What are some exciting things happening at bounce?
Bounce Nightclub Hinge Lounge is new and improved. Recent renovations and an updated schedule have allowed us to become a community destination for the up-and-coming Hingetown neighborhood. Our kitchen will be open soon serving tapas style dishes and our bartenders are diving into the crafted cocktail movement. For us, it is all about bringing fresh ideas while keeping the spirit of Bounce alive.     

What should the patrons know about the new bounce?
Although the spirit of the old Bounce is still here, we are bringing our customers new entertainment, a variety of seating areas for whatever mood they are in and a fantastic new sound system for those ready to enjoy the back club and dance floor. With chic furniture added to the front lounge and a billiards room that provides a more quiet atmosphere, there really is something for everyone.

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE OHIO BURLESQUE FESTIVAL VIP AND RESERVE SEATS
HOST OF THE AUGUST 1ST RED BURLESQUE FESTIVAL AFTER PARTY 
PROSEATS TO DARE2CARE

Emily Gerson is the head designer at Visual Grammar 216, The fantastic Cleveland base handmade glittering accessory company has redefines self expression, fashion and glamour! We are lucky to sit down with her and talk shop as she will be sponsoring 
The Ohio Burlesque Festival.

OBF- How did you get started?

VG216- Yeeeeears ago my mom and brother took a trip to Japan, and my mom brought me back some very outrageous look books from the Harajuku district that just blew my mind.  Immediately I was obsessed, and took to etsy and ebay and google to find some of the accessories I saw in those holy pages of underground fashion!  Naturally, everything in my price range was basically crap, and everything I wanted was waaaayyyyyy out of my price range so I gave up on it for a bit.  Then one day while I was discussing my frustrations with a friend, he just looked me square in the eye and said "I bet you $100 you could make some of those yourself".  So I took $100 to Pat Catans, bought some supplies, and before I knew it I had like, oh I don't know... probably 73 mini hats and fascinators lol.  This project started to consume me!  So I figured I needed to do something else with them besides make them.  Thumbing through the Scene one day, squished inbetween the craft store my living room had turned into, I stumbled across an ad for this burlesque show at The Beachland on New Years Day!  Le Femme Mystique, you've heard of them, yeah?  Lol so anyway, the producer took a chance on me and let me come vend.  The rest is history ;)

OBF-What drives your designs?

VG216-Everything!  But mostly the things I love the most, and my mood when I sit down to create.  I'm a moody gal lol, but I think over the years I've managed to make that work for me with the broad range of genres I've dabbled in.  I adore everything from bubblegum pop culture, to the dark and occult.  I'm an information sponge... and my designs are a reflection of all the people I've ever met, and all the experiences I've ever had so far.
But also swarovskis.  There's just nothing better than opening up a 10 gross pack of elements, twisting off the cap of a fresh tube of e6000, strapping on the old respirator and making some breaking bad sparkling magic happen!

OBF-The flowers are rhinestone by hand along with other accessories, What inspires you?

VG216-I know this sounds cheesy and like I'm pandering... but honestly the thing that inspires me the most is the people I meet and connect with when I'm vending a show.  The look on someone's face when they try on something and it's just very "yes, yes this feels right, and this is the thing that's been missing from my life until now".  
It could be an $8 necklace, or a $100 hair flower, in that moment, the price of the sale is completely irrelevant.  Everytime I meet someone new and they find that one thing they've been searching for, it really is a thrill.  It takes me back to the feeling I had when I first thumbed through that look book and felt myself light up.  So I'm like an adrenaline junkie always chasing that high now lol... searching for the next new thing, how I can re-make something better, my next clever design... the conversations I have with the people I meet vending is always a new experience and inevitably inspires my next batch of wares.

OBF-Where have you vended?
VG215-Oh gosh, lol, where HAVEN'T I vended?  Local burlesque shows, national burlesque shows (NYBF, Southern Exposure, Southern Fried, Fierce!, and countless smaller shows in Detroit and Pittsburgh over the years), zombie walks, Cleveland Bazaar (hi boss lady!), horror conventions, Ingenuity, Oddmall... I know I'm leaving some things out here and there, but I'm sure you get the point!

OBF- Where can we find you ?
VG216-1st and 3rd saturday of every month I'll be vending at Market Sq. Park (w25th and Lorain) from 10-4, 
last saturday of every month at Crocker Park from 10-4 with The Cleveland Bazaar.  
In the 216 carries some of my wares, and every Cinema Wasteland show!  
I'm always looking for new things popping up in Cleveland though, check my instagram feed for all the latest shows.
...and definitely more Le Femme shows!

OBF-Do you make custom orders?

VG216-Those are my favorite orders!  If you can describe it, I can make it :)

You can find Emily with Visual Grammar 216 Online 

Facebook.com/VisualGrammar216
Instagram: VisualGrammar216

In The 216
Etsy.com/shop/VisualGrammar216 

Image Credit Steven Brown from Sainteven Photography

The red carpet will be rolled out as the international burlesque stars join together to celebrate eighty five years of burlesque heritage at The 5th Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival. 

The festival’s motto this year is “Harmony through Diversity” in order to best represent a community that is present and thriving worldwide. Over seventy performers will be included in the three-day festival, featuring burlesque, vaudeville, sideshow, and variety. 

Thursday, July 30th, 2015, the festival will kick off at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, located at 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, Ohio. Showcases will feature burlesque with a touch of comedy. Abby Downton and Erik Tate will host. 
Friday, July 31st, 2015, the festival continues at The Beachland. 
Friday’s festivities will feature the All Stars, which will give the unique nouveau burlesque experience that is energetic and notably over-the-top. Friday will be hosted by Foxy Tann (Minnesota) and feature headliners Bella Sin (Cleveland) , Dangrrr Doll (NYC), and Bazuka Joe (Chicago). 

Saturday’s Gala will bring elegance and grace laced with sass, combining a little of everything from a dynamic group of performers that are ready to shine. Aya Fontaine (Las Vegas) The Maine Attraction from NYC 1/3rd Of The World Famous Pontani Sisters, The Maine Attraction has been performing for industry titans like HBO, Univision and Bravo and names like Lady Gaga, Angie Pontani (Miss Exotic World 2008) to designer Marc Jacobs.

Tickets are available for a limited time at $50 for the weekend pass. 
Single day tickets will cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door with VIP and Reserve Tickets Available.

 www.ohioburlesque.com - www.beachlandballroom.com 

Presented by 
Le Femme Mystique Burlesque, Beachland Ballroom,
Midwest Grooming Company, Fear’s Confections and In The 216

Local indie darlings Seafair are gearing up for their forthcoming album release at the Grog Shop on 5/23. Their new album, The Querencia, will be the band’s first release on vinyl. We caught up with singer Chayla Hope about the album’s writing process and what’s up next for the sextet. Check it out!

How did the writing process change for your upcoming album, The Querencia? 
Some of our older songs were written before some of our members joined which didn't leave room for potential creativity. On this album however, everyone got their chance to write and create and that makes for something beautiful and unique. I couldn't be happier with the outcome!

Where did the name come from?
We took a very long time to come up with the perfect name for this debut. It had to have a large meaning. We were stuck, when out of nowhere Josh sent us this incredible word with the perfect meaning--querencia. If you look it up, there are plenty of different definitions for this word, but the one that stuck out to me was " the place where you are your most authentic self." Music gives me that.

What influenced your decision to press vinyl?
Some of us are pretty big into collecting. We are all happy to see vinyl making such a big comeback. Take me to a record store and I'm a kid in a candy shop!

You recently competed for a spot at Bonnaroo. How was that experience?
We may not have won, but it still felt like we did. The support we had throughout the competition was pretty moving. To see that many people believing in us and pushing for us to be heard by others was breathtaking.  

What is up next for Seafair outside of Cleveland?
We are playing a few shows out of town this month. 
Getting out and experiencing new places is a blast.

What do you think makes the Cleveland music community special?
There are so many stellar artists who come out and support one another. Don't even get me started on the talent Cleveland holds! It's insane! Everywhere I go in C-town, I hear a new act that blows my mind and it's growing exponentially!
 
Why did you pick the other two bands that will be playing with you on 5/23?
It wasn't hard. Midnight Passenger has a killer sound that we knew our fans would love. This will be the third time we've played with Regret the Hour. They are coming all the way from New York for this and I promise you, you'll want to go back with them just to hear more!


Seafair has released a New Video since this interview - 
Check Out Inferno

Celebrating Cleveland's Burlesque History, 

Ohio Burlesque presents 
The 5th annual The Roxy Remembered.
May 23rd at The Beachland Ballroom. 

Toni Elling (pictured) now 87 was born May 13th, 1928 in Detroit, MI.

Toni Elling began performing burlesque in the 1960s when very many dancers were giving up their pasties. Elling jump-started her career in Detroit’s The Flame Show Bar dancing for singer Jackie Wilson. In Cleveland, she performed at Sorma's (St Clair and E.26) for about two weeks during the first two years of her performing career. While in Cleveland, another dancer claimed the city was known for enjoying "floor work," but Elling replied, "I hate getting dirty." Instead, Elling preferred evoking classic elegance and refused to be held to the savage standards the then-segregated industry had for performers of color. She never allowed those standards to stop her from pursuing success and she was no stranger to the spotlight, having rubbed elbows with some of the best in the industry. She counted bandleader Duke Ellington, fighter Joe Louis, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. and Earl "The Fatha" Heinz amongst her friends. 

Elling's second visit to Cleveland was to help Duke Ellington write female jazz beat, which he would later reveal to her as the song "Satin Doll." She recounted his phone call and request she come to Cleveland the week of September 19, 1952, to assist him in the task when we spoke to her over the phone. She took the first plane out and arrived in the rust belt city to be swept up by a car and taken to the hotel to freshen up before headding to Town Casino on East 107th and Euclid. She wove her way through tables to sit at the bar as his final set finished. She sat smoking with a cigarette holder as she kept looking over her shoulder, watching for Duke Ellington to approach her. In later years, she asked Ellington to compose a song for her and it was then that he revealed he already had with "Satin Doll."

Toni Elling was awarded the 2014 Living Legend of the Year Award by the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. She is known for her kindness and willingness to help and 
nurture many of today's performers. 

International Awarded Dancers 
Bella Sin (Cleveland) and Lushes La Moan (Detroit) 
and Local Feature Doll Bambino 
Will be dancing thru the night along with Eliza Sidecar, Daphne Dangerfield, Charlotte "Slim" Pastie and Mahsitti Jade.

Tickets are now On Sale via Beachland Ballroom 
VIP $40 7:00PM Entry with Meet and Greet 
Reserved $30 
GA $17 / Doors $20
VIP and Reserve Ticket Holders will receive an Original 1959 Admission ticket from The Roxy as a keepsake from The Ohio Burlesque Festival collection. A Sign poster along with small gifts. 
This Show is Sponsored by In The 216 Located in Coventry. 

We Hope to see you there to celebrate our past and look forth our future.