UPDATE: Brewnuts Advances in National Small Business Competition
We wrote earlier this month that Brewnuts was in the running for a huge small business competition. Today, the organizers announced that Brewnuts joins five other finalists in a trip to New York City next month. The local company received the most votes from the public in a wild-card video bid. Cleveland is in! ***…
Ricky Jackson To Be Released From Prison Friday After 39 Years of Wrongful Incarceration
This afternoon, after a two-day hearing in Cuyahoga County courts, good news came for Ricky Jackson. Ricky Jackson, now 59 years old, has spent the last 39 years of his life in prison for a 1975 murder that he and two of his friends didn’t commit. This week’s hearing was held after motions filed by…
Luxe Kitchen and Lounge Owner to Open Waterloo-Based Bistro in Spring
Another high-profile restaurateur has just signed on to Alan Glazen’s Operation Light Switch campaign to populate the Waterloo neighborhood of North Collinwood with new bars, restaurants and entertainment options. Melissa Cole, owner of the seven-year-old Detroit-Shoreway hotspot <a href="http://www.luxecleveland.com/” target=”_blank”>Luxe Kitchen and Lounge (6605 Detroit Ave., 216-920-0600), will take possession of the shuttered Chloe’s Kitchen…
ICYMI: Browns Drop Ben Tate
Given Benjamin Franklin Tate’s piss-poor stats the past several weeks (including a damning two-carry, negative-nine-yard showing against the Texans Sunday), it comes as only a mild surprise that the Browns announced they’re parting ways with the fourth-year running back Tuesday morning. “With all the transactions we make while constructing our roster, it will always be…
Reminder: Snow Brings Out the Absolute Best in Our Local TV News Stations
Unwilling to move to reach for the remote control last night, we at the Scene action news team caught the 10 o’clock edition of 19 Action News. Somewhere between Chris Van Vliet regurgitating headlines from E! for 30 seconds and Jeff Tanchak gathering every bit of emotion he could to relay “It’s cold and still…
What We’re Reading Today: Steve Albini on the State of the Music Industry
Everyone collectively and weirdly went nuts last week or whenever it was that Taylor Swift announced she was leaving Spotify (despite plenty of other artists — Thom Yorke, for example — already kicking this debate around with more vocal arguments). It’s one major narrative in the music industry’s ongoing ups and downs these days. Steve…
‘SportsCenter’ Will Broadcast From East Fourth Street Again Tomorrow
With the San Antonio Spurs coming to Cleveland for a big-time matchup against the Cavs, ESPN is going to tag along for the ride and set up shop once again on East Fourth Street (“The street so nice, they had to visit twice,” as the neighborhood’s marketing team is cleverly putting it). The sportscasting will…
Local Rockers Beau Coup to Reunite for 30th Anniversary
Cleveland rockers Beau Coup (Frank Amato, Tom Amato, Dennis Lewin and Bill March) had success throughout the region in the ‘80s with songs such as “Still In My Heart,” “Somewhere Out In the Night,” “Born & Raised (On Rock ‘N’ Roll),” “Sweet Rachel” and “Jane,” a tribute to the late Jane Scott, a longtime rock…
Nuggets Bury Cavaliers Under Martial Law(son)
Almost three weeks after Halloween, it’s still trick-or-treat for Cavaliers fans. After the Cavs squeaked out a victory in Boston and returned home to dismantle the Hawks on Friday and Saturday respectively, they came out flat as a runway model Monday night against the Nuggets. The most frustrating thing is it’s as predictable as a…
Reports: Families of Victims in Deadly 2012 Police Chase and Shooting to Receive $1.5 Million Each
There’s not much more as far as details go right now, but Fox 8 and WOIO (the Gallecks) are reporting that the two families of the victims in the infamous November 2012 Cleveland police chase and shooting — 137 bullets, if you remember — have reached a settlement with the city of Cleveland and will…
Local Pop-punk Act Trendy to Play Reunion Show at Musica
The last time Aaron Brooks, who plays in the progressive rock outfit Simeon Soul Charger, came back home to Northwest Ohio, he had a few beers with Jay his former band mate from the pop-punk group Trendy. They began thinking about a possible reunion show. “We tossed around the idea then,” says Brooks. “When I…
Day 537: Columbus Road Bridge Still Not Functional, Reopening Pushed Back Until December
The Columbus Road bridge — an important link from SoLo to The Flats — still isn’t open! For those running the numbers, it’s been 537 days since the bridge shut down. The original timeframe for this $30-million project was set for 371 days. It was supposed to reopen in June. Subsequent opening dates were announced…
Scene Podcast: No Sleep in the CLE With Guest John Wellington From the Cleveland Comedy Festival
Ramon Rivas and Justin Markert are back with episode No. 2 of the No Sleep in the CLE podcast (which you can like on Facebook right here), just for you. Today, they’re joined by John Wellington, one of the founders and curators of the Cleveland Comedy Festival, which runs November 13 to 23. Topics include…
Opening Dates Announced for Corner Alley Uptown
As construction winds down on the third component of Uptown in University Circle, opening dates have been announced for the splashy new Corner Alley bowling facility. Located near the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Ford Drive (11409 Euclid Ave.), the two-story entertainment venue will be similar but not identical to the original downtown in the…
Unconventional Format Works Well for Singer-songwriter Mike Doughty
To the uninitiated, former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty is a wordsmith known for stringing together multi-syllabic words with the dexterity and flow of a rapper. Over the course of a 20-year career, he’s managed to eke out a career by appealing to jam band fans and indie rockers alike. By adding an interactive aspect…
Audio: Metallica at the Agora, 1983
OK, so the audience recording here isn’t *great* — but the very fact that we can hear such an early recording of Metallica playing in Cleveland is awesome. Dec. 18, 1983: Ride the Lightning was still a almost year away, but several songs from that album show up here. Setlist: The Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone…
Cleveland Police Department Fires Lt. Michael Baker Following July DUI, Hit-and-Run
Back in July, Lt. Michael Baker of the Cleveland Division of Police, crashed his car while drunk in Parma. He was later found guilty of the same (after pleading no contest to drinking drunk and not guilty to the hit-and-run), and then later broke his probation agreement. On Friday, Baker was terminated from the department.
Disgraced Former CWRU Law School Dean Lawrence Mitchell Narrates His Weird Love Poem
The last time we checked in with Lawrence Mitchell, it was in this expansive look into sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuits against the former Case Western Reserve University law school dean and the school. Mitchell, as we detailed, had resigned amidst allegations of propositioning students for threesomes and taking nasty actions against a law school…
Cavs Dismantle Hawks on Saturday Night, Offense Hums Along
The Cavs are like a gifted child in regular speed classes. Much of the time they’re gazing out the window or noodling in their notebook. Yet when they apply themselves – as they did in Saturday night’s 127-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks – they leave their peers in the dust as befuddled as Wily…
The New Pornographers Deliver Crowd-pleasing Set at House of Blues
Fourteen years ago, a New Pornographers concert wouldn’t have attracted too many fans from the NPR-listening crowd and definitely wouldn’t have filled out Cleveland’s House of Blues. Six spectacularly tight full length albums later, the “kids who go to shows” that the band sung about on its 2000 debut Mass Romantic are more like the…
The Pope Invited Cleveland Native CeCe Rogers to Perform at this Year’s Official Vatican Christmas Concert
Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter CeCe Rogers is one of a handful of musicians slated to perform at next month’s Vatican Christmas Concert, the official Concerto di Natale’s website said. Rogers, a Cleveland native, is known around the world for being a front-runner in the House music scene, and for his hits “Someday,” “No Love Lost,” and “All Join Hands.”…
10 Cleveland Girls You’ve Probably Dated
Not long after we laid out the 10 Cleveland guys you’ve probably dated, the comments came pouring in from the men: What about the girls? They’re as stereotypically Cleveland and undateable as we are. True, gentlemen. Very true. In fact, we’ve encountered them as well, and here they are.
Defenseless Cavs Lean on LeBron to Sneak Past the Celtics
The Cavaliers play defense like they’re waiting for the bus that takes them back on offense. They’re standing there, but most of the time they aren’t doing anything. The Cavaliers beat the Celtics Friday 122-121 because LeBron put on a clinic (41 pts on 16-27 shooting, 7 assists) and Celtic guard Rajon Rondo missed the…
East Cleveland Reportedly Not Paying Health Insurance Premiums for City Workers
In the perpetual tornado of fiscal incompetence that is East Cleveland, it’s sometimes hard to get worked up over each new shard of garbage that gets enveloped into the twister, especially when the city, which has been in fiscal emergency since 2012, isn’t covered well by local media, if it’s covered at all. We took…
Details Revealed from T.J. Lane’s Prison Break
New reports reveal that T.J. Lane and two other prisoners at the Allen Oakwood Correctional Facility in Lima, OH, assembled a makeshift ladder from old cabinets to facilitate their escape in September. After breaking into a locked crawl space — which has since been upgraded with heavier-duty locks — Lane and his co-conspirators built a…
Scene Magazine Presents Holiday Hackathon
Some of Cleveland’s top creative minds gathered on Saturday for Cleveland’s first-ever Holiday Hack-a-thon presented by Scene Magazine. The goal: create new and inventive ways to celebrate the holidays. Bob Sopko, director of Case Western Reserve’s Blackstone LaunchPad observed the event and summed it up: “Hackathons are a great way of connecting people and ideas.…
3 More Art Happenings on a Loaded Art Weekend
There’s plenty going on this weekend, starting tonight, and you can find all that covered here, but a few more art-related events you might want to pop by: 1. If you’re heading to Tremont for this weekend’s November Art Walk, be sure to stop by LOOP (2180 W. 11th St.) for John G.’s No Gods, No…
10 Hot Chocolates to Try in Cleveland this Season
Take a look outside, people. It is hot chocolate weather! We suggest cutting out of work early to enjoy one of these cocoa concoctions and combat this cold.
A Flash Sale Tomorrow to Help an Artist Battling a Mountain of Medical Bills
Arabella Proffer is a Cleveland-based artist, author and co-founder of the indie music label Elephant Stone Records. Her paintings are highly rendered with an obvious degree of skill. However, upon closer examination, the subjects allude to very real and unfortunate obstacles in Proffer’s life. For several years, she’s been battling Liposarcoma, a very rare form…
Seventh Annual Cleveland Comedy Festival Goes Big on Local and National Acts
Cleveland is known to most locals for its stellar cultural offerings (visual arts, theater, music, comedy…), of course, and the city’s rep is growing all over the world. This year, the seventh annual Cleveland Comedy Festival highlights that simple fact and the multitude of footprints Northeast Ohio natives have left on the nation’s sense of…
10 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, NOV. 14 EYEHATEGOD New Orleans sludge metal masters Eyehategod made a name for themselves in the early ’90s when they released a trio of albums — 1992’s In the Name of Suffering, 1993’s Take As Needed for Pain, and 1996’s Dopesick — which ushered in comparisons to everyone from Black Flag to Black Sabbath.…
Designers and County Leaders Pretty Much Decide on Pedestrian Bridge Details Prior to Public Meeting Last Night
Touted as a chance for the public to weigh in on the publicly funded pedestrian bridge (“share your thoughts”!), last night’s meeting held a certain out-of-our-hands feeling as county leaders and the bridge’s designers pretty much explained what is and isn’t going to happen in this project. Boston architect Miguel Rosales was on hand to…
Michael Symon to Replace Wolfgang Puck as Host Chef of UH’s Five Star Sensation
Since its inception in 1987, the biennial Five Star Sensation has raised more than $16 million for University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. And throughout the entire flourishing run, the Honorary Chair has been celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. That won’t be the case moving forward. “Wolfgang has made the decision to hand over the reins,” explains…
Frigid Touch to Play CD Release Show at Mahall’s
Frigid Touch guitarist Mike Crooker and singer-keyboardist Christopher Foldi have known each for about 10 years and have collaborated together on a variety of projects over that time. Crooker works on film soundtracks and would often need Foldi to sing demo vocals. They wanted to start a proper band but they could just never get…
Living, Breathing Police Officers to Replace Cleveland’s Controversial Traffic Cameras
One fire, one prank, several protests, and one election later, Cleveland’s controversial unmanned traffic cameras were finally given the boot last week, only to be replaced by living, breathing police officers, the Public Safety Committee announced yesterday. Public Safety Committee chair and Ward 15 councilman Matt Zone said that city police have identified target locations where high speed…
The U.S. Postal Service Lost an Ohio Man’s Wife’s Ashes
If the recent tale of the TSA going above and beyond the call of stupidity by unscrewing the lid on an urn holding the ashes of a Cleveland area man’s mother and spilling them in his suitcase wasn’t evidence enough of avoiding the government when dealing with the remains of a loved one, this week…
Local Hip-hop Act Black & Broke Announces Tenth Anniversary Concert
In 2004, rapper Damon aka Mr. Smith and keyboardist Jean Kong originally played as a duo; four years ago, they met the rest of the guys one night at Jammin Java, the now shuttered Parma coffeehouse, and Black & Broke was born. The group dubbed its sound “hipster-hop” to convey the odd assortment of musical…
Cleveland May Raise Parking Rates to Help Pay for Parking Maintenance and Porta-Potties
Cleveland City Council is in the throes of debate over whether to raise parking rates citywide. This would affect parking meters and the city’s three public parking lots (Willard, Muni, and Canal Basin). As things stand now, one quarter gets you 20 minutes at most city parking meters. The rate hike would grant only 15…
Falling into Fire to Play CD Release Show at PJ McIntyre’s Irish Pub
Solon-based Falling into Fire has been together since 2008 and has slowly evolved since first forming. The group now owns its own RCR Recoding Studios and the band’s Cary Crichlow has engineered or produced recordings from locals such as Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band, Winslow and Tropidelic. Locally based Little Fish has just issued…
Scene Podcast: Two Girls With Glasses, Holiday Market Roundup
This week, Nikki Delamotte and Brandi McElhatten (aka: Two Girls With Glasses) hosted a Google hangout on the holiday market scene. Also in tow: Stephanie Sheldon – The Cleveland Flea; Brit Charek – Crafty Mart; Mathias King – Manly Mart; Kathy Patton – Last Minute Market; Shannon Okey – Cleveland Bazaar. Stop in and learn a thing or two about the…
10 Things Going on this Weekend in Cleveland (November 14 – 16)
This weekend, Cleveland hosts the annual Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center (visit our Facebook page for your chance to win free tickets), which brings a full lineup of celebrity chef cookoffs, tastings, and shopping opportunities. The home teams also take to the court and field this weekend, so do make sure to take…
We Went to Cleveland Heights and Didn’t Get Shot
I’ve returned, panting, to the safety and fluorescent buzz of Scene’s downtown HQ, and I am — praise God — alive. If not psychologically, I am at the very least physically without wound or blemish after my perilous outing to the Cedar Lee. Per the recommendation of my attorney, my last will and testament was…
The First Annual Bacon Feast Comes to Cleveland this Weekend
The first annual Sugardale Bacon Feast is taking place in Cleveland this weekend as part of the Fabulous Food Show, hosted at the I-X Center. In celebration, bacon enthusiasts can enjoy a slew of bacon-themed activities at the Sugardale booth, ranging from a bacon bar, to a bacon museum, and even a bacon photo booth,…
Be a Part of the Second Installment of Cleveland SOUP This Month
It was just a few weeks ago that we chatted with Marika Shioiri-Clark and Graham Veysey, partners in life and partners behind Cleveland SOUP, the micro-grant program found in plenty of other cities around America that had its first edition in Cleveland this summer. Edition No. 2 is just a week away. The setup is quite…
City Council Committee Discusses Transgender Accommodation Proposals
Dozens of community members — likely closer to 200 or 250 — packed into and outside of the City Council committee room at City Hall today. Most were there to support new language that would extend social protections to the transgender community. Some were there to dissent. All were made to wait, as committee chair…
Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving’s Weed Celebration Was a Mustache Celebration, Say the Cavs
Dear reader, it’s with some trepidation that I reveal myself as the possible inspiration for an allegedly illicit handshake shared by Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving on the conclusion of Monday night’s win over the Pelicans. Truth be told, from where I sit in the upper reaches of press row – what I cheekily call…
Adam Lambert Announced as Opening Chef de Cuisine at Black Pig
When the Black Pig reopens in its new and improved home, two old friends and former colleagues will again be working together in the kitchen. “Adam Lambert and I will be opening the Black Pig together — he’s coming on as my chef de cuisine,” says chef and owner Mike Nowak. “We’re really excited. I…
The Revivalists, Sassafraz, and the Burning River Ramblers Throw Down Exciting Show at Beachland Ballroom
The Revivalists pack a high-energy NOLA-style punch, and they certainly brought everything they had last night to the Beachland Ballroom. “Cleveland! Let’s make this Tuesday a Friday real quick!” Frontman David Shaw leapt around the stage and got everyone in the room moving. The Revivalists sport a groove-based sound (see music video below), one that…
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams Inspires Devotion, Shuts Down Hecklers
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams recently appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and played “Gimme Something Good,” the single from his new self-titled album. He and his terrific four-piece band knocked out such a vigorous version of the song that Letterman appeared dumbfounded and even made the group launch into a reprise that segued into the…
SPACES Hosts Two Exhibitions That Bring Artist and Process Together
Just weeks after its most successful annual benefit ever, SPACES (2220 Superior Via.) moves onto hosting an opening reception for its latest exhibitions. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday Nov. 14, SPACES invites you to explore both Process by Irina Spicaka of Riga, Latvia and Automatic Ruins by Colin Lyons or Kamloops, British Columbia.…
Scene Podcast: Movers and Makers on the Holidays and Technology
In today’s episode, Scene’s creative director James Krouse talks with Johnny Hall from FlakeFx, who, with his team, has launched a Kicstarter campaign around Holiduino Flake, which is basically a fully programmable holiday decoration that’s fun for the most tech savvy among us who just want to see something that lights up and makes noise.…
Film Spotlight: Miss Meadows
Miss Meadows, that Katie Holmes movie shot in Cleveland around the same time as Winter Soldier, is finally out, opening Friday exclusively at Shaker Square. As to its merits, I’ll say only that Edgewater Park looks very nice. The story itself, you may be alarmed to learn, is one of vigilante justice. Miss Meadows (Katie Holmes)…
Standing Up: Doubting Thomas Gathers Artists with Causes
This month’s Tremont Art Walk happens on Friday, Nov. 14, and features a very special exhibition at Doubting Thomas Gallery. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m., Stand Up is an exhibition of local and regional artwork created with the intent of raising awareness (and funds) for social and/or political issues near and dear to the…
Secret Garden: Tucked Away in Parma, Seoul Garden Boasts What Many Claim is the Best Korean Food in Town
If there is a more intimidating cuisine than Korean food, I have yet to stumble upon it. Walk into a place like Seoul Garden in Parma and you’re immersed in an exotic setting where the sights, sounds, smells and customs of a typical restaurant are thrown for loop. Wide-rimmed cauldrons of lava-red stew gurgle away…
Urchins on Strike: The Newsboy Strike of 1899 Triggers a Ton of Singing and Dancing in Newsies at Playhouse Square
You know the old joke: How many Broadway-style singing and dancing anthems can you fit into one Disney musical? The answer: Enough that an audience member’s brain might turn to mush. But if you love those stem-winding production numbers, boy howdy do we have a show for you! In the first act alone of Newsies,…
All About M.E.: Melissa Etheridge Re-Emerges as an Indie Artist
Singer-guitarist Melissa Etheridge recalls that when she made her debut way back in 1988, she was often asked where she saw herself in 20 to 30 years. “I would say that I hoped I was still making music that people were interested in because that would be the sign that I had a successful career,”…
Staying Power: Le Bistro du Beaujolais Celebrates French Tradition at their Annual Anniversary Party
“I don’t like to stay in the same place,” laughs Georges d’Arras from the bar. “I grew up like that, moving, moving, moving.” His laugh carries a thick French accent, as you might expect from a master of the cuisine who came to America on Independence Day 15 years ago. He motions to the rows…
What Kind of Track Records Do Dan Gilbert and Quicken Loans Really Have? And Does Anyone Really Care?
As the economies of two great Midwestern cities cratered, Dan Gilbert emerged not just unscathed, but stronger, richer, more powerful. At the center of the billionaire’s empire, of course, is Quicken Loans, the company he founded that has risen from the ashes of the 2007 housing market collapse. The tentacles of Gilbert’s riches reach out across…
In Stitches: Tales from the Frontlines of Sustainable DIY Taxidermy
Detroit-Shoreway resident Mickey Alice Kwapis has been practicing taxidermy for years — and trying to dispel its unpleasant reputation. Her career has taken her all over the world, though she’s got some classes coming up here in Cleveland for those with an interest. We sat down for a chat about dead animals at Sweet Moses…
Jar Head: Wordsmith Mike Doughty Spices Up His Shows with Question & Answer Sessions
A few years ago, singer Mike Doughty decided he was tired of the predictable banter that usually characterized his live shows. So he decided to spice things up a bit and put out a question jar so that fans could write down their questions. During the show, he’d take the time to answer each and…
Betta Days: Sexy Singer Neon Hitch Takes a DIY Approach
A YouTube sensation thanks to racy videos for songs such as “Fuck You Betta,” sexy singer Neon Hitch got her start as a street performer. Now, she’s on a self-funded tour intended to build up some anticipation for a forthcoming self-released full-length album. Given her DIY approach, it’s as if things have come full circle.…
The Modern Electric’s Holden Laurence Issues Solo Debut
Holden Laurence Romantic Americana (self-released) holdenlaurence.com Fans of the Modern Electric, one of the best indie rock bands in town, might be taken a bit off guard by the solo debut from guitarist Holden Laurence. While the Modern Electric has a cinematic pop sound, Laurence opts for something far folkier. The album features somber ballads…
Basic Instincts: The New Pornographers Let the Songs Flow Naturally on Their New Album
For the past decade and a half, the Canadian power pop outfit the New Pornographers have been churning out one critically hailed album after the next. From the expertly executed indie pop rock of their 2000 debut, Mass Romantic, to the sometimes wistful but always powerful songwriting that drove 2010’s Together, the band has always…
Band of the Week: Reagan Youth
Meet the Band: Paul Cripple (guitars), Trey Oswald (vocals), Tibbie X (bass), Stig Winsper (drums) A New York State of Mind: Punk rock came to Reagan Youth guitarist Paul Cripple’s Queens neighborhood when he was in high school and he immediately gravitated toward it. “Rock was really big,” he says. “It was monstrous back then.…
Review of the Week: Beyond the Lights
After landing a breakthrough role in Belle, a period piece in which she portrayed a mixed-race aristocrat, Brit actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw takes a 180-degree turn in Beyond the Lights, a romantic drama from Gina Prince-Bythewood (Disappearing Acts, Love & Basketball). In it, Mbatha-Raw plays Noni, a pop singer who’s on the brink of becoming a…
