In honor of Tax Day, police set up DUI checkpoint on East 55th
If you’re anything like C-Notes, Tax Day makes you want to drink. A lot. Especially if you, like C-Notes, spent any part of your day in any branch of the U.S. Post Office. It makes you want to drink enough rounds of Goldschlager so that you can pick the pieces of gold out of your…
Joe Borowski sent to DL with serious case of not being very good
If you’ve ever read the comments under stories on the Plain Dealer website, you know that this is not a forum for harmonious discussion. For the most part, the commenters like to rant, make thinly-veiled threats against each other, and be shockingly racist. But since last night, for the first time ever, it seems the…
Reader: Army should investigate rapes in a war zone
After reading this week’s feature story, “No Oasis,” about women being raped and harassed by their colleagues while working for private contractors in Iraq, a reader named George called in to offer his insights. As a Vietnam veteran, he says the Army should be responsible for investigating these crimes: “It’s sad to hear these things…
West Park Station feels bad for making you fat, starts contest to make you less fat
So your ripped six-pack has turned into a bloated keg over the winter. And West Park Station nightspot is feeling a tad guilty about it. That’s why the club is helping to recruit patrons who’ve put on a few pounds over the holidays to compete in the West Park Six-Pack Challenge. Think Celebrity Fit Club…
Look! Up in the Sky! More “Paper Planes”
M.I.A.: All she wants to do is – bang! bang! – take your money. Like my cool-hyphenated-named colleague Gus, I’m also a huge fan of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.” But Terry Urban’s mix amounts to little more than shoehorning Nas’ flow into M.I.A.’s original track. Yawn. For a much better take on the same cut, listen…
With new mixtape, Terry Urban proves his brain works in beautiful ways
Terry Urban, along with business partner and fellow bald-white-guy-DJ Mick Boogie, will soon be on his way to Brooklyn. But any man who brags of contracting “guacamole-dick” from swimming naked in the Cuyahoga is a true Clevelander for life. And before he goes, Urban’s leaving a legacy. His latest mixtape, “How My Brain Works,” is…
Eight, maybe nine hours in Pittsburgh: C-Notes goes and draws really ridiculous conclusions
Cathedral of Learning, eh? Somebody’s got a little inferiority complex. This weekend, C-Notes ventured behind enemy lines to investigate the other city of steel of drunken quarterbacks. Yep, we went to Pittsburgh. And after booing at a silver Escalade with Steelers stickers on it, we covered the town and found that this place is just…
Joe Borowski blows another save; writer advocates killing innocent ponies
Over here, Pinky. Behind the shed. Grandpa has a treat for you Theiona diaevion aeionfvaewoivna!!!?!? Lidsj navienvae!! Hiag!!?@! Ghai;oehg!! $#&%*#&%!! Dihweof weonaweovi oeivna!! Roughly translated: F*#k!!!!!! My mother’s parents lived on a farm in Farmer City, Illinois. Population 2055, according to the 2000 census. We’d go out there once or twice a year to visit,…
Cliff Lee stops sucking; Mother Nature comes through; and other important developments for the Indians
Seriously, Johan, that Cliff Lee disguise is really starting to freak us out. With just five wins on the young season, there’s not much working for the Indians right now. But that could all change after Sunday’s win against Oakland. It turns out the Tribe didn’t actually realize the season had started, because they hadn’t…
Simple Interest: It’s tax time, and the folks at Prosperity Social Club feel your pain
Today, you pay your taxes. Tonight, you weep into your Natty Light. But tomorrow … ah, tomorrow you can head over to Prosperity Social Club (1109 Starkweather, 216-937-1938), Bonnie Flinnner’s cozy Tremont tavern, for the first of a series of Recession Relief Wednesdays, featuring barrel-bottom prices on a wealth of comforting meals. …
This Just In: Projekt Revolution, John Mayer lead the latest concert announcements
Concerts announcements. Got them concert announcements. You need some? ‘Cause we’ve got 34 new shows. Projekt Revolution, featuring Linkin Park, former Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, and a bunch of emo kids. Here’s a nice treat for your parents: Buy them tix to a live broadcast of NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion at Blossom. John Mayer’s…
Picks of the Week: Cheap burgers, cheap beer, and some awesomely nerdy NPR stuff
NPR contributor Scott Huler’s in town Wednesday. 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.
City View: Hey, if the methane doesn’t kill you, maybe the toxins will!
Tanks at the City View construction site are supposed to catch the toxic water as it drains out of the dump. But they can’t catch it all. The Plain Dealer carries a front-page story today about explosive methane levels beneath the parking lot of Garfield Heights’ City View shopping center, a story that raises important…
Free Music Monday: Mick Boogie and Mekka Don
The latest mixtape from international mixologist and DJ extraordinary Mick Boogie is Law and Order, the mixtape debut of Mekka Don, the 26-year-old lawyer-turned-rapper who’s also known for his reality series. …
Slideshow: Lynyrd Skynyrd at CSU’s Wolstein Center
“What song is it you wanna hear?” Lynyrd Skynyrd played the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University on Friday. Scene photographer Walter Novak was there to listen to “Free Bird” and take some pictures of fans – old, young, and Amish. Who knew the Amish were so into “Gimme Three Steps”? Check out Walter’s slide…
Chris Matthews, lover of Tim Russert, hater of Case Western
Sunday’s New York Times Magazine features Chris Matthews, the bombastic host of MSNBC’s Hardball. The story is an opus and a bit of a snooze if you don’t really care about the life of an annoying celebrity journalist. But it possesses one redeeming quality: endless references to Cleveland! Apparently, Matthews has a beef with one…
Hello, Cleveland: This Week’s Concert Calendar
Not a lot of big shows this week, but plenty of good ones. Tri-C JazzFest temporarily takes over the city. Peabody’s has your recommended weekly doses of metal (California’s As Blood Runs Black and Germany’s Heaven Shall Burn). Islands opens the show for rapper Saul Williams, Trent Reznor’s unlikely new collaborator. But the two under-the-radar…
C.C. Sabathia sucks, Jorge Julio’s good; could somebody make sure Drew Carey’s still fat?
“Man, I wish I could pitch like Jorge.” The natural order of the universe was reversed recently. C.C. Sabathia was booed at the Prog, and Jorge Julio was cheered. No word on whether Frank Jackson shaved, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Sabathia, pitching against the A’s on Friday, threw less like a guy with a…
Snap Judgment: Portishead
<img alt="portishead.jpg" src="http://blogs.clevescene.com/cnotes/portishead.jpg" width="225" height="225" From time to time, we’ll review an upcoming album by listening to one randomly chosen song. We’ll be totally at the mercy of our iTunes’ shuffle feature. Hopefully, it’ll pick a good one. “Nylon Smile,” track 3 from Portishead’s Third, coming out on April 29. The pioneering trip-hop group’s first…
David Brennan discovers that buying government can bring buyer’s remorse
It seems the face of bad education is also the face of illegal campaign contributions. For over a decade, David Brennan has dumped millions into the coffers of Ohio politicians in hopes of keeping his business alive. It’s the only way to explain how his network of charter schools has managed to stay alive, despite…
Skybus goes broke, but there’s an upside to business collapse
This may be the new symbol of incompetence, but it’s worth something on eBay. The recent death of Skybus, the Columbus discount airline, could be taken as a bad thing for those negative people who always see the glass as half-full. But there’s always an upside. A vintage Skybus t-shirt, still in the plastic wrapping,…
Forbes says Cleveland fans rank only eighth in suffering!
Tell us, little Forbes guys: How do you explain Jose Mesa? Among the things Clevelanders have to feel miserable about these days, sports shouldn’t be high on the list. The Cavs, Indians, and Browns have finally blessed us with a trifecta of non-suckitude. And with banks collapsing, the county commissioners giving away billions of dollars,…
Mass evacuation makes for a greener Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County is producing less trash. (Unfortunately, that due to global warming and everyone fleeing.) Solid Waste District Director Pat Holland arrived at the county commissioners’ meeting last week with big news: Cuyahoga is producing less trash! Holland put up a wonderful power point to back his claim. In 2006, our great county tossed away…
Tickets still available for Saturday’s Lottery League show
If you haven’t purchased your tix to the Lottery League show Saturday night at the Beachland, you’re in luck – the show isn’t sold out yet, but we can’t promise that it will stay that way for long. With a total of 33 bands on the bill, there will surely be a lot of friends…
Picks of the Weekend: Revenge of Bernie, burgers, beer, and scary cheap laughs
Win or lose, John Elway, you still look like a horse. Every Friday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do this weekend. But this Friday, Cris is off, so we let Vince the Polack do it, which kind of explains the precipitous drop off in class. For…
“Islands in the Stream” Gets Indie-Rock Seal of Approval
We’ve always liked “Islands in the Stream,” the 1983 Dolly Parton-Kenny Rogers duet written, produced, and backed by the Bee Gees. Hipsters can like it now too, now that indie darling Feist and fellow Canadians the Constantines have recorded a cover version. Too bad they slow the whole thing down to a lethargic pace that…
Menu de Luxe: A taste of Marlin Kaplan’s new menu
We finally got our hands on a final draft of the menu for Luxe Kitchen & Lounge (6605 Detroit Ave.), Marlin Kaplan’s funky new neighborhood boîte, opening soon in the Gordon Square arts district. “Rustic sophistication” could be the kitchen’s watchwords. Its Mediterranean-inspired dishes include charcuterie platters, house-cured olives, and harissa-dusted chicken wings. There are…
We’re No. 1! Cuyahoga County leads state in foreclosures — again
Policy Matters, a non-profit think tank, released a report announcing that, yes, people, we’ve done it again. We’re the Number One spot in Ohio for foreclosures. Just when you thought there were no more homeowners to go broke, the mortgage industry up and surprised us by actually foreclosing on 6.7 percent more homes in 2007…
Collinwood’s Grovewood Tavern joins the Happy Hour fun
Add Collinwood’s Grovewood Tavern & Wine Bar (17105 Grovewood Ave., 216-531-4900) to the long list of joints that offer a bargain-packed Happy Hour, featuring select $5 wines and ‘tinis, $3 pints, and a rotating collection of $5 noshes. …
Last Night in Cleveland: Josh Ritter and Hilary Hahn
One of singer-songwriter Josh Ritter’s last memories from his days as an Oberlin College student involves sitting in Tappan Square, watching “two squirrels fighting to the death.” He used this anecdote at last night’s show to explain — or at least make fun of — his songs about war and the end of the world.…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Streamline at West Park Station on Sunday
Once a week, C-Notes’ music nerds nod off and let the bands do the talking. This week, meet Streamline … Band: Streamline Web: www.streamlineworld.com Hometown: “Orange County, CA, Rochester, NY, and Baton Rouge, LA.” Sounds like: “Maroon 5, Led Zeppelin, Dave Matthews mashed all together!” Recommend for fans of: “Good music and a good time!”…
XM Radio Pays Tribute to Cleveland
What do Nine Inch Nails and Frank Yankovic have in common? Cleveland gets its props on XM Radio’s Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey on April 18. The country-music traditionalist – who’s played with everyone from bluegrass picker Lester Flatt to the legendary Johnny Cash – will spotlight our city during his weekly, hour-long program …
Restaurant of the Weekend: Melt Bar and Grilled
Even if April wasn’t National Grilled Cheese Month (so proclaimed by the publicists at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board), we’d still dig a weekend visit to Lakewood’s Melt Bar and Grilled. (14718 Detroit Ave., 216-226-3699). After all, there are few things in life more satisfying than a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, its melty midsection peeking…
Public Square: Eulogy for the death of WMMS
Well, it has finally happened. WMMS has gone all talk all day long. Although WMMS has struggled since its glory days to find a morning team, it seems they are satisfied to just forget the music and fans that made them and just go talk all day. Don’t get me wrong, I listened to Rover…
Reader: What’s a little rape when you’re in a war zone?
If you put yourself in harm’s way, says our reader, expect to be attacked by perverts. In case you missed Dick Feagler this week, an anonymous caller to Scene is providing your substitute fix for crotchety old man commentary. He was calling about “No Oasis,” this week’s expose on women working for private contractors in…
Reader: What about artistic license? (And the suburbs?)
At first blush, your First Punch bashed another Judy in belittling attempts to coax people into buying Cleveland homes (“Marketing Cleveland,” third item). Reportedly, the new townhomes and lofts in the central city will sell for more than a quarter-million dollars, but you rankle at a brochure trying to lure the capitalists to buy! So…
Cleveland’s Iona Kniple tops of the list of the worst names in America
The more the world becomes inter-connected, one thing becomes very clear: There are some really weird names out there. For instance, did no one think to tell Texas Governor Hogg that naming his daughter “Ima” was a really bad thing? And if your last name is Toilette, why in the world would you choose to…
Indians re-sign Fausto Carmona, striking fear in the hearts of midges everywhere
Having not listened to the radio or read any news before heading to the Indians 3 p.m. press conference today, I was hoping it was either an announcement that Jason Michaels and David Dellucci had been genetically and surgically combined to form a complete baseball player – sort of like the reverse of Matt Damon…
Dick Feagler: Back in my day, they had real sex scandals
Today’s topic: Dick thinks Attorney General Marc Dann doesn’t know how to do a proper sex scandal… I was at the coffee shop, and the guys all agree: Politicians are wimps when it comes to sex scandals these days. Back in our day, if an attorney general got caught with an aide wearing pajamas, we…
Mic Check: Kimya Dawson at the Grog Shop on Friday
Dawson’s somewhere under that ‘fro. At last month’s South by Southwest music festival, I walked what seemed like 40 miles to get to something called the Garden Party. The daylong, outdoor show included sets by J. Mascis, Thurston Moore, Okkervil River, and She & Him. That’s why I went. The concert was capped with a…
The Cavaliers’ Lance Allred: Not quite ready for morning TV
Lance Allred (left): the worst morning-show guest ever. The recipe for being a good guest on a morning talk show seems fairly straightforward: be smart but not brainy; be glib but not pretentious; and always, always, always, remember to take a cue from the host and give them what it is you’re there to provide:…
Another case of perverse justice, the Ohio Supreme Court way
The last time we checked in on the $218 million Smart Media case, the company was trying to get the Ohio Supreme Court to finally hear its claims of injustice. Back in 1996, the Virginia company had developed a hand-held bar code scanner that would not only allow customers to scan their own grocery items…
Marilyn Manson wins an award. No, not for his music
It’s fancy booze! Eat Me, Drink Me might have bombed, but apparently not everything Marilyn Manson puts his name on these days sucks. The God of Fuck recently snagged a gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for his Mansithe brand absinthe …
Nicholas Megalis at the Beachland Friday
Nicholas Megalis, one of Cleveland’s brightest rising stars, is hosting a different kind of CD-release show Friday, April 11 at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124). Major outlets like NPR and Spin magazine are already taking note of the unsigned Cleveland teenager, who makes every show an event. …
‘Kids in the Hall’ coming to Cleveland
Kids in the Hall, one of the all-time great comedy troupes, plays Playhouse Square’s Palace Theater (1519 Eucild Ave., downtown) at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 31. Tickets are $39.75 via Tickets.com or PlayHouseSquare.org, 216-241-6000. They go on sale 9 a.m. Friday, April 11. Formed in 1984, the group is best known for its HBO series…
Intercepted e-mail exposes movement to oust NFL union chief Gene Upshaw; retired Browns jubilantly raise shots of Ben-Gay and Advil
In January, Scene published a story on the NFL’s financial abandonment of retired players (Forgotten Forefathers, January 16) , with a focus on retired Browns. In the reporting, I spoke to probably a dozen ex-Browns, including Dick Schafrath, Leroy Kelly, Bernie Parrish, Cleo Miller, Greg Pruitt, and Bob Golic. There was a near-consensus among these…
Mysterious buyer could save Myers U. Don’t worry taxpayers: You’re still hosed
Former Myers President Richard Scaldini nearly succeeded in getting the school shut down. The ongoing, melodramatic saga of Myers University took a page out of Tolkien’s book and ended with eucatastrophe. It’s term that denotes a sudden turn of events that bodes well for the good guy. In this case, the good guys are Myers…
Rolling Stone rolls into Akron, rolls with Black Keys
Rolling Stone’s (and, increasingly, the rest of the pop-culture world’s) love affair with Akron blues-rockers the Black Keys continues in its April 17 issue, no. 1050, with the Rolling Stones on the cover. On page 18, Akron’s Keys get their first major story in the rock journal, their third article in recent months. …
Feast for the Eyes: Windows at new Luxe Kitchen make an artful first course
It hasn’t even opened yet, and already Marlin Kaplan’s Luxe Kitchen and Lounge (6605 Detroit Avenue, in the emerging Gordon Square arts district) is drawing a crowd – thanks to its word-covered windows, which serve as transparent backdrops for 132 food-and-drink related quotes. Drawn from sources as diverse as comedian Steven Wright (“The sign said…
Cleveland school officials want more of your money — again
When last we left the Cleveland school district, officials were scrambling to revise their doomed construction plans. Apparently, that $335 million we gave them in a levy seven years ago was never enough to rebuild all 111 of the city’s schools [“Bait & Switch,” May 23]. Now that the project is years behind schedule and…
The tribulations of bringing new technology to Case Western
In the future, you may be able to just scan a bar code on this lady’s butt to get access to her personal profile. Two months ago, Case Western announced a partnership with the Mobile Discovery telephone company. The two institutions were working together to test out a new technology known as the 2D or…
The feds seem oblivious to protecting U.S. working women in Iraq
This week’s Scene cover article, “No Oasis,” tells the story of Mary Beth Kineston, a truck driver from Olmsted Falls who says she was sexually assaulted and harassed by co-workers while working for a private contractor, KBR, in Iraq. While none of the men she accused of attacking her have been prosecuted — including one…
Cleveland: Does she look any prettier from underneath the street?
If Cleveland’s recent sinkhole issues made you think, “Gee, I haven’t spent enough time underground lately,” then we have an activity for you. This Saturday, the Cuyahoga County Soldier’s & Sailor’s Monument in Public Square – that big pointy thing in the middle of downtown — will offer tunnel tours from 10 a.m. to 4…
Mic Check: Lynyrd Skynyrd at CSU’s Wolstein Center on Friday
Of course Lynyrd Skynyrd hasn’t been the same since the 1977 plane crash that wiped out a chunk of the band, including singer Ronnie Van Zant. That’s not really the point of the Rowdy Frynds Tour, which pairs a reconfigured Skynyrd – with Ronnie’s brother Johnny taking over mic duties – with fellow redneck Hank…
Pronk lives, Westbrook cruises, and the Indians sneak a win in Anaheim
When all hope seemed to be lost, Travis Hafner pounded the first pitch he saw in the 9th inning deep into the CaliforniaLosAngelesAnaheimWestCoast night to salvage a much-needed Wahoo victory. With two outs, a 3-2 deficit staring the Tribe squarely in the eye, and another wonderful outing by Jake Westbrook on the verge of being…
If this really is Spring, you’re going to need a bike. A C-Notes shopping guide
The author is trying to trick you into taking your bike out too early in the season so he can see you take a spill like this gentleman. The author is kind of a dick. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think this may really be Spring. Your car is no longer doing…
Last Night in Cleveland: Buddy Guy at House of Blues
“Hoochie Coochie Man” is a blues classic, written by Willie Dixon and first performed by Muddy Waters. We could spend all day talking about the number of different artists who’ve performed it. But none of that matters today, because last night, as Buddy Guy noted from House of Blues’ stage, Cleveland was “fucking it up.”…
Comedy Corner: Bruce Bruce, Dave Coulier lead the week in Cleveland comedy
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: Scene did the legwork, and the skinny on this week’s big comedy shows, video included, is just a click away. This…
$13 at … Massimo da Milano
In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because you can only eat Easy Mac at your desk for lunch so many times. This week … Massimo da Milano 1400 West 25th Street, Cleveland, (216) 696-2323, www.massimos.net What $13 got us: Two (ish) all you can eat buffet lunches What…
Café Mailbag: Why are restaurants so dang loud?
Q: As a frequent restaurant-goer, I have some questions. In what manual of restaurant rules is it decreed as mandatory that: Patrons of whatever age or gender are to be referred to as “guys”? Annoying rock music is to be played, and played at high enough volume, as to make conversation difficult if not impossible?…
Josh Ritter and Hilary Hahn: Rock meets classical violin at Oberlin
Josh Ritter: Lush instrumentation and Dylanesque lyrics. For those of us who like to pretend we’re into high culture, Thursday’s Hilary Hahn and Josh Ritter concert at Oberlin should provide bonus points for the year. First, there’s Ritter, an Oberlin alum and singer/songwriter who sounds like a blast from a more artful pop past. He’s…
The worst first “date” in Cleveland history
A month ago, it appeared that Michael Kufrin could stake a claim to participating in the Worst First Date in Cleveland History. With visions of a romantic dinner and kiss good-night, Kufrin, 19, was instead kidnapped, robbed, and shot seven times. Kufrin’s dream date with the 28-year-old Leechelle Brown — whom he claimed to have…
You might be a redneck if you’re looking forward to the Rowdy Frynds Tour
The Rowdy Frynds Tour, featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., is mud-boggin’ across the U.S. this spring. The crew will most likely leave every single venue smelling like Jack Daniel’s and looking like one of Britney Spears’ cousins — a little rough around the edges, spiked with a hint of shameless backwoods nostalgia. Last…
Brittany Reilly
If most country music coming out of Nashville is the musical equivalent of Lone Star Steakhouse, Bay Villager Reilly’s Good Old Country Sound is Cracker Barrel. “All these honky-tonks don’t play real country music,” she laments in the title track of her debut. Reilly and a genteel sextet play acoustic country tunes that sound so…
Just Shy of Seaworthy
It’s nice when a game comes along that pleasantly surprises you. I admit, I judged Viking: Battle for Asgard by the screenshots, writing it off as yet another one of those grimy, violent games so plentiful that they’re almost their own category: the “Bloodletting in Brown Clothes on a Cloudy Day” genre. Viking is a…
Why waste money (or steal) Michael Jackson’s bogus Thriller remixes, when you can get better ones legally for free?
Two months ago, the silver-anniversary reissue of Michael Jackson’s Thriller — a souped-up, repackaged remembrance of the nine tracks of pop/soul perfection that the tree-climbing, surgical-mask-wearing, yeah-it’s-OK-to-sleep-with-kids nutty sumbitch unleashed on the world so many years ago — hit stores. Sadly, there’s one thing keeping the re-release from being just as perfect now as it…
Sarah Goslee Reed
On It’s About Time, Reed pays tribute to her late father, George F. Goslee, a Cleveland Orchestra bassoonist, who once gave his daughter a discarded violin and transcribed Beatles songs so she could play along. The violin stays in the background on this CD, as Reed’s acoustic guitar plays front-and-center on songs that come off…
Greece Is the Word
Scott Huler has learned to “keep my mouth shut” when he’s on NPR. Otherwise, the 1997 Cleveland Heights grad wouldn’t have challenged himself in 2001 to retrace the steps of Odysseus as described in Homer’s poem about the Greek hero’s eighth-century B.C. mission through the Mediterranean. He has since chronicled the trip in his memoir,…
Elf Power
Back in the ’90s, there was a cluster of like-minded indie-pop artists called Elephant 6. If bloggers had been around then, they undoubtedly would’ve spent a huge chunk of their day typing praise about all the Elephant 6 bands. Some of the groups are still around: Apples in Stereo, Of Montreal. Many of them —…
Mr. Marmalade at Convergence-Continuum: There’s promise in the premise, but not much more
Let’s face it: It can be pretty funny when kids talk as if they’re adults, like in that E*Trade commercial where the baby hires a creepy balloon clown with his extra “coin.” But the conceit can also be a bit tedious, as it frequently is in Mr. Marmalade, now at Convergence-Continuum. This play by Noah…
How Now, Lowbrow?
A trio of Cleveland-area artists merges two kinds of surrealism from opposite sides of the country in a new exhibit, Paintings & Clay, which is on display through the beginning of next month in Rocky River. In the show, collage artist Lynn O’Brien, clay sculptor Kelly Palmer, and stoneware designer Kevin Snipes all work in…
Dale Watson
Dale Watson has a lot in common with Johnny Cash. He dresses in black, sings in a deep baritone, and writes cautionary tunes about killing bad men while wearing a smile. Watson’s latest album, From the Cradle to the Grave, features a striking black-and-white cover shot of the 46-year-old Austin-based singer-songwriter standing in a cemetery,…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
The Crucible — An allegory for the post-World War II “Red Scare,” this play had a very personal genesis. Playwright Arthur Miller had been subjected to grilling by the vile House Un-American Activities Committee and cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to name fellow writers who had attended a communist meeting years before. The…
Well Done!
The kitchen crew at the Tavern Company in Cleveland Heights is getting a collective thumbs-up from patrons since they started the club’s $5 Burger & Beer Mondays. The deal is simple: Order a quarter-pound hamburger topped with your choice of one of five cheeses, and you get a plate of fries, dill pickle, and a…
Kimya Dawson
The “honest to blog” references aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, but let it be said again for clarification: Kimya Dawson existed long before Juno. Much like the Shins, with their Natalie Portman/Garden State affiliation, Dawson didn’t even record any new material for the movie, which shot her music into the public consciousness. Instead,…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW 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…
Puppets & Strings
If you want to jazz up classical music in concert, put a few larger-than-life puppets onstage. That’s what the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s idea was when it teamed up with Cincinnati’s Madcap Puppet Theatre for today’s performance of A Fairy Tale Fantasy. “We wanted something that was just plain fun but, at the same time, something…
The Fleshtones
After more than 30 years, the Fleshtones still seem possessed by the twin spirits of Dionysus and rock and roll. Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng, the two N.Y.C. guys who founded the band in 1976, plan to stay away from any sort of exorcism for many more years. “It is more fun than you can…
Espouse the Truth
“The Temp,” March 26 Practicing polygamy a Mormon no-no: Interesting profile of someone who sounds like a fascinating person. However, the description of Allred’s religious background was unclear at best and misleading at worst. No “devout Mormons” practice polygamy. That has been grounds for excommunication from the Mormon church since 1890. The “polygamous compound” and…
Pokey Folkie
Barking Spider audiences have grown accustomed since 1988 to Dover guitarist Gary Hall’s monthly concerts. By the end of the night, the 59-year-old Vietnam vet has treated them to little-known ditties by Bob Franke, Kristina Olsen, and Don Schlitz. But don’t get him started on the reasons why he hasn’t recorded a CD of originals…
BoDeans
Despite snagging both Rolling Stone’s Best New American Band award and a gig opening for U2 in 1987, the BoDeans will forever be remembered as the guys who sang the theme song of the 1990s tween TV show Party of Five. “Closer to Free” dominated airwaves in 1996, but the Wisconsin group disappeared from mainstream…
For Local Crop, linking farms to forks could be a tough row to hoe
Give him a chance, and Steve Schimoler will talk your ear right off. Innovator, entrepreneur, and self-styled culinologist, the chef-owner of downtown’s Crop Bistro is the kind of data-packed guy his colleagues call “a genius” and “a mover.” Still, it has taken Schimoler most of the last decade to find a solution to a problem…
Dancing on the Feeling
Kora Radella wants today’s Strike a Nerve/Strike a Chord dance performance to get under your skin. If the show’s contorted moves disorient the audience, the choreographer for Double-Edge Dance — a contemporary-dance troupe from Oberlin — has done her job. The show features three solos and two duets, including the piece “Some Nerve,” in which…
Badfinger and the Spencer Davis Group
In the early ’70s, very few bands made pop music as exciting as Badfinger. The group’s quick ascension to the top of the charts with such fine singles as “Come and Get It” and “No Matter What” was followed by years of management snafus and legal hassles that resulted in the tragic suicides of two…
Jonesin’ for a Juke Joint
After Hurricane Katrina leveled New Orleans in 2005, Chris Olivier followed thousands of fellow natives on a northward pilgrimage. After hours of driving, the saxophonist stopped in South Bend, Indiana, where he had an epiphany: The town looked like it craved a dose of some Big Easy jazz, with a dash of reggae and funk…
Kid Gloves
Northeast Ohio’s top-ranked boxers step into the ring today for the quarterfinals of the 80th annual Cleveland Amateur Golden Gloves Tournament. Trumpeted as the oldest boxing blowout in the country, the competition retains its mystique — even next to martial arts, which has leapfrogged boxing in popularity in the past few years. “The history of…
The Chad Sipes Stereo
The Chad Sipes Stereo prepared to record its third album by making a case study of what a great band did for its third album: For a recent R.E.M. tribute night, the group learned to play the entire Fables of the Reconstruction, which may be R.E.M.’s least popular record, but only makes the band that…
Dark Humor Man
It sometimes takes a few years for a comedian to find his voice. After 20 years, Bruce Bruce claims he’s still looking. “There’s something I learn every week onstage about me,” he says. “But it’s a good thing. I’m still having fun and entertaining people, and making a decent living. So I’m cool.” Bruce can…
Reel Deal
Punk-rock skiers, a wolf-chasing world champ, and one annoyed cartoon critter star in some of the 16 high-altitude movies for this weekend’s Banff Mountain Film Festival at Playhouse Square. Touted as Canada’s “extreme Sundance” film fest, the 32nd annual movie marathon is now being simultaneously screened in more than 480 theaters on every continent. The…
DJ Mario Nemr
The first weekend at the Cleveland Matinee was a good time: Alumni and active members of Akron’s indie-rock scene rubbed elbows with Cleveland’s low-maintenance cultural cognoscenti, soaking in live rock and a thoughtfully stocked jukebox. Then, the second weekend was a car wreck – literally. A vehicle bounced off the road and into the club’s…
Opposites Attract
The musical stylings of Hilary Hahn and Josh Ritter go together like celery and peanut butter. They make a bizarre combination, but they somehow blend beautifully together. Tonight in Oberlin, the Grammy-winning classical violinist and Idaho-born rocker flow through a program of Bach and Ysaye sonatas alternating with tracks from Ritter’s latest CD, The Historical…
Intelligence goes soft in Smart People, a romantic comedy more obvious than smart
Smart people have no reason to live — and sure, that’s not quite how Randy Newman sang it, but the point still stands. Because in Noam Murro’s directorial bow, Smart People — one of those Sundance premieres starring famous people slumming it in dingy Indieland — the people ain’t doing much l-i-v-i-n’ at all. They’re…
Spin Cycle
It’s taken a move from sunny San Diego to the North Coast — and the need to support their latest vinyl EP — for DJ trio Dub Traffik Control to play in Cleveland for the first time. And they’ve tagged semiretired turntablist and fellow Bastard Jazz labelmate DJ Jugoe to open the show for them.…
Ludo
Smartass geek rock will never go out of fashion. That’s good news to St. Louis’ Ludo, whose quirky pop spills all over its major-label debut, You’re Awful, I Love You — a set of catchy gems played with spunk and sprinkled with cheese. “We look forward to making whatever crazy records pop into our collective…
Chop Phooey!
Between the uncensored political overtones and graphic sex scenes in his film Summer Palace, Chinese filmmaker Ye Lou learned at least one lesson about making movies in his homeland: Beijing is not hip to T&A, like we Americans are.After the romantic epic first flashed on Chinese screens in 2006, the country banned Ye from directing…
Boys will be boys in Street Kings’ shallow look at dirty police
For a movie built around failed ethics and duplicitous behavior, Street Kings is just as dishonest as its characters. You sense that an infinitely more complex drama exists within the film’s grasp, but no one bothered to stop guzzling the testosterone long enough to find it. Director David Ayer’s résumé only magnifies that disappointment. He…
Under the Boss’ Influence
Minnesota’s GB Leighton inspires itself with memories of a then-unknown Bruce Springsteen, who lit up his native New Jersey with workingman’s rock and roll in the ’70s. Just like the Boss, the band has roots-rocked its fair share of dance clubs, church halls, even a few fans’ living rooms in its quest for national exposure.…
Panic at the Disco
Pop-punk — and an errant exclamation point — is nothing but a distant memory on Panic at the Disco’s second album. The Las Vegas quartet makes a bold and brilliant stab at baroque pop on Pretty. Odd — as if somebody switched its Fall Out Boy CDs with copies of Sgt. Pepper and E.L.O.’s Greatest…
Made of Honor
Northeast Ohioans can learn a few lessons today when they take the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument Tour. For starters, the 114-year-old structure was actually built as a museum to honor the 9,000 Cuyahoga County soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Tourists will also find out the memorial will be temporarily shuttered for a $1.5…
Nintendo’s cool Super Smash Bros. Brawl tops this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo) The idea behind this video game for the Wii is pretty simple: A bunch of gaming icons — from Donkey Kong to Mario to Metal Gear Solid’s Snake — beat the crap out of each other with their hands, paws, and customizable weapons. Super fun. We especially…
Blak in the U.S.A. (and Other Places)
Racial injustice rears its bigoted head tonight for the opening reception of Blakxtraploitationism: A Visual, Social, Political, Racial Interpretation at Asterisk Gallery. The exhibit of sculptures, paintings, and digital photography is designed to debunk myths and stereotypes behind the word black in all walks of life. “The art tackles social issues, from politics and the…
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Lots of folk lean on religion when they’re trapped and desperate. Like, for example, an inmate facing 30 hard ones. Nick Cave is a prisoner of sorts, only his penitentiary comes without concrete walls. “I saw the world as a kind of punishing place,” he once lamented, “a bad place, a place of chaos.” The…
No Place Like Om
Think of kirtan maestro Dave Stringer as a yoga instructor with an amazing singing voice. And he’ll teach you how to chant along to Indian music tonight, when he and his band perform in Beachwood. “One of the unusual features of kirtan is that it’s participatory. The crowd is singing in response to the band.…
For women in Iraq, the terrorist could be the guy working beside you
In the desert near Balad, the heat rises to a brutal 137 degrees. It blisters your lips, etches cracks in your skin. This is biblical heat, the kind that can drive a man insane. At Camp Anaconda, one of the biggest American bases in Iraq, there was only one place to get water. The Tigris…
Foes to Show You
When Bernie Kosar’s Cleveland Gladiators square off against John Elway’s Colorado Crush tonight in an Arena Football League showdown at the Q, fans will probably flash back to the long-remembered fumble of 1988. And the two former QBs are bracing themselves for an avalanche of questions over how Browns running back Earnest Byner lost the…
Gnarls Barkley
Forget the alleged Felix-and-Oscar contrast between singer Cee-Lo Green and super-producer Danger Mouse. The title of Gnarls Barkley’s sophomore album is really a reminder — backed up by the contents — that both men are seriously left-of-center, especially considering they scored one of 2006’s surprise smashes with “Crazy.” Green’s contrary nature dates back to his…
Chef Jim Malkus brought smiles to food critics. He just didn’t like that whole bill paying thing.
Whatever other problems Jim Malkus had, he knew how to make food. In 2005, the veteran chef with the demeanor of a southern gentleman and the body of an overripe peach opened the Grill Fish restaurant in Tremont. The place was a dark 40-seat establishment. Sunlight slid in only when customers opened the front door.…
Cleveland hardcore band Cheap Tragedies signs to N.Y.C. label
Cleveland’s Cheap Tragedies have signed with Mad at the World Records, which will release their full-length debut. The New York City indie label’s roster includes throwback hardcore bands like Urban Waste and Battletorn. The company previously released the self-titled CD/DVD package by 9 Shocks Terror, one of Tragedies frontman Tony Erba’s many groups (including the…
These New Puritans
Like the old-school cult punks of the Fall, the four 19-year-old Brits who make up These New Puritans find plenty of room to move within their repetition. Beat Pyramid, their debut album, skitters along jagged guitar riffs, repeated one-word choruses, and a need to get the hell out of there as fast as it can…
It took one drunken punch outside a Lakewood bar to end Matt Hockey’s life
It was a scene common on the curbs of Lakewood: As last call sounded on the Friday before Easter, the crowd spilled from Johnny Malloy’s onto Detroit Avenue to drunk-dial, drunk-text, and plot their routes to the Taco Bell drive-through. Standing among the partyers, Jim Trabert thumbed a text message as he waited for his…
Singer-songwriter Chris Allen grows up on new CD by turning up the volume
It’s a week after St. Patrick’s Day, and singer-songwriter Chris Allen appears to have fully recovered from his holiday gig with his usually drunk Pogues cover band, Boys From the County Hell. On St. Patrick’s Day — their busiest and craziest gig of the year — the group performed for more than 15 hours, starting…
Sun Kil Moon
Massillon native Mark Kozelek has been making music in San Francisco for more than 15 years, delivering a consistent output of intimate slo-mo folk-rock. As frontman for ’90s mopesters Red House Painters, he scored a minor hit with an unrecognizable cover of the Cars’ “All Mixed Up.” Three years ago, the second Sun Kil Moon…
