Scene March 11, 2015 by Chava Communications

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 3

M A R C H 1 1 - 1 7 , 2 0 1 5 VOLU M E 4 5 No 3 7

Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Chris Keating Associate Publisher Desiree Bourgeois

Upfront

Editor Vince Grzegorek Editorial Managing Editor Eric Sandy Music Editor Jeff Niesel Staff Writers Sam Allard, Doug Brown Web Editor Alaina McConnell Contributing Writer Will Burge Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Contributing Dining Editors Nikki Delamotte, Jason Beudert Stage Editor Christine Howey Visual Arts Editor Josh Usmani Interns Martin Harp, Kaitlin Siegel Advertising Advertising Manager Jennifer Woomer Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executives Amanda Klein, Moira O’Neill Classified Account Executive Alice Leslie Marketing and Events Director of Marketing & Public Relations Bob Rotatori Promotions Coordinator Remi Bruell

Framed

Check out our best photos from the past week

Facetime

South Euclid Housing Manager Sally Martin discusses life in a post-crisis (and ongoingcrisis) world

St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, so prepare with trivia, bar guides, survival guides, and more

Business Asst. To The Publisher Angela Lott Sales Assistant/Receptionist Megan Stimac

Get Out!

Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Chief Financial Officer Brian Painley Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising Voice Media Group 1-800-278-9866, voicemediagroup.com

Dozens of events spanning the next week in Cleveland

Art

As closing time draws near for the William Busta Gallery, here’s an exhibition not to miss

Stage

The pursuit of happiness is alive and well in Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays

Cleveland Scene 737 Bolivar Rd, #4100 Cleveland, OH 44115 www.clevescene.com Phone 216-241-7550 Retail & Classified Fax 216-241-6275 Editoral Fax 216-802-7212 E-mail scene@clevescene.com

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Cleveland Scene Magazine is published every week by Euclid Media Group. Verified 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, self-addressed 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’

Public Square renovations begin, Cleveland Schools construction plan receives resident input, and more

Feature

Creative Services Production Manager Steve Miluch Layout Editor Alise Belcher Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace

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CONTENTS 57

(Photo by Emmett Malloy)

248-620-2990

Documentary Red Army casts its gaze on what is arguably the greatest dynasty

Dining

Nuevo Mod Mex is anything but an imitation, and more

Music

Of Montreal’s new album has a real immediacy to it, plus all the concerts you should catch this week

Savage Love Honesty is a debatable policy

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

...The story continues at clevescene.com Take

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UPFRONT PUBLIC SQUARE REDESIGN UNDER WAY

THIS WEEK

IF YOU LIVE OR WORK downtown, you need no reminder that as of Monday morning Public Square has been closed to vehicular traffic. Barrels and barriers have been erected, and construction crews in their neon yellow jackets have begun the first stages of work. Until the renovation is complete — prior to the Republican National Convention in 2016 — car and bus traffic will be redirected around the square in what most skeptical motorists are already characterizing as a continuous ring of honking and delay. But city and county officials were for the most part hale and gleeful as they announced at a press conference last week that the final $7.5 million in the funding campaign had been secured. Thanks to a “creative collaboration” between Cuyahoga County and Rock Ohio Caesars (the company that owns and operates Horseshoe Casino), the $32-million construction budget was at last officially spoken for. County Executive Armond Budish has referred legislation to county council that will enable a significant issuance of bonds. The bonds will be repaid to the county via a “repurposing” of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from the Higbee Building, owned by Rock Ohio Caesars. That TIF stuff is complicated, but it was authorized in 2002 by Cleveland City Council to incentivize developers to buy and renovate buildings downtown. (It was deployed to dramatic effect by the Maron Group for the East 4th project, for example.) “[The TIF] district, in basic terms, gives landlords the option of capturing increased property-tax revenues from

their projects and diverting that money to pay off construction debt,” wrote the PD’s Michelle Jarboe McFee. In this case, Rock is diverting that revenue to Public Square construction debt instead. Neither the Group Plan’s Jeremy Paris nor Cleveland’s Economic Development Director Ed Rybka could say for sure whether or not this type of “repurposing” had ever happened before. Also, it’s worth noting that County Council hasn’t yet voted on the legislation, but Budish said afterwards that he wasn’t expecting any trouble. Paris, too, said they wouldn’t have held a press conference if they weren’t confident. But why would Rock Ohio Caesars willingly forego $7.5 million? “I really cannot speak for them,” Paris told Scene in a conversation after the presser, “but this is their front yard. Len Komorowski has been involved with the Group Plan for a long time. We’ve met with Dan Gilbert, and they’re excited about what’s happening here. This is a tremendous civic commitment by them, and speaks to the nature of this partnership.” Rock Ohio Caesars officials didn’t respond to Scene’s request for comment, but President Matt Cullen is on record applauding the publicprivate partnership idea. On Friday, a series of leaders took turns at the mic — Group Plan chairman Tony Coyne, Mayor Frank Jackson, Budish, RTA boss Joe Calabrese, Greater Cleveland Partnership impresario Joe Roman, Downtown Cleveland Alliance Prez Joe Marinucci, Jeremy “I feel like I should change my name to Joe” Paris — apologizing (along a spectrum of sincerity) for the upcoming year of traffic inconvenience and singing

COLORADO?

KeyBank Prez Beth Mooney “interviews” Mayor Jackson in listless State of the City address. Right. And we ask “tough questions” about where our dealer gets all that dank-ass kush.

Orange barrels and cones will be popping up like daisies all over downtown this spring and summer.

the praises of a new Public Square that really ought to be as vibrant and dynamic and catalytic as they’re saying it will be. “Today we are announcing that our downtown Public Square will be transformed,” Budish said in prepared remarks. “Things are changing in Cleveland and in Cuyahoga County. We’re a region on the move. We have to look like the great city we are. We have to show the world during the Republican National Convention how great we are.” “And not necessarily to the Republicans,” added Joe Roman, during his remarks. “We want to show off this space to the 15,000 media people — three times what we see at a Super Bowl — when they’re in town that week, because that’s why people will be coming to Cleveland so many times after that. I really do we believe we would’ve gotten this project done under any circumstances, but the RNC helped us focus.” If focus is what Roman wants to call it, fine. But the 2016 convention is certainly kicking the development frenzy into an ever-more lurid gear. Behind the scenes, and buried on page 14 of last Friday’s Plain Dealer, Andrew Tobias reported that Budish is expecting an official request for taxpayer support on a proposed $140 million Quicken Loans Arena overhaul “soon.” “[Budish’s] impression was that

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? Kids cheer as angry patron attacks multiple employees at Parma Chuck E. Cheese. Company reveals elaborate fight scenes will replace that weird, nostalgic robot-mouse theater show.

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

KING ROUG?

Cedar Point auctioning first 64 rides on new coaster “Rougarou” (formerly the Mantis). Says money will benefit LeBron’s Family Foundation, because they said they’d name a coaster after him and then never did.

the Cavs wished to complete the renovations before the Republican National Convention,” Tobias wrote. Oh, really? Not to invent connections where none exist, but this is notable: Dan Gilbert, chairman of Rock Gaming, founder of Quicken Loans Inc. and majority owner of the Cavs, out of the goodness of his civic heart, quote unquote “foregoes” $7.5 million to contribute to a project that will undoubtedly redound to his financial interests. The value of the Higbee Building will surely increase due to the brand-new front lawn (and taxes on the increased value will go right back into TIF-renovations, McFee reports), not to mention the fact that new development projects and peripheral investments should be great for casino business. Projections aside, Rock Ohio Caesars is being painted as the hero here, the final hinge on which the Public Square funding rests and around which it vibrantly rotates. The news is celebrated, as these things are, via press conference. And we get it. It’s exciting. The Public Square renderings really do look lush and the idea of a state-of-the-art public space — free for and accessible to everybody — is much more civically gratifying than a state-of-the-art sports facility, for example, which is accessible only to those who can afford tickets. Nevertheless, count on Gilbert and

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Saturday, April 11 • 8 pm – 1 am Live music by Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean DJ Justin Nyce Beer, wine, cider and hors d’oeuvres (while supplies last) Costume contest – wear your best space attire Cool science and hands-on exhibits Check out the NASA Glenn Visitor Center Outdoor deck party – two live bands

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UPFRONT Komorowski, if they haven’t already done so, to leverage their Public Square beneficence in the service of securing $70 million in public dollars for the Q’s cosmetic overhaul.

CMSD SORTA GAUGING COMMUNITY INPUT ON SCHOOLS CONSTRUCTION PLAN

DIGIT WIDGET

Cleveland Metropolitan Schools leaders are meeting with parents and other community members to showcase the district’s next round of construction and rehab projects at school sites across the city: 22 new school buildings in four years and a spectrum of refurbishments across even more. This follows the $200-million Issue 4 bond issue from last fall and the overall district construction plan first started more than a decade ago. At a February board meeting at Lincoln West High School, CMSD Chief Operating Officer Patrick Zohn explained that the district would take into account “robust and full-throated discussion with those communities before making a decision.” A meeting at Clark Elementary last week was well enough attended, though discussion certainly wasn’t on the menu. Residents were able to chat with Zohn about the various informational placards set up in the gymnasium and to write their thoughts on some brown parchment taped to the wall, but the idea that these meetings were anything but plainly stated open house gatherings was quickly put to rest upon arrival. More meetings are scheduled throughout March (see clevescene.com). A final bond-issue plan for the first of three “segments” is due to the school board later this month. The two other segments (segments 8 and 9) will be due for approval later. One notable undertaking, according to the draft, will include the demolition of the old Max Hayes High

School and the construction of a new, long-promised westside high school on that site. Other new construction slated for next school year through 2017 includes: Campus International, JFK (a new campus), Charles Elliot, Skyline/ Sunbeam, Waverly, William Rainey Harper, Oliver Perry, H. Barbara Booker (on the old Halle school site), Fullerton (on the AB Hart site). Twelve more construction jobs are on the list through 2019. Twenty-four schools are slated for rehab jobs in the same timeframe. As far as design work, board members haven’t seen specific plans yet, but consultant Patti Choby proffered “a Ryan Homes-sort of idea,” wherein five or six of the new schools would be held as models for the rest of the construction program. This would “hasten” construction progress, she said, and allow residents to pitch in more focused suggestions later on for future buildings. School board members seemed relatively open to the whole plan, one which they and the district-sanctioned watchdog Bond Accountability Commission learned about in specifics on Feb. 24. But it’s not like there’s a spectrum of real options being presented. “We don’t want a bunch of new schools that look identical to each other,” board member Lisa Thomas said, referring to the way the design of McDonald’s franchises tend to affect neighborhood aesthetics. Relatedly, the school board itself has held off on funding the Bond Accountability Commission, an oversight panel created (and then reinstated after initial disbandment) to monitor bond spending. The board had promised to defibrillate the panel’s funding as part of Issue 4’s passage, but multiple delays have marked that resolution’s progress since November. Funded at least through the end of the month, however, the BAC will issue an assessment report on the construction proposal prior to the March 26 board meeting. BAC administrator James Darr tells Scene that his goal is to “ensure that construction plans match what

$6.7 BILLION Cleveland Clinic’s 2014 revenue (about $466 million of which is operating income).

Just one of the many CMSD schools in dire need of a facelift.

enrollment trends suggest the need for buildings will be.” On that note, student enrollment is down from approximately 70,000 in 2002 to 37,000 today - though a 2007 estimate had pegged this current school year at 41,000. Current projections have only 32,400 students enrolled by 2018. Darr cites Cleveland’s population loss and the advent of charter schools as two major contributors to that decline. While the buildout plan is up for discussion all month, the overall gist of the district’s roadmap seems finalized, save for several exceptions. Lincoln West High School may be partially demolished or rehabbed. CMSD leadership is presently reviewing a 138-page report that will clarify which direction is more feasible and beneficial. Also, the futures of Tremont Montessori and Michael R. White are unknown, due to substantial debate within those communities. Neither those two schools nor Lincoln West are part of the first segment of construction to be approved on March 26, so ongoing discussion is expected.

CITYWIDE PROPERTY SURVEY TO BEGIN IN MAY Amid the region’s ongoing response to the foreclosure crisis and general population shifts, the Thriving Communities Institute will undertake a citywide residential property survey this summer.

-4, -2, -4, -11, -14 Kendrick Perkins’ +/- differential (team’s point totals while he’s on the court) in the five games he’s played with the Cavs.

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

34 Total miles of RTA Rapid rail line, of which stretches coming into and out of Tower City are set for major overhaul in coming years.

Paul Boehnlein, GIS and conservation planning specialist for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, heads up data management for projects like this. In short, a crew of surveyors hits the streets and catalogs every property via tablet — scraping basic geographic and political data and adding in manual, subjective observations about the general condition of the property. “It’s a snapshot in time; it doesn’t tell us what the situation was [in the past],” Boehnlein said. “But it’s a true snapshot. It’s a real snapshot, as opposed to the guesstimating that’s been going on for a while,” Thriving Communities Institute Director Jim Rokakis added. The end result is a massive map that quantifies the number of distressed properties in an area. From 30,000-foot vantage points to granular inspections, GIS data will then be used to inform the city’s housing department. The Cleveland Foundation has committed funds for this project. In spirit, the project will mirror a recent St. Luke’s Foundation-funded survey of Buckeye-Shaker, BuckeyeWoodhill and Mt. Pleasant, where median home sale prices plummeted from $70,000-$90,000 to $10,000-$20,000 between 2006 and 2013. “From this project has sprung the interest in Cleveland about going out and doing the entire city,” Boehnlein said.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 11

Cleveland Scene is a 24/7 multi-media and events company. We publish more than 50 magazines each year and keep Cleveland up to date 24 hours a day with the hottest in local news, dining, arts & entertainment through clevescene.com and all social channels. We also produce 10 major annual events and sponsor countless others through the year. We are all over town, all the time! Cleveland Scene is looking for BAD ASS SALES PROs who have a No-Holds-Barred approach to selling consultatively and collaboratively to a diverse, intriguing, and engaging group of clients. Our multiplatform advertising solutions include Digital Advertising (email, banner advertising, social media, mobile, etc), Print advertising, Event Sponsorships, and glossy publications.

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FRAMED! our best shots from last week Photos by Emanuel Wallace1, Scott Sandberg2, Bob Perkoski3, and John Lichtenberg4.

Woman in a hat, man with no shirt, man with horse’s head. Seems legit. @ Arctic Plunge / Edgewater Beach2

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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Saturday, May 9th, 2015

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 17

FACETIME

Sally Martin is trying to change the way we deal with our housing crises.

FELLOWSHIP OF THE INNER-RING

South Euclid’s housing manager is one of many trying to fix our region’s biggest problems By Eric Sandy “HOUSING,” AS A TERM AND BY ITS very nature since 2008 or so, conjures up a vast array of mental images: demolitions, construction, vacancies, blight, renewal and more. All of that is present in South Euclid, an eastside inner-ring suburb over which housing manager Sally Martin exerts direction and control. Like the rest of Northeast Ohio’s urban core, South Euclid is beset with challenges and opportunities. We spoke with Martin this week to learn more about what’s being done nearly 10 years on in our region’s experiences with the foreclosure crisis.

$1.3 million and were able to launch the Green Neighborhoods Initiative, an attempt to rebrand and remarket our neighborhoods — especially our bungalow housing stock, which seemed to be the first to go into foreclosure, the most flipped.

Could you describe your position generally? I’m in charge of residential code enforcement for the city’s close-to-10,000 parcels. Probably more than that, though, my position was created in 2008 to address the foreclosure crisis. Prior to that, we didn’t necessarily need this position so desperately.

Along with ongoing demolitions, correct? There have been over 60 homes that we’ve had to demolish. Most of those were what you would call “zombie properties” — the title was mucked up, the house was destroyed — as hard as it is to believe, because we are a middleclass inner-ring suburb and this is not something that had ever happened in South Euclid. For us, to do this we had to revise ordinances and gear up to do what Cleveland has done for a long time. No inner-ring suburb knew how to do any of this stuff. All of the tools in our toolbox were designed for a functional market, not a market that failed.

I gather that cities like South Euclid were hit hard as that problem unfolded. In South Euclid, as in many, many inner-ring suburbs, about 16 percent of our housing stock has been in foreclosure since the crisis started. It’s been a tough run. One of the things we were able to do in South Euclid was successfully get a Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant. We had to compete with other inner-ring suburbs to get that. We ended up getting about

Were those foreclosures scattered across the city? Right, it’s not like a whole block was gone — intermittent blighted houses that just had to go. The reason behind building the two Idea Houses was to show what you could build affordably on a small lot in an inner-ring suburb for under $150,000. We built two of those houses, and they sold rapidly. What that did was kick off private development. As these properties go through foreclosure, they end up in the city’s land bank. They

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

can then be resold and have been. It’s pretty positive news, since we’re built out, basically.

What distinguishes inner-ring suburbs from the exurbs, with regard to housing issues? The exurbs have also had problems with foreclosure and absolutely no skills to deal with them. Inner-ring suburbs have had problems for decades, right? That’s something we’re trying to bring to the county executive’s attention in a big way. You need to invest in your urban core, which includes innerring suburbs. The best thing that has happened has been the demolition bond — but that only gives us money to demolish. What we’ve done as city people, which is really weird and which no one tends to believe, is city organizing. We go to everybody’s potluck. We start block clubs. We’ve just had to do it, because we knew that it was going to be grassroots change that would drive stability here. Otherwise, it wasn’t looking too good for us. We’re telling people, “Stay the course. Get to know your neighbors.” And it’s helping to turn the tide, I think. Do people seem open to that idea? How involved are residents becoming? In South Euclid, we created an affiliate community development corporation called One South Euclid. It has a partnership with the city that’s very unique in that all of this work we’re doing to get properties back into

productive use can be filtered to that organization. Our council approves the sale of properties through One South Euclid. It’s a public-private partnership; nothing can be done in a vacuum. Because no one is giving us the resources, we’re just going and finding a way to find the resources to do what we need.

What indicators are you getting from the new county administration? We’re eternally optimistic. We don’t know them yet. Through my work with the Vacant Abandoned Property Action Council, we just sent a 78-page study to the county on tax-lien sales. I think the issue with the county — and I hope the county executive takes this very seriously — is that tax delinquency is a massive problem. There’s $568 million of delinquent tax, uncollected, throughout the county. This is the money that funds schools and essential services. There doesn’t appear to be a very robust way for them to collect, other than using tax lien sales, which result in more blight. We’ve traded one crisis for a new one. Mortgage foreclosures are down, but we’re dealing with all of this tax delinquency. What I would want from the county is a real concerted effort to do regional planning. Catch the full interview online at Clevescene.com

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BE A BETTER FAKE IRISHMAN Because if you’re going to celebrate St. Pat’s Day, it’s best to know what you’re talking about By Scene Staff

IRISH CATHOLIC STUFF Ƿ Our Lady of the Lake Church — more commonly known as St. Mary’s of the Flats — was the first permanently established Catholic church in Cleveland (1840). It primarily served the Irish immigrant population who lived in the “lowland Flats.” Ƿ St. Patrick’s Church on Bridge Avenue, built largely by Irish immigrants in 1853, is considered the mother church of Cleveland’s Irish community. (Fr. James Conlan, a former missionary, was its first pastor.) Ƿ St. Malachi Church, on West 25th, was founded in 1865 for Irish immigrants in the Old Angle

neighborhood. It caught fire in 1943 and a new St. Malachi’s was built and dedicated in 1947. (The Olde Angle Tavern is now a pub on the corner of West 25th and Bridge which plays all your favorite Irish sporting events including soccer and rugby.) Ƿ The Angle was considered ground zero for the Irish immigrants. There was even an old song, set to the tune of “Galway Bay’”called “The Angle Song”: Oh the city came and took away our homesteads / they pushed us out beyond Edgewater Park. / Sure they tried to take the Irish from the Angle / but they’ll never take the Angle from our hearts… etc.

THE PARADE Ƿ The first Cleveland St. Patrick’s Day parade is guessed to have taken place in 1867. In the early years, the parade marched through the near westside (from the Flats to Detroit-Shoreway) where the region’s Irish immigrants were concentrated. The songs and dancing were organized by the Order of the Hibernians. Ƿ The Order of the Hibernians is America’s oldest Irish fraternal organization, founded in 1836. Ƿ In 1910, State Sen. Dan Mooney introduced a bill which recognized St. Patrick’s Day in

The Angle, the namesake for our local Old Angle, was a very important part of Irish community life.

Study this guide carefully and you, too, can be just like Phil Donahue: old, Irish and famous.

Ohio. Ƿ In 1912, more than 100,000 people traveled to Cleveland for the St. Patrick’s Day parade to welcome home local boxer Johnny Kilbane, who had just won the world featherweight championship in Los Angeles. (He would retain the title until 1923.) To date, the 1912 parade is one of the biggest and most well-attended in Cleveland’s history. Ƿ Every year, a Grand Marshal is chosen to preside over the Cleveland parade. This is an honorary title given to a man — usually a senior — who has contributed to the advancement of Irish activities in Cleveland. This recognition has been part of the ceremony since 1935. Since 1963, a “Mother of the Year” has been recognized as well. This honor is given to “a woman whose life has reflected credit on the Irish nationality.” In 2014, the Grand Marshal was Andrew Dever. The Mother of the Year was Bridie Joyce. This year’s: Dan Corcoran and Patricia Hollywood.

LOCAL FLAVOR Ƿ Ohio City’s Great Lakes Brewing Company was founded by Dan and Pat Conway in 1988. The Irish brothers were graduates of St. Edward High School. Ƿ The motto for the Standard Brewing Company, founded in 1904 by Stephen S. Creadon and John T. Feighan was “Erin Brew, Erin Brah” (Ireland Brew, Ireland Forever). Ƿ The Flat Iron Cafe, opened in 1910, is

considered Cleveland’s oldest Irish pub. (Newer local notables: the Harp, P.J. McIntyre’s, the Public House, Stone Mad)

WE KNEW THEM WHEN! Ƿ Cleveland Irishman and midcentury TV celeb Phil Donahue was a member of the first graduating class of St. Edward High School, in 1953, and then went on to attend that paragon of Irish collegiality, the University of Notre Dame. Ƿ Clevelander Anne O’Hare McCormick was the first woman to join the New York Times’ editorial board and the first woman to win a major category Pulitzer Prize (1937). She cut her teeth as an associate editor of the local religious rag the Catholic Universe Bulletin. Ƿ Irish-American mobster Danny Greene started his own crew of underworld enforcers he called the Celtic Club back in the ’70s. He did battle with the local Italian mafia and set off a violent mob war that resulted in 35 car bombs erupting in the streets of Cleveland during the conflict. (The “Irish Car Bomb,” coined in 1979 in Connecticut, was inspired by both the sectarian violence in Ireland at the time and Cleveland’s own street wars.) Ƿ The 2011 film Kill the Irishman was actually filmed on location in Detroit. Actor Ray Stevenson, who played Danny Greene, said at the time that Detroit of the ’00s resembled the economic hardship of Cleveland in the ’70s.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

ST PAT’S 2015

TUDY UP, CLEVELANDERS. Chances are you’ll bump into at least 314 Irishmen or Irishwomen on this glorious holiday (all of whom will combine to represent the full wacky spectrum of sobriety and drunkenness). If you play your cards right, you can claim some Irish lineage too, even if you’re not technically, ethnically, legit. Wow your friends with all the locally infused Irish knowledge we’ve assembled below. Whether you go to the parade or are trapped at the office, a little bit of history might put that twinkle in your eye, that smile on your lips, and with any luck, the rain — if it comes at all — will fall softly on our Northeast Ohio fields.

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SURVIVING ST. PAT’S IN CLEVELAND

Keep this page handy. You can fold it into a makeshift coozy for your boozy on the big day By Eric Sandy

ST PAT’S 2015

T. PATRICK’S DAY IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY ANYWHERE — LEAST OF ALL IN SUNNY CLEVELAND, WHERE WE TAKE OUR BOOZE-FUELED HOLIDAYS VERY SERIOUSLY. The word of the day is beer. And the second word of the day is beer. But the third word of the day is preparation. We’re not screwing around here; St. Pat’s is the real deal. If you’re not ready, this day will swallow you. Someone will be knocked out cold. One of your friends will fall off the bar middance. And who knows what the police officers in this town will do to you... There are more than a few things you need to know before diving in Guinness-first. Here are the basics:

DON’T DRIVE. ONLY FOOLS DRIVE TODAY.

If you’re going downtown — and, let’s face it, you’ll likely end up there on at least two separate occasions throughout the day — staying off the main roads is imperative. Along with New Year’s Eve and any day the Russo brothers are shooting a movie in town, St. Pat’s the all-out worst day to be stuck driving. It’s quite literally dangerous. Outside of roping a DD along for the day, Northeast Ohio thankfully affords the drinker several options, none of which are really ideal, but do come with their own brand of theater on major holidays. The Rapid is obvious: Take the Red Line or whatever into Tower City and set forth from there. You’ll likely be crushed amid the masses en route to the parade and you may have at least three kinds of sticky substances on your shoes by ride’s end, but you’ll be safe. Elsewise, you can hail an Uber or a Lyft — which is what everyone will be doing, thus raising prices

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

to ridiculous levels and driving wait times into double digits (of hours, likely enough).

WEAR GREEN. THIS ISN’T AMATEUR HOUR HERE. (OR IS IT?) This is a simple one, and probably the least of your real worries. You wouldn’t wear red to a Cavs-Bulls game, right? And you wouldn’t wear red to a St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Cleveland. No one looks good in green, but Cleveland loves uniting behind things that don’t really look good (Johnny Manziel’s prospects, the GE chandelier, Polish Boys outwardly). Also, please do note that you’ll be taking shit from chadbros all day if you don’t. St. Pat’s celebrations are nothing if not utterly conforming.

DON’T CALL IN SICK. CALL IN AWESOME. Any boss on the receiving end of a sick call on March 17 is gonna know immediately that they’ve got a spineless employee on their hands. Pick up the phone and let your employer know that you’ve reserved your right to claim an iota of Irish heritage, to stuff your gullet with corned beef and Smithwick’s. Hell, she’ll probably be dialing up her own Uber before you even call — remember, you’ve gotta hustle, dude.

EAT FOOD. GO WITH A BIG IRISH BREAKFAST SOMEWHERE. Lots of places around town open up at 7 or 8 a.m., proffering “kegs and eggs” and delightful Irish delicacies to pair with your early morning beers. Irish coffee, anyone? Corned beef is likely to be served at all hours, and bagpipers will make your food

taste even better somehow. This is one of the big keys: If you’re gonna do the St. Patrick’s Day thing at all, you should start early, eat rapaciously, and get in the mood as quickly as possible. Irish breakfasts, a hallmark of this annual holiday, are among the best routes into an awesome day.

DRINK WATER. POP A MULTIVITAMIN. These are just basic rules of the road for hardcore boozing. You don’t want to get railroaded by your insatiable appetite for intoxication; the crowds alone will twist your mind inside-out with knotty disorientation. A glass of ice-cold water betwixt every beer-and-a-shot, and you’ll be just fine. Vitamins B and C will help; pop those early if you have ‘em at the house or something.

Everything is on high-alert

BRING A FLASK. INSTANT FRIENDS. Still, short of trips to the hospital or the clink, the whole idea is to drink hard, right? Lines at any bar will be insane. You’ll spend a large portion of the day just waiting — for the parade to move on, for the bartender to spot you, for your bud to take a leak behind that wall over there — so come prepared with a flask of your favorite hooch. This will make you something of a crowdpleaser throughout the day, and the errant nip will keep you in high spirits as the swirl of holiday chaos wears on your soul.

LEARN GAELIC PASSINGLY. There’s nothing like spouting off some fine Gaelic phrases on St. Patrick’s Day. Try: “Pionta Guinness, le do thoil” (“A pint of Guinness, please”); “Tabhair póg

ST PAT’S 2015

DON’T GET ARRESTED. DON’T END UP IN A HOSPITAL.

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all day on St. Pat’s — the cops, the health concerns, the liquorto-beer ratios. “Don’t act like a moron” is a kind of basic-level rule for most days, but on St. Patrick’s Day the idea is even more important. Everyone is gonna be wacky and wild; you don’t want to stand out and attract the attention of some wandering handcuffs. Even worse: You don’t want to be “that guy” who lands on a gurney en route to Metro by

dom, táim Éireannach” (“Kiss me, I’m Irish”); “Póg mo thóin!” (“Kiss my ass,” pronounced like the name of a certain Lakewood bar); and the simple yet effective “ar meisce” (“drunk”). You won’t be able to pronounce any of these, so you’ll end up sounding like everyone else: slurry and jovial.

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*pricing may vary by location magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 29

ALL IRISH MUSIC, ALL DAY LONG

The songs of the season ring east to west all across the Land of Cleve

ST PAT’S 2015

By Jeff Niesel

The Boys from County Hell has always been one of our favorite Irish music acts. See them perform all over the city this St. Patrick’s Day.

UR LIST OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY CONCERTS DOESN’T CHANGE MUCH FROM YEAR TO YEAR. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Cleveland clubs and bars do a respectable job booking bands appropriate for the holiday. House of Blues throws a big, open-to-everyone bash that comes complete with green beer and Irish punk rock courtesy of the Prodigals. And local heroes the Boys from the

County Hell hop from bar to bar as they do their thang and pay tribute to the Pogues like no one else can. Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights.

When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, the local Pogues cover band Boys From the County Hell are the hardest working band in town. They get the

Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums take the stage at 6 p.m. at Great Lakes Brewing Company.

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

party started early and play a warmup gig at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 13, at the Happy Dog. They also play at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, at Stone Mad before starting St. Patty’s Day off at 9 a.m. at House of Blues. You can then find them around the corner at Flannery’s at 1 p.m. and they’ll wrap things up at the Harp at 9 p.m. until closing. Whew! P.J. McIntyre’s, the Irish pub in Westpark, also gets the St. Patty’s Day party started early. It plays host to Craic Brothers on Friday, March 13, and then has booked Mary’s Lane to play “all day” on Tuesday, March 17. Doors open that day at 7 a.m. and the first 100 people who show up will get a free T-shirt. ESPN Cleveland’s The Really Big Show broadcasts

Doors open at 9 a.m. Over in Lakewood, Galen’s Irish Band will play at Around the Corner starting at 6 p.m. For the past 10 years, House of Blues has hosted a big St. Patrick’s Day party and this year is no different. Acts will perform in both the Music Hall and the Cambridge Room, and admission is free. In the Music Hall, the Spazmatics perform from 9 a.m. to noon, DJ Sparky B performs from noon to 3 p.m. and the Prodigals play at 3 p.m. Over in the Cambridge Room, the Boys from the County Hell perform from 9 a.m. to noon, Mary’s Lane performs from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and DJ Gene spins from 2 to 5 p.m. Per usual, “long time favorite” Donal

ST PAT’S 2015

Photo by Amy Reilly NYC Photography

Catch some great Irish punk rock courtesy of the Prodigals.

live from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will even be a Lucky Charms eating contest. Great Lakes Brewing Company will open at 9 a.m. on St. Patty’s Day, and it offers entertainment all day long. The Great Lakes Whiskey Ramblers perform from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Burke School of Irish Dance students perform at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and then Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums take the stage at 6 p.m. Stamper’s in Fairview Park celebrates four days of St. Patrick’s Day. Dublin Irish Festival favorites the Drowsy Lads play at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, and a St. Pat’s “Paddy-o Party” takes place on Saturday, March 14. Harp City takes the stage at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. Irish Cottage Boys and Harp City perform on Tuesday, March 17.

O’Shaughnessy will perform at the Flat Iron. The music starts at noon. Just down the road on the East Bank of the Flats, the newly renovated Roc Bar hosts Ekoostik Hookah’s Dave Katz and Sarge for a special St. Patty’s Day show. That concert begins at 5 p.m. New Barleycorn is back at Nighttown this year for St. Patrick’s Day. They’ll play at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. The live music at Brothers Lounge starts at 6 p.m.; the local swing band Madison Crawl will play in the wine bar. Loco Leprechaun in Westlake opens at 6 a.m.; it will have Irish music all day long and has booked the Westside Irish American Bagpipe Band to perform at 4 p.m.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

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*pricing may vary by location magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 31

GOOD IDEA? BAD IDEA? Is a downtown St. Pat’s for you? By Scene Staff

ILL YOU OR WON’T YOU? That usually ends up being the central question come St. Patrick’s Day. Let’s break down both sides as we talk ourselves through the pros and cons of wading through a sea of greenbedecked humanity on the streets of downtown Cleveland on the city’s favorite holiday.

ST PAT’S 2015

If nothing else, going downtown for St. Pat’s has that “ritual” feel to it. There’s a bit of community pressure, like most things in Cleveland (Why haven’t you been to Trentina yet? Isn’t Heinen’s awesome?), but it’s an annual tradition that embodies so much of what we all love about this city’s cultural vibe and heritage. The neighborhoods are great, but downtown kinda shines on this holiday.

It feels very much like pressure. IT’S A THING TO DO THAT EVERYONE IS DOING. Except, I don’t think most people really enjoy it. But it’s easy to get suckered in. You’ve got a group of friends, the majority of whom think it’s a mighty fine idea to pay $10 for a tallboy, fight through a crowd like a running back getting through the line to get the bartender’s attention (except ending up stymied like Trent Richardson half the time), aimlessly stand in a place that’s vaguely Irish, as if every bar doesn’t have Guinness and Jameson, and never find a comfortable place to sit. Not even for one second. Because sitting means you’re having a good time, that it’s relaxing, that it’s time to enjoy the day. No, people stay on their feet and stay moving because not one place is fun. It’s all in search of fun, except we never find it, so you leave every joint with a burst of optimism that the next place will be better, and it never is. You get down there and instantly wish you were back home or at your favorite neighborhood joint.

Your favorite neighborhood

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

joint being, unfortunately, just as packed as your average Flannery’s all day on St. Pat’s. The lure of the Blarney Stone looms in every watering hole on March 17 — vaguely Irish or not. Thing is, though, holidays come with that sense of pressure (read: ritual), and the central nerve of St. Pat’s in Cleveland just happens to be downtown. Opting out wholesale is certainly an option, but if you’re gonna “do St. Pat’s,” you might as well “do downtown.” It’s chaos, sure, but it’s one day that comes around once a year. Don’t you want an epic story? And why not go to where the parade is? I’m glad you mentioned the parade. I’m sorry, but ... it’s a parade. It’s nice for families and kids. For anyone else who doesn’t have a relative or an Irish sidepiece on a float somewhere, there’s no point. Everyone plans the downtown escapades around the parade, except no one wants to watch it. And certainly not if it’s 40 degrees outside. All the parade accomplishes for the casual drinker is crowding the sidewalks. And St. Patrick have mercy on your gastrointestinal system if your crew actually wants to post up for the duration and your belly’s full of half-assed corned beef and three shots of Jager. Sure, it’s a spectacle, and among the best people watching this side of the Tower City foodcourt, but the payoff in memories doesn’t merit the headache. As you said, all of this and more, save the parade, can be accomplished at any bar in any neighborhood. Cleveland does love it some St. Patrick’s day — the Tribe home opener and Brown’s tailgating are about the only comparisons in terms of sheer scope and blood alcohol content levels — and Euclid is lined with kids off from school and downtown workers ditching their cubicles early, but for anyone to travel into downtown? Pure silliness. Who the hell wants to park and drive on St. Patty’s day?

Hey, Jeff Tanchak says it might

waiting around because so-andso ran into so-and-so and we’re a pack and we don’t leave without everyone, or the text that says your friend is at Flannery’s but by the time you make it there your pal has moved on to Map Room and the rest of your crew doesn’t want to walk to Map Room, and holy hell, you haven’t eaten yet and you can taste the stale domestic lager stench to the root of your soul. I’m all for the party. I’m not railing against Amateur Night here. I’m just in favor of comforts. Give me one spin of the Pogues and it’s festive. Give me 10 versions of “Streams of Whiskey” and I’m eyeing the first flight to China or anywhere else that hasn’t discovered Irish music.

Well, it sounds like this might be one of those great unresolvable Cleveland debates, much like whether Christmas Ale is good, whether Dick Goddard is a robot, or what the hell George Kokinis actually did to get fired. I do know this: The people who go downtown for the day will end up hammered and frustrated — but they’ll have seen the parade, and probably had a half dozen random interactions that never

ST PAT’S 2015

be like 60 degrees on St. Pat’s. Either way, right, it can be a pain in the ass. But if you’re the sad suburban soul who thinks it’s going to be okay to just coast into town in your Subaru, then this conversation is moot. That’s a terrifying proposition. I think part of the allure of the downtown “party,” as it were, is to experience downtown. You mention people traveling into downtown, yes, and there’ll be plenty of them. I’d argue that, outside of Cavs games and that one time someone’s boss gave everyone extra tickets to Lion King at Playhouse Square, lots of these nice folks don’t venture downtown too often. Here’s a great chance to scoot down on the Red Line and remind yourself of all the cool things taking place downtown these days. It’s an opportunity to catch up on the latest developments and changes amid our fine urban core. The parade is one node of what could be a very long and very, dare I say with tongue in cheek, enchanting day. Break from the crowds and take in an hour of nursing stouts at any one of the gazillions of cool new bars around here. Options galore.

Invites You To Join Us And Try These Unique

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at a Location Near You... WATER STREET TAVERN (Kent)

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Sam Stout + Angry Orchard

BACKSTAGE (West Park) Sam Stout + Angry Orchard

Going downtown may be host to unique experiences, but are they really worth it?

You writing for Destination Cleveland now? People come downtown all the time — on a separate tangent, I’m not sure what good the Horseshoe Casino’s new ad campaign to get people downtown is going to do; they’re already coming — but sure, it’s a party. God bless the RTA, and it’s a lovely way to get in and out (don’t go driving if you’ve been drinking, naturally). But it’s a logistical step in a long line of logistical steps that take you to the same place — the bottom of a plastic cup of beer — that would be available with far fewer logistical steps. Not to mention the dead phones, the

would have happened anywhere else in the city. And the people who hang in West Park for the day will end up hammered and frustrated. Same goes for Lakewood, Ohio City, Parma and all the conceivable places to celebrate this fine day. You know where to find me, though, just like every beloved year: grumbling somewhere on Euclid about how so-and-so ran into soand-so and we’re a pack and we don’t leave ... .

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

IRONWOOD (West Park) Sam Stout + Angry Orchard

BAR 145 (Norwalk)

Sam Stout + Angry Orchard

BRUBAKER’S PUB (Stow) Sam Stout + Fat Tire

*pricing may vary by location magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 33

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

THE 20 ESSENTIAL CLEVELAND BARS Where Northeast Ohio drinks and drinks well By Scene Staff

EDISON’S Tremont is a drinking

Harbor Inn: casual and reliable.

neighborhood, even more than it’s a dining neighborhood, a reputation earned decades ago when it was a working-class enclave for the steel mills. It’s easy to bandy about the word “neighborhood” on a list like this — these places mean most to those who live nearby — but with Edison’s, it’s the best way to describe it. Sure, there’s the endless list of craft beers, which it was slinging before it became mandatory for every bar to offer 100 craft brews, but the draw is the comfort here. It’s dark and friendly, sports a beautiful back patio for the summer, welcomes our four-legged friends, and is focused not on TVs and distractions but booths where conversation is front and center.

PARKVIEW NITE CLUB Tucked away in DetroitShoreway, the Parkview has that hipster gleam — not by design, but just as the result of a long and storied tradition where nothing much changes. It’s family friendly, offers free music (catch Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues Wednesday nights), sports a full menu of cheap bar favorites (get the friend asparagus), and feels small despite the large dining room. It’s been a blues club, a speakeasy, a corner bar and has remained some combination of all that since the Plonskis bought it in 1993. A cool place for shady people indeed.

VELVET TANGO ROOM Before bacon-infused this and artisanal bitter that and the revolution of the modern cocktail, the Velvet Tango Room was slinging incomparably good classic cocktails with little distinction and no ballyhoo. That changed, of course, as the VTR became the bestknown secret in Cleveland —

Photo by Frank J. Lanza Shaun Yasaki’s Platform Beer Co. made the short list this year.

one with a set of rules for decorum issued by owner Paulius Nasvytis, which he instituted in 1996 after buying the building for just $35,000. When Duck Island blows up in the coming years, remember who set up shop there first.

PLATFORM BREWERY Platform hasn’t even been open a year yet, but it’s already one of our favorite spots. Cleveland now sports some 357 breweries, by our last estimate, so it’s not easy to stick out. One way to do that is to go off the strip a bit, which is how Platform found its home down Lorain Avenue (we won’t call it NoLo, sorry). Owners Paul Benner and Justin Carson made the right call in tapping Shaun Yasaki as brewmaster, and the brews stemming from his work are worth the trip alone. Add in the perfect setting — open, bustling, communal — and it’s easy to see why Platform makes the list despite still being in its infancy.

JOHNNY’S LITTLE BAR It never really fit with the rest of the Warehouse District sect, and certainly not its friends down the street on West Sixth, but the little heaven that is Little Bar became a destination just for that reason. (And, well, one of the best burgers in Cleveland didn’t hurt either.) City and county employees, lawyers, aimless day-drinkers and everyone in between found a home here, where the lack of any natural light allows an escape into the dark and warm quarters of a place you can be seen, if you want, but left alone if that’s what you prefer.

HARBOR INN Scene has a long, proud tradition with the Harbor Inn. It was the setting for just about every job interview for years and most of the staff has whiled away the hours there, meeting sources and talking stories. There’s a reason or two for that: One is Wally, the owner, the proud man who’s helmed the Harbor since the ’70s. The other reasons? They’re harder to nail down, but among them: It’s the oldest bar in Cleveland; it’s a shot and a beer bar in a town that’s moved away from that model; it’s cheap; it’s open early. It’s for sale now. So if you have some cash laying around, go buy the best thing in the Flats and save it for all of humanity.

PORCO TIKI LOUNGE Tiki lounges used to dot the downtown landscape decades ago. We’d heard stories of how great they were but really didn’t understand until Porco opened in Ohio City down by I-90. Authentic tiki cocktails with names like the Zombie and Painkiller fill the menu with apocryphal backstories of their origins. And those cocktails? Stuffed with at least two shots of booze in most cases, meaning one is more than enough most times. Add in the festive decorations and the off-thebeaten-path locale, and you can’t help but feel like you’ve stepped into another world entirely.

TINA’S NITE CLUB A lot of places do karaoke. No one does karaoke like Tina’s. Or, to be more specific, Little Lou, who is

ST PAT’S 2015

E GATHER AT BARS TO MOURN, TO CELEBRATE, TO KILL TIME, TO FIND LOVE, TO TALK, TO MEET FRIENDS, TO PARTAKE IN SHARED EXPERIENCES, TO WATCH GAMES, TO PLAY GAMES. The actual drinking part is on the list somewhere, but it’s not really near the top — you can drink anywhere, after all. We choose our favorite watering holes for what they offer: maybe it’s selection, maybe it’s expertise, maybe it’s a friendly smile, maybe it’s nostalgia. Really, though, it’s for all of those reasons and more. A great bar feels like home and becomes a pal of sorts, the atmosphere being more than background noise, something that actually informs the experience and betters it. Our essential bars, culled from many debates and more nights out than we can remember, represent Cleveland — the people who go there, the people who run them, the reasons that make them stand out from the rest, the reasons that keep us coming back time after time. Any list like this is subjective, of course. We probably left off some joint that you consider indispensable. That’s part of the game, part of the great debate. But we do think it’s an inclusive list, one that represents not only the kind of drinking town that Cleveland was but the one it’s becoming. Take a gander and then drop us a line to let us know what you think we missed.

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LA CAVE DU VIN It’s all about the mood here. Well, that’s not right. There’s the outstanding wine and beer selection too. But mainly it’s about the mood. Walk down the stairs and bottom out into a French-feeling underground nightclub where the tables are small and the first feeling is like discovering a secret. It’s cozy by the very definition of the word, which makes it feel nothing short of pure romance, which of course makes it a great spot for date night.

ST PAT’S 2015

Come To THE Place To Party On

your grandfather’s age and who runs the stereo rig on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Which isn’t to say the mic loses its luster any of the other nights, just that Little Lou is our favorite. Dig into the massive lists of bygone hits after you find the building, which is very much off the DetroitShoreway main drag and which takes unassuming to new levels, and belt out your guts in front of your fellow wannabe stars. Karaoke’s not the appetizer here. Karaoke is the reason the bar fills up every week. So come prepared to sing.

MITZI JERMAN’S CAFÉ

The temptation here is to call it a dive bar. The proprietors don’t much like that designation. But that’s what it’s been recognized for over the years by various national publications that found the best watering hole on the near-eastside. The East 30s and St. Clair probably isn’t the strip you’re used to frequenting, but that’s how we like it. Just cheap domestic beer and liquor here, no frills, just friends. It’s what Mitzi liked best, besides her beloved Indians. She passed at the age of 92 back in 2006, but that’s about the only change that’s happened here in 100 years.

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Advertise with SCENE. Call 216-241-7550 for more information.

www.pacersribhouse.com 36

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

Lee Road and Coventry might be going through a bit of transition these days, but the next door over from the Cedar Lee has been stable and consistent for awhile now. That’s Parnell’s, run by Declan Synnott, who’s manning one of the best Irish joints in town. Whether it’s opening in the wee hours of the morning for the World Cup or simply shooting the shit from behind the bar, Declan

is among the nicest guys you’ll ever share words with. And his pub reflects that friendliness and more. Did we mention it’s a great place to watch a soccer game?

SACHSENHEIM HALL vYou probably don’t venture down Denison that often, except maybe as a short cut to get down the Metroparks reservation off Ridge Road. But the knowledgeable traveler knows it’s the location of the Sach, as it’s called, where steins of beer flow freely and the wing and taco nights cost just a few dollars. We love the resurgence of Eastern European drinking halls — Sterle’s, the soon-to-open Hansa beer garden — but this one’s been doing it without much fanfare for years. And for that, it deserves your love.

BROTHERS LOUNGE We already mentioned Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues. They play Parkview on Wednesday nights. Well, they play Brothers on Thursday nights. The rest of the week, of course, is littered with jazz and blues shows you won’t find anywhere else in town in this joint that rides the edge between classy and workingman. It’s about the music, and Brothers services that history in Cleveland by showcasing a ton of talented local acts as well as touring bands.

BECKY’S The Cleveland State University campus is becoming a real campus these days, a real urban university with sprigs of housing and businesses dotting Euclid and Chester and Prospect. Becky’s, over on East 18th, has been acting as the defacto CSU meeting ground in the meantime, offering cheap draft beer, cheaper bar food, and somewhere students and eastside workers and university employees can commiserate over a bargain.

EDGEWATER CAFE Owner Frank Spremull recently reopened Edgewater after the bar had been shuttered for some 18 years. As he told a reporter, he didn’t change anything in that time. It’s a time capsule from

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 37

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“What nicer thing can you do for someone than make them breakfast?” ——— Anthony Bourdain

Whiskey Island is Cleveland summer. And what’s surprising to us is how few Clevelanders have been there, let alone know about it. Edgewater is a beautiful beach now thanks to the Metroparks, which probably means more people will find Whiskey Island this year than ever before. But it’s a gem on its own, a bastion of under-the-sun daydrinking on the gorgeous shores of Lake Erie that will have you forgetting, at least temporarily, that you’re in Cleveland. And no bar on a beach is complete without live music, which you’ll find just about every night at the fabulous Sunset Grille.

ST PAT’S 2015

Custom Artwork If you can imagine it, I can create it for you!

1996, and really from before that, newly opened and preserved. There used to be food back in the day — a burger was $2.50 — but food isn’t in the plans now. There’s just cheap liquor and a place for friends to meet for a quick visit to the ’90s with Frank, who took the two decades off to run his two tire businesses.

HOFBRÄUHAUS

Another newbie on the list; another great reason. Sure, Hofbräuhaus is technically part of a chain, but it’s more destination than chain. And walking through the doors to the giant beer hall (the weather hasn’t been nice enough to really enjoy the beer garden) is like walking into Munich for Oktoberfest. Except it’s Oktoberfest every day here. A live band alternates between German classics and polkainfused covers of modern pop; waitresses walk around with pretzels; patrons get on their feet and dance on their chairs; shots are downed courtesy of the “shotski”; plates of fat sausages emerge from the kitchen; everyone smiles and laughs and drinks and is generally as merry as they’ve ever been. Prost.

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

It may well be a throwback to when the Flats was the Flats, as your parents knew it in the ’80s and ’90s, but what other bar on the banks of the Cuyahoga River offers unadulterated views of the wondrous landscape under the sun? It’s a Cleveland tradition, one of the best people-watching

experiences on a weekend, and a great place to convince your significant other that it’s time to buy a boat. Even if that discussion doesn’t go in your favor, you’ll have a couple of beers and watch other people use their boats, which is almost as fun.

TOWNHALL Townhall isn’t one bar exactly. Sure, it’s got one physical location, but what you encounter inside depends on the day and time. There’s the coffee shop crowd that takes advantage of the cafe. And there is the lunch crowd, taking advantage of Townhall’s extensive vegan and vegetarian options. And then there’s the dinner crowd. And the folks who enter to watch a Cavs game or drain away an afternoon in the pleasant open-air layout. And then, of course, there’s the evening crowd, which turns Townhall into a better version of what West Sixth used to be on Friday and Saturday nights. Not quite a nightclub, but as close to a nightclub as Ohio City gets.

FAIRMOUNT MARTINI & WINE BAR It takes a nice bit of skill to walk the line between craft cocktail destination and corner bar. The Fairmount does just that for the eastside, and the scores of Clinic personnel and college students and young professionals who make its patio a boisterous backyard party in the summer know that the bar walks that line skillfully. An impressive menu of classic and modern cocktails and a short if not well-rounded craft beer list await, along with a similarly short but well-rounded food menu, make the Fairmount a one-stop shop of sorts that caters to everyone without coming off patronizing.

The next 10 on the list, if you were curious: 16-Bit, Side Quest, Major Hoopples, Butcher and the Brewer, Now That’s Class, Bottlehouse, Ugly Broad, Public House, Nano Brew and Mahall’s.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

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We Offer An Extensive Selection Of Irish Beer. 4408 DETROIT AVE. | CLEVELAND | 216.939.0200 | www.the-harp.com

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 39

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 43

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GET OUT everything you should do this week thu

03/12

COMEDY

Blunt to the Bone While she loves to make you laugh, there is no topic off limits to comedian Luenell. Most of her humor focuses on things that happened behind closed doors; however, that isn’t the only thing she has to offer. She says what’s on her mind and is blunt and straight to the point, leaving you laughing at her sheer honesty. You may recognize her from her breakout role in Borat as “the hooker with a heart of gold.” She has also starred in films such as That’s My Boy and Think Like a Man. Luenell performs at the Improv tonight at 7:30. Tickets are $20 and performances are scheduled through Sunday. (Martin Harp) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com. COMEDY

Calm, Cool and Collected Comedian Kevin McCaffrey is calm, cool and collected on stage as he delivers stories about his life. Most of these stories center on how awkward and odd he really is — like the time a pigeon flew into his face and he screamed like a little girl. As a regular on truTV Presents: World’s Dumbest — and having recently appeared on VH1’s I Love the 2000s — McCaffrey has plenty of laughs to offer up . And he knows what is funny, having been a writer for VH1, Fuse TV and National Lampoon. He performs tonight at the Hard Rock Rocksino’s Club Velvet at 7:30. Tickets are $18 and performances are scheduled through Sunday. (Harp) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com. MUSIC

Chris Carpenter Singer-songwriter Chris Carpenter says he’s “grown up” with music. He first took piano lessons and then started playing guitar, eventually drifting into a few garage rock bands that played everything from Dave Matthews to Alice in Chains. He originally didn’t think he would attend college but eventually enrolled in the Belmont University music program. He’s released four CDs, and VH1. com, CMT.com and MTV.com have played his music videos; his songs have been featured in The Young and the Restless, Men of a Certain Age and a Kraft Foods commercial. He’s performed on 43 regional TV shows

The Pink Floyd Experience pays tribute to the British prog rock band. See: Thursday.

all over the U.S. and Canada. He uses the term “songwriter rock” to describe his music. “I coined that phrase not long ago,” says Carpenter, who just performed at the ASCAP Show at the Sundance Film Festival. “It’s very pop oriented. I know I’m a little bit of the love-song guy. Pop is just so broad. Everything could be considered pop these days. Mine has a little dirt on the tires. It’s the diet soda of rock.” You can sample the soda at 6 tonight at the downtown Renaissance Hotel. It’s free. (Jeff Niesel) 24 Public Square, 216-241-3670. COMEDY

The Che Way As the current and first-ever AfricanAmerican co-host on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, Michael Che has a bright future ahead of him. He occupies a spot that’s been held by Tina Fey, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray just to name a few. When he isn’t entertaining millions on national television, he’s on stage performing comedy where he’s as comfortable as ever giving his unique and hilarious views on current topics. You can catch Che tonight at Hilarities at 8. Tickets are $20 to $25 with performances scheduled through Saturday. (Harp) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com. SPORTS

MAC Madness While the Big 10 tournament gets all the attention, the Mid-American Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament, which takes

place today at Quicken Loans Arena, produces its fair share of nail-biting thrillers that come down to last-second shots. While lower seeds play off-site before coming to the Q, the top-seeded women’s teams play today at noon and the top men’s teams will start going at it today at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $10. The tournament concludes on Saturday. (Niesel) 1 Center Ct., 216-420-2000, theqarena.com. ARTS

Majority Rules March is Women’s History Month. To celebrate, a number of galleries throughout the region are hosting all-female exhibitions. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. today, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve hosts an opening reception for Majority Rising, a show featuring six of its archived women artists: Shirley Aley Campbell, Lee Heinen, Kathleen McKenna, Marsha Sweet, Lynn Szalay and Judy Takacs. Takacs has curated the show and will lead an artists’ talk about midway through the opening reception. In the coming weeks, the AAWR will present a number of free studio visits with the artists. Space is limited; see their website to register. Majority Rising runs through May 2. The exhibition and reception are free. (Josh Usmani) 1834 East 123rd St., 216-721-9020, artistsarchives.org. FILM

A Movie that Matters In conjunction with Joyce J. Scott’s Truth and Visions exhibition currently

on view at MOCA, the museum is offering special screenings of An Authentic Life, a documentary on Scott’s life and work. At 5 and 7 p.m., the museum will present these free, public screenings. The film features personal stories from the artist as well as footage of her visual and performance art. Scott explores themes of racism, genocide and rape, but does so subtly with the help of humor and beauty. Get to MOCA early to see the exhibition before you check out the film. An Authentic Life also will be screened at 5 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 and Thursday, May 14. (Usmani) 11400 Euclid Ave., 216-421-8671, mocacleveland.org. MUSIC

A Passion for Pink Without question, Pink Floyd remains one of the most influential and groundbreaking rock bands of all time. Theatrical and grand performances with unsurpassed sound and mindblowing lights, their live shows also left behind a legacy because they were unlike any other. It’s not an easy feat to duplicate the psychedelic and unique sound of Pink Floyd but the Pink Floyd Experience is the next best thing. The six-piece cover band is comprised of extremely talented musicians from across the country who successfully duplicate the vibe and sound of Pink Floyd. This year, the band will play four sides, off four Pink Floyd albums, back to back. Which four sides? That’s for you to find out. And of course they’ll be performing a

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 45

GET OUT

#SonicSesh

set of Greatest Hits as well: Songs such as “Money,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Comfortably Numb” are in the set list. The band plays tonight at 8 at the State Theater. Tickets are $10 to $36. (Kaitlin Siegel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. FILM

TUESDAY APRIL 14 2015

7 PM Doors 8 PM Show

with Alex Cameron TICKETS: $ 5.50 (including fees)

On sale now at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame box office, or online at rockhall.com

1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44114

The Time Traveler’s Life Ethan Hawke stars in Predestination, a time-travel thriller that follows a Temporal Agent as he tries to find and stop a terrorist responsible for killing 11,000 people in New York City. The film is a roller coaster of a ride as you hop around from past, present and future alongside the Temporal Agent as he tries to solve the mystery. During his travels he encounters the “Unmarried Mother” (Sarah Snook), a mysterious writer. Everything is much more than it seems, and the way every piece of the puzzle falls cleanly into place will leave your head spinning in awe. It plays tonight at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque at 8:55 and again on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $9. (Harp) 1141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu. MUSIC

Tribute to the Tango A classically trained artist and master storyteller, Migguel Anggelo teams up with the Oblivion Project, a group dedicated to the works of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla, for tonight’s performance. The performance comes in the wake of a sold-out debut at Severance Hall with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, a residency with the nationally acclaimed Contemporary Youth Orchestra and other performances at a variety of local venues. The group includes graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Music, the New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, the Conservatory of Music in Cologne, Germany, and other notable institutions. Anggelo will serve as the lead singer for a series of “exclusive performances” that includes a concert tonight at 7:30 at the Bop Stop. Tickets are $10. (Niesel) 2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org.

Sunday, March 22nd • 4pm

{ Available at Eventbrite.com } Tickets $20

$65 couples wine packages 46

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

fri

03/13

DANCE

Ballet Benefit Each year, Ballet in Cleveland hosts a gala designed to raise funds for its programming and costs. Internationally acclaimed dancers

Misty Copeland (soloist with the American Ballet Theatre) Carlos Lopez (former soloist, American Ballet Theatre and current ballet master of the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company) and Michele Wiles (former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and current artistic director of BalletNext) will be on hand for tonight’s edition. Copeland’s brother Cameron Koa will perform his single “Halfway Home” and Mayor Frank Jackson will present Copeland with a Proclamation in honor of her many accomplishments. The inaugural presentation of the Misty Copeland Scholarship will also be presented to local dancer Samara Steele. Live and silent auction packages feature exclusive items from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. In addition, there will be commissioned art capturing the essence of Copeland from local artist Mark Howard. The event starts at 6 p.m. at Tudor Arms Hotel. Tickets are $150. (Niesel) 10660 Carnegie Ave., balletincleveland.org. MUSIC

A Celtic Celebration For 10 years now, Celtic Woman has been a global sensation. And tonight the group brings its 10th Anniversary Celebration to the State Theatre for a special concert. The press release for the show promises “this enchanting musical experience” will feature “a treasure chest of traditional Irish standards, classical favorites and contemporary pop songs.” The four female singers are well-versed in traditional Irish folk tunes. A full band, the Anotas Choir, bagpipers and Irish dancers accompany them as music producer David Downes directs. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $45.75 to $105.75. (Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. FESTIVAL

For the Fans Cleveland ConCoction, a group that describes itself as “Northeast Ohio’s fan-run, volunteer-run convention for all things sci-fi, fantasy, gaming and Filk,” brings its second annual convention to the Cleveland Airport Sheraton this weekend. Emmynominated voice actress Tasia Valenza, who’s provided her vocal talents to a variety of video games such as Batman and Arkham Asylum serves as guest of honor. Other guests include author S. Andrew Swann, artist M. Alice LeGrow, game creator Andy Looney of Looney Labs, and Cosplay guests Knightmage, Mogchelle and Princess Nightmare,

among others. In addition, authors will present workshops and will be available for fans and aspiring authors. Cosplay workshops and costume contests will allow costumers and cosplayers to “show off their work, get new ideas and learn new techniques.” The Philadelphia-based band This Way to the Egress and local Cleveland belly dance troupe Les Odalisque will provide the entertainment. The convention runs through Sunday. Weekend memberships are available at the door: $50 for adults and $25 for kids. Day rates range from $10 to $40. (Niesel) 5300 Riverside Dr., clevelandconcoction.org. FILM

Irish Animation Tomm Moore’s new Oscar-nominated, Irish-animated film Song of the Sea is firmly rooted in Celtic myth and legend — as was his previous Oscarnominated film The Secret of Kells. This beautiful, hand-drawn and traditionally animated film follows two children, Ben (David Rawle) and Saoirse (Lucy O’ Connell). They live in a lighthouse by the sea. Saoirse is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who transform from seals into people. Follow Saoirse and her brother Ben on their journey

tonight at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque at 7:30. The film screens again on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $9. (Harp) 11141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu. ART

Putting the “Fun” in Fundraising Negative Space Gallery & Studio bills itself as a “unique, multi-sensory stomping ground for creative expression” that “promotes artistic ingenuity and is home to the experts and the admirers of multi-media art, music and dance, poetry and video.” To keep the gallery going, the folks that run the place have put together a “fundraising extravaganza.” Tonight’s event features “an eclectic lineup of musical performances from Cleveland’s emerging music scene.” In addition, there will be live art performances by the likes of Ari Warner and dance performances by Viva Dance Studio. One attendee will win an original art piece created by Gadi Zamir, owner of Negative Space Gallery & Studio. Tickets are $25. (Niesel) 3820 Superior Ave., 216-470-6092, thinknegativespace.com. COMEDY

A Novelist Idea Pittsburgh-based comedian Anthony Jeselnik initially wanted to be a

novelist. It wasn’t until he relocated to Los Angeles that he discovered there were different avenues for a writer. Jeselnik has written for countless shows including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. His own show, The Jeselnik Offensive, ran on Comedy Central for two seasons in 2013. Jeselnik’s style of comedy is dark, obscure and witty. He actually left his job writing for Fallon because so many of his jokes were turned down for being too dark. He always loved roasts and called them “the Super Bowl of comedy.” It was only fitting that he got his big break on The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump. Immediately following his performance, Comedy Central offered him a one-hour special. Jeselnik performs tonight at 8 at the Ohio Theater. Tickets for the performance are $32. (Siegel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. ART

Portraits Aplenty The latest exhibition at the Cleveland Print Room is perhaps their most ambitious. Third Person features five curators each selecting five photographers working in portraiture. The curators include Laura Ruth Bidwell, Ken Emerick, Joe Minek, Chuck Mintz, and Print Room founder

and director Shari Wilkins. The show examines the concept of portraiture, and explores the boundaries of photography as an artistic medium. Third Person opens with a free reception from 5 to 9 p.m. today and runs through Saturday, April 25. (Usmani) 2550 Superior Ave., 216-401-5981, clevelandprintroom.com. FOOD

Something Fishy On Fridays through April 3, Prosperity Social Club offers Fish Fry-Day Lenten menu items. You can get everything from haddock to chowder. “I guess our New England clam chowder is false advertising since it is really made from scratch right here in our Tremont kitchen,” says owner Bonnie Flinner in a press release. “Even the pierogi are made here in Cleveland by local Polish women.” New for 2015 is the “Gotta Haddock,” an “ultimate Lenten meal” for diners who want to try it all; it includes coleslaw, a cup of chowder and two potato pierogi with all of the “fixings.” While Prosperity isn’t regularly open for weekday lunch, it’s offering special Friday lunch hours during Lent when it will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-937-1938, prosperitysocialclub.com.

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 47

GET OUT sat

03/14

THEATER

Lunch • Dinner • Sushi Bar • Happy Hours • Patio 45 Featuring Entertainment • Private Parties • Chef’s Table • Gift Certificates Contact Kathryn Weaver at 216.707.4160 or kathryn.weaver@ihg.com

Party Time Near West Theatre’s new home at 6702 Detroit Avenue in Detroit Shoreway neighborhood has been dubbed the “Magical Factory of Transformation.” The new 24,465-square-foot theater celebrates its opening tonight at 8 with a big bash. Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites and DJ Donkis will perform. Tickets are $20. (Niesel) 6702 Detroit Ave., 216-961-6391, nearwesttheatre.org. SPORTS

A Spring Thing Now that the extreme cold is behind us, it’s time to get the running gear out of storage and hit the pavement. You can do that just today at the 35th annual St. Malachi Church Run. The race begins at 9 p.m. on the DetroitSuperior Bridge next to St. Malachi Church with a 2-mile run/walk, which is then followed by a 5-mile run/walk. The finish line is on Center Street in the Flats near McCarthy’s Ale House, where you can pick up any awards you might have won. Registration costs $40 on race day. (Niesel) hermescleveland.com. FILM

A great restaurant satisfies all of the senses, provides an ambiance and environment that pleases, relaxes, stimulates, fulfills, and imparts a feeling of intense, yet controlled, indulgence. Each element, from touch to sight, must be as much of an attraction as the food. Today, dining out should be as entertaining as an evening at the theater. CALL FOR RESERVATIONS VISIT US ONLINE AT

216.707.4045 tbl45.com

9801 CARNEGIE AVE, CLEVELAND, OH 44106

Suicidal Tendencies In Barry Levinson’s comedydrama, The Humbling, Al Pacino plays an aging actor, Simon Axler, battling bouts of dementia. After an incident during a Broadway play, he is institutionalized. He eventually returns home and then contemplates suicide. Axler embarks in an affair with a friend’s much younger lesbian daughter, Pegeen (Greta Gerwig) which turns his life upside down. You can catch this adaptation of the Philip Roth novel of the same name tonight at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque at 7:10 along with another screening on Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $9. (Harp) 11141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.

sun

03/15

FOOD

48 T45AD2015.indd 1

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

Gotta Have Faith The monthly Gospel Brunch has been a spiritual Sunday staple for years at the House of Blues. Curated by famed gospel singer Kirk Franklin, the recently reinvigorated show puts a bit more emphasis on the music. Today,

2/2/15 10:45 AM

the local group Lafayette Carthon and Faith performs. Band leader Carthon has performed with acts such as Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Marvin Winans, Mary J. Blige and Vickie Winans. Starting at 11 a.m., the all-you-can-eat musical extravaganza features Southern classics like chicken jambalaya, biscuits and gravy, and chicken and waffles. Tickets range from $18 to $38. (Niesel) 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com. COMEDY

Mike Check Comedian Michael Palascak has blown up on the comedy scene of late. With appearances on The Late Show and The Tonight Show in the same year, Palascak is starting to get his feet under him. The comic uses stories about his life and his awkward misadventures to open a window onto his inner workings. You can catch a very laidback performance from Palascak tonight at Hilarities at 8. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Harp) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

mon

03/16

COMEDY

Comedy by Accident The local comedy scene is currently thriving and promoter and comic Ramon Rivas is at the forefront. He’s the man behind the Accidental Comedy Club, a weekly open mic session that takes place every Monday night at Hofbrauhaus. The weekly series features local comics as well as special guests from the region. Shows are free if you make a reservation in advance (simply email accidentalcomedyclub@gmail.com) or $5 at the door. Comedy starts at 8:30 p.m. (Niesel) 1550 Chester Ave., 216-621-2337, chucklefck.com. FOOD

Industry Brunch Brunch isn’t just a Saturday/Sunday thing. Over at Mahall’s, you can grab a great brunch on Mondays as the club caters to industry folks who have the day off. Not that you have to work in the restaurant industry to indulge. The menu features items such as Chicken and Donuts, a dish that features three pieces of fried chicken along with two Old Hushers doughnuts. Other staples include the Everything Pretzel and the Creamy Egg Sandwich. A live DJ from WCSB will be on hand to spin cool tunes too. It runs from noon to 4. (Niesel) 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

tue

03/17

FESTIVAL

Good to be Green Few Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day like Clevelanders. Kids ditch school and adults skip work to hit the bars early and prep for the annual parade and associated festivities. Today’s parade kicks off at 1:04 p.m. It begins at the intersection of Superior Avenue and East 18th Street and will travel southwest on Superior Avenue to East Roadway. The parade will head northwest on East Roadway for one block; and then it will head northeast on Rockwell Avenue. It ends at the intersection of Rockwell and East Third. If you’d rather avoid the mayhem, the parade is available for viewing on TV. (Niesel) stpatricksdaycleveland.com. MUSIC

It’s a Revolution For many years, classical music wasn’t intended for the masses. Classical Revolution Cleveland helps tear down that wall and once again bring great chamber music to the people. Showcasing a variety of performers in bars, cafes and the like, it’s actually not that different from how people used to listen to chamber music. The third Tuesday of every month, CRC brings its

MARCH 12 - 15

KEVIN MCCAFFREY featuring Mike Jones

• Appeared and wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman • TruTV Presents: World’s Dumbest • Wrote for VH1, National Lampoon and Fuse TV

wide array of chamber music to Happy Dog. Performers like the Trepanning Trio, Anime Duo, students of Cleveland Institute of Music and even Cleveland Orchestra members grace the stage in these exciting concerts. Full of immensely talented performers, CRC re-instills the relevancy of this vibrant art form. Tonight’s free, all-ages performance starts at 8. (Stoops) 5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com. COMEDY

The Green Team Other than drinking green beer and slamming down a corned beef sandwich, what better way to spend your St. Patrick’s Day than at the Irish Comedy Tour? Damon Leibert, Derrick Keane, Mike McCarthy and Derek Richards are the four men in the troupe. Musical performances by Keane along with energetic fiddle playing by Leibert will make you feel Irish, even if for just one night. Sit back, have a drink, embrace the culture on the day when everyone’s Irish. It’s happening at the Hard Rock Rocksino’s Club Velvet at 7 tonight; another performance is set for 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.50. (Harp) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com.

MARCH 17

IRISH COMEDY TOUR

featuring Derek Richards, Mike McCarthy, Damon Leibert and Derrick Keane $20 ticket includes choice of (1) Conway’s Irish Ale or green beer. Join the party of boisterous, belly-laughing hooligans.

THEATER

Poetry in Motion During the late 1940s, Jack Kerouac and his pals friends took several cross-country road trips to Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver and Mexico City. These trips provided the inspiration for Kerouac’s On the Road, an account of those journeys. Tonight at 7 at the WOMB, the local theater troupe, Wandering Aesthetics, presents Kerouac’s Beat Generation, a play he wrote after On the Road’s commercial success. It’s part of the troupe’s monthly play-reading series, the Boiling Point. A discussion will follow the 7 p.m. reading. It’s free. (Niesel) 915 East Market St., Akron, 330-962-8792, facebook.com/WATheatre/events.

wed

03/18

COMEDY

Canadian Comic Comedian Debra DiGiovanni is nothing short of brutally honest and open on stage. With an act that centers on her personal life, she opens up to the audience and gives everyone something to relate to. She’s received the Canadian Comedy Award for best female comic three times in five years. She has also been called “the best

comedian to see after a messy breakup” as she will unflinchingly make you laugh the entire night. You can see Debra DiGiovanni perform tonight at Hilarities at 8. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Harp) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com. FILM

Opening Night The annual Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off tonight at Tower City Cinemas with a screening and a big bash. Director Brett Haley’s new film, I’ll See You in My Dreams, shows tonight on multiple screens. It stars Blyth Danner as a widowed retiree who was a musician in Greenwich Village in the ’60s and a schoolteacher in Southern California. Twenty years after the death of her husband, she spends her time reading books, golfing and playing cards with her eccentric friends Sally (Rhea Perlman), Rona (Mary Kay Place) and Georgina (June Squibb). The film shows at 7 p.m. and a party follows at 9 p.m. Tickets are $150. (Niesel) 230 West Huron Rd., 216-621-1374, clevelandfilm.org.

Find more events @ clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

MARCH 19 - 22

NICHOLAS ANTHONY featuring Quinn Patterson

• 1st st place at the coveted Las Vegas Comedy Festival • NBC’s Last Comic Standing • Writer for CBS’s The Inspectors • Winner of Final Draft’s “BIG BREAK” TV Writing Contest

Tickets on sale starting at $13.* For tickets, visit TICKETMASTER.COM or the Rocksino Box Office from 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM *not including tax and fees

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 49

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

ART

“Childhood Migraine” (2015) by Douglas Max Utter. Acrylic and latex paint with black pastel and shellac on canvas.

HUSTLE AND BUSTA

As closing time draws near for the William Busta Gallery, an exhibition not to be missed By Josh Usmani WITH ONLY FIVE EXHIBITIONS remaining before legendary local gallerist William Busta shuts the doors on his eponymous gallery, there’s lots of anticipation in the arts community. The exhibition debuting this Friday, featuring Elizabeth Emery’s Lick Time (sculptures and drawings) and Douglas Max Utter’s Time Lines (paintings and monotypes), is a fine beginning to that farewell. Emery was selected as one of Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People of 2015. She was influenced by her early years in urban Philadelphia and rural Lawrenceville, New Jersey. For more than a decade, she lived in New York City, designing textiles for the clothing industry. In a drastic and unexpected career move, she spent the next 10 years of her life racing bicycles professionally throughout the U.S. and around the world before eventually settling in Cleveland. She currently spends most of her time working at Zygote Press and in her studio. Emery’s plaster and concrete sculptures feature form and textural elements influenced by her time in urban settings, as well as her ceramic M.F.A. work. “I became especially interested in the way fabric contained space and merged this curiosity with the very tactile medium of clay during my M.F.A. studies,” says the artist. Emery finds inspiration in Cleveland’s endless dichotomies. “In Cleveland, I’m surrounded and inspired by visually entwined

contrasts in architecture (steel mills beside elaborate, wooden twofamily houses), culture (historically Polish neighborhoods hosting new immigrants), environment (oceansized lake, farmlands, plus vibrant downtown within cycling distance), and climate (summer-big-blue-puffycloud skies followed by winter-lowgrey-stillness),” she adds. Last year, Emery completed a twomonth residency in Homer, Alaska. “Since returning,” she says, “I made a series of gold cloud drawings that will hang with the sculptures as a 2-D backdrop to the amorphous, very 3-D plaster sculptures. I have a new studio and it’s been really fun to see

a permeable line between the feminine and masculine quality of materials.” This will be her first solo exhibition in Cleveland since Invisible Summer at William Busta Gallery in 2013. Douglas Max Utter is arguably Cleveland’s most respected and accomplished living painter and art critic. Since winning the Best Painting Award in 1987’s May Show at the Cleveland Museum of Art, his work has received three individual fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, a 2011 Creative Workforce Fellowship, as well as journalism awards from the Cleveland Press Club and others. His paintings have been exhibited in more than 40 solo shows

WILLIAM BUSTA GALLERY

2731 PROSPECT AVE., 216-298-9071, WILLIAMBUSTAGALLERY.COM

how the new building, new views, new surroundings has changed the colors I’m using. This winter with all the snow has as well.” Emery’s work explores the blurred line between the masculine and the feminine through societal assumptions of her materials. “Concrete is industrial, heavy, typically poured by men,” says Emery. “Once set immoveable, it retains tiny details during casting as it pushes outward against the textured fabric boundaries I make. Both fabric and sewing reflect furniture, clothes, bedding, and are historically associated with women’s work…At the same time, I’m exploring the edges of

in Cleveland, New York, Phoenix and Germany. Additionally, he has published several hundred articles, reviews and essays for this rag, along with the Plain Dealer, Kent State University Press and many others. This will be Utter’s fourth solo show with Busta since 2008. Utter’s exhibition, Time Lines, is heavily influenced by his family and his past, especially his childhood. “It strikes me that whatever painful memories my dad may have had, I remember him as a man who was notably unafraid of the world, who quietly immersed himself in life,” describes Utter. “My mother, equally brave, taught me to see and love

beauty, and encouraged my art from earliest childhood. The paintings I have done are an extension of what they saw and showed to me. My landscape is theirs, farther down the road, just as theirs was a continuation of sight and being that disappears with the thoughts and charms and flaws of other ancestors, into the lost wild of time.” His work will fill three rooms inside William Busta Gallery. As the end of Busta’s gallery approaches, these exhibits seem especially fitting. Both Emery and Utter have created work which confronts and challenges the framework through which we contextualize our everyday life. “If my work has a central theme, it is probably the mystery of human identity, exchanged between persons or clutched close to the bone,” Utter says. “In one way and another I’ve always tried to use painting to remember, and to re-imagine, who I am and how I am in the world… I look for myself everywhere as if life was a mirror, or a dark jar.” Utter’s Time Lines runs through April 11. Emery’s Lick Time runs through April 18. Additionally, both artists will be in the gallery from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 11. Additional gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or by appointment.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 51

This Week’s Maker: @johnkpublic / Musician

SCENE MAGAZINE PRESENTS

BEST OF CLEVELAND 2015

DISCOVER THE WINNERS MARCH 25

STAGE review

In the pursuit of equal rights matrimony.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

It’s alive and well in Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays at Cleveland Public Theatre By Christine Howey YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT the state of Ohio is working on a new slogan to replace “The heart of it all.” And if you’re a gay person in Ohio who is in a committed relationship, you may not be aware that Ohio has a heart at all. That’s because our roughly heart-shaped territory is one of the few remaining states that hasn’t made same-sex marriages legal within its borders. That unpleasant fact is the backdrop for Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, now at Cleveland Public Theatre. It is a somewhat revamped production of the show that CPT presented in 2012, and the timing couldn’t be better. With the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to hear cases on same-sex marriage on April 28, now is the time for those supporting the cause to re-energize themselves and their allies. And this play, directed with energy and style by Craig J. George, does exactly that, through huge dollops of humor and a couple emotional interludes that make clear why marriage rights are so important. The show is a collection of nine mini-plays by eight well-respected playwrights; humorist, playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick authors two, and thank god for that. While not all nine are equally effective, they pack a wallop (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

when seen together in a format conceived by Brian Shnipper. The initial pieces in the first and second acts, as well as the final work, deal specifically with the wedding ceremony, the one thing most gay couples have never fully experienced. In the lead-off and perhaps shortest play, Jordan Harrison’s The Revision sketches out how two guys are working over their vows for the upcoming nuptials. The wording gets

minds have been changed. And since there is nothing more human than the ability to laugh at ourselves, SoC is laced with comedy. Two of the funniest pieces, by Rudnick, feature Maryann Elder as a dyed-in-the-polyester, right-wing “family values” advocate, and then as an overly competitive mom of a gay son. In the first, The Gay Agenda, she’s been hearing gay voices in her head after a gay couple moved in next

STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS THROUGH MARCH 21 AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE 6415 DETROIT AVE., 216-631-2727, CPTONLINE.ORG

complicated and comical as Nate (Val Kozlenko) and Wallace (Marr O’Shea) try to resolve various issues. At the start of Act 2, Liz and Cate are also discussing the ceremony, with Cate (Beth Wood) being a traditionalist and Liz (Molly Andrews-Hinders) a resolved rebel. As Cate describes it, Liz wants a “clown, vampire, car show” wedding. Liz also has a disapproving family, but in this piece by Mo Gaffney, the two women work out their issues the family way. As Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, recently said at a Cleveland City Club forum, communicating the human side of this controversial topic is how

door. She thinks gay people are taking over, even though her conservative hubby thinks God “created gay people as a crafts project.” In the second, Elder is an overbearing Jewish mother who wants her gay son to marry an attractive and successful guy so she can one-up her friends with grown and married gay children. Elder is a polished actor and consistently funny, although she sometimes plays her one-note characters a bit too floridly, especially at the start of each piece. Only one play clunks, as On Facebook by Doug Wright mashes up a series of Facebook messages on the gay marriage topic. It only

succeeds in trotting out a string of tired stereotypes that aren’t even interesting as historical artifacts. The more serious aspects are expressed in plays by Neil LaBute and Moises Kaufman. In LaBute’s Strange Fruit, Tom and Jerry meet cute, but there is no happily ever after. The title references the Billie Holiday song, written by Abel Meeropol, and it makes perfect, tragic sense. Kaufman’s effort, London Mosquitoes, is a eulogy being given by Joe, who has lost his partner Paul. It’s the most complex and ambitious of the short plays, and Dana Hart wisely underplays the emotion. The fact that these two men decided not to marry after being together for 46 years reveals another facet of the right-tomarry debate: the right of two people not to marry because that decision means more to them. And that’s the crux of the issue, having the right to make the decision that is proper for the two people involved. This June, the Supreme Court will announce its decision. With a little luck — and lots of hard work — that’s when Ohio will be given, even against its will, a much-needed heart transplant.

scene@clevescene.com t @christinehowey

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 53

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1/8 PAGE (2.13" ) X 5.42" ALL.B42.0311.CS

FS/AM #1

INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING

You and a guest are invited to see

MONDAY, MARCH 16 7:00PM CINEMARK VALLEY VIEW

Monday, March 16tH at 7:00 P.M. regal richmond

For your chance to win an admit-two pass, visit gofobo.com/ GMScene3

THIS FILM IS RATED R for “ strong crude sexual content and language throughout” No purchase necessary. Supply limited and available on a fi rst-come fi rst-served basis. Seating is not guaranteed. Theater is overbooked to ensure capacity. One (admit-two) pass per person.

IN THEATERS MARCH 20!

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 CLEVELAND SCENE WED: 03/11/15 BLACK & WHITE 4.55” x 5.9 RM

visit

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and enter the code

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to download your complimentary passes! No purchase necessary. Two (admit one) passes per person. This film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language.

in tHeaters FridaY, MarcH 20

MOVIES in theaters

SPOTLIGHT

REVIEW OF THE WEEK

ALSOOPENING

WHETHER OR NOT YOU IDENTIFY AS A serious hockey fan, the documentary Red Army, which opens Friday exclusively at the Cedar Lee and casts its gaze on what is arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of sports, is worth every last penny of the matinee ticket price. It’s the USSR’s famed Red Army hockey club, the storied franchise which doubled as the national team in world championship and Olympic play. Writer-director Gabe Polsky interviewed Soviet hockey’s heroes — heroes most of us have heard of only if we paid really close attention during 2004’s Miracle, or if we followed the ascendant Detroit Red Wings in the mid-’90s — and let them tell the stories of their experience. The film’s success, which is considerable, can be attributed both to the personality of its central character and the degree to which hockey is used as a lens to view Soviet cultural and political history in the 20th century. We open on a bespectacled Slava Fetisov, former captain of the Red Army team and one of the greatest defensemen of all time (we’re told). The screen is overrun with accolades as Fetisov flicks off his interviewer (director Polsky) and says he’s busy. He’ll be with him in a moment. Fetisov is a politician now, but through the course of the film, he speaks with both candor and humor about the rigors and sinister political undercurrents within the Russian system, a system designed as a kind of

Cinderella

Kenneth Branaugh directs this update to the Disney animated classic, starring Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter and Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden. (Gotta be better than Maleficent, right?)

propaganda for the Soviet way of life. (Those who moan about the length of the MLB season or the NBA playoffs might be alarmed to learn that the elite USSR hockey club was exiled to a compound where they were forced to train at all hours of the day for 11 months of the year.) And Fetisov was a champion both on the ice and off. He proved instrumental in unlocking the iron door which prohibited Russian players from competing in the NHL. He stood up to Russian military leaders, who threatened him regularly and beat him at least once, and who had orchestrated outrageous contracts where Russian players were compelled to pay 75 or 90 percent of their earnings back to the government, just for the privilege of playing overseas. But there’s lots of hockey-centric anthropological trivia too, plus insight into the mystery of the USSR’s greatness on the ice. They used techniques from the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet, for instance, to choreograph offensive schemes predicated on constant motion and constant passing — much more so than the American game, which tends to exalt brute force and individual skill. If nothing else, Red Army will broaden your historical perspective and encourage you to cheer — if only for 80 minutes — for players that we’ve always been taught to view as the bad guys, as the embodiment of our Cold War adversaries. — Sam Allard

Run All Night

Liam Neeson and The Killling’s Joel Kinnaman star in this action thriller about a hit man who must protect his son from a mob boss (Ed Harris) who wants retaliation for the death of his own son.

THE SALVATION, A NEW WESTERN FLICK starring Danish leading man Mads Mikkelson (he of the bleeding eye in Casino Royale) opens this weekend exclusively at the Capitol Theatre. Westerns — good ones anyway — are hard to come by these days, so Cleveland Cinemas pounced on the opportunity to screen The Salvation in conjunction with “one of the greatest Westerns of all time,” according to Cleveland Cinemas’ marketing director Dave Huffman. Once Upon a Time in the West, the 1968 Sergio Leone classic, will screen Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for the genre masterpiece starring Claudia Cardinale as a widowed damsel in distress who is aided by a mysterious, harmonica-playing stranger (Charles Bronson) and a notorious desperado (Jason Robards) who protect her from a ruthless killer (Henry Fonda, in a definitive role). In true Cleveland Cinemas fashion, if you bring a ticket stub from Once Upon a Time in the West to a screening of Salvation for the duration of its run, you’ll receive a free 32-ounce popcorn. In The Salvation, Mikkelson is Jon, a former Danish soldier who has settled, with his brother, on the American frontier of 1871. When his wife and son arrive from Denmark to join him, they are savagely murdered. Jon exacts immediate revenge, but learns that one of the men he kills is the brother of a villainous outlaw named Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who has been extorting and terrorizing the nearest town with his gang at the behest of oil-prospecting tycoons. Jon finds himself at the mercy of the timid townsfolk (an underhanded mayor, a pious sheriff), who believe that Delarue will ease up if his brother’s murderer is handed over. But violence prevails, and Jon must take matters into his own hands, triangulating, meanwhile, the loyalties of Delarue’s tongueless mistress (Eva Green). Mikkelsen is certainly a somber-faced Dane — you can’t blame a man who’s lost everything for looking grim — but as the film’s protagonist, he cues the overall tenor, which is downright cheerless. All the outlaw rapes, the point-blank head shots, the sober exchange of property deeds, create an atmosphere (which probably hews to history) of bleakness and barbarism. And though there are moments of suspense and one or two satisfying confrontations, when you couple the despair with the modest production budget, the occasionally disruptive use of CGI for stylized landscape shots, and a script without much dialogue, you’ve got a recipe for a Western that feels neither particularly classic nor particularly modern. — Sam Allard

Ballet 422

Opening exclusively at the Cedar Lee, this dance doc follows a young choreographer as he creates and performs in an original New York City ballet. magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

EAT review Guacamole sampler and empanadas.

Carne asada.

Corn spoon bread.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER (DOWN AKRON WAY) Nuevo Mod Mex is anything but an imitation By Douglas Trattner IT’S EASY TO SPY A CONCEPT LIKE Nuevo Mod Mex in Akron and think rip-off. After all, Momocho Mod Mex in Ohio City has been going strong for nine years. Yet all I see is a sharp operator who saw a gaping hole in the marketplace and set out to plug it. That the restaurant has just sprinted past the one-year mark is proof that the chef-owner called the right play and is executing it soundly. That chef is Zack Hirt, who along with his wife and partner Lisa introduced Akron to the modern Mexican concept in early 2014. After two decades of working in other people’s kitchen — the last eight years of which were spent at Akron’s popular Crave — Hirt thought it was time to strike out on his own. When the time came to settle on a concept, the chef did what any shrewd businessman would do: He analyzed the market for opportunities. “I’ve been working in kitchens for more than 20 years, and I could pretty much do anything,” the chef explains. “So when we decided to open a restaurant, we just looked at the market. Certainly, Momocho, Lopez and Paladar were inspirations. There’s nothing like that down in Akron.” Well, there is now. In a town that has struggled to establish and sustain a dynamic restaurant scene, Nuevo (Photos by Emanuel Wallace)

goes a long way toward getting the ball rolling. The owners took a longvacant spot downtown — a former sporting goods shop — and reworked it into a lively urban bistro. The multilevel interior features a raised bar area overlooking a compact dining room, and unlike most mod-Mex eateries, this one doesn’t overdo it with Day of the Dead crap. The glassy, contemporary space is loud as hell, but it’s also festive enough to elevate a dreary Tuesday night into a barnburner.

yet rarely tender beef cheeks paired with aged cheddar, as is the case here. The flaky pillows are a joy to eat, their steaming-hot centers tamed by a slick of cool chimichurri-spiked cream sauce. Of course, diners will find the requisite guacamole sampler ($15) — three bowls of ripe and creamy guac jazzed up with ingredients like habanero jelly (more sweet than spicy), bacon and goat cheese, or white bean, rosemary and garlic. There’s also a salsa sampler ($9), outfitted with mild

NUEVO MOD MEX

54 EAST MILL ST., AKRON, 330-762-8000, NUEVOMODMEX.COM

That action is fueled by a tequila list approaching 70 varieties. Drink your way from a dry and crisp blanco to a mildly spiced reposado on up to a complex, toasty añejo. Or order all three at once in a flight. For those who prefer to drink their tequila the gringo way, there are rainbows of colorful and fruity margarita samplers. The modern in “modern Mexican” typically refers to the use of contemporary ingredients in traditional Latin recipes. That’s certainly the case with the empanadas ($10), crispy half-moon pastries traditionally stuffed with a wide variety of sweet and savory fillings,

and plain tomato, tart salsa verde, and a spicier house blend. For a salsafueled operation such as this, I’d love to see more heat, depth and excitement in the concoctions. Thanks to a broad menu, Nuevo is the kind of place where friends can drop by for drinks and snacks, or settle in for a traditional meal of appetizers and entrees. Moving beyond the starters, there are tacos, Mexican classics, and more creative mains. Some of the placements are confusing, like the tacos al pastor, which don’t actually live in the “taqueria” section (and aren’t limited to pork, but that’s for another conversation).

In the assemble-your-own taco department, diners have options built around pork shoulder, short rib and pan-seared shrimp ($12.50) with beer-braised peppers and onions. Diners can choose between flour and corn tortillas, but that isn’t stated on the menu. Classics like carne asada ($16) and chicken en crema ($15) are competently executed, the steak grilled just right, the chicken juicy and bathed in a delicious sauce. A full two-thirds of the main dishes come with the same unexciting Spanish rice, long-simmered pinto beans, and too-crisp pickled vegetables. It’s a move borrowed more from the Tex-Mex playbook than a mod-Mex one, and perhaps a missed opportunity to push instead of pirate. Hirt seems to reserve his most creative plays for the entree section, where items like expertly cooked duck breast ($23) is paired with zesty boar sausage, sweet potato puree, and poblano blackberry mole. For Hirt, an Akron native, there was no other zip code in which to hang his shingle. Along with an up-and-coming batch of culinary colleagues, he’s helping to inject modern sensibilities into an old-fashioned restaurant town.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t @dougtrattner

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 57

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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and at grind-burger.com magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 59

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

SOUP FOR THE SOUL FEATURES 20 CHEFS, 20 SOUPS FOR GREAT CAUSE By Douglas Trattner ON MARCH 26, MORE THAN 20 OF Cleveland’s top chefs will gather and prepare their favorite soups to benefit Malachi Center, a community and family resource center founded in 1985. This year’s Soup for the Soul

will be a full-service restaurant and bar serving “inspired American comfort food.” Management says the location along Lakewood’s restaurant row is ideal, but the World of Beer concept, which required guests to order in food or leave to track it down, was not. To that end, the new owners are installing a kitchen, reworking the entire interior, Cleveland comes together for the community on March 26. and reducing event will be held at Renaissance the length of the bar and cooler space Cleveland, 24 Public Square, from 6 to devoted to booze. Owners will keep 10 p.m. about two dozen tap handles for Host chef Nolan Konkoski of rotating craft drafts. Soho Kitchen & Bar has lined up a “The look will be nice, modern and great group of restaurants for this upscale,” says management. year’s event. On the billing so far The new dining room layout will move are Momocho, Spice, Flying Fig, away from bar-height stools and highNinja City, BAC, Fat Cats, Cha, Nano tops and to comfortable banquettes, Brew, Black Pig, Fahrenheit, Zach booths and regular-height tables. By Bruell Restaurants, Bar Cento, Great removing a large chunk of the old 60Lakes Brewing, Tartine, Clark Pope foot bar, the owners will gain valuable Catering, Old Angle Tavern, Melt Bar dining space. All told, the Detroiter & Grilled, and Cork & Cleaver. will seat around 120 indoors. While Attendees will have the opportunity not a sports bar, there will be more to sample as many soups as they’d like than a few TVs for game-day viewing. as well as vote for their favorite bowls. The elevated stage will be redesigned Local celebrity servers, auctions, and converted to overflow dining and raffles, appetizers and desserts will used for the occasional live act. help make Soup for the Soul a wellDiners can look forward to a rounded event. traditional menu of homespun classics Tickets are $95 and include like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, valet parking; purchase them at cast iron pan-fried chicken and malachicenter.org. All funds raised at scalloped potatoes, plus a wide range Soup for the Soul will support Malachi of from-scratch, American-themed Center’s programming for children comfort foods. Entree prices largely and families. will be in the mid-teens. One unique spin on the menu will come courtesy of the guests, who can NEW OPERATOR CLAIMS OLD pass along cherished family recipes WORLD OF BEER SPOT IN LAKEWOOD for inclusion on the menu. At least one customer-supplied recipe will be World of Beer closed its Lakewood on the roster on a monthly basis, says location at the tail end of 2014. By management. early June 2015, the neighborhood The Detroiter will be open for will welcome its replacement — and lunch and dinner from the jump, with unlike its short-lived predecessor, this weekend brunch with booze tossed in. one will prepare and serve food. The Detroiter (14701 Detroit Ave.), owned dtrattner@clevescene.com and operated by longtime Lakewood resident Mike Kozar and partners, t @dougtrattner

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 61

EAT bites LOCAL WEST FILLS WESTSIDE NICHE By Douglas Trattner

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

IT’S BEEN THREE weeks since Local West (7400 Detroit Ave., 216-417-7001) officially joined the near-westside neighborhood of Detroit Shoreway and already it is settling in nicely. The craft sandwich and beer cafe offers neighbors an attractive dining alternative to fast food, The clean, simple interior of Local West is bright yet inviting. run-of-the-mill pubs and pricier bistros. menu. A classic Greek salad joins Owner Jon Mavrakis has done a large Caesar salad ($7.50) on the a remarkable job transforming the roster. That Caesar is served in a former Niko’s Greek Grille into a chilled ceramic bowl. The romaine is slick, contemporary space with open crisp and fresh, tossed in a garlicky, kitchen, wood and corrugated tin cheesy dressing with crunchy walls, and chalkboard menus. There’s croutons. There are four salads in plenty of seating for folks who want to all. There’s a gyro served with all dine in rather than grab and go. the trimmings, as well as a grilled Guests scan the large wall menu, octopus pita sandwich. And you which is divided into categories for will find a half dozen pita pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, “signature eats,” including the Athenian, topped with pita pizzas, salads and sides. To place gyro meat, feta and onions. an order, diners tick off items on a The Italian beef ($10) — a Signature paper menu with provided pencils and Eat — is a great roast beef sandwich hand it over to the cashier. Orders are if not necessarily a great Italian beef delivered to the table when ready. sandwich. For starters, the thinly All items are made to order, with shaved beef isn’t soaking in the beef management shooting for five- to broth before it goes into the baguette. 10-minute wait times. Our salad Nor is the meat dipped. Nor is the landed on the table in about four sandwich dipped, even by request. minutes with the sandwiches landing All said soaking must come from the small side of au jus that is served on the side. The beef is topped with very mild giardiniera. Sides, which are included with certain items, range from fresh-cut fries to oven-roasted lemon potatoes. A soft and creamy mac and cheese made with elbow macaroni is mildly seasoned and pleasant. In addition to the sandwiches, Local West offers Mac and cheese, please! a nice selection of wine and somewhere around the 12-minute craft beer (in bottles and cans), with a mark. I’ve heard reports of longer wait nice representation of local producers times when the restaurant is busy, that includes Great Lakes, Fat Heads, which it was not during our lunchtime Columbus Brewing, Thirsty Dog and visit. Jackie O’s. To craft its gourmet sandwiches, Look for a roomy patio to open Local West uses all Ohio meat and whenever winter breaks. poultry. In season, it is shooting for 75 percent local produce. The breads are sourced from local bakers as well. dtrattner@clevescene.com There is a decidedly Greek undercurrent running through the t @dougtrattner

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 63

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 65

MUSIC

(Photo by Chad Kamenshine)

It might not look like it from this photo, but Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes is a big sports fan.

THE COLLAGE TRY

Of Montreal’s new album has a real immediacy to it By Jeff Niesel IT’S A BIT MISLEADING TO SAY that the latest offering from indie rockers Of Montreal is the band’s most eclectic release to date. The band tends to take an eclectic direction on all its albums; it often doesn’t even sound like the same group could have performed all the tracks on any given release. “I’m very into collage arrangements,” says frontman Kevin Barnes. “One song could have three or four different movements within it. I don’t worry about staying in the same key or tempo. I think it’s exciting when songs are unpredictable and take crazy detours along the way.” A Rocky River native who still thinks of himself as a lifelong fan of Cleveland sports teams, Barnes

moved to Athens, Ga. nearly 20 years ago because he consciously wanted to embrace the city’s rich musical history. Inspired by watching Athens, Ga. Inside/Out, a documentary film about the music scene that featured performances and interviews with acts such as R.E.M., Pylon and the Flat Duo Jets, he sought out the kind

such as Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, groups that were part of the loosely formed Elephant 6 collective. Even though Of Montreal used the Elephant 6 logo on a couple of its records, it was never officially part of the collective. But then, the collective was never really that well organized, either. Barnes

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of camaraderie he lacked in previous bands. After forming Of Montreal, he quickly befriended indie rock acts

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

has described it as an “unofficial collective.” “It was extremely beneficial on many levels,” Barnes says of having

been associated with the Elephant 6 collective. “If it wasn’t for being connected with them, I don’t think that many people would have heard of us. They were really good about teaching me how to do it on a DIY level and how to be strong when you’re on the road and not be discouraged or frustrated for a lack of attention or acclaim and really doing it for the right reasons. Everyone was doing van tours and car tours and sleeping on people’s floors. I learned from them how to be tough. I hear bands complaining about how rough it is on the road. When you travel like that and you’re all sharing everything together, it’s kind of a beautiful experience.” Of Montreal initially began playing the kind of neo-psychedelic

rock for which the other bands in the collective were known, but the band then went in a different, danceoriented direction on 2002’s Aldhils Arboretum and has dabbled in a bit of everything since. Prior to recording the latest album, Aureate Gloom, Barnes spent some time listening to old punk and classic hard rock albums. Those influences seep into the songs on the album, the band’s 13th effort. “I was listening to a lot of earlyto mid-’70s punk music like Patti Smith and Television and Voidoids and stuff like that,” he says. “I was also listening to early Sabbath and Zeppelin and King Crimson. I was in between those two worlds — the early prog rock and early punk scenes.

sequestered itself in a studio outside El Paso, Texas. Barnes says he wanted to go to a place that was outside his comfort zone, especially since the group recorded the previous album, 2013’s Lousy with Sylvianbriar, at his home. “We did the last record at my home studio with the same basic line-up,” he says. “I was nervous that if we were to do it again it wouldn’t sound different enough. I thought it would be a good idea to go somewhere else and change the environment and change up the process a little bit.” El Paso provided just the change of scenery that the band needed. “Bands as different as Ministry and Yeahs, Yeahs, Yeahs have worked [at the studio] there,” he says.

“I have an appreciation for the underdog.” — Kevin Barnes Those are the reference points that we were going for in general with the production and the arrangements.” So does he see a connection between the types of music? “I don’t know if I can draw a line between them easily,” he says. “The thing I liked about both those movements is that they were both very raw and spontaneous. It felt like the musicians involved were really excited about what they were creating and there’s an immediacy to it.” The opening track, “Bassem Sabry,” starts with a big blast of noise. Barnes says he intended the album to open with a bang. “That’s the idea of a record starting like that,” he says. “It’s like getting punched in the face. Then, it settles into political disco. “It’s basically an anti-fascism song,” he continues when asked about the inspiration for “Bassem Sabry.” “It’s dealing with the Arab Spring and the people who stood up against the oppressive regime. Bassem Sabry was a political writer who was very brave in that he stood up against the system and knew that he would be crushed in the end because they don’t tolerate that type of thing. It’s a love song to him and to the brave people who go up against fascist regimes around the world. I have an appreciation for the underdog and imaging what life would be like on a day-to-day basis when you’re faced with that. People you know and love are affected by it everyday. It’s difficult for us in the U.S. to appreciate the struggle they’re faced with every day.” To record the album, the band

“Mexican bands record there too because it’s right across the border from Juarez. We went out there and basically spent three weeks recording and mixing. It’s all analog. The room was big enough that we could be in the same room together and do a lot of live tracking. We could work quickly. We did pre-production and the songs were in place. We didn’t do too much second-guessing. It was very spontaneous, just like those records I was inspired by.” Songs such as “Last Rites at the Jane Hotel” feature brittle guitar riffs that sound like a cross between T. Rex and Gang of Four. The album might be the band’s most adventurous yet. And that’s saying a lot since the band tries to make each album sound different from the previous one. While the band is coming up on its 20th anniversary, Barnes says he has no plans to mark the occasion. Given the fact that the group has had a revolving line-up, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to acknowledge something like an anniversary. “It’s been such a windy road and the band is really just me,” he says. “I’m the only consistent part of the whole thing. I could have a little ‘me’ party or I could bring everybody who ever was in the band. I don’t give a shit about anniversaries like that. I could care less if it’s 20 years or 20 seconds. I just want to keep working and not think about that stuff or pat myself on the shoulder. I still feel like I have so much to prove.

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 67

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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MUSIC

Rutherford (center) and the guys he calls the Mechanics.

FAMILY MATTERS

An increased awareness of mortality made Mike + the Mechanics revisit The Living Years By Matt Wardlaw CLEVELAND AND MULTIinstrumentalist Mike Rutherford have shared a number of special moments over the years. In fact, in his new memoir The Living Years, the guitarist credits the city as one of the first markets that gave his band Genesis the crucial radio airplay that helped launch their now legendary career. So as he launches his first American tour in 25 years with his other band, Mike + The Mechanics, it’s fitting that he will visit Cleveland during the 17-date run. As Rutherford points out, even with all the success the band had with hit singles like “Silent Running” and “All I Need is a Miracle” in 1986 and the deeply emotional title track from their 1988 album The Living Years, they didn’t have many opportunities to play shows in America. “Basically, we never really toured much in the ’80s and ’90s,” Rutherford explains. “Then when Paul Young, one of the main singers died, myself and [singer] Paul Carrack kind of thought the energy had changed a bit so we stopped for a bit.” After a break, Rutherford found himself turning back toward the idea of further activity with the group. “A few years ago I wrote some songs and thought, ‘Well, they sound like Mechanics songs.’” Carrack was wrapped up with his own activities, so Rutherford went back to his original formula for assembling a band. “I knew we needed to have two singers, a rock voice and an R&B voice. That’s the Mechanics makeup in a way. So

I found Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar and wrote some music.” New Mechanics vocalist Roachford had his own chart success in the late ’80s with the R&B group Roachford, which scored a Top 5 single in the U.K. in 1989 with the song “Cuddly Toy.” Rutherford says it was a mixture of luck and working with longtime associates that helped him fill out the rest of the roster. “Gary [Wallis], the drummer, has been around for a long time. He’s been in the Mechanics for a number of years. In the middle, keyboards

Need is a Miracle,” “Word of Mouth” and “Silent Running” — these songs kind of had a perfect sound on stage and I’ve kind of followed that through for the last couple of years. So when someone came and said, ‘Why not try an American tour and see?’ I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s going to be great.’” A new expanded reissue of The Living Years album features a freshly recorded version of the title track, featuring the current line-up. Reflecting on the original version, Rutherford recalls that he was keenly aware that “it was a tall task to write

MIKE + THE MECHANICS

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and other guitars have always been sort of changing. [Keyboardist Luke Juby and guitarist/bassist Anthony Drennan have been working with the group since 2010]. The other singer, Tim Howar, came via a recommendation of a friend of mine who was a producer, who sort of knew Tim. Tim had a background of everything, from rock music to ballet to heavy metal to the theater world. So in a sense, he’s quite well versed [for this band].” He played some shows with the new line-up in support of their 2011 album The Road and was pleased with the results. “I was very surprised at how well the songs worked on stage. Songs like “The Living Years,” “All I

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

a song about death and families.” Rutherford had a personal connection to the track, having recently lost his father (Carrack, who sang the lead vocal, had lost his father when he was 11 years old) and the subject matter is something that resonated strongly with the listening audience, with the single eventually climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. “You kind of forget that time [with family] is valuable and of course then they pass. My father passed away, and you kind of go, ‘Oh, I just missed that moment,’” Rutherford says. “So in a way the song and the book too really is to remind people that your parents, they’re very important, and their stories — once they go, the stories are

gone, really. So you’ve got to make sure that you do engage enough.” Speaking of the new version of “The Living Years,” Rutherford is quick to acknowledge that it wasn’t an attempt to improve upon the original. “The original one is very strong, so we’re just trying to celebrate the history,” he says. “I had some friends who had an African ensemble, so we used them to sing along and it’s interesting. It’s a celebration of the song, really.” The band’s show at Hard Rock Live will feature favorites from the Mechanics catalog and even a couple of Genesis tracks. “I Can’t Dance,” “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Throwing it All Away” and “Turn it on Again” have made their way into the set list over the past couple of years. For longtime fans, it might be the only chance to see Rutherford play Genesis songs, a real treat since the group doesn’t have any immediate plans to tour. “You know, you can’t force [something to happen]. Phil’s drumming ability is not where it should be, so that puts sort of a big question mark on that area,” Rutherford explains when asked about a possible Genesis reunion. “If something comes along someday, they’re good friends — there’s no problems between the people. I always said ‘never say never’ for years and then the ’07 tour happened. So there you go: Whoever knows?”

scene@clevescene.com t @mwardlaw

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 71

MUSIC

The Nelson family, back in the day.

BAND OF BROTHERS

Fond memories fuel Matthew and Gunnar Nelson’s celebration of their late father’s legacy By Matt Wardlaw ABOUT A DECADE AGO, MATTHEW and Gunnar Nelson decided they wanted to do something to honor the musical legacy of their father, Rick Nelson, and they came up with the Ricky Nelson Remembered show. But as Gunnar Nelson shares during a recent phone conversation, there was a lot to pick from when the brothers began putting together a set list. Rick had placed 53 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 throughout his career, selling over 280 million singles and 60 million albums (all of which helped to earn him a slot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 1987 class of inductees). That made choosing which songs to put in the show a hefty task. “The hardest thing for us to do was cull through this incredible catalog of music and pare it down to something that could fit into 90 minutes,” Nelson recalls. “Right after our dad passed, we actually found a copy of a set list that he was using on that last tour. So we made a decision to actually do his last set in that order. Because, we figured, that’s the way he wanted it, then we might as well do that. So that’s what we do.” Calling his father the “first guy to smuggle rock ’n’ roll into mainstream American living rooms,” Gunnar says he was also someone who had a good handle on how to satisfy the fans within that tight window of time. “He did it smart; he started with all of those songs that people wanted to hear,” he explains. “I mean, with

a Rick Nelson concert, you’ve gotta hear ‘Hello Mary Lou,’ you’ve gotta hear ‘Travelin’ Man,’ you’ve gotta hear ‘Garden Party,’ you’ve gotta hear ‘Lonesome Town.’ There are some standards that you just have to hear that really define the era and define him as an artist too.” When it comes to favorites from their dad’s catalog, as you might imagine, the twins are split. “I think Matthew and I each have different answers,” he says. “Matthew would probably tell you it would be ‘Garden Party,’ because our dad wrote it based

do in the studio and what they could layer onto a track — everybody was stacking more and more production into their records — our dad, on that one song, went the other way. It was a solo acoustic guitar and a solo vocal, and it is freakin’ awesome to this day. It’s just so vulnerable and melancholy, and it just works. So to me, that’s my dad in his purest form.” Rick Nelson passed away in a 1985 plane crash, but Matthew and Gunnar had plenty of chances to see their dad perform live in the years leading up to that. As Gunnar remembers, anytime

RICKY NELSON REMEMBERED 8 P.M. SATURDAY, MARCH 14, MUSIC BOX SUPPER CLUB, 1148 MAIN AVE., 216-242-1250. TICKETS: $38 ADV, $42 DOS, MUSICBOXCLE.COM

on a true-to-life experience, and he basically turned what could have been a really tragic moment in anyone’s life — getting booed off the stage by 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden for looking different than people remembered him from TV and playing new music,” he says. “You know, he wanted to grow and change and they wouldn’t let him, and he took that event and was like, ‘I learned my lesson well/ you can’t please everyone/ so you’ve gotta please yourself.’ That’s really great. That’s a real triumph,” Nelson says. “For me,” he continues, “it’s really simple. I love ‘Lonesome Town.’ Because at a time when technology was broadening what people could

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

their father was “within 300 miles of Los Angeles,” they’d go to see him play shows. “He was inspiring — he always had a killer show and a great band,” he says. “Rick Nelson always had the best musicians, I do have to say. James Burton on guitar. I mean, good lord, where do you go when you’ve had James Burton as your lead guitar player?” They also had the chance to see him at work in the studio — only once, but it was a choice experience. “It was really cool, because it was my 12th birthday,” Gunnar says. “Our dad, as a surprise present, actually produced the very first recording Matthew and I ever did. He was the producer of that session and it was at

Studio City Sound there in Studio City, California, and his guitar player and his band backed us up. I played drums and Matt played bass and we recorded a song that Matthew had written and the Pointer Sisters sang backup. It was pretty cool.” The upcoming show at the Music Box Supper Club should be a lot of fun. Nelson describes the Ricky Nelson Remembered experience as a cross between a “high energy rock concert” and an A&E Biography episode. The twins themselves are still making music as well, although it’s been 25 years since they scored radio hits under the Nelson band name with songs like “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” and the title track to their 1990 album After the Rain. They’ll put a cap on the Nelson chapter of their legacy with a final album, appropriately called Peace Out; fans can look for that to be released later this year. But the music won’t end there, Nelson promises; they’re just going to take things in a slightly different direction. “Matt and I are making music now and what we’ve got coming up, I want you to imagine a modern take on the Everlys,” he says. “It’s very cool, really brother-oriented songcentric stuff and the nucleus again is the two of us playing and singing together.”

scene@clevescene.com t @mwardlaw

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LIVEWIRE all the live music you should see this week THU

03/12

Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets: Over the past 30 years, Marshall Crenshaw has sealed his reputation as the consummate singersongwriter. While he’s best known for his sole Top 40 hit, “Someday, Someway,” which was on his 1982 self-titled debut, he’s respected and revered by his peers. Despite the lack of mainstream success, Crenshaw has continued to regularly record and tour. He’s now on the road with a backing band that includes members of the alt-country quartet the Bottle Rockets, another long-running institution. They’ll open the show and then be his backing band. It’s a great combo. 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. (Jeff Niesel) Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Blues Chronicles/Tom Shaper: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Chris Hatton (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Austin Lawrence/A Work of Fiction/ Across the Viaduct/The Scenic Route/ Beautiful Tuesday (in the Locker Room): 7 p.m., $6. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Ledisi/Raheem DeVaughn/Leela James: 8 p.m., $34-$48. House of Blues. New Soft Shoe: 8 p.m., free. The Euclid Tavern. Of Montreal/Deerhoof: 8:30 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Bucky Pizzarelli Quartet: 7 p.m., $30. Nighttown. Pete Rock/Slum Village/MuAmin Collective/United Grind Society: 9 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. Grog Shop. Bobby Selvaggio & The No Words Quintet (in the Supper Club): 7:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. The Sounds of Jazz Featuring Nancy Redd: 8 p.m., $8. BLU Jazz+.

FRI

03/13

The Airborne Toxic Event: The Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jollett says the band took very different approaches on its two new albums, The Dope Machines and Songs of God and Whiskey. “Dope Machines was like making a symphony,” says Jollett. “You write all the parts from the oboes and the violins. Then you have the big day and play it all together as several different movements. Songs of God and Whiskey was more like, ‘Let’s get a bottle of wine and sit around and play.’” When the band set out to record Dope Machines, Jollett put himself back in the producer’s chair simply because he wanted a challenge. Turns out, it

Two albums are better than one for the Airborne Toxic Event. See: Friday.

was a big challenge. “It was really hard,” he says of the experience. “It was enormously fun and creative and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think the songs end up being about the influence of machines and the isolating effects that modern machines and electronics have on your life. It’s about the weird way in which you’re more interconnected and in some ways further apart. People live double lives and they live secret lives. They live half lives. The record tries to explore those things.” For the current tour, the band will play Dope Machines in its entirety and then dip into its back catalog. “We have a digital presentation that goes along with it,” Jollett says. “There’s a visual component too. The first half is playing the record with this visual element. The second half is playing songs from throughout the different records and getting down with the crowd. The idea was to get out and play. We just did a huge tour. We’ll probably do a huge tour. We wanted to create a movie and audiovisual like The Wall or Tommy or all those huge ’70s rock concepts. It’s a similar idea but not as narrative driven.” 8 p.m., $39.50. Trinity Cathedral. (Niesel) Red Wanting Blue/Bobby Bare Jr./The Modern Electric: “We are an Ohio band, and pretty much anywhere within the borders of our state we like to call home. And especially Northeast

Ohio,” Red Wanting Blue frontman Scott Terry told Scene last year. It’s a testament to Terry’s statement there that they’re returning to the area so soon. From the Vanishing Point remains the band’s seminal album (check out “Audition” and “My Name is Death,” in particular), but they’ve got a new disc, Little America, that they’re supporting. Look out for a handful of tunes from that one during tonight’s show. It’s a sure bet that RWB’s set — new and old tunes alike — will contain that very personal vibe from which all of their great tunes have grown. “When it comes from an honest place, when it comes from some sincere place, there’s something about that that transfers over. And you hope that it transfers into the song and into the words and that people can ‘get it,’” Terry said. 7 p.m., $20-$25. House of Blues. (Eric Sandy) Gregg Allman: 8 p.m., $39.50-$65. Hard Rock Rocksino. The Boys from the County Hell: 8 p.m., $10. Happy Dog. Chatham County Line/Rebekah Jean (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Chingy/M. Stacks/Co2 3mb/Johnny Doe: 6 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Agora. Anne E. DeChant/The Fretters/George Foley & Friends: 5:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

The Destress/Barrier/Villains/Gift Giver/ Traitors/Adaliah: 6 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. The Outpost. Drowning/Cholera/Wasted Blood/2x4: 7 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. The Foundry. The Element: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. George Foley: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown. Hubb’s Groove: 8 p.m., $15. BLU Jazz+. JiMiller Band/Syrup: The theme is Grateful Dead meets St. Patrick’s Day as two local jam bands, JiMiller Band and Syrup team up for tonight’s special show. 8:30 p.m., $12. Music Box Supper Club. (Niesel) Lo-Pan/Against the Grain/Gluttons/ Sparrowmilk: 9 p.m., $8. Grog Shop. Mike Mains and the Branches/Nick Wilkinson & the Featured Players/Allen Ilg: 8 p.m., $10. Musica. Mobile Deathcamp/Runt: 7 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. The Foundry. Rock and Reggae Benefit with Carlos Jones/The Admirables/The Big Ship/ Tastycakes: 7 p.m., $15 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Top Hat Black/Erica Blinn/Tom Evanchuck: 9 p.m., $5. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Travelin’ Johnsons (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. April Verch: 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown. Vosh 2 Year Anniversary Party with Marina Strah/Tricky Dick and the Coverups: 7 p.m. Vosh Club.

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 75

HAPPY HOUR

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

SAT

03/14

An Evening with Helmet — Betty 20th Anniversary Show: Continuing the trend du jour of performing classic albums from start to finish, Helmet will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Betty tonight. Blending some of the best features of punk, hardcore and metal, Helmet crafted a mid’90s masterpiece with this one. Everything hits: the chugging guitar; the thumping bass; the emotionalslacker vocals; and, chief among the stellar instrumentation, John Stanier’s snare-heavy percussion work. From “Wilma’s Rainbow” and “I Know” to single “Milquetoast” and deeper cuts like “Vaccination,” Helmet grounded its music in the more innovative punk traditions of the 1980s, differing sharply from their more “nu-metal” contemporaries. Guitarist/frontman Page Hamilton has said the goal of this album was to get out of whatever comfort zone had been forming for the young band. “We’d been together for four years as a band by the time we’d done Betty, and to me, as the songwriter, it was time to put on the lab coat and try some other stuff.” 8:30 p.m., $17 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. (Sandy) Howard Jones/Cobi Mike: In 2013, singer Howard Jones debuted Engage!, a multi-media project designed to celebrate his 30th anniversary. Earlier this year, he premiered the show in the States in Los Angeles. “I wanted to push myself and do something I had never done before,” he says of Engage! “I wanted to present all the different genres of music I love along with visual arts and cinema, and there’s even a short ballet scene.” For Jones, who has been a Buddhist for twentysome years, the show represents the distillation of his beliefs. “One of the themes is that the best thing we have is each other and we need to celebrate each other and our common humanity,” he says. “It’s important to have a positive attitude.” While Jones won’t be bringing Engage! to Cleveland when he plays tonight at Trinity Cathedral, he’ll have a band in tow for the performance. He’ll play a few songs from Engage! and the concert will have a multi-media dimension. He promises hits such as “Life in One Day,” “Everlasting Love,” “Things

Can Only Get Better” and “No One is to Blame” will likely be in the set too. 8 p.m., $45. Trinity Cathedral. (Niesel) Eddie Brookshire Quintet: 8 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+. Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys/ Sweet N Blu: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Desert Noises/Indigo Wild/Jivviden: 8:30 p.m., $7 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern. Firestarter/Blacklister/Anchor Down/The City of Sirens/Calling Back Kelly/Sorry Mom (in the Locker Room): 6 p.m., $6 ADV, $8 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Andy Gabbard/Holden Laurence: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Jimmy Jack (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Linear Downfal/Sexy Pig Divas/Thorla: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Morgan Mecaskey/Cities & Coasts/ Embleton: 8:30 p.m., $5. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Mike “Mad Dog” Adams featuring Flyin’ Jays and Reese Dailey Band: 12:30 p.m., $40. The Tangier. Red Wanting Blue/The Trews/Nick D & the Believers: 7 p.m., $20-$25. House of Blues. Ricky Nelson Remembered: 8 p.m., $38 ADV, $42 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Carrie Rodriguez/Boy = Girl (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. A St. Patrick’s Concert for Open M featuring the Mickeys/The Twanglers/The Help & the Hand: 8 p.m., $10. Musica. Sugar Magnolia: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown. Yellowjackets: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., $35. Nighttown. Young Widows/Shannon Wright/Arms & Armour: 9 p.m., $12. Grog Shop.

SUN

03/15

Chelsea Grin/Carnifex/Sworn In/Black Tongue/The Family Ruin/Below the Tide: With last summer’s CD boasting what the band has called “the amount of material from our last two CDs combined,” deathcore band Chelsea Grin isn’t messing around. Featuring a live show that will melt your face off, Chelsea Grin is rolling through Cleveland for the Ashes to Ashes tour with support from Carnifex, Sworn In and others. Vocalist Alex Koehler has amazing range — he can go from earpiercing highs to gut-wrenching lows. 6 p.m., $16 ADV, $18 DOS. Agora. (Martin Harp) Defiance, Ohio: 8 p.m., $8. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Govinda/DJ Meghan/Broken Keys/ Shaggs: 9:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS.

Beachland Ballroom. Hot Jazz Seven: 3 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Idlehands/Slow to Speak/The Greater Gatsby/Pipe Dream/Playing to Vapors (in the Locker Room): 7 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. The Luckey Ones/Texas Plant/The Mighty Flying Squirrel: 8 p.m., $7. Beachland Tavern. Mike + the Mechanics/Daryl Steurmer: 7:30 p.m., $37.50-$75. Hard Rock Rocksino. Oh! Sullivans!: 5 p.m., $10. Nighttown. The Portersharks (in the Supper Club): 4 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club. Sommerfugl: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

MON 03/16 Cursive/Beach Slang/See Through Dresses: When indie rockers Cursive went into the studio in 2003 to record The Ugly Organ, which they’ve just reissued as a “deluxe edition” with bonus tracks, they explicitly set out to make something “really bizarre.” “We wanted the chords to clash,” says guitarist Ted Stevens via phone from a Washington D.C. tour stop. “We saw it as something that was like a new sound. We got a chance to road test all that material. When we did hit the studio, we knew where things went.” Songs such as “Art is Hard” and “Am I Not Yours” feature off-kilter time signature changes and high-pitched vocals. The tunes have a manic energy to them that has translated well to the stage too. Stevens says the group has enjoyed digging back into the record to learn how to play tunes that it hasn’t played before. “There are a couple of songs we haven’t played in 10 years and some we might have never played.” The bulk of tonight’s set will come from The Ugly Organ but Stevens promises the guys will play a few songs from the band’s many other albums as well. 8:30 p.m., $15. Grog Shop. (Niesel) Mojo Big Band: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Neighborhood Night with Ray McNiece Speak in Tongues/Nancy Redd/Leo Coach: 8 p.m., free. Beachland Tavern. QS Jazz/Revelry: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

TUE

03/17

Torche/Nothing/Wrong: It’s been 10 long years since the hard-rocking Torche first came together. Band members have all played together in different groups but bassist Jonathan Nunez says the group had good chemistry right from the

first rehearsal. Released in 2008, Meanderthal signaled the band’s coming out as its sludge-y guitars drew equally from stoner rock and grunge, distinguishing the group from a slew of like-minded metal acts. “There’s been no limitations or barriers,” says Nunez when asked about the band’s experimental approach. “Our approach is that if it feels good, roll it. You can hear it in the music.” The band’s new album, Restarter, is yet another intense offering. “We just wanted the raw pummeling power that I feel when we have on stage,” says Nunez. “It feels good to be on stage. We have our own sound. From the raw audio that we hear, I wanted people to hear that. I want them to put on the record and know it’s us. Some people have complained about the dynamic range. Have you seen us? [The live show is] balls out. I hate to sound crude saying that. It’s on 1v1 and it ain’t going anywhere.” You couldn’t ask for a better description of the band’s approach. 8:30 p.m., $15. Grog Shop. (Niesel) Doyle/Atomic Grave/Dead Federation: 6:30 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Agora. Expire/Rotting Out/Suburban Scum/Bent Life/Mizery: 6 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. The Foundry. Dave Katz and Sarge from Ekoostik Hookah: 5 p.m., $8. Roc Bar. Madison Crawl (in the Wine Bar): 6 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Ray McNiece Tongue N Groove/The Micenmachers: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Pompous Ass Band: 4 p.m. Vosh Club. St. Patrick’s Day at Nighttown: The New Barleycorn: 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $22. Nighttown. The World of Drum N Bass with Crissy Criss/The Prototypes/Tasha Tribe Steppaz/Emplate/Justin Hartman/Brian Hyatt/Phated/Josh Quiet/Secret Sauce/ Stout XTC/Synapse: 7 p.m., $17 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

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scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 77

BAND OF THE WEEK HEY MAVIS By Jeff Niesel (Photo by Jerry Mann)

“We thought it would be good to bring [Yonder Mountain String Band Guitarist Adam Aijala] on board as a producer. He pushed me outside of my comfort zone a little bit.”

MEET THE BAND: Laurie Michelle Caner (vocals, banjo, songwriting), Eddie Caner (violin, viola profunda), Bryan Thomas (bass), Kevin Johnson (guitar), Anthony Taddeo (drums) BACKGROUND: Back in 2010, R.E.M./ Smithereens/Red Clay Ramblers producer Don Dixon discovered the Hey Mavis tune “Santa Knows” on a Michael Stanley Christmas compilation CD. Four months later, Dixon produced their debut album, Red Wine. “I love his vibe in the studio,” says Laurie Michelle Caner when asked about working with Dixon. “He’s really sweet but he tells you what it is. He’s just really great.” A GROUP EFFORT: For the new album, What I Did, the band has teamedup with Yonder Mountain String Band guitarist Adam Aijala, Chuck Auerbach (co-writer of the Black Keys song “Hard Row”), singer-songwriter Brent Kirby and the aforementioned Dixon (REM, Smithereens, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Red Clay Ramblers). “Eddie and Adam Aijala go way back and we’ve opened for Yonder Mountain String Band,” says Caner. “We thought it would be good to bring Adam on board as a producer. He pushed me outside of my comfort zone a little bit.” Kirby plays guitar on a couple of songs and co-wrote several of the tracks, and Auerbach has been supportive of Hey Mavis from the start. He showed up with a stack of lyrics and the band picked some they liked for the album’s title track. The music draws from myriad musical genres, including jazz, bluegrass, old-

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

timey, folk and rock.

TOURING AND MORE TOURING: This month, the group heads out on a regional tour of Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Guitarist Kevin Johnson, a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a bachelors in music performance, will tour with the group; he spent five years playing music on international cruise lines and currently teaches and gigs in Northeast Ohio, primarily on upright and electric bass. “I’m thrilled about the line-up,” Caner says. “I love the fullness of the sound.” WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: “Mon Bijou” is an elegant waltz that sounds like it was recorded during a different era, and the ballad “Hairbrush,” a song that Kirby co-wrote, is a somber meditation on motherhood. “It’s about this idea that as moms, we leave our children and go to work but even if we leave them in capable hands, we’ll still mother them,” she says. “It’s about brushing your hair and getting back on that track.” WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THEM: heymavis.com. WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: Hey Mavis performs at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, at the Happy Days Lodge in Peninsula.

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

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b a r k i n g s p i d e r t a ve r n . c o m

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

LATE LAST YEAR, GREGG KELLEY, a former Scene sales rep with a background in concert promotion, started booking shows at Roc Bar, a 250-capacity club that once hosted local and national rock acts. Angela White took over as manager. Back then, Kelley told us that if things went well, he’d start booking the old Odeon, a thriving rock venue throughout the ’90s. Mike Tricarichi, president of Telecom Acquisition Corp., owns both the Odeon and Rock Bar. Now, Kelley has announced that he’s begun booking the Odeon (the club had been rechristened Earth in the 2000s). The local metal act Mushroomhead is set to play the first show at the venue at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 1.

AGORA DOCUMENTARY IN THE WORKS On March 20, production starts on Live at the Agora, a feature length documentary film about the famous concert venue. The late Henry “Hank” LoConti founded the Agora Ballroom back in 1966. Bruce Springsteen, the Cars, Todd Rundgren, U2, the Police, Rush, Peter Frampton and Ted Nugent are among those who have played at the venue and gone on to incredible fame. Directed by Kevin Kerwin, the movie will feature interviews with Rundgren, Eddie Money, Southside Johnny, Ian Hunter, Richard Patrick, Pat McGee and more. “I came up with this project when I was working with Hank on something

else,” says executive producer Jay Boland. “I wanted it to be out for next year’s 50th anniversary. We’ve identified some film festivals where we’d like to debut.” The filmmakers have also reached out to prog rockers Rush about an interview. “My pitch to the artists is that we would love to film the artists in Cleveland, but we might have to go out of town,” Boland says. “We want to film as much as we can in Ohio. It’s a Cleveland production. If Springsteen says we need to come to New York, we’ll be there.” The filmmakers are working with the Western Reserve Historical Society to access Agora-related materials in its archives. “There’s a huge collection of audio recordings. [LoConti] saved everything — old contracts and photos. Most of that hasn’t been released. We have some material that hasn’t been used. The Agora was known for filming live concerts and then having a TV program that was syndicated in 340 different markets and 46 or 47 different states.” As it’s put in a press release, the film is “part-autobiography, part rock ’n’ roll moment in time, part historical document and part family love story.” It’s the first feature length film for Boland. The production is currently looking for corporate sponsors to help complete the budgetary needs. Go to facebook.com/ LiveAtTheAgoraMovie for more info.

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 85

SAVAGE LOVE TRUTH BE TOLD By Dan Savage Dear Dan, When I was 15, I had a threemonth-long sexual relationship with a 32-year-old woman. She was a friend of the family, and my parents were going through a divorce. I stayed with her for the summer, and she initiated a sexual relationship. Looking back, I can see that she had been grooming me. We used to have conversations online and via e-mail that were very inappropriate considering our age difference. The relationship ended when I went home. Soon after, I met a girl my own age and we started dating. Twenty years later, we are happily married and have two wonderful children. Our sex life is active and fulfilling. The only problem is my wife is very proud of the fact that we were each other’s “first and only” sex partners. When we first slept together at 16, I couldn’t admit that she wasn’t my first, and I didn’t want to get the older woman in trouble. I don’t want to hurt my wife by revealing the truth. Can I keep this secret to myself? — This Revelation Undermines Total Harmony

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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Like you, TRUTH, I lost my virginity to an older woman at age 15. My first was closer to me in age (20s, not 30s) than your first — the woman who preyed on you — and I never felt like she took advantage of me. If anything, I was taking advantage of her, as our sexual relationship helped me sort out my shit. (I could get through sex with a girl, yes, but I had to think about guys the whole time. I resolved to cut out the middlewoman and have sex with guys instead.) Based on your letter, TRUTH, it doesn’t sound like you were damaged or traumatized by this relationship. You quickly figured out that what she had done to/with you was squicky and inappropriate; the fact that she didn’t leave you damaged or traumatized doesn’t make what she did okay. But it sounds like your only issue — it’s the only issue you raise — is whether you can continue to allow your wife to think she was your “first and only.” You can. Unless you need to unburden yourself to the wife for your own sanity, TRUTH, or you think there’s a chance she could discover the truth on her own, don’t let one marital ideal — you should be able to tell each other everything — obscure an equally

important if less obviously virtuous marital ideal: You don’t have to tell each other everything. Protecting your spouse from the truth, allowing your spouse to have their illusions, is often the more loving choice. While there are deceptions that aren’t okay — crushing student-loan debt, a second family hidden in another city, you are Dinesh D’Souza — some deceptions are harmless. Allowing your wife to continue to believe that she was your “first and only” falls squarely into the harmless camp.

Dear Dan, I’m a 30-year-old gay man engaged to my partner of four years. During a conversation about faithfulness, I let slip to my dad that we are monogamish. He immediately went into a screed about the affair my mother had and how being open means I’m setting myself up for hurt. He suggested he couldn’t support the marriage unless we were monogamous. He’s coming from a place of love, but I need advice on how to let him see that marriage doesn’t always equal monogamy. — Stressed Ontarian Now

You could point out to your dad that monogamy didn’t protect him from hurt and then quickly add that being monogamish doesn’t make you immune to hurt. If your partner were to violate the terms of your monogamish relationship, then you could get hurt, SON, just like Dad got hurt when Mom violated the terms of their monogamous relationship. Or you could tell your dad what he wants to hear — you’ve decided to be monogamous — and run him on a need-to-know basis. And unless you and your husband-to-be want to formally bring a boyfriend into your relationship at some point — including your boyfriend at the holidays, bringing him along on family trips, etc. — Dad doesn’t need to know that you’re having threeways, joining sex clubs, or tagteaming twunks at the Folsom Street Fair.

On the Lovecast: He’s a “pervert.” She’s a “Christian.” Should he sneak off to see HUMP!? Listen at savagelovecast.

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THIS IS A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND NOT AN ESCORT SERVICE magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 87

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 89

Merchandise For Sale BUYING PINBALL MACHINES

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Joe Clemenza

215-210-9025 jclemenza@russellrealty.com

Ambiance, the store for lovers, the unique, exciting and successful retail chain, is looking for an experienced marketing person who is creative and motivated. Our ideal candidate will have traditional and online marketing and advertising experience; a creative spark and irreverent sense of humor; positive attitudes about sex; the organization skills to help bring ideas to fruition. Working with the Marketing Director, the marketing assistant will help with: • Annual marketing calendar • Marketing budgets, including tracking advertising buys • Marketing and advertising strategies • In-store and public events • Media campaigns and public relations • Online marketing of brick & mortar and E-commerce, including paid, organic and social network efforts. • Development of radio and video scripts, advertising campaigns and online marketing (blog, social media and email newsletters). • Good writing skills essential

magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015

W. 81st Lake Ave.

2 bedroom 1 bath. Nicely updated. All appliances. Clean & Quiet building! No pets. Available March 1st. $495 + utilities. 440-570-4343.

1 bdrm house upstairs unit. shelter plus ok. $495 216-408-7751

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Real Estate: East/Suburbs COLLINWOOD

CLIFTON

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EUCLID FOR SALE BY OWNER

Nestled near 260th & Lakeshore this unique 1920’s historical property is perfect for the savvy investor.This beautiful 9 bdrm home features 3 full baths & a basement, & has a solid structure. New electric, roofing, siding & windows have recently been installed. Formerly zoned commercial now is zoned two family. Grants may be available for historical renovations.Asking $45,000 / negotiable. Please contact Barbara to view this unique property. Barbara 216-647-1973 babs4445@gmail.com

Real Estate: West/Suburbs OLD BROOKLYN

Stunning brick townhome. 7 yr tax abatement. Built in 2006. Minutes from I-480 & downtown. 1640sqft. 2 LG BDRM 2.5 BA 1st floor open floor plan. Living room w/ gas fireplace leading to kitchen, breakfast bar, lightly used appliances &track lighting. Walk out to relaxing porch/patio.Bright end unit. First floor 1/2 ba. Walk in closet in mbr. Lower level front porch large laundry room with stationary tub, washer & dryer. Two closets for storage. Oversized two car attached garage entry door. Central air, upgraded blinds throughout. Cool soft colors, wide stairways, low maintenance, snow removal & landscaping. Just lock the door & go! Carefree living $139,900 Marilyn Yesberger 216-403-0972 Mls #3645969

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magazine | clevescene.com | March 11 - 17, 2015 91

RE TH E CHA M WE A PIO REGIONAL GAMING VEN N VOTED #1 UE! TH ANK S! Y OU!

DONNIE IRIS AND THE CRUISERS

MARCH 13

MARCH 15

MARCH 27

The RighTeous BRoTheRs’

Bill Medley

MARCH 28

APRIL 24

APRIL 11

Underlying photo: Danny O’Connor • Illustration: Todd Rundgren

APRIL 26

APRIL 17

MAY 8

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