Sam Discovers Friendship!
We Read America’s Worst Columnist, Sam Fulwood III, So You Don’t Have To… This week’s episode: Sam learns that some humans share a bond that’s deeper than any he’s ever known. Incredibly, people actually spend time together, he finds, because they like each other. Headline: Police heap praise on a good friend Date: February 20,…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Adam Rich Band
Money Where Your Mouth Is: In which Scene’s music writers stop slobbering over My Chemical Romance and let the band speak for itself. Band: Adam Rich Band Hometown: Highland Heights, Ohio Sounds like: “A whole bunch of different styles mashed togethor. Heavy guitars, driving bass, bouncy drums, songs you can hum along to and dance…
John Amaechi’s No Coward
John Amaechi never dreamed of being a martyr for gay power forwards everywhere Plain Dealer op-ed columnist Phillip Morris — one of the few sharp blades in the paper’s arsenal of rusty pocket knives — joins the John Amaechi conversation this morning, dubbing the former Cav a “coward” for not coming out while he was…
LeBron: The Next Michael Jackson?
ESPN: There a signs that LeBron is on the downslide Earlier this month, it was ESPN’s Bill Simmons on Damon Jones. Today, it’s Bill Simmons on LeBron James. And it’s way more interesting: Could we end up putting him in the “Too Much, Too Soon” Pantheon some day? Will he become the basketball version of…
This Just In… Concert Announcements
Pretty Ricky comes to the House of Blues April 9 This week’s 24 hot new shows include hair-metal supergroup Cock Fight, Grammy-winning hip-hop phenom Lupe Fiasco, bluesman Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the downright dreamy Pretty Ricky. THIS WEEK: THURSAY Cock Fight (members of Bang Tango, Bullet Boys, and Faster Pussycat)/Hair Razor: Thu., Feb. 22, 9…
The 10 Hottest Hairless Celebs
Alek Wek finishes second on our list of top bald babes Where does Britney stack up? It seemed like just last month that Britney Spears’ only shaved head was between her legs. The upside about her rehab-induced mental tailspin? We got a five minute respite from the Anna Nicole baby’s daddy saga. The bad news?…
CIM’s Letter to Students
The Cleveland Institute of Music responded to this week’s cover story on Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster and CIM teacher Bill Preucil in a letter to students: Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 09:48:00 -0500 Subject: Message from President Cerone Dear CIM Student: I would like to bring to your attention an article which appeared in yesterday’s edition…
Orchestra Story: ‘Utterly Ridiculous’
I DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR ARTICLE!! [“Sour Notes,” February 14] This is utterly ridiculous and you will have to officially make an apology for the Cleveland Orchestra administration, CIM, the City of Cleveland, and Mr. Pruecil, if you have any senses at all!! 1. Joshua Roman is definately not Pruecil’s student. why? cause he plays…
Crust & Crumbs Moving
Downtown’s Crust & Crumbs (4700 Lakeside Ave.) is relocating. The bakery and cafe closed on Feb. 16; owners and chefs Ismail Samad and Vanessa Robinson plan to reopen in the Tyler Building, near the intersection of Superior and E. 36th St., in late spring. Robinson says the two-and-a-half year-old eatery finally outgrew its tiny space,…
Slayer Photo Gallery
Slayer at the House of Blues Representing the best of thrash’s old school and new school, Slayer and openers Unearth brought the metal to Cleveland’s House of Blues February 18, where diehards put the “fan” back in “fanatic.” Check out Walter Novak: Action Rock Photographer’s latest Slayer photo gallery here. — Justin Farrar
Mike G’s Picks of the Week
Malajube: Rockin’ it in French This week’s top arts and entertainment picks around town, from the guy who’s paid to pick them: Monday: Forced Alter Ego — the second part of photographer Julius M. Lyles’ ongoing Internal Baggage Project — just opened, and it’s pretty cool. Lyles asked a bunch of black men about identity,…
Fundraiser at Rozi’s Wine House
Local food and wine fans are invited to join Lolita chef Matt Harlan, and Corey Rossen, of Rozi’s Wine House (http://www.rozis.com/) on Tuesday February 27 from 6 to 9 p.m., for a low-key fundraiser that promises to be as heartwarming as it is delish. Featuring food, wine, door prizes, and a raffle, the event will…
The Cleveland Orchestra Debate Rages On
I would like to say “thanks” for just beginning to expose the corruption that goes on in the classical music world [“Sour Notes,” February 14]. As a former student at the Cleveland Institute, I know, as does everyone else, that these accusations against Preucil are true. Why CIM and the Cleveland Orchestra havn’t stepped in…
New Music Monday: Black Diamonds
Click the picture box for footage of the Black Diamonds rehearsing a new song in guitarist Dylan Francis’s basement, which doubles as the world headquarters of Bad Breaker Records. Scene readers voted the Diamonds’ “Cold Cold Heart” the best song of 2006. And if you thought that tune was Zeppelinesque, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.…
Beam Me Up, Scottie!
Scottie Pippen, longtime MJ sidekick and one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, wants to make a comeback. And he wants to do it for the Cavs. All logic aside, this would be the coolest thing ever. — Joe P. Tone
Fulwood Defends His Hero
We Read America’s Worst Columnist, Sam Fulwood III, So You Don’t Have To… This week’s episode: Sam refuses to believe that one of his role models isn’t such a role model after all. Headline: Hizzoner wouldn’t lie, would he? Date: February 13, 2007 Topic: Sammy finds a creative new angle on the shady Kinbess-CMHA deal,…
The Stafford Brothers Circus
In response to Mr. Houston, who wrote a letter to the editor: My heart goes out to you and your family. You are seeing first hand how little the courts care. The domestic relations judges have no concern for people such as you. You are but a number to them. Don’t delude yourself and think…
Kill My Cleveland Orchestra Tickets
The following was received via voice mail: I’m calling about the article you wrote in the current issue of the Scene magazine regarding William Preucil and his power within the orchestra [“Sour Notes,” February 14]. I just called the Cleveland Orchestra and talked to some people in the public relations department. I’m not a season…
Commander Cody Photo Gallery
Back in the early ’70s, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen basically invented hippie-redneck rock (what squares call “insurgent country”). We’re talking a smoking mix of country, rock-and-roll, boogie woogie, and A LOT of silly weed references (“Seeds and Stems Again Blues”). Of course, Willie Nelson should be credited here as well. But he…
Concert Review: In Defense of Winger
Kip Winger does not suck Former K-Rock Metal Show host Matt “Warlock” Wardlaw went to last night’s Winger show at House of Blues. Here’s his report: The year was 1991: Deep Purple was scheduled to play at the Richfield Coliseum, with Winger handling opening duties for the veteran British rockers. Unexplainably, the show was canceled…
Lakewood: Hearts & Cars Snowed In
A friendly cop prepares to light up another stranded motorist. If you live in Lakewood, and you park on the street, there’s probably a massive mound of snow where your car used to be. But you best be getting a shovel and start digging. A city law says you can’t park on the street for…
‘Raging Morons’ at Cleveland Institute of Music
Judging by most of these comments , it’s obvious that those attending the Cleveland Institute of Music are students there solely based on their musical talents [“Sour Notes,” February 14]. Unfortunately for the dear readers of the online version of this rag and its ‘Comments’ section associated with this story, CIM failed to factor the…
Silence of the Pedophiles
Great story! [“Pedophile Inc,” January 17]. How did you initially find out about this? We (in Az.) have heard nothing about this. I can’t believe this went on for so long without attention. Good work. Janet Richards Phoenix
Kucinich isn’t a Weirdo
So, Pete, deep inside, tell us: how do you really feel about Dennis [“$6 Million Chihuahua,” February 7]? Okay, Dennis Kucinich has some new-agey ideas, but nothing as utterly stupid as invading Iraq for WMDs or promoting democracy and regime change at gunpoint. Dennis has never stated “I’m the decider, and I decide what’s best”…
Randy Newman Cancelled
Randy Newman has postponed his Silver Screen concert in Akron Sunday. The singer — who wrote “Rednecks,” “Short People,” and more sad songs for CGI movies than we care to count — is apparently sick. But we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s just laboring away on his acceptance speech for next week’s Oscar ceremonies (Newman’s…
Cleveland Orchestra: Above Board
Having served on orchestra audition committees myself, I know that we make every attempt to do things as fairly as possible [“Sour Notes,” February 14]. We have to work with whomever is chosen for a long, long time, usually, and it certainly matters that the right person (not only in matters of artistry, but also…
The Bright Lights of 117th Street
As if Cleveland isn’t Hollywood enough, two local comedians have put together a one-time show they’ve dubbed “Cleveland: Ohio’s Hollywood.” As far as I can tell, the show — masterminded by Mike Polk and Jim Tews — has nothing to do with Hollywood. It’s actually just a series of comedy bits, some of which involve…
Yellow Delicious
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Wherein Scene music writers shut up about “sparkling bass lines” and let a band talk for itself. Band: Yellow Delicious Hometown: Cleveland/Elyria Sounds like: “New wave rock for the 21st century.” Fun fact: “Pat has yellow shoes, and Greg has silver pants.” Playing: House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave.) Thurs.,…
Holmberg: The Jello Biafra of Cleveland
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Wherein Scene music writers shut up about “resplendent rhythms” and let a band talk for itself. Band: Holmberg Hometown: Cleveland Sounds like: “Jello Biafra/Henry Rollins meets The Daring Savants.” Fun Fact: “In August 2003, Dave Holmberg begins writing the album The Dead and The Mad after an ex-girlfriend crawls through…
The Sound of DoHM
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Wherein Scene music writers shut up about the sociological and rhetorical implications of The New Wave of Thrash Folk, and let a band talk for itself. Band: DoHM Hometown: Bay Village/Lakewood Sounds like: “A more energetic Tool, with the dark pop sound of the Deftones, the tight rhythms and funk/metal…
Downloads: Mick Boogie’s Valentine’s Gift
Little Brother Free Dope Rap Mixtapes from Mick Boogie, Little Brother, Junkie XL. Last week’s Scene cover story, “The Commissioner,” was an in-depth look at mixtape phenom Mick Boogie. He’s a DJ with an MBA who MTV and Rolling Stone rank as one of the country’s top-five makers of mixtapes — the controversial hip-hop marketing…
Jim Brickman Concert Postponed
Young lovers, take note: Tonight’s Jim Brickman concert performance has been postponed until Friday, March 16th at 8:00 P.M. All tickets will be honored at the rescheduled March 16th performance. The Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life show scheduled for tonight, 7:30 P.M. in the Palace Theatre will perform as scheduled. — D.X. Ferris
Donnie Iris Postponed
Donnie Iris Hearing Donnie Iris & the Cruisers play “Love Is Like a Rock” may have seemed like a perfect way to spend V-Day with your sweetie, but it ain’t gonna happen. Due to like three feet of snow, tonight’s Donnie Iris Valentine’s Day Show has been postponed. Iris will play the House of Blues…
Eric Bibb
Can a dude sing the blues with a smile on his face? Can that same dude also infuse a good-time spirit into stories about hard times and paying dues? Well, Eric Bibb certainly seems able to. Delivered in smoky, mature vocals and seasoned with sure-handed gutbucket guitar, Bibb’s tales of woe are likely to crack…
Going Mad?
You can expect a bumper crop of new and repositioned restaurants this spring, including Bice at Tower City and the reimagined Watermark in the Flats. Another spring arrival that’s been generating drive-by buzz is Stone Mad, the handsome Irish pub going in at 1306 West 65th Street, near the developing Gordon Square Arts District. Surrounded…
Wonder Full
What do you get when you cross “Superstition” with Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk? You get Wonderland – a two-act, tap-dancing extravaganza set to the music of Stevie Wonder. Starring Cleveland native Sarah Savelli, the show — which makes its world premiere at Playhouse Square tonight — features live music by the…
The Donald Harrison Quartet
Expect the restless jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. to dip into a rich bag of tricks when he hits Nighttown this week. At 46, Harrison has recorded New Orleans jazz, smooth jazz, and bop — he’s even rapped. Over the years, he’s worked with organ master Jack McDuff, salsa kingpin Eddie Palmieri, and trumpeter Terence…
Spy Vs. Spy
In December 2002, ABC’s 20/20 ran a story on Eric O’Neill, an undercover surveillance specialist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The piece was titled “Spycatcher,” because it was O’Neill who, at a mere 27 years old, helped bring down Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who, for more than two decades, sold thousands of secrets…
Going Out With a Bang
Cleveland Public Theatre’s Big [Box] series winds down its season this weekend with its most controversial offering, My Name Is Rachel Corrie. A recent New York City production of the one-woman play — based on the real-life e-mails and diary entries of a 23-year-old American who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while working in…
Ryan Crosson
Along with Matthew Dear and Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson (alias Berg Nixon) is ensuring that the legacy of Detroit techno thrives in the 21st century. Since bursting on the scene in 2003, Crosson has risen swiftly through minimal techno’s ranks, earning spots on the esteemed rosters of M-nus, Trapez, Archipel, and BerettaMusic. A disciple of…
Low Note
You remember Andrew Ridgeley, don’t you? He was the other guy in Wham!, the one who found himself stranded in 1986 after George Michael had faith enough in his own talents to break up the act. Ridgeley went on to record one solo record before CBS Records decided, yeah, no need for a second. In…
Second String
When the award-winning, all-female classical chamber ensemble Eroica Trio performs in Shaker Heights tonight, sharp audience members may notice something different. Violinist Susie Park joined the group late last year after an injury forced its longtime violin player to retire. Pianist Erika Nickrenz and cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio have fronted the Eroica Trio for almost 20…
Mikey Dread
From hosting Jamaica’s first reggae radio program to producing artists as varied as Sugar Minott and the Clash, the multitalented Mikey Dread has crossed countless boundaries over his 30-year career. Of his many accomplishments, perhaps the most significant (yet overlooked) is his development of the “singjay” style. As a singer, Dread realized the limitations of…
Edie Made Easy
Ticket buyers to Factory Girl are in for a drag; not even the drag queens will like it. Cookie-cut from the biopic assembly line, this life and times of Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) is the least fabulous movie imaginable about the most fabulous persona in that most fabulous of settings, the Warhol Factory at the…
Stomp the Stage
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance celebrates its 10th anniversary this year by doing what it does best: tossing a bunch of agile young men and women onstage in sexy costumes and having them dance traditional Irish jigs for a couple of hours. Of course, their moves are a bit spicier than what Mrs. O’Leary…
Hospital 911
Just before 4 p.m., the afternoon crowd filters into Au Bon Pain to the tune of soothing elevator music. White-coated doctors linger at the pastry display, a hurried mom pumps coffee at the self-serve counter, and ladies with laminated name tags gossip at the lunch tables. In the back, behind the cashier, two hulking, uniformed…
John Hammond
Unlike his father, John Henry Hammond, a behind-the-scenes figure who helped discover Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, John Hammond’s career has been played out both on the road and on the stage as a highly regarded bluesman. Since his start during the folk and blues revival of the early ’60s, Hammond has released…
Mullet Over
Each of us needs a sanctuary from the hissing world, a place where we can convene and relax with our peers without worrying about being judged too severely. White executives have their country clubs, suburban women have their Pilates classes, and friends of Dick Cheney have an underground bunker guarded by highly paid mercenaries. As…
Turn the Page
More than 60 works by Great Lakes Publishing artists are on display in Beyond the Printed Page, on view at Artefino Art Gallery Café. The exhibit features paintings, illustrations, and sculptures by the people who make magazines like Cleveland and Inside Business look so pretty. Mondays-Fridays, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Starts: Feb.…
Hall of Wimps
Canton recently banned garbage cans bigger than 32 gallons, claiming trash collectors were straining backs and pulling muscles. Technically, they’ve been illegal for 25 years, but the city never bothered to enforce the rule. So last month it notified residents of the change. Greg Cox never saw the notice. One day he went to the…
Fat Tuesday blowout
If you’ve never been to the Town Fryer, Fat Tuesday is your last chance to check it out. It could be the friendliest watering hole in Cleveland, and owner Susie Porter has created an authentic N’awlins vibe. The Fry days end with a night of live music and crates of crawdads imported fresh from Louisiana.…
Such a Deal
If you’ve ever tried to move a disgustingly heavy piece of furniture out of an old house, you probably cursed the very existence of such a monstrosity. But guess what? It can serve a purpose as a metaphor. The set design of The Price, the multilayered play by Arthur Miller, is made up of just…
Making an Impression
Despite its seemingly endless renovation project, the Cleveland Museum of Art continues to fill some space with terrific exhibitions. Monet in Normandy ranks among the museum’s top exhibits… ever. It includes more than 50 paintings that Claude Monet did in the 1890s while living in Normandy. They’re among his best and most famous works –…
Sour Notes
Severance Hall is a seductive place. Its high-ceilinged walls were patterned after the wedding dress of John Long Severance’s deceased wife. With its Gothic archways, the building is like a monument to romance. The heart of the room is the stage. Weekend nights, women in long black gowns and men in crisp tuxes play music…
The Good, the Bad & the Queen
The opening track wastes no time living up to everything this latest reinvention from Damon Albarn promised: Danger Mouse pushing the post-Lee Perry echo like the Clash in Sandinista! mode, with pulsing reggae bass from the Clash’s own Paul Simonon, and Albarn at his soulful best on vocals. But while any number of the highlights…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Beehive — It’s the mission of Larry Gallagher’s musical revue to relive the musical changes of the ’60s by revisiting the female singers and girl groups that were prominent in those comatose-turned-tumultuous years. Featuring a cast of six energetic young women, the production is endearingly hardworking but quite uneven, right down to a highly questionable…
Race Against Time
In Forced Alterego: The Assimilation Process in America, local photographer Julius M. Lyles III explores what it’s like to be a black man in America. Thirty black-and-white portraits of activists, businessmen, and students put a face on racial identity. “It’s their perspective,” says Lyles. “I caught them in the moment. It really captures the nobility…
Sanders’ Sales Job
It seemed a curious sales pitch. CEO Eugene Sanders had just announced Plan No. 7,915 for the “sweeping reform” of Cleveland’s schools. Now he was surrounded onstage by an “army of believers,” men resplendent in fine suits of gray and black, cheering on this latest round of optimistic paperwork. There were the city pols, the…
Shake & Pop
New York City DJ-producer Dances With White Girls spins popular pop, top 40, and hip-hop tunes, remixed with a few extra BPM. If you thought Rick Ross hustled hard, you should hear the tune set to a house beat. Dances headlines the Mercury Lounge’s newest monthly party, Shake & Pop. Promoter Misterbradleyp — one of…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Contractions of an Amorphous Solid — Anyone mesmerized by the “Coffee and Milk” piece at SPACES’ recent Misdemeanor show will love this one — a new photo-and-video installation by Houston husband and wife Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen. Here the duo address a space theme, and instead of liquids, they’re using bubble gum to…
You Gonna Eat That?
You may not want to make dinner plans after watching Our Daily Bread, a wordless documentary about where breakfast, lunch, and supper come from. But this is no Fast Food Nation-style indictment. Rather, it’s a matter-of-fact look at industrial food production. Austrian director Nikolaus Geyrhalter sets his camera in vegetable fields, breeding facilities, and slaughterhouses…
Full of &%$*#
Dimora holds down two tough jobs: In many cities across the country, “alternative” weekly newspapers meet high journalistic standards, filling a void not served by the dailies, to improve the quality of life and enhance their cities’ reputations. Unfortunately, Scene will never serve any of those roles, so long as it eschews real investigative reporting…
MT-TV
We could run our yap about nine-girl European sensation MT-TV. And we could say they’re something like a hybrid of Dream Theatre, the Pussycat Dolls, and En Vogue. And we could go on about the dramatic way they play swirling, melodic hard rock. But anything we come up with will sound pretty tame compared to…
Do Not Disturb
Lately, the Nintendo DS has become a virtual Monster.com. You can play a defense attorney (Phoenix Wright), surgeon (Trauma Center), and even a cook (Cooking Mama). Now, thanks to Hotel Dusk: Room 215, you can add private eye to that list. But don’t expect the sexy detective work of Chinatown. Instead, you’ll spend hours trudging…
Shut Up ‘N Play Your Violin
Orchestras typically shy away from rock music. But Red {an orchestra} isn’t your typical ensemble, as it proves this weekend when it performs The Importance of Being Zappa, a tribute to experimental-rock weirdo Frank Zappa. Non-traditional repertoire is Red’s hallmark, and Jonathan Sheffer, the local group’s artistic director, is constantly game for such ventures. “Zappa’s…
The Birth of Popera
On the evening of Tuesday, April 17, 1906, Enrico Caruso plays Don José in Bizet’s Carmen. The sold-out crowd at San Francisco’s Opera House gives the Italian tenor a typically venerating reception, including somewhere between 4 and 15 curtain calls — depending on which version you read. But early the next morning . . .…
Arbouretum
Will Oldham hardly seems like the kind of boss who keeps his employees on a short leash. Yet on this debut by Arbouretum — a new Baltimore band fronted by Oldham sideman Dave Heumann — it sounds like Heumann is savoring the first taste of freedom he’s had in years. Three of the eight tunes…
Royal Flush
Marie Antoinette (Sony) Sofia Coppola’s third feature grabs you by your frilly lapels from the jump, with Gang of Four’s “Natural’s Not in It” showering guitar chords all over the credits as Kirsten Dunst nods to the audience, as if to say, Hang tight — this thing’s gonna be a gas. Only it never is:…
Good Old Boy
Back in the ‘70s, Randy Newman was a smart-ass singer-songwriter who skewered rednecks, politicians, and short people. But during the past couple of decades, he’s become one of Hollywood’s most reliable soundtrack composers. (The movie business comes naturally to Newman — his uncles Alfred and Lionel are Oscar-winning composers.) Newman has been nominated for an…
Feasting on the Long Tail
Every few years, recording industry honchos bemoan how technology and economics are conspiring to ruin them or diminish their precious bottom line. In the 1980s, the industry mounted a home-taping-is-killing-music campaign; albums came with disclaimers urging purchasers not to allow their friends to copy them via audiotape. (In the U.K., some were even adorned with…
Fall Out Boy
Sub-par live shows, photos of bassist Pete Wentz’s penis, and petty internet fights with ex-friends can’t stop the pop-punk juggernaut known as Fall Out Boy. Any criticism lobbed at the Chicago quartet is addressed head-on or is slyly incorporated into lyrics and videos, meaning that the band is practically immune from haters — which becomes…
Our top DVD picks for the week of February 13:
Bicycle Thieves: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The Boy From Lebanon (Picture This) The Butcher Boy (Warner Bros.) The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Tartan) The Departed (Warner Bros.) Devil’s Den (Starz) F**K (ThinkFilm) Green for Danger: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The Hills: The Complete First Season (Paramount) Hustle: Complete Season Two (BBC Warner) Infamous (Warner…
Hey, Hey, They’re the Monkeys
If it was up to us, every day would be Primate Awareness Day at the zoo. There isn’t a funnier or more awesome group of creatures in the entire animal kingdom. And the zoo has plenty of programs to prove it at today’s inaugural outing, with gorillas, monkeys, and orangutans getting in on the action.…
The Madness of Bobby
Working with a crazy person is tough. Working with a crazy person who plays an important role in your business is even tougher. But working with a crazy person who is your business takes a special sort of masochist. So I’d like you to meet Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant. As…
The O’Jays
The lights are low, the fire is crackling. You’re sipping champagne while that special someone slides into skimpy lingerie in the next room. Whether you’re a cad or just a cretin, you need tunes that will drape the night in satin and melt the furniture into rosebuds. And Epic/Legacy’s Beautiful Ballads series has made the…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
CD — Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records, 1963-1973: This five-disc box chronicles the early history of the influential label, which started out with harmonizing folkies and ended up with amp-piercing punks. While the link between Dylan-lite Phil Ochs and the revolutionary MC5 may not seem evident at first, the connection among these…
It’s Showtime!
At Shaheen’s Sight Unseen exhibit, Los Angeles painter Faris McReynolds gathers images from 1970s movies and TV shows and transforms them into entirely new pieces. The 14 touched-up works on display include everything from watercolor portraits to scenes that have been creatively manipulated into surreal blurs. It’s a captivating exhibit that skewers pop culture as…
And It Stoned Her
Although her body of work covers several genres, Angie Stone insists her feet have always been planted firmly in gospel. “I sang in church all my life,” she says. “Basically, all my life I’ve been a product of my church, and I love it.” For the next few months, Stone will get the chance to…
Hototogisu
At Hoopples several weeks back, Glenn Schwartz’s bass-playin’ bro couldn’t get his rig working. So Glenn tore into this 20-minute, free-form guitar solo, an atonal-blues mindfuck that went places both Hendrix and Sonny Sharrock have been. They’re places guitarist Matthew Bower also visits. To most rockers, though — even the serious heads who understood where…
On the Pipe
That 1 Guy’s instrument of choice is a seven-foot contraption called the Magic Pipe, which looks suspiciously like the world’s biggest bong. The homemade device includes processors, kick-drum pedals, and bass strings. It also spouts a cloud of smoke. “It’s a work-in-progress,” says Mike Silverman, the one-man-band behind That 1 Guy. “I’m always looking for…
Telarc Wins Again
Cleveland’s Elaine Martone won her third Grammy Award last Sunday, taking home a Producer of the Year trophy for work that ranged from David Russell’s album Renaissance Favorites for Guitar to the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra recording of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. “The win feels incredible,” says Martone, Telarc Records’ executive vice president of production and…
DoHM
DoHM proves that the only thing worse than straightforward nu-metal is pretentious nu-metal. The Lakewood quintet attempts many stylistic shifts on its debut album, Watch the Rivers Run Red, but ultimately the music sounds like a band melding 311 with Tool. It’s often painful to hear DoHM forcing square pegs into round holes, like the…
CSI: Cleveland
Why stay home and watch Law & Order reruns when you can get a front-row seat at Citizen Police Academy? The six-week workshop, which starts tonight, takes folks behind the scenes of the Cleveland Police Department — from a rundown of search-and-seizure techniques to a tour of the 911 call center. Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m. Starts:…
The Tarbox Ramblers
The Tarbox Ramblers’ last album, 2004’s A Fix Back East, sounded like death, grime, and blood. “I like that,” responds Michael Tarbox, laughing, from his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tarbox is not a gloomy guy, not a Nick Cave type. “What’s important to me is playing beautiful songs,” he says. And they are, at times,…
Buddy Sullivan
Even though Buddy Sullivan has been a fixture of the Cleveland jazz scene for nearly 40 years (he helped develop the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra), his saxophone styling is anything but shopworn. How fresh he sounds — and how in touch with tradition he is — comes through on his latest disc. Recorded with longtime associate…
Fight Like a Girl
At 5-foot-9 and a solid 190 pounds, Rome Roman is an imposing figure in the ring. It’s fitting that the former Cleveland Women’s Golden Glove Boxing champ leads today’s Royal Brigada — a martial-arts training class for women that doubles as an open call for Roman’s new female fighting squad. The course instructs women on…
Winger
After scoring two platinum albums and one massive hair-metal anthem (that ode to statutory rape titled “Seventeen”), Winger officially crashed and burned with the commercial failure of 1993’s Pull. And while most rock fans had written off the band, which actually rocked harder than most of its peers, guitarist Reb Beach and bass player Kip…
That One Thing
At the extremes, restaurant reviews practically write themselves. For the great spots, the praise springs forth like bubbles from a Coke. For the appalling joints, the bloodletting is a blast. Either way, the write-up is comfortingly single-minded, without a trace of waffling. It’s the middle-of-the-road places that call for heavy lifting. For every good quality,…
Tick Tock
Today’s Clock Day! And the natural history museum is celebrating by bringing in several timepiece experts, who’ll conduct workshops and show off their prized items. Plus, the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors will be on hand to take a look at any clocks or watches you may have around the house. Within seconds,…
