And that’s not all! This event will also be a kick start for you to get your art together for another awesome Art Monkey Art Show! That’s right, from March 11th-April 8th The Massillon Museum will be featuring a gallery show in their Studio M of Art Monkey Art! You start your pieces at this event and display ‘em in the gallery show!

We’ll have awesome prizes from Baby Tattoo books, What Katie Did, Lifesource Yoga and more!

only $5 at the door
Drawing Starts promptly at 6p.m.!

The Massillon Museum – 121 Lincoln Way East Downtown Massillon

Read our interview with Jones for Revival here!

Outrage
Cleveland Cinematheque
After a series of bizarre and unsatisfying comedies, Takeshi Kitano (“Sonatine, Fireworks”/“Hana-bi”) has returned to his gangster-film roots and found renewed box office and critical success. (“Outrage 2” is already in the works.) Kitano (aka Beta Takeshi) also stars in this tale of an all-out Yakuza war, which is told with his distinctive blend of bloodletting, filmic poetry, and droll comedy.
Thur, 02/23 at 8:35 p.m.
Saturday, 02/25 at 9 p.m.

Act of Valor
Nationwide
While the film is based on true events, don’t expect this picture to fall into any typical cliche. Act of Valor stars real life active-duty navy seals as fictional characters who set out on a covert mission to save a kidnapped CIA agent. This clever idea already has us intrigued regardless of how well its executed.
Opens 02/24

Gone
Nationwide
When her sister disappears, Jill (Amanda Seyfried) is convinced the serial killer who kidnapped her sister has returned, and she sets out to once again face her abductor.
Opens 02/24

Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds
Nationwide
A wealthy man in a healthy relationship finds himself in a predicament when he begins to have feelings for a down-on-her-luck single mom right before he is set to get married. Gabrielle Union and Thandie Newton join filmmaker Tyler Perry in this sure-to-be box office success.
Opens 02/24

Wanderlust
Nationwide
David Wain follows-up his highly successful blockbuster breakout “Role Models” with yet another film co-written with “The State” co-star Ken Marino. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston star as a Manhattan couple who decide to leave the busy city for life in a rural commune. Wain has yet to disappoint us so we can expect yet another hysterically smart comedy here. One of the most anticipated comedies of the year.
Opens 02/24

The Gold Rush
Cleveland Cinematheque
Now in a new 35mm restoration with a newly recorded orchestral score of Chaplin’s own music, this great comedy classic features Chaplin’s Little Tramp as a gold prospector in the frozen Yukon, battling bears, the elements, and hunger, while falling in love with a dance hall girl.
Saturday, 02/25 at 5:15 p.m.
Sunday, 02/26 at 2:50 p.m.

King Kong
Capitol Theatre
The 1933 original story of a king size gorilla and his love for Fay Wray will screen as part of Cleveland Cinemas’ Sunday Brunch and a Movie Series. Once a month, Capitol Theatre will screen an early bird showing of a classic film in HD clarity with audience members encouraged to enjoy a brunch at neighboring restaurants offering specials exclusively for the event.
Sunday, 02/26 at 10 a.m.

Find more information at the event’s Facebook page.

The evening will start with the University of Akron Dance Company (UADC) performing two beautiful works. One piece, “The Cure” by local choreographer Bobby Wessner, will be presented en pointe. The music to the piece, and its main source of inspiration, is by the Ohio-based ensemble La De Leh. In addition the UADC will perform “Duet for Three” by Robin Prichard.

Next up is Josh Rzepka, one of northeast Ohio’s most acclaimed trumpeters. Josh was recently honored by the Akron Area Arts Alliance with its prestigious 2011 Arts Alive! Rising Young Star/Artist award. Rzepka has been heralded for his jazz and classical repertoire.

Verb Ballets bring the evening to a close with performances of Eight By Benny (excerpts), Duet, Bolero (all by Ohio Ballet founder Heinz Poll) and Otra Luna, a new work choreographed by Troy McCarty and produced with the support of the Gay Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation.

The Winter Dance Showcase will have one performance on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 8:00pm. Ticket prices are $20 Reserved, $10 General Admission and $10 for university students with a valid ID. Group sales are also available. Tickets are available at the Akron Civic Theatre Box Office (330) 253-2488 or online at www.akroncivic.com, or TicketMaster (1-800-745-3000).

The full schedule is available at www.akroncivic.com. Additional events will be added throughout the season. Tickets and information are available in person at The Civic Box Office or by calling 330.253.2488.

About the Akron Civic Theatre
The Akron Civic Theater was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by famed theater architect, John Eberson. The interior structure was fashioned after a Moorish castle featuring Mediterranean decor, including medieval carvings, authentic European antiques and Italian alabaster sculptures. In June 2001, the Akron Civic Theatre underwent the most comprehensive restoration and expansion project in its history, whereby the theater was brought up to modern performance and patron standards. During the 2010-2011 season, the theater attracted 107,400 people for events ranging from Disney’s Imagination Movers and China’s Golden Dragon Acrobats in Cirque D’or to country star George Jones, Motown legends The Temptations, Rockabilly artists John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, and rock icon Alice Cooper. For more information visit www.akroncivic.com

About SMG
Since 1977, SMG has provided operational and strategic services to more than 220 public assembly facilities including arenas, stadiums, theatres and performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, convention, congress and exhibition cen ters, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 11 million square feet (1.1 million square meters) of exhibition space and over 1.5 million arena and theatre seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides booking and programming, sales, marketing, venue management, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering company SAVOR, currently serving more than 100 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com

I wasn’t too concerned about the specific beer — I’ve had my card since 2006 and am still working on filling it up. In fact many of the beers have changed and I had to re-drink a few to get caught up. Why? To enjoy the beer, of course! (Also, you get a nifty personalized G.H. stein.)

As for the #30 brew: Soon a large bottle, not unlike a wine bottle, arrived. My initial thought was, “Crap, this 30 is going to cost me $30!” Then I read the words Affligem Tripel.

My wince turned to a huge smile and I promptly began to remove the sealed cork from this 750-ml. bottle. This is one I have wanted to try and although it was not $30, the price of this brew might have prevented me from purchasing it. Thanks to the Geisen Haus beer card and that mysterious #30, I was happily sampling this 9.5% abv. Abbey Tripel for the first time.

Affligem pours a crystal-clear orange, with plenty of golden highlights shining through in the glass. The slightly dirty white head rises up to just short of 3 fingers, but disappears with alarming rapidity. Slight lacing on the glass. The smell is amazing, as I would expect from a tripel. Sugar-soaked stone fruits and clove spiciness greet my nose, with a hint of alcoholic presence. The flavor profile largely follows the blueprint laid out by the aroma. There’s some bitterness mid-palate, nothing approaching an IPA in intensity, but enough to break up the sweet front end and allow for a transition to the clove aftertaste. There is a pleasant warming sensation from the alcohol that radiates out from my tongue with every sip. The body is crisp and light, which may seem odd but is appropriate for this brew.

This is a smooth big beer, easy to drink and very flavorful, available at one of my favorite places to eat, drink and be drunk. Definitely a must-try, if not a regular indulgence. I only hope that the next 30 beers on my card don’t take me six more years to finish.

Go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started? What inspired you?
Well, I married a musician. I was a music lover and through my association with my husband Al, who plays bass, I had the opportunity to be immersed in the rock and roll world. He was in bands previously, he was always touring. But eventually we discovered that we had this gift together and we started writing. So we left L.A and headed to Cleveland. We realized that Cleveland was such a cool little community. We participated in some open mics and people really liked it. So we got more and more excited about performing. Then we started winning best new Americana and best new Country from the different publications that were around at the time.

Then we decided to check out Nashville. It was only an eight hour drive and of course there was the cool music scene happening there as well. So we didn’t have anything tying us down and we headed to Nashville. We stayed with a friend who lived there. We discovered that it was really exciting and that there wasn’t really anybody doing what we were doing. So it was amazing that with a city full of people, we had something that was our own.

So in Nashville music people said that we were really awesome. They liked us, but they had a saying in Nashville, “You must be present to win.” So the best advantages and rewards would come from living in Nashville. So that’s what we did. On New Year’s Day we packed up everything, sold everything and moved to Nashville. That was eleven years ago and we’ve put out 3 records since then, so Nashville’s been a good decision for us.

You mentioned moving to Cleveland, why did you decide to move to Ohio?
We moved to Cleveland in March of 96. We were living in L.A at the time and my husband had just gotten out of a record deal out there. My husband’s grandmother was ill so his mom needed our help. When we got to Cleveland we continued doing our music thing. Cleveland was so cool that we were able to get in the scene and explore. We had all that success and support from Cleveland that helped us launch to the next step in Nashville.

Why Americana and Country Rock as opposed to something different?
Al, my husband, was into rock and roll. He was in a rock and roll band out in L.A. I wasn’t a singer when we met, when we got married. I grew up on Patsy Cline and that kind of stuff. But then as a teenager I got really emerged into the rock and roll world. So when I became a singer there was no really emulation. It was natural expression. When we started writing together, there wasn’t any formula. It was just a natural process. It’s just what came out of us. I’m a country singer in a rock and roll band. I’m not a one label kind of thing. I’m not really a rock and roll singer, I do have a hardcore edge to it, but when it comes down to it I’m a country singer. I’m a rock and roll girl at heart though.

But what really was the turning point for me and my musical career was becoming electric. When I plugged in…

Sure, it’s a whole new world!
Yes! Oh my God! We went from a duo acoustic sort of group. We put a band together and played a little bit, but when I got a Fender and put on some old Chicago blues records and cranked it up…I was like hell yea! That was my inspiration, rock and roll and The Stones. So I took all that and stirred it into a big ole’ pot and that’s what comes out!

When we moved to Nashville we didn’t know anybody! We had to go out every single night and develop a whole new life. We had to figure out who the big players were, how to get a band together…So after about 4 years we put another record together.

The whole aspect of electric as opposed to acoustic set the whole thing in motion.

What was the moment when you say back and said, “Wow, we’re really onto something here.”
When we made “The Lucky Spot” you don’t really know if anybody is going to like what you do. You’re just really writing for yourself. You sort of just write what you write. So when you go on the road and see people responding to your songs or when you hear there’s a band in Japan that is a tribute band. Those moments. Or when people start getting tattoos and stuff. That’s when you’re finding out that your music is making an impact. You know, it’s good to bleed and make songs that make people feel good. So I got to making a second record and the music is just giving us wings. We’ve gone all over the world and met all these great people and inspired other bands. Is just one huge love fest of making music and turning people on.

One last question. What would you like to say to the city of Cleveland?
Oh! I’m really excited to be coming back. It’s been a while. We haven’t played The Beachland Ballroom for a while. I love those guys. To see their growth and their success has been cool. It’s a homecoming for us when we come to Cleveland. We’re really excited to see everybody and catch up. Knowing Cleveland’s the place where it all started for us. It’s nice knowing we can still come back to share it. We tell everybody to bring somebody, so we’re always getting discovered. Thanks to people like you giving us some love, we really appreciate it!

Check out Cleveland sweetheart Stacie Collins and her band at The Beachland Ballroom on Saturday February, 25. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $10.

One-two-three: an Action-Spy-Thriller. There are shoot outs, car chases, foot races, and fist fights. It involves the CIA, so you get jargon and government officials, mission details, large computer screens displaying information, and the scene where someone important asks a question to a roomful of people and several generic people answer, bing, bang, boom, with bullet-point information. There are plot twists, situations where the objective is clear but the means of accomplishment convoluted, and information is constantly withheld (so you sit 85% of the movie thinking “What’s on the disk????”)

Four: it’s a Denzel movie. He plays the veteran paired with someone younger (see Training Day, Unstoppable, Remember the Titans, Man on Fire, He Got Game, Antwone Fisher, The Bone Collector). He has all his mannerisms and vocal inflections (though he doesn’t say “My man.”). And he’s smarter and more capable than everyone else.

Five: a coming-of-age story. Yup. In the midst of all the action-ing, spy-ing, thrill-ing, Denzel-ing, there’s character development.

Ryan Reynolds is Matthew Weston, an inexperienced, bottom-of-totem-pole CIA agent, stationed in Cape Town, South Africa. Officially, he’s what’s known as a “housekeeper.” This entails boxing (a bag), throwing a ball (against a wall), and hanging about in case the CIA needs to store a prisoner in the “safe house.” (Imagine an apartment mixed with a mini police precinct).

Weston needs experience to secure a transfer from Cape Town to Paris (where his girlfriend is moving). The problem is: nothing is happening in Cape Town. How can he get experience when he works in a prison-apartment with shit to do?

Enter international criminal Tobin Frost (Denzel). There’s a whole gang of CIA agents escorting Frost, a high-high-high level prisoner. Weston shows them the rooms they want, answers questions, then stands around. Not something you would put on a resume.

Enter the team of mercenaries hunting Tobin Frost. The gunmen crack the safe house and kill nearly everyone. Weston escapes with Frost. What ensues IS something you would put on a resume.

While development occurs, most of the time is spent running, shooting, punching, and breathing heavy. You notice Weston’s growth, but we never stew in it. A good example of stewing in the growth would be Casino Royale (2006). It’s running time is 144 minutes. Safe House, at 117 minutes, could have easily gone on for so long.

Which may have been a good thing. I think the biggest weakness of the film is (all the cliches aside) the undeveloped subplots. We barely see Weston and his girlfriend (Nora Arnezender) together. Can we care as much about them as we do, say, James Bond and Vesper? Then there’s top-ranking CIA agents Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) and Linklater (Vera Farmiga). Their feud is given two, three minutes of screen time?

But the pace is fast. I enjoyed the film. I think it’s safe to watch.

These indie pop rockers trade in the twinkling and chimes commonly found in the genre for big hooks and bold ’90s alternative rock guitars and a belting front woman.

The band kicks off the record with “Back Home” which has a big rock build up that takes a surprise turn into a verse and chorus dynamic, though the track does pick up into some pretty impressive vocals parts. The guitars become a washing wall of sound at the songs dramatic conclusion.

The following two tracks take a similar approach, with some interesting instrumental variations thrown in. By the middle of the record the group is emerged in full ’90s rock radio territory, with warped guitars and a casual moodiness to the songs.

A review of this record would not be complete with a mention of the incredible packaging these thing comes in. This is something that has been neglected in recent years as everything goes digital, but there are some really incredible packs out there. This simple cardboard bi-fold is adorned with a black and white shot of what appears to be a abandoned sandlot with a tricycle, long forgotten, rusting in the weeds. Inside they kept the design clean with vibrant colors laid out like the topographical map of sand dunes.

If you are on the fence about this record check out this commercial, www.mildmanneredhq.com/mild_mannered_HQ/media.html, it pretty much puts it over the top. Big guitars, catchy melodies and a lot of gumption.

Most bands that I come across show direct reference to their self-proclaimed influences. This band, I can appreciate for not sounding like a replica of any single one of their idols. Though, perhaps lacking in the raw luster that their influences have provided over time (the Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain, or My Bloody Valentine), Fillmore Jive brings progression, garage rock distortion, and spacey fuzz to the table.

“4-2-2″ begins with a “chip on the shoulder” kind of mission, ending with an explosion of guitar, lyrical outburst, and warning. “Pish Posh” has a nice groove to it. The lead singer has boyish vocals with a cool cat attitude (similar to that of 90’s band Pavement), yet the attitude might not be pushed enough.

I wish that the lyrics were a little more thoughtfully put together as a whole, specifically in reference to track 3, “Dig.” The energy of the vocals work nicely toward the end of the song when the progression of the music command it. Though, initially, there is a struggle to empathize with the message of the lyrics in order to truly appreciate the song. Track 4, “Rotten Apple,” does not seem rotten enough. Track 5, “Epic,” is not quite “epic” enough, but epically blasts into an aneurism or brain seizure that sympathetically fades into a mourning nostalgia. Last, but not least…track 6 ends the demo with “Hang/Glide.” This makes me think of the only band within the genre of music that is not referenced by Fillmore Jive’s Facebook page as an influence, Guided by Voices. Like Guided by Voices, you may skim through a couple songs, but eventually you find one that you keep playing for whatever reason. All songs may provide hope, but one song specifically confirms it. This is how I feel about the final track of “Rock Bottom”…ironic?