The Week ahead, 7/19-7/25

Another week in the record books, and what a wild one it was. This past week was one of the most intense, sleep-deprived, live music enriched, (mostly) highs & (some) lows weeks that I've had for a long time. In many ways it was awesome, though I'm glad for a couple of days of quiet and reflection.

Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for you, this being Cleveland in the summertime, there will be no shortage of awesome things to do this week. I was talking with a friend the other day about how there are so many completely wonderful things to do this summer that I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and see put forward the following brilliant yet simple explanation: weather here is so harsh from November to May that creative types and the businesses and organizations that give them the space to do their thing have to cram as much as they can into the summer. Of course, she said it a whole lot better than that, but I'm miserable at remembering things.

Sunday, 7/19 - Get the week started off right with brunch at the Beachland. CB good buddy Dave Desimone is the featured DJ, and in celebration he brings us DJ Dave's Pajama Party. If you are still hungry after that or looking for some action in the early evening, check out the Taste of Tremont, going down from 1-8 PM in that commercial district (of sorts) that glides along Professor Ave.



Monday, 7/20 - Once again, it is the Cleveland Cinema's 3rd Monday celebration, with reduced movie ticket AND beer prices. Take advantage and check out something that just got into the theater or something that might be leaving soon. Check out what is now showing here.

Tuesday, 7/21 - Nothing really to report, as usual for Tuesdays. Insert inappropriate/redundant/lame sex joke here.

Wednesday, 7/22 - Today is a very exciting day for CB HQ, with the free Akron/Family show at the Rock Hall. Despite my best intentions, I never made it out to the Man Man/Mystery of Two show a couple weeks back, but as interesting as Man Man might be, Akron/Family takes it to a different level for me. Check out the CB Album of the Week post on the band's latest release (Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free) here and see this page for more information on Wednesday's free show.

(poster design credit goes to the always stellar John G.)

If live music isn't your cup of tea, MOCA is also having a really interesting event. Re-weaving the Neighborhood Fabric is an open public discussion about how art and institutions can play a role in revitalizing Cleveland's neighborhoods. The program begins at 630, but show up early and take some time to check out the current exibition. I've not yet been, but folks report that it is pretty good this time around.

Thursday, 7/23 - A rarity for this Cleveland summer, but as of now I have nothing to suggest for Thursday. I suggest you follow my lead, which will be to have a quiet evening at home to rest up for a weekend of madness.

Friday, 7/24 - The madness begins. So many options this night. First, as the culminating event of their 5th store anniversary celebration, Team Music Saves brings us a very special in-store performance by Brent Knopf from Menomena, who will be performing songs from his upcoming solo effort, Ramona Falls. After the in-store, folks are welcome to stay on Waterloo and hop down to the Beachland for a much-touted performance by The Veils and Foreign Born. After the show, the folks in The Veils will be DJing a final birthday dance party in honor of Music Saves.



Alternatively, if you prefer to stay on or return to the west side, there are a couple great options. First, check out The Very Knees and Brooklyn's The Library Is On Fire at Now That's Class. Or, and this is the CB-endorsed choice of the night, check out Afternoon Naps at bela dubby. The Naps will be playing with Seattle's Iji (which includes members of the Naps HHBTM label-mates, Patience Please) and Santa Barbara's Watercolor Paintings.

Saturday, 7/25 - More fantastic options are available for you to exploit on Saturday, including the long-awaited Melt Christmas in July event. Solve your ironic film-going needs by catching a final screening of Tommy Wiseau's so bad it's awesome "The Room" or get your hard rock wishes fulfilled by the double-barrel action of Austin's Lions sharing the stage with The Hot Rails. If you decide that you need film AND rock on this evening, catch the Beachland's Rock and Roll Film Night, where they'll be screening two rock docs, "We Fun" (about Mastodon, Deer Hunter, and the Black Lips) and "Two Headed Cow" (about seminal North Carolina rockabilly band Flat Duo Jets).



Other stuff to keep your eye on the following week:

- 7/26 - Cleveland Food Rocks Rock and Roll BBQ
- 7/28 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs at House of Blues
- 7/30 - BBQ party and Founding Fathers/Casual Encounters in-store at Blue Arrow Records
- 7/31 - Presidents of the United States with Leia Alligator's Picklefight! at Grog Shop
- 7/31 - Thrown: The Art of Yo-Yos in the Shoparooni Annex
- 8/1 - Zee Avi at the Beachland
- 8/2 - The Horse's Ha at the Beachland

Tonight in Cleveland - July 18th edition

The last attendee of the "Draw! Shoot!" opening plugged here last week had barely got out the door before Steve Brown Gallery is back to bring the Cleveland masses another show. This one - titled "Here and Now" - features the work of several different artists and, like "Draw! Shoot!" - there is a diversity of style and media between the artists represented.

Brown still hasn't put on a show with a clear central theme, but he has managed to bring the work of solid artists to places not always on the default map for the various art walks around town. This evening, "Here and Now" will be presented at Brigade (1785 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights), a high-style boutique for both genders, run by some of the coolest dudes in the city. If you haven't been in Brigade before, the store has this great vibe with incredible detail on even the most mundane parts of the retail infrastructure (i.e., the dressing rooms, the display rods, etc.).



"Riding with Ravens" by Claire Mojher
Ink via bamboo quill, pastel, paint thinner, charcoal, acrylic on paper
http://clairemojher.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday To You

You may not know it, considering all the great stuff that Kevin and Melanie at Music Saves are bringing to us this month to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the opening of their store, but TODAY is Music Saves 5th Birthday. Stop on down, say congrats/happy birthday/hi/whatever.

And to the Dynamic Duo that run that great shop, please consider this the official birthday card from Cleveland Bachelor!

Tonight in Cleveland - July 17th edition

Fresh on the heels of last night's Ponytail/Yeasayer Grog show is another great one, this time featuring Handsome Furs, the husband-wife duo and Wolf Parade off-shoot. Like the evening before, when Jason Lytle held the stage, last night's show was fantastic. The room was sweltering, the crowd was excited, and even though there were a lot more neo-hippies in the room than you'd expect or want to see, it was cool. Given the heat, the audience was more spread out, stretching into back corners rather than clumped up in front.

Those up front got a great night, though, between Ponytail's Molly Siegel's antics and the incredible energy of the fellas in Yeasayer. I really dug the Ponytail set - that band can really jam - but I'm still iffy on how often I want to listen to Siegel's vocals. Right now, a live show every couple of years seems fine, though if the band released an album where she took a more-straightforward approach to vocalizing lyrics, I'd be first in line to buy it. Yeasayer was just great, and the opening 3-4 songs of their set had me stunned.

As the band continued and got deeper in to the music I was considerably more familiar with, I felt my energy and attention drain, moving further toward the back and more likely to chat with friends. This was most likely a greater reflection of how tired I was and the kind of day I'd had before the concert than anything else. And unlike the Ponytail album, I can't imagine more than a couple weeks going by between listens to this band's recording output.

Tonight's Grog Shop show may well be just as awesome. I'm super stoked about the chance to see Handsome Furs, and I've been hearing good indie buzz about the Virginia-based Cinnamon Band and positive local things about Lakewood's Saint Ohio for a little while now. Last night's show, great as it was, didn't topple Phosphorescent from the "best of 2009" crown, but perhaps Montreal's Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner will team up to do just that tonight.

To again attempt to whet your appetite, here is some video goodness for your viewing/listening pleasure, beginning with a live clip of a 2008 Cinnamon Band performance, followed by two Handsome Furs selections: a cool QTV in-studio conversation and performance of "Legal Tender" and yet another posting of my favorite video of this year, the zombie-love "I'm Confused" extravaganza.

Tonight in Cleveland

Once again, lots of options from which to choose, but the smartest of the smart money is on tonight's Grog Shop show (that's two in a row folks). Last night's Jason Lytle gig was a treat - the sound was intimate and casual, and Lytle and his band mixed in as many Grandaddy tunes as they did tracks from his recent solo release, Yours Truly, the Commuter.

Tonight's line-up promises more of the same (read: awesomeness), but times three! Local heroes Unsparing Sea open, followed by critically acclaimed Baltimore art-rockers Ponytail (check out our Q&A with Ponytail's guitarist here), and eventually culminating in the headlining set by Yeasayer. The various dribbles of information I have heard about the show that we are in store for make it sound awesome. I'm hopeful that this one will finally provide a rival contestant with Phosphorescent's Beachland Tavern show earlier in the year for best show of 2009. There's a good chance it will, at any rate.



Come by early and check out the final Coventry Street Fest of the summer from 6-9, or stick around late after the show for a special Yeasayer-DJ'd birthday after-party in honor of the 5th anniversary of Music Saves. In the meantime, here is some video action to whet your appetite and ruin your workday productivity.

Proper Noun of the Week #3: Mina Hoyle

After having a lot of fun conducting and posting Cleveland-centric interviews with Frank Revy and Bill Rupnik the past two weeks, I am pleased to bring you the third installation of our Proper Noun of the Week column. This one features a conversation with Mina Hoyle, a Clevo transplant from Miami, FL.

Mina came to Cleveland to study at the CIA and fell in love with the city. Several years later, she's a budding entrepreneur and member of the growing and thriving bicycle community that exists in town, especially on the west side. In her new business entreprise, Blick's Bags, Hoyle integrates the two dimensions, selling stylish, edgy, well-crafted messenger bags for the serious cyclist as well as the office-going hipster. Best of all, she does so in a way that integrates social consciousness into high design. According to Hoyle, "By custom making for each person the bags and apparel needed for serious bicycling, we enable people to utilize this healthier form of transportation."



1) How long have you been in Cleveland? And if you didn't grow up in Cleveland, where'd you relocate here from?

Mina: I've been in Cleveland 4 years. I'm originally from Miami Florida. I came here to go to the Cleveland Institute of Art, and I fell in love with this city. There is so much opportunity to do your own thing here.

2) What is your favorite Cleveland memory?

Mina: My favorite Cleveland memories are from my first summer here. I got my first bicycle, and spent almost every night out riding with friends, exploring Cleveland Heights and Shaker. One night we rode to the Cleveland Museum of Art and swam in the fountain, ran through the sprinklers behind Kelvin Smith Library, and sang to the full moon. It was glorious.

3) How does (if at all) Cleveland influence your work?

Mina: If it weren't for Cleveland, I wouldn't be making bags for bicycling. Living here has made me believe that a city like Cleveland can rely on bicycles for transportation. Making bags is my way of making people feel proud to ride a bike in Cleveland . The scene of young adults dedicated to bicycling is blossoming, it's something special. Back home in Miami, you simply can't get around on a bike. Urban sprawl is a huge problem.

4) What would be your ideal Cleveland day? Or, to put it another way, if it was your birthday and your nearest and dearest were all willing to do what you wanted, what would your day be like?

Mina: My ideal Cleveland day...I would ride to Lakewood to have a pumpkin ale and Parmageddon at Melt, see an opening at Spaces Gallery, followed by the Cleveland Kings and Girls drag king show at Bounce. In fact, I might do just all that today!

5) Say you had a friend coming in for 24 hours and had never been to Cleveland before. What would you make sure they saw and did?

Mina: 24 hours in Cleveland...I would definitely bring them to Tremont to see some local artist's work at Asterisk and Doubting Thomas Gallery.

6) What is something from another city you wish you could import to Cleveland?

Mina: New York...the city that never sleeps...I do sleep, but apparently I have a different bedtime than Cleveland! Thankfully My Friends is open 24/7, so I can get waffles when I need them most, 4 am.

7) If you had the undivided attention of the mayor, city council, and county commisioners, what would be the one thing you'd ask for or tell them?

Mina: I'd tell them we have the opportunity to become the biggest, greenest bicycling city in the US, and should take advantage of that! Also, why does the Euclid corridor end at University Circle? East Cleveland needs bike lanes too! Bicycling is for everyone.

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To check out Mina's work, click here. In our correspondence, she also made sure to draw attention to a group of extra-talented D.I.Y artists and artisans jointly referred to as the Burning River Collective. Check them out here.

Tonight in Cleveland

There are plenty of things you could be doing in our fine city this evening, but there is only one thing you should be doing: catching Grandaddy's Jason Lytle at the Grog Shop. If you don't usually hang around Coventry, take this as an opportunity to visit the bars and restaurants around the 'hood. Whatever you do, though, make sure you are there for Lytle's headlining act. It will be awesome.