Kings and Queens
Any successful uprising must come from a confident position of peace. As we face a steady and unprecedented disruption in the checks and balances, hundreds of communities will stand up peacefully this weekend, including in Cleveland, Akron and dozens of diverse communities in the CoolCleveland footprint. Our exclusive interview with RA Washington while on an East Coast and European tour with Mourning [A] BLKstar, reminds us of our potentially apocalyptic American culture, while M[A]B’s response is to make music and touch audiences around the world.
Meanwhile, offerings are everywhere this week. An outdoor makers market pops up in Chagrin Falls, while the Snowy Owl inspires this year’s Parade The Circle on Wade Oval. The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes hosts Native Plant Bingo, while a queer horror/slasher film premieres at the Capitol Theatre. Night Terrors play the Treelawn, while NWT celebrates Juneteenth with free performances. The Dancing Wheels benefit goes Western, while Yagga Yagga Fest celebrates reggae & world music to help WCSB. Dominick Farinacci jams and talks with three area sax players at EDWINS in advance of the Tri-C JazzFest, while local literary lights share their work at a Plum City Reading at Loganberry Books.
CoolCleveland columnist Mansfield Frazier wrote for us for over 10 years, and each year since he passed in 2021, we re-publish his Father’s Day tribute, while CoolCleveland columnist C. Ellen Connally revisits (the town) Mansfield and The Shawshank Redemption. Finally, CoolCleveland contributor Jeffrey Bowen shares some history on the Kings and Queens of Rock & Roll. Now there’s a King (or Queen) we can live with. Peace out.
–Thomas Mulready