Serving Mr. Crackhead
Storm Pusztay’s small Slavic Village home looks like it’s been evacuated. The first floor contains almost nothing. The second has little more than a bed, a dresser, and a TV. Everything else is gone, taken by thieves. Pusztay was in Virginia last fall, the first time his home was hit. He’s a commercial roofer by…
Play Ball!
If baseball is a summer religion, its church is the ballpark. This is the perfect summer to take in a sermon on the mound. Plan a pilgrimage to some or all of the seven parks below, because minor league baseball is a great way to rediscover the holy spirit of the game. Amen! Akron Aeros…
Cleveland Rocks Velvet Revolver
When Velvet Revolver headlined Tower City Amphitheater May 17, it marked the end of a whirlwind working tour of Cleveland. The supergroup, featuring most of Guns N’ Roses’ classic lineup as well as Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, recorded a new song, spent Monday night at Rockstar, and staged an impromptu GNR reunion of…
Bashing Jane
Bashing Jane You can’t win with some people: Not that I ever planned on going to see “Monster-in-Law” [“Seeing Jane Plain,” May 11], but I thought Bill Gallo’s comment that the movie showed every wrinkle on Jane Fonda’s 67-year-old skin was really stupid. Let me get this straight: She’s being criticized for being willing to…
Long Bomb
Adam Sandler cast as a former pro quarterback — that laughable setup is about the only funny thing about this pointless, witless remake of The Longest Yard, which wasn’t intended to be taken as a comedy in 1974 and won’t be mistaken for one in its latest incarnation. (It was also remade as The Mean…
Fabulous Thunderbirds
At some point years ago, the number of white blues bands hit critical mass. The sheer novelty of the phenomenon had faded, and standing out from the pack got a whole lot harder. While many outfits possessed a suitable B.B. King or Little Walter surrogate and could cover and copycat the masters well enough, few…
Name That ‘Toon
Once upon a time — like five years ago — the opening of a movie animated with computer-generated imagery was a super-huge deal. Pixar ushered in a new era with 1995’s Toy Story, which spurred animators to put down their pencils and turn on computers. With studios rushing stinkers like Shark Tale and Robots into…
Ball Busters
As everyone knows, home-run king Barry Bonds is a lovable fellow — considerate of teammates and fans, courteous to reporters, invariably modest and selfless. So why in the world would the San Francisco Giants slugger choose to sabotage the efforts of a hard-working, badly paid documentary filmmaker before the guy can even get his first…
The Fucking Champs
For headbangers, VH1 Classic’s Saturday-morning Metal Mania marathon justifies a cable subscription. The show doesn’t differentiate between aerosol-addled ’80s fluff and turbulent thrash, which means that Slaughter and Slayer segue uneasily into each other. The Fucking Champs sound like an instrumental medley of the program’s playlist, with pop-friendly power-chord progressions abruptly yielding to vicious riffs…
This Week’s Day-By-Day Picks
Thursday, May 26 Although FashionWeek-Cleveland 2005 actually started last week, it was just a warm-up to the next three nights, which showcase the city’s biggest and best designers. Tonight’s Myley Show at Aboard the Yacht Majestic (1180 Main Avenue) features new designs by Kent State University grads Patience Myricks and Keisha Redley. Tomorrow’s Ultra Modä…
In Saddam’s Shadow
Perhaps no filmmaker working today better exemplifies the great humanist tradition of Italian neorealism than the gifted Kurdish-Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, whose movies — A Time for Drunken Horses, Marooned in Iraq (aka Songs of My Motherland), and now Turtles Can Fly — deal with the plight of the Kurdish people, especially its children. Painful…
Ruben Studdard
Comparisons between American Idol 2003 winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken are nearly impossible to avoid. Not only was the contest won by a hair; the singers released their debuts almost simultaneously. Aiken’s Measure of a Man outsold Studdard’s Soulful by more than a million copies, but when it came time to make their…
Sweet and Sour
From the hills of Tennessee to the plains of Iowa, Butch Lupinetti has rubbed elbows with enough barbecue buffs to uncover this regional revelation: Clevelanders want the meat on their ribs to fall off the bone. “You like a meaty rib that’s a little more tender than most,” says Lupinetti, who’ll defend his two-year Best…
Animal Crackers
It’s fair to say that Madagascar, directed by one man who made Antz and another who used to work on Ren & Stimpy, is virtually plot-free — nothing more, really, than a scene or two from The Great Escape cut and pasted into an episode of Survivor. Its threadbare story line, about four animals (a…
Pinback
Trading soft harmonies and counter-melodies like two broad-winged birds gliding in smooth, complex circles over a soundscape as trim and tasteful as a suburban housing tract, Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV (aka Zach) mastered the rarefied art of easy-listening math rock on last year’s Summer in Abaddon. Many fanzine raves have pointed out…
Beauty and the Bull
5/27-5/28 Alyssa Catalano sat at the bar at Tequila Ranch a couple Thursdays ago and threw back a shot of Cabo Wabo Blanco tequila. Feeling no pain, she jumped off her stool, showed some cleavage, and mounted a mechanical bison to go Bra-less Bullriding. The woman who can stay on the 12-foot mechanical beast the…
Road Rules: Israel
Most contemporary thrillers aren’t concerned with moral dilemmas; the emphasis is on action and intrigue. The Israeli film Walk on Water — which, conveniently for American audiences, is primarily in English (the rest is in Hebrew and German, with English subtitles) — not only raises questions of right and wrong, but also addresses issues of…
Sound of Urchin
Sound of Urchin should be playing this weekend’s Emissions From the Monolith VII, Youngstown’s annual congregation of jammin’ bands that are heavy and heavy bands that jam. Instead, it’s playing Pirate’s Cove, opening for local punk group Who Killed Marilyn. It’s par for the course: Urchin’s one of the best bands you’ve never heard, but…
Club Kids
THU 5/26 Eric Bartels can spot the next Tiger Woods if he sees him. As the brains behind the Golf Channel’s Mutual of Omaha Drive, Chip & Putt Junior Challenge, Bartels runs the tourney for linksters between 7 and 14 years old. Players compete in four age groups to golf for trophies at a regional…
Public Enema No. 1
It’s been said that the proper role of journalism is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. But in recent years, the American media has followed the federal government in turning that dictum inside out, supporting the wealthy against the predations of the working class. If only Molière were here to answer those bellowing…
The Ponys
The Ponys rode out of Chicago last year bearing Laced With Romance, a debut grounded in lots of currently cool codes: ’80s earmarks (Echo & the Bunnymen’s reverb melodrama, singer Jared Gummere’s Richard Hell howl) and garage-rock revamp (trashy tempos, jangly guitars). But the unearthly amount of Phil Spector-style echo over everything — not to…
Take It to the Bridge
SAT 5/28 Lady McCutcheon of Lakewood feels like a five-year-old every Memorial Day weekend, when she takes her grandkids on the Veterans Memorial Bridge & Subway Tour. Since 2001, the Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office has opened the bridge’s lower deck, spanning the Cuyahoga River, for self-guided tours of the tracks, where four trolleys operated between…
Audition Angst
At first glance, it seems odd that an enormous audience in Akron would be raptly listening to a bunch of Broadway dancers peering into their souls, analyzing the reasons for selecting their precarious career. After all, what could be more foreign to your average puffy Middle American than a bunch of lithe people who prance…
Blue Merle
While you wait for the next Coldplay album, Nashville’s Blue Merle should fill in nicely. It’s eerie how much singer Lucas Reynolds’ tenor sounds just like the voice of Coldplay leader Chris Martin. Named after a Led Zeppelin lyric (not the Australian sheepdog), this foursome somewhat distinguishes itself by using a mandolin on its emotionally…
Pop and Robbers
FRI 5/27 Even though Robbers on High Street name the sibling-squabbling Kinks as one of their musical influences and did time on the road with the Sleepy Jackson — a band whose members have engaged in fisticuffs with one another offstage and on — Robbers drummer Tomer Danan insists, “We get along pretty well.” He…
On View
NEW Alicia Basinger: Shiver and Craze — This recent Cleveland Institute of Art graduate is the latest headliner in MOCA’s Emerging Artist Series, and she deserves the spotlight. A ceramist, Basinger makes clay seem like a brand-new medium by mixing it with previously unrelated elements. In “Timber,” her most physically impressive work, tall cylinders of…
The Best Damn Rap Tour
He doesn’t have any high-profile Hollywood appearances to his credit, but otherwise, J-Live might be described as the poor man’s Mos Def. Both are Brooklyn-born MCs who debuted in the mid-’90s; they share a consciously literary bent, a gift for intricate wordplay, and a taste for expanding hip-hop’s reach by embracing other genres. But while…
Live and Loud!
Whether you’re a punker who never misses the Warped Tour or a giggling schoolgirl who spent the last three months glued to American Idol, nothing says summer like live music. This year’s crop of tours has something for everybody, so make sure to reserve those tickets in advance. The Pixies At CMJ/Rock Hall Music Fest…
On Stage
Menopause, the Musical — Everybody enjoys musicals dealing with energetic young people on the brink of conquering the world. But what about the people in the audience: the nearsighted, overweight, and wrinkled denizens of middle age, who rarely see their own physiological mysteries put into song? For them, there is Menopause, the Musical, a hoot…
Atomic Punks: A Tribute to Early Van Halen
Scientists from the future have contacted Scene, verifying that David Lee Roth-era Van Halen was, in fact, the greatest band in rock history (Diver Down notwithstanding). Nothing against Led Zeppelin, mind you, but Eddie played smoother than Jimmy Page, and Dave — young Dave — was cooler than Robert Plant. Relive the magic through Atomic…
Press Play
No matter how much the record business changes, one thing stays the same: The best records come out in the summer. From hard rock to crunk, these releases are sure to sooth the savage beast. Audioslave Out of Exile Interscope (May 24) Audioslave’s debut album juxtaposed hard-as-it-gets radio rock with steel-plated ballads, but only occasionally…
Decor Is for Gringos
Some dining rooms delight with their decor, others captivate with spectacular views, and a few entrance with exotic entertainments. None of those places is Villa y Zapata. In fact, the small Mexican family restaurant on the city’s West Side could scarcely be less fancy. The red, white, and green stripes painted on the bunkerlike exterior…
House of Swing’s 28th Anniversary Party
Show up early, if you want a table at the House of Swing’s 28th Anniversary Party. It’s always a big bash, but it’s a touching affair too. Before the music kicks off, regulars — and long-absent former regulars — reconvene and pay tribute to Lou Kallie, the blues club’s deceased founder, a rabid record-collector who…
Excess Hollywood
By our count, there are but two sequels getting oil rubbed on their backs this summer — one featuring an evil lord named Vader, the other featuring an evil lord named Schneider — so the season has that going for it, which is nice. But in lieu of sequels come comic-book superheroes (Batman, the Fantastic…
‘Za Rules
Medina’s Wizard of ‘Za, Sean Brauser, and partner Jeremy Galvin continue their march toward world pizza domination with plans to open Romeo’s Pizza locations in Amherst and Solon before summer’s end, and Strongsville by the end of the year. Their kingdom promises to be a peaceable one, its populace cheerfully sedated by massive slabs of…
Gorillaz
A funny transformation occurred as Blur frontman Damon Albarn pursued Gorillaz, his high-concept side project. This virtual band of cartoon characters has somehow become Blur, and Blur has become the arty bore Gorillaz might have been. Maybe this is due to the fact that Gorillaz’ debut sold a surprising six million copies worldwide. Or maybe…
Best Fests
If you don’t fit into your swimsuit yet, it’s time to give up. So put down your calorie guide and pick up this one: a map to the greatest and quirkiest food festivals in Ohio. Trust us, you’ll be back for seconds. Tops Great American Rib Cook-Off May 26-30, Tower City Amphitheater www.cleveland.com/rib Cleveland hosts…
Burning Sensation
Steve Bays is on the phone from Belgium, and he’s confused. “Wait, who am I talking to again?” he asks, a good 25 minutes after we began asking him questions. “What is this interview for?” We break the news to the frontman of Canada’s Hot Hot Heat gently, mindful of the permanently touring musician’s fragile…
Meshuggah
Meshuggah’s new album expands upon ideas the Swedish prog-thrash titans have been exploring for several years now. Most explicitly, it’s an extension of last year’s I EP, which contained a single 21-minute song. Catch 33 is divided into 13 tracks, but they all mesh together, so it’s essentially another epic composition, this one nearly 40…
Scrapyard Ninjas
Van Ingram has a knack for driving himself into trouble. On August 12, the 22-year-old drove his friend Cornelius Sanford to In & Out Cash and Carry Wholesale so that Sanford, a convenience-store owner, could stock up on snacks. The store is tucked behind the warehouses on Woodland Avenue. The small alleyways offer little parking,…
Sit and Sip
It’s summer in the city, and open-air dining and drinking are a big part of what makes the long days and warm nights so great. So plot a course for this excellent outdoor seating. Around the Corner Saloon and Café 18616 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood 216-521-4413, www.atccafe.com Big crowds, hot barmaids, and the saloon special (23-ounce…
Fat Boys
In this age of media overload, it’s astonishing that the wilds of America can still conceal outstanding and vital music that remains unrecorded and largely unheard. But Matthew Johnson, a skinny white boy from Mississippi, found a heap in his own backyard. In the early ’90s, turned on to blues by a class taught by…
Shelby Lynne
Just like its title, Shelby Lynne’s fourth album in five years is casual and inviting. It’s also her most assured disc, mainly because she no longer sounds as if she has anything to prove. And even though its music is the most easygoing of any of her recent albums, Lynne’s lyrics are tough-minded, giving the…
Scream Kings
It’s Sunday, bloody Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the guy with the gooey prosthetic eyeball dangling from its socket looks right at home. So does the lady clad in a leather tunic and wielding a light-saber. And the dude donning a $1,000 Stormtrooper costume. They’re just a few of the 2,000-plus freaks and…
The Great Outdoors
The best part of summer is that it isn’t winter. After a seemingly endless snow season that kept Clevelanders barricaded indoors, it’s finally safe to go outside again. Here are some suggestions to help you make the most of it. Hiking The Cleveland Metroparks include hundreds of miles of hiking trails. To find out where…
Heading Out to the Highway
Bottom line: Judas Priest forged, in iron and molten steel, the very foundation of heavy metal. The stoned-out, low-end pummeling of Black Sabbath seems a distant cousin to Priest’s screeching-eagle sound. Unlike their neo-satanic brethren, historically the Priest boys have largely concerned themselves with individual rights — specifically, the right to drink, fornicate, and trash…
Alkaline Trio/Fall Out Boy
Despite punk’s reputation as the music of the young, one of the genre’s defining characteristics is the outpouring of respect continually paid to the style’s elder statesmen. Even the traditionally baby-faced Warped Tour lineup includes a few graying mohawks each year to appease the old school. But it becomes difficult to keep supporting veteran scenemakers…
White Elephant
County commissioners have agreed to pay the Richard E. Jacobs Group $22 million for the old Ameritrust complex, which will become the new county government center. But the deal may have less to do with serving the people than paying certain people back. The complex, at Euclid and East Ninth, has been a barking investment…
Get Wet
Some days just feel hotter than the Mojave. The best way to cool off is to seek the soothing comfort of fresh H2O. Luckily, Northeast Ohio has some of the best water resorts in the country. Grab your sunblock, towel, and swimsuit, and head for one of the waterparks below. Warning: You will get wet.…
Kickin’ Ash
Conor Oberst wasn’t five minutes into his set at a sold-out Agora Theatre, and already he was on his knees. Crouching dramatically, he hunched over as if his back had just given out, his long bangs dangling halfway to the stage. And as he helped himself up with his mic stand, you had to wonder…
Racermason/Low in the Sky
The minds behind Akron’s Patternbased label created the region’s last hip-hop troupe to have a following as big as its bass lines. Label head Joe Minadeo was one of the driving forces behind Poets of Another Breed, the live-band rap group that Scene readers anointed band of the year in 2000 and top hip-hop act…
