Out Today: The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers Further (Freestyle Dust/Astralwerks) The Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have been hooking fans on hallucinogenic big-beat electronics since 1995’s Exit Planet Dust. They’re experts at creating coliseum-sized breakbeat, mixing dance, hip-hop, techno, house, and rock rhythms into dangerously addicting ear candy aimed at overloading the senses. On their seventh album,…
Out Today: Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Robert Randolph & the Family BandWe Walk This Road(Warner Bros.) Over the past decade, Robert Randolph has gone from playing pedal steel in church to being crowned one of the generation’s greatest guitarists. The acclaim is warranted: Randolph does things with the pedal steel that recall the lightning Jimi Hendrix produced with his axe. But…
What to Do Tonight: Tortoise
Microphone checkers If jazz and rock are like a bickering, codependent couple, Tortoise are the faded memory of their promise and possibility. The Chicago quintet mixes the two genres without compromising either’s integrity, respecting the source material and rarely falling back on the music’s potentially harsh juxtapositions. Tortoise have weaved mellifluous lines in and out…
What to Do Tonight: Jimmy Vaughan
Guitar man Before his kid brother Stevie Ray became the most influential blues guitarist this side of B.B. King, Austin axeman Jimmie Vaughan was already striking blows for roots music. When everyone else was swept up in New Wave in 1979, the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Girls Go Wild was generating the biggest buzz among contemporary blues…
What to Do Tonight: Toby Keith
“Is this where all the douchebags hang out?” From the time he burst onto the country-music scene with his 1993 self-titled debut, Toby Keith has been a consistent hit-maker. A hardworking road warrior known for electrifying concerts, Keith is just as famous for his fightin’-words lyrics. Because of the strong patriotic streak in many of…
What to Do Tonight: Mates of State/Free Energy
Mates of State: “Is that a bug?” Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, the husband-and-wife duo behind Mates of State, once had typical day jobs. She was a teacher; he was a cancer researcher. Then they found a much more enjoyable vocation: a pop band. It’s hard to imagine either of them without an outlet for…
What to Do Tonight: Webb Wilder
“Got a problem with the hat, boy?” Nearly three and a half decades ago, Webb Wilder lit out of his small Mississippi hometown and headed for the bright lights and smoky bars of Austin. In 1985, he co-founded the Beatnecks after moving to Nashville, spearheading the first wave of roots rockers and picking up a…
What to Do Today: Bamboozle Roadshow
Boys Like Girls … and awesome hair! This year’s Bamboozle Roadshow pays tribute to modern pop-punk’s ’90s roots by mixing in some old-school faves (Good Charlotte, Third Eye Blind) with disciples (All Time Low, Simple Plan) and next-generation kids (the entire bottom portion of the bill). Electronic hip-hop goofballs LMFAO are also on board, presumably…
What to Do Tonight: Houston Person
Saxy! Few musicians epitomize “standard bearer” and “keeper of the flame” like jazz saxophonist Houston Person. Born in South Carolina in 1934, Person specializes in the lush, breathy, big-toned, and unabashedly passionate blues-drenched tenor tradition of Gene Ammons, Illinois Jacquet, and David “Fathead” Newman. In the ’60s, while John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter were pushing…
What to Do Tonight: Sheryl Crow
We’re not gonna even go there It’s been almost 20 years since Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club stormed up the charts, turning the former backup singer into an overnight sensation with catchy singles like “Leaving Las Vegas” and “All I Wanna Do.” She was a reliable hitmaker throughout the ’90s, playing pop music with…
What to Do Tonight: John Hammond
Hammond and his weapon The blues renaissance that ran concurrently and co-dependently with the ’60s folk boom produced countless wannabes, a good number of solid artists, and at least one genuine master. John Hammond taps into the seductive, spooky core of country blues and, even playing solo, generates more intensity than most bands. His intricate…
What to Do Tonight: Born Ruffians
Oh Ontario trio Born Ruffians made their debut with 2008’s Red, Yellow and Blue, showcasing a twitchy indie-pop shuffle agitated enough to make Crispin Glover look like Warren Beatty. Frontman Luke LaLonde’s squirrelly tenor juts impetuously in and out of inventive arrangements as his bandmates shout and harmonize over swinging, joyously capricious rhythms. The debut…
What to Do Tonight: CocoRosie
Yeah, their music is kinda annoying too <a target="new" href="CocoRosie”>CocoRosie’s Bianca and Sierra Casady make up one of indie-rock’s most divisive groups. Some music fans hate their albums; others call them revelatory. Whatever your opinion is on them, their fourth CD, Grey Oceans, features a more palatable version of their folk and electronica mix. “Smokey…
What to Do Tonight: Ingrid Michaelson
Nice melon New York singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson has had a busy couple of months. She recently wrapped up a tour with the Barenaked Ladies and is now prepping for Lilith Fair. She also just played Bonnaroo and has some headlining club dates lined up. But her career wasn’t always this hectic. Forced to play piano…
What to Do Tonight: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
Heads up Maybe it’s because they’ve cultivated a true heartland strain of jazz. Or maybe it’s because of their knack for maxing out the potential of a four-minute bash. Whatever the reason, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey land at the top of today’s musical-improvisational scene. The Tulsa-based outfit — whose previous releases displayed a penchant…
Pre-Show Q&A: Jordin Sparks
Can you feel the sparks? The youngest American Idol winner, singer Jordin Sparks was only 17 when she was crowned champ of the 2007 competition. The obligatory self-titled album followed, and thanks to its three hit singles, it eventually went platinum. Last year, Sparks released her sophomore effort, Battlefield, which debuted in Billboard’s Top 10…
Katy Perry’s New Video Makes Me All Sticky
Yay! Summer! Even though I wish she’d just shut up about how she hates or maybe doesn’t hate Lady Gaga’s video for the awful “Alejandro,” I’m all over Katy Perry’s new video for “California Gurls.” She looks awesomely hot in the summer-themed video — quite appropriate since the No. 1 song is shaping up to…
This Just In: Cleveland Concert Announcements
Sublime With Rome: Maybe this guy won’t die on them At No End/Rusted Out/Kriadiaz: Fri., Aug. 20 7 p.m., $6. Peabody’s. Eddie Baccus Sr. Quintet: Sat., July 31, 8 p.m., $15. Nighttown. Lou Barlow/Wye Oak: Fri., Aug. 27, 9 p.m., $10 ADV/$12 DOS. Grog Shop. Walter Beasley: Two shows nightly: 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets…
Out Today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersMojo(Reprise) After more than a decade of singing about his divorce and how much the music industry sucks, Tom Petty returns to his roots on Mojo, his first album with the Heartbreakers in eight years. He and the group build most of the 15 songs around the bar-band blues they honed…
Out Today: Robyn
RobynBody Talk PT. 1(Cherrytree/Interscope) Swedish dance diva Robyn has had a wild career. She scored a pair of hits in the mid-’90s before disappearing for almost a dozen years. In 2008, she returned with a self-titled album that reinvented the chirpy singer as a smack-talking dance android with a batch of monster hooks at her…
Kid Cudi Arrested
Smoke ’em if ya got ’em Hip-hop hipster, Cleveland native, and actor Kid Cudi was arrested over the weekend. He’s been charged with criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance in NYC following an incident at a woman’s apartment on Friday. According to a report, Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) pounded on the woman’s door…
Kid Cudi Arrested
Smoke ’em if ya got ’em Hip-hop hipster, Cleveland native, and actor Kid Cudi was arrested over the weekend. He’s been charged with criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance in NYC following an incident at a woman’s apartment on Friday. According to a report, Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) pounded on the woman’s door…
What You Missed At Chef Jam This Weekend (Hint: Awesomeness)
What started last year as a homegrown, grass-roots, come-if-you-feel-like-it foodie fundraiser has quickly blossomed into the can’t-miss bash of the year. Staged at the Rock Hall, this year’s Chef Jam essentially got promoted from a backyard barbecue to a five-star extravaganza. Like any great performance this one was standing-room-only, having burned through the 1,000 or…
Photo Show: Phish at Blossom Music Center
You read Aaron Mendelsohn’s review of Phish’s concert at Blossom Music Center (you did read it, didn’t you?). Now look at some pretty pictures.
Cleveland Indians Proudly Hawking Washington Nationals Merch Over the Weekend
It was mentioned by friend of the blog Aaron Goldhammer on The Really Big Show this morning, and here’s evidence from Jon Steiner’s Twitter: The Tribe went all out in selling Strasburg merch during the weekend tilts against the Nationals. But, but, but… I wanted an Andy Marte jersey! Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack.
Chef Jam 2010
Just add music What a difference a year makes. Last summer, Crop Bistro’s Steve Schimoler assembled a couple dozen chefs and restaurants for the Rock and Roll BBQ at the Beachland Ballroom. The outdoor event was largely a success, with several hundred foodies and music lovers enjoying the tasting plates and hipster atmosphere. This year’s…
Young Indians Fans Run On Field, Throw White Powder In the Air
During the Tribe game last Thursday, two young fans dressed in LeBron jerseys ran out onto the grass of Jacob’s Field during the eighth inning. During their daring spring through the outfield, they tossed white powder in the air a la King James’s pre-game ritual. Bonus points for the multitasking. Double bonus points because one…
And How Was Your Weekend, Cleveland?
Cedar Point’s new “The fun and only” slogan works here, but not as well as the slogan used in 1978 by the amusement park: “And share it with someone you love, Cedar Point.” So, Cleveland, was your weekend better, worse, or just more sanitary than this couple’s? (Via Texts From Last Night)
Concert Review: Phish at Blossom Music Center
Jammy! It had been ten years since jam-band giant Phish last played Blossom Music Center — or anywhere in Cleveland for that matter — so you’d think the band would have brought its entire arsenal to its show Saturday night. It’s been a year since Phish reformed, so they should be capable of sustaining their…
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Mumford and Sons
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Dave Rawlings Machine
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Brandi Carlile
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Disco Biscuits
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Mexican Institute of Sound
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Bomba Estereo
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: The Fans
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Kings of Leon
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Tenacious D
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see? Conan O’Brien introduces Tenacious D
Bonnaroo Photo Show: She & Him
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see? She Him
Bonnaroo Photo Show: The National
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see? The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne checks out the National
Bonnaroo Photo Show: The Fans
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see?
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Day 1, Pt. 2
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Are you at Bonnaroo? Who did you see? Trombone Shorty Tokyo Police Club The Gossip
Bonnaroo Photo Show: Day 1
C-Notes photographer Eugene Kadish is hanging out with a bunch of sweaty, smelly people at Bonnaroo this weekend. Here are some of the things he saw. Welcome to Bonnaroo Big Sam’s Funky Nation Dr. Dog Mayer Hawthorne
Have You Heard the Leaked Pearl Jam Song?
Better men, better days, better song Have you heard the unreleased Pearl Jam song that’s been going around the past couple days? Fans have been speculating over its origin since “Better Days” leaked a couple days ago — guessing it’s something from the Riot Act sessions to something more recent. Well, it turns out it…
Cleveland Company Made That Gigantic Floating Andrew Carnegie Art For Pittsburgh
Where’s the floating, inflatable Jimmy Dimora? Oh, right, the actual Jimmy Dimora works for that. In honor of this year’s Three Rivers Arts Festival, artist Stephon Antonson created a 20-foot tall floating head of the estimable Andrew Carnegie that will drift about in the Allegheny River until the festival ends. A Cleveland company constructed the…
Cleveland Represents on New Mixtape
Here’s something to get your weekend started right: a new mixtape featuring Cleveland and St. Louis hip-hoppers. The “Royal Heir Ent. Presents Cle-X-STL Hip Hop” mixtape is available as a free download here. They’re also streaming the mix, in case your IT guy won’t let you download at work. Local websites 216thetakeover and ohiohiphopawards teamed…
World’s Worst Police Sketch, Courtesy Of Steubenville
There are simply no words. Police sketches aren’t an exact science. More times than not they turn out to be pretty accurate, but you’ll forgive the sketch artists if sometimes the fuzzy descriptions from witnesses and artistic discretion lead to an image that might not be the truest representation of the suspect. But sketches should…
Photo Show: She & Him at House of Blues
After you read our review of She & Him’s concert at House of Blues last night (we’re so over Zooey D; Zoey Saldana is way hotter anyway), you can check out the photos below taken by Aaron Mendelsohn.
Concert Review: She & Him at House of Blues
She Somebody must have told She & Him they were boring on stage, because they rushed through their concert at House of Blues last night, playing several songs at three times their normal tempo. Making their way through about 25 songs in less than two hours, the duo took the life out of tunes that…
The A-Team is good dumb fun
Like the ’80s TV series it’s based on, The A-Team is incredibly simple-minded stuff. The saving grace of both series and film is that the four main characters, Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), “Face” (Bradley Cooper), and Mad Dog Murdock (Sharlto Copley), are so damn likable. Copley (Wikus in last year’s…
Ohio Company Behind the Silly Bandz Craze
She earned these during recess, Fight Club style. It seems the ever faddy trend of faddy rubber band fashion accessories will not die. As Dick Feagler would say, back in the day kids didn’t wear rubber bands. Back in the day kids just used rubber bands for things that needed rubber bands: bundling pens together,…
An Oldie But Goodie
Just for those of you who haven’t seen this before… perhaps the best crime blotter item ever:
Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park Expanding to Milwaukee
Just like this, but in Wisconsin. Northeast Ohio bike enthusiasts have made Ray’s a rousing success from almost the minute the gem of an idea became a ramp-laden reality. That oasis of indoor biking will not be Cleveland’s alone, however, as Ray Petro will soon open a similar facility in Milwaukee. Bike Radar (via Crain’s…
Afternoon Brew: Millenium Park, Sextuplets, YMCA Bathrooms, and Biking
It’s fun to peep at the YMCA. Good morning, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you check your bathroom for video cameras. — A Geauga YMCA employee found a small video camera inside an air freshener that was taped on a wall in a men’s bathroom. Anyone who’s ever been in a YMCA bathroom…
Concert Review: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros at House of Blues
“What is this soap thing you speak of?” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros frontman Alex Ebert often claims he’s trying to evoke his inner child in his music. And last night, the raucous audience at House of Blues felt the kiddie vibes, jumping around like a bunch of toddlers on a sugar high. Sneaking…
Concert Review: Caribou at the Grog Shop
“It got stuck” It was shoulder-to-shoulder at the Grog Shop last night for Caribou’s show. Daniel Snaith’s four-piece wasted no time, attacking the audience with two sets of acoustic drums blazing over layers of synthesized sounds and steady pulsing bass. “Leave House” — from the band’s latest album, Swim — got heads nodding with its…
Reader: To Those Concerned With the Loss of Historic Heritage
“The Beginner’s Guide to Dead Zones” [May 19, 2010] was really quite moving to those of us who are concerned with the loss of historic and architectural heritage from our area. Though interested in all of the subjects on your list, of particular concern and sadness to me is the Warner and Swasey Observatory. I…
For Anyone Who Wants to See Hammer Get Tackled By a Girl
Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack.
The Pros and Cons of Album Leaks
Eminem just found out our writer illegally downloaded his new album The two most anticipated hip-hop albums of the summer are already out on the streets. Recovery, Eminem’s highly anticipated follow up to last year’s Relapse, leaked online a few days ago. Not due until June 22, the album became available for free a full…
And Now a Word From the Washington Generals
The fake pitch, from McSweeney’s: King James, This off-season you have the unique opportunity to decide your NBA future. It’s a decision not to be taken lightly. While other franchises have surfaced in the rumor mil— New York, Chicago, Miami, along with heading back to Cleveland—we think you’d be doing yourself a disservice without considering…
Pre-Order Your King James Globetrotters Jersey
As you’ve probably heard by now, the Harlem Globetrotters have offered LeBron James and Dwyane Wade part ownership in the team, some absurd sharing of merchandise profit, and are putting on the full PR push, which is quite brilliant. You can (kind of) even pre-order jerseys from their site. Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack.
Celebrate 30 Years of New Model Army with an Exclusive C-Notes Q&A
No, that’s not Metallica New Model Army is one of the best post-punk outfits Great Britain has ever produced. Led by the larger-than-life Justin Sullivan, the English rock band has been playing politically-tinged rock anthems for three decades, a journey that goes from 1984’s Vengeance to 2009’s Today Is a Good Day. Settling in on…
Tom Petty Listening Party
The Happy Dog is hosting a listening party for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ new album, Mojo, on Monday, a day before the album is released. It starts at 6 p.m. and we’re guessing the record will played a few times throughout the night, so you can get a good idea about whether or not…
Concert Review: Stars at Beachland Ballroom
Shine on Stars fans crowding the Beachland Ballroom last night got two full hours’ worth of music, including the entire Five Ghosts album (before its official release) and a set built by Internet requests. The six-piece band were reserved at first, playing through the quietly swelling “Dead Hearts”, where singer/guitarist Amy Millan traded phrases with…
George Thomas Out As Cavs Beat Writer for Akron Beacon Journal, Jason Lloyd In (UPDATE)
The only picture of George Thomas I could find. In a little beat of local sports media news, George Thomas, who had been the Akron Beacon Journal’s Cavs beat writer for two years, has been taken off the beat by the paper. He’s still with the paper, though it’s unclear what his new duties will…
Film Capsules
Opening The A-Team Like the ’80s TV series it’s based on, The A-Team is incredibly simple-minded stuff. The saving grace of both series and film is that the four main characters, Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), “Face” (Bradley Cooper), and Mad Dog Murdock (Sharlto Copley), are so damn likable. Copley (Wikus…
Get Out!
With LeBron’s pending free agency pounding against our heads like a bad hangover, many Clevelanders are asking Why wouldn’t you just stay in Cleveland, LeBron? Change “LeBron” to “local businesses,” and that’s the same question Danielle DeBoe is asking area vendors. She’s gathered 60 local designers, along with local bands and independent caterers, to line…
Mad Vibes
Getting a handle on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros isn’t easy. The Los Angeles band’s bio doesn’t mention the names of any members or any serious facts about its formation. Instead, it focuses on a story about the fictional Edward Sharpe, a child who went from deafness to “hearing too much.” The group’s debut…
Art
Asterisk Gallery: Troika: Installation-based works by Scott Goss, Eddy Ostrander and David Politzer. From June 11-July 3 at Asterisk Gallery, 2393 Professor Ave. Opening reception Friday, June 4 (see preview on this page). Call 330-304-8528 or visit asteriskgallery.com. Artists Archives of the Western Reserve: Seeing Green: Creating Art in an Era of Sustainability: Cleveland artists…
The Machine’s New Soul
It’s weird how the wheelof cultural relevance spins. In the early to mid-’90s, Fear Factory’s blend of militaristic/industrial rhythm and thrash-metal rawness — not to mention their highly conceptual lyrical vision of a nightmarish war between men and machines — was the sound of the future. Albums like 1992’s Soul of a New Machine and…
Suburban Legends
Led by singer-guitarist Matthew Milia, folk-rockers Frontier Ruckus hail from the sprawling, diverse landscape of metro Detroit. Beginning with their 2008 debut, The Orion Songbook, Milia and his cohorts have explored their hometown in an engaging and almost mythological fashion. This exploration is all over the new Deadmalls and Nightfalls, which comes out next month.…
Livewire
brokeNCYDE No album title has summed up the divide between critics and fans as perfectly as brokeNCYDE’s 2009 release I’m Not a Fan, but the Kids Like It! Universally scorned by reviewers, this Albuquerque-based “crunkcore” (one-finger synth lines + booty-clap beats + Auto-Tune + death-metal screams) quartet (quintet if you count their pig-suited dancer/mascot) saw…
Bites
These are high times for adventurous eaters: A handful of chefs have recently embarked on interesting side projects that offer a welcome change of pace from typical restaurant fare. On June 21, Lanny Chin of Naya Bistro (6323 Wilson Mills Rd., 440-446-1234, nayabistro.com) will kick off a new monthly event called Food Warriors (facebook.com/foodwarriors). Best…
Northeast Ohio Music Releases
Masakari The Profit Feeds (Southern Lord) myspace.com/masakaripunk Southern Lord are best known for releasing top-quality doom records, but they also dip into speedier sounds from time to time. Masakari’s debut album is one of the fastest and hardest records in their catalog. A brutal hardcore band in the vein of Converge and legendary Tokyo bashers…
FOUR-WHEEL APPEAL
Chasing vehicles is no longer just the sport of dogs: Since news broke that a couple of local chefs were launching a gourmet kitchen on wheels, area foodies have been tracking its progress like hungry hounds in hot pursuit. Now that Dim and Den Sum has officially hit the streets, the hunt has begun in…
Playback
Blitzen Trapper Destroyer of the Void (Sub Pop) With each album Blitzen Trapper get more ambitious, even as they become more predictable. On 2008’s Furr, frontman Eric Earley got about as close as he could to making a Dylan/Dead/Band record without actually inventing a time machine to transport his band back to 1969. Destroyer of…
Stay In!
TOP PICK Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar) One of the year’s best video games is way more badass than Jonah Hex. Developed by the same crew responsible for Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) plays like a wild-west GTA, with plenty of shootouts, smackdowns, and whores. Best part: Dead…
Halfhearted Heist
There’s a reason so many of us buy DVDs of movies and TV shows we’ve seen so many times. When it’s done with style and originality (like, say, Richard Pryor’s Live on the Sunset Strip performance), we can watch the same act over and over again. Familiar elements are certainly present in Steal Away, a…
Onstage
Dark Ride — If you weld together a broken Zippo lighter, a rusted spring, and a broken doll’s head, you create a junk sculpture that might mean something to someone. But when you do the rough equivalent of that in a play, you’d better have a tighter focus on your materials and objective. In Dark…
Game Over?
For a decade or more, husky-voiced folk and blues singer-songwriter Cletus Black has been one of the area’s less heralded but most reliable artists. Over that time, he’s released nine albums and played countless shows. But now he’s calling it quits. Sort of: He plans to keep performing, but says he won’t release any more…
The Doctor Can’t See You Now
George Randt didn’t go into medicine for the money. His influence was Dr. Bob — Robert Ballard, MD, a neighbor and family friend in post-World War II Bay Village whom Randt calls a true family physician. “He made house calls. He’d come down and see us when we were little and bring that black bag…
Letters
REACHING FOR THE STARS “The Beginner’s Guide to Dead Zones” [May 19, 2010] was really quite moving to those of us who are concerned with the loss of historic and architectural heritage from our area. Though interested in all of the subjects on your list, of particular concern and sadness to me is the Warner…
CHINESE DEMOCRACY
A redo of the 1984 film BY the same name, The Karate Kid is one cash-grabbing and race-changing relaunch you can actually get behind — even if it’s just for good karma. Urban black teens across the country helped boost Bruce Lee to demigod status; that demo avidly patronized martial-arts chopsocky flicks since way back,…
Makeover Melee
The West Side Market — the high church of old-school Cleveland — is edging in on a significant birthday. The region’s famed hub of ethnic culture and cuisine marks its centennial anniversary in 2012. To celebrate, city officials and development gurus are gearing up for a makeover. In April, Mayor Frank Jackson announced the formation…
The Mr. T Experience
There’s a good reason Mr. T is more ingrained in your brain than The A-Team, his 1980s TV show about a rogue group of ex-U.S. Army Special Forces. Sure, the series included some over-the-top action during its five seasons. The cigar-chomping Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith and his boys definitely liked to blow shit up. And…
At the Arthouse
NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW In 2006, director Jonathan Demme’s Heart of Gold documented a reserved Neil Young in concert, performing songs from the previous year’s Prairie Wind. The album is one of Young’s most maudlin, inspired by the death of his father and an aneurysm Young himself was being treated for at the time. The…
