Scene July 8, 2015

July 8–14, 2015 • VOL. 46 Issue 2

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

J U LY 8 - 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 • VOL U M E 4 6 No 2

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

CONTENTS 54 Upfront

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Framed

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Public employees take heat for social media speech, Le Meridien project trudges along, and more

Editorial Managing Editor Eric Sandy Music Editor Jeff Niesel Staff Writers Sam Allard, Doug Brown Web Editor Alaina Nutile Contributing Writer Will Burge Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Contributing Dining Editor Nikki Delamotte Stage Editor Christine Howey Visual Arts Editor Josh Usmani Interns Hannah Wintucky, Brittany Rees, Jacob Gedetsis, Jason Meek, Maggie Sullivan Kimberly Jauregui,Tyler Singleton, Caitlin Summers

The best photos we shared with you this week

Facetime

Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executives Amanda Klein, Kiara Hunter-Davis Classified Account Executive Alice Leslie

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Fred Bidwell and his wife will move to Hingetown, evoking our city’s cultural shifts

Feature

Marketing and Events Jenna Conforti, Gina Scordos

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We hit the streets to document a property assessment survey and the future of Cleveland’s battered housing stock

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

Get Out!

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

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Dozens of events spanning the next week in Cleveland

Circulation Circulation Director Don Kriss Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Chief Financial Officer Brian Painley Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon www.euclidmediagroup.com

Art

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Michael Chattem and Matt O’Reilly tap into the profound reality of the present in their printmaking

Stage

National Advertising Voice Media Group 1-800-278-9866, voicemediagroup.com

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Romance is all-consuming in Much Ado About Nothing at the al fresco Ohio Shakespeare Festival

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Fame has an ugly side, and that’s something that comes across loud and clear in Amy

Dining

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Brazilian newcomer Batuqui blends seamlessly into Larchmere, and more

Music

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The Rock Hall reboots its tech department to appeal to young visitors, and more

Savage Love

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1 - 8 0 0 - 5 magazine 8 9 - | 9clevescene.com 9 6 6. | July 8 - 14, 2015 5

Photo by Jason Howie

UPFRONT

Think before tweeting.

NOT A GREAT WEEK FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

THIS WEEK

THIS IS PROBABLY THE SORT of ca. 2009 story that should have warned public employees and, uh, everyone against publicizing racist and bigoted messaging for all the world to see. Still, though, numbskulls with plenty to lose insist on sharing narrow-minded views with total strangers and, inevitably, the very victims of their rage.

Last week, a newly promoted Cleveland police sergeant and a Cleveland firefighter came under fire for their history of anti-Muslim and anti-gay speech, respectively.

We’ll start with the cops, where the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on the Cleveland Division of Police to investigate Sgt. Frank Woyma’s social media activity, which, the group points out publicly, includes

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a litany of anti-Islam messaging and racist overtones.

Much of Woyma’s social output is the fairly rote “blue lives matter,” “teach your kids to comply” police stuff. But as the local outpost of CAIR asserts, Woyma — recently promoted from patrol officer to sergeant — has “retweeted images of a Quran being flushed down a toilet and of President Obama’s campaign logo with the headline ‘This is a symbol of racism, I would like it removed from my country.’

One retweet, with an image of a Crusader knight (seen here), is headlined: ‘I will turn back the Muslim hordes,’ with the note ‘Join our fight to save America.’” At the bottom of that image, there’s a note about protecting the U.S. from sharia law “at all cost” (sic).

It’s unclear what sort of dangerous

IT’S TRUE

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

CHEESIN’

threat to the U.S. is being referenced.

A particularly insightful photo — tweeted by Woyma, not retweeted — shows an elephant shitting onto the ground. The caption, written

by Tom Francois: “And here we have an extremely rare photo of the actual birth of Barack Hussein Obama! Kenya Africa 1961.” So that sort of stuff.

His Twitter account was set to private shortly after news reporting began hitting the web and was later deleted altogether.

“While Sgt. Woyma is retweeting racist and anti-Muslim materials on a private account, his clearly bigoted views can only serve to cast a negative light on the Cleveland Division of Police and harm relations with the community he is supposed to serve and protect,”

James Franco coming to Cleveland next week for his Little Italy art show opening. Exhibit reportedly just involves Franco making that innocentstoner smile for two hours.

RUBBER CITY

Premiere screening of Trainwreck set for Friday night in Akron. And on top of former Mayor Garry Moneypenny’s cocktail party, we heard that LeBron James’ new movie is showing somewhere too.

CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson said in a public statement.

Opinions are opinions, RTs aren’t endorsements, etc. But the issue that CAIR is getting at has to do with internal rules at the police department.

The CPD social media policy is available online. Under the policy, department employees may not disseminate information that “[c] ontains statements or other forms of speech that ridicule, malign, disparage, or otherwise express bias against any race, religion or protected class of individuals.”

The police department will look into this matter following the attention it received “today by local media,” according to Lt. Ali Pillow, who said that he and the public information office were not contacted by CAIR. He added, “To my knowledge neither was Chief Williams.” The police department has not yet responded to requests for information about CAIR’s request. We’ll update when we hear back.

Shearson later added in an exchange with Scene: “We are very concerned about whether this officer can fairly police the various diverse communities that he denigrates openly on social media: immigrants, African Americans, Muslims, protesters, civil rights advocates, and others. We do not share the Chief’s sentiment that this recently promoted officer can set the tone for reform.”

The fire department’s not having any easier of a time.

Scene and other local media were recently directed to comments on a Humans of New York Facebook post by 26-year vet Guy Estergall.

The post, like many of those by Humans of New York, garnered thousands of comments -- 58,000 or so in total, including one by Hillary Clinton. The picture of a 13-yearold boy who worried how he would be treated because he was gay, produced the sort of high-minded online discussion the internet is renowned for. Estergall got into it with another commenter, leading to these quotes: “You’re mentally ill Andrew, just

YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE You’re still doing 65 on the West Shoreway.

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 7

4.55"

UPFRONT

12"

like this kid and the rest of the immoral homosexuals and their supporters.”

And: “The overwhelming majority of pedophiles are homosexuals.

You need to get the professional psychiatric help you need to become normal.”

Local ABC affiliate WEWS got in touch with Estergall for comment, and the firefighter quickly backtracked, blaming his words on the platform.

“It was a heated argument between me and one individual that carried away a little too far.

He started name calling so I knew how to get his goat, so I did,” Estergall said. “Was it childish?

Sure. But this was Facebook, this was a nothing thing.”

As WEWS points out, Estergall’s bosses feel differently: they’ve opened an investigation into the incident. “This type of action, these type of statements are unacceptable and we will not tolerate things like this,” Cleveland fire spokesman Larry Gray told the station.

CFD, like CPD, has a social media policy. And CFD, like CPD, is dealing with the fact that the policy often doesn’t stop its employees from saying very, very stupid things.

LE MERIDIEN SAGA TRUDGES ONWARD

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Ask a bookseller or visit BN.COM/getpop-cultured for details. #GetPopCultured Get Pop-Cultured is a trademark of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc.

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Euclid Avenue’s John Hartness Building has long been on the list of imminent luxury-hotel makeovers downtown. The 2010 out-of-state purchase of the complex was something of a downtown development bellwether -- hospitality snazz promised amid the long-forsaken patches of blight along the Euclid corridor. The city rejoiced.

But as similar projects have risen up and cast a sparkling glimmer across Cleveland’s outward revitalization, the impending Le Meridien development at the JHB has been a vortex of legal wrangling and refinancing. Presently, project heads are lining up their plans to meet a Sept. 1 state deadline -- the end-point of a fresh 90-day extension to close on financing the project and activate $11 million in preservation tax credits first allocated to the

project eight years ago.

The team behind the hotel project is coming out of a legal settlement -- one brought on by seven eastside residents who had raised nearly $1 million for the project four years ago and who were becoming concerned with their investment.

But that’s just a small portion of the overall cost of this thing.

The development team is presently seeking a $36 million loan.

Another $10 million is expected to come from the buzzworthy EB-5 U.S. visa investment program. In short as part of that program, 20 overseas investors would put up a combined $10 million and promise to “create” 10 new jobs through their investment.

For now, we’ll wait for the tax credit deadline to arrive.

We’ll also wonder aloud whether the context of the Le Meridien project has changed at all. Is Cleveland -- the quickly evolving U.S. city du jour, and our home -- different than it was in 2010? Should the state be contorting itself to extend tax credit privileges for massive upscale hotel projects in downtown Cleveland?

Tourism rates are up, yes, but as of March 2015, according to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, hotel occupancy downtown sits at 67 percent (more or less in line with 2014’s average).

To get back to the simpler numbers at play, the hotel is expected to include 206 rooms. Its opening date is set nebulously for “2017.”

WESTLAKE DETECTIVE INDICTED ON USE-OF-FORCE CHARGES An officer with the Westlake Police Department was indicted in federal court last week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Detective Robert Toth, 48, is accused of excessive force on an arrested person and then lying about it on the arrest report and then to a “federal law enforcement officer” who was investigating the arrest. Toth arrested the person — identified only as “T.A.” in the news release — on April 24, 2014, and then lied about what happened.

Toth’s indictment remained sealed as of press time, so we’re just going off what is in the news release. Here’s how the attorney’s

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UPFRONT office explains the charges: “Robert Toth, 48, of North Olmsted, was indicted on one count of excessive use of force and two counts of obstruction.

“Count 1 charges Toth, in his capacity as a police officer, with causing bodily injury to someone identified as T.A. on or about April 24, 2014. In doing so, Toth deprived T.A. of his Constitutional right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a law enforcement officer.

“Count 2 charges that between April 25, 2014, and May 1, 2015, Toth knowingly falsified a document – specifically an official report concerning the arrest of T.A. – with the intent to impede, obstruct and influence the investigation and proper administration of that matter.

“Count 3 charges that on May 3, 2015, Toth impeded an investigation by providing false information to a federal law enforcement officer surrounding the encounter with and arrest of T.A.” According to Toth’s LinkedIn page, he’s a narcotics detective at the Westlake Police Department since and also has worked with the FBI.

Republican hopefuls that includes current poll leader and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Right now, Kasich lags behind the field in the national and New Hampshire Presidential Primary polling averages, according to Real Clear Politics.

Kasich’s first goal will be to move from 13th in national polling average into the top 10 to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate on August 6. Fox News will broadcast the debate and announced that only

the top 10 candidates according to national polling average will qualify. Kasich has two weeks to accomplish this and failure to do so could prove embarrassing as the debate is held in his home state.

Two of the top five Republican candidates did see polling averages steadily rise after formally announcing a candidacy for the presidency. Real Clear Politics shows Rubio averaged 7.3 percent on the day of his announcement, April 13, and 30 days later, saw his poll numbers reach 13.2 percent. Ben Carson’s poll numbers jumped from 5.0

percent to 9.2 percent 30 days after announcing his candidacy.

Kasich has reason for confidence in his candidacy after a landslide victory over Ed FitzGerald in Ohio’s gubernatorial race in November 2014 and Ohio’s role as an influential swing state.

Kasich has hired two political brains who worked under Sen. John McCain’s campaign — strategist John Weaver and advertiser Fred Davis.

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magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 15

Photo by Sam Allard

FACETIME

the East Side wants what the West Side’s got and the East Side wants to be on the West Side. I think that’s incredibly good news for the city. People are starting to explore a little bit.

Not to mention move back downtown. Are you seeing empty nesters flock back to the city?

I think the numbers support that. And I think it makes a lot of sense. A lot of the spaces are a good fit for empty nesters, not having to worry about school systems or that sort of thing. But what’s working even more is the fact that young professionals are also interested in being in the same areas. I think empty nesters are not very interested in going to a community where it’s nothing but a bunch of blue-hairs just like themselves. Being in a more diverse community I think is attractive today in a way that it wasn’t 30 years ago.

Fred Bidwell

ARTY NESTERS

By Sam Allard FRED BIDWELL AND HIS wife Laura, contemporary art collectors and leaders in the regional arts community, opened the Transformer Station Gallery on W. 29th St. back in 2013. At the time, Hingetown was still in its nascency.

This weekend, they purchased the Van Roy Building, a block away on Detroit Ave., where they intend to live and rent out space to young, creative professionals.

Fred Bidwell arrived by bicycle to the Transformer Station, where he sat down with Scene to chat about moving to the neighborhood.

This is huge move for you guys.

Well I work here [at Transformer Station], so being able to live a block away will be convenient.

I’ve been commuting up from Peninsula, which isn’t a terrible commute but it’s a lot of time in the car. After 18 years of living in the middle of the national park, we thought this would be a really interesting change.

Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum,

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Oh, it’s a complete 180, but we like change.

You’ll be living on the top floor and renting out the bottom two floors, yes?

Yes. We don’t have any tenants yet, so the plans will form once we do. But the first floor would be perfect for a retail tenant.

My wife and I are partners with Graham Veysey and the Striebinger Block Building, and he’s done a marvelous job of getting great, young creative retailers there. It’s been a big success and we’d love to continue that. I think the second floor would be ideal for offices if there were a cultural organization that’s interested in officing there.

With Transformer Station and the Music School Settlement (in the former Bop Stop location), Hingetown is beginning to feel like University Circle West.

I think it’s kind of interesting that after decades of people thinking the river was this impermeable barrier and no one would ever cross those bridges, now

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Last year, Ronald Berkman became the first CSU president to move downtown. Maybe it’s symbolic, but it’s a notable development that leaders and philanthropists are emerging from Shaker Heights (or Peninsula, as it were) to live in the city.

New York and Chicago have always had people of means, civic and cultural leaders, living in the middle of the city. That hasn’t been true of Cleveland for a long, long time so the fact that it’s coming back is overdue.

When do you think you’ll be able to move in?

I’m hoping not more than a year, but it’ll probably be at least that.

Are you currently entertaining offers for tenants?

It’s interesting because we got a little bit of ink, yes there are people interested. But there’s a lot of real estate activity in this part of town. I think it’s a matter less of finding a tenant than finding the right tenant.

You certainly got in at the right time. You’re no doubt keeping tabs on neighborhood development.

Of course. One of the reasons we were especially interested is that this is a visible location on Detroit, and if you think of the development potential of the West Side, it’s really all about connecting the dots along Detroit

Avenue. Right now, there’s kind of some missing teeth which makes Gordon Square seem farther away than it actually is. I think people will begin to see it as a cohesive whole once we start making the connections. Normalizing biking is a big piece of this. And of course one of the things we’re excited about is the work that’s happening on the Shoreway.

Any upcoming shows at the Transformer Station you can tease?

We’ve been very involved in Akron, and still are. And in fact, the next show that’s coming to Transformer Station will be masterpieces from the Akron Art Museum. It has an internationally famous collection of contemporary art, collected strategically and opportunistically all through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. A lot of people in Cleveland will be amazed at what they see.

Do you find that your visitors are coming from all over town?

Of course a lot are from the West Side, but we’re seeing a lot from the East Side as well. Significant numbers come from out of town and that’s really cool. Part of the Transformer Station’s reason to be is to break the usual mold of museums. The average museum goer at the Cleveland Museum of Art -- and let me tell you, I love the Cleveland Museum of Art. I’m not saying this critically -- but the average museum goer is 55 or older, likely to be a woman, college-educated. And that’s true at museums all over the world. The Transformer Station is a lot about younger audiences who don’t want to spend four hours at a museum and get a heavy educational experience. They want a 20-minute experience with a cup of coffee in their hand. And that’s what we’ve got.

CMA certainly is doing an excellent job marketing to the young urban professional crowd.

Yeah, and our partnership with them is a piece of that. It’s cool to see that change, and it’s cool to see a younger generation thinking that it is cool. Solstice is unique in the United States, that 6,000 beautiful people would be scalping tickets to a museum event. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s kind of insane.

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

FEATURE

Photos by Sam Allard

DEMOLITION DERBY

Or, a property assessment survey and the future of Cleveland’s battered housing stock

By Sam Allard RIGHT NOW, AS YOU LEAF through this edition over coffee or your morning RTA commute, 16 contract employees in orange shirts are taking inventory of every parcel of land in Cleveland.

All 159,000 of them. They are the foot soldiers in an ongoing housing-crisis war. The war’s opposing sides: People vs. Blight.

The latest stealth tactic from the People’s high command involves getting to know the enemy. More specifically, it involves a data-driven, geographic information system (GIS) survey lately undertaken by the Thriving Communities Institute, the urban branch of the rural-exurban Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the war’s local vanguard and stumping fi nancier. The goal of the survey is to accumulate current, comprehensive data. Command wants a visually assessed, lettergraded account of Cleveland’s housing stock, its vacant lots and

its commercial and industrial properties. They want to know where to attack.

The 16 orange-shirted foot soldiers are a demographically motley crew. They’ve been contracted by TCI and serve under the daily management of Adrian Maldonado, of Adrian Maldonado & Associates, a “diverse services company.” They hoof it eight hours per day in two-person teams along and athwart back-, side- and main streets, putting basic visual info about every lot they pass into a GIS database. (Is there a “For Sale / For Rent” sign in the yard? Y/N. Is the roof collapsing? Y/N. Are the windows boarded up? Y/N.) That database is uniquely tailored from the GIS goldstandard software ESRI and monitored at intervals by TCI’s GIS and conservation planning specialist Paul Boehnlein.

The per-person per-day survey goal is 150 properties.

It should go without saying

that the foot soldiers’ footwear is extremely sporty.

As of late June, which it now is, the foot soldiers are edging up on 25-percent coverage, having swept through Collinwood and the city’s far northeast, combing through Glenville and then moving west and south toward downtown and the industrial valley.

Their temporary HQ is the Famicos Foundation, a Glenville CDC housed in the gothically significant former Lulu Diehl School on Ansel Road. It’s where the foot soldiers meet every morning to discuss routes and suss out issues and where they reconvene every afternoon to gauge progress.

This morning, June 23, the talk is all tech glitches. Gesturing with their mobile devices, worn around their necks on black Lifeproofbrand lanyards, the foot soldiers try to explain to P. Boehnlein why their numbers are slightly down: The signals are flaky.

The iPads get really hot when the battery is low.

The signals are fickle. (This vocab courtesy of Adrian Maldonado himself, who occasionally interjects or rephrases remarks from his team.)

When you zoom out, you can’t see the parcel lines.

Sometimes there are multiple properties per parcel.

But when you zoom in you can’t see the precinct lines.

Sometimes there are families on the porch.

Sometimes the street names are improperly labeled on the app.

The app won’t let you delete a photo.

What the signals are, really, is fi nnicky.

Boehnlein (BAYN-line) is outfitted in a black polo and olive green pants in some sort of really comfortable-looking tech material.

He’s at the front of the basement room, a room typically used for taxpreparation assistance, and he’s

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 21

FEATURE fielding questions with tremendous poise — an even-keeled lieutenant for the People, if ever there was one.

What he’s stressing to the foot soldiers (who, in their blaring orange “CLEVELAND PROPERTY SURVEY” tees, can’t do much to ward off inmate associations) is that a photo is critical.

“Especially with the vacant and distressed properties,” Boehnlein says. “It’s really important to validate the data. For those, we need to be really careful and make sure we’re getting that photograph.”

Boehnlein seldom shortens “application” to “app” as he walks the foot soldiers through the process of saving photos to their devices’ camera roll and then properly labeling them. He suggests exporting the photos to ESRI back at Famicos, using the stronger local Wi-Fi. “To a certain extent, you just need to be patient with the technology,” Boehnlein says, after Maldonado waxes tragic on the pitilessness of Wi-Fi towers and the limitations of bandwidth in general.

The past few days, mostly because of the glitches indexed

above, the survey team has been averaging about 2,000 parcels per day (a tad off the ideal 2,400 per day pace), but Boehnlein says he’s nonetheless really happy with the progress they’re all making.

Back at the People’s tactical base, (TCI offices on the corner of Lorain and West 25th), Jim Rokakis apprises Scene of the relevant wartime financials.

“This is going to be a loss, I fear,” Rokakis says. Rokakis is, of course, the former city councilman and county treasurer who now, at 60, serves as the director of TCI and VP of the Land Conservancy. “We’ve known all along that there were going to be some projects where we had to rely on the philanthropy of others or of the Conservancy itself. We haven’t raised 200 grand.”

Two-hundred grand is the projected cost, and even after a “big grant” from the Cleveland Foundation, and $20,000 from City Council (specifically, casino revenue funds designated for Tony Brancatelli’s Ward 12 and Kevin Kelley’s Ward 13) — in large part, according to Rokakis, because city legislators wanted commercial and industrial properties surveyed alongside residential ones — some expenses remain. WRLC is paying

the balance out of its own pocket.

Why? Because obtaining current, survey-based housing data is important to TCI, which has helped set up land banks in counties all over Ohio.

That’s become, shall we say, the organization’s bread and butter, even though the land conservancy’s 17-county footprint is technically only in the northeastern part of the state.

Paul Boehnlein, for instance, is down in Dayton during the last week in June setting up a concurrent GIS survey there. (He tells Scene he’ll be as responsive as he can be to the Cleveland team by phone and email.) TCI has already conducted surveys for the cities of Akron, Oberlin, East Cleveland and parts of southeast Cleveland through a grant from the St. Luke’s Foundation.

“And we have interest in getting this done in Columbus,” says Rokakis. “We want to build a database that can be statewide, to give us a sense of just how serious the problem is. Part of why we do a lot of this is the fact that cities are broke. They can’t do it. They don’t have the money.”

Rokakis means that cities don’t have the money to act on survey results, i.e., they don’t have the money for demolition, to stick it to

“Part of why we do a lot of this is the fact that cities are broke. They can’t do it.

They don’t have the money.”

– Jim Rokakis

22

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Blight in a way that might turn the tide of the conflict.

Lieutenant P. Boehnlein is very careful to say that the survey, which grades properties on a traditional A-to-F scale, isn’t recommending demolitions. (It’s not as if all the vacant Ds and Fs will be flagged).

It’s purely observational. It’s recon.

But Jim Rokakis isn’t shy about stating his ultimate goals.

In addition to fathering Ohio’s land bank movement, he has also long campaigned for demolitionas-neighborhood-revitalization, and he’s got persuasive stats. TCI has produced a report that shows a direct correlation between demolition and home values — Rokakis is fond of demonstrating the graphic relationship with his arms — and another report, “The Cost of Vacancy: Everybody Pays,” which points out that as urban and inner-ring suburban home values go down, a greater tax burden must be shouldered by homeowners in the outer rings.

He uses those reports to mobilize support for demolition dollars. And if demos are your thing, Rokakis has done a bang-up job. Through lobbying and hardcore advocacy, he’s managed to secure funding from three primary sources.

1) State attorney general Mike DeWine: After receiving $93 million from a massive national robosigning settlement with five banks, DeWine allocated $75 million for demolitions. That $75 million leveraged an additional $47 million, Rokakis says. And though that pot has dried up, it was responsible for the demo of 14,500 properties statewide.

2) The “Hardest Hit Fund”: Moneys from this special U.S. Treasury Department pool were intended to be disbursed by state agencies to fight and fend off foreclosure. (The housingcrisis war’s most treacherous salient was Northeast Ohio, but it’s a nationwide fi ght, make no mistake.) Rokakis produced a study, which itself cost $140,000, and which was shared with the White House at its request, to prove that when demolitions go up, foreclosures go down. Evidence thus provided, the funds were made available for demo. A total of $66 million was distributed by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) to Ohio counties in which land banks had already been established. The thinking there was that land banks were the most effective vehicle for fund

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To the natural question, “Why is so much money required?” recall, first off, that the problem is enormous. Recall that Cleveland was the proverbial “ground zero” of the foreclosure crisis, a crisis during which thousands of residents abandoned homes they couldn’t pay for. It remains an important sphere in the nation’s housing-crisis war.

Vacant structures — and Rokakis isn’t the only one preaching this gospel — are magnets for crime.

A policy paper on land banks published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in January 2009 claimed that fires in vacant structures cause millions of dollars in damage every year. But even more importantly, vacant properties signal the decline of a neighborhood; they “undermine a neighborhood’s sense of community and discourage further investment.”

Frank Jackson has already demolished 8,000 properties in Cleveland since he took office in 2005, according to Ron O’Leary, the city’s director of building and housing. The cost per demolished property? Roughly $10,000.

At least 8,000 distressed properties remain.

“Distressed” though, as Scene was somewhat surprised to learn, isn’t just a municipal euphemism for “to be demolished.”

“It’s more of a non-technical term,” O’Leary says, “meaning it has some significant deterioration.”

The goal of the current recon survey, then, is to get more specific, actionable intel. The city conducted housing surveys in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, but Ron O’Leary says those surveys didn’t employ an A-to-F grading scale. Rather, they focused mostly on whether a property was vacant or occupied and whether it was “distressed or nondistressed.”

“That’s one of the strengths of this type of survey,” O’Leary says.

“Thriving Communities is going to be doing quality control. It’s basically a blind evaluation, where they can pull samples from all over the city and say, ‘Do I agree that this is an A or a B or a D?’” Frank Ford, WRLC’ s senior policy adviser and chair of its Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC) says that a survey like this one additionally helps lobbying organizations such as theirs quantify their needs, especially as beaucoup dollars from bank settlements in 2013 and 2014 are being made available to land banks.

“Without the survey we can only estimate that there are about 8,000 structures in Cleveland that will require demolition, and probably another 2,000 in the balance of the county,” Ford writes Scene in an email. “All-in that’s a $100 million problem. The survey will help convert the Cleveland estimate of 8,000 into a more concrete and reliable number.”

But what if it’s more like 14,000,

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3) Cuyahoga County itself: Though Rokakis professes not to have much of a relationship with former county executive Ed FitzGerald, he met with FitzGerald’s staff to sound the alarm. At the 2014 State of the County address, FitzGerald announced that he’d be providing $50 million for demolition countywide, of which $13 million has already been made available.

“But it’s not enough,” Rokakis says. “It’s not close.”

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Rokakis asks Scene rhetorically, and then answers.

“Then it’s a $140 million problem.”

For some statistical perspective: Among the 13,000 parcels within the surveyed portions of the Mount Pleasant and Buckeye neighborhoods, about 1,100 “need to come down,” in Rokakis’ view. In Akron, for comparison, of the 97,000 properties citywide, only about 700 require demolition.

On this particular battleground, though, not every commander agrees on tactics. City councilman Jeff Johnson, a warrior against Blight if ever there was one, says that every vacant property doesn’t need to be demolished — in fact, that’s ludicrous.

“This is one of the fundamental philosophical differences between Jim Rokakis and me: his definition of blight,” says Johnson from his Glenville ward office. “It’s irritating that he lumps everything together.

An empty house is not necessarily blight. An empty house is an empty house. The question, ultimately, should be ‘What is in the best interest of that neighborhood?’”

Johnson, along with councilman Zack Reed, have been Rokakis’ most vocal opponents on City Council. And it’s true that Rokakis tends to use “removing blight” and “demolishing houses” interchangeably. Johnson served with Rokakis on council back in the ’80s and says he knows “Jimmy” is passionate about housing, as is he; they just have serious differences of opinion on how to tackle the problem.

“They always point to the impact on the values of surrounding homes,” Johnson says. “They did a study to argue that point, that a demolished home improves the value of the surrounding homes.

(Referenced supra). But a rehabbed home does more for a neighbor than a vacant lot with a garden.”

Rokakis argues that it costs much more money to rehab a house than it does to demolish one — this is true, and Johnson doesn’t argue that point — and that, right now, the ratio in Cleveland for homes that should be demolished vs. rehabbed is about 3 to 1.

“That’s really the proportion until we stabilize,” says Rokakis. “And it’s market driven.”

Johnson counters that the market-driven approach makes

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

8380_Woodmere-Beachwood_BSceneMag_B.indd 1

6/12/15 10:37 AM

him question his former colleague’s empathy for minority communities who are disproportionately affected, a charge Rokakis would vigorously dispute.

“Underpinning his philosophy,” Johnson says, “is this belief that ain’t nobody coming back to this city. They’re gone and not coming back. And there’s some truth to that, but there is not a true, sincere, holistic approach to housing in this region.”

Johnson says that Rokakis’ efforts with TCI and the County Land Bank have created an imbalance in how we manage our response to the housing crisis.

“The analysis should be different on streets with only one or two vacant homes than streets with 10.

It’s like a tooth missing in a smile,” he says. “Unless it reaches the point where the roof has fallen in, you mothball it, you cut the grass, you stabilize it, you clean it up, and you watch it while you seek investors.

Then when you rehab the house, it brings back the smile.

“We need scalpels and we need money,” Johnson continues. “I need his power and his relationships to make that argument. There needs to be a pool of rehab money so we can go in with our scalpels and surgically improve streets and neighborhoods. In other areas, we may need a meat cleaver, sure. But that discussion hasn’t happened at the Land Bank. They believe that if a house is on their books too long, it has to go.”

Johnson says he’s supportive of the property survey in principal, but again, wishes there was a rehab component of the post-study process.

“When it comes to the ultimate interests of different neighborhoods, it might be to remove, rehab, or hold houses. It’s a toolbox,” Johnson says.

“Jimmy’s got one tool in his toolbox and he goes to raise money for that one tool. And that tool is: If there’s an empty house, tear it down.”

Regarding imminent strategy, Rokakis says that once the survey is complete, he’ll present findings to Cleveland City Council, and the information will be overlaid with Cleveland’s health and crime data and subjected to “multiple reports and analysis.”

“We hope to prove that wide-scale vacancy not only affects property values but makes neighborhoods less safe and has adverse impacts on the health of people who live in that community,” says Rokakis.

“Our goal is to make another run at unspent TARP funds [from which

the Hardest Hit Fund is drawn] in Washington as well as looking to the state of Ohio for help.”

Another significant challenge — and perhaps the most significant, once the bloodiest battles have been fought — will be finding ways to inject life into housing markets on Cleveland’s east side.

One unfortunate piece of data in TCI’s report on demolition and home values is that a demolition of a vacant, distressed property in stable neighborhoods has a positive impact. In slightly less stable neighborhoods, the impact is smaller.

Cleveland Property Survey. We’re here to get an accurate count of how many properties need to come down.” (It’s noted by this war correspondent that the foot soldiers have embraced, and indeed promulgate, the demolition-first philosophy of TCI.) “And the first thing people do is start pointing.

That one needs to come down, that one needs to come down. The one around the corner needs to come down.”

Kyle Wilson says that it’s been eye-opening. Having grown up in Cleveland, near Shaker Square, he says he cares deeply about this issue because he’s seen “the good,

the bad and the ugly” of Cleveland’s housing crisis. He says that for this job, he finds himself walking down streets he’s always known but never experienced in such detail, and that it’s giving him a broader perspective.

“I got into this because I’m passionate about seeing these communities thrive,” the 30-year-old Wilson says. “Truth be told, this is probably the first initiative I’ve run into where I actually have pride in my job. You’re getting paid to work toward something better in the community. I wish there were a lot more jobs like that. A lot of them will blow smoke up your behind: They say it’s about this or they’re doing

that, and then three weeks later you realize what the real issue is. This is the first job where what they said at the beginning is actually what it has been through the entire program.”

Lydic, who used to work in mortgages, says he feels similarly and has gained even more compassion for the people he considers victims of the foreclosure crisis: those left behind.

“You can’t make a $15,000 home repair on $500 a month.” he says.

“But it’s not like people aren’t trying.”

Sallard@clevescene.com t@Scenesallard

“The analysis should be different on streets with only one or two vacant homes than streets with 10. It’s like a tooth missing in a smile.”

– Jeff Johnson

“And then the bottom falls out,” says Rokakis. “In much of the east side, if your house was worth $10,000 before the houses around you were demo’d, it’s still only worth $10,000.

I think the markets have been virtually destroyed there.”

Out in Little Italy, in the Mayfield Road voting precinct which foot soldiers Kyle Wilson and Bart Lydic are tasked with surveying today, the properties are in pretty decent shape. But as with almost any street in town, there are signs of deterioration if you’ve got your eye out for them.

“Look at that property right behind you,” says Lydic, on East 125th Street, off Mayfield. “The porches are damaged, obviously, but they’ve got flowers in their front yard, they’ve got a little spinner in the yard. People are doing what they can. The perception in the media is that people in Cleveland are sitting on their hands, stuck here, and that’s just not the truth.”

That’s the biggest message that Wilson and Lydic have received while walking the city’s streets: People are struggling and they’re doing everything in their power to make the most of a bad situation.

Lydic says that when people are outside, the most common misperception is that the orange shirts have arrived to cite homes for code violations.

“And we say no, we’re with the

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 25

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and beer. Admission is free. (Niesel) 1460 West 29th St., 216-938-5429, transformerstation.org.

OUTDOORS

All About the Gateway A program featuring free guided walking tours of five distinct neighborhoods in downtown Cleveland, Take a Hike explores the Gateway District, Warehouse District, Civic Center, Playhouse Square neighborhood and Canal Basin Park in the Flats. Each tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and features actors and actresses portraying historic figures from Cleveland’s past.

Today’s Gateway District Tour takes place at 6 p.m. Meet at the Arcade. (Jeff Niesel) 401 Euclid Ave., clevelandgatewaydistrict.com.

EAT

Food Trucks Aplenty Walnut Wednesday, the unofficial holiday for Clevelanders who work or play downtown during lunchtime, is back, thanks to the people at Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., some 30 food trucks will gather at Perk Plaza at Chester Commons (East 12th Street and Walnut Avenue) to serve up delicious eats. Live entertainment, usually of the musical variety, is also expected. Follow the Downtown Cleveland Alliance on Facebook for weekly updates on vendors, entertainment offerings and more.

(Nutile) East 12th Street and Walnut Avenue, facebook.com/ DowntownClevelandAlliance.

FESTIVAL

An Annual Event The 89th annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel West Italian Festival kicks off today at 5 p.m. with games, rides, food and music. The event takes place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in the Gordon Square Arts District, and continues through Sunday. There will be a Procession of the Saints on Sunday after the 11:30 a.m. mass.

Admission is free. (Alexandra Hintz) 1355 West 70th St., 216-281-7146, mtcarmelitalianfest.com.

THEATER

COMEDY

Bear With Him Not many comedians have fought a grizzly bear. In his 2005 television movie Hurt Bert, Bert Kreischer not only comes face to face with a ferocious (yet ultimately harmless) bear but lives to tell you about it in his nationally successful comedy act. Taking a break from his hosting gig on the Travel Channel’s hit show Trip Flip, Kreischer makes his way to Cleveland this week for a standup show at Hilarities. Check him out at 8 tonight. Tickets are $18.

(Dana Hetrick) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

Hometown hero Dominick Farinacci kicks off Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland. See: Thursday.

times. The book club, which is meant to shed light on racial issues, meets once a month to discuss an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner. The award, which recognizes literary accomplishments in human rights, is given each year by the Cleveland Foundation and was awarded to Edugyan’s work in 2012.

The discussion begins at noon on the second floor of the main library. Next month, the club will be discussing Nam Le’s The Boat. (Brittany Rees) 325 Superior Ave., 216-623-2800, ohiocenterforthebook.org.

ARTS

Diversity Now Racial diversity, cultural celebration and a good book will all be presented today at the Cleveland Public Library when the Ohio Center for the Book’s Brown Bag Book Club meets to discuss Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues. Set in 1939’s Nazi Germany, the book shows how mixed race Berliners dealt with discrimination and violence during one of history’s most turbulent

MUSIC

Family Fun One of Cleveland’s favorite ongoing summer event series, Wade Oval Wednesdays has returned for its eighth year, promising locals an electric line-up of free performances every week from June through August. Tonight, local singersongwriter Brent Kirby performs with backing from his band the Luck.

The concert runs from 6 to 9 p.m. in University Circle. Admission is free.

(Alaina Nutile) universitycircle.org/events/2012/06/ wow-wade-oval-wednesdays.

In a League of Her Own Baseball has traditionally been a man’s world. But one woman tried to change all that. Dr. Alta Weiss put herself through medical school playing professional baseball on a men’s team in the early 1900s. Theatrical storyteller Bette Lou Higgins shares Weiss’s story tonight at You Can’t Play Ball in a Skirt, a special program at the Maltz Museum. The program includes admission to Chasing Dreams, the current exhibit about minorities in baseball. The lecture begins at 7. Tickets are $12, or $6 for members. (Niesel) 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood, 216-593-0575, maltzmuseum.org.

ARTS

MUSIC

Feels Like the First Time Hailing from Iquitos, Peru, Los Wembler’s have a long, long history.

They helped launch the Chicha explosion of the 1970s. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s understandable.

The band has never played the States. On songs such as “La Danza del Petrolero” and “Lamento del Yacuruna,” the band incorporates exotic instrument and adds whistling and high-pitched yelps to the mix. The music has an undeniable energy and should inspire dancing when the band kicks off the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Ohio City Stages tonight at 7:30.

The group will perform on an outdoor stage set up outside of the Transformer Station. Vendors will be selling food

Kulchur Clash Today and continuing through September, the Gordon Square Arts District hosts Patio Kulchur, “an evening of art in the arts district.”

Merchants will present music, theatre, dance and visual arts on their patios from 6 until 9 p.m. The event follows the Gordon Square Farmers Market, which runs from 4 till 7. Maps of the area and events listings will be available throughout the neighborhood. “This is a fantastic opportunity for folks to come down to the Arts District and explore what we have to offer,” says Adam Rosen, Detroit Shoreway economic development director, in a press release. “There’s such vibrancy here — incredible restaurants, bars, and

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 27

GET OUT B A R /C L U B

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retail — and amazing patios — and the arts form the thread that ties everything together. Patio Kulchur is reflective of our community.” (Niesel) gordonsquare.com.

21+

DON’T MISS THIS EXTRAORDINARY

TRIBUTE CONCERT EVENT!

JOE BONAMASSA

A Meta Movie The Cleveland Museum of Art is getting meta tonight, showing an art film about an art museum. CMA screens Austrian filmmaker Johannes Holzhausen’s latest documentary, The Great Museum. Shot over two years and squeezed into 90 minutes, the film follows historians, curators and miscellaneous staff of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna as they restore masterpieces. There are no interviews or music. Instead, the viewer feels like a fly on the wall, immersed in the quiet lives of the men and women who dedicate their time to resuscitating centuries-old paintings.

It shows tonight at 7 p.m. and again on Friday. Tickets are $9. (Rees) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

MUSIC

X Rated If you didn’t get the chance to see the punk band X when the group played a three-night stand last year at Music Box Supper Club, you’ll have another chance on July 22. The band will attend the Alternative Press Magazine Music Awards that night, when it’ll receive the Icon Award. To gear up for the band’s return, the Music Box is hosting a free 7 p.m. screening of the 1986 documentary X: The Unheard Music. The screening also kicks off the club’s “Name Exene’s Artwork Contest,” featuring more than $1,000 in prizes. After X performed at Music Box last fall, Cervenka took one of her old collages and reworked it with the intention of making it into a gift to the club. Her collage will be displayed in Music Box’s lobby. Movie-goers can fill out a form to submit titles for the piece.

Admission is free but reservations are requested. (Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

THUR 07/09

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 At 8pm

TH

TICKETS

AVAILABLE AT 28

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

While some of the acts fit firmly into the jazz categories, the festival embraces a range of music, including blues, big band, zydeco, gypsy swing, Latin and calypso. Tonight, the Dominick Farinacci Quintet plus the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with special guests Take 6 are set to kick things off with a 7:30 concert at Connor Palace. Farinacci is a hometown hero who has always drawn well at local shows. Full festival passes — which provide tickets to all nine shows — can be purchased for $200.

Tickets to tonight’s show are $40 to $65. (Niesel) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, tri-c.edu/jazzfest.

ARTS

Award-Winning Art Cleveland-basedpainterMichelangelo Lovelace has reason to celebrate. A number of his paintings are on view as part of How to Remain Human at MOCA Cleveland. He also recently received a Mid-Career Artist award from the Cleveland Arts Prize. At 6 tonight, Lovelace will discuss his life and career at the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern. Lovelace is a student of the late Rev. Albert Wagner. His work deals with inner-city issues including themes of poverty, violence, racial inequality, crime and other socio-politically charged topics. After the talk, visitors are invited to explore How to Remain Human at the nearby MOCA Cleveland until the museum closes at 9 p.m. It’s free. (Josh Usmani) 11625 Euclid Ave., 216-231-5400, hapydogcleveland.com.

COMEDY

For Pete’s Sake Torn between seeing a rock show or heading to a comedy club? “Rock Star of Comedy” Pete George has you covered. At first thought, it seems like an electric guitar is completely out of place in a comedy club. But you won’t think that after you hear George’s rendition of Heart’s “Barracuda,” which he retitles “Flounder.” George is sure to provide tons of quirky comedy for the music fan. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Rocksino’s Club Velvet, and George has performances scheduled through Sunday. Tickets range from $13 to $18. (Hetrick) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com.

MUSIC

All That Jazz Now in its 36th year, the annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland features nine ticketed concerts inside Theater District venues and two days of free outdoor shows on U.S. Bank Plaza.

COMEDY

Timing Is Everything Comedian Joe Machi has the art of comedic timing down to a science.

Machi broke into the mainstream comedy scene in 2010 with a

In cooperation with The City of Willoughby Presents

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130+ Artists! • Live Music! • Food! • Kid’s Activities!

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www.wwlcchamber.com • 440-942-1632 magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 29

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victory at the NY Underground Comedy Festival’s Emerging Comics Competition and has spent the past five years gaining momentum as a standup comic. Chock-full of nonsequiturs and one-liners, his show takes place at 8 tonight at Hilarities.

Additionalperformancesarescheduled through Saturday. Tickets are $22 to $27. (Hetrick) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

FRI

07/10

art

Mellar P. Davis, MD - Oncology & Hematology Specialist, Cleveland Clinic Moderated by Judge David T. Matia Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s first Drug Court Judge Tickets: $5-$28 ChagrinArts.org | 440-247-9700

Solve the “What To Do This Weekend” Puzzle.

New! Solve-It Summer Weekends Four BIG weekends of fun and games.

Every Saturday and Sunday in July.

Find out more at GreatScience.com

An Annual Arts Event The second full weekend in July marks the Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Heights. This juried fine arts and crafts festival includes nearly 150 exhibiting artists and craftspeople.

Exhibited work includes painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, wood, glass, leather and more. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Today’s admission is free; it’ll cost you $5 tomorrow and Sunday. The Wine Spot is partnering with the festival’s organizers to host a special wine tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight. (Usmani) 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark.com. art

A Cool Collaboration SPACES is always exploring new ways of creating through experimentation and collaboration. Yet another great example of this takes place from 8 to 10 tonight as local experimental musicians Chris Auerbach-Brown and Bbob Drake perform a concert inspired by “Hayride,” a pneumatic art installation by father-son collaborative duo keegan and nick, currently on view as part of their Bounce exhibit at SPACES. Bounce This! promises to be a unique experience incorporating saxophone, keyboards, handmade musical instruments, everyday householdobjects,electronics,musical saw and more. (Usmani) 2220 Superior Viaduct, 216-621-2314, spacesgallery.org. nightlife

Great times inspire great minds.

GreatScience.com

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

From the Rooftop Summer is so fleeting in Northeast Ohio, we need to enjoy it while we can.

What better way to embrace the season than with a rooftop wine party?

Tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at Music Box Supper Club, three of Northeast Ohio’s largest wine distributors will be on hand to provide samples of their best stuff. Admission includes a bottomless glass. Special guests

include wine experts Glenn Dorflinger, Sean Cathcart and Andrew Eggars.

Light fare will be provided. Local jazz percussionist Neil Chastain will provide the music. Wine will be available for purchase by the bottle too.

Tickets are $25. (Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com. comedy

Lil Humor If you’ve ever needed a succinct list of rules to live by or the low-down on viral videos, Lil Duval is coming to Cleveland to hook you up. The Guy Code regular has been a pop culture trendsetter for the past few years, coining the term “basic bitch” and hosting MTV’s viral video show Ain’t That America. His standup is youthful, dogging on popular hip-hop artists and commenting on social media trends. He’s not afraid to offend the fairer sex or jump on the trendiest hashtag either. Hell, he usually creates them. Lil Duval will be performing tonight at the Improv at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25 to $30. He’ll be at the club through Sunday. (Rees) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com. film

More Noir While you patiently await the return of the Star Wars franchise and that legendary score, relive music master John Williams’ early movie music in The Long Goodbye. Notable for its neo-noir style, the film screens tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Cinematheque. The storyline focuses on dowdy detective Philip Marlowe as he investigates the death of a close friend. Typical of 1970s noir, the protagonist chain smokes and gets a little trigger-happy before the big twist ending. Tickets are $9. (Rees) 11141 East Blvd., 216-421-7450, cia.edu. art

New Work Stop by LOOP during today’s Tremont Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. for an opening reception for new work by Michael Chattem and Matt O’Reilly.

Chattem was born in Queens, but lives and works in Cleveland. He received his BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art in 2010. O’Reilly attended Columbus College of Art and Design from 2005 to 2006 before studying at Cleveland Institute of Art from 2006 to 2008. Some of you may recognize his work from Filmstrip’s 2014 album Moments of Matter. It’s free. (Usmani) 2180 West 11th St., 216-298-5096, facebook.com/LoopInTremont.

Twilight

Friday, August 7

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

at the Zoo

7:00 p.m. to midnight VIP Party presented by Scene 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. presented by

Buy tickets now at ClevelandZooSociety.org FEATURING:

1988 Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean Almost Famous Armstrong Bearcat Billy Likes Soda CRAIC Disco Inferno Faction Cleveland Funkology Jah Messengers Joe Bell & The Swing Lizards The Madison Crawl Robbing Mary Rock the House Live!

Run Avril Run SchoolGirl Crush Skin & Bones Wanted - Bon Jovi Tribute

Twilight at the Zoo presented by Medical Mutual spotlights 18 local bands playing pop, rock, reggae, swing, country and blues.

Admission for all partygoers includes cover charge, small bites, complimentary Samuel Adams beer, Angry Orchard, wine and soda. Don’t miss the wildest party of the summer!

#wildaboutCLE TICKET INFORMATION

$80 General Admission; $700 GA Block of 10 SOLD OUT

HOTEL PACKAGES at Cleveland Airport Marriott General Package - $295.00

Must be 21 or over to attend  Proper ID required  Rain or shine

LET’S BE FRIENDS! Like us on Facebook for event updates and chances to win great prizes and event tickets!

Stage Sponsors:

106.5 The Lake, Cleveland Gladiators/Lake Erie Monsters, Door to Door Organics, KISS FM, Mace Security International, Inc., WEST Forwarding Services, WGAR, WMJI

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Tent Sponsor:

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Facebook.com/clevezoosociety #wildaboutCLE 6/30/2015 10:49:28 AM

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 31

GET OUT COMEDY

Ohio Proud Proud Ohio native Rajiv Satyal uses his Midwestern upbringing as a jumping-off point for much of his standup act, making Cleveland a perfect location for a stop on his I AM ... Tour. The show starts at 7 tonight at the Grog Shop. Tickets are $15.

(Hetrick) 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

general admission/lawn seating.

(Niesel) 1145 West Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

the high-water mark of summertime in the middle of the street. This year’s event runs from 4 to 10 p.m. today.

(Eric Sandy) lakewoodalive.org.

FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL

Summer Fun Coming up on its sixth year, the Lakewood Summer Meltdown has become a staple of summertime in

Fan Faire Hear ye! Hear ye! The eastern Ohio town of Rock Creek is travelling back to a simpler time — a much simpler

MUSIC

A Study in Contrasts Beethoven was under the influence of Mozart when he wrote his Piano Concerto No. 4. Strauss wrote his Symphonia Domestica under a different sort of influence, namely that of his wife Pauline. Written at the same time as his Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto is lyrical and elegant while Strauss’ Symphonia Domestica provides a light-hearted look at domestic life.

You can hear the Cleveland Orchestra perform both pieces tonight at 7 at Severance Hall, in the first of three 2015 Summers@Severance concerts.

Tickets start at $25. (Niesel) 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

SAT

Art Fest The Larchmere Festival takes place just a block north of Shaker Square from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Last year, Larchmere received a facelift, including new pavement, sidewalks, benches, trash cans, bike racks and trees. This community celebration highlights arts, antiques and craft vendors, an author alley, a children’s activity area, a spoken word stage, a live community mural, live music and DJ and local food vendors and food trucks. It’s free. (Usmani) Larchmere Blvd. between East 120th St. and North Moreland, larchmere.com.

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Fond Farewell Sad news, cult-movie fans: After a fiveand-a-half year run, Tommy Wiseau’s “masterpiece of bad moviemaking” The Room will screen for the final time tonight at midnight at the Cedar Lee Theatre. Cleveland Cinemas’ director of marketing Dave Huffman told Scene that attendance has been falling for the past couple of years.

“The figures just didn’t make it financially possible for us to keep it going,” Huffman wrote in an email.

The Room, which came to define the “so bad it’s good” cult subgenre, had become a staple of Cleveland Cinemas’ midnight programming. After The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has been screening monthly at the Cedar Lee for 27 years, it’s the second longest running film in the theater’s history.

Tickets are $5. (Sam Allard) 2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, 440-717-4696, clevelandcinemas.com.

The Russians Are Coming Dust off your sarafan: The Russians are in town. Today the balalaikas are at Kent State University, starring in a Festival of Russian Music.

The concert wraps up the Balalaika and Domra Association of America’s annual convention; the organization hasbeencelebratingEasternEuropean culture for decades, bringing the power of obscure acoustic instruments to fans across the country. Tonight at 7 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, the 100-piece orchestra plays traditional tunes. Tickets are $20 by phone or at the door. (Rees) 650 Hilltop Dr., Kent, 330-478-0026, bdaa.com.

FESTIVAL

Season Opener The Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom season kicks off tonight as music director Franz Welser-Möst leads a performance of Beethoven’s most famous work, Symphony No. 9. The piece has been called a “timeless message of humanity and brotherhood.” The concert begins at 8 p.m. and tickets start at $29 for

FILM

MUSIC

07/11

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medievalfaire.com.

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this westside ’burb. Detroit Avenue shuts down for a few blocks around Warren Road, and the downtown district comes alive: Performers perform, vendors vend, entertainers entertain, dancers dance — you get the drill. It’s fun, and the fine folks at LakewoodAlive put on a terrific event for all ages. Admission is free, though things like food, the 5K race and drinks in the beer garden will cost ya.

There’s nothing quite like celebrating

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

time. The Great Lakes Medieval Faire celebrates its 23rd year in the forest, beginning today. Come hungry for old-fashioned food, firebreathers, archers and swordsmen. Guests are encouraged to come in costume, though the only penalty for wearing street clothes will be confused looks.

Tickets are $22 at the gate or $20 online. It continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday through August 16. (Rees)

A Grand Tale Pianist Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood), has finally reappeared in public for a comeback show during which he’ll play an extremely complicated piece of music that gave him stage fright in the past. However, after receiving threats from a sniper instructing him to play all the notes flawlessly or else, the pressure is on. The sniper (John Cusack) assures Tom that he’s not messing around by using a laser dot that tracks Tom’s every move; he also threatens Tom’s wife Emma.

That’s the premise behind Grand Piano, a thriller that gets away with its somewhat unrealistic plot by use of wit, swagger and drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It has received an award for its original

Free live blues at 23 venues on Friday, July 17, 2015 Updates & venue map at kentbluesfest.com 101 Bottles of Beer on The Wall

Newdle Bar

Cody J. Martin (8 – 10PM)

Jim Zeller (8 - 10PM)

157 Lounge

Panini’s Bar and Grill 9 Volt Hot Rod (10PM – 1AM)

Dan Socha (7 – 9PM)

Acorn Alley Plaza

Jake Friel & The Last Train South (5:30 – 8PM)

Pufferbelly

Belleria

Austin Walkin’ Cane (5:30 – 8:30PM)

Steve Morris (8 – 10PM)

Ray’s Place

Brewhouse Pub

Blue Lunch (9:30PM – 12:30AM)

Wallace Coleman (8 – 11PM)

Secret Cellar

Bricco

Chris Yakopcic (5:30 – 7:30PM) Jon Mosey Trio (8 – 10:30PM) Gaetano Letizia & The Underworld Blues Band (11PM – 1:30AM)

Rooster Jones Band (9 – 11PM)

Buffalo Wild Wings Memphis Cradle (7 – 10PM)

Tree City Coffee & Pastry

Dave’s Cosmic Subs

Frankie Starr & Sharon T (5:30 – 7:30PM) Ray Flanagan & The Authorities (8 – 10PM)

Iris Isadora (5 – 7PM)

Dominick’s

Venice Café

Wanda Hunt Band (8PM – Midnight)

Denzon Blues All-Stars feat.

Freddie Salem & Joe Vitale (7:30 – 9:30PM) Roger Hoover & The Hurt (10PM – 12:30AM)

Hometown Bank Plaza The Juke Hounds (7 – 10PM)

The Kent Stage

15-60-75 (The Numbers Band) (8 – 11PM)

Laziza

Guy Pernetti (6 – 9PM)

The Loft

The Pub

Raw Sugar (5 – 8PM)

Water Street Tavern

The Zydeco Kings Duo (5:30 – 7:30PM) The Bluestones (7 – 9PM on patio) Armstrong Bearcats w/ special guest Glenn Schwartz (8 – 11PM)

John Sutton and Luther Trammel (8 – 11PM)

Zephyr Pub

Ian Penter (6 - 8PM) Mike Lenz Band (8 – 11PM)

kentbluesfest.com magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 33

GET OUT score and has been well received by critics. It screens at 1:30 today at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tickets are $9. (Elizabeth Manno) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

pairing the wines with appetizers so that tasters can experience how they bring out particular flavors in food.” Each event is $15 per person and includes five wines, appetizer pairings, tax and gratuity. “I hope tasters learn something they didn’t know or are introduced to a new favorite wine,” says Graibus. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-9371938, prosperitysocialclub.com.

NIGHTLIFE

A Burlesque Bash The folks at the local burlesque promotion company Toxic Burlesque have thrown a number of events at Brothers Lounge. According to promoter Frank Ian, who runs the company with his wife, there’s been a “packed house every time.” For tonight’s show, dubbed the Burlesque at Brothers Blowout Bash, they’ll feature Carmen M’Knoxide, Dahlia D’ Luxe, Ginger Rockwood and Miss Fever Blister, just to mention a few of the acts that will take the stage. Hula hoop superstar Foxy Moon and singer Shy Kamikaze will also be on hand.

The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10. (Niesel) 11609 Detroit Ave., 216-226-2767, brotherslounge.com.

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07/13

MUSIC

Music Mondays Every second, third, and fourth Monday of the month, Great Lakes Brewing Company in Ohio City kicks off its week with a little live music, craft brews and delicious pub eats (we recommend the housemade pizzas, which are half off during their 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour). Guests can grab a beer and meander down to the Beer Cellar on the basement floor to enjoy the laid-back tunes of local musicians.

Tonight, it’s local singer Becky Boyd, who adeptly alternates between blues and pop. She plays from 6 to 8 p.m., and there’s no cover. (Nutile) 2516 Market Ave., 216-771-4404, greatlakesbrewing.com.

NIGHTLIFE

Time for Wine Plenty of places in town have wine tastings. But few have tastings as affordable as Prosperity Social Club’s Summer Tasting Series.

Tonight’s event is part of a series of one-hour tastings held the second Monday of every month. “From Argentina to Oregon, this is a chance to learn a little something about different regions’ wines and taste a few varietals from each,” explains Prosperity’s general manager Kelli Graibus in a press release. “We’ll be

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ART

Best-Laid Plans Inspired by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the Cleveland Group Plan was to be “the embodiment of the City Beautiful Movement.” Beaux Arts style buildings were to be arranged around a central mall. Daniel H. Burnham, Arnold W. Brunner and John M. Carrere worked out of a New York office to come up with the final design. It was even presented to Mayor Tom Johnson. Public Auditorium and the Cleveland Public Library are relics of that plan. Find out what else was in the works at Cleveland Living History: A Discussion of the Group Plan of 1903, today’s talk at the Happy Dog. It starts at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free. (Niesel) 5801 Detroit Ave., 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com.

FILM

Double Feature The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque shows some strange and exotic films. And sometimes, the folks there like to take the show on the road. Tonight at 7 at the Capitol Theatre in Ohio City, they’ll screen a double feature that starts with Jean Renoir’s An Evening in the Country. The film about two French women who meet a couple of hunks in the countryside came out in 1936 but recently was digitally restored. Two short Renoir films will also screen. Then, at 9:20, the Cinematheque will present Jack Webb’s 30, a drama about the behind-the-scenes drama that takes place at a tabloid newspaper.

Admission to the Renoir program is $10. Admission to 30 is $9, but if you have a ticket stub from the Renoir program, you’ll get a $2 discount.

(Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.

Find more events @clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 35

ART MAPS TO NOW(HERE)

Michael Chattem and Matt O’Reilly tap into the profound reality of the present in their printmaking

By Josh Usmani MICHAEL CHATTEM AND MATT O’Reilly met while attending the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA).

The two aspiring young artists bonded in printmaking classes as they struggled through the daily grind and disillusionment of art school politics. Since graduation, they have continued to explore art through a variety of media and platforms. Stop by Loop during this Friday’s Tremont Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. for an opening reception for new work by Chattem and O’Reilly.

“Michael Chattem and Matt O’Reilly differ stylistically,” explains Loop’s art curator Amanda Lee. “However, I was interested in bringing them together for this July’s Tremont Art Walk as they both share an absolute dedication to their work. Both patiently assemble and tweak smaller shapes into a larger work of art, letting the piece do the work for them. Both Michael and Matt see art making as a lifestyle, not a job.

“The gallery at Loop Tremont exists to represent young or new talent from Cleveland and beyond,” she continues. “By functioning as a coffee shop, record store and art gallery, we are afforded the opportunity to share Michael and Matt’s work to more of the general public than would normally attend a gallery show, allowing them to expand their already growing following.”

Chattem was born in Queens, but spent most of his adolescence in Connecticut. After high school, he moved to Cleveland to attend CIA. He earned a BFA in 2010, but the experience took its toll on him.

“I left school burnt out on institutional influence and bureaucracy and disenchanted with art making,” admits Chattem. “I spent the next few years focusing mainly on playing drums in experimental music projects while maintaining a marginal visual art practice.

“In 2012, for the first time since school, I had a sizable studio and my art practice flourished,” he says. “I returned to drawing as a primary medium and explored

36

“Expressionist Trap” Courtesy of Michael Chattem

the fundamental tools for image making. My work moved away from a concept-based platform and began concerning itself with things like text and image, compositional relationships, color, space, scale and structural mechanics. Subjects like anxiety, perception and coping began to inform the work.”

Chattem and O’Reilly lost touch after school. The two followed

he had still been going strong with his studio practice,” he continues.

“We bonded on the struggle of sustaining an independent creative livelihood outside of institutional safety nets. I’m excited to be showing with him. I think the show will offer works that will complement and parallel each other through aesthetics and sensibility but also round itself out with the

LOOP TREMONT 2180 WEST 11TH ST., 216-298-5096, FACEBOOK.COM/LOOPINTREMONT

similar paths until reconnecting last year.

“Matt and I met each other when we were both print students at CIA,” explains Chattem.

“Neither of us gelled well in the institutional setting but both of us were clearly driven to create.

After school we both dropped low and followed similar paths down different avenues in the DIY music community.

“I reconnected with him last year and was inspired to see that

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

great diversity of our output.”

O’Reilly attended Columbus College of Art and Design from 2005 to 2006 before studying at Cleveland Institute of Art from 2006 to 2008. Some of you may recognize his work from Filmstrip’s 2014 album Moments of Matter. O’Reilly is a musician himself, in the local psych/noise band Green Escalators, as well as a skateboarder. Recently, he quit his full-time job as a barista to pursue art. It seems a bit poetic that his first exhibition since

leaving his job is in a coffee shop.

He draws inspiration for his new work from an eclectic array of sources, including Ram Dass, TED talks, the relationships between humans, technology and the Earth, and the recent issues of race and police violence in Ferguson, Baltimore and Cleveland.

“The concept of nowhere spelled now(here), as a mode of translating and presenting the ideas and practices associated with Be Here Now. This is where my maps are most highlighted. They began as a doodle in a notebook back in 2013. I was just beginning to paint them last year, and then with the Ferguson/Tamir Rice events, became more pertinent as I went along. I was saddened by these events, along with other personal stuff in my life.”

He continues, “I first presented them as Maps to Nowhere, in a sort of satirical play on the direction we appear to be heading as a nation (at times, sometimes cool stuff happens like marriage equality).

After working through the series over the course of several months it became meditative, it became a personal mode of being present in my work. At the same time, I was looking at the global community and how the turbulence and injustices are creating a universal cry for presence and mindfulness.

The work took on its meaning when I saw it in that light. There is nowhere else to be, but now(here).

These ideas can be applied to my practice as well, and most of my other work for the time being. The maps kind of just happened to be the project that really drove these ideas home.”

The exhibition runs through August 10. You can view it during Loop Tremont’s regular business hours: Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free.

jusmani@clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

STAGE BATTLING LOVERS AMONG THE LEAVES

Romance is comical and all-consuming in Much Ado About Nothing at the al fresco Ohio Shakespeare Festival

Photos by Scott Custer

By Christine Howey SCARLETT AND RHETT. DICK and Liz. Popeye and Olive Oyl. We are always drawn to love affairs of the torrid variety, because the flame that consumes itself burns so much brighter. And that is why Much Ado About Nothing has been providing royalty checks to Bill Shakespeare for centuries.

The two lovers at the core of this play, Benedick and Beatrice, must ignite quickly and then simmer on a boil for a long time, until the celebratory conclusion. And happily, that passion is captured in this thoroughly entertaining production at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival, on the grounds of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.

Bernard Bygott as Benedick fulminates early on about his opposition to marriage and his dislike for Leonato’s niece Beatrice. And Lara Mielcarek’s Beatrice matches him snark for snark until Leonato (a twinkly Robert Hawkes) and others set up a sting operation where B&B separately overhear conversations that lead them to think that each loves the other.

This leads to some of the funniest scenes in the play, as Bygott crawls up the outside of a staircase, doing a dandy impression of Lucille Ball in awkward physical distress, as Benedick tries to hear the details of

Beatrice’s “love” for him. Similarly, Mielcarek contorts herself upstairs and down to hear more about Benedick’s ardor for her.

In a parallel love story, Claudio (an earnest Joe Pine) falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero, but swerves away from her when the nasty Don John tricks Claudio into believing that Hero has taken another lover, his brother Don Pedro, on the eve of their marriage.

Want more laughs? Just wait until Act 2, when constable Dogberry (a clueless and pompous Geoff Knox) leads his scruffy band of dysfunctional deputies, summoned by the flatulent trumpet wheezes blown by his lieutenant Verges (Scott Campbell).

Their Keystone Kop-ish activities actually lead to the reconciliation, when Don John’s nefarious plot is

Tess Burgler, Lara Mielcarek, Julianna Bilschak and Katie Zarecki

reactions from the audience. This never fails to get the attention of the audience member thus highlighted, and gives everyone the feeling that must have pervaded the crowds that

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING THROUGH JULY 19 AT THE OHIO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL STAN HYWET HALL & GARDENS, 714 NORTH PORTAGE PATH AKRON, 330-673-8761. OHIOSHAKESPEAREFESTIVAL.COM

revealed and Beatrice and Benedick give in to their fake love jones … which turns out to be real.

The performances, under the deft direction of Terry Burgler, are crisp and pointed, with some of the actors responding in the moment to

Ryan Zarecki, Geoff Knox and Jeremiah Clapp

gathered at the lip of the stage when these plays were first produced at the Globe Theater.

Other standouts in the cast include David McNees as the helpful and sly Don Pedro; Ryan Zarecki, who choreographs and then performs some stunning swordplay as Don John aide Borachio; Henry C. Bishop and Mark Stoffer as particularly daft fellows in Dogberry’s squad of misfit toys; and Tess Burgler as poor, put-upon Hero, along with Katie Zarecki as her gentlewoman.

It seems that director Burgler’s focus is on broad and even slapstick comedy in this production, so Jason Leupold as Don John seems rather bland as villains go. Indeed, the motivation of Don John seems even more vague than usual in this telling, relegating this versified plotline to almost an afterthought. That may not satisfy purists, but what the hell.

When he’s at his best, director Burgler manages to find the unique performance qualities in each of his actors, enabling him to populate the stage with distinctive people who look like a prized collection of Royal

Doulton character mugs come to life.

But Leupold, the Zareckis and others have another treat in store, if you arrive for the pre-show “greenshow.” As directed by Tess Burgler, this is always a festive, foot-stomping gas (“Huzzah!”) as the mostly younger members of the cast sing drinking songs and love songs, always followed by a parody of Shakespeare. In this instance, that comedy piece involves a song about how the dead women in Shakespeare plays aren’t always deceased. They croon clever lyrics, advising that Romeo should “think twice and pump the brakes” before he commits suicide. It all provides a half-hour theatrical amuse-bouche that genuinely amuses. Don’t miss it.

In fact, you shouldn’t let another summer go by without experiencing this very special OSF treat. Set outdoors by a lagoon at the rear of the punctiliously manicured Stan Hywet grounds, there is no lovelier setting for any sort of play, particularly Shakespeare. Come early and bring a picnic dinner, purchase a glass of wine, beer or other refreshment (no outside alcohol permitted), take a stroll through the gardens and the path around the lagoon, and then top it off with a truly masterful rendition of our language’s finest writing. In the words of another fine scribbler, who could ask for anything more?

scene@clevescene.com t@christinehowey

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 37

36th Annual

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THURSDAY, JULY 9 INDOORS

CONNOR PALACE

7:30 p.m. Dominick Farinacci / Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with Take 6 $65, $55, $40

FRIDAY, JULY 10 INDOORS

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OHIO THEATRE

5:30 p.m. Tribute to Robert Lockwood Jr. with Walter “Wolfman” Washington $32, $25

July 9-11, 2015 Playhouse Square

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

CLEVELAND SCENE

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Download SCENE’s official happy hour app today! clevescene.com/happyhours

MOVIES

in theaters

REVIEW OF THE WEEK: AMY

ALSO OPENING

IN THE DOCUMENTARY FILM TRUTH OR DARE, Madonna and actor Warren Beatty famously get into a bit of a spat, and Beatty sarcastically remarks that Madonna doesn’t want to live off-camera.

“Why do anything off-camera,” he asks. “What would be the point of that?” While his indictment of Madonna’s quest for fame and exposure seemed to reflect his age and show just how out of touch he was, perhaps the old timer’s criticisms of her exhibitionist-like tendencies have some merit. We live in a time when everyone seemingly wants to be famous and everyone wants to be on camera.

But fame has an ugly side, and that’s something that comes across loud and clear in Amy, director Asif Kapadia’s (Senna) documentary about British soul singer Amy Winehouse. It opens area-wide on Friday.

Throughout the course of her career, Winehouse struggled to stay out of the public eye.

Winehouse’s relationship with the mass media was more like that of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. She wanted to sing. She wanted people to hear her sing. She didn’t want to be famous. In grappling with the loss of privacy (there’s even the hint that the British tabloids were illegally tapping her phone conversations), she struggled with substance abuse and an eating disorder before she passed away in 2011. In one clip, she even freezes up in front of a festival audience and simply can’t perform.

Director Kapadia adroitly chronicles the singer’s rise and fall. The film’s strength lies in its ability to spin a narrative without any sort of voiceover. Documentaries of this nature often rely on an outside voice to give the film a certain

The Gallows>>

SPOTLIGHT

structure. But Amy succeeds without it. The film starts by showing how Winehouse hired young Nick Shymanksy to manage her. She was just a teenager but had already generated some label interest thanks to her soulful, woozy voice, which recalls jazz greats such as Billie Holiday. From there, her fame escalated. She isn’t a compelling live performer, but Kapadia does the best he can to include some of the better clips of her singing songs such as “Rehab.” The best footage, however, comes from performances in the studio. Even if she was singing in a make-shift vocal booth, she could really give an emotional performance. In one scene with Tony Bennett, we see how vulnerable she could be as she gushes with praise for the man.

The Winehouse family, which cooperated in the making of the film, has subsequently distanced itself from the movie, claiming it inaccurately portrays the singer’s life. It’s hard to see how that’s possible since Kapadia aims for objectivity (he interviewed about 100 people in the course of making the movie) and doesn’t pass judgment on her or her family (the film does include footage of her father attempting to make his own movie, an act that comes off as rather opportunistic).

The one liberty that Kapadia takes is that he manipulates the footage of flashbulbs flickering in Winehouse’s face as she exits her home and/ or various hotel rooms. It’s as if he wants to make them seem more blinding than they really are.

Those are the only heavy-handed moments in an otherwise even-handed examination of the life and death of a pop star who tragically died just as she was hitting her stride. — Jeff Niesel

This horror film centers on how things go terribly awry when the students in a small town try to commemorate a high school student who died during the performance of a school play. It opens area-wide on Friday.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl>>

SELF/LESS, THE NEW SCI-FI THRILLER that stars Ryan Reynolds as a man who has his identity swapped with another man’s identity, can be summed up in one sentence: It’s a good premise that goes awry. The film, which opens area-wide on Friday, has a promising enough start. It begins with a scene in which Damian (Ben Kingsley), a businessman who’s worth millions, puts his affairs in order in the face of his impending death. He has cancer and doesn’t have long to live.

But he has a plan. We soon learn that he’s hired Professor Albright (Matthew Goode) to transfer his consciousness into another body. What he doesn’t realize is that his new body wasn’t built in a lab, as he had been told.

Rather, the body is that of a former solider (Ryan Reynolds) and when he comes to life, Damian starts having flashbacks from the soldier’s life.

Of course, he loves the fact that he is young again, and he begins playing pick-up ball at the park. He starts hitting the nightclubs and brings a different woman home practically every night. But if he doesn’t take the prescribed pills, the flashbacks come hard and heavy. He eventually realizes that he has left behind a wife (Natalie Martinez) and child and sets out to find them.

The film quickly turns into a Bourne Identity-like caper as director Tarsem Singh ( Mirror Mirror) does his best to make Self/less into an action flick. Car chases and stakeouts ensue as Professor Albright assigns his thugs to bring down Damian as he’s violated the confidentiality agreement that he signed before going through the procedure. And Damian, a trained killer, finds he has the ability to fight back.

If the film had continued to emphasize the sci-fi part of its plot, it might have been more successful. But it comes off as too much of a gimmick and resorts to the tried-and-true formula you’ll find in many creator vs. created flicks. — Jeff Niesel

Minions>>

The yellow creatures that aim to serve history’s most diabolical leaders get A high school student (Thomas Mann) befriends a girl who’s dying of cancer in this well-written and –acted comedy-drama from director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. their own feature film in this animated spin-off/prequel to Despicable Me. Now playing area-wide, the movie opens at the Capitol Theatre on Friday.

The movie opens area-wide on Friday.

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 41

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

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EAT

RHYTHM & FOOD

Feijoada

Brazilian newcomer Batuqui blends seamlessly into Larchmere

By Douglas Trattner A RESTAURANT CONCEPT HAS to match its setting for the whole formula to work. Just as a sprawling property in a suburban lifestyle center would never be a good fit for a hip farm-to-table bistro, one would hope to never find a tacky theme restaurant in a historic neighborhood dive.

I can’t imagine a better fit for Batuqui than the spot it calls home, a charming 120-year-old Victorian tucked among the antique shops and bookstores on Larchmere Boulevard. The warm and welcoming space feels more like an extension of somebody’s home kitchen than an impersonal commercial property, an arrangement that happens to meld seamlessly with gregarious owner Carla Flood’s vision.

Batuqui means rhythm, and this easygoing Brazilian restaurant quickly is finding its groove. On nice evenings, diners spill out of the snug 38-seat eatery onto the covered front porch and slightly larger umbrella-dotted front patio, which snuggles up to the sidewalk earning smiles from curious passersby.

Open since May, the Brazilian eatery is routinely bustling, a testament both to its genial staff and distinctive but approachable food.

Flood worked at the popular Brazilian-themed restaurant Sarava, which closed a few years back in the wake of chef-owner Sergio

Abramof’s death. Batuqui revives not only many of the signature dishes served at that erstwhile Shaker Square eatery, but also, in some ways, the spirit of Abramof himself, who championed the vibrant flavors of his native Brazil.

One of the best ways to experience Sarava was to sit at the bar and enjoy a few rounds of caipirinhas and salgadinhos, Brazil’s version of tapas. While the wee five-seat bar fills up fast — and Batuqui’s boozy caipirinhas ($10) could use a bit of a tune-up — the roster of finger-friendly starters can be enjoyed throughout the restaurant. Copper-colored salt cod

that taste better after being dipped in any of the aforementioned sauces.

For a refreshing break from the highly spiced appetizers, dig into the palmito salad ($8), a summery mix of tender hearts of palm, sliced cucumber, tomatoes and greens in a tangy vinaigrette.

In addition to cachaça-fueled cocktails like the caipirinha and the strawberry-scented Copa Kiss ($10), the menu has a surprisingly good mix of white and red wines by the glass and bottle. Highlights include a Willamette Valley white blend ($8), a Portuguese vinho verde ($7) and an Argentinian Malbec ($8).

Batuqui’s Brazilian entrees tend

BATUQUI 12706 LARCHMERE BLVD., 216-801-0227 BATUQUICLEVELAND.COM

croquettes ($8) are crispy on the outside and creamy within, with a mild fish flavor that benefits from a squirt of lime. Skewers of juicy grilled beef or chicken ($8) are paired with farofa, toasted cassava flour, and a bright tomato and onion relish. Ask for hot sauce and you’ll be rewarded with a fruity but deadly scotch bonnet puree.

Other cocktail-friendly snacks include red-slicked shrimp ($10) in a tart and spicy sauce, stewed calamari ($8) in a spicy tomato broth, and cheesy bread balls ($7)

to be rustic and satisfying, with plenty of meat, rice and beans, naturally. Though it might sound out of place in summer, the stewlike feijoada ($18) balances flavorful portions of pork and sausage with more than equal parts of rice, black beans and cool tomato relish. A mound of crispy farofa adds a crispy crunch. Lighter yet is the xim xim ($14), a tropical stew of tender shredded chicken, peanuts and rice in creamy coconut sauce.

If it’s meat you seek, consider ordering either of the two

“churrasco” dishes. One features a sizeable grilled tri-tip sirloin ($18), the cut of choice in Brazilian churrascarias, or steakhouses.

The other is a mixed grill ($17), with pieces of top sirloin, chicken and sausage. Both come with the requisite rice, farofa and tomato relish.

In the seafood department, there’s a flavorful if unadventurous seafood pasta ($14), with fettucini, shrimp and smoked salmon in a light cream sauce.

Though we never managed to save enough room for desserts, we’ll be back to try the caramel flan and the coconut butter cake with creme anglaise, whipped cream and toasted coconut.

Service wasn’t without its gaffes.

A server one night seemed absentminded, only bothering to inform us after we placed our order that the kitchen was out of two of our requested items. Later, he managed to deliver my entree in two parts, one of which was the meat that belonged inside the stew.

But a later visit went off without a hitch, with thoughtful suggestions, expert timing and enthusiasm throughout — proof that every restaurant requires a certain amount of time under its belt before it finds its batuqui.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 43

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EAT WHEEDLE ME THIS

New local app delivers dining specials to mobile devices

By Nikki Delamotte IN CLEVELAND’S EVERexpanding dining scene, the weightiest decision often boils down to this: Where should we eat tonight?

The team behind the new app Wheedle (wheedleapp.com), launching this month, is aiming to make that process a little easier.

By entering the date, number in your party and occasion — breakfast, VIP night on the town, birthday or bachelor party, to name a few — restaurants can pitch special offers that are delivered directly to your handy mobile device. The service is free to users while charging a small fee to restaurants when offers are redeemed.

As a longtime bar and restaurant promoter, Wheedle CEO and cofounder John Weston found himself constantly searching social media for new ways to reel in the nightlife masses and to scour for party planners in need of a venue.

When digital networking’s limitations sparked the idea for the app, Weston linked up with chief operating officer Evan Cooper, a startup guru, and president and cofounder Brian Stein, a tech strategy consultant, to bring the concept full circle.

“I was looking at how to extend our reach beyond the limits of who we personally knew on Facebook and then replicate the process and make it easy for other places to do the same thing,” Weston says.

Anybody who’s ever booked a reservation through OpenTable knows that technology is changing the way we eat. Wheedle takes a reverse approach by allowing the restaurants to come to you.

In an early test run, a group of 10 young women celebrating a 21st birthday were in search of a bar near the downtown hotel where they were staying. Within minutes, a Warehouse District bar responded with a special VIP champagne package for the night.

Other offers were as simple as watching a Browns game in a westside gastropub or an all-you-candrink plan geared to a large party. A bachelor party request might result in

a limo being sent to retrieve the gang for a steak dinner at XO or drinks on the downtown strip.

An offer landing in your “You Got Wheedled!” mailbox could serve up a special seat at the chef’s table or tableside dessert preparation that users might never have known about.

“The only way you could have done this five years ago is to pick up a phone, call every establishment and say, ‘I’m coming with a group of people. What can you do for me?’” explains Stein.

Woodmere eatery Paladar Latin Kitchen, and its offshoot Bomba Tacos, have been early proponents of the

system. Eager to shine a spotlight on their bounty of rum varieties, the restaurants will be inviting users in for a special flight or $5 off curated selections.

“Until now, there wasn’t a service that gives you a direct connection to guests that are already looking to go out,” says Paladar Restaurant Group’s director of marketing Katy Landers.

“If you’re having an unexpected slow night, you can send out a Wheedle to a few parties and really turn the whole evening around.”

Wheedle’s current client roster already includes Fire Food and Drink, Sowfood and the Willeyville.

It’s not just high-end restaurants and nightlife establishments that are cashing in: Antonio’s Pizza will deliver pies for an alternative night in.

Tremont Scoops plans to encourage area diners to stroll the neighborhood after a meal while enjoying some ice cream.

“Cleveland’s such a great market to launch in because we have all these emerging neighborhoods and emerging chefs,” Stein says. “But sometimes their challenge is just getting discovered.”

dining@clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 47

Photos by Douglas Trattner

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Tomori’s Favorite could be your favorite too.

TOMORI’S IN LAKEWOOD DOES THIN-CRUST RIGHT

By Douglas Trattner IT MAY BE SMALL, BUT TOMORI’S Pizza (15621 Madison Ave., 216712-6996) in Lakewood is making a mighty big splash on the pizza scene. The largely carry-out pizza and sub shop opened about six months ago, and people have been gobbling up its slender pies ever since.

Owner Dean Tomori, who comes to Lakewood by way of New York, describes his pizza style as a cross between Sicilian and New York.

Not to be confused with the thick and doughy square-cut pizzas sold here as Sicilian, pies typically found in Sicily are small, round and sport an uber-thin crust. But unlike the Neapolitan pies to which we’ve grown accustomed, Tomori’s pies are topped clear to the edges.

In place of a puffy and blistered outer crust is the sort of crispy wafer formed when cheese hits the deck of a hot oven. Tomori uses conventional electric deck pizza ovens in place of a wood-fired one.

Tomori’s pies aren’t cheap, with four-slice, 8-inch versions going for between $11 and $14.

But ingredients like imported Italian prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano, mozzarella di bufala, and fresh tomatoes distinguish these pies from their run-of-themill brethren. The thin, crisp

Napoletana ($14.99/$12.99/$10.99) has mozzarella, sliced prosciutto, and a barely perceptible whisper of fresh tomato sauce. The Tomori’s Favorite ($17.99/$15.99/$13.99) is topped with zesty sliced sausage, prosciutto, whole pitted kalamata olives, three types of cheese, and tomatoes sliced so thinly they melt into the pie.

There are about 10 specialty pies, including one with bacon and eggs, but customers are free to design their own from a roster of mix-and-match meats, veggies and cheeses.

In addition to the pizzas, Tomori offers a handful of salads, subs, pasta dishes and housemade desserts like tiramisu. The Tomori’s Sub ($7.99) has about a half-pound of shaved prosciutto along with salami, ham, Swiss cheese, onions, tomatoes, arugula and truffle oil.

Tomori’s is open daily for lunch and dinner.

A word of caution: call well ahead. This is a one-man operation, and things can get a little bogged down. But the reward for your patience is a unique and delicious pizza that will quickly become a part of your take-out repertoire.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 49

50

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Photo courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

MUSIC

Fall Out Boy’s bloodied shoes and jackets from the band’s “Save Rock and Roll” video series are on display in the Hall’s Right Here, Right Now exhibit.

FOREVER YOUNG

The Rock Hall reboots its tech department to appeal to younger visitors

By Brittany Rees THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF Fame is infested.

It teems with spiky-haired, tight T-shirt wearing teens, all of whom are glued to their cell phones. The kids fall in line, trickling through doors behind tour guides or nipping at the heels of their excitable parents while they try to beat their Angry Birds high score.

“Yes! Oh my god, do you remember this?” says an aging, curly-haired woman in a T-shirt that reads, “Cleveland: There’s No Mistake About Us.” She points a plump finger at a plain gray suit behind glass. The man we assume is her husband gives a small chuckle and steps to the right to let the boy we assume is their son step up to the glass case. The woman sighs, eyes aglow, uttering, “My mother was absolutely in love with this man.”

The slouched college-aged boy visibly rolls his eyes while he taps on his smartphone, not even glancing at Buddy Holly’s suit. Offended by her child’s disinterest, the woman begins the cliched “(Insert classic rock band here) is 10 times better than (insert modern rock band here)” argument with her kid. And they aren’t the only family here having that argument.

Looking around, the crowd is

split 50-50 by age; at least half of the crowd (and it is crowded) in the museum is under 25, while the other half is older. However, when counting the number of people on their phones, taking selfies, pacing through hallways of artifacts without so much as glancing at them, the ratio shifts. Nearly all of the people actually engaged in the museum’s exhibits are at least 40, while their younger counterparts tap their feet at the end of the hallway.

Par for the course in this digital age, we wonder?

A reasonable assumption to make would be these younger kids just aren’t interested in music the way their parents are, and that the Rock Hall is just like any other musty museum guardians drag children to. But anyone who made that assumption would be wrong. In fact, most of the high-school-to-collegeaged kids in the room are literally wearing their support for the music industry on their sleeves. I spotted eight Misfits tees alone.

“If anything, kids are more into music than we were,” says Mark Check, the Hall’s vice president of technology. (He’s middle-aged, for anyone wondering.) “They have access to so much more, and they

pick everything up so much more quickly.” His daughter, 13, listens to One Direction and buries her face in her phone.

Back at the exhibits, a boy, about 19, sits by himself on a bench in the main lobby, a black Muse tee clinging to his back. His jeans are tight and ripped. Same can be said for the Converse on his feet. He’s exactly the kind of person you’d expect to be drooling over Slash’s leather jacket or the Talking Heads’ stage outfits. Instead, the only view he’s getting is of his iPhone’s screen, and if he looked up, a blank white wall.

The Rock Hall is infested, its belly filled with vibrating pieces of glass and plastic.

“I’ve walked through the Hall and watched how people interact with exhibits,” Check says. “The funniest thing is, and you only see younger people do this, they try to touch the screens.” The screens in question being television monitors stationed in most rooms, screening music videos, interviews or the Spotify playlists set up for each exhibit. “They try to swipe left or right to change the video or tap it to see if it’ll pause.” (It won’t.)

Check was brought into the Hall a month or so ago to bring

the museum into the digital age and feed the infestation, a large reason for that being so that it can better hold the attention of younger audiences.

“A big mentality for a long time was that we were battling with cell phones. Museums try to figure out ways to get people to put them down,” Check says, sitting in his office lined with Pop! Vinyl figures and rainbow party lights. “That’s not the right mentality. We have to work with them, include them in the experience.”

Check talks about his strategy for moving forward with the Hall. He talks about his plans for updating the museum’s website, which is currently a stagnant simpleton of a thing that’s informative but doesn’t keep the attention of a casual browser. He talks about the aforementioned Spotify playlists and the hope to incorporate actual touch screens into more exhibits in the future.

“We have tons of media I’m sorting through. I’m talking terabytes upon terabytes of video.

And a lot of it is exclusive to the Hall. You know, you can’t see it anywhere but here,” he says. “I want to make more of it available, put it up on the website. I want to

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 51

MUSIC develop an app for the museum so that we can incorporate what people are already naturally doing into their experiences.

“They’re already on their phones. They Google something while they’re standing at an exhibit. They’re posting things to Facebook, Instagram. They see an outfit worn in a music video, and they’re looking up the video it was worn in,” Check says of young visitors. “I want to incorporate that into the Rock Hall experience.”

“It’s still social to go to the museum. That’s the aspect we’ll never lose, that phones and computers can’t offer.”

– Mark Check

It’s a brave idea, taking the habits of visitors and encouraging them in the museum, allowing visitors to access the media they see at the museum wherever they go. Of course, having an app or a site that offers streaming at no cost is risky; it eliminates a need to pay for access to the physical museum to see the content displayed there. Plus, even with incorporated technology, kids may still be turned off to exploring the museum’s exhibits beyond the artists they’re already familiar with.

“It’s still social to go to the museum. That’s the aspect we’ll never lose, that phones and computers can’t offer,” Check says.

“We’re still a destination to bring your family or a date.” As far as pushing visitors beyond the music they already know, Check says, “We’re not doing a great job of that at the moment.”

Though it may not be as successful as Check suggests, there’s a strategy already in place to guide guests.

“Bringing them beyond the bands they already follow is what we try to do with the Right Here, Right Now exhibit,” says Karen Herman, vice president of curatorial affairs at the Hall. The exhibit primarily holds clothing worn by modern pop artists on stage or in videos. There are

52

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Fall Out Boy’s “Save Rock and Roll” outfits and Janelle Monae’s trademark oxfords. Along the sides of each glass case is a description of the items and a list of the artist’s influences. “We’re hoping to bring guests beyond that exhibit. A young person sees Bruno Mars’ clothes and then sees he’s influenced by Elvis. Next, he’s heading over to the Elvis exhibit.”

Though clever, the presumption that passing visitors are going to read the fi ne print next to a case might be a leap, especially if those visitors can’t be bothered to look up from a screen. That’s where Check’s strategy comes into play: An app can guide visitors with a notification or pulsing checkpoints on a map, though something like that, Check says, may take anywhere from two to five years to fully develop. In the meantime, Herman says the Rock Hall is drawing crowds with fresh exhibits and events, like the Alternative Press exhibit debuting this month.

The Sonic Session series set at the museum each month, planned by production manager Lisa Vinciquerra, also aims to draw in younger audiences.

“It’s a really fun way to get people excited about the Rock Hall,” Vinciquerra says of her project, hosted on the fi rst floor of the museum. “We get a lot of diverse sounds that come through; we had an EDM show not too long ago. We had Elle King recently.”

Vinciquerra says the venture so far has been a success, fi lling the Hall with younger audiences and luring them into the museum once the concert ends. It’s the smartest strategy currently implemented.

Tickets for the sessions are $5.50, cheap enough for broke college kids to attend. The venue is intimate — the stage is about two feet high — offering a personal experience for passionate young fans. And if anything’s going to pull eyes from a smartphone screen, it’s going to be the stretched strings of an electric guitar and the sweat dripping off the chin of a dancing heartthrob.

“Never Give Up: Alternative Press at 30,” the new AP exhibit, will debut on July 22. The next Sonic Session will be the New Politics concert on July 21; Black Tiger Sex Machine is slated to perform on July 30.

music@clevescene.com t@cleveland_scene

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53

Courtesy of Conqueroo

MUSIC LIVING ON THE EDGE Johnette Napolitano defies singer-songwriter stereotypes

By Jeff Niesel THE L.A.-BASED ALTERNATIVE rock band Concrete Blonde wasn’t hugely popular in the ’80s, but it delivered some pretty compelling music. Its 1989 album Free yielded “God is a Bullet,” a heavy-hitting song about drive-by shootings that landed in rotation on the influential L.A.-based station KROQ. In fact, when the band reunited a few years back, singer Johnette Napolitano was able to see just how far the group’s music had circulated.

“In the old days, you’d make a record and tour it. Now, for the first time, I played them live [first] and saw the responses.

– Johnette Napolitano

“We played China a couple of years ago,” says Napolitano via phone from her Joshua Tree home.

“That is the proudest moment in the almost 30 years of the band. It was amazing. I played Hangzhou and there’s a film of it on my YouTube site. Marco Polo called it the most beautiful city in the world and it is.

We played a festival and had to jump through so many hoops. We get up to play and I don’t know how many thousands of people were there. I thought, ‘How the fuck do they know these songs?’ We did great in South America and Brazil and Peru. We went places nobody else would go.

But everything comes to an end, and it’s time to know when. It was time.”

In the wake of the band’s dissolution, she’s been plenty busy.

She’s published a book, released several solo albums and composed music for a few soundtracks. Her new EP, Naked, features three songs she recorded at her home. A limited release, it’ll only be available on tour dates.

“I couldn’t figure out how to record,” she says. “The only thing I’ve been selling on the road are my

54

books, and I have cool book bags.

People kept asking me for music.

I need to have something for the fans. My producer, who was Leon Russell’s guitarist for a long time and who helps me do mastering, is brilliant and has a state-of-the-art mobile unit. It’s hard for me to get away for any length of time. I can go into L.A. for a day or two, but I need to get home. He brought the mobile unit and we put microphones in my house and slammed them out. It wasn’t that hard to do. He got some great sounds. It’s not just your acoustic chick sitting and warbling out some songs. It has edge. I can’t do anything without edge. The reaction has been really great. I’m humbled and overwhelmed.”

The song “Here” is the oldest of the “new” songs. Napolitano says she’s played it for a few years now in live sets.

“I had recorded a version I wasn’t all that happy with,” she says. “In the old days, you’d make a record and tour it. Now, for the first time, I played them live [first] and saw the responses. It amazed me that people know the words when I haven’t put the song out. I like the format.”

She wrote “Memory Go,” a track that has a hazy, Lou Reed quality to it, when she was sick in bed for a week and couldn’t do anything much more than sit up in bed and play guitar.

“I was so sick,” she says. “I had the mother of all flus. I never get sick but because I was touring so much and in planes so much, I picked something up. Everyone

Johnette Napolitano seizes the day.

favorite Salvador Dali painting, is intense and to fight the persistence of memory is intense. It’s like chanting in a way. I’m not a big bridge writer.

I sat down and knocked down the

JOHNETTE NAPOLITANO, LAURIE SARGENT 8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, MUSIC BOX SUPPER CLUB, 1148 MAIN AVE., 216-242-1250. TICKETS: $22 ADV, $25 DOS, MUSICBOXCLE.COM

here got it and it went straight to your throat. I was hydrating and eating garlic soup. I picked up a guitar. That’s what it’s there for. You can’t lay in bed and think too much or you lose your mind. That came out. I’m amazed that I do like it. It’s such a strange persistent lyric. The Persistence of Memory, which is my

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

bridge in a voice memo.”

Napolitano has seen many of her friends pass away — the Concrete Blonde ballad “Joey” is about a rock ’n’ roll friend who died of liver failure. She says the music keeps her going.

“I must do it for them,” she says.

“If they were still here, they would

be grabbing a guitar and wanting to seize the day. What gave me the fire in the early days wasn’t living my life conventionally. I never have done that. I think, ‘What would my dad tell me to do?’ He would tell me to do whatever I want. I can’t tell you how much carnage I’ve seen on the highway. When you’re the first one to come up on someone bleeding his last on the highway, you don’t fucking forget it. Never mind that ‘first day of your life’ crap. Think of it as the last day of your life. I have a good friend who was my great mechanic. He would tell me, ‘Find something you like to do and do it every day.’ We lose that so easily.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

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Courtesy of Rock Ridge Music

MUSIC HE WALKS THE LINE Singer-songwriter Ike Reilly draws from the past but looks to the future

By Jeff Niesel VETERAN SINGER-SONGWRITER Ike Reilly has said he thinks his new album, Born on Fire, sounds like it could have been made “somewhere between the mid-’60s and the early 2050s.” It’s a strange description but also somehow appropriate as the album of crisp power pop tunes sounds both retro and contemporary.

“There are bands like Pearl Jam: You listen to them and you know when that music was made,” says Reilly via phone from his Libertyville, Illinois, garage. “Even when they play now, it sounds like [their music] was made in the ’90s.

Without being a Stray Cats band, which I love, I was trying to walk the line. I was happy we found that place that the songs can only be judged on the songs and not on any movement or genre. Sonically and musically, hopefully it will transcend this specific time.”

He says songs such as the waltzlike piano ballad “Underneath the Moon” could have been written “any time.” And “Do the Death Slide!” has a ’50s sound but “nobody was writing about death then,” so it also defies time and place.

The album is a joint release between Rock Ridge Music and Tom Morello’s new label Firebrand Records. (Incidentally, both musicians hail from Libertyville, and the two have even toured together when Morello, the guitarist in hard rocking bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, has taken his folkinspired Nightwatchman project on the road.) The album is Reilly’s first release, and his longtime friend and Assassination guitarist Phil Karnats (Secret Machines, Polyphonic Spree) worked with Reilly and the band on production.

While he might not be a household name, Reilly is a real veteran who started playing in bands in the Chicago area in the late

56

Ike Reilly, captured at sunset.

’90s. He signed with a major record label in 2001 and issued Salesmen and Racists on Universal Records, but that deal was short-lived.

“It was cool,” he says of the experience. “It came from nowhere. I had a big record deal. I had a record come out. I got dropped and didn’t have to give any money back. It

“It was about me as a broke, failing musician scraping to get by,” he says. “There were other characters in the story too. It was real cinematic and dark. It was funny and poignant, and I thought we would go right on the air. They chose something else. They had us in the reality world, but it wasn’t

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was great. I was 37 or 38 when I got signed to a major label after coming from obscurity. Even though I was mature in some ways, I didn’t know anything about what I was doing.

I don’t think I was a very good performer then either. I have no regrets about any of that. It changed my life in that I was able to put out six records since then.”

Born on Fire, the follow-up to 2009’s Hard Luck Stories, had a particularly long gestation period, but Reilly was plenty busy between albums. He was working on turning his Where Is My Goddamn Medicine podcast into a show for AMC. He wrote the show and “shot a bunch of stuff,” but the program never aired.

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

reality. It was shot like that but we didn’t cut away and talk about ourselves. It was all scenes. The upshot was that it did take my time.

I had songs recorded, and the hard drive crashed. That went away.

That slowed things down. It wasn’t like I stopped writing. We were still playing a handful of shows though it would be like [finding] a cockfight trying to see us. It was disappointing because you hate to work on something that takes you away from something else you like and have it not pay off. It had all our music in it too.”

One constant through the years has been Reilly’s incredible band, the Assassinations. He calls them

“the most incredible musicians,” and they certainly make the live shows into raucous affairs.

“It’s hard to find that combination of musicianship and improvisational balls,” says Reilly. “I’ve been lucky enough to be around it but I couldn’t make these songs come to life without these guys. I have a super creative guitar player and an unbelievable rhythm section. To be able to eke along financially and keep a band together is a testament to their loyalty and good taste.”

Despite the long time between albums, Reilly says his creativity is at an all-time high.

“The one thing that is kind of cool about never being viewed as successful is that no one can ever say, ‘He’s gone downhill,’” he says.

“People have tattooed song titles of mine on their bodies. I think that’s incredible. That kind of thing is cool. I feel really great about this record. I have no doubt about following it up with another great record and another great record. I wouldn’t put anything out if it was going to shame the family.”

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 57

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

LIVEWIRE

all the live music you should see this week

Photo by Joe Kleon

Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Appleseed Collective (in the Supper Club): 8:30 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club.

Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Chris Black/Jamil/Powernapz/ Fanaticus: 8 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern.

DJ Drama Presents Real Cleveland Stick Together: 9 p.m., $15. Grog Shop.

Chris Hatton’s Musical Circus (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Rebekah Jean/Annette Keys: 8 p.m.

Barking Spider Tavern.

Roots Rock with Cats on Holiday: 5 p.m. Music Box Supper Club.

Curtis Taylor: 8 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+.

FRI

Dave Matthews, performing at Blossom last summer.

See: Wednesday.

WED

07/08

Dave Matthews Band: DMB lands in Northeast Ohio tonight in the midst of a typically extensive U.S. summer tour. While the band has debuted a few new tunes over the past several months, they’re mostly riding high on legacy and canon at this point. 2012’s Away from the World is still holding up as a great “most recent album,” with tunes like “Belly Belly Nice” and “The Riff” making nice splashes at shows over the last three years.

Last year’s show featured a few sit-ins from Bela Fleck (that banjo work on “Spaceman” was sly stuff) and a really terrific setlist. Dave’s one-off at Blossom each year is sort of an iconic notch in our summers; tonight, we’ll dance once again.

(Eric Sandy), 7 p.m., $40.50-$85.

Blossom.

Modern Ruins/Junestar/Ray Flanagan & the Authorities: If you think garage blues duos are a dime a dozen, you should check out the Modern Ruins. The band featuring Baltimore-based singer-guitarist Andy Bopp and Cleveland-based drummer Ken Schopf has been making music for several years now. Bopp’s band Myracle Brah was even signed to a label for a minute and Mojo magazine called one of their albums “one of the best guitar-pop records of the last 10 years.” Bleeding Party, the latest Modern Ruins album, is another

fine offering that shows off the band’s range. (Jeff Niesel), 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Muscle Shoals Music Revue Featuring Amy Black and Sarah Borges/Rebekah Jean: As a nod to the musically legendary Alabama style made famous by the Swampers, R&B artist Amy Black hits the road this summer to play selections from the Muscle Shoals Sessions. Supported by some of the finest jazz-rock and blues performers, Black puts a modern twist on the work of the classic soul queens of the 1960s. Through her Muscle Shoals performances of hits by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James and the Rolling Stones, Black plans to create an environment of “music people can feel to, dance to, and sing along with.” (Dana Hetrick), 8 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

Radkey/Three Witches/Who Hit Me?: The punk group Radkey has taken the festival scene by storm with appearances at Coachella, SXSW and Riot Fest. This time around, Radkey plays as the main event with support from fellow punk rockers Three Witches, and Who Hit Me? With a fascinating combination of Smiths-like vocals and catchy stadium chants, Radkey gets audiences on their feet with fists in the air. The raw punk style of Radkey’s music translates flawlessly into their high-energy live show. (Hetrick), $6 ADV, $8 DOS. Grog Shop.

Johnette Napolitano CD Release/ Laurie Sargent: 8 p.m., $22 ADV, $25 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.

10 X 3 Hosted by Brent Kirby (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Boy = Girl/John McGrail/Neo Camerata: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

Slaughter & the Dogs/Mexican Coke/Eel/Swirly in the Fryer: 8 p.m., $10. Now That’s Class.

THUR

07/09

Kenny Chesney: The Big Revival Tour/Jake Owen/Chase Rice: Shortly before country singer Kenny Chesney takes the stage, he often likes to show a lengthy video montage/Corona ad that sets the tone for the show. You’ll see Chesney sitting in the hot tub with his shirt off. You’ll see him playing volleyball on the beach.

You’ll see him sitting on a boat.

The clip reinforces the obvious — Chesney is all about summer and its trappings. He’s to country music as Jimmy Buffett is to rock ’n’ roll.

For tonight’s show at the Q, expect to hear songs from last year’s chart-topping studio effort The Big Revival. It’s Chesney’s fifteenth studio album and it’s delivered hit after hit. (Niesel), 7 p.m., $35-$79.

Quicken Loans Arena.

1%er/Moltar/Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class.

28 North: 8:30 p.m., Free.

07/10

Contra/Old Growth/Sea/ Sparrowmilk: 9 p.m., $5. The Euclid Tavern.

The Cynics/The Monday Sound/ Wesley Who: 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

Anne E. DeChant/Rock Salt & Nails/ George Foley & Friends: 5:30 p.m.

Barking Spider Tavern.

Drivers Ed/Wolf Teeth/Anxieties: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. The Echoes Jazz Quartet: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown.

Dominick Farinacci: 7 p.m., $20. BLU Jazz+.

George Foley: 10:30 p.m., free.

Nighttown.

Into the Blue: Grateful Dead Revival Night: 9 p.m., $12. Beachland Ballroom.

Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band: 8 p.m., $25-$45. Hard Rock Rocksino.

Ottawa’s Roman Candle Release and Tour Kickoff: 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Pop Evil/Red Sun Rising: 7 p.m., $20 ADV, $24 DOS. Agora.

The Ike Reilly Assassination: 8 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.

Slow to Speak/Narrow/Arrow/ Seeress/Ledges/Persons/Places/ Things: 7:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Grog Shop.

Slugga/Nurse/Cruelster/Vanilla Poppers: 9 p.m., $5. [edit secondary] 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class.

Jeff Varga (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m.

Brothers Lounge.

The Whipping Post: 9:30 p.m., $5.

Brothers Lounge.

World Beats with DJ Neil Chastain: 5 p.m., Free. Music Box Supper Club.

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 59

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07/11

EZTV/Jivviden/Terrain: Sixties pop and college rock come together in the music of EZTV. Still largely undiscovered, they offer a refreshing new sound on the indie pop radar of today. Beachy instrumentals and soft vocals come together to create something like a new age Beach Boys with a soft rock twist. Their debut Calling Out includes “Dust in the Sky” and “The Light,” both dreamy songs with So-Cal vibes. Chiming guitars and wistful vocals will leave you swaying with the music. (Hannah Wintucky), 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

King Chip/M. Stacks: Formerly known as Chip tha Ripper, Cleveland native King Chip is best known for his collaborations with Kid Cudi. Chip’s music is full of smooth beats, bumping bass, and spitting vocals. His most recent mixtape 44108 features tracks like “Old English,” a collab with Cudi, and “7 AM on St. Clair,” an ode to his life growing up in East Cleveland. High energy rhymes and dirty, bass-filled beats are elements of his Cleveland based music. (Wintucky), 6 p.m., $17 ADV, $22 DOS. Agora.

The Fabulous Booze Brothers (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Forecast: 8:30 p.m., $15. Nighttown.

Green Escalators/Birthday Noose/ Space Funeral: 9 p.m., Free. The Euclid Tavern.

Lucas Kadish Spearhead Quintet: 8 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+.

Album/Wild Wings: 9 p.m., $5.

Happy Dog. Black Bottom Lighters/The Steps2change/Huckleberry Hottle: 9:30 p.m., $7 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Boy in Love/Chachi on Acid/Mr. California: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class.

Rachel Brown & the Beatnik Playboys/Midnight Trail Band: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

Evil Ways: 9:30 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge.

Extra Secret East Side Summer Soul Club with the Tough Turf Psych Surf Sounds of Ma Holos: 8 p.m., Free. Grog Shop.

Late Night Jazz Jam with Theron Brown: 11 p.m., Free. BLU Jazz+.

Outlaws I & I (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club.

Restless Habs/Jean Jammers/Tinko:

9 p.m., Free. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Truslow/Pipe Dream/Newshoes/ Cascades: 7:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free.

Nighttown.

Yacht Rock with Chris Hatton: 3 p.m., Free. Music Box Supper Club.

SUN

07/12

Southern Hospitality Blues Band: With an eclectic mix of traditional blues and soul, Southern Hospitality Blues Band has received praise and acclaim for its music. Emotional, gritty vocals mix together to create passionate blues music. Their most recent album, Easy Livin’, features songs like “Kind Lies & Whiskey,” a 12-bar blues melody with mournful vocals, and “Don’t Feel Like Going There Today,” a blues-reggae mix with memorable vocals. Keyboardist and vocalist Victor Wainwright belts his heart out on most of the tracks and gives SOHO’s music lots of soul.

(Wintucky), 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.

Summerland 2015 with Everclear/ Fuel/Toadies/American HiFi: Now and again -- and more often, it seems, these days -- we all sort of need a shot of 90s alt-rock in our arms. There was something uniquely creative and innocent and guilty about the chart-topping anthems from that decade. This year’s tour brings together Everclear (the creators of the annual tour), Fuel, Toadies, and American Hi-Fi. So Much for the Afterglow remains an iconic footprint of U.S. rock ‘n’ roll in 1997, from its harmonized intro to Art Alexakis’ chugging power chords (“This is a song about Susan…”).

Tonight, as in summers past and summers future, Everclear and their pals deliver the goods -building a sonic time machine for those who lived the 90s and those who relish how great that music was. It’s hard not to come down in favor of a night of beers and 90s alternative hits. (Sandy), 5:30 p.m., $31 ADV, $37.50 DOS. Agora.

Mike Petrone (in the Wine Bar): 5:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Chris Cresswell/Ian Graham/House of Wills: 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern.

Electric Citizen/Mondodrag/Slow Season: 10 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Grog Shop.

Fireside (in the Supper Club): 7:30 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club.

Fistula/Foul Spirits/Ton/Ire: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class.

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| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

Good Old War (in the Cambridge Room): 8 p.m., $15. House of Blues.

Irish Sundays Featuring the Portersharks: 3 p.m., Free. Music Box Supper Club.

Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun/Lost State of Franklin: 8 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Night Owls: 3 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

Juliana Tabor/Echo Canyon Players: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

Tymphanic Panic: 3 p.m. Now That’s Class.

MON

07/13

Hinder: The mid 2000s are back with the music of Hinder. With memorable hits like “Lips of an Angel,” “Better than Me” and “Get Stoned,” they’re sure to put on a show to bring you back to your college and high school days.

Gritty, raw vocals mix with simple yet effective instrumentals. But with a new lead vocalist and new album out, the Hinder you knew and loved may not be exactly what it was before. Their new album When The Smoke Clears has a more pop/rock/country sound compared to past albums. Songs like “Rather Hate Than Hurt” and “Hit the Ground” have country like instrumentals and simple lyrics reminiscent of ‘80s rock.

(Wintucky), 7 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Agora.

Surfer Blood: At the intersection of surfer rock and psychedelia lies Surfer Blood, a Florida band that’s hit a nice stride since its 2009 debut. Through the years, they’ve developed a slacker sort of vibe -- but one accompanied by a certain lyrical wisdom that has only matured (rapidly) over the band’s three albums. The band’s latest single, “I Can’t Explain,” is another summery trip through laid-back, reverb-drenched verses and anthemic choruses. It was the first cut released off the new album, 1,000 Palms, released back in May. Album opener “Grand Inquisitor” piles wicked lead guitar over crunchy chords, and approaches 311-style songwriting at certain points -- and the break that comes a minute-and-a-half in is just terrific. There’s a lot to dig into on this new one. (Sandy), 8:30 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

Twin Sister/Moon King/Sammy Slims: Chill wave and indie pop mix in the music of Twin Sister,

a band that plays Portisheadlike trip-hop. Spacey beats and subdued, easygoing vocals make for unique and haunting songs.

The band’s most recent studio album, Mr Twin Sister, features chill, yet danceable music. Their most popular song “Blush” thrives on sultry, jazz club-like vocals and electric beats. (Wintucky), 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Billy Copley Drum Solo: 8 p.m., Free. Brothers Lounge.

First Five Featuring Tom First with Ki Allen: 8 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge.

Jungle Rot/Limsplitter/Cringe/ Mercury Lake: 8 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Now That’s Class.

Ernie Krivda & the Jazz Workshop/ Amanda Walsh and G.B.: 9 p.m.

Barking Spider Tavern.

Sister Sin/Shattered Sun/Alathia: 7 p.m., $10. Agora Ballroom.

Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

TUE

07/14

Waka Flocka Flame/D.R.A.M.: Rap isn’t what it used to be. Rapping about your family, hardships, and life has now turned into rapping about partying, girls and money. But, it still makes for a great party. Waka Flocka Flame, known in the rap world for his hits “No Hands” and “Go Hard in the Paint,” is a perfect example of how rap has changed. His most recent album, From Roaches to Rollies, features songs like “Ice Cream Cone” and “Rich Gang,” both odes to parties, guns, drugs and having fun. Waka Flocka may not be the best rapper, but concerts are full of high energy, lots of dancing, and exploding 808 synthesizers. (Wintucky), 6 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. Agora.

2 Set Tuesday with Blue Monsoon: 7 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Avin Loki Baird/Gene’s Jazz Hot: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.

Carsie Blanton/Milton: 8:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

Lazy Ass Destroyer/Meanderthal: 10 p.m., Free. Now That’s Class.

Huey Lewis and the News: 8 p.m., $48-$68. Packard Music Hall.

Move Live on Tour Featuring Julianne & Derek Hough: 8 p.m., $32.50-$85. Jacobs Pavilion.

Penguin Prison/Great Good Fine Okay/The Sleeps: 8:30 p.m. Grog Shop.

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By Jeff Niesel MEET THE BAND: Dave Andrews (vocals, guitar), Brian O’Donnell (drums) BACK AFTER A BREAK: The band began when Andrews and O’Donnell reconnected this past Christmas after a nine-year break. They had played together previously in the local group the Interstellar Electric Band, but that band wasn’t particularly active. “We didn’t do many gigs back then,” Andrews admits. He subsequently released two solo albums, but the new album, Throes, is the first to feature O’Donnell. “We created a very unique sound because we combined his jazz fusion drums with my acoustic guitar and I used a lot of reverb and delays,” says Andrews. “We had a really fun sound and a good chemistry between us.”

DRUM AND BASS: The new disc features what Andrews describes as “overdriven, tuneddown acoustic guitar paired with jazz fusion-style drums.” It sounds like electronic music, but unlike most drum ’n’ bass, it’s all organic.

“It’s a mostly darker record with chilled out vocals/lyrics and a jam in most of the tunes,” says Andrews.

“Essentially, I try to fill up the space with my acoustic. I play the finger style method. The aim is to make it psychedelic, not in the hippie sense but more in the garage rock sense.”

WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THEM: daveferatu.bandcamp.com

64

| clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015

WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: About half the album was recorded

by James Kananaan at Bad Racket.

The other half was handled by Jim Wirt at Crushtone. It was mastered

by Incidental Sound. “Everything went really well in the studio,” says Andrews. “We were able to pound out more material than we thought we would. I love the way James was able to mix it. I wanted to get the sound of Temples, this English band that has a big sound with a blown-out mix. We modeled it after what we were hearing on that record. I was shooting for loudness over dynamics.

We had a good experience.” The album’s opening tune, “Falling Down in the Dark,” sets the tone. It features hushed vocals and brittle acoustic guitar. “It’s moody,” Andrews admits of the album’s dark tone. “That comes from me because I’ve been battling with mental issues. I want to keep my family together and that’s been a struggle but we’re doing it. The music reflects the ups and downs of family life and trying to maintain relationships. I had a challenging childhood in Medina down by the banks of the Rocky River, and my mother and father abandoned me.”

WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: Daveferatu performs with Acid Cats and Big Black Galactic at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 10, at Iggy’s in Lakewood.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

magazine | clevescene.com | July 8 - 14, 2015 65

C-NOTES local music news Photo courtesy of Michael J. Media

Local singer-songwriter Roger Hoover has been “rebuilding.”

ROGER THAT SINGER-SONGWRITER ROGER Hoover has been a fixture on the local scene for at least the past decade. Now, he’s announced a residency at Kent’s Venice Café. He’ll perform at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from July 14 through August 25.

“Kent has always been a calming place for me,” says Hoover in a press release. “I first came to Kent when I was 15. I used to watch Patrick Sweany, Andy Cohen and Mike Lenz perform and would glean everything I could from them. I moved away from Kent in 2001, toured for a few years with the Whiskeyhounds and Magpies, had moderate success, and moved back to Kent in 2011.

I have played only a handful of shows since then. I have been in a mode of rebuilding, in music and my personal life. I have been able to look back on my early musical years with more wisdom, gratitude and humbleness. I’m moving forward with a renewed sense of place and creative purpose.”

Hoover already curates the jukebox at the Venice Café, so it makes sense that he’d pick the place for his residency.

“Roger is an unheralded, highlyrespected songwriter that settled down and quit touring. But he’s back with a vigor and direction that I’ve never seen from him,” says Vince Cafe owner Mike Beder. “He has been one of Ohio’s best-kept secrets and hasn’t performed much in the past few years. When we heard he was working on new material we felt like the Venice would be a perfect venue for him to perform at.”

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Prior to the start of the residency, Hoover opened for singer-songwriter Charlie Parr on July 7 at the Beachland Ballroom. Hoover is currently working on a new album, so you can expect to hear some new tunes at the shows in Kent.

“I’m writing songs that reflect the best and worst parts of the human experience,” he says. “I’ll be performing those songs — and others — at the Venice.” — Jeff Niesel

CALLING ALL BANDS WRUW-FM 91.1 WANTS LOCAL/ regional bands and musicians! for the 34th annual Studio-A-Rama festival in September at Case Western Reserve University. One of the oldest running festivals in Cleveland, the Studio-A-Rama gives musicians and bands an opportunity to increase the exposure for their music and contribute to the Cleveland music scene even if the festival attendees are broke college kids who won’t buy your records but will post pictures of you on their Instagram. Publicity is publicity, right? The deadline for submissions is July 12. Send in a sample of at least three songs, a band bio with lineup, photo, contact information and website to WRUW-FM, Attention: Studio-A-Rama, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland OH. WRUW will also accept electronic submissions at studioarama@wruw.org. — Tyler Singleton

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SAVAGE LOVE DISUNION

By Dan Savage

Dear Dan, I entered into a civil union with another woman in Vermont in 2000. My ex and I were together until 2003, when we decided to go our separate ways. It is now 2015, and my new partner (who happens to be male) and I are expecting a baby and talking about getting married. We live in Texas. I know that there are ways to dissolve my civil union in Vermont, but I can’t get ahold of my ex (ex-wife? Ex-CUer?) to sign any of the forms. Neither do I want to, because frankly it was an abusive relationship and I still bear emotional scars. I feel I have finally found peace, but now that it has become an issue again, I don’t know.

I have intense thoughts of wanting to kill her if I should ever see her. Thank goodness she lives in another state! Is there a way to dissolve my civil union without having to directly contact my ex?

— Undoing Niggling Compact In Vermont Isn’t Legally Uncomplicated Vermont played a groundbreaking role in the fight for marriage equality in the United States. (Spoiler alert: We won the fight on June 26, 2015.) A little history …

Way, way back in 1999, before samesex marriage was legal anywhere in the United States, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to the same “benefits and protections” as opposite-sex couples.

Vermont’s highest court ordered the state legislature to come up with a solution.

Instead of allowing same-sex couples to marry — a simpler fix legislatively but a more explosive one politically — in 2000, Vermont’s lawmakers created a separate-but-equal compromise, aka “civil unions.” (One of the chief ironies of the fight for marriage equality: listening to the same people who violently opposed civil unions in 2000 bitterly complain that “unreasonable” marriage-equality supporters wouldn’t settle for civil unions — a “compromise” opponents of equality got behind only after it became clear that we were going to win marriage.) Full marriage equality came to Vermont in 2009, making it the fourth U.S. state to allow same-sex couples to wed.

So what became of your civil union after 2009, UNCIVILU? Did it become a marriage after same-sex marriage became legal in Vermont, like domestic partnerships did in Washington State?

“Our marriage law didn’t automatically convert CUs to marriages,” said Elizabeth Kruska, an attorney in

Vermont who handles family law. “And although civil unions were (and are) legal in Vermont, other states did not have to recognize them as legal unions.

That’s where UNCIVILU has a problem.

Her civil union is still legal and on the books here in Vermont. Now, I’m pretty sure Texas didn’t recognize civil unions — I’m not a lawyer in Texas, so I don’t know for sure, but I am a human being with functional brain cells who lives in the United States, so I think it’s probably fair to say.”

So if Texas doesn’t recognize your Vermont civil union, does that mean you’re in the clear? Sadly, no.

“There is an interesting case from Massachusetts that hit this same issue square on the head,” said Kruska. “A couple got a civil union in Vermont, the parties then separated, and one of the people got married to a different person in Massachusetts. The court in Massachusetts said that the civil union invalidated the subsequent Massachusetts marriage.”

Even if Texas doesn’t recognize your Vermont civil union — and it probably wouldn’t — Vermont would recognize your Texas marriage.

“That would create a situation where the letter writer, at least in one state, would have two legal spouses,” said Kruska. “And that’s not legal. So the smartest thing for UNCIVILU to do is to dissolve her Vermont civil union.

The last thing she wants is to try to get married to the new person and for the marriage later to be found void because she had this other union out there.”

Kruska suggested that you contact legal service organizations in Vermont to find a lawyer who can help you.

And if you don’t want to contact your ex, or if your ex won’t respond to you, she recommended that you file for a dissolution and let the court serve your former partner.

“UNCIVILU and her ex may both be able to participate in the hearings by telephone, since they live in other states and it would be burdensome for them to travel back to Vermont,” said Kruska, “and as an added bonus, UNCIVILU wouldn’t have to see her ex in person.”

Elizabeth Kruska works at rivercitylawyers.com in White River Junction, Vermont, and blogs about legal issues at scovlegal.blogspot.com.

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