Transformer Station Shows Tom Persinger’s Perspectives on Photography
[image-1]In conjunction with its current exhibition, UNFIXED: The Fugitive Image, Transformer Station hosts a Gallery Talk and performance by Tom Persinger at 3 p.m. this Sunday, April 3, the final day to view the exhibition. Tom Persinger is a Pittsburgh-based artist, writer and founder of F295, an international organization of photographers sharing a mutual interest…
Greater Cleveland Aquarium Partners with Local APL for Wine Tasting Event
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has just announced that it will partner with the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) for It’s Raining Catfish and Dogs, a special wine tasting. Part of the GCA’s Adult Swim Tasting Series, the event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 8, at the aquarium. In addition to featuring…
CIFF Adds Extra “Believeland” Screening to Meet Popular Demand
To meet popular demand, the Cleveland International Film Festival has added an extra screening of the 30-for-30 ESPN documentary Believeland, which will enjoy its world premiere in Cleveland Thursday at the Connor Palace. Believeland chronicles the misery of Cleveland’s tortured fan base and the city’s epic championship drought. The film was scheduled to screen for a…
Two ‘Blue Drop Heroin’ Distributors Take Plea Deal in Northeast Ohio Case
This week, two major heroin distributors in Marion County pleaded guilty in federal court to their role in multiple overdose deaths. Eric Creagh, 32, the “main supplier,” according to officials, and 27-year-old Rashawn Thomas will be sentenced later this year. (Marion is southwest of Mansfield.) The acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Carole…
Downtown’s New Wild Eagle Saloon Opens Tomorrow
The Downtown Cleveland entertainment scene is taking a giant step back in time with the recent addition of Wild Eagle Saloon (921 Huron Rd., 216-465-3225), a Playhouse Square bar that puts a modern spin on a traditional saloon. The concept, the latest for Geis Hospitality Group, offers 6,400 square feet of food, drink and fun…
$100 Million Innova Project Gets Green Light from City Council
Cleveland City Council green lit a land swap between the City and Case Western Reserve University Monday night that will facilitate a $100 million development project (a complex composed of a Residence Inn, apartment units and an oral care clinic) in the Hough neighborhood. The so-called Innova Project had been stalled for months because of…
Morgan Conservatory’s Juried Exhibition Showcases Eclectic Works on Paper
Tucked away on a one-way street just outside of downtown Cleveland, the Morgan Conservatory is the largest arts center in the U.S. of its kind, dedicated to every aspect of papermaking, book arts and letterpress printing. Founded in 2008, this non-profit has quickly become an international destination for artists and artisans. Its 15,000-sq.-ft. property includes…
The Songs of Cole Porter and 6 Other Classical Music Events You Shouldn’t Miss This Week
Cleveland’s “Queen of Jazz Piano,” Jackie Warren, usually plays well after dark, but on Wednesday, March 30, she’ll appear at high noon (really 12:10 pm) on the Brownbag Concert Series at Trinity Cathedral (East 22nd & Euclid in downtown Cleveland). Pack a lunch or buy one for $5. Ushers will pass the hat for donations…
BOMBA Tacos & Rum to Open Fairlawn Location in May
BOMBA Tacos & Rum, the one-year-old “premium fast-casual” taco concept from the folks at Paladar Latin Kitchen, opened its first location last spring in Rocky River. Next month, it will open up a second location in the Fairlawn area. Located at 3900 Medina Road, in Montrose Town Centre, BOMBA will open its doors to the…
St. Ignatius Alum Rory O’Malley to Join Cast of Broadway Hit “Hamilton”
St. Ignatius High School alum Rory O’Malley, the Tony-nominated musical theater phenom, will join the cast of the Broadway smash hit “Hamilton,” Entertainment Weekly and others report. O’Malley will play King George III, a role currently inhabited by Jonathan Groff, who was nominated for a Tony for his performance in Spring Awakening. The King George…
North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square Gears up for Outdoor Season
There are many signs that spring has sprung, but few are as organic as the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square’s annual shift from indoors to outdoors. That switch takes place this Saturday, April 2nd at 8 a.m., when the beloved market officially ushers in its 21st season. As is tradition, the outdoor market…
Update: Secret Service Confirms No Weapons at Quicken Loans Arena for RNC Despite Petition Demanding Open Carry
Update: In a shock to no one, the Secret Service says no weapons will be allowed inside Quicken Loans Arena for the RNC despite thousands and thousands of (useless) signatures on a petition demanding open carry for the event. USSS spox: "Firearms will not be allowed in the Quicken Loans Arena." https://t.co/oSrhXWngbn — Katherine Faulders…
Local Musician’s New Recording Evokes Early-90s Cleveland Concerts
Local musician Adam Rich is currently in the recording process of his next album, and it’s a trip into both the past and the future that he’s been working on for years. One of the songs revisits Rich’s history as a concert-going high school senior back in the early 1990s. In particular, his lyrics —…
Alley Cat Named One of the Hottest Restaurants in America in 2016
A Cleveland restaurant has made OpenTable’s “100 Hottest Restuarants in America for 2016” list after opening just last year. Alley Cat Oyster Bar in The Flats, from chef and James Beard semi-finalist Zack Bruell, made the cut out of more than 20,000 restaurants across the U.S. OpenTable is an online reservation system website and creates…
Puscifer’s Maynard James Keenan Draws From a Wide Range of Cultural Influences
Most famous as the frontman for prog-leaning hard rock acts Tool and Perfect Circle, Ravenna native Maynard James Keenan gets his multimedia on with Puscifer, a project that leans more toward performance art than rock. The group performs at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 4, at the Akron Civic Theatre. While Puscifer’s 2007 debut features…
Canton Film Festival 2016 Releases Schedule for This Year’s Event
Film festival junkies who don’t get their fix at the forthcoming Cleveland International Film Festival, can look forward to the Canton Film Festival 2016. The festival, which takes place from April 21 to 23, functions as “part short films and then part viewing and speaker series” as organizers aim to give audience members access to…
West Side Market Announces List of Sunday Vendors; Parking Project Commences
Beginning April 3, the West Side Market will finally extend its hours to Sundays. However, not all vendors plan to be part of the debut. Many of them will, however. Here’s the list of vendors that will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. starting this Sunday: Beginning Sunday, April 3rd, the following vendors…
Local Soul Singer Alvin Frazier Successfully Balances Singing and Acting
On a calm and chilly Thursday night late last January, a booming voice could be heard outside reverberating from the walls of a place formerly known as Jezebel’s Bayou (after a change of ownership, it now operates as Valo). That voice belongs to Alvin Frazier. With only an acoustic guitar and amplifier, he plays a…
Pop Singer Charlie Puth to Make Cleveland Debut at House of Blues Cambridge Room
Pop singer Charlie Puth originally studied jazz before his YouTube videos turned him into an Internet sensation. Last year, he released his major label debut, Nine Track Mind, a collection of catchy pop tunes that has already yielded singles such as “Marvin Gaye,” a duet with Meghan Trainor that possesses a soulful vibe, and the…
Someone Who Just Moved Here Reviews the Things You Regularly Do: The West Side Market
The first installment in the series, “Someone Who Just Moved Here Reviews the Things You Regularly Do.” If you love historic architecture, dodgy bathrooms, life-changing falafel, being screamed at by produce vendors, and parking that, while technically free, will probably cost you your life, then the West Side Market is the place for you. It’s…
‘Converging Lines’ at CMA Highlights Two Artists’ Enduring Friendship
Beginning Sunday, April 3, the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Gallery at the Cleveland Museum of Art hosts the CMA’s latest Centennial Exhibition, Converging Lines: Eve Hesse and Sol Lewitt. Converging Lines celebrates the friendship of two of the most important artists of the post-WWII era. Converging Lines includes many works which haven’t been publicly…
Tremont Bars and Restaurants Announce Dyngus Day Details
For the past several years, Easter Monday in Cleveland has come to mean Dyngus Day, a Polish celebration also known as lany poniedziałek. This year, Tremont will offer even more ethnic food specials to celebrate the event, which takes place on Monday, March 28. “Dyngus Day taps into this neighborhood’s Eastern European immigrant roots and…
Batman v Superman Has One or Two Things to Like!
Somewhere around minute 30 of Zack Snyder’s bulging Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you sense that you could be watching a face-off of equal spectacle and self-importance, and with better dialogue, on CNN. In Snyder’s action-packed superhero casserole, however, Ben Affleck, as Batman, taunts Superman (Henry Cavill) with feeble stingers like “Do you bleed?” while Superman…
Ohio Attorney General Certifies Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative
The first hurdle in getting Ohioans for Medical Marijuana’s ballot in front of voters this November has been cleared. Today, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced he has certified the group’s ballot language and the 1,000 valid signatures needed to ship the ballot initiative to the Ohio Secretary of State for the next step. (DeWine…
Nonprofit Grants Wishes for Easter Meals to Families in Need
A Special Wish Foundation Cleveland Chapter (ASW) is no stranger to delivering food to more than 55 Cleveland-area Wish families, who spend the majority of their time in local hospitals during the holidays. But for Easter, A Special Wish has decided to kick things up a notch. “This Easter Sunday, ASW is proud and humbled…
Former Members of Local Indie Rock Outfit the Tadpoles to Play Release Show at Happy Dog
The former members of the Tadpoles, the band that featured the late Happy Dog co-owner Sean Kilbane on vocals and guitar, will celebrate the release of their one and only album, which was recorded at Kilbane’s parents’ house by Mike McDonald, on vinyl as a 7-inch and as a repressed CD with a show at…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, MARCH 25 Decades Collide — ’80s vs. ’90s Featuring Biz Markie Famous for his hit single “Just a Friend,” a tune that appears on VH1’s list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs of all time, rapper/DJ Biz Markie will host Decades Collide: ’80s vs ’90s, a show featuring pop music from both eras. The…
Former Crain’s Publisher John Campanelli Officially Resigns
I am eager to begin a new chapter. Congratulations to Elizabeth McIntyre. pic.twitter.com/1U56H8w9dp — John Campanelli (@johncampanelli) March 24, 2016 Former Crain’s Cleveland Business Publisher John Campanelli issued an official resignation on Social Media Thursday, saying that he didn’t want his recent sexual offenses to tarnish the standing of the publication in Cleveland’s business community.…
‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ Succeeds as a Feel-Good Film
The first My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a comedy about a sometimes suffocatingly close-knit immigrant family and star-crossed love, hit the big screen in 2002. The surprise hit film came out so long ago I actually had to look those details up online. I vaguely remembered it as a greatly simplified Greek Moonstruck and was…
Indians to Add Extended Safety Netting Behind Home Plate This Season
[image-1]The Cleveland Indians will extend the protective netting behind home plate for the 2016 season, the team has announced, following recommendations from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred that seek to improve fan safety at stadiums. “Our fans’ safety at Progressive Field has been and will continue to be a priority,” Jim Folk, Indians Ballpark Operations VP…
BrewBoat CLE is Holding a Contest to Name the New Paddleboat
The BrewBoat CLE paddleboat is getting a name before it sails its first voyage, and one of you are going to do the honors. BrewBoat CLE is holding a contest to name the boat, and six favorites will be chosen from the fold to be voted on. The winner will win six free tickets to…
Local Guitarist Glenn Schwartz Recording with Black Keys/the Arcs Singer-Guitarist Dan Auerbach and Guitarist Joe Walsh
Guitar hero Glenn Schwartz has been one of Cleveland’s best-kept secrets for years. Schwartz, whose band the Schwartz Brothers regularly plays at the Beachland Ballroom (and once held down a Thursday night gig for years at Hoopples, where he still plays on occasion), was the guitarist for the James Gang before guitarist Joe Walsh entered the…
Cleveland Kennel Will Get New Home on Detroit Ave.
The plans to find a new home for the Cleveland Kennel, long talked about, are finally coming to fruition. Currently located down near Clark Fields in a building that wasn’t designed to house animals for lengthy periods of time, the kennel will get a new, permanent home at Detroit Ave. and West 83rd Street next…
Cavs Sleep Till Brooklyn, Awaken To Disappointment
It was dark, even for Brooklyn, and stormy, like your girl’s eye when you leave the seat up. The Nets were the type of team nobody would miss, should they fall down a carelessly coverless manhole or onto a shiv, maybe 13 or 14 times. The Cavs were there to do a job. They didn’t…
Platform Beer to Open Brewery and Taproom in Columbus
Despite launching a short 18 months ago, Platform Beer Co. continues to grow and expand its operations at an astonishing pace. The Ohio City-based brewery owned by Justin Carson and Paul Benner debuted with a wee 3-barrel system in the summer of 2014. Six months later the team upgraded to its current 10-barrel system, supported…
Local Singer-Pianist Tim Moon to Play CD Release Show at Beachland
Local indie pop singer-pianist Tim Moon draws from a diverse well of musical inspiration. On the one hand, the takes inspiration from the high energy piano playing of Elton John and Ben Folds and on the other, he draws from the catchy songwriting of an indie band like Fun. That’s not to mention the theatrical,…
Former Brite Winter Co-Chair and Music Curator to Launch Summer Festival
Local promoter Thomas Fox helped turn Brite Winter Festival into the mammoth music festival that it’s become. Now, he’s turning his talents to AGUMBOOT Music Festival, a summer music festival slated to take place at an undisclosed location. Fox, the host of CreativeMornings Cleveland, promises the festival will be “a unique regional event, an outdoor…
Can You Guess Which Ugly Downtown Storefronts the RNC Host Committee Wants to Cover Up?
[image-1]This coming Monday (3/28), proposals are due from companies that wish to fabricate, install and remove the welcome signage for the 2016 RNC. In its Request for Proposal (RFP) issued earlier this month, the 2016 Host Committee said it planned on providing artwork to the selected vendor for “street pole banners, building banners and storefronts enhancements,”…
Night Market Cleveland Festival Official Dates Announced
This year’s dates for Night Market Cleveland, the downtown summer festival, have been officially announced. Yes, one of the best recurring events of last year is coming back. The fest returns June 24, July 29, August 26 and September 30. Each date is held on a Friday night and features more than 100 food, arts,…
Highlights from Rock Hall Inductions to Come Out on Special Collectible Vinyl Album
Over the years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have yielded some terrific musical performances. Time Life has just announced plans to press a selection of the “most memorable moments” on vinyl. Previously, the tunes were only available in digital and physical formats. On April 29, the day prior to HBO’s broadcast…
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins’ Wife and Daughter Were at Brussels Airport During Attack
[image-1]City Councilman Brian Cummins’ wife and daughter were traveling to Budapest for a spring break trip this week and arrived at the Brussels International Airport for a connecting flight 30 minutes before the terrorist attacks that killed at least 30 people Tuesday. They are both safe. Cummins wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday evening that…
A Genuine Vulnerability Distinguishes Singer-Songwriter Kurt Vile’s Latest Album
On his sixth album, last year’s b’lieve i’m goin down…, indie rock singer-songwriter Kurt Vile pushes the boundaries of his music with a range of instrumentation. The album includes piano, banjo and lap steel as Vile dabbles in folk, rock and country. The vulnerable nature of the tunes holds the songs together, making the album…
Bainbridge’s Popular Simply Greek Opens Second Spot in Uptown
I was really looking forward to trying Simply Greek (11454 Uptown Ave., 216-707-4976), a new fast-casual restaurant in the Uptown development in University Circle. Residents of the far-eastern suburbs of Chagrin Falls and Bainbridge have been enjoying the fresh and flavorful Greek-American dishes in their own neck of the woods (8533 E Washington St., 440-543-4976)…
Video: Get Pumped for Cleveland Indians Season With “Only Here” Teaser
Can’t wait ’til Cleveland Indians’ opening day? The team has released their official “Only Here Moments” video to hold you over until April 4. Your browser does not support iframes.
Push for Transparency Continues Over City’s Unprecedented RNC Riot Gear Request
The city of Cleveland is seeking an unprecedented amount of riot gear and security equipment for July’s Republican National Convention as emotional unrest and physical violence follow the GOP front runner across the U.S. Donald Trump, in fact, has predicted riots if he wins the most number of delegates but is not formally nominated during…
Kent Cat Lady Arrested for Allegedly Breaking into Animal Shelter to Rescue Her Pets
Earlier this month, a dog coordinator at the Portage County Animal Protection League walked into the organization’s Ravenna shelter before dawn to find a strange cold breeze raking through the office. When Kathy Cordaro began peering around the facility, she found a broken window and glass scattered around the floor. She called law enforcement, who quickly…
Playhouse Square Unveils Broadway Season Lineup
“The most exciting part for me is the surprises. I can’t wait to see how our audiences respond to these amazing shows!” So said Gina Vernaci, Executive Producer of Playhouse Square, after yesterday’s big launch of their upcoming 2016-2017 KeyBank Broadway Series. The Connor Palace was packed with theater geeks (er, devotees) who were awaiting…
Dan Gilbert Buys Tower City Shopping Center From Forest City for $56.5 Million
Ah, Tower City. Back in the day the shops at Tower City were a beautiful urban oasis, a throwback of sorts to the heyday of downtown shopping in Cleveland. Slowly, that momentum and sheen wore off as tenants left and what at one time was a full mall turned into a hodgepodge of dollar stores…
Absence, Tribe in Arizona, LeBron Drama and More — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
The fellas explain their absences, talk about what they missed, technical difficulties, LeBron drama and more. Subscribe to the A to Z Podcast on iTunes here. Android users can find the RSS feed here. Download the episode directly here. Or stream below.
Local Artists Work to Reroute Cleveland Narrative Ahead of RNC
This summer from July 18 to 21, the brightest spotlight in recent memory will shine on Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, as the Republican National Convention (RNC) comes to town. While we’re all excited for the nation and world to experience our city and re-evaluate the region, it’s important to paint an honest and true portrait…
Meet the Band: Chris Hatton
MEET THE BAND: Chris Hatton (vocals, guitars) A DIY GUY: Singer-guitarist Chris Hatton has been making records since he was 19 or 20. “I do everything myself, all the recording and playing,” says Hatton, who grew up in Garfield Heights and Brecksville. Hatton, who also teaches at School of Rock, has held down a Thursday…
El Torito Dishes Up Mexican with Cheer
Over the course of two visits to El Torito Taqueria, we got to know more than a few of the staff members, some even on a first-name basis. From server to bartender to owner, the folks who work at this new Mexican restaurant seem to go out of their way to make sure guests are…
Wok n Roll and Night Market Take AsiaTown Food Tour to the Streets
When Tricia McCune and Matt Bolam were planning to start their own business, they were torn between the concept of a food truck and a food tour. Ultimately, they chose the former, hitting the streets with Wok n Roll, but their desire to spread a deeper knowledge of cuisine and culture never faded. One of…
Drug Courts Redefined How we Approach the Heroin Epidemic; Besieged in Lorain County, a Judge Confronts the Crisis
The Lorain County Justice Center is not inviting in any sense of the word; but, for an hour each week, at least one corner of the place is a friendly sanctuary, a haven where the future is honored above the past. In Room 702, Judge John Miraldi presides over Thursday morning status hearings that hold…
Film Spotlight: “Get a Job”
“Look out world, here we come,” says Will (Miles Teller) at the beginning of Get a Job, the new comedy that opens Friday at Atlas Cinemas Diamond Center 16 and becomes available on Video on Demand that same day. A noble attempt to capture the zeitgeist, it ultimately fails to hit the mark as a…
Baseball Documentary “Fastball” is a Must-See for Sports Fans
Just in time for MLB’s opening-day festivities (April 4 for the Tribe), a documentary about baseball’s most mythologized pitch — Fastball — opens Friday for a limited engagement at the Cedar Lee. It’s a movie which celebrates some of the sport’s biggest arms —Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, Goose Gossage, Bob Gibson, Aroldis Chapman, Craig…
Savage Love: Fixations, Oral and Otherwise
Dear Dan, I’m a 24-year-old male, married three years, monogamous. My wife and I are religious and were both virgins when we got married. I’m sexually frustrated with two things. (1) How can I get her to give me oral sex? (She has never given and I have never received oral sex. I regularly give…
The Gods are Having a Hissy Fit and Mortals are Taking it on the Chin in “Metamorphoses”
When most of us first encountered ancient Greek myths, somewhere in our middle school years, we were bowled over by the graphic stories of love and loss, of vengeful gods and their mortal playthings. We mused: What a cool way to exist if you were a god, and what an awful way to live if…
