12.06-12.13.17
Free & Direct
Stay local and your dollars go directly into our local economy. CoolCleveland’s FREE ShopLOCAL listings on the site or FREE mobile apps will connect you with just a few clicks.Clevelanders Clint Holley & Dave Polster have started recording bands direct-to-disc, just like the old days, with their Earnest Tube project, and now crowdfunding Analog Rebellion to record socially conscious local music. Pinch & Squeal pulls out all the stops, PHS explodes with holiday fare, Akron Men’s Soccer roll closer to a national championship, and we talk with Geri Presti, who recently left Forest City to lead The Music Settlement.
Speaking of free, we’re offering our CoolCleveland t-shirts FREE to a lucky winner each week, or order some as cool gifts for a special price with FREE shipping. We can’t be more direct than that. –Thomas Mulready
Subscribe to CoolCleveland here
Download our free mobile apps for Apple and Android
Get help receiving the CoolCleveland e-blast here
Photo by Anastasia Pantsios
CoolCleveland is dedicated to George Nemeth
Make a direct impact on your online advertising Consider CoolCleveland Sponsored Links, Sponsored Features and Sponsored Videos. Info@CoolCleveland.com
You may have seen Jason and Danielle Tilk – aka Pinch and Squeal – and their assortment of fellow variety performers around town at events such as Ingenuity or clubs such as the Beachland. The comedic/musical duo assembles an unpredictable cast of musicians, acrobats, juggle, hula hoopers and who knows what else all for their “Wizbang” circuses.
For those looking for fun holiday entertainment that’s not cookie-cutter fare, they’re pulling out all the stops for two nights at Cleveland Public Theatre. “Expect comedy, mayhem. Really a show that evolves around you, over you, even sometimes in your lap,” says Jason. Fri 12/8 & Sat 12/9.
Looking for a gift that shouts your local pride? Score your own CoolCleveland t-shirt in your choice of sizes: S, M, X, L or XL. And choose between men’s style or ladies. Black t-shirt with white CoolCleveland logo. For FREE!
How to win? Simply enter your email at CoolCleveland.com. You’ll receive our once-a-week e-blast highlighting cool people, events and places in NEO, just like we’ve been publishing for 15 years. And that’s it. You are entered, and you have a chance to win. Even if you are already subscribed to CoolCleveland, enter your email and you have the same chance to win as everyone else. We’ll give away a t-shirt a week, until they are all gone. Send us a photo of yourself wearing your CoolCleveland t-shirt, and we’ll feature you in an upcoming issue. It’s that simple. Enter here: CoolCleveland.com.
Looking for a great gift? If you have PayPal, you can now purchase CoolCleveland t-shirts to show your pride with the best gift ever. Specially priced at $9.99 each, with FREE SHIPPING. Order your gifts NOW! Info@CoolCleveland.com
Cleveland sonic magicians Clint Holley and Dave Polster started the Earnest Tube to record direct-to-disc, like it was done pre-1950s. Out of that grew their crowdfunded recording project Analog Rebellion, on which 10 local musicians recorded songs with socially conscious messages, sometimes in one take.
“The project was tied to the current political climate, primarily the election last year,” says Holley. “A lot of people get on Facebook and complain about politics, but I don’t really see a whole lot getting done. We tried to figure out what we could do on a local level to kind of move things forward a little bit.” The fundraiser continues via local crowdfunding platform Gotta Groovebot through Sun 12/31.
Christmas theater staples are staples for a reason: audiences love them. Who doesn’t want to feel the lift that comes with Tiny Tim’s last words in A Christmas Carol?
This year, three Cleveland theater groups are filling PlayhouseSquare theaters with those beloved plays. In addition to Great Lake’s Theater’s A Christmas Carol, there’s the Cleveland Play House’s A Christmas Story, and Cleveland Public Theatre’s version of the humorous Santaland Diaries. We provide more info on these productions. Through Sat 12/23.
SPONSORED: Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Winter Classes at Beck Center Disney’s The Little Mermaid now showing through Sun 12/31. Tickets are selling fast – get yours today! Explore your inner artist and register for a class. It also makes a great holiday gift! Classes begin the week of Jan. 29. BeckCenter.org.
After a success in the corporate world filled with increasing challenges and honors, Geri Presti, who started her career as a music therapist at the Music Settlement, returns as president and CEO.
And it’s a pivotal time for the University Circle institution as they create a formidable 19,000 square foot campus in Ohio City offering early childhood education, music classes and music therapy, a block away from their recently established BOP STOP jazz club.
Listen as CoolCleveland talks with Geri about her vision and their expanded mission customizing music programs designed for optimal impact: “No one could be more joyful and excited!” TheMusicSettlement.org.
This time last year you could have seen Daniel Strachan (#25) attending Lakewood High School, playing club soccer. This year, he’s graduated to the competitive University of Akron Zips team, which will play in semi-finals of the College Cup against Stanford in Chester, Pa. on Fri 12/8. Winning that game puts them in the Finals on Sun 12/10.
Strachan talks to CoolCleveland’s John Benson about the changes he’s encountered moving up to the next level and how his experience at Lakewood prepared him for it.
In 1965 John Barr bought a Cleveland Heights storefront on Cedar and opened Nighttown in tribute to Irish author James Joyce. The spot grew quickly taking over adjoining storefronts where today his successors Brendan Ring and Jim Wadsworth have multiple dining rooms serving food and music lovers. Barr passed away November 28 at the age of 87.
SPONSORED: Museum Under the Stars Spend your Wednesday evening exploring the wonders of the night sky at Museum Under the Stars, every non-Think and Drink Wednesday at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The evening includes special planetarium shows and (weather permitting) the opening the Museum’s observatory. Dinner specials and beer and wine available. Details.
The Musical Rainbow programs for young children at Severance Hall usually feature a particular instrument. But this month, a brass quintet will play popular holiday songs for kids to sing along with. A “surprise guest” is promised? We’re guessing he has a white beard. Fri 12/8 & Sat 12/9.
Click here for more CoolCleveland Kids events
Sandwich Special: The 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon Melt. Seasonal Sides: Cheesy Loaded Potatoes and Kung Pow Broccoli. Bread Pudding: Peanut Butter Cup Bread Pudding. Beer Feature: Bell’s Winter White. Cocktail Feature: Dude Goes South for the Winter.
Melt News: All December, purchase $100 worth of Melt gift cards and get a bonus $25 gift card! The perfect stocking stuffer or appreciation gift during the holiday season. All December, Melt Bar and Grilled will be encouraging their guests to “round up the bill to fight hunger”. All money raised will be donated directly to local Ohio food banks to battle hunger in Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Dayton & Columbus.
The Countryside Winter Farmers Market is hosting a pancake breakfast at this week’s market, with pancakes, root vegetable hash and sausage, all locally sourced. Sat 12/9.
* Join the Cleveland Vegan Society at CLE Urban Winery in Cleveland Heights for its Winter Wine Fest to raise money for next summer’s VegFest. Fri 12/8.
Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Eats and Drinks.
David Bowie’s Berlin Era has fascinated critics and fans for decades: riding high on the success of Young Americans, the artist hooks up with fellow addict Iggy Pop and relocates to Berlin to clean up (improbably, it works) and create some of the most acclaimed music of his storied career, the albums Low, “Heroes” and Lodger. CoolCleveland’s cultural impresario Thomas Mulready returns on Fri 1/12 with a in-depth and entertaining peek behind the scenes, David Bowie: The Berlin Era, informed by recently released and rare box sets, video and needle drops. Tickets.
The following evening, Sat 1/13, the audience is treated to Bowie’s entire fascinating life, An Evening With(out) David Bowie, in two parts, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm – see both for a discount. Each evening is punctuated with a blistering live set or two by Cleveland’s glam heroes, Vanity Crash, showcasing their 2017 release, Phantasmagoria, featuring pianist Mike Garson, Bowie’s longtime accompanist, alongside Bowie classics and period classics. This show sells out, so secure your seat now. Tix.
The Whiskey Hollow, a hard-hitting Cleveland quarter fronted by the raw-voiced Madeline Finn, celebrates a new EP release at the Grog Shop. Sat 12/9
Read more picks by Anastasia Pantsios here
Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Cool Events.
WED 12/6
Some people wrongly think immigrants are scary. But if you come to the annual Multicultural Holiday Celebration at the Global Center for Health Innovation, you’ll find out how much they add to this region.
Click here for more events on Wed 12/6
THU 12/7
Dog lovers! Hurry out to the I-X Center where the Crown Classic Dog Show will attract hundreds of canines of all sizes, colors and breeds. Find your ideal breed and learn all about it. Rescues will be bringing adorable mutts for adoption too. Through Sun 12/10.
Click here for more events on Thu 12/7
FRI 12/8
Cleveland-raised writer Holly Gleason has gone a long way. Her current volume in which women writers talk about women country artists who inspired them is getting loads of praise. She’ll be at Tremont’s Visible Voice Books signing them.
Click here for more events on Fri 12/8
SAT 12/9
If your friends and family are offbeat or a little weird, the place to get their gifts in the two-day Oddmall aka “Chrishanukwanzmadan” in Canton, where you’ll find a variety of stuff appealing to fans of steampunk, anime, cosplay, comix and the macabre. Also tomorrow.
Click here for more events on Sat 12/9
SUN 12/10
The regular Kamm’s Corners Farmers Markets closed in October. But they’re back for a one-day-only shot with their indoor holiday market where you can shop prepared food vendors and handcrafted gifts from local artisans.
Click here for more events on Sun 12/10
MON 12/11
It’s a cliche with some truth to it that men hate to shop for gifts. Ease his panic by creating a registry at Heights Arts and sending him there on “Manly Monday” to pick items from your list. Also he gets local artisan beer while he shops. Oh – I see him heading for the car now!
Click here for more events on Mon 12/11
TUE 12/12
The Happy Dog Takes on the World series travels to Africa with a panel discussion about what’s going on in the continent’s diverse countries and how it impacts the U.S. Seriously – did you know Niger existed before this past October?
Click here for more events on Tue 12/12
WED 12/13
Equality Ohio, which advocates for LGBT rights, honors non-LGBT ally Christine Link, former executive director of he Ohio ACLU, at its annual event at the Music Box.
Click here for more events on Wed 12/13
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
One would think that when a juvenile is arrested for armed robbery at age 14, that alone would be a good indicator of bad things to come in this youth’s future, and strong corrective measures would be initiated….
Read other stories from Mansfield Frazier here
A look back at the last week
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com
THEATER REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes & the Irregulars @ Dobama Theatre by Roy Berko
REVIEW: The Little Mermaid @ Beck Center by Roy Berko
Read and comment here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog
Direct to you,
–Thomas Mulready
Cool Networks LLC / 14837 Detroit #105 / Cleveland, OH 44107
All contents (c)2017 Cool Networks LLC all rights reserved