9/14: Between the Trees at Peabody’s
Orlando trio Between the Trees were supposed to release their second album a while back, but they split with their record company before they got the chance. After some delay, Spain finally came out last month on the band’s own label. Onstage, the Trees play a mix of new tunes plus some from their 2006…
9/15: Greg Ginn at Beachland
In American punk’s tattered history, the only band equaling (if not surpassing) the Ramones in terms of impact is Black Flag. Formed in 1976 in Los Angeles, Black Flag incubated the careers of singers Keith Morris (who went on to the Circle Jerks) and Henry Rollins, with their sole constant being guitarist Greg Ginn. While…
9/16: A Celebration of Phyllis Sloane
Cleveland painter and printmaker Phyllis Sloane died on May 26 at the age of 87. Beginning her career in industrial design, she narrowed her art to life drawing after she started a family. She worked prolifically, and after friends gave her a proofing press, she learned to make prints and began mixing the two media.…
Janis Ian Looks Back
About four years ago, singer-songwriter Janis Ian approached the folks at Sony Records about putting together a retrospective of her work. They weren’t interested, so Ian released the compilation, Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection, on her own Rude Girls Records. Then, last year, she met Sony Legacy Senior Vice President Steve Berkowitz and…
BRECKSVILLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS SIDES WITH CRAZIES ON OBAMA SPEECH
On Labor Day Weekend, 2004, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School was teeming with enthusiastic teens who launched into a cheering frenzy when President George and Laura Bush, along with their twin daughters, stepped into the school’s two auditoriums. Bush went on to deliver a predictable campaign speech and win the election. But yesterday, the district, which…
Wednesday Ticket Giveaway: Ra Ra Riot
We got a pair of tickets to Ra Ra Riot’s concert at the Grog Shop on Sunday, September 13. All you have to do is send your name, phone number and e-mail address to freetickets@clevescene.com. We’ll pick a random winner at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 11.
9/12: Datarock at Grog Shop
Apparently nobody ever told Datarock that new rave was a joke, and a dead one at that. For nearly a decade, Datarock have fused Madchester, late-’70s NYC art-rock, electro-punk, nerdy humor and tracksuits, creating a manic and infectious sound and style. Their latest album, Red, pays even more strident homage to their chosen temporal-sonic muses.…
9/12: Gripped Canvas at (art)ificial Gallery
A skateboard deck was never intended to be a canvas, but that hasn’t stopped skaters from doodling on them and covering them with stickers. And it sure hasn’t stopped manufacturers from tapping graphic artists to give decks some style right off the rack. Rich Cihlar hosted a skate-deck art show at his (art)ificial Gallery earlier…
9/12: Marcy Playground at Roc Bar
Nothing screws up a career like a platinum debut. Marcy Playground’s 1997 eponymous album spawned the massively successful “Sex and Candy,” which drove sales into precious metal territory and raised unrealistic expectations. The band’s 1999 follow-up, Shapeshifter, was every bit as good as its predecessor but fell short on sales. It was five years before…
9/12: Monarch Magic at North Chagrin Nature Center
The Cleveland Metroparks have provided several opportunities over the summer to get up close and personal with creepy things like bugs and bats. This weekend, they’re featuring a creature that will make even the most delicate member of your family go “oooh” instead of “ick!” The Monarch butterfly will be the center of attention at…
9/12: Pandemonium at Cleveland Public Theatre
Cleveland Public Theatre calls its annual arts-benefit party Pandemonium for good reason. There are more than two dozen performers (including dance companies, comedy companies and live bands), food prepared by a team of hot chefs and an open bar. This year’s outing, Forbidden Knowledge, promises an extra energy boost thanks to the newly revived Detroit…
9/12: Sparx City Hop
Downtown Cleveland isn’t a single neighborhood; it’s a honeycomb of many, each growing in its own distinct way. Today, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance sponsors its 7th annual Sparx City Hop, with an eye on more than just the core downtown area and the galleries that were the main focus of previous years. Two trolleys leaving…
9/13: Ra Ra Riot at Grog Shop
Fresh off a tour with Death Cab for Cutie, life is looking up for Ra Ra Riot. Last time the sextet played the Grog Shop, they opened for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. They return tonight as headliners, a position they’ve rightfully earned. Still touring behind The Rhumb Line, its 2008 debut, the Syracuse-based…
9/11: GroundWorks Dancetheater
Akron’s Ice House was built to keep things cool. The brick building was designed for storing blocks of ice, but lately local arts organizations have used it as a performance space. For the next two weekends, GroundWorks Dancetheater sets up shop for a series of performances of mostly new work, including the world premiere of…
9/11: Wayfaring Strangers at Arts Collinwood
Randall Tiedman’s brooding portraits of imagined landscapes are marked by industrial-looking facilities: factories with skylights, rectangular retention pools and utility poles. They’re dark, but they almost always show some sort of light on the horizon. Looking at Tiedman’s drafting skills, the consistency of his style and his expert use of light, you wouldn’t guess that…
9/11: Pro Wrestling Photos at Brandt Gallery
Scene’s Anastasia Pantsios was photographing rock concerts when she discovered the equally theatrical world of professional wrestling in the mid ’80s. “At the time, rock musicians were putting increasing onerous, creativity-stifling restrictions on photographers, and the more easygoing world of professional wrestling offered a break from that,” she says. So from 1985 to 1989, she…
Photo Show: Lita Ford and Peter Frampton at Taste of Cleveland
Johnny Angell fed his face at Taste of Cleveland over Labor Day weekend. In between all the good eats, he took some pictures of Lita Ford and Peter Frampton.
Late 80’s Wrestling Photos at Brandt Gallery
Scene’s Anastasia Pantsios was photographing rock concerts when she discovered the equally theatrical world of professional wrestling in the mid ’80s. “At the time, rock musicians were putting increasing onerous, creativity-stifling restrictions on photographers, and the more easygoing world of professional wrestling offered a break from that,” she says. So from 1985 to 1989, she…
Photo Show: WRUW’s Studio-A-Rama, 9/5
Scene’s Anastasia Pantsios was at WRUW’s Studio-A-Rama on Saturday. She saw a whole bunch of cool local artists and Boston’s Mission of Burma. Here are some pics.
Bonus eBay Item of the Day: Vardell, Metcalf, Jackson, Johnson Caricature T-Shirt
I think they got lost Couldn’t pass up a chance to put this up today instead of waiting until tomorrow. Eric Metcalf, Pepper Johnson, Tommy Vardell, and Michael Jackson are riding their way to the Super Bowl in 1994 in this caricature tee. Yeah, they didn’t just make caricature tees of Bernie and Byner and…
Tuesday Ticket Giveaway: Ramona Falls
We got a pair of tickets to Ramona Falls’ concert at the Beachland Tavern on Saturday, September 12. All you have to do is send your name, phone number and e-mail address to freetickets@clevescene.com. We’ll pick a random winner at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 11.
eBay Item of the Day: Brady Quinn Blanket
Better than a Snuggie? Right? With that hair, that chiseled face, those dreamy eyes, you don’t want to experience Brady Quinn from a distance. No, you want him right there next to you keeping you warm. With this blanket, you can make that happen without tempting fate with a possible restraining order. Two blankets available,…
Mick Boogie Serves Some PB&J
Mick Boogie’s Peter Bjorn & John remix album, Re-Living Thing, is finally available for download. I thought the original album, Living Thing, was a bit underwhelming. But Boogie’s remix spins the 13 songs into cool new places. Some work, some don’t, but it’s a more satisfying listen than PB&J’s record. Remixers include Jazzy Jeff, 6th…
Unofficial Shaq Vs. — Shaq vs. Time’s Joel Stein
Shaq has taken on Albert Pujols in a home run competition, volleyball Olympic gold medalists, Ben Roethlisberger, and Oscar De La Hoya officially for his reality show. This month, he unofficially took on Time’s Joel Stein in an essay contest on the topic of Twitter. You can head on over to read both essays and…
“TAKING A STAND” IN HUDSON
A local publication* reports on a vaguely threatening note that mentions Hudson schools: “Its time for taking a stand and stopping the takeover.Today will be the day it ends.Before or after 10 a.m.Hudson will know.School is dangerous.BloodyHungry ChildrenBoomBye” Is it just me, or does that first line have the ring of a right-winger’s rants? The…
Tuesday Music News Roundup
We’re still bummed “Revolution 9” isn’t on here. At least it’s here. Guess who’ll be at that Michael Jackson tribute show in Vienna. Jermaine! Ludacris gives away 20 cars in Atlanta. Meanwhile, 20 Atlanta residents wonder who the hell stole their cars. —Michael Gallucci
Excerpt from LeBron’s “Shooting Stars”; Book Review of “Shooting Stars”
The Summer of LeBron continues this week as “Shooting Stars,” co-authored by LeBron and Buzz Bissinger, hits shelves today. As if you weren’t going to find out enough about LeBron and his high school teammates at St. Vincent St. Mary with the documentary “More Than a Game” — slated to premiere in October — you…
A-Hole: Albert Belle’s Sports Drink
Via the Bob & Tom Show. Funnier the longer the bit goes on. “Gatorade is for pussies.”
“Kids are kids. You look at kids, they take their shoes off and run around all the time.” — Romeo Crennel Gets a Coors Light Ad
I am the walrus. Now, I don’t know if Coors Light is going to use any quotes from my favorite Romeo Crennel press conference of all time — the one where he had to explain why Braylon was running around without shoes on — but it’s not like that is the only gem in the…
Loud and Bobnoxious Cult Movies: Martyrs
Fifteen years ago a little girl escaped from an abandoned slaughterhouse where she had been chained to a chair and tortured. Now grown up, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) calls her only friend Anna (Morjana Alaoui) and says that she has tracked down her tormentors, a seemingly ordinary upper middle class family living in a nice home.…
Concert Review: Tony Furtado at Waterloo Cafe, 9/6
Tony Furtado took the stage at the sparsely decorated Waterloo Cafe last night for an intimate acoustic performance that opened his current Midwestern tour. It included a selection of tunes from his back catalog and many improvised moments. Accompanied solely by his acoustic guitar, Furtado kicked off with a slow instrumental piece and followed with…
9/9: Arterial at Nubrosis Gallery
Painter Chester Hopkins-Bey and photographer Gina Washington give props to the women in their lives with their new exhibit Arterial: An Expression of Urbanature. A few other artists also contribute work to the show. “We’re dealing with women’s issues — showing where the hard-working women are in Cleveland and what they are doing to get…
9/10: Between Technology and Dreams at Notre Dame College
Meeting of the Spines, When the spinal disease Scheuermann’s kyphosis limited Andrew Reach’s mobility and caused too much pain for him to continue a career as an architect, he taught himself Photoshop and soon made it his primary mode of expression. “This was the beginning of an odyssey of self-awareness and personal expression that continues…
9/10: Jesse Dee at Beachland
The most prized piece of vinyl in your collection comes to mind when you hear Jesse Dee’s soulful voice. But these aren’t cover versions he’s singing. This Boston-based crooner is one of a growing group of artists ushering in a new era by channeling old R&B. Like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Jamie Lidell and…
9/10: Paul Mooney at the Improv
Comedian Paul Mooney pulls no punches. The veteran comic is edgy, politically incorrect and blunt. And that’s the way he’s been since he started performing stand-up more than 40 years ago. The Los Angeles-based Mooney’s mark as a joke writer is all over comedy classics like Sanford and Son, In Living Colour and Chappelle’s Show.…
9/11: PlayhouseSquare Block Party and Tour
Downtown will be hopping today, so pray for good weather! From 5:30-9:30 p.m., the 10th annual PlayhouseSquare Block Park and Tour will showcase attractions in the vicinity of Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street with an outdoor party at Star Plaza. Area restaurants will provide samples, local bands Cats on Holiday and State Fair will…
Gamer offers a good mix of humor and horror
Gamer could easily have been a third rate rip-off of last year’s Death Race remake, but it turns out to be a solidly entertaining B-movie thanks to the writing/directing team of Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor. The plot involves death row inmates, including the wrongly convicted Kable (Gerard Butler), who are given the chance to fight for…
Clever writing carries All About Steve
Much like Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films, Inc. and Reese Witherspoon’s Type A Films, Sandra Bullock’s production company Fortis Films seeks projects featuring strong female leads. It produced the silly All About Steve, a harmless and really quite sweet romp that finds Bullock sporting a honeyed auburn shag and shiny red knee-high boots. She plays Mary…
Creatures collide in the apocalyptic 9
Little surprise that Tim Burton is one of the producers of 9, a CG-animated story about a group of tiny creatures (they look like grown-up versions of Little Big Planet’s Sackboy) trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The film’s bleak look and tone resemble the dark gothic mood of Burton’s best work. But director…
Benefit for Louie DeAngelis
Bob Palumbo has been kicking around the local music scene for over three decades, ever since playing with groups like bar-band stalwarts 1 Yere 2 Sune in the ’70s. Along the way, he’s played with a lot of people and made a lot of friends. Now he’s enlisted a bunch of them to help out…
Thursday Music News Roundup
Beatles: Rock Band creator talks about making Ringo look even more creepy. Chris Brown won’t shut up about the time he smacked the shit out of Rihanna. DJ AM was buried yesterday, beating Michael Jackson to the grave. Oops … looks like Michael Jackson will finally be buried tonight. —Michael Gallucci
A Sexy Jim Brown Item From eBay Takes the Blog Into a Long Break
In case you haven’t noticed — and there’s no reason to think that you should have — this blog’s been kind of slow recently as Other Real Work has invaded on blogging time. As of this afternoon, that’s not the case anymore. Unfortunately, as of this afternoon, this blog is officially taking a break until…
Cobain Fronts One of the Worst Bands Ever in Guitar Hero
I haven’t had a chance to play Guitar Hero 5 yet, but I plan to spend the long holiday weekend jamming my ass off, so don’t even think of stopping by. Needless to say, I haven’t even come close to unlocking any of the cool things you get to see only after you’ve played the…
Wednesday Music News Roundup
We hate to be a dick, but get over it. Maybe an errant doodie bubble had something to do with the way she sounded. DJ AM prepared himself a prescription-pill cocktail before he checked out. The biggest surprise here? Apparently LeAnn Rimes also acts. —Michael Gallucci
A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS
The City of Cleveland reports that the entirety of a $250,000 economic development loan made to The Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company remains unpaid. That and the receipt of an electricity shut-off notice were the occasion for the theatre to cease operations this week. Michael Gill Bang and the Clatter on renovated lower Euclid…
Truly funny people populate Mike Judge’s new film, Extract
Mike Judge isn’t a great director. His previous films, Office Space and Idiocracy, have a pedestrian, amateurish quality that makes them look like high-school projects. But he does have a great ear for dialogue, something that was apparent even in the boneheaded Beavis and Butthead ’toon he scripted for MTV. His latest film Extract isn’t…
Radio Daze
The 28th edition of WRUW’s annual, free, all-day concert Studio-A-Rama takes place on Saturday, September 5, in the courtyard behind Case Western Reserve University’s Mather Building (11220 Bellflower Rd.), where the station’s studios are located. Guided by Voices, Enon, the Sadies and Naked Raygun have headlined in previous years. The lineup this year features headliners…
STILL ARGUING OVER SLAVERY
By conservative estimates, there are more slaves today than at any other time in history — 27 million people worldwide. Sex trafficking — depicted in the 2008 action-thriller movie Taken — gets the most attention. The U.S. government estimates that up to 18,000 women and girls are trafficked into sexual slavery here each year. But…
Back to the Drawing Board
It didn’t take months of careful deliberation about creative direction for singer-songwriter Tim Easton to realize what he wanted to do with his next album. Almost as soon as he had finished his previous one, 2006’s contemplative and largely acoustic Ammunition, Easton knew the follow-up would involve a healthy dose of electricity and volume. “I…
Reel Cleveland: EMIT’s Coming
EMIT, an annual showcase of Cleveland Institute of Art student video and animation, returns to the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque (11141 East Blvd., 216.421.7450, cia.edu/cinematheque) at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3. CIA associate professor Kasumi, the curator/originator of the festival, says she started EMIT seven years ago as a forum for works that might…
Soundcheck: Kevin Martin
Rock reunions often generate huge ticket sales and big news. The recent Police reformation was a box-office smash, and the deplorable Creed are packing sheds on their current tour. The Pixies reunion created a buzz in indie-rock circles. And then there are bands like Candlebox, who reunited three years ago after a six-year hiatus. No…
Around Hear: Lovekill Reunion
Most of the Lovekill will reunite for three shows as I Am Champagne. Drummer Craig Ramsey, singer-bassist Carla Cherry and guitarist Jonah Bayer will play new material as well as songs from the 2006 Lovekill album These Moments Are Momentum (released on Astro Magnetics, whose partners include Thursday frontman Geoff Rickley). Ramsey says the players…
HOOKS and Harmonies
Sidekicks drummeR MATT Climer says his band’s sophomore album is “way different, but it’s still us.” That statement aptly describes the upcoming Weight of Air. It would be difficult for the Sidekicks — Climer, singer-guitarist Steve Ciolek, bassist Josh Henry and guitarist Matt Scheuermann — to not be the Sidekicks after playing together for six…
Teutonic Tranny Rocker
Strap on your glittery platform heels and secure that blonde Farrah wig, ladies and gentlemen. The hot transsexual singer Hedwig is gripping a mic in her manicured hand, and she’s ready to rip. This new version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (text by John Cameron Mitchell, music and lyrics by Stephen Trask) features…
Rocket Launch
Even though it was more than 10 years ago, Stephan Groth can still recall his first visit to Cleveland. “The Phantasy was the club with the pirate ship, right?” he asks. “Out on the street that day, someone got shot near the club. That was really extreme for us. We’ve never seen stuff like that…
INTIMATE MONUMENTS
“Everything is sculpture,” Isamu Noguchi once said. But while that may be true in a broad sense, art is always a matter of psychological cookery. In order to be “art,” an object must somehow sear into the mind. The late sculptor David Davis was an artist who excelled in the careful, disciplined choices that such…
Local Music Reviews
Muamin Collective World B. Free (self-released) myspace.com/muamincollective On their third album World B. Free, Muamin Collective focus on the beats. It’s as if the guys aspire to a new-age, newfangled hip-hop reworking of Phil Spector’s legendary Wall of Sound. Like a symphonic Picasso, beat-maker aLive painstakingly layers sonic touches, taking a Mavis Staples sample here…
ALIEN-NATION
Author Dan Chaon has long been interested in identity — both the true essence of a person and the front a person can put up, whether by hiding behind Internet anonymity or exploiting the idea of a clean slate by moving to a new place. Characters’ identities and the ways they manipulate them are central…
CD Review: Yonder Mountain String Band
Colorado bluegrass-heads Yonder Mountain String Band spin the genre deep into jam-band land on their fifth album. They’ve been doing this for more than a decade, but The Show sounds more like the Grateful Dead than Bill Monroe this time. The quartet flashes its virtuosity at every turn: fancy picking here, speed-of-light fretwork there. They…
Arts District: Art Walking Waterloo
Northeast Shores Community Development Corporation — the CDC in the North Collinwood neighborhood — has launched its own version of an art walk, Walk All Over Waterloo, from 6-10 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 3 and 10. It emphasizes the arts, but it’s more expansive than that, including a wiffle-ball game. Don’t miss Fragments, an exhibit of…
CD Review: Imogen Heap
The past couple of years have produced a bumper crop of newly minted singing/songwriting women of every stripe, from pop chanteuses with serious chart aspirations to rock chicks with chops and bravado. Imogen Heap is not one of them. The Brit worked with Acacia in the mid-’90s, released her debut solo album, i Megaphone, in…
BEATING THE ODDS
Infused with Matt Greenfield’s earnest embrace of offbeat humor, the DIY micro-theater company Oddy Fest defies expectation this week by launching its second season. Greenfield started producing twice-monthly shows on odd Wednesdays last year at the Heights Arts Gallery. The performances are a hodgepodge of short plays, poetry and music — much of which Greenfield…
CD Review: Matisyahu
An American Hasidic Jew who raps and embraces the spiritualism of Bob Marley, Matisyahu at least doesn’t have to worry about competition. There really isn’t any. His third album opens with “Smash Lies,” a hard-hitting tune featuring tongue-twisting vocals. With beats that vacillate between hip-hop and dancehall, it’s one of the heavier songs Matisyahu has…
Homer Sweet Homer
TOP PICK The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (Twentieth Century Fox) The 12th season’s best outings — “HOMR,” “The Worst Episode Ever,” “Trilogy of Error” — focus on the series’ enduring strengths: pop-culture jabs, smart historical skewering and Homer. This four-DVD box includes all 21 episodes, plus deleted scenes, featurettes, commentary and some Easter eggs.…
CD Review: Matisyahu
An American Hasidic Jew who raps and embraces the spiritualism of Bob Marley, Matisyahu at least doesn’t have to worry about competition. There really isn’t any. His third album opens with “Smash Lies,” a hard-hitting tune featuring tongue-twisting vocals. With beats that vacillate between hip-hop and dancehall, it’s one of the heavier songs Matisyahu has…
LIMITED TIME OFFERS
The kids may have gone back to school, but summer doesn’t officially come to an end for three more weeks. And the warm weather — who knows how long that will last? Now’s the time to soak up every last bit of the season by eating, drinking and doing things we can only dream about…
CD Review: Drive-By Truckers
When Drive-By Truckers aren’t playing on Booker T. or Bettye LaVette’s albums, they’ve got a good thing of their own going. They’re easily one of the hardest-working bands in music today and seem to have an endless slate of tour dates. They’ve released multiple albums in the past half-dozen years and are currently working on…
For Those About to Rock
It’s the summer of 1984, and a heavy-metal tour featuring the Scorpions, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi and Anvil has hit Japan. All the bands would have multi-platinum success. Except for Anvil. Testimonials from Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Motorhead singer Lemmy and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich guide Sacha Gervasi’s Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Scenes from…
CD Review: Colbie Caillat
In the early ’70s, Mattel introduced Malibu Barbie, a blonde and tanned version of the toy that came with several summery outfits. The litigious Mattel lawyers might have a case against Colbie Caillat. It’s as if the leggy SoCal-based singer-songwriter is the living embodiment of Malibu Barbie. The CD’s photos of her frolicking on the…
Welcome to Nowhere
Lake Tahoe is one of those indie films that opens with a shot of a barren wasteland, slowly clicking through images like a moving slideshow until it finally settles on a scene worth playing out. In this case, the scene comes five minutes into the movie, as Juan — a teen who just crashed his…
CD Review: The Apples in Stereo
What’s a poor Beatles fanboy to do, ‘cept to play in a rock ‘n’ roll band? That was the question Rob Schneider and pals faced more than a decade ago when Schneider founded the Apples in Stereo, dedicated to a snazzy synthesis of the Beatles’ accomplished, psychedelicized-but-concise craft (later picked up by disciples like the…
Film Caps
Opening All About Steve Reviewed at clevescene.com. … And God Created Woman (France/Italy, 1956) When Roger Vadim’s sinful drama first premiered in the U.S., it was banned in Philadelphia and denounced by clergy, conservative politicians and even film critics. In truth, star Brigitte Bardot shows a soupçon more skin than a Jennifer Jones or Carroll…
CD Review: These United States
Everything Touches Everything is an exceedingly upbeat record. The tracks are bright and lush, the compositions are major-key and the lyrics are unself-consciously positive. Even breakup songs are exuberant for these These United States, who penned the album in the glow of the 2008 presidential election. “I Want You to Keep Everything” opens Everything disarmingly…
