Rest Easy: The Save the Plain Dealer Campaign Finally Has a Theme Song
Our first reaction on learning the Save the Plain Dealer campaign has a folk song championing the cause: “Oh great, it’s four minutes long.” And those are some four minutes. “Ink on Paper” doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination. It lists all the reason Alex Bevan needs his Plain Dealer, and subtly hints how…
Concert Review: Matt & Kim at House of Blues
A Matt & Kim concert is more than just a concert. Last night before a sold out crowd at House of Blues, the duo pulled out all the stops. We’re talking confetti and balloons, sing-a-longs and crowd-surfing. Playing on an elevated platform atop the House of Blue’s stages, singer-keyboardist Matt Johnson and drummer Kim Schifino…
Thanksgiving in a Whole New Light
We have all seen the images in a commercial or print ad of a large family gathered around the dining room table for a warm, heartfelt Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings. Usually there’s a cheery fire in a big fireplace, and everybody is enjoying themselves — even the dog looks happy! Unfortunately, for many…
Power Rankings
A weekly roundup of the top newsmakers around town. 1. Phil Dawson: Even though the Browns had a bye week, their best player still somehow managed to score nine field goals. 2. RTA Drivers: A third driver in the last two months was assaulted by a rider. MMA training now mandatory for all new drivers.…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. The Atlantic Cities ranks the 20 best music cities in America, and Cleveland doesn’t make the list. Must cease using “Heart of Rock ’n’ Roll” moniker, begin using “Epiglottis of Rock ’n’ Roll.” An insurance company claims Cleveland is one of the worst cities for Smartphone theft. That…
Hey, Ohio, Let’s Secede!
Lest you think the rancor and hatred of the election season is slipping away quietly like Josh Mandel sneaking back to his tree fort in silence, check in with the petition drives posted on WhiteHouse.gov seeking support for various states to secede from the United States of America. Yes, the reelection of President Obama is…
Massillon rapper hosts launch party for new clothing line
Stalley, a Massillon native whose popularity has been slowly building in the hip-hop world thanks to a series of mixtapes (his studio debut is due out in 2013), launches his new clothing line Blue Collar Gang with a party he’s hosting tonight from 7-10 at Sneaker Villa in Tower City. The launch party will include…
Pic of the Day: Woman Holding ‘Idiot’ Sign
Shena Hardin, she of the sidewalk-driving, bus-avoiding fame, is enduring her public-shame punishment doled out by Judge Pinky Carr. She’s not speaking to reporters, but here she is holding her idiot sign. (Via NewsNet5)
Jonathon Sawyer the Pretzel King
LeBron might be gone, but there is a new King at The “Q”. The Pretzel King has arrived and he is the one and only famed chef Jonathon Sawyer. The second stadium venture (after sawyer’s street frites) for Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef/Restaurateur will showcase his ability to take simple, classic ingredients and…
Jim Perko & Tri-C Talk about Healthy Cooking
One of the area’s foremost experts on healthy eating, Cleveland Clinic Executive Chef Jim Perko, will be giving a lecture and demonstration on “lifestyle medicine” at Tri-C’s eastern campus tomorrow (Nov. 13), starting at 12:30. Perko has occupied his prestigious slot at the Clinic since 1998. You might also recognize him as Drs. Oz &…
Concert Review and Slideshow: Madonna at Quicken Loans Arena
One of the world’s most popular DJs, Paul Oakenfold is used to playing big rooms. So he was completely comfortable opening for Madonna last night at Quicken Loans Arena. While his relentless fist-pumps and head bobbing came off as rather cheesy, his set of progressive house music that included lively remixes of Blur’s “Song 2”…
Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall
If you have not been to Severance Hall lately, this would be a very good weekend to find out why the Cleveland Orchestra continues to rank among the best in the world. And even if you have been to Severance Hall lately, you will not want to miss this weekend’s program. It opens with Beethoven’s…
It’s Bacon Time
I’m looking forward to being a judge at The Great Sugardale BAC-ON competition tomorrow at the Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center. In honor of the swine, I have prepared my taste buds by sampling some of the best bacon dishes in town. I wanted to make sure my mouth was firing on all…
Another RTA Bus Driver Attacked By Passenger
What the hell is happening out there on the RTA routes? You’ve got to be thinking along the same lines. In just the last few months, we’ve seen a spat of incidents where passengers lash out at drivers — and, of course, a driver giving it back in kind. But this week saw another violent…
JORDI SAVALL AT CMA
The Cleveland Museum of Art set an exquisite tone for the opening its Renaissance galleries later this year with a performance by early music master Jordi Savall and his Hespérion XXI ensemble last night. The refined music and tasteful style of the ensemble were a perfect fit for the museum’s coming-out celebration after years of…
Concert Review: Pierce the Veil at House of Blues
Clevelanders can take a lot of things, but being mistaken for Pittsburg isn’t one of them. Lucky for Pierce the Veil singer Vic Fuentes, who complimented the wrong city at last night’s sold out show at House of Blues, the band’s set had (and kept) the crowd so rowdy, no one really noticed. It helped…
Get Ready Valley View and Independence
Valley View and Independence both have an incredibly diverse restaurant scene. It is one of the few areas in Northeast Ohio that offers a successful combination of both chains and independents. Once in a while a chain falters, as in the case of Hoggy’s. But as a ’cue junkie, I am excited to announce the…
Power Rankings
A weekly roundup of the top newsmakers around town. 1. Josh Mandel’s Cousins : Mandel’s extended family writes an open letter in the Cleveland Jewish News decrying Josh’s backward views on gay marriage. Also, he never brings back the Tupperware. 2. Stevie Wonder: The legendary singer’s pro-Obama performance at Cleveland State draws less than 200…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. Sherrod Brown and his lovely wife, Connie Schultz, are caught on camera “dancing” at a Jay-Z performance at an Obama rally, thus locking up the coveted “teenager at a middle school dance” demographic. The BBC broadcasts live on election night from Melt in Cleveland Heights, giving the world…
Letters We’d Like to Get
Dear Scene: The recent Presidential election brought a lot of attention to our state. Now that it’s all over, we want to remind everyone that Ohio is a lot more than a battleground for 18 hotly contested electoral votes. There are so many amazing attractions here! For instance, have you visited the Human Fingers in…
The Look of Genesis
For almost 20 years now, Montreal’s the Musical Box has been re-creating Genesis concerts from the early ’70s and paying attention to every last detail in the process. For the current tour, the band will play the 1974 concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Founder Sébastien Lamothe, who plays bass in the group,…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Mike Doughty The Flip is Another Honey (Snackforce/Megaforce) The former Soul Coughing front man puts a twist on the typical covers album. The opening track, “Sunshine,” for example, finds him rapping over a John Denver sample. He does something similar with songs by Cheap Trick, Stone Roses and Randy Newman. A refreshing take…
On the Border
University Circle bills itself as the “Neighborhood without borders.” In most regards, it’s a spot-on description of the vibrant area that’s currently undergoing unparalleled and unrivaled development. Last month, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland celebrated the grand opening of its new $32 million home at the corner of Euclid Ave. and Mayfield Rd. It…
Savage Love
DEAR READERS: I’m writing this week’s column in a drug-induced coma. Well, not quite a coma, but close. I was fighting a cold for two weeks, and the cold won: It morphed into an insanely painful sinus infection—you know it’s bad when your doctor urges you to err on the side of too much Vicodin,…
Forgotten Treasures
A square mouth bares square teeth set in a tan face. Two stubby arms are held parallel to the chest, grasping or making fists. The figure’s aggressive stance is reinforced by the authority implicit in the litter that carries him, and the elaborate spotted and jaguar-faced patterns of his dress and vehicle. This “Figure with…
Abandon Expectations
We’ve all seen that famous optical illusion drawing. The one where, depending how you look at it, it either shows a young woman in an elaborate hat with her face turned away, or an old woman wearing a simple headscarf. While some can see only one image or the other, many are able to see…
Vintage Eats
From time to time, this column will visit Cleveland culinary landmarks — places that have stood the test of time and still offer unforgettable meals, unbeatable prices, and unique dining experiences. Grumpy’s Café A landmark is a place that stands the test of perseverance. Eight years ago, Grumpy’s Café was tested when it experienced a…
Culinary Calendar
Thursday, November 8 Bistro 185’s Last Chance Lobster and Clambake The good folks at Bistro 185 are well aware that Cleveland is in the twilight of clambake season. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, they want to ensure that you can get your fill of lobster and clams. Known for their pioneering “farm to table”…
Slightly Askew
Though The Tilted Kilt is not homegrown, it occupies a key spot downtown as the closest restaurant to the front door of Cleveland’s newest and largest tourist attraction, the Horseshoe Casino. So it’s worth a look to see what kind of culinary impression it will leave on visitors, and whether the chain pub and restaurant…
Dawn of the Dead
What were two 30-something software experts thinking when they left their stable jobs to jump into a start-up, let alone a start-up that is basically the Yelp of the funeral home world? Basically, there was a niche, and Mike Belsito and Bryan Chaikin had a solution. At least they thought they did. But would anyone…
One Bad Trip
The opening scene in writer-director Julia Loktev’s (Moment of Impact, Day Night Day) film The Loneliest Planet, which opens Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre, is a shot of a naked girl attempting to take a shower by having her boyfriend drench her with hot water from a teapot. The film is about a couple…
Sexual Healing
There are movies you enjoy, and there are those that make you squirm. Compliance, for example, which played here in September, was a squirmer, a maddening drama based on the true story of a fast-food manager who strip-searches an employee at the behest of a prank caller posing as a cop. The Sessions, written and…
Band of the Week
Meet the Artist: J.P. Hamm (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Mitch Kozub (vocals, banjo), Billy Whitlock (vocals, washboard), Zak Mills (vocals, mandolin) and Kevin Hines (vocals, upright bass) Making a Name Locally: The band originally started as a duo but when Kozub and Hamm shared a bill at the old Quarryman’s Tavern, the owner listed them…
Opening: Skyfall
The latest James Bond film might suffer a bit from its protracted ending, but that’s a minor point of contention. Released on the 50th anniversary of the franchise, this is a heady, smart movie that takes on a socially relevant theme about fighting terrorism and espionage in the complex postmodern world. The movie starts with…
CD Review: Simeon Soul Charger
One of the more intellectually-minded bands kicking around Northeast Ohio, Simeon Soul Charger looks back with fondness to the proggy days of Jethro Tull, Yes, and the Moody Blues. Their latest offering is a concept album that the band has said is about “an alien race that descends upon a city ruled by a tyrannical…
A Kick-Ass Campaign
Since forming in 2007, Affiance has slowly built up its following by steady, nearly relentless touring. It’s had some help along the way. Its 2007 debut, Calm Before the Storm, a six-track EP, quickly caught the attention of Bullet Tooth Records, a well-respected metal label. In fact, label head Josh Grabelle has been quoted as…
A Diamond in the Rust Belt
When Black Keys drummer Pat Carney picked up and moved from Akron to Nashville, he left a tremendous amount of cool retro gear behind in his recording studio. For the Cleveland-based instrumental act Emeralds, Carney’s loss became their gain. Last year, they spent a month (26 days to be exact) recording their new album, Just…
