Jul 13-20, 2016
Threads of History: Taft Museum’s Dressing Downton reflects early 20th century social changes through costume design
Concerts and Clubs Calendar (July 20-26)
Wednesday 20 Arnold’s Bar and Grill – Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Blues/Jazz/Various. Free. Bella Luna – RMS Band. 7 p.m. Soft Rock/Jazz. Free. Boswell’s – Open Mic. 7 p.m. Various. Free. Century Inn Restaurant – Paul Lake. 7 p.m. Pop/Rock/Jazz/Oldies/Various. Free. Esquire Theatre – Live ‘n’ Local Music Series with HuTown Holler. 7 p.m. Americana/Folk.…
On Rice Street
Many Cincinnatians will never drive down Rice Street in Mount Auburn. From its start at Mulberry Street just north of Over-the-Rhine, the tucked-away street passes a few blocks of modest two-story houses. Then it makes an S-curve, passing the sheer, rocky cliff that holds up Christ Hospital’s parking garage on one side and a small,…
Cleveland: The Wild, Wild West of American Politics
CLEVELAND – Greetings from Cleveland, which has been overtaken by some 50,000 Republicans and at least 15,000 members of the media, including yours truly. I’ll be providing periodic updates from the Republican National Convention, where presumptive nominee Donald Trump is expected to become the defacto nominee. More on that in a minute, though. It's already…
The ‘Wiener-Dog’ the World Awaited
In the indie world, the idea of personal branding has in some ways replaced the auteur theory. No one wants anymore to speak of creative signature — for instance, the precious framing and idiosyncratic characters that dominate the work of Wes Anderson or the blue mood of New York neuroses that defines Woody Allen’s film…
Your Weekend To Do List (July 15-17)
FRIDAY 15 EVENT: BAD ASS BEER FEST The Queen City’s finest craft breweries come together for two jam-packed days of drinking, dining and dancing. Hosted by Bad Tom Smith Brewery, patrons can imbibe brews from Bad Tom or other local and regional brewers like Blank Slate, West Sixth, MadTree, Urban Artifact and more for a…
Morning News: Winburn compares himself to Freddy Krueger; Kentucky to spend $2 million on Eastern Bypass study; Trump taps Indiana Gov. Pence as running mate
Hello all. Here’s your news this morning, the last update I’ll be doing for a bit before a busy stretch of days this weekend and next week. I’ll be covering the first two days of the NAACP convention this weekend, then heading up to Cleveland to get a first-hand look at the Republican National Convention…
Stage Door: Go Fish — Weekend Theater
The animals are still in charge at Know Theatre as The Fisherman’s Wife concludes its run on Saturday evening. Steve Yockey’s absurdist play is more like something you’d seen in the Cincy Fringe (which Know manages), a “sex farce with sea creatures.” It starts off like a domestic drama with a big argument between a fisherman’s…
Morning News: NAACP chose Cincinnati for “transcendental welcome;” photos of new downtown YMCA; Sherrod Brown won’t talk trash during RNC
Good morning all. Here’s a quick news rundown, listicle style. Wondering why the NAACP is holding its national convention in Cincinnati again, just eight years after it hosted future president Barack Obama here? Leaders with the civil rights organization say it’s because the city is an “effective community.” Here’s a big quote from NAACP CEO…
Why We Say Black Lives Matter
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ervin Matthew is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati who specializes in issues around race, class and gender, social inequality and education. CityBeat is running his guest editorial in response to the heightened debate over the role of Black Lives Matter in criminal justice reform efforts. Some are put…
Stop Talking About Police-Community Relations
EDITOR’S NOTE: During the second half of 2016, CityBeat has invited three local activists to write monthly columns on pressing issues facing Cincinnati. Christina Brown is a Cincinnati-based activist working for racial equity and social justice through a number of venues. Her columns will appear in this space the second week of each month. Being…
What a Week! July 6-12
WEDNESDAY, JULY 06 Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones is no stranger to internet infamy. He famously installed a sign outside the sheriff’s office that reads “Illegal Aliens Here,” pointing to the county jail. In a 2014 Daily Show interview, he squabbled with comedian Al Madrigal about the free perks undocumented workers receive — computers…
Sound Advice: Hurray for the Riff Raff with Daddy Long Legs (July 13)
Early in the 20th century, Woody Guthrie informed his songs about American life by hitchhiking and hopping trains on his frequent cross-country jaunts. Early in the 21st century, Bronx, N.Y. native Alynda Segarra, already singing, playing piano, writing poetry and a fan of Motown Soul, Doo Wop and Hardcore Punk, left home at 17 and…
Dark Colour Showcases Evolution on ‘Animal’ EP
Cincinnati Indie Electronic band Dark Colour is in the midst of playing shows across North America promoting its impressive new EP release, Animal, for which the group teamed up with Montreal’s Kitabu Music to help garner the wider exposure the album deserves. Dark Colour has already performed shows in Canada and New York City in…
Back to Hack
A hacker drama on USA? Hard pass. But how naïve I was last summer to make that initial judgment when Mr. Robot (Season 2 Premiere, 10 p.m. Wednesday, USA) first debuted. Who would have expected the channel known best for its marathons of Law & Order: SVU to produce such an intriguing original show? Never…
Kate McKinnon of ‘SNL’ Is a Great Ghostbuster
In the build-up toward the release of the reboot of 1984’s Ghostbusters, much has been made about the decision to go with an all-female cast. That buzz reached fever pitch once Paul Feig became the director. Known for his breakaway hit Bridesmaids, which deftly showcased the comedic charms and dramatic potential of Kristen Wiig, Maya…
Expecting More from Incline’s ‘Baby’
The medley of recorded pre-show tunes playing prior to the opening of Baby at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater runs an odd gamut from Into the Woods’ “Children Will Listen” to Paul Anka’s “(You’re) Having My Baby.” But that’s kind of how this show works — or doesn’t. It’s a musical from the mid-1980s about…
In Louisville, Speed Is of the Essence
Louisville took three years to construct its “new” art museum, but it’s safe to say that “speed” was always foremost on its mind. And now, with its decidedly contemporary Speed Art Museum, it has a most impressive addition to the city’s cultural offerings. The new Speed consists of a large contemporary addition to the original…
concert:nova performs an intimate chamber opera based on the recipes — and personality — of Julia Child.
The inspiration for a memorable opera — be it a large-scale production or an intimate chamber opera — can come from anywhere. Even from a television broadcast by the late Julia Child, famous as The French Chef on public TV. Her show debuted in 1963 and continued until 1973, but reruns have been consistently programmed.…
Debate over fracking in Ohio’s only national forest is heating up
Ohio’s only national forest is one step closer to becoming the site of energy industry excavation, including the controversial practice known as fracking. Federal officials managing the Wayne National Forest, founded in 1992 as part of a reforestation program, recently made a controversial decision to take steps to allow fracking on a portion of its…
Sound Advice: Savages with A Dead Forest Index (July 19)
Although London quartet Savages is comprised of a fairly young membership, the band’s inspirations are rooted in the heyday of late ’70s’/early ’80s’ Post Punk avatars like Joy Division, The Teardrop Explodes, Gang of Four and Bauhaus. And with raw materials like that, you can’t possibly build a better musical structure in an incredibly short…
Sound Advice: Digable Planets with Camp Lo (July 18)
The Digable Planets’ left-field hit single and MTV Buzz Bin staple “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” arrived in the middle of Gangsta Rap’s commercial heyday — three months after Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and nine months before Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle. The East Coast-based trio — Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving and Mary…
Sound Advice: Turnpike Troubadours with Heathen Sons (July 17)
With the combined successes of Country’s new traditionalists and the recent Southern Rock contingent that twangs a little harder than its ’70s predecessors, it’s a bit surprising that more bands haven’t tried to channel those two ideas into an unbeatable singularity. Oklahoma’s Turnpike Troubadours aren’t the least bit surprised, since they’ve been working that corner…
‘Please Be Honest’ is the first recording Robert Pollard has done completely on his own. So why is it a GBV album?
A dozen years ago, Robert Pollard closed the book on influential Dayton, Ohio Indie Rock juggernaut Guided By Voices after the release of the melancholy epic Half Smiles of the Decomposed. Then, in 2010, Pollard unexpectedly revived the ’93-’96 version of the band, resulting in a six-album run that rivaled the best output that Pollard…
Chefs Reveal What’s Inside Their Fridges
We’ve all stood in front of the fridge attempting to coax a meal from the meager offerings at hand. It may be comforting to know that our local chefs are often in the same boat, keeping the fancy fixings back at the restaurant to serve to their customers. We thought it might be fun to…
Creative new Thai and fusion restaurant Singha joins Hyde Park’s Asian-heavy dining scene
When Blue Elephant opened in Hyde Park in 2010, local food bloggers questioned whether it made sense to open another Thai restaurant in a part of town already loaded with at least four others featuring that cuisine. The owners built a spiffy new building on Wasson Road for a restaurant that featured Thai food and…
The Taft Museum’s ‘Dressing Downton’ reflects early 20th century social changes through costume design
If you didn’t spend Sunday evenings during the past six winters watching Downton Abbey on MASTERPIECE on PBS, you might wonder why a TV show about British aristocrats from a century ago was such a hit — and not just in England and the U.S. The series has been warmly received in 200 nations worldwide,…
