Guest of Cindy Sherman shows at CMA tonight
Having already shown earlier this year at the Cinematheque, Guest of Cindy Sherman, Paul H-O’s documentary about his obsession with the artist, comes to the Cleveland Museum of Art Lecture Hall tonight at 7. Here’s our capsule review of the movie. Guest of Cindy Sherman (US, 2008) As the host of a mid-’90s public access…
Emir Kusturica’s Underground shows at CMA tonight
Showing as part of a series of films featuring music by Goran Bregovic, Underground screens at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Lecture Hall tonight at 6. Here’s our review of the film. Underground (France/Yugoslavia/Germany/Hungary, 1995) A Grand Prize winner at Cannes, Emir Kusturica’s shaggy, surreal tragicomic lament takes 167 minutes to sum up 50 years…
Capsule reviews of the Cinematheque’s weekend films
The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque is showing several great movies this weekend. Here are capsule reviews of just a few of them. Dry Season (Chad/France/Belgium/Austria, 2006) Named Atim or “Orphan” because his father was killed before he was born, a teenager (Ali Bacha Barkai) sets out with a gun to avenge his father’s death…
ALL THE GOOD NEWS THAT FITS INTO THE SPACE YOU PAID FOR
Russell Masetta wants you to know something, so zip it and listen: He founded the Nature Stone flooring business in 1988 on the principles of determination and family loyalty. So just forget about all this kick-backing mafia stuff that happened for all the years right before that, you understand? Or do you need it explained…
6/25-28: Adam Ferrara at the Improv
Comic and Rescue Me co-star at Cleveland Improv:
6/27 & 28: Michael Charles at Fat Fish Blue
Australian guitarist at Fat Fish Blue (21 Prospect, 216-875-6000).
UNDER PRESSURE, DIMORA STEPS ASIDE, BUT NOT DOWN
King Dem Jimmy Dimora won’t step down as chairman, despite the allegations that he and other friends at the top partied on developers’ dimes and used his party hall to launder dirty money meant for favors. But he will step aside for awhile, starting July 1. That’s the word from Cuyahoga County Democratic Party HQ…
BEDFORD REJECTS GUILT BY ASSOCIATION
Leave it to Bob Kirsop, for 23 years a copy editor and headline writer for the Cleveland Press, to bring us back down to basics. Last weekend, Kirsop sent me a letter about the paper’s proclivity to incorrectly identify too many infamous local icons as being from Bedford. First, he stated, a recent blog post…
Kellen Winslow Will Serve As Honorary Race Official For NASCAR Race, Stay Far Away From Motocross
In a continuation of today’s blog theme, which is random bits of news that aren’t really news or that interesting at all, here’s another story about Kellen Winslow Jr. The new Tampa Bay tight end will serve as the honorary race official for the Coke Zero 400 on July 4. Winslow, a first-round draft pick…
Phil Dawson to Visit Cedar Point, Despite Lack of “Phil Dawson Day”
Last weekend, Brady Quinn visited Cedar Point with much hoopla for “Brady Quinn Day.” Now, the amusement park will be hosting Browns kicker Phil Dawson Wednesday. There will be no hoopla, because, apparently, Cedar Point only likes to make a big to-do over guys who have yet to win starting jobs in the NFL.
On This Day… Luke Easter Hits Longest Home Run in Cleveland Municipal Stadium History
Not sure what more info you want that’s not already in the headline. It was June 23, 1950, and Easter, a member of the Tribe his entire major league career, smashed a ball 477 feet over the scoreboard in right field. Want to know something else about Easter? Here ya go: For someone who found…
Things To Read That Might Not Suck: All Wahoo Edition
Does the Tribe deserve to be talked about this much? Not really. They blow. But there’s lots of little Indians-related tidbits to share, like: Did you know Shin-Soo Choo likes Boggle? Not really. — Some nice pics from bars around Wrigley of Indians fans who made the trip for the Cubbies/Tribe tilts over the weekend.…
R.I.P. BRIAN CHALMERS, ROCK ’N’ ROLL ARTIST
Former Scene and WMMS artist Brian Chalmers — best known for drawing the rock radio station’s iconic “Buzzard” for much of its life — died suddenly last weekend. He was 54. From former Scene editor Mark Holan: “I met Brian Chalmers (B.C., as most of his friends called him) at the first Scene Christmas party…
These Just In: More Concert Announcements
The shows keep coming: Dino Jr. at the Grog, Onyx returns to Peabody’s and more. At No End: Thu., July 23. $6. Pirate’s Cove. Chip tha Ripper: Sun, Aug. 2. $15 ADV/$18 DOS. Peabody’s. Dangerous New Addiction: Sat., July 11. $6. Peabody’s. Dinosaur Jr.: Fri., Nov. 20. $23 ADV/$25 DOS. Grog Shop. Doro: Thu., Sept.…
The Brecksville/Broadview Hts. Trick Shot 8th Grader Gets His 15 Minutes in the National Spotlight
Aaron Shutway, the 8th grader who made the ridiculous handspring full court shot that you’ve undoubtedly seen, made an appearance on The Early Show this morning. Watch CBS Videos Online
This Just In: Concert Announcements
This week, we have two dozen new shows: Down, bar none the best contemporary classic-rock band, heavy as metal — imagine Led Sabbath. Supersmart pop-emo godheads Cursive. Pixies frontman Black Francis, a.k.a FrankBlack. Zydeco kings Buckwheat Zydeco. Tributes to Bowie, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. The ongoing return of Ratt. The Yeah Yeah…
Just In Case They Come Back — A Stat For The Seagulls Issue
Yes, it seems as if the periodic fireworks at Progressive Field has kept the seagull infestation at bay so far, but what if they return? After Shin-Soo Choo’s game-winning hit off a seagull against the Royals, we could be looking at more instances of the birds interfering with play in the future. We might need…
Remembering Buzzard Artist Brian Chalmers
Brian Chalmers, who created many of the iconic Buzzard posters for WMMS during the station’s ’90s alt-rock period, died over the weekend. I could run through the guy’s list of achievements here (including the time he spent at Scene), but instead I’m going to send you to our pal Matt Wardlaw’s post on his Addicted…
CLEVELAND ON MTV TWICE IN ONE DAY. DOES THIS MAKE US COOL?
Signs abound that Greater Cleveland still retains at least a modicum of cool. On Friday, MTV.com twice referenced Our Fare City (yeah, we spelled that right) in a bit of the punk light — first for what it called “one of the greatest subliminal pranks of all time” and then for … apparently being really…
Fun With Charts
This comes via Flip Flop Fly Ball, an interesting site that puts various baseball-related questions into charts. Also find chartified answers to questions about MLB tickets prices, which direction batters face at different parks, a fantasy chart to go by if the E Street Band played the Wu Tang Clan, the many teams of Mike…
6/24: Amy Speace at Wilbert’s
Amy Speace’s bio could have been conceived by John Irving. An undisciplined sight-reading musical prodigy, Speace learned piano, saxophone and clarinet by the time she entered high school, took voice lessons and then took up theater at Amherst College. Summer stock in Vermont led to the National Shakespeare Company in Manhattan, but a broken heart…
Battles are bigger and badder in Transformers sequel
Nobody went to the first Transformers for Shia LaBeouf. Nobody went for Megan Fox either (well, maybe some of us did). Everybody who saw that summer blockbuster two years ago went for the robots — the shape-shifting, ass-kicking, totally awesome robots. In this overblown sequel, director Michael Bay wisely keeps the camera on the Autobots…
David Giffels’ Book Now Out in Affordable Paperback Edition
Today, Harper releases the paperback edition of All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House, the well-received memoir from Akron’s David Giffels, the Difficult frontman, former Beacon Journal columnist, Beavis and Butthead writer, and co-author of a Devo book. Giffels’ third book tells the exacting tale of buying, restoring, and living in…
6/24: Cotton Jones at Beachland
Back when he fronted Page France, Michael Nau played folksy indie-pop sparked by various band members’ inclination to keep things moving. With his new duo, Cotton Jones, Nau teams up with Whitney McGraw (also a Page France alum), who unplug and drift through sleepytime songs that rarely shake out of their crusty-eyed doze. Parts of…
HOW TO GET ON FOX 8: ACT ALL GAY
Leave it to Fox News to marvel from afar at the plight of “the gays” and then to break it down helpfully for you there trying not to look like the lowest common denominator. On Friday, the station could have reported about an Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) volunteer being in county…
Cleveland Makes MTV News — Twice in One Day!
Signs abound that Greater Cleveland still retains at least a modicum of cool. On Friday, MTV.com twice referenced Our Fare City (yeah, we spelled that right) in a bit of the punk light — first for what it called “one of the greatest subliminal pranks of all time” and then for … apparently being really…
Pre-Show Interview: Van Der Graaf Generator
Veteran prog-rockers Van Der Graaf Generator has had a tumultuous 40-year history characterized by break-ups and reunions. Now, however, the classic lineup featuring singer-guitarist Pete Hammill, drummer Guy Evans and organist Hugh Banton has gotten back together to record the mind-numbingly abstract Trisector, an album that recalls the heady days of King Crimson and ELP.…
Whiskey Daredevils Tour Diary — Day 4: Stuttgart Germany
The Whiskey Daredevils just returned from a road trip in Europe. Frontman Greg Miller fills us in on what happened. Leo is snoring very loudly in an animalistic wheeze five feet to my right. I’m not sure if I should whack him with a pillow or call for immediate medical attention. This nicely compliments the…
GIFFELS’ ALL THE WAY HOME IN PAPERBACK
Today, Harper releases the paperback edition of All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House, the well-received memoir from Akron’s David Giffels, the Difficult frontman, former Beacon Journal columnist, Beavis and Butthead writer, and co-author of a Devo book. Giffels’ third book tells the exacting tale of buying, restoring, and living in…
Sweet, Awkward Lou Piniella
Lou Piniella spent all of six games in a Cleveland Indians uniform in 1968, with another four years in the Tribe’s minor league system (1962, and 1966-1968), so his newsworthiness here in the Forest City is tangential and minor at best. Still, when you read some of the things in this book excerpt from “Sweet…
Please Don’t Call Kellen Winslow Sgt. Winslow
Sadly, Tampa Bay is not on the Browns’ schedule this year. It would have been nice to heckle Kellen Winslow Jr. a little bit. Or a lot. Anyway, Kellen’s making himself at home in Tampa and a blogger decided, what with Winslow’s “I’m a soldier” quote, and the way he conducts himself on and off…
Photo Show: The Offspring at TW Cable Amphitheater
Scene’s Johnny Angell went to see the Offspring at Time Warner Cable Amphitheater last night. Here’s what he saw.
Trying to Cut Bread With a Saw: Bernie Kosar’s Life Now
Dan LeBatard has a great feature on Bernie Kosar for the Miami Herald. While locally, all we got recently in terms of media coverage of Bernie’s imminent bankruptcy filings were the financial details, LeBatard sits down with Bernie in Florida and recaps just how completely screwed up Kosar’s life is these days — personally, socially,…
6/23: New Kids on the Block at Blossom
Look, sometimes there are things from our past that we just can’t avoid, even if we constantly try to distance ourselves from them. You know the games you play — the “I never liked them” and “I never wore that” excuses. But we all know the truth: You did wear that, and you did like…
Pre-Show Interview: Def Leppard
When Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen had his arm amputated after a 1984 car accident, plenty of people told him he’d never drum again. He still bristles as he recalls one particular doctor who wasn’t very encouraging about the prospect of continuing to play with one of the world’s most popular arena rock acts. “It…
Concert Review: Alive Festival at Clays Park, 6/20
The 22nd annual Alive Christian Music Festival in Canal Fulton on Saturday wrapped up with a few finales. For one, it’s the last time the fest will ever be held at Clays Park (it moves to neighboring Atwood Lake next year). The show also marked the final performance by Newsboys singer Peter Furler. DC Talk’s…
Concert Review: Avett Brothers at Akron Civic, 6/19
The Avett Brothers are in the middle of a 70-date tour in support of their upcoming major-label debut, I and Love and You, which comes out on September 29. They brought their Americana blend of bluegrass, gospel, old-time country, punk and honky-tonk to the Akron Civic Theatre Friday night. Many of the tour stops have…
Whiskey Daredevils Tour Diary — Day 3: Nurnburg, Germany
The Whiskey Daredevils just returned from a road trip in Europe. Frontman Greg Miller fills us in on what happened. We wake up at 830 for the comp hostel breakfast. It is the exact same breakfast anywhere you go in Belgium. Thinly sliced bread with rough crust, very mild white cheese, mild salami, orange juice…
James Franco film kicks off CMA’s contemporary art series
Inaugurating a contemporary art series designed to promote the opening of its new East Wing, the Cleveland Museum of Art hosted a screening of Erased James Franco yesterday at its Lecture Hall. Attended by actor James Franco and the director who simply calls himself Carter, the sold out event included a screening of the movie…
6/22: The Lemonheads at the Grog Shop
The Lemonheads’ membership roll reads like a Mormon genealogy, and the styles the band has embraced over the past 20 years defy categorization. Through it all — from punk yelps and jangle-pop to classic-sounding rock — the one constant has been Evan Dando, a drug-glazed cover boy who’s also a somewhat triumphant survivor. The Lemonheads’…
Unbelievable Handspring Full Court Shot By Brecksville/Broadview Hts. 8th Grader
Simply unreal. Handspring with the ball, flip, poor landing, heaves the shot full court, nothing but net. All while about 100 other 8th graders mill around during P.E.
THAT SICK DUDE
Washington Post foreign correspondent/NPR commentator TR Reid had an opportunity to get a first-hand look at how other countries, such as the U.K. and Japan, handle health care when he and his family lived overseas. He used his experiences in his 2008 PBS Frontline documentary Sick Around the World, which explored how five other wealthy…
Concert review: Phish at the Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, June 18
It’s been nearly five long years since the four members of the jam band deity Phish ended a triumphant 20-year run with their disappointing Coventry festival, breaking up to leave the legion of Phisheads with empty summer calendars. Since the band reunited earlier this year and embarked on the current summer tour, the Phish community…
DEM SENATE CANDIDATES TALK HEALTH; REPUBLICAN, NOT SO MUCH
With health-care reform being hotly debated in Congress, both Democratic candidates vying for the Senate seat that George Voinovich will vacate after next year’s elections released statements outlining their thoughts on what needs to be done to give people access to health care that won’t break their budgets. The plans supported by Ohio Secretary of…
6/21: Ace Enders & a Million Different People
Arthur “Ace” Enders might be one of the hardest working, and most approachable, artists in indie music today. If he’s not giving away albums like The Secret Wars as a free digital download, he’s doing live chats, making fans photographers for the day and releasing ambitious triple-disc endeavors like The Mother, the Mechanic and the…
My Shawn Kemp Olympics Jersey Could Take This Brevin Knight Jersey Any Day of the Week
(via Straight Cash Homey)
Indians Attendance Woes Continue While Minors Surprise
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Indians’ attendance is not quite where the team wants it to be. Between the faltering economy across the nation, the deleterious effects beyond the norm that has caused here at home, a floundering team, and the Cavs’ deep playoff run, there are endless reasons for the low turnouts. In…
6/20: Peace Show Fundraiser
It’s another crazy-busy June weekend, what with festivals like the Larchmere Porchfest and BigCoolCats at Cain Park, Gay Pride and the Summer Solstice party celebrating the opening of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new wing. But if you’re seeking peace — a peaceful evening benefiting the area peace movement — there’s a laid-back evening of…
Peace Show Fundraiser
It’s another crazy-busy June weekend, what with festivals like the Larchmere Porchfest and BigCoolCats at Cain Park, Gay Pride and the Summer Solstice party celebrating the opening of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new wing. But if you’re seeking peace — a peaceful evening benefiting the area peace movement — there’s a laid-back evening of…
Rock Hall Summer Sessions
Once again, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will present a summer series of outdoors shows on its entrance plaza on alternate Wednesday evenings. This season’s concerts, dubbed “Summer Sessions,” launch on July 8 with Philadelphia’s freewheeling, eclectic Man Man, known for their wild stage attire and wild assortment of instruments and…
6/21: Mims
“Now there’s a whole museum of Hov MCers/Everybody’s dupin’ the flow,” Jay-Z bragged on “The Bounce,” 2002’s The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse. Little did he know the museum wouldn’t be shutting down anytime soon. A few years later, rapper/producer Shawn Mims made the scene with “This Is Why I’m Hot,” an ephemeral,…
MVPuppets Outtakes and Shorts
There were some shorter vids that either didn’t make it to TV, or I didn’t see them. Either way, here’s one. The others are at this link.
MEGA NOODLE
When the Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Public Art went looking for an outdoor installation that would evoke solstice celebrations around the world, they went to Mark Reigelman, the recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art who is now living in New York. If his name sounds at all familiar, that’s likely because…
STATE HIDING DOCS IN LONG-RUNNING INSURANCE CASE?
It’s not just that ex-Governor George Voinovich liquidated Ohio’s largest malpractice insurance firm a decade ago, possibly to cover up illicit ties to some lowdown political shenanigans and to nurture a cash cow for the state. It’s that he can’t seem to explain why, or if he even cares about the thousands of people he…
Reviews of three new films opening at the Cedar Lee
Year One, the new comedy that stars Michael Cera and Jack Black as a couple of dim-witted cavemen, looks pretty funny from the trailer. It opens areawide this weekend. But in case you’re looking for something different this weekend, here are capsule reviews of the movies opening at the Cedar Lee this weekend. Every Little…
Whiskey Daredevils Tour Diary — Day 2: Belgium
The Whiskey Daredevils just returned from a road trip in Europe. Frontman Greg Miller fills us in on what happened. The family that put us up is unbelievably nice. The mother is a skinny blonde that dotes on her husband. He is a full bodied, bearded man that has just suffered from a botched operation…
DIMORA: JUST DOIN’ MY JOB
The cameramen poured to the front of the county commissioners’ boardroom on Thursday as their regular public meeting shifted to another one of their must-be-more-explanatory private executive sessions. WaddayasaynowJimmy!? Waddayasay when you’re pinned against the wall? “Clean up!” Commissioner Jimmy Dimora boomed to the audience at home, smiling pretty like mama always told him. Then…
Year One follows a tried-and-true formula
Zed (Jack Black) is an inept primitive hunter forced to leave his tribe after he gets caught eating from the tree of knowledge. Zed’s friend Oh (Michael Cera) tags along, and as the two wander through the ancient world they encounter various biblical characters including Cain (David Cross) and Isaac (Christopher Mintze-Plasse). Eventually, a plot…
6/21: The Offspring at Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
With all of their peers breaking up and then getting back together a few years later, this SoCal punk foursome seems pretty stable by comparison. The group, which formed in 1984, still has three of its original members — something that can’t be said for too many other ’80s punk bands. That means fans can…
What’s Your Favorite Album So Far This Year?
I’m putting the finishing touches on my latest Quarterly Buzz Report, in which I take a look at the best albums released over a three-month period. By the end of the year, all four reports should give a pretty accurate representation of the year’s best music. In turn, buried within the two dozen or so…
Absolutely Loving This Random ‘Pyle Law’ Commercial With Austin Carr
Nothing to not love here. Horrible music. Horrible editing. Seemingly real footage from a real accident with a real person on the ground. Barking dogs. Of course, kind of sad there’s no catchphrases in here. “Get that weak stuff outta here,” would be perfect for a lawyer commercial.
Things to Read That Might Not Suck: Catching up With Former Cleveland Athletes Edition
— Remember Lee Suggs? Of course you do. He’s joining the Oberlin coaching staff as a full-time running backs coach. (Dayton Daily News) — Craig Breslow helps the Athletics take the top rank in the WSJ’s odd and more than slightly misguided attempt to organize the smartest baseball teams by simply compiling how many players…
Bret Michaels Won’t Sue Tonys for His Screw-Up
Remember the Bret Michaels incident at the Tony Awards earlier this month? Surely, you saw the above video and laughed your ass off like we did, even if you didn’t catch it live (because, really, who watches the Tony Awards?). We just got some breaking news from People magazine, which is reporting that the Poison…
When the Indians and Pirates Get Together, Ticket Sales Go Bonkers
Just kidding. No one wants to see two of the worst teams in baseball square off, even if there is some quasi-geographical rivalry. Only about half of the available tickets for the three-game series June 23-25 have been sold, with the first two games below 20,000, the third below 30,000. The team would not divulge…
Darnell Jackson Helps Lead KU Alumni Over Current Jayhawks
In his rookie year, Darnell Jackson’s highest point total with the Cavs in one game was 15, accomplished in the last game of the season when most of the regulars were sitting against Philadelphia. He topped that, albeit in a game against college players that didn’t count for anything, when he helped Kansas alumni beat…
Franklin Gutierrez Killing it in Center Field for the Mariners
When once we watched Franklin Gutierrez patrol the outfield for the Indians, Tribe fans knew that he was a defensive genius. It was hard not to notice. He had speed, he had a good, strong, accurate arm. He had a knack for the spectacular plays, which didn’t happen that often because his speed and angle…
Indians to Honor Dick Jacobs in Heritage Park
There’s been some bloggy chatter recently about what possible plans the Indians might have in permanently honoring cherished former owner Dick Jacobs. Rick from WFNY, as well as I, wondered if there might be a uniform patch in the works, since that’s a common way for an organization to remember influential members of the team,…
BURN ON, BIG RIVER
The 1969 fire on the Cuyahoga River wasn’t the first or the biggest on the river. But when the Cuyahoga caught fire on June 22 of that year, the attendant publicity — and ridicule — drew attention to the river’s extreme pollution and helped launch the environmental movement. Randy Newman and R.E.M. both referenced the…
Whiskey Daredevils Tour Diary — Day 1: Donkmeer Belgium
The Whiskey Daredevils just returned from a road trip in Europe. Frontman Greg Miller fills us in on what happened. I walked through the Cleveland airport and spotted Leo sitting by himself at the gate. It was like seeing him through the eyes of a stranger. Mismatching tattoos and wild facial hair helped create a…
6/20: CMA’s Solstice Party
To celebrate the opening of its new East Wing, the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd., 216.421.7350) is doing the unthinkable, at least by museum standards: It’s staying up past midnight and letting indie-rockers play in its hallowed halls. The evening kicks off at 7 p.m. with the Django Reinhardt-inspired Hot Club of Detroit.…
6/20-22: Cuyahoga River fire 40th anniversary events
The 1969 fire on the Cuyahoga River wasn’t the first or the biggest on the river. But when the Cuyahoga caught fire on June 22 of that year, the attendant publicity — and ridicule — drew attention to the river’s extreme pollution and helped launch the environmental movement. Randy Newman and R.E.M. both referenced the…
6/18, 19 & 21: Dave Arnold at Improv
At Cleveland Improv:
6/20: Artie Lange at the Improv
One night only, 7:30 amd 9:30 p.m., at Cleveland Improv (2000 Sycamore St., 216-696-4677).
Photo Show: 311 at Time Warner Amphitheater
Johnny Angell brought his camera to the 311 concert last night. Here’s what he saw.
Show You Should See This Weekend: The Avett Brothers
Scott and Seth Avett used to wind down after gigs with their rock band Nemo with post-show hootenannies. The alt-country trio has since become the Avetts’ full-time group. Joined by stand-up bassist Bob Crawford, the Avett Brothers layer three-part harmonies over bluegrass tunes that often drift into pop and punk territories. The North Carolina band…
LOOSE LIPS SINK STIFFS
In the 51 pages of indictment filed Friday against county fixer J. Kevin Kelley and three others — adding four more figures to the six building inspectors already accused of corruption — one of Kelley’s quotes gathered from extensive federal wiretapping casts the perfect illumination on how business has been done around these parts: “Loyalty…
Out: Game Balls; In: WWE Championship Belts
This is perhaps the most awesome thing in the history of awesome. It would be even more awesome if the Indians were winning, but we’ll take what we can get with this team right now. Everyone remembers little league when after the game, the coach would select the player of the day. So, sometimes coach…
Hockey Guy
Last week we took a look at Softball Guy and Pickup Basketball Guy. Today, courtesy of our hockey-loving Editor, is Hockey Guy. By Frank Lewis Hockey Guy’s gear is old. And full of holes. And it fucking reeks. The main source of the stench is probably the “lucky” undershirt that he never washes. Hockey Guy…
Bites: Matt Harlan — The Man Behind Bar Symon
After 11 years in Tremont — first at Lola, then Lolita — chef Matt Harlan is heading west to Avon Lake. When the doors open to Bar Symon (June 29), Michael Symon’s American brasserie, Harlan will be the man running the kitchen. It’s clear that the move is a bittersweet one for him. What’s it…
Local Disc Reviews
The Dead Enders (self-released) myspace.com/theofficialdeadenders On the Dead Enders’ delayed debut, Holly Berry, CJ Gunn and company blaze a trail to hell with shady friends in a cheap, beat-up car that looks really cool. Or at least that’s what the songs are about. Gritty and loud, the band includes most of the Subtones. It’s less…
The Sights of Summer
Softball Guy Summer’s finally here. And one thing you can expect every year, besides girls in bikinis, is softball. If you play softball or ever watched someone play softball, you’ve seen Softball Guy. There’s one on every team. He’s usually an above-average player, and he always makes sure you notice him. But who is he?…
Soundcheck: Loren Molinare
Part of the whole pre-punk Detroit/Ann Arbor scene that included incendiary garage-rockers like the Stooges and the MC5, the Dogs busted out of Lansing, Michigan, in the ’70s, only to find themselves penniless and homeless on a 1979 European tour, which brought the band’s burgeoning career to a premature end. But after regrouping in 2003,…
Fight Night
TOP PICK Punch-Out!! (Nintendo) This boxing videogame series has been around forever, but it’s never been as good or as fun as it is for the Wii. Grab your remote and Nunchuk and pound away on a bunch of opponents. The single-person career mode is involving (I especially like knocking out the French fighter, who…
Reel Cleveland: James Franco Comes to Town
Since starring in the short-lived Judd Apatow TV series Freaks and Geeks, James Franco has taken on a variety of roles that show just how much range he truly has. He starred as Harry Osborn/New Goblin, son of the Green Goblin, in Spider-Man and played James Dean in a made-for-television movie that aired on TNT.…
CD Review: Bedouin Soundclash
Considering the connotations, it’s never good to refer to a group as “ska.” But here goes. Bedouin Soundclash is a ska band, one that draws on everything from the up-strokes of the Specials, to traditional reggae and South African pop. Since debuting in 2001, the group’s mastery of melody has earned them a rabid fan…
A Symptom of Success
When Robin Stone found herself a little hoarse in January of 2008, she didn’t think too much about it. The hard-working singer thought it was just a cold. But when, months later, she still didn’t sound normal, she found herself embarking on a medical odyssey that’s taken her through numerous tests at the Cleveland Clinic,…
CD Review: Eels
Mark Oliver Everett, also known as E, is a fairly prolific musician. It seems like Eels releases — full-lengths, best-of compilations, live CDs — appear with such regularity that you can estimate when the next one will arrive. You can always get your fix for more Eels, whether anticipating a new record like this one…
CD Review: Trey Anastasio
For those who’ve ever wondered what Phish would sound like decked out in symphony drag and performing a score that runs the gamut from Fantasia wonder to Indiana Jones joy-riding, Trey Anastasio has provided at least a partial answer with Time Turns Elastic. Collaborating with arranger Don Hart, Anastasio has crafted a soundtrack without filmic…
CD Review: Nils Lofgren
Just because he played with the dude, it doesn’t give Nils Lofgren the right to turn Neil Young’s songs into such snoozers. On The Loner — Nils Sings Neil, E Street Band guitarist Lofgren covers 15 of Young’s famous (“I Am a Child,” “Like a Hurricane”) and not-so-famous (“Don’t Be Denied,” “World on a String”)…
CD Review: Kasabian
Alongside Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian were part of the post-punk revival of a few years back. The British fivesome’s self-titled debut, which came out over here in early 2005, was a hit, proffering a slew of singles and making Kasabian an “it” band for a week or so. But attention spans…
CD Review: Trevor Horn and Friends
Together for one night only: Belle & Sebastian with orchestra, joined by Grace Jones, Yes, Seal, ABC, Lisa Stansfield and more — including cameos by folks like Tom Jones via remote video, plus appearances by Prince Charles and the Royal Family. The link connecting this baffling roster? Producer Trevor Horn, one of the music industry’s…
Around Hear: Snake Handlers Debut
Saint Andrew (ex-Knifedance, Stepsister) has a new duo, the Snake Handlers. They makes their live debut Thursday, June 18, at Now That’s Class (11213 Detroit Ave.) “Right now, it’s just a two-piece,” says Andrew. “Think Black Keys meets the Stooges, with some Velvet Underground kinda stuff. This is the format I really wanted — [previous…
CD Review: Sarah Jarosz
This 17-year-old bluegrass prodigy strums and picks all the right instruments: guitar, banjo, mandolin. She also possesses a deep-in-the-hollows croon that’s part native Texas, part ages-old Americana. And on her debut album, she writes and sings about laying her soul on the line and leaving home. Song Up in Her Head is an authentic-sounding record…
Cities in Flight
Amy Casey perches barefoot on the seat of a high, paint-spattered swivel chair, blearily sipping a large cup of tea. She blinks and smiles, making a nervous attempt to brush cat hair off her black T-shirt as a bulky video camera inches closer. It catches her incorrigibly straight brown hair, stark against a luminously pale…
Film Caps
Opening Across the Universe (US, 2007) Making creative use of several Beatles songs, Julie Taymor’s (Frida, Titus) musical tells the story of a young man (Jim Sturgess) who leaves his dockyard job in England to go on a quest to find his father in the States. He falls in love with the sister (Evan Rachel…
THE EAST WING
From the glass jewel box facing south and east in the new wing of the Cleveland Museum of Art, you can see a couple of the region’s major architectural projects. To the east, through the trees, there’s Frank Gehry’s vision of curled stainless ribbons. To the south there’s Severance Hall, returned to symmetry and given…
Sexual Congress
The gayest place in America, according to Kirby Dick’s documentary Outrage, isn’t San Francisco, Manhattan or Fire Island. It’s Washington, D.C. — the “most gay, most closeted place” in the U.S. Among the movie’s revelations is that Capitol Hill is “packed with gay staffers.” Gay men, presumably because they have fewer family obligations, work around…
CD Review: The Black Eyed Peas
The party never ends for the Black Eyed Peas. Cue the club music, pan to the crowded dance floor, program elaborate dance choreography, sequence cheesy digitized vocals (with catchphrases like “Rock That Body”) and you realize hip-hop’s most homogenized hitmakers have returned with another great party mix, their first studio album in four years. The…
OLD- SCHOOL SWEETHEART
Even with the age difference (she’s 44; he’s 32), Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds make a darn cute couple in The Proposal, a high-concept romantic comedy that sizzles more than it fizzles. Directed by Anne Fletcher, who helped turn Katherine Heigl into a bona fide rom-com princess in last year’s 27 Dresses, The Proposal might…
ALL ROADS LEAD TO LAUGHS
There’s an odd new trend in the arts: verisimilitude. For example, a West Side Story with the Sharks rumbling in Spanish. And who can forget Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ with Jesus delivering his Sermon on the Mount in the original-cast Aramaic? This led us to fear a Porthouse Theatre production of A…
That’s All, Folks
When Warner Bros., Elektra and Atlantic Records merged into one international music-industry powerhouse in 1970, Cleveland had one of the new Warner Music Group’s first offices. And for decades, its sales and marketing force made it one of the stronger ones. In May, when the Warner Group (also known as WEA, short for Warner Elektra…
Of Mice and Men
The gods, goddesses and demons of America seem as numberless as the Hindu pantheon, and no artist has portrayed them as exhaustively as Andy Warhol. From Marilyn and Jackie to Buzz Aldrin, John Wayne to Mao, Annie Oakley to Mickey Mouse, Warhol in the course of his career produced a deck of oversized face cards,…
Straight Outta Parma
If you saw the six members of Cleveland metal band Cellbound hanging out at the Dirty Dog, a blue-collar corner bar just outside Parma’s city limits, you’d probably tab them for another bunch of Parma metalheads who’d been playing in bands together since high school. Dressed in leather jackets and Metallica T-shirts, they’re making jokes…
ALMOST THERE
For more than a decade, Little Italy’s money spot for single guys was a cozy corner eatery called Valerio’s. Hailed as one of the most romantic hideaways in town, the dimly lit trattoria worked magic on one’s date, serving as a form of courtship catnip. Sure, the experience left a man’s wallet a little worse…
NEIGHBORHOOD HOOTENANNY
What’s better than listening to music on your front porch, sharing brews with your friends and neighbors? How about putting live performers on the porches of your entire neighborhood and inviting all of Cleveland to join you? That’s what’s happening in the Larchmere neighborhood this weekend. Inspired by a similar festival that started in Ithaca,…
Polycultures release party at Greenhouse Tavern
Initially contracted by Oberlin’s New Agrarian Center to make a documentary film, director Tom Kondilas realized over the course of three years that it took him to make the movie, that any film he made about the local and sustainable food movement in Northeast Ohio would need to involve more time and money than the…
Reviews of three new films opening at the Cedar Lee
Given that there were no laughs in his last so-called comedy, Norbit, I can’t imagine the new Eddie Murphy film, Imagine That, is any good. Since it’s one of the big Hollywood flicks opening this weekend (the other is the Pelham 123 remake), you might want to find something else worth seeing. Here are capsule…
