Update: The Stadium Tour Featuring Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe Has Been Postponed to 2022
Update: Earlier today, Mötley Crüe announced that its highly anticipated summer tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts would be postponed until 2022. With COVID-19 killing off last summer’s concert season, the jaunt featuring a reunited Mötley Crüe rescheduled its stop at FirstEnergy Stadium for this summer. Now, that date has been bumped to July…
Update: Inkcarceration Has Been Cancelled
Update: Set to take place in July at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, the annual Inkcarceration festival has been cancelled. “It is with extremely sad hearts that we must announce the cancellation of Inkcarceration Festival 2020,” reads a statement the show’s organizers issued this morning. “We’re sure this doesn’t come as a major surprise…
Chef Michael Herschman to Open Mojo World Eats in Lopez Space Jan. 22
Update: Lopez closed its doors on New Year’s Day to ready the space for Mojo, a revival of sorts for chef-owner Michael Herschman. That restaurant will open Wednesday, January 22. See below for original story regarding the changeover. Check out a first look at the menu here. *** (Original Story 12/23/2019): After roughly 40 years in…
Norm Krumholz, 92, Leaves Legacy of Equity Consciousness in Cleveland
Norm Krumholz, Cleveland’s former planning director and professor at CSU’s Levin College of Urban Affairs, died a few days before Christmas in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 92. He leaves behind a legacy of equity consciousness for the region’s planners and public officials, many of whom he taught and whose thinking on urban planning…
The 10 Best Movies of 2019, According to Scene
Twenty-nineteen has been an exhilarating year in filmmaking. Here are our picks for the best movies released in the U.S. this calendar year. I welcome quibbles and disagreements. But for the record, I’ve not seen several titles that are receiving wide critical acclaim, including the following: The Lighthouse, The Souvenir, American Factory, Portrait of a…
Slovenian National Home to Host a Special Yugoslav Rock Night on Jan. 10
At 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10, the Slovenian National Home will host a special Yugoslav Rock Night (that translates into Jugoslovanska Rok Noč in Slovenian and Југословенска Pок Hоћ in Serbian) and will feature pub food from the South Slavic countries (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia). Local DJ Stanislav Zabic, who hosts…
City of Cleveland Spends Christmas Eve Telling Denison UCC Church It Can’t Be a Church if Homeless Shelter Continues to Operate
The city of Cleveland this afternoon — yes, on Christmas Eve — told a church that it can no longer function as a church if it chooses to house those experiencing homelessness. In a letter taped to the door of the church, the Cleveland Department of Public Safety demanded that the Denison Avenue United Church…
Akron’s See Creatures to Release a New EP on Jan. 1
On Jan. 1, Akron’s See Creatures will release a two-song EP that includes “Queen of Cups,” a “fuzzed-out, hard beat psych rock tune” that features an infectious chorus and “Double Vision,” a “contemplative, personal and washed out tribute to the joining of two souls.” The group features singer-songwriters Nathanael Bucher and Adam Murray, and since…
A Look Back at 35 of 2019’s Best Cleveland Concerts
Even though Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was dark for the summer, Cleveland still played host to plenty of major concerts in 2019. Some highlights: As part of a lengthy farewell tour, singer-pianist Elton John performed here for the very last time; Garth Brooks brought his Dive Bar Tour to the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown; the Black…
The Most-Read Cleveland Scene Stories of 2019
In the final days of 2019, we wanted to look back at the stories that mattered most to our readers over the year. Scrolling through the list of the blogs and features that garnered the most attention, they run the gamut from silly to serious and everything in between. Some took months to report and…
CPT’s ‘Xmas Cuento’ Premiere Overhauls ‘A Christmas Carol’ in Lively Reinterpretation
If you find holiday traditions too traditional, it may be comforting to know that an old favorite has been reinvigorated with passion, family-oriented fun and infectious musical prowess with an authentically Hispanic flavor. Teatro Público de Cleveland’s recent production of A Xmas Cuento Remix— which ran through December 21 at Cleveland Public Theatre — delivered…
Big Mamma’s Burritos Now Open Inside Whistle & Keg on Prospect
A favorite of the Ohio University crowd down in Athens, Big Mamma’s Burritos is now open in a partnership with Whistle & Keg (818 Prospect Ave.) Founded in 2005, and counting O.A.R.’s Jerry DePizzo as one of the original co-owners, the chain offers a roster of Mexi-Cali options on a variety of bases — burrito, bowl,…
Cast is Incandescent in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’
Greta Gerwig has followed up her masterful coming-of-age directorial debut Lady Bird (2017) with an adaptation of the famous 1868 Louisa May Alcott novel Little Women. The film, which opens in wide release on Christmas Day, has been nominated for two Golden Globes (Best Actress for Saoirse Ronan and Best Original Score for Alexandre Desplat)…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Brings Its Annual Christmas Tour to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse This Week
When asked why Trans-Siberian Orchestra decided to bring back Christmas Eve and Other Stories for its current tour, drummer Jeff Plate says it was something that the late Paul O’Neill, the creator of TSO, had always wanted to do. “This is something that Paul had actually been talking about doing before we lost him a…
Where to Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2019 in Cleveland
New Year’s Eve offers everyone the chance to hit the reset button (or at least the booze button) and begin another year with a fresh perspective. Whether or not you intend to celebrate the beginnings of a new and better you in 2020, or cruise into the new year in the same debauched manner that…
Jazz Trio Birth to Play the Bop Stop Next Week in Celebration of Its First Studio Album in More 15 Years
From 1998 to 2004, Birth, a Cleveland/New York-based saxophone, electric bass and drums trio, received attention and praise from some of the leading voices of the avant-garde jazz and creative music world. The group took a break in 2004 but reconvened in 2015 and next week will release Almost Never, its first new studio album…
The 2020 Brite Winter Festival Lineup is Here
For its 11th edition, Cleveland’s Brite Winter music and arts festival is bringing plenty of top regional and local acts to its many stages, just announcing the 2020 music lineup today. Top billing goes to Youngstown alt-rockers The Vindys and Akron hip-hop act Red Rose Panic. Other acts include Harbour, Jul Big Green, Smoke Screen, Spirit of…
Alea Now Open in Ohio City
Alea (2912 Church Ave.) has officially opened its doors in Ohio City. Athan Zarnas worked for two years to turn a former drill bit factory building into his dream restaurant, which is anchored by a live-fire grill fed with hardwood. The menu, Zarnas told Scene this fall, is relatively compact by design and spread across…
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Suing Cleveland Water for Discriminatory Practices
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) this week filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Cleveland, alleging discriminatory practices by the Cleveland Water Department. The lawsuit brings claims under the Fair Housing Act, the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment, the Ohio Constitution, and the Ohio Civil…
Ohio Lawmakers Are Considering Ending State’s Death Penalty Law
As the state struggles to find drugs for lethal executions, Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives are discussing an end to the state’s death penalty laws, Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder told reporters in Columbus yesterday. The state hasn’t carried out any of its scheduled executions in 2019. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine delayed several…
The Crust Pizza Team Will Open Proof Bar-BQ and Cocktails In Their Tremont Building in Early 2020
Over the past three years, the former Komorowski Funeral Home building on Professor Avenue has transitioned from a place of bereavement to a warren of joyful activity. On the top floor is Dave Ferrante’s inviting neighborhood bookshop Visible Voice, which reopened in its attractive new home following a four-year break. The main floor is home…
Dave Kocab to Join Ushabu in Tremont as Co-Chef
Starting in the new year, Ushabu in Tremont will pack more culinary punch than most restaurants ten times its size. Chef-owner Matthew Spinner, a gastronomic force of his own, will soon be joined by David Kocab, most recently with the Black Pig in Ohio City. Jeff Motika of Urban Farmer will comprise the third leg…
You Can Soon Pose With the Stanley Cup at a Cleveland Monsters Game
As there is no National Hockey League team in Cleveland, it comes as somewhat of a happy surprise that the the Stanley Cup trophy — the league’s ultimate prize — is headed to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at the end of the month. Come Monday, Dec. 30, the Cleveland Monsters, an American Hockey League team affiliated with the…
The Arc of the Cleveland T-Shirt Economy Bends Toward Justice
The barons of the Cleveland t-shirt economy are among the nimblest in town. They are quick to capitalize on hot, sensational local news. Take, for example, the “Pittsburgh Started It” product line, (courtesy of the Wahoo apologists at GV Art + Design), which debuted mere moments after Steelers’ QB Mason Rudolph likely uttered the N-word…
Ski Season Officially Starts Friday at Boston Mills and Brandywine
Just in time for the long Christmas/Hanukkah weekend, Boston Mills Ski Resort and its nearby sister ski resort Brandywine, both in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, open Friday. Alpine Valley in Chesterland, another sister resort, opened last weekend. Peak Resorts Inc, which owns the three area ski hills and 17 resorts in total across the northern…
Cleveland Pops Orchestra Rings in the New Year Roaring ’20s Style
For the past 23 years, one of the best New Year’s Eve parties in Cleveland, if not the best, has been hosted by Carl Topilow and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. That tradition will continue on Tuesday, December 31 at 9:00 pm at Severance Hall when Topilow and his Orchestra ring in 2020 with music from…
Police Stops in 3 Ohio Cities: Are Black Residents, Neighborhoods Singled Out?
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a public park and forced to leave. Cuffed and questioned for whistling while waiting for a bus. Pulled over for spending too much time at a gas station. Some black drivers and pedestrians in Cincinnati say they’ve been unfairly stopped and questioned by police. “It seems to be if you are…
Ohio Rep. Bill Johnson Calls for Moment of Silence for 63 Million Mostly Alive Americans Who Contributed to Trump Losing Popular Vote
There have been some batshit-insane moments in the impeachment proceedings in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rep. Bill Johnson (Ohio) will not be a finalist for most-memorable moment, but he did make the top 137 or so today, the day when President Donald Trump was impeached. For today, Johnson asked for a moment of…
Cuyahoga County Will Be Part of Giant Eagle’s Six-Month Plastic Bag Ban Pilot Project
The grocery chain Giant Eagle has announced that it plans to eliminate all single-use plastics from its stores by 2025. Starting on Jan. 15, the chain will launch a six-month pilot in which it will no longer use plastic bags at several stores in the Pittsburgh area, where the company is headquartered, and at stores…
Akron Art Museum to Launch a New Music Series in January
In the attempt to beat back the wintertime blues, the Akron Art Museum has just announced that it’ll launch a new winter concert series dubbed Midwinter Blues and Other Tunes on Jan. 9. Starting Jan. 9, concerts will take place every Thursday through Feb. 13. Each week, the museum will present an evening that features local music…
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is Visually Breathtaking, but Wimps Out in Service to Fans
There are so many sequences of explosive, spectacular action in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that it’s easy to be distracted from the fact that you’re watching the conclusion to the largest pop-culture franchise of all-time. Finales bear many burdens: to satisfyingly land major character arcs and tie up narrative loose ends, for starters.…
6 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Weekend
FRIDAY, DEC. 20 Jessica Lea Mayfield/The Angie Haze Project Growing up playing in her parents’ bluegrass band alongside her brother David, a wonderful singer-songwriter in his own right, Mayfield has been making music on stage essentially since she can remember. Her teenage years were full of sketchy shows and also last-minute opener gigs, including at…
Clemency Project Helps Ohio Woman Leave Prison, Now She Wants to Help Others
An Ohio woman is reflecting on being given a second chance after spending more than a decade in prison for killing an abusive partner in self-defense. Thomia Hunter was granted clemency earlier this year by then-Gov. John Kasich. Hunter already had served 13 years of her 15-years-to-life sentence when she was released from prison through…
This Past Weekend’s Metal Holiday Benefit Concert at the Beachland Was Another Huge Success
The numbers are in from this year’s Cleveland Metal Holiday Food Drive, an annual event organized by WJCU DJ Bill Peters, and fans who attended the concert that took place this past weekend at the Beachland again gave generously. In the end, Peters donated 2,928 pounds of food and $1,243 to the Greater Cleveland Food…
Cleveland Organizers are Highlighting Important Issues with Christmas Carol Parodies
A yuletide trend is sweeping the city. Cleveland organizers and their allied lyricists are parodying popular holiday carols to promote an array of causes. Early this week, the fruits of their creative labors were on festive display. Monday, protesters at the justice center performed such hits as “Bail Reform is Coming to Town” in a…
Get Out: Everything You Should Be Doing in Cleveland Through Christmas
WED 12/18 Cavs vs. Charlotte Hornets Much like the Cavs, the Charlotte Hornets are rebuilding after the loss of a star player. In the Hornets case, star guard Kemba Walker left the team over the summer to play for the Celtics. The Cavs should be able to eke out a win tonight as the teams…
Ensemble Sparkles in ‘Bombshell,’ a Tale of Hens in the Fox House
Bombshell, the new film about the culture of sexual harassment at Fox News under Roger Ailes, belongs to a cinema lineage that includes the likes of The Big Short and VICE. These films are gimmicky dashes through very recent history, jam-packed with info and Oscar-worthy performances. Screenwriter Charles Randolph, who penned the script for both…
‘Uncut Gems’ is a Raging, Not Entirely Entertaining, Hurricane With Adam Sandler Its Center
Uncut Gems is the explosive, razor-edged followup to Benny and Josh Safdie’s 2017 masterpiece Good Time. Like that film, which starred Robert Pattinson as a man on a frantic chase to rescue his mentally disabled brother from a trip to Rikers Island, Gems plays out in a whirling, manic, jittery New York City, with a…
Umami Hasn’t Strayed Far From the Successful Pan-Asian Niche it Found a Decade Ago
A decade ago we stumbled into an impossibly small bistro in Chagrin Falls, where we were blown away by the progressive Pan-Asian fare emanating from the equally small kitchen. True to its billing, Umami trafficked in foods redolent of racy flavors like tamari, dashi, ponzu, ginger and galangal. Back then, the swank but conservative village…
Band of the Week: Soft Copy
MEET THE BAND: Skylar Keffer (vocals, guitar), Paul Ryan (guitar, vocals), Matt Novak (drums, percussion), Mike Abbadini (electric piano, keyboards, vocals) A HIGH LONESOME MIDWESTERN FOLK THING: This Cleveland band formed a few years ago and the lineup has shifted over the years. Keffer originally joined as a guitarist and only recently became the band’s…
Savage Love: Bloody Business
I am a 60-year-old heterosexual man, and I am being told that I’m normal. I have been to several urologists, and they say I have no medical issues. But I’m having a hard time buying it, because for the last six months, my ejaculate has been extremely bloody. This is embarrassing, especially since oral sex…
Try to Pick the Perfect Cleveland Winter Day
It’s wintertime in Cleveland and, you know what… That’s just perfect. Sure, the cold, the darkness, the wind, the snow will be around but you are not going to let it get you down. You’re going to conquer the season. You’re going to embrace it, taking Old Man Winter’s hand and saying, “Let’s go, you…
