Then-Browns Coach Bill Belichick Had an “Erection” for Warren Sapp
That’s a big man. Warren Sapp, whose hard-hitting career in the National Football League just might someday put his name in the Hall of Fame, was almost a Brown. That’s a little tidbit of info the retired defensive bulldozer leaked out recently in a radio interview pimping a new book. Also revealed: Bill Belichick’s psyche…
Julie Lauter, Wife of Parma Heights Police Captain, Charged with Stealing Money from Youth Soccer Team
You’re really scraping at a new low when you start skimming off the kids’ soccer team. Robbing a bank, cooking up a short-order of meth — arguably all forms of criminal douchery done for quick cash a short step up from dipping into the cookie jar set aside for a group of kids to travel…
The Plain Dealer Can’t Stop Complimenting Former Mayor Mike White For Some Reason
Post-orgasm glow, only missing the halo. The big story in Sunday’s edition of The Plain Dealer was what could charitably be called a journalistic reach-around on Michael White, though to be more accurate, Robert Smith’s schmaltzy words got all the way to at least third base with the former mayor of Cleveland. White, if you…
Watch a Five-Year-Old Kid Kick Ass on Led Zep’s “Rock and Roll”
Meet Ethan. He’s a five-year-old Cleveland kid who plays drums with the local School of Rock. Ethan and his band Jester recently had a show at Brothers Lounge. Ethan kicked ass. Major ass. As you’ll see from the above video, little dude owned Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Your air drumming isn’t nearly this good.…
Former Deagan’s Chef Has Designs on New Digs
It was only two months ago that Demetrios Atheneos, the opening chef of the popular Lakewood gastropub Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar (14810 Detroit Ave., 216-767-5775), found himself out of a job. But by December, he hopes to open his own gastropub/brasserie in Valley View. The as-yet-unnamed restaurant will reside in the former home of Hoggy’s…
Video: Some Drunk Idiot Stole Candy From Dante’s
Those big jugs of candy plopped in the front lobby of Dante’s in Tremont are enticing. You want to grab a whole handful, or two. And then stuff your pockets. And Dante encourages that. (Well, sort of. If you must.) But walking off with the big jars? That’s verboten, and just plain poor form for…
Hudson-based Western Reserve School of Cooking adding Ohio City Outpost
Carl St. John, who along with his wife Catherine runs the Hudson-based Western Reserve School of Cooking, says they will open a new cooking school and cookware shop in Ohio City. He adds that they were pursued by neighborhood development folks to do so. While modeled after the 41-year-old cooking school (the St. Johns purchased…
Cloud Nothings Find Something Else to Do in 2012
Less than a week after we told you about a mess of stuff Cloud Nothings have going on for the rest of 2012, one of Cleveland’s best just announced that they’ll be joining Silversun Pickups as openers on their upcoming fall tour of the states. That’s good news for Cloud Nothings, who’ve been building buzz…
From the Desk of the Former Mayor of Cleveland, The Honorable Michael R. White
Straight from Scene’s letters to the editor inbox, for your reading pleasure. Dear Sirs and Madams, It would behoove you all to examine this weekend’s Plain Dealer. There, instead of the vile muckraking and insinuation you find littering the Scene, you’ll see an actual piece of journalism about my latest success, the Yellow Butterfly Winery,…
People’s Party to be ‘more inclusive’ West Side Market Centennial Bash
Dante Boccuzzi, Karen Small, Steve Schimoler and countless other Cleveland chefs learned about the West Side Market’s Centennial Gala the same way everybody else did: namely, by reading about it Scene and the Plain Dealer. The bash, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, is a star-studded event that features as much out-of-town talent…
Breaking: Ohio University No Longer Nation’s Top Party School
Get on this woman’s level. We know you’re all busy reading about Todd Akin’s self-immolation and buried in Colt McCoy’s latest grandstanding, but stop what you’re doing, because there is breaking news coming in over the wires: In the Princeton Review’s annual survey of the top part schools in the nation, Ohio University is no…
Progressive Goes to Court to Defend Man Responsible for Policy Holder’s Death (Updated)
Disbelief? Us too. Update II: It seems Matt Fisher’s blog post is having an actual effect on Progressive’s business — an eye-widening example of social media flexing it’s muscles. After the Wall Street Journal got hip to the story, they tapped a social media tracker to rake through the online mentions regarding the family’s troubles…
Video: ‘The Daily Show’ On Ohio’s Attempt at Restricting Voting Hours
“Are you fucking kidding me?” About all that needs to be said, but this clip from “The Daily Show” last week is worth watching anyway, if just for the 7/11 references. The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Video: Oakland Fan Taunts Chris Perez
Alternate title of this video: Two idiots jawing at each other idiotically. “Get a haircut, garbage man,” and “Get your dick out of your mouth,” are not exactly raising the discourse of shit-talking to any new levels. What about: “Your park-adjusted August ERA in day games is higher than your momma’s LDL!” instead? Boom! Too…
What To Do This Week: Get Out!
Monday. Again. Here are a few ways to drown the work-a-day blues and keep in shape for the weekend: 1.Monday August 20Brews & Blues at Great Lakes Brewing Co.Kristine Jackson, Cleveland’s award-winning blues musician, uses her rough childhood as inspiration, channeling the emotions trapped inside her into her music. The result is a strong, soulful…
Feast!
The Feast of the Assumption, that annual orgy of Italian food eating on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, just wrapped up its 114th edition. Look at all the fun you missed!
Cleveland native recruits R&B and soul artists for debut CD
A Cleveland native, drummer Drew Schultz has nothing but positive things to say about the Shaker Heights public schools he attended before graduating and going on to study jazz performance for drummers at NYU. “Shaker Heights public schools have one of the best music programs I’ve ever seen,” says Schultz, who has spent the last…
Osama bin Laden’s Former Translator Thinks LeBron James Owes Cleveland an Apology
When letters from Muhammed Rahim, Osama bin Laden’s former translator who is summering down in Guantanamo Bay, to his lawyer were declassified, one of the most startling revelations was a single sentence. “Osama bin Laden is a very bad man.” Just kidding. Rahim didn’t write that. Here’s what he really wrote. “Dear Mr. Warner! LeBron…
What to Do This Weekend: Get Out!
Entertainment abounds this weekend — everything from modern dance to meat on a bun and beefcake on a stage. Here are our three top picks: 1. The National Hamburger Festival in Akron. Some of the nation’s greatest hamburgers hit the grill this weekend at Lock 3 Park in Akron, as part of the seventh annual…
Raphael Saadiq Energizes Obama Supporters at HoB
“This election isn’t just about this generation but about the next three generations,” soul star Raphael Saadiq told the audience at the House of Blues last night. The free concert was organized for Obama campaign volunteers and potential volunteers, with sign-up sheets for canvassing shifts in the lobby. Before the show, Saadiq, joined by a…
An interview with Lucero, who play the House of Blues on Thursday
While alt-country rockers haven’t had anything close to a hit over the course of their 15-year career, the guys have relentlessly toured and usually play over 100 dates a year. Their new album, Women & Work, is a great collection of Springsteen-like anthems and country-tinged punk rock. Guitarist Brian Venable spoke via phone from the…
Mexican Drug Cartels Are Running Weed Farms in Ohio
Secret gardens. If you keep tabs on the drug war (and who doesn’t, right?) you might have heard of the troubling new development happening out west over the last few years. Instead of trying to hustle coke and weed over the border, the powerful Mexican cartels are now sneaking in their own guys, finding rural…
Concert Review: Marshall Crenshaw at the Beachland Ballroom
Since recruiting the Bottle Rockets, a terrific alt-country act out of St. Louis, to be his backing band a couple of years ago, singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw has gotten a good second wind. Playing last night at the Beachland Ballroom with three-fourths of the Bottle Rockets in tow, Crenshaw opened his 90-minute set with “Better Back…
Chimaira Declare Age of Hell Over
Cleveland metal band Chimaira are well aware that all the turmoil going on within the group for the past couple of years — revolving-door band membership, occasionally spotty songs, etc. — has pissed off more than a handful of fans. Frontman Mark Hunter just released a statement to fans that basically says, “Yeah, things have…
Josh Mandel Has Fun With Fake Accent
Josh Mandel: Country Boy From Beachwood Remember those phony British accents you and your friend tried out at the mall one day when you were in high school? That was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? Apparently for Josh Mandel, the Republican running for Sherrod Brown’s U.S. Senate seat, it still is. At a campaign…
Local Band to Teach Kids How to Write Rock Songs
Herzog In July, Cleveland band Herzog played a concert on the plaza of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. They didn’t just stumble into this opportunity; they put a lot of work and thought into their songs and their sound which they’ve showcased on two album: 2009’s Search and their latest, Cartoon…
An interview with Beaver Nelson, who plays the Beachland on Monday
Austin-based singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson isn’t the first guy that comes to mind when you think of an artist who might employ visuals in his live show. His music has a raw roots rock vibe that doesn’t seem suited to film or any kind of audiovisual accompaniment. And yet the guy is touring with an album-length…
Pic of the Day: A Mitt Romney People Can Actually Stomach
The good folks at the Hartville Chocolate Factory have imprinted the likeness of the presumptive GOP nominee onto a piece of chocolate. So, there’s that.
An interview with Brian Olive, who plays the Happy Dog on Wednesday
While his former bands the Greenhornes and the Soledad Brothers gained a certain amount of acclaim for their gritty garage rock, singer-guitarist Brian Olive is likely to earn more notoriety for his solo career. After all, his latest album, 2011’s Two of Everything, a mix of garage, rock, and soul that was co-produced by the…
Devo Write Song About Mitt Romney’s Dog (Updated)
Update: Rolling Stone has that new song up here. Give it a listen. They also have a little more info about the project. ***** We haven’t heard much from Devo since their pretty-damn-good 2010 comeback album Something for Everybody. Next week the band, which was formed in Akron way back in the early ’70s, returns…
NY Times Weighs in on Ohio’s Early Voting Controversy
“Man, the GOP totally husted’d Knox county this year.” Here in Ohio, the great and sweeping voter disenfranchisement being enacted by Secretary of State John Husted is becoming one of the more contentious issues rearing its ugly head this election season. The basic situation is that Husted has stacked the deck so that early voting…
Rock Hall’s New Book Series Makes It Funky Now
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will launch a book series at its new Library and Archives next week, and the first event should be a great one: Writer RJ Smith will talk about his terrific bio, The One: The Life and Music of James Brown. This reading will take place at 7 p.m.…
Cheap Eats
Umami moto For Jae Stulock, chef and co-owner of Umami Moto food truck, a first taste of Thai food turned out to be a defining moment: “I was at Johnny Mango's when I was about 17, and that was the first time I ever tasted pad Thai. I remember so vividly how wowed I was.…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Singin’ in the Rain (Warner) The greatest musical ever made finally comes to Blu-ray, just in time for its 60th anniversary. There are so many classic scenes here – Donald O’Connor tripping over furniture in the wonderfully choreographed “Make ‘Em Laugh” sequence, the star trio singing “Good Morning,” and of course Gene Kelly’s…
We Get Mail
Lowered Expectations I get the “be careful what you wish for” argument [“The Absent Owner,” August 8, 2012]. But I also feel that the Browns were in a decade-long holding pattern under Lerner. Certainly, Haslam sees the advantages of a built-in fortune (“subsidized” is wildly accurate), yet I would think (hope) that the new owner…
Concert Calendar
8/16 Train There’s a song on Train’s latest album that’s either the most brilliant or the most batshit-crazy you’ll hear all year. It’s called “You Can Finally Meet My Mom,” and the narrative behind it goes like this: Singer Patrick Monahan tells the love of his life that when he dies and goes to heaven,…
Local Band in Focus
Meet the Artist: Before going solo, the Brecksville native used to front the piano-based rock band Return of Simple. Cleveland State of Mind: Kovacs moved his band to New York City after releasing a couple of albums, but he’s since returned to Cleveland to reconnect with the music scene here. Say It Best: Kovacs –…
CD Review: Antony and the Johnsons
By now, you pretty much know how an Antony and the Johnsons album will play out. Frontman Antony Hegarty will wow you with his soaring falsetto and hyper-delicate approach to classical-spiked baroque pop. And halfway through you'll zone out. This live album breaks the pattern a bit by employing a full symphonic orchestra onstage. Still,…
CD Review: Zel
(thatcrack.com/mixtapes/zel-clip-up) Featuring 26 tracks and running 76 minutes, Clip Up is no mere mixtape. This highlight set by Cleveland rapper Zel gets aggressive at times: Check out tough cuts like “Banana Clip Hammers,” “Stray Shots 3,” and “Spit Yo Game.” But he’s also a team player, name-checking a bunch of Buckeye State cities in “Get…
Soft Focus
After a back injury in the late 1980s ended Robert Stivers’ first career in dancing, he took up photography. The New Mexico artist taught himself to shoot as he pleased and develop the effects he desired in the darkroom. His use of soft focus, tones of black, white, or sepia, and various technical tricks create…
Working-Class Heroes
Sociologists will tell you that upbringing often determines personality. Of course, they’re usually interested in looking at issues like class, race, and gender. But that notion of naturalism certainly applies to brothers Zachary and Andrew Gabbard, who head up Cincinnati retro-rockers the Buffalo Killers. Steeped in ’70s classic rock, their terrific new album Dig. Sow.…
On View This Week
BuckBuck Hai-ku(noun). Andy Curlowe and Janet Bruhn display works that examine humanity’s relationship with nature. Bruhn uses an unflinching realism to render scenes like half-eaten food and overgrown lots, demonstrating how the world goes on without our attention or consent. In pieces like “I Can’t Wait for Winter,” left, Curlowe meshes together natural landscapes and…
On Stage This Week
All Shook Up: Mercury Summer Stock wraps up its 2012 season with this musical comedy based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and built around a couple dozen of Elvis Presley’s most famous songs. Despite a tired plot, house critic Christine Howey calls the production “thoroughly engaging,” with “infectious” performances. Shows continue through August 18 at Notre…
CD Review: Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor's parents are Carly Simon and James Taylor, so his singer-songwriter chops come naturally. On his fourth album he channels his father in both style and sound: He borrows James' easy flow on songs like “Worlds Are Made of Paper” and the title track, while “Oh Brother” lifts a line from Dad's “You've Got…
CD Review: Yellowcard
The band that made the violin cool for pop-punk kids throughout the universe has been on a roll since returning from a four-year hiatus last year. Their eighth album features a stinging blend of chugging guitar riffs and fist-raising choruses made for bedroom moshing. Southern Air doesn't reinvent, or even tweak, the formula. But songs…
Finger Lickin' Time
Fried chicken and all the fixin's is one of Southern food's finest traditions — “and it's really good,” says Soho chef and owner Nolan Konkoski. “We think everyone should enjoy it once in a while — even vegans!” That’s why Soho Kitchen & Bar kicked off a new weekly event this week called “Chicken Scratch…
CD Review: Various Artists
Tribute albums can work two ways: You stay totally faithful to the source material, or you don't. The 17 artists gathered on Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac try to have it both ways, with forward-thinking remakes like Lee Ranaldo and J. Mascis' stripped cover of the instrumental “Albatross”…
Clubland
Last year, local promoter Mai Moore put together a concert showcase featuring graduates from Heights High. The event was so successful, she held two additional ones. This week, she's staging her fourth on Saturday at the Agora Theatre. A panel of industry experts will be on hand to critique the 20 artists who are slated…
Soundcheck
Over the past 30 years, Marshall Crenshaw has sealed his reputation as the consummate singer-songwriter. While he’s best known for his sole Top 40 hit,”Someday, Someway,” which was on his 1982 self-titled debut, he’s respected and revered by his peers. Despite the lack of mainstream success, Crenshaw has continued to regularly record and tour. He’s…
CD Review: Dead Can Dance
The pioneering London dream-goth duo Dead Can Dance haven't made an album since 1996's Spiritchaser. Shortly after its release, they broke up. Their new album, their eighth, picks up where they left off, with Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry floating among ambient sounds like lost royalty emerging from the woods and returning to their castle.…
Savage Love
Dear Dan: I’m a twentysomething professional snowboarder. I have a problem that I don’t really have anybody to talk to about. When I jerk it, I have to put a finger in my asshole to finish. Plain and simple, that’s the only way I can come. I can’t even come in a girl’s pussy without…
The Pizza Purist
What looks to some like a puny, burnt pizza with scant toppings is, to others, a thing of culinary triumph, with a pedigree stretching back hundreds of years. Marc-Aurele Buholzer squarely resides within the latter group. Since he opened Vero Bistro in mid June, Buholzer has dedicated himself to making the best possible pizza Napoletana…
Flying High in Peninsula
Dave Boehm stands alone in the grass at Edgewater Park. “It’s a perfect day for boomeranging,” he says, holding up his wind gauge. It flashes 3 mph — a little slow. Regardless, he assumes the position: feet firmly planted, right hand holding the boomerang vertically behind his shoulder. “If you can’t see the paint, you’re…
The Axe Man
There’s a lot to look at when you walk into Jon Hill’s loft apartment in the Warehouse District: The photo of the custom guitar he built for comedian George Lopez. The half-finished guitar on the workbench that he’s building for metal guitarist Jack Frost (Frost Bite, Seven Witches, Savatage). The picture of Slayer singer-bassist Tom…
The Method to His Madness
Even if you haven’t seen Marc Brown’s notorious commercials on late-night television, there’s no missing his eight-story empire at East 21st and Payne. A giant sign announces “Norton Furniture.” Right next to it is an even bigger profile of Brown himself. The weird humor and trippy quality of Brown’s commercials have left many Clevelanders, as…
Film Capsules
The Bourne Legacy The fourth Bourne movie, and first without Matt Damon, at times plays like a Bourne copy, not the next chapter in the franchise. It’s not necessarily the fault of Jeremy Renner (who takes over the lead role) or new director Tony Gilroy (who co-wrote the other three movies). The Bourne Legacy often…
Screens
Jaws Universal’s 100th anniversary celebration has been a boon for movie fans. The first half of the year delivered special-edition Blu-rays of classic movies like To Kill a Mockingbird, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Deer Hunter, and The Sting. This week, one of the studio’s all-time best — and the movie that kicked…
ABJ Columnist Bob Dyer Doesn’t Like When You Call Akron the “Arsehole of America”
It’s a noble capacity to retain an even-keeled view of your city. To trumpet its charms and upsides while acknowledging that yes, certain things suck and that’s just the way it is. The rah-rah Cleveland publicity bunch who descend on any bad word about the Forest City like Frank Russo on an eyeglass sale at…
