Weenie A Go Go Hot Dog Joint to Open In Ohio City
Cleveland hot dog fanatics rejoice: Northeast Ohio native and chef, Jessica Johnson, will soon bring her eclectic hot dog concoctions to Ohio City, with Weenie A Go Go. We sat down with her to talk all about the new space, menu, and what she hopes customers can expect at the restaurant. A specific July opening…
Local Chef Spices Up Business Portfolio to Make Kitchen Conquests Easier
Doug Katz, chef-owner of Fire Food and Drink and Katz Club Diner, will try his hand at chef merchandising for the first time this fall with Fire Spice Co. Fire Spice Co., Katz’s new spice company, will initially sell six different spice blends: garam masala, barbecue rub, Mexican chocolate brownie spice, ras el hanout, Ethiopian…
Track Your Bus in Real Time with TransitApp, Now Supporting Cleveland
Waiting for the bus to arrive? Starting to think you could get there quicker if you just walked? Now you can track your bus in real time, and all you need is a smartphone. Enter TransitApp, an iOS and Android app that provides live tracking of public transportation in an easy-to-read format. The app tracks public…
Artist Strives to Capture Cleveland Spirit Through Painted Signs
Nashville-native Amanda Cook said it was a couple of different paths that led her to first painting the vintage, neon signs of Cleveland landmarks, the first pieces now showing at Euclid Avenue’s Bonfoey Gallery. “Eight or nine years back, I was doing a lot of paintings of the sky,” she said. “And little wires and…
Review: Card Games for Horrible People at the Side Quest in Lakewood
The Side Quest in Lakewood (17900 Detroit Ave., 216-228-1212) has the familiarity of a dive bar, but if you look closer you’ll notice the retro pixel-art Final Fantasy characters on the fridge, action figures stuck along the top of the walls, and a life-size replica of Link’s shield from the Legend of Zelda mounted alongside…
VIDEO: Cleveland’s XHIBITION Puts Kanye’s “Yeezy Boost 350” to the Test With Ballet
Cleveland men’s boutique Xhibition is one of 30 stores in the world selling Kanye West’s new Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 sneaker. To promote the fresh kicks, the store enlisted the help of locals to prove the shoe’s performance. Xhibition gave the new Adidas shoe a ballet bar exam by testing its endurance and energy-boosting claims…
The Wait is Over, Gamers: Tabletop Café Opens This Friday
Great news for everybody who enjoys having a few drinks while playing games with friends; Tabletop Board Game Cafe in Ohio City (1810 W. 25th St.) finally is set to open its doors following a series of frustrating delays. Doors officially open to the public this Friday at 7 p.m. The popularity of cafes…
Travel Channel Program to Feature Local Musicians
Trip Flip, a program hosted by the Travel Channel’s Bert Kreischer, will broadcast a one-hour episode tonight at 8 featuring local musicians James Begin and Chris DiCola. Kreischer and Trip Flip producers discovered the duo busking outside of Progressive Field in the fall of 2014. Begin and DiCola were members of the local ska group…
The Northern Lights Were Visible From Northeast Ohio Last Night
Last night’s crazy storm not only produced some truly awesome thunder (did anyone else wake up all frantically to that one huge crash around like 5 a.m.?), it also brought the famed aurora borealis to points relatively south. Like Lorain. Robert Campana captured some great shots of the lights over Lake Erie. Some reports had…
County Council to Vote on CAC Cigarette Tax Renewal Ballot Placement Today
Cuyahoga County Council will discuss for the final time the resolution to place the CAC cigarette tax renewal on the November ballot. The measure, if approved by voters, would extend the 1.5-cent tax on cigarettes sold in Cuyahoga County for another 10 years. The tax benefits Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, which in turn distributes funds…
New Party Break EP Celebrates Cleveland’s Club Culture
A collective of local DJs and club promoters, Party Break has been part of the Cleveland club scene almost two decades now. The group has just released Cleveland Club, a new EP featuring some of the city’s biggest homegrown club hits. The EP opens with “Rep Your Town” a “big room hometown anthem” that features…
Indians Fans Are MLB’s Most Grammatical
We’ll take the good news where we can find it.
MOCA’s AFRICOBRA Film Screening, Discussion to Focus on Power of Art in Political Change
AFRICOBRA was a socio-politically motivated art movement during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in and around Chicago. These African American artists united in an effort to affirm and uplift the black community, effecting positive change through captivating imagery and engaging, public artwork. AFRICOBRA founding members Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu,…
Alt-rockers Imagine Dragons Prove To Be Arena-Ready
Imagine Dragons have no business playing a venue the size of Quicken Loans Arena. Sure, some of their songs have gotten into heavy rotation on commercial radio, but the Q has a capacity of about 20,000. Imagine Dragons ain’t that popular. While the band didn’t fill the venue last night (the place looked to be…
Kevin Kelley on What’s to Come for Cleveland City Council
Monday morning, Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley sat down with Scene at his City Hall office, beneath the mayflies’ gaze, to chat about council’s agenda for the next three years. Kelley gave a talk at the City Club last week and we wanted to follow up on a few of his key points. Kelley’s…
Inside the Ohio Derby: Thistledown Racino’s Largest Purse Draws Horse Racing Elite
“Crestatorre, Crestatorre, Crestatorre, Broker Brett, Broker Brett, Broker Brett, Crestatorre, Crestatorre, Crestatorre, Cane Garden Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Shawklit Milkshake, Shawklit Milkshake, Kowboy Tuff, Kowboy Tuff.” Thistledown announcer Matt Hook is looking through binoculars, eyeing one horse at a time and rhythmically muttering its name under his breath as he prepares to…
Cleveland School of Rock to Play Outdoor Pinball Party
The Who once wrote a song about a “pinball wizard” who “plays a mean pinball.” That concept will be celebrated from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, when an outdoor pinball party is slated to take place on Coventry Road along the sidewalks throughout the Coventry Village Special Improvement District. Each game will…
She Shreds Magazine and EarthQuaker Devices Pedal Company Team Up to Present Two Local Concerts
Fabi Reyna started the magazine She Shreds back in 2012 after raising funds by organizing a 15-band festival in Portland, Oregon, called Shred Fest. From that point forward, events have been important for the magazine that profiles female guitarists. “Ever since then, we’ve made it a priority to create memorable experiences by integrating events into…
Blaze in Retrospect: ‘Where the River Burned’ on the Anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Fire
This spring, David and Richard Stradling — history professor at the University of Cincinnati and editor and The News and Observer in Raleigh, respectively — published a titanic review of Cleveland in the time of river fires. Where the River Burned is a well written and engaging account of Mayor Carl Stokes attempts to revitalize a divided…
Naked, Drunk, Pizza-Eating Duo Arrested in Westlake Over the Weekend
We’ve all had our fair share of weekend shenanigans and maybe a few have even merited a newspaper headline, but this weekend two bright young minds took their antics to a new level with a joyride through Westlake that resulted in their arrest. 24-year-old Alexandria Mauer and 33-year-old Kenneth Gillespie were pulled over on Basset Road shortly…
55th Annual Cleveland Arts Prize Awards Set to Celebrate Dynamic Winners
The 2015 Winners of the Cleveland Arts Prize have been announced, and now it’s time to celebrate. At 6:15 p.m. this Thursday, June 25, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium hosts the Cleveland Arts Prize’s 55th Annual Awards Event. The evening features special guest host CMA Director William Griswold, and Master of Ceremonies Dan…
Matthew Dellavedova Inspires Hollywood Movie
Matthew Dellavedova exploded onto the national sportswriting scene with a quintessentially “scrappy” performance during the NBA playoffs. The Australia native became a fan favorite, and cheers of “Delly, Delly, Delly” rattled down from the crowd throughout the Finals. His underdog story was relatable, certainly, and movie-worthy, apparently. Now, Dellavedova’s life and basketball career will become…
WATCH: LeBron James Sells Everyone on Cleveland in ‘Trainwreck’ Trailer
We can all agree that LeBron James has a pretty decent full-time job, but if the whole bball star gig ever falls through he may have a career waiting for him at Destination Cleveland. Here’s a clip from the soon-to-be-released flick Trainwreck featuring an ultra-enthusiastic James boasting about the Land. He’s not poised to win an…
Sondheim’s Music Ties Together Convoluted Relationships in Lush ‘A Little Night Music’
There’s a lot of hanky-panky going on in this lush Stephen Sondheim musical, with an elegant and witty book by Hugh Wheeler. Set in Sweden around the turn of the 20th century, it’s surprising that all these cool Nordic types are so hot to trot given the perpetual summer sun at this elevated latitude. The…
Lou Gramm and Mickey Thomas Deliver Enjoyable Evening of Classic Rock at Hard Rock Live
Lou Gramm might be the official holder of the “Juke Box Hero” title, but last night at Hard Rock Live, longtime Starship vocalist Mickey Thomas was also sharing the bill. He has an equally impressive number of hit records slotted in on the jukebox. Together, the pair turned out an enjoyable evening of rock and…
Cleveland Museum of Art Announces Schedule for Ohio City Stages
For the past couple of summers, the Cleveland Museum of Art has hosted Ohio City Stages, a weekly summer block party that takes place in front of the Transformer Station during the month of July. Acts slated to play this summer include Nigerian singer, composer and guitarist King Sunny Adé, Colombian musician Mario Galeano, desert…
6 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, JUNE 19 Travis Haddix Blues Band A staple in the Cleveland blues scene — and in the American music circuit writ large — Travis “Moonchild” Haddix has always brought the heat to the stage. He also surround himself with great musicians — like a tight, tight brass section. What he has always done so…
Trevor Hall Has Spent His Life Seeking Something — And Writing Songs About His Journey
Two years ago, amid a soaring and still-burgeoning music career in the States, Trevor Hall packed up and took off for India. He traveled the country for a long time under the tutelage of a classical Baul musician (a Bengali minstrel, to the uninitiated). If they hadn’t been cemented already in his music, the cultural…
After 40 Years, New Wave Pioneers Blondie Continue to Look Forward
Plenty of New Wave bands haven’t been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The Cars have been eligible for 11 years but never nominated. Duran Duran has been eligible for 8 years but never nominated. The Eurythmics have been eligible for 8 years but never nominated. The B-52s have been…
Michael Symon’s New Food Network Show Slated to Air July 17
Earlier this spring, we told you about Michael Symon’s new Food Network show “Burgers, Brew and ‘Que,” which will take the Iron Chef to cities such as Nashville, New York, and, yes, Cleveland to sample the best of casual American cuisine. Today we learn that a debut date for the show has been set: July…
Loud in Cleveland Podcast with Joshua Jesty
The latest episode of Loud in Cleveland hit the podcast waves this morning. Hosts Mike and Drew interviewed Joshua Jesty, a local favorite who has completed a four-EP cycle. From our hosts: Over the two and a half hours we talked, we got into everything about his life. I mean it, people. We got deep. Josh…
VIDEO: Cleveland Civic Leaders Pump Themselves Up With City of the Future Video
The Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Annual Meeting was held Wednesday evening at the Cleveland Convention Center. Cleveland.com reported that prepared remarks were awash in gratitude for the Cavaliers and the playoff run’s attendant economic boost. Below, we’ve included the GCP’s intro video, so you can get a flavor of the business community’s aura and id. It…
Artistic and Culinary Events Set to Celebrate Life and Work of Vincent Price
Calling all Vincent Price fans! Next week features a number of special events in honor of the man himself. It all leads up to a special exhibition, opening at the Good Goat Gallery on Friday, June 26. However, the week starts at 6 p.m. this upcoming Monday, June 22, with a special Vincent Price-themed dinner…
New Café Adds Authentic Taiwanese Fare to Asiatown Offerings
Add Taiwanese food to the wide variety of Asian offerings crammed into tiny Golden Plaza, home to the Vietnamese-themed Superior Pho and the Korean-based Ha Ahn. A few months back, Phusion Café (3030 Superior Ave., 216-861-3399) opened up shop in the odd and underutilized space upfront that once was home to Just Like Mom’s. While…
CD Review: Apollo’s Fire, “Sugarloaf Mountain, An Appalachian Gathering”
By Daniel Hathaway When summer arrives, Apollo’s Fire lets its hair down and goes off to visit Baroque music’s country cousin — the music of Appalachian America. The ensemble’s previous show, “Come to the River,” now has a prequel: “Sugarloaf Mountain,” an equally irresistible collection of tunes from the old and new worlds chronicling the…
‘Material Girls’ Exhibition at HEDGE Gallery Among Terrific Highlights at Tonight’s Third Friday Event
This month’s Third Friday event at 78th Street Studios is sure to be another busy evening. June’s highlights include: Material Girls by Katy Richards and Nikki Woods at HEDGE Gallery (Suite 200), TRANSOM by Andy Dreamingwolf and Scot Phillips at Cleveland West Arts League (Suite 110) and a $50 Show at E11even 2 (Suite 112).…
Local Singer-songwriter Joshua Jesty Completes a 4-EP Cycle
For as long as he can remember, Cleveland-bred singer-songwriter Joshua Jesty has been chasing songs. As he recalled during a recent conversation, he grew up in a house that was full of music and was “always creating little melodies” in his head. There were plenty of areas from which he was able to draw early…
Councilman Polensek Predicts (Promises?) Confrontation with Metroparks Rangers at Euclid Beach
Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek and a small battalion of East Side residents attended Thursday morning’s bi-weekly Metroparks board meeting to publicly register their outrage over a policy at Euclid Beach which prohibits all body contact with water. Assorted TV media personnel, who rarely bother to cover the Metroparks unless there’s a photo op at…
Bruce Drennan Incorrectly Reports That David Blatt Will Resign
In an almost perfectly absurd reporting mishap, Bruce Drennan relayed information from one of his “great sources” that Cavs Head Coach David Blatt would be resigning. Seconds later, after kicking the shot over to the press conference, Blatt took his first question and replied that — and we’ll emphasize this — no, he would not…
Backstage Pass: An Interview with Pop/Rock Band North of Nine
The L.A.-based pop/rock band North of Nine came through town last night to play Aloft Hotel as part of the hotel’s Live at Aloft concert series. The guys literally flew to Cleveland from Los Angeles for the gig. A mix of pop and rock that sounds a bit like Maroon 5, their hit “Can It…
The Cavs, James Joyce, Dru Joyce II and LeBron
When people say the name Joyce in connection with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they generally mean Dru Joyce II, the man who coached LeBron James in Akron. But the writer James Joyce said something relevant to the 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavaliers, whose season ended Tuesday with J.R. Smith pouring in three desperate three-pointers in the disappointing last…
ChamberFest Cleveland Preview: 15 Minutes With Bassist Nathan Farrington
By Jarrett Hoffman “It’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?” bassist Nathan Farrington said of Prokofiev’s Quintet for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and double bass. “There’s a lot of circus imagery in the piece, and in the second-movement solo, I’m totally the dancing bear.” Franklin and Diana Cohen’s ChamberFest Cleveland, beginning its fourth season on June 17,…
The Epic of Everest: A Conversation With Composer Simon Fisher Turner
By Mike Telin In June of 1924, English mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared while attempting to scale the world’s highest mountain. Their journey up Mount Everest was documented by mountaineer and filmmaker John Baptist Lucius Noel. Shot with a hand-cranked camera, Noel’s film is also one of the earliest filmed records of life…
Ohio Couple’s Wedding Venue Double-Booked with the Rolling Stones
Wild horses couldn’t drag this couple away from their dream wedding. But when a rock legend was booked for the same space and time as their reception, someone had to budge. Both alumni of Ohio State, Chhoeun and Craig Callahan had booked Ohio Stadium for their May 2015 wedding months ago without ever being told…
Jack Flaps Luncheonette Now Open in 5th Street Arcades
Jack Flaps Luncheonette is a fitting name for a restaurant that melds the foods and formats of two very different diners into one tasty new operation. Back in January, Scene broke the news that Randy Carter, the chef-owner of Jack Flaps (3900 Lorain Ave., 216-961-5199, jack-flaps.com) in Ohio City, had purchased P.J.’s Luncheonette, a 34-year-old…
‘Early Morning Rapist’ Gets 144-Year Jail Sentence
The process of getting “Early Morning Rapist” James Daniel III through his trial proceedings was not a simple one. But his trial wrapped this week with a 144-years-to-life prison sentence. Prosecutors impressed upon the court Daniel’s habit of committing violence against women. Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge David Matia, reflecting on Daniel’s widely recorded history, noted…
Bahamas Delivers Stellar Show In Spite of Crowd
It’s probably not a characteristic unique to Cleveland, but concert crowds in this town can really suck. Consider: You’d get kicked to the curb by customers and employees if you and your drunk buddies were yammering away during a $13 Jurassic World screening at Cinemark. So why — I wonder this constantly at shows — why…
Some Friendly Suggestions for the Guy Who Prematurely Got a Cavs 2015 NBA Champs Tattoo
Losing to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals was soul-crushing for Clevelanders. The 51-year championship drought continues as Cavs fans sadly proclaim, “There’s always next year.” But imagine how it feels to be the guy who tattooed “2015 NBA Champs” on his leg, before the NBA Finals even started. I'm #Allin…
The Greenhouse Tavern Snags Award for Best Vegetarian Sandwich in America
If you are a Cleveland vegetarian and haven’t tried Greenhouse Tavern’s Pulled Barbecue Mushroom Sandwich, what in the tofu-filled world are you waiting for? Restaurant Hospitality Magazine named this delectable Carolina pulled pork-inspired sandwich the best Vegetarian dish between two slices of bread on its list of “Best Sandwiches in America 2015.” The sandwich, for…
Dick Jokes Remain Far From Extinct in Blank Canvas Theatre’s ‘Triassic Park, the Musical’
There are two things most young boys are immensely interested in: dinosaurs and their own penises. And, evidently, most males never completely lose their focus on those two objects of affection. This is especially true with Triassic Parq, the Musical, now at Blank Canvas Theatre. This almost-parody of the Jurassic Park movies delves into…
Sleater-Kinney to Play Masonic Auditorium in December
The pioneering riot grrrl band Sleater-Kinney released a new album in January and has spent some of the year touring behind the release. But it has yet to make its way to Cleveland. Until now. The group has just announced that it will perform at Masonic Auditorium on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Tickets are $28 to $32.50. They…
Tickets Still Available for Celebrity Chef-Studded Five Star Sensation Fundraiser
With just 10 days to go before the biggest foodie fundraiser on the circuit – Five Star Sensation – a fresh batch of tickets has just been released, according to Alicia Reale, Media Relations representative for University Hospitals. Those who act fast still can secure access to a celebrity chef-studded event for a great cause.…
Demolition Forestalled! Metroparks Agrees to Wait a Year Before Tearing Down Historic Structure
Though the splashiest Metroparks headline today has to do with Euclid Beach, and the strict enforcement of a no-swimming policy there, other park-district news has crept into the pages (so to speak) of Cleveland.com. CEO Brian Zimmerman and Co. have agreed with the Village of Bentleyville not to demolish the historic McFarland House for at least…
Former Foreigner Singer Lou Gramm Says He’s ‘Very Proud’ of His Past
As the voice of Foreigner, singer Lou Gramm racked up an impressive 16 Top 40 hits in the ’70s and ’80s, including the number one smash, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” in 1985. He’ll be back in town on Saturday evening at Hard Rock Live for a co-headlining performance with Mickey Thomas of…
Fall Out Boy Embraces Punk Past at Rousing Blossom Concert
With its last album, American Beauty/American Psycho, Fall Out Boy uses samples and electronic beats to make a disc that sounds a bit more contemporary and radio-friendly. The strategy worked — songs such as “Centuries,” a tune that makes use of a sample of a Suzanne Vega tune, and “Uma Thurman,” a song with a…
Mercury Theatre Company Produces Splendid Musical Version of ‘Ghost’
Frank Sinatra used to have an opening joke in his lounge and concert acts where he would take the stage as if beset by a hangover, squint out blearily into the audience and say, “How did all these people get into my room!?”’ Well, that’s how Ghost, the Musical begins, since it’s based on the…
CMA’s Solstice is the Summer’s Hottest Ticket
The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Solstice is one of the hottest tickets in town — so much so that this year’s event sold out during the members-only pre-sale. From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. this Saturday, June 20, the CMA presents its 7th annual Solstice. “Solstice is one of the touchstones for the reemergence of…
Film Spotlight: Inside Out
Almost to a fault, Disney’s Pixar Films have put an emphasis on the storyline in ther films. Sure, the animated studio is known for getting A-list talent to provide the voices for the characters in its films. And it spares no expense when it comes to the detailed, life-like animation you find in the movies.…
Scene’s Theater Critic Tells her Story in a Deeply Moving, Funny One-Woman Play at Playhouse Square
Performing self can be a tricky, if not terrifying, business for an actor. Many will confirm that one of the reasons they got into acting was to escape themselves and hide behind the persona (Latin for mask) of a character, assuming a fictive personality and speaking the fabricated lines of a, most often, absent playwright.…
Two Fast-Casual Spots Join Cleveland Heights’ Food Scene
Cleveland Heights recently snagged a pair of independent, fast-casual eateries, and while they’re both mainly carryout sandwich joints, they couldn’t be more dissimilar. On one end of the spectrum is the health-focused Café Bon Appetit, which set up shop on the southern tip of the main Coventry drag. On the other end is Black Box…
In a World of Cleveland-Themed Tattoos, Andrea Lynne is Happy to Oblige
Andrea Lynne, founder and owner of Kollective Studio, has been devoted to opening Tremont’s newest tattoo shop for some time. She opened shop June 1 after moving locations twice, and renovating the old food joint at 1112 Kenilworth Ave. with her own hands. Specializing in Americana-style tattoos, this chick has been inking people all over…
Is Being “Authentically Catholic” the Ultimate Credential for Teaching High School?
Here’s a harmless conversation starter for the dinner table: How will the Cleveland Catholic Diocese’s “morality clause” impact its ability to hire quality educators? The so-called “morality clause” was a key (but surprisingly non-controversial) component within the contract recently agreed upon by the Diocese and the 195 members of the Cleveland High School and Academy…
Zygote Press Themed Show Explores Iconography in History
What represents iconography in the 21st century? This is the question posed by curators Jennifer Finkel and Bellamy Printz in Memeography at Zygote Press. This themed group show includes an eclectic roster of artists whose work explores personal and universal themes of iconography, or “image writing.” Memeography opens with a reception this Friday, June 19,…
Band of the Week: Pipe Dream
Meet the Band: Spencer Hendricks (guitar, piano, and drums), Jack Ellis (bass and lead vocals) and Gavin Sterkel (guitar, backing vocals, and piano) On the Fast Track: Pipe Dream formed in late 2012 when the guys were still high school students. “We all enjoyed the music we wrote together so we decided to take it…
Film Review of the Week: Saint Laurent
Not to be confused with the 2004 documentary Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times or the 2014 biopic Yves Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent (which is, in fact, another biopic released in France in 2014) opens Friday at the Cedar Lee. Please be apprised up front that it’s two-and-a-half hours long. Saint Laurent’s subject and…
