DeWine, Blackwell: Time for a Backup Plan
The latest CNN poll: Likely voters:Brown (D) 51% DeWine (R) 43% Likely voters: Strickland (D) 59% Blackwell (R) 36% — Kevin Hoffman
Free Burritos, No Waiting
Mike Gallucci in Halloween garb. Chipotle Mexican Grill celebrates Halloween today by giving away its big-ass burritos to anyone who walks in dressed up like one of its tacos, salads, or burritos. We think other businesses and organizations around town should also get in the spirit of the season. For example, free shots to anyone…
Municipal Waste: What a Waste
Muni Waste: Just an off night? If you love ’80s crossover like we love ’80s crossover, Municipal Waste gets you geeked like few other bands have since 1986. The Virginia metal-hardcore fusion squad was in town Tuesday, October 17, opening for Gwar and the Red Chord at House of Blues. Our man on the scene…
LeBron: He’s Got Potential
He also plays basketball. Since I’m stuck in the middle ages with no TiVo, I, unlike more advanced creatures, still have to sit through commercials. For those of you who have forgotten, this really sucks. But my primitive ways did allow me to catch the debut of the new Nike basketball ads, featuring “The LeBrons,”…
Still Stuck for a Halloween Costume?
Tressel: Walk away if he mentions his “whistle.” It’s Halloween, which means I’m once again dressed as an uncreative alternative-weekly writer too lazy and self-conscious to go balls-out for one night. However, if Saturday night in the Warehouse District was any indication, your office should be chock-full of lovable characters. Among the best costumes stumbled…
Mushroomhead Halloween: No Pumpkins, No BS
Mushroomhead came on late — but strong. Based on previous incarnations of Mushroomhead’s legendary Halloween show, the band’s fans had high expectations. And the group delivered, in a big way. After sitting through six opening bands (Cleveland’s own Ventana being the highlight), the men in masks took the stage at just after midnight. Over the…
Plain Dealer Losing More Than Staff
Maybe you’ve noticed that The Plain Dealer just shed 17 percent of its workers. Now comes news that its losing readers too. According to the latest audit of the top 25 papers by circulation, The Plain Dealer lost .6 percent of its readers, making it the 17th biggest paper with 336,939 readers. But The PD…
Ohio Becomes Comedy Central as Daily Show Pays a Visit
Jon Stewart: Actually in Ohio. The Daily Show — the funniest TV show on television or anywhere else — begins its exclusive “Midwest Midterm Midtacular” tonight in Columbus. The Comedy Central program is spending the week in Ohio as part of its “Indecision 2006” election coverage; tonight’s guest is basketball legend-to-be LeBron James, who appears…
ESPN Radio Returns; a Sports-Talk Geek’s Dream?
Mike and Mike make a joyful noise. ESPN Radio is back in Cleveland . . . now maybe better than ever. AM-1540 WBKC began broadcasting under the ESPN banner over the weekend. The new station goes head to head with Fox Sports Radio affiliate WKNR, which dumped ESPN earlier this month. The new lineup seems…
Message from an unemployed Dad
August West, an unemployed father from Elida, Ohio, sent us a rather poignant video on Ohio politics, which can be viewed here. Here’s his explanation for his creation: Here in Ohio, working families are sick of all this crap. Out-of-work families are even more angry. I am laid off two years now, so I have…
A word from a bartender
I am a bartender. I do not smoke; I quit July 4, 2002. Every morning after I work I wake up with a stuffy nose and a cough. I have toyed with the idea of quitting, but I really enjoy every other aspect of the job. Besides, there are not very many non-smoking bars where…
Endorsing Sutula and Saffold?
In Cuyahoga County, deciding which judge to vote for is a lot like buying a pair of jeans — it’s all about the name on the ass. With so many Russos and Corrigans on the ballot, it’s hard to tell the genuine article from the real McCoy. And since the Common Pleas bench has never…
Rodney Bowling’s new scam
Look out Cleveland, it seems Rodney Bowling is back with a brand new scam. When last we saw the charming con artist (“Reality Bites,” December 21, 2005) Bowling was promising to make television stars out of local actors and businesses. Now he’s got a new scam, charming businesses into buying false sales leads. In April,…
The Great Horn Dog Revisited
We\’re pretty sure this picture speaks for itself.
Blacks against Blackwell
If you enjoyed our news story on Uncle Tom Blackwell this week, be sure to check out the website for Blacks Against Blackwell. Along with an interactive quiz, the site contains a hilariously over-the-top dialogue between President Bush and Blackwell, whom Bush allegedly called a “nut,” according to Bob Woodward’s new book. “But you promised…
Satanism and Spores: What’s Going on at Touch Supper Club?
And it don’t come cheap either, folks. Judging by his MySpace page, it’s hard getting around the notion that Dark Lord 10,000,000 might just be one sick #&%$ing bastard. We learn there that the Cleveland artist idolizes Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. There’s pictures of gore-porn chicks and dead babies, of demon children and…
An American Werewolf’s Faves of the Moment
Trevor digs Dion: You gonna tell him he’s wrong? Five fall classics from Trevor Moment, self-described “violent crooner” of American Werewolves. The snarling pack fuses old-school hardcore with ’50 s vocal pop. 5. The ?lan /?lan demo (Atom Age Vampire) A must for any death rocker! 4. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath The most evil album…
How to Be Gay This Halloween
Everybody’s coming out for Halloween. If nightlife is any indicator, then Cleveland’s gay community takes its partying a little more seriously than the rest of the club world, and they do it a bit more stylishly — especially at Halloween. It’s probably safe to assume that most bars will have some kind of Halloween bash…
What’s a Master Bartender? Let Rob Turek Show You
Bartender Rob Turek is the main attraction every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday night at Spy. The master-level “flairtender” juggles beer mugs, ignites drinks, and balances liquor bottles in the palms of his hands. Turek has competed at national tournaments in Las Vegas and gave demos at a mammoth Super Bowl blowout in Detroit last February.…
Mr. Britney Spears Backs Out of Cleveland Gig
This just in: Kevin Federline’s House of Blues show on November 9 has been canceled. No official word has been given as to why Mr. Britney Spears backed out, but we suspect it has something to do with lack of talent. — Michael Gallucci
Celebrity Cheers & Jeers: Dick Feagler
In our attempt to ride the enormously popular Plain Dealer feature “Cheers and Jeers,” which they in turn stole from another paper, C-Notes has contacted some of today’s hottest public figures to chime in on the week’s headlines. This week’s celebrity: Plain Dealer columnist Dick Feagler. Cheers: To the city of Lima for corralling the…
WTAM Newsman R.C. Bauer Migrates to Florida
Who says a simple high school diploma can’t take you places? Just take the case of R.C. Bauer. Clear Channel Cleveland has just announced that the 10-year director of radio-news programming is leaving WTAM-AM 1100 to step into the newly minted position of “Director of Information and Programming Services” for Clear Channel’s WFLA-AM 970 in…
Kiss at the Movies
Kiss unspools on the big screen. Diehard fans of Kiss know that the best show in the band’s 244-year history had to be the one at Detroit’s Cobo Hall back in 1976. (Which is also a tactful way of saying that it’s all been downhill for 30 years and counting.) The concert later became Kiss…
Brand-New Cleveland Concert Announcements
Wanna see Seger in December? Consult your nearest ticket scalper. THE LATEST CONCERTS SLATED FOR NORTHEAST OHIO: Brazilian Girls: Sat., Dec. 2, 9 p.m., $10 ADV/$12 DOS. Grog Shop. Burden of a Day: Tue., Nov. 14, 6 p.m., $6. Agora Ballroom. Gil Mantera’s Party Dream/Grand Buffet: Fri., Dec. 1, 9:30 p.m., $7, 21 and over/$10,…
My Chemical Romance Serves Up Fresh New Wuss Music
My Chemical Romance: No floats in this parade. Visit theblackparade.com to listen to a stream of My Chemical Romance’s new LP, The Black Parade (Warner Bros.). If you thought they sounded like Queen for the emo generation on their last disc, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet. Click here for the title track’s gothy video. The…
Cleveland Clinic Drops Stress, Anger Bombshell
Control Group B from the Clinic’s recent study. For those who let their subscriptions to Psychosomatic Medicine lapse: The Cleveland Clinic, Northeast Ohio’s top incubator for Arab sultan tourism, reports that people with high stress and hostility are more likely to develop diabetes. This, of course, does not bode well for Cleveland sports fans. Read…
Drinking the Haterade
Comedian Bobby Slayton likes his job, but it’s not his favorite thing. “My main love is staying home and watching porno,” he says. “Then drinking some wine and seeing my dog. And then watching The Sopranos. But as far as getting paid, I’d have to say stand-up is my main love.” Slayton says he finds…
Solid Deal
Canton’s Inhale Exhale has signed with Solid State Records, the extreme-music branch of Tooth & Nail Records. Located in Seattle, these independent labels have cultivated a loyal following with a roster of Christian bands that are favorites on the club circuit and Warped Tour, including the best-seller Underoath. Inhale Exhale straddles the line between technical…
How to Drink
Now in its 11th year, the Heinen’s/WVIZ World Series of Wine returns November 2 through 4, with 14 different events at venues throughout the city. The winery dinners and seminars are fab, of course, but the highlight are the three Grand Tastings, held in the Terrace Club at Jacobs Field, on Friday evening and twice…
Double Your Pleasure
GemINi, this weekend’s outing, is billed as a “performance duet” between Aaron Rapljenovic and Zoe Schultz; it uses performance art and dance to tell the story of the twins who inspired the astrological sign. Oct. 27-28, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 29, 3 p.m.
The Strawbs
While many 1970s British prog-rock bands sound quaintly dated these days (Yes, Moody Blues, Genesis), the Strawbs remain eminently listenable. Their best albums — Grave New World, Bursting at the Seams — sound even better today. Perhaps that’s because the Strawbs were far more song-oriented than their artier peers — they started out the Strawberry…
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead’s latest release finds the Cleveland icon more resolved and focused than ever. More raw and less produced than its predecessor, XIII, the disc is firmly new-school Mushroomhead. In the opening seconds of “12 Hundred,” drummer-producer Skinny’s double-kick blast and guitarist Gravy’s seven-string fury send the song into high gear as new singer Waylon asks,…
Portugal’s Best Metal
Moonspell takes its reputation as Portugal’s top heavy-metal band quite seriously. Its latest album, Memorial, piles on rapid-fire riffs and songs about death. We can’t figure out whether Fernando Ribeiro is singing in Portuguese or English, but it doesn’t matter: The ass-rattling and ear-shattering tunes translate in any language. Thu., Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
Mike Doughty
Cult fame through file-sharing has been only one part of the strange journey that has led former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty to where he is now, coming into his own as a singer-songwriter. Starting out as a doorman at the Knitting Factory, Doughty hooked up with a trio of über-hip experimental-jazz players in the…
Your Place or Mayan?
Like language, American cuisine has regional dialects, based on local history, ethnicity, and indigenous foods. From a food-lover’s perspective, the happy consequence is an entire country full of unique, regional eateries, featuring everything from she-crab soup in Charleston to perch and pierogies along the North Coast. Like signposts of particular places and memorable times, those…
Clay Time
Georgette Ore’s Rascal Ware comes courtesy of Don Pilcher’s wild imagination. The 60-piece exhibit of clay dishes and plates at the Canton Museum of Art is the product of the craftsman’s fictional Rascal Ware Pottery Company. Pilcher has even gone so far as to write a book about his fake identity. As the story goes,…
Sparta
When you listen to Threes — Sparta’s first release after losing founding member Paul Hinojos and switching from Geffen to Hollywood Records — it’s clear that the reformed and reenergized group is heading in a new direction. It seems to be settling into the “maturity” common to aging post-hardcore groups, shifting away from the Quicksand-like…
History Lessons
In a scene about halfway through Catch a Fire, freedom fighters — men and women boasting such nicknames as “Pete My Baby” and “Hot Stuff”– are being trained at an African National Congress safe house in Mozambique. Their ranks consist of South Africans who’ve been politicized by cruel life under apartheid rule, where, at any…
Even Junkies Get the Blues
On their latest album, Early 21st Century Blues, the Cowboy Junkies cover a bevy of peacenik artists. Songs by Bob Dylan (“License to Kill”), Bruce Springsteen (“Brothers Under the Bridge”), and U2 (“One”) are given the Junkies’ signature laid-back treatment. “With the climate of the world, this concept seemed right,” says guitarist Michael Timmins, one…
Brand New Sin
Since firing an opening shot with its self-titled debut in 2002, Brand New Sin has been building a solid reputation as a blend of everything you love about Corrosion of Conformity, Black Label Society, and Motörhead. Barely a year since the well-received Recipe for Disaster, Brand New Sin has returned with its third record, Tequila,…
Assassination Tango
Manufactured history guarantees manufactured controversy: Gabriel Range’s Death of a President, a docudramatization of the 2007 assassination of George W. Bush, has been preceded by a long, raucous fanfare. Excoriated on talk radio, damned as a snuff film, and banned by two theater chains, the British production has also garnered celebrity disapproval. It was criticized…
Full House Party
The acoustic pop group Buffali got its name from a song by the Olsen twins. After making an internet search on the tabloid regulars, the Wisconsin duo stumbled on a tune called “One Buffalo, Two Buffali.” “It was the first hit on Google, so we took it,” says Clare Fehsenfeld, who plays guitar and keyboards.…
London Calling
The world’s greatest punk band, the Clash, finally gets its due at the Rock Hall. Revolution Rock: The Story of the Clash features tons of memorabilia from group members’ personal collections, including clothes, instruments, and handwritten lyrics to many of their best songs, including “London Calling” and “Clampdown.” The exhibit also includes the bass Paul…
Black Label Society
If you asked Black Label Society guitarist-singer Zakk Wylde what kind of beer he most resembles, he’d probably spout out the name of a hearty stout or high-octane India pale ale. But Wylde is more Pabst Blue Ribbon than Guinness — white trash, cheap, and obnoxiously tasteless. He doesn’t get paid to be clean or…
A Guide to Recognizing Your Shrinks
“I guess it doesn’t matter where I begin,” reasons the adult narrator of Running With Scissors, the inevitable Oscar contender adapted from Augusten Burroughs’ wacky memoir of coming out as a gay teen in his adoptive guru’s carnivalesque commune. “No one is gonna believe me anyway.” No one? In fact — or until those equally…
Do the Time Warp
We can’t think of a better way of celebrating Halloween than with a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As fans know, it’s not about watching the 1975 cult fave; it’s about hurling water bottles and pieces of toast at the screen (prop kits are available for $7). It’s also about spotting the guy…
Costumes and Cocktails
The catfight between Paris and Nicole is apparently over, and bartenders Lauren Kuhlman and Jessie Rose will celebrate the good news by dressing up like the BFF’s tonight at Hamilton’s Celebrity Halloween outing. “But we’re crazier than the real Paris and Nicole,” says Kuhlman. As an added bonus, the pair will be pouring the club’s…
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s aren’t a buzz band. It’s more like a murmur, a secret barely whispered around mainstream and indie power centers alike — even with a fresh record deal from V2/Artemis and a spot on MTV News. Perhaps Artemis thinks it’s found the next Sufjan Stevens or Belle and Sebastian.…
Buried Alive
It is difficult to separate the individual from the state when a country’s leader decrees that anyone who disagrees with his policies is, in effect, a traitor. Of course, it’s substantially more comfortable for the head man to take that position once the entanglements of habeas corpus have been consigned to the dustbin. With that…
Pirate Radio
Conductor Chris Wilkins will wave his wand and summon pirate ghosts and tropical calypso music at today’s Caribbean Cruise, the first in a series of Akron Symphony Orchestra family concerts. “It’s not about education,” says Wilkins. “It’s about experience. I want [kids] to be exuberant, to experience the thrill of being there, taking in the…
Rolling Scared
Today is your last chance to have the crap scared out of you at Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends. And since this is the final performance of the year for all the ghouls, goblins, and flesh-eating monsters, expect a really enthusiastic performance. The main attraction remains the three haunted houses populated by chainsaw-wielding maniacs, limb-devouring zombies, and…
Boyz in the Hood
From 6 to 10 on a Friday night, in a little brick building stashed amid the neglect of Euclid Avenue, black kids get to be gay without looking over their shoulders. “Let’s pump this muthafuckin’ beat!” screams Poetry, a hulking figure who prances around in socks and a shirt that reads, “You don’t have to…
American Werewolves
As the American Werewolves sing: Tonight, they’re gonna get their kicks, tonight — just like the horror flicks. Cleveland’s top gloom-doom-horror bands will co-headline a special Halloween show. The Wolves’ blend of ’50s pop and old-school hardcore only gets smoother with age, and — unlike so-called emo bands — they can pack a song with…
Talked to Death
Pedophilia seems to be the psychosexual derangement of the day, what with the lurid IMs of La Cage Aux Foley and Dateline’s enduring obsession with spying on sweaty old guys trying to hook up with middle-schoolers. Disgusting as it all is, the stakes go even higher when the offense involves pedophilia and murder of a…
Dummy and Dummier
People snicker at Jeff Dunham’s distinction of being the only person crowned Ventriloquist of the Year twice by the International Ventriloquist Association. After all, talking dummies are what your parents used to watch for fun. But by the end of a recent appearance on Late Show With David Letterman, it was clear that this wasn’t…
Woman in the Mirror
After three twangy records in which she portrayed a road-weary troubadour, singer-songwriter Jess Klein looks inward on her new album. When she started writing songs for the sexy and pensive City Garden, Klein figured it was about time she put away her Everywoman voice and got a little selfish. “I really wanted to take a…
Desperate Husbands
Over the years, many a man has wanted to politely shank divorce lawyer Vince Stafford. That’s because Stafford and his big brother, Joe, are what are known in legal circles as “total pricks.” They’d smear a friendly Labrador if it meant earning their clients — and themselves — a few more bucks [“Monsters of Misery…
Bobby Lanphier Benefit
The Cowslingers are back in the saddle. Now splintered into the Whiskey Daredevils and Jack Fords, the ‘Slingers will reunite to play a benefit show for Daredevils guitarist Bobby Lanphier, who was seriously injured in an auto accident earlier this month. And if the one-time return of the country-fried Cleveland favorites isn’t enough, they’ll be…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Burn This — There are times when performers are called upon to surmount extraordinary obstacles, as happened to the Charenton group when their opening-night playing space was yanked out from under them by city functionaries. Undaunted, they transplanted this remarkable show to a different location in a couple of hours and turned in an astonishing…
Going Local
The Cleveland Institute of Art is giving local artists a morale boost with its latest exhibit, Startup Ink. The 100-piece display showcases drawings by Derek Hess, posters by Jak Prints, a portfolio of Alternative Press covers, skateboard designs by Factory 13, and pics of 252 Tattoo’s skin art. “We want these artists to be mentors…
Luche Libre Rock
Los Straitjackets know how to throw a party. If their new album’s surf-twang instrumentals don’t make you want to bust a move, the bonus DVD will: The World Famous Pontani Sisters burlesque troupe gets us all hot and bothered as they shimmy and shake to Los Straitjackets’ tunes. The mask-wearing Straitjackets (think Mexican wrestlers with…
Blacklash
Nothing about Lang Dunbar seems radical. A 70-year-old man in bifocals and a floppy hat, he possesses a genial smile and a Wal-Mart greeter’s enthusiasm. But you wouldn’t know it from the reactions of passersby as he hands out fliers near the entrance of the Cleveland zoo. An aging hippie with an earring and New…
Fat Fish Blue Halloween Concert Party
On the darkest of all nights, Fat Fish Blue becomes the Black Lagoon, and you can help summon the spirit of New Orleans at the blues hot spot’s fifth annual Halloween Concert Party, an all-ages parade of Cajun food, groovy music, eye-catching costumes, and best-disguise contests. Neo-soul combo the Robin Stone Band will preside over…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions.
NEW LAX to CLE — Approach this sculpture-and-sketch installation by Renee Lotenero with heightened sensitivity to texture, shape, and color. Lotenero, a Cleveland native living in Los Angeles, is essentially a sculptor who designs ceramic tiles. But that’s just the beginning of her story. Her real gift lies in forming elaborate structures out of incongruous…
Dada Says, “We’re Back”
Comedy troupe Something Dada officially launches its new name and venue tonight with a beer-and-wine blowout. The shindig will help the former Cabaret Dada raise some of the $10,000 it needs to renovate its new home in the Tower Press Building. “You’re going to see the space raw and unfinished,” says member Aaron Patterson. The…
Smack Down
It’s been almost a decade since Godsmack lurched out of Boston, like Alice in Chains imitators without the crippling drug problems. Since then, the band has become a hard-rock stalwart. Its latest album, IV, debuted at No. 1 on the charts. Thanks to a powerhouse mix by Andy Johns — who has worked with Led…
Wrong Target
Can’t even get the stereotype right: I almost fell off of my chair when I read your story about Michael Vu [First Punch, October 4]. I think you got the wrong stereotype. Although it’s certainly wrong to say that Asians are more intelligent than other people, it would be totally correct to say that all…
Various Artists
Tim Burton’s musical The Nightmare Before Christmas is the most popular animated Halloween feature since Charlie Brown got a bag of rocks. Arriving in time to hype the film’s big-screen 3-D rerelease, the expanded reissue of its soundtrack features covers of show tunes by five emo and rock stars. The solo numbers are the highlights.…
These Dogs Still Hunt
Reservoir Dogs: 15th Anniversary (Lions Gate) Quentin Tarantino’s first film shows its age these days, mostly because we’ve seen all its tricks done far better by now. From the nonlinear storytelling to the pop-culture gabfests to the shameless cribbing from obscure films, everything that once seemed so shockingly fresh has since become Tarantino’s formula. Fortunately,…
Hot Spot
Columbus hot-sauce maven John Hard cooks up some spicy chili this afternoon to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Rocky River’s P’Zazz Hot Sauces, Rubs & More. The store specializes in 700 different sauces, salsas, and spices, including Hard’s CaBoom! line. Owner Karen Lambros trumpets the shop’s “try-before-you-buy” policy: “Customers can always taste the sauces or…
Kept Woman
You believe in America, am I right? I’m not talking about the Hollywood version, with its prancing silicone who age into taxidermy experiments. Not the New York version, where they got sticks so far up their ass they rival the lumber selection at Home Depot. And certainly not the Washington version, where high school class…
Mick Boogie and Lupe Fiasco
Hip-hop fans who’ve heard Lupe Fiasco giving love to Nas’ It Was Written won’t be surprised by the name of this compilation. With this mixtape, Cleveland’s own Commish has not only come up with another winner; he has filled in the gaps left by Fiasco’s major-label release. In this case, It Was Written restores some…
Latin Bummer
Viewed from an airplane high over the islands of San Esperito, the land seems to stretch out endlessly. The sun slowly rises over the ocean, bathing the clouds in ochre and throwing stark shadows on the lush jungle below. If only there were something worth doing down there. Welcome to Just Cause, the latest “Go…
Transylvania Twist
Khaled Tabbara will channel Dr. Frank-N-Furter when Youngstown rockers the Zou perform at tonight’s Rocky Horror Halloween. “We all dress in drag,” he says. “I’ll be the transvestite in line with the movie — bustier, stockings, thigh-highs, and stripper heels. Mind you, I’m not an attractive or feminine man at all.” The five-year-old quintet has…
Hustlin’ Flow
On the Saturday before Memorial Day, the poolside party at Hotel Victor in Miami Beach was off the chain, even by hip-hop holiday standards. In a swelter of body heat thick with pot smoke, elaborately underdressed female groupies swarmed the water. J.D. Williams, the handsome young breakout star of HBO’s The Wire, stood on the…
Robert Pollard
Each Robert Pollard record is guaranteed to include moments of perfect pop brilliance, surrounded by half-composed sketches and experiments that should have been left on the cutting-room floor. Normal Happiness is the second solo release on Merge this year from the former Guided by Voices frontman, and unlike January’s sprawling From a Compound Eye, it…
Here are the week’s best releases from the pop-culture universe:
CD — A Piano: The Collection: This five-disc box gathers 86 songs by Tori Amos — from her 1992 debut, Little Earthquakes, to last year’s The Beekeeper. A horde of B-sides, remixes, alternate takes, and previously unreleased tracks are included among the familiar favorites. It’s a fascinating set — housed in super-cool packaging that resembles…
French Connection
In Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film Army of Shadows, French freedom fighters sabotage the Nazis who have infiltrated their towns. Simultaneously subtle and gripping, the movie — rarely seen in the U.S. and recently restored — intercuts deliberately paced moments of reflection with action scenes straight out of a James Bond flick. It’s at its best,…
Big Ben
Breaking Benjamin founder and frontman Ben Burnley says that the group’s name isn’t an indication of his emotional state. He’s not being broken by the music industry. “Breaking Benjamin got its name from me breaking a microphone,” he laughs. “I used to go out and do these open-mic-night performances under just the name Benjamin. That…
Jeff Tweedy
During five nights of poignant solo acoustic concerts presented last February in such picturesque locales as Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy delivered 18 emotive tales from Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Loose Fur — each tune given new and moody life when performed solo by the scruffy troubadour. Moving performances of “War…
The Addams Family: Season One (MGM)
An American Haunting (Lions Gate) Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (Warner Bros.) Freak-Out (Anchor Bay) Greg the Bunny: Best of the Film Parodies (Shout!) Justice League Unlimited: Season One (Warner Bros.) La Commune (Paris, 1871) (First Run) Looking for Kitty (Velocity/ThinkFilm) The L-Word: The Complete Third Season (Showtime) Mongolian Ping Pong (First Run)…
Do You Miss New Orleans?
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band plays each note as if the fate of New Orleans hangs on it, and in a way, it does. The outfit has toured the world for more than four decades, but the devastation wrought by Katrina has given it new purpose. “We’ve been celebrating the band’s 45th anniversary,” says Ben…
Death to the Pixies (Again!)
As the past and present leader of the Pixies, the most influential band in our alt-rock lifetime, Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black) is the undisputed master of melodic post-punk. As an interview subject, he is rumored to be affable yet reserved. But his reputation as a bandmate (at least…
R.E.M.
Compile the best of R.E.M.’s earliest output on one CD, and it’s easy to see why it became one of the biggest bands in the world. A feeling of optimism overwhelmingly pervades Fine, a smartly sequenced collection spanning the years before the band from Athens, Georgia, reached major-label status. R.E.M. had nothing to lose as…
Kennedy-centered
RFK, which opens at the Cleveland Play House tonight, is “the story of a very human effort in politics,” says director Seth Gordon. The playwright, Jack Holmes, who portrays the presidential hopeful, developed the one-man show in Los Angeles several years ago. Gordon saw the New York production and thought Cleveland audiences would appreciate a…
In Defense of Weird Al
“Weird Al” Yankovic — of “My Bologna” and “Hey Ricky” fame — has a new record. It’s called Straight Outta Lynwood (Zomba), and it’s completely beautiful. I always wrote off Weird Al as uncool, period. This was a complete misread. Totally beside the point. I didn’t understand until I realized (recently) that Weird Al is…
Skinny
The top-drawing Cleveland crew formerly known as 2 Skinny Dorks is now simply Skinny, for a number of good reasons. For one, the group is a quintet, and plenty more friends stopped by the studio to pitch in for Grass. This jammy alt-rock would have been well received when Dave Matthews was tearing up the…
