Here’s the Name of the New Bar Going in at Progressive Field
Update: After several weeks of online voting, the Cleveland Indians announced today the name of the new two-story bar going in at Progressive Field’s Right Field District. The chosen name? The Corner. According to TribeVibe, the name is a hat tip to current Indians radio broadcaster Tom Hamilton who’s introductory line “We’re under way from the…
Community Conversation on Police Relations: Still Searching for Real Communication and Civic Truth
Last night’s “community conversation” on the U.S. Department of Justice report and Cleveland police community relations writ large didn’t come off as a dialogue initially so much as a skirmish between perennially opposed perspectives on what happened Nov. 22, 2014, at Cudell Rec Center. Despite a meaningful Q&A session later in the evening, it was…
Updated: Comedian Kevin Hart to Perform at the Q in June
Update: Due to “popular demand,” Hart has added a second show and will also perform at 10:30 p.m. on June 21. Those tickets go on sale at noon on Friday. Original Post 2/13/2015: This spring, diminutive comedian Kevin Hart will embark on what he’s calling “the biggest comedy tour in history.” The tour starts on…
This Week’s Third Friday at 78th Street Studios Has Plenty of New Stuff to See
This month’s Third Friday at 78th Street Studios has the usual host of fun and more, but make it a point when you walk in the door to head straight downstairs for ARTneo’s Cleveland Creates exhibition — a juried, group show featuring some of the best talent in the region. The show was juried by…
Catch a Very Special PechaKucha Night at Hotcards This Friday
Volume 24 of Cleveland’s PechaKucha Night will take place at Hotcards’ World Headquarters (2400 Superior Ave.) from 7 to 10:30 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 20. This particular evening will be special because, for the first time ever, hundreds of cities around the world will be hosting PKN events on the same day and broadcasting their…
The Nightmare: A Tribute to Alice Cooper Singer Passes Away Suddenly
Well-known in the local music community, singer Michael Heggedus, who fronted the Nightmare: A Tribute to Alice Cooper, passed away last night unexpectedly due to a heart attack. He was only 45 years old. He’s survived by his wife Helen. You can read the obituary here. A memorial fund was started to collect money to help…
VIDEO: Busch Beer Recognizes Cleveland Man for “Earning It”
Busch Beer is in the thick of its “Heroes” campaign, which celebrates men and women all across the country who earn their nut each day with hard work and determination. One such “hero,” is local man Dallas Puskar, who works in Cleveland as a special education teacher by day, and a construction worker by night. …
ResponsibleOhio Makes an Important Change to Its Marijuana Ballot Proposal to Allow Home Growing
Much of the consternation over ResponsibleOhio’s proposed ballot amendment in Ohio to legalize medical marijuana and industrial cultivation had centered on its initial position that would have allowed only 10 sites around the state operated by a handful of investors to legally grow and commercially sell the drug. It reminded many of Dan Gilbert and…
Cheetah Chrome to Make In-Store Appearance at My Mind’s Eye Prior to Beachland Concert
Formerly of classic Cleveland punk bands the Dead Boys and Rocket from the Tombs, guitarist Cheetah Chrome has lived such a colorful life that he even wrote a book about it in 2010. While Chrome no longer tours with Rocket from the the Tombs, he still records and tours as a solo artist. He performs…
Mayor Jackson Punishes City Official (Snow Plow Guy; Not Former Police Chief) for Bad Job Performance (Over One Week; Not Ten Years)
The brutal snowstorm that hit Cleveland a week or so back left city streets covered in white stuff and commuters complaining about a street plowing crew that took its sweet time making its way to side streets. It wasn’t anything completely out of the ordinary around these parts — it snows, after all, and sometimes…
City Council Badgers Jackson About DOJ Report, Police Reform
City budget hearings — better than NyQuil or your money back! — are getting underway over at City Hall. And in an introductory session Tuesday morning, council members addressed Mayor Frank Jackson directly with some of the city’s biggest challenges. Though issues like building and housing code enforcement and vacancies in city staffing bubbled up…
Ohio Man Arrested for 109th Time
Meet Nathaniel Ferguson, northeast Ohio’s most arrested man. He was picked up this week for the 109th (!) time by the South Euclid Police Department after allegedly shoplifting teeth whitening products from a pharmacy on Mayfield Road. The South Euclid PD has the details: (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js =…
Crust Will Expand Its Popular Sub-Pizza-Dessert Concept to Midtown
Add Crust (1020 Kenilworth Ave., 216-583-0257, crusttremont.com) to the long and growing number of Cleveland food startups poised for growth and expansion. The two-and-a-half-year-old Tremont pizza shop will open a second location on the east side of town, joining what’s becoming a budding food scene in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. “I always try to…
Breakneck Gallery to Close in March; Catch One Last Exhibition Before It Does
Well, it’s official, and it’s sad. After attempting a less-than-successful fundraiser on Gofundme.com¸ Lakewood’s Breakneck Gallery has officially announced it will close this March. However, before the doors close, owners Sean and Kristen Burns have one last special show planned. “It has been a great ride filled with fun shows, amazing artists, and forging great…
Kid Rock Returns to Blossom in July
Hard rocker Kid Rock loves a good gimmick. When he played Blossom in 2013, he packed the joint by selling tickets for a mere $20. He’s running a similar promotion for his just-announced show at Blossom, where he performs on July 30 with his Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Tickets from the second row to the…
Video: The Second Installment of ‘Behind the Sign’ of Cleveland Businesses
The first video from Cleveland SGS dropped back in November, the aim being to go behind the signs of the businesses that we know by sight but not much else. U-Need-a-Sign Company on East 131st St. was the first company to get such treatment. In the second installment, we get to know the people behind McMahan’s…
Lake Erie is Almost Completely Frozen Over
It’s been really freaking cold lately, and as a result 94 percent of Lake Erie is covered in ice— that’s the highest percentage among all of the Great Lakes and the second highest since 1996 when we were completely frozen over. Compared to last winter’s unforgiving polar vortex, though, this season’s been fairly mild; that…
Seven Men, Including A West 6th Nightclub Owner, Indicted In Federal Court for Cocaine Dealing Scheme
Seven men were indicted in Cleveland’s federal court last week for a cocaine distribution scheme that operated around the city, wrapping up an investigation that began nearly three and a half years ago. Gilbert Mendez, Alexander Febres, Israel Cortes, Joseph Velez, Erick Mendez, Paris Valles and Ivan Salcedo Torres went down, following a Northern Ohio…
Here’s a Makeshift Hockey Rink on Lake Erie Courtesy of Arras Keathley
You might have seen pics floating around Twitter and no, your eyes are not deceiving you: Arras Keathley employees did in fact clear an improvised hockey rink on Lake Erie next to the floating barge offices the company shares with LeanDog. Now with more curling! A few details, not that you need many to simply…
Video: Kyle Shanahan’s 32-Point Presentation for Getting the Hell Out of Cleveland
From Mike Polk’s segment on the Rizzo show on Fox. (And a special note to the young lady who emailed this a few weeks ago: “When does Scene plan on sucking Mike Polk’s Dick again? It’s over two weeks!” Sorry it was over two weeks. Our apologies, but here it is.)
Local West Craft Sandwich and Beer Bistro Opens Today
Local West (7400 Detroit Ave., 216-417-7001), which has been under construction since last summer, quietly opened its doors to the public today. It will celebrate its official opening this Thursday. Owner Jon Mavrakis has been hard at work to transform the former Niko’s Greek Grille on Detroit Avenue into a fast-casual craft sandwich and beer bistro.…
Five Classical Music Events You Shouldn’t Miss This Week
The editors of ClevelandClassical.com will drop by every week to highlight five of the best events in that arena. They’ll also be reviewing and previewing shows. It’ll be a mere taste of what you can find on their comprehensive site, so do click on through for more. Brahmsfest at Severance: Super-human pianist Yefim Bronfman takes on…
Movement to Recall Mayor Frank Jackson Is Under Way
Following the near-total bungling of reaction to the U.S. Department of Justice report on the Cleveland Police Department’s pattern of excessive use of force, a group of citizens is beginning a push for the recall of Mayor Frank Jackson. The first public forum for such will take place on March 4. Jackson wrote on Friday: “It…
Get in the Mood for Fat Tuesday with this Photo of Nuns Eating Ice Cream at Malley’s
Hat tip to the Lakewood Citizen for capturing this terrific photo last year.
Cedar Point is Offering Two-for-One Tickets Today
It might very well be -5 degrees outside today in Cleveland — some reports have temps climbing up to a balmy 12 degrees by lunchtime — but that doesn’t mean we’re not thinking of warmer days ahead, i.e. roller coaster season. And today, in honor of Presidents’ Day, Cedar Point is offering up a two-for-one ticket…
At the Junction of Here and There: A Conversation with Railroad Earth
Railroad Earth returns to Cleveland tonight. The band is still riding the waves of its 2014 album, The Last of the Outlaws, while maintaining a constant connection with the more distant corners of their catalog. I spoke with fiddle player Tim Carbone this week, and we covered all the latest Railroad Earth developments, as well as…
Cavs Fall to Bulls and LeBron’s Turnovers Come Front and Center
The Cavaliers fell last night to the Chicago Bulls 113-98 in a game for which even LeBron James would (if he were honest) probably admit he bears a substantial part of the blame. That doesn’t happen often, and certainly not in games where the goat-in-question scores 31 points. But James’ play too often suggested the…
8 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, FEB. 13 Hiram Maxim Recorded and mixed by John Delzoppo at Negative Space in Cleveland and mastered by Chris Keffer at Magnetic North, this band’s forthcoming debut mixes elements of noise, post-rock and punk. An ambitious effort, it’s the first release of 2015 to come out on Aqualamb Records, the imprint run by graphic…
Pre-Disciplinary Hearing Set for Officers Involved in Tanisha Anderson’s Death
Just a shade beyond the 90-day window for internal use-of-force investigations, the city’s Public Safety Department announced that pre-disciplinary hearings will be held for the two officers involved in the death of Tanisha Anderson. From Director Michael McGrath: To ensure that due process is applied, the City will not comment on the matter at this…
First Look at Menu from Graffiti Social Kitchen, Opening Next Week
If all things go as planned for Monday’s “friends & family” service, Graffiti Social Kitchen (1261 W. 76th St., 216-651-6969, graffitisocialkitchen.com) will open to the public Wednesday February 18. “That’s the game plan unless we run into any major issues at friends and family,” says chef-owner Brian Okin. Okin and partner Adam Bostwick have been…
Scene Podcast: Talking Cleveland Restaurants, Jimmy Haslam, Civil Suits Against the Police, and More
Today, Scene Podcast host Craig Lyndall chats with editor Vince Grzegorek about all sorts of stuff happening in Cleveland these days: the ceaseless expansion of indie neighborhood restaurants, the trustworthiness of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, the archive of civil suits against the Cleveland Police Department and more. Tune in below and do subscribe while you’re at…
Mayor Frank Jackson Vetoes Flats East Bank Taxing Authority: ICYMI
One of the bigger flash-in-the-pan narratives in Cleveland news this month has been the “community authority” plan being pitched by the developers of the Flats East Bank entertainment district project. The idea was to toss an extra 1.5 percent in sales tax, 2 percent in bed tax, and 2 percent in parking tax on top of…
It’s Going to Be Really Freaking Cold in Cleveland this Weekend
You may have already heard, but it’s going to be really freaking cold this weekend in Cleveland. We’re talking Polar Vortex temps. The National Weather Services predicts we’ll have a rather balmy Saturday morning with temperatures creeping up to 22 degrees, but you can expect those to fall to about 12 degrees by midday. Wind…
An RTA Bus Caught on Fire in Downtown Cleveland this Morning
NewsNet5 is running with the report that an RTA bus caught on fire on Ontario Street in downtown Cleveland this morning. Fire crews were apparently called to the scene— between Euclid Avenue and Superior Avenue— just before 8 a.m. when smoke was spotted coming out of the rear of the bus on the left hand…
Bob Seger Releases Footage from Quicken Loans Arena Concert
Midway through his concert last year at Quicken Loans Arena, singer-guitarist Bob Seger told members of the capacity crowd that he had selected the Cleveland show as the setting to film his next video for “California Stars,” the Woody Guthrie penned song originally made famous by Billy Bragg and Wilco. Well, he’s just released the…
Wizard World Comic Con Comes to Cleveland Next Weekend
If you’ve never been to a Wizard World Comic Con— and really, how many of us have?— next week you’ll have several chances to attend as the first annual Cleveland edition debuts at the Cleveland Convention Center, Feb. 20 – 22. The three-day celebration of comic books, science-fiction, and pop culture is a pretty big deal: The event…
Kyrie Irving, Jack of All Trades, Stars in New Footlocker Commercial with Ice-T
If you haven’t heard, Kyrie Irving has a signature shoe (pictured in Cavs colors to your right). Along with LeBron, he’s a member of the Eastern Conference squad in this weekend’s NBA All-Star game. Not only that, he’s appearing in the most talked-about three-point contest of all time. The Cavs are surging and Kyrie’s a…
Love’s Scoring Hardly Only Talent, As He Shows Against the Heat
Remember “R E L A X”? How you feeling right now? Rising above the Love-ly Twitter storm of the early week, the team cruised to victory over the Miami Heat last night The team’s clearly rounding into form. While there are only so many points to go around, opportunities are spread pretty evenly. The team’s…
Steely Dan and Elvis Costello Announce Blossom Date
Steely Dan and Elvis Costello & the Imposters are teaming up for a 21-date summer tour that’ll bring them to Blossom on July 28. The tour commences on July 6 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and then concludes on Aug. 12 in Florida, making the Blossom date land in the middle. While each act…
Kingsman: The Secret Service is Much Better (and Much Raunchier) Than You’d Expect
Colin Firth admitted recently that he always dreamed of playing James Bond, and that he only accepted his role in Kingsman: The Secret Service, opening Thursday night at theaters area-wide, because he assumed it was his last chance to play a fashion-savvy gentleman spy. Director Matthew Vaughn, the creative force behind Kick-Ass and X-Men: First…
Locals Lafayette Carthon & Faith to Play House of Blues Gospel Brunches
An award-winning local keyboardist, producer and gospel artist who has produced and/or arranged music for numerous Grammy Award Winning Artists, including Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Marvin Winans, and Mary J. Blige, Lafayette Carthon has signed on to play House of Blues’ gospel brunches for the rest of the year. His band the Faith will back…
None Shall Pass: Aesop Rock Lights Up Grog Shop with Rob Sonic and DJ Abilities
Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic dished up a venomous set of classics old and new — with lots of Hail Mary Mallon stuff thrown in there — with DJ Abilities spinning intergalactic beats throughout. Whatever you might have wanted out of the show, well, as long as you showed up you were taken care of.…
Rising Star Coffee Roasters Announces New Roastery, Retail Location
Since setting up shop two and a half years back in the Ohio City Firehouse building, Rising Star Coffee (1455 W. 29th St., 216-273-3573, risingstarcoffee.com) has expanded its small but growing empire with a second location across town. Last fall, owner Kim Jenkins and the team opened the doors of their Little Italy shop, located…
Judge Declares Ricky Jackson and the Bridgeman Brothers Wrongfully Convicted, Clears Way for Civil Compensation
After 39 years spent in prison for a 1975 murder they didn’t commit, Ricky Jackson and Wiley Bridgeman walked out of court as free men back in November after a dramatic two-day hearing in which the state’s only witness from the original trials, Eddie Vernon, admitted that he lied at the time (when he was…
LeBron Makes a Cameo in Newly-Released Amy Schumer Trailer
Yesterday, the first trailer for Amy Schumer’s new movie Trainwreck was released, and guess who makes a brief appearance as, well, himself? That’s right, LBJ, who’s been able to find time to do quite a bit off-court this season. Catch the trailer below; LeBron comes in at 1:32.
The Akron RubberDucks Will Host a Brian Williams-Themed Night
Minor league baseball is fun for a whole host of reasons but one of the best are the gimmicky themed nights — tapping every cultural influence from Back to the Future to Star Wars to George Costanza — created to help get asses in the seats for reasons other than, ya know, baseball. Our hometown…
Miami Sports Talk Hosts Say Mean Things About Cleveland, Seek Attention
Two radio hosts on a Miami-area sports talk station took the upcoming Heat vs. Cavs game as an opportunity to say nonsensical things about the city of Cleveland to get listeners and the internet riled up. Their guest during the choice part of the conversation was Chris Broussard, noted transcriber of Maverick Carter’s thoughts, ESPN…
Study: The Cost, Quality and Availability of Drugs Around Cleveland
The Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network recently released their report on “Drug Abuse Trends in the Cleveland Region” for the first half of 2014, and it’s definitely an interesting read. The report, associated with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, was “based upon qualitative data collected via focus groups interviews” of “active…
LeBron James is Throwing an NBA Fashion Show in New York this Weekend
In-between launching a new television game show, helping the wifey with a new juice shop, welcoming his third child, and, oh, playing for the Cavs, LeBron James has planned and produced an NBA-themed fashion show, slated to take place on New York City catwalks this weekend. The gist of the show is this: NBAers such…
UPDATE: Shooting at Horseshoe Casino Parking Garage This Morning Leaves One Man Injured
The 36-year-old victim of this morning’s shooting incident at the Horseshoe Casino parking garage told police that the suspect stole either “$2,600 or $4,600″ from him. Earlier last night, the victim met the suspect — a heavyset 5’9” black man with facial hair — at a strip club. They traveled to the casino together with…
Cleveland’s Alternate Reality Makes Top 10 List for ‘Awesomely Terrible Heavy Metal Videos’
In the wake of “Let It Roar,” a “terribly great/greatly terrible music video” by former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes that recently went viral, the folks at VH-1 decided to rank the most “awesomely terrible heavy metal videos” of all time. Cleveland’s Alternate Reality made the cut. Their music video for “The King That Never Was”…
Comedian Lewis Black Says He Doesn’t Have a Cleveland-related Rant — But He Really Does
Comedian Lewis Black, who brings his the Rant is Due: Part Deux tour to the State Theater on Feb. 21, says he doesn’t have a rant about Cleveland. But he sort of does. “You have gambling there now,” he says. “That’s a really good move. I’m sure that will improve things. I haven’t been there…
Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week to Kickoff February 20
The 8th annual Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week will commence on February 20th and run through March 1st. This year will feature one of the biggest and brightest lineups of restaurants yet, with nearly 50 independent restaurants participating. Participating restaurants will be offering $30 three-course menus for one or two diners. Select eateries also will be…
Downtown Superman Statue In the Works
Front page news this morning, gentle readers: Cleveland will, “at long last,” be getting a statue commemorating Superman, the superhero created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster in Glenville. The PD’s Michael Sangiacomo reports that the sculpture will be incorporated into the pedestrian walkway boondoggle and is slated for erection near the Rock Hall. David…
Great Scott: Heavy-Hitting Two-Piece Local H Celebrates its 25th Anniversary with Tour and New Studio Album
Local H singer-guitarist Scott Lucas doesn’t remember a helluva lot about the band’s first-ever live show that took place on April 20, 1990, at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. “It was Earth Day,” he says matter-of-factly in a phone interview from a Kalamazoo tour stop when asked about the gig. “The band was a…
In Its 14th Year, Convergence-Continuum Theater Continues to Surprise and Amaze
Okay, let’s play Jeopardy! The answer is: Poona the Fuckdog, and Other Plays for Children and Seven Blowjobs. Clearly, there aren’t a lot of questions that could possibly generate that response. So here’s a hint. The person who came up with that answer is Clyde Simon, co-founder and artistic director of convergence-continuum theater in Tremont.…
Band of the Week: Hiram-Maxim
Meet the Band: Lisa Miralia (electronics, vocals), Dave Taha (guitars), Fred Gunn (vocals), John Panza (drums) In a League of Their Own: The group formed for the Lottery League, the festival that randomly places Cleveland musicians in bands with one another. “We didn’t know each other at all,” says singer Fred Gunn. “I knew guitarist…
Shopping in Some of Cleveland’s Retail Neighborhoods
When it comes to shopping, Cleveland has it all, which is why even the local folks sometimes need help deciding where to go. Shall we go boutiquing in Gordon Square? Scouring through racks in Coventry? Here, then, is a handy (though nowhere near comprehensive) guide to help retail enthusiasts with some of those tough questions.…
What Happens to Cleveland’s Neighborhoods When Our Favorite Restaurants Expand and Duplicate?
When Happy Dog announced in late 2013 that it would be taking possession of the old Euclid Tavern in University Circle, you could practically hear the cheers from ecstatic eastsiders. No longer would fans of gratuitously topped hot dogs need to travel clear across town to get their fix. Happy Dog isn’t the only westside…
9 Local Items for Every Clevelander’s Carry-On
Don’t get us wrong, we love Cleveland, we do. But every so often, we get an itch to explore beyond the Cuyahoga County borders; to see new places, meet new people, and taste new foods. We say, indulge that itch. Go travel. Just make sure to pack a few things in that suitcase of yours…
‘You’re Lucky We Didn’t Shoot Him’
It all started with an armed robbery one hot August Monday afternoon in 2010 in the westside’s Jefferson neighborhood. “Give me your wallet or I’ll kill you.” The voice came from behind the 54-year-old man as he walked under the railroad trestle on Lorain Avenue. A stranger, lurking in the shadow, approached him quietly and…
5 Makers and Doers We’re Obsessed with Right Now
Caroline Dengel | The Fashionista Last year, 20-something Caroline Dengel launched Cleveland’s first boutique-on-wheels to cater to Cleveland’s busy but fashion-forward women. About the size of a small food truck, the Wandering Wardrobe, affectionately nicknamed “Wanda,” has since been spotted all around town, sporting racks of flirty dresses, chic tops and designer bags, as well…
Cleveland: Food Capital, USA
Who could have predicted that Cleveland would have progressed from scrappy underdog to media darling in such a short time? While there has been a steady trickle of positive media buzz surrounding our fair city’s food and drink scene over the past few years, lately, it seems, Cleveland officially is “the next big thing.” Here…
The 26 Essential Cleveland Restaurants
“Where do we eat?” That’s a very simple question that often warrants a very complicated answer. Well, that depends on who we’re with, what part of town we find ourselves in, how much cash we feel like burning through, and maybe even how hungover we happen to feel. But more often than not, we will…
Build Your Own Six-Pack
Elliot Ness Great Lakes Brewing Company Amber Ale Start off with a classic, right? This rich amber lager from Cleveland’s most storied brewery is perfectly balanced with “crisp noble hops.” It’s super drinkable (per our requirements) and super delicious — I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know — and remains a gorgeous pour…
This Week’s Annual CIA Student Independent Exhibition Will Be the 69th Annual Event, and also the Last in the CIA’s Old Home
This year’s 69th Annual Student Independent Exhibition (SIE) at Cleveland Institute of Art’s Reinberger Galleries is especially noteworthy. Though senior students’ thesis exhibitions will come later this spring, this Friday evening’s reception already notes the end of an era at the Gund Building. Come next fall, the CIA’s renovation project finally will be complete and,…
Nursing the State’s Best Whiskeys
Ohio, known back in those wild ’20s as a hotbed of Prohibition-minded legislators, is actually surfing the forefront of the microdistillery scene. Cleveland plays host to a few gems; Columbus and Cincinnati, our lesser brethren, do too. And they’re all good. (Cleveland’s are the best, duh.) You could make the case that the Buckeye State…
Our City, Our Food: Sample the Best of What Cleveland Has to Offer
What if you could grab a tray and slide down the buffet of your dreams, with all of your favorite iconic Cleveland eats in one place? If we could build and stock that buffet, it might include the following morsels. Pierogi What: Those wonderful potato-and-cheese stuffed dumplings Why: Cleveland’s Eastern European immigrants brought them generations…
Cleveland’s Artsy, Resurgent South Side Has Bars to Love, No Matter the Color of Your Collar
One awesome neighborhood, 10 cool bars, and just a mile to reach them all. If you haven’t spent much time going out in Tremont, here’s an ambitious bar crawl you should follow to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood’s casual drinking establishments. This is entirely walkable — just a mile from start to finish, or 1.4…
To Cuba, with Love: Local Code Pink Activist Joins Diplomatic Delegation
As you’re reading this, Toni Rozsahegyi, a local activist and mother of four, will be slapping palms with Cubans in and around Havana as part of a delegation. Cuba is, of course, a country from which the United States has been estranged for more than half a century and with which President Barack Obama recently…
Welcome to City Guide!
You’ve arrived. Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you just stepped off the runway at Cleveland-Hopkins for the first time, there’s no denying that Cleveland is, at least in some ways, new to each one of us. The city is changing. A sense of optimism and joy and excitement — stuff that’s long…
Film Review of the Week: Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
If, by chance, you’ve been compiling a list of the least commercial films of all time, you’ll have a new title for consideration this weekend: Spike Lee’s Kickstarter-funded “joint”: Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. It opens Friday exclusively at the Cedar Lee. To say that Lee’s latest, weirdest and most mannered production, a remake of…
Cleveland Has Accommodations to Suit Every Lifestyle (And Income Bracket)
It used to be that if you wanted to stay someplace nice in Cleveland, you only had a few choices. You had the Ritz, a swanky downtown joint where all the celebs would hole up when they were in town. And you had the Intercontinental, an upscale hotel that’s essentially attached to the Cleveland Clinic.…
Film Spotlight: Beatles Lectures
Scott Freiman, a composer and producer who started putting together Beatles lectures four years ago as a way to entertain his musician friends, says those same friends pushed him into going public. “What happened was that I decided to put on a talk in my living room for friends,” he explains via phone from Los…
Towpath Trails and Bus Lines Provide Alternate Modes of Transportation
While Cleveland’s the type of city where you kinda need a car to get around, we also embrace our alternate modes of transportation. One of the reported reasons why big events such as the Gay Games and the upcoming Republican National Convention decided to come to Cleveland is because of the public transportation system. While…
Cleveland’s Ethnic Smörgåsbord
The phrase “melting pot” gets tossed around with about as much consideration as a fleeting Twitter hashtag. But Cleveland’s deep and broadly branched immigrant roots long ago began supplying the ingredients for a well-seasoned melting pot of ethnic cuisines. Thanks to wave after wave of newcomer, today’s adventurous diners now have their pick of authentic…
These Annual Traditions Make Our City Awesome. Won’t You Join Us?
January Cleveland Winter Beerfest At press time, the second annual Cleveland Winter Beerfest is receding into the rearview, and this year’s installment was another hit. Think about it: This is a city whose newfound economic strides are built at least partially on brewing tanks. Winter Beerfest features more than 350 craft brews. Local, national, and…
A ‘Worthy’ Contender: R&B/Soul Singer Bettye LaVette Takes Us through her New Covers Album Track-by-Track
In the wake of the release of her new album, Worthy, singer Bettye LaVette played a residency at the Café Carlyle in New York City that kicked off a four-month promotional tour of North America, the U.K., and Europe, including stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Amsterdam. It’s an extensive outing for…
The Cleveland Bands You Should Be Listening to Right Now
Shop local, drink local, eat local, yes; but how about listen local? Cleveland, long the iconic city of rock ‘n’ roll in one sense or another, plays host to what at times seems like thousands of bands. There’s a rich scene here in town, one supported by dozens of venues along the North Coast. Concerts…
Julianne Moore Gives Compelling Performance in ‘Still Alice’
An accomplished academic with a seemingly equally intellectually ambitious husband (Alec Baldwin) and three smart, attractive children, Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), the character at the center of Still Alice, appears to have won life. But after Alice celebrates her 50th birthday, things take a decidedly different turn for the usually in-control linguistics professor. She becomes…
Folk Hero: A Formative ‘Year Abroad’ in Appalachia Kickstarted John McCutcheon’s Career
Singer-guitarist John McCutcheon is generally regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer. But he really only learned to play the instrument by happenstance. “I had a girlfriend back in the early 1970s who went to a summer workshop at a West Virginia college,” he recalls in a phone interview. “One of the classes was…
Your Week: Planned
At sundown, the curious city of Cleveland takes on many forms. Open your door and pick a direction: You’ll find something wonderful or bizarre or stimulating anywhere you look. You’ll probably also find a drunk guy taking a leak behind that dumpster over there. But the fact remains that you could do something different each…
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Franchise Gets Off to Shaky Start
The problem with pornographic films is often the plot. You know the drill. The storyline often centers on some guy cleaning a pool who soon starts banging a housewife and then it’s just one sex scene after another. Hardly the stuff of compelling cinema. While 50 Shades of Grey, the film based on the best-selling…
The Best New Bars Around Town
Cleveland, known locally for its propensity to host new restaurant and bar openings, like, every other day, has a lot of cool new hang spots. In 2014 alone, some of our very favorite bars opened their doors for the first time. We couldn’t be happier to welcome them into our little corner of the world.…
Where Should You Go to See the City’s Finest Art? Everywhere. When Should You Go? All the Time.
Cleveland, the quirky kid who’s been holding down the great lunch table of the Midwest for decades now, was built on its residents’ unique creative culture. More specifically: Manufacturing gave us our structure; art provided the soul. These days, new and inventive artistic endeavors pop up in neighborhoods all over the city and beyond. In…
A Feast for the Eyes: You’ll Never Know Where to Look Next in the Hyperactive Pippin at Playhouse Square
Some shows come at you fresh out of the box, and you get goose bumps because you know you’re experiencing something new. Other shows feel very familiar, employing tried and true techniques, and there’s a different sort of pleasure in that. Then, every so often, there’s a show that does both. There are echoes upon…
Playhouse Square Revue
Never mind that the massive new GE Chandelier at Playhouse Square — the world’s largest outdoor chandelier! — represents an “audacious and counterintuitive response” to Cleveland’s punishing winters, according to the PD’s Steve Litt. Never mind that around the chandelier’s supports, “sprigs of curlicue filigree sprout like stylized bushes of armpit hair” (again, blessedly, via…
