Find A Way

Find A Way

In this week’s issue:
* Issue 18 Profiles Art House’s Sheryl Hoffman
* Cool Cleveland People Passport Project director Chloë Hopson
* BizTech Profile Findaway co-founder Christopher Celeste
* Cool Cleveland Travelogue The Wright Stuff in the OBX
* Cool Cleveland Sounds Life’s a Lonely Ride from The Rails
* Cool Cleveland Kids’ Preview Boo at the Zoo
* Cool Cleveland Reads The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
* RoldoLink Cleveland’s New Platinum World at the Q
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

Some, like Christopher Celeste, profiled in our video interview below, manage to find a way to be successful. His company Findaway has located funding, partners, and now customers. The rest of us need to be as resourceful. We’ll find a way to pass the arts levy, Issue 18, with Arts and Culture Day on 10/18, a no-cost Night of Theatre on 10/19, and a sneak peek on 10/21. Did you absentee? Check out Gongtopia, 48 Hours of Making Art, and early Godard in Cleveland this week. And let’s find a way to make it happen. –Thomas Mulready

Issue 18 Profile
Sheryl Hoffman
Art House

Sheryl Hoffman decided to open Art House right in the heart of Cleveland’s historic Brooklyn Center district on Dennison near W. 25th Street in order to have an impact on the community with high quality visual and creative arts classes for kids of all ages. Their Urban Bright program injects art back into the public schools, and their SEAN (Supporting Educators and Artists Network) trains teachers with best practices and connects them to the world. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready caught up with Sheryl to discuss the ways that Issue 18 (the arts and culture levy) would help groups like Art House. This weekend, on Fri 11/20 from 7-11PM, Art House presents its Halloween Tune-Up party at Lava Lounge to benefit their arts programming. Get tix here, or call 398-8556 ext.2, and don’t forget to wear a costume! http://www.ArtHouseInc.org

WATCH THE MOVIE Art House’s Sheryl Hoffman

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

Got an Issue 18 success story? Think your group should be profiled? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Scary, Fairy or Goon? Come as you want, or come as you are at Cleveland’s most popular costume party with live music by The Chosen Few on Sat 10/28, 8PM to midnight at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Bones, Bugs and Dead Animals, the Museum’s annual Halloween Party, is brought to you by the Nature League. This annual spookfest includes lavish hors d’oeuvres and desserts. Tip and sip at the full, open bar and receive prizes for best costume with scary surprises throughout the night. Adults 21 and over only. Tickets: $30 (Nature League members receive a $5 discount), $35 at the door. For more info contact www.CMNH.org or 216.231.4600.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

• Auto ads abandon print In a stunning illustration of how quickly the Internet is changing marketing, TNS Media Intelligence reports that for the first 6 months of ’06, print advertising for automakers was down 24%, with newspapers down 40% and magazines down 14%, while Internet advertising by automakers was up 52%. Read. Thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• Issue 18 Arts & Culture Day To support the tobacco tax that will raise $20 million a year for 10 years for our non-profit arts & culture sector in Cuyahoga County, dozens of arts groups and organizations are offering special performances, huge discounts (can you say F-R-E-E), and once-in-a-lifetime offers this Wed 10/18 all around town. See Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones’ play A Family Line at the Beck Center (no charge); MOCA offers 18% discount at their Artspace shop; Museum of Natural History gives $2 off admission; WR Historical Society is comping your entrance fee; Near West Theatre opens their rehearsal to the public; and much more. http://www.Issue18.org
• City Club gong stolen The historic gong, originally from Shanghai, used to signal the opening and closing of Cleveland City Club sessions since the 1930’s, was ripped off between 6PM Fri 10/13 and 11PM Sat 10/14. If you have any information, contact 621-0082, no questions asked.
• Cool Cleveland Podcast Cool things to do this week in Cleveland, at the click of a button. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland10.20.06.mp3. Add the CC Podcast to iTunes using this link. Don’t forget, you can subscribe to this podcast by saving this link in your favorite program that catches podcasts.
• Cle Mountain Bike Assn needs you They’re building the first legal mountain bike trail in Cuyahoga County near the towpath in the Erie and Ohio Canal Reservation, Sundays at 9AM starting Sun 11/5, and you’ll get a delicious lunch when you help out. http://www.camba.us
• Clarification The Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Gingerbread House competition is by no means restricted just to kids, as we may have led you to believe last week. Architects, designers, artists and adults of all persuasions are encouraged to submit gingerbread houses for sweet prizes and recognition. Details.
• Be an absentee voter and take your time with your voting. Get yr absentee ballot here: Download.
• Hungarian Festival of Freedom

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, showing that “the crack in the Berlin Wall began with a hole in a flag in Budapest,” Cleveland’s Hungarian community is organizing a series of four events: Festival of Freedom on Sat 10/21 at CSU Wolstein Center 9:30AM-5:30PM, and symposium “Reflections and Perspectives: The 1956 Revolution- 50 Years Later,” Tix; black tie Gala Banquet feat. Sen. Voinovich on Sat 10/21 at 7:30PM in English Oak Room, Tower City, tix: 440-779-7791; Interfaith Service on Sun 10/22 at 2PM at Cathedral of St. John The Evangelist, 1007 Superior; Tribute Concert featuring members of The Cleveland Orchestra paying tribute to Hungarian composers Bartok, Liszt, Kodaly and more, on Sun 10/22 at 6PM at Severance Hall, tix: 231-1111. http://www.CelebratingFreedom1956.org

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Fight Back Against Big Tobacco Our arts and culture assets are too important to lose, and now the Big Tobacco Industry is trying to stop us from protecting them. After lying to Congress and the American people, out-of-state tobacco companies have brought their big money into Cleveland to oppose Issue 18, which will preserve one of our region’s most important competitive advantages – our arts and culture organizations. Don’t let Big Tobacco get even richer at the cost of our jobs, our children’s education, and our Arts & Culture. Don’t believe their lies. Support our Arts and Culture, and vote for Issue 18 on Tue 11/7. To get involved, call the Issue 18 Campaign at 216.479.0555 or visit www.issue18.org.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Coolify Your Circle while helping them win a Video iPod! Sign up friends, family and colleagues for Cool Cleveland and you will both be eligible to win. No purchase necessary. Enter often. The more you enter, the greater your chances of winning. Sign up by going here.

Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

• Cleveland Press archives online Over 100 years of past news and articles digitized and available online at http://www.ClevelandPress.com. Whaddya think? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• Kucinich Probes Tops/Giant Eagle 18-store Sale Seeing as it impacts 4,000 jobs, we’re not at all surprised. Read more in Progressive Grocer here: www.ProgressiveGrocer.com. Your thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• AP Gushes over CLE as Travel Destination A very positive and important bit of feedback from the Associated Press, who rarely hand out kudos like this every day. This copy of AP’s story appears on a Sydney (Australia!) website. Read the AP Story here. Nice, eh? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• 2nd Dist Vice Squad Shuts down hub of arts and culture, the Church in Tremont. Doors close in shroud of mystery and the Church responds. http://www.theclevelandchurch.com. Thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• Wishes for speedy recovery to Bobby Lanphier of the local alt-rock-roots act Whiskey Daredevils. Guitarist Lanphier was severely injured in the downtown accident, when the driver of a stolen van apparently blew a red light on St. Clair and broadsided him. Local watering hole The Town Fryer is donating 10% of its sales to his medical bills and local legends the Cowslingers are reuniting for a benefit concert to aid Lanphier at the Beachland Ballroom Thu 10/26. Read more about this developing story here: http://www.whiskeydaredevils.com/news.
• 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.
• Cool Cleveland Kids Having trouble deciding which fun things to go to with the kids? Looking for fun and cool things to do with your kids? Take a hint from 10-year-old Cool Cleveland correspondent Max Mulready who has scoured the Internet looking for a few good events to recommend. Hear his short podcast here even if you don’t have special software. If you’re a whiz kid, you can download it to your iPod or your computer and listen with your own kid. Check below to see the events tagged CC KIDS under Cool Cleveland This Week for our recommendations for a fantastic family week. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids10.20.06.mp3. Add the CC Kids Podcast to iTunes using this link. Adding this link to your program that catches podcasts, will keep you up-to-date on the latest audio.
• Benefitting CATS Tickets are on sale for a halloween costume party at the Old Broadway Free Library with food by Massimo da Milano. Money raised will benefit the Community Assessment and Treatment Service whose mission is to provide high quality, cost effective, holistic, abstinent-based intervention and prevention services. Details @ Upcoming.org.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Special Sneak Preview, Saturday, of Beautiful Ohio to Benefit Issue 18! In a benefit to support Issue 18, Ohio native, director/producer/actor Chad Lowe will host a special sneak preview of his new movie Beautiful Ohio, starring William Hurt, at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11141 East Blvd.) at 3:45PM on Sat 10/21. Admission will be $9 for students and members of the Cleveland Film Society and the Cleveland Cinematheque, $18 for general admission, and $100 for both the screening and a private VIP reception with Chad Lowe immediately following the film. Seats for this very special screening are limited, so reserve yours today by visiting www.issue18.org. And remember to vote for Issue 18 on Tue 11/7. Thank you from the team at Issue 18!
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Cool Cleveland People
Chloë Hopson
Passport Project

Chloë Hopson is out to change the world. And by all accounts, she’s doing it. Her Passport Project wants to build community and diversity and a rejection of racism through the arts. Their performances, classes and workshops are legendary for their artistic quality and inclusivity. They’ve got a fundraiser on Sat 10/21 for their upcoming trip to Greece, then the 2nd annual Gongtopia Sun 10/22 thru 10/25 showcases Michael Bettine’s Concert of Original Gong Music played on over 50 gongs. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready caught Chloë at their Global Community Arts Center in the Buckeye neighborhood.http://www.PassportProject.org

WATCH THE MOVIE Passport Project director Chloë Hopson

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

Cool Cleveland This Week
10.18-10.25

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

WED

• HOT Ingenuity and Playhouse Square Foundation Drumbeat for the Arts are holding an event with eighteen celebrity drummers to call attention to (followed by a few brief speeches in support of) Issue 18 on Wed 10/18 11:30AM-1PM at Star Plaza. Euclid Avenue at East 14th street.
• HOT CC KIDS Arts and Culture Day Cuyahoga County’s stellar arts community comes together for one slam-bang day or culture, all over town. Bring out the family, and join the celebration, as we prepare to pass Issue 18, the arts and culture levy which will raise $20 million a year for the best things in Cuyahoga County. Visit http://www.Issue18.org for a complete line-up of arts and culture samplings that will be going on around town.

THU

• CC KIDS Boo at the Zoo Enjoy eight nights of scare-free fun from Thu 10/19 to Sun 10/22 and from Thu 10/26 to Sun 10/29. Kids can check out the Monster Mash Dance Party, the Not-So haunted Greenhouse, the Jack-O-Lantern Express Train Ride, the Halloween Hay Maze, puppet and magic shows, and much more. Read Peter Chakerian’s Cool Cleveland Preview below and visit www.CleMetZoo.com to learn more.
• Masumi Hayashi Tribute by CSU Dept of Art, for fallen artist and CSU prof of art Masumi Hayashi from noon to 12:50PM on Thu 10/19 at Waetjen Aud, 2001 Euclid Ave, featuring samples of her fascinating photo collage work, and a memorial event. 687-2290.
• HOT Free Night of Theater On Thu 10/19 Clevelanders are invited to attend a show at a participating theater they have never attended before and admission is on the house. Visit www.ClevelandTheater.com for a list of theaters.
• That’s Whack Out of the 100+ featured items in a Cool Cleveland newsletter, you, the reader, often choose our ads. How do we know that? Because our ads often end up in our Top Five Most Clicked “features.” How weird is that? To learn more about advertising in CC, click here.
• Alpha-Ville: Early Godard Four early films by French New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard. Expect scintillating blend of B-movie homage, innovative filmmaking, insouciant attitude, leftist politics and doomed romanticism. See first film, Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier) on Thu 10/19 at 7PM. http://www.cia.edu/cinematheque.
• Party with a Purpose Spaces Gallery hold its first annual State of the Schools, Party with a Purpose, on Thu 10/19 at 7PM. Call 623-6322 or email gray-kontar@catalyst-cleveland.org for info.
• Hot Topics Three weekends of political debate on stage just in time for the election. Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom from Thu 10/19 at 7:30PM to Sun 10/22; Speak Truth to Power from Thu 10/26 to Sun 10/29 and Capitalization on Thu 11/2 through Sun 11/5. www.cptonline.org.
• Modern Orthodox Premieres at JCC The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Cleveland present Daniel Goldfarb¹s recent Off-Broadway hit, Modern Orthodox, playing from Thu 10/19 at Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) Eastern Campus Performing Arts Center. Call 593-6258 for more information.
• Cabaret, a Musical for the Mature Catch one of America’s most well loved musicals beginning Thu 10/19 at 8PM on the University of Akron campus. Call 330-972-7895 or visit www3.UAkron.edu for more info.
• Listing Tip of the Week There’s safety in numbers – 30,000 to be exact. That’s how many Cool Cleveland subscribers will eyeball your hot event listing. With numbers like that there are bound to be other left-handed, marsupial-loving octogenarians that would dig your latest event, too. Send your events to Events@CoolCleveland.com.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
230,000 Jobs (and Growing) Right Here in Cleveland in the healthcare industry. According to a recent Business Week story, healthcare is where all the private sector job growth has occurred since 2001. The article prominently features Cleveland as the prime example of a region that’s growing jobs in every healthcare sector from patient care and medical insurance to medical devices, biotech and health care information technology. Click here to read about four of Cleveland’s hottest healthcare job producers. You’ll also find a link there to the Business Week story.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

FRI

• Best Practices Plant Tour of Swagelok Take a look at the best practices of a successful local manufacturer during this tour, on Fri 10/20 from 8AM to 12PM. The tour is without cost, but limited to manufacturers. Call 432-5317 or visit http://www.MagnetWork.org. Swagelok Company, Solon. http://www.camp.org/events.
• CC KIDS Powerful Percussion Give your pipsqueak percussionists – 3 to 6-years old – the chance to sing, clap, and move during this engaging, interactive program with members of the Cleveland Orchestra on Fri 10/20 or Sat 10/21 at 10AM. www.ClevelandOrchestra.com.
• The Spanish Masters See the works of some of the most prolific and famous artists from the Catalan region in Spain – Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí – on Fri 10/20 and Sat 10/21 from 6 – 9PM (lecture each evening at 7:30PM) and then through Sun 11/19. http://www.ContessaGallery.com.
• Hope Chests Local Artists have transformed over 30 ordinary wooden chests into beautiful works of functional art to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Attend auction on Fri 10/20 at 7PM. Call 228-1802. http://www.LocalGirlGallery.com.
• Halloween Tune-Up Cool benefit party for the Art House on Fri 10/20 from 7 – 11PM at the Lava Lounge. http://www.ArtHouseInc.org.
• Leave ‘Em Wanting More Don’t miss the five final shows at the 1300 Gallery starting with Grant Smrekar, Paul Sydorenko, Bill Rupnik, opening on Fri 10/20. Gretchen Grimm, Amy Casey and Jeremy Mann on Fri 11/3. Ryan Jaenke and Paul Rogers on Fri 11/17. Stephen Kasner, Douglas Utter and David D’Andrea on Fri 12/8. Derek Hess and Bask on Fri 12/15. All shows are one night only, from 7 – 10PM. 13hundred Gallery, 1300 West 78th St. http://www.13hundred.com.

WCLVnotes Oh, earth, you’re too beautiful for anybody to realize you. — Emily, Our Town. WCLV’s Bill O’Connell joins Angie Lau of Channel 5 in co-hosting the Ninth Annual “Instrumental Evening for the Earth” Thu 11/9 from 6PM to 9:30PM at Trinity Commons. Fifty bucks gets you the opportunity to nosh on delicious goodies from Mustard Seed Market while you peruse the definitely-a-step-above-average silent auction tables. And the really big treat of the evening is an all-Mozart concert presented by members of The Cleveland Orchestra – an appropriate ensemble choice. After all, some people say it is the greatest ensemble on earth. (Get it?) For more info go to www.WCLV.com. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland Partner.

SAT

• HOT Hungarian Festival of Freedom An unprecedented series of events on Sat 10/21 & Sun 10/22 around the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution: a Festival & symposium at Wolstein, a Gala Banquet at English Oak Room, an Interfaith Service at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and a Tribute Concert at Severance Hall. Wow! http://www.CelebratingFreedom1956.org
• CC KIDS Fall Color Prediction Sat 10/21 is predicted to be the peak day to view native foliage in all its colorful Fall glory at the Holden Arboretum at 9500 Sperry Road in Kirtland. Call 440-602-8012. http://www.HoldenArb.org.
• CC KIDS It’s Your Home: It’s All Built on Chemistry Kick-off National Chemistry Week by learning about the Chemistry that makes it possible to construct your house and NASA’s new home in space – the International Space Station – on Sat 10/21 from 10AM to 3PM. Details.
• CC KIDS Scavenger Hunt Kids up to age 12 can explore and play hide-n-seek at the Stan Hywet Estate on Sat 10/21 from 10AM to 4:30PM. Call 330-836-5533 or visit http://www.StanHywet.org.
• CC KIDS Builders of Tomorrow Bring your little builder to Imagination Day on Sat 10/21 at 10AM – an event featuring displays by local LEGO artists and an endless supply of LEGO bricks and fun building activities that will benefit New Orleans Kids. http://www.LegoBuildersOfTomorrow.com. Shaker Square.
• 48 Hours of Making Art Twenty-four artists will live, eat, sleep and socialize on site for 48 hours while making art. Interact with artists as they create works of varying media – including film, music, dance and site specific installations on Sat 10/21 and Sun 10/22 from noon to 7PM. B.K. Smith Gallery at Lake Erie College. www.lec.edu.
• On a Mission from God Cool Cleveland promises to continue to uphold the high level of content you crave each week. If you dig our vibe, help our mission and do something heavenly . . . pass this on to a friend. http://www.CoolCleveland.com
• Images of America A book signing by Thomas G. Matowitz, Jr., author of Cleveland Metroparks (Images of America) on Sat 10/21 from 1PM. Call 795-9800. http://www.LoganberryBooks.com.
• Bruce M. Beehler made world news last December for his discovery of a veritable “lost world” in one of the most isolated, unexplored jungles in the world: the mist-shrouded Foja Mountains of Western New Guinea. Learn more about Beehler here. Hear his intriguing lecture on Sat 10/21 at 2PM. More.
• HOT Sneak Peek: Beautiful Ohio Ohio actor/director Chad Lowe’s new film, starring William Hurt & Rita Wilson, is previewed as a fundraiser for Issue 18 this Sat 10/21 at the Cleveland Cinematheque at 3:45PM. VIP reception with Lowe following. Tix: http://www.Issue18.org
• Hector Vega & Paul Duda Exhibit Cleveland: Through the Eyes of the Artists opens on Sat 10/21 from 5 – 10PM. Atmosphere Gallery, 2379 Professor Ave, Tremont.
• Swing Party USA Celebrate the jump and jive of 1940s music and dance during Verb Ballets’ annual benefit on Sat 10/21 at 6:30PM. Enter the swing dance contest or just enjoy a night of retro comfort food, fine wines and beverages. Call 397-3757 or visit http://www.VerbBallets.org.
• CC KIDS Nights on Lake Eerie The Great Lakes Science Center is transformed into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when Harry Potter returns on Sat 10/21, Fri 10/27 and Sat 10/28 from 6:30PM – 11PM. Get the scoop here.
• pARTy 2006 This ultra-cool benefit on Sat 10/21 at 7PM supports arts education programs for under-served Cleveland kids. More info at www.the-human-fund.org.

SUN

• HOT Gongtopia Michael Bettine’s wildly popular Gongtopia – original gong music played on over 50 gongs; the healing/balancing Gong Bath Chakra Yoga workshops, led by Deanna Black, combining movement with the corresponding pitches played on gongs & singing bowls and guided meditations will return on Sun 10/22 through Wed 10/25. Call 721-1055 for more info or visit http://www.PassportProject.org.

MON

• HOT Business as an Agent of World Benefit Three days of discussion and idea-sharing kicks off on Mon 10/23 at 8:30AM. http://worldbenefit.cwru.edu/.
• The Dali String Quartet A unique mix of traditional string quartet with Latin American chamber music will create an extraordinary and eclectic concert experience on Mon 10/23 at 8PM. http://www.csuohio.edu/music/ccp.

TUE

• Revelry for ISSUE 18 Learn more about Issue 18 and how Arts & Culture affects our economy, education and community during a complimentary evening of live music, cutting-edge visual displays, food and good friends for a great cause on Tue 10/24 at 5PM. Get your e-vite here. McNulty’s Bier Markt, 1948 West 25th Street.
• HOT Andrew Sullivan is a provocative social and political commentator, Time magazine essayist and one of the most popular bloggers. Hang out with the self-described “South Park Republican” and author of the landmark book, Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality, one of the first commentaries to argue for civil marriage rights for gay couples, on Tue 10/24 at 8PM. Oberlin. www.Oberlin.edu.

WED

• HOT The Architect Speaks Wolf Prix, the architect behind the new Akron Art Museum will be at the Akron-Summit County Public Library ( 60 South High Street) on Wed 10/25 at 6:30PM to discuss the project. Visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org for more information.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Tech:Cleveland

A wild and wonderful array of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

BizTechNEWS

• Gilbert teaches entrepreneurship in Detroit Quicken Loans owner starts Bizdom U Read
• NorTech announces 06 Innovation Awards Ecology Coatings, NASA Glenn, Kent Displays, more Read
• Divesting of newspapers News Herald owners sell stake in Journal Register Read
• 99 best places to work in NEO 2006 winners from Employers Resource Council Read
• Case launches Center for Molecular Imaging collab with 40 intl cancer researchers Read
• Digital Airport Initiative takes off Hopkins becomes “an experience destination” Watch Video

BizTechEVENTS

• “Inter-Tel Voice over IP” Warwick Comm. Seminar Wed 10/18. Register: 787-0300
• KNOW (Knowledgeable Network of Women) Career Forum on Wed 10/18 Portage Country Club, Akron. Register: 330-376-5550.
• Future of Advanced Energy Design in NEO Wed 10/18 CSU Levin College of Urban Affairs. Register
• IT Asset Mgrs meet in Cle over 300 expected at Renaissance Wed 10/18-20 Info
• Going Global interactive panel discussion Fri 10/20 Corp College E. Register, 781-3730
• Overseas Biz Growth Ops Part Deux Thu 10/19 at Cle City Club. Register
• Jeanette Grasselli Brown, top BP chemist. Tribute by CSU Urban Affairs Fri 10/20 7:15AM City Hall Info
• OSDC’s “How to Write a Business Plan” at Summit Medina Biz Alliance Tue 10/24. Register: 330-375-2111
• Gaming in Ohio? Comm Real Estate Deal Maker Forum Tue 10/24 7:30-9:30AM Renaissance Info

BizTech Profile
Christopher Celeste
Findaway

Christopher Celeste loves what he does. As co-founder of Findaway, his startup has found ways to create a new digital audio player, make deals with publishers, and get his tiny product onto the shelves of major retailers. He spent a few moments on camera with Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready at the Cleveland-Lakewood border where he grew up, discussing the challenges of finding cash, finding customers, and finding happiness. http://PlayawayDigital.com

WATCH THE MOVIE Findaway co-founder Christopher Celeste

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

Know a cool NEO business that should be profiled? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Travelogue
Orville & Wilbur: Vacation’s Wright Stuff in the OBX

When I’ve had it up to here, I go down there, or so the song goes.

And for many Northeast Ohio natives, “there” means places beyond pre-packaged Disney amusement. “There” refers to places filled with nature and contented connectedness, with names like Duck (not Donald). Kill Devil Hills. Kitty Hawk. Corolla. Nags Head. Cape Hatteras. Ocracoke Island. Carova Beach.

Take a peek around you in rush hour traffic some morning, or even down the driveways a block from you. Undoubtedly, ubiquitous white oval “OBX” stickers have turned up on your neighbors’ vehicles. They know why. If you’re reading this, you might even have a hunch, or have been there yourself with friends and family.

Northeast Ohio residents are generally creative, genuine, heartfelt and family-oriented folks rooted in tradition and history and love connectedness and rivalry. The allure of a family-friendly “beach haven” and that local level of comfort (usually reserved for home) is why Northeast Ohioans love it so. That’s what separates it from other beach-based holiday spots.

I’m talking about the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Unlike many of its sandy counterparts, the collective OBX are a sunny proposition for smart road trippers: sand, great outdoor sports options (canoe, kayak), wildlife refuges, lighthouses, clean scenic coastlines and rich history are all only a day’s travel away. Families who go there travel in groups and split the rental of a spacious beach house, which often ends up costing less than forking out for a nearby hotel.

The memories from the Outer Banks, however, are priceless.

When I was growing up, some neighbors of mine went to the Outer Banks every year and came back as tanned, rested and ready as anyone I’ve ever seen. They had been to Manteo’s North Carolina Aquarium, went bird watching at Pea Island and Cape Hatteras Seashore, visited the historic Wright Brothers Memorial and Currituck Environmental Education Center, went gliding on Jockey’s Ridge and always came through with a Brew Thru t-shirt for their pet sitter (me).

The Outer Banks are now a key destination known for great weather and huge outlays of open beachfront. I always wondered why else such a place would warrant repeated visits, until I started visiting with my own family a couple short years ago. We always have a great time. And after being there, I can’t imagine spending a week on any other beach in the country. I’ve seen my share of ’em, filled with strip clubs, meat markets, delirious booze stops and the like… so believe me when I tell ya.

So who to thank? Northeast Ohio should thank Virginia Dare, Blackbeard, the Lost Colony, a slew of Civil War vets and (of course) Orville and Wilbur for pinpointing such a relaxing oasis. But I’m getting ahead of myself… it’s an easy thing to do when you’ve been to the OBX and attempt to explain it to others.

The Outer Banks is comprised of a 100-mile long run of beaches and “barrier islands” that form the northern half of North Carolina’s Atlantic coastline. Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” for the number of sunken ships offshore, the area is best known as the site of the Wright Brothers’ first flight in December, 1903. The site where they flew is now located in the beachfront town of Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright Brothers’ National Monument commemorates the historic flight. A brand new “First Flight Centennial” monument opened in 2003.

The area also includes the site where British colonists (now coined as “the Lost Colony”) vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587, and where the first Brit, Virginia Dare, was born on American soil. And as natives (“Bankers,” as they are called) will tell you, Ocracoke Island was a hideout for the notorious pirate, Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard. You can scope it out with a ferry-powered island hop.

You can easily spend a week or two down in the Outer Banks and never see it all. And there’s no worry of having your kids (or parents, for that matter) getting restless and thinking there’s nothing to do. For all the intellectual pursuits, amazing vistas and oceans that seem to go on forever, you’re only bored if you’re not looking. And if you want to unplug, read a book, or find a sunny spot for thinking by the sea, you can do that, too.

The best place for the grit is to spend time on one of the local fishing piers, or in one of the local-only watering holes. The locals’ opinion of Northeast Ohio, from those who have ventured our way, seems to be similarly heartfelt. They like our well-roundedness, and you surprisingly get scoop on our local politics as much as you do on theirs. That, along with dishing on local hangouts and events that only a Banker would know about, are par for any conversation’s course.

All that aside, I still think the fascination with the OBX might just come down to rivalry. Nothing as deep as Browns/Steelers… but hang with me here. See, Ohio and North Carolina are both known as the Birthplace of Aviation and the Wright brothers developed their revolutionary invention in Ohio; their design was constructed in Dayton, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. North Carolina ended up as the site of the first flight.

Anyway, a friendly rivalry has since developed between Ohio and North Carolina over bragging rights to being the Birthplace of Aviation; slogans have recently graced state license plates and quarters. Both states play a significant role in the history of flight, but neither is the undisputed winner. But in terms of that needing to “get away,” the flight advantage will always go to North Carolina and the Outer Banks.

Some say better winds drew the brothers down there. I say, these two needed a break from Ohio and longed for a fresh place to show off their brand new “heavier-than-air” technology. Maybe Dayton just wasn’t pretty enough… and hey, if you think you see a lot of OBX stickers up here, you should see the number of Ohio plates down there.

When I’ve had it up to here, I go down there. It’s that simple. You need a vacation. Your family does, too. Go and blissfully occupy your time. Fly into Norfolk and coast the rest of the way, or pack up the car and make it a ideal road trip with thousands of possibilities. You’ll love it.

For more information, visit the Outer Banks online at http://www.outerbanks.org/

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Sounds
Life’s a Lonely Ride
The Rails
Self-released

A fortuitous blend of alt-pop and indie rock is for the listener’s gleaning on the full-length debut of the pop trio, The Rails. With influences that range from R.E.M. and The Smiths to Weezer, the Posies and Dandy Warhols – all with tasty chops to match – fans of that 1990s “alternative” boom delight in the sound of this release. Life’s a Lonely Ride is also something of a period piece with some clear identity questions, but really only as it relates to the group’s direction in the future.

In “Ready to Fly” and the jangly “Blue Collar Town,” you can hear that Peter-Buck-channeling-Weezer stimulus, laced with a less-cheerful hint of Beatlesque shimmer. On “One in a Million” and “Mother, Games, and School,” the trio offers up a pinch of Get Up Kids, but toys with the balance by injecting some sort of southern rock ethos. Elsewhere on “Everyone’s Son,” “Missed Connection” and the questionably tongue-in-cheek “I’m in Love with Misery,” it’s hard to tell who the band loves more: Dave Pirner or Jeff Tweedy. Or maybe they’re mocking them both…? Either way, the songs have a fair amount of body and structure to merit Soul Asylum and Wilco (albeit scaled-back) references.

Local writer Jeremy Willets (a contributor to the Free Times) started the Rails in 2001 with his high school guitar teacher, Drew Doman. Eventually Jeff Harmon was added on drums. Together, the three of them seem to play well together. And with Life’s a Lonely Ride, the group has identified what they like listening to and playing together. Pairing that knowledge with some blend and balance, and an original slant to their guitar angst, will help on a follow-up release. But in all, the Rails are a fairly likeable act with “good bones.” Let’s see what the future holds for ’em.

The Rails perform at the Grog Shop on Coventry Rd. in Cleveland Heights Monday, October, 23. They share the bill with Maritime (featuring members from Dismemberment Plan and Promise Ring) and the Bound Stems. For more information, visit the Rails online at http://www.railsrailsrails.com/ or the Grog Shop at http://www.grogshop.gs/

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Kids’ Preview
Boo at the Zoo

As any native will tell you, Cleveland traditions are a wonderful thing. As a parent, providing a safe and engaging environment for your kid(s) to celebrate a holiday are always welcome, too. With both thoughts in mind, no Autumn would be complete without the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s annual onsite Halloween celebration for younger audiences — their delightful “Boo at the Zoo.”

“It really is an institution now,” the Zoo’s Event Manager Bek Mitchell-Kidd told Cool Cleveland earlier this week. “This is our the 17th year of the event and I would say our location, the ability to roam the Zoo at night and catering to our younger audiences all suggest why both Saturday nights for the event are sold out already!” (You read correctly. See below.)

On average, the event draws some 35-40,000 patrons every year… and it ain’t because of the children’s complimentary treat bag either. “Boo at the Zoo” has thrilled Northeast Ohio children (and parents alike) and developed a reputation for selling out quickly because of family-friendly programming including a dance party, “Not-So-Haunted” greenhouse, “Jack-O-Lantern Express” Train Ride, hay maze, puppet and magic shows. Kids and their parents are also encouraged to wear fun (read: not so scary) costumes to conjure the All Hallow’s Eve spirit.

A scare-free “neighborhood of safe Halloween entertainment” is peace of mind for parents, Mitchell-Kidd added. “And having the Zoo’s animals center stage as a part of the fun only adds to the excitement for the children. This time around, we’ve added Meet the Keepers, where children and their parents are not only able to meet some of the animals, but they’re able to chat with the zoo keepers at nearly every area where an animal is on exhibit as well. How cool is that?”

The event continues to bring joy to the staff of the Zoo as well. “What’s really joyful for all of us here at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is that you really get to see some of the same kids come back each and every year,” Mitchell-Kidd said. “They start out in their strollers and stay with us for years, which is wonderful. It makes putting on the event every year great fun for us.”

Mitchell-Kidd encourages everyone considering attending the Boo at the Zoo Festivities to “make sure to get your tickets in advance.” Both Saturday dates (October 21 and October 28) are already completely sold out. Planning ahead on travel is also key — the Fulton Road Bridge over the Zoo is closed, so be sure to follow detour signs and allow extra travel time to get there.

For more information and tickets, please visit http://www.clemetzoo.com/

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Interview
Tricia Applegate
Ashland Community Arts Center

Tricia Applegate found a need in her community, and moved to fill that need. While working on her Masters degree, she studied community schools of the arts, and realized that her town of Ashland was ripe. So she started the Ashland Community Arts Center, and now they provide arts education and programming for citizens of all ages. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready pulled her out of a session at the Ohio Arts Presenters Network annual conference in Akron and Tricia talked on camera about how she pulled together the funding to get started, how they provide classes for kids as young as 2 months, and as old as 89 years old, and what performance events they’ve got planned. http://www.AshlandArts.org

WATCH THE MOVIE Tricia Applegate of Ashland Community Arts Center

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

Cool Cleveland Reads
The Warrior Heir
Cinda Williams Chima
Hyperion

Do you know that wizards, enchanters, sorcerers, and warriors, the guilds of Weir, live among us here in Northeast Ohio? Can you sense the presence of wizard stones? Will the Weir be stirred to anger now that the secret is revealed, causing their wars to escalate even though the number of warriors who can fight their battles has dwindled?

Wizardry comes to mythical Trinity, Ohio, through the storytelling skills of Cinda Williams Chima in her fantasy novel The Warrior Heir. The ordinary life of Jack Swift, a kid growing up in a small college town on the shores of Lake Erie, changes as he topples a bully on the soccer field. When he ends up in combat fresh from digging behind the grave of his great grandmother, it’s hard to tell whether the villains are overthrown by a mystical inborn power within Jack or from the finely-wrought sword Shadowslayer…
Read the review by Claudia Taller here

RoldoLink
Cleveland’s New Platinum World at the Q
By Roldo Bartimole

The growing inequities of America keep showing up most conspicuously in American sports where tax-subsidized venues tilt more and more to the pleasure of the wealthy.

The publicly subsidized basketball arena – now called the Q, formerly the Gund – has several new loges available. Don’t rush to buy.

Cost: $900,000 each, a five-year deal.

The price does not include required event tickets.

The $180,000 a year loges also require purchase of eight to 12 floor seat tickets per game.

It will cost you, depending on the seats, another $500,000 or $1.5 million, according to an article in Crain’s Cleveland Business.

So let’s round off to a million bucks…
Read RoldoLink here
Your thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Emissions from the blogsphere
NEO bloggers tackle Issue 18 by interviewing Eric Fingerhut and Tom Shorgl in addition to reframing the dialogue with filmmakers Kate O’Neil and Kevin Kerwin. Chris Varley explains what innovation is. One of the companies JumpStart invested in, Embrace Pet Insurance, has started selling its product. Steve Rucinski wonders if the headlines in the paper reflect the business climate. Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, where Peter Chakerian covers the Vice Squad/Church quandary, cheers Dennis Kucinich’s “TopEagle” move, predicts Connie Pulitzer’s future, ponders the death of CBGB’s, loves on Associated Press’ gushing over the city, and wonders if weather played a role in a CLE meterologists’ convention. And then he polls the audience about his new role in fatherhood. When you’re through, add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Instant Karma
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

My Fair Lady @ Cleveland Play House 10/11 It’s strange to think that somehow the Cleveland Play House had missed presenting one of the best-written, most-produced pieces of American musical theater of the last 50 years. Fortunately, that little bit of history is no longer valid. However, the version of My Fair Lady, which is now on-stage in the Bolton Theater until November 5, is not quite the one of Broadway or the movies. It’s a stripped down, almost chamber version, which works wonderfully well in the smaller confines of the Bolton, compared to the usual, larger New York theaters. Except for one quibble, which I’ll get out of my system now, and then get on with the show.

Amplification in smaller theaters seems overdone these days. In my opinion, it keeps the actor/singer from using true expression and emotion, as most systems cannot distinguish between the singer’s power range or what should be hushed for emphasis. Everything comes out in the good-old fashioned high-volume ‘belt’ which frequently destroys the mood and the effect of the song. Love songs aren’t usually shouted.

That said, this two-piano version (rather than with an orchestra) is a real charmer. One’s first glimpse at the stage makes you blink. Where’s the set? But it’s there, designed by David Jenkins, cleverly concealed by bleachers and stairways and balconies. Actually, it is the bleachers and stairways and balconies. Everything needed for the telling of the story is readily available, if a tad limited in floor space. The director, Amanda Dehnert and choreographer Kelli Wicke Davis make the very most of what’s available, using the stage, the wings and the house to good effect. The dancing is superb throughout, even on occasion winding between the two pianos set almost center stage. Even the pianists—Bill Corcoran and Tim Robertson—sometimes find themselves as part of the action.

Wordsmith Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe used the movie version of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion as the basis for their musical, telling the tale of Eliza Doolittle. She is a Cockney flower girl transformed into someone who could easily pass for a high society lady, all thanks to the brow-beating of one Professor Henry Higgins.

Rachael Warren is perfect as Eliza, visually stunning, fleet of foot in the big ball scene especially, and possessed of a glorious voice. It’s easy to see why Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Michael Hance) would fall for her. His big tune, On the Street Where You Live was full of youthful exuberance and charm. George McDaniel was a warm and sometimes bumbling (on purpose) Colonel Pickering, and Timothy Crowe was entirely obnoxious as Higgins. Larry Daggett’s Alfred P. Doolittle was not what you might have been expecting, but his rather earthy performance soon made you forget about that and just enjoy his singing and dancing anyway.

Greg Schanuel whirled Eliza around the stage in the ball scene, and made you wish there was more of such dancing to be seen. The housekeeper, Mrs Pearce (Navida Stein) did double duty, filling in on violin occasionally—a nice addition.

The costumes of Devon Painter were clever, colorful and versatile. Seeing the cast changing costumes and roles right in front of your eyes added a rather different dimension to the enjoyment. The lighting of Amy Appleyard was fascinating to watch, as the overhead lights were all visible from the house, including the lighted name of the play on the back wall of the stage.

This is not your father’s My Fair Lady, but this version certainly does prove that a classic can be updated without lessening the content. You shouldn’t miss it. My Fair Lady runs through November 5. For tickets or other information, call 216-795-7000 or visit the web-site at: http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 10/12 This week’s concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall offered several unusual, small pleasures along with the regular full-sized treats.

To begin with, although not exactly a small pleasure, the Overture to La gazza ladra(The Thieving Magpie) by Rossini was indeed unusual—the last time it had been presented here was in 1964. 1964?! Unless you want to count the special benefit concert in 1975, that’s a long time for such a charming and invigorating piece to be ignored. One of the unusual effects was the off-stage drum roll with which it begins. Other instruments are frequently performed off-stage for certain effects, but not often does one find a snare drum in that strange position. At any rate, Music Director Franz Welser-Möst affectionately unveiled the work with its tuneful, sunny Italian sound, and its splendid simultaneous crescendo and accelerando, both essential ingredients for any Rossini overture.

Continuing in the not-so-often heard category—this time it was 1981—was the Variaciones concertantes of the Argentinian Alberto Ginastera. This is really a concerto for an orchestra, but for multiple performers, ranging from single soloists to duos and trios. Now that the work is more than 50 years old, it’s no longer such a thorny, hard-to-appreciate piece of music. In fact, it’s almost tuneful!

Thursday evening’s performance was a vibrant, full-bodied rendition, spotlighting various members of the orchestra in its series of variations. Ginastera employs unusual small groupings of instruments (trombone, trumpet and piccolo, for instance) or syncopation, or perhaps a slight bit of discord to make his point. His use of native rhythms and sonorities make his music instantly identifiable in a pleasurable fashion.

While all the soloists were excellent, one solo in particular stood out for me. There must be more than two feature-type solos in the orchestral literature for double bass (not of concerto status) but how cool is it that principal bass Max Dimoff got to play two of them in the same concert? He demonstrated a sensitive and awesome control of his instrument, producing a lovely mellow sound in the next-to-last variation here, as well as in the third movement of the Mahler Symphony No. 1, which followed after intermission.

Mahler was 25 when he began his first symphony, and the result reflects his youthful exuberance and masculinity in every note. Beginning with the off-stage trumpets, the highs and lows of the composer’s tempestuous emotions run rampant through the four movements. There is raucous humor immediately adjacent to gorgeous sentimentality or lilting waltzes—with the delicious Viennese after-beat—followed by the not-quite vulgar and klezmeric funeral march.

From beginning to end, Mr. Welser-Möst allowed the work to breathe easily, never rushing the tempos. If there was a little extra joy here and there throughout the evening’s music-making, perhaps it was also due to the warm feeling of being home once again. The orchestra season is off to an excellent start!

This week’s concerts (Oct. 19 & 21) feature Matthias Pintscher conducting his own music as well as an early (non-scary) work of Webern plus the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and soloists in a work by Debussy. For tickets or information about these or other upcoming concerts, call (216) 231-1111, or visit the orchestra’s web-site: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Batsheva @ Palace Theatre 10/12 We went to see Batsheva Dance Company on Thursday night. Batsheva is an Israeli modern dance company, appearing in Cleveland for one night at the beginning of a US tour. The spacious Palace Theatre was fairly full and many in the audience shouted loud bravos at the conclusion of the 60-minute, no intermission concert. We weren’t quite that enthusiastic but we’d definitely like to see more.

Thursday’s offering, Deca Dance, was a sort of greatest hits selection, excerpts from the works of Ohad Naharin, the company’s choreographer and artistic director since 1990. Deca Dance is only one of several programs the company is performing on its tour and a small sample of a company repertoire which includes not only more Naharin works but choreography by important European modern dance innovators like Jiri Kilian and William Forsythe, artists we’ve seen far too little of here in Cleveland.

If you ask us what the Israeli company was like, we’d say it’s modern dance but not like modern dance made in the USA; Batsheva bears closer comparison with what little European modern dance we’ve seen. The dancers demonstrated high levels of proficiency at the eclectic mix of skills that Artistic Director / choreographer Ohad Naharin demanded of them; their impressive mastery of fluid modern technique would have made any of them valuable additions to the American dance companies of, for instance, Jose Limon, one of Naharin’s teachers at Julliard; the dancers weren’t afraid to show glimpses of ballet technique but also made calculated lapses into what American postmodern dance calls pedestrian movement, walking, for instance, with a slouching heel-toe gait. Batsheva bears comparison with the other Israeli modern company we’ve seen in Cleveland recently, Koresh, but the latter’s repertoire was accompanied by nothing but the world’s most monotonous pounding disco music whereas Batsheva’s recorded musical accompaniment was nothing if not entertaining, varied and eclectic.

The episodic structure of Deca Dance was highly reminiscent of Stolen Show, the evening-long work performed in Cleveland 2/25/05 by BJM Danse, formerly known as Ballet Jazz de Montreal. Stolen Show began with 24 one-minute bullets, which, like Deca Dance, sometimes played with undercutting audience expectations in the manner of the European circus.

One thing that sets Batsheva somewhat apart from others is Naharin’s choreographic method, the playfully named “Gaga,” part meaningful innovation and part hype. Gaga at its best is apparent in the explosive improvisational moments, which Naharin’s dancers excel at. In the first short dance of the evening, for instance, an excerpt of Naharin’s Virus (2001), 11 of the company’s dancers dressed in white long-sleeved leotards over black tights perform a 6-minute dance whose pattern is simplicity itself: standing in a line facing the audience, the dancers take turns delivering explosive 2-second improvisations; with the choruses of Habit Allah Jamul’s music the dancers break into unison choruses of percussive contractions on a downstage diagonal; for the finale the dancers walk upstage facing the audience, intermittently shouting a unison “Hookah”. While any neighborhood troupe of 8-12 year-old dancers could handle that assignment, Batsheva’s dancers made it into fascinating fireworks show. How do they get so many explosions into 2 seconds? How do they get between such big shapes so quickly? Answer: Gaga!

The second dance of the evening was apparently less improvisational; a man and a woman in black corset-like garments performed a pas de deux with a clear ABA structure to the music of Vivaldi. In the third dance, 5 men in wide legged white pants performed an excerpt from Black Milk (1985) with black mud from the Dead Sea smeared down their faces and bare torsos. Then a stilt-walking dancer done up as a Latin bombshell lip-synched to Dean Martin and Yma Sumac for about 60 seconds. Then the first of 2 women’s ensemble pieces, the first of 2 disco dances WITH Exemplary Audience Participation, a reprise of the Vivaldi but as a pas de trios, and so on. Like a lot of the better shows we’ve seen, we were struck by how entertaining the recorded soundtrack was in itself.

Some found fault with aspects of the Batsheva concert. A review by Janice Berman in the San Francisco Chronicle opined that Deca Dance did not show Naharin’s dances as he intended, a strange thing to say when Naharin himself has excerpted his work to create Deca Dance. True, a program of excerpts is likely to leave hard-core dance geeks like us wanting more depth, but it’s an accessible program that provides a succinct overview of the choreographer’s work.

A negative remark we overheard opined that the company’s women were not as good as the men. True, the Black Milk excerpt performed by the men was one of the stronger pieces in the program; it gave the men more to do and was more interesting in itself than either of the women’s ensemble pieces. But the company’s women acquitted themselves extremely well in other ensemble and solo sections; as dancers, the women do not suffer in comparison with Batsheva men.

Our only quibbles with the Batsheva concert arose during the post concert question and answer period in which the company spokesman described Gaga as a new dance technique (“Riiiiiight. Totally new,” we said to each other warily, having heard this line so many times before) and over-hyped the improvisational aspects of the evening’s performance. Josephine Baker, Merce Cunningham and now Ohad Naharin. Dancers and choreographers apparently cannot resist reducing otherwise sophisticated audiences to a state of “Gee-whiz! So it’s all improvised.” Sure it is, folks.

Wishing to learn more about what Gaga actually is (as opposed to what Batsheva wants us to believe), we called up a hard working young dancer, Jennifer Lott of Ground Works Dance Theatre, who took time out from her busy schedule (10 hours of rehearsal on Sunday) to describe a master class she took from a Batsheva company member on Thursday afternoon.

“Gabriel led the class through an hour long improvisation. First he helped us to cultivate a feeling of floating in all our joints, then taking movement from the fingers to the elbows to the shoulder blades and through the whole body. It was all very structured, very meditative. It incorporated the ways in which we were accustomed to moving but it also asked us to apply Gaga to move outside our comfort zones.

“The class was like some things I’d done before but it was also different because he was so patient – you had time to experience the things he was talking about. The class started in place but progressed to moving through space. I left feeling very grounded and comfortable in my own skin and that’s one of the things that struck me about the Batsheva dancers in their concert. They didn’t seem to be trying to outdo each other. They seemed comfortable in their own skins.”

And so we look back on another Cleveland concert that affords us a tantalizing glimpse of European modern dance, a form that seems largely synonymous with the search for the next big thing in contemporary ballet.

From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

Fab Faux @ Allen Theatre 10/14

Max was writing down the Beatles’ songs as the Fab Faux played them. One after another they tackled the classic repertoire of the best songs of the past half century. These songs have been played millions of times since they were released on albums like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. But the stakes were higher this time. This band of studio pros, led by Will Lee (pictured) of Letterman’s band, wanted to play them note perfect, including sound effects, backward tapes, and orchestrations. The Hogshead Horns and Creme Tangerine Strings completed the effect, but it was the players’ obvious passion for the music that won the day. I asked Max to star the good ones: a titanic While My Guitar…, a sterling Penny Lane, a brilliant Nowhere Man, and, wonder of wonders, the incredible 2nd side of Abbey Road, but we ended up starring the entire 2nd set. We hear they’re planning on doing Revolution #9 in NYC in December. Road trip, anyone? http://www.TheFabFaux.com

Apollo’s Fire @ St. Paul’s Cathedral 10/14 To celebrate the opening of their fifteenth season, Apollo’s Fire and Music Director Jeannette Sorrell, who also serves as translator and writer of program notes, turned to the two stalwarts of early music—J. S. Bach and W. A. Mozart. This feat was made considerably easier due to the fact that both composers wrote a piece in honor of Apollo.

Last year, we learned that Bach frequently re-cycled his music, and the opening work on this program was such an example. Here it was called Sinfonia from Cantata 174, complete with horns and oboes plus extra strings, and perhaps a more dignified demeanor, due to the reverberation time in large cathedral. The very familiar-sounding music was originally a portion of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and in that version, which did not have horns and oboes or very many strings, either, skittered along quite briskly. Always obliging, and after some prompting from the previous nights’ audiences, Ms. Sorrell and her reduced troops gave us the finale to the Concerto as an early encore. It was blissful.

It should be noted that Jennifer Roig-Francoli served as Concertmaster for these concerts, and thus as one of the two soloists—along with Carrie Krause—in the Concerto for Two Violins in d minor, BWV 1043. Once again Ms. Sorrell was at the harpsichord leading a brisk and melodious performance. The middle movement, Largo ma non tanto was sublime.

Soprano Sandra Simon was joined by tenor Scott Mello and baritone Sumner Thompson for The Contest Between Phoebus (Apollo) and Pan, Bach’s BWV 201. This delightful miniature comic opera presented a singing contest between the stalwart, god-like Apollo, as portrayed by Mr. Thompson, and the capricious, joyful Pan of Mr. Mello. Ms. Simon served as judge. Certainly Apollo was a trifle stiff, shall we say, which greatly bored Pan, and although Ms. Simon greatly adored the god of music, Pan was soon snoring. When it was Pan’s turn to sing, (after they’d awakened him) he was bouncy and silly, rather bumpkin-like. Although he was accompanied in his bouncing by the enthusiastic cellist René Schiffer, Apollo was declared the winner. And a good time was had—and heard—by all!

Mozart, who was born six years after Bach had died, wrote his short cantata, Apollo & Hyacinthus, K. 38 in actuality an Intermezzo, when he was just eleven. It is based on a slightly different telling of the Apollo/Hyacinth legend, incorporating Hyacinth’s sister and father as well. As in the Bach, Mr. Thompson was Apollo, Mr. Mello was Hyacinthus and Ms. Simon was (I believe) everyone else. At times, she sang in a marvelous breathy voice, fully able to be heard in the large sanctuary of St. Paul’s Church in Cleveland Heights. Her lover-like duets with Mr. Thompson were ravishing.

Once Mozart discovered Bach, he was enraptured by the use of fugues in Bach’s music. Accordingly, Mozart used two of them, from Bach’s Well-Tempered Klavier, BWV 877 and 874—rearranged—in his own work, K. 405. A smaller contingent of strings brought them to vivid life.

Rounding out the evening of enchanting music-making was Ballet Music from Mozart’s opera Idomeneo, K. 367. The addition of horns, oboes, trumpets and tympani to the resplendent strings added fullness and vigor to the imagined, stately scenes of the dance moments. As always, Ms. Sorrell conducted with passion and precision.

Do NOT miss their next series of concerts, titled: Pluckfest! November 16-19, at various locations, featuring Steve Player, guitar/dancer and Nell Snaidas, soprano. At last fall’s Mediterranean Bonfire concerts, these two nearly burnt the place down with their flirtatious manner and sizzling intensity—for the music, of course! For tickets or information about these or other upcoming events by Apollo’s Fire, call (216) 320-0012, or visit the web-site at: http://www.apollosfire.org
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Burn This @ Charenton 10/12
“The show must go on” was the Charenton cast’s battle cry, as their sultry production of Burn This got moved at the last minute from its sexy Painters Loft location to an armory with card tables. But the strong performances make you realize that Peter Brook was right: all you need is actors, audience, and an empty space.
What’s hot: Lanford Wilson’s play is fueled by sexual magnetism, and Jason Markouc has it in spades — his Pale is crazy, vulnerable, and sexy enough to majorly mess with the mind of grieving Anna (Liz Conway). Chris Johnston gets some fine work out of his cast, miraculous given the challenging circumstances. Dan Kilbane is charming as her tart-tongued gay best friend, and Andrew Narten has his own appeal as screenwriter Burton.
What’s not: Backstage drama led to Charenton’s opening night expulsion from its ideal loft location. The official version was a city zoning permit problem, but scuttlebutt had a complaining tenant with a whining hand on the red phone — thanks for nuthin’, ya big baby.
Local heroes: The Beck Center’s Scott Spence stepped in as white knight, and the plucky cast moved the performance to the Beck’s Armory, with virtually no rehearsal. Marcus Bales’ Gallery 324 is hosting the rest of the run.
Details: Upcoming performances Thurs-Sat. thru 10/28 at Gallery 324, the Galleria. FREE. http://www.charenton.org.
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! @ Karamu 10/15
WHAT: A new musical based on gospel music, that ties the music to the 20th century struggles of African-Americans: an outstanding concert that is part history lesson.
REASONS TO GO: If you like gospel music, this is a don’t miss. Director Otis Sallid’s decision to keep his singers unmiked, in street clothes, accompanied more like a church service than a flashy entertainment. And when some of these huge voices connect — especially Roslyn Pratt, Bernita Ewing, Leathia Williams, and Ra-Deon Kirkland — it sends a powerful vibration right through your own chest.
BACKSTORY: The production’s “angel” is Executive Producer James Pickens, Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy), who wanted to give something back to the theatre that trained him. Pickens’ TV commitments didn’t allow him to perform the narrator role as planned, but he may drop in on an upcoming weekend.
CAVEATS: The narration is sometimes awkward, with a stolid Neal Hodges in the unenviable position of replacing the charismatic Pickens.
DETAILS: Karamu, 2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland, thru 2/19, http://www.karamu.com
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

The Pillowman @ Dobama 10/13
What: The phrase “once upon a time” was never so sinister as in Martin McDonagh’s provocative, strangely funny tale of a writer arrested and tortured for his grisly stories, whose details bear a resemblance to a series of child murders.
Reasons to go: The play is fascinating, and Sonya Robbins’ production is compelling enough that its implications stay with you for days. Todd Krispinsky is terrific as the obsessed writer Katurian and Dan McElhaney is unforgettable as his damaged brother — their chemistry is intimate and haunting. Joel Hammer makes detective Tupolski (the “good cop”) an elegant study of menace. Robbins stages Katurian’s “stories” as fractured fairytales, which make them both goofy and creepy.
Caveats: The pace starts to flag a bit in the 3rd act, when Hammer stretches out his story and John Kolibab (the out-of-control cop) loses steam.
Backstory: Even McDonagh’s mother was reportedly repelled by the sick-and-twisted acts in this play, so be warned. But Robbins mostly keeps things stylized rather than realistic, which helps — as do the surprising number of laughs.
Details: Studio One, Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Hts. 216-932-3396. Thru 11/5. http://www.dobama.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein lindaATcoolcleveland.com

Jennifer Weiner @ Windows on the River 10/11 If you are an aspiring writer, a fan of chick lit, in need of a little creative inspiration, or someone with a pulse and a sense of humor – you missed a great event last week.

Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed; In Her Shoes (the book that was turned into a movie starring Shirley MacLaine, Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette); Little Earthquakes; Goodnight Nobody and The Guy Not Taken brought her charm and wit to Cleveland on Wed 10/11 during a luncheon benefitting the Women’s Community Foundation – an organization that funds programs optimizing the potential of women and girls in the Greater Cleveland Community.

Weiner was completely engaging from the moment she opened her mouth. To borrow a popular phrase, “She had us at hello.” With an endearing openness she recounted the story behind the start of her writing career; the motivation for her first book and why holding true to her ideals meant saying no to that first agent. Weiner shared funny, raw stories about her family – including why you won’t catch her in the pool at her local JCC – and fielded questions from the audience. Listening to her speak was like having a chat with you new best girlfriend. She was down-to-earth, funny, irreverent and motivating all at once.

Visit http://www.JenniferWeiner.com to learn more about the author. Her tips for aspiring writers are dead on and funny as hell. You’ll even get to read a few of the stories she told us at the luncheon – including the one about the agent who thought that the heroine of Good in Bed shouldn’t be fat because, “nobody wants to see a movie about a lonely fat girl.”

Visit http://www.wcfcleveland.org to learn more about the fabulous organization that hosted the event and how you can help support solutions for contemporary women’s issues.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roxanne Ravenel.

Yr Turn
Cool Cleveland readers write
We encourage our readers to speak out by sending us letters and commentary. Send your letters to Letters@CoolCleveland.com. You must include your full name (required) and you may include your e-mail address (optional). You may also create a new Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail e-mail address and submit it with your letter. Letters submitted to Cool Cleveland, or edited portions, may be published in an upcoming issue of Cool Cleveland at our discretion.

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

On the upcoming election (See Go Absentee here) And while you’re at it, please remind your readers that – if they do go to the polls to vote on election day – the new law also requires that they show a current photo ID with their address on it. The more we can get the word out on this, the fewer frustrated voters there will be on election day.
from Cool Cleveland reader Robert O. Staib cnrosATcuyahogacounty.us

It’s my understanding that absentee ballots are only counted in the event of a close election. Given this, if all people of a particular pursuation voye absentee, doesn’t that effectively eliminate their vote? The vote will not be counted from the ballot box, it will not appear to be close, and so the absentees will not be counted?
from Cool Cleveland reader Debra lobelia66ATyahoo.com

Cool Cleveland Reply: This is not true. All absentee ballots are counted and are valid.

On eminent domain Where does Cool Cleveland stand on the imminent domain case? the imminent domain case of Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Port Authority (on be half of Wolstein) vs. the 8 small business and property owners on the east bank begins in December before Judge John E. Corrigan. I see the destruction of the east bank of the flats as the destruction of our heritage as Clevelanders. the Wolsteins are about to swindle Cleveland again and in one fell swoop bilk the taxpayers (for at least $150 million), destroy our history and architectural heritage, sell their own abandoned property at a profit and give themselves a tax break. i could go on forever, it is just sick. i won’t even go into the evil concept of stealing private property for private use. imminent domain … call it what it is, it is thievery! i would admire the gall of thje Wolstein operation if the whole concept wasn’t so damn evil.
from Cool Cleveland reader Kiely Cronin wkielyAThotmail.com

Dear Congressman Strickland (See ODOT selects boring bridge here) Dear Congressman Strickland: I’m writing to express my concerns about the proposed new Innerbelt bridge here in Cleveland, along with the entire revamping of the Innerbelt. I think that, because you are likely to be our next governor, you may want to begin looking at this issue immediately. We Clevelanders have seen the complete subversion of public process over the last decade or so, no matter what the question or project may be. But that’s an internal problem here in the city. Now, however, we are seeing ODOT evince the same total disregard for public opinion, and even for its own public development process. ODOT is planning a northern alignment for its new westbound span across the Cuyahoga River, just outside downtown. This plan will apparently be implemented, despite objections across the board from citizens and business-owners alike (our city government initially opposed the idea, but has now given in to ODOT’s demands; our Congressional representatives have rubber-stamped the project, with no apparent thought to the consequences). ODOT’s plans for the bridge and Innerbelt in general have been moving forward for most of this year, despite the fact that it had not completed multiple federally required studies before proceeding, and in violation of its own codified process. Gordon Proctor has publicly declared that, “ODOT has never been successfully sued, ” just in case we were thinking about it. And he also made a statement to the effect that, “No other city has EVER asked us for economic studies. Every other project we’ve done, the community has automatically accepted it as beneficial. ODOT doesn’t do economic studies.” Additionally, in a line of similiar occurrences, the firm that is contracted to design the new bridge, Baker and Associates, is the same firm that coincidentally concurs with ODOT in its northern alignment plan. Previously, Baker helped torpedo attempts to rehabilitate another local bridge, the Fulton Road Bridge, and then was hired to design the new bridge there. So we are seeing instances of conflict of interest on top of disregard for the public’s desires. Congressman Strickland, ODOT needs to reined in here, and needs to be made to follow regulated procedures, as well as taught that it serves the public, and not the other way around. The current plan for the Innerbelt bridge will potentially waste up to hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money in the long run. Moreover, the bridge plan is contrary to the public’s wishes. The overall Innerbelt plan may result in fatal consequences for local businesses when several exits are eliminated; again, over numerous protests from all sectors of the city. Please look into this situation, and when you have the authority as govenor, make sure that the public is put back into “public process.” For an overview of the situation, please go here.
from Cool Cleveland reader Denise Donaldson zoonorthATnetzero.com

On the first Cool Cleveland Travelogue (Read it here) I read with great interest Claudia Taller’s Travelogue on Montreal. As someone who has visited this city many times during the past decade, I looked forward to her description of its lively food culture: its superb French cuisine, diverse ethnic restaurants, and most of all its well-known farmer’s markets. Imagine my surprise when I read Taller’s claim that Montreal lacks anything comparable to Cleveland’s West-Side Market! In fact, there are several large farmer’s markets, including Le Marché Jean-Talon, located in central Montreal. This outdoor market features fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally by Canadian farmers (in contrast to the West Side Market’s produce, most of which is shipped in from California), and a tremendous variety of meats, fish, cheese, condiments, and ethnic foods. Googling “Montreal food market” brings up Jean-Talon as its first result, so it is difficult to understand how Taller could miss it. Sadly, from her description, I suspect that she was directed to the downtown tourist shopping area, a “marché” of a different sort. Regardless, in her zeal to boost Cleveland at the expense of Montreal, Taller has done your readers a disservice.
from Cool Cleveland reader Nicholas King nicholas.kingATcase.edu

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Top 5
Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Recycling guide Probably one of the most clicked links in CC history-a PDF recycling guide.
http://www.cuyahogaswd.com/pdf/PassItOn.pdf.

2) Vote by mail Vote using an absentee ballot.
http://www.sos.state.oh.us.

3) Free Night of Theatre Fourteen local professional theaters are opening their doors for a no-cost night of live theater on Thu 10/19.
www.ClevelandTheater.com.

4) Cle makes Top 10 of underrated destinations According to Trip Advisor, most people have already seen Paris, London, NYC and SF. We’re one of the cities they suggest trying next.
www.FreeP.com.

5) Revive The official Grand Opening of Revive, a clothing store offering only fair trade or union made products.
http://www.ReviveStore.com.

Finding a Way Every Week With their copious weekly contributions, our Hard Corps deliver abundant events, critical reviews and cultural content with aplomb. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Claudia J. Taller, Linda Eisenstein, Kelly Ferjutz, Roldo Bartimole and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Download the Cool Cleveland podcast each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com. Click on the Cool Cleveland Blog here. Read the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine here. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com.

Have you
found a way yet?

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2006 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
(:divend:)