Alex Bevan Releases 21st Album Tonight
Acoustic singer-song writer Alex Bevan is a well-known figure in the Cleveland music scene, best known for his mid-’70s party anthem “Skinny Little Boy,” a local radio staple for many years. As he often jokes, he’s not skinny anymore, but he’s still musically productive. Tonight at 7 p.m. at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights, he’ll be…
Cleveland’s Mr. Gnome at Rock Hall Tonight
Mr. Gnome Former Scene cover stars Mr. Gnome will be one of the featured acts at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Summer in the City concert series this evening. It takes place outdoors on the plaza in front of the Rock hall starting at 7 p.m. — and it’s free. The…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. Measure Once, Drink Twice: A pier installed during construction of the new Inner Belt Bridge is misplaced by three feet. ODOT now as competent with bridges as your drunk dad is with dog houses. Executive in Neon: County honcho Ed FitzGerald draws cheers for holding post-dinner soiree at…
Say Goodbye to Lago in Tremont and Hello to…
It’s been just a couple days since Lago (2221 Professor Ave.) owner Fabio Salerno shuttered his six-year-old Tremont restaurant, which closed this past Saturday. But the attractive space across the street from Michael Symon’s Lolita has already been spoken for. Market and Wine Bar Rocky River owner John Owen, along with partners Dave Rudiger and…
Canton Morning Team Settles Lawsuit Against Former Station
Charlotte DiFranco & Pat DeLuca are now online Chances are you haven’t followed the saga of former Q92 (WDJQ) morning team Pat DeLuca and Charlotte DiFranco against the station, because the Canton-based station’s signal doesn’t reach all the way up to Cleveland. But now, thanks to the station’s refusal to negotiate an acceptable new contract…
Concert Review: Florence+ the Machine at Jacobs Pavilion
Two short weeks ago, Florence + the Machine were forced to cancel some shows because of a vocal injury to frontwoman Florence Welch. But at last night’s performance at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, she sounds like she’s fully recovered. A barefoot Welch towered over the packed audience during her band’s 90-minute set. And she pulled…
An interview with Big Time Rush, who play Blossom on Wednesday
Big Time Rush found their first foothold in Hollywood through Nickelodeon’s show of the same name, which debuted in 2009. The show is a fictitious comedy about the boy band’s rise to stardom and takes humorous stabs at the music industry along the way. This summer’s tour, which brings the band to Blossom at 8…
LaTourette Retiring From Congress
In a move that blindsided everyone, Congressman Steve LaTourette (Oh-14) is expected to announce his retirement from Congress at his Painesville office within the hour. LaTourette, who has served nine terms, represents Ohio’s northeastern corner, including Lake, Ashtabula, Geauga and, after next year, part of Cuyahoga County. There’s rampant speculation about what’s behind LaTourette’s move.…
Redistricting Measure a Safe Bet for November Ballot
Nice League of Women Voters ladies — and their friends — want to fix Ohio’s electoral map With 750,000 signatures now turned into Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office, Voters First Ohio — the coalition of good-government groups like the League of Women Voters seeking a constitutional amendment to change Ohio’s seriously messed-up system for…
Ed FitzGerald Fetes Out-of-County Democrats
Does this man look gubernatorial? This weekend, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald added a little fuel to the fire of speculation that he’s looking at running for governor in the near future — like 2014. Democrats from across the state gathered at the Columbus Convention Center Saturday night for the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual state…
Soon-to-Debut Radio Station 87.7 Clevelanders Rock Finds Its Morning Drive Host?
Archie Berwick to be the new John Lanigan? After the much ballyhooed public auditions at the Beachland Ballroom July 21, which brought out more than 100 aspiring radio stars and comedians, as well as veteran local radio personalities Lisa Dillon and Marty Sobol, Ohio Media Watch is reporting that the station has found its morning…
An annotated timeline for X Factor finalist Josh Krajcik, who plays the House of Blues on Wednesday, Aug. 1
Singer-songwriter Josh Krajcik became a sensation after placing second on last year’s X Factor, the American Idol-like reality show designed to launch new talent. Since then, the Wooster native has signed a record deal with a Sony subsidiary and been busy splitting time between studios in L.A. and London as he records his major label…
Concert Review: Brothers of the Sun at Browns Stadium
It was appropriate that the areas closest to the stage at last night’s Brothers of the Sun show at Browns Stadium were called the “sand bars.” While they weren’t literally coated with sand, they might as well have been. The concert featuring co-headlining country singers Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney was as much beach party…
Cash Mob Hits Pura Vida
Andrew Samtoy welcomes mob to Pura Vida Cleveland lawyer and energetic people-connector Andrew Samtoy pioneered the concept of the “Cash Mob” — a tool for supporting local businesses and making new friends — late last year. Last February Scene wrote about how he turned out 50 people on a cold winter night to descend on…
Big Weekend for New Cleveland Music
The Hedgehog’s Dilemma on Waterloo Road There’ll be new local music pouring out of Cleveland’s clubs this weekend with five bands celebrating new releases with shows. Tonight the Commonwealth and the Hedgehog’s Dilemma combine forces for dual release party at the Beachland Tavern. The Commonwealth, a trio of melodic modern rockers with a little bit…
An interview with Misha Gabriel, star of ‘Step Up Revolution’
Earlier this week, Misha Gabriel, one of the stars in the new dance flick Step Up Revolution, came through town on a promo tour. He hosted a flash mob (in the film, the dancers stage flash mob performances throughout Miami) on Tuesday night at Southpark Mall and then introduced an advanced screening of the film…
Fred Willard Arrested for Cranking It at an Adult Theater (Updated)
Update: Fred Willard handles this as only Fred Willard can. On the Fallon show: *** Fred Willard might just be one of our favorite actors, and not just because he’s a Shaker Heights native. The Guest-movie mainstay, however, does not get a pass on this one. Police arrested him at a Hollywood-area adult theater for…
Someone Thinks Michael Stanley is the Mayor of Cleveland
A fun sidenote in the all the hoopla over Randy Lerner probably selling the Cleveland Browns: ProFootballTalk, the highly read NBC football blog, posted Mayor Frank Jackson’s statement about today’s news. Alongside a picture of Michael Stanley. It’s been changed now, but screengrabbed below for posterity. OK, readers: Stanley or Jackson. Cast your vote.
Randy Lerner in Talks to Sell Cleveland Browns
The rumors have been around for a couple of months now, and they hit a high mark when WKNR’s Tony Rizzo blasted them out on the airwaves this morning. Is Randy Lerner looking to sell the Browns? Turns out, the answer is yes. Though right now the language used by the team, which confirmed the…
Pic of the Day: Green Day Made $100 for Playing the Euclid Tavern Back in 1992
All-around swell guy and relentlessly creative soul Derek Hess posted some photos of his booking calendar from back in the day when he was bringing bands to play the Euclid Tavern. The shot below, from 1992, has a few interesting tidbits, including Green Day’s Wednesday-night show where the group pulled a sweet $100 for stopping…
Boyz in the Hood
After a security guard is murdered in his store, Costco manager Evan (Ben Stiller) vows to catch the killer in The Watch. When he receives no help from the lazy local cops, he starts a neighborhood watch with police academy reject Franklin (Jonah Hill), British oddball Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade), and guy’s-guy Bob (Vince Vaughn). At…
Self Love
Ruby Sparks is supposed to be a love story, and it is, but it’s not quite the one the filmmakers set out to make. Calvin (Paul Dano) is a neurotic young writer crumbling under the pressure of his reputation as a literary genius. Then inspiration finally strikes when his shrink asks him to write a…
Step Off
In the attempt to be something more than just another bland dance movie, Step Up Revolution, as its title implies, has a message at its core. Don’t let anyone determine your fate, Sean (Ryan Guzman) and Emily (Kathryn McCormick) tell each other as they try to overcome obstacles (he’s the son of Cuban immigrants hoping…
Political Ad Money Still Pouring Into Cleveland Airwaves
Between Obama vs. Romney for President, Brown vs. Mandel for Senator, and Goldhammer vs. Lima for Best Saturday Morning Sports Talker, Cleveland’s docket of important decisions this fall is brimming like Frank Russo’s closet. With Ohio’s swing-state status, that has meant an avalanche of political ads popping up on your TV during commercial breaks of…
Skeletal Remains Found in Sandusky Could be Missing Solon Man (Updated)
Update: The results have come in from the medical examiner: the remains that washed ashore near Sandusky a few weeks back did belong to Charles Kaplan. This only partly settles the questions hanging over the Solon resident’s October disappearance — the remaining issue being what exactly happened on the boat. ***** On Monday night, two…
Concert Review: Mayhem Fest at Blossom
No doubt about it. Slipknot stole the show at all-metal Mayhem Fest, which touched down at Blossom yesterday. The band’s music might not provide much in the way of artistry (it’s the aural equivalent of getting hit by a baseball bat on the head), but the guys can certainly command the stage. They were the…
If You Try to Make a Swim Getaway, Be Sure You Can Swim
Sandusky police got a call earlier this week that a teen was seen breaking into cars in a condo parking lot. Cops arrived around suppertime and immediately spotted the youth closing the door of a white SUV. The 14-year-old returned their gaze and booked. After an intense game of cat-and-mouse (read: waiting for the kid…
Deagan’s Nabs Veteran Cleveland (and New York) Chef
When Dan Deagan recently parted ways with Demetrios Atheneos, the chef of his Lakewood eatery Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar, he was hoping to find a replacement to maintain the status quo. Instead, he scored a veteran chef who not only ran kitchens but also multiple restaurants simultaneously. “Originally we wanted a chef to come in,…
Local Band in Focus
Meet the Artist: Jonny Vance raps, plays piano and drums, and provides the beats to his songs. A pair of hype men also join him onstage. Turn That Frown Upside Down: Vance started out with four other rappers in N.O.N.E. (No One Nicer Exists) before “egos clashed and the group quickly disintegrated,” he says. He…
We Get mail
Child’s Play Just moved to Lakewood three weeks ago and I have already hit about 10 different spots. Although I appreciate his initiative and support his cause [“One Man’s Mission to Drink in Every Lakewood Bar;” Scene & Heard blog, July 18], I do not find this story compelling. One bar per week? At that…
Film Capsules
The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13) — How do you top 2008’s The Dark Knight, not only the best superhero movie ever made but also the best movie of the millennium? Short answer: You don’t. But that doesn’t stop director Christopher Nolan from charging through The Dark Knight Rises with all the energy, menace, and heart…
CD Review: Micachu and the Shapes
Armed with a homemade acoustic guitar and boundless energy, 24-year-old Mica Levi twists what you know about modern-day indie rock and tosses out something that resembles pop music for open-minded industrialists. Is that a vacuum cleaner we hear in “Easy,” the opening cut on her British band's second album? And what's going on with that…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Batman: The World of the Dark Knight (DK) With the Dark Knight pretty much consuming our every waking moment lately, what better time to lose ourselves in this encyclopedia-style book that includes info about almost everything you’ll ever need to know about the Caped Crusader? From villains to pals to gadgets to some…
It’s in the Sauce
The scruffy members of the Cleveland rock band Debussi look like your stereotypical indie rockers who couldn't give a shit about tuning and care less about rehearsing. But that's far from the case. Frontman Matt Kaz has played piano since he was six. He also gives piano and guitar lessons to burgeoning students. Plus, bassist…
Story Tellers
In Echo, the new exhibition at Arts Collinwood, staffers took a chance on paintings that are not only figurative, but also are created by young, emerging practitioners. Kyle Dean Todaro and Steve Basel are 2012 Cleveland Institute of Art grads and former roommates with similar aesthetic tastes. Collinwood’s gamble pays off, as the two artists…
CD Review: Blue Lunch
The eight-piece jump, blues, and swing combo Blue Lunch do, in fact, jump, swing, and get plenty blue during the workouts featured on this hour-long live album recorded at the Cleveland Heights jazz mecca. Look no further than the eight-minute “Honeydripper” or the knotty “Rapid Shave” for proof. Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness” gets a zigzagging…
On View This Week
Convivium33 Gallery The Battle We Didn’t Choose: My Wife’s Fight With Breast Cancer. Following last week’s abrupt decision by cancer-support agency the Gathering Place to remove Angelo Merendino’s powerful exhibition, the Manhattan-based photographer has found new display space at Convivium33. The images of Jennifer Merendino’s battle with cancer, which she tragically lost last December, convey…
Screens
Pillow Talk The Capitol Theatre’s monthly “Sunday Classics” series gets all cute and fluffy this week with the colorful 1959 romantic comedy starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. Of course we now have 50-plus years of movie history and knowledge of Hudson’s personal life to set this downy piece of old-school Hollywood into a different…
Sit. Stay.
Downtown residents and workers can’t help but notice the massive new mural of a black dog, painted on the wall of the City Club Building. The mural points the way in a none-too-subtle manner to the soon-to-open Black Dog Kitchen. With an alley entrance, the mural was a wise investment. Slated to open in early…
Soundcheck
S outhside Johnny takes a trip to the past on his latest album, Men Without Women: Live 7-2-11. Though it’s a live recording of a show he played just last year, the record features Southside and the Asbury Jukes performing songs from Little Steven’s 1982 album. Longtime friends with both Steven (a founding member of…
Clubland
Cleveland’s roster of dense, bludgeoning bands is lengthy and studded with memorable entries. Metallic post-punk quartet All Dinosaurs has been carrying on that tradition for the past three years, releasing its first full-length album, Paranoid Ingenious, last year. Maintaining the momentum, it’s dropping its second, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior, this Saturday with a…
Union Forever
It is a rare play that is both a dusty historical artifact and a vibrant contemporary satire. Yet that is what Oberlin Summer Theater Festival is offering with The Cradle Will Rock. Running in repertory with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Bus Stop, this revival of the Marc Blitzstein agitprop, pro-union musical from some 80…
Going the Distance
Tom Dunderman of Basketeria Produce beams like a proud papa when he talks about his asparagus. He bought it from a small farmer he knows in Wellington, Ohio; it was just picked a few days ago, he boasts. Reaching out from behind his stand at the West Side Market, he holds up a bunch of…
On Stage This Week
At Porthouse Theatre: The Sound of Music Porthouse Theatre wraps up its 2012 season with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s unlikely classic about a family of singing Austrians set against the backdrop of World War II. Helmed by Porthouse’s artistic director Terri Kent and choreographed by assistant artistic director MaryAnn Black, the family friendly proceedings serve up…
Breaking Even
People who gamble in a casino certainly hope to win, but they should be prepared to lose. I would argue that the same applies to people who eat in a casino. I hoped to discover edible — perhaps even enjoyable — food at the recently opened Horseshoe Casino. But I had every expectation of coming…
Concert Calendar
Friday July 27 Kris Kristofferson Like a handful of legends before him, Kris Kristofferson has gotten to the point where records don’t matter. He’s released only a half-dozen or so albums since the ’80s, the latest of which, 2009’s Closer to the Bone, is one of his all-time best. He long ago settled into the…
Q&A: Joseph DeLuca
Joseph DeLuca is living proof a career in bartending amounts to more than a lifetime pouring beers. After 20 years behind the bar, the Clevelander has become an elder statesman of the cocktail, passing along knowledge and experience to the next generation of drink slingers as the VP of the local chapter of the U.S.…
Cheap Eats
Motor Mouth It’s a blindingly sunny Wednesday in Cleveland and Motor Mouth’s metallic exterior glints in the sun as people crowd around, craning to get a better look at the menu. From the front of the truck, above a menacing grin splashed in white across the fender, a girl in a striped dress and fairy…
CD Review: Frank Ocean
Coming out a few weeks ago may have doubled as one-of-a-kind, mass-market publicity for the Odd Future singer's debut album, but Channel Orange doesn't need the push. The LP packs enough great songs (the epic “Pyramids” and the stormy ballad “Bad Religion” are highlights) to sell itself. Ocean sounds a little like Stevie Wonder here,…
CD Review: The Gaslight Anthem
Of course Brian Fallon, the Gaslight Anthem's frontman, would say something like, “See you on the flip side,” as he does on “45,” the opening song on the band's fourth album. A tattooed Springsteen freak with a punk past, Fallon is a student of rock history and one of the few guys still around who…
CD Review: Laetitia Sadier
Sadier has been the lead vocalist in London electronic-pop group Stereolab since the early '90s, so it's no surprise that her second solo album sounds like a less adventurous record by her band. Bachelor-pad coolness and French-accented cooing drive songs like “The Rule of the Game,” “Find Me the Pulse of the Universe,” and “There…
CD Review: Passion Pit
Why go low-fi when there are children's choirs, wall-rattling synths, and pop hooks the size of a small country out there to explore and use? Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos crams as many canvas-covering devices that will fit into the spaces of the Massachusetts quintet's summer-ready second album. Gossamer is basically more of everything that…
