BY
Fried Cod Taco topped with Baja slaw and pickled jalapeño.
Chicken Tinga Taco topped Mexican Lager with Lime charred jalapeño salsa.
Tajin Roasted Cauliflower topped with charred jalapeño.
MONDAY–WEDNESDAY 12pm–8pm (BAR 9pm)
THURSDAY–FRIDAY 12pm–9pm (Bar 10pm)
SATURDAY 11:30am–9pm (Bar 10pm)
SUNDAY 11am–3pm (BAR 4pm)
RESIDENTS OF RESERVE SQUARE
Apartments, a beleaguered downtown complex that’s been run by a receiver since last August, say they’re not happy with the lack of repairs in general and specifically those still not made in the past few weeks despite promises by ownership.
The building, located east of Perk Plaza, has been in foreclosure since last July, when a complaint was filed in federal court alleging K&D had about $78 million in unpaid loans, interest and tax advances.
The city of Cleveland mailed a letter on February 9 to the judge overseeing the case, urging the court to nudge the receiver, Andrew Hayman, to ameliorate a wide range of complaints—a flooded parking garage, messy hallways, constant fire alarms, malfunctioning water heaters and bed bug infestations.
“Time is of the essence, and we feel compelled to try to ‘fast-track’ this in any way possible,” Building & Housing Director Sally Martin O’Toole wrote to Judge Bridget Brennan.
Although Hayman had promised the city orders were made for the malfunctioning furnace, “we have not seen substantive repairs being made in the building,” Martin O’Toole wrote, “and the conditions continue to be hazardous.”
Reserve Square’s foreclosure came at a tough time for lower-income apartment complexes, those hit hard by inflation and visa policy changes by the Trump administration. (A large swath of Reserve’s tenancy had been international students.) Only a half of the buildings 976 total units were occupied as of mid-February.
Yet, the city didn’t spare Reserve Square and its court-appointed receiver when Mayor Bibb toured the property with 19 News in March, seeing its damaged ceilings, parking garage and apartments still being heated by space heaters. By then, the city prosecutor had filed 20 first-degree misdemeanor charges in a separate criminal case for neglecting work orders in November and December of last year.
“Nobody should be living in these conditions,” Bibb said on the 19 News broadcast. “Anywhere in our city.”
Since February 12, when Hayman was required to report Reserve’s repairs weekly to the court, the building has come through on some of its promises, court documents show. Four out of its seven boilers are functional. Its fire alarms aren’t going off at random. Tenants have hot water. And a flooded parking garage is, one report says, “not expected to be a recurring issue.”
But five tenants interviewed by Scene last week said they’re only partially appeased by the repair jobs thus far. All five confirmed they have working water, that they halls seem cleaner, and new security staff is doing their jobs.
But all were still more than ready to air their grievances and complaints they all said were regularly ignored by the leasing office. About lingering bed bugs that weren’t fully taken care of. About the trash chutes not being used. About the elevator unable to be called on the first floor.
Or, for two Cleveland State seniors living in a two-bedroom, the lack of consistent heat. (Despite being provided a space heater.)
“All the whole winter, we are using the manual heaters,” one told Scene, standing outside the building’s west entrance. “We can’t even sleep some days.”
“We covered ourselves with comforters,” his roommate added. “We were wearing jackets [inside] and everything.”
Naresh, 23, said he subleased his room a month early last year to relocate to a nearby building. He was tired of the unwanted guests in the lobby and hallways and issues of often-failing heat and running water.
“One day I was out of water,” Naresh said, standing in front of the building’s east entrance. “There is no water in there.”
A fourth Reserve Square tenant, a junior at Cleveland State, said that although his bed bug problem had been solved, and his heat working, he was still unsure about the decision to restaff Reserve’s security with overbearing guards.
“They act like they’re the First Order,” he told Scene, making a reference to Star Wars. “Like, they don’t allow friends. My friends want to come to my room, want to hang out, want to chill, and they say no.”
In an interview with Scene, a city spokesperson acknowledged that the recent complaints from residents—those heat and elevator woes—were “fairly accurate,” and leaned on the city’s criminal case and the federal foreclosure case as tools to continue to pressure Hayman into getting Reserve into shape in a more timely manner.
“If you’re a landlord in the city, whether of a two-bedroom house or a multi-unit condo,” they said, “you have a duty and responsibility to upkeep and maintain your buildings.”
A lawyer representing K&D Group in the federal case did not respond to a phone call for comment. An email to the Hayman Group was not returned.
In a letter to Brennan, the federal judge, a lawyer for Hayman assured the court in detail that all documented issues—the plumbing, the security, the roach infestation—were be taken care of as quickly as possible.
“These actions have been undertaken methodically and efficiently,” that lawyer, Jeanna Weaver, wrote in February, “all while prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of the residents.” – Mark Oprea
INTRODUCING THE TRI-C JAZZFEST 2026
JUNE 25 - 27, 2026
Experience the most expansive Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland presented by KeyBank yet — an all-you-can-experience celebration across genres, venues and stages.
For full perfor mer bios, the most up-to-date information and previews of all the fun, scan the QR code or visit tri-cjazzfest.com.
On the hunt for the biggest trees in Ohio. By Eric Sandy
WE’RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD in Yankee Lake, Ohio, in Marc DeWerth’s blue Honda Odyssey, when suddenly he spots a prize: a sprawling white oak tree in the middle of a field, just beyond a roadside advertisement for an upcoming gun show. The tree’s mighty crown draws us in.
On approach, we see that the tree is hollowed out at its base, enough so that an adult could fit comfortably inside. After a century or two of growth, some pain is to be expected, some evidence of survival at great cost. DeWerth observes the tree, admiring its gangly grandeur, and then takes the measurements. This is an important part of the task at hand, and it’s easy enough once you understand what you’re measuring. “Even people writing newspaper articles can do this,” he says.
DeWerth wraps a tape measure around the trunk, gathering its circumference: 16’6”. Then we work together to capture its crown by measuring edge to edge at the branches’ widest point and narrowest point (add those numbers together and divide by two to get an average spread metric). This one is no sapling, but it certainly doesn’t rank among the giants he’s known for finding. Still, it’s quite an experience to stand next to a sprawling old oak tree.
“An old fellow like this can live a long time,” he says. “This tree is probably every bit of 175 to 200 years old. Easily. The strength of the tree is the cambium layer. That’s your outer layer of the tree. That’s where all your strength is. If it still had that side, it would be over 200 inches. So it’s pretty close to being as mega as mega can get.”
Mega trees are 200 inches or more in diameter. Mammoth trees start at 240 inches. Gigantis trees are 300 inches or more.
We were out in Trumbull County on a lark. Years ago, DeWerth had received a tip about a massive ginkgo tree on an old farm property. The farm itself had changed hands, but, presumably, the tree remained, and DeWerth wanted to get a look at it. This is what he does: He scouts the biggest trees in Ohio. Every rumor of a massive oak or sycamore carries the promise of discovery. Like a Captain Ahab of hardwood forests, he’s attuned to the grizzled giants of the world.
That ginkgo didn’t pan out. We saw it from the road, abutting an old farmhouse, but, let’s be real here, it wasn’t anything special. A fine tree, but we were on a
mission to find truly exceptional trees. We wanted to find a gigantis.
“Basically, tree seeking is pretty much you just going out with hope,” DeWerth says before logging the ginkgo on his Google Maps display of hundreds of pins, each one a unique tree, and then peeling off. That’s the thing: There are always more trees to find, like the oak in Yankee Lake.
With the rise of social media and broad post-pandemic, mid-climate catastrophe interest in citizen naturalist hobbies (think birding, hiking, morel hunting), tree seeking is having something of a moment. Maybe you’ve noticed. Maybe, like mine, your unique Facebook algorithm is pumping photos of big trees from groups like Big Tree Seekers, Big Tree Seekers Club, or DeWerth’s own Big Trees Ohio into your feed. Maybe not. (Although, after reading this story, watch out.)
Big Trees Ohio currently clocks some 55,000 followers. The newer Instagram counterpart, @big_trees_ohio, boasts 15,800. The accounts share DeWerth’s travels and discoveries; he’s rounded out by a crew of fellow tree seekers and Gen Z university students. The trees themselves are a mix of chance finds and hot leads sent in from around the state. DeWerth’s social media followers are not passive; rather, the Facebook page is an active community of tree-obsessed folks from all four corners of Ohio.
On those pages, DeWerth posts with the impassioned and deeply invested lexicon of a journalist covering the NFL draft. A recent visit to an eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) in Mahoning County prompted an update: “A HOG for sure at a newly updated 282” in circumference and over 102’ tall. What a TRUCK!!”
people reacted strongly and asked where the trees were. “Anytime I’d do a post with a tree, they’d go bananas,” he recalls. He followed the attention of his audience and started an account devoted to big trees in Ohio. The first thousand followers showed up immediately; the account has grown steadily ever since, earning the jealousy even of his daughter’s friends. How does your dad have so many followers?
Big trees are one thing, but the biggest specimens are known as champion trees, tracked by universities and government agencies at the individual state level–and by the University of Tennessee at the national level.
Peruse Ohio’s list of champion
trees, native and non-native alike, and you’ll see DeWerth’s claims to fame. He has even found at least four national champion trees in Ohio (green ash, chinquapin oak, pin oak, and northern red oak), national champs being of course the largest of a given species across the U.S. This spring, he has plans to re-measure a few white oak trees he’s found in Ohio to make a claim at that national champion title; the former crown belonged to a white oak in Virginia that fell just last year. It was DeWerth himself who happened to be in Virginia and realized that the champion had fallen; he alerted the authorities. Scouring the state’s list of champion trees, it’s easy to sense the competition out there.
“I’m not as hungry as I used to be looking for the champions,” he says. “I like to just document all big trees.”
Same for a trip out to Marion County in February: “A HONKER of a Ginkgo biloba in a local cemetery in the Prospect area of Marion County... Big, wide, with plenty of nutrients. What a TANK at 203” in circumference and 66’ tall, with a wide spread.”
The pages started innocently enough. DeWerth was already spending a lot of time outdoors—hiking, doing volunteer naturalist work, helping with invasive species removal, bird counts, and Bigfoot investigations—and he kept running into big trees in the woods. When he posted photos of those trees on his Bigfoot page,
Ohio has been keeping track of its biggest trees for a surprisingly long time. The state’s Champion Tree Program, run by the Ohio Division of Forestry, dates back to the 1950s and was originally modeled after a national effort once run by the conservation group American Forests. The basic idea is simple: for every species of tree in Ohio, all 200+ native and non-native, the state keeps a record of the largest known example.
The title of “state champion” goes to the biggest of the big. When someone thinks they’ve found a contender, they submit a nomination to the program. That tip can come from anyone: a hiker, a landowner, a cemetery caretaker, or one of the state’s small but enthusiastic network of tree seekers, like DeWerth. Once a nomination comes in, a forester goes out to verify the species and take official measurements. Those measurements combine the tree’s trunk circumference, its height, and the spread of its crown to produce a final score. If the numbers beat the current record holder for that species, a new champion is crowned.
The state currently tracks more than 1,000 notable trees in its database. Some are massive centuries-old oaks or sycamores towering over 100 feet tall with trunks wider than a small car. Others are champions simply because their species doesn’t grow very large, trees like dogwoods or redbuds that might top out at 30 feet but can still claim a title if they’re the biggest of their kind.
“These trees are like living testaments of stewardship,” says Alistair Reynolds, forester with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry. He runs the state champion program. “These
trees have been cared for or at least allowed to grow for such a long time, and they’ve reached the size and potential that they’ve reached, which is huge.”
Most champion trees are discovered almost by accident. Someone notices a tree that looks unusually big, submits a nomination, and suddenly Ohio’s tree record book gets an update. When the tree sits on public land, the Division of Forestry even adds it to an online map so curious visitors can track it down themselves.
Now, this whole thing is not without controversy. Like any other niche community, tree seeking can at times engender a hyper-competitive streak among its adherents. Even at the state level, ODNR has to contend with rival claims to national champion trees. “Other states will even contest our measurements and contest our tree identification,” Reynolds says. “There’s even something like tree poaching, where someone finds a tree in a cemetery and nominates it themselves instead of letting the cemetery nominate it.”
That said, the vocation is broadly friendly. We’re talking about trees, after all. If a little competition is good for any sport, then tree seeking pairs that spirit with something more ineffable. There’s no box score here; when scouting big trees, everyone wins.
Back on the road, we alternate between striking out and finding gold. Zig-zagging westward from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, DeWerth eventually spots what seems like a beautiful American elm specimen, in fact a pair of elms, behind a low-slung house squatting in the woods.
what he called a “general feeling of hatred against trees,” writing that Americans saw “the absence of woods” as “the sign of civilization.”
Forests, in that view, were not sublime. They were in the way. The field of wheat was the ideal; the dark wall of timber was a problem to be solved. Maybe this sounds familiar, if you replace wheat fields with culs-de-sac and shopping center plazas sporting acres of asphalted parking spaces.
We pull up to the sound of barking dogs and clucking chickens out back, but no one’s home. DeWerth leaves a door hanger explaining a bit about himself and what he’s looking for: “We noticed a massive Big Tree on your property, and would love to come back and measure it.” He’s got a box of these door hangers at the ready in his van. You never know when you’ll find something out there.
This is another element of tree-seeking. Most of these big trees are on private property; you can’t just tromp into someone’s backyard because you saw what looked like a gigantis sycamore from your van. DeWerth, a former salesman, knows from trees, yes, but above all he knows humans. He eagerly knocks on doors and approaches wary homeowners with a litany of facts about their big trees. He’s more than once been greeted by a shotgun; this is Ohio, after all. Armed with the rizz of his former career, he cold-calls strangers for access to their trees.
Point is, you won’t get far as a tree-seeker without knowing how to talk to people.
Often, too, he’s learned that many people haven’t even paid attention to the trees around them to begin with. “There’s people that say, ‘I’ve known that tree forever. I remember driving by that tree for 50 years.’ You ever stop? ‘Nope.’” It takes someone like DeWerth to shock them into actually looking at the world around them, not simply seeing it whiz by or eyeing a woody beast as a nuisance to be felled.
This is nothing new. The American relationship with trees has never been exactly tender. Traveling through the U.S. in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville observed
Further westward now, as we approach Portage County, a striking northern catalpa catches his eye. An older woman and her grandchildren are in the driveway; before much in the way of salutations, DeWerth is already opining on the biology of the catalpa, holding forth from his driver’s seat and mesmerizing the family with catalpa intel. The woman mentions that one year the tree was filled with worms, and that sends DeWerth into a brief soliloquy on catalpa worms: perfect fish bait and worth a pretty penny if you know how to find your buyer. The family ushers us into the front yard so that we can measure and photograph the catalpa. As many catalpas do, this one leans strongly to port, etching a pleasant and unusual silhouette against the blue March sky.
“Usually what I try to do is re-educate the people on their trees and why it’s important and what’s significant about it,” DeWerth says as we hit the road again. “Gets them excited. And when you get them excited, then they want to do more for it.” There is no doubt that the family, already reverent of the catalpa in the front yard, will look differently at it now. They may talk about the strange man who showed up at their house one day for the rest of their lives. With any luck, that’s what DeWerth is doing out here. He’s taking stock of Ohio’s rich arboreal heritage, but he’s also leaving a distinct imprint on people’s perspective of the world around them, as it exists now, as it existed before, as it might in the future..
In the van, DeWerth is the captain of his ship. He dispenses wisdom on trees, but also global geopolitics, Bigfoot, the Dunkin’ rewards points program, trail running, Gen Z’s penchant for Capri Sun and ramen noodles, select Northeast Ohio fish fry intel, and, maybe the one topic that rivals trees in his purview, cars. He burns through vans, putting some 60,000 miles on them each year. How else is he supposed to find all these trees? As we cruise the turnpike, he offers commentary on the dubious Chrysler Pacificas, the untrustworthy Jeep Grand Cherokees
and their questionable bushings. His eyes scan the tree line, though, always.
We meet again the following week, closer to home, for a brief tour of big trees in the westside suburbs of Cuyahoga County. Our photographer pulls up in an old gold Chevy Impala, which DeWerth finds incredible in 2026. First, we visit a terrific white oak (19’4”) overlooking Lake Road in Bay Village, just north of the senior center, and then we drive to look at an absolutely massive northern red oak (23’8”) holding vigil at the back of Evergreen Cemetery in Westlake.
“We have to keep these trees around because they are things that people can learn from,” DeWerth says.
We conclude our day in a residential neighborhood in North Olmsted, where a homeowner has taken great pride in a bur oak (23’2”) that straddles a property line and towers over houses. To think, this mammoth tree watched North Olmsted spring up around it, probably
“We have to keep these trees around because they are things that people can learn from.”
watched old Aaron Olmsted himself purchase the land for $30,000 back in 1805 and set in motion all that happened since. More than 200 years on, the bur oak anchors the visual plane of the neighborhood and casts acorns to the wildlife below. Its crown spreads in lightning bolts against the gray March sky.
What a tank.
At first glance, finding big trees can feel like a niche hobby, somewhere between birding and metal detecting. A few people with measuring tapes wandering around cemeteries and back roads, chasing rumors of unusually fat trunks. But the deeper you look, the more these trees start to rewire your sight.
A big tree is big, but it’s not only big in the simple sense of the word. You can look at a tree like a time machine, or like time made visible.
A white oak that’s 200 years old has been standing there since before Ohio was fully carved into farms and highways. It watched the forests thin, the towns appear, the railroads come and go. Long before most of our long-gone relatives were here, that tree was already holding its place in the landscape. And if it survives long enough, it may still be there after we’re gone.
That’s part of what makes Ohio’s big-
gest trees feel almost miraculous. They are remnants of a landscape that was once nearly continuous forest and then, in the span of a few generations, was cut open and remade, only to be torn down and remade again: Ohio went from 98.7 percent forest cover in the early 1800s to 12 percent around 1900; it’s at about 30 percent now. Cuyahoga County is somewhere between 21 and 25 percent, according to various research. About 72 percent of the area is instead covered by lawns or development.
Which makes the fact of old-growth giants somewhat miraculous. They became rare the hard way: by surviving the long state-building project that treated woods as something to clear, tame, and convert.
That’s part of why the surviving honkers feel so emotionally charged. They have made it through the old war on forests and now face its modern sequel, one fought by surveyors, developers, and institutions that often speak the language of progress with the same confidence earlier generations brought to the axe. Which is why the work of people like DeWerth lands as more than quirky hobbyism. To seek out big trees now is, in its own odd way, to take inventory of what Ohio still has left.
Ecologically, the value is enormous. Large trees do things smaller trees simply can’t. Their canopies store vast amounts of carbon, cooling the surrounding landscape and buffering against climate extremes. Their bark holds entire micro-ecosystems of insects, lichens, mosses, and fungi. Their branches house birds and owls. Their acorns and seeds feed everything from squirrels to deer to turkeys. In forests across the eastern U.S., species like white oak are ecological engines, producing the mast that keeps wildlife populations alive year after year.
But the importance of big trees goes beyond ecology. They are anchors of
memory. DeWerth says he has a photographic memory, and that may be true. As we drifted across northern Ohio in the steady drizzle of March rain, he came upon tree after tree that he already knew. He pointed them out like old friends at a cocktail party: twin white oaks in Garrettsville, a girthy bur oak in the front yard of a couple he’d met years back.
And then there’s the simplest reason of all: awe. Most of the modern landscape is built for speed and efficiency. Highways, subdivisions, parking lots, strip malls. Big trees operate on the opposite timeline. They are slow, stubborn, patient. Standing next to one forces you to think differently about time, that old rewiring trick of nature. A trunk that takes three or four people to wrap their arms around makes your daily anxieties feel a little less permanent.
That’s part of what the big tree seekers understand. That’s what DeWerth is trying to tell us.
Then again, there’s the basic thrill of the hunt, the instinct to prowl the frontier and find something truly special out there in this strange, decaying world of ours. A day spent seeking big trees in rural Ohio: This is a meaningful way to spend time in an otherwise fast-paced and mostly deranged society intent on exchanging expediency for the safety of natural wonders..
“There’s always a bigger one,” he says, determined now, staring at the horizon through the windshield of his Odyssey, driving westward toward the setting sun. “Somewhere there is. That’s what I do. I find them.”
Macbeth
Great Lakes Theatre takes on Shakespear’s classic play about corruption and power. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Hanna Theatre, where performances continue through Saturday.
11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org
Brewmaster’s Stash
The drummer, composer and producer plays something he calls “jazz-rooted 21st century folk music.” He performs at 7:30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
The Music Man
On the first Thursday of every month, Great Lakes Brewing Company releases a special small-batch beer selected by the brewmaster. The pub taps the brew for the day and then it’s served until it is gone. You can even load up a crowler or growler to take the stuff home if you like.
2516 Market Ave., 216-771-4404, greatlakesbrewing.com
GlamGore
Produced, marketed, and hosted by locally based Anhedonia Delight, this monthly show at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights feature both “beauty queens” and “drag monsters.” Tonight’s performance begins at 9:30. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs
Guardians vs. Chicago Cubs
For the 2026 home opener, the Guardians host a Chicago Cubs team that made the playoffs last year. The Cubs have added better starting pitching to the team, so they should be a tough opponent for this young Guardians squad. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. at Progressive Field, and the two teams play again tomorrow and Sunday.
2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians
SAT 04/04
Don Lemon & D.L. Hughley
Journalist Don Lemon sits down for a chat with veteran comedian D.L. Hughley for this special event that takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Connor Palace.
1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
SUN 04/05
Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
Last year, the Indiana Pacers made a deep run into the playoffs. This year, they won’t be a part of the NBA season thanks to some key injuries and departures via free agency. They take on the Cavs tonight at 6 at Rocket Arena. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com
MON 04/06
Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals
The Guardians take on one of their division rivals tonight at 6:10 at Progressive Field. The two teams meet again tomorrow and Wednesday.
2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians
WED 04/08
Midnight Rental Presents Secret Movie Night
Hosted by Lenora from the internet hit-series Midnight Rental, this movie night features what it deems to be the best in VHS horror, thriller and campy classics. The event begins tonight at 8 at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, and the club will feature a special movie night menu for the event.
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs
THU 04/09
Schubert & Shostakovich
Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads the Cleveland Orchestra as it plays Schubert’s Ninth Symphony and Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall, where performances continue through Saturday. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
FRI 04/10
Michael Colyar
Comedian Michael Colyar tells the kinds of jokes that aren’t designed to appeal solely to fans of a certain ethnicity, age or background. He aims at making everyone laugh. Colyar, who’s just unleashed a Donald Trump impersonation that finds him spouting things like, “Let’s make America white again,” performs tonight at 7 and 9:30 at the Funny Bone, where he has shows scheduled through Sunday.
1148 Main Ave., 216-696-4677, cleveland.funnybone.com
SAT 04/11
Pete Correale
This comedian’s career got a big boost last
year when he opened for his superstar friend Sebastian Maniscalco. Now, Pete Correale, who also hosts a podcast with Maniscalco, plays more intimate venues on his As I Was Saying tour. The show begins at 8 p.m. at the Hanna Theatre.
2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
SUN 04/12
Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
The Cavs get a break as the lowly Washington Wizards, one of the NBA’s worst teams, come to Rocket Arena. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketarena.com
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus Honor Choir
Top choral students from Northeast Ohio will participate in this concert that takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
MON 04/13
The Harlem Globetrotters 100 Year Tour
The basketball team known for its sensational style of play brings its 100th anniversary tour to the Covelli Centre in Youngstown.
229 East Front St., Youngstown, 330-746-5600, covellicentre.com
WED 04/15
Alexandre Kantorow in Concert
French pianist Alexandre Kantorow will perform pieces by Medtner and Beethoven at this special recital that takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
THU 04/16
Guardians vs. Baltimore Orioles
The Guardians kick off this homestand with tonight’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. The series against the Orioles continues through Sunday.
2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians
FRI 04/17
Third Friday
From 5 to 9 p.m., many of the 78th Street
Studios resident artist studios and galleries will be open as part of this monthly event. There will be live music, and Local West, a Gordon Square sandwich shop, will serve food. BARneo will have a selection of adult beverages as well. Admission is free. 1300 West 78th St., 78thstreetstudios.com
SAT 04/18
Dan Soder
The comedian brings his Golden Retriever of Comedy tour to the Agora. Soder caught a good break a decade ago when he was cast in the Showtime series Billions, which became a big hit. Doors open at 6 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
SUN 04/19
Cleveland Women’s Orchestra
Pianist Angelin Chang joins the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra as it plays pieces by Sarah Hegenderfer, Franck and Ravel at this concert that takes place at 3:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
Guardians vs. Houston Astros
At 6:10 tonight at Progressive Field, the Guardians play the Houston Astros, a team that just barely missed last year’s playoffs. The two teams play again tomorrow and Wednesday.
2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb.com/guardians
TUE 04/21
Outlab: Experiments in Improvised Music
Musicians are invited to bring instruments or any sound making device (drum kit and keyboard provided) that can be used to explore collective group improvisation. Please bring your own amps if needed. The monthly session begins at 8 tonight at the Bop Stop. Admission is free.
2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org
WED 04/22
Frank Caliendo
Donald Trump, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Bill Clinton are only a few of the many incredible impressions that Frank Caliendo has mastered. He’s a comedic genius when it comes to impersonations, somehow capturing the exact voice, body language, and facial expressions of each character he performs. Caliendo will perform tonight at 7 at Hilarities.
2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com
THU 04/23
Britten’s War Requiem
The Cleveland Orchestra takes on Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem under the direction of
guest conductor Daniel Harding. The piece intersperses the Latin Requiem text with antiwar poems by British poet and soldier Wilfred Owen. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall, where performances continue through Sunday. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
FRI 04/24
An Evening with David Sedaris
A humorist who’s won awards for books such as Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris is known for his sardonic wit and social critiques. His writings appear regularly in The New Yorker, and he’s twice been included in The Best American Essays. A regular on the theater circuit, he’ll likely talk about his work and read a few recent pieces at tonight’s event, which takes place at 8 at the State Theatre. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
SAT 04/25
The Best of Steve Martin & Martin Short
The two comedians and actors who have struck gold with their Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building come to the State Theatre for a night of comedy and hijinks. The show starts at 8 p.m. The duo return to the venue at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
MON 04/27
Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Despite having a low payroll, the Tampa Bay Rays are always competitive. They come to Progressive Field for their one-and-only regular season visit this week. Tonight’s first pitch is at 6:10, and the series continues tomorrow and Wednesday. 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb. com/guardians
TUE 04/28
The Outsiders
Adapted from the best-selling novel and blockbuster film by the same name, this musical centers on a rivalry between two families living in Tulsa in the 1960s. Tonight’s performance takes place at 6:30 at Connor Palace, where performances continue through May 17. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
THU 04/30
Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony
Jörg Widmann, a former Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra, comes back to Cleveland to lead the Cleveland Orchestra as it plays three of his pieces along with Mendelssonh’s “Reformation” Symphony. The concert takes place at 7:30 tonight and at 7:30 on Saturday night at Mandel Concert Hall. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
FRI 05/01
Mo Willems’s Because
The Cleveland Orchestra performs this piece by the bestselling author and illustrator known for his children’s books. Today’s performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall, where the concert repeats at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
SAT 05/02
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight
Fourteen classical musicians unleash “effortlessly enchanting melodies alongside powerful walls of distortion” for this special candlelight concert that takes place tonight at 8 at the State Theatre. 1519 Euclid Avenue, 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
TUE 05/05
Marc-André Hamelin
SUN 04/26
Matt Fraser: America’s Top Psychic Medium
The man who bills himself as “America’s top psychic medium” performs tonight at 7:30 at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark.mgmresorts.com/en.html
The Canadian pianist returns to Mandel Concert Hall for a concert featuring works by Haydn, Beethoven, Weinberg and Rachmaninoff. The recital begins at 7:30 p.m. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
scene@clevescene.com @clevelandscene
HALF PRICED HAIRCUTS AND $1.00 FACIALS
EVERY WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY 11AM TO 3PM Expires 5/31/26 Must Present Coupon
Tuesday-$1 Hot Lather Shave/Beard Trim Day with a purchase of any haircut
Wednesday- ”Ladies Day” Buy a basic haircut at $8 and recieve a Shampoo, Eyebrows or Facial for $1
Thursday- $1 Facial Day with the purchase of any haircut
REGULAR MEN'S HAIRCUTS $7 HAIRCUT WITH LINE-UP $8 FADES $10
THE SCHOOL THAT BARBERS RECOMMEND!
STORE HOURS Tues-Sat 9am-5pm 2546 Lorain Ave, Ohio City One block west of the Westside Market 216-241-6684 allstatehairstyling.com
By Douglas Trattner
AFTER DINING AT RICK DOODY restaurants for many years – starting at the very first Bravo in Columbus and continuing through the next three decades – I know exactly what to expect in terms of hospitality. And after dining at more French bistros than I can accurately recall over the same span of years, I know exactly what to expect with respect to the menu.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to be pleasantly surprised by a new French bistro from Doody, as we were during our first visit to Lola’s Bistro in Chagrin Falls. The first thing that strikes a person after crossing the threshold is a sense of disorientation. Despite having dined at both Rick’s Café and Bell & Flower, the dining room that we entered looked and felt like neither. What had been – for 40-odd years – a rustic, well-worn, one-room saloon re -
ceived a modest refresh in 2018, when the Forward Hospitality group opened Bell & Flower. But what exists now shares little DNA with its predecessor.
Lola’s Bistro drips with drama. From the distressed brick walls and penny-tile floors to the tin ceiling and dangling globe lights, the room feels ripped from the Left Bank – or at least an idealized version of the Rive Gauche. If there is a complaint to be had about the room, it’s that it is too perfect, approaching a chimerical version of a French bistro. But Doody, in everything he does, strives for perfection.
A stunning wooden bar and backbar runs nearly the length of the main room and is flanked by posh banquettes and cozy nooks. What had, since the birth of the Village, been an open-air alleyway is now interior space that connects
seamlessly with the main dining room. That second dining room is capped by massive skylights and filled with lush greenery.
Tables are topped with crisp white linens and the requisite white-paper overlay. For $6, tables are further dressed with a silver basket containing warm, crusty baguettes and soft cultured butter. We started with a trio of tiny ‘tinis ($8), poured tableside from an icy glass bottle. The twoounce cocktails are served “up, dirty and bruised,” providing a right-sized spark for a night on the town.
Lola’s Bistro not only does the classics properly; it boosts those starring items with a cast of supporting players that serve to elevate them. In the case of the perfectly seasoned and textured steak tartare ($22), which comes garnished with the golden yolk of a quail’s egg, it’s the golden brown, wafer-cut chips. Compared to the customary bland, stale crostini, those shatteringly crisp potato gaufrettes are a revelation. The pitch-perfect moules frites ($19), presented in a tidy enameled crock, are sided by a stack of crispy fries and a ramakin of creamy aioli. And because one baguette is never enough, the Burgundy snails ($21) in parsley, garlic and shallot butter arrive with their own ration of warm French bread.
Great service means allowing guests to dine at their own pace – the antithesis to the current trend of kitchens “sending out food as it sees fit.” We chased our wee ‘tinis with a bottle of Domaine De La Perriere Sancerre ($75) while deciding what to eat next. We peppered our unflappa-
ble server with every question under the sun and were astonished by her depth of knowledge, down to the components of each individual dish and sauce.
Plats du jour give diners a new reason to visit every day of the week, gliding from duck confit to beef bourguignon to cassoulet and others. The fish special of the day was trout amandine ($27), delicately cooked fish in a pool of silky beurre blanc. The filet was garnished with a landslide of crispy, golden almond slivers and paired with crisp-tender, pea-green haricots verts. Our braised short rib ($34) was neither too fatty nor too lean, served in a rich, dark sauce with carrots, pearl onions and buttery pomme puree.
Despite its French pedigree, Lola’s is a neighborhood-friendly bar and restaurant, where spontaneous walk-ins are welcomed and rewarded. A stool at the handsome bar is the ideal spot to enjoy an indulgent double smash cheeseburger ($21) with special sauce and a mountain of beef-tallow fries.
For fans of Doody’s Next Cool Restaurants group, Lola’s Bistro introduces the first French concept to the portfolio. That collection of well-run spots also includes JoJo’s Bar, 17 River Grille, Cedar Creek Grille, Bar Italia and the Lakehouse. If I were a betting man, I’d say that Lola’s Bistro is a concept poised for success, longevity and expansion.
By Douglas Trattner
AFTER OUR DINNER RESERVATION at a Chagrin Falls restaurant was scuttled because of a power outage, we scrambled to find a last-minute substitution. The problem was, there were four of us and it was 7 p.m. on a Saturday night.
I took a quick look at “The List,” my never-ending catalogue of places that I one day hope to visit, and saw Georgian Bakery. I called to make sure they were open and to see if I needed to make a reservation. The person on the other end of the line answered yes and no, respectively.
Despite a full dining room when we arrived -- including a party of 20 -- it was a short wait before we were seated. And despite the size of the open kitchen (small) and the number of people toiling within (few), it wasn’t long before platter after platter of gorgeous food was making its way from that kitchen to our table.
Giorgi Chincharauli, who formerly operated a restaurant in Moscow, opened Georgian Bakery Tiflis (6440 Pearl Rd., 440-638-8485) in Parma Heights this past fall, just three years after immigrating to the States. It’s Northeast Ohio’s first and only Georgian restaurant, and our hurried server helped provide some guidance on what to order and expect.
Georgian cuisine is a captivating genre filled with bright salads, pickled items, flatbreads, dumplings, stews and grilled meats – and all of those categories are well represented on the (thankfully illustrated) menu. Those dumplings, called khinkali ($14.99), are like a cross between Russian pelmeni and Chinese soup dumplings. These are large, supple and pleated at the top. Inside is a tender, comforting blend of beef and pork in a flavorful broth. We skipped the famous khachapuri –the boat-shaped bread filled with melted cheese and an egg yolk – in favor of something we had never tried. We were rewarded with the mkhlovani ($13.99), a golden brown savory pie stuffed with spinach, cheese and herbs.
A sentence I never thought I’d write: One of the best chicken dishes I have ever enjoyed landed on my table at a strip mall-Georgian restaurant in Parma Heights. The shkmeruli ($24.99) arrived
in an earthenware crock and consisted of an entire bird cut into smaller bonein pieces. The chicken was well browned and then simmered until tender in a rich, creamy and garlicky sauce. Kharcho ($14.99), another comforting stew, tasted as though it quietly bubbled on a stovetop for days. Large pieces of fall-apart beef are bathed in a rich and savory broth.
We cut the richness of those dishes with a bright, crunchy and colorful assortment of pickles, pickled cabbage and pickled peppers ($11.99). In the Georgian
dence in unexpected places -- tucked away behind a vintage storefront in the East Village of New York, just through a secret bookcase at Salt Lake City’s Peery Hotel, or on the rooftop of the CitizenM Hotel in Washington DC.
Sushi by Boū’s Cleveland home will be The Ritz-Carlton, specifically the sixth floor lobby level alongside TURN Bar + Kitchen. The concept, while unique in every city, consists of an intimate arrangement that accommodates up to 16 guests. Every location has its own distinctive vibe
salad ($14.99), thick-sliced cucumbers and ripe tomatoes are tossed in a creamy walnut dressing with cilantro. Light and airy pkhali ($12.99) are Christmas treegreen balls of minced spinach, walnuts and herbs, each one garnished with a single pomegranate seed.
Everything is made to order, a fact easily confirmed by a quick glimpse into the open kitchen. The irony of a Georgian restaurant not serving wine is not lost on us. But the owner says that a license is in the works so that a restaurant from the birthplace of wine will soon be able to showcase many of those gems in a bottle.
I’m sure I would have made my way to Georgian Bakery Tiflis eventually, but a last-minute scramble got me there so much quicker, and for that I’m thankful.
Sushi by Boū, a quickly expanding omakase sushi experience, will open a location in Cleveland this spring. The innovative concept typically takes up resi-
dining scene of Cleveland,” Erika London, CEO and Founder of Sushi by Bou, stated. “Bringing these two brands together creates something truly special for guests — a refined, immersive dining experience that complements the elegance of the property while introducing the city to our signature style of high-energy, luxury omakase.”
Look for Sushi by Boū to open in the coming weeks.
A wild ride has just gotten a little bit wilder.
Sushi Kuwahata, an exclusive eightseat omakase-style sushi den in Ohio City, abruptly shuttered in February after less than one year. Since opening this past summer, the Michelin-caliber sushi counter had been drawing raves for its dazzling multi-course experiences that get booked months in advance.
That unexpected closure followed quickly on the heels of the equally surprising shuttering of Kyuu-juu, a compelling izakaya-style bar in the same building. Kyuu-juu closed in December after just a six-month residency.
In speaking with partners Ryan Endrian and Chef Kwan at that time, the twin closures were blamed on investors who were unwilling to provide a longer runway for success. It was heartbreaking news for the operators, who had invested so much time, effort and passion into the projects.
and design, with themes such as hip hop, disco, Tokyo nights, art deco and coastal chic popping up in various locales.
“We’re excited to debut this concept that balances our commitment to hospitality excellence with a fresh, modern energy.” said Todd Temperly, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland.
Unlike the extravagant omakase bars that have been making headlines over the past handful of years, Sushi by Boū bills itself as “sushi for the people.” Whereas as many Michelin-star omakase counters can easily run north of $500 per person and last many hours, Sushi by Boū trims the cost, courses and time commitment.
Standard offerings include a Signature 12-course Edomae-style omakase, an Elevated 17-course omakase, and the Bou Reserve, a 17-course omakase experience with add-ons like caviar bumps, wagyu upgrades, bone marrow and truffle. The 75-minute dinners cost around $70, $125 and $175, respectively.
Diners can tack on orders for cocktails, premium sake, and Japanese spirits.
“The Ritz-Carlton has long set the global standard for luxury hospitality, and we couldn’t imagine a better partner to introduce Sushi by Boū to the vibrant
But now, in a stunning turnaround, those owners have announced that they will be reopening Sushi Kuwahata in the same Ohio City space. Chef Kwan said that he was approached by the building’s new tenant to resume his business in the same second-level space.
“I’m very happy that this happened,” explains Chef Kwan, adding that he has been approached by other investors to reopen elsewhere but the effort of starting from scratch was daunting.
When it does reopen, diners will notice some slight changes to the format and price. Instead of the typical three-hour, 17- to 20-course, $350 dinners, the new iteration will be 15 to 17 courses, $300 and closer to two hours in length.
“It was too much food for most of the people,” Kwan admits.
Also, a second room on the same level will become Kuwahata Lounge, an intimate tasting-menu restaurant serving Japanese small plates. That should come online in June.
Cleveland Taco Week kicks off April 13 with deals all around Northeast Ohio
By Scene Staff
A FEW YEARS AGO, WE DECIDED
Taco Tuesday wasn’t enough. At least for one week a year. Thus, Cleveland Taco Week was born, with seven days of deals from traditional to chef-driven creations served up from east to west, north to south.
This installment is better than ever: 2026 has an absolutely loaded lineup of participants offerings specials for $10 or less. Here’s what’s on tap.
Academy Tavern
3 tacos for $10:
Your choice of ground beef or grilled chicken served on a soft shell tortilla topped with lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese.
Agave + Rye
The Jedi:
Tempura-fried shiitake mushrooms, sesame ginger sauce, pickled cucumber and pico.
The Braised & Worshipped: Slow-roasted birria, queso cushion, mozzarella, street corn salad and cowboy candy.
The Honey Trap:
Grilled herb chicken, hot honey drizzle, pickled onions, aged white cheddar and chipotle serrano aioli.
Barrio
Mix and Match Three Tacos for $10: Mix and match the Freakin’ Vegan, Chicken Bacon Ranch or Crunch
Chipotle Chicken tacos.
Blue Habanero
Street Tacos & Tequila
Carnitas Taco:
Slow cooked pork, onion, cilantro and tomatillo. Birria taco (Shredded beef, queso and house spicy salsa.)
With a side of Mexican rice.
Blue Palm
Latin Restaurant & Lounge
TBD
Brothers Lounge TBD
Cilantro Taqueria TBD
Condado Tacos
Two specialty tacos for $8:
Lucy’s Fire
Firecracker shell with roasted chicken, lettuce, cilantro and onions, smoked cheddar, corn salsa and cilantro-lime aioli.
Blue Dream
Kewl Ranch and flour soft shells with queso blanco, Tex-Mex ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado ranch sauce.
Rango Tango
Flour soft and hard corn shells with guacamole, Thai chili tofu, Thai chili red cabbage, pickled jalapeños, pineapple salsa, habanero-mango sauce and cilantro-lime aioli.
Ooey Gooey
Hard corn shell with roasted chicken, black beans, queso blanco, cilantro and onions, and dirty sauce.
Crowley’s Dive Bar
Chorizo & Sweet Potato Taco (Kirtland):
Chorizo, sweet potato, black bean and corn salsa, lime, Cotija cheese, chipotle crema (flour tortilla).
Asian Pork Taco (Painesville): Pulled pork, gochujang sauce, pickled red onion, Asian slaw, sriracha mayo (flour tortilla).
Asiago Chicken Bacon Ranch Taco (Eastlake): Grilled chicken, bacon, tomato, lettuce, Asiago cheese, sriracha ranch (flour tortilla).
Braised Beef Birria Taco (John Carroll): Braised beef, queso Chihuahua, red onion, cilantro, consommé (crispy corn tortilla).
Front Street Social
Hot Honey Chicken Taco:
Seasoned grilled chicken layered with sweet pickle slaw, crumbled queso fresco and crispy tempura crumbs, finished with a drizzle of hot honey for the perfect balance of sweet heat and crunch.
Basic B:
Seasoned ground beef topped with shredded cheddar, fresh lettuce and salsa, served in a house-fried flour shell with a side of sour cream.
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Baja Fish Taco:
Fried cod taco topped with Baja slaw and picked jalapeño.
Chicken Tinga Taco:
Chicken Tinga taco topped Mexican Lager with Lime charred jalapeño salsa
Tajín Roasted Cauliflower Taco: Tajin roasted cauliflower topped with charred jalapeño.
Gunselman’s Tavern
American Birria (Pot Roast Tacos):
Gunselman’s Tavern takes a Cleveland Sunday staple and gives it the Birria treatment. We slow-braise our beef chuck roast for 12 hours in a rich, savory Tavern Consommé until it melts off the fork.
Garlic Lime Pepper Chicken Tacos: Available every Taco Tuesday at Gunny’s. Tender, citrus-marinated chicken shredded and seasoned with cracked black pepper, toasted garlic and fresh lime zest. Served in flour tortillas with house-made pico de gallo, shredded cheddar and a cool lime crema finish.
Adobo Ground Beef Tacos:
A Gunselman’s Taco Tuesday favorite. A tavern-style classic. Lean ground beef slow-simmered in a rich, smoky adobo seasoning with hints of chipotle and cumin. Tucked into flour tortillas with crisp lettuce, shredded cheddar, pico de gallo and a drizzle of lime crema.
Hot Nachitas Taqueria
Three for 10 Street Tacos (Except Birria & Carne Asada).
Immigrant Son Brewery
TBD
JoJo Carloni’s
Pulled Pork:
Secret recipe pulled pork, pickled red onions, cilantro and house slaw.
La Playa Seafood
Al Pastor Taco:
Grilled chicken seasoned Al Pastor style.
Served with a side of green rice.
Tempura Fish Taco:
Fried Atlantic white fish, a cheese crusted flour tortilla, red cabbage, pico de gallo, pickled red onions, topped with chipotle aioli. Served with a side of green rice.
Los Arcos
2 Street Tacos ($10):
Choose two from the following options: Quesabirria Taco
Slow-cooked shredded beef, melted cheese, cilantro, diced onion, lime and tomatillo salsa (freshly fried corn tortilla).
Taco Dorado de Papa Potato, pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, cilantro-lime crema, sour cream, Diablo salsa (spicy) and Cotija cheese (freshly fried corn tortilla).
Grilled Chicken Street Taco
Grilled chicken topped with cilantro, diced onion, lime and tomatillo salsa (corn tortilla).
Grilled Steak Street Taco
Grilled steak topped with cilantro, diced onion, lime and tomatillo salsa (corn tortilla).
Or get one street taco and one paloma cocktail for $10.
McCarthy’s
TBD
Nora’s Public House
BBQ Pulled Pork Taco:
Pulled pork, pineapple slaw, pickled red onion, white cheddar, cilantro-lime crema (flour tortilla).
Nuevo Modern Mexican
Pastrami Tacos:
House-cured and smoked brisket, grilled red onions, pickled mustard seed salsa, garlic herb aioli and house cheese.
Plaza Agave
TBD
Zesty Ranch Chicken Taco: Chicken thigh, cilantro, red onion and avocado ranch, served with a lime wedge.
Taco Tontos
Taco Week Super Special Combo:
One jumbo crunchy corn shell taco filled with your choice of chicken, beef, or beans and rice, topped with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Served with your choice of:
- Chips and queso
- Bottle of Mexican beer
- House-made mini margarita
The Wild Goose
Birria Beef Taco:
Braised chuck roast, street corn, cilantro-lime rice, Cotija cheese (flour tortilla).
ByJeff Niesel
WHEN LOCAL CLUBS AND restaurants shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic, local singer-songwriter Ray Flanagan knew he had to do something to keep his sanity and bring in some income. He started writing two songs a month and learned to record himself for the very first time. The experience taught him an important lesson —he could, in fact, become his own producer.
“Prior to that, I was against recording my own music,” he says one morning from Five Points, one of his favorite local coffee shops. His bushy hair and beard and gray wool sweater give him a professorial vibe as he talks about his pandemic experience and how he spent all of last year learning the first Bach cello suite on tenor banjo. “I know real engineers and producers. That’s what they specialize in. It was all
about quality control. It’s great that everyone thinks they can be a producer. But when Covid happened, my whole life was in bars and restaurants, and they were closing. I just thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”
Those sessions gave him “practice” for his forthcoming album, My Mind Is Burning Up, which he wrote and recorded over a two-month time period with a little help from local singer-songwriter Josee McGee, whom he met at an open mic night.
“She’s amazing. Last year, she put this great record called Weeper,” says Flanagan when asked about McGee. “We have a lot of mutual friends. I do a monthly show at the Winchester, which is the last Monday of every month. We have monthly guests, and she was our guest last May,
and we just hit it off. I hate recording and performing at the same time. You have to make sure the levels are right, and to get into a flow is difficult if you’re worried about three different things. I brought up the idea [that she could help me record the album], and she told me she could help out if I needed someone to press record. It ended up being cool even though with me, it might be two in the morning, and I would decide to record.”
Flanagan says the death of singer-songwriter Brian Wilson informed many of the songs, which vary from raucous roots rock numbers (“Ashes”) to Velvet Underground-like distorted guitar ballads (“The Camel’s Back”).
Flanagan’s first-ever release on vinyl, the album arrives on April 3. A release party takes place on Friday, April 24, at Dunlap’s Corner Bar.
The album captures a moment, and Flanagan even recorded the release’s ten songs in the order in which they appear on the record.
“To me, it’s an overarching rock ’n’ roll thing,” he says of the album’s influences. “[My Mind] is influenced by everything from Rolling Stones to Mississippi John Hurt to Neil Young to Randy Rhoads and Judas Priest. I grew up listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen, so there’s an element of that. I also love Yes and Genesis. And there’s early rock ‘n’ roll like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.”
Flanagan has manifested his vision of himself as a working musician. As a kid, he carried around a plastic guitar and sang.
“I was writing songs before I played music,” he says. “I think in fifth grade, I was writing songs. I told my first grade teacher that I wanted to be Bruce Springsteen. My dad loves Bruce. He always had Darkness on the Edge of Town in his car.”
Flanagan says that as the music industry turns to AI to deliver polished pop and rock hits, he’s veered toward making music that captures a raw moment.
“I purposely want to make things that sound crude,” he says.
He says the Cleveland community funded My Mind Is Burning Up, which locally based Gotta Groove Records will press.
“I have a strong community centered around my Winchester shows,” he says. “And every Tuesday, I host a jam at the Mercury Music Lounge. It’s been remarkably consistent. Musicians having outlets seems to be really valuable with the stress of everything right now. The Winchester is where I’m growing a community. My tagline is ‘the true social function of music is community.’ In America, we unfortunately have a very producer-and-consumer relationship with music.”
The MetroHealth Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project began in 2020 with a Transit-Oriented Development study. Because the communities we serve are vitally important to us, we are here to help Cleveland move forward.
LET’S HEAR ABOUT THE HOW WILL THE AFFECTED HOW DOES THE PROJECT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. NEIGHBORHOODS BENEFIT? REFLECT PARTICIPANTS’ CONCERNS?
The approved design for the investment from more than 770 participants and 65,000 impressions.
In a word…safety, safety, safety. As a result, GCRTA built $500,000 into the budget for additional safety investments—things like raised crosswalks, intersection improvements, and enhanced lighting at shelters.
Along with the safety upgrades, transit reliability and the potential for economic growth will be enhanced by connecting MetroHealth, Clark-Fulton, and Irishtown Bend to the W. 25th Street corridor.
rideRTA.com/BRT
Patti LaBelle: The 80/65 Tour
The soul singer who had her first hit in 1962 as a member of the Bluebelles brings her latest tour to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. As its name implies, it celebrates her 80th birthday and her 65th year in the music business. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html
Poison the Well: Peace in Place Tour
Poison the Well’s 1999 debut, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation. established it as a major hardcore act, and somehow the group hasn’t lost momentum, even as hardcore is not nearly as popular as once was in the days when the Warped Tour promoted the acts each summer. The current tour supports its sixth full-length, Peace in Place, and includes this stop at House of Blues. Doors open at 6 p.m.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
The Devil Wears Prada: Flowers Tour
“Play the Old Shit,” the secret song that appears at the end of the vinyl version of its new album, Flowers, represents Devil Wears Prada at its best. The vocals alternate between parched screams and croons, and the drums are bludgeoning. Expect to hear it when the group performs at 6 p.m. at House of Blues. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
Third Day
The Christian rock band broke up in 2018 but has reunited to tour in support of its 30th anniversary. The group has sold millions of albums during its lengthy career, so there’ll likely be a big crowd for this show at the Covelli Centre in Youngtown. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Singer-songwriter Zach Williams opens. 229 East Front St., Youngstown, 330746-5600, covellicentre.com
SAT 04/04
The Wonder Years
This pop-punk band that released its debut album way back in 2007 performs at 6 p.m. at House of Blues. The tour marks the 10th anniversary of the release of No Closer to Heaven, and the group will play the album in its entirety.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
MON 04/06
The Last Dinner Party
Three years ago, this British art-rock group made a splash with the cinematic single, “Nothing Matters.” Acts like the Rolling Stones and Nick Cave heralded the group and enlisted it as an opening act. On a headlining tour, the group performs at 7 p.m. at the Agora. Florence Road opens.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
TUE 04/07
Hunter Hayes: The Evergreen Tour
The singer-songwriter draws from pop, country, R&B and indie rock on his latest album, Evergreen. Songs such as “Wait” come off as soaring pop tunes that slowly build into Fleetwood Mac-like rockers. Hayes performs at 7 p.m. at House of Blues.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
WED 04/08
Kishi Bashi
The innovative indie rock musician comes to the Beachland Ballroom in support of the reissue of 2016’s Sonderlust. The album’s a proggy and dimly lit affair that relies on strings and somber vocals. When played live, it should come to life thanks to the live band.
The show begins at 8 p.m. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com
This decade-old mystery band (members wear mummy outfits when they take the stage) sometimes embraces an old school R&B sound. For example, the tune “You Know the Drill” is every bit as funky as anything by George Clinton and the smooth sounding “Infinity” recalls Earth, Wind and Fire. Expect a lively, theatrical performance when the group plays at 7 p.m. at Kent Stage.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org
Throwing Muses
Stepsisters, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly originally formed this group that went on to become critics’ darlings. The group has a good run in the ‘80s and ‘90s before disbanding. Since reforming, it has toured and recorded infrequently but appears to have found a second wind, and it returned last year with the studio effort Moonlight Concessions. It performs at 8 p.m. at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs
Bob Dylan
The indefatigable rocker returns to the State Theatre as he brings his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour back to Northeast Ohio. His Rough and Rowdy album came out in 2020, and Dylan has toured relentlessly in support of it. While his voice has deteriorated over the years, his politically charged songs will un-
doubtedly resonate given our troubled times. The show begins at 8 p.m. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
Carbon Leaf
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 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. The group plays Kent Stage tonight at 7:30. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org
John Legend: An Evening of Songs and Stories
The talented singer-songwriter performs at 8 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theatre. Billed as his Evening of Songs and Stories, the concert will feature stripped-down renditions of hits such as “All of Me,” “Ordinary People” and “Tonight” along with stories from his life and career.
182 South Main St., Akron, 330-253-2488, akroncivic.com
Microwave
The Atlanta-based group celebrates the tenth anniversary of its Much Love album with this show that takes place at 6 p.m. at the Agora. A reissued version of the album, a collection of grunge-y indie tunes, came out two years ago. The L.A.-based indie pop group HUNNY opens. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
Let’s Sing Taylor
This tribute to superstar Taylor Swift takes place at 3 p.m. at the Agora. The show features a live band led by a Swift look-alike. Tickets don’t cost nearly as much (and aren’t nearly as hard to get) as seeing the real thing. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
For thirtysomething years now, Soul Asylum, which originally started as a punk band, has delivered rock songs that draw from punk, blues and roots rock. Think of them as the Midwest’s answer to Social Distortion, the SoCal punk band from the same milieu. Still touring and recording after all these years, the group plays an acoustic show at 7 tonight at the Kent Stage., $31.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org
Good Kid
The indie pop band out of Toronto swings into the Agora tonight as part of a tour in support of its debut album, Can We Hang Out Sometime? The group has allowed its catchy, Weezer-like tunes to be used across Twitch, YouTube, gaming broadcasts and fan-made animations, enabling its music to spread organically. Doors are at 7 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
Puscifer — The Normal Isn’t Tour
The artsy sideproject for Tool/A Perfect Circle singer Maynard James Keenan comes to the Akron Civic Theatre in the wake of the release of its new album, Normal Isn’t. The group wrote and recorded the album across Arizona and Los Angeles as well as on the road during last year’s Sessanta tour, The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and comedian Dave Hill, a Northeast Ohio native, opens. 182 South Main St., Akron, 330-2532488, akroncivic.com
Carly Pearce
The popular country pop singer received a Grammy nod for “we don’t fight anymore” (featuring Chris Stapleton), the lead single from her 2024 album, hummingbird. Her current tour brings her to MGM Northfield Park Center Stage. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html
Fayrewether
04/18
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Paul Fayrewether fronted the Cleveland-based band Fayrewether, and the band became known for its renditions of songs by Genesis and Alex Harvey. At the height of the band’s popularity, it filled rooms all over the region from Ohio, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Fayrewether, who currently lives in the suburbs and doesn’t play live often, brings his group known for its theatrical performances back to House of Blues. Doors open at 7 p.m.
308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
SUN 04/19
Floetry
The R&B/spoken-word group returns from a ten-year hiatus for this tour that includes tonight’s show at the State Theatre. Soul singers Raheem DeVaughn and Teedra Moses will join the group for its performance.
The show begins at 7 p.m. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
MON 04/20
Monster Outbreak Tour Presents: Che: Encore
The Atlanta rapper who goes by the name Che headlines the annual Monster Energy tour that often showcases up-and-coming acts. Che released his second album, Rest in Bass, last year to positive reviews, and tonight’s show begins at 7 at House of Blues. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
Snarky Puppy
04/23
Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy formed in 2004, but it seems like the band has always lurked in the background of this century’s dynamic jazz fusion scene. Led by composer Michael Teague, the band features a revolving door of guest musicians. Last year’s Somin even paried it with an entire orchestra. The group performs tonight at 7 at the Agora. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
FRI 04/24
An Evening with Band of Horses
Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, a guy with a distinctive, quivering voice, this indie rock act out of the Pacific Northwest has somehow persevered despite the lack of commercial success. The band brings its tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of its debut album, Everything All the Time, to the Agora. Doors open at 7 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
SAT 04/25
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
The blues singer-guitarist celebrates the anniversary of his debut album by playing it in its entirety at this show at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. In a second set, he’ll revisit other material from his 30-year career. The show begins at 8 p.m. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html
THU 04/30
The Temptations & the Four Tops
The two Motown groups bring their tour celebrating the 60th anniversary of “My Girl” to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html
scene@clevescene.com @clevelandscene
By Dan Savage
I’m a happily married pregnant woman. My wife and I have had a bit of a slowdown in the sex department, but nothing too worrying considering my “condition.” During this pregnancy I’ve had an increase in libido, but I haven’t shared that with her.
We were having some conflict when the uptick in sexual impulses started. I’ve had some limitations physically, like a period of mandated pelvic rest, so “The Right Moment” has been rare. When our dry spell came up a few months ago, neither of us handled the discussion well. I was being flirtatious (or I thought) and she chose that moment to say something hurtful about how infrequently we were having sex. I don’t like feeling as though sex is an obligation, so that interaction was a big turn-off for me. I told her I felt hurt, and she apologized, but I don’t think I was clear that this had long-term implications, like I would be wary of trying to initiate again and be on high alert for feeling pressured.
I’ve had more sexual fantasies than usual since then and I’ve been watching more porn. I’ve watched a lot of videos that are about degrading the women involved — maybe because I stick to the free stuff — and I don’t feel great about the content I’m watching, which generally features big dicks and small women. I don’t believe there’s anything exactly ethically wrong here, as we’re both totally supportive of private self-pleasure within the context of our monogamous marriage. But I’ve gone down this weird rabbit hole where what’s turning me on is watching someone get used for sex or be overpowered or overwhelmed in some way.
The reason I’m writing is that it feels like I’ve created distance between us by not sharing that I’ve been kind of hypersexual for the last three months. But I don’t want the conversation to bring up “shoulds” about our sex life or to increase expectations of how much sex we’re going to have. I would like this to translate into an opportunity for us rather than a further disconnect. Also, the kind of porn I’m watching does not reflect our erotic dynamic at all. I’m enjoying watching someone pushing someone else’s boundaries but being on the receiving end of that treatment would not be hot for me. And big dicks (fake or otherwise) are not a part of our bedroom play — they are particularly off limits for her — and I wouldn’t want them to be.
Is there a way for me to harness this sexual energy and involve my wife? Being secretive is distasteful to me. Do I try to explain the fantasy storylines when I don’t think it will really work for us? I’m also aware that we have an impending deadline where our lives are about to change.
Is it even worth the bother of bringing her into it now?
Bringing Up Misogynist Pleasures
Isn’t sex — in the context of a committed, long-term, monogamous relationship — something of an obligation?
Like mortgages, obligations aren’t sexy to think about, BUMP, and no one wants to be reminded of an overdue mortgage payment right before they fuck. But aren’t two people who’ve made a monogamous commitment — like the one you and your wife made — obligated to meet each other’s reasonable sexual needs?
Now, no one is obligated to make themselves sexually available to a spouse at all times — a monogamous commitment is not a “free use” kink contract (for the record: kink “contracts” are legally unenforceable dirty talk) — and every couple is going to have dry spells and sulking is never sexy and sometimes a married person has to take care of themselves. But if your wife can only come to you for sex and vice-versa, BUMP, aren’t you obligated to meet each other’s reasonable sexual needs at reasonable intervals? Isn’t that part of the deal? (Sexual exclusivity in the absence of sexual activity is celibacy, not monogamy.)
My husband and I have been in an open marriage for more than two decades — it’s been fun reading all week about how polyamorous relationships like ours never work out — and while he doesn’t rely on me to meet all his sexual needs and vice-versa, I nevertheless feel obligated to meet his needs myself and/or make sure he has the space and time to get his sexual needs met elsewhere. And when we were monogamous, BUMP, which we were for the first four years we were together, I felt personally obligated (in a sexy way!) to meet as many of his sexual needs as I possibly could. (“If not me, who? If not now, honey, maybe tomorrow night? And would you like a handjob to tide you over until tomorrow?”)
Anyway, BUMP, it’s been months since your wife derailed “The Right Moment” by saying “The Wrong Thing” — my husband says the wrong thing to me twice before breakfast — and what she said was shitty and thoughtless. But I worry you’re more invested in punishing your wife than you are in getting past this, BUMP, even if punishing her does lasting damage to sexual connection and thus your marriage. Instead of giving her the benefit of the doubt and rounding that thoughtless comment up to “Compliment In Shit Disguise” (your wife is still attracted to you! she still desires you! she’s missed having sex with you!), you’re rounding that thoughtless comment down to “Interaction That Ruined Everything.”
So, I think you need to ask yourself, BUMP, if you’ve stopped initiating sex with your wife because you just can’t anymore — not after the interaction that ruined everything — or if you’ve made up your mind to stop initiating sex with your wife to punish her. You also need to ask yourself whether you’re on “high alert” for feeling pressured because you were so traumatized by your wife’s insensitivity (you were on mandatory pelvic rest!), BUMP, or if you’re choosing to interpret any expression of sexual desire on her part as “pressure” so you can withhold sex from your wife — sex you would also like to be having — in order to make the “longer term implications” clear to her.
If the answer to both questions is yes, BUMP, then you’re not just punishing your wife by refusing to initiate and shutting down when you feel pressured, you’re punishing yourself.
Moving on to your actual question: Should you share the fantasies you’re currently having (and the porn you’re currently consuming) with your wife?
No.
Seeing as your current fantasies might be the sexual equivalent of cravings for weird food combos that’ll end once you give birth, there’s no reason to share your fantasies with your wife right now. Even if these sexual fantasies persist after the birth of your child, you aren’t obligated to share every sexual fantasy you have with your spouse, BUMP, especially fantasies you know your spouse doesn’t share and that could make her feel insecure or inadequate. My advice would be different if you thought your wife might share your fantasies, BUMP, but seeing as dicks — big and small, real and silicone — are a turnoff for your wife, I think you should keep your fantasies about dick-and-degradation to yourself, especially since they may be fleeting.
So, what do you say to your wife now? How about this: “I’m sorry I’ve let this drag on so long — fact is, I’ve been desperately horny for months, but I’ve been sulking since the last time we tried to fuck around. In that moment, you seemed to forget the real reason we hadn’t been having sex: I’m pregnant, as you know, and I was on mandatory pelvic rest for a while. But it’s a good sign that you missed sex so much you were frustrated, even if you expressed your frustration poorly. How about we make a deal: You apologize to me one more time — I just need to hear it again — and I will stop being paranoid about sex being a ‘should.’ We absolutely should be having sex, honey, especially right now because having it after the baby comes is going to be a lot harder. Now, get over here and sit on my face.”
P.S. No one is obligated to fuck a spouse who is emotionally or physically abusive — an emotionally or physically abusive spouse should get left, not laid — and someone who neglects their personal hygiene or who is sexually lazy or sexually selfish or who doesn’t do their fair share of the household labor has no one to blame but themselves for their sexless lives.
My husband and I have been together for more than twenty years. He is a hung manly Marlboro man type top and I’m a sub kind of daddy bottom. We’re both in pretty good shape, tatted up, we have a great life together, we’re still in love, etc. But we haven’t had sex together for a very long time. I have always stepped out for anon sex on weekdays with different guys from Sniffies or Grindr, while he got himself off sexting with guys he never met up with. But he has developed a thing with a guy he met on Scruff and made plans to meet this guy on a Sunday afternoon soon. Nights and weekends are supposed to be our time as a couple, and I find myself feeling upset and jealous. I don’t have a leg to stand on here, since I have a lot of sex during “work hours,” and I feel like I shouldn’t judge him for this. Who am I to judge him when I’m getting fucked as often as I can? But I have no emotional connection to any of the men who fuck me whereas he seems kind of infatuated with
his new guy. I feel like the trust is kind of gone and I don’t know what to do.
Sunday Plans Upending Marital Equilibrium
If by “the trust is gone” you mean is “I can no longer trust my husband to jerk off alone in front of his laptop while I’m getting my ass fucked five days a week,” then yes, SPUME, the trust is gone. But declaring trust dead seems a little a little dramatic. I mean, your husband came to you and asked for permission before meeting up with this guy from Scruff. And I don’t think you can reasonably deny him your blessing to go fuck this guy, SPUME, even if it means sacrificing a Sunday.
Zooming out for a second: While anonymous sex works for you — anon turns you on and meets your needs — it doesn’t work for your husband. While you can be sexual with strangers and feel nothing before or after (save anticipation and hopefully gratitude), your husband isn’t wired the same way. He needs a connection, SPUME, and while it was enough for your husband to connect with men he met online for cybersex — and for all you know he may have been infatuated with some of those men (people have fallen in love online) — now he wants to meet up with someone in person. And I don’t see how you could possibly deny your husband permission to have actual sex with an actual man after all the actual sex you’ve had with actual men.
That said, there is a category difference here: You don’t make personal connections with the guys you fuck, and your husband seems to have made one with this guy already. You’re entitled to your feelings, SPUME, and that includes feelings of insecurity. And while you and your husband have released each other from any obligation to meet each other’s sexual needs, you are obligated — still and always — to meet each other’s emotional needs. So, if you’re feeling insecure, SPUME, your husband is obliged to offer you reassurance. All he can offer you in advance of this sex date are his words (“I still love you, I’m not going anywhere”), SPUME, but after he hooks up with this guy he can reassure you with actions (coming home, loving you, not going anywhere).
P.S. Men have fallen in love with men they initially met up with for anonymous sex. (I personally know two guys who met their future husbands during an anonymous sexual encounter. It happens!) So, while your odds of falling for any one of your anon hookups may have been low, SPUME, they were never zero. And while I’m no statistician, I’d say the risk your husband has tolerated over the years — the cumulative risk of your many anonymous weekday hookups — may be greater than the risk your husband is asking you to tolerate in the form of this one guy he met on Scruff and would like to fuck in person.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage www.savagelovecast.com
