Scene february 22, 2017

An excerpt from

You’re Welcome, Cleveland How I Helped LeBron James Win a Championship and Save a City

By Scott Raab

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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FEBRUARY 22 - 28, 2017 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Chris Keating Editor Vince Grzegorek

Feature

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Scene presents an excerpt from Scott Raab’s new book, You’re Welcome, Cleveland: How I Helped LeBron James Win a Championship and Save a City

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

Get Out

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All the events you should check out this week

Business Asst. To The Publisher Angela Lott Sales Assistant/Receptionist Megan Stimac Controller Kristy Dotson Staff Accountant Margaret Manzo

Art

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

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Powerful portrayals of civil rights, race, and profiteering prisons in Spaces’ new exhibitions at its new home

Stage

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Japanese House

An innocent Middle Eastern man runs away from danger, and himself, in I Call My Brothers at Cleveland Public Theatre

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Film

Cleveland Scene Magazine is published every week by Euclid Media Group.

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will be at the Grog Shop on Wednesday

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New Ukrainian genocide film is better suited for History Channel

Dining

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A dated menu and uneven execution hamper Merchant Street Eatery’s hopes of lasting in Tremont

Music

...The story continues at clevescene.com 45

Singer Mike Doughty talks about the tracks on his new album

Savage Love

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Opposition to the Quicken Loans Arena deal increases, two puppy mill operators plead guilty to animal cruelty, and more

Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Multimedia Account Executive Kiara Hunter-Davis

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CONTENTS Upfront

Editorial Managing Editor Eric Sandy Music Editor Jeff Niesel Senior Writer Sam Allard Staff Writer Brett Zelman Writer-at-large Kyle Swenson Web Editor Laura Morrison Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Contributing Dining Editor Rachel Hunt Stage Editor Christine Howey Visual Arts Editor Josh Usmani Copy Editor Elaine Cicora Interns Johnny Cook, Lawrence Neil

s VOLUME 48

Fantasy scenarios

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

UPFRONT

Members of Greater Cleveland Congregations raise their hands in opposition during last week’s Cuyahoga County Council meeting.

Photo by Sam Allard

GCC CALLING ON DAN GILBERT FOR $35 MILLION COMMUNITY FUND CONTRIBUTION

THIS WEEK

GREATER CLEVELAND Congregations (GCC) has asked Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert to personally contribute $35 million to a Community Equity Fund that would match, dollar-for-dollar, all $160 million of the publicly financed portion of the Quicken Loans Arena renovation deal.

In a meeting with Cavs’ corporate leadership Feb. 6 (a meeting that included Cavs’ president Len Komoroski, but not Gilbert himself), GCC asked for a face-to-face meeting with Gilbert to seek his support for the fund. The $35 million that GCC wants from him would instantly capitalize the fund and provide startup costs for the construction of two mental health crisis centers in Cleveland, one on the east side

and one on the west. In addition to the crisis centers, GCC would like to fund “Job Access Pipelines” and “Neighborhood Capital Projects” with the community dollars.

Requesting substantial direct support from Gilbert stems from GCC’s idea that Cleveland residents are getting railroaded by downtown interests and that there needs to be commensurate investment in distressed neighborhoods if the Cavs’ want voters’ support — not like they ever asked for it.

“At a time when we need to unite our city and county, this deal as it stands further divides Cleveland,” GCC wrote in a letter to Gilbert, delivered to Komoroski on Feb. 6. “We are asking for a meeting directly with you to negotiate

these terms, because you are the principal decision-maker. We believe it is your responsibility to ensure this deal builds one Cleveland.”

In a press release sent to media this week after GCC received no response from the Cavaliers’ organization, GCC got more specific about the imbalance of the deal.

“GCC’s belief is that the financial benefit Mr. Gilbert and the Cavaliers accrue from the Q far outweighs what Cleveland-area residents receive in return,” GCC leaders wrote. “Examples of these benefits include not paying property tax on the Q building, extracting exclusive value of the building’s naming rights, and a Cavaliers franchise now valued at $1.2 billion, up from $375 million when Mr. Gilbert first purchased the Cavs, which the

LEADING BY EXAMPLE SCRAPPY STARES BACK Demolition of Hilliard Square Theater in Lakewood expected to be completed by mid-March. Until then, catch a shirtless Mayor Summers pounding away with a sledgehammer every evening and maybe bring him a lemonade.

GQ names Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor the “sexiest couple on Earth.” Matthew Dellavedova and his reflection in a mirror retain “sexiest couple in galaxy” title though

public helps subsidize through the current Q arrangement.”

GCC plans to discuss the deal on March 9 at 7 p.m. at Elizabeth Baptist Church. They hope to be making a positive announcement, but given the response to date — nothing from the Cavs, not a peep from county executive Armond Budish, whom they met with in January — they may have to settle for rallying the crowd against greed and injustice.

The March 9 assembly will build on the choreographed demonstration at county council headquarters last week, where more than 100 GCC members packed into council chambers to declare that they were #NotAllIn on the renovation deal.

Fairmount Temple’s Rabbi Josh

JUSTICE City council reaffirms Oberlin’s status as a sanctuary city.

“Despite everything she’s said on Twitter, Lena Dunham is in fact welcome back here,” the council president noted.

QUALITY OF LIFE Kyrie Irving says Frank Jackson’s doing a marvelous job dealing with Public Square.

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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UPFRONT Caruso, one of several speakers for GCC, asked why Clevelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income tax hike had just been passed, premised on a lack of resources for basic city services, when the city seemed to have access to tens of millions of dollars for the Q deal.

He also posed the question: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to stop the Indians or the Browns from asking for a similar deal in the next few years? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t this open the ďŹ&#x201A;oodgates?â&#x20AC;? he wondered. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where does it stop?â&#x20AC;?

By the time this issue of Scene hits newsstands, county council will have deliberated on the Q deal at length during their Feb. 21 committee meeting. Check for updates at Clevescene.com. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sam Allard

CLEVELAND PUPPY MILL OPERATORS PLEAD GUILTY TO ANIMAL CRUELTY For months, dogs that had been adopted from a place called Puppies In Rescue have become incredibly ill soon after arriving at their new home; many have

died. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;rescue,â&#x20AC;? which wary families and adopters are calling a â&#x20AC;&#x153;puppy mill,â&#x20AC;? is located on Lennox Avenue in Cleveland â&#x20AC;&#x201D; far from the rolling hills of Holmes County, the unofďŹ cial puppy mill capital of Northeast Ohio.

Co-owner Daniel Makara pleaded guilty in Cleveland Municipal Court last week to three counts of animal neglect and two counts of abandoning animals. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which was immediately suspended; then, he was placed on probation and barred from any contact with animals. He will also submit to a mental health assessment.

Co-owner Raven Cooke pleaded guilty to three counts of animal neglect. Her 180-day jail sentence was similarly suspended. And while she is also barred from contact with animals, both she and Makara are allowed to be around â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Rottweiler dog known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ellieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the Husky dog known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Zeus,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? according to court records.

The list of tragic experiences of families whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve adopted from Makara and Cooke is a lengthy one, brought to a halt for now by the Cleveland APLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s humane investigations team. Among the

problems shared with Scene: underweight dogs, worms, coccidia, distemper, parvovirus, respiratory problems, the use of livestock antibiotics on dogs, improper adoption forms, $1,000-plus in adoption fees for sick dogs, $3,000plus in veterinary costs in some cases â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and multiple dead dogs.

Marvin and Shelley Miller, of Dayton, coordinated a meeting with Makara while they were traveling north on a separate trip. They were looking for an Australian shepherd; Makara had several.

They paid a $200 holding fee, met him and the dog en route to their other destination, and then adopted

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UPFRONT

MAR 4 – 26 | ALLEN THEATRE Li’l Bit takes us on a no-holds-barred trip back in time to her adolescence in 1960s Maryland and her complicated relationship with an older man. This Pulitzer Prize winner masterfully veers in and out of personal memory and deftly traverses comedy, drama, and farce. written by PAULA VOGEL | directed by LAURA KEPLEY

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

Lucy on the way back on Dec. 27.

She was well, by all accounts, and the Millers pointed out to Cooke their amazement at “how much is going on at their home.” Cooke tells them she has a 4-month-old baby in the house, too.

“It’s not the type of house that you’d want to live in,” Marvin tells Scene. “I would say that in this room that was probably 25-by-15 feet ... there must have been 15, 20 dogs there, running around. In the half-hour we were there, we must have seen two or three people come in and pick up a dog. This isn’t an ideal way to have a lot of dogs; if one of them gets ill, they all get ill.”

Lucy became sick within three days. She began having trouble breathing, and experiencing severe diarrhea. By Dec. 31, she had stopped eating, and deep lethargy was setting in.

Makara told them that Lucy’s litter mate had coccidia, and said that he would have included that information in the adoption papers.

(He did not, according to Marvin).

He also told the Millers that Lucy’s sister had been tested for parvo, because she had exhibited symptoms recently. Growing increasingly suspicious, the Millers began to investigate Makara’s background.

On Jan. 5, though, the Millers brought Lucy to their vet, where she died in the arms of her family.

What the Millers and many others have learned is that this is not Makara’s first time in the investigative spotlight. Last year, he was run out of Geauga County after the Humane Society removed 15 dogs from his adoption operation, a place called Cleveland Dog Rescue and Rehabilitation Center located on a farm in Novelty.

The dogs were found trapped in crates in 90-degree heat after Makara’s landlord evicted him.

“The conditions were deplorable,” chief humane agent Christian Courtwright said in a public statement.

Makara quickly established Puppies In Rescue (formerly known as UnderDog No-Kill Rescue and Training Center and, slightly earlier, Cleveland Area No-Kill Rescue and Training Center, tragically enough) in Cleveland.

Even as he was under investigation and moving from one county to the next, Makara kept his PayPal

account open and urged his supporters to donate to his cause.

The same day as the Cleveland Muni case, that Geauga investigation came to a close with Makara pleading guilty in Chardon Municipal Court to two counts of animal cruelty. — Eric Sandy

CLEVELAND CANNABIS COLLEGE GREETS BUDDING NEW INDUSTRY IN OHIO Tucked into a nondescript office building on the industrial side of Independence, the Cleveland Cannabis College is offering prospective retailers and hopeful horticulturists and seasoned physicians a shot at the experience they’ll need to lead Ohio into the medical marijuana vanguard. To hear CEO Richard Pine tell it, our state is poised to revolutionize how medical marijuana is grown, tested, regulated and sold.

As the 25th state to recognize legal medical marijuana, Ohio had some structure to work off of.

“Other states don’t necessarily treat the plant as medicine,” Pine says, pointing most specifically to Ohio’s tighter regulatory language (still being developed, in many ways). “There has to be somewhere for doctors to learn — and to learn how to talk to patients about this.”

Students are accepted on what might be called a rolling basis; there are introductory classes that lead into more focused specialty type certifications or degrees (like horticulture). The college set up shop Jan. 1, and hosted its first class at the end of January.

Last weekend, dozens of interested students and community members stopped by to network, learn about the college and participate in one-on-one panelist sessions dubbed “weed dating.” As educational videos screened on a projector, Northeast Ohio residents leafed through literature and talked about how HB 523 is taking shape.

“I saw that need for a hub,” Pine says, describing how most education companies use conferences — travel — to teach professionals in a given field. Here in Cleveland, backed by a strong biomedical industry, his college presents an anchor for anyone looking to broaden his or her knowledge of both the plant and the developing legal framework for its growth and distribution in Ohio.

Of course, most of the law in Ohio isn’t yet fully sketched out.

“We can’t teach what’s not written

yet,â&#x20AC;? Pine says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have the majority of the meat and potatoes of the curriculum done.â&#x20AC;? (He hopes to have those plans ďŹ nalized by April 20.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be more opportunities as the years go on,â&#x20AC;?

Pine says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to have the experience, No. 1, to get a job or a license. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re that transition where students can come and further their education, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also in the process of setting up some programs out West and in Michigan to get students hands-on experience â&#x20AC;&#x201D; work internships â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to get their feet on the ground and actually work with the material.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all of a piece, especially when you consider that the state legislature itself assembled this law. With CCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broadening scope, Ohioans will get the experience they need â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and then Ohioans will

DIGIT WIDGET 17,000 Ohio students in preschool through third grade suspended or expelled for disobedience or disruptive behavior in 2015-2016 school year.

A state representative is planning a proposal to ban the practice except for cases of physical harm.

70 Rape and sexual assault cases involving juveniles that new county prosecutor Mike Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Malley says Tim McGintyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ ce failed to follow up on for months and years to determine if criminal charges should be ďŹ led.

50 Years WRUW 91.1 FM has been on the air. The station celebrates with a concert at the eastside Happy Dog on Saturday night and a day of throwback programming on Sunday.

0 Cleveland restaurants or chefs who made the James Beard Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of semiďŹ nalists for 2017 awards.

ďŹ ll the jobs that the Ohio medical marijuana industry begins to create. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Sandy

FINAL COUNTDOWN TO BUSES ON PUBLIC SQUARE? Buses were spotted, and so was Frank Jackson, on Public Square Monday morning in what were presumed to be safety tests.

It seems buses might ďŹ nally be arriving on Public Square. If Jackson relents, and Superior is opened, the city and RTA will be spared a costly legal battle to determine who pays a substantial sum to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the $50 million redesign of Public Square will at last ofďŹ cially open as intended. The design concept, with exclusive bus lanes on Superior, has been prohibited from full actualization by a very stubborn mayor.

The FTA, in a letter dated Feb. 17, gave the RTA one ďŹ nal extension, until March 7, to open the Square or else pay the $12 million debt. That debt comes from a breach of contract in an earlier funding agreement, and was activated by Superiorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closure.

Per usual, the FTA didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mince words. In its summary of a meeting in D.C. earlier this month with Joe Calabrese, FTA associate administrator and chief ďŹ nancial ofďŹ cer Robert Tuccillo painted the mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position in the clearest possible terms: â&#x20AC;&#x153;GCRTA also explained that it is concurrently in discussions with the City of Cleveland to negotiate the reopening of Public Square to buses,â&#x20AC;? Tuccillo wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The FTA understands that the Mayor has stated that if the closure is causing an adverse ďŹ nancial impact to GCRTA and buses may operate safely within the redesigned Public Square, he would reopen it; this would cure the breach of its Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA.â&#x20AC;?

Though RTA has demonstrated an operational and ďŹ nancial burden, and a safety study concluded that terrorism would be as much of a threat if Superior were open as it is when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closed, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;potential threatâ&#x20AC;? of terrorism has been Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last gasp in this protracted and completely unnecessary saga.

Most of us are feeling a lot like the FTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Robert Tuccillo, who wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to bringing this matter to a close soon.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Allard

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BREAKING NEWS. HOT OFFTHE

to the county board of elections, Brewer has not ďŹ led a campaign ďŹ nance report since 2009.

WKYC broke the news that Brewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook announcement was indeed legitimate. Brewer told WKYC that he has been collecting signatures but has not given his name to the county board of elections, which he is not required to do. Like all other candidates, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to collect 3,000 signatures and return them to the board of elections by June 29. The primary elections are on Sep. 12, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the November general. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m running on my knowledge and experience,â&#x20AC;? Brewer said in his post, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and in this race itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unequaled.

Frank canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch me. [Jeff] Johnson canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch me. [Zack] Reed canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch me. The Russian dude [Brandon Chrostowski?] [sic] canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch me.â&#x20AC;?

Zack Reed has yet to declare his mayoral candidacy. But in a Cleveland.com post about City Council candidates last week, Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name did not appear as a registered candidate in Ward 2, where he is currently councilman. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Allard

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SPEAKING OF FRANK JACKSON: The 70-year-old mayor held a â&#x20AC;&#x153;high-dollarâ&#x20AC;? fundraiser last week at the Intercontinental Hotel. With a reported $337,000 already raised in the second half of 2016, Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war chest continues its sinister growth, putting distance between himself and the competition in the fundraising war.

This has of course been facilitated by city council, which vastly increased contribution caps in legislation last year. Individuals could formerly only give $1,000 to campaigns. PACs could give $5,000.

Now, the limits are $5,000 and $7,500 respectively. (Attendees at Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shindig were encouraged to donate the max to â&#x20AC;&#x153;keep the momentum going,â&#x20AC;? an appeal that echoes the business communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own appeal for funds in the Quicken Loans Arena transformation deal.)

The young contender Jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ovvoni Garrison, by contrast, looks to have raised $170. He told Scene in an interview last month that if he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t raise $10 million, he

T HE

UPFRONT

didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deserve to be mayor. Whoops. actually a capital â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;?). There is also The banner atop his site has read @FrankGJackson, more obviously a â&#x20AC;&#x153;$9,999,830 to Goâ&#x20AC;? since early parody account, which delights in January. witty quips at the expense of Jackson Perhaps he senses the towering opponents and in charting a course height of his unlikely odds. through the Public Square quagmire.

Garrisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook activity of late Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still anybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guess how has evoked a tone of resignation. many total candidates will enter the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cool thing is, if this campaign mayoral ďŹ eld, but last week a big ďŹ&#x201A;ops, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll likely ďŹ nd a new place to name joined the ranks of hopefuls: move, get to the family life, be at former East Cleveland mayor Eric peace, and raise Jonathan Brewer. the next heroes â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Frank of the universe,â&#x20AC;?

Jackson] said a he posted to his lot of people were Facebook page coming after him,â&#x20AC;? last week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m said Brewer in ready to change a Facebook post my environment announcing his depending on how candidacy on Feb. this campaign 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m one of them goes and get into ... for real, real. I yu u something new.â&#x20AC;? hope he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try S pd al r at e o o While Jackson to hide from me n t h e M ay commands the and I ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worried ďŹ nancial lead, about the others. heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also dealing with imposters This race will be between me and on Twitter who have modeled fake Jackson in November. He already accounts after his. Ideastreamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nick knows.â&#x20AC;?

Castele was the ďŹ rst to point out Brewer was the mayor of East the @CLEMayorJackson (Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cleveland from 2006 to 2009. He lost ofďŹ cial account) was not to be to the lately recalled mayor Gary confused with @CIeMayorJackson Norton after photos of Brewer in drag (where what looks like an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lâ&#x20AC;? is were leaked to the press. According

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

FEATURE CHAPTER 6: YOM KIPPUR

By Scott Raab

I LEFT CLEVELAND TO GO TO writing school in Iowa in 1984. I always figured I’d come back to live, but my first wife, a westside girl I met at CSU, got into med school in Iowa, and we moved to Philly for her residency, and I started to work for men’s magazines in 1993, moved to North Jersey, and wound up at Esquire for almost 20 years.

I mention this because, through a series of astonishing events having vastly more to do with luck than talent or, heaven fucking knows, goodness, I’ve managed to write two books framed by LeBron and Cleveland sports, and to help make Believeland into a 30X30. I’m not blind to the miracles involved here, nor to the ironies of my own selfexile, but I got a fortune cookie last week that told me, “Analyze only when necessary,” and it’s staring at me as I type.

Truth is, you already know all the truth there is to truly know: The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

LeBron is the GOAT. The rest of it is myth. Enjoy.

Excerpted with permission from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, from You’re Welcome, Cleveland; How I Helped LeBron James Win a Championship and Save a City. On sale Feb. 28.

IT’S 448 MILES DIRECT FROM the Q to my driveway in New Jersey, 311 of them through Pennsylvania, on Interstate 80. I don’t often drive it by night these days. My eyes have dimmed, my reactions have slowed, and I’m not in a hurry. Yom Kippur starts at sunset the day after tomorrow; I have time. And it’s deer season, when I-80 abounds with grim, antlered Death.

I’m not insane. The truth is out

there. More than a million motor vehicles per year hit deer in the United States; the number’s climbing.

Pennsylvania ranks fourth or fifth, depending on the study, in deer-related accidents per driver.

Nationwide, car-deer crashes kill an average of two hundred people per year. September and October are the most perilous months, dusk and dawn the most dangerous hours. A Pennsylvania driver’s approximate

chance of hitting a deer during the course of a year is one in seventy.

And yet the highway beckons.

The highway has sung to me since 1960, when Sandy and I drove from Cleveland to Los Angeles, mainly on the Mother Road: Route 66. No man is truly author of his fate, but Sandy tried, as all men must, and moved Lucille and three sons—I am the oldest—out west to find his fortune, which turned out to be a long war

with severe bipolar disorder. Lucille and my wee brothers flew. I was eight and rode with him across America.

Never had I been so happy as a son, side by side with him, a thirtythree-year-old recently retired carpet-and-tile-store manager driving a 1954 Ford, with his eightyear-old son, a husky boy with a yellow T-shirt, powder-blue shorts hiked to the waist, and orthopedic | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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FEATURE shoes. In the few photos I have from the trip, I’m wearing his watch, its flexible band shoved up my chubby arm. We are men on the road, on our own, on the move, free of time and place.

That highway song, unlike the rest of me, has not grown old.

Six hours until dawn, when those homicidal antlered pricks start foraging, and so I—exulting in wineand-gold bliss, oozing manhood, and, not least, craving my wife and her vegan chili—ease into the Accord, cautious not to torque my manly back, and go.

An hour east of Cleveland, I pass the Lordstown plant, where the local UAW workers’ uprising of 1972 failed to ignite the struggle that might’ve changed the fate of assembly-line workers crushed by automation and Japanese competition. After three weeks, national union leaders, fearing that other locals might rise up, connived with GM to sell them out. Back then, 7,000 Lordstown workers built the Chevy Vega, an especially ugly and unsafe car. These days, 4,500 produce Cruzes, and half of the vast parking lot is now filled with solar panels, not cars.

Comes the long curve into PA, and the night grows darker as the woods grow thick. Past Oil City, Emlenton, and Knox—out there past the tree line, folks are home in bed, but onward rides this laptop warrior, on past Clarion, past Brookville and DuBois, and on to Clearfield, exit 120—just past I-80’s high point east of the Mississippi, a towering 2,250 feet above sea level.

The night is velvet, endless. I swap Van Morrison for London Calling and reflect on the Lordstown wildcatters. Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland—proud cities, filled with household heroes, crawling to achieve self-creation before we vanish. We yearn to live right—we’re not animals here, after all, whatever our excuses—but we are the very same creatures who ate from the Tree of Knowledge and needed a Maker to command us not only not to kill each other, but merely to honor our own parents.

Ach. Fate is not an open highway—it’s Death’s turnpike. It’s Mile Run, with no services plastered across the exit 199 sign. The road may stay time, but not the jug of coffee I grabbed at the Clearfield CoGo’s. I carry a note in my wallet from a urologist, in case the law’s long arm espies my short third leg,

but I’d rather soil my drawers than urinate on the side of an interstate.

Death or glory, my ass.

No services. The prostate swells.

Soon or late, each man becomes Polonius, and trust me on this: your prostate is not your friend. We are finally ruled by powers beyond our power—by love, by death, by metaphysics and biochemistry. Our work is to manage our dread, to let our hearts go, to call forth whatever love we can muster. We work to earn more than a living wage. We work to earn our living. We work to make it to exit 224.

LeBron and Lee Jenkins said, “In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given.

Everything is earned. You work for what you have.” This is no less true in every corner of the world, but here it is the credo of the disrespected, a fundament of the religion of resentment. The worth, spiritual and economic, of even a sad-sack team to a Rust Belt riven by race and class and economic ruin, hope and jobs gone, abandoned and ignored, is beyond my power to calculate. A championship? Reveling in public glory? The feeling is beyond my power to imagine, even in the darkness of I-80.

If LeBron can win a crown for Cleveland, anything’s possible. Even some of the pissant savants who think the league began play when they were boys might finally admit that Michael Jordan is the secondgreatest player of all time.

Just to be clear, I lived in Iowa City from 1984 to 1991—seven years that felt like seventy—where SportsChannel Chicago was on the cable menu, so I watched nearly every Bulls game, suffered through Red Kerr and Jim Durham calling his dazzling youth with breathless lust. But this is not about that, or The Shot, his buzzer-beater that tore out the heart of one of the best preLeBron Cavs teams, in 1989.

Michael was otherworldly, but it does his greatness no disservice to recall that he came into the NBA after three years’ study under Dean Smith at UNC; that his Bulls teams got dropped in the first round of the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, and never got further until Scottie Pippen showed up. Even then—with two Hall of Fame–bound prodigies—the Bulls were curbstomped for three years more by the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then Detroit’s Bad Boys fell into decrepitude, and Michael Jordan began harvesting rings in an NBA diluted by expansion, facing no true rival, and became, by unanimous consent, the GOAT.

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F I N D O U T A B O U T T H E S E E V E N T S A N D M O R E AT C L E V E S C E N E T I C K E T S . C O M | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

17

FEATURE Bosh. Believe it or not, there was an NBA before you were born, with players as great as Michael Jordan. I saw Oscar when his Cincinnati Royals played a slate of home games at the old Cleveland Arena, rubble now, on Euclid Avenue. I saw Chamberlain and Russell, and Elgin Baylor, an early version of early LeBron. I saw Kareem, the greatest big man, back when he was Lew Alcindor, battling old Wilt in the low post, in 1969.

It’s hard to compare epochs with your eyes, and hard to normalize performance metrics across generations. But it is true beyond dispute that, in toto, the best athletes get better over time, in every sport.

LeBron James is the finest basketball player ever. In The Whore, where I spit upon his heart, I said the same— because it was the truth, because that’s why losing him hurt so much.

His size, speed, and strength; his focus, vision, and intelligence; his tolerance for hard contact and his durability; his ability to attack or defend any opponent, to find every open teammate and get him the ball—he is the purest player ANY of

“In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given.

Everything is earned. You work for what you have.” This is no less true in every corner of the world, but here it is the credo of the disrespected, a fundament of the religion of resentment. you have ever seen.

I kiss the rings.

No Cleveland fan disparages the rings. But don’t count Michael’s six and discount Bill Russell’s eleven. And don’t remind me that Michael’s Bulls never lost an NBA Finals unless you recall he won ALL of them with Scottie beside him and Phil Jackson on the bench.

LeBron had no Pippen; he had Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall, Larry Hughes and Mo Williams, Sasha Pavlovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He didn’t play under Dean Smith and Phil Jackson; he came to the NBA from high school, and he was coached by Paul Silas and Mike Brown. The season after LeBron left, the Cavs won FORTY-TWO fewer

games.

When Michael left the Bulls, their win total dropped by two.

I saw Michael bend the NBA to his craft and his will, and I’ve watched LeBron do the same while not punching teammates, taking thirty shots a game, and hiding behind “Republicans buy shoes, too” every time he was asked a nonbasketball question. If you care about the truth, study the metrics—win shares, VORP, whatever lights up your mom’s basement—and you’ll see them running neck and neck, Black Jesus and King James. And only one of them is still playing.

AT LAST EXIT 224, Danville.

There’s a Best Western, and, better,

a men’s room close to the front desk. Best of all, the Geisinger Medical Center is right there, in case of a nondeer emergency.

Three or four hours of sleep, 126 miles more, and I’m home. I shall wake at dawn, roll over, and go back to sleep until the sun has fully risen and the deer are done with breakfast. If I time it right, I’ll miss the hellish morning rush hour in East Stroudsburg, a mile before I-80 ducks south past the ridge of the Delaware Water Gap and exits Pennsylvania.

Thanks to good bad luck and Chekhov’s sound advice, I run over the deer with my name on it just past Buckhorn, exit 232, not long after it already has been killed and somewhat flattened, a young buck in stately, plump repose sideways across the right lane. I don’t see it until I’m too close to swerve, which is inadvisable in any case. The Accord jolts twice in quick succession as its tires hit the corpse, but holds steady.

MOTHERFUCK. I’m not dragging anything I can hear, feel, or smell, and I need an oil change anyway—I’ll ask the dealership to power-wash the undercarriage while they’re at it. I drive on. I can almost taste Lisa’s vegan chili, thick with bulgur,

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19

FEATURE aflame with spice. She waits in North Jersey, my Penelope, my Molly Bloom, my Ruth, my Julia Child. If I don’t hit another deer, I can make it home before the kid gets out of school.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, the highest of the High Holy Days, a.k.a. the Days of Awe, a.k.a. the Ten Days of Repentance, from Rosh Hashanah to the Big Kip. The rules are simple: go to shul to pray, abstain from food and drink for twenty-four hours, sundown to sundown, and, uh, repent.

I am sitting in a Presbyterian church in Montclair, New Jersey. Our synagogue, Bnai Keshet, outgrew its chapel years ago for High Holiday services. On Yom Kippur, the day Elohim inscribes your name in the Book of Life—or doesn’t inscribe it; Judaism gives no gimmes—even the least pious Jew makes a cameo, and sits next to my wife.

She’s a Jew named Elizabeth Riley Brennan—a convert. Lisa was a self-exiled Catholic, and when we conceived a child, we went with Jew. It wasn’t a religious or spiritual choice to me; it didn’t

feel like a choice at all. I’ll grapple lifelong with my higher power, whom today I choose to call Lisa, but I’m no monotheism enthusiast. Yet I love Jews, love being a Jew, and there are few enough of us in the world that I wanted my son to know that he is the son of a member of the tribe.

The rabbi wears white, because purification. He is a splendid rabbi, a learned, gentle young Warriors fan from Northern California. The congregants, too, are exemplary: leftist Jews of various shades and gender blends and ages, so many faces aglow with kind spirit—I can’t stand it. Maybe because the Jews who raised me once slapped the gum out of my mouth on Yom Kippur, when I was fresh from Los

Angeles and unfamiliar with the drill, I don’t fast. I do hold grudges.

I don’t fear G-d any more than I fear Frankenstein’s monster. I fear humans. It seems to have turned out that while I strongly support the concept of Jews, I don’t actually feel comfortable around them, not in a synagogue, and surely not in a goyische pew.

On the bright side, a small “Prayer Request” card, pale yellow, sits in the bookrack, offering the chance to be included in the pastor’s prayers for “thanksgiving and intercession.”

“In our prayers today, please pray for:” it reads, and there’s space to write below, so with the pencil stub in the bookrack, I fill it in:

“In our prayers today, please pray for:” it reads, and there’s space to write below, so with the pencil stub in the bookrack, I fill it in: Kyrie, Kevin, LeBron, Dion, Andy

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Kyrie Kevin LeBron Dion Andy “(continue over, if needed),” it suggests, but I don’t want to be one of those greedy Jews. I stick the Big Three up top, with Kyrie and Kev first, because they’re prone to injury; Dion Waiters, because he is another young lottery pick struggling to find his purpose in the league beyond bricking threes and bawling “AND ONE!” whenever he tries to finish at the rim; and Anderson Varejão, an elder now, always injured, who spent his early year with the Cavs flopping backward in the face of the enemy, hard, looking to draw charging fouls, and now whiles away his waning seasons cashing paychecks and sitting on the bench.

Andy deserves a prayer, too.

I knew it was a long shot. I’d already tried the same thing at the Wailing Wall, in 1968, imploring Hashem to crown the Browns and the Indians—the Cavs did not yet exist—in the customary fashion, writing my wish on a tiny scrap of paper and wedging it into a crack between the massive stone blocks of the last remnant of the Second Temple. I had weathered five years of Orthodox hell by then, living

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21

FEATURE with Lucille and my brothers in her parents’ one-house shtetl in Cleveland Heights, while in Los Angeles, Sandy wed his Catholic lover and had a Catholic son. By 1968, I was fifteen and feral—ask my poor brothers— and my mother’s extended family paid to send me to Eretz Yisrael for three months, in the hope that Masada and falafel might tame me.

Hah. All I gave a damn about was Cleveland sports. I didn’t go to shul or pray. I gave no thought to politics or gods. I wrote irate letters to sports columnists, phoned bilious Sweet Pete Franklin’s radio show to spew on-air.

I knew no higher power.

Fatherhood at forty-seven tamed me. Being the apostate son of an apostate son tamed me. Fear tamed me, too. Now here I am, sheltering in the house of the Hebrew Hammer, my tallis drooping between my legs— and here, my son, here is my gift, your legacy: a jealous, trigger-happy Lord, circumcision, Yom Kippur, and Cleveland sports.

The kid’s my kind of Jew: fiery, doubting. For his Bar Mitzvah, he had to explicate a Torah portion about Korach, a post-Exodus

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Levite leader who, for questioning Moses’s authority as Yahweh’s sole capo, was swallowed by the earth along with his family, friends, and land, with a fireball thrown in for good measure, immolating 250 of Korach’s community, just to quiet any blowback.

Judah went pro-Korach in his d’var, deeming him “a noble man with good intentions,” calling out Moses for snitching, and adding, “That does not sound like any G-d I want to worship.”

The congregation wasn’t thrilled, but I chose not to take it personally; I know where he learned his shtick.

After we came home from seeing The Incredibles, when he was five, he looked poker-faced at me and said flat out, “Why couldn’t you have been a superhero instead of a fat knownothing, which is what you are?”

Wowed by know-nothing and unsure if I should slap or throttle him, I shouted for Lisa to come in from the kitchen and repeated his slander to her.

“JUDAH!” she hollered.

“What?” He shrugged, eyes wide, palms up. “I LOVE him.”

JUDAH’S HERE, LISA’S HERE, and I’m feeling fresh, a worthy Jew— just look at this young Jew I helped

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

make; look at his mother, an enlistee.

I’m wearing my skullcap, mouthing what I can recall of the prayers, standing when instructed, though I’m still stiff from driving, and my right hip—ah, never mind. No tallis; I wore one for the bar mitzvah, but I’m not a prayer-shawl guy. Still, I’m a Jew in his shul with his wife and son on Yom Kippur. So inscribe me for one more year at least, O Master of the Universe, with Whom I hedge my bets. Sh’ma!

Shit. I entirely forgot about the martyrology service, an Ashkenazi prayer ritual begun centuries ago in remembrance of ten Talmudic sages slain by Hadrian after the Second Temple fell. What with history’s surplus of butchered Jews, there are many other souls to mourn, and despite the cruel denial of my credentials, our martyr today is another writer, Danny Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter beheaded

by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Karachi in 2002.

I did not know him, but at a Reconstructionist synagogue in Montclair, New Jersey, a half hour from Manhattan, someone surely did. There is a handout stuck in our prayer books, both sides single spaced, kicking off with a poem for the “haunted, harried, persecuted

souls / who never had a choice / who’ve huddled all together in a corner / and press each other still and quake.”

No matter that the poet Chaim Bialik was writing about a blood libel–based, priest-led, two-day pogrom in Kishinev, the capital of Bessarabia, that started after Easter Sunday services in 1903 and ended with 120 dead Jews. They’re all martyrs: the slaughtered sages, the suicidal zealots on Masada, the Six Million, Danny Pearl.

I’d rather think about the Cavs, whose preseason begins tomorrow night, than dwell upon my tribe’s insistence on its unique historical victimhood. I get it. Lucille’s father himself lost five brothers and their wives and children at Auschwitz, and I have prayed at Sobibor, a factory of slaughter. I get it, but I don’t like it, don’t like the way the Shoah has turned Judaism into a cult of skeletons and pity. By the time I was born, in 1952—seven years after the camps were liberated—two things, one of them true, had been made plain to every Hebrew American: Ashkenazi culture and history had been nearly erased, along with most of the world’s living Jewry; and the Six Million were herded, meek as sheep, to the ovens.

It burned my fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ass that anyone thought of Jewish men as weak. Sandy came up hard on Kinsman Road, a ghetto of tradesmen, thugs, and Communists.

His father was a two-bit Polish hood who left the house during the Great Depression and never came back. His mother, whose own depression lasted lifelong, gave Sandy, the youngest of ďŹ ve children, to her baby brother Julius Raab, nĂŠ Rabinowitz, an MD with a side specialty performing abortions in the 1940s and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s.

Sandy liked to boast that both his fathers did time in federal prison, which they did. Willy Pelz went up the river to Lewisburg, exit 210A, for bootlegging; Doc Raab pled to tax evasion and did his stretch in Leavenworth.

Maybe Sandy overcompensated. He always owned a handgun and talked tough. He once told my brother Michael a story about punching a shipmate off the deck and into the drink for calling Sandy a kike. I never heard about that from him, but over the years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve met a lot of Jewish men my age who heard some version of that story from their fathers, uncles, or older cousins, set in the service or a steel mill or a tavern.

Their tales, true or not, required no rabbinical interpretation.

Those soul-dead motherfuckers hate us.

Throw the ďŹ rst punch.

Martyr or be martyred.

Reconstructionist theology rejects the idea of the Jews as a Chosen Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;too divisive. I can go either way, depending on the quality of the pastrami, but without illusion; now, as ever, the mass of humanity NEEDS us to blame.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you ever forget youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Jew,â&#x20AC;? wrote Malamud, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a gentile will remind you.â&#x20AC;?

No need. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget for a second that I live among human animals and their idiot gods. Let my son go forth open eyed into a world where people still worship the Jew as trickster, parasite, and scum, let him go in the spirit of tikkun olam, let him do his best to live right and heal humanity, armed always with a weapon or a plan.

THE SERVICE IS ENDLESS. My patience is not. I kiss my wife, nod at the kid, and leave. I pull this vanishing act every Yom Kippur.

I get sweaty, hungry, angry, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Judahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s age again, ďŹ fteen, imprisoned in my family of birth.

Let me go forth, sit on the steps outside, and settle down.

Yom Kippur. Pastrami. Danny Pearl. Chopped liver.

Atone. ATONE. ATONE. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when it hits meâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sitting alone, apart from the congregation where I need no credentials to belong and to be loved, loathing my people as I loathe myselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that I owe LeBron James more than an overwritten apology, not for the sake of credentials, but for my soul.

Judah has never read The Whore of Akron. As far as I know, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never read anything Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ ne with meâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stuff in there about me and Lisa weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all better off with him not knowing. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think about that as I wrote an angry book. I did not think even once about hurting my own son. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a writer, damn it. The truth takes no prisoners. I speak my heart. All that crap. And now I realize that I also gave no thought to the insult and pain my words might inďŹ&#x201A;ict on LeBronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children someday.

My stomach churns. Enough fastingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already past noon. Inscribe me, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t inscribe me: I need chili. I am past atoning. I am not media, no longer even a fan. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a boil on the armpit of the ďŹ nest athlete Northeast Ohio has ever grown.

Pariah. No man, Jew or gentile, is truly author of his fate, and so I shall roll with this.

Pariah.

The truth takes no prisoners. I speak my heart. All that crap.

And now I realize that I also gave no thought to the insult and pain my words might inďŹ&#x201A;ict on LeBronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children someday.

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216-241-6684 allstatehairstyling.com | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

23

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

everything you should do this week

GET OUT

Photo by Emanuel Wallace

WED

to go along with it. For tonight’s event, the club will screen his teen musical Cry-Baby. Admission is free, but the drinks will cost ya. (Niesel) 11213 Detroit Ave., 216-221-8576, nowthatsclass.net.

02/22

FUNDRAISER

All About the Bag Fashion Show The Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland aims to reduce hunger in our community by providing “food and links to other vital services for the hungry, especially children and families, by actively participating in a coordinated response to people in need.” Tonight at 6 at Landerhaven in Beachwood, the organization presents the fourth annual All About the Bag Fashion Benefit. Billed as “a fashionable evening full of fancy frocks, fun and fundraising for both men and women to enjoy,” the event will start with an open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres as guests have the opportunity to win fashion-forward finds. Hosted by Michael Cardamone, co-host of WKYC’s “Live on Lakeside,” the ensuing fashion show will feature favorite local celebrities, including former NFL player Josh Cribbs and Fox 8’s Jessica Dill. The local DJ MIMO will provide the tunes. The event will also feature a one-of-akind exhibit by students of Virginia Marti College, who worked with used food containers to create “amazingly creative looks” that will be on display for the month of February at Beachwood Place Mall. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite design, and a winner will be announced during the fashion show.

General admission tickets are $75 per person or $150 per person for the Premier Package which includes VIP seating and a swag bag. Details and tickets are on the website. (Jeff Niesel) 6111 Landerhaven Dr., Mayfield Heights, 216-619-8155, hungernetwork.org.

SPOKEN WORD

Cleveland Stories Dinner Party Earlier this year, Music Box Supper Club launched Cleveland Stories Dinner Party, a weekly series that pairs fine food with storytelling. The series aims to help raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. The club’s owners consider the Cleveland History Center to be “one of the most interesting museums in Cleveland” and “an unknown gem that Clevelanders should know more about and support.” The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to “bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past — from

THU

02/23

NIGHTLIFE

Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention returns to the Convention Center. See: Friday.

sports, to rock ’n’ roll, to Millionaires’ Row.” Each week features a guest speaker and a custom prix fixe menu — a full three-course meal for only $20. The popular series resumes tonight at 7:30 with local true crime writer James Badal, who’ll discuss the Kingsbury Run torso murders and other unsolved true crimes in Cleveland. The menu includes bull “foot” soup, chicken “breast” marsala and lady fingers. Admission is free.

(Niesel) 148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

FILM

Dark Passage Delmer Daves directs Dark Passage, the 1947 film about a man who turns to plastic surgery as a way to hide from the authorities after they falsely accuse him of murdering his wife. A 35-mm print of movie screens today at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art as part of the museum’s Bogart & Bacall series. Tickets are $11, or $8 for CMA members, seniors and students. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

FILM

Raising Arizona Located in the Gordon Square Arts District, the locally owned and operated Capitol Theatre regularly presents special screenings of cult classics and oddball flicks that don’t receive wide distribution. Tonight at 6, the venue presents its Happy Hour Classic Film, a monthly screening of a classic film that includes a happy hour cocktail party in the lobby before the feature. Tonight’s film, the 1987 American crime comedy Raising Arizona, features an all-

star cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand and Randall “Tex” Cobb. Admission is $10. The price of admission includes a mini-cocktail (or soft drink if you don’t fancy the hard stuff), appetizers and live music. (Niesel) 1390 West 65th St., 216-651-7295, clevelandcinemas.com.

THEATER

Let It Be A hit from London’s West End and Broadway, Let It Be, a musical based on the career of the Beatles, returns with a new production that attempts to create the concert the band would have given had it reformed on Oct. 9, 1980, John Lennon’s 40th birthday.

Expect to hear classic tunes such as “Hard Day’s Night,” “Twist and Shout,” “Hey Jude” and “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” as well as “Got to Get You Into My Life” and “Lady Madonna,” songs not covered in the original show. In addition, the cast will perform individual works from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The performance takes place tonight at 8 at the State Theatre. Tickets start at $10. (Niesel) 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

FILM

Waters Wednesday Director John Waters has made some remarkable movies over the course of a career that stretches back decades. He defined a satirical style that critics have subsequently dubbed “camp.” The last Wednesday of the month at Now That’s Class is Waters Wednesday. The club will play a Waters movie and have a competition

Bourbon + Blues: An Evening of Fashion, Tastings and Music College Now of Greater Cleveland and Whiskey Grade have teamed up to host Bourbon + Blues: An Evening of Fashion, Tastings and Music, a benefit for the College Now’s Mentoring Program designed to help students from Northeast Ohio who are beginning college. Tonight’s event kicks off at 5:30 with a cocktail hour; the fashion show begins at 6:30.

Tickets are $35 in advance, or $45 at the door. (Niesel) 2515 Jay Ave., bourbonandblues.eventbrite.com.

SPORTS

Cavs vs. New York Knicks Not even the Zen master Phil Jackson can bring stability to the crumbling New York Knicks organization.

The team’s president has spent the season feuding with star Carmelo Anthony, who’s been the subject of trade rumors for the past few weeks.

While the team got off to a decent start this season, it hasn’t kept pace in the Eastern Conference, where it’s near the bottom of the heap. The Cavs should get a victory tonight when the two teams face off at 8 at the Q. Tickets start at $26. (Niesel) 1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.

MUSIC

Debussy’s La Mer Ever since he visited the Mediterranean as a child, composer Claude Debussy loved the ocean. He channeled La Mer, an impressionistic sketch that reflects the way in which the sea can be both stormy and tranquil. Tonight at 7:30 at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra plays the piece along with selections by Pintscher, Saint-Saëns and Schoenberg. An hour before the performance, speaker Rose Breckenridge, administrator and lecturer for the Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups, gives the pre-concert talk, “Exotic Views.”

Performances repeat at 11 a.m. tomorrow (minus the Schoenberg) | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

25

GET OUT and at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets start at $29. (Niesel).

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

FILM

Take Me to the River At 7 tonight, the Rock Hall will screen Take Me to the River, a feature film celebrating the intergenerational and interracial musical influence of Memphis in the face of pervasive discrimination and segregation.

Following the screening, director/ producer Martin Shore, Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Grammy-award winning producer Boo Mitchell (“Uptown Funk”), Academy Awardwinning rapper Frayser Boy (“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”), 2017 Grammy nominee Bobby Rush and Critics Choice-winning rapper Al Kapone will participate in a panel discussion. Admission is $5.50.

(Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.

sports analysis and his political impersonations of past presidents will have you laughing out loud and wondering how he gets the voice and actions matched up so perfectly.

And don’t doubt for a moment that he delivers a mean Donald Trump.

Caliendo performs tonight at 8 at Hard Rock Live. Tickets are $39 to $69. (William Hoffman) 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7771, hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com.

Black history month Rock Hall Film Series:

Take Me To The River Celebrating the inter-generational and inter-racial musical influence of Memphis

COMEDY

Guy Torry Comedian Guy Torry likes to joke that he used to get kicked out of class for telling the kind of jokes that he now tells on TV. His material ranges from talking about the “stand in line rage” he experiences when he goes to the bank, to the generational differences he sees in the world of sports (“You don’t see any black players in baseball anymore — too many games”). All the while, he delivers his narrative-based jokes with frenetic energy. He performs tonight at 7:30 at the Improv, where he has shows scheduled through Sunday. Tickets are $17 to $20.

(Niesel) 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

FRI

02/24

FEB 23 at 7PM $5.50

The Big Beat: Fats Domino & the Birth of Rock & Roll FEB 26 (shown continuously 10am- 4pm) Included with a Rock Hall admission

cOmiNg Up Next

Rock hall film series • 7pm • $5.50

Bang! The Bert Berns Story MAR 8 Pink Floyd: The Wall MAR 14 The Punk Singer: Kathleen Hanna MAR 22 Tupac: Live at the House of Blues APR 26 Sir Doug & the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove MAY 17 A Hard Day’s Night MAY 25

COMEDY

Frank Caliendo “Synonym! That’s my favorite flavor,” comedian Frank Caliendo says while imitating George W. Bush and all his distinctive quirks. Caliendo has been at the forefront of impressionist comedy for a decade now, making frequent rounds on all the latenight shows as well as starring on “MADtv” and his own show “Frank TV.” His impressions of John Madden rambling on about obvious

26

sessions, entertainment, seminars, competitions and more at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. The convention takes place from 2 p.m. to midnight today, from 11 a.m. to midnight tomorrow and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $20 per day or $40 for a three-day pass. Seminars include the Chemistry of Tattooing: Business Edition with Amy Shandick, and Basics of Acrylic Painting by Dave Nestler. Both seminars are an

rockhall.com/onstage to purchase tickets.

1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44114 | rockhall.com | 216.781.ROCK

CONVENTION

Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention Back for the second year, Villain Arts’ Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention brings together hundreds of tattoo artists and vendors from Cleveland and across the country for a weekend filled with tattoo

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

additional $50 admission fee, and Dave Nestler’s class is limited to just 10 attendees. For more information about the Second Annual Cleveland Tattoo Arts Convention, visit the website. (Josh Usmani) 300 Lakeside Ave., 215-423-4780, villainarts.com.

THEATER

Flanagan’s Wake No one knows grief and mourning like a Catholic, let alone an Irish Catholic. Now its fifth year running in Cleveland, Flanagan’s Wake transports the audience to a wake in Ireland where villagers tell tales and sing songs for their dearly departed Flanagan. Finding the humor in life and death, the wake acts as a dark backdrop to an otherwise hilarious show in which alcohol fuels the humorous reminiscing. A sort of tragic Tony ’n’ Tina’s Wedding, the interactive and improvised show engages the entire audience as the guests are treated like the friends and family of the deceased. The show starts at 8 tonight and plays again tomorrow night at 8 at Kennedy’s Theatre. Tickets are $26. (Patrick Stoops) 1501 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

SPOKEN WORD

Jane Lewty and Janice Lowe Poetry Reading The Lighthouse Reading Series at the Poetry Center at Cleveland State University has long brought in notable writers from around the country. Tonight’s edition will be a little different, however. Poet, composer and musician Janice Lowe will perform her poems at the piano; a bassist and drummer will accompany her. Also reading is Jane Lewty, 2016 winner of the CSU Poetry Center Open Book prize. Lewty has taught at universities in the U.S., the U.K., and the Netherlands in addition to publishing poems in multiple journals. Both poets are considered to be among the most innovative voices in contemporary American poetry.

The reading will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. in CSU’s Drinko Recital Hall.

Admission is free. (Johnny Cook) 2001 Euclid Ave., 216-687-5100, csupoetrycenter.com.

MUSIC

Kent Beatlefest One of the most talented groups of singers and songwriters to ever walk the planet, the Beatles left behind an incredible musical legacy. To this day, tribute acts try to recapture the band’s glory. Slated to take place in downtown Kent starting at 5 p.m. today, the fourth annual Kent Beatlefest aims to honor the Fab Four as participating bands at 18 venues showcase “their unique take on Beatles songs.” Full-on Beatles cover bands like Abbey Road perform at Dominick’s, and local hero Colin Dussault’s “Beatles Project” offers a blues take on the

British band’s music at Venice Cafe.

Rick Locoboni will present Behind the Music of the Beatles, a look into the band’s business model and the songs themselves, at the Kent Cheesemonger. Admission is free. You can find a schedule online. (Niesel) kentbeatlefest.com.

FILM

Key Largo The 1948 film Key Largo focuses on a World War II vet who aims to defend his deceased army buddy’s honor by confronting a gangster who has taken over the hotel run by his late friend’s family. A 35-mm print of the movie screens today at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art as part of their Bogart & Bacall series. Tickets are $11, or $8 for CMA members, seniors and students. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

SPOKEN WORD

Politics of Punk David Ensminger, prolific punk historian and author, takes the podium tonight at 7 at Mac’s Backs on Coventry to discuss recent protests, current events and punk’s role in it all. Ensminger is the author of The Politics of Punk: Protest and Revolt from the Streets (2016), a people’s history of the expansive and ongoing activism and outreach of the genre beyond just slogans and lyrics. His research features original interviews with seminal groups of the American punk scene, from the Dead Kennedys to Cleveland’s own Dead Boys. Ensminger’s deep, nuanced understanding of punk’s long history of dissent, disruption and countercultural activities takes on new meaning in the context of current political protest and resistance.

Admission is free. (Lawrence Neil) 1820 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Hts., 216-321-2665, macsbacks.com.

SAT

02/25

SPORTS

Cavs vs. Chicago Bulls Back when former All-Star guard Derek Rose played for the Chicago Bulls, the team threatened to derail the Cavs’ playoff hopes. Now the Bulls are a shadow of their former selves and have struggled to play .500 ball this season. Sure, forward Jimmy Butler is an All-Star but the rest of the team lacks consistency. Look for the Cavs to take tonight’s game.

Tipoff takes place at 8:30 at the Q. Tickets start at $58. (Niesel) 1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.

ART

Intentional Art and Yoga Designed to enhance creativity through heightened confidence and clarified intention, Tremont’s Studio 11 hosts a workshop combining yoga practice with art-making. Led by experienced yoga and art instructors, the workshop begins with a yoga session with Colleen Rameshbir O’Rourke to help enhance creativity through breath, posture, movement and sound, followed by a meditation to clear the subconscious and focus intention. Later, participants will create mixed media drawings with local artist Melinda Placko using inspired color, words and sacred symbols. Intentional Art and Yoga: A Kundalini Yoga and Art Experience takes place from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. today. The cost of the workshop is $45 in advance or $50 at the door. For more information or to register, call 216-702-6191.

(Usmani) 2337 West 11th St., 216-472-3611, studio11tremont.com.

THE BANDS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN…

DON’T MISS THE FINAL EXAM THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH

5:00pm

MAN CRIED WOLF (Brecksville/Broadview Hts.)

5:20pm

ASSAULT (Highland, Normandy & North Ridgeville)

5:40pm

LONELY PIRATE COMMITTEE (Lake Catholic, Shaker Hts. & University Hts.)

FESTIVAL

Local Blues and Grooves A slew of terrific craft breweries will participate in House of Blues’ annual Local Brews Local Grooves. The event, which takes place at 6 tonight at the club, aspires to be “the ultimate craft beer & music festival featuring the finest breweries, hottest bands, & the tastiest food,” as it’s put in a press release. Local bands will play on four stages. Additionally, two local wineries will be on hand, and there will be food stations throughout the venue. Participating breweries include Jackie O’s, Lager Heads, Willoughby Brewing Company, Oskar Blues, Revolution, Platform Beer Co., Double Wing Brewing Co., Butcher and the Brewer, Sibling Revelry Brewing, Thirsty Dog and more. Local acts such as the Whiskey Hollow, Teddy Boys, Blues Chronicles, Shawn Brewster, Chris Allen, Austin Walkin’ Cane, Brent Kirby, Thor Platter and Shooter Sharp & the Shootouts are slated to perform. Tickets start at $35. (Niesel) 308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

FESTIVAL

Kurentovanje Kurentovanje (koo-rahn-tohVAHN-yay) is evidently the most popular carnival in Slovenia. The central figure of the carnival, the Kurent, is believed to chase away winter and usher in spring with its supernatural powers. The Kurent, by the way, is like something freakish and mammalian out of Parade the Circle: a massive sheepskin

6:00pm

THE FRATS (Avon Lake)

6:15-6:30

BREAK-Recognition of 2017 Arts Prize Awards

6:30pm

BUCYRUS XBAND (Bucyrus H.S.)

6:50

LAST MINUTE (Marion L. Steele)

7:10pm

FUNERAL PROPOSALS (Copley, Ellet & Mogadore)

7:30pm

THE WAVES (Archbishop Hoban & Woodridge)

7:45-8:00

BREAK-Final Exam Judges Announced

8:00pm

FIRST TO ELEVEN (Fairview & Wattsburg (PA))

8:20pm

TIME OUT (Hilliard Darby)

8:40pm

MONTAGE (Cleveland School of the Arts)

9:00pm

NO GOOD SOLUTIONS (Lake Catholic, Orange & Riverside)

9:25pm

SCHOOL OF ROCK Performance

9:50pm

2017 TRI-C HIGH SCHOOL ROCK OFF WINNER ANNOUNCED

The School Of Rock Will Perform Prior To Announcing The Rock Off Winner Each Band Plays a 15 Minute Set in Front of Music Industry Professionals & Screaming Fans!

Purchase Tickets in Advance from Participating Rock Off Performers, Online at Rockhall.com, and at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum the Night of Each Performance.

Your Rock Off Admission Ticket Includes Admission to the Rock Hall Exhibits the Night of the Event.

Parking Available at the Great Lakes Science Center. Metered Parking Also Available. $//23 /0%. 0- Visit rockhall.com/Rockoff for 2017 FREE Music Download from Final Exam Bands

- FIND US ON -

WJW.CLEVELAND

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

27

LIVE AREA= 19.25 X 12â&#x20AC;?

This annual party will be hotter than ever before, and now includes an exciting fashion show and even more vodkas to sample from! Also enjoy the sweet musical stylings of Clevelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest DJs.

28

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

$30 for General Admission

which includes 5 drink tickets and fashion show.

$40 for VIP which includes VIP hour starting at 7pm complete with hand passed hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres by The 9, exclusive cocktails and VIP gift bag plus 7 drink tickets and fashion show.

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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GET OUT $

r SCENE10 fo

10.00HalOf FF the Marathon

creature with bells and beads and all sorts of birdlike, pagan-inspired ornamentation. The Slovenian National Home, St. Clair Superior Development Corp. and Sterle’s Country House partnered with local businesses and institutions to bring a piece of this cultural event to the St. Clair Avenue neighborhood all this past week. Today’s event is the highlight: a parade and festival, with food, drink, music, ice carvings and kids activities.

The general festivities start at 11 a.m. at the Slovenian National Home, and run until 6 p.m. The parade steps off at noon from Sterle’s and travels down East 55th to St. Clair, ultimately ending at the Slovenian National Home. Party time, with multiple stages of music and cultural performances, follows. Admission is free. You can find details on the website. (Sam Allard) clevelandkurentovanje.com.

deejay, cheap booze (beer and cocktail specials) and “a bunch of other stuff.”

Ten samples cost $25, 20 samples will set you back $40. It takes place from noon to 5 p.m. today at Red Space.

Find more info on Facebook. (Niesel) 2400 Superior Ave., Facebook.com/ redspaceevents.

SUN

02/26

FILM

The Big Beat The Rock Hall will celebrate the 89th birthday of 1986 inductee Fats Domino by showing The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’N’ Roll, a 90-minute documentary film that will play on loop all day in the Forest City/RMS Theater inside the main exhibition hall. The film is included with museum admission.

(Niesel) 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., 216-515-8444, rockhall.com.

MUSIC

ART

Love Library Today is the last day to explore Cleveland’s edition of Love Library, Chido Johnson’s ongoing, collaborative art project that has traveled to venues in Rochester, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis and Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

In each city, Johnson collaborates with a local “Love Librarian” who selects the artists to create original works by altering books using the traditional Harlequin romance novel as a template. In Cleveland, the hosts have been Zygote Press and local “Love Librarians” Sarah Kabot and Liz Maugans. Today from 1 to 3 p.m., Zygote closes out the exhibition with a small Soup and Share Potluck with artists from the Cleveland chapter of the Love Library, who will discuss their work, which now includes more than 250 books (including books from past Love Libraries). Admission is free, but attendees are asked to bring a dish to share. (Usmani).

1410 East 30th St., 216-621-2900, zygotepress.com.

FOOD

Mac N Cheese Throwdown Cleveland Scene Magazine, CMG Management Co. and W.A.G.S. 4 Kids have teamed up for Mac N Cheese Throwdown, an event they’ve billed as “the cheesiest event of the year.”

Twenty top restaurants will serve up delicious mac and cheese specials all day. Patrons will decide who wins the title. There will be a “cheesy”

30

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble Today at 2 p.m. as part of the museum’s Performing Arts series, the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble presents a series of programs under the direction of Tim Weiss, the recipient of the Adventurous Programming Award from the American Symphony Orchestra League. Gregory Ristow conducts the group tonight as it plays selections by Harrison Birtwistle and Stephen Hartke.

Tickets are $10, or free for CMA members and students. (Niesel) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.

MON

02/27

FILM

Disturbing the Peace Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a hot-button issue right now, with divisive opinions on both sides of the spectrum. Disturbing the Peace, a new documentary film, focuses on a group of former enemies — Israeli soldiers and Palestinian freedom fighters — who have joined together as an organization called “combatants for peace.” The group advocates for peace and calls for non-violent approaches to resolving the conflict between the two countries. Critics have praised the film, and it has received awards from multiple film festivals. It is screening this evening at the Cleveland Cinematheque. After the film, co-producer Marcina Hale will appear in person to answer audience

questions. The screening begins at 6:45. Tickets are $10, or $7 for members and students. (Cook) 11610 Euclid Ave., 216-421-7450, cia.edu.

BRUNCH

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

(Niesel) 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

of the Cleveland March for Science — will answer these questions and more during Art & the March for Science CLE: Melding Science, Art & Activism, a special event at the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern from 7 to 9 tonight. Admission is free. (Usmani) 11625 Euclid Ave., 216-231-5400, happydogcleveland.com.

SPORTS

Monsters vs. Grand Rapids Griffins The Lake Erie Monsters have played some close games this season against the Grand Rapids Griffins. A few of them have even ended in shootouts.

Tonight at 7 at the Q, the Monsters take on the team once again.

Tonight’s game features $6 tickets for college students with a valid college ID and a $6 College Meal Deal that includes a hot dog, chips and a soda.

Tickets for the general public start at $10. (Niesel) 1 Center Ct., 216-420-2000, theqarena.com.

FOOD

COMEDY

Wing Ding Doodle Blues icon Howlin’ Wolf famously covered “Wang Dang Doodle,” the old blues tune penned by Willie Dixon.

Prosperity Social Club in Tremont has adopted that slogan, calling its wing night Wing Ding Doodle.

The weekly event features specials on Buffalo wings and cold brews.

Prosperity will not only serve up substantial, $1 whole wings, but it’ll also offering meatless Monday “wing” baskets for vegans. Discounted drafts and a playlist of vintage-electric blues and soulful R&B curated by local musician Clint Holley will be on tap as well. Wing Ding Doodle takes place every Monday from 6 p.m. to midnight. (Niesel) 1109 Starkweather Ave., 216-9371938, prosperitysocialclub.com.

Mike Polk Jr. Show Live If you’ve seen local comedian Mike Polk Jr., the man behind the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video, the Factory of Sadness video (parts one and two), Last Call Cleveland comedy troupe and his very own show on Fox 8 (aptly called the Mike Polk Jr. Show), perform live, you know he really thrives on having an audience at his disposal. He hosts the Mike Polk Jr. Show Live tonight at 8 at Hilarities. Tickets are $5. (Niesel) 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

TUE

02/28

ACTIVISM

Art & the March for Science CLE: Melding Science, Art & Activism On April 22, people of all races, nationalities, political parties, gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions and abilities will come together in Washington and around the world to march in support of science. Cleveland’s march will also celebrate the city and the Northeast Ohio region, with a special emphasis on art. Organizers ask, “What do science and art have to offer each other? What can art express in the march that might be lost without it?” Marty Krebs — artist, director of the Fab Lab at Tri-C and co-chair

FILM

Strike a Pose Billed as “a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are,” the documentary film Strike a Pose centers on seven young male dancers who accompanied Madonna on her groundbreaking Blonde Ambition tour back in 1990. While the subsequent documentary Truth or Dare gave one version of the dancers’ lifestyle, there was much more to the picture. Now, 25 years later, they talk about their experiences. The movie, which recently grabbed the Gold at the Los Angeles Film Review Independent Film Awards, screens tonight at 7:30 at the Capitol Theatre.

Regular admission rates apply.

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

Find more events @clevescene.com t@clevelandscene | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

31

ART TIME AND PLACE Powerful portrayals of civil rights, race and profiteering prisons in Spaces’ new exhibitions

By Josh Usmani AFTER A GRAND OPENING weekend attended by hundreds of patrons eager to celebrate the launch of its new home in Hingetown last month, Spaces Gallery got right down to business and debuted its first new exhibitions of the year. The address might have changed but those shows, which include work by New Yorkbased Australian collective Soda_Jerk, Cleveland’s Anthony Warnick and Philadelphia’s Imani Roach, prove the gallery’s programming remains steadfastly poignant and provocative.

Entering through the main entrance, visitors first approach the Vault, Spaces’ new screening area, featuring Soda_Jerk’s Astro Black video series projected directly onto one of the gallery walls. Astro Black is a video series consisting of four episodes of sampled material that considers the origins and politics of Sun Ra’s Afrofuturist mythology.

Utilizing easily recognizable pop culture clips — Star Trek, the Matrix

films — combined with perhaps less familiar sources to some — deejay Afrika Bambaataa and the band Kraftwerk — the films tell a surreal story about physical and psychological transcendence for African Americans.

Beyond their import and impact, the films offer an easy introduction, style-wise, into the more complicated projects waiting further in the gallery.

Anthony Warnick’s Except as Punishment for Crime explores the exploitation of the ever-growing

mathematical equation. Though the symbols may not have significance at first, a quick read of the literature provided offers helpful hints. An archived black-and-white photograph of a historic chain gang on the wall and plaster blocks covered in graphite on the floor lead the viewer into the main gallery.

The main space features both Warnick’s work and Imani Roach’s Havens. The only symbolic divider between the exhibitions is the line of columns in the middle of the space.

To the left of the columns, Warnick’s exhibition continues with objects created by inmates and photographs depicting the people (often men) who control the corporations that own the prisons.

Most of the objects in the main gallery’s portion of Warnick’s exhibition were commissioned by the artist to be produced by inmates, allowing him to explore the process directly by playing an indirect role in it. These inmate-produced items

ASTR0 BLACK/EXCEPT AS PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME/HAVENS Spaces, 2900 Detroit Ave., 216-621-2314 spacesgallery.org

inmate population for cheap labor by America’s private prison corporations.

The exhibition begins in a transition space, just behind Soda_Jerk’s Astro Black, and continues into the main gallery. Warnick’s exhibition begins with a wall vinyl that attempts to simplify the complex problem into a

include three stacks of off-set prints on the floor, as well as disassembled American flags hanging from the wall. The middle of Warnick’s main gallery wall features three portraits featuring transparent overlays (after Francis Galton) of the board of directors of Corrections Corporation

of America, the GEO Group, Inc. and MTC Management and Training Corporation. These combined portraits depict and emphasize the great similarities among them — mostly all white, middle-aged men — and easily and powerfully contrast those men, the ones who profit, from the people incarcerated in the system.

Imani Roach’s Havens explores the history of the “Green Book,” a resource indexing restaurants, boarding houses, service stations and other safe havens for black motorists to patronize on their travels from the late 1930s until it was made (technically) obsolete by the passage of civil rights legislation in 1964.

Roach’s installation includes doors (both freestanding and leaning against walls), some featuring portraits of African Americans sourced from Cuyahoga County’s property records or the archives of the Call and Post newspaper. These doors serve as metaphor for the key that was the “Green Book.”

Roach’s exhibition also includes two shrine-like tables created from doors and cinder blocks. Each multimedia table installation includes audio, including archival performances from comedian Dusty Fletcher and singer and jazz pianist Rose Murphy, both of whom regularly played Cleveland’s black clubs during the 1940s and ’50s, as well as recorded conversations about the history of race and mobility in Cleveland with residents of Kingsbury Tower. Echoing throughout the gallery, the audio impacts and informs the viewer’s experience.

Dealing with issues of race, forced prison labor and civil rights, these new projects and their sobering tones find an amplifying harmony with Spaces’ new home. With much of the work presented directly on walls and concrete floors, the objects are freed from formal gallery boundaries and thereby allow direct interaction with the viewer within the same space. Installed without frames, the displays remove the separation between the viewer and the objects and remind us that the past isn’t necessarily as far away as we may be led to believe.

Roach and Warnick’s exhibitions remain on view through March 25; Soda_Jerk’s Astro Black closes on March 24. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and til 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Spaces is always free and open to the public.

jusmani@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene 32

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

STAGE

THE TERRORIST WHO WASN’T An innocent Middle Eastern man runs away from danger, and himself, in I Call My Brothers at Cleveland Public Theatre

By Christine Howey

(From left) Andrea Belser, Salar Ardebili, Abdelghani Kitab, Rocky Encalada Photo by Steve Wagner

IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT A MOVIE or play is “ripped from the headlines,” and that is sometimes a careless trope. But you can believe every fear that’s released in I Call My Brothers now at Cleveland Public Theatre.

Written by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, the acclaimed Swedish novelist and playwright, the play is a fictionalized version of a real event, an actual bombing that took place in central Stockholm some years ago (not the one Trump hallucinated over the weekend). This piece, which began as a short novel, pulses with the continual paranoia of an innocent man who stands out in a crowd. And when that crowd turns ugly, as has happened in the recent past and will certainly happen again, suffering abounds.

In this telling, a car bomb has been exploded and reports have it that it was set by a bearded Middle Eastern man wearing a keffiyeh and carrying a large backpack. A young man named Amor fits that exact description and, although he had nothing to do with the bombing, he is suddenly viewed with suspicion — or worse — by those looking for the terrorist.

This script, as translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles, shifts back and forth from Amor’s frightened journey through the city to his internal thoughts and memories and eventually some dream sequences.

It is loaded with powerful stuff, but there is so much disconnection inherent in the staging that the play never lands the knockout blow it seems to desire.

From the start we are drawn to Amor in a scene with his brother Shavi, a good-natured guy who Amor nicknames “helium” for his lighter-than-air approach to life. But once the bomb goes off, everything changes. Suddenly, Amor knows he will be perceived as the possible terrorist. At this point, we are completely with him as he reviews his impossible behavior imperatives: “The goal is to blend in, to become invisible … smile at everyone, apologize for existing.”

This is the point where the novelistic source of the story does little to help the theatrical presentation. The playwright sends

impact.

That said, the four-person cast performs with energy and specificity, with three of them playing multiple roles. Abdelghani Kitab is absolutely endearing as Shavi, providing Amor with a solid familial base that the tormented man draws upon. Andrea Belser delivers a crisp portrayal of Valeria, a woman who can’t return Amor’s ardor. And Rocky Encalada is particularly effective in roles that range from the spacey Ahlem to a sunglasses-wearing security officer to Amor’s doting grandmother Tyra.

However, the play depends to a large degree on the person who plays Amor, and Salar Ardebili has many compelling moments. He is extremely accessible as an actor, and that helps us develop empathy for his character — an absolute must in a show like this. But Amor is a

I CALL MY BROTHERS THROUGH MARCH 4 AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE, 6415 DETROIT AVE., 216-631-2727, CPTONLINE.ORG

Amor off into fragmented scenes with his new-agey cousin Ahlem, his ex-girlfriend Valeria, and others.

These might work very well on the printed page, but on stage there has to be a more cohesive thread to keep the audience lashed to the storyline.

Instead, these isolated scenes begin to sap the strength of the central conflict and weaken its ultimate

complicated person who carries a knife without realizing it could be seen as a weapon, and who carries out his family responsibilities with an undercurrent of resentment.

Ardebili only partially succeeds in fleshing out this multi-layered person. Some of that may be due to the translation, which leans towards establishing Amor as an everyman

instead of this one very specific individual. Even though director Evren Odcikin paces the production extremely well, some of the scenes need a bit more separation to allow the audience to recalibrate. And by sometimes insisting on a rapid, hiphop, poetry slam style of delivery, many words are lost in the highspeed verbal volleys.

On stage, speed is no substitute for intensity, and this is a play where intensity would have served better in several key instances. One positive example is when Amor imagines a conversation with grandma Tyra, a poignant moment that avoids coming off as cloying due to the quiet, emotionally honest nature of the interaction.

The set design by Douglas Puskas — frames with fragments and small objects floating around and about — is quite lovely under Wes Calkin’s lighting. But it does little to help convey the story, which a play like this could use. There are so many discrete parts to the vehicle of I Call My Brothers that the engine of the play is unintentionally given short shrift. And that’s unfortunate, given a world where millions of people may soon (and often) be in the same position as Amor.

scene@clevescene.com t@christinehowey | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

33

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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MOVIES BITTER HARVEST IS BITTER PILL Ukrainian genocide film better suited for History Channel

By Sam Allard UNLIKE LAST YEAR’S SON OF Saul, which told a specific story of the Holocaust in a gripping way — hand-held camera, overthe-shoulder close-up shots; each scene urgent, antic, dizzying in its horrors — Bitter Harvest, which opens Friday at select theaters, tells a general story of the Holodomor (the genocide-by-starvation perpetrated upon the people of Ukraine by Joseph Stalin) in a discursive, listless way. The film dulls the impact of the atrocities by conspiring to depict the broadest story possible.

The Holomodor is of course much less famous than the Holocaust, though it resulted in the deaths of as many (if not more) people. The genocide wasn’t fully revealed until

the fall of the Soviet Union. The film relies on exposition, in voiceover and in dialogue, to explain the history. The characters and their various plots and subplots scan like incidental dramatizations to supplement the facts as opposed to the other way around, where the historical record is background material for a specific narrative.

Bitter Harvest’s narrative, such as it is, looks like this: Yuri (Max Irons) is an artist in a Ukrainian village. In more ways than one, it resembles the Shire of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution and a brief period of Ukrainian independence, the village is subjected to Stalin’s aggressive economic agenda, which

SPOTLIGHT: THE RED TURTLE WITHOUT A SINGLE LINE OF DIALOGUE, THE RED TURTLE, BY debut filmmaker Michael Dudok de Wit, has been nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award. And based on the strength of its oldschool animation, its orchestral score and its fairytale-like storytelling, it’s a unique deep dark horse in the category. It opens Friday at the Cedar Lee. Heavy seas at the outset. A shipwrecked man washes ashore on a deserted island. After acquainting himself with the geography, including a claustrophobic escape from an underwater cavern, he means to set sail by raft. His attempts to leave the island are twice broken up by a mysterious animal in the water. On his third attempt, he discovers the culprit — an enormous red turtle. The raft is destroyed again and the man is distraught. That night, the turtle comes ashore, and the man takes revenge. He smashes the turtle’s head with a bamboo stick and turns the creature on its back. Later, overcome with guilt, he tries to feed and shade the turtle, but it has died. To the man’s great surprise, the turtle turns into a woman. The man and woman form a life together on the island. They even have a child, who grows and eventually sets out on his own, bound for unknown shores. The couple grows old together.

While the animation is rudimentary by modern standards, the score — with original music by Laurent Perez Del Mar — is magnificent stuff, supplanting a need for dialogue. Keening strings and choral island dirges abound. Not since Titanic have we heard such rich, aquatic splendor in a musical accompaniment.

More importantly, the short, wordless little movie has a hypnotizing effect. It’s weird, but unlike last year’s Swiss Army Man, which dealt with similar themes — in my mind brilliantly and movingly, if zanily — this one presents a more accessible allegory, a warmer and more universal end.

— Sam Allard

includes drastically increased grain production through farm collectivization. Yuri marries his childhood sweetheart, Natalka (Samantha Barks) and scampers off to Kiev to make money for the family — Natalka wants to stay behind to take care of her mother, a desire she conveys to Yuri literally at the train station, as the train is pulling away.

In Kiev, anti-Ukrainian sentiment grows, and Yuri is imprisoned after a barroom skirmish. Back at the village, conditions worsen for Natalka and the farmers under the thumb of a brutal Commissar.

Perhaps because director George Mendeluk has worked extensively, in fact almost exclusively, on TV movies, the film feels very much like something cobbled together for a primetime network crowd, maybe even something sponsored by a Ukrainian history organization for the History Channel. Why, for instance, is Joseph Stalin himself a character? What possible function, other than bad imitation, do his three brief scenes serve in the story?

Not to come down too harshly, but the personal village conflicts are the stuff of daytime soaps, the special effects are two-bit, and the script suffers from not a few first-draft continuity issues. Two climactic battle sequences between Ukrainian insurgents and Soviet forces end abruptly for reasons one presumes were external to the script. There probably weren’t enough dollars or days to film them in their entirety.

The cast is by and large earnest, if working with rough material. It’s led by the London-born Max Irons as Yuri. His career has been doomed

ever since he hitched his wagon to the 2011 shit stain Red Riding Hood.

You’ll recognize the faces of Barry Pepper and Terrence Stamp as Yuri’s father and grandfather, respectively.

They’re responsible for the most visually interesting elements in the film: goofy traditional haircuts.

From a story perspective, Bitter Harvest’s basic flaw is a lack of logical character development.

This is an outgrowth of the earlier problem, that characters don’t seem to be autonomous people.

Instead, they merely represent ideas.

Yuri’s best friend Mykola (Aneurin Barnard) is the best example. In an early scene, he’s an eager lad who wants to move from the village to the big city, to answer the siren call of manufacturing. When Yuri arrives in Kiev some time later, Mykola has transformed. He is now a Stalin apologist, singing the party tune. The next time we see him, he’s leading the Ukrainian Communist party. And the next time we see him is the last. He is being hunted by Soviets and writes a letter to Yuri, apologizing for his betrayal — not only because he failed to see Stalin’s lies but because he always loved Natalka. What? This was hinted at obliquely once or twice before but never developed. It’s perhaps the most aggressively abbreviated character arc in recent memory.

All that said, consider Bitter Harvest a jagged baseline from which other Ukrainian narratives on film may emerge.

sallard@clevescene.com t@scenesallard | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

35

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

EAT

Photo by Emanuel Wallace

BEHIND THE TIMES A dated menu and uneven execution hamper Merchant Street Eatery’s hopes of lasting in Tremont

By Douglas Trattner “SO, WILL THE CURSE FINALLY be broken?” asked a friend, referring to the revolving-door restaurant situation that has plagued Tremont’s notorious park-side bistro for nearly two decades.

I’m not optimistic, I replied. At least, not unless things change.

Like countless other diners, I’ve been smitten by John McDonnell’s charms since the first time I dined at one of his restaurants. That was back in 2000 at the Fulton Bar and Grill. In addition to his convivial demeanor and matchless hosting ability, the guy has a knack for unearthing talent and letting them shine. Chef Steve Parris elevated the Fulton from dive to destination. At Tartine Bistro, Nolan Konkoski help his boss nab this mag’s Best New Restaurant award before leaving to open his own successful spot, SoHo, in Ohio City.

Based on all of the above and more, I had high expectations for Merchant Street Eatery, McDonnell’s first new venture since handing over Tartine to his partner. The owner is just as warm, gracious and attentive as ever, effortlessly working the room like a seasoned pro. And the space literally has never looked better, a buzzy neighborhood bistro without one iota of pretense or pride.

The food, on the other hand, needs some work. If this were another time and place, perhaps, this

review would be more flattering. But this is Tremont, a dining district stacked with the heaviest of hitters when it comes to culinary all-stars.

And this is 2017, a year that caps off an era of unprecedented progress in terms of Cleveland’s food and cocktail scene. At this price point, in this neighborhood, anything short of exceptional will be a very tough sell — even when it’s McDonnell doing the selling.

Starters like baked brie ($11) and crab and manchego-stuffed peppers ($11) could have been salvaged by killer ingredients and top-flight execution. Instead, the brie arrived in a pale and greasy dough wrapper and the piquillo peppers are filled with a tuna fish-like mixture lacking any crab or crab flavor. The softon-soft texture of the filling and

caponata, punchy ricotta salada, sauteed ’shrooms and micro greens.

Tidy stacks of diced cured salmon and apples atop jalapeno corn cakes ($10) would have been so much better had the cakes been hot and crispy instead of cold and stiff.

In advance of my first visit to Merchant Street I perused the menus online as is my habit. I admired the roster of timeless-sounding bistro arrangements. Done right, dishes like roasted cod ($19), served atop a bed of julienned salsify and spinach and drizzled with preserved lemon oil, indeed are classic comforts.

So, too, are the easygoing seared scallops ($22), paired with roasted carrots and a heap of braised spinach.

On the flip side are dishes like the mushroom cassoulet ($18), a

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the roasted peppers screams for something to break the monotony.

More than a few bad hombres, a flat wine sauce and stale bread slices sank an uncomplicated bowl of steamed mussels ($10).

There were no complaints in regard to a wild mushroom flatbread ($10), a crisp-crusted oblong pie topped with sweet and sour

brothy confluence of soft beans, leeks, tomatoes and greens that feels more like the beginning of a dish rather than the end of one.

Similarly unfocused is the inaptly named “stuffed winter squash” ($17), a muddle of chopped vegetables, greens, squash and wheat berries in an oniony sauce. Other flubs over the span of two meals include a skin-on

roasted chicken breast ($19) that lacked the mandatory crispy skin and a medium-rare filet of beef ($22) served very, very rare.

The wine list is lovely and reasonably priced, and McDonnell is just the guy to make a recommendation. We enjoyed bottles of an easy-drinking Bordeaux ($36) and jammy Napa Valley red wine blend ($50). Cocktails are a different matter, as evidenced by a tablemate’s Manhattan ($8) consisting of little more than chilled straight bourbon.

One of the reasons I was so optimistic about Merchant Street’s chances of breaking the spell is that the owner fixed the vexing issues that have for so long plagued the physical space. A tiny bar that forced guests to stare at a rear wall was expanded and relocated to the right side of the room, creating that beloved bar-and-bistro feel. An adjacent Siberia-like dining room was turned into a separate retail market-based business, so guests no longer need dine in isolation.

Given that the heavy lifting already has been done, and given McDonnell’s restaurant IQ — Parris wasn’t his first chef at the Fulton — I still hold out hope that he will right this ship and sail it into calm and pleasant waters.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant celebrates 35 years in business

by Rachel Hunt EDUARDO GALINDO, OWNER of Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant (3456 West 117th St., 216-252-1169, luchitas.net), has never had to travel far to get a good home-cooked meal. The family-run establishment was opened in February 1982 by his grandmother Maria de la Luz Galindo Muñoz and his father Jorge Galindo. At the time, it was one of very few Mexican restaurants in the city. Fast forward 35 years and Luchita’s still manages to stand out for its history, hospitality and affordable cuisine.

Luchita, the matriarch and namesake of the restaurant, worked in the kitchen until she was 87 years old. After living in Mexico City and raising 11 children, her dream was to open a business in her new home, and thus the quaint eatery on Cleveland’s west side was born. The late 1980s and early ’90s found the business in its heyday, as a friendly corner bar.

Luchita quickly became a fixture in the community and served many generations of locals their first taste of authentic Mexican cooking. Luchita passed away last spring.

For the past 10 years, grandson Eduardo has been the sole owner, purchasing the business from an uncle and picking up where his grandmother left off. “We try to keep it original and slowly evolving at the same time,” he explains. “We’re plugging along. There might be more competition, but we’re fortunate to have as many supporters as we have.

We have a staff where some people have been working here for 20 years.”

Luchita’s is well known for its signature mole sauce, served atop enchiladas, burritos and the classic pollo en mole poblano. The eatery excels at incorporating the rich flavors

of ancho, chipotle and poblano peppers into various entrees, showcasing a complexity often lost at other Mexican restaurants. The tinga de pollo, with shredded chicken, chorizo, chipotle salsa, queso panela, avocado and sour cream, is one of Luchita’s signature dishes.

“A lot of the menu has continued the same recipes my grandmother came up with 35 years ago, especially our salsa,” notes Galindo. “People come from miles around just for the salsa.”

The original recipes are informed by the Galindos’ roots in central Mexico, which blend indigenous ancient cuisine and colonial European tastes.

“First and foremost, it’s always fresh; that’s never changed. But as the years go, we try to adapt the menu to the season, adding and subtracting different items.”

In addition to the wildly popular Taco Tuesdays, the weekday happy hour menu will soon be expanding.

Enchilada Wednesdays are another themed evening, when a selection of variously filled and sauced items cost just $2 each after 4 p.m.

Other locations have come and gone over the years, including those at Shaker Square, Rocky River, Mentor and a Luchita’s Express in University Circle. But it’s hard to duplicate the true original, with its post-Prohibition art deco-era bar and long-tenured staff.

Through it all, Galindo has learned to be patient. “You have to be able to change with the times, because new restaurants come and go, and we just have to be evolving with them; otherwise, we’ll be left behind very quickly.”

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

EAT COMING SOON Hook & Hoof New American Kitchen in Willoughby

By Douglas Trattner FOR THE PAST YEAR, PARTNERS Hunter Toth and Chaz Bloom have been working diligently to convert the old Fanucce’s pizza shop (4125 Erie St.) in downtown Willoughby into Hook & Hoof, a New American kitchen. The restaurant is on pace to open in about a month.

Chef Toth’s name might be familiar to diners in the Willoughby area thanks to his years working in local eateries like the Wild Goose and The Morehouse. He also spent time in the kitchens of Beach Club Bistro, Crumb and Spigot and Hyde Park, to name a few. Bloom is more of a frontof-house guy, having spent years working as a GM in Miami and New Orleans.

“I was always looking to do my own thing and then I met Chaz, and his passion and drive for the restaurant industry is right up there with mine,” Toth explains.

After looking at various properties around town, the two stumbled upon the 2,000-square-foot space in the heart of Willoughby.

“I walked in the building and immediately fell in love with the old brick and character,” Toth notes. “I had this idea to build an old New York or Boston-style restaurant, with a long and tall room. I didn’t want miles of square feet.”

Toth says that the construction process has been so time consuming because of the amount of work needed not only to bring the space up to modern standards, but also to improve it to the point of their own design standards. For years, the old space operated largely as a modest carryout pizza shop.

“We’ve really been trying to hide the buildout from the public because of what the building used to look like to what it is going to look like.

To the eye that has seen it before, it will be jaw dropping, because of the transformation.”

The attractive 70-seat restaurant is broken up into well-defined spaces for the “speakeasy-style” bar, the dining area, and the open kitchen with chef’s table.

Toth says that the concept for the restaurant melds the experiences of his youth with his culinary travels through places like Texas, Boston and Chicago.

“Growing up in a family that had a grocery store, I was always surrounded by food and butchery,” he says. “I fell in love with not riding the wave of a trend; I wanted to create something timeless. I really love classic-style food and drinks.

I’ll use all the techniques from butchers and fishmongers and all the ingredients that they would take home and translate them into timeless dishes using modern techniques and updated plating.”

Toth says that he is being careful notto out-chef the local clientele, which won’t be difficult considering that his culinary approach is grounded in tradition.

“In our town, I think people really value their hard-earned money, and if they don’t understand what they’re eating, they’re not coming in,” he

says. “That’s just understanding your market. I think the menu that we’re creating will be superapproachable to not only people who wouldn’t call themselves foodies, but also I think foodies will appreciate that I’m using different parts of the animal that might not necessarily be done for dishes.”

An early draft of the menu shows starters like fish-cheek fish and chips; braised beef cheek toast with local goat cheese and sauteed wild mushrooms; smoked clams and mussels with chorizo and Negro Modelo broth; and mini crab potpies filled with fisherman’s chowder.

Possible main courses include braised short rib-stuffed shells, wild sockeye salmon with farro stew, pot roast with root veggies and horseradish crema, and Salisbury steak with truffle whipped potatoes.

Toth says the cocktail program will be “second to none in our area,” built around the best available spirits and local accoutrements. A menu of nearly two dozen original concoctions joins a listing of a dozen classics done their way. The Ohio Mule pairs Stillwrights Bourbon from Dayton, Lairds Old Apple Brandy, housemade ginger syrup, fresh lime juice and ginger beer. The Cuyahoga Cider blends Tom’s Foolery

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHICKEN AND OUR 13 GOURMET SAUCES rice and greens is ingenious! They have a little kick to them but quite tasty. They were buttery and lightly sweet. I enjoyed my meal and will return in the future.” - Ladonna G. ★★★★★ “This is some Seriously delicious chicken. I have lived very ery close, and almost drive by there daily. Thought it was part of the convenient store, so I would not go there. here. After reading the reviews and being g extremely hungry, I took the more than glad I plunge, and I am mor much did. I will be coming g here so muc more.” - Stephanie L. ★★★★★ “It’s no joke, best fried chicken in Cleveland. They’ve got plenty of yourself, it’s all sides, but don’t kid yourse While there’s about the chicken. ch a variety of flavors the staff might not give you many clues past identifying the individual flavors.

Luckily there’s a brief explanation of them at the restaurant.” - Noah F. ★★★★★ “Oh my gosh this place has the best food.The chicken is superbly uperbly trimmed and seasoned to perfection. ction. Normally I always get the fried ed chicken but tonight I went with the e fish dinner for the first time and can’t stop jumping up-anddown with joy. Make sure you get biscuits and at least try the honey bisc the greens and nd rice. Thank you for such great service and the culinary culina gift you’ve given us.” - Sarah J. ★★★★★ Excellent xcellent fried chicken. Try the seasoned. soaked asoned. The honey ho biscuits, cuits mac & cheese, and rice are all must haves, too. The menu is enormous so you’ll have plenty of options when you come back for more. - Nichole K. ★★★★★

Hands down, the best friend chicken in town! We love the honey y crisp and the seasoned. Delicious, hot and fresh, esh, never sitting under a heater or warmer for hours. We host a lot of parties and people always ask for V’s!

The sides are mediocre, in all honesty I’m not a huge fan fa of them, however,, the cornbread muffins are incredible! cornb dible!

They’re great eat plain or with butter or honey. I have gotten a piece of their chocolate butter cream cake as well and that’s incredible too! It’s home made! I’m a huge fan of the old t school look of the restaurant.

In my r opinion, nothing needs to change.

Thanks for the awesome service! Ashley B.

chicken chicke dinner instead of spending cash at a KFC or any other fast food chicken chains. Best chicken ever!” Bunny Marie L. M

E H T T U O !

B S A B I L R L A D S N ’ A IT H S I F N E K C I CH

★★★★★ “Worth the stop & future excursions from the Near West Side in the future.I can’t find one thing wrong with V’s and the woman taking care of us was just the nicest and personable person ever. For all the food we ordered it was very reasonably priced and d held up well on the ride home// Stopping here in the near future iss in order as it puts lousy KFC’s, Popeyes, eyes etc to shame in terms of quality, price, and customer service.” vice.” - Jesco D. ★★★★★ “I went here after the good reviews and I was impressed. I had the regular/mild mild batter. The chicken was light, crispy and de delicious. The

“I absolutely love the food here! Best fried chicken I’ve ever had. People should stop in and grab a family

“I absolutely absolute loved this his place! I will w be back soon!” n! - Lori M. “Five Stars aren’t Enough! This is 10 STAR FOOD!! LOVE THOSE HON HONEY ROLLS!! It’s my dinner tonight sh shrimp, slaw, fries and corn muffin. SO YUMMY” - Lonnie R. “Such a delicious choice for Fried chicken” - Nicole Elaine T.

To Place A Catering Order Or Any Questions Call Us At 216.738.7000

CALL US: 216.738.7000 | 15418 LAKESHORE BLVD. | CLEVELAND

vsgourmetchicken.com | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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EAT Rye, local apple cider and fresh lemon juice. The Jaliscan combines Lunazul blanco tequila with Aperol, Lillet Blanc and a smoked salt rim.

You can meet Chef Toth and sample some of his food at the upcoming Wholey Cow event taking place later this month.

FAWAKY BURST COLD-PRESSED JUICE COMING TO CLEVELAND HEIGHTS Muhammad Edwards launched Fawaky Burst Juice two years ago by selling cold-pressed juices in bulk to gas stations in fresh food-starved neighborhoods. He later added a food truck and a stationary location in South Euclid (4441 Mayfield Rd., 216-438-3289).

Soon, Edwards will add a spot in Cleveland Heights to his growing portfolio. He is teaming up with chef Eric Rogers, owner of Fix Bistro, to open Fawaky Fix in the former home of Subway (2234 Lee Rd.). Estimates place opening day sometime in April.

“It was a unique situation,” Edwards says. “We decided to come together as a partnership between businesses to create Fawaky Fix.” “Fawaky,” which translates to “fruit” in Arabic, gets to the heart of Edwards’ health-focused operation.

In addition to bottled cold-pressed and blended juices available in flavors like pineapple-ginger and lemon-lime-mojito, the shop will offer five detox beverages designed for three-day juice fasts. Edwards will customize the detox program to suit personal preferences. Solid foods like healthy salads, rice bowls, wraps and paninis will also be on the menu.

The new Cleveland Heights spot isn’t the only project Edwards has brewing; he will open a new retail location in the food court of Great Lakes Mall in Mentor and Healthy Start on Noble Road in Cleveland Heights.

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

HEADTRIP, A NANO BREWERY, TO OPEN AT HUDSON-STOW BORDER Nick Seagle has been homebrewing for just over six years, but he says the time has come to make the leap. He’ll be taking that jump with partner Tom Mitchell, when the pair opens Headtrip Brewery this summer on the Stow-Hudson border.

“I’m ready to take that next step,” says Seagle, who is sharing

clevelandrestaurantweek.com

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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7581 Broadview Rd. | Seven Hills, OH | (216)236-6969 | www.bonchon.com

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

some of his latest creations with a small group of thirsty listeners.

“I have been getting incredible feedback on my beers. I just needed that nudge.”

The Bainbridge and Cuyahoga Falls owners, both in their early 30s, are starting out small, both in terms of space and equipment. The 1,500-square-foot space in the Stow Hudson Towne Centre, a former Guava Juice Bar, will feature a small brewery and taproom. The operation will be open weekends only.

“We’re defi nitely nano,” Seagle says. “We are building a threebarrel system but will start with barrel-and-a-half batches.”

“Small brewery, big dreams,” adds Mitchell.

The partners are doing everything themselves, from the property improvements to the fabrication of the direct-fire brewhouse. A selection of six draft beers, a few core flavors plus everchanging varieties, will include Belgians, stouts, porters, wheats and tart, sour-like fruit beers. On tap during our discussion were a range of brews that included a smoked stout, peanut butter coffee stout, mild ale and Belgian rye IPA. “We’ll have a couple of mainstays, but we’ll always change it up,” Seagle adds. “It’s fun when you go to a place and there’s something new to try.”

The guys says that as craft beer drinkers they grew tired of having no options in their own backyard.

The closest brewery, MadCap Brew Co., is located 20 minutes away in Kent.

“This is a community that is starved for things to do,” Mitchell points out. “We have to drive to Akron or to Cuyahoga Falls or to Hudson.”

“As a craft beer consumer I pay attention to new breweries that are opening – and I know that I’m not alone,” adds Seagle. “You here that one is open and you want to go there. People are looking for these things, especially one where you don’t have to drive to.”

When it opens, the taproom will not serve food, but rather leverage the local options in the immediate area.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

MUSIC

LADEN WITH SUNLIGHT Singer Mike Doughty talks about the tracks on his new album

By Jeff Niesel A JAZZ CLUB DOORMAN TURNED beat poet-inspired frontman, singer and poet Mike Doughty has carved out a singular niche for himself over the course of a career that now spans two decades.

While he certainly had the most notoriety leading Soul Coughing, the New York-based avant-jazz act that appealed to hipsters and jam-band fans alike, he’s also done fine on his own after going solo in 2000.

On his terrific solo albums, Doughty works his extensive vocabulary into a variety of tongue-

twisting tunes. His new album, The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns, again pairs him with multifaceted producer Good Goose.

Doughty took the album’s title from a WTF! podcast by comedian Marc Maron, who used the phrase in reference to chewing nicotine gum in the effort to quit smoking.

Speaking via phone from a Minneapolis tour stop, Doughty tells us a bit about each track on the album. Though they’re difficult to reproduce live, he’ll play many of the songs at his upcoming concert.

“Wait! You’ll Find a Better Way” It began with a chord progression, which is this kind of classic minor-key chord progression that’s just all over the culture lately — the Weeknd uses it, Gotye uses it, there’s like 35 indie rock bands whose names I don’t remember who use it. It’s basically “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles, slowed down.

So I wanted to do something with that. And the other thing is that I just like it when the verses are dark, and the choruses are relatively cheery, at least in content. The lyrics just came out of my notebooks.

“I Can’t Believe I Found You in That Town” It’s a reference to Huddersfield in the north of England, where I met somebody, and it was kind of happening, but then I basically blew it on Instagram DMs. I totally did the too many DMs thing, and it just collapsed like a house of cards. It’s hard to believe that one would find someone in [Huddersfield]. It’s a northern England industrial town, outside of a bigger city — it might be Newcastle? See, I can’t even be bothered to open up Google Maps and tell you for sure. | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

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MUSIC

lyrics to the structure that he’s sanded out of the raw material I’ve given him.

“Brian” It’s nothing you won’t usually find on a rock record, other than a little bit more of the arpeggiating cheap Atari synthesizer. But the beat is actually an East African beat from Eritrea. I was over there a couple years ago, and I did some lo-fi field recordings. I just learned the beat, and just wanted to do something with it. You don’t expect the song based on the obscure East African beat to be the one that people like, but people really like that one. Unfortunately, it’s a bit hard to reproduce, so we’ve been sort of touching on it in soundchecks, but nothing so far. It’s based on a real person, but his name isn’t Brian — it’s just one of my numerous crackhead friends.

“There Is a Way Out” The verses are pretty dark, but the chorus is relatively laden with sunlight. The character in the song says, “Open the door, let me come home, because I’m gonna die.” I don’t know what the story is with that when I’m writing the song. I usually don’t know what I’m singing about when something sort of slips out like that until a couple years of playing it on the road.

“Sad Girl Walking in the Rain” Originally, I wrote that for my Patreon feed, which is kind of a big deal in my life at the moment. I write and record a new song every week. I was on tour in Britain, and I had to do my weekly song, so I

“You Could Fly” The synthesizer on that is a Roland 303 — the legendary house music instrument. You know, the machine that built acid house. I just wanted to do something that had a 303 line, but that also had a big rock guitar just going, “Rowwnn!”

“Otherlands” Otherlands is a coffee shop in my neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. Again, that was a Patreon feed thing. It was time to write the weekly song, and I realized what a great title that would be. I gotta give them a copy of the vinyl — I don’t think they’re aware that somebody wrote a song about them.

“Don’t Jerk the Wheel” It’s another Patreon song. It was the first song I wrote in Memphis.

It was before I moved there, when I was looking for an apartment. There was a massive citywide shutdown over four inches of snow, which is hilarious. They have to be very specific on the news here about how to drive on ice, which nobody knows how to do in Tennessee. It could be a simple road safety cautionary message.

“Give Me Something” That’s me and Goose again — that’s one that was banged out from fragments that I gave him, that he sculpted judiciously into a tune.

“The Wild Creatures” The synth is a Critter & Guitari pocket piano, which is pretty

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went into this small stairwell, and just recorded it on this little practice guitar I had. I really just banged it out.

“Dawn/Gone” That’s kind of a classic example of the process me and Good Goose, the album’s producer, use. I basically give him a whole bunch of improvised parts, and he selects little snippets from the improvisations I give him, arranges them, then I do a nonsense lyric vocal to it, he picks out snippets, arranges those, and then I write

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| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

much every synth that you hear on the album, like those layered arpeggiated synths on “Brian.”

Any synth on there is the Critter & Guitari. It’s a very inexpensive analog synth that it’s really difficult to reproduce things on. There’s been the challenge of arranging the song live, of trying to figure out how to get the machine to do the same thing twice. It’s a beautiful instrument, though.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

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Photo by Danny North

MUSIC AN IMMERSIVE ATMOSPHERE The themes of relationships and loss pervade the Japanese House’s music

By Laurence Neil BESIDES A TRIP TO LOS ANGELES, the Japanese House — the solo project of English singer-songwriter Amber Bain — had never been to the States before last year. But starting this week, she begins her third North American tour of the past 10 months, a time span that included an arena tour last spring where she opened for labelmates the 1975, and her own headlining run in November and December.

Speaking on the phone from a recording studio in London and struggling to even remember what day it was, the introspective and forthcoming East London-based 21-year-old feels like she’s living in a movie.

“You end up in a weird blur where you can’t actually remember where you’ve been,” she says of this past year. “Especially if you’re jetlagged, it’s just the weirdest thing. And obviously, you grow up listening to American accents because they’re in films and stuff, but when everyone around you has an American accent, it feels like you’re in a film. Like, this is what the movies are like.”

This tour has her cutting a slightly less cinematic path through Middle America. She will play dates throughout the Midwest before venturing down to Florida for a festival and out to the West Coast in March.

The heartland, however, has an unexpected appeal to Bain, whose prior travels through the States imbued her with an appreciation for its natural majesty.

“I found a lot of America just really chilled out compared to its cities. I found it really beautiful.

Some of the drives are just insane — obviously, when you think of national parks. But you don’t think about driving on the motorway and it just being, like, stunning, which it was a lot of the time.”

For those familiar with Bain’s music, this sentiment and admiration may not come as a

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surprise. With three EPs under her belt, Bain has established a sweeping blend of synth-pop that suggests these forlorn gazes on the rumbling open road. Her layered, complex sound balances the snowy vocoder harmonies of Bon Iver and the warm, simmering, bittersweet pop of the 1975 into a reflective, hypnotic package.

Like the visuals of snowy Icelandic scenes that accompanied her first EP or the sunny island cast in a faded, pastel aura that provided the setting for a recent video, Bain specializes in creating an immersive atmosphere in her recordings. Her sonic landscape is kaleidoscopic: heavily layered vocals, occasionally dissonant harmonies, organic and electronic sounds that arrange and rearrange themselves in ebbs and flows.

Bain grew up west of London in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire counties, bouncing around towns that were essentially non-descript.

“It’s very normal,” she says of the region. “It’s your average town.

There was a park and everyone just hung out at the park. And then there’s a shed that everyone smokes in. I wasn’t in a shithole wanting to break free.”

She credits her father with

Bain’s musical career kicked into high gear through a chance encounter with the 1975, the mercurial indie rockers from Manchester who have topped charts in the U.K. and the U.S. over the past five years. After attending their debut London show in 2012, a friend of hers began dating their lead singer, Matt Healy. The friend eventually played some of Bain’s music for the band and, shortly after, Bain inked a deal with their label, Dirty Hit. As evidenced by her three releases

JAPANESE HOUSE, BLAISE MOORE 8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22, GROG SHOP, 2785 EUCLID HEIGHTS BLVD., CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, 216-321-5588. TICKETS: $15, GROGSHOP.GS

introducing her to Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, and quickly added the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as pillars of her musical education.

“My music was born out of nothing else other than a love of other people’s music and wanting to understand how they did it. I was obsessed with music and was like, ‘Well, might as well make some of it.’ I realized I actually could write songs and I found it quite easy at the beginning.”

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

thus far, Bain has embraced the resurgence of the EP as a format.

Her three EPs — 2015’s Pools to Bathe In and Clean and 2016’s Swim Against the Tide — tallied four tracks each.

“EPs are great because they’re so small and it’s like an experiment.

Bite-sized chunks of music are easier to digest, and as an artist, that gives us more of a chance to do something really weird. You can tell yourself, ‘It’s not an album, it’s an EP, so let’s do something weird.’”

While she has enlisted production help from the 1975’s Healy and George Daniel, her own fingerprints are all over these projects, especially in the deeply personal content.

“I write about relationships and loss,” she says, “Human connections and lack thereof.”

And her experiment has paid off: She was tapped to perform at a number of festivals across the U.K. and Europe last summer and longlisted for the BBC’s prestigious “Sound of 2017” list.

Yet as she writes and records, Bain finds things a bit more difficult as she’s down to the last EP in her four-part series, and her debut album looms.

“It’s hard to specify what is going on what. I might turn around tomorrow and go, ‘Actually, this song I wrote for the album I’m going to put on the EP,’ or vice versa. The album is a bigger deal: I want it to be very together and have a certain feel to it. I like it, but I’m quite fussy with music.

It’s a harder thing to do, to make an album that from start to finish is a solid thing in its own right. And that’s what I’m aiming to do.”

scene@clevescene.com t@clevescene

| clevescene.com m | February 22 - 28, 2017

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LIVEWIRE

all the live music you should see this week Photo by Joe Kleon

WED

02/22

Maroon 5/Tinashe/R. City: 7:30 p.m., $30.50-$126. Quicken Loans Arena.

Curtis Salgado/Sam Hooper Group: Bluesman Curtis Salgado, who released the vibrant The Beautiful Lowdown last year, started his career some 40 years ago. He grew up listening to Count Basie and Fats Waller; his older brother and sister introduced him to Wilson Pickett and Muddy Waters. Before long, he taught himself to play harmonica.

In his early 20s, Salgado led his own band, the Nighthawks, and then joined the Robert Cray Band.

In the ’80s, he played with the long-running blues outfit Roomful of Blues. During that era, the blues went mainstream and even MTV played videos from Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Salgado has called The Beautiful Lowdown his “most adventurous” album; it lives up to the billing. The hard-charging album opener “Hard to Feel the Same About Love” features spirited horns and soulful vocals. Salgado even gives reggae a go with “Simple Enough.” In the politically charged “I’m Not Made That Way,” he addresses the hypocrisy of the world in which we live. Expect these tracks to make their way into tonight’s setlist. (Jeff Niesel) 8 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

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

After the Burial/Emmure/Fit for an Autopsy/Invent, Animate: 6 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora Ballroom.

Bob Frank & Austin “Walkin Cane” Charanghat: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop.

The Japanese House/Blaise Moore: 8:30 p.m., $15. Grog Shop.

THU

02/23

’70s Classic Rock Night (in the Supper Club): 7:30 p.m., $7. Music Box Supper Club.

Dorothy/The Georgia Flood: 8 p.m., $12.50. House of Blues Cambridge Room.

Mike Doughty/Wheatus: 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Josh Garrels & John Mark McMillan: 7 p.m., $24-$34. House of Blues.

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

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Mo Mojo with Moise Borges: 8:30 p.m., $15. Nighttown.

The Neighbors: 9:30 p.m., $5.

Brothers Lounge.

Angela Perley & the Howlin Moons/ White Buffalo Woman: 9 p.m., $10.

Musica.

Thor Platter (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m.

Brothers Lounge.

Moss Stanley: 10:30 p.m., free.

Nighttown.

Geoff Tate The Whole Story “Ryche” Acoustic Tour: 8 p.m., $27 ADV, $32 DOS. The Kent Stage.

Tricky Dick & The Cover-Ups: 9:30 p.m., $5. Vosh Club.

Weird Omen/Rainy Day Saints: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.

Ariana Grande returns to the Q. See: Sunday.

Roger Hoover: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Jam Night with the Bad Boys of Blues: 9 p.m., free. Brothers Lounge.

LVL Up/Palm/Small Wood House (in the Locker Room): 7:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

The Midnight Shift 45 Dance Party: 8 p.m., free. Beachland Tavern.

Mostly Other People Do The Killing: 8 p.m., $12. Bop Stop.

Two Hand Fools/All Dinosaurs/Old Souls/Varsity Pinball: 9 p.m., $6.

Grog Shop.

Violent J: 6 p.m., $15 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora Ballroom.

Amanda Walsh & Friends: 8 p.m., $10. Nighttown.

FRI

02/24

Eric Church: When country singerguitarist Eric Church played in town in 2014, he delivered a compelling two-hour concert in front of a packed house at Quicken Loans Arena. Drawing on his rock roots, his energetic show came off as the country equivalent of a Springsteen concert. Church even sang a few riffs from Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” as an intro to his hit “Springsteen.” Church returns to the Q tonight on the heels of his latest album, Mr. Misunderstood.

There will be no supporting act on his tour. Rather, Church and the ECB will play two full sets with an intermission. (Niesel) 8 p.m., $25$89. Quicken Loans Arena.

Sisters in Song: Kristine Jackson/ Rachel Brown/Becky Boyd (in the Supper Club): If you’re looking for awesome women to represent our kickass local music scene, this is the show you need to catch. Kristine Jackson, who recently released a

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

new album, By Your Side, has long been a fixture at Cleveland shows.

She brings a wide spectrum of influences, like hard rock and roots reggae, to this trio. Rachel Brown harkens back to earlier times in America, performing saloon-style rock with her band, the Beatnik Playboys. Her stage presence is terrific. And Becky Boyd, who’s been running with Groove Train in recent years, is one of the most soulful, jazzy singers in Cleveland.

We’ve admired all three of these ladies for years; bringing them together for a night can only portend a fun and very danceable time. Don’t miss this! (Eric Sandy) 8 p.m., $18 ADV, $20 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.

Bleep Bloop/Proko/Thunder St. Clair/ Dicey: 9:30 p.m., $14 ADV, $17 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

DJ Paul Weaver: 6 p.m., free. Happy Dog. Eve to Adam/Sylvia: 7 p.m., $10 ADV, $13 DOS. Agora Ballroom.

Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles/ Chantae Cann: 8:30 p.m., $15-$40.

Beachland Ballroom.

Chayla Hope/Madeline Finn/ Kimberly Haffey/Shelby Lynn Sangdahl: 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Grog Shop.

The Interstate/A Work of Fiction/ Getting There/Heroes Like Villains/As Time Fades/Pollen Eyes (in the Locker Room): 6:30 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Jonah Koslen’s Stage Pass Now Performing Michael Stanley Band’s ‘Stage Pass’ In Its Entirety: 8 p.m., $20. Music Box Supper Club.

Jake Miller/MAX/Spencer Sutherland: 7 p.m., $22.50-$32.50.

House of Blues.

SAT

02/25

Cleveland’s 2017 Brazilian Carnaval: 9:30 p.m. Music Box Supper Club.

Edison/Maxwell Hughes/The Ohio Jukes: 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

In Training: February Infatuation with Vague Output/D10/Bastet/ Oracles/Aphreaq/Him Hun: 9 p.m., $8. Now That’s Class.

Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band/ Big Ship: 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Grog Shop.

Magic Alex/Run Thomas Run: 9 p.m., $10. Musica.

Miller and the Other Sinners: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown.

Red Light Roxy: 8 p.m., $10. Bop Stop.

Saddle Creek Saturday: 10 p.m., free.

B-Side Liquor Lounge & Arcade.

Saturday NITEBRIDGE Fever (in the Supper Club): 8 p.m., $10. Music Box Supper Club.

Schwartz Brothers/The Family Dog: 8:30 p.m., $7. Beachland Tavern.

Sounds of Jazz Featuring Nancy Redd (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m.

Brothers Lounge.

The Spazmatics: 9:30 p.m., $5.

Brothers Lounge.

Vivora/T-Tops/Bwak Dragon: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog. Jackie Warren: 10:30 p.m., free.

Nighttown.

ZZ Top: 8 p.m., $75-$99.50. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park.

SUN

02/26

GZA/Meyhem Lauren/FreshProduce: Philosopher-emcee and founding member of the revolutionary New York rap crew the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is a fixture of the

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

51

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hip-hop ruling class. After the smash success of 1993’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), GZA embarked on a solo career marked by lyrical dexterity and iconoclastic inventiveness, from 1995’s Liquid Swords to 2008’s Pro Tools. In the 1990s, the 50-year-old rapper helped pave the way for New York City’s hardcore scene, presaging artists like Nas, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, and the Notorious B.I.G. Over the years, GZA has gravitated towards science and philosophy, giving TED Talks on science education and collaborating with professors at MIT, Oxford, Harvard and Columbia on education initiatives. He’s recently joined forces with Tom Morello and Greek composer Vangelis as he works toward his oft-delayed album, Dark Matter. Meyhem Lauren, the gritty Queens-bred Action Bronson affiliate, opens, along with Cleveland duo FreshProduce. (Lawrence Neil) 9 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Put-In-Bay Party for Ben Parker Featuring Ben Dover & the Screamers/Chris Allen: An island party band popular in Put-In-Bay in the ’80s and ’90s, Ben Dover & the Screamers had a huge regional following. Recently, lead singer Ben Parker has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease so tonight’s show featuring the reunited band serves as a benefit to help cover medical expenses. (Niesel) 4 p.m., $15 ADV, $20 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.

You Blew It!/All Get Out/Free Throw/Bare Walls: Show headliner You Blew It is a Florida-based emo outfit that released its third album Abendrot last November.

The group has been working the emo-revival circuit alongside bands like the Front Bottoms and Into It Over It for years, but members now seem poised for a bigger breakout.

Single “Greenwood” uses subdued, shimmering guitars and an aching vocal delivery to carry the emotional message. The toned-down nature of the song feels like a step in a more mature direction. Openers All Get Out and Free Throw feel a little more rock than emo, but all the bands use similar tools to craft their music. (Johnny Cook) 7:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

Ariana Grande/Little Mix/Victoria Monet: Pop singer Ariana Grande’s vocal range rivals Mariah Carey’s.

Her 2014 album, My Everything, received a Grammy nomination

for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and delivered the six times-platinum hit “Problem.” The current tour supports Dangerous Woman, which yielded a massive hit with the title track, a by-the-numbers soul/R&B number that finds Grande seductively crooning. (Niesel) 7:30 p.m., $30-$200. Quicken Loans Arena.

Maddie Finn (in the Wine Bar): 6 p.m. Brothers Lounge.

Joni Mitchell Reimagined by Gretchen Pleuss (in the Supper Club): 7 p.m., $15. Music Box Supper Club.

New Moon Rising/Joshua Robert/ Surf Deer/Bobcat Blue: 8 p.m., $6.

Grog Shop.

The Noise Presents Metal Blade’s 35th Anniversary with Whitechapel/Cattle Decapitation/ Goatwhore/Allegaeon/ Necromancing the Stone: 6 p.m., $22. House of Blues.

Mike Petrone & Co.: The Billy Joel Show: 6 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge.

ResAUnance: 7 p.m., $10. Bop Stop.

Shwayze: 6 p.m., $15 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora Ballroom.

Withered/Immortal Bird/Axioma/ Pillars: 9 p.m., $8. Now That’s Class.

MON

02/27

Skatch Anderssen Orchestra: 8 p.m., $7. Brothers Lounge.

DADA/Heavenly Creatures: 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Tavern.

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

TUE

02/28

All Eyes on Her with Lorine Chia/ Lolah Brown/Erika Kayne/Chelsea Pastel: 8 p.m., $10. Grog Shop.

Mickey Avalon/Sankuro/ Solomonophonic: 9 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.

Daddy Longleg’s Homegrown Revival: 7 p.m., $5. Brothers Lounge.

Davidians/Wet Brain/Rubber Mate: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class.

The Lox/Uncle Murda/Don Flamingo: 7 p.m., $25-$40. House of Blues.

Two-Set Tuesday featuring Madison Crawl (in the Wine Bar): 7 p.m.

Brothers Lounge.

Waterparks/Too Close to Touch/ Creeper: 6 p.m., $12 ADV, $15 DOS. Mahall’s 20 Lanes.

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53

BAND OF THE WEEK LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

'SJ 'FCSVBSZ r QN

DOROTHY

By Jeff Niesel MEET THE BAND: Dorothy Martin (vocals), Dylan Howard (drums), DJ Black (guitars) and Gregg Cash (bass)

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54

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING : San Diego-born Martin says she sang since she was a kid and found inspiration by sifting through her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vinyl collection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I listened to everything from every different genre,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think I learned to sing from country music because I listened to a lot of Dolly Parton. I also listened to lots of Credence Clearwater and Janice Joplin and Pink Floyd and a lot of Michael Jackson.â&#x20AC;? After moving to Los Angeles, she put together Dorothy in 2014 with the intention of making hard-rocking music that, as she puts it, metalheads like Beavis and Butthead would like. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The other guys in my band are extremely radical, awesome dudes,â&#x20AC;? she says of the current lineup.

SABBATH MEETS ADELE: Meaty guitar riffs accompany the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anthemic songs that show off Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powerhouse vocals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some Sabbath-y riffs,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard people compare my music to Adele, but sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the queen. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to sound like anybody. I love Adele, and there are a few artists I love now because of their realness. I wrote with [singer-songwriter] Linda Perry for the second album. We do a couple of songs with her. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great and writes with a sense of realness. We want to keep things as organic as possible.â&#x20AC;?

WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: Last year, the band followed up its self-titled debut with the grunge-y ROCKISDEAD. The album starts with the bluesy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kiss Itâ&#x20AC;? and features anthem after anthem of heavy, blues-inspired rock riffs and vocals. With its heavy drums and caterwauling vocals, the simmering â&#x20AC;&#x153;Missileâ&#x20AC;? sounds like a Katy Perry song on steroids. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wrote that one for TV,â&#x20AC;? Martin says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were looking for something with a heavy clap, and

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

it ended up being heavily synced.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard it on TV twice. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really watch cable. I have seen Call of Duty commercials with it.

I just wanted a bad-ass anthem saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the shit.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about my self-confidence, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always at 100. I wanted it to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mess with me.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? For the followup album, Martin says the band will show off its musical range. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a couple of softer songs and more acoustic songs weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written for the next album,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what it will

even look like until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done. It will be eclectic, and we did a cover of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I Put a Spell on Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played live. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know yet if that will make it onto the album or not.â&#x20AC;?

WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: Dorothy performs with the Georgia Flood at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at House of Blues Cambridge Room.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel

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'3* t MUSSELS 5:00-10:00 | clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

55

56

| clevescene.com | February 22 - 28, 2017

SAVAGE LOVE FANTASY SCENARIOS

by Dan Savage Dear Dan, I am a straight married man. My wife and I have a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old. We’ve just started having intercourse again. For Valentine’s Day, we spent the night in a B&B while grandma watched the kids. We had edibles, drank sparkling wine, and then fucked. It was amazing. After we came and while we were still stoned and drunk, my wife mentioned she was open to inviting others into our sex life.

I asked about getting a professional sex worker. She said no. But maybe if we were in a bar (we’re never in bars) and met someone (a unicorn), she might be into it. Anal came up. She’s always said she’s up for trying anything once.

I have a desire to experiment with anal. (Not just me entering her, but her pegging me as well.) I asked if she would use the vibrator we brought on me, just to experiment. She said she was too high to do anything. I feel she unknowingly teased me with fantasies I have, not knowing I actually have them. We have a good sex life, and I’m willing to write off the fantasies we discussed while high and drunk. It’s the teasing that drove me crazy.

— Having And Realizing Desires Some people think about, talk about, and masturbate about certain fantasies without ever wanting to realize them.

Let’s call them Team Fantasize. Some people think about certain fantasies and would very much like to realize them. Let’s call them Team Realize.

There’s nothing wrong with either team. But when someone on Team Fantasize is married to someone on Team Realize, well, that can be a problem. Knowing your spouse is turned on by fantasies you share but rules out realizing them can be extremely frustrating. And sometimes a frustrated Team Realize spouse will say something like this to their Team Fantasize mate: “Talking about these fantasies together — this kind of dirty talk — it gets my hopes up about actually doing it. If it’s never going to happen, we have to stop talking about it, because it’s frustrating.”

The problem with that approach?

Swingers clubs, BDSM parties, and the strap-on-dildo sections of your finer sex-positive sex-toy stores everywhere are filled with couples who used to be on opposite teams, but they’re both on Team Realize now. And what got them on the same team? Continuing to

discuss and share fantasies, even at the risk of frustrating the Team Realize spouse.

So if you ever want to have that threesome or experiment with anal, HARD, you need to keep talking with your wife about these fantasies — and you need to tell her your fantasies too!

Let her know these are things you would actually like to do, and the more you talk about them, the more you want to do them. If she keeps talking with you about them, that’s a sign. Not a sign that she’s a cruel tease, HARD, but a sign that she’s inching closer toward pulling on a Team Realize jersey.

P.S. If your wife doesn’t know you have these fantasies — and is consequently teasing you “unknowingly”— that’s your fault, HARD, not hers.

Dear Dan, I wanted to tell you about something that happened to my friend. (Really!)

She was going to bang this dude from OkCupid but wasn’t getting a great feeling, so she went to bed and let him crash on the couch. She woke up the next day to find her underwear drawer empty and all of her underwear wrapped around this dude’s feet. She stealthily removed all the panties from his perv hooves and put her shit away.

When the morning actualized itself, they parted amicably with no mention of the underwear slippers.

— Men In Alaska Ask yourself which is likelier, MIA. Scenario 1: This guy stumbled around your friend’s dark apartment, managed to find her underwear drawer, pulled it out, made himself a pair of pantiebooties, had himself a wank, and fell back to sleep. All without waking your friend. Scenario 2: Your friend got pervy with this guy, wanted to tell you about this guy’s kink, but was too embarrassed to admit that she played along and possibly got into it.

My money is on Scenario 2, MIA, because I’ve heard this song before: In most cases, the person relaying the story played an active role in the evening’s perversions but edited the story to make themselves look like a passive bystander, not a willing participant.

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