What to Do Tonight: Phosphorescent
Born to be mild Matthew Houck has spent his career taking Phosphorescent through all sorts of twists and turns. His earliest records — especially 2003’s debut album, A Hundred Times or More — lumped Houck in with the burgeoning freak-folk scene. He spread his wings on 2005’s Aw Come Aw Wry, a wildly inventive but…
What to Do Tonight: Creed
Still annoying as hell A lot of times when bands break up, fans can’t understand why. When Creed splintered in 2004, there was no mystery. During their peak in the late ’90s, frontman Scott Stapp went on and on about how he sang his band’s hit song “With Arms Wide Open” as his wife was…
What to Do Tonight: Lady Antebellum
See where drunk-dialing gets you? Lady Antebellum went from minor country breakouts to major pop stars this year thanks to a song about horny drunk-dialing at 1:15 a.m. The Nashville trio’s “Need You Now” is one of those songs that comes around maybe once a year and transcends genres. Pop, country, and especially adult radio…
What to Do Tonight: Anthony Hamilton
Even his hat is old-school Authenticity has never been a problem for Anthony Hamilton, who was cast as a soul singer in the 2007 movie American Gangster (the true story about a guy who ran Harlem during the golden era of soul music in the ’70s). Despite having one of the most convincing voices in…
Pre-Show Q&A: Creed
Hair or no hair, dude’s still a douche One of the most hated bands to ever go into a recording studio, Creed has sold nearly 35 million albums since forming in 1995. It’s staggering, really, when you consider the way the band’s sound is so derivative of better bands like Pearl Jam and Alice in…
What to Do Tonight: Dawes
Is that Harpo Marx back there? Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith writes about what he knows only halfway. He doesn’t quite understand feelings. He may not be an expert on his own emotions, but he sure knows how to use them to draw audience reaction. It also helps that Dawes’ live shows are more plugged in…
Out Today: Arcade Fire
Arcade FireThe Suburbs(Merge) Everything Arcade Fire does is big: the ballads, the rockers, the kitchen-sink epics. Even their laidback introspective songs have a grand scope. This has been their routine from the start, but on their terrific third album, The Suburbs, they make even the most restrained moments sound like the fate of the world…
What to Do Tonight: Rogue Wave
Awesome fro, dude Rogue Wave have had to overcome some pretty tough obstacles over the past few years: the tragic death of a former bandmate, a kidney transplant, and a spinal-cord problem that numbed one of the members’ hands. So it’s all the more surprising that they craft such peaceful pop songs that feature the…
What to Do Tonight: Gogol Bordello
They’ll be cooking a goat and reading fortunes later No matter what you toss into Gogol Bordello’s gypsy-punk stew, it’s gonna taste pretty much the same. Some seasoning may make it a little spicier; hints of a different worldly flavor may tickle your tongue. But it’s the same tasty dish you’ve been eating the past…
What to Do Tonight: Bear in Heaven
Looking for picnic baskets Founded by John Philpot in 2003, Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven have seen a steady procession of members filter in and out over the years. That sorta explains why 2009’s Beast Rest Forth Mouth is only the band’s second album. In addition to the revolving-door membership, the group has a tendency to…
What to Do Tonight: Gringo Star
Opening for Mall McCartney With a smartass name like Gringo Star, you’d probably think this Atlanta quartet churns out archly ironic post-punk. But Gringo Star explode with a sound similar to the stripped-down bluesabilly rave-ups that horrified adults and adrenalized teens within earshot of the Animals and Kinks’ stomping grounds in the ’60s. They were…
What to Do Tonight: The Maine
Dressed for success Who says youth is wasted on the young? The Maine began in 2007, when most of the band’s members were freshly graduated from their Tempe high school. Naming themselves after a song by their favorite band Ivory, the Maine set up a MySpace page and built an audience the new-fashioned way (they’ve…
What to Do Tonight: Blitzen Trapper
They’d like to show you something in the basement Really smart scientists have proven that our taste in music mostly comes from our memories. Daniel J. Levitin says in his book This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession that we lump things into categories (or genres) to help distinguish what…
What to Do Tonight: Lamb of God
A day at the beach with Lamb of God When and how did Lamb of God become a metal institution? They still seem like a new band, even though they’ve been around for more than 15 years. Their first album, a self-titled disc from when they were still called Burn the Priest, came out in…
Trina Sarli, Drug Addict, Steals Little Girl’s Silly Bandz
Anybody got the going rate on an ounce of Silly Bandz? The community pool: fun under the cloud-free American sun, children splashing the over-chlorinated water, lifeguards holding court, the line for the diving board, inflatable animal rafts, pee in the kiddie pool, cold sodas at the snack bar, the thick reek of Coppertone, needle-freaks snatching…
Cleveland Clinic is ‘Jeopardy!’ Smart
“Ok, Ah-lex, I’ll take ‘Clee-land Clinick’ for a hundred!” “And we’ve found today’s Daily Double!” Our very own fourth-best hospital in the country, the Cleveland Clinic, has made many, many breakthroughs in the world of medicine and health care. The achievements keep stacking up, and the AP is reporting that the Clinic has toppled one…
PD teams up with PolitiFact
You go, PolitiFact The Plain Dealer recently made a pretty smart move, inking a deal with PolitiFact.com, the preeminent bullshit detector in the political sphere, and we’re all better off for it. The paper is one of the first to sign on; right now Ohio joins a small group of four other states with PolitiFact-affiliated…
Abandoned 4-Year-Old Leads Police to Murdered Mother (UPDATED)
Update: According to the AP, the mother has been identified as Tonya Hunter. Her husband, Maurice Lyons, has been arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter. In a cruel twist of ironic fate, police Hunter worked as a marriage counselor. * * * * * In your heartbreaking news of the day… A 4-year-old boy was…
Which Current Cavs Player Allegedly Maybe Might Have Told Some Guy on Twitter the Delonte/Gloria Rumors Are True?
In the latest update to the rumor-y news-ish story that won’t end… @ComedianTheDA posted this update this morning. Who is @ComedianTheDA? I have no idea. Some rudimentary Google searching shows he may or may not work in the Atlanta area. He also said that, “Cant tell said it, but he also said Lebron slept with…
Mayor Jackson, NAACP Come to Agreement on West 6th
Stay classy and safe, West 6th So the Warehouse District — where Scene’s office happens to be located — is pretty much downtown’s little gem, a pinprink of uber condos, swank eateries and nightclubs amid all that other stalled development; it’s kind of like the west bank of the Flats, before it went to shit,…
Bud Shaw Claims Heat More Evil Than Yankees, Receives Swift Mocking from Miami
Bud Shaw thinks the Miami Heat are more evil than the New York Yankees. He also believes that tofu is more delicious than pork. He is wrong on both accounts. It doesn’t even merit a thoughtful or reasoned response since everyone, except Bud Shaw that is, can agree that the Yankees are infinitely more evil…
Craigslist Rant of the Day: Some Advice for Those Interested in Purchasing a Bicycle
It’s old, rusted, and therefore expensive. Mustache sold separately. While perusing Craigslist this morning for Cavs tickets for next season — we’re getting as close to the court as we can for the Ramon Sessions era — we found this rant. Enjoy. Whether youre buying or selling, keep these things in mind…. Not every piece…
Sustainability Comes to Clevelanders On the Go
“Sustainability” — that 21st-century term used to glorify 3rd-century ways of living — generally conjures images of rain barrels and streetcorner gardens. Now your friends at Future Heights (www.futureheights.org) are sprinkling a little old-fashioned technology in your granola: The Cleveland Heights group has started an interactive community mapping program. It allows residents to note areas…
Gay Games Update: Cleveland Is Not Gay Enough For Boston
The Gay Games are no laughing matter. Boston lost out to Cleveland for the right to host the 2014 International Gay Games, the quadrennial Olympics of the homo world. Based on an article published this month in the gay newspaper Boston Spirit, it appears they’re not taking it well. “Gay Games 2014 in Boston? It…
This Just In: Cleveland Concert Announcements
Built to Spill were busy on picture day Azure Ray/Tim Fite: Tue., Nov. 9, 9 p.m., $10 ADV/$12 DOS. Grog Shop. Built to Spill: Mon., Aug. 30. 8 p.m., $18 ADV. Musica. Bullet for My Valentine/Escape the Fate/Black Tide/Drive A: Sat., Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m., $25/four-pack of general admission tickets $75 (LiveNation.com). Time Warner Cable…
Mother and Children Take to Their Birthday Suits
This is what the family will look like in ten years You know the old saying, “When mom gets naked, so do the kids.” Oh, no, I’m sorry. That’s “Like father like son.” After reading this story I got a bit confused. Cincinnati police were cruising along on their daily patrol when they noticed something…
Cavs’ New Court Design is Cartoonishly Bad
What the hell? The Cavs officially unveiled the tweaks to their logos awhile back. Now comes the court design update, which is… well, bad. Why include the swords? Two of them, sans context, as if the freaking sword was the single defining visual landmark of the Cavaliers. And why’d they go with the secondary logo…
Lakewood/Rocky River Dog Park Lawsuit Heading to a Close
A visual representation of Lakewood and Rocky River’s relationship. As the Moroccan Jewish saying goes, “Do not respond to a barking dog.” Rocky River could have avoided a lot of trouble and saved a mound of tax dollars by heeding those words. Instead it sued neighboring Lakewood when a handful of residents on the eastern…
John Kasich: Republican Governor Hopeful, Berater of Teenagers, Lehman Brothers Lackey, Grateful Dead Fan
“Kasich for Ohio” slogan: Don’t you know who I am? It was another rough week on the campaign trail for Republican John Kasich, who is hoping to win Governor Ted Strickland’s job come November. He’s having a hard time explaining chunks of his past — most notably his role with the investment firm Lehman Brothers.…
What to Do Tonight: Lords of Acid
The Lord touches his fans During the heyday of the late-’80s/early-’90s club scene, few bands blurred acid-house, rock & roll swagger, a dark sense of humor, and carnal obsession like Lords of Acid. Go to any fetish night or scan a dominatrix’s iPod and you’ll likely find at least one Lords of Acid track on…
What to Do Today: Lilith Fair
Court Yard Hounds: Flying the coop In early 2007, the Dixie Chicks were, as one of their songs put it, on “top of the world.” They just won Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, and they were well-earned — especially since the trio had angered many…
Brian Luedeker Wore a Thong While Masturbating In a Neighbor’s Yard, Allegedly
You know you want to see this guy in a thong. Come on, admit it. Clevelanders should be thankful that Madeira, Ohio, is far away because that is where Brian Luedeker lives and he likes to uncoil his hose outdoors. Neighbors were startled last Wednesday when they discovered the 37-year-old in a neighbor’s yard pleasuring…
Gerald McFaul, Disgraced Ex-Sheriff, Sentenced to House Arrest
“Screw it! I’ve got tapes of every Johnny Carson episode. I’ll be fine.” Maybe Delonte West and Gerald McFaul can develop a friendship over the phone in the coming months. Each of them, after all, will not be leaving their abodes for awhile after being sentenced to house arrest. Former Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul…
NEO Church Using LeBron James to Advertise God
NEO Church has used the LeBron hoopla to help get the word out about its ministries. Little signs like the one above have been popping up around town invoking King James. If the advertising works and you head over to the church’s website, you’ll see lots of offerings, including this: So yeah, there’s that. Gotta…
“King James Who?” — God
NEO Church has used the LeBron hoopla to help get the word out about its ministries. Little signs have been popping up around town invoking King James. If the advertising works and you head over to the church’s website, you’ll see lots of offerings, including this: So yeah, there’s that.
Malcolm Bryant, Sprinting Cop Killer, Sentenced Today
Officer Patton One Cleveland felon got a serious lesson in cause and effect today, as a judge threw down a four year jail sentence related to the bizarre death of a Cleveland Heights police officer last March. It’s certainly one of the stranger and more unfortunate incidents in the local world of cops and robbers.…
Thistledown Includes Sierra Mist in New Signature Cocktail, You May Commence Scoffing
Never mix alcohol and Sierra Mist. Ever. Someone should put Thistledown in touch with the people from the Velvet Tango Room. After struggling for years to create a signature drink for the Ohio Derby, Thistledown has created a new concoction, called the Black Gold, which it hopes will catch on with the horsey and libation…
Morning Brew: Standoff Ends, Airport Sells More Crap, Health Violations at Stadiums, and Emma Nahas Remembered
Would you like that hot dog with or without mice droppings, because we only serve it with. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you get out your credit card to buy some crap from Sky Mall. — A five-hour standoff on Cleveland’s east side has ended peacefully. A 19-year-old punk held his…
Concert Review: Tokyo Police Club and Freelance Whales at the Grog Shop — Take 2
Rare sighting of Freelance Whales on land. After Safari opened the show with lots of screaming that elicited zero response from the crowd, the packed Grog Shop woke up and cheered as the Freelance Whales took the stage. Freelance Whales’ songs have a wispy, idyllic quality, complete with xylophone, that are getting decent radio play…
Concert Review: Tokyo Police Club at the Grog Shop — Take 1
“Hooray for indie rock!” “It’s good to be back,” sings Tokyo Police Club’s Dave Monks on “Breaknewck Speed” from their second albuim Champ. Last year’s Grog Shop show was stunted by the absence of Monks, and their debut album failed to retain the massive blog-buzz the Canadian band had accumulated from the A Lesson in…
Corbin Bernsen Would Like 19 Action News to Stop Filming Him
No, I will not record your voicemail as Roger Dorn. 19 Action News was all over the scene in Akron as filming continued for 25 Hill, the Corbin Bernsen film which centers around the Soap Box Derby. The segment ostensibly was about three things: 1) The film is not as depressing as one of the…
Concert Review: Black Mountain at the Beachland Ballroom
Yes, they sound dirty too There were a lot of good things about Black Mountain’s performance at the Beachland Ballroom on Saturday: glorious outbreaks of drunken dancing, hilarious bandanas, a skateboard sticker on the men’s room wall that tastefully read “Psychic Fetus.” But few left as indelible an impression as the rippling bass stabs of…
Concert Review: The Black Keys at Nautica Pavilion
All Keyed up Hot and sweaty rock: the kind that leaves your hair matted and your knees weak. This is what the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney delivered at the Nautica Pavilion on Saturday. Among the Internet buzzings of an ugly divorce, relocations, and last-tour shows, the Akron duo produced a live show…
What to Do Tonight: Kings of Leon
This is where they keep the band Where do Kings of Leon go now that they’ve conquered the world? Longtime fans who’ve watched the band grow creatively and commercially over four albums and six years of touring consider the songs that put the band over the top — “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” —…
What to Do Tonight: The Black Keys
What lucky lady will be part of this Black Keys sandwich? The Black Keys are the biggest local musical success of the past decade. But the duo’s latest album, Brothers, could be their last as an Akron band. Drummer Patrick Carney has already moved to New York City. Frontman Dan Auerbach is still in Akron,…
What to Do Tonight: Black Mountain
“Touchdown!” Remember when the alternative-rock label was a good thing? Too bad it was run into the ground by dozens of toothless, pre-packaged corporate bands, because a group like Black Mountain sure could use the tag. They mix the best parts of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Jefferson Airplane, but despite those retro influences, their…
Sherrod Brown Joins Senate Appropriations Committee, Becomes Powerful Like Hulk
I can crush you with just two fingers. Power is brokered in Washington based on cash and influence and there’s no bigger, more powerful, or cash-ier role for a senator than landing on the appropriations committee. You get to approve just about every cent that gets spent annually by the government, from defense to education,…
Emma Nahas, Dead at Sea, Questions Remain
</div Speculation continues to pile up around the death of Emma Nahas, now four days after her body washed ashore in Euclid. The 20-year-old local went missing in early July after going overboard on a party boat packed with underage girls and older guys. Rumors have been swirling and the steady beat of press coverage…
Parents Teach Boy Lesson by Embarassing Him in Front of Traffic
If you don’t shape up young man, this is what you will look like There are many ways a parent can discipline their child when he or she decides to act up. Verbal scolding is a popular choice. Taking away television and internet privileges is another possibility. Grounding your child can also drive the point…
Morning Brew: Cows on the Road, Exploding Houses, Burning Flags, and the Soap Box Derby
Wooster police would like to remind you to only burn NBA apparel, not our flag. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you run away from Kid Cudi, who whether you know it or not, is in hot pursuit. — Wooster planted hundreds of flags around the city for Memorial Day weekend. One…
Cleveland Birthday Celebration Has its Ups and Downs
Kid Cudi attempting to fight a fan that jumped on stage during his set Ohio Homecoming’s first attempt at a musical celebration of Cleveland’s birthday had its successes. A huge crowd showed up, filling Mall C to the brim with thousands of energetic high schoolers and college students alike, many draped in “I Am Ohio”…
Concert Review: Lightning Bolt at the Grog Shop
They’re actually freakier in person Intensity — that’s the key word, from the moment Lightning Bolt hit the stage at the Grog Shop last night. With a wall of raggedy amps stacked three high behind bassist Brian Gibson and drummer/screamer Brian Chippendale, Lightning Bolt cut straight into the eager crowd with chaotic, distorted, insanely fast…
Kalid Mansour, One-Legged Wheelchair Bandit, Beats Couple
You do something like this, it gives us all a bad name Every big city offers dangers to pedestrians, from your average hold-up artists to BB-eyed speed freaks drooling for a score to packs of feral and unsocialized ex-mill dogs. Well, add violent one-legged wheelchairs bandits to the list of possible threats on the urban…
Concert Review: O.A.R. at Nautica Pavilion
Rockin’, O.A.R. style Citizen Cope was a great pick as O.A.R.’s opener at last night’s Nautica Pavilion concert. The audience was psyched to hear his hit “Healing Hands.” Everyone sang along and cheered his every dreadlocked move. It even looked like he was ready for an encore. Nautica was nearly packed with college students wielding…
Kid Cudi Concert and Cleveland’s Birthday Interrupted By Drunk Fan, Kid Cudi’s Chasing of Drunk Fan
Cleveland’s own Kid Cudi played a free show in Public Square last night to celebrate Cleveland’s 214th birthday. All was going well when the concert and celebration was interrupted by a drunk fan who climbed onstage in what might have been an attempt to fight with Kid Cudi. We say ‘might have been an attempt’…
Kid Cudi Concert and Cleveland’s Birthday Interrupted By Drunk Fan, Kid Cudi’s Chasing of Drunk Fan
Cleveland’s own Kid Cudi played a free show in Public Square last night to celebrate Cleveland’s 214th birthday. All was going well when the concert and celebration was interrupted by a drunk fan who climbed onstage in what might have been an attempt to fight with Kid Cudi. We say ‘might have been an attempt’…
See Hippies, Do Some Good
Greet the boys from Tea Leaf Green when they come to town. They walked a long way to see you Sunday’s Human Fund benefit at the Beachland Ballroom includes performances by veteran jam-band artists Tea Leaf Green, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Chris Barron, who used to lead the Spin Doctors — a…
What to Do Today: Brad Paisley
He parked his horse in the other room Brad Paisley is the David Brooks of country. Like The New York Times op-ed columnist, Paisley celebrates an idyllic, suburban vision of American life that never really existed, but which is comforting to imagine as the country’s economy staggers. In “All I Wanted Was a Car,” from…
Chili’s Offering Free Desserts to Sad Cavs Fans
LeBron might be a poor tipper, but he is making Chili’s some serious dough Ever since Steve Carell announced during his spoof of “The Decision” at this year’s ESPYs that he would be taking his appetite away from Chili’s and over to Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s has taken this PR opportunity and ran with it. First…
Is Hosting the Democratic National Convention Economically Beneficial for Cleveland?
Would this create millions of dollars or just cost millions of dollars? There’s oodles of upside to hosting a national political convention. At least that’s how the prevailing wisdom goes. Raise the profile of your city, rake in millions of dollars, boost hotel and restaurant revenue, and get the whole country talking about your little…
Chili’s Offering Free Dessert to us Poor Clevelanders
LeBron might be a poor tipper, but he is making Chili’s some serious dough Ever since Steve Carell announced during his spoof of “The Decision” at this year’s ESPYs that he would be taking his appetite away from Chili’s and over to Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s has taken this PR opportunity and ran with it. First…
Shaun Rogers is Now Saving Lives
Silly Shaun Rogers, you’re not a quarterback! Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers hasn’t had the smoothest offseasons the past couple of years. In 2009 he made it known that he had no interest in playing for coach Eric Mangini and requested to be traded before coming to his senses and suiting up for training…
Tokyo Police Club to Cleveland: Bring It On!
We can explain Inception to you in 30 seconds. Beat that, Tokyo Police Club Canadian indie rockers Tokyo Police Club are challenging fans in a whole bunch of contests on their new tour in support of the recently released Champ (get it?). They’re coming to the Grog Shop on Saturday, and they’re ready to take…
Cleveland Gladiators’ Offensive Lineman Adam Tasich is Friggin’ Unstoppable
At least six guys try to tackle offensive lineman Adam Tasich. Exactly zero of them succeed. (Via Hot Clicks)
Morning Brew: Hobo Culture, Honda Celebrates, GOP Ads, and Rating the Accuracy of ‘Hot in Cleveland’
First lesson of hobo culture: Sign making. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you BeDazzle your thong. — The PD has taken to judging the accuracy of ‘Hot in Cleveland’ episodes because Clevelanders are enthralled with analyzing Hollywood productions to see if our city is being depicted accurately. This week’s roundup included…
We’ve Got Your Discount Code for the Kent Blues Fest
James Cotton wants to show you his mouth organ Planning to buy tickets to this weekend big show at the Kent Blues Fest? Hold on — we’ve got a discount for you. Go to the fest’s website and enter promo code “blues” and you’ll get $5 off the $25 ticket price for the James Cotton…
Mary Torres, Drunk Driving Mom, Mugs for Camera
I’m innocent, this is all a setup Alright, keep your chin up . . . No no no, I’m not being supportive lady, you’re going to jail, I mean literally, keep that chin up, we’re trying to take a picture here . . . there we go, now smile for the . . . wait…
The Quote of the Day Comes From Kid Cudi
That cigarette? Not laced with liquid cocaine Remember when we told you about Cleveland native Kid Cudi getting arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief about a month ago? Remember how we told you he got all Hulk-smash on some woman’s door? Remember how we told, and baffled, you about the “liquid cocaine” that was…
Elephant Attacks Trainer at Toledo Zoo
A Toledo Zoo elephant trainer is still in the hospital after this attack by Louie the elephant three weeks ago. Trainer Don Redfox suffered life-threatening injuries after the elephant, who he had been with since Louie was born almost seven years ago, pinned him on the ground and attacked him. The frightening encounter was caught…
MOCA Moves into Stylish New Cube
Now that’s what we call a building As per usual, CoolCleveland has gone and alerted us to something really cool happening in Cleveland, this time the design for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland’s new digs in University Circle at Mayfield and Euclid. The project is 34,000 square-feet and four-floors of that particular brand of…
Just So You Know, Kid Cudi Smokes Weed, Not Liquid Cocaine
That cigarette? Not laced with liquid cocaine Remember when we told you about Cleveland native Kid Cudi getting arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief about a month ago? Remember how we told you he got all Hulk-smash on some woman’s door? Remember how we told, and baffled, you about the “liquid cocaine” that was…
Barking Continues Between Lakewood and Rocky River in Dog Park Lawsuit
They should just spend the money no a dog bone concrete path. That would be much better. It’s been five years since Lakewood dog owners persuaded the city to open a dog park on land in the Metroparks along the banks of the Rocky River. It’s a joyful place where big-city doggies can run and…
Thursday Ticket Giveaway: The Temper Trap
Guess who the bully of the group is We have two pairs of tickets to the Temper Trap’s show at House of Blues on August 6. They had a cool song in (500) Days of Summer. Want them? All you have to do is send your name and e-mail address to freetickets@clevescene.com with the subject…
What to Do Tonight: Citizen Cope
Bedhead Citizen Cope pulls an Everlast on his latest album, The RainWater LP. Just like the former House of Pain roughneck picked up an acoustic guitar and got all folksy on Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, reformed hip-hopper Citizen Cope almost totally abandons rhymes and beats on this album of gentle strums and plaintive crooning.…
A Look at the Drive-By Truckers’ Epic Beachland Gig Last Night
I’m totally bummed I missed the Drive-By Truckers’ last-minute gig at the Beachland Tavern last night. They played an epic three-hour set starting at 11:30 p.m. after being stuck in town with no concert to play (they’re opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on tour, but last night’s Blossom Music Center show was postponed).…
Rush Coming to Guitar Hero
I’ve been on a massive Rush kick this week, ever since watching that excellent documentary on the band. (Even if you don’t like their music, there’s no way you can hate the guys in the band after seeing this movie.) So imagine my thrill when I heard that a new edition of Guitar Hero is…
How to Scare Away a Bear
Did someone just clap? Shit! This is no place for a bear! Residents of Ravenna are on alert today after what appears to have been a black bear was seen bumbling about the streets of the small city, rumaging through refuse bins and then running off into the woods. As reported by 19 Action News,…
Samantha Price, Akron inmate, brawls with 3 deputies
Three against this one The irony dripping off this one is that Samantha Price was arrested for inciting violence, and once she was in lockup, what did she do? She continued to incite violence, on a considerable scale. By the time her violent tantrum had cooled, three Summit County Sheriff deputies were injured and Price…
New Gerald Levert Best-Of Coming Next Month
During happier times Late R&B star Gerald Levert’s recording career will be honored next month, when Rhino releases The Best of Gerald Levert. The 16-song collection includes the Cleveland singer’s biggest hits, including “Casanova” (his breakthrough single, which was recorded with the trio Levert), “Baby Hold on to Me” (a duet with his dad, the…
Homeland Security Doesn’t Care if Columbus Murder Gets Solved
Is there a level for “Oh man, we just deported a witness!”? The United States government goes through a lot of trouble to protect key witnesses. The Witness Protection Program allows certain witnesses to be protected constantly by police, and some witnesses are given new identities after their specific trial ends and are under government…
Jordan Shipley and Other Longhorns Serenade Colt McCoy With Song About Colt McCoy At His Wedding
Browns fans might want to watch quarterback Colt McCoy being serenaded at his wedding with a song entitled, “I Want to Be Just Like Colt McCoy.” I hear Doug Pederson had something similar at his wedding. They also throw in a Tim Tebow reference which brings down the house. Clevelanders, this is your quarterback of…
Crane Destroys Akron Home, Film Now
The best part of the whole story: The big crane was called in to remove the tree because the small crane couldn’t handle it. Also, the small crane couldn’t destroy the roof of the house like the big one.
Tom Petty Reschedules Blossom Show
“See you on August 31!” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have their Blossom Music Center concert, which was postponed yesterday. The new date is August 31. Tickets for last night’s show will be honored at the rescheduled date. Says a spokesperson: Heartbreakers’ guitarist Mike Campbell was admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure following…
A GRILLED CHEESE STORY
It’s been a good four years since Matt Fish opened Melt in Lakewood — and we do mean good. In that time, his modest grilled cheese bar has become nothing short of a national phenomenon, appearing in big-city newspapers, glossy magazines, and on top-rated cable programs. With customers oozing out of his joint like so…
Stay In: DVDs, CDs, and Video Games
TOP PICK Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: London Calling: Live in Hyde Park (Columbia) After watching a sweat-drenched Boss work the stage for almost three hours in this DVD, you’ll begin to think that maybe he’s just gonna die there someday. The set spans “Rosalita” to “Working on a Dream.” The band is…
AMISH DOG BREEDERS FACE HEAT
The SUV coasts through the dead center of Ohio Amish country. Under a blank June sky, the Holmes County landscape is a picture postcard of country charm: A tight two-lane road lassos around green hills, the acres dotted with barns and the farmland studded with the five o’clock shadow of early crops. Amish men and…
Your Weekly Theater Picks
Bye Bye Birdie — Conrad Birdie, a rock star of the Elvis Presley sort, has been drafted into the army, therefore putting a halt to his music-making career. Through August 8 at Porthouse Theatre, 1145 W. Steels Corners Rd. Cuyahoga Falls. Tickets are $22-$33. Call 330-929-4416 or visit dept.kent.edu/theatre/porthouse. Curtains -— In 1959, a less…
LESBIAN LOVE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
The Kids Are All Right finds an interesting balance between the revolutionary and the conventional. In a way, it’s a fairly typical family comedy-drama. But it just so happens that the family is headed by two moms. The movie is charming and slightly annoying, expertly made but a little too slick and enamored of its…
Get Out! This Week’s Events Picks
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21 WINE BAR FUN Welcome to Flight School Let’s be honest: Drinking wine is something of an art form. Attend any vino party and somebody’s gonna proclaim “Ah, this smells like a mix of mahogany and rosemary” before you’ve even got your buzz on. Becoming a wine connoisseur takes years of dedication, but…
We Get Mail
Sometimes the Cupboards Are Bare Thank you for your well-written and generally balanced article concerning hunger in Cleveland and the unfortunate and complicated controversy involving the Hunger Network and the Cleveland Foodbank [“Food Fight,” June 30, 2010]. Because it is a very important ingredient in that controversy, I must disagree with the statement that the…
A GRAIN OF SALT
When Salt opens on Friday, Angelina Jolie will add another tough gal to her cast of kick-ass characters. She plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who’s accused of being a Russian spy. The only way she can prove her innocence is by hiding out … and kicking ass. But how would Evelyn fare in cage…
Film Capsules
The A-Team (PG-13) — Like the ’80s TV series it’s based on, The A-Team is incredibly simple-minded. The saving grace of both show and movie is the four likable main characters: Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), “Face” (Bradley Cooper), and Mad Dog Murdock (Sharlto Copley). Copley (District 9’s Wikus) and Neeson…
At the Arthouse
No One Knows About Persian Cats Did you know that Tehran has a thriving indie-rock scene? Did you know that there are supposedly 2,000 bands in this underground movement? Do you think any of them sound like Arcade Fire? This fictional film is set in that scene — a scene banned by the Iranian government,…
CD Review: Big Boi
On his first solo album (no, his half of the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below project with OutKast partner André 3000 doesn’t count), Big Boi is up to his old tricks: rhyming a mile a minute, playing pimpadelic ringmaster, and pulling together a tsunami of sounds from top beatmakers. From the sweaty ’70s funk of the opening…
CD Review: Sheryl Crow
Each new triumph that Sheryl Crow has notched in her career has been slightly more unlikely than the last. And while none of her albums has scored as big as her 1993 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club, Crow has beefed up her résumé over the years: recording with artists as diverse as Sting, Ryan Adams,…
CD Review: Crowded House
Crowded House are known as one-hit-wonders in the U.S., but frontman Neil Finn is a superstar to most of the world. Unfortunately, this second reunion album by the ’80s band (2007’s Time on Earth was their first record in 14 years) won’t change that stateside perception. For a group with such a rich legacy, neither…
CD Review: Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
Late Sparklehorse auteur Mark Linkous was always a fugitive from the Isle of Misfit Toys. His art-damaged pop is subsumed with sentiments of sweet innocence overshadowed by ache, longing, and alienation. Linkous found a match in producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton), who layers these 13 tracks with all manner of odd loops and samples. Conceived…
AleFestival 2010
Credit: Janet Nguyen of cleveland.metromix.com
BLACK KEYS SAY GOODBYE TO AKRON
The Black Keys are the biggest local-music success of the past decade. But the duo’s latest album, Brothers, could be their last as an Akron band. Drummer Patrick Carney has already moved to New York City. Frontman Dan Auerbach is still in Akron, but he’s got his eyes on Nashville. “Akron’s a great place,” says…
Spies Like Us
If Inception is the summer’s brain-twisting action movie, Salt is the check-your-brain-at-the-door-and-enjoy-the-freakin’-ride alternative. There’s a plot here (a mighty farfetched one about a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy), but it’s mostly secondary to the explosive set pieces. While interrogating a Russian defector, agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is told she is actually…
JACK JOHNSON REMEMBERS HIS FATHER
The ocean has been the setting for every record Jack Johnson has made. For the past ten years he’s been the bard of beachside pop — you can practically hear the sea splashing in the background as he plays his Jimmy Buffett-meets-James Taylor folk rock. But the water is also a personal place for the…
Your Weekly Concert Picks
Where do Kings of Leon go now that they’ve conquered the world? Longtime fans who’ve watched the band grow creatively and commercially over four albums and six years of touring consider the songs that put the band over the top — “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” — a tad sucky. But those are exactly the…
Art on Walls
WATERLOO 7 OUTDOOR ART SHOW Metal sculptor Jerry Schmidt is keeping his studio in the Waterloo neighborhood of Cleveland, but he’s closed his gallery there to open a new one in the eastern suburb of Willoughby Hills. “My dentist had a couple of office suites in his building that went empty, so I completely gutted…
HERE COME THE LESS-INFLAMATORY DIXIE CHICKS
In early 2007, the Dixie Chicks were, as one of their songs puts it, on “top of the world.” They had just won Grammys for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, and they were well-earned — especially since the trio had angered many of their original country fans…
Old Punks Never Die
Last year, former Dead Boys and Rocket From the Tombs guitarist Cheetah Chrome hooked up with the New York Dolls’ Sylvain Sylvain to form Batusis. The garage-punk band’s self-titled EP has just hit shelves, and the guys are on a short tour that comes to the Beachland Ballroom at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21.…
Bites: The New Hiroshi’s Pub
For Clevelanders of a certain age, Hiroshi’s Pub was one of the most popular watering holes in Cleveland Heights. The Lee Road bar, owned by sushi magnate Hiroshi Tsuji, specialized less in food than it did booze. That’s not the case at the new Hiroshi’s Pub, which opened last week in Beachwood (3365 Richmond Rd.,…
BECK CENTER KEEPS IT GAY
Given all the musicals about show people trying hard to achieve something, from 42nd Street to A Chorus Line, you’d think a tunefest about theater people trying desperately to fail wouldn’t be very entertaining. But that’s why The Producers has carved a distinctive place for itself over the years. With music and lyrics by Mel…
