Madden meets the library
Fines must be way down at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. Why the heck else would they be hosting a month-long, countywide Madden tournament? The library’s Carla Davis calls it a “re-branding effort” to entice the teens (though all ages can register). “Kids love the library until age 10, then there’s a sharp drop-off,” she…
Fulwood Watch: Sam discovers that people get old
Headline: Daddy’s just fine; how are your folks? Date: December 5, 2006 Topic: Tre’s dad (“The Deus”) is getting old, and Sammy is feeling pangs of guilt because he doesn’t visit him enough in North Carolina. Solution: write about him from afar. Originality: 3/10. As Sammy himself points out, it has been a full year…
Leading cat responds to mutilation case
A spokesman for the National Feline Association had this to say to “Kitten Killer” William Whitlow, sentenced by a Lake County judge to four years in prison for murdering and mutilating two kittens.
Beacon has best Cavs coverage
Larry Hughes returns to practice If, like me, you depend on The Plain Dealer for the best inside dirt on the Cavaliers, you’ve been getting hosed the last few days. Because it’s been the Akron Beacon-Journal’s Brian Windhorst who’s reported on Larry Hughes’s returning to practice, the Knicks’ possible interest in swapping Channing Frye for…
This Just In: Concerts
The Black Keys, the world’s most powerful band, sold out Akron’s Lime Spider in just six minutes. The year’s best-selling album comes alive Sunday, January 14 at the Wolstein Center, with High School Musical: The Concert. The show will feature most of the original cast, except Troy, who’s busy filming the movie version of the…
You Suck, Axl Rose Rules
Wow. D.X. Ferris’s article on GNR’s timeline is so full of inaccuracy, it’s not even funny. If you’re going to publish someone’s personal vendetta, at least make sure they know what they’re talking about. There are SEVEN inaccuracies in his story. That’s a pretty hefty number for a single piece. Buckethead (who has worked with…
Ferris returns fire
I like Guns N’ Roses as much as the next guy. Probably more. But if I liked them as much as Mr. Green does, I’d be little edgy too. After waiting for over a decade for some new music from GNR, he’s understandably upset with the bearer of bad news. First, let me address his…
The right to pack heat
I am a CCW permit holder and a competitive rifle and pistol shooter. I carry my sidearm whenever I go to visit friends and family in less than savory neighborhoods, as the police are stretched thin and people are on their own should anything unfortunate happen. I have to travel many miles out of my…
Using the N-word
Nigger, what a powerful word. In society, blacks use the word on a daily basis. On TV. In the movies. In music. In real life. With black role models using the word so often to sell their art forms, the word has become almost mainstream. Why is it okay for blacks to use this word…
Connie Schultz set to return
After surviving for months off the scraps of Kim Crow, fans of The Plain Dealer’s Arts and Life section will finally get to feast on the words of Connie Schultz come January, when the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist plans on returning to work. The question is whether they’ll be feasting on the same Connie Schultz as…
The real Nativity Story
“Hi. My name’s Gabriel. Are you Mary?” “I am.” “I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but you are going to become the mother of the son of God. He is going to be called Jesus Christ and he will be really, really famous.” “WHAT??!! Are you crazy?” “No, it’s true. You will be…
Ohio’s becoming the Sphincter State
Some persons have said they plan to leave Ohio because voters approved a statewide ban on smoking and gambling last month. Their attitude illustrates that if Ohio is serious about economic development, the state should be more tolerant of individual differences and tastes. This year Ohio withdrew a welcome mat from people who enjoy smoking…
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Since we reported on the opening of the Christmas Story House a couple weeks ago, it seems everybody wants a piece of Ralphie’s action. ABC News, USA Today, and NPR have all done features on the 111-year-old Tremont structure. The house — which was featured in the 1983 classic — was purchased by 30-year-old Californian…
XO Prime: Steakhouse to the Stars
Warehouse District restaurateur Zdenko Zovic has been keeping late hours. It seems his svelte, sexy salon, XO Prime Steaks, has become partycCentral for Cleveland’s pro athletes. “We get the Browns players, the Cavs players, and all of their friends, whenever there’s a home game,” he says nonchalantly, as if he were discussing his granny’s canasta…
How a stadium deal gets done
Forest City, ruler of Cleveland and close personal friend of Satan, even has influence over the Oakland A’s With news of a proposed soccer stadium in Summit County, and considering our city’s tortured history with sports stadiums, there’s an interesting story in Scene’s sister paper, the East Bay Express, about the Oakland A’s impending move…
Downtown goes bowling
What’s harder than getting a suburbanite to come downtown? Getting them to stay, once the game, the play, or the concert is over. “The Indians could win the pennant and parade down Euclid Avenue,” complains one testy downtown restaurateur. “The sidewalks could be thronged! But ten minutes after it was over, everyone would get into…
Roadkill Poachers?
The Associated Press recently reported that the Ohio Department of Transportation is officially “fed up” with “roadkill poachers.” These are folks who pillage hooves and heads from roadside carcasses, then fashion them into “novelty items such as chairs, couches, gun racks, chandeliers, belt buckles, knife handles and even marijuana pipes,” according to AP. ODOT says…
Where are the cops in Twinsburg?
I doubt you’ve ever heard of Twinsburg or its township. I’m a minor living in the township, a predominately black neighborhood. I was raised there. It’s the only home I know. Growing up, there was always police on patrol, some glaring at everyone (even kids) as if we were criminals. But when you enter the…
Revenge of a Scene reader
Two years ago, we ratted on George Beros, of Shaker Heights, who along with six others was indicted in a Denver federal court for allegedly scamming investors from 31 states and four foreign countries of $56 million [“The Con Is On,” May 5, 2004]. Prosecutors say they created a number of legitimate-looking front companies, one…
MAC life: It ain’t that easy going big
C-Notes loves Mid-American Conference football. The ratio of diplomas to NFL contracts is something like 50 to 1, which means their helmets are screwed on pretty straight. Nobody’s a pushover, either: In the last three years, almost every team has gone to a bowl game — well, except for Kent State [“Gone in a Flash,”…
A word from a pissed off relative
I find your article [“The Wrong Crowd,” April 12] not only offensive, but inaccurate. You don’t care that what you write hurts the people involved. You should be ashamed of what you do. You expose people’s lives to a media-controlled society that believes what you print, right or wrong. Your reporters and your magazine make…
Frank Jackson’s first year
This morning on 90.3 WCPN’s Sound of Ideas, a panel of esteemed journalists were discussing the first-year accomplishments of our great mayor, Frankie G. By the time I tuned in, they had finished outlining what I can only imagine was an illustrious list of accolades, and had moved on to pontificating about the future. Tax…
Hookers are people too
If your life — or your genitals — has ever been touched by a prostitute, be sure to pay your respects on December 17, the annual memorial day for hookers. Vanessa Forro, a former call girl, organized the vigil on the West Side to pay respects to murdered prostitutes — those who have gone down,…
Cleveland Show Proves Fateful for GNR Opener
One show into their scheduled 15-city tour with Guns N’ Roses, the Eagles of Death Metal have been banished from Axl Rose’s camp. The band, which features Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme, was berated by fans at its Quicken Loans Arena show last week. When Rose finally took the stage later, he…
Real-Life Borats
We’re not usually ones to recommend a trip to the Plain Dealer’s website — it’s like trying to navigate Uzbekistan with a 1973 map of Pennsylvania — but Sabrina Eaton scored a great story about a bunch of real-life Kazakhstan filmmakers trying to make a documentary in Ohio. Because everyone is talking about Borat, nobody…
Microwave Mom
It looks like the story of the baby-microwaving mom has made it all the way to China and getting front-page play in the New York Daily News. For those of you who haven’t heard, this Dayton mother of four (pictured) is accused of stuffing her month-old baby in a microwave and burning the child to…
A New Game at Jacobs Field
How much is Jacobs Field worth? According to the new Monopoly Here & Now game for mobile phones, it’s going for the bargain rate of $600,000. The popular board game’s digital-era makeover comes complete with animated tokens (featuring such 21st-century staples as laptops and cell phones) and new properties, which span N.Y.C. to San Francisco.…
Songs of sexual adventure
Big Pat Masalko We suggest you don’t take preschoolers, your cousin the nun, or any card-carrying member of the Christian Coalition to the Blood, Sweat & Beers concert on Dec. 15 at the Barking Spider. The Canton-based duo of Patrick “Big Pat” Masalko and Eric Rine have made it a musical point to write lyrics…
Club Argos: A new gay sports bar
Like some omen from the heavens, a simple desk calendar can take the credit for naming Cleveland’s latest addition to its gay-club scene. Brian Kaufman-Butler opened Club Argos (2032 West 25th St.; 216-781-9191) with an invite-only grand opening on Nov. 16 to show off the $100,000 he dumped into the place to make it an…
Around the Corner swap meet
Here’s a way to clean out your closets and drink yourself under the table all at the same time. On the first Wednesday of the month, Around the Corner bar in Lakewood hosts a swap meet of clothes and accessories. If you pony up $10 for a display table, you can spread around your hand-me-downs…
Ted Diadiun’s suggestion box
Plain Dealer reader rep Ted Diadiun, when he’s not busy playing solitaire with a Ted Diadiun-themed deck of cards, frequently sends out e-mail queries to readers, asking for their input on the topics of the day. Recently he asked us to chime in on the hot-button issue of immigration. If we could rewrite the U.S.…
Concert update
Incubus plays the Agora Saturday night. Anti-Flag/Alexisonfire/the Explosion: Tue., March 13, 6 p.m., $15. House of Blues. Big Head Todd & the Monsters: Sun., Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m., $16.50. House of Blues. Andrew Bird: Mon., Jan. 15, 8 p.m., $15 ADV/$17 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Blitzen 2: Adam F/Donald Glaude/Jackal & Hyde/T-1000/IE.Merg/Omar Santana/BBoy3000: Sat., Dec. 16,…
Obey the Hair
Captain Hairdo Mel Kiper, draft analyst for ESPN, had Tony Romo going in the 5th round to the Browns. You know how that turned out. Just as I prepared to click off the TV this morning, the cheery hosts of Cold Pizza, including the quasi-hot Dana Jacobsen, hooked me with a tease about Tony Romo…
Sherwin-Williams protesters take on The Q
If you were headed for The Q last night, it might have been wise to stay clear of the Sherwin-Williams suite. ACORN was outside protesting the company’s refusal to spring for the removal of lead paint from older homes in Cleveland, many of which house low-income families. “They sold it knowing it was poisonous, particularly…
Happy Dog, Dead Milkman
Late-breaking show annoucement: Dead Milkmen singer-guitarist Joe Jack Talcum will play a rare solo acoustic show at the Happy Dog (5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474 ) Saturday, December 2. Opening the show will be Philly country-punks Ukebox and local indie-rockers. Recommended strategy to get him to play unplugged versions of “Bitchin’ Camaro” and “Punk Rock Girl”:…
What About Bob?
A man — let’s call him White Rock Man — slouches in the back of a bus, idling at the side of a steep stretch of road. Allowing the engine to cool, the bus sits between two cities and a pair of gigs: last evening in Sacramento and tonight at the Crystal Palace, which is…
Cul de Sac
Back in the early ’90s, record store clerks generally filed Cul de Sac under “alternative.” But the recent reissue of 1992’s ECIM proves the New England quartet shared little in common with the punked-out alt-rock acts of the day. Far more eclectic, the nearly all-instrumental Cul De Sac embraced the mid-’70s krautrock of Can and…
Our top DVD picks for the week of November 28:
The Ant Bully (Warner Bros.) Criminal Minds: The First Season (Paramount) Dane Cook: Vicious Circle (HBO) The Ellen DeGeneres Show: DVD-licious (Warner Bros.) Foo Fighters: Skin and Bones (RCA) Hot Wheels Accelerators: The Ultimate Race (Warner Bros.) Joan of Arcadia: The Second Season (Paramount) Jamie Kennedy’s Blowin’ Up (Paramount) Little House on the Prairie: Special…
Fiddling Around
Klezmer music is — dare we say it? — hot again. With the Klezmatics’ Woody Guthrie tribute and Golem’s brand of punk klezmer, traditional Jewish folk music is suddenly the buzzworthy sound of 2006. At tonight’s Dueling Fiddles: Klezmer Country concert, folks can get a taste of the fiddle-zipping tunes that have been around for…
The Morning After
When you’re My Morning Jacket, catastrophe takes the form of a breakup. It comes after three achingly beautiful albums and close to a decade of paying your dues, touring at increasingly large venues for growing crowds. It comes while critics are busy drooling about the deeply soulful, reverb-drenched sound of your major-label debut, It Still…
TK Webb
Contrary to popular opinion, white boys and blues entails more than just guitar studs lifting licks from B.B. King and harp-blowing hopefuls woodshedding to Sonny Boy Williamson records. When Dylan turned electric in 1965, he used blues forms as a launching pad for his highly personal poetics. Soon thereafter, Jagger and Richards followed suit, abandoning…
Settling the Scores
@cal body 2 no indent:Everyone knows that John Williams wrote the music to Star Wars. But very few are aware that Conrad Pope also had a hand in that classic soundtrack. Pope was the one who translated Williams’ ideas into a language that the orchestra could understand. Dozens of other movies (including the Harry Potter…
Silicone Valley
Porn star Tera Patrick is at the Diamond Men’s Club in the Flats this weekend. The star of Nice Rack 4 and Jaw Breakers will discuss how last month’s election will affect the political climate for 2007. Naw — she’ll actually be taking off her clothes and dancing. Dec. 1-2, 9 p.m. & midnight
Lockwood Remembered
The day after respiratory failure claimed the life of local blues legend Robert Lockwood, more than 100 musicians and fans came together at Fat Fish Blue to mourn the 91-year-old’s passing. It’s the downtown club where Lockwood’s Wednesday-night residency became a hallmark of Cleveland nightlife since its inception back in 1989. “He was definitely a…
Meat Beat Manifesto
Most mall goths consider Meat Beat Manifesto an industrial band. And while the group recorded for the seminal Wax Trax imprint, MBM’s new DVD Travelogue Live ’05 proves the group is no more industrial than Trent Reznor is shocking — especially when watching goofy-faced Jack Dangers croon wistfully over the programmed bleeps ‘n’ bloops of…
Yee-haw Rudolph!
@cal body 1 no indent:When you’re done waiting in line for a PlayStation 3, make time to take in the natural sights, smells, and sounds offered by Lake Metroparks Farmpark’s Country Lights. The seasonal program features horse-drawn wagon rides around the serene grounds, which glow with many colorfully lighted displays. @cal body 1:There’s also tons…
Friends in Need
@cal body 2 no indent:In Old Joy, two thirtysomething pals go on a camping trip that’s as much about restoring their strained relationship as it is getting back to nature. Will Oldham (the mastermind behind the alt-country projects Palace Brothers and Bonnie Prince Billy) plays the rootless Kurt, who prepares for the weekend by replenishing…
Kaskade
In the studio, the Kaskade tag refers not only to deep-house DJ and producer Ryan Raddon, but also to his long list of collaborators. Spanning dozens of singles and EPs, as well as three home-listening albums, Finn Bjarnson has co-written nearly every track in the Kaskade catalog. He also receives frequent instrumental contributions from house…
Roger Hoover and the Whiskeyhounds
Jukebox Manifesto bleeds tried-and-true roots-rock tropes, but it’s no recycled tribute. Leaning on a B3 organ, Justin Gorski fills the songs with blues, and Roger Hoover’s rough, soul-weary tenor completes the old-time country crossover. “Inside His Devil Grin” barrels forth over a locomotive beat as Hoover bemoans soldier boys who come home in boxes. “Gewgaw…
Circle of Life
@cal body 1 no indent:University Circle gets in the spirit of the season at today’s Holiday CircleFest. The 13th annual outing features live music, hands-on activities, and other holiday offerings at more than 20 University Circle museums, galleries, and venues. Best bets: a free performance by Cleveland Orchestra’s Youth Orchestra at the Cleveland Institute of…
L.A. Confidential
When he’s not onstage telling jokes, Harry Basil is making movies. The New Jersey native — who won a filmmaking award when he was 18 — has three indie horror flicks in post-production right now. So it’s not surprising that much of Basil’s stand-up act revolves around Hollywood. Basil uses props, soundtrack music, and an…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra delivers its annual holiday performances with the subtlety of Meat Loaf squeezing into a Santa outfit. The 10-year-old project, conceived by ’80s metal singer Jon Oliva, former Scorpions manager Robert Kinkel, and composer Paul O’Neill, transforms Christmas classics into full-blown heavy metal symphonies. Guitar acrobatics, Yuletide synths, and triumphant string arrangements zing…
King Travolta
The cover features a brawny figure sporting Kiss makeup; she has syringes for arms, and a field of cannabis leaves surrounds her. Seldom has cover art so perfectly telegraphed an album’s contents: Inside lies 53 minutes of certain doom. It’s the eighth release this year from the hyperactive stoner-metal minds behind Fistula and Ultralord. A…
Sweet Transvestites!
@cal body 2 no indent:It’s hard to say exactly why Cleveland Public Theatre is staging The Rocky Horror Show during the holidays. But the tale of a mad transsexual from Transylvania — the first show ever staged by Cleveland Public Theatre years ago — makes for a nice break from all the heartwarming airings of…
Senses Succeed
Like many emo bands, Senses Fail owes a lot to its MySpace friends list. Its second album, Still Searching, recently debuted in the Top 15, thanks to a legion of online fans who’ve been buzzing about the new songs since summer. True to its New Jersey roots, Senses Fail is a bit scruffier than its…
Brazilian Girls
World music too often involves pony-tailed dorks chanting about global love over an African children’s hand choir. Or at least it did before the Brazilian Girls dropped their latest effort, Talk to La Bomb. Converting hipster clubs into wild international soirees, the Girls espouse a love of “pussy, pussy, pussy” and “marijuana” in five languages…
Rebel Girl
For its debut, Rebel Girl rerecorded its former band’s album, Sugar’s 11 After. Giving it a rockier edge, Old Enough works if you can ignore the manufactured punk attitude: misplaced F-bombs and one too many “let’s go” chants. Nevertheless, the band laces its ’80s rock with decent harmonies and indelible hooks, enhanced by producer and…
The Gift of Fists
@cal body 1 no indent:Gladiators Fighting celebrates the holidays with some Seasons Beatings tonight. The Caged Vengeance event begins with nine North American Amateur Fight Series brawls, featuring such bruisers as John “The Showstopper” Hedges and John “The Mongoose” Myers. Three pro bouts — with guys like Ryan “The Lion” Madigan and Torrance “The Tyrant”…
Martina McBride’s The Joy of Christmas
Martina McBride knows good corn from bad. Take last year’s Timeless, the Nashville vet’s goodhearted tribute to old-school country music: Instead of drowning the tunes in sentimental schmaltz, the singer emphasized the homespun universality of the material; McBride went Hallmark, but not in a way that made you queasy. This could change, however, with McBride’s…
Lake Effect
hen we spoke with East Side restaurateur Fabio Salerno over the summer about his plans for an Italian restaurant in Tremont, his vision seemed to tend toward casual comfort, with a moderately priced menu of pizza and pasta that would stand in contrast to the area’s trendier boîtes. But by the time Salerno actually opened…
Seasonings’ Greetings
@cal body 1 no indent:WinterShow 2006, this year’s edition of the annual event at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, showcases the homegrown, freshly baked, and handmade. @cal body 1:Kids can create scented ball-shaped pomanders as well as graham cracker houses. Meanwhile, Spice Islands offers a snoutful of seasonal seasonings, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Garden rep…
Cattle Decapitation
If you think California vegetarians are pansies, crank Karma. Bloody. Karma. , Cattle Decapitation’s latest. With lyrics depicting such unsettling images as humans dangling from meat hooks and rake-blade acupuncture, Karma serves as the latest document in the San Diego quartet’s 10-year transformation from spastic grindcore to devastating death metal. Of course, the cover art…
Screw Your Waiter
In a development hailed by tightwads and chickenshits everywhere, San Franciscans Stone and Nikkie Melet have launched TurtleTip.com, a new website they claim provides “a clever solution for turning bad restaurant service into a good experience.” The key lies inside the company’s “Turtle Packs,” little sticker packets “complete with pictures of a sleepy looking cartoon…
Funk Soul Brothers
@cal body 1 no indent:At tonight’s Funk Jazz Lounge, you may hear the next Marvin Gaye, Norah Jones, or Danity Kane. “It’s the difference between old-school crooners and new-school blues,” says organizer Noah Williams. The open-mic night welcomes local musicians and poets every Friday and Saturday at the B-5, and includes an eclectic set of…
Peter Walker
Like moms at a Macy’s underwear sale, indie scenesters have dug deep and unearthed yet another hidden treasure: acoustic guitarist Peter Walker. In the early ’60s, Walker ran a guitar shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while the seminal folk label Vanguard released two albums featuring the instrumentalist’s steel-string guitar work. He then married, developed a profound…
Big Baby Jesus
No, the Virgin Mary doesn’t get high on aerosol fumes, and Joseph doesn’t ride in on a skateboard, but in most other respects, The Nativity Story is less of a departure for Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown director Catherine Hardwicke than you might have imagined. From our first glimpse of Nazareth teenagers making goo-goo eyes…
Not Your Grandma’s Craft Show
@cal body 2 no indent:At today’s Bazaar Bizarre — billed as a “punk-rock craft fair” — shoppers can find everything from hipster refrigerator magnets to “I Love My Vagina” panties. The arts-and-crafts shebang began in Los Angeles five years ago, and Cleveland is one of four cities to host the annual event. Dozens of vendors…
Destination Lakewood
In 2002, Pittsburgh author and urban studies professor Richard Florida made waves when he declared that the success of new modern cities could be seen in the number of artists, gays, and immigrants they attracted. At the time, it was a radical thesis, since city halls nationwide remained in hot pursuit of the magic bullet:…
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
Southside Johnny’s no homeboy, but back in the ’70s, when Cleveland began strutting its rock and roll stuff, we made him a favorite son. Of course, the Jersey boy’s ties to the Boss and the Cleveland International label certainly helped. But it’s Johnny’s blue-collar soul that ultimately endeared the Jukes to this hardworkin’ town. Beginning…
What a Ride
If you are lamenting the inevitable procession of familiar holiday entertainments, from Frosty the Snowman to the Grinch, you may be pleased to hear that there is a production now onstage — putatively about Christmas — that will challenge you on many levels and entertain you on nearly all. In The Long Christmas Ride Home,…
Road Rules
@cal body 1 no indent:Vic Ruggiero, frontman for N.Y.C. ska rockers the Slackers, isn’t bitter that the Great Ska Music Revival of the ’90s left his band behind. The fact they didn’t become modern-rock staples like Rancid and Sublime might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them, he says. “We were never the…
Devil’s Advocate
“Our next guest makes a living of protecting the rights of sex offenders,” Sean Hannity announces on Fox News. As introductions go, it’s just short of a punch to the face, but Hannity isn’t done yet. “If you are advocating to get these people free, do you want them to move in next door to…
Robbers on High Street
The new Fatalist and Friends EP finds Robbers on High Street ditching their post-punk leanings for cinematic rock anthems. Sure, songs such as the jaunty “Married Young” and the greasy, guitar-driven “Major Minor” arrive with as much swagger as the band’s debut, Fine Lines. But it’s the magic touch of Italian composer Daniele Luppi (Danger…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Greater Tuna — Say what you will about the decline of America, but there’s still no better country in the world for poking fun at rural hicks. More than 20 years ago, the trio of Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard decided to make a buck off rube-roasting with Greater Tuna, a slapped-together montage…
Life in Black and Blue
@cal body 1 no indent:Local artist Ervin Williams pays tribute to his second-grade teacher in The Colors of Life, a one-night exhibit that benefits the Genesis House, a Lorain County shelter for abused women. The 35-year-old painter recalls that his teacher used to come to school black and blue. “It’s never left my mind,” he…
Gone in a Flash
There was a moment, back in October, when Dix Stadium was more than just a dead slab of concrete rising from a barren field. It was an actual football stadium. Students in navy and gold face paint waddled through hordes of classmates, drunk and happy. Alumni huddled around tailgates, toasting their alma mater’s high-powered offense…
¡Forward, Russia!
Surprise, surprise: Yet another Top 40 act from Britain struggles for notoriety here in the States. That sucks, because all frivolous punctuation aside, ¡Forward, Russia! busts hard dance grooves, while singer Tom Woodhead shreds his throat Blood Brothers-style, and guitarist Whiskas slays with intensity comparable to At the Drive-In. The group’s live show will leave…
Ghostly Gifts
As we grow into adulthood, most of us become keepers of certain family traditions at the holidays. Then, it falls to us to decide which aspects of the season to hold on to without variation (keep buying the damn live tree, even though needles keep poking through socks past Easter) and which others to improve…
Hero Worship
@cal body 1 no indent:Flying ships, broken moons, and misunderstood monsters populate the canvases in Gallery One’s latest Dean Morrissey exhibit. The author and illustrator of the award-hogging children’s book Ship of Dreams will meet and greet fans at tonight’s opening. “He has a brain like a popcorn machine inside his head — it’s just…
Santiago vs. Santiago
When Councilman Joe Santiago took on Pablo Santiago (no relation) as a ward volunteer, Joe knew he was hiring a former gang member/heroin addict with multiple felonies on his résumé, including a rape conviction. Still, Joe believed everyone deserves a second chance. Even when Pablo was arrested in January for assault at Club Envy, Joe…
’80s Night, with DJ Larry Szyms
Unlikely but true: At the Pirate’s Cove’s ’80s night, after the clock strikes midnight, guess what really gets the dance floor going? No, not Madonna — though plenty of girls dress up like she did during her Like a Virgin phase, all decked out in mesh and lace. Not “Thriller,” though some enterprising scenesters take…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW Lifeboxes — Keep in mind one phrase when viewing this enigmatic but powerful exhibit by Cleveland artist Susan Umbenhour: “politics of space.” That’s the key to these heavily conceptual wooden “sketches” and sculptures, most of which underscore the subtly discriminatory effects of everyday architecture. Mother of a child with cerebral palsy, Umbenhour is keenly…
A Very Ralphie Christmas?
@cal body 1 no indent:Just in case TBS’ 472 showings of A Christmas Story aren’t enough to sate your hunger for Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB Gun, the Cleveland Play House brings the holiday classic to the stage tonight. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: Nov. 30. Continues…
Mercury Rising
A poisoned family sees the light: When my child was three, we were told by her specialist that she might be autistic. She was, however, never diagnosed and is doing well in school. A few years ago, she was doing a research paper for school and got a bit sidetracked. She came to me and…
The Killers of Comedy Tour
If you didn’t follow Howard Stern to satellite, you can catch up with your old drive-time friends at the Killers of Comedy Tour. Wack Pack favorites Beetlejuice, Sal the Stockbroker, Shuli, the Reverend Bob Levy, and Richard Christy will perform stand-up comedy, share anecdotes from the show, mix, and mingle. It’ll be a circus.
Extra! Read All About It
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (Warner Bros.) At long last, Richard Donner’s much-whispered-about “original version” of Superman II sees the light of day, and it quickly joins the ranks of the reconstructed Touch of Evil, Apocalypse Now, and Blade Runner as films made superior in the recutting and retelling. It’s an entirely different movie…
Lost Tribesmen
@cal body 1 no indent:In his new book, former Plain Dealer sportswriter Russell Schneider tracks down some of the Tribe’s most luckless players. Whatever Happened to Super Joe?: Catching Up With 45 Good Old Guys From the Bad Old Days of the Cleveland Indians rounds up nearly four dozen pitchers, outfielders, and others from the…
X at the Crossroads
For most, Exene Cervenka will forever be known as that girl in X — the mysterious punk princess unleashing off-kilter harmonies alongside singer and guitarist John Doe. With her dark humor and quirky sense of style, Cervenka had zero musical training when she bumped into Doe at a poetry workshop in the mid-’70s. But soon…
Jay-Z/Mick Boogie
As a thousand other critics have already noted, Jay-Z’s supposedly triumphant return to hip-hop feels more like Michael Jordan’s second comeback, when the dude hobbled about the court in a Wizards jersey. But Kingdom Come invites another NBA analogy: Jay-Z and his cast of all-star collaborators — a who’s who of the urban elite –…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
DVD — Live! Tonight! Sold Out!: This explosive look at Nirvana’s breakthrough 1991-1992 tour covers big concerts like a stadium show in Brazil as well as small gigs like a British TV appearance. In-concert performances of songs like “Aneurysm” and “Lithium” still resonate a dozen years after Kurt Cobain blew his brains out. TV –…
Made in Japan
@cal body 1 no indent:Take a good look at the instruments being used by the Tokyo String Quartet at its concert in Beachwood tonight. Collectively, the Stradivarius cello, viola, and two violins are known as the Paganini Quartet, since all were played by virtuoso violinist and composer Niccol Paganini in the early 19th century. The…
Let’s Active, Again
To grasp what Mitch Easter achieved in the early ’80s, you have to turn back the clock — to a time when simple guitar bands crafting bright melodies sounded fresh and new. In 1981, college radio couldn’t stop spinning “Radio Free Europe,” the first single Easter scored big with as a producer. Having just built…
Alan Jackson
Given his front-pew presence in the Mother Church of True Country Music, Alan Jackson’s delivery of an album that evokes such adjectives as “crossover” and even “progressive” might seem like heresy. Yet it’s his fealty to the genuine country spirit, ironically enough, that makes Like Red on a Rose such a bouquet for country fans…
School Daze
By now, you’ve probably heard about Bully. It’s the game that was supposed to finally ruin America’s youth. Crusading lawyer Jack Thompson, the self-appointed schoolmarm of the videogame industry, called it a “Columbine simulator” and tried to block stores from selling it. Lou Dobbs — who hasn’t seen a videogame he liked since Galaga –…
A Show About Snow
Medina artist Lou McCulloch has been selling homemade greeting cards and keychains online for three years, but the holiday-themed Wonderland marks her first show outside of cyberspace. @cal body 1:McCulloch’s “altered art,” in which she embellishes century-old photographs with treasures collected at antique shops and flea markets, is on view at the Log Cabin Gallery…
