Opening Day at the Prog: Tales from the Clubhouse(s)
We take it back, Jorge. The bad thing about press credentials: You can’t get drunk and heckle Mark Buehrle. The good thing: You see stuff you otherwise wouldn’t, such as: — Why is the visiting clubhouse so nice? For their enemies, the Indians have provided plush leather chairs, a giant plasma television, an X-Box, and,…
Opening Day at the Prog: Breaking down the uniform of the fan
You hear a lot about the preparation baseball players make for Opening Day. The rigorous strengthening routines, the winter ball in Venezuela, the off-season Lasix surgery. But always overlooked is that fans prepare as well. They spend hours digging through closets and dusty garages unearthing their own gear for the special day. After all, Tribe…
After dismissing LeBron, crooner Gerry Keating returns to Lakewood’s Waterbury Coach House
Considering he’s practically BFFs with LeBron James, tonight may be one of the last times you’ll be able to hear Gerry Keating jazzing it up at Lakewood’s Waterbury Coach House. OK, maybe that’s an overstatement. But last Wednesday, the 6-foot-3 crooner spent 10 hours at the Convention Center for the taping of a TV commercial…
The Black Keys’ ‘Attack and Release’ out today
The Black Key’s excellent new album, Attack & Release, comes out today. To celebrate its release – or maybe to celebrate April Fool’s Day – the Akron duo’s website features an old-school computer game called TBK Lazerz. There’s not much to it. Basically, you shoot a bunch of dudes who have guns. Or as the…
‘Shine a Light,’ Scorscese’s Stones concert flick, to show at Akron’s Civic Theatre
Shine A Light, the new Rolling Stones concert film/documentary by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, opens Wednesday, April 2. The two-hour flick is getting solid reviews. Scorsese used 22 top cinematographers to shoot the show, and the movie includes a cameo by President Clinton and a performance by Jack White. Granted, the band has seen better…
This Just In: Concert Announcements
It’s opening week for concerts season. And in addition to club shows by Girl in a Coma, Buckwheat Zydeco, and DJ Assault, C-Notes has more of the year’s biggest shows. Nine Inch Nails and Filter, the two biggest bands to break out of the city in the 90s, are coming back to town. Brooks &…
Kev Blaze, Cleveland’s King of Street R&B, will finally relase ‘Smoke ‘n Blaze’
Maybe that Kev Blaze album is coming out after all. After sitting on the record for a while, Blaze’s label, EMI, now says the Cleveland-based R&B singer’s debut album, Smoke ‘n Blaze, is back on the schedule and all ready for release. While no official release date has been set, the label confirms that the…
Ira Glass coming to the big screen at Severance Town Center
Ira Glass: A face meant for radio This American Life, Ira Glass’ radio show about the magic that surrounds everyday folks is coming to Cleveland… sorta. Fans of David Sedaris, John Hodgman, Sarah Vowell and Alex Blumberg will get the chance to see their favorite storytellers in high definition, which might not be the best…
Civil Rights Commission: Argent Mortgage discriminated against blacks
At the height of his predatory lending spree, Ameriquest chief Roland Arnall was appointed by President Bush to be the ambassador to the Netherlands. When last we left Argent Mortgage Co. [“All the President’s Men,” October 19, 2005], the lender was screwing thousands of Clevelanders using a grab-bag of illegal practices. Argent’s rise in Ohio…
Chi-Town snobs impressed by a night out in Cleveland
Artist’s rendering of a guy who’s hard to impress after being impressed by a night in Cleveland I had the pleasure of entertaining some of my husband’s business colleagues from Chicago last week, including one of the fiercest foodies I’ve ever broken bread with. As well as being an avid home chef, he’s a rabid…
John Dominis: The first of the celeb photographers
Though John Dominis, a former photo editor at Life magazine, was well-known for his high-end fashion photography, his wardrobe sense does not transcend to his own closet. “I don’t spend very much time on my clothing, really,” Dominis told a crowd of 50 at Contessa Gallery http://www.contessagallery.com/ Friday. “I don’t even know if I’m dressed…
Hello, Cleveland: This Week’s Concert Calendar
If Tuesday’s Grand Buffet concert at the Beachland isn’t the week’s biggest show, it will definitely be the funniest. Other big nights out include jazz-guitar great Bill Frisell, the Canadian indie rock of Stars, and grimy metal from Devil Driver. Click MORE for a full rundown of the week’s concerts, complete with a cheat sheet.…
WTF? Why are we building a convention center when we already have two?
Councilman Mike Polensek seems to be the only one asking the obvious question: What are we gonna do with the convention centers we already have? In their ongoing quest to blowtorch your wallet, then stomp it to death while doing Cherokee war cries, Cuyahoga County commissioners may have fashioned their worst deal yet to build…
Motorist Warning: Beware the man-eating pot hole on MLK
The city placed a cone in the middle of a pot hole on MLK, naturally diverting motorists into oncoming traffic. Well, looks like the city has finally given up the fight against pot holes. This weekend, drivers going north bound on Martin Luther King had to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid an orange cone…
Slideshow: Shelby Lynne live at the Beachland (before our photographer got kicked out)
Quit worrying, Shelby. You’re still a babe. Country-singer-turned-blue-eyed-soul-diva Shelby Lynne played the Beachland Ballroom Sunday night. Scene photographer Walter Novak was there to shoot some pictures. But in the middle of her first song, Lynne gave Novak the “stop” hand (as you’ll see in the accompanying slideshow), cutting short his snapping madness. Novak believes that…
Sean Levert dead at age 39
The Levert brothers have hit a bad run. Less than 18 months after Gerald Levert’s death, word comes that brother Sean died last night in a local jail. He was there for the past week after not ponying up for child support. So far, there’s been no official word as to how the 39-year-old singer…
The controversial LeBron covers you may have missed
LeBron: Clueless dupe, or promoter of racism? There’s been quite the brouhaha over the Vogue cover featuring LeBron James and Tom Brady’s current flame that was shot by Annie Leibovitz. The not-so-subtle King Kong reference has given rise to a furious debate over the depiction of black athletes, with pundits far and wide hoping to…
Is the Ohio Supreme Court rigged in Alex Arshinkoff’s favor?
Proteges of Alex Arshinkoff celebrate at the Summit Republicans’ Lincoln Day Dinner It’s really nice having friends in high places. Just ask the Summit County Republican chairman, Alex Arshinkoff. He’s sued Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for refusing to reappoint him to the Summit County Board of Elections. The suit is now before the…
Evangelists coming to Ohio to prove they’re not that weird
According to those way closer to God than you, it turns out that Jesus is more into health care than stopping gays guys from marrying. With President Bush’s approval ratings hovering at -18 degrees, evangelicals are starting to worry that they’re about to lose their grip on power. Recent polls show that most secular Americans…
Cult films: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure at the Cedar Lee
The first Saturday of every month, Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 440.564.2030) plays a different cult flick at 9:30 and midnight. It’s their “Cult Film Series,” and it can get intense; the cult fans, mostly drunk or on their way there (Cedar Lee sells reasonably-priced beer), often wear movie-appropriate costumes and yell…
An IRS investigation of White Hat Management?
David Brennan has managed to fail on levels others can only dream of. Over a decade ago, a man with a big white hat made a promise to Ohioans that he could educate at-risk children better than the public school system. It didn’t turn out so well. Hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars later, David…
Jim Rokakis’ recurring nightmare: Being thwarted by the Evil Empire in Columbus
Legislators are once again trying to stop Jim Rokakis from saving people’s homes This week’s Screaming Into The Void award goes to Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis. For the past year, he’s been using a surplus in delinquent tax collections — known as DTAC — to keep some county families from losing their homes in…
Mic Check: Shelby Lynne at the Beachland Ballroom on Sunday
Shelby Lynne, presumably seen here in her sexpot stage, plays the Beachland Sunday Shelby Lynne released one of the decade’s best blue-eyed soul albums, I Am Shelby Lynne, at the top of the ’00s. Since then, she’s recorded one blah album after another. First, her record company tried to make her a cooing sexpot. Then…
WTF? The beauty of the convention mart deal: You’ll have no idea where the money went!
The convention mart deal is the kinda trough made for Jimmy Dimora In their ongoing quest to blowtorch your wallet, then stomp it to death while doing Cherokee war cries, Cuyahoga County commissioners may have fashioned their worst deal yet to build a new convention center/medical mart in Cleveland. In an ongoing series, Ace Reporter…
On the schedule for this weekend: Bernadette Peters, Dave Zastudil, and prancing stallions
Browns punter and pride of Bay Village Dave Zastudil will be at Hilarities Saturday. Every Friday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do this weekend. For more options, log onto entertainment.clevescene.com. And check back Monday for C-Notes’ Picks of the Week. Friday: Broadway bombshell Bernadette Peters gets…
Saturday: Add a Kickdrums’ record-release party to Ol’ School Hip-hop Night at Touch
A record release party for Verbal, Saturday night at Touch You already know about Saturday’s Classic Hip Hop Extravaganza. Mick Boogie and Terry Urban’s monthly jumpoff in the shoebox basement of Touch Supper Club (2710 Lorain Ave; 216.631.5200) has long been Cleveland’s best party. The Rowdy Bald Heads spin tunes that might be played at…
Nine Inch Nails to Return to Cleveland
Nine Inch Nails, the biggest band to break out of Cleveland in recent memory, will return home to play the Q August 22. Mainman Trent Reznor released dates for a North American arena tour on the band’s website today; for on-sale dates and ticket prices, stay tuned to C-Notes. Click the video above for a…
Photographer John Dominis at Contessa Gallery
When all else failed, fashion could always bring a smile to photographer John Dominis’ face. This Friday and Saturday night, the former photo editor for People magazine (1974-78) and Sports Illustrated (1978-1982) will be on hand at Legacy Village’s Contessa Gallery for the opening of “Killer Looks: Iconic Fashion Photography.” The show, which runs till…
Hello, Cleveland: This Weekend’s Concert Calendar
Plenty of nifty shows this weekend. Murder by Death (click the video for a taste) and O’Death play a lively show at the Grog – a roots-rocky affair that has nothing to do with the kind of metallic noise you normally think of with “death”-related bands. If you dig show tunes, Bernadette Peters is at…
More links, info on The Lottery League
In this week’s cover story, Scene takes you into the world of The Lottery League, where 147 local musicians were driven from their comfort zones and randomly drafted into 33 new bands with only one rule: No one could be in a band with someone they’d played with before. In the end, metal heads ended…
Reader: Your paper would be way better if it operated in an economic vacuum
Scene Magazine Staff: I just wanted to give you some constructively critical feedback on your magazine, and how I’ve seen it developing as of lately. It’s getting bad. Your people really need to focus more on writing stories and stop using the paper as a way to make money through advertising. What really is the…
Old school hip-hop with Terry Urban Saturday night at Touch
If you’re of the mindset that hip-hop used to be better, you’re not alone; in fact, you’re in good company. And C-Notes has everything you need to feed your fiendin’ through next week. To start, check out the Knux’ “Cappuccino” by clicking the pic above. Despite the title, C-Notes’ group consensus says the song’s not…
Johnny Malloy’s Worst Week Ever
Our friends in PR might say Johnny Malloy’s is having rough week. As the PD reported this morning, a recent bar fight at the Lakewood outpost of the chain bar/restaurant resulted in the death of a 30-year-old customer. Then, on Wednesday, agents from the Ohio Department of Public Safety busted the Avon Lake bar for…
Roots and Fall Out Boy get together for “Birthday Girl,” but don’t get it on album
Bad news for music fans who dig both the Roots and Fall Out Boy. “Birthday Girl,” which was supposed to be the first single from the hip-hop group’s new album, Rising Down, has been pulled from the record. The song – which features a vocal hook by Fall Out Boy singer and R&B aficionado Patrick…
Andrew Bogut’s Phantom Free-Throw Friends
Via TrueHoop, via BrewHoop, via YouTube: The funniest sports moment C-Notes has witnessed in months:
Robin Trower’s Cleveland show canceled
This just in: Robin Trower’s concert at House of Blues tonight has been canceled because Trower is sick and is apparently not a gamer at all. Refunds are available at point of purchase. – Michael Gallucci
Restaurant of the Weekend: Rachel’s Caribbean Cuisine
At the rate that spring is moving, we’ll be wearing our flannel nighties well into late August. But if we’ve forgotten the feeling of sunshine and hot sand, at least we can treat our tastebuds to a bit of tropical flare. For this, go no further than South Euclid and Rachel’s Caribbean Cuisine, chef David…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: User Sets Mode+ at Musica on Saturday
In this regular feature, C-Notes lets a band speak for itself. We update you about User Sets Mode+, the rockin’ new band from Derek and Mandy of the Frans and Racermason, all the time. This time it’s their turn to talk, and sell you on their show this Saturday in Akron. — DX Ferris
$13 at … Sushi Rock’s half-price night
The Sushi Rock lettuce wrap: tasty, but not on the half-price menu. In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because the stimulus check hasn’t arrived yet and man cannot live on PB&J alone. This week … Sushi Rock’s half-priced “Tsunami Night” Downtown (Wednesdays): 1276 W. 6th Street, (216) 623-1212.…
Former Indians pitcher, announcer Brian Anderson (finally) calls it quits
For a sad but wonderful story with a happy ending, check out Jeff Pearlman’s profile of former Indians pitcher Brian Anderson on ESPN.com. Indians fans know Anderson in a couple of incarnations: as a left-handed pitcher for the Tribe, and as a member of the announcing team for Sportstime Ohio last year. …
The LeBron James Leave-o-Meter: With new and improved “LeBron James Threat Level!”
MySpace Countdowns The Latest Sign of Impending Doom: Some people in New York have built the official “NYC for LeBron” website. Their intent — and they seem really serious — is to bring Bron Bron to the Knicks with lavish gifts, tons of cash, and a box at Yankees games. They’re taking donations to help…
Stern regular Robert Schimmel leads the week in Cleveland comedy
Unless you recognize a comedian’s name as That Girl From that Movie or the Dude from That One HBO Special, it can be hard to tell whether a stand-up is worth seeing. Lucky you: Scene did the legwork, and the skinny on this week’s big comedy shows, video included, is just a click away. –…
Ohio State recruit Devoe Torrence among Massillon teens charged in sex ring
Rape charge: the one thing Devoe Torrence couldn’t juke. In January, Scene invaded Massillon in an attempt to take the town’s pulse on the ongoing police investigation of underage sex crimes involving its Washington High School. What we relayed was a town swirling with rumors and speculation as it anticipated a scandal that could rock…
Guy throws rock at Soulja Boy, inspires jealous music critic to throw stuff
The rock narrowly missed Soulja’s head, leaving him only with a slightly askew hat. You probably heard about the 12-year-old boy who tried to kill Soulja Boy last week by hurling a rock at the rapper’s tour bus. We don’t condone this type of behavior, and could think of some more inventive ways to off…
Partying with the Iron Maidens, Cleveland’s female rugby team
The Iron Maidens, Cleveland’s female rugby team, showed why they were last year’s national finalists by winning the first two games of the season against Akron and Rochester. The stormy conditions on Saturday made the game resemble a mud-wrestling match. The ball was as slippery as a sea creature and the girls clobbered each other…
Reader: We’re idiots, which explains Dennis Kucinich
“People don’t know the deviousness of that twerp,” says George from Lakewood. A voice mail… Good morning, the name is George. Excellent article you had, “Time to Discard Denny.” I have the misfortune – well, the good luck — to live in Lakewood, but the misfortune to have Denny represent me. As a teacher, one…
Get country with Lawless at Brooklyn’s Hall of Fame tonight
There’s something to be said about hanging out on Hump Day in a honky-tonk joint, especially if it’s the Hall of Famers Bar & Grill in Brooklyn. In the old Aces nightspot, country-rock bands get their twang on while patrons in flannel shirts and blue jeans belly up to the bar for the requisite shot…
Countdown to Opening Day: An alarmingly long interview with Tom Hamilton, voice of the Indians and guy we’re sorta obsessed with
Talk to us, Tom. Talk to us. Opening Day is only five short days away, which means it’s less than a week until we get to hear the golden voice of Indians announcer Tom Hamilton. Cleveland baseball just wouldn’t be the same without his trademark, “Swung on and belted to deep left… AWAYYY back… gone!”,…
WTF?: 20 years later, Sam Miller finally gets his wish
Sam Miller, seen here doing his most villainous laugh. In their ongoing quest to blowtorch your wallet, then stomp it to death while doing Cherokee war cries, Cuyahoga County commissioners may have fashioned their worst deal yet to build a new convention center/medical mart in Cleveland. In an ongoing series, Ace Reporter Lisa Rab breaks…
Rover explains Morning Glory’s move to WMMS
Morning radio host Rover will make his debut on WMMS 6 a.m. Tuesday, April 1. After four years at 92.3 FM and a short stint in Chicago, he hopes the “Rover’s Morning Glory” show will help the storied station return to its former, well, glory. Check out the “Around Hear” column in this week’s Scene…
R&B songstress Conya Doss to promote record on WVIZ’s Applause, at Borders and the Beachland
Neo-soul standout Conya Doss will take her hometown of Cleveland by storm this week, appearing all over the city and its airwaves in the days before her CD release party Saturday March 29 at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Ave., 216-383-1124) . Thursday afternoon, she’ll appear on WCPN ´90.3 FM’s Around Noon, a smart little…
Justin Jeffre: From 98 Degrees to education activist
Justin Jeffre’s gone from kiddie crooner to incomprehensible activist Stunning news out of Cincinnati: Justin Jeffre, a former star of teeny-bop crooners 98 Degrees, is questioning the ethics of the Ohio Board of Regents. Jeffre’s outrage, akin to when Drew Lachey missed a harmony, is that the Regents are training teachers in illegal, underhanded methods.…
Twenty bucks goes a long way at annual Greater Cleveland Chili Cook-off for Autism
It’s spring, and food-related fundraisers are popping up like croci. Many, like Fool’s Frolic, a fundraiser for Shoes and Clothes for Kids (6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 1 at Beachwood’s Moxie), are classy, dress-up affairs, where first-rate food, an open bar, and live entertainment will set you back at least $100. But others are…
Cleveland Matinee, Mario Nemr’s new club on 25th, closed — for now
Following a Friday-night traffic accident, Cleveland’s new Matinee night club has closed indefinitely, a mere week after it opened. On Friday, around 11:30 p.m., Akron all-star cover band Black Sabath was between sets when a car careened off West 25th Street and crashed into the club, smashing its façade. No one was hurt. “About 25…
The honey bee holocaust that never happened
With winter allegedly over, the results are pouring in: 85 percent of Ohio’s honey bees survived the season, beekeeping specialists at Ohio State are reporting. This is a huge relief for bee keepers and farmers across the state, who were on the edge of their seats all winter. Last year, a mysterious illness known as…
Audit reveals Ken Blackwell blew 80 grand on employee bonuses
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s rampage continued yesterday when a state audit, performed at her request, revealed over $80,000 in bonuses paid to employees by her predecessor, Ken Blackwell. If the 17 employees don’t pay the money back, says Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor, Blackwell will be left with the tab. Of course, there is also…
Beachwood man goes big with Facebook restaurant site
It was Friday afternoon and Scott Himmel’s friends couldn’t decide where to eat dinner. Should we try out a new place, or stick with Lopez Grill? Have you heard anything about Crop, that new restaurant on West 6th? What do you know about Bar Cento in Ohio City? Himmel found himself consulting the internet –…
Be Your Own Pet
Yes, Be Your Own Pet plays familiar-sounding pop-punk brat rock. And yes, frontwoman Jemina Pearl sounds a lot like Karen O. But just try resisting the band’s pull in “Food Fight!” — a tasty tune about a cafeteria war, where “extra cheese is thrown in your face.” It sounds dumb, and believe us, it is.…
Sans Souci, the Renaissance Hotel’s stalwart, needs to pick itself up
Like blood pressure, your portfolio, and Kirstie Alley’s weight, restaurants have their ups and downs. Chefs come and go, trends are embraced or discarded, and servers get trained with greater or lesser zeal. The longer a restaurant survives, the more likely it sometimes will stumble. Ultimately, the winners are the spots that get up fastest.…
Songs of Bernadette
North Coast Men’s Chorus tenor Rob Toth can’t believe he’ll be backing Broadway babe Bernadette Peters in song tonight, when the Tony Award-winner joins the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the 100-member choir of gay dudes in concert at Playhouse Square. He still remembers watching Peters during a live PBS-TV production of Sunday in the Park…
Dengue Fever
Don’t let the “Cambodian rock band” tag scare you. This Los Angeles-based sextet makes global pop music every bit as eclectic and exciting as any group of displaced musicians on the planet. On Dengue Fever’s third album, female singer Chhom Nimol rides a wave of echo-heavy surf guitar, ghostly synth squalls, and tricky drum rolls.…
Crocker Park wine bar 87 West 2 pours on the style
The name may be a tongue twister. But at Crocker Park’s new 87 West 2 (287 Crocker Park Boulevard, 440-250-2334), the smart selection of food and drink seems poised to please. Open since late February, the Westlake wine bar and restaurant is the newest project for Scott Kuhn, Tom Lutz, and Erik Heatwole, who also…
No Space to Spare
Take a chill pill, and test your patience for today’s opening of the monthlong exhibit Tannaz Farsi: The Formal Absences of Precious Things, at the Sculpture Center. The Oregon-based Farsi is all about taking it painfully slow. “It’s based on how I viewed art — whether I liked it or not. In the process, I…
The Lottery League: Where lots of Pabst and idealism have turned the Cleveland music scene on its head
In the shadow of a highway overpass, an old factory booms and screeches to life — not with the sounds of industry, but with the cacophony of Cleveland rock. It’s just past nightfall on a cold, slushy Tuesday in March. Dozens of musicians, fresh off their day jobs, have retreated to this Ohio City relic…
Howlin Rain
It’s easy to hear why Rick Rubin signed Ethan Miller’s side project. And it’s not because the music impresario is a fan of Comets on Fire, the band Miller usually fronts. He probably just misses the Black Crowes, who used to record for Rubin’s American label. But the seven long-winded jams on Howlin Rain’s second…
The story of the M.I.T. card-counters, 21 is a total bust
Ben Mezrich’s 2002 best-seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions was a smart story about . . . well, you saw the subtitle. Mezrich basically recounted a fantastic tale spun by an old acquaintance from Boston, an M.I.T. grad named Kevin Lewis. Lewis was a…
Teetotally Awesome
Though they aren’t even old enough to drink, the guys in Washington’s Lonely H are no mere babes at crafting classic-rock originals. The 19-year-olds (along with a 21-year-old guitarist) are now touring to promote their sophomore CD, Hair, with tunes that “sound like letters to Penthouse etched on colored vinyl,” as the band puts it.…
Seeing Stars: Another Montreal buzz band claims the world for Canada
Their name might seem more appropriate than presumptuous these days, but the Canadian indie-rockers of Stars clearly didn’t put much thought into search-engine accessibility when they selected their moniker. If you typed “Stars” into Google a month or so ago, you’d find more info about constellations and Dallas hockey teams than Montreal pop bands. But…
Janet Jackson
So retro it’s alternative, Discipline is a busy, padded album about control and surrender. Like many of Janet Jackson’s other CDs, it’s awash with drum machines, big, synthesized beats, and cooing choruses on steroids. Jackson’s voice, as usual, isn’t distinctive. But armed with production help from Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, and Ne-Yo, she turns in…
Iraq War movie Stop-Loss does its best not to mention the war
Stop-Loss addresses the unpleasant aftershocks of our latest unpopular war — the maimed bodies and marriages; the PTSD; the loss of faith in God, Uncle Sam, and Chief George — from the perspective of the soldiers themselves. It could easily have been called The Worst Years of Our Lives. Soldiers come back to the good…
Bow Wow Blues
With its speakeasy-in-the-backwoods kinda vibe, the Barking Spider should make a perfect home tonight for Matt Harmon. With only a guitar, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter takes over the joint to strum tunes from his debut 10-song album, Wondering Why. The title track even has him musing about the world to, of all things, his mutt. “It’s…
Singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips never sold many records, but he also never descended into AOR hell
Shawn Phillips feels like crap. Just five dates into a five-month tour — and that nasty super-flu destroying most of the country caught up with the cult singer-songwriter. “I lost my falsetto the day after I played Cedar Rapids [Iowa],” he says. Phillips sounds noticeably fatigued. He’s also far from his home, which nowadays is…
Dennis Terez has turned the public defender’s office into one of Cleveland’s best law firms
Joshawa Webb could have been just another crack dealer, one more thug caught peddling his wares to an undercover DEA agent in Mansfield. But Carlos Warner, the federal defender on the case, wasn’t convinced. He and others in town were growing suspicious of the drug busts in Mansfield. Too many people were saying the feds…
Blanket Statements
Jennifer Chiaverini’s The Winding Ways Quilt has enough drama to rival any Desperate Housewives episode. In the 12th installment of the Elm Creek Quilts book series, a sewing circle deals with pregnancy, breakups, and failed dreams. There’s the career-driven control freak, Sarah, who’s found out she’s going to have twins. And two of the club’s…
Blade Runners
Six-time U.S. figure-skating champ Todd Eldredge stunned the athletic world after the 2002 Olympics, when he announced his retirement from the sport to join Smucker’s Stars on Ice. As the 22-year-old tour hits the Q tonight, he still doesn’t regret the move. “I was getting to be the old man. I knew the 18- and…
Jail, drugs, booze — not even rock and roll could kill the Pagans’ Mike Hudson
You’ve heard the story before: Back in the ’70s, Cleveland was the center of a flourishing punk scene. But you wouldn’t know it if you listened to the radio then. Or if you went to concerts or visited local record stores. Today, Devo, Pere Ubu, and the Dead Boys are all considered architects of a…
Behind Ms. Hynde
“First Punch,” March 12 Cut Chrissie some soy-based slack: First Punch is not the first to recycle an old interview and twist it to create news. Chrissie Hynde made a good point: Akron needed a vegetarian restaurant! Vegiterranean is incredible, and downtown’s Northside district is rockin’ harder than last year. Investing in your hometown is…
Shamrock Shuffle
Riverdance’s success speaks for itself. In 13 years, the Irish dancing phenomenon has logged more than 10,000 performances on four continents, filling a trophy room of Grammys to boot. And for the 30 dancers who’ll whip Akron into a post-St. Paddy’s Day frenzy tonight, the show is a godsend. “When I first started Irish dancing,…
Mind Games
After all he’s been through, you have to wonder how Bronx-born comedian Robert Schimmel has kept his sense of humor, considering he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after his 11-year-old son died of leukemia. On top of all that, the 57-year-old Schimmel had a heart attack. His medicine? Positive thinking. “You could have the best…
Rover’s morning show moves to WMMS
Rover’s Morning Glory will return to FM airwaves Tuesday, April 1, on 100.7-FM WMMS, part of Clear Channel’s empire. When his contract recently expired, Rover was offered a better deal by WMMS. He explained the move to Scene: “[WMMS has] a better signal that reaches further,” says the guy who was born Shane French. “They…
Feds launch investigation into racism in Woodmere — and they’ve got ammo
Last fall, we brought you tales of a weirdness from Woodmere City Hall [“Racism Reversed,” October 22, 2007]. It seems that a few years back, police chief LaMont Lockhart started noticing a disturbing pattern: Mayor Yolanda Broadie was treating white employees much worse than black ones, doling out uneven punishments and giving raises only to…
Gadget Gurus
Peggy Coyle & Brad Bolton aren’t playing an early April Fools’ joke on you tonight: The jazz duo is totally serious when they play turkey-basters — which sound like flutes — onstage. And they give props to Late Show With David Letterman for the idea. “Brad saw a guy come on and play a phenomenal…
Beach House
There’s party music, and then there’s music for the uninvited. Beach House’s sad, dreamy ballads fall into the latter category. Hailing from Baltimore, the duo of Alex Scally (guitar and keyboards) and Victoria Legrand (vocals and keyboards) looks and sounds like castaways from the set of There Will Be Blood. The group’s slow-motion melodies have…
Cavalier Lance Allred never plays. But what other rookie grew up in a cult and is writing a Jane Austen satire?
The game is over. With 18 seconds left, the Cavaliers are down 12 to the Orlando Magic, and have officially entered Garbage Time. Finally ready to accept defeat, Coach Mike Brown motions toward the end of the bench, where 6-11 rookie Lance Allred slips off his warm-ups for the first time in several hours. By the…
Ivory Hour
Think of tonight’s MonsterPianos concert as a toy aisle of classical music, with 26 pianists taking turns at tickling the ivories on eight grand pianos in an awesome display of technical prowess. “You can go hear orchestra concerts and solo recitals,” says Philip Thomson, who heads the piano studies division at the University of Akron’s…
Robin Trower
It’s not often a keyboard-centric band spawns a guitar god, but that’s exactly how things worked out for Robin Trower. Prior to becoming a mainstay of progressive airwaves from the early ’70s to the early ’80s, Trower’s guitar shared space with both piano and Hammond organ as a founding member of the classic Brit prog…
Conya Doss
Still . . . doesn’t have a bad moment. But it doesn’t have any great ones either. It’s an hour of solid neo-soul without much of a neo-pulse. Smooth keyboards, sleepy piano, and slow-motion horns help one track melt into another without a single memorable hook. In the album’s lone up-tempo track, “Right on Time,”…
Cajun Connection
Tab Benoit won’t just represent Louisiana’s bayou blues during his Cleveland concert tonight; he’ll symbolize the whole dang state. Since his humble beginnings there, the 41-year-old Baton Rouge native has spoken up for the state’s music, culture, and environment on projects like his Grammy-nominated album, Power of the Pontchartrain. He also produced the IMAX doc…
Machine Go Boom
Machine Go Boom plays experimental indie-rock that sounds like a randy marriage of the Stooges and Pixies. The Cleveland quartet appears to be on the verge of something spectacular. The guys have played together in one form or another over the years, but the latest incarnation of the band is primed to rock your pants…
Verbal
While Spittin Image fans wait for the group’s next record, this solo joint by member Verbal oughta do the trick. Produced by local powerhouse duo the Kickdrums, the sample-heavy Idiot Savant sounds great (check out the awesome Cure hook in “Ice Princess”). Verbal’s gravelly flow is refreshingly distinctive, shining on cuts like “Don’t Say a…
All the Kings’ Horses
Troy Tinker knows how to handle divas — even the equine kind chomping at the bit for today’s World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions two-show extravaganza at the Wolstein Center. “They’re not just beautiful horses. They’re all individuals with personalities and quirks,” says Tinker, a Cleveland native who’s been the show’s emcee for 17 years, after stints…
Acid Mothers Temple
Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple has been steadily gaining a rep in the U.S. since its inception in 1996, when Kawabata Makoto first took the Tokyo noisemakers on tour. The band’s been on the road almost nonstop. Makoto not only records with Acid Mothers Temple, but he and other group members take part in a number…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
The History Boys — Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play in 2006, The History Boys centers around eight scholars who are getting ready for their university entrance exams. These fellows, for the most part terrifyingly bright, are overseen by the requisite stern headmaster, Felix Armstrong (a fine Michael Regnier). But the boys’ true…
Frankly Singing
Whatever you say, don’t label Connecticut-born crooner Steve Lippia as an impersonator when he takes the stage tonight with the Cleveland Pops for Simply Sinatra. Just because he’s an “East Coast Italian guy” doesn’t make him a Sinatra wannabe. “I actually would be insulted. I don’t put on a fedora, pinkie ring, and talk like…
Shelby Lynne
It was only a matter of time before Shelby Lynne got around to recording Just a Little Lovin’. Her 2000 tour de force, I Am Shelby Lynne — which transformed the hard-luck country singer into a blue-eyed soul siren à la Dusty Springfield — was followed by one blundered makeover after another. Just a Little…
Online Turnoff
Developers seem to believe that their first-person games are required to include online modes. Blame it on the few narrow-minded gamers (and critics) who constantly hammer away with that boneheaded message. At best, it’s a strange logic of inheritance: Since the earliest first-person shooters were playable online, every first-person game to come — shooter or…
Out to Launch
The prog-rock vets of Rocket Scientists shoot into Lakewood tonight in a reflective yet optimistic mood. The L.A. band’s five-disc boxed set, Looking Backward, has just hit the market along with their six-years-in-the-making album, Revolution Road. The disc took that long to piece together because drummer Shaun Guerin died and the band shelved the project…
Why?
Why?’s transformation from artsy alt-hop experiment to full-time indie-rock band may come as a surprise to some listeners, but the signs were always there. Although 2003’s Oaklandazulasylum was rooted in hip-hop, plenty of CD’s guitar samples — as well as frontman Yoni Wolf’s relentless shifts between rapping and singing — signaled greater aspirations. Two years…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
Black and Blue — Judith Brandon’s work is about control — and about losing it. It’s hard to tell whether the dribbles and streaks of inky color that make up her atmospheric landscapes are serendipitous or the marks of an exceptionally skilled hand. In “Hurricane,” she applies horizontal bands of deep indigo that bleed into…
Where’s the Boss?
Following the trend of putting U2 and other big-time concert draws on the silver screen, the Cedar Lee unspools Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in Barcelona for the next couple of nights. Filmed in Spain in October 2002, the two-and-a-half-hour flick documents the Boss’ song catalog in high-def video and full 5.1…
O’Death
O’Death: Imagine one of the weirder Tom Waits albums, but even weirder. Spawned in northern New York, the band explains itself thusly: “Five guys, maybe three shirts between them, take to the stage. There’s a banjo, a fiddle, a drum set littered with gas cans, chains, and broken cymbals. Then they all start howling, stomping;…
The drum-loving warriors of Patapon top this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — Patapon (Sony) This terrific video game features a tribe made up of critters who sport one giant eye and four stick appendages. They wield spears, arrows, and a bunch of other weapons as they take on neighboring warriors. Gamers lead attacks by drumming battle beats. Part rhythm game, part action game, and…
In Z Formation
Cleveland Bobcats chapter chief Jason Nedley jokes that outsiders often get his beloved Ohio University football team confused with Ohio State’s. He hopes to clear up the misconception today, when the 9,000-member club hosts Kickin’ It With Dave Z — a meet-and-greet to help start a scholarship fund, with Cleveland Browns punter and fellow alumnus…
Grand Buffet
The last time rap duo Grand Buffet dropped a full-length album, ICP had a major-label deal. The long-delayed, brand-spankin’-new King Vision makes good on the promise of the four EPs they’ve dropped since. If you’re one of the many fans who’s helped make “Benjamin Franklin Music” a staple of their hilariously shticky live sets, then…
Rodgers and Hammerstein magic works once more in Carousel’s The King and I
Although most fashion trends come around again, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see women wearing voluminous hoop skirts like they did in the 1800s. And based on how glorious these frocks look in The King and I at the Carousel Dinner Theater, that’s a damn shame. King is the endearing and enduring Rodgers and Hammerstein…
Hillbilly Idols
The country-rock duo Redneck West has been getting its hootenanny on every Saturday night since the ex-gay-club Hamilton’s switched up its clientele to hetero Cleveland State coeds last year. For owner Marc Hewlett, the raucous mix of hoedown harmonies eases the sting of the homophobes walking by on Playhouse Square. “They say negatively, ‘There’s that…
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor makes the most of his recent hard-won freedom on the two-disc, all-instrumental Ghosts I-IV. It’s the kind of record Interscope probably wouldn’t have allowed Reznor to release when he was under contract — not only because it lacks vocals, but also because it sounds a little like The Fragile,…
Cell phones interrupt the romance in Just Shy of Closure at Fourth Wall
What with all the contemporary plays about various kinds of sexual and familial dysfunction, it’s refreshing to see a playwright attempt a romantic comedy. And while local writer David Allan’s 70-minute confection, Just Shy of Closure, now at Fourth Wall Productions, falls well short of stellar theater, it offers some diversions to take the chill…
Whip It Out
For 13 years, the brains behind the annual Organ Grinder’s Ball & Fetish Fashion Show have been showcasing the latest in whips, chains, and cat-o’-nine-tails. Tonight’s ball is no exception. Besides an array of fetish vendor booths filled with sex toys and XXX-rated flicks, spectators can check out the latest leather and fishnet garb in…
