. When The Addams Family comes rolling into Playhouse Square next week, mischievous little brother Pugsley just may be the star of the show. That’s because the role belongs to West Park native Patrick Kennedy. The 12-year-old (pictured left, with Grandma, Pippa Pearthree) has been…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Journey (TGC) This arty, existential video game (available for the PlayStation 3) is unlike any you’ve ever played. No weapons are drawn, no goal is laid out, and no words are spoken. Instead, your hooded character wanders an endless desert, stopping along the way to explore artifacts, temples, and random bits of debris…
Project Androgynous
Of course a guy who calls himself Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is going to do things a little different than most people he shares the planet with. But you’re really not prepared for his whole story in the revealing but occasionally sterile documentary The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye. Born Neil Andrew Megson in England…
Behold the Miracle
Broadway’s hottest ticket, The Book of Mormon, is coming to the Palace Theatre next year as part of Playhouse Square’s 2012-’13 Key Bank Broadway Series. Written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the extremely silly, relentlessly profane, and excruciatingly hilarious musical will make its Cleveland debut on June 18 of next year.…
Local Band in Focus
Meet Istvan: Fairport Harbor — by way of Cleveland Heights — multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, auto-harp, and sitar) Istvan Medgyesi dabbles in a little bit of everything under the spacious umbrella of folk music. “I’m a very eclectic listener,” he says. “Which has a big influence on the approaches I take when writing and performing.” Experimental…
CD Review: Joan Osborne
If you picked up Joan Osborne’s 1995 debut Relish expecting it to sound like the album’s big hit “One of Us,” you were probably surprised to hear that it was more Janis Joplin-style roadhouse R&B than the radio-friendly pop of her only charting single. Osborne has always sung the blues, but she hasn’t gotten around…
Talk of the Town
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is revving up for next week’s induction ceremony with a crapload of events. This past weekend there was an oldies-heavy concert at the Q featuring KC and the Sunshine Band, the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, and the guys in Creedence Clearwater Revival who are still alive and…
Michael Symon Nephew Charged With Tagging
In late February, two young men were caught red-handed (or was it multi-color-handed?) by police tagging the side of a building at W. 41st and Lorain Avenue in Ohio with samples of their “artwork.” Ohio City firefighter Michael “Sporty” Kilbane described the scene in a Yahoo post: Congrats once again to 2nd district police who…
