Letters from Iwo Jima
Let’s face it: The Japanese are whiners who suck at blowing stuff up. Movie reviews by the Douche-Bag Sitting Behind You… Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnn!!!! I’d heard war was hell, but I didn’t think war movies had to be. I’m not sure how long this thing kept going, on account of all the weed I smoked obscuring my…
Arts Collinwood Benefit
Eat, drink, and support Arts Collinwood from 6 to 10 p.m., this Thursday, Feb. 8, during a special pre-opening party at Cafe Marika, 15601 Waterloo Rd., North Collinwood. The cafe and bakery is the newest project from acclaimed pastry chef and North Collinwood resident Michael Feigenbaum and his wife, Marika; the Feigenbaums also own nationally…
Nary Manivong at Fashion Week
Nary Manivong, a Cleveland designer, showcased his fall and winter collection during New York’s famed fashion week on Monday. The Ohio designer, who’s work was first showcased during Columbus’ fashion week (take that, you eastern fashionistas!) received rave reviews for his freshman showing with Women’s Wear Daily declaring him “one to watch.” This year’s collection,…
New Chimaira Video
The first video from Chimaira’s upcoming Resurrection LP is available online. The title track’s frantic clip features performance footage, mix martial arts fighter Maverick, and lots of shots of scantily clad, tattooed girls. The LP is set for release March 6, and most of its 13 thrash tracks are lean & mean: 01. Resurrection (4:37)…
Concerts: This Just In…
Sean Kelly of the Samples Tons of hot new shows this week — 34, to be precise — from EuropElectroDiskoPop sensation Ellen Allien to former Anthrax singer Joey “Bad Judgment” Belladonna. Also, Canton country fans: Tracy Adkins is coming. Indie rockers, get ready for the Samples and Tapes N Tapes. Moved from February 10 to…
A Moment with Slayer
Headbangers argue all day whether Slayer is the greatest heavy metal band ever. And 25 years into the band’s unparalleled career, a smaller number of music fans — not all them metalheads — claim the thrash kings are one of the best rock bands ever, hands-down, period. But here’s one undisputed superlative: No group’s fans…
Getting the Lead Out
By now, you must be sick of C-Notes writing about and poisoned kids. Since last summer, we’ve been chronicling the allegations—which many historians have already proven—that Sherwin-Williams knew its lead paint was harming kids for decades before it stopped selling it (“The Poison Kids,” August 16, 2006. Now Cleveland is left with one of the…
Hip Hope Perseverance Awards
The Hip Hope Perseverance Awards will be recognize Cleveland hip-hop and R&B pioneers Saturday, February 10 at the Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus Auditorium (2900 Community College Ave). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. The Hip Hope Perseverance awards recognizes artists using hip-hop and urban music as a…
Sam Discovers Role Models!
Headline: Actor proved equality is possible Date: February 6, 2007 Topic: Long before Sam learned to crib from his peers, he was memorizing television dialogue. This incredible power of imitation wowed teachers, who somehow never suspected he was turning in other students’ homework. Today, Sam just can’t squeeze a fifth straight column from Rachel Dissell’s…
Monday & Meyer: Reunited (and it feels so good)
Buried inside the Arts and Life section of Saturday’s Plain Dealer was a few paragraphs about WKYC investigative sleuth Carl Monday, who apparently has jumped ship for rival station WOIO. Why this wasn’t front-page news I have no idea. It just might change the world. At Action 19, Monday will no longer be beholden WKYC’s…
Golic and the Geeks
Bob Golic: Geeks would be more impressed by meeting the guy who played the boiler room mechanic on Star Trek. Brooklyn’s Best Buy, which proudly bills itself as the “home of the Geek Squad,” lived up to its name last week when it stayed open till midnight to start selling the newly arrived shipment of…
Right Behind Your Baxter
C-Notes would like to thank Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter for taking down the scumbags who threatened democracy in Cuyahoga County by just plain taking orders [“Guilt by Association,” January 31]. But while Baxter was in Cleveland taking down lowly workers for the election board’s incompetence, he was ignoring his own backyard. In 2005, Charlie…
Stepanian has the Floor
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Scene’s music writers shut their yap and they let a band speak for itself: Band: Stepanian Hometown: Boston Sounds like: “A influential food fight between Ryan Adams, Counting Crows, the Police, and Maceo Parker that is broken up by Bob Dylan writing lyrics for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.” Fun…
This Week’s Most Fabulous Stuff
Party with this bird this Thursday at the zoo’s annual Valentine’s party This week’s top arts and entertainment picks around town, from the guy who’s paid to pick them: Monday: More than 900 vendors and exhibitors show off everything from the latest garden gadgets to home-improvement designs at the sixth annual Home & Garden Show.…
Outraged & Horrified
I will admit, I have not been a loyal Scene reader for a good number of years. However, while picking up some dry cleaning, the recent cover story [“Tomb With a View,” January 10] caught my attention for two reasons: 1) I grew up in Garfield Heights; and 2) I have always wondered how any…
A Word from a Thoughtful Reader
The following letter came with the salutation, “your a joke.” Tell u8s something we didnt no Just remember voinovich was 100 times worse than diemora tell us something about him…..our taxes r hi 4 no other reason than that man….he did nothing 4 us now hes r congressman please tell me y….I didnt vote 4…
25 Best Super Bowl Commercials Ever
vid link: We were gonna compile a list of the 25 best Super Bowl commercials ever , complete with links to watch them, but Rolling Stone beat us to it. Check it out. — D.X. Ferris
He Misses Football Already
Mike Farley left Cleveland when LeBron was still reading the Pokey Puppy in to his grade-school classmates, so you can’t blame him if he’s inconsolable now that football season’s over. The PR-company owner, freelance writer, and football enthusiast has started a blog called I Miss Football Season. It’s is an online destination where fellow fanatics…
God Saved Her from Garfield Heights
What a wonderful article [“Tomb With a View,” January 10]. Thank you for bringing things to light that the people of Garfield Heights have known for a long time. I lived in Garfield Heights for almost 39 years. There are many health problems within the city. By the grace of God, I no longer live…
Valley View: A Threat Against Dad
I grew up in Garfield Heights during the years of the dump’s introduction and great growth. My father, Frank J. Debelak, was on the city council and was constantly at odds with the power players you mention in your article [“Tomb With a View,” January 10]. I still remember the day I cam home from…
30 Years of Military Service for Nothing
I just received a link to this article [“Tomb With a View,” January 10] from a friend who lived in Valley View. I lived on Murray Road from 1959 to 1970. I witnessed firsthand what Ralph Conte and Pete Boyas did to this once beautiful area. I watched as the woods that I spent many…
Why No Pedophile Investigation?
The child pedophilia trafficking case [“Pedophile, Inc.,” January 17] will remain on the back burner intentionally. An investigation would embarrass or indict too many winners in the new global economy. This would also embarrass the new global economy. Ryan Costa Cleveland
Bob Taft’s $50,000 Parting Gift
Bob Taft, former Rube in Chief Before he left office, the Worst Governor in America produced a parting gift for his loving constituents. The Taft Years: 1999-2006, is a colorful, 128-page booklet describing in glorious detail how the governor made Ohio “A Better Place to Live, Work and Raise a Family”— all while earning public…
Cleveland Clinic Excess
The Cleveland Clinic recently installed 50 widescreen plasma TVs in the skyway connecting two buildings on its campus to the Intercontinental Hotel. The TVs are mounted on each side of the ceiling recesses beneath the skyway’s numerous sunroof panels, so as you stroll, catch a full screen about every five steps. That’s too few steps…
Dimora Makes Problems Disappear
A source says Jimmy Dimora has ordered county security to get rid of this week’s issue of Scene My job takes me in and out of the county administration building on a daily basis. Dimora had the security guard remove all the copies of your lastest edition. He’s also given word to other county employees…
Street Drum Corps Photo Gallery
On Friday, January 27, the Rock Hall opened its new exhibition: Warped 12 Years of Music, Mayhem, and More — a celebration of not just the Vans Warped Tour, but California skate-punk as a cultural movement. Featuring such Warped legends as Bad Religion and Pennywise, the Hall’s kick-off party also spotlighted Street Drum Corps, three…
A Chat with Bishop Nasty
Bishop Lennon: The apostles would never vouch for this guy First Punch exposes Bishop Richard Lennon’s nastiness in the documentary Hand of God, about a clergy sexual abuse survivor. It was a disgusting display of clerical arrogance to insult the filmmaker doing exterior shots of the diocesan building where his brother reported his abuse. But,…
Damon Jones Gets Face Time
Dwyane Wade and D-Jones: Drinking the sweet milk of camera time. ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons has a fun new column online about riding around South Beach with Cavs’ guard Damon Jones. (A quick aside, in case you’re not familiar: Simmons, a.k.a. the Sports Guy, is simultaneously the best example of why online journalism is great…
C-Notes’ Most Eligible Bachelor
Patrick Meehan: Love toy for the League of Women Voters crowd. Attention ladies: Patrick Meehan is only in town for a few nights. Hailing from the Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the paralegal is criss-crossing the country in a rented van for no discernable reason. His interests include . . . well, we don’t really know what his…
A Straight Guy’s Thoughts on Showtunes
Questionably straight correspondent Joe Tone is rooting hard for Ashley Spencer. That’s her, not Tone, above. A few weeks back, I wrote about Ashley Spencer, the local woman vying for Broadway fame on NBC’s reality hit, Grease: You’re the one that I want. I’ve since kept quiet about the show, not because it isn’t awesome…
Kent State’s Early Childhood Felony Center
Two weeks ago Paul H. Jones, the former mayor of Ravenna, was convicted on federal felony charges for failure to pay income taxes. This didn’t please many people, especially Kent administrators who’d (oops) named their childhood development center in Jones’ honor. On Wednesday, the Kent State board voted to change the building’s name. This time…
White Rappers Create New Worst Song
White rapper and doctoral candidate Jus Rhyme ponders how an allegedly smart guy can say such dumb things. We’re not obsessed with VH1’s/Ego Trip’s The White Rapper Show — at least that’s what we keep telling ourselves in between long postings about it. And until ESPN starts re-airing PTI at 11, you gotta watch something.…
The Devolution of Shopping
The mid-century debut of the supermarket was meant as a boon to busy homemakers. No more would Mom need to travel to the butcher, the baker, and the produce stand to round up weekly provisions. Just a short trip in the station wagon to the Super Market, and — presto! — the drudgery was done.…
Guitarmania
Cleveland’s art colony noshed on carrot sticks and cheese balls at the Galleria on Thursday night as the United Way of Greater Cleveland debuted scaled-down renderings for this year’s Guitarmania. Of the more than 100 artists who have submitted 156 designs for the nine-foot-tall Stratocaster replicas, partners Christopher Lees and Jordan Perme win the “most…
“Helloooo Cleveland” Explained
Every wonder why rock-and-rolll types think it’s hilarious to work “Hello Cleveland!” into their columns at every given opportunity? It’s not just ‘cuz we love Cleveland (we do), and not just ‘cuz Cleveland rocks (it does), and not just ‘cuz we love to hear ourselves type (we really do). It’s one of the classic lines…
Reggae Month at the Rock Hall
The fabulous Mighty Diamonds play the Rock Hall’s main stage February 23. The Rock Hall will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events honoring reggae’s history. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free with a reservation. Members can RSVP starting January 19 by emailing edu@rockhall.org or calling 216-515-8426. February 6, 4:30 p.m. Case…
Bishop Dick
In today’s Scene, First Punch reports that Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon is a complete dick. Or at least, he was when he was still working in Boston, where he was caught on tape being an utter bastard to filmmaker Joe Cultrera, whose brother had been molested by a pervy Massachusetts priest. You can watch Cultrera’s…
Lakeshore’s Latest Pitch
Great news arrived in the mail today from Lakeshore Buick Pontiac! You may remember this Shaker Heights dealership as the proud home of the $5 car (“The $5 Miracle,” January 10). It’s also the newest satellite of a company facing dozens of consumer complaints alleging that it misleads customers and sells damaged cars. This week,…
Gay Festivities in Cleveland
Say you’re a visiting homo and have no clue where all the hotspots in Cleveland are. What to do? The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland is coming to the rescue with a new travel guide featuring local gay businesses, stores, and galleries. The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland is…
Party Your Pants Off Night
Everyone gets a gift bag from Dream Girl Direct, which sells clothes like this lady has on, perfect for fishing or high school reunions. Velvet Dog manager Tino Rancone — one of Cleveland’s most fearsome club promoters — e-mailed us a couple days ago to be a “celebrity judge” at the club’s first-ever “Party Your…
Our top DVD picks for the week of January 30:
Academy Awards Collection (MGM) The Comedians of Comedy (Anchor Bay) Dallas: The Complete Sixth Season (Warner Bros.) The Doctor, the Tornado & the Kentucky Kid: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (New Video Group) Dora the Explorer: Cowgirl Dora (Paramount) The Fabulous Baker Boys (MGM) Facing the Giants (Sony) The Festival: The Complete First Season (New Video Group)…
’70s Soul Jam
Unlike most re-formed oldies acts, legendary urban soul groups enjoy such a loyal following that many of them never stopped touring in the first place. Philly soul from the early ’70s was born from smooth ’50s doo-wop and the luxurious strings of Phil Spector’s wall of sound — and Thom Bell, a classically trained arranger…
Irish Risky
When it comes to selecting which restaurants to visit, keeping an open mind is as important as an open gullet. Czech food? Sure. Indian? Why not. Thai? Bring it on. But then there’s the occasional curveball. The most recent one came from Loco Leprechaun, a new, casual eatery in Westlake, where the concept seems to…
Canton Idol
Can’t get enough American Idol? Then check out this weekend’s first round of the Rising Star competition, a three-week contest that takes place at the North Canton Playhouse. More than 40 singers (including some from Florida and Pennsylvania) attempt to belt their way to next week’s semifinals today and tomorrow. “It doesn’t matter if a…
Cold Hearted
Anyone who played games back in the olden days (i.e., the late ’80s) knows they used to be a lot tougher. Cartridges back then subscribed to the “Oh, you want some of this?” school of game design. They made you gnash your teeth, throw your controller, and bellow four-letter words. But when you finally emerged…
The Volta Sound
Drop the needle on any of the four albums from the Volta Sound, and bouts of acid-infused boogie will ensue. Check out these Cleveland retro-rockers live, and you’re bound to get a contact high. “Fun psychedelic rock that doesn’t ask you to think about it,” says singer and guitarist Michael Cormier, a versatile musician who…
Smoke and Fire
No matter what you think of the smoking ban, you’ve got to feel bad for Michael Ollick. A coffee kiosk operator and former sales guy, he’s been in the restaurant biz only since November, when he opened Westlake’s Loco Leprechaun with his girlfriend and business partner, Rose Wolfgram (see review). But already it’s clear the…
Out of the Box
This weekend’s Big [Box] performances at Cleveland Public Theatre include two new pieces written by Cleveland poet and playwright Mary Weems and directed by Tony Sias. Wearing Rainbows features a series of monologues recited onstage by local women. The readers span race, sexual orientation, and age, and they’re all tied together by their concept of…
The Terrorist’s Mind
Catch a Fire (Focus) In his commentary for the underrated, undervalued Catch a Fire, director Phillip Noyce discusses the inspiration: witnessing the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. He wanted to comprehend “the terrorist’s mind,” so he found a story that accomplishes such a difficult thing: the true-life tale of Patrick Chamusso…
Incubus
Incubus has been around so long that the SoCal band has actually outlived its initial genre tag. If you don’t remember, it was “nu metal,” which was cool for a minute back when Bill Clinton was president and everybody had jobs. Nu metal used to mean funky, Korn-spawned thrash for the kids. Somewhere along the…
Date My Mom
Though I’m sure it’s purely coincidental, the decision to release the Diane Keaton-Mandy Moore romantic comedy Because I Said So with the scent of this year’s Sundance Film Festival still fresh in the air provides us with an excellent opportunity to review the wayward career of the movie’ s director, Michael Lehmann. Once upon a…
Horse Play
Back in 1975, when Peter Shaffer’s Equus opened on Broadway, it created quite a stir. The story centered on a 17-year-old boy who rammed spikes into the eyes of five horses. But in the wake of Columbine, the play looks kinda tame today, admits William Roudebush, who directs the Beck Center’s production opening tonight. “When…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
CD — Alright, Still: After months of building MySpace buzz, Brit cutie Lily Allen’s debut album finally reaches our shores. The peppy Allen bounces from sunny ska to socially conscious hip-pop. Along the way, she muses on blowjobs, booze, and her beloved London. And in her best song, “Smile,” she kicks a dumped boyfriend when…
Livingston Taylor
It’s not always easy being breezy. Livingston Taylor has carved out his entire music career with his bro’s shadow constantly looming overhead. James Taylor can claim six top 25 singles and a greatest-hits album that has sold more than 10 million copies. Yet poor Livingston’s biggest hit — the 1978 soft-rocker “I Will Be in…
Perfect Mess
Adapting an essentially plotless novel by Mitch Cullin, Terry Gilliam’s courageously repellent Tideland presents an American Gothic Alice in Wonderland. Little Alice is Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland, who turned 10 during the shoot), the talkative offspring of two flaming junkies (Jennifer Tilly’s Courtney Love-like slattern and Jeff Bridges’ flatulent Captain Pissgums). She used to mix up…
Cap’n Poetry
After a three-month break, veteran “soul poet” Vince Robinson resumes his popular Jazz & Poetry sessions tonight. Robinson’s band, the Jazz Poets, open the twice-monthly gatherings with a half-hour set, followed by spoken-word performances by local spitboxers. “There’s an easy tie between lyrics of the hip-hop culture and poetry,” says Robinson. “People relate to it.”…
King Cuyahoga
Almost a half-hour has gone by, and still no Jimmy. The Cuyahoga County Commissioners meeting was supposed to start at 10 a.m., and the creaky, wooden room is getting restless as flacks and photographers and suits pour in. Over the next few hours, a soup line of county agencies and department directors will form behind…
Demons
Usually when a band blows up, it just keeps on playing bigger and bigger venues — never once looking back to the house parties and cavernous warehouses that started it all. But that’s not how Nate Young operates. As the founding father of Wolf Eyes, Young has played the 2005 Coachella festival (along with Coldplay…
The Kids Are Not Alright
PARK CITY, Utah — We all know about the cathartic power of blues music, but until the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, who knew that it could serve as a cure-all for everything from nymphomania to childhood sexual abuse? In Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, whose out-of-competition premiere screening was one of…
Green Scene
The I-X Center goes green for the next week as the Home & Garden Show fills more than 20 acres with indoor gardens, dream homes, and more. Demonstrations show how to landscape your lawn and build your own backyard patio, while more than 900 vendors and exhibitors show off everything from the latest garden gadgets…
Guilt by Association
As Judge Peter Corrigan reads the verdict, TV cameras zoom in on the three defendants. Jacquie Maiden, a poised preacher’s wife, huddles between her attorneys. Next to her is Kathy Dreamer, a subdued Irish woman seemingly unaccustomed to her charcoal suit. Hiding in the corner is Rosie Grier, a soft-spoken lady who’s spent most of…
Buckwheat Zydeco
Zydeco veteran and the most popular accordionist of all time (after Weird Al, of course), Buckwheat Zydeco may not sell the records he did back in the Big Easy days of the late ’80s, but he and his hot-footed band continue to be a major-league live attraction. Born Stanley Dural in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1947,…
Dissent for Sale
PARK CITY, Utah — Even by the lacerating standards of recent Sundance docs Why We Fight and Iraq in Fragments, the nonfiction at this year’s fest felt, well, real — alarmingly so. Indeed, after doing battle with films about U.S. policies on Iraq, Darfur, and global warming, this critic was nearly moved to rescind his…
Hold teh Salsa
Luna Negra Dance Theater isn’t really new to Cleveland. The Chicago company performed here three years ago, but artistic director Eduardo Vilaro calls tonight’s performance at Playhouse Square an introduction to the troupe… and to contemporary Latin dance. “We try to speak a little more to the future,” he says. “We don’t want to be…
Homewrecker
The dead-end street of South Granger in Garfield Heights is one of the last in the neighborhood still fit for human life. The homes have the solid look of hand-me-down furniture. The shrinking forest behind them is still thick enough to imagine it goes forever. Soon it will be the entryway to a massive shopping…
The Chris Duarte Group
Hanging around Austin, Texas juke joints when you should be attending high school has a way of rubbing off on a guy. While most of his friends were earning their driver’s licenses, Chris Duarte was learning to operate a 1963 Fender Stratocaster, and now, almost three decades later, he sits at the right hand of…
The Sundance Kids
One morning, Gary Walkow was suddenly transformed into a successful Hollywood filmmaker. Gone were the hat-in-hand searches for financing, the deferred salaries, the long shooting days with undermanned crews, and the months upon years spent touring the festival circuit while seeking a distribution deal. For a moment, he was taking calls by the dozen instead…
Stomping Grounds
Some kids want to be rock stars when they grow up. Some want to be football players. Elec Simon wanted to join the cast of Stomp, the performance extravaganza that features music, dancing, and stick-wielding folks turning everyday objects into percussion instruments. Simon’s wish came true: He’s part of the touring show that plays Akron…
The Godly Bishop
Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon makes a brief appearance in a new documentary about sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Critics are hailing his performance as “richly dark,” “menacing,” yet “stunningly predictable.” The movie, Hand of God, recently aired on PBS’s Frontline. (See Lennon in action at pbs.com/frontline.) In it, filmmaker Joe Cultrera chronicles the life…
Rock Night
Think a dance club can’t bring the rock? Think again. Touch’s rock night has become one of the near West Side’s signature nights. Dozen Dead Roses singer Brandon Zano and 3 Penny Pussy frontman Rob Bell work the bar, while DJ Booya spins the tunes. Grab a cheap shot of Beam, chase it with an…
The Music Men
PARK CITY, Utah –On the first Saturday of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, I rolled out of bed and hustled up Main Street for the 8:30 screening of Tamara Jenkins’ The Savages, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as adult siblings caring for an irascible elderly parent. Only I went to the wrong theater…
Whole Lotta Love
Most guys show their love by making their girlfriends a romantic mix CD. Florida singer-songwriter David Martin wrote a bunch of songs for his wife, recorded them, and put them on an iPod for her. “I just wanted to celebrate our love and tell her how much I appreciated her,” he says. “We make a…
The Nut Job Controversy
Global warming could possibly be real: Peter Skurkiss, you are a true nut job [Letters, January 3]. That’s OK. No one is perfect. But you really have your facts mixed up. I suspect you voted for Bush because he has the same type of logic (absent as it may be) as you do when it…
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk
Dumpstaphunk features Ivan Neville of the legendary Neville family, and, yes, it’s all-the-way funky. The roaming band of musicologists also features a crack squad of players who’ve logged time with Trey Anastasio, Jewel, and the Dave Matthews Band, where they learned to jam out a song. Here, they take the free-flow approach and stir tunes…
Sympathy for the Devil
PARK CITY, Utah — Ten days of terse texting among professional narcissists working on little or no sleep in one of the last cold spots left on Al Gore’s inconvenient Earth: Welcome to Sundance ’07, where wounding homefront melodrama Grace Is Gone sells and it hardly pays to be nice. Indeed, only the most well-insulated…
Hog Wild
Today is Groundhog Day, and the Metroparks have a trio of free events lined up to help you celebrate. First, head over to Brecksville Nature Center (off Route 82 in Brecksville; 440-526-1012) at 10:30 a.m. to sneak a peek at Brecksville Ben and maybe his shadow. At 1 p.m., there’s a special Drop In Discovery…
Remix Cleveland
Don’t call Gregg Gillis a DJ. “DJs beat-match records and primarily play other people’s songs,” explains Gillis, otherwise known as Girl Talk. “Not that that’s easy or I’m better than that; it’s just different. When I play, I feel everything I do is a remix, my own creation.” Girl Talk’s basic shtick is download and…
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is nice, mellow of voice, and just kittenish enough to titillate the jazzbos she pretends to represent. Crafting wistful and yearning tunes, her delivery is self-assured yet modest, like letting the listener in on deep secrets. On Not Too Late, Jones’ third album, cellos spell emotion, horns shadow rhythm & blues, and the…
Boys From Brazil
Despite its exotic name, Brazil isn’t one of those wind-chime-lovin’ world music ensembles. It’s a six-piece indie-rock band from Muncie, Indiana, that plays the usual arsenal of instruments — guitars, drums, etc. — on its new CD, The Philosophy of Velocity. But there are pianos. And there are sweeping melodies that ride the grooves, which…
Work in Progress
Man Push Cart’s protagonist used to be a rock star back home in Pakistan. Now he sells bagels and donuts on the street to early-rising New Yorkers. This thoughtful, unpretentious film by Ramin Bahrani (who wrote, directed, produced, and edited) peers into the life of a likable vendor who hauls a stainless-steel food cart to…
Straight Outta Canton
Ta Smallz ain’t a great rapper, and his career probably won’t blow up. Yes, the jagged synth grooves fueling “Get Mannish,” a nice little club jam from last year, drill themselves straight to your memory’s core. But the Canton native’s overall sound — “rooted in the South, mixed with a West Coast vibe, and sometimes…
Ron Sexsmith
Ron Sexsmith has always been the kid at the adult-alternative cocktail party. He put together his first band at 14 and soon found Elvis Costello clutching his solo debut on the cover of Mojo. Occasionally, talented pups such as Norah Jones inspire a collective “awww,” but Sexsmith is ultimately — if only critically — still…
Pain and Gain
Veteran actor Scott Plate has performed in local big-name venues from Severance Hall to the Play House. But in Dobama Theatre’s production of Thom Pain (Based on Nothing), Plate performs the one-man show at an empty Gap store that has been transformed into an 80-seat theater. “Doing this play in a formal setting doesn’t seem…
Handel With Care
Apollo’s Fire performs a tribute to classical composer George Frideric Handel at several local spots this weekend. Combining early and late-period work, Handel Fireworks features tunes written by the brass and string master. The baroque orchestra will perform pieces like Dixit Dominus and Music for the Royal Fireworks. Thu., Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.
The Gospel According to Gnarls
St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic, described something called “the dark night of the soul,” that necessary descent on the way to salvation. His visions in the abyss of self-reflection were weird, beautiful, and (in hindsight) all the redemption he needed. Fast-forward to late 2003: Brian Burton (a.k.a. DJ Danger Mouse) suffers…
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Alec Ounsworth’s back, and he’s brought a message from beyond: “Satan Said Dance.” In the distance, you hear his band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the sonic chaos the quintet has wrought from some netherworld. Electricity charges the air, and a spacey disco bass line pulsates. Pianos catch fire, horns wheeze static, guitars crackle…
All’s Brel That Ends Well
Kalliope Stage was all set to revive the musical Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris when director Paul Gurgol got a whiff of its Vietnam-era stench and restructured it as The Music of Jacques Brel. “I wanted to strip it down,” he says. The 1968 revue ran for more than 500…
YouTube With Beer
Saddle Ridge Saloon owner Ronnie James thinks old-fashioned television broadcasts will be going the way of VHS pretty soon. That’s why he beams the internet-only Rock Me TV four times a week on his bar’s dozens of screens. “Everything’s going to the internet, and I’m riding that wave,” he says. James is doing his part…
Tour de Fierce
It’s not like I want to get all up in your calendar of chores and appointments. You probably have plenty to do in the next couple weeks, what with shoveling and grocery shopping. But you really need to clear part of an evening and get a ticket to see the show that’s at Dobama Theatre.…
Land of Timba
Dear God, it was everywhere in 2006. That song, those garish synth slaps, that declaration: “I’m bringing sexy back.” Back from where? Where did sexy go? Did people stop having sex? What the fuck? According to Billboard, “Sexyback” was last year’s longest running No. 1. It proved that Justin Timberlake is the world’s favorite male…
Eloe Omoe
On the surface, Boston’s Eloe Omoe sure sounds like all this modern noise the cool kids keep yapping about. Monster drummer Tim Leanse flails about his kit like a tranced-out dervish, melting classic psych-rock grooves into stuttering, percussive splatter. Meanwhile, bassist Sam Rowell rocks hard. With violent hands wrenching strings, she feeds exploded bass lines…
Jesus Freakout
Three first-time filmmakers from Lakewood are auditioning roles in their lowbrow action flick, Jesus Rocks (Razor Cat). The short is the brainchild of Matt McNeely and two buddies, who were inspired by the Bearded Child Film Festival tour, which stopped in Cleveland a couple of years ago. “Some of the movies were so low-budget that…
Twisted Steel
Cross Over: Combining Traditions, Metals & Sculpture features nine artists who twist and turn chunks of metal into various shapes. Some of the pieces (like a tin-can chair) are functional; others (a metal pillow) not so much. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesdays, Thursdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Starts: Jan. 16. Continues through Feb.…
Wild Hairs
There has probably never been a decade in America that experienced such enormous change as the 1960s. In just 10 years, we went from J.F.K. to Tricky Dick, from the first Coke sold in a can to the first implanted artificial heart. In music, the Grammy Award for song of the year evolved from Percy…
Novel Rock
Musician and noted ‘zine publisher Wred Fright makes his debut as a novelist with The Pornographic Flabbergasted Emus, a comedic new book based on his adventures playing across northern Ohio in 20 indie-rock bands. “So many rock and roll novels and movies have the stock plot of the band that gets big or almost gets…
Clinic
The members of England’s Clinic are up to their surgical masks in Nuggets-worthy psychedelic splendor, from the bass-driven pulse of an opening track — whose instrumental section could practically pass for the Yardbirds paying tribute to the Far East — to the dark narcotic haze that hovers over “Gideon.” On “Animal/Human,” the band sounds like…
Chocolate, Wine & You
Celebrate Valentine’s Day a couple weeks early at today’s Chocolate Is for Lovers Wine Trail, a self-guided tour of West Side wineries. Just decide where you want to start your outing, and a commemorative wine glass and heart-shaped candy dish will greet you there. Then the fun begins: Nine vineyards — including Avon Lake’s John…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Fat Pig — Written by Neil LaBute, who owns a burgeoning theatrical franchise specializing in callous and misogynistic characters, this play centers on a Rubenesque young woman named Helen, who is played by the lovely but definitely not anorexic Jenna Messina. The audience must deal not only with Helen’s issues, as she pursues a romantic…
Bad Boy Bill
Subtlety has never been a weapon in the arsenal of veteran mixmaster Bad Boy Bill (born William Renkosik), a DJ who first broke nationally in the rave daze of the early ’90s, via a relentlessly energetic mix series called Bangin’ the Box. And that’s exactly what his fans want: someone to keep ’em on their…
Centrifuge
The doom-metalheads of Centrifuge sound like the kind of guys who spent their formative years smoking the sweat leaf and listening to Black Sabbath 45s at 33 rpm. Singer-bassist Todd Fabian channels Ozzy Osbourne, and guitarist Matthew Servenack’s chunky riffs sound like Tony Iommi in slo-mo. Specializing in robotic repetition, the band demonstrates a mastery…
Home Improv-ment
Something Dada ends 13 months of homelessness tonight, when the local comedy troupe unveils its new stage near Playhouse Square. For the original members of the 12-year-old ensemble, the move marks a “rebirth” for Cleveland’s improvisational comedy scene. “We didn’t want to live in the glory days by letting it fall apart,” says Russel Stich,…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Portraits From Mali — The late, great Malian photographer Seydou Keita (1921-2001) didn’t consider himself an artist. In his mind, he was simply a tradesman who took portraits of upper-class West Africans. Yet the 17 large, stunning images gathered here, shot in the 1950s on black-and-white film, demand to be appreciated as art. Although…
Rhys Chatham
Rhys Chatham had an epiphany in the ’70s. After hearing the three-chord stomp of the Ramones, the avant-garde composer decided to cross minimalism with punk rock, eventually creating “Guitar Trio,” a monumental piece that would go on to spark the no-wave scene as well as the atonal indie noise of Sonic Youth. Using just intonation…
The Dark
Healthy skepticism was a driving force behind old-school punk, so it’s only appropriate to greet reissues with bated breath. Some bands are highly regarded simply because they’re the soundtrack to a place and time, and they’re not worth a listen unless you were there. The Dark’s discography stands on its own. Scream Until We Die…
Hairy Situations
If the two Barbershop movies taught us anything, it’s that black people spend a lot of time in barbershops doing other things besides getting their hair cut. The Cleveland Play House’s Cuttin’ Up looks at the shops’ social significance in African American communities. Charles Randolph-Wright’s play is based on anecdotes provided by real-life barbers. “It…
