Scene February 8, 2023

UPFRONT

KIM KARDASHIAN CAME TO OHIO TO TALK KEVIN KEITH, WHOSE CASE NOW RESTS IN GOV. MIKE DEWINE’S HANDS

THE OHIO PAROLE BOARD VOTED 5-0 against clemency for Kevin Keith, who is now 29 years into a life sentence (a sentence that had been commuted from the death penalty in 2010 by then-Gov. Ted Strickland, who could not ignore the “troubling” questions left unanswered in Keith’s case).

The decision on Keith’s fate in this request for clemency (read: release from prison) now rests with Gov. Mike DeWine.

There’s no timeline, per se, for DeWine to act on this matter, but he has the unilateral power to grant Keith’s request for clemency, finishing what Strickland started. To be clear, the matter is Keith’s innocence. Or, with a bit more nuance, the matter is the reasonable doubt cast on Keith’s case by hard evidence discovered while he sat in prison.

Simply reading the state’s account, though, one wouldn’t have the faintest clue: “The case has had ample appellate review to address any alleged irregularities in the processing of the case,” the board wrote. “While the applicant’s conduct and activities are laudable, they do not rise to the level of significance to offset the death of three persons and serious injury to another three. In the judgment of the Parole Board, neither the grounds set forth [in] the application nor facts disclosed by way of our inquiry warrant the exercise of the clemency power at this time.”

Over the years, attorneys have attempted multiple avenues of relief. That’s the nature of wrongful conviction cases; rarely do prosecutors relent on the first spin through the appellate courts. Thus far, no one in Keith’s corner has found success. He remains in prison for the 1994 murders of three people (two women and a child) and the assault of three more (a man and two more children).

And yet the state’s case has earned something of a reputation for its inconsistencies and unanswered questions, with Keith’s arguments drawing supportive voices and public interest like a snowball gathering mass. Most recently, Kim

Kardashian (among the most well known celebrities on the planet, let’s just say) produced an eightepisode podcast series that examined Keith’s case in-depth. For a spell, Kardashian’s podcast was the most popular such product on Spotify, which holds the exclusive license.

A podcast is not a legal document, of course, but the parole board’s unwillingness to at least engage the baseline level of doubt in Keith’s case — now, with layers and layers of evidence entered into the record and examined by the media — leaves the public wondering: Who are they kidding?

“I’m really hopeful with this podcast, just to get your story out there,” Kardashian tells Keith in the first episode of the series, “because I think it’s so important for people to understand that our system is so fucked up.”

To elaborate on that last point, Kardashian traveled to Keith’s neck of the woods and joined a panel discussion Jan. 19 in Columbus.

Hosted by the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) and OIP’s collegiate network, OIP-u, “A Question of

Innocence: The Case of Kevin Keith” brought law students and Buckeye State luminaries to a quiet ballroom in a downtown hotel. Kardashian, perhaps the guest of honor on some level, was joined onstage by attorneys Rachel Troutman; James Wooley; Justin Herdman; OIP program director for policy, legalization and education Pierce Reed; and The System executive producer Lori Rothschild Ansaldi. The discussion ranged from the basic sketch of Keith’s criminal case to the more complex emotional reaches of wrongful convictions in the U.S.

“In a wrongful conviction, justice has not been served for anybody,” Reed said. While the facts of the matter have not changed since Keith’s conviction in 1994, the known facts of the matter have. Evidence has been entered into the record, experts have testified to the level of doubt shadowing Keith and a sitting governor has reported enough concern about this case to halt Keith’s planned execution. Six victims remain unmoored from the justice system, awaiting a final say

on the open questions about what happened to them so many years ago.

So, what now? It’s just one more open question in Keith’s case, the perennial question.

The clemency matter now rests in the governor’s hands, echoing the 2010 hearing that saw Strickland spring Keith from Death Row. Not for nothing, Strickland’s decision followed a unanimous Ohio Parole Board decision, 8-0, to deny Keith clemency as he awaited his execution.

DeWine has only dealt with two other clemency votes from the state’s parole board. In January 2019, on the day of his inauguration, the board voted 8-0 against clemency for Warren Henness (convicted of the 1992 murder of Richard Myers in Columbus). DeWine upheld the position, though he didn’t exactly say as much; he delayed Henness’s execution to Dec. 17, 2024.

In April 2020, the board actually voted 6-2 in favor of clemency for Gregory Lott (convicted of the 1986 murder of John McGrath in East Cleveland). DeWine went on to delay

Kim Kardashian with the Keith family.

GABI SERGI

Lott’s execution, but has not taken the recommendation of the parole board on this case. Lott is currently scheduled to be executed by the state of Ohio on Feb. 15, 2024, though there’s an unofficial moratorium on executions in the state for a variety of reasons. His next clemency hearing is listed as “TBA” on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s website.

(N.B.: The board’s report on Henness was 27 pages. For Lott, 16 pages. For Keith, one page.)

How or when DeWine will act on the board’s unfavorable clemency vote for Keith remains an open question, although constituents could hardly be blamed for withholding any benefit of doubt.

More broadly, Keith also maintains a pending case before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, but this is another example of how tricky these post-conviction cases can be. As Troutman pointed out during the panel discussion, cases like Keith’s develop “calluses” as they circulate in courtrooms over time. Each successive attempt at relief is just that much harder to win. The state has grown a thicker skin, with that much more paperwork to point to and say (paraphrasing here), “Look: We’ve already stated our

position on this case,” never mind the exculpatory evidence that has dripped into the public record over time.

Needless to say, the OSU law students in attendance were treated to a rapid-fire, up-close view of the long slog of criminal defense. This isn’t just paperwork, after all. This is the fine line we walk, each of us, between life and death, state and electorate, truth and obfuscation. This is the fine line that threads our own willingness to examine past decisions. We understand this on some basic level: We revisit and litigate the past all the time. It’s a deeply human tendency — a blessing or a curse, depending on your outlook. But the American criminal justice system is not exactly human; “Our system rewards finality and rewards jury verdicts,” Herdman, himself a one-time federal prosecutor, said on the panel.

One student submitted an unsurprising but earnest stock question during the brief Q&A period, asking the attorneys on the panel for some sort of advice for the “hard and heartbreaking” prospects of their careers.

the youth aged 18 to 24, who will be using the facility to wash clothes, catch some daily rest, charge their phones, take a shower or get access to resources, could spell problems for surrounding neighbors. LMM and their lawyers have repeatedly denied those fears are based in reality.

“There’s assumptions that [the youth] are going to make trash, they’re going to make noise,” Benjamin Ockner, an attorney for LMM, said at the hearing. “But there is no evidence for that.”

He added, “It’s not our desire to adversely impact anyone.”

Used as office space for the past 14 years, the somewhat nondescript, two-story beige structure off Franklin has been the chosen center of LMM after the agency and several partners engaged in a location search in 2022. The aim, according to a fact sheet, is for LMM and its housing partner, A Place 4 Me, to fill a need for a growing demographic that existing men’s and women’s shelters can’t provide.

security guard.

The ramped-up security is a response to a study cited by some residents in Monday’s meeting, suggesting that 75 percent of youth drop-ins are drug users, and more than 33 percent of them are involved in prostitution. (Unclear was any suggestion people were using drugs or engaging in sex work on the premises.)

Other slides depicted residents around other drop-ins describing them as a haven for “unruly kids” and a “safe house for thieves and crooks.”

Neighbors who were accused of stereotyping homeless or unhoused youth in a neighborhood festooned with “In This House We Believe...” signs attempted to defend themselves.

“You’re criticizing us for ‘making presumptions,’” Garci said, “but we’ve not been able to hear from LMM to provide data precedenting the radicalized use of this street... I don’t think they’ve taken any steps to address the security concerns of residents surrounding the property.”

Sandy

“You have to realize the uphill battle to overturn a conviction, so tenacity is extremely important,” Troutman said. “And take care of yourself. You can’t take losses as the end.” – Eric

Homeless Youth Drop-In Center in Ohio City Approved by Board of Zoning Appeals Despite Neighborhood Complaints

Despite efforts by some Ohio City residents to frame the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s proposed youth drop-in center as a threat to the neighborhood that would bring crime and diminish the character of the community, the Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals voted to move the project forward during a jam-packed and lengthy hearing on Monday.

At the meeting, which hosted roughly a dozen neighbors along with attorneys and local stakeholders, concerns from some who claim the center could be a harbinger of crime and nuisances clashed with those praising its potential for solving a city deficit in helping the homeless.

The board voted to conditionally approve LMM’s years-long makeover plans of 4100 Franklin as long as the ministry provides a detailed security plan in a follow-up session scheduled for February 13th.

A plan, it seems, that could counter some residential fears that

“Many young people disengage from the system entirely because they feel unsafe, unwelcome, and disrespected in a system not designed for them,” the fact sheet reads. “Young people need services, not shelter referrals.”

But regardless of LMM’s goodwill in erecting such a center, neighbors — most of them close to the site’s perimeter — have gathered out of hesitation, referencing youth homelessness crime stats or a survey of a nearby block club, in which signatories oppose the remodeling.

“[We] are the most directly affected by this, the ones on the block, by the increase in noise and traffic and potential crime and garbage,” said Ron O’Leary, an Ohio City resident and former housing judge who lives close to 4100 Franklin, said at Monday’s meeting.

O’Leary said that the block club he’s a part of, stretching from 38th to 48th Street, is opposed to the conversion: “We think this is a good program, a needed usage for this,” he said. “But it’s not the right location.”

Dolores Garci, a mother of seven who’s lived one house down for the past decade, said she’s both skeptical of LMM’s underlying aim for the drop-in conversion site and the ministry’s ability to keep surrounding homes safe.

LMM, before Monday’s hearing, had detailed initial descriptions of its security proposal, Ideastream reported, from newly installed cameras to bolstering fencing and better lighting, along with its planned hire of a “trauma-informed”

In January, as renderings by Bialowsky met the local design committee’s approval, the Franklin Clinton Block Club, in an effort to tap the community’s sensibilities, surveyed 186 residents — 86 of them in about a half-mile radius — the majority of which supposedly welcomed LMM’s drop-in conversion.

This, explained resident Marge Misak, who’s spent 32 years in Ohio City, was coupled with three listening sessions, a package of written materials and a 54-person dinner, where chatter about parking issues intertwined with the YMCA’s Y Haven, a comparable youth-service center.

“They come to this with a pretty good understanding of what will be there with the drop-in center,” Misak said, referring to the club. “And they’ve said, ‘Yes, we want this in our neighborhood.’”

The Board of Zoning Appeals will likely approve LMM’s revised security plan. But that’s not likely to be the end of the story, as the issue might end up in court.

“This is representative of the dialogue we’ve had,” Garcia previously said. “It’s a demand for support, like it or not, 100%. And if you don’t support it, you’re a bad person. … We will continue to oppose the plan as it currently stands, and we’re willing to litigate that.”

– Mark Oprea

VOICES.

James Kimble was jolted awake, all alone in his rural, isolated, Put-in-Bay home near the Lake Erie island’s littleused airport.

It was at least two suspicious voices coming from outside his house, he’d later tell investigators. He looked at his clock: 3:42 am. It was a Wednesday morning in August 2020, about a month after he was brought in to take over the island’s scandal-plagued police department.

He immediately sprung into action and headed to his living room. He peeked outside to try to get eyes on who the hell could be approaching his sanctuary at such a time.

That’s when he noticed the lasers.

The new police boss hit the deck. First, the voices that woke him. Now, two laser sights were pointed at his house, he’d say. He thought he was under siege.

Doing his best John McClane, the officer crawled across the ground on his hands and knees to grab his gun, in case he needed to fight back against the possibly armed invaders.

Gun in hand, he waited. And waited. And waited. And waited out the rest of the darkness before his wife and kids came home in the daylight.

Kimble knew why laser-sighted men must have been coming for him that morning: He’d tell the state investigators he brought in to crack down on what he alleged was a vast organized crime operation that it must have been retaliation for recently refusing a bribe at a local watering hole. And that bribe attempt was surely connected to the millionaire Florida strip club mogul and alleged island vice peddler he just learned about. Human trafficking, prostitution, drug distribution, money laundering — Kimble was told this guy was running it all during his summers on Put-in-Bay. Now add attempted bribery of the police chief to the list.

The new police boss was a clean cop — seemingly a rarity for Put-inBay — who refused to be corrupted by the bad seeds that have had run of the island for far too long.

And so Kimble instigated what would be a 10-month investigation led by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the state’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission. Their main target: John Blanke, that Florida strip club owner and alleged organized crime boss who for years has been throwing raucous after-hours parties for locals at his Put-in-Bay summer property that he called “The Disco.”

The crimes they suspected Blanke

of committing: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, bribery, trafficking in persons, compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution, prostitution, trafficking in drugs. The big ones, the years-in-prison and millions-of-dollars-seized charges.

Scandals arrive on the island with the regularity of a ferry schedule, many of them dealing with the cops.

Now, the new interim chief, hired from the nearby Wood County Sheriff’s Office where he was a deputy sergeant for years, would prove his worth. The investigation would finally clean up Put-in-Bay.

There was a problem, though: It was all bullshit.

ROB AND KELLY MOHN, 65and 60-year-old semi-retirees and rare year-round islanders, were thrust into a confusing spotlight one evening late last August.

“A friend of ours was blowing up our phone talking about some newscast,” Kelly Mohn said. Apparently Rob tried to bribe the police chief at a bar two years prior?

“We started getting texts from all our friends. Our son joked, ‘I didn’t know dad had that kind of money.’”

It took a while for the Mohns to figure out what the heck was going on. But they’d soon learn that Channel 13 — Toledo’s ABC affiliate — had just identified Rob Mohn as a major figure in Put-in-Bay’s underworld in the lead segment of its 6 p.m. newscast, accusing him of trying to bribe Chief Kimble.

“Bribery is a felony!” Kelly told Scene . “There was a half hour where we thought, ‘This can’t be happening.’ Everybody on the island knows this is something we couldn’t have done.”

Channel 13 “I-Team” reporter Shaun Hegarty told his viewers that the BCI documents revealed no criminal charges, “but this interaction was reported by the

chief in August 2020.” For a full 25 seconds, the evening newscast broadcasted Rob Mohn’s name on screen as the guy who tried to bribe Chief Kimble, showing a screenshot of the chief’s email to state investigators written more than five months after the bribe was supposed to have taken place [sic]:

Early in the month of August, Chief Deputy Mark Hummer and I were sitting at Joe’s Bar. We had just concluded a conversation with Village Administrator Anne Auge. As Hummer and I were sitting there, a couple of males and one female walked in the bar. The two males sat right next to me, we were nearly touching elbows, and at that time the bar was nearly empty. The gentleman later on identified as Rob Mohn, was the male sitting right next to me, he did acknowledge me as Chief, by saying “Hi Chief”. Rob reached into his pocket and pulled out a large stack of cash and sat it on the bar between me and him. He said to the bartender “Today is your lucky day, your about the reap the benefits of the [redacted] stimulus package”. At that time my carry out food came out and I grabbed my food and left the bar. As I was exiting, I grabbed a Gazette newspaper.

As the newscast wrapped up, the calls and texts continued to come in. And, months after the news broke, the Mohns are still trying to figure out how Kimble could believe a bribe was offered and why, all of a sudden, their reputations were on the line.

“All Rob did was give money to the bartender for our bill and a tip,” said Kelly, who was with her husband that afternoon in question at Joe’s bar (the other man Kimble said was with them was just a random guy who just happened to walk in at the same time). “We said ‘hi’ to the chief but that was the end of it. That was our only interaction.”

Kelly explained to Scene what really happened: Her husband was a bartender at another establishment on the island — a side gig for fun in his retirement after serving as a ferry operator — and that they are friends with a guy named Logan, a bartender at Joe’s Bar. Earlier that day, Logan went to the bar where Rob was working, had a drink and some food, and tipped Rob $8 and joked that it was the “Logan stimulus package.” This was at the height of the pandemic, around the time stimulus checks were being issued by the government.

“That was a high tip,” Kelly said. “Rob came home later and

got me and said, ‘We’re going to Joe’s and I’m going to give him back his $8.’ Well, we walk into the bar to the corner that we call ‘The Office,’ where all the islanders go and have their cocktails. I said ‘hi’ to the chief and sat down. Rob got out his money, and he’s kind of finicky about how it’s set, so he kind of takes the tip money from earlier from his pockets and puts it in order with the rest of his cash: Ones, then fives, then tens. He asks for our bill after a little bit and the chief was waiting for to-go food. He put the money on the bar to pay for our tab and give Logan his tip back. Rob sat next to the chief but by no means did he slide the money that way or anything like that. Nothing like anything to do with a bribe. Logan, the bartender and our friend, came and grabbed the tab and Rob said something like, ‘It’s the Mohn stimulus money,’ like as a joke like Logan did earlier. Rob just changed the name when he was paying.”

The Mohns say the money —Kelly guessed probably $28 in all — was their tab and that tip. The cash was payment to the bartender, directed to the bartender, and taken by the bartender for the goods and services rendered before the Mohns went about the rest of their day. The “stimulus” comment was an inside joke between Rob Mohn and the bartender, a friend. But James Kimble said this interaction was an attempted bribe of the new interim police chief.

(Kimble didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from Scene , neither did Mark Hummer, the Putin-Bay deputy chief Kimble said he was with that day at Joe’s.)

The Mohns hadn’t a second thought about the tip and brief interaction with their friend until the newscast and frantic texts two years later.

And they didn’t know it somehow became part of the catalyst for a year-long organized crime investigation on the island.

KIMBLE, NEW TO THE ISLAND

and new to the job in the tumultuous summer of 2020, had apparently just learned about Blanke, who’d spent summers on the island for decades, either partying with or drawing complaints from residents.

One of them, his neighbor and biggest critic, had been complaining about his after-hour parties for years. But in 2020 the neighbor escalated his gripes with an anonymous letter sent to nearly

every law enforcement agency in Ohio, just days before the “bribe” and lasers at Kimble’s home.

“Hello,” the letter read, “I am writing about an illegal bar and adult entertainment club on South Bass Island. It is well known on the island that the property at [address redacted] is an after-hours bar that includes alcohol service and fully nude dancing. There are also rumors of human trafficking, prostitution, fights, drugs, and overdoses. This has been going on for many years.”

In an October 2020 proposal to form an anti-organized crime task force, the special agent in charge of the Ohio BCI’s Investigative Services Division wrote how Kimble had connected the dots between the Mohns and Blanke:

“Chief Kimble said that shortly thereafter his suspicions were aroused” by John Blanke, “he was approached by a boat operator for [redacted] who offered him a roll of cash an stated: ‘This is from the [redacted] stimulus package.’ The chief, who was with another officer, did not accept the money and shortly afterwards was awoken around 2 o’clock in the morning when he heard voices outside his residence on the island. The chief got up to investigate and observed a laser sight coming into his bedroom window. The chief felt this was an intimidation tactic to get him to either resign or accept the bribe and comply with the illicit activity.”

Kelly Mohn has little idea how that leap was made. She’s a manager at a hotel next to an island bar that Blanke frequents, but that’s about it for any connection between him and the Mohns.

They’re friendly with Blanke, Kelly says, “but we don’t really hang out or go to dinner or drinks or anything. If I see him we’ll say ‘hi,’ but we don’t go out of our way to find each other.”

But authorities were sold on Kimble’s theory, and everyone got involved.

The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission task force into John Blanke was formed, led by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and its law enforcement arm, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal investigation. Kimble served on it, as did the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Cooperation in certain aspects were provided by the FBI, IRS and Ohio Department of Taxation.

The investigation formally kicked off in October 2020 and was led, on the ground during the

following summer by four Ohio BCI agents going undercover as wealthy business owners, driving rented golf carts and visiting all the local bars to see if anyone could tell them anything about Blanke and how they could get into his parties. Nobody told them anything of real value. And nobody said Blanke did anything illegal.

Surveillance didn’t turn out any better.

“SPECIAL AGENT TOM VERHILEY,

twenty-three hundred hours, July 9, 2021. Directly in front of [address redacted by Scene ], suspected area of The Disco. This is the activity going on.”

Insects are chirping. But the faint sound of faraway and undistinguishable dance music reverberates in the air.

“The noise you hear is from downtown Put-in-Bay.”

One of Ohio’s top criminal investigators is slowly and frustratingly narrating a minutelong video he’s taking with a cell phone outside Blanke’s summer home about a 15-minute walk, or a quick golf cart ride, from the island’s main strip.

There are three other undercovers with him around the property, their third time on the island to try and prove Kimble’s allegations that Blanke is actively running an illegal club where he runs drugs and prostitutes.

But right now, like every time they’ve been on the island, literally nothing is happening at the property they were told by Chief Kimble that everything happens. Frustration is clear in Verhiley’s voice.

“No activity” coming from the property.

The video shuts off.

Maybe they were just early? Blanke’s parties don’t typically pop off until later anyway.

“Special agent Tom Verhiley, it’s approximately 1:38 a.m., on July 10, 2021,” the undercover BCI investigator whispers, narrating his next surveillance video directed at the target property, again capturing nothing besides cicadas and distant music. “We’re at the location of The Disco… Nothing going on at this location.”

One more for the night.

“Special Agent Tom Verhiley with Special Agent Scott Stranahan, BCI. It’s approximately 1:40 in the morning, July 10, in front of the Disco. And this is what’s going on.”

Verhiley lets his camera roll for a full 30 seconds, saying nothing, showing the lifeless property. The video ends abruptly.

The four organized crime investigators went back to the Perry Holiday Hotel, got a few hours of sleep, checked out of their rooms, returned their golf carts, and boarded the Jet Express ferry for the mainland, records show. The agents had spent nights on the island in local bars, posing as wealthy businessmen, asking about Blanke and trying to suss out his parties.

Turns out, Blanke hadn’t even been on the island in quite some time. The stake-outs were a waste of time.

Once they were back on the mainland after their dud of a weekend, a frustrated Verhiley called Chief Kimble, who was unaware the undercover agents were, in fact, on the island the previous two days chasing dead ends and phantom parties.

Verhiley “specifically asked Chief Kimble if John Blanke was active,” the special agent’s report from that day says. (Blanke’s name is redacted in the report, but Scene can confirm it’s him.) The agent knew Blanke was not actually active. “Chief Kimble stated John Blanke is currently active and has been for over three weeks. He said there have been several complaints received by the Put-in-Bay Police Department” about the “Disco.”

That doesn’t appear to be true.

There hadn’t been a complaint or a call for service about Blanke’s parties up to that point in 2021, according to Put-in-Bay dispatch records, and none since the previous fall. There were 40 in 2020, mostly coming from a few specific neighbors who’d call as soon as they could hear music, but there hadn’t been any complaints for the better part of a year.

Which tracked with what the investigators discovered first-hand on the ground.

“THEY’RE IDIOTS,” JOHN BLANKE says. “It’s all fucking bullshit. Here

you have a chief of police who’s a storyteller, a fictional storyteller, that tried to bring me down for bullshit made up in his fucking head.”

Blanke, 54, spends most of the year in Hollywood, Florida. He owns Vixen’s Cabaret strip club in Davie and several strip clubs in Fort Myers and Tampa, and a couple of restaurants. He previously owned Scarlett’s in the Toledo area. He’s a self-professed millionaire who flies his friends around with him and has been known to throw his money around with abandon. He and his crew are rarely seen without their Vixen’s-branded t-shirts and baseball hats. Because of his job and public persona, he feels he’s falsely and unfairly portrayed as a criminal.

He only learned he was the target of the massive investigation in 2020 and 2021 last summer when the Sandusky Register first reported on the existence of the task force investigation. The paper didn’t use his name —Blanke has threatened to sue them — but people in-theknow knew it was referring to Blanke.

“Yes I love pussy, yes I love booze, yes I love money — the rest, I do without,” he says. “I got nothing to hide. If you really look at my life, it’s not near as exciting as what you think. When you’re in this industry, people think we’re automatically into drugs and prostitution.”

While he was rarely on the island hosting parties during the summer of 2021 when the investigation was active and this past summer —”I don’t do it as much now because I’m old” — the 54-year-old has spent the better part of two decades developing a reputation as the biggest private party host on the island. Especially for the locals, seasonal bartenders and workers who headed to his “Disco” after the licensed establishments closed down. It was their turn to have a night, and they’d party until after the sun came up.

“Back in the day I used to live

“Yes I love pussy, yes I love booze, yes I love money — the rest, I do without. I got nothing to hide. If you really look at my life, it’s not near as exciting as what you think.”

at what I called ‘the compound,’” he says, staying in someone’s garage when he’d come to the island to party. “We put a shower in, and mattresses on the floor, and we used to sleep there like a dorm. In Put-inBay, all you need is a place to sleep because you just sleep, get up, take a shower, and go party.”

One day nearly two decades ago, an islander convinced him to buy a property on Trenton Avenue.

“In the old days, all the bartenders couldn’t drink until the end of the shift, and then we’d go to somebody’s house and we’d party in somebody’s kitchen. And I thought that kind of sucked. So, if I’m buying this property, let me build a disco, a club, and all of us could party there and have fun. Like actual fun, instead of sitting and looking at each other in some random kitchen. So I ended up buying the property and the house next door. And that’s how it started.”

He bought that house, and on the back of that four acre lot sits the barn that he converted into “The Disco.” It’s got a large bar, a stripper pole (“98 percent of the time that anybody gets on that pole, it’s just a regular civilian, including guys who’ll strip down into their underwear,” he says), a DJ booth, pinball machines, a shuffleboard table, bathrooms.

He says — and this is important in the eyes of state liquor agents — nobody has to pay a cent to get in and all the booze is on the house because otherwise he’d need a liquor license and endure the state regulation that comes with it. The locals and the mostly-seasonal staffers on the island can come whenever he’s throwing a party. He’ll have local bartenders dole out free drinks to his guests, who can tip the bartenders if they want.

“The whole reason I built this thing was to have fun,” he says. “People do tip the bartenders. What usually happens is a couple of bartenders, when they get off work, they’ll go behind the bar and start slinging drinks. Sometimes it might be five people and sometimes there might be 150. Whoever walks through the door is welcome. But if you start a fight or a problem then you are not welcome.”

That year when there were 40 police dispatch records for The Disco? The summer of state Covid regulations, when alcohol sales at bars cut off at 10 p.m. and establishments were enforcing other restrictions.

Blanke’s place picked up the partying slack on the island.

“(The cops) were out at my house every single night,” he says of 2020.

“Dude, I had to leave the island. I’m in my hot tub at 10 in the morning, jamming out with my boombox and the cops come saying they had a noise complaint. The next day, I left the island because I couldn’t take the cops anymore.”

Blanke’s parties have been an open-secret for so long that they can barely be considered a secret anymore.

“The reason why I’m so good at what I do,” he says, “is because what makes me happier than having a good time is watching others have a good time, watching my people have a good time. People ask why I buy booze for all these people I don’t know. It’s because I can. Because I’m blessed. I came from nothing and I’m blessed to have the money I have. Spending a few thousand in booze a year is nothing I threw 3,000 ones in my club last night.”

Blanke’s business partner John Gallagher, adds: “Last week I saw him throw $6,000 in ones in his club (in Florida), to make it rain for the party, for the girls to have a better time, for the customers to have a better time. He gets it going. He handed out stacks of cash for people to give to the girls because he wants excitement in his clubs. He wants it going, he wants people to be having a good time and the energy to be right.”

Those less versed in the vice universe could see a flashy strip club owner and think he must be doing something illegal, that he just looks like the type of dude involved in money laundering. And that’s how rumors start, and they’ve been going around for years, and they ended up in the anonymous letter to local and state authorities that helped kick this whole thing off.

“That letter is trying to say that there’s prostitution and drugs and all this,” a former Put-in-Bay cop who frequently patrolled that area and responded to many noise complaints told Scene . “Every bar you go into there’s probably someone doing a bump of cocaine, whether it’s a bartender or schoolteacher. When I went there, I never saw any drugs. I never saw any prostitution. They have a stripper pole there and I’ve seen girls dance on it, but it’s nothing illegal. If you live next to him, it sounded like a full-blown nightclub, but in the township where he is there’s no noise ordinance so he’s not breaking any laws. He has a bar there and his bar looks nicer than half the places on Put-in-Bay, and he has his own bartenders. People were saying, ‘Oh, he sells alcohol illegally,’ but the alcohol is free. So if I go there and say ‘can me and Doug have two shots of

Jameson,’ sure, they just give it to us. Now if you want tip them, that’s on you, but you don’t have to. That’s their way around it — you wanna tip, go ahead. But you don’t have to pay and that’s why they couldn’t find any violations. Then this letter also stated that he has beds for girls or whatever, but have you ever been to Put-in-Bay? Every house has multiple bedrooms.”

“I had my issues with Blanke at one point,” the cop says, “and I started fucking with all their people. Anyone going to their house, I would pull over for an open container violation, for drinking. I would ticket every person going there. Every noise complaint, I would go there and cause a ruckus and make my presence known.”

But, he says, Blanke was clean.

Investigators found the same thing, even when they dug deeper.

“The problem is this: Based on (Kimble’s) gut concern, it appears he involved a host of three-letter agencies that spent an incredible amount of time and money, and the result is nobody found anything,” said Blanke associate John Gallagher. “They had every three-letter agency in the world go through his financial records and everything else. And of course they came up empty.”

The BCI did get the IRS to investigate Blanke for money laundering. In July 2021, Special Agent Verhiley met with the Internal Revenue Service, which “reviewed the results of the investigative financial report. Agents deduced that all of the reported investigative financial reports obtained were filed in accordance of the Bank Security Act guidelines and it did not appear as though there was money structuring taking place on behalf of [redacted]. The reports reflected there were casino payouts or proceeds indicating no structuring or fraudulent activity. Additionally, the transactions did not appear to be structured in any way, to which [redacted] did not try to avoid the $10,000.00 threshold.”

Simply put: Blanke’s money was clean and legal.

FOR AS

LOUDLY AS THE

investigation began in 2020 — alleged bribes, laser sights, and an underworld vice peddler — it closed with a whimper in August 2021.

“During the four surveillance details, there have been no loud after-hours parties at [redacted] and [redacted] was never observed on the island,” states the concluding paragraphs of the case file written on August 17, 2021. “Based on all of

the aforementioned inconsistencies of [redacted] and everything associated with the venue, Special Agent Thomas Verhiley is requesting this matter be closed on the OOCIC portion of the case file.”

Ottawa County Sheriff Stephen Levorchick served on the task force, providing the state investigators with information and context. He had been fielding noise complaints for years from Blanke’s neighbor and was glad that the state investigated Blanke, he says, so there was finally an answer as to whether or not he’s actually a criminal.

“There was no criminal activity found and it answered a lot of questions,” Levorchick says. “In law enforcement, we shouldn’t go into investigations looking for indictments and looking for criminal charges. The end goal should be honest answers and justice. And I’m proud that we at least took [rumors about Blanke] to another investigative organization that has the resources and ability to conduct such an investigation. We didn’t take it upon ourselves to — pardon my language — do a half-assed investigation and just pawn it off. Knowing the State of Ohio, with their resources, would conduct a thorough investigation and then come back with no findings of criminal activity, that’s a plus. That’s a good thing. That makes me feel better about my community.”

The Ohio Attorney general’s office declined to comment on the case or respond to a list of detailed questions about this case.

Blanke, for his part, is defiant in the face of the investigation and is in the midst of working to ensure that the parties at his “disco” aren’t the only entertainment he’s responsible for on the island. Blanke and a group of investigators bought and tore down the old T&J’s Smokehouse on the main strip and are planning to build another bar and resort, this one the official kind.

They also wouldn’t mind an apology from Kimble.

“Either the chief was completely hoodwinked by people who fed him information, and he should express an apology for being hoodwinked, or be admonished,” Gallagher says.

The Mohns would like one too.

“All we’re asking for is him to make an apology,” Kelly Mohn says. “We didn’t want him suspended or to lose his job. I really just want it written down that he was wrong and everything would be ok.” scene@clevescene.com

@clevelandscene

GET OUT Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks

WED 02/08

Hadestown

Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown comes to the Connor Palace for an extended run. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30; tickets start at $25. Performances continue through Feb. 19. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

THU 02/09

Mahler’s Fifth Mahler has called his Fifth Symphony a “foaming, roaring, raging sea of sound,” and at 7:30 tonight and at 8 on Saturday night at Mandel Music Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra will perform the piece. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

FRI 02/10

American Jazz

Jazz singer Aisha de Haas joins the Cleveland Pops and Pops Chorus tonight for a program of jazz standards tonight at 8 at Mandel Concert Hall. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

Cleveland Winter Beerfest 2020

An annual event that takes place here each winter, the Cleveland Beer Fest returns to the Huntington Convention Center today and tomorrow. There will be more than 150 craft beers, live music and local food vendors. Early admission both tonight and tomorrow night begins at 7. Doors open to the general public at 8 p.m. Consult the website to see your options.

500 Lakeside Ave., 216-928-1600, clevelandbeerfest.com.

Monsters vs Belleville Senators

At 7 tonight and at 1 tomorrow afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Monsters take on the Belleville Senators. Every Friday night features the Monsters’ special 1-2-3 Fridays promotion, so there will be $1 hot dogs, $2 sodas and $3

beers at tonight’s game. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

Sense & Sensiblity

The Great Lakes Theater’s adaptation of the Jane Austen novel comes to the Hanna Theatre tonight at 7:30. Performances continue through March 5.

Queen of Burlesque (Miss Exotic World) & #2 on the 21st Century Burlesque Top 50 Most influential global figures in burlesque Lou Lou la, Duchesse de Riere of Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Quebec, Canada. It all goes down tonight at 7:30 at the Beachland Ballroom. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

SUN 02/12

Gotta Dance!

Highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake featuring Cleveland Ballet and special selections from Inlet Dance Theatre make up this family friendly program. The event takes place at 2 p.m. today at Mandel Concert Hall. Severance Music Center, 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

MON 02/13

Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs won a close game with the Cavs last year when the two teams met up in San Antonio. The Cavs got off to a slow start in that game but almost came back to win the game at the very end. Expect the Cavs to start strong tonight as the two teams play each other at 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

TUE 02/14

Monsters vs. Rochester Americans

The Monsters take on the Rochester Americans tonight at 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in a rare Tuesday night game.

One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

WED 02/15

2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

SAT 02/11

12th Annual Sweetheart Showcase

The 12th Annual Sweetheart Showcase: Pillow Talk welcomes royalty in the form of the reigning

The 10 X 3 Songwriter Band Showcase

Hosted by Brent Kirby

The concept of 10x3 is a prearranged line up with 10 songwriters/bands performing three songs each. Two of the them required to be original, and the third can be the artist’s choice. Local singer-songwriter Brent Kirby hosts the event, which runs from 7 to 9

The 12th annual Sweetheart Showcase comes to the Beachland. See: Saturday, Feb. 11. Courtesy of Bella Sin

GET OUT

tonight at the Bop Stop. Admission is free.

2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org.

THU 02/16

Beethoven’s Seventh

Pianist Emanuel Ax joins the Cleveland Orchestra for tonight’s concert, which takes place at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall. Performances continue at the venue tomorrow and Saturday too.

11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

FRI 02/17

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Under the co-direction of Mariah Burks and Kenya Woods, this tribute to jazz great Thomas “Fats” Waller features five triple-threat performers sharing Waller’s life through comedy and jazz. The play features some of Waller’s beloved tunes, including “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Handful of Keys,” “Your Feet’s Too Big” and many more. Performances take place at 7:30 tonight and tomorrow night and at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Near West Theatre.

6702 Detroit Rd., 216-961-6391, nearwesttheatre.org.

SAT 02/18

Kurentovanje

Kurentovanje (koo-rahn-toh-VAHNyay) is evidently the most popular carnival event in Slovenia. The central figure of the carnival, the Kurent, is believed to chase away winter and usher in spring with its supernatural powers. The Kurent, by the way, is like something freakish and mammalian out of Parade the Circle: a massive sheepskin creature with bells and beads and all sorts of birdlike, pagan-inspired ornamentation. Today’s event starts at 10 a.m. at East 64th St. and St. Clair Ave. It runs until 5 p.m. It’s free. clevelandkurentovanje.com.

Monster Jam Arena Tour

The Monster Jam that features monster trucks on a dirt track at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse returns to the arena for its annual winter visit. The event goes down at 1 and 7 p.m. today and at 1 and 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.

One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

Jerry Seinfeld

While his most famous for his longrun sit-com, comedian Jerry Seinfeld has kept busy in the wake of that show’s success. His latest projects include the Emmy-nominated series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and his 2017 Netflix special Jerry Before Seinfeld. The veteran comedian comes to the State Theatre tonight at 7 and 9:30.

1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

SUN 02/19

Jacqueline and the Beanstalk

This production from TCT on Tour offers a twist on a classic fairy tale. Today’s performance takes place at 2:30 p.m. at the Goodyear Theater in Akron.

1201 East Market St., Akron, goodyeartheater.com.

Wild Hope

Photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale shares her personal stories about documenting the unsung heroes and communities working to protect our wildlife and find harmony in our natural world. Expect to hear about Kenya’s first indigenous-owned and run elephant sanctuary when she speaks tonight at 7 at the Ohio Theatre.

1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

MON 02/20

Make Em Laugh Mondays

The comedy showcase begins at 9 p.m. at the Grog Shop. Comedian Kevin Ford hosts. Tickets cost $5. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

TUE 02/21

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 p.m. at the Bop Stop. Admission is free.

2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org.

scene@clevescene.com

t@clevelandscene

POP ’EM

The best restaurants and shops to score tinned fish and seafood in Cleveland

By Douglas Trattner

IF YOU’VE BEEN SEEING TINNED fish everywhere you look lately, you’re not imagining anything. Despite being in existence for more than 300 years, canned seafood is having a big moment, both nationally and locally. Not only are the colorful tins appearing in larger numbers at imported foods markets, gourmet groceries and wine shops, they are landing on Cleveland restaurant menus for the first time.

The question that comes to mind for obsessive tinned fish fans like me is: What the heck has taken so long?

“I think a lack of knowledge, intimidation and a stigma are the three factors that are keeping us from experiencing this delicacy,” says Natasha Pogrebinsky, chef at South Side in Tremont. “I think in America we experienced tin fish as a last-resort food associated with poverty and not being able to get fresh fish. Many people don’t understand that there is such a thing as a tinned-fish delicacy.”

Tinned fish — or conservas — began its recent climb in American popularity during the pandemic, when many of us were forced to raid the dusty lower shelves of our pantries in search of sustenance. The shelf-stable foodstuffs proved ideal for shutdown-friendly activities like camping in the backyard, attending porch concerts and getting drunk while watching Tiger King. But it was social media that transformed the previously niche products into the latest viral trend.

Many Northeast Ohio shoppers were first exposed to tinned fish at markets and groceries that catered to specific cultures and ethnicities. In Ohio City, the Mediterranean Imported Foods store at the West Side Market has long been a haven for those looking for a taste of home.

“Back then, we were dealing primarily with European clients,” says George Kantzios, who used to own the store. “To many of our customers, this to them is dinner: a can of sardines, a piece of bread, a tomato — and can’t forget about the wine.”

These days, Kantzios runs Agora Foods International, an importer of Mediterranean specialty items that

make their way to establishments all over town, including his Astoria Cafe & Market. Since opening day, the market steadily has increased its tinned fish inventory to keep pace with growing demand.

“When we opened Astoria six years ago, the average age of somebody buying products like these was in their 50s, and we’ve seen that drop down to the late-20s to mid-30s,” says cheesemonger Tom Leguard. “I have to give the nod to TikTok and other forms of social media because it’s become one of the top-trending items.”

In addition to stocking approximately 40 different tins lovingly packed with anchovies, tuna, trout, mussels, sardines, squid, octopus, razor clams, cockles and other gems from the sea, Astoria recently began building boards around them for dine-in enjoyment. The seafood is paired with cured olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh vegetables, pickled peppers, lemons and crackers or bread.

Like Astoria, the Wine Spot in

Cleveland Heights started off with just a few tins of seafood on display by the register. That small selection has blossomed into an entire shelving unit stocked with roughly 50 different cans.

“It was slow going at first, but over the years people definitely started to notice it more,” says staffer Abie Stefanchik. “A lot of that is hand-sell, talking to people about what the product is and why it’s not that $1.50 tin of sardines that you’d find at the grocery store.”

Customers can try before they buy thanks to tinned fish boards that include accouterments like olives, cornichons, pickled peppers, lemon and Spanish hot sauce. Platters can be built around any item in the selection. The prices vary considering that individual tins can range from $4 for sardines to $33 for sea urchin in brine.

To drink, Stefanchik generally recommends a crisp Spanish or Portuguese white wine or pilsner beer, but it really depends on the sauce the fish is in.

More and more Cleveland restaurants are adding canned fish to their menus, typically as shareable appetizers. Places like Alea, Cent’s Pizza and Pearl Street Wine Bar will soon be joined by the Judith and Evelyn.

South Side is one of the first local restaurants to consistently offer its guests tinned fish, which lately consists of Spanish smoked mussels — served in the can — with cucumbers, lemons and grilled rustic bread. For Ukrainian-born chef Pogrebinsky, tinned fish serves as both a taste of childhood and an icebreaker.

“I get to talk to diners about growing up eating those foods,” she says. “South Side makes its living off burgers, but I get to do specials, and opening people up to foods through a can of mussels is a conversation I get to have that I wouldn’t have had before.”

Photo courtesy the Judith

BITES

Le Petit Triangle Cafe in Ohio City to expand

By Douglas Trattner

IN THE COMING WEEKS AND months, visitors to Le Petit Triangle Café (1881 Fulton Ave., 216-281-1881) in Ohio City will begin to see some changes, some minor, others major. By the end of them all, this 16-yearold bistro will have nearly tripled in size thanks to the acquisition of a neighboring space long home to Ohio City Dry Cleaners.

Step one in the process involves relocating the small hot-line kitchen in the first dining room to the larger prep kitchen behind the second dining room. By removing the cooking equipment and hood, and making some footprint modifications, owners Tom and Joy Harlor can turn that area into a small bar. While they’re at it, they will redo the flooring in that original pie-shaped room. The restaurant likely will need to close for about a week to complete these improvements, which they hope to have finished before spring.

Next, the owners will set to work on the next-door space, a roomy corner property. The plan is to turn that space into an extension of Le Petit, an all-day cafe with more coffee and pastries in the morning, a similar lunch, brunch and dinner menu, and a big bar serving beer, wine and cocktails later into the evening. When that space is completed, likely before fall, a doorway will be added to connect the spaces. The addition also comes with more sidewalk real estate for patio dining.

“I feel like this is a good time to do this because there are a lot of new places popping up and I feel like it’s time for us to kind of refresh what we’re doing,” Joy explains. “We’re excited about it. We have a lot of work ahead of us but it will be good.”

A Change of Course for Ponyboys in Chagrin Falls

Ponyboys (506 E. Washington St., 440-247-8226) in Chagrin Falls just entered its second year in business, but it does so with a slightly different identity. When it debuted at the tail end of 2021, the restaurant was described by its chef-owner Ryan Scanlon as one that focused

on “elevated Mexican street food.” Guests who make a return visit will observe across-the-board changes with respect to food, beverage and even décor.

“We’re veering away a little from the Mexican and to more traditional,” Scanlon explains. “To be honest, we were going to completely go away from the Mexican, but we got quite a bit of backlash from our current customer base.”

In an attempt to bolster midweek business, Scanlon says that he decided to diversify the menu at the 75-seat eatery.

“We are trying to broaden ourselves a little bit,” he states. “We’re a small place and I cook 95 percent of the foods so we can do simple things very properly.”

The kitchen has ditched items like the ceviche, tamales and a large chunk of the tacos. They have added American items such as oysters, crabcakes, chorizo meatballs and salads, along with a roster of new mains like wagyu burgers, braised short ribs with whipped potatoes, filet with butter-poached mushrooms, crispy-skin salmon on black rice and baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies with milk.

Scanlon also has tweaked the cocktail and wine lists to complement the new dishes.

To round out the shift, the team has made some design changes in an attempt to give the space a different feel. Those changes include new wall colors, lighting, décor and even the

sign out front.

“It should be a good change for us,” says the chef.

Ninja City Opening at Van Aken District Market Hall, Domo Yakitori and Sushi Departs

Domo Yakitori and Sushi, which opened in 2020 at the Van Aken District, has closed. The shop enjoyed a roomy corner space inside the Market Hall, setting itself apart from most of the stalls thanks to its own compact dining area.

Soon, that space will become home to Ninja City, which has earned plenty of name recognition since opening eight years ago in University Circle. Approximately five years ago, the Asian-influenced bar and pub relocated to Gordon Square (6706 Detroit Ave., 216-862-7200), where it has been happily ensconced ever since. Last summer, the owners added satellite shops at Tower City and the Global Center for Health Innovation.

“This is something we’ve been after for a few years, so we’re very happy that we’ve been invited in,” says owner Dylan Fallon, who together with partner Bac Nguyen have had their eye on the Market Hall since it opened.

Fallon says that while the space is essentially turn-key, they intend to make some pretty significant changes.

“The initial thought is to turn most of that mini dining area into

more cooking space,” he adds. “As you know we have a pretty broad menu and we’d like to bring as much as we can from the main shop to the Market Hall. Right now, there’s very little space for cooking and refrigeration.”

Fallon estimates a three-month construction period, but he wants to bring Ninja City to the Market Hall long before the space is completed.

“The idea is to do weekly popups starting the middle or end of January to be a part of the space as soon as possible, before the summer really kicks off,” he adds.

When it does open sometime this spring, Ninja City Van Aken District will be a counter-service driven eatery serving hits like soups, spring rolls, gyoza, wings, steamed buns, noodle salad, lettuce wraps, pho, ramen and banh mi sandwiches.

Now Open: La Plaza Taqueria at Re: Bar Downtown

The wait is over for downtown taco lovers tired of making the trek to the Cleveland-Lakewood border to hit up La Plaza Taqueria. Adrian Ortega’s taqueria outpost is now up and running at Re: bar (2132 East 9th St., 216-465-1467), which is located a block from Progressive Field. The eatery comes thanks to a partnership between Ortega and Re: bar owner Rachel Ulloa.

“It just made sense for us,” she explains. “It kind of fits our personality.”

For the past two years, Ulloa has been converting an adjacent property into a functional restaurant space, complete with kitchen and dine-in seating. Unlike some of the satellite versions of La Plaza that have popped up around town, Re:bar offers the complete taqueria menu, which includes tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas and the allimportant salsa bar. Those items will be available for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. An abbreviated late-night menu will run until 2 a.m. on weekends.

Photo by Doug Trattner

POWER MOVE

Ana Popovic’s bout with cancer inspired her eclectic new album

By Jeff Niesel

DESCRIBED AS “ONE HELLUVA guitar player” by none other than rock icon Bruce Springsteen, singer-guitarist Ana Popovic began her career way back in the ’90s in Belgrade. Popovic, who studied at the Utrecht Conservatory of Music at the Netherlands, has released several albums with both Hush, a band she formed in Belgrade, and as a solo artist.

Having established herself as a dynamic performer both in the studio and on the stage, Popovic ran up against a huge obstacle in the fall of 2020 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, something she didn’t immediately reveal to either her fans or her bandmates.

After 14 chemotherapy treatments and flights back and forth between her L.A. home and Amsterdam to receive treatment, she was able to keep playing live and writing new material; Popovic and bassist/coproducer Buthel Burns connected on Zoom to write the material that coalesced as the new album, Power, which is due out later this year.

“It was a very difficult time because we were just coming out of COVID, and I was getting ready to play again,” she says via phone from her Redondo Beach, CA home. Popovic performs at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, at the Kent Stage. “We had never stopped playing. We did socially distanced shows; we took it all because we live from this. When I found out [about having breast cancer], it was like your world is about to crash. I didn’t know if I would ever tour again. You rethink your life and the most important things. Coming to save us was writing songs.”

Popovic approached the album as if it might be her last, and that impetus gives the material an additional sense of urgency.

“I knew I had to make it good,” she says. “It’s an inspirational thing. I wanted to try my very best and play the songs I wanted to play and no other way. You really listen to your inner self. I think that’s the most important thing. You don’t do it for nobody else. I think some

interesting music comes out in situations like that. It gave me a certain strength and a certain power to go through the whole thing. Many women go through it, and the bottom line is that you have to take the change that your body goes through and make the best out of it and reinvent yourself. I have a 20year career, and my fans are used to me looking a certain way.”

When she finally did break the news to her fans and posted a photo of herself with a hat that covered up her short, cropped hair, some older fans objected to the new look.

“The amount of bullying online was amazing to me, and I would just laugh at it,” she says. “Their thoughts about me wearing a hat were the least important thing happening in my life. Elderly men were the worst. They should take care of their own looks.”

During the recording process, Popovic discovered the Detroit scene and tried to incorporate a Motor City vibe. She even enlisted musicians from the area to play alongside her and her Dallas-based backing band.

“Detroit is such an amazing place, and people play very differently,” she says. “With every record, I discover one city musically. In the past, it’s been New Orleans and Memphis and Nashville and L.A. I had never recorded in Detroit. [Co-writer] Buthel [Burns] is from Saginaw, and some of his friends and cousins

That is what the world needs. It’s about standing up to everything that is wrong with the world today. We have so much further to go. We changed the music to that so drastically. It’s not my lyrics, but I feel them personally. I stand for unity and change. It’s what our sound is. It’s a wonderful song and very, very powerful.”

Spirited horns drive the hardhitting “Power Over Me,” another album highlight.

shouldn’t doubt yourself.”

Popovic says the band’s new sound has invigorated both her and her bandmates.

are on the record. They’re amazing musicians. We want back and made it a family thing.”

Driven by a nasty organ riff, the opening track, “Rise Up,” finds Popovic singing, “Hard times, they will come, but they were not meant to last.” It’s one of many inspirational tunes on the album.

“‘Rise Up’ is the only song on the album that I didn’t write,” Popovic says. “I feel like it is about unity.

“I love horns,” she says. “I have a six-piece band, and I travel with horns. I’m very particular about horn arrangements. ‘Power of Me’ is a very hip horn arrangement. Usually, I’m more old school, but on that song, I doubled the horn lines on my guitar for ‘Power of Me.’ It’s fun to play.”

With its Stevie Ray Vaughaninspired guitar riff, “Queen of the Pack” finds Popovic giving life lessons.

“‘Queen of the Pack’ tells you how it should be done,” she says. “You

“We already started playing the new songs, and it’s amazing,” she says. “It’s a nice, refreshing thing. Everyone is excited about the new sound. That’s the key is to keep the band hungry for new stuff. We had 150 shows in 2022, and we already have 60 on the calendar this year. It’s going to be a great year. Music is food for my soul, and an important part of my life. It’s amazing to finally tell the band the background story about what happened. They never suspected because we just kept going. It was very emotional. Hopefully, it is an inspiration for everybody, so that no matter what life throws at you, you make the best out of it and hold on tight to whatever your passion in life is.”

ANA POPOVIC

6:30 P.M. MONDAY, FEB. 13, 175 E. MAIN STREET, KENT, 330-677-5005. TICKETS: $20-$30, KENTSTAGE.ORG.

Brian Rasic

Ana Popovic

HAPPY TO HIT THE ROAD

A Spotify sensation, Ella Jane comes to Mahall’s on the heels of her sophomore EP

By Halle Weber

WHILE ON THE ROAD LAST year promoting her sophomore EP, Ella Jane made a stop at West Hollywood’s iconic venue, the Troubadour, where Elton John famously made his breakthrough U.S. debut.

Ella Jane is no stranger to John, who played her lyrically dark and sonically upbeat track “Calling Card” on his Apple Music radio show, Rocket Hour.

“I just didn’t expect him to say anything besides introducing me and then he said something like, ‘There’s no justice in the world if this is not a hit,’” Ella Jane gushes about the career highlight in a recent Zoom interview. The second leg of Jane’s Marginalia tour brings her to Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood on Tuesday, Feb. 21. “I had to go back the next day and listen, and I was like, ‘Wait, I can’t believe that actually happened.’”

She cites selling out Bowery Ballroom in New York City as another peak.

“It was one of those perfect shows,” says Ella Jane when asked about the gig. “Growing up in suburban New York, you go to concerts in the city a lot with your friends. It was like a big deal to leave class early in middle school or high school and take the train into the city. I saw a lot of really, really good shows there that have meant a lot to me.”

With COVID restrictions barring her from performing at the start of her career, Ella Jane found it hard to process her success just based on numbers; touring has helped it to register.

“I feel very lucky to have the sort of fanbase I do,” she says. “I mean, I was a teenage girl, obsessed with certain artists. And being from the suburbs, all there is to do is drive around and listen to music with your friends. It’s very easy for me to put myself in their shoes — the kids who come to my shows. They are just so sweet and just really care about the music the way that my friends and

uncertainty, Ella Jane’s most successful song, “nothing else I could do,” was born.

The song, which has amassed almost 29 million streams on Spotify, was written as an AP Literature assignment on The Great Gatsby.

Ella Jane tells the Gatsby-Daisy narrative from a fresh perspective with her signature clever phrasing.

“It was a good exercise for me,” she says. “I think it sparked a lot of creativity that I had lost in the beginning of COVID.”

After graduation, Ella Jane went to Tufts University for a year, but she didn’t get much of a college experience while taking virtual classes and barely leaving her dorm room.

to Clairo, one of the most well-known artists in the indie-pop space, and fellow newcomers like Chloe George.

The 21-year-old has since released two EPs: 2021’s THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! and 2022’s Marginalia.

Marginalia features nine songs, each with their own carefully crafted, fully-fledged narrative.

On “You Shouldn’t Have Said That,” however, Ella Jane draws the storyline directly from her own life.

“I wrote it in like an hour mostly, and then the rest came down to obsessively tweaking little lyrics and things. I had a friend who I had a little crush on. When someone who is not necessarily available flirts with you, it sort of is harmless but also is irritating, and that’s where that came from,” says Ella Jane. “I got very obsessive about syllables and phrasing. I was on vacation with my family, and I remember going on a bike ride with my mom, and I kept getting lost behind her cause I was in my head mumbling over and over, trying to figure out the second verse. But I finally figured it out, and I’m definitely very happy with the end result.”

Ella Jane joked on her Instagram story that she manifested her first relationship by writing one of the more popular songs on Marginalia, “I Wanna,” about the desire to be in love.

Not being single for the first time has led to a new kind of songwriting.

“It’s a first for me in terms of my music,” says Ella Jane. “I think I have a history of writing very depressing songs. Even if they’re happy pop songs, if you listen to any of the lyrics, they’re not happy. So, this is, lyrically, a change.”

The Westchester, NY native comes from a musical family. She began taking piano lessons at age 4 and songwriting at age 11. Ella Jane released her first few songs independently in 2020 and in the months following her senior year of high school, just as COVID was beginning to derail everything. From that frustration, chaos and

“While I was juggling college, I was also getting approached by a lot of labels, and I think TikTok had a lot to do with that,” she says. “I honestly spent more time making videos for TikTok than I did doing my homework, and I put more effort into it. And I was recording in my room and making a lot of demos.”

And so, Ella Jane decided to leave school and pursue music full-time. She signed with FADER Label, home

The singer-songwriter is taking this new inspiration in stride and hoping for the best.

“It’s hard for me to tell if anything I’m writing is good or just like cheesy cause I’m enjoying my life,” she laughs. “We will find out, but I’ve definitely been writing.”

I did when we were younger. It feels very cool to know that you’re a part of someone’s life in that way.”

ELLA JANE

ASH TUESDAY, 7 P.M. TUESDAY, FEB. 21, 13200 MADISON AVENUE, LAKEWOOD 216-521-3280. TICKETS: $15-$50, MAHALLS20LANES.COM.

Ella Jane.

Maddy Rottman

LESS IS MORE

The White Buffalo’s Jake Smith took a bare-bones approach on band’s latest album

By Jeff Niesel

PRIOR TO HEADING TO THE studio to record last year’s Year of the Dark Horse, singer-songwriter Jake Smith, who tours and records as the White Buffalo, had only “bare bones” versions of the songs he wanted to record. While working on the tunes, he would send demos to producer Jay Joyce.

“What I sent Jay [Joyce] was the work tapes that captured first time the songs would come out of me,” Smith says via phone from his Sherman Oaks, CA home. The White Buffalo performs on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. “They were basically gibberish. I thought it was a good idea, but I wanted to keep that purity after providing the song structure. They were completely unrealized, but during the process of refining them, [Joyce] would even go back and reference those things. It was interesting.”

Since the songs tell a linear story that starts in a new year and extends into the seasons and back again, Smith wound up recording the songs in the order in which they appear on the album.

“In this scenario, it was the perfect way to do the album,” he says. “It

was crucial to the storytelling. Every day, I would know where we were each day. It helped the process. I have never done that. I have another conceptual album that follows a timeline of a life, which is Shadows, Greys & Evil Ways, but that wasn’t in order. It was more piecemeal, and I would stuff things into it to make the story move along. This one was just moving as we were recording.”

The album strikes a consistent tone until the Tom Waits-like “Love Will Never Come.” With its blast of guitars and distorted vocals, “Love Will Never Come” really comes out of nowhere and jars the listener. Smith says that was intentional.

“Jay would just throw you straight in the fire,” he says when asked about the track. “That song was completely different, but we recorded the instrumental part and a vocal thing that had about 100 to 200 words. It was really syncopated and kind of repetitive. [Joyce] said, ‘I’m getting bored with that. Do something else.’ That put me on the spot, and it turned into that barking and chanting or whatever the hell it is. It’s almost a way to rub the listener in a weird way to get to the spring part where it opens to this

prettier, more angelic part where spring is coming. I wanted to show how uncomfortable the character is. We were going for that. I think we achieved it, and hopefully, it’s not too awkward that people turn it off.”

The band cut the album in East Nashville at Neon Cross Studio, a converted church, and that adds to the overall ambience.

“It’s amazing,” says Smith when asked about the space. “We recorded that whole album in 11 days. We used about every square inch of that place. Other than an isolated drum

tunes like “Kingdom for a Fool.”

“A lot of it had to with Jay Joyce pushing me and putting me in oddly uncomfortable situations,” says Smith when asked about his vocal performance on the album. “I always thought the bigger, the better. He would constrict my body, and I would sit on this low-profile couch and put a microphone between my legs to take my body out of it. He was meticulous about trimming the fat in terms of lyrical stuff. It was interesting. Some of these vocal approaches never even occurred to me. I was always focused on good posture.”

The trek that brings the band to the Grog Shop represents the group’s third leg in support of the release, so the group will simply pick and choose a few tunes from Year of the Dark Horse and mix in tunes from the band’s catalog.

room, most of it is a big open space, which is the heart of the church. There’s not much separation between instruments and people. Some of it was done live. It’s pretty magical space for sure. It’s unique in that it’s a big open space with a console in the middle of the room and all of us were in the same room making eye contact.”

As always, Smith’s baritone voice carries some significant heft. Critics have often compared the singer to the late Leonard Cohen, and this album finds him stretching his capabilities even further on ballady

“It’s such a large catalog,” says Smith, who adds the group will open for Bruce Springsteen when the Boss plays Rome in May. “We play four to six of the new songs. Sonically and genre-wise, we tried to stretch ourselves with this new album. I wanted to get out of the acoustic thing, although it’s still there. There are still songs there with the purpose of emotionally moving people if people can get over the largeness and fullness of the album.”

THE WHITE BUFFALO

8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15, GROG SHOP, 2785 EUCLID HEIGHTS BLVD., CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, 216-321-5588. TICKETS: $25, GROGSHOP.GS.

The White Buffalo Courtesy of Libby Cofey: Bob Carey

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

THU 02/09

Michael Bolton

This pop singer’s career dates back decades. Over the course of that time, the singer and songwriter has sold more than 65 million records globally and continues to tour the world, and his Michael Bolton Charities advocates on behalf of women and children at risk. Expect to hear hits that date back to the ’80s when Bolton performs tonight at 7:30 at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage.

10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

Destroy Lonely

At age 17, multi-instrumentalist Destroy Lonely began dropping fully realized projects, demonstrating an already visionary approach to rap on efforts like Forever, ILY, Underworld, Overseas and </3². When his 2019 single “Bane” blew up, Destroy Lonely’s path to stardom began to solidify. He owes a huge debut to Playboi Carti who signed Destroy to his Opium label. On last year’s No Stylist, the 21-year-old weaves together video-game synths, thick bass riffs and elastic vocals. Tonight’s concert begins at 7 at House of Blues.

308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

FRI 02/10

Bush

n 1994, this British rock group delivered a hit from the get-go with its debut, Sixteen Stone. It notably achieved a six-times platinum certification. Despite being panned by critics, the band has kept at it. Last year, it released its ninth full-length offering, The Art of Survival. The lead single, “More Than Machines,” a tune that features the grungy sound of its ’90s hits, became the band’s seventh No. 1 single at radio. The group brings its tour in support of the album to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage tonight at 7:30.

10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

SAT 02/11

An Evening of Love & Soul

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, R&B/soul groups the Whispers, the Dramatics, Angela Winbush and Howard Hewitt will perform at 8 tonight at the State Theatre as part of a concert dubbed an Evening of Love & Soul.

1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

The Prince Project

Led by singer and performer

Shane Golden, this group pays tribute to the late, great Prince. A songwriter, actor and speaker, Golden has performed all across the U.S. in local, regional, and national productions and shows. Tonight’s performance begins at 8 at Music Box Supper Club.

1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

Nate Saggio

Local singer-songwriter Nate Saggio celebrates the release of this new single, “White Picket Fences,” a moody song that features crooning vocals and stuttering synths, with tonight’s concert at Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood. The show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets cost $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

MON 02/13

Rockzilla Tour Featuring Papa Roach and Falling in Reverse

When the hard rock act Papa Roach sequestered itself in a COVIDsecure mansion in Temecula, CA in the summer of 2020 to do some creative brainstorming, it wound up recording its latest effort, Ego Trip. Songs such as “Kill the Noise” and “Swerve” feature the by-nowpredictable chunky guitar riffs and nu-metal conventions. Falling in Reverse shares headlining duties as this traveling rock tour stops at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown tonight. Hollywood Undead opens. The show begins at 6 p.m.

229 East Front St., Youngstown, 330746-5600, covellicentre.com.

TUE 02/14

An Evening with Dave Mason Guitarist Dave Mason left Traffic in 1969 to pursue a solo career and hasn’t looked back. He’s written more

Subtronics comes to House of Blues. See: Wednesday, Feb. 15. Andrew

than 100 songs, and has released three gold albums and a platinum album that delivered the hit “We Just Disagree.” Mason famously plays acoustic guitar on Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower,” a song he often includes in his live sets. He performs at 6:30 tonight at the Kent Stage.

175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

WED 02/15

Subtronics

Last year, bass music producer and performer Subtronics (Jesse Kardon) released his debut album, Fractals, which features collaborations with prominent artists such as Zeds Dead, GRiZ, Boogie T and Sullivan King, among others. Then, at the end of last year, Subtronics released AntiFractals, an album featuring “VIP” versions as well as remixes from the likes of Virtual Riot, Peekaboo, Wooli, A Hundred Drums and more. The immersive stage show he brings to House of Blues tonight in support of the albums features a 40 x 24-foot high LED wall behind a custom chrome reflective DJ table

with a connecting LED wall. Bring earplugs! The concert begins tonight at 7.

308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

FRI 02/17

Tab Benoit

Inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists in 2020, singer-guitarist Tab Benoit is one of the featured musicians in the Sony Picture Classics 2022 documentary JazzFest: A New Orleans Story. One of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from the bayous of Southern Louisiana, Benoit doesn’t rely on any effects and uses his fingers to create any effects that you might hear. He performs tonight at 7 at House of Blues.

308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

Joe Bonamassa

Dubbed “the world’s biggest blues guitarist” by Guitar World magazine, singer-guitarist Bonamassa has delivered 25 No. 1 Billboard blues albums during his career. Bonamassa, who opened for B.B. King when he was only 12, plays about 200 shows a year. He’s also a philanthropist, and his non-profit Keeping the Blues Alive supports music education and artists in need. He›s also the founder of the Fueling Musicians Program, which provided cash payments to touring musicians in need of support following the pandemic shutdowns. Bonamassa performs tonight at 8 at the State Theatre.

1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Bumpin’ Uglies

The punk reggae group out of Maryland kicks off a two-night stand at the Beachland Ballroom. Last year’s Mid-Atlantic Dub shows off the band’s sharp songwriting sensibilities as songs such as “Make It Through the Day” and “Wild Girls” have a Sublime-like feel to them.

Aaron Kamm and the One Drops open tonight’s show, which starts at 8. Joey Harkum opens tomorrow night’s show, which also starts at 8. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Hutchins

TRUSS

By Jeff Niesel

MEET THE BAND: Hannah Crandall (vocals), Eric Kennedy (guitar), Holden Szalek (drums), Thomas Rastatter (bass)

A VARIETY OF INFLUENCES: All the band members in this hard rock group grew up in the Cleveland area listening to different types of music. “[Bassist] Thomas [Rastatter] is into the classic thrash metal bands like Metallica and Slayer, [drummer] Holden [Szalek] grew up listening to blues rock like Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and [guitarist] Eric [Kennedy] listened to everything under the sun,” says Crandall via phone. “He listened to classic grunge stuff growing up — bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden. I did not grow up knowing or listening to rock music in any capacity. I grew up on Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson and Prince and all the big pop acts at the time.” Crandall got into the rock scene when she was in high school and formed Velocity with Szalek. The group disbanded after members graduated high school. But when it was asked to perform as an alumni band at a High School Rock Off competition, Velocity reformed. That’s when guitarist Eric Kennedy, who now plays in TRUSS, came into the picture.

METHOD OF ‘MAYHEM’: The band officially formed in 2018 while they were students at the Ohio State University. The group played various college clubs, events and parties in the region. In May of 2019, the band released the single “Mayhem,” which it recorded with friend Cooper Towns at the studio in Ohio State’s Wexner Center for the Arts. “[Towns] was taking a music production class at Ohio State, and he needed a final project,” says Crandall. “He asked us to come in and record on a whim. When we went into the studio, we didn’t even have a bassist, and we didn’t discuss what song we were going to record. We just walked into the studio and laid down some tracks and did ‘Mayhem,’ and it

blew up from there. It was a cool opportunity.” To date, “Mayhem” has amassed nearly 700,000 streams across various platforms.

WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR

THEM: A proggy, TOOL-like sensibility drives “Mayhem,” and the band delivers an evocative cover of the Soundgarden track

“Fell on Black Days” that shows off Crandall’s vocal power (no easy task since Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell could belt with the best of them).

“Soundgarden is a shared favorite band. We are heavily influenced by Soundgarden and Black Sabbath. Chris Cornell is one of my favorite vocalists of all time,” says Crandall.

“We wanted to pay tribute when Chris Cornell passed away so many years ago. We thought it would be good to pay tribute to a mutual favorite artist amongst the four of us.” “All the Bugs,” another highlight from the band’s catalog, starts with stripped down electric guitar and builds slowly. “That was one of the first songs we wrote when Thomas came into the band,” says Crandall when asked about the track.

“With that song, the [Soundgarden] song ‘Outshined’ is a big influence. The melody for the vocals follows the guitar riff. The idea was to keep that same concept. We could build the music, and I would come in with the melody and follow the guitar. It’s one of my favorite songs to play. It has a really good groove to it.”

WHERE YOU CAN HEAR

THEM: trussband.com.

WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: TRUSS performs with the Yellow Elevators, Hello Luna and Quick Mystery at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights.

jniesel@clevescene.com

t @jniesel

Photo: Amber Patrick Truss

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SAVAGE LOVE DOM VIBE

By Dan Savage

Hey all: I’m away this week. Please enjoy this column from July of 2019.

Hey Dan: I’m a womanwho married young (21) and I’ve been with my husband for seven years. Within the last year, I’ve realized that my falling libido probably comes from the fact that I am not turned on by our boring vanilla sex routine. I get so little fulfillment that I’d rather not even do it. I’ve tried talking to him, but he says he prefers sex without foreplay or a lot of “complicated stuff.” I had some great casual sex before we met but it turns out I’m into BDSM, which I found out when I recently had a short affair. I’ve kept the secret and guilt to myself, but I have told my husband I’m into BDSM. He wants to make me happy, but I can tell he isn’t turned on doing these things. He denies it, because he’s just happy to have sex at all, but a butt plug and a slap on the ass does not a Dom make. I’ve tried to ask him if we can open up our relationship so that I can live out my fantasies. I would like to go to a BDSM club and he isn’t interested at all. He was very upset and said he’s afraid of losing me if we go. He also felt like I was giving him an ultimatum. But I told him he was allowed to say no, and that I wouldn’t leave if he did.

When I was younger, I thought there was something wrong with me because everyone else wanted monogamy, but it never seemed important to me. I’m not a jealous person and I wouldn’t mind if he had sex with other people. In fact, the thought of it turns me on but he says he isn’t interested. I know he loves me, and I love him. At this point my only solution has been to suppress this urge to have BDSM sex, but I don’t know if it is a good long-term solution. What should I do? Keep my fantasies to myself? Have another affair or ask him to have an open relationship again? We have a 3-year-old daughter, so I have to make our relationship work.

Want The Hard Truth

Two quick points before I bring out the big guns: First, marrying young is a bad idea. The younger two people are when they marry, according to a mountain of research, the likelier they are to divorce. It makes intuitive sense: the rational part of the brain — the

prefrontal cortex — isn’t fully formed until we’re 25. We shouldn’t be picking out wallpaper in our early twenties, WTHT, much less life partners. And second, basic sexual compatibility (BSC) is crucial to the success of sexually exclusive relationships and it’s a bad idea to scramble your DNA together with someone else’s before BSC has been established.

And with that out of the way…

“WTHT might be surprised to hear she is just a normal woman being a normal woman,” said Wednesday Martin, New York Times bestselling author, cultural critic, and researcher. “Like a normal human woman, she is bored after seven years of monogamous sex that isn’t even her kind of sex.” You mentioned that you used to feel like there was something wrong with you, WTHT, but just in case you have any lingering “what’s wrong with me?!?” feelings, you’re gonna want to read Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity Is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free, Martin’s most recent book.

“We know from recent longitudinal studies from Germany, Finland, the US, the UK, and Canada that among women only, relationship duration and living together predict lower desire/ boredom,” said Martin. “In fact, the Finnish study found that even when they had more/better orgasms, women in monogamous relationships of several years’ duration reported low desire.” A straight man’s desire for his long-term, live-in female partner also decreases over time, but not as dramatically as a woman’s does.

“Contrary to what we’ve been taught, monogamy kills it for women, in the aggregate, more than it does for men,” said Martin.

So, that’s what we know now — that’s what the research shows — but most advice professionals, from the lowliest advice columnist to the most exalted daytime talk show host, have chosen to ignore the research or are unaware of it. So, they continue to tell unhappily sexless couples that they’re either doing something wrong or that their relationship is broken. If he would just do his fair share of the housework or if she would just have a glass or two of wine — or pop a “female Viagra,” if big pharma could

come up with one that works, which (spoiler alert) they haven’t and most likely never will — they’d be fucking like they did the night they met.

This advice not only isn’t helpful, it’s harmful: he does more housework, she drinks more wine, nothing changes, and the couple feels like there’s something wrong with them. In reality, nothing’s wrong. It’s not about a more equitable division of housework (always good!) or drinking more wine (sometimes good but not always), it’s about the desire for novelty, variety, and adventure. Those are things a couple can build into their monogamous relationship, WTHT, but they not if they’re only being told that dishes are the problem and/or wine is the solution.

So, the big issue here is that you’re bored, WTHT. No foreplay? Nothing complicated? Even if you were 100 percent vanilla, that shit would get tedious after a few years. Or minutes. After risking your marriage to treat your boredom (with an affair), you asked your husband to shake things up — to fight sexual boredom with you — by incorporating BDSM into your sex life, by going to BDSM clubs, and by at least considering the possibility of opening up your marriage. (Ethically this time!) And while he’s made a small effort where BDSM is concerned (butt plugs, slapping your ass), your husband ruled out BDSM clubs and openness. But since he’s only going through the BDSM motions because he’s just “happy to have sex at all,” what he is doing isn’t working for you.

At bottom, WTHT, what you’re saying — to me, not your husband — is that you’re gonna need to do BDSM with other people if your husband doesn’t get better at it, which is something he might learn to do at those BDSM club he refuses to go to. Which means he has it backwards: he risks losing you if he doesn’t go.

“She once put her marriage at risk to get BDSM,” said Martin. “WTHT’s husband doesn’t need to know about the affair, in my view, and he doesn’t need to become the world’s best Dom. But he owes her acknowledgment that her desires matter. Get to that baseline, and other things tend to fall into place more easily. The discussion about monogamy becomes easier. The discussion about needing to be topped

becomes easier. Working out a solution becomes easier.”

I’m not suggesting that an open relationship is the solution for every bored couple, and neither is Martin. There are lots of legitimate reasons why two people might prefer for their relationship to be, remain, or become monogamous. But two people who commit to being sexually exclusive for the rest of their lives and also want maintain a satisfying sex life — and, open or closed, couples with satisfying sex lives are likelier to stay together — need to recognize boredom as their mortal enemy. And while the decision should be mutual, and while ultimatum is a scary word, bringing in reinforcements isn’t just the best way to fight boredom in some instances, there are times when it’s the only way to save a relationship.

That said, a couple of weeks back I told a frustrated husband that his cuckolding kink may have to be put on the back burner while his children are young. The same goes for you, WTHT. But at the very least your husband has to recognize the validity of your desires and could put more effort into pleasing you.

“In straight culture, people tend to define sex as intercourse, because intercourse is what gets men off, and we still privilege male pleasure,” said Martin. “But seen through a lens of parity, what WTHT wants is not ‘foreplay’ or ‘complicated stuff.’ It’s sex, and the sooner her husband lets go of this intercourse = sex fetish of his and acknowledges that her pleasure matters as much as his does, the sooner he’ll be a real partner to his wife.”

For the record: a relationship doesn’t have to be open to be exciting, BDSM doesn’t have to be complicated to be satisfying, and date night doesn’t have to mean dinner and a movie. Date night can mean a visit to a BDSM club where your husband can learn, through observation alone (at least for now), how to be a better Dom for you.

You can find Wednesday Martin on Twitter @WednesdayMartin. You can find her books, blog posts, videos, and more at wednesdaymartin.com. questions@savagelove.net t