Update: Additional Tickets Released for Sold Out Lady Gaga Concert at the Q
Update: Live Nation has just announced that it has released extra tickets to the sold out Lady Gaga show slated to take place at the Q on Aug. 23. According to a press release, “thanks to an innovative stage design featuring multi-levels, multi-stages and clear sight lines on all sides more fans will now have…
Actually, Cleveland Has Been a “Sanctuary City” Since 1987 According to a City Council Resolution
Cleveland City Council passed a resolution in 1987 naming Cleveland a “Sanctuary City” and urging the state of Ohio to become a state of refuge. The legislation, (No. 777-87), was introduced by Councilman Dale Miller, who is currently a Cuyahoga County councilman, and was passed on May 18 of that year. It was then vetoed…
Michigan GOP Official Who Called for “Another Kent State” After Student Protests in Berkeley Resigns
Update: Dan Adamini has resigned from his post as the secretary for the Marquette County Republican Party, according to The Detroit News. “Whenever you’re involved in an organization, you want to be an asset,” he said. “At the moment I’ve become a distraction, and that’s not helping anybody. I stepped aside so hopefully the people…
Ska-Punk Veterans Pepper and Less Than Jake Bring Co-headlining Tour to the Agora
Two veteran ska-punk acts who first met each other about 15 years when they were both on Warped Tour, Less Than Jake [pictured] and Pepper stand out as survivors. Currently on a co-headlining tour, the two acts each spent time on major labels before reverting to the indies for their latest releases. On their new album, Ohana,…
‘Radio Golf’ Offers Stirring Look into American Aspirations and Ethics
“I just want to be in the room.” That dream of inclusion, which motivates Roosevelt Hicks, is at the heart of Radio Golf by August Wilson. And in this production at Ensemble Theatre, many of the right notes are struck. Hicks is the business partner of Hammond Wilks and they are on the verge of…
RTA Traffic Studies Support Opening Public Square to Buses
In what Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese said was not a surprise Tuesday morning, two studies commissioned by the agency support opening Superior Avenue through Public Square. A safety study performed by K&J Safety and Security Consulting Services found that the closure of Superior has “increased operational risk”…
Suha Abushamma, Sudanese Medical Resident Forced to Leave Country, Is Back in Cleveland
Cleveland Clinic leaders gathered today to announce some great news: Suha Abushamma, the Sudanese medical resident who’s been working at the hospital, is back home in Cleveland. After arriving at JFK International Airport in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban executive order, Abushamma was forced to leave the country and return to Saudi…
Comedian Kathy Griffin to Perform at Playhouse Square on March 25
Famous for joking that she winds up on the “D-list” when it comes to party invites in the entertainment world, self-effacing comedian Kathy Griffin brings her new show, Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-ins: My A-Z Index, to town next month. The 50-city tour takes its title from Griffin’s latest book, Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z…
5th Annual Cleveland Kurentovanje Expands its Offerings
They’ve been hosting Kurentovanje festivals in Slovenia since 1960, but the fun only made its way to Cleveland five years ago. The 10-day pre-Lenten festival, which has spread throughout Eastern Europe and beyond, famously features elaborately costumed Kurents, who endeavor to scare off winter and help to usher in spring. Cleveland Kurentovanje (koo-rahn-toh-VAHN-yay), held annually…
Love-Themed Benefit for Zygote Press This Thursday Night
More than 300 exhibitions on site and off, 90 artist residencies, 80 festivals and public events and more than 1,000 tours for over 15,000 students in K-12 and secondary art classes… For more than two decades, Zygote Press has served the community as the region’s premier printmaking nonprofit organization. Zygote Press was founded by four…
Super Bowl Hangover, Why No T.O. and Certainly No Carmelo — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac recap a Super Bowl for the ages, wonder how Terrell Owens didn’t even make the cut in the Hall of Fame voting and argue about the Cavs, Iman Shumpert and the possibility of some team trading for Carmelo Anthony. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here.
The Cleveland Orchestra Announces Blossom Schedule
The Cleveland Orchestra has just announced its schedule for its annual series of concerts at Blossom. Between July 4 and Labor Day weekend, the orchestra will play 21 concerts at the outdoor shed. Highlights include the following: Blossom’s traditional, star-spangled concerts with the Blossom Festival Band (July 3 and 4); Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducting Beethoven’s Symphony No.…
Factory Seconds Brass Trio and Four More Classical Music Events to Hit This Week
The Cleveland Orchestra is back at Severance Hall after playing concerts in Miami, and this week’s big attraction is Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (“The Song of the Earth”), a symphony-length setting of Chinese poems for mezzo-soprano and tenor soloists. Michelle DeYoung and Paul Groves are the excellent vocalists, and the Orchestra is…
Indie Rock Act July Talk Adopts a More Visceral Sound on Its New Album
Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, the two singers who front the Canadian punk/alternative act July Talk, have more than music in common. They share a perspective about activism and self-motivation. So what do they think about the rise of xenophobia in the world and the political meltdown taking place in the U.S.? “It feels like…
Red Room Rumble: A “Reluctant” Frank, an Unknown Chrostowski, and a Bold, Idealistic Kid Named Jay
Two momentous news items to report in this, the most pivotal election year in the City of Cleveland’s recent memory: Mayor Frank Jackson announced last Tuesday evening, in an understated ceremony at Tri-C, that he’d be entering the Mayoral race. He’ll be seeking an unprecedented fourth term and will be doing so with the political equivalent…
State Prosecutors Urge Judge Not to Dismiss Case Against East Cleveland 3
In a weird court hearing this afternoon, Laurese Glover, Derrick Wheatt and Eugene Johnson received no answer on their request to have their tortuous criminal cases dismissed with prejudice. Known as the East Cleveland 3, their 1996 murder convictions were overturned in 2015. During a new trial last year, individual charges were formally dropped. They…
Olmsted Falls City Council President Says Anti-Transgender Message Has Been Great for His Business
The latest mindless message posted outside Northridge Auto Repair is getting a lot of ink lately. Owner Jay Linn — the president of Olmsted Falls City Council and something of a conservative gadfly among the enlightened Lorain/I-480 commercial district — doesn’t seem to mind. He’s said that his signs have always brought in good business, and…
Steve Martin and Martin Short to Play Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica with Steep Canyon Rangers
Since 2009, comedian Steven Martin has played bluegrass music with Steep Canyon Rangers. Martin rarely tours with the band, but he’s just announced a series of dates with the group. Martin along with comedian Martin Short will bring the show, dubbed “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest Of Your Lives” Featuring Steep Canyon…
70 Fatal Overdoses in Cuyahoga County So Far in 2017
At least 70 people have overdosed and died in Cuyahoga County so far this year, according to new data from the medical examiner’s office. Six of those deaths occurred just this past Saturday in a particularly alarming 24-hour span. The medical examiner’s office reports that there are still several cases awaiting final toxicology results, and…
Amanda Berry Joins Fox 8 News to Help with New Missing Persons Segment
Amanda Berry, one of the three women captured and imprisoned by Ariel Castro before a dramatic escape in 2013, is joining Fox 8 News. In an interview Monday Morning with the effusive morning news team — Wayne Dawson, Stefani Schaefer, Kristi Capel — Berry announced that she’d be part of a new missing-persons segment. “We’ll…
Step Into the Freezer: Holly Bowling Revamps Grateful Dead and Phish Tunes as a Solo Pianist
For more than 50 years now, the music of the Grateful Dead has inspired musicians around the world. In the mid-80s, four nerds from Vermont got together and changed American rock history in much the same way, in that same spirit of community-based freedom. That band was called Phish. One of their most iconic songs…
Can Cavs Fans Expect More Come Playoffs?
My fortified bunker with its barbed wire perimeter, spring-loaded motion-sensor cages of rabid Dobermans (driven mad by Manilow and a steady diet of Kale), drone air force armed in poisoned darts and pepper spray and a roaming roomba equipped with a makeshift laser has “gone to pot,” as the 16th century idiom goes. (Wouldn’t want…
Hundreds Protest and March Against President’s Muslim Travel Ban in Cleveland
Hundreds of Northeast Ohioans gathered at Market Square this afternoon to protest President Donald Trump’s recent Muslim travel ban executive order. It easily ranks as one of the largest political or social demonstrations in recent Cleveland history (next to the Women’s March on Cleveland last month and, possibly, the March to End Poverty during the…
(The) Ohio University Basketball Coach Saul Phillips — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac are back, and they discuss molding young minds, Charles Barkley vs. Grandpa LeBron and the complicated word “legacy.” Later in the show, Ohio University basketball coach Saul Phillips — the show’s new favorite “Wacky Uncle” — comes on talk about his career, recruiting, PalmerFest and everything else that makes Athens, Ohio great.…
Phoenix Coffee to Participate in Nationwide Coffee Fundraiser for ACLU this Weekend
Local company Phoenix Coffee will participate in a fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) this weekend, donating a portion of its proceeds toward a nationwide campaign to raise $100,000. Phoenix Coffee Director Christopher Feran told Scene that all four of its Northeast Ohio locations — Ohio City, E. 9th, Coventry, and Lee —…
Local Jazz Singer Helen Welch to Pay Tribute to the Music of the Carpenters
British singer-songwriter Helen Welch has lived in Northeast Ohio for the past several years. During that time, she’s slowly built a loyal following of jazz enthusiasts. During her time here, she’s performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Akron Symphony. Now, she’s just announced that she’ll pay…
Brit Punks the Damned to Play House of Blues in April
The first British punk act to release a single, the Damned issued their full-length debut, Damned Damned Damned, on Stiff Records on Feb. 18, 1977. To celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary, BMG will release a very special Art of the Album deluxe edition of the album on Feb. 17, almost exactly 40 years to the day since its original issue. The…
Soap Opera-Like Melodrama Dominates Pedro Almodóvar’s New Film ‘Julieta’
Over the years, Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodóvar has made some terrific movies that balanced comedy and drama. Films such as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, High Heels and Live Flesh established him as a unique voice…
Freddie’s Southern Style Rib House is Returning to Cleveland
Freddie’s Southern Style Rib House 15908 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland, Ohio, 44110 When I was 16 years old, I went to a summer camp in Oregon. Each of the 90 campers was assigned to a ten-person group, and each group had a special mentor who was supposed to guide the group through a week-long project.…
A Cleveland Artist Is Raffling Off This Glorious Painting of George Bush Tonight to Benefit the ACLU
One of the few lighthearted, good moments in America since the inauguration has been captured by Cleveland artist Mike Sobeck. Even better: it could be yours. He’ll be raffling off the masterpiece tonight at 3204 Studios during the launch party for Guided, a new clothing line by Katy Kosman and Sahm Hanson. The festivities run…
Cleveland Welcomes Dozens of New U.S. Citizens in Naturalization Ceremony
This morning, several dozen new U.S. citizens took the oath of allegience in a warm federal courtroom as family members and other Cleveland-area residents looked on with pride. These naturalization ceremonies take place at Ohio’s Northern District federal courthouse every other week. Judge James Gwin, beaming over the virtues of citizenship, said that his court…
Saluting Brent Musberger, the Big Game and Julian Edelman — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac are back! They discuss the flu bug, Brent Musberger’s last broadcast, Zac actually getting his Super Bowl prediction right, the rise of Julian Edelman and much more. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here.
6 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, FEB. 3 Toronzo Cannon Born in Chicago, blues singer-guitarist Toronzo Cannon grew up on the city’s notorious Southside. He says he didn’t initially know it had such a rich blues history. Because his uncles would patronize Theresa’s Lounge, Cannon used to go there as a child before he was even allowed in. Cannon would…
Indie Rockers Lemuria to Play Their Debut in Its Entirety at the Grog Shop
Ten years ago, the Buffalo-based indie rock act Lemuria issued its promising debut album, Get Better. A collection of prickly rock tunes that showcase both drummer Alexander Kerns and guitarist Sheena Ozzella’s abilities to sing, the album established the group, which sounds a bit like the Juliana Hatfield-led Blake Babies, as part of the burgeoning…
Comedian Billy Crystal to Perform at Playhouse Square in March
A Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, producer, writer and director, Billy Crystal returns to his standup roots for his current tour, which includes a March 29 date at Playhouse Square’s State Theatre. Crystal became a household name after roles in films such as When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers and Analyze This. A nine-time…
Cleveland Hts. Pastor Darrell Scott Says He Misspoke at White House Black History Month Event, Blames Lack of Sleep
Cleveland Heights pastor Rev. Darrell Scott was at the White House for Donald Trump’s meeting honoring Black History Month. (The full transcript of the President’s remarks on Black History Month, which you should absolutely read in full if you haven’t already, are here.) Scott has been a Trump supporter and surrogate since early in the…
Scene Announces Winners in #RedesigntheTribe Contest
The Cleveland Spiders, designed by Ben Peters, is your winner in Scene’s Redesign the Tribe competition. We conceived the competition as a fun, practical way to continue the conversation about a name and logo change for the Cleveland Indians. That conversation arrived, aggressively, on our radar after the scorn and derision from the national media…
Prosperity Social Club to Host Fundraiser for Preterm Access Fund
At a time when activism is needed more than ever, Prosperity Social Club has announced it will host Cocktails & Karaoke, a fundraiser for the Preterm Access Fund, at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19. The organization provides financial assistance to low-income and uninsured patients so they can afford “compassionate, high-quality care.” “Preterm trusts women…
Brandon Chrostowski of EDWINS Announces Run for Mayor
A decade before EDWINS, there was a dream. That dream belonged to Brandon Chrostowski, an impassioned hospitality professional who believed that everybody deserved a second chance, just as he had enjoyed as a youth. Since launching EDWINS in 2013, 150 formerly incarcerated citizens graduated from the program and went on to find gainful employment. None…
Up-and-Coming Country Act the Cadillac Three Takes Advantage of a Second Chance
The guys in the Nashville country rock act the Cadillac Three grew up listening to a wide range of music. Sure, they liked all the country that came out of the Music City in the ’80s and ’90s but as “rowdy” teens, they also gravitated toward the hard rock that was popular at the time.…
Bro Rockers Nickelback to Play Blossom in August
Hugely popular in the early 2000s, the Canadian hard rock act Nickelback, the band critics love to hate, has just announced a 44-city North American tour that includes an Aug. 14 date at Blossom. The tour will support its forthcoming album, Feed the Machine. While the band doesn’t rule commercial rock radio like it once…
West Side Market to Adjust Sunday Hours
Less than a year after opening to Sunday shoppers, the West Side Market will tweak its operating hours slightly, the City of Cleveland has announced. Beginning Feb. 5, the Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. It had previously been open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. “After reviewing and monitoring…
The Sizzle of South Beach has Been Snuffed Out in Westlake
Like Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster, you knew it wouldn’t last. Miami Nights, which brought the “Sizzle of South Beach” to Westlake, closed its doors on January 30. The restaurant/dance club/curiosity opened just over a year ago, promising to bring “the eclectic cuisine and colorful nightlife of Miami” right here to sunny Northeast Ohio. Dr.…
Cleveland Clinic Medical Resident Barred from Entering U.S. is Now Suing Donald Trump
Suha Abushamma, the first-year Cleveland Clinic medical resident who was forced to leave the country last weekend, has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump. She’s not alone. The suit revolves around claims of unlawful detention and removal. Recall that Abushamma had returned to the U.S. right after Trump’s travel ban executive order had gone…
10th Annual Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week to Run Feb. 17-26
For the 10th year, Downtown Cleveland Alliance is promoting Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week, during which many of our favorite local eateries will be offering special prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus. The annual event runs from Friday, February 17 through Sunday, February 26. This year, more than 40 independent restaurants will be participating, offering special $15,…
Naloxone Injector Price Skyrockets to $4,500
Kaleo, the company that produces an “auto-injector” for naloxone doses, has jacked up the price on its signature product over the years from $690 to $4,500. It’s not the only injector on the market, but it “talks” users through the process of administering naloxone doses, which makes it particularly attractive. The Kaleo product exists in…
Mayor Frank Jackson — Surprise! — is Running for Mayor
The 2017 Cleveland Mayoral race will resemble the mayoral races of the past 12 years in at least one striking way: Frank Jackson will be the front-runner. In a gathering at Tri-C Tuesday night, Jackson announced that he’d be entering the fray for an unprecedented fourth term. In what was surely the least enthusiastic announcement…
Big Love for Tiny Charlie’s Dog House Diner
Take a right where the Jennings Freeway deadends and it won’t be long until you spot Charlie’s Dog House Diner (2102 Brookpark Rd., 216-661-4873), which marks the border between Cleveland and Parma. The kitschy roadside attraction has been in the exact same spot since 1952, when it began life as the Dog House, part of…
Excitement Over Cleveland’s Brewery Explosion Has Given Way to Questions of a Brewery Bubble
Outside and atop the 35,000-square-foot Market Garden Brewery production facility, a blinking sign greets motorists as they enter the West Side Market parking lot: “Beer!” its bulbs exclaim. Inside, tanks gleam, brews ferment and souvenirs shine for tourists. This is the nerve center of MGB’s operation. As such, it’s got a biolab. Labs like Market…
Robert De Niro Fails to Generate Laughs in “The Comedian”
Over time, veteran actor Robert De Niro has starred in a slew of comedies. Most recently, he hammed it up with pretty boy Zac Efron in last year’s embarrassingly horrible Bad Grandpa. Now he gives it another go in writer-director Taylor Hackford’s (An Officer and a Gentleman) latest effort, The Comedian. Another misfire for De…
Spotlight: Scott Freiman Deconstructs the Beatles
A composer and producer who started putting together Beatles lectures in 2011 as a way to entertain his musician friends, Scott Freiman started listening to the Fab Four when he was 11 years old. The Beatles provided Freiman, a classically trained pianist, his first exposure to rock ‘n’ roll, and he immediately shifted his focus.…
Savage Love: Advice Columnists Without Borders
Dear Dan, I am a 26-year-old heterosexual European man. I have been for four years in a monogamous relationship with my girlfriend. Recently she cheated on me. When she told me what she did, I felt a very strong pain, even stronger than I expected. After a few days of pain, however, I found that…
“Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles” Gets a Comical Spin at the Cleveland Play House
It’s always hard to tell when a clever idea becomes a genre. But it appears there is a theatrical genre budding that is built around plays where multiple (and often wacky) secondary roles are played by just a couple performers, as they swirl around the “lead” actors. Let’s call it “The Revenge of the Bit…
Artifacts From Young Love Serve as Fodder for “I Can’t Believe How Much I’ve Forgotten About You” Exhibit
With Valentine’s Day comes the annual onslaught from both those celebrating and those protesting everything to do with the holiday. Though the holiday as it currently exists is a cheap marketing ploy, the emotions can be very real. No matter whether we’re happily in love, freshly heartbroken or awesomely single, this time of year has…
Band of the Week: Steve Wright
MEET THE BAND: Steve Wright (vocals, guitar, drums, keyboards, laptop) A ONE-MAN BAND: Throughout high school and college, Wright, a Northeast Ohio native, played in a few different bands. He started performing as a “one-man band” in August after moving to Cleveland from Youngstown. “To me, it was out of necessity,” he says when asked…
Munch and Greedy Girl Are Two Small Eateries Doing Things Their Way
Against all odds, Munch managed to survive for close to two decades despite the fact that it was located on the second floor of a fitness complex on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, which enforced a strict prohibition against advertising. The “simple kitchen” began life as Shticks, but eventually changed its name because…
