Update: Megadeth Mascot Vic Rattlehead to Co-Host WJCU’s Cleveland Metal Holiday Show at the Beachland on Dec. 14
Update: Megadeth mascot Vic Rattlehead (pictured) — a real person who lives in Parma in case you were wondering — will co-host the upcoming Cleveland Metal Holiday concert that takes place on Dec. 14 at the Beachland. Rattlehead, who doesn’t speak, started appearing with Megadeth in 2010. For the benefit concert’s raffle, he’s put together a…
A Failed Lightning Arrester Caused Last Weekend’s Massive Cleveland Public Power Outage
In the middle of last Saturday’s glorious and sunny afternoon, an extensive Cleveland Public Power outage left a huge swath of the west side without electricity. That outage, which was received with the usual frustration and anger enjoyed by CPP customers, was caused by a “failed lightning arrester at the Division Avenue substation,” a CPP…
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Leonard Bernstein Exhibit Speaks to Our Turbulent Times
Ivy Weingram was working at the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) when she and the staff there began to think of a way to commemorate the centennial of the birth of composer and musician Leonard Bernstein. The resulting exhibit, Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music, the first large-scale museum exhibition to show the…
Tim & Eric’s 2020 Mandatory Attendance World Tour Coming to the Agora in February
The comedy duo Tim & Eric — Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim — first met in the early ’90s at Temple University and started making short films and cartoon strips. Eventually, they’d submit some of their work to Adult Swim, and one of their short films evolved into the successful series Tom Goes to the Mayor. They…
The Ohio Legislature is Blowing up Home Rule, but Cleveland Helped Build the Bomb
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, City Council President Kevin Kelley and leaders from the local construction trades held a press conference on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon blasting the Ohio Supreme Court for effectively overturning Cleveland’s Fannie Lewis Law. That law, named in honor of former councilwoman Fannie Lewis and passed in 2003, stipulates…
Cleveland Independent Bookstores’ Recommendations On What You Should Be Reading This Fall
Looking for a fall read? Cleveland’s indie bookstores are here with their best recommendations on what you should be devouring this season. From Appletree Books (12419 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights): RED AT THE BONE by Jacqueline Woodson – Woodson wrote her first book for adults with her 2016 novel ANOTHER BROOKLYN after a long and…
Registering to Vote is Probably The Best Thing You’ll Do Today in Cleveland
Today is National Voter Registration Day, which means that anyone 18 or older and who is legally able should make sure they are signed up to vote. Because it may seem simple, but if you’re not registered, then you can’t vote. Yes, registering to vote does take a few minutes, and can seem like it takes away…
The Cleveland Orchestra Does Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and the Rest of the Classical Music to Catch This week
Mahler’s striking Symphony No. 5 is the main course for this weekend’s Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Severance Hall on Thursday, September 26 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, September 28 at 8:00 pm. Music director Franz Welser-Möst — whose contract has just been renewed through 2027 — will open the concerts with Olga Neuwirth’s Masaot/Clocks Without…
Catch the 25th Anniversary Re-Release of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Today
The 25th Anniversary celebrations for the Ohio-filmed The Shawshank Redemption just keep on coming. A large festival was already held in the film’s honor this August in Mansfield, Ohio, and now the film is getting a full-on national re-release. Since its 1994 release, the hope-filled film has brought curious fans out to places like the…
Sinbad To Perform at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage in April
Sinbad prides himself on finding the funny in the toughest situations. His show’s an interactive affair, and the guy regularly flips the script on his fans and turns their troubles into comedic gold for everyone else. The comic’s also seen some screen time and was the star of the holiday flick Jingle All the Way…
A Rejuvenated Black Keys Return to Northeast Ohio Next Week to Play Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
The press materials accompanying Let’s Rock, the latest album from the Black Keys, find singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach talking about how the disc marks a return to the band’s early days when it made stripped down, grunge-y garage blues records out of drummer Patrick Carney’s basement. Songs such as the swaggering “Eagle Birds,” a tune that…
Channel 3 Gets New Logo, Rebrands as ‘3NEWS at wkyc studios’
As part of a sweeping rebrand, WKYC Channel 3 is now wkyc studios. Its news operation will be known as “3NEWS.” Multiple new reporters and anchors have joined the staff in the past few months. And Monday, station execs made the rebrand official after the Browns telecast. The changes are in many respects stylistic. The…
Cleveland’s First-Ever Pizza Week Heads to Town This October
After the success of Cleveland’s Burger Week, Scene has decided to take some time to celebrate another one of America’s favorite foods: pizza. Cleveland Pizza Week is coming Oct. 21 to 27, which means a whole seven days of $8 pies from 17-plus local restaurants. The current list of participants includes: 49 Street Tavern Ballantine…
Berlin Makes a Special Appearance at the Rock Hall to Perform and Make a Donation
The New Wave band Berlin brought its anniversary tour to House of Blues last night, and before heading to New York today, the group made a special appearance today at the Rock Hall, where it donated an artifact and performed in the Rock Hall’s interactive Garage. Rock Hall CEO and President Greg Harris introduced the band…
Country Stars Justin Moore and Tracy Lawrence Coming to Wolstein Center in February
Earlier today, multiplatinum-selling country artists Justin Moore and Tracy Lawrence announced the dates of their 2020 Late Nights and Longnecks Tour. The jaunt comes to Wolstein Center on Feb. 29. Moore recently earned his eighth No. 1 hit with “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” the lead single off his fifth studio album…
Cavs Radio Announcer John Michael to Succeed Fred McLeod on Fox Sports Ohio
The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that radio play-by-play announcer John Michael will join the Fox Sports Ohio TV broadcast team for the upcoming NBA season. Michael fills the seat vacated by longtime announcer Fred McLeod, who died suddenly on Sept. 9. Michael will join color commentator Austin Carr and courtside reporter Angel Gray for in-game…
Ohio Farm Aid Welcomed After Extensive Flooding This Year, But Permanent Solutions Sought
LIMA, Ohio – Ohio farmers looking for relief for lost crops due to extensive flooding this year can now apply for disaster aid from the Department of Agriculture. Sen. Sherrod Brown pushed for the funds after the Ohio Farm Bureau announced 2019 was the worst planting season since the 1970s. Historic rains have led to…
$2,000 Reward Offered for Information Involving Dog Burning in East Cleveland
A stray dog was burned inside a crate last Friday, the East Cleveland Police Department has reported. Now the Cleveland Animal Protective League is offering a cash reward of $2,000 to anyone with information regarding the incident, which seemed purposefully done. The dog was rescued by police, who were called to the scene at a parking structure…
Poison’s Bret Michaels to Perform at Canton Palace Theatre in December
With the hair metal band Poison and as a solo artist, singer-songwriter Bret Michaels has sold over 50 million records worldwide. A reality TV superstar who reportedly has some of the highest rated reality shows in history, Michaels is also an animal lover who’s created the multi-million dollar selling Pets Rock Collection with PetSmart. Through…
ZZ Top and Cheap Trick Bring Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica’s Season to a Close with a Bang
Much like heavy metal icons AC/DC, Texas-based bluesmen ZZ Top happened upon a musical formula and proceeded to stick with it all the way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Last night, ZZ Top, affectionately known as “that little ole band from Texas,” brought its 50th anniversary tour to town, closing out Jacobs…
Mavis Staples Gives Inspiring Performance at Inaugural Rock Hall Honors Event
It’s hard to imagine any other Rock Hall inductee embracing the new Rock Hall Honors award with more enthusiasm than 80-year-old singer showed last night at the State Theatre during a performance and awards ceremony. “Blessed” and “honored” were just a couple of the adjectives she used at the start of the festive two-hour event…
‘The Member of the Wedding’ to Open at Beck Center for the Arts on Oct. 4
At the suggestion of her friend Tennessee Williams, Southern writer Carson McCullers adapted her novella The Member of the Wedding into a play that was an enormous success when it opened on Broadway in 1950. It depicts the “intrinsically enmeshed lives of whites and blacks in the American South.” Regional talent Eric Schmiedl has directed a…
Danica Patrick Shares Her Race to the Top at Baldwin Wallace University Next Weekend
Retired Open-wheel auto racer Danica Patrick is coming to Baldwin Wallace University next Saturday, Sept. 28, as part of the school’s Voices of Inspiration lecture series. Since retiring, the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race has published a book called Pretty Intense and recently launched a podcast of the same name, where she interviews personalities…
Mayors, Health Groups Slam Plan to Lower Emissions Standards in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Groups concerned about air quality, climate change and local control are speaking out to oppose the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to impose a lower federal standard for vehicle emissions, and prevent states from requiring more pollution controls on cars. The administration claims this will lower the price of new cars and boost…
Cleveland.com Editor Joins Mayor Frank Jackson in Insulting Local Reporters
The Plain Dealer yesterday published a piece of media criticism, which in and of itself is a rarity, but which was made even more rare because the target was Cleveland.com, its sister but separate organization. The piece, written by TV critic Mark Dawidziak, was greenlit only after PD editor George Rodrigue sought approval from Advance…
Legendary Chef John Folse Brings Louisiana Tradition ‘Fête des Bouchers’ to Culinary Vegetable Institute
Born in St. James Parish, legendary chef John Folse has come to be known as “Louisiana’s Culinary Ambassador to the World.” Through his many restaurants, television programs and cookbooks, he has spread his love of Cajun and Creole cooking literally across the globe. Since opening his first restaurant in 1978, Lafitte’s Landing in Donaldsonville, the…
Dumb as Rocks: Q Renovation Will Do Precisely What Leaders Feared
Given the calamitous, jaw-dropping stories exploding daily from both the administrations of Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson — to whom one longtime political observer recently referred as “Tweedledee and Tweedledum” — it might be tempting to look upon the upcoming completion of the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse as good news. The…
RetroMania, a Fundraiser for St. Augustine, Brings Food, Fun and a Late-’60s Vibe to Rock Hall
RetroMania, a benefit for St. Augustine Health Ministries, invites guests to party like it’s 1969, the year the organization was founded in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. To be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, October 10th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1100 Rock and Roll Blvd.), the bash will feature live…
Bipartisan Group of Ohio Mayors, Others Meet in Columbus to Support Gun Law Reforms
A group of Ohio mayors, law enforcement personnel and gun violence survivors including Whitney Austin — who was shot 12 times during the Sept. 8, 2018 mass shooting at Fountain Square — gathered in Columbus yesterday to express support for a raft of changes to the state’s gun laws. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Cincinnati…
Upcoming Canton Hops and Harvest Festival To Feature 50 Brewers and More Than 100 Beers
For several years now, David Lockshin and Mark Puma have talked about bringing a beer festival in Canton. Puma, based in New York, works in music promotion and artist management. Canton’s Lockshin owned Fame Beverage Co. in Massillon, a company he sold just over 10 years ago. All that talk has finally turned into action,…
Calexico and Iron & Wine to Perform at the Agora in February
Earlier this week, Calexico and Iron & Wine, two indie rock acts who first collaborated together on the 2005 EP In the Reins, announced a tour in support of their latest collaboration, Years to Burn, an album the two acts recorded last year in Nashville with engineer Matt Ross-Spang, a guy whose recent resume includes producing…
Lava Lounge to Host a 20th Anniversary Party on Oct. 5
Established in 1999 as an alternative to the downtown nightlife scene, Tremont’s Lava Lounge, a self-described scratch kitchen and craft cocktail bar, became a go-to destination for young people looking for a place that wasn’t just a meat market. Chef-owned and operated by Jack Anfang and Ricardo Sandoval, the bar/restaurant continues to have weekend DJs…
Clocks in Motion to Premiere Rindfleisch Percussion Quartet at CSU on Monday
Last month on the podcast The Three Questions with Andy Richter, comedian Jim Gaffigan said he always thinks he’ll be “metaphorically escorted into a room of luxury” after achieving something special, though he’s learned that doesn’t exist. But if you’re a composer interested in writing for percussion, there’s a room that might provide similar validation,…
Rx Report: Drug Price Hikes Outpacing Inflation
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Prescription drug price hikes have surpassed the rate of general inflation for more than a decade, according to a report just released. The research – from the AARP Public Policy Institute’s “Rx Price Watch Report” series – shows that between 2006 and 2017, prescription medications widely used by older Americans increased in…
Rapper NF To Perform at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in May of 2020
Earlier today, rapper NF, who just released his chart-topping album The Search, announced the second North American leg of the Search Tour, which kicks off on April 9 in Little Rock. He comes to Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica on May 8 of next year. To ensure tickets get in to the hands of fans and…
Cleveland Says Muni Lot Won’t Open Until 2 p.m. for Sunday Night’s Browns Game
We’ll see how this one goes. The city of Cleveland announced in a brief press conference today that the Muni Lot will once again open 6 hours before kickoff for Sunday’s Browns game. The difference here is that, for the first time in a long time, the Browns’ Sunday game is an evening affair. That…
Great Lakes Christmas Ale First Pour Goes Down Thursday, Oct. 24
Hark, the herald angels of popular local season craft brews sing. Great Lakes announced today that the annual Christmas Ale first pour at the brewery’s HQ in Ohio City will go down on Thursday, October 24, beginning at 11 in the it’s-not-even-Halloween-yet morning. Expect Christmas Ale. And more than a few people. And more than…
Rock Hall to Celebrate Kids Music Day on Oct. 5
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, the Rock Hall will host a Kids Music Day weekend with a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo. All children attending the Rock Hall that day will have the opportunity to try out different instruments including guitars, ukuleles, keyboards and dozens of different percussion instruments. It’s a…
Browns’ Chris Smith Holds Public Candlelight Vigil for Girlfriend Tonight
Cleveland Browns player Chris Smith is holding a public candlelight vigil tonight for his girlfriend Petara Cordero, who tragically passed away Sept. 11. Announcing the event from his Instagram account, Smith told fans and admirers: “I know you all loved @tarajesss , so tomorrow night (Sept. 19, 2019) we will celebrate her life & showcase…
Lorain-Carnegie Bridge Closed Briefly this Morning Due to Suicide Threat
The Lorain-Carnegie Bridge was closed to traffic briefly this morning as Cleveland police responded to a man threatening to jump. The Cleveland Police public information office reported to Scene that the man is now safe and in police custody. Police received the call at about 8:30 a.m., and the incident concluded just after 9. Traffic…
Stoner Rock Trailblazers Acid King to Play 1999’s ‘Busse Woods’ in Its Entirety Next Week at the Grog Shop
Though singer-guitarist Lori S. started the stoner rock/doom metal band Acid King after moving from the Chicago suburbs to the Bay Area, her days in the Windy City’s ‘burbs inspired the band’s 1999 album Busse Woods. She took the title from a park where she and her friends used to hang out and blast heavy…
New Wave Icons Berlin to Appear at the Rock Hall on Monday
Earlier today, the Rock Hall announced the L.A.-based New Wave act Berlin, which performs on Sunday at House of Blues, will include the Hall of Fame as part of a special stop on their 40th anniversary tour. On Monday, the band will play live, present an artifact, and conduct a meet-and-greet with fans in the…
Beto O’Rourke Heads to Kent State University Next Week to Try And Convince Voters His Campaign is Going Fine
Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke is coming to Kent State University Wednesday, Sept. 25, the school’s College Democrats club recently announced. We are so happy to announce Presidential Candidate @BetoORourke will be on campus to speak September 25 @ 6PM on Risman Plaza! We hope to see you all there! pic.twitter.com/w6v27B1v7D — The Kent State College…
10 Concerts to Catch in Cleveland This Weekend
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20 Rock Hall Honors: Mavis Staples The new Rock Hall Honors award features a career celebration and full night of music from soul/R&B singer Mavis Staples tonight at 8 at the State Theatre. Inductee Jackson Browne and Valerie June will join Staples during the concert. Just last week, the Rock Hall announced that…
Visible Voice Books To Host a Talk and Signing Featuring Two Cleveland-Centric Books
John J. Grabowski, a historian and professor who’s written Cleveland A to Z, and Alan F. Dutka [pictured], a researcher and speaker who’s written Cleveland Millionaires’ Row will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, at Visible Voice Books for a joint book talk and signing. “These authors take two different approaches — surveying a variety…
Cleveland Exploring City-Wide Paid Safe Leave Policy for Domestic Violence Victims
Cleveland city councilmember Matt Zone Monday evening introduced a resolution to form a working group to study domestic violence concerns and the feasibility of a safe leave policy in the city. The group will work with community partners to examine the ways that the city government, as well as private employers, can ensure that survivors…
Odell Beckham is Really Freaking Good — The A to Z Podcast With Andre Knott and Zac Jackson
Andre and Zac talk Jason Kipnis, Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield and (of course) Odell Beckham Jr. Subscribe to A to Z on iTunes here or stream below. Sign up for Scene’s weekly newsletters to get the latest on Cleveland news, things to do and places to eat delivered right to your inbox.
Louis C.K. Brings His Non-Apology Tour to Hilarities Next Week
Louis C.K. was once one of the most popular comedians in the country. He’d had a successful TV show, standup comedy specials galore, sold-out nationwide theater tours, and was about to release his directorial debut in theaters in 2017 when news hit that he had a penchant for taking out his genitals and masturbating in…
Rep. Chabot Campaign Gets New Treasurer Amid Campaign Finance Questions
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot’s reelection campaign has a new treasurer following questions about his campaign finances. Records filed with the Federal Elections Commission Sept. 16 list Natalie Baur as the treasurer of Chabot for Congress. Previously, Bauer was campaign finance director for the Ohio Republican Party and is currently in that role for U.S. Sen.…
Carl Monday, Tom Meyer, Tom Merriman Hired by Fox 8 as Local TV News Arms Race Goes Thermonuclear
Cleveland’s WJW Fox 8 announced yesterday that retired celebrity investigative journalists Carl Monday and Tom Meyer, plus former Fox 8 investigative reporter Tom Merriman, had all been hired back to the station’s investigative team. Monday, the “Dean” of local TV investigators, whom Scene profiled in 2016, retired from Cleveland 19 News late last year. Meyer,…
The Texas Tenors To Open the Cleveland Pops Orchestra’s Season
The Cleveland Pops Orchestra puts on concerts, youth programs and community events that “represent one of the most comprehensive and dedicated musical arts programs in Northeast Ohio.” Now in its 24th year, the organization is renowned for its programs that feature American orchestral popular music, jazz, Broadway, and patriotic and light classics. Just this week,…
10 Cleveland Theater Shows To See Before 2020
As the calendar turns to fall, a dynamite year of Cleveland theater continues with options new and old, traditional and off-the-wall. Here are 10 that we’re looking forward to. Julius Caesar Great Lakes Theatre Oct 4. – Nov. 3 Power. Greed. Envy. Pride. These are all things that describe the life of Caesar and his…
The 10 Movies We’re Most Excited About This Fall
Ad Astra Dir. by James Gray (Sept. 20) As our review on Pg. 29 attests, this deep-space mystery thriller starring Brad Pitt is one of the year’s boldest and most spectacular films. Pitt is an astronaut on a secret mission to find his long-lost father (Tommy Lee Jones) in the outer reaches of the solar…
Get Out: Everything You Should Be Doing in Cleveland This Week (Sept. 18-24)
WED 09/18 Cleveland Stories Dinner Parties Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is a weekly series that pairs fine food with storytelling. Through it, the folks at Music Box Supper Club hope to raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center. The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to…
‘Ad Astra’ is Among Year’s Boldest, Best
Traveling commercially to the Moon in James Gray’s daring, wondrous new space epic Ad Astra is not the futuristic sci-fi dream envisioned by technologists or the Jetsons. It’s a lot more like getting stranded at LaGuardia. The main lunar space port in the film is all grim concrete and quotidian storefronts. Exhausted travelers wander past…
‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ Brings the Horror of Drug Cartel Life to the Big Screen
When asked about the inspiration for Tigers Are Not Afraid, a movie that follows a group of orphaned children running from drug cartel thugs, director Issa López says some stories come to her in “full-fledged” form, and some arrive as “little anecdotes.” Tigers Are Not Afraid was the latter. “It could be something you read…
A Case for Not Making a Big Deal About Finding Hair in Your Food, and Not Even Sending the Plate Back
This might come as a shock, owing to the fact that I’m a restaurant critic and all, but I could not care less about finding a hair in my food. My complete and unmitigated indifference to discovering a loose lock in a plate of pasta or bowl of bouillabaisse is well known among my friends,…
Band of the Week: Toronzo Cannon
MEET THE BAND:Toronzo Cannon (vocals, guitar) BORN ON THE SOUTH SIDE: Born in Chicago, Cannon grew up on the city’s notorious Southside. He says he didn’t initially know it had such a rich blues history, but he’d eventually discover Theresa’s Lounge, a hot blues joint that was in his neighborhood. While he was too young…
Savage Love: More Boundaries
My son has always liked handcuffs and tying people up as a form of play. He is 12 now, and the delight he finds in cuffing has not faded along with his love of Legos. He lobbied hard to be allowed to buy a hefty pair of handcuffs. We cautioned him strongly about consent —…
Dobama Promises Fresh, Groundbreaking Material as it Celebrates its 60th Season
The Dobama Theatre — nestled in Cleveland Heights along Lee Road and sharing estate with the beautifully renovated Cleveland Heights Public Library— celebrated the start of its landmark 60th season earlier this month with a production of Aaron Posner’s transformative Chekhov adaptation Stupid F**king Bird. Lisa Langford, a playwright and actress as well as a…
The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series Features International Musicians and Two World Premieres
The Cleveland Museum of Art features some of the most acclaimed performing artists representing a wide variety of traditions in its 2019–2020 Performing Arts Series. As always, the museum’s concert series presents a range of internationally renowned artists often making their first appearances in Cleveland, as well as ongoing collaborations with regional institutions including Oberlin…
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival Celebrates 10 Years of Bringing Real Life Stories to the Masses
For the past 50 years, no professional fireworks displays have boomed across the Chagrin Falls skies. But thanks to the 10th anniversary of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, and with the blessing of the local fire department and city council, a fireworks spectacle is planned for the kickoff of the event in early October. “We…
A Stencil Artist’s Works are Conspicuous on the Near West Side. How Does Cleveland Feel About Them?
“There’s no city without graffiti,” stated Blek Le Rat, the French artist who is arguably the godfather of stencil art. Heavily influenced by the New York City graffiti artists of the 1970s, Blek took the medium to a new level by using stencils to create commentaries on the quotidian life of the French. He famously…
All the Classical Music You Should Catch in Cleveland This Fall (and Winter)
ClevelandClassical.com’s concert database lists more than 200 events between now and the end of December, and more will pop up overnight like mushrooms. Here’s a selection of particularly interesting concerts, arranged in alphabetical order by category. Burning River It’s the 50th anniversary of the famous fire on the Cuyahoga River that drew national attention to…
Lit Cleveland Celebrates New Leadership With Expansion, Membership Engagement
Under new leadership and working toward a new era in the organization, Literary Cleveland hopes to attract writers and readers of all levels and ages with engaging presentations, workshops and events. With the addition of executive director Christine Howey— a respected theater critic, playwright, poet and former Scene writer — the organization intends to increase…
