Put it down to our diverse cultural landscape, the welcome mat we roll out to immigrants, our legacy of churches and community groups, our tight-knit ethnic communities, even our pleasant climate, but this region abounds with festivals of all types, year-round. While there’s been some churn in the maker fair space, the two-decades-strong Cleveland Bazaar has expanded into Akron. Meanwhile, as the FRONT and CAN Triennials disband amid a changing funding environment, arts activist Liz Maugans spearheads a discussion about starting up a new arts festival, and wasn’t it fortuitous that CoolCleveland was there to report on it.Charmed, I’m sure, if food is your thing as chefs compete at the Great Grog Shop Bake Off, Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off major discounts, TCO and CIM musicians perform Music for Food, and Summit Metro Parks shares how to grow the juiciest tomatoes. If you’d rather drink, then Hops With Happy at the CMNH might be more your thing. Women are featured at CMA’s monthly MIX party, as conductor & soloist at the TCO’s concerts this week, at Tremont’s Kaiser Gallery with a female Kuwaiti refugee artist, and at NCMC as they pay tribute to Queens of the Night.
Our band Vanity Crash is certainly on a roll as we set sail on an all-star rock & roll Caribbean cruise. But first, we’re previewing our shows for local fans at Lakewood’s Mercury Music Lounge this Saturday, and you’re invited to join us for free. How apropos!
Hear the sophisticated, soulful, and powerful music making of Artemis, the all-star collective of visionary modern jazz bandleaders and composers—pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller.
Named for the Greek goddess of the hunt, the multinational, multigenerational band was founded in 2017 under the banner of International Women’s Day. They’ll share their collaborative artistry on Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series on Wed. 3/13 at 7:30. Tickets: $10-$35.Read more.
As they set sail on the Celebrity Summit to perform alongside Foreigner, Dave Mason, WAR, Don McLean, Peter Asher and dozens of other major acts on the upcoming 70’s Rock and Romance Cruise, Vanity Crash has something in store for their loyal Cleveland fans.
Join Vanity Crash this Sat 3/2 at Mercury Music Lounge as they preview their two full band shows and Thomas Mulready’s solo presentations. And for those wishing to join the cruise, Vanity Crash fans can take advantage of the discount code BOWIE. Read more.
These two restaurants couldn’t be more different. Yet both are participating in Cleveland Restaurant Week 2024, March 4-16, 2024.
Yum Village offers fast casual, ready-to-eat, chef-prepared meals “priced to what the community can afford.” Coppia is a white tablecloth, fine-dining experience. But each brings their own traditions, heritage and experience.
CoolCleveland spoke with Carasai Ihentuge of Yum Village, bringing his family’s Nigerian heritage with ingredients sourced from West Africa, Haiti and the Caribbean. And we heard from Talia Trovato & Hedy Trovato about their Venezuelan and Italian backgrounds, honed to perfection at some of the top restaurants in the world. Both are bringing fresh flavors and experiences to Cleveland area diners. View the video interview here.
There’s been some churn in the maker fair community in the last few years with the end of the popular Cleveland Fleas after 2019, and last year, the sudden cancellation of Akron’s Crafty Marts prior to the holidays. But not only have the 20-year-old Cleveland Bazaars persisted, they’ve expanded, stepping in to replace the Akron events. A sign of why they work is that they’ve already posted a full schedule of events through December! Check it out here.
Rachel Brown and the Beatnik Playboys are one of the hottest, tightest Americana/roots music-style bands in NE Ohio. And they’ve just dropped their fourth album Full Moon Rendezvous. Their release show at Peninsula’s G.A.R. Hall is sold out, but they’re got a full schedule of summer shows already posted. Read more.
The recent news of the permanent cancellation of the FRONT International Triennial and the local art-focused CAN Triennial, both scheduled for 2025, provoked a conversation in the arts community about whether this would leave a hole in northeast Ohio arts programming and whether something was needed to fill that hole. So local artist/education/arts activist Liz Maugans spearheaded a meeting at Negative Space Gallery in AsiaTown to talk about creating a new event and what it might look like.
There wasn’t much initial consensus and the diverse ideas tossed around clearly need to be distilled and organized. But the main question that needs to be answered is whether this discussion is just a response to the cancellations of the triennials or if there are ideas, energy and resources — and, most importantly, a gap in existing programming — to justify a new event. Read more.
MON 3/4 Feeding Body and Soul Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Institute of Music musicians perform Music for Food concert to benefit University Settlement’s Hunger Center.
TUE 3/5 Differing Views County prosecutor Michael O’Malley and his primary challenger Matthew Ann will share their ideas about crime, safety and justice at the City Club.
