Issue 6 - The Devil Strip

Transcription

What to do
when you're waiting on
Corey Feldman to call
A day in the life of
mural master Michael Ayers,
the most interesting person we know
The Devil Strip
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 • THEDEVILSTRIP.COM
8 Questions with
Rust Belt comix creator
Derf Backderf
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Akron
The Art
of Akron
in this issue
The Devil Strip
You can keep your touchy-feely arts
by Chris Horne
lture
Akron Music, Art & Cu
CONTACT US:
Office:
(330) 842-6606
General Info:
[email protected]
“ The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable.
Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.
Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem.
Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
– Kurt Vonnegut
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Distribution:
[email protected]
ONLINE:
Website:
www.thedevilstrip.com
Facebook:
Facebook.com/thedevilstrip
Twitter:
@akrondevilstrip
Instagram:
When I watch my daughter at play with crayons,
pens, markers, chalk, paint, food, etc., I think of
art the way Vonnegut describes it. Like it’s figuring
out who and what you are, what connects you to
the people around you—and then communicating
what you learned. It’s a conversation in search
of connection. Maddy will spend upwards of an
hour rough-cutting shapes with her safety scissors,
gluing them into place and coloring them before
presenting it the way a cat might do a dead bird:
Here! Unlike a cat, the first thing she does is explain
what she did. Here we are, here are my friends, this
is that monster I was telling you about and here’s
a pony because ponies. Then she’s on to the next
thing, which is as likely to be more art as it is a
chant about how she really wants a cupcake.
@thedevilstrip
_______________________________________
Publisher >>
Chris Horne
[email protected]
Art Director >>
Alesa Upholzer
Illustration and Design >>
Bronlynn Thurman, Edgar Woolley
Photographers >>
Svetla Morrison, Paul Hoffman, Bronlynn
Thurman, Ilenia Pezzaniti and Shane Wynn
The point? Art isn’t just valuable; it’s essential.
But it’s also difficult, often for the same reasons
it is vital. Art calls us to observe ourselves and
challenges us to change. Art shapes the story we
tell ourselves about ourselves and the story we tell
others about who we are. The story this next wave
of Akronites is telling the world about the city—
Akron is a place where you choose to live, not one
you leave—immediately gripped us. Now, it’s the
motor behind this magazine. The story is defiant
and strong-willed and screw you if you don’t like
it—and so is the resulting art.
We were introduced to this culture by humanities
faculty at the University of Akron. What upsets me
about the rebranding effort at UA is the story it
tells—the university’s polytechnic prowess is all UA
has going for it—which is nothing like the story
officials say they want to tell—it’s really worth
flaunting. Of course, I probably wouldn’t care so
much if I weren’t
married to an English
professor at UA
or if many of
my friends and
favorite people
weren't faculty
there. However, this
proximity also affords
me perspective.
My wife loves her
work, putting in 50
and 60 hours a week
into teaching, research
and advising. She is the Honors
coordinator for the English Department and is
on multiple committees, including one to advance
online coursework. She teaches her students how
to question their beliefs and them intelligently
defend and communicate them. She integrates
social responsibility into her classes, connecting her
students to Akron's nonprofits. She's published
a book and numerous articles, presented at
dozens and dozens of conferences, been an NEH
scholar, the recipient of research grants from UA
and Columbia University, received university-wide
scholarship and teaching awards (including one
her first year at UA), and next summer she'll be
in France as the co-organizer of an academic
conference on YA Literature. Again, my wife is
wayyyy smarter than I am.
What I’m getting at here is that she isn’t—and
her colleagues aren’t—a bunch of lazy drifters
scared that change will take away their cush jobs.
While it might not be factory work, they still pour
themselves into making the intellectual
lives of their students better. And that work
matters. They know change is gonna come.
But why wouldn’t they feel threatened
when the interpretation of “purest form
of shared governance in academia”
seems an awful lot like nodding your
head and pretending to listen while
moving forward with plans to put
core classes on the clearance aisle and
rebrand in a way that ignores
the humanities?
I like change, tech and business—
some of my best friends are
entrepreneurial, tech-oriented change
agents—and I love the University of Akron. Not
only has it been a jewel in the city’s crown and
produced a wealth of prominent talents, but my
family wouldn't even be here without UA. Almost
two years in, I can’t imagine our lives elsewhere—
Sheboygan or Toledo? Yikes!
So my hope is that the rebranding has just been
handled clumsily, that the recently announced,
Knight-funded center for dance, the ongoing
awesome at Myers School of Art and the very
fact they made recent new hires in the English
Department are indications that the administration
sees great value in the creativity that the arts and
humanities make possible.
It’s like Albert Einstein said: “I am enough of
an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles
the world.”
Contributing Writers >>
Holly Brown, Jenny Conn, Jessica Conti,
Abby Cymerman, Katelyn Gainer, M. Sophie
Hamad, Noor Hindi, Carley Hull, Jecca,
Chris Kessinger, Isaac Kelley, Eric Morris,
Christopher Morrison, Brittany Nader, Ilenia
Pezzaniti, Sarah Stubbs, Bronlynn Thurman,
Elizabeth Tyran, Katie Wheeler, Joanna Wilson
_______________________________________
The Devil Strip is published bi-monthly by Random
Family, LLC. Akron Distribution: The Devil Strip
is available free of charge, limited to one copy per
reader. Copyright: The entire contents ofThe Devil
Strip are copyright 2015 by Random Family, LLC.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher
does not assume any liability for unsolicited
manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any
submission must include a stamped, self-addressed
envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business
correspondence should be mailed to the address
listed above.
AKRON MUSIC, ART & CULTURE
About the Cover
A metal sculptor born and raised in Akron, Megan Shane
seemed like the perfect subject for the cover of our “Art
of Akron” issue, especially the way photographer Svetla
Morrison captured her at work. Megan likes to repurpose
industrial metal materials to give them new life as objects
of art, which pretty much nails that reinvention thing
Akron has going for it. She’s also an Akron Art Prize
winner and a co-founder of the Akron chapter of the
League of Creative Interventionists who helped curate the
2015 Big Love Festival. One of her recent pieces, which
she fashions in her father’s fabrication shop, is on display
at the new Mustard Seed in Highland Square.
<< Megan with her metal tree art which hangs at the new
Mustard Seed. (Photo courtesy of Svetla Morrison)
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
3
Arts, Culture & Entertainment
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Ongoing
“Always … Patsy Cline”
Opens May 28 at Actors’ Summit ($33)
103 S. High St., Akron
A musical tribute by Ted Swindley to Patsy’s spirit
and a celebration of her music. Relive the passion,
drama, glamour, and songs of country music’s
greatest legend. Visit actorssummit.org for tickets.
“Ex Machina”
Opens May 29 at The Nightlight Cinema ($8.50)
30 N. High St., Akron
A young programmer is selected to participate in a
breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by
evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking
female A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves
more sophisticated –– and more deceptive –– than
anyone could have imagined.
Proof: Photographs from the Collection
Opens May 30 at Akron Art Museum
One S. High St., Akron
How do photographs help to create our collective
memory of people, places and events? This new
exhibition explores this question while raising
many others about the tenuous role of truth
in photography. Proof features more than 100
photographs from more than 50 artists, ranging
from the Civil War to the present.
Summit Metro Parks Running Spree
Starts June 1
This year, the Summit Metro Parks is an official
training partner of the Akron Marathon Rubber
City Race Series. Complete six of the predesignated running trails between June 1 and
August 30 and receive your ribbon and medal,
plus get in shape for the upcoming races. Group
runs are also scheduled. Visit runningspree.
summitmetroparks.com for full details.
Bloom!
Opens June 2 at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
714 N. Portage Path, Akron
Guests on the Estate this summer are in for a
spectacular experience. Stan Hywet presents an
art installation featuring 32 pieces of glass art by
noted glass artist Craig Mitchell Smith. Smith’s
stunning glass sculptures are created using kilnformed glass. With a background as a painter,
Smith has developed many techniques that emulate
brush strokes in the creation of a piece, which he
describes as “painting with glass.”
“Oklahoma!”
Opens June 4 at Weathervane Playhouse ($26)
1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron
Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration
remains, in many ways, their most innovative,
having set the standards and established the rules
4
of musical theater still being followed today. Set
in a Western Indian territory just after the turn of
the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the
local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful
background against which Curly, a handsome
cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out
their love story.
“Welcome to the Dollhouse”
11:30 p.m. at The Nightlight Cinema ($8.50)
30 N. High St., Akron
Join late@nightlight for a special showing of
“Welcome to the Dollhouse,” an insightful look at
an unattractive 7th grader as she struggles to cope
with un-attentive parents, snobbish classmates, a
smart older brother, an attractive younger sister
and her own insecurities. Also showing
May 30 at 11:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 30
SPO TLIGHT
Brews & BBQ
6 p.m. at Portage Lakes Brewing Company ($40)
503 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron
Enjoy three delicious courses prepared by Chef
Dick of Vaccaro’s Trattoria, a Great Lakes Brewing
Company beer, and ice cream from Pav’s Creamery.
Your ticket includes not only the meal, but also a
beer and beer shakes made by Pav’s. This event is a
perfect way to celebrate the summer.
Akron RubberDucks vs. Erie SeaWolves
Celebrity Saturday: Corey Feldman
6:35 p.m. at Canal Park ($5)
300 S. Main St., Akron
Celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Goonies”
with the Akron RubberDucks! The first 1000
fans through the gates will get a Truffle Shuffle
Bobblebelly, and Corey Feldman will be on hand to
sign autographs.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Arty Party Akron: Benefiting CASA/GAL
6 p.m. at Akrona Galleries ($50)
1765 W. Market St., Akron
Arty Party Akron is a new fundraiser benefitting
CASA/GAL, which provides children in the court
system with trained volunteers to advocate for the
child’s best interests. This art show, juried by Don
and Lisa Drumm and Mark Soppeland, features
100 pieces of work from local young artists, from
preschool to college. Proceeds from the art auction
will help fund CASA/GAL’s work in our community.
Get your tickets at artypartyakron.com.
Girls on the Run 5K
Benefiting Girls on the Run of Greater Summit
9:30 a.m. at Lock 3 ($30)
The Girls on the Run of Greater Summit 5K is the
culmination of 10 weeks of training for more than
600 3rd through 8th grade girls and is open to the
public. Their curricula empower girls with a greater
sense of self-awareness, a sense of achievement
and a foundation in team building, as well as a
commitment to enhancing their communities, all
of which help them become strong, contented
and self-confident women. Register for the 5K at
gotrgreatersummit.org
FRIDAY, MAY 29
SPO TLIGHT
Oh Snap! It’s a Photo Party
7:30 p.m. at Akron Art Museum ($7)
One S. High St., Akron
Picture this: rooms and rooms full of dazzling
photographs in every size, shape and color. The
museum celebrates the magic of the camera with
two fascinating photography exhibitions that
will take you back in time, to faraway lands, and
everywhere in between. Proof features over 100
photographs that document the events, characters,
places and beauty in the world around us, while
Staged exposes the power and drama of the preplanned photo. Party the night away with snacks,
drinks, music and, of course, a photo booth. Just
make sure you’re camera-ready.
Elevate YOGAkron
6 p.m. at Hardesty Park (FREE)
Join YOGAkron, a community of yoga lovers and
teachers, for this celebration of the Soul of Akron
through body, mind and breath. In addition to
an all-level Vinyasa yoga class, there will be food
trucks, a DJ and more fun all evening. Register at
yogakron.ticketleap.com.
| THE Devil Strip / MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6
Icebreaker
(Dance Party, Art Show, Bonfire!)
8 pm – 2 am Land of Plenty (FREE)
Come hither, young and old: It is time for some
stories to unfold. This exuberant bash will feature
DJs spinning electronica, trip hop and more until 2
a.m., an art show featuring sculptures, a liquid light
show, live painting and a bonfire.
Mandala Madness
1 p.m. at Summit ArtSpace (FREE)
140 E. Market St., Akron
As part of the Fresh Juried Art Exhibition, head to
Summit ArtSpace for this free workshop to create
your own mandala. This hands-on workshop will
take an ancient art form and help you design
endless possibilities for your fresh artwork.
Registration is required; visit akronareaarts.org for
more details.
Taste of Theater:
Benefiting Weathervane Playhouse
4 p.m. at Weathervane Playhouse ($35)
1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron
Help ensure that the show will always go on at
Weathervane with this fundraiser. Get a special
behind-the-scenes tour of the theater, enjoy a
picnic-style dinner catered by Acme, and see a
sneak peek of the upcoming “Oklahoma!” show.
Visit weathervaneplayhouse.com for details.
The Rhythm of Life: Drum Circle Workshop
6 p.m. at Lifesource Yoga ($5 suggested donation)
300 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Suite 2
Wandering Aesthetics is proud to announce
the next The Open Door: Akron’s Performance
Exchange. The fourth of these free monthly
workshops will be a drum circle workshop led by
Dennis Oliver. No experience necessary. Drawing
from the rich artistic traditions within Akron, these
workshops seek to introduce community members
to diverse forms of creative expression, build
community by crossing boundaries, enrich lives and
open the door to the imagination.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
SPO TLIGHT
AkRun & Crawl: Benefiting Torchbearers
5 p.m. in The Valley ($25 for 5K, $15 for pub crawl)
1735 Merriman Road, Akron
Join Torchbearers for a 5K run along the Ohio
& Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and celebrate your
finish in style with a pub crawl at the Valley’s
nearby watering holes, starting at Johnny J’s.
(And if you’re not a runner, just come for the fun
part.) Register for the 5K and/or the pub crawl at
torchbearersakron.com.
Cascade the Runway
7 p.m. at Cascade Plaza (FREE) Downtown Akron
Don’t miss the 7th annual Summer Fashion Show,
WWW.THEDEVILSTRIP.COM
presented by Downtown Akron Partnership, NOTO
Boutique, Allie M. Designs, lululemon athletica
and Rubber City Clothing. The show kicks off with
DJ Kristi Wall and the Admirables, followed by a
fashion show curated by local retailers, with hair and
makeup provided by The Beauty Lounge and MC
Hair. Downtown restaurants will have food available,
and The Winery at Wolf Creek, Thirsty Dog and
NORKA will be on hand to slake your thirst.
Plein Air Painting in Peninsula
June 5 to 7, Peninsula (FREE)
The Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, in
partnership with the National Park Service and
the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National
Park, presents its 7th annual Plein Air Peninsula
competition. Watch artists paint outdoors
throughout the village all weekend, then catch
the exhibition starting June 15 at the John S.
Seiberling Gallery.
BETTER BLOCK
Chalk art, much of it drawn by kids, fills a blackboard-painted wall in the popup Summit Cycling shop in North Hill during Better Block.
A view of the street from within the Summit Cycling popup shop during Better Block.
Bee Happy Akron, a consortium of bee-lovin’ Akronites work out of a converted storage container.
MUSTARD SEED OPENING
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
Akron Civic Hackathon
8 a.m. at OSC Tech Lab (FREE)
12 E. Exchange St., Akron
Akron Civic Hackathon provides a way for our
civic leaders to reach out to volunteer software
and hardware engineers and announce interesting
challenges that have the potential to generate civic
impact. Visit akroncivichackathon.org for projects
and details.
Akron Farm & Flea Market
9 a.m. outside Urban Eats (FREE)
Head to Urban Eats and Musica the first Saturday
of every month for shopping, eating and
entertainment that is uniquely Akron. Vendors will
change each month and will include rummage,
vintage, arts, crafts, farm produce, food
and services.
Scenes from the long-anticipated grand opening of the Mustard Seed & Café in Highland Square.
(Photos: Paul Hoffman/paulhoffmanphoto.com)
Downtown Akron Artwalk
5 p.m. in Downtown Akron (FREE)
Experience local art, live music and fun for all ages
at the award-winning Artwalk in Downtown Akron.
Venues include galleries in the Northside District,
North High Street, and East and West Market
Street. Don’t forget to stop by Crafty Mart’s Pop-Up
Shops at Summit ArtSpace.
OPEN STREETS
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
Summer BBQ
Benefiting One of a Kind Pets
4 p.m. at Crown Point Ecology Center ($75)
3220 Ira Road, Akron
Join One of a Kind Pets for a summer country
(continued on page 7)
“I took my daughter Madeline to Open Streets with me and she had a blast.” – Chris Horne
BREW AT THE ZOO is A wild time!
Enjoy a taste of the wild side during these after-hours, adults-only beer tasting events
that feature drinks from local breweries. Purchase the Brew Pass for access to all four
events. You can quadruple the fun, while saving up to $20 with this special pass!
Brew Pass Pricing
(Access to All Four Events)
Akron Zoo Member: $88
Non-Member: $104
Brew Events: Wednesdays, 6-9 pm
June 10 80’s Night
July 15 Christmas in July
September 9 Football Tailgate Night
October 7 Oktoberfest
For individual event pricing and details, visit akronzoo.org or call 330-375-2550.
YOU’Ve NeVeR
BeeN tHiS ClOSe!
akronzoo.org
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
5
How a young artist dreamed her way into the
Akron Art Prize
by Carley Hull
The sky was still blue, and the grass was still
green, but Brittani Austin knew she was in
another world. She stood calm in a meadow,
looking out into the woods that surrounded
her. A white fence stretched beyond her vision
between the trees and the clearing. Whistling
escaped her throat as she let out a call for
something that wasn’t real, trying to manifest
it with her mind. She thought of a dragon
and began calling it, not knowing its physical
characteristics or what it would do.
The creature arrived, scuttling over the fence to
Austin through the mossy grass. It was a small
dragon with blue scales the color of ocean
waves and a ribbed white belly. Its muzzle was a
faded burgundy with a fan of fading red around
its jaw and ears, right below a set of white
twisted horns. A serpent tongue flicked from its
mouth as it approached.
Before the Akron Art Prize dragon, Austin
constructed a mythical dragon-like creature
out of papier-mâché when experimenting with
sculpture. "I just started doing sculptures within
the past year because I wanted to be able to,
but I’m super broke so I’m trying to figure out
recycled material sculptures," Austin says.
She took the creature sculpture to Oddmall in
2014 wondering whether anyone would buy it.
Courtney Cable, who went to pass out fliers for
the 2014 Akron Art Prize, saw something special
in the 3-foot-long dragon sculpture.
“When I looked at it closer, I was like, ‘Oh, my
gosh, these are actual little pieces of something
folded and created with hands’,” Cable says.
Cable immediately asked Austin to submit her
piece to the 2014 Akron Art Prize. There was
no way Austin would submit the experimental
Curious, she picked up the creature. She studied piece. For the next three months, Austin poured
every detail, noticing a tiny set of wings on its
her time into designing and crafting the dragon
back, and felt overwhelmed with inspiration. She that came to her in a dream. At the time, she
thought, “I have to make you.”
worked at a Democratic calling center from 5
p.m. to midnight. She spent at least three hours
This was the lucid dream that led Austin to make everyday building the dragon out of newspaper,
the creature she dreamed, which would make
wire, fabric and Durham’s Rock Hard Water
her first runner-up of the 2014 Akron Art Prize.
Putty. The last few weeks, as she ran out of time,
Lucid dreaming now defines her purpose as an
she began pouring in 10 and 12 hours a day to
artist. “It’s a third of your life you are asleep,
finish the job.
so if you can be conscious during that, it’s like
you’re not missing anything,” she says.
The final product, “Serpent of the Self,” was
displayed at the Zeber-Martell Gallery from Sept.
At 23, the Hartville resident is lucid dreaming
6 to Oct. 4, 2014. She received positive feedback
more frequently to create her art, which she
from viewers and won $1,000 as first-runner up.
does without a formal fine arts education. After “Just knowing that I was even capable of getting
dropping out of Flagler College in St. Augustine, that far was really motivational because I had no
Florida, Austin moved back to Ohio, deciding her idea what to expect,” Austin says.
time would be better spent building a collection
over the next four or five years.
Her next step is to illustrate flying in her
dreams. She is slowly working the concept out,
Her bleach blond hair hanging in waves below
potentially as a new submission for the next
her shoulders, she now spends her days working Akron Art Prize.
at a greenhouse and her free time working on
her lucid dream collection and commissioned
You can find more information about the 2015
pieces, which include everything from family
Akron Art Prize at downtownakron.com/enjoy/
portraits to painted deer skulls that give her
akron-art-prize
some discomfort as a vegetarian.
(continued from page 5)
barbeque, featuring live music, a silent auction
and a barbeque dinner (including vegetarian
options). Bring your four-legged friends too! Visit
OneofaKindPets.com/bbq for tickets.
PLAN AHEAD:
FILM: ‘Schmo Bizness’
Sunday, June 14 at 9 pm
Nightlight Cinema
30 North High St, Akron
Rubber City native Michael “Zombo” Devine, of
King Dapper Combo and the Surfaholics, comes
home to screen his “funny documentary” about
the reunion of Those Generics Comedy Team, a
group who toured the country for 15 years during
the “comedy boom of the 1980s.”
Glendale Ave. or S. Walnut St., Akron
The official unveiling of murals produced by a
2014 Lock 3 Summer Arts Experience program
through the City of Akron, which hired artists to
develop art projects to be produced and displayed
within downtown. It also functions as job search
training for high school students, who must
apply, submit porfolios and undergo interviews
in order to be hired for the positions. The L3SAE
has been producing public art for downtown for
13 years. Come celebrate these very talented
young artists and enjoy the pleasures of Akron's
little hidden gem. Doubles as the end stop for the
"Akron2Akron" neighborhood tour.
Races
6/6 – 8th Annual SFC Daniel B. Crabtree
Memorial 5K — Starts at the Natatorium (2345
4th St., Cuy Falls) with proceeds benefiting “Special
Operations Warriors, their families, and children in
thanks of all they have given.” Contact the city of
Cuyahoga Falls for information.
5/30 – AKRun and Crawl 5K — Our 5K run
follows the scenic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
through the Merriman Valley before joining your
friends for a pub crawl to celebrate your finish
in style.
5/31 – Girls on the Run of Greater Summit
Spring 5K — The Girls on the Run of Greater
Summit 5k begins on Water Street and ends in Lock
3 Park with much of the course winding through
downtown Akron. This is a fun, non-timed
5k event.
Glendale Steps Murals official unveiling
Saturday, June 27at 3-6 pm, Glendale Steps
6/6 – 30th Annual Kids Are #1 Run at Akron
Children's Hospital — (One Perkins Sq., Akron) –
Bring the entire family for a day of fun and fitness,
including a 5K through historic Glendale Cemetery,
a 1-mile fun run and the 1-mile Paws for a Cause
Walk for dogs and their owners. Proceeds benefit
the hospital's Cerebral Palsy family picnic and
Social Work department. Details at
akronchildrens.org/kidsrun
5/31 – Twinsburgh Duathlon — The Twinsburg
Duathlon, held in conjunction with the Twinsburg
Parks & Rec department, consists of a two mile
run, followed by a 10 mile bike, and finishing with
another two mile run.
Ongoing health,
wellness, running
and riding
Akron Bicycle Club
Every Thursday at 6:30pm from Deep Lock Quarry
Parking Lot
APEX Running
Every Wednesday at 6:30 pm starting at the Urban
Eats Trailhead in Akron's Downtown Historic District
and continuing along the towpath in the Cuyahoga
Valley National Park.
Bike Party Akron
A festive evening social ride through the City of
Akron. Every 3rd Friday of the month.10-12 miles.
Bring Lights, Bring Music. Ride starts @
Lock 3 @ 7pm
Complimentary Community Classes at
Lululemon Akron Showroom Saturday
mornings at 9am
Crooked River Trail Runners - Trails
Every Thursday at 6:30pm at various locations in
the Cuyahoga Valley National Park
6/20 – 5KRunDead Zombie Run — Heritage
Farms (6050 Riverview Rd, Peninsula) Runners
must endure zombie-infested 5K course, testing
their speed, endurance and strength as they try
to keep as many of their health flags away from
the zombies as possible. Sign up as a runner or a
zombie. For details, visit 5KRunDead.com
Portage Lakes Running Club - Roads
Every Tuesday at 6pm at various places
around Akron
OUT AND ABOUT
Turning the outdoor art of
INSIDE | OUT
into a roving party on wheels
by Katie Wheeler
The Akron Art Museum partnering with Akron
Bike Party to bring you bike tours of their citywide
Inside/Out installation.
There are things that seem like they should never
be combined, like forks and electrical outlets. There
are also things that just make sense together,
such as peanut butter and chocolate. Then,
there are things that may not be such an obvious
combination—like Hoppin’ Frog beer and Pav’s
ice-cream—but someone was brave enough to give
it a go and ended up with an awesome idea. It’s
this latter kind of innovative bravery that I want to
focus on this issue.
The first example—the Akron Art Museum—has
recently launched an initiative called Inside/Out.
They have taken replicas of some of the museum’s
favorite works of art and placed them all over
Akron—OUTSIDE. Why is this so cool? Have you
ever run the towpath and wanted to cool off
while wandering through the Museum’s exhibits
afterwards, or grabbed some ice cream from Mary
Coyle’s and had the urge to take your cone with
you while you perused priceless works of art? With
these new outdoor installations, you can do both!
Heck, you can run a few miles with ice-cream in
both hands, and still check out artwork if you want
to. Inside/Out is strategically making it easy for
the community to get interested in what the art
museum offers, in hopes that Akronites will shed
preconceived notions about viewing art and be
more comfortable walking through their doors.
The second example of combining cool things
comes from Akronite, Dave Massary, who has
brought a monthly party on wheels to our city’s
streets. The Akron Bike Party just celebrated its
one year anniversary, and is exactly what it sounds
like - a party on bikes. Every third Friday at 7 P.M.,
a group of people who love to bike meet up at
Lock3 for a themed bike ride through Akron. The
route is around 10 miles and takes about an hour
and a half, as the Bike Party sticks to a “no rider left
behind” policy. These events are geared towards
bikers of every age and ability, and include lit up
bikes and a custom music bike. Seriously, what
party would be complete without lights and music?
Massary usually organizes an “after party” at The
Game downtown for food and drinks after the ride.
As if these two things weren’t cool enough on
their own, Akron Bike Party is teaming up with the
Akron Art Museum and hosting bike party tours
of the art displays. There will be still be music and
bikes, but these routes will be centered around the
Museum’s outdoor installations. The tours will be
on various weekend days, and will start and finish
at Blimp City in the Valley. Mastery has a 5 mile
family-friendly route planned, as well as a more
ambitious 15-20 mile route for those that want to
see as many works of art in one go as they can.
I’m pretty sure that you're not going to be able
to get your bike past the Art Museum security, no
matter how fun it might seem to ride through their
exhibits. Fortunately, the Bike Party art tours are
giving you the next best thing. Grab your helmets
Akron, it’s time for a little culture on wheels!
FOR MORE INFO: Akron Art Museum's Inside/Out:
akronartmuseum.org/inside-out
Akron Bike Party: facebook.com/akronbikeparty
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
7
5 questions
5 QUESTIONS
WITH
ERNIE MILLER,
DIRECTOR OF
‘CHRISTINE AT THE CROSSROADS’
by Chris Kessinger, The Film Freak
CHRIS: Can you explain some of the
developmental processes to getting this
made, and where it all started?
ERNIE: The movie had its beginnings at the end of
our last feature film four years ago. I had an idea
for a shot in mind, so we tested it (it’s the shot
early on where we see “Christine” in bed staring
at the camera while someone has sex with her). It
was a powerful image, but we weren’t sure what
the story was at that time. A few years later, during
a conversation with my daughter, I asked her when
she felt like she knew she was gay. Her answer,
kindergarten, stunned me. Even with very liberal
parents, she kept herself closeted well into her
twenties, after being married and having a child.
That is when Heather realized what the story was
that went along with that powerful image we had.
Heather began writing and as word got out locally
what we were getting ready to shoot, more and
more of our gay friends started relating their stories
to us. It was shocking how similar they were. We
incorporated many of their stories, along with my
daughters into the final script. Once the script was
finished and we had our cast, it took us maybe
twelve days to shoot.
CHRIS: This film is playing in film festivals
this year. Where else besides Akron will the
film play?
ERNIE: So far, we have screened in Virginia twice,
Oklahoma and California and North Carolina. In
Oklahoma we won Best Romance/Drama Feature
at the Bare Bones International Independent Film
Festival. In the month of June, besides Akron, we
will be screening at festivals in North Carolina, New
York City and Springfield, Massachusetts. We are
trying to line up a screening in Columbus during
their Pride Festival and we have a repeat screening
here in Hampton Roads.
CHRIS: You tackle a lot of negative issues
that come from outsiders unfamiliar with the
Gay/Lesbian lifestyle. Were your scenes based
on a personal experience with a friend or
family member?
ERNIE: Our script was definitely based on personal
experiences, besides those of our daughter. Both
Heather and I have had close relationships with gay
and lesbian friends and family all our lives.
going through events like those in
the movie. We seem to be touching people of all
persuasions, which is very gratifying as a filmmaker.
CHRIS: What do you expect people to gain the
most from seeing your film?
ERNIE: I just hope that we give people some idea
of what it’s like to have to deny your true self and
maybe offer hope to those that are living a lie
right now. We’ve had people come up to us after
screenings and thank us for telling “their story”
and even one who told us that she was currently
CHRIS: What's in the future for you and
S.Kelly Films?
ERNIE: The future is unwritten, isn’t that what
they say? We have our next project in mind, but it
probably won’t get started until later this year and
once again we’ll be tackling some personal issues.
I want to get “Christine…” out there to as many
festivals as I can, and am really thankful to Jill for
giving us this opportunity to screen it. Much thanks
also goes to Gerard Dominick for introducing our
team to Jill. We are a small, small fish in a very big
ocean, so getting any movie we make out in front
of people is a daunting task.
Film & Feast
CHRISTINE
AT THE CROSSROADS
Chris Kessinger, the Film Freak
One person's exile from the truth not only burns
them from the inside, but it can do damage to
those they love. This is the center of the struggle
Christine faces in "Christine at the Crossroads,"
a short film written and directed by Ernie and
8
Heather Smith. In the movie, Christine (Diane
Sokolowich) is a top notch businesswoman with
a loving, supportive husband (Brett Moye), and
a beautiful home. She has everything she ever
wanted, but happiness. She is trapped inside of a
personal prison that she has created within herself
to be someone she is not. Christine has known
she was a little girl that she was a lesbian, but
due to an unsupportive family and fears of being
different, she has ignored her real feelings all of
her life. When she meets Jen, a new co-worker
who ignites the passion in her hidden feelings,
Christine is faced with the choice that will shake
the foundation of everyone in her life.
I really enjoyed the film for its bravery and social
commentary to expose the treatment that many
gay and lesbian people go through on a daily basis.
The movie packs so much of a personal punch in
such a short amount of time (54 minutes) without
needing much filler in between to represent what
direction our characters are heading. Much praise
also goes to the wide range in performances
from the actors who The Smiths have cast. Many
of the lead actors have been in the film world
for fewer than five years, but their emotional
depth combined with exceptional line read timing
(especially Moye) is impeccable. I noticed a lot of
great symbolism in the film representing Christine's
emotional struggle. A reoccurring theme is
Christine putting together a puzzle, and the pieces
don't fit until the pieces with her own dilemma fit.
It's a nice artistic touch that cost little to add to
the film.
"Christine at the Crossroads" is playing at:
Jilly's Music Room
June 3rd 8:30 PM
111 North Main Street, Akron, Ohio, 44308
// Chris Kessinger is our resident film writer. You can find
more of his reviews at thefilmfreak.com
only in akron
MY ODE TO MYERS...
by Elizabeth Tyran
At the risk of sounding like some sort of ad, my
good fortune as a student at the University of
Akron’s Myers School of Art begins and ends with
an array of quality faculty members. I became an
art history major after having taken an art history
class as an elective. When that class ended, I
remember thinking, “I want more of that.” I’ve
always been drawn to the arts and getting a taste
of how to really look at it and what it all meant
was about as good as learning in a classroom could
get for me. I was fascinated, and I was only one
semester in; we hadn’t even gotten to modern
art yet.
Laura Gelfand, Head of the Art History
Department, and Kevin Concannon,
Art History Professor.
At that time, Laura Gelfand was head of the Art
History Department and Kevin Concannon was the
other main art history professor. They both had
doctorates and both taught art history at the same
school but beyond that couldn’t have been more
different. One was a man who taught Modern
Art in a style that was strictly objective. The other
was a woman who specialized in Renaissance and
Medieval art and had no problem expressing, in
addition to speaking in terms of formal analyses,
that she loved something about a particular piece
and that it was, in fact, beautiful to her.
Students at some point or other had to choose a
mentor in their program. I chose Dr. Concannon for
two reasons, I’d become enamored with modern
art and I liked that he left emotion out of the
equation, it left the focus on how to objectively
study a piece. But I also felt balanced by the classes
I took with Dr. Gelfand and honestly relished classes
with either. That balance, in my opinion, was
invaluable. We called them Kevin and Laura, as they
had permitted us to do. They were young, probably
late 30’s, maybe early 40’s. They were charming,
well-spoken, brilliant in their field, well-traveled,
published and just happened to be extremely
approachable and down-to-earth. These were my
constants for four years, how lucky was I.
Students could create their own shows to be held
in one of two main galleries, the Emily Davis or
what was simply referred to as the student gallery.
The Emily Davis was maintained by my museology
professor Rod Bengston. This always dressed in
red and black man was yet another incredibly
intelligent and extremely personable piece to the
Myers puzzle, and always made us laugh to boot.
His knowledge of curation and installation was a
beautiful thing for both studio art students (i.e. painters and sculptors) or art history students like
myself to be able to rely upon and interact with.
I took two design courses and two photography
courses. I remember staying in the photo lab, or
dark room, all night some times which I’ve heard
they are much stricter about now. One time I was
even walking out at 8am when the first class was
walking in. But I seemed to get the most done
being in there alone at night. In Photo II we had
a really good group of students. We focused
and we learned but then we’d also do things
like lay on our bellies on the rolling stools in the
darkroom and slide across the floor. Arnie Tunstall
(who, for the record, had no knowledge of such
antics) taught that class and encouraged us all to
develop our own distinct styles and concepts while
simultaneously guiding us through the technical
aspects of developing film and prints. He taught,
for instance, what a difference different types of
photographic paper could make which sums up his
teaching us to try new things in general, not that I
didn’t already live for that or anything. I referred to
him as Mr. Tunstall, Sir, in a sort of jokingly sincere
tone if that makes sense.
Earl Ertman, to go to the Valley of the Kings in
Luxor, Egypt and photograph an archaeological
dig. I applied for and received the Daschiell Travel
Grant which paid for my round-trip airfare. That
trip held experiences that I could only have dreamt
of including special access to tombs that were off
limits to the public. That incredible month and a
half of my life I owe to my time at Myers.
Not one of the aforementioned faculty members
remain at the University of Akron. I could not,
nor would not wish to have gone there at any
other time than when I did for I cannot imagine
being there without those people and what
they imparted. I thank them and all my talented
professors, Penny Rakoff, Claudia Berlinski, Steve
Litchfield, Andrew Borowiec, Heath Patten, Jim
Crowe, and my advisor Susan McKiernan for
making the program what it was, and what I hope,
for others, it continues to be.
Myers offered not just staff, but also students, to
invite professional artists, or others who work in the
world of fine art, to come to the school and share
their knowledge and experience. They might have
their work set up in the Emily Davis Gallery in which
case a formal lecture would also take place, usually
on a Wednesday night for students and the general
public to attend. Students could also interact with
the visitors throughout the week while classes
were held.
Every year the school held a ceremony to award
privately funded grants for anything from art
supplies to education-related travel funds. One
year I was invited by my Egyptology professor, Dr.
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
9
new / native
New / native
Meet these Akron artists, newbie Jessica Lofthus and native Levent Isik
M. Sophie Hamad & Ilenia Pezzaniti
Native
When did you fall for Akron? My family was
transferred here from Toronto, my father worked
Name / Age: Levent Isik / 53
for Goodyear. I got hooked up with some people
Hometown: Raised in Canada, moved
who were in bands. The next thing you know, I was
to Akron in 1980, moved around singing in a noisy punk band. The early 80's were
for a while, but my family lives special, everything was DIY. Akron had a close knit
here, so, I guess it’s Akron.
underground scene that was nationally known.
Neighborhood: Highland Square area in the
1980's. Looking to set up a new Where in Akron do you like to escape? I like
studio around downtown area.
the downtown area. The buildings, the streets. It’s
Occupation: Been a full time artist since 1990 a tough-skinned city that won’t go down. It’s got
rubber in its soul.
Who do you wish was on more Akronites’
radar? Young entrepreneurs. We need to
encourage and support new ideas. This city has
endless potential. a designated district in the
downtown area that caters to new venues for arts,
music, food, and specialty shops.
New
Name / Age: Jessica Lofthus / 40
Hometown: Native Texan
Neighborhood: Highland Square
Occupation:
Artist known in some circles as
“The Organic Martha Stewart.”
Who do you wish was on more Akronites
radar? Why? Honestly—the folks who are paving
the way for fracking in Summit County. Fracking
has become quite the issue lately and isn’t getting
near enough exposure. Folks need to know
that their fresh water advantage in this glacial
environment is in danger.
What is your favorite local cultural asset?
The intermingling of urban and natural
environments. The way the Summit County Metro
Parks interweave with this city is so impressive.
Unlike other cities where the layout is in a bowl,
surrounded by nature, Akron is interwoven with it,
and that’s pretty special.
When did you fall for Akron? When I began
to watch a fervor about reinvigorating this town’s
uniqueness. Several years ago, several groups
10
started pushing more art, local music and farming
culture in such a comprehensive way. I was blown
away by the mass consciousness intention to create
this renaissance. It showed me that this town had
the sorta soul that could win me over.
What is your favorite local cultural asset?
The music scene here has been legendary. So many
important bands have started here. I also like the
older independent restaurants, and dive bars.
Why should everyone try your favorite
restaurant? Because it’s the best damned pizza at
2 a.m., anywhere in the world. (Luigi’s)
How do you think Akron will be different in
five years? I'm hoping on a thriving arts area. This
town is primed. The city has to get involved and
set up an arts district. Provide spaces for working
artists, more galleries, restaurants, and specialty
shops. If they can provide us with that then The
future will be bright. There's so much potential in
this town.
Where in Akron do you like to escape?
In order to keep my bat cave secret, I’ll just say I
very much enjoy big rocks in the middle of moving
water. Sitting on still rocks while water moves
around you is pretty special.
Why should everyone try your local favorite
restaurant? I don’t think I have a favorite, actually,
but I’m about to! The Mustard Seed Market
opening their new cafe two blocks from my house
is about to fix that!
How do you think Akron will be different in
five years? It’s hard to quantify what’s possible
on this cultural trajectory. The level of community
building being seen here is astounding. Akron is
working very hard at becoming an artfully minded
masterpiece. With the unique history and the
cultural drive happening, I think that five years
from now it will be an art, culture and local
food powerhouse.
Whatzit?
HOW
B.LOVELY
SUCCEEDED
with a unique business model
by Jessica Conti
Long before Lyndsey Marie came up with the idea
for b.lovely, a pop-up boutique, she was mapping
out business plans on graph paper.
During high school, Marie developed a strong
sense of personal style, and post-graduation, she
started a blog titled, “A Lovely Little Blog.” The
blog launched her into the digital world of sharing
curated ideas, helped her find an audience for
her brand and turned her into an accidental go-to
guru. Marie’s strength was in helping women find
the perfect outfit or gift and the confidence to pull
it off. She took note of this, put her blog on the
backburner and started working on the project that
would eventually become b.lovely.
She initially wanted b.lovely to be a mobile
traveling boutique, but when that didn’t work out,
Marie didn’t give up; she just shifted her business
objective. Launching b.lovely online made the
most sense to Marie. To appeal to her dedicated
fans, she would start a fashion boutique filled
with trendy seasonal pieces that were unique and
affordable, and the costs for a web domain were
lower than those of a brick-and-mortar storefront.
It was successful, but Marie wanted to do more
than sell online. She wanted to interact with
her customers and bring her particular brand of
loveliness to Akron’s masses so she decided to try a
pop-up shop. Popular in bigger cities, pop-up shops
allow retailers to take their limited-edition items
to a temporary location for a few hours and sell
until their items run out. Marie took this risk, and it
worked out in her favor.
the pop-up shop successful is Marie’s natural gift
for throwing a good party. There are treats, alcohol
and the opportunity to meet like-minded people in
the area. It’s a social event with beautiful clothes as
a bonus. While many people prefer to shop online,
there is something fantastically alluring about
tangible items, and that’s what makes her boutique
work, locally and nationally.
Marie’s business model and products attract a
wide variety of clientele, and this combination
helps her business thrive. She has a keen eye for
what women between the ages of 20 and 50
want to wear or receive as a gift, and her kindness
and passion inspire her customers to seek style
regardless of their age.
This is just the beginning for Marie as she continues
to grow her project into a full-time career. “The
future with b.lovely is limitless,” she says. “I feel
that way because I am so passionate about it, and
it has been my dream for so long. In the next few
years you will see the b.lovely team grow (interns
and employees), a brick-and-mortar location come
to fruition, an original clothing line and so much
more. It's going to be an exciting ride, and I can't
wait to share it with my fellow Akronites.”
// Writer Jessica Conti was definitely wearing a cute dress
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED FOR SEATING BUT
ADVENTURESOME TASTE BUDS REQUIRED FOR DINING
while writing this article.
Upcoming Pop-Up Shops
Wed., June 4, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“I realized that people in Akron really responded
well to the pop-up idea and focused my attention
to that,” she says. “With one full year under my
belt, I think it's been wildly fantastic.”
Summer Solstice Festival at Sarah's Vineyard
She’s finding a crowd for b.lovely’s pop-up shops
in bars, coffee shops and vineyards. What makes
For booking requests, email
[email protected]
NUEVO MODERN MEXICAN
& TEQUILA BAR
"A great place downtown to grab a bite before a ballgame, or a show at the Civic. I had the
BBQ chicken tacos and the wife had the fish tacos, and both were excellent. These are not your
typical neighborhood Mexican food flavors, so if you are looking for cheese-smothered, soggy
tortillas filled with ground meat, this is not the place for you. Everything seems fresh and
prepared with care.” – Jeff W. on Facebook
Cellar 59 in Stow
Fri. through Sun., June 19-21
54 East Mill St. Akron 44308
(330) 762-8000
nuevomodmex.com
Hours: M-Th 11-10, F 11-11, Sat 3-11
The Wanderer
What this PlaCe neeDs
is healthy fooD
for eVeryone.
A TALE OF
TWO DELIS
Mr. Zub’s and Diamond Deli
by Holly Brown
Sandwiches are the
universal vessel. The thing
you can put anything
on. The go-to item for
many during the lunching
hour. Today, the humble
sandwich has expanded
its repertoire to serve as
a satisfying breakfast or
dinner. Everybody knows
sandwiches are good;
here’s my story of two
great ones.
This year was my first year of graduate school and,
man, does that take it out of you. Last Thursday
evening was my last class of the semester, and once
that business was over, I was on my way to the
moon, and I was just that thrilled to be done. So
what were me (and Maya) to do? Go out. And go
out we did.
United Way is a champion for healthy food for all in Summit County.
We believe that nutritious food should be available to everyone,
regardless of income. So we partner with many nonprofit organizations
to promote equal access to healthy, high-quality food.
Join us at the table. Volunteer.
If you have a passion for healthy food education, access and policy,
connect with the United Way Volunteer Center to find ways to get
involved with amazing programs and people in your community.
Whether you have just one evening to help out a community garden,
want to volunteer weekly at a farmers’ market or can spend some time in
an office supporting a program, you can become a part of the solution.
Current volunteer opportunities:
1. Help with planting, weeding, watering and harvesting at
an urban farm or community garden
2. Lend support to a weekly farmer’s market
3. Organize a healthy food drive
4. Deliver meals to seniors in their homes
5. Mentor kids on nutrition and exercise
Many more projects are available! Contact the United Way Volunteer
Center at [email protected] or 330.643.5512 for a complete
list of opportunities or search our online volunteer project database
at uwsummit.org. Click VOLUNTEER, and then click the quick link for
food-related opportunities. Nonprofits – contact the Volunteer Center to
add your project.
beCause Great thinGs haPPen When We liVe uniteD.
United Way of Summit County
uWsuMMit.orG
After a long night of festivities and celebrations
and pomp and congratulations and beer, the only
way to end the evening was to go to Mr. Zub’s in
Highland Square. We hadn’t exactly had dinner
yet, and though it was now the wee hours of the
morning, the cavorting and general joyousness
had really gotten our appetites going. Zub’s, as
regulars call it, is open until 2:45 a.m. Monday
through Saturday and until 1:45 a.m. on Sunday.
(The restaurant’s motto is “Open for Lunch, Dinner,
Then Breakfast.”)
Once the decision was made, there were no
distractions: We were going to Zub’s. Once inside,
I was greeted by those egg-yolk-yellow walls
and that mouthwatering fried food smell. Most
nights, I spend at least 20 minutes trying to decide
which sandwich to get. It’s almost impossible. I’ve
tried many of the options, sometimes based on
description and sometimes based on its namesake;
each sandwich is named after a great movie
character. One menu highlight is The Hightower
from “Police Academy,” a mac-and-cheese and
bacon sandwich, the ultimate “thing you can put
anything on.”
Tonight, I was going for my favorite: The David
St. Hubbins from “This is Spinal Tap,” a sandwich
with turkey, bacon, onion-and-chive cream cheese,
lettuce, tomato and onion, all on an onion bagel
(I like onions a whole lot). Once I got that loaded
bad boy in my vice grip, I was never letting go,
and I took it down. The texture alone made my
mouth water: crunchy bacon, ultra-soft grilled and
buttered bagel, the solidity of the turkey keeping
the whole thing together, and don’t get me started
on cream cheese (I could literally eat the stuff by
the spoonful.) Safe to say, this sandwich made my
morning, both before and
after catching some z’s.
I woke up later in the
morning, feeling great
despite my night on the
town. I went for a run,
did some errands and still
felt quite satisfied from
my dinner (breakfast?)
the night before, until
noon when the lunchtime
rumbles started to get to
me. I picked up Maya,
and we decided we still hadn't had enough of
sandwiches and off to Diamond Deli we went.
Diamond Deli is your classic deli, with University
of Akron paraphernalia lining the walls and those
goofy signs that say things like: “Unattended
children will be given espresso and a puppy.” I
knew what I was getting myself into here, and I
was pumped about it.
I don’t know what it is about Akron, but all
sandwiches have great names. I was laughing out
loud and pointing at all kinds of menu choices
(like, Chad’s “Wait Til You Hear This Story,”
Zach’s “Yeah, Right Dad” and “Here’s the Beef”),
struggling to decide what to get as the line behind
me grew longer and longer.
Then, I saw it: The Old Bald Guy, a daily special
made with turkey, bacon, sun-dried tomato pesto,
smoked gouda, green apple and onion on a
ciabatta. (Apparently, I have a thing for turkey and
bacon.) It was another one of those rare moments
when I knew exactly what I wanted, and I had to
have it.
The tartness of the apple in conversation with the
earthiness of the rest of the sandwich was unreal,
and the ciabatta, my favorite sandwich bread,
was crisp and filling — the perfect fuel for a fine
Friday afternoon. Whether you want your glorious
sandwich funky or classic, be sure to visit Zub’s and
Diamond Deli. The sandwiches from both of these
Akron staples are killer and come with a pickle
spear on the side.
Mr. Zub’s Deli
812 W. Market St., Akron | 330-252-0272
Diamond Deli
378 S. Main St., Akron | 330-762-5877
// Holly Brown lives in Highland Square with her senile
cat, Hedwig, and is a master’s candidate in poetry at the
Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program.
8 questions
Questions
Derf Backderf
Rust Belt comix creator
by Brittany Nader
John “Derf” Backderf is a Cleveland-based comix
writer and artist whose gritty scenes of life in Ohio
have given him a cult-like status in the Buckeye
State and well beyond.
TWO
B: You've made some transitions in your career —
from comic strips for alt-weeklies to your own spin
on graphic novels — and when you went to Ohio
State for journalism, the goal was to be an editorial
Derf has never shied away from engaging with local cartoonist. What's enabled you to keep pivoting
and loyal fans at conventions, and even Facebook
this way? Was it just chance, or was it intentional?
— a place he’s bound to stir up a little controversy
with his social and political commentary, but it’s his D: Yeah … Three career reboots, I admit that’s a
alternative comics and edgy storytelling that has
little unusual. I feel very lucky, since each one has
attracted a dedicated following across the globe.
been more successful than the previous endeavor.
His tales of trash collecting in Richfield, attending
I’ve always been a restless creator. That’s kept me
high school alongside Jeffrey Dahmer and
on the move — and able to stay in front of changes
illustrating the rough-yet-revered Akron punk scene in various industries — but it does result in a pretty
in the ʼ80s shed light on places and faces previously disjointed body of work. If you compare my early
obscured by time and, perhaps, misconception.
political cartoons, my first “City” strips and my
books, it looks like three different artists made
Derf earned his first income as a cartoonist selling
them. There are lots of cartoonists who haven’t
a nude portrait of his sixth-grade teacher to a
changed a line in 40 years. If you’re one of the
classmate for a meager $2. He has since moved
greats, say, Matt Groening, that’s okay. If you’re a
on to bigger and better things, penning awardtypical hack, then it’s sad. I can’t imagine what my
winning graphic novels like “My Friend Dahmer”
life would be like if I stuck with political cartoons
and “Punk Rock & Trailer Parks,” and having
and got a staff job with some crap-hole daily paper.
his work displayed in museums and
I’d be laid off and washed up now, like most of
galleries worldwide.
those guys.
Pages from Derf’s new edition of “Trashed” will
be displayed in “How to Remain Human” at the
Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art
beginning June 12.
ONE
Brittany: You have a lot of experience with altweeklies, working with them in the heyday of the
format through corporate takeovers, which led to
several going bankrupt. Why do you think they’ve,
by and large, failed? It’s got be more than just the
Internet’s fault, right?
Derf: Hey, everything has its time. Nothing lasts
forever. Alt-weeklies flourished from, roughly, 1985
to 2005 before swan-diving into the tar pit, and I
was lucky enough to be a big part of their heyday.
At one time, I foolishly believed they would be
the saviors of newspapers. On the other hand,
I also realized by 2000 or so that the jig was up
and began moving to books. For a period there,
alt-weeklies had the best comix in the world. Then
they all inexplicably started dumping comix so they
could shoehorn in a couple more phone sex ads
— that’s when the readers started to bail. The two
things are not unrelated, even if the geniuses who
ran alt-weeklies never figured that out. I was glad
to see [The Devil Strip] start up though. Good luck
with it.
THREE
B: Your first graphic novel/memoir, “Trashed,”
seemed to be a real game changer for you. Now,
you’re working on a new version of the story, this
time fictional but based on real-life events. How will
these stories differ from the gross and fascinating
tales you’ve already shared with readers?
FOUR
B: Your work has a definite edge to it and feels
a little punk rock too. How much of growing up
around Akron has influenced your voice as an
artist?
D: We’re all a product of our time and place.
Hanging out at The Bank punk club was my first
foray into the counterculture and, obviously, I was
mesmerized. Before that, I was just another rube
from Richfield. I’m definitely the Rustbelt comix
creator — not that there’s a lot of competition —
and all the things I’m known for — the weirdlooking people of undetermined Middle-European
peasant stock, the crumbling buildings and cracked
sidewalks and bombed-out industrial wasteland
that all came from the Akron I grew up in.
FIVE
B: In "My Friend Dahmer," you deftly balanced
treating the Jeffrey Dahmer you knew as a human
who had been failed by adults with condemning
the murders he committed after graduation. Was
that a tricky compassion you developed as you
worked on the book, or was that how you saw him
all along?
D: That’s my memory of him. But, remember, I
didn’t know Dahmer “the monster.” I only knew
Dahmer the sad, damaged boy. Until he starts to kill
— and his spree began a mere two weeks after we
graduated from Revere High School — I think he’s
a tragic figure. “My Friend Dahmer” is, at its root,
a story about failure. Everybody fails: the teachers,
his parents, the adults in his life, his friends, Jeff
himself, of course, and the result of that acrossthe-board failure is 17 people who were horribly
murdered.
SIX
B: You've toured with "My Friend Dahmer" a
lot overseas. What's the reaction there? Has this
opened them up to your other work, especially
"Punk Rock & Trailer Parks"?
D: “My Friend Dahmer” has been a bestseller in
every country it’s been published — so far, France,
the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Korea — and
has won some big book prizes, three to date. I’ve
gotten five book tours in Europe out of it too. It’s
been amazing.
Europeans hold comix in much higher esteem than
Americans, who still view it as junk pop culture. The
French and Belgians, in particular, are rabid comix
readers and have a long tradition of great comix of
their own. I was a big fan of French comix when I
was a teenager, and they were first translated into
English in the old Heavy Metal magazine. Used
to buy my copies every month at the Booklein
newsstand in the Summit Mall. Never in my wildest
D: You’re leaving out a web comic, which was
where I first took it from memoir to fiction. It’s like
Louis CK — based on experience but otherwise all
made up. I find that a really easy way to write. I did
the web comic for a couple years, and that was the
start of the current book. Actually, I was set to fire
it up again as a web comic, which I put on hiatus
when I started the “My Friend Dahmer” world tour.
It was my publisher that said, ‘Whoa, let’s do this
as a book instead.’ I’m attracted to these characters
and this story. I like coming back to it from time to
time because I feel I have more stories to tell. The
first “Trashed” was only 50 pages, after all.
“Trashed” is an ode to the working man, of being
trapped in a dull, small town in the crappiest job
imaginable, and all the auxiliary stuff that goes
with that: tyrant bosses, creepy co-workers … crazy
townies. I think most people can relate to that.
It’s fun to write and fun to draw and, hopefully,
fun to read. After “My Friend Dahmer,” I needed
something fun. The new “Trashed” will be out
this fall.
To follow the adventures of “The Baron of Prospect Avenue,” visit
www.derfcity.com/comix/Baron/Baron_front.html
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
13
cover story
THE ART
OF AKRON
5 ‘ONE-LINE LESSONS’ FROM
PROFILES OF AKRON AREA ARTISTS
by Katelyn Gainer
Without the arts, this magazine wouldn’t exist — both in our purpose to
tell stories about the creative community and as a place where the creative
community actually assembles each issue. So we felt like zooming in on the
area’s art scene. For this issue, arts columnist Katelyn Gainer did five profiles
on local artists working in different mediums to glean some of the lessons
they’ve learned the hard way. It’s a good read regardless whether you make
art or just love it.
– Chris Horne
ONE LINE LESSON:
Turn your passion into your career
the University of Montevallo prep program. Our
first recital was at a giant performance hall at the
University and I remember thinking that the stage
made us feel like real musicians,” Reed says.
“I just felt that this was
my purpose.”
Kurt Reed’s first fine arts experience came early.
“My twin brother and I both were given a piano at
the age of 6 and spent many an afternoon begging
our parents to have piano lessons. Eventually they
decided we were old enough and enrolled us at
14
“I have since participated in hundreds of recitals
and I see that same experience repeated with
my students as the share the stage on their first
recital. The performance side of music really is the
most impactful experience for both novice and
experienced musicians alike.”
There was a time he when he didn’t realize
his music career would involve more than
performance, that one day he would teach what he
had learned over the years.
“Preparing for a performance teaches you so
much, as does performing with a group. While I did
not play sports when I was younger, I performed
in many ensembles. I learned how to listen, how
to work as part of a team, how to solve problems
as a group and how to create something from
nothing,” Reed explains. “These are all valuable
here and there, dipping my toe in the water,” she
says. Today, as the owner of Hazel Tree Interiors,
she looks for ways to support other artists in the
community, frequently picking “local artists to
showcase their work, specifically local functional art
artists, the furniture makers, the light makers, the
clock makers.”
ONE-LINE LESSON:
Embrace unexpected opportunities
Karen Starr
Singer, performer, owner of Hazel Tree Interiors and
co-author of “A Is for Akron”
“ Theater is like no other
art form—so many
people and so many
ideas and so much labor,
and material goes into
one moments. It’s unlike
anything else.”
Growing up, Karen Starr was always singing and
early on, got involved in musical theater. In school,
one teacher specifically, Elender Meinecke, as an
immense influence, so much that the two are
friends now.
He’s come a long way since those days in the prep
program at the University of Montevallo.
Kurt Reed
Musician, owner of Hudson and Fairlawn
Music Schools
traits that are necessary to my function not only as
a teacher and musician, but as a business owner.
I may not have a degree in business, but I can call
upon my various experiences from music lessons,
performances and years of teaching to influence
my decisions as a businessman.”
“She brought so much joy and passion into musical
theater and believed in her students no matter their
ability, so much that she was a constant inspiration,
and she made all of us want to do different things,
better things,” Starr says.
She took a job at the Carousel Dinner Theater
after high school, starting off with a lot of
behind-the-scenes work but eventually becoming
the preshow hostess, where she sang songs from
upcoming musicals and hosted the cabaret on
Saturday nights.
After a detour to Japan for a show, Starr came
back and tried out a few non-arts career options,
but a few years later, she was back at the Carousel
as the assistant to the director. She soon got a shot
at producing shows when the regular producer left.
It blended her creative and business sides, but she
was seeking a change. That’s when her old boss
at the Carousel helped hook Starr up as a design
assistant to an interior designer.
“I learned all the facets of interior design working
as a design assistant then a project manager. I
started taking on my own clients and consultations
ONE-LINE LESSON:
Make your own opportunities.
Heather and Craig Wargowsky
Art educators and owners of Akronology
“We don’t want to leave
Akron. We want it to be
central to what we make—
what’s best about it and
even the things that are
silly or weird about it.”
Even if you’re not familiar with Akronology, you’d
be a fan of its line of Akron-centric pillows, t-shirts,
and greeting cards, if you’re a fan of Akron. It’s a
labor of love for Heather and Craig Wargowsky,
who are, by day, both art educators. These two
passions feed each other but it isn’t easy.
“It takes that ‘I’m going to’ (attitude). You have to
set yourself goals constantly and reevaluate yourself
continually and hold yourself accountable,”
Heather says.
The Wargowskys submit work to local art shows
but in the classroom, they’re trying to instill more
than just a love of art, teaching their students how
to harness the entrepreneurial spirit that’s made
Akronology both a creative outlet and a source of
income.
“I teach at a high school so I like to talk to my
students about how to make money,” Craig says.
“It’s difficult to be a fine artist. It’s difficult to sell
one painting for $100,000 but maybe you can sell
10,000 t-shirts.”
When Crafty Mart’s founders turned to Craig’s high
school students for an “Akron-centric” idea about
what the logo should be, he and Heather started
brainstorming what could they sell at the popup
market. The birth of Akronology and its Goodyear
Blimp pillow wasn’t far behind.
“Heather’s dad worked at Goodyear. We live on
Goodyear Boulevard. We live in Goodyear Heights.
cover story
My teaching partner’s husband flies the Goodyear
Blimp, so we were inundated with Goodyear we
can’t get away from it here,” Craig says. “We
decided to make the best of it here in Goodyear
Heights and in Akron. We have a love for it.”
Their first stab at the craft world ended in failure,
he says, because they didn’t know their niche
audience. Regrouping, they leaned on their art
education backgrounds to hone in one what would
resonate with consumers.
Clearly, the Wargowskys are doing something right.
Not only are their former students following in
Akronology’s footsteps, but one day they received
an email from Pat Carney’s mom asking them to
save a Goodyear Blimp pillow.
“She said, ‘my son is in a band they are called
the Black Keys.’ It made us proud. It was his
Christmas gift and I thought that was cool. He was
in Nashville but she wanted to send him a piece of
Akron and that made us happy,” Craig says.
books and illustration, which included countless
hours in grade and high school creating my own
stories of some of my favorite characters.”
COMING
Though he’s behind the camera for several “workfor-hire” pieces, like the Cleveland Art Prize videos,
it was the act of doing—making “Hero Tomorrow,”
written by his friend Milo Miller—that taught him
the most. “Having never directed anything like that
before, I decided to take a full year and storyboard
the entire script. It was a huge undertaking, but by
the end of that year I had 1500 images,” Sikora
says. “Storyboarding is really where I learned
filmmaking.”
TO THE NIGHTLIGHT
SOON
NIGHTLIGHT
CINEMA.COM
30 N. HIGH ST, AKRON
Influenced by legendary comic book creators like
Stan Lee and John Romita, Sikora is also the creator,
co-writer, colorist and letterer of the comic book
series “Apama: The Undiscovered Animal” about
Cleveland’s own superhero.
“To this day I’m constantly pulling that comic book/
illustration background. Comics are far and away
my favorite art form,” he says. “It’s an extremely
underappreciated art.”
ONE-LINE LESSON:
Absorb many influences,
but take your own path.
ONE-LINE LESSON:
May 29 - June 11
Let your talent be your strength and
use your passion for change.
Preceded by the new
Don Hertzfeldt short
“World of Tomorrow”
EX MACHINA
Ted Sikora
Director of indie flick “Hero Tomorrow”
Alanna Romansky and Sean Derry
Founders of None Too Fragile Theater
“…one can get to a point
where they 'live' the arts. “We want to produce
It’s in the fiber of nearly them in an area such
everything you do.”
as Akron where there is
a vast amount of talent
and a hunger for, dare I
say, a renaissance?”
You don’t produce over 50 profile documentaries
for the Cleveland Arts Prize and walk away without
some new understanding or perspective. For
filmmaker Ted Sikora, it was realizing the arts can
be as much who you are as what you do.
“There was a quote up in my high school art class
at Holy Name in Parma: ‘Science is the means by
which we survive, arts are what make survival
worthwhile.’,” he recalls.
For Alanna Romansky and Sean Derry, starting
None Too Fragile Theater just made sense.
“We want to produce shows that we feel
are socially relevant, thought-provoking, and
engaging,” Romansky says.
The “story-obsessed filmmaker” who directed
“Hero Tomorrow,” an indie flick one reviewer called
“among the cream of the crop” at Comic Con
She comes by her creativity honestly. Her mother
when it debuted, Sikora found his own way as a
was an interior designer with a love of “all things
storyteller.
artistic” who involved her kids in “any and every
class we could take from a young age to see
“I didn’t go to film school or obtain any formal art
what peaked our interests.” That included choir,
school training,” he says. “I think my foundation
piano, violin, dance, art and modeling, but theater
as a storyteller comes from a rabid love of comic
“floated to the top” for Romansky.
June 5-18
WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
A withdrawn teen befriends a mysterious girl in the latest from Studio Ghibli
most interesting person
MICHAEL AYERS
the Most Interesting Person We Know
written by Elizabeth Tyran and photography by Shane Wynn
NAME: Michael Ayers
MY WORK: “I’m a muralist heavily influenced by
graphic design and typography.”
BIRTHPLACE: Akron
FAVORITE FOOD: “Not picky. I’ll eat anything.”
FAVORITE POSSESSION:
“My collection of sports memorabilia and a resin
and marble cast relief of Mary’s face from
Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta.’"
I
t’s almost 7 a.m. and there are eggs and toast
for breakfast before it’s time to leave for work
at Akron’s minor league baseball stadium,
Canal Park. But he’s not a player, and he’s not
part of the park’s administration or crew. Michael
Ayers is an Akron born and raised graphic designer
turned muralist. Ayers graduated from Kent State
University having majored in graphic design and
minored in typography. After doing graphic design
work for the Akron Beacon Journal for 27 years,
the company was forced to eliminate his whole
marketing department. He enjoyed working for
the Beacon but says he was still too young when
he left to spend his days fishing, so he resorted to
plan B: he became a freelance muralist. He tells
me that when he started he didn’t know what he
was doing because he’d “never worked that big
before,” referring to the scale of his new art form.
Since that initial transition, Rubber Ducks owner
Ken Babby has hired Ayers to do several interior
murals at Canal Park starting in 2012 when he
bought the team. Another mural Ayers is known
for is of jazz artists on an outside wall of the Civic
Theater at Lock 4, the site of Akron’s summertime
Lockbottom Blues and Jazz concert series.
His work area is quite a different story from his
paint smudged t-shirt and he acknowledges that
when it comes to his space, he’s a very neat painter.
However, when it comes to himself, “I get it all
over me.” There is a 4’ x 12” clear plastic sheet on
the floor along the wall as a precaution, but I could
hardly find a drop. He washes his brushes in a
restroom sink in the Press Box area of the stadium.
It’s a far cry from the Quaker Steak and Lube in
North Canton where he did his first mural while
the restaurant was being constructed. There he
had to rinse his brushes in the only available source
of running water which was outside, and it was
winter, in Ohio. “But”, he says “those are the kinds
of challenges that you just rise to and that become
part of the story.”
Today I’m watching him in action, quietly and
methodically, he shades the ripples of a baseball
player’s uniform in Prismacolor pencil. His overall
process includes painting the shapes of the figures
with white flat interior wall paint over the existing
satin-finish paint so that his acrylics will have a
better surface texture to set on. He refers to his
style as “semi-photo realistic”.
especially if it’s a good day.” By a good day he
means when the work is coming together. “There
are days,” he adds, “when it just won’t.” There
was one Diet Pepsi can on his 4-step ladder and
another on his cart of supplies a few feet away. I
think tomorrow I’ll bring him a sandwich, even if it
is a good day.
He stayed at the park until just 4:30 on this
particular day because a University of Akron
vs Kent State baseball game would be starting
soon. When he got home, he played with his one
year old grandson, Christian, until it was time
for dinner. They were having Christian’s favorite:
mashed potatoes. After dinner, Michael watched
the Cavs game and before bed he searched one of
his favorite websites, 1001 Fonts, for the perfect
lettering to incorporate into his current mural. So
much thought, so much detail and tremendous
talent—it’s no wonder so many rely on Akron’s
master of murals, Michael Ayers.
Even with the amount of detail and thought that
goes into each design, the 20-30 foot murals like
the one he is painting now will only take him in
the ballpark of three weeks from start to finish.
He stresses that, “The design is key.” He attributes
his history as a graphic designer to his ability to
balance color and form. “He says you might be
able to draw and execute well, but a bad design
can ruin everything.”
I asked him if he takes a lunch break, he said “No,
not usually. I don’t like to stop once I’m going,
He stands 6’1”. He’s wearing a pale blue t-shirt
that is just starting to fray a little around the collar
and little smudges of paint can be found scattered
about the front like what you’d see on a painter’s
palette. “I can look at the different colors of paint
on my shirt and be reminded of the different
murals I’ve worked on,” he tells me.
"Design is key." Muralist, Michael Ayers,
18
a day in the life
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...
DANE LEASURE
by Noor Hindi
Name: Dane Leasure
Gig: Founder, Rubber City Shakespeare
In 10 years, Akron will be… "The next Arts Hub. We'll be cooler than Pittsburgh,
but still have a small town feel."
The best place to go after an opening show…
"Definitely Lockview for some grilled cheese and goldfish!"
Your pets are… two black labs
First time you picked up a Shakespeare Play was in…
"Fifth Grade. I probably had no idea what I was reading."
Remnants of Crafty Mart are being put away
as I walk into Summit ArtSpace, the quasi-arts
incubator where Rubber City Shakespeare makes
its home. This is where founder Dane Leasure
greets me, his goofy smile welcoming me to the
second floor.
Managing director Chris Simmons is laying on the
floor when we step inside. Noticing my snicker,
Leasure comically addresses the scene. “So… we
just finished a meeting.”
It’s no surprise that founding a performance art
company would make life hectic, but Leasure’s chill
personality betrays his 12- to 14-hour work days,
like this is the new normal. “At the end of the day,
it’s about doing the shows and making connections
with the audience,” says Leasure. And for him, it’s
all about the audience. Known for their eccentric
and unconventional twists on many Shakespearean
plays, “Rubber City Shakes” makes everything your
ninth grade English teacher taught you seem like a
ploy as you watch the actors jump from chairs and
crawl underneath your feet during shows.
“You know, when Hamlet turns to you and says,
‘To be or not to be? That is the question,’ then you
feel like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m right here friend, what
do you need?’ So every time I start a show I always
tell the actors, ‘If we have 12 actors, we actually
have 13—the 12 of you and the audience’,”
says Leasure.
His newest idea centers on Akron and threatens
to change the way we look at “Macbeth” forever.
In their upcoming production, Duncan will be a
foreman in a rubber factory. The play, through the
characters of Macbeth and Duncan, will highlight
the social dichotomy that spawned the rubber
strikes. Cool, right?
ArtSpace, where he spends the rest of the night
with actors and actresses. “[I’m] surrounded by
visual artists and people who are just so passionate
about nonprofit and passionate about the work
that they do and [I’m] just like ‘Yes! These are
my people!’”
He started down this path in sixth grade when
he starred as “bad news” Balthasar in “Romeo
and Juliet.” He laughs loudly as he explains the
penciled-in mustache he wore as he approached
Romeo to tell him Juliet is dead.
“We are Rubber City Shakespeare, so we need to
do things more Akron-centric,” says Leasure. “Like,
let’s make this Akron!”
He says he has wanted to create a classically-based
theater company since his undergraduate days
at the University of Akron. The decision to start
Rubber City Shakespeare while he pursued, fulltime, his graduate degree at Mary Baldwin College
in Virginia, was bold.
Leasure stays inspired by surrounding himself with
people who are fundamentally creative. He starts
his days by working at the Akron Art Museum,
and then takes a short walk after work to Summit
“I always remember as an undergrad telling my
friends what I wanted to do and they’d look at me
and say, ‘You’re crazy,’ and then I came back and
said, ‘We’re going to do it,’ and they were like,
‘What? Really?’”
Some even questioned his decision to form a
company in Akron, but for Leasure, it was the
perfect place to be. “I wouldn’t have come back
to Akron if I didn’t love it, and one of the things
I’ve always wanted to do as part of this is create
this theater that people could come to from all over
and show people that Akron has some cool stuff to
offer,” says Leasure.
Leasure led me to the room where many of Rubber
City Shakespeare’s productions are performed. Just
to the right of the room, giant windows overlook
downtown. His hands relaxed inside of his pockets,
Leasure sighed. “Yup. This is Akron.”
Connect with Rubber City Shakespeare online at
RubberCityShakes.com or at Facebook.com/
rubbercityshakes
// Noor Hindi is a student at UA who works for the AkronSummit County Public Library and writes for The Devil
Strip. She likes reading and all things tea.
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
19
Music, Bars & Nightlife Title
ON STAGE WTIH
11After
celebrate 10 years
as wild women rockers
by Brittany Nader
When Akron’s own “Bad Girls of Rock ‘n’ Roll”
play out, blocks of the city become neo-Sunset
Strips, bringing to mind leather-clad angels and
glitter-soaked devils with big hair, bad attitudes
and a lust for loud, fast, gritty music pulsing
through the venue. 11After may, collectively,
have 50 years of musical experience under
their studded belts, but these five women play
like young rebels with a surprisingly sweet
melodic inclination.
Deanna “D” Cruise leads the all-female group,
an enigmatic vocalist who could give Joan
Jett a run for her money. With swagger and
kohl-lined eyes, Cruise bewitches those she
encounters, not only with her raspy punk rock
yowls and on-stage energy, but also with her
dry wit and conversational depth. How does
she feel about being named one of Akron’s
bad girls? “Well, that nickname came from a
concert we played in Lima,” she says. “Maybe
we should really be called the ‘elderly girls of
rock ‘n’ roll.’’
“D is definitely a bad girl,” guitarist Leah
Davis says.
“I am a rebel,” Cruise says. “I just don’t get
caught. Back then I didn’t care … but now
it’s more about the audience and the music.
20
Closing the door on the past and opening new
doors for maturity.”
11After has shared the stage with a number
of party-centric musicians, including Skid Row
and Lita Ford. Cruise and Davis, along with
guitarist Christina “CC” Crago and drummer
Kat Grimm, toured the country with various
musical projects before joining forces in Akron.
Each brings a diverse range of influences to
the table, from Patsy Cline to Neil Diamond,
Yes to The Alan Parsons Project, and even
The Buggles. The resulting sound is eclectic,
sometimes poppy, and other times raw, in-yourface power and rage.
After two albums and a decade of debauchery,
the group is striking a balance between the
rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and matters close to the
heart. Davis, who joined the band just last year,
mixes her life on the road with her full-time role
with the American Friends Service Committee,
a Quaker organization fighting economic and
political injustice.
Through the organization, Davis plays an
integral role in rallying the local community
around peaceful protests and military antirecruitment for young people who may be
faced with little to no alternatives.
“I think being
a musician and
being an activist go hand in hand,” Davis
says. “It puts us in a pretty cool position to do a
benefit for somebody and have our voice heard
in a way that not everybody can.”
The rockers take great pride in using their
instruments as tools for change and also have
played in support of fellow musicians, such
as the late Dimebag Darrell from Pantera,
as well as the LGBT community during the
2014 Gay Games. Chrissie Hynde even took
notice, they’re told, when 11After performed
a benefit show at her now-closed restaurant
VegiTerranean.
Two of 11After’s songs, “Blood Drawn Oceans”
and “Government Conspiracies,” illustrate the
band’s commitment to issues both social and
political as they begin a new chapter in their
musical careers. Cruise says they’ve learned a
lot, not only from fans and new listeners, but
also from other musicians who may not have
taken advantage of their platform for inspiring
others to take positive action.
Cruise worked with Jani Lane, the late Warrant
front man and hard-living Akronite, who
produced her previous band’s first album.
Music &
COncerts
Although
the project provided a
tremendous opportunity, she says Lane was at
the tail end of his substance abuse during the
recording sessions, and he taught her many
lessons about what not to do as a front person.
11After is working on a new release featuring
classic-style, Muddy Waters-inspired blues,
and impromptu songs written in-between
shows and sets. The group kicks off its new
performance schedule on May 30 at the
Dunes Resort Michigan “Summer Women’s
Weekend.”
// Writer Brittany Nader is a digital marketer who can
often be found petting cats or eating pizza.
Pick up 11After’s albums, “Because I Said
So” and “Too Old N Ugly,” on iTunes, or
check out the group’s powerful pop rock
anthems online at the following places:
www.11aftermusic.com
www.youtube.com/11afterband
www.facebook.com/11After
Ongoing
Akron Summer Concert Series
7 p.m. (FREE)
Head to your local parks every week for the
City of Akron’s summer concert series. Bring a
chair, have a picnic dinner, and catch up with
your neighbors. This summer’s series will run on
Mondays at Hardesty Park, Tuesdays at Firestone
Park, Wednesdays at Shadyside Park, and Fridays at
Goodyear Heights Metro Park.
WONE’s Rock The Lock
Fridays at 7 p.m. at Lock 3 (FREE)
Every Friday in the summer, hit Lock 3 for a great
classic rock tribute band. Don’t miss Full Moon
Fever, a tribute to Tom Petty, on May 29 and Big
Eyed Phish, a Dave Matthews tribute, on June 5.
www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com
ZOMBIE WALK
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TK.4.865x6.5 Ad.indd 1
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www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com • www.akroncivic.com
5/21/15 5:32 PM
For the last seven years, Annabell’s and Old School Sinema have teamed up for this unique, all ages
way to raise money and collect food for those in need. Would-be zombies started shuffling into the
Highland Square bar around 2 pm for makeup and by 5 pm, they were taking over the streets, celebrating
into the evening with bands, food, games, giveaways and brew. These images say more than our
words can so enjoy these shots, provided courtesy of Paul Hoffman Photography, who you can find at
paulhoffmanphoto.com or at Facebook.com/paulhoffmanphotography
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Glenn Zaleski Trio
8 p.m. at BLU Jazz+ ($12)
Originally from Boylston, Mass., Glenn Zaleski is a
jazz pianist/composer currently living in Brooklyn. In
2011, Zaleski was a semi-finalist in the Thelonious
Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, as
well as a finalist for the 2011 APA Cole Porter
Fellowship in Jazz. Join us as we welcome the
Glenn Zaleski Trio to the Rubber City for a very
special evening of high-caliber, swingin’ jazz.
FRIDAY, MAY 29
Bobby Selvaggio’s Transcendental Orchestra
The Transcendental Orchestra is Bobby Selvaggio’s
newest project: a hybrid ensemble that combines a
jazz quartet and a string quintet. Featuring Akron
favorite Theron Brown, catch this new group as
they make their BLU debut in what is sure to be an
exciting night of live music.
Get On Up
9 p.m. at Jilly’s Music Room (FREE)
111 N. Main St., Akron
Get On Up is Northeast Ohio's new funk authority,
throwing a big party each and every time they play.
Leave that 9 to 5 up on the shelf, and come enjoy
yourself.
Sean Kelley & The Ohio Jukes
9 p.m. at Musica ($10)
Sean Kelley & The Ohio Jukes are a band fully
committed to the heart and soul of their audience.
Influenced by rock, funk, soul, folk and jazz, they
have a unique sound you won’t want to miss.
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
21
SATURDAY, MAY 30
SPO TLIGHT
Rock It Off
Benefit to Stop the Violence in Support of the
Battered Women’s Shelter
7:30 p.m. at Musica ($10)
Help raise money to furnish rooms in the newlyrenovated Battered Women’s Shelter. Featuring
performances by Alexis Antes, Collideascope,
Melissa McCollister and Olivia Leib.
Doo Wop Legends in Concert
7 p.m. at Akron Civic Theatre ($25 and up)
This all-star lineup of Doo Wop Legends includes
Gene Chandler, who still performs with his cape
and top hat, The Charlie Thomas Drifters, Jay
Siegel’s Tokens, and Tommy Mara “The Pavarotti
of Doo Wop” and The Crests. Stroll down memory
lane with these gold record artists.
Mo’ Mojo
Mo’ Mojo is a hard-driving, high-energy, “PardiGras” band. The female-fronted group features
three-part harmonies, accordion, fiddle, guitar,
rubboard, sax, trumpet, harp, bass, percussion
and drums. Songs are sung in English and French.
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Elephant Revival
7:30 p.m. at GAR Hall ($27) | 1785 W. Streetsboro Road, Peninsula
Elephant Revival weaves a musical tapestry from its members’ disparate
influences. They believe that even when we don't understand one another's
languages, we can be moved by a rhythm, soothed by a song. They’re
joined on stage by Akron/Kent-based Americana outfit The Speedbumps,
who recently released a new album, “Soil to the Seed,” which was funded
on Kickstarter.
Mo' Mojo takes Zydeco music and infuses it with
Americana, Cajun, reggae, rock & roll, funk, R&B
and African and Latin rhythms.
known for their complex, guitar-driven progressive
compositions, as well as Faith Mountain and
Pleasure Leftists.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
Haunted Summer w/Relaxer, Faith Mountain,
and Pleasure Leftists
Haunted Summer crafts languid dream pop
music that feels both timeless and nostalgic.
They’ll be playing with Akron favorites Relaxer,
Old Man Luedecke
7:30 p.m. at GAR Hall ($7)
1785 W. Streetsboro Road, Peninsula
Driving a Nashville band from beginning to end
with his recognizable voice, Old Man Luedecke
is an artist honing his cunning lyrical flair –
tenderly pushing the boundaries of his
storytelling with his unique mix of folk,
bluegrass and pop hooks.
Jam Session with Theron Brown
Don’t miss the once-monthly BLU Jazz Jam Session,
featuring some of the finest musicians on the
local jazz scene. Come hang, have a drink and
experience this exciting forum for
musical expression.
BEHIND THE BAR
ADAM
PAYNE
@ Square Bar
by Sarah Stubbs
Name: Hometown: Lives in: Works at: Adam Payne
Born in Texas, raised in NEO: Portage Lakes, Manchester area
West Akron, right around the corner from Highland Square
Bartender at Square Bar – also is a studio artist on the side
What was your first night like?
I worked at Swenson’s for three years before I came
to bartending and when I started at Square it was
actually Mardi Gras so I was sort of thrown to the
wolves on my first day but I somehow survived. It
was crazy, though. The regulars are characters. I
had some beads thrown at me and I was trying to
concentrate on how to make a screwdriver and I’ve
got people saying do this, do that – you can fill in
the blanks there.
Name one thing, good or bad, that you
wouldn’t know if you weren’t a bartender
I wouldn’t have a fraction of the connections that
I do now if I hadn’t started bartending. Everybody
knows the bartender and the bartender knows
everybody. I know politicians and judges and
lawyers and just people from all facets of life from
all over the city.
Best tip you’ve ever gotten?
I got a 100 percent tip on an $85 tab and just
recently. He was a very good customer. I kind of
22
helped him out. He wanted to buy a round of shots
for a bunch of people and it was on a crowded
night – I offered to grab a tray and come out
from behind the bar and help him disperse them.
So I think he appreciated that little bit of cocktail
waitress service.
Where do you go when you’re not at work?
As far as where I go to have fun, I go to my bar. It’s
within a safe distance from my house, I get half off
my drinks, and all my friends are there. I don’t have
any reason to go anywhere else.
How do you know it’s going to be
a good night?
Happy hour kind of indicates what kind of night
it’s going to be. Weather obviously is a factor, too.
But one thing I did learn while I’ve been bartending
is that the full moon affect is a real thing. When
it’s a full moon, you know it’s going to be a crazy
night. I would say anyone in the service industry,
medical field, works with children will tell you that
it’s gonna get crazy if it’s a full moon.
What’s your favorite thing
about Square?
My job seldom feels like work
because I’m basically throwing
a party for my friends every day.
People kind of understand that it’s
a gay bar but what it really is, is
an everybody bar. I like to call it
an everybody bar. We get people
from the LGBT community but
it’s not limited to that at all. The community part
of that is key. I think our bar is the safest place for
questioning people to go in the city because it’s
friendly – we’ve got people young and old from all
different backgrounds getting together and having
fun. It’s fun. It’s safe. It’s clean. That’s what draws
me there on my days off after working there
seven years.
Has bartending at Square influenced/affected
your art at all?
I get to bounce a lot of my ideas off of my patrons.
Especially the happy hour people – our regulars –
they have become
really good friends of mine. They’ve
got my back. Whenever I do shift from bartending
to a more professional life with my art, I know that
they’re going to help me and push me in the right
direction. They’re going to give me connections.
Absolutely my bar has influenced my art.
I hear you’re known for your passion fruit
long island, any other staples?
I make a pretty mean margarita. We are known for
our martinis big time at Square, though. One of my
favorites is the pistachio ice cream martini.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
Tom Tallitsch Trio
8 p.m. at BLU Jazz+ ($12), 47 E. Market St., Akron
Tom Tallitsch is a saxophonist, composer, Posi-Tone
recording artist, music educator and host of “The
Modern Jazz Radio Show” from New York City.
Tallitsch brings along his all-star band, featuring
Grammy-nominated and Hammond-endorsed
organist Brian Charette and drummer sensation
Jordan Young.
SPO TLIGHT
SPO TLIGHT
instrumentation and authentic heartfelt lyrics.
Celebrate the release of the group’s first EP
with this show and pick it up for half price. Also
featuring Across the Viaduct, Entendre, Starlight
Secret and The Hundred Hand Band.
Dierks Bentley, Kip Moore,
Maddie & Tae and Canaan Smith
7 p.m. at Blossom Music Center ($46)
1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls
Capitol Nashville superstar Dierks Bentley takes to
the stage for the Sounds of Summer Tour, bringing
with him a winning lineup that mixes elements of
modern country, classic country, bluegrass
and rock.
Roger Hoover & The Hurt
8 p.m. at GAR Hall ($7)
1785 W. Streetsboro Road, Peninsula
Folk singer and guitarist Roger Hoover's plaintive,
original brand of arcane folk and blues seem to
come from some unknown time and place. These
are timeless laments and rambles of a guitarist and
banjo player who grew up on a canal in a small,
post-industrial Rust Belt town.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
Extra Spooky
Four sultry gents from Akron showcase an eclectic
musical style partnered with a high-energy live
performance.
Blu Monsoon
Nuevo
54 E Mill St, Akron
This jazz, blues and funk band hails from Cleveland
and is made up of a handful of the most talented
and experienced college musicians in the area.
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
Umojah Nation
Nuevo
54 E Mill St, Akron
This “eight-piece cast of expert musicians and a
heaven-sent chorus of back-up singers” plays a
varied stockpile of popular cover songs from the
likes of Bob Marley and Freddie McGregor to Tanya
Stephens and Buju Banton. Umojah Nation prides
itself on vibrant live performances that entertain a
diverse crowd of any age or demographic.
Heart
7:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Live ($55)
10777 Northfield Road, Northfield
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ann and Nancy
Wilson first showed the world that women can
rock when their band, Heart, stormed the charts in
the 1970s with hits like “Crazy on You,” “Magic
Man,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On” and so many
more. Don’t miss your chance to see them in
Northeast Ohio.
SPO TLIGHT
on the record
Reviewing Johnny G’s
‘Road Worn Man’
by Brittany Nader
John “Johnny G” Gouskos has been
playing music for 53 years and hadn’t
stepped foot in a recording studio until
this past February.
His debut album, “Road Worn Man,”
contains 14 tracks that tell the story
of a weathered troubadour inspired
by a hardened life and the breadth of
everyday heroes and local musicians
he has encountered along the way.
The album is, at its heart, a collection
of stories. Gouskos blends folk
traditions with jazz arrangements, resulting
in a sonic mosaic pieced together by a slew
of collaborators bringing his musical vision to
life. Some of these featured players are friends
eager to contribute to the release, while others
are admired peers helping out a man who has
been crafting tunes since the age of 13.
The opening track, “Almost Gone,” feels
a bit like a sketch, with Gouskos’ smooth
vocals the key element carrying the somewhat
sparse composition. Jack Kidney’s flittering
sax dances around the lyrical story like smoke
licking the air. Gouskos’ rhythmic wordplay and
references to drunken sailors, autumn moons
and raging bulls bring to mind early Tom Waits
or Hemingway prose, their visuals equally
intoxicating and effervescent.
The song glides nicely into “Calamity,” a
woeful ballad featuring unexpected scatting,
jazzy piano and honey-rich bass. Gouskos
mentions in the album’s liner notes that the
each track comes from a dusty box of songs
he has carried around with him, summarizing
the pages of his checkered life. This tune is a
prime example, as he sings its storied blues so
solemnly.
It is evident that, as a songwriter, he prefers
to keep his work open and ready for fill-in
musicians to add their own style and flavor
wherever they see fit within the arrangement.
This album is truly an ode not only to the
past, but also to a future filled with new faces
and talent that are so abundant in our little
Midwestern corner of the world.
Keys & Corridors EP Release Show
Keys & Corridors is an alternative rock band
from Akron with soaring melodies, guitar-driven
24
A standout on the album is “I Could,” a song
written, interestingly, by Gouskos’ pal Chuck
Auerbach in 2009. The lyrics fell into his hands
at an open mic night, with Auerbach insisting
Johnny G take a chance and compose an
arrangement to play on the spot. It’s likely the
song has evolved from this encounter several
years ago, and it is a prime showcase of
Gouskos’ jazz vocal stylings and influences.
Each song gets stronger as the album spins
on, with players like Jared Lees on bass and
drummer Nick Kopko having moments to shine
and adding a lushness to tracks like “Out’a This
Town” and “Time With Jimmy.” Gouskos laid
a solid framework for this production, allowing
his contributors to bulk up the foundation with
their own individual backgrounds and points
of view.
After so many decades playing music around
town at events like Square Fest and Porch
Rokr, Gouskos may still be finding his own
voice. Though he freely admits his guitarplaying could use a bit of polish and shine, his
strength is clearly in his songwriting, with vivid,
true-life stories illustrating his time in the Navy,
stumbling in and out of bars and searching for
something, anything, as so many of us do.
For a debut release with such a collection of
featured musicians and influences present,
“Road Worn Man” is a cohesive assortment of
tracks joined together by Gouskos’ consistent
vocal range and strong lyrical content. “Rock
Me Baby” is a notable tune that captures the
essence of his delightful rambling and the
strength of the stories on the release.
Whether Gouskos chooses to take future
recordings in a resonant, more alternativefolk direction, or keep it stripped down to the
essentials, it’s clear he isn’t done sharing the
tales of a hardworking mason, loyal friend and
road-worn man roaming the streets of Akron
collecting inspiration along the way.
// Writer Brittany Nader is a digital marketer who can
often be found petting cats or eating pizza.
The Pizza & Jojos Beat
THE DISH
Gino's
Pizza
What to try in some of the
Akron area’s most
aesthetically appealing
eateries...
Have a cup of Stray Dog coffee with your breakfast, brunch or sandwich next to the downtown
library, surrounded by local artwork in the COFFEE POT CAFÉ (60 S High St, Akron)
the unassuming pizza shop
At DBA, you can easily forget you’re in Akron for an evening, mistaking it for Manhattan as
you dine on their Coriander Rubbed Duck Breast with pickled papaya, peanut basmati rice and
shiitake puree. (21 Furnace St, Akron)
Take in the exclusive jazz photo archive at BLU JAZZ+ while you enjoy some music and their
Seared Grouper with cilantro, lime and rice. (47 E Market St, Akron)
by Jojo Pizzaface’
Braised Brisket, brined and rubbed then slow-roasted for 12 hours and served with buttermilk
mashers in the art-covered walls of the Chowder House (2028 Chestnut Blvd., Cuy Falls)
I drive through this one
neighborhood on my
morning commute—to
nowhere and back to
nowhere. It’s what’s
in the middle, along
Copley Road, that
brings me here, to
this page and to this
particular place. In the
squinty eyes of dawn
when people are just
waking up—people like
you and me, Akronites
working the long
hours, pounding the
pavement and greasing
the skids—nothing
stands-out, but at that
time of day, nothing
really blends in either.
This early, the pizza place I always pass is, of
course, closed because the only pizza people eat
in the morning is the pizza they bought the night
before. But this little shop, Gino’s Pizza, catches my
eye as people wait for the bus or to merge on to
I-77. The nine-to-fives, the forty-hours-a-week, the
promise of overtime, the prayer of the weekend.
The building’s red brick contrasts with the other
storefronts, all along a certain sort of street. A
street like Copley Road is waiting to rise from the
ashes, but it’s not completely burned down either.
As a passerby, I get the sense that there’s some
revival brewing not too far in the future, but I also
get the sense that the traumas of the past aren’t
too distant in the rearview mirror.
I’m not gonna lie to you. The main drag has a
busted-up lip. There were good times somewhere
in the past and there are good times in the future,
but the dust hasn’t settled yet, the place hasn’t
quite got its bearing back, it’s still a little worn for
the wear.
But haven’t we all been?
You know, worn down a little?
And we all need that little
kick, too. A wake-me-up.
And maybe that can come
from an understated
pizza shop or the smell
of smoked meat (there’s
an actual smoker in the
parking lot, belonging
to Pammie’s next door)
or the little chicken wing
shop, Wing’s 18, with its
signature Akron sauce.
Nuevo’s Vieiras, pan-seared scallops, may be the best thing you’ve ever eaten—served with a
cilantro potato puree and rainbow chard—but the hip, modern take on Mexican culture makes
the experience even better. (54 E Mill St, Akron)
Gino’s though, by no
means, is new. It’s been
around—a lodestone of
sorts, a place the area can
grow from. The little strip
it’s nestled in—strip after
strip, actually—has the
makings of a microscopic
renaissance: it has the
food, which means people care; it has the proximity
(if you build it, they will come); and it has Akron,
which is going through a renaissance of its own.
Look, I’m the sort of guy who enjoys a good pizza
and tells his friends about it. The sort of guy, just
like you, who drives the same way to work, at the
same hours, past the same pizza shop. The kind of
fella who puts his pants on one leg at a time and
stops by that little pizza shop on a whim.
But I’m also the sort of guy who can recognize
when something good is brewing. And it may not
look especially glamorous, not at first anyway. And
maybe I’m nuts. And maybe it hasn’t been noticed
for a reason. However, this unassuming pizza shop,
in a worn down strip mall, in the bad-mouthed
part of town could be an omen of better things to
come? A rebirth of a neighborhood?
Or maybe it’s just a pizza shop. And that’s okay too.
GINO’S PIZZA
1374 Copley Rd
Akron, OH 44320
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
25
Reading comics in public
HOW DO YOU KILL
SUPERMAN?
BIG IDEA
by Isaac Kelley
I was ten when I heard that Superman was
going to die. It was 1992 and I had read
the news in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Superman was going to die. It seemed like
nonsense. Superman was defined by his
superness. The notion that he could actually
be killed off didn't make any sense. And yet,
there it was in black and white: The people
at DC Comics were going to
kill Superman!
More significantly, beyond the characters I
knew from the screen, it turned out there
were tons of other co-stars: police officers,
mad scientists, barflies, orphans and
superheroes. There was a hobo village under
Metropolis half-populated by sympathetic
monsters. There was a secret government
cloning facility hidden under a nearby
mountain. Oh, and the editor of a major
news magazine was apparently Satan. It
seemed like the entire city of Metropolis
starred in this book, and Metropolis was a
wild, exiting locale.
To me, reading about Superman's
impending doom in the paper felt like my
first time witnessing a major historical event.
I was a kid and somehow losing Superman
seemed like the equivalent of the JFK
assassination or the sinking of the Lusitania.
And yet, no one I talked to seemed to care
much. Everyone had heard the news, but it
didn't seem to be a big deal to anyone. My
mom tried to explain it was just a publicity
stunt. I seemed to be the only person who
felt this was important. It was historic. What
did it mean if Superman could be killed?
In 1992, I was not a comic book reader.
I had inherited some small number of
mediocre secondhand comics, “Richie Rich”
and “Baby Huey,” and my mom had bought
me an “Archie” digest once. I had never really seen
the appeal of comic books. I liked superheroes but
I had learned about them through TV, movies and
cultural osmosis
Everything changed for me when I started reading
Superman comics. After I had read the story in
the paper, I found the start of “Doomsday,” the
storyline that was to culminate in this historic
death. These issues were exceedingly boring,
little more than a protracted fight that held little
suspense, with the outcome being no surprise at
all. It is a testament to how invested in this storyline
I had become, because I stuck it out for six weeks
until the climax wherein Superman died saving the
people of Metropolis, cradled in Lois Lane's arms.
26
I had stumbled upon a complex fictional
world full of interesting characters with
hundreds of issues of backstory. When
Superman, the hero of what was supposed
to be his story had died, his loved ones
grieved, but their lives continued on. The
comics continued without him. It wasn't a
subtle or nuanced meditation on death, but
to my ten-year-old self, this forced me to
think about mortality in a way I never
had before.
After Superman died, the comic books bearing
his name kept being published and I kept reading.
These stories became much more interesting.
Superman was dead and yet his books endured.
Without Superman, the narrative followed the
goings on of his supporting cast, which was much
larger and weirder than I had expected.
Some of the characters I was already familiar with:
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen and Perry White I knew
from every depiction of Superman ever. Other
characters I thought I knew, but in the comics,
they were nothing like what I expected. Lex Luthor
was a giant hairy Australian. Supergirl was a
shapeshifter. The two of them were lovers. It
was weird.
Of course, Superman eventually came back
from the dead but for dozens of issues, I
was following the adventures of Lois Lane
and Supergirl and the Major Crimes Unit and
Lex Luthor and a bunch of new fake Superman
characters. When Superman finally reappeared,
sporting his new 90's supermullet, it was cool but
he was just one more character in added to the mix
of a story already in progress. I wasn't reading for
the hero, I was reading for the crazy complicated
world he had lived in and died in and now lived in
once more. I was hooked and that didn't change
when Superman came back. It was the beginning
of a weekly comic book habit that has lasted for
over 20 years to this day.
Della Rucker
what’s the BIG IDEA
with this Akron essay collection?
NAME / AGE: Della Rucker / 46
JOB: Writer, speaker, adviser for people
who want to make their cities better
HOMETOWN/HOME NOW: I live in Cincinnati.
I'm from Bedford. I like Akron. A lot.
CONTACT:
@dellarucker on Twitter or wiseeconomy.com
What’s your BIG IDEA? Working with a group
of Akronites to create “a collection of written
reflections from people all across the community
(who you might not have heard from before) and
it will spread from there to newspapers, websites,
maybe podcasts and in-person events. We're
looking for people who want to be part of this—no
writing experience required.”
How do you hope this makes Akron a little
better? “Akron and other cities like it need new
ideas, new voices, new people who come from
more, different perspectives than we've usually
included in figuring out the future of a community.
I see this as pioneering a new way to empower
residents to be heard, to make a real impact on
how their city grows and changes in the future.”
“Part of the reason why I love this idea is
because we need to find new ways to
hear other people's voices- their experiences with
our city, their assessment of the challenges, and
how they think we can address them.
Our old ideas aren't working very well, and we
need all the new ideas we can get—especially from
people who aren't the usual political insiders.”
the find
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE
WAITING FOR A CALL
FROM COREY FELDMAN
by Ariel Hakim
I don't know how the Akron RubberDucks
scheduled Corey Feldman’s May 30 appearance,
which highlights the team’s observance of the 30th
anniversary of "The Goonies," but I was ready to
ride those coattails.
A month before, I put in the
interview request and the
RubberDucks said it was a go,
but when it came down to
actually setting a day and time,
we got no further word from
Feldman's people.
I had given up hope, having
hearing nothing, when
all of a sudden—as my
deadline approached for
this issue—Adam from the
RubberDucks gave me the
news in an email: "Ariel,
it looks like Corey will do
a phone interview. When is best for you?"
It was probably lucky for me I didn't know sooner
I'd get to talk to Feldman. Before I'd even thought
up any questions for him, I was all sweaty palms,
shaky and I couldn't be entirely sure I wouldn't cry
while on the phone with him. I mean, we're talking
History
Lesson
Why are Akronites so
loyal to a chip dip they
can only get at Circle K?
by Joanna Wilson
On the other hand, I’m an unwavering
fan, and I’d also done
my research.
While Googling him in my
few odd free hours as mom
of a 2-year-old, I came across
a blog post by novelist Randy
L. Shaffer detailing a 2010
visit Feldman made to Akron
on tour with his psychedelic
rock band Truth Movement,
which stopped at Annabell's.
During the show, a drunk guy
repeatedly yelled, "Do Mouth
from 'Goonies'!"
Shaffer argues Feldman deserves
more respect. He's preaching to the
choir. Just imagining the scene at Annabell’s that
night makes me want to punch the heckler.
If Corey had called, I would have asked him about
his impression of Akron and its people. And if he
I hosted a party a few weeks back and made sure
to include a tub of Lawson’s chip dip on the snack
table. What Akron party is complete without
Lawson’s chip dip, right? But why did I need to
go to Circle K to buy another convenience store’s
product? This is the question that lead me to seek
out a logical answer.
While I’m old enough to remember Lawson’s
convenience stores on what seemed like every
corner in the greater Akron area, what I didn’t
know was that Lawson’s began right here. During
the Depression, dairy businessman James “J.J.”
Lawson was looking for a way to cut costs, making
the bold decision to eliminate milkman delivery
service and the necessary bill collection it came with
in order to pass on the savings on to his customers.
Starting in 1939, customers could visit The Lawson
Milk Company store at the corner of the dairy
plant in Cuyahoga Falls and fill a gallon jug of milk,
saving themselves 16 cents. Lawson’s business plan
was a success and he could barely keep up with
the demand. Soon branch stores were opened.
The industry took notice when milk was cheaper
in Akron than any other major market throughout
the country. In 1958, after 20 years, Lawson sold
his company which included almost 200 stores to a
national firm, Consolidated Foods.
Consolidated Foods expanded the Lawson’s stores
to more than 700 and eventually sold them in the
Corey. Feldman. And who am I–small town reporter
in mom jeans–that Corey Feldman would take time
out of his busy, fancy life to talk with me?
mid-80s, at which point they became Dairy Marts.
The convenience stores were sold again in 2002
and became Circle K stores. Despite the change in
company ownership, there continues to be a huge
demand for Lawson’s chip dip. Dairymens Dairy
in Cleveland now makes it and it continues to be
carried in local Circle K stores. And, that ladies
and gentlemen, is why every Akron party needs
Lawson’s chip dip.
Many former Lawson's/Dairy Marts
in the area can still be identified
by their distinctive decorative
storefronts. This building has since
been adapted into an auto repair/
sales company near the corner of
Oakwood Drive and Graham Road in
Cuyahoga Falls.
This is where the history of Lawson’s gets weird.
In the mid-1970s, Consolidated Foods signed
a deal with a Japanese company to expand the
Lawson’s convenience stores overseas. That is why
you can visit Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China
today and shop at what they call Lawson (and
Lawson Station) in more than 12,000 locations.
More recently, they have expanded into Hawaii. If
you’re wondering if you can buy Lawson’s chip dip
in Japan, the answer is ‘no.’ Only Circle K carries it.
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
27
inner artist
Eat, drink and set your inner artist free at
DR. SKETCHY’S
anti-art school
…………………
by Jenny Conn
Photos courtesy of Shane Wynn
Whether you’re darn near as talented as
Rembrandt or a master of the stick figure, an
evening at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School can set
your inner artist free.
figures. The models aren’t nude, but Jilly’s staffers
often draw the blinds as the evening goes on.
Conceived in 2005 by art-school dropout Molly
Crabapple in a dive bar in Brooklyn, New York, Dr.
Sketchy's Anti-Art School has branches all over
the world.
Art students bring their own supplies and for a $10
fee are immersed in a life drawing experience like
no other: they eat and drink while drawing lavishly
costumed models on a festooned stage with mood
music lacing the air.
As a former Dr. Sketchy Anti-Art School student, Dr.
Bill enjoyed the experience so much he took over
Akron’s branch about five years ago. “I won two
out of three of the contests held,” he says. “My
ego and love for drinking and drawing consumed
me, and drove me to take over the branch for
my own.”
Burlesque performers, fire breathers, ballet dancers,
roller derby girls or pole performers, each model
brings the flavor of her craft to the Dr. Sketchy
stage and ultimately the artist’s eye. The sequined,
fish-netted and boa-clad models assume poses
conveying each event’s theme. Past themes have
included the 1958 film “Attack of the 50-foot
Woman” and “Grimm’s Fairy Tales.”
May’s theme, “A Show Girl’s Day Off,” featured
model Dahlia D’Luxe in frilly (and tiny) bottoms
topped with a spangled brassiere, later replaced
with sequined pasties. The stage’s backdrop
shimmered with gold fringe while furniture was
draped in satiny jewel-tone fabrics.
Opening the class, Dr. Bill Sketchy (Akron artist Bill
Lynn) encouraged the artists to interact. At first the
model holds a pose for a short while, he explains,
but as the night goes she is open to suggestions.
“When our model is inspiring us we celebrate by
making a lot of noise and by that we mean catcalls
and hollering,” Dr. Bill says. “At Sketchy’s if you just
stare at her like you’re staring at me right now she
thinks she’s doing something wrong , so you’ve got
to let her know you love her.”
28
Artists in attendance represent myriad skill levels.
Dr. Sketchy enthusiast Chuck Ayers, best known
as illustrator of the comic strip “Crankshaft,”
appreciates the sense of freedom the Anti-Art
School affords him.
“Ninety-nine point nine percent of what I do for
a living is projects where there are deadlines and
other people to be satisfied,” Ayers says. “Here
people are yelling and saying fun things and it’s
relaxed; more like going to a party.”
Fervently sketching across the room is Scott
Moynihan, another Anti-Art School regular. An
overnight maintenance crew supervisor, Moynihan
has donated some of his Sketchy art to the Coffee
Pot Café at the Akron-Summit County Public
Since then, Dr. Sketchy's has held public and
private events all over the Akron area. Ayers
compares Dr. Sketchy’s with the life drawing classes
he once took at The University of Akron. “I fell
in love with the act of drawing at that time and
Library. His favorite themes have been Dr. Sketchy’s I think in some ways it influenced a lot of other
Aztec night and Little Red Riding Hood. “I got
things I’ve been doing,” he says.
some really good stuff out of Red Riding Hood,” he
says. “It just depends on the model.”
But there was a down side. “They would lock up
the doors and post somebody to keep everybody
So how hard is it to draw sparkly things? “That’s
out,” he recalls. “Here, you don’t have to lock
the fun part,” Ayers says. “If I were doing this for
anybody out. When I first came here everything just
a job that would be the challenge. Here if I don’t
started flowing again. It was fun and I was listening
want to draw them I’m not going to draw them. I
to music, I had a beer and I had some food. We
just do what interests me.”
didn’t do that in life drawing class.”
Drawing sparkles isn’t daunting for Moynihan
either. “I have a problem with the boas,”
Moynihan says. “They hide everything. I don’t want
to draw feathers; I want to draw the figure.”
Dr. Sketchy’s happens the second Tuesday of
each month from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.at
Jilly's Music Room. Check out Dr. Sketchy’s
Anti-Art School at Drsketchy.com and on
Facebook.com/drsketchyakron.
Dr. Sketchy’s offers plenty of opportunity to draw
misc.
dreams did I imagine my own comix being such a
hit over there.
D: I can tell you what happened to him right
after the events of “Punk Rock & Trailer Parks,”
because that’s my new web comic, “The Baron of
Prospect Avenue.” Otto was planning to set off on
And, yeah, “Punk Rock & Trailer Parks,” which
adventure, but he stopped in downtown Cleveland
was published in French last year, also became a
on his way out of Ohio to stock up on books at the
bestseller and also won a book prize. It’s the coolest legendary Kay’s Books on funky Prospect Avenue,
thing that’s happened to me, since I’m very proud
and his car was stolen while he was
of that book, and it only sold modestly in the U.S.
That’s the benefit of following a big bestseller —
browsing in the sci-fi section. So, he was stranded.
instead of preceding it, as “Punk Rock & Trailer
Mrs. Kay hired him to run the basement stockroom,
Parks” did here. It cracks me up that the French
and Otto found lodging in an abandoned dentist
have embraced this goofy tale of Akron. In fact,
office on the top floor of the Old Arcade, where he
they’re fascinated about our apocalyptic Rustbelt.
also serves as night watchman.
‘How could a thing such as Akron be allowed to
happen?’ they frequently ask me. I have no answer So, the story will go from there, involving the usual
to that.
bizarre adventures and colorful characters. There’ll
be punk rock stars — and even a serial killer. I used
to make pilgrimages when I was a bored teenager
to Kay’s, which had over a million books, and
B: When you visit, do you get nostalgic for the dirty, the record stores on Prospect, which could have
grimy downtown Akron you depict in the book?
doubled for a Blaxploitation film set. I’m having fun
with it, and Otto is such a great character to write.
D: Yeah, there’s a lot I miss. Not the dirt and grime,
but the places and people I knew. Most of both are
long gone. There are four generations of die-hard
Akronites preceding me, all of whom were born,
lived and died in the Rubber City and would never
have lived anywhere else. My mom is still there.
Me, I couldn’t get out of Richfield and Akron fast
enough, to be honest. I left for college right after
high school graduation. I was so amped to leave.
I’ve lived in big cities ever since and eventually
wound up here in Cleveland, much to my surprise.
That wasn’t the plan, but it’s been good for me.
SEVEN
EIGHT
B: If your character Otto were roaming the streets
of Northeast Ohio right now, what do you think
he’d be up to?
// Writer Brittany Nader is a digital marketer who can often
be found petting cats or eating pizza.
Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS
DOWN
3 What nationality are artists Frida Kahlo and
Diego Rivera?
1 What painting by Edward Hopper portrays people
eating at a diner late at night?
4 What country is DaVinci and all the other TMNT's
namesake painters from?
5 Who painted 'American Gothic?'
7 Where was painter Edgar Degas born?
2 Goya worked for the king of what country?
6 In what period did DaVinci and all the other
TMNT's namesakes paint?
8 In what period did Velazquez paint 'Las Meninas?' 9 What painter cut off his own ear and sent it
to his girlfriend?
10 'Water Lilies' is actually 250 paintings by Monet.
What type of paintings did Monet paint?
12 What type of painting as are Diego Rivera best
know? Hint: they are on walls.
11 This painter's statue of David
is nude and was created around 1500.
18 'The Kiss' by Klimt is a painting, but 'The Kiss' by
Rodin is a_________.
13 In the painting, 'American Gothic' by Wood,
what is the man in the painting holding?
19 Finish this title of a painting by Van Gogh, The
Potato..............
14 In the painting, 'The Birth of Venus' by Botticelli,
the goddess is standing in an....
20 What do over half of Degas' paintings depict?
15 Who painted Whistler's Mother?
16 Who painted the 'Blue Boy?'
17 'The Thinker' is this painter's most famous piece.
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
29
your turn
WHY I’M SAYING ‘NO’ TO
The University of Akron
REBRANDING STRATEGY
by Noor Hindi
I didn’t mean to attend the University of Akron. But
standing in the middle of Buchtel Common had me
feeling sentimental, so naturally, I started counting
the number of family members before me that had
attended and graduated from UA.
Eight. Eight family members had once stood in the
exact same place I was standing that day, so what
the hell, I might as well, right? UA felt like home to
me and it was a proud moment.
The Hindi legacy was to live on at UA, and I was
never to regret this decision, at least not until this
last semester with the announcement of their
rebranding strategy.
But see, for me, it’s not even about the rebranding
itself. The additional “Ohio’s Polytechnic University”
to be located at the end of “The University of
Akron” isn’t truly what angers me – it only acted as
a catalyst for the other problems I am having with
UA. So allow me, for just a second, to
speak about the other issues we have at UA and
why this move is unproductive to the future success
of our university.
In my two years at UA, I’ve seen students panic as
they watch their programs cut. I’ve seen underpaid
professors quit from years of frustration as they
watched their class sizes grow and voices heard less
and less. I’ve seen the arts marginalized, and I’ve
seen us become rich in everything but academic
quality. We offer our students flashy marketing
techniques and state of the art athletic facilities,
yet they are being held back because their advisors
are doing the job of five people. There is a tension
between students and faculty that are striving for
a high quality education versus an administration
that looks at us like walking dollar signs.
My problem with UA centers on money and faulty
decision-making when it comes to where our
money goes: academics versus marketing intended
to attract more students because UA can’t keep
enough due, I think, to the many internal problems
we have.
About a month ago, UA introduced the new
GenEd Core, which will allow students to take
general education classes at $50 per credit hour.
Although reducing costs for students seems like
a grand idea, the administration failed to address
that critical classes, such as English Composition 1
and 2, cannot be taught online and offered at such
a cheap rate without sacrificing academic quality,
and that the professors who will be nailed with the
consequences of this decision were the last to hear
about it.
And now this: “The University of Akron |
Ohio’s Polytechnic University.” President Scott
Scarborough has argued that the name polytechnic
represents all fields studied at UA, but a quick
Merriam-Webster search says the opposite:
“Related to or devoted to instruction in many
technical arts or applied sciences.” What upsets
students like me—those of us who study in
fields that aren’t in the technical arts—is that we
feel like we are being further marginalized and
undervalued. This strategy, officially announced
at Scarborough’s May 15 City Club Speech in
Cleveland, has also drawn criticism from those who
argue that spending millions on rebranding doesn’t
help remedy many other issues at UA.
Through this rebranding strategy, I fear UA is
moving in a direction that undercuts the ultimate
vision and responsibility the University of Akron
has to the broader community and to its students,
faculty and alumni. This is a responsibility that
involves providing an educational experience that
is both of quality and excellence. As one Facebook
commenter stated, “Please, Dr. Scarborough,
change the product, not the can.”
// Noor Hindi is a student
at UA who works for the
Akron-Summit County
Public Library and writes
for The Devil Strip. She likes
reading and all things tea.
The John Puglia
New York City Travel Fund
for Art Students
by Chris Horne
The poet Ezra Pound is frequently quoted as
saying, “All great art is born of the metropolis.”
And that seems like a nice way to start a piece
about the memorial scholarships that bear artist
John M. Puglia’s name. It is, after all, an endowed
fund intended to send University of Akron art
students to this country’s great metropolis, New
York City, for the sake of being inspired to do
more and better art.
But Puglia’s work kept coming back home to
Akron, which was evident late last June when
the Myers School of Art hosted “Never Not
Working,” a retrospective that spanned his career,
collecting in one space his work as a student at
UA, copies of his indie art magazine M-80 and art
revolving around his interest in the city’s factory
culture and in Akron’s heavyweight champion
boxer Michael Dokes.
The exhibit was meant for more than paying
tribute to Puglia, who at 48 died in 2013 from
30
Now consider the Ezra Pound quote in its context:
“Galdos, Flaubert, Tourgenev, see them all in
a death struggle with provincial stupidity (or
Jammes in ‘La Triomphe de la Vie.’) All countries
are equally damned, and all great art is born
of the metropolis (or in the metropolis). The
metropolis is that which accepts all gifts and all
heights of excellence, usually the excellence that
is tabu in its own village.”
cancer. Accompanied by an auction that also
included work by other noted artists, his friends
and colleagues were able to raise money the
money needed to fund this scholarship, which
extends his influence outside of his work as an
artist.
As a student, Puglia took a trip to New York
City that, in the words of photographer Andrew
Borowiec, a UA Distinguished Professor Emeritus,
had “a profound and lasting influence on his
life and art.” Starting this year, the scholarships
will help make the same opportunity possible for
young artists.
While Puglia worked for Roadway Express and
later WhiteSpace Creative, he seemed drawn to
the fringe, starting Millworks Galleries in 1990,
just two years after graduating college, in the
once-abandoned BFGoodrich factory downtown.
Even in his corporate work, he was on the leading
edge. His Roadway website is in the permanent
collection of the Smithsonian, an example of one
of the first corporate sites made.
John Puglia found something in New York City
that stayed with him throughout his life as
an artist but he brought it back to his village,
establishing in his work some sense of that
accepting metropolis.
For more information regarding the John M.
Puglia scholarships, contact the University of
Akron’s Financial Aid Office at 330-972-7032 or
by email at [email protected].
// Photos and images from uakron.edu
entertainment
Akron Abroad:
Lisa Howard makes it look easy on Broadway
by Christopher Morrison
Ron, a colleague at work, leaves me his Sunday
New York Times on top of a filing cabinet each
Monday morning. I try to rifle through sections
of it because my wicker newspaper bin at home
is overflowing.
Two months ago, while looking at the theater
section, I came across a striking photo of a
woman in red with a brilliant smiling face —
an actress named Lisa Howard, originally
from Akron.
Howard, 40, is a graduate of the University of
Cincinnati’s College of Conservatory Music. After
receiving her bachelor’s degree in theater, she
performed in many well-known productions
across the country and on Broadway, including
“Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “9 to
5.” She also had a role in the film, “Twilight:
Breaking Dawn, Part II.” She has most recently
found success in the role of Jenny Steinberg
in “It Shoulda Been You,” a show that opened
last month at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in
New York City. Playbill has chosen Howard’s role
as a breakout performance for the 2014-2015
season, and she has also been nominated for the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress.
Three days after “It Shoulda Been You” opened
on Broadway, I spoke with her about her starring
role, auditions and Akron.
Christopher Morrison: When you were
growing up in Akron, what inspired you to act
and sing?
Lisa Howard: I liked to listen to musicals, like
“Grease” and others. I performed in musicals,
but first there was King Elementary School, not
far from Portage Path. I went to Firestone High
School, and then there was the ETC All-American
Youth Show Choir. That’s where I really caught
the ‘bug.’
CM: Did family and friends encourage you?
Did they understand when you told them you
wanted to perform?
LH: Yes, my family has always been very
supportive. If you have a passion that you're
good at, and if you can be successful in a
business, like show business, then great. Follow
that job, or go back to school, whatever you
choose. So far it’s been working out.
didn't seem totally put off by his previous visit, I
might have even suggested that this might just be
the right kind of family-friendly town to raise his
son, 10-year-old Zen, out of the public eye. That
might resonate with Feldman, who has been vocal
about his own difficult upbringing and I suspect,
has every intention of shielding Zen from the
ugliness that went with growing up in Hollywood.
His 2013 memoir, "Coreyography," doesn't sidestep any of what he went through; in fact, he tells
all about the ultra-dysfunctional parenting that led
to his emancipation at 15, and he doesn’t shy away
from writing about the pedophiles in the business
who preyed on him and his friend, Corey Haim.
He writes about his own drug abuse, arrests and
awkward climb to sobriety. And he writes about
the terrible downfall of Corey Haim and his 2010
death. Yet it's not a self-pitying book.
Still, I'd like to ask him where he's gotten the
courage to keep reinventing himself after all he's
been through, how he has managed to refuse to
believe his best years are behind him.
fragile I didn't share them with anyone except for
my husband until after they were totally shot.
Then when I do confess to my little sister, who
wasn't born until the '80s, that I am disappointed
he hasn’t called, her response leaves me a bit
baffled and largely unsatisfied.
"Corey Feldman?" she asks me quizzically. "Is he
from Akron?"
CM: Akron isn't NYC. Where did you hang out
for fun?
LH: In the seventh grade, out in Copley, there
was this dance every other Friday at the Copley
Community Center. In the eighth grade, there
was Photon Laser, a laser tag place that had
a dance night. In my sophomore year of high
school, everybody wanted to drive, so we used
to hang out at the McDonald’s parking lot in
Wallhaven, then maybe Bob’s Big Boy on West
Market Street. Of course, there was Rolling Acres
Mall; inside was a place called Showbiz on Friday
night, plus all the conveniences of Christmas
shopping there, and getting your hair done at
Hair Care Harmony.
CM: When you were growing up, did a lot of
your friends want to leave Akron?
LH: Funny you say that. Akron’s not that small
of a town. I mean, I never got that impression
… A lot of people who I grew up with stayed (in
Akron) because there’s culture, and it’s a good
area to live.
CM: You’ve done both Broadway shows and
film. When it comes to performing, does it feel
the same for you?
LH: Both theater and film use the same skills, but
at the same time, a show runs from beginning to
end; it’s a journey that stays pleasant for a period
of time. Film time is disjointed, a slower process;
then
you get to a moment when
you have to do it over, and then it’s done —
locked and loaded.
CM: You’ve been doing this for quite a while.
How do you get ready for opening night?
LH: It’s one of those things …You rehearse the
songs, and you have months to prepare, time to
develop your character, just doing what you do.
…We'll rehearse, and sometimes you think, ‘Oh
my gosh, I’ve never done it this way before, and
you start being really comfortable with the role.’
CM: What’s next for you and your career?
LH: This is a career-changing event, and it’s a
step up in my career. (My plan) is for this show
to run, hopefully, for a year. I have a contract for
a year, but of course I’m always looking for new
work. Just because I’m on Broadway doesn’t
mean I just sit back and not look. I’m in the press
a lot, promoting the musical and interviewing,
and that’s work too.
You can follow Lisa at
www.lisahowardnyc.com.
There are just enough years between us—six—that
she is truly unaware. She hasn't even seen "The
Goonies," nor "Stand by Me," those pre-teen
adventure movies that rank as classics for me. My
untouchable loyalty to Feldman relies squarely on
those two films. I didn't remember, until reading his
book, he was first in "Gremlins." To be completely
honest, I've never seen "Dream a Little Dream,"
and it wasn't until recently that I watched "The Lost
Boys," which turned out to be not really my type of
thing. Feldman's more recent works are completely
lost on me. I totally missed his major television
forays, “The Surreal Life” and “The Two Coreys.”
And I'm also entirely perplexed by his “Corey’s
Angels” project, which appears on the surface to
be a way for him to surround himself with pretty
ladies in lingerie, though in his book he refers to it
as a “business venture” and says it’s “an exclusive
social club and management company.”
What I believe is his official Twitter account is
smattered with pics of him with his "angels,"
and one recent tweet was: "CALLIN ALL HOT
MODELS & ANGELS: WE R THROWING A
SMALL @CoreysAngels EVENT 4 A PRIME TIME
MAINSTREAM NETWORK SHOW! IF YOU R HOT
N WANT 2 B SEEN," and continues with another
tweet explaining how to get in touch with
him. Yikes!
So, I may not be his most consistent or well-versed
fan, but even so, if you see me pressed up against
the gates before they open at Canal Park May
30 hoping to catch a glimpse and ready to fight
anybody who even so much as mutters a negative
word against him, don't be surprised.
My hopes for a phone call from Feldman were so
MAY 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #6 /
THE Devil Strip |
31

Issue 6 - The Devil Strip

Transcription

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