Rock Me, Amadeus
Of all the birthday parties your kids will attend this year, today’s Cleveland Orchestra concerts commemorating Mozart’s 250th may be the most significant. So says Andrew Grams, the assistant conductor who leads one of the performances. The show, part of the Family Concert series, invites children to a musical celebration that Grams hopes will change…
Dear Cleveland
Ah, Cleveland. So terminally uncool. Why do you even try? Don’t you know you’re not New York or Chicago? Don’t you know you’re just embarrassing yourself? Well, you should. While the local press laments our lethal lack of self-esteem, urging us to Believe in Cleveland, it spends far more ink incessantly reminding us just how…
Lez Zeppelin
Simply put, Lez Zeppelin is the nation’s premier all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band. And while its renditions of Zep classics are admirably thundering — “Whole Lotta Love” never sounded quite this hot and bothered — you still can’t quite beat Robert Plant’s hair.
Transcontinental Drift
Singer-songwriters Mi and L’au have spent the past month and a half living in a car. The Finnish (Mi)-French (L’au) couple have been touring the United States since late January, their belongings packed into a white Pontiac sedan rental, as they make their way from Austin to Chicago to New York (they stop at the…
Word!
Universes, a Bronx-based performance group, mashes spoken-word with jazz, blues, and hip-hop in Slanguage, which comes to Playhouse Square tonight. And if it doesn’t quite sound the same as it did in 2001, when the work premiered, that’s precisely the point, says troupe member Steven Sapp. “The piece is constantly shifting and moving,” he says.…
Get Your Gaze On
The Clear Choice Custom Vision Center, lost in a sweeping business park not far from the freeway in Brecksville, seems a better fit for drafting HR policies than brewing romance. It’s the night after Valentine’s Day, and I haven’t had a date since B.K.C. — Before Kelly Clarkson. But word is the vision center, which…
Goldfrapp
Like Madonna, Alison Goldfrapp has reinvented herself and stayed afloat atop a number of musical trends. From her days as a demure trip-hop siren to a libidinous electroclash queen on Black Cherry, she and bandmate Will Gregory have been quietly winning over fans worldwide, most notably in their British homeland. But on their third full-length,…
Strokes of Geniuses
As the Cleveland Museum of Art’s renovation continues, other local museums are benefiting. The latest partnership is CMA@Oberlin, in which masterworks from CMA’s permanent collection find a temporary home at Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum. The first piece on display is a true classic: Jacques Louis-David’s “Cupid and Psyche,” in which the god of…
Metal Mania
Ken Erb balked at paying the exorbitant cover fees that downtown clubs charge to see local bands. So he started booking acts at his girlfriend’s bar for the free weekly Metal Night. At other venues, he says, “You’ve got huge shows with 10 bands on the bill before the headliner plays. Bands get squeezed in…
Pig-dogs Among Us
Why the world hates America: I am German. When I was a child, the Irish and Italians would call me a Nazi. My dad served in the Marine Corps and landed second wave at Iwo Jima and occupied Sesebo, outside of Nagasaki. I served with the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, and got a Bronze…
Mogwai
Back in Mogwai’s early days, an album titled Mr. Beast would have matched the band’s category-five noise hurricanes perfectly. But as the Scotsmen refined their sound over the next decade, moments of levity and clarity — airy synths, strings, eerie silences — made the band’s emotional maelstrom more compelling. In fact, Mr. Beast feels like…
Man Alive
On their debut album, Closing In, Brooklyn-based — but Columbus-bred — rockers Early Man alternate between sludgy stoner-rock anthems and axe-shredding metal epics. Either way, it’s hard, riff-heavy material best played loud. At its most dissonant, the band recalls Ozzy-era Sabbath, in the sweet spot between when Sabbath first cuddled up to drugs and before…
Lebron Gone Wild
Hoping to make the warm-weather Sacramento Kings feel a little less homesick during their visit tonight, the Cavs are hosting a Spring Break Night (no matter that the start of spring is actually more than two weeks away). In addition to the Hawaiian shirts sported by staff, the Q will be decked out with lifeguards,…
Media Hijackers
Orlando, March 1993, some forgotten dive bar. Standing beside a small, sticker-laden Toyota are four fanzine-peddling teenagers from Palm Beach County. The reason for their three-hour sojourn: to get an interview with the evening’s headliner, NOFX, the clown princes of punk rock. At the time, Orlando was as far south as the L.A. band would…
Matisyahu
Although Matisyahu has been around for a few years, the novelty factor is still high on his third album. After all, can you name another Orthodox Jewish dancehall star? But those who can handle a bespectacled, bearded, yarmulke-clad performer breaking it down, island stylee, will find that Youth quickly turns the idea of a Hasidic…
Line of Fire
Colin Mochrie — the tall, balding Canadian from Whose Line Is It Anyway? — gives credit to Drew Carey for fighting to make the show a success. The network brass, Mochrie says, had no clue how to adapt the format of the hit British improvisational comedy for American audiences. “The studio originally wanted an MTV…
Follow Your Bliss
The Troubadours of Divine Bliss will wow local music fans with their “carpetbag of bliss” at a string of Off the Cuff CD-release parties this weekend. “With the different styles we have, it’s like switching channels after every song,” says the Troubadours’ Aim Me Smiley. “It’s like the weather: You’ll like it in the next…
Everything’s Turned All Around
In the spring of 1967, the Choir hit it big with “It’s Cold Outside,” a wistful ode to a lost girl that shouldered past Nancy and Frank Sinatra’s “Somethin’ Stupid,” making stars of local boys Dan Klawon, Wally Bryson, Dave Burke, Dave Smalley, and Jim Bonfanti. Now those Mentor High School boys are back, at…
Elvis Costello
If North was Elvis Costello’s complement to Frank Sinatra’s Sings for Only the Lonely, My Flame Burns Blue is a counterpart to the Chairman’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers. Recorded live, accompanied by longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve and a full orchestra, Costello reworks and reinvents songs from his voluminous catalog in a kitsch-free, hard-swinging, jazz-oriented context.…
Welcome to the Jungle
Director Carroll Ballard is never better than when he’s filming wild animals in their natural environments. The Black Stallion and Never Cry Wolf are family classics, beloved as much for their sensitive storytelling as their lush, gorgeous landscapes. Ballard’s latest movie, Duma, tells the tale of a young boy and his pet cheetah. Shot in…
A Fin Mess
What do little girls want? If we are to follow the emotional heart of Aquamarine, a new film about two 13-year-olds who help a runaway mermaid fall in love, the answer is . . . bling. Hailey (Joanna “JoJo” Levesque) and Claire (Emma Roberts) are best friends in a small beach community. It’s the end…
Looking for a New Love
So Grandaddy’s new, as-yet-unreleased, and sadly final album, Just Like the Fambly Cat, has leaked to uncouth, nefarious, file-sharing entities. It is a sad, loathsome day indeed. But the time has come to move on, to adjust, to make do. I will now begin the painful but necessary process of choosing a new Official Favorite…
50FootWave
For the first four spins, 50FootWave’s Free Music EP isn’t as remarkable as the circumstances behind its release. Former Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh posted the five songs as free downloads on www.throwingmusic.com, complete with artwork and lyrics, asking only that fans listen, play for their friends, and maybe make a PayPal donation to the…
Father’s Day
Before Tom Turkaly shutters his three-year-old gallery this month, he’ll present one more show — one that pays tribute to his sculptor father. Revisited Themes: The Works of Joseph Turkaly features 20 pieces designed to contrast the elder Turkaly’s figurative style from the ’50s with his realist works from 1989, the year he retired as…
Red Dusk
If you’re a parent trying to teach your sullen teenage kids that movies with subtitles aren’t all bad, try taking them to see Night Watch, a foreign-language film that proves that geekdom observes no national boundaries. The first Russian equivalent of the Hollywood summer blockbuster is not only based on a popular fantasy novel; it’s…
Critical Fatwa
All hail Jurassic 5! They were a breath of fresh air, bringing pleasure and fun back to the type of hip-hop listened to by indie-rock fans. But they did not come alone — and the group that came with them, Black Eyed Peas, has turned from a fun bit of whimsy into the foulest sort…
Drastic
Drastic’s They Should’ve Known Better will further establish the Cleveland rhymer as one of the area’s premier MCs. Long known as a battle rapper, Drastic finally puts pen to paper and drops tracks that have had time to brew in his brain. But Drastic isn’t running away from freestyle skills; he drops several off-the-cuff tracks,…
The Orchid Brief
Cathy Green, chair of the Greater Akron Orchid Society Show, says the allure of orchids lies in “the fact that they are exotic. They take patience to grow, and a lot of them bloom maybe two times a year.” Actually, we like the colorful plants because they play a big role in Adaptation. Sat., March…
Sister Acts
The landscape of sexual byways is endlessly fascinating to most of us, even if we’re too turned off or too chicken to pursue them ourselves. Even so, when we’re presented with a surprising new amatory adventure by an imaginative partner — what exactly were you planning with those marbles and peanut butter? — it’s tempting…
Sound Advice
Representing Cleveland’s Nitty Gritty party crew, Jugoe (aka Jude Goergen) records dance music for Brooklyn’s Bastard Jazz label when he’s not spinning at the Mercury Lounge, Lava Lounge, or Touch. What have you been listening to lately? I usually bump NPR in the car, or whatever is on WCSB or WRUW. What do you call…
Blush
On its second LP, Blush reintroduces itself as a hard-edged alt-rock band. Singer Mary Cushman is backed by bassist Jayson Benn and three of her brothers, but nepotism hasn’t hurt the Canton quintet. The guys can really play. And Cushman can really sing. In her playful moments, her six-octave range settles into a pixie warble…
Trivial Pursuits
The Tea Bags’ repertoire of British pop cover songs may go down smooth with a beer or two, but it’s the band’s trivia contests (prizes include free drinks) that keep fans coming back for more. At one show, the band was about to launch into a David Bowie tune when guitarist Bobby Grebelsky asked which…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Coming to America — Spend an afternoon with Comedy Central, and you’ll notice that plenty of the comedians freely traffic in f-bombs and scatological references. This is a comedic style called “working blue,” a phrase originated around the turn of the 20th century, when vaudeville performers were given blue envelopes that warned against using salacious…
Money Where Your Mouth Is
Band: Every Second (www.myspace.com/everysecondband) Hometown: C-Town Sounds Like: “If Thrice and Saves the Day combined for a kind of Iron Maiden-meets-the-Beatles sound. Music for love and war.” Fun Fact: “Look for our theme shows, such as formal dress, slumber party, or switched sexes.” Playing: Saturday, March 4, at the Red Parrot Why you should see…
It’s Research
Studies show that calories don’t count when you’re dining for a good cause. So spare yourself the guilt about attending the March 22 Chef’s Fantasy Dinner, a six-course gourmet blowout benefiting the Rainbow Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Now in its eighth year, the Fantasy has evolved into a showcase for the region’s top…
Jailhouse Rock
Danceworks opens its season tonight with Burn the Heavens, an Antaeus Dance performance based on the first batch of Abu-Ghraib photos. “I wanted to comment on the cruelty and the effect that has on our society,” says Antaeus’ artistic director Joan Meggitt. The piece incorporates two groups of dancers — one aggressive, the other peaceful.…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Student Independent Exhibition — Brilliance can be found around every corner of this large CIA exhibit. Among the best: Photographer Melissa Doeberling’s four “Portraits of Grandma” leave immediate, searing impressions. Rather than portray her subject directly, Doeberling captures Grandma’s essence through pictures of her medical accessories. Sadness pervades every image, as she illustrates the…
Last Word
“If I’m hungry, I’ll go out to eat with friends at a 24-hour restaurant like My Friends, Vienna, or Denny’s.” — Jennifer A., starloft.com “Wherever the cocktails are free, the dudes are solid. My personal favorites go to Moe’s, the Jigsaw, Tramp, King-Palace, or the Garage.” — Pants Pantsley, Cleveland “After the show, it’s time…
Lost to History
A piece of once-neglected Ohio history now rescued and lovingly restored, Glenwillow Grille is the kind of spot any right-minded restaurant-goer would love to fall in love with. The romance has its roots in local lore. The restaurant, along with its attached tavern and coffeehouse, sits in Glenwillow Village, in the southeastern corner of Cuyahoga…
All’s Well
When Well opens at the Cleveland Play House tonight, local theatergoers will get a jump on Broadway audiences, which won’t see Lisa Kron’s family comedy till March 30. “It’s a remarkable coup for us,” says Play House artistic director Michael Bloom, who’s directing. The play, starring Cleveland native Denny Dillon — a Saturday Night Live…
The Great Cash-In
Walk the Line (Fox) No matter what a junkie does with his spare time — say, redefine country music, or forge one of history’s most enduring personas — movies about junkies are a drag to watch. So it’s too bad this Johnny Cash biopic is a by-the-numbers fall-and-redemption tale. A terrific film could’ve been made…
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through makes melodic, postmodern metal, taking what it needs from formerly discrete subgenres (shredding thrash guitar, gothic keyboards, black metal blast beats) and churning it all together behind vocalist Brandon Schieppati, whose bellow gets the dudes moshing when his angsty croon isn’t driving the girls wild. Avenged Sevenfold plows similar ground, but with greater…
Get Down With Dave
The world premiere of Dave Chappelle’s Block Party at the Toronto International Film Festival last September had the vibe of a sold-out concert — all those spotlights beaming to and fro in front of a venerable old theater, all that pushing and shoving for the best seats, all those celebs in the crowd, all that…
Here’s the Deal
After all the time we’ve spent watching No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments on TV, and all the money we’ve lost playing it in friends’ basements over the past couple years, you’d think that we’d be tired of the game by now. We’re not. In fact, we’re totally pumped for tonight’s tourney in Olmsted Falls,…
Back to the Future
Last fall, Microsoft hyped its pricey Xbox 360 by promising to reinvent gaming as we know it. The blockbuster “next generation” titles were supposed to harness the machine’s awesome power to deliver high-definition graphics and impossibly realistic action. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future. The $60 launch titles were mostly…
Don’s Gone
Don Austin, the face of Akron hardcore since 1999, is breaking up. Drummer Sean Spindler is moving to California, making him the fifth rhythm-section player to depart. “Out of loyalty to Sean, and given the fact that we pretty much accomplished all that we are going to, we decided to call it a day,” says…
Hard Ride
Didn’t Richard Donner retire? A 1980s star-director name that should now send bolts of discouraging dread down your spine, Richard Donner may well be seeing his filmmaking skills peak with 16 Blocks — even if saying it’s his best, least flatulent, most efficient film is tantamount to saying that the guy’s work usually makes me…
Grandma Chic
Models will show off knitted suits and crocheted shawls by Akron designer Lindsay Jean Marie at tonight’s Faces of Fashion. “She’s highlighting trends that mix the old with the new,” says organizer Jennifer Myers. “She’ll show shawls with antique brooches and vintage suits with modern-day accessories. And they’re all good pieces [which are] pretty versatile.”…
Our top DVD picks for the week of February 28
Annie Duke’s Conquering Online Poker (Big Vision) The Avengers: The Complete Emma Peel Megaset (A&E) Battle’s Poison Cloud (Cinema Libre) Bleak House (BBC Warner) Camara Oscura (Warner Bros.) Charmed: The Complete Fourth Season (Paramount) Death Tunnel (Sony) The Hobart Shakespeareans (Docurama) The Ice Harvest (MCA) The Lords of Discipline (Paramount) Love Me Tender: 50th Anniversary…
Ghostface Killah
Unless an entire city block emerges as a hip-hop supergroup, the Wu-Tang Clan will go down in the history books as rap’s most prolific and gifted collective. And Ghostface Killah might ultimately be recognized as its greatest solo performer, if only because Method Man and Raekwon take nine years between solo albums. If Dr. Dre’s…
Little Furry Thing
At Sesame Street Live: Elmo’s Coloring Book, the fuzzy monster and pals color some pictures and then jump into them for a magical mystery tour. They take journeys to Egypt, a land of dinosaurs, and a musical junkyard. Sounds like somebody’s been sniffing the Crayolas. Thu., March 2, 7 p.m.; Fri., March 3, 10:30 a.m.…
The week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe.
CD — Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped: Herb Alpert’s 1965 chill-out classic gets a new-millennium makeover with the help of such knob-twisting visionaries as the Dust Brothers’ John King, Ozomatli, and Thievery Corporation. Trumpeter Alpert’s groundbreaking, Grammy-hogging album becomes a late-night needle-on-the-record session worthy of its scrumptiously titled tracks (“Tangerine,” “Lollipops and Roses”). And…
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
For a sneak preview of Ted Leo’s next album, the Grog Shop is the place to be Tuesday. Leo and his band are embarking on a spring tour to road-test his latest material, some of which will probably turn up on his fifth full-length release this fall. The follow-up to 2004’s enthusiastically received Shake the…
Avalanche Express
After six years in a band that imploded before it ever crawled out of cult status, former Movielife singer Vinnie Caruana is happy to be in a project with relatively little discord. His new group, I Am the Avalanche, released its self-titled debut album last fall, and Caruana says he’s finally found some peace. “The…
Better Off Ted
Fund-raising is probably Ted Strickland’s least favorite thing. This afternoon at the Euclid library, it’s his job to tell a few dozen politicians, labor reps, and interest groups why he should be Ohio’s next governor, and his words manage only to limp forward. “We are reaching the point in Ohio where class matters, in terms…
Jane Siberry
In the early ’80s, Canadian songstress Jane Siberry’s sound was a dazzling blend of the Cocteau Twins’ ethereality, the pointed, satiric craftiness of Laurie Anderson, and the pulsing minimalism of Philip Glass. Her voice can be enigmatic one moment, earthy-sexy the next. Her career has followed her muse — ambient dreamscapes in collaboration with Brian…
Saddle Up
At tonight’s Oscar Night Party, movie lovers will gather to celebrate one of the holiest of annual events: the Academy Awards. Look for ranch-hand romance Brokeback Mountain to take home a lot of hardware. The ceremony will be beamed on big screens set up throughout Windows on the River. In addition to complete coverage of…
Family Values
If a bill proposed last week by Senator Robert Hagan (D-Youngstown) passes, Republicans in Ohio will be barred from adopting children. If it sounds like a joke, it’s meant to be, but Hagan went so far as to ask fellow senators to co-sponsor it. “I’m serious enough that I ran it through the process,” he…
Boys Night Out
Boys Night Out Green Day who? If Boys Night Out’s Trainwreck is any indication, the new colors of punk-rock opera are black, blue, and — above all — blood-red. Whereas the Canadian quintet’s deliberately emocore debut, Make Yourself Sick, dealt with slicing up girlfriends and disposing of their parts about the house, the Boys’ follow-up…
