Update: Rock Hall Announces Additions to 21st Annual Music Masters Series
Earlier today, the Rock Hall announced that Sam Bush, Paul Cauthen, Ana Cristina, Ira Dean, Nikki Lane, Terry McBride, Bill Miller, the Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Worsham, and Cash’s longtime drummer WS Holland will join previously announced artists Mike Ness of Social Distortion, Eilen Jewell, and L.A. punk band X, to honor the “Man in Black”…
Hansa Brewery in Ohio City Now Open
Update: If you’ve been checking in on this project over the years, the news last month that Hansa was nearing the finish line was glorious news. Better news this week: Hansa’s now open. There’s an official grand opening on Saturday, but Boris Music says they’re open now if you want to stop by. Six beers…
Tamir Rice Gazebo Will Be Coming Down Wednesday, Then Shipped to Chicago
Update: Crews will begin disassembling the gazebo at Cudell Recreation Center where Tamir Rice was shot beginning on Wednesday, Cleveland.com reports. The process is expected to take several days. The gazebo will then be shipped to the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, where it will be reassembled and displayed in Tamir’s memory. *** (Original…
Councilman Kerry McCormack Impresses at Public Square City Club Debut
Before the RNC, it was said that the city’s new $50 million Public Square was “ready for its close-up.” The city of Cleveland was too, the New York Times observed. And Tuesday afternoon, in a City-Club-hosted conversation on the Square, fledgling Cleveland City Councilman Kerry McCormack ably demonstrated that he was ready for his. In…
National Bobblehead Hall of Fame Unveils Cavs Championship Series
[image-1]Let’s face it: We’ll be celebrating the 2016 NBA Championship for the rest of our lives. Is your Cavs celebration missing a little bobble? This week the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled their collection of special edition Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship bobbleheads. There are several different models available: 1. Sir CC…
Films From 9 Different Countries to Screen at Cleveland Jewish FilmFest
Now in its tenth year, the Jewish Community Center’s Cleveland Jewish FilmFest regularly brings some of the top international Jewish films to town. This year’s festival, which runs from September 8 to 18, will feature 29 films from nine countries. The films all have Jewish or Israeli themes. Films will screen at five local theaters…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Play Quicken Loans Arena on New Year’s Eve
A Cleveland favorite, the progressive rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra will revisit last year’s show, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, which centers on a runaway who breaks into a vaudeville theater on Christmas Eve, for this year’s annual tour that will visit 61 cities across North America beginning on November 17 in Youngstown and concluding, after…
Dispatches on Skipping the Babysitter and Bringing a Child to a Classical Music Performance at Toast
When my husband and I first had our son, we didn’t realize that becoming parents meant that we would need to now pay $40 in order to go anywhere without our son. Forty dollars is the average cost of an evening of babysitting. Take a fun thing you’re doing this weekend: A movie! A concert!…
Searching for America at the Cuyahoga County Demolition Derby
Hundreds of eager families piled into the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds grandstand Sunday night, strollers and stuffed Pokemon toys in tow, bracing themselves for metal carnage and, in the words of the evening’s emcee, “one heck of a show.” After a week of rain, the final day of the county fair eased up a bit on…
Cedar Point Announces Latest Ride Addition for 2017 (Sort of)
Cedar Point is up to something, and the park wants us to watch out for whatever it may be. Tony Clark, Cedar Point’s Communications Director, tweeted this message Tuesday morning: Want to know what's new for 2017? See it first on Instagram. The pieces come together at 10 a.m. Thursday. https://t.co/WVCx692RIX — Tony Clark (@TonyClarkCP) August…
On His Latest Album, Pop Singer Seal Taps Into His Love of Big Band Music
Best known as a singer-songwriter with a tender, soulful voice, Seal shows off his sense of humor in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the satirical comedy from the comedy troupe the Lonely Island. Angry wolves chase after him in one scene, and one even grabs hold of his arm as he struggles to escape. “It…
Cleveland Teachers Union Calls for Strike, Will Hit Picket Lines September 1 if Contract Still Unresolved
As promised, the Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU) called for a strike at its meeting Monday night. Though classes across the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) resumed Monday, the most recent teachers’ contract expired June 30, and sides failed to come together over the summer on a few key issues. Despite three days of in-depth negotiations…
Mike Birbiglia’s New Comedy Takes a Serious Look at Life in an Improv Troupe
Comedy is conventionally defined as work intended to produce amusement and laughter; however, Don’t Think Twice, the new comedy from actor, comedian and director Mike Birbiglia, takes that definition and rips it to shreds. The film, which opens on Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre, could easily be mistaken for a documentary. Following the lives of…
Update: Carl Quagliata’s BBQ Venture at Fisher’s Tavern in Mayfield
Back in December we shared the news that Fisher’s Tavern (718 S.O.M. Center Rd), the “oldest restaurant in Mayfield,” was closing after 82 years in business. The owners had decided that the time was right to sell, which they did to restaurateur Carl Quagliata. Fisher’s closed on March 19th of this year. Quagliata, the man…
Silk Road Ensemble Enthralls Capacity Crowd at Blossom
It was a soggy night at Blossom, but neither the rain nor the humidity dampened the enthusiasm of the crowd that filled the pavilion and covered much of the lawn for the Saturday, Aug. 13, evening concert of the Silk Road Ensemble. Anyone attending who thought they were seeing a traditional Cleveland Orchestra concert were…
Nu-Metal Rockers Korn Take an Old School Approach on Forthcoming Album
When the hard rock act Korn emerged in the early 1990s, critics coined the term nu-metal to describe its sound, an amalgam of hip-hop and metal. “We had a band with everyone but [singer] Jonathan [Davis] in it at the time,” says bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu via phone from a St. Louis tour stop. “We…
Despite Stormy Setback, CiCLEvia Looks Ahead to September Event
Due to heavy rains, the first of three CiCLEvías, originally scheduled for Aug. 13, was canceled. Fortunately, the next in the three-part series is right around the corner on Sept. 10 from 3-7 p.m. Ciclovías, which translate to “bikeways,” originated in south and central Colombian cities like Cali, Medellín and Bogotá during the mid-1970s. The…
Cleveland Print Room’s New Exhibition Confronts Force of Scale
The word “scale” has many meanings. One example: “a graduated range of values forming a standard system for measuring or grading something.” Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 19, the Cleveland Print Room (CPR) hosts an opening reception for its latest exhibition, Scale3, featuring the work of Toby Kaufmann-Buhler, Lori Kella and…
On the Edge Film Festival Returns to the Breen Center in October
The second annual On the Edge Film Festival promise to have “something for extreme sport and armchair athletes alike.” It returns to the Breen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, October 14, and Saturday, October 15, 2016. The festival will include films about “adrenaline-driven action sports” as well as “engrossing character studies and environmental…
Cleveland Woman Charged with Assault on an Officer, While Video Shows Officer Hitting Back
Video footage of a handcuffed woman being hit in the face by a law enforcement official is being contrasted against her Aug. 11 arrest in Cleveland. Due to the unsteady quality of the video and the lack of public comment about this specific altercation, the narrative is murky at best. Nonetheless, Ciara Isabel Perez-Rodriguez was…
RTA Fare Increases Now in Effect, Bleak and Baleful Horizon Stretches Far as Eye Can See
Happy Monday, campers, and happy first day of school to all ye CMSD argonauts and argonaut-parentals. The good news these days is that the Indians are still in first place, the late-summer monsoons have arrived in force and our deep-Saharan drought is, at last, in the blessed rear view. The bad news is that the…
A Northeast Ohio Native, Comedian Rhea Butcher to Perform at Hilarities
Akron native Rhea Butcher’s career has finally started to take off. This month, the comedian is set to release her first TV series, Take My Wife, and will also release her debut comedy album Butcher. Butcher, who now lives in Los Angeles, possesses a distinctively “blue collar brand of cool” that has served her well…
Murder Charges Dismissed in Long-Running ‘East Cleveland 3’ Case
This morning, the state of Ohio formally dismissed the murder charges against Eugene Johnson, Derrick Wheatt and Laurese Glover, aka the “East Cleveland 3.” Their new trial began and ended today, after a long and circuitous process stemming from their original 1996 murder convictions. “You’re free to go,” Judge Nancy Russo told the men as the…
Crop Rocks and Crop Sticks to Close in September
Following on the heels of the recent shuttering of Crop Kitchen at Uptown in University Circle, Scene just learned that Crop Rocks and Crop Sticks in Flats East Bank will close on September 11. This is according to an employee that works there and wishes to remain anonymous. Staffers were informed of the decision earlier…
Bayside Singer Anthony Raneri Gets Self-Reflective on the Band’s New Album, ‘Vacancy’
Bayside singer Anthony Raneri was on Warped Tour when he got the idea for “Dancing Like an Idiot,” one of the songs featured on the expanded edition of the band’s reissue of 2014’s Cult. “We’ve been outspoken about anything we think is bullshit, especially bands and trends,” he told us in an interview shortly after…
Old City Soda to Open Old City Libations in Detroit Shoreway
From the start, Old City Sodas have been geared to the high-end cocktail market. Founder Mike Gulley, a veteran bartender, saw the need for better mixers to go along with the burgeoning craft cocktail scene so he began formulating them. While they can be enjoyed right out of the bottle or tap, Old City Ginger Beer,…
The Olympics and the Hall of Fame Non-Game – The A to Z Podcast with Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Our buds Andre and Zac greet us today with some thoughts on the Summer Olympics, the odd Pro Football Hall of Fame non-game and some stories from Green Bay. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
Riding Comeback Album, The Fall of Troy Thrills Grog Shop with High-Energy Setlist
It’s been a little under a year since The Fall Of Troy were in Cleveland touring for the 10-year anniversary of their cult classic post-hardcore opus, Doppelganger. And having finally released their comeback album, OK, earlier this year, a Grog Shop full of faithful hardcore fans and metalheads was more than ready for the next round…
Hazing Allegations at Streetsboro High School Band Camp, Investigation Pending
The Streetsboro High School band director and assistant band director have both been relieved of their duties and placed on administrative leave after allegations of hazing at the school’s summer band camp held at Camp Muskingum. Streetsboro City School District Superintendent, R. Michael Daulbaugh, published a message on the district’s website Friday morning. After the…
9 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, AUG. 12 Luke Bryan Georgia-born singer-songwriter Luke Bryan isn’t exactly a newcomer — his career dates back to the late 2000s. But he’s recently become one of country’s biggest superstars and his ability to sell out Blossom for not just one but two nights is a testimony to his success. The current tour comes…
Local Indie Folk Act Dolfish Gets Conceptual on Its New Album, ‘Foreclosure American Dreams’
Several years ago, local indie singer-songwriter Max Sollisch, who tours and records under the moniker Dolfish, toured with Southeast Engine, the indie folk band out of Athens, Ohio. The two acts played living rooms, and, as the bands bonded, Southeast Engine singer-guitarist Adam Remnant talked about the inspiration for Canary, the band’s 2011 album about a…
A Bountiful and Varied Fall Theater Season Awaits Northeast Ohio
Soon, the leaves will start to turn and many local theaters will be lifting their curtains to welcome a new season. Here’s a list of some of the offerings of local theaters through the fall season. There are 44 of them so far. There’s bound to be something in there you or a loved one…
Sausage Party: So Do the Hot Dogs Have Penises Too, or What?
The competing interpretations of the new adult animated film Sausage Party, within your group of friends, are likely to be the following: On one side: “This was a smart and probing existential allegory that happens to be suffused with potty humor. Hilarious, right?” On the other: “This was a garbage-bin late-night skit engorged to feature length, almost…
Police Need Help Finding These Guys Who Broke Into the Tremont Lofts and Stole 20 Bikes
About 20 bikes were stolen from the Tremont Lofts recently, and Cleveland police have released images related to the theft. Two men were caught on surveillance camera tinkering with the locks and getting into the building. They made off with the bikes as well as two TVs. Know these guys? Contact the police at the…
Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department Supervisor Fired After Repeated Use of Excessive Force Against Inmates at County Jail
Brendan Johnson had spent the last 16 years working for the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department in the county jail. The first ten of those came as a corrections officer. The last six, since a promotion in September of 2010, as a supervisor — corrections officer corporal. That all ended on June 23, 2016, when he…
Avant Metal Act Baroness Infuses Latest Album with a Sense of ‘Excitement’
Most major touring acts skip Savannah, Georgia and opt instead to go to nearby Atlanta, a bigger market with a larger number of clubs. For Baroness singer-guitarist John Baizley, who formed the band in Savannah in 2003, the isolation proved to be an advantage. “We cut our teeth [in Savannah],” he says via phone from…
‘There’s Too Much Silence’: One Woman’s Quest to End the Heroin Overdose Crisis
Camelia Carter’s petition seeking a state of emergency in Ohio is picking up traction; thousands of signatures have piled up in just a few days. Her goal: to trigger an all-in flood of public funding to confront the growing heroin and opiate overdose epidemic in the state. When I meet Carter at a westside Chipotle,…
Jazz Singer and Bassist Esperanza Spalding to Play Kent Stage in October
Jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding released her debut, Junjo, in 2006, and the album quickly established her as a rising star. A favorite of President Obama, who asked her to play at his Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2009, she surprised everyone when she won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011. The…
Back to School Tips From a Former Cool Kid
It’s August and for young people everywhere that means it’s almost time to go back to school. School can be a stressful time in many kid’s lives because they’ve got to worry about things like fitting in, bullies, keeping good grades and being cool. I’m here to help though, because, and I know this may…
My Horrible Experience Moving Into K&D’s Reserve Square in Downtown Cleveland
A reader named John got in touch recently wanting to share his travails with Reserve Square. His story is below. I read your May 1, 2015 story on K&D’s little mouse “problem” at Reserve Square. The problem is that I read it too late. I just wanted to share with you my story of moving…
A Near-Death Experience Inspired Singer-Songwriter Tommy Womack’s New Album
In 2012, singer-songwriter Tommy Womack overcame years of addiction to become clean and sober. The album he released that year, Now What!, received rave reviews. Things were going well. Last year, however, another roadblock came his way as he was driving through “the Boondocks of Kentucky” to a concert in Grand Rapids. He came to…
Blood Father is Dollar-Store Cartel-Infused Mad Max
Set in the dry, barren deserts of southern California, Blood Father is as dull as the landscapes that fill the screen. (You’ve been warned. However, if you’re a die-hard Mel Gibson fan, you can catch this thriller out at the Atlas Cinemas in Mentor, where it opens Thursday night.) Chronicling the harrowing journey of a…
Is Cedar Point Retooling the Mean Streak as a Steel-Wood Hybrid Coaster?
(Intrepid reporting from our 14-year-old amusement park correspondent. Enjoy.) On Monday, August 1st, Cedar Point officially announced the closure of one of their two wooden coasters, the Mean Streak, which would stop rolling Friday, September 16. When Mean Streak first opened in 1991, it was the tallest, fastest wooden coaster in the world. Built by Dinn. Corp., it…
Winking Lizard Coventry Closes Tonight After 19 Years
For nearly 20 years, Winking Lizard has been a fixture on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, where it replaced Pepper Ridge Tavern, which replaced Turkey Ridge Tavern before that. That all ends after business tonight when the restaurant (1852 Coventry Rd., 216-397-8380) closes for good. Plans have been in the works for over a year…
Alt-Rock Act Blue October to Play Free Show at Aloft Cleveland Downtown
Led by volatile singer-guitarist Justin Furstenfeld, the alt-rock act Blue October has experienced extreme ups and downs since forming just over 20 years ago. Furstenfeld chronicles that rollercoaster ride in Crazy Making — The Words and Lyrics of Justin Furstenfeld, a collection of annotated lyrics for the songs in the band’s discography. A couple of…
Watch Californians Try to Pronounce Ohio City Names
Ohio Proud brought together a group of Californians to entertain us Ohioans with attempts to pronounce Ohio’s cities’ names. To be fair, many of our state’s towns are named after Native American tribes and their various languages — Chillicothe is Shawnee, and Tuscarawas derives from the Delaware languages — but some pronunciations are just downright…
Tickets Dwindling for Countryside Conservancy Pop-Up at Katz Club
The next pop-up dinner slated for the Katz Club Diner will celebrate the height of summer produce while benefiting the Countryside Conservancy in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which seeks to connect people, food and the land through family farms, farmers’ markets, and educational programs. “As a supporter of local food and our farmer community,…
Country Star Eric Church Announces Plans to Play the Q in 2017
[image-1]When country singer-guitarist Eric Church last played in town in 2014, he delivered a two-hour concert in front of a packed house at Quicken Loans Arena. Drawing on his rock roots, he put on an energetic show that came off as the country equivalent of a Springsteen concert. Church even sang a few riffs from…
“Sans Merci” Is Unsettling and Haunting at None Too Fragile Theater
When the lights went off to signal the ending of none too fragile’s production of Johnna Adams’ unsettling, haunting, thought-provoking Sans Merci, my immediate reaction was, “Oh, please fellow audience members, don’t clap!” “Please don’t! This experience needs a respectful silence.” Applauding at the end of this play was like cheering at the end of…
Veteran Local Rockers Team Up to Form Duo Decibel System
Duo Decibel System (DDS), a Cleveland-based rock duo featuring singer-guitarist Miss Melvis and drummer John Scully, Duo Decibel System possesses some serious local cred. Over the years, the band’s two members have played with acts such as the Heathers, Chump, Flat Can Company, Numbskull, Starvation Army and the SLAP Jazz Quartet. The story of two…
Punk Rockers Blink-182 Deliver an Impressive Set of Hits at Blossom
For nearly three decades, Blink-182 has molded and shaped the punk scene; from 1999’s Enema of the State to their most recent album, California, Blink-182 continuously proves that it has what it takes to be at the top of the pyramid, and last night’s concert at Blossom was no exception. You can see a slideshow…
Pride Inc. CEO Todd Saporito Will be Stepping Down, but not Because of Petition Calling for Resignation
[image-1]On Tuesday morning, WCPN’s Sound of Ideas convened a panel to discuss the cancellation of the 28th annual Cleveland Pride parade and festival, and the efforts behind #PrideintheCLE, the event created in the cancellation’s aftermath. Pride Inc. CEO Todd Saporito, City Councilman Kerry McCormack and the LGBT Center’s Executive Director Phyllis Harris offered their competing interpretations of…
Now Open: Woodstock BBQ in Lakewood
Last month we offered the first public glimpse of Woodstock BBQ (13362 Madison Ave., 216-226-8828), a Lakewood smoked-meat restaurant a couple years in the making. After such a lengthy and extensive build-out process, owner Robert Togliatti said that he wouldn’t open the doors until he had every detail ironed out. Apparently, that occurred this past weekend.…
A Showcase of Work by Local Cartoonist Nathan Ward Launches at Loop
It’s been a busy year for local cartoonist Nathan Ward. On the same day as the birth of his newborn, he was awarded one of this year’s Creative Workforce Fellowships from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Thanks to the fellowship, he has been able to dedicate more time…
In a Crowded Landscape, Thai Kitchen in Lakewood Dishes Up Authenticity
Pick up any Thai restaurant menu in town and you’re bound to see the same collection of popular chestnuts trotted out time and time again. That’s not the case at Thai Kitchen in Lakewood, home to Chef Kwan and her lengthy roster of authentic restaurant-style and home-style Thai dishes. A graduate of one of Bangkok’s…
Farms Offer DIY Fun for Fruit Lovers
As summer dwindles down to the last days of August, certain traditions signify it’s almost time to head back to school. Blueberry picking was always among the less obvious family activities, more subtle than purchasing pointy new Crayolas. Fruit topped desserts, berry vinaigrettes and sweet garnishes bursting with flavor are making their way onto plates…
My Weekend at a Northeast Ohio Nudist Camp
Cradling my beach towel close to my chest, I clutch a red Solo cup full of champagne and pineapple juice. I take a long drink and start to relax a little, eventually setting the cup and towel aside. I sprawl out on the chair, uncovered, closing my eyes and basking in the uninhibited sunshine as…
A Romance Goes Awry in the Drama ‘Indignation’
Plenty of films center on the trials and tribulations of young adulthood; many movies depict the ways in which college can be a battlefield for self-discovery. However, in Indignation, Marcus Messner’s (Logan Lerman) journey from New Jersey to an anti-Semitic college is anything but ordinary. The movie opens Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre, Chagrin…
Film Spotlight: Anthropoid
World War II made life particularly difficult for the people of Czechoslovakia. The country had to contend with a certain Reinhard “The Butcher of Prague” Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), a Nazi extremist who was the mastermind behind the Final Solution. Heydrich led the Nazis who occupied the country and turned Czech against Czech as he created…
Savage Love: Vacation
DEAR READERS, I’m on vacation for the next three weeks — but you won’t be reading old columns while I’m away. You’ll be getting a new column every week, all of them written by Dan Savage, none of them written by me. Dan Savage is a sports writer and the assistant director of digital content…
