SPARX City Hop Promises Fun Romp Through Downtown and Surrounding Neighborhoods This Weekend
With the days of warm weather coming to an end, are you starting to look for reasons to get outside? Well, the 13th Annual SPARX City Hop is a perfect excuse to do just that. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 19, nearly 20,000 visitors are anticipated to participate in this year’s…
Campus-Wide Event Showcases Variety of Artwork at Artists Archives of the Western Reserve
This Thursday evening, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR), the Sculpture Center and Davis Sculpture Center collaborate for a campus-wide event to celebrate their new exhibitions. Both AAWR and the Sculpture Center will host opening receptions for these new shows from 5:30 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 17. Additional events include an…
Cleveland-Based Tattoo Group Allows You to Preserve Your Tattoos for Family/Friends After You’re Dead
A group of tattoo enthusiasts in Northeast Ohio have formed a nonprofit membership organization, the National Association for the Preservation of Skin Art, which is precisely what it sounds like. The organization launched Tuesday (savemyink.com) and wants to ensure that your treasured tattoos can be used to decorate your home for generations to come, (just…
Five Classical Music Events You Shouldn’t Miss This Week
The Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, with Carl Topilow at the helm, will make the first of several visits down the street to Severance Hall on Wednesday, September 16 at 8:00 pm. The first concert of the season will be devoted to 20th century music, including William Schuman’s New England Triptych, Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto…
Singer-Songwriter Kate Tucker to Debut New Songs at Musica
Akron-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate Tucker has had a busy summer. She released “Let Me Go,” a short film that Adam Smalley directed for her Shape Color Feel project, and she also issued a new music video for “Let Me Go,” a moody song that features hushed vocals and a gentle piano melody (think Julee Cruise,…
Clevelanders Are Guzzling Away Our Savings
The fine folks at the Washington Post compiled results from a study today revealing the metropolitan areas across the country that are spending disproportionate amounts of their salaries on feel-good libations like eating, drinking, and smoking. Turns out, it’s not folks in New York City or L.A. who are slurping down their savings. It’s Cleveland. Cleveland ranked…
‘Round Town Music Festival to Take Place in Kent on Friday
On Friday, some 40 bands will perform at the ’Round Town Music Festival in Kent. The festival started in the ‘60s as the Kent Folk Festival. It’s now evolved into the Kent ‘Round Town Music Festival. Local artists such as Abby Rose & Kevin Martinez of the Speedbumps, Roger Hoover and the Hurt, 15-60-75 The…
Five Years In, Dinner in the Dark Plans Tasty Reunion
When Brian Okin launched Dinner in the Dark five years ago, he did so merely on a whim. He and co-founding chefs Jeff Jarrett and Ellis Cooley thought it would be fun to round up some chef pals, provide them with the space and freedom to prepare creative dishes, and see what happens. For their…
In Defense of the Wedge Salad
When a pal expressed his disdain for the steakhouse classic salad, The Wedge, I was incredulous. Nobody dislikes the Wedge, I thought. That would be a little like hating sunshine. “It’s a do-it-yourself salad,” he said, thereby completely emptying his quiver of anti-Wedge ammunition in a single shot. It’s true that the diner is left…
Heroin Ringleader Sentenced to Life in Prison
Keith Ricks, the leader of a heroin ring that distributed across Cleveland’s eastside, was sentenced this week to life in prison. “This defendant led a group responsible for thefts, violence and the distribution of dozens of pounds of heroin,” U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said. Ricks organized a network that brought heroin into Northeast Ohio from…
Payne Café’s Ruby Burger Makes List of America’s Most Underrated Burgers
Every city that’s worth a damn has a few of these spots: dining gems that remain unknown to locals until they’ve been thoroughly initiated into the grit and grime of the city scene — a dive bar in the rough. Payne Café (3528 Payne Ave.) is one such spot. What’s more, their famous Ruby Burger was just…
Graffiti HeArt Brings Victor Ving’s ‘Greetings From’ Tour to Cleveland with Ohio City Mural
Just weeks ago, we brought you news of freshly painted murals at Campus International School by local artists Bob Peck and Garrett Weider, courtesy of the new local nonprofit organization Graffiti HeArt. This week, Graffiti HeArt unveils a new public mural project. This time, they’re bringing Victor Ving’s “Greetings From” tour to Cleveland for a…
Herbicide Spraying Begins at Mentor Marsh
This week, service employees of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History began “hand-spraying” Mentor Marsh with an herbicide that includes the chemical glyphosate. Next week, the chemical will be sprayed across various points of the park’s 691 acres via helicopter. The herbicide work will be done in tandem with other efforts to revive the park’s…
Maple Heights’ School Superintendent Arrested for OVI
This week’s winner in the Northeast Ohio Shitty Superintendent Sweepstakes? Maple Heights! That’s right, Superintendent Charles “Charlie” Keenan was arrested early Sunday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. But even after the hard-nosed investigative sleuthing of the Fox 8 I-team, we here at Scene couldn’t speculate where the 48-year-old Keenan was getting blasted Saturday…
Devo Frontman Says Sorry for 9/11 Wedding Cake
Yesterday we learned of Devo singer/bassist Jerry Casale’s tasteless 9/11 wedding production that included a Twin Towers cake adorned with Casale’s and his new wife’s faces, as well as box cutter party favors. Photos of the offensive, and honestly kind of ugly, cake were posted to TMZ as well as Jezebel. Today, Casale apologized. The…
It’s “Welcoming Week.” Check out These Events Highlighting Cleveland’s Immigrants and Refugees.
This week, the nation celebrates (and in many cases, introduces itself to) its immigrants in an official Week of Welcome. The Cleveland Refugee Services Collaborative, which, along with city leaders, is talking about ways to more effectively welcome immigrants and refugees to Northeast Ohio, is hosting several events throughout the week in conjunction with the…
McDonald’s Is Now Serving All-Day Breakfast in Northeast Ohio
Craving a McMuffin past noon? No problem. McDonald’s announced today that they have officially released ALL-DAY breakfast in Northeast Ohio — before serving it to anyone else. Right now, as you’re reading this, you can go order yourself things like McMuffins, hotcakes and hash browns. Sadly, you’ll still have to kick yourself out of bed for…
Scene Proudly Supports Whoever Brewed the “Mall(t) Guy Beer” at the Brew Kettle
We love the Mall Guy. We’ve spent some time with him and he’s a decent dude with a backstory not as weird as everyone imagines. And you gotta give the guy credit, however many years into this now, that he still buckles up his Hot Topic boots and throws on his DIY glitterbombed t-shirts and…
More Than 1,000 Works of Art Expected at Chalk Festival This Weekend
Since 1990, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Chalk Festival has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the end of the summer. This weekend, organizers expect more than 15,000 viewers, 3,000 chalkers, 1,056 colorful squares and eight featured artists. Additionally, the museum organized two preparatory workshops that attracted more than 40 eager participants…
Devo’s Jerry Casale Got Married on Sept. 11th, Had 9/11 Themed Wedding Cake and Box Cutters at Reception
TMZ has photos from DEVO co-founders Jerry Casale’s NYC wedding, which took place on Sept. 11. It’s about to become readily apparent why everyone is talking about the affair. Here is one of the photos: Yes, that is a cake of the Twin Towers with their faces on top. And yes, those are box cutters,…
RIP Rocco Scotti
In case you missed the sad news over the weekend, Rocco Scotti, most famous around here for delivering the National Anthem at scores of Tribe home games over the years (but famous the world over for more reasons than that), passed away Friday at the age of 95. Lots of details and pictures from his…
PGA Golfer Jason Day Loves Cleveland
Destination Cleveland, take note: Jason Day, the Aussie golfing phenom who won the 2015 US Open PGA Championship and who currently sits atop PGA’s 2015 rankings, is a huge Cleveland fan. That’s not surprising, perhaps, given that he lives in Westerville with his wife Ellie Harvey, a Lucas, Ohio, native. But Day publicized his preferences in…
Kent State’s April Goss Kicks Her Way Into College Football History
In case you missed it, KSU kicker April Goss made history this weekend when she scored for her team by kicking an extra point in the first half of the Kent State/Delaware State match-up on Saturday. She is now the second female kicker in college football history to make such a play behind New Mexico’s Katie…
Black Keys’ Patrick Carney: Jack White ‘Tried to Fight Me’ in a New York Bar
Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney had a few things to say this morning on Twitter about Jack White, who, Carney alleges, attempted to fight him in a New York City bar on Sunday night: Entertainment Weekly grabbed the story this morning and explains: In a series of posts, Carney alleges White came to a bar…
Punch Bowl Social Swings Open This Saturday
Earlier this year we told you about Punch Bowl Social, the massive 27,000 square foot adult playground that’s coming to the Flats this fall. If your memory needs jogging, the complex will combine “a restaurant, bar, bowling alley, and pinball and video game arcade along with other social activities like shuffleboard, Ping-Pong and private karaoke…
Singer-Guitarist Rick Springfield Delivers the Hits and Then Some at Jacobs Pavilion
It was back in May of 1993 that singer-guitarist Rick Springfield made his first Cleveland appearance in a long time at the Great American Rib Cook-Off. The gig was part of a summer’s worth of dates that would be a test run for Springfield who hadn’t toured in a number of years after a motorcycle…
Drummer Joe Vitale Reflects on Collaborating with Classic Rocker Joe Walsh
At the time that Joe Vitale put out his Backstage Pass memoir in 2008, it took 29 chapters to cover a career that began officially more than 50 years ago when he attended Lehman High School in Canton and joined a band called the Knights. The rock ’n’ roll bug bit the young drummer after…
Local Metal Community Rallies to Support Nunslaughter/Schnauzer’s Jim Konya
A veteran of the metal scene who’s played with local acts such as Nunslaughter and Schnauzer, Jim Konya recently suffered a stroke. A campaign is currently underway to help raise funds to help him pay for his medical expenses. Today at 6 p.m., heavy metal yoga instructor Shannon Nietzsche hosts a donation based class at Lakewood…
6 Concerts to Catch This Weekend
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11 Rick Springfield Last year at Hard Rock Live, Australian-born singer/songwriter and actor Rick Springfield delivered a performance which really emphasized the levels of talent that he has both as a songwriter and performer. He focused in on the heavier side of his catalog early in the show, opening with the title track…
A Lineup Change Has Revitalized Indie Rockers Built to Spill
When singer-guitarist Doug Martsch first started the indie rock band Built to Spill back in 1992, he initially thought the group would be a studio project and deliver a series of finely tuned recordings with a rotating lineup of musicians. That sure didn’t happen. In fact, Martsch & Co. would become a touring outfit and…
Zappa on Zappa to Perform Classic Zappa Album ‘One Size Fits All’ in Its Entirety
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s final album, One Size Fits All, Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil and his band (who perform as Zappa on Zappa) will play the wacky album in its entirety when they perform at the Kent Stage on Sept. 22. In addition, Zappa & Co.…
Corner Alley Downtown Readies for Re-Opening Day
“We pretty much changed everything except for the shoes and bowling alleys,” says Jonathan Seeholzer, Regional Operations Manager for MRN Hospitality Group. On July 1, The Corner Alley Downtown (402 Euclid Ave., 216-298-4070) shut its doors to facilitate extensive interior and exterior renovations. The East Fourth Street entertainment destination doesn’t reopen until Wednesday, September 16,…
Tawnie Olson Wins 2015 Iron Composer Contest at BW
By Daniel Hathaway Last Friday morning, Canadian composer Tawnie Olson of the Hartt School of Music faculty in West Hartford, Connecticut — along with her four colleagues in the 2015 Iron Composer Competition at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory — accepted the challenge of writing an “instant” composition for recorders, celesta, and an overturned grand piano, to…
Cleveland Police Prepare for Dirt Bike Ambush
Cleveland Police issued a bulletin Thursday, putting officers on alert that young males riding dirt bikes and ATVs would attempt to provoke them into pursuit and lure them into an ambush. The anonymous tip reportedly came from the Harvard Wine & Grille, on Harvard Road, and said that an additional group of young males…
Cleveland Browns Players Read Their Own Superlatives on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
God bless YouTube and its video archives for preserving this snippet of last night’s episode of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in which NFL players were asked to read their own superlatives. If you missed the original airing, we won’t spoil the fun, but do look out for a few familiar faces below:
M. Night Shyamalan’s Bar is So Low that “The Visit” Seems Like a Masterpiece. (But Really, It’s Fun.)
A funny thing happened during M. Night Shyamalan’s new comedy-thriller The Visit, which opens area wide Friday: The audience began to enjoy itself. I shit you not. In a jam-packed press screening, no one seemed to recall (or frankly care) that this was a film written and directed by a man who, after The Sixth Sense and…
The Alarm’s Mike Peters to Bring ‘Full Rock Show’ to Musica
When Mike Peters wraps up his current tour in October, he’ll do it in his homeland of Wales with an epic show that will find him backed by a full orchestra and two choirs. His return performance at Akron’s Musica next week will be a bit scaled down by comparison, but he promises that fans…
LeBron James Family Foundation Is Now Helping Parents Earn Their GEDs
Since stepping off the court in June, LeBron James has been on a kindness crusade of sorts this summer — most notably establishing a partnership with the University of Akron to send students involved in the LeBron James Family Foundation’s “I Promise” program to four years of college on full-ride scholarships. This week, James announced he’s…
J. Geils Band and Ian Hunter Double Bill at Hard Rock Lives up to Expectations
Cleveland has a long history with Wolf and the J. Geils Band. If you’ve been a music fan in this city for any length of time, it’s easy to believe that the band’s Full House and Blow Your Face Out Live albums might have been a required purchase in order to stay here. One of…
Sonic Youth Singer-Guitarist Thurston Moore Explores New Musical Territory on Latest Solo Effort
One of indie rock/post-punk’s most influential guitarists, Sonic Youth singer Thurston Moore says he “never really played real guitar.” Moore, who released his latest solo effort, The Best Day, last year, taught himself to play guitar and developed an unconventional style that puts him in the same league as guys like Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis…
Berea Arts Fest Caps End of Summer with 25th Anniversary Celebration
Although fall is definitely approaching, there’s one more summer arts festival left, and it’s a special one as the Berea Arts Fest celebrates its 25th anniversary. Returning to its roots, the Berea Arts Fest will be held on Front Street (from Bagley Rd. through Bridge St.) this Sunday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5…
10 New Cleveland Restaurants to Visit
There’s no lack of diversity in the Cleveland food scene, but the restaurants that have cropped up this summer prove that when dining in Cleveland, folks can expect, well, pretty much anything. From Asian-soul food fusion and Mumbai street food, to gamer-themed lunch spots and scenic oyster bars, here’s a recap of Cleveland’s new eateries…
‘Ohio Man’ Bites Ears, Hops Fences and Drops His Pants
This summer, we continued chronicling Ohio Man’s reign, the Buckeye State’s very own superhero. Kind of. We rounded up headline-making, head-cocking Ohioans to showcase the area’s quirkiest law-breakers. This month, Ohio Man and Woman are at it again, collecting bed pans and jumping fences. They may not be our most law-abiding citizens but they certainly…
Browns Fan Robs Cleveland Bank
Euclid Police are searching for a Cleveland Browns fan who apparently robbed a bank on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say that a 5’5″ man wearing a Browns sweatshirt entered a First Merit Bank on the 22000 block of Lake Shore Boulevard shortly before 3 p.m. and demanded money. It’s unclear whether or not the robbery had…
Tavern of Little Italy to Offer Something ‘New and Different’ to Neighborhood
For 80 years, the Mayfield Café served as a private and public watering hole for residents of Little Italy. That legendary slice of life closed five years back, when it became a local barber college. Within a couple months, the building once again will welcome guests when it reopens as the Tavern of Little Italy…
Destination Cleveland Trains Uber Drivers To Showcase City
Wednesday night, Uber offered its local drivers — whom Uber calls its “driver-partners” — a voluntary workshop hosted by Destination Cleveland. The workshop is a three-hour interactive affair designed to give Cleveland’s hospitality staff the knowledge and tools to enhance a visitor’s experience. Last night, Destination Cleveland hosted the “Travelbackers” workshop at the Tri-C Hospitality…
Scene Podcast: Ramon Rivas on the Accidental Comedy Fest and More
This week, in anticipation of the dynamite Accidental Comedy Fest this weekend (our preview here; full lineup here), host Craig Lyndall sat down with sandwich expert and comedian and ACF organizer Ramon Rivas. They talked about the fest, natch, but also the Cleveland comedy community, how it’s grown, and Ramon’s travels and how they play…
Cleveland Museum of Art Lines Up Wide-Ranging Series for Gartner Auditorium and Transformer Station
By Daniel Hathaway 50-foot-long string instruments; traditional music from the Republic of Kyrgyz, Ireland’s “Wild West,” and the Balkans; dialogues between deep flamenco song and Iranian classical music; Egyptian classical music of the golden age; an a cappella sound track to a silent film about Joan of Arc; two prominent string quartets, an organ recital,…
Bring on the Refugees! Joe Cimperman and Cleveland Leaders Talk Strategies
City leaders convened at the Ariel International Center on E. 40 Thursday morning to brainstorm ways to effectively welcome refugees to Cleveland. The “Open Doors Workshop,” energetically spearheaded by Councilman Joe Cimperman, comes during a time of widespread international crises. Refugees from the Middle East are arriving en masse on European shores, seeking sanctuary from…
‘Choice’ Brings Akron Art Museum’s Unique Touch to Cleveland Venues
The latest exhibition at the Transformer Station brings selections of the Akron Art Museum’s permanent collection to Cleveland for the first time. Choice: Contemporary Art from the Akron Art Museum opens with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 12 (Transformer Station members can preview the exhibition beginning at 5 p.m.) “Choice…
BAYarts Hosts Annual Benefit Party on Saturday
Founded in 1948 as “Baycrafters,” BAYarts began a major volunteer-driven renovation and revitalization campaign in 2005. In 2006, the name was changed to reflect this revitalized attitude. Ten years later, the organization has become a westside oasis for the arts, and it attracts more than 65,000 visitors each year. Its campus is located on the…
A Lakewood Couple Put a Go-Pro on Their German Shepard and Took Her to the Puppy Plunge
Every year, at the end of summer, the volunteer group Friends of the Lakewood Dog Park hosts a doggy swim at Foster Pool in Lakewood where pool lovers of both the human and canine variety can splash around together for one final hurrah. This year, locals Ashley Brown and Keith Knittel outfitted their German Shepard…
Freshly Minted Restore Cold Pressed Announces Juice Shops #2 and #3
Partners Adam Wright and Christie Pritt opened Restore Cold Pressed (1001 Huron Rd., 330-806-3893) less than six months ago, but already they are in the process of opening shops number two and three. The sleek and contemporary original, which opened in late May in the American Institute of Architects building in Playhouse Square, will serve…
Rock Hall to Add Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress to Its Collection
Five years ago, singer Lady Gaga wore an outlandish meat dress to the MTV Video Music Awards. After she wore the dress onstage during her acceptance speech for Best Video of the Year for “Bad Romance,” it became a part of the Rock Hall’s touring exhibit Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power. Tomorrow, the dress…
Beloved Owner of Sun Luck Garden Retires, Passes Off Eatery
After more than 20 years in business, Annie Chiu has decided that the time has come to hand over the reins of her beloved Cleveland Heights eatery, Sun Luck Garden (1901 S. Taylor Rd., 216-397-7676). Born in Hong Kong, Chiu relocated to the States, where she worked in fine restaurants like Giovanni’s and Café Sausalito…
More Love for Zines at Canopy Collective This Weekend
Between the re-opening of Guide to Kulchur in a new home in Gordon Square and MOCA Cleveland’s recent Mimeo Revolution Artist Book and Zine Fair, zines seem to be having their proper moment in Northeast Ohio. These small, self-published materials embody the gritty, DIY spirit that thrives on the shores of Lake Erie. And there’s…
WATCH: Former Cleveland Police Officer Captures Video of Alleged Drug Deal Gone Wrong
Former Cleveland Police officer David Ruse captured some pretty interesting footage on his home security camera this week and sent it to our pals over at NewsNet5: The video obtained exclusively by newsnet5.com shows two suspects chasing an SUV down West 58th Street, one of the suspects allegedly grabbed a gun and fired shots down…
Theater Review: “Or” at Dobama Theatre
Aprha Behn is one of the more fascinating characters in English literature: a 17th century British writer who became the first woman to make a living with her talented pen. As a playwright and poet, and with a side job as a spy for King Charles II, she crashed through many gender and sexual barricades…
Here are the Members of the First-Ever Cleveland Community Police Commission
Tuesday, Mayor Frank Jackson swore in the 13 members of the first-ever Cleveland Community Police Commission. They were appointed to assist with the police reforms as outlined in the Consent Decree and to increase transparency within, and relations between, the police department and the communities it serves. A selection panel appointed by Jackson in July…
Kenny Smith’s Family Awarded $5.5 Million in Wrongful Death Case Involving Cleveland Police Officer
The family of Kenny Smith was awarded $5.5 million this week by a federal jury in a civil case that found that Officer Roger Jones had used excessive force in shooting and killing Smith during a 2012 incident. The shooting, which predates the media storm over police use-of-force incidents, fell swiftly out of the conversation…
The Accidental Comedy Fest Shines a Light on What Makes Cleveland Such a Funny Town
If the Cleveland cultural renaissance narrative is to be believed — and it is — witnesses should look no further than the ascendant comedy scene around town for proof. And laughs. Like, say, the way our public and private sectors collaborate to get things done, local comics have long been exhibiting the sort of mutual…
Band of the Week: Mo’ Mojo
Meet the Band: Jen Maurer (accordion, vocals), Leigh Ann Wise (percussion, trumpet, vocals), Anthony Papaleo (guitar/fiddle), Bill Lestock (fiddle, guitar, mandolin), Sarah Benn (bass), Will Douglas (drums), Sam Rettman (harmonica), Toussaint English (bass, keyboards) Inspired by “Texas”: The band actually came together way back in 1995. “It had a different name but we were the…
Five Minutes on SiriusXM’sSway in the Morning Gave the World a Beginner’s Course on 19-Year-Old Ezzy. Now He’s Looking to Graduate
The seminal moment of Ezri “Ezzy” Walker’s music career almost never existed at all. “Last call for boarding for Alicia Miranda, Ezri Walker and Jordan Morales.” It was a Wednesday night this past March at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and Walker and his management team (made up of his mother, Miranda, and a good friend,…
A Slow Start at Great Scott Tavern Has Given Euclid’s Newest (and Biggest) Restaurant Time to Adjust
When news broke that Euclid was on the receiving end of an ambitious restaurant project, one that would repurpose a highly visible property on Lakeshore Boulevard, the response was immediate and almost universally positive. For a city of its size, Euclid is woefully light on appealing independent dining options, and Great Scott Tavern would add…
Martin Scorsese’s Hand-Picked Polish Classics Are Coming to Cleveland
Martin Scorsese, the guy who directed classic movies such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas, has a long history of helping to restore and preserve old films. He’s recently turned his attention to Polish cinema. Starting on Sept. 13, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque will host Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema,…
Film Spotlight: Slow Learners
What happens when an archetypically dorky high school guidance counselor (The Mindy Project’s Adam Pally) and a terminally unhip high school librarian (I Love You Man’s Sarah Burns) decide to reinvent themselves? You can see for yourself in Slow Learners, a Sundance rom-com opening Friday at the Cedar Lee. Max and Anne haven’t had much…
