Sam Lectures Cleveland about Thin Skin
Fulwood Watch: We Read America’s Worst Columnist So You Don’t Have To! In this episode, Sam Fulwood III explains what makes humor funny. Headline: Poor Cleveland can’t take a joke? Date: December 19, 2006 Topic: Sam saw a story about satirical Cleveland holiday cards and decides to follow up. Finding that Clevelanders are feeling insulted,…
Concerts: This Just In…
Romantic piano man Jim Brickman plays the State Theatre February 14 Crooner Jim Brickman and your nephew’s favorites from Ralph’s World head up this week’s concert announcements. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 Chino Nunez/Noel Quintana & His Latin Crew: Free Salsa lessons start at 8 p.m, Fri., Dec. 22. Touch Supper Club, 2710 Lorain Ave., Ohio City,…
Your Holiday Throwdown Guide
Here’s a quick rundown of holiday throwdowns from Thu., December 21 through Saturday, Dec. 30. Merry Festivus! ROCK: Thu., December 21 Drop to Zero, Amplexus, and Asleep (Christmas Acoustic Show) Club Khameleon 626 N. Water St. Kent Fri., December 22 Christmas With the Family, featuring the Family Riot, King, Dohm, and others Agora Ballroom 5000…
Kucinich Needs a Real Challenge
Can’t someone please take down the creepy elf? Brent Larkin has to be kidding! The potential opponents to Kucinich have supported the guy for the past 10 years. They are all in bed together and the voters would just get more of the same old — same old nothing. Not one of the three “potentials”…
Translated: Romeo’s Press Conference
C-Notes knows the Brown and Orange faithful are frustrated with our team’s play this year. We are, too. Four-and-ten might work okay if you’re selling donuts, but at Cleveland Browns Stadium this coffee don’t taste so good. But take it from us — nobody’s steaming quite like Coach Romeo Crennel. Sure, with the help of…
The High Art of Bathroom Graffiti
Bar bathroom walls have long been the canvas for frustrated, alcohol abusing bards. From misquoting Gloria Steinem to petty insults — usually launched at cheating boyfriends and the bar flies they love — there’s no lack of amusing reading while on the pot. There’s much to learn about the mind of the drunk. Reporter Denise…
Rock the Christmas with Styx
It’s really not Christmas without Styx, is it? Looking for a last-minute gift for that special “Mr. Roboto” fan in your life? Also want to show a little hometown pride in your gift-giving? Then One With Everything — a new DVD featuring Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra rocking out in front of a Cleveland…
Rotten Christmas Parties, Part I: Thomson/West
Thomson/West is the galaxy’s largest publisher of legal and accounting books, with more than $8.7 billion in revenues and 40,000 employees worldwide. Happily, Thomson execs toast their prosperity by giving a little something back at this time of year. Technically, very little: This year’s Christmas party at the Independence office was held . . .…
West Side Jim Speaks of Love and Inbreeding
Regarding your article “Cupid’s Crisis”: What a bunch of vain religious and racist bullshit! The big danger of Jews inbreeding for money is that they’ll end up being nothing more than rich and greedy degenerate hillbillies — kind of like the Bush family — only with more Hebrew sounding names. Ladies… please don’t bad rap…
Army of One: Our Bad
The last couple blog items about Army of Anyone said the show was Thursday. That was wrong. Our fault. Army of Anyone concert takes place at House of Blues — and we double-checked this time — TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19. Doors 6:30 p.m., shows starts at 7:30, with a set by local alt-rockers Blush. To make…
No Chinese Democracy this Year
It’s (almost) official: Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy won’t arrive this year. Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has apparently announced that, despite previous assurances, the band’s long-awaited Chinese Democracy LP will not arrive in stores the year. A widely circulated open letter allegedly from Rose to GNR’s fan apologizes, explains the delay, announces a…
Those Women Are Has-Been Garbage!
I agree that everyone knows everyone, but most of those females have had sex with half the city and I know of at least 6 or 7 of my friends that have had sexual relations with guys and they were one night stands so who would want trash like that any way [“Cupid’s Crisis,” December…
Ex Gets World Music Right
Ex in Ethiopia Lets face it. When Western pop stars attempt to appropriate world music, the results are usually downright laughable — maybe even insulting in a fascist-liberal kinda way. Oh sure, some joker out here — right this second — is saying, “Hold on, dude. What about my man Paul Simon and all those…
What is a Normal Jew?
“Cupid’s Crisis,” our expose of Cleveland’s Jewish dating scene, has elicited some strong opinions from readers. Some people found it incredibly offensive, others thought it spoke for singles all over the East Side. One anonymous caller was particularly offended by the comment from Sharon Zaidenras, who said she had “never met a normal Jewish man.”…
The Fight Against Cocaine
Not too long ago, James Kirby, an overly caffeinated inventor, was trying to come up with a name for his new energy drink. It needed to be pithy and chic and capture the essence of the product. Hmmm, he thought, what stimulates and arises the senses more than cocaine? The answer: nothing. So Kirby applied…
GNR’s Democracy: Tune in Next Year!
It’s (almost) official: Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy won’t arrive this year. Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has apparently announced that, despite previous assurances, the band’s long-awaited Chinese Democracy LP will not arrive in stores the year. A widely circulated open letter allegedly from Rose to GNR’s fan apologizes, explains the delay, announces a…
WCPN Talks Cleveland Music History
Monday, 90.3 WCPN’s Around Noon show will feature Agora owner Henry Lo Conti Sr., former WMMS program director John Gorman, and Scene contributor Carlo Wolff, who wrote the new book Cleveland Rock & Roll Memories. Gorman will play some old WMMS airchecks from the ’70s and ’80s. If you have Windows Media Player, you can…
A Second Motion for Mr. Dreyer
How scary is this [“Teaching Mr. Dreyer,” September 13]! It leaves me to believe that there is little hope for the strong in this field. You are punished for being a strong advocate for education. If you noticed, his union’s actions were not mentioned. Dreyer admitted making some bad choices, but who doesn’t? Especially putting…
Sammy Backpedals on Bold Tops Declaration
We Read Sam So You Don’t Have To: This week, The Trey Once Again Discovers that Printing His Email is Way Easier than Writing! Headline: Column was Tops in complaints Date: December 14, 2006 Topic: After briefly considering writing a real column (okay, so it was on Dennis Kucinich’s presidential bid, but that’s kinda real,…
Dancevert’s important contribution to art
Dancevert: Barenaked guys doing amazing things. Ordinarily, we don’t get too excited when a press release arrives in our inbox announcing “Plans for touring schedule 2007 taking shape.” But when the sender of said e-mail is Cleveland’s very own Dancevert, we take notice. Because usually the releases are mere excuses for Dancevert’s Susana Weingarten and…
Celebrity Cheers & Jeers: Police Dispatcher Edition
Attempting to ride the enormously successful Plain Dealer feature “Cheers and Jeers,” which they in turn stole from another paper, C-Notes has contacted some of today’s hottest and most controversial public figures to chime in on the week’s news headlines. This week’s celebrity: A Cleveland Police Dispatcher. Jeers: To police in Florida, who for some…
The Whims of Kucinich
The Creepy Elf announces he’ll once again be wasting millions of your money Dennis Kucinich obviously didn’t put a lot of thought into his second presidential vanity campaign. In this New York Times article, Kucinich is portrayed as a dude who is running on a whim. In fact, it appears Kucinich didn’t even bother to…
Chipotle Chicken Dance
It’s been a couple years coming, but beginning next week all 21 Cleveland-area Chipotle Mexican Grills finally will begin using all-natural Bell & Evans chicken in their burritos, tacos, and salads. According to the company’s PR flacks, more than 60 percent of the national chain’s outposts already serve cage-free, premium brand poultry, including all the…
File under ‘Money Well Spent’
This is what Joey Porter would look like if he was white and worked in shipping at Sam’s Club ESPN.com reports that the NFL has fined Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, The Scariest Man in Football�, ten grand for calling Kellen Winslow Jr. a “derogatory term for gay men,” presumably “faggot” or something equally uninventive. C-Notes…
Sam weeps for the loss of Tops
We read Sam Fulwood III So You Don’t Have To… Headline: Demise of Tops has no upside Date: December 12, 2006 Topic: The Tops supermarket chain is leaving Cleveland, so Sam visits an empty grocery story and wails as if the city was ravaged by Katrina. Originality: 4/10. As usual, Sam’s the last guy to…
Your Guide to New Year’s Eve
In case you missed it in the week’s Scene, or if you didn’t see it way down at the bottom of the website, we not only compiled Northeast Ohio’s most comprehensive New Year’s Eve listings — we’ve also consulted experts for advice on how to prepare for the evening . . . and how to…
The Book of Rock
Over 100 Cleveland rock figures recall three decades of Rust Belt rock in Cleveland Rock & Roll Memories. Carlo Wolff interviewed musicians, DJs, promoters, and fans to present the story of the city’s music scene from the 1960s through the 1980s. Wolff says the time was “when rock was at its strongest here.” Conducting over…
Army of Anyone Extra
Army of Anyone plays the House of Blues tonight (Thursday, December 14). The supergroup features Richard Patrick, the Cleveland expatriate and former Filter frontman who’s now fronting half of Stone Temple Pilots. Scene talked to Patrick and guitarist Dean DeLeo. Pilots was one of the ’90s’ biggest rock bands, but they could have been bigger.…
Library Sex: It’s bad for you
Below is an e-mail sent out to students of Washington University law school, after some were caught engaging in sexual activity at the library. In the e-mail, the dean included this report from the school’s chief of police about the incident: Subject: High Priority– Campus Police Alert Today we were alerted by an Aramark [the…
Jared Klaus is a hack
I was at the event that Jared Klaus ‘reported’ on in “Meet the Revolution,” and I can tell you he completely fabricated quotes, deliberately lied and purposefully slanted it in such a way as be provocative. His story bears only the faintest relation to what actually was said and done. Klaus is a miserable hack,…
Lonely Jewish hearts
Today’s Scene features “Cupid’s Crisis,” a tale of heartbreak and woe among Cleveland’s single Jews. The dwindling number of East Side faithful in their 20s and 30s has created a major dilemma: If you want to marry within the tribe, the pickings are slim. You’d have better luck finding leftovers at the buffet table following…
Dan Savage, meet Colbert
Dan Savage, author of your favorite sex column and official sponsor of Rick Santorum’s fall from grace, is out promoting his new book and made an appearance on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report last night. It’s pretty funny, and you can see it here. — Joe P. Tone
The Christian Dixie Chicks
J3, sort of a Christian version of the Dixie Chicks Female country group J3 will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, December 17 at North Eaton Christian Church (35895 Royalton Rd., Lorain County, at the intersection of Routes 82 and 83). They’re like a Christian Dixie Chicks, but old-school, when they still had…
Richard Patrick is not a dick
Army of One Richard Patrick made his name in two of Cleveland’s biggest rock exports of the 1990s, backing Trent Reznor in the early, infamous Nine Inch Nails lineup, then as the frontman of his own Filter. Now he’s fronting half of the Stone Temple Pilots in Army of Anyone. Army will be at House…
Cracker Fight in Willoughby
The barflies at Willoughby’s Witz End probably thought Jerry Springer was lurking backstage late Saturday night, when Slight Buzz and his band hopped onstage for their third and final set. As the bandmates retuned their guitars to launch into something rockabilly, an elderly lady with tattoos clearly seen on her exposed stomach started to mouth…
Cleveland Overlooked Among Hot Destinations
Holiday spoiler: Lovely Kate didn’t pick Cleveland either. In the hit new romantic comedy The Holiday, Cameron Diaz, a hollywood producer, and Kate Winslet, a writer in London, decide, after both of their love lives come crashing down, to swap homes for a relaxing two-week getaway. While the writing and acting are about on par…
Hold Steady Finds Love at the Grog
When the Hold Steady climbed on the Grog Shop’s stage around midnight Monday, frontman Craig Finn greeted the rapturous audience with, “Where were you the first 4,000 times I played your city?” He had a point. The NYC-by-way-of-Minneapolis band has been to Cleveland a few times before. But since the release of its terrific third…
A Culinary Christmas
It’s that festive time of year when restaurant owners across the land nail a tattered artificial wreath onto the front door and slap A Gene Autry Christmas into the eight-track. Fortunately, some spots take decorating to a higher level, seasoning their cuisine with tasty holiday lighting and decor. Take Vue in Hudson: We stopped by…
Action Action
With the Killers ditching their stylized dance rock for Springsteen bar shtick, thank goodness for Action Action, synthed-out gangbusters from New York who continue to bust classic post-punk grooves. Boasting veteran producer William Wittman (Cyndi Lauper, the Fixx), the group’s sophomore effort, An Army of Shapes Between Wars, brazenly fuses luminous new-wave swirls and guitar-addled…
The Hollywood Blondes
The ghosts of the Ramones haunt every track of this Youngstown band’s new EP. “Back and Forth” packs enough sugary “oh yeahs” to corrode Marky Ramone’s teeth, while “Another Girl” tells the story of a guy losing his girl to another girl — and makes it sound like a rite of passage. At just six…
Our top DVD picks for the week of December 12:
AFI: I Heard a Voice (Interscope) Air Buddies (Disney) Ali Rap (ESPN) The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series (Paramount) Barnyard (Paramount) The Chronicles of Narnia: Four-Disc Extended Edition (Disney) A Dead Calling (Lions Gate) The Doors (Lions Gate) James Bond: Ultimate Edition Volumes 3 and 4 (MGM) John Wayne in Color (Legend) Lara Croft…
Fake Your Way to 50 Bucks
@cal body 1 no indent:The person who can most accurately mouth the words to his favorite song will go home with $50 at tonight’s American Idol-like So You Think You Can Sync contest. Here’s how it works: Just bring a CD (featuring the song you want to mime) to the gay bar Twist by 10:15.…
R.A.W.
As a member of Los Angeles’ Modern Musique crew, Raoul Gonzalez got his start as a hip-hop DJ back in the mid-’80s. But once he began spinning techno in ’91, he gave himself two brand-new names: R.A.W. (Rough and Wicked) and B-Boy 3000. Then, as breakbeat techno evolved into jungle, R.A.W. followed suit, backing up…
Play Havoc
If the expertly sliced ‘n’ diced soul sample in Play Havoc’s “Spell on You” didn’t already make the point, rhymer Ill Advice drives it home: “We ain’t gonna fuck around with you.” The Lorain group represents Cleveland as well as anyone from the 2-1-6. Its debut sounds a lot like the best parts of radio…
Fly Fables
Old-school beats back even older-school fables in Karamu’s Hip-Hop Aesop. The production gathers 10 of Aesop’s classic tales — including “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” “The Miser and His Gold,” and “The Tortoise and the Hare” — and sets them to a cappella raps. “The [cast] breaks out with that LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa-type…
Let’s Eat!
Local artist Thu Tran combines puppets, a makeshift kitchen, and packaged snacks to create a mixed-media show that explores modern-day marketing. It’s called Food Party. Tran’s installation — part of the Sculpture Center’s Window to Sculpture series — includes various food products, anime-inspired puppets, and a cardboard set that skewers Food TV programs. Hand-blown glass,…
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
“Politicians, whores, and ugly buildings all get respect if they stay around long enough,” says actor John Huston’s creepy character in Chinatown. Reverence also comes to surviving rock and roll warriors — along with platinum sales, a hall of fame induction, and a never-ending ad campaign to boot. And in Bob Seger’s case, it’s almost…
A Hitch in Thyme
Strange times call for novel strategies. We’re referring to the strangeness of inept servers and the strategic depths to which we’ve sunk in our growing frustration. Consider a recent experience at Thyme, John and Kathy Kolar’s new, contemporary hot spot in Medina. To make a long story short, our waiter pretty much ignored us –…
Kill Your Colleagues
Comedian John Bizarre pulls out the fightin’ words whenever talk turns to his stand-up colleagues. “Who told Sarah Silverman she’s funny?” he says. “I know she’s physically attractive, but if her personality were a clothing style, she’d be a pea-green pantsuit with big yellow buttons.” And he offers this word of advice to Robin Williams:…
Intern Affairs
Tonight’s your last chance to see the Theater Ninjas’ first-ever production, Aphrodisiac. The local theater troupe opens the curtain with a dark comedy about a dead intern and a congressman who was banging her. If it sounds familiar, it’s because Aphrodisiac was inspired by the 2001 disappearance of Chandra Levy, the intern who had an…
Aloha
It’s an ironic achievement that Some Echoes, Aloha’s most fully realized disc in its nine-year history, came after the members of this former Cleveland quartet scattered hundreds of miles apart. The succinct opener “Brace Your Face” as well as the strutting “Big Morning” are informed by the jazz-styled rhythms of Aloha’s past efforts, but the…
Bowl Games
Like the Mock Turtle, we’ve been thinking of soup: steamy, seasonal goodness that fortifies us against the bitter North Coast winds. Some of the city’s best debuted in 2002 with the SouperMarket in Ohio City (2528 Lorain Avenue, 216-737-SOUP), chef Matt Moore’s hearty homage to the glories of cooking from scratch. The winter menu features…
Dirty Dancing
A month after its grand opening, Club Argos has worked out most of the wrinkles in branding itself an “alternative sports bar.” And what better way to promote a club for gay guys loaded with testosterone than with its six-man dance team, the Argonauts. “We wanted good-looking guys with muscles,” says co-owner Brian Kaufman-Butler. “This…
Home for Holidays
There’s more than just mistletoe and ornaments at Stan Hywet’s annual Deck the Hall exhibit. Half a million lights illuminate the spacious grounds, and a 20-foot tree serves as the 65-room manor’s centerpiece. This year’s display pays tribute to The Nutcracker: Rooms are decorated like the famed ballet’s Land of Sweets and Land of Snow…
Gogol Bordello
In Western pop music, Gypsies are no one in particular, just romance incarnate. Curtis Mayfield’s “Gypsy Woman” had eyes “like that of a cat in the dark,” while Stevie Nicks’ “Gypsy” fantasized about trading fame and cocaine for “some lace and paper flowers.” Eugene Hutz also entertains romantic notions about Gypsies, but they concern senile…
Rich Man, Poor Man
About Will Smith’s estimable talents, there is no doubt. Six Degrees of Separation, Ali . . . um . . . the “Parents Just Don’t Understand” video — the man’s got skills to pay the bills, yours and mine and his. That he seldom uses them, or their attendant clout, is dispiriting. This is an…
Chill Factor
At today’s Candlelight Tasting for the Holidays at Debonne Vineyards, folks can get cozy by the fireplace and sip local wine. The annual event boasts an array of reds and whites. “With our cool Ohio climate, I always recommend a white wine,” says co-owner Beth Debevc. Today’s event also includes special samples of Vidal Blanc…
Must-See Xmas
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Holiday Festival holds a revered place in our town’s hearts. The season just isn’t complete without it, according to Robert Porco, director of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and conductor of the shows. “It really is a cross between entertainment for the family and a spiritual experience,” he says. “It’s not a standard…
Cupid’s Crisis
Somewhere between speed dating and cocktails with guys she used to baby-sit, Wendy West got frustrated. The 35-year-old realtor looks like Bridget Jones with a twist of Manischewitz: crooked smile and polished apple cheeks, a master’s degree, and a killer sense of sarcasm. But while she may be utterly confident in her self-worth, Mr. Right…
Blitz the Ambassador
Blitz the Ambassador ain’t topping the charts. But not everyone measures success the same way. Only in his twenties, the Ghana-born MC has accomplished more than most aspiring rappers do in their entire careers. He’s gone from working the freestyle battle circuit in New York to touring the globe, opening for artists like De La…
Smack Off
Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish play unbelievably gorgeous heroin junkies in Candy, a don’t-try-this-at-home melodrama adapted from Australian author Luke Davies’ aptly billed “novel of love and addiction.” Essentially it’s Requiem for a Dream with a lot less of that overrated indie’s shooting-gallery pizzazz, although director Neil Armfield does put his smacked-out couple on one…
Dreaming of a Loud Christmas
Holiday favorites meet rawkin’ guitar shredding tonight in Neil Zaza’s One Silent Night. The local axeman plugs in, strikes up the ensemble, and makes awesome guitar faces in this homegrown alternative to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s seasonal bombast. Zaza gets some help on the Playhouse Square stage from a full orchestra and the Singing Angels. Songs like…
Must-See Xmas
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Holiday Festival holds a revered place in our town’s hearts. The season just isn’t complete without it, according to Robert Porco, director of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and conductor of the shows. “It really is a cross between entertainment for the family and a spiritual experience,” he says. “It’s not a standard…
Imagine . . .
Something’s different about Marc Dann today. As we sit at a stately table in the break room off the Ohio Senate floor, Dann, snug in a freshly ironed suit, doesn’t seem like the bomb-throwing, sue-the-state firebrand he was on November 6, before the nobody state senator and divorce lawyer from Liberty Township whomped Betty Montgomery…
Napalm Death
Twenty years after inventing grindcore, a vicious offspring of hardcore and metal, Napalm Death refuses to chill the fuck out. Smear Campaign, the group’s latest, assaults the ears with insatiable fury, while exploring the reasons humanity shouldn’t blindly accept religion and its moral codes — a typical theme for a group that emerged from England’s…
Going Out or Staying In
Maybe you want some techno for a night on the town. Or maybe you need some funk for your invite-only bash. We have what you need for your year-end blowout: Scene polled some of the city’s top tastemakers to provide a list of some can’t-miss party favorites. Our mixmasters each selected three top songs from…
Tenacious Tea
The Canton duo Blood, Sweat & Beers calls its synth-pop live shows “adult entertainment.” One listen to the lyrics of “Russell Crowe” proves them right: “If [the head of a penis] were a helmet on your nose/This would be Russell Crowe’s.” Explains guitarist Patrick “Big Pat” Masalko: “When you’re teabagging someone, it looks like a…
Elf-in-Chief
Congressman Kucinich — The Vanity Project Formerly Known as Dennis — issued a cryptic statement about his presidential aspirations last week. The Creepy Elf answered the question on nobody’s mind by issuing an official statement to The Plain Dealer’s blog, which owns a readership roughly half the size of your niece’s friends list on MySpace.…
The Murder Junkies
Allowing the Murder Junkies’ body of work to speak for itself wouldn’t earn the band enough gas money to putter across Ohio. Sure, tunes about necrophilia and shooting heroin (the ballad “Waking Up in a Pool of Piss”) earn hearty laughs the first time through, but the band’s fusion of metal-tinged guitar riffs and gruff,…
Staying In
Three good reasons to skip the bars and have your own party this New Year’s Eve: It’s cheaper. The risk of getting a DUI is practically zero. And you can smoke. Maribeth , owner of 2527 , gives some advice on how to stock your bar, set the mood, and wake up feeling good. Make…
Need a Miracle?
Lakewood Library gets in the spirit of the season with a free screening of Miracle on 34th Street tonight. The 1947 family favorite — about a jolly old man who claims he’s Santa Claus — should get even the most bah-humbugging Scrooge into a festive mood. There’s even a cartoon before the movie — just…
Problems in “Lakewood”
Arab-American experience painted in broad strokes: I was drawn to read the latest issue of Scene by the joyful photograph of a young Palestinian woman. The story by Rebecca Meiser [“Destination Lakewood,” November 29] was informative, with a few exceptions. Palestinian women do not traditionally wear a burqa. As one can see in the picture…
Robert Lockwood Celebration and Benefit
Cleveland’s blues greats will pay tribute to the fallen Robert Lockwood Jr. , celebrating the life and music of the guitarist whose roots ran all the way to the primal Mississippi Delta. Lockwood’s All Star Band will perform with many old friends, including Cleveland Fats, the Schwartz Brothers, and Wallace Coleman. Proceeds will benefit Mary…
Going Out
Even if you’ve been reading fashion magazines all year, looking your best for the last big bash of the year can be a crap shoot. Lyon Davidson, a manager at Hermes Boutique at Cuffs (18 East Orange Street, Chagrin Falls, 440-247-2828) , provides some timeless fashion pointers for men and women. She says to remember…
Traffic Jam
Jeff Cesario has channeled his his disdain for traffic into his stand-up show. “I’m in a four-car line, and the guy in front of the line isn’t moving,” the comic says. “I hit my horn, and the guy in front of me throws his hands up. I’m literally saying into my windshield, ‘I’m not talking…
He’s in the Army Now
Richard Patrick left Cleveland in 1993, sporting bruises, bad habits, a buzzcut, and horn-rimmed glasses. After a booze-fueled stint as Nine Inch Nails’ touring guitarist on the first Lollapalooza tour, he was ready to strike out on his own with Filter, a band that would become one of the ’90s’ most popular industrial rock outfits.…
Moises Borges’ Brazilian Dance Party
Bandleader Moises Borges brings his infectious Latin jazz to 2527 for a loud, wild Brazilian Dance Party. Sweat out some of that holiday turkey by shaking it to a little Samba and Bossa Nova. And if a hot trio’s not enough to get you out, then come check out his dancers. And if the dancers…
Going Out
If you’re spending the evening out, it doesn’t matter whether you’re going to your favorite local watering hole or dropping big bucks on a high-ticket package at a ritzy club with a dress code: You’ll have a better time if you know how to help the bartenders help you. We got some pointers from Ursula…
Wish You Were There
Strolling past the Melvina J. Freedson Gallery’s Gifford Landen Photographics exhibit is like taking a walk through Key West’s Old Town neighborhood. Lakewood shutterbug Landen captures the colorfully lighted shopping district in his new photography exhibit, which gathers 17 new works. “Old Town,” for example, measures 32 inches long and pieces together five distinct panels.…
When Punks Grow Up
For the graying fans of late-’70s punk, dropping by the local Hot Topic is like rubbernecking at the mangled wreckage of the culture of their youth. It’s a place to stand agape before a wall of faux vintage tees, where a Transformer logo and “Mustache Rides: $0.25” sandwich the Clash’s London Calling. Welcome to punk…
The Bee Gees
Most Yanks know the Bee Gees as the ersatz disco beat behind a young Travolta’s feet in Saturday Night Fever. Yet the Brothers Gibb began life in mid-’60s Australia, where the group came to fame ripping off the Beatles. This is the era covered by The Studio Albums 1967-1968, a boxed set collecting the Bee…
Lock & Reload
One of the challenges of reviewing a show that appears every holiday season is that one must paw through familiar material in search of fresh and hopefully relevant observances. This is a particularly daunting task with a theatrical interpretation of a famous movie that many among us can unreel in our heads without missing a…
After-School Special
Librarians come to students’ rescue at Lakewood Public Library’s Homework ER program, where students get a two-hour dose of help in reading, writing, and arithmetic. “They’re learning basics,” says spokesman Andy Harant. “Like dealing with money, all the way up through long-division and algebra.” Librarians are on hand to help students from kindergarten through eighth…
Frosty Sleeps With the Fishes
Christmastime is here. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Here comes Santa Claus. Jack Frost nipping at your . . . whatever. We’ve heard it all before, and we don’t need to hear it again. Carolers of the world, unite: Next time a well-intentioned holiday mood-setter belts out “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” pelt…
Various Artists
Holiday jazz albums have tended to emphasize the mellow ever since the ’60s, when John Coltrane set Christmas trees ablaze with an epic free-jazz interpretation of the Von Trapp classic “My Favorite Things.” And while Telarc’s new collection Christmas Break: Relaxing Jazz for the Holidays sure feels smooth, it’s far from dull. Piano great Dave…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Evolution: 1964-2006 — Forty-two years separate the oldest and youngest works in this retrospective, but Christopher Pekoc’s art is fundamentally timeless. Transcending stylistic movements and trendy issues, the renowned Clevelander addresses universal emotions and themes. Much of this stems directly from his chosen media — old-world materials like gold-colored leaf, as in illuminated manuscripts,…
Mule Varitaions
Dick Schafrath has done more in his 69 years than most extended families do in a century. He helped the Ohio State Buckeyes snag a national title in 1957. Seven years later, he was part of the Browns’ last championship team. He was the first person to ever canoe across Lake Erie. And he was…
Gotta Be Gilla
It’s been five years since Redman’s last album. And while 2001’s Malpractice stands the test of time, fans have been clamoring for new jams from Funk Doctor Spock. To hold them over, Red dropped a couple of mixtapes, the Ill at Will series, but they hardly qualified as true Redman albums. In anticipation of the…
Mary J. Blige
A greatest hits album from Mary J. Blige presents more problems than you’d expect. For one thing, very few memorable singles exist between her first huge hit, 1992’s sublime “Real Love,” which anointed Blige the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, and her latest, last year’s “Be Without You.” Like many great singers, Blige depends on the…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Aphrodisiac — That beltway stud Henry Kissinger knew what he was talking about when he said power is the ultimate aphrodisiac (though imagining Hammerin’ Hank in full rut is another issue altogether). But the sex scandals of the powerful in D.C. move quickly, and a play based on the ultimately tragic affair between Congressman Gary…
Swinging Christmas
At today’s Jingle Bell Swing concert, Helen Welch belts out the holiday standards she’s been practicing for 11 months. “I don’t feel very Christmassy,” she says. “I’ve been singing Christmas songs all year. We started researching in January.” This afternoon’s show at Playhouse Square features the 11-piece Dave Banks Big Band, as well as the…
Staying Home
Between Home and Serenity will play its final show at Peabody’s (2083 East 21st Street) Friday, December 15. Known to its fans simply as B-HAS, the group looked and sounded like a major-label emo act, but didn’t have the fuel needed for a run on the national level. “We figured the whole B-HAS thing was…
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani’s shtick has come to embody an entire female generation’s attitude toward good times and spending money. Simply check out The Sweet Escape highlight reel: “Breakin’ Up” is a possible transcript of a customer-service call with Verizon. Both “Yummy” and the lead single “Wind It Up” speak to the joys of clubbing (with the…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
DVD — Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man: This documentary combines live performances by Cohen’s disciples as well as an interview with the sometimes elusive singer-songwriter. Nick Cave, Beth Orton, and Rufus Wainwright are among the artists who pay tribute to the booming-baritone Canadian. Stick around for the end, when Cohen finally steps up to the…
The Simple Life
Unlike many of her fellow Canadians, singer-songwriter Angela Desveaux doesn’t need the backup of dozens of musicians. Her debut CD, Wandering Eyes, is a stripped-down alt-country charmer that’s oceans away from other studio-stuffing Canucks. This even though the album was guided by Howard Bilerman, the Arcade Fire’s former drummer. “He didn’t force me to go…
In Flames
Nothing inspires nerd rage in metalheads quite like a legendary band altering its sound. Sweden’s In Flames discovered this firsthand when it added nü-metal hooks and electronic textures to its melodic death metal. Despite its paving the way for such modern metalcore heavies as Killswitch Engage and Darkest Hour, many fans cried “sellout” upon hearing…
Geoff White
With impressive swiftness, Columbus native Geoff White rose through the electronic-music ranks early in the decade, issuing several outstanding releases on elite techno labels like Force Inc., Morris/Audio, Cytrax, and Traum. As with many talented U.S. techno artists, though, White found that his rarefied dance music fired more imaginations abroad than it did at home,…
Farce of a Champion
Talladega Nights (Columbia) This cut of Will Ferrell’s NASCAR comedy runs 13 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and that doesn’t take into account the deleted and extended scenes, outtakes, phony commercials, public-service announcements, and gag reel. A movie that already seemed to be constructed from deleted scenes is well served by a DVD overflowing…
Hipster’s Lament
In the black-and-white indie film Mutual Appreciation, Alan, a twentysomething singer-songwriter from Boston, moves to Brooklyn after his power-pop band breaks up. He spends most of his time hanging out with an old friend, Lawrence (played by the movie’s director, Andrew Bujalski), and trying to score some gigs around town. Complicating things is Lawrence’s gal…
Calico System
Heartland kids have every right to grow up angry; the lay of the land is dullsville, and the weather generally sucks. Besides, those coastal hipsters will almost always write off their art and music as flyover-state novelties. So expect more than just a twinge of rage in the roar of St. Louis’ Calico System. The…
JiMiller Band
Former Oroboros frontman Jim Miller was inspired by jam bands like the Grateful Dead, and his JiMiller Band is known for its occasional all-Dead sets and original songs that sound like they belong in a Dead set. In Trance It features a studio disc and live disc, both crammed with eight-minute trips through the daisies…
Wii Love It
Nintendo has achieved the impossible: My 50-year-old, non-gaming father wants a Wii for Christmas. Either I’ve been whisked to Bizarro World, or The House That Mario Built is on to something big. With the release of its oddly monikered next-gen system, Nintendo may just have revolutionized the way America will think about videogames. As promised,…
This Is the End
1300 goes out with a bang tonight. The gallery closes up shop for good after the simultaneous opening and closing reception for Please God Save Us From Your Followers, which features work by Derek Hess and Bask. Two of the area’s most popular and original artists unveil new pieces that explore the Republican Party and…
