Colossal Cupcakes Officially Opens in Crocker Park This Friday
Update: Well, it was later in the year than they had originally planned or hoped for, but Colossal Cupcakes’ location in Crocker Park has a firm opening date now. That would be this Friday, at noon. (Original plans called for April, but things happen and it’s August now but so what, you get cupcakes.) CC…
Diner on Clifton to Close on April 18 (Really This Time), Hopes to Find New Location By Late Summer
Update II: The Diner on Clifton’s unclear future, which began with news that it would close in February and continued when the restaurant stayed open past that date as owner Perry Drosos and the landlord tried to work out a solution, is a little more clear now. There’s a firm closing date as well as…
Weird Al to Play Akron Civic Theatre in June
Not even torrential rain and wicked lightning could put a damper on the career-spanning two-hour set that “Weird Al” Yankovic’s delivered last year at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica as he came through town in support his most recent album, Mandatory Fun. Following that successful tour, the four-time Grammy-winning artist and lover of musical parodies has…
Tim McGinty, Mike O’Malley Trade Blows at City Club Prosecutor Debate
In a back and forth debate at the City Club Tuesday afternoon, incumbent Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty and challenger Mike O’Malley, a former City Councilman, Assistant County Prosecutor, and Safety Director for the City of Parma, emphasized their credentials and attacked the other’s credibility in front of a packed house (not to mention viewers…
Cleveland Ranked One of the Most Expensive Cities for Weddings
Planning a wedding on a budget is difficult, but it gets even harder if you’re on this list. Thumbtack.com put together a list of the top 25 most expensive cities in which to throw a wedding in 2016, and Cleveland ranks 8th. The average total cost to tie the knot in Cleveland is $13,416, with…
Grammy-Nominated Canadian Folk Act to Headline Inaugural Lake Erie Folk Fest
A collaboration between the North East Ohio Musical Heritage Association, producer of the annual Blue Sky Folk Festival in Kirtland, and Shore Cultural Centre, a former high school turned innovative arts center in downtown Euclid, the inaugural Lake Erie Folk Festival makes its debut on Saturday at the Shore Cultural Centre. The day-long event kicks…
Singer-Guitarist Paul Collins to Bring his Record Fair to Happy Dog
New York-based singer-guitarist Paul Collins has just announced tour dates for the spring that bring him and his backing band, the Beat, to Cleveland on April 27 for a show at the Happy Dog. One added feature to the US dates will be a Record Fair/Happy Hour with DJ concept that Collins launched last year.…
John Kasich Is Still Contemplating His ‘Purpose’
[image-1]At a town hall in Kennesaw, Georgia, this week, a Kasich supporter reportedly asked the Ohio governor, “My question to you is: John Kasich, when are you going to live out your purpose Thursday night when you have the national stage? What are you gonna do to stick it to Trump, stick it to Rubio and…
Rock Gaming Rebrands Downtown Casino as ‘JACK Cleveland Casino’
[image-1]Rock Gaming, which took over Cleveland’s Horseshoe Casino operations and management, is renaming the place “JACK Cleveland Casino.” That’s pretty much the long and short of the latest news. There’s ample room, naturally, for assorted wordplay and snark in the months and years to come. CEO Matt Cullen explained the significance of “JACK” on a…
Local Bar Manager Gets Really Angry Over One-Star Review, Allegedly Contacts Reviewer With Threatening Language
Chuck Rogers, manager of something called “Fastbacks” in Brook Park, sent a series of rambling, threatening messages to a woman named Emma who apparently left a one-star review of the place on Facebook. This is never a good idea — the seeking out of a reviewer, not the review itself, of course. What is Fastbacks?…
Team Porco is Heading to South Beach, to Briefly Close Tiki Bar
In his relatively brief time as owner of Porco Lounge and Tiki Bar, Stefan Was (along with his team of crack bartenders) has enjoyed many accolades. But being invited to compete in the Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown hosted by Guy Fieri at this week’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival ranks among the…
Video: Samantha Bee Reminds the World John Kasich is Hardly a Moderate
As Samantha Bee described last night, John Kasich really pours on the lovable Midwestern charm. It’s part of what’s led everyone to describe the Ohio governor as a moderate compared to the rest of the GOP field. Is that true though? Close readers in Ohio already know the answer, but around the country the entries…
Video: Dion Waiters’ Horrible Game vs. Cavs, Set to Celine Dion
The internet has happily compiled a montage of highlights from Dion Waiters’ grotesque performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Here are his ugliest shots, his laziest defense and his goofiest turnovers set to the plaintive coo of Celine Dion. Enjoy… and never forget.
Crust, and Possibly Visible Voice Books, to Open in Former Tremont Funeral Home on Professor
Since opening in Tremont three and a half years ago, Crust (1020 Kenilworth Ave., 216-583-0257) enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Visible Voice Books. When the tiny pizza shop filled up, as it did most evenings, waiting diners would kill time across the street browsing the shelves or enjoying a beer or glass of wine in the…
8 Classical Music Events to Put On Your Calendar This Week
Both the Cleveland Institute of Music and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory open opera productions this week. CIM is up first with director David Bamberger’s modernisation of Hector Berlioz’s comic opera Béatrice et Bénédict, itself a version of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with the tragic elements removed. Bamberger relocates the story to a college campus…
Cavs, Combine, NASCAR and Blowouts — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre Knott and Zac Jackson discuss the Cleveland Cavaliers after the trade deadline, the NFL Combine, NASCAR’s signature event the Daytona 500, and a lopsided basketball score of 108-1. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here. Android users can find the RSS feed here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
Cavaliers Impaled on Drive Shaft as Pistons Pull Away
Van Gundy’s drifting Pistons revved up their humming engines in Cleveland late last night, spitting dust on the husks of the inconsistent schmucks sporting Wine and Gold but little fight. Lackluster would-be Busters hardly manufactured enough bluster after quieting the Thunder’s storm out West. They passed the test then digressed, it’s no contest they’re not…
Cleveland Pizza Fest Returning to Berea Fairgrounds This Summer
The Cleveland Pizza Fest is returning to Northeast Ohio for the second year in a row. Nine vendors set up shop at last year’s festival, which drew about 15,000 attendees. Another 4,000 to 5,000 people bought buy-one-get-one offers. (Check our our slideshow coverage of last year’s event here.) There will be about 15 pizza vendors at…
Cleveland Sundance Film ‘The Land’ Picked Up by Film Company
The locally filmed and produced Sundance Film Festival movie The Land has been picked up by IFC Films based in New York City. IFC Films specializes in working with indie flicks and documentaries, and is responsible for backing the likes of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Fahrenheit 9/11. The Land was written and directed…
“The GED Has Become a Barricade Instead of a Launching Pad”
There’s been much discussion over the current state and future of GED testing in Ohio, especially since Scene contributor Dan McGraw highlighted the problem in late 2014. At the time, he wrote: “In the United States, according to the GED Testing Service, 401,388 people earned a GED in 2012, and about 540,000 in 2013. This year,…
Lawsuit Alleges Negligence Responsible for Akron Plane Crash That Killed 9
Last November, a low-flying 10-seater private jet came screaming over Akron, reportedly clipping telephone wires and an apartment building before crashing. The tragedy killed nine people — all pilots and passengers included. The plane — a Hawker H25 originally out of South Florida — was ferrying a group of Sunshine State real estate executives to Akron…
Local Indie Rockers the Ohio Weather Band to Play CD Release Show at Musica
An Akron-based folk/rock/blues band, the Ohio Weather Band will play a CD Release Party at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, at Musica in Akron to celebrate the release of its second album, Crooked Light. The Alan Cox Show’s Erika Lauren will be the guest MC and Seafair and John Patrick & the Outside Voices…
Video: Kasich Says Women ‘Left Their Kitchens’ For Him When He First Ran
In today’s Dingbat Moment from the Campaign Trail ’16, Ohio’s own Gov. John Kasich proudly proclaimed that women “left their kitchens” for him when he first announced his run at the White House. Binders full of women, in fact. Oh, and, hey, Kasich, whose cinematic hero is William H. Macy in Pleasantville, signed a bill…
Report: Sheriff’s Investigation into Tanisha Anderson’s Death Raises Questions of Police Account
An interesting report comes our way today from Mother Jones, wherein details arise from the recently completed Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s investigation into the death of Tanisha Anderson. In short: That report reveals details that clash with an initial Cleveland Police Department investigation into Anderson’s death. (The investigation and prosecutorial discretion was passed to Ohio Attorney…
Video: Thunder Fan Tells LeBron to “Suck it Up”
She sure told him. The Cavs dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday on the road, but the win included some bumps along the way. LeBron James became flustered with a call during the second quarter and wasn’t afraid to complain to the referee. A woman sitting courtside also wasn’t afraid to give LeBron a piece…
Singer-Songwriter Ryan Humbert Brings Everly Brothers Tribute to Jilly’s Music Room
Local singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert writes his own songs but every so often, he likes to pay tribute to some of the classic rockers of yesteryear. On Saturday, Feb. 27, he and his longtime duet partner Emily Bates will bring Walk Right Back: The Music of the Everly Brothers, their Everly Brothers tribute that they stage…
Cedar Point Raises Admission, Announces the Closure of Three Rides
Cedar Point isn’t scheduled to open until May 7, but the amusement park is already announcing some big changes. As the Valravn roller coaster construction nears completion, the park is also shuttering three rides: Shoot the Rapids water ride, Skyscraper and Challenge Racing. Cedar Point hasn’t yet announced what the former ride spaces will be…
Gritty Cavs Unsaddle Thunder, Make Some Alpo
The Cavaliers swaggered into Dodge like Rooster Cogburn in the midst of a Rocky montage. Oklahoma City knew there’d be shooting but didn’t expect to be brutalized like lifeless slabs of beef, particularly when Kyrie Irving bowed out late in the first. Cleveland were only up one at the time and talk of stringing up…
Aussie Rockers the Church to Play Music Box Supper Club in April
Aussie rockers the Church have just announced the dates for a limited North American tour beginning on April 8 in Dallas and wrapping up with a two-night stand in Evanston on April 25 and 26. The band will also perform at this year’s Maverick Festival on April 9 in San Antonio. For these special dates,…
Rayland Baxter Gets into the Groove on His Latest Album, ‘Imaginary Man’
Singer-songwriter Rayland Baxter, who released his latest effort, the ‘70s soul-inspired Imaginary Man, last year, comes from a line of musicians. His dad Bucky Baxter is legendary pedal steel player who has toured with Dylan and R.E.M. and passed the music gene to Baxter, who has a terrific upper-register voice that recalls that of Paul…
Greater Cleveland Film Commission to Host Screening of ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission has just announced that its next fundraiser screening event will be an opening night showing of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. There’s a local connection: Cleveland’s Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the character of Superman, played in the movie by actor Henry Cavill. In the film, he goes…
8 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, FEB. 19 Buckwheat Zydeco Zydeco is a style of music that emerged out of deep-south Louisiana bayous in the first half of the 20th century. Simply put, the genre blends Cajun heritage with upbeat rhythm and blues, with various accordion instruments driving the music. Buckwheat Zydeco is a pillar of the style. A good…
Downtown Cleveland Restaurant In Full Swing
One of Cleveland’s biggest foodie events of the year begins today. Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week lasts 10 days, through Sunday, Feb. 28. This year’s theme is “Chef’s Choice” and more than 50 restaurants are participating. Chefs build special restaurant week meals, and during the “week” Clevelanders can vote for their favorite restaurant to be Downtown…
Local Musician Nathan-Paul Davis to Launch Residency at Euclid Tavern
Nathan-Paul Davis, a local musician who plays sax with the Akron funk/soul band the Admirables, has just announced plans to host a residency at the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern. The first event takes place at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. “It’s mainly about my original music and contributing to the scene and…
Huntington Beach in Running for Best Freshwater Beach in America
Local gem Huntington Beach made USA Today’s short list of who’s got the best freshwater beach in America. The poll is part of their Readers’ Choice 2016 voting asking readers to choose the best of the best in America. If you recall, Cleveland is also on their voting list for best beer city in America. Here’s…
Nazi War Criminal Exhibition Makes World Premiere at Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
In the wake of the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi responsible for the transport of millions of people to Nazi death camps, disappeared. After escaping an American camp he changed his name and fled to Argentina, hoping to avoid any sort of trial or sentencing. But the Mossad, the Israeli Secret…
Gilmour Coach Bob Beutel Agonizes Over 108-1 Massacre on Ken Carman Show
Gilmour High School Girls Basketball Coach Bob Beutel was a guest on the Ken Carman Show on 92.3 the Fan Friday morning. He’d been invited to talk about his squad’s 108-1 blowout of Northeast Ohio Prep in the OHSAA Div. III sectional tournament. The story gained traction nationally for the lopsided final, and many outraged…
Alt-Country Icon Dan Baird Brings His Homemade Sin to the Beachland
By his own admission, Dan Baird might not be the world’s best vocalist. But when legendary Rolling Stones sax man Bobby Keys tapped Baird to handle lead vocals in his band a few years ago, he told him that he was in fact the perfect choice. “I asked him, I said, ‘Don’t you want a…
Cinematheque Event Celebrates Career of Co-Founder John Ewing
At 6 p.m. next Tuesday (Feb. 23), the Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) presents A Night at the Cinematheque, a special celebration of Cleveland Cinematheque co-founder and director John Cameron Ewing. If you’ve ever been to the Cinematheque, you’ve probably seen John Ewing making announcements before each film screening. Although he’s been a fixture at the…
Here Are the 700+ Vanity License Plates the BMV Has Rejected in the Past Two Years
For every “No 1 Mom” you see on the back of a family station wagon, there’s a “BOOBZ” vanity plate (or a couple hundred) that never see the light of the day. The Ohio BMV (with some help from the ACLU) are tasked with keeping vulgarities and racial slurs and all other manners of linguistic…
Cavaliers Gore the Bulls, Add Side of Frye
The Cavaliers rolled over the struggling Bulls last night 106-95, much like Queen’s disco-inflected pop hit “Another One Bites the Dust.” It wasn’t a work of art, certainly not compared to what we know they’re capable of. There was something a tad perfunctory about it, while the relentless repetition of the chorus echoes the punishing…
Legalize Ohio 2016 Suspends Campaign, ‘Joins Forces’ with Marijuana Policy Project
[image-1]Legalize Ohio 2016 — the group that had planned to bring a recreational marijuana ballot measure to voters later this year — has suspended its signature-gathering campaign and joined up with the Marijuana Policy Project’s efforts. (Legalize Ohio 2016 was also known colloquially by its PAC name, Ohioans to End Prohibition.) The Legalize Ohio 2016…
Singer-Songwriter Stephen Kellogg Talks About His Ambitious New Album
Singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg might have grown up in the Northeast (Southern Connecticut and Massachusetts), but his uncles were “farmer guys” who taught him a thing or two about traditional American folk music. “They were a little scary, but they had big pig roasts, and there’d be music,” he recalls in a phone interview from his…
Singer-Guitarist Ron Pope Draws Upon His Southern Roots
Growing up in Georgia, singer-guitarist Ron Pope found that he was “near all the music that influenced everything.” “If you wanted to drive to the fields where Muddy Waters picked cotton or where Robert Johnson sold his soul or if you wanted to go to Dr. John’s house or go to Memphis to see where…
Videos: 5 Great Anderson Varejao Flops as the Wild Thing Gets Traded to Portland
Anderson Varejao is on his way out of Cleveland prior to today’s NBA trading deadline. He’ll be joining the Portland Trailblazers (for now, he’ll probably get waived) in a trade that’ll land the Cavs Channing Frye. The Wild Thing was Cleveland’s longest tenured athlete. He was a fan favorite, lovable and scrappy. We could think…
Two Charged in Krush “Hostage” Incident
After police blocked off W. 9th Street Monday night and arrested three people for their involvement in a shooting at Krush clothing store, two now face charges and are being held on bond. Patrick Burton-Hill, a 22-year-old man accused of opening fire inside Krush, is being held on $250,000 bond. It’s so high, Assistant County…
Warren Haynes Explores his Singer-Songwriter Impulses with ‘Ashes & Dust’
When we spoke with singer-guitarist Warren Haynes back in 2013 to preview his appearance in town with Gov’t Mule, the jam band he fronts, he admitted he had a wealth of ideas he’d like to try out the next time he was in the studio. “I want to make a record more centered around acoustic…
Listen to the Old ‘Sound of Ideas’ Theme Music, Because We All Miss It
[image-1]Didja notice that Sound of Ideas changed its theme music a while back? And now the music is like a watered-down take on the NCIS opening theme? The hell was with that move? Anyway, we were pointed this morning toward Carl Burnett’s “Funk in G,” which currently boasts 11 “views” on Youtube. Now, you too can…
Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman Gets Massive Pay Raise
Update: The story below, along with the headline, has been updated to more precisely reflect the fact that Brian Zimmerman’s salary increase was voted on by the Board of Park Commissioners. It previously had stated that Zimmerman gave himself the raise. Updates below are bolded. Just like every year, Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman has received a…
Here’s John Kasich on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert
[image-1]Gov. John Kasich appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. Paired with Colbert’s classic wit, Kasich gets to massage his message of positivity as he warms up in time for the South Carolina primary. If political rhetoric is your thing, Kasich has certainly garnered attention for the distance he’s putting between himself…
A Hingetown Debut Plus 5 More Classical Music Events You Shouldn’t Miss This Week
This week’s musical suggestions range from the old to the very recent — including cantatas from the time of Louis XIV, to improvisations where music will be invented before your very ears. The Cleveland Orchestra welcomes one of the world’s elder statesmen, Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, back to Severance Hall for concerts on Thursday, February…
The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern Announces Acts for 16th Anniversary Celebration
Since opening in 2000 in an old Eastside Croation dancefloor, the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern has become one of the city’s busiest music venues. It generally has concerts seven nights a week and has hosted acts such as the White Stripes, the Hives and Black Keys before they got big. “It is rewarding to recently…
Trailer: Machine Gun Kelly Shows Off His Acting Chops Again in ‘Roadies’
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly is starring in the original television series “Roadies,” set to air this summer on Showtime. The series also stars actors Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino and Imogen Poots and centers on life as part of a group on a music tour. Wilson plays Bill, the tour manager of The Station-House Band, Gugino as…
Maggie Smith Successfully Reprises Her Role as a Homeless Woman in the Arthouse Flick ‘The Lady in the Van’
Based on Alan Bennett’s short story and play of the same name, The Lady in the Van, an unassuming arthouse flick that opens areawide on Friday, tells the true story of one Mary Shepherd, an elderly woman who parked her van in Bennett’s driveway and lived out of it for 15 years. Given the fact…
Zack Bruell a James Beard Semifinalist for Parallax
The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the 2016 this morning and Zack Bruell is the lone name from Cleveland. Bruell earned the nod for Parallax, the seafood resto in Tremont with French-Asian roots that he opened back in 2004. (He’s gone on to open Cowell & Hubbard, L’albatros, Dynomite, Chinato and Alley Cat.)…
Acclaimed Pot Doc ‘Rolling Papers’ Opens at Cedar Lee Theatre on Friday
Back in 2008, the medical marijuana movement had taken hold in Colorado and producers Britta Erickson, Daniel Junge and Alison Greenberg-Millice started working on a documentary film that they subsequently shelved. But when recreational legalization happened, they revisited the idea and recruited Katie Shapiro to help revive the project. Shapiro has worked with Erickson at the…
Ikea Not Building a Northeast Ohio Store in Brooklyn After All
[image-1]The developers over at Ikea have officially done away with plans to build a store in Brooklyn, Ohio, after studying the possible site for more than a year. The furniture store was considering building off I-480 near Tiedeman Road. Ikea signed a purchase agreement for the 16 acres of land owned by The Plain Dealer…
Jeremy Umansky to Open Schmaltz Delicatessen and Bakery
As the larder master and wild foods forager for Trentina, Jeremy Umansky’s handiwork touched every plate in that fine-dining restaurant. Working alongside chef and owner Jonathon Sawyer in the “food lab,” Umansky amassed wild edibles, concocted vinegars, cultured yogurts and used Japanese molds to accelerate the curing process of meats and fish. This past November,…
Brecksville’s Mizestro Celebrates One Year of Tricks and Treats
“And that’s how you create levitation,” says Matt Mize as he slides his hand between a superconductor propped on the white tablecloth and a super electromagnet floating in air. Gravity-defying food and other tricks up the sleeve are par for the course on a night at his Brecksville restaurant Mizestro (8918 Brecksville Rd., 440-792-4679, mizestrodining.com),…
Empty Promises: Something Still Stinks in Michigan and Ohio’s Prison Kitchens
It’s difficult to look at Aramark’s management of Michigan and Ohio’s prison kitchens and not call it a disaster. A series of reports over a two-year period in Michigan told of disturbing incidents in which the company served food tainted by maggots on multiple occasions, knowingly served rotten meat, ordered inmates to serve food pulled…
Film Spotlight: Race
Actor Stephan James ventured to Cleveland earlier this month to appear in a Cleveland Cavaliers’ Black History Month halftime presentation. The Cavs honored Cleveland native Jesse Owens, whom James portrays in the film Race, opening in wide distribution Friday. James’ heartfelt performance in the film was aided, in part, by Jesse Owens’ daughters, who were…
No Cheap Tricks in Robert Eggers’ Wondrously Spooky ‘The Witch’
A banished family homesteads on the outskirts of a dark, dense forest in rookie writer-director Robert Eggers’ exhilarating new horror film The Witch, which opens Friday in limited release. In the hands of Eggers and his team, the forest is also, somehow, animate. Black trees sashay in the wind. Gnarly uprooted trunks expose their grotesque…
2015 was a Record Year for Exonerations Around the Country, but None of Them Came in Cuyahoga County
In November 2014, Cleveland notched a grim accomplishment. That month, under a charcoal grey morning sky, Ricky Jackson walked out of the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland, frozen breath exploding out of a wide smile, while dozens of news cameras flashed. In 1975, Jackson and two friends — Kwame Ajamu (formerly Ronnie Bridgeman) and Wiley…
Savage Love: The Past Is Never Dead
Dear Dan,My new girlfriend blurted out that she had a cuckolding past with her ex-husband. She says her ex badgered her into arranging “dates” with strangers and that he picked the guys. Her ex would then watch her having sex with a guy in a hotel room. The ex only watched and didn’t take part.…
‘If/Then’ at Playhouse Square Wants to Have it Both Ways and Gets Neither
It’s not often you can see what appears to be a college sophomore’s almost-charming attempt at a short story turned into a Broadway musical. But that time has arrived with If/Then, now at Playhouse Square. Of course, calling this musical extravaganza “sophomoric” may do a disservice to many second-year scholars at our colleges and universities. No…
A Trip Into This Week’s Artistic Offerings at 78th Street Studios
This month’s Third Friday open house at 78th Street Studios takes place this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. The 170,000-square-foot labyrinth is densely packed with local art. Let us take you through the details, from the basement to the third floor. Lower/”Ramp” Level and Galleries Accessible From Separate Entrances ARTneo (Suite 016): ARTneo’s Into…
Meet the Band: Casey Veggies
Planting the Seeds: Rapper Casey Veggies was once a shooting guard for his high school basketball team. He began making songs for fun and posting them to his Myspace page. He soon started taking his talent more seriously and released the mixtape Greatly Customized Vol. 1. Veggies would go on to become one of the…
