How to Rent Out Your Cleveland Home or Apartment During the 2016 RNC
All eyes will be on Cleveland next summer as the official Republican presidential candidate is selected – and some of those eyes might be on Clevelanders’ homes. The convention will be July 18-21, 2016, and hotel rooms around the city have been booked since the dates for the convention were announced, as delegates, guests and…
Parma Pierogies Has Big Plans for Comeback
A true staple of Cleveland nostalgia these days, Parma Pierogies remains an idea that seems always to be growing. Founder Mary Poldruhi is seeking investors for the company’s revival and the ultimate return to pierogi heaven. The original iteration of her company was a beloved Northeast Ohio institution throughout the 1990s — remember the iconic…
Ohio Gov. John Kasich Begins Presidential Run July 21
Ohioans will have a hometown horse in the race as we all dash headfirst through goofy political coverage toward next summer’s RNC. Gov. John Kasich, to nobody’s surprise, will formally start his campaign for the presidency on July 21 at the Ohio State University. Kasich did campaign for the presidency in 2000 but dropped out…
Westlake Detective Indicted After FBI Investigation
An officer with the Westlake Police Department was indicted in federal court today, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Detective Robert Toth, 48, is accused of excessive force on an arrested person and then lying about it on the arrest report and then to a “federal law enforcement officer” who was…
Good Luck to Thom Fladung, Who’s Leaving the Plain Dealer
We’ll echo many who are sending well wishes to Thom Fladung today, who is leaving the Plain Dealer, where he was managing editor, for a new opportunity. We’ve had our bones to pick with him and some of our other pals over at 1801 Superior (and Tower City), but Thom has always been nothing but…
Once Homeless Ohio Man with “Golden Voice” Says He Wants to Run for President
You may recall hearing about Ted Williams, the formerly homeless Ohio man whose smooth baritone vocals became an instant Internet hit after a Columbus Dispatch video went viral. Now, the man with the “golden voice” has said he’d like to run for president as an independent in the upcoming election. His aspirations were made public this…
Go Vegan for Lunch at Downtown’s New Helio Terra Cafe
Judging by the warm reception that Helio Terra has been enjoying since its early May opening, there’s room downtown for another all-vegan eats option, a niche previously occupied solely by Flaming Ice Cube. The bright, casual café recently opened in the Prospect Avenue storefront once occupied by Titan Up Café, a 1,000-square-foot spot connected to…
The Best Classical Music Events in Cleveland This Week, Including the Cleveland Orchestra’s Star-Spangled Spectacular
ChamberFest Cleveland ends its ten-pack of performances with a program in a spectacular venue. On Wednesday, July 1 at 7:00 pm, “Stars and Stripes” features the Echo Saxophone Quartet, organist Todd Wilson, and two small ensembles in a program of American music including Terry Riley’s Tread on the Trail, Charles Ives’s irreverent organ variations on…
Accused of Shoddy Work and Bilking Medicaid, Feds Seize Cleveland Dentist’s Records
A Cleveland dentist is currently under investigation from the United States Health and Human Services, suspected of healthcare fraud for signficantly charging Medicaid for work he doesn’t do. The Five Points Dental Center office, located in a strip mall in the Collinwood neighborhood, was raided on June 18, with feds seizing things like invoices, medicaid…
Off-Duty Lorain County Officers “Keep the Peace” for NEXUS Pipeline Surveyors, Grafton Township
NEXUS Pipeline surveyors from Houston-based Spectra Energy Corp. are expected to complete their work in Grafton Township tomorrow, Lt. Heath Tester, from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department, has told Scene. Off-duty officers were hired by Spectra and have successfully kept the peace during the past week’s surveys. “People were pretty worried about their presence,” Tester…
Samaria Rice Asks Court for Ability to Fire Walter Madison, Benjamin Crump in Wrongful Death Suit
Citing ongoing confusion and frustration with how she has been represented legally, Samaria Rice — the mother of Tamir Rice — filed a declaration in federal court that she wishes to fire attorneys Walter Madison and Benjamin Crump. In short, she writes, her attorneys failed “to explain everything to me and to consult with me…
Morrissey Shows Why He’s a Singular Talent
When Morrissey first arrived on the scene back in the ‘80s with the post-punk band the Smiths, he came off as a throwback. With his crooning vocals, his James Dean-inspired haircut and his contrarian opinions, the dapper frontman was the anti-rock star. He was simply too articulate and too well-kept. Flash-forward to the present day…
Clown Attrition Persists in Cleveland, But Art of Clowning Will Survive
The loss of about 1,000 members of the National Clown Organization over the past decade has caused some to fear the endangerment of clowns altogether. The decline across the nation has been blamed on attrition—and it is happening here in Ohio too. After the 2010 passing of Bob Kreidler, founder and headmaster of the Ohio…
Backstage Pass: An Interview with the UK Hard Rock Band Young Guns
The guys in the UK band Young Guns have just issued their new album, Ones and Zeroes, and they’ve been touring relentlessly in support of it. The melodic new single “Rising Up” premiered exclusively on the Cleveland-based Alternative Press website, and is currently in the top 30 at Active Rock radio. After opening for Breaking Benjamin and Black…
Hanson to Play Two Nights at House of Blues
You might have missed it, but those cute Hanson siblings that gave us the hit tune “MMMbop” in the ’90s are all grown up. As if to prove it, they’ve announced the Roots and Rock n’ Roll Tour, a special 10-city tour that’ll feature two concerts in each of the 10 major markets. The tour…
Foam Glow 5K is Coming to Cleveland Next Month
We’ve been easing our way back into shape this summer and now have another reason to hit the pavement: Foam Glow 5K, an electronic dance party/ foam fest / social fun run, that’s slated to take place at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds on July 25. For the uninitiated, here’s how it works: Runners or walkers of…
RECAP: The Cavs Drafted These Three New Young Guns This Weekend
For the first time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not have the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. As a result, the hype behind the Wine and Gold’s selections has been fairly lackluster. This weekend the Cavs front office added players for the future, and here are a few highlight videos to get…
Vandals Spray-Paint Racist Slur on Painesville Garage
A racist slur was spray-painted on a Painesville home this weekend — before the new owners even moved in. Neighbors found the message, “No n———” scrawled in larger letters across the family’s garage door Saturday morning in the Liberty Greens neighborhood. Neighbors told 19 Action News that racist messages like this don’t happen in the city’s…
Local Singer-Songwriter Roger Hoover to Play Residency at Kent’s Venice Café
Singer-songwriter Roger Hoover has been a fixture on the local scene for at least the past decade. Now, he’s announced a residency at Kent’s Venice Café. He’ll perform at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from July 14 through August 25. “Kent has always been a calming place for me,” says Hoover in a press release. “I…
Cleveland NAACP and Other Local Groups Call for Consent Decree Modifications
This morning, the local chapter of the NAACP, the Collaborative for a Safe, Fair, and Just Cleveland and the Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild jointly filed a “friend of the court” brief in federal court. Amid the clank and clamor of West Huron traffic outside the courthouse today, representatives of these groups discussed…
June Rainfall Inches Toward All-Time Record in Cleveland
Water poured down from the heavens this weekend, wiping out everything from roads to the Cleveland Pride festivities. As of Sunday, 8.33 inches of rain had been recorded at Hopkins International Airport, according to Cleveland.com. June 2015 now ranks as the city’s third rainiest June all-time. The current record of 9.77 inches was recorded in…
You’re Tearing Me Apart Lisa: ‘The Room’ to Screen For Final Time at Cedar Lee
Sad news, cult-movie fans: After a five-and-a-half year run, Tommy Wiseau’s “masterpiece of bad moviemaking” The Room will screen for the final time at the Cedar Lee on July 11. Cleveland Cinemas’ Director of Marketing Dave Huffman told Scene that the average monthly attendance has been falling for the past couple of years. “The figures…
Singer-guitarist Steve Earle Goes Back to His Roots for ‘Terraplane’
Alt-country singer-guitarist Steve Earle isn’t an ethnomusicologist but he could certainly pass as one. In describing “The Tennessee Kid,” a bluesy, stream-of-consciousness track that finds him sounding like a man possessed as he sings in a raspy voice about Lucifer and the crossroads, Earle reveals his deep understanding of American roots. One of many blues-inspired…
VIDEO: The First Same-Sex Couple Is Married in Cuyahoga County
On Friday, the Supreme Court declared in a historic 5-4 ruling that same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states. One Cleveland couple wasted no time in putting their newly acquired rights into action. Chris Richardson and Keith Garrett tied the knot on Friday afternoon at the Cuyahoga County Probate Court with the help…
Crocker Park Fireworks Cut Short After Some Were Unintentionally Released Into the Crowd
This weekend’s fireworks display at Crocker Park was cut short after a mishap sent fireworks spiraling into the crowd, injuring nine people and scaring the living daylights out of dozens more. Officials say a box of fireworks overturned and fired into the audience just after the annual display started on Sunday evening around 10 p.m.…
Music Box to Launch ‘Name Exene’s Artwork Contest’ with Free Film Screening
If you didn’t get the chance to see the punk band X when the group played a three-night stand last year at Music Box Supper Club, you’ll have another chance. The band is set to return to the club on Wednesday, July 22. In addition, the band will attend the Alternative Press Magazine Music Awards…
Scene Podcast: Marriage Equality, Summer in Cleveland, New Tech in News Reporting, and More
This week, podcast host Craig Lyndall talks with managing editor Eric Sandy about all manner of current events. The day’s big news, of course, is the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality across all 50 states. From there, as these things tend to go, the conversation dovetails into the highlights of summer…
City, State and National Leaders Join Soon-To-Be Newlyweds in Celebrating SCOTUS Ruling
The steps of Cleveland City Hall were flush with the celebratory cries of justice today, as a rally for equal rights unfolded hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality across all 50 states. “The arc of history, this week, as Dr. King would say, is bending a little bit more…
Alt-Rockers Failure Return with Adventurous New Album
Plenty of bands set out to do something different. Few actually achieve what they set out to do. Failure, an L.A.-based alternative rock that formed in the early-’90s, is one of the few. With its intricate sonic textures, the band’s 1996 effort Fantastic Planet was heralded as something decidedly fresh upon its release. Acts such…
Cleveland’s United Church of Christ Ready to Conduct Same-Sex Marriages
In a historic 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court declared today that gay marriage is now legal in all 50 U.S. states, and Cleveland’s own United Church of Christ is welcoming same-sex couples to perform wedding ceremonies with them as soon as the Cuyahoga County Probate Court issues the proper licenses. (function(d, s, id) { var js,…
6 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, JUNE 26 Over the Rhine Cincinnati-based indie folk band Over the Rhine has regularly played Cleveland throughout the course of its extensive career. Tonight, the group returns to town to headline a special concert to benefit Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Reforest Our City initiative. Cleveland singer-songwriter Pete McDonald, who also serves as the Land…
Cleveland Leaders Celebrate Supreme Court Same-Sex Ruling
Today the Supreme Court, in a historic 5-4 ruling, declared that same-sex marriage was legal in the United States of America. City leaders will be gathering on the steps of City Hall at noon to celebrate the news. “This decision will help move our country forward in the right direction – guaranteeing that everyone has…
Cleveland Cinemas Announces Midnight Movies for the Rest of the Year
We’re pleased as punch to report that Cleveland Cinemas has announced its midnight movie lineup for the remainder of 2015. No use beating around the bush, here. The schedule is as follows: JAWS – 40th Anniversary Cedar Lee Theatre Friday, July 3, 2015, 9:30 PM Saturday, July 4, 2015, 9:30 PM & midnight Sunday, July…
‘Fare Thee Well’ Watch Party Set for 21 Lounge Saturday Night
The first two shows of this year’s jam hallmark — Fare Thee Well, the reunion/final shows for the Grateful Dead — take place this weekend in Santa Clara, Calif. Tickets were a nightmare for those who tried. The watch parties, which will be hosted across the U.S. and right here in Cleveland, will be far…
Whitesnake Guitarist Enjoys Revisiting Band’s Deep (Purple) Catalog
Newly recruited Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra has been turning a lot of heads in recent years with his guitar playing, but he’s a long way removed from being the new kid on the block. Early in his career, Hoekstra worked steadily on the rock theater scene, logging over 1,400 shows with the Love, Janis musical…
TV Personality Geraldo Rivera Pulled Over in Chagrin Falls
TV personality Geraldo Rivera was in northeast Ohio this week and experienced first-hand the pleasures of driving in Chagrin Falls with all its signs, and roads, and stuff. Hat tip to Craig Lyndall for the pic.
ChamberFest 2015 Preview: A Conversation with Matthew Tracy of the Echo Saxophone Quartet
By Jeremy Reynolds “This is exactly the type of performance opportunity that we’re interested in doing as a quartet — we’re taking it extremely seriously,” said Mathew Tracy (pictured second from the left), soprano saxophone player in the Echo Quartet. On Wednesday, July 1 at 7:00 pm, in the Blackstone Pipe Organ Residence, the quartet…
27 Years Ago Today: Cleveland’s All-Time Heat Record of 104 Degrees
Anyone around Cleveland (or, really, anywhere in the U.S.) during the summer of 1988 knows that it was hotter than hell. 27 years ago today, the all-time heat record of 104 degrees seared across local thermometers. The forecast for this weekend is a bit more tepid.
NEXUS Assholes to Ohio Residents: Let Us on Your Property or Obtain Legal Counsel
The Chronicle-Telegram is reporting that surveyors for the NEXUS Pipeline have been bullying residents of Grafton Township into letting them on their property. In a letter last week from Spectra Energy Corp., the Houston-based mega corporation behind the pipeline, residents were informed that they had two options: allow surveyors on their property or lawyer up.…
Against Me! Drummer Talks About the Personal Nature of the Punk Band’s Music
When drummer Atom Willard first joined the punk band Against Me! a couple of years ago, he started listening to the music on what would become 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues, an album about singer Laura Jane Grace’s decision to change her gender and start living as a woman, to see what drum parts he could…
Bombay Chaat Brings Mumbai Street Food to Cleveland
In Desi food parlance, the term chaat refers to a wide variety of delicious roadside snacks that are served throughout the Indian subcontinent. Apart from a few dishes here and there served at local Indian restaurants, the exciting genre has been woefully underrepresented in Cleveland. Until now. Bombay Chaat (2044 Euclid Ave., 216-225-4191), a brand…
Loud in Cleveland Podcast at Larchmere Porchfest
Larchmere Porchfest took place last weekend, bringing 30 days to porches and street corners all over the eastside neighborhood. It’s become an annual staple and an excellent reason to include Larchmere in your June itinerary. If you missed out, that’s a bummer — but the guys over at Loud in Cleveland have you covered. They…
They’re Coming: Swarm of Mayflies Spotted on Doppler Radar
It’s that time of year again: there’s a swarm of mayflies hovering above Lake Erie big enough to be picked up by a local Doppler radar, and they’re about to descend on Cleveland like an Old Testament plague. THE SWARM! Here’s what millions of Mayflies look like on the Power of 5 Doppler Radar! #ohwx…
Only 260 of 12,887 Signatures on Cleveland Mayoral Recall Petitions Confirmed as Valid
The formal attempt to recall Mayor Frank Jackson has gained some vocal support — and dissent — in various corners of the city during this most social and politically tumultuous year. The effort isn’t going so well. This week, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections confirmed that 260 out of the 12,887 submitted petition signatures…
Local Singer-Songwriter Bringing Everly Brothers Tribute to Music Box Supper Club
Local singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert writes his own songs but every so often, he likes to pay tribute to some of the classic rockers of yesteryear. He’s just announced that on Friday, July 31, he and his longtime duet partner Emily Bates will bring Walk Right Back: The Music of The Everly Brothers, their Everly Brothers…
Night Moves: New Monthly Open-Air Market in St. Clair Superior Serves Up Street Food After Dark
Night markets, originating in Asia as illegal “ghost markets” that bustled through the evening and vanished before daybreak, have begun taking major North American cities by storm. Rows of glowing vendor booths light up the night, music fills the air, art is sold to passersby and, most importantly, xiaochi, or small eats and street food,…
County Sheriff’s Office Begins Investigation into Tanisha Anderson’s Death
More than seven months after Tanisha Anderson died in police custody, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that it will begin an investigation into the Nov. 13, 2014, incident. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office in January. Detective Scott Aldridge, a seven-year veteran of the force,…
Four Classical Musical Highlights This Week
The Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute (now in its 44th year) gets underway this week, and while the big faculty concert is scheduled for the second weekend of the festival, “les souls d’amour,” a show that won high praise as a fringe event at the recent Boston Early Music Festival will be repeated at Oberlin’s Slow…
What’s Fresh: Seasonal Ingredients and the Chefs Who Love Them
As the weather warms up, we find the harvest season beginning to come into full bloom. Farmers’ markets pop up all over town, community gardens are bountiful, and chefs are busy converting hyper-local ingredients into new seasonal dishes that will carry them through the dog days. In the spirit of vernal renewal, we chat up…
What Would Jesus Sing?
If you weren’t around in 1970, you may not be aware that a couple college kids co-opted some Bible lessons, framed them in contrast to famous philosophers from Sartre to Buckminster Fuller, then wrote contemporary music to let it all slide down easily. They called it Godspell, and began a very durable theatrical franchise. As…
Film Review of the Week: Dark Star
Dark Star, a documentary about the Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger known for his Oscar-winning designs in Alien, screens at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, at the Capitol Theatre. If the tattooed, heavy-metalloid disciples who caravanned to the Giger museum in the film are any indication, expect a lot of eyeliner and ear gauges…
Film Spotlight: 7 Minutes
Written and directed by music video director Jay Martin, a guy who’s worked with acts such as Nas and Christina Perri, 7 Minutes, which opens on Friday at the Capitol Theatre and becomes available for download on iTunes and On Demand on Friday as well, is loosely based on a true family story. The plot centers on…
A Brief History of Cold Treats in Cleveland
As the roaring ’20s came to a close, freezers less adept for long-term chilling left the sixth most populous city in America ripe for the surplus of destination ice cream shops that catered to a dense body of downtown inhabitants. Advances may have changed the scene, but today’s ice cream makers, from small-batch artisan to…
Five Restaurants Explain Why and How They’ve Upgraded Their Spaces
Restaurants, like homes and people, need an occasional makeover to keep them fresh, current and attractive. The best operators know that stale interiors and exteriors are about as appealing as a loaf of stale bread, so they open their wallets and invest on improvements. We checked in on some of the most interesting projects taking…
A Patio For Any Occasion
Now that summer has arrived, you undoubtedly find yourself dealing with the feeling inside that you should only do things outside. Embrace that feeling. Nurture it. And take a little bit of our advice. We’ve been on just about every patio in Northeast Ohio —and we love them all — but certain conditions call for…
Four Ways to Throw an Easy Backyard Party with Help from Your Favorite Local Restaurants
When planning a backyard get-together, it helps to have a theme to tie it all together. We’re not talking about grass skirts and coconut bras here, but rather a narrow culinary focus around which to organize a shopping list. The best, like the following to-dos, require very little running around and almost no prep time.…
If You’re Not Shopping at NEO Farmers Markets, You’re Missing Out
For regular visitors to our region’s top farmers markets, the richness of product that awaits is no surprise. At producers-only markets like North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square, Chagrin Falls and Crocker Park, the weekly gathering of local vendors covers a lot of ground, from farm-fresh produce, handmade cheeses and grass-fed beef to fresh-cut…
Band of the Week: Marys Lane
Meet the Band: Michael Crawley (vocals, guitars, bagpipes), Mark Whalen (drums, mandolin), Patrick Mulloy (vocals, guitar), Matt Sofranko (bass, vocals), Paul Kirk (fiddle) Irish Inspiration: The group formed in 2009 at the Cleveland Irish Festival. “We just saw some of the other performers and got the itch,” says Mulloy. Shortly after, the group cut a…
Crackle and Drag at Transformer Station Underscores Fleeting Nature of Life
“The moon has nothing to be sad about, Staring from her hood of bone, She is used to this sort of thing, Her blacks crackle and drag.” — “Edge” by Sylvia Plath These final, abstract lines from one of Plath’s last poems inspired the title of T.R. Ericsson’s current solo exhibition at the Transformer Station in…
Ja’Ovvoni Garrison Is On a Quest to Give 100 Free Skateboards to Slavic Village Kids
Ja’Ovvoni Garrison’s life was anything but stable growing up. Moving from city to city and across state lines, skateboarding became his refuge. At 18, he started Skaters Next Door, a community program that typically runs 6 to 8 weeks during the fall at Stella Walsh Recreation Center, to share his passion for skating with kids…
