The iconic close-up image of a lip-biting mouth should be next to the word “campy” in the dictionary. Love it, hate it, or don’t give a fuck — everyone knows of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” It’s time to break out your worst fishnets and lipstick again, and head to The Auricle in Canton. From Oct. 20-28, Director Marci Saling’s hand-picked cast of cross-dressing, fun-loving misfits will take the stage to do the time warp … again. Has it been overdone? Is that even possible for a show like this, with platinum-level cult classic status? It is difficult to reincarnate “R...
It is difficult to describe Shit-Box Jimmy without arriving at “Just go see them play live.” The Cleveland three-piece has built steam in recent months, largely due to their efforts to play out and expose themselves — er, their music — to new people. This is a band that does not blend into the rest of the evening’s bill; the spastic, kinetic energy that they create is impossible to overlook. Front man Joey Nix loses control when he plays. It’s as if the songs combust and fight their way out of him — he howls with just a hint of twang — and this unrestrained delivery commands...
Tricyn Huntsman (Educational Coordinator) and Jessica Kribbs (Secretary) of Stump Hill FarmsWITH TWO SPECIAL FRIENDS.Stump Hill Farm’s mission and effort to help animals, both domestic and exotic, is the sort of thing that renews the belief that there is still good left in the world. For 28 years, this Massillon farm and sanctuary has been rescuing and nurturing animals in need, and educating people on rare and endangered species with the goal of raising awareness and support of their work. This is a vocation that requires a level of selflessness that few people possess; not just anyone wou...
Thanks to Instagram, every asshole with an iPhone and a pretty drink, a sunset view or new pair of shoes is a photographer. Massillon artist Bili Kribbs is also making art more accessible, but that’s where this comparison ends, and he’s not irritating, as Instagram tends to be. Kribbs is on a mission to make his paintings more collaborative and more personalized to the client. “I think everyone has creative ideas when it comes to art, but they just aren’t bold enough to commit them to paper or canvas,” he said. “So I offer a service and product that does that for them.” Wit...
It is difficult to describe Shit-Box Jimmy without arriving at “Just go see them play live.” The Cleveland three-piece has built steam in recent months, largely due to their efforts to play out and expose themselves — er, their music — to new people. This is a band that does not blend into the rest of the evening’s bill; the spastic, kinetic energy that they create is impossible to overlook. Front man Joey Nix loses control when he plays. It’s as if the songs combust and fight their way out of him — he howls with just a hint of twang — and this unrestrained delivery commands t...
It only takes two people to start a party or a band — both proven by Vancouver’s rock duo Japandroids. Brian King and David Prowse thrive on their energetic live shows, having toured extensively following the release of their debut album, “Post-Nothing,” in 2009. They’re back at it this year with the June 5 release of their second full-length album, entitled “Celebration Rock.” Japandroids try to emulate the interactive crowd experience when they record, resulting in a straightforward, balls-out sound that doesn’t rely on studio tricks. King says that he and Prowse have hone...
Eating food that fell off the back of a box truck generally sounds like an unappetizing pursuit, unless you’re really strapped for cash or an adept dumpster diver. Since 2008, however, Clevelanders have been lining up outside Fresh Fork Market’s trucks to collect a weekly allotment of loot in over a dozen locations across the city. What’s the deal? Fresh Fork Market is a CSA, or community-supported agriculture program. Until recently, a significant disconnect existed between Ohio farmers and urban/suburban residents hungry for produce that hasn’t endured a 1,500-mile journey to the ...
The Human Furnace said it best: “Horrible Fest is a gathering of the sickest, shittiest, punkest, rudest, strangest, most horrible bands on the planet. Imagine the cantina from ‘Star Wars,’ but with disgusting music, more aliens, more explosions and more scumbags. It’s Horrible Fest! Duh!” Featuring a weird, wide array of bands, Horrible Fest VII will take place May 10 through 12, mainly at Now That’s Class, with a Saturday matinee show at Mahall’s. Since its start in 2005, Horrible Fest has taken pride in bringing together the filthiest underground rockers of the punk, metal ...
Jim “Hammer” Locker has a problem that most artists would love to have: He can’t hold on to any of his paintings. When finished, the paintings are hung in his tattoo studio (Hammer’s Tattoo in Canton), and people just keep buying them. The legendary tattoo artist has a lifelong history in art in several media and has been working to spend more time painting. “There aren’t enough hours in the day,” he said. A tattoo artist for 12 years, Locker was a late joiner to the industry. However, he has earned a stellar reputation in the tattoo community and continues to diversify himse...
Rachel Brooke is a little bit country, a little bit gothic and a little bit indescribable. She’s the rebel Southern belle who’s actually from Michigan. Her words are tough, yet elegant; her music is refreshingly simple and quietly suggests that Brooke herself is not. Critics and fans have said that she was born in the wrong time — and perhaps that’s true — but in the midst of synthetic dance music’s assault on current culture, an unadorned and honest song stands out in a novel way. With two full-length solo albums and a four-song vinyl 7-inch, Brooke is an intriguing and badass arr...
Have you ever masturbated to Duncan Sheik? Let’s hope not. But when “Spring Awakening” comes to The Auricle, April 21-29, you can catch an angsty 19th-century German boy doing just that … or at least implying it. Written in 1892 by Franke Wedekind, this controversial show was given the rock-musical treatment in 2006 by Sheik, responsible for music and orchestration, and Steven Sater, who wrote the lyrics. The play has raised eyebrows since its first publication 120 years ago, as it unflinchingly addresses teenage issues such as abortion, rape and abuse, homosexuality and suicide. “...
There’s just something fun about weird; people are drawn to the strange and unusual by nature,” Georgie D’Kay observes, as we discuss Devilstrip Dolly’s, her soon-to-open art gallery in Akron. D’Kay is no stranger to the alternative art scene: She makes and sells horror dolls and other macabre artwork and actively promotes the “Keep Akron Weird” movement. Byopening what she envisions as an “anti-gallery,” she wants to provide a home for the offbeat and macabre artists who have had difficulty finding acceptance and promotion for their work in more mainstream a...
The news of a dramatic overhaul of the Agora complex doesn’t just mean a facelift for an icon of Cleveland’s music scene. It signifies a huge step in the city’s rebirth that will unite the fragments of growth and activity that have been building pockets of steam. Midtown has been waiting to become a thriving artery of Cleveland again, and it seems fitting that MidTown Cleveland Inc. will give it the necessary push. The LoConti family donated the Agora complex to MidTown after seeking the right partnership for two years. When other potential relationships fell through and he was faced ...
As the grand opening of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium approaches, sentiments among Clevelanders are mixed. Ticket prices and a no-stroller policy have disgruntled some parents. Falling short of the promise to hire 40 full-time employees has also caused people to question whether the huge financial investment is worth it. Clevelanders have a penchant for criticizing imperfect attempts at progress, and the aquarium is in the spotlight as it opens its doors. The aquarium found a home in the FirstEnergy Powerhouse, shooing the Improv up the river to a larger location next to Shooters. This uni...
