DQ Is Handing Out Free Ice Cream Today Because It’s Finally Spring
Dairy Queen is here to make your spring equinox a sweet one. All day today, the first official day of spring, the ice cream spot is offering free soft serve vanilla cones to all guests. And while spring has sprung, Clevelanders aren’t out of the weather woods yet. This week’s chilly forecast calls for snow, clouds…
Buckingham McVie to Play Hard Rock Live in November
Earlier this year, Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie collaborated on a self-titled album simply dubbed Buckingham McVie and played a few dates in support of the release. The album’s genesis dates back three years ago to when McVie rejoined Fleetwood Mac for the group’s On With the Show tour. The two recorded…
Lori Stokes to Speak About the Legacy of Louis Stokes at Temple-Tifereth Israel
Today at the Temple-Tifereth Israel (next door to the Maltz Museum), a panel that includes Lori Stokes, co-anchor of New York City’s Eyewitness News This Morning; WEWS TV-5 news anchor Leon Bibb; Maltz Museum founder and board chair emeritus Milton Maltz; theologian, speaker, author and activist Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr.; co-chairman emeritus of Forest City…
Piano Wiz Tony DeSare to Join Cleveland Pops Orchestra Tonight at Severance Hall
A number of press outlets have compared Tony DeSare, an up-and-coming piano whiz, singer and composer, to Harry Connick Jr, Michael Bublé and Jamie Cullum. The New York-based musician performs classic American standards but also writes his own music and plays with a swinging piano style. In addition to being a talented player and singer, DeSare has…
Capitol Theatre to Screen ‘Hello, Dolly!’ at Tonight’s Happy Hour Classic Event
The locally owned and operated Capitol Theatre, in the Gordon Square Arts District, regularly presents special screenings of cult classics and oddball flicks that don’t receive wide distribution. Tonight at 6, the venue presents its Happy Hour Classic Film, a monthly screening of a classic film that includes a happy hour cocktail party in the…
Lakewood Bar Hosts DIY Erotic Friend Fiction Night
Amateur porn exists as a genre, so why not DIY erotic friend fiction? Tonight at Yuzu, an izakaya-inspired bar in Lakewood, $3 buys you a DIY Erotic Friend Fiction composition notebook that includes 10 fill-in-the-blank Erotic Friend Fiction stories with titles such as “Zombie Butt Apocalypse” or “Erotic Netflix and Chill.” The event starts at…
Rock Hall Screens ‘The Punk Singer’ Documentary Tonight
Before she formed the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill in 1990, singer Kathleen Hanna was just another private-school student trying to find herself. Contrary to popular opinion, the teachers at trendy Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, didn’t take kindly to her literary experiments, so she refrained from letting her emotions go. But then she met…
Local Author Deanna Adams to Speak Tonight at Music Box Supper Club
Cleveland Stories Dinner Party, a weekly series at Music Box Supper Club, pairs fine food with storytelling. The series aims to help raise awareness of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. The club’s owners consider the Cleveland History Center to be “one of the most interesting museums in Cleveland” and “an unknown…
GCC Takes Q Deal Opposition to Dan Gilbert’s Doorstep in Detroit
An estimated 120 members of Greater Cleveland Congregations caravanned by chartered bus to Detroit, Michigan, Tuesday to take their opposition to the proposed Quicken Loans Arena renovation deal to Dan Gilbert’s doorstep. On a plaza outside the headquarters of Quicken Loans in downtown Detroit, a lineup of GCC speakers outlined their qualms with the Q…
Classic Rocker Todd Rundgren to Play House of Blues in May
Singer-guitarist Todd Rundgren has spent the past couple of years playing a series of tour dates billed as An Unpredictable Evening with Todd Rundgren. That’s an appropriate title for the shows simply because Rundgren can be so “unpredictable.” Now, he’s just announced the details regarding a new studio album and tour. He’ll release White Knight on May…
Author and Humorist Joel Berg to Read From His New Anti-Trump Book at Mac’s Backs Books
The CEO of Hunger Free America, a do-good group that the Nation called “one of the leading direct service and advocacy organizations on hunger and poverty in the nation,” Joel Berg received national acclaim for writing the decade’s definitive book on U.S. hunger, All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? A former Senior Fellow at…
Berea Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years For Selling Heroin That Led to Overdose Death
A federal judge sentenced Brandon Wagner, 43, to more than 12 years in prison this week for selling the heroin that led to a Lakewood man’s death in 2016. Wagner pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin and using a communication facility to facilitate a felony last fall. Wagner’s sentence is another notch in the federal mission…
Carlos Carrasco Tells His Moving Immigrant Story in The Players’ Tribune
As the defending American League champion Indians home opener swiftly approaches (April 11!), Carlos Carrasco has written a poignant piece about becoming an American citizen and his love of Cleveland. Writing for The Players’ Tribune — an online outlet founded by Derek Jeter in 2014, which posts first-person narratives directly from athletes — Carrasco explains what it…
Indie Rockers Beach Stav to Play Platform Concert Series on Saturday
The guys in the local indie rock act Beach Stav describe their music as dark glam, freak folk, psychedelic, R&B, rock, punk, ambient, indie, garage. “We throw a lot of labels at it,” singer Jon Conley once told us. “We’re doing dark, folky glammy stuff. We have a lot of R&B influence too. Throughout the…
Drivers Now Need to Stay Three Feet Away From Cyclists in Ohio
The bicyclist and the car driver must share the road, and starting Tuesday a new Ohio law aims to make that sometimes tenuous relationship safer. Now drivers will need to give bicyclists three feet of space when passing. Since 2009, The Ohio Bicycle Federation has called for a three-foot passing clearance bill. Although some Ohio…
Jermaine Dupri Presents: SoSoSUMMER 17 Coming to the State Theatre in June
Some 25 years ago, rapper/producer/songwriter Jermaine Dupri produced “Jump,” a novelty hit by Kris Kross, two 12-year-old rappers who wore their pants backwards. Since that time, Dupri has become a superstar and developed the careers of stars such as Xscape, Usher, Da Brat, TLC, Bow Wow and more. Two years ago, his Lifetime TV show,…
‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ Opens Tonight at Playhouse Square
Winner of five 2015 Tony Awards, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a new play by Simon Stephens adapted from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel and directed by Tony-winner Marianne Elliott, centers on a highly intelligent teenage boy suspected of killing his neighbor’s dog. He sets out to prove his innocence and embarks…
Cleveland-Made ‘Fetch’ Dating App Hopes to Bring Dog Lovers Together
Liz Smith likes her dog. Liz Smith also likes other people who like their dogs. That’s part of the genesis for Fetch, a soon-to-be-launched dating app that would allow singles in Cleveland who own dogs to connect online. Smith, a 29-year-old Case Western Reserve MBA student and owner of a white Westie named Dexter, says she…
What The Hell is Happening in This New Fan-Made Georgio’s Commercial?
We stumbled across this new amateur-produced commercial/experimental film for Northeast Ohio’s own Georgio’s Oven Fresh Pizza today, and, for reasons that will become obvious very quickly, we’d like to share it with you. The commercial, embedded below in full, is profoundly unsettling, like watching Buffalo Bill fall deep into a ketamine trip. Still, we can’t…
Opening Day Announced for Angeline, Michael Symon’s Restaurant at Borgata Hotel
This morning, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa revealed the opening day for Michael Symon’s new Italian-themed eatery, Angeline. The restaurant, located in Atlantic City, will open on May 6. Named in honor of Symon’s mother, Angel, the restaurant will feature classic Italian-American dishes inspired by the nostalgic family recipes Michael grew up enjoying. Ask Symon…
Zach Deputy to Headline Second Annual Alchemy Rising Music and Arts Festival
Both nationally touring acts and local and regional bands will perform at the second annual Alchemy Rising Music and Arts Festival that takes place from May 12 to May 14 in Medina (with special Early Bird camping beginning on May 11). Zach Deputy brings its jam, funk and soul sounds to two nights of the…
Community Potluck Planned for this Saturday, March 25th at Cleveland Hostel
This Saturday, March 25th, you’re invited to attend a community potluck at the Cleveland Hostel that celebrates Cleveland’s multi-cultural neighbors. The free and open event takes place 3-6 p.m. at the Cleveland Hostel. “In response to the current issues surrounding immigration and the strong need we feel to do something meaningful in light of these…
Olivia Newton-John to Perform at Hard Rock Live in June
Back in the ’80s, British-born Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, who at the time was known for her role in Grease and for her country-pop ballad “I Honestly Love You,” had a huge hit with “Physical.” A couple of years ago, Billboard Magazine even listed the song at No. 8 on its Top 100 Songs of…
Ohio-based Jam Band O.A.R. to Play Benefit Concert For Flying Horse Farms
One of O.A.R.’s earliest songs, “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker,” originally came out on the band’s 1997 album The Wanderer. With the twangy first half of the song in which Marc Roberge sings in a bit of a drawl about how he’s “gotta throw it all down and kiss it goodbye,” it continues…
Dave Chappelle Grants CBS Rare Interview in Yellow Springs, Ohio: VIDEO
Coinciding with a new three-part stand-up special on Netflix, Dave Chappelle sat down with CBS This Morning to talk about his escape from fame, his return to the stage and his foray into public engagement. (He misses Chappelle’s Show, but compares the abrupt ending to a breakup. “You still like her, but in your mind…
Bon Jovi Delivers Irony-Free Arena Rock to Near-Capacity Crowd at the Q
Back in the early ’90s when college rock darlings R.E.M. made the jump from clubs to arenas, the band satirized the arena rock approach by flashing text that read, “We’re so happy to be playing [insert name of city here].” R.E.M. mocked the arena rock approach of bands like Bon Jovi. Last night in front…
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chuck Berry Dies at 90
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first class, singer-guitarist Chuck Berry died yesterday at his home just outside of St. Louis. He was 90. In 2012, the Rock Hall devoted its week-long American Music Masters Series tribute to the man. The series culminated in a gala concert held at the State Theatre…
Catch the Best of the Ottawa International Animation Fest Today at the Cleveland Museum of Art
[image-1] Every September, the Ottawa International Animation Festival presents what organizers deem “the world’s most cutting-edge, quirky and important animation.” As a result, Ottawa transforms into the center of the animation universe. Clevelanders get a taste of what the festival is all about today at 1:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which presents…
2731 Prospect Will Close This Spring
[image-1]As the national political debate shifts to funding of the National Endowment for the Arts, and as Cuyahoga Arts and Culture continues to debate the value of funding for individual artists, Cleveland’s art community received another disheartening sign of the times. Lauren Davies, director of 2731 Prospect announced the gallery will be closing its doors…
That “Tiny House Experiment” in Detroit Shoreway Pretty Much Failed
Despite fanfare and early confidence, Cleveland’s “Tiny House Experiment” appears to have failed. Two heavily-marketed, energy-efficient small homes built last year on the corner of W. 58th and Pear Avenue in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood were ultimately sold to the project’s builder, Keith Sutton, who is now thought to be renting the properties until the…
The Shins to Play the Agora in July
It’s been five years since indie rock darlings the Shins have played Cleveland, but the group will finally return to town this summer as it tours in support of its fifth album, Heartworms. It’ll play the Agora Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 29. Every pair of tickets purchased online includes a copy of…
Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Route 2017
Here’s the skinny on today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade route, which begins at 1:04 p.m. And don’t worry, despite warnings of poor weather, in the past 60 years the parade has never been canceled.
Veteran Power-Pop Singer-Songwriter Dwight Twilley Adapts to Acoustic Format
At 65, singer-songwriter Dwight Twilley can remember the days when commercial radio welcomed up-and-coming artists into the studio for intimate acoustic performances. As much as that might sound like a singer-songwriter’s dream come true, he says he never cared much for the format. “I’m used to going out with a full rock ’n’ roll band…
Opening Tonight: Prints from William Busta’s Private Collection Featured in ‘Archive Show: Year 3’ at Zygote Press
When legendary gallerist William Busta retired in 2015, the local art community knew he wasn’t finished curating local art exhibitions. A new archive show at Zygote Press features prints from Busta’s personal collection alongside prints selected from Zygote’s archive. Opening with a reception tonight from 6 to 8, Archive Show: Year 3 includes Depression-era etchings,…
Three Days of Jazz at the Lakeland Jazz Festival This Weekend
The annual Lakeland Jazz Festival, which takes place today through Sunday at the college’s Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center (Building D), offers a celebration of jazz music, with performers ranging from up-and-coming students to established veterans of the jazz scene. Since its inception, the festival has aimed to “instill the excitement and magic…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, MARCH 17 13th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party The local Pogues tribute act the Boys from the County Hell will be just one act performing today at House of Blues, which hosts its 13th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. If you’ve never stopped at the club on St. Paddy’s Day, you’ve got to give…
Singer-Songwriter Chuck Prophet Talks About How He Launched His Career Via a ‘Great American Joyride’
The ’80s begat New Wave and hip-hop. But the era also produced the Paisley Underground, a predecessor of sorts to Americana in that its jangle pop practitioners borrowed from ‘60s groups such as Love and the Byrds to produce a garage rock offshoot with a country bent. Singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet, who brings his current group,…
Fresh and Meaty Burgers Tastefully Fill Void Between Fast Food and Sit-Down
God bless Fresh and Meaty Burgers (13187 Cedar Rd., 216371-4400). Most of us love a good quality hamburger, but the only options tend to be unwholesome fast food joints or places that compel us to sit down and order from a server. The lack of local, independent places that land somewhere in the middle is…
In Advance of His Hard Rock Live Concert, Country Singer Billy Currington Reflects on His Hit-Filled Career
After graduating from a Springfield, Ga. high school, Billy Currington moved to Nashville to pursue his hopes and dreams of a career as a country singer. He admits the change of scenery initially took some adjustment on his part. “When I was getting ready to graduate from high school, I had made up my mind…
Local Drummer is Searching for his Stolen Kit
Local drummer Andrade Scovil’s kit has been stolen, and he’s looking for any help he can get in his search. Scovil, who plays in the local band Intrique, tells Fox 8 that it’s a customized Sonor drum kit. “These drums meant everything to me,” he said. As the report goes, Scovil’s white Kia was stolen while…
45 Years Ago This Week in Scene
Welcome to the archives, people. Every week we’ll share a cover or feature from one of Scene’s past issues for no other reason than we have them all and would like to share some with you. Forty-five years ago, for instance, this was the cover (dig that logo!). A Clockwork Orange took top billing that…
Vote for the Finalists in Best of Cleveland 2017 Right Now
The nominations have been tallied and the pack has been culled. From thousands of entries submitted by you and your fellow readers over the last month we’ve assembled the top contenders. Voting for Best of Cleveland 2017 is now open with finalists in every category. The deadline to register your vote is April 11. Two…
Our Favorite Dumb Bad Yelp Reviews of Cleveland Restaurants
I’ve always been a casual reader of Yelp!, but I became a true fan in the fall of 2014. That’s when I spotted James W.’s one-star review of Choolaah Indian BBQ. It wasn’t so much the low rating that caught my eye, it was the date. You see, the restaurant hadn’t even opened its doors…
Luke Stewart Was Unarmed When Euclid Police Officer Shot Him During Altercation
[image-1]Several details have trickled out of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s look into a Euclid police officer-involved shooting on March 13. According to the BCI, the victim, 23-year-old Luke Stewart, was unarmed. An as yet unidentified police officer shot Stewart during some sort of altercation that may have taken place inside Stewart’s car. The play-by-play of…
Former Chimaira Drummer Andols Herrick Launches GoFundMe Campaign to Combat Medical Expenses
Shortly after forming in 1998, the local metal band Chimaira signed a deal with Roadrunner Records that effectively launched the group’s career. The group went on to achieve national and international fame as albums such as 2003’s The Impossibility of Reason and 2005’s Chimaira were every bit as heavy as anything by Slayer or Metallica. The group…
WATCH: Norris Cole, Cedric Jackson and the 2009 CSU Vikings Upset Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament
From the NCAA vault, you can watch this full game from the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament. The 13-seed Cleveland State Vikings upset the 4-seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons in decisive fashion. Guards Cedric Jackson and Norris Cole, both of whom would go on to play in the NBA — Jackson’s pro career…
Local Goth Band Midnight Syndicate To Bring Its ‘Immersive Stage Show’ Back to Cedar Point in the Fall
In 1996, Ed Douglas [pictured] launched his career with a straight-to-video film. In the process of making the movie, he discovered that he liked doing the music for the soundtrack more than the actual filming, so he joined up with local multi-instrumentalist Gavin Goszka to form the local Goth act Midnight Syndicate, which released its…
Comedian Ian Bagg Plays Hilarities Tonight
If you end up going to see Ian Bagg tonight at Hilarities, you might want to think twice about sitting in the front row. The comic loves to pick on audience members and make fun of their body language or ask personal questions about their sexual preferences. Though he’s not nearly as manic as Robin…
CityMusic Cleveland Does David Bowie This Weekend in a Series of Free Concerts
[image-1]A series of orchestra concerts featuring music by rock icon David Bowie and the composers who inspired him, What’s on David Bowie’s Playlist takes place at various venues around town from today through Sunday. The program features an extensive assortment of music that both inspired Bowie and was written by Bowie. For the concerts, CityMusic…
Cleveland Humanities Festival Explores the Topic of Immigration
The second annual Cleveland Humanities Festival will leverage dozens of the area’s most vibrant cultural, educational, and arts institutions to explore the theme of immigration. Beginning on March 15 and running through April 2, the festival’s wide variety of programming will use the humanities as a lens to explore “the challenges and opportunities caused by…
New Rock Hall Exhibit to Celebrate Rolling Stone’s 50th Anniversary
When Rolling Stone magazine made its debut in 1967, the Beatles, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Cream, the Byrds, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Velvet Underground, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and many other acts released major albums. The year also gave us the “Summer of Love.” Since that time, Rolling Stone has provided…
Comedian Jim Tews to Release Live Album He Recorded Last Year in Cleveland
A former Clevelander, comedian and writer, Jim Tews, the man behind the New York Times bestseller, Felines of New York, made his stand-up television debut on Last Comic Standing and has been featured in an episode of Louie. He’s a rising star in the comedy world. He was one of 2011’s New Faces at Just For…
‘What’s on David Bowie’s Playlist’ and Six More Classical Music Events to Hit This Week
[image-1] This is a busy week with lots of choices so let’s get to them. What’s on David Bowie’s Playlist? That may surprise you. Avner Dorman and CityMusic Cleveland will explore some of the late pop icon’s wide musical tastes in five concerts running from Wednesday, March 15 through Sunday, March 19. Hint: it includes…
Friends and Collaborators Contribute to Blues Guitarist Eric Gales’ Latest Effort
Eric Gales turned heads with his guitar playing for a long time — starting with the Eric Gales Band, a collaboration which also featured his older brother Eugene. The Memphis group released two albums on Elektra Records in the early ’90s, putting a national spotlight on the younger Gales who was still in his teens…
Creating Competition, The Pryor Debate and Terry Francona on the NCAA Tournament — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott
Andre and Zac finally have their Terrelle Pryor debate. They also argue and about discuss team building, record high temperatures in Arizona vs. Cleveland snowstorms and the value of pass-rushers in today’s NFL. They close the podcast with Andre and Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona discussing why he loves college basketball and the single-elimination format…
Three of Cleveland’s Best Young Bartenders
Kathleen Sullivan, The Spotted Owl On any given weeknight, you might find Kathleen “Sully” Sullivan sawing a massive block of ice or testing recipes using spirits from Japan or Peru. It comes with the territory when you’re the beverage director for the Spotted Owl, Tremont’s premier cocktail destination. Sullivan, like the Spotted Owl’s owner Will…
Your Guide to Live Music in Northeast Ohio on St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day unofficially began earlier this month when Cleveland’s Boys from the County Hell, a local Pogues tribute act that makes the most of the holiday, played a special warm-up party at Music Box Supper Club. Per usual, the Boys will be plenty busy this year. They start off St. Paddy’s Day at 9…
Spotlight: Mad Max: Fury Road, Black & Chrome Edition
Saturday at midnight, the Capitol Theatre will screen the “Black & Chrome” edition of the 2015 high-octane romp Mad Max: Fury Road as part of the Melt Late Shift series. Director George Miller has said that he prefers the black and white version, a shocker, given that one of the most notable visual aspects of…
A Challenging Score Highlights a Subterranean Drama in ‘Floyd Collins’ at Blank Canvas Theatre
If you enjoy plays about a dream come true, here it is. Back in 1925, a 37-year-old Kentuckian named Floyd Collins decided to find a new entrance to the many caves that riddle the area where he was from. He wanted to create a tourist attraction and become famous. Well, that all happened. But not…
Live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is nostalgia fest
Uncurling from a position of absolute fatigue on the subject of live-action remakes of animated classics, I approached the new Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as Belle and Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as the Beast, with perhaps more skepticism than befits an objective alt-weekly movie critic. But look: I’ve suffered the indignities of…
Annual Wizard World Returns to Cleveland for Comic, Movie, Pop Culture Fans
After more than a year, Wizard World returns to Cleveland this weekend. Cleveland marks the third stop of the calendar year for the year ’round traveling convention, and the third convention the group has hosted at the Huntington Convention Center. This year’s event kicks off on St. Patrick’s Day and extends throughout the weekend. Just…
Worker-Owned Green City Growers is On the Path to Profits While Giving Refugees and Ex-Cons Gainful Employment
It’s a brisk late-winter morning in Cleveland, but inside the greenhouses of Green City Growers it feels more like Tampa. The temps are hovering around the 80-degree mark and the air is agreeably thick with humidity. But it’s the lushness that really wins a guy over, with kelly green vegetation as far as the eye…
Get Out: The Best Events in Cleveland This Week
WED 03/15 Music: David Bowie’s Playlist A series of orchestra concerts featuring music by rock icon David Bowie and the composers who inspired him, What’s on David Bowie’s Playlist takes place at various venues around town from today through Sunday. The program features an extensive assortment of music that both inspired Bowie and was written…
Little Lakewood Pasta Co. is Small But Mighty
It’s amazing how much pleasure a small serving of lemon ricotta ravioli can bring. That’s the power of well-textured, al dente dough surrounding a sweet, soft filling. Italians have harnessed that power for generations, but even without that heritage Megan Manning has found her calling. At Little Lakewood Pasta Company (15613 Detroit Ave., 216-889-7966, littlelakewoodpasta.com)…
Band of the Week: Smithfield
MEET THE BAND: Trey Smith (vocals, guitar) and Jennifer Fiedler (vocals) CHILDHOOD FRIENDS: Smith and Fiedler have known each other since they were kids. When Smith’s rock band split up, he reached out to Fiedler to see if she wanted to form a country duo. “He asked me to start singing together, and I wasn’t…
Is This Kent-Created NCAA Tourney Pool the Longest Continuously Running March Madness Contest in America?
On Feb. 9, 2009, a financial advisor from Kent, Ohio, named Tim Trowbridge sent a letter to Bristol, Connecticut. He wanted someone — anyone — at ESPN to confirm or deny that he and two friends had started the very first NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament pool in American history. “On a wintry February afternoon,” Trowbridge’s…
Savage Love: Wishful Kinking
Dear Dan, I went to Dark Odyssey Winter Fire, the big kink hotel takeover event in Washington, D.C., in February. There was one thing I saw there that is messing with my head, and I hope you can set me straight. There was this lovely little six-person orgy going on with two cute-as-could-be hippie girls…
