Woodmere police and the joys of racism, porn, and shooting at hookers unveiled in federal court
Yolanda Broadie’s not a big fan of white guys, but she doesn’t seem to mind officers who shoot at hookers. For weeks, Mayor Yolanda Broadie sat stone-faced in federal court as the Justice Department continued its prosecution of Woodmere Village for racial discrimination. As Scene reported six months ago, two Woodmere employees filed EEOC complaints…
This Just In: The newest concert announcements, including Paramore and — yes! — New Kids
Seventeen new shows this week, featuring Paramore and New Kids on the Block. Some say they’re back for a reunion tour, but in our hearts, they never left. Now if only Marky Mark were opening the show. Read on for a full rundown. — D.X. Ferris
The lunch crunch in downtown Akron
If you’re looking to open a quick, tasty lunch spot, downtown Akron is begging for your attention. On a recent trip to the Rubber City, we discovered what government employees there have known for a long time: There are few sit-down choices, and those entrepreneurs who brave the restaurant waters are easily overwhelmed. With Akron…
Jigsaw Saloon: Where the whacking of bad bartenders is cause for celebration
If the bartenders and waitresses at Parma’s Jigsaw Saloon and Stage seem a little giddy this week, they’re only boosting company morale. And it could score you a $100 bar tab. As one of the servers told me on Sunday afternoon, the club recently deep-sixed a handful of less-than-stellar employees. To “celebrate” the house-cleaning, its…
This just in: Hoopples’ resident guitar god Glenn Schwartz still completely nutso
Glenn Schwartz imparts his trademark blend of guitar godliness and Old Testament-spewing craziness every Thursday at Hoopples. If you haven’t been, go. We at C-Notes have an endless affinity for Glenn Schwartz, the stark-raving mad, Old Testament obsessed guitar virtuoso who plays every Thursday at Major Hoopples (1930 Columbus Ave. 216.575.0483). Maybe we’re gluttons for…
Feagler: Time for the dame to take a curtsy and shove off
Today’s topic: Hillary Clinton… I was at the coffee shop, and the guys all agree: This Hillary Clinton needs to get her head out of the mud before them god damn elephants trample over the one good show pony left. …
Hello, Cleveland: This week’s concert cheat sheet
Portland’s Helio Sequence kicks off the week in the Beachland Tavern. Read on for a full rundown of this week’s shows, what you can expect for your entertainment buck, and why you should check ‘em out. – D.X. Ferris
Cleveland’s “Taste of the NFL” duties passed to Fahrenheit’s Rocco Whalen
Rocco Whalen is going to the Super Bowl. Top toque of Tremont’s Fahrenheit, Whalen has been tapped as Cleveland’s new chef-representative to the Taste of the NFL, the league’s annual gala held on the Saturday night prior to the Super Bowl. In his new post, Whalen be filling the shoulder pads recently vacated by chef-restaurateur…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Good Touch Bad Touch
C-Notes hereby passes the mic to Lakewood’s Good Touch Bad Touch, who will explain why you need to make it to the Helio Sequence show early tonight and watch their set. Because you can trust a band that doesn’t spend all day dicking around to make some over-fancy website. Read on for their pitch.
Last Night in Cleveland: Filter
“This one is for the mosh pit that has yet to arrive,” taunted Filter frontman Richard Patrick from House of Blues stage’s last night. It arrived early in the long-awaited homecoming show by the Bay Village native. A little encouragement was all it took. And from the opening chords of Short Bus favorite “Dose,” the…
The O’Brien Factor, starring Barack Obama as president/closet terrorist
We read Kevin O’Brien so you don’t have to … Column: President Obama at the Negotiating Table, May 21, 2008 Topic: After Dubya Bush’s vague inferences about Obama appeasing terrorists, Kevin goes on a riff of Hendrixian proportions that has President Obama chatting with America’s enemies. Kevin’s Sanity Level Today: 1.7 percent What Your Head…
$13 at … Bier Market and Bar Cento
In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because fishing change out of the couch cushions is only a sustainable investment policy for so long. This week … McNulty’s Bier Markt / Bar Cento 1948 West 25th Street, 216-344-9944, www.bier-markt.com For Scene’s full review, click here. What $13 got us:…
Farmer’s Market returns to Kamm’s Corners
Beginning Sunday June 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the producers-only Farmer’s Market returns to Kamm’s Corners, with live music from local trio, Brand New Hat, a cooking demo from Johnny Mango chef-owner Gary Richmond, and a free perennial plant exchange. …
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Lili Roquelin in Kent
This time, C-Notes let former Clevelander Lili Roquelin explain why you should come see her perform live Saturday. Because she’s French, and she knows we love it when women speak French. Read on for her pitch. — DX Ferris
Cleveland schools revive plans for new west-side high school — sort of
Schools CEO Eugene Sanders may be backing off of plans to start construction on a new west-side high school. Recently, a long-standing debate about whether to build a new high school on Cleveland’s West Side has been revived. While parents have been pushing the cause for years — as they watch John Marshall High in…
Team Impact wonders: What Would Jesus Inject?
Boiled down to its core, the message of evangelical strongmen group Team Impact can be summarized by the following statements: (a) Don’t expect to get past the pearly gates if you can’t beat St. Peter in a greco-roman wrestling match, (b) Forget what you think about Heaven, it’s actually a non-stop Royal Rumble-style brawl, (c)…
Mic Check: Rilo Kiley at House of Blues on Monday
“OK, for this next shot, the cute one will look down.” Once upon a time, Jenny met Blake. They fell in love. They played in a band together called Rilo Kiley. Then Jenny and Blake got in a fight. They broke up and wrote an album about it. Under the Blacklight bubbles over with indie-pop…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: The Michigan City Vandals
Every week, C-Notes lets a band do the talking and plug its own show. Because it’s too easy to just goof on a group ‘cuz they have “Michigan” as part of their name. Even if they’re from Chicago. Read on for the Michigan City Vanda’s pitch for why you should check them out at Roc…
Weezer likes YouTube as much as you
If you’re anything like us, you spend at least 65 percent of your workday watching YouTube videos. And we bet you’re gonna love Weezer’s new clip for “Pork and Beans.” It’s pretty much a YouTube greatest hits, featuring your favorite nerd-rockers. –Michael Gallucci
Hello, Cleveland: Chesney, Jeezy top this weekend’s concerts
Kenny Chesney’s stadium-sized, all-day country jam leads the list of the weekend’s must-see shows. And Young Jeezy’s in the house, too (at a different show, of course). But Filter’s Richard Patrick is a local guy, so he gets the video spotlight (above). Read on for a full rundown with who’s playing, when, for how much,…
Junior Dimoras provide mini-corruption in Seven Hills
Mayor Bentkowski enjoys dressing up like Superman. His position on Tonka trucks is unknown. The gleeful weirdoes who run Seven Hills are just as corrupt and inept as the politicians in Cleveland. But because Seven Hills has a population of roughly 48, and its politicians are paid nominal salaries, its actually kind of adorable when…
One cheesy promotion: Melt, Grog team up to hook you up
Starting today, Lakewood’s popular grilled-cheese spot, Melt, is partnering with the Grog Shop to hand out free tickets to sponsored concerts at the venerable Cleveland Heights indie venue. All you have to do is order a grilled-cheese sandwich and a bottle of beer at Melt – and they’ve got plenty of great options for both…
Mic Check: The Poets & Pirates Tour at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday
Chesney: “Howdy, ma’am.” Kenny Chesney gets top billing at Saturday’s big country show at Browns Stadium. No surprise here – dude has sold, like, a gazillion records this decade. While he keeps inching closer and closer to Jimmy Buffett’s margarita-soaked throne with his island-inflected twang, he’s at least making solid records for people who dream…
In grieving LeBron, one columnist reaches acceptance way sooner than the rest
For most of Cleveland, it will take years to mourn the eventual loss of LeBron James to New York and its bigger, brighter stacks of money. Most are still in the first of the five stages of grief: denial: (But he’s building a mansion here!) Perhaps a smaller number has reached anger. (Screw him! We…
Restaurant of the Weekend: Flavors of India
There’ll be plenty of time this holiday weekend for burgers, ribs, and icy brews. For a well-deserved break from the BBQ, try Flavors of India (26703 Brookpark Rd. Extension, in N. Olmsted), our pick for one of the region’s best Indian restaurants. Hard to find, but worth the effort, this tidy dining room opened in…
Drunk Cuyahoga revelers, carry on with your jet-ski collisions. Cleveland’s fireboat is back
The West Bank of the Flats already has a reputation for under-policed mayhem. So closing the local fire station—essentially treating the neighborhood like an Afghani mountainside—might not be the best idea. Especially given that the West Bank’s riverfront firehouse, Station #21, houses the only firefighters trained to use Cleveland’s fireboat, the venerable Anthony J. Celebrezze,…
Jimmy Dimora claims Plain Dealer, Republicans involved in nefarious plot
“You think I could have the rest of your French fries?” Commissioner Jimmy Dimora brought his A-game yesterday, accusing The Plain Dealer and the Republican Party of conspiring to take down the vaunted Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. Four out of five leading psychologists agree that it was Dimora’s most delusional performance to date. At issue…
Is LeBron ready to step up on Darfur?
Ira Newble is in the news again, which is pretty novel for him. The former Cavs bench player-turned-Lakers bench player has been a leader among athletes concerned about the devastating situation in Darfur, which isn’t hard to do, considering that many had never heard of it before he started yapping about it. As you may…
Tom Waits plays Columbus, interviews himself
One of our all-time faves, Tom Waits, has a tour starting in about a month. Unfortunately, you’re gonna have to trek south if you want to see him. There’s no local show on the itinerary, but Waits will be playing Columbus’ Ohio Theatre on June 28. We shouldn’t be too disappointed. After all, he performed…
Is there a better place to watch the ‘American Idol’ finale than Bounce?
The last time we checked in on Paul Camp and Kelly Ignacio in February, they were holding court at Bounce, the popular gay bar/club on Detroit Avenue near West 25th, for the club’s weekly American Idol viewing party. Three months later, the duo is still glued to the widescreen TV, where they’ll be tonight for…
Eddie Izzard (Playhouse) tops this week’s Cleveland comedy shows
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. Read…
Popular dinner returns to Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Seven glasses of wine and the museum is sure to come alive, just like in that Ben Stiller movie that sucked way less than it should have. Oh, asparagus: You look pretty, taste great, and make our urine smell weird. For a member of the lily family, that’s quite the resume. And you, fellow omnivores,…
Something called ‘soccer’ to be broadcast on bar TVs today
In soccer, it seems, the jerseys are made out of smooth, silky human skin. As most of northeast Ohio remains in mourning after the unfortunate series loss to the Boston Celtics and their collection of aliens, the rest of the world is hyping up for a sports match of the century. Chelsea F.C. will battle…
Buy American Flags made in America, or get 60 days in jail
Senator Bill Seitz is pretty sure we can make these decisions on our own When it comes to window-dressing legislation, Bill 316 is the French blinds of the Ohio Senate. It would require that all American or state flags sold in Ohio be made in the U.S. Nevermind that the bill violates international trade treaties.…
At Winds of Change, looking good for charity
Question: How does one relieve their guilt about horrible tragedies, like earthquakes in China and the sprawling AIDS crisis in Malawi? With a fashion show, of course. On May 24th at 7:30 pm, Winds of Change, a clothing boutique in Chagrin Falls, will showcase its jungle-inspired spring and summer collections from designers like Fortune Denim,…
Cleveland: Pleasant drivers who are good at obscene gestures
So our roads may be permanently potholed, we lack basic things like turning lanes, and the Euclid Corridor will probably not be completed till 2020. But Cleveland drivers have something to cheer about. Turns out that despite all of our problems, we’re really, really nice. For the third consecutive year, AutoVantage surveyed drivers in 25…
Summer movies: The season of big-budget bangs uses its brain
Explosions, pratfalls, and robots. Heroes, aliens, and blondes. It must be summertime at the movies. Beyond the flash, though, it’s striking to note just how many movies will require us to actually think this summer. Aren’t we supposed to save thinking for the fall? Maybe it’s the election, but there are some pretty serious and…
Wong Kar Wai’s My Bluberry Nights doesn’t pass the taste test
My Blueberry Nights has been called a road movie, but it’s more of a destination film with three settings: East goes West when Elizabeth (Norah Jones) ditches New York with a broken heart and lights out for Memphis and the gambling hub of Ely, Nevada. Known as “Lizzie” in Memphis and “Beth” in Nevada, the…
Phantom Planet
After three albums of near misses and one genuinely great song (The O.C.-approved “California”), Phantom Planet has finally scored. When we last heard from the SoCal alt-rockers on 2004’s self-titled CD, they were belatedly trying to take some shine off the Vines’ high-watt riffage and snotty posturing. On Raise the Dead, they balance their first…
Where’s the Beef?
If Cleveland’s ribfest can’t lure you downtown, Berea’s National Rib Cookoff makes a perfect substitute to satisfy your barbecue-beef hankerings. “People just love ribs,” says Marie Pochatek, who’s coordinating the 10th annual suburban blowout. “I don’t care what kind of entertainment you have — they come for the ribs.” Along with nationally known bands, classic-car…
Shots in the Dark: Reflecting its moment, Cannes 2008 takes a decidedly serious tone
CANNES, France—No need for dreaming here. Each Cannes Film Festival generates its own metaphors for a 10-day regimen of visions in the dark. It’s impossible to forget, let alone transcend, one’s unnatural situation here. The opening film of Cannes’s 2008 edition clobbered participants with a cautionary allegory. Regardez: The civilized world suffers a mass loss…
Lair of the Minotaur unleashes flesh-eating, limb-severing, sword-swinging metal
Wondering where all the blood-and-guts imagery that runs through Lair of the Minotaur records comes from? “I read a lot of stuff that most people only read in college classes,” laughs Steven Rathbone, frontman for the Chicago metal band. “I’d read some writings about [god of warfare] Ares that don’t describe him as a person…
Santogold
Bhangra, calypso, reggae, dub, electropop, and hip-hop aren’t just entries in The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music; they’re also the foundations of Santogold’s debut album. The former-A&R-rep-turned-singer (born Santi White) gathers a mélange of genres and does a surprisingly solid job of shaping them into a cohesive and engaging record. From “Creator”‘s M.I.A.-style caterwauls and…
Fab Faux
One of the world’s first Fab Four tribute bands celebrates its silver anniversary in Kent tonight with Abbey Road: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute. Fronted by bandleader John Gilbert, the Portage County-based foursome was founded in 1983 with a repertoire that ranges from Beatles standards like “Please Please Me” to lesser-known faves like “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.”…
The feds do their best to conceal a toxic horror lurking beneath Elyria
To the people of Elyria, Ford Road is a well-known landmark, the bumps and hills and potholes as familiar as their own flaws. The road, on the outskirts of the city, whisks travelers from I-90 past withered trees crouched like sages, before they reach a steel bridge that spans the Black River. Beyond is a…
Rilo Kiley’s latest CD shacks up with other excellent breakup albums
On last year’s Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett celebrated the end of their relationship. The one-time couple called it quits before recording the indie-pop band’s fourth album, which documents the breakup in songs like “Silver Lining” and, um, “Breakin’ Up” (“Ooh, it feels good to be free,” sings Lewis). It’s…
Robyn
Way back in 1996, Robyn reached the Top 10 with “Do You Know (What It Takes).” She followed it up a year later with another big hit, “Show Me Love.” Then she disappeared. This comeback album by the thin-voiced but spunky singer, who’s now 28, was originally released three years ago in her native Sweden,…
Greece Is the Word
Take an imaginary trip to the Old World this Memorial Day weekend, when Northeast Ohio’s Hellenic community gives itself props at the annual Greek Heritage Festival. And, natch, Party Central is at Cleveland’s oldest Greek church. “We started as a carnival 50 years ago,” says Pastor Anthony Demetri of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in…
Letters published May 21, 2008
“King Cheapskate,” May 7 A Royal Pain Will King James’ tip percentage hurt his pocketbook?: If the whole city can boycott Papa John’s for insulting LeBron James, the whole city can boycott King James for insulting everyone who works in the service industry. I say all service-industry employees boycott anything having to do with LeBron…
The Everybodyfields make breaking up sound beautiful
Their story may have started out like a fairy tale, but for Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews, a sad country ballad always seemed more suitable. As the two singer-songwriters behind the Knoxville, Tennessee alt-country band the Everybodyfields, Quinn and Andrews have made one of the more intriguing and heartbreakingly honest breakup albums in recent memory.…
Torne
Cleveland metal quartet Torne can play. Especially drummer Kevin Heiss, who fires off double-bass rolls like he’s shooting an A-10 Gatling gun. But songwriters they ain’t, and The Depression is way less than the sum of its parts. In fact, it’s by-the-numbers metal, with absolutely nothing to say. Lead-off cut “Stoneman” is mechanical brute-metal, the…
Flaming Queens and Candles
Boy toys pop out of cakes for the gay glitterati this week at The Interbelt’s 20th Birthday Party. Tonight, emcee Kade hosts male dancers Avery, Anthony, and Cloud from the Where the Boys Are troupe. House diva Danyel Vasquez and her Interbelt Angels work the stage tomorrow for their “Party Monster” disco night. The Boyz…
An amateur cover-up of LeBron James’ tightwad tipping habits
LeBron James is in trouble, and it has nothing to do with his paltry field-goal percentage. The King of Akron took a beating when Punch reported two weeks ago that he left a waiter a mere $10 tip for an $800 bill at XO Prime Steaks, though he kept the staff there till 3:45 a.m.…
Parma club the Jigsaw buys Lakewood’s Hi-Fi
Parma’s Jigsaw Saloon and Stage has merged with Lakewood’s Hi-Fi Concert Club, which will now be known as the Jigsaw Saloon at the Hi-Fi Concert Club. The Jigsaw’s owners purchased the Hi-Fi from former Warrant guitarist Billy Morris and View From Everest guitarist Jimmy Maler; both former owners will remain managing employees of the Hi-Fi,…
Ashlee Simpson
You can lead a pop star to a great leap forward, but you can’t make her jump. We’ve been rooting for Simpson ever since her reality show. We even like the chinks in her armor, like her weird nose and indifference to an older, hotter sister. And unlike many of her peers, Simpson makes some…
Ride ‘Em, Cowgirls!
Jake Thomas glibly sums up the type of babe who’s willing to compete tonight for the coveted “Sexiest Bull Rider” title at Dirty Cowboys’ Ladies’ Night. “Any and all,” says Thomas, the club’s manager. “The drunk one would be the only existing variable.” The contest goes down like this: While the gals drink for free…
Help Wanted: The next generation of nannies for the super-rich
Sheilagh Roth’s flower-scented office seems to match her Easter-green suit and Angela Lansbury accent. Her secretary serves tea and biscuits on a formal silver set. Under Roth’s prim and watchful gaze, you fight to keep every crumb from escaping to the immaculate floor. She’s the head of the English Nanny & Governess School, a stubbornly…
The Poets & Pirates Tour
Country powerhouses Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban, and, um, Sammy Hagar, may take the top spots at this weekend’s Poets & Pirates Tour, but it’s the guy at the very bottom of the bill who’s the real star here. Gary Allan has been making really good albums for a little more than a decade.…
Trouble Books
Trouble Books is an experimental band from Akron that’s made up of members of Six Parts Seven, Houseguest, and Beast. Its fourth album, The United Colors of Trouble Books, is an ambitious affair that tries to weave ambient soundscapes into indie-rock. The result comes off a bit messy. The lack of organization may be intentional,…
Pluck o’ the Irish
As one of the last of the “classic road comics,” Dan O’Sullivan admits he’s never held a 9-to-5 job. Driving a beer truck at Florida’s Busch Gardens during his college days is about as close as the St. Louis native has come to banking a regular paycheck. “I used to have to wear a brown…
Leonard Shelton fought in the Marines for 20 years. Now he fights for sleep
Back in 1991, Leonard Shelton had a front-row seat when Saddam Hussein’s retreating troops lit up Kuwait’s oil fields. Shelton was an able-minded badass back then, nothing like the empty mortar casing he is today. As he sits in a Lakewood Starbucks, talking about his recent speech in Washington, D.C., he fidgets constantly, eyes checking…
Filter
The survival rate of rock supergroups seems smaller than ever these days. First Audioslave imploded, then Velvet Revolver. You can also say goodbye to Army of Anyone — which included Filter frontman (and former Nine Inch Nail) Richard Patrick and Stone Temple Pilots’ DeLeo brothers — now that Patrick has re-formed Filter. The band recently…
Bombay Sapphire
After a whirlwind schedule of cross-country book-readings coupled with a trip to India, Thrity Umrigar is showing no signs of slowing as she signs her third novel at Legacy Village today. Set in both Ohio and India, If Today Be Sweet is about an Indian woman who travels to the Midwest to see her son…
All Up in Their Grill
After 13 years in the catering business, Tiffin grillmeister Gary Stephens is convinced that he can out-smoke four other Ohio teams to score bragging rights as the Buckeye State’s best barbecuer this weekend at The Great American Rib Cook-Off & Music Festival. With a corporate moniker like Sgt. Oink’s BBQ Co. Ltd and his revered…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations
Cagelove — In this hash of a script by Christopher Denham, Katie and Sam are a young couple teetering on the brink of matrimony. But their life is clouded by the fact that Katie was raped by her ex-boyfriend, a male model whom she’s photographed. Sam, meanwhile, is a successful white-collar computer dude with a…
The BellRays and the Architects
California soul-rockers the BellRays have a lot of things going for them: hard riffs, solid records, a wild live show. But nothing tops frontwoman Lisa Kekaula, whose super-high ‘fro and extra-short dresses make her quite a sight onstage. The title of the band’s latest album, Hard Sweet and Sticky, doesn’t lie. Tourmates the Architects, on…
‘Puter Mug
As he spins tracks by Amber, Lucas Prata, and Sarah Atereth for his weekly Clubzone show on the web, DJ Greg Mack is a self-anointed crusader for both dance music and online broadcasting. Hear for yourself tonight, when he airs his show on www.nytesrealmradio.com from behind the bar at Cocktails Cleveland. “It has a place…
A Polish auteur — and Mike Tyson! — stage comebacks at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
Call them the comeback kids: In its early days, the 2008 Cannes Film Festival has served as a staging ground for a number of unlikely returns, beginning with that of Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, who’s been absent from movie screens (except as an occasional actor) for nearly as long as Indiana Jones — 17 years,…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions
NEW Bittersweet — The title implies pleasure mingled with pain and conjures up associations with memory. And that’s just what Margot Ecke’s “archive” addresses. Ecke collects an assortment of miscellaneous objects — a used German World War II-era glass eye, Cuban postage stamps, a pinecone — and places them in tiny boxes decorated with pink…
Seether
Seether’s 2005 hit, “Remedy,” proved that the South African rockers have a sharper knack for melody than most of their mainstream-rock associates. But any deviation from the Post-Grunge Guide to Success stops there. Like Staind, Three Days Grace, and countless other groups clogging the toilet that radio has become, Seether has followed four basic steps…
Built Like a Schlitz Brickhouse
As gallons of gas and milk creep to the $4 mark, the Brickhouse feels the pain in your pocketbook at its daily Crazy Hour, when domestic brew runs a mere buck a bottle. For co-owner Chuck Colletti, the deal has breathed new life into the recently rehabbed watering hole, with its new take-no-shit attitude. “We…
Presenting the only Cannes awards that really matter: Ours.
CANNES, France—The competition for the Palme d’Or is ongoing as I write, but the story of the 61st Cannes Film Festival is Steven Soderbergh’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour Che—an epic non-biopic that might well have been approved by Roberto Rossellini, envied by Francis Coppola, and even appreciated by its subject. (And the greatest disappointment? Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche,…
Air’s debut album marks 10 years, tops this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — Air: Moon Safari — 10th Anniversary Edition (Astralwerks) When it comes to snooty French electropop duos, things don’t get much snootier and French than Air. And its debut, Moon Safari — a masterwork of burbling sound effects and cooing voices — pretty much set the standard. This three-disc reissue includes the original…
Houseguest
These notorious power-pop party-crashers have been conspicuously absent in 2008. That’s because the five rowdy Rubber City rockers who make up Houseguest have been working on their latest record for Audio Eagle, the Akron label run by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. “This is our most realized album yet,” says singer Ted Mallison. “We’re actually…
Reunited (And It Feels So Good)
McKendree Spring reunites at the Beachland tonight, nearly two years from the day of their last Cleveland concert of ’70s prog-folk. And it marks only the second time in 32 years that the trio has come together onstage — a far cry from their heyday three decades ago, which included seven albums and just as…
Cannes Class of 2008
CANNES, France—Wading through 20-odd movies in half as many languages, each Cannes jury supplies its own dramatic narrative, to be interpreted according to its president’s presumed taste. Days before the 61st Cannes Film Festival ended, rumors were rife that the jury was having difficulties reaching consensus. As the award ceremony commenced, president Sean Penn cited…
The Bank Guards, Fourth Wall’s bank-heist story, is overwritten and underwhelming
Six guys are planning to rob a bank. That’s about as straightforward as a plotline can get. After that, it’s up to the playwright to bring it alive through deft characterization. And that’s where The Bank Guards, now being presented by Fourth Wall Productions, shortchanges its audience. In this premiere of local playwright Matthew A.…
Firewater
Firewater frontman Tod A (who used to be in the noise-punk band Cop Shoot Cop) recorded his latest album, The Golden Hour, with different groups of musicians in four countries over the past two years. Reeling from a divorce and the creeping gentrification of his New York City home base, Tod journeyed to the Middle…
Black, White, & Staged All Over
Walking into the Beck Center for its production of My Favorite Year is like stepping into a Saturday Night Live spoof of the early ’50s sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. “There are TV cameras the size of a Buick,” says William Roudebush, the musical’s director. “It’s interesting to connect the setting to the…
It’s Cleveland’s summer concert season, and the listening is breezy
Recommended if You Like: Boots, big hats, and cold Bud The Poets & Pirates Tour Superstar Kenny Chesney headlines the Poets & Pirates tour, an all-star affair that’s the only concert slated for Browns Stadium this year. At a mere 24, LeAnn Rimes has sold nearly 40 million records since she burst into the spotlight…
The genius of Sid Caesar inspires the Beck Center’s My Favorite Year
Anyone who’s seen the classic sketches from Sid Caesar’s early 1950s TV series, Your Show of Shows, knows the attraction of capturing that sublime era in comedy. That’s exactly what the musical comedy My Favorite Year, now at the Beck Center, tries to do. And even though nothing here approaches the manic hilarity of Caesar’s…
French Kicks and Frightened Rabbit
While its N.Y.C. contemporaries pose for fashion spreads (Karen O), take several years off between records (the Strokes), or contract communicable diseases (Interpol), French Kicks quietly soldiers on. Over the past decade, the quartet has borrowed a few tricks from its homeys: Interpol’s shady restlessness, Liars’ genre-shifting, even a plinky upright piano that sounds like…
An Itch to Stitch
Gina Dudik turns back time to her childhood tonight, when she takes off the wraps on her new Paper Doll Collection of party dresses, smocks, and T-shirts. The clothing line’s inspiration, she says, came from all the after-school sessions with scissors to make paper cutouts. “I was just having fun with the idea of when…
Hit the deck at Cleveland’s bars — because drinking on the inside is so last month
The only thing that makes Clevelanders happier than quaffing a cold one is imbibing with a theme. St. Paddy’s Day? We drink ourselves green at the pub. Game day? We’re drinking in eye black at the game. And when spring finally gives way to summer, we’re throwing on shorts and skirts, proudly baring winter-withered legs,…
Gamekeeper’s guys button down with Village Exchange
“Like Panera, only better” is how a friend describes the Village Exchange (79 West Street, 440-247-3460), the new soup-sandwich-and-smoothie stop in Chagrin Falls. Open since May 9, the casual eatery — settled inside a Victorian-era farmhouse — represents something of a departure for owners Tom Lutz and Eric Heatwole, whose other ops include such upscale…
Local H
Oh, discriminating indie-rock fan: Don’t knock Local H. Yes, they’re a one-hit wonder from the ’90s alt-rock boom, when “Bound for the Floor” was a big single for a few weeks in ’96 — you know, that “You just don’t get it/Keep it copacetic” song. But here’s a treat for you, O skeptical one: A…
Spin Cycles
Of all places, the Galleria’s indoor lobby morphs into a bicycle arena today, when up to 10 BMX pros and dozens of amateurs compete in Cleveland’s first-ever Northcoast Flatland Battle. And unlike the hi-NRG freestyle competitions popular in the Gravity Games, flatland contests don’t bring ramps or grind rails into the mix. “Americans like to…
Eight Cleveland restaurant patios worth waiting for
Eating outside always beats dining indoors. But dining alfresco in Cleveland — where we get 17 minutes of decent weather a year — is an unparalleled delight. Mother Karma repays us for the soul-numbing crumminess of winter with exquisite (however brief) summers, and fortunately, many of the city’s best restaurants have thoughtfully provided patios on…
Taste the Mediterranean at Cleveland Heights’ Anatolia Café
Fresh, wholesome, and authentic, the flavorful food coming out of Anatolia Café’s kitchen hits just the right note between exotic and approachable. That probably explains the crowd on this Saturday night, an eclectic blend of ages and ethnicity all snuggled into comfy booths or sturdy tables in the relocated restaurant’s new Cleveland Heights digs. With…
Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler made a splash as the first black host of E’s The Soup (back when it was still Talk Soup), and she’s been a star ever since, appearing on Friends, Nip/Tuck, Politically Incorrect, and movies like .45. When not doing the Hollywood thing, she’s appeared in a string of popular web clips, including “The…
Rome If You Want To
Two words to convince you to see Boarding Gate this weekend: Asia Argento. The sultry Italian-born sexpot stars in the Olivier Assayas drama as a London ex-call girl, who reconnects with a big-money tycoon to carry out a hit against the Chinese couple she works for, who own an exporting business. Once Argento’s character pulls…
Summer sports in Cleveland: It’s time to get sweaty again
Put down the bong, open up the shades, change out of your bathrobe, and turn off the Xbox. It’s summertime — and time to get back in shape and back into the sun. After all, you’re not going to have any hot summer flings looking like one of the People Under the Stairs. To help…
Steven Spielberg goes direct-to-video-game with Boom Blox for the Wii
Steven Spielberg may rule Hollywood, but in the video-game biz — the more profitable of the two industries, becoming more so with each passing year — he’s a bikini-clad babe in Jaws-infested waters. Perhaps that’s why in 2005, Spielberg, an avid gamer, signed with developing giant EA Games for three unannounced projects. Or maybe he…
Lil Mama
We’re so hoping Lil Mama isn’t destined to join the New Radicals in One Hit Wonderland. Like the forgotten alt-rock group behind 1998’s killer “You Get What You Give,” 17-year-old Niatia Kirkland’s 2007 debut single, “Lip Gloss,” was one hell of an introduction. Thankfully, on her first album, VYP: Voice of the Young People, Lil…
No-Doze Theater
China’s political leaders have come to know novelist Gao Xingjian’s theatrical works all too well. You would too, if you spent all your time banning them for their blatant political overtones critical of your government. But in the U.S., the author remains a relative unknown as a playwright, as Cleveland Public Theatre stages Two Plays…
Cleveland summer day trips to keep you busy, tan, and not (too) broke
Sure, you’d love to take the fam to Disney World. But with the price of gasoline set to exceed the cost of a martini, we’ve got to prioritize. So Scene’s summer-fun experts have put together 12 day trips guaranteed to give you and your family — or you and the homies — plenty of Kodak…
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull digs Indy into a deep, deep hole
Here’s your hat, Indy — but really, what’s your hurry? Because 19 years after the Last Crusade that sadly wasn’t, it’s almost unfathomable that this hoary mishmash is the best that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg could cough up. From humdrum start to shrugging finish, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull bears…
Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz’s first album in three years begins with predictably clean horn blasts and gentle tugs of guitar. Unfortunately, they put you right in the middle of what feels like a tacky father-daughter dance scene from a really bad movie. Worse, the coated-on glaze makes We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things sound like a…
Shaker Your Booty
Shaker Square already preens itself as a go-to mecca of fine restaurants, movie houses, and shopping boutiques. But every Saturday through Labor Day this summer, venerable Northeast Ohio bands will strum R&B, reggae, and Beatles tributes under the setting sun for the Shaker Square Summer Concert Series. Tonight, doo-wopper Blue Lunch kick-starts the string of…
