Equilibrium

4.04-4.11.07
Equilibrium

In this week’s issue:
* Interview Santina Protopapa, newly appointed to the board of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture
* Cool Cleveland Kids For the parents: Revive with Thai Massage
* BizTech Profile FFEF President Brad Whitehead
* Comment A volunteer’s 2007 CIFF debrief
* Straight Outta Mansfield Mansfield Frazier on another tragic slaying
* Sounds Machine Go Boom makes Music for Parents
* Previews Baseball @ GLSC & the Organ Grinder’s Ball
* RoldoLink There’s One Hand In Your Pocket
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

Equilibrium is not the same as perfect balance. Equilibrium is an overall net effect of diverse and opposing forces, not a steady balanced and civilized stasis. Sometimes in these parts we get the two confused. Equilibrium (and its cousins equality and justice) can be achieved at the end of the day (week, month, year), if and when all opposing and differing forces come together in the bigger picture. We need to stay focused on that bigger picture. So this week, we offer on the one hand Santina Protopapa, an artist asked to help distribute the $20 million in cig-tax arts money, and on the other hand Brad Whitehead of The Fund for Our Economic Future, leading the charge to implement a truly region-wide agenda for change. On the one hand, Mansfield Frazier laments the tragic shooting of a Cleveland teen by Cleveland police, and on the other hand, Roldo is suspicious of Sam Miller’s largess. We’ve got links to interesting blogs, we’ve got a review of Machine Go Boom’s new CD. Lots of news and events for kids, business people and everyday folks. So go for it. Don’t hold back. And at the end of this week, if all goes right, we’ll be in equilibrium. —Thomas Mulready

Santina Protopapa
Progressive Arts Alliance
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture

Santina Protopapa is about as busy as an artist can get. Between her recent trip to Columbia University in NYC to work with Ice-T (she brought him in, not the conference organizers), short hops across town delivering arts education programs with her Progressive Arts Alliance to urban and suburban schools, to a planned trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to representing one of three trustees on the board of the new Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, created to distribute the $20M per year of Issue 18 tobacco tax money, to DJing at Lava on Thursday nights, Santina literally never rests. After three false starts, Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready finally caught her at Tremont’s Lincoln Park to discuss the awesome responsibility of distributing millions to Cuyahoga arts, especially small arts organizations and individual artists, and the awesome work PAA does around the country with kids, Hip-Hop and literacy. http://www.PAAlive.org http://www.CuyahogaArtsAndCulture.org

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Going a Little Buggy? Wing it at one of the most popular spring kid’s exhibits: Bugged Out! at Cleveland Botanical Garden, Sat 3/31 – Sun 4/15. Touch live bugs, and view hundreds of exotic bugs, including the magical butterflies of Costa Rica. Learn about insects from bug experts and interesting facts about the helpful role bugs play in nature. Check out the cool touch tanks with live bugs and enter a meal worm race on our spiffy race track! Did you know crickets listen with their knees? Discover how some bugs disappear or spin your own spider web. Adults: $7.50; Children 3-12: $3; Children under 3 and CBG members: no charge. Tue – Sat: 10AM – 5PM; Sun: Noon – 5PM. Closed Mondays. For more info contact www.cbgarden.org or 216.721.1600.
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Revive: Fit to be Thai-ed?
Parents Get Recalibrated with Thai Massage

Parents, let’s face it: you don’t get much personal time anymore, do you? To paraphrase an acquaintance, you’ve got “demands coming out of your demands” and the relentless pace of your life these days means that the once-important regenerative time is the first thing to go. Parents keep intense schedules and often feel like they’re working 2½ jobs with only 24 hours in a day to do them. Feeling adrift merely goes with the territory… and while you might get away with that for a while with a spouse or your immediate family and friends, you just can’t be adrift with your kids.

It happens to the best of us, but here in the Cool Cleveland Kids area, we’ll be offering up a semi-regular “Revive” item to help you reclaim some down important down time. As a parent, if you’re not taking care of yourself, that lack of energy will spill over and challenge your number one objective: taking care of those little ones. Carving out that personal time is critical to keeping your patience, stamina and enthusiasm at levels where they need to be to keep up with those Cool Cleveland Kids. So, what do I do when I’m fit to be tied? Well, that’s when I’m fit to be Thai-ed… only two words will center me: Thai Massage, sometimes known as Yoga Massage…
Read more from Peter Chakerian here

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Fun is Where You Find It and this is an awesome place for cyber kids: www.clevelandart.org/kids/. Learn why every day was a bad hair day for Medusa and check out The Attic, a favorite kids hideout! Then take an animal safari across ancient Egypt and on your way home, find out how much you know about the city of Cleveland. Or make your own stained glass window and find hieroglyphic coloring pages to print out and color on your own. The Cleveland Museum of Art is a Cool Cleveland Kids partner.
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Mummy Family Workshop Explore the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife as you assist in preparing a “Dummy Mummy” for eternal happiness on Sat 4/7 at 11:30AM. As a bonus, you will create and take home your own Mummy Mask! Limited to 15 participants. Program repeats Sat 4/14. http://www.clevelandchildrensmuseum.org.

Deranged Easter Bunny Ralphie Parker’s Aunt Clara in A Christmas Story labored under the illusion that he was perpetually 4 years old, and a girl. She gave Ralphie a hand-made pink bunny suit when he turned 9 years old. The rest is cinematic history. On Sat 4/7 revisit the laughs with an adult-sized version of the “pink nightmare,” who will be available for photos at the Tremont dwelling known all over as the Christmas Story house museum. More info and museum hours at http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com, or call 298-4919.

Bugged Out Check out the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s buggy special exhibit, where you can touch live bugs, view exotic and preserved bugs, and learn about the most magical butterflies from muggy, buggy Costa Rica. Runs through Sun 4/15. Stop in Sat 4/7 during museum hours, or visit http://www.cbgarden.org/Bugged_Out.html for more info and times.

I-X Indoor Amusement Park The venerable kids’ event celebrates its 18th now through Tax Day. Check out the 25 rides, tons of activities, a petting zoo and other pure family fun that will have your kids begging for more! Perfect for your Sat 4/7 plans. Hours and details on the I-X Center website, http://www.ixindooramusementpark.com.

Dr. Ellen Rome Section Head of Adolescent Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic speaks Hawken School on Mon 4/9 at 7:30PM. The no-cost lecture takes place at Hawken’s Gates Mills Campus and focuses on exposure teens and children get from their “SuperPeer,” the ever-present Media. Hot topics include violence, sex, and body image; the session will highlight results of increased media exposure. For more information. Call 440-286-3013 for more info. http://www.hawken.edu.

Cle Children’s Museum offering three unique summer camps. Enroll now! Info
Foluke Spring Session starts Fri 4/20 Register for Youth Drama & Dance classes, held at Masonic Aud! Info

You don’t want to miss what 11-year-old Max has for you and your family this week. Listen here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids04.06.07.mp3. Click here to subscribe: iTunes or other.

Cuyahoga County arts funding of $20M/yr, is more than all but four states in public arts funding! Chart
County Commissioners will demolish Breuer Tower at their new HQ @ E. 9 & Euclid & build new tower Read
Oberlin student wins $15K Met Opera audition Tenor Alek Shrader, masters student in opera theatre sings aria Read
CPH’s FusionFest 07 announced feat. Robert Vaughn, Greg Morris, Next Stage, Club Cabaret Tix
Chris Warren is Cle’s Chief of Regional Dev “to develop a regional approach that will help build the economy” Read
CSU art & theatre facility $50M 8-story art studio w/3 theatres @ 20th & Euclid. Study funded by Peter Lewis Read Plans
B-W Bach Fest is almost sold out Tickets remain only for Severance B minor Mass on 4/21 Tix
Heights Arts selects Mary Weems as 3rd Cle Hts poet laureate. Weems joins poets at “Writes of Spring” event celebrating Nat’l Poetry Month on Tue 4/10, then appt’d by Cle Hts Mayor Ed Kelley and City Council on Mon 4/16. Words
Citizen journalists saddle up! KCNN launches yesterday for citizen documentation, organization of news. More.
NIN breaks new sound, (promo) ground Former Cle resident Trent Reznor builds buzz for new dystopian nine inch nails CD, Year Zero with intricate network of t-shirt messages, websites, tracks on strategically abandoned USB drives, etc. Absorb.
Kassaba en Français Cle’s multi-instrumental world jazz quartet gets invited to France to perform @ FIMU. Lire. More.
Heartland is the Future of Opera and Oberlin’s Lost Highway gets a mention Read.
AIDS Taskforce website detailing “Art Cares,” in collab w/ MOCA Cleveland and CIA. More
Studio of 5 Rings moves Downtown Cle winery/gallery/karate studio packs up, moves to Rocky River on 5/1. Read.
Cle Bridge Builders apps for Flagship Program are due Mon 4/23 Online apps can be found here. Don’t miss the deadline!
Cool Cleveland Podcast You know how to do it. Click here to listen: Link. iTunes or other.
To ensure you receive Cool Cleveland every week, take a moment now and add CoolCleveland@CoolCleveland.com to your address book, trusted sender list, or corporate white list.
Case is named one of best values in private universities by Kiplinger’s Read
Red {an orchestra} looking for CEO Got skills to be top dog for this hot classical music group? resume.ceo@gmail.com
Society of Ohio Archivists is accepting nominations for 2007 Merit Awards. Info.

Exchanging pleasantries about the weather again? Try this instead: Did you know that TripAdvisor.com recently cited Cleveland as one of the Top 10 most underrated destinations in the world? More

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It’s a Musical Safari at the Cleveland Institute of Music Fri 4/14 at 7PM! Bring the entire family to CIM to hear the sounds of wildlife with imaginative and exciting musical works, including “Hoedown” from “Rodeo,” “Flight of the Bumblebee,” “Carnival of the Animals,” “Aesop’s Fables” and “Old MacDonald.” Kirk Wilke and Sean Ryan will conduct the CIM Orchestra, with narration by Elisa Singer. Make it a night on the town for you and the kids with a spectacular concert followed by a dessert reception. Tickets are $8.50 for adults, $6 for children and $5 each for groups of ten or more. Call 216-791-5000, ext. 411 or order online at www.cim.edu.
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Every week, all of us here at Cool Cleveland pour through gads of fantastic things happening in CLE and NEO, all in an effort to answer that ever-nagging question: “What’s cool to do this week?” Submitted for your approval, here’s a snapshot of what we found. Got a unique event coming up? Know of something that is a totally Cool Cleveland worthy event? We want to hear from you about it; our tens of thousands of readers do, too. Be a civic and cultural activist and turn on your fellow readers.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Year of the Boar Commemorate Chinese New Year on the outskirts of Cleveland’s Asia Town with Studio of 5 Rings catalyst Matthew Cook and his collection of Chinese Silk Scrolls on Wed 4/4. Each piece has been collected from Chinatowns across the US. Absorb the meaning and detail using minimal brush strokes and strategic and vibrant accent colors. Now through end of April. http://www.studioof5rings.com.

Art On Wheels Bachelor Auction The Cle non-profit traveling art education org holds a Bachelor Auction Fundraiser to benefit Gallery 222 on Wed 4/4 at 6:30PM. Enjoy food, bevvies, live music provided by Cle-based Two Men and a Campfire, “speed-dating” and various Chinese raffle items. For more info call 941-7643 or email carolina@aowinc.com Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd.

William Earle Williams The photographer celebrates Song for Unsung Heroes: African American Soldiers in the Civil War with a lecture on his work (part of the Bidwell Visiting Artist Lecture series) on Wed 4/4 at 6PM in the auditorium of Folk Hall, 150 E. Exchange St., Akron. Opening reception for the exhibition follows at 7:30PM. No cost, open to the public. http://www.uakron.edu/art.

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She’s a Dino-mite 67 Million Years Old (in people years), and Sue, a full-sized cast of the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever unearthed, will soon be history! Witness a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this spectacular exhibit now before she’s gone, Sun 4/15, at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Experience this exhibition, which also examines the story behind this amazing specimen, exploring what has helped scientists reconstruct Sue’s life and legacy and how she’s strengthened the bird-dinosaur connection. For more info contact www.cmnh.org or (800) 317-9155.
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Racist Imagery in Popular Culture and Education The Committee of 500 Years presents the event and conference beginning Thu 4/5 through Sat 4/7 at Baldwin Wallace College, C-Space and Pilgrim Congregational Church. Richie Plass and Christine Rose will present workshops; Vernon and Clyde Bellecourt will also speak. Crooked River Dance Troupe performs. http://www.committee500years.com.

HOT Mystery Weekend A mystery evening of dance awaits at Cleveland Public Theatre as a part of DanceWorks 07 beginning Thu 4/5 through Sun 4/8. Stay tuned to http://www.cptonline.org for details and prepare to be surprised. 6415 Detroit Ave.

Ohio Impressionists The theme of this Bonfoey Gallery exhibit is Places and Passages and offers stunning landscapes and still lives. The impressionist style paintings of Mary Deutschman, Teri Gilfilen, Kay Hurley, Ron Johnston, Carl Krabill, Jance Lentz, Joseph O’Sickey, and Paula Rubenstein beginning Thu 4/5 at 5PM with an Opening Reception. Runs through the beginning of May. 1710 Euclid Avenue. http://www.bonfoey.com.

Red Book Project Altered Books Society holds their Opening Reception Thu 4/5 at noon at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd. Shaker Hts. Show continues though Mon 4/30 Call 795-0800 or visit http://www.pwlgc.com for more info.

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If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It, Baby, and Clev’s definitely got the goods. Take three articles from last month’s national press coverage, captured, bagged and posted for your reading pleasure by the GCMA (Greater Cleveland Marketing Alliance). Start with a story from ESPN about how we snagged the NCAA Women’s Final Four, top it off with an article about the 31st Cleveland International Film Festival with 120 films from around the world. Then finish with the Cleveland Clinic making progress with an experimental device that can sniff out lung cancer based on a single exhaled breath. Whoa! Can you handle it? Remember, you heard the good news here first (or maybe second, if you read international news). See these and other articles by BusinessWeek, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Columbus Dispatch at www.gcpartnership.com/gcma_media.aspx. For more info about GCMA contact www.gcpartnership.com/AboutCleveland.aspx or 216.592.2225.
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A Home Opener Party Summer’s on the way and baseball’s on deck at this Wilbert’s party honoring Cle’s centerfield fans! Check out the Back-Up Band as a primer for baseball in Cleveland at Wilbert’s on Fri 4/6 at 11AM. http://www.wilbertsmusic.com.

HOT Transitions Art House presents the 3rd annual SEAN (Supporting Educators & Artists Network) Members Show, juried by Susie Frazier Mueller. Opening reception on Fri 4/6 at 5:30PM. Features works by Claudia Lynch, Robert Stockham, Brian Asquith and others. Lynch provides a brief talk for members beforehand. Exhibition runs through Tue 4/27. Arts Collinwood, 15605 Waterloo. http://www.arthouseinc.org.

The Reborn Show Check out the inaugural opening at The Confessional, Cleveland’s newest venue for cutting-edge, thought-provoking artwork on Fri 4/6 at 7PM. The Reborn Show showcases haunting and evocative photographic work of NEO artist Jane Critchlow. Snack on appetizers and listen to a funky collection of 60s and 70s music while you view this challenging exhibit. The Confessional, 1435 E. 33rd St. For more info, call 299-3851. http://www.janecritchlow.com .

Passion Beck Center for the Arts presents the Cle-area premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical, Passion in their Studio Theater starting Fri 4/6 at 7PM. Acclaimed director Victoria Bussert leads this complex love story during mid-19th century Italy. One of his better works, Sondheim’s quirky approach to songwriting shines through. Runs through Sun 5/6. http://www.beckcenter.org.

Phyllis Seltzer Recent works by internationally recognized Cle painter/printmaker will be featured in ARTE, the Convivium33 Gallery from the Fri 4/6 artist reception at 6PM through the end of May. Enjoy a special live performance by Opera Cleveland Members beginning at 7PM. Convivium33 Gallery, 1433 East 33rd St. http://www.josaphatartshall.com.

Paul Ferguson One of finest trombonists and jazz composer-arrangers in the U.S. and leads the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Fri 4/6 and Sat 4/7 at 7PM at the Bop Stop. The special treat includes guest vocals by Barbara Knight and Helen Welch, Ferguson’s wife Kay on flute and the performance of some of Ferguson’s own original charts. Bop Stop, 2920 Detroit Ave. http://www.clevelandjazz.org. http://www.clevelandbopstop.com.

Possibilities, Balance, Peace ceramics, paintings, prints by Michaelle Marschall, Jeanetta Ho & Laurel Herbold at True Art Gallery, 410 E. 156th St opening Fri 4/6 thru 4/30 383-0230

Detroit Cobras Killer hooks, mad garage rock energy and singer Rachel Nagy’s fire make this former CMJ Rock Hall Music Fest act from the Motor City a must-see. Check them out Fri 4/6 at 9PM at the Beachland Ballroom on Waterloo. http://www.beachlandballroom.com.

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WCLVnotes WCLV 104.9 presents two special broadcasts for Holy Week. On Good Fri 4/6 at 8PM, Franz Welser-Most conducts The Cleveland Orchestra, Choruses and soloists in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. On Easter Sun 4/8 at 2PM, Harry Bicket conducts The New York Philharmonic, Westminster Choir and soloists in Handel’s Messiah. Also on Easter Sun 4/8 at 1PM, WCLV’s John Simna takes a look at the 75th Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival, Fri 4/20 to Sun 4/22. The highlight of this year’s event is the performance of the Mass in B minor at Severance Hall, as Dwight Oltman leads musicians from BW along with the visiting choir from Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem Bach Festival. For complete details on all of WCLV’s programming, go to the WCLV website at www.wclv.com.
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5th Annual Environmental Group Art Exhibit Features artists P.R. Miller, Vince Packard, Stephanie Garisto, Lori Fields, Bob Tubbesing. The show opens Sat 4/7 at 8PM with a reception. Watercolors, acrylic paintings, collage, painted instruments and “scrapyard sculptures” are among the pieces. North Water Street Gallery, 257 N. Water St., Kent. http://www.standingrock.net.

HOT Eat Your Books! There’s only rule at the 4th Annual Edible Books Festival: make edible art that has something to do with books. Go ahead, start thinking, get registered and then bring your ideas to Loganberry Books Sat 4/7 at 1PM. Register entries at harriett@logan.com or call 795-9800), then compete against other entries for the Most Amusing, Most Beautiful and Most Bookish. Then help everyone consume them all! http://www.loganberrybooks.com/edible-books.html.

Cordoba Nights by Clevelanders Luke & Andy Campbell & Robert Banks, premieres Sat 4/7 at the Kiva at KSU Student Union at 7:30 & 10PM http://www.CordobaNights.com

Big Leg Emma & The Honey Dogs Despite a terrible accident on the road that took a toll on Emma and her band, the group will keep their Sat 4/7 date at Wilbert’s. Come out and support these blues travelers and help them heal with the power of music at 8PM. Wilbert’s Food & Music, 812 Huron Rd. http://www.wilbertsmusic.com.

Wishing Chair Join WC’s Kiya Heartwood and Miriam Davidson for an evening of intelligent lyrics, musicianship and introspection on Sat 4/7 at 8PM. Pilgrim Church Theater in Tremont. Co-sponsored by Tirabassi-Kin House concerts. Call 371-3224 of visit http://www.wishingchair.com for details.

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Dynamic + Digital = CIA’s MFA Grads’ {Stunning Exhibition!} Check out the Cleveland Institute of Art’s finest student work from their first Digital Arts grads from the Masters of Fine Art in Digital Art program. The Thesis Exhibition runs Mon 4/16 – Sat 4/28, M-S, 9AM- 5PM. Reception, Fri 4/20, 6:30 – 9PM, Reinberger Galleries, 11141 East Blvd. The exhibitions mark the culmination of two years of research, study and experimentation through the Institute’s new Master of Fine Arts program in Digital Arts. Arrive early to hear Victor Margolin, design theorist and historian at the University of Illinois speak on trends in graduate education, 5:30PM, Aitken Auditorium. For info contact www.cia.edu or 216-421-7407. The Cleveland Institute of Art . . . Making Art Work.
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HOT Alternative Press Bands You Need To Know Tour explores cutting-edge rock as seen through the eyes of the Cle-based indie rock pub and its staff. Features acts As Tall As Lions, Circa Survive, Envy On The Coast, and Cute Is What We Aim For on Sun 4/8. House of Blues. http://www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/cleveland.

IRTF Goes Mango Inter-Religious Task Force of Greater Cleveland and Johnny Mango team up for a benefit Mon 4/9 all day. Eat and drink at JM’s Ohio City and 20% of the proceeds benefit IRTF — their office is just down the street from the restaurant! http://www.irtfcleveland.org. http://www.jmango.com.

Chucklef-ck Comedy Show Every Monday at bela dubby in Lakewood, 5 performers each get 10 minutes to do anything they think will make you laugh! Hosted by Carrie Callahan, this no cost show on Mon 4/9 8PM. is a great way to get caught up on Cleveland’s comedy scene. Coffee, beer, snacks, no-cost wi-fi… bring your laptop and liveblog all the fun! bela dubby, 13321 Madison Ave. http://carriecallahan.blogspot.com.

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Red {an orchestra} & Cool Cleveland Exclusive: 2 for 1 Tix! Check out Red {an orchestra}’s version of original compositions dedicated to Cleveland’s creative spirit in the Red Couch Floating in Lake Erie with a symphony of singers and texts by contemporary Cleveland poets. Join Red on Sat 4/14 at 8PM and on Sun 4/15 at 3PM for “That Red Guy” in the Masonic Auditorium (Euclid & E. 36th). Music composed and arranged by Red’s Artistic Director, Jonathan Sheffer. Red is offering an exclusive discount to Cool Cleveland readers: 2 tickets for the Price of 1! Tickets start at $15. Just let us know you are a CC reader when you call Red {an orchestra} at 261.361.1733 or visit awww.redanorchestra.org and type in Cool Cleveland in the comments.
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Ken Burns The brilliant documentary filmmaker shares 30+ years of insights in this City Club of Cleveland event on Tue 4/10 at noon. Focusing on his latest cinematic work The War, Burns honors and celebrates the bravery, endurance and sacrifice of the generation of Americans who lived through what will always be known simply as “The War.” http://www.cityclub.org.

How We Elect Judges Three Ohio judges take a look at the way Ohio elects its own on Tue 4/10 at 5PM with the program sponsored by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. CSU-Marshall Joseph W. Bartunek Moot Court Room, the corner of East 18th Street and Euclid Avenue. http://www.law.csuohio.edu.

HOT David Sedaris The NPR humorist and best-selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proving he is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. Join Sedaris for a book reading and signing on Tue 4/10 at 8PM. Finney Chapel, Oberlin. www.Oberlin.edu.

David Thomas and Two Pale Boys The Pere Ubu iconoclast brings his MIDI-and-melodeon solo/side project to life on stage at the Beachland Tue 4/10 at 8PM for what may be the act’s ONLY U.S. APPEARANCE this year. Beachland Ballroom on Waterloo. http://www.beachlandballroom.com

The Dark Room This co-production of Cleveland Public Theatre and The Cleveland Theatre Collective affords emerging and veteran playwrights the space and resources to develop new works in a critical environment. The Dark Room returns Tue 4/10 at 7PM with a traditional workshop for plays, novels, poems and other written works, and features the work of area writer Margi Herwald Zitelli. Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave. http://www.cptonline.org. http://www.clevelandtheatre.com.

Heights Writes of Spring Poetry exploration features Mary Weems, 2007 Cle Hts Poet Laureate on Tue 4/10 at 7PM. Also reading Meredith Holmes (’05 Cle Hts Poet Laureate), Loren Weiss (’06 Cle Hts Poet Laureate) and others. Heights Arts at the Library, 2340 Lee Rd., Cle Hts. http://www.heightsarts.org.

HOT Celebrating Great Design This unique fundraiser for The Cleveland Arts Prize offers a behind-the-scenes view of the newly renovated Nottingham and Spirk Innovation Center, as well as the historical carriage house of Kathleen and Dennis Barrie. The guided, timed tours run Wed 4/11. http://www.clevelandartsprize.org.

HOT Akron New Music Festival 2007 Features Beantown’s Gramercy Trio performing works from Cle Composers Guild, the music of Samuel Adler and Michael Albaugh and mezzo-soprano Laurie Lashbrook. Runs Wed 4/11 – Sat 4/14 at Guzzetta Recital Hall, 157 University Ave., Akron (across from E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall). http://www.ejthomashall.com.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

A spontaneous and special serving of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Brad Whitehead
President, Fund for our Economic Future

Brad Whitehead’s job just got a lot more interesting. He’s the Cleveland Foundation’s program director for economic development, and he’s the point person on The Fund For Our Economic Future, the 85-foundation collaboration which has sponsored Voices & Choices, an 18-month citizen engagement with over 21K citizens that arrived at a consensus agenda: local governments need to cooperate; college education must be affordable & accessible; quality education & workforce training for low-income & people of color; support for entrepreneurs & business. Now The Fund launches Advance Northeast Ohio, the engagement phase of the project, where leaders, businesses and institutions will be asked to make real change in our region. Brad met with Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready at the John S. Knight Center in DT Akron as he kicked off Advance NEO, and they discussed what it was like to see the Mayors of Lorain, Cleveland, Akron & Youngstown standing shoulder to shoulder. http://www.FutureFundNEO.org Advance NEO

Advance NEO grants $1M for tech assistance & planning to 50 minority-owned firms Read
Cle foundations go green Will require green building for all capital projects they fund Read
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited TO NYC now leaving Cleveland at 7AM, rather than in the middle of the night Schedule
Hopkins to hire developers to build restaurants, clothing, giftshops, when HMS contract expires in 8/07 Read
Kucinich committee hears stadium experts testify to lack of economic benefits of publicly funded sports stadiums Read
St. Patrick’s clean-up was an innovative collaboration between the new Gateway Church, DCA & city Info
Louisville’s $1.5B DT development includes 62-story Museum Plaza (museum, hotel, condos, shops) at Muhammad Ali Square Read
V&C Action Plan Launched Hundreds of regional leaders and activists united in Akron on Fri 3/30 to unveil the NEO region’s action plan inspired by Voices & Choices. Read More. Follow Along.
Team NEO targeting two companies that could bring jobs, $240M to region. Read.
Major Capital Grants Program Submission deadline for the Cle Foundation program Mon 4/9 Program guidelines, criteria, appropriate forms here.
Merrett gets Civic funds The Civic Innovation Lab’s newest champ is Sam Merrett (read Peter Chakerian’s CC Interview here). He received $30K for sustainable fuels station Full Circle Fuels.
COSE does video on impact of rising health care costs for sm bus. If you want to participate, email Randy Carpenter at rcarpenter@cose.org or call him at 592-2371.
Click! High School Web Competition Extended deadline for 2007 Details.

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After School, My Kid Writes His Own Computer Games! Boys and girls (grades 2-8) get to make real projects like Computer Games, Animations and Lego® Robots at the Children’s Technology Workshop in Chagrin Falls! At our iCamp, kids can choose to learn about: History, Missions to Mars, F1 Car Racing, Fashion Design and more! Space is limited in every class, so reserve your space now: 440.484.2222! We hold workshops and parties in Chagrin Falls (38 River Street, 44022) or at your place. For workshop and camp schedules, directions and an interactive demo, visit: www.ctworkshopohio.com. Children’s Technology Workshop is a portfolio company of the Beta Strategy Group, LTD, www.betagroup.us, a founding sponsor of Cool Cleveland Tech.
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20 In Their 20s Crains reception celebrates NEO’s young professionals who shake up the status quo @ View Ultralounge Thu 4/5 at 6PM. Tickets.
John Gugliotta speaks at newly reorg’d PDMA (Product Dev Mgmt Assoc.) mtg Wed 4/4 Info
Mandel Center for NPOs holds info center lecture Fri 4/5 at 5:30PM at Cle Botanical Garden, Lecture Room.
Dawn Ackerman CEO/fndr EcoToner and President of L.A. Gay and Lesbian CoC speaks at next Plexus event Tue 4/10 Info
11030 East Boulevard Info
ShowCASE 2 HUGE days of collaboration, creativity, and innovation @ CWRU Wed 4/11 and Thu 4/12. Details
This is ONN lunch Wed 4/11 in Mentor: Brian McIntyre of Ohio News Network on how to get news coverage Info
Downtown Comeback: Myths & Realities CSU Levin Forum features keynote by Alan Ehrenhalt, Exec Ed of Governing Magazine on Thu 4/12 at 4PM. No cost. Register
NEO’s Booming Health Care Economy New strategies for growth w/BioEnterprise and Generation Fdn. Begins Fri 4/13 at InterContinental Hotel and Conf Ctr. Info
Transfer of Development Rights w/TDR expert Rick Pruetz Fri 4/13 1PM, CSU Levin Forum Info.
Defrag Redux Quarterly conference connects digital leaders & learners Fri 4/13 & Sat 4/14 @ LCCC Details.
21st Ohio Employee Ownership Conf Econ Dev for Today and Tomorrow Fri 4/20 Fairlawn Hilton Register
New Mktg Tech Blogs, podcasts and video for your biz, CSU Noon at Nance Thu 4/26 w/CC’s Thomas Mulready Info
Duct Tape Marketing John Jantsch vet mktg coach/author at Tri-C East Fri 5/4. Info.

Links to interesting NEO blogs
Ryan Demro announces his candidacy for Mayor of Lakewood with a YouTube video.
The Shaker Lakes Nature Center kicks off its blog with a call for entries for the new Stewardship Center.
Advice for marketers on the hows and whys of starting a blog.
Impressions on the launch of Advance Northeast Ohio.
Windmills on the lake will take too long and cost too much. Why not do something quicker and easier?
Two different studies give two very different pictures of the state of high tech jobs in the region. Which one is correct?
Should Wirth House be torn down or renovated? David Morganthaler speaks out at CSU “The bottom line is we must create jobs that are high paying value-added jobs.” Read
It appears the Browns would rather have fans forfeit their PSLs then help the season ticket holders sell them.
Jim Kukral’s colleagues think Cleveland is dead, and he’s looking for ideas to prove them wrong. Check out the existing comments and leave your suggestion.

Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, where Peter Chakerian comments on the news of the week in the Cool Cleveland e-blast newsletter. When you’re through, add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cle Int’l Film Fest ’07 Debrief From a Volunteering Film Buff

My love for film prompted me to volunteer for the International Film Festival for the first time this year. I have patronized the festival for many years, and surprisingly I still remember my favorite film from 2006, Ryna.I chose Friday night for my first experience in battling the massive crowds, long lines at the “standby” section and of course the fanatical concessions stand where most everyone buys popcorn and diet pop. The anticipation is far worse than the actual task at hand for your nerves, that is. Simply thinking, can I do this?

I drive down the narrow ramp into the infamous Tower City parking lot where, I stuff a sandwich in my mouth while waiting in the long continuous line to receive my ticket. The ticket agent asks, “Where are you headed this evening, the game?” I proudly state, “The International Film Festival.” I park my car under the deteriorated ramp where continuous drops of water collectively form puddles near by. I frantically stuff my purse and my other belongings into the trunk. I walk in full stride towards the double doors, onto the escalator.

Read more from Toni J. Chanakas here

One Killed, One Wounded

The tragic shooting of 17-year-old Angelo Miller in the back by Cleveland police officer John Lundy in a parking lot at Lexington Village Apartments in Hough late one recent Thursday night was the confluence and result of a string of bad decisions and shameful inactions by a host of people that should have made the incident highly predictable to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. Additionally, the shooting was — or should have been — highly avoidable. It simply did not have to happen, and if there was an effective system in place among the entities, Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, the Juvenile Court system, and the Cleveland Municipal Schools District that should be equipped to intercede with troubled youth early on it would not have happened.

Read more from Mansfield Frazier here

Music For Parents
Machine Go Boom
Collectible Escalators

On the surface, the title of Machine Go Boom’s latest CD, Music For Parents is a bit misleading. The ramshackle indie pop of Machine Go Boom probably wouldn’t sit well with my folks — I seriously doubt my mom would play Machine Go Boom after her favorite Shania Twain album. However, look a little deeper, and consider the themes of youth that are prevalent throughout Music For Parents: the wild eyed wonder that comes with new experiences, the times of confusion and despair, and being in love, losing your love, and feeling like you’ll never love again, and it does have meaning for both young and old…
Read more from Bill Lipold here

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

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

Baseball as America @ Great Lakes Science Center

March Madness is over, the pitchers and players are warmed up from spring training, and it’s time for baseball! “Baseball as America,” a 10,000 square-foot multimedia exhibition of over 500 artifacts and history from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, has opened at the Great Lakes Science Center.

Covering not just the game of baseball, the display also includes how the game’s culture and history are woven into our country’s fabric. Traditions like raising your arms for an audience wave; eating hot dogs and peanuts, drinking beer, and proudly wearing your team’s t-shirt and cap are all personal gestures of the fans’ close relationship to the game.

Visitors can see the most special baseball artifact, the Doubleday baseball, at this exhibit. This ball is attributed to Abner Doubleday, a U.S. Army Civil War officer, who is credited with inventing the game of baseball. The display includes the #42 Brooklyn Dodgers jersey worn by the Jackie Robinson in 1947, and the most valuable baseball card, worth over one million dollars, showing a 1909 picture of Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner.

See the trophy given to Lou Gehrig, the home run king, at his farewell at Yankee Stadium. Record-breaking single season home run bats from Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire are a big attraction. Stories abound about the legendary Ty Cobb, outfielder for the Tigers and the A’s from 1902-1928. He was known for spiking his opponents, successfully blocking them as they slid into base. Cobb’s infamous spiked shoes are also featured. Every artifact in the show has its own unique story and personality.

There is a live pitcher’s cage where baseball wannabes can practice throwing a fastball, curveball, knuckleball, and slider. The Great Lakes Science Center adds physics, velocity, and mathematics to the display providing information about what makes a ball curve, how to throw a curved ball, and what happens when a round ball hits a round bat. “Baseball as America,” a wonderful collection of stories, history, and artifacts, is a big hit, a home run with fireworks, for the whole family to enjoy.

Photo from National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net

One Dozen Organ Grinder’s Ball Celebrations

Dust off your whips and chains—the Organ Grinder’s Fetish Ball and Fashion Show returns to Metropolis is the Flats on Friday, April 13! There will be sights and sounds to delight and disturb: The Enigma, covered in a puzzle tattoo, will perform stunts to shock and amaze; Rubber City Bombshell Burlesque will bring new meaning to the term eye candy; and there will be a live flogging demonstration with participants from the audience. Four titillating fetish fashion scenes, the usual highlight of the event, will surely not disappoint. There will be equipment set up for voluntary play, and you can also kiss a model for a small fee, with the proceeds benefiting the Cleveland AIDS Taskforce.

Now in its 12th year, the Organ Grinder’s Ball has continued to evolve and prove itself to be Cleveland’s premier fetish event of the year. Cool Cleveland met with Gemma and Tommy Viets, the show’s organizers, at The Grid-n-Orbit for rehearsal, where, over several cocktails, we delved into their personal history, the genesis of Organ Grinder’s, and what the next step is in their fetish revolution…

Cool Cleveland: How did you two meet?

Gemma: We met at a Smash Mouth concert. Sugar Ray was the opening act.

Tommy: I need to interject.

Yeah, that’s kinda wrecking your cred right now—Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray?

T: I used to work at the Odeon. I’d seen her several times when she was a Camel rep. That particular concert, those two bands were still punk rock. I was on a date with an 18-year-old stripper. As it turns out, I’m watching her, and my date was over there giving her phone number to the security guy. I started talking to her—at the time, I owned Chain Link, and Camel used to give out sponsorship money to throw parties. I think we knew a couple mutual people, and that’s when I was already doing my Organ Grinder’s stuff at U4ia. She was still part of the Camel thing, and they were at my party. I got up the guts to ask her out on a date, and she’s like, “Sure!” I wrote down her pager number—not to make ourselves sound older than we are! I wait, maybe like, three days to call her, and she gave me a phony pager number—

G: I did not!

T: I still have my organizer with that number written down. I called it, and it was Leroy! I tracked her real number down through mutual friends, and it took a while for her to remember who I was. Anyways, we finally went out on a date and kinda hit it off, and now we’ve been married for 8 years—or is it 18?

How did you get started with Organ Grinder’s Ball?

T: I got involved with the Fetish Playlands at the time I owned Chain Link Addiction. We sold a lot of patent leather, vinyl, stuff like that—hair dye. In 1989, you couldn’t buy any of that stuff here in Cleveland. Doc Martens and all that kinda stuff. I started that store, and maybe, like, around ’95, came up with the idea of creating a party where people that enjoy wearing the clothing had a place to go, because there was no place in Cleveland. So, I really just kind of stumbled upon the idea, and it led eventually to increased sales. After the first one I said, ‘Wow, everybody’s havin’ a good time, it’s a lot of fun.’ It eventually grew and grew, and then we started giving themes to them, making them more interesting. At that time, you would still get beat up at the traffic light for having your hair dyed yellow, you know?

So our parties, we protected people by making a mandatory dress code, so we didn’t have, like, Chad or Biff comin’ in, you know, a lot of half-naked chicks. So we had a mandatory dress code to keep those kinda people out, and we make it an exclusive party so the people that enjoyed walking around dressed the way they want to be, whether it was rubber, leather, vinyl…There also involved a lot of middle-aged people, elderly people, doctors, attorneys, lawyers, cross-dressing, that kinda stuff. So we had success with those, and I believe in about eight years, Hot Topic showed up, you could buy Doc Martens at Dillards. I tried to remain an underground store, ‘cuz that’s what I was about. So that part of the party kinda went away, so we pursued the parties more, and I bought out my partner in like ’97, and in 1998 I sold my rights to Chain Link Addiction, and I kept my rights to our patented name, the Fetish Playland and Organ Grinder’s Ball.

And Fetish Playground?

Fetish Playland was more of a hard-core fetish kinda scene, which we did at U4ia. We would do Organ Grinder’s, which was more fashion show stuff, which at the time when I owned Chain Link, we supplied the clothing, what you see on the runway—‘I’m gonna go buy it Monday’ concept. Anyway, sold the store, kept the rights to the parties, and kinda branched off but kept my base equipment. I’ve got a lot of dedicated, loyal people who came to all those parties, who appreciated at the time what we were doing ‘cuz nothing else was offered like that in Cleveland. The whole Organ Grinder’s thing we kept up with, with the fashion show part and everything, and I think the first one, there may have been four or five hundred people, and eventually, it progressed to like twelve hundred people coming to it, Organ Grinder’s was open to the public, no dress code, just to trying to open other people’s eyes who were curious. It takes a lot of money to maintain these parties and stuff. A lot of people are bustin’ my balls, saying I’m going mainstream, but there’s a place for underground, bondage dungeons, where there’s blood-letting, cutting, a lotta that kinda stuff. I chose to go the more public route, for—I’m not gonna lie, you have more people show up. It’s great that I provided a place for those people to go, those hundred-fifty people, but it costs me more money than that, so I’m gonna keep doing that. A lotta people gave me shit, but I’m tryin’ to open it up, make it a little more commercial. We started incorporating themes along with fetish attire, so people that were maybe uncomfortable wearing a dog collar, we weren’t that stringent, but if they were uncomfortable about that, here’s another option. The Halloween party we did, you could wear a Halloween costume and still come and see what it’s about, and on the same hand keep the knuckleheads out who are just there to see tits and yell ‘fag’ and ‘lesbian’. Everything just kind of progressed, we try to stay with the times, we’ve moved to several different locations.

We started at U4ia, which was strictly a gay bar, and they were, unfortunately, shut down. Went to Metropolis, which is more of a mainstream place, and we did lose a lot of people who thought I was selling out or whatever, but I’m all down for providing an atmosphere for them, but I’m not gonna lose money. Kinda left Metropolis, came here to The Grid, which I love. The weird thing about coming here kinda was, a lotta my regular customers refused to come to The Grid because it was a fuckin’ gay bar.”

Really? That’s weird.

T: It was very weird. Yeah, very strange. But things are different. It was great when we started at U4ia, and it was definitely very disappointing to hear those kind of comments. But on the other hand, if that’s how you feel, I really don’t want you at my party anyway. It’s a place to come and it’s great people-watching, you know, experience how other people live. I guess, bottom line, if you’re not comfortable being around lesbian and gay people, this isn’t the place for you anyway, even though, the lesbian and gay community really shy away from my parties. I’ve tried to work out things to do parties exclusively for them, but I think because of the history of my parties, some of them came and were probably ridiculed. I’d love to have a totally gay Fetish Playland.

Oh my God, yes! And there is such a huge scene for that here. I think part of it is a lot of gay people want to be very PC, and they think if they’re associated with something fringe like that, that’s all straight people are gonna see. “Oh, they’re all freaks, they’re all this.” They’re trying to be more mainstream—I can understand you feeling that way, but that’s a part of your community, it’s not everybody, but it’s part of it.

G: You can’t please everybody. Our whole thing is, we’re cool with you if you’re cool with us. The minute you get outta line—granted, it’s an erotic environment, right? We just keep everybody in line.

T: Most people that are uncomfortable with their sexuality don’t come. At my parties, we were doing suspension and stuff, and you’d have the steroid guy there—not that there’s anything wrong with steroids!—tough guys–but they were the first ones to drop on the ground when they’d see that. But as far as Organ Grinder’s goes, we try to open it up to everybody, for the people who are like, “Well, just thought it’d be cool, let’s go see what it’s all about. If I don’t like it, we’ll never come again—or, it’s a whole new chapter, this is really cool!” The whole phobia thing, it’s a buncha bullshit.

G: The fact that it’s cool, and that other people think that it’s cool, aren’t gonna judge you. If you’re cool, we’re cool. And most people do come back—they might not come back to the very next party, but they’ll come back to another party. Really, this is an introduction to the scene, I guess, and when people pay their money, they’re paying to see what’s out there, and to be turned on, and nine times outta ten, that’s what they’re leaving with. Depending on what you’re into, nine times outta ten you’re gonna meet that person.

What are the differences between the Fetish Playlands and Organ Grinder’s?

T: Organ Grinder’s has no dress code, it’s a lot tamer, it’s more scenes of runway, choreographed, professional performances. It’s definitely more of a mainstream audience.

G: Voyeuristic, I’ll say.

T: Fetish Playland, no dress code as well, everyone is welcome, but that’s where you would meet more of the people that are kind of into the fetish scene.

More like the real, authentic fetish people.

T: Organ Grinder’s is curiosity-seekers. If you are curious, that’s the show to go to.

If you’re not sure where you belong, that’s the place to go find out.

G: And to see what’s available.

T: Great people-watching, no dress code—you can dress in an Indians t-shirt, denim cut-offs—

We are in Cleveland, so we’re gonna get that here!

T: Wear your Michael Stanley shirt! We welcome everybody.

G: Fetish Playland is more fine-tuned. They know what their thing is, and you’re bumpin’ it up a level. The doms, the subs, the guy who likes to dress in women’s clothing.

T: Everyone is very courteous. I have my trained staff to make sure that nobody bothers anybody. A lot of people have this phobia of, “I’m not gonna go there—as soon as I walk in the door, some guy with assless chaps will be cruising,” and it’s not like that at all. Everybody comes there to people watch, and it’s actually more girls than guys, and a lotta people have a real phobia about that, because “I’m not goin’ there—it’s a gay bar.”

G: Our events are not gay. It’s in a gay bar because the gay bars get us. Not to say that the straight bars don’t get us, but people can be what they wanna be here, they’re not gonna judge them here.

T: I love to do our events in a gay bar because it eliminates the testosterone atmosphere, because I’ve had those guys come here, and they try to cause the problems. We try to keep’ em out because we wanna try to protect the people who come here and feel safe, which means a lot to the gay community, and I know that. They won’t go somewhere where someone’s gonna shoot their mouth off, which, after twelve years, is still a challenge to me to get a steady gay crowd. You have to provide a safe, gay environment, and as of this point, I haven’t earned their trust, I guess.

What is your goal for next year?

T: I would like to do a gay-exclusive Fetish Playland. As far as Organ Grinder’s goes, it’s the same every year: top last year.

G: Locally, we’d like to see more people embrace what we do.

T: We truly have made concerted efforts to do a party exclusively for the gay community, because then, it’s a real party. What needs to happen is, a designated gay bar gives us the opportunity to make it a designated gay event. That’s what I would love to see happen; for four years I’ve been trying to do that. Everybody knows who I am and what I do, and what we do is very professional and it’s very entertaining. I think the market’s there, and it really bothers me that some people will come out and be very uncomfortable at out events. Whatever it takes, but it’s a huge nut to crack. That’s my goal.

Any final words for our fetish audience, and our non-fetish audience?

G: Don’t be afraid; just come!

For more information check out http://www.fetishplayland.com or http://www.myspace.com/clevelandfetish. Tickets for the Organ Grinder’s Ball will be on sale when Metropolis (2325 Elm Street in Cleveland) opens its doors at 9PM on Friday the 13th.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Dana Aritonovich mrsgrohl1ATyahoo.com

Helpful Hands in Your Pockets

Oh, do you think we’re being set up again.

The Plain Dealer is all atwitter about Sam Miller giving some money for a study to tell us what Sam Miller and the boys want now from us.

Don’t we already know.

A way to pay for a new Convention Center located on his land, near his other declining property, for his obvious benefit, and paid for by you and me…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

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

Web Association Luncheon @ Windows on the River 3/6/07, Last Monday, the WA gathered a group of tech-savvy pioneers to discuss the growing impact of social media. Moderated by Jim Kukral of BlogKits, the panelists consisted of George Nemeth of Brewed Fresh Daily, Dan Hanson of Great Lakes Geek and John Ettorre of Working with Words. The panel passionately argued for thebusiness case of this growing medium. In a nutshell, local companiesshould care about web 2.0 marketing channels like blogs, video andpodcasting because they can generate business.

Web 2.0 as explained by Dan Hansen is “push-button publishing for people.” The Time Magazine person of the year 2006 was “You” because now anyone can post content on the web. John Ettorre stressed that content is “The heart and soul of the Internet” so make sure what you post is valuable. Web users are scouring the Internet for two reasons: a solution to their problem or to have some fun. You need to put your best foot forward with whatever you create to build a community around your work. “Make sure you don’t have typos—they are worse than fascism”, Mr. Ettorre exclaimed.

The increasing bandwidth of the internet in tandem with this “push-button technology” is causing a flurry of new content being posted in the form of blogs, podcasts and video. Blogger George Nemeth said one overt benefit of blogging is learning something from someone else. Blogs also have direct organic search engine optimization benefits because of the sheer content. Instead of you finding a client, they will find you. The content you are posting on your blog is making you an expert in your field and this will ultimately lead to a sale.

Everyone likes getting their content through a different medium; that’s why you should offer your customers choice. Some people want to read it, watch it or listen to it. Jim Kukral stressed that video is the next big medium because it is the most effective way to get your point across to busy, attention-deficit web user. He suggested making short 30-60 second “how to videos” to connect to the YouTube generation. As a matter of fact, Google will be adding video results in standard searches this summer. You know when Google does something, it sticks.

Social media is setting the table for marketing to make a sale. Marketing is designed to get someone’s attention. Blogs, podcasts and videos are just another medium to get a consumer’s attention and they work best when you use them together. We are now our own travel agents, insurance agents and journalists, but the quality of the content is key. As Jim Kukral said, “People can lick off or wash off your stickiness.” Web 2.0 tools can deliver your message faster and more efficiently and all you can do is get the customer’s attention with quality content. From Cool Cleveland contributor Marc Majers LeadingHands.com

Celebration! Recital @ CSU Waetjen 3/27 There was a celebratory air all around Waetjen Auditorium; in the lobbies the caterers were busily setting up for the reception to follow the recital. As the audience members arrived, there was an almost palpable anticipation, as well. It was a faculty recital, but one with a bit of a difference. Arthur Klima, viola, was the main artist, playing in all four scheduled works. Eric Ziolek, Chair of the Department of Music at CSU would accompany him in another one, but the reception would honor the third participant: Angelin Chang.

Dr. Angelin Chang, that is, who is head of keyboard studies and professor of piano at CSU, is also coordinator of chamber music there. The reception would acknowledge her most recent triumph, however—that of GRAMMY winner for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)—shared with fellow-Clevelander John McLaughlin Williams, conductor of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. It honored their amazing collaboration for Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds). She is only the second Chinese-American musician to have won a GRAMMY (the other is cellist Yo-Yo Ma!) and the first (known) university professor to have done so.

In addition, the recital was to be broadcast live over WCLV-FM. Furthermore, for performances in this category (faculty recitals, especially) there was no admission fee and no parking fee, either. Amazing. As always, musical values were extraordinarily high.

Mr. Klima began his recital with a solo piece for viola – Six Etudes for Solo Viola, from 1969, by the American born composer Nancy Van de Vate. The set of miniatures were well-crafted to show different techniques and tonal quality of the instrument. Pizzicato was followed by dissonance which led to lyrical double stops, and then into syncopation, but always demonstrating the mellow sound of the viola, especially the rich lower register.

Eric Ziolek joined Mr. Klima for the Concerto for Viola and Piano by noted film composer Miklos Rozsa. Written in the early 1980s it is, by any accounting, a masterpiece. It readily demonstrates the virtuosity required by the soloist, and when the accompaniment is just one instrument rather than a full orchestra, that pianist had better be in the virtuoso category, as well! Fortunately, both gentlemen readily fit that description, and provided the audience with a dazzling display of musical fireworks. Rosza certainly had great familiarity with the entire bag of viola/piano tricks, and used most of them in this piece.

The first movement starts building tension almost immediately through intensity and volume expressed in lyrical double stops on the viola. An extended piano solo provided a good workout for Mr. Ziolek, before the viola joined in again with eerie harmonics. The second movement was slightly misnamed; Furioso would have been more appropriate than merely an allegro! The adagio that followed was mostly melodic with long, sweeping lines that led uninterrupted into the finale that was really perpetual motion. What a terrific piece! We need to hear this more often.

After intermission, Ms. Chang joined Mr. Klima for the Lachrymae or ‘Reflections on a song of Dowland for Viola and Piano’ by the British composer, Benjamin Britten. Although a good bit of it is dolorous in nature, still, it is definitely melodic, too. Rhythmic interest was by way of a syncopated nature, and a bit of pizzicato here and there. Interesting piece, well done.

The major work, however, was the song cycle, Dichterliebe, or A Poet’s Love by Robert Schumann. Comprised of 16 poems by the German poet, Heinrich Heine, it us usually performed by a singer with piano accompaniment. Said accompaniment, however, requires a pianist with formidable skills, as each small piece is almost a mini-sonata. The mood changes drastically from song to song; some are love songs, some are not. Mr. Klima felt the cycle would work well for his soulful, mellow-voiced instrument, and Ms. Chang agreed. The poetry in the music, even when there are no musical words sung or spoken proved not to be at all difficult for these experienced performers to uncover.

The songs were exuberant, wistful, mysterious, romantic, petulant and joyful. Sometimes more than one emotion was expressed at a time—sometimes the viola going one way and the piano another. Nevertheless, it was a marvelous experience!

During the reception that followed, Ms. Chang was presented with a declaration from Mayor Jackson, and the happy news that she had been granted tenure as well as a promotion to full professor! Brava! Bravo, as well, to Mr. Klima and Mr. Ziolek. It was an extraordinary evening of music.

For more information about the music programs at Cleveland State University, visit the CSU site: http://www.csuohio.edu.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Ella @ Cleveland Play House 3/28 Tina Fabrique is one heck of a singer and actress, and not a bad dancer, either! She is somewhat matronly in stature, but very comfortable with her body, and moves extremely well on stage, doing a creditable shimmy and shake and what not! But it’s the singing that’ll get you as she stars in Ella, a sort of one-woman show about the fabulous Ella Fitzgerald. There’s also a terrific four piece jazz combo that keeps the place jumping, and one actor to help with the story line. It’s an extremely enjoyable evening of theater.

Using a concert in Nice, France in 1966 as the basis for this play, the first act is set during the rehearsal, while the second is the actual performance. A week or so prior to this event, Ella’s much-loved sister had died, leaving Ella bereft but having to continue with her scheduled engagements. A rift with Ella’s son complicates the situation.

When Ella’s manager, Norman Granz, played by Clevelander George Roth, interrupts the rehearsal to suggest she sing less and chat more, she rebels, and begins to tell us the story of her career—how she started in Harlem, and ended up in France. Along the way, she sings. And sings. And sings some more. Those wonderful old songs with real melodies, and lyrics that make sense, and are understandable. Ms. Fabrique’s diction is remarkable—you can understand every syllable she sings, except for the scat, which you’re not supposed to understand anyway. You just enjoy it!

Bask in They Can’t Take That Away From Me, That Old Black Magic, The Nearness of You, You’ll Have to Swing It, It Don’t Mean a Thing, Lullaby of Birdland, A-Tisket, A-Tasket, and an amazing duet with trumpeter Brian Sledge who does a mean Satchmo imitation in Cheek to Cheek. And of course, there are a good many more, as well.

The other musicians are pianist George Caldwell, who doubles as conductor, Rodney Harper at the drums, and Clifton Kellem at the stand-up bass. They each get a well-deserved turn in the spotlight. The script is basically by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, while Rob Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison get credit as creators, and music direction and arrangements are by Danny Holgate.

The stage within the Bolton stage (by Michael Schweikardt) is really interesting—almost minimalist but colorful and versatile, all at the same time. Costumes by Alejo Vietti were also minimal, but the gown worn by Ms. Fabrique in the second act is gorgeous! Lighting by John Lasiter and sound by Michael C. Miceli contribute greatly to the overall effect.

You shouldn’t expect to see the reincarnation of Ella, but you will most likely leave the theater humming one of those great songs! Maybe even dancing a bit!

Ella continues through Sunday, April 22. For tickets or more information, call 795-7000, ext. 4, or visit their website: http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

Ella @ Cleveland Play House 3/28 One of the problems in doing a show like Ella which is now on stage at the Cleveland Play House, is that anyone who knows what Ella Fitzgerald looked like, sounded like, and acted like, expects the actor portraying the living legend to be that person. Hal Holbrook is Mark Twain in his portrayal of the great writer in Mark Twain Tonight. Several years ago, Wayne Turney appeared as Harry Truman in Give ’em Hell Harry at Actors’ Summit. He didn’t just portray Truman, he was Truman.

Unfortunately, as good a singer and actress as Tina Fabrique is, she does not personify Ella Fitzgerald. She doesn’t look like, have the mannerisms or the voice of “The First Lady of Song.” That’s not to say she is bad, she is excellent. She just isn’t Ella.

Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. What made Ella great was the wide-range of her voice, her accurate ability to give meanings to the words she sang, and her amazing ability to scat (sing meanings using sounds rather than words). Her voice was a musical instrument.

Born in 1917, she was early orphaned. She made her first foray into entertainment in 1934 when she won an amateur night contest at New York’s Apollo Theatre. Because of her unattractive looks she was denied the promised follow-up paid performances, but through sheer determination and a keen manager she rose to fame. By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums and by 1991 when she gave her final performance there, she had performed 26 times at the famed Carnegie Hall.

Fitzgerald’s personal life was not happy. He marriages didn’t last. Her relationship with her son (actually a child conceived by her sister and brother-in-law who she adopted) was filled with angst. Poor health plagued her through much of her career. She experienced heart problems and as a result of diabetes was forced to have both of her legs amputated below the knees. She died on June 15, 1996.

Ella, with book by Jeffrey Hatcher and conception by Rob Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison, chronologically follows part of the life of this great singer. It contains many of Ella’s hits including, “How High the Moon,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Pagannini),” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “Our Love is Here to Stay,” ”That Old Black Magic” and her signature piece, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.”

Though at times the dialogue gets a little sappy, it bridges the songs together and generally tells Ella’s story. Ms. Fabrique is a fine singer in her own right. She grabs and holds an audience. Her acting is also excellent. She is ably assisted by George Roth, as Fitzgerald’s manager, Norman Granz. The orchestra is fantastic. Brian Sledge is wonderful on the trumpet and George Caldwell (piano/conductor), Rodney Harper (drums) and Clifton Kellem (bass) are all fine musicians.

”Capsule judgment: If you go to see this production expecting to see and hear a personification of Ella Fitzgerald you’ll be disappointed. Instead, go to hear Tina Fabrique sing Ella’s songs and give yourself a taste of the life of the queen of scat. With that mindset, you’ll enjoy yourself!”

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info

Ella @ Cleveland Play House 3/29 It was an enjoyable night of jazz, swing, and big band standards last Thursday at the Cleveland Play House’s Bolton Theater in their current production of Ella. Almost everything in the show works, starting with the simple art deco staging and lighting, highlighted by a purple neon Ella backdrop. Broadway and regional theater veteran Tina Fabrique does an outstanding job as Ella Fitzgerald, in an almost one-woman show. Backing her is a four-piece band featuring George Caldwell on piano, Rodney Harper on drums, Clifton Kellem on bass, and Brian Sledge on trumpet.

The frame story of the show has Ms. Fitzgerald looking back on her life as she records a live album in Italy soon after the death of her sister. She reminisces all the way back to appearing at the Apollo Theater on amateur night as a young girl, and the structure of the play allows Fabrique to present songs from all phases of Fitzgerald’s career.

Ms. Fabrique carries the show along with a great selection of songs, representing the great American songwriters of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. She possesses her own strong voice, and did not have to mimic Ms. Fitzgerald to make things work, including several respectable efforts scatting. Her voice, and the talented but simple band behind her let the songs stand on their own. Amongst the highlights were Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You,” George Shearing’s “Lullaby of Birdland,” and the Gershwin standard “The Man that I Love.” She teamed up with horn player Sledge in a ”Satchmo” duet, doing a fine job with “Cheek to Cheek” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

Occasionally the different worlds I live in intersect, and that happened while reviewing Ella because I saw it with a dozen students from the high school where I teach. They were seeing the play as a requirement of our school’s song writing class, and had no idea who Ella Fitzgerald was, what scatting is, and what makes a song a standard. However, they enjoyed the night tremendously, and were filled with questions and comments both at intermission and afterward. Having them along and watching them experience the evening made the night extra special for me.

The Cleveland Play House is having a very good season, and you can add their current production of Ella to the list of quality shows they have produced this year. If you are an Ella Fitzgerald fan, or just a fan of jazz and pop standards, I highly recommend the show currently running in the Bolton Theater through April 21.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Greg Cielec cielecAThotmail

Visit writer Greg Cielec and learn about his novels at http://www.gregcielec.com.

GroundWorks Dancetheater @ CPT 3/31
Reasons to go: Keely Garfield’s Hurricane Heart was an intriguing dance exploring relationships — with hypnotic music by Nina Simone and Citizen Cope and many uses of a single rope. The “dance of monotony”, where 4 dancers lumbered across the floor like beasts and banged their heads against an invisible wall, was unforgettable. Through the Lens had dancers mostly in silhouette behind a red scrim, then dramatically bursting through the silk curtain. Special kudos to Dennis Dugan’s sharp light design.
Caveats: Although it had dramatic lighting and improv-based shards of movement by the dancers, Nano seemed more like dance accompaniment to composer Guillermo Aguilar’s way-overlong exploration of a snare drum. By the end, I dreaded the next mallet.
Details: Cleveland Public Theatre, http://www.cptonline.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Musically Speaking: Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 4/1 Musically Speaking is a new tactic—now in its second season—engaged in by the Cleveland Orchestra. The object is to provide connected extras to a regular concert that will inform as well as educate the audience by different methods to increase the entertainment values. There is a ‘pre-concert’ concert, or recital—if you will, of music that has a connection to what will soon be heard upstairs. Then, during that major event, a speaker will comment or explain something about the music. This time, there was also a ‘talk-back’ feature afterwards with a bit more talk, plus questions from the good-sized audience gathered for the purpose in the Smith Lobby.

It does tend to make for a long afternoon. The pre-concert starts at 2 pm, the concert at 3, and the afterwords at 5:15 or thereabouts. They did serve coffee and pastries, however, during the latter endeavor. Other than the length, I’d have to say the Musically Speaking of April 1 was a major success. Reinberger Chamber Hall was as full as I’ve ever seen it, the main concert hall was full, and there was a reasonable attendance for the afterwords.

The guest speaker was Hugh Macdonald of Washington University in Saint Louis, who is an internationally acclaimed expert on Berlioz. He spoke briefly in the chamber hall, introducing and explaining the connection between the string quartet and the violin concerto we would hear later. A quartet of orchestra musicians—Beth Woodside and Alicia Koelz, violins; Lisa Boyko, viola and Brian Thornton, cello, then gave a spirited and lively performance of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4.

It was interesting to learn that Beethoven played both violin and viola (in addition to piano) and was considered by some to be a ‘show-off’. This is perhaps one reason for the virtuosic nature of the concerto, which he could quite possibly have written for himself to perform, had he not lost his hearing. This quartet, however is an early work, and clearly displays his ‘joy of composition’, especially in the capricious second movement.

Gil Shaham is a remarkably assured musician; on-stage, his demeanor is that of someone entertaining a few friends in his living room. Just tossing off a few notes here and there! After the long introduction to the Concerto in D major, Op. 61, when he finally had notes to play, he was very authoritative and declamatory about it. “I’m here!” he seemed to say. Whether playing vigorously or softly, he is totally in charge. At the end of his cadenza in the first movement, there was an ultra-piano section that was breath-taking in its transparency.

He then engaged in a charming dialogue with Barrick Stees, bassoon, in the second movement, before moving into the lovely and lilting Rondo Allegro finale. Guest conductor Stéphane Denève (filling in for the ailing Kirill Petrenko) kept things moving along nicely throughout, paying apt attention to balance and tempo and other assorted details. Mr. Shaham was the recipient of a Gallic hug at the end of the concerto, and Ellen dePasquale, acting Concertmaster, had her hand kissed rather than shook on those occasions when the latter action would be more the norm.

After intermission, Mr. Macdonald accompanied Mr. Denève on stage, where the two men engaged in a charming and informative introduction to the Symphonie fantastique of Hector Berlioz. Subtitled ‘Episode in the Life of an Artist’, it is generally thought to be the result (or depiction) of an opium-induced dream. Whichever, it was the first such strongly visual music for an orchestra, and creates tremendous demands on the musicians. And the audience, too, for that matter. It’s much easier to understand and appreciate, however, when you know the scenario behind the musical notes. Berlioz thought on a grand scale, and used many instruments not previously thought of as suitable for an orchestra. He also incorporated huge forces to perform his compositions, whenever possible.

Mr. Denève was responsible for the first visual effect; the two harps were placed one at either side of the very front of the stage, affording not only a close-up view of the harp, but also the harpist. Amazing how much easier it was to actually hear the harps, in the second movement Ball as their cascades of notes up and down the scale added to the imaginary visual glimpse of the action.

There were more brass instruments used in this work than had previously been included in previous symphonies. At least we didn’t have to cope with the ophicleide (an ungainly and ugly instrument that made ungainly and ugly sounds, according to Mr. Macdonald). We were shown the E-flat clarinet before its musical demonstration, so we’d know what to listen for later. Mr. Denève warned us about the ‘squadrons of witches zooming around’ in the final Dream of a Sabbath Night. But Mr. Macdonald had the final words: ‘This is not meant to be beautiful music.’

Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. There was certainly some of each throughout, however—beautiful when it was intended to be and grotesque when that was the intention. Mr. Denève clearly has his own ideas about this piece, which may not be the same as everyone else’s, but they—and he—were very effective, regardless. It was a highly imaginative performance, ranging from eerily ghostlike to clangorous, with beauty freely interspersed here and there.

There are no concerts this weekend because of the Easter/Passover holidays. The next concerts are April 12, 14 and 15, when Music Director Franz Welser-Möst returns to conduct a program of Ligeti, Haydn and Brahms. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 231-1111 or visit their website: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net

My Buddy Bill @ UU 4/4
Reasons to go: Former homeboy-turned-screenwriter Rick Cleveland (West Wing, Six Feet Under) had the capacity audience in stitches with his award-winning shaggy dog story about getting to know the Clintons after he disciplines Bill’s dog Buddy for peeing on the presidential seal in the Oval Office. A potent satire about the incestuous relationships between celebrities and politicians, the bespectacled Cleveland (who looks like a bemused Heights High English teacher) careens from dog-walks on the beach to jamming with Billy Bob Thornton to doing blond hash hits in Amsterdam with Christopher Walken, all with the charismatic “Elvis” (Clinton’s code name) in tow. A total hoot — if you missed it, check it out when the solo show debuts on Comedy Central.
Coming soon: The Unitarian Universalist Society’s “Celebration of Coventry” will continue all year, with varied programs including a talk with Tommy Fello, “the Mayor of Coventry”, to memories of Irv’s. Producer Joyce Brabner hints that Cleveland may return with his Bushian send-up sequel, My Pal George.
Details: Unitarian Universalist Society, 2728 Lancashire, Cleveland Heights.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

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An Open Letter to Gary Hanson To Gary Hanson, Executive Director of the Cleveland Orchestra: Dear Mr. Hanson, The Cleveland Orchestra is certainly the biggest elephant in Cleveland’s music room, but it isn’t the only one. I’m bewildered by a recent announcement of an upcoming Orchestra event. Those persons responsible for this decision should be truly ashamed of themselves. Anyone who appreciates music must be aware (including those outside of Cleveland) that opera in this city has a new name, a new face, and a new season to celebrate. Opening night for OperaCleveland is Friday, April 20 at the State Theater in Playhouse Square. Salome by Richard Strauss is the main event, featuring fantastic young soprano Lise Lindstrom in the title role. She was a sensation here last year as Turandot. Furthermore, another Strauss opera Der Rosenkavalier will be presented by the Cleveland Orchestra in June of this year. I am eagerly awaiting this production as well, because I know that Music Director Franz Welser-Möst has a special affinity for opera in general, but also the music of Richard Strauss. But why, in the name of music, would you schedule or condone the “preview lecture” about Rosenkavalier with Mr. Welser-Möst on the very same night as the debut performance of the new OperaCleveland? Was there no other night available during the two months between now and the actual performances in June? Not to take anything away from the valuable insights of Mr. Welser-Möst — he is a wonderful speaker and raconteur, witty and literate and unprententious — but I’ll have to miss him this time. On April 20, my first allegiance is to our new opera company. And because there is no orchestra concert that night, yours should have been, too! Please reconsider this unhappy circumstance. Re-schedule Mr. Welser-Möst’s lecture for another date, so that all music lovers in Cleveland will not have to miss any special events! From Cool Cleveland reader and contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net.

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1) CityScape Cleveland State University Works to Transform Its Soviet Block by Lee Chilcote.
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2) Comment One Man’s Take on Yoga’s Barest Essentials by Nick Vannello.
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3) Impact of arts districts The Top 10 places for artists: 1) LA, 2) Santa Fe, 3) Carson City, NV.
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4) BizTech News Cleveland Colectivo receives record 150 proposals. 14 finalists presented last Saturday (including Meet.The.Bloggers* started by CC’s CIO George Nemeth).
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5) A&Q w/ G Alex Ennes talks about the Gateway Cleveland Church.
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A Symbiotic Relationship Equilibrium does not exist without connectedness. Give it up for your Hard Corps, who work tirelessly to stay connected and help you go and do likewise. Cheers to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Mansfield Frazier, Dana Aritonovich, Susan Schaul, Bill Lipold, Roldo Bartimole, Toni J. Chanakas, Kelly Ferjutz, Linda Eisenstein, Roy Berko and Annie Bandannie. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers 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.

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