Tech Sync

TechSync

In this week’s issue:
* Tech:Cleveland Case CIO Lev Gonick
* Cool Cleveland People DanceWorks’ David Shimotakahara
* Cool Cleveland Interview Singer-songwriter Goat
* Cool Cleveland Reads Creative Essence: Cleveland’s Sense of Place by Nina Gibans
* Cool Cleveland Sounds White Lies from Chittlin’
* Cool Cleveland Preview “Cool Meets Innovation” @ Cleveland Institute of Art
* RoldoLINK & Cool Cleveland Comment on the arts levy
* Cool Cleveland Poem Listen by Kelly Ferjutz
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

Technology is Cleveland’s future, and it’s high time we realized it. A serendipitous array of tech events this week was kicked into high gear when RedRoomRevolution.com‘s Cathy Panzica invited Silicon Valley VC guru Guy Kawasaki to keynote what has become nicknamed TechSync. Listen to our podcast with Guy, catch him live, watch our video with Case CIO Lev Gonick, and come back for events all week celebrating Cleveland’s new economic direction. It’s September, and the Fall cultural season is in full swing. Read about Cleveland’s Creative Essence, then get in sync with Cleveland’s own creative, and tech, essence. –Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland Interview
Lev Gonick
Case CIO
Movies Behind the Scenes

When Lev Gonick whips out his Wi-Fi enabled PDA, technology geniuses in Taipei pay attention. His community Wi-Fi project, which morphed into OneCommunity, won Cleveland kudos as the only US city to be a finalist as the most Ingelligent Community in the world. On Case for Community Day next Wed 9/13, they will flip the switch on a 5-square mile Wi-Fi mesh offering hi-bandwidth Internet connectivity to the neighborhood around Case. The Case for Community Day announcement on Wed 9/13 is part of TechSync week of affiliated events here: RedRoomRevolution.com. Watch the video as Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready queries Lev on Cleveland’s coolest technology, his own plans, and what the heck is going on over at Case these days.

WATCH THE MOVIE Case VP Information Technology Lev Gonick

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Five Secrets of Revolutionary Thinking Experience the Apple Evangelist, Guy Kawasaki, a Silicon Valley titan, Apple fellow, and columnist for Forbes.com on Wed 9/6 at 6:30PM on the stage of the State Theater, Playhouse Square. Kawasaki believes in revolutionary thinking for Cleveland, and beyond, and will address his change-the-world style during his thought-provoking and controversial keynote speech Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Is Greater Cleveland Ready? This event will kick-off TechSync, a week of technology excellence in Cleveland. Kawasaki is brought to you by the Beta Strategy Group, www.BetaGroup.us, a spin-off of Panzica Investments designed to grow ideas into outcomes. Even better, come to the Technology Showcase at 5PM. Space is limited! Register today for Kawasaki (only $40!) at www.RedRoomRevolution.com. TechSync is an orchestration of community efforts demonstrating technology synergies Wed 9/6 – Fri 9/15. Buy tix at the door. Cash/check only. Listen to Kawasaki live today Wed 9/6 at 9AM on WCPN 90.3FM. The Beta Strategy Group is a founding sponsor of Cool Cleveland Tech.
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Tech:Cleveland

A quick and easy round-up of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

TechNews

• Ohio #2 in Wi-Fi investment and remains #1 in IT security investment
• Cleve # 157 in economic strength. Charlotte #1, Columbus #7, Akron #90, from Policom
• Ohio attracts $1.2 billion in bioscience investments, from Omeris
• Continental-United merger straight talk from Chicago Tribune

TechEvents

• Guy Kawasaki keynotes TechSync on Wed 9/6 6:30PM Register
• The Art of Exporting Key Bank seminar Fri 9/8 8:30AM Register
• Going Global with Richard DeKaser & Bill MacDonald of NCC Fri 9/8 8AM City Club Register

Cool Cleveland Tech Spotlight
TechSync
A Cleveland tech revolution 9/6-15

The revolution is here The question is this: Is Cleveland Ready? TechSync is a first-ever city-wide orchestration of community efforts demonstrating technology synergies. TechSync hosts include: The Red Room Revolution, TeamNEO, The City of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University and Playhouse Square Foundation. Each organization is hosting an event centered around technology in Greater Cleveland. http://www.RedRoomRevolution.com

• HOT Guy Kawasaki speaks

Listen to exclusive Cool Cleveland podcast interview here.

Innovation and Entreprenership: Is Greater Cleveland Ready?

Apple evangelist, Forbes columnist & Silicon Valley VC lays it on the line, whether we want to hear it or not. Date: Wed 9/6 Time: 6:30PM (Technology showcase opens at 5PM) Venue: On Stage at the State Theatre, Playhouse Square Agenda and registration: here

• Local Tech Summit

8 local technology firms will give brief presentations to Investors, Bankers, Realtors, Customer prospects, and student groups (Summer on the Cuyahoga (SOTC) students, CASE Weatherhead MBAs and Ingenuity artists) to inspire ideas. At 5:00, the event becomes a public affair where 30 of the best regional technology companies will showcase prior to Guy Kawasaki’s keynote presentation at 6:30. The next day, the student groups will present a new design, business model or idea back to the 8 companies in the hopes of forging collaborations for next year’s Ingenuity Festival.

Host: Red Room Revolution Public or Private: Local Tech Summit is private; Technology Showcase and Guy Kawasaki keynote are open to the public. Date: Wed 9/6 & Thu 9/7 Venue: IdeaCenter & State Theatre Register: here

• Global Technology Summit

Select leading edge wireless health care technology orgs from around the world have been invited to meet civic and business leaders committed to growing businesses and facilitating success in Greater Cleveland.

Host: TeamNEO Public or Private: Private Date: 9/12-14 Venue: Dively Center at Case Western Reserve University

• HOT Case for Community Day

Created by the Staff Advisory Council’s Community Service Committee in 2002, Case for Community Day is designed to dedicate a half-day of community service by the entire campus: staff, faculty, students, and local alumni. There will be a special technology announcement. Host: Case Western Reserve University Public or Private: Public Date: Wed 9/13 Venue: Case Western Reserve University http://www.Case.edu/events/cfc. See CC video interview with Case’s Lev Gonick here: Win or Mac

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Major Goose Bumps Check out some of the best Cleveland has to offer with the second annual appearance of Verb Ballets’ Nature Moves, on the stage of the Natural History Museum’s Murch Auditorium on Fri 9/15 and Sat 9/16 at 8PM. Verb ups the ante and tops itself yet again by bringing us a new standard for contemporary dance with a company that always delivers. The company’s world music, choreographed by artistic director Hernando Cortez, will present five dynamic dances. Back by Popular Demand! Chichester Psalms and Shadows of Nesmin. Tickets are $25 for the performance only (reserved seating) or $40 on Saturday with a reception afterward that includes Verb’s dancers and staff, open bar, hors d’oeuvres and DJ. Go to www.cmnh.org for more info or call 216-231-4600.
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Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

• $1 million to cooperate The Fund for Our Economic Future has awarded a $1 million grant to help member governments control costs and increase their operating capacities by sharing resources and participating in joint purchasing programs. Learn more here. Can you say “regionalism?” Letters@CoolCleveland.com.
• Lakewood AT&T box on your property? Here’s the map and story.
• Regenerating Cuyahoga Valley The Rocky Mountain Institute collaborated with Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and Entrepreneurs for Sustainability in the effort to regenerate the Cuyahoga River ship channel. Learn more http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid1106.php. Ideas? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• Volunteer for the arts levy Now you can log on to the new site for the November arts levy, which will raise $20 million a year for Cuyahoga non-profits, and get hooked up to volunteer to help spread the word, host a house party, put up a yard sign, or write letters to the editor: http://www.CuyahogaArtsAndCulture.org
• Join world’s largest town meeting Voices & Choices is setting the stage for its culminating event – its second and final Regional Town Meeting on Sat 9/16 from 9AM to 4PM at the University of Akron’s James A. Rhodes Arena. Complete the Online Choicebooks then attend the event to weigh-in on the issues important to our region. Something to say? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
• 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.
• CSU upgrades Downtown As part of their $179 million master plan, Cleveland State opened their brand-new $30 million Recreation Center, right next to their sensitive renovation of historic Fenn Tower with state-of-the-art student housing. Next up, additional parking. Thanks to CSU for improving our Downtown culture through architecture. See story here, and news here.
• H.O.P.E. for all kids The first fully accessible playground in Northern Ohio opened for business — or make that for play — on Labor Day, Mon 9/4 on the campus of the JCC in Beachwood. Learn more at http://www.PrestonsHope.com. Thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

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Is It a Funky Nation? “Lil’ Brian” and the “Zydeco Travelers” have gained a reputation as the most innovative and musically accomplished young zydeco bands, proving it is a cutting-edge sound as vital to a new generation of fans as it has been for longtime buffs. Significantly, Stanley, “Buckwheat” Dural –of the genre’s top band, “Buckwheat Zydeco” — is their mentor and even produced their new cd, Funky Nation. “We believe in Lil’ Brian and the Zydeco Travelers,” says Dural, “and we think Funky Nation will make a believer of people all over America. There’s no limit to Lil’ Brian’s future. He can take zydeco to another level.” Come hear for yourself on Fri 9/8 at Fat Fish Blue, downtown on the corner of Prospect and Ontario. Five dollars at the door. For more info contact 216.875.6000 or www.FatFishBlue.com.
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Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

• NEO turning away immigrants Ironic. Immigrants, the very people who helped build Cleveland and are now injecting economic firepower into the US economy, are avoiding Cleveland, according to the US Census Bureau’s recent survey, showing that only 4% here are foriegn-born vs. 12% nationwide. It doesn’t have to be this way, say NEO Immigrant Business Alliance co-chairs Richard Herman and Rose Zitiello in this thoughtful op-ed here.
• Hunger in the suburbs Over the past five years, the suburban rate for food stamps has doubled, quietly affecting places like Berea and Parma as well as inner rings like Cle Hts, Lakewood. See report from the Center for Community Solutions here.
• Cool Cleveland Podcast Cool things to do this week in Cleveland, at the click of a button. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland09.08.06.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.
• Feds: Fully fund No Child Left Behind State Representative Michael J. Skindell, D-Lakewood, has introduced a resolution to the Ohio House of Representatives urging the President and Congress to foot the bill for the No Child Left Behind Act. Read the story here. Scroll to bottom. Comments? Letters@CoolCleveland.com.
• Cool Cleveland Kids Listen to the podcast here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids09.08.06.mp3. Subscribe here.
• Karamu celebrates Fame and fortune have found many Karamu House alumni since they moved on from the first-ever interracial theatre, located right here in Cleveland, now celebrating its 90th anniversary. Award-winning actors Robert Guilaume (Benson, Soap), Ron O’Neil (Superfly), and even 12-year-old Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris) join Karamu founders Rowena and Russell Jelliffe and others in receiving a Karamu Hall of Fame award this Sat 9/9 at the Intercontinental Hotel. Go ‘Mu! For tix, call 781-9000.
• Call for Musicians to Help Breast Cancer Survivors Local musicians are invited to a night of poetry and music on Sat 10/21 in celebration of the lives of women who are battling breast cancer. Email kisha_foster@hotmail.com to participate.
• Mike’s Barn photos For those of you who may have missed the swan song at Mike’s Barn last Sunday night, Doug Morris grabbed some shots that you might enjoy of the seven Cleveland blues divas that performed at The Broad Side of the Barn here.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
The Top Six Reasons We Need You We want to hear your opinions! Take an active part in discussions about your Northeast Ohio community and its future by attending the final Voices & Choices Regional Town Meeting at the University of Akron on Sat 9/16. Your opinions are welcome and will certainly be influential in decision making in six top categories facing your future: 1). school funding, 2). job creation, 3). racial equity, 4). workforce training, 5). government cooperation, and 6). sprawl in your community. Register now to help set the agenda for Northeast Ohio’s future! Space is limited! Make reservations now by registering at www.voiceschoices.org or call 800-929-2319.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Cool Cleveland This Week
9.06-9.13

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

WED

• The Changing Face of Church & State: How Religious Voices Are Influencing Public Policy. Learn more about the Wed 9/6 panel discussion from 6 – 8PM at www.acslaw.org.

THU

• United Way Campaign Kick-Off and Pancake Flip Pass the syrup and enjoy flapjacks on the Square during this Thu 9/7 event from 7 – 10:30AM. Local celebs and business leaders, including our own Thomas Mulready, will be on hand to flip more than 7,000 pancakes. If you can’t make it to the Square, delivery is available. Call 436-2121 or download your order form at www.uws.org. Southwest Quadrant of Public Square.
• Rock and Roll Couture Fashion show and panel discussion on Chanel’s influence on music, plus a peek at their Fall collection, to benefit the Rock Hall. Discussion 10AM-noon on Thu 9/7 at the Western Reserve Historical Society, with the runway event at 7PM at the Renaissance, 515-1207, http://www.RockHall.com
• Conservation & Biodiversity Symposium Take a field trip over water, through swamplands and across flatlands on Thu 9/7. Attend the symposium on Fri 9/8 between 9AM & 5PM. Take another field trip on Sat 9/9. www.cmnh.org.
• Bloggers, poets & artists A silent auction and poetry readings to celebrate the permanent location of Meet The Bloggers interview space. Thu 9/7 starting @ 5:30PM in Suite 105 of the Tower Press Building, 1900 Superior. www.MeetTheBloggers.net

Stupendous Event Lister of the Month Big ups to The Pop Shop Gallery in Lakewood. Their listings are interesting and cool and always provide an appropriate link and the venue address. Need to rev up your event listings? Click here and scroll down to Hints. Submit your brand new butt-kickin’ event listing to Events@CoolCleveland.com.

• Street Repairs Artists respond to the diversity and complexity of the urban street, and envision it as a place of ever-changing inspiration. Opens Thu 9/7, along with Ravit Mishli exhibition. http://www.SpacesGallery.org.
• Avail 4 – Reality Dating Theatre This new interactive concept play combines the performances of professional actors with everyday singles. Be the star of your own 60 second play by writing and performing your “personals” ad live during the production which kicks off on Thu 9/7 at 6:30PM and runs through Sat 9/23. Get tickets at www.PlayhouseSquare.org. Playhouse Square, East 14th Street Theatre, 2037 East 14th Street.
• HOT Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party Slink in before they lock the doors and raise the roof. This thrilling contemporary musical of the naughty jazz age poem is guaranteed to be the talk of the town. It’s a tale of passions out-of-control in the decadent New York of the 1920’s. Mature audiences only. Show opens on Thu 9/7 at 8PM. Visit www.KalliopeStage.com for ticket information. Kalliope Stage, 2134 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.

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FRI

• Rita Dove Former U. S. Poet Laureate and consultant to the Library of Congress, Rita Dove, an Akron native, will speak about her writing career when she gives the Second Annual Anisfield-Wolf Lecture – a no-cost event open to the public – on Fri 9/8 at 12:30PM. Call 368-8961 or visit www.case.edu.
• HOT the vault of heaven… Being vs. Dead by A. R. M. Artists Resisting Mindlessness, Sandra Holata & Donald Miller, opening Fri 9/8 6-9PM with music by Mike Christopher and a performance by the Dogma Brats, at Mocha Maiden Gallery/Musica Arts Complex, Market & Main, Akron. 330-374-1114.
• Silent Mix – Digital Artworks by Qian Li Check out this artist’s latest digital artwork including print, video, animation, and an interactive installation offering viewers an interactive multi-sensory experience. Opening reception on Fri 9/8 at 5PM. Show runs through 10/12. http://www.csuohio.edu/art/gallery/.
• After Katrina Photographs by Linda Butler, Daniel Levin, and Jonathan Wayne – area photographers who traveled to the gulf coast in the fall of 2005 in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Opening Reception on Fri 9/8 from 6 – 9PM. Show runs through 10/28. Heights Arts Gallery, 2173 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights. http://www.HeightsArts.org.
• Library Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month Join the kick-off Fiesta on Fri 9/8 from 6 – 9PM at the Carnegie West Branch (1900 Fulton Road) for songs, food, dance, crafts and more. Visit www.cpl.org for month-long activities.
• HOT Cool Meets Innovation Explore the connection between contemporary culture and innovative ideas during this show. Attend Artists’ Reception on Fri 9/8 at 6PM. Show runs through Sat 10/14. Call 421-7404. www.cia.edu.
• Tremont ArtWalk Two more galleries join the ArtWalk on Fri 9/8 – Exit Gallery at 2688 West 14th Street featuring Con-nec-tion/dis-con-nec-tion by Julie Friedman and Hybrid at 2430 Tremont: where things of a mixed origin come together. Visit http://www.TremontArtWalk.org for more info.
• Alexander Reyna This NY-based artist’s work is a bright kaleidoscope of colors that has been seen on projects such as Batman Vengeance, Invader Zim, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, and Stuart Little II. Show opens on Fri 9/8 from 7 – 11PM. www.MillerWeitzelGallery.com.
• Romance David Mamet’s recent work, performed Akron’s Bang and Clatter Theatre Company, takes place in a courtroom during a Middle Eastern peace summit, runs Fri 9/8 to 10/1. 140 E. Market St., 330-606-5317. http://www.BNCtheatre.com.
• HOT GroundWorks Dancetheater at Akron Ice House Heart & Vine was conceived out of a discussion centering on things that hold us back and the limitations that we put on ourselves. David Shimotakahara, Artistic Director of GroundWorks Dancetheater and Gustavo Aguilar, GroundWorks’ Music Director, will perform the piece on Fri 9/8 and Sat 9/9 at 8PM and Sun 9/10 at 2PM. Call 691-3180, ext. 4 for reservations. The Akron Icehouse, 129 North Summit Street, Akron. http://www.GroundWorksDance.org.
• Kent Stage is Hoppin’ in Sept. For a range of acts including The Duhks on Fri 9/8 at 8PM; Melanie on Sat 9/9 at 8PM; Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks and many more visit http://www.KentStage.org. Kent.
• Lost State of Franklin: Old School Country by Youngsters Lost State of Franklin, Cleveland Country Band and The Dixon Family hit the Beachland Tavern on Fri 9/8 at 9PM. Get tickets at http://www.BeachlandBallroom.com.
• Lil Brian and the Zydeco Travelers “Buckwheat Zydeco” plays a mix of Zydeco and Funk called Zydefunk with a little Texas Blues. Catch their unique sound and major tasty eats on Fri 9/8 at 9:30PM. Fat Fish Blue, 21 Prospect Avenue. http://www.lilbrian.com/about.htm. www.FatFishBlue.com.
• Goose with Derek Deprator Band, Corissa, and Moonfire Funeral from Milwaukee on Fri 9/8. Pat’s in the Flats, 2233 W. 3rd St. at Literary. 621-8044. http://www.PatsInTheFlats.com.

WCLVnotes This week WCLV 104.9 FM is presenting a series of concerts from the world-famous BBC Proms. Tonight through Fri 9/8 at 8PM, we’re airing nightly concerts with the Philharmonia, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Orchestras. Then on Sat 9/9 at 2:30PM, WCLV will go to London’s Royal Albert Hall for a live three-hour broadcast of the exciting (and sometimes raucous) Last Night of the Proms. The BBC Proms is the world’s largest and best-known classical music festival, and invitations to perform at it are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Each season, only one American orchestra is tapped to make the trip to London’s Royal Albert Hall. Last year it was The Cleveland Orchestra. However, this year, three American orchestras were invited. And you can still catch the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia appearances. Above all, though, don’t miss the Last Night of the Proms when the huge audience and BBC Symphony and Chorus perform “Hail Britannia.” The hair will stand up on your neck. And you may begin to think the American Revolution was a mistake. Complete details on all of WCLV programming can be found at www.WCLV.com.

SAT

• Migration Mania Take a guided hour-long hike at Dike 14, Cleveland’s lakefront gem and future nature preserve on Sat 9/9 from 7:30AM to 11AM. Call 281-6468 x227. www.EcoCityCleveland.org.
• Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound Innovative program to get Clevelanders and their pets walking on Sat 9/9 from 9AM to 12PM. Don’t have a pet? There will be partnerless pooches waiting for you. Call 664-7857 or email tmccue@city.cleveland.oh.us to register. St. Clair – Superior Neighborhood.
• Cityscapes View oil paintings by internationally acclaimed artists: Yuri Scorupsky, Victor Shvaiko and Eugene Segal on Sat 9/9 from 10AM to 6PM and through 10/7. Call 595-1376. Opus Gallery, 27629 Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere, Ohio 44122.
• CC KIDS Friends of Natasha Rader Create a memory box with your kids under the watchful eye of Bob Levkulich on Sat 9/9 & Sun 9/10 from 12 – 5PM to support this brave little girl battling liver cancer. Lakewood. http://www.LocalGirlGallery.com.
• CC KIDS Jazz at the Rockefeller Greenhouse Enjoy a great gratis concert featuring the sassy sounds of the fabulous Evelyn Wright Quartet and Kassaba along with a special art exhibit by Sankofa Fine Art Plus, Hector Vega and First Peoples Gallery on Sat 9/9 from 1 – 5PM. Just bring your lawn chairs or picnic blankets. Rain date is 9/16. Call 664-3103 for more info. Rockefeller Park Greenhouse, 750 East 88th Street at the top of the hill, off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. http://www.RockefellerGreenhouse.org.
• All Mixed Up is a solo exhibition of mixed media works by Avon resident artist and Pop Shop gallery owner Richard S. Cihlar. Works will include Cihlar’s eclectic relief collages as well as many paintings incorporating abstract flare with iconic pop dramatics. Attend the Opening Reception on Sat 9/9 from 6-9PM. Wine, refreshments and tasty treats will be served. Stay for the after party at Mullens from 9PM – close. Show runs through 10/7. The Pop Shop Gallery & Studio, 17020 Madison Avenue, Lakewood. http://www.myspace.com/thepopshopgallery.
• Mine View works by painter Shari Jamieson and printmaker Mary Weimer Green at Opening Reception on Sat 9/9 from 6-10PM. Show runs through 10/1. True Art, 410 East 156 Street, North Collinwood.
• HOT Karamu Hall of Fame Celebrate the careers of several esteemed Karamu Alumni on Sat 9/9 during the first annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Inductees include Robert Guillaume – best known for his role as Benson DuBois in Soap and Benson; Ron O’Neal – lead character in the Superfly films of the 70s Imani Hakim – the 12-year-old Clevelander starring in the hit UPN-TV comedy, Everybody Hates Chris and many more. Get info and tickets to the dinner and ceremony by calling 781-9000, ext. 105. Intercontinental Hotel, 8800 Euclid Avenue. http://www.Karamu.com.
• Nancy Wilson and the Jazz Heritage Orchestra Grammy-winning vocalist Nancy Wilson and the Jazz Heritage Orchestra will be performing a New Life Community (NLC) benefit concert on Sat 9/9 at 8PM. Nancy Wilson, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, kicks off her national music tour in Cleveland to launch her new CD entitled Turn to Blue. Purchase tickets at www.SeveranceHall.com. Severance Hall.

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SUN

• CC KIDS Berea Arts Fest Browse the work of seventy fine artists and craftsmen during this complimentary family event themed Art Opens Doors on Sun 9/10 from 10AM to 5PM. Children are invited to create their own art to take home at the Family Art Park, or they may create art to leave for others to enjoy at the Chalk Walk. Dance and sing along with “Mr. E”, a cappella group “Partners in Rhyme” and contemporary rhythm group “The Trash Talkers” and Latino jazz artist, Sammy De Leon y Su Orquesta. Call 440-891-1102. http://www.BereaArtsFest.org. Coe Lake (south of East Bridge Street and east of South Rocky River Drive), Berea.
• Historical Society House Tour Lakewood Historical Society House Tour on Sun 9/10. Call 221-7343 or click here.
• Shared Values/Divergent Paths Explore the shared values and divergent paths of Judaism and Christianity during the time of Christ. Participants will take part in a stimulating discussion with local leaders in theology and art history on Sun 9/10 from 1 – 4:30PM. All participants are invited to a post-symposium reception and viewing of Cradle of Christianity: Treasures from the Holy Land at the Maltz Museum. Bruce Feiler, best-selling author and award-winning speaker, will give a lecture at 8PM. The Donahue Auditorium in the Dolan Science Center at John Carroll University, 20700 North Park Boulevard, University Heights. Lecture held at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, Beachwood, adjacent to the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 26000 Shaker Boulevard, Beachwood. http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org.
• An Evening with Pink Martini Start the evening off with cocktails on Sun 9/10 at 5:30PM then enjoy a performance by the world-renowned Pink Martini at 7PM. The ensemble is known for blending influences from Cuban rumbas and classical chamber music to Parisian café tunes and foreign film soundtracks. Call 421-7350 or purchase ticket online at www.ClevelandArt.org. Proceeds will help fund the Cleveland Museum of Art renovation and expansion. Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium, 11150 East Boulevard.

MON

• TV on the Radio CD release party on Mon 9/11 at 10PM at Beachland Tavern; then the party carries over to Music Saves at Midnight. Melanie & Kevin DJ set, spinning great fall releases and all-time faves. Giveaways and drink specials. http://www.BeachlandBallroom.com. http://www.MusicSaves.com.

TUE

• Committee for a Greener Lakewood Andrew Watterson will entertain questions pertaining to the City of Cleveland’s efforts with sustainability in support of neighboring community – Lakewood’s – journey towards this goal during a Tue 9/12 meeting. Visit www.e4s.org for more info.
• The Friendship Circle, a group that gives socially-challenged children the magic of friendship will host a tribute dinner on Tue 9/12 at 6:30PM for more than 100 teen volunteers who generously give their time to help kids in need. Event features world-renowned Mentalist and Mind Reader Marc Salem. http://www.FriendsCleveland.com.

WED

• Pinky’s Daily Planner Step into the “modern clothes-closet for spirited girls” as it celebrates the first anniversary of its Showroom with several fashionable Fall Events. Online preview of stellar exhibition on Wed 9/13; Showroom Preview Party on Fri 9/15 and Open House on Sat 9/16 & Sun 9/17. http://www.PinkysDailyPlanner.com.
• The Creative Class Kenneth J. Kovach will share the secrets to unlocking creativity in his energetic presentation, Moving Ahead in the Creative Class Wed 9/13 at 11:30AM. South Euclid. www.hrcc.org.
• American Artist David Levinthal will speak at a Brown Bag Lunch on Wed 9/13 at 12:15PM which coincides with Baseball, an exhibition of Levinthal’s works on view in Cleveland Clinic’s M Lobby corridor on Main Campus. http://www.ClevelandClinic.org.
• Reclaiming Control: A Progressive Approach to National Security in the 21st Century Hear from former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta on Wed 9/13 at 6PM. Register here.
• IsWhat?! “…bridges the gap between avant-garde jazz of the sixties, politically charged poetry slams of the seventies, and the raw rap sound of the eighties,” according to Glide Magazine. Check the group out for yourself during their Wed 9/13 performance at 7PM. Passport Project Global Community Arts Center, 12801 Buckeye Road. www.PassportProject.org.
• HOT Art & Art Deco Cleveland Tour Join the national group 20th Century Society as they conduct a tour of Cleveland’s top-notch art deco treasures, incl. places closed to the public, starting Wed 9/13 throgh 9/17, 828-778-6425 http://www.TCSCM.org

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland People
David Shimotakahara
GroundWorks Dance Theatre

The Icehouse in Akron is a magnificient structure. Built to supply the city with ice and coal, it has been used as a surprisingly ethereal performance space by David Shimotakahara’s GroundWorks Dance Theatre in annual concerts for the past 8 years. On 9/8-10 and again on 9/15-17, the Icehouse comes alive with collaborations between GroundWorks dancers and the Akron Contemporary Percussion Collective, and musicians Gustavo Aguilar, Phil Curtis, and Howie Smith. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready caught Shimotakahara at a rehearsal in the Icehouse and they discussed dancing in unusual spaces, the passing of Ohio Ballet and Masumi Hayashi, and how an arts organization deals with regionalism. For reservations, call 691-3180 or check their brilliant site http://www.NotSoObvious.com.

WATCH THE MOVIE GroundWorks artistic director David Shimotakahara

Click here for Windows movie

Click here for Mac movie

Emissions from the Blogosphere
Short summaries of NEO blog posts

Bill Callahan makes the case for the Greater Cleveland Partnership to support a unionized WalMart. Brian remembers peace activist Ione Biggs with a poem by Daniel Thompson. Norm Roulet questions the Plain Dealer’s position on killing street culture. Poet Don Iannone anticipates the change of season. Hannah raves about Tremont’s Ty Fun. Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, then add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland Interview
Singer-songwriter Goat (a.k.a. Andy Rosen)

You might not be familiar with him by name, but if you’re a Clevelander, do a little digging on this quirky musician who goes by the name Goat. Born Andrew Scott Rosen, Goat grew up on the North Coast, son of Cleveland Indians baseball great, Al Rosen. And if you’ve been to a professional sporting event, or seen an indie flick or even overheard a car commercial on TV, you might have “heard the call” of that Goat and not even known it. Many years later, Goat’s sound was hailed as “Beck-meets-Bono” by Billboard magazine, his voice recalling a grizzled Randy Newman. When Goat was signed to a major label deal with Sony, his hit “Great Life” became the toast of the town and the centerpiece of a Kia car commercial… but only after Sony dumped him, scant weeks into the deal. Goat performs solo acoustic at Wilbert’s this Saturday, September 9 and he’s not one to miss. Excited to get back to Cleveland, Goat confides that Cleveland still feels like “magnetic north” to him…
Read the interview by Peter Chakerian here

Cool Cleveland Reads
Creative Essence: Cleveland’s Sense of Place
Nina Freedlander Gibans
Kent State University Press

Northeast Ohio arts activist and supporter Nina Freedlander Gibans has always had a passion for the local arts scene. With her groundbreaking compendium, Creative Essence: Cleveland’s Sense of Place, she has taken that passion and integrated it into a provocative, New Monastic revelation—one that scrupulously documents the history and role of visual art in Northeast Ohio.

But it’s far more than just a list. In fact, it is no stretch to say that Creative Essence is the quintessential resource for thoughtful understanding of our region’s history, art, and inevitably its art history. With a charming and accessible writing style and amazing illustrations, the book focuses on everything from painting and photography, to architecture and a future filled with multimedia and other mediums.

Creative Essence really gets at the crux of regional culture through exploring contributions in Cleveland, made by Clevelanders, and the impact those offerings have made to the visual arts and architecture across the board. As one consumes the book’s scope of factual information and engaging visuals, the understanding of how talent has thrived here unfolds right before the eyes.

The book is the result of the Cleveland Artists Foundation’s Dialogue Series—a 22-hour-long collection of forums held in cultural institutions and broadcast on National Public Radio. Those discussions included knowledge sharing of how regionalism influenced artistic productivity.

She also includes a bonus, 46-minute DVD, selected for the 2003 Cleveland International Film Festival, which makes for an incredible companion and supports the eye-popping revelations within the book. To that end, the author leaves no stone unturned, covering all the notables—Schrekengost, Mieczkowski, Burchfield—while talking through inspirations, partnerships and support that our region has offered to allow local talent to flourish.

And as if that wasn’t enough, consider that one of the late Masumi Hayashi’s photo collage pieces, 1994’s Public Square, graces the cover. Published before recent tragic events took the artist’s life, the book’s cover adds a poignant connection to what stands ostensibly as the must-have Northeast Ohio art reference.

For more information on Creative Essence: Cleveland’s Sense of Place, visit Kent State University Press online at http://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com and Nina Freedlander Gibans’ own website at http://www.ninagibans.com.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Sounds
White Lies
Chittlin’
self published

At a mere 16 years of age, Chittlin’ is like absolutely nothing you might

expect from a young singer-songwriter. Born into a prodigiously gifted musical family, (her brother, David Mayfield, a mandolin virtuoso, fronts his own bluegrass band, and both siblings play with their Kent-based parents in the old-timey One Way Rider), Chittlin’ has far more than good genes going for her.

On White Lies, her second self-released record, she sings about topics all adolescents might relate to, but with a mature perspective and lyrical skills better than many writers twice her age. Minimally accompanied, generally by little more than acoustic guitar and occasional touches of banjo and lap steel, Chittlin’s oddly world-weary voice takes center stage, making it virtually impossible to ignore her words.

On the title track, and later on “Empty Room, she deals with self-esteem issues. “It’s when your waistline has a price/ and no pills will suffice/ and you’ve gotta find a better way/ to get back to who you were/ before the world made you a word that you/ dare not say,” she declares with justifiable angst.

In “For Today” she tackles the thorny issue of finding herself independently of some mediocre boyfriend, whom she’s nevertheless not quite ready to leave: I could care less about you/ And I love the sound of you walking away/ And I can see clearer/ and I’m getting closer to finding out just who I am without you in the way.

For all the formative concerns addressed in the lyrics, though, it is a musically sophisticated record, defying easy categorization. Amidst all the country-folk trappings, Chittlin’ writes what, with different instrumentation, might be considered indie rock songs — witness the strident “Better Off,” and “I Miss You,” which, graced with a flowing cello line, comes across as sort of an unplugged Smiths number.

In the end, though, what remains most arresting about White Lies is the wise-beyond-her-years timbre of Chittlin’s deadpan voice. She even manages to perfectly foil Akron blues favorite Patrick Sweany’s laconic drawl on a spirited cover of Hank Williams’ “Rockin’ Chair Money.” If this is what Chittlin’ is capable of when most kids are more concerned with getting a car and passing proficiency tests, she is well on her way to becoming a musical force to be reckoned with.

Chittlin’ performs two intimate, back-to-back shows in Kent this week: Sunday, September 10 at 6PM at the Zephyr and Monday, September 11 at 10 PM at Europe Gyro. Visit Chittlin’ online at her official website http://www.chittlin.com and her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/chittlin.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Leslie Basalla lbasalla77ATmsn.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.

Cool Cleveland Preview
CIA’s “Cool Meets Innovation”

We here at Cool Cleveland throw the word cool around a lot. If one were to take a cue from last year’s indie flick, The F Word, perhaps there’s something to using a word too much. But in the case of the Cleveland Institute of Art and their amazing faculty, one could never use the word enough.

CIA’s faculty has tremendous capacity, intuition and insight. They have influenced over 1800 artists and designers working regionally and they contribute $1.3 billion annually to the arts industry. With their latest effort, “Cool Meets Innovation,” the faculty themselves are the stars. Connecting the dots between innovation and contemporary culture in this show, some 50 faculty members are featuring work from all 16 CIA majors. Works include sculpture, industrial design, fine art, animation and photography.

Digital artist Kasumi Minkin, assistant professor of Technology and Integrated Media Environment (T.I.M.E.) produced a feature-length installation called Rule the Soul. The fusion of images and political satire (pictured) provided her the opportunity to present work to Japan’s Sapporo International Short Film Festival this month. Adjunct faculty member and Plain Dealer contributor Dan Tranberg’s own digital photography pieces are also a part of “Cool Meets Innovation,” providing a focus on patterns and textures through software manipulation.

But that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of “Cool Meets Innovation,” put together under the direction of CIA Director of Galleries and Exhibitions (and noted art theorist) Bruce Checefsky. This, well, cool faculty exhibition opens this Friday, September 8 with a public reception from 6-8PM in the school’s Reinberger Galleries at 11141 East Boulevard.

For more information, visit the CIA website at http://www.cia.edu.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Comment
Support the Arts & Culture Levy
by Eric Fingerhut

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are the heart of our region and the center of our Arts & Culture industry. Some of our region’s most treasured organizations are right here, along with the many smaller community arts groups that contribute so much to our economy and our neighborhoods. But unlike so many major metropolitan areas, we don’t provide significant, dedicated funding for our Arts & Culture assets. If we don’t seize the opportunity presented in the Arts & Culture ballot issue this November 7th, mounting economic challenges will threaten our Arts & Culture treasures, and we will start to lose some of what makes this region great, and gives us a chance to grow in the future.

Our Arts & Culture sector helped make this region great, and continues to keep our economy strong. It generates over more than $1 billion in annual economic activity and creates thousands of good, family-supporting jobs for our residents. The billion dollar economic activity comes in all shapes and sizes including tourism, major plays and concerts, neighborhood festivals, street and music fairs, and individual artists. These are the activities and people who make our city so vibrant. They are also the reason Northeast Ohio receives tens of thousands of visitors and tourists every year who bring money into our region…
Read the Cool Cleveland Comment from Eric Fingerhut here

RoldoLINK
No! To Cigarette Tax For Arts
By Roldo Bartimole

To help artists and arts organizations why didn’t the always-eager tax devotees at Cuyahoga County Commission find a tax we might all cheer? Maybe even cast a “Yes” vote.

For example, a tax on lawyers, especially the big legal firms. You know, the ones that sit on the major non-profits, including arts organizations.

On the other hand, maybe a special surtax on incomes of $100,000 or more, which righteously would include many top arts executives and the foundation leaders and politicians who back the cigarette tax for the arts. Wouldn’t that be nice!

Another tax on cigarettes, however, seems to be picking on the same people repeatedly and unnecessarily. The Three Stooge Commissioners and the proponents took the easy way out.

The cost to consumers will be $20 million a year at 30 cents a pack for 10 years.

Amazingly, that is a heavier tax than the cigarette tax levied for Gateway. The arts smoking tax would raise $200 million in 10 years.

During the 15 years of cigarette taxes for Gateway, smokers paid $80,358,035 in extra taxes. (More actually, because they paid the regular sales tax atop the sin tax.) Since August of 2005, smokers have paid an additional $3,654,122 to support Browns Stadium….
Read RoldoLINK here

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

Let Freedom Ring @ Ensemble Theatre 9/2 American musical theater has long fostered songs of protest and/or rebellion. Such productions are especially popular during times of national stress. Consequently, not only is the timing of Let Freedom Ring right on, but so is the message. All too often, we tend to think we’re alone in our opinions, and it is comforting to know we’re not always a nation of strangers. Ensemble Theatre opens its 27th season with a spiffy production of this new version of Bill Rudman’s Brother Can You Spare a Dime? from some years ago. With a bit of tweaking by local playwright Eric Coble and sparkling choreography from David Shimotakahara and Pandora Robertson, the five-member cast, wonderfully accompanied by pianist/music director Nancy Maier, give new life to 80 years of message-type music…
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz 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 Lakewood’s attractive AT&T boxes (See Unsightly Lightspeed boxes in Lakewood here) Completely, horribly awful. Just moved to Lakewood, and extremely disappointed in City Council on this one. I think every Lakewood City Council member who voted “yes” for these boxes should take one for the team, and offer to have one on their own treelawn. Yeah, council!
from Cool Cleveland reader Walter Wright wrightwwAThotmail.com

On the arts levy (See http://www.CoolCleveland.com/ArtsLevy) We need to support the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture Issue! Supporting the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture issue this November is an essential component to the progressive upward mobility, resurgence and life-blood of our community. The benefits to our economy, educational enrichment value, international recognition and the pillar of excellency the Arts and Culture community represents to our area are just a few reasons to ” VOTE YES on November 7th”. A county this size with the stellar, vibrant and world-class arts and culture community it possesses, should embrace the opportunity through public funding, to assure we will continue to lead in this area. Now is the time to chart new opportunities from Handel to Hip-Hop for future generations and further our claim of being the ‘best location in the nation’. Let’s seize the moment to assure Cuyahoga Arts and Culture continues to be one of the finest assets and priceless gems of expression this community can ill-afford to let slip away.
from Cool Cleveland reader Bob Ivory bniceivoryATgmail.com

Dear ODOT (See ODOT responds, sorta here) TO:Craig Hebebrand, Project Director, Ohio Department of Transportation, Gordon Proctor, Director ODOT, Governor Taft. Hi Craig et al: Please close those two exits off of I-90 immediately for a period of two weeks. Simply put up the concrete median barriers across those exits for that period of time and see what happens. Weekends must be included as well. I’m not kidding here. Make sure the Indians and/or Browns are in town. You can put it back after the experiment. Enough of the theoretical musings of traffic engineers and politicians: do it and get some real world experience!
from Cool Cleveland reader Bob Chalfant batting.chiefATgmail.com

This morning, for the first time, I used the West 14th Street ramp at the eastbound I-71/I-90 merge. That’s the spot where they’ve constructed a traffic circle as access down to Steelyard Commons. I’ve driven through the traffic circles on the East side enough to be familiar with their design. But this lunacy on West 14th Street bears no resemblance to its counterparts across town. To have done away with the traffic lights is insane enough, but to put the circle right at the top of the ramp, where exiting drivers can’t see the lay of the land until they’re smack in the middle of it, is absolutely inexcusable. How many drivers topping the ramp, not knowing what’s ahead, are going to be broadsided by traffic whizzing by from the left? To say that the circle’s design is counter-intuitive is a huge understatement; “makes no sense whatsoever” is a better description. Add confusing signage, and ODOT and company have concocted a winning recipe for frequent accidents. It looks as if the drunken monkeys have been let loose to play with the city’s traffic design plans again. And these are the same people who insist that they know best about the Innerbelt bridge and exit design? We should be very afraid. And we should insist that they NOT be allowed to continue to completely disregard the public’s concerns, as they’ve been doing for years.
from Cool Cleveland reader Denise Donaldson zoonorthATnetzero.com

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) Unsightly Lightspeed boxes in Lakewood Lakewood Observer editor Jim O’Bryan has identified the first of dozens of huge AT&T cable/Internet boxes.
www.lakewoodobserver.com.

2) Signs of Life on Planet Cleveland The Emprorer’s New Clothes by David Budin.
www.CoolCleveland.com.

3) More Get Wild photos Another batch of party photos. These from Doug Morris.
www.CoolCleveland.com.

4) Access:Cleveland Blues barn impresario Michael Yates.
http://www.MikesBarn.com.

5) ODOT responds, sorta Ohio Department of Transportation Project Director Craig Hebebrand responds point-by-point with his justification of ODOT’s plan to reduce to two the number of Innerbelt ramps addressing the massive traffic concerns raised by CSU Prof. Tom Bier’s op-ed.
www.CoolCleveland.com.

In Labor It ain’t easy giving birth to this newsletter each week. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Kelly Ferjutz, Roldo Bartimole, Leslie Basalla 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

Cool Cleveland Poem
by Kelly Ferjutz

Listen

In a time long past, everything was slower and more beautiful.
Even boats on a lake. They were made of wood–real wood,
strips honed carefully to match each other, then lovingly sanded
and varnished, and sanded again and varnished again.
Over and over and over.
Finally, when you could see your face in the warm walnut finish,
bright shiny chrome pieces would be attached here and there
to help protect the mirrored surfaces
that reflected the blue sky and white clouds and green leaves and trees.
But what was inside was beautiful, too. The engines that pushed these
craft were special, and to this day, they still sound just like they
know that’s still true.
The kings of the lakes, these big, beautiful creations of steel and
aluminum
and other exotic metals that formed crankshafts and pistons and rings
and valves,
which when put together with love produced one of the most glorious sounds
in all of nature. If you’re partial to bass voices of any kind, your
ears perk up
whenever you hear that sound. Burble, gurgle, rumpety, and even an
occasional roar
when asked to show off. Ahhh. Those wonderful, big, old eight-cylinder
masterpieces.
Listen to the night. When you hear that deep slowly-vibrating sound,
you’ll know
another king has come out of hiding to claim his throne,
aided by the nighttime stillness of the lake, sending the echoes and
reverberations
to all the subjects who listen for the return of the monarch.

by Kelly Ferjutz
08.24.06

Let’s get in sync,

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2006 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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