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!5'534 s 6/,5-% .O 06 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Group Publisher Chris Keating
CONTENTS Upfront
Publisher Andrew Zelman Associate Publisher Angela Lott Editor Vince Grzegorek Editorial Managing Editor Eric Sandy Music Editor Jeff Niesel Senior Writer Sam Allard Staff Writer Brett Zelman Web Editor Laura Morrison Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Stage Editor Christine Howey Visual Arts Writers Josh Usmani, Dott von Schneider Copy Editor Elaine Cicora Interns Daniela Cacho, Julie Ciotola, Kirby Davis, Colton Faull, Adrian Leuthauser, Lawrence Neil Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executive Kiara Davis, Andrew Newsome
Suburban money oods Jackson’s campaign, FERC resumes its quorum and places Nexus in its sightlines, and more
.EWS
&EATURE
'ET /UT
The developer of NuCLEus wants to take its property taxes away from Cleveland schools to pay for its skyscraper
We speak with the authors of a new book about white women and black women, and how they see one another
Creative Services Production Manager Steve Miluch Layout Editor/Graphic Designer Christine Hahn Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace Business Sales Assistant/Receptionist Megan Stimac Controller Kristy Dotson
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All the events you should check out this week
Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive OfďŹ cer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating OfďŹ cers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon
Art
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Eric Hankinson HOSTS A MONTHLY GUITAR JAM
Erin R. Miller unveils Return to Sender at Praxis
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Big hair and big tunes power the fun in Hairspray at the Mercury Theatre Company
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Once Upon a Time offers an alternative to the stereotypical fairytale
VeriďŹ ed Audit Member Cleveland Distribution Scene is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader Copyright The entire contents of Cleveland Scene Magazine are copyright 2017 by Euclid Media Group. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be mailed to the address listed above. Subscriptions $150 (1 yr); $ 80 (6 mos.) Send name, address and zip code with check or money order to the address listed above with the title ‘Attn: Subscription Department’
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UPFRONT
SUBURBAN WEALTH FLOODS FRANK JACKSON’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
THIS WEEK
OF THE 145 INDIVIDUALS AND PACs that combined to give Mayor Frank Jackson $148,017 at a controversial June fundraiser in Gates Mills, only one listed a Cleveland home address. According to Frank Jackson’s most recent semiannual campaign finance report, one which illustrated the vast disparity between Jackson’s fundraising and the rest of the Cleveland mayoral candidates, the majority of Jackson’s contributors
who attended the “Fat Cat” fundraiser worked in the fields of finance, law and real estate in downtown Cleveland. Many of them identified their workplace addresses, not their homes. But over the nine pages on which the fundraiser’s contributions were tabulated, only two Cleveland home addresses appeared. One, on Edgewater Drive, is the listed office address of a specialty auto appraiser. This may also be his
home. The other, on Grayton Road on Cleveland’s west side, does appear to be a residential address. (Note: Some of the employees who listed office addresses may live in Cleveland, but that’s not reflected in the report.) Forgetting the bad PR, the event was an enormous financial success. It raised, in a single evening, nearly three times more than any one of Jackson’s challengers has raised in all of 2017.
Six individuals gave Jackson the maximum $5,000 allowable contribution that night: developer Fred Geis, listing his office’s Streetsboro headquarters; James Johnson, from Nashville, Tennessee; developer Scott Marous, listing his office’s Willoughby headquarters; Randall Myerhoff, CEO of the accounting firm Cohen & Company, listing his office’s downtown Cleveland headquarters; Frank Sinito, the Millennia Cos. CEO, who
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Brock Osweiler announced as Browns preseason starter, despite taking no snaps in first phase of training camp. Coaches eyeing Frank Jackson for second string, noting how he’s far more qualified for QB than current position.
Gov. John Kasich uses health care criticism to hint at 2020 presidential run. When pressed by reporters, he explains how quickly he’d have shut down Planned Parenthood if voters had “seen the light last year.”
Terry Francona launches line of marinara sauce with his father, Tito. Branding reps insist that it’s best enjoyed fresh and “wadded up in your cheek for four innings at a time.”
You’re gonna want to get those Browns expectations nice and low, like cooking pasta in a pot of tepid water.
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UPFRONT now owns Key Tower, listing his Valley View offices; and Jerry Sue Thornton, former Tri-C president, listing her Moreland Hills home. Twenty-three individual contributors from Myerhoff’s team at Cohen & Company gave to Jackson at the June 28 event, for a grand total of $25,000 from the company. Of the PACs that contributed at the fundraiser, the Greater Cleveland Partnership was the most generous, giving $5,000. The next day, however, Jackson received the maximum $7,500 contribution from three local construction unions and from two PACs from the Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) of Ohio. PACs representing KeyCorp, Huntington and PNC also gave at the Gates Mills event. The most original individual
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43,000 Workers in the city of Columbus who will be getting free monthly bus passes as part of a new program paid for by downtown property owners.
845 Taxing authorities in Northeast Ohio, cited by councilman Matt Zone as evidence that the region needs to find ways to be more efficient.
2 Issue number on November ballot that seeks to lock in state prescription medication prices in accordance with VA price. (Private insurance prices will not be subject to Issue 2.) 8
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contribution came from communications consultant Robert Falls. He gave $2,017.00, presumably to mark the year. Five attorneys from the law firm Roetzel & Andress contributed to Jackson on June 28 as well. That included Akron-based attorney Steven Funk, who is representing Cleveland’s law director Barbara Langhenry in the city’s Q Deal suit. According to Cleveland’s department of public records, Roetzel & Andress attorneys have represented the city or its employees “in a number of cases unrelated to the litigation involving the referendum petition.” But in June and July, Funk and two associates billed the city $15,952 for work preparing materials related to the Q Deal suit. The five Roetzel attorneys, including Funk and the firm’s chairman Robert Blackham, each gave $1,000 to Jackson’s campaign at the Gates Mills fundraiser. Activist Greg Coleridge, who has fought to limit the power of money in politics, told Scene last week that he was nervous about Jackson’s powerful connections. “Those with the power to deliver goodies to corporations and wealthy individual campaign investors and those with the ability to access mega dollars from the same crowd always benefit from high political contribution limits,” he said. “... This almost always comes at the expense of the vast majority of citizens whose lack of political contributions means a lack of political access and voice.” The signs that protesters carried outside the Gates Mills fundraiser articulated much the same message. “I don’t mind you being rich,” read one. “I mind you buying our government!” — Sam Allard
PAINESVILLE WOMAN DEPORTED TO DANGEROUS MEXICAN CITY, LIKE MANY OTHERS BEFORE HER The deportation process for Beatriz Morelos Casillas happened quickly — over the course of only nine days — and her story followed a prescribed and routine path that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement has pursued for more than a decade. Her story outlines how ICE does what it does. The 34-year-old mother of four was arrested July 23 in Painesville for driving without a license. She and her family have lived in Painesville for nearly 20 years; she worked seven days a week at a factory in Mentor, which she had just left to return home on that day. Veronica Dahlberg, executive
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UPFRONT director of HOLA Ohio, said that arrests and detentions like Casillas’ force the community to respond quickly, often to little avail. “We know that nothing is going to stop this deportation, but we have to hurry up and speak out,” she tells Scene, describing the ensuing days of protest. “Right now, everybody is a priority for ICE. Everybody that they encounter is a priority for removal, and some police departments are helping them, turning people over to them.” A recently adopted Painesville policy puts pressure on officers to report undocumented immigrants to ICE. Earlier this year, Chief Anthony Powalie mentioned that the renewed vigor behind this policy is focused on criminals. “That’s a section that just tears apart a society,” he said. “That’s not who anybody wants in here.” (Casillas has no criminal record on local and county court dockets.) Once she was arrested, things moved very fast. Casillas was held in the Lake County jail for a day before being taken to a border patrol center in Port Clinton, according to Dahlberg. From
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there, Casillas was transported to the Seneca County jail, which maintains a contract with ICE for immigrant detentions. Casillas remained there through Aug. 1, when she was taken to Toledo Express Airport. Her ultimate destination lay in Nuevo Laredo, a small and violent town in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, near the southern tip of Texas. “U.S. citizens should defer all non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas due to violent crime, including homicide, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault,” according to a current U.S. State Department warning. “The number of reported kidnappings in Tamaulipas is among the highest in Mexico.” Just last month, Francisco Narciso was arrested in Painesville for driving without a license. He had been involved in a car accident that resulted in head injuries. After he pled guilty in court, ICE agents arrested Narciso and transported him to the Seneca County jail. From there, following the same path that Casillas is on, he was taken to Toledo and flown to Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday, July 25. In Nuevo Laredo (across the border from Laredo), Narciso was kidnapped, beaten, starved and held for ransom by an apparent local
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
crime cartel. The Plain Dealer’s Michael Sangiacomo reported on Narciso’s experiences in Nuevo Laredo in gripping detail. (A $4,000 ransom was paid, and Narciso was apparently released on July 31.) Like Sangiacomo, Scene is seeking information from ICE as to why Nuevo Laredo is used as a drop-off point. The issue for observers like Dahlberg is that Narciso’s story is not isolated or unique. The drop-off point in Laredo has prompted alarm for years. “It’s almost as if they chose the worst place [to take detainees],” Dahlberg says. “They’re literally putting our families in mortal danger. They’re taking this young mom — 34 years old, never left Painesville since she was 17 — and dropping her in the most violent city in Mexico at night by herself. Her entire family is here.” The Seneca-Toledo-Laredo circuit is routine for ICE’s regional field work. The physical deportation process takes place on Tuesdays, when Ohio detainees are carted from Seneca County to Toledo. From there, they are flown in chartered aircraft to destinations along the border like Laredo — or, other times,
Brownsville, Texas, or Alexandria, Louisiana, where ICE oversees other detention centers and “staging facilities.” ICE has confirmed that the removal flight path out of Toledo’s airport has been used “for more than a decade and predominantly contain[s] individuals who have been encountered in Michigan and Ohio.” Casillas now joins the nearly 100,000 immigrants expected to be deported from the U.S. this year. For now, her family joins others around the country in the painful wait for news from the border. Scene learned that her husband flew down to the border to meet her in Nuevo Laredo; he is a U.S. citizen who may cross the border at will, though it’s unclear what they can do to bring Casillas home to her children. “The family is going to be split up,” Dahlberg says, “just like countless other families across the country.” — Eric Sandy
FERC QUORUM RAISES NEXUS PIPELINE QUESTIONS ANEW With U.S. Senate approval last week, Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson were confirmed as members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The body has a voting quorum for the first
time since former commissioner Norman Bay resigned in January. Chatterjee and Powelson, nominees named by President Donald Trump, are almost sure to bring a more pro-pipeline stance to FERC. (Bay was a more traditional regulations guy, nominated in 2014 by former President Barack Obama. His parting words on Feb. 3 strike at the heart of pipeline construction controversy in the U.S.) For Ohio residents, the quorum represents an opportunity for FERC to certify the proposed Nexus pipeline. Nexus is a 255mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from loamy eastern Ohio to a hub in Ontario. It benefits no Ohio energy consumers, though it would certainly pose anything from a backyard cosmetic annoyance to a public safety nightmare for many residents in its path. It’s unclear when or how FERC might vote on the Nexus issue, though we’ll keep an eye on that. In the meantime, a group of property owners are tied up in federal court after filing a lawsuit against Nexus and FERC. Their argument: Nexus’ easement gathering process violates due process rights and forces an unsubstantiated eminent domain claim on land that is not leased to the pipeline company. The property owners are looking to stop FERC from issuing any certificate on the Nexus plan. “This complaint has been a long time in development. Our every experience in dealing with FERC and Nexus has been documented and will be brought to bear in this case,” said Paul Gierosky, co-founder of the Coalition to Reroute Nexus. For now, the case is progressing. The property owners and attorney David Mucklow have opposed Nexus’ motion to dismiss the case. A status hearing took place in July, and parties have indicated that a more thorough evidentiary hearing may be in the offing. While FERC’s new members settle in, we’ll keep watch for updates on the federal court docket as well. — Sandy
STATE AG SEEKS MORE MONEY FOR DRUG TESTING IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY You don’t have to look far in Ohio to find a need for more public funding in the fight against the opiate addiction crisis. “Resources,” money, treatment beds: All are lacking to some degree or another as the overdose death toll rises in
our state. In Cuyahoga County, law enforcement and medical professionals are bracing for even more deaths than last year’s record 666 fatal overdoses. With that as a new baseline, the state attorney general’s office is hoping to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into its Bureau of Criminal Investigations lab in Cuyahoga County for more drug testing capabilities. In 2010, the BCI completed 13,879 drug tests across the state. This year, the number is expected to be more than 27,000. The BCI is responsible for testing heroin seized by police departments and sheriff’s offices; the lab in Cuyahoga County primarily processes third-party requests from those agencies. And as the public health crisis worsens, the BCI’s workload looks more like a complicated petri dish of chemical analogs — an array of drugs often cut with the powerful painkiller fentanyl. The Columbus Dispatch first reported on this story, noting that the state is seeking additional funds for its Hamilton County lab. In all, Attorney General Mike DeWine wants to lock in $440,000 for both counties’ labs (split evenly). Both Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties are seeing astronomical leaps in the sheer quantity and dangerous, hybrid quality of drugs on the street. “We’re seeing a lot more complex mixtures,” BCI spokesman Dan Tierney tells Scene. “Instead of just there being heroin or just there being cocaine, we’re seeing mixes of drugs: heroin mixed with fentanyl, heroin mixed with other synthetic opioids, cocaine mixed with synthetic opioids. ... It takes longer to test those mixtures.” In 2010, for instance, the BCI recorded 34 tests of fentanyl. In 2016: 2,396. From 2010 through 2015, to really drive the point home, the BCI recorded zero tests of carfentanil, an elephant sedative that’s dangerous enough to cause overdoses via simple skin contact. In 2016: 214. “Our labs have had to put in precautions to deal with the more dangerous and potent opiates that are coming in for testing,” Tierney adds, “which also increases the time it takes to test them.” The attorney general’s funding request will land in a Controlling Board hearing on Aug. 21. — Sandy
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Photo by Kevin Wojton
UPFRONT ROCK CLIMBING GYM PLANNED FOR OLD OHIO CITY MASONIC BUILDING Cleveland’s two rock climbing gyms — Cleveland Rock Gym and Climb Cleveland — may soon have some competition. Earlier this month, 29-year-old Lyndhurst native and entrepreneur Kevin Wojton acquired the Ohio City Masonic Arts Center at 2831 Franklin Blvd. Wojton and his wife have been climbers for about a decade, and they have big plans to convert the space into a world-class rock climbing gym. The center sits on two-thirds of an acre and was built in the 1930s. The assessed value of the land and the building is $157,580, according to county records. And according to Wojton, the building is in pretty bad shape. “There’s a hole in the roof which has opened to nearly five feet [in diameter],” Wojton says. “The building has been rained inside for the last nine months.” Rampant break-ins and looting, according to Wojton, have reduced
the building to an empty shell. “They’ve stolen everything worth anything, from all the copper and pipes to the original brass. Anything that wasn’t nailed down — even if it was nailed down — it was stolen,” Wojton says. Yet despite all that, the location is exactly what he was looking for. “We wanted to find an historical building in Cleveland that needed some love,” Wojton says. The property is just a couple blocks from St. Ignatius, where Wojton went to high school. And the two-story building, with its two auditoriums and spacious ballroom basement, should easily accommodate all the amenities Wojton has planned for the gym. While rock climbing will account for “close to 70 percent of the space,” Wojton says, there are also plans to include a yoga studio, locker rooms, and standard workout equipment. Climb Cleveland, in Tremont, advertises yoga and blues dancing on its website, though climbers are limited to bouldering. “We’ll have monthly all-inclusive memberships, and daily passes, and one-offs if you just want to do a yoga class or something like that,” Wojton says. With the razing of the old YMCA
Ohio City Masonic building
of Greater Cleveland more than a decade ago (it re-opened in the Galleria not too long ago) and a housing development going up in its place, Wojton sees an opportunity to promote “a culture of active living” on the west side. Wojton hopes to accommodate all ages and skill levels, including hardcore climbers. A big selling point for climbers will no doubt be the planned skyroof. “As you’re climbing and looking up, you can see the sky as if you’re outside,” Wojton says. Wojton currently lives and works in New York City as a software
developer but plans to move back to Cleveland in November, at which point he expects construction to already be under way. Because of the building’s location within the Ohio City Historic District, both Ohio City Inc. and the Cleveland Landmarks Commission must approve changes to the building’s exterior. The gym, tentatively called “Cleveland Rocks,” is expected to open sometime in March 2018. — Philip de Oliveira
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MORTGAGE LENDERS? NuCLEus seeks tax ďŹ nancing deal with Cleveland Metropolitan School District By Eric Sandy THE NEXT MAJOR PRIVATEpublic deal to confront the residents of Cleveland arrives in the form of NuCLEus, the so-called “catalytic eventâ€? disguised as a 54-story mixeduse downtown project next to Quicken Loans Arena. Stark Enterprises, the developer, ďŹ rst won approval for the idea in 2014; now, the group is trying to ďŹ gure out how to pay for it. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has been asked to waive 30 years of commercial property tax from NuCLEus in return for an up-front lump sum of $18 million. The pitch is that NuCLEus needs this sort of creative ďŹ nancing relief model to pay for its $542-million building. “We weren't looking for this,â€? CMSD CEO Eric Gordon said during a recent community meeting in a gleaming New Tech West classroom, describing the proposal before his board. “Believe me, none of us were looking for this. ... But we have to act.â€? By “act,â€? he meant “vote,â€? which the board will do later this month. Here's the proposal: Robert Stark of Stark Enterprises is essentially asking the district and the city to invest in his project, which costs $542 million and will to some degree alter the city's skyline and character. NuCLEus and all of its retail and residential offerings will have a market value of $250 million, according to county estimates, when it opens in 2021. The tax-increment ďŹ nancing model (TIF) would ostensibly ďŹ ll the gap by allowing the next 30 years of property
tax payments to go right back into Stark's construction and development debt. Those tax payments would otherwise go to the school district (about 63 percent) and the city (about 37 percent). On face value, according to the board, it's a non-starter. Right now, the district collects about $360,000 each year from taxes paid on the parking lot land where NuCLEus will be built. (Stark already owns the parking lot.) That won't change. What we're talking about here is an estimated additional $4.2 million each year in commercial property tax from NuCLEus and its future tenants. That would be $121 million across 30 years. The deal proposes an $18 million lump sum in place of that $121 million for CMSD. Stark acceded to what Gordon described as district pressure with that immediate payout offer in 2018; it's not like that was how Stark began the negotiations. Furthermore, Stark agreed to split 50-50 the taxes on all additional value if in fact NuCLEus’ market value increases beyond the anticipated $250 million. It’s worth noting here that the NuCLEus deal has no direct impact on property owners’ taxes. But, Gordon was quick to point out, foregoing the tax payments that the district would otherwise receive from NuCLEus may put the board in a position to have to ask for a tax increase at some unknown point in the future. (Issue 108, the district’s 15-mill levy, expires
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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NEWS in 2020. A tax renewal request is almost a certainty; a tax increase request isn’t hard to imagine down the line.) The whole question here is one of risk: Is it worth it? The $18 million is only being considered because it could be used in the district’s capital improvement fund for future building construction (as opposed to a general fund, where “it’s gone nearly as quickly as you get it,” Gordon said). As we’re all well aware, the district is deep into a multiyear construction frenzy funded through unprecedented property tax increases — all approved by voters. The $18 million would be a drop in the bucket (a new high school costs about $45 million), but Gordon pointed out that many construction projects are subject to funding matches at the state level. In theory, $18 million could triple to $56 million in construction funds, as long as the state approves the project. Again, Gordon reminded the room, that's a potential $56 million now (maybe a few new westside
elementary schools or an eastside Max Hayes) versus $121 million spread across 30 years. The question again: Is it worth it? “It's not a slam-dunk deal by any stretch of the imagination,” Gordon said. But the numbers are only one part of this story. As councilwoman Dona Brady (in whose ward New Tech West resides) and other residents pointed out at the meeting this proposal comes at a time when the public is finding itself and its tax dollars buried under the weight of private interests bent on changing the narrative of Cleveland and revitalizing a once-stagnant downtown. Most tenants haven't been overtly confirmed, but Gordon intimated that several so-called “anchor tenants” will be businesses that are already downtown — moving into NuCLEus and leaving another storefront vacant. (The “central business district” has a 16.5-percent vacancy rate currently.) The worry among residents at the recent meeting was that NuCLEus could perpetuate the boom-and-bust cycle of Cleveland commercial hubs: The Arcade, the Galleria, the Flats (only to return again, different), the Warehouse District, East Fourth Street, all have been subject to the
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whims and fancy of high-profile developers and the shifting sands of an anxious business class in Cleveland. What are the long-term consequences of greenlighting a project like NuCLEus? With little time to act, those grand questions are left to be sussed out in small community meetings at CMSD. Stark's proposal has teed up a debate over the future of Cleveland. One resident raised the question of precedent: Were the district or the city to approve this deal, could the schools be seen as a TIF ATM for future game-changing projects like NuCLEus? (Cleveland has never seen a real estate project seek financing through the district like this.) It's a conversation that's going to have to happen relatively fast — not unlike the ongoing Q deal debate and litigation. The school board met this week to discuss the plan, and it's expected to vote on Aug. 22. Meanwhile, legislation relating to this deal is expected to be introduced to City Council on Aug. 16. It's impossible to say when council will ultimately vote, and residents wondered aloud at the community meeting whether it would be before or after the election. (It might take a
while. “Council has not had a formal briefing on this,” Brady said.) City Council holds the final say in this matter, according to state law, which places CMSD in a bit of a Punnett square bind. If the district and the city both agree, then the TIF deal is on and the $18 million is secured. If the district and the city both reject the plan, then the whole thing is off and Stark finds a new financing plan. If the district agrees and the city rejects the plan, then the whole thing is off and Stark finds a new financing plan. If the district rejects the plan and the city agrees, there is no requirement that Stark must hold up the $18-million pay-out deal. The city could theoretically negotiate something on behalf of the district, but at that point CMSD is left hanging on a limb and in a position to lose everything in this deal. One resident at the New Tech West meeting compared the quandary to playing a game of poker with the district’s hand facing everyone else at the table.
esandy@clevescene.com t@EricSandy
Photo by Chris Mason
FEATURE
LOCAL LUMINOSITY A new book shines light on how black women and white women see one another By Afi Scruggs Jane Critchlow and Nishell Preston
AFTER ZUMBA PROVED TOO strenuous, Cleveland Heights photographer Jane Critchlow looked around for another place to dance her way to fitness. She found her way to a line dance class at Bedford Recreation Center. When she showed up she immediately realized she was out of step, but it wasn’t because she was a novice and didn’t know the routines. Critchlow is white. Most of the dancers were black. “People didn’t want me there. I understood,” she tells Scene. Her friend and fellow dancer Nishell Preston interrupts before Critchlow can explain the looks and wariness. “It was a definite change in the air,” Preston says.
The frostiness Critchlow encountered had surprised her. She wasn’t the first white woman to attend the class, nor the first to join the group. Preston, a black woman, encouraged her: “I said, ‘We’re not all like that. Come dance with me.’” Critchlow says it took six months
boy hairstyle become an interloper? What did black women actually see when they looked at her? Four years later, some of her questions have been answered with Critchlow and Preston’s newly released book, Black Women White Women. It’s a self-published effort
“White women are simple,” Angela writes. And Lorna asserts, “Black women own their feelings.” to be included in a conversation, much less become part of the larger group. Then and now, she wanted to know what was going on. How did a slight, grey woman with a page-
that gives 40 white and black women of various backgrounds a simple assignment. White women had to complete the sentence “Black women are … .” Black women were
asked to finish the sentence “White women are … .” Each woman is identified only by her first name. Each entry includes a portrait taken by Critchlow, who teaches photography at Oberlin. The entries are as varied and complicated as race itself. Some are a single sentence. “White women are simple,” Angela writes. And Lorna asserts, “Black women own their feelings.” Some begin their offering tentatively, acknowledging wrong words can lead to hashtags and social media blowback. Bre’s entry begins with this admission: “I am very fearful someone will be offended by my opinion on this topic, but I believe everyone should | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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Photo by Jane Critchlow
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be considered equal, although no two people are the same ‌ I recognize race, but I truly struggle to categorize individuals by physical attributes, especially skin color ‌ . “We are individuals ‌ and that is why I struggle to give a clear cut answer on my opinion of black women ‌ because no two black women are the same, just as no two people are the same.â€? Lillian, who is black, notes that intimacy only goes so far when it comes to bridging the racial divide. “Many of the white women I know have grown up very different, with different views on how life works,â€? she writes, “and though we have the same values ... the steps to get there often look very different ... And this even includes the white women in my family.â€? Melissa mentions what she’d learned from black women: “Personally, they taught me that my pretty Big legs are really Pretty big legs.â€? With the line dance class as a personal foundation and an experience from which to draw, Critchlow originally planned to ask black women to talk about white women. She was nurturing a curiosity. “I said, ‘I’ve got to ďŹ gure it out,’â€? she says. “‘I have to ďŹ gure out how to understand black women; I have to understand how to be.’ And so I wanted to do a book about how they see me.â€? But Critchlow says the women she approached were “reluctantâ€? to talk to her. She mentioned the project to Preston, who agreed to help — but only if white women were included. The tables were turned in an earnest way, and the project quickly became more complicated than the pair expected. “The people who did the book, [responded] because they knew us and we begged,â€? Critchlow says. “Or they were strangers, but they knew somebody else.â€? The project blossomed out of friendships, and the tone of the book reects that. That’s why Johanne Farris agreed to participate. Preston is her niece, so Farris didn’t hesitate to join the project. Her poem starts
with these lines: “White women and me now let me see. She and me make We. She sometimes is afraid of me, so across the street, She will ee. Now me, sometimes I am afraid of she, I just walk pass I let her be‌â€? Farris says her observations
Johanne
come from a lifetime of experiences. “I have seen some whites literally cross the street rather to walk past me,â€? she says. “And I don’t really think I look dangerous, or anything scary. It must be just the color.â€? She’s a Cleveland native who was one of the ďŹ rst blacks to attend East High. Her best friend was a white student named Frances. But the friendship never went farther than the schoolyard. “She didn’t come to my house, I didn’t go to her house,â€? Farris says. “But we were really good friends, as good as we could have been back then. That was in the ’50s and the ’60s.â€? Now Farris lives in Woodmere, a small village nestled against I-271. Her children and grandchildren grew up with white friends. But Farris says her views of white women haven’t changed much over the years. She remains convinced that many whites are simply afraid of blacks. “At one time, they thought we were monkeys and had tails,â€? she
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noted it was odd to be going through such precious mementos, Ringgenberg had an epiphany. “This time did feel strange for me too,â€? she writes. “But it wasn’t pawing through someone else’s family photographs that made it feel odd. It was standing there, looking through almost a hundred photographs and not a single one of them was of a black man or woman. ‌ At that moment, I realized that an entire race would almost never walk into antique shops and see photographs of their ancestors,
dressed in their Sunday best seated in a fancy parlor.â€? Ringgenberg says she mostly interacted with whites until she went to college at John Carroll. There, her circle of friends widened and grew more diverse. Nevertheless, she was blind to the advantages her race gave her — until she stopped in the antique store. “I would say it was gutwrenching,â€? she tells Scene. “The juxtaposition of [the black women’s] perception of that situation and my perception was so different. ‌ There’s certain things you don’t think about, because I was born into a white family. In that very moment, the thing I could feel the most was, ‘Wow, this feels like white privilege.’â€? As they worked on the project, Preston and Critchlow learned about their racial group, as well as each other’s. Both women wish they had been able to chip away at defenses and get more honesty. “I had a woman who said, ‘I’m afraid of black women. Those loud black women, they really scare me,’â€? Critchlow says. “White woman fear is one thing that’s missing in the book.â€? Ultimately, the experience answered Critchlow’s original question: How to “beâ€? around black women. “I learned, ‘Be white,’ she says. “I’m a white woman. I just don’t try to be black. I see a lot of white people, when they get around black people, they try to be black. So as idiosyncratic as I am, in a white cultural way, it’s Gina like, just be that way.â€? Now that the book is published, the pair have been considering ways to promote it. They hope to offer Black Women White Women to book clubs and other organizations working on race relations. With impending rollbacks in civil rights protections, the pair believe all women have to ďŹ nd a way to come together. “We’re losing ground,â€? Critchlow says. “Now more than ever, we have to ďŹ gure out a way, at least, to be not so afraid.â€?
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says. “Sometimes I think they haven’t really gotten past that.â€? Or, as she wrote for the book: “The longer I live this thing, I know ain’t nothin changed, it just has a new cover.â€? But a lot has changed in Gina Ringgenberg’s view of black women. The Medina native now lives in Washington, D.C., where she works for KeyBank. Her submission only took 10 minutes to write, she says. She reected on a chance encounter she had with a trio of black women ďŹ ve years ago. She ran into the women while browsing vintage family portraits at an antique shop. Their attire and surroundings made it clear the family had been well-to-do. When one of the black women
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
SUN
GET OUT
everything you should do this week Photo by Emanuel Wallace
WED
08/09
SPORTS
Indians vs. Colorado Rockies The Indians didn’t fare well against the offensive-minded Colorado Rockies when the two teams faced each other in Denver earlier this year. Look for the Tribe to try to get some revenge as the interleague series comes to Progressive Field for a two-game series that wraps up with today’s 12:10 p.m. game. Tickets start at $13. (Jeff Niesel) 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, clevelandindians.com. THEATER
Mamai Theatre Company: A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House remains a truly groundbreaking literary work. In 1937, Thornton Wilder reworked the original story about a devoted wife and mother who makes an unexpected journey. Tonight at 7:30 at the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre, the Mamai Theatre Company presents Wilder’s adaptation of the play. Tickets cost $18 to $32 and the play runs through Aug. 27. (Niesel) 1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. MUSIC
Summer in the City Concert Series Presented by Great Lakes Brewing Company, Fat Head’s Brewery and Magic Hat Brewing Company, the Rock Hall’s free Summer in the City concert series features some of the top bands in Cleveland. Concerts start at 6 p.m. on the seasonal outdoor stage, July through August. (Rain location is inside, on the Klipsch Audio Main Stage.) Tonight’s concert features the local metal bands Seeress and Axioma. Find out more on the website. (Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com. FAMILY FUN
Wade Oval Wednesdays A summer tradition, Wade Oval Wednesday takes place every Wednesday through Aug. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Wade Oval in University Circle. The weekly party provides the opportunity to catch a free concert — jazz, swing, world music and more. Between sets, check out the local food vendors, the beer and wine tent, the farmers market and free kids’
The National Hamburger Festival returns to downtown Akron. See: Saturday.
activities — all laid out on the Wade Oval lawn, adjacent to the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Cleveland Natural History Museum. The local indie rock act Welshly Arms plays tonight. Details are on the website. (Niesel) universitycircle.org.
the Evans Amphitheater; day-of-show tickets are $43 to $78. Details are on the website. (Daniela Cacho) 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com.
THU
08/10
FOOD
Walnut Wednesday Walnut Wednesday is one of summer’s great traditions. Today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Perk Plaza at Chester Commons — at East 12th and Walnut streets — food trucks gather to serve up lunch to area residents and employees. Follow the Downtown Cleveland Alliance on Facebook for weekly updates on vendors, entertainment offerings and more. The series continues through Sept. 27. Admission is free, but the food will cost you. (Niesel) downtowncleveland.com.
FAMILY FUN
Edgewater Live Now in its fourth season, Edgewater Live features local acts along the shore. The event also boasts food trucks and recreational activities. The very last one for the summer commences today at 4:30 p.m. on the Centennial Plaza at the new Edgewater Beach House with an opening performance from Funeral Proposals. From 6 to 9 p.m., the Spazmatics will perform on the RTA Main Stage. It’s free. (Niesel) 6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway NW, clevelandmetroparks.com.
DRINK
Wine Tasting at Cain Park: Earthy Blends Pull through the midweek with a relaxing evening at Cain Park, drinking wine and listening to live music. Yup, it’s a Wine Tasting at Cain Park, featuring what the promoters call “Earthy Blends.” Tickets for the Evans Courtyard tasting are $10; the wine will flow from 6:30 to 7:45. But don’t head home just yet; instead, stick around for an 8 p.m. concert featuring Punch Brothers and I’m With Her in
ART
Them! and Jeremy Bible Taking a break from its recent series of conceptual, process-oriented exhibitions, the Transformer Station celebrates artists who share an equal passion for music and photography — many of whom also write, make videos and have produced photography books and works on vinyl. Organized by Transformer Station co-founder Laura Ruth Bidwell, Them! examines the role these creative relationships may
(or may not) play in each artist’s process. On select Thursdays during the exhibition’s run — including tonight — the Transformer Station hosts a CDJ2017 Small Hall Concert from 7 to 8 p.m. Stop by tonight for the final concert in the series, featuring interdisciplinary artist Jeremy Bible. Admission is $5, but limited to just 50 guests. Tickets are on sale now on the gallery’s website. (Josh Usmani) 1460 West 29th St., 216-938-5429, transformerstation.org. ART
Scrimmage: Football in American Art from the Civil War to the Present Are you ready for some football? Hosted by the Canton Museum of Art, Scrimmage: Football in American Art from the Civil War to the Present features 60 works gathered from collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Figge Art Museum, the Denver Art Museum, the Rockwell Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston), Yale University and the Canton Museum of Art — as well as numerous other public and private collections. A multimedia exhibition, Scrimmage includes paintings, prints, sculptures, and new media by such legendary artists as Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton and Andy Warhol. Scrimmage opens tonight with a free, public reception from 6 to 8; the evening includes a “Football in the Art Museum” gallery talk | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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GET OUT with Max Barton, executive director of the Canton Museum of Art, and Joe Horrigan, executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Regular museum admission is $8 for adults, and less for seniors, students and military veterans. Admission is free to all on the first Friday of each month and every Thursday. The show continues through Oct. 29. (Usmani) 1001 Market Ave., Canton, 330-453-7666, cantonart.org.
shop local vendors, get lunch from Dynomite Burgers and enjoy the sunshine on the plaza. The fun continues on the second and fourth Friday of every summer month, including Aug. 11, Aug. 25 and Sept. 8. Admission is free. (Usmani) East 14th St. and Euclid Ave., 216-771-4444, playhousesquare.org.
event takes place on the second Friday of the month through September; tonight’s edition runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and features music from Carlos Jones. Admission is free. Details are on the website. (Niesel) 1055 Old River Rd., 202-628-0123, flatseastbank.com.
Powered by
Rome, Soja, the Wailers and Flobots. This weekend, the band headlines its first festival, the Freakstomp Music Festival. Today through Sunday in Medina, the festival features acts such as Vibe & Direct, Bumpin’ Uglies, Sun-Dried Vibes, Pasadena, t, Drunken Sunday and Derlei. Tropidelic headlines both nights. There will also be fire performers, dunking booths and other carnivalinspired attractions. Tickets for the entire weekend are just $60, which includes both camping and parking. Individual tickets for Saturday will also be available at the gate. (Niesel) 8120 Coon Club Rd., Medina, thefreakstomp.com.
FILM
What Would Beethoven Do? Classical music has long been popularly regarded as a staid — nay, perhaps even boring — genre. The 2016 documentary film What Would Beethoven Do? attempts to challenge that perception and reveal the rise — and revolutionary nature — of the music. The movie focuses on renegade composers and innovative musicians as they explore questions like why we create art and why we should care about art — not just as individuals, but as a society. Presented by the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest, the movie screens tonight at 7 p.m. at the Orange branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. It’s free, but registration is requested on the library website.(Adrian Leuthauser) 31975 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike, 216-831-4282, cuyahogalibrary.org.
FRI
ART
FREE CONCERT SERIES
Get on the Guest List for upcoming shows!
FESTIVAL
SHOPPING
The Cleveland Bazaar The Cleveland Bazaar once again invades the U.S. Bank Plaza at Playhouse Square. Today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can
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OR $20 upgrade: get swag above, Rock Hall admission AND $10 food credit! (over a $40 value!)*
Wednesdays 6-9 pm Aug. 9 - Seeress with Axioma Aug. 16 - Hiram Maxim with Glass Traps Aug. 23 - Funkyardx with JPENNELOPE Aug. 30 – Jack Fords with The Commonwealth
08/11.
Cheese Fest Cleveland Start the weekend off right at Cheese Fest Cleveland, featuring more than 70 cheeses from all parts of the world. As we all know, cheese and wine make a perfect pair, so there will be 30 wines for you to enjoy as well. Also on the agenda: a macaroni and cheese competition, live entertainment, and a souvenir wine glass. The festival runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at Lago Custom Events, on the East Bank of the Flats. Tickets are $55; get them on the website, below. (Cacho) 1091 West 10th St., tastecle.com/ events/cheese-fest-cleveland.
FREE: RSVP online & get a t-shirt AND souvenir photo*
*Advance online purchase required. Only one shirt and photo per email for free registration.
MORE FREE STUFF! HAPPY Hour! Aug. 19 - Celebrate Africa Aug. 25 - PechaKucha Night CLE
Every Tues. • Drink Specials • Live Music & Thurs. in August. • Trivia
RSVP, get tix and full schedule at:
ROCKHALL.COM/SUMMER NIGHTLIFE
MUSIC
Flat Out Fridays The East Bank of the Flats features a slew of great bars and restaurants right on the river. To take advantage of the terrific location, the venues have partnered for Flat Out Fridays, a summer series featuring live music by the waterfront along with sweet treats, beverages and other outdoor entertainment. The
Freakstomp Music Festival Tropidelic formed in Kent in 2008 and built a following after selfdistributing over 10,000 free copies of its self-produced first EP, Rebirth of the Dope. After releasing its second EP, Tree City Exodus, and relocating to Cleveland, the group gained some traction and opened for acts like Slightly Stoopid, 311, Pepper, the Dirty Heads, Sublime w/
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
Weavings of Deborah Silver Local artist Deborah Silver discovered her passion for weaving while attending the Cleveland Institute of Art. For years after college, Silver created site-specific commissions for interior designers. Unsatisfied and no longer working on her own artwork, Silver found a radically different career as a nuclear medicine technician. No longer supporting herself through her art, Silver felt free to return to the faces and tribal masks of her college sketchbooks. Silver’s weavings have been exhibited in Chicago, New York City and throughout Northeast Ohio. Starting today, her work will be on display at Urban Orchid’s Hingetown location through Sept. 30. Stop in from 7 to 10 tonight to see the work and meet Silver at the opening reception. Admission is free. (Usmani) 1455 West 29th St., 216-785-3618, theurbanorchid.com.
SAT
08/12
IN THE CLUBS
’90s Rooftop Party You can expect to hear all your favorite ’90s hits from artists like Backstreet Boys, Chumbawamba and the Spice Girls today at the Velvet Dog as it hosts a ’90s Rooftop Party. The event begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m. Die-hard partyers take note: Details about the evening’s after-party will be announced during the event. The $20 ticket includes up to 40 percent off drinks and up to 25 percent off food. (Cacho) 1280 West Sixth St., 216-664-1116, velvetdogcleveland.com. NIGHTLIFE
All Gold All the Time Night The punk/indie rock club Now That’s
GET OUT Class isn’t above a good gimmick. Tonight, the club hosts All Gold All the Time Night. Come to the venue wearing gold of any kind and you’ll get half-price drinks and pay only $1 for 12-ounce beers. In addition, the person with “the best look” will win a $25 gift certificate to Now That’s Class. The event is free and runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Niesel) 11213 Detroit Ave., 216-221-8576, nowthatsclass.net. NIGHTLIFE
Banana Bar Crawl If you’ve ever wanted to walk around downtown Cleveland from bar to bar wearing a banana suit, then you’ll have your chance tonight during the Banana Bar Crawl. The crawl includes six bar stops, where you can enjoy classic favorites, bananaflavored creations and Clevelandthemed drinks, all at special prices. And yes, banana suits will be provided! Registration and costume pickup is from 5 to 7 p.m. The crawl goes on until the bars close. Admission is $30. (Cacho) theticketfairy.com/event/ banana-cleveland. FILM
Classic 3-D Film Series: Those Redheads from Seattle Way back in the 1950s, Hollywood studios started showing movies in widescreen formats and 3-D to combat the growing popularity of television. Between 1952 and 1955, Hollywood studios produced 50 English language 3-D films using a dual projection system that required audience members to wear polarized lenses. But because of issues with keeping the images perfectly in sync, studios quickly lost interest.Now, of course, digital technology has corrected the synchronization issue, and the classic 35-mm 3-D films have reappeared on new digital prints so contemporary audiences can watch them. The Cedar Lee Theatre is screening five “Golden-Era classics” as part of its Classic 3-D Film Series. Those Redheads from Seattle, which starts Rhonda Fleming and the Bell Sisters, screens at 11 a.m. today and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15. The new digital restoration from the 3-D Film Archive recently had its world premiere at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Los Angeles, and Bob Furmanek, the founder of the 3-D Film Archive,
will participate in a Q&A via Skype following the Aug. 15 showing. Admission is $7. (Niesel) 2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5411, clevelandcinemas.com. ART $
Cleveland Arts Prize Annually, the Cleveland Arts Prize awards $10,000 to two Emerging Artists, two Mid-Career Artists and one Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as special awards that don’t include cash prizes. Following its annual awards ceremony celebrating this year’s recipients earlier this summer at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Arts Prize is showcasing several past winners in a program of live performances tonight at Cain Park. Doors open at 6, and the program begins at 7. Tickets start at $35 and are available by phone or on the website below. (Usmani) 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com.
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10.00HalOf FF the Marathon
FESTIVAL
Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival Participants have been prepping for the Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival’s 250-meter heats since late May. An ancient sport whose roots can be found in China, where it began more than 2,000 years ago, Dragon Boating has been a popular sport in many Asian nations ever since. A typical dragon boat is close to 50 feet in length and holds 20 paddlers, one of whom drums so paddlers can work in sync. Three teams compete in each heat, and the teams with the three fastest times will compete for the championship. The fest starts at 8 a.m. on the waterfront at Wendy Park; check out the music, crafts vendors and family activities too. (Leuthauser) 440-399-7373, cledba.org. ART
Constant as the Sun Part of MOCA Cleveland’s Summer 2017 exhibitions, Constant as the Sun includes work by 10 artists and artist collectives from Northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania, western New York and eastern Michigan, who engage their community in a variety of ways, from traditional studio practices to responsive, ground-level activism. Upon entering the main gallery, guests are greeted by billboard-sized black-and-white photographs by the Clevelandbased artist collective Acerbic. Poems printed on large sheets of plexiglass hang from the ceiling
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GET OUT directly in front of these images, and a video examining the repercussions of Cleveland’s Opportunity Corridor plays on a nearby screen. The interviews with residents of Cleveland’s “Forgotten Triangle” add an additional dimension to the work. At 2 p.m. today, MOCA Cleveland hosts an engaging discussion with Acerbic members Donald Black Jr., Gabriel Gonzalez and Ali McClain. The program includes a reading of McClain’s new, original poems inspired by Black and Gonzalez’ photos, each followed by an Acerbicled discussion with the audience. Admission is free. (Usmani) 11400 Euclid Ave., 216-421-8671, mocacleveland.org.
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National Hamburger Festival Now in its 12th year, the National Hamburger Festival keeps upping the ante and adding more activities. This year’s event takes place today and tomorrow at Akron’s Lock 3 and features more than 50 styles of hamburgers served by more than a dozen mostly independent eateries. This year also marks the debut of the first-ever Akron Ninja Challenge. Hamburger-inspired activities include “bobbing for burgers” and the crowning of the Burger Queen. The Buck Naked Band, Justin Fabus, Shooter Sharp & the Shootouts, the Rhythm Syndicate and the King Bees will perform. Buckeye Brewfest returns for the second year and features dozens of beers from more than 10 craft breweries. Tickets to the Hamburger Festival, which include admission to Buckeye Brewfest, are $5. (Niesel) 200 South Main St., Akron, 330-375-2877, lock3live.com. BEER
Pup Club Dogs are welcomed today at Masthead Brewing Company’s Pup Club event. Anyone who purchases a beer will receive a free customizable dog bowl and decorating supplies. The event takes place on the patio from noon to 3 p.m. A portion of bar sales will be donated to the Friends of Cleveland Kennel. Admission is free. (Cacho) 1261 Superior Ave., 216-206-6176, mastheadbrewingco.com. ART
Two Openings BAYarts’ latest exhibitions include Jessica Pinsky’s Equal in the Sullivan Family Gallery. As an artist represented by Hedge Gallery,
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and executive director of Praxis Fiber Worskhop, Pinksy is a very active member of Cleveland’s art community. Her exhibition at BAYarts features a new series of weavings, “planned and executed based on degrees of equality.” Utilizing her expertise, Pinsky showcases the inherent nature of various fibers to expand or contract from either hand-spinning or loosening tension. As a result, the same dimensions of materials react in radically different ways. Meanwhile, Teacher Tell Me a Story: The Mad Side of Wonderland, opens in the Diane Boldman Education Gallery. Teacher Tell Me A Story is a multimedia exhibition exploring the classic world of Wonderland through the eyes of the Mad Hatter. The exhibition includes individual and collaborative works by BAYarts instructor Jessica Ramage and student Elizabeth Varis. Both exhibitions open with a reception from 6 to 9 tonight. They remain on view through Sept. 23. Admission is free. (Usmani) 28795 Lake Rd., Bay Village, 440-871-6543, bayarts.net.
SUN
08/13
FAMILY FUN
Gospel Brunch The monthly Gospel Brunch has been a spiritual Sunday staple for years at the House of Blues. Curated by famed gospel singer Kirk Franklin, the recently reinvigorated show puts a bit more emphasis on the music. As for the food, the all-you-can-eat musical extravaganza features Southern classics like chicken jambalaya, biscuits and gravy, and chicken and waffles. Seatings are offered at 11 a.m. Tickets are $40 and are available online, by phone or at the box office. (Niesel) 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com. COMEDY
Cleveland Improv Jam The Angry Ladies of Improv has hosted the Cleveland Improv Jam for four years now. A few years back, Scene described the show as “fierce, formidable and very funny.” The women have some serious experience too. Katie White-Sonby is an actress who’s performed at Clague Playhouse, Karamu and Kennedy’s Cabaret. Marjorie Preston is an alumna of Something Dada and Rockwell 9 improvisational comedy troupes. The event begins with a
short-form set of improv games, followed by a longform improv set. It begins at 5 p.m. at Coffee Phix. Arrive early if you want to sign up and perform. Admission is free. (Niesel). 4485 Mayfield Rd., South Euclid, 216-381-5706, coffeephixcafe.com. MUSIC
Hollywood Heroes and Superheroes Over the past few decades, some of classical music’s greatest composers have written music for Hollywood films. Dubbed Hollywood Heroes and Superheroes, tonight’s program at Blossom featuring the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Richard Kaufman includes an “allstar salute to the biggest, boldest, and baddest heroes of the silver screen.” Expect to hear selections from Superman, Star Wars, Batman, Spiderman, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Austin Powers. The concert begins at 7, and tickets start at $24. (Niesel) 1145 West Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com. DRINK
Sloppy Sundays in the Sun The bartenders at Now That’s Class will serve “the coolest and tastiest pitchers” of cocktails today from 3 to 7 p.m. at Sloppy Sundays in the Sun. Pitchers of specialty cocktails ($12) include Paul’s Puerto Rican Punch, Nascar Nectar and Stripple Nipple. The club will also set up a basketball hoop out back for patrons to show off their skills. Admission is free. (Niesel) 11213 Detroit Ave., 216-221-8576, nowthatsclass.net. FILM
True Crime Cleveland Double Feature Produced and edited by Mark Wade Stone, the documentary films The Day Marilyn Died, about alleged killer and Bay Village osteopath Sam Sheppard, and The Fourteenth Victim, about Eliot Ness and the infamous Torso Murders, each feature commentary from local college professor and true crime author James Jessen Badal. They screen today at 4 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre as part of a special double feature. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com. MUSIC
Wage War Florida natives Wage War come back to Ohio for the second time this year, for a 7:30 concert
tonight at Lakewood’s Foundry Concert Club. The Deadweight Tour Part 1 is in support of Wage War’s recently released album, Deadweight. Their first single “Stitch” opens with singer Briton Bond intensely whispering, “Leave me in the dark with a hole for a heart, as low as I can get, burn the bridge, rip the stitch out.” But on their second single “Don’t Let Me Fade Away,” the band shows it can be uniquely melodic as well. Singer/guitarist Cody Quistad sings smoothly but with just as much intensity as Bond. Tickets are $13 via the club’s Facebook page. (Leuthauser) 11729 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-555-6669, facebook.com/ foundrycleveland.
MON
08/14
FAMILY FUN
American Ninja Warrior Watch Party Celebrate physical prowess, mental discipline and — mostly — Cleveland’s appearance in American Ninja Warrior tonight at a watch party at the downtown Corner Alley. Tonight’s episode was filmed in Cleveland this past spring, and the ninja warriors who participated will be on hand for the party. The 7 p.m. event is free and a portion of the food and drink profits will be donated to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, an organization that helps bring more events like American Ninja Warrior to the North Coast. (Cacho) 402 Euclid Ave., 216-298-4070, thecorneralley.com. SPOKEN WORD
Science Cafe The second Monday of each month, Music Box Supper Club hosts Science Cafe, an informal lecture series that brings scientists from throughout the region to the club so they can talk about science topics. Tonight at 7, Darin Croft, a paleomammalogist and professor of anatomy at the CWRU School of Medicine, will speak about why the work of paleontologists matters. Admission is free. (Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com. MUSIC
Wing Ding Doodle Blues icon Howlin’ Wolf famously covered “Wang Dang Doodle,” the old blues tune penned by Willie Dixon. Prosperity Social Club in Tremont has adopted that slogan, calling its wing night Wing Ding Doodle. The weekly event features specials on Buffalo wings and cold brews.
Prosperity will not only serve up substantial, $1 whole wings, but it’ll also offering meatless Monday “wing” baskets for vegans. Discounted drafts and a playlist of vintage-electric blues and soulful R&B curated by local musician Clint Holley will be on tap as well. Wing Ding Doodle takes place every Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-937-1938, prosperitysocialclub.com.
TUE
08/15
MUSIC
Black Squirrel Wind Since forming five years ago at Kent State’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, the Black Squirrel Wind has performed music originally intended for ballet and tango. At tonight’s concert at Cain Park, expect to hear French favorites, “La Danse de la Sorciere” and “Amor Por Tango.” The group’s goal is to promote exceptional wind music and chamber music. The Black Squirrel Wind derived their name from KSU’s unofficial mascot, the black squirrel. Tonight’s free concert takes place at 7 p.m. at Cain Park’s Alma Theater. (Leuthauser) 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, cainpark.com. MUSIC
Classical Revolution Cleveland For many years, classical music wasn’t intended for the masses. Seemingly reserved for quasiexclusive concert halls, classical music hid from the outside world. Classical Revolution Cleveland helps tear down that wall and bring great chamber music to the people. Showcasing a variety of performers in bars, cafes and the like, it’s actually not that different from how people used to listen to chamber music. The third Tuesday of every month, CRC brings its wide array of chamber music to the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern. Performers like the Trepanning Trio, Anime Duo, students of Cleveland Institute of Music and even Cleveland Orchestra members grace the stage in these exciting concerts. Full of immensely talented performers, CRC re-instills the relevancy of this vibrant art form. Tonight’s free, all-ages performance starts at 8. (Patrick Stoops) 5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com.
local dance instructors will lead Dancing Under the Stars tonight at U.S. Bank Plaza. Throw on your best dancing shoes, grab a partner and head downtown for a night full of Sizzling Salsa dancing. If you aren’t familiar with salsa, then you won’t want to miss the fun instruction at 6 from the staffers at Viva Dance Studio. Then, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the plaza turns into a massive, funfilled dance party featuring a live band. (This week, it’s Son Gitano.) Learn new moves and experience a different culture through dance. Admission is free. The series continues through Aug. 29. Find a complete schedule on the website. (Niesel) East 14th St. and Euclid Ave., 216-771-4444, playhousesquare.org. MUSIC
Open Turntable Tuesday Tonight from 6 to 9, Goldhorn Brewery hosts its weekly Open Turntable Tuesdays. DJ Kris Koch will offer 20-minute time slots to people who want to bring their own vinyl and spin their favorite songs or deep tracks. The Northeast Ohio Vinyl Club and the locally based Gotta Groove Records serve as the sponsors, and turntables will be provided. Each person will be able to play three to five songs during their time slot, and there will be a mic available to talk about the selections as well. Along with theme nights, there will be giveaways, drawings and contests. (Niesel) 1361 East 55th St., 216-465-1352, goldhornbrewery.com. THEATER
Motown the Musical The story about how Berry Gordy, a featherweight boxer, turned Motown Records into one of the most significant record labels in the country is an incredible one. The Detroit imprint launched the careers of acts such as Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson. Motown the Musical, a hit on Broadway, chronicles Berry’s remarkable success. The play opens tonight at 8 at the State Theatre, where it runs through Aug. 20. Tickets are $10 to $95. (Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
DANCE
Dancing Under the Stars As a part of the 12-week outdoor dance series at Playhouse Square,
Find more events @clevescene.com t@clevelandscene | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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START COLLEGE EARLY. Bard High School Early College Cleveland – started in 2014 – is opening a new campus on Cleveland’s East Side, starting this fall. Students earn an associate’s degree, for free, while in high school. Jumpstart your college career. Apply now. Interested 9th grade applicants should visit bhsec.bard.edu/cleveland/eastcampus or call 216.838.9700
BA R D H I G H S C H O O L E A R LY C O L L E G E C L EV E L A N D - E A S T 26
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
ART ERIN R. MILLER UNVEILS RETURN TO SENDER AT PRAXIS By Dott von Schneider AT PRAXIS FIBER WORKSHOP we have a bit of a meta moment, as Erin R. Miller’s artwork gets unpacked. You see, Miller’s solo exhibition, Return to Sender, is a study of packing peanuts, shredded paper and bubble wrap recreated in textiles. The inception for this show did not unfold as one might have expected. Miller’s parents had divorced when she was young. Due to varying circumstances her father lost their house shortly thereafter, and with it she lost everything from her childhood. Years later, the artist had seen a cup on eBay similar to one that she favored as a child, and so she ordered it. “When it got to me there was no packaging material and the cup was totally demolished. It was like dust by the time I received it,” Miller recounts. “I was so upset that there was no packing material in there. It’s wasn’t even that I was upset that the cup was broken; it was that there was no bubble wrap.” Miller realized she had been emoting over the bubble wrap so much that the cup ceased to be such an important acquisition. The seed was planted and germinated. “I always think about how important that bubble wrap was to me in that moment, and all of these other materials that I’m close to now, and how I emotionally related to those things [that were] similar.” What could be a banal exhibition about a banal subject is anything but. The majority of Miller’s tapestries and fleeces are 60 inches wide and 80 inches tall. Miller, who just finished her MFA thesis in fibers at Eastern Michigan University, has a reputation for diving deep into her research. The planning involved is formidable to say the least. Miller may spend between 45 and 50 hours on a given artwork, from raw source materials, such as a photograph, to the finished product. It also depends on how the final textiles are manufactured. Some of the pieces she has printed at Walmart to get the crisp image onto the textile. “Initially, it was
a totally filthy concept to me, but with the technical materials I’m working with, it’s necessary,” Miller says. The artist starts with one single tile; then she eliminates and reinserts information purposefully so that the original tile is not apparent in the repetition and the results are astonishing. “Fleece Packing Peanuts” and “Fleece Cardboard” are so painstakingly created that it is hard to tell where the pattern originates or ends. We
woven on a digital hand loom. The indentations tell a convincing story of the cardboard’s life. The same sort of planning and programming happens with these textiles; however, instead of outsourcing, Miller employs a technique called double weaving. Using this method, she weaves two pieces of cloth at the same time. She also uses wet felting and needle felting to create a relief. The piece titled “Used Bubble Wrap” is especially satisfying if you like
RETURN TO SENDER PRAXIS FIBER WORKSHOP, 15301 WATERLOO RD., 216-644-8661 PRAXISFIBERWORKSHOP.COM
really feel as if we are looking into a huge box of packing peanuts or oil-stained cardboard. The tactile white pieces along the gallery’s eastern wall, titled “Used Cardboard I” and “Used Cardboard II: coffee mug,” had been
popping the real deal. As we close in on the heavy cotton tapestry titled “Packing Peanuts Upset,” the image deconstructs into an almost abstract vision. We’re reminded of a Chuck Close painting or Seurat’s “A
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” with its synergy. Backing up, the parts create a photographic image that is quite lovely. The stand-alone piece in Return to Sender, and we do mean that literally, is one splendid, handfelted Merino wool titled “Packing Peanut.” Iconic to its squishy core and displayed on a plexiglass cube atop a white pedestal, this lifesized sculptural object packs all the grandeur of the larger wall works. Miller had created roughly fifty of these little gems, but the rest are on display in exhibitions elsewhere. We are left with only our imagination on how it would feel to dive both hands into a box of them. Return to Sender remains on view at Praxis Fiber Workshop through Sept. 30.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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A RTS i n A UGUST freeartsprogrammingin Tremont’sLincolnPark cleveland COUNCIL MEMBER
Kerry McCormack WARD 3
PUBLIC
theatre
TREMONTWEST.ORG We invite you for free evenings of music, theatre and dance in Lincoln Park. Bring a picnic, order take-out from one of our Tuesdays in Tremont participants listed below. You definitely want to bring a chair or a blanket to sit and remember you are in a park at dusk, so you might want to bring bug spray too!
Inlet Dance Theatre* on Friday, August 11th at 8:30pm
THIS WEEKEND
Come early Friday for
5pm throughout Tremont!
Verb Ballets*
on Saturday, August 12th at 8:30pm MORE PERFORMANCES IN AUGUST Cleveland Opera Theater on Friday, August 18th, 7pm Papo Ruiz Y La Dulzura de la Salsa on Saturday, August 19th, 7pm Me Him & Her Presents - Good Vibes A family-friendly outdoor dance party featuring DJs spinning funk, soul, disco, reggae and music from around the world,
on Sunday, August 20th, 12-8pm Photography by Susan Bestul.
ContempOpera on Friday, August 25th, 7pm Cleveland Jazz Orchestra presented in partnership with Arts Renaissance Tremont
on Saturday, August 26th at 7pm Extras *7:45pm - OnStage A creative movement class with performance improvisation for kids of all ages will take place on the stage prior to the performance! All Arts in August events are FREE and are held in Tremont’s Lincoln Park. Please visit tremontwest.org for up to date information, rain locations/dates and program details, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @artsinaugust
Thank you to our sponsors: Carolyn Bentley (216) 470-1502
Karen and John Moss
and our Tuesdays in Tremont participants: Dante, Fat Cats, Grumpy’s Cafe, Crust, Prosperity Social Club, Tremont Tap House, The South Side, Lucky’s Cafe, The Rowley Inn, Civilization, The Clark Bar, Bourbon Street Barrel Room, The Treehouse, Merchant Street, Beviamo and Ty Fun Thai Bistro.
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
STAGE THE ’DOS OF YESTERYEAR Big hair and big tunes power the fun in Hairspray at the Mercury Theatre Company By Christine Howey OH, FOR THE DAYS WHEN YOU could put a person in special education classes just because of her hairdo. That’s what happens to Tracy Turnblad, the bouffant-haired focus of the musical Hairspray, now at the Mercury Theatre Company. If that had happened to Donald Trump many years ago, maybe we wouldn’t be enduring a bizarrely coiffed, terrifyingly unstable presidency that is more offensive than any of the scenes in the John Waters’ film oeuvre. Waters, a renowned and often outrageous writer and director of films, is relevant to this discussion, of course, since it was his 1988 film of the same name that gave birth to this musical. It is festooned with period dance tunes and rhythm and blues music by Mark Shaiman, who also wrote the lyrics with Scott Wittman. Waters is perhaps most infamous for the interludes in his film Pink Flamingos that involve eating dog crap and singing buttholes. He has long been the master of pukein-your-mouth (or in your purse) celluloid moments. But in the original film Hairspray there were no stomach-churning moments, other than the times when Velma Von Tussle popped her daughter Amber’s zits with accompanying juicy sound effects. Instead, it was a trip back to the rosy days of the 1960s in Baltimore (Waters’ hometown) when black kids were relegated to “Negro Day” once a month on the local Corny Collins dance show and were banned from the whites-only swimming pool. It was also the time when school bullying was done face-to-face and not over the internet. Over the past 15 years, the musical Hairspray has been produced by zillions of high school theater departments and community theaters, and it’s been vacuumed of most of its edge. Before the current political climate took hold, we were able to laugh at the racist attitudes that are mocked in the script. Now, however, those aspects of the musical aren’t so funny any more, since right-wing yahoos have been given tacit permission to let their bigoted
HAIRSPRAY THROUGH AUG. 19, PRODUCED BY MERCURY THEATRE COMPANY, NOTRE DAME COLLEGE, REGINA HALL, 1857 SOUTH GREEN RD., SOUTH EUCLID, 216-771-5862. MERCURYTHEATRECOMPANY.ORG
freak flag fly. “Welcome to the ’60s,” indeed. Anyhow, when overweight Tracy is sent to detention and then to special ed class by her principal for violating the unwritten hairdo laws, she meets black students who introduce her to some badass dance moves. She and her gal pal Penny (Gracie Keener in an amusing turn) are particularly drawn to the sexy step-and-glide of a student named Seaweed J. Stubbs, played with sinuous energy and delight by Antonio Brown. A fast learner, Tracy turns her
dancing into fame (not fortune) as she wins a spot as a dancer on Corny’s show, along with an opportunity to bring integration to this corner of local TV. She is fought tooth-and-polished-nail by the aforementioned Velma, the producer of the show and a polished doyenne of prejudice. Jennifer Myor makes for a mean Velma, although it’s too bad her blonde hair couldn’t have towered a bit more. Indeed, there is a distinct lack of hair disasters on stage, which this play needs to fuel some of the fun. Her daughter Amber (a nasty
Leah Saltzer) is constantly trying to get close with the dance show heartthrob Link (Austin Rubinoski, with a signature blinding grin), but Link sees something alluring in Tracy and her African-American pals. And that leads to an eventual showdown on the tube as Tracy and Amber vie to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest. Despite all the teenage drama, the most dominant character in the play is Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mom, who is invariably played by a man since the drag queen Divine crafted the part in the original film. In this production, an excellent Eddie Carney channels gravel-voiced Harvey Fierstein, who created the role on Broadway. Dressed in a housedress and scuffies, Carney embodies every inch of this frumpy woman with a heart of gold. And when she blossoms later in the show, it feels triumphant. As her loving husband Wilbur, Brian Marshall trails after Carney like a devoted pilot fish, and their duet “You’re Timeless To Me” is a quiet showstopper. The reason that song is more effective than many others is that the recorded orchestral accompaniment doesn’t overpower the singers. One hopes that they can find a sweeter spot for the mix of music compared to the often-weak amplification of the actors and singers. Many lyrics are lost while other songs, such as the powerful “I Know Where I’ve Been” anthem sung by Motormouth Maybelle (Kelvette Beacham), only find their gospel power at the very end. But the big dance numbers work well as choreographer Melissa Bertolone keeps the large cast hoofing in unison, filling the large MTC stage with megawatts of energy. This is the final show of the Mercury summer season, with next season being their 20th anniversary. It will be hard to top this season, which has included fine productions of Carousel and La Cage Aux Folles. But I wouldn’t bet against them.
scene@clevescene.com t@christinehowey
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
MOVIES THE PRINCESS BRIDE Once Upon a Time offers an alternative to the stereotypical fairytale By Kirby Davis WHILE DISNEY DOMINATES most of the U.S. fairytale market, the Chinese film Once Upon a Time (directed by Anthony LaMolinara and Xiaoding Zhao), which opens on Friday at Cinemark Valley View, offers a welcome entry into the genre. It’s refreshing to see any kind of fairytale-oriented story that’s not a live (and unnecessary) reincarnation of a 1990s Disney film. Once can only see so many of those beloved childhood films razed over with dazzling but hollow special effects, along with horrifically Auto-Tuned renditions of classic soundtracks, before it gets old. Once Upon a Time is a welcome reprieve from this recent string of live-action adaptations of alreadydone fairytales, as well as the 20-plus more that Disney plans to release in the near future. (Aren’t Reese Witherspoon’s efforts best exerted somewhere besides playing another Tinkerbell?)
The film, based on the TangQi Gongzi novel Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles Peach Blossoms, opens with Bai Qian (Liu Yifei), an immortal empress with a tumultuous past life. Her animal sidekick and family push her to marry a prince, 90,000 years her junior, but she balks at the idea; she’s still in love with a royal from her past life, Ye Hua (Yang Yang.) Their story is even more complicated than this; he’s reincarnated in present time, giving the pair the ability to be together again. But they’re both haunted by the mother of his son, Su Su (also played by Liu Yifei), and their war-torn pasts. As the film jumps between realms and timelines, against a backdrop steeped in magic and ambiguous mortality, it recalls 2007’s Stardust. Once Upon a Time’s plot is a bit overambitious and therefore hard to follow; there are a few too many clans, royals and dimensions to try to make sense of, and too much
of the film is spent dissecting the characters’ chaotic past lives. However, part of this can be blamed on the English subtitles, which don’t always translate seamlessly. To fully comprehend Once, you’ll need to watch it intently (or maybe just watch it twice.) The film may be worth viewing just for its scenery; its characters reside in an Alice in Wonderlandesque dreamland of lush forests and an equally impressive underwater realm. A particularly stunning scene is one in which the Empress, along with her new husband and son, releases a lantern into the sky; the flickering landscape around them, complete with shooting stars, is precisely what comes to mind when one thinks of how a fairytale film should look. When watching an American-
made fairytale film, you know what to expect. You know that the Beast turns human, the Snow Queen thaws and the bad guy dies. Generally, this isn’t the case for foreign fantasy films. Once Upon a Time, and other foreign films like it, may not have the budget (and, consequently, the quality of special effects) Americans are accustomed to. But what they lack in effects, they make up for in creativity. Plus, many elements of classic fairytales are still present in this case (including a delightful animal sidekick, gorgeous costumes and a rebellious royal), so it’s likely not too great a leap outside your comfort zone.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
SPOTLIGHT: HARMONIUM WITH THE DARK TOWER IN THE top spot, last weekend was the summer’s worst weekend yet at the box office. This weekend doesn’t look like it’ll fare much better. The two widest releases are franchise installments that nobody asked for: the tired horror flick Annabelle: Creation, and the animated family film Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature. Thankfully, Cleveland moviegoers have the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque for respite from this late-summer detritus. The eastside art house venue will screen the unsettling new Japanese drama Harmonium at 8:50 p.m. on Thursday and at 8:10 p.m. on Sunday. Harmonium is a quiet film that grows increasingly tense and disturbing as back stories and relationships are fleshed out. Toshio (Kanji Furutachi) is a gruff man who runs a metal shop out of his garage in a Japanese industrial
town. His wife Akie (Mariko Tsutsui) and his daughter Hotaru (Momone Shinokawa) are devout Christians who pray before meals and practice the harmonium together after school. The instrument’s circus-like sound, and the jaunty, beginner’s melodies that Hotaru stumbles through, make for an eerily discordant soundtrack that clashes with the characters’ sense of secrecy and dread. In the film’s opening scene, Hotaru asks Akie about a breed of spider that eats its mother: Will the baby spiders go to heaven or hell? Toshio hires an old acquaintance near the beginning of the film, one Mr. Yasaka (Tadanobu Asano). Yasaka has just been released from prison, and the mysteries of his past — and Toshio’s connection to them — form the intrigue at the center of the drama. Immediately, Yasaka begins to disrupt family life. Akie, for
instance, finds herself powerfully attracted to him. Yasaka is tall, handsome and well-dressed. He treats her with courtesy and even attends church with her (unlike Toshio, who barely acknowledges her existence and is an atheist to boot.) The early hints of an affair emerge, but Akie manages to pump the brakes in a moment of passion and aggression. The rejection leads to the film’s pivotal moment. Unlike virtually every modern American movie, Harmonium’s climax occurs not at the end but at the halfway point. The second half of the film takes place eight years later, and much has changed. Toshio, Akie and Hotaru — with a new dynamic — live every day ravaged by the scars of Yasaka’s final deed. When Toshio’s new assistant reveals that he has a connection to Yasaka, Toshio and Akie must decide how to deal with the intel, and new information emerges as they do.
Harmonium is a slow, smart film that bursts forth, intermittently, with moments of extreme emotion and imagery. Unlike other East Asian crime sagas, this one is short on blood. It is much more reminiscent of a novel’s structure: a reflection on comeuppance, on crime and punishment. Also screening at the Cinematheque this weekend: the 1960s British Comedy Accident; the Alejandro Jodorowsky head trip Holy Mountain, the film that is perhaps the closest visual approximation of the mind experiencing psychedelic drugs; and Tomorrow, a climate-change documentary from actressturned-director Melanie Laurent (of Inglourious Basterds fame). — Sam Allard
sallard@clevescene.com t@scenesallard | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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+ DAILY SPECIALS + CILANTRO, CUCUMBER & CHILI SALAD ........................................ $ 5.95 FRIED CHINESE POT STICKERS .................................................. $ 5.95 SWEET & SOUR MANDARIN FISH .............................................. $ 18.95 PEKING DUCK (3 WAYS) .......................................................... $ 35.95 WALNUT SHRIMP ................................................................... $ 15.95 SALT & PEPPER SQUID ........................................................... $ 12.95 STIR FRIED LAMB TENDERLOIN ............................................... $ 13.95 BEIGING STYLE EGGPLANT ....................................................... $ 8.95 CHINESE KABOB (3) ................................................................. $ 6.50
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
Photos by Douglas Trattner
EAT SUMMER ON A BUN For nearly two decades, Scooter’s Dawg House has been feeding hungry Lake County beachgoers By Douglas Trattner FOR 17 YEARS, MENTOR Headlands beachgoers have been dusting themselves off, shaking out their blankets, and heading directly to Scooter’s Dawg House, which is all but impossible to sidestep on the journey home. One of those longtime fans is Mike Blauman, who, like so many Lake County residents, never lets a summer slip away without a trip to his favorite hot dog stand. These days he practically lives at the place. That’s because he recently purchased the business from founders Scott and Diane Hagara. “I’ve been coming here for years,” he says. “I heard the owners were looking to retire and find someone who would keep their baby alive.” Too often, communities lose beloved local institutions like Scooter’s as owners age out, sell out, or have difficulty finding a willing and eager replacement from the next generation. Blauman, who admits to having zero restaurant experience, was an enthusiastic apprentice. “For the first half of last season I worked side by side with Scott and Diane every day,” he reports. “They shared their recipes and showed me the ropes and processes so I could run it exactly like they did.” Two miles due south of the beach, Scooter’s has always adhered to a timetable that corresponds with the ebb and flow of sun-seekers. The seasonal shop is only open from the middle of March to the middle of September, but they manage to squeeze a full year of business into half a year’s time. “It’s slammed all day, every day,” the owner confirms. “It’s a madhouse.” That’s no lie. On the evening we visit, a line of families great and small snakes out the open door and onto the sidewalk. Most folks know exactly what they want, but this being our first time, the large handlettered chalkboard filled with 20 signature dogs, each available in one of three sizes, stops us dead in our tracks. We step out of line to chart a course. Blauman says that dogs outsell hamburgers at a rate of three to one,
but since switching to fresh patties — one of the very few changes he’s implemented since taking over — he believes those figures will begin to shift. And they should, because the juicy third-pound cheeseburgers ($4.65) are just the ticket after a long day at the beach. Scooter’s sources its weenies from Cleveland’s Five Star Meats. They’re an old-fashioned blend of pork and beef (an all-beef dog is also available) and they come in sizes labeled “short” (six-inch), “long” (10-inch) and “homewrecker” (halfpound foot-long). Scooter’s takes the unconventional route of cooking the dogs in a deep-fryer, which gives the skinless franks a nice pop. Our dogs arrived hot, crisp and tidily topped, as if someone actually cared what went where. The topselling Chicago Dawg ($4, $5.20, $6.80) is dragged through the garden and topped with mustard, tomato, dill pickle, relish, onion and celery salt. Also a fan favorite, the Bacon and Cheese ($3.55, $5, $6.30) is capped with, uh, bacon and cheese. If you dig spicy, order the Extreme ($3.55, $5, $6.30), a positively incendiary tube steak buried in hot sauce, jalapenos and fiery dried spices. Those flames are tempered only slightly by blue cheese and celery slices. Scooter’s flies through 750 to 1,000 dogs a day but it’s the spuds that people can’t stop talking about. Disregard size names like Junior ($2.15), Small ($2.95), Medium ($4.75) and Family ($6.25) because they do not translate into common English. The small is more than enough for three and the family is more than enough for a village.
1,000 pounds of potatoes. There are only 17 seats inside, but a dozen or so outdoor picnic tables see most of the action. The line moves quickly, with wait times for food consistently south
SCOOTER’S DAWG HOUSE 9600 BLACKBROOK RD., MENTOR, 440-354-8480 SCOOTERSWORLDFAMOUSDAWGHOUSE.COM
The thin-but-not-too-thin fries are always fried to order, perfectly cooked and improved only by bottles of malt vinegar and paper tubs filled with ketchup from a pump dispenser. On a typical day, Scooter’s goes through a shocking
of 15 minutes. An outdoor walkup window gives customers an opportunity to bypass the line when shopping for a quick ice cream sundae, root beer float or milkshake. It’s also ideal for those golden-brown beachgoers who
prefer to stay in swimwear until autumn weather compels them to change. In these increasingly challenging times, a come-as-youare hot dog, hamburger and ice cream stand can still work wonders for the disposition. And happy is the man who gets to provide such simple pleasure while asking so little in return. “I’m just following in the owners’ footsteps so I can continue their legacy,” Blauman says.
dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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◆ St. Louis Style Ribs, Half Slab .... $9.50 ◆ Baby Back Ribs, Half Slab ........ $10.50 ◆ BBQ Chicken ..............................$7.95 ◆ T-Bone, 16oz. .......................... $13.95 ◆ Porkchops ................................. $8.95 ◆ Jack Daniels Ribeye ................ $13.95 ◆ Roasted Pork & Sauerkraut ........ $7.95 ◆ Chicken Paprikash ..................... $8.95 ◆ Beef Stroganoff ..........................$9.95 ◆ SALADS Greek, Chef, Chicken Caesar) ................. $6.95
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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EAT AMO AMARO LockKeepers’ mission to spread love for bitter spirits By Billy Hallal ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I had my first shot of Fernet Branca, an especially astringent member of a bitter family of spirits called amaro. It was powerful, herbaceous and bracing. I absolutely hated it. Apparently, my initial reaction is a typical one. “A lot of people don’t like them at first,” says Brian Woehrman, GM at LockKeepers. This upscale restaurant has been serving fine Italian fare in the Cuyahoga Valley since 1992. And because amaro (plural: amari) has its roots in Italy, it only makes sense that it should serve a fine collection of bitter spirits as well. “We’re a soda pop culture; we’re drinking sweet stuff all the time,” says Woehrman, adding that he has made it his mission to shake off the tyranny of sweetness. But he understands the challenges that lie ahead. “The human body is predisposed not to like bitter things. You’ve got to train yourself up. Once you do, it can be pretty rewarding.” Amaro, which means “bitter” in Italian, was first made for medicinal purposes: Many recipes date back to pharmacies and monasteries of the 19th century. But it turned out that preserving a mixture of herbs, roots and spices in alcohol made for delicious after-dinner drinks as well. These days, digestivos like Averna and Ramazzotti are found in bars all over Italy and, increasingly, in the U.S. There’s some debate over whether to include aperitifs like Aperol and Campari in the amaro family, but Woerhman includes them all on LockKeepers’ bar menu. Italy’s varied climate and the complexity of amaro recipes — a single amari can contain 40 to 100 ingredients — make for a wide variety of beverages. “There are 20 diverse regions for wine in Italy,” says Woehrman. “... that’s the same for amari.” And because some recipes do include sugar syrup, not every amaro encountered will be the Fernet-style punch. LockKeepers’ chef Alberto Leandri, who hails from Venice, has a favorite that illustrates this well: Amaro Nonino. Woehrman describes it as having a “luxurious, silky” flavor with a “mellow honey character.” The
initial sensation is one of bitterness, but that is followed with a non-cloying sweetness that makes Nonino a joy to sip. It’s not the hottest seller — “I comp more than I sell,” Woehrman admits — but there’s a solid mix of young people interested in craft spirits and old-school Italian clientele. “The modern wave of mixologists are bringing it back. People are getting more sophisticated in their drinking.” All of the above has helped at least one amaro-based cocktail to take off at LockKeepers: the Aperol Spritz. A blend of Aperol, sparkling wine and club soda, the spritz is a refreshing summer beverage. Punch Abruzzo, a thick, sweet amaro enjoyed hot or cold, will be featured in some hot chocolate or coffee drinks in the colder months. One frustration Woehrman faces is lack of availability. Of the thousands of amari made in Italy, only a small portion make their way into the U.S., and fewer make it into Ohio thanks to the state’s byzantine liquor control laws. “I’m trying to stock everything available in Ohio,” he says. Yet 2017 could still end up being a banner year for amaro in Cleveland. Owners Frank and Melissa Sinito are opening two new restaurants downtown, Marble Room and Il Venetian. The plan is for both restaurants to feature LockKeepers’ extensive amaro selection. I plan to be at both when they open, and at some point I’ll probably order a Fernet. I sip it over ice now: It grows on you.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
EAT
22799 Lorain Road Fairview Park
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Photo by Douglas Trattner
MOVING TIME Parnell’s Pub relocating from Lee Road to Cedar-Fairmount
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By Douglas Trattner AFTER 20 YEARS IN THE SAME spot, Declan Synnott is relocating his bar. Parnell’s Pub (2167 Lee Rd., 216-321-3469), which opened two decades ago as the Charles Stewart Parnell’s Pub, will be moving down the hill to the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood of Cleveland Heights. Synnott is currently renovating the former Ten Thousand Villages space (12425 Cedar Rd.), which closed a couple of months ago, into the new home for his beloved Irish pub. “We were looking to renovate the [old] space but it would have been impossible because of all the codes,” Synnott explains. “I decided that I really didn’t want to leave the Heights because this is where I started, but we wanted to start something fresh. This opportunity was there and I jumped on it.” Four years ago, Synnott jumped on another opportunity when he added a second location, this one in Playhouse Square (1415 Euclid Ave., 216-862-8953). That location has exceeded his expectations, resulting in an expansion of the space last year At 1,000 square feet, the new space is not considerably larger than the current one on Lee, but when the dust settles and the renovations are done it will accommodate about 16 more customers in a more comfortable environment. “This is the first time we’re doing our own build-out,” the owner adds. “We walked into downtown and kept
it the way it was,” he says. “We’ll be blending elements of Lee Road with aspects of downtown; there will be a brick backbar with old mirrors and antiques, some cool barn doors.” When it opens in early October, Parnell’s might look different and sport a new address, but Synnott promises it will still be the same old Parnell’s, citing attractions like live music, World Cup soccer, darts and “all the stuff that we’ve been doing,” he says. “You know what we are; we’re just a pub. Why change what’s been working for 20 years? We’re moving the four walls, but that doesn’t mean we’re changing the atmosphere.” Over the years, Parnell’s Pub, which opened in 1997, has expanded, remodeled, contracted, and added a second spot. Synnott, who moved here from Dublin to work at Flannery’s Irish Pub, says that he adheres to the motto of change or die. “You need to change and adapt with the times or you’re not going to make it,” he says. “We’ve seen the ups and downs, the bads and goods; it’s time. We’re moving forward after 20 years.”
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THE UNIVERSE IS A DONUT: ENTER BIGMOUTH DONUT CO. We don’t know where, and we don’t know when (other than “late summer”), but we do know what: Doughnuts. Courtney Bonning, chef-owner
1332 CARNEGIE AVE | CLEVELAND, OH 44115 (216) 239-1141 | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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EAT
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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of the former BonBon Cafe in Ohio City, is teaming up with Kelly Brewer, formerly with the Cleveland Visitors Bureau and Ritz-Carlton to open the Bigmouth Donut Company. Together they will launch, “a truly unique donut experience never seen before by the donut-craving masses.” The pair share a love of doughnuts and a simpatico philosophy that dictates that doughnuts should always be handcrafted from scratch using the finest ingredients and served hot and fresh. These particular confections, as the name implies, will be “a little fatter than the normal doughnut.” “We believe that a great doughnut is not one that is dipped in chocolate and then topped with some candy,” Brewer explains. “We believe that a finely made doughnut has four distinct and recognizable components: the dough, the filling, the glaze or finish, and the toppings. All four of these components complement each other to bring a combined flavor that can’t be described until people try them.” During extensive cross-country doughnut R&D, the team uncovered a certain unwavering feature present at all great doughnut shops: the owners all loved talking about doughnuts, which proved helpful to Brewer and Bonning’s new venture. “We learned a lot and had a lot of fun researching doughnuts, and we continue to find great doughnut shops across the county,” reports Bonning. “Like these great doughnut shops, we love talking about doughnuts. We love seeing other people get excited about doughnuts. Doughnuts always make people smile. We will provide that experience in our stores and also throughout the area and a lot of great events this fall.” Following weeks of extensive recipe testing, Brewer and Bonning plan to open Bigmouth Donuts later this summer. “There is a certain emotional attachment that people have when they think about doughnuts,” Brewer adds. “We want to bring back that memory and make it even better with our doughnuts.”
LAS AMERICAS RETURNS TO BEDFORD HEIGHTS For the past couple of years, eastside Mexican food fans have
been hitting up a small but bustling Latin carry-out in Bedford Heights called Las Americas. The shop sat in the middle of Perkins Plaza, a dusty old strip mall near the I-271 off ramp. Regulars tolerated cramped quarters, a confusing process and strict cash-only policy in return for delicious and affordable tacos, burritos and quesadillas. A few steps beyond the open kitchen and counter sat a tiny oneaisle Latin foods market crammed with imported ingredients and a wee little dining room outfitted with a handful of seats. And then the place closed its doors in winter with the promise of returning bigger and better in the near future. That took place last week when Las Americas unveiled its new location, which sits on the back side of the same plaza. (The signs aren’t up yet.) Easily 10 times the size, the bright, new and spare space features a greatly expanded Latin foods market with a separate restaurant, accessed via glass doors. The new market sells fresh produce, dried spices, refrigerated tortillas and cheeses, canned and jarred sauces, and even has a butcher counter. The adjoining eatery has seating for 30 — complete with table service — as well as a counter for quicker carry-out service. Diners will recognize the same menu (and prices) as before. Burritos ($6) are stuffed to the breaking point with chicken, steak or al pastor (pork), rice, beans, cheese and onions. Quesadillas ($5) are filled with the same choices, griddled on a flattop until hot and melted, and served with rice, sour cream and salsa. For the tacos, fresh and steamy corn tortillas are doubled up, overloaded with al pastor, carnitas, chicken or steak, diced white onion and fresh cilantro. They’re $1.79 each and come with a side of the most amazing salsa: a smoky, blisteringly spicy red sauce that improves everything it touches. There are also about 15 large plates such as sauteed shrimp in a spicy tomato-based sauce, whole deep-fried fish, and grilled steak and shrimp with bell peppers. Mains range from $9 to $12, are paired with salad, rice and beans (or an equivalent), and are sized for enormous appetites. Within a week or so, management promises, they will be equipped to handle credit card purchases. Until then, bring cash.
dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner
9751 CHES TER AVE. CLEVEL AND, OH 44106 216.471.8956 WWW.URBANCLE.COM MON- SAT: 8a- 9p | Sunday: CLOSED | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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| clevescen clevescene.com ne.com m | August 9 - 15, 2017
THU 9/14
BEST COAST
Photo by Ryan Russell
MUSIC
RIDERS ON THE STORM Taking Back Sunday’s latest album finds the band in particularly good form By Jeff Niesel FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, many alternative rock tours have skipped Cleveland to hit Pittsburgh and Columbus instead. Not Taking Back Sunday. The band regularly comes to town at least once a year (or so it seems). So what keeps the guys coming back to our fi ne city? “We have good memories from Cleveland, and I know it’s silly, but I enjoy eating Chipotle every time I’m there,” laughs bassist Shaun Cooper via phone from a Santa Cruz tour stop. The band performs at House of Blues on Tuesday. “It’s right there and you don’t have to walk very far. On the road, you have to get in and out quick and catch a meal before soundcheck. It’s good knowing it’s right there, and it’s so easy.”
Still touring in support of 2016’s Tidal Wave, a guitar tour de force that features the band’s most realized songs, Taking Back Sunday formed at a time when indie acts had to book their own tours and couldn’t rely on the internet to disseminate their music. Mind Over Matter guitarist Eddie Reyes founded the group nearly 20 years ago, and Cooper would join the band shortly after it formed. “It was a very exciting time,” he says when asked about the band’s early days. “[Drummer] Mark O’Connell and I have played in bands together since we were 6 years old. I had a keyboard I would bring to his parents’ basement. I would bash on it while he would bash on drums. We didn’t know what we were doing. We were always playing in different bands.
Mark and I had a work ethic that our bandmates didn’t. They were just having fun. We wanted to do something. We wanted to get a record deal.” When the lineup finally solidified, Cooper says the group approached making music with intent and focus. “I was going to college and so was Mark, and the rest of the guys were working, but we were totally committed to the band,” he says. “We would play shows around Long Island and we would just work on songs constantly. We recorded our demo that we paid out of pocket for. It started to grow and we played with bands that were like-minded, like those guys in Brand New.” Suddenly, the small bars where the band performed were drawing capacity crowds. Fans were singing
along to the tunes too. “We fl ier-ed our own shows and when we went on tour, we would pass out fl iers to strangers all day,” says Cooper. “That was all we had. We passed out CDs that I burned on my computer. The original Tell All Your Friends demo was printed on my computer, and [singer] Adam [Lazzara] and [guitarist] John [Nolan] would work on the artwork and print out the covers at Kinko’s, and Mark and I would burn the actual CDs. It was a communal thing.” Given that history, Nolan and Cooper sent shockwaves when they left the band in 2003. But they realized they were better off with the band and would rejoin the group in 2010 to record 2011’s Taking Back Sunday. “We had those lean times of | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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MUSIC sleeping on strangers’ floors or sleeping in the van and brushing your teeth in a supermarket parking lot,” says Cooper. “When you go through that together, you create a bond that doesn’t go away just because you don’t see eyeto-eye for a little while. Making Taking Back Sunday was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. The chemistry was immediate. We hadn’t lost anything but we hadn’t been in the same room in seven years. We all met up and saw the spark was still there. It was a bit of a letdown because people didn’t respond the way we thought. Looking back, I still think that album was very strong.” Cooper says the followup effort, 2014’s Happiness Is, was just as much fun to make. “That record isn’t as complete of a thought as the self-titled record and Tidal Wave,” he says. “I still think it’s strong. When ‘Flicker, Fade’ was coming together, it felt like it had that spark we were looking for that maybe the selftitled album didn’t have. It had some great songs but not that
quintessential Taking Back Sunday song. We explored where we could push our boundaries and put things in motion that really took shape on Tidal Wave.” It’s appropriate the cover art for Tidal Wave features a photo of a child looking out at the ocean. The theme of water and its potentially destructive power emerges in several tunes on the album, including the title track. Lazzara’s wife took the photo when the family was on a vacation in Florida. The image suggests that something might go wrong. The original photo was more colorful and vibrant. The band dulled it out and made it look like it was on an
picture. There could be a storm coming too — you don’t know. We thought it fit so well.” Right from the opening tune, “Death Wolf,” the album suggests it will feature more guitar solos than past Taking Back Sunday albums. In the past, critics have pigeonholed the band as emo or screamo. This hard rock album suggests a departure. Nolan has said that “a lot of thought” went into the sound of the guitars, whether it was the amps or the various pedal combinations that the band tried out. “John did a lot of great things,” says Cooper. “Eddie had the basic riffs and John could really explore
TAKING BACK SUNDAY, EVERY TIME I DIE, ALL GET OUT 6:30 P.M. TUESDAY, AUG. 15, HOUSE OF BLUES, 308 EUCLID AVE., 216-523-2583. TICKETS: $27.50-$37.50, HOUSEOFBLUES.COM
old weathered album cover. “I think Mark saw that photo on Adam’s Instagram — it’s one of those happy accidents type of thing,” says Cooper when asked about the album’s cover art. “We had ‘Tidal Wave’ as one of the first songs we wrote. We had the water theme, so why not have that
his instrument. His solo on ‘Calling to Run” is awesome. I remember him experimenting with some different sounds. I think we used a pedal called a Frazz Dazzler. I think everyone did a lot of great stuff on that.” Cooper says a new album isn’t imminent, though the guys have
started mulling over a few song ideas. “We emailed ideas but I think it’ll be a while until the next record,” he says. “We’re proud of Tidal Wave, and where it’s brought us. We’re kicking around what’s going happen. We’re starting to plot out where the future will go. We’ll see where it goes.” He says he and his bandmates have a newfound appreciation for the fact that the group provides them with a way of life. “This is literally a dream come true,” he says. “I’ve wanted to do this ever since I saw GNR play GNR Live at the Ritz on MTV. Obviously, we do it on a smaller scale than GNR. I do exactly what I love and then go into dad and husband mode when I’m home. We’ve carved out these incredible lives, and we have begun to appreciate it. We’re so grateful and we know that, and that keeps us driven to keep doing it at the highest level we can and write the best songs we can and do the best tours we can. We don’t want this to end.”
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
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SEPTEMBER 10
Durand Jones & The Inidications w/ Toobe Fresco Cambridge Room Straight On (Tribute to Heart) w/ Invincible (Tribute to Pat Benatar) Tony Hinchcliffe (Comedian) John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday – DJ Set Foundation Room Atlas Genius w/ The Sleeping Sounds Cambridge Room Anathema w/ Silver Snakes Cambridge Room Kyle w/ Bobby Adam Ant MUTEMATH w/ ROMES, Colony House Jake Miller w/ The Stolen
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Sylvan Esso w/ Helado Negro ZZ Ward w/ Cat Clyde Hanson SOLD OUT Melodime Cambridge Room Against Me! w/ Bleached, The Dirty Nil Dark Star Orchestra (Tribute to Grateful Dead) Here Come The Mummies Paul Weller of The Jam Theory of a Deadman Wish You Were Here (Tribute to Pink Floyd)
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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Photo by Paul Meade
MUSIC
TAPPING LOCAL TALENT Guitar teacher hosts monthly Cleveland Acoustic Jam By Jeff Niesel “ASK ANYONE UNDER 40 WHAT a ‘meet-up’ is, and they won’t know what you’re talking about,” says local guitar teacher Eric Hankinson one afternoon over coffee at Loop in Tremont. Hankinson hosts a monthly “meet up” for musicians at Lava Lounge. Dubbed the Cleveland Acoustic Jam Group, the gathering provides players of all levels the opportunity to improve their skills. “The jam group represents a unique opportunity for local players to get together in an informal setting and to put their musical imaginations to work,” says student Paul Meade. “All are welcome to attend, whether to play or just sit and listen.” Inspired by his father, who Hankinson describes as “a worldclass musician” who toured all over the world and played with people like Brenda Lee, Ronnie Milsap and Johnny Mathis, Hankinson originally took up the ukulele before learning to play guitar and bass a few years later. “I started listening to Pink Floyd
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and the Beatles and Rush at age 10,” he says. “When I was 12, I talked my parents into financing some Infinity speakers, and I got a CD player in 1986, and I was hooked.” After dropping out of music school several years ago, Hankinson devoted his time to teaching others how to play the instrument. It took a few tries before he figured out how to effectively instruct his students. Now, he teaches students to read music so they can recognize and understand scales, modes, chords and arpeggios. He teaches a variety of methods, including picking, finger picking, chord/melody playing, bending, sliding and sweep picking. “It was terrifying,” he says when asked what his first lesson was like. “I had no idea what to do. It took me five years to come up with any approach that was effective. When I started, it was like, ‘What bands do you like? What riffs do you like?’ And I would teach those songs. It’s unfortunately what a lot of guitar teachers do their whole life. I don’t do
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
that as much. I want people to learn the theory.” Inspired by an article that predicted Cleveland would undergo a major cultural and economic renaissance, Hankinson moved here in 2009. He initially joined a guitar jam based out of Willoughby, but when that petered out, he figured he’d start his own damn jam session. He started hosting jams at the now-shuttered but soon-to-reopen Tremont bookstore Visible Voice, before moving to Mahall’s and now Lava Lounge. “It was disorganized,” he says about the early days of the jams. “Even if you get people who are quite good together, it’s going to be disorganized.” While the sessions are for participants only, he says it’s not out of the question that he’d one day put on a public performance. Upcoming Lava Lounge sessions will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 9, Wednesday, Sept. 6 and Wednesday, Oct. 11. You can find more info about them at
guitarlessonscleveland.com/jam.html. “If we can get better, we might be able to do [a public performance],” he says. “There’s great music in Cleveland every night, so I don’t think there’s a need for us to perform somewhere. It’s an emergent group. We don’t know what will happen. People are anywhere along the talent continuum. We could have trained singers or the worst karaoke singers you’ve heard in your entire life. It’s more about being a participant.” He says he appreciates the fact that the Lava Lounge offers good food and drink, creating an environment for creativity to prosper. “The other thing I like about my group is, knowing musicians, [playing at Lava Lounge] would be a good combination of a jam where you can eat and have libations,” he says. “After all, you can’t have a rum and coke at the library.”
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
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MUSIC A MOMENT OF TRUTH Bluesman Kenny Wayne Shepherd reflects on his decades-long career By Jeff Niesel WHILE STILL A TODDLER, guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd had a formative experience that would inspire him to pursue the electric guitar. Now considered a blues phenom, Shepherd started simple. He initially learned to play on plastic acoustic guitars his grandmother used to buy with stamps. “I had several of those things, and I would wear them out,” says Shepherd in a recent trans-Atlantic phone call from a U.K. tour stop. He brings his tour in support of his hard-rocking new album, Lay It On Down, to Hard Rock Live on Friday. “The strings would break. [The plastic guitars] had six nylon strings on it. They didn’t sound that great, but you could play notes on them. I remember playing silly things like ‘Smoke on the Water’ on that thing. You can get the general mechanics of pressing down on the strings between the frets and strumming the guitar. You can get the concept of playing the guitar on anything like that.” He learned to play well enough on those plastic guitars that he began practicing on the real thing. In another formative moment, blues musician Bryan Lee invited him on stage when he was 13. “For me, it was a moment of truth,” he says of playing with Lee. “I had never done that before. I was always kind of shy. I was embarrassed to play around my mom around the house. I would play in my bedroom. I thought I would sink or swim, and it would go one way or the other. Thankfully, it went over well. I got standing ovations. I was only supposed to play two songs, but Bryan wouldn’t let me get off the stage. He had me up there until 3 or 4 in the morning. It gave me the confidence that I could do it.” About a year after that, he was in the studio working on his first demos and putting a band together. He would have a hit right out of the gate with his debut, 1995’s Ledbetter Heights. “I wasn’t counting record sales, although I was getting reports and realized sales were just crazy,” he says when asked what it was like to
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD BAND 8 P.M. FRIDAY, AUG. 11, HARD ROCK LIVE, 10777 NORTHFIELD RD., NORTHFIELD, 855-660-7625. TICKETS: $32.50-$62.50, HRRROCKSINONORTHFIELDPARK.COM
have success so early in his career. “What was fascinating to me was that I was starting to travel all over the country and other parts of the world and people were showing up to see me play and we were packing places. I was just a teenager, and I just wanted to play music. It wasn’t about the money. I would show up, and there would be a whole room full of people there to see me play. It doesn’t get any better than that.” Through the ’90s and ’00s, Shepherd continued to religiously tour and record. He says the songs for Lay It On Down started to come together a couple of years ago. “I had a busy schedule but between tours and albums with [the side project] the Rides, I would set aside songs for my next record,” he explains. “I accumulated a bunch
of songs I liked, and we went into the studio and picked the best 10 songs and made a record. Our last record was all traditional blues. I did the soundtrack of my childhood. We recorded cover songs by some of my favorite blues artists. I wanted this one to be all original and sound contemporary.” Shepherd and co-producer Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Natasha Bedingfield, Kate Voegele), recorded at Echophone Studios in Shepherd’s hometown of Shreveport. Shepherd largely recorded the album live in the studio to analog tape with his band, which features long-time singer Noah Hunt, drummer Chris Layton, bassist Kevin McCormick and keyboardist Jimmy McGorman. The album’s opening track, “Baby
Got Gone,” has a great hook. A meaty guitar riff kicks off the song and Shepherd delivers a piercing solo early in the track too. “The music itself was an idea I had come up with and jotted down into my phone,” says Shepherd when asked about the track. “I have hundreds of song ideas that I have saved. I sift through them until I find one that speaks to me. I decided to work on that one. We just wrote a song about a freespirited woman. It wasn’t about anyone in particular.” Bursts of horns and organ combine to give the rollicking “Diamonds & Gold” a retro feel. “Originally, we had a synthesizer part there,” says Shepherd. “It was kind of cool, but I thought it was a little too outside the box. I thought horns would be a great organic instrument for the tune and maybe more appropriate for my sound. It has funk and R&B and an urban vibe with the vocal delivery.” Shepherd attributes some of his musical evolution to playing with the Rides, a band that includes singer Stephen Stills and keyboardist Barry Goldberg. “Stephen Stills is one of the greatest songwriters and musicians of our time, and Barry Goldberg is a legendary guy in blues,” Shepherd says. “It’s been a great experience. Stephen has pushed me to sing more. I think it’s helped me as a vocalist. Musically, I get to play rhythm guitar underneath Stephen and lead guitar as well. Writing and recording with them has enhanced my career for sure.” Shepherd says his love for the stage has kept him engaged for the past two decades. “I love recording, but we make records so we can go out and play for the people,” he says. “It’s the interaction you get between the audience and the band on stage. It’s about the vibe and excitement you feel on stage. “That’s what it’s all about for me.”
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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LIVEWIRE
all the live music you should see this week Photo by Justin Hubler
WED
08/09
Etana/Jah Messengers/Ms. BBC/ Iya Inga/DJ Maul: International reggae songstress Etana has spread the good word from Kingston for years, and it’s a real treat to have her play Cleveland tonight. (She was in both Guyana and Charlotte, North Carolina, just the other week!) We imagine tonight will be a more intimate and possibly acoustic-driven version of her show, which can often blossom into full-band arena-sized world music. Etana’s breakout album, I Rise, cut in 2014, remains a solid starting point for anyone interested in checking out tonight’s show. With tunes like “How Long” and “Jamaican Woman,” it becomes clear that Etana has the chops to direct a tight, brass- and keys-driven band while delivering smooth and soulful vocals. She combines the fun and the emotional elements of reggae, and it fits sublimely with summertime in Cleveland. (Eric Sandy) 9 p.m., $7.50-$15. Grog Shop. 10 X 3 Singer Songwriter Showcase hosted by Brent Kirby: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. American Acoustic With Punch Brothers & I’m With Her: 8 p.m. Cain Park. Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Happy Dog. Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires/ Fan Fiction: 9 p.m., $8. Now That’s Class. Alan Greene Band (in the Supper Club): 6 p.m., free. Music Box Supper Club. Harry Herforth Fundraiser Concert: 7 p.m., $15. Bop Stop. Jennifer Knapp/Diana Chittester: 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Tavern. James Taylor/Bonnie Raitt: 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$130.50. Blossom.
THU
08/10
Durand Jones & the Indications/ Toobe Fresco: Opening with icy smooth drums, Durand Jones & the Indications’ self-titled debut is a really cool notch in this decade’s soul catalog. Rooted in Jones’ native Louisiana, his music is smoky and groovy:
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Soul singer Durand Jones comes to House of Blues. See: Thursday.
excellent late-night music. Jones and his band vary the tempo enough on this album to keep the listener hooked throughout, from the chugging-train rhythms of “Make a Change” to the shuffl ing “Now I’m Gone.” Throughout, Jones’ raw energy blasts through the speakers; we can only imagine that he’ll bring the same heat to the stage tonight. This is a show we’ve been excited about for a while. Don’t miss it! (Sandy) 7 p.m., $12. House of Blues. Chris Hatton’s Musical Circus (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Hot Djang! (in the Supper Club): 7:30 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club. IN2ATIVE: 8 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Jam Night with the Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Brothers Lounge. The Kickback/Moon Rocks/ Pomade: 9 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. Chelsea Reed And The Fair Weather Five: 8 p.m., $12. Bop Stop. Sunrot/God Root/Pillars/Contra:
| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
9 p.m., $8. Now That’s Class. Swear and Shake/Moonrise Nation/Morgan Mecaskey: 8:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
FRI
08/11
Toronzo Cannon (in the Supper Club): On the hard-driving “Strength to Survive,” one of many highlights on singerguitarist Toronzo Cannon’s latest album, The Chicago Way, Cannon sings about how “real life” is getting in the way of his dreams. He describes himself as a “broken man” who can’t look at himself in the mirror. It’s heavy, emotional stuff, and the riveting guitar solos possess a real weight too, from the Chicago city bus driver who’s become the latest highly rated blues export from the Windy City. (Jeff Niesel) 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Die Antwoord: Earlier this year, the South Africa-based hip-hop
duo Die Antwoord announced a world tour in support of its final album, The Book of Zef, which is due out next month. Multi-talented rappers Ninja and Yolandi Visser possess a good deal of charisma and even appeared in the Neill Blomkamp film Chappie. The visually oriented group derives its outlandish image from a South African counterculture movement known as Zef. Expect tonight’s show to come off as performance art. (Niesel) 8 p.m., $41.75$62.75. Jacobs Pavilion. Florida Georgia Line/Nelly/Chris Lane: Since breaking out in 2012 with the smash hit “Cruise,” the country act Florida Georgia Line has received all kinds of awards, and previous releases, Here’s to the Good Times and Anything Goes, have gone platinum. The soulful piano ballad “H.O.L.Y.,” the lead single from the band’s latest album, last year’s Dig Your Roots, topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 17 weeks upon its release, turning the album into another major hit for the duo. And yes, you read that right, rapper Nelly joins the group on tonight’s bill. The connection? Florida Georgia Line had a cameo on his latest album. (Niesel) 7 p.m., $45-$88. Blossom. Craic: 7 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Agora Ballroom. Bad Hounds/The Mason District/ Sol Fox: 8:30 p.m., $7 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Disco Paradiso and In Training Present: Jeffrey Sfi re/Glacial 23/HIvelike: 9 p.m., $8. Now That’s Class. The Effangee Band/Colin Shoff & Co./Johnny G: 8 p.m., $8. Musica. Shannon Eller Septet: 8 p.m., $15. Bop Stop. The Family Stone: 8 p.m. Cain Park. The Four Freshmen: 6 p.m., $30. Nighttown. Will Hoge/Tom Evanchuck: 8:30 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Joey A/Mikal Callow: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Grog Shop. Oginalii/Future Bummer/ Bitchseat: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: 8 p.m., $32.50-$145. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park.
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 ................................TRICKY DICK & THE COVER UPS SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 .......................................... THE BREAKFAST CLUB FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 ...................................................... BILLY LIKES SODA SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 .............................................BILLY MORRIS BAND FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ................................................. ONE HIT WONDERS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2.............................................. ALMOST FAMOUS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 ..............................................................OLD SKOOL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9................................................. DISCO INFERNO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 ......................................................................1988 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 .................................... THE BREAKFAST CLUB FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 .........................SHOUT & THE LEGENDS OF SOUL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 .....................................................ACE MOLAR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 ..........................TRICKY DICK & THE COVER UPS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 ............. CARLOS JONES & THE P.L.U.S BAND FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6 ...................................................................... FACTION SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 ..................................................THE SPAZMATICS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 .......................ABBY NORMAL & THE DETROIT LEAN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 ..........................................................OLD SKOOL FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 ..............................TRICKY DICK & THE COVER UPS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 ........................................ THE BREAKFAST CLUB
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27 ...........................................................VELVET SHAKE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 .......................SHOUT & THE LEGENDS OF SOUL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 .....................................................THE SPAZMATICS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4 ........................................................ACE MOLAR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10 .......................... TRICKY DICK & T HE COVER UPS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 ........................................... JUKEBOX HEROES FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17 .............................................................OLD SKOOL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 ............................................... THAT 80S BAND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24 ..........................................RUTHERFORD COUNTY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 ..................................... THE BREAKFAST CLUB FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 ....................................................... DISCO INFERNO SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2.............................................. JUKEBOX HEROES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 .............................TRICKY DICK & THE COVER UPS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9................................................THE SPAZMATICS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 ..........................SHOUT & THE LEGENDS OF SOUL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 ..................................... THE BREAKFAST CLUB FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22 ...............................................JASON KELTY BAND SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 .......................................................OLD SKOOL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29 .............................................................. 303 BAND SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 ........................................................... CALIBER
PUNISHER
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| clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
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LIVEWIRE Moss Stanley: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown. The Stolen/The Brevet/Tim Moon/ Glendale/The Waves (in the Locker Room): 7 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Straight On, A Tribute to Heart: 7 p.m., $12. House of Blues.
SAT
KentStage The
=HGÍM FBLL MA>L> @K>:M LAHPL MB<D>ML HG L:E> GHP
Chris Isaak Sun., Aug. 13
Ana Popovic Wed., Aug. 16
Rhiannon Giddens
Firefall
“The Freedom Highway” Tour Sat., Sep 16
X 40th Anniversary Tour Tue., Sep. 26
Sep. 22
John Waite Thu., Sept. 28
BoDeans
Mon. Sep. 11
Lindi Ortega & Andrew Combs Sat., Sep. 23
Sat., Sept. 30
David Crosby & Friends Sky Trails Tour 2017
Sun., Nov. 5 ALL SHOWS AT THE KENT STAGE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED Tickets available at www.kentstage.org or 877-987-6487 GMK [w cw i {{ © a{ B e~ JJHJF | clevescene.com | August 9 - 15, 2017
The Pinkertones/Temper Temper Temperature/Slug Fest: Weezer cover band, the Pinkertones come to town tonight to play classic hits from The Blue Album, Pinkerton and any other songs from that era. Singer/guitarist Phil Cogley does his absolute best to make Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo proud. With many cover bands, you already know what to expect. The Pinkertones have fun with the crowd and perform every show with real energy. (Adrian Leuthauser) 9 p.m., $7 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Glowing Moses: 8:30 p.m. The Euclid Tavern. Guitar Legend Dick Dale/Scoliosis Jones: 8:30 p.m., $35. Grog Shop. Tony Hinchcliffe: 6 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. House of Blues. Koffin Kats/Hemmingway Hammers/Johnny Neiman: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Now That’s Class. Little Ozzy: 7 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Agora Ballroom. Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Five: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop. Strange Changes/Psychic Relic/ Nate LaPrairie: 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Verve Daddy: 8 p.m., $5. Musica. The Vital Organs: 9 p.m., $5. Beachland Ballroom. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown.
Carbon Leaf
JUST ANNOUNCED!
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08/12
SUN
08/13
2nd Sundays with Cotton Ponys: 4 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. Flying Buffaloes/The Velvematics/ Stoned & Beautiful: 8:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Chris Isaak: 8 p.m., $65-$75. The Kent Stage. Mike Petrone (in the Wine Bar): 5:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Jim & Beth Miller (on the patio): 3 p.m., free. Music Box Supper Club.
No Time/Concrete Elite/Lacerate Bulsch: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Significant Loss/Crypt Rot/Ghost Noises/Hellbound/Dark Spring/ Snake: 8:30 p.m., $5. Grog Shop. Chuchito Valdes: 7 p.m., $30. Nighttown.
MON
08/14
Nickelback/Daughtry/Shaman’s Harvest: Hugely popular in the early 2000s, the Canadian hard rock act Nickelback, the band critics love to hate, brings its 44-city North American tour to town tonight. The tour supports the band’s new album, Feed the Machine. While the group doesn’t rule commercial rock radio like it once did, it’s undoubtedly expecting fans from its glory days will show up for the arena and amphitheater tour. (Niesel) 6:15 p.m., $25-$89. Blossom Grassroots Bluegrass Jam: 7:30 p.m., free. The Euclid Tavern. Greg Howe: 7 p.m., $20. Nighttown. Shit Show Karaoke: 10 p.m. B-Side Liquor Lounge & Arcade. Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
TUE
08/15
Bruno Mars: Singer/songwriter/ producer/director/musician Bruno Mars quickly graduated from the clubs to the arenas. His 24 Magic World Tour, which began back in March in Antwerp, Belgium, and traveled throughout Europe, finally comes to town tonight. It’s Mars’ first full-length tour since 2013’s Moonshine Jungle World Tour, a tour that sold 2 million tickets worldwide. Expect the multifaceted entertainer to be in good form. (Niesel) 8 p.m., $49.50-$125. Quicken Loans Arena. ACO, the Afro Cleveland Orchestra: 9 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. Needles/Pins/Lies from the Tablecloth: 9 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. Jon Stickley Trio: 8:30 p.m., $12. Beachland Tavern. Taking Back Sunday/Every Time I Die/All Get Out: 6:30 p.m., $27.50-$37.50. House of Blues.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
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BAND OF THE WEEK
NEW POPE By Jeff Niesel MEET THE BAND: Robertson Thacher (synthesizers), Michael Gallope (organ, pocket piano), Clara Latham (vocals), Jordyn Bonds (drums) BORN IN A BASEMENT: In January 2015, Robertson Thacher (Oneida, People of the North) and Clara Latham (Starring, the Fancy) wound up living a few miles apart in Roslindale, Massachusetts. They began meeting weekly in a basement studio and formed New Pope after multi-instrumentalist Michael Gallope and drummer Jordyn Bonds joined the band. “Roslindale is a quiet, creative neighborhood in Boston,” says Thacher, who adds that he continues to commute to New York to work with Oneida. “The sound and approach of New Pope includes minimalist compositional concepts, often using pattern and process to create formal structures within which there tend to be strong melodic/motivic narratives.” As a
result, Thacher says that a New Pope set is “an unmapped flow” that means every live performance varies in sound and approach. Thacher also cites influences such as Suicide, PJ Harvey, Laurie Spiegel, William Onyeabor and Steve Reich.
THE CLEVELAND CONNECTION: Oneida has played Cleveland for years and Thacher, who attended Oberlin College in the early ’90s and wrote his honors thesis on the Cleveland underground music scene of the ’70s, estimates the band has logged about 100 hours at venues like the Grog Shop, Euclid Tavern, Speak In Tongues and the Beachland. He formed Oneida back in 1997 and the band’s history includes a series of marathon 10hour performances at various All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals and performances at the Guggenheim Museum, PS1, MassMoCA, and other art institutions. “Oneida is the originator of Brooklyn’s loft/
warehouse scene in the late ’90s,” says Thacher. A new Oneida studio album will be released in early 2018.
WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: “Dope,” the first track on New Pope’s forthcoming cassette and digital album release, Meet the New Pope, features percolating synthesizers. It starts with a series of bleeps and blips before distorted guitars and soaring Sinead O’Connor-like vocals kick in, making the song into a cinematic tune that builds
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WHERE YOU HEAR THEM: shinkoyo.bandcamp.com/album/meetthe-new-pope WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: New Pope performs with Machine Listener at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Guide to Kulchur.
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
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C-NOTES Friday, Oct. 6
WISHBONE ASH and
SAVOY BROWN featuring
KIM SIMMONDS Monday, Oct. 9
UFO with SAXON and
JARED JAMES NICHOLS Friday, Oct. 13
WISH GRANTED Local rockers Third Wish to play reunion show By Jeff Niesel DURING A SIX-YEAR RUN IN the ’90s, the local rock group Third Wish put out three CDs and played more than 200 shows in 22 states, performing with acts such as Guster, They Might Be Giants, Cowboy Mouth, Sister Hazel, Jackopierce, OAR and the Jayhawks. After a 10-year hiatus, the group just announced it’ll play a reunion show on Saturday at House of Blues. Childhood friends, singer Dan Heberlein and guitarist Ryan Dawson began playing open mic nights around Cleveland’s west side. “We never even talked about starting a band,” Dawson says in a press release. “We just did it for fun. We kept saying no [to offers to play bigger venues]; we were happy doing open mic nights. But come on, $200 and free beer … we couldn’t pass that up.” The first 2,000 copies of the band’s 1995 debut, Strings of Culture, sold out in a flash, and the group started playing shows around the Midwest. Scene named the group “Rock Band of the Year” in 1996. In addition to the group’s original lineup, the House of Blues show will feature guitarist Curtis Leonard, guitarist Tim Hruby and fiddler/ mandolin player Greg Henderson. “It will be a special night for us and for the fans who made Third Wish a part of their lives,” Heberlein says. Doors for the show open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.
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jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
EUGE GROOVE Sunday, Oct. 29
THE TUBES Fri. & Sat. Nov. 3 & 4
EASY STREET BAND Friday, Nov. 10 Eagles Tribute
OUT OF EDEN Saturday, Nov. 11
LYFE JENNINGS Friday, Nov. 11
RICK DERRINGER special guest
DEREK ST. HOLMES Saturday, Nov.18
RICHARD ELLIOTT Friday, Nov. 24
Annual Holiday Stomp THE WALKING CLAMPETTS Saturday, Nov. 25
Vegas After Dark Christmas Show DOM & RUSS Friday, Dec. 1
MUSIQ SOULCHILD Saturday, Dec. 2
NORMAN BROWN’S JOYOUS CHRISTMAS starring
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MARION MEADOWS Fri., Sat. & Sun. Dec. 15-16-17
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Dear Dan, My boyfriend of eight months, K, and I are polyamorous. We started the relationship on that foot, and for a while I was the partner he spent the most time with. There have been ups and downs, but overall our relationship is solid and loving. However, recently we both started dating the same woman, L, and they have been spending more time together than with me due to my work schedule. They both reassure me that they love me and care for me deeply, but I am an anxiously attached person and sometimes I have panic attacks when they spend more time with others/themselves and fear that they’re going to leave me. I’m working on becoming more secure via books on cognitive behavioral therapy, and I’m looking into in-person therapy. This is my first serious relationship, but not his (I’m 22, he’s 35). And while K has been super patient with me, my worry and grasping is a point of friction in the relationship. K has told me he doesn’t want to be solely responsible for my sexual satisfaction and my need for constant reassurances that he cares. The anxiety has been flaring up most strongly concerning sex — we’re all switches, and K and L are both professional Dominants. I feel neglected if K doesn’t penetrate me but he penetrates L, or if L gets to penetrate K via a strap-on and I don’t. He’s very good about voicing what he desires, while I’m learning to speak up despite feeling like I’m just being needy and grasping again. I love both my partners, but I’ve been feeling sexually neglected — and with a HIGH sex drive, it’s been quite painful. This is my first “trio rodeo” and I really want to make it work — I’ve seen a future with K for a while (the I-want-your-children kind), and L is joining those future visions. How can I find a way to create more opportunities for sexy-time and not ruin it with anxiety attacks? — BDSM Enthusiastic Lover On Voyage4 Emotional Durability I’m always suspicious when two (or more) people claim to be deeply in love after dating for a short period of time, BELOVED, and eight months qualifies as a short period of time. Premature declarations of love — to say nothing of premature commitments — up the emotional stakes, which can place a strain on a newish relationship (or a trio
of them) that it may not be strong enough to bear. Not yet. You’ll feel a lot less anxious about this relationship, BELOVED, if you make a conscious effort to lower the stakes. In other words: Dial it way back, girl. You’ve been dating K for a little more than half a year, and you’ve been dating L for whatever “recently” adds up to in a world where eight months equals LTR. It’ll reduce your anxiety levels and soothe your insecurities if you tell yourself you aren’t committed to K and L as life partners. Not yet. This is the beginning of both these relationships. All you’re committed to right now is continuing to get to know K and L. You’re committed to dating them, you’re committed to exploring where this might go, you’re committed to enjoying your time with them, however long it lasts. But you are not committed to them. Either of them. Not yet. Committing yourself to therapy is a good idea, BELOVED. Everyone should commit to working on their emotional and mental health. You and your therapist can start by reevaluating whether a poly relationship is right for you in practice. In theory, you understand poly and you may want a poly relationship. (Particularly if it’s the only way you can have K.) But as someone with anxiety issues and hang-ups about all sex acts being divided up equally, poly may not be right for you, or it may not be right for you right now. After a little therapy (or maybe a lot), who knows? (Also: Trying to portion out sex between three people like you would ice cream for three small kids — making sure each kid gets the exact same number and size of scoops — is unrealistic. Sometimes you’ll get more; sometimes you’ll get less. Eyeing those scoops too closely is only going to generate conflict.) You’ve been at this rodeo for only eight months, BELOVED, and if these problems are already coming up, it might not be your attachment style or your anxiety. It’s possible this rodeo isn’t for you.
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