Akron Music, Art & Culture
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Why don’t zombies eat clowns? Rare grooves: How the Rock Mill will Altered Realm Radio knows (pg. the hidden history of make you glad to climb the 10) Akron’s Soul Toronadoes (pg. 25) walls this winter (pg. 31) DECEMBER 2015 • VOL 1 • ISSUE #16 • THEDEVILSTRIP.COM The Devil Strip FREE ture Akron Music, Art & Cul When being home for the holidays means you work the bar (page 10) Welcome Akronites clearly love this city but it’s anchored by cause to remember this city is more than where the something heartbreaking and heavy, the residue world’s tires were born. That means we can reclaim of a 30-year-old story that Akron is a place people our cultural touchstones, from Devo and Rita Dove leave. However, that story is falling apart. Folks to Michael “Dynamite” Dokes and Dick Goddard… are realizing Akron is more than that. The faithful, I mean Jim Jarmusch and Lux Interior to Ruby & the whether they’ve been at it for two years or two Romantics. decades, aren’t just succeeding. They’re growing in number. Devo, Rita Dove, Chrissie Hynde, the Knights, Ruby & the Romantics, Jim Jarmusch, Lux Interior, The Devil Strip Cleveland is hanging on for the Cavs to win a title, Dynamite Dokes, James Ingram, Lewis Miller, ture Akron Music, Art & Cul but Akron won the moment LeBron announced he Stanley Ovshinsky, Clark Gable and Dick Goddard Publisher >> was coming home (though he never really left the (just kidding), to name only a few. As impressive as Chris “Somehow missed the 330). If you’re going to turn your narrative around, that bunch is, bouncing back has more to do with email you sent in June” Horne it helps to have the greatest NBA player of his the small, local stories because they’re our mortar. Art Director >> generation on your side. Little things help too. Alesa Upholzer, Talented and Patient This is how we see ourselves at The Devil Strip, Visuals Editor >> Little like TinyCircuits (page 38), which ships wee telling stories about Akron to remind ourselves that Svetla “The Balkan Comrade” Morrison arduinos all over the globe, creating jobs for young, this place isn’t just capable of greatness but that talented folks here. It’s also about people who it’s achieving it on the regular already. Our writers, Copy Editor >> Jessica “My name is not Jecca” Cherok Once upon a time, not all that long ago, my aren’t household names, like Robert Keith, who photographers, editors, street team and sales folks favorite restaurant was the Marathon gas station came back from NYC to teach drama at Miller are all after the same thing: To be the mirror this Sales Director >> on MLK in downtown Macon. I’d given up on South (page 14), his alma mater. It’s about small community deserves. TJ Masterson – [email protected] using the kitchen in the apartment I shared with shops, like Sweet Mary’s Bakery (page 20) which The Editorial Team >> Roger Riddle, and I was often too broke to dine is run by boomeranged native Mary Hospodarsky, Thanks for giving us the opportunity. We’re excited Arts Section Editor: Bronlynn “Space Kitty” Thurman out. Except at gas stations. who became my hero when I read this: “It dawned about the 2016 that lies ahead for us all. Assistant Arts Editors: on me that the reason there’s nothing down here Megan "insides made of cheese" Combs, On a typical visit, I’d buy two packs of cigarettes is that people like me won’t take the initiative to Take Care, Chris recovering loser/hoser/poser then grab a hot dog from the roller, load it down bring something down here.” After nine years of Noor Hindi, Will Get Back to Chris about That with free condiments, especially relish and mayo hustle, she’s just opened a storefront downtown. Community & Culture Section Editors: for added heft, and chase it with Little Debbie M. Sophie Hamad, ambitious wordsmith and mama cakes. A bag of Tom’s salt and vinegar chips was This issue is unintentionally, but also unsurprisingly, Katie “Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory with a candlestick” Jackson 99 cents, and the Powerade was usually two- thick with good stories coming out of the University for-$1.50. This Marathon also served sausage and of Akron, ringing with this new narrative about Assistant Culture Club Editor: egg biscuits, made from scratch. When I couldn’t expats returning and transplants setting down Ilenia “Our Short, Tired Garbanzo Bean Eatin', WTF Video Girl Writer” Pezzaniti afford anything “fresh” from the warmer, I settled roots. for a Slim Jim. I may weigh more now, but I’m Music & Entertainment Section Editors: healthier, which isn’t saying much. The Akron Poetry Prize (page 12) is run out of UA Jenny Conn, Real O.G. Storyteller Mackenzie “Needs a whimsical middle name” Mehrl Press by Mary Biddinger (Issue #1), who hails from I believe the two most important stories in the Illinois and was recently awarded a NEA grant as Music Editor: Brittany “Sass Master Flash” Nader world are the story we tell ourselves about a professor poet at the university. California native Staff writers >> ourselves and the story we tell the world about Marie Bucoy-Calavan (page 7) is doing big things Andrew “Has a mighty fine beard” Leask; Christopher who we are. We don’t choose whether to tell these for UA’s choral program. with K “not to be confused with Chris H” Morrison; stories but we can choose what story we tell. If Roger Riddle, Wears the Purple Pants; Elizabeth “Only in Akron” Tyran; Joanna Wilson, you leave it to chance, you can end up on the gas Then there’s Liz and Nathan Yokum (page 31), Director of the Dept. of Tattoos & Morrissey station diet. I let my ego go unchecked because a former Zips who already run one business here, column I wasn’t paid to write made me popular on Rock Candy Holds, and are about to open up Columnists >> Holly “The Wanderer” Brown; Dominic Caruso, Swiss one side of two blocks in our small town. Without another, Rock Mill Climbing. But don’t sleep on Artsy Knife; Emily “Potty Perfectionist” Dressler and meaning to, I lived down to a story I told myself current students like our own Sophie Hamad and Marissa Marangoni, Bathroom Culture Enthusiast; about being a funny, likeable drunk who could Noor Hindi (page 13), or Josh Gardy (page 29), who Chris “the Film Freak” Kessinger; Kyra “Drama Queen” Kelley; Natalie Warren, a Life in Red Lipstick; Katie string together words. I was, and can still be, a came from Phoenix but talks passionately about “Um, can you repeat the question?” Wheeler funny, likeable drunk, but I was, and am, more. I this town like a hard-core Akronite. just hadn’t realized it then. The A/V Club >> Paul “I don’t write” Hoffman; Jacob Luther, To think the university’s impact is only, or even the Towny Townie Toonist; Bronlynn “Enemy of largely, relegated to the economics of our largest Avocados, Destroyer of PEEPS” Thurman; employers is to sell UA and its people short. It is The Shane Wynn Supremacy bigger and more meaningful than the “run it like a Contributors >> business” argument. (You can run it like a university Allie Angelo, Mary Menzemer, Shelby Heitzenrater, Brit and still “balance your checkbook.” Businesses Charek, Craftiest Staff Writer/Maker of Empires; Jessica About the Cover Conti, Says She’s Not That Clever But Must Be Lying; are about making a profit, which shouldn’t be Mario Nemr (left) and Ray Nemer (right) Heather “Doctor, Doctor” Braun; Eric Morris, Was UA’s goal.) There are numerous reasons here and are cousins and grew up in very similar Abducted By Jojo Pizzaface’; Scott Piepho; Bert Stevens elsewhere to celebrate the cultural contributions to households: their parents' bars. They came ———————— ———————————— this new Akron story by the people who make UA up in now iconic Akron establishments CONTACT US: “one of our most valuable and treasured assets,” Maddy and Liz like Thursday's Lounge, Manny's and The Office ................................................ (330) 842-6606 to quote my favorite Akron Beacon Journal ad. Matador, so while most of us are napping off General Info .......................... [email protected] our holiday meals, folks like them--people in Advertising ............................. [email protected] Distribution [email protected] That changed after I met the smart, smokin’ hot Until recently, the city has struggled with the the service industry--are going to work. Since Website .................................. www.thedevilstrip.com blonde who would later become my wife. She saw same mindset, having limited its value to what they're the ones we turn to when we want Facebook .........................Facebook.com/thedevilstrip things in me I couldn’t fathom. Whatever it was, it produces and thinking mostly of that output to blow off steam with our extra time off, Twitter ............................................. @akrondevilstrip I began to see it too. This former two pack-a-day in economic terms. But even in the boom years, it only seemed fitting to turn our attention Instagram ............................................@thedevilstrip smoker has run three marathons without dying this place was always more than just the Rubber to what the holidays are like for them. The Devil Strip is published bi-monthly by Random Family, LLC. Akron in any of them. I’m also co-creator of a darling Capital of the World, and that is as true now as Fortunately, photographer Shane Wynn was Distribution: The Devil Strip is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader.