The week ahead: 1/10-1/16 (The CB hopes the sun will come out and melt this damn snow edition)

Greetings, friends. How about that snow storm that wasn't? I was all set to publish another of my cynical countdown posts, expecting a foot or more of the white stuff to get dumped in our sad laps, but then (surprise, surprise) our crack meteorologists turned out to be wrong by, oh, about a foot-plus. I'm not complaining, though. In fact, I'm thankful.

Another thing I'm thankful for is the rich diversity of cool stuff to do in this city (though I'm always thankful for that, regardless of the temps). Here's CB's picks to click for the week ahead.

Sunday, 1/10 - Enjoy a tasty brunch at the Beachland as you listen to tunes DJ'd by none other than the mysterious and brilliant John G. John's got something pretty genius in store for today - he's gonna soundtrack your meal with movies from killer spaghetti western, samurai, and blaxploitation film scores. Seriously - I can't think of anything that'd go better with my panko-crusted deep fried eggs and strawberry-coconut risotto.
Later, check out the Picklefight/Swindlella/Spacer Ace show at bela dubby in Lakewood. A perfect way to begin and end your day of rest.
Monday, 1/11 - The community development organization in my neighborhood (Collinwood) recently bought an abandoned theater. The folks in charge have big plans for revitalization, but for now it is just a husk of a building. Tonight, in something you don't see every day, they are allowing people to tour the abandoned building and see the property before renovation. Afterward, for those inclined, there will be a discussion section about what work is to be done and the role the refurbished theater will play in the community. Sounds cool and interesting, right? I'll be there. The theater will be open at 6:30, with the discussion to follow at about 7 PM (though you can bail on that part if you are only interested in the building part). Click here for more information, and don't forget to dress warm, wear sensible shoes, and maybe even bring a flashlight.

Tuesday, 1/12 - tba

Wednesday, 1/13 - Brooklyn-based Bear in Heaven plays The Spot at Case-Western with cross-borough, Queens-based Freelance Whales. These guys tore 2009 up and are looking to have a better 2010. I know my compadres at Citizen Dick love them - the band even made their killer end-of-year retrospective. (Click here for the Bear in Heaven post and here for a listing of all the bands and album micro-reviews that made the list.)

Thursday, 1/14 - One of the coolest literary events Cleveland has had in a long time takes place tonight and, well, it is all the end result of spectacular coincidence. Cleveland poet and poetry publisher Bree, who I first met when she worked at my favorite bookstore in town, met through a new job a few of the displaced Lost Boys of Sudan. As she got to know them, she learned that they had a love of the written word in common, and the friendship that resulted eventually resulted in a book on Bree's Green Panda Press, Sleeping with the Sun in His Eyes: A Lost Boy at Home in the World. The book covers the war-ravaged experience one of the Lost Boys, Akol Ayii Madut, had in his home country Sudan and the subsequent refugee experience he and his fellow Lost Boys have had in the US. The reading and booksigning takes place tonight at 7 PM. For more information, call Mac's Backs (1820 Coventry Road) at 216-321-BOOK.
Friday, 1/15 - No question about what to do tonight, friends: Hit the Grog Shop for a show with The Dutchess and the Duke. These folks have put out two great albums in a row, each filled with a tense folk and startling lyrical imagery. While I prefer 2008's She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke, my partners over at Citizen Dick once again found 2009's Sunset/Sunrise to be one of the finest indie rock albums of the year. Click here for their write-up of that one in the end-of-year retrospective. Opening sets by Connecticut-based Medication and local heroes Good Morning Valentine are the icing on the cake.

Saturday, 1/16 - It's Saturday, usually the biggest day of the week when it comes to cool stuff to do, but all I can think about is the movies. My game plan is to catch an afternoon screening of the just-released The Book of Eli, sit and quietly meditate on all its brilliance during the evening, and then go laugh it up at the satirical take on blaxploitation movies of the 70s in Black Dynamite at the CIA Cinematheque at 9:45 PM.


Other stuff to keep your eye on the following week:
- 1/17 - Beachland POLKA Brunch!
- 1/17 - CB SHOW OF THE MONTH FEATURING THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE!!!
- 1/18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- 1/20 - Holy Land Hardball screens @ Mandel JCC
- 1/20 - Shilpa Ray @ Beachland
- 1/22 - Ronnie Spector & Afternoon Naps @ Beachland
- 1/22 - Jonah Jacobs exhibit opening @ William Rupnik Gallery
- 1/22 - Retribution Gospel Choir @ Grog Shop
- 1/22 - "Bold Figures" group exhibition at Wall Eye Gallery
- 1/22 - CSU basketball vs Green Bay
- 1/23 - Western Reserve Historical Society "White Hot Night" 1920s event
- 1/23 - The Modern Electric & Simeon Soul Charger @ Grog Shop
- 1/24 - Bill from I Rock Cleveland DJs the Beachland Brunch
- 1/25 - CSU basketball versus Milwaukee