Slide Show: Natasha Bedingfield and Kate Voegele at House of Blues
Bedingfield: If you’re a cute singer from England, raise your hand. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate 2008’s first string of warm days than with some bubbly pop music. Perky Brit Natasha Bedingfield and peppy Bay Village Kate Voegele singer-songwriter brought a bundle of sunshine with them to House of Blues last…
Sgt. Masai Brown’s poetry of online love, courtesy of the Woodmere Police Department
A model sports the new uniform of the Woodmere Police Department Last week, Scene brought you an update on Masai Brown, a Woodmere police officer with a record longer than Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In 1999, the cop was picked up for soliciting – than shooting at – a Cleveland hooker. Other career highlights include falsifying…
Grading the PD’s Web site
The financial web site 24/7 Wall Street has graded the web sites of the country’s biggest newspapers. The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle get well-deserved As. Cleveland.com, the Plain Dealer’s site, earns a C-, which seems about right. Granted, it’s harder to hell to navigate, and sometimes when you’re clicking around you accidentally…
This Just In: Concert Annoucements
This week, A3 — the band the played the Sopranos theme — leads the list of concert announcements. And if you’re hungry for Cherry Pie, we’ve got what you need, and then some. Read on for the lowdown. — D.X. Ferris
Beachwood kid bounced from spelling bee, added to list of Cleveland’s agony
Red Right 88. The Catch. The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. Jose Mesa. Thymele. That’s right, goddamnit, we’re adding it to the list. If you didn’t watch this year’s Scripps Spelling Bee on Friday night, you’re lucky. We’re just now getting out of bed. We still don’t feel up to eating solid foods. Our girlfriend,…
Hello, Cleveland: James Taylor headlines this week’s concert cheat sheet
James Taylor and His Band of Legends lead this week’s list of big shows. Read on for a full rundown of the week’s concerts, and what you can expect to get for your entertainment buck. — D.X. Ferris
Ohio taps hot new vocal group the O’Jays for tourism campaign
The O’Jays welcome you to Ohio. Ohio is a great place to visit. And hey, since you’re here, why don’t you stay overnight? That pretty much sums up Ohio’s latest multicultural tourism campaign. The whole thing centers on the O’Jays, which is great news . . . if you’re 70. The R&B legends, and Canton…
Pronk, the slugging alter ego of Travis Hafner, dies
Pronk: March, 2001 – June 2008 Pronk, the devastating power hitter and grizzled alter-ego of Indians DH Travis Hafner, and the force behind some of baseball’s most prolific offense between 2004 to 2006, died over the weekend. He was seven years old. Pronk had been in declining health for some time, but those close to…
Brewmaster Dinners back at Great Lakes
Next week marks the return of Great Lakes Brewing Company’s (2516 Market Ave. in Ohio City) popular series of Brewmaster Dinners — five fun courses of upscale pub fare paired with selections of the restaurant’s award-winning brews. Next Tuesday, for instance, that means beginning with an amuse bouche of fresh artichoke with crab stuffing paired…
According to clients, there’s more to Lunch Date than meets the eye
Clients say you shouldn’t expect to find this guy among Mike Green’s roster of 600 eligible singles. Dating in Cleveland is hard. People work long hours, students graduate from college and move to larger cities, and that well-written personal ad you so loved on Craigslist turns out to be penned by a hooker. So some…
Tribe: When the *&#@ is Victor Martinez going to go yard?
Will Victor ever go long again? This morning’s story about Victor Martinez’s lame hamstring has the same scent as the tales of Travis Hafner and Joe Borowski from the first two months of the season. It now follows a rote formula. Player A is not performing up to expectations. Organization B says nothing is wrong.…
The Geek Squad provides tips on how to survive Sex and the City
Although we do not understand it, it seems some people (read: guys who will be dragged along by their girlfriends) are not excited about the Sex and the City movie. In fact, they’re downright dreading it. “I’d rather have one of my balls removed with a very sharp object than to sit through this movie,”…
Cleveland’s new marketing slogan: “We’re Close to Everything, Just Like Fort Wayne!”
That lady from the office was born in Fort Wayne. It’s a pretty good show, don’t you think? You have to feel for the folks at Cleveland’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, those brave souls who market our Venice of the Rust Belt who prefer their waterfront vacations to be unscented by raw sewage. We know…
Totally Weird Coincidence of the Day: Bo Diddley
During my drive in to work this morning, I got stuck behind some old dude in a big-ass car driving about 15 mph below the speed limit. “Let’s get moving, Bo Diddley,” I said to myself, making a connection between the hat the guy was wearing and the one ’50s rocker Bo Diddley always wears.…
This Just In: Ashlee Simpson pregnant, not coming to Cleveland
Enjoy that tummy now . . . Ashlee Simpson canceled her upcoming House of Blues gig, forcing us to cut this totally awesome preview I wrote for this week’s paper: Ashlee Simpson has made some great singles (“Pieces of Me”) and some annoying ones (“Outta My Head [Ay Ya Ya]”). For a while there, it…
Mic Check: The Breeders at House of Blues on Tuesday
. We’re still not sure how we feel about the Breeders’ Mountain Battles. It’s a tough listen, especially since many of the songs lack any sort of melody. A lot of them don’t really seem to go anywhere. Still, it’s an intriguing listen – an alt-rock lullaby that sorta takes stock of the band’s last…
C-Notes’ Picks of the Week
Attention, ladies: If the only thing you like better than really bright and expensive drinks are really bright and expensive shoes, Thursday’s your day. Every Monday, Scene calendar editor Cris Glaser provides a random but reliable sampling of things to do in the week ahead. For more options, log onto entertainment.clevescene.com. And check back Friday…
Last Night in Cleveland: Kids in the Hall
While the kids of Kids in the Hall are a far cry from kids anymore, Scott Thompson, Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald, and Bruce McCulloch – all a little portlier, grayer, and wrinkled than you’d remember, thanks to middle age – proved Saturday night at the Palace Theatre that comedians half their age have…
Mojito-making madness returns to Rumbar this week
Sure, it’s only Monday. But if the Easybeats have taught us anything, it’s that it’s never too soon to have Fridays on our mind. This Friday marks the return of mojito-making classes to Rumbar, that chic urban oasis inside the InterContinental Suites Hotel (8800 Euclid Avenue), meaning we’ve got an entire week to dream about…
Last Night in Cleveland: Eric Clapton
I have no idea if guitar legend Eric Clapton reads C-Notes, but I was definitely surprised to hear Clapton deliver a version of “Layla” that was appropriately plugged in at his first Blossom Music Center appearance in 18 years. Clapton rolled out a set last night that was short on conversation, peppered with the occasional…
Tribe: The bullpen is exploding; is there help on the horizon?
With Rafael Betancourt behaving like the new Joe Borowski, who will become the new Rafael Betancourt? “It’s nothing I haven’t said to him, or Carl [Willis, pitching coach] hasn’t said to him, 100 times. So I’m saying it to you. The bottom line is until he has enough trust and passion about throwing the ball…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Quadrophonic Desperation
Check out this week’s Scene for a review of Quadrophonic Desparation’s self-titled, full-length debut. And read on for the details, and to see why the band thinks you should check out their CD release party at Now That’s Class on Saturday. — D.X. Ferris
Kids in the Hall, Creole invade Cleveland
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: Back in the day, you couldn’t talk about Cleveland’s Michael Stanley Band without a mention of the sextet’s influential…
$13 at … Fairmount Martini and Wine Bar
In this weekly feature, C-Notes stretches your dollar at restaurants around the region, because with gas prices waging war on your wallet, every little bit helps. This week … The Fairmount Martini and Wine Bar 2448 Fairmount Boulevard, (216)229-9463, http://www.thefairmount.net/ What $13 got us: A Raspberry Ice martini and a grilled chicken pizza What else…
Mic Check: Natasha Bedingfield, the Veronicas, and Kate Voegele at House of Blues on Monday
Bedingfield: 25 percent of the cutie action coming to HOB. The Verizon VIP Tour – starring Natasha Bedingfield, the Veronicas, and Kate Voegele – couldn’t come to town at a better time. The weather’s finally starting to warm, the sun’s peeking out from the clouds, and we’re sporting shorts instead of sweats. All three of…
How long till we’re flavor trippin’ in Cleveland?
People who experimented with synsepalum dulcificum in the ’70s say they occasionally experience flashbacks that make pepperoni pizza taste like a chocolate milk. It’s just like we suspected: Somebody – in this case, a crew of way-too-hip-looking New Yorkers – is having way more fun than we are. Our confirmation comes via a recent story…
Mick Boogie still has five on it
Although he threatened a while back to move to New York, DJ Mick Boogie is still here, still bloggin’, and, with partner-in-crime Terry Urban, still throwing his monster monthly old-school hip-hop party at Touch Supper Club (2710 Lorain Ave, 216.631.5200), a sweaty little joint in Ohio City. The party, I Got Five On It, is…
Hello, Cleveland: The weekend concert cheat sheet
Eric Clapton leads the list of this weekend’s big shows, and California’s Sweetness leads the list of this weekend’s not-so-big shows that you should see anyway, even if it means staying out late on a Sunday. Read on for a full rundown. — D.X. Ferris
Keep an eye on the spending of suburban mayors
Economists estimate that it takes $7,000 to back the Beachwood mayor’s official truck out of his driveway. I think the recent I-Team report by Fox News on the vehicles that local mayors drive was wonderful. I was outraged listening to the Beachwood Mayor describe driving a 2008 V8 Chevy Tahoe (over $55,000 retail price). I…
They may not smell so good, but Oberlin students are applying their trademark zealotry to conservation
In Oberlin, you do not want to be naked in front of this creepy guy. Most people measure their conservation by recycling milk cartons and walking instead of driving to the corner Speedway. Students at Oberlin, however, rarely fit into the category of “most people.” The college has applied its trademark zealotry to all things…
16-year-old girl: My disappointing encounter with Scott Weiland, rock star asshole
Scott Weiland is mean to 16-year-old girls. Our guess is he also makes fun of crippled children. I am a 16 year old girl and I saw Stone Temple Pilots with my father on May 20 at the State Theater in downtown Cleveland. I had the privilege of seeing Stone Temple Pilots play their third…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Smiley Baldazar at the Winchester
Every so often, C-Notes passes the mic to a band and lets them explain why your life will be better if you go see ’em, even if gas is, like, 37 bucks a gallon. This week: Smiley Baldazar. Why? Because they’re really funny. And they jam like hell, but not in a hippie way, which…
The Terrence Hough case: It’s safe to say this reader believes in the death penalty
How did they get the O.J. jury to come to Cleveland? Apparently, the OJ Simpson jury had a nice vacation in Cleveland. 12 morons decided not to give Terrence Hough (the fire fighter who killed three people and injured two last july 5th) the death penalty. He killed three young adults who were making noise…
County government reform bites dust; people named Russo breathe easier
With the Ohio Senate “studying” Hagan’s proposal, the commissioner may have dodged a bullet. Thank goodness for our state senators. Yesterday, they moved to block a proposal to “reform” Cuyahoga County government — allowing nieces, nephews, and well-connected ex-girlfriends of politicians everywhere to breathe a deep sigh of relief. The doomed proposal, put forth without…
For a sequel to a series, the Sex and the City movie is surprisingly good
The movie provides a much more satisfying end to the TV series. Last night, a hundred or so of Cleveland’s most fashionable women — and a few much-less-fashionable media geeks — piled into the Regal Cinemas in Richmond Heights to watch the long-waited Sex and the City movie. We have positive news for the legions…
After $2 drinks, you won’t even be able to spell ‘relativity’
“Whoa, this is harder after nine $2 drinks.” Scott Anderson, who runs Lorain’s low-key Closing Room, might be the only bar owner who knows the anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, that ground-breaking discovery that changed the way people bong beers. And he wants his regulars to be smart too, so he’s testing customers today…
Mic Check: Eric Clapton at Blossom Music Center on Saturday
“Layla! You got me on a step.” Eric Clapton has recorded with so many bands since he debuted as a young guitar prodigy with the Yardbirds in the mid-’60s, it’s tough to keep the guy’s résumé straight. A good place to start is the 1988 Crossroads box, which gathers a little bit from all corners…
Restaurant of the Weekend: Johnny’s Downtown
Warm weather marks the time for all sorts of tony celebrations – graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and visits from out-of-town dignitaries – providing the perfect excuse for a trip to Johnny’s Downtown, the luxurious Warehouse District dining room where the scent of freshly pressed Benjamins blends flawlessly with the aromas of foie gras and sautéed veal.…
Ohio House votes to relax gun laws; unruly drunks beware
Under the proposed relaxed gun laws, scenes like this — a heated dispute over a bar tab at the Lakewood McCarthy’s — will become even more prevalent. As the Plain Dealer and other papers report this morning, the Ohio House on Wednesday approved an NRA-supported bill that would loosen the restrictions on where registered gun…
This Just In: Fresh concert announcements
Bridging old school and new, headbangers Bullet for My Valentine head up a list of breaking concert annoucements. Read on for the lowdown, and stay tuned for more. – D.X. Ferris
This Just In: STP play Akron
STP: reunion type thing. If you missed Stone Temple Pilots’ sold-out show at the State Theatre last week, the grunge-era leftovers are returning to Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall on July 7. Tickets ($48.50 and $58.50) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through Tickemaster. Secret Machines open. All of this is assuming, of course, that…
Jorge Julio, we hardly knew ye
Over the last week, we’ve had a lot of strange Jorge Julio sightings. We saw the journeyman reliever dropping a girlfriend off to get her nails done at a place on W. 25th St in Ohio City. Later that afternoon, we spotted him speeding through Downtown in his black Acura SUV with Florida plates, on…
Slide Show: Young Jeezy at the Agora
He’s rapping about puppies. Young Jeezy came to town Sunday night and rapped about moving records, moving yayo, and moving the butts of every single person in the Agora audience. He even moved Scene photographer Wanda Santos-Bray to shoot some pictures. Check out her slide show. – Michael Gallucci
Music Poll: Who Are Bigger Dicks?
Crazy Town: big dicks. Part of my job as music editor is compiling the Top 10 radio playlists that appear in the printed version of Scene every week. After inputting Buckcherry’s “Everything” for what seems like the zillionth time, I e-mailed music-dude co-worker D.X. Ferris the following question: Who are bigger dicks: Buckcherry or Crazy…
After loss to Tribe, Ozzie Guillen goes on tirade about … the Hulkster?
It doesn’t get much more D-list than this: a baseball manager most widely known for his use of a homosexual slur commenting on the white trash travails of a semi-retired pro wrestler turned reality star. It’s well known that about every 17 games, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen uses a press interview to go on…
Road trip! Akron’s Black Keys join Dylan, Raconteurs, and others in Pittsburgh
Dust off your student ID: American Eagle Outfitters, the official clothier of West Sixth, and Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have teamed up for an August festival with a pretty solid line-up: The Black Keys, Raconteurs, Bob Dylan, Gnarls Barkley, the Roots, Spoon, plus “the nation’s best college bands,” which…
The Raconteurs aren’t coming to Cleveland, but you can hear them live on NPR
Not as cute as Meg, but they play better. NPR is a great place to hear live music – especially from bands that aren’t coming to Cleveland any time soon (which, when you think about it, is roughly half the bands on the road these days). Two weeks ago, NPR’s website posted a sizzling concert…
John Witherspoon — Ice Cube’s pop from ‘Friday’ — 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: C-Notes did the legwork, and the skinny on this week’s big comedy shows is just a click away. — D.X. Ferris
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Springer sings at Crop Bistro, mulls a Cleveland condo
Keep the day job, Jerry. As the above video clearly demonstrates, the TV host and once-rising politician will never make it as a front man – even for as undemanding a group as Cream of the Crop, the fun-loving house band that plays each Friday night at Crop Bistro, in the Warehouse District. Shot outside…
A fierce battle between the nation’s largest nurses’ unions
While most industries are feeling the pressure of the recession, at least one group of workers will be assured jobs, no matter how stressful or poorly compensated they may be. For nurses, illness is the one thing that never goes out of style during a depression. Now the nation’s two biggest nursing unions – the…
Trails of Tails
Here’s the skinny on this morning’s Strut Your Mutt stroll: Dog owners are often more fit than those who sit at home with a bag of Fritos on their lap and watch Animal Planet all day. That’s why the Cleveland Clinic has partnered with the Animal Protective League to lure pet owners and owner-wannabes to…
Houses in Cleveland are selling on eBay for as little at $810
Sure, the foreclosure crisis is destroying Cleveland, spreading a virus of boarded windows and stripped plumbing from Slavic Village to Kinsman. The brave few who remain are left to watch their home values plummet every time a house is repossessed, then left to rot by the bank. But at least someone’s profiting. Turns out that…
James Taylor
When you get to be James Taylor’s age and stature, albums don’t matter. The veteran singer-songwriter sells tickets on his name alone. Well, that and the long list of soft-rock hits he’s penned over the years, like “Fire and Rain,” “Sweet Baby James,” and “Carolina in My Mind.” Never mind that Taylor hasn’t released a…
Beam Me Up
The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s planetarium dazzles with rock and roll light-candy for today’s debut of its SkyLase full-dome laser show. For the next four Saturdays, the shape-shifting light beams will recreate the history of the constellations. And it’ll be choreographed to a musical backdrop of rock classics by Pink Floyd, U2, Mariah…
A red balloon watches over a lonely mother and son in the soaring Flight of the Red Balloon
The Red Balloon was the art-house E.T. of 1956. Flight of the Red Balloon is something far more baffling — a literal-minded movie with an amiably free-floating metaphor. Director Hou Hsiao-hsien — who only screened The Red Balloon after he was commissioned to remake it by Paris’ Musée d’Orsay — has said the original shows…
Hoots & Hellmouth
Thanks to their roots in Philadelphia’s punk and hard-rock circles, Hoots & Hellmouth’s Sean Hoots and Andrew “Hellmouth” Gray bring a raucous edge to old-timey, gospel-tinged string-band music. The band was formed by the pair three years ago and has since been expanded to a trio. The combination of acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass…
Model Citizen
Comedian John Witherspoon has never thought of himself as particularly funny. He’s especially serious when he talks about breaking into modeling in the ’60s while he worked at a factory in his native Detroit. “I’d read these magazines and say, ‘I look better than that guy standing next to a car. I could be that…
The first three Indiana Jones movies top this week’s pop-culture picks
TOP PICK — The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Paramount) Indy’s latest adventure is kinda fun, but the real thrills can be found in this three-DVD box set featuring the series’ first three movies. Temple of Doom and Last Crusade certainly pile on the action, but it’s the original Raiders of the Lost Ark that deserves…
The Jealous Girlfriends
Coolly mellow and chillingly edgy, the Jealous Girlfriends have a small problem. They’ve pretty much upstaged all the headliners on their recent tours. The Brooklyn quartet came out of nowhere, releasing its debut album three years ago and then zipping around the country ever since, opening for Sea Wolf, Kevin Devine, and Nada Surf. The…
Independent’s Day
Before the days of million-dollar sets and A-list casts of Hollywood stars, indie films lived up to film buffs’ expectations of shoestring budgets and community-theater thesps. In Frownland, director Ronald Bronstein returns to their heyday, using grainy cinematography and a script that wouldn’t make any Top-10 lists. The storyline centers on Keith Sontag, who’s a…
Letters published May 28, 2008
“That Sinking Feeling,” May 14 Contain Your Enthusiasm Container-shipping scheme won’t float: Thank you so much for the comprehensive article by Bradley Campbell. At least one media source is raising legitimate, as yet unanswered questions about the port’s intended move to a giant 200-acre industrial site at East 55th Street. You have finally exposed the…
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band
Thee Silver Mt. Zion is one of those rare groups that manage to sound warmly familiar while still reveling in the sublimely unexpected. The fact that such a dynamic comes from members of post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor is itself a testament to the inherent connection between trial and tradition. But what’s truly remarkable about…
Sax & the City
On a late-spring evening at Club Underground’s Jazz Thursdays, the air is as cool as the sultry sax sounds of Russell Thompson & the Free Agent Band. To help you get into the vibe, the Public Square nightspot also pours $4 drink specials and spreads out free food during happy hour. And if you’re into…
After years of lying low, the Breeders make a lo-fi return
It’s not like the Breeders have been sitting around doing nothing, says Kelley Deal, explaining the six-year gap between the band’s last album, Title TK, and its new one, Mountain Battles. Likewise, she says, the nine-year lull between the group’s breakout CD, Last Splash, and Title TK wasn’t exactly a vacation. For one thing, Kelley’s…
Scarlett Johansson
It’s easy to argue that actress Scarlett Johansson treads sacred ground on Anywhere I Lay My Head, her tribute to avant-pop legend Tom Waits. It’s certainly a ballsy move for her to cover 10 of Waits’ songs on her debut album. But TV on the Radio’s David Sitek (who arranges and produces) saves it from…
Smart Move
The Closing Room’s barflies like to think of themselves as the intellectual set of Cleveland’s club circuit. To mark the 103rd anniversary of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity today, owner Scott Anderson flashes his Mensa card for his first-ever E=MC² Party. “I had one of my research assistants do some, um, research, because it’s so…
Between Broken Spindles and the Faint, Joel Petersen is a busy guy these days
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in America’s heartland, but Joel Petersen sounds a little bushed. Then again, living a double life will do that to you. As the bassist for Omaha dance-rockers the Faint, as well as the brains behind his own electronic project, Broken Spindles, Petersen has essentially been living in the recording studio…
Al Green
It might seem the product of a focus group, but Lay It Down stands as Green’s most organic album in decades. Produced by Roots drummer ?uestlove, Lay It Down pairs the veteran soul singer with such latter-day old-schoolers as Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, and Corinne Bailey Rae. And it’s a layered, subtle record, celebrating patience,…
The Yiddish Are Coming!
Just before Israel’s 2006 war with Lebanon, Michael Bloom found himself in the Holy Land to spearhead an actor exchange program between an Israeli theatrical troupe and the Cleveland Play House. A ticket to see the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv’s production of Hamlet cemented the deal, as did the city’s surprisingly thriving live-entertainment scene.…
Southern hip-hop, Fox News — what’s the difference? Both appeal to red-staters, and both are unfairly maligned
If there’s one thing the self-satisfied, liberal, tofu-munching, cappuccino-sipping, in-vitro-fertilization-utilizing coastal elite hate, it’s Fox News. The Rupert Murdoch-owned home to such neoconservative mouthpieces as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity is best known for cheerleading the Iraq War and finding John McCain not right-wing enough. It even has the audacity to declare itself “fair and…
Flo Rida
No doubt about it: “Low,” the debut single by Florida rapper Flo Rida, is irresistible, kinda annoying, and exactly where ringtone hip-hop rests in 2008. More than any other song that’s come out this year, the T-Pain-assisted hit (10 weeks at No. 1!) sounds like the future of hip-hop, for better or worse. The rest…
Nintendo’s Wii Fit ignites yet another fitness fad
Somebody forgot to tell Nintendo that “strenuous indoor exercise” does not top anyone’s summer fun list. This, of course, does not explain why poor suckers everywhere are lining up for Wii Fit, an exhausting personal trainer disguised as a video game. Me? I’ll be kicking back with Mario Kart Wii and eating taquitos all summer.…
Bahama Jama
Ex-Michael Stanley Band axeman Jonah Koslen goes tropical on his fans tonight at his CD-release party for Telling on My Self. The disc spotlights 10 new originals as well as remakes of his MSB classics “Waste a Little Time on Me” and “Ladies’ Choice,” all with bouncy Caribbean beats to them. Koslen will share the…
After a Lake County flood, one rich developer keeps residents from moving on
In the early hours of July 28, 2006, Ginny Hobson was in bed when she heard something tapping at her kitchen window. She swung her feet to the floor and wiped her eyes. It was hardly 5:30. Must be the cats, she thought. It had been raining for two straight days in Painesville. In Millstone,…
Mudhoney
Like many of its Seattle peers, Mudhoney was branded with grunge’s scarlet letter. It’s a hollow label, of course, ignoring the pioneering group’s raunchy, bad-vibe rock and roll, which set it apart from the genre’s occasional this-close-to-metal posturing. Twenty years after its release, Mudhoney’s breakthrough EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, still sounds ragged and righteous — even…
Lap Dancing With Democrats
Derf travels to the bizarre world of Columbus to explore our newest breed of scumbag politician. Click here for his groundbreaking findings.
Nude Awakening
As Cleveland’s theatrical community continues “the naked year” on stages throughout Northeast Ohio, the Convergence-Continuum experimental drama ensemble sheds its threads for three minutes of onstage nudity in its latest dramedy, In the Garden. That’s why artistic director Clyde Simon has slapped a “mature content” label on the production. “People seem to take it in…
In Cleveland Public Theatre’s Two Plays by Gao Xingjian, the exiled playwright stretches your mind
If you ponied up for a fitness club only to find it was equipped with a one-pound dumbbell and a jump rope, you’d demand a refund. When it comes to exercising the brain, many plays are just as woefully equipped. But there is a challenging and exhilarating exception to that rule now at the Cleveland…
Silver Jews
Back in the day, the Silver Jews were a side project for a couple of Pavement members. These days, it’s a full-time band for Nashville singer-songwriter David Berman, who loads his narrative-stuffed cuts with vividly fanciful (“Living in a candy jail, with peppermint bars, peanut-brittle bunk beds, and marshmallow walls”) or hauntingly autumnal (“First, life…
Brain Food for thought
After a recent auction in which a letter detailing Albert Einstein’s views on religion was put up for bid, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is bringing in Alan Levenson to set the story straight on the genius’ ties to Zionism. Levenson — a Jewish-history professor at Cleveland’s Siegal College of Judaic Studies — can…
Sketchy Memories
After a six-year hiatus, sketch-comedy cult heroes The Kids in the Hall are reuniting tonight in Cleveland with a surefire arsenal of social satire and absurdity in Live as We’ll Ever Be. “The excitement and creativity is what brings us back together,” says Kevin McDonald, who helped form the troupe in 1984. “Doing the new…
The cards are marked, but the enjoyment is real in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s The Gamblers.
If the very thought of attending a play written by the 19th century’s “father of modern Russian realism” fills you with dread, fret not: This one-hour romp, written by Nikolai Gogol and produced by the Cleveland Museum of Art (as part of their VIVA! & Gala Around Town series), feels as modern as any production…
The Sword
Over the course of a split album with Swedish doom-mongers Witchcraft and two CDs on their own, these Austin-bred metal apologists never venture too far from well-worn paths. But so what? There’s actually a sort of poetry to the Sword’s metal homages — sorta like those told by medieval bards who traveled from village to…
That Old-Time Religion
One of the earliest images of Jesus Christ graces the first-ever traveling exhibit of papal memorabilia in Vatican Splendors From Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums & the Swiss Guard. Its Cleveland debut this week marks the second of only three American stops this year when you can eyeball artifacts like the fifth-century Mandylion of…
Punk-rock fest taps new-wave revivalists Gil Mantera
Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, one of the most influential and respected figures in the music business, has personally invited Gil Mantera’s Party Dream to play the entire festival trek this summer. The Youngstown duo will perform extra-long sets in the Skull Candy Mix Tent. “They put you in a good mood,” says Lyman.…
Food Network exec’s roots pay off for Michael Symon
It was one of those moments when worlds collide: Cleveland’s Iron Chef Michael Symon mentions to Food Network honcho Bob Tuschman that he just bought a house in Shaker Heights. “Whereabouts?” Tuschman asks. “Oh, it’s a little street — you never heard of it.” “Try me,” Tuschman urges. And that’s when the men discover that…
Pitch Black Forecast
Former Mushroomhead singer Jason Popson (a.k.a. J. Mann) returns from a three-year hiatus with a new band and help from some famous friends. Strapping Young Lad and Testament drummer Gene Hoglan lends his trademark double-bass skills, and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe checks in with a guest vocal. Yet despite its high-profile guests, Absentee is…
Gimme Some Space
The search for life in the universe continues this week at the opening of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s latest display, Alien Earths. The exhibit is broken up into four stations, including “Our Place in Space,” about the Earth’s location in a galaxy of 100 billion stars. “Star and Planet Formation” lets spectators design…
Tremont Tap House overflows with more than just beer
Fire. The wheel. The Lindemans Framboise Lambic float. All proof that genius resides in the simplest notions. Take that last one: Islands of creamy vanilla-bean ice cream, bobbing cheerfully on a sparkly pink sea of raspberry beer, yielding a “best of both worlds” indulgence worthy of any pastry chef in town. It’s beer! It’s ice…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations
The Bank Guards — In this premiere of local playwright Matthew A. Sprosty’s script, four bank guards have come together with the bank owner’s son to rip off the institution for “millions.” But their plans go awry when the eldest member of the contingent doesn’t show up for the pre-heist meeting, and a mysterious stranger…
Quadrophonic Desperation
Quadrophonic Desperation’s self-titled debut only feels like a triple album. The Cleveland rockers keep the jamming dialed to two throughout most of this long, plain trip, but they raise it as high as four on “My Name Is Jim,” a gruff white-blues tune. The last half-hour of the 40-minute CD sounds like one extra-long, mushrooming…
Rock It, Science!
For the first time in nine years, science whizzes can step into the world’s largest vacuum chamber. And if NASA’s Plum Brook Station Open House doesn’t get you psyched, your membership in the National Geek Society has been revoked. On a 6,400-acre piece of prime real estate in Sandusky, the agency houses five testing facilities…
Violent Suburban Marriage
Back in the golden days of ’80s hardcore, Violent Suburban Marriage — also known as VSM — was one of the city’s top T.I.S. bands (that stands for Triple Initial Syndrome). “We quickly rose to the punk elite of Cleveland,” says bassist Joey Slash. “We were known for having fans throw their empty beer cans…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions
NEW Focus: Fiber 2008 — By selecting “innovation” as the theme for this juried show, the organizers behind Focus: Fiber 2008 likely wanted to help textile art shed its rep as nothing more than macramé belts and baskets woven by aging hippies. Indeed, the works here were constructed using methods that were groundbreaking at one…
Mardi Foie Gras
Take an imaginary trip to the French Quarter tonight, when the 80-member Cleveland Independents — a group of Cleveland mom-and-pop restaurants — cater the Creole-themed Nawlins Night. Party band Buckwheat Zydeco will help create the mood with their brand of 12-bar blues. “We have had requests from area foodies to put on an event where…
Sweetness
Recommended fun show of the week: Sweetness. Sultry Broadway-trained singer Marie leads the California combo through catchy tunes about heartbreak, undying love, ice cream, and bitter kisses. No two songs sound alike, from the go-go power pop of “Angry Candy” and “Renne Ran Home” to the country-kissed send-off ballad “Time to Say Bye Bye.” And,…
Eric Clapton
In his 2007 autobiography, Eric Clapton writes, “I have been trying to retire all my life, constantly vowing to give up the road and just stay at home.” Apparently he’s not ready to give it all up yet. The rock legend is now on tour in support of last year’s Complete Clapton, a two-disc retrospective…
Good Jill Hunting
Critics have hailed Matt and Ben as “one of the most appealing male-bonding stories since The Odd Couple.” And they guarantee that, within a few minutes of Cleveland Public Theater’s production of the comedy, you won’t even care that two gals are playing the parts of best buds Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.With Nicole Perrone…
Despite the labels and levity, big-screen Sex and the City is a poor-man’s knockoff
Oh, please — spoiler alert? Fine, I won’t tell you whether Carrie Bradshaw ties the knot with Mr. Big, even though you’ve already seen that gown winging its way around the web. Given the Sex and the City vibe, some fans might be more interested in whether the frock — which looks as though our…
Umphrey’s McGee
These Indiana rockers have much in common with their jam-band brethren: Their sets change from night to night, they let fans record their shows, etc. But their music comes from a totally different place. Instead of getting all noodly like the Grateful Dead and its disciples, Umphrey’s McGee looks to prog-rockers like Genesis and Yes…
Lucky Strikes
Despite what you might think, rhinos are the bowling kingpins of the animal world. Just ask Kibibi and Zuri, who can throw more strikes and spares with their papier-mâché bowling balls than their keepers at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo can shake a pin at.Because of the creatures’ athletic prowess, the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the…
The opening of car-theft season in Cleveland’s trendiest neighborhood
Moving to Tremont to escape petty crime is akin to relocating to Fallujah to avoid bombs. But Alison Hovater was desperate. A few days before Halloween, a thief broke through a window of her Ohio City apartment and snatched the car keys from her coffee table. Now her teal Honda Civic was missing. Hovater, a…
Natasha Bedingfield
It doesn’t get poppier, perkier, and cuter than this triple-header featuring Brit Bedingfield, Australian twins the Veronicas, and Bay Village singer-songwriter Voegele. Bedingfield’s Pocketful of Sunshine practically bubbles over with happy: “Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me/I got a pocketful of sunshine!” she chirps in the luminous title tune. The Veronicas’ Jessica and…
