Scene August 25, 2021

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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CONTENTS

AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 • VOL. 52 NO 04 Upfront .......................................7 Feature ..................................... 12 Get Out ..................................... 16 Arts .......................................... 19 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Andrew Zelman Editor Vince Grzegorek Editorial Music Editor Jeff Niesel Senior Writer Sam Allard Staff Writer Brett Zelman Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Visual Arts Writer Shawn Mishak Stage Editor Christine Howey Editorial Intern Emma Sedlak Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Creative Services Production Manager Haimanti Germain Editorial Layout Evan Sult Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace

Eat ............................................ 21 Music ........................................24 Savage Love .............................. 26

REWIND: i989 Euclid Media Group Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP Digital Services Stacy Volhein Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising Voice Media Group 1-800-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com Cleveland Scene 737 Bolivar Rd., #4100 Cleveland, OH 44115 www.clevescene.com Phone 216-505-8199 E-mail scene @clevescene.com Cleveland Scene Magazine is published every other week by Euclid Media Group.

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The Rolling Stones graced the Scene cover in 1989. Drummer Charlie Watts died this week at the age of 80.

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UPFRONT CLEVELAND CONCERT VENUES ANNOUNCE MANDATORY VAX POLICY MORE THAN A DOZEN REGIONAL music clubs and theaters including the Agora, the Beachland, the Bop Stop, Grog Shop, Happy Dog, Jilly’s Music Room, Mahall’s, Music Box, Musica, the Nightlight, the Rialto Theatre, Westside Bowl and the Winchester, have jointly decided to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests for entry into their venues.

“Many national touring bands are now requiring that venues have a policy of only vaccinated staff members on site during their show and that patrons also prove they have been vaccinated or are COVID negative,” says Beachland Ballroom & Tavern co-owner Cindy Barber in a press release. “And some may still require masks, but this policy may help keep our schedules mostly intact. As Northeast Ohio venues, we all want to have the same base policy so our fans can understand and feel protected when they come out to support live music.”

The new policy will be in full effect no later than Tuesday, Sept.

7. Patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test within 48 hours of entry at venues throughout Northeast Ohio. These restrictions will remain in place indefinitely and are subject to change with current public health conditions and as guidance is reevaluated.

“As regional venue owners and operators, we are united in prioritizing the health and safety of our patrons, staff, artists — and our businesses,” says Jilly’s Music Room owner Jill Bacon Madden.

“We were thrilled to reopen and invite people to gather and celebrate live music, performances, and film again. The rise in COVID cases coupled with vaccine hesitancy is a threat to the live entertainment economy. We are committed to taking positive action to get through and rise above it.”

Happy Dog co-owner Sean Watterson agrees with Madden.

“Venues locally and across the country just re-opened after over a year of being closed due to COVID safety concern,” he says. “We need to do what we can to operate safely and realize these are imperfect solutions to problems that are largely

Owners of local clubs outside the Happy Dog.

out of our control. We are working with local partners on solutions to continually improve safety for audiences, performers and staff, and we recognize that, as conditions change, we will need to adapt and adjust our efforts.”

Acceptable documentation may be a physical or digital copy of a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or other proof as permitted locally that can be matched with a Driver’s License or State ID. A test result must be in the form of written documentation. Guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks regardless of vaccination status except while actively eating and drinking.

The Agora, owned by AEG Presents, will accept negative Covid tests through Oct. 1, but only vaccinations afterward. -Jeff Niesel

Emanuel Wallace

Former Mobster who Scammed Flats East Bank with Phony Restaurants Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Frank Capri, a former mobster turned government witness turned developer who scammed the East Bank of the Flats with Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts-branded restaurants that never opened, pleaded guilty last week in Arizona to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion.

Capri’s scheme, which began in 2011 and continued through 2015 both in Cleveland and around the country, involved inflating revenue projections for the planned restaurants to convince developers to increase tenant improvement funds for the properties. Capri’s company would then reduce actual construction costs — including

creating fake contractors, acting as their own contractor, creating false documents, submitting fake invoices — to pocket the difference between the developer’s outlay and their costs.

Twenty to 40 franchises were sold to developers, but most never opened after lengthy, intentional construction delays. Capri’s company (Boomtown) failed to pay taxes, racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liens and faced some $30 million in lawsuits. (That number had climbed to $65 million in judgments by 2017.)

The Feds say between 2011 and 2015, Capri collected some $12.9 million for Toby Keith restaurants that never sold a thing. Meanwhile, Capri transferred millions from Boomtown’s bank account to his personal one, spent at least $2.7 million of the illegal funds on jewelry alone, and underreported his income

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UPFRONT to the IRS by more than $3 million over the course of three years.

Once he’d taken the developers for all he could with Toby Keith’s restaurant, Capri went back to the well after securing another deal to open Rascal Flatts-branded bars and restaurants around the country, deploying a similar scheme, and in many cases, deploying it on the same developers he had just bilked.

Cleveland was one of those cases, as the East Bank announced in 2016 it would be welcoming the Rascal Flatts Bar and Grill.

Because Capri hid his ties to the new company so well, few were any the wiser, and Capri managed to collect more than $5 million in tenant improvement funds for developers for another batch of restaurants that once again never opened.

The developers of the East Bank of the Flats eventually found out they were dealing with Capri again when a man named Ray Rostho, who owned an Arizona construction company and who was hired by Capri to front the Rascal Flatts project here and in other cities, told them at one point that they really ought to just talk to Frank Capri if they had concerns, because it was his project.

“I said, ‘You’re going to have to call Frank Capri,’” Roshto told the Arizona Republic. “He was totally surprised. He shouted out, ‘Frank Capri!’ Then he said it again: ‘Frank Capri.’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’”

He was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2020 on 16 charges. He pleaded guilty to two of them last week.

Capri faces up to five years in prison and three years of supervised release after. He’ll be sentenced in January 2022. -Vince Grzegorek

City Council Votes, at Last, to Allow Public Comment at Meetings Cleveland City Council formally voted last week to amend its rules and allow public comment at its Monday meetings. The two minor amendments are little more than tweaks to existing language, but a framework is now in place. Council expects to begin allowing comment at its Sept. 20th meeting.

The first change says that “in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Clerk of Council, any person may

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Council President Kevin Kelley.

be heard during that portion of a regular meeting set aside for public comment.” The second change sets aside that portion, a regular slot in the meetings’ order of business.

Activists from Clevelanders for Public Comment (CPC) were incensed when they saw a draft of the language, stunned that Council President Kevin Kelley had taken months to move on what amounted to little more than line edits.

But Council sent out a press release later with additional details on the procedures themselves.

Though these procedures have not been finalized, they contain many of the provisions that CPC was agitating for from the beginning.

According to the release, Clerk Pat Britt’s procedures will allow anyone to register to make a comment — not just Cleveland residents — and allow commenters to speak on any topic, not just those related to agenda items. Registration can be completed online, by paper form or by phone and must be submitted before 2 p.m. on the day of the council meeting. The first 10 registrants will be granted speaking time, a maximum of three minutes each.

All that is indeed aligned with what CPC had proposed, but organizers say the council vote is still a head scratcher.

“It’s strange that they’re not voting on these procedures,” Jessica Trivisonno, who drafted the ordinance and rule change that Clevelanders for Public Comment proposed, told Scene. “They’re voting on the Clerk being allowed to create procedures. It’s not clear

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Sam Allard

to me how those procedures are created, how they can change over time, and whether she even has to come before council if they are to change in the future.” (Before the council vote, Ward 3 councilman Kerry McCormack introduced an amendment, drafted by CPC, that would give council oversight over the clerk’s rules.)

The second problem CPC identified is that the procedures don’t apply to committee meetings. As before, those who wish to comment at committee meetings must make a request to the committee chair, and it’s up to the committee chair whether or not to approve or deny the request.

“Tony Brancatelli and Kevin Kelley have said again and again that they already have public comment at committee meetings, and that’s really where the work of council gets done,” Trivisonno said.

“Yet they’ve made no effort to make that process clearer through this legislation — it’s not legislation — through whatever this is.”

Nora Kelley, another one of CPC’s organizers, echoed Trivisonno’s complaints in comments to Scene.

“The first issue is that they’re essentially punting to the unelected Clerk of Council,” she said. “And there’s no guarantee that these rules won’t be modified. The second is the committee meetings. From a drafting standpoint, the rule is somewhat sloppy and may open the city up to exposure by making public comment at the discretion of the committee chair. There’s no basis for them to accept or deny public comment. Like what criteria are they using?”

The fear, of course, is that committee chairs will simply deny the requests of comments or commenters they don’t like.

“From our perspective, this should be a straightforward, easy process, and virtually every other city already has it in place,” Nora Kelley said. “The fact that it’s taking months to develop is concerning.

They kept saying that this isn’t like turning on a light switch, except for it is.”

But the vote last week was nevertheless regarded as a significant step forward by council members who had supported the legislation from the start and by activists who’d done the lion’s share of the work.

“This is a huge win for democracy, but the fight for residents to comment at city council committee meetings has really just begun,” said Michelle Jackson, a member of CPC, in a press release. “Policy-making happens in the committees and that is where the voice of the public can have the most impact. But we now have the model for how to fight city hall and win!”

-Sam Allard

Former Mayor Mike White Endorses Justin Bibb for Mayor Having not campaigned for anything or anyone since 1997, former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White enthusiastically endorsed 34-year-old nonprofit executive Justin Bibb for mayor Wednesday morning.

Michael White became mayor at age 37 and served three terms from 1990 to 2001. For the past

FEATURE UPFRONT twenty years, he has been largely absent from public life, devoting his energies to an alpaca farm and winery in Newcomerstown, Ohio.

In 2017, though, he coordinated a last-minute Super PAC with regional big-ticket financiers Al Ratner, Fred Nance and Dominic Ozanne to guarantee Frank Jackson’s victory against Zack Reed.

Wednesday, in remarks delivered at Bibb’s childhood home on the Southeast side, White said that Bibb was “worthy and ready” for the job he once held, and he rebuffed those who criticized Bibb for his youth and lack of political experience.

“I’ve heard all the chatter,” White said. “’He hasn’t been in politics that long.’ Well, look what politics has got us. Look what business as usual has got us. We don’t need business as usual. We need a new day in Cleveland. We need more, we need it faster, and we need it to happen today.”

White said he made the decision to endorse Bibb for all the neighborhoods of Cleveland and for the people who live there. He described Bibb as the product of his mother’s and grandmother’s wishes and said that he “checked all the boxes” to get where he is today, the same boxes that White himself checked before his mayoral run in 1989, in which he upset then council president George Forbes.

Standing before a crowd that included former GCP President Joe Roman and Forest City Enterprises’ erstwhile Chairman and CEO James Ratner, Bibb said he was honored to accept White’s endorsement.

“When I launched this campaign, they told me I had to wait my turn,” Bibb said, “that I didn’t know how City hall operated. But for the last seven months, we’ve shown this city that we are ready, that we’re not waiting on anybody.”

Hours later, at the West Side Market, candidate Dennis Kucinich was endorsed by former Cleveland area congresswoman and city councilwoman Mary Rose Oakar.

-Sam Allard

“Dennis the Menace” Comic from Anti-Kucinich PAC Is Gift to Kucinich Campaign Last week, a full-color, eight-page comic booklet arrived at the doorsteps of thousands of Cleveland voters.

Paid for by something called the

“Citizens for Change” Political Action Committee, the booklet parodied the “Dennis the Menace” comic strip in its attempts to persuade voters not to vote for Dennis Kucinich in the upcoming Cleveland mayoral primary on Sept. 14.

“Dennis is a menace as mayor,” page two proclaimed. “Dennis is a menace on crime,” the next page announced. “Dennis is a menace in it for himself—not Cleveland.” etc.

The booklet is heavy on text, quoting extensively from media reports that documented the tumult of Kucinich’s first mayoral term, (1978-1979). It highlighted controversies with the police department, the financial fallout of his decision not to sell Muny Light, and his recent appearances on Fox News, among other things.

The Kucinich campaign issued a press release when they learned of the impending publication.

“The anonymous attacks of the secretive ‘Change’ political action committee reveal the true character and motivations of those who contribute and those who benefit from their reprehensible lies and dishonest misrepresentations,” it read. “Tactics such as these should be condemned by every decent, honorable person seeking to be a leader in the city of Cleveland.”

The release noted that the PAC’s tactics were “strikingly similar” to the Friends of Kevin Kelley PAC, which has created the anti-Kucinich website clevelandsworstmayor.com.

They are also similar to the tactics of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, which flooded Northeast Ohio with anti-Nina Turner ads in the leadup to this month’s OH-11 primary.

The Citizens for Change PAC describes itself as a political action committee “dedicated to prevent Dennis Kucinich from becoming Cleveland’s mayor again.” Its financial backers are unknown, but its address is listed as Beachwood, Ohio.

At the most recent mayoral debate Tuesday, Kucinich used his closing statement to co-opt the “Dennis the Menace” attack line and turn it into a battle cry: “Yes, I am a menace,” he said, “I’m a menace to violent criminals who are running in the streets; I’m a menace to banks who redline, I’m a menace to utilities which price gouge people; I’m a menace to crooked politicians who steal from the taxpayers and to those who look the other way.”

Kucinich has now created a mailer of his own that continues to play up this theme: “A menace August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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UPFRONT to banks who redline,” the mailer reads. “A menace to utilities who price gouge. A menace to crooked politicians. A menace to violent criminals. A menace to a wasteful, lazy City Hall.”

-Sam Allard

How to Help Afghan Refugees Coming to Cleveland

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The Refugee Response, a Cleveland nonprofit that helps resettled families in the area, announced Monday that it has completed 220 humanitarian parole applications for Afghan refugees and has enough money to complete 30 more.

Each application costs $575, and the group continues to collect donations to help even more Afghans fleeing the crisis in their homeland.

It’s just one of the organizations leading the effort to resettle them in Cleveland after the city was designated one of 19 possible landing spots as part of the special immigrant visa program.

Global Cleveland has a helpful list of places to which you can direct your money or time to support the effort.

“These are organizations that measure their service in decades; they measure it in centuries,” Global Cleveland executive director Joe Cimperman told WEWS. “We’ve seen this before.

Every one of those communities that I mentioned [have brought] engineers, doctors, restaurants, homeowners, homebuilders. They make our community better by being here. I can tell you from all the communities that have come before, they inevitably make our general community better as a result of them being here.”

The three primary resettlement organizations include: Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services: (216) 939-3737 USCRI – Cleveland: (216) 781-4560, info@uscrioh.org US Together: (216) 456-9630 Specific needs include: Volunteers All three organizations need volunteers who can transport individuals and families to housing, from the airport, to do essential shopping at the store, or other necessary appointments. If you wish to volunteer services reach out to the above orgs.

Individuals and families coming will need legal help both before

and after they arrive. If you are an immigration attorney, or any kind of attorney, please offer your services to the above organizations.

Housing All three organizations need connections to provide housing. If you are a landlord or even own an Airbnb please reach out to the above orgs. If you know a landlord who may want to help, please share this information with them.

Jobs Refugees need employment to successfully integrate. If you are a company or a business who is willing to hire refugees, please contact the above organizations.

Donations All these organizations need donations of items like school supplies, winter clothing, and household items. Please call or contact each org to see what they need most.

-Vince Grzegorek

DIGIT WIDGET 372,624 Cleveland’s population, according to recently released 2020 Census Data. Population has now fallen in Cleveland for seven consecutive decades. City council will lose two seats, according to the city charter.

1890 The most recent census year when Cleveland’s population was lower (261,353) than it is today.

24,000 Boxes of “Chubb Crunch,” the Nick Chubb-branded cereal, sold in its first six days on the shelves, making it the fastest selling sports-branded food product from company PLB Sports & Entertainment.

$67.5 million Total of cleanup work over the last three decades on the Ashtabula River, which this week was removed from the EPA’s list of most-polluted Great Lakes waterways.

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Illustration by John G.

FEATURE

SEVEN ENTER, TWO LEAVE A primer on the 2021 Cleveland mayoral primary

By Sam Allard EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY in the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral election, and the vitality of the summer campaign season has testified to the race’s importance.

There’s a reason it feels like mayoral forums are colonizing every weekday square on the August calendar: Voters are taking seriously — indeed, they seem to be relishing — the fact that they get to pick a new city leader for the first time in 16 years.

It’s a big deal.

Frank Jackson, Cleveland’s longest-serving Mayor of all-time, announced in May that he would not seek a fifth term, his fourth having been dominated by personal scandal and the exigencies of the Covid-19 pandemic. He leaves behind a city that is ranked number one in the nation in poverty and dead last in social and economic mobility for Black women. The underfunded public health department remains in disarray and only 36% of the city’s population has been vaccinated. The financial outlook is equally bleak, especially as a commuter income tax legal tussle looms and the city’s coffers will be depleted for years to come as it signs over millions to the Dolan Family as part of a Guardians lease extension.

Jackson’s replacement will inherit this mess.

Seven candidates want the opportunity to do so: They are nonprofit executive Justin Bibb, West Park attorney Ross DiBello, Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones, City Council President Kevin Kelley, former mayor and congressman Dennis Kucinich, former Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed, and State Senator Sandra Williams.

All of them have been pounding the pavement like mad through the sweltering heat and torrential downpours of July and August, attending forums, debates, backyard meet-and-greets, policy discussions, podcast interviews and community events, and canvassing from Ward 1 to 17 in the meantime as they chase down one of the top two spots in the Sept. 14 primary.

Only two will advance to the November general, and among the seven, six are regarded as legitimate contenders. Ross DiBello, the attorney from West Park, has mounted a noble effort, motivated by progressive ideology, but is unlikely to compete with the race’s deeper pockets.

Kevin Kelley is the big-money candidate, with caboodles of financial resources from the business community and the construction trades. Sandra Williams has corralled endorsements from Armond Budish and many of her colleagues at the Ohio Statehouse.

Elementary school quarterback Dennis Kucinich continues to lead the field in name recognition and early polling. Justin Bibb, with a network of paid staff and youthful volunteers, is more or less the consensus pick on the near west side and has fortified support among the young and affluent. Basheer Jones is a dynamite public speaker who has fared well in debate settings though his failure to deliver anything deeper beyond style on talking points and campaign issues has drawn note. Zack Reed continues to campaign his heart out, but has looked outmatched on the trail despite enduring popularity on the southeast side.

The race is just as unpredictable as when it began, in part because there’s so much to like and dislike about all of the candidates. There’s also a good deal of overlap. In the only commissioned poll of likely primary voters, 21% of respondents said they remained undecided. And while Kucinich led the field, with 20% of respondents identifying him as their top choice, Kelley, Bibb, Jones and Reed were all clustered between 11 and 13 percent.

For many voters, the pick on or before Sept. 14 will be a challenging one. It’ll come down to idiosyncrasies in individual political commitments and — let’s face it — brand preferences. For those voters on the fence, here’s some info to take with you to the polls:

JUSTIN BIBB Age: 34 Relevant Experience: Special Assistant to Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald; VP at KeyBank; Chief Strategy Officer at Urbanova; board member at GCRTA Campaign Themes: Bibb’s pitch centers on returning City Hall to functional good governance. He plans to do a “top down audit” of every city department in order to create efficiencies and wants to

modernize the bureaucracy to make interacting with the city easier for both residents and businesses. His campaign hashtag, #CleCantWait, is meant to dramatize the urgency of the moment, and wants to inject youthful energy and new ideas at City Hall. Bibb is one of only two candidates to support the Citizens for a Safer CLE ballot initiative to create enhanced, citizen-directed police accountability and has advocated adding social workers as a component of 911 emergency calls. He has waged attacks, on the campaign trail, against predatory property manager Holton-Wise and wants to update and rigorously enforce the city’s housing code to punish slumlords and out-of-state investors. He is backed by a number of real estate developers and local nonprofit executives. Despite an upbringing in Mt. Pleasant, his most concentrated support comes from Tremont, Ohio City and DetroitShoreway.

support is confined to pockets of the west side, but his themes are universal. He is ardently opposed to the corrupting influence of money in politics and has spoken against corporate handouts. Every candidate in the race, except DiBello, has said that public safety is the city’s most important issue. DiBello believes that it is poverty. Though he has failed to raise much money or build much of a campaign infrastructure, he has continued to campaign against the anti-democratic actions of City Hall, which he says have created a “stagnant, toxic” political culture in which the city’s most urgent issues — housing inequality, lead poisoning, public transportation — have reached crisis levels. He has proposed ending the blanket 15year tax abatement and instituting a public bank that could, among other things, help low and moderateincome Clevelanders finance home repairs and mortgages.

Key Endorsements: None

Key Endorsements: PD / Cleveland. com; former Cleveland Mayor Michael White Supporter Tweet: “The only candidate with the intellect, passion & magnetism to chaperone City Hall from the dark ages into the 21st century. His professional & lived experiences have helped him build bridges with both business leaders and residents. Bibb is the antidote to the Jackson years.”

Opponent Tweet: “WTF has he even done? Worked for KeyBank?

Cool. Worked for Urbanova, some BS nonprofit in Spokane? Cool! This dude has *corporate shill* written all over him. He has dressed up a status quo campaign in progressive language that appeals to your average Buttigieg voter. Pass.”

ROSS DiBELLO Age: 38 Relevant Experience: Professional poker player; clerk/lawyer for Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams Campaign Themes: DiBello’s is a one-man crusade against the system, symbolized by his (practically) lonewolf signature gathering effort in and around West Park. DiBello’s

Supporter Tweet: “Literally the only candidate not popping blood vessels about dirt bike riders. Call him an idealist if you want, but at least he’s got convictions. He says poverty is the city’s biggest problem and has articulated realistic strategies for reducing it. That’s enough for my vote.”

Opponent Tweet: “Who?”

BASHEER JONES Age: 37 Relevant Experience: Cleveland City Councilman, Ward 7 (2018-current) Campaign Themes: Jones, who spent part of his childhood at a Salvation Army homeless shelter in Cleveland, is attuned to the challenges of those living in poverty and otherwise on the margins. On the campaign trail, he has highlighted his efforts as a freshman councilman to fight for equity, including his support for public comment and the homeless population. He wants to be an “education mayor” and has championed investments in the social-emotional elements of education in addition to investments in teachers. Unlike many of the

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other candidates, Jones has been less strident in his opposition to defunding the police. At forums, Jones’s public safety comments are more measured, arguing that in many communities, the presence of more police officers doesn’t necessarily lead to a greater perception of safety. He intends to create an Office of Grief and Condolences to respond to victims of violence and their families. Jones is the premier orator in the field, and has performed well in two televised debates in recent weeks, though he has been dogged by prior comments about women and by irregularities in his campaign finance reports.

Key Endorsements: Black Contractors Association Supporter Tweet: “When Basheer speaks, I know he speaks for me. He connects with the most vulnerable members of Cleveland’s population and has stood by them on Cleveland City Council. He communicates the city’s potential with real eloquence and passion.”

Opponent Tweet: “Oh, does Basheer live in Cleveland now? Tight. Is he still out here trying to reclassify sexist diatribes as uplifting family messaging? Tiiiiight. Will he govern from City Hall, or from Cairo, where he traveled with campaign cash during Covid? Just wondering.”

E IN

ELLE

Age: 53 Relevant Experience: Cleveland City Council President (2014-current), Ward 13 City Councilman (2005-current), social worker Campaign Themes: Over the past year or so, Kelley has worked extremely hard to rebrand himself as crusader for social justice. Among the achievements he now touts are the Cleveland Lead Safe ordinance, an infant mortality task force, and right to counsel legislation, which guarantees legal representation to tenants facing eviction. (Kelley has not mentioned on the campaign trail his efforts to quash the local $15 minimum wage petition, the Q Deal Referendum or the CLASH-led lead ordinance.) Kelley’s campaign messaging has been consistent.

His topline policy prerogatives are related to economic recovery after the pandemic. Like others, he wants to create broadband access for all, and is arguably the most equipped to do so, after his success creating a

broadband network in Old Brooklyn.

He has also proposed a Jobs program which he likens to the New Deal’s WPA. He wants to employ out-of-work Clevelanders on a number of projects citywide. Kelley has next to zero support on the overwhelmingly Black east side and has therefore poured considerable financial resources (and those of aligned PACs) into attacking Dennis Kucinich, his top competitor on the west side.

Key Endorsements: Mayor Frank Jackson, Building and Construction Trades Council Supporter Tweet: “Kelley is the safe route. He knows his way around City Hall, for starters. He is a competent manager, and I believe he is a decent man. His political experience is necessary as the city recovers from the pandemic.”

Opponent Tweet: “Stop. Kelley’s record of contempt for Clevelanders is well-known. His pursuit of higher leadership is another middle finger to the electorate and should be disregarded without argument. An unconscionable candidate.”

DENNIS

U INI H

Age: 74 Relevant Experience: Cleveland Mayor (1978-1979); Ohio State Senator (1995-1997); U.S. Congressman (1997-2013) Campaign Themes: Kucinich spent the months preceding his mayoral announcement talking extensively about the West Side Market and Cleveland Public Power, but his summer campaign has been dominated — to the exclusion of most other topics — by violent crime. In histrionic language, Kucinich has railed against the “lawless marauders” on dirt bikes terrorizing Cleveland and has described neighborhoods besieged by raining bullets and bloodthirsty criminals. His policy solution is to hire 400 new police officers, 100 new “safety assistants” and to create a Civic Division of Peace. Kucinich actually has an extensive public policy platform, including reducing utility rates, investing in the West Side Market, building affordable housing, and returning to an elected school board. But his campaign has been all crime all the time. If elected, Kucinich would have the distinction of being both Cleveland’s youngest and oldest mayor ever. He was born four days after Frank Jackson.

Key Endorsements: North Shore AFL-CIO, Former Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar Supporter Tweet: “Obviously the public safety messaging has been a little much, but that’s just Dennis!, who campaigns opportunistically but *governs* progressively. He cares about things we should all care about: peace, justice, the environment. This is not the reckless Boy Mayor of 1978.”

Opponent Tweet: “From the bottom of my heart: Retire, bitch.”

A

REED

his commitment to transparency and good government.”

Opponent Tweet: “Cleveland needs a fresh start, not some headlinechasing, cop-worshiping councilman from the 2000s who’s most famous for drunk driving. Gimme a break.”

SANDRA

ILLIA S

Age: 52 Relevant Experience: Ohio State Senator (2015-current), Ohio House of Representatives (2007-2014), Vice Chair, Cuyahoga County Democratic Party; U.S. Army Reserves; Corrections Officer, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department

Age: 60 Relevant Experience: Ward 2 Cleveland City Councilman (2000-2017), Minority Outreach Coordinator, Secretary of State Frank LaRose (2019-2021).

Campaign Themes: Reed, who lost in a landslide to Frank Jackson in the 2017 mayoral race, returned to the fray this year with a much less catchy slogan (“Experience you can count on”) than last time around, (“Nothing stops a bullet like a job”). But just like in 2017, Reed has been hustling, shaking hands and slapping backs across town as he preaches a message of healthy communities, safe neighborhoods and a strong economy. Like others, Reed believes in more resources for the Division of Police, but wants to bring the “Cure Violence” model to Cleveland, which targets high-crime areas with violence interrupters. Reed has a development plan for Burke Lakefront Airport that retains the airport on a smaller portion of the available land and opens the rest up for mixed-use development. He continues to promote minor improvements that could have a measurable effect on trust in government and quality of life: He wants to open up the Mayor’s Office on the weekends for “office hours,” for example. A supporter of RTA, bikes and alternative transportation, Reed has also proposed closing MLK from the shoreway to University Circle to vehicular traffic on weekends.

Campaign Themes: Williams is the spiritual descendant of Frank Jackson. She presents exactly as Jackson did: steady, capable, boring, deferential to business interests, focused on economic development.

In campaign appearances this summer, she has leaned heavily on her legislative record in the Ohio General Assembly and promoted the millions of dollars she has secured for Northeast Ohio projects. (She does not mention, of course, that she co-sponsored HB6 and introduced the “decoupling” amendment that ensured sky-high profits for FirstEnergy.) Housing affordability has been a recurring topic on the trail, and Williams has said that her most progressive policy, if elected, would be instituting a cap on property taxes for longtime homeowners to prevent displacement and to facilitate aging in place. She has many of the trappings of a status quo candidate, but is distinguished by demographics. She is the only woman in a crowded field, and would be the first Black woman to serve as Mayor of Cleveland if elected.

Key Endorsements: Service Employees International Union 1199, Emily’s List, State Senator Nickie Antonio, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, and Nina Turner Supporter Tweet: “Feels so good to cast my vote for Williams, who would be the first Black woman to serve as Mayor of Cleveland!!!”

Key Endorsements: None Supporter Tweet: “Wasn’t always a Zack fan, but he’s won me over with his hustle & heart, qualities upon which CLE has historically prided itself. He may not have the most original ideas, but he’s amenable.

He’s a hard worker, and I believe in

Opponent Tweet: “In a city with constant outages and a forthcoming reckoning over public power purchasing contracts, it feels absolutely psychotic to vote for the candidate with the deepest connections to FirstEnergy and HB6.”

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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GET OUT

Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks

WED 08/25 Nikki Lane + Brent Cobb This tour that pairs singersongwriter Brent Cobb with singersongwriter Nikki Lane celebrates Cobb’s critically acclaimed new album, Keep ’Em on They Toes, which was released this past fall on his own label, Ol’ Buddy Records.

Produced by Brad Cook, Keep ’Em on They Toes came to fruition after Cobb moved back to his home state of Georgia after living for several years between Nashville and Los Angeles.

Lonesome tunes such as “Shut Up and Sing” and “Good Times and Good Love” come off as simply folk tunes that speak to the workingclass experience. The show starts at 8 p.m. in the Beachland Tavern.

Tickets cost $25 to $30.

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

The hard rock act Korn is slated to return to Blossom. See: Thursday, Sept. 2.

THU 08/26 John Mayall Often referred to as the Godfather of British Blues, singer-guitarist John Mayall founded the seminal band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in the 1960s. Over the decades, Mayall’s Bluesbreakers have included notable blues and blues rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya and Buddy Whittington. Mayall, who moved from England to Los Angeles in 1969, then began forming bands with American musicians. He’s steadily toured and recorded ever since and regularly puts Northeast Ohio tour stops on his itinerary.

Tonight’s show starts at 8 at the Kent Stage. Check the Kent Stage website for ticket prices.

175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.

FRI

08/27

Cleveland Taco Fest Organizers of the three-day Cleveland Taco & Tequila Fest that comes to the Agora today, tomorrow and Sunday promise there will be “mouthwatering offerings” by more than a dozen local taco trucks.

The event will also feature tequila, Mexican beer, artisan vendors, local bands and contests. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to

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11 p.m. tomorrow and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. More than 30 varieties of tequila will be available, and specialty bars will serve tequila neat along with an array of flavored margaritas and signature tequilabased cocktails. Admission is $5 per day; a weekend pass is $10. Children 12 and under are free.

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

SAT 08/28 Enigma Variations A lovely tribute, Elgar’s Enigma Variations was an early version of what we now might call a mixtape.

Elgar turned each movement into a tender portrait of a personal friend, and these powerful and emotional tokens of friendship have become extraordinarily popular. The “Nimrod” variation is often used as a song of national mourning and was played at Princess Diana’s funeral.

The Cleveland Orchestra performs the piece at 7 tonight at Blossom.

Check the orchestra website for ticket prices.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

SUN 08/29 Thomas Rhett On his fourth album, Center Point

| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

Road, country singer Thomas Rhett delivers some pretty infectious popinfluenced tunes. Album opener “Up” features spirited horns and a choir, and Rhett flexes his funk chops with “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time,” a tune that could give Bruno Mars a run for his money.

Tonight’s show at Blossom show starts at 7:30. Check the Live Nation site for ticket prices.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

MON 08/30 Cleveland Blues Society 8th annual Blues Cruise on the Goodtime III The eighth iteration of the annual Blues Cruise will take place at 7:30 tonight on the Goodtime III. Local acts slated to perform include Becky Boyd, Crazy Marvin Braxton, Austin Walkin’ Cane, Tony Fortunato, Bob Frank, DiDi Franklyn, Alfredo Guerrieri, Chris Hanna, Kristine Jackson, Tony Koussa, Bill Mangano, Danny McFadden, Ben Nieves, Phil Quidort, Steve Renko, Bubba Ruscin and Gilbert Zachary. The event takes place rain or shine, and tickets to the 8th annual Blues Cruise cost $35. Sandwiches, snacks and soft drinks will be available for purchase, and there will be a fullservice bar. clevelandblues.org

Jimmy Fontaine

TUE

08/31

Lee Dewyze Influenced by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Yusef Islam (Cat Stevens) and Johnny Cash, singersongwriter Lee Dewyze has released five albums over the past ten years.

As the winner of American Idol Season 9 in 2010, he made his major label debut with Live It Up and has steadily gained momentum. His songs have appeared in over 70 movies, TV shows, and commercials.

His current tour supports his brandnew LP Ghost Stories. It features new renditions of the previously released and wildly successful singles “Weeds” and “Victim of the Night.” He performs tonight at 8 at the Beachland Ballroom. Check the Beachland website for ticket prices.

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

WED 09/01 Trippie Redd An Ohio native, rapper Trippie Redd left Canton for Atlanta and then moved to L.A. where he watched what worked for artists and influencers and what did not. He comes to Blossom tonight in support of last year’s Pegasus, an album of meticulously crafted hip-hop and R&B tunes. The trek will feature not only Redd but also 10K Projects

GET OUT artist iann dior and SoFayGo. The show starts at 7. Check the Live Nation website for ticket prices.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

this weekend once again. The 2021 show at Burke Lakefront Airport will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. There will be no gate tickets available for this year’s event.

All tickets must be purchased in advance online. Check the website for a complete schedule of events and for ticket prices.

1501 N. Marginal Rd., clevelandairshow.com.

THU 09/02 SUN 09/05 Korn/Staind Originally scheduled to play Blossom last summer in support of 2019’s The Nothing, Korn had to bump that date because of COVID. Though frontman Jonathan Davis has said the numetal group has already started to write a follow-up to The Nothing, expect songs from The Nothing to figure prominently in tonight’s set list. While The Nothing tunes such as “Cold” stay true to the band’s loud/ quiet ethos, songs such as “The End Begins” come off as more nuanced and show off the band’s musical evolution. Tonight’s show starts at 6:30. Check the Live Nation website for ticket prices.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

FRI

09/03

Oktoberfest After last year’s cancellation, Cleveland’s Oktoberfest returns to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds this year. This year, however, organizers have added a second weekend. The event will now take place from today through Monday and from Sept. 10 to 11.

Considered one of the largest (if not the largest) Oktoberfest outside of Munich, Germany, the event will feature Oktoberfest-style beers, tribute bands, wiener dog races, authentic German and European foods, fireworks and the largest glockenspiel in the entire country.

General admission tickets cost $15 at the box office. Four-day passes and VIP packages are available too, and parking is free.

19201 East Bagley Rd., Middleburg Heights, 440-243-0090, clevelandoktoberfest.com.

SAT 09/04 Cleveland Air Show After last COVID wiped out last year’s event, the Cleveland Air Show returns to the shores of Lake Erie

Salute to John Williams Tonight at 7 at Blossom, Richard Kaufman, one of Hollywood’s most sought-after film score conductors, leads the Cleveland Orchestra in a program that pays tribute to composer John Williams, famous for delivering the scores to films such as Superman, Harry Potter, Star Wars and E.T. Check the Cleveland Orchestra website for ticket prices. Sept. 5.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

MON 09/06 Indians vs. Minnesota Twins At the beginning of the season, a four-game series against the Twins in September would appear to have great significance in terms of the division title. But since the Twins have faded from contention (and even unloaded Nelson Cruz, one of their best hitters, earlier this summer), the series doesn’t carry as much weight.

The division rivals face off at 6:10 tonight at Progressive Field. Tickets start at $15.

2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, clevelandindians.com.

TUE

09/07

Dead & Company When Dead & Company, a retooled version of the Grateful Dead, played Blossom back in 2017, we wrote that “the highlight, no doubt, was ‘Truckin’,’ which featured a spellbinding jam that dissolved into roving, spacey melodies.” That about sums up the entire show, which featured two sets of stellar jams.

With the addition of singer-guitarist John Mayer, the group has found that connection to contemporary culture that brings out new fans.

Tonight’s show at Blossom starts at 7. Check the Live Nation website for ticket prices.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

Photo courtesy CLEVELAND WALLS!

ART AWASH IN COLOR Cleveland Walls!

Festival brings 19 new murals to MidTown neighborhood

By Shawn Mishak THERE’S ABOUT TO BE A WHOLE lot more color in MidTown Cleveland.

The CLEVELAND WALLS! International Mural Program is bringing 23 world-class artists to town between Monday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 28 to install 19 new public murals in the neighborhood.

This includes 11 local artists such as Glen Infante, Robin Robinson and Gary Williams, while the 12 national artists are brought in from locations including Miami, Oakland, Hawaii, New York City and Chicago.

Artists were selected from roughly 200 submissions aligning with MidTown’s community and history.

“MidTown’s history is diverse, from the trails of indigenous peoples to the Dunham stagecoach tavern, from Millionaire’s Row to industrial innovation, from the legacy of black music and entrepreneurship to the Health-Tech Corridor,” says MidTown’s Executive Director, Jeff Epstein. “The mural artists represent MidTown’s diversity - in their own heritage, in their individual artistic styles, and in the subject matter of their murals.”

CLEVELAND WALLS! is a collaboration between MidTown Cleveland, an organization charged with leveraging MidTown’s diverse assets to develop a dynamic neighborhood, LAND Studio, a Cleveland-based nonprofit implementing a wide range of public art installations, cultural programming, and civic space development projects across the city, and POW! WOW! Worldwide, which encompasses artists, musicians, photographers and media partners focused on art, music and culture.

The festival HQ at 7113 Euclid Ave., open daily during the run, is where visitors will be able to get event information, see painting demonstrations, participate in hands-

on activities, meet local vendors and participate in a diverse array of film, musical and educational programming.

This event will also feature a slew of engaging and handson programming from local arts and culture groups such as Shooting Without Bullets, Twelve Literary Arts, Museum of Creative Human Art, Graffiti Heart, The Distinguished Gentlemen of the Spoken Word, and collaborators from AsiaTown.

Throughout the week, artists will host discussions on various topics including the combination of art and entrepreneurship, the relationship between artistic practice and social change, and the process of collecting, curating and exhibiting art (Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.). The events will be moderated by illustrator Sequoia Bostick, CWRU Professor Erin Benay and Ideastream Community Engagement Specialist Shelli Reeves, and held at the program HQ at 7113 Euclid.

“Strengthening the MidTown neighborhood requires not only

adding the type of new housing, office, and retail development we’ve seen over the last ten years, but also adding public art and color to make the area more vibrant and alive,” says Epstein. “We decided to partner with POW! WOW! Worldwide, an organization that curates mural festivals around the world, to create an inclusive and dynamic event here to physically transform the MidTown neighborhood through vibrant art and programming while creating opportunities for local artists and elevating their work.”

CLEVELAND WALLS! is poised as a springboard to the re-envisioning of the MidTown neighborhood with extensive plans to enhance their green spaces and to add bike trails linking the eastside. MidTown has partnered with Pennrose Development to attain tax credits so they may salvage the Warner and Swasey Building on East 55th in order to convert it into mixed-income housing. All of this is to commence in the upcoming year, according to MidTown..

A group of documentary filmmakers including Samira

Malone, Ron Sims and Andy Tran captured the archival footage of the graffiti inside Warner and Swasey Building and made a documentary film about it. Their film premieres on Friday, Aug. 27th along with several other documentaries and will re-air on Saturday, Aug. 28. The showings will be followed by an artist talk with Sims as well as several Cleveland graffiti artists.

“We believe that a rapid infusion of high quality art will transform the feel of our neighborhood for our residents, stakeholder organizations, and visitors, helping our community move from a pass-through corridor to a dynamic place,” continues Epstein. “CLEVELAND WALLS! will also elevate local artists, helping to connect them with a worldwide movement of artists and creatives…We hope people will rediscover MidTown Cleveland and explore the incredible richness of our architecture, history, people, innovation, and future growth.”

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

EAT A REASON TO CELEBRATE

Acqua di Luca bucks the trends and brings fresh life to the Warehouse District

ISN’T IT IRONIC, AS ALANIS might say, that just as fully vaccinated diners have an increased desire to celebrate life’s biggest moments, there are fewer memorable restaurants at which to do so. For many of us, events like birthdays, anniversaries and promotions – including more than a year’s worth of milestones put on hold – call for the pomp, the elegance, the romance of a white-tablecloth restaurant.

But 2020 decimated the fine-dining landscape, leaving a legion of ghost kitchens and fast-casual joints in its wake. As great as some of those fried chicken sammies might be, they hardly scream special occasion.

Thankfully, there’s Acqua di Luca, the latest restaurant from the husband-and-wife team behind Luca Italian Cuisine and Luca West. This shimmering downtown establishment, which for more than 15 years was home to XO Steaks, has more buzz than an angry beehive.

Guests are immediately immersed in an atmosphere that is loud, lively and dripping with drama. The owners stripped the 140-year-old space down to the exposed-brick walls, unearthing in the process the property’s stately Warehouse District charm. Today, the restaurant is more open and buoyant than it has been in decades, with foldaway windows that better connect it to the cityscape beyond the panes.

By relocating the main entrance from the prominent corner at W. 6th and St. Clair to the eastern end of the building, the Semas reclaimed space in the main dining room that is typically lost to the host stand and incoming guests. The move also makes way for a new wraparound sidewalk patio that is one of the best dressed outdoor dining spaces downtown. The bar, which for years faced an interior wall, has been turned and moved so that guests seated there have unobstructed views of the Terminal Tower instead of a partition.

In true “special-occasion restaurant” form, the menu is unabashedly extravagant. The walkin coolers are filled to the brim with shellfish, fin fish, veal, filet mignon, Kobe beef and menacing tomahawk

Photo by Douglas Trattner

By Douglas Trattner

chops. Those luxe foodstuffs are gilded with saffron, brown butter, Nebbiolo wine reductions and freshly shaved truffles. Jump right in with the Mare seafood platter ($90), which puts the typical seafood tower – often more tower than seafood – to shame. This triumphant starter is

four delicate, sweet filets wrapped around crab meat and spinach and served atop a pool of tomato cream sauce. The restaurant also offers whole Dover sole, which is deboned in old-school fashion at the table.

Swordfish ($44), almost universally overcooked, arrives at the ideal

ACQUA DI LUCA 500 W. ST. CLAIR AVE., CLEVELAND 216-329-0700 ACQUADILUCA.COM

loaded with king crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari, scallops and a whole lobster, all gently cooked in a bath of white wine, butter, garlic and herbs.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the mixed crudo ($45), a colorful platter of impeccable raw fish, starring sliced salmon, yellowfin tuna and scallops, joined by skillfully shucked oysters on the half shell. I’d suggest ordering the wine-steamed mahogany clams ($14) simply for the pleasure of dipping every last piece of bread on the table into the dreamy, buttery broth.

Acqua flexes its seafood dexterity in dishes like the stuffed sole ($38),

temperature and texture, topped with microgreens and ripe tomato.

A mile-high filet of beef ($41) is showered with freshly shaved black truffles that perfume the entire area with their intoxicating aroma.

If you’ve dined at either Luca location, then you’re likely familiar with (and thankful for) Lola’s expertise in the world of wines. Here, she has assembled an appropriately extensive list of glass pours and bottles, heavy on Italian labels as one would expect. Those selections are joined by draft and bottled beers and classic cocktails.

Management made a point of announcing that at present, more

than two months post opening, the menu, staff and hours of operation still are not where they’d like them to be. If and when the supply chains open up and staffing returns to pre-pandemic levels, diners can look forward to an even more extensive menu as well as happy hour service, they say. Still, those issues did not stand in the way of unexpected touches like hot towels doused with lemon, birthday greetings scribbled in chocolate on dessert plates and group photos taken, printed and delivered before one even pays the tab.

Many consider this part of town hallowed ground with respect to Cleveland’s dining renaissance, where places like Piccolo Mondo, Greek Isles and Blue Point Grille demanded the attention of every serious diner. Now, 30 years later, Lola and Luca Sema are picking up the mantle by bucking trends, taking risks and doing their best to keep diners excited and well fed despite very difficult circumstances.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

Photo by Douglas Trattner

EAT BITES

First Look: Cent’s Pizza and Goods, Now Open in Detroit Shoreway

By Douglas Trattner IT’S BEEN TWO AND A HALF years since Vincent Morelli announced his plans for Cent’s Pizza + Goods (5010 Lorain Ave., 216-6324476), which originally was supposed to open on the Ohio City/Detroit Shoreway border in 2019. Covid and construction delays pushed back opening day countless times, but the restaurant finally welcomed its first guests last Thursday.

Formerly home to PM Security, the squat brick building has been transformed into a retro-cool slice of nostalgia that blurs the lines between antiquated and avantgarde. Sunkist-colored tables and countertops and black-felt letterboard menus share space with turntables, speakers and a discreet projectorand-screen system. Much of the front of the restaurant is dominated by a modular shelving system stocked with clothing, home goods, lifestyle products, independent magazines and high-quality pantry items like olive oils, vinegars, tinned fish, tomatoes and cherries.

“I’m just excited for people to see the space because that is a big part of why I wanted to do this,” explains Morelli. “I like design and creating this whole atmosphere is a huge part of it, so I think that, hopefully, will drive people and the food is the icing on the cake. Well, the other way around, obviously.”

There is room for 33 guests in the front and rear dining rooms plus room for more at the six picnic tables on the rear courtyard patio.

Diners can expect a counter-driven operation, whereby orders are placed up front and food is brought to the table. Additional food and/or drink items can be ordered while seated.

In line with the easygoing, communal atmosphere, the menu kicks off with a roster of shareable snacks selected to pair with the house wood-fired bread. Build a feast with accompaniments like housemade butter, hand-pulled Stracciatella (the creamy center of burrata), ‘nduja (spreadable sausage), duck prosciutto and marinated white

anchovies. Conservas lovers can grab cans of tinned fish off the shelves for the kitchen to plate up and serve.

For the main event, there are a dozen premade pies from which to choose, dressed with many of the same high-quality products that line the shelves. Diners also can build their own 12-inch, six-slice pies.

“We try to use good products, so it’s nice to show them,” says Morelli.

“And I’m super into branding, so that goes into selecting the product.”

One final snag remains for Cent’s.

Despite “having” a liquor license secured, Morelli was notified at the 11th hour that his shop is located in a dry district and will require a vote.

With sufficient signatures secured, his plea goes before his precinct neighbors this November. If and when the measure passes, Cent’s will offer beer, natural wines and a full bar. Until then, he says that guests are free to bring their own, paying a modest service fee in return.

Cent’s will be open Thursday through Monday for dinner only.

Weekend lunches will be added down the road.

Chef Brian Doyle is Back at the Beachland Ballroom to Relaunch the Food Program After departing in 2015 to launch his gluten-free restaurant, Café Avalaun, chef Brian Doyle has returned to the Beachland Ballroom as chef-partner. The chef was largely responsible for reinvigorating the food service at the storied Collinwood club, while transforming the weekend brunch into a can’t-miss event. Café Avalaun is not going anywhere, he promises.

Of course, the Beachland kitchen had been idle since spring of 2020,

when live music came to a standstill.

But over the past few months, as live shows have made their way back into the club, the food service has also made its return.

“We did start doing some shows over the course of July and August and it’s getting more and more involved with more shows,” Doyle explains.

With consulting advice from Steve Schimoler, owner Cindy Barber updated and upgraded the kitchen during the shutdown. Over the past two months, while they were waiting for final approval from the health department, Doyle was essentially catering out of Café Avalaun. Now that the approval has arrived, the chef has launched the first menu, which is limited to some snacks and sandwiches to start.

At present, food is offered only in conjunction with shows, but Doyle says that plans call for adding daily service as well as weekend brunch.

Other changes include online ordering for easy pick up.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the legacy at the Beachland,” he adds. “It’s a place that I’ve always cared about and we’re really excited about the future plans that we have.”

Scorpacciata Pasta and Pizza Take Over the Former Katz Diner in Cleveland Heights to Use as Commissary and Ghost Kitchen Doug Katz has handed over the keys to his commercial kitchen space in Cleveland Heights to Peter Reuter, owner of Scorpacciata Pasta and Scorpacciata Pizza stands at Van Aken District. The timing of the transfer worked out perfectly for both operators as one was winding down while the other is ramping up,

says Katz.

“What’s great is that Peter had interest in creating a commissary for himself and we were ending our catering and our ghost kitchens because we didn’t have the labor to support them and we needed everyone at Zhug and we are gearing up for Amba,” Katz explains. “It just worked out perfectly that Peter could use the space and now it’s this active corner in Cleveland Heights.”

Reuter, a Johnson and Wales University culinary school graduate, worked with Katz at Fire for three years, where he was the sous chef.

He ventured out on his own in 2018, opening Scorpacciata Pasta in a 200-square-foot stall at Van Aken.

“The reason we wanted to open another location with bigger ovens and more work space is to help take some weight off those Van Aken spots,” he explains. “I’ve been in the market for a commissary kitchen and I wanted a location that would have its own income because I need to hire people for it. I can’t believe we did everything out of those tiny kitchens this whole time.”

Reuter moved in two weeks ago and now shares the building with Rising Star Coffee. The additional space and equipment will allow him to do more specialty pastas and pies at Van Aken, but also to sell food in Cleveland Heights. He plans to begin with salads and pizzas, likely before the end of August. The operation will be strictly pick-up – not unlike the ghost kitchens it replaces – but both indoor and outdoor seating is available. Down the road, Reuter might add pasta to the menu as well as beer and wine.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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MUSIC RALLYING REVOLUTION

Ani DiFranco addresses a number of timely issues on her new album

By Jeff Niesel Photo by Daymon Gardner

FIERCELY INDEPENDENT singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco released her self-titled debut in 1990 on her own Righteous Babe Records, and she’s steadily toured and recorded since then.

In support of her latest album, the highly personal Revolutionary Love, Ani DiFranco will embark on a summer tour that brings her to the Kent Stage on Friday, Aug. 27.

In a recent phone interview from her New Orleans home, DiFranco spoke about each track on the album.

“Revolutionary Love” “I have this friend Valerie Kaur. She and I connected a few years ago.

She’s been a fan of mine forever and ever, but I just got hip to her work. I just love her. The way she articulates what revolutionary love is and how you do it helps me to understand what I’ve been trying to do all these years. She actually came to me a year or more ago and said she wanted me to write her songs. She said, ‘I need songs to make people connect with my work and my teaching.’ That was the first one I wrote for her. I wrote three songs for her, but that one really meant so much to me. I said, ‘Instead of just leaving this song on your doorstep in a basket, can I put in on my record?’ It comes from this friendship I have with her.”

“Bad Dream” “I joked with myself and an occasional other human since releasing this record that this is sort of like a breakup album without the breakup. The relationship that a lot of these songs come from persists.

The reason I titled it Revolutionary Love is because, as is typical of me and all my hundreds of songs, that correlation between the struggle for revolutionary love that you go through in your family and the struggles you go through on the macro level with your community and your opponents and society, when I feel that deep resonance between the two — that’s when the songs just pour out of me.”

“Chloroform” “I’m known for my open tunings on

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ANI DIFRANCO, ELIZABETH MOEN 8 P.M. FRIDAY, AUG. 27, THE KENT STAGE, 175 E. MAIN STREET, KENT, 330-677-5005.

TICKETS: $41-$61 KENTSTAGE.ORG

my guitar. I like to mess with the tunings on my strings. I have very rarely played in standard tuning over the years. Having come full circle, standard tuning just feels like the most radical open tuning

| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

to me. This particular song was one where I pushed further into open tuning madness. The actual tuning was very dissonant and strange. I was exploring whether I could make a song out of such radical tuning.

That exercise came up because I was dealing with a very dissonant feeling. It was very metaphoric. Can I make something beautiful out of this incredible dissonance?”

“Contagious” “Is it about the pandemic? I think so. But it was written just before.

The virus was out there, but it was before it hit our awareness, and the shelter-in-place happened suddenly.

“Our consciousness encompasses much more than we are consciously aware of on a daily basis. When I write songs, they often tend to be premonitions, and I think that’s because the art making process exits linear time a little bit.”

I wrote the song while I was on tour in February of 2020. This, for me, is a song that exhibits this thing I have come to know about songwriting, which is something I think is true of all elevated forms of consciousness and something you can find in art and all sorts of ways and people do.

You are deeply connected with a knowledge that is seemingly beyond your own experience or not wedded to linear time. Our consciousness encompasses much more than we are consciously aware of on a daily basis.

When I write songs, they often tend to be premonitions, and I think that’s because the art-making process exits linear time a little bit.”

“Do or Die” “I was out there doing shows and harping as I usually do about how essential it is to vote and be a part of democracy to keep it alive, even though you feel disillusioned and even though you have all kinds of issue with the system. You have to vote your way to the solution. You have to vote your way to a better system. I wanted a rallying cry and a song I could carry to the stage that was new and vital and alive and spoke to the moment. That was where ‘Do or Die’ came from.”

“Station Identification” “This was the first of several improvisations that are on the record. Most of the record was recorded with a group of musicians in North Carolina, but I did do a session before the pandemic hit with my regular band recording a few of these songs just in between tours.

That came out of those original sessions. I was just playing this guitar groove that I was feeling at the time. I thought there would be a poem that would happen over the top of the music, but I just decided to go with the music to put more breath in the record.”

“Shrinking Violet” “It’s a real tough one to write and a tough one to sing. It attempts to show something about myself. In this song, I’m scared and compliant.

It’s not my usual persona. The reality of my life is that my persona and my person are different. Like

many performers, there is something of the alter ego that takes the stage and there is a different side of me in my personal day-to-day life.

When I think of that song I think of Roosevelt Collier, who plays slide guitar on it and turned it from a song I was singing to a duet as far as I’m concerned.”

“Metropolis” “That’s a ballad that comes from the flip side of a very difficult relationship when you find a moment of belief and a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s a moment of emotional exhale within a relationship. The fun thing about these songs is that when I’m singing them, I can either picture a person and the micro context of me and my person, or I can sing them to my society.”

“Simultaneously” “There is flute on it. Why haven’t I had more flute on my record? I want to ask, ‘Where have you been all my life?’ The flute player was just so great. It started with a guitar groove that I was so into playing. It’s about that cognitive dissonance that is life in the modern world.”

“Confluence” “That was one I did with musicians in North Carolina. It started with this guitar figure and was almost like this meditation I was having with my guitar. All the other musicians just improvised with me.”

“Crocus” “That was a song that was somewhat transformed in the process of recording it. The original vibe was jauntier. It had a little swing and more of an Ani vibe on the guitar.

Brad [Cook], who I was working with on the recording process, suggested I slow it down and open it up and play it with a more traditional melancholy chord progression. It works really nicely as a way to leave the record. Playing the song live, I might hit the jauntier version now and then instead.”

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

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August 25-September 7, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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SAVAGE LOVE QUICKIES

By Dan Savage Hey, Dan: I’m a woman who recently went out on a third date with a man.

I invited him back to my place and we started making out, which led to him going down on me. Moments later he took off his pants and to my surprise he had a micro penis. I was shocked and turned off. I did not want to continue, but knowing how sensitive men can be, I maintained a poker face, did my best to not let on that I was turned off, and he was able to orgasm.

Is there a nice way to let someone know you do not want to continue to have sex because of their penis size? And is there a responsibility on the part of a person with a micro penis to disclose that fact before sex? I think I would’ve been less turned off if I wasn’t so shocked.

Smaller Men And Lessons Learned I don’t believe you, SMALL. I don’t think you would’ve been any less shocked or turned off if this guy brought up the size of his dick between the start of the first date and the end of the third. And if he had, SMALL, you would’ve written me a letter about this weird guy who started telling you about his small dick and ended your letter with a shocked, “Who does that?” (And I would’ve said, “Guys into SPH, because otherwise there’s no reason someone would bring that up in advance.”)

Look, dicks are a lot like labia: they come in all shapes and sizes, and you usually don’t know what you’re gonna get when you go to bed with someone for the first time.

While it’s fine to have a preference for larger or smaller, you should be prepared for natural variance and prepared to roll with it. If you can’t bear the thought of winding up in bed with a guy whose dick is too small for you, SMALL, then solicit dick pics in advance of a first date.

Or make a disclosure of your own: you’re a size queen who requires a guy to be packing at least [however many] inches. But if asking for dick pics and/or disclosing your dick preferences in advance seems too forward, SMALL, you’re under no obligation to fuck a guy if you’re not into his dick. No one is obligated to go through with sex just to spare someone else’s feelings. We should try to be considerate of other people’s feelings, of course, which sometimes

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ear and nose hairs start coming in. At that point they think, “I’m not doing anything differently but I’m not getting attention like I used to!” To get that same kind of attention, of course, they need to start doing things differently, e.g., they need to adopt new grooming practices and start taking better care of themselves.

My advice: stop hinting, HINTER, start telling.

means offering up an excuse, however transparently false it might be. But you can get up and go whenever you like.

Hey, Dan: I’m married to a wonderful woman. I know that’s where the BUT comes in, but it’s the truth. She’s fantastic. The challenge is sex.

My wife always struggled with physical intimacy. She doesn’t like to have her neck or ears touched or really any form of gentle touch. These were favorites of mine, but we were compatible in other areas, so it wasn’t a big deal. It got worse after our children were born, and now her body is almost totally off limits to me and I’m really struggling. I’ve communicated that sex is important to me and she makes a good faith effort, but it’s strictly intercourse.

I miss foreplay. I’ve tried to broach this subject and my wife gets very defensive. What are some baby steps I can propose?

Touched Or Not There aren’t a lot of baby steps between someone not kissing your neck and someone kissing your neck, TON, so unless your wife is willing to get into therapy and work on identifying the root cause of her aversion to touch — and there may not be one — there’s not much you can do. She might just not like it.

If things got worse after the kids arrived, perhaps things will improve once they’re older. And if most of the childcare responsibilities fall on your wife’s shoulders, well, she might be all touched out by the time you come for her neck. But if you were sexually incompatible at the start of the relationship — if you never really clicked sexually — that’s a hardbordering-on-impossible thing to reverse engineer years or decades in.

Hey, Dan: I find when I ride one of my dildos anally that my back pain will go away, or at the very least lessen.

I know there are all kinds of great chemicals that get released when a person comes but is there more to this than that? Is it like acupuncture points, but in my ass? I’ve had physical issues with my back that physical therapy hasn’t been able to help. But

| clevescene.com | August 25-September 7, 2021

Hey, Dan: I’m a young gay man who likes to be spanked hard. I tried dating nice guys, but they didn’t want to hurt me. Now I want to give kinky hookup apps a try, but I worry sadistic guys who do want to hurt me won’t be nice. I want to be hurt but I’m worried about being with someone who enjoys it too much. Does that make sense? I’m kind of stuck and could use a little push.

Hate Extremely Limp Paddling

Joe Newton

stuffing my ass solved my back pain.

Any insights?

Anal Makes Everything Nice Maybe it’s physical, maybe it’s chemical, or maybe you’ve stumbled over (and impaled yourself on) a unique version of the placebo effect — only you’re taking dildos, not sugar pills. Don’t waste time wondering why this works, AMEN, just be thankful it does.

Hey, Dan: My husband and I are opening our relationship. I’m good looking enough to get a date easily, but my husband... well, he’s ridiculously sexy to me, and he’s had enough hookups in his life to know he’s attractive to other women. But he’s in his late thirties now and — there’s no delicate way to put this — ear hair, long eyebrow hairs, nose hairs, receding hairline, long chest hairs that creep up his neck. TOO MUCH STRAY HAIR EVERYWHERE! From ten feet away he looks amazing but close he just looks unkempt. My question is this: how do I tell him? I’m all about body positivity but the kind of women he’s attracted to put time and care into their appearance and I think he should do the same! Hinting has not worked.

I love him as is but don’t want to listen to him complain that it’s tough for a “middle-aged guy” to find a date. His age is not the issue!

Husband Is Not Trying Enough Really A lot of young straight guys think a casual disregard for their own looks is masculine and alluring.

And it often works — until those

You tried imploring vanilla nice guys to hurt you and that didn’t work, HELP, so it’s time to take a chance on kinky guys who do wanna hurt you. (That’s the push you wanted, right?) Some kinky people are assholes, of course, so use your best judgment and trust your gut. But I gotta say… some of the nicest guys I’ve ever met were sadists. It wasn’t just that these guys wanted to hurt me in safe, sane, and mutually pleasurable ways and that was nice of them. They were genuinely sweet. At first, I thought they might be overcompensating out of guilt, HELP, or, even worse, that their kindness was an act. But eventually I had to conclude that some sort of inverse relationship exists between being the kind of self-aware, self-actualized sadist who wants to do terrible things to someone who wants terrible things done to them, and just generally being a decent and thoughtful person. Now go get spanked by a guy who likes spanking you as much as you like getting spanked.

mail@savagelove.net t@fakedansavage www.savagelovecast.com

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