Birth of the Blue
Unless they have achieved a certain level of cachet, restaurateurs know that building a strong following for a new dining room can be a long and arduous process. Even under the best of circumstances, diners stroll into a new spot practically daring the staff to impress them. And under the worst of circumstances — say,…
Hero and Heroin
When Billy Joe Shaver gives directions to his modest house on the outskirts of Waco, Texas, he says to disregard the handwritten sign on his front door. “Please do not disturb. I haven’t slept in two days,” it reads. “That’s just so some ol’ drunks don’t come by at five in the morning to talk,”…
Straight Outta Painesville
When the RZA, producer and main architect of the Wu-Tang Clan, performed at the Agora last month, Lozell Siler bumrushed the stage and started hollering “Gimme the mic! I want the mic!” After climbing over the railing at the front of the stage, he eventually made his way past security and was able to get…
Flowers for Ian
These days, Echo & the Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch would rather keep it light, belying his image as a dour, trench-coated paragon of cool. He’s on the publicity train again, giving a dozen interviews a day, unleashing unexpected zingers, and paradoxically, coming across as a regular family guy. Known for his wit and opinions (he…
Barenaked Ladies
Because their latest album, Maroon, has been out for about a year now, Barenaked Ladies’ summer tour is really just an outdoor extension of the shows they played earlier in support of the record. But that really doesn’t matter to fervent followers of the Canadian band, which could probably play 20 local shows a year…
Glad Hatter
He sings, he dances, he acts — he’s a man of many hats. His name is Jonathan Wilhelm, but to the seven-and-under crowd, he’s Mr. Hatbox, the flamboyant storyteller who pulls tall tales from his chapeaus each week during children’s storytime at Borders bookstores throughout the area. In seven years, the 40-year-old Lorain man has…
Aerosmith
Name a band with less artistic cred than Aerosmith. Go ahead. Try. Sure, our Beantown boys remain quick on the draw with those classic-leaning guitar-pop anthems, and singer Steven Tyler still has more charisma than every “modern” rock frontman put together. But really, really digging Aerosmith requires one to endure a nearly infinite number of…
NASCAR Newbies
Nothing says “massive endorphin overload” like a car hurtling around a track at 200 mph. Fans of NASCAR live the experience vicariously each week, and now they’re doing it as part of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at Lorain County Speedway, where the sweet smells of vulcanized rubber, motor oil, and popcorn chicken are sanctioned…
Stevie Nicks
Singer-songwriter-enchantress Stevie Nicks baptized her solo career with ardor in 1981 when she took time off from her tumultuous leading role in ’70s icons Fleetwood Mac to write and record Bella Donna. The project not only proved her prolific creative potential, but also her market value as a solo artist. The album went quadruple platinum…
Legally Bland
Back in her early teens, Reese Witherspoon proved herself a terrific actress in her big-screen debut, Man in the Moon in 1991. Since then, she’s done first-rate work in critical hits like Pleasantville, cult faves like Freeway and Election, and underrated gems like Best Laid Plans. So how is it she now finds herself stuck…
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers are pedigreed to the max and vernaculared to the hilt. These consummate R&B musicians are New Orleans’s most prominent claim to pop fame, occupying a position analogous to Wynton Marsalis’s in jazz. They’re venerable, infectious, and ineffably musical. They craft great songs and not-so-great albums, and they’re hobbled by the very fact…
Gunning for Adulthood
In David Maquiling’s quirky little first feature, Too Much Sleep, a rudderless 24-year-old who lives at home with his mother and works nights as a security guard must go on a quest. Rising lazily from his bed, he sets out into the tidy suburbs of New Jersey to track down a .38 revolver that’s been…
Action Figure Party
Sparked by the frequently brilliant keyboards, witty lyrics, and less-than-memorable vocals of Greg Kurstin, Action Figure Party’s self-titled debut is highly engaging and largely appealing, though at times a bit too clever for its own good. It includes the fusion of “Everybody’s Ready,” the bright riffing of “Pong Baby,” the slinky voodoo of “No Sleep,”…
The Blue Bluegrass of Home
Even more than the recent Depression-era comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the turn-of-the-century drama Songcatcher is an absolute treasure trove of old-timey, traditional folk music. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia in the year 1907, the film follows city-bred musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer) as she traverses the remote, swampy forests…
Built to Spill
Singer-guitarist Doug Martsch used to kick out the jams. He still does on Ancient Melodies of the Future, the new album from Built to Spill, but they’re shorter now and more to the point. The album represents a departure for Martsch’s Boise, Idaho post-punk trio. Instead of eight- and nine-minute rock songs that occasionally drip…
Statute of Liberty
On a residential street in Richmond Heights, on a misty February day, someone heard a scream. A tall man was pushing a tiny blond woman in her 60s into the back seat of a black car. Someone called 911, and police stopped the car. The woman spoke little English, but the man behind the wheel…
Perry Farrell
As the frontman for late ’80s legends Jane’s Addiction, singer Perry Farrell mapped out an amphetamine dream of hard rock and roll fueled by the heedless roar of his band and the never-ending circus surrounding it. When Jane’s was silenced, Farrell seemed to get lost in his new band, the space-rock freak show Porno for…
Labor’s Day
If there was one day that John Ryan knew he had made his mark on Cleveland politics, it was May 23. That morning, Ryan heard that Mayor Michael White had called a press conference to make an announcement. Like a lot of people, he figured White was about to do what had been expected for…
Biastfear
In a fit of misguided inventiveness, Biastfear — a local heavyish metal act that churns out the sort of stop/start agit-guitar that defines modern metal — decided to add a pretty female R&B crooner as its lead singer. It was an attempt, one figures, to “blur the lines” between such diverse styles. Judging by Biastfear’s…
The Mistake in Eastlake?
It’s possible to park at an Eastlake strip mall and get a gun, a fake tan, and a cash advance on a paycheck. But if you want anything more, you do what everyone else in Eastlake does: head for Willoughby or Mentor. “There isn’t a single place in this city for our citizens to spend…
Urbin Blight
Every paper gets them. People call to yak about a story they dislike, declare they’re part of a growing revolt against your paper, and say they’ll [insert method of economic revenge] if you don’t [insert unreasonable demand]. The wise editor usually appeases such callers with a tone of false sincerity — the better to dispatch…
Gettin’ Hot in the Kitchen
Politicians have no use for the homeless: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know by now: President Bush is a heartless businessman who caters to wealthy industrialists. That’s been obvious since he announced he would run. Laura Putre’s article [“Starved for Attention, June 7] did not succeed in revealing anything new. However, by resorting to personal…
Two Hearts in Waltz Time
If you want a dose of future shock where the musical is concerned, go see Moulin Rouge. In this neurotic film, a gaudy-hued cast lip-synchs snatches of anachronistic ballads in a freak-show Belle Epoque Paris. The film’s dubious pleasures are no more sincere than those of an automated Macy’s window stuck in high gear. If…
