Scene Feb 24, 2016 by Chava Communications

M e l s a

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February 24 - March 1, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ Volume 45 Issue 34

Can Global Cleveland and Joe Cimperman actually attract and engage immigrants? By Lee Chilcote

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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F E B RUA RY 2 4 - M A R C H 1, 2 016 • VO LU M E 4 6 N O 3 4 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Chris Keating Associate Publisher Desiree Bourgeois Editor Vince Grzegorek

CONTENTS 40

Upfront

Editorial Managing Editor Eric Sandy Music Editor Jeff Niesel Staff Writer Sam Allard Writer-at-large Kyle Swenson Web Editor Bliss Davis Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Contributing Dining Editor Nikki Delamotte Stage Editor Christine Howey Visual Arts Editor Josh Usmani

New details on Tanisha Anderson investigation, Metroparks CEO raise prompts questions, and more

News

Feature

Get Out!

Art

Stage

Film

Dining

Veterans around Ohio are banding together for access to medical marijuana

Creative Services Production Manager Steve Miluch Layout Editor/Graphic Designer Christine Hahn Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace

Can Global Cleveland and new leader Joe Cimperman turn the corner and actually engage immigrants?

Business Asst. To The Publisher Angela Lott Sales Assistant/Receptionist Megan Stimac Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Offi cer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Offi cers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon www.euclidmediagroup.com

Dozens of events spanning the next week in Cleveland

Wizard World brings its comic convention back to Cleveland this weekend

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Don’t have a cow, man— Mr. Burns at CPT has a lot to say

Cleveland Scene Magazine is published every week by Euclid Media Group. Verifi ed Audit Member Cleveland Distribution Scene is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader Copyright The entire contents of Cleveland Scene Magazine are copyright 2015 by Euclid Media Group. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be mailed to the address listed above. Subscriptions $150 (1 yr); $ 80 (6 mos.) Send name, address and zip code with check or money order to the address listed above with the title ‘Attn: Subscription Department’

Ski jump flick Eddie the Eagle is “uplifting” in more ways than one

Kantina raises the bar for kosher food in Cleveland

Music

...The story continues at clevescene.com 37

Warren Haynes explores his singer-songwriter impulses on his new album

Savage Love

Dealing with the meth question

“Cleveland Scene Magazine” COVER BY CHRISTINE HAHN

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2/19/16 5:21 PM | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016 5

UPFRONT REPORT: SHERIFF’S INVESTIGATION INTO TANISHA ANDERSON’S DEATH RAISES QUESTIONS OF POLICE ACCOUNT

THIS WEEK

AN INTERESTING REPORT comes our way today from Mother Jones, wherein details arise from the recently completed Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s investigation into the death of Tanisha Anderson. In short: That report reveals details that clash with an initial Cleveland Police Department investigation into Anderson’s death. (The investigation and prosecutorial discretion was passed to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office last week.) From MJ: “The recently completed sheriff’s investigation, which has not been disclosed publicly, raises questions about the Cleveland Police Department’s official account presented in November 2014. According to a law enforcement official familiar with the sheriff’s investigation who spoke to Mother Jones, the investigation reveals significant details that the Cleveland PD’s account did not include. One is that the officers had put Anderson in the back of their squad car before she became agitated and a physical struggle ensued. Another is that Anderson remained handcuffed after an EMS team arrived and began administering aid, despite that she was unconscious.” From there, the two reports vary fairly dramatically, according to MJ’s source, mostly with regard to the timing and sequence of events that night. On Nov. 12, 2014, officers Scott Aldridge and Bryan Myers arrived at Anderson’s following a call “about a mentally ill family member causing a disturbance.” The police department’s report paints a calmer picture than the sheriff’s office’s report. (CPD reports that the officers

“immediately” called EMS after Anderson “began actively resisting the officers” and then “stopped struggling and appeared to go limp.” CCSO’s report has EMS showing up later than initially reported by CPD, with Anderson laying unconscious on the ground for approximately 20 minutes.) Anderson’s death was ruled a homicide last year. She died due to “physical restraint” while being held in a prone position, according to the medical examiner’s office. Her cause of death was also linked to ischemic heart disease and “Bipolar disorder with agitation.”

BRIAN ZIMMERMAN GETS MASSIVE PAY RAISE Just like every year, Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman has received a substantial annual pay raise. But his raise for 2016 is his largest and most brazen since he took over the park district in 2010. Zimmerman will be making $220,000 in base salary this year. That represents a $35,000 jump. Not only does the raise fly in the face of previous recommendations by salary consultants, it required a restructuring of a contract that that was voted on by the Board of Park Commissioners in December, 2014, with built-in raises and perks. The Board approved Zimmerman’s newest contract at the January 27, 2016, Metroparks board meeting, and they did so as stealthily as possible. As with all compensation matters, the CEO’s pay was discussed in a closed-door “executive session.” When the commissioners returned, they “moved on an action

Tanisha Anderson

to deal with executive compensation.” “The recommended action,” said commissioner Debbie Berry, “addresses both the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer’s salary adjustment. It will be submitted in writing for the record.” The details of that “adjustment” only emerged when the minutes of the meeting were posted last week. Zimmerman’s 2015 salary was an already gaudy $185,000, and his three-year contract stipulated a maximum 3.95-percent merit raise each year. The 3.95-percent merit raise is still intact in the restructured contract. Also in December, 2014, the commissioners adopted the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) “Fringe Benefit Pick Up Plan for the Chief Executive Officer.” Zimmerman also drives a Jeep SUV that he got in 2015, with civilian plates, courtesy of the Metroparks.

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CULTURAL RIFT

John Kasich signed bill to defund Planned Parenthood Monday, and later proclaimed that when he first announced his presidential bid, many women “left their kitchens” to campaign for him. *This is not a joke.*

Developer/mogul Fred Geis is tapped to sit on city planning commission, a body predicated on idea that “developers need some restraint.” First thing on docket, said Geis: Raze City Hall for condos with “big-pimpin’” lakefront views.

Due to scheduling conflict, arts promoter James Levin has canceled the muchbeloved World Music Festival at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. In its place, he’s considering a World Garden Festival at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

According to meeting minutes, in November, 2015, the Board “engaged” the executive compensation firm Pay Governance to “research and review” direct compensation relative to the CEO and CFO. As a result, Zimmerman’s employment agreement was modified. There is no record of a Pay Governance review in any of the Metroparks’ November boardmeeting documents. But Board President Dan Moore, at the meeting last Thursday, defended the pedigree of Pay Governance and said that anyone could have access to the firm’s recommendations if they wanted. Scene requested the Pay Governance review but has not yet received it. From the Pay Governance LLC website: “Our work helps to ensure that our clients’ executive rewards programs are strongly aligned

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with performance and supportive of appropriate corporate governance practices.” Pay Governance’s local Partner Donald Kokoskie declined to comment on his involvement in the compensation review, or even to say if his team produced a paper document, advising Scene to speak with the Metroparks instead. But both Metroparks Marketing Director Sanaa Julien and Communications Director Rick Haase were unavailable for comment. Last Wednesday, Julien told Scene by email that our questions — how much did the review by Pay Governance cost? Why was the firm “engaged” in the first place? — required some research, but she would respond as soon as possible. We’ll update with info when we receive it. Zimmerman arrived at the Metroparks in 2010 with a salary of $145,000. Every year, he’s received decadent raises authorized, as always, by the Board of Park Commissioners. In 2013, Cleveland. com’s Mark Naymik and Scene both cried foul when Zimmerman’s annual pay was raised from $165,000 to $178,000 on the heels of the tax levy. (Zimmerman’s salary is funded by taxpayers, which is why we tend to make such a stink about it.) In 2011, the Metroparks hired salary consultants to pave the way for raises down the road. Three pay grades were added on top of the existing executive pay scale. The maximum salary established at that time was $204,000, more than anyone in the history of the park system had ever made. Zimmerman, though, (whose apologists cite the impressive waterfront development under his leadership and his expanded role as “CEO” vs. “Executive Director”), was still a couple of years away from the $204,000 threshold. But now, disregarding that pay scale entirely, Zimmerman’s compensation has been launched into the stratosphere. The board vote was outside the public eye, and no explanation for the raise was provided until Scene published the first version of this story lastThursday. The Board of Park Commissioners issued a statement on the Metroparks Facebook page, calling the Scene report “inaccurate.” Our headline initially said that Zimmerman had “given himself” a

raise, and though the story outlined how the Board approved the “salary adjustment,” lawyers hired by the Metroparks demanded that the story more precisely reflect that Zimmerman had no authority to give himself a raise. Scene complied.

LAWSUIT ALLEGES NEGLIGENCE RESPONSIBLE FOR AKRON PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED 9 Last November, a low-flying 10-seater private jet came screaming over Akron, reportedly clipping telephone wires and an apartment building before crashing. The tragedy killed nine people — all pilots and passengers included. The plane — a Hawker H25 originally out of South Florida — was ferrying a group of Sunshine State real estate executives to Akron Canton International Airport when the plane went down. But a new lawsuit recently filed against the owner and operator of the plane by the widower of one of the crash victims claims the tragedy could have been prevented. Negligence, the suit claims, led to the deaths. Joel Castillo’s wife was among the passengers. An employee of Pebb Enterprises of Boca Raton, Castillo’s wife and the other Floridians left Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport on November 10th at 2:13 p.m. Later that afternoon, the jet crashed outside Akron. But in a rundown of the complaint, Courthouse News reports that Castillo claims that the pilots were cruising at a dangerously low altitude. The lawsuit also alleges that the pilots “did not have the proper government licenses to operate the plane, and one of them suffered from a severe health impairment that prevented him from passing his medical examination,” according to the website. The report also says the lawsuit claims the pilots were operating the jet “with a malfunctioning instrument and control panel.” If the claims prove accurate, that’s news. The National Transportation Safety Board has only released a preliminary report on the crash with very little information on what could have caused the accident. A cockpit recorder was recovered from the site, yet very little else is known about how and why the Hawker crashed. Castillo’s lawsuit — which is aimed at both the plane’s owner, Rais Group International, and its operator, Fort Lauderdale-

based Execuflight — charges the defendants with negligence and strict liability. A call to Castillo’s lawyer was not returned on Monday. Execuflight’s CEO, Danny Lewkowicz, responded with the following comment: “We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation headed by the NTSB. We are a participant to that investigation and thus cannot make any comments. We of course expect to be suit as that is normal protocol from our legal system. Our current main goal is not lawsuits but rather determining the factual reasons why the accident happened and that takes time. But we are getting close and soon public dockets will give a clear picture.”

Policy Matters ohio tackles ‘GeD collaPse’ There’s been much discussion over the current state and future of GED testing in Ohio, especially since Scene contributor Dan McGraw highlighted the problem in late 2014. At the time, he wrote: “In the United States, according to the GED Testing Service, 401,388 people earned a GED in 2012, and about 540,000 in 2013. This year, according to the latest numbers obtained by Scene, only about 55,000 have passed nationally. That is a 90-percent drop

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off from last year.” This past week, Policy Matters Ohio published a report that underscores how critical this problem is becoming in Ohio in just the past few years. The report goes

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in-depth into the history and current context behind the GED’s woefully falling numbers. “The number of people attempting and passing the GED has plummeted,” the report states. “The Ohio economy is tough on lowwage workers with limited formal education. Without a high school diploma, it is virtually impossible to get a family-supporting job. But the GED has become a barricade, blocking Ohio workers from career goals, instead of a launching pad.” The GED service recently announced that it would lower the passing score from 150 to 145, and that any and all states may begin using that revised metric. Ohio will begin use the new score March 1, and will apply those scores to the past two years of tests. The problem has not been adequately addressed, PMO argues. More, from the report: “According to The Columbus Dispatch, this means an additional 1,425 Ohioans who took the GED over the past two years will now receive their degree. The Department of Education will recalculate the totals after March, but based on the Dispatch article and the totals provided by the department of education, we estimate that 7,251 people have now passed the GED in the two years since the changes were implemented. This is cold comfort given that more than 15,000 Ohioans passed the test in the year prior to the testing changes. Even with the scoring change and the full year estimate provided in the Dispatch for 2015, the number passing the GED is down more than 70 percent from the state’s pre-2014, five-year average. “

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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NEWS MEDICINAL STRUGGLE

Veterans around Ohio are banding together for access to medical marijuana By Eric Sandy AFTER SERVING IN THE U.S. Navy for 10 years, Shane O’Neil left the service in 2009 with a lower spine injury and confirmed PTSD. In between and during fits of insomnia, his life was wracked with anxiety and pain. His story is not unique. Treatment from the Veterans Administration clinic brought opiates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) into his life in massive quantities. At his peak, O’Neil was downing 1,400 pills each month. “I was taking 30-some pills everyday,” O’Neil says. “And this was just for the four conditions I was treating. All the other pills were for the constipation, the anxiety, the loss of sleep, the involuntary movements, all the side effects from all these drugs.” Like much of the U.S. veteran population — a demographic poisoned with alarmingly high suicide rates, to the tune of an estimated 40 suicides each day — O’Neil transformed into an opiate addict and, in his words, “a raging alcoholic.” The nightmare at home was settling in. When O’Neil returned to the VA for help — treatment for the treatment he was already undergoing — their answer was to put him on suboxone and more SSRIs. He sought relief elsewhere, in the form of cannabis. Within nine weeks, O’Neil’s habit had dropped from 24 mg of pharmaceutical medicine each day to zero. “I’m a different person than I was four years ago,” he says. Over the phone, his voice is animated and lively. He leans into the conversation, though each word is tied up with a sense of wariness. He’s not content with how the VA is treating its charges and how the federal government is shuffling its veterans’ troubles under the rug. His experience with marijuana set him on a path to his current post as vice president of the Weed for Warriors project in Ohio, a budding statewide effort to legalize effective medicine. O’Neil and many others are hoping that veterans returning from conflict won’t have to endure pharmaceutical torture at home. Weed, O’Neil says, saved his life. “It hurt, but I did it,” he says. “They (the VA) refuse to let veterans treat

with a safe medication. They would rather prescribe methadone and suboxone for opiate addiction. They would rather press SSRIs. I had a doctor tell me — last week, I had my blood work done — my cholesterol is lower, my blood sugar is lower, my heart rate is better, everything across the board. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you’re doing so well. You need to get back on your meds.’” This is the crux of a growing movement against an outmoded VA policy — a directive that prohibits doctors from recommending marijuana as a treatment option or even discussing the abstract idea of that option. That VA policy actually expired just this month, though the administration has done nothing to move toward accepting medicinal marijuana as legitimate treatment. (“VA Directives remain in effect with full force even after expiration unless they are officially replaced or rescinded,” Michael Krawitz, executive director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, said in a public statement.) Essentially, the VA’s selfimposed prohibition continues, even in the 23 states where the medical use of marijuana is actually legal.

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

To further complicate the matter, veterans who test positive for marijuana could lose certain medical benefits, depending on their particular clinic or physician’s temperament. Marijuana remains a federally designated Schedule-I drug. (Despite O’Neil’s experience, the VA remains clear in its stance: “Marijuana use for medical conditions is an issue of growing concern … .[T]here is no evidence at this time that marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD.”) It would require a new directive from the VA — or Congressional action — to change course on that policy. With that in mind, alongside the slowly rising wave of states’ legalization, federal politicians are beginning to talk with fervor. In late January, a bipartisan group of members of Congress wrote the VA and urged the administration to begin discussing and prescribing medical marijuana. In tandem, the Veterans Equal Access Amendment (H.R. 667) is getting kicked around committees in Congress right now. The VA has not issued a formal statement on the matter to date. Still, however, the growing problem of veterans wracked with

opiate addiction and boiling rage is not diminishing, explains Rocky Mesarosh, the president of Warriors for Weed in Ohio. “Almost every single veteran I have talked to has shared how they used to be filled with terrible rage and aggression,” Mesarosh told a panel of Ohio senators recently. “Holes in walls, anger outbursts, and just a violent outlook on life. I know I felt this way and I had attempted to take my life while in the Army. My attempt involved taking a bottle of prescribed opiates and drinking a vast quantity of alcohol. I still struggle with generalized anxiety caused by the Army and post traumatic stress from earlier in my life. But I wanted things to get better. That is when I started using cannabis, I found that my mind would quiet and calm down. I didn’t feel violent. Veterans I know talked about how cannabis has allowed them to return to parts of their life that they used to enjoy, such as art and music. I hear nothing but testimonies of cannabis making them a better father/ mother, a better husband/wife, and the person their family remembered.” Mesarosh says that the goal is to unite veterans behind this cause, and to align his group’s interests with legalization campaigns under way now in the state. In Ohio this month, national advocacy outfit Marijuana Policy Project unveiled its plans for a medical marijuana amendment issue. “Also, the Ohio initiative will embrace a healthy, free-market approach to the production of medical marijuana, which will drive down the cost as compared to, say, an oligopoly or a government-run monopoly,” MPP president Rob Kampia wrote. Legalize Ohio 2016, a group that had planned to get a recreational marijuana issue on the November ballot this year, folded its campaign this month and promised to join forces with MPP in their efforts toward a medical marijuana amendment. We’ll probably see a draft of the amendment’s ballot language next month. Whether the VA tunes into this campaign remains to be seen.

esandy@clevescene.com t@EricSandy

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

FEATURE GLOBAL MESS

After five lackluster years and $5 million, can Global Cleveland and new leader Joe Cimperman turn the corner and actually attract and engage immigrants? By Lee Chilcote IVAN FUENTES MOVED TO Cleveland for a girl and ended up falling in love with the city. The El Salvador native loves just about everything about living here: the free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes accessible by public transportation, his job as an ice cream maker at Mitchell’s, the snow that falls on his street in Ohio City like something out of a fairy tale. Even though moving here was incredibly difficult, Fuentes has found Cleveland to be a welcoming city that provides plenty of opportunity. “I think it was easier to move to Cleveland because of the family and friends support system I was received in, but I have found people willing to help me especially when it comes to language,” says Fuentes, adding, “Cleveland is a beautiful city, yet there is so much untapped possibility.” Brazilian-born Gustavo Garcia de Lima had similar experiences. He came to Cleveland to pursue a master’s degree in chemistry at Case Western Reserve University but ended up getting a job at Market Garden Brewery. He’d been an avid homebrewer for some time, and when brewmaster Andy Tveekram made a presentation to his class one day, they formed a connection. “When you Google about it, a lot of news comes up about Cleveland,” says Garcia de Lima. “There is a whole other Cleveland that people don’t know, and it’s not what is being marketed in Cleveland or in the news. I’ve discovered many positive things here.” Now Tveekram and his partners want to hire Garcia de Lima after he graduates, a move they believe would be worth it despite the extra time and expense involved in hiring a foreign national. “With the expansion of breweries in Ohio and nationwide, there’s a huge demand for people like Gus with microbiology degrees who can analyze beer and ensure quality and consistency,” says Michael Foran, one of the founders of Market Garden “We’re trying to play our part in brain

gain and brain retention.” It’s become almost axiomatic that immigrants help cities create jobs. Fully a third of venturebacked companies that went public between 2006 and 2012 had at least one immigrant founder at the helm, according to a study by the Partnership for a New American Economy. Additionally, immigrants are more than twice as likely to found businesses as their native-born counterparts and are responsible for 25 percent of all new business creation and job-related growth. It stands to reason, then, that immigrant attraction could also help Cleveland grow. In fact, according to a 2014 study by the Center for Population Dynamics at Cleveland State University, Cleveland has not only seen a rise in our share of college-educated 25- to 34-year olds

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

(by 23 percent from 2006 to 2012, with an 11 percent increase from 2011 to 2012 alone) but half of the immigrants who moved here were college educated. Yet despite notable forward progress, Cleveland has fallen behind other cities in attracting and retaining immigrants, according to Richey Piiparinen of the Center for Population Dynamics. In Piiparinen’s recently released report, The Fifth Migration, he notes: “Cleveland’s millennials have less ethnic and racial diversity than millennials nationally. Nearly 66 percent of Clevelanders aged 15 to 34 are white, followed by 23 percent black, 7 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian. Foreign-born millennials make up just 6 percent of local millennials.”

RETHINKING OUR STRATEGY Cleveland has a nonprofit organization, Global Cleveland, whose mission is to help attract and retain immigrants in Northeast Ohio. Its website says that it is a “nonprofit organization

focused on regional economic development by actively attracting, welcoming and connecting newcomers to Greater Cleveland’s many economic and social opportunities.” Global Cleveland was founded in 2011 and launched with fanfare, despite the at-times contentious rhetoric that surrounded an organization that promised to attract newcomers, both native born and immigrants, to Cleveland for jobs. Three hundred civic and business leaders gathered in May of that year at Cleveland State for a kickoff brainstorming session of sorts. The goal was to attract 100,000 new residents to the city in 10 years. “I think it’s going to be easier than people think,” a Huntington Bank regional president told the Plain Dealer at the time. (Huntington Bank, along with Forest City Enterprises, gave Global Cleveland start-up grants.)

The fete continued with a launch party on a Tuesday night in the rotunda of City Hall. Mayor Jackson was there (he spoke after a performance by a steel-drum band), as was then-county executive Ed FitzGerald. The love fest, however, was short lived. Continuity has been a problem for the organization in its short lifespan, as has long-term funding strategies. A 2014 Plain Dealer story noted, “Despite backing from some members of the business community, the agency

Joe Cimperman

has not generated much public or political support for its quest to revive a depopulated city by welcoming newcomers, including immigrants. Several of Global Cleveland’s founders, including Cleveland immigration lawyer Richard Herman, have left the board in frustration over the lack of a more assertive welcome to diverse cultures.” Jackson and FitzGerald, for example, didn’t voice their support for some of Global Cleveland’s programs, despite Mayor Jackson’s role as honorary board member and ribboncutter. The same story noted that a Cleveland State University study saw an uptick in “knowledge workers” in the years leading up to 2014, with young, college-educated adults arriving in Greater Cleveland. “[Global Cleveland board member] Albert Ratner said Global Cleveland cannot take credit for the surge but will seek to build upon it,” the Plain Dealer noted. “We didn’t even know it was happening,” Ratner told the paper. “We’re going to keep it going. We’re going to systemize it.” Despite spending nearly $5 million in public and private money over the past five years, including $750,000 from JobsOhio, the state’s privatized economic development agency, the results of Global Cleveland’s work are unclear. The organization’s board

members declined to discuss it with Scene, stating that they preferred to focus on the organization’s future. The nonprofit has been without a permanent leader since Joy Roller resigned in April of last year. That will change soon. In a major shakeup, Ward 3 councilman Joe Cimperman announced in January that he was leaving city council after 18 years to become the new president of Global Cleveland. However, he won’t start until after council budget hearings in March. (He remains under investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission for his involvement in city contracts awarded to the nonprofit design firm that employs his wife.) David Fleshler, vice provost for international affairs at Case and Global Cleveland’s board president, acknowledges that Cleveland is behind where it needs to be in attracting immigrants, but says we’re making progress. “Over the last five years, the percentage of immigrants with advanced degrees moving here is very high,” he says. “We’re heading in the right direction. Do we need to move more quickly? Yes. Global Cleveland can help, that’s why it is needed.” Cleveland will be successful in attracting immigrants, Fleshler says, if we market the knowledge jobs that are available here as well as urban amenities like ethnic markets that are attractive to foreign-born individuals. “Any economically successful city is made up of people from all over the world,” he says. “A huge percentage of our grandparents and greatgrandparents were immigrants. Now you see the same thing happening again — immigrants are at the tip of economic advancement.” In response to Scene’s request, Fleshler provided a document containing Global Cleveland’s 2015 highlights, which include engaging 119 entrepreneurs in capacity-building workshops; interacting with 101 employers in the Global Employer programming, a new program focused on educating employers about hiring international talent; attracting 347 international students to educational workshops; connecting 112 international newcomers with job coaches and mentors; and spurring a 62.4 percent increase in website visitors. Yet Piiparinen, who has been consulting with Global Cleveland on its new strategy, says that the organization needs to refine its approach if it wants to catch up with more immigrant-friendly cities. The group’s welcome hub in downtown Cleveland, newcomer marketing

campaigns and international “welcoming” initiatives haven’t yielded the sought-after results. The “welcome hub” at Public Square, opened with much fanfare in 2012, hasn’t lived up to its promises. Plain Dealer coverage from the opening noted that a regional president of Huntington Bank described it as “the Apple store of Cleveland. You go in and your problems get resolved rather quickly.”

The article also described a whiteboard where visitors left messages. Some included, “Summer on the Cuyahoga welcomes you,” “The world will walk through these doors,” and “I’m welcome… Yeah!” What’s needed, Piiparinen says, is a more targeted strategy of engaging immigrants who are already here and building stronger connections between Cleveland’s growing knowledge economy and other cities.

TAKE AWAYS FROM RICHEY PIIPARINEN, DIRECTOR, THE CENTER FOR POPULATION DYNAMICS

1. WE’RE TOO FOCUSED ON POPULATION GROWTH “Population is a bad metric for quality of life, right? You look at some of biggest population growth metros in the state, and they have some of the highest poverty rates and lowest educational attainment rates. “When you look at the Rust Belt cities … Boston did it decades ago. Now they’re gangbusters, in terms of real estate and income, but they’re still hundreds of thousands below their peak population. When Rust Belt cities go through economic restructuring, the indicator of success is never population growth, it’s income and appreciation of real estate, that’s where it happens. “Population growth is an effect of needing a lot of people to do a lot of labor. Those days are gone.” 2. IT’S NOT ABOUT ATTRACTION, IT’S ABOUT ENGAGEMENT “One of the main conduits for immigrants is through higher education. So instead of immigrants coming to America for jobs, they’re coming to America to get trained. To go to college, to go to med school. “What I would say is it’s not about attraction, it’s about engagement. Leadership Cleveland takes native Clevelanders who are largely tapped into the leadership structure, and they try to re-tap them. Why wouldn’t we have a Leadership Cleveland class of foreign born residents? Engaging them into the power structure. What they do is start building networks back home, and those networks build financial capital and investment. It’s pretty much word of mouth. That’s what ends up being the change – the internationalization of Cleveland.” 3. IMMIGRANTS ARE LEADING ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING “Twenty-one percent of Cleveland’s immigrants have an advanced degree – that ranks fifth in the nation. By contrast, 11 percent of Clevelanders have an advanced degree. That’s a huge difference and important to know. People think of immigrants as migrants crossing the border. Pittsburgh’s No. 1 – 36 percent of their immigrants have an advanced degree. Our immigrants are employed in health care and production – high end production. “So you think about economic restructuring. Old economy, new economy. The immigrants are really the tip of the spear. They’re the ones leading Cleveland’s economic restructuring. That’s important … even if they don’t stay, how do we build a network? Money flows across borders now, in terms of investing in startups and real estate. When you combine two different geographies, it makes for a better knowledge product, because of the heterogeneity of thought.” 4. ATTRACTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IS KEY TO GROWTH “Higher ed is becoming a big industry in America. There’s a Brookings report that ranks the cities, and Cleveland’s not doing that well in terms of immigrant students. Case is doing well, but Buffalo and Pittsburgh have doubled. That’s a big initiative, building that infrastructure. The Ohio Board of Regents has an initiative. There’s things ready to go.” [Note: Ohio had 35,761 foreign students in 2015, eighth in the nation.] 5. GLOBAL CLEVELAND SHOULD FOCUS ON IMMIGRANTS FIRST “Seventy-five percent of Ohio residents are born in Ohio. We’re sixth worst in the country, close to Birmingham, Alabama. Any newcomer who comes in doesn’t have the baggage of Cleveland, and perceives the city in a different way. There’s a difference between people from here and not from here – they come in and say, ‘Why do you guys think this way?’ That’s important to have a critical mass of fresh thinking. “Even boomerangs – think about people who go to live in New York for five years. They might not show up in the birthplace statistics, but they’re outside the parochial, woe-is-me Cleveland perspective. They have industry ties, they have network ties on the Eastern Seaboard. So they’re important. “But you have to balance newcomers with immigrant attraction. With Global Cleveland, the boomerangers were kind of creeping into the mission and becoming the mission, when it really should be immigrant attraction and refugees.” | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

FEATURE Immigrants will come here, he says, if we create enough jobs to attract them. “If you look historically at why populations grow and decline, is it because of civic initiatives or macroeconomics?” he says pointedly. “Globalization is the economic reality, internationalization is how we deal with it. It’s not about attraction; it’s about engagement. And one great way to attract people is to engage the folks who are already here.” In an interview, both Fleshler and Cimperman hinted that the organization will see changes later this year, but wouldn’t provide many specifics. Cimperman says that he wanted the job with Global Cleveland because he sees it as a major opportunity to move the city forward and stem our ongoing population loss. “I think what is great about Global Cleveland is first, telling people we’re open for business; second, not just saying you’re welcome but trying to connect you; and third, making the entire community more prosperous,” Cimperman says. “Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, is a magical place. We have a lot to learn and teach … My job will be to unite Cleveland around this work.”

A GLOBAL MESS Cleveland may not be attracting immigrants at the same pace as some other cities, yet the metro area “ranks fifth in the nation in the percentage of foreign born residents with an advanced or professional degree, just ahead of Boston …” according to Cleveland: A HighSkilled Immigrant Destination, a 2015 report by The Center for Population Dynamics. Piiparinen says that Cleveland is well positioned to draw highly educated immigrants because of the growth of “eds and meds” jobs at places like Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, the increase in the number of international students here bodes well — Case alone has over 2,000 international students from 150 countries. Finally, approximately 800 to 1,500 refugees are resettled in Cleveland each year, and these individuals contribute to job and income growth. Yet what’s missing is a wellorchestrated effort to engage immigrants once they get here, says Mythili Bhat, an Indian-born

dentist who moved to Cleveland from Pittsburgh with her physician husband. The couple enjoys living here — so much so that they recently bought a condo at University Lofts at 2020 Euclid Ave. Yet their perceptions of the city were mixed before they came here, and since moving, they haven’t always felt part of the community. “I felt Cleveland was much scarier and more isolated than Pittsburgh,” Bhat recalls of her impressions of the city before moving here. “I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to connect, and felt that people were very parochial. That’s gradually changed … but even though we attend a lot of events here, we still don’t feel connected to the city.” By way of contrast, Bhat says that Global Pittsburgh helped her make connections with the international and local community. “I think the difference is that Global Pittsburgh was more aggressive in bringing out people and immigrants to events,” she says. “Global Pittsburgh gave me an opportunity to explore different activities and connect to people, and it tapped my interests and what I bring to the table.” Bhat says she didn’t even know about Global Cleveland until after she’d lived here a while, and she still hasn’t interacted much with the organization. Privately, two individuals close to the organization said it has been poorly run. Roller focused on building a website that would attract newcomers and connect them to jobs, and she developed a marketing “roadshow” that she took to Chicago and D.C. to sell people on moving here; but these efforts flopped. One person described Global Cleveland’s gimmicky marketing programs as “utter nonsense” and said its “misspending was atrocious.” Another reported that the road shows were poorly attended and the group’s welcoming strategy, which was dubbed a “portal,” was “basically just a website.” Perhaps not even a good one at that. Erin McIntyre, who is Fuentes’ wife, said she never heard back

after emailing Global Cleveland asking for job search assistance for her immigrant husband. “I think Global Cleveland has unearthed a lot of important components for newcomers, but where there’s room for growth is creating connectivity and empowering a support network,” she says, adding, “Their website is basically a collection of other websites.”

A pAth forwArd Despite a host of challenges at Global Cleveland, all parties interviewed for this story felt that it has an important role to play in advancing the city’s economy. Many say Cimperman, who is known for his energy and boundless enthusiasm for all things Cleveland, could be just the person to do it. The councilman not only has experience navigating the trenches of politics and the byzantine corridors of city hall but also is known as a champion of immigrants. He grew up on East 74th off of St. Clair Avenue in a Slovenian immigrant family. His uncle owned a butcher shop and hired Ethiopian immigrants to work there because he saw something of himself in their experiences. Cimperman also helped start the sixacre Ohio City Farm, which employs former refugees. Cimperman cited entrepreneurs like Raddhika Reddy — who came here on a student visa 25 years ago and recently renovated the old Leff Electric building on East 40th Street into an international business center — as examples of how immigrant attraction and retention could help transform the city. He says his goal is to raise Cleveland’s profile as an international business destination. “That basic hard work ethic and promise, that’s the reason why people invest here,” he says, citing Cleveland’s history as a manufacturing center built by immigrants as a legacy we can build on. “This is a place that gives people first chances, second chances and third chances.” Both Fleshler and Cimperman admitted that Global Cleveland’s strategy would get more focused. The organization must not only attract immigrants to move here, but also focus on forging connections with other countries and exporting Cleveland’s talents globally. “What you see is that in a successful community, there are as many people leaving as coming,” says Fleshler, citing Case’s increasingly global student body as an example. “The question is, when they start a

business in their country and then it’s time to open an office in the U.S., are they going to open it in San Francisco, L.A. or New York or are they going to come to Cleveland?” “We connect them while they’re here so they feel like this is their home in the U.S.,” he says. Instead of all newcomers, Global Cleveland will refocus its efforts on internationalization. “Attracting newcomers will be there, but we want to be able to focus enough to make a real dent,” he says. “Immigrants tend to be risk takers. They go into businesses at a greater rate.” Cimperman also says the city is rallying around refugees and helping them find jobs, and he wants to bolster that activity. Although the numbers are small, they’re growing quickly, with as much as a 25-percent bump in the past year alone. As it stands, Garcia de Lima will return to his native Brazil while he applies for a work visa in the U.S., says Foran of Market Garden Brewery. Global Cleveland could play an important role by helping educate employers about hiring foreign workers. Piiparinen, who’s been coaching Global Cleveland on its 2.0 strategy, says the group needs to focus as much on “circulation” as attraction. Cleveland needs more “demographic churn,” or people coming and going, in order to foster a region that is better connected to the global economy and has the kinds of jobs, amenities and civic culture that will attract immigrants. “I’d like to see a Leadership Cleveland class of highly educated immigrants,” he says. “Right now we mostly tap people who are already engaged.” Tracy Moavero, a nonprofit consultant who volunteered as a job coach with Global Cleveland for several years, says that immigrants can help Cleveland become a more global city. “As much as I love Cleveland, it can be rather cut off from the rest of the country and the rest of the world,” she says. “Because we haven’t had an influx of newcomers in a long time, that affects our culture. Cleveland is not as welcoming as it could be, even to those of us who grew up here and want to come back. I hope Global Cleveland’s success will ultimately be about changing the culture of the city of Cleveland so we’re open to more positive change and growth.”

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

GET OUT WED

everything you should do this week Theory of Obscurity: a Film About the Residents makes its debut at the Cinematheque. See: Friday.

2/24

MUSIC

Il Volo The Italian teen pop-opera trio, Il Volo, became popular in the States after several PBS-TV specials and appearances on The Tonight Show, The Today Show and American Idol. Featuring singers Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, the group plans to release its fifth album in late September. The group performs tonight at 8 at the State Theatre. Tickets are $10 to $99, with VIP packages available for $125 and $225. (Jeff Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. MUSIC

Interview with Inductee Rahiem Inducted into the Rock Hall in 2007 with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first hip-hop group inducted, Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) will discuss how the pioneering act “fomented the musical revolution known as hip-hop.” The event takes place at 7 p.m. at the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater. An audience Q&A session will follow. Admission is free but reservations must be made in advance through the Rock Hall’s website. If you can’t attend, the event will be streamed live at rockhall.com. (Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.

classics and oddball flicks that don’t receive wide distribution. Tonight at 6, the venue presents its Happy Hour Classic Film, a monthly screening that includes a cocktail party in the lobby before the feature. Tonight’s film, 1973’s The Sting, centers on a young con man who seeks revenge for his murdered partner. Admission is $8 in advance, $10 at the door. The price includes a mini-cocktail (or soft drink if you don’t fancy the hard stuff), appetizers and live music. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.

COMEDY

DANCE

Derick Lengwenus Comedian Derick Lengwenus has been described as the “perfect comedy package.” He delivers a clean show that even includes a skit featuring the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. Born in Montreal, Lengwenus frequently talks about his experiences there. He also likes to make jokes about his German father. He has a knack for impersonations too. He performs tonight at 8 at Hilarities. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Niesel) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew centers on Baptista, a rich guy who has two daughters he must marry off. Problem is, he has to hand off the oldest one first and all the suitors are more interested in the younger one. Tonight at 7 at the Cedar Lee Theatre, you can see the Bolshoi Ballet’s version of the play. French choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot adapted the play specifically for the Bolshoi dancers in this new production staged exclusively for the Bolshoi. It cannot be seen anywhere else. Tickets are $15. (Niesel) clevelandcinemas.com.

COMEDY

FILM

THEATER

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art During the 1960s and 1970s, a group of renegade artists left New

Dangerous Liaisons Tonight at 7:30 at Outcalt Theatre, Cleveland State University’s

York City to go to the American Southwest desert to create a series of “desert earthworks.” In his documentary Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art, director James Crump chronicles their escapades and shows how they viewed the desert as a blank canvas. The movie makes its Cleveland debut tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It screens again at 7 on Friday night. Tickets are $9. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

THUR 2/25 Cool TLC A veteran comic, local hero Cool TLC has worked the Cleveland scene for years now. During that time, he’s shared the stage with national acts such as Eddie Griffin, Bruce Bruce, Snoop Dogg and Patti LaBelle. The rowdy, fast-talking comedian regularly punctuates his live show with singing and dancing as he brings an excessive amount of energy to the stage. He performs tonight at 7:30 at the Improv. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

FILM

The Sting Locally owned and operated Capitol Theatre regularly presents special screenings of cult

department of theatre and dance presents a production of Christopher Hampton’s play Dangerous Liaisons, “a tale of seduction set among the aristocrats of France before the French Revolution.” Based on the Pierre Choderlos de Laclos novel, the play explores issues of “morality and decadent sexuality” in suitably dramatic form. Performances continue through March 6. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 1407 Euclid Ave, 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. COMEDY

Felipe Esparaza Comedian Felipe Esparaza has kept plenty busy in the wake of taking home top honors from NBC’s Top Comic Standing in 2010. In 2012, the wild-haired comic released his first one-hour comedy special on Showtime. In one bit, he likes to joke about how he needs to lose weight because he has “stretch marks” on his stomach. As a result, he says, he often tells women he got in a fight with a mountain lion and those are claw marks! He currently hosts a popular podcast as he works on his next comedy special. He performs tonight at 8 at Hilarities, where he has shows scheduled through Sunday. Tickets start at $23. (Niesel) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com. | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

GET OUT FILM

The Pearl Button The Pearl Button, the new documentary from Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzman, focuses on extermination of the indigenous tribes of Patagonia and the various victims of torture who “disappeared” during Pinochet’s reign. The L.A. Times rightly called the movie “lyrical, impressionistic and profound.” It makes its Cleveland premiere tonight at 9:05 at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque and screens again at 7:30 tomorrow night. Tickets are $9. (Niesel) 11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.

FRI

performing in the States, the Golden Dragon Acrobats — who hail from Cangzhou, Hebei Province, in the People’s Republic of China — have toured the States continuously since 1978. The com-

330-253-2488, akroncivic.com. COMEDY

Dominique Comedian Dominique thinks about the weighty things in life:

FILM

MUSIC

Tickets on sale Feb. 26 at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or 1-800-745-3000.

THEATER

And Then There Were None In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, a group of 10 strangers go to a remote English island only to discover that their eccentric millionaire host is missing. Stranded by a terrible storm, the guests gradually die off, one by one. Tonight at 7:30 at the Hanna Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre presents its take on the classic murder mystery. Tickets are $15 to $70, and the play runs through March 20. (Niesel) 2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. FAMILY FUN

Cirque Ziva featuring the Golden Dragon Acrobats Generally considered the preeminent Chinese acrobatic company

FOOD & DRINK

Fish Fry-Days Through March 25, Prosperity Social Club hosts Fish Fry-Days every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The special Lenten menu includes the Big Fish Fry, a seasonal staple that features a generous portion of haddock covered in a fluffy blanket of beer batter and complemented by homemade coleslaw, house tartar sauce and old-schoolstyle mac and cheese. New this year: a pan-seared tilapia dressed in chimichurri sauce and served with sauteed spinach and coconut rice. As a bonus, Platform Brewing’s Palesner will be on tap to complement the special menu. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-937-1938, prosperitysocialclub.com.

2/26

808: The Movie One of the most unique sounding synthesizers ever invented, the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine helped changed the course of music history. The documentary film, 808: The Movie, chronicles how acts such as Pharrell, Beastie Boys, David Guetta, Phil Collins, Rick Rubin, Lil Jon, Afrika Bambaataa, Questlove, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Diplo, Goldie and more have used the instrument. It screens tonight at 7 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Tickets are $5.50, or free for Rock Hall Members. (Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.

where she has shows scheduled through Sunday. Tickets are $20. (Liz Trenholme) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44114 | rockhall.com | 216.781.ROCK Sponsored by:

pany comprises athletes, actors and artists who have studied and trained for their craft since early childhood. The troupe averages 200 performances each year and has performed in all 50 states and in more than 65 countries. They perform using their bodies and simple props including everyday objects like plates, jugs, bicycles, umbrellas and more. You can see them tonight at 8 at the Akron Civic Theatre. Tickets start at $17.50. (Niesel) 182 South Main St., Akron,

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

To Benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Educational Activities.

what her funeral will be like and what Jesus would want her to do in certain situations. Church taught her to pray about things that are bothering her and then let them go, so that’s exactly what she did when she got a big credit card bill in the mail. Other funny topics include ways to tell if he’s the right guy for you, the wrong way to fry up a chicken, and the politics of preachers. Dominique tells it like it is, and that’s why she’s funny. She performs tonight at 7:30 and 10 at the Improv,

Gotta Dance! Tonight at 7:30 at Severance Hall, join the Cleveland Orchestra and a team of local dancers for “Gotta Dance!,” a concert featuring history’s “most toe-tapping” classical music. Musical selections including a waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, the famous habanera from Bizet’s Carmen, a wild square dance from Copland’s Rodeo and rousing Slavonic Dances by Dvorák. Designed to introduce children ages 7 to 12 to the orchestra as an ensemble, the event will also feature free preconcert family activities that begin at 6:30 p.m. Sing and Swing takes place in the Smith Lobby (on the ground floor), where children can play an assortment of childfriendly percussion instruments with their parents and the instructors from Sing and Swing. At an Instrument Discovery Zone in the Smith Lobby, kids can discover their “inner musician” by trying out orchestral instruments with the assistance of Royalton Music Center staff. And in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer, the Csárdás Dance Company will offer dance lessons. Tickets start at $15. (Niesel) 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com. NIGHTLIFE

A LGBTQ Fundraiser An LGBTQ independent musician, Joél Tucker aspires to make

a documentary about what his life was like before he came out to his family and friends. His new music album will be the soundtrack to the film. Tonight’s fundraising event at Brickstone is a meet & greet with LGBTQ adult film star Jaxton Wheeler from Las Vegas. Wheeler will dance, strip and mingle, along with a crew of other male models/dancers. (There will be zero nudity.) Tucker will host the event. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. (Niesel) 2217 East Ninth St., 216-861-8000, brickstonecleveland.com.

have been featured alongside artists such as Erykah Badu, Angela Davis, Danny Glover, Alicia Keys, Sonia Sanchez, Cornel West and Saul Williams. Utilizing a combination of poetry, hip hop and multimedia theater, the duo intends its performance as a tool for education, personal transformation and community organization. Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 at the door. Students and residents of East Cleveland can save $5 with their ID. (Josh Usmani) 11400 Euclid Ave., 216-421-8671, mocacleveland.org.

music

The Nod Factor Named after the Beatnuts-produced classic by Mad Skillz (later Skillz, of Wrap Up fame), the Nod Factor serves as a celebration of the late, great J Dilla, who would’ve turned 42 this year and celebrated the 20th anniversary of his breakout year. Dilla played on albums by De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Keith Murray, A Tribe Called Quest and many others. Tonight, Know1, DJ Tek, DJ Pos2 and other special guests will pay tribute to the man. Doors are at 10 p.m. at Now That’s Class, and admission is free. (Niesel) 11213 Detroit Ave., 216-221-8576, nowthatsclass.net.

Super 70s Soul! Each February, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates national Black History Month with a series of events and programming. Today at 1 p.m., Rock Hall experts will talk about some of the biggest ’70s soul stars including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the O’Jays and more during a session dubbed “Super ’70s Soul!” that takes place in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater. The talk is free with museum admission and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.

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film comedy

Al Romas Loud-mouthed comedian Al Romas likes to joke about how ridiculous it is that Florida has a helmet law for bicyclists but not for motorcyclists. “Two miles an hour, we’d like a helmet on you,” he says in one routine., “At 85 miles an hour, you can just go for it.” Like Jerry Seinfeld, Romas offers witty observations about everyday life. He regularly engages the audience as well, so be careful if you get up to go to the bathroom during the show. He performs tonight at 7:30 and 10, and tomorrow night at 7 and 9:30 at Club Velvet at the Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Niesel) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com.

Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents A rock/pop/performance art group, the Residents have kept their identity a secret over the past four decades, even as they released numerous music videos, albums and short films. In his documentary, Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents, director Don Hardy Jr. explores the band’s history and interviews artists, such as Primus’ bassist Les Claypool and Devo’s Jerry Casale, who attest to the group’s significance. The documentary also includes archival film clips and footage of performances. It makes its Cleveland premiere tonight at 9:15 at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque and screens again at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $9. (Niesel) 11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.

spoken Word

Climbing PoeTree in Performance Tonight at MOCA, the East Cleveland Public Library presents a spoken word concert by awardwinning performance duo Climbing PoeTree, featuring Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman. Their soul-stirring performances

SAT

2/27

film

Balto Cleveland Cinemas and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History have partnered to pres| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

GET OUT ent “Reel Science,” a film series that involves exploring the facts and fictions in each film. Today’s film, Balto, is based on a true story about a team of sled dogs that must brave a terrible storm to bring medicine to Nome, Alaska, to save the lives of children in the midst of a terrible diphtheria outbreak. It screens at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Theatre. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Lee Gambol will introduce the movie and lead a post-film discussion. Museum members and Cleveland Cinemas Marquee Rewards members can purchase discount tickets for $5 at the theater box office. Regular admission tickets are $7.50. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com. DANCE

Black Ballerina Ball In observation of Black History Month, Cleveland Inner City Ballet hosts the first-ever Black Ballerina Ball from 1 to 3 p.m. at its new Cleveland Ballet Studio. Ac-

tivities include storytime with a CICB ballerina, a performance by Cleveland Inner City Ballet dancers, cookie and cupcake decorating, ballerina crafts and more. Young dancers are encouraged to come dressed in their best ballet or princess attire. There will also be a dance tribute to African Americans with Cleveland School of the Arts’ first dance educator Eugina Payne. Local pianist Karin Tooley will perform as well. A $10 family donation at the door is requested. (Niesel) 1427 East 36th St., Suite 4203A, 216-903-6604, clevelandinnercityballet.org. COMEDY

Let Me Break You Up Native Clevelander Carly Ann Filbin brings her anti-dating game show here from New York City tonight. It’s the same format as The Newlywed Game, except a “pessimistic host with a chip on her shoulder” fills in for Bob Eubanks. Also: The couple with the least amount of points “wins,” in a sense, and has to break up at the end of the game. As Filbin puts it: “We all die alone and what’s the point of anything re-

ally? It’ll be fun!” Indeed. Filbin writes and performs with Upright Citizens Brigade, and she’s delighted to bring the stresses and pains of modern love to the stage. There’ll be two performances tonight, at 8 and 10 p.m., at Mahall’s. (The couples have been pre-selected.) Tickets are $8 online or $10 at the door. Mandi Leigh will also perform standup. (Eric Sandy) 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com. THEATER

Luna Gale With her play Luna Gale, Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman wades into the “turbulent waters of parenthood, faith and love.” Set in present-day Cedar Rapids, the plot centers on a baby and her drugaddicted parents. When a social worker discovers the parents’ drug problems, she places the child with its grandmother. Tonight at 7:30 at the Allen Theatre, Cleveland Play House presents its adaptation of the play. Tickets are $20 to $90. (Niesel) 1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

DANCE

MalPaso: A Cuban Dance Project Based in Havana, Cuba, the MalPaso Dance Company aims to “bring Cuban contemporary dance into the 21st century and into the spotlight.” Since forming in 2012, the group has collaborated with top international choreographers. Tonight at 8 at the Ohio Theatre, it will perform works by renowned American choreographers Ronald K. Brown and Trey McIntyre, as well as its artistic director, Osnel Delgado. Tickets are $25 to $55. (Niesel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. FILM

She’s Gotta Have It A liberated Brooklyn woman (Tracy Camilla Johns) struggles to balance the demands of three lovers in the 1986 flick, She’s Gotta Have It, the first “joint” from writer-director Spike Lee. Lee’s low-budget film helped usher in a new wave of independent filmmaking. At the same time, this “seriously sexy” comedy broke ground for AfricanAmerican filmmakers. Tonight at

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

9 and tomorrow at 3:50 p.m., the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque shows a 35mm print of the movie. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 1610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.

SUN

2/28

nightlife

7th Day Sweat The “seventh day” tends to be a day of rest for many folks. But not for the party hearty people who run B-Side Liquor Lounge, the popular dance club located below the Grog Shop. Dubbed 7th Day Sweat, their weekly Sunday night soiree features DJ White Rims spinning “today’s hottest dance hits,” so you can “sweat it out” every Sunday. Admission is free but you must be 21 or older. It all starts at 7 p.m. (Niesel) 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-1966, bsideliquorlounge.com. film

Confidentially Yours French New Wave master François Truffaut made some incredible movies before his death in 1984. Today at 1:30 p.m., the Cleveland Museum of Art screens Confidentially Yours, a 1983 film that stars Fanny Ardant and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The plot centers on a secretary’s attempts to solve a murder mystery after her boss is accused of committing the crime. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org. film

National Theatre Live In 1782, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Choderlos de Laclos’ novel of “sex, intrigue and betrayal in prerevolutionary France” created a huge scandal. Two hundred years later, Christopher Hampton’s stage adaptation of the novel won London’s Olivier and Evening Standard awards for best play. Today at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., the Cedar Lee Theatre shows a feed of the National Theatre’s performance of the play. Tickets are $20. (Niesel) 2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 440-717-4696, clevelandcinemas.com.

MON

2/29

food & drink

Wing Ding Doodle Blues icon Howlin’ Wolf famously

covered “Wang Dang Doodle,” the old blues tune penned by Willie Dixon. Prosperity Social Club in Tremont has adopted that slogan, calling its wing night “Wing Ding Doodle.” The weekly event features specials on Buffalo wings and cold brews. Prosperity will not only serve up substantial, $1 whole wings, but it’ll also offer meatless Monday ‘wing’ baskets for vegans. Discounted drafts and a specially curated playlist of vintage electric blues and soulful R&B, curated by local musician Clint Holley, will be on tap as well. Wing Ding Doodle will take place every Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-937-1938, prosperitysocialclub.com.

TUE

MARCH 18–20 FIRSTMERIT CONVENTION CENTER OF CLEVELAND

3/01

spoken word

Happy Dog Takes on the World Tonight at 7:30 at the Happy Dog, German journalist Christoph von Marschall will lead a discussion on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. With the weighty title of “Person of the Year or Her Big Mistake?: Angela Merkel, the Rise of Populism in Europe, and the Challenge of Mass Migration,” the lecture will focus on Germany and the future of Europe. Admission is free. (Niesel) 5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com. music

The Jack Quartet The experimental-minded Jack Quartet begins its two-night residency tonight with a sold-out performance at the Transformer Station. For tonight’s concert, the group will perform Georg Friedrich Hass’ String Quartet no. 3 “In iij. Noct.” The group will play the piece in complete darkness: The musicians will play from memory while positioned in separate parts of the room. Tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium, the group will present the world premiere of two Cenk Urgen compositions. Tickets to that performance are still available, at $30 to $45. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

Find more events @clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

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ART

CON ARTISTS

Wizard World brings its comic convention back to Cleveland this weekend By Josh Usmani FOR YEARS IT WAS JUST A DREAM: a large-scale convention celebrating comics and pop culture in Cleveland. Last year, Wizard World finally came to town, and Cleveland responded with a mind-boggling turnout. In fact, the first Wizard World Cleveland was so successful that by the time the convention floor closed on Sunday, organizers had already confirmed dates for 2016. With Cleveland’s second Wizard World just days away, we’re happy to report that this year’s line-up of celebrities, artists, programming and more is shaping up even better than last year. Wizard World is a nationwide, 22-city touring celebration of comics/ graphic novels, movies, television, video games, toys, gaming, anime/ manga, collectibles, horror, wrestling and more. Of course, no convention is complete without cosplay. Fans young and old are encouraged to dress as their favorite character, especially on Saturday for the famed Wizard World Costume Contest. This year’s celebrities are headlined by Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers), Matt Smith and Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Frank Grillo (Captain America: Winter Soldier) directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War, Community, Welcome to Collinwood), Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks),

Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Arrested Development), Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse), Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), Brent Spiner (Star Trek), Tara Reid (American Pie), WWE’s Rusev and Lana, Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead) and more. This year’s roster of artists, writers and creators boasts numerous local favorites, as well as the likes of Shawn Cross (creator, Cyanide & Happiness), Michael Golden (artist, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, Star Wars), Phil Ortiz (animator, The Simpsons, HeMan, Smurfs), and many more. “We’re excited to be back for our second year in Cleveland after a huge success in 2015,” says Wizard World Cleveland’s Jerry Milani. “We’ll have 80-plus hours of programming, panels in several rooms, dozens of

Thursday, the Hard Rock Cafe (230 Huron Rd.) hosts the Kickoff the Con’ Party from 7 to 11 p.m. This preview event includes a Q&A with Jason David Frank (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers) and Cas Anvar (Assassin’s Creed Revelations). Admission is $25 and includes appetizers and a nonalcoholic drink. (Tickets are available at wizardworld.ticketleap.com/ clevelandkickoff.) While previewing last year’s inaugural Wizard World in Cleveland, we shared the concerns of Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop owner John Dudas over the convention’s disconnection with the local community. Thankfully, the organizers at Wizard World have responded by working with Dudas to offer a number of exclusive opportunities for local comic fans. First, Wizard World has allowed

WIZARD WORLD CLEVELAND CONVENTION CENTER, 300 LAKESIDE AVE., 216-928-1600, WIZARDWORLD.COM

interactive exhibits, some of the most well-known comics artists in the world and the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night. Kids 10 and under are free every day, and Sunday is Kids Day, with special programming, free goodies and a costume contest just for them.” Prior to the convention on

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

Carol & John’s to award three families ticket packages to the convention. Additionally, use the code CNJCOMICS16 to get 20 percent off your online order. From Feb. 12 to 23, Carol & John’s hosted an art competition themed around the comic shop’s official mascot, Winston. The shop awarded six pairs of tickets to

the winners. Carol & John’s also set up an online gallery of submissions, and are creating a guide to local participants for this year’s Wizard World. For those who can’t make it to the convention, Carol & John’s promises an extensive in-store sale. “This year it was refreshing to see Wizard World put down some legs into our community by using a grassroots coordinator,” Dudas says. “We do feel the need to support Wizard World’s efforts if they lead to positive results in the community, which really is the goal of any grassroots campaign: to make the individual matter in a larger system.” The convention takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Advance tickets are $35 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $40 for Sunday. At the door, those tickets will cost you $45, $55 and $50, respectively. Three-day admission is $75 in advance or $85 at the door. Up to two children (ages 10 and under) get in free with each paid adult admission. Fees for celebrity autographs and photos vary. A number of VIP and meet & greet packages are available as well. For complete details, see Wizard World’s website.

jusmani@clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

STAGE AY CARAMBA, THE SIMPSONS AS SAVIORS? Don’t have a cow, man: Mr. Burns at CPT has a lot to say By Christine Howey IF YOU’VE EVER SAT AROUND with friends and reminisced about TV shows or movies you’ve seen, with everyone contributing their personal threads of memory, you know what playwright Anne Washburn is up to in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. Indeed, the central idea that powers Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play is so delicious, you may put it in a mental jar, pull it out every now and then, and savor it for weeks. Essentially, the words of a popular animated TV show, The Simpsons, morph from a survival tool for post-apocalyptic survivors, to a major engine of commerce, and then to a ritualized operetta envisioning Bart as a savior of humanity. If that sounds like a heavy lift, you’re right. And as this three act, two-and-a-half hour production continues, playwright Washburn gets more and more tangled up in her thoughts. This results in a third act that, while deliriously adventurous, continually steps on the teeth of one garden rake after another, thereby slapping itself and the audience in the forehead with the handle. If that particular slapstick sequence sounds familiar, you’re probably a fan of The Simpsons, and that’s a good thing for the viewers of this play. At the start of this complex pop-culture infused dystopian extravaganza, a small gaggle of random people has gathered after a cataclysmic, nationwide nuclear disaster of some sort. As a result, the power grid is down, electronic and other media have been silenced, and the survivors are left alone to make sense of their lives. As humans have done since the beginning of time, they fall back on stories they remember to calm their fears. In this case, that means an in-depth discussion of

one Simpsons episode, titled “Cape Feare,” which was a hilarious parody of the Martin Scorsese film of the same name. That flick starred Robert DeNiro as the terrifying psychopath Max Cady, who is out to wreak vengeance on his former lawyer. (The Scorsese film was a remake of the original Cape Fear, with Robert Mitchum in the Cady role.) In the Simpsons version, the villainous Cady is velvet-voiced

captures the warp and weft of the Simpsons characters, and Tim Keo, as interloper Gibson, has some fun with a song from the Gilbert & Sullivan show H.M.S. Pinafore. Also joining in are reflective Maria (Cathleen O’Malley), laconic Sam (Evan Thompson) and skittish Jenny (Nicole Sumlin). In the second act, placed seven years in the future, a troupe of players remembers those old TV episodes, as well as music and other cultural arcana from the past. They are now turning their memories into mini-theatricals, complete with commercials for now non-existent products, that they perform for paying audiences. As they rehearse their material, joined by Beth Wood as director Colleen and Abigail Anika Svigelj as lead actor Quincy, they bitch about competing acting companies that have an edge on them. “It kills me they’ve got Streetcar,” says one. And that reference is not to the classic stage play by Tennessee Williams but the classic Simpsons parody, “A Streetcar Named Marge.”

MR. BURNS: A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY

THROUGH MARCH 5 AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE 6415 DETROIT AVE., 216-631-2727, CPTONLINE.ORG

Sideshow Bob, who is paroled from prison and begins to stalk Bart with lethal intent because Bart helped put him in the slammer. This is the episode that the survivors cling to as they peer fearfully into the blackness surrounding them. In this initial stanza of Mr. Burns, Trey Gilpin as Matt nicely

Yes, popular culture has swallowed “traditional” culture whole, triggering questions about the arbitrary decisions we make about the relative value of art. And while Washburn’s second act has some delightful moments, such as a choreographed montage of pop songs performed by the entire

cast, the dialogue often seems disconnected and difficult to follow. And a violent event darkens the mood even further. This leads us to the concluding act which takes place in the same location where both the Cape Fear movies end: on a houseboat. And now, the cast of Mr. Burns reappears as Simpsons characters, singing a stiff and moralityladen musical passion play. This is when Megan Elk joins the cast as Simpsons’ school teacher Edna Krabappel, to lend her operatic pipes to the original music composed by Michael Friedman, with lyrics by Washburn. Though one can’t help but be impressed by the degree of risktaking going on here, the third act leap is more engaging in theory than in execution. Even with Thompson acting his socks off as an irradiated and homicidal Mr. Burns, and even with Sumlin doing her best as a singing Bart, this finale feels more mystifying than satisfying. That’s a shame, since gifted director Matthew Wright and the stellar CPT designers throw everything but the kitchen sink at this production. The ideas at work in this play are arresting, even quite stimulating. But the playwright’s reach eventually exceeds her grasp as the play limps to a curiously unaffecting end. But before that, as Homer would say: Woo-hoo! It’s quite a ride.

scene@clevescene.com t@christinehowey Photo by Steve Wagner

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MOVIES

in theaters

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED Ski jump flick Eddie the Eagle is “uplifting” in more ways than one By Sam Allard EDDIE THE EAGLE IS A STORY SO heartwarmingly Disney-tastic you’d think it were produced by Kleenex. In truth, it wasn’t even produced by Disney. But with a soundtrack of saccharine ’80s pop-rock hits and a resounding endorsement of can-do spirit in the face of insurmountable odds (plus Jim Broadbent as an Olympic announcer), you’ll exit the movie theater, having high-fived those in the vicinity and cheered aloud, feeling buoyant and brave. It’s the true story of a Forrest Gump-y blue-collar British kid with Olympic dreams. Played by Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Eddie Edwards wore leg braces since birth. He wears huge glasses, but would be the antithesis of cool even without them. Egerton was cast as the London street kid turned secret agent in Kingsman, and at first he seems to be overplaying Edwards’ goofy underbite and autism-scale sincerity here. But when you see images of the real Edwards, in the closing credits, you’re startled by the resemblance. You wonder, like Eddie’s naysayers in the film do, how on earth that guy made it to the Olympic Games.

If you ask screenwriters Sean Macauley and Simon Kelton, or director Dexter Fletcher (a British actor who also directed 2010’s Wild Bill and 2013’s Sunshine on Leith) the answer is: by sheer force of will, and Hugh Jackman. Eddie turns to ski jumping after training for years to make the British downhill ski team. He’s rejected because he’s not what the British Olympic Committee wants to project on a world stage. Undeterred, Eddie travels to Germany to learn how to ski jump in a matter of months. There, he receives reluctant pointers from a washed-up American ski jumper (Hugh Jackman) who’s now a groundskeeper for the training facility. Jackman’s Bronson Peary is Eddie’s opposite: all natural talent, but no respect for the game. When Eddie suffers a nasty fall, Peary sees in the young Brit a gemlike resolve he never had and vows to help him qualify for the ’88 Calgary Winter Games. Cue the Hall & Oates training montage! As the movie says explicitly, Eddie’s story is a pure embodiment of the Olympic spirit. Because, after all: “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to

take part; the important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle.” — Pierre de Coubertin, father of the Olympics. The movie is not without its pitfalls. Ski jumping’s a tough sport to capture visually. A jump begins and ends in a matter of seconds, and without endless slo-mo, how do you communicate climactic moments? Closeups of Eddie’s face as he careens down the 70-meter track eliminate the scope and spectacle of the event; and the falls, when they arrive, early and often, are all CGI. Eddie’s parents play like parodies — the overly supportive mother, the one-note father who thinks his son’s dreams are a joke (wanna bet he changes his

mind?) — and peripheral characters, Christopher Walken among them, who arrive only, it would seem, to have their first impressions invalidated. As a movie, it’s far more interested in being uplifting than it is with probing the nuances of individual characters. The film is rated PG-13 “for some suggestive material.” Hugh Jackman does his best Meg Ryan impression as he makes love to Bo Derek in his mind. But this one’s an otherwisegentle family comedy with quirk and charm and a big, simple heart.

sallard@clevescene.com t@SceneSallard

SPOTLIGHT: 808 ALEXANDER NOYER, ONE OF THE PRODUCERS BEHIND THE documentary film 808, which screens at 7 p.m. this Friday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, was having lunch one day with Arthur Baker, who produced “Planet Rock,” a seminal track with Afrika Bambaataa in the early ’80s, when the two began discussing their love of music. At that moment, Noyer says a “light bulb” went off in his head, and he decided that he and Baker would make 808, a documentary about the untold story of how the Roland TR-808 drum machine changed the course of music history. “At that lunch, we shared our taste for 808 bass music,” Noyer says via phone from his Los Angeles home. “I had thought this would have made a great film. I started to follow up on that idea. I had just finished a project on the New York art scene. 808 sounded like a great idea, and I decided to take it on. I went back to the office and talked to Alex Dunn about directing it. He stepped up to the project.” Featuring appearances and commentary from the likes of Pharrell, Beastie Boys, David Guetta, Phil Collins, Rick Rubin, Lil Jon, Afrika Bambaataa, Questlove, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Diplo and Goldie, the movie shows how the instrument continues to be discovered and rediscovered by each generation of musicians, whether they play electronic dance music or hip-hop or rock. One challenge: How to construct a narrative about an instrument? “We all had different backgrounds and taste in music,” says Noyer.

“We had Arthur Baker onboard who had his own experience. Alex used to DJ drum and bass and he had a strong background in that. Luke Bainbridge, who co-wrote the film, came from Manchester, so he had the acid house. I grew up in France and had a heavy influence of house music as well as a limitless passion for hip-hop. It turned into an interesting conversation. It sounded like an insurmountable list of things we needed to cover. Trying to put together a storyline was quite tricky.” Originally, the team shot nearly six hours of footage after conducting more than 50 interviews. They then whittled all that down to a manageable 90 minutes. It’s a fascinating bit of filmmaking that shows how the instrument continues to re-emerge throughout the decades. “The [Roland 808’s] sound is so peculiar,” says Noyer, who bought one of the instruments in the wake of making the movie. “It didn’t sound like a drum. Not sounding like a drum made it sound like an 808, and that made it a signature sound. Just like certain pianos and violins and guitars have a standout sound, this machine didn’t do what it was supposed to do in a beautiful way. It turned out to make this weird sound that sounded otherworldly. It made people feel like they were a step closer to Kraftwerk, even though Kraftwerk didn’t use the 808. It comes back in popularity because that sound, in being so unique, doesn’t age. It’s just such a cool sound.” — Jeff Niesel | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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EAT KOSHER DELIGHTS Kantina raises the bar for kosher food in Cleveland By Douglas Trattner Siegel notes, but until recently the kosher meal plan consisted of frozen and reheated foods brought in from a kosher caterer and served in an aging building. Kantina is located in the newly renovated Albert and Norma Geller Hillel Student Center, a bright and glassy building in the heart of University Circle. To help carry out those quality-

Saggi has a way with falafel ($6.99). The crunchy, golden brown discs are layered into a long bun with a Mediterranean-style chopped vegetable relish, creamy tahini sauce, and a Yemenite relish. Also crispy and delicious, a pounded chicken schnitzel sandwich ($8.99) comes with all the fixings. Kantina, which opened in January, is rolling out in stages. This first phase features an all-day “bistro” menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers served in a fast-casual setup. On Sunday, March 6, the restaurant will debut Cleveland’s first and only kosher brunch buffet with items like challah french toast, made-

Photos by Emanuel Wallace

ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE of diners will appreciate the significance of the circle-wrapped K in the restaurant name Kantina, but to those in the know the symbol is meaningful. It indicates that the restaurant is kosher, and as such it complies with the strict set of Jewish dietary laws that the designation requires.

Cleveland diners who elect to eat kosher, but also to anybody else looking for a fresh, simple meal made from scratch using quality ingredients. Israeli-born chef Ran Saggi weaves together Middle Eastern and American staples on the concise menu. Bright, fresh and wholesome salads like the Apple and Beet ($6.99) with soyhoney vinaigrette and the Quinoa and Arugula ($7.99) with balsamic dressing not only are tasty ways to kickstart a meal, they’re very likely the cleanest greens in the city. “Bugs aren’t kosher,” Bromberg says, not at all joking. All lettuces are soaked, agitated, and scrutinized

House-formed burger

Kantina isn’t Cleveland’s first kosher restaurant, but it is Cleveland’s newest one. It also is the most contemporary of the genre, one typically filled with — in this market anyway — modest catering kitchens and unassuming delis set within walking distance to Orthodox synagogues. Kantina is different for a number of reasons, but most notably for its location on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. “The Jewish student population at the university has been growing, and one of the objectives with this restaurant is to have a kosher option that was quality-based,” explains Harvey Siegel, past president of the Cleveland Hillel Foundation, which helps Jewish students at local schools celebrate their Judaism. “One of the prime objectives was making this a home away from home where the students feel comfortable.” It’s estimated that 12 to 15 percent of each entering class is Jewish,

Falafel sandwich

based goals, the Cleveland Hillel Foundation reached out to a Jewish restaurant owner named Seth Bromberg, who also runs District in Playhouse Square and two local Melting Pot locations. “It was a modern-day Fiddler on the Roof story; it was a shidduch,” says Bromberg, referring to the ageold system of matchmaking within the Orthodox community. “They

multiple times to verify that they are in fact bug-free and thereby kosher. Kantina’s hearty Cobb salad ($9.99) doesn’t feature the customary blue cheese — dairy ain’t kosher in the company of meat — but it does come with hard-cooked eggs, sliced chicken, ripe avocado, a mountain of mixed greens and a fresh-baked roll. Fat, house-formed beef burgers ($8.99) come topped with — no, not

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needed a food service provider and mentioned it to someone who knew me and they made the introduction.” Apart from Friday night Shabbat dinners and High Holidays, Kantina is open to the public. The restaurant will appeal to the sizeable sector of

cheese — but lettuce, tomato, onion and “saggi sauce,” a sweet and spicy aioli. Other burgers come gilded with cole slaw and barbecue sauce. All are tucked into a house-made bun and paired with sides like house-cut fries, rice pilaf or Israeli salad.

to-order omelets and meat carving stations. On Monday, May 16, the restaurant will open for full-service dinner with an all-new menu starring fish, pasta and steaks. Despite the fact that many of the packaged foods we buy on a regular basis are kosher — marked as such by those omnipresent “K”s and “U”s — most shoppers and diners (including Jewish ones) have no clear understanding of the concept. It’s an issue that owner Seth Bromberg understands and is happy to clear up. “It’s hard for us to explain who we are, what kind of food we’re serving, how we’re serving it, and the fashion that we’re serving it,” says Bromberg, who grew up in a kosher home. “But everything is made from scratch using fresh ingredients that just so happen to be kosher.”

dtrattner@clevescene.com t @dougtrattner | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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Pranzo in Willoughby has its roots in Little Italy By Nikki Delamotte THE REGION’S MOST EXCITING 10-by-10-foot kitchen may be attached to the back of Pranzo (4066 Erie St., 440-946-7827, pranzowilloughby. com) in Willoughby. Like much of the restaurant, the addition was built by owner Alfio Pinzone. One third of the space is claimed by a wood-fire oven, also built by Pinzone, and another third is dedicated to a fresh pasta station operated by chef Dan Chin. That leaves just a few square feet in which Pinzone, Chin and chef Frank Iacobucci devise and test recipes. Tucked away from the main kitchen, they operate on intuition, a second sense for Italian cuisine passed down through generations. In the summer, guests on the back patio can watch the chefs’ palpable synergy in action. Any questions about how the food is made are answered before their eyes. “It’s entertainment for the people!” says Chin between cranking out and chopping pasta. Like their summer patio spectacle, Pranzo is more about showing than telling. Maybe part of that is the food’s natural simplicity, where working off a feeling is often inherited instinct. “Italian food, ultimately, is using very simple ingredients and letting them speak for themselves,” says Iacobucci. Both Pinzone and Iacobucci refer to Little Italy’s Murray Hill where they grew up as “the neighborhood,” but they wouldn’t cross paths for another two decades. Pinzone, whose family hailed from Sicily, identifies more with southern Italian cooking while Iacobucci is influenced by the north. But the differences end at “pranzo,” the name given to the main meal in Italy. “Sunday was the most important

day of the week,” remembers Pinzone. “You had to be home and you would cook all day. We never had bread from the store, we never had pasta from the store. Fruits and vegetables came from the garden.” His family ran the Mayfield Pizza and Deli until it became Porcelli’s Ristorante. During his teenage years, Pinzone worked for the new owners, who adopted a handful of his father’s recipes. At the time same, he was learning traditional Italian cooking by way of the family from Rome. Iacobucci too had cooking in his blood. His relatives owned Iacobucci Market and Fiocca Bakery. Pinzone first opened Pranzo on Vine Street, but Burgers-NBeer owner Doug Ciancibello persuaded him to consider downtown Willoughby. He found an empty storefront and, putting his construction background to use, completely renovated it. “He built all this with his bare hands,” says Iacobucci. “He laid the floor, he poured the concrete.” Today, Pranzo takes the same approach to its food. All pasta and sauce is made in-house. The signature pappardelle caprese pasta combines fresh mozzarella, garlic, tomato, basil and olive oil. A popular lobster dish features pasta ribbons and whole lobster tail in a sauce made from lobster stock, heavy cream and a little Prosecco. Historical photos of Little Italy line the wall of the dining room, such as a sepia-toned 1938 shot of crowds gathering after Mass. “I don’t feel like I’m carrying on a legacy,” says Pinzone. “I feel like it’s my duty.”

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BACK IN JUNE WE BROKE THE news that Ligali’s Bistro in Tremont was closing after 15 months and that veteran restaurant operator John McDonnell had purchased the property. McDonnell’s culinary CV stretches back to the wonderful Fulton

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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Bar and Grill in Ohio City, now the site of Momocho. Since then, McDonnell has operated Tartine Bistro in Rocky River, which was voted Scene’s Best New Restaurant when it opened in 2008. Since purchasing the property, McDonnell has been hard at work fixing many of the issues that have plagued a long line of previous operators, including Ligali’s, Porcelli’s, Bistro on Lincoln Park and Sage Bistro. All were stymied by a layout that included a cramped, ill-arranged barroom and Siberia-like dining room in an adjacent building. Merchant Street Provisions & Eatery, as the project is now being called, will feature a 50-seat bistro on one side and a gourmet foods market in the adjoining space. That market will be the first portion of the operation to open, says executive chef Heather Campbell, adding that it could be open within a month. “It’s coming together as a really interesting space,” says Campbell, who once ran Dish Global Deli in Ohio City, now the current home of Orale Mexican Kitchen. “People who have been popping by are excited that this space in particular, the market space, is going to be utilized.” The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., most likely, and will stock all manner of fine foods, including grab-and-go prepared foods

like soups, salads and sandwiches, many of them vegetarian and veganfriendly. The shop will stock staples like beer, wine, pasta sauces, olive oil and some produce, plus charcuterie and cheese. Next door, the bistro space is being completely gutted and rebuilt. A rear wall separating the dining room and a portion of the kitchen was removed, increasing the footprint. The bar, once facing that back wall, is being repositioned to the right-hand side of the room. “You should not have your back to this great view,” Campbell says of the park view just outside the expansive front windows. The new layout will offer seating for about 50 guests at the bar, on new banquettes and in a pair of roomy booths. The original centrally located front door will be enlarged and brought back into service, providing better flow and energy than the side door that was long in use. When it opens in early summer, the bistro will focus on what McDonnell calls Cal-Med food — shorthand for California-Mediterranean themed fare. Diners can look forward to dishes inspired by those found in Barcelona, the south of France, and Northern Italy, he says. Pre-opening pop-up wine dinners might begin taking place in the market space as soon as in the next couple weeks.

JILL VEDAA TO OPEN RESTAURANT IN FORMER PUG MAHONES SPOT IN LAKEWOOD After 20 years of cooking professionally for other owners, chef Jill Vedaa finally will have the opportunity to open her own restaurant. Along with partner Jessica Parkison, Vedaa will open Salt in Lakewood this summer. “This is the logical next step and it’s my dream,” she says. “It’s very exciting and very nerve wracking, but mostly exciting.” Vedaa has taken over the former Pug Mahones (17621 Detroit Ave.) space, a large triple storefront just

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east of the Beck Center at Detroit and Rockway. Pug Mahones closed approximately six months ago. The team will undertake significant interior modifications to make the space look less like a bar and more like a restaurant. The large bar is being dismantled and will be replaced by a smaller bar and lounge area. A pillared archway separates the lounge from a dining room. All told, the space will seat about 95 guests. Vedaa says that the menu, while early in the planning phase, will be “90-percent small plates with a few entrees and specials.” There will be some traditional Spanish tapas items plus a wide range of Mediterranean-style dishes. “Like my cooking in the past, it’s all influenced by the foods that I like,” she says. Throughout her 20-year career, Vedaa has worked in some of the best restaurants Cleveland has (or had) to offer, including Bohemia, KeKa, Lola, Flying Fig, Rockefeller’s and finally, and presently, Black Pig. All of those amazing positions, she says, have

led her to this very point in her career. “I’m very excited to make my own food again — nothing against anybody I’ve ever worked for,” she says. “This has been in the works for over a year. Once I came from Rockefeller’s, where I had carte blanche to do whatever I wanted to do, I knew that I could never go back to working for somebody else.” Look for Salt to open in June.

RAVING MED, A FAST-CASUAL MIDDLE EASTERN CONCEPT, TO OPEN IN PLAYHOUSE SQUARE It’s been three and a half years since Acapella restaurant closed in the Playhouse Square neighborhood, but the space finally will reopen this March. Restaurant owner Seth Bromberg, who also operates the nearby District (1350 Euclid Ave., 216-858-1000), will open Raving Med, a casual eatery that will specialize in Israeli street-food staples like falafel and shawarma. Bromberg, a frequent visitor to Israel, explains that small falafel and shawarma stands are as common as hot dog carts in urban American cities. Though each operator has his or her own twist on things, all benefit from fresh ingredients

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prepared daily and cooked to order. “This is true, authentic Israeli street food that you would find in any small city throughout the country,” he says. The fast-casual operation will focus on simple, fresh, healthy and delicious foods from throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition to falafel and shawarma, the eatery will concentrate its efforts on myriad bright Middle Eastern-style salads made less with greens than with grains, like lentils, rice and chick peas, and a host of veggies. Falafel not only must be fried to order to be considered fresh, says Bromberg, but the chickpea and herb mixture must be made daily. It will be at Raving Med, as will the house-made pita bread it slides into. The hot and savory falafel balls will be topped with a customer’s choice of some 20 fresh ingredients that include tahini, hummus, schug (Middle Eastern hot sauce), pickled veggies, slaws and salads. Hot and salty hand-cut french fries, a common addition in Israel, also make their way into the falafel sandwiches if desired. The shawarma is a spinning tower of boneless chicken thighs seasoned with herbs and spices like allspice, turmeric, cumin and

cardamom. The meat is shaved off the sides and tucked into a pita like the falafel. Other shawarmas will be made using beef and turkey.

Chicken schnitzel, herb-breaded and fried white meat filets, comprise the third major meat group. Like the falafel and the shawarma, the schnitzel goes into a fresh baked pita with any number of sauces or toppings. With any meat, customers also can ditch the pita and go straight into a bowl with salads. The 1,500-square-foot space will have an open kitchen, a line for ordering, seating for a couple dozen, and an area for grab-and-go foods. Bromberg’s partner in the project is Eric McIntyre.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner “Nick said to make it bigger... have I gone too far?!”

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MUSIC THIS TIME, IT’S PERSONAL

Warren Haynes explores his singer-songwriter impulses on his new album By Jeff Niesel WHEN WE SPOKE WITH SINGERguitarist Warren Haynes back in 2013 to preview his appearance in town with Gov’t Mule, the jam band he fronts, he admitted he had a wealth of ideas he’d like to try out the next time he was in the studio. “I want to make a record more centered around acoustic instruments and more of a singer-songwriter record,” he said at the time. “I want to make a blues record and a jazzinfluenced record.” Just last year, he finally got around to making Ashes & Dust, the singersongwriter album he said he hoped to make. It’s a terrific collection of folk and bluegrass-y tunes that show off his songwriting abilities. Unlike any other project in his decades-long career, the album shows Haynes range as a musician. “If someone wasn’t familiar with my solo acoustic performances, they might be surprised by it,” says Haynes via phone from his New York home. “Those who have heard my solo acoustic shows will see how it’s an extension of that. It’s coming from a singer-songwriter direction but with a lot of playing as well. The songs are all connected by the fact that they’re folk songs for lack of a better description. I’ve been writing songs in this sort of direction my entire life. I’ve accumulated more songs in this direction than in any other, but it’s such a departure from what people expect from me.” He says the initial concept for the album dates back several years. “I was going to do a record with Levon Helm and Leon Russell and a bass player named T-Bone Wolk,” he explains. “We were going to record at Levon’s studio. Some of these songs would have been on that record. T-Bone passed away and then Levon passed away, and the record never happened. I turned around and made Man in Motion, which was my soulmusic-meets-blues record, and then we made another Gov’t Mule record, Shout! Then I revisited these songs and had written a few more songs in the interim, so it seemed like the next step.” The songs started as demos that Haynes performed without any accompaniment. The deluxe version

Photo by Press Here Publicity

Singer-guitarist Warren Haynes finally got around to making a singer-songwriter album.

of the album features several of those demos. “Yeah, there’s a different vibe to the demos,” says Haynes. “These

are songs that are written that way. They’re written on an acoustic guitar and they’re songs that I can sit around and play. They come across that way,

but it was nice to work up full band versions to see how they grew and allow room for some improvisation.” When it came time to work up the full band versions of the tunes, Haynes recruited the guys from the bluegrass/jam act Railroad Earth to back him. Even though he had demos of the songs, he didn’t play the pre-recorded versions for the guys. Instead, he would play the song in the studio the morning they planned to record, and the band would learn it on the spot. “We didn’t rely on demos,” he says. “The recording process was a little different. I talked to the guys in advance about it and they were cool with it. We decided to forgo the whole rehearsal process and go straight into the studio. Each morning, I would show them a song they never heard. We’d work out the arrangement and record it. If it felt good, we’d move on to another song they never heard. That’s the way the entire process went.” Album opener “Is It Me or You,” a dirge that features Haynes raspy voice and a touch of banjo, is the oldest song in the bunch. “I’ve always wanted to record it, but it’s a very personal song, and I felt like it never fit into any of the projects we were doing,” says Haynes. “When we worked it up for this, it seemed perfect and felt like how I had written it in the first place. I was glad we were able to include it.” Some of the songs — namely “Coal Tattoo” and “Company Man” — address labor issues. Haynes says that it’s in keeping with the folk genre. “‘Company Man’ is about my father, and it’s a true story,” he says. “He worked for a company for 23 years and they shut down in the Southeast, and he was given the choice of relocating to another part of the world or starting over. He chose to start over. It’s a very typical Southern story. ‘Coal Tattoo’ is timely now because of the coal mining issue, which is as controversial as it’s ever been. I feel like it fit in with the rest of the songs and the messages. There are a few political messages here and there, but I look at it as folk music, and that’s a lot of what folk music is.” Another highlight: Haynes and

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

MUSIC country pop singer Grace Potter team up for a spirited, bluegrass-y rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman.” “Grace [Potter] and I have done it on stage several times through the years,” says Haynes. “Never thought about recording it until I was making Ashes & Dust, and it occurred to me that it might sound really good with this Celtic instrumentation. We put a different slant on it with mandolin, an upright bass and fiddle. I called Grace and she was into it, so we decided to do it.” For “Hallelujah Road,” a ballad about the afterlife, Haynes & Co. worked up a trippy intro that they cut at midnight in the attempt to capture some of that early morning magic. “I wanted to capture that feeling that happens when musicians are playing late at night with an unfiltered attitude,” says Haynes. “I wanted it to be very conversational with no repeating patterns. Right as we were about to record it, I just said, ‘Think Astral Weeks,’ which is the Van Morrison record, and everyone knew exactly what I was talking about. That’s the only seed that was planted for that intro. We did it three times — I like to do things in threes — and each version has a different spacey intro and we didn’t even listen to it that night. We came back the

opportunity.” Haynes says that his influences as a songwriter, musician and singer all come from different places, contributing to the eclectic nature of his music. “I was originally inspired by soul music — James Brown and Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett and the Four Tops and the Temptations,” he says. “Then, my oldest brother brought home a Sly and the Family Stone record. That started building this bridge toward Jimi Hendrix. When I heard Hendrix and Cream and Johnny Winter, that’s what made me want to play guitar. From listening to people like BB King and Ray Charles, I was also inspired to want to play and sing equally well. When I heard people who were really good at doing both, that’s where my head was. I started writing songs at an early age so I always concentrated equally on songwriting and singing and guitar playing. They’re all influenced by different directions. My group of favorite songwriters is different than my group of favorite guitar players and singers. I’ve always been someone who’s listened to a lot of music.” For the current tour, he’s put together the Ashes & Dust Band to bring the songs from the album to life.

WARREN HAYNES AND THE ASHES & DUST BAND 7 P.M. , FRIDAY, FEB. 26, HOUSE OF BLUES, 308 EUCLID AVE. 216-523-2583. TICKETS: $27.50-$39.50, HOUSEOFBLUES.COM

next night and we chose the one we thought was best.” Haynes originally started as a singer. Then, at age 12, he picked up the guitar. In addition to Gov’t Mule, his career includes a 25-year stint with the Allman Brothers Band. “I always tell people if I could choose a band that I grew up listening to that I could join, the Allman Brothers would be at the top of the list,” he says. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to join an institution like that. More so based on the music we made and the fact that they brought me up as a songwriter and a singer. The Allman Brothers is one of those bands that can’t function with core members out front and backup musicians behind them. It has to be situation where on the stage it’s an equal playing field. Being brought into that was an amazing

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

“It’s my friend Jeff Sipe who’s one of my favorite drummers, and there’s a trio called Chessboxer that was recommended to me by Bela Fleck,” he says when asked about the makeup of the band. “I checked their stuff out and we started playing some music together and it was a great fit. We added one of the guys’ brothers who’s a multi-instrumentalist, so it’s me and five other musicians. The repertoire and performances are a little more high energy and retrospective and representative of my entire career than just Ashes & Dust. We’re doing stuff from Ashes & Dust, but we’re doing other stuff and doing a different take on it. It’s a great band, and it’s been really fun.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

308 EUCLID AVE. CLEVELAND, OH 44114 216.523.BLUE Complete listing at houseofblues.com/cleveland

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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MUSIC

A ROCK ’N’ ROLL RINGMASTER

Alt-country icon Dan Baird brings his grunge-y supergroup Homemade Sin to the Beachland By Matt Wardlaw BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, DAN Baird may not be the world’s best vocalist. But when legendary Rolling Stones sax man Bobby Keys tapped Baird to handle lead vocals in his band a few years ago, he told him that he was the perfect choice. “I asked him, I said, ‘Don’t you want a better singer?’” Baird recalls during a recent phone conversation from his Nashville home. “He went, ‘Hell no, man! I get some guy in there singing on key, my horn’s gonna sound flat!’ So we agreed it was a good thing!” It was a gig that he wouldn’t forget. “My god. He seriously was Yosemite Sam that could play the shit out of a saxophone,” the former Georgia Satellites singer says with a chuckle. “The madder and/or more inebriated he got, the more ‘Texas’ he got. It was periodically quite the source of humor. He was Texas-sized.” The chance to play with Keys came about when the notoriously colorful horn man, who had been living in Tennessee since the ’90s, decided to put together a band to play songs from the incredible catalog of music that he had been associated with. After a false start with other players, guitarist Chark Kinsolving began to assemble the lineup that eventually included Baird, Black Crowes’ drummer Steve Gorman and several others. The setlist featured a good chunk of Stones favorites, including some of Keys’ signature moments, like “Bitch,” plus songs he had recorded with other artists like “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” (John Lennon), “The Wanderer” (Dion) and “What Is Life” (George Harrison). That was just scratching the surface, as Baird points out. “We didn’t do any [Harry] Nilsson songs. We didn’t do ‘Photograph’ by Ringo. There was a batch of tunes that we could have done.” But it was an opportunity that no one who was involved was about to miss out on. “We all went, ‘Playing with Bobby Keys? Yeah!’ Everybody had the exact same reaction. Then we went down and did a rehearsal at a little club,

Douglas Corner, and I will tell you the story,” Baird says with an audible grin. “We’re in there and Bobby’s called up, he’s going to be running a few minutes late. So we decided to delve into some of the songs [while we were waiting]. We ran ‘Live with Me,’ I think, and just familiarized ourselves. I think that the second or third song was ‘The Letter,’ and he came in right at the top and his horn was still in its case and stuff. He gave the finger [signal], ‘Keep going, keep going.’” After playing gigs in the Nashville area, Keys took the band out on tour for a few short runs before he passed away in late 2014. The Beachland Ballroom got one of the dates in October 2012, and it was a memorable evening of songs and stories. “That’s when he had really started hitting his stride,” Baird says, remembering the Beachland gig. “The only thing that was weird to him was to be standing front and center. It’s just like, ‘There’s a whole lot of racket up there, ain’t there, Bobby?’ [Laughs] It’s just kind of like, welcome to singerland! There’s just nothing but racket in the front and center of the stage and he’s always been a wingman. It’s a lot more controllable out there.” Baird will be right in the middle of the racket at the Beachland on March 1 with his current band, Homemade Sin — a powerhouse group that finds him paired with Jason & the Scorchers

which if you knew me, that would make you just laugh out loud,” he says. “I am not quite Pigpen from the Peanuts comics, but not that far away either. I’m kind of a ramshackle guy. But it was like, ‘Okay, nobody else is going to do this. You’ve got to do this.’ Up until mix, I was the guy. I had no practical experience in mixing, [but] I had enough practical experience in sticking a mic in front of a cabinet and moving it another inch or two this way or that way and we built an isolation box, got a stepdown transformer and attenuator and used big old amps and cut ’em real quiet. It weren’t real hard.” The band recorded “Get Loud” and “Silver Little Lies” together in Sweden. “I knew that we needed to be in the same room,” Baird says. “I knew that Mauro, our drummer, would not believe that that wocka wocka had to happen in ‘Get Loud’ that many times — that exact fill. It’s seven or eight

DAN BAIRD AND HOMEMADE SIN, THE JACK FORDS 8 P.M., TUESDAY, MARCH 1, BEACHLAND TAVERN, 15711 WATERLOO RD., 216-383-1124. TICKETS: $15 ADV, $18 DOS, BEACHLANDBALLROOM.COM

guitarist Warner E Hodges, former Satellites drummer Mauro Magellan and bassist Micke Nilsson. The band is out on a rare set of U.S. tour dates supporting Get Loud, its recently released third studio album. With the exception of a couple of tracks, Baird and the members of Homemade Sin used Pro Tools and the power of the Internet to assemble the new record. “I was kind of the ringmaster,

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

times in the song and drummers, if they do the same fill over and over again, they start feeling guilty or weird. But it’s like, ‘No man, that’s the one that’s needed.’ It’s as much a part of the song as anything else. ‘Silver Little Lies,’ because of its dirge-y quality, a little eye contact goes a long way on that. The rest of it that we did, I would put together a demo of the song that had robot drums, a bass line, two guitars at least and a vocal.”

Dan Baird and the motley crew he calls Homemade Sin.

Listening to Get Loud, there’s no question that Baird and company were able to figure everything out just fine, and he’s quite satisfied with the results. “I think we had probably two or three songs on the first two records that possibly shouldn’t have been there,” he says. “They were kind of half-baked songs that we were hoping were better than they were. With [Get Loud], we found that we can go play all 11 songs live. There’s nothing that we wish we had back. Every time I hear ‘Get Loud,’ the recorded version, I go, ‘Man, we should have done that just a little bit quicker.’ And I start listening to it and go, ‘No man, that groove is mean. If we speed it up any more, it doesn’t get mean.’” He says he has the same feeling about the swaggering Stones-y ballad “Don’t Be Wastin’ My Time.” “I was going, ‘If you sped it up a little bit, it would be “Nights of Mystery” all over again,’” he says. “Don’t do that — leave it nice and slow. Some notes got tuned, believe me. But it wasn’t a meticulous process. If it makes you stop while you’re listening to it, tune it. If it doesn’t make you stop, let it go. ‘Nothing Left to Lose,’ the second verse there, that’s just not in tune, but it sounds great. You can just hear me caterwauling. But it just sounds like rock. It’s fine.”

scene@clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

Photo by Sacks & Co.

MUSIC Ron Pope turned band rehearsal into a self-titled album.

GROOVE IS IN HIS HEART

Singer-guitarist Ron Pope draws upon his Southern roots for his new album By Jeff Niesel GROWING UP IN GEORGIA, singer-guitarist Ron Pope found that he was “near all the music that influenced everything.” “If you wanted to drive to the fields where Muddy Waters picked cotton or where Robert Johnson sold his soul or if you wanted to go to Dr. John’s house or go to Memphis to see where Otis recorded, all that stuff is right there,” he says via phone from Nashville, where he runs a small record label. “Little Richard and Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers are from Macon. Tom Petty is from North Florida. All these things intersect.” And that’s not to mention the country, gospel and folk music that comes from the South. “American music that influenced the rest of the world is from this tiny space,” he says. “Loving the blues and loving country music, that’s a delightful thing. Levon Helm talks about folk and country and R&B, and he has said if you put a good strong back beat behind it then you have rock ’n’ roll. In my mind, that’s the best part of growing up in the South. Dr. John or Otis Redding or Muddy Waters or the Allmans or the Carter Family are all part of the same continuum.” Pope distills that continuum on his new self-titled album, an album that reflects his various influences and shows off his narrative-based songwriting. The album actually

came together on a whim. A singersongwriter who’s toured and recorded on his own for years, Pope sought to follow up a successful 2014 tour with an even bigger tour. So he started calling his musician friends to see if they might be available. Normally, they’re too busy to commit to a tour. But he had a stroke of good luck and found that he could get everyone who was on his wish list. “These guys are busy dudes,” he says. “I started calling them and I don’t know if the universe decided it would work this time. I had no intentions of starting a band or making a new album. Once I had the other six guys in place, I realized they’re all incredible singers. It’s like being in a choir only everyone has a beard and wears lots

should record an album. We went to Georgia with the intention of me making another solo album and then going on this tour, and that was going to be it. When we got there, my friend, who is a world-renowned engineer and producer, came with us. He’s an incredibly talented dude. He came to record us. You could feel that we were becoming a band as we were doing this. Everyone was contributing to song arrangements and everyone was getting along really well.” He describes his bandmates, the Nighthawks, as “the best I’ve ever seen at what they do.” “I’ve seen them on stage in other bands and sometimes you see Andrew Pertes, our bass player, playing and he’s so much better than every

RON POPE + THE NIGHTHAWKS, JONATHAN TYLER, TRUETT 9 P.M., WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24, BEACHLAND BALLROOM, 15711 WATERLOO RD. 216-383-1124. TICKETS: $15-$65, BEACHLANDBALLROOM.COM

of denim. I thought I should write something with big harmonies.” In Los Angeles with a few days off, he started writing songs with the band in mind. First, he wrote the soulful “White River Junction,” a Southern rock-inspired tune that features harmony vocals and gritty guitars. “Then, I wrote another song,” he says. “I started writing and I had all these dudes. I started to think we

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

other person in this band,” he says. “Everyone in this band has been in that position. In this band, they come together and they’re like an all-star team. It was like falling in love. It’s like nothing else I ever experienced but finding true love. It’s like this is the place I’ve belonged my whole life. That’s how it became a band and this became the debut release for us. We just naturally transitioned into this

thing. For me, it’s been a revelation. I look to my left and this guy is a monster and I look to my right and that guy is a monster. We love to challenge each other on stage.” Critics have compared Pope to Springsteen, and Pope admits he’s flattered to hear those comparisons. “I always felt a kinship because he sort of did what I did,” he says. “He was a rock band guy and then went to New York and did the Village folk scene thing. He said the difference between him and everyone else who came out of Greenwich Village holding an acoustic guitar playing folk music was that when the lights went out, he could take out his Telecaster and burn the building to the ground. When people come to see my band and know my earliest work from the demos I made and I’m two hours into my set and I’m playing the guitar behind my head and pouring out sweat, it’s a little bit of a revelatory experience to some people. That’s one of the fun parts of the tour: It’s good to inform people about who I am. The band I’m in is the kind of ensemble that makes you want to get up and dance. I love a great story song and I like making people be quiet, but I have more fun making people get loud.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

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SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. FOR FREE, CONFIDENTIAL HELP 24/7, CALL THE OHIO PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE AT 1.800.598.9966 | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

LIVEWIRE

all the live music you should see this week Photo courtesy of Sub Pop

WED

2/24

El Ten Eleven: 8:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. Grog Shop. Jucifer/Contra/Pillars: Husband and wife duo Jucifer deserve some kind of award for sheer determination. For the past 20 years, the stoner rock group has toured eight months out of the year (and regularly includes a Cleveland date on its itinerary). Three years ago, they came through town on the aptly named “Twenty Years of Slaying Ears” tour, a tour that simultaneously celebrated their long legacy and the reissue of 1994’s Nadir, a 5-song EP that commences with “Prime,” an ominous sounding track that features whispered vocals and distorted guitars. Last year, they released District of Dystopia, another fantastic album of heavy guitar riffs and parched vocals. (Jeff Niesel) 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Now That’s Class. Stephen Kellogg & the SouthWestNorthEast/Liz Longley: 7:30 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Mister F./Cat’s Meow/JoJo Stella: 8 p.m., $5 ADV, $8 DOS. Beachland Tavern. 10 X 3 Hosted by Brent Kirby (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. The 10 X 3 Songwriter/Band Showcase Hosted by Jason Meyers: 8 p.m., free. Musica. Born of Osiris/Veil of Maya/After the Burial/Erra/Bad Omens: 6 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora Ballroom. Cool Cats Variety Show: 8 p.m., $5. Bop Stop. Cliff Habian: 7 p.m., free. BLU Jazz+. Hop Along/Meridian/Lowercase Roses: 8:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. Grog Shop. Peggy and Brad/Jerry and Bob and Megan: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Ron Pope + the Nighthawks/ Jonathan Tyler/Truett: 8 p.m., $15$65. Beachland Ballroom. The Wailers/Carlos Jones & the PLUS Band: 8 p.m., $26.50 ADV, $29.50 DOS. The Kent Stage.

THU

2/25

David Bromberg/Charlie Mosbrook: Singer-songwriter David Bromberg listened to rock ’n’ roll as a teenager before discovering Pete Seeger, the Weavers and Reverend Gary Davis.

p.m., $17 ADV, $19 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Baltimore rock duo Beach House comes to the House of Blues. See: Monday.

He studied guitar at age 13 and eventually enrolled in Columbia University as a musicology major. He became part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the mid-’60s and played the Village “basket houses” for tips, the occasional paying gig, and employment as a backing musician for Tom Paxton, Jerry Jeff Walker and Rosalie Sorrels, among others. He’s currently touring behind Only Slightly Mad, an album that features blues, bluegrass, gospel, folk, Irish fiddle tunes and pop. (Niesel) 7:30 p.m., $30 ADV, $35 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Nathan-Paul Davis: Nathan-Paul Davis, a local musician who plays sax with the Akron funk/soul band the Admirables, launches a residency tonight with this concert. He says he’ll mainly play original music and will invite local acts to sit in on a few tunes too. The Admirables came together a few years back when singer Wesley Bright (of the equally awesome Akron-based traditional soul group Wesley Bright and the Hi-Lites) asked Davis to put together a group to play Soul Shakedown for Wesley, a special birthday party. At the time, Davis thought it would be a one-time thing. But the group carried on past that night and continues to be a force on the local scene. Davis says

FRI

he sees the Euclid Tavern residency as a way to extend the success he’s already had on the local scene. The residency will take place on the last Thursday of every month and is tentatively slated to continue through June. (Niesel) 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Vicki Chew/Matt Harmon: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Greener Grounds/Tweed/Yosemight: 8:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Chris Hatton’s Musical Circus (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Roger Hoover: 9 p.m., free. Happy Dog. Hot Djang with Nan O’Malley: 8 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Jam Night with the Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Brothers Lounge. Master T.C. & the Visitors (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club. Molly McFadden Quartet: 8 p.m., $10. BLU Jazz+. Michael O’s To The Max: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop. North Avenue Stompers/Madison Crawl/The Light Lines: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Rebel Bass: 6 p.m., $15. The Agora Theatre. Where’s the Band Tour with Chris Conley/Dan Adriano/Matt Pryor/ Anthony Raneri/Andy Jackson: 8

2/26

Aaron Civil War and the Brave Girls/The Greaves/The Flannigan Brothers: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Blond Boy Grunt and the Groans/ Mark Freeman: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Breakfast Club: 9:30 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge. Bungler/Misgiver/We Were Kids/ Motives/Near Death (in the Locker Room): 7 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Cabin Fever Meltdown: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. The Kent Stage. Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Live Recording: 8 p.m., $25. Bop Stop. Jesse Cook: 8 p.m., $35. Trinity Cathedral. Linda Dachtyl Quartet Featuring Eddie Bayard: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Dead Ahead: 10 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern. Jenn Grinels: 8 p.m., $12. Musica. Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band: 7 p.m., $27.50 ADV, $30 DOS. House of Blues. Motorhead Tribute with Gluttons/ The Great Iron Snake/Motorboat/45 Spider: 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Motown Night with Moss Stanley and Nitebridge (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $10. Music Box Supper Club. Ellis Paul: 7 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Thor Platter (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Pouya/Buffet Boys/Suicide Boy$: 6 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Agora Ballroom. John Raymond & Real Feels CD Release: 7 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+. Rebel Bass: 6 p.m., $15. The Agora Theatre. Rolling Stones Tribute Performed by Satisfaction: 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. That ’80s Band: 9 p.m., $5. Vosh Club. Third Day/Brandon Heath: 7 p.m., $21-$78. Canton Civic Center. Toneshift: 10 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern.

SAT

2/27

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

Imaginary Man, which he recorded with producer Eric Masse at the Casino studio, singer-songwriter Rayland Baxter decided he didn’t want to be pushed “into the corner of singer-songwriter American band.” So he tried to emphasize the funky side of his sound. A song such as “Mr. Rodriguez” features some fuzzy guitar tones and cooing backing vocals. It’s a tribute to Detroitbased singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, the subject of Searching for Sugarman. Expect to hear it alongside a slew of the album’s tunes at tonight’s show. (Niesel) 8:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Lotus/Michal Menert: 7 p.m., $22 ADV, $25 DOS. House of Blues. The Ohio Weather Band CD Release/ Seafair/John Patrick & the Outside Voices: 8 p.m., $10. Musica. A Tribute to David Bowie by Burnt Sugar Arkestra: 8 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. 30th Anniversary: The Breeze/Wild Oats Band: 8:30 p.m., $15. Tangier Cabaret. The Michael Austin Project: 8 p.m., $20. Akron Civic Theatre. Blue Lunch: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Dryjacket/Safe to Say/Watermedown (in the Locker Room): 7 p.m., $10. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Friendship Commander/Beach Glass: 9 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. Sam Hooper Group: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. I See Stars/Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!/Get Scared/Playe Royale/ White Noise: 6 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Agora Ballroom. Instrumental Songwriters in the Round: 4 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. The Jimmy Jack Band: 9:30 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge. Mo’ Mojo (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. The Moxies/Window Dogs/Call Your Shot/Front Porch Lights: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Rebel Bass: 6 p.m., $15. The Agora Theatre. Sounds of Jazz featuring Nancy Redd (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Tom Stahl/City Limits: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Tri-C JazzFest Soundworks: 8 p.m., $15. BLU Jazz+. Tricky Dick & the Cover-Ups: 9:30 p.m., $5. Vosh Club.

Village Bicycle/Munin: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown.

SUN

2/28

Cyrille Aimee: 9:30 p.m., $25. BLU Jazz+. Ballinloch (in the Supper Club): 4 p.m., free. Music Box Supper Club. Beech Creeps/Obnox/Chomp: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Finish Ticket/Vinyl Theatre (in the Cambridge Room): 7:30 p.m., $17 ADV, $20 DOS. House of Blues. Gluttons/Earth Chief/Deathcrawl/ Toro Blanco: 9 p.m., $8. Grog Shop. Brent Kirby: 3 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Anthony Lovano’s Supernatural Band: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. The Roaring 420s/Trios: 8:30 p.m., $8. Beachland Tavern. Time Canvas: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop. The WinterStar Ball featuring Burning Sage: 11 a.m., free. Beachland Ballroom.

MON

2/29

Beach House: After a long string of biennial releases, Baltimore’s Beach House took an extra year off after 2012’s Bloom. The result was a huge surprise for fans: two albums released just two months apart in late 2015. The band didn’t throw any curve balls with the contents of Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars. Live, it’s a performance by shadows, as band members Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand hide in front of colorful backlighting. The music lends itself well to the immersive, communal concert experience. (Bethany Kaufman) 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $28 DOS. House of Blues. Skatch Anderssen Orchestra: 8 p.m., $10. Brothers Lounge. Chicago: 7 p.m., $59.50-$89.50. Packard Music Hall. Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

TUE

3/1

Dark Star Orchestra: 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. House of Blues. Dan Baird and the Homemade Sin/ The Jack Fords: 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Two-Set Tuesday Featuring Alan Mazur: 7 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

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& THE LEGENDS OF SOUL | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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NEW MOON RISING By Jeff Niesel MEET THE BAND: Terry Campbell (guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, songwriter), Evan Stone (lead guitar, backup vocals), Justin Chambers (bass, backup vocals) and Steve Deurlein (drums) A MAN WITH A BAND: The band first come to fruition after local singersongwriter Terry Campbell decided he wanted to put a band together. “He’s been writing his whole life and started recording in 2012 and in 2013,” says Evan Stone, who joined as a keyboardist and then moved to lead guitar. “We had a great summer playing Cleveland bars and writing new music.” When the original bassist and drummer left, the band continued as a duo and even released Bohemian Nervosa, a full-length album it recorded with a studio drummer. Recorded at Suma Recording in Painesville with engineer Paul Hamann and mixer Jim Stewart, the album was well-received especially by the band’s small fan base. The group did acoustic shows as a duo. “We wanted to wait to get a bassist and drummer, but we found some people who were into the music and were fans of ours,” Stone says. That’s when Deurlein and Chambers joined the band. That version of group initially played “any show it could” and had a “glimmer of success” in 2015 when one of its songs was played in the background of American Idol. AN ALTERNATIVE/INDIE ROCK/FOLK POP/POP ROCK TYPE OF THING: With its blaring harmonica and folk-y acoustic guitar, a song such as “If It’s Not Too Late” possesses a Dylan-like quality. But the band

intentionally defies categorization. “We don’t have a set subgenre,” says Stone. “We just play off our influences. Whatever comes out, comes out. We have one song that might sound like ’90s alternative pop and one that might sound like Jack Johnson and one that sounds like My Morning Jacket. We like all these different styles. We want to be diverse. If the right person heard a song or whole album, we want them to see we can write all these types of songs. It gets boring listening to the same types of songs.”

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jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel | clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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Dear Dan, Gay, thirtysomething male in DC. My boyfriend of three years has been acting strange — not taking his antidepression meds, says he’s feeling weird. He has withdrawn from me, sleeps 15 hours a day, and has been canceling on commitments to socialize with friends. That I am fine with — he’s blue and I get it. Here’s why I’m writing: He was doing an online crossword, and when he got up, I was going to write a message in it — to be funny and sweet. What I saw messed me up. There was a browser window open about meth and depression. He is 48 and successful, and isn’t a clubber or party-going type. METH? What the hell? I snooped further, and there was a detailed search history on meth, meth and depression, meth and sex. He doesn’t seem to have been high around me — and I would never use meth, it’s not my thing and I have a security clearance (no drugs for me, ever) — but I don’t want to date an addict. I don’t want to be with someone who would take such a dumb risk. And for what? Dude! You’re 48, you have a career, a business, and a guy who cares for you! WTF?!? I know what you’ll say: Use your words — and, trust me, I will. But am I totally crazy? I feel shitty for having snooped, but it started innocently enough with me wanting to write a goofy note on his crossword puzzle. — Snoop Now All Fucked Up Meth addicts aren’t known for sleeping 15 hours a day, SNAFU. Meth addicts aren’t known for sleeping at all. So perhaps your boyfriend abused meth before you met — and there’s no using meth, only abusing meth — and conquered his addiction and/or stopped abusing meth years ago. And now he’s depressed and off his meds, and he went online to investigate whether his past meth abuse could be contributing to his current depression. As for the snooping angle … When we snoop, we sometimes find out things we don’t want to know, don’t need to know, and don’t need to do anything about. For example, the new boyfriend has a few sexts from his ex tucked away on his computer, your dad is cheating on his third wife, your adult daughter is selling her used panties online. But sometimes

we find out things we needed to know and have to do something about. For example, your 14-year-old daughter is planning to meet up with a 35-yearold man she met on Instagram, your “straight” boyfriend is having unsafe sex with dozens of men behind your back, your spouse is planning to vote for Ted Cruz — in those cases, you have to intervene, break up, and file for civil commitment, respectively. Learning your depressed-and-offhis-meds boyfriend may have — or may have had — a meth problem falls into the needed to know/have to do something about category. So, yeah, SNAFU, you gotta use your words. Go to your boyfriend, tell him what you discovered and how you discovered it, and demand an explanation while offering to help. Urge him to see his doctor — whoever prescribed the antidepressants he stopped taking — and go into the convo armed with a list of the resources available to him. “We’re lucky to have a lot of great resources in D.C.,” said David Mariner, executive director of the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community (thedccenter.org). “The Triangle Club (triangleclub.org) is an LGBT recovery house, and they host all sorts of 12-step meetings. Crystal Meth Anonymous is really active here. And we’re just kicking off a harm-reduction group here at the D.C. Center.” I asked Mariner if your boyfriend sounded to him like someone currently abusing meth. “I’m not an expert,” Mariner replied, “but he doesn’t sound like it to me. He may be having a hard time talking to his boyfriend about this because for folks who have a history of meth use, sex can be tricky. Meth use and sexual activity are often so intertwined that it can make it hard to talk to a partner.” Finally, SNAFU, don’t make it harder for your partner to be honest with you by threatening to break up with him. You don’t have to remain in a relationship with an addict, if indeed he is an addict, forever. But start by showing him compassion and offering support. You can make up your mind about your future — whether you have one together — during a subsequent conversation.

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

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| clevescene.com | February 24 - March 1, 2016

HOME BUYERS!!!

FREE MONEY!!! DOWN PAYMENT PROGRAM*

McKenzie Apartments 1310 W. 116th Street

Career Opportunity!! Window Nation

BUY YOUR DREAM HOME!!! Plus Get Up To $100k + More*

Now hiring Outside Appointment Setters for our Cleveland and Twinsburg, Ohio locations. This is a Full Time 40 hours per week position, must be able to work weekends early shift. Base salary plus bi-weekly bonuses usually average 600$ to 900$ per week. Full Benefits (401K,medical, paid vacation and holidays)

(for new kitchen, new roof, new carpet, appliances, paint, basement waterproofing, windows, heating & cooling)*

NEVER EVER EVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUY A HOME!!! Great Low Fixed Interest Rates* When your dreams come true... our dreams come true!!!

Call Bill at 216-903-1744 for immediate interview or email resume to Careers@windownation.com

440.342.7355 (SELL) To Buy...or Sell

Call Grizzell *Some restrictions may apply *for those who qualify... we consider...

good credit • bad credit • bankruptcy

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12000 Shaker Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

Call Preterm! We can help.

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Gregory Kordic Katherine Braun

A T

(216) 621- 6684

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820 West Superior Avenue, Suite 100 Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Vintage Building with all the Modern Amenities. The McKenzie Apts. have been completely renovated while maintaining it’s classic architecture. The suites feature new kitchens w/dishwasher, new bathrooms, new mini blinds, lighting, ceiling fans & double pane vinyl windows. Walking distance to everything: grocery, café, restaurants, public transportation, parks, banks, etc. These are a Must See!

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