Geekdom

5.07-5.14.08
Geekdom

In this week’s issue:

We’re proud of our geekdom in the Cleveland Plus region. From the scientific geeks hosting the Science Café to the writers headed to the Word Lover’s Retreat, to the policy wonks who read Roldo’s column every week, Cool Cleveland offers a little something for everyone with a passion. Whether it’s our review of Chris Castle’s new CD, or blog postings on Brewed Fresh Daily by pizza fans, or our profile of arts matron and host A. Grace Lee Mims, or even our exclusive photos and vids of Fashion Week, we’re standing up for geeks of all stripes and colors. —Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland’s …u n c l o t h e d… was sold out
Check our backstage photos and video
Don’t miss the rest of Fashion Week

u n c l o t h e d A Mixed Media Runway Event… A couture carnivale… an avant garde parade… a runway happening. Cool Cleveland’s party was sold out (did you miss it?), but you can still see the first edition of our backstage photos and exclusive vidcam of selected excerpts of the u n c l o t h e d fashion show. This week, Fashion Week Cleveland continues on Wed 5/7 at 7PM at CIA with a screening of Funny Face, and an introduction, Fashion Photography and Richard Avedon, by photographer Herb Ascherman Jr.; Thu 5/8 at 2:30PM at Western Reserve Historical Society, lecture Short & Sweet: Two Centuries of American Childhood, by curator Megan Spagnolo; 7PM: KSU Museum has Completely Dior with KSU museum director Jean L. Druesedow lecturing on Christian Dior: The First 10 Years.; Fri 5/9 2:30-4PM at Cle Museum of Natural History, a lecture, Gems to Jewelry: Formation to Design; at 7PM Talkies Film and Coffee Bar shows Fashions of 1934; Sat 5/10 at 8PM The Cleveland Fashion Show 2008 at the Galleria at Erieview, includes an opera performance by Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008. www.FashionWeekCleveland.com

A hot selection of tech and business news & events from around the region. Got business news? Send it to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Geekdom Goes Cool @ The Science Café

Just about everyone outside of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has had their day in court or at least their day in high school where your inner nerd played havoc with your self esteem, if not your soul. No one most of us hung around with ever seemed quite as cool as we wished we could be.

At least in my part of the solar system, The Great Divide was tiny compared to the light years that separated advanced Biology from Prom Queens and Jocks, which frolicked just this side of Mount Olympus with the other mythological Gods and Goddesses.

Who really grasps the fact that computer nerds transform into special effects mavens and math wizards and would put a rover on Mars? Well, the folks who attend the Science Café — launched by Case Western Reserve University and hosted at Great Lakes Brewing Company — have got that locked. And the odds are, there’s at least a part of you that will be completely captivated.

All right, it’s time to “fess up.” You have secretly watched National Geographic with all the lights out and maintained your anonymity, haven’t you? You’ve channel surfed between The Office, and Cold Case, and fiendishly become mesmerized by special effects in space movies. You daydreamed of being an astronaut and longed to cavort with the dolphins as your high school Science Fair project… didn’t you…?
Read more from Deb Dockery here

SPONSORED: Mixing Cereals with thunder::tech:: get rid of the boring agency flakes in your life:: Why start your day with plain puffed rice when you could have a mixture of frosted wheat squares, raisiny nut clusters, and an assortment of sugared fruit shapes all in one bowl? We think it’s way more fun, so that’s how we work—mixing PR, web, advertising and branding all together in one room. The end result is pretty sweet. Hungry for a new marketing approach? Stop by the site, give us a call:: http:www.thundertech.com • 216.391.2255

Who is suing National City to stop the $7B capital investment plan? Click
Would you attend a Cause for Drinks? Check it out here and then let them know. Click
Are you attending GLUE’s “Sticky City” tomorrow, 5/8? The Great Lakes Urban Exchange is a pretty cool idea. Click
What happens when papers bet against the virtual tide? A Boston, Mass media outlet’s shuttering is detailed here
Gov. Strickland signs hybrid energy bill. Click
Casino backers are asking for Stark’s help but will it matter? Click. Click Again
Some Regional Learning Network events are being planned. Keep an eye out for them here
Payday lending is getting reformed This has been a long time coming for Ohio. Click
Exports TO China growing for Buckeye State? One story details it. Click

BioE ‘s Baiju Shah and others lead Corp Club at Landerhaven luncheon Thu 5/8. Click
Young Executive Committee The Club at Key Center hosts Cle’s finest professionals on Thu 5/8 for their 9th annual Meet and Greet, which benefits Look Up To Cleveland. The networking event runs from 5:30-8:30PM. Members and non-members alike are welcome. Call 241-1272 for tickets.
YP Networking in the Middle – Akron Edition hits Musica, 21-23 Maiden Ln, Akron on Thu 5/8 at 6PM. Details
Cle hosts 2008 Economic Development Administration Regional Conference and you are invited to attend! It drops Mon 5/12 – Wed 5/14 at the Crown Plaza and features 300 economic development professionals from 19 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All you need to do is Register
Financial Decision Making forum helps newbie and longtime biz owner-ops navigate $ waters, find magnetic north Wed 5/14 at 9AM. Register
Federal Grants for Start-Up Companies workshop starts series for start-ups with cool programming Thu 5/15. See the full schedule and register here
Waste is a biz op in this E4S meeting Wed 5/14 in Akron. Details
JumpStart Annual Public Mtg hits Corp College East Thu 5/15, celebrating entrepreneurship. Details and Registration
2008 Ohio Business Women’s Conference & Expo at Cle Marriott Downtown Key Center on Fri 5/16 pres. by Hispanic Business Association, promises to be the largest event of its kind in the region for women in business. Register
HOT Craig Newmark, fndr of Craigslist keynotes TechSync forum on Sat 5/17. Details
Exploring the Green Jobs Market is the subject of E4S meeting at Great Lakes Brewing Co on Tue 5/20. Details are here
Marketing to the Social Web is latest AAF-Cleveland Windows on the River meal Wed 5/21, focusing on digital community building. Details
Cleveland Opportunity + Expo 2008 is designed to provide small and mid-size businesses in Cle an opportunity to promote and introduce products or services and establish new relationships. It hits Fri 5/23 at 10AM at the Galleria. Click
Velocity/2008 celebrates NEO companies accelerating our economy with innovative practices, strategies Thu 5/29 at 4:30PM at the Idea Center. RSVP? Call 375-7974 or email: danyoung@dxysolutions.com
Manfg for the Med Market Hear from area manufacturing leaders Thu 5/29 who have successfully diversified their biz to participate in the biomed industry. Register
E4S leader Holly Harlan and GCBL Institute’s David Beach headline June Corp Club at Landerhaven lunch Thu 6/12. Click

HOT CollabTech 08 The upcoming Collaborative Technology and Community Engagement Summit being held at Case Western Reserve University’s Thwing Center on Thu 5/8 from 9AM – 4PM features Anthony Williams, co-author of Wikinomics as no-cost lunchtime keynote and Cory Ondrejka, the founder of SecondLife and more than 16 breakout sessions and 40 speakers and demonstrations. Can’t attend in person? You can participate in SecondLife here after creating an avatar (instructions available here). Or you can catch some streaming of the event in new near-HD vis here. Get the whole scoop at http://www.case.edu/its/collabtech08/collabtech08.html.

NASA Glenn Biz Op Forum An exciting day at the NASA Glenn Research Center includes a cool Business Opportunity Forum on Fri 5/16 at the Ohio Aerospace Institute. Reg limited to the first 125 guests here

SPONSORED: Special offer for Cool Cleveland subscribers ONLY Get a One-Year Rock Hall Membership and Attend the Rock Hall’s Annual Benefit Concert with access to the Members Only Reception (a $65 total value) for only $35!! The Rock Hall’s Annual Benefit Concert, is happening this Sat 5/10 at 7PM at Public Hall. Please contact Doug Hutchinson at 216.515.1939 by May 9, 2008 to take advantage of this great offer! Be sure to mention “Cool Cleveland Membership Offer” when calling!

WCLV’s A. Grace Lee Mims
Teacher, Singer, Radio Host/Producer, Librarian

It’s a familiar sort of story: small town girl goes to college in a bigger town, some hundreds of miles from home. At the same time, big-city boy heads off in a different direction, but ends up at the same college. They meet, fall in love, and live happily for a good many years afterwards. There’s nothing terribly unusual about that scenario, but the two people involved were unusual: for their time and their place in the world. How they came to Cleveland is a story in itself, and our city is much the better for their having done so.

Tomorrow, that former ‘small-town girl’ A. Grace Lee Mims, celebrates her 32nd anniversary as on-air host of a nationally renowned weekly radio program — The Black Arts — that she conceived and still hosts and produces on WCLV 104.9-FM, Cleveland’s Fine Arts Station.

Having grown up in a super-musical family, it’s hardly to be wondered at that Ms. Mims would tune in to such a station, once she’d arrived here in Cleveland, some years after the station came into existence. But then, one day in 1976, it occurred to her that while the station certainly did play music performed (and/or written by) Black artists, there was no such program devoted to them on a more-or-less exclusive basis. (This was at a time when nearly every radio station in existence aired ethnic or religious programs as a matter of course—as part of their ‘community service’ efforts.)

So, she picked up the phone and called Robert Conrad, co-founder and president of the station, to present her idea for a program featuring the contributions of Blacks to music. He invited her to his office (then at Terminal Tower) to discuss her ideas. During a cordial meeting, she was invited to make a sample tape. She chose one of the bigger stars in the musical diadem—Jessye Norman—a choice that certainly helped cement the arrangement. Conrad informed Ms. Mims that she’d “have to be willing to do this for six months.” Her warm chuckle erupts into a firm laugh, as she adds, “and just look at what’s happened—32 years now!”
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

BotaniCool® Kids Camp is a unique day camp experience for children ages 6-10, held at Cleveland Botanical Garden in June. These young learners will wander through our woodland garden, ramble through the rose garden, tiptoe through the topiary garden, hike through the herb garden and much more. Learn more and register by clicking here. http://www.cbgarden.org.

Live Earth, Live Ice An impressive list of Olympians and national skating champions join local skaters at the Cleveland Skating Club’s 71st annual Ice Show, Fri 5/9 and Sat 5/10 at 7:30PM. This fun-filled production featuring nearly 150 performers — hockey players, learn-to-skaters, skilled dancers, figure skaters and recreational skaters in a show of dazzling artistry and pageantry — hits the Cleveland Skating Club (CSC), 2500 Kemper Rd., Shaker Heights. Call 791-2800 ext. 255 for details and tickets.

HOT Walk For Hunger The Hunger Network of Greater Cle is celebrating its 20th anniversary with their annual “Walk for Hunger” on Sat 5/10 at 10AM. It kicks off at Burke Lakefront Airport and concludes at the North Coast Harbor, Voinovich Park. This family-friendly event features a 5-K walk past the city’s most recognizable landmarks; funds raised at the event help to feed local infants, toddlers and school-age children who would otherwise go hungry — especially during the summer months when school sponsored lunch programs are unavailable. An estimated 2,000 walkers and 250 volunteers will walk to help feed 1,000 children a day! This is a rain or shine event. Teams or individuals who are interested in walking are encouraged to register early online at http://www.hungernetwork.org or by calling 619-8155 ext. 18.

HOT RiverSweep 2008 They’re calling it an “environmental clean-up of Biblical proportions.” On Sat 5/10 from 9AM – noon, the Ohio Canal Corridor will be sponsoring the 19th Annual RiverSweep Environmental Cleanup – the largest clean-up of its kind in the whole state of Ohio! The Flats, Tremont, Ohio City, Old Brooklyn, Slavic Village, Clark Metro and Parma are getting the once-over and you can help as a volunteer! This family-friendly event concludes with a celebration at Nautica in the Flats that includes pizza and live music. Make a difference in Cle’s neighborhoods! Details at http://ohiocanal.org/riversweep.htm.

PAWS-4-A-Cause: Find Your Forever Friend PAWS hosts their 4th annual adopt-a-thon and family fun day Sat 5/10 from 9:30AM – 4PM at the Polo Grounds in the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation in Moreland Hills. Dogs and cats from PAWS and other local animal rescue groups will be available for adoption; all adoptables are spayed/ neutered, up-to-date on shots, wormed and on flea prevention medication. Animal-related demonstrations, pet-related vendors, fun dog contests, concessions and raffles round out the day. And there’s a 2mi dog walk around the park for those looking to get some exercise with their BFF’s! No cost, open to the public. Details can be found here.

HOT Astronomy Day Watch as space “chefs” mix together ingredients to whip up a comet on Astronomy Day, Sat 5/10 at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village. Free star shows in the Schuele Planetarium, take-home space crafts, a morning appearance by EVA the Inflatable Astronaut and afternoon insight from NASA on future Project Orion space missions are also on tap. You can also peak through solar telescopes during the daytime or get nighttime telescope views, both weather permitting. If you’re baffled by your own telescope (in the back of the garage), the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association will host an interactive workshop with tips on buying or using a telescope. Log on to http://www.lensc.org for the schedule of no-cost events and directions.

Phonk by ScrapArtsMusic is the season finale of the 2007-2008 Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Discovery Theatre Series at Playhouse Square. It features five athletic musicians delivering an action-packed show that meshes wildly syncopated music with mind-boggling choreography. Think Stomp meets Blue Man Group. Their sound, derived from ingenious instruments made from discarded scraps of metal, brings geography and history together and raises the question, “just how “ancient” is this modern art after all?” They take the Allen Theatre stage for two shows Sat 5/10 at 11AM and 2PM, respectively. http://www.playhousesquare.org. http://www.scrapartsmusic.com.

Emerald Crossings Trail Run This family-friendly 5K run and a 1MI green event hits Sat 5/10 and is hosted by the Amsdell Companies on the largest piece of undeveloped land in Cuyahoga Co. (Emerald Corporate Park) located just north of Hopkins Airport at Grayton Rd & 480. Organizers are supporting the ACBC (Aluminum Cans for Burned Children) and the Freedom Run Across America (http://www.usfreedomrun.com). http://ncmultisports.com/ec.html.

Family Fun Earth Friendly Day! Children’s events abound! Face painting, earth games, activities and crafts fortify this cool kids event Sat 5/10 at 11AM. Learn how to make paper and a rain barrel to collect rain water! Eat hot dogs cooked from solar power! And, perhaps most intriguingly, learn how OUUC, a historic church built in 1847, is going green! Olmsted Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5050 Porter Rd., North Olmsted. http://www.olmsteduu.org.

SPONSORED: Summer Camps at Playhouse Square: It’s not “too good to be true!” This year’s summer camps for teens (ages 14-19) will feature master classes with professionals from the smash hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. There are two camps to choose from, depending on your level of experience. Both focus on the triple threat of musical theater – acting, singing and dancing. The advanced camp is geared for those who are preparing to perform in college or professionally. Auditions for the advanced camp are required. Both camps will leave participants singing “Oh What A Camp!” Call 216.348.7909 or visit http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org/ArtsEducation for more information.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 11-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast in iTunes.

SPONSORED: Two Investigative Curator’s Forums at CMNH: Start with the “Bizarre Bug Tales Part III: New Adventures in Forensic Entomology” on Wed 5/14 at 7PM. Dr. Joe Keiper, Curator and Head of Invertebrate Zoology discusses the strange and fascinating insect behavior and the odd ways in which insects share the world with us. Then check out “New Discoveries of Ancient Lifeways on Sandusky Bay” on Wed 5/21 at 7PM with Dr. Brian Redmond, Curator and Head of Archaeology. We’ll discuss how Museum archaeologists have spent the last four summers working at the Danbury site, a prehistoric Native American settlement on the shores of Sandusky Bay. This important site was occupied for at least 4,000 years. For more info contact www.cmnh.org.

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A local blogger raves about our unclothed party with Fashion Week Cleveland. Click
Our daily paper seemed to dig the whole thing, too. You can read more of that here
Atty Gen Marc Dann in hot water for being unclothed in a far different way. Will Pajama-gate sink him? Click
Head’s up, it’s Bicycle Week in Cleveland so pump up the tires and get out there and ride! On Your Left!
Grab the kids and head to the Scholastic Book Fair this week, which includes Clifford, the Big Red Dog. Click
The Lit announces 2008 Moving Minds award winners. Click
Did you know that May is National Foster Care Month? Look for a related community event in the 5/21 issue of CC. Click
Our pals at Loganberry Books are Spring Cleaning. Click
Here’s someone goofing on former Clevelander Trent Reznor and nine inch nails on YouTube. Consider it this month’s “do the test.” Click
And here’s the link to Reznor’s brand new NIN album at absolutely no cost to you: Download The Slip
Check out the great d.a. levy multimedia piece online, w/ some rare audio of the legendary poet. Click
Tri-C offers gardening/landscaping coursework for people who wish to have green(er) thumbs. Click
An exciting, no-cost concert series at Rock Hall showcases great local music talents. Click
Greater Cleveland Sports Commission was announced the winner of the “2007 Sports Commission of the Year” award by the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC). Click
Here’s what living next to Mittal Steel in Kazakhstan is like. Worth a view
North Olmsted’s got a new “do not knock” law in place, in the spirit of the “do not call” list. Click
Does the noise in your head bother you? Might be time to check this out
The Aspiring Filmmaker Boot Camp returns to the North Coast for another round in June. Details
Holden Arborateum offering no-cost tours Rhododendron research collections open to public for ltd time. Click

Gov axes Arts Council budget As part of sweeping cuts to the state budget, and ironically one week after the annual Arts Day when legislators celebrate their support of the arts in Ohio, Governor Strickland announced a difficult-to-swallow 10% cut to the already-meager $25M Ohio Arts Council budget, including the dismissal of long time NEO rep Sally Winter. For perspective, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, which distributes the cigarette tax money in Cuyahoga County, awarded $15M to only 68 orgs in Cuyahoga alone in ’07. Got something to say to the Governor? Use this form, and Cc: Cool Cleveland here: Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

CCPL Announces 08-09 Writers Center Stage The venerable literary series features David McCullough (1776), John Updike (The Witches of Eastwick) Jane and Michael Stern (NPR culinary writers) and a Young Literary Icons forum that features Johathan Lethem (The Fortress of Solitude). Details and info can be found at http://www.writerscenterstage.org.

The Black Keys MySpace presents a secret FREE show with Akron’s lo-fi outfit (with openers Black Girls) in the Beachland Tavern this Wed 5/7 at 8PM. So here’s the deal: tickets are first come first serve; MySpace will be handing out wristbands that get you into the show at the Beachland around 2PM TODAY. One wristband per person, so get there early! http://www.myspace.com/secretshows. http://www.beachlandballroom.com.

Support Tremont Farmer’s Market This Thursday and Friday, you can support the Tremont Farmers Market. All you have to do is eat. On Thu 5/8 stop by Fat Cats (2061 West 10th St.) or Prosperity Social Club (1109 Starkweather Ave.) during dinner hours and mention the Tremont Farmers Market and 5% of your sale will be donated to the market. Same goes for Fri 5/9 — stop by Edison’s Pizza Kitchen (2365 Professor Ave.), Lago (2221 Professor Ave.) or Tremont Scoops Ice Cream (2362 Professor Ave.) and the same rules apply.

WVIZ/PBS Televised Auction Viewers throughout NEO will be a part of a real milestone Thu 5/8 starting at 3PM. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the WVIZ/PBS Televised Auction, which runs through Sun 5/11. With rising gas and food prices, these items will sure to get lots of interested bidders: A $500 Shopping Spree to Giant Eagle; Free Parking for a Year, donated by AMPCO System Parking; Ride the RTA Free for a Year, donated by the Greater Cleveland RTA… and for Cleveland Cavaliers fans, a LeBron James autographed Ball and autographed Jersey, both donated by the LeBron James Family Foundation, will each be up for bid. http://www.ideastream.org.

Arts Midwest launches new site for artists with tools, programs and funding opportunities. CC’s Thomas Mulready will deliver a Pre-Conference Seminar, Click my Blog/Video/Podcast: 21st Century iMarketing for the Performing Arts, in Kansas City on 9/17 at their annual conference. http://www.ArtsMidwest.org

Cool Cleveland Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events, in an easy-to-digest 3 minute audio format, for playback on your computer or iPod.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Podcast in iTunes.

SPONSORED: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s 7th annual It’s Only Rock and Roll Benefit Concert is this Sat 5/10 at 7PM at the historic Public Hall. Tickets are available for $15. Those purchasing a ticket to the Rock Hall Benefit through http://www.ticketmaster.com/rockbenefit will be automatically entered to win a pair of tickets to the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies in Cleveland.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT Fashion Week Cleveland Fashion means change, and Fashion Week Cleveland is changing. For 2008, Fashion Week Cleveland dropped a new tagline, “Because Everyone Wants Fashion,” and has shaken up its programming in a big way. Running now through Sat 5/10, learn how fashion is relevant to everyone, experience a schedule of films, lectures and exhibits and broaden your mind on what fashion in the 21st Century means. Details and full schedule of events at http://www.fashionweekcleveland.com.

Quality Education in Cleveland Leaders from three successful community schools and the chief academic officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District will talk about their innovative work to provide quality education to Cleveland’s children at noon on Wed 5/7 at The City Club of Cleveland. Randell McShepard of RPM International will serve as moderator. http://www.cityclub.org.

HOT FusionFest The Cleveland Play House at 85th and Euclid winds down their 3rd annual multidisciplinary performing arts festival, running now through Sun 5/11 The festival offers a sampling of new and innovative works never before been seen in C-town. http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com for details.

Musical Rebels One doesn’t always think of Ludwig van Beethoven as a rebel, but he certainly was. Same with Antonio Vivaldi, Charles Ives, and György Ligeti. This week (actually beginning last evening) CityMusic Cleveland with founding music director James Gaffigan at the helm, provides six concerts of Revolutionary Music in various venues throughout Northeast Ohio. Oberlin graduate Jennifer Koh is an elegant and intense violinist, acclaimed internationally, who will perform Ligeti’s Violin Concerto. The traditional accompanying art exhibit for these concerts will consist of watercolors by the Plein Air Painters of Cleveland. No cost childcare is available at some of the venues; details, venues and program notes can be found at http://www.citymusiccleveland.org/Concerts/details.php?id=153*.

Train Avenue Greenway Public Meeting Come and be a part of the discussion about how this historic roadway can better serve to connect five West Side Cleveland neighborhoods & the Towpath Trail connection Thu 5/8 at 7PM. This collaborative effort between Tremont West Development Corporation, Ohio City Near West, Eco-Village/Detroit Shoreway, Stockyard Redevelopment Organization, the Clark-Metro Neighborhood, and the Ohio Canal Corridor takes place at the Urban Community School, 4909 Lorain Ave.; a follow-up takes place at the end of May. http://www.ohiocanal.org.

HOT The Lake Front Ghost Tour Hear bone chilling ghost stories and local folklore that even keep true sailors awake at night throughout the fall including this Fri 5/9. Find out where many of the sailors superstitions originated. Hear true stories of mysterious shipwrecks that have happen in our very own backyard. Find out for yourself if Lake Erie really has a sea monster swimming off the shores of Cleveland. Haunted Cleveland Ghost Tours departs from the parking lot of the Powerhouse, on the west bank of the Flats. See site for details, their Torso Murders tour and their fall schedule. http://www.hauntedcleveland.net.

Tremont ArtWalk This latest installment of the long-running art event hits Fri 5/9 from 6 – 10PM. May’s festivities include a spectacular exhibit by Munroe W. Copper IV called The Ghosts of Whiskey Island — an exhibition of photography at Grumpy’s Cafe (2621 W. 14th St.) — which debuted at last month’s TAW. Another highlight at Brokebridge Gallery features “meat” (Jeffery Paul Gadbois) and a host of other intriguing artists showcasing everything from ceramics to furniture design (2678 W. 14th St.) And that’s only the beginning. Follow along at http://www.tremontartwalk.org.

HOT Deep Cleveland’s Salinger Slam For one night, and one night only, the Deep Cleveland Poetry Hour will be transformed into the “Deep Cleveland Poetry Slam.” Their one and only contestant will be Michael Salinger — he of PSC’s SlamU and the former Classic Cleveland Poetry Slam at the Beachland. Salinger will be reading from his new book Fri 5/9 at 8:30PM. He’s a 20-year fixture in the Cle poetry community, a consultant, coach and education advocate and he’s a compelling performer. After Michael tears the stage down, the audience is invited to read poems, stories, rants and the like of their own at the open mike. Learn more about Salinger at his site: http://my.en.com/~mgsal/. Details at: http://www.deepcleveland.com/borders.html.

Cleveland Pops Spring Soiree Benefit Join the friends and supporters of Cleveland Pops for a food, fun and music-filled casually elegant evening Fri 5/9 at Dino’s Catering – The Club House at Pine Ridge Country Club, 30601 Ridge Rd., Wickliffe. Bill Barnard, past president, mentor and treasured friend of the group will be honored. http://www.clevelandpops.com.

HOT Tommy… can you hear me? Near West Theatre (NWT) at 6514 Detroit Ave. launches The Who’s Tommy featuring a unique cast of 39 teens, adults and 2 children. The classic 60’s rock opera tells a tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph in an electrifying mix of rebellion, spirituality and rock and roll including The Who’s hit songs, “Acid Queen”, “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me”. Winner of five Tony Awards this “Amazing Journey” is sure to entertain and provoke, disturb and delight audiences of all walks of life. The production opens Fri 5/9 at 7:30PM and runs two weekends through mid-May. Packages and tickets are available by calling 961-6391 or online at http://www.nearwesttheatre.org.

Zarbang The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town concert series features Zarbang: The Percussions of Iran and Afghanistan on Fri 5/9 at 7:30PM in Murch Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Zarbang represents some of the finest percussionists from that region and brings a new evening-length concert, Persian Qawwali, to Cleveland. Featuring Sufi poetry and frame drums that create ecstatic trance states, Zarbang performs an authentically Persian combination that harkens back to the pre-monotheistic roots of Sema, while mirroring the nucleus of most Sufi ceremonial music from Morocco to Indonesia. http://www.clevelandart.org.

Spring Dance Concert at Tri-C West Their theatre and dance departments present the annual Spring Dance Concert on Fri 5/9 at 7:30PM. The concert continues the tradition of exploring many styles and disciplines including, hip-hop, jazz, flamenco, and modern dance. Audiences will be treated to pieces by faculty member Megan Pitcher, as well as several student-choreographed pieces. 11000 Pleasant Valley Rd. Parma. Call 987-5536 or visit http://www.tri-c.edu/theatre/west.

Bittersweet Artists Shelly DiCello and Margot Ecke investigate the practice of collecting, organizing, cataloguing, and archiving data within the framework of the fanciful landscape. Their new joint exhibition launches at Zygote Press Gallery starting Fri 5/9 at 6PM with an Opening Reception. DiCello presents an exterior space indicative of both a construction site and an emotive terrain; Ecke considers the notion of a constructed versus collected narrative. Exhibition runs through mid-June. Zygote Press, 1410 E. 30th St. Call 621-2900 or visit http://www.zygotepress.com.

HOT Migration The story of two Cleveland families dealing with the everyday challenges of contemporary life… and who is this Moses Cleaveland guy anyway? Part of The Cleveland Plays: Part 1 at Dobama Theatre opening Fri 5/9 and running through 6/1 at the CPH, 8500 Euclid Ave, 932-3396 www.Dobama.org.

Dulcimer Duo Two of the nation’s finest and most innovative mountain dulcimer players present solos and duos influenced by Appalachian and Celtic music, jazz, and music from off the map: Stephen Seifert (from Nashville), and Jerry Rockwell (from Athens County, Ohio). They are currently on joint a US tour that brings them to Kent Fri 5/9 for an 8PM show. Unlike most other players of this instrument, both musicians take an improvisational approach, but from wildly different perspectives — with Seifert leaning somewhat into the jazz realm, and Rockwell coming from the more variation-form driven sphere with its historical connections to Renaissance and Baroque music. North Water Street Gallery, 257 North Water St., Kent. http://www.standingrock.net.

SPONSORED: This Fri 5/9, and Sat 5/10, WCLV and the United Church of Christ will present the first “Jubilation” Church Choir Challenge. Six area church choirs will complete during two live broadcasts on WCLV 104.9 at 8PM on Friday, and 10AM on Saturday. The choirs are from Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, Old Stone Church, Choir of the Cathedral of St. John, Finney Choir of First Church in Oberlin, Ensemble of the Federated Church of Chagrin Falls and Christ Presbyterian Church, Canton. Host for the broadcasts will be Lloyd Newell, voice of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast. WCLV’s complete schedule can be found at http://www.wclv.com.

HOT Cleveland Bicycle Week Numerous organizations are coming together to shine the spotlight on bicycles Sat 5/10 – Sun 5/18. There will be tons of activities like Bike to RiverSweep (see this week’s Kids events above), Every Saturday Social Ride, Bike To Work, Discover Mtn Biking in The City, Bike Slavic Village, Bicycle Movies Night, a full-day conference and more! Additional info can be found at the following sites: http://www.clevelandbicycleweek.org and http://www.walkroll.com.

HOT Pangea Day is coming up Sat 5/10 and it’s totally in the Cool Cleveland wheelhouse. It has a bunch of hooks for all CC readers — movies, gatherings at local Cle spots, great international stories, and it’s connected to http://www.ted.com, which is a really intriguing site if you’ve never been there. Don’t take our word for it; watch the trailer here and decide if you think the power of film can change the world and bring everyone a little closer together. Info and details can be soaked in at http://cat-strat.com/10May2008.html, http://www2.lakelandcc.edu/nora/events/eventshow.asp?ID=7170 and (of course) http://www.pangeaday.com.

Leine & Roebana DANCECleveland delivers its final presentation of the 2007-2008 season of its Icons & Innovators Dance Series with the Netherlands-based modern dance company Sat 5/10 at 8PM at the Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square. Renowned for featuring live music during their performances, Leine & Roebana will be accompanied by strings, piano and voice, along with prerecorded compositions; Cleveland is the only Midwest stop on the company’s first American tour (how cool is that?!) http://www.leineroebana.com. http://www.dancecleveland.org.

HOT True A.R.T. Benefit for Raw Umber This Sat 5/10 at 7PM, the True A.R.T. (Artists Recovery Team) group sponsors a benefit for the Akron Art Movement group Raw Umber, who lost close to $5,000 worth of their current work when it was stolen from a North Collinwood gallery. The Benefit’s small suggested donation includes a raffle ticket for a stained glass work. Great food and bevvies, music an auction and more round out the event at the Bratenahl Community Center, 10300 Brighton Rd, Bratenahl. A Trust Fund has been set up through KeyBank on Waterloo Rd. in Collinwood to help them; All KeyBanks will accept donations. For more info or if you want to donate art to the auction, or lend your talent, call 383-9468 or email: joanoftrueart@yahoo.com.

CIM End-of-Semester at Kulas On Sat 5/10 at 11AM, the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Beginning and Preparatory Orchestras, directed by Donna Dehn, will perform in Kulas Hall. They will be joined by the Youth String Camerata, co-directed by Marcia Ferritto and Deborah Price. This is the groups’ end-of-semester concert. The orchestras are for students of all playing abilities, so there will be music sure to please all musical tastes. For more info, call 791-5000 or visit http://www.cim.edu.

History of the Hanna The Friends of the Cleveland Public Library and the Literature Department will co-sponsor a talk and slide show by author John Vacha on Cleveland’s historic Hanna Theatre Sat 5/10 at 2PM in the Literature Department, located on the 2nd floor of the Main Library at 325 Superior Ave. Vacha, dubbed “Cleveland’s theater historian,” will base his talk on his recently published book, From Broadway to Cleveland: A History of the Hanna Theatre (Kent State Univ. Press, 2007). Copies of Vacha’s books will be available for purchase and light refreshments will be served. Call 623-2821 for more info. http://www.cpl.org.

Celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Sat 5/10 from 5 – 8PM, celebrate World Fair Trade Day with a fashion show, world music, great food, a supercool poetry slam, and gads of fair trade vendors who will be offering their (and others’) wares. Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Dr., Independence. Email: franzi@irtfcleveland.org for more info or view the event flyer here.

HOT Rock Hall’s 7th Annual Benefit Concert, is happening Sat 5/10 at 7PM at Public Hall. This year’s line up includes Sugarhill Gang, Patty Smyth, Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Kim Carnes, Rob Parissi of Wild Cherry and more! You can get $15 reserved seats, or take advantage of a special Cool Cleveland offer for a concert ticket, access to the Members Only pre-concert reception from 6:00-7:30pm in Lower Level of Public Hall, plus a Rock Hall Rocker membership package, which includes unlimited admission to the Museum for you and a guest for a year, plus many more perks ($65 value) for only $35. Contact Doug Hutchinson at 216.515.1939 and mention the Cool Cleveland package.

Muse/Barn Owl Launch Party On Sat 5/10 The Lit hosts a celebration for the launch of Ohio’s two newest literary journals, Barn Owl Review and MUSE. Join the editors and contributors to both publications at 7PM for cocktails and lively conversation. At 8PM, enjoy readings by contributing literary artists Amy Bracken Sparks, Shurice Gross, Emily Dressler, R.A. Washington, Michelle Rankins, Maj Ragain, Toni Thayer and Nin Andrews. The Lit is located in the ArtCraft Building at 2570 Superior Ave., Suite 203. No reservations required. Call 694-0000 or visit http://www.the-lit.org.

Zen, Punk Rock, & Monster Movies Brad Warner, Zen author, Suicide Girls columnist, punk documentary director and Zero Defex bassist hits Visible Voice Books in Tremont Sat 5/10 at 7PM for a book discussion, lecture and, at 8:30PM “Cleveland’s Screaming Documentary.” 1023 Kenilworth. Call 961-0084 or visit http://www.visiblevoicebooks.com. http://www.hardcorezen.com. http://www.clevelandscreaming.blogspot.com.

Anne van Hauwaert’s Spring/Summer Fashion Collection The European Designer’s boutique presents a collection of signature jackets from Sat 5/10 – Sat 5/17 from 10AM – 6PM. This is Anne’s 20th limited edition collection, which combines uncluttered lines with stylish simplicity for a great look that will never go out of style. Anne van H. Boutique, 2026 Murray Hill. Call 721-6633 for details.

Magpies CD Release Party Formerly known as Roger Hoover and the Whiskeyhounds, this Cle-based roots rock band is having their CD release party this Sat 5/10 at the House of Blues. Doors open @ 7PM; they play from 8-10. They rock something fierce and you’d be a fool to miss these blackbirds in action. http://www.magpiesmusic.com. http://www.myspace.com/magpiesrock.

HOT The Swell Season originally refers to the 2006 album by Irish musician Glen Hansard (of the Frames) and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. They now sometimes refer to themselves as The Swell Season when performing together, since their mutual rise to prominence after starring in the film Once last year. The musical film written and directed by John Carney has become a cult hit; the music that this duo provided as a soundtrack was both extraordinary and exquisite. Presented by the Beachland Ballroom, The Swell Season performs live Sun 5/11 at 7PM; Damien Dempsey opens. http://www.myspace.com/theswellseason. http://www.playhousesquare.org.

Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Mother’s Day Brunch Treat mom to a special day at the Garden, including a celebratory brunch and a spring stroll through the gardens. The Brunch menu Sun 5/11 from 10AM – 3PM includes chef carved beef; fritatta; applewood smoked sausage; bacon; salmon medallions; and much more! It’s a delightful time, but RSVP right away as slots fill up fast. call 707-2863. http://www.cbgarden.org.

Mom’s Day at Holden Enjoy the sights and sounds of Holden Arboretum this Sun 5/11 from 9AM – 5PM with complimentary admission for all moms. Stroll through the Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden and take in the beauty and fragrance of this lush setting. Mom will receive a free Holden-grown wildflower while supplies last. There is so much to see and do this spring at Holden. Take a guided tram tour, or walk the paths through the lilac and wildflower collections as well. Come out and enjoy! Call 346-4400 or visit http://www.holdenarb.org.

HOT Bike To The Movies at Natural History Museum hits Mon 5/12 from 6:30 – 8:30PM. Hang with like-mindeds and take in an eyeful of flicks about bikes, made by cyclists and enthusiasts. This promises to be an entertaining evening short films — most of which you’re not likely to have seen. http://www.walkroll.com/movie.

HOT Flavors of Northeast Ohio Culinary Gala Some guests have apparently given up their tickets due to the Cavaliers playoff game on Monday; if you want a chance to soak up Cle’s gourmet scene for a good cause, you’d better act fast. Only a few tickets remain for this Mon 5/12 at 6:30PM event. InterContinental Hotel, 9801 Carnegie Ave. Cocktails at 6:30PM; dinner at 7:30PM. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready MC’s this gala, so you know it won’t be boring. Benefits American Liver Foundation Ohio Chapter. For tickets, call 216/635.2780 or e-mail ohio@liverfoundation.org.

Spelling Bee’s Big Give… Back! This unique, one-night-only event hits Nighttown this Mon 5/12 at 7PM. Members of the Broadway touring cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are giving up their only day off to produce and perform a one-of-a-kind show to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. Live and silent auction items — including a guest speller spot on stage at the Playhouse Square performance — will be available throughout the night! Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Rd. Call 357-2223 for details. http://www.aidstaskforce.org.

Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium Learn all about the new fuel revolution on the horizon at Quaker Square Inn at the University of Akron Tue 5/13 and Wed 5/14. This two-day seminar details fuel cell and hydrogen related topics, highlighting Ohio successes, and explores educational initiatives. Exhibitors will showcase their knowledge and technology, a student poster competition, fuel cell vehicles and offer a networking reception. All events no cost (to full time students). You can learn more and register at http://www.fuelcellsohio.org/events/2008ohiofuelcellsymposium.html.

Dobama Theatre Women’s Night continues the yearly Dobama tradition Wed 5/14, providing an opportunity for women working in the home or outside the home to enjoy an evening of wine, conversation, dinner, and a performance of The Cleveland Project: Part I – Migration followed by dessert with the cast. The evening will begin at 6PM with wine and hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner and a 7:30PM performance. The Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave. Tickets can be reserved at 932-3396 or at http://www.dobama.org.

Newspapering in the Internet Age Plain Dealer Editor Susan Goldberg will speak on the subject Wed 5/14 at 7PM at Rocky River Public Library. The program is no cost, open to the public and no registration is necessary. For additional info, call 440-333-7610 or visit http://www.rrpl.org. 1600 Hampton Rd., Rocky River.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

SPONSORED: Fusion + Fest = Mega Hip Entertainment Experience Cleveland artists with local and national performing arts talent – at Cleveland Play House! Tix start at $10. Reserve your tix now for these performances: All Hail Hurricane Gordo: now through 5/11; The Black Ice Showband (at Stages Restaurant): now through 5/10; Before I Die – The War Against Tupac Shakur: 5/7; 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother: 5/8 – 5/10; The Cleveland Plays, Part 1: Migration: 5/8 – 5/11. Contact www.clevelandplayhouse.com for more info.

Fred Franks on Green IT
FIT Technologies

Did you know that the data IT Center is the highest per-square-foot cost that many companies incur? Between the cost of computers and servers, manpower and the energy to power the data center, it’s surprising how much of a company’s resources go towards keeping up their data center. In this overview of Green IT practices, Fred Franks, FIT Technologies’ director of managed IT services explains virtualization: how FIT can take multiple servers and additional components and is able to consolidate them on a single platform, saving energy and, of course, cost. Fred’s analogy is this: instead of having all your different applications running separately (like individual cars on the highway), virtualization can combine many of those apps on one server (like putting them on a bus), thus saving time, energy and money. In this video interview with Thomas Mulready of Cool Cleveland, Fred also talks about how some of the newer data center these days augment their power by utilizing the latest technology such as solar panels. He also asks why many companies have all their computers and servers running all night and all the day, when FIT can help locate a lot of that data in a smaller footprint, then have unused components automatically shut down overnight and save up to 90% of space, power and cost to do the same work. Go green! FITTechnologies.net

Shaking Hands with Clarence Thomas

The cigar-sized box, addressed to me, just appeared on the table located in the anteroom of the monthly newsmagazine where I was an associate editor. It was neatly wrapped, addressed in a careful script, but had no postage on it so it hadn’t been mistakenly left there by the postman. It had been hand-delivered.

One of the sales reps, returning to the office, had spotted it first and had stuck her head inside my office to alert me to its presence; she was not about to pick it up and bring it to me. The same woman had, just the week before, informed me that I was infuriating some readers with my edgy, take-no-prisoners style of column writing. Wow, imagine that.

I went out and retrieved the box and it sat unopened on my desk as the other staffers made jokes, asking me if I heard any ticking sounds emanating from inside the package; the editor, Larry Durstin, suggested that I put it in a pail of water before opening it. He knew that my flame-throwing style of journalism was probably pissing off some potential advertisers to the point of costing the publication revenue, but he wasn’t about to tell me to tone it down — neither was the publisher, Jim Carney. I liked that in them.

I eventually opened the package and, to my surprise, it didn’t contain dog fecal matter as I had suspected, but a black T-shirt. It has the distinctive red lettered logo of the police anti-drug organization D.A.R.E. emblazoned across the front, and underneath, in smaller white lettering “I turned in both my parents and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt!” The shirt instantly became one of my most prized possessions…
Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

With the talk of a possible Papa John’s boycott in Cleveland (read details here), David Lay asks, “What’s your favorite pizza shop? Personally, my favorites are Angelo’s, Roman Fountain and Donte’s. Let’s hear yours!”

Add your fav ‘za joint on BFD

The Power of Words
Reconnect with them in a Word Lover’s Retreat

I love words. And who doesn’t? It’s what separates us from other life forms. We go through life with words in our heads; our thoughts are in words. Cleveland’s rich writing community has nurtured its writers through writing groups, writing and MFA programs at our universities, CSU’s Imagination: A Writer’s Workshop and Conference, poetry readings at book stores and coffee shops, local publishing companies, The Lit (formerly known as The Poet’s and Writer’s League of Greater Cleveland), the Press Club, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Writing takes place in living room critique sessions, through public writing workshops, and intimate mentoring over drinks. Anyone who writes knows that Cleveland is chock full of writers. People want to write. Middle-agers wish to write about their lives. Truth seekers search out the truth with poised pen or laptop tapping. Puzzle-lovers string words into meaningful verse…
Read more from Claudia J. Taller here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Foreclosures continue at 2007 rate.
NineSigma raises raises $4M for innovation market
Recession proof gardening.
A new blog on all things Cleveland art.
Three more VCs open up shop in Ohio.

SPONSORED: Lights, Camera, AUCTION! The 2008 WVIZ/PBS Televised Auction starts tomorrow, Thu 5/8, 3PM and runs through Sun 5/11. There’s something for everyone: the traveler, the art collector, the handyperson, the food or wine connoisseur (wine Auction is Sat night), the bargain shopper, and most importantly the WVIZ/PBS supporter. Visit www.wviz.org.

Hollow Bones in Monotone
Chris Castle
dirtsandwich

If a Midwestern heartland sound satisfies your soul and pleases your ears, then Norwalk-based singer-songwriter Chris Castle is your guy. Castle’s reflective Americana roots sound and honest, coffeehouse vibe is minimalist like Nick Drake, rootsy like J.D. Souther and earnest like Josh Rouse. And you can add a pinch of Ryan Adams and Elliot Smith in for good measure. Hollow Bones in Monotone, Castle’s first new long player in six years, is a true dashboard confessional and sure to leave a peaceful, easy feeling for listeners. In a recently published review, one fan said “[Castle] builds songs as if they were rooms, and then he invites you into them.” Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Recorded over Memorial Day weekend of 2007 at OMNIsound studios in Nashville, this 11-song set found Castle and his compatriots Joe Linstrum (acoustic guitar / vocals) and Tony Schaffer (bass) focusing on bright acoustic guitars, harmonicas and a underpinning the whole affair with a 1964 Gibson bass. From the opening strains of “Fields of Stone” to the savvy “Both Ends of a Gun,” to the chugging “Seven Minutes Fast,” the beautiful “Down” and picturesque set-stealer “Both Ends of a Gun,” there just isn’t a bad cut on the disc. A great offering and summer roadtrip treat, Hollow Bones in Monotone makes the time fly. Be sure to hit the repeat button on this one, friends… not that you’ll need that cue after hearing it yourself.

Chris Castle opens for Radney Foster at the Beachland Ballroom on Saturday, May 10 and again for Peter Case at Wilbert’s on Tuesday, May 20. (Click each link more info). You can hear a sample of “Fields of Stone” by clicking here and can purchase the CD at cdbaby.com. Visit Chris Castle online at http://www.dirtsandwich.com.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Has the Burden Become Too Heavy?

Cleveland has an overabundance of institutions – from sports to the arts to foundations to establishments of all kinds. We are an institutionally heavy community, the legacy of a wealthy past.

The problem with the blessing of having all these establishments is that they must be fed. The feeding comes from public monies from the local, county, state, federal, and from private funds, all could be used for other needs.

So they sometimes become, instead of assets, burdens to the public. And we keep adding to the burdens. They’re getting heavier and heavier, especially at the local level.

The latest, of course, is the increase of a quarter percent in the sales tax levied without public input by the County Commissioners for the proposed medical mart and convention center.

Before that it was the creation by vote of a new cigarette tax for the arts.

The question is when do we go over the line in taxing? I believe we passed that line long ago. Here’s what cigarette smokers in Cuyahoga County alone face…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

Quick reviews of recent events
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Verb Ballets @ CPH’s FusionFest 4/25 We went to see Verb Ballets at Cleveland Play House Fusion Fest on Friday. The 2 rep pieces and one premiere fell under the heading of stories-people-tell-themselves about their respective nations. It seems to us that, like religious belief, nationalism has a way of insisting on a single version of events, however mythical, so Verb’s concert made us think about the different ways that choreographic art can play into a national narrative.

Let’s talk first about the premiere, “The Yellow River,” since it’s easiest to talk about another country’s selective memory rather than one’s own.

Verb Artistic Director Hernando Cortez choreographed this piece “after the original choreography” by Chen Zemei, which has become a Chinese standard. Zemei’s is one of many ballets on this subject using composer Jian Zhong-Wang’s Yellow River Piano Concerto. In the U.S. alone, one version was recently performed in San Jose and another was performed by the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company. Thus, YR appears to be like Nutcracker or Swan Lake in that the music, its scenario, and the broad outlines of the choreography have passed into a public domain where all are free to create their own dance version. The music, YR Concerto, also adapted from an earlier composition, Yellow River Cantata (1939), was in turn inspired by a poem about leading troops across the Yellow River during the Sino-Japanese War. While we’ve yet to come across the poem in question, Wikipedia’s entry on the Yellow River tells about another military operation in 1938 in which Chiang Kai-Shek’s troops stopped the advance of the Japanese army by opening levees and allowing the Yellow River to flood broad stretches of land (killing hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians in the process); a victory of sorts.

In the broadest view, China’s suffering at the hands of Japan’s Imperial Army pales in comparison to the destruction wrought over the centuries by the Yellow River, known in China as both the Cradle of Chinese Civilization and China’s Sorrow. The Yellow River has taken countless lives. So, if the subject is “the Yellow River” or even the “Yellow River and the Sino-Japanese War,” you’ve got to do a lot of selecting before you can arrive at a feel-good, patriotic statement.

Art, however, is always selective; it’s the rare artist who can maintain both the heroic narrative and “the whole truth.” We should not be surprised, therefore, to find that Cortez’ Yellow River is a highly selective, idealized, feel-good, patriotic statement which achieves that lack of ambiguity by considerably narrowing its focus and excluding all the negative emotion that naturally surrounds anything as big and messy as a huge, sprawling nation or a vast river basin that starts at one end of that nation’s geography and winds up at the other end.

In apparent conformity with earlier versions – which we’d guess were influenced by the aesthetic of the Bolshoi Ballet, a major influence for ballet in China – Cortez’ movement palette for Yellow River ranges from grand to grandiose. Whether it’s one dancer or the entire company, the stage seems barely big enough to contain the running, the leaping, the aspirational reaching upwards. This is BIG contemporary ballet movement and one would guess that dance companies staging earlier versions scoured the nation for every long-legged, hyper-mobile chorine available. A company of 50 would be in order, yet Verb performed the piece with 11 dancers, interns included.

Somehow Cortez’ Yellow River works; despite the small contingent of dancers, it measures up to the grandeur of the music and subject. Praise is particularly appropriate for Verb’s women, many of whom consider themselves modern dancers first and few of whom are obvious ballet types, much less Bolshoi Ballet types, with ultra skinny long legs and short torsos. That the men, Brian Murphy and Sydney Ignacio, are well up to their parts should be less of a surprise; both were ballet dancers first. Visually, Trad A Burns’ lighting design includes gorgeous passages in which the dancers are gold against a dark red cyclorama. Cortez’ YR was a surprising pleasure.

Two Hours That Shook the World (2002), Cortez’ 9/11 piece, benefits greatly from the framework of the production, the set, the music, and the black-and-white videos. We’ve belatedly learned to appreciate Cortez’ prescience in choosing to end the score with the pop song For What it’s Worth with its references to fear-mongering politicos and suspension of habeas corpus; while it struck us as incongruous and ill-fitting at first viewing, this song implies depths considerably beyond the more usual Heroes-of-9/11 narrative. On this admirably unsentimental, functional framework, Cortez has hung a dance that completely eschews the literal; should the twin towers that dominate the set finally be seen to fall? No: that would be too literal for Cortez’ conception.

Two Hours so thoroughly eschews literal choreographic reference that we sometimes ask ourselves what if anything about the choreography and performance as opposed to the production really seems to evoke 9/11. More and more, we’re persuaded that the success of this dance relies on Robert Wesner’s performance, his earnest, urgent quality of movement and his technically secure execution of what looks to us like difficult choreography. If memory serves, Wesner’s performance has grown more expressive, the choreography more complex.

Even though Yellow River is at times extremely literal (a bird call in the score has the dancers all watching an imaginary bird fly around the stage) and the score of Two Hours sometimes suggests political and epistemological complexities, both are largely abstract treatments of almost mythic historic events/national themes, rather than art that attempts to tell the “the whole truth.” That’s an observation, not a criticism.

Appalachian Spring treats with our own iconographic past, the general scope of which the national can generally agree on. This mythic past is sometimes sanctified, sometimes, demonized, depending on one’s political views. This is the Myth of the American Frontier. Its characters are, for the most part, idealized heroic archetypes. However, in Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, some undercutting of the mythic proportions occurs, with both ironic and respectful effect. In the Revivalist and his Followers especially, we get characters who are objects of both reverence and sly mirth. Casting diminutive Sydney Ignatio, who is somewhat overpowered by the Revivalist’s hat, plays into this aspect of Martha Graham’s choreography and the way she dares to dip an occasional toe into that mighty river, “the whole truth.”

We find it perfectly understandable, therefore, and totally acceptable (and not at all disrespectful of Graham’s intentions) that audience members should laugh at the antics of the Revivalist and his Followers. Art and humor are not mutually exclusive.

Verb lack of uniformity of body type – let’s be honest and call it a wide disparity – has also come in for criticism. To which we respond: Verb is a small, almost exclusively modern dance repertory company. Their small contingent of dancers has taken enormous strides forward in their dancing even while their numbers remain small. We’ve already mentioned Wesner’s growth in Two Hours. In Yellow River Cortez has found a better way to use the diminutive Ignacio’s spectacular talent; as a soloist, yes, but with choreographic material that better integrates him into the company than previously. In another step forward, Ignacio danced his role in Appalachian Spring without a hint of his alternate and more familiar persona, premiere danseur.

In our view Verb consistently ups the ante and mostly hits the jackpot. We plan to enjoy them; hopefully for a long time to come.

Verb Ballets performed at Cleveland Play House’s Bolton Theatre on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, 2008.
From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

Damn Yankees… with a Baseball Twist @ Carousel Dinner Theater 5/1 Knowing the disdain that locals have for the New York Yankees baseball team, the staff at Carousel Dinner, which is now producing Damn Yankees, adapted the script to ensure that our beloved Cleveland Indians beat their dreaded rivals for the American League pennant. Damn Yankees, a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is a modern retelling of the Faust legend, with a baseball twist. It is based on Wallop’s novel, The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant.

The story centers on Joe Boyd, a middle-aged baseball fanatic who sells his soul to the devil (Mr. Applegate) for a chance to lead the Cleveland Indians, his favorite team, to a pennant. Reinvented as Joe Hardy, Boyd transforms the hopeless Indians into a super team. In the process, with the help of Lola, Applegate’s assistant, he outsmarts the devil.

Damn Yankees, which opened in 1955 with a cast that included Gwenn Verdon and Ray Walston, won the Tony Award for best musical of the year. It ran over one thousand productions, was made into a movie staring Tab Hunter, and has had many revivals. It was choreographer Bob Fosse’s first Broadway hit.

The basically unspectacular score does include “Whatever Lola Wants,” and “Heart.” But it should be noted that I saw a preview production of the show, so much may have changed as the cast settles into their roles.

Jerry Coyle (Joe Boyd) and Jan Leigh Herndon (Meg, his wife) have nice singing voices and developed clear characters. Nathaniel Shaw (Joe Hardy) both physically and vocally fits the role of the reluctant star baseball player.

Ashlee Fife, she of long legs and high kicks, dances the role of Lola with the finesse and movements of a former Radio City Rockette. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate into seductive, which the role requires. Her “Whatever Lola Wants” lacked the necessary sizzle.

It’s pretty hard to evaluate Mark Kaplan, who portrayed the devil, as he was a last minute replacement in the role, after an injury to Jim Corti who was scheduled to portray Mr. Applegate. As is, he just wasn’t as smarmy or manipulative as the role requires.

Buddy Reeder, the dance captain, stood out among the male dancers who were not always in sync. (The timing should improve with practice.)

“Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo” and “Two Lost Souls” were well choreographed.

A wonderful backdrop of the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium and a portrait gallery of former Indians players was well received.

Costumer Dale DiBernardo hit a homer with his Indians’ uniforms. During the era of the show, the Tribe home uniforms were white pinstripes, had the numbers on the back with no names and the caps had an odd shaped “C” instead of the script “I” or Chief Yahoo head of the present day. DiBernardo got all that right! He even had the Larry Doby-like character in his famous number 14!

The musical sound was rather tinny. The two keyboards and percussionist didn’t produce the big brassy sound that the music required.

Capsule Judgment: This is not a great script and it doesn’t have a great score. It is one of those 1950s “nice” shows. Carousel’s production, under the direction of Marc Robin, is not memorable, doesn’t hit a homer, but it doesn’t strike out either.

The production runs through June 28. For tickets call 800-362 4100. Show times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 8PM; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30PM and Sunday evenings at 5PM, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2PM. Visit them online at http://www.carouseldinnertheatre.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com
Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2008, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/1 To be sure, I was greatly anticipating the return of Janine Jansen, whose debut performance here last year was a smashing success. The other side of that coin, however, is that now we’ve heard yet another wunderkind, Stefan Jackiw, in another smashing debut! Such unexpected listening experiences are one of the fringe benefits one receives when living in the same city as a world-renowned orchestra.

That’s the sort of thing we’ll recall, years from now, when his name is among the most often mentioned in the same sentence as the words ‘violin superstar’. And rightly so. He’s a slender young man of 22 or thereabouts, unassuming, not dramatic in gestures, but a very gifted musician, nonetheless. His rendition of the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 was a thing of beauty and lyricism that never faltered, never set a foot where it shouldn’t have been.

Mr. Jackiw produced a delicate, yet full-bodied sound that was always just enough to be easily heard over the small-scale orchestra warranted by Mozart’s music. The soloist was extremely confident, but no doubt he also benefited from the attentiveness of Sir Andrew Davis as conductor. This was a Mozart more lyrical than flashy, ranging from serenity to buoyant, and finally just drifting off to the heavens.

To prove that he could also do flashy, however, Mr. Jackiw treated us to an encore: the Prelude from Bach’s E-major partita for solo violin.

Sir Andrew opened the program with his own transcription of another work by Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582, originally written for organ. Nothing like the famous Stokowski transcription, this was more in the style of Stravinsky, acknowledged by the conductor during the pre-concert talk, as one of his favorites. Featured were pairs of instruments not usually paired, along with occasional echoes. Most interesting. There were bits here and there where the organ-like sound was heard, but not often, and not as fully as when the final massive chord reverberated through the Hall. It even elicited more than a few ‘bravos!’ for the conductor/transcriber. Well-deserved, as well.

César Franck’s Symphony in D minor was high on my list of favorites some years back, and apparently many other such lists as well. Consequently, I think it must have been vastly over-played, wearing out its welcome. What a shame. We’ve been deprived of its presence on concert programs for reasons other than sensible, as this is really a gorgeous piece of music. Franck was a spectacular organist, and there are moments of chordal structure that bring to mind a great organ in performance. There was a moment or two of tenuousness midway in the opening movement, but it didn’t last long, and the glorious chorale that followed wound up as for a supersonic ending. Wow!

Franck was criticized by his peers for utilizing the English horn, but to what great effect he did so! Robert Walters’ playing was, as always, superb. Also, as always, Richard King’s horn solos were played with astonishing accuracy and tonal beauty. How fortunate we are to have such great musicians in our midst. It was fun to have Sir Andrew back again, as well, after an absence of several years.

This week, Principal Cellist Desmond Hoebig is soloist in the gorgeous Dvorák Cello Concerto, and guest conductor Hans Graf also conducts Kikimora and Scheherazade. Sunday afternoon’s performance is part of the Musically Speaking series. For tickets or more information, call 231-1111 or visit the web-site http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

Runt of the Litter & A Handsome Woman Retreats @ CPH FusionFest 5/3 FusionFest is a wonderful place to experience multi-arts. It offers plays, dance, new play readings, poetry slam, and one-person shows. You name it, it’s there. FusionFest 08 continues through May 11; two of its productions are detailed here. Bo Eason, the author and sole performer of Runt of the Litter, spent five years as a professional football player with the Houston Oilers. Runt, which is supposedly semi-autobiographical, looks at what happens to two brothers in their life paths. One is expected to be a super-star. He does so with supposedly little real effort. The other, the younger and smaller of the duo, is inspired to succeed in spite of his physical and talent limitations and becomes almost maniacal in his quest to play in the Super Bowl as a defensive safety.

As we find out, though Jack Henry (the named used by Bo in the play) thrived on the excitement and financial rewards, he often wondered — even while standing in a huddle — “What am I doing out here?” Especially when he compared himself, and others compared him to his brother (in reality, former New England Patriots’ superstar quarterback, Tony Eason).

Runt is set in a locker room just before the “big game,” where Eason is psyching himself to play against a team that includes his brother. The script examines his struggle to be the best, and the sacrifices, victories, and tragedies that surround achieving the ultimate goal in sports.

Eason is an excellent performer. He appears to be at ease with the audience, seemingly at ease with himself. He exhausts both himself and us with his passion.

Capsule Judgment: This was an intense experience. It was an eye-opener which allowed the audience to get an inside look at what it takes to be a success in competitive sports, especially when the odds are against that success.

A Handsome Woman Retreats, Kim Wyans’ one woman dramedy, is a biographical story of a panic-plagued woman who attends a ten-day silent meditation retreat to root out the sources of her crisis-centered life. It is an emotional, yet funny investigation. We watch as Kim introduces many of the unique characters of her life, including her parents and her siblings (The Wyans Brothers of In Living Color fame).

Wyans is a better actress than writer. The script is choppy. The situations are not always well developed. Her written comedy is stronger than her dramatic words. The most emotional highlight centers on a failed birthday of her childhood, when none of her friends show up for her “Hawaiian-themed” party.

Capsule Judgment: This was a pleasant, if uneven production. The quality of the performance far exceeded the effectiveness of the script.

Both of these shows were part of the festivities at The Cleveland Play House, which run through this weekend. And as a side note, appreciation goes out to Roe Green, the local arts patron, who gave financial backing to FusionFest 08 and is serving as the Honorary Producer.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com
Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2008, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.

Dancing Wheels @ Tri-C East 5/3 We went to see the Dancing Wheels concert at Tri-C-East a week ago last Saturday. We were especially keen to see their new Diane McIntyre piece but they had some other new repertory by well-thought-of choreographers. We’ve long been particularly sympathetic with the DW project – the inclusion of dancers with and without disabilities –to the extent that Victor was employed by DW as a teacher for a while. Even more than with other dance companies, we go to their concerts with high hopes.

First on the program was Unconquered Warriors, a brand new piece choreographed on the company by Nai-Ni Chen. Her modern dance company has been around since 1988; it’s the recipient of an NEA grant, tours the world, plays prestigious venues, and pursues an interesting cross-cultural project, aiming for a synthesis of Chinese and western dance materials.

In its actuality, Unconquered Warriors proved to be merely not bad. There may well be a wonderful dance within UW or, alternately, Chen and DW may have the makings of an excellent collaboration but those have yet to manifest themselves on stage. Chen seemed to be exploring the materials at hand with an introduction in which all the dancers repeatedly crossed the stage in wheelchairs displaying fans. Constructs with several dancers on one chair added variety to these crosses. Various sections of the dance emerged, extended sections in which 3 to 6 dancers undulated down and up or in and out of wheelchairs. The dance ended with the dancers crossing the stage one at a time, each striking poses with the fans.

Not a bad outline for a dance. Perhaps the dancers will grow into it. On Saturday evening, there were minor but persistent problems with dropping the fans. Perhaps Chen will find ways of tweaking this work, but as presented she seemed to be finding her way, working with wheelchairs and these dancers for the first time.

Dianne McIntyre’s piece, Sweet Radio Radicals, was perhaps less ambitious than UW but it provided some really satisfying dancing for wheelchair dancers and stand-ups alike. Five dancers gathered around a radio danced to a succession of popular songs. McIntyre gave the dancers some nice social dance moves, appropriate to the era of each song, that shaded nicely into modern dance vocabulary. New company member Dezare Foster and Founder and Principal Dancer Mary Verdi Fletcher did a fabulous duet to a Mahalia Jackson song. The ensemble – and especially Jenny Sikora – got to moving real good to Etta James. Janis Joplin’s Mercedes Benz was the occasion for some funny, galumphing movement that added up to a tightly choreographed little dance. Jenny Sikora’s solo interpretation of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You reminded us of the importance of the personal commitment of the dancer to the dance.

We saw an early version of Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater way back in the 80’s when he was a dancer of modest technical accomplishment, successfully using spoken text along with workman-like modern dance choreography to convey deeply felt emotions.

For the Dancing Wheels concert, Pimsler’s company performed Ways to Be Hold (2008), another work that mixed text with modern dance. A narrator, Tiyo Siyolo, spoke of the joy of owning used topcoats (“To have; to want; to get; to have; to own.”) while the 8 dancers walked across the stage wearing topcoats, assembled on stage for some low-key dancing, and walked off. Strangely, the mix of text, pedestrian choreography, and recorded violin music by Russ Edwards developed considerable atmosphere. And there was an undercurrent of caring that contrasted with the narrator’s emphasis on ownership; for instance, early in the dance one dancer wearing a topcoat tenderly folded another dancer up off the floor and into the coat.

Ways is not a perfect dance — we agreed with friends who felt that the text became too didactic toward the end — but it did maintain our interest throughout its length and, like the earlier version of Pimsler’s company, it used text and modern dance to convey emotion.

The world premier of Pimsler’s Big Trucks and Leverage, commissioned by Dancing Wheels and danced by both companies, used a number of devices in addition to spoken text. At the beginning of the dance, a wheelchair dancer repeatedly rolls into a net and is knocked over backwards in a pratfall that looked more dangerous than it was. A group of standup dancers propped up on each other and on folding chairs were rescued by wheelchair dancers. “It’s all about the balance,” intoned the dancers repeatedly. In an extended section toward the end, the dancers pulled folding chairs and wheelchairs out from under each other, resulting in more pratfalls. Strangely, it all added up to an expression of considerable empathy; here was a dance that gets it. Pimsler’s Big Trucks and Leverage was an auspicious first collaboration. Happily, we hear that more collaborations between DW and Pimsler are in the works.

In addition to Foster, Dancing Wheels has another new dancer, Robby Cecil. We remember him as a promising young dancer with School of the Arts and later in Cleveland Contemporary Dance Company. He’s dancing well. Would that we could see more of him and DW in Cleveland.
From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra @ Severance Hall, 5/4 If the great kids who make up the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra are the “future of classical music” (as some like to call them) then classical music is in great hands (and ears). Sunday’s program, energetically and thoughtfully conducted by Jayce Ogren, delighted a lively crowd of parents, siblings, teachers and otherwise unconnected music lovers. Eighteen-year-old high school senior Kei Niedra played a very romantic interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” with fingers at times flying (seemingly) faster than the eye could follow. The orchestra also played the first movement of Mahler’s “Todtenfeier” or “Funeral March” with verve (and sharp attacks) as well as Stravinsky’s Suite from “The Firebird.” This last work, with exposed solo spots for cello, flute, horn, harp, clarinet (and others) showed just what a fine group of musicians make up this group. Afterwards audience and performers alike enjoyed a reception and a chance to try out the visiting “Virtual Maestro” conducting game in the Smith Lobby. It was an energizing and inspiring way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) u n c l o t h e d Cool Cleveland’s party sold out last weekend, but you can see exclusive backstage videos & photos
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2) Sure, but is it Babysitter Worthy…? A Ratings Scale For Those Rare, Child-Free Leisure Hours.
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3) The best place to buy a home. You might be surprised. Again. And Again.
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4) Nat City gets a video send-up that’s really a must-see. They just don’t get National City!
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5) The Lake Front Ghost Tour If you missed it last week, they do it again on Fri 5/9.
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Embrace Your Inner Geek No pocket protectors necessary. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Steve Copley, Kelly Ferjutz, Claudia J. Taller, Victor Lucas and Elsa Johnson, Mansfield B. Frazier, Laura Kennelly, Roy Berko, Roldo Bartimole and Deb Dockery. Let’s Go Cavs!! And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.

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