Here’s How To Dispose of Your Christmas Tree This Month in Cleveland
With the ringing in the New Year comes the hard realization that the holiday season is officially over. And that means those of us who’ve put up real Christmas trees have to figure out where to chuck them within the month (as keeping a tree up until March is utterly unacceptable). Thankfully, Cleveland’s Department of…
Former Moda Nightclub Owner Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Second Drug Trafficking Case
Update: Emad Silmi was this week sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in running a drug ring, as Cleveland.com reported yesterday. Silmi, who most remember as the owner of the oft-problematic Moda nightclub in Ohio City, spent almost five years in prison starting in 2006 on similar charges that stemmed, at…
Richey Piiparinen Has Left CSU’s Center for Population Dynamics, Joined the Unify Project
Cleveland State University has confirmed that Richey Piiparinen, inaugural director of the Center for Population Dynamics at the Levin College of Urban Affairs, left his position in November for a “new opportunity.” He is now a Vice President for Strategic Insights at the Unify Project, the “high-tech nonprofit” that was central to Cleveland’s Amazon bid before…
Singer-Songwriter Tim Easton to Headline a Special Tribute Concert to Cartoonist R. Crumb at the 78th Street Studios
An American cartoonist and musician, R. Crumb displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in his artwork and music. He also effectively satirizes contemporary American culture. His band Robert Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenades released three albums on the Blue Goose record label. The albums draw…
There’s Something RACE About These CMSD Lead Findings RACE That We Can’t Quite RACE Put Our Finger On
Elementary schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District with higher black student populations are more likely to have a higher percentage of students with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL), a Scene analysis has found. That this is true should come as no surprise, given the neighborhoods where the local lead crisis has been most pronounced. But…
Big Pharma Lawyers in Opioid Lawsuits Not Pleased With Mike DeWine’s Comments on ’60 Minutes’
There was a spat in recent days between lawyers for opioid makers and distributors and incoming Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. DeWine, to be sworn in on Jan. 14, and few other lawyers suing the opioid makers went on CBS’s 60 Minutes show just before Christmas and spouted the usual diatribe that Big Pharma has caused…
Peter Lawson Jones to Star in Shaker Arts Council’s ‘Conversations in Courage’
An actor who’s appeared in nearly 20 films as well as on network television, Peter Lawson Jones has an impressive resume. Karamu Performing Arts Theatre has produced his drama, The Family Line, and Ensemble Theatre put on his latest play, The Bloodless Jungle. From February 2002 through December 2010, Jones served as a member of…
I-490 to Close Between I-77 and East 55th for Two Years of Construction Starting in May
Construction on the third phase of the Opportunity Corridor will close I-490 between I-77 and East 55th St. beginning on May 29th and lasting two years. Two years. Two. Years. Detours will be as follows, via ODOT: I-77 northbound detour to East 55th Street northbound: Exit at East 22nd Street/East 14th Street Keep left onto…
Improvised Scores to Silent Films and the Rest of the Classical Music to Catch in Cleveland This Week
Improvisation is the theme for two events this weekend. On Friday, January 11 at 7:30 pm in Gartner Auditorium of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, saxophonist, and flutist Henry Threadgill will put his Zooid players together with Tim Weiss’s Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble in a Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion commission. On Saturday,…
Op-Ed: RTA-Owned Land in Ohio City Near Red Line Shouldn’t Be Developed, Should Remain Greenspace
To the RTA Board of Trustees et al: The Scottish poet Alexander Smith wisely said, “A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.” I’ve visited Ohio City with my parents and six siblings since the 1970s, and in the last 14 years I’ve lived, worked, and played in this great rebuilding neighborhood.…
Women’s March Cleveland Going On As Planned, Despite National Controversy
While women in other major cities have seen their marches canceled, Women’s March Cleveland is set to go on as planned come Saturday, Jan. 19, despite allegations that some leaders in the national organization are anti-Semitic. Distancing themselves from the controversy, Women’s March Cleveland has invited the National Council on Jewish Women Cleveland and others…
The Sam Hooper Group to Compete in the Upcoming International Blues Challenge in Memphis
A local blues band, the Sam Hooper Group has been a staple on the Cleveland music scene for years. It’s recently been building its reputation out of town too. Later this month, the band will head to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge. A fundraiser takes place at 4 p.m. on Sunday at…
Country Rockers Blackberry Smoke to Play the Kent Stage in March
Country rockers Blackberry Smoke emerged from Atlanta in the early 2000s and have regularly toured and recorded ever since. Led by singer-guitarist Charlie Starr, the group draws from classic rock, blues, country and folk. Last year, the band released its sixth studio album, Find A Light, a diverse collection of songs that includes roots-rock tunes,…
Two Local Academics to Join Comedian Shane Mauss For His Upcoming Standup Show at Hilarites
Since they both change our perceptions of the world, standup comedy and science have plenty in common. That’s something that comedian Shane Mauss exploits with his podcast Here We Are. Recently, Mauss announced tour dates, and he’ll perform on Jan. 23 at Hilarities. The show won’t be your typical standup comedy concert. Mauss will start…
Blaine Griffin Says Lead Legislation still ‘A Work in Progress,’ Denies Mayoral Implications of Delay
City Councilman Blaine Griffin said in May 2018 that he would pass a wide-ranging ordinance to combat lead poisoning before the end of the year. It is now 2019, and the ordinance is nowhere to be found. After multiple stories in Sunday’s Plain Dealer highlighting the endurance of the lead crisis, Scene reached out to…
Flu Pummels Cleveland Area More Than Rest Of Ohio So Far This Season
Last night at the Golden Globes, Hollywood’s brightest stars were taken aback when hosts Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg announced that flu vaccines were coming their way. Suddenly, white lab-coated Rite Aid employees appeared and attempted to shoot up sitting celebs as LMFAO’s classic “Shots” played in the background. While the bit may have fallen…
Praise the Lard: Two-Day Butchery and Charcuterie Workshop with Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman
It’s been 15 years since Michael Ruhlman teamed up with Brian Polcyn to produce the book “Charcuterie,” the seminal tome on curing meats at home. In the not-too-distant past, charcuterie boards did not appear on every other restaurant menu as they do today. Polcyn, who had been making and teaching charcuterie for decades, enlisted Ruhlman…
Local Singer-Songwriter Bill Kraker to Play a Record Release Party Next Week at Christ Church Auditorium in Columbia Station
On family road trips to Russellville, Alabama, Ohio-based singer-songwriter Bill Kraker would sing old country blues tunes with his grandmother, uncles, and aunts. That led to an undying love of music, and Kraker, the son of a church organist/pianist, would go on to become a musician. He’s now played music with his brother Paul for…
What Will Abortion Rights Look Like Under Ohio’s New Governor?
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With John Kasich on his way out as governor and Mike DeWine heading in, supporters of reproductive rights are gearing up for a new battle in Ohio. During his last month in office, Kasich vetoed a six-week abortion ban known as the heartbeat bill. But he signed one of the most restrictive…
Local Photographer Chad Cochran to Open a Gallery and Portrait Studio at the 78th Street Studios
Born and raised in Fredericktown, OH, local photographer Chad Cochran began taking photographs of the rustic landscapes that surrounded him as a child. His fascination with decaying barns, old homes and vintage signs provided him with the connection to that small town where he grew up. Recently, he’s been able to merge his lifelong love…
Video: The Ohio Tattoo Artist Covering Up Swastikas and Other Racist Tattoos for Free
We missed this in the Christmas and New Year rush, but GQ has a nice mini doc on Billy Joe White up on YouTube that’s worth your time. White is a tattoo artist in Zainesville and after offering to cover up racist tattoos for free, he has found himself in no short supply of takers.
The Words You Should Be Using More and Less of in 2019
As we kick off 2019, we can’t help but make a list of all the resolutions that we will attempt to conquer in the new year. Although losing ten pounds and drinking the daily recommendation of water probably aren’t going to happen (again), there’s at least one easy way to invigorate our minds in 2019…
City Club Hosts Washington Post Reporter and Scene Alum Kyle Swenson in February for Discussion on New Criminal Justice Book
Grab your tickets now for the City Club’s event on Feb. 20, when it welcomes former Scene staff writer and current Washington Post reporter Kyle Swenson for a discussion of his new book, “Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in America.” The subject matter will be familiar to Scene readers,…
Meat Industry Develops Plan to Reduce Antibiotics in Livestock
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The major players in the meat industry have developed what they’re calling a “stewardship plan” they say will ensure that they use antibiotics in livestock only when necessary. At issue is the possible development of deadly “super-bug” infections that are resistant to antibiotics and harmful to humans. The group has developed a…
Cleveland Somehow Named Fifth Best American City for Nightlife in New Report
Cleveland’s nightlife scene is so hot right now, at least according to the Apartment Guide blog’s new Top 10 Best Cities For Nightlife in America list. The blog, which unsurprisingly helps apartment hunters find apartments, compared the ratio of people to the number of music spots, bars, breweries and clubs to come up with their…
Recent Cuyahoga County Jail Death is ‘Inconceivable,’ Says Lawyer for Family
[image-1] A lawyer representing the family of 27-year-old Brendan Kiekisz, who died Sunday night after a suicide attempt at the Cuyahoga County Jail, has voiced what many observers are thinking: After seven deaths at the jail and a scathing report by the U.S. Marshals documenting inhumane conditions there, how could the county let this happen?…
Local Photographer Emily Roggenburk Opens a New Gallery and Shop in Crocker Park
Local photographer Emily Roggenburk rented a helicopter on the day of the Cavaliers championship parade and took aerial photographs of the event. Since then, she’s taken aerial photographs of major championship parades around the country, and her aerial photography has been featured on local news stations and on Good Morning America. Now, she’s just opened her…
129 Cleveland Homicides in 2018, One Fewer than 2017
After tallying the three shooting deaths at a New Year’s Eve party on Cleveland’s west side — (11:45 p.m., Dec. 31) — the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has ruled that Cleveland officially saw 129 homicides in 2018, one fewer than in 2017. As in years’ past, most of the deaths were the result of gun…
6 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Weekend
FRIDAY, JAN. 4 T-Rextasy/Marcia Custer/Heavenly Creatures On Prehysteria, the follow-up to its debut album, Jurassic Punk, the New York-based indie rock act T-Rextasy lets its freak flag fly. The band — singer Lyris Faron, bassist Annie Fidoten, drummer Ebun Nazon-Power and guitarist Vera Kahn — writes about serious topics such as anxiety and peer pressure…
Park for Free in the Flats East Bank Through February
If there’s anything a Clevelander (or anyone from the suburbs) hates doing more than paying for parking, we can’t think of it. But now through Feb. 28 the Flats East Bank area is offering free parking on select days. Of course, all this wonderful freeness isn’t available on peak nights out with your friends, and…
An Evening with Marie and the Osmonds Coming to Hard Rock Live in March
For the past ten years, Marie Osmond has headlined one of the top-selling shows in Las Vegas while continuing to make television appearances and work as a commercial spokesperson. In 2016, her most recent album, Music is Medicine, debuted at No. 10 on Billboard charts. Earlier this week, she announced dates for a tour and…
Chef Dante Boccuzzi to Open Japanese Fusion Concept Goma at Pinecrest
By this coming summer, Dante Boccuzzi fans will have one more reason to leave the house. The popular chef behind such restaurants as Ginko, Next Door, DC Pasta Company and the eponymous Dante in Tremont will open Goma, a new Japanese fusion concept, at Pinecrest. “Goma will be a modern Japanese, energetic, engaging experience,” explains…
Clint Black to Perform at Hard Rock Live in March
Thirty years ago, country singer Clint Black released his debut album, Killin’ Time, an album that delivered five hit singles and would go triple platinum. It effectively launched Black’s career. Throughout the ’90s, Black remained one of country’s most popular artists. On tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Killin’ Time, Black will perform on…
Spectrum Cable Pulls Fox 8 From Channel Lineup Over Contract Squabble
About six million Spectrum Cable subscribers are without Fox 8 as of yesterday evening after the channel’s owner, Tribune Broadcasting, and the cable company failed to reach an agreement on fees as the previous contract expired. Whose fault is it? Everyone’s, it sounds like, depending on which side of the bargaining table you’re on. Instead…
Unique Songwriter-in-the-Round Tour Lands at the Beachland Next Week
A unique songwriter in the round tour featuring three terrific singer-songwriters, Three Women and the Truth comes to the Beachland Ballroom on Wednesday, Jan. 9. The tour features Gretchen Peters, Eliza Gilkyson [pictured] and Mary Gauthier. Peters has penned hits for many performers, including Martina McBride, Shania Twain and Etta James, Gilkyson has had her…
An Ohio Native, Storyteller Kevin Allison Brings Risk! Live to the Music Box in February
An Ohio native who’s gone on to become a successful actor, comedian and master storyteller, Kevin Allison brings his award winning storytelling show RISK! Live to the Music Box Supper Club on Thursday, Feb. 7. Hosted by Allison, the show will feature local Cleveland residents who will share true, personal stories “they never thought they’d…
Plain Dealer ‘Minister of Culture’ Michael Heaton Has Penned His Final Column
Congratulations to @ThePlainDealer 's @MichaelHeaton5 on 30+ years as Minister of Culture. Clippings from @Cleveland_PL pic.twitter.com/9J6nolbhBL — Terry Metter (@TerryMetterJr) December 28, 2018 Plain Dealer culture writer Michael Heaton, the region’s “Minister of Culture,” has penned his final column for the paper. Heaton signed off last week after nearly 1,500 columns — his estimate —…
Watch This Stellar Vintage Video From a Rocky River Reservation Bike Trail Opening
Chicago Historian Jeff Nichols, who can be found tweeting out vintage photos and videos from around the world right here, recently shared some gloriously-shot footage from a paved bike trail ribbon cutting ceremony at Rocky River Reservation from what looks to be at least 50 years ago. You’ll notice, of course, that no one is wearing…
Rick Doody of Coastal Taco and Lindey’s Lake House to Open New Concept in Lakewood
Rick Doody has been a restaurant guy ever since he stopped being a restaurant boy. His mother Sue opened the iconic German Village, Columbus restaurant Lindey’s in 1981. While 40 years is quite the achievement in this ruthless industry, Rick and brother Chris managed to top Mom by launching the Bravo and Brio restaurant group,…
The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque Hosts a Series Featuring Luchino Visconti’s Films
During November and December of 2017, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque presented digital restorations or 35-mm prints of five films by the late Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. Since then, a complete Visconti retrospective, put together by Istituto Luce Cinecitt in Rome, has come to North America and is traveling to various museums and cinematheques,…
Distill Table is Already Bustling in Lakewood, But it Could Improve on Menu and Ingredient Choices
By the time of our second visit to Distill Table, we were wise enough to make reservations. If we learned anything from our first encounter with this 4-month-old Lakewood restaurant, it is that spare seats at prime time can be harder to come by than local produce at the West Side Market. The space feels…
Band of the Week: Lux Terminus
MEET THE BAND: Vikram Shankar (piano, keyboards and orchestrations), Matthew Kerschner (drums and percussion), Brian Craft (bass) A CULMINATION OF INFLUENCES: Kerschner, Shankar and Craft have played in local bands for the past decade, and the three played together in the local band Gravity from 2006 to 2014. “We took a break in 2014, so…
Savage Love: Lost Kinkster
I’m a 19-year-old bisexual woman really into orgasm denial and edging. With the recent Tumblr ban on all NSFW content, I have no idea where to indulge my kinks and find my community. I’ve never needed to go anywhere else to find porn, explore my sexuality, and be surrounded by supportive people — and now…
Get Out: Everything You Should Be Doing in Cleveland This Weekend (Jan. 2-8)
WED 01/02 Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat After LeBron James left the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat and Cavs developed a rivalry. But now that James has moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers, the rivalry’s intensity has waned. And given that with both the Heat and the Cavs have lost…
My Farewell Column: On Leaving My Post as Theater Critic, and My Next Adventure
Dear Readers, I have happy and sad news. My two-decade tenure as a theater critic — for Scene and for my blog Rave and Pan — has come to an end. I have accepted the challenging and important position of executive director of Literary Cleveland. (More about that below.) I’d like to take this opportunity…
Director Barry Jenkins Proves His Oscar Win Was No Fluke With Followup ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
Writer-director Barry Jenkins virtually came out of nowhere to win an Oscar for 2016’s Moonlight, a beautiful coming-of-age and coming-out film about a young black man raised by a crack addict mother. With his new film, If Beale Street Could Talk, an equally evocative movie based on a James Baldwin novel, Jenkins proves his Oscar…
