Existential

1.10-1.17.07
Existential

In this week’s issue:
* Interview Brandon Stevens of Exit Stencil Recordings and Parish Hall
* Sounds Motorbikes, Radios and Dancehalls from Lonesome Stars
* Reads Remembering America’s Polka King
* Preview Beethoven’s Ninth in rehearsal and in performance
* Preview the Big [Box] at CPT
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

We are what we make of ourselves and Cool Cleveland exists to throw the spotlight of attention on those people and events deserving of it. Rather than fixate on those who have inherited the mantle of power, fame or money, we honor those who leverage their own lonesome freedom of choice, and take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions. So this week, we flip the light on Brandon Stevens of Exit Stencil (say it fast), Lonesome Stars, Frankie Yankovic, and a coterie of worthwhile links, plus news on an incorrigible ODOT and an undaunted Strickland. The mouse is in your hands. Where will you click today? —Thomas Mulready

Brandon Stevens of Exit Stencil Recordings and Parish Hall

Brandon Stevens plays music. Occasionally. He used to play more. With Ryan Weitzel and Paul Murphy, he is actively driving the agenda of Exit Stencil (and the equally indie venue, Parish Hall), a savant-garde Cleveland label responsible for bringing forth a cornucopia of local rock from the Dreadful Yawns, Blake Miller and New Lou Reeds to Coffinberry, roué and others.

Cool Cleveland was recently able to sit down with Stevens and talk to him about Parish Hall, Exit Stencil Recordings, Blake Miller’s successes, the “Cleveland” sound, the Detroit Shoreway and a bevy of other topics. Here’s the lowdown…

Cool Cleveland: You’re interested in developing a scene that interacts locally as well as nationally. Beyond the label and hall, what steps do you see as “needed to be taken” to realize this goal?

Brandon Stevens: For us we need to get one band successful. That would really help propel the label. We’d like to make the Hall and the label even more inviting to groups, fans and artists. To bridge the Cleveland community…

Read the interview by David Fleming here

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Celebrate MLK Day at Cleveland Public Library CPL will present The Most Rev. Richard Gerard Lennon, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, as its keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemorative celebration on Mon 1/15 at 1PM. Bishop Lennon was installed as the 10th Bishop of the Cleveland Diocese on May 15, 2006. This program has no admission, is open to the public and will be held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, 1962 Stokes Boulevard. The CPL Staff Chorus will perform. Freedom: a Visual Arts Exhibition, will be available for public viewing. The Branch will be open from Noon to 4PM. For more information contact (216) 623-2869 or www.cpl.org.
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Library usage up 13% in ’06 at Cuy County Public Library, the best library of its size in the US Read
Cle artists recognized by Governor Intl Ctr for Environmental Arts wants to “re-establish Cleveland as intl cultural mecca” Read
Rock Hall 07 inductees: Grandmaster Flash, R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, Van Halen. But still no Kraftwerk Read
Watch ACLU videos on your iPod Civil rights & hip-hop, Guantanamo justice, Constitution under siege View
Cle vocalist Jimmy Scott receives award prestigious Jazz Masters Fellowship from National Endowment for the Arts Read
Ohio kids score 27 out of 50 in new Quality Counts 2007 study from EducationWeek Read
Cuyahoga County voting problems in new study by VotersUnite: machine failures & no audit trail Read

Out-of-control ODOT may be reigned in under Ohio’s new leadership. In 2003, lawmakers raised the gas tax 6% and ignited a highway expansion by the Ohio Department of Transportation Read. This triggers uncontrolled sprawl, according to Greater Ohio, who reports that Ohio now ranks #3 in total exurbs, behind TX & CA. Read. Meanwhile, ODOT continues to push for a debilitating Innerbelt Project that would close 4 key Downtown ramps Listen to the podcast, and Read, and their 2-bridge plan for the span over the Cuyahoga is delayed, over budget, and still not satisfactory to Cuyahoga County Planning Director Paul Alsenas, who suggests a single signature span Read. Even the PD’s editorial board question the “contractors and vendors who profit handsomely from” ODOT Read. Attend the ODOT meeting at Cle City Hall Wed 1/10. See This Week below. Your thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Strickland has a backbone Incoming Governor Ted Strickland, within moments of being sworn in, signed an executive order implementing stringent ethics reforms and transparent govt reforms Read. But then he surprised everyone by vetoing the abysmal legislation snuck through by the lame duck Ohio legislature at the last second in December that would have decimated consumer rights Read. Taft hadn’t signed it or vetoed it, and the 10 days hadn’t yet expired Read. Chances are it will end up in court, but kudos are in order. Let’s hope his spine remains intact. Your comments? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Register now for Slam U 2007 Workshops will be held 1/19 & 2/16 at PHS with local slam legend Michael Salinger, to prepare for the finals on 3/16 & 3/23. Four finalists will represent Cle at the National Teen Poetry Slam. Register

Cool Cleveland Podcast You know how to do it. Click here to listen: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland01.12.07.mp3. Click here to subscribe: iTunes or other.

Cool Cleveland Kids You don’t want to miss what 11-year-old Max has for you and your family this week. Listen here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids01.12.07.mp3. Click here to subscribe: iTunes or other.

To ensure you receive Cool Cleveland every week, take a moment now and add CoolCleveland@CoolCleveland.com to your address book, trusted sender list, or corporate white list.

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Explore the Arts this Winter! The Playhouse Square Center Arts Education Department offers a variety of classes for a range of ages and skill levels. Treat yourself to a fun, energizing dance class, build career skills in our public speaking course or delve into the history of musical theater. For kids and teens, we offer classes in acting, hip hop, musical theater and performance poetry. Classes are held in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square located in the heart of Cleveland’s Theater District at 1375 Euclid Avenue. Visit www.PlayhouseSquare.org/arts-education or call 216.771.4444 x3338 for a complete course schedule. Classes begin Fri 1/19.
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Every week, all of us here at Cool Cleveland pour through gads of fantastic things happening in CLE and NEO, all in an effort to answer that ever-nagging question: “What’s cool to do this week?” Submitted for your approval, here’s a snapshot of what we found. Got a unique event coming up? Know of something that is a totally Cool Cleveland worthy event? We want to hear from you about it; our tens of thousands of readers do, too. Be a civic and cultural activist and turn on your fellow readers.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT ODOT public meeting on Innerbelt project Attend this important presentation by the Ohio Department of Transportation to Cle City Council on Wed 1/10 at 10AM on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 601 Lakeside, in the Council committee room. See ODOT’s site: http://www.Innerbelt.org

HOT Communicating the Vision – Selling NEO Moderated by Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready, the panel includes Cle Found’s Brad Whitehead, MRN’s Ari Maron, Rick Batyko of GCP, and NorTech’s Chris Mather, hosted by the Cle chapter of the Int’l Assn of Business Communicators, on Thu 1/11 from 11:30AM-1PM at Forum Conference Center, One Cleveland Center, 1375 E. 9th St. Register

Q E D Written by Peter Parnell and inspired by the writings of Richard Feynman and Ralph Leighton’s Tuva or Bust! One-man with a few appearances is Feynman’s stream of consciousness as he prepares the lecture, answers phone calls, and readies himself for a walk-on role in a university production of South Pacific. Preview performance on Thu 1/11 at 8PM. Runs through Sun 1/28. http://www.actorssummit.org.

Holy Ground Dean Tracey Lind, an accomplished photographer, spent several weeks in the Holy Land taking hundreds of pictures of the people and places of Israel and Palestine. Lind’s complex background (she is now an Episcopal priest, she was raised in an interfaith Jewish-Christian home and spent much of her youth attending a synagogue and Jewish religious classes) gave her unique insight. The exhibit is the result of her “the double vision formed by experience and faith where there is no black and white, only various shades of grey.” Attend opening reception on Thu 1/11 at 5PM. Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave.

HOT Ohio Design Centre Sale The region’s premier resource for interior design professionals will open 6 of its 15 showrooms for a sale the weekend of Fri 1/12 & Sat 1/13. Ohio Design Centre, 23533 Mercantile Rd, Beachwood. http://www.OhioDesignCentre.com.

Tremont ArtWalk Bill Radawec opening at Exit Gallery (2688 West 14th St); photography by John Karabestos, oil paintings Nick Karabestos, watercolors by Carroll Longley Rebecca Weisenthal next door at Kelly-Randall Gallery. “From the Beginning” by Rebecca Star Haviland at Lucky’s Cafe. Opening reception for A Journey to Recovery: A Self-Portrait of Tears, Wisdom and Hope by Andrea Taylor at Doubting Thomas. Asterisk* Gallery Duo Group Painting Show. Fri 1/12 from 6 – 10PM. Visit http://www.tremontartwalk.org.

All that Glows is Glorious A site specific illuminated installation by Dana Depew on Fri 1/12 from 6 – 10PM. Call 621-1610. Brandt Gallery, 1028 Kenilworth Ave.

HOT Ms. Adventures A one-woman safari through the American gender jungle by local playwright Michael Sepesy, featuring Cleveland’s own Alison Garrigan who transforms herself in a series of comic and dramatic monologues exploring each ms.-en-scene to illuminate issues of interest to women. Show runs Fri 1/12 at 7:30PM through 1/14 at 3PM. www.cptonline.org.

Black Gold Take a closer look at the gaping chasm between those that harvest coffee and those that market and consume it during this telling documentary on Fri 1/12 at 7:50PM and Sun 1/14 at 3:30PM. www.cia.edu. http://www.BlackGoldMovie.com.

HOT Fat Pig Catch the Ohio premier of Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig on Fri 1/12 at 8PM thru 2/11. LaBute raises provocative questions about true human nature in this hugely entertaining examination of the limits of love and the standards of beauty in today’s thin-obsessed world when an attractive exec falls for a Rubenesque librarian. The Bang and The Clatter Theatre Company.

Bowling for a Cause The Cleveland Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants is having a bowling party to raise money for minority college students in the Cleveland and Akron area on Fri 1/12 from 9PM – 1AM. Call 348-3023. Broadway – Dunham Lanes, 15750 Broadway, Maple Hts.

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WCLVnotes The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Severance Hall Concert by The Cleveland Orchestra this Sun 1/14 will be broadcast live by WCLV beginning at 7PM. WCLV’s Robert Conrad will be the air host. The guest conductor will be Chelsea Tipton with the Orchestra joined by the Central State University Chorus and the Martin Luther King Celebration Chorus. Tune in, Severance Hall will rock. This will be the 27th annual concert celebrating the spirit of Dr. King’s life, leadership and vision. It will include the world premiere of Oberlin composer Jeffrey Mumford’s the comfort of his voice, a work commissioned by the Orchestra. You’ll find details on all of WCLV’s classical music programming online at www.wclv.com.
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CCKIDS My Masterpiece art classes for kids 2-5 taught by arts educator Traci Morrison from Sat 1/13 thru Sat 2/10, each class features a story, details of an historical art masterpiece, a hands-on project, and a yummy snack, at Bela Dubby, 13321 Madison Ave, Lakewood Read. Register: 221-4479 or beladubby@hotmail.com

Wellness 2.0: Start 2007 off on a healthy note and maybe even make good on your New Year’s Resolution. Learn proper exercise techniques and diet tips, trainers will lead you in a hands-on training circuit demonstrating proper equipment use on Sat 1/13 from 10:30AM to 2PM. Healthy brunch will also be served. Register at http://www.cleveland2030.com

CCKIDS Winter Blooms including an exhibition of Clevelander Gunter Schwegler of silk paintings, opens Sat 1/13 at Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland http://www.HoldenArb.org

Sleep Deprivation Chamber is the Obie Award Winning work of Adrienne and Adam Kennedy, a production depicting emotional devastation through police brutality and the criminal justice system on an educated, middle class black family. Post show discussion is included. At Cleveland Public Theatre Sat 1/12 through Sat 1/27 http://www.cptonline.org.

HOT Bluelight Special Over 40 artists’ works in a “Blue Theme.” Work priced modestly and in a variety of mediums. Catch opening on Sat 1/13 from 7PM to Midnight. Show runs through Sat 2/3. Call 383-0230. True Art Gallery, 410 East 156th St., North Collinwood.

Ray McNiece & Tongue-in-Groove Cleveland poet, actor and songwriter performs with his band on Sat 1/13 at 7PM. Gloria O’Neil-Savage (Lakewood) and Greg Harrison and friends blues band(Collinwood) will also perform. Performance no-cost, donations accepted. Second Saturday Coffeehouse (in Immanuel Presbyterian Church at 326 east 156th), North Collinwood. http://www.RayMcNiece.com.

CCKIDS Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration Karamu activities include hands-on and audience participation workshops will be held in Drama, Visual Arts, Martial Arts, Poetry, and African Dance. Performances by Cleveland School of the Performing Arts – String Ensemble and the First United Methodist Church – Gospel Choir. Poems by students, dramatic performances, re-enactment of the Civil Rights March, excerpts from the current production of Permanent Collection and more on Mon 1/15 from 11AM to 5PM. http://www.karamu.com.

CCKIDS “Day of Music” at Severance Hall A community open house features and highlights Youth and Diversity at no-cost on Mon 1/15. Event includes concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus, ensembles from Early College High School, Cle Hts High School, Euclid High School, B-W College, and CWRU. Visit http://www.universitycircle.org for more.

Leaders + Citizens + Ideas = the Future Richard L. Carlisle, of First Interstate Properties Ltd., will present comprehensive plans for Steelyard Commons, with maps and graphics, and will address issues surrounding its development on Tue 1/16 at 6:15PM. Audience questions will be addressed. Call 469-4806 or email nextbroadway@yahoo.com. Fleet Branch—Cleveland Public Library, 7224 Broadway Ave.

Got a Big Hairy Audacious Goal? Come set your energy “BHAG” at the Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) “Third Tuesday” meeting Tue 1/16. Topics include Green Energy and “triple bottom line results” for your org. Visit E4S at http//www.e4s.org for more.

Cross Over New exhibition considers the merging of traditions from sculpture and metals on Tue 1/16 through Sat 2/17. The University of Akron’s Emily Davis Gallery at the Mary Myers School. http://www3.uakron.edu/art/galleries.shtml.

Moscow Soloists join Yuri Bashmet on viola on Tue 1/16 at 8PM. http://www.ClevelandChamberMusic.org.

Silk Road Ensemble Members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble perform an evening of music by the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, the Armenian composer Komitas, and by two Iranian composers Kayhan Kalhor and Hossein Alizadeh on Wed 1/17 at 7:30PM. Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall. www.ClevelandArt.org.

Permanent Collection opens at Karamu House, Barrymore Award-winning play about racial politics in the art world, inspired by a true story of the relative value of an Impressionist painting and an African Mask. 795-7077 http://www.Karamu.com

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

An intense and interesting inculcation of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Dan Gilbert awarded in Detroit for hiring 200 people/mo., & starting Bizdom U, Fathead LLC & ePrize LLC Read
Mittal Steel still polluting Cleveland and “blurring” info, according to Ohio Citizen Action report, Smoke and Mirrors Read
Case Weatherhead receives $2.4M to advocate “social responsibility through environmentally friendly policies” Read
Policy Matters Ohio recommends planning for Ohio’s economy with our new leaders, incl. “fundamental shifts” Read
Taft signs Historic Preservation Tax Credit providing incentives for 100 pilot historic rehabilitation projects Read
59 companies indicted for home loan schemes that have caused highest foreclosure rates in US Read
Downtown for-sale housing boom 1000’s of units in Avenue Dist, Stonebridge, Pinnacle, others Read
JumpStart invests in Great Lakes Pharmaceuticals with $300K to the spin-off of CWRU & UH Case Medical Center Read
The Entrepreneurs EDGE Awards for companies under $500M in 17-county NEO that sell beyond the region Info

PR Business Strategy @ Charter One Global Ent Center, 737 Bolivar Road, Cleveland. No-cost seminar feat. PR Newswire guru Tony Santana Wed 1/10. Register: erin.reed@jumpstartinc.org or call 363-3412.
HOT Selling NEO With Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready, Brad Whitehead, Ari Maron, Rick Batyko & Chris Mather, on Thu 1/11 from 11:30AM-1PM at Forum Conference Center, One Cleveland Center, 1375 E. 9th St. Register
NEOSA and COSE: “To Blog or Not To Blog” on Thu 1/18. Is blogging sensible/viable for small businesses and corporations as a promotional tool? Find out here. Info
A New Energy Future at CSU Levin College Thu 1/18 feat. Ronald B. Richard, Pres. and CEO of the Cle Fndtn. No-cost event begins at 4PM. Info or call 523-7330.
JumpStart’s Annual Public Mtg documents progress of org, celebrates NEO entrepreneurship and economic dev. Carl Schramm (Pres. of EM Kauffman Foundation) and Lee Fisher (OH Lt. Gov) are scheduled to speak Thu 1/25 @ LaCentre, 25777 Detroit Road, Westlake. Info

Know a company or businessperson that should be featured in Cool Cleveland? EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Links to interesting NEO blogs
Katherine posts that Bollywood films have come to Parma. Link
Chris Varley announces that Ohio ranks #3 in a study on digital government. Link
Scott calls the state’s budget for education abysmal. Link
Matt votes with his feet, preferring to go to a coffeeshop without bigotry. Link
Sudhir shares the vision for a aquaculture/community garden in East Cleveland. Link

Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, where Peter Chakerian comments on the JumpStart’s heroic attempt to reverse 200K lost CLE jobs, Rock Hall inductions, the Cleveland Orchestra changing up the economic model again, an OSU debacle (the game stunk, too) and a scattershot of other things. When you’re through, add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Motorbikes, Radios and Dancehalls
Lonesome Stars
Carp And Bones

School playgrounds can be a dangerous spot and I’m not necessarily talking about full contact kick ball games. However, eons ago, a friendship was born at St. Christopher’s Church in Rocky River that came out for the good as it was the first time Chris Allen, Austin “Walkin’ Cane” Charanghat and Tom Prebish crossed paths. The three went on to learn music, with Allen and Charanghat on guitars and Prebish on bass and have been in a number of very recognizable regional acts for years.

The three have teamed up for this project which is a tad unlike any of them have shown an inclination towards yet it is still something shouldn’t jolt the area music fans too bad, based on their collective track records. Motorbikes, Radios And Dancehalls bills itself as alt-bluegrass, which is just a slightly revved-up version of the original style. Along for the ride are guest banjo man Dan Rose and fiddle player Ed Caner, the latter popping up in more places in town than the RTA bus stops…

Read the review by Peanuts here
Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Hey Writers! Wanna write about Cleveland music? We’ve got a slew of recently-released CDs and DVDs by Cleveland-area musicians that could use your critical commentary for Cool Cleveland Sounds. If you’re interested, send us a note at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

America’s Polka King: The Real Story of
Frankie Yankovic and His Music
Bob Dolgan
Gray and Company

In this new millennium, Cleveland has King James, as in LeBron, the world-famous basketball player. In the last century of the old millennium, however, Clevelanders knew a different King. This one was Frank, as in Yankovic, the man who made the words polka and Cleveland nearly synonymous from the late thirties until his death in 1998. In fact, in 1948 Yankovic won the first of his three titles as America’s Polka King when the competition was new. (It was sponsored by major record companies, each of which had at least one polka band in their collection.)

Yankovic won the first-ever Grammy Award for polka music. His name alone drew the largest crowds ever to many dance halls throughout the Midwest, when mobility was certainly less than it is today. In an era where the media wasn’t always busy creating the new hotshot, Yankovic absolutely shined. Ten famous accordionists played for his funeral — one of the single largest memorials ever seen in Cleveland…

Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here

Beethoven’s Ninth in Rehearsal: Tix Available
For a completely different view of the Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus and soloists, here’s an opportunity not often available. Because tickets for the three concerts scheduled this week are nearly sold out (and may well be all sold out by time you read this) management has announced an unusual event. Lower priced, general admission tickets are being sold for the Wed 1/10 ‘working’ dress rehearsal at Severance Hall, at a reduced price…
Read the preview by Kelly Ferjutz here

Big [Box] @ CPT
If you want to see what cutting-edge performing artists in Cleveland are thinking and dreaming about, you need to pencil in a weekly pilgrimage to CPT’s Big [Box]. This annual celebration of new work by area creators is one of my favorite events: it’s fresh, sometimes even raw, but usually inspiring and always surprising.

The bust-out opening night event of Living Tall last weekend included a wine-and-cheese reception, and many of the artists from upcoming shows were there to talk up their projects, as well as support and learn from each other. The postshow buzz was deafening, even intimidating — Mike Geither’s stunningly performed monologue had everybody checking their pulses and artists privately angsting over their pieces. “Do people realize that some of our work is likely to be, um, rawer than this?”, one wistfully opined.

No worries, because Big [Box] is more about process than product: it’s the equivalent of an open studio, the opportunity for artists to try things out and invite the public in to see work-in-progress. In a performing arts world where the pressures of commerce and “name recognition” increasingly pushes venues to program pre-sold works, it’s refreshing to see work that puts artists first, where it’s all about the passion and the idea.

The range of work involved in this year’s Big [Box] is wide indeed. This weekend (1/12-14), playwright Mike Sepesy has created a show of outstanding monologues for local acting diva Alison Garrigan in Ms Adventures; a one-act about two pregnant women by Lisa Siciliano, Where the Wind Blows, shares the bill. Najaa Young’s Future of the Funk (1/19-21) mixes dancers, poets, and actors in a fusion of hip-hop and multimedia.

Upcoming events include the dance theater piece Without Feathers by former L.A. dancer Lisa K. Lock, who says she is influenced by butoh; her husband Larry Coleman created the videography, with other male dancers including Michael Medcalf. Poet Mary E. Weems has two pieces being performed by local actors, directed by Tony Sias. And the controversial and much censored My Name is Rachel Corrie, about the young pro-Palestinian activist, will be mounted by Trad Burns.
DETAILS: Thru 2/16, Cleveland Public Theatre. For the full schedule, check out http://www.cptonline.org

TOUR TIP: At a Sunday matinee, try the new Gypsy Bean and Baking Co. at the corner of W. 65th and Detroit for great coffee, sandwiches with fresh-baked bread, and demonically good pastry. After evening shows, the Happy Dog (W. 58th & Detroit) has eclectic bands from polka to rock to folkie, and surprisingly great bar food — the shrimp-and-crab cakes are sensational.
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Quick reviews of recent events
Going out this weekend? Take along your PDA and your digital camera. Scratch out a few notes to send us with a picture of it for our Instant Karma real-world reviews of what’s really happening. We’d love to hear from you. Send your stuff to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Jamey Haddad @ Nighttown 12/28
Known for smokin’ Jazz seven nights a week, Nighttown never disappoints, with some of the best jazz musicians in the world and food that is Top Notch. Let’s start with the food, because I’m hungry. If you’re going to go to Nighttown, I highly suggest the house specialty called the Dublin Lawyer. Every bite is a taste of heaven with melt-in-your-mouth lobster meat sautéed in an Irish whisky butter cream sauce over rice pilaf. (Anything that good should be illegal!) Then there’s the music: Jamey Haddad and his All-star Quintet, provided a perfectly smooth evening in the hustle and bustle of holiday hectic. The performance ranged from mellow to jammin’ and Haddad himself, a master percussionist, created unique music by playing an instrument in repetitive fashion (first drums, then chimes, then tambourine), recording it as he was playing, and using it as part of the current song by layering the recordings over one another. And literally without missing a beat. It was fantastic. Other points of note included twenty something Dominick Farinacci, Solon native and Julliard graduate, on the trumpet; Billy Drewes on the sax; Mike Murray, piano; and Kip Reed, bass. Each musician was exceptional in his own right, and many songs were written by the group who came together to perform compositions never before performed. An incredibly talented group of guys! From Cool Cleveland correspondent T.L. Champion tlATcoolcleveland.com

New Year’s Eve with Cleveland Pops @ Severance Hall 12/31
The atmosphere at Severance Hall was exuberantly festive even while the patrons were still in the lobbies. It didn’t calm down until well after heralding in the New Year, either! The capacity audience was prepared to have a great time, and so they did. Due to the nature of the event, each attendee was given a shiny cardboard horn, to be used for audience participation and other gaiety.

The first glimmer of an extra added attraction was the presence of Darth Vader and other members of the 501st Legion or ‘Vader’s Fist’— and the Rebel Legion, veterans of the “Star Wars” era. Many audience members were busily posing for photos with the obliging warriors.

The stage went dark for the opening fanfare from Also Sprach Zarathustra, but then red lights on stage and in the house led into two sections of soundtrack from films: the Main Title from Star Wars, and the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back, sometimes known as March of the Jedi. The Pops, led by Music Director Carl Topilow sounded rich and lush and much larger than you might expect, considering its size, compared to the spaciousness of the auditorium. Midway in the latter piece, the Legion came on stage, and when the leader took the baton from Mr. Topilow’s hand, the conductor promptly—and wisely—abdicated! Mr. Vader gave a good account of himself, holding a steady and authoritative beat, bringing the music to a rousing close, with all the musicians ending together!

Mr. Topilow returned for the Feuerfest Polka, in which the audience was encouraged to join in, either with horn-blowing or rhythmic clapping, which we all did very well. A medley of Irving Berlin songs followed: There’s No Business Like Show Business, God Bless America, Say it With Music, Alexander’s Rag-Time Band, Easter Bonnet, White Christmas, and a reprise of God Bless America, in which the audience enthusiastically sang along.

Joan Ellison is a wonder! The first of her solo appearances was You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun from Annie Get Your Gun by Berlin, and it was sheer bliss. She sings with complete security and intonation throughout her wide vocal range, imbuing each syllable with clarity and impeccable diction.

Following a medley from Guys and DollsLuck Be a Lady Tonight, I’ve Never Been in Love Before, Bushel and a Peck, Follow The Fold, If I were a Bell, and Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, Ms. Ellison returned for a joyful and jazzy version of If I Were a Bell. The other Topilow in the Pops, Arthur, is a wizard on piano; he was ably assisted by the rhythm section and a gentle string obbligato, as they accompanied Ms. Ellison.

We didn’t quite know what to expect when Carl Topilow left the stage once again, but he quickly returned, carrying a clarinet. His red version is very well-known, but this time, it was red, white and green, in honor of the Theme from The Godfather ‘as you’ve never heard it before’ in his words. Also featured was a jazzy trumpet solo, an upbeat ending for the first half of the concert.

The first two pieces on the second half weren’t quite as successful, overall, but not for lack of trying. First was a version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm featuring three of the orchestra’s percussion section creating various repetitious sounds. Part of the problem was the visual difficulty of seeing who was doing what. Musically, it was of the same high caliber as the rest of the program. The other piece presented Gordon Leigh Petitt as soloist in the Flanders and Swann comedic version of the 3rd movement of Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto. Mr. Petitt is possessed of a fine operatic bass/baritone voice, and is a more than competent singer, but this piece will always remain firmly embedded in our ears as a nimble and witty showcase for a light tenor.

A medley from the recent Broadway hit Wicked was followed by another appearance by Ms. Ellison in Popular (from that same show), complete with malfunctioning or non-magic wand. The blue lights in the house offset her black dress, making it quite clear that she wasn’t so very wicked after all!

In two songs by Gershwin, Ms. Ellison was again accompanied by Arthur Topilow on the piano as she gave us both verse and chorus of I’ve Got a Crush on You and How Long Has this Been Going On. She is truly marvelous at conveying the meaning of these songs, and would be a pleasure to listen to for an entire evening.

More Star Wars music brought the more formal portion of the evening to a close. Battle of the Heroes from Revenge of the Sith featured a laser-sword duel to the death between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker on stage in front of the orchestra. The victorious Mr. Vader presented Mr. Topilow with a medal, after which a jazzy Klezmer version of Canteen Man from Star Wars allowed Mr. Topilow to entertain us with a blue clarinet. Two other members of the Legion danced happily in the area which had just moments before been masquerading as a battleground.

Shortly after the audience vacated the concert hall, Splash played light rock music in the lower level Smith Lobby, while Mr. Topilow’s group entertained in the Grand Foyer. Free coffee and desserts were served on both levels while waiting for the countdown to midnight and the Balloon Drop at midnight. Horns blew all over the place! And a good time was had by all.

The next concert by the Cleveland Pops Orchestra will be February 9 in Severance Hall. For tickets or other information, call (216) 765-7677 or visit the Cleveland Orchestra ticket office at: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Big [Box]: Living Tall @ CPT 1/5
What: Mike Geither’s killer-funny fake motivational sales monologue, with a mindblowing performance by the amazing Ker Wells — easily already one of the outstanding theatre experiences of 2007.
Smokin’ Hot: Wells is, simply, the most compelling physical comedian I’ve ever seen (remember him in CPT’s The Confessions of Punch and Judy?) and the piece is impeccably directed by his long-time collaborator Karin Rondoja. Between his razor-sharp gestures and the oddball overhead slides, it was unforgettable.
Backstory: Playwright Geither has gotten long-term development from CPT, which workshopped the piece last May in part with funds from CSU, where he is a playwriting professor. The piece is due to be performed in Toronto later this year; when CPT brings it back (and they are sure to), do NOT miss it.
Details: Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. 216-631-2727. Weekly premieres @ Big [Box] thru 2/18. http://www.cptonline.org.
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com


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On Cleveland being better than Boston I truly enjoy receiving your email newsletter about what’s hot in Cleveland. I recently moved back to CLE from Cape Cod, Mass. and have to say that when it comes to things to do and see, Cleveland’s better. We have more art, culture, diversity, young people, etc.etc.etc. Glad to be making my hometown my new home again. Thank you for your enthusiasm and please keep the news coming!
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1) How Cleveland stole A Christmas Story They ignored writer Jean Shepherd & we cashed in.
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2) Cleveland photographer Herb Ascherman included in international retrospective.
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3) RoldoLINK When the Cleveland Press Really Died.
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5) $20M Gordon Square Arts District to include Capitol Movie Theatre with art films, Near West Theatre, shops & restaurants.
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