Scene November 30, 2022

REWIND: 1979

Proving some things never change, Scene was all over the local elections, the Cavs, and Michael Stanley fourplus decades ago.

PHOTO COURTESY MLS NEXT PRO, DESIGN BY EVAN SULT

UPFRONT

NO ONE LOOKS GOOD IN THE METROHEALTH DEBACLE

THE LONG AND HAPPY marriage between Akram Boutros and MetroHealth is clearly over, and might not have been so happy in recent years, it turns out. What’s already played out, and what will continue to play out through various legal proceedings, threatens to equally stain the publicly funded hospital system that had for years enjoyed nothing but praise for its work in the region and the ousted CEO who steered MetroHealth through a billion-dollar transformation project.

Metro’s board of trustees on Monday, Nov 21 fired Boutros after it discovered the CEO had awarded himself $1.9 million in bonuses not disclosed or approved by the board. The payments were in violation of his contract, the board said.

Less than a week later, on the day after Thanksgiving, Metro released the investigation that led to the ouster.

“We recognize that the public and media organizations want more details regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to terminate Dr. Boutros’s employment,” the hospital system said in a statement Friday. “MetroHealth has determined that the investigation report prepared by Tucker Ellis LLP at the Board’s request is not covered by attorneyclient privilege, The report, the product of an investigation by the law firm of Tucker Ellis, centers on Supplemental Performance Based Variable Compensation — bonuses available to top-level executives if the hospital system met certain financial goals as a whole and awarded, as a percentage of their base compensation, if they individually met certain benchmarks.

Boutros was in charge of evaluating and approving bonuses for those top-level employees but was not approved to evaluate his own performance or approve his own bonuses. Tucker Ellis found he not only did just that but given two clear opportunities to disclose the payments — once in response to a public records request from the Plain Dealer and once during negotiations with the board for his most recent contract — he instead reported only his base compensation and Base

PBVC.

The findings were not only cause for the publicly funded hospital system to fire Boutros but also show that he has exposure to possible criminal charges including felony theft in office, wrote John McCaffrey, the former FBI agent and Tucker Ellis partner, in the report.

“The facts here suggest that Boutros may have engaged in conduct involving the offense of theft in office, in violation of R.C. 2921.41, and perhaps the offense of falsification, in violation of R.C. 2921.13,” it reads.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O’Malley told Scene last week that his office was in touch with the Ohio Ethics Commission to review the facts to determine if a criminal

investigation should be opened.

Boutros, who has denied any wrongdoing, self-reported to the OEC on Nov. 1, the day after he repaid the $1.9 million plus interest to Metro.

Jason Bristol, his lawyer, told Signal Cleveland over the holiday weekend that Boutros first read the Tucker Ellis report along with the rest of Cleveland when it was publicly shared by the board.

“Releasing the report to the public without providing it to Dr. Boutros in advance is a continuation of the Board’s attempts to damage Dr. Boutros’ reputation,” Bristol said.

Boutros claims that the investigation and firing were retaliatory actions by the board after he discovered “that the Board members were participating in

serial deliberation outside of public meetings and that Vanessa Whiting, the Board Chair, signed agreements and authorized payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars without Board approval.”

“She targeted him for receiving bonuses that were received by all eligible employees,” Bristol said in a statement after the firing. “The Board of Trustees took this action to divert attention from their own gross negligence. Dr. Boutros will take legal action.”

The first of those legal actions came on Monday, Nov. 28, when Boutros sued Metro in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, alleging that the board of trustees violated Ohio’s Open Meetings Act and MetroHealth bylaws in the hiring of incoming CEO Dr. Airica Steed and its termination of Boutros.

It only briefly addresses the reasons Metro cited for firing him besides claiming they were authorized and instead largely contends the methods by which Metro’s board conducted the CEO search and launched the Boutros investigation during executive sessions violated state law.

The investigation and firing, it claims, were in response to Boutros alerting Metro to the board’s violations of the Open Meetings Act.

“The cause-and-effect connection between the two incidents is inescapable: [Metro Board of Trustees Chair Vanessa] Whiting attempted to whip up a controversy from contemporaneously created MetroHealth business records which at all times had been available to the Board of Trustees concerning bonus payments which the Board had, in fact, approved by resolution,” the complaint reads.

The suit seeks to “nullify the unlawful investigation of Dr. Boutros and to nullify Dr. Boutros’ termination for cause as The MetroHealth System’s President and Chief Executive Officer.”

Whiting, in a statement issued by MetroHealth this week, said: “We’re disappointed, though not surprised, that Dr. Boutros has filed a lawsuit. His allegations are little more than a distraction from these fundamental facts: That he awarded himself nearly $2 million in bonuses without

PHOTO COURTESY METROHEALTH

proper review or authorization and that he concealed those payments from MetroHealth’s trustees and the public. We are confident the board acted in accord with Ohio law, but no one should lose sight of the irony that someone who for five years actively cloaked his actions is trying now to recast himself as a champion of sunshine.”

Lingering questions abound – Why did Boutros voluntarily repay the bonuses if he maintains they were appropriate? Why didn’t he alert authorities to the Open Meeting Act violations earlier and, apparently, only after he was fired? Did the board actually violate the law by conducting public business in executive sessions?

With a threat of yet another lawsuit from Boutros, depositions and discovery waiting around the corner in the existing one, and a possible criminal investigation on the horizon, answers may still yet come. And everyone might look even worse by the time it’s all over.

– Vince Grzegorek

for 2003 Murder

On a white T-shirt sold by Comma Club Clothing’s founder Ru-El Sailor, a 42-year-old Cleveland man wrongfully accused and convicted of murder in 2003, is the phrase: “My Story Ain’t Over.”

On Tuesday, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Sherrie Miday added another plot point in Sailor’s 15-year fight, nearly five years after his conviction was overturned.

The judge declared Sailor a “wrongfully imprisoned person,” a decision which permits Sailor to seek compensation – nearly $53,000 for every year he was behind bars –from the State of Ohio.

For Sailor, who was surrounded today by his wife, mother, grandchildren and attorneys, Miday’s decision signifies something concrete and symbolic.

“I’m finally out,” Sailor told Scene “My name is finally cleared.”

A year before Sailor was sentenced in 2003 to 28 years-tolife for the murder of Omar Clark, he was walking out of an East Side bar with friends. Ru-El says that around 12:30 in the morning Clark pulled out a gun in front of Sailor’s friend Cordell Hubbard. Defending his sister, Sailor recounts, Hubbard shot in self-defense. But, Sailor was charged along with Hubbard.

With no physical or DNA evidence, the court gave Sailor a quarter-

century sentence, even when multiple witnesses confirmed that Sailor wasn’t present for Clark’s death.

“It was like I was literally framed,” Sailor said. “Like, witnesses were forced to identify me. [Even when] they never saw me a day in their life.”

In 2017, with assistance from the Ohio Innocence Project, Sailor sought to have the office of Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley review his case through the Conviction Integrity Unit.

The investigation found that Sailor was innocent.

The payoff was exuberance and freedom for Sailor, yet problematic, in legal terms, for his attorneys.

Though his 2003 convictions for murder, kidnapping and assault were overturned, Sailor was forced, lawyers involved in the case said, to accept a guilty plea for perjury and obstruction of justice — offenses that carried a 10-year prison sentence. He copped to the charges for time served and was released.

Sarah Gelsomino, an attorney with Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein who’s been involved in Sailor’s case since 2018, believes that

O’Malley’s office felt pressured to assign a punishment.

“Really, what it comes down to is it’s to prevent them from getting money,” she said. “What is the purpose of having Ru-El have a tenyear sentence? He already did the time. It’s time served. It’s because the prosecutor’s office refused to let him get out scot-free.”

Since his exoneration, Sailor has adopted both the attitude of a happily free man and one of a head-down activist. In 2018, he started Comma Club Clothing, with its life-affirming slogans and autobiographical declarations, as a coda for his prison epoch. In March of the following year, he married his wife at the same courthouse where he was convicted 16 years before.

Sailor’s attorney, Kimberly Kendall Corral, was the officiant. “The power of their love bent the bars between them,” Corral said at the 10-minute ceremony. “The persistence of their love changed and opened closed minds.”

Since 2018, Gelsomino said, Sailor’s exoneration has acted as a strong signifier for the wrongfully convicted serving time in Ohio and Cuyahoga for cimes they haven’t committed.

Nearly 60 percent—225 persons— of the Innocence Project’s exonerees have been Black, and nearly 70 percent of such cases involved eyewitness misidentification of some type.

“And most of them are here in Cuyahoga County,” Gelsomino said.

Sailor himself sees his story only deepening from here on out. Though given the gifts of normal citizenry, he still maintains an ear to the ground, from afar, at the Justice Center. His phone rings constantly with calls from inmates across Ohio that have likewise been dealt wrongful convictions. “I talk to at least five guys a day,” Sailor said.

For those outside the legal world, Sailor thinks Comma Club Clothing acts as a springboard—for awareness of the Innocence Project, for men like him that were innocent.

It’s a message that cries: My life is not a period, full-stop.

“Just like the actual comma, a short pause and a continuation,” Sailor said. “Look at me. My life, they thought [it] was over. My story was over. And now it’s not.”

– Mark Oprea

roadways right now, that’s because it’s the height of mating season. And the deer are getting frisky.

Deer especially like to flirt and date at dawn and dusk. Due to our blessed return to standard time, those hours are now also times when people are more likely to be moving around. Today, dawn was at 7 a.m. and dusk will be at 5:29 p.m., right during rush hour.

More traffic and more deer? It’s a deadly combination for humans and deer alike.

Most people react as you should expect and when they see deer on the roadway — they swerve, brake or take other action to avoid hitting the animal. This instinct, the Ohio State Highway Patrol says, is a mistake.

“You have the potential to lose control or hit another vehicle,” Lt. Leo Shirkey told the Independent. “I know you don’t want to hit it but it’s the best thing to do.”

This may seem like a nonviable option as well. There have been 101,912 deer-related crashes in Ohio since 2017 and 31 fatalities amongst those crashes. But officials caution, most of those involve drivers getting into accidents while avoiding the deer, or trying to.

Ohio is not an outlier, if you were curious. The same advice is being given across the country.

“If you’re driving and you’re in a situation where you’re at fairly low speeds without much traffic or anything around, and you can avoid the deer, then, yes, if you can do it safely, then try to do so,” Dan Zarlenga, St. Louis Regional Media Specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, told KSDK. “But if you’re at high speeds, there’s oncoming traffic, you’ve got a narrow roadway, whatever, where you might fall off into a ditch or hit a tree, then, unfortunately, the best thing you can do is just go ahead and hit the deer.”

So the answer may be to just be cautious by wooded areas, and if you see deer anywhere (even on the side of the road) just know that there are probably others (maybe on the road) and exercise caution.

Plus, the deer population is out of control because there are no natural predators in the area to keep them in check. So perhaps automobiles have to take the place of timberwolves.

Deer mating season will end in November, but increased deer activity (and therefore driver caution) could continue through December.

Cleveland Man Declared “Wrongfully Imprisoned”

It’s Safer to Hit Those Horny Deer Than Swerve to Avoid Them, Ohio State Highway Patrol Says If you’re seeing more deer along the

Global Game,

Global City

Cleveland lands an MLS NEXT Pro expansion team

BY VINCE GRZEGOREK

CLEVELAND HAS LANDED AN expansion team in the MLS NEXT Pro league and it will begin play in the 2025 season.

“We’re super excited,” Murphy told Scene. “It’s a huge step to get MLS NEXT Pro here. Cleveland’s going to have professional outdoor men’s soccer. We’re going to compete. We’re going to put butts in seats. We have a brand in Cleveland that travels around the world. Fans are going to be excited.”

The team doesn’t yet have a name — Murphy said they will embark on a listening tour to engage with local

communities in 2023 before they settle on anything — and there is not yet seats for those butts to sit in — the group is committed to building a right-sized, soccer-first stadium — but the first step is officially done.

MLS Next Pro, created as a bridge between MLS and MLS youth academies, is a third-tier league that debuted in 2022 with 21 teams. Twenty of those had direct MLS affiliations; Rochester New York FC plays as an independent club.

The young league is already in the midst of quick expansion, with seven more MLS -affiliated clubs joining for the 2023 season along with another independent expansion team in Carolina beginning play in 2024.

Cleveland, when it joins in 2025, will also be independent.

Murphy and Cleveland Soccer Group co-founder Nolan Gallagher, whose film distribution company Gravitas Ventures was sold last year for $73 million, have for

years pushed to bring professional soccer to Cleveland. MLS NEXT Pro officials made a site visit to Cleveland in July, as Scene first reported, and the two sides have spent the fall hammering out the details.

MLS NEXT Pro president Charles Altchek told Scene he’s very familiar with Ohio, having worked with the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, and was sold on Cleveland after talking to Murphy and Gallagher over the past year.

Michael Murphy (fifth from left), local leaders

and MLS NEXT Pro officials at the official announcement in Ohio City. Courtesy MLS NEXT Pro

“I spent a lot of time getting to know them, understanding their vision, and that matched up with what we want to accomplish with our new league,” he said. “They have a big vision of what they want to achieve in Cleveland with professional soccer and our visions aligned with what MLS NEXT Pro is going to be now and in the future. It’s not just about soccer. It’s about everything that’s happening on and off the field and creating opportunities for all those who want to get into the game, from underrepresented groups and from around the world. What better way to bring everyone together than soccer?”

Murphy indeed believes soccer can bring Cleveland together, and he wants to hear from the community as the team takes shape.

“The exact process for the name will be rolled out in 2023,” he said. “I want to go on a listening tour to hear from fans, to have the community help choose the right name, color and crest, a design that really represents Cleveland. I hope to have a lot of community involvement.”

The next year will also involve discussions and planning for where the team will play. Both sides are clear that a newly built stadium is the goal. While few, if any, details are known at this stage, some amount of public financial support is likely to be involved.

“We’ve visited and have done diligence on a number of sites,” Murphy told Scene. “We’re into the process now and I anticipate the process will continue in the first part of 2023 to make sure we’ve looked at all viable options. I anticipate the news around professional soccer coming to Cleveland might engender some new ideas too. The bottom line is we’re committed to working with all the stakeholders to have a best-inclass facility. I think it’s essential to have buy-in from all the stakeholders regardless of how the project is financed. Our goal is to try and have something for 2025.”

Otherwise, he doesn’t want to speculate on location, cost or capacity. Existing MLS NEXT Pro squads play in stadiums with capacities anywhere from a couple thousand to 20,000, but something in the 5,000 to 10,000 range would probably make sense.

Murphy noted that temporary options around the city and Cuyahoga County do exist, but the goal is to avoid such a scenario. Altchek, for his part, confirmed to Scene the league would not have awarded a team to Cleveland without a concrete commitment to build a new facility.

“We know how important it is for a team to have a venue that’s built for soccer and built for the fans and players to be able to show the best of the sport week in and week out,” Altchek said.

A new stadium would also be essential to achieving the Cleveland Soccer Group’s other goals, including bringing professional women’s soccer to Cleveland.

They submitted a bid this month for a National Women’s Soccer League team, which will expand in 2024 and again a few years after that.

“I met with the commissioner and her team in New York and gave my full-throated reasons why Cleveland is the best choice for the next market,” Murphy said. “When I spoke with them, they identified that the right facility is important to them.”

If not in this round, Murphy is confident Cleveland will be a competitive option in the next.

Cleveland’s new team will debut during what is a feverish push to get soccer in front of more fans across the country.

MLS NEXT Pro is expanding at the same time as the second-tier United Soccer League, which also operates lower-level leagues, grows as well. The battle for clubs, territory, eyeballs and money has engendered spirited opinions amongst fans.

Murphy told Scene he pitched Cleveland to the USL — “I went to their midsummer meetings down in Louisville. It’s a great product. Men’s and women’s teams under common ownership is a concept that I hope to bring here” — but believes MLS NEXT Pro was the better option for a variety of reasons.

“We did a lot of diligence. I talked to a number of owners both in MLS and other leagues and ultimately we decided because of the distribution platform [MLS/MLS NEXT Pro signed a 10-year deal with Apple TV to broadcast all games starting in 2023] and because I wanted to tie Cleveland soccer to the number-

one soccer league in this country,” Murphy told Scene. “Because I think our vision is really a long-term vision and when I look down the road 15 years from now I think we’re going to be best served by these decisions.”

MLS NEXT Pro is just a year in, he noted. “Watch what this league is going to do.”

That will include not just a platform where fans can watch all the games with a professionally produced broadcast (something that wasn’t available in 2022, which featured streaming-only options and an artificial-intelligence camera system), but the addition of 10-20 more independent teams in the coming years.

Altchek also points to the distribution deal and planned expansion of independent teams as two reasons to feel nothing but excitement and optimism for what MLS NEXT Pro can be.

“I’m really excited about what we’re doing,” he said. “We keep reminding ourselves that we’re just getting started, that these are the early days. We have a great opportunity to do something special.”

Getting there means remembering four basic pillars the league was founded on, he said — focusing on local communities; emphasizing player development; using innovation; and being committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We want to ensure our clubs are connected to the local communities,” he said. “We want to create a pathway for the next generation of stars, for young players in the Cleveland region. We want to continue using this platform to push the sport forward with new rules and new technology. And we want to create opportunities for those who want to work in and around the sport.”

New rules included instituting penalty kick shootouts to award an additional point when games end

with ties in regulation and one, which began midseason and which showed how nimble the league can be he said, that put a limit on how long a player can be on the ground before deciding whether he needs medical attention.

New technology included the AI camera — “We took a risk. Some aspects were great. Some were more challenging” — which thankfully will be replaced with professionally produced broadcasts.

But whether it’s in service to players, fans, or both, “it gives us the opportunity to try new things.”

Michael Murphy is all in on soccer’s ability to bring groups of people together. It’s been part of his pitch through the entire process and he relishes the chance to bring the global game to a global city.

“I see this as being this transformative vehicle in the region,” he said. “We have assets in our immigrant communities, both old and new, and soccer is a common language. We plan on being very intentional and reaching out to these groups. You’ll see it come through in our launch video.”

“I want to also find new avenues. I want to lean into Cleveland’s sister cities around the world. It’s largely a ceremonial thing now, and I don’t want to knock anyone’s efforts, but there are almost 100 professional soccer clubs in our 23 sister cities. Imagine us reaching out and building relationships around something tangible like soccer. Let’s do a home and away with Bangalore, India. Couldn’t we develop relationships that bear fruit?”

For now, Murphy has two years and some change to get a team on the field. Years, he noted, that are sandwiched between two World Cups that should bring even more fans and excitement to the game.

“Ramping up with the excitement for this World Cup, and with us hosting the 2026 World Cup, and the growth in soccer, this is part of Cleveland’s voice in that whole process,” said Murphy, who skipped family Thanksgiving this year to fly to Qatar to watch the U.S. Men’s National Team play England. “We have a nice runway to do things the right way, but it’s not forever. As soon as the announcement is over the work begins to bring all the other things together.”

Currently, Cleveland has two semipro or pre-professional teams: the Cleveland Force in the USL League 2 and Cleveland SC in the NPSL.

“It’s not just about soccer. It’s about everything that’s happening on and off the field and creating opportunities for all those who want to get into the game, from underrepresented groups and from around the world. What better way to bring everyone together than soccer?”

WED 11/30

Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, come to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the first time this season to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both the 76ers, who have an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, and the Cavs are playoff-caliber teams, so this should be a real battle.

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

THU 12/01

A Christmas Carol

The Great Lakes Theater production of Charles Dickens’ classic never fails to engage and delight. This annual tribute to knee-jerk liberal sentiments, like compassion for the downtrodden, is always a must-see, whether you’ve seen it before or not. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Ohio Theatre, where performances continue through Dec. 23. 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Elgar & Walton

Up-and-coming piano virtuoso Behzod Abduraimov takes on Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto in this program featuring the Cleveland Orchestra. The concert, which begins tonight at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall, will also feature selections by Elgar and Walton. Performances will also take place tomorrow and Saturday.

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

FRI 12/02

Affion Crockett

An actor, writer, dancer and comic, Affion Crockett has had roles in everything from Superstore to Undercover Brother 2 and Always a Bridesmaid. He comes to the Improv tonight for performances that take place at 7:30 and 10. He’s at the club tomorrow night too, performing at 6:30 and 9. Check the Improv website for ticket prices.

1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

Elf the Musical

Elf the Musical centers on Buddy,

a guy who grew up in the magical North Pole after stowing away in Santa’s bag as an orphaned infant. As the story goes, he’s in for the cultureshock of a lifetime as he searches for his biological father in New York.

Performances of this holiday favorite take place tonight at 7:30 and 9:30 at the Beck Center for the Arts. The play runs through Dec. 30.

17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 440-933-6210, beckcenter.org.

Friday Night Lights!

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History stays open until 8 tonight to feature special programming, including current science presentations, gallery talks, up-close looks at the museum’s animals, in-depth conversations with curators and special guests, and access to the Ralph Mueller Observatory, weather permitting. The events are free for members. For nonmembers, normal admission rates apply, and guests who purchase a ticket at any time on Friday are welcome to stay past 5 p.m. at no additional cost. The event

repeats on Friday, Dec. 9. 1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, cmnh.org.

SAT 12/03

Holiday Lantern Tours

From 5 to 10 p.m. today at Hale Farm & Village, you can learn about the history and folklore of gingerbread while on a candle-lit tour through our historic grounds. You’ll also see village residents as they prepare for the holiday season in the 1840s. Reservations are required. 2686 Oak Hill Rd., Newton Falls, 330-666-3711, halefarm.org.

Krampus Night with Krampus of Cleveland

From 6 to 8:30 tonight at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, vendors will sell Krampus swag at this special event. You can also mull spices, sip on a cocktail from the outdoor bar, and listen to Erin Nicole Neal and the Chill Factors. Check the Botanical Garden website for ticket prices.

A portion of the proceeds from the event goes to W.A.G.S. 4 Kids. 11030 East Blvd., 216-721-1600, cbgarden.org.

Light Up Lakewood

From 4 to 8 p.m. today in down town Lakewood, Light Up Lakewood celebrates the season with a holiday parade, lighting ceremony, the Round stone Beer Garden, a holiday train, live music, ice carvings, hot chocolate, food trucks and children’s games. It all concludes with a fireworks show over Kauffman Park. Admission is free. lakewoodalive.org.

SUN 12/04

Kiry Shabazz

A stand-up comic from Cleveland who’s now based in Los Angeles, Kiry Shabazz won first place at the Rooster T Feathers Comedy Competition. He’s also been a World Series of Comedy Satellite Competition winner and was selected for the Laughing Skull Festival. He performs tonight

Kiry Shabazz comes to Hilarities. See: Sunday, Dec. 4.

Photo: Hilarities.com

prices. 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

TUE 12/06

Hamilton

With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical super vision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, the Broadway hit returns to the State Theatre. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30, and the play runs through Jan. 15. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

WED 12/07

The 10 X 3 Songwriter Band Showcase Hosted by Brent Kirby

The concept of 10x3 is a pre-arranged 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 tonight at the Bop Stop. Admission is free. 2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org.

THU 12/08

Cleveland Orchestra Holiday Concerts

Holiday Concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus return to Mandel Concert Hall this month. Tonight’s concert takes place at 7:30. It also features the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and members of the Blossom Music Festival Chorus. Performances continue through Sunday.

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

Andy Woodhull

Clean-cut comic Andy Woodhull jokes that after 10 years of marriage, he only has had one fight with his wife. The argument centered on his attempt to bring another woman’s dishes into her home when he moved in. “I’d like to remind you that my wife has two daughters — I don’t think I’m being unreasonable. My dishes don’t kind of look like my exgirlfriend or go to my ex-girlfriend’s house every other weekend and talk about how much more fun it is to be in her cabinets.” The clever comic performs at 7 tonight at Hilari-

ties, where he has shows scheduled through Saturday.

2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

FRI 12/09

DL Hughley

Not many people can fire off the quick, witty jokes like DL Hughley. He can take serious matters like race relations and spin them into sidesplit ting satire, tiptoeing along the edge of offensive and hilarious, yet still re maining totally lovable. Nothing is off limits for this guy. Past topics of jest have included Paula Deen, high blood pressure, Superbowl commercials and Cuban Olympic swimmers. He per forms tonight at 7:30 and 10:30 at the Improv, where he has shows scheduled through Sunday. Consult the club’s website for ticket prices.

1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

SAT 12/10

Jingle Bell Holiday Shop

Some 50 vendors, including Big Fun, Tim’s Urban Oasis and Mac’s Backs will be on hand for this annual holiday sip ‘n’ shop event that takes place today at 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

SUN 12/11

In Conversation: Chef Douglas Katz

Chef Douglas Katz, owner of Zhug, Amb, and Chimi, will speak at 3 p.m. today at the Fairmount Center for the Arts. He’ll discuss food, restaurants and travels. Admission is free. 8400 Fairmount Rd., Novelty, 440-338-3171, fairmountcenter.org.

TUE 12/13

Lyrical Rhythms Open Mic and Chill

This long-running open mic night at the B Side allows some of the city’s best rappers and poets to strut their stuff. The event begins at 8 with a comedy session dubbed 2 Drinks & a Joke with host Ant Morrow. The open mic perfor mances begin at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $5 in advance, $10 at the door.

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-1966, bsideliquorlounge.com.

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

DECADES OF COMFORT

Scotti’s Italian Eatery has been a delicious constant through the ups, downs and in-betweens of East 185th St.

By Douglas Trattner

SOMETIMES, A GUY CAN’T seem to catch a break. In July of 2019, Scott Nathanson was ready to call it quits. His 20-year-old Italian restaurant Scotti’s was hemorrhaging money thanks to year-long road work that closed the I-90 exit at East 185th Street. After going public with his announcement on Facebook, the restaurant was inundated with enough support from loyal customers that Nathanson was able to weather the storm.

Of course, little did he know that a more destructive tempest was just around the bend. Covid was another blow for Scotti’s, which pivoted to takeout like every other restaurant that was able to do so. But then came the lengthy Water Pollution Control project that tore up the street. Next came the Streetscape Improvement Project, which isn’t slated to be completed for another six months.

“It is what it is,” Nathanson says matter-of-factly. “There’s nothing I can do about it but weather the storm. When it’s all said and done, the area is going to look really nice.”

When you live and/or work on East 185th, you learn to grow inured to the ups and downs. Every time it feels as though the street is primed for big things, there’s another recession, pandemic or roadwork project to stop the progress in its tracks.

But this time feels different. In addition to longstanding neighborhood anchors like the Lithuanian American Club, Chili Peppers, Gus’s Diner, Muldoon’s, Cebars Euclid Tavern and Scotti’s, the street has gained relative newcomers like Irie Jamaican Kitchen, Cleveland Brewery, the Standard, MoMo’s Restaurant and the redeveloped La Salle theater. Soon, Charter House will open in the former Bistro 185 space.

Residents and stakeholders in the area are more optimistic now than they have been in decades. One of those stakeholders is Laura Bala, a commercial revitalization consultant to the City of Cleveland. While working for Ohio City Near West Development back in the early

aughts, Bala not only experienced the rebirth of that neighborhood in real time, she helped make it happen through pet projects like Market 25 and Open Air in Market Square.

“The reason I’m optimistic is because there is so much love for that street,” Bala explains. “I had worked for Ohio City when that neighborhood had really gone

a matter of giving it the push in the right direction.”

In terms of neighborhood amenities, Scotti’s sits right there at the top. The Italian American restaurant has a great bar, open kitchen and comfortable dining room. Prices are well below market rates for from-scratch, hearty and delicious food. One of the ways

sausage and herbs and roasted until hot and savory. Hungarian peppers ($7) are split, seeded, stuffed with sausage and judiciously capped with provolone before going into the oven. It was Nathanson’s calzones ($7-$12) that originally drew me to the restaurant all those years ago and I’m happy to report that they’re still worth the trip. Unlike the gut-bombs served elsewhere, these feature a light, crisp dough and any of a dozen different filling combinations. A dish of warm marinara is served on the side.

downhill, and this neighborhood is starting at a much more stable point. Now, East 185th Street is ready to go.”

One of the final nuisances to endure is the $12M streetscape project, which stretches from I-90 all the way to Lake Erie. When that is done, East 185th Street truly should earn the moniker Cleveland’s Next Hot Neighborhood.

“The demand is there, the visuals are turning around now, and you have incredible development surrounding it,” Bala asserts. “The pieces of the puzzle are there and it’s

Nathanson keeps his prices so low is by not accepting credit cards, so consider yourself warned.

The last time I dined at Scotti’s was in 2001, when I reviewed the place for the Free Times. Coincidentally enough, when I asked Nathanson for a recommendation this time around he said the exact same thing that he did 21 years ago: “Get any of the veal dishes. They are all amazing.”

Meals start with baskets of warm, house-baked focaccia with herbed balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Hefty mushrooms ($7) are stuffed with

True to his word, the veal parmigiana ($19) is “amazing,” with thin, crispy breaded schnitzels capped with melted cheese and bright, flavorful tomato sauce. A side of al dente pasta and sauce is included.

In spring, when that interminable road work finally ends, there might be no better place to celebrate than on Scotti’s charming back patio, where a diner still can enjoy a draft beer for $3, a gin and tonic for $7.50, and a bottle of good Italian red wine for $24.

Photo by Douglas Trattner

BITES

Wolf Pack Chorus to open in former Club Isabella spot

By Douglas Trattner

THE NEW CLUB ISABELLA in Little Italy, which replaced the original restaurant of the same name in University Circle, chugged along for roughly 10 years before quietly closing a year ago. Since then, the attractive property has been on the wish list of numerous chefs and operators, who have been kicking the tires in hopes of inking a deal.

In the end it was chef Chris and Katie Wolf who came out on top.

“We kind of just snuck in there,” he says. “I know a lot of other people have been looking at that spot. I think out of sheer luck we happened to come up with it.”

Before opening in 2011, the 5,000-square-foot property (2175 Cornell Rd.) at the intersection of Cornell and Random roads received a top-to-bottom makeover that transformed the old carriage house into a sharp, contemporary restaurant. The open-concept bar and dining room connects to the front patio via a wall of disappearing windows.

Following a few additional cosmetic tweaks and updates, Wolf will open Wolf Pack Chorus, which he hopes will hit the sweet spot between neighborhood trattoria and upscale special-occasion restaurant. He’s calling it a “modern brasserie.”

“We are taking a space that already has great bones, that was once a ‘go-to’ dining destination in Cleveland, and we’re giving it new life – with an electric yet elegant feel, approachable menu, recognizable favorites, and a high standard of service,” the chef explains.

The majority of Wolf’s experience has taken place in the kitchens of posh country clubs and resorts, a background that makes him uniquely positioned to satisfy large swaths of diners, he feels.

“Coming from a country club background, we are doing food for everybody and we’re doing it every single day, from chicken fingers to moules-frites,” Wolf explains. “We want to bring that country club feeling to everybody. We don’t want to say we’re a French bistro, we don’t want to say we’re Italian, I’m not necessarily trained in Indian

cuisine, but we do do all of these things and do them pretty well.”

The final layout will have seating for 18 at the bar, about 100 in the dining room and another 35 on the patio. Wolf hopes to tap into the lunch business that is fueled by the thousands of medical, university and cultural institution employees who work in University Circle every day. He also hopes to strike gold with his colleagues in the hospitality industry by rolling out Monday brunch on the day that most eateries are closed.

The goal is to open on January 21.

Now Open: Au Jus, a Chicago-Style Italian Beef Shop in Parma

“This place opened about a week ago and I have a major issue,” says Jacob Kelly, who just opened Au Jus in Parma with his partner Tiffany Ballog. “We’ve been 10 times busier than we thought it would be.”

Thanks to this summer’s smash hit “The Bear” on FX, interest in authentic Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches has never been higher. That yearning appears to have translated into a promising launch for Au Jus (5875 Broadview Rd., 216-795-5063), which specializes in that drippy Italian classic.

“A couple years ago, before Covid, we were going to franchise a Chicago-style sandwich spot,” says Kelly, adding that Ballog is a native Chicagoan. “But then we thought, why would we pay for brand recognition when there isn’t any in Ohio.”

The owners of Au Jus are striving to do things by the book. They slow-roast top round beef for more than five hours before chilling and thinly slicing it. The drippings are turned into flavorful au jus sauce. The sliced roast beef is warmed in hot au jus, piled into long French rolls and topped with sweet or spicy giardiniera. Additional au jus is served on the side for dipping, but sandwiches can be dunked by request.

In Chicagoland, the sandwiches are typically enjoyed without cheese, but a layer of provolone is certainly

acceptable. Au Jus happens to have liquid cheddar on tap and, frankly, Kelly is surprised by the number of customers who ask for it to be added to their beefs.

“Even though I would never put liquid cheddar on an Italian beef, if 20 customers a day come in and order it, I’ll sell it all day long,” he explains. “I want to give the people what they want.”

In addition to the beef sandwiches, Au Jus sells sausage, pepper, onion and provolone sandwiches “just like at the state fair,” notes Kelly, along with Cubans, Phillys and fully loaded Italian subs that are served cold or pressed. The shop was selling breakfast items but ditched them because they were slowing the operation down.

Before opening, Kelly vowed to sell sandwiches until 2 a.m. every day of the week and that’s a promise he has kept so far. Soon, he’ll flip the switch that launches late-night delivery service through third-party services, which should please latenight diners in and around Parma.

Au Jus is mainly carry-out, but does have a handful of seats.

Former Bistro 185 Space in Collinwood to Reopen in Spring as Charter House

Bistro 185 (991 E. 185th St.) closed four years ago this month. Marc and Ruth Levine, the original owners, operated the Collinwood restaurant for 10 years before selling the

business to their chef, Ryan Kaston, in 2016.

After sitting fallow for nearly three years, the property finally has a new owner.

“I’ve been in the area for a while,” says Chris King. “I’m not a stranger to the neighborhood and I’m not a stranger to the industry.”

King, a versatile entrepreneur with businesses in the hospitality and transportation fields, will open Charter House. He has been working on the property for about four months and expects to have the restaurant ready to welcome its first guests in spring.

“When people see it, they’ll love the décor and atmosphere,” he explains. “We want to attract the professionals and locals in the neighborhood that want someplace where they can go that’s safe, reliable, consistent and just a good atmosphere.”

King describes the cuisine as “classic American, with something for everyone.” To go with the food will be a great wine list and creative cocktails.

As someone who is very familiar with the neighborhood and the hospitality industry, King says he saw the property as a great investment.

“The property is great, but I also think the neighborhood is going in a great direction,” he says.

Photo courtesy Cushman & Wakefield

WELCOME BACK

Carl Palmer brings his ELP tribute to the Goodyear Theatre

By Jeff Niesel

AS THE SOLE SURVIVING member of the prog rock group Emerson Lake & Palmer, drummer Carl Palmer has felt compelled to keep the band’s legacy alive. With that in mind, he’s put together a tribute show of sorts that he’s dubbed Welcome Back My Friends — The Return of Emerson Lake & Palmer. It’ll feature live footage of the late Keith Emerson and Greg Lake on massive video walls alongside Palmer and his band as they play live. The tour comes to the Goodyear Theater in Akron on Saturday, Dec. 3. In a recent phone call from his home in England, Palmer spoke about the origins of the tour and ELP’s continuing popularity.

Keith Emerson and Greg Lake both passed away in 2016. What was that like for emotionally?

I talked about it a lot in 2016 when it happened. With what I’m doing now, I’m now paying my respects to them. I’m using something they were crazy about, which is technology. That’s what this new show is all about.

Losing Keith in March and Greg in December [of 2016] was something I didn’t expect. I didn’t even know Greg was that ill. The whole ethos

of the band was that we were always involved in technology. We’d use the latest keyboards and instruments. What I managed to do is to put a show together now where I can bring them back for a short period of time. I have them back for about six songs.

What made you realize that the film of ELP’s sold out-run at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1992 would suit your needs?

Those two nights which ended up on film were done professionally. Everything was recorded individually. It got released as a DVD. We were very proud of it at the time. Unfortunately — or maybe fortunately now — it got lost between the takeover of Sanctuary and Universal Records. It fell between the cracks. It didn’t sell that many copies. It only sold about 10,000 products worldwide, which is absolutely nothing for an ELP product. I got ahold of the original footage and had a look at it. I discovered that here were the guys playing at their very best. It sounded great, and I could even make it sound better because of the way it was recorded. Here was some footage of them looking great. Why

WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS: THE RETURN OF EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER

7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, DEC. 3, GOODYEAR THEATER, 1201 E. MARKET ST., AKRON, 330-535-3179. TICKETS: $48-$68, GOODYEARTHEATER.COM.

wouldn’t I use that instead of using a hologram of some actor dressed up as Keith Emerson? All I had to do was transfer it to huge screens.

So what does the show look like?

I have a screen I can project myself onto it and have Greg and Keith at the front. I would be stage center, and I spent a bit of time editing with a friend of mine. We went through the whole thing and got six tunes that I’m happy with. Sonically, it’s absolutely perfect. We ironed out any problems when we released the original DVD. The actual footage of them playing is superb. It’s not exactly IMAX, but it’s damn good quality. I got the blessing of the Emerson and Lake family. They’re really happy. It’s an honest way of doing it.

In addition to the six songs, what

will the rest of the set look like?

I have my band, which is Paul Bielatowicz on lead guitar and Simon Fitzpatrick on Chapman Stick. We can create a huge sound. I integrate my band. We play a full version of “Tarkus” and play a full version of “Carmina Burana.” We play “Hoedown.” I integrated six songs from my band with the six songs featuring Greg and Keith, so we have a complete show. On the initial recording at the Royal Albert Hall, we only played the opening part of “Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends” up to the keyboard solo, and then we stopped and went into something else. I looked at the footage, and it was so good that I said to my guys, “I’ll play with ELP and then when the solo hits, we can carry on and play the rest of the piece.” It’s half my band and half ELP.

You also oversaw a new box set of singles. What was it like putting that together?

People call ELP a prog rock band, but we had more than that to offer and not like Dream Theatre who only play prog rock — and I’m not putting down the band — we had “Footprints in the Snow” and “Lucky Man” and “I Believe in Father Christmas.” We had these ballads and folky songs. I wanted to show how we started and got on radio and then got people to go three or four cuts deep into the album.

To what do you attribute the band’s continued popularity?

It’s difficult to say. You can’t put your finger on one thing. One thing is the quality of writing in the music. It was keyboard-driven and not guitar-driven and a choir-boy type of voice. For it to be popular, there was something you wouldn’t expect. Also, the actual playing was way above the bar at the time. Whether it is today, that’s for the individual to decide.

I think it was the writing and the depth of it really. We had a piece like “Pictures at an Exhibition,” which was a classical piece and a concept piece called “Tarkus,” which was a blueprint for bands that followed. To say what has made it popular is difficult. The staying power is that it’s extremely eclectic. But I just don’t know. If I knew, I would bottle it and sell it.

Photo courtesy of Chipster

PR

Carl Palmer

MUSIC

POP SINGER MAX, A GUY WHO grew up on a steady diet of NSYNC, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, started acting and singing at an early age. He says those early days gave him a chance to grow and explore just what his sound and overall approach to art would be.

“I had the passion at 5 years old, but I needed to work a lot on my acting and singing and dancing,” he says in an email interview.

MAX performs on Friday, Dec. 2, at House of Blues. “I had a lot of wonderful and very patient teachers who inspired me and kept it real when they knew I could be better. Our mentors and teachers always deserve so much praise for giving us a safe space to mess up and to try new things that could end up being what makes us unique in our performance styles. I was also really into soul music — Stevie Wonder, Etta James, James Brown, Prince, Michael Jackson and then also soulful singer-songwriters like Billie Joel and Elton John.”

Recording at a New York studio owned by his father’s friend, MAX put out his first EP in 2010.

“I had just gotten home from summer camp with my friend Nick (who is to this day one of the greatest piano players I know), and we recorded songs that I had been writing in high school and at my summer camp together,” he says. “It’s so funny to look back on those early ideas. Sometimes, people at shows who have been fans for a long time even ask me to play ‘The Coconut Song,’ which was the first song I ever wrote.”

MAX

7 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 2, HOUSE OF BLUES, 308 EUCLID AVE., 216-523-2583. TICKETS: $27.50-$37.50, HOUSEOFBLUES.COM.

colorful and vibrant while still having vulnerability in the lyrics,” MAX says when asked about his approach on the album. “I’m so proud of the whole team who helped bring the album vision to life. [Working with Quinn XCIII] was so cool. He’s the best. Quinn is such a humble and outrageously talented man and he has the best stage presence. It’s so great to work with him!”

The sonically dense pop tune “Blueberry Eyes,” a track that features SUGA of the K-Pop group BTS, stands out as another album highlight.

“I remember distinctly the day we started writing it,” MAX says when asked about the tune. “I wanted to write a sort of dreamy and lush feeling song, and I had the lines ‘blueberry eyes and strawberry skies.’ The other songwriters were into it and the rest of the day was a dream songwriting day. Then, SUGA of BTS and I became friends, and he added his incredible verse to the song. [The song is] inspired by my beautiful wife and her outrageously mesmerizing blue eyes, so it’s always her song — and now my daughter who got her eyes as well :).”

MAX brings the funk to his latest single, the infectiously groovy “Wasabi.”

MAX

colorful and vibrant while still having vulnerability in the lyrics,” MAX says when asked about his approach on the album. “I’m so proud of the whole team who helped bring the album vision to life. [Working with Quinn XCIII] was so cool. He’s the best. Quinn is such a humble and outrageously talented man and he has the best stage presence. It’s so great to work with him!”

The sonically dense pop tune “Blueberry Eyes,” a track that features SUGA of the K-Pop group BTS, stands out as another album highlight.

“I remember distinctly the day we started writing it,” MAX says when asked about the tune. “I wanted to write a sort of dreamy and lush feeling song, and I had the lines ‘blueberry eyes and strawberry skies.’ The other songwriters were into it and the rest of the day was a dream songwriting day. Then, SUGA of BTS and I became friends, and he added his incredible verse to the song. [The song is] inspired by my beautiful wife and her outrageously mesmerizing blue eyes, so it’s always her song — and now my daughter who got her eyes as well :).”

MAX brings the funk to his latest single, the infectiously groovy “Wasabi.”

“I wanted to write a song that felt magical when we performed it live,” he says of “Wasabi.” “[Multiinstrumentalist and composer] Cody Dear, one of my consistent collaborators, had the drop musical line, and it got me inspired. I had the title ‘Wasabi’ in my phone, and we just built from there to make the song the most fun possible.”

MAX.

COLOUR VISION ’S QUEST

For the live show, MAX says he wants people to leave the concert feeling incredibly “alive.”

COLOUR VISION ’S QUEST

MAX embraces a range of musical styles on his latest effort

MAX has certainly evolved over a series of singles and albums. His latest effort, Colour Vision, features collaborations with a variety of musicians and embraces a variety of musical styles, ranging from hip-hop and pop to rock. “Love Me Less,” the first song that MAX wrote for the album, helped shape the disc. With its ratcheting percussion and upperrange vocals, the song displays MAX’s keen modern pop sensibilities. It features a cameo by Quinn XCIII, who delivers soulful vocals of his own and appears alongside MAX in the tongue-in-cheek music video that finds Quin XCIII stealing MAX’s girlfriend.

“We bring every bit of energy and just try to have a wonderful time every night,” he says. “Cleveland is always one of our favorite places to perform, so we’re excited to be back in Ohio.”

MAX embraces a range of musical styles on his latest effort

“I wanted to write a song that felt magical when we performed it live,” he says of “Wasabi.” “[Multiinstrumentalist and composer] Cody Dear, one of my consistent collaborators, had the drop musical line, and it got me inspired. I had the title ‘Wasabi’ in my phone, and we just built from there to make the song the most fun possible.”

For the live show, MAX says he wants people to leave the concert feeling incredibly “alive.”

“We bring every bit of energy and just try to have a wonderful time every night,” he says. “Cleveland is always one of our favorite places to perform, so we’re excited to be back in Ohio.”

By Jeff Niesel

“I wanted to have a distinct high energy in every track that feels

Photo: Lissyelle Laricchia

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

7 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 2, HOUSE OF BLUES, 308 EUCLID AVE., 216-523-2583. TICKETS: $27.50-$37.50, HOUSEOFBLUES.COM. jniesel@clevescene.com

By Jeff Niesel

Photo: Lissyelle Laricchia

SAX APPEAL

Dave Koz celebrates the 25th anniversary of his Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour

By Jeff Niesel

SAXOPHONIST DAVE KOZ, WHO just released his eighth Christmas album, Christmas Ballads, will bring his annual Christmas tour to Connor Palace Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 11, to celebrate the tour’s 25th anniversary. Joining Koz on the run will be Rick Braun, Peter White, Keiko Matsui and Rebecca Jade.

The concert will feature pianist David Benoit, trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Peter White, the same guys who accompanied Koz on the road in the earliest years of the Dave Koz & Friends Christmas tour. Rebecca Jade is the featured vocalist on Koz’s new album and sings a medley of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and “Imagine.”

An advocate for instrumental music and an unapologetic smooth jazz icon, Koz spoke recently via phone from his Los Angeles home.

You’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Dave Koz & Friends Christmas tour. Take us back to the beginning. What was that first tour like?

It was 1997. The whole idea of this tour was David Benoit’s. I was interviewing him for a radio show. It was April or May of that year, and he had lost his mom, and I had lost my dad. Both died very suddenly. It was his idea. He wanted to go out and play some Christmas shows to work through our emotions and maybe help some other people. We had six or seven shows that first year. They were sparsely attended, but the shows were great. Peter White came the next year and then Rick Braun came the year after that. It just kept growing. We’ve been doing this so long that the people who came to bring their kids now have kids and we’re seeing the next generation. It’s been an amazing thing. Especially being a Jew, I would never have imagined doing 25 years of Christmas tours.

Did you play Cleveland on that first tour?

I don’t know if we played Cleveland the first year. I know we played Cleveland early on. Cleveland has always been very special for us.

DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS TOUR

7:30 P.M., SUNDAY, DEC. 11, CONNOR PALACE, 1615 EUCLID AVE., 216-771-4444. TICKETS: $45-$85, PLAYHOUSESQUARE.ORG.

There’s something about that city during the holidays. It’s cold, usually. There are beautiful decorations downtown. We love playing Playhouse Square. It’s very festive. The audience is always pumped for the show, and it’s been a big highlight for us since the beginning.

Did you have an album of Christmas tunes out at the time? We did. I went into the studio and had already planned to record my first Christmas album for Capitol. That was in the hopper. Because of what had happened to be personally, there was an emotional resonance to that first album. It clicked with the audience. That’s also part of why it’s hard to explain why have I been able to do this for so long. I think it’s because in the DNA of all of it is the fact that it came from strong emotions.

What was it like to have the pandemic wipe out the 2020 Christmas tour?

I’m proud of the fact that we did a livestream. It was not an actual tour, but it was the most successful livestream we ever did. For Christmas 2020, it was powerful. People who had been coming for years and years and years, did not have a show, and we were able to give them a show in their living room. It was amazing. Jonathan Butler and Rick Braun and all of friends came and we were in a studio in Orange County, CA, and it was broadcast all over the world.

You have a new album out in advance of this tour. Talk about what you wanted to do differently with Christmas Ballads?

No mocking me! This is my eighth Christmas album. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. It’s like how many Christmas albums

and tours can one Jew do? I love the holidays. There is so much meat on the bones with these songs. My biggest pitch to the producer was that we had to find 10 songs that I had never recorded. That was the biggest challenge. I have made so many Christmas albums. As we started looking at the material, it was clear to me that they were going to be ballads. Taking on that perspective was the intention and meaning. They should be things you can put on after the party over a cocktail or while sitting by the fire. That was the motivation for this album, and we wanted to do a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the tour and work with people who worked on the tour early on. I’m really proud of it. It’s ten new

songs I have never recorded.

What will this year’s tour be like?

We have Rick Braun, who is on the album and one of my dearest friends, and Peter White. Keiko Matsui is taking over for David Benoit in the piano department. She’s amazing and a veteran of the tour. and Rebecca Jade, who is the young incredible vocalist who has her own album out now and is killing it, will be out with us. She has tremendous energy and a beautiful voice too. We are looking forward to bringing the tour to Cleveland, which I’m sure will be a highlight.

Photo: Colin Peck Photography.

Dave Koz.

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

THU 12/01

Brett Eldredge

Beginning as a single live Christmas show in Nashville, this tour was inspired by Eldredge’s 2016 Christmas album, Glow. The LP arrived at No. 2 on the country charts upon release and featured the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Holiday Music Chart-topping duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside (feat. Meghan Trainor).” Eldredge offered up even more holiday tunes with Mr. Christmas. Expect to hear tunes from both releases when he performs tonight at 8 at the State Theatre.

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

FRI 12/02

An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine

For 30 years now, Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler have kept Over the Rhine, a Cincinnati folkrock group, going strong. Known for delivering original holiday tunes that capture what it’s like to endure a Midwestern winter, the group brings its annual Christmas show to the

Kent Stage tonight at 7:30. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

MAX

On his latest album, 2020’s Colour Vision, this pop singer-songwriter collaborates with the likes of Quinn XCII, Suga of BTS and Chromeo as he shows off his ‘90s pop influences while delivering music with contemporary appeal. A veteran performer who’s been acting and singing since he was a child, MAX performs tonight at 7 at House of Blues. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

Alex Williams

This singer-songwriter has drawn comparisons to country music outlaws such as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, and his music evokes the likes of the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Townes Van Zandt. His latest album, Waging Peace, documents the “highs and lows of life for a road-warrior musician,” reads a press release about the LP. Williams performs tonight at 8 at the Beachland. Local singer-songwriter Thor Platter opens.

15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

SAT 12/03

Ryan Adams

For live show, alt-country singersongwriter Ryan Adams doesn’t play the same set list over and over. Rather, he reworks his old songs and incorporates new ones. On the comeback trail after a series of sexual abuse allegations threatened to derail his career, the prolific singer-songwriter released a series of new studio recordings in the past year. He comes to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage tonight at 8. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

CLE MOSH

Gabe Gazic and Jordan Gannon, members of the local Cleveland metal band Dying Desolation, decided they wanted Cleveland to have its own heavy music festival much as Mansfield, OH has Inkcarceration and Columbus, OH has Sonic Temple. To that end, they’ve recruited local and national acts to play the festival they’ve dubbed CLE MOSH. The event features the national act I Set My Friends on Fire as a headliner. The Worst of Us, Between Home and Serenity, Titans in Time, Pray for

Sleep, Denihilist, Dead Cassette, Low Like You and Morning May will also perform, and Dying Desolation is on the bill as well. The inaugural event takes place at 3 p.m. today at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern. It’ll run until almost midnight. Tickets cost $15 in advance.

15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Woodchopper’s Ball

Nine award winning finger-style guitarists gather for this annual event that takes place at 7 p.m. at the Kent Stage. Brian Henke, the founder of the Woodchoppers Ball and one of Northeast Ohio’s finest fingerstyle guitarists will be among the acts performing. A portion of the proceeds benefit the NEO Coalition for the Homeless.

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

SUN 12/04

For King + Country Christmas It’s the time of the season for Christmas concerts, and proof of that lies in the fact that For King + Country brings its A Drummer Boy Christmas Tour: The 2022 LIVE Experience to Rocket Mortgage

Blind Boys of Alabama play special holiday show at the Music Box. See: Thursday, Dec. 8.

Photo: Jim Herrington

FieldHouse tonight at 7. Tickets start at $24.99.

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

Karla Bonoff/Livingston Taylor

Karla Bonoff brings her first-ever holiday tour, entitled Home for the Holidays, to the Kent Stage tonight. Accompanying her is her longtime friend, singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor. They’ll be performing their interpretations of various holiday classics along with some of their original music. Bonoff will also be performing music from her critically acclaimed holiday album, Silent Night. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. 175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

MON 12/05

Thursday

The veteran hardcore band comes to the Beachland Ballroom, where it’ll perform its Full Collapse album in its entirety. Not to be outdone, indie rockers Cursive will perform their album Domestica in its entirety. Both albums are now 20 years old. Singersongwriter Anthony Green opens the show. Doors open at 7. Tickets cost $35 in advance, $38 at the door. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

TUE 12/06

Straight No Chaser

Straight No Chaser, a musical group that features the “sound of nine unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense,” as it’s put in a press release, has two RIAA Gold Certified albums, more than 1.5 million concert tickets sold, more than one billion streams on Pandora, and more than one million albums sold worldwide. The male a cappella group’s concert begins at 7 tonight at Connor Palace.

1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

THU 12/08

Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show

The terrific gospel group whose original members first sang together as kids at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s

plays a special holiday show tonight at 7:30 at Music Box Supper Club. 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

FRI 12/09

Rock the Halls

Eight bands fronted by women will perform at this benefit concert at House of Blues for Pro-Choice Ohio and Pre-Term Cleveland, two nonprofits for women’s reproductive rights. Acts such as Truss, Envoi, Grumpy Plum, Hello Luna and Detention are slated to play. Doors open at 5 p.m., and tickets cost $15.

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

SAT 12/10

Whitey Morgan & the 78s/Texas Plant Midwest honky-tonk country done right. Flint, Mich.-based Whitey Morgan helms a tight band that throws listeners back to whiskeyslammin’ outlaw days — another era when country music had a beating, rambunctious heart. Tonight’s show begins at 8 at House of Blues. Tickets cost $25.

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

SUN 12/11

Dave Koz and Friends

Special guests Rick Braun, Peter White, Keiko Matsui and Rebecca Jade join sax man Dave Koz for the 25th anniversary of his Christmas tour. The concert begins tonight at 7:30 at Connor Palace. Tickets start at $45.

1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Foals

The track “2001,” a tune from Foals’ latest album, Life Is Yours, features a disco/funk-informed beat that makes the tune one of the most danceable tracks from the group’s catalog. Expect to hear it along with songs from the band’s previous efforts tonight at the Agora. The show starts at 6:30. Check the club’s website for more info.

5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

RAY FLANAGAN & THE

MEAN

By Jeff Niesel

MEET THE BAND: Ray Flanagan (vocals, guitar), Anthony Papaleo (guitar, vocals), David Alan Shaw (guitar, engineering), Joe Botta (bass), Russell Flanagan (drums)

IN SEARCH OF GOOD SONGS: Inspired by his dad’s classic rock collection, local singerguitarist Ray Flanagan grew up listening to acts such as ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd. Those acts then led him to search out songwriters in a range of different musical genres. “I’ve always loved good songs,” says Flanagan. “Even when I was a metal kid, I stuck to the classic metal bands. I didn’t get too out there. I knew Metallica and Megadeth and Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I think I always wanted to find hooks and songs. Growing up and listening to Springsteen opened the door to Bob Dylan and Sam Cooke, and I just followed that stuff backwards. I’m still kind of doing that and digging around in the musical dirt of the past.”

LIFE DURING COVID: Flanagan began recording and releasing singles from home during the height of the pandemic in late 2020 and has consistently released two songs on the first Friday of every month since then. “[Releasing two new songs every Friday] definitely started as a COVID thing,” he says. “I had this song called ‘The Arsenal’ that was left over from a solo record I did a few years ago called Passerby. I had recorded 15 or so songs on that album and certain things got left off. That one got left off because it didn’t fit. [After recording the first monthly single], I thought I would do it every month. I didn’t think about it too hard. That’s why I could do it that way.” Flanagan admits the monthly single songs are “all over the place” because he went with his gut for each track. “It kept me inspired,” he says. “I could do whatever I wanted. It happened pretty naturally. It was definitely a learning experience.” December will mark the end of Flanagan’s single campaign. He’ll release his final monthly single, “Come on Sugar” and its B-side “My Whole Life Changed” and then shift his focus to recording his next album.

MACHINES

WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR HIM: Flanagan recorded “Come on Sugar” and “My Whole Life Changed” at Suma

and the

and his backing band, the Mean Machines. The band cut the songs live with no overdubs. The single “Come on Sugar” has a Squeezelike vibe and shows off Flanagan’s pop sensibilities. “I actually wrote that when I was on the toilet at the Winchester,” he laughs when asked about the track. “I was playing brunch there and started hearing it and kind of wrote it. I don’t know where it came from. It’s probably inspired by soul music, but when it gets filtered through a white rock band, it ends up somewhere else.” The melancholy “My Whole Life Changed” has a bluesy vibe and sounds like a cross between the Black Keys and Elvis Costello. It starts slow before the gritty guitars kick in. “It just kind of came to me,” Flanagan says of the tune. “There was no big vision for it. I tracked that live with the band. That’s the take we did, and it’s pretty fun to record that way.”

WHERE YOU CAN HEAR HIM: rayflanagan.bandcamp.com.

WHERE YOU CAN SEE HIM: Ray Flanagan & the Mean Machines perform with Esther Fitz and Chips, Cobra & Norby at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Winchester Music Tavern in Lakewood.

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

Recording Studio in Painesville with David Alan Shaw,

songs feature Flanagan

Photo: Russell Flanagan

Ray Flanagan

SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES

By Dan Savage

Hey Dan: I’m a 29-year-old cis straight male. What are the ethics of having a cum/breeding kink? Thanks, Dan!

No one chooses their kinks — our kinks choose us — so having a kink doesn’t raise ethical issues. Acting on our kinks … making choices that impact others … that’s where ethical concerns kick in. So if it turns you on to “breed” someone, as the gay boys (very problematically!) like to say, and you never act on it, if you just sit in your apartment wanking about it, there are no ethical issues. But if you act on this kink with another person — if you want to have unprotected sex with a woman — you need to make sure she’s aware of the risks going in and that birth control is her responsibility. And you should be fully aware — going in and out and in and out — that child support could be your responsibility. (Also, you should read Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Blair.)

Hey Dan: I have misophonia. Blowjob noises make me sick. Is it possible to give a quiet blowjob?

Misophonia is a sensory disorder that makes certain sounds extremely unpleasant; eating sounds — mouth noises — can be particularly triggering for sufferers. Noisecancelling headphones seem like an obvious solution, but they won’t work, as noises made in your own mouth have a very different path to your eardrums. So what you need are noise-generating headphones, i.e., regular ol’ headphones blasting music cranked up so loud you literally can’t hear anything else — not even those plunger-being-usedin-desperation-as-the-water-risesto-the-top-of-the-toilet-bowl sounds someone giving a blowjob makes when their work is almost done.

Hey Dan: Beginning to think I’m bad at sex. I try to be GGG. Any tips?

Sex isn’t just about giving pleasure; it’s not just about being GGG for your partner. It’s also about taking pleasure and giving your partner the opportunity to be GGG for you. So figure out what it is you like and what you want — sex

acts or scenarios or dirty talk or materials that turn you on — and find someone who wants to give you those things, and take them.

Hey Dan: I’m a mid bi woman in her mid-30s a few years into an open/ poly marriage to a man. I’ve fallen pretty hard for my girlfriend of six months. I’ve had relationships with women before getting married, but this one has me questioning if I’d be happier as a fully fledged lesbian. How do I work out if this is just NRE (new relationship energy), a specific connection with her or actually a waning interest in men altogether?

Wanting to be with your new girlfriend all the time — that’s NRE for you — doesn’t mean you’d be happier as a lesbian, fully fledged or otherwise. But it doesn’t not mean that either. You won’t know how you’re going to feel until the NRE wears off, which it should soon.

Hey Dan: My boyfriend doesn’t want an open relationship and won’t have sex with me. But he looks at Grindr and watches a lot of porn. What do I do?

“I love you, honey, and I can do a sexless relationship — I mean, that’s what we’ve been doing for a while, so I can obviously do it — but I’m not going to lead a sexless existence. So we’re either opening our relationship or we’re ending it. One or the other, your choice.” (My hunch is that your boyfriend has already opened things on his end, literally and figuratively. Guys don’t get on Grindr for the recipes. So it’s ultimatum time.)

Hey Dan: I have a vanilla boyfriend (of three years) and a Master (of three years). My boyfriend knows. My Master wants my boyfriend to start asking Him — to call and ask Him — for His permission whenever my boyfriend wants to have sex with me, since I’m His “property,” but I know my boyfriend won’t want to do this and will be angry that I asked. I love both, in very different ways, and I don’t know what to do. (My Master uses He/ Him pronouns, always uppercased. If you respond, please use uppercase He/ Him in reference to my Master.)

Like your boyfriend, I am not your master’s slave. So you can uppercase his pronouns on his orders — his, his, his — all you like, but you can’t order me to uppercase his pronouns. Which I probably would’ve done if you hadn’t told me I must. (I usually capitalize “Master” and “Mistress” and “Dom,” too, but I’m making an exception for your master, as I’m kind of annoyed.) Now, your boyfriend having to call and beg him (your master) when he (your boyfriend) wants to have sex with you (the person who annoyed me just now), that would be hot … if your boyfriend was into it … which he’s not. So tell your master involving your boyfriend is a hard limit. And if your master can’t respect that limit, end things with him. If you can’t bear the thought and you’re willing to deceive both men in your life, well, you could buy a burner phone, impersonate your boyfriend’s voice, and pray you don’t get caught.

Hey Dan: How do I convince straight men that constantly pumping me full of vacuous, superficial compliments is not a substitution for a personality, a conversation, or flirting?

By refusing to fuck them, one vacuous, superficial, meaninglesscompliment-spewing straight guy at a time. (That said, compliments > negging.)

Hey Dan: Urban dictionary and most folks consider “cocksucker” to be an insult. Most of us consider “muffdiver,” on the other hand, to be a compliment. Is there a complimentary term for someone who sucks cock?

“Husband material.”

Hey Dan: Do you owe your romantic partner 100 percent honesty about everything?

No.

Hey Dan: Best advice for newlyweds? See previous question.

Hey Dan: Is it OK to keep seeing someone who caught feelings for you when it’s not mutual? I’ve communicated where I’m at

emotionally and reiterated that this isn’t exclusive. Am I doing my friend a disservice by continuing to see them? I don’t want to give up my only intimate outlet but being kind is more important to me.

It’s OK to keep seeing/fucking someone who caught feelings for you. But since you can’t know how that person is really feeling — they might be miserable and hiding it because they hope your feelings will change if they can just fuck you long enough — then calling it off is the kinder choice.

Hey Dan: Should I keep fucking my best friend who doesn’t want to be more than friends?

If you’re enjoying the sex, you’re not feeling used and you don’t have false hopes, yes. If you’re hoping the sex will lead to something more, no.

Hey Dan: My previously very sub maso partner now has PTSD after a workplace injury. No idea if his relationship to pain will ever reset so we can play again. I can deal, but this is a big part of what got us together in the first place.

Like a horny new dad whose wife is still recovering from the trauma of childbirth … you’ll have to deal while your partner heals. And if your partner can never again enjoy the kind of pain play that brought you together, you can explore less physically intense — and potentially triggering — kinds of pain play, perhaps supplemented with more intense psychological play. Mind fucks, humiliation, degradation, e.g., emotional sadomasochism. Negotiated carefully, rolled out slowly.

Hey Dan: I want something very specific done to me sexually, but I don’t want to ask for it. I don’t think it would be as hot if I asked for it. I need to “inception” the idea. How do I do it?

At your own peril.

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