Even during what is typically the slowest arts & culture week of the year, it doesn’t take much effort to find cool things to recommend as we wind our way into the future.Tix are now on sale for Vanity Crash’s CLE & AKR shows next week, celebrating our upcoming Caribbean cruise as a featured act with major 70s artists; plus I’ll be presenting a preview at the Mercury Music Lounge next Monday. And there’s more music this week: The Whiskey Daredevils release a new vinyl at the Beachland, Russian-born Ian Maksin performs Cellos for Peace at the Maltz, guitarist Moises Borges brings Brazilian jazz to Ohio City, Rachel & the Beatnik Playboys enliven the Bainbridge Swing Dance, and the Grog Shop’s 4-day anniversary weekend features local musicians.
A familiar dynamic is shaping up for 2024. One presidential candidate has some pretty tainted views on immigration. And with Ohio being one of the most gerrymandered states around, most Ohioans are tired of the political extremism that results from these rigged districts, and they are banding together as “Citizens Not Politicians” to replace partisan politicians with a non-partisan citizens redistricting commission. Let’s move forward fairly.
2023saw two contentious Ohio ballot issues: August’s Issue 1 would’ve made it nearly impossible for citizens to place and pass issues on the ballot, while November’s Issue 1 protected reproductive rights. But many Ohio citizens are tired of fighting the extremism of a radically gerrymandered legislature. And in December activists began collecting signatures to put another issue on the November 2024 ballot that likely would’ve prevented 2023’s two Issue 1s.
This issue, dubbed Citizens Not Politicians, would replace the politicians who currently draw the congressional and legislative districts with a nonpartisan citizens redistricting commissions that bars membership to current and former elected officials, officers in any political party, lobbyists and big-money donors. Read more.
Cleveland-based glam rock artists Vanity Crash are thrilled to announce they will be joining Foreigner, Dave Mason, WAR, Don McLean, Peter Asher and many other major acts as a featured artist on the 70’s Rock and Romance Cruise on the luxury ship Celebrity Summit, departing Miami on 3/14/24 for a week, with stops in Aruba and Curaçao. Vanity Crash fans wishing to join the cruise can take advantage of the discount code BOWIE.
Before they set sail, Vanity Crash makes two appearances in Northeast Ohio, previewing the shows they will perform on board the ship: on Fri 1/12 at Jilly’s Music Room in AKR with Birth to Ziggy (1947-74), exploring the artist’s formative years; and on Sat 1/13 at BOP STOP in CLE with “Heroes” to the End (1974-2016), covering the second half of his life and music, both complete with interviews, video and Vanity Crash originals. Thomas Mulready previews excerpts of his presentations at Mercury Music Lounge on Mon 1/18.Composite photo of David Bowie in CLE (1978) by Janet Macoska & Vanity Crash (2023) by Anastasia Pantsios.Read more.
In December, Cleveland’s heavy metal community and its fans throughout the world got the sad news that longtime Shok Paris guitarist Ken Erb passed away on December 12 at the age of 63. Shok Paris was the first band on Cleveland’s Auburn Records, the label that pretty much created the city’s vibrant 80s heavy metal scene. They went on to release two albums on a national label. There’ll be a celebration of Erb’s life on Saturday January 13 with lots of music, naturally. Read more.
The City of Kent is planning to put five murals on downtown business walls celebrating the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, which will be visible throughout northeast Ohio. Artists have until Monday January 8 to submit designs for consideration.Read more.
WED 1/10 Last Look The Cleveland Museum of Art’s special show on how Degas and other artists of his time depicted Paris’ ubiquitous laundresses is on view through January 14.
There is no question that America has an immigration problem, particularly at the Southern border. Those seeking asylum must wait years for a hearing. Thousands wait at the southern border, endangering their lives and those of their children attempting to cross the Rio Grande River. For most of our history preference was giving to to northern Europeans, while making it more difficult and sometimes impossible for Asians, Africans and Latin Americans to gain entry.
While immigrants from the southern border are dumped on the doorsteps of northern cities by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, Congress sits on their hands, spending more time worrying about Hunter Biden. All the while American taxpayers foot the bill to care for the immigrants who for the most part cannot work legally in the U.S. Florida has even passed a law that if you hire an illegal alien, you can be charged with a criminal offense. Read more.
