Brickstone Has Reopened for Baseball Season
Update: Brickstone has reopened for baseball season. You might have noticed that the joint, located directly across from Progressive Field, had a For Lease sign in the window after the conclusion of last year’s disappointing playoff run, but with the debut of spring, or what passes for spring in Cleveland, Brickstone is now dishing up…
Update: Portugal. The Man Concert Moves From the Agora to Music Hall
Update: Because the Agora Theatre is currently undergoing an extensive renovation that will be completed in multiple phases throughout 2018, several upcoming shows have shifted to other venues. The Portugal.The Man show scheduled to take place on Sunday, Feb. 18, will now take place at Music Hall. All previously purchased tickets will be valid at Music…
Cleveland Couple Behind ‘Ice or Rice’ Makes the How, and Why, of Asian Cooking Easier
During this summer’s Night Market Cleveland events, the line for the Ice or Rice booth was often the longest. The stand, manned by husband and wife Andy and Jessie Ng, served treats like Japanese cabbage pancakes, Malaysian peanut coconut chicken, rice balls, bubble tea and soufflé cheesecake. For those dishes, attendees didn’t mind a 15…
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Sees Upturn in Calls After Celebrity Sex Assault Stories
The ever-growing list of powerful, famous men accused of sexual assault and harassment has come about because of and resulted in a greater willingness by victims to tell their stories. That cultural change is being born out in headlines but also on a smaller scale. For some victims it has meant speaking publicly, as seen…
Two Challengers Nab Seats on Lakewood City Council
[image-1]Meghan George and Tristan Rader took the top two slots in Lakewood City Council’s six-way at-large race last night, marking somewhat of a political shift in the city’s representation. Unofficial vote counts have incumbents Tom Bullock and Cindy Marx separated by 44 votes; Bullock is currently listed in third place, which would allow him to…
Three City Councilmen Go Down, But Other Incumbents Cruise
Most of the Cleveland City Council races were over before Tuesday’s votes were even tabulated — the incumbents had built up substantial leads from absentee ballots. But in Wards 1, 7 and 14, sitting councilmen Terrell Pruitt, T.J. Dow and Brian Cummins lost to their opponents: Joe Jones, Basheer Jones and Jasmin Santana. Results from…
Unprecedented: Jackson Clobbers Reed in Election, Will Become Cleveland’s Longest-Serving Mayor
Frank “Action” Jackson has won the Cleveland mayoral election and will become the city’s longest-serving mayor. Jackson defeated City Councilman Zack Reed handily Tuesday night in a race that presented two unpopular candidates before an electorate bashed into apathy by years of bad and bloodless leadership. Reed conceded at about 11 p.m. Jackson will now…
A Mentor Native, Singer-Songwriter David Wilcox Returns to Northeast Ohio for Two Special Shows
Many critics consider Mentor-born, Asheville-based musician David Wilcox, a guy who sounds a bit like James Taylor and sings with the cadence of Joni Mitchell, to be a “songwriter’s songwriter.” Over the course Wilcox’s nearly 30-year career, artists such as k.d. lang have covered his tunes. Currently at work on his 19th album, Wilcox will…
Nike Vows to Improve Jerseys Following LeBron James, Kevin Love Rips
After a long-standing contract with Adidas, the NBA chose Nike to produce this year’s official team jerseys. The Cavaliers were included in this switch. Most teams got dramatic makeovers to t he style and look of their jerseys, and the look of the Cavaliers uniforms were overhauled, to mixed reviews. But the look of the…
In Frank Jackson Era, Voter Turnout for Mayoral Elections Has Plummeted
Among other equally dubious achievements, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has presided over an era of abysmal voter turnout in municipal elections. In each of his successive mayoral races, fewer total voters came out to the polls, (20,000 fewer voters each time, in fact, a startling statistic). Jackson’s famous dearth of charisma, and a subservient city…
Downtown Cleveland’s Bigass Christmas Tree Will Be Lit November 25th
If holiday cheer and/or free things to do with your family are your thing you might want to mark down Saturday, Nov. 25 on your calendar, for that is the day downtown Cleveland will be blessed with the lighting of the Public Square Christmas tree and you can maybe forget about all the impending drama…
Josh Gordon, Fine Lines, and Bad Quarterbacks — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
A raspy Andre and Zac discuss the fine line between success and failure in sports, Josh Gordon’s admissions, Jimmy Haslam’s dilemma and the state of quarterbacking.
Prosperity Social Club to Host Two Prohibition-Related Events
Prosperity Social Club has just announced the details for its annual Prohibition Repeal Party that includes live music, dinner specials and drinks. This year’s event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. The event is free, and attire reminiscent of 1930s moonshiners, rumrunners, trigger men, teetotalers, coppers, gumshoes, politicians and…
The Cleveland Orchestra Reminds There’s Still Good in This World With its ‘Enigma Variations’ Take
The lights dim, the second half has arrived. We’re here for this, we’ve been waiting. The melody starts so simple and quiet, but as with all variations on a theme, it doesn’t stay that way. In the Cleveland Orchestra’s capable hands this Sunday afternoon at Severance Hall, Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” is a wonder to…
Three More Tenants Leave the Avenue at Tower City, Zombie-Themed Laser Tag Closer to Reality
[image-1]Three more tenants have packed it in at the Avenue at Tower City, and the downtown mall — owned, since 2016, by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Detroit — is getting emptier and drearier by the week. The few intrepid souls who catch flicks at the Cleveland Cinemas these days, or who de-board the Rapid Transit at…
Photos: Refuse Fascism Protest and March in Downtown Cleveland
Saturday afternoon, a few dozen local protesters gathered on Public Square for a demonstration and march that echoed similar protests across the country. Coordinated by the national organization Refuse Fascism, the weekend protests were geared toward building momentum against the Trump-Pence administration. Local protesters said they wanted to continue their actions until “hundreds become thousands…
Ben Folds Thrives on Audience Interaction During Concert at House of Blues
Years ago at South by Southwest, we caught a performance by a scrappy indie rock trio led by a bushy-haired exuberant singer-pianist named Ben Folds. That band, dubbed the Ben Folds Five, would go on to experience great success thanks to the popularity of “Brick,” a tune from the group’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever…
Sneak Peek: Il Rione Pizza Coming Soon to Detroit Shoreway
It’s been two years since Brian Moss and Brian Holleran purchased a dilapidated brick structure on W. 65th Street in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. In approximately two weeks’ time, that space will open as Il Rione Pizzeria (1303 W. 65th St.). Over the years the building has been home to a beer hall, pool hall…
Cleveland Film Fest To Move 2018 Opening Night to Playhouse Square
[image-1]Citing the success of last year’s Believeland screening, organizers of the Cleveland International Film Festival have announced that next year’s opening night screening and gala will take place at Playhouse Square. Because the festival is happening slightly later in the year — the 42nd annual CIFF begins Wednesday, April 4 — dates were available at…
Ohio Sues Rover Pipeline Operator Over Water Pollution Violations
[image-1]As the Rover pipeline’s disastrous first year comes to a close, the Ohio attorney general is stepping in and suing its out-of-state ownership. In short, Mike DeWine’s office states: “Rover illegally discharged millions of gallons of drilling fluids to Ohio’s waters, causing pollution and degrading water quality on numerous occasions and in various counties across…
The Accidentals’ Nascent Success Points to Great Things on the Road and in the Studio
We last saw The Accidentals on their tour with Keller Williams in early 2016. And we were happy to catch them as they found themselves in the midst of a years-long odyssey on the road. The show was great, and, honestly, they’ve pretty much been touring ever since — with no plans to slow down.…
In Advance of This Week’s Hard Rock Live Concert, Styx Guitarist James Young Talks About the Prog-Rock Band’s Lengthy Career
The first band in rock history to have four consecutive certified multimillion-selling albums in a row (those would be 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, 1979’s Cornerstone and 1981’s Paradise Theatre, Styx has yet to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame while prog rock peers such as YES and Rush…
A Few Quick Reviews of Bob Dylan’s Show in Akron
Bob Dylan isn’t giving out press credentials for his current tour, so we turned to our readers to supply some perspective on the Friday night show in Akron. Here, we relay a few nice glimpses into the show at EJ Thomas Hall: Ellen Ranaudo: Tonight’s concert in Akron was phenomenal! Mavis Staples was a powerhouse…her voice…
Ohio Awards First Round of Medical Marijuana Cultivation Licenses
[image-1]The first batch of medical marijuana growers has been identified. As far as Northeast Ohio is concerned, several of these growers will be located in Lorain, Stark, Summit and Portage counties. (See the full list below.) These companies constitute the state’s Level II cultivators, which have a cap of 3,000 square feet of grow space.…
Norwalk Man Lured Underage Teens Into Sex Acts With False Promises of Producing Pornographic Films, Feds Say
Charles Thomas Barbarotta of Norwalk was indicted on two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of wire fraud today by the Feds. U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony said Barbarotta, 32, lured underage girls into…
Are You Seeing Bob Dylan in Akron Tonight? Send Us Your Concert Review
American icon Bob Dylan is not covering press credentials on his fall tour with Mavis Staples. The man’s entitled to run his show as he pleases, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out how excellent this night of music looks on paper. In person, we’re sure, it’ll be even better. With that in…
Quicken Loans Arena Would Have Been Way More Expensive With New Tax Bill
If the new GOP-sponsored tax bill is passed as is, or at least with a provision that disallows the use of tax-exempt bonds for professional sports facilities, future stadium-financing scams in Cleveland will be even tougher sells for local taxpayers. And if the Greater Cleveland Congregations (the main Q Deal opposition group) hadn’t “snatched defeat…
Barrel Aged Christmas Ale Hits Great Lakes Brewing Company This Month
The festive beverage has been waiting in bourbon barrels for seven months, and come Wednesday, Nov. 22, you can finally get a taste of this year’s spicy-yet-sweet Barrel Aged Christmas Ale at Great Lakes Brewing Company. For anyone who missed the madness of the regular Christmas Ale release last week (see photos right here), you…
‘The Kent Stater’ Named Newspaper of the Year at National College Media Convention
[image-1]The College Media Association awarded Kent State University’s newspaper, The Kent Stater, with high honors last month with Newspaper of the Year for 2016-2017. It’s a terrific award for a powerhouse newspaper that beat out competition at Northwestern University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Pennsylvania. The College Media Association pointed to…
Let’s Check In With Frank Jackson’s Well-Oiled Communications Teams
The mayoral election is just five days away, which means there has been a flurry of requests for interviews and information both about Frank Jackson’s campaign and City Hall business, like the recent hiring of convicted wife beater Lance Mason, that may affect how voters decide on Nov. 7th. While they may all have to…
Stokes Cleveland VA Center Under Scrutiny for Running ‘Invasive Lung Experiments’ on Dogs (And You’re Funding Them)
A new federal lawsuit puts the spotlight on the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and its apparently secretive track record of running lung experiments on dogs (“mongrels” in VA parlance, according to the department’s own records). The civil complaint was filed by White Coat Waste Project, a bipartisan taxpayer watchdog group. The central argument is…
Honeybucket Frontman Issues Solo EP
Honeybucket frontman and former Walk the Moon member Adam Reifsnyder explores what he describes as an “intimate folk/pop sound” on his first solo EP, Phases, which comes out today. Reifsnyder, who wrote the Cleveland International Film Festival’s theme tune “Old High Road” and co-wrote Walk the Moon’s hit “Anna Sun,” has taken a break from…
Yonder Mountain String Band Jams to the Psychedelic Baby Balloons at Beachland Ballroom
Those who came out to the Beachland Ballroom last night were treated to a dynamic evening of jammy bluegrass improv from the always delightful Yonder Mountain String Band. The band veered from plaintive plucking to strident shredding, and the crowd engaged them in laid-back hootenanny dancing all night. First things first: This show will henceforth…
‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ Aims to Capture the Singer’s Remarkable Legacy
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, singer Janis Joplin left behind a significant musical legacy in a remarkably short amount of time. The Texas-born singer became a superstar after a show-stopping performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. At that time, she fronted the San Francisco-based band Big Brother…
The Browns Did What? — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Live from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Andre and Zac play a little Glory Days, talk about educating the youths, discuss this week’s place in Cleveland Browns history and ponder Josh Gordon’s NFL future.
Turkuaz Shows Off Theatrical Funk Mastery at Beachland Ballroom
It’s mid-morning at Scene Worldwide HQ, and I’m still thinking about last night’s Turkuaz show at Beachland Ballroom. On a cold, drizzly Wednesday in Cleveland — and during another spate of horrific news in America — it was precisely the sort of concert we needed. I told you as much; hopefully you didn’t miss it.…
Man Pulls Gun After Warren McDonald’s Runs Out of Egg McMuffins
When a guy wants his Egg McMuffin, he wants his Egg McMuffin. Warren Police are on the lookout for one such man who allegedly took out a gun at a local McDonald’s drive-thru, after the woman taking his order informed him the restaurant was out of Egg McMuffins. The man, who had pulled up to…
Pixies and Weezer to Bring Co-Headlining Tour to Blossom in 2018
Two veteran alt-rock acts that continue to make new music that matters, Pixies and Weezer have announced a seven-week co-headlining North American tour for summer 2018. Though Weezer and Pixies have shared stages in the past, this marks their first full tour together. The tour comes to Blossom on July 11. “We’re all big Weezer…
Cleveland Judge Has Ruled RTA’s ‘Proof of Payment’ Fare Enforcement Method Unconstitutional
In an important decision that has taken immediate effect, Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Emanuella Groves ruled on Oct. 26 that the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA’s) “Proof of Payment” system used on the Red Line Rapid and the HealthLine is unconstitutional. “The court rejects RTA’s policy of utilizing its law enforcement officers to perform…
6 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Week
FRIDAY, NOV. 3 Bob Dylan When singer-songwriter Bob Dylan played E.J. Thomas Hall four years ago, he appeared to truly enjoy performing at the intimate space. The show’s opener “Things Have Changed” set the mood for the two-hour concert. Standing at the microphone stand and swaying back and forth under dim lights as if he…
Listen: A Taste of Cleveland Rap Playlist
From the jazzed-out riffs of FreshProduce to Ezri’s lyrical gymnastics, take a dive into the hand-picked selections of contemporary Cleveland’s rap landscape with Scene’s playlist — a companion to today’s cover story on the local hip-hop infrastructure. Read the whole article here. Our playlist serves up a cross-section of Cleveland-affiliated artists with buzz ranging from…
Frank Jackson Personally Hired Former Judge Who Was Convicted of Beating His Wife
Mayor Frank Jackson has hired former Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Lance Mason as an administrator for minority businesses at City Hall. WKYC broke the story that Mason, who served nine months in prison for violently assaulting his wife in 2014, was personally hired by Jackson from a pool of 13 candidates. In…
Protests Seeking Trump Ouster Begin This Weekend in Cleveland and Around the Country
Cleveland, Ohio will be among more than a dozen cities nationwide where the far-left organization Refuse Fascism will stage protests this weekend. The event in Cleveland kicks off at 1 p.m. on Saturday on Public Square. These protests have been billed by organizers as the first in a series of non-stop demonstrations with the ultimate…
4chan Troll Movement Hits Rocky River with ‘It’s OK To Be White’ Signs
Residents in Rocky River are sharing thoughts via social media today on a smattering of signs posted around town reading: “It’s OK to be white.” The signs appeared throughout the north side of town (“Tangletown”) yesterday evening, as trick-or-treating loomed on All Hallows’ Eve. As these things go, a number of very similar signs appeared…
Video: LeBron Does ‘Carpool Karaoke’ With James Corden and Ice Cube
The full LeBron episode of Carpool Karaoke, with a cameo from Ice Cube, is now up on Apple Music. Teaser video below. Today was a good day.
A Quick Note About the Cover Wrap on This Week’s Issue of Scene
Dear reader, If you pick up or see this week’s issue in print you will probably notice what appears to be a cover featuring Zack Reed and an endorsement of his mayoral campaign. While it is, technically, the cover of the magazine in a physical sense, it’s actually a paid advertisement. The “advertisement” label up…
New Cleveland-Based Hard Rock Band Issues Debut Album
For a decade, Ohio Sky, a local hard rock act featuring singer-guitarist Vinny DiFranco, bassist Michael Bashur, drummer Eric Bambic and keyboardist Patrick Finegan created an expansive world of sound that was equal parts Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age. Now, Bashur and DiFranco have taken their talents to Automatic Weapons, a new electro-rock…
Cleveland’s Hip-Hop Scene Looks to Grow Up Amid Fleeing Stars and an Underdog Mentality
In 2011, a pair of scruffy twentysomethings moved into an old apartment above the dry cleaners on Coventry. Nate was from rural Pennsylvania near the West Virginia border. Martez was from Lakeshore, just a couple miles north of Cleveland Heights. Nate had moved to the city for Tri-C’s Recording Arts and Technology program, and through…
Band of the Week: The Village Bicycle
MEET THE BAND: Liz Kelly (vocals, guitar), Karah Vance (keyboards), Devin Randazzo (drums), Ty Craerner (bass) COLLECTIVE THOUGHTS: Bandleader Liz Kelly can lay claim to the fact that she was one of only a handful of women to be part of the locally based Davenport Collective, a loosely organized community of artists, musicians and poets…
A Journey Into Dana Oldfather’s Life in Candyland at the Galleries at CSU
Dana Oldfather’s magnificent paintings have played a key role in pushing other artists to expand their boundaries and understanding of abstract artwork. In her latest exhibition, Candyland, at the Galleries at Cleveland State University, Oldfather moves us again with her ability to make us think. “We are so bombarded with information and the belief of…
Get Out: Everything You Should Do This Week (Nov. 1-7)
WED 11/01 Chamber Music in the Galleries This monthly concert series at the Cleveland Museum of Art places young musicians from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University in the CMA galleries. Now in its sixth season, the series features “mixed programs of chamber music” for “a unique and intimate experience.” The…
No, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ is Not a Play About the Trump Era. Or is it?
It has been said that the power some plays possess emanates not from the writing or the acting but what the audience itself brings to the performance. That seems especially true with The Diary of Anne Frank, now at the Cleveland Play House. Ever since the play debuted in 1955, only a decade after the…
Marble Room’s Service Has a Long Way to Go to Catch Up to Its Stunning Setting and Menu
Standing at the sweeping quartz bar, our party was ideally positioned to take in the breathtaking grandeur of the Marble Room. Designed by Walker and Weeks, the dream team behind Severance Hall, the stunning interior has all the hallmarks of Beaux Arts-style architecture. Ringed with columns, soaring to a neck-craning 40 feet, and embellished with…
Savage Love: Degrading Games
Dear Dan, I am a pretty handsome gay (I have been told) and I am dating a gorgeous man. I am 34, and he is 31. I am bottom only, and he is top only, so it’s a good match. He seems sincerely interested in me and we are talking about being together. But here…
Lanthimos’ ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ has ‘Lobster’ vibes, but None of the Heart
Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which opens in limited release Friday, begins with one of the more repulsive images I’ve ever seen on screen. It is the organs – maybe the stomach and the pancreas? – of a human torso mid-surgery, filmed in grotesque close-up. These organs thump and ripple in lockstep…
‘A Bad Moms Christmas’ is Anything But Cheerful and Bright
The Christmas season seems to bring with it at least one raunchy and irreverent holiday-themed film. This year’s entry, A Bad Moms Christmas, fits the bill. While its stereotypical gender-role-defying spirit is admirable, its rather conventional narrative (the “bad moms” must confront their own “bad moms” and “take back Christmas”) doesn’t have much going for…
