Watch It Like Beckham
6/30-7/6 To satisfy the pleas of their European-born customers and neighborhood regulars alike, Alex Gleason and John Robson have hooked up two wide-screen televisions to air rugby and soccer games on the Setanta Pub Channel. Since January, the Old Angle Tavern managers have kept the TVs locked onto the Irish-based sports network, which airs daily…
Xtreme Music Hits Cleveland
One hundred sixty local and regional-level artists from across the country will perform at the 2005 XMG International Music Conference, a festival to be held at the Hard Rock Café (230 Huron Avenue) Wednesday, August 24, through Sunday, August 28. In addition to short performances by unsigned groups, the conference will host industry professionals from…
Various Artists
When Judas Priest needed to replace the legendary Rob Halford, it found Tim “Ripper” Owens in the 330 area code. Similar hellions can still be found in those parts. Akron Metal Assault, the first release from Rubber City metal label Detained Records, is a 10-band salvo of longhairs from the southern territories who shred and…
Paid to Play
7/2-7/3 A disdain for backroom music deals motivates Jeremy Koteles’ passion for the annual D.I.Y. Fest, which features 34 bands from as far away as South Carolina, Missouri, and Alabama. “There are shady promoters and show-bookers that set up events and abuse the privilege — such as not paying bands, not living up to their…
The Reigning Sound
When Greg Cartwright, a garage-rock revival vet from way back before Rolling Stone caught wind and broke out the champagne, dropped 2001’s folk-influenced Reigning Sound debut, he revealed himself to be a breezy, literate songwriter. Two albums later, on the Reigning Sound’s latest, Too Much Guitar, the riffs and tunes are catchy as flypaper, but…
They Hated It
For three decades, Scene had been your trusted source for concert previews and Michael Stanley pictures. By 1999, we were suddenly something more: an outlet for news that other papers didn’t print, for the stories that fell into the margins. Yes, we sometimes trolled the gutter. One of the first features was the 1999 exposé…
Best Shots
WED 7/6 Canada’s Sloan has been making ultra-catchy power-pop records for more than a decade. But between a prodigious release schedule (which included both domestic and import albums), which only the most dedicated fan could follow, and some mighty heavy filler over the years, it hasn’t been easy to casually get into the band. Here’s…
God Forbid
New Jersey’s God Forbid is one of the heaviest of the bands currently working the metalcore/retro-thrash axis. Guitarist brothers Doc and Dallas Coyle combine powerful trad-metal leads with crushing death-metal riffage. Vocalist Byron Davis sounds like his throat is lined with black leather most of the time, but when the need arises, he can sing…
They Called Him Crocus
For sheer girth and ambition, Crocus Behemoth had no rivals. The son of an English teacher, the Tri-C dropout was a bushy-haired hulk with the physique of a refrigerator and an uncanny thirst for vodka. Hired as the paper’s art director, he was also its best wordsmith, and he bitched constantly about the typos he…
Gross Encounters
Quite simply and quite literally, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds is Close Encounters of the Third Kind turned inside-out: They’re still out there, only this time the aliens are out for our blood, which they spray all over the countryside like so much red paint oozing from throbbing vines (or…
Colette
Unlike many female DJs who misguidedly decide they are singers, Colette has had years of vocal training, which pays off with her debut, Hypnotized. It boasts distinct shadings of Shannon’s “Let the Music Play” on “What Will She Do for Love,” a unique cover of Cherrelle’s “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On,” and mellow,…
35 Years of Scene
The man by the dock looks very much the same, but his world now looks very different. He sits contentedly on the back patio of Shooters, gazing over the Cuyahoga to the Flats’ East Bank, to the hollow ghosts of Rumrunners and D’Poo’s and Fagan’s — the clubs that paid his bills for three decades.…
Boy Oh Boy
When was the last time you walked out of a theater feeling shell-shocked, saying to anyone who would listen (in language more profane): “Dude, that was some seriously messed-up stuff!” Not your garden-variety messed-up stuff, mind you, as in Saw. Not the messed-up revelations of political docs. We’re talking the sort of messed-up stuff in…
The Aquabats
A decade ago, wacky ska preceded bling-bling rap as an ostentatiously decadent musical movement. With choreographed horn sections inflating their ranks like air-filled cheeks, groups in this subgenre traveled in trailers instead of tour vans. The most successful of these acts, the Clueless-canonized Mighty Mighty Bosstones, even carried a designated dancer on their roster, paralleling…
You Saw It in Scene . . .
“A good writer borrows, but a great writer steals.” — Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead (August 3, 1972) “The whole lyric thing is overblown. There was a time when people didn’t want me to play guitar on stage because they were afraid it would get in the way of the words.” –Bruce Springsteen (January 24,…
You So Lazy
Martin Lawrence has never exactly been among the world’s more gifted comedians, yet his movies seem to keep raking in the cash, so there must be legions of loyal Lawrenceheads out there somewhere. But even they, who have made financial successes of Black Knight and Big Momma’s House and National Security, may be disappointed by…
Citizen Cope
Carson Daly prefaced Citizen Cope’s network TV debut with some blubbering comparisons to Bob Dylan and John Lennon, which Cope obliterated by performing a first-rate single (“Bullet and a Target”) that sounded like neither. Clearly the new Dylan/Lennon analogy has more to do with the engineer’s cap Cope sports on the cover of his second…
When the Surf Came In
Scene bands rocked stages from the ’70s into the ’90s, but none of them tasted success like the Euclid Beach Band. Inspired by a conversation about Cleveland’s bleak winter weather, delivery driver Rich Reising and Jim Girard wrote music and lyrics for a Beach Boys-inspired single called “There’s No Surf in Cleveland.” The first and…
Crib Notes
If you’re an expectant parent, you’re bound to have an epiphany sometime during the pregnancy, when the enormity of what you’re doing hits you like a two-by-four between the eyes. It just might be when, in a quiet moment, you say to your spouse with amazement: “It will live with us for the next 18…
Paul Oakenfold
Hating British trance DJ Paul Oakenfold is like hating Wal-Mart — it’s not that much fun. Like the ubiquitous superstore, Oakenfold is officially the biggest and most successful at what he does, namely, playing clubs all over the world, selling mix CDs, and producing remixes for top-shelf pop artists. In fact, Guinness declared him just…
Party On, Canton
The Pro Football Hall of Fame grand parade draws hundreds of thousands of revelers each year. Partygoers set up lawn chairs along the route the night before and guzzle beer until the sun comes up. High-level sources say it’s a good time. So, naturally, city leaders are trying to stop it. Canton Safety Director Bernard…
The Passion of Strangers
Trying through language to forge an intimate connection with another person is often a confounding enterprise, much like attempting to have a serious discussion with a Magic 8-Ball. No sooner do you think you’re making progress with clear responses and unambiguous feedback (“It is certain”) than you’re confronted with vexing vagueness (“Reply hazy”), buck-passing (“My…
Groovie Ghoulies
Straight-ahead Ramones-style rockin’ punk will never go out of style, but it’s always a pleasure to see a band get the idea exactly right. Take San Francisco’s Groovie Ghoulies. The Ghoulies know that it’s not enough to be influenced just by the late New York foursome’s fast songs and simple guitar riffs. To make the…
35 Years Together
Dear Reader: ‘Tis 35 years since we first embraced. It was 1970 when our eyes locked from across the room. You? You were smart, handsome, vivacious, courtly, quick of wit, and kind of tongue — though what was up with that hair? Us? Well, we were pretty much drunks who couldn’t get real jobs. But…
On Stage
A Chorus Line — This elegant metaphor for the human journey takes place in a stark theatrical version of a Skinner box — an empty black space with mirrors on the back wall, where rewards and punishments are doled out by the frequently disembodied voice of the choreographer. He’s the reigning deity in this claustrophobic…
Shooters on the Water
Want to see the fireworks, but skip the traffic? The Club Scout has two picks for you: If you’re in Cleveland, spend the Fourth on the rooftop of Shooters on the Water, where the view of the Cuyahoga is always good. If you’re in the (330), try the Lime Spider’s rooftop patio. It’s free, the…
Back to the Bus
Back to the Bus Strippers, freedom’s front line: The supporters of the “Stripper Bill” are despicable and bigoted [“Save Our Strippers!” June 15]. You’re supposed to judge people as individuals, not blanket them as groups. Unfortunately, the conservative Republicans who made this bill are torch-carriers in matters of discrimination. To put “dancer” in the same…
On View
NEW Educators/Educated — The talent is simply astounding at this ambitious, densely packed show of work by more than 80 academic metalsmiths from six Ohio universities. A traveling exhibit, the show is hosted in conjunction with the International Conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, held recently in Cleveland. Among the many high points:…
Eva Destruction & Her Big Band
If you’re an old-school Cleveland punk, like from the late ’80s-early ’90s, you may recognize Eva Destruction from the Mashers skate-rat clique. (“If you’ve ever seen the movie Thrashin’, they basically looked and acted like the Daggers,” recalls her brother Joe, who isn’t in the band.) And you’ll definitely recognize the songs she sings, but…
The Incredible Egge
If Out Past the Lights, Ana Egge’s fourth album, sounds somewhat rustic and organic, well, she planned it that way. “It started out as demos, basically,” says the singer-songwriter. “With this record, I really wanted to have more of a lo-fi thing going on. Some of my songs in the past went for the perfect,…
Still Groovy
The pool table and the bowling machine are long gone, the old chipboard walls now are covered with pretty wallpaper, and a new executive chef is in charge of the tiny kitchen, but rest assured: The Grovewood Tavern & Wine Bar (17105 Grovewood Avenue, 216-531-4900) remains a groovy little spot to grab some dinner and…
Esthero
Nine times out of 10, when someone complains about being “so sick and tired of the shit on the radio and MTV,” as this young Canadian singer does right at the top of her second album, it’s because he or she isn’t listening. Not so with Esthero. All over the stylistically ambitious (if dubiously titled)…
Sleek With the Fishes
Hawaii and beaches, diamonds and gold, shopping and dining: Of all the paired extravagances, that final one, at least, is within our meager means. But we’re not talkin’ flea markets and fried chicken. When the mood is right — when nothing less than a splash in the Conspicuous Consumption pool will do the trick –…
Ry Cooder
Chavez Ravine is one of the most original and heartfelt records master musician/cultural catalyst Ry Cooder has ever released. It also signals his ambivalent, complex re-entry into U.S. culture after spending most of the ’90s resurrecting pre-Castro Cuban music in the Buena Vista Social Club and its numerous spinoffs. Chavez Ravine is Cooder’s attempt to…
Metal Health
Heavy metal has long been defined by agony: tortured vocals, battering-ram guitar, cirrhosis of the liver. But it isn’t until the summer concert season that metal’s misery becomes fully realized — sunstrokes, sprained necks, and all. Anyone who’s ever attempted to drink beer and rock out beneath the blazing sun for a full day can…
Ying Yang Twins
Now that even your grandmother gets Dave Chappelle’s goof on Lil’ Jon, crunk faces the challenge of all overexposed genres: How to stay relevant? One way, of course, is through the time-honored bid for “artistic growth.” But when it’s Atlanta’s Ying Yang Twins talking about such matters, you have to worry: These are the guys,…
This Week’s Day-By-Day Picks
Thursday, June 30 Ian McLagan played keyboards in Faces, one of the most underrated groups of all time. And unlike former bandmate Rod Stewart, McLagan is still making tough-sounding records. His latest album — last year’s Rise & Shine! — is loaded with beer-soaked pub rockers that straddle twang, pop, and the riff-heavy variation of…
Flying High Again
In the December 2004 issue of Spin, columnist Chuck Klosterman named the Black Crowes as one of the 10 most accurately assessed groups in music history. “Stoned people like this band, drunk people think they’re okay, and sober people hate the overwhelming majority of their catalogue,” he wrote. Actually, sober people haven’t heard the majority…
Motion City Soundtrack
With Commit This to Memory, Motion City Soundtrack has carved a milestone in music history. Behold: the worst rock record you will ever hear. Okay, so that’s a pretty strong claim — after all, the CD’s insipid, Weezer/Jimmy Eat World sound is hardly offensive. Tight and spotless, Commit This shouldn’t be distinguishable from a million…
The Big Bang
With an arsenal of fireworks at his side, Chris Mele claims he’ll be aiming for the record books this Fourth of July weekend. On Monday, the pyrotechnic mastermind will fire off a 16-inch shell — which he says is the largest ever launched in Ohio — to bring the Waterfront Festival to a close. “Sixteens…
Barely Legal
Jason Pettigrew stabs at the ice cubes in his drink as if Steve Perry were doing breaststrokes in his raspberry tea. “Journey is coming to Blossom,” the editor-in-chief of Cleveland’s Alternative Press magazine says. “And there’s going to be 27,000 morons there that are going to eat that stuff up. ‘Dude, I got my first…
William Parker Quartet
The latest album by the William Parker Quartet, arguably N.Y.C.’s most dynamic jazz ensemble of the new century, presents a vision that is both adventurous and accessible. With its distinguished front line of Rob Brown (alto sax) and Lewis Barnes (trumpet), Sound Unity carries on a melodic tradition that bounces with freestyle rhythmic energy, feinting…
All That Jazz
SUN 7/3 Soon after Mark Grey stepped off the plane in Cleveland after a stint with the Marines in Hawaii, the Northcoast Jazz Collective drummer discovered that the land of leis and luaus was a world away from Cleveland’s jazz scene. “Hawaii has a very small-town mentality, with a lot of local Hawaiian music and…
Smooth Criminal
No, Michael Jackson won’t be behind bars anytime soon, moonwalking for smokes or attempting to brew Jesus Juice with potatoes smuggled from the mess hall. But that doesn’t mean that the King of Pop is innocent of all wrongdoing. Far from it. Though Jackson may have been acquitted recently of molesting a young boy, there…
Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys
Wildly surreal, gorgeous, and irritating, Git ultimately wins you over with its originality and daring. Formed at Oberlin College by singer/multi-instrumentalist Matt Mehlan, this cerebral collective is determinedly electronic and rhythmic. At the same time, Mehlan writes beautiful melodies, as evidenced by “See the Way,” the jittery, hypnotic title track, and the psychedelic, churchy “While…
