MacArthur Genius Karen Russell to Read at CSU Wednesday Evening
If you’ve attended the Brews & Prose reading series in Ohio City at all over the past two years, or if you’ve tuned in to the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award festivities, you may be at least peripherally aware that Cleveland’s status as a literary town is burgeoning apace with its status as a culinary one, or…
‘Sound Man’ Glyn Johns to Speak at Rock Hall Archives
Engineer and producer Glyn Johns has worked with some of the biggest names in rock n’ roll. He documents those experiences in his new book, SOUND MAN: A Life Recording Hits with the Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, the Faces. To coincide with the book’s release next week, Johns is coming to town.…
Voters: Where Did You Get Your Information on Candidates and Issues for this Election?
While we wait for what could very well be a weird infodump from the Northeast Ohio Media Group after the polls close tonight, a few legitimate questions hang in the air (at least one of which still has to do with gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald’s driver’s license, though we’ll leave that aside for now). Here’s…
New Documentary Video Series Showcases the Small Businesses that Define Cleveland
The first episode of Behind the Sign hit the Internet last week, and we’re definitely excited to see more from this series by Cleveland SGS. In this debut, the filmmakers chronicle the work of Earl Phillips, owner of U-Need-A-Sign Company on East 131st Street. Phillips has been at it since 1960, and you’ve certainly seen his iconic…
Cleveland Institute of Art Hosts Conference and Exhibition on Socially Engaged Art and Design
This weekend, the Cleveland Institute of Art hosts a three-day conference, Unruly Engagements: on the Social Turn in Contemporary Art and Design, as well as an opening reception and panel discussion for their latest exhibition, Community Works: Artist as Social Agent. Both seek to explore socially engaged art and design, and their roles in contemporary…
Roc Bar to Re-open in December
There was a time when the East Bank of the Flats was a rock concert destination and featured a variety of nightclubs and concert venues. Gregg Kelley, a former Scene sales rep with a background in concert promotion, hopes to bring back that aspect of the Flats. Next month, he’ll start booking shows at Roc…
Alan Freed’s Palm Springs Home is For Sale
Alan Freed’s swanky Palm Springs, Calif., home is for sale. The price? $569,000. That’s mostly due to a fresh renovation, after Freed left the place in a state of dilapidation (very rock ‘n’ roll). Curbed has some fly photos of the house. And The Desert Sun has some nice background on what’s happened to the…
Polls Close at 7:30 p.m. — Go Vote!
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. You should go vote before then. Here’s how much time you have: The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website has all the information you need. Go vote!
Justice Department Announces On-The-Ground Monitoring of Cuyahoga County Polling Places
Cuyahoga County and Lorain County are two of the 28 counties nationwide where on-the-ground monitoring of polling places on Tuesday will be conducted by the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, according to a press released issued today by the department. The Justice Department explained: The department’s monitoring will gather information…
Copley Home of Alleged Illegal Online Arms Dealer Raided By Feds
The Copley home of a man the feds say is an illegal and unlicensed arms dealer was raided by ATF agents late last month. James W. Copley (yes, his last name and his town’s name are the same), 54, became a target of an investigation after a customer of his was busted by Pittsburgh-based ATF…
This is the Local Beer You Should Drink When You Watch a Cavs Game, According to Thrillist
The NBA season is officially underway, and to celebrate the folks at Thrillist put together a list of the perfect beers to enjoy when watching your favorite teams. Can you guess which local brewing company and variety Thrillist picked to best represent the Cavs? Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Rye of the Tiger. Via Thrillist: The…
Cleveland-Area FM Stations, Ranked
Last week, the free Sirius in a newish (to me, at least) car ran out and I was blessed with the opportunity to listen to a whole bunch of FM stations. They still make those (I promise) and they still employ people (I think) and Taylor Swift can be found on approximately 93% of them…
LeBron James Inspired by Lauren Hill. Who Wouldn’t Be?
The gut-wrenching story of Lauren Hill, the Mount St. Joseph freshman with inoperable brain cancer, reached its climax Sunday night when she played her first collegiate game in an early match up vs. Hiram College. The game had been pushed ahead a couple weeks so that Hill would be healthy enough to play. Her doctors…
15 Photos of Cleveland’s Abandoned Warner and Swasey Building
During the 1900s, Cleveland’s Warner and Swasey Co. was a leading manufacturer of machine tools, boasting a solid reputation both domestically and abroad. But during the business recession of the 1980s, the company sustained unrecoverable financial blows, and many of the company’s northeast Ohio branches halted their operations and closed their doors forever. One branch still looms…
This Weekend’s Walk All Over Waterloo Highlights
This weekend’s “First Friday” means it’s time for November’s Walk All Over Waterloo, when Collinwood’s historic Waterloo Arts District’s various art galleries, bars, restaurants and small, independent businesses will open their doors for their monthly art walk. Highlighting the evening will be opening receptions for the latest exhibitions at Waterloo Arts and the Maria Neil…
Chris Quinn’s Thunderous Silence Spurs Theories Over the NEOMG’s Gubernatorial Endorsement Video
By now, we and dozens of other local/regional/national news outlets and blogs have jumped all over the NEOMG editorial board for its limp-wristed “endorsement interview” and subsequent deletion of the video of same. That’s not to mention the pounding that Gov. John Kasich’s camp has taken for the incumbent coming off so arrogantly in the…
Taylor Swift to Perform at Quicken Loans Arena Next Summer
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift announced this morning on Good Morning America plans to roll out a “1989 World Tour” next year. A stop at Quicken Loans Arena is slated for June 3, 2015. Australia’s Vance Joy will be main support along the North American arena tour, a press release said this morning. The 1989 World…
Cavs Game 2 Recap: LeBron Gets Redemption, Blatt Gets First NBA Win
David Blatt had a team meeting before the game in Chicago last night looking to get more energy out of the team, particularly on offense. He was rewarded with his first NBA victory, an overtime 114-108 notch over the Chicago Bulls. But Anderson Varejao’s agent probably deserves even more credit. Yesterday the team announced that…
Scene Podcast: Cleveland’s Big Night, The Humongatron, The Downside of Going Viral, the Governor’s Race and More
This week, host Craig Lyndall chatted with Eric Sandy and Sam Allard about the week that was and, specifically, Cleveland’s big night last night, including Imagine Dragons (and the bored crowd) and Kendrick Lamar. They also touched on Bac’s rough couple of weeks, the Governor’s race and next week’s election, the Green Party and more.…
7 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, OCT. 31 Adrian Belew Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Adrian Belew has done it all. He’s released 20 solo albums and worked with acts such as Paul Simon, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, Laurie Anderson and Nine Inch Nails. For 33 years, he was the frontman, singer and guitarist in the prog…
Free Donuts, Cheap Chipotle, and Other Halloween Treats You Can Find Today in Cleveland
National chains often celebrate holidays by giving away freebies, and Halloween, it seems, is no exception. Krispy Kreme is offering folks who stop in wearing a costume a free donut of their choice – Here’s a handy list of local outlets. Chipotle is sponsoring its annual Boo-rito deal for costume clad customers. Stop in to…
Chef Bac Nguyen Issues Public Apology for Hostile Remarks
Local Chef Bac Nguyen, of Bac and Ninja City, has issued a public apology for remarks he made last month in response to an unfavorable Yelp review. The hostility of the response spawned a Facebook group which encouraged members to boycott both of Nguyen’s restaurants as a public stand against consumer intimidation. Nguyen’s defenders, who…
Singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert to Play CD Release Show at Kent Stage
Akron-based singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert is one of Northeast Ohio’s most active musicians. If he’s not playing solo dates, he’s paying tribute to icons such as Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan with large, extravagant shows. And that’s not to mention his elaborate Christmas concerts. Somehow, he’s found time to record a new album; he plays a…
Cavs Game 1 Recap: Disappointment Puts In Yet Another Appearance
It was a beautiful six minutes after an hours-long pre-game party more fit for a championship celebration than a regular season basketball game. The Cavs showed what they’re capable for a brief few minutes after tipoff, jumping out to a 21-12 lead despite three LeBron James turnovers. It featured a six-minute 20-6 run where they…
Local Rockers Saul Glennon to Play 20th Anniversary Show at Happy Dog
Led by 51-year-old singer Jack Rugan, the local rock act Saul Glennon (the group is named after a Batman comic) has spent the better part of its existence trying to be Cleveland’s answer to Guided by Voices. Over the course of a career that goes back 20 years, Rugan, like GBV’s Bob Pollard, has written…
Lakewood Police Stopped Ed FitzGerald and a Passenger During His Tenure as Mayor After a Call for a Suspicious Vehicle
While he was mayor of Lakewood, Ed FitzGerald was the subject of a call for a suspicious vehicle to the Lakewood police department. Lakewood police chief Timothy Malley confirmed the incident today to Scene, though he said a search of public records yielded no specific reports and that a conversation with the officer involved yielded…
Hard Rock Cafe Cleveland Hosts Costume Contest for Kids
To launch its youngster-oriented Hard Rock Roxtars program, Hard Rock Cafe Cleveland hosts a Does Your Child Look Like a Rock Star? contest on Saturday, Nov. 1. During the event, which takes place at 3 p.m., kids, in costume or not, will eat free if each tyke is with an adult purchasing an entrée. The…
Funny Opening Day Video Finds Out What’s Going on in Other Clevelands Nationwide
The release of the new Cleveland Nike ad — an ad we’ve now watched 230 times in succession — along with our own foraging for highlights from LeBron’s very first NBA game, has occasioned some deep and soulful emotions on this, the opening day of the Cavaliers’ 2014-2015 season. (Our total Nike ad views up to…
9 Haunted Northeast Ohio Restaurants
Watering holes, eateries, and hotels make the best destinations. It should be no surprise that the same place that bring us happiness and joy will occasionally bring thrills and chills. Here are nine examples of Northeast Ohio haunted restaurants.
Video: Highlights From LeBron’s First NBA Game
Some folks are out live tweeting the unveiling of a banner, and that’s cool. There’s no room for hate in Cleveland today. Us? We’re here getting ready for the madness of downtown this afternoon and evening watching old LeBron highlights. Oct. 29, 2003, against the Kings, a little #tbt love courtesy of ESPN before tonight.
Cleveland Restaurant ‘Week’ Starts Today
It’s that time of year again, folks. For 13 glorious days, dozens of local, independent restaurants will be offering special three-course prix fixe meals for just $33 (not counting tax and tip), although some restaurants diverge slightly off that price. Cleveland Restaurant Week 2014 runs from November 3 through 15. Here are just some of…
Here’s a Clip of That Endorsement Interview Video Featuring Gov. John Kasich Dismissing Ed FitzGerald Outright
Six minutes of the infamous NEOMG endorsement interview video surfaced last night, following several other short-lived cases of the video bubbling to the surface of the Internet after content editors at the media company took the video off their original post. See here. Well, as you can see (this is being updated on Oct. 31) the…
And the Most Widely Distributed Halloween Candy in Ohio Is…
Apples? Sure, they’re probably referring to the candied variety, but c’mon, really? We were hoping we’d represent some of the good stuff, like King Sized Snickers. At least we’re not as anti-Halloween as New Mexico, the state that thinks pencils are an appropriate seasonal treat. What are you planning to give out to the neighbor…
Watch the Mount Union Golf Trick Shot Video That Landed On Sportscenter
A few college kids in Alliance were featured in the number one spot on SportsCenter’s “Top Plays” segment of last night and this morning’s broadcasts of ESPN’s flagship show. Members of the Mount Union golf team executed a perfect three-person trick shot that show how golfers have significantly better hand-eye coordination than the rest of…
10 Things Going on in Cleveland Over Halloween Weekend
This month of macabre is coming to a close, but not before we Clevelanders get in one final weekend of Halloween fun. Look for a variety of costume parties on Friday, the Day of the Dead celebration and the Night Makers Ball on Saturday, and the creepy, kooky Addams Family finale at TrueNorth Cultural Arts on…
Local and International Dancers to Strut Their Stuff at STEP OUT, Cleveland: Shake off the Rust
Cleveland Public Library and LAND studio have partnered to bring two days of intense (but fun) dance programming to the Global Center for Health Innovation – no suit or medical knowledge required. Instead, the weekend will aim to build community and explore the culture of social dance with free lectures, workshops and a nighttime party…
Cleveland Heights Business Owners To Boycott Cleveland.com, NEOMG for Negative Press
Business owners in Cleveland Heights are fed up with the negative coverage of the inner-ring suburb on Cleveland.com. Many of them are considering boycotting the site and canceling what remains of their Plain Dealer subscriptions en masse, to protest what they see as sensational journalism. Scene obtained an email sent yesterday from Alex Quintana…
Sweet Apple Releases Halloween-themed Music Video
Just in time for Halloween, Sweet Apple, the indie rock band that pairs Clevelanders John Petkovic and Tim Parnin with Dinosaur Jr’s J. Mascis and Witch’s Dave Sweetapple, has released a new Halloween-themed video that it shot in Salem, Mass. The video for the tune “Reunion,” a duet featuring Guided by Voices frontman Bob Pollard,…
Scene Podcast: Movers and Makers on 3D Printing
Preet Jesrani from DesignBox3D is the authority on printing technology and the world of additive manufacturing or 3D printing. He believes that the the technology is changing not just the way that objects are being created, but how they’re designed. In this podcast, Scene creative director James Krouse talks with Jesrani about the technology of 3D printing as well…
In 1957, Cleveland was the first city in the world to capture a bank robbery on film
Here’s a neat little piece of local history to get you through the workday: Security cameras installed at St. Clair Savings and Loan, located at 6235 St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland, were the first in the world to capture a bank robbery and help identify the suspects. The robbery occurred just after noon on April…
Tri-C Adjuncts Jonesing for a Union
Wednesday morning (and through the day), adjunct professors at Tri-C’s metro campus hosted an information table in the lobby of the liberal arts building to promote their ongoing discussions about joining or forming a union. Adjuncts (part-time faculty) make up the majority of college instructors nationally, and yet are notoriously abused by administrations who adjuncts feel are…
Audio: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Richfield Coliseum, 1978
With the Cavs season on our minds this week, we published the story of how the floor of the Richfield Coliseum ended up at a small Christian school in Virginia. Check that one out. And while you’re at it, listen to this Bruce Springsteen show from 1978, performed and recorded just above that legendary floor. …
Optimistic Updates for Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation
Yesterday, Cuyahoga County Council was given a series of updates on their biggest projects: the Global Center for Health Innovation and the Cleveland Convention Center. For both, the forecasts were better than anticipated and continually optimistic with a major nod toward the Republican National Convention. There was also a moment when Jeffrey Appelbaum, attorney for…
Rock Hall to Open New Exhibit Chronicling Paul Simon’s Career
Tomorrow, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum launches Paul Simon: Words & Music, a new exhibit chronicling the career of the two-time Hall of Fame inductee. A recorded narration provided by Simon himself will anchor the exhibit, which will include videos of select performances and a collection of more than 80 artifacts…
The Cornflake Kid: Country Singer-guitarist Frankie Ballard Talks About How He Broke Out of Battle Creek
Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, country singer-guitarist Frankie Ballard had his fill of Pop-Tarts. The small town is home to a Kellogg’s plant, and Ballard says he ate enough of the pastries to last a lifetime. Not that he resents his upbringing. “It was really cool to grow up there,” he says via phone…
And … Cut! The View of Ohio City from Allstate Hairstyling and Barber College
There’s a room within the upstairs offices at Allstate Hairstyling and Barber College that showcases barber chairs, equipment and memorabilia from the D’Amico family’s decades in the business. It’s an ode to history and to the solid dependability of haircutting as a social institution and a line of work. One floor below, students cut hair…
The Pretty Reckless Singer Taylor Momsen Talks About Baring it All on Her Band’s New Album
The Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen began acting when she only 3 years old. Since then, she has had some great acting gigs. She was on the TV show Gossip Girl for many years and she played the role of Cindy Lou in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But she’s always loved rock…
Everyone loves Mike: From the Chef to the Atmosphere, Mike’s Bar & Grille Isn’t Your Typical Neighborhood Saloon
Even without the Browns or Baldwin Wallace, Mike’s Bar & Grille does just fine. For eight years, this supremely appealing pub in the heart of downtown Berea has relied, not upon coeds or football fanboys to prop up its business, but rather its neighbors. And after a recent visit, it’s easy to see why. “The…
First Look: West Coast Living Inspires Gordon Square’s New Cold-Pressed Juice Café, Daily Press
After spending a decade in California, Jodi Rae Santosuosso grew accustomed to easy, effortless access to healthy cuisine. It was a piece of the Golden State she wanted to bring back with her when she decided finally to return to her hometown of Cleveland. The result is Daily Press (6604 Detroit Ave., 440-554-3498, dailypresscleveland.com), her newly…
The Power and the Passion: Veteran Singer-guitarist Adrian Belew Brings his Talented Trio to Town
As a drummer and singer with a teen band that played “all the early ’60s music,” singer-guitarist Adrian Belew says he could hear songs in his head. But he didn’t know to do with them. So when he caught mono and had to stay home, he taught himself to play guitar. The rest, as they…
Something Out Of Nothing: Performances Save a Thin Plot in The Norwegians at Dobama Theatre
Written By C. Denby Swanson, The Norwegians is billed as a “Fargo-esque comedy.” However, the lack of plot, character or underlying menace that intermingled in the Coen brothers’ masterful 1996 black comedy should remove that categorization as much as The Lion King should be denied being called Hamlet-esque. This equivalent to an SNL comedy sketch…
Declaration of Independence: A Successful PledgeMusic Campaign Rejuvenated the 10,000 Maniacs
Going the independent route is nothing new for 10,000 Maniacs — as their promotional biography notes, they were “the original indie band,” having released an EP and an album independently on their own prior to signing with Elektra to release their second album The Wishing Chair in 1985. But when they starting laying the groundwork…
Film Review of the Week: Birdman
Given that writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Babel) tends to make films that don’t follow any linear storyline, it’s refreshing to see him take a more direct approach with Birdman, a movie about Riggan Thomson, a fading Hollywood actor (Michael Keaton) who sets out to prove himself with an ambitious Broadway play. The film…
Granger Smith Brings His Country Boy Anthem and Alter Ego to House of Blues
A couple of years ago, country singer Granger Smith was thinking of new ways he could get fans to hear his music. After some brainstorming, he created an overall-wearing alter ego and christened him Earl Dibbles Jr. The guy spoke with a Southern accent and talked about the joys of living on a farm. The…
Film Spotlight: Child of God
Not having read the 1973 Cormac McCarthy novel Child of God, the only thing I was really expecting from James Franco’s film adaptation of the same name was extreme perversity and violence. It’s Cormac McCarthy after all, the manly man writer whose modus operandi has always been using isolation and gore to shed light on…
Ozzy Rules: Self-Proclaimed Madman Talks about his New Release ‘Memoirs of a Madman’
Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne has made some great music and music videos over the years and has just released Memoirs of a Madman, a collection of classic music videos, unreleased and out-of-print live performances and interviews from his solo career. It’s available as both a two-disc DVD and an audio release (a single CD,…
Band of the Week: Against the Current
MEET THE BAND: Chrissy Costanza (lead vocals), Dan Gow (guitars), Will Ferri (drums) BREAK OUT YEAR: This was a pivotal year for the Poughkeepsie-based band. It started with the release of the EP Infinity. That led to their first headlining tour — the Sink or Swim Tour, which came to Cleveland this summer. They jumped to…
For the People, By the People: Cleveland State University’s People’s Art Show Gives Everyone Something to Love (And Hate)
In 21 incarnations since it began as a populist experiment at Cleveland State University’s Art Gallery in 1983, the People’s Art Show has become one of the region’s largest, most eclectic exhibitions. Always unjuried and uncensored, it is free and open to anyone and everyone. With (almost) no rules, artists have earned national attention in the…
The Remnants of the Day: Don Dixon and Marti Jones Make Albums at Their Own Pace
Sitting in the dining room of his Northeast Ohio residence on a rainy Saturday afternoon, producer and singer-songwriter Don Dixon begins talking about a random songwriting credit that he has for “Time and Time Again” on the Counting Crows 1993 debut, August and Everything After. As is often the case with Dixon, a question about…
Unified Zine: Cavs Fans Didn’t Disappear with LeBron; They Just Got Weirder
Alonzo Gee. Samardo Samuels. Ramon Sessions. Luke Harangody. Jamario Moon. This was life after July 8, 2010. And for even the most die-hard Cavaliers fan, it was darkness. Sure, there was Dan Gilbert’s proclamation of winning before The Traitor and Mo Williams and Baron Davis, but those who bleed wine and gold did more bleeding…
Remnants of Richfield: The Untold Story of How the Cavs’ Floor From the Richfield Coliseum Ended Up At a Small School in Virginia
It’s impossible to miss the large trophy case as you enter the foyer of the Grace Christian School gymnasium in Staunton, Va. And nestled between a wealth of trophies and plaques earned by the school’s Warriors sports teams rests a blue and orange basketball jersey with “Cleveland” emblazoned across the chest. Alongside it sits a…
31 Snappy Kevin Love Puns You May See Used This Season, Plus Explanations Therefor
Courtesy of Cavs Zine 5 View a larger, more legible image here.
Remnants of Richfield, PT. II: Two Brothers Who Own More Coliseum Memorabilia than Anyone Else
Tom and Jim Vilk logged more than 30 years combined as vendors at the Coliseum. Understandably, they were not as enthusiastic as others about the demise of the building where they logged lifelong memories, even if Gund Arena was shiny and new. A trip to Whitey’s Booze ‘n’ Burgers is enough to get Tom sentimental about…
White Rabbit: Matthew Dellavedova is the Scrappy Backup Cleveland Can’t Help but Love
“Everything has changed! The attitude! Look at this man! Look at what he’s doing! You don’t see this! You haven’t seen it all game! Until he started doing it! Now everybody’s energy level is picked up!” That’s Austin Carr on Nov. 20, 2013, gushing about the defense of Matthew Dellavedova during an otherwise punchless Cavs performance…
The Jayhawks Embrace an Anything Goes Attitude
Although the Jayhawks first emerged from the same Minneapolis scene that gave us the Replacements and Husker Du, the group played a different style of music with tunes steeped in roots/country-rock and power-pop. Now, the Jayhawks have just reissued their first five major label recordings on vinyl through American/UME. For the first time, 1992’s Hollywood…
