01.15-01.22.20 Last Chance

01.15-01.22.20
Last Chance

Sometimes it feels like the string is running out. Like things are getting serious, and we’d better get it right. And soon.

Artists and entrepreneurs always feel this way. The act of creating something out of nothing is a quintessentially existential act. Let’s say you had one chance to do something today. That’s probably what the artist will work on.

As of this mailing, there are still tickets available for the final performance in our series of events celebrating the life of David Bowie, this one at CLE Urban Winery in Cleveland Heights on Fri 1/17. We’ll distill the essence of the iconic artist’s complete life, then Vanity Crash will rattle the bottle racks with some favorites, deep cuts and their own cool tunes.

Our food choices need to be sustainable. Local food advocate Steve Corso has started a new non-profit, The Food Shed, improving the connections between food producers and their markets, starting small with a fermentation workshop this week. Inlet Dance produces new work at the Akron Civic Theatre created by two African-American dancers in their company, The Black Card Project. MLK Day is a the best time to check out local museums who are offering free admission, and reflect on his legacy of courage, determination and non-violence. One wonders how many more chances we’ll have. –Thomas Mulready

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Last Chance to Celebrate David Bowie

With today’s announcement that Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and T. Rex will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Public Auditorium and broadcast live on HBO on Sat 5/2, it couldn’t be more timely that we are exploring the roots of a continuum that begins with the folk/glam transgression of David Bowie and T. Rex, inspired the electronic synth/pop of Depeche Mode, and culminated with the industrial intensity of former Cleveland musician Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails.

After two weeks of full houses across Northeast Ohio, we crash land our FINAL show on David Bowie on Fri 1/17 at CLE Urban Winery, 2180 Lee Road, across from the Cedar Lee Theatre on a strip that has been reinvigorated lately with breweries, coffee shops, art galleries and… an urban winery. As of this writing, select tickets are still available.

We’ll trace the artist’s entire life, from his birth in the suburbs of London, to his untimely death in New York City, surrounded by family, having just completed his final masterpiece. Along the way, we’ll celebrate the highs and the lows, dig up some outrageously rare clips, and dance to the sizzling sounds of Vanity Crash doing Bowie hits and near misses, along with their own tuneage. Join us!

Local Food Advocate Has Big Dreams

Steve Corso has some ambitious plans for his new nonprofit, The Food Shed, which he says is “more of an aspiration at this point.” He’s got big ideas about ways he’d like to expand the connection between farmers and food producers and the market for their food.

He’s dreaming about a space that would serve as a year-round farmers market. “I want to establish at least one place that functions as an everyday indoor farmers market – basically selling produce on consignment, as well as prepared foods, but all local,” he says. In the meantime, he’s starting small, with events such as his fermentation workshop taking place at the Bottlehouse Brewery in Cleveland Heights Sun 1/19.

Dance Explores What’s “Black Enough”

Cleveland’s Inlet Dance Theatre is known for its outreach into diverse communities as well as its encouragement of new work. Those missions come together in The Black Card Project, which will be performed at the Akron Civic Theatre Fri 1/17. It was created by two company dancers, both African-American.

The work takes on racial issues in a humorous and entertaining, yet insightful, fashion. It deals with an educated young black man confronting the idea that some might not view him as “black enough,” as it addresses stereotypes of black behavior. Dancer Dominic Moore-Dunson says the work was inspired by his being told by high school friends that his interests were “not black enough.”

The Dollars and Sense of Council Reduction

Cleveland’s ballot in March will contain a proposal to drastically reduce the size and pay of Cleveland city council. Taking the opposite view from CoolCleveland columnist Mansfield Frazier, C. Ellen Connally argues that this initiative could have positive results. She argues that the proposal will save money reducing a council that has been ineffectual in acting as a check on the mayor.

“Voters would be wise to ask themselves this question: What has my councilperson done for me lately?” she says. “If the answer is shows up every four years and ask for your vote and then go into hiding until the next election while collecting a generous salary, then voters should pull the lever in favor of the changes.”

While it mounts a national search this month for a new executive director to replace Christina Vassallo, who left at the end of 2019, nonprofit arts organization SPACES won’t be adrift. Deputy ED Megan Young, who is also an inter-disciplinary artist, has been named interim ED. She’s been with SPACES since late 2018.

* The Cleveland Humanities Festival returns 3/21-22. Once again, Literary Cleveland is looking for written submissions of any type – essays, fiction, poetry, drama – to be performed in two staged readings, reflecting on the subject of “Truth.” Submissions are being accepted through Sun 2/9.

* Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, T. Rex, The Notorious B.I.G., The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Jon Landau and Irving Azoff just announced as 2020 Inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with the ceremony to be held on Sat 5/2 at Cleveland Public Auditorium and, for the first time ever, broadcast live on HBO.

Cleveland’s No Exit New Music and Minnesota’s Zeitgeist premiere two new works as part of their latest series of joint performances at KSU, BOP STOP & Heights Arts. Thu 1/16-Sat 1/18

* Les Delices presents “Lessons in Love” through 14-century courtly love songs, at three area venues. Thu 1/16, Sat 1/18-Sun 1/19.

* Cleveland-based Brazilian musician Luca Mundaca performs an intimate evening at the BOP STOP. Thu 1/16.

* Music photographer Karen Novak celebrates her birthday at the Grog Shop with musician friends. Sat 1/18.

* Akron Symphony plays Mahler and Mozart in a program reflecting on “eternal love”. Sat 1/18.

WED 1/15
Northeast Ohio’s status as a foodie region has been cemented by its burgeoning number of restaurant weeks. College-town Kent once offered mostly pizza and subs, but now it’s got 13 downtown restaurants participating in its Kent Restaurant Week, through Sun 1/19..

* Local music scene veterans, pianist Joe Hunter and guitarist Pete Cavano, perform as a duo at the BOP STOP.

* Beachland’s Fam Jam invites all musicians to come on down.

Click here for more events on Wed 1/15

THU 1/16
Beware, book addicts! The Akron Art Museum is holding its Art Book Sale, with both new and secondhand exhibit catalogs, biographies, art histories, coffee table books, collectible and signed books, and more, through Sat 1/18.

* The Transformer Station hosts a discussion on art and emerging technologies.

* Westlake’s Gallery W showcases three area artists in Nature Preserved.

Click here for more events on Thu 1/16

FRI 1/17
Heights Arts’ new show, Point-Line-Pattern-Plane, features the work of eight area artists who work with textiles in different ways, including weaving , stitching and dyeing, ranging from Jessica Pinksy’s layered, evanescent weavings to Hildur Asgeirsdottir Jonsson’s panels inspired by the landscape of her native Iceland.

* CreativeMorningsCLE explores “Roots” with CWRU evolutionary biology professor.

* New work by Christina Sadowski, Jen Craun and Nicole Schneider goes on view at 78th Street Studios’ Third Friday.

* Harvard history professor delivers MLK convocation talk at CWRU on bias education.

* A new opera, based on Federico Garcia Lorca’s grim drama The House of Bernard Alba, is performed tonight at Baldwin Wallace.

* SPACES opens three news shows for winter, exploring immigration, Asian-American identity and queer spaces.

* Fiddler/singer/step dancer April Verch returns to Peninsula’s G.A.R. Hall.

Click here for more events on Fri 1/17

SAT 1/18
Taking place at Baldwin Wallace, {NOW} Fest 2020, co-presented with Cleveland Opera Theatre, offers opera lovers a full day of discussions & presentations about operas in development, including one based on The Green Book, a guide which told black travelers in the U.S. where they were welcome during the Jim Crow era.

* “Roe Yeah” at Mahall’s features a dozen bands performing to protect women’s reproductive rights.

* Cleveland Jazz Orchestra celebrates MLK legacy at Maltz Performing Arts Center.

* Practitioners of Brazilian martial arts/dance form capoeira perform at SPACES.

* Have some outdoor fun in downtown Akron at Lock 3’s Ninja Pizza Party.

Click here for more events on Sat 1/18

SUN 1/19
Temple of Passions’ Music 2 Poetry competition at the BOP STOP offers a challenging variation on the performance poetry slam: each participant chooses a piece of instrumental music to go along with their own work for each of the three rounds in which they could potentially compete. The evening also includes live music and an open mic.

* Huge puppets bring dinosaurs to life at Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall.

* Geauga Park District’s Frozen Fest offers winter fun indoors and out.

* Learn about owls at North Chagrin Nature Center’s Owl Hoot-enanny.

Click here for more events on Sun 1/19

MON 1/20
MLK Day is a great time to check out local museums, including ones not usually open on Monday. The Maltz Museum, the Akron Art Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Rock Hall and the Greater Cleveland Aquarium all have a variety of special activities and performances, and Severance Hall hosts its annual open house with youth performances and family activities and displays in the lobby. Most are free, so with schools closed, expect crowds!

* The Cleveland Public Library hosts the launch of One Community Reads, a city-wide book discussion event, and unveils a new photo show focusing on Cleveland.

Click here for more events on Mon 1/20

TUE 1/21
The BOP STOP’s monthly Outlab jam session offers musicians the chance to participate in a group musical adventure. Bring down your instrument or any sound-producing device, and join like-minded people for an evening of improvisational journeys.

* Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero performs program at Ej Thomas Hall dedicated to the immigrant experience.

* Get those feet moving to live music at the Chagrin Falls Contra Dance.

Click here for more events on Tue 1/21

WED 1/22
Cleveland’s Center for Art-inspired Learning aims to engage young people in education through hands-on arts programs. Its Arts & Drafts fundraiser at Forest City Brewery will give supporters the chance to help out, while working on a guided embroidery project and, of course, drinking local beer.

Click here for more events on Wed 1/22

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Let’s Just Pretend

There’s an old saying about the futility of slamming the barn door after the horse has already absconded. That’s how I somewhat feel about the new federal initiative, Operation Relentless Pursuit, which is going to be aimed at fighting violent crime in Cleveland and six other cities around the country…

* In His Own Words The smashing opening this past Friday of the autobiographical film Just Mercy, about the life and work of Bryan Stevenson – the crusading lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative who has worked tirelessly for decades to reform the criminal justice system and defend those on death row – is heartening. Reportedly, in every theater around the country…

Read other stories from Mansfield Frazier here