Carmine “The Bull” Agnello Will Avoid Jail, Fork Over a Hefty Fine in Plea Deal on Racketeering and Conspiracy Charges From 2015 in Cleveland
Update: Two years after being arrested and charged on racketeering and conspiracy charges in Cleveland Carmine “The Bull” Agnello pleaded guilty this week to lesser charges and avoided jail time. The former son-in-law of John Gotti and reputed Gambino family mobster copped to theft, possession of a gun by a felon, and an environmental violation in…
Catch the Next Cleveland Flea on Aug. 8
If you haven’t had a chance yet this summer to catch the Cleveland Flea, the local small business and vintage goods pop-up wonderland, head over to 3615 Superior Ave. next month on Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. As usual, the Flea brings trendy merchandise and tasty eats to Tyler Village for all the…
Lockwood Thompson Dialogues Bring Influential Artists to Cleveland This Summer
This weekend, the Cleveland Public Library and Cleveland Museum of Art are partnering to bring one of the pioneers of socio-political African American art, Barkley Hendricks, to Cleveland. Born in Philadelphia in 1945, Hendricks’ life-sized portraits of African American males during the 1960s have continued to influence countless young artists throughout the past several decades.…
In Saturday Presentation, Yael Raviv to Draw Connection Between Food and Art
Last week, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) unveiled its latest juried group exhibition, Sustenance: From Palate to Pallete. The show features artwork inspired by and/or created using food as a medium. In conjunction with its exhibition, the AAWR is hosting a special discussion with Yael Raviv, director of Umami: Food and Art…
Thirllist Names Hoppin’ Frog Brewery Best in Ohio
It’s no secret that Northeast Ohio is a beer mecca with the iconic Great Lakes Brewing Company, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, Market Garden Brewery, Nano Brew, and many more who call this region home. Recently, Thrillist decided to embark on the ambitious quest of naming the best craft breweries in every state. Their Ohio…
Magic Hours: Following Cleveland’s 48 Hour Film Project
Matt Weitz will never have to worry about losing his hair. The thick blonde-brown waves are evergreen, catching the light and framing his baby blues. The locks, flicking out of a black baseball cap, set him apart from other actors. He self-consciously takes off his hat and fluffs out his curls, afraid they may flatten.…
Repurposing Lost Photography at Cleveland Print Room’s Upcoming Exhibition
Less than a week after its Exquisite Corpse fundraiser, the Cleveland Print Room (CPR) invites you back for an opening reception for its latest exhibition. Destruction of Form opens this Friday, July 24 from 5 to 9 p.m. The exhibition showcases work by accomplished Cleveland-based painter John W. Carlson and CPR founder and director Shari…
5 Cleveland Restaurants Bringing Pizza to the People
Foodies and historians may look back at the summer and fall of 2015 as a transition time for pizza in Cleveland. The city has plenty of men and women on the hunt for the perfect pie, much like the perfect bottle of beer or piece of barbeque. This summer, the summer of pizza, began with…
Remember That Secret Plain Dealer Gubernatorial Endorsement Video? Here’s a Clip.
Now feels like an appropriate time to post that Plain Dealer gubernatorial endorsement video that the NEOMG was so insistent upon keeping secret. Kasich announced his presidential candidacy this morning, and among other things, that means that dodging questions the way he did in October, 2014, will be much more difficult. The ravenous national political…
Kasich Announces He’s Running for President; Scene Announces His Logo Sucks
John Kasich announced his candidacy for the 2016 Presidential election on Tuesday, and with that, the Republican field now outnumbers China’s Guangxi province. If you’re a Republican and an Ohioan, you may be inclined to buy a Kasich yard sign or decal at some point over the next year. The campaign merch will probably feature…
Cleveland Moviegoers Fuel Trainwreck’s Opening Weekend Success
The raunchy Amy Schumer rom-com Trainwreck opened to a better-than-expected $30.1 million at the box office this weekend. One reason for its success, say industry watchers: Cleveland fans, who flocked to the cineplex to see hometown hero LeBron James. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Cleveland, as a market, performed 66 percent higher than initial estimates,…
Go Support Weapons of Mass Creation Fest Aug 7-9 at the Allen Theatre
The sixth annual Weapons of Mass Creation Fest goes down in just a couple weeks at the Allen Theatre. If it’s related to design and stuff (that’s industry jargon, by the way), it’s showcased here, with talks and artists and panels and workshops and the list goes on and on and on, and so does…
Singer-Songwriter Tim Kirker Has Fond Memories of Playing Music in Cleveland
Singer-songwriter Tim Kirker will play a special homecoming gig on Friday night at the Beachland Ballroom to celebrate his excellent new solo release, Shallow End of a Deep River. Now based in the New York area, Kirker still has fond memories of the time he spent playing music in Cleveland during the ’80s with bands…
Breweries Band Together to Back Brew Bus Following Break-In
The Cleveland Brew Bus is booked solid with tours that introduce beer lovers from all over the region to some of Cleveland’s best breweries. Run by Leslie Basalla and Brian McCafferty, the local outfit is a valuable link in the chain when it comes to supporting out local craft beer economy. So when the Brew…
Former Cleveland Painter Harris Johnson to Discuss Work on Display at MOCA
In conjunction with its Summer 2015 exhibition, How to Remain Human, MOCA Cleveland continues its free, ongoing presentation series, THE ART + DOGS OF OUR TIME at the Happy Dog at Euclid Tavern. Each month of the summer, MOCA invites one of the current exhibition’s artists to discuss his or her work, inspiration, subject matter,…
The Five Classical Music Events You Should Check Out This Week
Christmas in July. OK, it’s odd, but if you’re eagerly looking forward to the December holidays, here are two events will help you out with that. On Friday, July 24 at 12:15 Noon, carillioneur George Leggiero will play Christmas tunes (Nino Rota’s Novena de Natale, Irving Berlin’s I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, Mel Tormé’s…
Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Inspired Singer-Songwriter Brandi Carlile’s New Album
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile got a lucky break about ten years ago when Dave Matthews heard her singing on a side stage at the Gorge, the outdoor amphitheater located just outside of Seattle. Matthews hooked her up with his booking agent, and Carilile has been busy ever since. Her latest album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter, is another…
Wilco to Play Masonic Auditorium in September
It’s been years since alt-country icons Wilco have played Cleveland, but the Chicago-based sextet has just announced tour dates and will perform at 8 p.m on Sept. 17 at the Masonic Auditorium. The band is touring in support of its new album, Star Wars, its ninth studio album and its first since 2011’s The Whole Love. The…
Indie Rockers Cake Offer an Alternative to the Alternative
On tour this summer to play a few festivals and then headline a gig at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, Cake singer John McCrea says he used to “really, really hate” festivals. “They used to be a celebration of bombast and excess in America,” he says in a recent phone interview. “They’re still about overeating music,…
Cleveland’s “Master Pizza” Chef Wins First Place At National Pizza Competition
Every town has that one pizza parlor that locals say is the best in the world, but here in Cleveland we can back up our claim with evidence. Michael P. LaMarca of Master Pizza won first prize in the Slice of Americana pizza competition on July 4. LaMarca has been competing for six years and has…
First-Ever Movement for Black Lives Convening Will Take Place in Cleveland This Weekend
From July 24-26, the Movement for Black Lives Convening will take place at Cleveland State University, uniting for the first time on such a scale the vast activist community that is working toward equal civil rights and racial justice in the U.S. That the Convening will be set against a backdrop of intense police scrutiny…
Police Chief, Self-Proclaimed “God of Put-in-Bay,” Accused of Covering Up Police Rapes
The Sandusky Register is reporting that Put-in-Bay Police Chief Robert “Ric” Lampela ignored incidents of drugging and rape within the ranks of his Lake Erie Island police force as far back as 2003. Scene reporter Doug Brown wrote the story of rampant roofies at Put-in-Bay last year, but it turns out the alleged date-rapes of bar…
Stellar Performances Distinguish Wheels of Soul Stop at Jacobs Pavilion
Record label executives hoping to make a buck are often the ones behind many of the summer package tours that hit the road over the summer. Not last night’s Wheels of Soul, a triple bill that included co-headliners Tedeschi Trucks Band and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings along with opener Doyle Bramhall II. The…
Kyrie Irving to Launch Underwear Line
As if sporting the Kyrie Irving’s custom jerseys, shoes and socks wasn’t enough, diehard fans can now wear the same underwear as the young star too. The young Cavs point guard is hoping to get in fans’ pants with the upcoming launch of an underwear line by PSD this August. His first signature collection for…
Seth Rollins Says Johnny Manziel Has a Face ‘You Just Want to Punch’
Earlier this summer, WWE’s Seth Rollins was in town for a Monday Night RAW gig at the Q and trolled Johnny “Idiotface” Manziel, who was in attendance, in front of the crowd. Apparently, the heavyweight champ has a few other things to say about the Browns QB, which he did, with gusto, in a recent podcast…
Scene Dining Editor Doug Trattner Takes Home First Prize for Food Writing at Altweekly Awards
We like to think we have the best food writer in the biz, and the news from Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s annual awards ceremony this past weekend in Salt Lake City backs us up. Your humble and hungry dining editor, Doug Trattner, took home first place for food writing among the crowded and deserving crop…
Bier Markt’s Summer Sour Slam a Celebration of all Brews Wild and Funky
“How the hell can you drink that?” That’s the typical response a sour beer lover gets when they entreat – beg, really – a newbie to give their sour swill a sip. Like oysters, scotch and kimchi, sour beers definitely are an acquired taste. While in no danger of surpassing hoppy IPAs as the most…
DMC Proves He’s Still a Microphone Fiend
“Born to rock around the clock. You can’t say I’m not. And in case you forgot..I’m the Kiiiiiing of Rock.” As if anyone could forget. Those opening lines from Run-DMC’s “Hit It Run” describe the career of Darryl “DMC” McDaniels in a nutshell. The word “seminal” isn’t strong enough to describe the influence that DMC,…
Scene Staff Writer Doug Brown is Headed West: A Tribute to a Friend
Scene staff writer Doug Brown is headed west, and every reader in Cleveland, (or at the very least every reader of this publication), should mourn the departure, after which we should applaud his accomplishments over the past two years. Doug tendered his resignation Monday and plans, he says, to take a few months traveling among…
Loud in Cleveland Podcast with Dan Miraldi
The latest episode of Loud in Cleveland hit the podcast waves this weekend, with hosts Drew Maziasz and Michael Cornacchione talking shop with local favorite Dan Miraldi, whose new album Chaos, Destruction, and Dancing will be the centerpiece of a release show at Mahall’s 20 Lanes on Aug. 14. Check out the full episode below. From Mike:…
311 Touch All Corners of Canon During Hard Rock Live Concert
After years of our post-Tower City Amphitheater 311 drought, the gang from Omaha returned to Northeast Ohio this week for a fantastic show that brought great moments from every era of their history. Opening with the pulsing notes of “Freeze Time,” the band took the stage by storm and pounded through a relentless and classically…
Notes from the Akron, Ohio, Trainwreck Premiere, on the Occasion of its Nationwide Release
*Ne’er has a legitimate red carpet been so plush- and primly unrolled on the parking lot outside the Regal Montrose 12, if indeed a red carpet has ever been unrolled at the Regal Montrose 12 at all. The Regal Montrose 12 is a shopping-plaza cineplex on Akron’s northwesternmost edge, 40 minutes south of Cleveland during…
Michael Symon, Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, First Big Celebs Announced for Fab Food Show
Michael Symon once again will return to the Fabulous Food Show. He and Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro are the first two big-name stars confirmed by organizers to appear at this year’s big event. Now in its 10th year, the three-day attraction is one of the largest food shows of its kind in the nation. This…
Raekwon and Ghostface Killah Celebrate the Anniversary of a Seminal Album
Twenty years is a mighty long time. To put things in a better perspective, in the summer of 1995, movies like Dangerous Minds, The Usual Suspects and the cult classic Mortal Kombat were all making waves at the box office, Venus and Serena Williams were just turning pro, and Michael Jordan only had three of his…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, JULY 17 Neon Trees The Utah outfit Neon Trees has been on the scene for a bit now, landing on the Billboard Hot 100 with several singles over the course of a 10-year career. Notable for bringing handclaps back into fashion with 2011’s “Animal” and setting the pace for LGBT musicians everywhere, the band…
Local Hardcore Act Above This Fire Honored with Special Fat Head’s Sandwich
Almost to the date six years ago, Above This Fire’s LT Magnotto wrote to let us know that the band’s favorite greasy spoon, George’s Kitchen in Westpark named a sandwich after his local hardcore band. Apparently, the restaurant’s owner saw a press photo of the group that was taken in front of his diner and…
Cleveland’s Guys With Guitars to Play Euclid City Limits
Local guitarist Doug Wood, a guy who cites bands such as the Who, King Crimson, Michael Hedges, Pat Metheny and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones as influences, is one of Cleveland’s finest guitarists. A John Carroll University graduate, he formed the acoustic group Watts Gnu in 1989. After that band broke up, Wood has worked…
For Sale: A Slice of Cleveland Music History
It’s time to call in all favors, collect on all loaned money, and empty the piggy bank because the historic Phantasy Entertainment Complex in Lakewood is for sale. Come up with $2.5 million, and a slice of Cleveland’s musical past, present and future could be yours. This listing price for the 1915 complex includes the arcade,…
Cedar Point Ranked Among 25 Best Amusement Parks in the World
Recently, Trip Advisor ranked the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the World, and Ohio’s beloved Cedar Point was awarded the 14th spot, beating out attractions in Florida, California, and several international parks – which is cool and all, but we’re wondering why we only got number 14? We take pride in being the roller coaster capital of…
Roving Pizza Shop In Forno to Open Brick-and-Mortar Pizzeria in Avon
For the past five years, George Goodman and his roving pizza oven have been regular fixtures at events like Wade Oval Wednesday, Crocker Park Farmers Market, and Friday Night wine tastings at the Olde Wine Cellar in Olmsted Falls. On a busy night, Goodman’s and his In Forno Pizza can crank out 150 pies for…
Beachland Ballroom and Tavern Launches Live Weekly Podcast
The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern has just launched the Super Duper Saturday Show, a live weekly podcast that’ll take place in front of an audience on the Beachland Tavern stage on Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. The event, which kicked off last week, will feature different hosts as well as an array of different…
IKEA in Brooklyn Update: Hold Your Horses
This morning, the Plain Dealer’s Michelle Jarboe McFee advised us all to chill the heck out with the IKEA-in-Brooklyn festivities, especially in light of an erroneous Fox 8 report last week that the Swedish furniture retailer could open in Northeast Ohio as early as 2016. No effin way. What was characterized by Fox 8 as a…
Rock Hall to Screen Documentary about British Punks the Damned
The Damned spearheaded the punk rock movement in the UK, but the group is often criminally forgotten when one thinks of quintessential punk bands. Also known as “the first UK punks on wax,” the band famously played its first show ever opening for the Sex Pistols at London’s 100 Club. That show was later released…
Here’s a Fucking Map
We’re suckers for data-driven maps, and that holds true especially when they involve curse words. This one comes via Gawker, which helpfully laid out maps from research done by Jack Grieve, a Forensic Linguistics professor at Aston University in England. The goal was to see which parts of the country use certain vulgarities the most,…
Summa CEO Dr. Tom Malone Would Like Employees to Dress Better Than Wal-Mart Shoppers
There’s been quite a stir this morning in reaction to news that Summa has instituted a new dress code policy for its some 9,000 employees. Most notably, at least according to the internet, is a requirement for employees to wear underwear, which doesn’t seem to be really their business at all no matter how you…
Big Crowds Welcome Cleveland Orchestra for Blossom Season Opener
by Daniel Hathaway A crowd estimated at 10,000 blanketed the lawn and filled the center section of the vast pavilion on Saturday evening, July 11, as The Cleveland Orchestra settled into its Blossom season. The program included striking performances of Olivier Messiaen’s L’Ascension and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 led by music director Franz…
Decho Ensemble Celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Adolph Sax
by Mike Telin The saxophone duo “Jake and Sarah” are no strangers to Cleveland audiences. “We have really grown to love the city,” Jake Swanson told us in an interview prior to their October 2014 performances at Trinity Cathedral and Lorain Country Community College’s Signature Series. “The audiences are not only so sophisticated, they are…
Rapper Vince Staples Delivers a Nuanced Performance at the Grog Shop
Vince Staples’ new album, Summertime ‘06, is turning heads for its blunt take on gang life in Long Beach, Calif., its extraordinarily subtle, yet booming, beats and its ability to speak to the loss of innocence in Staples’ life as a teenage gangbanger. With a Pitchfork rating of 8.8, Summertime ‘06 is a critical success…
Train Brings Positive Vibrations to Blossom
It’s hard to hate a band like Train. While some of the San Francisco band’s pop hits veer toward the pedestrian with refrains like “hey, hey, hey,” the group has keen pop sensibilities with broad appeal. The audience at last night’s family friendly 90-minute concert at Blossom included children, adults and elderly folks. And the…
East Cleveland Mayor Turns in Signatures for Merger
East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton submitted 1,600 signatures to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections yesterday to begin the merger process with the city of Cleveland. If signatures are approved — and N.B.: legitimately obtained signatures were hard to come by in the Frank Jackson recall campaign — the current petition will establish a commission with…
Ten Bands You Should See at This Year’s Warped Tour
Vans Warped Tour, which was established 1995, has been giving punk fans a summer escape since its beginning. In recent years, as punk has continued to morph into different subgenres, the tour has embraced the changes and included hip-hop, dubstep and even spoken word as part of its programming. Here are some of the acts…
Six Shooter Coffee Roaster and Café to Open this Fall on Waterloo
Add Six Shooter Coffee Roasters to the growing roster of commercial tenants moving into the Waterloo district of N. Collinwood, which appears now, more than ever, at a tipping point in terms of real progress. In the coming weeks and months, the area will welcome Citizen Pie pizza café, a farm-to-table bistro from Luxe Kitchen…
Alt Rock Band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to Headline NEOCycle’s Music Fest
Alternative rock band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. will headline NEOCycle’s second annual Music Fest September 12 at the Hub at Edgewater Park. The band will be joined by Northeast Ohio natives the Speedbumps and the Modern Electric, along with a dozen other bands on two stages during the two-day, free event. The headliner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.…
Guide to Kulchur Wants to Expand, Start Publishing House, Employ 20 People
Gordon Square’s bookstore and zinemaking co-op Guide to Kluchur has launched a crowdfunding campaign to transform from an LLC to a Worker-Owned Cooperative and to purchase equipment necessary to become a fully functioning publishing house. In its appeal for donations, GTK says it hopes to employ 20 people at $15 per hour. “The core of…
Watch this New Cleveland Browns Hype-Up Video
As the Cavs’ summer free agency slows down and the Indians continue to be a below .500 team, all eyes in Cleveland are shifting to the Cleveland Browns. This is a football town. and with Browns training camp starting later this month the Dawg Pound is foaming at the mouth to see their Brownies in…
Video: Jimmy Fallon Dunks on LeBron James in a Game of “Faceketball”
If you caught the Tonight Show last night, you would have seen LeBron James talk about his upcoming film, Trainwreck, being back in Cleveland, and how his kids helped him get out of that losing-the-finals funk. Later, Fallon and James literally go head to head in a game of “faceketball,” in which they dunk in…
Percussionist Jamey Haddad to Speak at Rock Hall
Currently a professor at the Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland native Jamey Haddad is a world-renowned percussionist who played with Paul Simon. Tonight at 7 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, he’ll participate in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “From Songwriters to Soundmen” series. After talking about working with Simon, he’ll…
Ohio Bartender Who Plotted to Kill John Boehner Ruled Insane
A bartender who was charged with threatening to kill Republican House Speaker John Boehner was found not guilty by reason of insanity in federal district court Monday. The man, Michael R. Hoyt, formerly worked at Boehner’s country club in West Chester, Ohio. Hoyt crafted a plot which included poisoning Boehner’s drink at the Wetherington Country…
UPDATED: Rising Star to Plant Flag Downtown with New Coffee Shop
“We’ve been looking downtown for a while,” says Rising Star Coffee Roasters GM Robert Stockham. Apparently, they found just the right spot. Within the next 90 days, Rising Star will open a retail coffee shop in the Old Arcade. The 700-square-foot shop (412 Superior Ave.), formerly Al Wilhelmy Flowers, is located directly adjacent to the…
My Opinion On Oakwood Commons So Far
I’ve been following (and writing about) Oakwood Commons since it was announced back in 2011. Here’s a compendium of some of the early claims by the developer and what has happened since. # 1: “This densely populated area is underserved by national retailers, and there is more demand than can be accommodated by University Square,…
Band of the Week: Johnny La Rock & Furface
Meet the Band: Johnny La Rock (samplers, turntables), Will Hooper (guitar), Furface (MIDI controllers) Strength in Numbers: Furface and Johnny La Rock, who both played in the local hip-hop outfit Presque Vu, have been making music with one another for years. When that band split up, they both started focusing on solo projects before reconvening…
The Trip Out to Geneva Isn’t What It Used to Be, and That’s a Good Thing
While we love taking daytrips out to Geneva and the Grand River Valley, we get a little bored hitting the same old spots summer in and summer out. Which is why we’re pleased to report that a few new and/or improved attractions have given wine, beer, booze and food fans all the motivation they need…
Talking Film Production with Local Set Decorator Carmen Navis
The talk of the town buzzes constantly with news of another major film shooting around the city. But when big-time productions like Captain America aren’t closing down state highways, it’s the smaller outfits that are really putting Cleveland on the map for film work. Carmen Navis, a set decorator, picks up work through the Cleveland…
Overbuilt Retail Has Left Dead Malls Strewn Across Northeast Ohio. Will Severance Town Center Be Next?
Retail is a notoriously tough business, and these days, malls seem to lose their luster within half a generation as consumers change their shopping habits and shiny, new competitors are built. Yesterday’s Randall Park, Euclid Square and Rolling Acres — all shuttered Northeast Ohio malls that have inspired viral memes of pond scum-filled entryways and…
Film Review of the Week: Trainwreck
LeBron James has taken his talents to the silver screen, and though he’s only in a handful of scenes in Trainwreck, the Judd Apatow-directed, Amy Schumer-written rom-com out everywhere this weekend, he’s still a bit of a scene stealer. Both co-star Bill Hader and Apatow himself, at the film’s Akron premiere last week, attributed this…
Film Spotlight: Angst
This Wednesday and Saturday, Cleveland Cinemas will screen the banned ’80s Austrian thriller, Angst, at the Capitol Theatre. Angst means “fear” in German, but be not afraid of this jostling first-person portrait of a psychotic serial killer who, the moment he’s released from a 10-year prison sentence, plans and executes his next violent crime. Be…
A Young Woman, Disfigured in an Accident, Seeks Hope in Violet at Porthouse Theatre
A great piece of theater should seek the same three things that Dorothy’s pals were pursuing in The Wizard of Oz. Because when you have a show that has a brain, heart and courage, you’ve got pretty much the whole package. And that is what Violet offers, through the gospel-rock music by Jeanine Tesori and…
