The Alliance Woman Who Called 911 to Report Bad Chinese Food Has Been Sentenced
Update: Tracey McCloud has been sentenced to three days in jail, and was fined $250 for dialing 911 to report a medicore dining experience at a Chinese restaurant earlier this summer. Sources close to Scene say she didn’t care for the coffee at the police station either. -AN Originally posted: July 7, 2015 at 11:42 a.m.…
Kid Cudi Made Another Guitar Album and It’s Almost Finished
Cleveland hip-hop heads rejoice! While you were eating your body weight in hot dogs and hamburgers over the July 4th weekend, Cleveland native Kid Cudi took to Twitter to announce that his next album, titled Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven, is almost finished. Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) added that the first single should be released…
Alternative Press Ups the Ante for Year Two of Its Awards
Music Awards ceremonies can be rather formal affairs with rock stars dressed up in tuxes and designer dresses. In other words, they can be pretty fucking boring. Not the inaugural Alternative Press Music Awards, which took place last year at Voinovich Park behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The irreverent event…
Michelangelo Lovelace Discusses Community, Art at Happy Dog Tonight
Michelangelo Lovelace Sr. used his struggles and obstacles as inspiration to create a new life as an artist. The Cleveland-based painter’s work explores a wide range of socio-political issues within the African American community, including poverty, violence, crime and drugs. Through painting, Lovelace expresses his fears and anxieties; as well as his hope and aspirations.…
The ‘Baseball Bug’ (Also Known as the Worst Indians Mascot of All Time) Is Somehow Alive and Well in Manhattan
Tribe fans of a certain age might remember the Baseball Bug, the short-lived mascot the Wahoos trotted out for two brief seasons (1980-1981). For the rest of you, here’s a breakdown on what is almost universally reviled as one of the worst decisions in Indians history. From Greg Brinda and Bill Livingston’s book The Great…
Local DJ Outfit to Host New Wave Rave at Mahall’s
If you wanted to hear cutting-edge electronic music in the ‘80s, you had to hit up a rave, the underground parties where DJs would spin and bands would sometimes play too. Party Sweat (local DJ Dave P. who hosts club nights around town at various venues) will throw a New Wave Rave with the help of…
Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) Will Bring Pop-Up Pub to Cleveland
Deschutes Brewery (based in Bend, Ore.) will bring its traveling pop-up pub to Cleveland Aug. 1. From the brewery team: “The ultimate craft beer block party, this 402-foot custom bar will be slinging beers from 40 taps at Hingetown on 29th Street between Detroit Avenue and Clinton Avenue.” Sounds right up Cleveland’s alley. The Street…
Backstage Pass: An Interview with Comedian Pete George
A Cleveland native, comedian Pete George has come a long way since the days when he would open for a local magician. George, who got his start in show business as a lead guitarist in a Cleveland based ’80s rock group he says wanted to be like the band A Flock of Seagulls and called themselves…
Nils Lofgren to Play Songs, Share Stories at Hard Rock Live
When you work for Bruce Springsteen, it’s hard to know exactly when you might be able to take time off. But longtime E Street Band multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren seems to have a pretty good handle on navigating the system at this point. “I stay in touch with Bruce and Patti [Scialfa] and I have great, great…
Le Meridien Saga Trudges Onward
Euclid Avenue’s John Hartness Building has long been on the list of imminent luxury-hotel makeovers downtown. The 2010 out-of-state purchase of the complex was something of a downtown development bellwether — hospitality snazz promised amid the long-forsaken patches of blight along the Euclid corridor. The city rejoiced. But as similar projects have risen up and…
Burgers 2 Beer to Open in Former Eddie Cerino’s Spot in Lakewood
It’s been three months since Eddie Cerino shuttered his casual Italian restaurant in Lakewood to better focus on his suburban eateries in Seven Hills and Parma. During that time, there have been rumors about a particular local burger chain possibly stepping in and taking over. They are rumors no longer. “We got the keys,” says…
Jackson, Dettelbach announce Selection Panel for Community Police Commission
Per the Consent Decree and the urging of deadline-conscious Judge Solomon Oliver, Mayor Frank Jackson has appointed an 11-member panel whose mandate is the selection of a Community Police Commission. Jackson said that, after consultation with the DOJ and City Council, (plus non-required input from the public) he has assembled a team of incredibly accomplished…
Zygote’s Alaskan Artist-in-Residence to Discuss Creative Process
Since 2013, Zygote Press has been partnering with Alaska’s Rasmuson Foundation to exchange artists through an eight-week residency program. Since the program was implemented, a number of Cleveland-based artists have spent two months creating work in Alaska, and Alaskan artists have had the opportunity to explore their craft at Zygote. Zygote Press’ current Rasmuson Artist…
‘The Reckless Ruthless Brutal Charge of It, or The Train Play’ Chugs Along Pretentiously at convergence-continuum
Perhaps you’ve mused, from time to time when on a bus or other public conveyance, that every anonymous person around you must have an interesting story to tell. And if you could only go up to each one and ask them, you’d be swept away by their unique experiences and perspectives. Well, you can forget…
Mike Posner to Hold “Ninja” Acoustic Show At Edgewater Park in Two Hours
Musician Mike Posner, he of the Billboard singles “Cooler than Me” and “Please Don’t Go”, will host a surprise “ninja” show at Edgewater Park at 7 p.m. Monday evening. He tweeted out the news earlier today. Here’s Posner’s explanation of his “ninja show” philosophy on his blog last month: Basically a Ninja Show is where…
Steve Earle Kicks Off Two-Night Stand With a Blues-Inspired Bang
Last night as he was in the midst of two-hour concert before a capacity crowd at Music Box Supper Club, singer-guitarist Steve Earle made a comment about getting kicked out of a blues band when he was 13. He said his latest album, a straight-up blues offering, was essentially a way of commemorating the dismissal.…
LeBron James to Host First Screening of ‘Trainwreck’ in Akron with Co-Stars
LeBron James has called for an advanced screening of his latest film endeavor, Trainwreck, to be held in his hometown before it hits the big screen. On Friday, July 10, James will host a pre-premiere of the film at Montrose Stadium 12 before it heads off to New York for its limited premiere on July…
Singer-Songwriter Ike Reilly Emphasizes Quality Over Quantity
Veteran singer-songwriter Ike Reilly has said he thinks his new album, Born on Fire, sounds like it could have been made “somewhere between the mid-’60s and the early 2050s.” It’s a strange description but also somehow appropriate as the album of crisp power pop tunes sounds both retro and contemporary. “There are bands like Pearl Jam…
Photo of the Day: Christmas (Ale) in July
Redditor BillFienberg posted this delightful photo over the Fourth of July weekend from Austin, TX. From your pals in Cleveland, cheers, sir.
Cleveland Native Dave Hill Issues First Comedy Album
Comedian Dave Hill grew up in Cleveland and initially thought he’d become a big-time rock star. With bands such as Uptown Sinclair and Sons of Elvis, both of which played the local circuit during their day, he came to realize he had the gift of gab and could entertain fans as easily with his jokes…
ESPN’s Body Issue Shows the Love
ESPN Magazine’s upcoming Body Issue will feature Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with 24 other athletes chosen for the seventh annual special issue. Love appears on one of six variant covers, in a very typical setting (playing basketball naked in the middle of a vast desert). You can pick up a copy, with…
Roll for Charisma: Lakewood’s Side Quest Hosts Dungeons and Dragons Comedy Show
Lakewood’s nerdiest bar, the Side Quest, will host Knights of the Arcade, a Dungeons and Dragons comedy show, in August. Hailing from the mystical far-off realm of Pittsburgh, these Knights are a team of improv comedians who play a live game of D&D, embarking on a quest built from audience suggestions. The dice rolls are projected…
Comedian Nick Offerman To Headline Cleveland’s Content Marketing World
Cleveland enthusiast Nick Offerman, also known to most as the terrifically strange Ron Swanson on NBC’s hit TV show, Parks and Recreation, will bring his “swanologues” to Cleveland’s Content Marketing World September 8 – 11. The award-winning actor, comedian, writer, and — unsurprisingly — woodworker, has been added to the list of the convention’s celebrity…
Five Can’t-Miss Classical Music Events This Week in Cleveland
Two concerts this week feature members of what might be called the Griebling/Haigh Dynasty of musicians. Margi Griebling-Haigh, oboist and composer, is the daughter of two composers. Her husband, Scott, is assistant principal bass in The Cleveland Orchestra, and their daughter, Gabrielle Haigh, is a soprano and composer who recently graduated from Cambridge University in…
Asian-Fusion Voodoo Tuna Sushi Bar Now Open in Lakewood
While most of us spent our long holiday weekend out of town, hanging with friends and family, or buried beneath a pile of empty beer cans, the owners of Voodoo Tuna Sushi Bar & Lounge (15326 Detroit Ave., 216-302-8862) quietly opened their doors for service. The new “Asian fusion” bistro, which is located on Detroit…
Whitesnake Concert at Hard Rock Live Proves Arena Rock Ain’t Dead Yet
David Coverdale has thrown strong hints that the current Whitesnake tour could be the “last of the big rock shows” and if that ends up indeed being the case, he and the ‘Snake are going out strong. You can see a slideshow of photos from the concert here. In front of a packed house at…
Two Girls With Glasses: Designer Toy Maker Kaitlin Juarez of MadKnits
On the newest episode of Two Girls With Glasses, Brandi McElhatten and Nikki Delamotte talk to master monster-maker Kaitlin Juarez, creator of the designer toys MadKnits. Juarez describes MadKnits creatures as “a ragtag group of alien space explorers that have crashed their ship into our planet and have since made it their home.” Each comes…
New Collaboration on ‘Bounce’ Installation at SPACES Sets Hayride to ‘Self-Destruct’
SPACES is always exploring new ways of creating through experimentation and collaboration. Yet another great example of this takes place from 8 to 10 p.m. this Friday, July 10, as local experimental musicians Chris Auerbach-Brown and Bbob Drake perform a free concert inspired by (and in collaboration with) Hayride, a pneumatic art installation by father…
Fun and Adventurous ‘Treasure Island’ Kicks Off Oberlin Sumer Theater Festival
If Robert Louis Stevenson never imagined his novel, about an innkeeper’s son who happens upon a map of buried treasure, as a stage play, he certainly should have. Because this production mounted by the Oberlin Summer Theater Festival earns a rating of “ARRR” for maximum pirate-y swashbuckling. Treasure Island, as adapted by Ken Ludwig (Lend…
Calling All Musicians: WRUW Needs You For Studio-A-Rama Fest
Hey! Local/regional bands and musicians! WRUW-FM 91.1 wants you for the 34th annual Studio-A-Rama festival in September at Case Western Reserve University. One of the oldest running festivals in Cleveland, the Studio-A-Rama gives musicians and bands an opportunity to increase the exposure for their music and contribute to the Cleveland music scene even if the festival…
Ohio is the Third Worst State in the Nation (According to Thrillist)
We respectfully disagree with Thrillist’s recent blog post that ranks Ohio one of the worst states in the nation. Ohio barely beat out Delaware and Florida to land in 48th place, and according to the blog, bringing LeBron home only confirmed that we’re “the Florida of the North.” Which can’t be true, because Ohio at…
9 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, JULY 3 Oldboy Reminiscent of REM and Neil Young, Oldboy is your traditional indie folk rock group. With dreamy lyrics and almost country instrumentals, the local act has more old school vibe to its music. All of the songs are written, produced and sung by lead guitar player and vocalist Shaw Brewster. “Run” (featuring…
Rock Hall Plans to Incorporate More Tech to Appeal to Younger Audiences
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is infested. It teems with spiky-haired, tight T-shirt wearing teens, all of whom are glued to their cell phones. The kids fall in line, trickling through doors behind tour guides or nipping at the heels of their excitable parents while they try to beat their Angry Birds high…
Actor Adam Scott to Participate in Skype Interview Tomorrow Night at Cedar Lee Theatre
A comedic actor who is apparently up for anything, Parks and Rec’s Adam Scott stars as a man who struggles to come terms with the fact that he has a small penis in The Overnight. The film features one particularly awkward scene in which Scott and co-star Jason Schwartzman compare the size of their schlongs. Of…
Local Guitar Pick Company is the Steel Deal
Scientist and entrepreneur Jerry Mearini works out of an office that looks like something from another time. An old 1959 TV is hooked up to a VCR that plays old sci-fi flicks and various gizmos and gadgets clutter the space. Back in 2003, the Wall Street Journal ran a feature story about all the retro-looking…
Moving Back to the Midwest Has Helped Inspire Singer-Songwriter Matthew Sweet
Good things are definitely always worth waiting for. That’s the general philosophy that singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet seems to be sticking to as he works steadily to complete his next solo album, which is being funded by fans who contributed to his Kickstarter campaign last year. Originally, the singer-songwriter had hoped to have the album out…
Tomori’s in Lakewood Does Thin-Crust Pizza Right
It may be small, but Tomori’s Pizza (15621 Madison Ave., 216-712-6996) in Lakewood is making a mighty big splash on the pizza scene. The largely carry-out pizza and sub shop opened about six months ago, and people have been gobbling up its slender pies ever since. Owner Dean Tomori, who comes to Lakewood by way…
Singer-guitarist John Fogerty Revels in Revisiting His Early Years
After a feud with his former Credence Clearwater Revival bandmates, singer John Fogerty refused to play classic CCR songs for years after the group’s split in 1972. But Fogerty has recently gone back to the CCR catalog. For this tour, dubbed “The 1969 Tour,” he put the emphasis on playing the hits from the three…
Casting Call for a Conrad Faraj Film to be held in Avon Thursday
Open auditions for an upcoming science fiction thriller, Fighting the Sky, will be held Thursday at the Knights of Columbus (1783 Moore Rd) in Avon from 9:30 a.m – 4:45 p.m. Filming will take place July 25 to Aug. 13 in Shelby, Mansfield and Cleveland, as well as in Analomink, Pa. Leading and ensemble roles…
Edgy Johnette Napolitano Defies the Singer-Songwriter Stereotype
The L.A. based alternative rock band Concrete Blonde wasn’t hugely popular in the ’80s but it delivered some pretty compelling music. Its 1989 album Free yielded “God is a Bullet,” a heavy-hitting song about drive-by shootings that landed in rotation on the influential L.A.-based station KROQ. In fact, when the band reunited a few years…
Council on American-Islamic Relations Seeks Probe into Cleveland Officer’s Twitter Activity
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on the Cleveland Division of Police to investigate Sgt. Frank Woyma’s social media activity, which, the group points out publicly, includes a litany of anti-Islam messaging and racist overtones. Much of Woyma’s social output is the fairly rote “blue lives matter,” “teach your kids to comply” police…
Food Network Pegs Cleveland’s Melt Bar and Grilled as a Must-Stop Shop
Dripping with cheese and trans fats, Melt Bar and Grilled’s iconic sandwiches have been making Cleveland mouths water since it was founded in 2006. This month, it’s getting international recognition from Food Network Canada’s You Gotta Eat Here! Filming for the foodie franchise starts at 11 a.m. July 20 and welcomes any local sandwich-lovers to…
Cleveland Pride to Be Rescheduled, Date Still Unknown
Just a day after the historic SCOTUS ruling gave the LGBT community plenty to be proud of, it quite literally rained on their parade. Cleveland Pride has been a rain-or-shine festival in the past, but the predicted heavy rain and gale-force winds on the planned date of Saturday, June 27, were considered too much of…
Tremont’s Dervish Grill is Closed
In early 2013, Istanbul Grill (2505 professor Ave.) abruptly shut its doors after two and a half years as Tremont’s only Turkish eatery. But all was not lost; new owners Ashley and Mehmet Candan, who at the time operated Dervish Grill in Avon, moved their business into the space, changed the name to Dervish Grill,…
Seven-Year-Old Ohio Girl Stands Up to Anti-Gay Activist
First grader Zea Bowling is making headlines after a powerful confrontation between the seven-year-old and a homophobic preacher was caught on camera at a Columbus-area festival over the weekend. Miss Bowling was attending ComFest, an annual community festival that had turned into a spontaneous celebration of Friday’s historic Supreme Court ruling, with her family when…
Scene Podcast: No Sleep in the CLE with Justin Markert and Garret Komyati of The Modern Electric
On today’s No Sleep in the CLE, Justin Markert sits down with Garret Komyati, singer/guitarist/pianist for the popular Cleveland band The Modern Electric. They talk about Cleveland, movies, movies from the 70s, Wes Anderson movies, and — oh yeah — the band and their new album. Stream the episode below. Follow No Sleep in the…
James Franco Coming to Cleveland to Showcase Artwork by Him and His Brother
“You don’t like art? You play video games? Guess what, buddy? You like art. You ever been to Subway? You order a sandwich? Someone put that together for you, dude. That’s art. Let me lay this on you, Jay. Your momma’s pussy was the canvas; your dad’s dick was the paint brush. BOOM. You’re the…
Film Review of the Week: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
One has to close one’s eyes and really strain to imagine a film with more signposts of Sundance-darlinghood than Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which opens Wednesday for the long holiday weekend at the Cedar Lee. Endlessly verbal, cripplingly antisocial, white teenage protag? Check. Hip, dispassionate, straight-shootingly wise black best bud? Check. Slow-blossoming…
Running With The Dogs of Summer
The “dog days” of summer —from now till the middle of August — are called that because Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun. And that apparently makes us hot and prone to inactivity, not to mention liberally self-medicating with Margaritas. Setting aside the issue of why we can’t train…
Brandon Juhasz’s Photographs and Sculptures Showcase Real Life
Less than a week after a rainy Waterloo Arts Fest, Collinwood’s Maria Neil Art Project (MNAP) hosts an opening reception from 5 to 10 p.m. this Friday for IRL, photographs and sculptures by Cleveland-based artist/photographer Brandon Juhasz. Instead of traditionally documenting his environment through conventional photography, Juhasz reappropriates stock photos from the Internet, camera phones…
Raising a Toast to Some of Our Favorite Dive Bars, Just in Case They Disappear
Were it any other bar and maybe any other city, the news back in the spring of 2014 would have trickled through the real estate page and nightlife underbelly quietly. But this wasn’t just any bar; it was the Harbor Inn. And when Cleveland found out that King Wally (real name: Vlado Pisorn) was putting…
Slyman’s and Dynomite Evolve and Grow into Exciting New Locations
It’s impossible to improve upon a Slyman’s corned beef sandwich, long the king of the category in a town full to the rafters with worthy subjects. Same goes for Dynomite burgers, the two-fisted beef bombs conceived and dispensed by mega-operator Zack Bruell. But two new restaurants prove that even the best concepts can be improved…
Band of the Week: Beach Stav
Meet the Band: Jon Conley (vocals), Michael Conley (guitar), Adam Barry (drums), Dan Kowalski (bass), Dan Cooley (guitar) A Family Affair: The band started five or six years ago when Conley began a solo project. His brother Pat originally joined the group, and it became a two-piece. “He’s having a bunch of babies, so bands…
