Indie

07.29-08.05.09
Indie

In this week’s issue:

As far away from mainstream kulture on the coasts as is civically possible, Cleveland represents the true indie spirit: listen to Mystery of Two’s new CD to hear what Cleveland sounds like today. Roldo posts about RTA, Mayor Jackson and a few other signs of our independent times. But a Yo-Yo exhibition? Rare jazz photos? Pet Therapy dogs? An indie t-shirt company? These are examples of Cleveland’s independent spirit. Sure, we’ve got the coolest street festivals and outdoor events, from Tremont to Blossom to Lakewood to Wade Oval. And a bowling party in Parma is pretty retro: join us on Sat 8/8 for a good cause and a fun roll of the big ball. But all in all, Cleveland doesn’t follow the trends; in some cases is blissfully unaware of them. The people Cool Cleveland follows set the trends, born of one pure independent spirit. –Thomas Mulready

Click to WIN Been dying for the new Apple iPhone 3GS? We can help with that.

Get this: We’re giving away the new iPhone or an iPod simply by clicking on the SPONSORED: links and Sponsored Videos in this week’s issue of CoolCleveland.com below, including our Cool Cleveland Bowling Party. Click as many times as you want. The more different links you click, the better your chances of winning. Click below and best of luck! Click to WIN

Have fun at Lanes for Change on Sat 8/8
featuring Thomas Bowlready

This all-ages bowling party on Sat 8/8 from 9:30AM to noon at Freeway Lanes in Parma helps raise money to help Adoption Network Cleveland change lives by helping foster youth find permanent loving homes, and helping potential adoptive families to navigate the barriers they face in building new families.

Join Thomas Bowlready at Lanes for Change and register a group or as an individual to share the fun:

Watch the video interview with new adoptive father Drew Goddard and his two sons, Devon & Tony as they build a family. And catch the YouTube of Thomas Bowlready’s visit to Adoption Network offices. Yes, that bowling pin is wearing a porkpie hat…

Win an iPod or a Cool Cleveland video for you or your team, have fun with Thomas Bowlready and raise money for a good cause. We’ll see you at the next Cool Cleveland party on Sat 8/8 in Parma! Get the details at http://www.adoptionnetwork.org/content.asp?pageid=311

SPONSORED: Tartan Terrors for $10 at Cain Park! Heirs apparent to the Celtic mayhem, the Tartan Terrors combine musical prowess, comedy, blistering piping by a world champion bagpiper, drums from around the world and championship caliber Highland Dancers on Sat 8/1 at 8PM. Call 216-371-3000 and proclaim “I’m Cool!” http://www.CainPark.com/concerts_list_folk.asp

Fits Most Sizes
Cleveland’s Booming Indie T-Shirt Companies Offer Something for Everyone

Is there really a need for more than one indie clothing company in Cleveland? Would anyone dare to set up shop near the likes of the immortal Daffy Dan’s and hope to succeed? You’d have to be young and foolish to try such a feat, right?

Actually, you’d have to be savvy and attuned to what Clevelanders really want.

And that seems to be why more than one indie clothing company has been able to create a successful business in the area.

And while there may be some competition for customers, most of the companies say they have found a sub-niche within the indie clothing marketplace…

Read more from Diane DiPiero here

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HOT Cool Cleveland is hiring We’re looking for a great writer/editor who is connected to the cool stuff in town and can meet deadlines. If you’re plugged in to this cool region and can write about it, get in touch. Multimedia skills are also appreciated. Info@CoolCleveland.com

Mansfield a hit on TV & DailyBeast.com CoolCleveland.com columnist Mansfield Frazier [pictured] has been picked up by TheDailyBeast.com, and his story on the Gates controversy led to weekend appearances on NBC’s Today Show and CNN. Wanna read Mansfield’s latest missive? Scroll down to his column, Straight Out of Mansfield below. Read his DailyBeast column here.

Cuyahoga housing prices skyrocket 85% from Q1 to Q2 2009 from $48K to $89K. Read

Skyline Writers Conference The ancient Cuyahoga Valley is waiting to inspire you into writing. Join Skyline Writers for its annual conference at Hines Hill Conference Center in Peninsula on Sat 8/22 and hear writers Thomas Sigel, Kristin Ohlson, Sandra Gurvis, Kelly Boyer Sagert and Barbara Snow talk about how to elevate your musings to the next level. http://www.SkylineWriters.com.

HOT Looking to do marketing for your 09/10 fiscal year? Don’t forget to include Cool Cleveland sponsored links and videos. Info@CoolCleveland.com.

SPONSORED: How would you like $20,000 for your art work? If you’re a performance or literary artist, the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture invites you to learn about a new opportunity for professional artists in Cuyahoga County – the Creative Workforce Fellowship. Learn about application procedures and eligibility for this $20,000 fellowship, generously funded by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, by attending one of four upcoming workshops. Click here for details! http://www.cpacbiz.org/business/CWF.shtml

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: Follow CAK on Facebook! Discount AirTran coupon coming in August. http://www.facebook.com/akroncantonairport

When Best Friends Make the Best Medicine
Pet Pals at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

Sometimes the best medicine for kids doesn’t come in a pill or an I-V. Fortunately, in Cleveland, there’s good medicine and good programs, both helping kids get healthy.

“Puppy! Come!” he shrieked. “Puppy! Come!” When Jessie, a 2-year old golden retriever entered the room, the boy couldn’t wait to grab onto her soft, shiny coat and bury his head into it. Although he had wires from his body attached to various monitoring equipment and was deaf, his eyes were bright and shining. His mom smiled and laughed.

This was one story from a visit to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital where I observed the Pet Pals program. The program uses trained volunteers and certified therapy dogs to make visits to kids. Pet Therapy has been shown to reduce stress, promote healing, lower blood pressure and bring smiles to the faces of children in the hospital setting…
Read more from Jeannie Fleming-Gifford here

SPONSORED: Tired of having to leave the kids at home for ritzy adults-only events? CoolCleveland is taking over Freeway Lanes of Parma on Sat 8/8 from 10AM to noon for Lanes for Change 2009, an all-ages bowling party benefiting Adoption Network Cleveland. Bring the whole family – register now at http://www.AdoptionNetwork.org/coolcleveland for unlimited bowling, yummy food, music, prizes… and learn how to win an iPod.

Wade Oval Wednesdays continues in University Circle every Wednesday evenings through the end of August. The fun starts Wed 7/29 at 6PM with no cost, fabulous family fun, live music, great treats and beverages, kids fun and more. Bring your blanket, a picnic or snacks and come enjoy a summer evening in beautiful University Circle! Each Wednesday brings new sounds for your soul. http://www.UniversityCircle.org.

HOT ArtWorks Final Performance and Exhibit hits the Tri-C Metro Campus this Thu 7/30 from 6 – 7:30PM. Bring the family and come see entertaining performances and exciting artwork by young artists, musicians, dancers and actors. This culminating event showcases the work of nearly 100 Northeast Ohio high school students who are arts apprentices at ArtWorks, a summer job training program in the arts. Incredible stuff! 2900 Community College Ave. Details at http://www.YANEO.org.

HOT Thrown Yo-Yo players exhibiting Yo-Yo artwork, curated by Cleveland’s own Yo-Yo master, Steve Brown, at Shoparooni in North Collinwood, opens Fri 7/31 at 7PM, runs thru 8/29. http://www.shoparooni.com

HOT Lakewood Arts Festival The venerable annual arts & culture event promises family-friendly fun, live music, great artisan wares, nosh and so much more. Whether you’re looking for a great afternoon out Sat 8/1 or looking for a specific piece of pottery, an oil painting, etc., Cleveland’s summer festival season just wouldn’t be the same without it! http://www.LakewoodArtsFest.org.

HOT ParkWorks’ Arts in August See “This Week” for more details or visit http://www.TremontWestDevelopment.com and http://www.ParkWorks.org.

Fore! Adult/Child Golf Tournament We don’t really do golf, but this looks like fun. Shawnee Hills Golf Course at Bedford Reservation hosts a cool adult/kid 9-hole tournament Sat 8/1. Get in the swing! Registration (fee per team) is required. Space is limited. Visit http://www.CleMetParks.com or call 440-232-7184.

SPONSORED: Visit the Galapagos without leaving Cleveland Autistic Cleveland Heights artist Seth Chwast was invited to the Galapagos to exhibit his art of avian and aquatic creatures. Now his art has been brought together with the exhibit Visions of Galapagos, displaying the naturalist Charles Darwin’s first edition texts on human evolution. It’s also a hands-on exhibit that kids will love. Also visit Surviving: The Body of Evidence, with interactive activities examining human evolution. Plus, T-Rex is now on permanent exhibit at CMNH! Get your summer fun info at http://www.CMNH.org

Michael Lynn, Associate Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, had the distinct pleasure of receiving the phone call from Cleveland photographer Frank Kuchirchuk, who has worked for the AP and shot 4″ X 5″ photos of most of the jazz legends who visited Lindsay’s Sky Bar at E. 105th & Euclid during 1953 & 1954. The phone call? Watch the video as Lynn describes listening to Kuchirchuk tell him he wanted to donate his 200 award-winning masterpiece photographs to Oberlin College…

Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Buddy Rich, Lester Young, Art Tatum, Dizzy Gillespie, and others were all captured in performance by Kuchirchuk in Cleveland in the midst of their swingingest sets. These photos will find a permanent home in the new Phyllis Litoff Building, Oberlin’s new home for jazz studies, opening Fall 2009. Swingin’, baby! http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory

SPONSORED: PIPPIN! $10 Fridays at Cain Park! $10 tickets (limit 4) to Pippin, written by the composer of Wicked and directed by Vicky Bussert, on any Friday (7/31, 8/7, 14 or 21) in the intimate Alma Theater! This offer ends 9PM, Sun 8/2. Call 216-371-3000 today and proclaim “I’m Cool!” http://www.CainPark.com/theater_alma_synopsis.asp

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

Cleveland People proposal is Top 10 and needs your vote (up to once each day) to win $25K to create art, murals, sculpture throughout the city to celebrate the 100+ cultures in Cleveland+. Great Lakes Geek Dan Hanson needs 30 more votes, which should put us in the lead! Click & Vote.

SPONSORED: Prepare For Tomorrow. Invest in yourself today with an Executive MBA from The Nance College of Business at Cleveland State University! Over 1,000 professionals have chosen to get their Executive MBA from CSU’s Nance College of Business. Our flagship EMBA program is a globally focused 19-month program designed for busy professionals. This outstanding, affordable, weekend program focuses on leadership, team building, and strategic thinking through a contemporary curriculum, hands-on projects, and international travel. Discover all the opportunities the Executive MBA program at CSU offers. Visit http://www.csuohio.edu/business/emba or call 216-687-6925 to learn about the program, get info and get ahead.

You should save the date for COSE’s Small Biz Conference Talk about valuable! Details
Crain’s upcoming biz breakfast Supply Chain Strategies and Visibility hits this Wed 7/29 at the Ritz-Carlton. Register
Smart Business Live Akron w/Vicki Tifft Founder/CEO of Clinical Research Management on Thu 8/13 @ Tangier in Akron. RSVP
AMPLIFY Speaker Series highlights “education in action” Wed 8/26 at Corporate College East; details and reg here

Fred Franks is about as hip as can be, talking with Thomas Mulready on Star Plaza at Playhouse Square about how their client companies can save power, lower their costs and turn their IT green by reducing the energy usage in one of a business’s critical areas: their IT department. Simple techniques like using the Power Save setting on printers and monitors can significantly reduce power consumption and reduce cost.

Innovative ideas such as virtualization technology allows businesses to affordably utilize open source software to run multiple “virtual servers” on one computer, lowering hardware costs and saving energy. A no-cost IT Assessment offered by FIT Technologies will review all a company’s tech costs and can lower energy consumption and overall costs. Get Green! http://www.FITtechnologies.com

SPONSORED: Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the College Degree. Baldwin-Wallace College has been designated a Yellow Ribbon Program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For qualifying post 9/11 vets that means they can attend B-W undergraduate or graduate programs tuition-free. A cookout and information session for veterans is slated for August 14. Check http://www.BW.edu/admission/forms/veterans for details.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Prison Bound This review of the “school-to-prison pipeline” features speaker Paul Hill, president and CEO of East End Neighborhood Center. He’ll discuss the policies and practices that funnel youth out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems Wed 7/29 as a part of the ACLU Brown Bag Lecture series. Should be an eye-opener. More information here. To RSVP, call 472-2200.

SPONSORED: Piano battle heats up WCLV 104.9, is in the second day of its wall-to-wall live coverage of the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Rounds One, Two and Three are taking place at the Bolton Theatre of the Cleveland Playhouse. Then on August 7th and 8th, the action moves to Severance Hall for the Concerto Rounds with The Cleveland Orchestra and Jahja Ling. The Winners’ Recital from Seveance on August 9th, begins at 2PM. The whole world is listening at http://www.WCLV.com.

HOT Eye, Mind, Heart CPT’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) [pictured] performs original work Eye, Mind, Heart — an original play inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen — starting Thu 7/30 in Herman Park in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. It will tour a dozen other parks throughout the city of Cleveland through Sun 8/9. No cost, open to the public! Full schedule of locations and times here.

HELP Pan-Ohio Bike Ride for the American Cancer Society make a difference in the lives of cancer patients! Support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives, help cancer patients, and empower communities with this Hope Ride starting Thu 7/30 and running for four days. Cyclists will ride from Cleveland to Cincinnati in a tour through Ohio’s scenic countryside. Hit the road and make the road smoother for those battling cancer! They need you. Details here.

ODOT Director at City Club Frustrated by the lack of respect that urban areas like Cleveland have been receiving from the Ohio Department of Transportation? Wondering about the status of crucial proposed projects like Opportunity Boulevard, the Innerbelt project & bridges, and the Shoreway project? Use the City Club’s legendary audience Q&A to ask Jolene Molitoris, who took over as the first woman Director of ODOT in January, on Fri 7/31 at noon. http://www.CityClub.org

HOT Heinz Poll 2009 Summer Dance Festival hits Akron Fri 7/31 and Sat 8/1 starting at dusk. This no cost, open to the public event is a perfect, family-friendly event and great for dance enthusiasts as well (bring your lawn chairs or blankets). Features the critically-acclaimed GroundWorks DanceTheater, who perform on the Friday and deliver another performance the following night in Tremont’s Lincoln Park. The Poll festival is located at Glendale Cemetery, 150 Glendale Ave., Akron; score details on this and other Poll performances at http://www.AkronDanceFestival.org. For more info on GWDT, visit http://www.GroundWorksDance.org or call 691-3180.

HOT Sleep Dealer was called “the best science fiction of the decade” by Seattle’s The Stranger. It premiers at the Cleveland Cinematheque Fri 7/31. This film [pictured] received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and the Amnesty International Film Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival! Directed by Alex Rivera, the film “sends a timely message about immigration, terrorism, and big government that resonates in today’s political climate.” See an interview with Rivera and Wired magazine here. Details at http://www.CIA.edu/Cinematheque.

HELP Retro Dance Party Benefit This benefit for the Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland should appeal to the retro music-and-dancing lover in you. Shout! is Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland’s First Annual Retro Dance Party and it happens Fri 7/31 from 8 – 11PM at the Cleveland Yachting Club, 200 Yacht Club Dr. A patron ticket includes appetizers, a complimentary drink and a night full of music and dancing from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. With lake breezes and a perfect sunset (weather permitting) framing the evening, it should be a blast! Proceeds provide critical support services to help GAC’s older clients maintain their independence and quality of life. Call 231-6500 ext 103 or email jhoffmeyer@gacgc.org for tickets.

HOT Frivolity Did you know that Cleveland is a finalist city competing to host the Gay Games in 2014? The Cleveland Synergy Foundation and a host of other partners are hosting a night of music and entertainment to celebrate this Fri 7/31 at 8PM at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum. The event kicks off the site selection committee’s weekend-long tour of Northeast Ohio while they decide on who will host the Games. No cost, open to the public with a complimentary ticket! Download here!

And Then You Die (How I Ran a Marathon in 26.2 Years) This no cost, open to the public solo performance by David Hansen should be a real eye-opener Sat 8/1 at 8PM at Parish Hall, Cleveland Public Theatre. This one-night-only op is presented in advance of the inclusion of Hansen’s work being included in 13th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. No RSVP necessary. Free theatre and performance art? We’re all about that. http://www.DaddyRunsFast.com. http://FringeNYC.org.

HOT HELP The 18th Annual Krusty’s Summer Sauce Camp This young adult benefit for Cleveland’s Malachi House hits Sat 8/1 and promises a fun day from noon – dusk! Admission includes all-you-can-eat summertime fare, adult libations, live musical entertainment and the opportunity to mingle with 2,000 young adults from Greater Cleveland. Come catch live grooves with the bands Madison Crawl and wrong way. Score ticketing info/details at http://www.MySpace.com/krustys_summer_sauce_camp.

Art Exchange Waterloo Gallery Cleveland hosts a large-scale art swap Sat 8/1 starting at 7PM. Bring your own beverages and an appetizer, or munchie of some sort; art themed with flowers gets exchanged about 9PM. Waterloo 7 Studio & Gallery, 16006 Waterloo Rd. More details here.

Exposed: The Evolution of Fashion Illustration This exhibition opens Sat 8/1 from 6 – 10PM. Featuring the artworks of two former fashion design illustrators Salvador Miguel and Suzanne Gilbert. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at opening reception. No cost, open to the public, all ages are welcome. 755 Starkweather Ave., Tremont. Call 440-667-1651 or visit http://www.GeodeGallery-Tremont.com.

HOT Return of the Jehova Waitresses Believe it or not, 10 years ago, Cleveland popsters Jehova Waitresses [pictured] practiced in the house next door, well insulated, so it sounded like the sweet faraway drone of the best radio station you never heard. Their albums Shake Your Buddha and Perfect Impossible, were gems that we turned our friends on to, and they left town just as they were about to explode. It’s been forever, but the local 90s alt-folk act Jehova Waitresses returns to the Grog Shop stage Sat 8/1. We can’t wait. They’re working on new material, too! Details at http://www.MySpace.com/JehovaWaitresses and http://www.GrogShop.gs.

First-ever Ohio Ballet Reunion hits the University of Akron this Sat 8/1 and promises to be a cool, unusual event. The UofA Dance Program hosts the no cost, open to the public event that features Ohio Ballet dancers, choreographers, staff, trustees, volunteers, audience members and friends from throughout its four-decade residency under the direction of choreographer Heinz Poll. Reception from 6 to 7:30PM at the Center for Dance and Theatre at Guzzetta Hall, 139 E. Buchtel Ave., Akron. RSVP: call 330-972-7948 or email dance@uakron.edu.

Bandango The 4th annual Bandango Music Festival at Meadowlarks Motorcycle Club in Amherst features headlining bands Red Wanting Blue, Jones For Revival, Winslow, Losanti, Eclyptic, The Green, Tom Evanchuck, Grafton Road and more. Score an all-day pass and camp overnight! Visit ”’http://www.MySpace.com/BandangoFestival for more info.

HOT ParkWorks’ Arts in August Join Councilman Joe Cimperman, Tremont West Development and ParkWorks as the community comes together in Lincoln Park in the Tremont neighborhood for this no cost, open to the public series of arts and culture events Sat 8/1 at 7PM. Bring friends, family, dinner and a blanket as you enjoy music, dance and theater. Cleveland Public Theatre’s STEP Performance marks the first installment! Lincoln Park in Tremont (corner of W. 14th and Kenilworth) with the rain location designated as Pilgrim Church. Call 575-0920 or visit http://www.TremontWestDevelopment.com and http://www.ParkWorks.org.

Ohio Dance Theatre performs Matters of the Heart this Sat 8/1 at 7:30PM. The ODT’s “Summer Rep Concert” features guest artist Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet Principal Dancer) in the Hall Auditorium, Oberlin. Call 440-774-6077 for tickets or visit http://www.OhioDanceTheatre.org.

Csárdás Dance Company will present a dinner/dance performance on Sat 8/1 at 6PM at the West Side Hungarian Reformed Church, 15300 Puritas Ave. The evening will consist of a Chicken Paprikas dinner, followed by a performance which will feature current Csardas members as well as alumni performers. Guests are encouraged to participate in freestyle dancing following the performance. Call 533-4194 or visit http://www.CsardasDance.com.

Lakewood Arts Festival The venerable annual arts & culture event promises family-friendly fun, live music, great artisan wares, nosh and so much more. Whether you’re looking for a great afternoon out Sat 8/1 or looking for a specific piece of pottery, an oil painting, etc., Cleveland’s summer festival season just wouldn’t be the same without it! http://www.LakewoodArtsFest.org.

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Jahja Ling will deliver selections from Dvorak, Shostakovich, Mendelssohn and Mussorgsky. Should be a grand and elevating night of music on the beautiful Blossom lawn [pictured]! Details here. http://www.ClevelandOrchestra.com.

HOT Fire, a benefit for those that lost their homes in the 6/16 explosion and fire in Tremont, with 100% of the money going to the families in need. Art auction, cake walk, Hot Dog Feast, and music by Corissa Bragg, Long John Denver, Brian Straw, and Bill Weita on Sun 8/2 2-6PM, doubting thomas gallery 856 Jefferson Ave, Tremont Info

HOT Warehouse District Street Festival On Sun 8/2 from noon to 8PM on W. 6th St. between Lakeside and Frankfort, soak up great food, adult bevvies, loft/condo/apartment open houses, an art show, cornhole tournaments, street performers and more! Live music anchors the day, with sets performed by Carlos Jones, Cats on Holiday, the Northcoast Jazz Collective, Blue Lunch, the Outlaws and more! Should be a blast; parking is cheap-cheap! Call 344-3937 for deets or click here.

OddyFest Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and this month’s Oddyfest on Wed 8/3 (repeating Wed 8/17). Looks like another round of relationship exposition! Call the OddyFest Hotline at WAM-TOG1 (926-8641) for details. Heights Arts Studio 2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. http://TheOddyFestival.Wordpress.com.

Summer in the City Concert The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum offers the latest installment of this live music event Wed 8/5 at 7PM. It’s no cost, open to the public and a lot of fun. Great for the kids (and for the kid and you) this recurring downtown lakefront concert series proves “Cleveland Rocks.” Concert takes place on the Rock Hall’s Main Stage. Details: http://www.RockHall.com.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

SPONSORED: Get Ready to Awaken your IMAGINATION as the Dancing Wheels Company presents an evening that will delight the young and the young at heart at Cain Park on Thu 8/20 at 8PM. Experience a mix of world premieres and Company favorites including Robert Wesner’s Alice in Wonderland like it’s never been seen before! Also Stuart Pimsler’s Big Trucks and Leverage, Lisa K. Lock’s Crimson, and Hoang Dang’s Firefly. 216-371-3000 or http://www.CainPark.com. For info: http://www.DancingWheels.org

Can We Talk?

While the firestorm of controversy surrounding the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. will soon tone back down to a slow simmer, the underlying issues that caused it to ignite in the first place will be with us far into the foreseeable future… and probably beyond.

Our national racial animus is akin to that crazy uncle families prefer to keep locked away in the attic – because he so embarrasses us when he’s glimpsed by the public…

Read more of Mansfield Frazier here

Mystery of Two
Exit Stencil Recordings

If Cleveland’s Pere Ubu were reincarnated in 2009 a little looser, a little more laid back, and with a lot less (but still a lot of) histrionic vocals, they might like what they hear in Mystery of Two’s second eponymous CD.

They’ve been called “the sound of Cleveland,” and we know what they mean…

Read review of Mystery of Two here

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

RTA Takes Us for the Wrong Ride
Plus: Commissioners, Libraries and Mayor Jackson — A Mayor for the Times?

Is RTA taking us on another ride? As a transit system, it seems more like a servant of the same old special interests when it should be taking care of transit-dependent citizens. Yes, I believe the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) does have a money problem with sales taxes and ridership down. Raising fares hardly seems the solution.

However, I also know that RTA hasn’t paid enough attention in the past to its spending. If it did RTA wouldn’t have to be cutting crucial services now. We’re being told that there is a $5.5 million problem. The solution for RTA’s management is to cut services and raise the price by 25 cents.

That appears to be not a palatable solution. If CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese and his RTA board can’t find $5 million in his more than $240 million (2008) budget, then we need to get someone who can do the job…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

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

Annie Get Your Gun @ Porthouse Theatre 07.23.09
Read the review by Roy Berko here

Ohio Light Opera 07.24.09
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here

Cool Cleveland readers write

All letters must include your full name (required) and you may include your e-mail address (optional).
Send your letters to: LettersATCoolCleveland.com

On Cool Cleveland I’m a native Clevelander born and raised! I have lived away from the city for about 20 years, But always check in to see what’s going on in my hometown. Thanks for the great site! from Cool Cleveland reader Lisa J. Conner, via Facebook

Send your letters to: LettersATCoolCleveland.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) Eating Cleveland We’re big fans of this blog. EatingCleveland.com

2) Moon Guide to Cleveland Is this the best guidebook to Cleveland? We think so. CoolCleveland.com

3) An adventure in your own backyard Try a staycation at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. CMNH.org

4) Eatin’ Good, Green & Local It’s not just for kids, by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford. CoolCleveland.com

5) $20K artist fellowships available for performance and literary artists. cpacbiz.org.

Keeping you independently busy is all thanks to the Hard Corps, who toil every week so you don’t have to. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, Kelly Ferjutz, Diane DiPiero, Mansfield B. Frazier, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Claudia J. Taller, Laura Kennelly, Roy Berko, Roldo Bartimole and Jeff Biasella. 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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