Scene April 19, 2023

UPFRONT

relocated to Memphis—Jackson’s “first big market”—where, as a Black reporter in the South, he experienced racism first hand in ways he hadn’t before.

Especially when he crossed the border into Mississippi.

“In the 1980s, it was very frightening,” he recalled. “If I was doing a story [in Mississippi], I had to have a white photographer with me. Or if we were sending a Black photographer, he’d be with a white reporter. I mean, it was an unwritten rule. We just did not send two people into that part of our coverage.”

The decade ahead saw local networks scrambling to hire the same Black talent that larger networks, like ones in New York and Los Angeles, had. The same, Jackson said, was brewing in Cleveland, where, in 1983, Leon Bibb, Al Roker and Noah Nelson were developing chops at NBC-owned WKYC.

Jackson was brought in to the former station that year as a general broadcaster. He was only 26, NBC’s youngest person on air in 1983.

“It was interesting because at that time, I think there was awakening in the industry that there were not enough African Americans on TV,” Jackson said. “So to be a young, experienced African American reporter—it meant something.”

IDEASTREAM’S RICK JACKSON, PROMINENT VOICE IN CLEVELAND MEDIA FOR 20 YEARS, WILL RETIRE IN JUNE

IN RICK JACKSON’S 45 odd years in TV and broadcast journalism, his voice — buttery lilt reminiscent of Brokaw-era broadcasters — has brought news both local and national to listeners.

Jackson has helped contextualize gubernatorial debates and led City Club talks. He’s provided updates on murder trials in Mississippi and interviewed a half dozen Presidents. He’s covered three national political conventions and taped explainers for Cleveland middle schoolers.

But come June 2, after some 20,000 interviews and 20 years as an Ideastream journalist, Jackson plans to retire, at 67, from the industry.

“It’s just time,” Jackson said sitting in a green room at Ideastream. “There’s no real magic to that number. But a lot of people seem to have left Ideastream at 67 over the past few years.” (David C. Barnett, a senior reporter, left last year at Jackson’s age.)

Defined by many of his colleagues as a generalist, Jackson seemed to thrive off his adaptability, especially when he returned to Cleveland in 1999. Although Jackson had cut his teeth in his twenties and thirties working at TV stations in six different states, it was the second half of his career, at WOIO or Ideastream, where he seemed to settle smoothly into his jack-of-alltrades work.

And it’s served Jackson well. Along with his six Emmy wins, Jackson’s work has garnered him Best Anchor honors from the Associated Press, two wins from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists and an induction into the Ohio Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2001.

Late last year, after a “bloodrelated” health scare that put Jackson out of commission for five months, he was inducted into the Press Club of Cleveland’s Journalism

Hall of Fame.

A voracious reader in Mr. Rogers-era Pittsburgh, Jackson grew up influenced by his teacher mother’s knack for language and his construction worker father’s love of work. (He went to middle with Fred Roger’s son, James.) He took his interest in storytelling to Bethany College around 1975, where he became the school station’s first news director, working alongside future luminaries like NBC Today’s Faith Daniels, CNN’s Toria Tolley and Dave Sims, the future play-byplay commentator for the Seattle Mariners.

After graduating in 1978, Jackson entered what would be 20 years of station-hopping. He worked radio at WKEE in Huntington, WV, then Wheeling, where he met his now wife of 41 years, Brenda Cain. (Cain is a reporter for the Plain Dealer.) After two and a half years in West Virginian television, he and Cain

After stints at a startup NBC affiliate in Charlotte, NC, and working briefly at ABC, Jackson got a call from WOIO in Cleveland. He had alway respected the city’s love of news, and its culture of light worship of the newsman. He turned down jobs in Atlanta and elsewhere. “WOIO called,” he said, “and I said, ‘Let’s go home to Cleveland.’”

In 2003, Jackson joined Ideastream, a byproduct of the merger between WVIZ and WCPN. His voice soon became a mainstay on a TV show called Village America, a nationally syndicated public affairs series, then at Morning Edition, then Sound of Ideas. In 2005, he began lending a hand at News Depth, the daily digest for middle schoolers, a program running today that still seems inseparable from Jackson’s egoless journalism.

Mark Rosenberger, chief content officer at Ideastream who’s worked with Jackson his entire tenure in the Idea Center in Playhouse Square, said his colleague’s humility and innate talent were what gave Jackson his Swiss Army-knife reputation.

“It’s not only his skill level, but just it’s kind of both his aptitude and his attitude,” Rosenberger told Scene. “I mean, the guy is just unflappable and always kind and generous. I’ve never honestly seen him ever lose his

Photo by Mark Oprea

cool. I never have. I’ve asked him, and he says, ‘It’s how I’m stitched together, man. This is who I am.’”

On a quiet Thursday morning, Jackson walks around Ideastream’s second story office space in a canary yellow shirt and a black facemask. (Doctors told him his immune system is still recovering.) Seeing Jackson stride and talk shop with fellow producers and reporters, those he’ll say goodbye to soon, is when one sees how blurred the line between the on-air performer and the reliable colleague is.

“Rick is just great,” Rachel Rood, a supervising producer, said. “He’s not a diva. He’s a total team player. When you work for other stations, you run into egos. But with Rick? It’s different.”

But will Jackson ever return to storytelling? Will his travels lead to—as colleagues predicted—a podcast series? Will he write a book, or even a documentary, about his career in TV or radio?

“There’s a pleasure in being a general assignment reporter because I could dip my fingers into anything. I mean, I’m just as comfortable reporting at NASA as I am reporting in Glenville or Twinsburg,” Jackson said. “I pride myself on being able to fit in, understand and comprehend everything about this region.”

Jackson rested his hands on his lap in the green room. He smiled as a wave of nostalgia came over him.

“Man,” he said. “You’re making me think I’m going to miss this.”

– Mark Oprea

Menards to Pay Former Avon Employee $342,000 After Failing to Take Action Against Serial Harasser

An arbitrator has awarded a former Avon Menards employee more than $342,000 for lost pay, emotional distress and punitive damages in her lawsuit alleging the home improvement store ignored escalating sexual harassment from a customer that forced her to leave her job.

The employee, who started as a part-time cashier at a Menards in Avon in 2019 when she was 18, was harassed and threatened by a customer in April and May of 2020.

Although she reported incidents to higher-ups, the employee said the company failed to take action.

Throughout the ordeal, the customer reportedly told her, “I’m going to come back to see you at the same time every day,” and, “If not for the six-foot rule, I’d be all over that,” referencing Covid-19 social

distancing protocols. But despite these protocols, he did get within six feet of the employee, touching her arm.

The customer also told her he would “lay his hammer” on her, that “he’d love to stalk her,” and that he was “going to take her out and do whatever he wanted to her, whether she liked it or not,” and threatened to use a gun in incidents speaking with other employees, according to the arbitration verdict. He also appeared to have known and memorized the employee’s schedule.

“It is my determination that [the employee] has met her burden and established that the harassment was sufficiently severe and pervasive to alter the conditions of her employment and created an abusive working environment,” wrote arbitrator Peggy Foley Jones.

Despite the customer’s escalating and distressing pattern of behavior, the employee says Menard, Inc. failed to take adequate steps to protect her.

After one encounter with him, the employee asked a coworker to call the police. But when she went to write a statement for the police, she says the store’s general manager sent her to the Garden Center, an area she’d never worked before. Because of this, the employee felt her manager was trying to interfere with her talking to the police.

In a different incident, another employee asked management to pursue a trespassing charge against the customer, but the general manager “would not because [he] was a good customer and spent a lot of money in the store,” according to the arbitration ruling.

The same employee asked management to call the police but was told they couldn’t, leading him to call the police and make a report himself. After multiple incidents with the store, police recommended Menards make a trespassing complaint against the customer if he persisted.

Unsurprisingly, the employee targeted by him, “felt that Menards would rather lose an employee than lose a customer who spends a lot of money in the store.”

Although the company claimed it wasn’t aware of the allegations for weeks and that the targeted employee failed to personally make management aware of her complaints, the arbitrator sided with the employee, writing that Menards, Inc. knew or should have known about the harassment earlier and launched an investigation sooner.

According to Foley Jones, it “does not seem credible or reasonable that…the top managers at the store,

were not aware of the police coming to their store or what information was disclosed in those police reports.”

After leaving her job in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic for fear of her safety, the employee struggled to find work and left another job nearby out of concern that the customer would find her there. Based on salary projections, the arbitrator determined that, in addition to backpay losses, the employee would be making more money had she been able to stay at Menards than she does at her current job, making her eligible for front-pay as well.

‘Menards violated its own policy by not documenting interviews with witnesses, failing to timely follow up with [the employee] after she was asked to provide a written statement, failing to inform HR about the investigation, and failing to file a final report of the investigation…[the employee] was upset and isolated, but Menards never assured her of her safety or protection,” Foley Jones wrote.

“Additionally, they did not trespass [the customer], which was appropriate based on past experience, their own policy and based on the recommendation of the Avon Police Department. Beyond factors such as reckless indifference and malice, punitive damages may be predicated upon showing that the employer lied and covered up the discrimination.” –

Maria Elena Scott

Police Chases Have Dramatically Decreased Since East Cleveland’s New Police Chief Took Office

Brian Gerhard officially took over as the police chief of the embattled and beleaguered East Cleveland force in October.

He’s now in charge of a department where nearly one-third of his officers have been indicted in Cuyahoga County for a range of offenses including bribery, civil rights violations, and assault.

While change is slow to come to Cleveland’s east side neighbor, beset by financial and political troubles for years, Gerhard has promised to usher it in, and, to be more transparent.

“I’m very blunt about stuff,” Gerhard told Scene early April, sitting back in his office chair. “I don’t have nothing to hide. You’re not going to read about me in the newspaper that I have seven women that I got kids with, and I’m not paying child support. You’re not going to read about that about me

because, well, I’m very boring away from here.”

Gerhard believes that he can improve the department’s image, and make it more boring, by tightening hiring protocols and severely adjusting its chase policy—two of the central reasons, he said, for the current officer indictments.

A 2021 Cleveland.com investigation found East Cleveland had been engaging in almost neardaily police chases that often led to damage or injury, that often far escaped the boundaries of the tiny suburb, and that disproportionately involved minorities being chased on minor charges.

Following a promise made in an August press conference last year, Gerhard amended several internal policies on chases, including the usage of pit maneuvers—turning a car to spin it out—and curtailing the reasons for which an officer can begin a chase. Petty reasons, he said. (The department follows chase recommendations by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a common practice.)

“The second thing I put in there is that [officers] are not to go after anybody for stupid shit,” Gerhard said. “The stupid shit is tinted

DIGIT WIDGET

$310,00

Amount former Vinton township fiscal officer Cy Vierstra stole over four years and used to buy a wildebeest, snowy owls, a pool, golf carts, hot tubs, appliances, and a wild assortment of things for his home and roadside zoo.

70,000

Number of older Ohioans struggling with hunger after the end of Covid-era SNAP benefits.

$100

Rebate amount the city of Cleveland is offering to Cuyahoga County residents or businesses who buy a new electric mower.

15% Contamination rate of Cleveland recyclables collected at curbside, according to the city. The number had been 60% prior to the opt-in revamp of the program.

UPFRONT

windows, expired plates, running stops. Okay?”

Gerhard’s revisions have made immediate improvements. In 2022, up until his installment in October, East Cleveland police tallied 149 chases (14.9 per month), Gerhard told Scene. From October to December there were 31 (10.3 per month.)

“And only 10 pursuits this year,” Gerhard said. “I mean, at the end of the day you don’t get paid more because you catch somebody. We don’t have bonuses for somebody getting a ticket.”

Those chases, however, are still dangerous: Three were injured in a February crash when East Cleveland police officers pursued a drunk driving suspect.

But that’s only one part of his job guiding the force.

In March, eight officers were indicted (or re-indicted) for a laundry list of charges—from taking bribes, to tampering with evidence, to kicking suspects in the head— that are currently being examined in Cuyahoga County court.

“Make no mistake, there has been a cancer growing in the East Cleveland Police Department,” County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said at a March press conference following the indictments. “We are doing our best to remove every tentacle of that cancer so that this department can rebuild.”

With the 11 officers now facing indictments for misbehavior going back to 2020, the outcry from the region has been vocal. Gerhard and other officers said the blowback was heard at the station.

“The first two weeks were just awful,” a dispatcher told Scene, sitting at her computer station. “Threats. Names. I got called every single thing in the book.”

The string of threats, from persons as far as Texas and South Africa, hasn’t affected him personally. He said that him and King have discussed returning background checks on new officers to the rigor of the 1990s, when Gerhard was first hired as an auxiliary officer.

There’s currently no written best practice at the moment. Gerhard said he’s looking for the middle ground of giving new recruits “second chances” while turning anyone away who he perceives as “looking for action.”

“I’m not going to give an offer

to somebody that’s got a history of use of force, or who’s written bad checks,” he said. “We’re not just going to bring anybody in the door anymore.”

Patricia Blochowiak, one of East Cleveland’s most outspoken councilpersons, told Scene that she believes in Gerhard’s chase policy revision but she is skeptical of his other vows for department renewal. Gerhard’s push to leverage a $150,000 federal grant for hundreds of ShotSpotter sensors to improve potential homicide response times, she said, is just one signifier of doubt.

Though the department’s sensors pick up, Scene found, about 30 shots a week since it was implemented in March, there have been no arrests yet with the technology’s implementation. Which hasn’t swayed Gerhard’s faith in it.

But Blochowiak points to a case in early April. A man was shot in a vacant house on Paige Ave. The ShotSpotter pinged patrol officers’ phones, and they responded in less than five minutes.

“But he died!” Blochowiak said. “[ShotSpotter] didn’t catch a criminal, and it didn’t prevent a death.”

Blochowiak, who herself has had numerous problems with police misbehavior, added: “Take anything [Gerhard] says with a grain of salt. You can’t trust him.”

On April 4th, some seven months into Gerhard’s tenure, he walked Scene around the department. He displayed the “closet” that critics said was in previous years used as a makeshift holding cell. (“Does a closet have this much space?” Gerhard said. “No.”) He showed off their ShotSpotter flatscreen in the secured office space, where three detectives work 12-hour shifts, and pointed to new cameras with youthful energy.

“My poor dispatchers got hell,” he said in the dispatch room, for the third or fourth time. “Getting calls from as far away as South Africa. From Los Angeles County, talking about, ‘Oh, you’re corrupt officers! How corrupt they are!”

He paused, then added, “I’ve been a cop for 27 years now. I’ve been in situations where you run up on somebody you have to wrestle to the ground. Now, did I ever stand there and high five people? No, we don’t teach that. I was never taught that.”

– Mark Oprea

scene@clevescene.com

@clevelandscene

Car washes are opening at a feverish clip across Northeast Ohio. Some suburbs have had enough.

By Maria Elena Scott

But in the summer of 2021, it had good reason to take what, at the time, was a bold stance against one sector when it passed a sixmonth moratorium on car washes: There were at least 12 operating within its borders at the time, including four that had been built in the last year. And the drumbeat was on by companies to construct even more.

“We were getting applications to put them down side streets, tear down businesses and put them right next to houses. That’s not something we want to do in the city of Parma,” Councilwoman Debra Lime told Channel 5 last year.

Council ended up extending the moratorium for three additional months as the city crafted an ordinance, passed last year, that now restricts them to commercial districts barring a zoning variance. The ordinance also notes that “the City has determined that permitting any additional car wash uses in the City of Parma will have a detrimental economic impact.”

Ohio’s seventh-largest city was something of a test case.

Other suburbs are now reckoning with the same quagmire: The desire to draw new business, the limits of economic impact car washes deliver, the reality of duplicative services and the knowledge that the trend very well might have an expiration date, leaving the possibility of defunct eyesores down the line.

Parma Heights was watching its neighbor with keen interest: Last year it passed its own sixmonth moratorium as it worked on legislation to address the issue.

“This is a trend right now,” city council President Tom Rounds told the Parma Sun Post in January. “These car washes are going into a lot of cities, and we want to make sure we were in front of this issue.”

Council there is now considering

legislation that Mayor Marie Gallo appropriately called a ‘saturation ordinance.” The suburb currently already has two car washes within its 4.3 square-mile city limits. With a population of just over 20,500, officials say that’s enough, among other reasons.

“Car washes take up a lot of acreage and produce very little economic benefit to a community with a limited number of commercial parcels that relies on income taxes to provide services to residents,” said Chrystal Heyborne, special assistant to Mayor Gallo. Heyborne cites a rise in “everything from informal inquiries, to use applications, to actual sites” in Northeast Ohio as the impetus to be proactive on the issue.

A new car wash facility creates between 5 and 20 local jobs, according to the International Carwash Association. Some municipalities think alternative businesses can make more of an economic impact.

“The City wants parcels filled with people who are employed and paying income tax that can be put back into the City. Car washes are still legal and welcome in Parma Heights, but this further regulation,” which would cap the number of car washes at one for every 12,000 residents with an additional limit that they be at least 1,000 feet away from another, “provides for the continued prosperity and level of service that our residents expect,” Heyborne said.

From Streetsboro to Brook Park to Cuyahoga Falls and a ‘burb near you soon, the same question a Strongsville resident posed at a recent council hearing on a proposed WetGo near Drake and Pearl is being asked: “How many car wash businesses does one town need?”

Americans love their cars. And they love keeping them clean.

The domestic car wash market is estimated to hit $16 billion in 2023 and grow to $27.89 billion in 2023, according to Future Market Insights.

And largely gone are the days of dad in the driveway with a bucket, a hose and a rag.

In 1996, 50% of car washes were done at professional facilities. Twenty-five years later, in 2021, that number rose to nearly 79%, according to the International Carwash Association’s consumer research surveys.

That’s partially due to environmental concerns – washing a car in one’s driveway means chemicals get into ground water and sewers; some countries like Switzerland and Germany have banned home car washing entirely – but mostly due to convenience and speed.

America’s first boom in car washes followed the post-World War II boom in car manufacturing. The first fully automatic car wash opened in Detroit in 1947. And with more cars hitting the roads than ever before and Americans flooding to the suburbs in the 1950s and ’60s, automatic car washes became a fixture across the United States.

What’s happened in the last decade puts that era to shame.

“There are more car washes built in the last five to 10 year period than ever before in the industry’s history,” said ICA CEO Eric Wulf. “And that’s been driven by a couple of things. One is some technological innovations, and then two would be some pretty significant consumer trends. And then most recently, probably the third piece would be maybe a consumer trend would be the popularity of what we call subscription programs.” Those

Parma, like all cities, usually welcomes the arrival of new business. Businesses, after all, mean jobs and tax collections.

monthly subscriptions can account for up to two-thirds of a car wash’s revenue.

Retired U.S. Marine Corp. Sergeant Brian Krusz, founder of local chain Sgt. Clean Car Wash, said technology advancements make the experience now worlds different than before.

“It has changed dramatically,” he told Scene. “Car washing was a hassle. It was a full production. There was no efficiency, there was no technology, everything was old school. It would probably take on average 15-20 minutes to get your car washed.

Since opening its first spot in Strongsville in 2013, Sgt. Clean has added 10 more locations around Northeast Ohio. He told Scene that the modern operation, with all its attendant speed and technology, is a far cry from what they looked like decades ago and something cities should welcome.

“When somebody thinks of the word[s] car wash, sometimes you get a little cartoon bubble above their head, the majority of the time they think of this nasty carwash from childhood or this nasty place where bad things happen,” Krusz said. “It used to get this negative stigma and my goal is to say look, like at Sgt. Clean, we’re involved in the community, we work to provide great benefits, we’re an asset to the community.”

Krusz, whose company plans on opening more locations, said the moves by some suburbs to curtail or limit car washes is shortsighted.

“We have not experienced [moratoriums]. I mean, there’s areas that we want to go into,” Krusz said. “I think we’re just going to the industrial revolution of just explosive growth. That’s kind of what we’re in, in the car wash space, it’s really telling us that they need marketing studies. And I think municipalities are taking a step back, looking at their master plan under city plans to figure out what they want to do.”

Demand, of course, is there, as more and more and more cars hit the road.

“From the mid ’90s until now, the number of cars on the road and the population [has been] growing,” said Wulf. “We estimate that there’s over 110 million more cars–not 110 million cars–110 million more on top of what there were in the mid ’90s of cars that are more frequently going through professional car washes.”

As Krusz said, “This is the cheapest form of maintenance.”

Search Twitter and elsewhere and you’ll see conspiracy theories suggesting that money laundering is at the heart of the proliferation, the same sort of explanation that came with the explosion of mattress stores years before. But those ignore the fact that car washes simply make money, and are making more thanks to subscription services. According to ProjectionHub, they can bring in $500,000 to $900,000 in annual profits.

And the arrival in Ohio isn’t unique, it’s just happening here for the first time.

“Based upon my experience, the majority of car wash construction in the last 10 years has been the Sunbelt states, the southeastern part of the U.S. all the way to Texas,” said Wulf. “My hunch is it may appear to folks in Ohio as if it’s an explosion, I would say that’s been the experience in other parts of the country for several years.”

From his perch in the industry at the top of the International Carwash Association, it’s just a minor shock to the system for some.

“One analogy I can think of is it’s almost like when fast food became popular. It was sort of like, ‘Oh, why would we need more restaurants? We’ve already got several restaurants.’ And it’s because of a technological change,” said Wulf. “And that change is driving demand.”

Streetsboro is home to roughly 17,000 residents, the historic Singletary House Museum, and four car washes–with a fifth on the way.

In January, Streetsboro became yet another city to implement a temporary moratorium on car washes, which officials said will give it time to complete a retail study.

Before the vote, Mayor Glenn Broska outlined his concerns of oversaturation. Although competition can lower prices, Streetsboro is trying to prevent price wars.

“I’m a firm believer in letting people do what they want with their money, but at the same time I want

to protect the people that are here, that have invested in the city, and that have spent a lot of money to put their business here,” said Broska in January. “If somebody comes in with something new and something bigger, it may have a profound effect on them. That’s what we’re trying to guard against.”

Five of Streetsboro’s seven city council members voted in favor of the ordinance.

“I am very hesitant to tell someone who wants to invest in our community that we don’t want them, unless of course it brings an adverse impact to our community,” council member Justin Ring, who opposed the ordinance said. “I believe in free market capitalism and feel that government should be involved as little as possible, certainly not cherry-picking business types on a whim.”

Opponents to the moratorium question why car washes are targeted, instead of other industries, and have advocated for taking action through zoning instead.

“If we don’t want it, anymore of those in the city, then we need to change the code, not just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to pause you for six months or a year just because we want to get a study that now allows us to take you out. To me it’s, again, unnecessary.I don’t think it’s government’s job.”

Sam Jakabcic, who oversees Blue Falls Car Wash’s eight current Northeast Ohio locations– and two in development, says that companies feel the saturation too.

“Certainly, there’s a lot of competition within our market. There’s a lot of people moving into this area from outside our area,” Jakabcic said, citing “the amount of washes that were not here five years ago. And I think national companies or private equity firms that look to try to get as many rooftops up as possible, looking at markets that don’t have a lot of saturation. And I would imagine that this was one of those markets, you know, five, six years ago that had that look and now I think that it’s all starting to happen.”

But those in the industry hope,

predictably, that moratoriums won’t last as a standard response.

“Areas that have taken the time to understand the business rarely, if ever, consider a moratorium. Certainly, planning and zoning folks declining applications for car washes, that’s been happening since car washes existed. There’s reasons for that. There are zoning areas that you want to have a particular residential area you would want to the carwash next to your house,” said Wulf. “But the moratorium is an extreme thing that we haven’t seen in this industry, certainly not in broad application. But our hope is, to be honest, it’s not a trend because of what the consumer wants.”

But municipal governments aren’t the only ones with objections to constructing more car washes. In a Strongsville City Council meeting in March, several residents showed up to oppose the proposed development of a WetGo, Giant Eagle’s brand of car washes, near an existing GetGo, Giant Eagle’s chain of gas stations. The proposed WetGo would be within walking distance of a Sgt. Clean, less than one mile away.

“The question my neighbors and I have is, overall, does the city of Strongsville really need another car wash with presumably out-of-state ownership competing with locally-owned car washes and businesses?” said Patricia Lonergan in the council meeting. “And, as council members ask yourselves: ‘Is this in the best interest of your constituents or does this primarily benefit the outof-state business?’”

The question at the heart of the matter for cities, however, isn’t usually centered on whether ownership is local or not. It’s pure numbers, and they’re trying to play catch up on a trend that began a while ago but that only recently presented itself as a problem.

Stow has had a moratorium on car washes since April of 2021, and could extend it again as the city debates legislation that would limit them in the future. Proposals currently call for a limit of one car wash per 10,000 residents.

Roughly 34,000 people currently live in the suburb.

Five new car washes, approved prior to the moratorium but delayed because of Covid, have opened in the Stow area in the past two years. mscott@clevescene.com t

“One analogy I can think of is it’s almost like when fast food became popular. It was sort of like, ‘Oh, why would we need more restaurants? We’ve already got several restaurants.’ And it’s because of a technological change,” said Wulf. “And that change is driving demand.”

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

WED 04/19

Becoming Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer changed the way we talk about sex and relationships with her hit ‘80s radio call-in show, Sexually Speaking. This theatrical show pays tribute to the late Westheimer. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7 at the Outcalt Theatre where performances continue through Sunday.

1407 Euclid Ave, 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Chamber Music in the Atrium

This monthly concert series at the Cleveland Museum of Art places young musicians from the Cleveland Institute of Music in the CMA atrium. The concert features standards and “unknown gems.” It begins at noon.

11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

Adam Sandler

A member of Saturday Night Live for many years, the actor and comedian brings his standup show to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.

THU 04/20

Bruce-O-Rama

B-movie actor Bruce Campbell brings his traveling show featuring Evil Dead 2 to the Agora tonight at 7. The first part of the show will find Campbell hosting an interactive game and the second half will feature a screening of Evil Dead 2. Campbell will answer questions about the film too.

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

FRI 04/21

David Cross

This comedian and actor performed at indie rock clubs before it was cool to perform at indie rock clubs. The HBO comedy series Mr. Show helped launch Cross’s career back in the mid-’90s and the sit-com Arrested Development helped make him a household name. Cross returns to the Agora tonight for a standup show; Sean Patton opens the gig.

Doors are at 7 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

Guardians vs. Florida Marlins

In a matchup with a team from the National League, the Guardians take on the Florida Marlins tonight at 7:10 at Progressive Field. The Marlins typically feature some up-and-coming prospects, and the playoff-tested Guardians should be able to take this series, which continues through Sunday. 2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb. com/guardians.

SAT 04/22

Limón Dance Company

Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company was responsible for the creation, growth and support of modern dance in this country.

Tonight’s performance at the Ohio Theatre celebrates the group’s 75th anniversary.

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

SUN 04/23

Jason Lawhead

Ohio-born comedian Jason Lawhead is back in town, just in time to make fun of Cleveland sports. Again. A great impressionist, some of his talents include poking fun at the family lifestyle and complaining about pop culture. Lawhead has appeared on Gotham Comedy Live and is credited with helping the underground comedy scene arise in Cleveland. He performs tonight at 7 at Hilarities. Check the club’s website for more info.

2035 East Fourth St., 216-2417425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

MON 04/24

Guardians vs. Colorado Rockies

As part of a three-game series, the Guardians take on the Colorado Rockies, a team out of the National League’s very tough West division, tonight at 6:10 at Progressive Field. The two teams play again at 6:10 tomorrow night and at 1:10 on Wednesday.

2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb. com/guardians.

TUE 04/25

2023 Spring Show

An opening reception for the CIA 2023 Spring Show will take place from 6 to 8 tonight at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Student artwork and handcrafted items will be for sale throughout the opening, and Creature Feature, a student-organized

Comedian David Cross returns to the Agora. See: Friday, April 21. | Courtesy of the Agora

runway show, will take place at 7 p.m. in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Atrium. The Spring Show will run through Friday.

11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7461, cia. edu.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

This musical pays tribute to the Rock Hall Inductee who’s sold millions of albums and won 12 Grammy awards. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Connor Palace. Performances continue through May 14. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

WED 04/26

Shitshow Karaoke

Local rapper/promoter Dirty Jones and Scene’s own Manny Wallace host Shit Show Karaoke, a weekly event at the B-Side Liquor Lounge wherein patrons choose from “an unlimited selection of jams from hip-hop to hard rock,” and are encouraged to “be as bad as you want.” Fueled by drink and shot specials, it all goes down tonight at 10 p.m. Admission is free.

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

THU 04/27

Marsalis and New World

Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Cleveland Orchestra tonight at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall as it takes on Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). Performances continue tomorrow and Saturday.

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

FRI 04/28

Dominique

Comedian Dominique thinks about the weighty things in life: what her funeral will be like and what Jesus would want her to do in certain situations. She learned in church to pray about things that bothered her and then let them go — so that’s exactly what she did when she got that big credit card bill in the mail! Dominique tells it like it is, and that’s why she’s funny. She performs tonight at 7:30 and 10 at the Improv, where shows continue through Sunday. Consult the club’s website

for more info.

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

SAT 04/29

Ken Ludwig’s Moriarity: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure

Sherlock Holmes and Watson join forces with American actress Irene Adler to take down the cunning criminal mastermind Professor

Moriarty and his network of devious henchmen in this Cleveland Play House production. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Allen Theatre, where performances continue through May 3.

1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Superstar with Helen Welch

Local singer Helen Welch revisits 22 classic Carpenters hits with this special show featuring a cast of talented musicians. The performances take place at 7:30 tonight at the Ohio Theatre.

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

SUN 04/30

Cleveland Women’s Orchestra 88th Anniversary Concert

Jungho Kim conducts the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra as it plays Dvorak’s Concert for Cello along with other works by White and Sibelius. The concert takes place at 3:30 p.m. at Mandel Concert Hall.

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

Jokes on You

Inspired by crowd work clinicians like Dave Attell, Ian Bagg, and Big Jay Oakerson, Jokes On You makes the audience the center of the show by “pushing comics to avoid prepared material or written jokes and instead focus on organic interaction with the audience,” as it’s put in a press release about this event, which takes place tonight at 7 at Hilarities in the Frolic Cabaret room. John Bruton and Jimmie Graham host the event. Last Sunday of every month. 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

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UNBECOMING

Cleveland Play House production of Becoming Dr. Ruth can’t overcome a rushed story

By Christine Howey

IF YOU ASK MOST SEX experts about the best advice they would have to insure a pleasurable bumpuglies encounter, they’d probably say something along the lines of “take your time, slow down and explore.” So it’s odd that the play Becoming Dr. Ruth, about the renowned media sex maven Dr. Ruth Westheimer, seems so rushed and skittery.

In this one-woman play starring Naomi Jacobson, playwright Mark St. Germain employs a chronological structure for Dr. Ruth’s life, throwing in flashbacks and flash-forwards along the way to delve into assorted nooks and crannies in her life. But the play doesn’t linger very long on any of them. The result is a bit like reading a Wikipedia entry for 90 minutes—or rushing through a sexual liaison so you don’t miss the cold open on Saturday Night Live Westheimer (née Siegel) is certainly worthy of a biographical play. Born in Germany in 1928 to a Jewish family, she is a Holocaust survivor, and served as a sniper for a Zionist underground paramilitary organization. After moving to France, earning an undergraduate degree and teaching psychology at the Sorbonne, she immigrated to the U.S. That’s where she eventually hit the jackpot in the 1980’s with her “Sexually Speaking” radio call-in show.

The diminutive (4’ 7”), frank, and witty Westheimer became the beloved “Dr. Ruth” to many for correcting misconceptions about sex. And under the direction of Holly Twyford, Jacobson checks off the milestones in her subject’s life, including her third and longest marriage to Fred Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor himself.

on the stage and suspended from the ceiling. They serve as hidey holes for various props and a couple surprising stage effects, as well as screens for Sarah Tundermann’s projections of family photos and other relevant biographical data nodes. But the reason for their existence—the fact that she’s supposedly moving out of her current abode—doesn’t really factor into the show in any meaningful way.

Jacobson does a creditable job echoing Dr. Ruth’s distinctive German-infused accent, her quick giggle, and her no-nonsense advice when she advises her listeners to “love your penis, love your vagina.” Some of the clever rejoinders she was famous for are here, but time has dimmed some of the jokes that felt so fresh and startling a few decades ago. Now, with people getting their sex advice from viciously candid experts such as Dan Savage and many others, Dr. Ruth’s once gaspinducing comments now seem rather quaint.

This all plays out on scenic designer Paige Hathaway’s set, chockablock with plain white boxes, dozens of which are piled

In short, Becoming Dr. Ruth does exactly what it promises. And you do get a sense, if a fleeting one, of what it felt like for Westheimer to lose her family to the predations of the Nazis. But her family’s oft-referenced advice to always “be cheerful and smile” seems barely sufficient to explain how she emerged from those travails and how it shaped her journey.

By ticking so many boxes of Dr. Ruth’s life, the script never dives deeply enough to allow us to see past this remarkable woman’s carefully crafted and entertaining persona. And that’s a shame, since her story could resonate in so many more profound ways if only the playwright had slowed down and— wink-wink, nudge-nudge— explored a bit more.

BECOMING DR. RUTH THROUGH APRIL 23. CLEVELANDPLAYHOUSE.COM.

Photo by Roger Mastroianni

ELEVATING THE GAME

With Boom’s and Gray House, Lakewood lands two different but equally delicious styles of pizza

By Douglas Trattner

IT’S REASONABLE TO LOOK

at all these new pizza joints setting up shop and lament the death of variety. But with each new opening – at least the independently owned ones we’ve been tracking here – the overall level of quality, consistency and, yes, diversity continues to climb. Two new Lakewood spots that opened recently are proof that in today’s competitive pizza marketplace, phoning it in will no longer cut it.

When it comes to product, setting and service model, Boom’s Pizza and Gray House Pizza – located one mile apart from each other – could not be more dissimilar. What they do share are owners that are so passionate about pizza that they border on obsessed. In the case of Boom’s, chef-owner Ben Bebenroth spent the better part of two years perfecting the dough that eventually would lead him to this style. In the case of Gray House, owner Joe Schlott has been tinkering with his Detroitstyle recipe for more than five years, while letting the customers at his Gray House Pie shop taste the progress.

Any neighborhood would consider itself fortunate to land a Boom’s, assuming it looks and feels like the original. Located in a bright corner property, formerly home to Campbell’s Sweets Factory, the meticulously designed interior gives new depth and dimension to fastcasual. Guests have an unobstructed view into the kitchen, where cooks

toss and stretch the dough before it gets topped and baked. A large window offers passersby on Detroit the same view.

Before ordering, diners can shop the large self-serve coolers loaded with a top-notch selection of craft beer, canned wine and cocktails, and even chilled splits and bottles of wine. A house white and red are available by the glass. After ordering, diners grab a seat in

it rich and creamy, opt for a white pie like the El Bianco ($22). Built on a base of garlic cream, the threecheese pizza is an indulgent treat. Leftovers are easily packed up for departure thanks to self-serve box stations.

Rounding out the meal (and serving as appetizers for dine-in customers) are grab-and-enjoy items like antipasti jars, pepper jelly-topped whipped ricotta ($6)

is left behind.

Pies come in two sizes, 8-inch x 10-inch and 10-inch x 14inch. Customers can build their own or pick a house pie. We did both, ordering a large meatball and a medium BYO with pepperoni, banana pepper and onion. It isn’t until the pies exit the oven that they are anointed with summer-sweet sauce, which creates an appealing contrast of cool marinara and steamy-hot pizza. In terms of value, these hefty knife-and-fork pies are a steal.

the cheerful 44-seat dining room, which offers table and booth seating choices.

Pizzas come in one size: 14inch round. The crust shares a lot in common with Neapolitan-style pie thanks to its char-speckled cornicione, tender crumb and thin crust. Like proper Neapolitan, the outer crust boasts a thin, crisp exterior shielding an airy and aromatic interior. More than just a pretty face, this crust is uber flavorful thanks to a long, slow, cold fermentation.

The Hot Stuff ($24) has a gentle heat from Calabrian chilies and hot honey. It is topped with pepperoni, garlic and herbs. Unlike an American gut-buster, this pie goes down without a struggle. If you like

served with packaged saltines, and a pair of salads, including the OG Italian ($12) with greens, olives, hot peppers, cherry tomatoes and Italian dressing.

Gray House Pizza can best be described as a stripped-down pizza parlor. The barebones storefront has a pick-up counter and a few seats. But what the joint lacks in style it makes up for in product. Despite its deep-dish appearance, Schlott’s Detroit-style pie has the light and airy consistency of downy-soft focaccia. The contrast between that tender crumb and the crispy, crunchy edges and corners is what sets this style apart from all others. Gray House pies are ringed with a golden-brown, cheese-melted exterior that ensures that no crust

If you want a salad to go with your pizza, you’ll need to purchase it elsewhere. Gray House sells pizza, a handful of desserts and doubles as the storefront for UK Pies (more on that later).

For dessert, I grabbed an order of gooey butter cake ($5) from the cooler. The St. Louis staple was every bit as sweet, creamy, buttery and dense as I’d heard they should be.

A word about online ordering: Boom’s system presently is decommissioned until in-person demand thins out, while Gray House’s online tech is wonky at best. I had selected a later pickup time only to find out the pizza was prepared immediately. The staffers rightly corrected the snafu with a fresh-baked pie.

Photos by Doug Trattner

BITES

Doug Petkovic to open Heritage Steak and Whiskey in former Fleming’s spot at Eton Chagrin

By Douglas Trattner

FOR THE PAST YEAR, DOUG

Petkovic has been quietly working to transform the former Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse (28869 Chagrin Blvd.) at Eton Chagrin in Woodmere, which closed in 2019 after 15 years, into Heritage Steak and Whiskey. This is a solo project for Petkovic, who is a partner in Michael Symon Restaurants.

“We’re shooting for the middle of June,” he says of when the doors will open.

Petkovic described the space as a diamond in the rough that just needed to be updated and modernized in terms of setting, service and menu. As a secondgeneration restaurant, the property already had everything it needed with respect to infrastructure; the main task was to completely renovate the bar and dining room, which are swaddled

in `80s-style mahogany paneling.

“First of all, I have to have people walk in here and go, wow, this isn’t Fleming’s,” Petkovic says of his plans.

To achieve that, Petkovic and his team will flip the bar so that the back bar moves from the exterior of the space to the interior, with a wall of whiskey creating a separation between the dining room and bar. The expanded bar will then face out towards the front patio, which will be outfitted with elegant furniture. French doors will connect the patio with the restaurant.

As for the bill of fare, Heritage will specialize in grilled steaks and chops.

“Your basic steakhouse menu, plus a few extras,” says Petkovic. Those extras might include a smoked prime rib cart and

tableside desserts.

Petkovic says that Heritage will host an “aggressive happy hour” five days a week.

“This was a very vibrant cocktail scene,” he says of Fleming’s.

Irie Jamaican Kitchen Opening Shaker Heights Location June 1

Last spring, Omar McKay announced his plans to open a fourth Irie Jamaican Kitchen. McKay had claimed a spot on Chagrin Boulevard in Shaker Heights, across the street from Heinen’s in the strip mall at Chagrin and Lee. His new restaurant was going in next door to Upper Crust.

Early in the process, the Upper

Crust business closed and McKay called an audible, moving the construction team one address over.

“That spot was a quicker buildout — and cheaper too,” McKay explains.

This fourth location, which opens on June 1, joins the original on the border of N. Collinwood (621 East 185th St., 216-3506112) and others in Old Brooklyn (4162 Pearl Rd.) and in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood (837 W. Market St.).

The fast-casual eatery in Shaker will be grab-and-go with a handful of seats. Diners can look forward to a delicious selection of jerk chicken, curry chicken, curry shrimp, braised oxtails and vegetarian options dished up in bowls, wraps or traditional style with warm cabbage, rice and

Courtesy Richardson Design

peas, and plantains. New for this summer is jerk butter shrimp.

Also new for this season is an Irie Jamaican food truck, which will soon be available for parties, events and food truck meet-ups.

Not one to sit still, McKay already has his eyes on location #5, which will open in Lakewood this summer.

Guanaquitas Restaurante to Open in Former Big Egg Space in Detroit Shoreway

Blanca Hernandez, owner of the four-year-old Pupuseria y Antojitos Guanaquitas (2998 W. 25th St., 216-862-1082) restaurant in Clark-Fulton, will open her second restaurant in the former Big Egg space at 5107 Detroit Ave.

Unlike Pupuseria y Antojitos Guanaquitas, which serves strictly Salvadoran foods like tortas, tacos, pupusas and carne asada, this latest restaurant — called simply Guanaquitas — will offer a blend of traditional Salvadoran and Spanish items alongside American diner-style foods.

The full-service restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In the morning, guests can dig into platters of hueves rancheros, enchiladas with pinto beans, pancakes, waffles, and bacon, eggs and hash browns. The rest of the menu is fleshed out with grilled chicken salads, BLT sandwiches and a handful of Salvadoran staples.

“The tacos and pupusas are too popular to not move over,” Hernandez says.

Also new to this location is a liquor license, which will permit diners to pair a cold beer or margarita with their food.

Look for the restaurant to open sometime in May.

Bar Mleczny’s, a Pop-Up From Chef Brandon Chrostowski, to Take Flight at Polish American Cultural Center in Slavic Village

With the aim of shoring up support for the Polish American Cultural Center in Slavic Village, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Polish culture, the center will team up with

chef Brandon Chrostowski on a creative pop-up project. Together, they will operate Bar Mleczny’s, which will dish up inspired Polish fare on a weekly basis at the center.

“We are desperate to revive our center with new life, traditions and the next generation,” says member Agata Wojno. “The Polish community is a huge part of Cleveland’s history, and we are doing everything we can to ensure its future.”

When told of their plight, Chrostowski eagerly volunteered for the task. The EDWINS founder and recent James Beard finalist created the name, menu and even the logo. The name - Bar Mleczny’s – comes from the milk bars that opened following the war, which subsisted on government subsidized milk and egg products. The restaurant will be situated in a “small, charming old Polish bar with a super eastern European vibe.”

“I absolutely love cooking Polish food, it’s in my blood!” says Chrostowski. “And if there’s any community out there that will come together and help support this institution, it’s Cleveland. After seeing Sokolowski’s close, then Seven Roses, you start to think about your responsibility to preserve the cuisine. This isn’t work, this is pleasure.”

Visitors to Bar Mleczny’s can enjoy dishes like pickled herring with potato salad, duck rillettefilled pierogi, Polish-style sour rye soup, dill and cucumber salad, pork schnitzel, potato pancakes with ghoulash, hunter’s stew and stuffed cabbage. For dessert, there will be sweet crepes and Napoleonstyle cream pie.

The pop-up restaurant will be located at the center (6501 Lansing Ave., 216-218-8030) and will be open for service from 58:30 p.m. Thursdays starting April 20. Reservations are encouraged. A one-time membership fee of $5 will be added to the tab. Bar Mleczny’s will continue as long as the demand remains.

“The opening of Bar Mleczny is not only a boon for our Center but also for Cleveland and the revitalization of the historic Slavic Village,” adds president Andy Bajda. “All are welcome and encouraged to visit our Heritage Museum and cultural garden while soaking in the friendly ethnic hospitality of our center.”

dtrattner@clevescene.com

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MUSIC

song, and he delivered the baby to me, and I looked it to see if I liked how it looked. It was a complete partnership.

The album title track, “Lover’s Game,” is pretty rocking. What inspired the tune?

Trotter: We wanted to record an ode to Nashville. I don’t eat the hot chicken, and I don’t know all the Nashville things. Dave came up with the line about hot chicken and strawberry wine. We just revamped it to make it into an ode to Nashville.

“Ain’t No Harmin’ Me” is such a righteous anthem of selfempowerment. Talk about that track.

DYNAMIC DUO

Country/soul/rock act the War and Treaty is comfortable on any stage

By Jeff Niesel

WITH ITS TINA TURNERlike rockers such as the title track and “Dumb Luck,” Lover’s Game, the latest album from the soul/ rock/country/blues duo the War and Treaty, hits a strong emotional chord as powerhouse singers (and married couple) Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, exchange spirited refrains.

Ten years into its career, the group has recently started to gain traction too. Last year, it joined Tanya Tucker when she performed at the Rhythm & Roots festival in Bristol, TN-VA, and the group played a rousing rendition of “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll (But I Like It)” with Brothers Osborne at the Country Music Awards.

In a recent phone interview from their Nashville home, Trotter Jr., a Cleveland native, and his wife spoke about their new album and upcoming show that takes place on Sunday, April 23, at House of Blues.

I saw you two perform last year at the Rhythm & Roots festival in Bristol. You gave a fantastic performance and even played with Tanya Tucker. Trotter Jr.: I remember the first time we ever did that festival, we were a part of a tribute to the Carter family. To be able to return to that stage and perform again for the people of Tennessee and Virginia was great. Going up there with Tanya Tucker was great too. She

is amazing. Kudos to the Country Music Hall of Fame for finally getting her inducted. That will be amazing. I don’t know if you saw or not, but she paraded around Nashville on a black stallion the day she got inducted.

Michael, you grew up in Cleveland. Talk about what that was like and how you were immersed in music from any early age.

Trotter Jr.: Music was cultivated and birthed in me in Cleveland. I got my first start at 3 years old singing at the Holy Trinity Baptist Church. I went to several elementary schools, and I mention this because my best musical experience as far as school goes was in elementary school because we had got learn about Scott Joplin and Charlie “Bird” Parker. I had some great music teachers who were always sharing new jazz and new country and soul music. I learned about the rich musical history of Cleveland. When I think of Cleveland, I think of music. I go back immediately to those days.

You two first met at a music festival?

Trotter: We met in Laurel, MD.

Michael moved from Cleveland to Maryland, and when he came out of the military, he was going around singing his music. He was one of the artists we had at the festival. I fell in love with his music and sound and with him and his lyrics. We exchanged numbers and here we still are.

You released Hearts Town in 2020. How soon after that did the songs for your new album, Lover›s Game, begin to come together?

Trotter: Michael is always writing. It’s a form of therapy for him. Even though we had some songs for the record, we opened ourselves up, and I got more involved in the writing process. This is the first time we did some collaborations with other songwriters. We have a song with Dave Barnes, and we have a song be a guy named Beau Bedford that we did not write. This is the first time we have a song on our album that we did not write. It strengthened us as a band. When we’re out performing the songs on the road, it’s very emotional for both us. From start to finish, we gave birth to all these babies together. It’s not like Michael was writing a

Trotter: I think we have a lot of different stories within our story. One of the things that we have held fast to in our marriage and in our music career is that no matter what comes our way, there is no harming us or deterring us from what we needed to happen. All couples have disagreements and problems or situations that they might not have the tools to work through. What we found is that the problem is the problem. Some people call it the devil. Gospel is our background. That’s usually when they think of something holding them down as the devil we see it coming, but we won’t let it hold us down. We just hold fast. Whatever you bring our way won’t hold us down or deter us in what we want to become.

To what extent do you fit with the country crowd?

Trotter: It’s interesting because I feel that what people are missing is that gospel and blues is the foundation of country music. It’s the foundation of the storytelling. You had not just black people working in the cotton fields but you had white people working in the cotton fields too. There were hard times for most people living in the south. Whether it was on the front porch with the harmonica or the guitar, it all is rooted from the same emotional stories. Trotter Jr.: I feel like Ray Charles put us in that conversation. When you hear Ray Charles, you don’t hear that timbre vocally in country music again until you hear Chris Stapleton and now Tanya Trotter. It’s our calling. It’s our gift to weave in and out of these genres and feel confident and comfortable on any stage.

THE WAR AND TREATY, WILLIAM PRINCE 7 P.M., SUNDAY, APRIL 23, HOUSE OF BLUES, 308 EUCLID AVE., 216-523-2853. TICKETS: $23, HOUSEOFBLUES.COM.

The War and Treaty. | Austin Hargrave

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

Tink & Friends

If R&B singer Tink’s previous effort, Pillow Talk, was primarily focused on love, her latest album, Thanks 4 Nothing, takes a more candid approach and addresses the “grittier and more intricate aspects of relationships,” as it’s put in a press release. Tink’s tour in support of the release comes to the Agora tonight. Doors open at 7. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

SUN 04/23

Xiu Xiu

FRI 04/21

Dan Wilson

Akron-based jazz guitarist Dan Wilson comes to the Bop Stop tonight in the wake of the release of his new single, “Sticology,” and a cover of “Eleanor Rigby.” He’ll drop his full-length album next month on Christian McBride’s imprint Brother Mister Productions via Mack Avenue Music Group. Expect to hear songs from it when Wilson performs at 8. 2920 Detroit Ave., 216-771-6551, themusicsettlement.org.

SAT 04/22

Chapel Hart

Famous for hits such as the twangy, organ- and piano-driven “Jesus & Alcohol,” this country music act consists of sisters Danica Hart and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle, all three of whom are vocalists. The group has independently released two studio albums and seven singles; last year, it finished fifth on America’s Got Talent. The group comes to the Masonic tonight at 8. Singersongwriter Lucas Hoge opens. 3615 Euclid Ave., 216-881-6350, masoniccleveland.com

An Evening with Sloan

When the power pop group Sloan formed in Halifax in 1991, there was a thriving indie rock scene. Hard to believe that such a remote part of Canada would have such a

vibrant scene, but the environment helped bring the members of Sloan together. Some 30 years on, the group continues to tour and make relevant music. Their latest effort, last year’s Steady, features the usual quotient of pop gems and mid-tempo rockers. The band plays tonight at 8:30 at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights.

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

Dan McCoy & the Standing 8s Album Release Party

About 20 years ago, local singersongwriter Dan McCoy formed the local alt-country act Rambler 454, a band that still performs on occasion, and he began working on solo albums as well. Tonight, he celebrates the release of his new solo EP, Snapshots, at the historic Geauga Theater in downtown Chardon. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 6 p.m. Kevin Conaway will open. 101 Water Street, Chardon, 440-2149492, geauga.theater.

Nathan-Paul Davis

This is part two of the local musician’s “All the Sudden” series. The show will feature the same backing players from the last “All the Sudden Series” — drummer Gabe Jones, bassist SmokeFace and keyboardist Jordan Wright. Special guest is Floco Torres, who’ll serve as the show’s hype man. It all begins at 7:30 at the Beachland Tavern. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.

Ignore Grief, the latest effort from indie rockers Xiu Xiu, is a mix of industrial and contemporary classical influences, along with film noir and horror (both regarding film, and the real and imagined horror that the album addresses), and features longtime members Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo joined by David Kendrick (Sparks, Devo, Gleaming Spires). The band performs tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom. Niights opens the show.

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

MON 04/24

Zae France

Earlier this year, R&B star Zae France released his first single of the year, “What It Do,” a heartfelt slow jam featuring Philly-born singer-songwriter Fridayy. France recently signed to Def Jam/ Compound Entertainment and is gearing up to release his third project, which he says will be “full of R&B flavor.” He performs tonight at 7 at House of Blues.

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

WED 04/26

Shana Cleveland

Touring in support of her new album, Manzanita, singer-songwriter Shana Cleveland comes to the Beachland Tavern tonight at 8. The follow-up to 2019’s Night of the Worm Moon, Manzanita opens with “A Ghost,” a Mellotron-driven tune that draws from jazz and pop. The melancholy tunes somehow really resonate despite their somber presentation.

MAITA opens tonight’s show.

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

FRI 04/28

Lil Wayne

The hardcore rapper whose career dates back to the late 1990s, serves as the CEO of Young Money Entertainment, the label that helped launch the careers of acts such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga. Wayne, who just released the career retrospective I Am Music, brings his 29-city tour to House of Blues tonight. The retrospective has yielded the new single “Kant Nobody,” a atmospheric tune features layers of cooing vocals and hiccuping synths over which Wayne raps. Doors open at 7. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

SAT 04/29

Skinny Puppy

A Canadian industrial music group that formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1982, Skinny Puppy pretty much invented industrial rock and electro-industrial. Initially envisioned as an experimental side project by cEvin Key(Kevin Crompton) while he was in the new wave band Images in Vogue,Skinny Puppy became a full-time project with the addition of singer Nivek Ogre (Kevin Ogilvie).The seminal band brings what it’s calling its final tour to House of Blues. Doors open at 7 p.m. 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

SUN 04/30

Built to Spill

Indie rock heroes Built to Spill swing back into town in support of their latest effort, When the Wind Forgets Your Name, another collection of tunes that shows off singer-guitarist Doug Martsch’s evocative, Neil Young-inspired guitar work. The live band for the tour consists of Martsch, bassist Melanie Radford and drummer Teresa Esguerra. The show starts tonight at 8 at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. Itchy Kitty and Prism Bitch open.

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

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Lil’ Wayne comes to House of Blues. See: Friday, April 28. | Joe Kleon

SAVAGE LOVE

SHAMEFUL

By Dan Savage

I’m away this week. Please enjoy this column from June of 2018. –Dan

Hey Dan: I’ve been married to my husband for two years. Five months into our relationship (before we got married), he confessed that he was an adult baby. I was so grossed out, I was literally ill. (Why would this great guy want to be like this?) I told him he would have to choose: diapers or me. He chose me. I believed him and married him. Shortly before the birth of our child, I found out that he’d been looking at diaper porn online. I lost it. He apologized and said he’d never look at diaper porn again. Once I was free to have sex again after the birth, it was like he wasn’t into it. When I asked what the deal was, he told me he wasn’t into sex because diapers weren’t involved. I broke down, and he agreed to talk to a counselor. But on the day we were supposed to go, he was mad about every little thing I did and then said he wasn’t going! I went crazy and called his mom and told her everything, and she said she found a diaper under his bed when he was 7! After this crisis, he agreed to work things out, but then I found adult-size diapers in the house — and not for the first time! I took a picture and sent it to him, and he told me that he was tired of me controlling him and he is going to do this when he wants. He also said he was mad at me for telling his mom. I told him no, absolutely not, he cannot do this. Then I found adult-size diapers in the house again this morning and freaked out. He says he never wants to discuss diapers with me again, and I’m afraid he might choose them over me! Please give me advice on how to make him understand that this is not him! This is who he chooses to be! And he doesn’t have to be this way!

Married A Disgusting Diaper Lover

First, MADDL, let’s calmly discuss this with a shrink.

“There’s a fair bit of controversy over whether people can suppress fetishistic desires like this — and

whether it’s healthy to ask them to do so,” said Dr. David Ley, a clinical psychologist, author, and AASECT-certified sex therapist.

“Personally, I believe in some cases, depending on the support of their environment and personal relationships, it is possible, but only when these desires are relatively mild in intensity.”

Your husband’s interest in diapers — which would seem to go all the way back to at least age 7 — can’t be described as mild.

“Given the apparent strength and persistence of her husband’s interest, I think it unlikely that suppression could ever be successful,” said Dr. Ley. “In this case, I think MADDL’s desire for her husband to have sexual desires she agrees with in order for her to be married to him is a form of sexual extortion, i.e., ‘If you love me and want to be with me, you’ll give up this sexual interest that I find disgusting.’ Without empathy, mutual respect, communication, unconditional love, and a willingness to negotiate and accommodate compromises and win-win solutions, this couple is doomed, regardless of diapers under the bed.”

Now let’s bring in a voice you rarely hear when diaper fetishists are being discussed: an actual diaper fetishist.

“The common misconception with ABDL (adult baby diaper lovers) is that they are into inappropriate things — like having an interest in children — and this couldn’t be more wrong,” said Pup Jackson, a twentysomething diaper lover and kink educator. “AB is not always sexual. Sometimes it’s a way for a person to disconnect from their adult life and become someone else. With DLs, they aren’t necessarily into age play — they enjoy diapers and the way they feel, much like people enjoy rubber, Lycra, or other materials. To understand her husband, MADDL needs to ask questions about why her husband enjoys diapers and figure out how to deal with it — because a lot of people want/need these kinds of outlets in their life.”

OK, MADDL, now it’s time for

me to share my thoughts with you, but — Christ almighty — I hardly know where to begin.

“Great guys” can be into diapers; this is not who your husband “chooses to be,” since people don’t choose their kinks any more than they choose their sexual orientation; outing your husband to his mother was unforgivable and could ultimately prove to be a fatal-toyour-marriage violation of trust; a counselor isn’t going to be able to reach into your husband’s head and yank out his kink. (“I absolutely hate that therapists are seen as sexual enforcers who are supposed to carve away any undesirable sexual interests and make people ‘normal,’” said Dr. Ley.)

You’re clearly not interested in understanding your husband’s kink, per Pup Jackson’s advice, nor are you open to working out an accommodation that allows your husband to explore his kink on his own, per Dr. Ley’s advice. Instead you’ve convinced yourself that if you pitch a big enough fit, your husband will choose a spouse who makes him feel terrible about himself over a kink that gives him pleasure. And that’s not how this is going to play out.

Your husband told you he was into diapers before he married you — he laid his kink cards on the table at five months, long before you scrambled your DNA together

— and he backed down when you freaked out. He may have thought he could choose you over his kink, MADDL, but now he knows what Dr. Ley could’ve told you two before the wedding: Suppressing a kink just isn’t possible. So if you can’t live with the diaper lover you married — if you can’t accept his kink, allow him to indulge it on his own, and refrain from blowing up when you stumble onto any evidence — do that diaper-loving husband of yours a favor and divorce him.

Follow Dr. David Ley on Twitter @DrDavidLey and Pup Jackson on Twitter @pupjacksonbitez.

Hey Dan: I’m a 33-yearold man, and for years I’ve practiced edging. Recently I’ve experimented with long-term edges, where I’ll withhold coming for days or weeks while still maintaining a daily masturbation practice. I love living on that horny edge, and I’ve even learned to love the ache in my balls. But is this safe? Am I setting myself up for prostate/testicular trouble down the road?

Priapus Precipice

A study conducted by researchers from Boston University School of Public Health and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health found that men who masturbated at least 21 times per month — masturbated and ejaculated — were at lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who ejaculated less than 21 times per month (“Ejaculation Frequency and Risk of Prostate Cancer,” European Urology). Read the study, PP, weigh the slightly increased risks against the immediate (and horny) rewards, and make an informed (and horny) choice.

Send your burning questions to mailbox@savage.love. Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.

Love!

Suppressing a kink just isn’t possible. So if you can’t live with the diaper lover you married — if you can’t accept his kink, allow him to indulge it on his own, and refrain from blowing up when you stumble onto any evidence — do that diaper-loving husband of yours a favor and divorce him.

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