Rumpke Mountain Boys show hometown love with Saturday show and, yes, they’re taking requests
Hard-touring Cincinnati-based Jamgrass heroes Rumpke Mountain Boys are hitting the road for an extended trek soon, this time with likeminded Montana “Psychedelic Bluegrass” outfit Kitchen Dwellers for a cross-country adventure. The co-headline tour begins March 1 in West Virginia and will be taking the Rumpkes up and down the West Coast, with dates in Oregon, Washington…
Council’s social media war; Ohio Supreme Court rules against two abortion clinics; more news
Good morning, Cincy. I hope you’re navigating the winter weather OK. I took the bus to work and the driver of my Route 43 bus handled the icy roads like a champ. Thanks for the ride, my man. Anyway, here’s some news for you. Let’s think back wistfully to January, when it looked like Cincinnati…
Cincinnati-filmed “The Public” Gets an Early Review
Emilio Estevez’s The Public, the new movie shot at Cincinnati’s Main Library about a homeless occupation of the building during a brutal cold wave, has gotten an early sensitive review from an important source — the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association. While the writer finds some elements problematic, he hails…
Why Leonard Bernstein Still Matters
Leonard Bernstein would be turning 100 in August, and his centennial is being observed throughout the world. Events planned here are numerous. University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music’s Philharmonia features Bernstein’s overture to Slava! as part of a Feb. 16 concert and a Lenny and Friends on Broadway program for Feb. 25; CCM’s Wind Orchestra…
‘Wormwood’ Blends Truth and Speculation
Since the release of his 1988 film The Thin Blue Line, a combination of interviews and aestheticized drama structured to prove a death row inmate’s innocence, director Errol Morris’ work has tested the boundaries of truth and fiction. He’s one of our greatest documentarians, winning an Academy Award for 2003’s The Fog of War, but…
Longtime Activist and Cincinnatian Marian Spencer Will be Celebrated at a Library Lecture
Marian Spencer learned not to be afraid of racism when she was 8 years old. It was a dark, warm, moonless night in 1928 and the Ku Klux Klan was marching in her hometown of Gallipolis, Ohio. “My father took my twin sister Millie and me to the balcony on the second level of our…
You Need a Flow Chart to Keep Track of All These Interconnected Reality Shows
Some of the most indulgent, entertaining “unscripted series” are on TV right now, and upon closer inspection, they’re all strangely connected. Characters from one show will pop up in another. Popular reality programs are getting spinoffs and becoming a franchise. What does it all mean? (That producers are trying to trick us into watching more?…
‘Call Me By Your Name’ Deserves More Oscar Nominations than It Got
There is no way I could begin a review of Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name without owning up to my appreciation for I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, his two previous features. In those films, the Italian director explores love, personality and fame with a European flair that sometimes fails to engage…
Urbana Café Expands to East Walnut Hills
Daniel Noguera’s Urbana Café, a Cincinnati-born coffee shop with a strong presence both in Findlay Market and Pendleton, is taking its talents to East Walnut Hills later this year. And with the expansion comes innovative adjustments in what Urbana will bring to the table, both literally and figuratively. While maintaining their myriad pastry options, Noguera…
This Week in Questionable Decisions: Jan. 31-Feb. 6
This Week in Questionable Decisions… Tom Hanks will play Mr. Rogers in an upcoming movie. I just can’t see it. Two American treasures don’t make a right! A young radio host — of a show Tom Brady is paid to appear on weekly — called Brady’s 5-year-old daughter an “arrogant little pissant” on air. Kim…
What a Week!: Jan. 31-Feb. 6
What’s a Super Blue Blood Moon? It may sound like a fruit snack from the ’90s, but the Super Blue Blood Moon is actually a lunar trifecta: a supermoon, blue moon and blood moon, all at once. And this past Wednesday, stargazers across the globe caught a glimpse of this rare occurrence. Let’s break it…
Sound Advice: The Orphan The Poet (Feb. 13)
The music scenes of Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati are eerily similar. They both have very diverse band cultures, and they’ve both produced acts that have built loyal fan support at home and then gone on to replicate that success outside of the local safety net. In the Emo/Pop/Punk and Post-Hardcore realms, the Gem City can…
Sound Advice: Turquoise Jeep and Flynt Flossy with Doughty Family (Feb. 13)
The Hip Hop/R&B collective known as Turquoise Jeep Records has been doing its thing for nearly a decade now, drawing in a diverse array of bemused, head-bobbing converts along the way. For the uninitiated, the Jeep was founded in 2009 by Georgia-based rappers/singers Flynt Flossy and Whatchyamacallit and includes a loose collection of collaborators with…
Barr drops out of congressional primary race; Ohio lawmakers may have settled on redistricting reforms; more news
Good morning all. Here’s some quick news for you today. President Donald Trump visited Blue Ash yesterday to talk up the GOP tax plan. We fact checked him on a number of his statements here. Most of Trump’s visit was fairly standard and smooth. But while he was in town, he did cause one big…
Minimum Gauge: Prince Hologram Denial at the Super Bowl
HOT: Hologram Denial The day before Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, word spread that Justin Timberlake’s elongated Pepsi commercial/half-time show would feature a hologram of Twin Cities legend Prince. In a precursor to the uproar over a Martin Luther King Jr. speech being used in a truck commercial (a speech in which King railed against manipulative…
The Pet Issue
The Pet Issue You like animals? We do, too. That's why we've devoted an entire issue to pets. Including: #petsofinstagram: Follow these local dogs and cats living their best lives in the Queen City Caffeine and Cuddles: What to expect when visiting Mason’s Kitty Brew Café Cold-Blooded Companionship: Attendees at the Cin City Reptile Show…
Human Trials
We wanted to test the theory that people tend to feed their pets better than themselves so we decided to eat some locally made high-end dog treats. These indie companies use real ingredients and even organics — not fillers or chemicals — to craft artisan snacks. They certainly aren’t the only treat-makers in town, but…
Dogs and Their Original Intended Purposes
Dachshund: Hunting bananas Basset Hound: Hunting plantains Beagle: Be available as an option for those who want a professionally bred dog that looks like a rescued shelter dog Poodle: To prove that stuffed animals can be sentient St. Bernard: To help lost mountaineers with the cessation of alcohol using that tiny portion-controlled barrel around its…
Lachey’s Bar Closing Sunday
Lachey's announced on social media that it will be closing its doors for good this Sunday, so if you wanted one last bowl of loaded tots*, the time is now. Here's the blurb from the bar's Facebook page: We'll update you if there's anything particularly news-worthy about the closing (and/or the closing party). *We are…
Trump’s Visit: Fact Checks and Context
President Donald Trump today visited the Greater Cincinnati area, dropping by Blue Ash industrial equipment company Sheffer to speak with workers and a select group of Republican elected officials. “I love the state of Ohio,” Trump told the crowd. “We're starting to boom, you know that?" Trump’s main goal seemed to be to promote the GOP’s…
After two decades together, Cincy Indie rockers Ampline produce their most potent album to date
As our conversation about the new album by Cincinnati trio Ampline draws to a close, vocalist/guitarist Mike Montgomery makes a salient point that not only speaks to Ampline’s situation, but any number of similar bands in the same general position. “I don’t know how to make this interview more exciting,” he says. “It’s (just) an…
Sound Advice: Hippo Campus with Sure Sure (Feb. 7)
A band bio revelation that a group formed in high school can suggest a jaw-dropping span of time. For the members of Minnesota quartet Hippo Campus, the perspective of their high-school formation is shaped by the fact that it came during the fifth year of Barack Obama’s presidency. And while the Indie Pop/Rock foursome’s history…
Super Bowl Hot Takes
Eagles win! But more importantly, Patriots lose! Philly delivered an upset that many weren’t upset about when they beat New England 41-33. It was an exciting game from start to finish, complete with an underdog win and at least one play that resulted in a crotch to the face (shout out Brandin Cooks and Rodney…
Senate Blue Ash Makes Stormy Daniels Hot Dog for Trump Visit
President Donald Trump will be in the Greater Cincinnati area, dropping by hydraulic cylinder manufacturer Sheffer Corporation in Blue Ash around 1:30 p.m. Trump will likely talk about the GOP tax plan, which Sheffer has credited as the impetus that spurred the company to give employees $1,000 bonuses. Expect Trump to tout those bonuses as…
Trump is in town, and there’s a hotdog for that; Councilman proposes stipulations for soccer stadium deal; more news
Good morning all. I hear there was some kind of sports match on the television last night and that a good number of you may have called off work today to sleep off your Skyline dip and chicken wing hangovers. Sounds fun. I should learn more about sports. Until I do, let’s talk about news.…
WATCH: Rookwood’s Toast to Fiona Super Bowl Commercial
Local video production company Rebel Pilgrim may have done it again, making this year's "so Cincinnati" Super Bowl commercial. Their Rookwood toast to Fiona will air before kick-off. The Rebel Pilgrim team developed the concept and provided creative direction for last year's Cincinnati Bell "Home" commercial, soundtracked by local Folk faves Over the Rhine. This year…
LISTEN: MARR’s “Gills”
A droning meditation, held together by tight-knight threads of tension, MARR’s debut single Gills/Posture is a waterbed fit to burst, its liturgical synth chords undulating under the weight of Maggie Cleary’s swollen vowel sounds. The two-track effort is a surprisingly focused whole: it’s the sum of a quartet whose musical inspirations couldn’t be more disparate.…
Trump visiting Greater Cincinnati; local historic building demolitions get national attention
Hello all. I and my intrepid journalist colleagues just finished eating dog treats and drinking beers for a non-news related CityBeat story, so I’m all fueled up and ready to news. Let’s do a quick rundown, shall we? President Donald Trump will visit Greater Cincinnati Monday to talk about the recently-passed GOP tax plan. He’ll…
Looking for Valentine’s Day plans? Here’s a list…
FRIDAY 9 Love is Love Cabaret — If you like musical theater and romance, Love is Love: A Cabaret of Broadway Songs About Love is right up your alley. Featuring a relatively self-explanatory title, the evening includes Broadway classics like “Seasons of Love” from Rent and “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun” from White Christmas performed by Cincinnati Music Theatre. It’s…
Former Tibbetts Juror: Commute Convicted Killer’s Sentence
Just weeks before Ohio executes Raymond Tibbetts for a brutal 1997 Cincinnati murder, one of the jurors who helped put him on death row twenty years ago is asking Gov. John Kasich to pump the brakes on the convicted killer’s Feb. 13 execution. Ross Geiger’s name appears on the list of Hamilton County Court of…
Country Rock group Root Cellar Xtract to pay tribute to fellow Cincinnati-area singer/songwriters
Friday at Southgate House Revival, Cincinnati Country Rock band (think Buffalo Springfield, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, etc.) Root Cellar Xtract will be paying tribute to some fellow local musicians and songwriters they admire by covering their songs during its set. Along with RCX tunes, the band (featuring singer/songwriter Clyde Bailey and many other estimable area…
Cleveland’s Platform Beer Announces Plans for OTR Taproom/Coffee Bar
Craft brewer Platform Beer Co., which opened in Cleveland in 2014, has its sights set on Over-the-Rhine. The company is working with local developer Urban Sites to open its third Ohio-based taproom — a 2,500-square-foot space at 1201 Main St. (that navy and red building across from Japp’s) — by summer. Platform opened a Columbus…
Pureval announces run for Congress; here’s who’s winning the cash race in governor contest; more news
Hello all. Phew. Yesterday was a heck of a news day. Here’s some quick updates to get you informed about what’s going on around town today. At its monthly meeting yesterday, Cincinnati Public School Board members told attendees worried about a potential soccer stadium on CPS land in the West End that they don’t know…
Council Passes Controversial Park Board Appointment
Cincinnati City Council Jan. 31 approved the appointment of Jim Goetz to the Cincinnati Park Board, despite controversy over the exit of outgoing Park Board Chair Dianne Rosenberg. Mayor John Cranley originally appointed Goetz to the seat last year, and council approved the appointment, but that set off a court battle after Rosenberg contested her…
CPS Board: We’ll Do Our Homework on FCC
West End residents, alumni of Taft High School and others came to a Jan. 31 Cincinnati Public School Board meeting to express their concerns about overtures FC Cincinnati has made to the district about a potential “partnership” in the neighborhood. The team sent that feeler out to the board in a letter earlier this month…
