04.24-05.01.2019 In Motion

04.24-05.01.19
In Motion

A successful community never stops moving. Never worries if it’s headed in the “right” direction. And never looks back.

Artist Nick Cave has the right idea. His must-see wearable soundsuits (pictured) will be on full display and in full motion this weekend in Akron. Rocky River native comedian Brian Kenny comes back to headline Hilarities. Never standing still, folk rocker Maura Rogers unveils her new album this Saturday.

We’re ramping up in Peninsula, traveling to Woodstock at the Rock Hall, bidding on furniture, decor and artwork at Gray’s Auctioneers, celebrating 90 years of the Geauga County Maple Festival, enjoying Arbor Day at the Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden, and buying local at Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday. And we’re thanking CoolCleveland readers for making BOP STOP the #1 jazz club in the U.S. in AllAboutJazz.com readers’ poll.

Let’s move beyond the obvious and remember that art and creative writing help children and adults succeed, as you’ll learn in this week’s CoolCLE PODCAST as J interviews Amy Rosenbluth of Lake Erie Ink while hipping you to some new music by Shy Moon and Michael McFarland. Keep moving, people. –Thomas Mulready

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CoolCleveland is dedicated to George Nemeth
Photo by Thomas Mulready

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CoolCLE PODCAST #29: Lake Erie Ink’s Creative Writing Workshops for Teens

This week, we’re talking to Amy Rosenbluth, executive director of Lake Erie Ink, a nonprofit with a mission to provide creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the Greater Cleveland community, helping them develop writing and speaking communication skills. Amy shares some of the events and programs they offer.

And we have new music from Cleveland’s Shy Moon and Michael McFarland.

Nick Cave: Art in Motion

Chicago artist Nick Cave’s Soundsuits, currently on display in feat. at the Akron Art Museum, are jaw-droppingly complex pieces of art that combine sculpture, installation and fashion. But seeing them on display is only part of the story; the other part is seeing them animated, worn by dancers and other performers.

Luckily, Cave will be in Akron this week, conducting a series of public rehearsals leading to a pair of performances called HEARD.AKRON on Saturday and Sunday. These will provide viewers with more insight into the meanings the suits are intended to convey. Wed 4/24-Sun 4/28.

SPONSORED: Cleveland Botanical Garden and Holden Arboretum celebrate Arbor Day with free admission and free Asian Flowering Dogwood tree seedling giveaway on Fri 4/26 from 10AM-4PM. Experts will be on hand at both campuses to answer tree-care questions and offer advice on planting, pruning, mulching, tree selection and answer other general inquiries. HoldenArb.org and CBGarden.org.

Comedian Brian Kenny Comes Home

Stand-up comedian Brian Kenny has come a long way since graduating from Rocky River High School in 2006. The day before graduating from Erie’s Mercyhurst College, he took the stage at a local comedy venue, where, he says, “the set went really well,” and his soon-to-be-awarded marketing degree became an afterthought.

Now he’s returning to Hilarities downtown for his second headlining show there, where you can expect some Cleveland-centric riffs. He exudes atypical confidence for a comedian. “I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but typically if a show is there to do well – if it’s not a show where everybody is going to fail, no matter what – I think I’m typically going to do well,” says Kenny. Sun 4/28.

Folk Rocker Maura Rogers Unveils New Music

Maura Rogers & the Bellows have cut a swath through the local music scene with their lilting, high-energy folk rock. So their new album Always, which they’ll debut this week at the Music Box Supper Club, is awaited with high expectations.

It’s been a tough time for Rogers since the band’s last album, 2015 In Light, losing both parents and exiting a difficult relationship. But now, she says, “Once I was able to move past those things, I felt kind of a rebirth in myself. My life just took a whole new direction. I got married, I’m expecting twins this summer. All of that energy has been fused in this new album.” Sat 4/27.

SPONSORED: Holden Forests & Gardens Researcher to hold lecture and book signing Vacant lots, so often seen as neighborhood blight, have the potential to be a key element of community revitalization. Join Holden Forests & Gardens Research Associate Sandra Albro on Wed 5/1 @ 7PM at the Cleveland Botanical Garden as she presents practical insights, successes, and challenges of the project from her new book, Vacant To Vibrant. Free lecture requires registration here.

Honoring Mother Earth in Geauga County

It may be a little late for Earth Day but there’s never a bad time to learn about and celebrate protecting our environment and the creatures who live in it. Geauga Parks’ West Woods Nature Center hosts an Earth Day Extravaganza with loads of indoor and outdoor activities and learning opportunities for the whole family. Sat 4/27.

* “Pocket Poetry Day” encourages people to carry around their favorite poem to share with others. The Pocket Poetry workshop at Mac’s Backs, sponsored by Lake Erie Ink, helps kids write their own poems to share. Sat 4/27.

Click here for more CoolCleveland Kids events

Ramps are a member of the leek family, which appear in the woods for a brief time in the spring and a brief time in your local farmer’s market. Peninsula celebrates this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it veggie with the annual Ramp Up Peninsula festival where you can find ramps in foods, on T-shirts & in soaps, along with ramp-free food, entertainment, nature presentations and a guided walk on the Towpath. Sat 4/27.

Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Eats and Drinks.

SPONSORED: Rock Hall Nights: Woodstock  It’s been nearly 50 years since Woodstock generated legendary musical moments and catapulted an entire festival culture. On Wed 5/1 from 6-9PM, challenge your friends to trivia and explore artifacts from our Library and Archives. Check out the Hendrix and San Francisco exhibits, make a flower headband and take pictures in our festival photo booth. Get your tickets here.

Cleveland Opera Theater presents two full staged performances of the Verdi classic La Traviata at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Pulling out all the stops, they’re even featuring local burlesque & drag performers in the party scene! Fri 4/26 & Sun 4/28

* BOP STOP named #1 jazz club in U.S. in AllAboutJazz.com readers’ poll.

* Legendary Youngstown guitarist Phil Keaggy plays two shows at Nighttown. Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27.

* Chagrin Arts presents an evening of bassoon music with the Cleveland Orchestra’s Barrick Stees. Fri 4/26.

* Paul Pope gets his old band back together to say farewell at the Music Box. Thu 4/25.

WED 4/24
Gray’s Auctioneers in Cleveland opens bids this morning on an array of furniture, decor & artwork (such as this painting by Cleveland School artist George Adomeit). You can see all the items up for bid at their showroom on Detroit Avenue.

* The Silence of the Lambs is the next offering from the Capitol Theatre’s Happy Hour Film Series.

* Green Day were executive producers of the film Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk, screening at the Rock Hall.

Click here for more events on Wed 4/24

THU 4/25
The Geauga County Maple Festival in Chardon is 90 (!) years old, but it rocks like a teenager with four days of food, rides, contests, parades, and even an arts & crafts show, through Sun 4/28.

* New show at Convention Center gallery features mixed-media work by two noted local artists. Through Fri 10/11.

Click here for more events on Thu 4/25

FRI 4/26
Tri-C JazzFest and Gordon Square Arts District have partnered to present six programs leading up to JazzFest June 27-29. The first, at the Happy Dog, features poet/musician Daniel Gray-Kontar (pictured), jazz trumpeter Domnick Farinacci, and others in a panel discussion and performance, celebrating the intersection of poetry & jazz.

* No Exit New Music presents adventurous clarinet duo at Appletree Books.

* Emergent show at Heights Arts showcases work of 11 recent college graduates.

* Celebrate Arbor Day and get a free tree seedling at Holden Arboretum & Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Click here for more events on Fri 4/26

SAT 4/27
There’s no better way to spend a Saturday than visiting local bookstores on Independent Bookstore Day. Many of them will have in-store parties, sales, giveaways and special merchandise. There’s even a scavenger hunt based on a book set in Shaker Heights. Check out our list of participating stores.

* Upcycle Parts offers another bling hack session to create using broken jewelry.

* Dance the night away at Get Hep Swing’s Swing Prom at the Beachland Ballroom.

* Benefit at Lakewood’s Vosh features great food & lots of Beatles music to feed the city’s hungry people.

* Prowl the bowels of Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument on a tunnel tour.

* Mass Hysteria Comedy Fest holds a benefit at Mahall’s packed with funny performers.

* Learn the forgotten story of home run hero Luke Easter at the Baseball Heritage Museum.

* Cleveland Classical Guitar Society hosts Parisian musician Judicael Perroy in Shaker Heights.

* Photographer Joe Vitone shares his Family Records at the Akron Art Museum. Through Sun 10/27.

* Artists Archives sponsors tour of local Studio Foundry.

* Join a Doan Brook cleanup at Rockefeller Park today or Shaker Lakes tomorrow.

* Burning River Roller Derby takes on teams from Richmond, Virginia, in North Olmsted.

Click here for more events on Sat 4/27

SUN 4/28
Polish Constitution Day provides the occasion for a colorful parade in Slavic Village, followed by a gathering at the Polish-American Cultural Center.

* Ursuline College fashion majors stage their annual “Runway” show.

* Bring a picnic to enjoy under the cherry blossoms in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Fine Arts Garden; wear pink or white and see the Shinto show for free.

* Pittsburgh’s Tamburitzans bring music & dance of many countries to the Breen Center.

* The next “Silent Spring”? Learn more about how pesticides harm our ecosystem in a Sierra Club program at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Click here for more events on Sun 4/28

TUE 4/30
Pittsburgh Symphony horn player William Caballero is featured in a program of classical and contemporary music for that instrument, closing the Cleveland Chamber Music Society’s 2018-2019 season at Forest Hill Church in Cleveland Heights.

Click here for more events on Tue 4/30

WED 5/1
The Sister Cities program helps cities around the world forge cultural and business partnerships. The first-ever Sister Cities conference at the Cleveland Public Library invites the public to learn more about Cleveland’s 22 Sister Cities around the world. Through Fri 5/3.

* Rock Hall Nights pay tribute to the original Woodstock festival.

Click here for more events on Wed 5/1

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Thanks

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