Out Today: Die Antwoord
DIE ANTWOORD$0$(Cherrytree/Interscope) Die Antwoord sound like they come from a place that’s a lot farther away than South Africa. On its debut album, the Cape Town trio spins hip-hop into a frothy blend of futuristic electro beats, outer-space bips and bleeps, and old-school boasting rhymes from a guy named Ninja. $0$ isn’t so much an…
What to Do Tonight: Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog get ready for their meeting with Nurse Cat Let’s get this out of the way. Dr. Dog is an awful name for a band — somewhere between Hoobastank and the Goo Goo Dolls on the Awful Band Name list. But the group itself — five guys from Philadelphia who’ve been playing together since…
What to Do Tonight: Paste Magazine Tour With Jason Isbell
Brother Trucker Isbell Since the Paste Magazine Tour was announced a few months ago, the actual magazine folded. But its name is still attached to this cross-country show headlined by former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell. His band the 400 Unit gives his southern rock a crackly spin with twangy guitars and jangling keyboards. The Alabama…
What to Do Tonight: High on Fire/Torche
Is that a gang sign the one High on Fire dude is throwing low? It’s a great week to be a fan of forward-thinking metal in Cleveland. An unofficial and seemingly unplanned festival of distorted delights hits our city, starting with Brooklyn-born retro-thrashers Early Man rolling into Peabody’s on Thursday. Five days later, the Sword…
What to Do Tonight: OK Go
The star of OK Go’s latest video, plus some guys OK Go have gotten so good at making viral videos, it’s easy to forget that once upon a time they were just another band from Chicago playing pop-charged alt-rock songs. But maybe this is for the better since the group’s videos (the treadmill-driven “Here It…
What to Do Tonight: Cotton Jones
He went and chopped down a tree after this picture was taken Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a little break. And that’s exactly what Michael Nau did when he formed Cotton Jones a few years ago. The Maryland singer-songwriter started the side project during some downtime with Page France, the indie-rock…
Out Today: Darius Rucker
DARIUS RUCKERCharleston, SC 1966(Capitol Nashville) Former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker’s 2008 album Learn to Live was a surprise hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts. He even snagged a CMA Award for Best New Artist. The follow-up wisely travels the same twangy path. Rucker’s country comes naturally — he was raised…
Out Today: Belle and Sebastian
BELLE AND SEBASTIANWrite About Love(Matador) Belle and Sebastian’s eighth album doesn’t immediately grab you the way so many of their other records do. This really shouldn’t come as a big surprise to fans who’ve watched the Glasgow group shift from bookish pop songs to more traditional rock settings over the years. Some of the songs…
In the Realm of WTF: Glee Star Campaigns for Fisher
Yeah, we thought it was Orlando Bloom at first too. Glee. The word alone now has the cultural gunpowder to split the room into the frothing faithful and the rest of us old enough to buy cigarettes and porn who just don’t get it (show choir?). But for the millions of Ohioans who like their…
Browns Security Guard Turns to Craigslist to Find Beautiful Fan
If players are scanning the stands for fetching young females during games, it stands to reason that security guards are doing the same thing, and why wouldn’t they? They’re standing there, backs turned toward the game, just staring out into the seats. Could get boring. So, yeah, they’re glancing around not just for any trouble…
This Just In: Cleveland Concert Announcements
We’re not too crazy about any of this week’s new concerts, so enjoy the cover of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” now with Cigar Guy Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass-Kickin’ Team: Wed., Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Tavern, $8. Beachland. The Birthday Massacre/Black Veil Brides/Dommin/Aural Vampire: Sun., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., $15 ADV/$17 DOS. Peabody’s. Cowslingers/Rumble…
Jimmy Dimora Gets His Day in Court
Dimora’s trial is likely to go longer than the usual 50 minutes. The wheels of justice aren’t exactly a-whirl with due process for Jimmy Dimora. Just squeezing such a massive bulk of greed and malfeasance through the court system is going to take months of time, preparation, and proper lubrication. And as we’ve learned today,…
Ohio Postal Worker Goes Postal, Pulls Knife on Customer
Cliff Claven would never pull a knife. An Ohio post office employee in Monroe is soon going to be the latest face of the going postal trend and the best reason to pay your bills online. On Saturday afternoonm Seann Taulbee, a 40-year-old worker at the postal service, was having a little trouble with two…
Photo Show: Band of Horses at House of Blues
You’ve already read our review of Band of Horses’ concert at House of Blues last night. (You did read it, right?) Now, look at all the pretty pictures of all the pretty Horses taken by Mark Pirri.
Local Union Wants Better PR From Christmas Lights
Say nice things about the lights, then say nice things about unions. When you haven’t had a paycheck for a year and a half, Christmas cheer tends not to be your friend.So it went last week when the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers sought a hand from its members, hundreds of whom have not had…
Concert Review: Band of Horses at House of Blues
Giddyup! Band of Horses thundered into Cleveland last night for a solid, sold-out show at House of Blues. Touring their latest album, Infinite Arms, but still riding high on the sales of their first two (Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin), their popularity seems to be at an all-time high. Like Bon Iver’s…
Cleveland Neighborhood Ranked Second Most Dangerous in Country
Where have all the heroes gone? Let’s hear it for the 216. Fresh in on the newswires, we’re now holding down a high altitude spot in another national ranking, this time for . . . wait for it . . . Most Dangerous Neighborhoods. Cue the mass disappointment and purchasing of bullet-proof vests. According to…
Sherrod Brown, Not a Tea Party Fan
Most Tea Party supporters are this tall. No, really. The Tea Party is causing waves around the country, rankling Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. As elections near, supporters and detractors are sure to speak out in full volume on the movement, which has already shown itself to be influential in a couple primaries around the…
Cleveland Native Shines on SNL
Cleveland-native Vanessa Bayer is new to Saturday Night Live’s cast this year but is already getting praise for her work, including her dead-on impression of Miley Cyrus last weekend. Check out the clip below.
Pic of the Day: Browns Fan Wins Price is Right
Steven, a Browns fan and Mentor native, won his showcase on the Price is Right Friday afternoon. He’s going to Denmark. Good for him. Better for wearing his Brownie the Elf shirt.
Peter B. Lewis Focused on Marijuana
“Dude, those birds are sooooo freaky. Noted pothead and ridiculously wealthy old billionaire Peter B. Lewis is holding back money from the Democrats this year. According to the New York Times, Lewis gave more than $20 million to Democrats during the 2004 election. This year, not so much. Like other wealthy donors, Lewis is focusing…
News Reports Focus on Mason’s Office
Tick, tock? Over here at Scene we made some noise last week with our report that Federal prosecutors were brewing up a batch of charges for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, the region’s only Democrat don still standing. Hours after our dead-tree edition hit the streets, TV crews were jamming up our office digs asking…
Ochocinco Bought 85 Fans Free Dinner Last Night at XO
Chad at XO last night. Saturday night, Chad Ochocinco tweeted that 85 people would enjoy free dinner on his dime at XO. Ocho’s one of those guys it’s hard not to love, especially when the filets are on his credit card and he gathers everyone in prayer at the back of the fancy steakhouse and…
Chad Ochocinco Bought 85 People Free Dinner at XO
Chad at XO last night. Browns fans may have booed Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco yesterday afternoon, but there were more than a few Clevelanders lined up Saturday night at XO when Chad tweeted that 85 people would enjoy free dinner on his dime. Ocho’s one of those guys it’s hard not to love, especially when…
Check Out the New Kickdrums Mix
Woof! Cleveland’s super-cool hip-hop production team the Kickdrums just released a new mixtape. The mix is called Perfect World and you can download it here for free. This is exactly how we like to start our work week. —Michael Galllucci Follow us on Twitter: @clescenemusic
Q&A With Brian Windhorst About his Departure to ESPN
Why the move to ESPN? Windhorst: They approached me a few months ago and it really took awhile for them to figure out what the vision of this thing was going to be. I really didn’t know if I wanted to go. Regardless of what people think, it wasn’t a snap decision. It wasn’t like…
More Browns Tailgating Problems: Pit Charging $5 to Walk In
First it was the Muni Lot and the city’s choice to move the opening of the sacred tailgating lot back to 7 a.m. Now, another favorite pre-game spot has earned the ire of tailgaters. Alexa Marinos, the lovely lady behind Cleveland’s a Plum, says that on Sunday “The Pit” was collecting a $5 cover charge…
Concert Review: JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys at Tangier
Just add some Fairground Boys for a good time If you’re reading this while eating some kind of meat product, you mant to put it down for a second. If her new band’s vibrant performance in Akron last night was any indication, Chrissie Hynde might be right about all that vegan stuff. It’s no surprise…
Unarmed Bank Robbery Suspect Killed By Cops
Police arrived to search a warrant on E. 125th St. last night. They were looking for Danny Withers, a 21-year-old suspect in the robbery of a Fifth Third Bank on September 21. When the arrived at the home, Withers’ grandmother let three officers into the house. NewsNet5 reports that officers looked in a closet in…
Cleveland Is Second Poorest Big City In America
Moreland Hills residents are hurting these days. Time for Update #253 on how poor Cleveland is these days. This time the numbers come from the Census Bureau, who would know these things because they knocked on your door and saw you eating ketchup for dinner, and they say Cleveland’s poverty rate is up again. 35%…
Erin Hendrix Accused of Poisoning Daughter
Police in Mentor say that Erin Hendrix, 28, tried to poison her infant daughter over a period of more than a year. The disturbing allegations seemingly get more disturbing the more details that are released. The infant was 5-months old at the time when Hendrix began mixing lead nitrate with her food, prescriptions, and other…
Browns Give Hand-Held, Red Zone Equipped TVs to Club Level Season Ticket Holders
Here’s the FanVision unit. There was a lot of talk during the NFL offseason about improving the entertainment quality for those folks that choose to go to the games. The logic: It’s freaking awesome to watch games at home, less so at the stadium, where you can’t check in on other action, etc. The Browns…
Pic of the Day: The Excited Weatherman
Is that a low pressure system in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? (Via Deadspin)
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Zach
This is the part where C-Notes lets an artist explain why you should see him this weekend. Because we’re still too tired from the Roger Waters show to do anything. Today’s pick is Zach, who has one name, but a name that kills in Scrabble. —D.X. Ferris Artist: Zach Website: zachmusic.net Hometown: Akron Sounds Like:…
Big Dog Theatre Not Opening Quite Yet
Will bark soon, just not now. Big Dog Theater, a new comedy/improv venue scheduled to open in the old Centrum movie theater on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights this weekend, has run into a building permit issue. Its opening has been delayed indefinitely. Cleveland actor/improv artist/teacher Don Mitri signed a lease in late July to…
200 Pot Plants Found Across From Church
Cops were called to a house on Broadview Rd. last night for reports of gunshots. When they arrived, they found one suspect with a gunshot wound to his stomach. And they found 200 marijuana plants. Whoops. Cops say the gunfire ensued after an attempted robbery on the house. Bad enough to have someone break in,…
Tyesha Hamilton Guilty of Killing Daughter
Tyesha Hamilton Authorities had problems with Tyesha Hamilton for years. While the mother of four dealt with a drug addiction in 2007, her daughter Alexandria and her three siblings were taken from Hamilton’s custody. After cleaning up her act, Hamilton, 30, got her children back, but the trouble only became more horrific, going from drugs…
Pic of the Day: Dan Gilbert Endorses Comic Sans Again
That’s Dan Gilbert in front of a massive slideshow declaration of his love for Comic Sans yesterday at the TEDxDetroit conference. The next slide said, “I do not (heart) LeBron James.” (Hat tip to Deadspin)
Pre-Show Q&A: !!!
!!! are gonna dance this mess around, after they put on some clothes Few rock bands create great dance music — funky club-floor anthems that mix disco, house, dub, and electro atmospherics — played onstage by a six-piece combo made up of guitars, drums, keys, horns, and dueling male and female vocals. It’s the distinct…
Video: Indians Fan Catches Foul Ball While Holding Baby
During the first tilt of yesterday’s doubleheader, and foul ball went up to the mezzanine level and bounced off an empty seat and up in the air, toward the railing and the field. Our talented father, baby in one hand, grabbed the ball with the other. Yes, he was in the first row, next to…
Video: Indians Fan Catches Foul Ball While Holding Baby
During the first tilt of yesterday’s doubleheader, and foul ball went up to the mezzanine level and bounced off an empty seat and up in the air, toward the railing and the field. Our talented father, baby in one hand, grabbed the ball with the other. Yes, he was in the first row, next to…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Studbulls Disco Biscuit
This is the part where C-Notes lets a band explain why you should see them this weekend. Because we’re tired from the Roger Waters show. Today’s pick is Studbulls Disco Biscuit, which is the band for you if you’re into metal, punk, zombies, and poop. —D.X. Ferris Band: Studbulls Disco Biscuit Website: myspace.com/studbullsdiscobiscuit Hometown: Cleveland…
Man Suing Cavs to Find Out Identity of Mascot
Who is this man? A man is suing the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it’s not because they are going to suck. The suit, filed in Cuyahoga County Court, seeks to ascertain the identity of Moondog, the Cavaliers’ mascot. Why? Does this guy want a date? Does he like Moondog’s physique? Is he curious what workout regimen…
Announcing: The Wino and Gold LeBron Jersey Drive for the Homeless (Updated)
Patches: A Miami-area homeless man and unofficial spokesman for The Wino and Gold LeBron Jersey Drive. Update: A little incentive for you all. Miami New Times has graciously donated a pair of tickets to the Cavs vs. Heat game in Miami on December 15th. The person who drops off the most LeBron gear before our…
Michael Symon Opening B-Spot in Strongsville
Coming to Strongsville. Since launching his ridiculously successful B Spot (28699 Chagrin Blvd., 216-292-5567, bspotburgers.com) last year, the question for Michael Symon hasn’t been if he would open another but when and where. Finally, those questions have answers. Look for the second B Spot (not counting the Q) to open in Strongsville sometime around the…
FBI Wiretap Uncensored — Salacious Smut From Cuyahoga County’s Corruption Investigation
Yeah, money and sex, that’s what it basically boils down to. Make sure you check out Scene’s cover story this week: FBI Wiretap Uncensored. The Feds were listening to all your favorite Cuyahoga County employees over the last few years, and tucked away in the dense indictments and filings of the past month are some…
Concert Review: Roger Waters at Quicken Loans Arena
Whoa man. On his second attempt, Rogers Waters has truly built an impressive version of ‘The Wall.’ The stage show he visited the Quicken Loans arena with last night, particularly the huge state-of-the-art video projections, helped to dramatically illustrate and expand the story featured in Pink Floyd’s famous 1980 rock opera. Waters has been given…
Stage Listings
All That Fall — Originally intended for radio, Samuel Beckett’s play is presented in this production as just that — with actors “reading from scripts” and gesturing to each other physically while staying in character vocally. The plot couldn’t be simpler. Elderly Maddy Rooney is walking to the train station to meet her even older…
At the Arthouse This Week
The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights This occasionally intimate look at the Detroit duo’s last tour — the one where they played a bunch of out-of-the-way places in Canada — confirms a few things you’ve probably suspected, like Jack White won’t let Meg talk. Ever. Her mini-breakdown at the end of the movie…
Second Blood
It’s always risky when filmmakers remake a much-loved movie. It’s even riskier when they do it so soon after the original – especially when the original is one of the best movies of the past 10 years and the greatest film of its genre. But Let Me In – an indie-budgeted U.S. version of 2008’s…
CD Review: Phil Collins
It’s been eight years since Phil Collins released a solo album. Not that he hasn’t been busy scoring Disney movies and touring with a reunited Genesis during the gap — maybe too busy to write any new songs, since Going Back is filled with mostly classic Motown songs from the ’60s and ’70s. This isn’t…
Hot in the City
As the Uptown project in University Circle begins to take shape, Euclid Avenue will sprout sharp new apartments, shops, and restaurants for the many students, staffers, and visitors of its nearby institutions. Already there are whispers of buzz-worthy chef-driven eateries, which would sit tantalizingly close to the amenities that lure 2.5 million guests every year.…
CD Review: Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
This collaboration between smarmy Brit writer Nick Hornby (who penned the lyrics) and smartass American piano man Ben Folds (who plays, sings, and wrote the music) seems like a perfect match. But the fit is almost too perfect at times. There’s certainly more depth to these characters and sentiments than Folds would bring by himself,…
Bites: Symon’s B-Spot Coming to Strongsville
Since launching his ridiculously successful B Spot (28699 Chagrin Blvd., 216-292-5567, bspotburgers.com) last year, the question for Michael Symon hasn’t been if he would open another but when and where. Finally, those questions have answers. Look for the second B Spot (not counting the Q) to open in Strongsville sometime around the first of the…
CD Review: No Age
On their third album, the Los Angeles duo No Age sound less like a My Bloody Valentine tribute band and more like the skate-punk malcontents they really are. Guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt still allow for plenty of kaleidoscopic detours like those found on their 2008 breakthrough album, Nouns (check out “Dusted”…
Big Fang Theory
Forget the Twilight movies. Those pouty vampires can bite me. The true undead have little need for killer abs and windswept coifs. They’re too busy doing real vampire things like turning into bats, drinking virgin blood, and feasting on sexy victims (or wild animal carcasses, take your pick). In honor of the Friday opening of…
CD Review: Maroon 5
Isn’t it a little early for Maroon 5 to get back to basics? After all, Hands All Over is only their third album. Their last record, 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, was surprisingly durable, propelled by “Makes Me Wonder” and “Won’t Go Home Without You,” which were far craftier than anything on their…
You’ve Got a Friend
David Fincher’s best movies fall somewhere between fantasy and reality. From Se7en’s serial-killer noir and Fight Club’s identity-disorder nihilism to the obsessive and overlooked Zodiac and even The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s bewildered man-child, Fincher has assembled quite a filmography over the past two decades. It’s no accident he got his start making music…
Stay In
TOP PICK — VIDEO GAME R.U.S.E. (Ubisoft) Real-time strategy games are usually about as fun as educational reading over summer vacation. But this World War II-based one (for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) actually works your brain and is loads of fun to play. The key here is to second-guess your enemies on…
Film Capsules
Alpha and Omega (PG) — Humphrey (voiced by Justin Long) and Kate (Hayden Panettiere) are buddies in their wolf pack until Kate goes off to alpha training to become a future pack leader in this animated movie. Humphrey is an omega; his pack role is merely comic relief. The two classes traditionally never mix, but…
Bring the Ear Plugs
Tim Kasher Tim Kasher enjoys one distinction among his indie-rock peers: He has released more concept albums than any of them over the past decade. Inspired by his divorce, Kasher’s band Cursive first made some noise with the uncomfortably personal Cursive’s Domestica in 2000, and he recorded the album of his career three years later…
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHEESE
8000-3000 BC — Man makes cheese for the first time. No one’s really sure of the exact date (people were too busy raping, pillaging, and experimenting with fire back then to mark it on a calendar), but it falls somewhere between the domestication of sheep and the invention of the Ritz cracker. Cheesiness: 4 Chunks…
Get Out!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 SEX TALK The Punk Monk Visits Akron Brad Warner’s new book won’t help him lose the nickname enemies have saddled him with: “The Porno Buddhist.” The label came about when the Akron native began writing a column for the Suicide Girls website — never mind that his stories weren’t raunchy. Neither is…
The End of Civic Innovation?
When Deby Cowdin was laid off from her job designing trade-show displays in 2006, she promptly launched a new company from her home. “I decided, for extra money, I would take old wine bottles and melt them into household products for sale,” says Cowdin, who called her company From the Blue Bag. “I started at…
Moor to Love
Shakespeare’s Othello has sometimes been described as a battle of wills between the noble Moor and his right-hand man Iago, but it’s actually more like a stalking. Iago, a fully-formed psycho, is intent on destroying the blithely unsuspecting Othello, and this stirring production by the Great Lakes Theater Festival explores that conscienceless obsession with terrifying…
Life is Prettier With Art
REGIONAL MASTERS, PAST AND PRESENT Kokoon proprietor William Scheele’s current show reveals a continuum of some of the best Northeast Ohio artists from the 20th century through today. Among the contemporaries is Judith Brandon, whose studio can be found in the same building as Scheele’s Kookoon Arts Gallery. Brandon’s environmentally oriented work (an example of…
Young Studs in Love
Not too long ago, Creighton Barrett took his mother to see Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight series. A theater full of screaming Jacob and Edward fans isn’t where you might expect to see a 32-year-old rock dude. But the Band of Horses drummer had something special to share with his mom: One of his band’s songs…
We Get Mail
WHEN ART SUCKS Finally, someone has the balls to openly criticize bad contemporary art [“Where Did All the Art Go?” September 1, 2010]. Usually, opinions of bad modern art are kept hush-hush because no one wants to be known as the person who did not like or understand the next Van Gogh or Duchamp. SPACES,…
Rex Drive
North Canton native Kristy Lee Miller and her new glam group Arrogant Rex (arrogantrex.com) make their debut at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Beachland Ballroom when they open for Starz and Bazooka Joe. Miller met her bandmates last fall when they were all working in a theater production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but…
Fun on Wheels
On the face of it, an innocent man wrongly accused of murder wouldn’t seem to be an apt subject for comedy. But Alfred Hitchcock made a quietly witty film about such a circumstance in 1935 with The 39 Steps. The stage version of that spy caper, now at the Cleveland Play House, turns the grins…
