Nick Of Time

2.15-2.22.06

Nick of Time

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Interview Nick Kostis, the catalyst behind E. 4th Street
* Cool Cleveland Sounds Ohio by Birdhouse Gourds
* Only In Cleveland A tiny detail from Cleveland’s Leading Satirist
* Cool Cleveland Preview Funk @ the Rock Hall
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

In a timely fashion, Cool Cleveland’s readers engage with their community, react and write. Our Yr Turn letters section is a diverse bag of commentary on the convention center, the Clean & Safe program, Red {an orchestra}’s recent concert, and reaction to last week’s memoir on favorite things in Cleveland.

ODOT feels the heat from the public on their Innerbelt and signature bridge project, and schedules another public hearing this week in Midtown. You should go. Then write and tell us about it. Hear from the Mayor of Fourth Street, Nick Kostis, one of our favorite original Cleveland characters, who owns Pickwick & Frolic, one of our favorite original Cleveland destinations. Few cities have such a place, where Dickens would feel comfortable rubbing shoulders with politicians and society types. Check out the new CD by Birdhouse Gourds, and scan our new HOT PICKS below. It looks like Cool Cleveland arrived in your In-box without a moment to spare. –Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland Interview
Nick Kostis, Owner of Pickwick & Frolic

It’s easy to get Nick Kostis fired up. He is a warm, engaged and irresistable gentleman who loves Cleveland, food, comedy, entertainment, “the business,” history, allegory, his employees and being in good company. He’s a New Yorker (a hardcore Brooklynite, to be sure) who loves The Big Apple. But just the same, he’ll tell you he loves Cleveland more.

Kostis knows the business. He’s the catalyst for Pickwick & Frolic, which houses his Hilarities Fourth Street Theatre comedy club. That club has itself been the catalyst for a whole host of development in the surrounding area. But he’s got something of a Golden Touch, too. He opened his original Hilarities in 1985 in Cuyahoga Falls, with a second location in the Warehouse District in 1986. Have you been down to the Warehouse District lately? Can anyone say hotbed? What’s more, his comedic endeavors spent some time on Playhouse Square before it experienced a renaissance of its own. It’s like a Sixth Sense, or something.

Cool Cleveland: You grew up in Brooklyn, New York—one of the cultural epicenters of the entire free world. I walk up East Fourth Street and into Pickwick, or into your neighbors’ establishments; it definitely tastes like a slice of Big Apple to me. Did you feel that same character and intimacy was possible when you first discovered the space?

Nick Kostis: Without question. It was the first thing that my mind conjured when I walked down that street. It felt like my growing up. I thought it could be an oasis, a different world. It conjured up images for me of those heydays… the intimacy of rubbing shoulders with the unwashed masses and a time where the lines drawn between those [people] in-step and out-of-step with society weren’t quite as clarified as they are today. It was a time when lawyers hung out with gangsters! (laughs) It was a time when all elements of society came into contact with one another and there was a sense of taste, decorum and a clear sense of what was acceptable and what wasn’t.

Anyway, it [also] got me to thinking about those images in the box office and the possibility of resurrecting that spirit of Short Vincent as well. To me, more than anything, East Fourth symbolized the images that I had in my head growing up in New York. And the visual imagery of what East Fourth could look like was suddenly and instantly as familiar as my name. Instantly comfortable, much like the city itself.

You have $5 million and five years of your life invested in Pickwick & Frolic. That’s a long time. Does it still feel like Alice in Wonderland, as you once described it during venue’s formative stages?

Every day, although that story did have some uncertainty in that you weren’t sure what to expect around every corner. There was some uncertainty, as there is in any business endeavor and certainly the investment of time, emotion and money cannot be underestimated. But these days, it’s more like walking through the Looking Glass…
Read Peter Chakerian’s interview with Nick Kostis here

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The Student Independent Exhibition, is the next exhibition – by students – at the Cleveland Institute of Art. This annual juried gallery show was completely planned by the students of the Institute. This year’s exhibition, the 60th anniversary of the show, opens on Fri 2/17 with a reception from 5PM – 8PM. It is open to the public, with no admission fee. It will be held in the Reinberger Galleries, 11141 East Boulevard. Gallery hours are Mon-Sat, 9AM – 5PM. The show will run through 4/1/06. For more information call (216) 421-7407, email reinbergergallery@gate.cia.edu or visit the Cleveland Institute of Art website at www.CIA.edu.
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Time to annex East Cleveland? Only columnist Sam Fulwood III has the guts to suggest that Cleveland annex it’s poorer neighbor East Cleveland, for a lot of good reasons: 26,000 added to the population, “fantastic housing stock”, and not least, East Cleveland borders University Circle and Cleveland Heights, and the health of East Cleveland will be instrumental to the health of the East Side of Cleveland. Plus, the Euclid Corridor Project terminates in East Cleveland. See commentary here.

Call for Artists, Designers & Models Fashion Week Cleveland will be arriving hard upon the heels of spring here in Northeast Ohio. The call for designers, artists and models ends on Wed 3/1 so if you’d like to participate in one or more of the premiere Cleveland Fashion Week events, running Thu 4/20 – Sat 4/29, visit http://www.FashionWeekCleveland.com to find out where to submit your portfolio.

Cool Cleveland Podcast Cool things to do this week in Cleveland, at the click of a button. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland02.17.05.mp3. Don’t forget, you can subscribe to this podcast by saving this link in your favorite program that catches podcasts.

Be a Cleveland Executive Fellow The Cleveland Executive Fellowship is looking for a few good Fellows. The Fellowship is an experiential, immersion program designed to accelerate the professional development of civic leaders for Greater Cleveland. Its goal is to prepare individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena. During the yearlong fellowship, participants will gain hands-on experience through executive level placements in the nonprofit, public and business sectors. If you are interested in beating the learning curve to becoming a civic change agent for Greater Cleveland apply online at http://www.ClevelandFoundation.org. Application deadline is Mon 3/20.

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Cleveland’s Hottest Party Returns – the Jump Back Ball! Don’t miss the 15th annual Jump Back Ball presented by National City, Sat 2/25 at Playhouse Square Center. The theme this year is “Frolic on 42nd – A Broadway Blitz.” Come as your favorite Broadway character or sport your best formal wear and enjoy food, open bar, games, raffle, dancing and live music from Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean along with Cleveland’s own Grammy-winning funk band the Dazz Band (“Let it Whip”). This party-of-the-year is hosted by the young professionals group Playhouse Square Partners, celebrating 15 years in existence. Proceeds benefit Playhouse Square Foundation. Remember, what happens at Jump Back Ball, stays there. For tickets, call 216-348-5265 or see last year’s photos at www.PlayhouseSquarePartners.com.
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Telarc wins another Grammy Telarc Recording artists, Turtle Island String Quartet (TISQ), twice a bridesmaid, but never the bride, won the Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album for 4+Four a collaboration with Ying Quartet. The recording is an adventurous tango between the traditional chamber music style of the Ying Quartet and TISQ’s fusion of classical, folk, bluegrass, swing, bebop, funk, R&B, new age, rock, hip-hop and both Latin & Indian music. The win brings Telarc’s Grammy Award total up to 49, in addition to a host of other music awards they’ve won while working with an impressive roster of artists. Kudos! http://www.Telarc.com.

Who needs Hollywood? A growing number of artists in film, television and music have declared that they won’t travel to the Big Apple or sunny LA to produce their latest work; instead, they will tap into the dizzying array of talent right here in Cleveland. Home-grown American Idol finalist, Scott Savol, pledged his commitment to record here in Northeast Ohio; Dayton native, actor Chad Lowe, testified before the Ohio Legislature for a bill that would give incentives to film and TV crews that film in Ohio. Is this just a feel good trend, or is the entertainment industry wising up? Send your thoughts to Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland Kids Listen to 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 just by clicking. 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/CoolClevelandKids02.17.06.mp3. Adding this link to your program that catches podcasts, will keep you up-to-date.

HOT PICKS ODOT Midtown public meeting Okay, here’s where everyone gets to be the hero. It’s time to show the Big Boys (otherwise known as The Feds) that Cleveland isn’t all talk when it comes to the Innerbelt Project. The next Innerbelt Project meeting that is open to the public will be held on Tue 2/21 at 9AM at the Myers University Club at 3813 Euclid Avenue. We are issuing an official Cool Cleveland challenge to put up or shut up. A strong turnout at this critical meeting is absolutely necessary to get the point across. Stand up now or forever hold your peace. If you can’t be there, but would like to be heard, send an email to gordon.proctor@dot.state.oh.us and Cc: us at Letters@CoolCleveland.com. See you on Tuesday.

Emissions from the blogsphere Wendy Hoke posts the first of a series of original reports beginning with one on Cleveland’s homeless. Jim Eastman questions the ability of community wifi to be geographically agnostic. Sandy Piderit signs a pledge to put an end to dirty gold. Bridget Ginley posts photos from the new AIV@5700 gallery. Sara Holbrook post about the latest poetry slammers. Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here‘, where Peter Chakerian talks up the funkiness at the Rock Hall… offers up some insight to his (not-so) quiet week and returns with a vengeance just in time for your weekend reading pleasure. When you’re done add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.


Cool Cleveland This Week

2.15-2.22

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Songwriters Night @ The Saucy Bistro Join some of Cleveland’s most celebrated local songwriters including Tracie Marie, Scott Smith, Joe Rohan, Kristeen Jackson, Becky Boyd, & Galen Marten on Wed 2/15 at 6PM and every Wednesday in February and March while you enjoy a tempting array of entrees for just $10 during a happy hour buffet. Call 419-202-3812 for info. The Saucy Bistro, 24481 Detroit Road, Westlake. www.GalenMarten.com.

Lockwood at FFB Join Robert Lockwood Jr. and his All Star Band on Wed 2/15 and every Wednesday night at 8PM for a night of Delta blues. Call 875-6000. Fat Fish Blue, 21 Prospect Avenue. www.FatFishBlue.com.

The GIMP Local computer professional, Phillip Williams, will give a presentation on the GIMP, an open source graphics creation and manipulation application similar to Adobe Photoshop, on Thu 2/16 from 6:30-8:30PM. The meeting will be a short “course” showing how to use the GIMP to do common digital imaging tasks, such as manipulating a photo, removing red eye, correcting colors, resizing images and changing them to black & white. Reserve your spot at http://www.digitalphotosig.org. Maple Heights Library, 5225 Library Lane, Maple Heights.

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Imagine an Evening of Astonishing Dancing to jazzy music. Then add a 40% ticket discount for CoolCleveland readers. Make it all a reality when Garth Fagan, the award-winning choreographer of Disney’s “The Lion King,” brings his company’s hot Afro-Caribbean dance style and strong dramatic moves to the Ohio Theatre on Sat 2/25 at 8PM. Garth Fagan Dance will premiere an acclaimed new dance, “Life: Dark/Light,” set to music by jazz violinist Billy Bang, plus four masterworks with music ranging from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to the Jazz Jamaica All Stars, with some Brahms thrown into the mix. To receive your 40% discount (and no service charges), call 440-914-0744 or skeyes@dancecleveland.org by midnight 2/20. Co-presented by DANCECleveland and Cuyahoga Community College. Visit www.Tickets.com or www.DanceCleveland.org or www.TriCPresents.com for information.
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Copyright Law in the Digital Age Technology has a way of outstripping the legal framework that governs it, and copyright law is no exception. IABC Cleveland invites everyone interested in communication issues to a no cost session on copyright law in the digital age on Thu 2/16 at 3PM. The program will be led by Sharon Toerek of Toerek Co., LPA. Reserve your seat online at http://www.iabccleveland.com/ or call 226-7013 for info. Cinecraft Productions, 2515 Franklin Boulevard.

CC KIDS Same Spirit Different Movement Vibe to the sights and sounds of Illstyle and Peace Productions, a multi-cultural dance theatre company that uses a unique fusion of hip-hop and a variety of other dance styles to spread a message of love, unity, and mutual respect. Their Thu 2/16 performance at 7:30PM will offer audiences an intense selection of vocal percussions, “turntablism”, spoken word, popping, locking, breaking, tap dancing, human beat boxing and DJing. Get your tickets for this visual and aural feast for the entire family at www.LorainCCC.edu. Stocker Center, Lorain Community College, 1005 North Abbe Road, Elyria. http://www.IllstyleRockers.net.

Responding to Art Get to the Art House on Thu 2/16 to hear Terry Barrett, Ph.D., dish up the latest on the Ohio art scene. The renowned author and presenter will be covering critiquing techniques and delivering up his own art critiques at the Responding to Art workshop between 7PM and 9PM. For information or to purchase tickets, call 398-8556. Additional info available at http://www.ArtHouseInc.org. Art House, 3119 Denison Avenue.

Inside Out Explore women’s issues, and women’s issues with men through a play which let’s us be a fly on the wall during group therapy sessions with several smart, sassy, desperate, and determined women who give and get support in spirited weekly meetings led by their therapist, Grace, who is on her third marriage. Celebrate with these women as they experience a round of evocative and uplifting breakthroughs during the preview performance is on Thu 2/16 at 8PM or during the official opening, followed by a reception with the cast, on Fri 2/17 at 8PM. Performances will run Thu – Sun through Sun 3/5. Visit http://www.ActorsSummit.org for show times. Call 330-342-0800 for tickets. Actors Summit Theater in the Antiques Galleries building, 86 Owen Brown Street, Hudson.

HOT PICK Avadim Hayium: Once We Were Slaves Join musicians David Chevan and Warren Byrd on Thu 2/16 at 8PM as they deliver a positive and meaningful message about Black-Jewish relations through stories and music from Jewish and African-American sacred traditions. The combination of their sophisticated jazz artistry, wit, and reverence for the material makes for a moving, one-of-a-kind musical experience. Call 593-0575 or visit http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org. Maltz Jewish Museum, 2929 Richmond Road.

Ultra Music Festival Entries All local DJs are invited to submit a mix CD for the opportunity to spin live at the Ultra Music Festival on Sat 3/25 in Bicentennial Park in Miami. This is the ultimate opportunity to spin live with more than 40,000 music fans, and 200 artists/DJs/producers on ten stages. One local DJ will have the opportunity to spin live at Ultra8 along side the world’s best DJs and producers in the New Times/Village Voice Media Arena! Send your mix CD to Kelly Wilson at 1468 West 9th Street, Suite 805, Cleveland, OH 44113. All submissions must be received by Fri 2/17.

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Be the First in Town to Know about the mega discounts (up to half off show tickets!) to the best performances in town, including Playhouse Square, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Play House, Beck Center, Cleveland Public Theater and more. Register for this free service at www.Ctix.org to receive weekly emails alerting you about great deals for tickets to great performances. A service of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland. For more information about attractions and events in northeast Ohio visit www.TravelCleveland.com.
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From Real to Surreal: Escape and Reverie in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art is a collaborative project between the Cleveland Museum of Art and The Cleveland Institute of Art. The virtual exhibition kicks off with an opening reception that is open to the public without cost on Fri 2/17 from 5-7PM. Visit www.cia.edu to learn more. Exhibit runs through Sat 4/1. On Site@Reinberger Galleries, Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Boulevard.

HOT PICK Nervous Bird – Be one of the first to view the stunning juxtaposition of humanity and nature in the mixed media exhibit Nervous Bird at the opening reception on Fri 2/17 at 7PM. Experience the eclectic mix of raw artistry inspired by Dott Schnieder’s brief glimpse of an ordinary event that exploded into an artistic commentary of current global events. Call 228-3249 for more information. The exhibit runs through 03/05 at 1300 Gallery, 1300 W. 78th Street. http://www.13hundred.com

Musical Theatre Misfits is a cabaret show featuring Baldwin-Wallace College musical theatre students performing songs from roles that they would never get to play – the results will be quite entertaining. The Fri 2/17 performance at 7PM will not have an entry fee, but donation, which will help reduce the cost of the trip for students participating in the New York Senior Showcase in April. For more info call 440-826-2322. Kulas Musical Arts Building, 96 Front Street, Berea.

You’re My Panda Spend the month of love gazing on the dynamics and power of love, as pieced together by Katie Maurer, in her debut solo exhibition. Her sampling of retro images from the baby-boom generation sheds new light on the conscious and unconscious perception of love and relationships by one of the largest generations to inhabit the earth. View Maurer’s reinterpretation of medical illustrations from the 50’s during the opening reception on Fri 2/17 from 7-10PM and through Sat 3/18. Assemble Gallery, 1300 West 78th Street. www.AssembleGallery.com.

HOT PICK Wine and Cheese Night Hikes Leave the kiddies behind, grab a pal and take a leisurely stroll through the winter woods during an adults-only night hike on Fri 2/17. Explore wooded trails and the wonders of the Ohio night life – owls, bats and more – then wrap up the evening with refined adult refreshments. The easy two-mile hike begins at 7PM and is the perfect end to a week of romance, or really good chocolate. For more details visit http://www.HoldenArb.org/. Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland.

Music of Elton John Grab your funkiest shades and head to Severance Hall on Fri 2/17 for the toe-tapping favorites of Elton John as performed by the Cleveland Pops and special guests Jeans ‘n’ Classics. The concert kicks off at 8PM and features all of Elton’s favorites from his earliest beginnings to his show-stopping film work. Tickets for this not-to-be-missed spectacular are available at 231-1111, or online at http://www.ClevelandPops.com. Severance Hall.

WCLVnotes As of this Sun 2/19, WCLV 104.9 has a new Sunday evening line up. “Symphony at Seven,” sponsored by KeyBank, will run for two hours, 7 – 9PM, followed by the longest running national radio show in the country, “Music and the Spoken Word,” better known as “The Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. “Not the Dead White Male Composers Hour,” featuring works by northeast Ohio composers, remains in its 9:30 – 10:30PM slot. Michael Barone’s “Pipedreams” is now being heard a half-hour earlier at 10:30PM to midnight. Complete details on all of WCLV’s programming can be found at the WCLV Program Guide pages at www.WCLV.com. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland partner.

Roméo et Juliette Don’t miss the final performances of this three-act opera which follows the star-crossed lovers from their first fleeting encounter to their untimely deaths. Performances run Sat 2/17 & Sun 2/18 at 8PM. Call 241-6000 for tickets or visit http://www.ClevelandOpera.org. State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Avenue.

HOT PICK Beauty and Sustainability: Gardens for the 21st Century is a day-long, information-packed symposium on Sat 2/18 that brings together internationally known trailblazers, Wolfgang Oehme, Neil Diboll and Henry Hanson to present the latest ideas and best practices for sustainable landscapes. Call 721-1600, Ext. 141 for required advance registration. Cleveland Botanical Gardens, 11030 East Boulevard. www.cbgarden.org.

CC KIDS The Hundred Acre Woods Experience the joy of winter – Northeast Ohio style – when you explore Holden’s own 100-acre woodland on Sat 2/18 between 10AM and 12PM. Kids aged 3-7 can go on an exciting Winnie the Pooh scavenger adventure while their older siblings, 8 & up, strap on snowshoes and make like Henson and Peary during a riotous romp through the woods. Visit http://www.HoldenArb.org/ for more information. Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with OCAGC Treat yourself to a dazzling celebration that is a feast for the senses on Sat 2/18 at 6PM as the OCAGC rings in the Chinese New Year. The twelve-course dinner and scintillating entertainment are enhanced by raffle prizes and very special guest, OCA National President, Ms. Ginny Wong. For tickets or info call 373-3278 or email president@ocagc.org. http://www.ocagc.org. C & Y Chinese Restaurant, 2222 St. Clair Avenue.

Edris Eckhardt: Visionary & Innovator in American Studio Ceramics & Glass. Rediscover groundbreaking works in glass on Sat 2/18 from 6PM and 9PM during Glass+ the opening reception honoring sculptor Edris Eckhardt (1905-1998). Join Kirk Nelson, Henry Adams, Joseph Kisvardai, and other exciting guests for the launch of the exhibit which runs through 4/15 and features over 150 unique pieces by the pioneer of the studio glass movement in America. Call 227-5907 or visit http://www.ClevelandArtists.org for more information. Cleveland Artists Foundation, 17801 Detroit Avenue.

The Future of Food See the film that the San Francisco Chronicle calls, “One of 2005’s must-see documentaries” during a screening on Sat 2/18 at 6PM. The film, winner of three Best Documentary awards at film festivals across America, closely examines the firestorm surrounding FrankenFoods (genetically-engineered foods). See the film, engage in dialogue and sample some of the tasty fare at Talkies – where food doesn’t require a disclaimer. Talkies Film & Coffee Bar, 2521 Market Avenue, Ohio City. http://www.FutureOfFood.com. http://www.TalkiesCoffee.com.

Infinite Number of Sounds will perform their signature instrumental electro rock on Sat 2/18 at 8PM in concert with White Chapel, Pinderhues, and Samantha Morrow at the Daily Double at 370 Orleans Avenue, Akron. http://www.InfiniteNumber.com.

Embracing the Hope and Understanding Take a stand against discrimination and hate with a workshop series presented by OCAGC starting Sun 2/19 from 1-3PM. Designed for the Asian American community, this workshop will assist participants in addressing discrimination and hate crime prevention while developing innovative responses to support needs within the community. Refreshments and Chinese/English assistance will be provided for this inaugural presentation featuring OCA National President Ginny Gong. For more information visit http://ocagc.org. Asia Plaza, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 2999 Payne Avenue.

CC KIDS Jahja Ling Conducts Barber and Sibelius This fascinating program welcomes the former Resident Conductor back, on Sun 2/19 at 3PM, as he presents rare Sibelius soundscapes depicting Finnish scenes, Barber’s brilliantly lyrical Piano Concerto and one of Sibelius’s most expressive symphonies. Call 231-1111 or visit www.ClevelandOrchestra.com. Severance Hall.

Cleveland Composers Guild Concert Enjoy this complimentary community concert featuring Seven Songs by Dana McCormick, Piccolo Peculiarities, by Nicholas Underhill, Sonata for Piano by Monica Houghton, Elegy by Jennifer Conner and The Great Hunger by Jeffrey Quick on Sun 2/19 at 3PM. Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2592 West 14th Street, Tremont.

Bobby Sanabria Afro-Cuban Music Clinics The Roberto Ocasio Foundation will host Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz lecture-and-demonstration clinics during the week of Mon 2/20. Master drummer, percussionist, composer, and Grammy-nominated recording artist, Bobby Sanabria, will lead day and evening clinics offered to northeast Ohio schools, colleges, and the community as well as to musical educators and professional musicians. Call 440-572-2048 to schedule a clinic or individual session, or visit http://www.LatinJazzProject.com. http://www.BobbySanabria.com.

CC KIDS Discovery Days Spend President’s Day enjoying fun winter activities like ice cream making, crafts, and snowshoeing on Mon 2/20 from 9:30AM-4:30PM. Call 440-256-2122 for more info. Lake Farmpark, 8800 Euclid-Chardon Road, Kirtland.

CC KIDS Winterhurst Pizza Skate Celebrate Presidents’ Day, Mon 2/20, with a family skating event from 1-3PM. Admission price ($4 for Lakewood residents, $5 for non-residents) includes a slice of pizza and can of pop for the first 350 attendees. Call 529-4400 for more info. Winterhurst Ice Rink, 14740 Lakewood Heights Boulevard, Lakewood.

CC KIDS Winter Athlete @ Joseph-Beth Meet winter athlete favorites – Tonia Kwiatkowski, who will read A is for Axel: an Ice Skating Alphabet by fellow figure skater, Kurt Browning and Cleveland Barons Hockey Players Brad Staubitz and Ray DiLauro who will read from Arthur and the Goalie Ghost by Marc Brown on Mon 2/20 beginning at 6:30PM. Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village, 24519 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst. http://www.JosephBeth.com.

Dr. William Dement is a pioneer in sleep medicine who asserts that, “Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” Hear the Stanford professor, and director of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center, who was part of the teams that discovered REM sleep and its relationship to dreaming, and sleep apnea and its earliest treatments during a Wed 2/22 lecture at 7PM at the Russell B. Aitken Auditorium, Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Boulevard. www.cia.edu.

CC KIDS CityMusic Concerts Composed of many of the finest freelance musicians in the area, CityMusic Cleveland is dedicated to developing new audiences for classical music and serving as a catalyst for community building through their series of no-cost community concerts. Hear the critically-acclaimed ensemble perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto & Symphony #7 on Wed 2/22 at 7:30PM at Fairmount Presbyterian Church, 2757 Fairmount Boulevard, Cleveland Heights; Thu 2/23 at 7:30PM at St. Mary Church, Elyria; Fri 2/24 at 8PM at the United Methodist Church of Willoughby Hills; Sat 2/25 at 8PM at Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus; Sun 2/26 at 7:30PM at Rocky River Presbyterian Church. See an art exhibit by photographer Halim Ina and meet the musicians over refreshments during intermission. http://www.CityMusicCleveland.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Sounds
Ohio
Birdhouse Gourds
self-released

The Birdhouse Gourds are a quirky rock quartet from Cleveland’s west side. On the surface, they come across like a lot of the “frat rock” from the mid 90s. You get a pinch of Hootie and Edwin McCain here, a splash of Matchbox 20 and Sister Hazel there… maybe a little DMB… OAR… even some BNL.

Does that mean the band’s official debut Ohio sounds like the SOS? Occasionally, yeah. But I’m giving these guys the benefit of the doubt on their first set of original work. Straddling the line between jangly love songs, hooky 80s-inspired pop rock and 60s-style folk rock certainly is a challenge. In time, these four guys will find the “puree” on their alt-rock smoothie machine.

The 13 tracks on Ohio are chock-full of fun, hook-laden guitar pop, filled with that jangly guitar sound that populated the airwaves in the “post-R.E.M.” era. It takes nothing away from the cohesion shared by Jerry Popiel (vocals/guitar), Jake Schneider (drums/vocals), Will Albrecht (bass /vocals) and Gregg Thauvette (guitar). They sound strong, confident, and observant.

From the opening notes of “Irene,” a love song from the guy next door, to the garage-rock strains of “Second Chance,” you can tell that the bones of strong, tight songwriting are there. The musicianship and vocals are clearly there. And certainly the attention of Cleveland music fans—who have seen these guys open for The Beach Boys, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, The Fixx and a ton of other local and national acts—is there.

And heck, they sound like they’re having fun, which is extremely important as well. The lyrics and music are a rust-belt-reflection of growing up and coming-of-age in Ohio. The magic “it” factor that Ohio is missing at some points will follow. It has to. They’ve got just about everything else in the right place.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

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.

Four Things You Can Only Do In Cleveland
Part Three

Cleveland’s Leading Satirist Points Out A Tiny Detail

TV Horror Movie Show Hosting isn’t what it used to be. In any American city you could find hordes of them. Des Moines had “The Angry Cobbler”. Nashville had “Count Hill-Jackula”, and the Bush family sported Nashcott Bush III, who went by the moniker “Evil Professor Devoid Von Thoughtenstein” during his TV Horror Movie Show Host stints in Austin, Texas and Bar Harbor, Maine and of course, prior to his “accidental” shooting by Dick Cheney.

Only in Cleveland can you still find a rich tapestry of TV Horror Movie Show Hosting.

The history of this phenomenon dates oddly enough to the advent of the TV, and with it the need to numb millions of minds with mind-numbing mindless numbness. The TV Horror Movie Show Host alone served as a shining beacon of hopefulness in a sea of Wonder Bread, Marshmallow Fluff and other vaguely food-like substances…
Read Four Things Part Three here

Cool Cleveland Preview
Rock Hall Funk Series Celebrating Black History Month

Got an itch that Sly Stone’s appearance on the Grammy Awards only began to scratch? Well, then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has got your ticket! In celebration of Black History Month, the Rock Hall is running a month-long tribute to funk music—co-curated by Warren Zanes, the Rock Hall’s VP of Education, and Thomas Sayers Ellis, Professor of Poetry at Case.

You just can’t fake the funk. From the looks of last Wednesday’s kickoff, featuring legendary drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John “Jab’o” Starks (both James Brown Band vets), offering up an inside look at the birth of funk was only the beginning.

This Wednesday (today, February 15) the groove continues with an up-close and personal engagement with Nile Rodgers. In this edition of “From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits,” Rodgers details his experiences in the pioneering funk outfit, Chic. He’s sure to dish the dirt on working with Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Madonna, INXS and others. Rodgers is a hugely influential and historical figure; he’s THE reason Madonna broke big. Rodgers is more than just “R&B’s ambassador to rock,” as this 7 pm event will detail. (Note: the RSVP for this event is full; to get on the wait list, call 515-8426)

It stands to reason that bass guitar maestro Bootsy Collins has some stories to tell. Another sideman to James Brown as well as George Clinton in Parliament-Funkadelic, his Wednesday, February 22 engagement with Thomas Sayers Ellis is already sold out. But you might get some of that insight from the professor at his own exploration of funk on Thursday, February 16, 7pm. He’s a Whiting Award honoree and poet whose work emerged in DC Go-Go. This event is at the Rock Hall, free with a reservation. Call the number above to RSVP your spot.

DC Go-Go is the main focus of the Friday, February 17 event at the Rock Hall. Chuck Brown, the father of Go-Go will perform with a group of funk’s Familiar Faces. Tickets are $5 and on sale now through Ticketmaster and at the Museum box office. You can get the tickets to the funk finale the same way. Our very own Ohio Players hit the Rock Hall stage for the Funk Finale on Friday, February 24. Who knows who will show up for this show, scheduled for a 9pm start. Tickets for that event are a ten-spot.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.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

Coming to America @ Kalliope 2/12
What: An innocuous new feel-good musical celebrating turn-of-the-century immigrants. It uses vaudeville conventions and a huge number of Tin Pan Alley songs (many by Irving Berlin) to tell the story of five immigrants.
Reasons to go: Several of the sections are amusing, and director Gurgol and a hard-working cast do everything but stand on their heads to make the material work. Kimberly Koljat shines as an adorable Irish laundress. Beth Kirkpatrick uses her operatic voice to delightful comic effect as an Italian diva, yet also has a sweetly affecting solo as a Swedish maid yearning for love and fame in silent movies. Rubber-faced Chris Sena has a loopy charm as an Italian restaurateur and an Irish beau with toxic breath. Russ Borski’s period costumes are marvelous, and much of Gurgol’s staging is clever if sometimes over-the-top.
Caveats: There is way too much music, too often it’s arbitrarily sandwiched in, and the piece is way too long for the shallow writing — even before intermission it all starts to sound the same. Too much of the writing is generic, especially the Greek and Jewish immigrant sequences, the Italian section needs trimming, and the World War I and finale patriotic sequences are tacked on. It’s like being trapped in a perky Cedar Point revue or a cruise ship entertainment that never ends.
Backstory: Creators James Hindman and Ray Roderick brought their new show to Kalliope Artistic Director Paul Gurgol after his successful production of their show Pete ‘n’ Keely in their inaugural 2003-4 season. Gurgol says he is committed to premiering other musicals at Kalliope. A tip of the hat to his risk-taking, since new musical creators are more likely to get hit by a bus than get a first production.
Target audience: Audiences that want light musical entertainment and want to hear well-sung old-fashioned songs.
Details: Kalliope Stage, 2134 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts. 216.321.0870. Thru 3/12. http://www.kalliopestage.com
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein lindaATcoolcleveland.com

Sorrows and Rejoicings @ Ensemble 2/11
What: Athol Fugard’s complex, moving look at the meltdown of an exiled white South African poet, as told by the women in his life after his funeral — his British wife, the black servant who was also his mistress, and his estranged mixed-race daughter.
Reasons to go: Robert Hawkes electrifies all the flashback sequences as the shaggy, alcoholic poet — every time he appears on stage, sparks fly and the heart aches. As the sullen teenage daughter, Sonia Bishop’s revelations are explosively affecting. Fugard’s script only gets better as the evening progresses. Through this personal story, he paints a picture of the heartache and human tragedy created by apartheid, yet miraculously leaves the audience with a sense of hope and an affirmation of beauty.
Caveats: The stilted opening section before Hawkes’ first appearance is gawd-awful. Director Licia Colombi has antagonists Renee Matthews-Jackson and Elizabeth Ann Townsend either standing like waxworks or chattering their exposition like old girlfriends. But the play gets so good, eventually you forgive the painfully slow start.
Backstory: Fugard is South Africa’s most prominent playwright, whose work dissects the psychological barriers created by apartheid. Ensemble has presented many of Fugard’s plays over the years, most recently Valley Song.
Target audience: Adults; lovers of poetic and political drama.
Details: Thru 2/26. Ensemble Theatre, Brooks Theatre at the Cleveland Play House. http://www.ensemble-theatre.com
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Roméo et Juliette @ State Theatre 2/10 It’s hardly surprising that a tale of young star-crossed lovers would prove to be successful in a variety of venues. It’s even possible that Shakespeare didn’t create the most famous version, after all. He may, or may not, have based his highly successful play on a pair of real-life young Italians who lived a few centuries before he was born.

An abundance of musical versions have followed; operas, ballets, a symphony or two, and the extremely popular Broadway musical that then became a film, known as West Side Story. This latter was possibly more true to the real story, giving equal credence to the violence and mortality as to the love story. I know it’s traditional to tout the story as a Valentine’s Day treat, but considering the death toll it carries with it, I think a story with a happy-ever-after ending might be more appropriate.
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here

Intimate Apparel @ Cleveland Play House 2/8 New York City in 1905 was a haven for all, a real ‘home’ for few. White male protestants—who had been born in the United States—could feel a degree of belonging, but those of other religions—or colors—or sex—might never feel acceptance. Anyone, however, could be a servant, in every possible meaning of that word. It is this poignancy that imbues the new production at the Cleveland Play House with its immense feeling of dignity and self-sufficiency.

Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage has won several major theatre awards in the last few years, and its easy to see why this happened. (Coincidentally, the Pulitzer Prize for the year in which it was eligible went to the production seen here last fall: I Am My Own Wife.) The current production at the Play House came here from Louisville, and the extra time that the actors have had together benefits both them—and the audience…
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here

‘No Pas Connin’ @ CPT “We too poor to be depressed, we just pressed!” This humorous but poignant statement is but one of many thought-provoking ideas that fill the stage at Cleveland Public Theatre during ‘MO PAS CONNIN OR TORMENT, Nina Domingue’s one woman show.

Nina Domingue is one of the finest actresses in Cleveland. As evidenced by ‘MO PAS CONNIN OR TORMENT,’ she is also a talented playwright.

The experience (it is more than a play) is set in New Orleans. It centers on Miriam Waters, a 65-year-old former priestess of the goddess Mami Wata and her attempt to reconcile with her family. In the process we meet 8 other souls whose own stories are interwoven with Miriam’s. We also learn a lot about the Big Easy before the hurricanes destroyed much of the culture of the city…
Read the review by Roy Berko here

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 convention center (See Yr Turn letters here) Convention-center naysayers seem to borrow heavily on the good old fashioned can’t-do spirit that has drained this city’s energy for decades. To counter to the so-called local “common sense” that conventions would never come to an arctic backwater as Cleveland, consider the tropical climates of such convention darlings as Chicago, New New York, Boston and Philadelphia, which are hardly what I would consider year-round oasis. As for location, Cleveland has long been known as the ideal center that links the Midwest to the East Coast. The purpose of the proposed convention center is not to eclipse Las Vegas but to keep from getting swallowed up by such cities as Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Detroit. These are all cities once thought to be vastly inferior convention possibilities to Cleveland. But thanks to our propensity to sit in front of giant-screen TVs while drooling french-fry grease while other cities do what we say is impossible, well, we dropped a mighty big ball. Also, the idea that convention center business is fading is already yesterday’s news. Come on and REALLY look and think ahead.
from Cool Cleveland reader Howard Gollop howieegAThotmail.com

On a signature bridge (See Yr Turn letters here) Living in a City that encompasses two sides of a valley, it certainly is mandatory to have bridges to interconnect where we work, live and play. If they need to be rebuilt, then it should be done with foresight, thought and planning. They need to be somewhat better than just slabs of concrete; and one can envision graceful spans that complement our City. There are side issues of bridge-building, however, and one is how it affects the community as a whole. If energetic new designs will wipe out our neighborhoods, deprive our neighbors of their homes and land, then we need to sit down and rethink our plans. The Innerbelt Bridge and the Fulton Road Bridge projects are prime examples of this. If, for instance, changing plans slightly to remove one sidewalk, or one bike lane where two are planned will avoid homes and land being taken from private citizens, or businesses or churches being forced to relocate, wouldn’t that be far better for the community as a whole? ODOT and the City and County officials involved in these projects are only our administrators, not our “parents.” And we are not the “children.” They are hired and/or elected to oversee spending and development to OUR best interests, not that of big business or developers, and certainly not to cram something down the public’s collective throat to further someone else’s ends. We welcome new bridges–we don’t welcome superhighways in residential neighborhoods or in our backyards. Bridges are for the good of the community; so is maintaining our tax base, our neighbors, our churches, our businesses. Otherwise, Cleveland will continue its downward spiral and our displaced community will find new lives, hopes and dreams in the suburbs.
from Cool Cleveland reader Marge Pauls mmpaulsATsbcglobal.net

On the Clean & Safe program (See Clean and Safe here) When Did Corporations Become Governments? Here is prime example of amerikan stupidity – we are unwilling to pay taxes to our community governments to provide services, but we can tax ourselves to duplicate a service they already provide: i.e. police patrols and waste disposal. Geez guess it just isn’t a good service unless it is privatized and offered to us by those great and infallible gods: US corporations. So glad they’re there. Parenthetically, I am glad to hear that “Downtown businesses voted an additional tax on themselves” – so many of them receive tax abatement that it warms my heart to know they are now “taxing themselves” (read: their already overworked employees more than likely will be asked to volunteer time they don’t have to cover some of these “services” the corporations are planning to provide – so big of them.)
from Cool Cleveland reader Christine Sell c.sellATcsuohio.edu

On the Cool Cleveland party with Red {an orchestra} on 2/4 (See photos here) I came in from LA, my sister from Atlanta, and my girlfriend from CT for the Red orchestra performance — due to your email. The orchestra was superb but the video artist is a little behind the times. I agree with your arts reviewer (here). For an incredible performance-artist-video check out Toshio Iwai. He just did a “game” for Nintendo called Electroplankton that allows you to make “art” with your voice and music. The Masonic Temple has great memories for me. In 1966 they had a Great Lakes Summer School there for high school kids. Full art studios in the basement, performances etc. I took the bus in from Parma daily. We stayed at the Arcade (another under-utilized fantastic venue). You should do something there. The hotel is practically empty and we always get dirt cheap rates. We would run laps around the tiered floors. (We only did this to work off the kielbasi and pierogis and beer.) How about an all night pajama party?? we have seen weddings on the main concourse. Keep up the good work with coolcleveland.
from Cool Cleveland reader mars berman marsbarATsbcglobal.net

On United Way (See RoldoLINK here) I just wanted to comment on Roldo’s piece concerning Community Shares and United Way. What many might not realize is that United Way only raises money for agencies in the health and human services arena. For employees that wish to make payroll deductions to say, environmental, social justice, reproductive rights or arts agencies, United Way just doesn’t offer that choice. Community Shares does. Choice is a major talking point when encouraging employers to offer workplace giving programs at their companies. By including Community Shares alongside United Way, employers allow their workers to really support the nonprofits that mean the most to them. What is so great about workplace giving campaigns is that they make philanthropists out of those employees that wouldn’t or couldn’t write a three or four figured check to their favorite charity. With payroll deduction, an employee can deduct a modest amount from a bimonthy paycheck (pre-tax) and at the end of the year, a deserving and worthwhile charitiy is the recipient of a sizeable contribution. Workplace giving campaigns make philanthropy accessible to every income bracket of wage earner, foster new donors for charities and educate employees about some nonprofits that they may not have know existed otherwise. The cornerstone of workplace giving campaigns should be CHOICE. That is fine if someone wants to donate to the Salvation Army. But there are other nonprofits out there besides health and human service agencies. What if an employee is an arts enthusiast and would like to see his or her payroll deduction go to a neighborhood theater? An environmental agency? Planned Parenthood? or the ACLU? An employee should have a chance to opt to donate a portion of a paycheck to the Boy Scouts OR the GLBT Youth Center. United Way shouldn’t have a monopoly on workplace philanthropy. Not when there are so many deserving nonprofits out there that don’t fit under the health and human services umbrella of United Way.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jessica Kunevicius jkuneviciusATyahoo.com

On missing Cleveland (See So Long Cleveland, For Now here) As someone who just recently left Cleveland to move abroad I wanted to let you know that I really appreciated your article and I too realize now that I am gone, just how much of Cleveland I miss! I am supposedly moving back there in about 3 years but I really miss it now that I am gone! It easy to see how much of it I took for granted while I was there and it is definitely easily identified what I miss most!! Places like the West side market – another Cleveland gem and the Great Lakes Brewing Company, where everyone gets to know you and treats you like you deserve (like you described Slymans Deli).
from Cool Cleveland reader Mary La Venia?, Dusseldorf, Germany mlaveniaATyahoo.com

I’m glad to know that you had such a rich experience during your time in Cleveland. I’m especially glad that you’re willing to share what you love about Cleveland and will be a terrific ambassador for the city and our region. I work for the city and spent the last 3.5 years working directly for former Mayor Jane Campbell. While there were some things we could have done better, I appreciate that your article focuses on the positive things that we should celebrate. I’m a native Clevelander–born and raised in the inner city by my grandparents. They taught me at a young age to appreciate what we have in our backyard. In summers we would walk to museums in University Circle. We would take the bus downtown to shop, and Grandma sometimes walked me through the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument so I’d know what it is about. We went to children’s key concerts at Severance Hall and other performances at Karamu, Cleveland Play House, and Playhouse Square. I could go on, but you get the picture. I believe that anyone who says there isn’t anything to do in Cleveland isn’t willing to look or try. I’m glad that you ventured out while you were here, and I hope you’ll come back often–if not to stay.
from Cool Cleveland reader Ribbins, Celeste cribbinsATcity.cleveland.oh.us

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

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

1) So Long Cleveland, For Now… Dave Dalka’s list of things he will miss/won’t miss about Cleveland.
www.CoolCleveland.com

2) Hello, NYC Michael Symon is now planning to open an upscale Greek restaurant, but not in Cleveland.
www.Cleveland.com

3) Unique Loft Condos Celebrate Grand Opening The Painters Loft Condominiums offer 20 unique floor plans in a renovated warehouse building in the exciting Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.
http://www.ProgressiveUrban.com

4) RoldoLINK Community Shares, the alt.UnitedWay.
www.CoolCleveland.com

5) Things You Can Only Do In Cleveland Cleveland’s Leading Satirist continues the story of embellished meat.
www.CoolCleveland.com

No Vacation when you’re Hard Corps Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Clyde Miles, Kelly Ferjutz, Linda Eisenstein, and Roy Berko didn’t take any time off this week. In fact, they worked more then usual to bring you all the cool stuff this week. Thanks to them 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.

Just under the wire,

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2006 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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