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3%04%-"%2 /#4/"%2 s 6/,5-% .O 13 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Group Publisher Chris Keating
CONTENTS
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 Contributing Writers Billy Hallal, Marcus Gilmer, Philip de Oliveria Intern Lawrence Neil Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executive Kiara Davis Events and Marketing Coordinator Maggie Lilac
5PFRONT
Northeast Ohio responds to the crisis in Puerto Rico, protesters demand action from Sen. Rob Portman, and more
&EATURE
'ET /UT
We present our annual guide to fall arts in Cleveland
Creative Services Production Manager Steve Miluch Layout Editor/Graphic Designer Christine Hahn Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace
All the events you should check out this week
Business Sales Assistant/Receptionist Megan Stimac Controller Kristy Dotson Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Offi cer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Offi cers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein VP Digital Services Stacy Volhein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon
&ILM
Retro tennis flick Battle of the Sexes is Emma Stone’s best work yet
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A neighborhood diner is reborn and retooled in Old Brooklyn
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The Pixies WILL BE AT THE !GORA ON 4UESDAY
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3AVAGE ,OVE The misconception of serial first daters
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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UPFRONT
Donations pour in at Puerto Rican Home in Lorain
NORTHEAST OHIO RESPONDS TO DEVASTATION IN PUERTO RICO
THIS WEEK
WITH THE ISLAND’S ELECTRICAL grid completely destroyed and its crops almost totally decimated, Puerto Rico is reeling from last week’s landfall of Hurricane Maria. “There will be no food in Puerto Rico,” plantain farmer Jose Rivera told The New York Times. “There is no more agriculture in Puerto Rico. And there won’t be any for a year or longer.” Puerto Rico is, of course, an unincorporated U.S. territory, and countless families have moved from the island to the U.S. mainland, including Northeast Ohio. The steel mills along the Black River in Lorain and the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, in particular, recruited thousands of Puerto Rican workers in the 1940s and 1950s. For decades, those families have called Cleveland home, even as their hearts remain tied forever to Puerto Rico. Cleveland’s densest population of Puerto Ricans resides on the near west side in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. This weekend, at the San Lorenzo Club on West 33rd Street, volunteers brought food and supplies to be shipped to Puerto Rico via the Red Cross.
Letitia Lopez, executive director of the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, told Scene that she was only there for about an hour on Saturday, but that the stream of donations flooding the parking lot was “non-stop.” (At least three truckloads of water, food, diapers and other supplies were given to the Red Cross, which will coordinate the distribution in Puerto Rico.) Lorain residents are turning their attention fully to the island as well. They have gathered goods to send by boat. A truck will pick up items in Lorain this week and will drive down to Florida, where the supplies will be shipped via the Caribbean Sea. In the meantime, the effects of hurricane damage are still being felt across the island. “I don’t know how much worse it could get,” councilman Angel Arroyo told the Chronicle-Telegram, which first reported the efforts during coverage of Saturday’s El Centro block party. “If you go to personal friends’ Facebook pages, you see cars that are flipped over; you’re seeing gas stations that are washed away; you’re seeing water that is 4 or 5 feet high; you’re seeing pickup trucks
with water at the top of the pickup truck; there are areas that have flooded.” Items that are needed include batteries, crank generators, emergency radios, hygiene kits, non-perishable foods, flashlights, baby diapers, adult diapers, water, toiletries and women’s health supplies. Drop-off sites for items in Lorain include Sacred Heart Chapel, 4301 Pearl Ave., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; Puerto Rican Home, 1603 East 28th St. from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; and El Borimex Bar and Grill, 1910 East 28th St., from noon to 10 p.m. Sacred Heart will host a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27. — Eric Sandy, Sam Allard
LOCAL GRAHAM-CASSIDY OPPONENTS DELIVER WAFFLES TO PORTMAN Activists from a number of local groups demonstrated outside Cleveland’s Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building Monday afternoon,
wielding signs and waffle products to criticize Ohio senator Rob Portman. Frozen waffles, waffle chips, waffle cones. The concept demonstration was a brainchild of Organizing for Action’s local chapter, in response to a recent Plain Dealer editorial that accused Portman of “waffling” on health care reform. “Only someone who puts party loyalty over loyalty to the Ohioans who elected him would agree to this,” advised the forceful PD piece. “Portman, a suburban Cincinnati Republican, must choose not to be that politician. He must shelve his ‘Hamlet’ imitations and immediately disavow this measure.” Monday’s protesters, from the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, Indivisible CLE, Lorain County Rising, and elsewhere, felt much the same. The small group of activists cited the threat to Medicaid and low-income Ohioans and the loss of money for combating the opioid epidemic as chief reasons for their opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill. “One thing that’s being overlooked is the effect this will
BUMMER
YUCK OF THE IRISH
STAR WITNESS
LeBron James calls Trump a “bum” in tweet supporting Steph Curry’s decision to bail on NBA champs’ White House visit. Bums living outside Quicken Loans Arena ask James why he had to tarnish their name.
Toledo implements public health advisory as bright green algae blooms overtake Maumee River. Drunk Chicagoans, believing it to be St. Patrick’s Day, make their way down I-90 to slurp up river’s malty goodness.
Cleveland-Marshall launches country’s first research center to study the law of outer space. Frank Jackson is overjoyed, saying he’s been saddled with an “outer space” at the Willard Parking Garage for months and wants to know whom to sue.
QUALITY OF LIFE Take a knee.
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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Photo by Sam Allard
“We had a very considerate reception today,” Matt Kuhns, of Lakewood, told Scene. “[The staff] listened, took notes, accepted waffles with good humor.” — Allard
UPFRONT
CONVICTION INTEGRITY UNIT CONTINUES TO DELAY RUEL SAILOR ACTION
Protesters deliver a message outside Sen. Rob Portman’s Cleveland office.
have on Ohio hospitals,” said Martha Ferrazza, representing Lorain County Rising Monday. “[Cleveland Clinic CEO] Toby Cosgrove came out and said that 22 percent of hospitals would close if Graham-Cassidy were passed.” (In a CNBC interview, Cosgrove
said that 22 percent of hospitals were “running in the red” and would be harmed by loss of Medicaid funds. It’s unclear how many would be forced to close.) Ferrazza opted to bring marshmallows in lieu of waffle products to Monday’s event.
“The waffles are a pun. The marshmallows are a metaphor,” she said. “It’s like Portman’s word. As soon as he’s in hot water, it dissolves.” Though Portman was not in Cleveland, a small envoy successfully delivered the waffles to his staff.
More than a dozen people gathered Sept. 22 in the humid heat of downtown Cleveland to protest the incarceration of RuEl Sailor. This was not the first time they’d marched in Sailor’s name. Sailor has been in prison since 2003, charged with aggravated murder in a case riddled with prosecutorial myopia. “This is not just about RuEl,” a protester named Shawnee told Scene, “but about the justice system as a whole.” The target of the afternoon protest was Cuyahoga County’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which was created in 2014 to re-examine dubious criminal convictions and, when warranted, correct past injustices. Shawnee pointed out that many of Sailor’s friends and family members helped get Mike O’Malley elected as prosecutor last year; he had cited wrongful convictions as a priority on
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the campaign trail against former prosecutor Timothy McGinty (under whose aegis the office created the CIU), but there’s been
DIGIT WIDGET New record temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, for Sept. 25 in Cleveland, breaking the old record of 88 degrees (set in 2007).
53.5 Over/under, via the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, for the Cavs’ total wins this year. Last year, the team went 51-31 in the regular season.
26 Number of consecutive scoreless innings pitched by ace Corey Kluber from Sept. 7 - 24, ended by a Mariners homer on Sunday.
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little action for Sailor. Scene published an extensive feature on the criminal case last year, poking holes in the county’s prosecution and raising questions about how other suspects were investigated (or not). “He’s been in there all this time for something that he didn’t do,â€? Shawnee said. “Stop giving him the run-around! How long does someone have to sit in prison once you’ve found out they didn’t do the crime?â€? While the rally was happening on the streets, other close advocates for Sailor were upstairs in the Justice Center, getting an update on where the CIU stands in this case. We recommend returning to our feature for the full story on how Sailor ended up with the murder conviction but, in simple terms, the prosecution relied on shaky eyewitness testimony from PCP users and the sort of social stereotypes that follow even smalltime drug dealers like Sailor. Since the criminal trial, witness William Sizemore has returned to Cleveland and admitted in a recorded statement that, in fact, he was at the murder scene that night; rather than Sailor accompanying the shooter, Cordell Hubbard, it was Sizemore. (Scene was unable to reach him while reporting the 2016 story.) According to friends of Sailor, Sizemore’s latest statements verify afďŹ davits signed by other witnesses, all clearing Sailor’s name. The fear is that even Sizemore’s words won’t push the CIU to act in a timely manner. To return to Sailor’s attorney’s quote from last year: “For 10 years he’s found information to supplement Cordell’s story, but the court is saying, ‘That’s not new; we’ve known that’s your position
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DIRT BIKE TRACK OFF THE TABLE AT MARION MOTLEY Mayor Frank Jackson’s controversial $2.4 million dirt bike track project, which was shepherded
ROCK&ROLL CITY
worked in or adjacent to politics for many years. In high school, she volunteered at Dennis Kucinich’s Lakewood ofďŹ ce. In college, she worked for a Green Party Senate candidate in Illinois. She graduated from Loyola Chicago in 2010 and thereafter worked in San Francisco, managing a real estate ďŹ rm worth $850 million. She returned to Cleveland to work on the Uptown Project — “my baby,â€? she calls it — where she coordinated with public and private partners and gained experience in urban planning and economic development. “I was surprised, though,â€? she said, “by the lack of engagement by the city councilpeople.â€? That lack of engagement, Cleary argued, has resulted in declining quality of life for residents in Cleveland’s neighborhoods on the east and west sides. “I was away from Cleveland during the recession,â€? she said. “And I was really shocked, when I came back, by the progress downtown and the obvious regression in areas like West Park, Bellaire-Puritas and Jefferson. Crime, poor infrastructure and vacant storefronts are now abundant in what were once very
MEET CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE ELLEN CLEARY In Cleveland’s Ward 16, a city council challenger rises on Triskett. Ellen Cleary is young: She just turned 30. Ellen Cleary is smart. Ellen Cleary is a St. Joseph Academy alumna with deep ties to the west side. She said she couldn’t sit by and watch Ward 16 council incumbent Brian Kazy get re-elected without a ďŹ ght. “I never really wanted to be in the public eye like this,â€? Cleary told Scene in a phone interview last week. “But it didn’t seem like anyone else was gathering signatures or trying to get on the ballot. In my mind, it’s not a democracy if you just get to waltz right in.â€? While this is her ďŹ rst time running for ofďŹ ce, Cleary has
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since 2003,â€? his attorney Kimberly Corral told us. “That’s basically, for lack of a better word, Sailor’s shitty position.â€? Russell Tye, criminal chief of the prosecutor’s ofďŹ ce, wouldn’t conďŹ rm those details to Scene earlier this month, saying only that the work in Sailor’s case is ongoing. “The prosecutor’s ofďŹ ce knows that he’s innocent,â€? long-time advocate Amy Spence told Scene. “They’re prepared to do the right thing, but they’re completely dragging their feet. And, yes, O’Malley has done everything that he promised he would, but this is the ultimate promise. It’s just dragging on and on and on. We all know what the outcome is going to be; I have absolutely no doubt in my mind.â€? — Sandy
com article had quotes from Darnell Brown, the city’s chief operating ofďŹ cer, saying they didn’t consider moving the park from the site because of the study and that construction would start in 30 to 45 days. Maybe he should have checked with his boss ďŹ rst. — Vince Grzegorek
UPFRONT
through city council by Jackson’s allies, is now off the table, at least at Marion Motley Park in Ward 5. Action Jackson ďŹ nally responded to questions about the track when Cleveland.com’s Mark Naymik came calling. Citing noise, congestion and insurance issues, Jackson said that the city will seek another, larger site and possibly explore offering the Muni Lot as a venue to dirt bike event organizers. Relatedly, environmental studies conducted at Marion Motley Park by the city showed elevated contaminants, including lead, that forced the city to close it off to all activity. Remediation, coming in at about $1.1 million, will still be done on the land despite the fact the park won’t be built there. The money will come from Cleveland’s capital fund. Zack Reed, Jackson’s opponent in the November general mayoral election and a vocal critic of the plan during council deliberations, told Scene that the money is already allocated for the cleanup, so that should be a priority. He suggested that whatever remains of the $2.4 million should be used for existing city rec centers that have fallen into disrepair. Also worth noting, the Cleveland.
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stable neighborhoods.” Cleary grew up in West Park. These days, she works at Case Western Reserve University as the assistant director of housing. While she has no personal beef with councilman Brian Kazy, Cleary said she worries that because he was appointed to his seat, he is beholden to council leadership. (Kazy was hand-selected to take over Ward 16 by departing council president Marty Sweeney in 2014, a move that was widely decried and was thought to be a reward for Kazy’s failed run against Brian Cummins in Ward 14 the preceding year.) “He can’t be his own independent person,” Cleary said. “He’s voted with everyone else 98 percent of the time. And I know they all caucus together, but still.” Cleary is a member of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus and is endorsed by that group and by the Cleveland Action Democrats. But unlike candidates Alex Karrfault in Ward 15 or Michele Burk in Ward 13, she is not
Harshita Mahajan Photography /Courtesy of Ellen Cleary
UPFRONT
“I’ve run into a lot of women who have said they will vote for me specifically because I’m a woman, and I’ve had other people who say, ‘Tell your dad he should do X or Y.’ They assume I’m not the candidate.” — Ellen Cleary
Ellen Cleary
a member of the SEIU nor did she run at the behest or suggestion of any group. She decided to run on her own, she said, and is, at least for now, self-funding her campaign. In addition to constituent services, Cleary said she’s energetic about crafting sensible policy citywide. More legislative steps need to be taken to address the opioid crisis, she said. And industry-specific workforce training and development programs should be supported.
If elected, Cleary would join Ward 3’s Kerry McCormack as the only millennials on council. She would also be one of very few women. She said that as she’s canvassed the neighborhood (usually in the evenings, after she gets home from her 9-to-5), the reactions to her candidacy have been mixed. “I’ve run into a lot of women who have said they will vote for me specifically because I’m a woman,” she said. “And I’ve had other people
who say, “Tell your dad he should do X or Y.’ They assume I’m not the candidate. There’s definitely a lot of weird sexism that occurs, but I’d like to inspire people, to show them that, yes, being a councilperson is a huge responsibility, but that women can succeed in politics. Women can do it. I can do it.” — Allard
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Photo by James Irby
From left, Raja Freeman, Taylor Benford, Nick Vitello and Sage Mack
CLEVELAND’S YOUNG VOICES DEMAND TO BE HEARD And they are, in the annual Brave New Voices Festival By Christine Howey “WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH kids today?” That’s a question for the ages. It is an established fact that adults never quite understand what motivates kids to do what they do. And the kids certainly prefer it that way. But if you want a different perspective on what some kids are up to, consider the students (14 to 19 years of age) who participate in the Brave New Voices (BNV) slam poetry competitions here in Cleveland and around the country. That national organization’s guiding principle is to provide arts education to youth with limited access to the arts, and to empower young people to discover and develop their own voices. Slam poetry was started by construction worker and poet Marc Smith in 1986 in Chicago, and it has spread like wildfire since. Slam is high-intensity, often highly personal,
performance poetry presented in a competitive format, with individuals and teams being scored by judges who are not connected in any way to the performers. All the poems are read without props, costumes or music, and each poem usually has to be less than three minutes long. Cleveland and Northeast Ohio sent teams to the annual Brave New Voices Festival, under the auspices of Playhouse Square, from 2005 through 2011. Then there was a gap until 2014, when Eric Odum and his One Mic Open slams sent teams. This year, the event was held in San Francisco and the Cleveland team received enormous assistance from the Twelve Literary and Performing Arts Incubator in Collinwood, founded by local performance poet Daniel Gray-Kontar. With that help, the team was able to compete against 60 other teams at the 20th Annual Brave New
Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in San Francisco. One of the team coaches, Nkechi Edeh, says it was a marvelous event in several ways. “In addition to being a great bonding experience, the team members’ writing and performance creativity grew by leaps and bounds.” This year’s team members were Raja Freeman (Brush High School), Taylor Benford (Collinwood High School), Nick Vitelo (Kenston High School) and Sage Mack (Cleveland State University). To qualify for the team, each poet had to compete in local qualifying competitions, and those who scored highest earned a spot. Edeh and her coaching partner James Irby arranged for the team to visit the BNV team in Detroit, where the students shared poetry workshops and developed new friendships. “That visit with the team in Detroit really
helped us,” notes Edeh, “since the students were able to get a sense of the kind of talented people they would be competing against a month later.” In preparation, the teams develop a portfolio of poems to perform; some are individual and some are done as a group of two or more. In general, the writing is extraordinary and the imagination and synchronization demonstrated in the group pieces is often invigorating. One team member, Raja Freeman, says she was very inspired by the entire experience. “I was surprised that I really wasn’t nervous, performing in San Francisco, because everyone was so accepting. All the other performers and the audiences were so engrossed and supportive, listening to our poems. It didn’t feel competitive at all.” Ultimately, the Cleveland squad didn’t move on to the semi-finals. While disappointing, the Festival was an eye-opening excursion. And there were some unexpected occurrences. For instance, before each match, a “sacrificial poet,” who is not a member of any team, is invited to deliver a poem and be scored by the newly appointed judges, so the judges can begin to calibrate their scoring criteria. As Freeman says, “At one of our matches, the sacrificial poet performed a poem in Dutch. The subject of the poem was suicide and, even though we didn’t understand the language, thanks to the performer, the meaning of the poem came through loud and clear. It was kind of amazing.” Since Brave New Voices encourages kids to write about their own experiences in their own vernacular, the results can be powerful. As BNV says on their website Youth Speaks, “We are urgently driven by the belief that literacy is a need, not a want, and that literacy comes in various forms. As we move more deeply into the 21st Century, oral poetry is helping to define the new American Voice.” Without seeing these young poets, it’s hard to imagine how much emotion and truth-telling can be crammed into three minutes or so of poetry. Fortunately, you don’t have to, since there are scores of videos on the BNV website, youthspeaks.org. This year, the team from Baton Rouge was crowned slam competition champ. But to drag out the old cliche, everyone who participated was a winner. As Edeh points out, “All the kids found their tribe, a lasting sense of community, and their own unique voices. And those are connections that will last for a long time.”
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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KARAMU AT THE THRESHOLD The next 100 years await a newly invigorated Karamu House By Christine Howey TONY SIAS HAS ONLY BEEN AT the helm of Karamu House for two years, but he’s making big changes in how this venerable 102-yearold institution looks and feels. As he says, “We really want to make Karamu House a vital part of our neighborhood in Fairfax, as well as in the larger greater Cleveland community.â€? And he has the mandate to do just that. As the president and chief executive ofďŹ cer of Karamu, Sias hold the reins of an organization with a storied history in theater. Many top-ight performers on national and international stages, not to mention Hollywood, were trained and gained their ďŹ rst acting
exposure at Karamu. That list of luminaries includes Langston Hughes, Rube Dee, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Guillaume and James Pickens Jr. Sias left his post as director of arts education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to assume the role of leadership at Karamu in September 2015, and he’s been running full tilt since then. The large Karamu facility at 2355 East 89th Street is being renovated, including an entirely new main stage space named after Karamu’s founders, Rowena and Russell Jelliffe. It will feature a fully renovated Jelliffe and Arena theaters and
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Architectural rendering of new Jelliffe Theater
lobbies, and new entrances which will be ADA compliant. The new main theater is our “wow factor,â€? explains Sias, “and we think our patrons will be thrilled with the ďŹ nished product.â€? Other physical renovations throughout the facility will improve the experience for all visitors. But the changes Sias is implementing at Karamu go far beyond physical renovations. As he notes, “We want to invite people to
come back to Karamu for a variety of reasons. Of course, theater is at the heart of what we do, and we want Karamu to become a training ground for students of all ages, preparing them for college and the theater industry as a whole. “We plan to achieve that goal by establishing professional standards and showing our artists how to meet those standards. In that way, they will be prepared to take the next steps in their careers.� But
Sias isn’t forgetting kids and novice positioned, geographically and actors, who will also be welcome otherwise, to help develop the arts to participate in Karamu’s shows, and culture in this area, and we’re workshops and other activities. eager to do it!” Arts education is also a major Also on the to-do list for the priority for Sias, and he intends future is making better use of that Karamu will support local Karamu’s archives, and turning school districts with arts education those old photos, programs and programming and services. “From other artifacts into exhibitions for my time at CMSD, I discovered a people to visit. lot of ways to help young people In short, Karamu appears to be grow and develop well on its way to new skills, in make a significant and through arts mark in this education. And community for the that includes next 100 years. skills such as One person being punctual, who was recently working a part of Karamu’s collaboratively history is still and behaving in in town, doing a professional some spectacular manner, which work. Terrence Tony Sias can pay off no Spivey, the matter which artistic director direction your career goes.” of Karamu from 2003 to 2016, As Sias says, educational efforts directed a number of extraordinary also extend to their audiences: “We productions on their stages during want to select challenging plays that time. that are accessible, relevant and And since he left, he’s been very current. It’s good to expose our busy directing shows with various patrons to new and groundbreaking entities including John Carroll work that challenges University, Ensemble Theatre, preconceptions. This includes colorConvergence-Continuum Theatre, conscious casting. We are very and Playwrights Local. And it all invested in working to reimagine happened in an odd manner. classical American theater.” As Spivey says, “When I left The third major “product Karamu, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to line” that Sias is interested in take a job in another city. So I just pursuing for Karamu is community decided to sit still for a while and see involvement. “We are aggressively where the universe wanted to take me.” re-engaging with our community,” Pretty soon, the universe rang says Sias, “and that covers a lot of Spivey’s phone and he’s been territory.” In the past year, Karamu busy since, directing powerful has sponsored a jazz series, a productions such as Objectively Reasonable that dealt with the comedy series and a poetry series killing of Tamir Rice. He is also — all of which have brought new working with Tamir’s mother, people into the Karamu fold. “We even had a couple memorial services Samaria Rice, to create an outreach effort in Tamir’s name. In his here for neighborhood families. We are reaching out in all kinds of new spare time, Spivey is involved in supervising a teen theater series at ways.” the Shore Cultural Center in Euclid As for the future, Sias wants and scheduling a series of readings Karamu to become the anchor of a of August Wilson plays. new Arts, Cultural and Education “I’m getting used to improvising (ACE) district in the Fairfax my career,” says, Spivey. “And I’m neighborhood, which extends finding it to be very fulfilling as an from Woodland to Carnegie and artist, now that I can respond to a from East 105th Street to East range of new opportunities.” 72nd Street. Sias says, “ We’d look forward to working with the Karamu House, 2355 East 89th Cleveland Metropolitan School St., 216-795-7070, karamuhouse.org. District, the Cleveland Clinic, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, Opportunity Corridor scene@clevescene.com and other partners in developing @clevelandscene the ACE district ... . We’re perfectly
“We want to select challenging plays that are accessible, relevant and current.” —
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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Photo by DKM Photography, courtesy Idaho Shakespeare Festival
FIVE NOTSO-EASY PIECES A handful of challenging theatrical works arrive this fall to pique our interest By Christine Howey EVERY THEATER SEASON HAS certain shows on the horizon that you look forward to, for various and often different reasons. This season is no exception. And since we’re staring down the barrel of a possible war, nuclear or not, with North Korea, maybe it’s time to reect on happier possibilities. The ďŹ ve shows mentioned below do not equate to the only ďŹ ve shows worth seeing in the coming months. Hell, one or more of them may be disasters, which will be duly noted in this space,
Esmeralda (Keri Rene Fuller) charms the crowd on the steps of Notre Dame
should it happen. And there will likely be other productions, unmentioned here, that soar far above any of these. Still, on paper these shows tweak our curiosity due to the challenges they present. Let’s review them in
chronological order by their opening dates. First up is The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Great Lakes Theater (Sept. 29 – Nov. 4). No, it’s not a play about football. Instead, it is
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an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel about the captive bell-ringer Quasimodo whose evidently collapsed vertebrae give him that bent-over posture and a poorly paid gig of yanking on a rope.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Best of all it’s a musical, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. And they each have serious chops, with Menken writing the music for Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Little Shop of Horrors, and Schwartz penning lyrics for Wicked, Pippin and Godspell (along with the music as well). And it will be directed by the estimable Victoria Bussert, who knows a thing or two about staging big musicals. It will also be interesting to see how Quasimodo’s affection for the gypsy woman Esmeralda works out, since she is also being pursued by Quasimodo’s captor, Frollo, as well as by a handsome captain of the King’s Archers. Hunchback is promoted as a play about love and acceptance, and we all need that right about now. From Oct. 13 to Nov. 12, Dobama Theatre will feature local legend Dorothy Silver in Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison. In this piece, an 85-year-old woman is communing with artificial intelligence that is programmed to recount the distant, fading memories of her life. This piece, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, promises to explore what it means to be human in the digital age. But more than that, it is an opportunity to see Ms. Silver once again take the stage. Her list of acting accomplishments is too long to list here, but she is clearly a profound talent and any performance of hers is not to be missed. Next up is a show fresh from Broadway: Waitress, Oct. 17 to Nov. 5 at Playhouse Square’s Broadway Series. This musical about female restaurant servers has been fashioned by an all-female creative team — music and lyrics by five-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, book by Jessie Nelson and direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus. In it, we see waitress Jenna try to rise above her duties waiting tables and baking pies to follow her dream of becoming a serious pastry chef. One hopes the show will also address the issue of how waitresses learn not to look at or acknowledge diners who are desperately waving at them to request another glass of water. About a week after Waitress opens, Cleveland Public Theatre offers the world premiere of The Art of Longing written by local actress and playwright Lisa Langford. Recently, Langford was a key member of the cast of brownsville song (b-side for tray) at Dobama Theatre. In this play, the plot follows the
lives of six “third shift” workers who guard us and are ready to take care of us during those long nighttime hours. Dreams and reality merge in this theatrical experiment as, once again, CPT challenges us to encounter theater in new and unexpected ways. The Hairy Ape (Nov. 17 – Dec. 10) will lumber into Ensemble Theatre, continuing that theater company’s dedication to producing most, if not all, of Eugene O’Neill’s scripts. Written in 1921, this expressionist drama offers social commentary on the divide between the rich and poor. Little did O’Neill know that his play would have such resonance in this country almost a century later. Directed by Ian Wolfgang Hinz, this rarely seen play is about an engine room laborer named Yank on an ocean liner who undergoes an identity crisis after a rich socialite on the ship calls him a “filthy beast.” This existential crisis fuels O’Neill’s thoughts about the primitive nature of man. It was a controversial play in its time, since it brings up issues of race along with the oppression of the working class. We’ll see how it registers in the here and now. Those are the five shows that seem particularly interesting from our current viewpoint in late September. As always, however, there will be surprises aplenty as we witness which shows rise to the top and which productions don’t measure up, quality-wise. That’s what keeps the lively theater arts in our town so damn interesting.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Great Lakes Theater, Hanna Theatre, 2067 Easr 14 St., 216-2416000, greatlakestheater.org. Marjorie Prime Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-3396, dobama.org. Waitress Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.com. The Art of Longing Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., 216-631-2727, cptonline. org. The Hairy Ape Ensemble Theatre, 2843 Washington Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-2930, ensembletheatrecle.org.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
ALL THAT JAZZ AND THEN SOME The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series offers something for everyone FOR NEARLY ALL OF ITS 100-YEAR history, the Cleveland Museum of Art has presented music from around the world, and the museum continues that long-standing tradition this year with the annual Performing Arts Series that kicks off on Oct. 4 with the Chamber Music in the Galleries program. This year’s series runs a wide gamut and showcases everything from 1920s jazz to music for the gamelan and kayagum to surrealist film scores. “We aim to present the greatest examples of the widest range of the most beautiful musical traditions to Cleveland audiences,” says Tom Welsh, the museum’s director of performing arts. “Every year is totally different because the artists who come through are new each time.” The CIM/CWRU Joint Music Program that launches the series on Oct. 4 features artists from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University’s early and baroque music programs. The musicians will present mixed programs of chamber music, and the concerts regularly feature instruments from the museum’s keyboard collection. “We have a terrific relationship with them,” says Welsh. “We present young artists performing chamber music in the galleries. It’s very beautiful and simple in its elegance. We push music out into the galleries, and people love it. It’s been a quiet success for us, so we want to keep it going.” Those concerts take place in the museum’s galleries on the first Wednesday of the month through May 2018. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 11, pianist Henry Butler brings his jazz combo Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9 to town. Butler and trumpeter Steven Bernstein first worked together in 1998 in the Kansas City All Stars. They reunited in 2011 for a concert in New York where they performed pieces by Bessie Smith and Jelly Roll Morton. “We’re doing this as a
Photo by Stephanie Berger
By Jeff Niesel
Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9.
great celebration of the museum’s major exhibition in the fall, which is The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s,” says Welsh. “You can’t have a jazz exhibit without music. These are two great artists who are not only superb jazz musicians but historians of the field of jazz. They put together this band that springs from the music of the 1920s. They — Tom add their own irreverent twist to the music.” On Oct. 20, CMA pays tribute to composer Lou Harrison with Lou Harrison Centennial!, a program that includes Harrison’s Concerto for Piano and Javanese Gamelan, featuring pianist Sarah
Cahill. The program also includes a performance by Gamelan Galak Tika under the direction of Evan Ziporyn. “There’s attention all over America for his centennial year,” says Welsh. “He integrated non-Western traditions of Asia and Southeast Asia into what we think of as classical music and did it in a sophisticated Welsh way. He was a contemporary of John Cage and Henry Cowell and among the first wave of truly American composers who shined a light on traditions beyond the European classical tradition. You can’t get enough of Lou Harrison’s music in my opinion.”
“We aim to present the greatest examples of the widest range of the most beautiful musical traditions to Cleveland audiences.”
An Akron native, director Jim Jarmusch brings his experimental duo SQÜRL to town on Nov. 1. Jarmusch, who plays electric guitar, and drummer Carter Logan describe the group as an “enthusiastically marginal rock band from New York City.” Jarmusch and Logan started scoring music for film in 2009; you can hear them in Jarmusch’s latest films Only Lovers Left Alive and Paterson. “Jim’s film career speaks for itself, but he loves playing music, and I think this is really a passion project for him,” says Welsh. “We’ll enjoy another aspect from his creative mind.” The program features scores by Jarmusch and Logan for four silent films by dada and surrealist artist Man Ray. Relying heavily on loops, synthesizers, and effected guitars, the semiimprovised scores emphasize the band’s more experimental, ambient, and drone-like tendencies. Reto
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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Thüring, curator of contemporary art, will host an onstage conversation with the duo after the performance. In conjunction with the exhibition Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens, kayagum virtuoso Ji Aeri will deliver an “intimate” concert of Korean music, both traditional and contemporary, on Nov. 5. The kayagum, a zither-like instrument with 12 strings, is related to the Japanese koto and the Chinese guzheng. “She will perform both contemporary and traditional music on her instrument,” says Welsh. “[Chaekgeori] is a beautiful focused show on a particular Korean art form, and I was eager to include a companion concert.” The performance takes place on the closing day of the Korean screens exhibition. Most recently the organist-inresidence at the Kitara Concert Hall in Sapporo, Japan, Davide Mariano has performed as organist, harpsichordist and pianist in prestigious venues in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. He performs on Jan. 14. “We intend to feature our organ each season,” says Welsh. Mariano’s Cleveland debut will feature works by Schumann, Widor and J. S. Bach. The classic children’s book and Academy Award–nominated film Paddle to the Sea is the focus of a new project that “looks at our relationship to the bodies of water that connect our lives.” On Feb. 11, the Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion performs its new score for the film, which tells the story of a native Canadian boy who carves a wooden figure called Paddle-to-the-Sea. “They’re a razor sharp and fast-rising new music ensemble,” says Welsh. “The film is a quasi-documentary film. They stripped off the original score and re-did it. It’s a beautiful program of film and live music. I saw them do rehearsals of it and it’s very beautiful.” The score features new music by composers such as Philip Glass and Jacob Druckman and the traditional music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. A second percussion ensemble, Mantra Percussion comes to the Transformer Station for a special performance on Feb. 23. Mantra Percussion has commissioned or premiered over 40 new
works for percussion ensemble since it formed in 2009; it’ll perform “Timber,” a piece it cocommissioned with Bang on a Can’s Michael Gordon. “The piece is written for these particular pieces of wood,” says Welsh. “It’s a post-minimalist piece. Audiences can move around them or sit in a chair. It’s a gorgeous piece.” On March 4, Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble will play a program that will be announced closer to the date, and on March 11, there will be a CIM Organ Studio Recital with conservatory musicians who work with acclaimed organist Todd Wilson. They’ll present an afternoon recital of works for solo organ on the museum’s McMyler Memorial Organ. “This makes a nice companion piece with CIM. Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble is devoted to the music of our time and both programs greatly expand the repertoire available to our audiences.” Wu Man will perform with Huayin Shadow Puppet Band on March 21. An internationally renowned pipa virtuoso, Wu Man will join the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band for a program of old-tune traditional music with shadow puppetry. “She was here a few years ago,” says Welsh. “She’s part of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. She’s probably the most famous traditional Chinese musician playing the concert halls in the world. She uses her success to share the spotlight with lesser known artists of Chinese music like the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band. It’s a rural musical troupe, and it’s fantastically fun folkloric music with shadow puppets.” Founded in 1973 by director Peter Phillips, Tallis Scholars perform on April 13. Through their recordings and concert performances, they’ve become the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. “They’re the best in Renaissance choral music.” They’ll play “War and Peace,” a program commemorating those who lost their lives in the First World War that features works by Josquin, Guerrero, Pärt, Mouton, Lobo, Victoria, Tavener and Palestrina.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
OCTOBER 10, 2017 – APRIL 8, 2018
AN EDUCATION ON THE HISTORIC FIGHT FOR EQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE AND A LOOK TO THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE IN AMERICA. Beyond Chicken Soup: Jews & Medicine in America tells the story of how Jews were forced to create access to their own healthcare in the face of discrimination. BRING A GROUP OR HOST AN EVENT
Contact 216.593.0595 or events@mmjh.org THE EXHIBITION IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
February 3, 2018
Celebration of Black History Month Breen Center for the Performing Arts
February 17, 2018
Made in America presented by ORMACO Patricia Lindley Center for the Performing Arts
April 7, 2018
Special Announcement Coming Soon!
April 27, 2018
Spring Series E.J. Thomas Hall
May 17-19, 2018
DanceWorks 2018 Cleveland Public Theatre
Ballet UpClose Studio Series January 26, 2018 l March 2, 2018 l June 22, 2018 Stanley G. Blum
THE MUSEUM IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
verbballets.org 2929 Richmond Rd. Beachwood, OH 216.593.0575 | www.maltzmuseum.org | clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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SWEET SOUNDS OF THE SEASON Fall means the classical music scene kicks into high gear CLASSICAL MUSIC FOLLOWS an academic year calendar, so it’s back to school time for the many vibrant performing organizations and presenters in Northeast Ohio. Here are some highlights of what’s happening in and around Cleveland during the fall months that you should be sure not to miss. It’s a landmark year for The Cleveland Orchestra, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2017-2018. By the time this article hits the streets, the ensemble already will have launched that celebratory season with a revival of Janacek’s opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, and performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Before the orchestra heads off to Europe, Franz Welser-Möst will lead performances of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony on Oct. 5 and 6. After that, fans will have to cool their ears until November, when the orchestra returns to Severance Hall for concerts featuring Vladimir Ashkenazy and Emmanuel Ax (Nov. 3, 4 and 5). Early music guru Nicholas McGegan returns to conduct Rameau, Gluck and Mozart — with pianist Marc-André Hamelin — Nov. 17 to 18, and Giancarlo Guerrero will be on the podium for concerts featuring organist Paul Jacobs in Stephen Paulus’ Grand Concerto for Organ and Orchestra on Nov. 24 and 26. Conductor Fabio Luisi and pianist Jonathan Biss will be the headliners on Dec. 1 and 2 in a program that includes a new work by Salvatore Sciarrino, and music director laureate Christoph von Dohnányi and pianist Richard Goode will end the fall lineup with concerts on Dec. 7, 8, and 9. Then it’s visions of sugarplums for the rest of the month as the orchestra presents its annual round of holiday performances. Though not so old as the Cleveland Orchestra, Ross W. Duffin’s Quire Cleveland will celebrate their 10th anniversary as one of Cleveland’s most distinguished startup ensembles with a number of performances around the region. Their fall homestays include a tribute to the
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Photo by Roger Mastroianni Courtesy of Cleveland Orchestra
by Daniel Hathaway & Mike Telin, ClevelandClassical.com
famous 17th-century Westminster Abbey and English Chapel Royal composer Henry Purcell on Oct. 5 in Painesville and Oct. 6 at St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. Quire will also offer its ninth round of “Carols for Quire” in three Cleveland venues, Dec. 15 to 17. Another successful startup is marking its ninth anniversary this season. Debra Nagy’s Les Délices, recently rebranded as “LD,” got underway in September with a jazz-Baroque crossover brunch at Nighttown. Its fall lineup includes “Inspired by Italy,” featuring violinist Julie Andrijeski, on Oct. 21 and 22, as well as some interesting outreach activities. Apollo’s Fire lit candles for its 25th anniversary last season. This year, three new productions will feature Cleveland’s Baroque Orchestra in Handel’s Israel in Egypt in a special version by Jeannette Sorrell Oct. 12 to 15; tenor Nicholas Phan in a program of lute songs dubbed “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover,” Nov. 9 to 12; and an Irish-Appalachian Christmas show, “Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain,” Dec. 2 to 10. Not inclined to sit back and rest during years between contests, the Cleveland International Piano Competition has pulled off a coup by engaging the services of the fabulous Martha Argerich, who
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
will make her Cleveland debut at Severance Hall on Oct. 30, joining Cleveland’s own Sergei Babayan for a duo-piano duel. Piano fans can also enjoy performances by Roberto Plano and Awadagin Pratt in the Tri-C Classical Piano Series at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Oct. 15 and Nov. 11, and by young British phenomenon Benjamin Grosvenor in Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series on Nov. 12. An exotic piano event will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Oct. 20, when pianist Sarah Cahill performs Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan using one of the composer’s own instruments on loan from Harvard. Cleveland has a big appetite for chamber music, and some notable events to log into your calendar include the Danish String Quartet (Oct. 10), the Tetzlaff Quartet (Nov. 14) and the Emerson String Quartet (Dec. 5) in the Cleveland Chamber Music Society series at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights. On the other side of town, Vermont’s Green Mountain Chamber Players (Oct. 9) and the venerable Dorian Wind Quintet (Nov. 13) are presented by the Rocky River Chamber Music Society. Further south, two Cleveland Orchestra ensembles will visit the Music from the Western Reserve series at Christ Church in
Hudson: the Cleveland Bluegrass Orchestra will strum and fiddle away on Oct. 1, followed on Nov. 12 by Ensemble HD, the group of musicians who made headlines playing at the Happy Dog. Opera gets off to a slow start this season, but Cleveland Opera Theater is first up with a production of Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera at CWRU’s Maltz Performing Arts Center on Oct. 27 and 29. Oberlin Opera Theater will be close behind with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro Nov. 1 to 5. The Cleveland Insitute of Music Opera Theater follows with Cherubini’s Medea from Nov. 8 to 11. Fans of new music have several events to look forward to. Timothy Beyer’s No Exit will play three world premieres on Sept. 29 and 30 at CSU’s Drinko Hall and Spaces gallery. The Signature Series at Lorain County Community College will host the Hilo Duo on Oct. 10 and Transient Canvas on Nov. 21. And the Cleveland Composers Guild will present a concert of chamber works written by its members on Oct. 15, also in Drinko Hall. Classical guitar aficionados will enjoy hearing recitals by Cecil Refik Kaya (Oct. 14) and Sharon Isbin, making her Cleveland debut with the assistance of Colin Davin (Nov. 4), in the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society series at Plymouth Church. And cello lovers will be interested to know about a recital by Lithuanian cellist David Geringas with CIM’s Callisto Quartet on Oct. 14 at CSU’s Waetjen Auditorium, sponsored by the Cleveland Cello Society. We’ve had to leave many interesting performances off this list, including events scheduled outside greater Cleveland. Check the Concert Listings page at ClevelandClassical.com for a complete schedule.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
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Photo by Roger Mastroianni, Courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra
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THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA is rehearsing for its season opener at Severance Hall — an opera, JanĂĄcek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. The spotlights bear down on the players and singers on stage. Sweat and minor imperfections hang in the air as conductor Franz Welser-MĂśst runs his crew through the paces, asking for more. In some ways it’s an ordinary Friday rehearsal — they’ve even performed this opera before. But this year is different; the orchestra turns 100. “I think there’s more buzz about it being the centennial,â€? says violist Lynne Ramsey, taking a break between rehearsal and a special performance for Cleveland public school students that afternoon. “I feel an excitement. And with going to Europe and Tokyo later in the year, there’s so much to look forward to.â€? The assistant principal viola player has experienced the roller coaster ride of 30 seasons. Three decades in, she’s hopelessly in love with the music and her colleagues, but she’s also here simply because the orchestra still exists. Google the “death of orchestrasâ€? and up pop pages of think-pieces on the slow demise of classical music.
The 21st century hasn’t been kind to symphonies of all levels. Orchestras out of Louisville, Philadelphia, Tampa and San Jose have ďŹ led for bankruptcy in the past decade; others have simply folded altogether. Yet Cleveland has survived, and thrived, where others have not. The Cleveland Orchestra was once a part of the Big Five, a classiďŹ cation which included the more established New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra. This was the 1950s, when music director George Szell, a tyrannical perfectionist, worked to make his orchestra second to none. And while this outdated distinction is basically now a historical marker, the Cleveland Orchestra’s goals have never dipped. In 2008, Gramophone, a leading classical music publication, ranked Cleveland No. 7 in the world and No. 2 in America, behind the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Around the world, critics continued to pile on heaps of praise. The New York Times admitted in a 2015 concert review that, “right now the Cleveland Orchestra may be, as some have argued, the ďŹ nest in America.â€?
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Photo by Roger Mastroianni, Courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra
And like Ramsey, who as a young girl listened to the orchestra’s recordings and dreamed of joining the group, young musicians are still graduating from places like the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music, pining for a spot with the Cleveland Orchestra. Yet somehow, with all of these accolades, the orchestra’s current musicians do not regard themselves as the best. “We’re always trying to figure out how to make it better,” Ramsey says. “And when you do that, then you don’t think you’re the greatest in the world. Somehow it’s never good enough.” That bit of mental motivation aside, she admits to moments of what can only be described as pure divinity playing with the orchestra. “My vision is that everybody will want to come to Severance to listen to concerts, to soothe their own souls,” Ramsey says. “The older I get, the more important I think it is to use music as a vehicle for us to come together. It can bind us.” In her basement office at
Severance Hall, archivist Andria Hoy is helping document how the Cleveland Orchestra has done just that, helping to preserve the orchestra’s traditions and treasures dating back to 1900. One of the most salient points she relates is that the musical prowess of the group wouldn’t matter if no one came to hear it. “It’s better to have people in the seats than the bottom line. We want people to experience the Cleveland Orchestra,” Hoy says. “That’s the main goal, to expose them to the orchestra.” An evolutionary viewpoint on what the orchestra can be to the city and its fans has changed how and where listeners get exposed to the music. Part of that is simply about survival: Orchestras around the world have had to adapt and adjust, upping their repertoire, adding cheaper concert options and engaging in community outreach, an area in which Cleveland has excelled. The organization reports that 300,000 people experience one of its concerts annually. This includes those breezy Blossom Music Center performances and Happy Dog ensemble nights, but
also the classical repertoire at their permanent home at Severance Hall. Hoy says the goal is for all people to see the orchestra and, in turn, to have them give back later down the line. Every contribution helps. Compared to the other Big Five cities, Cleveland is shrinking when it comes to population. In order to make a profit, the orchestra relies on major donations and also its residencies in places like Vienna and Miami. But it’s a dance they do willingly. “We travel around the world and people know two things about Cleveland: LeBron James and the
orchestra,” Hoy says. The orchestra has always been an ambassador for Cleveland, she says. And in turn, Clevelanders have always taken great pride in the orchestra. They take care of one another. “This isn’t like the Browns. We’re not going to pick up in the middle of the night and go be another city’s orchestra,” Hoy says. “That wouldn’t even be possible.”
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THERE’S MUCH MORE TO THE choral music scene in Cleveland than the annual spate of holidaythemed concerts and sing-alongs. Cleveland boasts a remarkable array of choral groups led by amateurs and Ivy League scholars who perform everything from medieval canons to cutting-edge works by local composers. The Cleveland Chamber Choir has included at least one living composer in each of its programs since it began giving concerts two years ago. Upcoming concerts on Nov. 11 and 12 at Lakewood UMC and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, respectively, will include music by Cleveland composer Andrew Rindeisch. The group previously collaborated with Rindeisch on its debut concert in 2015. Since then, music director Scott MacPherson has made a point of programming works that run the gamut from Renaissance motets to brand-new compositions, often by local composers. The West Shore Chorale is offering a free, traditional program titled, “Hymns, Folksongs and Spiritualsâ€? at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at St. Mel Catholic Church. The program will include classic spiritual arrangements by Moses Hogan and Alice Parker. Secular selections will span the American folk tradition from Stephen Foster all the way to ’70s folk-rocker Carly Simon. At 4 p.m. on Oct. 29, Quire Cleveland will reprise its program, “Wondrous Rounds and Canonsâ€? at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron. The popular program showcases the enormous variety of expression composers from William Byrd to Johannes Brahms have teased out of a seemingly trivial musical form. Closer to home, Quire will perform an evening of music by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell at Lake Erie College on Oct. 5. Artistic director and renowned early music scholar Ross W. DufďŹ n will lead both concerts in mostly a cappella selections. For the occasional organ accompaniment, Quire will welcome back its ďŹ rst music director, Peter Bennett. Cleveland’s Baroque orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, is turning 25 years old this year. The orchestra and its choral offshoot, Apollo’s Singers, will perform
several times this October at venues in Akron, Shaker Heights, Beachwood, Avon Lake and elsewhere. On Oct. 12 to 15, the chorus and orchestra will be joined by four soloists for a performance of George Friedrich Handel’s oratorio, “Israel in Egypt.� Rabbi Roger Klein of Temple-Tifereth Israel will give a pre-concert lecture at each performance on the story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. The Friday and Saturday performances will be followed by a Q&A and a chance to mingle with Apollo’s Fire musicians, all while munching on Middle Eastern baklava and sipping sparkling cider. A Sunday brunch sneak preview of the program will take place at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights on Oct. 8 at 12:30 p.m. Apollo’s Fire is also launching its new Community Access Initiative this fall. The program includes free tickets for students the day of a performance, and a limited supply of $12 Presto Seats that go on sale three weeks before a given concert date. From Nov. 9 to 12, a pared down Apollo’s Fire will accompany tenor Nicholas Phan in four performances of a program called “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.� A consort of strings and lutes will join Phan for classic songs by John Dowland, Thomas Morley and Henry Purcell. Lutenist Daniel Shoskes will give a pre-concert talk one hour before each concert. The free post-concert event following the Friday concert will complement the evening’s theme with English pub treats like cider, ale and tarts. And, as usual, there will be a chance to meet and greet the talented musicians of Apollo’s Fire. After November, the vast majority of choral concerts look ahead to the holiday season. Choral Arts Cleveland will perform works by Heinrich Schutz and John Rutter at Disciples Christian Church on Sunday, Dec. 17. The North Coast Men’s Chorus dons its gay apparel two weeks earlier with “Under the Mistletoe� in the Hanna Theatre at Playhouse Square. There will be a matinee and evening performance on Saturday, Dec. 2, and then another matinee on Sunday.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
Photo by Jerry Birchfield
“Constant As The Sun,” by Liz Maugans
WEARING THE CREATIVE TIARA What it’s really like to be a working visual artist in Cleveland By Dott von Schneider LET’S BE FRANK: NOBODY outside of the visual arts field has a real grasp on what it is like to be a professional artist. But let’s begin here: They have expenses like everyone else. They begin at 5 a.m., before their day job, after their day job, or in the evening; sometimes it’s not until 1 a.m. that artists show up and begin to work. This work will include, but is not limited to, examining the progress of pieces fabricated the day prior; administration, such as inventory, bills, invoicing and checking email; and looking into exhibition opportunities, residencies and grants. They are not sitting in their studios wistfully imagining magical things. In other words, it is not the glamorous life that folks are led to believe. It can be cutthroat and downright discouraging, especially when it comes to getting your work out there. And we haven’t even touched on chasing down payments for work from clients and venues. “Exposure” is the filthiest of words ever uttered to a working,
producing artist. Think about it this way: You wouldn’t ask your dentist to fix your teeth in exchange for exposure. Fundraisers run by businesses, charities and even arts organizations are at the forefront of offering up this little brown nugget. “You’re just driving down my prices,” says painter Arabella Proffer. “Someone gets a painting of yours at an auction and they get it for a steal at $100; that’s not exposure. They aren’t going to go to a gallery show and pay $3,000 for a big painting. They will want that auction price again. So the logic doesn’t work. I’m tired of benefit committees treating visual artists like their own personal cookie jar.” In order for an artist’s donation to be tax deductible, the organization has to be recognized by the IRS. Tax benefits for artists, meanwhile, are pretty much zip. Artists are only entitled to deduct the costs of materials, but they must deduct the costs of all the supplies in the year they incur them. This is where offering a percentage
will drive more artists to consider donating to a cause. “When you don’t let the artist have a percentage back, you are getting inferior work. You’re getting the work that they are taking a loss on and that they don’t care about very much,” Proffer continues, “You (the organization) just got a $300 piece out of me. I’m better off just donating cash money to the fundraiser. It would be more fun to just buy the tickets to the thing and get the full shebang rather than being treated as a second class citizen.” It was disconcerting to learn, when we spoke with experimental filmmaker Robert C. Banks, that he gets approached more often than not to show his work or be involved in some sort of event only to be offered little pay or none at all. Banks was the honored guest in London at the BBC British Short Film Festival, has had his films shown at Sundance, SXSW, and International Film Festival Rotterdam, and has also been
named Filmmaker of the Year at the Midwest Filmmaker’s Conference. Clearly, this is not an artist who needs your organization’s exposure. Finding the right work environment can also be a challenge. Even lay people know that the studio is mecca. It is the holiest of holies. It is where the intangible becomes physical. It is the workable space, within which the artist can do their job. Natural lighting is paramount and, whether it be fine art or commercial work, when an artist finds the perfect place to create, then everything flows as it should — unless you are dealing with a landlord who has decided otherwise. Such is the current situation for photographer Steve Mastroianni, whom we spotlighted back in July. Since then, he has received an award from the Slavic Village Development Corporation for being a new and exciting business addition to the neighborhood, as well as a citation from the Cleveland City Council for the same. Mastroianni,
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
within her experiences working as a photographer for NASA, and incorporates concepts inspired by birth and rearing. “Since who has been vying for a long-term pregnancy, I have received lease since finding his storefront comments, opinions, restrictions, on Fleet Avenue in December, is and glances about what I should, interested in keeping his business could, or won’t be able to do as an in the neighborhood indefi nitely. artist with a child. Once the child “He (the landlord) comes in with is born, there are many spaces his business partner and starts that exclude or do not create talking about the best use of this space/opportunities for children space and my heart is sinking,” to be present, therefore excluding the artist tells Scene. “He’s talking mothers or parents.” about how the Residencies energy is good are not the and so-and-so only outlets wants to open up for expression. a coffee shop here Individual artist and this would grants are be a great fit important to the for them. I can’t creative process believe my ears.” as well. However, This is the first not every that the artist has artist creates heard of any such communitything happening based or public in his space. The work. These landlord and grants are his partner tell going extinct in him that they this city, thus are renovating digging a grave the second floor, for the fine arts Liz Maugans which used to be it so claims to a showroom with love. huge windows, and would like to “We cannot ignore artists that relocate the studio upstairs. “The are not being represented because windows are little. They are no they make things where they live good. You don’t understand, I have and exist as artists; we need to these big north-facing windows, it help and support everyone. We was the selling point to me for the need to be better advocates for the space.” (Mastroianni is working cool stuff we are all doing and we with his landlord to keep his need to do it collectively,” says Liz current studio space, as of this Maugans, who has been on the article’s release.) forefront of this and other artist The arts community does issues. She adds, “Artists need not tout itself as a group that to come out and be vocal about cultivates inequity, but it happens our own sector and what we do. more than anyone wants to admit. We need to get out of our studios And, surprisingly, residency and our artist silos and network programs can be incubators with each other, with our larger for discriminatory practices. community and with our policy The purpose behind residency makers.” programs is to foster thinking and We concur with Maugans in that creative work outside of the artist’s regard, as well as on the following normal routines and distractions, statement she provided, regarding in order to home in on a particular being an artist in Cleveland: “We project. It is important to the career cannot moan and groan about our trajectory. Becoming a parent situations and not take some sort of should not have bearing on being action. We need to stop expecting accepted into a residency program. support (from CAC, OAC, NEA etc.) And yet … because it may not be there and it “Becoming and being a shouldn’t control our expectations mama has been a positive and and the outcomes we want. existential awakening and Coming together, with strength has impacted my art practice,” and numbers, is the only way we says artist Michelle Murphy, can bridge these divides and feel whose performative artwork has represented. I think it is possible.” bolstered an impressive resume. Her latest series, Origins & scene@clevescene.com Explorations, recalls aesthetics @clevelandscene
“We cannot ignore artists that are not being represented because they make things where they live and exist as artists; we need to help and support everyone.” —
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A FEAST FOR THE EYES Art exhibitions and events you should not miss during this busy fall season FROM GALLERY SHOWS AND museum exhibitions to special events and fundraisers, the local art community’s fall schedule includes dozens of highly anticipated events. Below, you’ll find some of the events we’re most looking forward to; check out the Get Out section in every issue for info on even more events than we could cover here. This fall includes several new solo shows by some of Cleveland’s most esteemed artists. At the end of October, Dana Oldfather’s Candyland and Mark Keffer’s Dark Pronoun open with a reception at the Galleries at Cleveland State University on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. (A gallery talk begins at 4 p.m.) In November, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve debuts Cuban-born Augusto Bordelois’ Visual Emotions, The Way I Remember You with a reception on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Hedge Gallery presents new drawings, paintings and prints by David King and Dante Rodriguez opening as part of November’s Third Friday at 78th Street Studios on Friday, Nov. 17, from 5 to 9 p.m. The Galleries at CSU, 1307 Euclid Ave., 216-687-2103, csuohio.edu/artgallery. Hedge Gallery, 1300 West 78th St., Suite 200, 216-650-4201, hedgeartgallery.com. Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, 1834 East 123rd St., 216-721-9020, artistsarchives.org. As usual, fall also includes numerous fundraisers for local arts nonprofits. The Morgan Conservatory celebrates its 10-year anniversary and its founder Tom Balbo on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Spaces honors its neighbors and Transformer Station founders Fred and Laura Bidwell at its Wonderland-themed benefit on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. Meanwhile, CLE Urban Winery hosts Graffiti HeArt’s second annual Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 11 p.m. Ticket prices vary. More information is on the organizations’ websites. Morgan Conservatory, 1754 East 47th St., 216-361-9255, morganconservatory.org. Spaces, 2900 Detroit Ave.,
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Photo by Jerry Birchfield
By Josh Usmani
Dan Tranberg painting in his hospital room shortly before his death
Founded on Oberlin’s campus in 1917, the Allen Memorial Art Museum is celebrating its 100th anniversary with special events and exhibitions beginning this fall and continuing throughout the academic year. AMAM hosts a Centennial Symposium on Saturday, Oct. 7. The daylong event includes presentations on the importance of academic museums from museum directors and curators, as well as Oberlin alumni and emeritus professors, including keynote speaker Stephan Jost, a former AMAM curator who is now director of the Art Gallery of Ontario. For a complete list of centennial exhibitions, events and programming, see the website. Allen Memorial Art Museum, 87 North Main St., Oberlin, 440-775-8665, oberlin.edu/allenart.
For the third year, James Levin’s FireFish Festival transforms downtown Lorain into an engaging venue for art installations, performances and live music. This year’s festival expands to two days: Friday, Oct. 6, from 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 11 p.m. FireFish is known for its unique performances and installations in unexpected places, as well as its fiery finale: a percussion parade culminating in the burning of the ceremonial fish. Storefronts and vacant buildings are transformed into pop-up art galleries showcasing local artists, while music and performances take place on the main stage, as well as balconies, alleys, empty storefronts, fire escapes and more. This year, organizers promise to transform Broadway Avenue itself into an interactive artwork, featuring a video installation on Lorain’s old post office. FireFish Festival, 617 Broadway Ave., Lorain, firefishfestival.com.
Loftworks Gallery showcases artwork by the International Society of Caricature Artists this season. Featuring an extensive collection of cartoon rock icons, Sketchbook Heroes: Caricatures of Rock Legends includes the works of 16 artists who have created art for clients such as Time Magazine, Mad Magazine, Cartoon Network, Sports Illustrated Kids, “Family Guy” and more. The exhibition opens with a reception on Friday, Oct. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., and remains on view through Oct. 22. Loftworks Gallery, East 40th St. #1A, 440-479-9441, loftworksgallery.com.
In honor of the five-year anniversary of the opening of its Farshid Moussavi-designed building, and as a kickoff for the fall 2017 exhibitions, MOCA Cleveland is hosting a free community day from noon to midnight on Saturday, Oct. 7. The day includes family-friendly activities, panel discussions with MOCA Cleveland’s senior curator Andria Hickey and featured artists from MOCA Cleveland’s new fall 2017 exhibitions, which guests can explore throughout the day. Additionally, WRUW Studio-A-Rama presents live music every hour from 2 p.m. to midnight in Toby’s Plaza, headlined
216-621-2314, spacesgallery.org. CLE Urban Winery, 2180 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-417-8313, cleurbanwinery.com.
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
at 10:30 p.m. by Sweet Spirit with special guests New Bomb Turks and This Moment in Black History. Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern hosts the midnight afterparty. Fall 2017 exhibitions include the first U.S. museum solo show by British artist Phil Collins (not the musician) and A Poet*hical Wager, a group exhibition of contemporary abstract artists from around the world who use abstraction to convey complex feelings and concepts that can’t be portrayed through representational imagery. MOCA Cleveland, 11400 Euclid Ave., 216-421-8671, mocacleveland.org. A beloved member of Cleveland’s art community, local artist, writer and lecturer Dan Tranberg passed away at the end of May. After hosting an auction of artwork by Tranberg’s friends to fund a new Cleveland Institute of Art memorial scholarship in his name, Bonfoey Gallery presents Dan Tranberg: Final Works, an exhibition of paintings from the artists’ last two years, many of which were created in the hospital during his final days battling cancer. The exhibition opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, and remains on view through Nov. 18. Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Ave., 216-621-0178, bonfoey.com. Finally, start Halloween weekend early with a release party for Sandwich Anarchy, a book showcasing more than 200 of local illustrator John G.’s sandwich posters created for Melt Bar & Grilled over the past 10 years. Melt’s Independence location hosts a release party from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. Although the book will be available through local bookstores, online and at all Melt locations starting on Halloween, guests can grab one of the first copies in person that day and John G. will be on hand to sign them. For more information and to preorder the book, visit 1984publishing.com. Melt Independence, 6700 Rockside Rd., 216-520-1415, meltbarandgrilled.com.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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Photo courtesy of Sixth City Sounds
Ray Flanagan performs on an RTA train earlier this summer.
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SEVERAL DOZEN PEOPLE MINGLE at Happy Dog at Euclid Tavern on a recent evening, clinking bottles of Great Lakes and trading stories about the prior weekend’s shows. The occasion? Sixth City Sounds’ first “Mixing Session,” an informal meetand-greet for musicians and artists in Cleveland. That debut event also served as an introduction to the new organization. Formed earlier this summer by members of Cleveland’s music scene — Chayla Hope, Teddy Eisenberg and Jeanette Sangston — Sixth City Sounds is trying to answer a wellworn question: How can we place a stronger spotlight on local music? Entreaties to “shop local,” “eat local” and “drink local” have been roundly embraced, but getting people to “listen local” remains a challenge. Hope, longtime singer of Seafair, points out that music can and should be viewed on some level as an opportunity for economic development. Good bands command a rabid audience, and local shows can turn bars and clubs into gravitational centers for Cleveland’s neighborhoods. But outside of clever civic branding campaigns, Cleveland is more prone to shun its musicians and artists. Noise ordinances and antibusking policies have discouraged the entrepreneurial spirit in many cases; often, the only way to pick up any steam as an artist in Cleveland is through pure word-of-mouth and social media. That’s where Sixth City Sounds comes in: The group wants to bring musicians and their audiences closer and, hopefully, perk up the ears of our city leaders. There are so many good bands that it’ll make a listener’s head spin. “That’s one of the things that we’re trying to scream from the rooftops
right now,” Hope says. The trifecta, as Sixth City sees it, involves businesses, artists and public entities like RTA or the city itself. The right blend of zoning policy, commercial growth and creativity can turn an open-mic night into a scene. And Cleveland already lays claim to an incredibly rich tapestry of musicians. “It is something that adds to what makes Cleveland unique,” Eisenberg says. Sixth City has rolled out a couple of major initiatives so far. First, Sixth City is providing some local businesses with CLE Music Shelves, which will display three local records for purchase at stores like Coquette Patisserie and CLE Urban Winery. The bands being featured right now are FreshProduce, Ma Holos and the Ohio Weather Band. Then there are the RTA Summer Jam Sessions, which continue through November. The idea is to take the music to the people, Sangston says. These pop-up shows take place on trains or buses and in shelters. After a successful debut outing, featuring volunteer musicians like Ray Flanagan and Rachel Shortt, Sixth City hopes to fund the project and pay musicians who perform. (You can watch videos of those performances at sixthcitysounds.org.) It’s a blend of those ingredients that will foster a sense of musical and creative place. And, the Sixth City folks point out, it can only happen when we tune in together. “We feel that Cleveland works best when we all have a seat at the table,” Sangston says.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
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Chagrin Documentary Film Fest is solidifying itself as a regional gem By Sam Allard THE EIGHTH ANNUAL CHAGRIN Documentary Film Fest arrives in Chagrin Falls Oct. 4 through 8, and event organizers are anticipating their biggest turnout to date. With 80 ďŹ lms on tap that span the globe and tell unique, compelling stories about social, political, and environmental issues — including several locally made ďŹ lms — the festival continues to solidify itself as a regional gem with broad appeal. And scheduled as it is, exactly halfway between last year’s Cleveland International Film Festival and next year’s, the Chagrin Doc Film Fest remains the perfect narcotic for ďŹ lm addicts in need of an autumn hit — or simply for lovers of Chagrin Falls, the deep-suburban village 35 minutes southeast of downtown. As in past years, the 2017 ďŹ lm fest will take place at venues across the village, including the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, the Township Hall and on multiple screens at Chagrin Cinemas. In addition to the opening night ďŹ lm, Knife Skills, about the creation of Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute, we’re also looking forward to the following:
Blimp! Sports, Broadcasting and the Goodyear Airship Sat., Oct. 7, 10:30 a.m. (Director Kathleen Endres is scheduled to appear.) 44 Pages A portrait of Highlights Magazine, and an exploration of “the state of childhood, technology and education.� Sun., Oct. 8, noon (Producer
Rebecca Green scheduled to appear.)
STOCKER ARTS CENTER The Queen’s Cartoonists “Music from Classic Cartoons�
Cold Warriors A story about a handful of young Hungarian-Americans from a small town in Pennsylvania ready to ďŹ ght for freedom at the height of the Cold War, who return to their town to revisit their childhood dreams. Fri., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m. We’re also pleased to report that this year, for the ďŹ rst time, the fest will include mockumentary ďŹ lms, including a feature-length ďŹ lm called Black Cat, (Oct. 6, 8:45 p.m.), about the making of a true-crime documentary. An “All Fest Pass,â€? good for entry to every ďŹ lm at the festival, costs $80. For $350, though, you can get two all-access “Directorâ€? lanyards, two tickets to both the opening reception and the “A-Listerâ€? party, and priority access to all ďŹ lms and festival panels. (This is a pretty sweet gift for the ďŹ lm buff in your life.) Founded in 2010 to honor Chagrin Falls High School alumnus David Ponce, who died of leukemia at age 20, the festival remains family friendly and is intended, in part, to nurture talented young ďŹ lmmakers everywhere. Last year, the fest’s audience exceeded 10,000 and shows no sign of slowing down. The full festival schedule, and other information, is available at chagrinďŹ lmfest.org.
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
37
Courtesy Lit Cleveland
WORD POWER Literary Cleveland wants to foster the city’s writing talent and put it on center stage By Brett Zelman A ONE-DAY EVENT CALLED Cleveland Inkubator back in August 2015, organized by 15 advisors in the literary world, eventually gave birth to Literary Cleveland. The nonprofit organization whose mission is to help writers with their work now boasts 300 members, an office, and a fulltime executive director in Lee Chilcote. Just last year, Lit Cleveland had over 1,600 registrants for their classes and programs; that number is expected to grow to more than 2,000 this year. “If you look at Cleveland, we have a great arts scene for a city of our size,” says Chilcote. “The theater community, the visual arts community, they’re both really well known. And even though we have a great literary community, it’s not as well known. We knew there was a need for programs; we just didn’t know how big the need was. So we did the Inkubator, 300 people showed up, and that was the moment that we said, ‘Let’s do this.’” Once the decision was made, organizers put out a call for founding members and donations. Nearly 200 people came through. Since then, Lit Cleveland has focused on building a sustainable literary community. “We essentially tried to build the organization to best serve that community need, so we spent the last two years in startup mode — doing everything from piloting classes and workshops, surveying the community to identify their needs, putting together a series of networking events that help writers build a community, organizing a reading series at the Happy Dog: That was all in our first year. This year we’ve continued those programs, strengthened them and added some new ones,” says Chilicote. The organization has also expanded the Inkubator from one to five days, and introduced a neighborhood
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
writing program in Buckeye/Shaker. In August, Lit Cleveland launched a national online literary magazine, the Gordon Square Review. The magazine will focus on Northeast Ohio writers, with the intention to publish twice a year. Submissions are now being accepted for the inaugural issue, which will come out in the beginning of November and will coincide with a launch party on Thursday, Nov. 9. “We want to create a sustainably funded online lit magazine in Northeast Ohio, but one that’s also high quality and durable,” Chilcote says. “Some of these pop up and last for a year and then they’re gone; we want this one to stick around.” They’ve received over 300 submissions since launching on Aug. 1. One of the big components of Literary Cleveland is member feedback. Through surveys and questionnaires, they’re constantly checking in with members to realize their needs. “Right now, we can put a stake in the ground and say, ‘Cleveland’s theater scene is amazing, only second to New York,’ and they can legitimately say that because … there’s a knowledge about what happens in the theater community,” he says. “The literary community, however … people don’t know that much about it. We’re just starting to realize the assets we have here. Let’s celebrate the assets we have, let’s grow them, and let’s make Cleveland known as a literary destination — a place where writers can thrive, a book lover can know where to find the cool events around town. And maybe longterm, 10 years from now, Cleveland is known as a place that really supports writers and a strong writing community.”
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
Fall Fashion!
UPDATE YOUR CLOSET FOR FALL Wearable Trends To Enhance Your Everyday Style By Jasmine Woolfork Photography by Kailey Marie Photography WITH THE CHANGE OF SEASONS AND THE OFFICIAL START OF FALL, it’s time to pack up your summer wardrobe and pull the heavy layers out of storage. Dressing for fall in Cleveland can be a challenge, as we may experience summer-like heat to chilly fall temperatures on any given day. I’ve highlighted some of the most wearable trends from Fall 2017’s runways to help you refresh your closet. Designer collections have re-introduced heavy textures, vibrant prints, and bold warm tones for fall. If you love color, the head to toe color trend is just for you! Try a monochromatic look in a deep red or purple hue. Another bold statement for fall is the structured, oversized, blazer. Blazers are no longer strictly for the ofďŹ ce. Style your oversized blazer with a graphic tee, jeans, and boots for a more modern twist. As for your autumnal footwear, novelty boot styles have taken the streets by storm. Embroidered details, white boots, and the sock bootie are all edgy and unique styles that will add some character to your footwear collection. By adding a splash of color, a fun layering piece, or a statement shoe, you’ve updated your fall look with ease.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
39
CLEVELAND SCENE MAGAZINE PRESENTS
CLEVELAND’S PREMIERE WHISKEY EVENT
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We Salute You! 40
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Sample from dozens of whiskeys, scotches and bourbons and FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE FRI, NovEMBER 10, 2017 7:00-11:00PM 2400 Superior Ave. E. Cleveland, OH 44114
everything you should do this week
GET OUT
Photo by Danny Clinch
WED
09/27
ART
Duos of Dissent Given the current socio-political climate, it seems like a perfect time for a show titled Art of Dissent. Hosted by the Shaker Community Gallery, Art of Dissent remains on view through Oct. 7. This group exhibition showcases the work of Cleveland-based artists known for expressing their dissatisfaction with the status quo and current issues such as economic inequalities, polarizing politics and an abusive culture. Participating artists include Laura and Gary Dumm, Liz Maugans and Michelangelo Lovelace. In conjunction with the show, the Shaker Community Gallery hosts several community forums this month. Tonight at 7, the gallery hosts a discussion titled Duos of Dissent. It features two sets of spouses who also work together: poets, educators and literary consultants Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger and Art of Dissent participating artists Laura and Gary Dumm. It’s free. (Josh Usmani) 3445 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights, 216-926-8842, shakercommunitygallery. wordpress.com. FILM
Happy Hour Classic Film Series The locally owned and operated Capitol Theatre, in the Gordon Square Arts District, regularly presents special screenings of cult classics and oddball flicks that don’t receive wide distribution. That includes the Happy Hour Classic Film series, a monthly screening of a classic film that kicks off with a happy hour cocktail party in the lobby. The parties start at 6 p.m., and the movies screen at 7. Tonight’s edition features Heathers, the classic black comedy from 1989 that stars Winona Ryder as a high-school girl who falls for the mysterious new boy (Christian Slater) who has just transferred to her school. Tickets are $10. (Jeff Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.
The Capitol Theatre shows the concert film Pearl Jam: Let’s Play Two. See: Tuesday.
a partnership to help Karamu House establish a new public space to archive and showcase valuable memorabilia related to African American theater history, as well as neighborhood and Cleveland history. As part of this new initiative, the organizations plan to scan, digitize and preserve Karamu’s storehouse of historic items, artifacts and photos collected over the theater’s 102-year history. Tonight at 6 p.m., the Women’s Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art hosts its annual evening program in the Gartner Auditorium. In Conversation About Community Engagement and CMA features a discussion between Tony Sias, president and CEO of Karamu House, and Cyra Levenson, director of education and academic affairs at the CMA. Sias and Levenson will discuss their conservation plans and the historical importance of this project and Karamu House itself. Admission is free. (Usmani) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
SPOKEN WORD
In Conversation About Community Engagement and CMA The Cleveland Museum of Art and Karamu House recently announced
SPORTS
Indians versus Minnesota Twins At the start of the season, it looked as if this series against the Twins
would have a huge impact on who would win the division title. But after going on a 22-game win streak that ended earlier this month, the Indians clinched the division. Of course, there’s still the issue of securing home field advantage, so the Tribe still has a reason to win tonight’s game. First pitch is at 7:10. Tickets start at $13, and the two teams face off again tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. (Niesel) 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, clevelandindians.com. SPOKEN WORD
John Cleese and the Holy Grail Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a 1975 film that parodies the Arthurian legend, remains one of the greatest spoofs of all time. Tonight at 7:30 at the State Theatre, John Cleese, of the Monty Python troupe who starred in the movie, revisits the story in what’s billed as “a live and truly unforgettable evening of conversation and audience Q&A.” Before the live portion of the program, Monty Python and the Holy Grail will screen in its entirety on the big screen. Tickets start at $59. (Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
FOOD
Walnut Wednesday Walnut Wednesday, one of summer’s great traditions, comes to an end this week. But you still have one more chance to take part. Today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Perk Plaza at Chester Commons — at East 12th and Walnut streets — the food trucks gather to serve up lunch to area residents and employees. As always, admission is free, but the food will cost you. (Niesel) downtowncleveland.com.
THU
09/28
FILM
Black Sabbath: The End of the End One of rock’s heaviest and most influential bands, Black Sabbath finally called it quits after a decadelong run. The new documentary film, Black Sabbath: The End of the End, chronicles the last show in the band’s final tour. After nearly 50 years together, the Birmingham band took to the stage for the last time in its hometown, this past February, and played a sold-out show featuring its biggest hits. The film, which includes studio performances and individual and
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
41
GET OUT
FRI
09/29
FILM
group recollections, screens tonight at 7:30 at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are $15. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com. MUSIC
Punch Brothers A bluegrass ensemble fronted by talented mandolin player Chris Thile, the Punch Brothers will open the 2017-18 Artist Recital Series at Oberlin tonight with an 8 p.m. performance in Finney Chapel. Since 2013, Punch Brothers, a group that also includes Oberlin graduate Chris Eldridge on guitar, has been in residence at Oberlin in the conservatory’s American Roots residency program, which actorcomedian Ed Helms, a 1996 Oberlin College graduate, established. The group has conducted master classes and performances. It has also held listening parties and off-the-cuff jam sessions on campus. Tickets for the concert cost $35 ($30 for seniors, members of the military, and Oberlin faculty, staff, and alumni, and $10 for all students). An Oberlin tradition since 1878, the Artist Recital Series is one of the oldest continuing concert series in the United States. Since its inception, more than 1,000 of the world’s most accomplished musicians, conductors, orchestras and chamber ensembles have performed at historic Finney Chapel as part of the series. (Niesel) 90 North Professor St., Oberlin, 440-775-8269, oberlin.edu/conservatory.
The Day He Arrives As a complement to a special exhibition of South Korean painted screens, the Cleveland Museum of Art is screening several South Korean movies this month. The Day He Arrives, tonight’s film, centers on a film professor who can’t escape a loop of repetitive events. The movie
2-for-1 admission in Oct.
film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame focuses on Quasimodo, a deformed bell-ringer living in 15th-century Paris. Despite his appearance, he falls for Esmeralda, a beautiful gypsy. The story follows his attempts to save her from a suitor who doesn’t have her best interests in mind. The Great Lakes Theater production of the play opens tonight at 7:30 at the Hanna Theatre, on Playhouse Square, where it runs through Nov. 4. Tickets are $15 to
Haven’t experienced the Power of Rock? Still need to see 2017 Inductee spotlights like Pearl Jam and Tupac? NOW is the time! This OCTOBER ONLY, get your butt over to the Rock Hall Box Office and grab 2 tix to tour for the price of 1!
THEATER
Martin Luther on Trial In the new original play Martin Luther on Trial, the German professor of theology winds up on trial in the afterlife, while his wife Katie defends him as witnesses such as Adolf Hitler, Sigmund Freud, Rabbi Josel, St. Paul, Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope Francis take the stand. Some 500 years since the guy launched the Protestant Revolt, he continues to cause controversy. Performances take place at 8 tonight and 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Ohio Theatre. Tickets are $41.50 to $91.50. (Niesel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. FAMILY FUN
SHOPPING
42
Photo by Henry Diltz
VNTG Fest: A Night of Seasonal Flavors, Fun and Vintage Furniture Earlier this year, VNTG Home opened a 25,000-square-foot retail space in Tyler Village that offers shoppers an “unforgettable treasure hunt” filled with more than 10,000 one-of-a-kind pieces of vintage furniture, art and home decor items. Upcycling experts on site can also paint or re-upholster your furniture or any furniture you buy at the store. Tonight’s VNTG Fest: A Night of Seasonal Flavors, Fun and Vintage Furniture will feature music, drinks, light refreshments and deals including special promotions like “buy one, get one free” on select products. It takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. (Niesel) 1453 East 36th St., vntghome.com.
ball club. The team has called up some of its top farm talent to get some much-needed experience. The White Sox have had a disastrous season, but the team picked up some good young players at the trading deadline. Expect to see the team’s future stars at tonight’s game. It begins at 7:10 at Progressive Field, where the two teams play again tomorrow and Sunday. Tickets start at $13. (Niesel) 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, clevelandindians.com.
Must present valid ID at Box Office with ZIP code beginning in 440, 441, 442 or 443. One offer per ID presented. Valid only for adult general admission tickets. Not valid for special events. Subject to availability. Not valid with any other discount or promotional offer. Not valid towards the purchase of a two-day pass. Offer valid October 1st through October 31st, 2017.
1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard | rockhall.com/visit screens at 6:45 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Admission is $11, or $8 for CMA members. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
$80 and are available by phone or online. (Niesel) 2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
BEER SPORTS
THEATER
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Based on the Victor Hugo novel and featuring songs from the Disney
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Night Market Cleveland Taking place on the last Friday of each month during the warmer weather, Night Market Cleveland is part farmers market, part art/ makers’ market, part concert series and part food festival. Occurring only four times a year, the market includes more than 200 retail and food vendors and 40 bands and performers. Located on Rockwell Avenue near the heart of Cleveland’s Asiatown district, Night Market Cleveland was inspired by a tradition in several Asian cultures, and designed to connect the diverse people of Cleveland’s Asiatown, St. Clair Superior and Campus districts while “energizing an oftenoverlooked corner of Cleveland.” Don’t miss the last Night Market of the year tonight from 5 to 11 p.m. . As always, Night Market Cleveland is family and pet friendly, free and open to the public. (Usmani) East 21st Street and Rockwell Avenue, nightmarketcle.com.
Indians versus Chicago White Sox At this point in the season, going up against the Chicago White Sox is like playing against a AAA
Samuel Adams OctoberFest Samuel Adams’ first-ever OctoberFest event in Cleveland takes place today from 4 to 10 p.m. and tomorrow from 3 to 10 p.m.
in Voinovich Bicentennial Park. Patrons can sample more than 25 beer styles while listening to music from acts such as Cory Harper, Strumbellas, City of the Son and Kongos. There will be lawn games, a hops slide and photo booth as well as a series of the ultimate “everyman” athletic competitions. The five top male and top female Stein Hoisters will win a trip for two to compete in the finals in Boston. Tickets are $30, or $55 for VIP. Details are on the website. (Niesel) samueladams.com/octoberfest/ cleveland.
SAT
09/30
ART
A Tribute to Dan Tranberg A highly esteemed member of Cleveland’s art community, local artist, writer and lecturer Dan Tranberg passed away at the end of May. As a tribute to Tranberg, his family, friends and peers from the Cleveland Institute of Art and Bonfoey Gallery will host a silent auction to benefit a new Dan Tranberg Memorial Scholarship Fund. The event takes place at Bonfoey from 6 to 9 tonight. The auction features a wide variety of work, such as painting, photography, prints, ceramics and mixed media. Visit Dantranberg.com
A rolling world premiere with Rainbow Theatre Project, Washington DC
10/01
SPORTS
Browns versus Cincinnati Bengals Given that the Browns and Bengals have both started the season with two losses, there’s reason to hope that the Browns can eke out a win against their Ohio-based rivals. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has really struggled in the team’s first games, posting a cumulative rating of 47.2, so the tough Browns defense should be able to capitalize on his tendency to make mistakes. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium. Tickets start at $50. (Niesel) 100 Alfred Lerner Way, 440-891-5000, clevelandbrowns.com.
OPENING FRI, OCT 13
RUNNING THURS-SAT THRU NOV 4 The play takes place in a large walk-in closet where we find Old Man, Middle-Aged Man, and Young Man. Each is in the closet for vastly different reasons. Enter 18-year-old John, who frantically runs in immediately following his first gay sexual encounter. As all three men try to convince John to come out of the closet, each has to confront his own humorous, awkward and heartbreaking reasons for being there himself. Directed by Cory Molner and featuring Clyde Simon, Jason Romer, Mike Frye and David Lenahan.
At the Liminis Theater 2438 Scranton Rd., Cleveland 44113 in the historic Tremont neighborhood Fri & Sat General Admission $20 Seniors $15, Students $10 Thurs General Admission $15 Seniors $12, Students $8 Reservations and info at
convergence-continuum.org and 216-687-0074
WHAT WILL CONVINCE THEM TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET?
FUNDRAISER
Full Stop: A Cleveland Print Room Fundraising Event As the Cleveland Print Room approaches its fifth anniversary, the organization is hosting a fundraising benefit inside its home in the ArtCraft Building. Full Stop: A Cleveland Print Room Fundraising Event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. The event honors CPR Advisory Board members Nancy McEntee and Colin McEwen. The program showcases CPR’s offerings, including photograms, tintype portraits and the Print Room’s classic photobooth. The $25 admission includes a guided photogram experience and food catered by Hollyhock Hill. The $150 tickets include a tintype portrait by Cleveland photographer Greg Martin. Tintypes are limited. To reserve your spot, call the CPR. Photobooth strips are $5 each. The Cleveland Print Room celebrates traditional photography and preserves the equipment and processes necessary to produce it. The Cleveland Print Room’s 3,000-square-foot space includes an exhibition space, communal workspace and a large community darkroom. (Usmani) 2550 Superior Ave., 216-401-5981, clevelandprintroom.com.
MUSIC, FIRE, ART
FIREFISHFESTIVAL.COM
OCT 6TH & 7TH
FUNDRAISER
SUN
convergence-continuum presents:
FESTIVAL
The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s The Cleveland Museum of Art’s fall blockbuster, The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s, opens today. Co-organized by the CMA and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Jazz Age is the first major museum exhibition to explore American art and design in the years following World War I, before the Great Depression. During these years, the United States began to emerge as a super power and innovation center for art, architecture, fashion, music, film and interior design. The period marks the beginning of a new era of modernity and innovation, capturing the dynamic American spirit. The Jazz Age remains on view through Jan. 14. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and students, and free for CMA members. Docent-guided tours are available at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, from Oct. 17 to Dec. 31. (Usmani) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
to preview more than 50 artworks available in the silent auction. In addition to the auction, organizers will raffle off Tranberg’s own “Untitled 2015” (Cypher Series). Raffle tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. All proceeds will go directly to the Dan Tranberg Memorial Scholarship Fund. Admission is free. (Usmani) 1710 Euclid Ave., 216-621-0178, bonfoey.com.
5PM - 11PM
2PM - MIDNIGHT
BROADWAY AVENUE AND UNDISCOVERED VENUES IN DOWNTOWN LORAIN
PRESENTED BY:
Foundation
Supported BY:
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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GET OUT FILM
Metropolis The definitive 2002 version of German filmmaker Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent sci-fi classic Metropolis originally screened in 35-mm film with subtitles. The film focuses on the class divide between the rich inhabitants of an aboveground city and the underground laborers who power its massive infrastructure. A forward-thinking robot decides to start a revolt, and conflict ensues. The 2010 restoration of the film screens at 1:30 today and at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday as part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s series featuring silent films from the Jazz Age. Tickets are $10, or $7 for CMA members. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
MON
10/02
NIGHTLIFE
Monday Night Trivia Do you have tons of obscure music knowledge? Are you a student of
fast food menus and their nuanced histories? What say you about the geographic evolution of Scotch whisky? Tonight’s your chance to wow your friends, make yourself instantly more desirable to someone you’re newly dating, and hang with Cleveland’s headiest hipsters and hot dog lovers. It’s the Happy Dog Monday Night Trivia. Starting at 8 p.m., expect themed rounds and general knowledge questions that seem considerably trickier than some of the other live trivia locales in town. Obviously, have a hot dog and a craft brew while you’re at it. And arrive early: tables go fast. (Sam Allard) 5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com. FOOD & DRINK
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 are also on tap. Wing Ding Doodle takes place every Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-937-1938, prosperitysocialclub.com.
TUE
10/03
SPOKEN WORD
The New Exploitation Economy The New Yorker’s Katherine Boo talks about reporting on “families who lack privilege and power” at 4:30 p.m. today in the Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom A. Part of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities lecture series, the talk is free but registration is recommended. (Niesel) 11038 Bellflower Rd., 216-368-5681, humanities.case.edu.
MUSIC
FILM
Classical Revolution Cleveland Showcasing a variety of classical music performers in bars, cafes and the like, Classical Revolution Cleveland helps tear down the wall between great chamber music and the people. The first Tuesday of every month, CRC brings its wide array of chamber music to 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. Tonight’s free, all-ages performance starts at 8. (Patrick Stoops) 11625 Euclid Ave., 216-231-5400, happydogcleveland.com.
Pearl Jam: Let’s Play Two A concert film that chronicles Pearl Jam’s performances at Wrigley Field during the Chicago Cubs historic 2016 season, Let’s Play Two finds frontman Eddie Vedder returning to his hometown to play ’90s hits such as “Ten” and “Alive.” Esteemed director/photographer Danny Clinch made the movie, which screens at 7:30 tonight at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are $12.50. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.
Find more events @clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
YA S M I N A
R E Z A’ S
Translated by
CHRISTOPHER
HAMPTON
September 22nd through October 28th FRIDAY and SATURDAY at 8pm Two Sunday matinées at 3pm on October 8th and 15th Kennedy’s Down Under, Playhouse Square 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland 216.241.6000 or www.playhousesquare.org
Sponsored in part by
Presented by
Cleveland’s resident professional theatre company right in the heart of Playhouse Square
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
2017-2018 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES Manhattan Transfer with The Hazelnuts
Che Malambo
7:30 p.m. | Oct. 17, 2017 | Ohio Theatre
7:30 p.m. | March 17, 2018 | Ohio Theatre
For tickets call 216-241-6000.
Co-presented with DANCECleveland For tickets call 216-241-6000.
Dominick Farinacci’s The Spirit of the Groove presents The Mayor and The People 7 p.m. | Oct. 22, 2017 Maltz Performing Arts Center (University Circle) Free tickets with reservation. Call 216-368-6062.
Grupo Corpo 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 3 p.m. Jan. 21 | Ohio Theatre
Gerald Clayton: Piedmont Blues – A Search for Salvation featuring The Assembly and René Marie 7:30 p.m. | April 14, 2018 Tri-C Metropolitan Campus For tickets call 216-987-4444.
Co-presented with DANCECleveland For tickets call 216-241-6000.
17-1756
216-987-4444 | www.tri-c.edu/tricpresents
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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BRING HOME THE 5TH FILM OF THE ICONIC PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN SERIES
© 2017 WALT DISNEY PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
MOVIES ADVANTAGE: STONE Retro tennis flick Battle of the Sexes is Emma Stone’s best work yet By Sam Allard BATTLE OF THE SEXES dramatizes the 1973 exhibition match between 55-year-old former U.S. Open Champion Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) and the 29-year-old star of women’s tennis, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone). The movie is a whirlwind recreation of the colors and textures of the 1970s and, in the end, is much less a “sports pic” than it is a forceful biopic that captures one of the more pivotal, popular moments in the crusade for gender equality in athletics. The film, which opens Friday in theaters area wide, jams a ton of information and characters into two hours, but this bounty does little to detract from the central message. Stone, in her striking portrayal of King, is even better than she was in last year’s La La Land, for which she took home an Academy Award. In 1972, King is at the top of women’s tennis. But to protest the vast discrepancy between the tournament winnings of male and female players, King sets out to form a new women’s tour, eventually sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes. At her side is Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman), who brooks no nonsense from the good old boys in charge. When Heldman and King burst into the gentlemen’s wing of a fancy club to confront former tennis star and current promoter Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman), Heldman is told she’s not allowed to be there. “Why not, Jack?” she asks. “Because I’m a woman or because
I’m a Jew?” As the Virginia Slims Tour builds momentum, we watch a bored and sullen Bobby Riggs as his life reels from anticlimax. He is a degenerate gambler and a buffoon, which has strained his marriage to the wealthy socialite Priscilla (Elizabeth Shue). It’s Riggs who proposes the Battle of the Sexes, one drunken night, though King vehemently declines at first. King knows that for Riggs, the match is all sparkle and spectacle. A man playing a woman, for him, is nothing more than a gambling handicap, about as serious as a man playing with a frying pan instead of a racket or wearing flippers instead of shoes. But
when Riggs embarrasses Margaret Court (after Court unseats King as the World No. 1), King knows that much more is at stake. She accepts Riggs’ challenge. Carell is, somewhat unexpectedly, almost too sympathetic as Bobby Riggs. There are ghosts of The Office’s Michael Scott in almost every facial expression and impolitic remark. Though Riggs self-identifies as a “male chauvinist pig” — much to the delight of male supremacists everywhere — he is a showman and a goof, and you can’t help feeling sorry for him as he earnestly asks his wife and his son to be there for him at the match, and both decline. The
real villains are the old boys like Jack Kramer, who in his first appearance argues for the genetic and physical superiority of men. “They’re just more fun to watch,” he insists. King’s confrontation with Kramer, in an ancillary conflict about the match’s commentators (and what may be Stone’s best scene), is even more of a victory than King’s ultimate triumph against Riggs. One of the many strengths of the film is portraying the small, everyday ways women are unfairly treated. Howard Cosell, the lead ABC commentator for the match, appears in the film from archived footage and is spliced, via masterful CGI, with actress Natalie Rosales, portraying tennis star Rosemary Casals. During the match, Cosell has his arm around Casals, and as she offers insightful commentary, it’s as if Cosell is giving a child a turn to say a few words. Drifting occasionally onto center-stage is King’s romantic self-discovery. This story of love and acceptance (with Andrea Riseborough and Alan Cumming in supporting roles) enriches and amplifies the movie’s several messages. And once again: Those ’70s hairdos and fabrics are on point. The film is directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks).
sallard@clevescene.com t@scenesallard
SPOTLIGHT: WOODSHOCK SISTERS KATE AND LAURA Mulleavy, a couple of UC Berkley grads with an eye for fashion (they’ve made cutting-edge ads for Target and Gap, and they own a clothing and accessories line), deliver their feature-length debut with Woodshock, a drama they co-directed and cowrote. The film centers on a grieving woman (Kirsten Dunst) who regularly smokes some really strong weed and struggles to deal with the effects. Visually striking, thanks to the stellar work of cinematographer Peter Flinckenberg, the slow-moving
movie produces a mood, but it fails to provide an engaging narrative and ultimately makes for a rather numbing viewing experience. It opens on Friday at the Cedar Lee Theatre. The film begins with a scene in which Theresa (Dunst), who works in a medical-marijuana dispensary, helps her mother, who’s on her deathbed, bring her life to an end. Debilitating grief follows, but neither her boyfriend (Joe Cole) nor her boss (Pilou Asbaek) can console her, so Theresa turns to drugs for some sort of solace.
Flinckenberg does such a pro job with the cinematography that even a scene in which Theresa goes through the carwash comes off as something eerie and surreal. And the various shots of pot buds and joints make the drug look truly luscious and enticing. Dunst ultimately succeeds in portraying a woman so dazed and confused that she can’t even take a shower. In one scene that takes place in the bathroom in her room, she tries to wash but when she looks in the bathroom mirror, she sees herself covered in blood. And she practically has a panic attack when she hears
the water dripping in the bathroom sink. She finally just crouches atop the toilet and stares into space. The Mulleavy sisters get a good performance out of Dunst, but it’s all for naught in the end as the film fails to advance its narrative in any discernable way. The movie becomes rather repetitive as we see Theresa smoke, then hallucinate and repeat. A beautifully filmed character study, the movie would’ve worked much better as a short. — Jeff Niesel
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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COMFORTS OF HOME A neighborhood diner is reborn and retooled in Old Brooklyn By Douglas Trattner “GOD I LOVE DINERS,” MY FRIEND said, almost unconsciously, as he slid into a generously proportioned booth at the City Diner in Old Brooklyn. And who can argue with him? At their best, diners are chrome-clad havens of good food, friendly service and bottomless cups of coffee. All are welcome at the neighborhood diner, where breakfast is served all day and no tab climbs higher than the average hourly wage. That’s the way things rolled at Expressway Diner, a round-theclock respite that dished up sevendollar steak and eggs, five-dollar triple-decker clubs, and six-dollar open-faced hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy. But here’s the thing: That steak was bland and chewy, the turkey in the club prepackaged and slimy, and the mashed potatoes and gravy a crime against nature. Perhaps that’s why Expressway lasted just five years. When new owner Edward Michalski happened to drive by the vacant diner, he literally stopped the car and began plotting the diner’s revival. To find a turnkey operation in a stainless steel diner was more than just good luck, he noted. It was fate. “My father is from Old Brooklyn, my grandfather had a butcher shop here for 40 years, my grandmother taught piano here, so I’m definitely very proud and honored to have this opportunity,” he told me a few months back. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when
chefs were snatching up vacant diners and trotting out fancified versions of classic diner fare like huevos rancheros, lobster mac and cheese, and veal meatloaf with truffle mashers, all washed down with draft craft beer. Thankfully, that was never Michalski’s plan. This operator’s intent was to parlay his largely corporate experience at high-volume spots like the Horseshoe Casino and Progressive Field into a reliable, reasonably priced restaurant in the neighborhood for the neighborhood. And that’s precisely what he’s done. Guests are ushered in with a warm, sincere greeting. Instead of being dragged to the destination of the host’s choosing, diners are asked whether they prefer a stool at the counter or seats in a booth or table. The menu is broad, but not excessively so, and in place
beef, perky bell peppers and sauteed onions. It’s all crowned with a pair of eggs and a slice of fragrant Swiss. Warm buttered toast rides shotgun. City Diner’s steak and eggs is double the price of the dearly departed Expressway’s, but then again it’s made with hand-trimmed Black Angus ribeye. Soups and salads, core diner items, are given the same level of care. A bowl of roasted chicken noodle soup ($6) arrives hot and is loaded with honest-to-goodness roasted chicken, wide egg noodles, carrot chunks and slices of sweet onion. You can’t expect much more from a Cobb ($9) than a thick bed of meticulously washed and shredded romaine topped with grilled chicken, chopped bacon, sliced hard-cooked eggs, ripe avocado, diced tomato and blue cheese crumbles, all arranged on top in the characteristic
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of intricate or showy examples of the chef’s culinary skills are straightforward dishes built from scratch, the old-fashioned way. While the City Diner is not open 24 hours, it does serve breakfast all day. The corned beef “Iron Sizzler” ($9) is served in a blazing-hot cast iron skillet. A base layer of crispy shredded potatoes is topped with a flavorful mixture of juicy corned
ribbon pattern. Creamy ranch-like dressing comes on the side. The “Classic” burger ($9) is just that: a flavorful, sizeable grilled patty that arrives hot and pink, is topped with aged cheddar, bacon and shredded lettuce, and is tucked into a garlic aioli-slathered bun. If the included house-cut fries were a hair crisper, the lunch would have been damn near perfect. At the heart of
the Triple Decker Turkey Club ($10) is nearly a pound of juicy, flavorful sliced meat layered among three slices of toasted whole wheat bread along with lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo and two types of cheese. A mountain of fries are on the house. Michalski pitches right over the middle of the plate when it comes to the main courses, which are priced $10 to $13 (side salad included), except for one item, a fat steak. There’s mac and cheese, meatloaf, pierogi with kielbasa and kraut, and pot roast. The kitchen cheats a little on the chicken pot pie ($10) by simply capping the skillet with a piece of flaky puffed pastry, but the stew below is hearty, homemade and delicious. Crispy Walleye Fingers ($13) are like gourmet fish sticks, panko-breaded and fried fingers of sweet perch served with fries and two sauces, cocktail and tarragon tartar. The boss usually can be spotted behind the counter, greeting guests as they enter or depart, expediting food at the pass, and offering encouragement to his cooks as they attempt to keep pace with demands. There are moments when it feels like the food is taking forever to come out, and then it does, and you are reminded that slow and good is so much better than fast and middling.
dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
The unlikely marriage at the heart of Phnom Penh Cambodian Restaurant By Billy Hallal MONO BUN CAN OFTEN BE found at the North Olmsted location of Phnom Penh. His wife, Naveth Salay, is usually cooking up one of the restaurant’s 100 items. Along with the rest of the family, they own and operate two locations of the Cambodian restaurant, this one and the one in Ohio City. Bun and Salay conform perfectly to the American image of the hardworking immigrant restaurant owners. “They work 12 hours a day,” Jeanette, their daughter, tells me. “They go to Sam’s Club for supplies on their days off.” Together, they’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years. “They like [each other] a lot,” Jeanette says. It might be surprising to learn that their relationship didn’t spring from a romantic encounter or even from a union arranged by their families. It came from the Khmer Rouge. In 1975, Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge army took Phnom Penh. They began a military evacuation of city dwellers to the countryside, where they worked in forced agrarian labor camps. Estimates show as many as two million Cambodians — a quarter of the country’s population — were murdered under Pol Pot’s four-year regime. Cleveland author Luong Ung’s 2000 memoir, First They Killed My Father, along with the recently released film adaptation, have helped bring stories of the killing fields to the West. (Ung is, according to Jeanette, a huge fan of their restaurant.) What is less known are the forced marriages Pol Pot imposed on the Cambodian people. The stated reason for this was to increase Cambodia’s population, but the motives were more sinister, explains Jeanette. “They wanted couples to have kids to be Khmer Rouge soldiers.” Salay was from the city, the kind of cosmopolitan family (colonial French ancestry, Catholic) that Pol Pot hated. Bun was a Buddhist from the countryside. By the time Khmer Rouge forces paired them, Salay had turned down two other proposed husbands. To refuse the third would
Photo courtesy of Phnom Penh
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have meant her death. After the collapse of the Khmer Rouge, it’s hard to imagine any of these forced couples staying together. Yet Bun and Salay did. They even convinced Bun’s parents, who had chosen a woman they thought would make a more suitable wife, that their union was going to last. Together, they traveled to Phnom Penh to search for Salay’s surviving relatives. There, they settled and started a family. The restaurant came into Bun and Salay’s hands through what Jeanette describes as providence. Bun had moved to the U.S. to work as a cook in the hopes of bringing over his children. Salay had a relative in Ohio, so in 1999, the whole family moved to Cleveland to live with Jeanette’s aunt. Jeanette found work in a Cambodian restaurant and heard the owner was looking to sell. Since then, Phnom Penh has been her family’s restaurant. “We’ve been letting fate guide us all this way,” says Jeanette. It’s difficult to overstate the trauma and horror the Khmer Rouge inflicted on the Cambodian people. Jeanette describes her father as being “very upset” that Pol Pot died without facing a tribunal for his crimes. But when it comes to their marriage, he’s the subject of a joke. Jeanette tells me they like to tease each other. “If it weren’t for Pol Pot, we wouldn’t even be married!”
scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
ANDY HIMMEL IS ON A TEAR. In just 10 years, the methodical, meticulous restaurateur has expanded his Latin-themed portfolio from one unit to eight locations and two separate concepts. This spring, he and his team will expand again, this time opening a Bomba Tacos & Rum at the busy corner of Cedar and Richmond Roads. The La Place location will be that concept’s third, joining a 2-year-old shop in Rocky River and a 1-year-old location in Fairlawn. Those restaurants, of course, join six separate Paladar Latin Kitchens spread across four states. “I grew up in Beachwood,â€? Himmel explains. “I have been coming to this location my entire life, so the opportunity for me to build out this cool concept, to help change something that we’ve all seen for the past 30, 40 years, I think it’s pretty exciting.â€? Himmel confesses that Cooker, which stood on this very spot (and was later replaced by Sushi Rock), was one of his favorite restaurants growing up. He’s watched — as the son of an operator (dad owned the famous jazz club Boarding House), as a diner, and as an operator himself — as the entire food service industry continues to shift and change before his very eyes. After his ďŹ rst restaurant, Boulevard Blue on Larchmere, came and went, Himmel shifted his focus to Paladar Latin Kitchen, which opened at Eton Chagrin Boulevard a healthy 10 years ago. Like the Bomba restaurants in River and Fairlawn, this one will feature Latin-themed snacks and starters, chef-driven tacos and a massive rum list set inside a smartly designed space outďŹ tted with highend ďŹ nishes. The restaurant will occupy the corner spot, facing Cedar, in the portion of the shopping mall that was demolished and rebuilt. At 3,800 square feet, this one is smaller than the ďŹ rst two, but it gains back some of that space by utilizing a
shared restroom corridor with Hello Bistro, which will be Ohio’s ďŹ rst location of that popular Pittsburghbased concept. Seating capacity will run around 65 in the dining room and an additional 50 in the bar/ lounge area. “This location is another opportunity to learn from what we’ve done at the ďŹ rst two,â€? Himmel adds. “We’re working aggressively to revamp the restaurant layout to make it more conducive to things like hanging out in the bar and carry-out business.â€? Himmel notes that “without even trying,â€? Bomba’s carry-out business has grown 60 percent year-overyear. The new spot will have an area dedicated to that activity to facilitate easy pick-up. Over the years, the company has switched to all hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and wild caught seafood. The menu now offers fewer regular tacos (down from 18 to around a dozen), leaving room for more seasonal tacos. In the near future, says Himmel, diners can look forward to continued technological advancements, as long as they don’t come at the expense of the diner’s enjoyment. Management hopes to implement a mobile order and pay system, for example, to further ease the carry-out process. “We’re going to continue to push the technology envelope,â€? the owner says. “I believe technology has a place in full-service that has not been utilized yet — but not in any ways that will encroach on the dining experience.â€? As for the original Paladar location, Himmel says it’s going nowhere. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who are electing to trade in their original locations for a spot at some shiny new suburban development, Himmel is choosing to double-down on his. “I’ve always been of the opinion that you don’t move your agship, no matter what,â€? he says. “Next year we’ll do a renovation of the space. I want the unit to continue being one
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of our best spots, like it is now. Our clientele there is so loyal.” As for possible future Bomba units, Himmel says, “We’re absolutely always looking for new locations because you can’t just start and stop that process.”
CITY GIRL DONUTS NOW OPEN IN ROCKY RIVER The doughnut gods are smiling upon Cleveland. Days after Brewnuts finally opened its doors, City Girl Donuts did the same in Rocky River (20253 Lake Rd., 440-799-4083). The bright, contemporary bakeshop is set in the former home of the longrunning Grady’s Fine Wines shop. Owner Barbara Fazio and pastry chef-partner pastry Erica Coffee are thrilled to debut their lineup of classic, contemporary and custom creations. These are fresh-made, from-scratch doughnuts that use quality ingredients, toppings and fillings. “I’ve been a doughnut-crazed person my whole life,” Fazio says. “I remember walking home from elementary school and using my lunch money to buy that perfect maple-cream Long John. I travel and eat doughnuts in cities like Chicago and Seattle and I always wonder why isn’t anybody doing it here. It’s crazy!” Customers can look forward to classic doughnuts glazed with strawberry, chocolate, lemon-poppy seed and more. Cake doughnuts come in flavors such as chocolate with mint chocolate glaze, caramel apple spice and German chocolate. Custom creations run the gamut from “everything bagel” to mixed berry.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Buttercream-topped Long Johns will be filled with maple, chocolate and vanilla. Doughnut holes will be sold by the dozen and half-dozen. All of the above doughnuts are of the yeast and cake varieties; the trickier brioche-style confections will debut later, says Fazio. The shop is mainly designed for grab-and-go transactions, but there is coffee, espresso and seating for about 15. “I’m very excited and happy to be working with Erica because not only is she so talented, but she is so great to work with,” Fazio says. The hours are Tuesday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until sold out) and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until sold out).
KOREAN RESTAURANT HANSOL IN ASIATOWN APPEARS TO BE CLOSED In the wake of the on-again, offagain years at Seoul Hot Pot, it was welcome news when we learned that the restaurant found new life and leadership in the hands of Soon Moh. Moh took over operations last winter, changing the name to Hansol (3709 Payne Ave.) and tweaking the menu of Korean staples. Now it appears that the restaurant has closed. Over the weekend, diners were greeted by a padlocked door, and calls to the business line are answered by a not-in-service message. The Facebook page features the very ominous “permanently closed” designation.
dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner
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a little kick to them but quite tasty. They were buttery and lightly sweet. I enjoyed my meal and will return in the future.” - Ladonna G. ★★★★★ “This is some Seriously delicious chicken. I have lived very close, and almost drive by there daily. Thought it was part of the convenient store, so I would not go there. After reading the reviews and being extremely hungry, I took the plunge, and I am more than glad I did. I will be coming here so much more.” - Stephanie L. ★★★★★ “It’s no joke, best fried chicken in Cleveland. They’ve got plenty of sides, but don’t kid yourself, it’s all about the chicken. While there’s a variety of flavors the staff might not give you many clues past identifying the individual flavors. Luckily there’s a brief explanation of them at the restaurant.” - Noah F.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
Photo by Travis Shinn
MUSIC FIRED UP A sense of urgency drives the new Rise Against album By Jeff Niesel
THE CHICAGO-BASED MELODIC hardcore band Rise Against was in the midst of writing songs for its new album when Donald Trump became president. Shocked, the band retooled its songs to reflect that polarizing shift in the White House. As a result, the songs on its latest effort, Wolves, have even more of a sense of urgency than the typical Rise Against tunes, which often reflect the band’s leftist political views. “Wolves was an album that we found ourselves recording in a much more urgent situation in terms of delivering songs that weigh in on what’s happening in the world around us,” admits singer Tim McIlrath via phone from Chicago, where the band was rehearsing for a fall headlining tour. It performs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica. “We started [the album] in a pre-election and pre-Trump America. As it started to take shape, it was still soft around the edges. We weren’t sure what the direction was. The election happening in the middle of it all and then the record found its purpose. All the bigotry and racism and homophobia and monsters we
thought we had put away into the him into office. It was the people who dark corners where they belong didn’t vote that got him into office.” came out of hiding.” The band had been making On Wolves, tunes such as the records with producer Bill Stevenson title track and “Welcome to the (Descendents), but for Wolves, it wanted to try Breakdown” something make different, so allusions to it hooked up presidential with Nick election and Raskulinecz the band’s and went to outrage at his Nashville the results. studio to cut “People the album. take change “Nick came for granted,” from a rock says world,” says McIlrath. McIlrath. “He “Once it’s has worked happened, with Deftones they think and Rush and it’s done, Rancid and and we can —Tim McIlrath Death Angel. walk away. He’s done a The younger huge spectrum. We loved his energy. generation struggles with issues He’s a big, friendly guy. I tell people of apathy. It’s easier to bury your we didn’t go to Nashville to make a head in the sand than be engaged. record. We went to Nick’s to make a I think that’s a huge element that record.” can’t be understated in terms of this McIlrath says Nashville, a country and how we elected a clown like Donald Trump to be president. It city with which he was largely unfamiliar, didn’t play a role in wasn’t the people who voted that got
“Wolves was an album that we found ourselves recording in a much more urgent situation in terms of delivering songs that weigh in on what’s happening in the world around us.”
making the album. “I’ve been to Hamburg, Germany more times than I had been to Nashville,” he says. “It’s not one of those places where bands like us show up. I loved the people, and the music there was cool. People told me I would love it, but it’s a one-kindof-music town. For a guy like me who has zero reverence for country music, a lot of it fell on deaf ears. We were hermits holed away in Nick’s studio, and we were kind of the black sheep, but that’s when we tend to thrive.” With its beefy guitar riffs and bellowing vocals, the album’s title track recalls punk rockers Bad Religion at their prime as McIlrath defiantly screams, “We are the wolves at the gate/Our numbers growing every day.” “I think I wanted to add teeth and claws to the resistance and the ideology behind Donald Trump,” McIlrath says when asked about the tune. “People like me were resisting these ideas were depicted as cry babies and snowflakes and upset about the outcome and sitting around complaining about it. To me, nobody I knew was like that. They were fired up. They wanted to throw
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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MUSIC bricks through windows and take back that control.” McIlrath says he thought at one point that “Mourning in the America,” a more melodic tune, would be the album’s title track. But he decided that the more aggressive “Wolves” more accurately represented the album’s theme. “The election wasn’t a sad moment even though people were grieving,” he says. “We wanted to take the moment and grab it and really run with it. We wanted to make it a teaching moment for the country and about how we can stop it from happening in the future and also show that our fans are wolves. They’re people not to be messed with.” All the album’s songs aren’t political in nature. “House on Fire,” for example, centers on domestic issues. “I won’t let go of you,” McIlrath sings on the tune that features a thick bass riff and cooing call-and-response vocals. “While [‘House on Fire’] may just come across as a love song, it’s really about becoming a parent and the trials and tribulations of raising a kid,” says McIlrath. “It’s admittedly not a punk rock thing to write about. I feel like with this band I’ve learned so much, and I’ve figured out a lot of things, but I wasn’t prepared for the challenges of parenthood, especially when you’re raising a teenager. It’s thrown a lot at me that I’ve been juggling.” The band intended to release a music video to accompany “The Violence.” They wanted to fi lm it at
I thought it was an amazing statement about power and authority. It’s maybe even more of a statement now that we have this drama about confederate statues. We didn’t want to disrespect the president. We just wanted to fi lm a cool video on a cool setting.” McIlrath admits that in a strange way he felt a sense of pride that the band’s views triggered such a strong response. “You play in this band and come from a hardcore and punk scene and you hope your band has meaning and relevance and is dangerous,” he says. “As we get older, people think you’ve lost our age. Something like this tells me we’re still a threat. We’re still seen as a band that’s not seen as appropriate. That kind of makes me feel good. I don’t want to be accepted by a community I disagree with. The second you’re accepted by a community you disagree with is the moment you’re doing something wrong. Until someone says that, I feel like maybe we’re not doing enough.” Given the way in which Wolves responds to the current political climate, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that McIlrath says the live shows have been especially engaging. He compares the experience to the tours the band embarked on during the Bush Administration. “I found a really hungry audience for the kind of sentiments being expressed,” he says. “I think all music is political. You either make a decision to be a part of it or you make a decision to not be a part of it. Either way, you’ve made a decision. I don’t think every single band should be political. I don’t
RISE AGAINST, PIERCE THE VEIL, WHITE LUNG 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, SEPT. 29, JACOBS PAVILION AT NAUTICA, 2014 SYCAMORE ST., 216-912-7032. TICKETS: $31.50-$36.50, LIVENATION.COM.
a failed theme park that features 20-foot tall statues of former presidents. When the park owner got wind of the song’s content and the band’s political stance, he pulled the permit and put an end to the shoot. “It’s not like we want the world to be Lord of the Flies, and we’re all anarchists,” says McIlrath. “Our director found this field of presidential busts that sit there in this park where they’re covered in weeds and grass and some are knocked over. We saw pictures of it, and they looked fucking amazing.
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
need the Ramones’ songs to be political or my Jawbreaker songs to be political. I feel like if it’s something in you that you need to get out, you shouldn’t ever humble yourself or hold it in because you’re afraid of alienating the audience. We don’t hold it in, and we haven’t sacrificed success. Those aren’t mutually exclusive.”
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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Photo courtesy of thebabysofficial.com
MUSIC BABYS GOT BACK Since reuniting five years ago, the ’70s rock act has built a solid following By Matt Wardlaw DRUMMER TONY BROCK HAS seen some wild times across the many decades that he’s been making music. His 12-year stint behind the kit playing drums for Rod Stewart in the ‘80s and early ‘90s left him with plenty of stories. “There’s nothing to top some of those shows,” he says during a recent phone conversation from his California home. Brock brings his other band, the Babys, to the Music Box Supper Club on Sunday. One particular show found him in front of an audience of over half a million in Rio. Brock was easing into his drum solo and quickly realized that it was no ordinary night. “I started my drum solo and you know, they’re all brought up on hitting things and they’ve got a lot of rhythm in them,” he says. “All I could hear was this noise coming back from the audience and so I stopped, and it’s the audience just going crazy and playing all by themselves. So I got off the drum kit and walked out in front and let them do a little bit by themselves and then came back and finished the drum solo off. In fact, when I woke up the next morning, on the news, there was my drum solo. They love percussionists down there.” Brock’s first encounter with Stewart came in the mid-’70s when the legendary vocalist called and asked if he wanted to join his band. The thing is, Brock had formed his own group, the Babys, and they had just signed a record deal. Heading to Toronto to begin work on the band’s debut album, the drummer knew that the time sadly wasn’t right and he declined Stewart’s invitation. The Babys — featuring an initial lineup of vocalist/bassist John Waite, guitarist Wally Stocker, keyboardist Michael Corby and Brock — ultimately released five albums on Chrysalis Records between 1977 and 1980. Bassist Ricky Phillips and keyboardist Jonathan Cain (replacing Corby) joined in 1978 prior to the release of the
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group’s third album the following year. Despite getting extensive airplay at rock radio with songs like “Midnight Rendezvous” and “Head First,” and scoring a trio of Top 40 hits with “Isn’t It Time,” “Every Time I Think of You” and “Back On My Feet Again,” the group wasn’t considered to be successful at the time. But listening to its songs and albums now, it’s not hard to look at some of the bands that were having success in the ‘80s — including Journey, which eventually poached Cain from the Babys to play keyboards — and wonder if the Babys were simply just a bit ahead of their time. “I think so, yeah. You know, Wally and I have always said we just needed one more album and it would just push us over the edge,” Brock says now. “Because it didn’t matter where we went in America, we still packed the places. Everybody loved our live show.” They received heavy radio support from WMMS here locally — to the
“You know, it was the Bon Scott version of the band. I remember while AC/DC were on the stage, an M-90 came up on stage and just blew up and the drummer, Phil Rudd, fell off his drum kit, because his ears were hurting so much. I was behind Phil and my ears were ringing. I mean, they haven’t stopped ringing ever since. But we had to go on after them, and I’ll tell you the truth, I was scared shitless. But we pulled it off, and the crowd loved us.” More than two decades after the band split up in 1980, Brock and Stocker have assembled a new lineup. With Cain in Journey, Phillips in Styx and Waite preferring to stay with his solo career, the pair auditioned new members. “It was kind of exciting, but nervous at the same time. John Waite is a great singer and [those are] some big shoes to fill. But [singer] John Bisaha has done that and more. As soon as the
THE BABYS 7:30 P.M. SUNDAY, OCT 1, MUSIC BOX SUPPER CLUB, 1148 MAIN AVE., 216-242-1250. TICKETS: $28 ADV, $32 DOS, MUSICBOXCLE.COM.
point that the station aired three Babys live concerts in 1977, 1979 and 1980 at the Cleveland Agora. The broadcasts, particularly the 1980 show, reveal that the group had an intense presence and spirit that would seem to make them an easy match for any bill, no matter the headliner. “We never had a band we couldn’t stand to. In fact, one show, we had to go on after AC/DC and can you imagine how tough that was? I mean, AC/DC live are just deadly,” he says.
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
[news] went out around the streets, I didn’t even have to advertise. Word of mouth that the Babys are going to be put back together, and I’m looking for a new singer. They were around the block from my studio all the way around the block, ready to come in.” Impressed by Bisaha, Brock was still skeptical and put the prospective vocalist through the wringer. “He started getting a bit tired. I got John back about five times, just to make sure he was the right guy. He
was going, ‘Dude, don’t you know by now?’ I said, ‘No, this is such a tough job to fill, and we have to have the right guy.’ I filmed him and had him sing on some of the original tracks and it was just magic. I said, ‘You’re the man.’” With guitarist Joey Sykes completing the revised lineup, which is augmented by two background vocalists (the Babettes) and a keyboardist, the band has been building a solid following over the past five years since they reformed. They’ve been to Akron twice for a pair of sold out shows and will look to add to that total with the Music Box Supper Club gig. Brock offers the assurance that fans will not be disappointed with what they hear. “We sound like the original Babys, like our Broken Heart record,” he says. “We’re more like that. It’s tough. ‘Head First’ sounds like it did when we had a great night with the original Babys.” After releasing a new studio album, I’ll Have Some of That, in 2014 with the appropriately titled lead single, “Not Ready to Say Goodbye,” the Babys are pushing forward with another forthcoming new release. This time, they’re taking a look back at their past catalog with a new anthology, Timeless, which fans can pre-order now on PledgeMusic. “We’ve grown over the last five years; we’ve become a unit that I think the Babys should have been years ago,” Brock explains. “I think we’re better now and we have magic together now. So it’s like, ‘Well, why don’t we go in and do the hits and give them a couple of new ones the way we sound now?’ I’m listening to some of the masters [from the new recordings], and I’m really proud of them. I think we’ve done them justice.”
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| clevescene.com m | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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MUSIC BASS IS HER PLACE The latest addition to the Pixies talks about the challenges of operating without a setlist WHEN BASSIST PAZ LENCHANTIN joined the Pixies a couple of years ago and took the place of Kim Shattuck, the replacement for original bassist Kim Deal, she had make a few adjustments. Most bands rely on set lists when they play live. Not the Pixies. Rather, singer Black Francis will shout out the names of songs during the concert. Lenchantin still remembers that first gig, which took place in 2014. “It was up there as one of the most memorable and nervous shows of my career,” says Lenchantin in a recent phone interview. She said she arrived to rehearse with the band during the dead of “one of the most brutal winters the East Coast has ever had.” Her flight was delayed and then diverted. She wound up taking a car to Northampton for rehearsals. “I learned all the back catalog, including Indie Cindy,” she says. “We go through all the songs. I think we played 70 songs once. Then, they said, ‘Now, we’re going to record a B-side.’ I was like, ‘What?’ So we recorded ‘Women of War.’ That was really fun because I realized I couldn’t wait to make a record. As far as rehearsals, I didn’t know if we would ever properly rehearse. They told me I’d be fine.” When they got to the gig and there was no setlist, Lenchantin began to panic. “It could be any song,” she says. “I didn’t know if we rehearsed really. I knew we made a really cool B-side. I was nervous and then realized once we got through that, it would be fun. I knew it would be a journey, and it’s awesome. We still don’t play with a set list and that keeps me on my toes.” According to the press release announcing the current tour, which includes a stop at the Agora on Tuesday, the “official addition of Lenchantin to Pixies’ permanent lineup marks ‘a bright new chapter for the band.” She even participated with the writing and recording of the new album, Head Carrier. Lenchantin says those songs started to come together a couple of years ago at soundchecks and rehearsals. When the band booked studio time in Toronto, the tunes
Photo by Travis Shinn
By Jeff Niesel
came into focus. “It gets confusing when you’re writing songs when you’re touring,” says Lenchantin. “Now, you can hone in on that. We were working on the skeletons along the way. Some songs we thought were the ones didn’t even make the record and other songs came out of nowhere. It’s all a process. You could never predict how well we could collaborate with me coming in later to the band. It was to our great surprise that we could collaborate so well.”
people in a room playing songs and we’re figuring things out and fixing lyrics and fixing choruses. When it’s done, and all the songs are put together and you listen to it, somehow it all makes sense.” Lenchantin takes over lead vocals on “All I Think About Now,” a dreamy tune with a guitar riff reminiscent of the band’s underground hit “This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven.” “That one is a special song because it was a song I wrote with Black Francis,” Lenchantin says of “All I
THE PIXIES, SUNFLOWER BEAN 7 P.M. TUESDAY, OCT. 3, AGORA THEATRE, 5000 EUCLID AVE., 216-881-2221. TICKETS: $45 ADV, $50 DOS, AGORACLEVELAND.COM
The gritty title track features distorted guitars and Francis’ typically deranged vocals as he yells out the song’s title and sounds a bit like Neil Young as he sings, “I’m going down the drain again.” “It’s like he had a concept record,” says Lenchantin. “There are four
Think About Now.” “We were in the last remaining days of the studio and we were wrapping it up. We had the songs ready to go and you could only hope a little goodie could come out of nowhere when you’re in that creative space. That doesn’t always happen. To our surprise, a little ditty
came out. When I showed it to Black Francis, he really liked it and to my surprise, he wanted me to sing on it. I wanted to sing about Kim Deal. It seemed appropriate to sing about the handing over of the torch or baton. He went to his room and the next day, he had a sheet of paper with all the lyrics. I sang it and didn’t change a thing and it all worked out.” Since Lenchantin can play violin, she says it’s possible the band will incorporate more strings into the mix in the future. “Maybe we’ll experiment more with string arrangements and production, which I really do love,” she says. “I love doing string arrangements and if more is better, let’s do it. But if accomplish something with minimal instrumentation, that’s awesome. There’s nothing wrong with two guitars, bass drums and vocals. If you want to throw in some strings, that’s cool.
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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CARLOS JONES
& THE P.L.U.S. BAND
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 ........................................................... TOAST FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24 .........................................................GRUNGE DNA SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25 ..................................... THE BREAKFAST CLUB FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 .......................................................DISCO INFERNO SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2............................................CLEVELAND ROCKS 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 ................................................. JUKEBOX HEROES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 .......................................................OLD SKOOL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29 .........................................................GRUNGE DNA SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 .........................................CLEVELAND ROCKS
MUSIC INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH KMFDM’s new album takes aim at the ‘total state machine’ WHEN BAND LEADER SASCHA Konietzko launched the industrial rock outfit KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, which loosely translates as “no pity for the majority”) in Hamburg in 1984, the music scene there was “bland-ish,” as he puts it. “The intention was to do something that was more fun than what was around,” he says in a recent phone call from his Hamburg home. The band’s tour in support of its new album, Hell Yeah, comes to the Agora Ballroom on Wednesday, Oct. 4. “People looked at us like we were crazy and totally avant garde.” After the band toured the States with fellow industrial rockers Ministry, Konietzko says the band began to receive some hometown support. “It’s a typical thing for all German bands,” Konietzko says. “If they don’t make it somewhere else, they’re not worth shit.” Drawing from proto-industrial acts such as Einstürzende Neubauten, SPK and Throbbing Gristle, KMFDM borrowed from a few different genres. “We took EDM music by bands like Front 242 and D.A.F. and also music by metal bands and disco and funk,” says Konietzko. “It really is a melting pot.” The lyrics regularly reference various forms of oppression, and Konietzko says the inspiration that side of things comes from more sources that will be more familiar to rock music fans. “You have a choice to write songs about whatever you want,” he says. “I don’t feel like writing songs about how I woke up and my head hurt. I need to formulate and express myself in the tradition of the protest movement. Those were my earliest influences in music. That’s where I’m coming from. It’s from people like Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa.” After that tour with Ministry, Konietzko realized it might make more sense to live in the States, so he picked up and moved to Chicago, which, at the time, was the epicenter of the industrial rock movement. “I was talking to the guys at Wax Trax, our label at the time, and they said they wanted to sign us and that
Photo by Franz Schepers
By Jeff Niesel
KMFDM, OHGR, LORDS OF THE LOST 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4, AGORA BALLROOM, 5000 EUCLID AVE., 216-881-2221. TICKETS: $25 ADV, $29 DOS, AGORACLEVELAND.COM.
they had sold a lot of records,” he says when asked about moving to the U.S. “I wondered, ‘Why would I go back to German and work at a shitty day job when I can do exactly what I want here?’ I packed up my stuff and moved, just like anyone would do, and lived in what was essentially a broom closet above the Wax Trax offices.” The band broke up for a short spell in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. During that time, Konietzko formed MDFMK and signed a deal with Universal Records. He quickly realized he didn’t have the right temperament to be on a major label. “We did a good record that got a lot of acclaim, and we did some touring,” he says of MDFMK. “Universal wanted to do another record, and they wanted a produce to supervise the making of it. That went against the grain for me. We parted ways and I was like, ‘What are we going to do now?’ I called around and asked all the usual suspects from a few years back if they wanted to reunite. Some did,
and some didn’t. That’s how it came back together.” Hell Yeah represents another remarkable chapter in the band’s storied career. The disc commences with the infectious title track, a tune driven by a funky bass riff and percolating synths (think a cross between Pet Shop Boys and Nine Inch Nails) and then veers into alternately heavy and dancefloor friendly tunes. While it might seem like Konietzko wrote the songs in the wake of Brexit and the U.S. presidential election, he says that’s not the case. “Songs like ‘Total State Machine’ were written before Trump entered the arena as a candidate,” says Konietzko. “We started writing the record in mid-2015 and then switched labels and were asked to do a compilation of old songs that were freshly mixed, and we had a hiatus of the writing process for the new album and then jumped back into that game. All of a sudden, things made a lot of sense. All the songs we had already written could be
looked at in a different light given the current developments. There are populations everywhere being sold for stupid by their governments. It’s not just the U.S. It’s everywhere.” “Rip the System” offers an update of the old KMFDM tune “Glory.” “It’s one of the oldest slogans we’ve used in KMFDM,” says Konietzko when asked about the tune. “It’s about how people from all nations need to unite instead of being sold out by their governments. I extended the lyrics of ‘Glory’ by a couple of lyrics. I was interested in Nigerian pop music and experimenting with beats like that. These lyrics came into my mind, and that’s how it worked out.” At times, the band opts to alter the typical industrial rock formula. Doug Wimbish (Sugarhill Gang) lays down some thick bass riffs on “Rx the Damned,” and “Only Lovers” features some incredibly sharp synthesizer static at its start before settling into a groove. “A lot of the creation process is by pure coincidence,” says Konietzko. “You turn something on and dig out some machine that’s been collecting dust and move on right away.” The production, in particular, resonates as synthesizers and live instruments pack a potent punch. “We decided this time to get someone from the outside to do the bulk of the mixing. At some point, we got into a time constraint,” says Konietzko. “I know myself. When I’m mixing a record, I take months and months and I keep tweaking it. That had to be avoided this time around. I met this young sound engineer who I think is really good. I gave him all the material. I told him to prepare it and make it sound as great and big and loud as possible and that I would come in and tweak it for the final versions. That’s what we did. Instead of spending eight months on the mixes, it was done in two or three months, and I was really happy with the outcome.” After a short European tour, Konietzko says the band is a “welloiled machine and ready to rip.”
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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LIVEWIRE
all the live music you should see this week Photo by Sean Hansen
WED
09/27
Maria Muldaur/Sands & Hearn: During her decades-long career, singer Maria Muldaur, who’s most famous for the laid-back, sensual hit song “Midnight at the Oasis,” has done a bit of everything. She’s been on Broadway and has worked with Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. Her most recent effort, 2011’s Steady Love, features bluesy romps such as “Soulful Dress” and “Walk by Faith,” rowdy tunes that should translate well when Muldaur plays them live. Recorded in the Big Easy, the album includes covers of tunes by Elvin Bishop, Percy Mayfield, Eric Bibb, Bobby Charles and Stephen Bruton. (Jeff Niesel) 7:30 p.m., $22 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. 10 X 3 Singer Songwriter Showcase hosted by Brent Kirby: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Happy Dog. Between the Buried and Me/ The Contortionist/Polyphia/ Toothgrinder: 6 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. The Agora Theatre. Paul Cauthen/Kelsey Waldon: 8:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Vicky Chew: 7 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Har Mar Superstar/Cigarette Playdate/Womantra: 8:30 p.m., $12. Grog Shop. The Vibrators/Half Knocked Out/ Two Hands: 7 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Now That’s Class.
THU
09/28
Matt Pond PA/Wild Pink: This is it, folks: the swan song for Matt Pond PA. Kicked off in the late 1990s as a sort of power-pop collective for singer-songwriter Matt Pond, the “PA,” as it were, is disbanding after this final tour. This year’s new album, Still Summer, brings the band’s LP count to 12, and it’s as fine a piece of music as they’ve produced throughout their journey. “The Ballad of Laura and Mike” tells a beautiful love story about guest singer Laura Stevenson and her husband, Mike Campbell (the bass player
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Indie rockers Matt Pond PA bring their farewell tour to the Grog Shop. See: Thursday.
in Matt Pond PA). It’s a great tune, and it shows how adept Pond has become at assembling a stirring cast of characters in his musical world. Elsewhere, the title track cuts through youthful memories to the soul of summer itself: freedom, warmth, love and danger. (Eric Sandy) 6:30 p.m., $15. Beachland Tavern. Agnostic Front/Inducing Panic/ The Snakes/The Southside Choir Boys: 8:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Now That’s Class. The Birthday Massacre/Lords of Acid: 6 p.m., $20-$35. Agora Ballroom. Chris Hatton’s Musical Circus (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Hot Club of San Francisco: 8 p.m., $20. Nighttown. Jam Night with the Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Brothers Lounge. Lost Bayou Ramblers/Mo’ Mojo: 7:30 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Olds/Pujolas/Grey Trio: 7 p.m., $12. Bop Stop. Maura Rogers & the Bellows/5j Barrow (in the Supper Club):
| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
7:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Rosedale/Speedo Agreed/ Portage: 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Grog Shop. John Waite: 8 p.m., $35-$85. The Kent Stage. Zakk Sabbath/Them Evils: 9 p.m., $25. Beachland Ballroom.
FRI
09/29
Ben Ottewell/Buddy: If you’re a sucker for a guy and his guitar, Ben Ottewell’s upcoming Beachland Tavern show should be your jam. Armed with his instrument, Ottewell melts hearts with not just his soaring vocal range — watch for his cover of Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World” — but also with his melancholy lines about relationships and red dresses and dream houses. His acoustic music adroitly moves between blues and folk. Nothing about his musicianship is overly polished or perfect, only adding to his mystique. Expect the British singer-songwriter to include tunes off his new solo
album, A Man Apart, as well as a few favorites from his other band, the British alt-rock act Gomez. (Laura Morrison) 8 p.m., $15. Beachland Tavern. Trace Adkins: 8 p.m. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. The Birthday Massacre/Lords of Acid: 6:30 p.m., $20-$35. Agora Ballroom. Glenn Davis Quintet Featuring Evelyn Wright: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Disco Inferno: 9:30 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge. Guns N Roses Tribute by Appetite for Destruction: 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Christine Marie (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Bob Niederitter Trio Featuring Tony Monaco: 8 p.m., $20. Bop Stop. The Outer Vibe/Black Roads: 8 p.m., $10. Musica. The Pizza Creeps/Tiger Sex/ Misunderstood: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Rise Against/Pierce the Veil/ White Lung: 7:30 p.m., $31.50. Jacobs Pavilion. The Schwartz Brothers: 8:30
LIVEWIRE p.m., $8. Beachland Ballroom. Sweepyheads/Heavenly Creatures: 9 p.m., free. The Euclid Tavern. The Spits/The Cowboy/The Missed/Shagg: 9 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Now That’s Class. Moss Stanley: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown. TYCE Presents Bat Out of Hell (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Tyga/Chief Keef: 7 p.m., $32-$45. House of Blues. The Whiskey Hollow/Bro Dylan/ The Katy/Kimbery Haffey: 8:30 p.m. Grog Shop.
SAT
09/30
Carbon Leaf/Liz Longley: If you went to college in the eary ’90s, chances are you attended at least one keg party. Campus regulations were looser back then, and students took advantage. Studying at Randolph-Macon College at the time, the guys in Carbon Leaf benefited from those conditions. They put together a cover band and regularly gigged at backyard parties and frat events. These days, the band is known for playing an eclectic mix of original music that draws from blues, folk and rock, and its latest album, Love Loss Hope Repeat Reneaux, a re-recording of their 2006 album by the same name, offers mid-tempo alt-rock tunes such as the moody title track that compare favorably to acts such as Toad the Wet Sprocket and Dave Matthews Band. (Niesel) 8 p.m., $22.50 ADV/$26.50 DOS. The Kent Stage. American Aquarium/ The Trongone Band/The Commonwealth: 8:30 p.m., $15. Beachland Ballroom. Eddie Baccus Sr. Quintet: 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown. Bluestone Union: 9:30 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge. Brazilian Dance Party With Paulo Costa Trio: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop. Caamp/Doc Robinson: 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Grog Shop. Fear of a Black Planet Fall Extravaganze with Vigatron/ Mourning [A] BLKstar/Obnox: 8 p.m., $10. Now That’s Class.
Paperhaus/Bending Spirit/My Silent Neighbor: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Purple Knif/The Britemores: 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern. Sounds of Jazz Featuring Nancy Redd (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Joey Sprinkles Album Release/ Rubella/TJ Duke: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Strange Days, A Tribute to the Doors: 8 p.m. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown.
SUN
10/7 ...................... Swap Meet Proudly serving House Cured Corned Beef 10/14.................... Dan McCoy 10/21........................Ballinloch & other made-from-scratch goodies. 10/28 .......D Ear Jimmy Band 11/11 .........We Are The Radio 11/18 ..................... Swap Meet 11/25....... Crawley & Hopper
BEST CRAFT BEER SELECTION IN TOWN!
HAPPY HOUR MON-FRI 3-7PM
10/01
The Devil Wears Prada/Veil of Maya/Silent Planet/Thousand Below: There’s just something about the hardcore act The Devil Wears Prada that is unlike any other band. The group has a terrific live show. Whether it’s their light show that fits so well into their music and showman style or their ability to sound so tight and perfect with every performance, The Devil Wears Prada is one of, if not the, best live bands in the hardcore scene right now and has been for years. (Martin Harp), 6 p.m., $20 ADV, $23 DOS. Agora Ballroom The Babys: 7:30 p.m., $28 ADV, $32 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Ballister: Rempis/Lonberg-Holm/ Nilssen-Love: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop. Banditos/Midnight Slander: 8 p.m., $12. Beachland Tavern. Idle Bloom/Pouty/Cigarette Playdate: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Jerkagram/Listen Little Man/ Marvin the Robot: 9 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. The Lone Bellow/Mt. Joy: 8 p.m., $20.50 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Mike Petrone (in the Wine Bar): 5:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. October Noise Lunch: 4 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. The Outer Waves/Mitch Madak/ Hamburger Lips/Anttixxs: 8:30 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. Dennis Quaid & the Sharks: 7:30 p.m., $20-$55. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. School of Rock: 12 p.m., free. Brothers Lounge.
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9/28 | 7PM
9/29 | 8PM
9/30 | 8PM
OLDS/PUJOLAS/GREY TRIO
BOB NIEDERRITER TRIO WITH TONY MONACO
$12
$20
BRAZILIAN DANCE PARTY WITH PAULO COSTA TRIO
9/30 | 11PM
10/1 | 8PM
THE NIGHT CAP COMEDY SHOW $5
BALLISTER $10
$10 10/2 | 8PM
JOEL BROTMAN WITH PRIME TIME BIG BAND $5
10/3 | 7PM
10/4 | 7PM
10/5 | 8PM
YACOUBA SISSOKO
ERIC SEDDON: JIMMIE NOONE
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$12
10/6 | 8PM
10/7 | 8PM
10/8 | 7PM
RED SHOE COMPANY: PLUGGED IN, TUNED OUT
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
LIVEWIRE MON
10/02
Joel Brotman and the Prime Time Big Band: 8 p.m., $5. Bop Stop. Cold Cave/Ritual Howls/Soft Copy: 8 p.m., $20. Beachland Ballroom. Frankie Cosmos/Ian Sweet: 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Gojira/Torche/Code Orange: 7 p.m., $35-$45. House of Blues. The Last 5 Years Featuring Corey Mach & Keri Rene: 7 p.m., $15. Nighttown. Shit Show Karaoke: 10 p.m. B-Side Liquor Lounge & Arcade.
TUE
CLEVELAND
Live Music Daily
10/03
Greyhounds: Keyboardist Anthony Farrell and guitarist Andrew Trube teamed up around the turn of the millennium and, from then on, carved out an enticing niche in soulful, blues-based American rock. The duo’s latest, last year’s Change of Pace, dishes tunes like “Walls,” which swirl around Farrell’s steady melody and Trube’s desert-rock riffs. The guys share vocal duties, trading smoky verses and drawing out their knack for storytelling across simple instrumentation that puts in some serious work to paint its own picture. Take “Cuz I’m Here,” for example, which brings the tempo way down and lets Trube really stretch his fretboard into a reverb-soaked solo against Farrell’s gentle handiwork. It’s great that these two found each other way back when. (Sandy) 8:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Mandolin Orange/Kate Rhudy: 8:30 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Melodime: 7 p.m., $12. House of Blues. Our Great Country Night with Mary Taylor Brooks (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Pixies: 8 p.m., $45. The Agora Theatre. Yacouba Sissoko: 7 p.m., $12. Bop Stop. UMS Showcase: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $15 DOS. Grog Shop.
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SIGNAL 30 By Jeff Niesel MEET THE BAND: Pat Butler (vocals, guitar), Steve Callahan (guitar), Ross Cintula (drums), Joe Morana (bass) AHEAD OF THEIR TIME: The band started in the early ’90s when band members were still in high school. “We played a lot through 1997 and 1998,â€? says Butler. “We didn’t go to school together but we were all in high school at the same time.â€? Butler, Callahan and Cintula have always played in the band, but the band has had a number of different bassists. The style of heavy, stoner rock music the band played became more popular shortly after the group split up. “I think when all the stoner rock bands started to take off was when our band was breaking up,â€? Butler says. “Our music had more of a metal feel to it and wasn’t as groovy and stonerish. That resurgence would have really helped us.â€? THE WAIT IS OVER: The band reunited a few years ago after a hiatus and has regularly gigged around town. Due to popular demand, it ďŹ nally recorded some new music at the end of last year. “We kept saying we were going to make a new record and didn’t have the time,â€? says Butler. “At the end of the last year, we got the time to do it. I write the lyrics, and we jam once a week and the
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
music comes out that way.�
WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: “Right Through Me,� the opening track on the new record, A Series of Disappointments, features dueling guitars and parched vocals. It effectively evokes Sabbath’s sludgerock without sounding derivative. “The recording process was great,� says Butler. “It was very straightforward. The mixing and mastering took forever. Everyone had a different idea about how it should sound. One person thought the drums were too loud and another person thought they weren’t loud enough.� The band still has some material that Butler refers to as “in-between material� that predates the songs on the album. He says they might “relearn� them for an EP. “We’re always working on stuff and have hours and hours of recordings from practice that need to be reworked.� WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THEM: signal30band.bandcamp.com WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: Signal 30 performs with Earth Chief and Blackwater at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Maple Grove Tavern.
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
C-NOTES THE CLEVELAND CONNECTION Indie folk act 5j Barrow has strong ties to Northeast Ohio By Jeff Niesel ERYN MURMAN, WHO SINGS in the indie folk act 5j Barrow, grew up in Lakewood; she says her upbringing in “a really creative, very supportive of the arts family” gave her the motivation to pursue a career as an actress and singer. The band performs with locals Maura Rogers & the Bellows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Music Box Supper Club. “My mom is a visual artist and my dad is not an artist but supports it,” says Murman. “I have an older sister who’s also in the arts, and they supported us. We loved creating stories and putting on our own shows. That developed into us dancing and singing and doing lots of theater in town. From there, I always loved telling stories and doing it in a really creative way.” Murman formed 5j Barrow in 2011 when she met bandmate Jason Hite in San Jose, California. They had worked on a play together and discovered they had much in common. “We talked about music and found that we had similar tastes,” says Murman, who cites Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Van Morrison and Fleetwood Mac as influences. “We also had been writing songs on our own and were looking for someone to bounce ideas off of.” Named Best Band in NY after winning the Greene Space WNYC/ WQXR’s Battle of the Boroughs 2014, the group released its debut album, From the Dim Sweet Light, that same year. Last summer, Murman and Hite came to Cleveland to record a handful of songs with local singer-songwriter David Mayfield. The single from the forthcoming album, “Sea Green Dress,” includes a reference to Cleveland. The folk-y tune shows off Hite’s evocative voice as he sings with the vocal power of the late, great Jeff Buckley. “We write more from an emotion or a feeling,” says Murman. “[‘Sea Green Dress’] came to Jason really quickly. It was one of those songs. He wrote that about me. It’s a classic
love song. He wanted to honor those classic simple songs that people can really connect to — Frank Sinatra and the classic songbook style. That is the song that everyone remembers when people hear us play live. It’s been really cool to see how people connect to that one.” After the Music Box show, the band plans to return to New York to play a proper release show. Murman and Hite will tour up until November, when they have plans to marry. “We want to cover as much of North America as we can for the next year,” says Murman. “It’s been a dream of ours to take our music and explore different towns and see where our music resonates. We just want to continue to build momentum.”
BLUE ARROW HOSTS DEAD BOYS BOOK RELEASE PARTY The Dead Boys emerged from Cleveland in the late 1970s and would go on to achieve national (and even international) acclaim before quickly imploding. Photographer Dave Treat captured the band during that time period. Dead Boys 1977: The Lost Photographs of Dave Treat, a new book edited and designed by local writer and graphic designer Ron Kretsch, chronicles the group’s early days. To celebrate the book’s release, Kretsch, along with the Grog Shop’s John Neely, will play old Cleveland punk tunes at a release party that takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday at Blue Arrow. Treat will be on hand as well, and there will be raffles for VIP book/shirt/poster packages. The photos show members of the band cavorting in the “rust belt ruins” of mid-1970s Cleveland. Many of them have never been seen by the public.
jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel
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And The Painkillers Mon., Oct. 9
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
SAVAGE LOVE AT THE PALACE by Dan Savage I HAD A BLAST HOSTING SAVAGE Lovecast Live at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. Audience members submitted questions before the show, and I consumed a large pot edible right after the curtain went up and then raced to give as much decent sex advice as I could before it took effect. Here are some of the questions I didn’t get to before my judgment became too impaired to operate a sex-and-relationship-advice podcast.
Dear Dan, I’ve been on the dating apps a while. What’s up with serial first daters? Back when people primarily met at parties, bars, clubs, etc., we established baseline physical/chemical attraction before learning someone’s name and long before a first date. (We eyeballed ’em, we said hello, we made a moment’s small talk.) With apps, however, we can’t establish baseline physical/chemical attraction until our first face-to-face meeting—until after that “first date,” which itself comes after we’ve swapped flirty messages, sent additional pics, and made a plan to meet. Since apps mean more “first dates,” it feels like we’re meeting a lot more “serial first daters” these days. We aren’t—it’s just that now we have to meet up with people to eyeball ’em, say hello, and make small talk. Don’t think of that first meeting with someone you met via an app as a “first date,” think of it as the preinterview before the first date.
Dear Dan, What is the appropriate amount of side boob? This is outside my area of expertise/giving a shit. So I’m going to pass this question on to Tim Gunn. I’ll let you know what Tim has to say should he respond.
Dear Dan, My best friend is in a relationship with a really jealous, controlling guy. He guilt-trips her constantly and gets passive-aggressively mad whenever she tries to hang out with people besides him. When she complains about him, I want to say fuck him, he’s a dick, except… she’s having a full-on affair with another guy and
seems not to feel bad about it! I don’t know what advice to give or how to make sense of the situation. What’s my responsibility to her? To her boyfriend? Maybe your best friend’s boyfriend is jealous and controlling because he senses—or because he knows—his girlfriend is cheating on him. Or maybe it didn’t occur to your best friend to cheat on her boyfriend until after he accused her of cheating for the millionth time—maybe she figured she might as well commit the crime since she was already being punished for it. Or maybe they’re both terrible people who deserve each other and neither is your responsibility.
Dear Dan, My partner and I are a straight couple in our 20s/30s. We’re curious about straight PDA in gay bars. She feels it should be kept to a minimum, but a little is okay. He feels it shouldn’t happen, as it may make people uncomfortable. Thoughts? I think this is something you and your opposite-sex partner should discuss over drinks in one of the thousands of straight bars in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dear Dan, I feel like all my friends resent me for getting married. How do I make them feel less insecure about my new relationship? Ask yourself which is likelier: All of your friends—every single one of them—are so petty and insecure that they resent you for getting married or you were a megalomaniacal bride-or-groom-or-nonbinary-zilla and behaved so atrociously that you managed to piss off all your friends? If it’s the (less likely) former, make better friends. If it’s the (more likely) latter, make amends.
Dear Dan, We are two lesbians in our 20s and ready to start a family. Will you be our sperm donor? Nope!
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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| clevescene.com | September 27 - October 3, 2017
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