Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Week ahead, 7/12-7/18

Isn't it awesome outside right now? I love me a good rain storm. For whatever reason, it helps me get my creative juices flowing.

You know what else spurs my creative energy? Cleveland, man. There are so many things going on and so many people doing wild and wonderful work. There are lots of things going down this week for you to check out if you are seeking a little inspiration yourself.

Sunday, July 12 - Venture to the east-side. Have breakfast somewhere funky, then check out the last day of the Cain Park Arts Fest in Cleveland Heights or Art Riot's BBQ: Backyard & Beyond show at Low Life Gallery. Your's truly will be there, holding down the fort in the afternoon.

Monday, July 13 - Anarchy Comedy Night at the Grog Shop. Not only is it FREE, but it is being headlined by Jennifer Shenberger, a local comedian I've been hearing a bit of buzz about around town lately.

Tuesday, July 14 - Nothing to report so far. Hug your babies or practice making them. If neither are options, the Lake County Captains have a game at 7 PM, though stay tuned as CB HQ has something regarding the Captains in the works. Also, sexy Aussie indie pop duo The Veronicas are playing at the Grog Shop.



On second thought, I guess there is plenty to report for Monday. I must have really wanted to make that baby-making joke.

Wednesday, July 15 - Have a moment of silence at the 7th minute of every hour, as today is Smelly Ellie's 7th b-day! On this day in 2002, my little gal was birthed, and 6 weeks to the day later she became my nervous, snoring, sweet baby dogder.



To celebrate her birth, the Grog Shop has booked one of my very favorite vocalists in the indie rock universe, Jason Lytle (formerly of Grandaddy) to play a solo show. (Side note: Lytle's album, Yours Truly, the Commuter, was a mid-June CB Album of the Week - check out the review here.)



If, however, you hate either my dog or Jason Lytle, after you get done fucking yourself, you can check out one of the other cool things in town on Wednesday. Raphaela Platow, chief curator and director of Cincinnati's Contemporary Art Center, will be giving a lecture on "the relevance of contemporary art and institutions in an increasingly complex world" at MOCA, and the CMA will show two separate screenings (5:15, 7:15) of a new documentary called "Nursery University," a film about the ridiculous lengths bougie NYC parents go to get their infants on the lists for the "right" nursery school. (Sidenote: I bet the PR folks at these two esteemed institutions are just gonna love it that I mentioned these events in the sentence following the one when I suggested a portion of my readers could engage in solo carnal relations.)

Thursday, July 16
- This quite possibly might be the best Thursday of the 2009 Cleveland Summer. The final Coventry Street Festival of the summer is going down from 6-9, and after that there are THREE solid rock shows for your consideration. First up, and where I'll be, is the Yeasayer/Ponytail/Unsparing Sea show at the Grog. This show coincides with the fifth anniversary of Cleveland's indie rock cornershop, Music Saves, as part of the celebration, there will be a post-show party featuring pizza, drink specials, and special guest DJs Yeasayer.



A not-to-be missed event. However, if you do miss it, there are a couple other good options. Deer Tick and Dawes are playing sets at the Beachland, and up-and-coming Chicago indie act Big Knife is playing an intimate set at Blue Arrow Records on Waterloo Road. You could definitely catch all three of these acts if you decided to cast your lot on Waterloo rather than Coventry. Either way you'll have fun.

Friday, July 17 - On Friday, Kathy Simkoff, proprietor of the Grog Shop, keeps the week of great bookings coming, with a Handsome Furs show. Regular CB readers will remember that the Handsome Furs latest album, Face Control, was a recent CB Album of the Week selection. I've never seen these two live, but everything I've ever heard about their performances indicates that they absolutely fucking jam, so I'm excited about this one for sure.



If, however, all this Grog Shop excellence in a row has you worried you'll plunk down dollars you can't afford on a second pad off Coventry, you could also catch the Kid Cudi/Asher Roth show at House of Blues downtown or have a University Circle film night, catching a screening of Perestroika at CMA before Big Man Japan at the CIA Cinematheque.

Saturday, July 18 - Round out your week with yet another night of music. You can catch some old folks if you like, choosing between the Arlo Guthrie/Richie Havens show at Cain Park or the P. Funk performance out at Nelson Ledges, or you can catch some up-and-coming shit with a really interesting local set at bela dubby in Lakewood, featuring Stimulus Package, Casual Encounters, and All Dinosaurs. To be totally honest, I'll probably be taking it easy this particular evening, after surviving the musical mayhem of the previous days. And I'll be saving my energy up for CB pal Dave Desimone's turn at the Beachland Brunch DJ booth the following day.

Other stuff to keep your eye on the following week:

- 7/22 - Akron/Family at the Rock Hall (FREE)
- 7/22 - MOCA's Rebuilding the Neighborhood Fabric event
- 7/24 - Ramona Falls in-store at Music Saves
- 7/24 - The Veils & Foreign Born at the Beachland
- 7/25 - Christmas in July at Melt
- 7/25 - Rock & Roll Film Night at the Beachland Ballroom
- 7/25 - Lions & The Hot Rails at the Beachland Tavern

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