UPDATE: Grafton Mayor Megan Flanigan Arrested for Drunken Driving, Blames Failed Sobriety Test on a Sprained Ankle
Photo Courtesy of WKYC A new twist has been added to Grafton Mayor Megan Flanigan’s OVI arrest from September. The Lorain County Sherriff’s Department said they found and identified a pill in her possession that’s used to treat heroin overdoses. Flanigan, who’s probs been kickin’ it with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, now has a drug…
LeBron’s Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner at his Home in Akron
LBJ’s back in town for the Heat vs. Cavs this evening, but he’s sticking around through the holiday weekend to host a Thanksgiving dinner for his team. Since the Heat is scheduled to play in Toronto on Friday and the players won’t be able to return home, LeBron’s rolling out the welcome mat at his…
Backstage Pass: An Interview with Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo
We caught up Beartooth singer Caleb Shomo to talk about the band’s new album, the intensely personal Sick. He spoke to us backstage before tonight’s show at House of Blues with headliners August Burns Red.
Video: The Trick Shot Video From the Browns’ New Backup Quarterback
You might have seen this already, but with news that the Browns have signed Alex Tanney off the Cowboys’ practice squad to backup the flailing grandpa ginger known as Weeden, it’s worth watching again.
Cleveland Contractor Discovers a Jack the Ripper Signature in Scranton Road Home
Here’s an eerie tale for your holiday week. During a recent renovation project, a Cleveland-based contractor discovered what might be an original signature by notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. According to a report by NewsNet 5, Ken Maynard and his construction crew had stripped 9 layers of wall paper from a Scranton Rd. dining…
Martin Sweeney Bids Council Presidency Adieu, Takes Cheap Shots, Runs Away
Former Council President Martin Sweeney gave his farewell remarks to Cleveland City Council last night and used 20 minutes to thank the administration and then bash his colleagues who complicated his backroom redistricting plan this year. Listen to the entire speech on IdeaStream’s Nick Castele’s Sound Cloud. The attacks start revving up at about 13:45.…
Metric cherishes intimate House of Blues setting
For indie rock act Metric, opening for emo sensations Paramore on that band’s current arena tour certainly provides a good deal of exposure. But it also prohibits band members from stretching out during their sets, something that the band clearly loves to do. During a one-off show last night at House of Blues, the band…
Come Home, LeBron Billboard Spotted Outside St. Vincent-St. Mary
The relationship between Cleveland and LeBron is complicated at best, but that hasn’t stopped some fans from rallying to convince LBJ to return home next year when his contact with Miami expires. Headed by local fan Josh Raggi, a Come Home, LeBron campaign is sweeping through Cleveland via social media, and now via billboards. This…
Infographic: Ohio’s Migration Flow
Ohio exchanged at least 10,000 people with 13 other states in 2012. Click on the image to go to the interactive graphic on viznary.com The national picture. Click for the interactive graphic Who knew Ohio dominated the migration flow with New York and Michigan but lost it badly with Florida and North Carolina? Well, you…
12 Cleveland Firefighters Facing Disciplinary Action After an August Prank
Twelve Cleveland firefighters are facing disciplinary consequences following a prank they pulled in August at a party for new cadets. During the festivities, photos of former Fire Chief Daryl McGinnis were placed in urinals in two bars in Kamm’s Corners. According to Cleveland.com, Captain Roy Ziganti Jr. couldn’t resist sharing the hilarity. He took a photo…
Cleveland Says Goodbye to Dan Rogan, a Local Legend
Dan Rogan’s final meet-and-greet was supposed to be held at the Fairmount Wine Bar, but a last-minute change was made to accommodate what was expected to be a large gathering. So, on Monday, November 18, Rogan’s family and close friends arranged a get-together at B Side on Coventry, thinking there would be more room to…
Michelle Knight Announces Book Deal
Two and a half weeks after Cleveland kidnapping victim Michelle Knight’s interview with TV personality/psychologist Dr. Phil took Channel 3 by storm, Knight is announcing a book deal to tell the “full story” of her decade long captivity. With the help of Michelle Burford, a Harvard-trained journalist who co-authored Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas’ book,…
Video: Factory of Sadness Part II, From Mike Polk
He speaks the truth: “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to get drunk enough to make that game watchable.”
12 Vintage Photos of the Browns Crushing the Steelers
To put it lightly, this year’s Browns vs. Steelers game was a mega disappointment. Weeden couldn’t get in gear to move the ball even an iota and Campbell is as good as donezo. To help us all sober up from yesterday’s loss, we’ve compiled a few fond (and vintage!) memories from Browns vs. Steelers games…
More Daredevil Than Diva, Pink Shows Off Her Acrobatic Side at the Q
Joe Kleon Even at his best, high-flying David Lee Roth, a guy whose exuberant leaps and splits made him one of rock ‘s best front men when he was with Van Halen, couldn’t compare with the kind of performance Pink put on last night at Quicken Loans Arena. Showing off her abs of steel and…
Reunited Dream Syndicate plays celebratory set at Beachland
Every so often, Cleveland gets a unique show as part of a national tour. Last night’s Dream Syndicate show at the Beachland Ballroom was even more special: It was one of only four U.S. dates the cult Paisley Underground band is doing this fall on the heels of its reunion shows overseas. But despite playing…
Jimmy Fallon Loves Sokolowski’s University Inn
Jimmy Fallon loves Sokolowski’s University Inn. The late night television host made a surprise visit to the restaurant yesterday evening after wrapping up a promotional gig in Cleveland with an NBC affiliate. “It was just before we opened yesterday,” co-owner Bernie Sokolowski told Scene. “A car pulled up and some people where waiting outside. We…
Meet the Brewnut, Cleveland’s Only Craft Beer-Based Donut
If you’re a native Clevelander, you probably get excited about three things: beer, donuts, and the rare Cleveland Browns win. But what if you could have all of these things at once? With Brewnuts, Cleveland’s newest culinary startup, now you can (minus the Browns win, of course- c’mon, no one’s a miracle worker, folks). Founded…
Cleveland Agrees to Pay $2 Million Annually for 15 Years Toward FirstEnergy Stadium Improvements
Upgraded fan experience, per design renderings The relationship between the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns has always been a bit unwieldy. This week, Mayor Frank Jackson continued the trend and confirmed that the city will toss the football organization $2 million each year for 15 years for all sorts of neato stadium improvements.…
Cleveland Metroparks Will Allow Guests to Hand-feed Birds — OH MY MERCIFUL LORD THIS IS ABSOLUTE HELL ON EARTH
Hey look! It’s hell! The Cleveland Metroparks are “gearing up” for a program which will allow guests to hand-feed nonmigratory birds. These pterodactyllic demons bear Harry-Potter-universe names like black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse and white breasted nuthatch, and they will soon be sanctioned to EAT OUT OF YOUR HANDS. Frank Sinatra and Ricky Nelson scarecrows will…
A Concentrated Analysis of BurgerTime
(Deeper thought than anyone should give the classic arcade game follows below. Enjoy.) In H.G. Wells’ 1895 classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, he warns us about playing God. The mad doctor creates animal/human hybrids that come back to take revenge on Moreau. This story obviously spoke to society on several levels: imperialism; modifying perfected…
Former Myxx/Jillian’s Space to Open as BW3 Come Spring
Myxx, a short-lived restaurant in the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood of Cleveland Heights that had the unfortunate tagline “Dine, Drink and Degage,” closed in late 2012 after the city declared it a public nuisance. Since then, residents wondered what would replace it considering that the space, previously a Jillian’s Billiard Club for 20 years, was roughly 10,000…
Here’s What You Missed at Last Night’s Kentucky Beer Dinner at Reddstone
We told you that we honestly couldn’t think of anywhere we’d rather spend a Thursday night than at Reddstone, eating at drinking at this year’s Kentucky Beer Dinner- turns out, last night’s meal was even better than we expected. The smattering of samples began rolling in around 7:30 p.m. and continued until well after 9:30…
TownHall and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown Team Up to “Feed the Need”
Ohio City’s TownHall and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown are joining forces this Thanksgiving to help feed the hungry. TownHall and Amer-I-Can, a national program and movement founded by Brown, will provide thousands of turkey dinners on Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Clevelanders needing a little extra help this…
Happy Dog to Take Over Historic Euclid Tavern in University Circle
In what can only be described as The Best News Ever, Happy Dog partners Eric Williams, Sean Kilbane and Sean Watterson will open an eastside version of their popular bar and restaurant in a space that rivals the original in terms of historic appeal: the Euclid Tavern. “What I love about the space is that…
“Sketched” Comedy: Check Out These Incredible Drawings by Cleveland Artist Alex Kelly
That’s one huge portrait of Amy Poehler. And it’s one of many — portraits, not Amy Poehlers — produced by Cleveland artist Alex Kelly from a series he calls “Sketched” Comedy, in which he draws popular comedians. Kelly’s been getting some much-deserved national attention for his work, but we thought it was fitting to feature…
The Delivery Man is a Carbon Copy of ‘Starbuck’ … Except Much Worse
The Delivery Man, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and arriving at a theater near you tomorrow, (11/22), is a remake of the wonderful French Canadian Film ‘Starbuck”; that film had a limited release in the states earlier this year, is now available instantly on Netflix and, unlike The Delivery Man, enjoys the distinction of being…
Massive Hofbrauhaus Project in PlayhouseSquare Officially Underway
Today, ground officially was broken on the ambitious Hofbrauhaus Cleveland project. The massive 24,000-square-foot complex will incorporate the former Hermit Club building on Dodge Court off Chester plus a newly constructed beer hall, kitchen and brewery adjacent to the existing building. The total cost of the project is estimated around $8.4 million and it is…
Scene Podcast: Talking Comedy and Stuff
This week’s Comedy Issue features a veritable who’s who (and who’s that?) of Cleveland humor. We’ve got Mike Polk and Bill Squire, Adam Richard and Jim Tews, and some funny folks who aren’t standups but still make people laugh. This week’s podcast installment ties right in: Host Craig Lyndall talks with Bill Squire and Aaron…
Cook’s Corner: Some Quick Tips on Thanksgiving Sides
It happens every Thanksgiving; someone in your family murders an already lifeless turkey. The tragedy gets blamed on poor clock management, a finicky oven, or maybe an untested technique from Rachael Ray that sounded (and, apparently, was) too good to be true. The excuses start to sound like a Browns post-game media session with Brandon…
10 Things Going on in Cleveland this Weekend (November 22-24)
Before the tidal wave of holiday festivities washes over us next week, take a few hours this weekend to veg out, relax, maybe catch up on an article or two from the Cleveland Comedy Issue. You could also knock out some of that pre-Black Friday holiday shopping at the I-X Christmas Connection and then raise…
Krewella’s Double-Gigging It This New Year’s Eve
Krewella, the electronic dance music trio from Chicago with the hit single “Alive,” will headline the Ohio Homecoming New Year’s Eve celebration and will play a full hour-and-a-half set, starting at 10 p.m. They’ll be playing a full 90-minute set before hop-scotching it via private jet to St. Louis for a show at the Koken…
You Won’t Have Barb Collier to Kick Around Anymore, Cleveland
For what seems like an eternity, Barb Collier has been the chief restaurant reviewer for the Sun Press edition of the Sun News newspaper, which serves the east side communities of Beachwood, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights and University Heights. Her time-honored and conventional approach to the craft found her lunching or brunching (Collier avoided after-hours…
Cat Power gives erratic, informal performance at Grog Shop
After a six-year hiatus from releasing any albums of original songs, indie singer/songwriter Chan Marshall, AKA Cat Power, came back last year with her highest-charting album yet, Sun. The album shows her taking on a different approach to her music; it consists primarily of electronic instruments with a greater presence of drums, something that’s not…
Ashton Kutcher is Pissed About the Walmart Food Drive
Unless you’ve been living under a rock these last few days, you know that a Canton, Ohio Walmart has been under fire after setting up a holiday food drive for its employees. The drive’s been receiving national press, and after lots of hootin’ and hollarin’, Walmart’s employees finally spoke out saying the drive’s all about…
A Six-Year-Old’s Bounce Castle Birthday Party Ends in a Full on Brawl in North Royalton
There must be something about bounce house birthday parties that just really rub folks the wrong way. At least that’s what seems to have happened at a six-year-old’s birthday party at North Royalton’s The Jump Yard on Saturday night. According to a report by WKYC, Jump Yard security footage shows 20-some people gathered in a…
Read the Files on Kent State’s Recently-Suspended Frat
School officials are shocked, shocked to find that hazing is going on in a fraternity. Last month, a Kent State frat was suspended by the school for three years after an investigation revealed they had conducted frat-like activities. The official term is “hazing.” “Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity received the notice on October 7,” reported Fox8.com…
The Secrets to Getting Huge Portions at Your Cleveland Neighborhood Chipotle
Photo via Alaina McConnell Hey there, Cleveland. Do you love Chipotle? Me too. In fact, the only thing I love more than Chipotle is more Chipotle, lucky for us, Business Insider compiled some helpful tips from James Tan. Everyone should know them. Because we’re all hungry and thrifty. Smile at your server. “Seriously, this is…
Toasting Cleveland’s Nuptials: A Long Overdue Best Man Speech for Our Beloved City and its Love
Good evening, everyone. For those of who don’t know me or chose to ignore me in the reception line, my name is Laugh Staff and I’m a small joke writing company from Cleveland. I am honored and privileged to be here tonight at the wedding of Cleveland and the 21st century. It took three decades…
Also on Stage
Carousel Baldwin Wallace University Many people have a love-hate relationship with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. While multitudes adore the rich music that those two geniuses produced, others are repelled by the sexism and casual acceptance of abuse that pokes through. Not to mention a plot that lurches uncomfortably at times. Whatever camp you’re in, this…
Moving to Cleveland: A Guide on How to Leave Your Comfy White Suburb, Written by a White Guy Still Living With His Parents in a Comfy White Suburb
Hey fellow white person that grew up in (HUDSON, NORTH ROYALTON, BRUNSWICK, BEACHWOOD, STRONGSVILLE, etc)! It’s me! Adam Richard! And if you’re anything like me (believe me, you are!), you’re probably getting tired of (being made fun of for) living with your parents and want to move where all the movers and the shakers are.…
Savage Love: Basics, Bitches
Dear Dan — I’m a heterosexual guy in my early 20s. I’ve been dating my girlfriend for about six months, and we’ve been having some fights recently. The problem: I have a high sex drive in comparison to hers. I want to be intimate on a weekly basis (at least!), and she’s told me that…
The Brief, Fiery Ride of Cowboy Mike: Does Advertising in Scene Work? Hell Yeah it Does. Let Me Show You
When schmoozy, young, business-casual-attired Scene sales reps who recently graduated from Bowling Green show up at your baseball card hobby shop carrying a folder of price points and an air of desperation, hear them out, Cleveland. Because this stuff really works! I can confirm this because the ad for my gay escort service ran in…
Love Sung Slow: A Charming Musical Suffers from Some Slow Dialogue Pacing in Once at Playhouse Square
If you happen to see any young female musicians walking around town with vacuum cleaners strapped to their backs, they may be seeking divine romantic intervention. Sound unlikely? Not after you see the magical, endearing and sometimes cloyingly precious Once, now at Playhouse Square. This touring production of the show that was adapted from a…
Greetings From New York: What’s it Like for a Cleveland Comic to Make It? Glad You Asked.
Hello, Cleveland friends. It’s your somewhat forgotten friend, Jim Tews. I’m writing you from New York City. That’s right, the Big Apple! Wall Street! Times Square! The Statue of Liberty! Noise! What a great place to live. A lot of you seemed worried when I shipped off for the promised land, but let me tell…
Regional Beat: Jordan Genovese
Green November (self-released) jordangenovese.com A pre-med student at Case Western Reserve University, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Jordan Genovese sounds more mature than you’d expect on her full-length debut. The album opens with the poppy “Maybe,” a song you could imagine getting radio airplay alongside the likes of Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift. Genovese has said she doesn’t…
Not Killing My Kids Is Hard: Confessions of a So-So Parent Just Doing the Best He Can
I think the biggest secret I keep as a parent is not much of a secret at all. It is a sentiment that most parents probably feel and relate to: I have no idea what I am doing. If you had your kids as part of a perfect plan or were lucky enough to get…
Band of the Week: Gypsydaze
Meet the Band: Tee Jayy Lewins (guitar and vocals), Kyle McKenna (bass), Dominique Williams (drums) A Quick Riddle: “What if Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley had a baby, and then that baby had a baby with Led Zeppelin?” The answer you’ll most readily land on is, of course, Cleveland’s own Gypsydaze. At least, that’s how…
How to Attend a Wake: It Doesn’t Have to be Such a Downer, Guys!
Make no mistake about it: death is as much a part of life as just about anything else I can think of as I sit here typing with no pants on. And chances are, unless you are some sort of friend-and-familyless maniac or something, you will at some point find yourself attending a wake during…
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is Not Your Typical Teen Fantasy Flick
The latest Hunger Games installment, Catching Fire, has all the elements of a cheesy teenage fantasy flick: it boasts an edgy protagonist, a messy love triangle, and an avalanche of complicating forces that disrupt the characters’ otherwise uninteresting lives. But the second chapter of the Suzanne Collins saga, which opens in theaters everywhere on Friday,…
The Heart of Rock & Roll Isn’t in Cleveland: An Open Letter About Lame Music Venues That Don’t Like Rock
Dear Editors of Scene – What’s up guys! This is Lou “Loogie” Galbencia writing in about something that’s been plaguing me like the plague and my eczema – the totally unprofessional behavior of the Beachland Tavern and their sucky policies towards bands. As a professional guitarist, vocalist and merch/logo designer for over 30 bands in…
Review of the Week: Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey is really flippin’ good in Dallas Buyers Club, a new movie from director Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria) about a rodeo-and-whiskey-loving straight guy who contracts HIV/AIDS in 1985 and fights to survive. It opens on Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre, Regal Crocker Park and Cinemark Valley View. McConaughey must have made a…
Coach’s Favorite: What’s it Like Being the Daughter of a Legend?
There’s a question all high school girls wait for in the spring of their senior year. We go on Lord of the Rings like journeys from Great Northern mall all the way to Beachwood, searching for the dress of our seventeen-year-old dreams. We make fantasy drafts of who’s going to be in our limos and…
Words With Friends: Singer-Songwriter Joseph Arthur Puts His Poetry into Motion on New Trilogy
Given that he titled his latest album The Ballad of Boogie Christ, you’d think singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur had a religious upbringing. But that’s simply not the case. “I had no religion at all,” says Akron-born Arthur via phone from his New York home. “I would go to Akron Jewish summer camp, and I’m not Jewish.…
A New Boom: Cleveland’s Rebirth as a (Comedy) City
Cleveland is a weird city and I mean that in the best way possible. When I started performing in April of 2008, we were mostly a LeBron-based economy. The comedy scene was unknown to me and everyone else in the city. There was only one weekly comedy show: Monday’s Chucklefck open mic hosted by Jim…
Blurred Lines: Sensations Metric Get Cerebral on Synthetica
Shortly after metric guitarist James Shaw met Torquil Campbell who’s now the singer in the indie pop group Stars, the two became roommates. Campbell had an extensive record collection, and he and Shaw would often blow off their homework to smoke weed and listen to albums. While that kind of behavior doesn’t usually reap any…
Believeland Version 5.0: Glad Tidings From the Future
As the 22nd century dawns in a swirl of climate chaos, mass migrations, and the rise of the white-girl retro-twerk, there’s one indisputable fact that all Americans can agree on: Cleveland is the place to be! While other parts of the country suffer through extreme weather events and the total submersion of centuries-old cities, here…
Here’s the Beef: Burgers 2 Beer Serves Up Patties From the Most Basic to the Tad Bit Crazy
Elie Chamoun is a member of the restaurant family that brought us Aladdin’s, Taza and a handful of other successful Cleveland chains, so when he has an opinion about the business of food, he’s not often wrong. When he and his business partners were planning to open a new restaurant in Highland Heights back in…
And Now, a Few Words From a Cat About Literature
To Whom It May Concern: I am Dr. Lazarus Pinkbottoms, and I’ve been a shop cat for about 10 years. I’m writing today to inquire about working as your bookstore cat. I pass by your store on my nightly hunt for any scraps of pizza left behind by packs of Bar Cento bros on West…
The Cleveland Craft Beer Report
Thanksgiving isn’t just food, family, and friends. The holiday also is an ideal time to crack open a tasty craft beer to pair with dinner or share with others. Selecting the wrong beer won’t ruin the feast, but picking the perfect pairing will make every bite that much better. Here are a few guidelines to…
12 Ways to Get Clevelanders to Share Your Article About Cleveland
So you’re writing something about Cleveland. Naturally, you want people to read what you’re writing about Cleveland. But they don’t have to necessarily care about what you’re writing, or even read it, so much as reflexively feel the need, based on a set of simple criteria – headline, boostertastic language, pictures of blight, celebrity mentions,…
Cleveland Gave Me a Boner (and Almost Killed Me): Wistful and Mostly True Remembrances of a West Coast Transplant Who Fell in Love With Cleveland
By the time the cab plowed into the snowbank, it was settled: Cleveland and I were through. It was a December morning, 2004. I’d arrived in Cleveland that Thanksgiving from Northern California, where I was born, raised and coddled into a brand of pansy largely unknown to Midwesterners – a man who did yoga and…
You Want Comedy? Take a Look in Your Backyard
My name is Ryan Dalton and I am a Cleveland comedian. What does that statement mean? Does it mean that I am a comedian that lives and only performs in Cleveland or that I am a certain breed of comedian? Does that mean that I am a nomadic joke slinger that happens to stop through…
You Can’t Escape the Curse of Cleveland: It’s Not Just About Sports, People
Cleveland’s sports teams are considered cursed- perennial losers, made to suffer, hopeless, always on the verge of agony. You know the names — “The Shot,” “The Fumble,” “The Move,” “The Decision” – and these moments have been burned into the collective psyche of a region. This curse is so strong, it affects more than just…
If You Can Make ’Em Laugh in Cleveland, You Can Make ’Em Laugh Anywhere
I heard Comedian Tommy Davidson say that a couple years ago during a radio interview. It’s no secret the media constantly rates Cleveland in the top of all the worst type of lists: Most Miserable City, Fastest Declining Population, Unemployment, Teen Pregnancy, NFL Franchise Playoff Appearances; you name it, we’ve failed at it. Cleveland has…
The Cleveland Comedy Issue
Hello, dear loyal readers or person who mistakenly stumbled on our site while searching for Michael Stanley wigs. Welcome to our inaugural comedy issue. The comedy scene here in Cleveland has been described by noted culture critics as “burgeoning,” “crack-a-lackin’,” “crack-a-whackin'” (see, we’re already off to a roaring start), “in existence,” “not horribly expensive for…
Your Complete Guide to Cleveland Concerts (November 21- 27)
THURSDAY NOV 21 Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Birthday Massacre/Emilie Autumn: 7 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Agora Ballroom. Lee Brice: 8 p.m., $26. House of Blues. Freddy Cole: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., $20-$30. Nighttown. Every Time I Die/Letlive/Code Orange Kids: 8 p.m., $15. Now That’s Class. Five Iron Frenzy/House of Heroes:…
