Scene April 22, 2015 by Chava Communications

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 3

A P R I L 2 2 - 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 VOLU M E 4 7 NO 4 3

CONTENTS 31

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

More talk about Lakewood Hospital’s likely closure, CAC seeks a renewal on that cigarette tax, and more

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

Framed

The best photos we shared with you this week

Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executives Amanda Klein, Moira O’Neill Classifi ed Account Executive Alice Leslie

Facetime

Feature

Neal Neroni heads up Hermes Cleveland, which will get you running races like a champ in no time

Marketing and Events Promotions Coordinator Remi Bruell Creative Services Production Manager Steve Miluch Graphic Designer Kristen A Lovejoy Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace

Oscar Villarreal swindled Cleveland’s rich out of millions... and then he disappeared

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

Get Out!

Dozens of events spanning the next week in Cleveland

Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Offi cer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Offi cers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Chief Financial Offi cer Brian Painley Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon

Art

Stage

Film

Dining

A Chilean in Cleveland through a Cleveland Foundation program talks about his art and his new city

www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising Voice Media Group 1-800-278-9866, voicemediagroup.com Cleveland Scene 737 Bolivar Rd, #4100 Cleveland, OH 44115 www.clevescene.com Phone 216-241-7550 Retail & Classifi ed Fax 216-241-6275 Editoral Fax 216-802-7212 E-mail scene@clevescene.com

Out on a limb in the convoluted and compelling in a word Sci-fi thriller Ex Machina will have your blood curdling and your neck hair doing what neck hair does

Cleveland Scene Magazine is published every week by Euclid Media Group. Verifi ed Audit Member Cleveland Distribution Scene is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader Copyright The entire contents of Cleveland Scene Magazine are copyright 2015 by Euclid Media Group. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be mailed to the address listed above.

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Music

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Singer-guitarist Todd Rundgren tests the limites (and patience) of his fans, and more

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

4084 Erie St, Willoughby, OH 44094 (440) 918-9463 When the evening calls for cozying up in elegance, escape to a quiet corner of this charming spot that evokes the spirit of sophisticated European wine bars. Relax as the knowledgeable staff helps you choose the perfect wine from one of more than 400 of their extensive and diverse bottle selections. Small plates crafted for sharing are casual enough for a night out with good friends and intimate enough for a romantic getaway. For classic pairings, creamy baked brie and meat and cheese boards decorate the menu that’s sourced locally from the West Side Market. Or explore house favorites, such as Nancy’s special recipe spinach and artichoke dip. If you’re winding down with an after-dinner drink, skip the savory and go straight to sweet with the decadent chocolate board, an assortment of truffles, gelato, and other indulgences du jour. Graced with intimate candlelight, an evening at Corks allows conversation to flow like fine wine.

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4057 Erie St, Willoughby, OH 44094 (440) 975-0202 This vibrant hotspot has long been known as a staple on the scene for local beer aficionados. Just say the words “Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter” and any Northeast Ohio brew fan will begin singing the praises of the Willoughby mainstay. But it’s not just the awardwinning spotlight stealer that makes this such a coveted destination. A full menu of creative casual flair offers up comfort fare with a twist, like the best-selling mashed potato pizza. Everything from chicken spring rolls to sirloin steak and eggs makes for spirited dining in an open and spacious surrounding. It doesn’t hurt that there’s always an upwards of nine house-brewed ales, including limited release seasonal specialties, ready to be taken home in unique 32 oz. “crowler” cans. Add in live bands and DJs on the patio every weekend and it’s easy to see why Willoughby Brewing Company has been the life of the party for more than a decade.

willoughbybrewing.com

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 5

upfront lakewood finance director talks hospital closure

tHIS WEEK

Since city leaderS firSt announced that Lakewood Hospital would be “redesigned to fit community needs,” i.e. “transitioned into a wellness campus,” Lakewood City Council has held a number of hearings to explain all sorts of angles to the news. In short, there’s no sense that the Letter of Intent signed with Cleveland Clinic will be done away with; rather, the city is just trying to find ways to “manage.” The immediate 2016 financial impact of the measure would involve a $1.5- to $1.7-million hit to the city’s general fund. That’s 4 percent of general fund revenues. (Council members later pushed back during a Monday night meeting, saying that the loss could be greater, as it’s possible and likely that salaries and income tax withholdings of the 150-250 wellness campus employees will not proportionally match the salaries and income tax withholdings of the 1,000-plus Lakewood Hospital employees. But that’s one of seemingly hundreds of unknowns at this point.) The point is: This would be a blow to Lakewood. “This is going to be a loss,” Council President Mary Louise Madigan said, avoiding the subjunctive. “We know that. We’re trying to manage our future.” While none of this is final, it sure feels like it at Lakewood City Hall. On Monday, Finance Director Jennifer Pae took city legislators on a tour of the hospital’s history. She said that Lakewood has never been a company town and that the hospital is but one facet of a diverse tax base. From 1907 to 1986, Pae said, the

RT THIS

hospital’s finances were reported as part of the city’s finances in a selfsustaining enterprise fund. In 1987, the city transferred all real property (and, well, mostly the $36 million of outstanding debt on the hospital) to the Lakewood Hospital Association. City leaders realized, according to Pae, that the city was quickly growing unable to accommodate the hospital’s ballooning debt. In 1997, the Lakewood Hospital Special Revenue fund was created to bring lease payments and EMS run fees back into the city folds. The historical framework put the hospital in an apparently minor financial role on the city’s budget books -- a $1.5-million annual blip in the years since 1987. But opponents to the deal have held that Lakewood Hospital’s importance to the community rises well beyond lease payments and EMS calls -- that the deal being cut is a longterm disaster. Many in Lakewood are asking the city simply to wait a minute. The lease with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation runs through 2026, and payments to the city grow by $25,000 every three years (it is currently $1.15 million annually). Furthermore, and this point has been a bit more shadowy, residents have asked for broadly open dialogue about the $100-million hospital opening in 2016 next to Avon’s Richard E. Jacobs Health Center. As a municipal tax-sharing agreement has been proposed between Lakewood and Avon, many are wondering about the machinations that led to the Letter of Intent in Lakewood. A point of contention in the coffee-shop discourse of Lakewood is that the

Twitter update allows users option of receiving direct messages from non-followers. City council members all decline option citing fear that Zack Reed might be able to reach them.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

the center of the turmoil.

shuttering of the hospital has been a long-in-the-works open secret. Scene spoke with independent doctors with offices inside Lakewood Hospital back in 2013. Some had reported being forced out of the building (essentially to accommodate this inevitable change). None would speak on the record when asked for interviews. “[The Cleveland Clinic Foundation] has created the immediate crisis and has or could cause great damage to [the Lakewood Hospital Association], the City and its citizens if the City does not stand up for their rights,” resident Brian Essi wrote in a letter to city leaders, which was later published by the Lakewood Observer. “Economic development needs to be our highest priority,” Pae said at the meeting. It’s not immediately clear what might financially replace the income tax and lease hit at the corner of Belle and Detroit (the hospital has been property taxexempt, so any new development would be an automatic increase to the city, schools and county). Several more meetings will be held on the hospital switch. Ongoing discussion of finances will take place at 6 p.m. April

Michelle Obama will give commencement speech at Oberlin College. Secret Service already bracing for senior Elizabeth Bentivegna’s riot against patriarchal cap and gown tradition.

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

SWING AND A SWISH

Reds manager says “fuck” 77 times in six-minute rant. Terry Francona shrugs, noting he surpasses that total every time Nick Swisher heads to the plate.

27 at Lakewood City Hall, and a discussion “of Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to Lakewood” will take place at 6 p.m. April 30 at Lakewood City Hall.

cac cigarette tax renewal expected on ballot Another cigarette tax is likely to end up on a ballot this year, somewhat mirroring last year’s bout of Sin Tax Madness. The Arts and Culture Action Committee, a political action committee (ACTION! COMMITTEE!) is hoping to land on the November 2015 ballot with a renewal on the 30-cent cigarette tax meant for Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The tax was originally approved by voters in 2006 by a 56-44 margin. On one hand, the tax benefits some of the more visible and aesthetically important components of Cleveland’s budding brand. The arts, after all, built this city in one way or another. But the grant appropriations lean heavily toward already-established institutions ($1,232,694 for the Cleveland Museum of Art; $1,395,695 for Playhouse Square; $989,574 for the Rock Hall; $33,779 for Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and

YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE Beers on the patio? Beers on the patio.

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 7

upfront Educational Foundation; $14,583 for Ukrainian Museum Archives in 2015-2016). We’re talking big bucks here. And 10 years after the tax was initially approved, there’s certainly a very clear shift in how Northeast Ohio is portrayed and enjoyed -- the arts are a FORCE. With that shift comes an inquiry, though: a decade into this tax, does, for instance, the Cleveland Museum of Art still need to be partially bankrolled by the county’s smokers? Perhaps there’s merit to funding the smaller, more under-the-radar enterprises in Northeast Ohio, but we’re at a point economically in this county where regressive taxes for major, wealth-attracting institutions just aren’t as palatable. If Cleveland and its surrounding ‘burbs had the artistic clout and demand that tourism branding would otherwise insist, would there be a need for a cigarette tax? Still, the sin tax passed last year. And you can bet that most of the smokers and boozers funding the “maintenance” of Quicken Loans Arena ain’t gonna be catching any playoff games. All of which is to say that tax renewal requests like this should spur many degrees of civic dialogue. Based on past campaigns, though, well, smoke up, Johnny. (There’s also the concern that CAC-funded organizations are ipso facto opposed to smoking cessation efforts. A lengthy Socratic dialogue could be built out of the assumption that Northeast Ohio’s choice arts offerings come at the expense of air quality and community health, etc.)

revisiting the aragon ballroom

digit widget

In neighborhood development news, a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing regarding plans to reopen the Aragon Ballroom on West 25th

1967

Street as a conference and banquet center has been postponed until May 11. After a heated community meeting earlier this month, City Councilman Brian Cummins and local development leaders wanted more time to address residents’ concerns. For background: local businessman Ali Faraj (by all accounts, an absolute prince of a guy), bought the Aragon on the cheap a few years back, just before it was condemned by the city. The illustrious dance hall actually opened as roller rink in 1905 and wasn’t christened the Aragon Ballroom until 1937. But for the next fifty years, it was #boogiecentral. Faraj, who already owns a banquet center in Brook Park, and who’s hip to the West 25th St. corridor revival, sees potential for corporate lunches and weekend weddings in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood (with the heart of Ohio City to the immediate north and artsy Tremont to the east). Barring unexpected delay, Faraj intends to open later this year. But nearby residents are up in arms. The stretch of West 25th St. between Ohio City and Old Brooklyn isn’t what most visitors would call “family friendly.” And a history of drugs and violence (stemming in many cases from shady establishments with liquor licences) have hardened the locals to bars and the sinister specter of “new development.” The two primary issues posed at community meetings thus far -- and Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre Development Corporation’s (SCFBC) Economic Development director Adam Stalder says it’s tough to gauge true community response based on public meetings: “No one who supports the project shows up,” he told Scene -- is the parking situation and, predictably, the liquor license. “The concerns are perfectly understandable,” Stalder said. “I think the residents wants some assurances that this won’t turn

Year Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland. His brother, former U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, will lead panel discussion on elected black leaders from 9 a.m. to noon April 27 at CSU.

3,000

into a crazy bar. The difference is that this time, we’ve got an owner who owns banquet centers, who has poured a lot of money into this project, and who is going to do things right.” Faraj, who fielded questions at the community meeting earlier this month, agreed to provide his cell phone number to any resident in the immediate vicinity to signal his willingness to be responsive to their concerns. Still, a banquet center with a capacity of 800 -- Faraj already agreed to reduce it from 1,200 -- and an estimated 10 events per year that may not wrap up until 2:30 a.m. have a vocal contingent worried. Community leaders and Faraj have been clear that this will not be “the next Moda,” and even opponents have said their problem is not with Faraj himself. They’re concerned that with the variances in place, if Faraj were to abandon the project, say, in five years, an operator with less noble intentions might step in. For now, Faraj, Councilman Brian Cummins and development people will meet with block clubs and conflicted residents until the May 11 BZA hearing, hoping to calm as many fears as they can. “These old buildings are always tough, and these conversations are going to happen a lot,” Stalder said. “But ultimately I think this will work out and will really improve West 25th St.”

CounCil approves Cleveland gun registry This week, Cleveland City Council approved a cache of new gun laws, including a broad gun registry that will track criminals convicted of gun-related crimes. “The gun offender registry is a new tool to help law enforcement officers understand where individuals convicted of a gun offense are living in the City of Cleveland,” Police Chief Calvin Williams said in a public statement. “Add this information to our crime

Number of wild mushroom species in Ohio, according to Ohio Mushroom Society in recent edition of Chillicothe Gazette. Many Ohioans will be hunting for morels this weekend.

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

43,727

Number of new foreclosure cases filed statewide last year, an 18-percent drop from 2013 (and a 49-percent drop from 2009).

data analysis and partnerships like VGRIP (Violence Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program) and we will have a greater ability to address gun violence.” The laws, which mostly mirror state code, will also: - prohibit carrying a concealed deadly weapon or handgun, unless the person is a police officer or a person who holds a license to carry a concealed weapon. - require a person who sells or transfers a gun – and who is not a licensed gun dealer – to report such transactions to police. - require an owner to report a lost or stolen gun to police. - prohibit the display, marking or sale of a facsimile firearm and prohibits brandishing a facsimile firearm in the presence of law enforcement or with the intent to frighten people. - prohibit the negligent transfer of a firearm to a felon or intoxicated person. - set restrictions for firearms in the hands of minors and restricts discharging firearms in public areas, including schools, churches, cemeteries, playgrounds and parks. - require owners to safely store firearms to keep them from being stolen or out of the hands of children. “With this legislation, it is a step in the right direction for the City of Cleveland,” Mayor Frank Jackson said following the meeting. “Law enforcement members now have another tool to attack the problem of gun violence and make Cleveland a safer place.” Last week, after a 3-year-old boy shot and killed a 1-year-old relative, the police chief said: “The fascination with handguns, not just in the city, but in the country, has to stop. We need to take a long look at what we’re doing on the state, local and national level to keep these guns out of our communities.”

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

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Cost of expansion at Lutheran Hospital, which now features 21 new, fully private rooms.

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 9

framed! our best shots from last week Photos by Emanuel Wallace and Mary Kate Glowe*

Appropriate headwear at the Cleveland Animals Bar Crawl @ Downtown Cleveland

Peace, love and wins @ Quicken Loans Arena

Beautiful throwbacks better than new Browns unis @ Quicken Loans Arena

Legend performed with Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder @ Public Auditorium

Miley talked about getting high with Joan Jett @ Public Auditorium

Men who play guitars @ Public Auditorium

Stevie! @ Rock Hall

Another night, another Hi-Lites show @ Music Box

Sufjan and pretty lights @ Masonic Auditorium*

King of the mic @ Mahall’s

Drawing and making friends @ SPACES

Ready for outer space @ Yuri’s Night at Great Lakes Science Center

Eye contact and concentration @ Yuri’s Night

Um, okay @ Yuri’s Night

We love you too, guys @ Public Auditorium

Never miss a beat! See more pics @ clevescene.com

Cavs in the playoffs and everyone smiles @ Quicken Loans Arena

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

Share your best shots with SCENE – just tag or mention us! ™@ clevescene t @ cleveland_scene ` @ ClevelandScene • #clevescene

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 11

facetime HIT THE GROUND RUNNING Jogging season is upon us — for the vets and rookies alike By Eric Sandy With Warm Weather comes plenty of talk of Tribe games and daydrinking and, for our purposes here, hitting the pavement and trying to get back into shape. Running. It’s the great equalizer of physical activity, and it’s best done with some sort of goal in mind: Get in shape or beat your personal best or have fun and make that day-drinking feel less guilty. Neal Neroni is the president of Hermes Cleveland, the region’s go-to race management group. In search of a 5K this weekend? Hermes has you covered. We spoke with Neroni about running, now that the weather is breaking for good, and about the social side of it all.

i’ve got to say, this will be the first year that i take up some of these races. i’ve only recently started running. That’s how it goes: Everybody runs when they’re in high school, then in college they kinda do it. Then when they get out of college, they come back and they’re too busy going out and drinking beer. They get to 28 and 29 and they’re like, “Oh, man, I better get back in shape.” that’s my story. Good luck! What was the impetus behind starting hermes? I was not around with those guys back then. Rich Lawhun and Gary Easter started Hermes, and they actually put on the first Turkey Trot. They thought that they’d just have a few hundred people. Well, 600 people showed up. They did it down in the Metroparks, and they thought, “Wow, we should keep doing this!” They had real jobs, and they were just putting on races on the side. That was back in 1982. I met them in 1989. I just got out of college, I was looking for a job. I happened to meet one of the guys, and I just started helping them out with races. At that time, there was an event called the Ohio Sports Festival; it was a statewide Olympics thing. That was my job when I got out of college. When the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

was formed, I was part of that too.

that’s another organization that’s grown quite a bit. The last event I did for Greater Cleveland Sports Commission was the 1999 AAU Junior Olympic Games. At that time, the Sports Commission was transferring over to what they are now, with Dave Gilbert and everything they’re doing. I was more of an operations guy. I went to Rich and Gary, and right around that time, in 1998, I said, “Hey, I’ve been helping you with these races, and I think this is a pretty great thing. Why don’t you let me make it a full-time deal?” Back then we had 37 races, back in ’98. For the whole year, right? It was a big calendar for guys who were working on it part-time. I met Nick Swingos, and he wanted to get out of the restaurant business. He was a computer/finance guy. And I wanted to take this full-time and make it a big deal. We went to Rich and Gary and worked out a deal. It turned into a full-time deal right around 1998, 1999. Here we are today with 160 races and Corporate Challenge and the Sports and Social Club. the calendar has filled out immensely. are there any trends you can point to in the company’s growth or people’s interest in running? I think there are more races now, because a church or a school — I’m trying to look at some of these races on our calendar — if they’re trying to raise money for a cause, they can put together a race and get 300 or 400 people and raise a few dollars. It gives them some awareness. There’s a handful of races that are over 1,000 people, maybe 15 of them. The rest are small community races, fundraisers for a specific cause. That’s good for running, I think. There’s a new race we just did called Outrun Hunger. They get about 300 people, and some of those people believe in the cause, so they came out and ran. A couple people I talked to had never run a race in their life. And maybe that’s the only race they’re gonna do, because

| clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 (Photos courtesy ofmagazine Hermes Cleveland Facebook) 12

Runners begin the St. Malachi Church run in March.

they believe in their cause. But they’re getting out there, and not only do they get some exercise in, but it’s social. But then they’ll get hooked.

running is a solitary activity, but would you argue that it’s easier and more effective by doing it with other people in a group setting? Absolutely. There’s a good following of people I see almost every weekend at a race. Maybe they don’t believe in that cause, maybe they do. They just want to get out and run and meet people and hang out. You can see it after a race. It’s not just the awards ceremony, but you see them milling around the food and cheering everyone else on. The two ladies I mentioned who were running their first race ever: There was a person behind them, and they didn’t know that person. But they stood at the finish line and waited for them to finish. They wanted to cheer them on, and in my opinion it’s more social than anything. It’s a good way to get out, get your run in and raise money for a cause. attendance has probably risen a lot over the years? Totally, yes. With 160 races on the calendar, the numbers are up. You may see those people every weekend, or they may just come out once a month or once a year. are there any new or unique races you’re particularly excited about? The nice thing about our calendar is we have a mix. You’re gonna see mostly 5Ks. And, you know, I’m not a big runner, but I can get up and run a 5K on a Saturday. But if it’s a 10K or a half-marathon, then I’ve got to really

think about it. That’s why you’ll see a lot of 5Ks. On our calendar, I love the staples and the mix: the 10-miler in the spring and the half-marathon for the River Run in the fall. Then you look at St. Malachi: tradition, four miles, come out and have some fun. The Shot in the Dark is beer, bands and running at night. The Sombrero Shuffle speaks for itself. It’s not even a mile run with some fun things involved. I like the variety. The Turkey Trot is tradition at the end of the year. We have some runs that go through Progressive Field. And every little community race brings out someone new in that community.

any last words before i huff through another couple miles out there? Just get out there and think of the social aspect of it. Everyone wants to get into shape, and that’s great — running is a great way to do it. But I think if you pick a race and go there and meet some people, your enthusiasm will get even better. Then, when you’re out there running by yourself on Monday and Tuesday, and you’re like, “Geez, why am I doing this?”... well, you’re doing this because in two weeks is the Hermes 10-miler. Or the 10-miler is a ways off, but they have a five-miler, and I’m gonna start off with that. It gives you something to shoot for and things to do on the weekends. And every race has a great charity attached. Everyone should know that somehow, in some way, they’re always helping those people out.

esandy@clevescene.com t @ericsandy

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

FEATURE ¡Villa(un)rreal!

Oscar Villarreal swindled Cleveland’s rich out of millions... and then he disappeared By Sam Allard A theory: there Are two kinds of philanthropists, and Cleveland’s got the bad kind. The cloak-and-dagger trustees, the recognition hoarders, the regents of the sinecures. Good philanthropists, according to custom, generally try to promote the welfare of humankind. They write checks, sure, but also policies. Sometimes they’re “venture philanthropists” who treat their gifts like for-profit investments. Sometimes they’re passionate about a political issue, or a disenfranchised group, or an historic institution. In any case, they participate in their giving. They value, and indeed help accomplish, the stated goals of the recipient. Bad ones, according to cynical locals and assorted white, powerful men who’ve run afoul or afield of the Cleveland elite, give largely (or in many cases only) because of the status it confers upon themselves. They give for the naming rights and the parties. They care a lot more about the perception and the prestige of their organizations than they do about their activities. They sit on boards, in the words of the late left-wing billionaire Peter B. Lewis, “because it’s socially the thing to do.” Oscar Villarreal may have, in the end, come to grasp philanthropy (the bad sort), but never as a philanthropist. Villarreal was the ambitious young Mexican swindler who seduced 51 of Cleveland’s most powerful corporate leaders into forking over $18 million between 2009 and 2013. In order to get their money, he first had to “ingratiate himself” among them. He had to build his brand. In July 2010, at the tender age of 26, Villarreal was elected to the Cleveland Institute of Music’s board of trustees. But when his term expired three years later, the leadership chose not to ask him back. It turned out he wasn’t what they were looking for. He never showed up to meetings, for example. He wasn’t engaged. He didn’t, admitted one CIM staffer, “seem to care all that much” about the

organization. Was Villarreal, the alleged piano enthusiast, not quite hip to the social sanctity of board membership? Was he not mindful of the rarity, as a twentysomething and a foreigner, of his own? For a man who worked so tirelessly to curate his image after the fashion of the wealthy investors he lured to his phony funds, the oversight was a substantial one. But can the young man be blamed? How could Oscar Villarreal,

Just so we’re not all on pins and needles, Villarreal is “at large” in Mexico. That’s what the authorities are saying anyway. He’s been living there since late 2013, when he booked it south to escape the heat of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation and the looming ire of antsy investors who were beginning to wonder where their money had gone. The various chairmen and managing partners suddenly seemed to take exception to the fact that, for the

Oscar Villarreal, master of self promotion.

the Best Exotic Wunderkind PonziSchemer, have been expected to learn and ape the proper ways to give money when he was so focused, from 2009 to 2013, on taking it away? And the corollary, of course: How could the cream of Cleveland’s philanthropic crop — “We’re talking [Sherwin-Williams chairman and CEO] Chris Connor. There was nothing higher on the food chain,” says one former Villarreal associate — have been taken for such a ride?

duration of their investments with Villarreal, they hadn’t been afforded the courtesy of regular paperwork. Said one early investor to an FBI investigator: Villarreal was “the poorest provider of information you will ever meet.” The nimble spokesman for the Department of Justice wouldn’t specify just how “at large” Villarreal remains, when we pressed earlier this month. He told us that “law enforcement” was “actively looking” for Villarreal back in March, a month after he’d no-showed his arraignment here in Cuyahoga

County and a second warrant had been issued for his arrest. A couple weeks ago, the same beleaguered spokesman said only that Villarreal remained at large, and apologized that he couldn’t say more. When or if he’s found, Villarreal will be extradited to the United States to stand trial for his misdeeds. Though his Tucker Ellis attorney, John McCaffrey, has tried to soften the blow by reminding reporters that Villarreal paid back investors $12-plus million, his client is nonetheless wanted on 21 Federal counts, 19 of which explore the gaudiest frontiers of frauds and swindles. In January of this year, the latest indictment pinged Villarreal for two additional tax falsification charges. We’ll include the details mostly for comedic value: In 2009, Villarreal reported about $200,000 of income even though he made close to $5 million. In 2010, he said he made $316,000 when he actually hauled in nearly $3.5 million. Despite the alleged manhunt down Mexico way, Villarreal’s online presence remains as active and as self-aggrandizing as ever. Two primitive websites and a sporadically updated Twitter feed continue to churn out (by bot or human hand unknown) the same self-reflexive web of lies and misrepresentations he spun for potential investors six years ago: “Oscar Villarreal has an enviable history of international business success,” his account, @ OscarVillarre1, tweeted in March. “Oscar Villarreal is on the cutting edge of high tech oil and drilling services,” the same account tweeted some weeks earlier. “Oscar Villarreal is a graduate of the Harvard Business School in a specialized business program. #OscarVillarreal #Education,” was Oscar’s nugget of publicity on March 31. The most recent entry on his Wordpress vanity site — “Oscar Villarreal--International Business Beat” — dated March 26, 2015, kicks off with this logjam: “Oscar Villarreal is an international business expert. He is a master of

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 15

FEATURE the international business scene. He has that special mix of the right background and specific acumen that produces success. He has had great success in the arena of international business over the year and at this time, he operates in a number of industries ... .” The only industry in which he appears to be operating, though, apart from search engine optimization, is con artistry.

By all accounts, and certainly by his own, Oscar Villarreal arrived in Cleveland from Mexico as an exchange student in 2002. BaldwinWallace University, where Villarreal told Cleveland Magazine he was enrolled in a 3-2 program through Columbia University, first has a record of his attendance in Fall 2003. According to BW at that time, he transferred credits from Tri-C, Cleveland State and Kent State. Though Cleveland Mag reported that Villarreal had been accepted at “several” Ivy League colleges (information presumably furnished by Villarreal himself), we’ve been unable to confirm. “He even go (sic) the opportunity to study engineering at the University of Geneva in Switzerland,” says one of Villarreal’s entries on his Wordpress site. “From there, he began his education in pursuit of advanced studies at the Harvard University Business School and specialized in a concentrated program on geopolitical studies and energy development.” BW wouldn’t say whether or not Villarreal participated in the Switzerland program — FERPA regulations forbid them from releasing academic records without a student’s express written consent. But it did concede that such a program existed, coordinated, as it happens, by Kent State. The media and alumni relations folks at Harvard Business School, however, were definitive. Oscar Villarreal was not an alumni of their institution. It’s possible he may have taken a “custom program” in their executive education curriculum, one spokesperson said. But if the course were longer than eight weeks, his name would have been entered in the alumni directory, where it was nowhere to be found. In an early rhapsodic write-up of Villarreal in Crain’s Cleveland Business — he was one of 2006’s

“Twenty in Their 20s” — Villarreal claimed to have begun interning with the consulting firm Tech-Start LLC in 2003. It was the first “small firm” he’d ever worked at, he’d told Cleveland Magazine in 2005, having already worked at Fortune 500 companies (plural) in previous years. Villarreal was also taken at his word when he professed to speak four languages fluently and to have played piano competitively in Madrid. Crain’s even erroneously wrote “his native Spain,” when discussing other nations’ words for “prodigy.”

A brief aside, here, because this

veracity of everything he says requires pretty rigorous scrutiny to substantiate, even partially. But we’ve all decided, nonetheless, to call him a pianist. In every recent story about him, by yours truly or the Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Mark Naymik, who has been watching the relevant financial developments not unlike a barn owl watches voles, Villarreal is just off-handedly identified as such. “A young entrepreneur and pianist,” the Plain Dealer’s Michelle Jarboe McFee tagged him, in an unrelated piece. It’s become an unextractable piece of his myth. To be fair, the evidence certainly suggests he was a pianist. He was

Oscar liked to live the good life.

“competitive piano” situation has been frustrating. No one, obviously, has been able to get in touch with Oscar Villarreal for the purposes of reporting this wild tale. No one’s got direct quotes. Plus, very few people who interacted with Villarreal are forthcoming with reporters, on or off the record. The fact that most of his investors are represented by extremely powerful attorneys or are themselves extremely powerful attorneys is another can of worms. And it redounds to their advantage in terms of secrecy. They are precluded from commenting, they say, at the insistence of counsel. Anyway, if we know anything about Oscar by now, it’s that the

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

living in a Gates Mills mansion from 2008 through 2013 — the $6.5 million Greenwich, Connecticutstyle estate was built for Realty One founder Vincent Aveni — which featured, among other lavish interior novelties, a built-in pipe organ. One of the oft-noted outrageous purchases he made with ill-gotten investor capital was a $100,000 Steinway grand piano. He was a board member at the Cleveland Institute of Music, for Pete’s sake. This guy was definitely a pianist, right? Well, not necessarily. No one I spoke with had ever actually seen or heard him play. Joe Aveni, who negotiated the lease-purchase arrangement with Villarreal and

who, from Florida, acknowledged that he’d had face-to-face interactions with him, called his tenant “an accomplished musician.” He wouldn’t say, however, how he came by that information, deferring to his lawyer (politely, I might add). Gates Mills police chief Gregg Minichello, who said he remembered nothing unusual, nothing untoward, during Oscar’s stay in Gates Mills, never heard the haunting pipes of the organ nor the crashing chords of the Steinway as he made his evening rounds. The CIM marketing and communications director Susan Iler admitted that “enthusiasm for music” was one of the reasons why the board thought Villarreal would be a good fit for them in the first place, but she’d never heard him play either. Still, it can’t be denied that he was involved in the music community. Much was made about Villarreal’s hosting an event for the Cleveland International Piano Competition at his home in 2011. This was presented as evidence of his deep embedment in the wealthy eastside civic-leader circles. ‘He joined their clubs, hosted galas,’ etc. But Della Homenik, the CIPC’s director of communications, who attended that event, said Villarreal certainly didn’t perform for guests. In fact, Homenik said, Villarreal only “hosted” in the sense that he opened his doors. He wasn’t involved in the planning of (or the paying for) anything. I bring this up only because the evidence also suggests that Villarreal was a deft and somewhat whimsical autobiographer. We know he played fast and loose with the truth in the case of his fabricated Mexican funds. “In letters and reports and in meeting with investors,” the SEC wrote in its August 2014 filing, “virtually everything Villarreal told investors was a lie.” And now what I submit, what I’m trying to show, is that his personal details may have been equally bogus. His zany, promotional web presence is just the latest entry in the Villarreal fiction. Each site bears a unique introduction to Oscar: (alleged) supporter of the Cleveland Zoological Society, (supposed) friend of Rivergate Park and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation, a “mentor, role model and leader that is the kind of guy that is an obvious

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winner.” The kind of guy who writes that he is an obvious winner; who writes, “He studied as a performance pianist for 17 years and competed in Mexico and Spain,” as a precursor to, “His community service did not end there.” The kind of guy who claimed Harvard alumni status as quickly as he touted a $100,000 contribution to Tri-C for an endowed scholarship in his mother’s name, completely invented, it would seem: Villarreal’s tax filings indicate a single $1,000 contribution to Tri-C in 2012, but the Tri-C recruitment and development folks had never heard of the “Virginia Martinez Scholarship.” The kind of guy who purported to have worked exclusively at Fortune 500 companies during his teenage years; the kind of guy who has lately said that Baldwin Wallace University is located in Berea, Connecticut. It’s not unreasonable to suspect that that kind of guy may have bought a $100,000 Steinway to keep a ruse alive.

By 2006, Villarreal was TechStart’s “Director of International Business” an important title earned almost entirely on the strength of a single megadeal, reported at $70plus million, that he orchestrated with a Mexican steelmaking company headquartered in his hometown of Monclova. Villarreal’s employer at the time told Scene in a skittish phone conversation that he didn’t remember the specifics of the deal — “It was a long time ago” — or much of anything Oscar did during the internship, but he did say that he had “credible connections” in Mexico. “They were big players of substance, people you could find online,” he said. “The question everyone asks now is ‘How did [the investors] fall for it?’ but there were things he had that were tangible.” The question we’re asking now, Scene rejoined, is how Villarreal managed to ingratiate himself in the first place. “The power brokers of Cleveland were the ones who introduced me to him,” the former employer said. “So he’d already embedded himself. He mixed in their circles. He namedropped like crazy. ‘I had lunch with so-and-so,’ or, ‘So-and-so is hooking me up with this opportunity.” He

would give lectures at their business councils and lunches and things ... ” The employer paused and reiterated his insistence on anonymity in light of the ongoing investigation, but said finally: “I don’t think there’s anybody in the history of modern Cleveland who had the shot he had, and he blew it.”

April 2006. Crain’s: If you could change one thing about Cleveland, what would it be? Oscar Villarreal: I would get rid of a bunch of the parking lots we have downtown and build the biggest twin towers in America, get a crazy deal from the city (tax, financing, etc.) and host 10 Fortune 500 companies there, then call it something like: “The Cleveland Centre for World-Wide Business.” Crain’s: What differences exist between your generation and older people in your workplace? Oscar Villarreal: Wanting to take risk, hands down. Crain’s: What is the last book you read? Oscar Villarreal: Leading from the Heart, Jack Kahl. Ah, Jack Kahl. Just Jack Kahl, founder of Duck Tape©, longtime owner and CEO of Avon Lake’s Manco Inc., bosom buddy of WalMart’s Sam Walton, 1993’s Most Admired CEO in America, and 1996’s and 2000’s Best Boss in Town. “He now sits on multiple boards,” says Kahl’s book jacket bio, “and splits his time between writing, speaking and consulting.” Kahl, who didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment, was also an early champion of Villarreal’s. A former co-trustee said Kahl once started talking about the young charismatic Mexican with some exciting investment opportunities at a board meeting, “almost literally apropos of nothing.” According to an FBI affidavit and the SEC filing, that appears generally to be how Villarreal’s investment opportunities were promoted: by and among the business leaders he had already wooed. You know: “board banter,” “investment lunches,” “Baker & Hostetler recommendations.” Neither the FBI nor the SEC specify how Villarreal initially made contact with the business elite — “While a college student, Villarreal met many prominent members of Cleveland’s business and civic communities” — but it’s

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“Fooled into believing that [the first fund] had been a success,” wrote the SEC, “several of those investors enthusiastically endorsed Villarreal to their friends.” And how. Through 2009 and 2010, Villarreal raised $9.2 million from 46 investors. Having made bank, Villarreal then lulled his investors into a false sense of security by inventing connections with a Mexican construction conglomerate, fabricating an imminent pipeline repair contract with Pemex, the state-owned oil and gas company (with which Villarreal most recently claimed to be doing “major deals” through his alleged leadership at Continental SPC in Mexico), and producing occasional reports which

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possible (i)Cleveland, an internship program designed to “attract and retain the next generation of Cleveland leaders,” in which Oscar participated in 2005, back when it was sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Partnership, helped facilitate important connections. Patrick Manfroni, who ran (i) Cleveland in those days and now does “partner development” for OnShift, was repeatedly unavailable for comment. By early 2008, Villarreal had formed the first of three fraudulent funds, complete with a legitsounding name: WW Capital Partners LLC. He’d persuaded six investors — via purported connections to Mexican business

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We couldn’t verify whether Oscar was in fact married, but it sure looks like it.

interests and “claims of an elite pedigree” — to shell out $550,000 for the purchase, he said, of surplus metal products in Mexico that he would then resell at a profit. Though Villarreal did no such thing, he did dip into his personal line of credit and “unrelated income” to send the initial batch of investors $715,000, a 30-percent return. That’s all it took to ensnare them for good, and to get them singing Oscar’s praises at the Union Club and the Pepper Pike Country Club. Later in 2009, when Villarreal offered limited partnership (LP) units in another fraudulent fund — Fund WW Capital III, aimed primarily at petroleum, steel and infrastructure industries in Mexico, Villarreal said — all six of the initial investors jumped back on board.

charted the increasing value of the WW Capital III LP units. As of June 2012, Villarreal told investors that each LP unit, initially valued at $250,000, was worth $442,000. (In reality, after March 2011, the WW Capital III bank account never held more than $1,800.) As has been reported before, Villarreal merely took investors’ money and played around on the stock market. This is especially amusing, in the FBI affidavit, when it’s revealed that Villarreal was literally just on E-trade. And though he availed himself of additional management and brokerage fees, he used investor capital to finance his Gates Mills lifestyle, complete with sports car and mortgage. At this time, he was operating a web of companies, including the Oscar

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FEATURE Villarreal & Family Foundation, out of a Pepper Pike office on Chagrin Boulevard. Most of these outfits seemed to have been designed to create the illusion of activity — classic (and very basic) shell companies. His online trading, as expected, was a massive failure. This was expertly concealed from investors, in part, through a lengthy, 100-percent fictitious court battle in Mexico relating to the 100-percent fictitious, $100 million pipeline contract. Still, in mid-2010, Villarreal went ahead — why not? — and invented a third fraudulent fund, which he called the Standard Asset Management (SAM) fund, the scratch for which, Villarreal claimed, would be pooled and then traded in securities of companies listed on the Mexican stock exchange. That fund attracted $3.7 million from nine investors between 2010 and 2011, over and above the $9.2 originally invested in WW Capital III. Also during that time, Villarreal acquired two high-rolling “Advisory Clients” (one of whom, though not officially named, the PD’s Mark Naymik suspected was former Cavs president James Boland) who wanted to invest in the SAM fund, but didn’t want their money pooled with the others. They gave Villarreal $5.5 million to invest, plus additional compensation for managing their money. Villarreal lost 83 percent of the SAM investments by May 2012, the SEC reported. In his correspondence with investors, he deployed some of the business community’s favorite buzzwords: He spoke of the “strategic partnerships” his shell companies were forming with energy and infrastructure concerns in Mexico. He spoke of the “corporate face lift” inherent in a new business plan for the company he claimed his investors partially owned. Twice, he even accompanied investors to Mexico to make them feel comfortable about their investments: once in 2007 and again (when red flags had been raised) in 2013. On the first trip, Villarreal put on a terrific show, guiding his targets around in armored SUVs and leading them to a steel company with “significant inventory.” Perception was everything, he’d

clearly learned, and until August 27, 2013, when an armada of Cleveland’s elite held a meeting at the Union Club to get some answers, the perception was rosy. At that meeting though, “at the advice of his lawyer,” Villarreal refused to answer almost everything his investors asked of him. “He made no substantive comments.” By early 2014, Villarreal’s attorney John McCaffrey wrote to the NEOMG, Villarreal had repaid all monies invested in both WW Capital III and SAM, in excess of $12 million. “At that time,” wrote McCaffrey, “Mr. Villarreal and the investors resolved any issues to their mutual satisfaction and the terms of that settlement are confidential.”

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“Exclusivity. Legal latitude. Greed.” That’s how one observer from the local business community diagnosed investor motives. “The Cleveland elite love the idea of being elite,” he said. “And the idea of being part of a very exclusive investor group was attractive to them, absolutely. Also, these investments were in Mexico, where regulations were perceived to be more lax.” But both of those motives may have paled in comparison to the enticement of a 30-percent return on investment within 12 months. “I don’t think there was anything noble about it,” he said. And that’s likely another reason why this community of lawyers and CEOs, traditionally behind-thescenes types anyway, would prefer to keep all this as confidential as possible. It’s not only that they look like fools; they look like greedy fools. Still, at least one former Villarreal associate told Scene that the investors didn’t deserve the runaround to which they’d been subjected. “I know these people are rich and there’s some schadenfreude going around,” he said. “But they’re also good people. They’re the real philanthropists of this community. I hated to see it.” Dan Meyer, an attorney based in Columbus who specializes in investment fraud, said that smart, wealthy people aren’t immune to this sort of Ponzi scheme just because they’re smart and wealthy, “particularly when an outgoing, bright con artist who is effective at promotion is able to break into an inner circle and convince a core group of members to invest with

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 21

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FEATURE him/her. It’s a classic affinity fraud,” Meyer said. “It’s easy for targeted victims to let the research slide when they hear the recommendation from someone they trust.” Meyer also appended the fact that though the victims may have been “Cleveland business leaders,” that doesn’t, self-evidently, mean that they know how investments work or how to properly research an investment opportunity. Indeed, with the exception of the handful who allowed themselves to be conned by a fully realized performance in Mexico, most of Villarreal’s investors had been convinced of Villarreal’s merits without much research at all. Interpret as you will, but one emergent takeaway is that, at least in Cleveland, “business leader” is not necessarily coterminous with “savvy businessman.”

A theory: When Villarreal was being hailed as a rising star in 2005 and 2006, one personal characteristic which was hyped as much as his business IQ was his obsession with Cleveland and its promotion. When asked by Crain’s his favorite place to go around town, he described driving down to Edgewater, “looking at downtown for a few minutes … just thinking about how ridiculous Chicago is going to look before I’m 30.” (The implication was that within a decade, Cleveland would have surpassed Chicago in “coolness” or some such.) In his “Twenty in Their 20s” write-up, Villarreal claimed to want to “recruit” entrepreneurs to Cleveland. “That’s been one of my biggest accomplishments so far ... ” said the then 21-year-old. He was, at that precise moment, describing a fake company he said he’d started and the fake employees he said he’d hired, “...stealing someone from Chicago.” It’s that very same aggressive (almost militant) pro-Clevelandism over which the corporate community tends to salivate. They’ve been preoccupied with the perception of Cleveland, in many cases to the exclusion of the improvement of Cleveland, for decades. And this is still very much the case: Have a look at the 2014 Young Professional Senate, when Destination Cleveland

gathered “bright young minds” to brainstorm creative ways to promote the city. Have a look at how giddy Joe Roman and the Greater Cleveland Partnership or Terry Egger and the RNC Host Committee get when they talk about the expected media frenzy at the RNC, at the opportunity to influence the perception of Cleveland nationwide and around the globe. Have a look at political leaders holding aloft, in official remarks, Fodor’s and the Boston Globe and Business Insider for labeling Cleveland a “best place to visit” or a “most romantic town.” The corporate community calls all this “changing the narrative.”

This is ages old, and it’s the story of Cleveland narrated through corporate marketing campaigns, adopted to varying degrees by locals and the national press: The Comeback City! The New American City! #ThisIsCLE! It’s all about perception. Which is why, in many ways, Oscar Villarreal was Cleveland’s most perfect and most poetic criminal. All he was guilty of, at root, was following the very same instructions he’d witnessed by those in power, by those who, energized by his Red-Bullish regional optimism, had deigned or decided to become his mentors. Perhaps he’d heard them say

that if people perceive Cleveland to be a cool place to live and work, then the poverty and the police and the population loss won’t matter. And then perhaps he extrapolated: If Oscar Villarreal (because he seems to operate exclusively in third person) is perceived to be a charismatic business expert with international bona fides, then the fact that he is stealing powerful people’s money and shuffling it around E-trade might not be important to them. Maybe, in their eyes, the fact of the scheming won’t matter at all.

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 23

From THE catcher who doubled as a spy to THE composer who created baseball’s first anthem.

An Evening with

BruCe hornsBy

Baseball’s greatest heroes did more than just play the game.

Thursday May 7 8PM

They changed it. HOTDOGS. HOMERUNS. AND HEARTBREAKS.

THROUGH SEPT. 7, 2015 Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American was organized by the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence.

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With its legends and myths, its struggles and triumphs, baseball has been a reflection of American society for generations. Explore how values, identity and race have played out in our national pastime through this groundbreaking exhibition filled with artifacts, memorabilia and the stories of some heavy hitters.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

get out everything you should do this week thu

04/23

comedy

Power Play If you’re skeptical about a comedy hypnotist show, Will Power will change your mind forever — whether or not he does it with mind tricks is for you to find out. His hypnotist act shows just how powerful suggestion can be on the human mind. This show is adults only, as Power’s act isn’t family friendly. Rated somewhere between R and X, Power’s performance will have you laughing with his naughty fun. Don’t think you can go to a hypnotist show and not participate, as Power will undoubtedly find a way to rope you into the show. Power performs tonight at the Improv at 7:30. Tickets are $10. (Martin Harp) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com. Nightlife

Pub Crawl BELT Magazine is behind today’s pub crawl, so the literary twist is to be expected. Usually, if you’re on a pub crawl, you just stumble from bar to bar. But at today’s event, three authors — Dave Lucas, Matt Stansberry and Abi Bechtel — will be on site to read, and local singer-songwriter Joshua Jesty will perform at the final stop at evening’s end. Speakeasy, Bar Cento, Market Garden and Bier Market are the stops. It goes from 6 to 9 p.m. and patrons can begin meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Speakeasy in Ohio City. BELTrelated prizes given for people who successfully finish the crawl. Tickets are $25, $20 for members. VIP tickets are $100. (Jeff Niesel) 1948 West 25th St., 216-274-1010, speakeasy216.com. comedy

A Real Pro The competition in the reality show Last Comic Standing can be fierce. So it’s impressive that comic Chris Porter finished Season 4 in third place. Porter has gone on to some fame. He can be seen on his own Comedy Central Presents special and Live at Gotham. According to his official bio, his “raw energy and unique perspective has distinguished him as one of the elite comics in the industry.” Porter has a rather gruff delivery. He uses lots of slang and casually curses. In one bit about holding a door opening for “a pretty lady,” he jokes about how he seldom receives proper credit for being a gentleman. Tonight’s

Life’s a drag (show) for Bianca del Rio. See: Tuesday.

Hilarities performance begins at 8 and shows are scheduled through Sunday. Tickets start at $22. (Niesel) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com. food aNd driNk

Wine and Dine According to his bio, L.A. native Bill Myers worked as a building contractor and salmon fisherman in Alaska before he purchased his first vineyard in the Alexander Valley and began making wine at White Oak Winery. Now, the winery is known for its chardonnay, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc. He’ll be on hand for tonight’s White Oak Winery Dinner at Music Box Supper Club. It’ll feature fine food from Chef Dennis Devies that’ll be paired with White Oak wines. Dinner starts at 5:30. Tickets are $75. (Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

fri

04/24

Nightlife

Abs Aplenty The press release promoting the latest appearance by the group of hunks who call themselves the Thunder From Down Under boasts that they’ll

provide “the perfect girls’ night outback,” a reference to their Aussie heritage. Expect “seductive dance routines, cheeky humor and boynext-door charm” from these topless dancers. Shows take place at 7 and 9:30 tonight and tomorrow night at Hard Rock Live’s Club Velvet. Tickets start at $29.95. (Niesel) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com. Nightlife

A Classic Love Story For generations, Beauty and Beast, a tale of love between a woman and a monster, has stolen hearts around the world. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, the Broadway musical features catchy song-and-dance numbers, lavish costumes and intricately designed sets. It opens tonight at 7:30 at Connor Palace and runs through Sunday. Tickets are $55 to $90. (Paige Margulies) 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. Nightlife

Dynamic Duo The Wayans family is packed to

the brim with talent, and there was plenty left for the two youngest — Shawn & Marlon Wayans. The two made an impact on the TV shows In Living Color and The Wayans Bros., then took to the big screen with Scary Movie and White Chicks. Shawn, the older of the two, has kept his head down from on-screen performances lately but still keeps his fans laughing on stage. Meantime, Marlon has recently recovered his love for standup after a long break to focus on acting and writing. The two love to perform together and should put on a great show at 7:30 tonight at the Improv. Tickets are $35 to $40 with performances scheduled through Sunday. (Harp) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com. music

The Pianist One reviewer compared listening to jazz pianist Marilyn Crispell to monitoring an active volcano. Her music is that volatile. During live performances, she alternates between quiet melodies and more dramatic ones. For tonight’s show, which takes place at 7:30 at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 25

get out in Rocky River, she’ll be backed by Cleveland drummer Carmen Castaldi, a veteran of the local scene who met the pianist years ago at the Vanguard in New York. Tickets are $20. (Niesel) 20401 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River, 440-333-2255, wsuuc.org. nightlife

Fantastic Journey Following a father and a daughter in 1882 as they journey from Denmark to the remote wilds of Patagonia, Jauja is a new “Western” from Lisandro Alonso, the acclaimed Argentinian director of Liverpool and Los Muertos. When his 15-year-old daughter runs off, Gunnar Dinesen (Viggo Mortensen) must journey deeper into the South American wilderness to find her. The film is a meditation on colonialism and civilization vs. barbarianism as Dinesen goes on a journey to not only find his daughter but also himself. Jauja screens tonight at 9:20 p.m. at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque,with another showing set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $9. (Harp) 11141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu. Art

A Fleeting Thought Syncope, the latest exhibition at Heights Arts, pairs regional artists Rachel Beamer and Achala Wali. In medical terms, syncope is a fleeting loss of consciousness. In phonetics, syncope refers to the loss of one or more sounds from the interior of a word. Beamer’s photographs and Wali’s abstract pencil and ink drawings feature compositions alluding to elements not present in their work. Syncope opens today with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition is free. The show runs through June 6. (Josh Usmani) 2175 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3457, heightsarts.org. Music

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

In Perfect Harmony Back in 2010, the duo Dala won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year. Listen to their version of “Dream a Little Dream,” and it’s readily apparent they deserved the honor. The voices harmonize perfectly and the two sing with a real elegance. The two come to the Happy Days Lodge in Peninsula tonight at 8 as part of the Cuyahoga Valley Heritage Series. The Conservancy Canteen will be serving up the grub: fresh, locally

sourced cuisine like Cuban sandwiches, antipasto skewers and spiced beer nuts. Tickets are $17 for non-members, $12 for Conservancy members. (Niesel) 500 West Streetsboro Rd., Peninsula, 330-657-2909, conservancyforcvnp.org. theAter

Jolly Green Giant Ever since DreamWorks Pictures introduced Shrek way back in 2001, the jolly green ogre has spawned a number of spinoffs, including a musical. It’s that musical that Near West Theatre will debut tonight as the first main-stage production in its new theater. Some 62 local actors ranging in ages from 9 to 57 are involved. The play opens tonight at 7:30 and tickets range from $10 to $20. Shrek the Musical will run through May 17. (Niesel) 6702 Detroit Ave., 216-961-6391, nearwesttheatre.org. filM

Loss and Love A powerful documentary about loss, love and courage, Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine tells the tale of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was tortured and murdered in 1998. Director Michele Josue, a close friend of Shepard’s, presents an honest and intimate portrait of Matt through the personal lens of those who knew and loved him. It revisits the shocking case, going behind the headlines and using never-before-seen photos, videos and home movies from the Shepard family. The documentary has been met with great acclaim; it won the audience award for Best Film at last year’s Cleveland International Film Festival. It plays tonight at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque at 7:30 p.m. and shows again at 8:40 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $9. (Harp) 11141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu. Drink

A Nautical Night Heavy Seas Brewery in Maryland makes some great beers. We’re particularly fond of Loose Cannon. Tonight from 6 to 8 at Rozi’s Wine House in Lakewood, you can sample some of the brewery’s best suds, including Peg Leg, Cross Bones, Small Craft, Double Cannon, Riptide and Phantom Ship. And yes, the aforementioned Loose Cannon is included. Tickets are $20. (Niesel) 14900 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-1119, rozis.com. Music

A Spring Thing Tropidelic started out in Kent around

2008. Various lineup changes hit the band as they relocated to Cleveland in 2011. Influence-wise, founder and singer Matthew Roads has always injected some 311 and Slightly Stoopidoriented sounds into what he and his bandmates create. They’ve become local funk/jam staples, appearing often at local venues as they gradually began expanding their touring scope. They’re the headlining act at this weekend’s Earlybird Festival which takes place today through Sunday at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. Local jam acts Broccoli Samurai, Aliver Hall, JiMiller Band and Sultans of Bing round out the bill. Tickets range from $15 to $55. Camping is available. (Eric Sandy) 12001 State Route 282, Garrettsville, 440-548-2716, nlqp.com. TheaTer

Wake for It No one knows grief and mourning like a Catholic, let alone an Irish Catholic. In its fifth year running in Cleveland, Flanagan’s Wake transports the audience to a wake in Ireland where villagers tell tales and sing songs for their dearly departed Flanagan. Finding the humor in life and death, the wake acts as a dark backdrop to an otherwise hilarious show in which alcohol fuels the humorous reminiscing. A sort of tragic Tony ’n’

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Tina’s Wedding, the interactive and improvised show engages the entire audience as the guests are treated as the friends and family of the deceased. The show starts at 8 tonight and plays again tomorrow night at 8 at Kennedy’s Theatre. Tickets are $25. (Patrick Stoops) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. SporTS

Storming into Town The Cleveland Gladiators’ quest to return to the Arena Football League championship continues today at the Q as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Storm. The Gladiators are off to a good start. The Storm has been in the AFL since the start (back then it was based in Pittsburgh) and has amassed more wins than any other AFL team. Last year, it played .500 ball under first-year coach Lawrence Samuels. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $9. (Niesel) 1 Center Ct., 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.

sat

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Film

Double Bill Rae Smith (War Horse) designed the “moodily atmospheric” 1900 village square setting of Cavalleria, which

transforms to a 1948 truck stop for the “doomed vaudeville troupe” of Pagliacci in the Met Opera’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci — MET Opera. You can see a simulcast screening of the operas today at 12:30 p.m. at area theaters (an encore screening takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday). Eva-Maria Westbroek (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Patricia Racette (Pagliacci) sing the unlucky heroines, and Met principal conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium. Ticket prices vary. (Niesel) metopera.org. Dance

Four on the Floor Four male choreographers join ballerina Wendy Whelan for Restless Creature, a special performance that’s been on the road since 2013. Whelan danced with the New York City Ballet for 25 years before teaming up with choreographers Kyle Abraham, Josh Beamish, Brian Brooks and Alejandro Cerrudo for this production of contemporary duets. The New York Times raves that the show is “riveting, interesting, unusual, intelligent.” Find out if it lives up to the hype tonight at 8 at the Ohio Theatre. Tickets are $25 to $65. (Niesel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

arT

An Open Invitational Rocky River’s River Gallery debuts its Photography Invitational with an opening reception today from 3 to 7 p.m. The show explores the infinite possibilities of the medium with a wide variety of film and digital photography. The exhibition and reception are free. (Usmani) 19046 Old Detroit Rd., Rocky River, 440-331-8406, rivergalleryarts.com. SporTS

Ready to Roll Burning River Roller Derby kicks off its ninth season tonight at its new home at the CE Orr Ice Arena. “Cleveland’s premier flat-track roller derby league” offers “hard-hitting roller derby action.” The team will take on Bleeding Heartland of Bloomington, Indiana, and Athens Ohio Roller Derby. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door for adults; $4 for children ages 6 to 12; and free for children 5 and younger. The event starts at 6 p.m. (Niesel) 22550 Milton Ave., 216-289-8649, burningriverderby.com. muSic

Strings and Things William Busta Gallery hosts a very special performance tonight by Les

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 27

get out Délices, a local French Baroque music troupe that performs little-known works on period instruments. Tonight’s concert, The Angel & the Devil, is inspired by two of the greatest viol virtuosos of the 18th century, Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray, whose contrasting personalities are said to perfectly fit the performance’s title. Additionally, the 8 p.m. program includes pieces by Jean-Féry Rebel, François Couperin and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Online tickets are $25; at the door, you’ll pay $30. (Usmani) 2731 Prospect Ave., 216-298-9071, lesdelices.org.

sun

and Vivian Blaine all had roles in the movie about New York gamblers and criminals. The film was nominated for all sorts of awards and became an international success. It shows today at 10 at the Capitol Theatre as part of the Sunday Classic Brunch and Movie Series. The $10 ticket includes a champagne (or ginger ale) intermission. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.

Club, a weekly open mic session that takes place every Monday night at Hofbräuhaus. 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 pay a reasonable $5 at the door. Comedy starts at 8:30 p.m. (Niesel) 1550 Chester Ave., 216-621-2337, chucklefck.com.

outdoors

Get Wild Looking for a fun and free way to start your week? Head over to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which offers free admission for all residents of Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township on Mondays. You can explore the zoo’s massive collection, which includes more than 3,000 animals and 600 distinct species, including the largest primate collection in the country. Or check out the zoo’s impressive botanical garden, which has been praised for expertly illustrating the inter-dependent relationship between plants, animals and humans. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This free Monday promotion is not available on holidays and unfortunately excludes access to the RainForest. (McConnell) 3900 Wildlife Way, 216-661-6500, clemetzoo.com.

04/26

nightlife

Electronic Ecstasy Probably the best way to kick-start the week is by shaking your ass uncontrollably at B-Side Sundays, B-Side’s bitchin’ Sunday night electronic show. DJs Eso and Corey Grand join forces to spin anything and everything: Funk, soul, hip-hop, trap, drum and bass, and all sorts of similarly ill shit. Grand’s cred speaks for itself: “Sucka Free Since ’88.” And that same sentiment goes for the Sunday-night throwdown as a whole. Work your way across Coventry all weekend and wrap up the party at B-Side. The DJs will start spinning at 10 p.m. (Eric Sandy) 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-1966, bsideliquorlounge.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.

Comedy

Jay’s Day Having a long and successful career as a late-night TV show host ain’t easy. Just ask SNL’s Dennis Miller. The wise-cracking comic didn’t last long in the cutthroat environment. So Jay Leno deserves credit for ruling the late-night airwaves for 22 years. Leno, who’s a helluva standup comic, has now gone back to his roots. According to our records, he’s never performed on a Playhouse Square stage, so tonight’s show at the State Theatre should be a real treat. He takes the stage at 7:30 and tickets are $35 to $100. (Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. film

A Morning Movie Based on the 1950 Broadway musical by composer and lyricist Frank Loesser, the 1955 film Guys and Dolls starred some heavy hitters. Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra

vegan menu, featuring hits like Veggie Vegan Flatbread (think fresh tomatoes, chiles, mushrooms and vegan cheese), Tofu Etouffee (blackened tofu, onions, tomatoes and brown rice) or many of the regular menu items made vegan. If you’re still feeling skeptical, know this: Monday night is also Craft Beer Night and all 36 crafts are only $3 from 6 p.m. to close. Cheers! (Alaina McConnell) 1909 West 25th St., 216-344-9400, townhallohiocity.com.

film

mon

04/27

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

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

food

Vegan Mondays If you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, or just plain interested in trying something new, head over to TownHall in Ohio City this evening from 5 to 10 p.m. for Vegan Night. Work your way through the delicious and healthy

Banned But Not Forgotten The late, great Bill Hicks was a groundbreaking comedian. A self-described “curmudgeon,” he often joked about social issues and popular culture. David Letterman once banned him (and later apologized for it) after an edgy performance on his show where Hicks joked about hunting down and killing pop stars such as Billy Ray Cyrus and Michael Bolton. He also made jokes about homosexuality and abortion, stuff that’s

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considered tame by today’s standards. Tonight at 8, area theaters will screen Comedy Dynamics Presents: Bill Hicks, a concert recorded at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal in 1992. The event will include approximately 90 minutes of standup and special content from Hicks’ Relentless special. It also features a montage of unseen clips from previous standup routines narrated by his brother, Steve Hicks, as well as home videos from the Hicks family estate. (Niesel) fathomevents.com. SportS

A Royal Rivalry Judging by the way the Kansas City Royals started the season off with a series of big wins, it looks as if the Tribe will have a tough time this season against their division rivals. After getting swept by the Tigers over Opening Weekend, the Indians rebounded against the Chicago White Sox, splitting that series with the team. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m. and tickets start at $10 for the bleachers. Don’t forget that standing room “District” tickets cost $13 and come with a free drink. (Niesel) 2401 Ontario St., 216-916-6100, clevelandindians.com.

tue

04/28

It’s a Drag Drag queen RuPaul has transitioned from MTV novelty to a successful reality TV show host with RuPaul’s Drag Race. Each year, RuPaul crowns a new winner — Bianca Del Rio claimed top honors in Season 6. Del Rio brings her “Rolodex of Hate” show to the Ohio Theatre tonight. The show features adult content so you might not want to bring the kids, just in case the thought crossed your mind. The show begins at 8 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre. Tickets are $39.50 to $83. (Niesel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org. Nightlife

The Vinyl Answer While sales of CDs continue to decline, vinyl has seen a resurgence. In fact, the recent Jack White album became the fastest-selling vinyl album since Nielsen Soundscan began compiling vinyl sales figures in 1991. Jukebox owner Alex Budin has described his 1,350-square-foot music-focused bar in the Hingetown ’hood as “a place where people can expect to hear and learn about music of multiple genres, all of which is concentrated in a constantly evolving jukebox.” In keeping with that spirit and recognizing the burgeoning popularity of vinyl, the club hosts a vinyl night every Tuesday that serves as a listening party for new releases.

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04/29

driNk

Hoppin’ Rad Much like the Fat Heads tasting room in Middleburg Heights, the Hoppin’ Frog Tasting Room in Akron is in a nondescript strip of storage facilities and warehouses. But step inside and you’ll find a cozy tasting room with a huge array of the brewery’s wonderful libations. The place features “hoppy hour” every weekday from 3 to 7 p.m. Tonight, the brewers visit the tasting room from 5 to 7 p.m. While they don’t fill growlers, you can drink bottles on site or take ’em to go. The place also offers a “Hoppin’ Frog Rare & Vintage” list as well as a guest bottle list. (Niesel) 1680-F Waterloo Rd., Akron, 234-525-3764, hoppinfrog.com/tasting-room. Comedy

A Southern Man Comedian Chad Thornsberry is a Southern man who just loves to make people laugh. Thornsberry has a very laid-back attitude on stage and won’t stop at anything to make you laugh, even if that means the joke is at his expense. Whether joking about how his accent makes people think he can fix their tractor (which he actually can) or making fun of everyday situations, he’s not above self-deprecation. He performs tonight at 8 at Hilarities and then performs again at the club on May 3. Tickets are $13 to $18. (Harp) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com. Nightlife

A Story of Splendor M-Cubed, the Maltz Museum’s young professionals group, meets today at 7 p.m. at a local eatery to discuss American Splendor, the graphic novel by the late local Jewish author (and library lover) Harvey Pekar and the source material for the award-winning film by the same name. But you needn’t be a M-Cubed member to attend the free discussion — which includes appetizers! (Copies of the book can be purchased in the Museum Store at a discounted rate for M-Cubed members.) While there is no cost for this evening’s discussion, RSVPs are required. Check out the website for more information. (Niesel) maltzmuseum.org.

Find more events @ clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

Born with Teeth

Discussion / Book Signing Sunday, April 26th, 2PM 28801 Chagrin Boulevard Woodmere (216) 765-7520 The star of Star Trek: Voyager and Orange Is the New Black reflects on the pivotal moments in her life—including an early decision to give up her daughter for adoption.

Get more info and get to know your favorite writers at BN.COM/events All events subject to change, so please contact the store to confirm.

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 29

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theater

The place has partnered with Loop in Tremont so that patrons can hear a new album on vinyl. You can bring your own vinyl and spin it too. We love the concept. It all starts at 7 p.m. (Niesel) 1404 West 29th St., 216-206-7699, jukeboxcle.com.

ART 24-karat import

A Chilean in Cleveland talks about his art and his new city By Josh Usmani Master GoldsMith and printmaker Mauricio Cristóbal Cortés Fuentes is from Santiago, Chile. He’s in Cleveland as one of the Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion 2015 Spring Class, which brings six international artists from Armenia, Bulgaria, Chile and Romania to Cleveland for three-month residencies and partners them with local, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, including the Cleveland Print Room, Sculpture Center, Ingenuity Cleveland, Inlet Dance Theatre, Verb Ballets and Zygote Press. Zygote Press is hosting Fuentes, who studied with master goldsmith Waldo Villalón before receiving his own master goldsmith degree from Liceo Experimental Artistico, as well as a degree in printmaking from Universidad de Chile in 2013. Fuentes specializes in silver filigree work, taught to him by Villalón. He translates the intricate skills he developed as a goldsmith to intaglio prints through both etching and engraving. Since beginning his residency in March, he’s been busy working with students at Kent State University as well as on a number of other projects. Fuentes recently took time to sit down with Scene and discuss his experience so far.

What drew you to Cleveland? What was your first impression? has it changed since you’ve been here? Well, the director of the print shop where I do my work in Chile was in Cleveland in 2012. So when he went back to Chile, he kept in contact with the people here, and this time he postulated me come to Cleveland to be a resident artist at Zygote. He told me a lot of things about Cleveland and the print shop, but nothing about the cold, so my first impression was that, “This cold hurts.” The city is something strange to me, because of the two sides: east and west. I found that it is so spread out, but at the same time, places are very close. My first thought about

Zygote was, “This place is great!” This feeling has been reinforced by all the people who come to work at Zygote. I can see different kinds of work every time.

has the city (and/or its people) impacted the work you’ve been making during your stay? in what ways? Yes, because some of the materials are different from what I used to use. With the other people working in the shop, I’ve gotten to know how they are doing things here. Now I’ve adapted my ways to what I have here. Also, the city has a lot of places where I can see what local artists are doing, and the museum is so good. It’s always inspiring to take a walk in the galleries and see what is going on. do you see any similarities and/ or differences between Cleveland and your home? The workshop here and the one in Chile differ mostly in materials and equipment, but both work in very similar ways. So it is very familiar to be here at Zygote. The biggest difference is that I live in a city that, like here, is very spread out but denser. So there is always a long road to go to some exhibition or openings. What I like here is that there are special days to see all the galleries, and all are very near each other. I think it’s a great thing that people here are really interested in supporting local artists. It seems to me that here you can be an artist and work in something else. In Chile, it is very hard, because sometimes your job takes all your time so you can’t work on your art. have you seen much of the local arts community? anything in particular that stands out? I’ve seen a lot of things from the local artists, not only from Cleveland, but also from Kent and Knoxville, Tennessee. I really like the very strong graphic art style in the U.S. I love the work being done in the jewelry shop of Kent State University. Also, the Morgan

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

Photo credit: zygotepress.com

Fuentes at work

zygote press 1410 east 30th st., 216-621-2900, zygotepress.com

Art of Papermaking is one of the places I liked most, and 78th Street Studios is another great place here in Cleveland.

do you think this residency will impact your future work? Totally, because now I have seen what is happening in another part of the world. That is very stimulating to keep going on work and searching for new things to develop. What can viewers expect from your upcoming show at Zygote next month? They are going to see work from somebody who really likes drawing

and uses engraving for that purpose. Sometimes I spend all day just making lines on a plate, but these lines have shapes that are totally recognizable. So the people who come to my show will be able to see what these “drawings” look like.

Contact the Cleveland Foundation (Clevelandfoundation. org) or the individual organizations for more information on their Creative Fusion resident artists.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene

stage review

(Photo by Matthew Murphy)

we’re out on a limb

In more ways than one, in the convoluted, compelling in a word at Cleveland Public Theatre By Christine Howey The words we use every day serve to conceal as much as they reveal. This is especially true for those automatic expressions continually trotted out that form the bulk of most conversations. Of course, this is nothing new to many playwrights, including Pinter and Mamet, who have frolicked in the misunderstandings and absurdities created by our language. So it is for Lauren Yee, the young woman who has written in a word in a way that slowly peels away the comforting blandness of verbal intercourse to expose some very raw nerve endings. Thanks to the evocative direction of Beth Wood, a fascinating set designed by Wood and Benjamin Gantose, and a couple outstanding performances, this production continually absorbs your attention. While it suffers on occasion from youthful pretension (staring with the lower-case title), Yee dissects words that are wrapped around a profoundly disturbing event. In this National New Play Network “Rolling World Premiere,” it seems that Fiona and Guy Hamlin’s son, 7-year-old Tristan, has been missing for two years. And on this day, which is Fiona’s birthday and the anniversary of Tristan’s disappearance, she is battling with her memories as she tries to find a way forward. We travel with her as she flashes on many moments from the past 24

months, and even further back. As she does, the facts slowly rise out of the jumble of words. Tristan was a difficult child, perhaps suffering from ADHD or autism, and the police detective investigating his disappearance is a jerk. Back at home Fiona, who was also Tristan’s second-grade teacher, is having a hard time reassembling her relationship with Guy. Underscoring all this is Yee’s precise and sometimes mildly infuriating repetition of common figures of speech that morph into new shapes and swirl around themselves like a verbal

living room. Using these jars, Fiona and Guy compartmentalize their lives: some jars contain objects or words written on scraps of paper, and some contain nothing but the whispering of disembodied voices. If this sounds like some weird sort of performance art, you’d be right up to a point. But Yee and director Wood know what they’re about, so just when you think the play is about to spiral off into la la land, you’re jerked back into the very real tragedy at hand. In the pivotal role of Fiona, Liz Conway is exceptional. Her frustration

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Penrose staircase. At one point, Fiona reflects on the absent Tristan, “He’s coming home soon and I don’t want to miss him, even if I do.” And when it appears she can’t teach anymore, she is given a leave of absence that is misheard by others as a “leaf” of absence and then grows into a “tree of absence.” The concept of absence is omnipresent, and the branches of that tree grow and expand to embrace the entire play, both metaphorically and literally. An effective staging device is the welter of glass jars that occupy a large bookcase and circle the round platform that defines the family’s

dealing with her son is palpable, as is her gradual deterioration as the weeks and years pass by: “You just have to take it day by day — after day… after day…after day.” And her quiet, climactic scene with a Kit Kat bar is, given its context, perhaps the most trenchant human interaction with chocolate since Willy Wonka boffed the Swiss Miss on the Cocoa Cruiser ride at Hershey Park. As Guy, Mark Rabant never succeeds in wrapping his arms around this man who is caught between a desire to support his wife and a compulsion to move on with his life. While he has moments that register, he

often acts the emotion at hand instead of crafting a dimensional character and letting the emotion bubble up, raw and unexpected, from that persona. All the other roles, including that of Tristan’s real (or imagined ) kidnapper, are played by Matt O’ Shea with distinct clarity. But his most significant contribution is portraying Tristan, who can swing from adorably boyish to agonizingly troubled in a nanosecond. And O’Shea manages it smoothly, showing the extremity of the boy’s condition without being showy or mawkish. The production is aided immeasurably by Gantose’s lighting, which glows subtly at times and then glares insinuatingly right through the back panel of the plastic bookcase and the windows haphazardly covered in newspapers. And the music and sound effects provided by composer and sound designer Sam Fisher subtly ease us into the mind of Fiona as she explores the recollections that plague her. Yes, some of Yee’s wordplay feels excessive and indulgent, especially toward the end when less might have certainly been more. Still, this is a complex and arresting journey through the words that we employ to clumsily deal with events that are clearly unspeakable.

scene@clevescene.com t @christinehowey

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 31

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 CLEVELAND SCENE WED: 04/22/15 4 COLOR

movies in theaters

Review of the week: ex machina

alSo opening

Domnhall gleeSon (haRRy potteR, Calvary), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year) and Alicia Vikander (Seventh Son) star in Ex Machina, a sci-fi thriller about artificial intelligence that’ll have your blood curdling and your neck hair doing what neck hair does when the heart and the stomach are in crisis. Written and directed by Alex Garland, who wrote 28 Days Later and Sunshine (both Danny Boyle projects), this sleek and sinister production is as emotionally brutalizing as a stage play in close quarters. Though its camera lensing and production design are both unique and fully realized, Ex Machina proves that sci-fi is far more than gear and gadgetry. It’s every bit as tense and fine-tuned as an Oscar drama. In the opening moments of the film, which opens areawide on Friday, a young computer programmer named Caleb (Gleeson) is informed that he’s won a coveted prize. He gets to spend a week on the remote estate of his company’s founder, a digital prodigy named Nathan (Isaac), who wrote the code for Bluebook, a sort of Google on steroids, when he was only 13. Nathan is a somewhat atypical tech tycoon. He wears wife beaters and athletic shorts around his underground mansion, which is invisibly latticed with so much fiber optic cable that the compound has been experiencing alarming power outages of late. He is also a heavy drinker and, though prone to deity complexes, appears to have no desire for the celebrity of Silicon Valley moguls. He is, on the contrary, deeply reclusive, an unflagging workhorse who has been devoting his life to the newest frontiers in artificial intelligence.

The Age of Adaline>>

Blake Lively stars in this romantic fantasy about a 29-year-old woman who doesn’t age. Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman and Kathy Baker co-star. It opens areawide on Friday.

In his latest ingenious development, he’s co-opted the surveillance of telecom companies and mapped human engagement with Bluebook, discovering “not what people search, but how people search” to create the most high-tech robotic brain to date. He has brought Caleb to his home, in fact, to test the capacity of the latest model, Ava (Alicia Vikander, as calculating and deftly not-quite-human as Michael Fassbender’s “David” android in Prometheus). In Nathan’s tomblike basement, Caleb meets and becomes instantly drawn to Ava. As they engage in their “testing,” conversations meant to determine how well and precisely Ava identifies and demonstrates human impulses (attraction, manipulation, humor, memory), Nathan watches and chronicles the emergent relationship. And shit goes haywire. All of the relationships become questioned. Why has Nathan really brought Caleb here? What exactly has Nathan been doing with his previous A.I. iterations? What can Caleb possibly hope to achieve, on a human level, with Ava? What are Ava’s motives in all this? All of these questions are dramatized as the power outages increase in frequency and duration and the suspicion grows that someone may be orchestrating the outages, that the “test” may be something else entirely. Nathan’s binge-drinking produces wild and sometimes violent outbursts. Caleb, growing ever more paranoid, begins to question the motives for everything. The result is a haunting, masterful film: Firsttime director with writing chops. Actors with cajones and chemistry. Production team with a clear, coherent vision. Stellar stuff. — Sam Allard

Little Boy>>

Set in the 1940s, this comedy/drama centers on a 7-year-old boy (Davie Henrie) who wants to bring his father home from the war. It opens area-wide on Friday.

Spotlight ten yeaRS ago, SynDicateD Sex columnist Dan Savage launched HUMP!, a film festival designed to challenge his Pacific Northwest readers to “get their hands dirty” and create “good, old-fashion homemade porn.” The results ran a wide gamut and represented straight, gay and transgendered shorts made by amateurs from the area. Until last year, HUMP!’s screenings were limited to the Pacific Northwest. But last year, the Best of HUMP! Tour hit the road and played to sold out audiences in 16 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. This year, the tour features an all-new program that mixes the recent winners from the 2014 Festival with past crowd favorites. It screens at 7:30 and 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. Savage admits the festival has become more popular than he initially suspected. “The first year we did it, we weren’t sure we would be doing it that year,” he says via phone. “There was skepticism whether anyone would attend an amateur porn film fest showing films that were made by people who live in that city. Even after we booked the theater, we weren’t sure if people would come to a movie theater and watch porn like their grandparents do. We learned that they would. A lot of them. It’s become a big arts festival, if you can call it art, which I can and I just did.” The only real criteria is that the films are “sex-positive.” That’s a tricky word that means different things to different people. But for Savage, it’s almost easier to define what “sexpositive” is by explaining what it isn’t. “Our culture has a sex-negative attitude,” he says. “The thinking is that sex is a problem and the world would be a better place if we had less of it. That’s just not true. Sex is more powerful than we are. Sex is a quarter of a billion years old and our species is 200,000 years old. Sex positivity means you have an open mind and you regard it as a potentially wonderful and positive thing in someone’s life and in your own life and you think constructively about sex as pleasure, which is almost all the sex we have.” The current touring festival culls the best of the 2014 festival and includes a few of the more popular titles from previous years. “It runs the gamut from hardcore porn to erotica to musicals and animation and comedy shorts,” Savage explains. “It’s all over the place. Sometimes, you don’t even think it’s porn. We had a film featuring people getting hit in the face with pies. It was a fetish. It was their special thing and they shared it with us and it was super interesting and cool and sexy.” — Jeff Niesel

The Water Diviner >>

Russell Crowe stars as an Australian farmer who sets out to find his sons who are presumed dead in the Battle of Gallipoli. The film opens area-wide on Friday. magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 33

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

eat review

The bone-in pork shank.

JACK OF ALL TASTES

Square Bistro is the rare resto that’s got something for everybody By Douglas Trattner I dIdn’t bother makIng a reservation at Square Bistro because, well, Chardon. I’ve been covering this beat long enough to know that chefdriven bistros in far-flung burgs don’t tend to pack them in on weekdays. Heck, they don’t tend to pack them in on weekends either, thanks to hectic family schedules and competition from quicker, cheaper chains. But Square does pack them in. On a regular ol’ Tuesday night, every seat at the bar and in the main dining room was claimed. After a brief wait we were seated in the upper-level dining room, which offered views of the bustling action below. By the time we finished our meal, paid our tab and walked out to our car for the lengthy drive home, it was clear that chef-owner Jaret Havanchak had managed to pull off the improbable: namely, being the Swiss army knife of restaurants. Places that attempt to please everybody often please nobody, as the saying goes. But Square is the rare restaurant that manages to buck the odds by being family friendly, budget friendly and foodie friendly. The extensive New American menu is broad enough for even the most finicky of diners; every item on that menu comes in under $20; and it’s all dished up in a sparkling storefront space on the picturesque town square of a county seat.

For the past seven years, Havanchak has owned and operated the popular seafood restaurant Lure Bistro in Willoughby. He purchased the business from his boss, Nick Kustala, who opened it back in 2000. It had been a recent goal of the chef to open a second place in Chardon, his wife’s hometown. That opportunity finally presented itself when a local brewpub relocated to a larger home. “I’ve always wanted to do something in Chardon,” the chef explains. “When BrewWorks was on their way out I scooped up the space, redid it from the ground up, and

and poultry, New Creation pastures all of its hormone and antibiotic free chicken, lamb, beef and pork, which dine on grass, grain and other nonGMO foods. Nearly half of one of those heritage-breed pigs is transformed into Square’s most popular entree: osso buco ($18). The Fred Flintstonesize bone-in pork shank looks more like a weapon than a meal for one. Slow-braised for hours, the fall-apart meat is nestled into a bed of roasted root vegetables and garnished with a red wine reduction sauce. For the smoky steak Florentine

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we’ve been busy ever since.” Square might be one of the few remaining “bistros” where a guest can still order a glass of wine for $6 or $7. Most charge twice that. Granted, they aren’t all Napa cabs, but they do the job just fine. Beer fans are treated to a dozen quality craft drafts at equally munificent prices, like a pint (not snifter) of Ommegang Abbey Ale for just $6.50. One of the perks of being located “way out” in Chardon is the proximity to family farms like New Creation. The source of all of Square’s meat

($19), Square starts with a grilled 10-ounce flatiron cut from the same nearby farm and pairs it with ovenroasted tomatoes, chopped spinach, broccolini and risotto. As if that’s not enough, the whole affair is doused with a creamy cheddar sauce. We would have preferred a lighter hand when it came to the sauce, but the steak could not have been better. As owner of Lure Bistro, Havanchak has learned a few things about seafood. His grouper fish and chips ($14) is a cross between a beer batter and a tempura, and the

shatteringly crisp shell gives way to creamy white fish. Seasoned, freshcut fries, slaw and roasted pepper remoulade flush out the tasty platter. If you married shrimp and hush puppies you’d likely end up with something akin to Square’s crispy shrimp fritters ($8), an appetizer that would pair well with a cold beer at the bar. Chopped poached shrimp is tossed in a corn batter, deep fried and served with basil aioli. Though it’s listed as a starter, the exceptionally rich and satisfying crab cake Benedict ($9) could pass for brunch. A toasted English muffin is buried beneath a lump meat crab cake, Canadian bacon, runny poached egg and cheese sauce. We’ve barely scratched the surface of Square’s menu, which boasts everything from pierogis to pasta, potstickers to pecan-crusted salmon. There are salads, sandwiches, steaks and scallops. Heck, there’s even a kids’ menu with New Creation sliders and homemade fish sticks. Things are going so well for Havanchak and Square that he intends to transform a lower-level space into a sushi restaurant. Look for an opening this fall.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t @dougtrattner

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 35

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

THE 9 ANNOUNCES DATE FOR AZURE SUN LOUNGE OPENING By Douglas Trattner AppArently sAving the best for last, The 9 recently announced the opening day for its splashy rooftop bar, Azure Sun Lounge. That day is May 2. At more than 8,000 square feet, the bar is being billed as Cleveland’s largest rooftop and social destination. It will be open to the public. The 9, of course, offers a slew of entertainment options, and it’s become one of the most desired addresses in downtown’s crowded apartment market.

Tea House Noodles To opeN aT upTowN These days, fast-casual Asian concepts are all the rage. In fact, in University Circle alone, there’s Ninja City, Chopstick and soon Kenko. Well, you can add Tea House Noodles to that list. The Cleveland-based eatery will open a second shop at Uptown (11472 Euclid Ave.) on April 27. When it opened downtown in 1994, Tea House Noodles was a pioneer, offering fast but healthy Asian-themed fare for the lunch crowd. “We’re on our 20-year anniversary,” says owner Bob Lynch. “Back then we were ahead of our time — and we haven’t changed our formula.” From the start, Tea House Noodles was designed to give

diners a quick, tasty and healthy option come lunchtime, says Lynch. Vegetables are steamed not sauteed in oil, all sauces are vegan save for the chicken broth, brown rice nudges out white rice, and guests can add a fresh fruit or veggie juice. “If you’re eating lunch every day, you can’t be cramming heavyduty stuff all the time,” Lynch says. “Hey, I like a hamburger just like everybody else, but we can’t eat like that every day.” The new spot, located near Zack Bruell’s forthcoming Dynomite Burgers, will seat 25 to 30 guests. Tea House also does a ton of takeout and delivery. This location will mark the first time Lynch has branched out from downtown since his brief foray into Little Italy, which closed a few years back. “Murray Hill just wasn’t the right spot,” says Lynch. “It wasn’t what I anticipated.” Downtown, meanwhile, is doing great (save for the partial building collapse across the street, which shuttered Tea House for the week). Lynch recently extended his hours of operation to 8 p.m. to accommodate all the new downtown residents. It is a formula he intends to mimic in University Circle.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t @dougtrattner

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UniqUe ‘CoCkpit’ pUts Dante Diners behinD the bar By Douglas Trattner First, Dante Boccuzzi unveiled the chef’s table, a very special booth located smack dab in the middle of his Tremont restaurant kitchen. Now, a few fearless guests can take a seat right behind the bar, in a special two-person table affectionately dubbed the “Cockpit.” Guests who call to reserve the table will have an eagle’s-eye view of the bar action. In addition to watching the bartender mix drinks — and the bar crowd consume them — Cockpit diners might help the bartender make cocktails, enjoy a special tasting menu paired with cocktails, and even play games like the Ring Toss, where they try to hook a bottle of booze. “We’re calling it a ‘cocktailexperience table,’ but it’s basically a chef’s table behind the bar,” explains Boccuzzi. “We’re trying to build this whole experience around it.” The idea originated not with Boccuzzi, but with a wise-cracking regular. “My fiance and I walked in there one night and there were no bar seats,” says frequent guest Michael Tortora. “We got a little frustrated that there was nowhere to sit and hang out. The bartender, Paul Norris, jokingly asked if he should pull up a few stools behind the bar for us. I said, ‘yeah, you should,’ and we left. “We were just joking, but apparently they took it seriously,” Tortora adds. “It’s really unique. I’ve been all over the country and can’t recall seeing anything like that.” To make room for the new liquor loveseat, a beer fridge was removed

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

from the wine cellar immediately behind the bar, and a small platform was built so guests could enjoy a nice vantage point. One of the first guinea pigs to take a ride in the Cockpit was Will Hollingsworth, bartender-owner of the Spotted Owl bar down the road. Initially, he had zero interest in taking part. “I thought the idea was totally ridiculous,” he says. “As a bartender I know you don’t see anything different behind the bar than sitting at the bar.” But then he sat back there. “I ended up having one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had in the restaurant,” he says. “For me it wasn’t fun because I was watching the bartenders work. For me it was fun to sit back not having to work and just watch the bartender interact with the bar crowd and the bar crowd interact with each other.” Participants can order a 5-course food and cocktail tasting menu for $95, but they aren’t locked into anything. In fact, they can order anything off the regular menu. Reservations must be made over the phone, not through Open Table. The seat is available every night. Rather than feeling like a zoo animal on display for the bar crowd, as one might assume, Hollingsworth says he almost felt invisible. “You kind of feel like you’re behind two-way glass. They barely notice you.”

dtrattner@clevescene.com t @dougtrattner

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Todd Rundgren likes Tiki. Who knew?

simply ‘unpredictable’

Singer-guitarist Todd Rundgren tests the limits (and patience) of his fans By Matthew Wardlaw Singer-guitariSt todd Rundgren has spent the past couple of years playing a series of tour dates billed as An Unpredictable Evening with Todd Rundgren, and as we point out early in a recent phone conversaton with the veteran artist and producer, it’s entirely appropriate: “Unpredictable” is a perfect description of his career in a nutshell. “Oh, I hope everybody got that by now,” Rundgren says with a chuckle. “The whole idea was just that this is me at my most relaxed, and my most natural in a way, when I do the Unpredictable shows. We know what the first song is; we don’t know anything

that’s going to happen after that. I’m just trying to figure out, ‘What’s the mood of the audience? What kind of mood am I in?’ We have a whole range of stuff that we could do. Let’s just make it a crapshoot and see what happens, and at least it’s an event. At least you know you’re seeing something that the person last night didn’t see and the person the next night isn’t necessarily going to see either.” It’s all part of the “choose your own adventure” feeling that comes with being a Rundgren fan. More than four decades into his career, Rundgren continues to be driven to explore new challenges and ideas whenever the inspiration

might strike. He’s keenly aware that his musical experiments can test the limits and patience of his fans; and yet, if there’s a line, it doesn’t seem like he’s afraid of driving over it. “Part of the special relationship that I have with my fans is that they know, every once in a while, I’m going to go out and plumb new territories and try and incorporate other things. Certainly, the first time it happened was [1973’s] A Wizard, a True Star and that culled a whole lot of dilettantes out of the fanbase,” he says with a laugh. “Then again, you know, I’d come back and do an album like Hermit Of Mink Hollow, which everyone

would be totally comfortable and yummy with. Then I’ll go off and eventually I’ll incorporate some rap into my records and that will set off a hornets’ nest for a while. Everyone gets used to it, because you know, I’m not doing anything that isn’t eventually going to saturate the sonic milieu anyway.” He admits that he tries to think outside of the proverbial box. “You know, every artist that they know is eventually going to do some kind of a rap at some point. The fact that I tend to adopt these things sometimes early, sometimes late, you know, but usually not in sync with whatever else is happening is probably the justification, you know, the

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 43

reason why I get away with it,” Rundgren explains. “Because it’s not me trying to get right into the sweet spot of what’s happening now. I realize what a slippery thing that is. If you start trying to do it now, by the time you reach it, everybody’s moved onto something else, you know? And that’s been the history of music: If you devote yourself too much to today’s genre, you’re going to find that genre has mutated by the time you’ve fully taken advantage of it.” From Rundgren’s point of view, that ever-changing unpredictability has kept his fans on the hook. “I’ve managed to hold onto an audience principally because I don’t deliver them the expected. If I did, they could feel like they could miss one and it wouldn’t make any difference,” he says. “They could miss a change and they’d come back later and everything would still be the same. No, but if you missed the change, you know, you’re going to have to do some catching up.” The past few years have found Rundgren in an interesting

later, I’m in a completely different part of the musical universe, but it’s all connected in some way. Through this research, I kind of cherry-picked the things that I wanted to fool around with and experiment with and State was essentially the result of that, of my reeducation, I guess you would call it,” he says laughing. It won’t come as a surprise to longtime fans that the new album has a heady concept behind it. “This record is me kind of taking what I’ve learned from State and refining it a bit and then applying my sensibility in making records,” he says. “Which is usually to have some sort of theme that ties things together. The theme this time is sort of planetary consciousness and the challenges that face us in that regard. But also, a sense of separation, you know, our politics has made everyone kind of have to pick a side on things. I’m trying to make a cheerleading record that kind of says, ‘Okay, forget about all of that — let’s just all get together and deal with the stuff we have to deal with.’

TODD RUNDGREN 7:30 p.m. SUNDAY, ApRIL 26, HARD ROCK LIVE, 10777 NORTHFIELD RD., 330-908-7625. TICKETS: $29.50-$59.50, HRROCKSINONORTHFIELDpARK.COm

place, spending time taking stock and learning how his work has influenced new generations of artists, an experience which spawned the album State in 2013. He described the album at the time as “one that I would logically make, using a methodology that I had to a certain degree popularized.” It put the veteran artist into a creative headspace that bled into the latest album, Global, which came out earlier this month. “I was getting a lot of requests to do remixes and I was getting name-checked by a bunch of younger artists, particularly over the Wizard, a True Star record. So I thought, ‘Geez, they know more about me than I know about them. So I’m going to go out and start researching, you know, what the kids are up to nowadays.’ Because I don’t listen to a lot of radio. I used YouTube as my principal research tool and I would start with Skrillex and then go to the sidebar and click on something else and somebody a little different would come up and a few clicks

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

We don’t have to be miserable or begrudging about it, we can be happy while we’re doing it. So there is this ecological planetary consciousness theme running throughout it, but also, I think a kind of, let’s all get together and have a heal-the-planet party.” Rundgren promises that fans will get to hear a good chunk of material from the new album during his appearance at Hard Rock Live, which will be a little bit more planned out than the Unpredictable shows. “If I have a new record out, I’m going to promote it in a way or at least expose it,” he says. “There will be stuff from the last record and then there will be stuff from my longer history, but we’ll bring it up to date for it to make sense. But this won’t be as much of a sensory onslaught as the State tour was. It’s going to be a little bit more of a show I guess, an orchestrated show.”

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Order By Phone: 800.745.3000 • House of Blues Box Office magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

Music

Alan Doyle, looking like a guy who grew up in a small coastal town.

(Photo by Tom Barnes

MAN WITH A MANTRA

Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle draws upon his Celtic music upbringing By Jeff Niesel

On his first sOlO album, 2012’s Boy on Bridge, Great Big Sea singerguitarist Alan Doyle set out to make a “travelogue.” “I intentionally wanted to leave the tricks I learned behind and I wanted to make music in my friend’s backyard, the way they made music,” he says of his approach on the album. “I wasn’t terribly interested in bringing my own stuff into it. I wanted to learn new tricks. I wanted to go to Nashville and make songs the way they make songs down there. I wanted to go to L.A. and use a soundstage and make songs the way they make songs there. I did that with different locations. It was all about learning new stuff.” For his new album, So Let’s Go, he shifted gears. “I brought my Celtic music upbringing into it and what I learned in my fishing town and all the traditional music techniques from Great Big Sea,” he says. “I recorded at different places, depending on who I was working with.” For some songs, he worked with Ontario-based Tawgs Salter, a veteran producer who’s worked with LIGHTS and Cheyenne Jackson. “He’s a very pop music guy but he does that kind of pop music centered on something small and folky,” says Doyle when asked about Salter. “He had great success with a band from Canada called Walk Off the Earth. They have the five guys on one guitar track. Their music sounds huge but at the center of it is a guy playing the ukulele. I love that idea — that it’s a huge production centered on something small and folky and honest. I did a lot of the record there.”

The album’s title track suggests his approach. It’s an up-tempo tune that features a bit of mandolin and accordion but has such a catchy pop hook, you can imagine it finding a place on commercial radio alongside the likes of American Authors and Ewert and the Two Dragons. Doyle has said he thinks of the disc as “an album for celebrating the good times.”

entertainment. “Unlike even isolated towns on the coasts of America, on Friday night, there was nobody coming to entertain us,” he explains. “There was no rolling cavalcade. My parents had to learn to do Friday nights themselves. The Doyles became the minstrels of the town. And they still are. I’m just one of my Doyles. They’ve learned to make it

ALAN DOYLE 8 p.m. THURSDAY, ApRil 23, mUSiC BOX SUppER ClUB, 1148 mAiN AVE., 216-242-1250. TiCkETS: $22 ADV, $45 DOS, mUSiCBOXClE.COm

“I joke that I wrote songs for a concert more than a record,” he says. “I wanted these songs to be the cornerstone for a great night out for people. I wanted the songs to be ideal for a great concert. ‘So let’s go’ is a bit of a personal mantra of mine that I’ve had for years. It’s a call to action. In my mind, it’s the simplest piece of advice I give people over the years. So often people overthink things and doubt things and wonder if they’ll ever get a chance to do things. They say, ‘I want to go downtown.’ I say, ‘So let’s go.’ They say, ‘I want to go to Europe.’ I say, ‘So let’s go.’ ‘I want to go back to school to learn to be a dentist.’ I say, ‘So let’s go.’ It’s really a call to action and a celebration for people who realize that time is short. ” Music runs thick in Doyle’s blood: He grew up in a musical family. Living in a small fishing town on the coast of Newfoundland, he had to create his own

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

for themselves. I’m part of that tradition. You hear people say they learned their lessons the hard way. I learned them the easy way. I was 12 before I realized that everyone didn’t play guitar. I thought everyone played guitar.” He has often said that the other members of Great Big Sea, who were in a successful pub band called Rankin Street in the early ’90s, recruited him simply because he had a van. “That’s been my joke for years and they’ve never corrected me on it,” he laughs. “They played pubs for four or five years and had a huge following but they didn’t have the exact line-up they wanted. They wanted a guy who could write rock music and they saw me play in some pubs in downtown St. John’s where I was doing solo gigs.” Doyle refers to Great Big Sea as “easily the biggest blessing of my life. It’s such a wonderful thing to call the mothership,” he says.

But after embarking on a 20th anniversary tour in 2013, the band went on hiatus. The remaining members haven’t figured out how to move forward. “[Singer-guitarist] Sean McCann wants to leave the band and has gone on to another career path,” says Doyle. “He does public speaking. I’ve done my stuff, but I would like to do Great Big Sea stuff too. It’s a complicated thing because Sean still owns the name. We have to administratively figure a way get him out of it and then creatively figure out a way to do it without him. It’s very difficult.” Doyle says he’ll play tunes from the Great Big Sea catalog when he’s in town. And he’s got great memories of performing in Cleveland. “One of our first gigs was in Cleveland where we opened up for Moxy Fruvous at a rib cook-off,” he says. “We played in front of a tent. The headliner was going to be the Flying Wallendas. I’m not making that up. It was on the parking lot that would become the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I love Cleveland. I had some great nights there. If you’re from a fishing town near the ocean, you hear about rock ’n’ roll places. I think of some places as musical destination and Cleveland was rock ’n’ roll. If you can get to Cleveland, you were in a real band. I was fascinated by the music of that town and the possibility of being in it. Nothing trumps sports in Boston and nothing trumps the movies in Hollywood. But nothing trumps music in Cleveland.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

Music

The guys in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, ready to host a dance party.

A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND The Big Apple inspired the new Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album By Jeff Niesel To celebraTe The release of their new fine album Freedom Tower — No Wave Dance Party 2015, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion embarked on a short Five Borough Freedom Tour and played gigs in Staten Island, Manhattan, Jersey City, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. After spending something like 20 years in the Big Apple, you’d think the guys would have played every nook and cranny in the city. But that’s not actually the case. “The [shows] were really nice,” says Spencer when asked about the mini-tour after its conclusion, as he’s driving to the first out-of-town gig. “I had never played a show in Staten Island before. I never played a gig in the Bronx before. It was a lot of fun to go out and play places we had never been before and play places that were a little more unusual. It was quite an adventure. I really enjoyed it.” Spencer grew up in Providence where he started absorbing a mix of noise and garage rock. He says he was a late bloomer when it came to diving into rock ’n’ roll. “I didn’t listen to a whole lot of music when I was a kid,” he says. “I didn’t get into it until I was 16 or 17. It became a real obsession at 17, 18 and 19. I was into straight-up noise bands like Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Swans. I was also into ’60s garage punk and old-school hip-hop. All these songs took hold of my life.” Spencer played in a noise rock band before moving to Washington D.C. in the ’80s and forming Pussy Galore, a ramshackle garage rock band that’s perhaps most famous

for issuing a cassette-only cover album of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. The band split up in 1990 but not before leaving a lasting impression. Does Spencer look back fondly on those days? “I guess so,” he says. “I don’t look on it so much. I don’t remember it so well. We reissued some of those early records over the past couple of years so I’ve been in touch with the people in that band. We even played a show a few years ago. One of the nicest things about that is that I have been able to talk with people like [former bandmates] Kurt Wolf and Bob Bert and Julia Cafritz.” With the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which he formed in 1991 in New York, he sticks with a garage rock formula but plays with a little

put on a super dynamite rock ’n’ roll show.” After taking a few years off, the band returned to touring and recording in 2012 with Meat + Bone, a rough-around-the-edges album it recorded in Michigan. “It was a real rock ’n’ roll record,” says Spencer. “It was very blown out and raw.” For the new disc, the band “tightened things up.” Album opener “Freedom” begins with a bit of white noise before Spencer starts hiccupping, “Here we go.” The song sounds like a cross between the Beastie Boys and the White Stripes with a bit of Prince thrown into the mix. “Well, personally, I was hoping to get something that was a little

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more swagger, delving into blues, funk and hip-hop. And he does so without bass guitar. Spencer sings and plays electric guitar while Russell Simins backs him on drums and Judah Bauer plays electric guitar. The formula works: The band’s known as a potent live act and played to packed clubs throughout the ’90s before taking a hiatus in the early ’00s. “Well, we just try to go all out and give it our all,” he says when asked about the live shows. “There’s an element of trying to mess with people and cut down their expectations. But we’re also fans of people like James Brown. We’re trying to entertain and

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

tighter and more focused,” says Spencer when asked about the band’s approach on the new disc. “I had the idea in the back of my head that it would be a dance record or a dance party. That helped determine the direction for me. That was why we recorded at Daptone studios in Brooklyn and then we mixed with Alap Mornin at a studio in Harlem. We worked with people who know dance music and soul and hip-hop.” Spencer practically raps on “Wax Dummy,” and his vocals pack the urgency of Public Enemy’s Chuck D. “Over the years I listened to a lot of Public Enemy,” he admits. “For sure. Rap and hip-hop has always been an

influence on the Blue Explosion and not just with sonic tricks we might pull. It’s been an influence on how we think about songwriting. We’re not trying to write rap songs and I’m not trying to be a great MC. If you listen to Public Enemy and their record It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, those are songs built from old soul songs. It’s built on the backs of great soul music. The way in which Public Enemy and their producers would sift through the bones of musical history and stitch things together and jump and do these hairpin turns and jump from one style and sound and verse to different sound and style and chorus. It could be very free in how you went about writing the song. That’s what I mean by an influence on our songwriting.” In a snippet of an interview that comes before the track “Tales of New York: The Rock Box,” the band’s tribute to the now-shuttered New York punk club CBGB, Spencer says, “We want to push the music and get way out there.” That’s something that’s endeared them more to critics than to major record labels and commercial radio. Spencer is fine with that. “[Pushing boundaries] has always been our mission,” he says. “That’s been on our minds. That’s something we’re definitely interested in. We’re not writing songs and making records to craft something that will please someone else. We’re really pursuing our hearts.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 49

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

livewire all the live music you should see this week WED

04/22

James McMurtry/Max Gomez: 8 p.m., $20. Beachland Ballroom. Neutral Milk Hotel: Despite the fact that Neutral Milk Hotel famously broke up in 1999, this really might be the last chance to see the band live. “Dear friends,” the band writes in the press release that announced the tour, “we love you but it’s time to say goodbye for the never ending now to announce that spring 2015 will be our last tour for the foreseeable future and so we extend our deepest gratitude to all the beautiful people who came to see us over the last year ... .” The show is sold out but you might be able to find tickets from scalpers. 8 p.m., $29-$39. Masonic Auditorium. (Eric Sandy) 10 X 3 Hosted by Brent Kirby (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Action Bronson — The Mr. Wonderful Tour: 7 p.m., $27.50. House of Blues. Joan Armatrading: 8 p.m., $50-$65. The Kent Stage. DJ Shaun of the New Apocalypse: 10 p.m., free. Now That’s Class. Jody Getz & Friends/Gene’s Hot Jazz: 7 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Item/Downies: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.

Thu

04/23

Dan + Shay/Canaan Smith/Ryan Lafferty: When country/pop act Dan + Shay performed at the recent American Country Music Awards, they successfully executed a mashup with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Jonas sang “Jealous” and “Chains” while Dan + Shay sang their hit “Nothin’ Like You.” The perfect pairing of songs suggests the extent to which Dan + Shay’s music crosses over into the pop world, something that’s apparent on the band’s debut, last year’s Where It All Began. Songs such as “Show You Off” and “What You Do to Me,” a song that finds the duo virtually rapping, are infectious tunes that could easily be categorized as pop and not country. 7:30 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. House of Blues. (Jeff Niesel) The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band/ Whiskey Daredevils/Tom Evanchuck & the Old Money: Led by a husky-voiced singer who calls himself Reverend Peyton, the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays music that’s a blend of genres. They toss in a little country, a little ZZ Top-inspired blues and a little punk. Their new album So Delicious kicks off with the rollicking “Let’s Jump a Train,” a song about raising hell that features constipated

A very sharp-dressed David Mayfield. See: Thursday.

vocals and Petyon’s distinctive guitar licks (he employs a unique style of fingerpicking). The shimmering guitars in “Pot Roast and Kisses” sound like Up on the Sun-era Meat Puppets and a heavy blues guitar riff carries the dirge “Dirt.” The group has played some 250 annual road dates during the past eight years and festivals such as Austin City Limits, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, WOMAD, Telluride, Cambridge Folk, All Good, King Biscuit, Juke Joint and DelFest. “Raise a Little Hell,” a terrific twangy tune on So Delicious, seems to be the band’s mantra, so expect tonight’s show to be a rowdy one. 9 p.m., $15. Grog Shop. (Niesel) Alash Ensemble: 8 p.m., $20. Nighttown. Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Blu Jazz+ Student All-Stars Concert Series Presents: Kent State University: 7 p.m., $10. BLU Jazz+. Nicholas David/Austin Walkin’ Cane: 8:30 p.m., $12-$20. Beachland Tavern. Alan Doyle: 8 p.m., $22 ADV, $25 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Chris Hatton’s Musical Circus (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Hillbilly Idol/Anita Keys and Friends: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Hot Djang! (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club. Rule of Thirds/Survival/Pleasure Leftists/ Nervosas: 9 p.m., $7. Now That’s Class.

Reverend Peyton (center) and his “big” damn band. See: Thursday.

Bobby Selvaggio’s Grassroots Movement: 9 p.m., $10. BLU Jazz+. Sick of Morris/George Morris: 6 p.m., $10-$12. The Foundry. Sub:Merged Featuring Vaski/Queen Beatz/ Nasty Blade Gamez/Rack’m: 9:30 p.m., $9 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

fri

04/24

The English Beat/Outlaws I & I: When the English Beat emerged in the late ’70s, the U.K. group fused punk rock brashness with old-school Jamaican ska beats. The results were striking and the band delivered hits such as “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Too Nice to Talk To.” Though the group took a long break in the late ’80s and ’90s, singer Dave Wakeling, who now lives in Los Angeles, managed to get the group going again in the late 2000s. Last year, the band released a live album and the guys just wrapped a Pledgemusic campaign for a new studio effort, Here We Go Love. 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $28 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. (Niesel) Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo: With no embarrassing attempts at modernizing her sound to relate to the nebulous and mysterious age group known as “the kids,” early MTV vixen Pat Benatar embodies the term “aging gracefully.” Sure, she can’t escape the countless reruns of VH1’s I Love the ’80s, which

preserve the badass pixie look she sported during her arena-rock heyday: cheekbones as spiky as her high heels, raccoonish rings of black eyeliner, and post-disco fashion glitz. But the Brooklyn-born, Long Island-raised Benatar realized in the 1990s that her meat and potatoes are the chart glories that made her a superstar in the first place — album-rock staples such as “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Shadows of the Night,” and “Love Is a Battlefield.” Her most recent endeavors — the CD/DVD set, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo: The 35th Anniversary Tour and the current tour with husband/ collaborator/Cleveland native Neil Giraldo — all wisely celebrate the times when selling out the local arena was a lock, rather than a longshot. 8 p.m. Hard Rock Rocksino. (Annie Zaleski) Trampled by Turtles: After a string of dynamite albums and a cloudburst moment (2010’s “Wait So Long”), Trampled by Turtles now sit atop the heap of bluegrass and American folk rock in this young century. Their latest album, last year’s Wild Animals, is a stripped-down version of what most Americana listeners have come to know and love from these guys in previous years. It’s a contemplative album — one that lets each musician advance his craft in new ways. Take a song like “Ghost,” which transposes a moody story of lost love over haunting

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 51

livewire strings and a steady wash of backing “oohs.” One of Trampled by Turtles’ great strengths has always come off the fingers of fiddler Ryan Young. He shines on the last album, accenting slower tunes (“Wild Animals”) and sending waterfalls of strings cascading across Dave Carroll’s mind-frying banjo work (“Come Back Home”). 9 p.m., $23 ADV, $25 DOS. House of Blues. (Sandy) Cletus Black Review/Railshakers/George Foley & Friends: 5:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Bummers/The Dead is Dead: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Lafayette Carthon: 8 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+. Tom Chapin: 8:30 p.m., $25. Nighttown. Paul Christiansen (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Gnarly Davidson/Palestras/Signals Midwest/Shitstorm: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. George Foley: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown. Hemi Devils/Venomin James/The Great Iron Snake/Downspeed/Asphalt Green/ Bullet Party: 7 p.m., $6. Agora. Joey Sap/Case Barge/J-Fitch/Nuke Franklin/Tre Smith/Common Ave.: 8:30 p.m., $10. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Dustin Kensrue/Andy Hull/Tanner Merritt: 8:30 p.m., $17. Grog Shop. Polka Happy Hour with DJ Kishka: 6 p.m., free. Happy Dog. Roxxymoron/F5: 7:30 p.m., $8. Musica. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion/Danny & the Darlenes: 8:30 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. The Tree City Rock Showcase: 8 p.m., $8-$10. The Kent Stage. Joe Louis Walker (in the Supper Club): 9 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. The Websters: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. The Woggles/45 Spider/Archie and the Bunkers: 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern.

SAT

04/25

Cities & Coasts/The Midnight Slander/ Thundercougarfalconhawk/Across the Viaduct: With a great debut now on the streets (Postcards from the Great Lakes), Cities and Coasts have tossed a cool beach rock vibe into the wintry Cleveland music scene. “I grew up listening to the Beatles and Beach Boys and ’60s pop and rock stuff,” guitarist Nathan Hedges told Scene last year. “When I sit down and write, this is the most natural, easy thing that comes out. I think I’ve suppressed it because I wasn’t in a band that

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

could do Beach Boys vocals or Beatles harmonies. I was like, ‘Fuck it. I want to put out the record I want to put out with the players I want.’ It turned into this cool thing.” Now, just imagine Brian Wilson waxing poetic about the wonders of Lake Erie, and you’ve got a good thing goin’ on. 6:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Agora. (Sandy) Somekindawonderful/Pipe Dream/ Diverge: The story behind the formation of Somekindawonderful, a Cleveland pop/rock band that last year had a huge hit on its hands with the infectious synth-pop/soul single “Reverse,” sounds so incredible, it’s hard to believe it’s true. The band came together in 2013 after Los Angeles-based singer Jordy Towers randomly met guitarist Matt Gibson and drummer Ben Schigel at the North Olmsted bar Aces Depot. Towers was a solo artist who had been signed to Interscope, which he says “wasn’t a pleasant experience.” He had left the label and wanted to get away from L.A. for a minute so he went to visit family in Strongsville. And that’s when he met Gibson and Schigel. The guys went back to Schigel’s Spider Studios where they recorded the tune, an infectious pop number about the blossoming of a relationship that’s told, as its title suggests, in reverse. The song received heavy rotation at stations such as KYSR/Los Angeles, KNDD/Seattle, KTCL/Denver and WLKK/Buffalo. 9 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. (Niesel) Justin Carver/Something Cold/Rawaat/ Community Corporation/ILZA: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Tom Chapin Family Show: 11 a.m., $15$20. Nighttown. A Concert for the Humane Society Featuring Town House Captains/Bad Hounds/Three Witches: 9 p.m., $10. Musica. Crazy Chester: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Europe: 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $28 DOS. House of Blues. Golden Streets of Paradise/Repeat Repeat: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Shane Henderson/Mark Rose (in the Locker Room): 10 p.m., $8. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Eilen Jewel/Shivering Timbers: 8:30 p.m., $12. Beachland Tavern. Sean Kelley & the Ohio Jukes: 9 p.m. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Ernie Krivda & the B3 All-Stars with David Thomas/Bob Fraser/Renell Gonsalves: 8 p.m., $15. BLU Jazz+. Motel Beds/Lawton Brothers: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Revival: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band: 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. Saul Glennon/Vanity Crash: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.

Saturday, May 9th, 2015

4 Miles 4 water LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Fri. April 24

How far will you go 4 water?

4-Mile Race & 1-Mile Walk Festival & Concert Cleveland MetroParks, Edgewater Park 6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway

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Sat. April 25

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3pm

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Sun. April 26

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5pm

Tues. April 28

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Thurs. April 30

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6:30pm

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Carlos Jones & the PLUS Band

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Great music, food and drink Book your special events with us. 1414 RiveRside dRive Lakewood 216-767-5202 • Voshclub.com

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 53

FRI., MAY 1 • 9:00 PM

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PIECES OF A DREAM

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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HAVE A PICNIC, RELAX & ENJOY

Thursday April 23 Anita Keys & Friends 8:00 (folk, rock) Hillbilly IDOL 10:00 (Alt Country, Rockabilly)

Friday April 24 George Foley & Friends 5:30 (jazz) Rail Shakers 8:00 (alt country, Americana, folk, rock, rockabilly) Cletus Black Review 10:00 (blues, jazz, rock)

FRI., MAY 8 • 9:00 PM

LEGENDARY AMERICAN OUTLAW

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Saturday April 25 Second Hand Dogs 8:00 (folk, rock) Al Rose 10:00 (folk rock, singer/songwriter)

Sunday April 26 Brent Kirby 3:00 (rock, singer/ songwriter) Cuyuga 6:00 (alternative, folk, singer/ songwriter) 11310 JUNIPER RD., CLEVELAND • 216.421.2863

SAT., MAY 16 • 2 SHOWS 7:30 & 9:30 PM

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

Sounds of Jazz Featuring Nancy Redd (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. The Speedbumps CD Release/Oliver Oak: 8:30 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free. Nighttown.

Sun

04/26

Bone Thugs N Harmony Performing E. 1999 Eternal in Its Entirety: Though the group has encountered a number of bumps along the way, Bone ThugsN-Harmony has outlasted many of its hip-hop peers. In the course of a 20-year career, the group has won Grammys and countless other music awards, selling millions of albums. To mark its 20th anniversary, all five original members (Lazyie Bone, Krazyie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-n-Bone) reconvened in 2012 to play the Rock the Bells Festival. While that tour didn’t come to Cleveland, the group played a special show at the Agora to commemorate its 20th anniversary. For tonight’s show, the group will perform its 1995 album E. 1999 Eternal — the album originally came out just after the death of the group’s mentor, N.W.A.’s Eazy-E, and was dedicated to him — in its entirety. 6 p.m., $30 ADV, $35 DOS. Agora. (Niesel) Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt: Frequent touring partners Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt each draw from similar country wells in their songwriting. Hiatt’s 2014 album Terms of My Surrender has a guitarist at the top of his game, etching on-the-run narratives onto deft pickin’ and thunderous percussion work. He’s the rare songwriter who’s aged with an edge and takes that arc of life experience deep into his lyrical mindset. The same can be said about Lovett, who kicked around decades of understatedly bitchin’ country music to land yet another dynamite cut with 2012’s Release Me. He played the Hard Rock Rocksino last year, bringing along his energetic band and laying down a sterling show for a packed house. Together, these guys are a real force. 7 p.m. Akron Civic Theatre. (Sandy) Low Lily/Paul Kovac & Bill Lestock Duo: Blending the traditional roots of Irish, Scottish, New England, and Old Time Appalachian music with more contemporary song structures and production, Low Lily taps into a danceable world of strings and thumping bass. “False Sir John” has gotten a nice amount of play across the folk scene, what with its countryside-road winding fiddle lines and Liz Simmons’ gentle vocals. The band recently completed the Indiegogo fundraising process for their new EP,

so there’s more around the corner from this up-and-coming Vermont trio. 7:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern. (Sandy) Bourbon and Coffee/Helen/Lemon Sky/Milk and the Holywaters: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Joe Crookston: 7 p.m., $15. Nighttown. Cuyuga: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Brent Kirby: 3 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Mindscar/Ulcer/Axioma/Baaldavar: 8 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Red Light Roxy (in the Supper Club): 7:30 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club. Todd Rundgren: 7:30 p.m., $29.50$59.50. Hard Rock Rocksino. Sleep on It/Gardens/Call Your Shot (in the Locker Room): 7:30 p.m., $6 ADV, $8 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Langhorne Slim & the Law/The Dewars: 8:30 p.m., $15 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. This is Antarctica/Ice Balloons: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern.

mon 04/27 Primus & the Chocolate Factory/The Fungi Ensemble: Primus frontman Les Claypool was only 7 years old when David L. Wolper’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the fantastic film based on the Roald Dahl book by the same name, debuted in movie theaters. Yet the film has stuck with him. Last year on New Year’s Eve, Claypool & Co. paid homage to the movie with a Willy Wonka-themed Primus and the Chocolate Factory show; during the concert, the band performed the film’s soundtrack in its entirety. Expect that to be the case tonight, though the group will perform two sets. The first will be a stripped down set featuring all the band’s best-known songs — tracks such as “Jilly’s on Smack,” “My Name is Mud” and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver.” Things will get Wonka for the second set. 8 p.m., $39.50-$49. Masonic Auditorium. (Niesel) The Relationship/Gringo Star/Cities & Coasts: Don’t expect the Relationship, the new band featuring Weezer’s Brian Bell, to sound much like Weezer. The band, which also features Nate Shaw of U.S. Bombs, Albert Hammond Jr.’s songwriting partner Jon LaRue, and Anthony Burulcich, drummer for Morrissey and the Bravery, has just issued its first single, “Oh Allen.” With its dramatic vocals and overthe-top guitar solos, it sounds more like Queen or T. Rex than any indie band from the ’90s. The band was named one of L.A. Weekly’s must-see bands, and these guys are all veteran musicians, so we’re expecting them to rock out live. 8:30 p.m., $15. Grog Shop. (Niesel) The Author and the Illustrator/Taken

by Sleep/Covariance: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. The First Five: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. The Four Freshmen: 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., $30. Nighttown. Gatherer/Lakota De Kai/Closures/Wolf Teeth/Portage (in the Locker Room): 7:30 p.m., $8. Mahall’s 20 Lanes. Avin Loki Baird/John McGrail: 7 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Neighborhood Night with MoKo BoVo/ The Clear Collars/Witch and Toad: 8 p.m., free. Beachland Tavern. Sweet Spirit/Sammy Slims/Outa Gas/Sam Herman Band: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern. Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

tue

04/28

Andrew W.K./Total Babes: The selfproclaimed King of Partying, Andrew W.K. has somehow made a career out of his 2001 novelty tune, “Party Hard.” Of course, W.K. has recorded and toured regularly in the decade or so since he got his big break. The raspy-voiced hard rocker has also gotten gigs as a motivational speaker and worked as a producer (he has teamed up with Clevelander Baby Dee on numerous occasions). But nothing’s had as much impact as the rowdy rocker “Party Hard,” which he’s bound to play tonight along with like-minded tunes such as “It’s Time to Party” and “Long Live the Party.” 8:30 p.m., $20. Grog Shop. (Niesel) Alex Bevan: 7 p.m., $10. Nighttown. The Bones of J.R. Jones/Teasebox/ Embleton: 8:30 p.m., $7. Beachland Tavern. Chris Hanna (in the Wine Bar): 7 p.m. Brothers Lounge. M2B2: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Madeon: 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $23 DOS. House of Blues. Open Mic Night with Will Cheshier: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. The Public/Stage Hands/The One and Only Matt Miller (in the Locker Room): 8:30 p.m., free. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

wed

04/29

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys/The Monday Sound: Since he started performing with his backing band the Fly-Rite Boys some 25 years ago, singer-guitarist Big Sandy has continually attracted new young fans and introduced them to Western swing and rockabilly. Sandy, who last year wrapped a 25th anniversary tour, recently released an album of old tunes that he’s rearranged into acoustic instrumentals. His music, which recalls the type of music that was popular decades ago, has an easygoing vibe that appeals to fans of traditional

country and rockabilly alike. He’s been playing Cleveland for years and always puts on a good show. 8:30 p.m., $12. Beachland Tavern. (Niesel) The BoDeans: The Milwaukee-bred band BoDeans have been making music for over 30 years now. And with 2012’s American Made (their most recent album) singer/songwriter/guitarist/ founder/frontman Kurt Neumann has said they finally realized they are “a truly American band.” It’s a band, he has said, which was initially comprised of “blue-collar kids straight out of the heartland.” A number of singles would garner rock radio airplay for the group over the years, but it was “Closer to Free,” first released in 1993 on the band’s Go Slow Down album, which would bring their music to a wider audience when it was later adopted as the theme song for the television show Party of Five. There’s a laid-back, easygoing feel that threads through the group’s catalog, but as the title of their recent live album Amped Across America suggests, they’re definitely a rock ’n’ roll band. 8 p.m., $25-$30. The Kent Stage. (Matt Wardlaw) The Maine/Real Friends/Knuckle Puck/The Technicolors: The Maine began in 2007, when most of the band’s members were freshly graduated from their Tempe high school. Naming themselves after a song by their favorite band Ivory, the Maine set up a MySpace page and built an audience the new-fashioned way (they’ve since racked up 77 million plays), with some additional old-school word of mouth. Within months, the Maine were drawing sizable crowds and released a pair of EPs with their pop-punk translation of ’90s rock influences. They released their debut album, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, in 2008, followed by a band journal packed with pics, This Is Real Life. For the current tour, they’re supporting their fifth studio effort, American Candy. 7 p.m., $20 ADV, $22 DOS. House of Blues. (Brian Baker) 10 X 3 Hosted by Brent Kirby (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Lou Armagno “Sinatra Selects”: 7 p.m., $10. Nighttown. Backstabbers Inc./Stray Dogs: 8 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Danny Kroha/John Kalman: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Tim Matson/Triage: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Speedy Ortiz/Krill/Two Inch Astronaut: 8:30 p.m., $12. Grog Shop. Strung Out/Red City Radio/La Armada: 7 p.m., $17 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora.

scene@clevescene.com t @cleveland_scene magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 55

band of the week

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Brian lisik & the unfortunates By Jeff Niesel

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Meet the Band: Brian Lisik (vocals and guitar), Steve Norgrove (bass, mandolin, vocals), Ray Flanagan (guitar), Craig Lisik (drums), Tim Longfellow (piano) rootS: Curtisinterruptedus, the band’s new album, follows 2012’s The Mess that Money Could Buy. This time around, Lisik says, a lot of things fell into place precisely as he had hoped. It’s a return to Lisik’s powerpop influences. The album starts with single “Jan. 13,” which vaults from a spirited intro melody into an organ-infused verse. There are a lot of interesting sounds — lead guitar riffs, backing vocals, percussion snaps — that shape the overall atmosphere of a very Rust Belt rock ’n’ roll album. “This one sounds more like what I heard a record sounding like from the get-go. We stayed really focused,” Lisik says. Serendipity: “On one hand, it was very structured,” Lisik says. “But I had fun just having these really great musicians around and going, ‘Have at it!’” “Born on Needles and Pins” was mostly done — all set up with guitars and everything. He asked Longfellow to come up with a piano line for the song and stepped out of the room. As he listened in from upstairs, Lisik realized that Longfellow’s simple keys work was perfect for the song. “Strip everything off of it; I want vocals and piano,” Lisik said when he got back to the studio. They added a strings arrangement from Michael Houff, and the song ended up as one of Lisik’s favorites on this album. old School: “It accidentally sounds

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

like the neighborhood I grew up in,” Lisik says. “There’s always that house at the end of the road where this guy’s got a brother who’s growing pot upstairs. That place. And there’s always music coming out of there. To me, it reminds me of a record that some kid might pick up and go, ‘Oh, what’s this?’” The vibe is spot-on throughout the album, as the band weaves through uptempo rockers (“Beaten Up Blue,” “Jan. 13”) and more reflective pieces (“Born on Needles and Pins,” and “Paramours,” the latter featuring Rachel Roberts on vocals). “I think we keep getting better and better at what we’re attempting,” Lisik says.

why you Should hear theM: Blue-collar rock ’n’ roll is more and more a thing of the sepia-toned past, a relic to be celebrated in exhibits at the Rock Hall or something. Lisik and the band bring those aesthetics back to the forefront of their lyrics and music. With Curtisinterruptedus, Lisik takes a trip into the heart of urban Northeast Ohio — rusted door hinges and all. where you can hear theM: brianlisik.com. where you can See theM: Brian Lisik and the Unfortunates will perform an album release show at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 24, at Jilly’s Music Room, 111 North Main St. in Akron.

esandy@clevescene.com t @EricSandy

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.

• Proven history of meeting or exceeding revenue goals • Moderate proficiency with MS Office, PC, tablets, and smartphones • Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and insurance • Some college, Bachelor’s degree preferred • Be very familiar with Scene, its websites, its events, and Cleveland and surrounding area • Compensation: $50,000 is the average first year compensation; what you put in, is what you will get out. We want our executives to be successful, so we don’t put a cap on their earning potential W e P rov i d e : • Casual, dynamic, and fun work environment • Sales Training • Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life Insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; 401K • Generous paid time off to include your birthday and 20 days PTO after 4 years! • Interested and qualified candidates please submit resume with cover letter indicating salary requirements to: jobs@clevescene.com

7 37 B O L I VA R R D C L E V E L A N D , O H 4 4115 | c l e v e s c e n e . c o m

magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 57

C-notes local music news

APRIL 24TH

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

Meet the new speedbumps, not the same as the old speedbumps.

Kent’s speedbumps return witH a new album By Jeff Niesel The KenT-based folK-rocK outfit the Speedbumps first came together in 2007 when singerguitarist Erik Urycki, who had been busking with cellist Sam Kristoff, met drummer Patrick Hawkins and formed the group. The band’s semi-acoustic music has drawn comparisons to singer-songwriter types like Jack Johnson and David Gray but doesn’t clearly fit into one genre. It has a roots-rock feel and generally gets labeled Americana. The group’s new album, Soil to the Seed, arrives May 5. Recorded in an A-frame cabin in the Northwest woods of Pennsylvania, Soil to the Seed is the second album engineered and produced by Columbus-based Jay Alton (Saintseneca, the Floorwalkers) and mastered by Ohio native Brian Lucey (Black Keys, Beck, Ray LaMontagne). It also features new members Abby Luri (vocals, guitar, banjo, keys) and Danny Jenkins (drums/percussion). Luri even cowrote three songs on the record with Urycki. In addition, Urycki co-wrote a song with Akron native Chuck Auerbach (father to Black Keys’ singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach), and the album also features mandolin player David Mayfield (brother to singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield). Songs such as the lilting “Just Need Your Love” and “Give Me Some More” feature lush string arrangements and heartfelt vocals. Last year, the band picked up some real traction as it won an American Songwriting Award for Best Song in

the Adult Alternative category. Relix magazine also crowned the band as the winners of the January/February JamOFF. For its CD release party, which takes place at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at the Beachland Ballroom, the band will perform with a string section. Oliver Oak is set to open. Tickets are $13 ADV, $15 DOS.

Mr. gnoMe issues new single Mr. Gnome, the artistic-minded local heavy metal duo that features singer-guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer-pianist Sam Meister, recently returned with the new studio effort, The Heart of a Dark Star, a terrific album mixed by engineer Kevin McMahon (Walkmen, Titus Andronicus, Swans, Real Estate). The band is set to deliver Monster’s Heart 7” on May 12 (digital) and June 16th (vinyl) on El Marko Records and has just premiered the song “Sleepwalker,” a song that features intoxicating layers of vocals and synths (and sounds something like a heavier Cocteau Twins) on the Consequence of Sound website. The track was taken from a “pile of b-sides” from The Heart of a Dark Star sessions. Limited signed and numbered vinyl is available for preorder. The band performs on May 16 at the Beachland Ballroom.

jniesel@clevescene.com t @jniesel

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GO TO www.wantickets.com/tru magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 59

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

savage love virgin territory By Dan Savage

Dear Dan, I’m an American woman living abroad and have started a relationship with a wonderful man from a Middle Eastern country. We are having a great time exploring what is a foreign country for both of us. The looming issue is sex, of course. He is a moderate Muslim, but he grew up in a strict conservative family and country. He’s 25 and has never even held hands with a woman. He is excited to change this now that he has broken away from his family. I have had many partners, both men and women, and am quite sexually experienced. I am curious about what to do when the time comes. Do you have advice on how to best go about taking a man’s virginity? I want to avoid as much insecurity on his part as I can. — Going to Be His First Be gentle, GTBHF. Also, make it clear beforehand that you’re his girlfriend and not his counselor or spiritual adviser. If he’s still struggling with the sex-negative, woman-phobic zap that his upbringing (and a medieval version of his faith) put on his head, he needs to work through that crap before he gets naked with you. He may have some sort of post-climax meltdown or crisis—like the ones so many repressed gay dudes have the first time they have sex with a man—and you’ll be kind and understanding, of course, but you won’t allow him to lay responsibility for the choice he made on you. As for the sex itself… Take the pressure off him by letting him know that this— his first time, your first time together—is about pleasure and connection, not about performance and mastery. Let him know that you don’t expect him to know what he’s doing at every moment, that a little fumbling and adjusting are normal even with more experienced folks, and that you’re both allowed to stop the action, talk about whatever’s going on, and then start again. And finally, GTBHF, let him know that you’re going to take the lead and reassure him that

there’s nothing emasculating about being with—and being led by—a sexually empowered woman. Quite the opposite: A truly masculine straight man isn’t afraid of a woman who knows what she’s doing and what she wants.

Dear Dan, I have an open FWB thing going with a guy. He is my primary sex partner. We recently stopped using condoms when we’re together because we both passed STI tests several months ago and neither of us has been with anyone else since. But we are both free to have sex with other people, and it’s bound to happen sooner or later. If we always use condoms with the other people, is it safe for us to continue having condom-free sex with each other? — What’s the Risk? Condoms—when used consistently and correctly— greatly reduce your risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection. They provide excellent protection against HIV infection, gonorrhea, and chlamydia (diseases spread by genital secretions); they’re slightly less effective at protecting you against herpes, HPV, and syphilis (diseases spread by skin-to-skin contact). The condom-free sex you’re currently having with your fuck buddy can be regarded as risk-free because you’ve both been tested, you’re both STI-free, and you’re both not having sex with other people. But some risk will creep into your condom-free sex after you start having sex with other people, WTR—even if you’re using condoms. Your risk of getting an STI will be much, much lower if you use condoms— consistently and correctly—with those other partners, but sex with other partners will introduce some risk.

On the Lovecast, it’s Dan vs. Cheryl Strayed in Advice Clash of the Titans: savagelovecast.com.

mail@savagelove.net t @fakedansavage

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 63

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015 65

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magazine | clevescene.com | April 22 - 28, 2015

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