Old Firehouse Winery - North Coast Voice Magazinenorthcoastvoice.com/PDFs/v16i05.pdf · 6 North...

2 North Coast Voice Magazine | northcoastvoice.com • (440) 415-0999 | March 23 - April 13, 2016

Visit us for your next Vacation or Get-Away!Four Rooms Complete with Private Hot Tubs

& Outdoor PatiosThree Rooms at $80One Suite at $120

www.bucciavineyard.com

JOIN US FOR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ALL

WEEKEND!Appetizers & Full Entree

MenuSee Back Cover For Full Info

www.grandrivercellars.com

Live Entertainment Fridays & Saturdays!

www.debonne.comSee Back Cover For Full Info

4573 Rt. 307 East, Harpersfi eld, Ohio440.415.0661

Sun-Thurs 12-6

Hours: Sun. - Thurs. 12 to 7PM Fri.-Sat. 12 to 11PM.

1-800-Uncork-1(1-800-862-6751)

5499 Lake Road EastGeneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio

Old Firehouse

Winery

North Coast Voice Magazine | northcoastvoice.com • (440) 415-0999 | March 23 - April 13, 2016 3

or contact: Kari Wetzelemail:[email protected]

440-532-0341

Check our website for more information!

www.connect534.com

Thank Youto all who helped

to make EASTER FEST

2016 a success!

Be on the

lookout for our

CHALKWALK

at the end of May!

Complete Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

NEW PATIENTS & EMERGENCIES WELCOME

Fortney Dental Group299 South Broadway • Geneva, OH 44041

440-466-2721Hours by appointment including evenings & Saturdays • Serving Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties

www.fortneydental.com

Preventative Services: Hygiene TherapyPeriodontal Screenings & Maintenance | Oral Cancer Screening

Technology: CEREC – One visit crowns

Cosmetic Dentistry: Porcelain Crowns and Veneers | Implants | Teeth Whitening

Other Procedures: Root Canal Therapy | Dentures | Tooth Colored FillingsExtractions | Infections | Trauma | Denture Repairs

Financing:

We accept Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, and DiscoverFinancing available through third party options such as Care Credit

It’s Never Too Late

To Have a Great Smile!

PAIRINGS

440.361.2222Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-6:00with extended hours for classes and events.

Join Pairings and Benno Vita Wine Tours April 16th • Noon-6:00

for a romantic night out touring the local wineries and a fabulous meal at the Chef’s

Table at Pairings by Chef Michael Lorah.The afternoon begins with a tour of 3 local

wineries. The shuttle will leave Pairings promptly at 12:00 p.m. and wine will be

available for purchase at each stop. Reception period upon returning to Pairings with light fare and an opportunity to explore our wine portfolio. After the brief reception

period you will be seated at our Chefs Table in the open kitchen which

offers the perfect setting for a one-of-a-kind dining

experience. You will enjoy interactive dining while Chef Michael prepares a special

menu right in front of you!Ticket includes your shuttle ride as well as

dinner. Watch the website for Menu and Winery listings coming soon!

Registration must be received by April 14th


We would like to thank all of our sponsors andencourage our readers to patronize the fine

businesses appearing in the North Coast VOICE.

PublisherCarol Stouder

EditorSage Satori

[email protected]

Advertising & [email protected]

Sage SatoriMentor, Willoughby, Chardon area

Trenda Jones

Staff WritersSage Satori • Cat Lilly • Snarp Farkle • Don Perry

Patrick Podpadec • Helen Marketti

Film Editor Westside Steve

Contributing WritersChad Felton • Joel Ayapana • Patti Ann Dooms Pete Roche • Tom Todd • Donniella Winchell

Trenda Jones • Alan Cliffe

PhotographerAmber Thompson • Ambrya Nell Photography & Design

Circulation ManagerJames Alexander

CirculationTim Paratto • Bob Covert • Dan Gestwicki • Trenda Jones

Jim Ales

Graphic DesignLinde Graphics Co. • (440) 951-2468

Ambrya Nell Photography Design • (440) 319-8101

Please Note: Views and opinions expressed in articles submitted for print are not necessarily the opinions of the North Coast VOICE staff or its sponsors. Advertisers assume responsibility for the content of their ads.The entire contents of the North Coast VOICE are copyright 2014 by the North Coast VOICE. Under no circumstance will any portion of this publica-tion be reproduced, including using electronic systems without permission of the publishers of the North Coast VOICE. The North Coast VOICE is not affi liated with any other publication.

MAILING ADDRESSNorth Coast VOICE Magazine

P.O. Box 118 • Geneva, Ohio 44041Phone: (440) 415-0999

E-Mail: [email protected]

March 26 • 8-10 PMGoddess Wine HouseRoute 20 • Saybrook, OH March 30 • 7-10 PMBarrell 33Giant Eagle PlazaE. Market St. • Howland, OH April 1 • 8:00-11 PMPrimavera's RistoranteFulton Rd. • Canton, OH April 3 2:30-5:30PMWinery at Spring HillHarpersfield, OH April 9 • 8:00-10:00 PMGoddess Wine HouseRoute 20 • Saybrook, OH

TA E IIKPlaying 50-60-70's

Favorites and Much More

For booking call Ellie330-770-5613

www.takeii.com

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COMEDANCE!

March 23 - April 13, 2016 • VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 05

•CONTENTSCONTENTS•WHAT ABOUT JAZZ 5Jazz Events

WINE 101 6Tips on ordering wine in a restaurant

BLUESVILLE 8Blues News

WHAT’S ON THE SHELF? 11U2 Above, Across and Beyond

ON THE BEAT 13Fun Stuff to See and Do

NOW WE’RE TALKIN’ 14Earth, Wind and Fire

20TH ANNUAL ONE ACTS FESTIVAL 15The Fine Arts Association Celebrates with Original Work

KICKIN IT 17Country Music News

NOW WE’RE TALKIN 19Ian Anderson

MOVIE REVIEWS 21West Side Steve reviews THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY and CLOVERFIELD LANE

MIND BODY SPIRIT 23Anna and the Angels are Here For You

STAY IN TUNE 25A Perspective from a luthier’s workshop

ETHAN PARKER BAND 28The Primavera Project

SNARP FARKLE 30Morning Madness!

Entertainment

DISCJOCKEY

[email protected]

TrendaRocks.com

DJ/Emcee, Trenda Jonesnow booking Summer & Fall

Events • Private • Parties • Clubs

Emcee • BandsProductionMultimedia

OLDIES DANCE CLASSIC ROCK


By Don Perry

For full scheduleDonPerrySaxman.com

Watch for our new video at

Facebook.com/facevaluemusic

Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as “JAM”) was created in 2002 to herald and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April. JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz - to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more. This year’s featured musician, whose photograph graces the 2016 JAM poster, is Benny Carter “The problem of expressing the contributions that Benny Carter has made to popular music is so tremendous it completely fazes me, so extraordinary a musician is he.”- Duke Ellington

Benny Carter was an African American musician, composer, arranger, and bandleader who made major contributions to the development of jazz, helped defi ne the role of the alto saxophone,

and whose work helped break down boundaries in the music and entertainment industries.

As a pioneer in the development of jazz, Benny Carter always conveyed the democratic spirit of equality. Known simply as “King” to his fellow musicians, Carter was a largely self-taught musician who became one of founding fathers of big band swing music. Early in his career, Carter arranged and composed scores for Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, as well as for his own highly respected orchestras. Carter started his musical career in a time where segregation in bands was commonplace, and African American musicians could not work in certain venues, due to their race. Yet, Benny’s fi rst orchestra, the Chocolate Dandies, was an integrated band, and played alongside white big bandleaders such as Mez Mezro and Charlie Barnet, as early as 1933. Carter continued to

break down racial barriers while living in Europe, where he led the fi rst interracial, multi-national orchestra. Carter himself, however, was not actively looking to be innovative, but instead was simply seeking out the best musicians available, regardless of race. In the 1940s, Carter became one of the fi rst African American musicians to be accepted into Hollywood. He worked as an arranger and composer and used jazz as background music in productions, in a time when jazz

was not commonly accompanying fi lms. It was not until the 1950s that the use of jazz became commonplace in fi lmmaking. Carter’s fi rst fi lm, Stormy Weather,(1943) starred Lena Horne and featured an all-African American cast, in a time when African Americans rarely appeared in mainstream fi lms. After his stint in Europe, Carter settled in Los Angeles, where personal as well as professional racial struggles ensued. In 1945, Carter won a legal battle against a restrictive covenant that prohibited African Americans from owning homes in certain Los Angeles neighborhoods. Just fi ve years later, Carter was elected chairman for negotiating amalgamation between white and African American musician unions in Los Angeles. His participation helped resolve the confl ict, allowing African Americans to have more desirable jobs in the expanding entertainment industry. Carter carried with him, his belief in equality of all people as he traveled abroad as well. In 1975, Benny traveled throughout the Middle East, on a tour sponsored by the US State Department, as a way to bring jazz and democratic values to other countries. The musician acted as a diplomat as he performed and lectured to government offi cials, students, and everyday people. Carter later stated, “The more we travel, the more we realize how important are the things we have in common with all the people we meet.” Due to Carter’s ability to perform in a variety of roles, from performer and bandleader to composer and arranger of fi lms, the musician worked with a wide range of people from different backgrounds. He was seen as an equal to all of his peers in a time when most African Americans were still very restricted. His comfort in working with white musicians and overcoming type-casting helped open doors for other African American musicians, and may be the reason why he is still considered the “King.” Benny Carter donated his collection to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History in 2000, which has led to a rich amount of resources available for jazz scholars, teachers, and students. Explore Benny Carter’s legacy through his Oral History recorded with the museum, or learn about jazz from his work with “Benny’s Music Class”. To more fully understand this quiet giant in jazz and why he remains an important part of jazz history, visit www.bennycarter.c om.

TREENINSURANCE

Scott Treen

(440) 576-5926

We Offer thePersonal Service You’ve Missed Lately

AUTO • HOMEBUSINESS • LIFE

Spring is Finally Here!!!


By Donniella Winchell

www.theoldmillwinery.com

Geneva440.466.5560 Kitchen HoursWinery Hours

Closed MondaysTues-Thurs: 3-9pmFri: 3-MidnightSat: Noon-MidnightSun: Noon-9pm

Fri & Sat: 7-11 Sunday Open Mic 4:30-7:30

Closed MondaysTues-Thur: 4-8pmFri: 4-10pmSat: Noon-10pmSun: Noon-8pm

Only $299PASTA SUNDAY

& RESTAURANT

Beer of the MonthMARCH:

APRIL:Tuesday

HELD OVER THRU APRIL!

Closed Easter Sunday, March 27th.Happy Easter to you & your

family from ours!

Steak & SeafoodRestaurant

Full Bar • Large Selectionof Domestic, Imported

& Craft Beer

1520 Harpersfield Road Geneva • 440-466-1248

www.deersleapwine.com

Live Entertainment 7-10pmFri. Mar. 25: Swamp RattlersSat. Mar. 26: InCahootzSun. Mar. 27: Closed Easter Sunday Happy Easter!Fri. Apr. 1: TBASat. Apr. 2: Lost Sheep BandFri. Apr. 8: Porch RockersSat. Apr. 9: Sam and GaryFri. Apr. 15: Second Hand DogsSat. Apr. 16: Black Jack Gypsies

Open 7-Days-a-Week for Lunch & Dinner

Daily Specials at the Winery!

MONDAY: $2.00 off any EntreeTUESDAY: $2.00 off any BurgerWEDNESDAY: Wing Night Buy 1 lb get 1 lb FREE THURSDAY: Pasta NightFRIDAY: A.U.C.E. Fish FrySATURDAY: Prime Rib SpecialSUNDAY: Home Style Specials

SSSSSStteeoonndd

attlersle JOIN USMonday-Friday

HAPPY HOUR 3-6(Half Priced Appetizers

& Drink Specials!)

DEER’S LEAP WINERY

Honor ing a t rad i t ion that has been in place for generat ions : showcas ing Oh io’s ‘Swee t 16’ wines plu s e x t ra ‘3 poin ter’ bonu ses The strength of the Ohio industry has always come from its history and its diversity. Nicholas Longworth’s Sparkling Pink Catawba is given credit for launching an American wine industry along the Ohio River decades before ‘Napa’ became part of the industry’s lexicon. Early plantings of hybrids in southwest Ohio during the 1970’s began the ‘modern’ Ohio industry at Wistar Marting’s farm in Clarksville. The visionaries along the south shore of Lake Erie and in the Grand River Valley [along with some pioneers in the Ohio River Valley] have emerged as producers of world class vinifera beginning about 30 years ago. However, despite more emphasis on new varietals, Ohio has not abandoned its history.....and many of the wines refl ect not only our state’s heritage, but also satisfy the ‘sweet tooth’ palates of the majority of wine lovers everywhere. In our tasting rooms, ‘talk dry and drink sweet’ is an often repeated phrase. And in a recent survey of American wine consumers conducted by Wines and Vines Magazine, that axiom is confi rmed: the vast majority of every day consumers preferred fruity, semi-sweet wines. Ohio proudly produces some lovely, award winning ‘other than dry’ fi ne wines. So.... in celebration of the March Madness taking over the nation, the Ohio Wine Producers is proud to share [in no special order] OUR own SWEET 16...and because we have SO many award winning sweet selections, we’re showcasing 3 bonus wines for a total of 19!! Visit your local winery to taste them for yourself!

Brandeberry Winery, Enon Ohio - Blackberry Wine - (Silver, Ohio Wine Competition) www.brandeberrywinery.comMatus Winery, Wakeman Ohio - Pink Cat (Double gold and best of show Blush/ Rose, Ohio Wine Competition) www.matuswinery.usThe Winery at Versailles, Versailles, Ohio - Peach Mist: Double-Gold, BEST in CLASS, Sparkling Fruit, 2016 International Eastern Wine Competition www.wineryatversailles.comCaesar Creek Vineyards ,Xenia, Ohio- Miss Petunia Pie (Ohio Quality Wine) http://www.caesar-creek.com/Grand River Cellars, Madison, Ohio - 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine (Gold, San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition) www.caesar-creek.com Ferrante Winery, Geneva, Ohio- 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine (Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition) www.ferrantewinery.comDebonne Vineyards, Madison, Ohio- Riesling Reserve (Silver, Finger Lakes Wine Competition) www.debonne.comMaize ValleyWinery, Hartville, Ohio - Middle of the Road(Gold, Ohio Wine Competition) www.maizevalley.com Valley Vineyards Morrow, Ohio - Red Refl ections (Silver, Finger Lakes Competition) www.valleyvineyards.comJohn Christ Avon Lake, Ohio - Peach (Gold, Ohio Wine Competition) www.johnchristwine.comOld Firehouse Winery, Geneva, Ohio - Refl ections of Lake Erie (Silver, Ohio Wine Competition) www.oldfi rehousewinery.com Emerine Estates Winery, Jefferson, Ohio - Country Concord (Gold, Indianapolis International Wine Competition) www.EmerineEstates.comVinkolet Winery, Cincinnati, Ohio- In Vito Veritas (Gold, Ohio Wine Competition) www.vinokletwines.com/Gervasi Vineyards, Canton Ohio- Sognata (Double gold, Ohio Wine Competition) www.gervasivineyard.comMastropietro Winery, Berlin Center Ohio- American Sweet One, Vidal Blanc Ice Wine (Silver, Finger Lakes competition) www.mastropietrowinery.comHanover Winery, Hamilton, Ohio - Cranberry (Silver, Ohio Wine Competition) www.hanoverwinery.com

Plus our 3 bonus wines.......Hillside Winery, Gilboa, Ohio, - Quarry Blush (Gold and Best of Class, Indianapolis International Wine Competition) www.theHillsideWinery.com Heineman’sWinery, Put -in - Bay, Ohio - Pink Catawba (Double Gold, Finger Lakes Competition) www.heinemanswinery.comIt’s Your Winery, Medina, Ohio - Lucky Monkey (Gold, Winemakers. International Amateur Competition) www.ItsYourWinery.com


kosicekvineyards.com

(440) 361-4573

See our Entertainment Schedule on page 2.

BEGINNINGAPRIL 1st

WE WILL BEGINSUMMER HOURS! Mon - Thur 12-6pm

Friday 12-10pmSaturday 12-9pm Sunday 12-7pm

Buccia Vineyard

www.bucciavineyard.com

Winery, Bed & Breakfast

Open10am-6pm Mon-Thurslater on Friday & Saturday • Closed Sunday

518 Gore Rd. • Conneaut440-593-5976

Takingreservationsfor Spring & Summer

B&BHot TubRooms!

Back From Winter Break...

NowReopened!


By Cat Lilly

CatLilly

Saturday, April 9thDublin Down7:00-11:00Ashtabula’sNewest Irish Pub

Saturday, April 23rd Luisa’s5:30-8:30 Upstairs in Poncho’s Cantina

For Bookings call440-466-4623 or 440-417-4199

being played on Sirius XM radio and the song By Your Side has been re-recorded to be the title track for KJs 2016 full length studio album. She released the KJBlues Vol.1 full-length album in 2013. This album too is featured on Sirius XM radio and features a original and cover songs performed with two of her great friends.

In January 2014 she released her fi rst full-length solo album Simply KJ Vol.2. This album was a true refl ection of what her solo show was all about - the songs and the stories. It’s simply KJ doing what she does, playing guitar and singing the song. This album featured mainly original work and it wasn’t long before it too was being played on radio stations both in and out of town. Fans were reconnecting with Kristine and looking for more music.

So in 2015 KJ set sights on re-branding, she dropped the KJBlues and started using Kristine Jackson / Music By KJ. Kristine says, “The blues world is where my music was born, but not where it has to stay.” And when summer 2015 arrived so did new sounds and music by KJ. With the release of Change My World, her fi rst single off the up-coming 2016 release By Your Side, it was clear that she is more than just a blues singer or songwriter. In fact, as the collection of songs from the up-coming album will portray, her music is as deep as its genre is wide. She would tell you ,“This collection of songs is really a trail of triumphs and tears. Songs from the darkest places in my life to songs capturing victories and happiness. And all of this is possible because there are no borders or labels; It’s just good music“. And not only are the songs powerful, but the production itself is a testament to KJ’s growing abilities. She spent over 18 months writing, practicing, working-out charts and parts for every tune from beat one,starting in her basement home studio

with just a simple 4 track recorder, an acoustic guitar, and a microphone. Countless hours every week, side by side with her engineer in the studio, the two of them did the lion’s share of the tracking. Kristine brought in some of the best, talented players that Cleveland has to offer to round off the project. Yet every note and beat was directed by KJ. You can hear in every song her infl ection and attention to her style. 2016 is wide open for KJ and her music as she continues to grow and nurture her God given talent.

Ernest ine AndersonNovember 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016 Ernestine Anderson, the internationally celebrated jazz and blues vocalist who earned four Grammy nominations during a six-decade career,

passed away on Thursday, March 10, at the age of 87. Ms. Anderson died of natural causes at a nursing home in Shoreline, near her hometown of Seattle, Washington. During the course of her career, Anderson captivated audiences in America and abroad with her tantalizing voice and charming stage presence. From tender and soulful to hard-edged and gritty, Ernestine Anderson was one of the most versatile jazz vocalists to emerge from the big band era. The singer performed all over the world, from the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall to festivals in South America,

Kristine JacksonHarpersfi eld WineryFriday, April 1st - 7:00 – 10:00 KJ began a part-time job at a well-known music venue in Westlake, Ohio in 1999. Here she spent her weekends working, watching, and eventually sitting-in on her trumpet with numerous Cleveland and touring national acts. It was through this experience, and also her later experience as a freelance trumpet player, that Kristine realized strictly playing the trumpet was not enough. In 2004; with a strong desire to create her own music, she decided to give singing a try. With a borrowed guitar she began to teach herself basic chords to accompany her voice as she learned songs, both covers and her own. Within a year she was singing four hour shows featuring original work and her own unique arrangements of cover tunes, both as an acoustic act and with a full band. It wasnt long before the House of Blues asked her to perform opening sets for major touring acts such as B.B King and Buddy Guy. By 2005 Kristine was performing up to 200 shows a year and it was apparent she

was meant to use her voice! Performing as KJBlues, at any given show you could see that the audience had a connection to her voice and song selection. She has a captivating way of taking inspiration from her life and those around her and translating those emotions through song, whether it be an original song or how she interprets a cover.

The release of her fi rst full-length album Candy Store came in 2010. This album is still


~Continued on Page 10

Richmond Trolley, Limousine & Transportation

Leave the Driving to Us!

2423 Deerfield Dr. • Ashtabula • 440-964-9403www.richmondtrolleyandlimo.com

Affordable and Trustworthy • Diverse Fleet of VehiclesJolly Trolley, White Stretch Limousine, Limousine Party Bus,

Wheelchair Accessible Van, and other vans to accommodate parties from small to large, simple to elaborate.

If you haven't experienced Richmond Trolley & Limousine service yet, give us a try for any event and ENJOY the ride!

Our professional, chauffeurs will take the utmost care of you and your party throughout your trip. Just relax and leave the driving to us. Our punctual pick-up and drop-off service is available early morning to mid-night or even later.

Strike-a-Pose Photo Booth Rentals is our sister company. Rent our photo booth for weddings, birthday parties,

corporate event, or just for the fun of it! Check out our website at www.strike-a-pose-now.com for details.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR TRIP!• Wine Hops• Proms• Weddings• Sporting Events• Covered Bridge Tours• Concerts• Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties• Corporate Events

Japan, and Europe. She performed at the presidential inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Childhood friend and producer Quincy Jones once described her voice as the sound of ‘‘honey at dusk.’’ On November 11, 1928, Ernestine (and her twin sister, Josephine) were born in Houston, to a construction worker and homemaker. By the age of 3, Anderson showed a knack for singing along with her parent’s old blues 78 rpm records by the likes of Bessie “The Empress of the Blues” Smith. She soon moved on to the more refi ned environs of her local church, singing solos in its gospel choir. When she was twelve years old, Ernestine’s godmother entered her in a local talent contest at Houston’s Eldorado Ballroom. “I only knew two songs,” she admitted, “’On the Sunny Side of the Street’ and ‘So Long’. The piano player asked me what key did I do these songs in and I just said ‘C’ for some reason and it was the wrong key. In order to save face I

sang around the melody, improvised among the melody, and when I fi nished one of the musicians told me I was a jazz singer.” She ended up winning that contest and for four months afterward, sang there once a week.Anderson tells of her early life in the book, The Jazz Scene (1998):“My parents used to play blues records all the time, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, all the blues greats.

In Houston, where I grew up, you turned on the radio and what you got was country and western and gospel. I don’t even remember what my fi rst experience with music was. I sort of grew into it. My father sang in a gospel quartet and I used to follow him around, and both my grandparents sang in the Baptist church choir. And they had big bands coming through Houston like Jimmie Lunceford, Billy Eckstine, Erskine Hawkins, and Count Basie.” In 1944, with war work beckoning many, Ms. Anderson’s father decided to move to the West Coast. Afraid that his daughter’s grades were slipping and that the jazz life was fraught with temptation, he chose Seattle because a family friend told him it was a sleepy town with no nightlife. To the contrary, Seattle’s Jackson Street was musically on fi re, and Ms. Anderson, who entered Garfi eld High School that year, soon found herself singing with the Bumps Blackwell Junior Band, featuring Quincy Jones, saxophonist (and later bassist) Buddy Catlett and others. By 1946, Ms. Anderson was headlining her own breakfast show at the 411 Club, an International District after-hours joint on Maynard Avenue. The following year, Ms. Anderson dropped out of school to join Los Angeles R&B bandleader Johnny Otis’ band and spent most of the next year on the road with Otis. “She was out with Johnny Otis and those bands before anybody,” Jones told The Seattle Times. “Everyone was in awe of anybody that had gone on the road with a professional band.” In 1948, Otis disbanded in Los Angeles, where Ms. Anderson remained, recording her fi rst single, “K.C. Lover/Good Lovin’ Babe,” for the Black & White label, and also marrying for the fi rst time. In 1952, Ms. Anderson was back in Seattle, where she auditioned for swing bandleader Lionel Hampton at the home of Georgia Kemp, a jazz patron who had been Ray Charles’ landlord when he lived in Seattle. Ms. Anderson went on the road with Hampton for 15 months, including a performance at the presidential inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. In New York, Ms. Anderson recorded with Jones, Russell Jacquet, tenor saxophonist Clifford “King” Solomon and others, and also worked at the Page Three, a gay nightclub where other up-and-coming singers such as Sheila Jordan were trying to gain exposure. In 1955, she appeared on two tracks of an album by alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, “Nica’s Dream,” which also featured trumpeter Art Farmer, with whom she later lived for several years. Frustrated by her slow career growth in New York, in 1956 Ms. Anderson accepted an offer from Swedish bandleader Rolf Ericson to tour Europe, which she said was the fi rst place she ever “felt really free,” because of prejudice and segregation back home.


~Continued from Page 9

GRAND RIVERMANOR

1153 Mechanicsville Rd.

www.grandrivermanor.com

ATMNETWORK Mastercard

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Watch CAVS & NACSARon Our Big Screens!

Tuesday Wing Night40¢JUMBO Wings & 45¢

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FOOD & DRINKSPECIALS!

PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS!

OPENDAILY

INCLUDINGHOLIDAYS!

Saturday, April 2Ernest T Band

Call me at (440) 417-2475 or find me on Facebook

Jim AlesAcoustic Fun!

Tues. Mar. 297-10pm

Grand River ManorWing NightOpen Mic

Sun. Apr. 3

4:30-7:30pmOld Mill Winery

Open Mic

In Europe, Ms. Anderson recorded an album, “Hot Cargo”, with bandleader Harry Arnold for the Metronome label, which was eventually released by Mercury in 1958. The dean of America jazz critics, Ralph J. Gleason, began airing it on his hit-making radio show. In addition, he reviewed it in his nationally distributed San Francisco Chronicle jazz column, saying: “Ernestine Anderson is the best new jazz singer in a decade. She has good diction, time, an uncanny ability to phrase well, great warmth in her voice, a true tone and, on top of all that, she swings like mad.” The album netted Ms. Anderson rave write-ups in Time magazine, who called her ‘‘the best-kept jazz secret in the land,’’ and The New York Times, whose critic compared her to Ella Fitzgerald. The following year, she was toasted by the critics of the country’s leading jazz magazine, Down Beat, as a “new star” of the year. Ms. Anderson settled in Los Angeles in 1959, releasing six albums on Mercury, including the much-praised “Moanin’,” but as the ’60s rock revolution gathered steam, her career subsided. In 1964 she moved to London, where there was still a strong audience for jazz. “I don’t think jazz ever died. It suffered a setback during the sixties. I had to move to London in order to work because a jazz person couldn’t work in the United States when rock’n’roll became the music. I didn’t think it would last this long, and I don’t think the rock ‘n’ roll people thought it would last this long.” By 1966, discouraged with the music business, Ms. Anderson returned to Seattle and retired from music, working as a hotel maid and at a telephone answering service. In 1973 she was coaxed back to performing by Seattle jazz critic Maggie Hawthorn. Her re-emergence in the mid-1970s (at which time Ray Brown was her manager) came as a result of a sensational appearance at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival. She released “Hello, Like Before” in 1977 on the Concord Jazz label and followed it with more than a dozen albums over the next 15 years, two of which -- 1981’s Never Make Your Move Too Soon and 1983’s Big City -- earned Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Performance nominations. The years that followed sealed Anderson’s reputation as a top-tier jazz and blues singer. In 1993, Ms. Anderson was signed by her old high school pal Quincy Jones’ label, Qwest, which presented her in a soul-jazz mode, netting more Grammy nominations and strong sales for “Now and Then” (1993) and “Blues, Dues & Love News” (1996). Ms. Anderson headlined shows far and wide and performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Women In Jazz event at the Kennedy Center in 1999, at Monterey (1959, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 2007), and at numerous other jazz festivals from New Orleans to Brazil, Berlin, Austria, and all around the globe. In 1998, she was feted at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre for her 70th birthday.Unable to live any longer on her singing career, she refi nanced the family home in the Central District and in 2008 found herself in danger of foreclosure. Jones and others stepped forward to save the home from repossession. In 2015, the High Note label released a 1962 live recording from Seattle’s Penthouse nightclub, “Ernestine Anderson Swings the Penthouse”. The record was a reminder of how pure and moving Ms. Anderson’s voice had been in her early career. Ms. Anderson’s signature song was a fi nger-popping blues tune recorded by B.B. King, “Never Make Your Move Too Soon”. This writer’s personal favorite Ernestine Anderson recording is her great cover of the iconic “Thrill Is Gone” – the best I have ever heard by a female vocalist. She is survived by three children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.


~Continued on Pg 12

By Pete Roche

U2 Above, Acros s , and Beyond

Interdisciplinary Assessments

It’s one thing to say a favorite band started falling off your radar after a certain point in their career. It’s quite another to insist that band lost their way.After all, it’s their way to “lose,” right? Isn’t that the nature of art?So it is with U2, an act we couldn’t get enough of in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s—but whose last two studio albums barely blipped on our screens. What happened? The band members would probably tell you they grew: They evolved from the spirit-driven, punk-inspired Dublin quartet they once were into open-minded uber-rockers who recognized that the world was their stage. But we also grew, and the ‘90s and ‘00s fl ooded our free time with other exciting music worthy not only of rocking out to, but evaluating with critical ears. I was in eighth grade when The Unforgettable Fire lit up my senses—a kid without a care in the world, save the ones Bono was singing about. Twenty years on, I was a married man with multiple degrees and fulltime job, a mortgage, and kids. Any singers and guitarists vying for what little attention I had needed to be on point. Bono and the boys succeeded with 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, which proved a welcome return to the band’s jangly, intimate guitar rock of old. But they started losing me again with How to Build an Atomic Bomb (2005). So much so that I didn’t even pick up No Line on the Horizon (2009) until weeks after its release, only to discover none of it clicked with me. I could probably sing you the whole of War (1983) and The Joshua Tree (1987), but can’t name a single tune on Songs of Innocence (2014) outside “The Miracle of Joey Ramone,” whose title—for me—is more memorable than its music. Still, I’d be the last to level a fi nger at U2 and accuse them of letting me down. Was I disappointed with their new direction? Disinterested in some of their post-millennial music? Sure. But I also must admit I still haven’t given their last two albums much of a chance, and that—if anything—I’m pleased the band continues to experiment and test its boundaries, planting its heels in untrodden musical territory instead of revisiting the well-worn paths.That’s the nature—the essence—of art. Love it or hate it (or both), the music of U2 has always forced listeners to reckon with it. Plenty of reckoning was done at the 2013 U2 Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Held in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (whose Director of Education Jason Hanley participated in panel discussions), the gathering invited fans and academics alike to consider (and reconsider) the legendary Irish band’s contributions to rock, to pop culture…to global consciousness. Conference Director (and Cedarville University Professor of Literature) Scott Calhoun

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encouraged conference attendees to reassess the myriad ways Bono and his band have impacted or otherwise infl uenced the cultural Zeitgeist with their music, their message, even their (ever-changing) image. The results of that open challenge—presented at the conference, and now available in the aggregate on Rowman and Littlefi eld’s Lexington imprint—is U2: Above, Across, and Beyond. As is the norm with a Lexington publication, Above, Across is less a fan book than it is a college-worthy appreciation of its subject. Specifi cally, it is an octet of eight separate essays (or Interdisciplinary Assessments) scrutinizing various aspects of U2’s mostly-impressive oeuvre, and whose topics are thematically bound by Calhoun’s edict to thrust the transitive qualities of the band’s work under the microscope. Put another way, these writers walked “Where the Streets Have No Name” to help fi nd what Bono was looking for, what we listeners found, and what remains lost (whether deliberately or not) in the ether of U2-dom. And that the authors do, with varying degrees of success—but with a common, undeniable passion for their subject.Welshman Christopher Wales (NLA University College) tackles the group’s “Collaborative Transactions” by studying how U2 have enacted its art and interacted with its fan-base over the years in a communion of what social psychologist called “sensemaking” and “sensegiving.” Drawing on the tumultuous (but invigorating) 1990 recording sessions for “One” at Hansa Studios in Berlin—as well as the Davis Guggenheim documentaries It Might Get Loud (2008) and From the Sky Down (2012)—Wales suggests that the whole of the band is indeed greater than the sum of its parts, that “the hats” (Bono and The Edge) and “haircuts” (Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton) carry one another through the creative process so as to realign themselves and reinvent their sound (and appearance). In “Trans-valuing Adam Clayton” Rock Hall research assistant (and musicology Ph.D. candidate) Brian F. Wright argues why Clayton’s role in U2 is far more critical than the bassist’s naysayers would have it. While Wright agrees Clayton probably derived his propulsive, root-note style from so-called “unskilled” punks like The Ramones, Sex Pistols, and Joy Division, he argues that Clayton’s preference for simplicity is both conscious and creative. Dissecting the bass lines for three key U2 cuts (“With or Without You,” “New Year’s Day,” and “Beautiful Day”), Wright makes a case for the “active” quality of the bassist’s rhythms and its tendency to lend movement to the songs, whether said lines be in the forefront (“New Year’s Day”) or background, as subtle support mechanism for Edge’s textural guitar meanderings (“Beautiful Day”). Heck, Wright even provides sheet music (and tablature) for the songs, should you care to grab your four-string and have a go. Cleveland rocks! RMIT University lecturer (and club culture enthusiast) Ed Montano uses his “Translating Genres” article to discuss how U2 “replaced its 1980s monochromatic aura of sincerity with a 1990s multicolor façade of irony” on Achtung, Baby (1991), Zooropa (1993), and Pop (1997) by incorporating elements of the EDM (electronic dance music) so prevalent in clubs. Pointing at songs like “Lemon,” “Mofo,” “Discotheque,” and “Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car,” Montano explains how Bono and company drew from disco (Studio 54), techno, and acid house (The Hacienda) and collaborated with (or mimicked) D.J.s like Howie B. and Paul Oakenfold to bring a fresh, danceable color palette to its work. More importantly, Montano mulls over the signifi cance of EDM in the balance between the group’s “gender” (masculine rock versus female EDM) and the musicians’ deliberate efforts to lampoon themselves (authenticity versus inauthenticity).

In “A Transcendent Desire” scribe Arlan Elizabeth Hess (Vermont College of Fine Arts, University of Padua) gets sidetracked debating the “Irishness” of U2 by her own (however noble) attempt to counterbalance critical homophobia aimed at other emerald isle artists, like drag queen Panti Bliss (Rory O’Neill). Hess—an expert on Irish lit and “the Troubles”—is most effective when debunking John Waters (Race of Angels) claims that Irish-ness has more to do with one’s reaction to a historic oppression (colonization) than anything else—including one’s birthplace. “For Waters, it follows that Zoo TV was the result of centuries of exceptional Irish leadership, struggle, and adaptation,” she poses. Hess feels Waters too easily dismisses the band’s “unique musical collaboration [and] artistic vision” when appraising U2 albums and tours—as if any other musical collective would’ve dreamt up the same music and stage shows under similar circumstances, based simply on shared “cultural inclusivity.” Hess also touches on themes of equality, justice in her discussion, and examines Bono’s schizophrenic pulpit /

performer shtick using Leszek Kolawksi’s “priest / jester” template. English professor Fred Johnson (Whitworth University) plays archeologist in U2’s “Transmedia Storyworld” by excavating the bits and pieces of ephemera (albums, movies, books) U2 have produced over the last three decades. Not a morsel was arbitrarily dispatched, argues Johnson—for while the songs and photos may have derived from an organic, genuinely artistic source, the members of U2 enjoy fi nal say on what goes out into the world. In other words, the band has created its own story—its own wunderkammer—(and continues to do so), carefully selecting which stuff (and how much of it) is put out into the world for mass consumption, depending on what its goals are at the time. “The glittery trapping of the Zoo TV tour was clearly put on, an obvious performance,” surmises Johnson. “Yet they were a performance that the simulacrum band of the ‘80s would never have approved.” In Johnson’s eyes, what U2 doesn’t say or do is every bit as crucial to its “identikit” as what it does let out. Each encapsulation of a person, object, or event—be it in the form of a compilation album or tour documentary—becomes a “mediapheme” (Paige Baty) that “ricochets” through the culture with ease, shaping the audience’s perception of the artist. By way of illustration, Johnson notes how only The Edge’s personal “rage” informed the creative process in From the Sky Down, when other sources (including the band itself) have confi rmed that Bono, Larry, and Adam brought in their own demons. It was just that the band (and fi lmmaker) had decided to not grant “absolute access,” had determined that Edge’s angst would suffi ce—would represent U2’s collective frustration—for narrative purposes. Theodore Luis Trost (University of Alabama) peeks behind the curtains at U2’s “Transgressive Theology” by weighing the balance between the sacred and the profane in their music. Piggybacking on sociologist Emile Durkheim’s idea that “Art transforms the den of thieves into hallowed ground,” Trost looks back at how U2 dismantled “the wall” on Pop by embracing excess as an ironic tool. Where the “sacred” represents things and practices set apart from everyday life, the “profane” derives from the mundane. Accordingly, ritual becomes crucial to the artistic process, as in the band’s absconding from the strict dogma of the Shalom Fellowship—or the introduction of Latin lyrics (“Gloria”) in homage to their Protestant / Catholic pasts. The “martial beats” of “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and chant-like cadence of the psalm-inspired “40” are also offered as illustrative of U2’s spiritual subversion. In “Transmitting Memories” Flinders University senior lecturer Steve Taylor sifts through Bono’s in-concert “lyrical departures” from the recorded versions of key tracks to arrive at an understanding of how the band memorializes people, places, and events during performances—thereby manufacturing unique new moments for the ticketholders in attendance. Spring-boarding from his discovery of a shout-out to the thirteen-years-dead Frank Sinatra in a live version of “Until the End of the World,” Taylor comments upon Bono’s many mentions of past concerts, prior locations…and dead people (Eunice Shriver, Greg Carroll, buried miners in New Zealand) from the stage, and how these seemingly unscripted one-liners establish both an oral


~Continued on Page 26 5504 Lake Road On the Strip Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio (440) 466-7990

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3rd Annual Spr ing Fl ing for Lake Metroparks Friday, April 8th the Citizens for Lake Metroparks will hold the annual Spring Fling fundraiser at Pine Ridge Country Club in Wickliffe. The time is 6:30 – 10pm. Music will be provided throughout the evening by Evergreen and The Lost Sheep Band. Auction items, prizes, open bar and more! There’s something for everyone! Tickets are $45 visit to order www.citizensforlakemetroparks.org or call 440-954-4295Toast to the Tavern Fundraiser to be held at Grand River Cellars April 11thEnjoy an evening fi lled with food, wine & LIVE entertainment! April 11, 2016 6-8pm$25 Ticket includes appetizers & wine tasting at Grand River Cellars in Madison. The music trio, Celtic Union, will entertain everyone with traditional Celtic and Civil War music. Evening will include Chinese & Silent Auctions. Funds raised will go toward the ongoing efforts to “Save The Tavern!” Visit www.savethetavern.org/events for more information and to purchase tickets.

40th Cleveland Internat ional Fi lm Fest ival Ticke ts Are Now On Sale WELCOME HOME. Tickets to the 40th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) presented by Dollar Bank are now on sale. Ticket prices for fi lms are $14 per fi lm for CIFF members and $16 for non-members. Tickets are available online at clevelandfi lm.org, by telephone (1.877.304.FILM), in-person at the Film Festival Box Offi ce in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas, or by mail using the Program Guide order form. Program Guides are available throughout the region, including all Dollar Bank locations. CIFF40 will take place March 30 – April 10, 2016 at Tower City Cinemas and select neighborhood screening locations. The Festival will showcase 193 feature fi lms and 213 short fi lms representing 72 countries. Be sure to check clevelandfi lm.org for program updates between now and April 10th.

House of B lues Presents : Local Brews Local Grooves The Ultimate Craft Beer & Music Festival House of Blues Cleveland is excited to announce the fi rst annual Local Brews Local Grooves on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 6PM – 10PM with VIP doors at 5PM. This whole house event is the ultimate craft beer & music festival featuring the fi nest breweries, hottest bands, & the tastiest food. Admission & a sampling wristband allow guests to sample beers from fi fteen of the top local breweries, check out fourteen of Cleveland’s best bands on four stages throughout the venue, and sample food at multiple food stations with a menu created by House of Blues chefs just for this event. Plus, new to 2016, guests can sample wines from two of the area’s best wineries.

BREWSJackie O’s Brewery Platform Beer Co.Elevator Brewing Co. Oskar Blues BreweryPortside BreweryLager Head’s Brewing Co.Willoughby Brewing CompanyCleveland Brewing Co. Cellar Rats Brewery17th State BrewingThirsty Dog Brewing Company Great Lakes Brewing Co.Fat Head’s Brewery Brick and BarrelRevolution BrewingWINERIES:Debonne VineyardsGervasi Vineyards & Beer

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Comedian SPARK MANNComedy Night • Sat. April 9 • 8pm

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Open Mic with Chad Ely & Special Guest First Thursday of every month • 8-11

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April 9 8pm



By Pete Roche

Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson talks with NCV ahead of Columbus show You know them for soulful hits like “After the Love” and “Fantasy,” and for pulsating power-funk workouts like “September” and “Boogie Wonderland.” They’ve been mixing deep grooves and spiritual lyrics for over forty years, and their remake of The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life” (for the 1978 spoof Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) stands as one of the coolest Fab Four covers of all time. Earth, Wind & Fire have sold over 90 million albums, notched eight Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and remains a must-see attraction on the summer concert circuit. Despite the band’s longevity, the rhythms and melodies are of timeless, elemental quality—and the music continues to infl uence younger artists like Bruno Mars, Beyonce, and Usher even today. Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 2000. Just last month, core members Philip Bailey (vocals), Ralph Johnson (vocals, percussion), and Verdine White (bass) were on hand at The Staples Center in Los Angeles to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. While the recent death of founding father Maurice White (Verdine’s older brother) surely loomed large in the minds (and hearts) of surviving members, the Grammy weekend itself was festive and fun for the funk icons. The band sold out Cain Park in 2014 and the Hard Rock in Northfi eld last year. Now Earth, Wind & Fire are prepping for their second joint outing with fellow Windy City horn rockers Chicago—who’ll (fi nally) receive their Rock Hall nod this April in New York.

The appropriately-dubbed Heart & Soul 2.0 Tour promises a long, memorable night of hook-laden hits, brass-powered pop, and tender ballads—all lovingly delivered by the twenty-odd virtuoso musicians and skilled singers comprising the two legendary groups. Each band will have its own hour-long showcase, but the evening will be bookended by mind-blowing jams featuring clever all-star combinations of the two. Heart & Soul 2.0 is scheduled to kickoff March 23th in Jacksonville and wrap up April 18th in New York. Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire will roll into Columbus, Ohio for a dual gig at

Nationwide Arena on April 5th. Tickets are on sale now (see like below).We recently chatted with Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson about the traveling confab, his band’s mythical music, the paternal wisdom of Maurice, and his own predilections for art and recreation. RALPH JOHNSON: Cleveland, Ohio! How are you, Cleveland!NORTH COAST VOICE: Feeling good, thanks!RALPH JOHNSON: I have to tell you, someone once told me there are only two seasons in Cleveland: Winter and construction.NCV: [Laughs] That’s so true. We get six months of grey skies, snow, and cold—and as soon as the temperature goes up and the sun comes out, so do the orange barrels. The main roads are either covered with ice or crumbling with potholes, or they’re closed for repairs. You can’t win!RALPH JOHNSON: [Laughs] All righty! Well, good morning. It’s a beautiful day in L.A. It’s about sixty degrees, probably gonna hit seventy. I’m knocking out interviews this morning, and here you are for my third one!NCV: So the Earth, Wind boys are teaming up again with the guys from Chicago. The tour starts in a couple weeks…are you just

enjoying some down time now?RALPH JOHNSON: You know, usually we are down January through about…the end of March. There may be corporate gigs, but the major touring as usual doesn’t start until the summer. But we are going to start earlier this year, in March, on the Heart and Soul 2.0 tour with Chicago. I don’t know if you’ve gotten to see us in the summer, but if you haven’t had a chance to see us with Chicago, you’re missing some high energy! You’ve got to see the combo, you’ll love it.NCV: I’ve seen both bands by themselves, but never the combo. At least not live; I’ve seen your Live at the Greek DVD concert. So, as exciting a time as it is for the band, I’d like to express my sympathies over the loss of Maurice. I knew he’d been ill for some time, and that he stopped touring a while ago. But was his passing a shock for the band?RALPH JOHNSON: Yeah. Shock would be an understatement. It was numbing. We have our moments, getting misty-eyed when you’re walking around the house. You have memories of this man who was driven. He was driven. He had a dream, and he pursued it, and now he leaves behind this musical legacy that has affected the whole world. I don’t know if you knew this, but Earth, Wind & Fire music is some of the most-played music on the planet. Every minute and thirty-eight seconds, there’s an Earth, Wind & Fire song starting on the radio. So essentially, there’s Earth, Wind & Fire going on twenty-four, seven all the time all around the planet Earth!NCV: The band just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys. Was Maurice aware Earth, Wind would be receiving that honor?RALPH JOHNSON: Very good question, thank you. Yes, he was aware. When we fi rst got the notice…the press release went out on January 17th, I believe it was. Yeah, he defi nitely knew. And he was very happy. But the whole thing just caught us by surprise, because we had no indication…I mean, we knew he had Parkinson’s. We just didn’t expect to get this kind of news now, as we were approaching the Grammys. The day Maurice made his transition, the three of us were on our way to Sirius Satellite Radio for some interviews, and we got the call at about one in the afternoon. And I was just in shock. Numb.NCV: How were the Grammys? Good time? RALPH JOHNSON: Well, it was a great event. The whole Grammys weekend starts the night before, with Clive Davis’ party. So we played the party. We hadn’t played the party in ten years. We played it in 2006 with Alicia Keyes. So as we were getting ready to get the Lifetime Achievement Award and all this other stuff, Clive wanted us to come in. Clive is the reason we’re out here now. We auditioned for Clive back in 1972, and he immediately signed us to


20th Annual One Act Fest ivalThe Fine Arts Association Celebrates With Original Work The Fine Arts Association is pleased to announce the 20th Annual One Act Festival coming April 8-23 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Ann Hedger brings back original and never-before-produced one acts for the 20th anniversary celebration. Filled with a unique balance of funny, dramatic and brilliant work, the One Act Festival has entertainment for every mood all in one night. This years One Act Festival features:

Me and My Shadowby Ron Burch (Los Angeles, California)Ron’s shadow is bored by Ron and wants to fi nd a new person to shadow.Confi dence Scanby John Busser (Parma, Ohio)Getting the job in the future might require being scanned for more than drug use.Saving Catsby Nicole Castillo (Edmond, Oklahoma)Two married superheroes come to grips with who is the better superhero.The Tempby Steve Emily (Colorado Springs, Colorado)Celebrating a co-worker’s birthday at the offi ce is stalled by news of what happened to the temp.Garbage Inby Philip W. Hall (Longboat Key, Florida)Heads or tails? Two guys discuss the absurdity of life after marriage. The First Yesby Jacob Juntunen (Carbondale, Illinois)A woman shares loving memories of her too short journey with her husband.Maryanneby David Lewison (Los Angeles, California)In the future, loneliness and love may come together with unexpected results. Chopping Celeryby Connie Schindewolf (Bradenton, Florida)Three generations of women write to each other regarding the upcoming holidays and the importance of tradition. Kids These Daysby Matthew Tawney (Lowell, Michigan)A family has lunch together to fi gure out how to deal with their son’s….condition.Roadkillby J. Weintraub (Chicago, Illinois)Two truckers trying to make a deadline hit an animal…or something.Liable to Actby Terry Riley (Santa Fe, New Mexico)Performance Liability. What is it and why can’t we just fi nish performing the darn play.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary, on opening weekend (April 8 & 9) patrons can purchase two tickets for $20. In addition, on Friday, April 8 (Opening Night) guests can enjoy a complimentary cake and champagne cocktail reception in the Fine Arts Main Gallery following the performance. Also a “Pay-What-You-Can College Night” is planned for Saturday, April 16. Just because college students are on a tight budget, doesn’t mean they should miss out on seeing great theatre. College students must show their valid student ID, and may purchase a ticket for whatever his or her budget allows. Fine Arts also has a Facebook contest planned where a winner, selected at random, can win a package of ten tickets to the April 23rd performance and a $50 gift certifi cate to a Downtown Willoughby restaurant. Go to The Fine Arts Association Facebook page beginning April 1, like the page, search for the contest post, then reply to the questions and share the post with your friends to be eligible to win. Individual tickets for the One Act Festival are $20 per person, reserved seating and can be purchased by calling 440-951-7500 or online, www.fi neartsassociation.org.Special ticket offers must be purchased in person at the Fine Arts customer service center or by phone. Reservations for the festival are not required, but recommended. Additional upcoming productions include the return of the “Chili Con Comedy Improv Troupe” on April 30 and “Little Shop of Horrors” on weekends June 10-26. The Fine Arts Association is located at 38660 Mentor Avenue, Willoughby, OH 44094. Safe, secure on-site parking is free. The Main Gallery and Corning Auditorium are barrier free. Since 1957, The Fine Arts Association has been serving the community by enhancing lives through performances, arts education, therapies, community partnerships and advocacy. For more information on the 2015-16 theater season and class schedules, visit www.fi neartsassociation.org or call 440-951-7500. The 2015-2016 Theatre Season is funded in part by the Ohio Arts Council and a grant from The Lake County Visitors Bureau Arts and Culture Fund to further participation in, and awareness of, arts and culture in Lake County.

Apr. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 & 23 at 7:30 pm

Directed by Ann Hedger • Rated Mature

Ann Hedger brings back original, never-before-produced one acts for this 20th anniversary celebration.

Always filled with a unique balance of funny, dramatic and brilliant work, this Lake County tradition continues.

The Fine Arts Association38660 Mentor Avenue Willoughby, Ohio 44094

Supported by:

Tickets on sale NOW!(440) 951-7500

fineartsassociation.org

Check Out the 20th Anniversary Celebration Events & Ticket Prices at fineartsassociation.org/performance


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Check out the Abbey Rodeo video at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwWk_2hELk

12-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Saturday, April 23rdHooley House

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Saturday, May 14thThe Landmark

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Thursdays @ 9pm: Queen of Hearts DrawingSundays @ 7pm: King of Clubs Drawing

Live Music Fri. & Sat. 9:30-1:30

March 25th: Redneck RomeosApril 2nd: New DirectionApril 9th: TBAApril 15th: Rough Cut

WednesdayLine Dance

Lessons withDee 6:30-9:30

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THE TRIO RETURNSThe Trio - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris - will have their work see the light of day later this year with previously unreleased material.The group released two albums together, “Trio” (1987) and “Trio II” (1999), selling more than 5 million copies worldwide and winning 3 Grammys.Both albums are being remastered for a three-CD collection with rare and unreleased music. Produced by Harris, “The Complete Trio Collection” will be available on Sept. 9 for a list price of $29.98.On the same date, a single-disc set will also be available, “My Dear Companion: Selections from the Trio,” featuring a mix of songs taken from the three-disc set, as will “Farther Along,” a double-LP set of all the bonus material from “The Complete Trio Collection.” “Trio II” will also be released on vinyl for the fi rst time.Even though Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris began recording together in the 1970s, a full album proved elusive for about a decade. “Trio” topped the country album chart for fi ve consecutive weeks. Among the standout tracks are “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” “Wildfl owers” and “Farther Along.”A decade later, the group released a follow-up. “Trio II” won a Grammy Award and peaked in the Top Five of the country album chart. It sold more than 1 million copies worldwide with tracks like “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” the Carter family’s “Lover’s Return” and a cover of Neil Young’s “After The Gold Rush.”The bonus disc contains 20 songs, including alternate takes of album tracks like “I’ve Had Enough,” “Making Plans” and “My Dear Companion.” Also featured are 11 completely unreleased recordings from the trio spanning both album sessions including “Waltz Across Texas Tonight,” “Pleasant As May,” “Are You Tired of Me,” and the gospel standard “Softly And Tenderly.” Among the unreleased material is also an alternate version of “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” featuring Parton on lead vocals and an a capella version of “Calling All My Children Home.”

KEITH URBAN BRINGS “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016” TO BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER IN CLEVELAND, OH ON FRIDAY, JULY 15TH. Four-time Grammy Award winner and

American Idol judge Keith Urban will bring his “ripCORD World Tour 2016” to Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, OH on Friday, July 15th, with Brett Eldredge and special guest Maren Morris. Tickets are on sale now!

“I’m seriously chomping at the bit to kick off this tour,” said Urban. “We’ll be playing a lot of new music from ripCORD, all new production, new cities where we’ve never played…and Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris? It’s gonna be potent and unbridled!”

Brett Eldredge’s current single, “Drunk On Your Love” is the second single from his recently released sophomore album, Illinois. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard top 200 Chart and has already produced the No. 1 single “Lose My Mind.” The 2014 CMA New Artist of the Year co-wrote and co-

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produced every song on the 12 set disc, which follows on the heels of his 2013 debut album Bring You Back. Twenty-fi ve year-old Columbia Nashville singer/songwriter Maren Morris has quickly established herself in Nashville’s music community with songwriting and vocal stylings that refl ect her country, folk and pop infl uences, with Rolling Stone Country touting her “a stellar solo artist in her own right.” Songs from her self-titled EP have been critically received and just two weeks after its release surpassed 5.5 million streams, with 3 songs hitting Spotify’s US and Global “Viral 50” chart, zipping to #1 on Billboard’s Heat Seeker Album Chart. Her fi rst single, “My Church”, has been released to country radio to great acclaim. It is already in the Top 15 of the country music charts. Urban’s ‘ripCORD World Tour 2016’ takes place on the heels of his soon to be released eighth studio album release of the same name, which has already produced two singles – his Grammy nominated, No. 1 song, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and its second single “Break On Me”, which just became Urban’s 20th No. 1 song this week. The new album will be the follow-up to Urban’s groundbreaking release FUSE, his fourth #1 album, marking the fi rst time in history that a male Country artist had debuted atop the all-genre charts in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

For all offi cial Keith Urban tour news including show dates and where to purchase tickets, go to www.keithurban.net.

BROOKS ANNOUNCES NEW MUSIC Garth Brooks recently announced that would release a new album this summer but then indicated in a Facebook posting that he had planned on releasing new material sooner than that.“I was not confi dent in my own writing...it is a muscle and if you don’t use it, you just can’t turn it back on again...it takes time...but I DID hear you. And because of that, teamed with the touring schedule, I am asking a huge favor from you, I am postponing the release of the

new studio record...I ask for your patience as I explore the writing again. I have been at it for over four months now, enjoying the challenge and enjoying the studio more because of it. This new album will be the most Garth thing I have ever done... whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, you will decide,” Brooks said. Brooks released “Man Against Machine” in November 2014 and has been touring since September 2014.

Brooks also thanked fans for their support of the tour. “First of all, I can NEVER thank you enough for making 2015 the busiest year of our career, yet! What a blast that was...it seemed it went by in a blink.” “ This year has started off with a bang...Florida was LOUD!!! Opening night set the pace for the year. Baltimore waited out a blizzard and everyone showed up in a BIG WAY!!! Then...MY BIRTHDAY!!! Everyone was really sweet and it was, no doubt, the best one yet� . South Carolina got me through a very hard time and turned a loss into a HUGE gain for the music!!! Then, Worcester...the “after-show” show is becoming my favorite thing!!! THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!! The response to this tour has taken all of us by surprise. I thank God and the people for it every day�. The tour has shattered expectations and has put a serious kink in our scheduling (and I am NOT complaining!).” The “after show” is most of the encore where Brooks plays mainly solo acoustic and takes requests from fans, who wrote down songs on signs.


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A con v e r s at i o n w i t h I an And e r s onIan Anderson will be performing, “Jethro Tull, The Rock Opera” on April 11th at Akron Civic Theatre

Ian Anderson’s career spans over 40 years with the rock band, Jethro Tull. He introduced the fl ute into his performances in the early days of the band. Ian’s talent and creativity has made his next project an ingenious piece that he will be performing. Ian recently telephoned from his home in England to discuss the tour and other current projects. “As I get older I need to rejuvenate myself with challenges or I can become bored quite easily,” he said. “During the summer of 2014 I was driving through northern Italy on my way to another concert. I had access to the internet and decided to look up the life story and history of the 18th century agriculturist, Jethro Tull.” In 1968, the band’s agent had studied history in college and suggested the band have the name Jethro Tull who was an 18th century pioneer that invented the seed drill. “I started to wonder what thoughts and impressions he would have if he were driving through northern Italy, looking at the crops and agriculture. Through my research, I did fi nd that he had been to Italy and charted his theories about agriculture and farming. He was thinking of ways on what could be improved upon based on what was available in those days.” explains Ian. “As I continued to read about him it reminded me of songs I had written on similar topics. I made a list of songs and my approach is to describe his life style. I wanted to reposition Jethro Tull as if he were around now and use my songs as a narrative expression of his life albeit extracted into the present.” “This became the project I started working on in January of last year. I wanted to put it together, include video, and tell the Jethro Tull story. It’s not my story of Jethro Tull, the rock band but the story of the re-imagined Jethro Tull in the near future as if he was called upon to use his inventiveness and creativity to bear upon the fruit shortages, diffi culties that face agriculture, climate change, technology and so forth,” said Ian. “If he were here today he may settle for a 50% royalty or maybe a substantial cash payment, I have no idea.” A career that is over the 40-year mark, Ian is always inspired and motivated to perform for large audiences. “I have always enjoyed performing, touring and playing for people around the world at many different concert venues which is a thrill of being a musical performer. I don’t think I would become tired of doing this but of course age does become an issue sooner or later which is more of a reason to do this now and enjoy it while I still can,” he said. Ian enjoys painting and photography. “I went to Art College for a short while. Photography has been a hobby of mine. I enjoy taking photographs. Usually I have a camera or worst-case scenario I have my iPhone. I will be working on new art work as possible merchandise items for 2017.” he continues, “I am working on a new record release for later this year, possibly around Christmas. It is a string quartet album, which will be The Best of Jethro Tull songs in a baroque string quartet fashion with fl ute and guitar. It’s not going to be a big commercial offering. Some people will like it. It can be played at weddings, funerals or if someone wants to sit misty-eyed with a glass of wine on a summer evening and listen to a string quartet playing Aqualung in their backyard then it could work for them. I also have another album project in the works.” Ian shares some closing thoughts on his upcoming show in Akron. “When people come to the concert they will see the best of Jethro Tull. There is a story line with some complexity working behind each song. It’s a question of sitting back and being entertained. There will be colorful images on the screen behind me. It is for the toe-tappers. I know this because I am one of them.”

For more information on Ian Anderson and Jethro Tullwww.jethrotull.com

For ticket information on the April 11th performance at Akron Civic Theatrewww.akroncivic.com



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Columbia Records, when he was president. So it starts with the party. And all the years—we have six Grammys already—but all the years the Grammys were going on, that was the fi rst time we’d been asked to be presenters. So it was kind of a special night, to be honored with Lifetime Achievement, and also to be presenting. It was fun. I enjoyed it. I enjoy those kinds of moments, and I like the fact that Taylor Swift set some people straight [laughs]! Okay? Because there are some people out there who needed to hear that. People who have apparently lost their minds! If hip-hop has a court jester, you know who it is [laughs]! NCV: It’s so nice that you got to present, and perform on the show with Pentatonix. I’m not familiar with them—Pentatonix—but it’s great that pairing up on the program offers a kind of exposure that takes Earth, Wind music to a younger generation.RALPH JOHNSON: Absolutely. That’s a very good point. Pentatonix, they’re an excellent a cappella group. But yeah, this whole weekend was a great weekend, and it fi nally actually ended for myself and Verdine at the Glenn Frey memorial. There was a memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was really great. And Stevie Wonder showed up there and sang! It was very cool. NCV: Sounds like you guys have been busy! Now, with the Heart & Soul show, what can fans expect from the two-part set list between Earth, Wind and Chicago? How do the two bands juggle the time onstage?RALPH JOHNSON: Well, at this point the show is locked in. So it’s not like we’re looking at a set list every night saying, “We’re going to change this.” Because it has a lot of cues, a lot of video content. So at this point the set list won’t change. But in terms of the present-day format, I will say that both bands open together on stage. We do about fi fteen or twenty minutes. Chicago leaves the stage, and then Earth, Wind proceeds to do an hour. Then we leave the stage, and Chicago comes on for an hour, and then we come together for the fi nale, for about fi fteen minutes. It’ll have songs like, “Free” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”NCV: Sounds like a full night of music.RALPH JOHNSON: You will have a full night of music. Certainly a full night of hits.NCV: Having seen both bands live, I can attest to the high-caliber musicianship and off-the-chart energy levels.RALPH JOHNSON: There you go! NCV: What do you do on the road for fun? Any hobbies or interests to help alleviate your down time? Anything special you do to keep healthy? RALPH JOHNSON: There’s usually a day or two between dates, but usually no more than four in a row. On my off days, I’m an avid tennis player. I love tennis! I learned tennis in the mid-70s, around ’76 or ’77. And then within the last ten years, I said “I really want to buckle down and get my stroke down.” So I got with an instructor who I’ve been with for seven or eight years here in the Calabasas area. I’m usually there once a week for an hour or two to work on my stroke! I play a lot of tennis. I also love art galleries. I collect art. If I’m in a city where there’s a nice gallery, I’ll go out. Sometimes I’ll purchase things on the road if I see something I really like. And we eat right—we take care of ourselves. That’s something Maurice instilled in us coming up. You’ve got to remember, he was ten years older than us. So he’d already lived a lot of life, you know? Even at thirty; because we were just in our twenties. He talked to us about eating right, reading certain books. So it was an education. It was educational on a lot of different levels, not just musically. It was an education in lifestyle. NCV: I always wanted to ask about Earth, Wind & Fire’s colorful costumes and catchy album sleeves. I’d look at the record sleeves growing up, and the mystical symbols and fl ashy attire always fascinated me. How did this visual side of the band evolve?RALPH JOHNSON: A lot of that—in terms of look and graphics—a lot of that came from Maurice. He was very much into the way things looked, cosmetically. He was very much into Egyptology, the study of Egypt. So we incorporated a lot of that into what we did. It was a hook, in a sense, you know? NCV: What’s next for you and the band after the 2.0 tour?RALPH JOHNSON: We’ve got a very busy year ahead. We’re busy all the time. People don’t seem to realize we’re busy every year. But to answer your question, after the 2.0 tour—which will end in New York at Madison Square Garden around April 18th—we’ll continue to tour. We will continue our summer tour throughout the United States. Then we’re going overseas to the U.K., which is one of our favorite spots. Then we’re gonna head back to Japan! We do a lot of corporate dates, too. Private events, you know? We’re always out here doing something!Ticket info www.nationwidearena.com/schedule/event_info.php?id=1633



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The Brothers Gr im sby Columbia | R | 83 min Funny thing about Sacha Baron Cohen; I must admit that I admire the guy’s ability as a character actor, dialect and knack for slapstick comedy and oddball physical shtick. That being said I’ve hated or disliked just about everything I’ve seen him in, except possibly HUGO. In BORAT and BRUNO fake documentaries I never really bought the premise that everybody else in the movie was as

completely clue free as the comedy seemed to suggest. I smelled a setup; a rat if you will from beginning to end. I don’t think most folks would be surprised to learn that some folks taken from the audience in a magic show are actually plants and there at every stop along the tour but it does make the magic a little less, well, magical. That’s what happened with those fi lms, for me anyway.Beyond that, every fi lm Cohen stars in seems to have an awful lot of toilet humor that steps over the line from just gross into truly disgusting. One might wonder if his agent is at fault but a quick glance at the credits shows that Cohen is not only listed as producer but writer, leaving very little doubt as to where to lay the blame. I suppose there are some 14 year old Beavis and Butt-head types with a stolen 6 pack of Bud Light who think this kind of crap is hilarious, and possibly there are

enough of them to turn a profi t. Not me.

The brothers Grimsby is billed as an action adventure and yeah I suppose it is, but I’d say it’s more of a vulgar comedy that just happens to include action and adventure.Nobby (Cohen) and Sebastian (Mark Strong) are inseparable orphan brothers separated nearly 30 years ago by a cruel twist of fate. Sebastian will grow up to be a dashing English secret agent while Nobby spends his

years in a trashy English fi shing village surrounded by lowlifes and idiots.Seriously these people really are morons. The plot itself is actually just a ridiculous framework in which Sebastian is framed buy some bad people in a plot to kill all the stupid people in the world. That’s not an altogether terrible idea, I thought, but...As I say it’s only a framework in which to hold together a series of distasteful situations and sight gags, and let me tell you the term gag is very appropriate.

I’ll describe just one as delicately as possible. At one point the two brothers are stranded in Africa trying to get away from the bad guys. They hide inside an elephant’s vagina. That’s right, it’s not a typographical error. Once the two are inside the elephant the male elephant shows up with loving on his mind. The entire scene is graphically displayed from the inside of the lady elephant from start to climax. That’s not the worst joke in the movie by a long shot but should give you a bit of an idea in which direction the humor leads the audience.

Truthfully, even though there wasn’t a laugh in sight I still wasn’t bored which is the killer for a bad movie, and while I certainly can’t recommend it I have to admit that it could have, somehow, been worse.

C

10 Cloverf ie ld Lane Paramount | PG | 113 min Well, we are still in the post Oscar wasteland so it’s not easy to fi nd diamonds in the rough. Oft-times I will take a shot at something because of a relationship with an actor or a director I’ve come to respect. Now I admit that JJ Abrams is only the producer, not the director, of CLOVERFIELD but it does

By Westside Steve Simmons



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star John Goodman. Apparently this one has been sitting on the shelf for a while because star Goodman is still at his top weight before shedding all those pounds, so I’m not positive if the similarity between this and recent Oscar nominee ROOM is a coincidence.

From that you may have guessed that this is another one of those one set fi lms and takes place in an enclosed shelter with one character playing the part of jailer.Of course the situations are quite different.

Her romantic life in ruins, Michelle is driving away to god-knows-where when her truck is run off the road and crashes into a ditch. She wakes up in a cinder-block room chained to a cot provided by a very unlikely caretaker, Howard. (Goodman)

He relates an incredible story of an enemy attack which has left the air outside poison and explains to her that staying within the shelter is her only chance to survive. She and her fellow captive Emmett are almost positive Howard is crazy and this story is completely insane. Almost. As time goes by the prisoners start to wonder if there isn’t really something going on outside but even so their resolve to escape grows stronger. So it’s a series of vignettes centered around escape attempts and communicating with Howard trying to separate reality from fantasy.

Sure, he’s weird but is he nuts? That’s what the audience fi nds out when the climax fi nally comes to pass. I’m not sure you could call it a big surprise but it’s certainly something from the M Night Shamalan playbook, and if that sounds like I have ‘damned with faint praise’ here, that’s probably true.

C



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Anna & the Angels: “Intuition” / “Instruction” / “Fear” and the Truth about the “Truth”

Anna and the Angels were asked a question today and are eager to offer a clear response, in order to alleviate any confusion: “When does intuition cross the line and become instruction? For instance if I see a horse and think he is going to kick me, and then he does….. Was that really intuition or did I make it happen? Or: “I think my girlfriend is planning to break up with me.” Did I just create that reality? Dear Ones, your intuition is what has been known for centuries as the “still, small voice inside.” It is a neutral voice….only present to impart knowledge when it is most needed. You can choose to tap into your intuition because we are always available to converse with you through that process. Often people think their intuition is kicking in out of the blue to give them much needed information. This is not usually the case; it is never “out of the blue”. You have on some level opened yourselves up to receive information from us. Perhaps you regularly start your day with meditation or prayer. This practice in itself opens one up to receive information as it is consistently ‘funneled’ in through your crown chakra. Having received various initiations or attunements such as empowerment through Reiki or shamanic rituals also leaves the crown chakra open to receive consistent guidance from spirit and from the angelic realm. People who do healing work, and those who consciously allow us to speak to their opened hearts will receive intuitive guidance. Those with a deep faith and love for divinity will receive intuitive guidance. Very few people do NOT experience intuition because in truth, very few people have not opened themselves up to it. Sadly however, there are always those who will say, ‘It just doesn’t work for me.’ To borrow one of your clichés, they are expecting something for nothing. They are expecting to receive when they have not opened their hands or their hearts or their minds to do so. Intuition is a free gift, but even when your favorite department store is offering a free gift, you must still drive there to pick it up. Instruction is similar to intuition in that you receive it under the same conditions, but usually have asked for direction. It too comes from a source whose intention is always for your highest good. Whereas intuition becomes the result of a lifestyle, instruction is the result of request.By intuiting that the horse is about to kick, you have not manifested that reality unless……you have consistently and repeatedly believed the horse is surely about to kick you. Humans do not manifest on demand; there is a process. You have chosen to come into this lifetime to comprehend the process of manifestation. When you are in spirit, you will discover that whatever you think, you are immediately able to manifest. To go off topic briefl y, this partly explains the unreality of hell. Once you have entered the afterlife, as spirit you will choose your experiences. If you have unsettled business, you will then be able to settle it and move on. If you fi nd yourself in the burning rages of hell, you are most likely not going to care for it, and will drop the false guilt that has placed you there so that you can experience Paradise as it was always meant to be….which in fact, is not anywhere other than where you are now. That however, is a topic for another day…..The point is, in order to manifest reality, you must be diligent in your thought processes. Day after day, you must repeatedly say to yourself (and



believe), “that horse is going to kick me. That horse is going to kick me. That horse is going to kick me……” Here’s kind of the clincher in this scenario: if you don’t see the horse on a regular basis, but only see it once, you have not repeatedly told yourself it is going to kick you. So why does it?? Because, dear ones, you have entertained similar thoughts of the same vibration: “I know something is going to happen to piss me off.” “ I know I’m going to get hurt; I can just feel it.”“ I know I’m going to have an accident; I’m due.” “With my luck”……and of course any thought or comment which falls into the victimization category…..”Why does everything always happen to me?” Or even perhaps: “I am chaos and I take it with me wherever I go.” You can see there are many scenarios and thought processes that are of the same calibration, that are able to set you up for any number of accidents, illnesses, catastrophes, crises, or dis-ease in any form. Always guard your thoughts, that they are a well-spring of positivity and love. We have a favorite scripture and hope you will adopt it as guidance for your daily life: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” ~~ Philippians 4:8 KJV We will be the fi rst to admit that mankind in the past, has often distorted spiritual truths brought forward in ancient scriptures dictated by us….but know that this one is quite clear in its meaning, and we are especially proud of it. These words are very high vibrational (as we are, and you are becoming), and therefore are only able to attract high vibrational situations (which being kicked by a horse is not). Likewise, the potential that your girlfriend may break up with you, probably has little to do with your girlfriend, and more to do with your thoughts. The above quoted scripture, and other beliefs that are like it, have everything to do with creating positive experiences in your life. You must always understand however, that you live in a Universe of objectivity and neutrality. If you believe a certain way ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, you will experience those things which refl ect the vibration of your thoughts…..which….of course….brings us to fear. You have been given the option of creating from a place of love or a place of fear. Those things you fear most will come upon you, for the simple reason you are thinking them consistently. Learn to cancel out your fears, that you might replace them with a joyful mindset which has no choice but to create experiences of joy in the physical realm. Oftentimes, it appears to us, that this is more diffi cult for you than it has to be. As much as you desire to believe that you were never thrown out of the garden (which you absolutely were not; you simply chose to leave), you live on a physical plane that bombards you with fear. You then

begin to believe that perhaps you are not so beloved of the Divine. Perhaps you are not part of a benevolent Universe. Perhaps you are indeed a “wretch”. Think on those things long enough, and be part of a world that thinks on those things long enough, and you then become part of a world where disaster is commonplace and miracles are unique, and few and far between. Yet, we remind you, this is not true. You are not only beloved of the Divine; you ARE Divine. When you begin to experience that in a consistent belief system, then you will also begin to manifest those things of the same vibration in your reality. If enough of you begin to experience that in a consistent belief system, then you will change your world, and you will bring Heaven to Earth, and you will fi nally—once and for all—recognize that you were never thrown out of the Garden….That “As above, so below”—“On Earth, as it is in Heaven.”Therefore, once again we remind you: All Is Well.Believe it.Live it.Breathe it.Be still and know it.

And that will be your experience.

*** Patricia Ann Dooms, known in some circles as “the Mentor from Mentor”, is a certifi ed holistic lifestyle mentor, practicing a variety of energy healing modalities which she has combined into her FeatherTouch 4-Directional Healing Practice. She has recently been asked to allow the angels to speak through her and is willing to do so upon request. To learn more about all things FeatherTouch, including Angel communication and numerology, please contact us through them through their website: www.feathertouchcelebrations.com or e-mail: [email protected] . You may also text your questions to 440-223 -7510.


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Now that spring has fi nally sprung and it’s time for the fun to start; new plants in the garden, new paint on the door, new projects everywhere. It gives me the illusion that I’m getting things done with all of the many things to do. It’s nice to stay busy. Speaking of getting things done I’ve had quite a few projects, repairs that have come across the bench in the past couple of weeks. I was able to do a nut on a 70’s D-28 Martin and set up a very cool slope shoulder Gibson. I got an older Yamaha guitar that needed a setup and new strings. The best thing about being a guitar repairman rather than just a builder is that you get the opportunity to learn as the new repairs come in. Even though some repairs are pretty much the same old thing, now and then there is one that doesn’t go as you thought it might. Sometimes issues come up as you are performing a procedure that you have done countless times before. All of a sudden, something goes wrong that adds to the repair. For instance, as I was performing a routine fret leveling, which requires me to remove the nut so that I can pass the fl at fi le back and forth over the length of the fi ngerboard to level the frets, I gave the nut a light tap to loosen it from its usually glued in position and it broke into 3 pieces. This is not impossible, but still quite rare that it happens. Regardless, it now means that I’m building a new bone nut for the customer free of charge. What a lucky guy. The nut that just broke was a cheap plastic one and that’s more than likely why it broke. So now I will replace it with an upgraded bone one that is hand shaped to fi t perfectly. Sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps back. It’s the dance that I must do to continue to have happy customers, all part of the joy of owning your own business. I have found that when I treat my clients as I would hope to be treated, they tend to become repeat customers or do not hesitate to tell their friends about the good job that was performed on their instrument. A win, win for everybody Besides the usual repairs, I must tell you about my latest project - a CNC machine. That’s right! I have fi nally decided to step up to the plate and try to learn about this technology. I know to some of you this is old stuff because CNCs have been around forever, but to me it’s all brand new. I put off learning anything about them for the longest time because for one, I was scared that I would look like a fool trying to learn it and I also felt that somehow I would be “cheating” the age old art of Lutherie by not utilizing the traditional methods of “hand skills” that it requires to build instruments. I have come to the conclusion that by learning the cad and cam programs associated with CNC technology could be very helpful to my business and it would just be another feather in my cap. I wouldn’t be cheating anyone but myself for not learning something new. I had ordered plans from a guy that I saw on a video from Youtube about 8 months ago. He had built a very capable and affordable machine with a plywood main frame. This appealed to me because of the wood work that was involved. I fi nally cut the parts out of a half sheet of 3/4” plywood about 3 months ago and just last week bought much of the hardware to construct the working frame of the CNC unit. Of course when I’m fi nished with that I will have to buy the software to run it and that is where the real fun will begin. I have to learn some cad programs (computer animated drawing) to be able to draw the project in digital form and

import that information to another Cam program which changes that information into a “G code” the computer uses to manipulate the stepper motors to do what they do. This is known as the tool path. After all is said and done I hope to have a fully working CNC machine for under $2,000. Those of you who know about them know this is very reasonable. I know there will be many stumbling blocks along the way, but I’m fortunate in the fact that through all of my research on the subject I have met a couple of very qualifi ed CNC machinists and repairman that have offered to help me along my journey. My goal is to have a working machine by July and to be using it with a high rate of effi ciency by Jan of 2017. I would like to use it for many of the parts I may need for my SHG business and some new products that I would like to add to my Liam Guitar online store. It has been very rewarding to me in the past few months that I’ve been learning all this new stuff. I just fi nished a couple of online computer courses from Morley Library in Painesville (for free) about social media and internet marketing. These are two subjects that could take a while for me to fully comprehend, but I’m trying. I’m now taking one about operating Quickbooks for my business and another one on creative writing. I hope that the writing course will improve my skills so that all of you that spend the time to read my articles will actually enjoy them too. Wouldn’t that be nice? They say, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but I found out that you can, it just takes a little longer. Of course before I go, I must tell you not to forget about the Riverside Music Festival on April 15, 16, 17th in Cambridge Springs, Pa (right outside of Edinboro). I will be performing a repair/ building workshop on Sat at about 6:00 if anyone is interested. This festival has been going on for quite some time now and I’m sure that it will be a fun time had by all if you attend it. The Riverside Hotel has been an operating hotel since about 1880. It is very quaint and old fashion. A blast into what life was like before computers and television. I hope to see many of my friends there and you too, so until then or sooner , please “Stay in Tune” Keep Smiling!Patrick from Liam Guitars / Smoking Hot Guitars


You don’t have to leave your dogskennelled or alone while you’re away,

they can stay with me!

Call Linde at

440-951-2468

PUPPY RAISER,Leader Dogs for the Blind

PUPPIES& SENIORSWELCOME!

Brent Kirby & His LuckJones For RevivalNathan HedgesDJ GeneDJ Brad PettyDiana ChittesterChris AllenTom EvanchuckLT: Mixtape CasanovaDJ Chris WrightBlues ChroniclesSwap MeetLost State of Franklin

FOOD STATIONSBa-CanKielbasaFat PretzelsChocolate Covered Bananas on a StickSmokehouse BrisketSambal Chicken SkewersRice Krispies Treats on a StickMac & CheesePulled Pork EggrollsChicken and Waffl e Cone

TICKETING INFORMATION On Sale: Friday, March 25, 2016 at 10AM $12 Admission Ticket. No Service Fees or Facility Fees when purchased at Box Offi ce. Sold in advance or day of. Wristbands: $15 for one | $25 for two | $37 for three $35 VIP Package includes: One admission ticket, two wristbands, one food voucher, early entry (5PM), swag bag Tickets available at houseofblues.com/Cleveland, ticketmaster.com, and livenation.com More info: www.houseofblues.com/cleveland/localbrewslocalgrooves | Drink Beer. Eat Food. Rock Out.

Concerts at Kent Stage

An Evening with Andy McKeeSunday May 1st at 8pm (Doors at 7)Andy McKee is among the world’s fi nest acoustic guitarists. His youthful energy and attention to song structure and melodic content elevates him above the rest. He entertains both the eye and the ear as he magically transforms the steel string guitar into a full orchestra via his use of altered tunings, tapping, partial capos, percussive hits and a signature two-handed technique.Ticket only - $25.00 reserved. www.thekentstage.com/event/1135861 More info about Andy at: www.andymckee.com/

A rare solo appearance by Buffy Sainte-MarieFriday May 6th at 8pm (Doors at 7)Only regional concert!“I’ve been traveling around the world for a long time, fi nding songs in my head like snapshots of how I feel about what I see and the people I meet. I’ve had the blues now and then, but I’ve had all the other colors too; what’s remained consistent is my conclusion, which has always inspired my songs, that life is precious, diverse and worth protecting.”“Power in the Blood is my new album - I wrote all but two songs - which I recorded in Toronto



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with three different producers, who each made choices from my list of songs. There are 4 love songs, 3 social criticisms, 1 blues rocker, 2 songs positive-uppers, 1 campfi re song, and a reboot of the title song off my fi rst album, It’s My Way!”Gold Circle: $45.00 & Reserved $30.00 Tickets & info: www.thekentstage.com/event/1135891More info on BSM: buffysainte-marie.com/

ALAN PARSONS LIVE PROJECT: GREATEST HITS TOUR JUNE 2 Hard Rock Rocksino Northfi eld Park On Sale Friday March 25th 10 am Legendary eleven-time Grammy Award nominee, revered classic progressive rock producer, music engineer, songwriter, performer and icon on the music scene, Alan Parsons has embarked on his 2016 Alan Parsons Live Project Greatest Hits Tour with concerts around the globe and will make a stop at Hard Rock Rocksino Northfi eld Park on June 2nd. Parsons celebrated 2014/15 as a continuation of celebrating iRobot’s 35 years of success with Parsons performing his greatest hits at various international venues and across the US to sell-out performances. ALAN PARSONS LIVE PROJECT show is a complete evening of his greatest hits including Sirius, Eye In The Sky, Time, Don’t Answer Me and many, many more. With his recently released book, “Art & Science of Sound Recording,” Parsons has been leading the way regarding technology, blending tech with art for his craft as a recording engineer and producer-performer. Compiling his years of expertise into his book (and DVD set), there’s nothing else like it available in the marketplace. This legendary talent began his storied career as an assistant engineer at the famed Abbey Road Studios working on projects such as The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Let It Be, and quickly became one of the most sought-after names in the recording industry for his engineering work on Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, Sound Engineer and Associate Producer for Steve Wilson’s album “The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories).” Released February 25th, 2013, it received critical applause and rated #3 on the German album charts. After earning accolades for his work behind the glass, Parsons, a true Renaissance man and talented musician, formed The Alan Parsons Project, a multi-platinum selling, progressive rock band featuring Parsons, his collaborator Eric Woolfson and a rotating cast of studio musicians. The Alan Parsons Project garnered commercial and critical acclaim for such certifi ed Billboard Top 40 hit singles as “Eye in the Sky”, “Time” and “Don’t Answer Me” among other successes.

CAREER-DEFINING RECORDS: The Beatles – Abbey Road, The Beatles – Let It Be, Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wings - Wild Life, The Hollies – Hollies, Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat, The Alan Parsons Project – I Robot, The Alan Parsons Project – Eve, The Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons – A Valid Path. He has received gold and platinum awards from many countries, including eleven Grammy Award nominations for engineering and production, which includes a nomination for Best Surround Sound Album for A Valid Path. 2013 marked the 40th Anniversary of Parsons engineering the acclaimed Pink Floyd album, The Dark Side Of The Moon, which placed in the TOP 100 Billboard Charts (1973 to 1988) with an estimated 50 million copies sold. Parsons was directly responsible for some of the most notable sonic aspects of the album as well as the recruitment of singer Clare Torry. His involvement made a signifi cant impact on the success of the album, which garnered Parsons a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. www.alanparsonsmusic.com

Reserved Tickets: $62.50, $47.50, $39.50 Tickets are on sale Friday March 25th at 10 a.m. and available at the Venue Box Offi ce, Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets or by phone (800)745-3000. All Rocksino Shows Are 21&Over


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LifeBanc

Organ and Tissue Donationin Support of Life

Through improved surgical techniquesand drug therapies, more lives are beingsaved. These improvements have causedthe waiting list to grow at a rapid pace.However, the number of organ donorshas not kept up with the increased need. People on the waiting list are not waitingfor a cure to be discovered; they are waitingfor a gift of a lifetime.What can you do? You can help by joiningThe Ohio Donor Registry.

Ethan Parker Band i s Abou t More Than Mus ic…I t’s On a Mis s ionThe Ethan Parker Band goes on the road across The United States to bring awareness of mentoring for orphans and at-risk youth in local communities. The Ethan Parker Band travels and performs spreading a message of hope and inspiration to various children in need. Their goal is to get people to sign-up to become mentors and help children at a time they need it most.

The Ethan Parker Band, based out of Tampa Bay, was recently crowned Sunfest’s Battle of the Bands Champion and is headlining Florida’s largest music and art festival this April on South Florida’s Ford Main Stage with the Roots, Capital Cities, and Duran Duran. The band is leaving on the fi rst leg of its U.S. Tour this April in the hopes of creating 1,000 mentors across the United States. The Primavera Spring Tour will launch on Friday April 1st with a concert at Jacksonville, Florida. The Primavera Tour will be coming to Rock Cleveland for the fi rst time with a Concert downtown at Wilbert’s Food and Music April 11th . Opening the show is Memphis Hill a bluesy rock band from Pittsburgh. The band will also be hosting a free children’s musical workshop at The Cleveland Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday April 12th. The Project Primavera Spring Tour will encompass 28 shows over 24 days in 15 different cities returning to the band’s favorite cities of Nashville, Memphis, Washington D.C, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. They will also be performing in Detroit, Columbus, and Cincinnati for the fi rst time. The Ethan Parker Band performed in over 40 cities last year on the 2015 Project Primavera U.S. Tour. Their non-profi t organization partnered with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youth Villages, and The United Way. The band’s goal is to make the world a better place through music and mentorship. Their greatest joy is spreading hope in the lives of troubled youth. While on tour the band performs free music workshops at various at-risk youth facilities. The band is performing a variety of different concerts and events aimed at recruiting mentors for youth. Ethan Parker is a Memphis boy who was raised on blues and folk music. When he moved to Florida to study music at Palm Atlantic University, he found that much of his music was infl uenced from the guitar and ukulele. Parker began as a solo artist in 2010 but decided to form his own band in 2012. It was at school in Florida where his band came together. He met Jean Marc Alexandre (drums) who introduced Parker to Pierre Aristil (bass) who became the recording engineer. Aristil helped Ethan with the fi rst project entitled, “Be Still”. After recording the E.P. Aristil quickly became a key member of the band. Amos Pierre (Keys) joined along with Pablo Martinez (guitar). Each had a wide range of training from jazz to classical. The band continued to grow with Hantz Metellus (Bass & Viola), Danny Marquez (Drums and Percussion), Marck Morgan (Saxophone), Euvoski Cunningham a.k.a Muff (Drums), and Roget Pontbriand (Trumpet) all becoming a part of the team. They have four albums to their credit, the most recent being, “From the Mountains” and “To the Sea”, which were recorded and released as two halves. The fi rst half of the album, “From the Mountains” was released in March 2014 with the second, “To The Sea” in March 2015. All of the songs were inspired by the environments of the North Carolina Mountains to the Palm Beach white sandy beaches and seacoast. “Be Still” the band’s debut album was also recorded in Spanish entitled, “Calma Mi Alma”. The band is partnering with, Project Primavera, on a 60 city national tour. The organization, a 501c3, that sends artists and musicians on tour to share with their audiences how they can get involved in the lives of kids through mentorship. While on tour these artists also host workshops at local children’s homes. In Tampa they provide free professional music lessons to the foster children at The Sheriff’s Youth Ranch. Their hope is that the community will get involved in the lives of these children through mentorships or fi scal donations. All profi ts and proceeds are used for the mission of impacting the lives of orphans and at-risk youth around the world. For more information on how you can become a part of this movement or to attend an upcoming show, visit www.projectprimavera.org.

www.ethanparkerband.com • www.youtube.com/user/ethanparkerband

Wilberts Food and Music: Cleveland’s premier restaurant-slash-roots music venue. With a huge room and an great sound system, Wilbert’s Food & Music is the place to go downtown for a great meal and a top-notch concert. Wilbert’s features a bistro-style menu with new ideas alongside old favorites, affordable appetizers, and a stellar draft list. Wilbert’s delivers some of the fi nest in live national, regional, and local roots, blues, folk, world, jam, reggae, jazz, acoustic, pop, rock, indie and soul music downtown at a safe and conveniently located club. Wilbert’s Food & Music 812 Huron Avenue Cleveland, Ohio Michael D. Miller 216.902.4663 www.wilbertsmusic.com

Opener - Memphis Hill: Memphis Hill bridges the bluesy sound of classic bands such as The Stones and Led Zeppelin with the modern rock stylings of musicians like Alabama Shakes and the Black Keys. And even as bridges connect various locations, uniting diverse areas in the course of one journey, so too has Memphis Hill brought together musicians and friends from cities all over the country, including Rochester, St. Louis, Chicago, and of course Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home to the Steelers and large sandwiches.www.memphishill.com

4/11 Cleveland, OH Wilberts Memphis Hill4/12 Cleveland, OH Cleveland Boys and Girls Club



history of the band and a “collective memory” for concert audiences. “What would motivate such changes?” Taylor ponders. Calendrical repetition, verbal repetition, and gestural repetition conspire upon U2’s gargantuan stages, weaving a ritualistic tapestry the band tosses over audiences like a playful papa blinding a laughing toddler with her “woobie.” There’s more than meets the eye when Bono waves at Larry behind the drums, thrusts a fi nger in the air, or points his microphone at fans in the front row. These are “concert-rical” connections that make each show special and enhance the universal appeal of each tour after the fact. Remember Bono’s white fl ag at Red Rocks (Under a Blood Red Sky), or how he danced with a girl from the audience at Live Aid? These small, spontaneous gestures mean a lot in the long run, says Taylor, establishing a fascinating “fi xity” to how we recollect what the band has done. The weakest link in Calhoun’s chain is probably Matthew Hamilton’s essay on “The Transformative Fan.” Written by the high school teacher not long after attending his fi rst U2 concert (on the 20011 leg of the U2 360 Tour), the entry is more a gushing review of the elaborate stadium shows (featuring a 200-foot “claw” stage) than treatise on any singular aspect of the band’s modus operandi. Hamilton does remark on the band’s astounding ability to create biofeedback loops and “generative relationships” with audiences (like Bono’s call to see everyone cellphone lights as “thousands of little stars”)—but he doesn’t distinguish Bono or Edge’s charisma and bricolage (performance art) enough from that of other high-profi le rockers with reputations for rousing big crowds. Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel were doing that sort of thing years before U2 formed, and are still ridiculously transformative artists today (we attended a Boss show last month; Springsteen went crowd-surfi ng during “Hungry Heart”). Hamilton lauds the band’s ability to make enormous stadiums feel intimate, yet ignores the fact that U2 could simply book smaller venues (arenas, even) instead of relying on multi-tiered stages, a spider-web of catwalks, and big screen monitors to bolster an illusion of closeness. We fi rst saw U2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in October 1987 (on the third leg of The Joshua Tree tour). And it was a transformative and magical concert—rife with ritual, studded with signature moments and yes, brimming with bricolage “now part of the toolbox of found objects that the band can employ in the future,” as Hamilton puts it. The show did feel intimate, but we’re guessing that had more to do with our companions (and the booze) than anything the band was doing visually (we’re assuming it was U2; we couldn’t actually see Bono [and his broken arm] from the nosebleeds, and this was before the age of the Jumbo Tron). They could’ve piped in a recording from some a previous show on the tour and thrown a lookalike band up there, and we wouldn’t have been the wiser. But that’s just us nitpicking—and from some thirty year on, no less. We take Hamilton’s meaning, and will make it a point to pick up U2 360 at The Rose Bowl DVD as suggested.Above, Across, and Beyond may tickle a few nostalgia tendrils, but it’s neither fanzine nor offi cially-sanctioned scrapbook. This is heady stuff written by individuals who’ve given serious thought to U2’s “missteps, disappointments, failures…and ordinary problems.” There are no glossy pictures of the group, young or old (there are no photos at all). But there is ample (and stimulating) intellectual discussion of the Irish band’s “proclivity for change” in a world that doesn’t always welcome it. And each of the eight articles (none longer than thirty pages) makes for an easy-to-digest, hour-long patch of premiere rock and roll reading. U2: Above, Across, and Beyond—Interdisciplinary Assessments on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/zz9zjgb https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498501309


MORNING MADNESS!

(Answers on Page 28)

~ Rick Ray

“So many minds… so little time!”~Snarp Farkle

I’ve told this story before but one morning, a couple years ago, something happened that I shall never forget. I sat up in bed all sleepy headed, my tongue felt like it weighed three pounds and kept sticking to the roof of my mouth. My eyelids were so heavy I could barley open them beyond just a slit. I should have just lain back down but no… no there was this all too familiar urge forming in my skull with a beautiful vision of a steaming precious cup of coffee just a few feet away, just a couple minutes more and I could place my lips gently upon it’s rim, taking the fi rst glorious sip I would feel the wonderful liquid of life softly slide over my thickened sticky tongue reviving it’s fl esh, giving me that fi rst moment of morning bliss. Yes… yes I must get up! I then forced myself awkwardly out of bed, my feet shuffl ing down the hall until I reached the appointed ritual destination. Then I started fumbling around in the kitchen and manage to place a day old cup of so very precious coffee in the microwave. After hearing the “beep” which seemed to echo so softly as if in slow motion, I reach to open the door so I could retrieve the luscious cup of brain enhancement juice, but for some hideous evil reason the microwave door would not open! After blinking my sleep poop caked eyes a couple times in bewilderment, I tried again and again to open the door to get my hands around that lovely vessel of brain cell elixir, but alas… it seemed that all hope was lost. I watched the steam rising forth from the elixir through the little holes in the protective

screen of the microwave door, enticing me to imagine the smell of its magnifi cent aroma! But the steam forming on the inside of the door blocked my view of that sacred grail, I turn away, shoulders slumped, a broken man and shuffl ed towards the coffee maker to try to formulate more of that enchanting substance that enhances my cranial grey matter’s continued existence. As I gazed upon the now imprisoned cup of cranial joy, overwhelmed with despair tears started to form mixing with the previous night’s eye excrement causing my eyelashes to stick together, and as a result I couldn’t see where I was going and stumbled into the counter top corner bruising my hip! Writhing in pain caused me to turn with a twist and step backward to avoid further damage only to then step on the back of my left slipper, losing my balance, and fall to the fl oor now bruising my knee, hip and elbow! As I was falling the glass coffee pot that I thought would save me by grabbing a hold of it, goes fl ying across the room onto the microwave door breaking into thousands of pieces and I suddenly hear that familiar “tick-clunk” sound, I swear with angel’s song, and then the microwave door magically opened revealing its precious cargo! Rubbing the glue from my eyes, I get up, hobble over through the broken glass to the microwave and grasp the container of this life-force transforming liquid with both hands and begin to sip it oh so gently. While blissfully savoring the moment I decided it would be prudent to keep a large rubber hammer next to the microwave from there on in!

~Snarpwww.snarpfarkle.com

Old Firehouse Winery - North Coast Voice Magazinenorthcoastvoice.com/PDFs/v16i05.pdf · 6 North...

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