This is It

Much like Spinal Tap, Cleveland's the It*Men started off as a parody that then became reality. Led by raspy voiced Ken Janssen, the group started playing gigs in the early '90s and eventually released its debut, Greatest Its, back in 1994. For their official band bio, they created a fictional history that dated back to 1965 when the band was a regional sensation. But while their notorious past was fictional and the songs were never "hits," the tunes on the album simmer with Stooges/Motorhead-like intensity and earlier this summer, the band performed the album in its entirety even though singer Janssen has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and needs a wheelchair to get around. Now, the band is the subject of a documentary movie that makes its premiere tonight at 9 at the Happy Dog. DJ Matt Cassidy will spin and the Exploding Lies will perform. Tickets are $5. (Niesel)