As the fall elections approach, ending the “Bush Tax Cuts” is becoming a subject for increasing political discussion. Certainly, no one wants to pay any more than their fair share in taxes, or more that they have to. There seems to be some disagreement over what constitutes enough however, and whether some those who earn the most are paying enough. Cullen Hightower probably put it best when he said, “There’s always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little — and it’s always somebody else.”

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a man who has had his own problems with paying taxes over the years, certainly sees no problem with high earners paying more however. In interviews on most of the major networks last weekend, Secretary Geithner touted the end of the cuts. According to his interview on ABC’s This Week, “We think that’s the responsible thing to do because we need to make sure we can show the world that they’re willing as a country now to start to make some progress bringing down our long — our long-term deficits.” According to his interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, “I do not believe it will have a negative effect on growth”.

Setting aside the intelligence of such statements and economic philosophy for a moment, its apparent that Mr. Geithner has no problem using high earners to help the government balance its budget. The President meanwhile consistently maintains that his goal is to retain tax cuts for 95% of the American people. This curious number is one that organizations looking at taxes have been closely following for years.

According to both the National Taxpayers Union and the Tax Foundation, the 2007 tax information (the last numbers available) show the following:

• The top 1% of incomes in the US currently pay 40.42% of the nation’s tax burden.
• The top 5% of incomes (those that the Administration feels can accept more of the burden next year) already pay 60.63% of the taxes in this country.
• Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of wage earners in this country pay only 2.89% of the taxes on which this country operates.

Now some would say that such numbers indicate that the top 5% are already doing more than their part, but there’s more to these numbers than meets the eye. It should likewise be noted that most small businesses are “S” Corporations and that their profits are treated and taxed as the personal income of their owners. That means that the tax cut expirations will negatively impact many of the very people that have the best chance to have a positive effect on both employment and economic growth in this country. Higher taxes on them would mean less money to invest in building expansion, new equipment, and increased staff.

But wait, there’s more! Ending these ‘cuts’ will also raise the tax on capital gains from 15% to 20%, something guaranteed to discourage investors with any money from putting it back into the market. This lack of investment, beside stalling any recovery, will virtually assure that the money lost by 401k’s in 2008 will never be recovered.

If these two impediments were not enough to contaminate the numbers however, consider this. These changes would also re-establish the estate tax, taking its tax rate from 0% to 55% for everything over $2 million for families. While family farms have often been mentioned as targeted for destruction by this law, certainly many other small family-owned businesses would be forced to dissolve or go into horrendous debt if faced with such an onerous tax rate.

Support for penalizing the wealthiest 5% is not universal however. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve seems to support retention of the cuts, along with spending cuts. As reported in Bloomberg.com Bernanke Says Tax-Cut Extension Maintains Stimulus “In the longer term, I think we need to be taking steps to reassure the American people and the markets that our fiscal situation is going to be well controlled. That means that if you extend the tax cuts, you need to find other ways to offset them.” Translated, this means that perhaps with debt that’s gotten out of control, Congress and the President might consider instead ending its insult to drunken sailors by discontinuing a level of government spending that even these intoxicated voyagers consider fiscally irresponsible.

Even for the mathematically challenged among us, it’s becoming apparent the numbers no longer work. Government taking money away from people is never an answer to economic recovery and it’s time to say so. Moreover, with its creditors and citizens equally concerned over mounting debt, It’s time to tell Congress and the President that trying to run the country by these numbers simply no longer adds up.

Tim Higgins blogs at http://justblowingsmoke.blogspot.com/

Sinbad admits he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of playing Toledo.
The world-famous comedian, who has numerous TV series, movies, stand-up specials and more than 25 years on the road under his belt, said in an interview that every city has a feel and flavor all its own — but Toledo’s is one he hasn’t successfully tuned into just yet.
“Since 1982, when I started, I’ve been through the city many times,” Sinbad said. “You know, Cleveland has its own funk, and Dayton has its own funk, and Cincinnati — but Toledo, I never could figure out. It’s one of the hardest cities in Ohio, and one of the hardest cities on the road to figure out … there’s a strange flow there, and it’s very hard to figure out.
“The problem is never the material, the problem is trying to get people to come to the show, and then trying to figure out the flow of the city. Every city has a flow. Toledo has its own — I think because it’s sandwiched in between Detroit and other places, it’s got a mix of all this other stuff.”
But after a quarter century on the road as a comic, Sinbad’s not giving up on the Glass City. He returns to Toledo on August 6, 7 and 8, for appearances at Connxtions Comedy Club.
Though he grew into one of the most recognizable comedians of the late 20th century, the young man born David Atkins didn’t plan on being a comic — he just knew he wanted to be the center of attention.
“First, I just knew I wasn’t gonna work 9 to 5. I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, and it wasn’t so much as a comedian — I wanted to act, I wanted to play basketball, I’d be in a band, I’d play drums. It was many things. Comedy was not the highest on the list, either,” Sinbad said.

Sinbad

He said he was always pretty funny as a kid, but around eighth grade he realized how to control the way a laugh worked. Then, in college, “my assistant basketball coach actually wrote a routine for me, when some new recruits came in town. And I got up on stage. It wasn’t great, but it didn’t suck.”
His major epiphany came while serving in the US Air Force.
“The Air Force talent show really was it. I watched a guy come through named T.A. Burrows, and he was a ventriloquist. And I said, that’s it. That spoke to me, I’m supposed to be a comedian. It just hit me, I can do this.”
His first real breakout moments as a comic came through “Star Search,” a 1980s talent competition that spotlighted up-and-comers. Sinbad finds a world of difference between the show which first launched his career, and the reality competitions which air today.
“The biggest difference to ‘America’s Got Talent’ is you’ll find some raw people there, and you never know who’s gonna show up. ‘Star Search’ was set up to find people who already were on the path, and needed that last little kick in the butt. But you never saw a bad contestant. There was never a bad singer, there was never a bad comic. Everybody was accomplished, they just needed that last little push. So that’s what I think made ‘Star Search’ a little different.”
Over his career, Sinbad has always seemed to portray a very specific, positive worldview — one that he insists is not intentional, it’s just the way he looks at life.
“For me, it’s not so much not being cynical, or even positive. I say it as I see it. I try to be as positive as I can. At times I’m cynical, there are times I look at it as being crazy. I think I’m honest, that’s the most important thing. I think people got so caught up on me being a ‘clean’ comic, I hate the word. Just call me a comic.”
Among the topics to be justifiably cynical about is modern television. In the late 1980s, when Sinbad began appearing on “Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World,” the number of quality roles for African-Americans seemed to be on the rise. But now, over twenty years later, as he attempts to pitch a new show to networks himself, Sinbad noted how that trend seems to be going in reverse.
“Every time we make progress, then they take all the shows off the air. We make progress, then it stops. In fact, you never get a chance to get parity. When’s the last young black actor or actress who was a breakout star, able to keep growing and growing? There’s always one — there’s Will Smith, there’s Denzel, there’s Wesley Snipes, there’s Don Cheadle. But you always got one, there’s always one,” Sinbad said.
“The audience is ready for it. The people who run TV, they can’t even pick out a hit show, think about it. They can’t figure out how to make a hit show right now. So what they’re pushing is, ‘we can’t make it too black, or too Hispanic, or too Asian,’ because they think America — they ask, ‘Will America buy it?’ Well, I am American. This is America.”
And to Toledo, Sinbad makes a promise. “You come out to my show, you’re going to have fun. And you’re gonna hear my point of view, and — those who have not seen me live, you know, you thought I was funny on tape? You need to come and see me live.”

Pro Wrestling Ohio (PWO) may be a small, regional wrestling promotion out of Cleveland, but it is rapidly becoming the little company that could.
Founded in 2007, PWO has a weekly television show broadcast throughout the state on SportsTime Ohio. And now, its wrestlers and producers are preparing for its biggest show of the year. “Wrestlelution” will take place Aug. 1 at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland.

Gargano

For Joe Dombrowski, PWO producer and lead commentator, “Wrestlelution was a given. Every wrestling promotion has their ‘signature event,’ the show you know is going to be bigger than all the others. Of course, WWE has ‘WrestleMania,’ and before that WCW had ‘Starrcade.’ ‘Wrestlelution’ is our version of that, it’s our Super Bowl.”
“‘Wrestlelution’ is always that show that you look forward to at the beginning of the season; that’s going to be the final chapter for a lot of stories,” said Johnny Gargano, PWO’s current champion. “Everything that we do in Pro Wrestling Ohio pretty much builds to ‘Wrestlelution’.” The annual event has grown in popularity and importance with each passing year. The first ‘Wrestlelution’ in 2008 drew more than 1,000 fans, a record for the company at that time. Last year’s installment drew more than 1,400. Not bad for a small promotion which started less than three years ago.
“In 2007, there was another regional wrestling organization that many of us worked for that was making some decent waves, but as time went on, many of us became concerned over some of the business practices there and realized it could only go so far. In the fall of that year, a number of individuals broke away to form Pro Wrestling Ohio, pretty much literally from scratch,” Dombrowski said. “It’s been a very grassroots effort, and it has grown very slowly and steadily, but we’re very proud of the progress we’ve made in just a short time and the passion and heart of everyone involved.”
Through its weekly timeslot on SportsTime Ohio, PWO has garnered exposure not just on a regional level, but worldwide.
“It’s amazing how many people actually see the show. We get e-mails from Britain, from Mexico, from anywhere,” Gargano said. “It’s crazy an organization in Ohio is beamed all over the world like that.”
The main event for this year’s show features two local stars on the cusp of breaking out onto the national stage. Matt Cross, a remarkable high flyer, will wrestle champion Gargano, a name fans the world over are learning about very quickly. The 22-year-old is one of the fastest-rising stars in the game.
Gargano has made his mark on the national scene with a growing role in promotions like CHIKARA, Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE. But for PWO fans, Gargano has been a mainstay since day one, and has stolen the show with memorable matches at both previous ‘Wrestlelution’ events.
“I’ve wanted to be a wrestler since I was 8 years old, and I started training at 14,” Gargano, who trained in Cleveland, said. “It’s pretty much what I wanted to be my whole life. I wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, then I wanted to be a Power Ranger, then I wanted to be a pro wrestler. The first two things didn‘t work out well for me. I’m glad the wrestling thing caught on!”
Seeing stars like Gargano blossom is one of the things producer Dombrowski is most proud of. “When that happens, I think that is a testament to how hard all of our wrestlers work to better themselves and create opportunities to be able to compete on a grand scale,” he said.
It is that drive for excellence that Dombrowski feels will make the show on Aug. 1 a memorable one, for fans and wrestlers alike.
“These aren’t men and women earning millions of dollars a year under guaranteed cushy contracts — these are men and women who will do anything to prove they deserve to be in that same category,” he said. “PWO ‘Wrestlelution 3’s’ tagline this year is ‘A Defining Moment,’ and I believe it rings true. It’s a defining moment for our wrestlers to show what they really have to offer, and a defining moment as a company for us to hit the next level of our growth.”

E-mail Jeff at PopGoesJeff@gmail.com.

It has been said that where words fail, music speaks. If that’s true, then Tracy is the epitome of an orator. Making moves to become a major label R&B singer since 2005, Tracy has achieved the status that every Toledo artist aspires to obtain. And he took the road less traveled to get there.
Contrary to popular belief, Tracy wasn’t always popular in Toledo. He was an unknown singer and had to pay dues to get where he is now. From going to the clubs every weekend and relentlessly handing his CDs to the DJs, to buying them drinks, to carrying their music into the building for them, Tracy was determined to never fall on deaf ears.
Plenty of artists go into the clubs and try to give their music to the DJs, only to be never heard of again. The difference is, Tracy has the personality that draws people toward him. It is not enough to say, “Here’s my music. Play it.” One would be surprised at how much of a difference a proper introduction makes. “What’s going on? I’m Tracy, an R&B artist. I brought you a CD, so whenever you get a minute, I’d appreciate it if you checked it out and let me know what you think.” And he wasn’t afraid to give a variation of that speech dozens of times until he was taken seriously.
After months of handing DJ Kausion his song “If It Ain’t You,” in 2006, DJ Kausion finally gave it a listen, and immediately started playing it. Another respected Toledo DJ, Big Lou Da Mayor, played Tracy’s song “Go Live” as the club was letting out, and when he realized no one left the dance floor, he asked Tracy for more copies of the song.
In 2007, Hutch Daddy Dolla brought the biggest urban event to Northwest Ohio, Bash at the Bay, to Maumee Bay State Park, and asked Tracy to perform. During this first performance in front of thousands of people, Tracy impressed the crowd and moved with the style of a young star.

Tracy

After four years of anticipation, in 2009, Tracy released his first album, “The Rarebreed,” and had a release party at the Erie Street Market. He sold out of tickets, and had flawless performances all night. All the money that was made from that night has gone back into his career, whether funding more CDs to sell, photo shoots, or recording fees. “The Rarebreed” is not only still selling throughout Northwest Ohio, but overseas as well.
2010 has by far been Tracy’s best year. Every morning he wakes up and sends friend requests to people on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Still promoting his album, Tracy has performed at the world-famous Apollo Theater, BET’s “106 & Park” and made it to the second round in Steve Harvey’s “Radio Star Contest” and music legend Andre Harell’s “Superstar Soul Search.” He has also kept the attention of several executives and influential DJs, like Tony Neal, founder and CEO of the Core DJs, who personally asked me to send him Tracy’s music.
Bash at the Bay 2010 was the manifestation of Tracy’s hustle. He was the biggest artist on the ticket; bigger than the major label acts if measured in public interest and crowd participation. With a drumline, dancers and stage presence to keep the crowd engaged, Tracy’s performance was exceptional compared to everyone else’s (with U.G.E. in a very close second).
There is not a place in Toledo where Tracy can go and not be asked to sing, sign an autograph or take a picture. But there are plenty of places in the country where that doesn’t happen.
A wise man told Tracy, “Get out of Toledo. Don’t become another local legend.”
And now I say it to him: There is nothing else you can do in Toledo, Tracy. It’s time to revert back to 2005 and introduce yourself to DJs in Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Chicago, and start buying drinks and carrying equipment again, so that the local paper there can write this exact article on you in a couple of years.
I can’t wait to read it.

If you can’t remember the last time your honey and you did nothing but simply enjoyed each other, then you would likely benefit from a couples’ vacation.

Of course, a couples’ vacation can be far more expensive than, say, a shiny, new iphone. But that vacation will help revitalize your relationship while a screaming new iphone (sadly for some, I know) won’t.

Not surprisingly, studies find that shared leisure time leads to more relationship satisfaction than non-leisure time activities such as, say, racing through the supermarket together.

But a troublesome economy and busy schedules can make it tough to take a couples’ vacation, especially when extended family visits already consume vacation days for many.

Given those realities, it would be great if there was a way to combine an extended family trip with a true couples vacation (successfully, that is).

Does that idea seem unlikely (or even funny)?

Perhaps it is the memory of a prior family trip in which your cousin asked you to watch her kids who, unbeknownst to you, had poison ivy and a penchant for shrieking. While your cousin ran out to enjoy a peaceful afternoon, your day with your partner dissolved into a headache.

Of course, such an experience is not usually part of the vacation vision. And in comparison, that constantly buzzing iphone practically looks like a relationship enhancer.

It is certainly easier said than done to combine a family trip and a couples’ vacation. Is such a feat even possible? Dare I say…it is.

Here are five tips to create some true couples’ vacation time while traveling with extended family.

1. Schedule small pleasures and stick to them

Couples often cherish small pleasures together such as morning jogs or a waterfront lunch. Plan for small pleasures: alert extended family, make kiddy arrangements, and off you go. When your cousin asks for a favor afterwards, watching her kids may feel like less work and more fun if you have enjoyed some pleasurable couples’ time already.

2. Create a schedule that works for you

Things easily go awry if you are endlessly waiting for dawdling relatives. Avoid unnecessary stress by letting others know you are on the “early plan,” for example. Eat early and meet up with family after their late lunch. Rather than feeling annoyed you will be happy to see relatives (and may look forward to dinner all together).

3. Align expectations in advance

Does your clan want to spend 24 hours a day together or meet for one special activity each day?

Don’t agree to the 24-hour plan if it feels claustrophobic. And don’t leave plans to chance, hoping you will all want the same thing (because you won’t)!

Instead, find a compromise in advance and life will be more relaxed in the moment.

4. Consider separate quarters

If Aunt Millie wants to cook breakfast for you, you might feel pulled to share quarters. But if your uncle’s snoring or nephews’ loud music will ruin your night, then Aunt Millie’s sweet pancakes will be ruined by your sour mood. Instead, sleep in comfort in your own quarters and head to breakfast in the morning.

5. Choose the highlights you absolutely want from this trip and honor them

If you are looking forward to enjoying the romantic beaches in the Bahamas with your honey, then set aside a couple hours of protected, sacred time daily on the beach for just the two of you.

And what if your cousin has (yet another) favor to ask? Help her out after couples’ time, not during. Your pocket of sacred time together must come first (or accept the fact that it won’t happen).

Sound selfish? In therapeutic terms, it’s called “good boundary setting” and it is a way of actively taking responsibility for your happiness. If you reflexively respond to your cousin’s requests instead of carefully honoring your intentions, you are likely to complain later about your cousin who (selfishly!) ruined your trip to the Bahamas.

Instead, spend some coveted time on the beach and you will be glowing after your rejuvenating trip. Just two hours daily of good couples’ time can be deliciously nourishing to your relationship.

And you’ll have only nice things to say later about that sweet cousin of yours.

Lori Hollander is a dual-certified couples and sex therapist at the Center for Intimacy in Ann Arbor. E-mail her at star@toledofreepress.com.

Time is running out for Jonathan Larson, a starving artist in New York City: it’s 1990 and his 30th birthday is fast approaching.

He’s been waiting tables and writing his musical Superbia for five years, and at almost 30, he’s come to a crossroads: should he pursue his passion for musical theater or should he find a steady corporate job (like his childhood friend Michael did) and settle down with a family (like his girlfriend Susan wants)?

Performances of Tick Tick… Boom! continue at 8 p.m. July 30-31 and Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. at Croswell Opera House in Adrian, less than an hour’s drive from Toledo. The show, which runs about 90 minutes, contains adult themes and language that may not be appropriate for children.

The musical is effectively an autobiography of Larson, creator of the Broadway musical Rent, said Michael Yuen, who plays Jon. In the musical, Jon is both character and narrator, often describing the scene before or in between dialogue with other characters.

“Telling this side of a story is interesting to me as an actor because I’ve always seen it from the performance [side],” Yuen said. “Watching and learning about this side of the process has been very enlightening.”

Jon takes his musical to a workshop and sees in the audience “St— S—,” a composer so great Jon won’t pronounce his name. This composer’s opinion of the work could make or break Jon’s career.

Jere Righter, artistic director at Croswell, said Tick Tick… Boom! was discovered by accident after Larson’s death. Larson’s family hired a lawyer to go through his files and prove that he had written Rent, since some people were filing lawsuits claiming authorship after Larson died. While searching, the lawyer found most of Tick Tick… Boom! in Larson’s files. A writer was hired to complete it.

The musical isn’t performed often and hasn’t been performed before in the area, Righter said, and it required some extra creativity.

The cast comprises three actors (Nicholas Fuqua and Kyrie Bristle play 10 or 15 characters between them) and the acting could take place in a smaller area than would be needed for a large cast. Croswell workers arranged 158 chairs on the stage around three sides of the area where the actors performed. During the performance, audience members are as close as three or four feet away from the actors.

Yuen said acting in close setting is similar to acting on film because the audience can see little things, like a small exhalation or smile, that they wouldn’t be able to see form 20 feet away.

“Being in a more intimate setting … it allows me to be more natural,” Bristle said.

“It’s more relaxed,” Fuqua said. “There’s no bells and whistles in your acting.”

Righter said the smaller stage area helped to tell Larson’s story.

“The show is enough on its own,” she said. “It stands without that over-the-top kind of stuff.”

“You feel like you know Jonathan Larson when it’s over: who he was and what he struggled with,” she said. “It’s a really great story.”

Damn Yankees opens Aug. 20 at Croswell.

One of Walter Kolhoff’s formative experiences came at age 6 when his father played a Beatles record for him.
“I just went crazy,” he said. “It stuck with me ever since.”
When he was young, he played air guitar instead of football.
“Now I can’t play football, but I can play saxophone,” he said.
Kolhoff is a member of MoJoFlo, a band made of eight people who met while attending Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
He described their music as an eclectic blend of soul, Hip-Hop and jazz.
“It’s like Shuffle on the world’s greatest iPod,” said lead singer Amber Knicole. “That is our style; that’s what MoJoFlo sounds like.”
Like Kolhoff, Knicole wanted to perform since she was young. One summer, she worked at Cedar Point Amusement Park performing in a 30-minute musical called “The Misadventures of Molly and Maverick.”
She performed in the show five or six times a day, six days a week. The performers were not allowed to change anything about the show.
“By Show Number 200, you’re pretty bored,” she said.
Over the course of the summer, she performed in 384 shows.
“I kind of was like getting, ‘Oh my god, this is crazy,’” she said. “Then I was like, ‘Are you complaining about singing, dancing, and getting paid for it?’”
As a member of MoJoFlo, she still gets paid to sing. But unlike “The Misadventures of Molly and Maverick,” each of her band’s shows is different.
One particularly memorable performance, at a huge music festival in Columbus, had to be cut short because of the crowd’s inebriated enthusiasm.
“There were literally thousands and thousands of people, as far as the eye could see,” Kolhoff said.
MoJoFlo was the last band to perform. Some of the audience members were jumping on tables, climbing on each others’ shoulders and drunkenly pushing against the stage, making it sway.
“I was totally oblivious to most of it,” Kolhoff said. “We were so in the moment and there were so many people, I didn’t even realize that the situation was getting out of hand.”
Their back-up singers noticed, though, and jumped off the stage.
“Our audiences drink,” Knicole said. “If you come to a MoJoFlo show, you’re gonna leave not so good.”
Other shows were less bacchanalian.
One of their first performances was outside of a shopping center in Columbus one December when they put their own spin on holiday tunes, including a reggae version of “Silent Night.”
“They wanted Christmas carols outside, so we did it,” Kolhoff said. “At the time it was a little rough, but we had fun.”
“I’ve definitely had a couple heaters at my feet at a couple different gigs,” Knicole said.
“It’s bad for the instruments, it’s bad for your voice, but these are the things that you suck up,” she said. “You do it. You put on a scarf and you perform.”
Kolhoff, who described himself as “kind of scrawny,” has faced greater dangers than frostbite for his music.
Once he said he was confronted by an angry bouncer who demanded $250 “for security” –– a fee that was never mentioned when they arranged for the show.
The burly man dragged him through the club by his shirt and into a back kitchen, where he was surrounded by bouncers and managers.
“You have to give us this money, or we’re going to beat the shit out of you,” they told him.
“I ended up handing over the cash, ‘cause it wasn’t worth it to me to get a broken jaw and nose and shit over 250 bucks,” Kolhoff said.
Ultimately, though, Kolhoff said he believes the club got what it deserved.
“Their club is gone now and we’re blowing up, so I guess we got the last laugh,” he said.
The band has released two EPs, “Waiting” and “Whatcha Think About That?” MoJoFlo will perform at the Village Idiot on July 31 at 10 p.m.

Bar and clubs in downtown Bowling Green offer much in entertainment, but Grumpy Dave’s Pub is the only place to find live stand-up comedy.
Grumpy Dave’s pub, located above Easystreet Café on S. Main Street across from Jed’s, will continue to host stand up comedians throughout the summer and into the school year.
Grumpy Dave’s was founded by Dave Harper  who came to Bowling Green in 1987.  He became interested in creating a bar-club atmosphere where students could have fun and enjoy different types of entertainment each night.
In addition to comedy, Grumpy Dave’s hosts a variety of entertainment that includes euchre tournaments Mondays, acoustic performances on Wednesdays, live bands on Thursdays and Fridays and karaoke on Saturdays.
“We have national-caliber comedians from all over the country come to Bowling Green to perform at Grumpy Dave’s,” Harper said.  “Some have come from New York, Chicago, and even Los Angeles and Las Vegas,” he said.
As a big fan of comedy, Harper gets especially excited when big-name comics come to BG.
“In the past, we have had guys that were writers for Johnny Carson and Jay Leno at the Tonight Show,” he said.  “Chili Challis, who was the head writer for Jay Leno, is probably one of the best we’ve ever had.”
Comedy night is every Tuesday with admission typically $5 and $3 for students. Harper said even students who do not go to BGSU can show their college IDs and get in for $3. Performances start at 9 p.m. and usually last about two hours.
Harper said he is proud that he has been able to create a bar that hosts different types of entertainment each night, including the only one for live comedy.
Amanda Pirooz, who works at Grumpy Dave’s, said she believes the atmosphere is what sets the pub apart from others in BG.
“We usually have good crowds, we have a good beer selection and every night is something different,” Pirooz said.
Another thing that Harper is particularly proud of is what Grumpy Dave’s refers to as the Hall of Foam. The pub offers 105 different types of domestic and imported beer. When a person has tried all 105, they get their name on the Hall of Foam.
Harper said Monday nights at the pub are great because lots of people usually show up for euchre night.
“But every night is good because it’s always different and always fun,” he said.  For information on upcoming events or standup comedy schedule, visit GrumpyDavesPub.com or www.myspace.com/grumpydave.

Playing the (hell, yeah!) Rick N Roll Fest at Frankie’s this weekend, Downtown Brown will unleash its difficult to define and impossible to ignore blend of rock, metal, jazz and jam style.
Be forewarned: This band is something of an oddity in the sense that listening to its music is seriously fun, but nearly indescribable.

Downtown Brown

With tracks like “Back On The Team” from the “I Love Burgers” album, the listener is taken from hardcore, almost blast-beat metal to something of a mutated lounge-ish ska-like soundscape. The best part of Downtown Brown is not so much the strange blend of music but the lyrical content.
The sound is the sonic equivalent of throwing roadkill, fish eggs and perhaps a dash of bacon into a deep fryer and cooking that particular mix in a bath of whiskey, jock sweat and gasoline.
Listening to Downtown Brown, elements emerge that are reminiscent of early Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, perhaps some Sublime, Eagles of Death Metal, Mr. Bungle and even Reel Big Fish. While this particular list is interpretive, it is fair to say that everyone who listens to these guys will hear something that the guy next to him may miss.
Aside from the fact that the members of Downtown Brown will play for free (for those 21 and older) this weekend, they’re not to be missed for the simple fact that they are true artists and their medium is absolutely perfect for what they’re creating. If Downtown Brown was anything other than a band, it would have to be one of the most popular cartoons on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim.”
Doors for the Rick ‘N Roll Fest at Frankie’s open at 7 p.m. Aug. 30. If you are 21 or older, tickets are free; under-21 tickets are $5.

Having grown up around the old Southwyck Mall area, I have driven by the Mango Tree restaurant for years.  But since it didn’t have “Steakhouse,” “BBQ,” or “Italian” in its name, I never really knew what type of food it served.
Restaurants abound in this area and without the advertising exposure the big chains have, a unique place like the Mango Tree can slip through the cracks.
From the outside, the building has no flashy facade and isn’t painted in a mish-mash of shocking colors, so it’s easy to miss the unimposing building that is home to this little gem of a restaurant. The sign out front simply has a graphic of a mango tree with the restaurant’s name underneath it. Somehow, for all these years, I missed that just below the logo it reads, “Steaks and Seafood.”

MANGO DELIGHT: Alligator, left, calamari, right, crab cakes in the foreground.

It was late afternoon, before the dinner rush, when I visited, so it was hard to get a real feel as to what the energy level or wait time is like on a Friday night around dinner time, but they do take reservations, though they are not required. Light classical music floated in the background and the lighting was relaxed, creating an old-time
supper club feel, rather than that of an ostentatious “fine dining” establishment.
Owner Mel Ahmed, like many small business owners, is the chief cook and bottle washer of the Mango Tree and does the majority of the cooking and preparing of the Tree’s diverse and atypical menu. Ahmed learned to cook seafood in Boston, then perfected his skills at the old Cape House in Maumee.  He also mastered the art of making a great steak at Christopher’s before joining with three friends to open the Mango Tree in 1996.
After more than seven years as a co-owner, Ahmed decided he was ready to take on sole ownership of the Mango Tree.
This gave him the freedom to make all the decisions regarding the menu and he let his creativity run wild. He chose to add tasty mango-infused treats, like shrimp mango and mango cheesecake, to the menu, which previously lacked any dishes containing the sweet, tropical fruit.
While the Mango Tree’s menu features some of the standard options you’ll find in many fine restaurants — hand-cut steaks, chicken Parmesan, veal Marsala and salmon — I was somewhat shocked to find roasted duck, turtle soup and frog legs being offered in a blue collar town like Toledo. The appetizer section boasted some out-of-the-ordinary fare as well: batter-dipped cheese (deep fried provolone), stuffed mushroom langostinos, escargot and even deep-fried alligator.
The crab cakes were among the best I’ve ever tasted.  They had a light, golden breading that was crispy, but not crunchy, and a flavor that was fresh, but not too fishy.  Don’t be afraid to try the deep-fried alligator. Another standout, it came lightly breaded and was not too chewy, like gator can sometimes be.  Both dishes came with a mild Cajun sauce on the side that tasted similar to an onion petal sauce. Hidden in the sauce was the tiniest of kicks, which awakened my taste buds without making me feel like there was a four-alarm fire in my mouth. All of the sauces and dressings are made fresh by Ahmed and the staff, so don’t expect to find any Hidden Valley Ranch on your salad.
I decided to finish my meal with a piece of delicious crème brulee cheesecake that was so thick in consistency you could hold a piece of it on your fork and wave it around like a wand (which of course I did). The taste was rich, with a hint of vanilla flavor.
There were so many things on the menu that piqued my interest at the Mango Tree that I could not try everything I wanted, even with my renowned intestinal fortitude. Plans are already in the works for a return trip, and with most of the entrees sitting in the $15-$20 range, it won’t flatten my wallet, which is something I think we all can appreciate.

Mango Tree: 217 S. Reynolds (between South and Hill)
(419) 536-2883
www.mangotreedining.com
Open: Mon – Fri. for lunch and dinner
Sat. and Sun. – dinner only

Mango Tree provided the food for this review. Don Zellers is co-producer of “Fred Lefebvre and the Morning News” and co-host of “The Benchwarmers” on News Talk 1370 WSPD. He is also the station’s Good Swill Ambassador, which enables him to eat at and promote food-related charity events in NW Ohio. Don has enjoyed an unrelenting love affair with food for pretty much his whole life and has been known to put on “eating displays” for friends and co-workers.