Out Today: Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
HOPE SANDOVAL & THE WARM INVENTIONSThrough the Devil Softly(Nettwerk) Sandoval was the sleepy voice behind Mazzy Star in the ’90s. On her second album with the Warm Inventions, she’s still a calming presence, floating through 11 songs about flowers, birds and other serene subjects. Not that it matters much; she could be singing about sautéing…
Out Today: La Roux
LA ROUXLa Roux(Cherrytree) Overseas, La Roux (real name: Elly Jackson) is hot shit right now. The 21-year-old Londoner’s dance-club electro-bounce sounds like something from 1983, right when U.S. record companies starting scooping up new-wave divas and selling them to famished music fans as the future. But Jackson and Ben Langmaid — the other half of…
Out Today: The Avett Brothers
THE AVETT BROTHERSI and Love and You(American/Columbia) On their major-label debut, alt-country buzzmakers the Avett Brothers check in with a Grammy-winning producer (Rick Rubin), a newfound sense of scope and a sweeping song cycle about broken hearts, wrecked truths and busted dreams. On a series of indie albums released over the past decade, the North…
The End of the Line has its local premiere tonight at CMA
A documentary about the overfishing of the oceans, The End of the Line has its local premiere tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art and shows again at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27. Here’s our review of the film. The End of the Line (Britain, 2009) “Our view of the sea is always…
Reviews of the Cedar Lee’s weekend films
The Cedar Lee Theatre is opening four new arthouse movies this weekend. Here are our reviews. Bright Star “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever,” John Keats wrote in his famous poem “Endymion.” But beauty alone isn’t enough to sustain this historical romance written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), based on…
Reviews of the Cinematheque’s weekend films
The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque is showing several great movies this weekend. Here are reviews of just a few of them. Aliens (U.S., 1986) The hit sequel to Alien is bigger, faster and more amped up than the moody, cramped original. If it errs, it does so when director James Cameron insists on squeezing…
What to Do Tonight: Eldar
Last month, 22-year-old pianist Eldar Djangirov released the invigorating Virtue, a follow-up to 2007’s Grammy-nominated re-imagination. The new album augments Eldar’s classically tinged, dexterous acoustic piano work with futuristic warping from an electric keyboard. It’s a heady explosion of sound. Eldar’s playing often recalls Brad Mehldau’s, especially on ballads like “Insensitive,” “Iris” and “Lullaby Fantazia.”…
What to Do Tonight: Heartless Bastards
Don’t let the name fool you — Heartless Bastards burn with feeling and emotion. The Austin power trio (originally from Cincinnati) blasts out blue-collar country-rock that pits love and hate in an arena of static-filled guitars, blasting percussion, and singer-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom’s Janis Joplin-style moans. The band’s third album, The Mountain, might be its most…
Audience of One has its local premiere tonight at CMA
A documentary about a minister who sets out to make a movie and start his own film production company, Audience of One has its local premiere tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Here’s our review of the film. </div Audience of One (U.S., 2007) God spoke to pentecostal minister Richard Gazowsky and…
MASHUP: WHAT FOX NEWS SAYS, WHAT FOX NEWS DOES
Via Political Animal: Media Matters splices lines from recent memo from Fox News exec Bill Sammon (a Cleveland boy!), reminding staffers to be fair and balanced, with actual Fox coverage:
Video: LeBron in France
Every time I see something like this, I can’t help but think that his goals of billionairehood aren’t hampered at all by Akron or Cleveland. I’m reminded constantly that this decision is most likely not about anything but winning, and winning a lot. (Hat tip to Skeets) LeBron in France. from Good Produce on Vimeo.
Things to Read That Might Not Suck: Um, I Hope You Bought Some White Paint For Next Summer Just In Case Edition
— Doug Lesmerises once again goes to great lengths to explain his controversial AP ballot. This time? Oh, he forgot about Washington. While that didn’t effect where the Huskies would have ended up had he included them, it’s just another strange move in his votes. I’m actually very entertained by this, mostly for all the…
eBay Item of the Day: Brian Sipe Glass
Not only is this glass special because it’s from 1981, the year of my birth, but also because it’s Brian Sipe, and if there’s anything Browns Fan loves, and this is especially true now more than ever, it’s looking back to when we were good. Or at least sorta good. Or at least entertaining. Yeah,…
Tuesday Music News Roundup
Pearl Jam kick off tour playing songs from all their albums except Binaural, because not even the band likes that one. Now they’re in trouble for ripping off somebody’s video. Don’t these guys have any original ideas? Get out your sequined glove! Michael Jackson documentary is hitting theaters soon.
This Just In: Concert Announcements
This week, we have 43 new shows, including Matisyahu, Hatebreed, Never Shout Never with Meg & Dia, Blueprint, a jambalaya of jazz and more. —D.X. Ferris Blue October: Sun., Nov. 15, 7 p.m., $25 ADV/four-pack of general admission tickets $75 (LiveNation.com). House of Blues. Blueprint/Edotkom CD release/Rime Royal/Phatburner/Mr. 44-DJ Besto: Hosted by Garbs, Sat., Oct.…
Things To Read That Might Not Suck: Mostly Frowns Edition
Other people write words too, ya know. Sometimes I like to show you where those words were written. — Quotatious Part I: Regarding extra police presence in Cleveland for last Saturday’s Ohio State and Toledo game: The department routinely puts extra patrols on the street for events like Browns games. But this weekend they are…
Local grindhouse festival now taking submissions
Slated to take place at the Beachland Ballroom in late November, the first annual Cleveland Grindhouse Film Festival is now taking submissions. Films must be shot in Cleveland or with Cleveland-based crew and talent. “We’re looking for anything from exploitation to sexploitation,” says organizer Brenna Lee Roth (The Road, Killer Biker Chicks), an actress from…
Monday Music News Roundup
<a target="new" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/09/21/2009-09-21_zooey_deschanel_marries_death_cab_for_cutie_frontman_ben_gibbard.html” target=”_blank”>Hear that? That’s the sound of a zillion indie-boys’ hearts being crushed as their girl says “I do” to Death Cab dork. Elton John joins the battle against music piracy. Because tons of people are illegally downloading “I’m Still Standing.” Taylor Swift accepts Kanye’s apology. But she still thinks he’s a world-class…
Swag Alert: Metcalf Up the Middle Shirts
The boys over at WFNY roll out some new tee designs every once in awhile, and this one is their latest, which you probably wouldn’t know since they haven’t pimped it yet. I tell ya, they’re quite the salesmen.Metcalf up the middle — the simple, derogatory retort of any Browns fan when he/she gets upset…
eBay Item of the Day: Cleveland Browns Captain Patch
The Cleveland Browns have captains, apparently. Who knew? This year they are Josh Cribbs, Phil Dawson, Joe Thomas, Jamal Lewis, D’Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton. And captains, of course, get to wear this nifty little captain’s patch with the stars for how many years you’ve received the honor. Since it’s readily clear that our team…
Lynn Swann Jumps a Car Against the Browns
(Hat tip to Sports Guy)
Download Mr. Gnome’s New Single for Free
Mr. Gnome’s new single, the manically sensual “Slow Side,” is available as a free download on the band’s MySpace page. It sounds like the coed sexy-rawk band usually does, but bigger and deeper. The group’s new album, Heave Yer Skeleton, is set for a November 10 release, but frontwoman Nicole Barille tells Scene it should…
Is That A Clipboard in Your Pocket Or… No, That Is In Fact A Clipboard in Your Pocket
Looking for a singular reason to pin all the blame on for the Browns’ embarrassing loss to Denver Sunday? Look no further than the coach on the left side of this picture. Never has one image said so many appropriate things about this team. The 2009 Cleveland Browns: Unsure about what plays we’re running because…
Thirst isn’t the best introduction to Chan-wook Park
Chan-wook Park’s Thirst, which is showing at the Cedar Lee Theatre, covers some of the same ground as his acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy but somehow doesn’t quite compare. The story starts out as something of a period piece as a young priest Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) becomes frustrated at the rampant disease that’s killing off the parishioners…
The somber Love Happens doesn’t have much going for it
Rainy Seattle is an appropriate setting for Love Happens, writer-director Brandon Camp’s somber romance about a widowed psychologist named Burke (Aaron Eckhart) who has channeled his grief into a career as a popular self-help author and bereavement guru. In Seattle to lead a seminar, he meets charmingly eccentric florist Eloise (Jennifer Aniston, playing a somnambulant…
Wanna Host a House Show?
Ever wished you could host a house show? Ever wished singer-songwriter David Bazan could play that house show? Well, you’re in luck! He’s looking for someone to host a show in Cleveland on December 10. You can find all the details here. —Michael Gallucci
Jennifer’s Body offers horror for hipsters
Jennifer’s Body is a smart, funny, and insightful film about the complexities of friendship between teenage girls. This is a film that knows the high school years are a time when your “bff” can turn into a vicious demon from hell overnight once hormones start flowing and boys come into the picture. Of course, in…
LeBron Movie and Book Signing News
LeBron: The Movie, Part II Following in the footsteps of Shaq and Michael Jordan, LeBron has signed on to a comedy-movie vehicle. It’s being scripted by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who penned A League of Their Own and City Slickers. The plot will follow five regular joes who travel to Vegas to attend the…
Massive Link Dump to Take You Into the Weekend
Scene is closed tomorrow, so there will be no blogging, as instead of sitting at my desk at 8:30 in the morning, I’ll be teeing off at Little Mountain Country Club. Here’s a laundry list of links and such to keep you busy until Monday (or for the 17 seconds it takes you to read…
eBay Item of the Day: Classic Cavs Hat
Shirts, jerseys and other assorted memorabilia with the old Cavs logo on it are relatively plentiful. It’s not that hard to find something in your price range and style if you want to go old school. This hat, however, I’ve never come across before, and I feel like whoever lands this gem from eBay is…
Two Pessimistic Writers Preview Browns vs. Broncos
My buddy Joe up and left Cleveland last year and now resides in Denver. He doesn’t have much faith in the Broncos. I have less in the Browns. So we decided to argue which one of our respective teams is going to lose on Sunday. The answer: Read on. Joe: So: I bet you and…
3SO Unveil Their Roadmap
Four-year-old local hard rock/metal quintet 3SO will officially release their debut CD, Roadmap, to the Soul when they play at Roc Bar Cleveland at 8 p.m. tomorrow. Admission is $5 and includes free food (OK, probably bowls of popcorn, but still …). The band’s nu-metal-like tracks — like “Betrayed” and the slower, more arena-ready “Don’t…
Thursday Music News Roundup
It’s not just greedy classic rockers who are willing to tarnish their reputations for some quick cash. Indie-rockers want some of that action too. Fierce. Sasha Fierce. Either way, we bet Beyonce smells pretty damn good. Manly British singer makes the Stones safe for 70-year-olds. Garbageman Chris Brown has a nice ring to it. Peter,…
Walkin’ Cane Around Town This Weekend
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Austin “Walkin’ Cane” Charanghat has been a fixture on the local blues scene for years, but 2009 has been an exceptionally good year for him. Chosen to represent Cleveland at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in February in the solo/duo category, he placed in the Top 5 among the 64 artists competing in…
Silent Night My Ass
Guitarist Neil Zaza has announced the return of his Christmas extravaganza “One Silent Night” to PlayhouseSquare. The instrumental-oriented holiday show combining Zaza’s rock band with an orchestra will take place at the Palace Theatre on December 11. Zaza launched “One Silent Night” in 2002 and reprised it (with variations in musicians, repertoire and staging each…
House of Blues Offers Hellaciously Cheap Season Pass
Live Nation, the concert behemoth that owns House of Blues, is offering a crazy-good offer on club shows. For a mere $49.99 — no extra fees attached — the Live Nation Club Passport is good for admission to more than two dozen House of Blues shows between now and the end of the year. A…
Rhett Miller Wants You to Sit Onstage With Him
Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall brings fans a lot closer to the music in its Stage Door concert series, which lets fans sit onstage and watch artists perform. There’s no fuss or fancy backdrop going on here, making it an ideal and intimate showcase. The best show on the monthly schedule happens next Saturday, September 26,…
HBO Will Broadcast Rock HOF Concerts That Aren’t in Cleveland
Clevelanders might not get to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary Concerts in person — unless you’re planning a trip to New York, of course — but that doesn’t mean you won’t get to see some of the action from the comfort of your comfy couch. HBO will broadcast the all-star…
Album Review — Pearl Jam: Backspacer
PEARL JAMBackspacer(MonkeyWrench) One reason Pearl Jam’s ninth album is their best since 1994’s Vitalogy? It flies by. Without any of the plodding, moody ruminations and self-serious space fillers that have weighed down the band’s records for the past decade, Backspacer — clocking in at a breezy 36 minutes — hits the ground running and plows…
Reviews of the Cinematheque’s weekend films
The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque is opening several great movies this weekend. Here are our reviews of some of them. Alien (U.S., 1979/2003) Ridley Scott’s 1979 gothic space chiller is not as original as its trendsetter status would suggest; Scott and writer Dan O’Bannon borrowed liberally from a clawful of other sci-fi movies (Planet…
Photo Show: Alice in Chains at House of Blues, 9/16
Aaron Mendelsohn saw the reformulated Alice in Chains play a sold-out concert at House of Blues last night. Good thing he had a ticket for his camera.
Concert Review: Alice in Chains at House of Blues, 9/16
It’s hard to overlook that fact that Alice in Chains were once defined by Layne Staley, the band’s ead singer who passed away in 2002 due to a drug overdose. When the band last played Cleveland in 2007, its set made a point to celebrate his life and legacy. But there was no mention of…
Wednesday Music News Roundup
Chris Brown prepares for life after music by picking up garbage. Whitney Houston says she doesn’t do drugs anymore — unless crack counts. Cuz she’s still down with that shit. Jay-Z’s new album debuts at No. 1, prompting plans for The Blueprints Vols. 4-767. Turns out Kanye isn’t the only dick on the VMAs. —Michael…
Fun Show Alert: Unknown Hinson at Peabody’s Tomorrow
The performer known as Unknown Hinson will deny any connection to cartoon Squidbillies, but don’t believe it — when he’s not touring as his ’50s-throwback alter ego, he’s the voice of Early Cuyler on the Adult Swim show. And when he is in character, the self-declared “chart-topping king of love” and “king of country western…
A Wink and a Smile has its local premiere tonight at CMA
A documentary about a group of women who enroll in a class on burlesque dancing, A Wink and a Smile has its local premiere tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Here’s our review of the film. A Wink and a Smile (U.S., 2008) A documentary about 10 women who sign up for…
New Classic-Rock Video Playlist
My feature story “Down With Classic Rock?” takes a look at bands like Down, who look and sound like your favorite long-haired rockers from the ’70s but aren’t on classic-rock radio for one reason or another. It’s available now in this week’s Scene, or click here to read it. If you need a break from…
Inside the Cavs Huddle
(via @jeskeets via @truth_about_it)
Turns Out He Was Practicing That Whole “Better Father” Thing Long Ago
Scot Pollard looks to be done with the NBA. That is perhaps the most boring and unimportant “news” you will read all day. Why am I mentioning it here? Because, back when Scot was a member of the Cavs he once told kids to do drugs while sitting on the Cavs bench. It’s up there…
eBay Item of the Day (And, Perhaps, the Year): Cleveland Browns Bingo Dauber Tote Bag
Simply no words exist to describe this beauty. It fulfills the eBay Item of the Day Trifecta: No way you could ever guess it existed, people obviously buy this shit or it wouldn’t exist, and it can be used to store and carry alcohol. Bonus: It’s good both for you and your grandma. Imagine how…
Catch the Christmas Carol Train while you can
Disney’s Christmas Carol train tour opened to the public at 9 a.m. this morning and will be open until 7 tonight and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. Parked at the Cleveland Port parking lot off West Third near Browns Stadium, the train offers a glimpse at the forthcoming Christmas Carol movie, due out…
Photo Show: Trivium at House of Blues, 9/14
Johnny Angell got an earful of Darkest Hour, Whitechapel and Trivium at House of Blues on Monday night. He also got an eyeful.
Our Cranked-to-11 Interview With Spinal Tap
Earlier this year, Spinal Tap’s three original members (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer) appeared at the Ohio Theatre just to prove they’re still funny after all these years. Calling the show “Unwigged and Unplugged,” they revisited many of their best-known Spinal Tap tunes, including “Stonehenge,” “Bitch School” and “Hell Hole.” But the unplugged…
Chimaira Christmas Announced
Chimaira Christmas X will take place on Saturday, December 27, at House of Blues. Tickets are $10, with VIP packages available. They go on sale Friday, but pre-sale tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. EST here. —D.X. Ferris
Fall Guide: The Year of Living Parsimoniously
The recent news of the Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company going belly up was only the latest in a continuing series of body blows delivered to local theaters by the depressed economy. It’s a melancholy trend that shows few signs of reversing. Early last year, musical-comedy specialists Kalliope Stage succumbed to insurmountable debt. At the same…
Fall Guide: AUTUMN-SCAPE
As autumn hoists its tattered flag, Cleveland galleries and arts institutions muster their best art and march bravely toward northern Ohio’s half-year of winter. The following art institutions and galleries aren’t by any means all that our area’s increasingly diverse scene has to offer, but most have a good track record, and the majority have…
The Lying Game
A pudgy guy with a bad hairpiece and a dated moustache, Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) has worked his way up the corporate ladder at a multi-million dollar agribusiness company in Decatur, Illinois. An Ivy League PhD., he’s vice-president at one of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world. He has his own office and…
Soul Provider
Struggling with his portrayal of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, actor Paul Giamatti (playing himself) has reached the point where he can no longer “separate himself from the character.” So in order to help him get a grip on the play, he seeks help from a company that specializes in removing the soul from the body, “de-souling,”…
Fall Guide: Corsets, Money, and Other Wild THings
The problem with most seasonal movie previews is their annoying tendency to cram every random title into a finite amount of space, thereby doing injustice to the films most worthy of a discriminating moviegoers’ attention. Certainly anyone who genuinely cares about movies as an art form doesn’t give a flying fuck that Saw VI is…
WE GOT YOUR APPLES RIGHT HERE
Cleveland could learn a lot from the local food movement. You don’t save just gas by shopping for produce grown close to home: You also get a fresher, more nutritious product. Buying from small Ohio farms is supporting small local business. It also introduces you to a variety of food that might not be on…
Around Hear: Just Jackie
Jackie’s second album arrives on Saturday, September 19. Peabody’s (2045 E. 21st St.) will host the CD- release party, with Lovesick Radio opening. Doors at 7 p.m., tickets $6. The album, Almost Broken, has been a long time coming, but it shows in the music. “Suddenly” is a radio-ready rocker, and the album has a…
Reel Cleveland: Local Director Makes Top 10 List
The Nightmare, a short film directed by Aurora’s Jeff M. Breyer, has been announced as a Top 10 finalist in the Chiller Channel-Universal Studios Hollywood Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights Scary Good Short Film Contest. A panel of four judges, including Saw VI director Kevin Greutert, picked the 10 finalists, and the general public gets…
Arts District: Attending Plum Academy
SPACES Gallery opened its Plum Academy last Friday, and the “Dis-Orientation” session was only the beginning. More “classes” continue to roll out each week, including Elaine Hullihen’s workshop “Float a Float” (noon-4 p.m. Saturday), a studio class in which students will learn to make wearable floatation devices and, the following week, float them down the…
Local Disc Reviews
Josh Rzepka (self-released) joshrzepka.com Josh Rzepka plays dry, warm trumpet on his cleverly named CD, showcasing mostly midtempo originals in an impressive display of chops and taste. Backed by pianist Jackie Warren, the precise, swinging bass of Peter Dominguez and the charged drumming of Ron Godale, Rzepka has crafted a winning, listenable recording debut. Mainstream,…
CD Review: Jay-Z
Invincibility is the pot of gold at the end of hip-hop’s proverbial rainbow, the brass ring every rising MC aspires to seize. Jay-Z has had it for the better part of a decade: consistent album sales, unimpeachable crossover appeal, a decent if unspectacular run as president of Def Jam, marriage to modern R&B’s flyest multimedia…
Electronic Hootenanny
It’s easy to read too much into a song. In the video for Owl City’s “Fireflies,” there’s an old Speak & Spell toy. It seems like it could be an homage to synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD), who used the toy on their 1983 single “Genetic Engineering.” “I must be an idiot,”…
CD Review: Anvil
When the documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil hit film festivals and theaters last year, the tale of the luckless but persistent Canadian metal band captured peoples’ imaginations. There were inevitable comparisons to Spinal Tap, but the music on This Is Thirteen, the album whose creation was shown in the film, demonstrates there was nothing…
Got (Artificial-Hormoned) Milk?
In 2007, Carol Goland drove home from a meeting of the Dairy Labeling Advisory Committee in Reynoldsburg feeling optimistic. There had been heated debate over a seemingly simple issue: the fairest and most informative way to label dairy products made from cows that have not been injected with a controversial growth hormone intended to increase…
CD Review: Slaraffenland
This Danish quintet debuted in the U.S. in 2007 with Private Cinema, a well-received brew of proggy post-punk. Although Slaraffenland had formed in 2001, Cinema belied their experience by being a little unfocused, veering wildly between styles and lacking in consistency. The band evinces some growth on We’re on Your Side, with far sharper songs…
Soundcheck: David Cook
A former bartender, David Cook is the last well-known American Idol winner. Cook, 26, won the popular televised contest in May 2008 and had more impact than the 2009 winners. Influenced by hard-rock bands like Our Lady Peace and Alice in Chains, the Houston native is touring behind last year’s eponymous debut, which has gone…
CD Review: Raekwon
When its predecessor arrived almost 15 years ago (alongside GZA’s classic Liquid Swords), it finished the job N.W.A. started, turning gangsta rap into a mainstream phenomenon that was as accepted in the suburbs as the inner-city streets that were its subject. Raekwon’s two subsequent releases did little to burnish his reputation, setting the stage for…
Triple Play
The typical release show involves one headlining band marking the debut of its new CD. But for Freedom, the Deathers and Uno Lady, who share a bill on Saturday, September 19, at Now That’s Class, convention isn’t so important. For starters, none of the bands is releasing new material on compact disc. The Deathers and…
CD Review: Gordon Gano and the Ryans
Gordon Gano, once the voice of the Violent Femmes, no longer sings like a defiant, petulant adolescent. But on Under the Sun, his debut with the Ryans, Gano still sounds a bit full of himself, and sometimes it’s still difficult to tell if he’s singing from the heart or if he’s being ironic or sardonic.…
LEGENDS OF THE FALL
Clyde’s Bistro & Barroom 1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts. ETA: Early November “If a joint has failed over and over, why in the world would you come in and do the same thing?” asks Clyde Mart rhetorically. “Change it!” Mart is a fixer. The feisty 79-year-old has made a nice living cleaning up other people’s…
CD Review: Muse
It’s worth noting that before Muse coalesced into their current form a decade and a half ago, the core trio — singer-multi-instrumentalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Christopher Wolstenholme, drummer Dominic Howard — pretended to be a glam band to enter a battle of the bands. There’s a surplus of glaminess on Muse’s fifth album, The Resistance,…
Curb Appeal
TOP PICK Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) The good news is that Larry is as cranky as ever on the seventh-season premiere (which airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO). The better news is the Seinfeld reunion that’s part of Curb’s storyline this year. But first you’ll have to watch Larry squirm his way through a…
CD Review: Jim O’Rourke
Jim O’Rourke has spent most of the past decade adding cuddlier credits to his résumé. For a guitarist and composer who once traded entirely in the avant-garde world, there’s way more accessibility in being a full-time member of Sonic Youth, producing Beth Orton and Stereolab, and collaborating with Jeff Tweedy. Since withdrawing from SY in…
DOWN WITH CLASSIC ROCK?
Down is coming to town Tuesday, September 22. On paper, the New Orleans-based hard-rock/metal band should be playing the Quicken Loans Arena, not the much smaller House of Blues. The group’s “Stone the Crow” is one of the great classic-rock anthems of its generation, worthy of Skynyrd. It’s a haymaker of a song, with a…
Gridlock
Painting is far from “dead.” But in many art schools, it’s barely alive, even if — judging from gallery guides and publications like the quarterly New American Paintings — it is more popular now than it has been since the mid-1980s. At the Cleveland Institute of Art, a national trend in art education toward an…
Fall Guide: Music For All Rages and Tastes
After a summer of outdoor concerts and festivals, area rock shows take to the great indoors for what’s shaping up to be a busy fall. Several September concerts are already sold out. Among them: grunge rockers Alice in Chains (without, of course, frontman Layne Staley, who died in 2002), who play House of Blues (Sept.…
Fall Guide: Orchestral Manoevres
Economic strife weighs heavily in the nonprofit world, but Northeast Ohio’s classical, jazz and world-music scenes are not taking it lying down. The region’s orchestras and concert series just keep putting out great music. Some — with great new venues, new leadership and new programs — are charging energetically into the future. APOLLO’S FIRE apollosfire.org,…
Fall Guide: Moving Performances
Thanks to the economic havoc wreaked on the local dance scene years ago, the primary dance season in town has become spring — when Cleveland Public Theatre’s Dance Works series debuts — and summer, when Tremont’s Arts in August and other festivals return. But Dance Cleveland’s efforts to bring some of the country’s most prominent…
A Q & A with Vlad Yudin, director of Big Pun: The Legacy
South Bronx rapper Big Punisher was one of hip-hop’s biggest stars during his heyday in the mid-’90s. Now, on the tenth anniversary of his death, he’s getting the reissue treatment as Sony Legacy is putting out a 21-song compilation that coincides with tomorrow’s release of the Big Pun: The Legacy DVD, a documentary about the…
