What to Do Tonight: Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls get ready to punch the clock When Johnny Rzeznik began writing the new Goo Goo Dolls album, he wasn’t working from a blueprint. He just knew that he wanted Something for the Rest of Us to address some of the discontent and emotional anxieties that have gripped the planet since the…
Out Today: Tracy Bonham
Tracy BonhamMasts of Manhatta(Engine Room) It’s been 14 years since Tracy Bonham scored a hit with the angsty “Mother Mother” and five since her last album. On her fourth LP, she’s all grown up, setting aside her anxieties and settling into a languid record about falling in love and getting in touch with nature. And…
Out Today: School of Seven Bells
School of Seven BellsDisconnect From Desire(Vagrant) When School of Seven Bells formed three years ago as a side project for Secret Machines guitarist Ben Curtis, the idea was to focus on lyrics, with the music as a secondary feature. But the trio’s 2008 debut, Alpinisms, was a triumph of electro dream-pop, an ethereal wash of…
What to Do Tonight: Sleigh Bells
One of these two is asleep The Brooklyn-based Sleigh Bells thrust your body into a rhythmic shuffle so strong that every measure feels like a kick to the gut. The male-female duo’s debut album, Treats, is more tricky than sweet, with distortion cranked up to ear-shattering levels. Songs like “Crown on the Ground” combine Derek…
What to Do Tonight: Eyedea and Abilities
It’s cold out, yo The Twin Cities may seem like an unlikely hotspot for underground hip-hop, but for the past decade, the indie rap scene has been largely dominated by Minneapolis-St. Paul rappers on the Rhymesayers label. Eyedea and Abilities, a Minnesota-based MC-and-DJ pair, have been at the forefront of the movement, advancing their sounds…
What to Do Tonight: Z107.9 Summer Jam
Hopefully Ross will keep his shirt on at the concert Some of the commercial heavyweights of mainstream hip-hop hit the stage for Z107.9’s Summer Jam. Leading the charge is big-bearded, big-bellied Rick Ross, someone who has come a long way since being exposed as a former correctional officer in 2009, a revelation that seriously damaged…
What to Do Tonight: Adam Lambert
Lambert looks like he belongs in a Zelda video game There’s never been an American Idol alum as polarizing and as obnoxious as Adam Lambert. You either love or hate the shrieking queen who rounded out his American Music Awards performance last year with faux fellatio, man-on-man kissing, and crotch grabs. He also happens to…
Pre-Show Q&A: Squeeze
Squeezable! Formed in the U.K. in the mid-’70s, power-poppers Squeeze have had a topsy-turvy past. The band broke up in 1982, then got back together in 1985, only to break up again in 1999. The current lineup features founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, who reconvened three years ago and recently rerecorded some classics…
The Soundtrack of Your Life, At Least For the Summer
No sign of Uncle Phil, sadly. Cleveland’s favorite mixmaster Mick Boogie has paired up with DJ Jazzy Jeff for the “Summertime” mixtape. The Roots, Biggie, Ice Cube, De La Soul and others round out the tape you should be blasting as you ride around in this sweltering heat. A little Fresh Prince always help. Don’t…
Concert Review: Smashing Pumpkins at House of Blues
Despite all his rage, he’s still just a rat in a cage The Smashing Pumpkins chose Cleveland to launch their first tour since December 2008. It’s to support their ongoing Teargarden by Kaleidyscope singles releases, but it may as well be a road test for Billy Corgan’s latest lineup. The refreshed quartet features guitarist Jeff…
Meet the Band: Hollus
Go to their show, so they can afford to buy a lamp Jamison Acker and Michael Lux have a mutual taste for vintage rock. Sample the third full-length record from Chicago’s Hollus, 2009’s Joker and the Queen, and enjoy their sweet goulash of garage blues, hippie folk, and psychedelic rock, brewed with nostalgic spoonfuls of…
What to Do Tonight: Carole King and James Taylor
Hey guys, I thought we said no drinking before the show When Carole King and James Taylor headlined Los Angeles’ Troubadour in 1969, they were far from the icons they would become just a few short years later. Taylor was a backsliding heroin addict with a failed solo album (on the Beatles’ Apple label, to…
Hear Chrissie Hynde’s New Song
Akron native Chrissie Hynde has a new album coming out on August 24 with singer-songwriter JP Jones. Fidelity! will be released under the name JP, Chrissie & the Fairground Boys. The album is a multiculti affair, written in Cuba, recorded in London, and mixed in California. It’s a concept album of sorts about the relationship…
Study: You Can Blame Ohio State Football For George Bush Winning the 2004 Election
According to a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, written by economist Andrew Healy of Loyola Marymount University and others, wins by local sports teams have a measurable effect on the number of votes an incumbent gets in an election if the two events are close enough. Healy studied…
Cleveland Hts. Boy Calls Out Robbers on Toy Gun: “You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me”
At least they didn’t use a Super Soaker. Pro tip for criminals: If you’re using a toy gun in an attempted robbery, be sure to remove any stickers from the toy that may indicate it’s, you know, a toy and not a real gun. A pair of gentlemen — we won’t call them criminals, that…
Smashing Pumpkins Sold Out
The Smashing Pumpkins concert at House of Blues is sold out. So if you don’t have tickets, you’re probably not going. Also, if you’re not in line by now, you’re also probably not getting into the soundcheck. Just sayin’.
Northeast Ohioans Are Moving West… Very West
If only North Ridgeville had a song like “Parma State of Mind”… Recent census numbers show plenty of people are moving out of Cleveland, but where are they moving to? Rich Exner of the Plain Dealer reports that the three fastest growing locales in Northeast Ohio are far out west, confirming that Cleveland just can’t…
How Cleveland Teams Fared in ESPN’s Ultimate Rankings
The eighth annual Ultimate Standings put together by ESPN The Mag are out, which is important because it’s news that doesn’t directly involve LeBron. Here’s where Cleveland’s teams finished in the grand rankings based on the following factors: Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues…
This Just In: Cleveland Concert Announcements
Baby Dee: not really a baby Baby Dee/Little Annie/Harper: Thu., Aug. 18. 9 p.m., $8. Grog Shop. Peter Case. Fri., Sept. 17. 9 p.m., $14. Beachland Tavern. Donna The Buffalo: Wed., Sept. 8. 8 p.m., $16. Beachland Ballroom. Dungen/The Entrance Band: Sat., Oct. 9. 9 p.m., $12. Grog Shop. Carrie Elkin/Danny Schmidt: Fri., Aug. 13.…
Want LeBronHasChosen.com? That’ll Be $199,000
Another week of LeBron free agency madness, another domain owner hoping to capitalize on the mania by selling. This time it’s LeBronHasChosen.com, which is up on eBay for a Buy It Now price of $199,000. Ha. Don’t worry if that price sounds a little steep — 25% of the loot will be donated to the…
The Week When It Will Be Very Hot
Not enough arrows. It was something like 90-degrees outside yesterday with a heat index over 100. We didn’t notice — it’s always the perfect temperature on a barstool with keno cards and a gin and tonic — but everyone else is talking about it. Hot! It’s going to be hot! Grab the children, hide them…
Morning Brew: Little Italy Fireworks, Chasing Down a Criminal, Tobacco Money, and Jim Traficant
Jim Traficant’s response to a “Nice hair” compliment. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you wait anxiously for the tall ships. — Jim Traficant hoped to get enough signatures on a petition to make it on the ballot to return to Congress. Seven years in prison and convictions on various corruption charges…
Watch the Smashing Pumpkins Soundcheck Tonight
The first 20 people in line for tonight’s Smashing Pumpkins show at House of Blues will get in early to watch the band run through its soundcheck. So get your ass over there. Like now! In other Pumpkins news, the fifth singles from their ongoing Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project is now available as a free…
Liz Phair Lays Summer’s Biggest Turd
Remember how much you loved Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville when it came out? Remember how good it still sounded when it was reissued a few years ago? And remember how even “Why Can’t I?” grew on you after awhile? You’re not going to think any of those things after hearing Phair new song, “Bollywood.”…
Republican Candidate Matt Brakey Curries the Anti-Red-Light-Camera Vote
Red light cameras also known as “common ground” in political parlance. If there’s one thing politicians of all stripes can agree on, it’s that traffic cameras are the work of the devil and smashing them to pieces is the best way to get America exercising again. But promoting a ban on traffic cameras is also…
Sound the Alarms — Lake Erie Is Contaminated… With Dirt
Looks blue to us. Oh, that’s not a real picture. Our bad. Decades before BP made hazmat suits the hottest thing in summer beachwear, Ohio was America’s breadbasket of environmental catastrophe. So it seemed perfectly plausible when a press release last week sounded the alarm about a fresh oil spill on Lake Erie. According to…
The Schizophrenic Football Fan’s Car
Spotted yesterday on Pearl Rd. in Strongsville… What is going on here, exactly? Let’s assume for a moment that these bumper stickers don’t represent the split rooting interest of one fan. That’s impossible. More likely, this is the car of a husband/wife where one roots for the Browns and one roots for the Steelers. As…
The LeBron/Nike/Tiger Parody Commercials
Where LeBron’s mom is a freak… Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack
ODOT: Making Our Highways Quieter and Uglier One Tree at a Time
Because we don’t have enough concrete in our lives. It used to be that Cleveland’s highways provided glorious views of our sacred landscape. But the Ohio Department of Transportation’s efforts to contain noise has rendered the experience more akin to a scenic jaunt through Soviet-era Berlin. A “noise mitigation” project under way in Old Brooklyn…
Happy 4th of July, Cleveland
Scene & Heard is going on vacation until Tuesday, July 6. Enjoy the holiday weekend, but be careful out there; it’s hard to type out our URL with one hand, so don’t go blowing yourself up. Meet you back here, all extremities intact, next week.
Jim Brown to Appear in Hef Documentary
Jim Brown’s moral compass (unpredictability included) Jim Brown means different things to different people. ‘Round these parts, to Browns fans at least, he’s pretty much deified and untouchable. To football fans in general, he’s got an almost Jordan-esque grip on the “Greatest of All-Time” reserved parking space for his sport. To most civil rights activists,…
The Cleveland Fed’s Handy Inflation Chart and What It Means
Numbers, graphs, and economics are difficult. Here’s an explanation of what this means from The Economist: Other indicators of consumer expectations look similarly distressing. Consumer confidence, we learned yesterday, is down. And David Beckworth directs us to a fantastic new feature at the Cleveland Fed, which tracks changes in long-run inflation expectations over time. Not…
Governor Strickland, Humane Society, and Ohio Farm Bureau Hash Out Cow Problems, Presumably Over Steak
Anyone else in the mood for a ribeye? Or is it just me? We reported in our June 16 cover story (“Mmm … tasty! Sure they’re delicious, but are Ohio’s livestock happy?”) about the battle between the Humane Society of the United States and the Ohio Farm Bureau over a set of regulations the Humane…
Newsweek, not very apologetic
Lakewood, but which Lakewood? Man, Lakewood is pissed. And they should be. Last week the ‘burb became a local punchline after Newsweek, that magazine your parents still subscribe to but don’t read, mistakenly listed Lakewood High School as 229th on the its annual list of the top 1,600 high schools in the country. Turns out,…
Intimate Moments to be Live Streamed by Rock Hall
Dion…let’s get intimate The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is grasping technology by the horns. For the past 15 years, the Hall has been putting on what they describe as “intimate conversations” with some of their inductees. We don’t mean intimate in a sense that the audience got to spoon with the artists while…
LBJ On Most Overrated Things in America List
And they said I was crazy. A recent list compiling the most overrated things in America appeared earlier this week on Walletpop.com. And though certainly there are things on the list we can all agree upon (Silly Bandz, cable TV and the iPad, for starters), only one human had the dubious honor of being listed…
Jim Brown To Appear in Hugh Hefner Documentary
Jim Brown’s moral compass (unpredictability included) Jim Brown means different things to different people. ‘Round these parts, to Browns fans at least, he’s pretty much deified and untouchable. To football fans in general, he’s got an almost Jordan-esque grip on the “Greatest of All-Time” reserved parking space for his sport. To most civil rights activists,…
Morning Brew: Cell Phone Laws, Traffic Studies, Subsidizing LeBron, and Hot in Cleveland
Goooooooooooooooo. Faster! Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you blow that yellow light while talking on your cell phone. — Cities give tax breaks, subsidize, and otherwise beg companies to stay within their borders, so why doesn’t Cleveland give those sort of financial incentives to LeBron? The Freakonomics blog asks just that…
Pre-Show Q&A: Smashing Pumpkins
Is it the Great Pumpkin or Charlie Brown? Smashing Pumpkins singer-guitarist Billy Corgan is the only original member left in the post-punk/goth/metal band. (New members are guitarist Jeff Schroeder, drummer Mike Byrne, and bassist Nicole Fiorentino.) He’s taking the restructured group on a 13-show “intimate” tour in support of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs…
Cleveland Fans Not as Miserable as England Fans… Maybe
From ESPN’s Bill Simmons in his latest column: Question No. 11: What was the funniest thing you’ve read about the World Cup this month?I liked Michael Davies’ take on England’s demise: “Americans will never completely understand how crap it is, most of the time, to be English. We might have cute accents and be good…
Tanning More Expensive Starting Today
Better bring your plastic if you want to tan. Today is a, um, dark day for rabid tanning enthusiasts, like Ohio congressman John Boehner (R-08). Today’s the day a ten percent tax on indoor tanning beds, enacted by Congress as part of the health-care reform bill, went into effect. “This $2.7 billion tax will hit…
Parishioners Lock Themselves in St. Emeric’s Church to Protest Closing, Enjoy Candlelight Ambiance
A fine place for a protest. You can be forgiven during your transgression! What do you do if your church is being closed? C) Lock yourself inside. St. Emeric’s has been in the news because it’s the 50th Catholic church to be closed in Cleveland. There was a vigil last night by the loyal parishioners…
Ohio Ranked Low for “Driver Friendliness”
These guys ruin driving. Every time. What is “driver friendliness” exactly? According to the National Motorists Association, it means having few speed traps, roadblocks, construction, and not giving out too many tickets. The National Motorists Association, by the way, is described thusly by The Car Connection, who wrote about the study: “a group devoted to…
School of Seven Bells Streams New Album Early
Is that Mr. Orange? The haircut looks pretty ’90s, but we can’t be sure. NY-based dreamy indie-pop band School of Seven Bells began streaming its new album, Disconnect from Desire, today on both the band’s site and over at Rolling Stone nearly two weeks before its set to drop on July 13. The trio, which…
Breaking Cavs News: Vitaly Potapenko Joins Pacers Coaching Staff
Yes, the other long-named-foreigner the Cavs drafted back in 1996 is still around and will be joining the Indiana Pacers coaching staff under Jim O’Brien. (Let us remember, for a second, that Vitaly was drafted 12th that year. 12th! One slot ahead of Kobe Bryant and eight slots ahead of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Let also remember…
The Last Airbender emphasizes the cerebral
Disappointment in M. Night Shyamalan’s films has become almost reflexive among fans, who have bemoaned the director’s failure to match the success of 1999’s The Sixth Sense. Shyamalan’s films, though uneven and often reliant on twist endings, tend to be contemplative, with a spiritual component that seems to frustrate those seeking more obvious thrills. The…
Vintage Video: 70’s Cavs, Drafting Austin Carr, Old Cleveland Arena, and Plenty of Afros
Absolutely classic montage of old video from WEWS here. First, see clips of Cavs management sitting around a table on a conference call during draft night when they select Austin Carr (and notice the gorgeous Cavs pennant display in the background.) Then check out glimpses of the old Cleveland Arena (cool for all us youngsters…
Kid Cudi Premieres New Song Featuring Kanye West
BFFs As the release date of his new album continues creeps closer (Sept.14), Kid Cudi continues his self-promotion. Already having released the first single, Mr. Cudder dropped off his latest work at Kiss 96.5 last night and allowed the station’s own DJ EV and Java Joel to premiere the track. Entitled “Erase Me,” Cudi brings…
LivingSocial.com Lands in Cleveland, Let’s You Buy More Cheap Junk
The $20 segway ride does not come with these two ladies. Sorry. There’s an exciting new way to stock up on crap you don’t need: LivingSocial.com has entered the Cleveland market. Billed as “the group-buying phenomenon sweeping the nation,” the Washington, D.C.-based website made Cleveland the 26th stop in its quest to rule the world…
Will LeBron Announce His Decision on LeBronJames.com?
LeBronJames.com is a functioning site now. I don’t know when that happened. But his personal DJ tweeted the URL out today and said “Seriously…does anyone not see what’s going on on www.LeBronJames.com ???? Stop asking me, it looks like he’s going to tell you himself.” The site is simple: Just a closeup of LeBron’s face,…
Cop Drama… or Croc Drama?
No justice, no peace! So, if you recall, a 2-foot caiman crocodile was found by police monday evening, and subsequently shot in the head by an officer from the Ohio Division of Wildlife. As the story went, the croc, originally reported by police as a 4-foot alligator, was not able to be temporarily housed at…
Ken Blackwell Tackling the Human Cloning Issue for Some Reason
Ken Blackwell is sort of bored these days, if you couldn’t tell. In his endless quest to stay relevant, decisively vanquished 2006 gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell is speaking out on the most pressing issue facing America today: Human cloning. In a column posted at biggovernment.com, Blackwell launched an attack on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan,…
Another LeBron Song
From Portland songwriter (and Blazers fan) Jason Simms, a new song about LeBron’s free agency decision. Here’s his description: I think LeBron should stay in Cleveland and I recently recorded a folk-epic imagining him the king of a humble realm, not unlike Cleveland, and positing why I think he should stay there. Good. We haven’t…
Tom Cruise fans attacked at theater, guy probably dumped
Chemistry Here’s a tip for all you Romeos out there in internetland: when you and your Juliet are attacked by a duo of muggers, don’t run away and leave the lady to take the brunt of the beating solo. According to developments from Cleveland’s number one daily news source starting with the letter “P”, a…
Rep. Marcia Fudge Finishes in the Top Five In Democrat’s Social Media Contest, Has More Friends Than You
Having friends makes people happy, obviously. A politician’s zest for popularity cannot be confined merely to the voting booth. Witness Dennis Kucinich’s career-long courtship of the alien demographic. Now a new popularity contest among Democratic House members has taken up the task of getting “people involved with government,” though the untrained eye might mistake it…
Dear Stephen: We No Longer Want You to Be Our President
A couple of years ago, Scene’s former editor wrote an open letter to Stephen Colbert asking him to be the president of Cleveland. Turns out Stephen had better things to do and couldn’t take us up on the offer, but that didn’t change the fact that Stephen was always welcome here. Until now, perhaps. The…
Stephen Colbert Bashes Cleveland and “We Are LeBron” Video
A couple of years ago, Scene’s former editor wrote an open letter to Stephen Colbert asking him to be the president of Cleveland. Turns out Stephen had better things to do and couldn’t take us up on the offer, but that didn’t change the fact that Stephen was always welcome here. Until now, perhaps. The…
Ohio: Home to the Nation’s Cheapest Foreclosed Houses!
“Foreclosed” is Spanish for “bargain.” If you’re a bargain hunter in search of a new abode, come on down to Ohio. The Buckeye State sports the cheapest prices on foreclosed property in the country according to a new study by RealtyTrac. Cardboard boxes going for the low $12’s, we hear. Real homes will cost you…
Man Locks Woman in Attic, Attic Gets Really Hot
There is only so much fun you can have in an attic The attic. Used for storing things like old couches, dusty bed springs and of course, older women. Cincinnati resident Shawn Lloyd has been accused of locking a 59-year-old women in the attic of her home for three straight days. And while hanging out…
Morning Brew: Independent Children, More Parish Closing News, the Only Guy Who Wants Indians Tickets, and Cedar Point’s New Ride Finally Opens
Mean Streak: Still the best ride at Cedar Point. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you ignore your children for their own benefit. — Research shows that leaving kids unattended to play bolsters their “executive abilities” and self-regulation. “Executive abilities” would be skills like big kids beating up smaller kids, and “self-regulation”…
Bob Evans Can Claim the Single Fattiest Dish in Ohio
Fatty, sure, but delicious. Look at that. Mmmmmm. Ohio is full of fatty foods. It’s kind of our specialty. The Buckeye state excels at comfort food, the kind of calorie-laden adventures into succulent tasteland that make us the 13th fattest state in the country. Wonder what the fattiest is? (And by that, we mean tastiest,…
Where Hoop Dreams Die: In the Land of LeBron, Nobody Wants a Basketball Court
From this week’s issue of Scene: Michael Gill looks at the dearth of basketball courts around Cleveland and why cities are so against them. On a sunny afternoon in the opening days of summer break, half a dozen middle-school kids rode their bicycles in loops around the lone basketball court at Impett Park, in Cleveland’s…
Parma man dies in jail, deodorant to blame
Sad, strange news coming out of the Cuyahoga County jail this morning. Last night, suspected burglar Albert Fabian Jr. died after guards found him choking alone in his cell. When EMS arrived on the scene, they tried to save the 47 year-old Parama man by removing the offending object — an empty deodorant container, 1…
What to Do Tonight: Bettye LaVette
Look how excited Bettye is to perform for you Back in the ’60s, Bettye LaVette’s manager ordered the up-and-coming soul singer to study the jazz masters. The payoff was a long time coming, but it arrived with a sizable chunk of interest. Over the past several years, the Detroit-bred singer has evolved from underappreciated R&B…
Want to see a play?
The Foreigner— Charlie is shy — so shy, in fact, that when he visits a Georgia hunting lodge on vacation, he has no interest in talking to anyone. So he poses as an unassuming foreigner who speaks absolutely no English, which sounds great until everyone he meets begins confiding in him. Through July 14 at…
Where Hoop Dreams Die
On a sunny afternoon in the opening days of summer break, half a dozen middle-school kids rode their bicycles in loops around the lone basketball court at Impett Park, in Cleveland’s comfortably middle class West Park neighborhood. The court was of no use to anybody else, not since it had been destroyed by unknown vandals…
Love Among the Ruins
It’s kind of warm for this time of year, isn’t it? So muggy. And what about that oil spill? Why don’t you stop your sniveling and have some fun: Head to Cuyahoga Falls and let None Too Fragile Theatre make you laugh so hard with their production of David Mamet’s Romance that you’ll spew something…
We Get Letters
WE DON’T SEE DEAD PEOPLE In the June 2, 2010 Scene, Liz Bly, PhD, submitted a letter describing one of her student’s questions regarding the murder of Angel Bradley-Crockett and the subsequent misidentification of her body by Cleveland police. The student questioned whether or not women would have to get used to bodies being dumped…
Bites: Butcher’s Block
“This is not going to be a Tri-C restaurant,” chef Brandt Evans stresses as he unfurls a set of blueprints for his new downtown eatery. “Diners will not be guinea pigs for culinary students.” Evans has good reason to fear diners will make such assumptions: His latest endeavor will share more than a little wall…
FOOD FIGHT
If Cleveland’s got a surplus of anything, it’s mouths to feed. The region has seen an uptick in demand for emergency food services in the wake of the recession, as more and more people face the daunting question of where their next meal will come from. But just when they’re needed most, two of Cleveland’s…
EAT RIGHT AND EXORCISE
There is no such thing as a cursed location. There are only unsound business concepts, undercapitalized owners, uncooperative landlords, and the occasional dose of bad luck. But mention the space at 10427 Clifton Boulevard, and just try to put the brakes on the voodoo chatter. Granted, that spot has seen more than its fair share…
Livewire: Neon Trees, Smashing Pumpkins, and More
Wang Chung may have spread some of the cheesiest rock of the ’80s (“Everybody Have Fun Tonight” is a classic example of the era’s obsession with karaoke-style synth-pop and party-all-the-time self-indulgence), but the band had a talent for creating melodies you’ll remember decades later. “Dance Hall Days” is one of the ’80s’ most underrated radio…
CD Review: Alejandro Escovedo
It’s hard to pinpoint why Austin singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo hasn’t managed to break through to mainstream music fans after 30 years of cult stardom. He’s survived substance abuse, life-threatening health issues, and the indifference of listeners. Street Songs of Love isn’t any likelier to be his breakout record. In many ways, the album is a…
Film Capsules
The Last Airbender See feature in this issue. Twilight: Eclipse See feature in this issue. The A-Team Like the ’80s TV series it’s based on, The A-Team is incredibly simple-minded. The saving grace of both show and movie is the four likable main characters — Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), “Face”…
CD Review: Drake
The year’s most anticipated hip-hop debut opens with “Fireworks,” a song punctuated by hollow pop-pop-pops. Before it’s all over, a bunch of feel-blah ennui — dreary, sweeping matte-charcoal soundscapes, references to fame’s trappings, nouveau-riche bellyaching — makes the concept of celebrity seem almost purgatorial. Thank Me Later is Drake’s coming-out pity-party, and he’ll whine if…
The Other Avatar
The real has always coexisted with the surreal in M. Night Shyamalan’s films. In his 1999 breakthrough The Sixth Sense, a seemingly delusional boy sees dead people. In the following year’s Unbreakable, a security guard discovers he has superpowers. And in 2002’s Signs, a farmer’s life takes a drastic turn after a crop circle appears…
CD Review: Peter Case
Following recent heart surgery, singer-songwriter Peter Case sidesteps his usual introspective folk music for some bluesy rockin’ out on Wig! And while it doesn’t sound much like the Plimsouls (the early-’80s power-pop combo Case founded), the album significantly diverges from 2007’s acoustic Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John. Case pushes the needles into the red…
Arthouse Film Picks
Art of the Steal This terrific documentary begins with the announcement that the art collection Albert Barnes amassed in 1922 was relocating five miles from its current museum to downtown Philadelphia — a move made against the late Barnes’ wishes. The movie works its way backward through a tumultuous history that includes sordid backroom dealings…
CD Review: Eminem
Somewhere inside Recovery is a pretty good album. But you have to dig through the bloat to get to it. Eminem’s seventh record is his relatively speedy reaction to last year’s Relapse, an album even Em wasn’t too pleased with. “Let’s be honest, that last Relapse CD was ehhh,” he raps in the single “Not…
CD Review: Ozzy Osbourne
Any fears that Osbourne’s young new guitar player Gus G. wouldn’t be able to fill the shoes of the departed Zakk Wylde can be put to rest. The kid is a monster and further proof that Osbourne, who’s teamed with some great players over the years, really knows how to pick ’em. Gus’ muscle riffs…
Let There Be Blood
Forget “Team Jacob” and “Team Edward.” The hottest bloodsucking rivalry these days is between Twilight and True Blood fans. Ironically, these two vamp-centric phenomena debuted within months of each other in the fall of 2008. Until then, both had chug-chugged merrily along as strictly literary sensations in a series of novels penned by, respectively, Stephenie…
Stay In!
TOP PICK The Man With No Name Trilogy (MGM) They don’t get more badass than Clint Eastwood in the three classics he made with director Sergio Leone in the ’60s. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of the best movies ever made, but predecessors A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few…
Gone Phishin’
Long before sensitive indie singer-songwriters like Conor Oberst turned Omaha into “Emoha,” a group of funky white kids were trying to put the Nebraska city on the musical map. Formed in 1990, 311 didn’t stay in Cornhusker territory long before moving to Los Angeles — a change of scenery that kinda made sense, given that…
Get Out: U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30 Cleveland Boomerang School Anyone who’s ever hurled a boomerang has had great expectations of it returning to his or her hand with cartoon precision. Unfortunately, the thing usually slams into the ground about 200 feet away from us. Next time you find yourself alone in the bush, you can draw on some…
Local CD Reviews
Prisoners Back in the USSA (Smog Veil) myspace.com/clevelandprisoners These young garage punks sound surprisingly self-assured on their terrific debut. The album veers from the anthemic “Society’s Bitch” to the snotty, Strokes-like “Little Old Me.” The Velvet Underground-inspired ballad “Tied Up in Shadows” isn’t very pretty, but it comes from the heart. Unfortunately, another ballad, “Eternal…
FORGOTTEN PUNKS REMEMBERED
For the past several years, scene-maker and merchandiser Jim Lanza has put together Cleveland’s Screaming, a concert series reuniting long-forgotten local punk bands. He’s throwing one last bash this weekend at Now That’s Class (11213 Detroit Ave., 216-221-8576, myspace.com/nowthatsclass), starting at 7 pm. Friday, July 2, and at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 3. Friday’s headliners,…
Straight Outta the Bargain Bins
In the polka world, no one has enjoyed Brave Combo’s level of broad-based success, with the possible exception of “Weird Al” Yankovic — if he even counts. Appealing to dedicated polka fans as well as folks who’ve never heard a polka band in their life, Brave Combo have accomplished a lot in the past three…
Want some pretty things to look at?
On view now at area galleries and museums: Lunar Paraphrase: The Terrain of Intimicacy For more than two decades, painter Douglas Max Utter’s work has been pulled in several directions. Many of his paintings (especially the ones featuring human figures) show off his charcoal drawing skills. His canvasses are often composed with color fields, and…
Quarterly Buzz Report
For most people, summer is the season for beaches, bikinis, and cold beers on the porch. But for us list-making music geeks, it’s the time for pulling together our midyear Top 10s. Things always start to heat up around now, with several hot spring releases already out. So while you’re hanging out on the beach…
