Greg Dulli Talks Afghan Whigs Reunion
The Afghan Whigs first show in America in 13 years takes place Sept. 22 in Asbury Park, NJ, heading up a killer lineup at the I'll Be Your Mirror fest, presented by All Tomorrow's Parties. The fest is being curated by ATP and the Whigs' frontman Greg Dulli, whose first selections for the other acts…
GOP Vexed by Insignificant Differences, Failed Policies
I f you happened to hear National Public Radio’s report last week from Price Hill Chili, you know that local Republicans seem just as confused and fickle as their national counterparts. NPR reporter David Welna visited the chili parlor Feb. 23 to gauge sentiment about which presidential candidate was the preferred choice in the GOP…
Warwick Davis Proves Big Laughs Come In Small Packages
Little people in the media have come a long way since the munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Today, there are countless reality shows revealing the lives of dwarves, like Little People, Big World and even Pit Boss. Peter Dinklage, an actor with achondroplasia (a common cause of dwarfism), has escaped stereotypical size-based roles to…
UC’s Whit Babcock Talks Conference Realignment, Crosstown Shootout
During the nine days between the Oct. 24 announcement that Whit Babcock had accepted the offer to become the athletic director of the University of Cincinnati and the day he started on Nov. 2, West Virginia became the third Big East member to leave the conference. And just after the first month of his tenure…
Leap Year Oddities
Kim Martin is 13 years old, going on 60. The Liberty Township woman is a “leaper,” also known as a person born on Leap Year Day, Feb. 29. Leapers celebrate their true birthdays every four years, and 2012 is one such exceptional year. “It only happens once every four years, so you’ve got to…
Triple Trouble on Rohs Street
The “release party” is a local music rite of passage for anyone putting out new music. Saturday at the Rohs Street Café in Clifton Heights, you can triple your release party pleasure as three area Hip Hop acts — MC Till, Sean Little and the duo MC Forty & Wonder Brown — join forces for…
Supreme Challenge
Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Fanon Rucker could be history in the making. Rucker is seeking a seat on the Ohio State Supreme Court. If he wins the Democratic primary and the general election, he then joins his father in being the first father and son to sit on a Supreme Court bench at the…
Unoccupied
A Madisonville couple that has spent the past decade fighting against predatory Big Bank lenders that tipped them into bankruptcy and foreclosure might see their case go before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ten years ago, Demetrious Smith hoped to buy a building and work as a landlord after non-work-related injury ended his 13-year career with…
John Peel, Chris Brown and Naked Cowboy
[HOT] Peel Slowly and Hear It was announced that late British DJ John Peel’s extensive music collection will be digitized and turned into an interactive “online museum.” Peel — who delighted in sharing (and breaking) new artists on his radio program — reportedly held onto 25,000 albums and 40,000 singles … and that’s just the…
Back to the Noise
M ike Oliva and I agree — Batman is cool, but The Joker is simply badass, with his dark sense of humor and creepy, wide smile. There’s something intriguing about his slick, sarcastic ways, and, hell, there’s no forgetting that horrific laugh. Yeah, I’m jealous that Oliva — vocalist/guitarist for Cincinnati rockers The Harlequins —…
Iranian Film Shows Family as a Necessary Fabric
In an awards season that celebrates George Clooney playing a beleaguered father/husband/family trustee who discovers his comatose wife has been having an affair while also juggling a monumental decision about the land rights to his family’s epic estate in Hawaii, it is fascinating that a film out of Iran could appear on the scene and…
Just Announced: Cincinnati Concert Update
Two items of importance came down the wire recently relating to upcoming concerts in Cincinnati. • This summer's three-day Bunbury Music Festival along the riverfront previously announced headliners for each day (Jane's Addiction, Death Cab for Cutie and Weezer) and today organizers gave us three more names. The Airborne Toxic Event is now set to…
Early Voting Ends Friday
Anyone hoping to avoid long lines at the polls on Election Day next week has a little more time to cast their ballots before the March 6 primary. Early voting — both at the Board of Elections and via mail-in ballot — is still underway. The deadline for mail-in ballots is Saturday, March 3, at noon.…
Moerlein Lager House Celebrates Cincinnati’s Brewing History
Don’t call it a restaurant. Cincinnati riverfront’s new Moerlein Lager House is not just a restaurant — this becomes brazenly clear as soon as you step into the 15,000-square-foot (without even including the underground service level) beer mecca. This includes three kitchens, two bars, a concession stand, an underground lab and wheat shredder, a hops…
Graduation Day
For Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) 1. Once upon a time there was a bar on Second Street in Cincinnati called Flanagan’s Landing. There were 10 owners, none of whom were Irish, none of whom therefore were kin to me. But they longed to have an “Irish” bar because they were trying to compete with places like…
Sondheim All Over Cincinnati
If you pay attention to theater on a regular basis, you surely know Stephen Sondheim’s name. He’s has been esteemed as the greatest creator of musical theater for more than 50 years. When he turned 80 in 2010, there were celebrations across the United States and around the world. Cincinnati has been fertile terrain for…
Tom + Chee: The Reality Show?
The grilled cheese-n-tomato soup gods at Tom + Chee are no strangers to the spotlight. Since its inception in 2009 as a food tent on Fountain Square, the comfort food joint has gone on to expand to two permanent locations and has been featured on Man vs. Food Nation and Amazing Eats. They even boast…
Music Tonight: Pop Empire at The Comet
Local electronics-tinged Rock & Roll duo-turned-trio Pop Empire closes out its every-Tuesday residency at The Comet tonight with another free, 10 p.m. show. The band has been publicly evolving and busy as bees, adding a live drummer (which, as you'll see in the clips below, gives the band's sound a whole new dimension), working on…
Your Wednesday To Do List
One year ago today, the home of Shannon DeBra, founder of the all-foster rescue Recycled Doggies, caught on fire. Thirteen dogs and one cat died as a result, and Recycled Doggies faced a tremendous setback. Tonight, on the tragedy's anniversary, animal lovers everywhere are invited to attend a benefit, give what you can and support…
Changes In Store at Media Bridges
Inhabitants at the 1100 block of Race Street will lose a neighbor beginning March 1, when Media Bridges moves a few blocks away to a new location inside the Crosley Telecommunications Center in Over-the-Rhine at 1223 Central Pkwy. The move, although minor, means some improvements are in store for the non-profit. Media Bridges provides diverse…
Cincinnati vs. The World
The Obama administration last week gave a total of $90 million to the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and Uptown Consortium to fund urban growth projects. CINCINNATI +1 Former Moroccan contractor for Facebook, vengeful Amine Derkaoui, leaked a secret document revealing Facebook’s censorship guidelines. The list cites that photos of crushed heads and deep…
This Date in Music History: Feb. 28
On this day in 1984, Michael Jackson swept the 26th annual Grammy Awards, winning eight trophies, for everything from Record and Album of the Year ("Beat It" and Thriller) to Best Recording for Children (timeless children's classic, the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial soundtrack). No doubt because of Jackson's presence, the telecast remains the most watched in…
Artists mix oddity with tradition at Phyllis Weston Gallery
A legacy of icon and miniature painting from Eastern Europe makes a great migration to the Phyllis Weston Gallery in O’Bryonville. Painters David Miretsky and Svetlana Derenshuk perplex and dazzle with quirky scenes of domestic life in Uniquely Ukraine, on display through March 31. In 1975 David Miretsky brought his art from Kiev, Ukraine to…
Beyond MTV
G rowing up during the early ’90s and being one of the unfortunate kids whose parents didn’t have cable, I was only peripherally aware of the impact music videos were having on my peers. But that all began to change on a crisp March morning in 1992 when “Blob” (the bane of my junior high…
Morning News and Stuff
About 75,000 workers in Greater Cincinnati don't have insurance coverage for contraceptives, The Enquirer reports. Most of those who don't are employed by hospital systems connected to the Catholic Church or religiously affiliated universities, which try to adhere to the church's stance against using birth control. Still, as reporter Cliff Peale writes, “They follow the…
Art: Minumental Exhibition
The biggest little show in town is at the Art Academy right now, the 25th Annual Minumental Exhibition, with no work measuring more than two inches in any dimension. Prices are equally small; you can have one for your own for as little as a dollar, top price $99. The works are by Academy students,…
Event: Food and Music Festival
Have you ever wondered why restaurants have music playing or there is food sold at music concerts? What would these places be like without these seemingly unnoticed attributes? concert:nova presents the inaugural Music and Food Festival — an expert pairing of fine music and fine art. This is a four-night genre-bending experience for your senses…
Art: Art Walk 2012
This weekend Essex Studios in Corryville will host its first Art Walk of 2012. Home to more than 100 local artists and artisans, Essex Studios features painting, photography, fine crafts and sculptures on display throughout two floors of space. In addition to the numerous artist studios open to the public, this weekend’s special events include…
Onstage: West Side Story
When I was 12, a song grabbed my attention. It was from West Side Story, a young man singing about an exciting event he felt was heading his way. “Could be…who knows? … There’s something due any day — I will know right away, soon as it shows.” The song was “Something’s Coming,” and it…
Help Walk the Moon Get a Woodie
Cincinnati-spawned Indie/Dance/Pop quartet Walk the Moon's tour with Young the Giant brought them home Friday night as the band performed an incredibly tight and impressive opening set at Covington's Madison Theater. The early sell-out status of the show was largely due to the headliners, who have been playing to packed houses for a while now…
Priest Returns to Cincinnati Amid Allegations
For the second time in three years, a Catholic priest has been pulled from parish duties from out of state and returned to Greater Cincinnati following allegations of sexual abuse. The Rev. Robert F. Poandl was relieved of his ministry assignment as pastor of Glenmary missions in Georgia earlier this month and ordered to return…
Music: The Black Keys
A decade ago, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney were working for a slumlord in their Akron, hometown, mowing lawns and scheming plans for their new band, a duo project called The Black Keys, which had recorded demos the year prior. Today, The Black Keys are one of the more reliably big-selling Rock acts in America…
Event: Bockfest 2012
It has only been two weeks since the end of Cincinnati’s beer week and guess what? It’s time for more beer! The goat returns for the 20th year and so does the beer. The Lenten season and the celebration of Cincinnati’s rich German history culminate in Bockfest, which began due to the Queen City’s prominence…
Art: The Art of Food
Whereas many galleries and art centers often serve food at the opening receptions of their shows, Covington's Carnegie Galleries have had quite a bit of success going one step further — actually staging an annual group show about what we eat. It's called The Art of Food, and this year's edition begins with a Friday…
Comedy: Doug Stanhope
What’s Doug Stanhope talking about these days? “It’s whatever’s happening in the moment,” he says. “It’s hard to recreate anger for something like current events. Yeah, this just happened, but with the glut of information that comes at you it’s old material three weeks from now.” Known for his onstage drinking and somewhat abrasive stage…
Your Monday To Do List
If your Monday could use a little less desk jockeying and a few more laughs, you're in luck. PROJECTMILL returns to Mayday Northside tonight with Bombs Away! Comedy Open Mic. Whether you're a stand-up pro-in-the-making or just a fan of comedy, the free event is for everyone. Host Mack Harden will guide guests through the…
Event: Teilen Leap Day Storytelling
The popular, local storytelling night brings its sixth installment to downtown Cincinnati with the theme “Leaping Out.” Each Teilen (which means “to share” in German) is a salon-style happening featuring true stories told onstage without notes. Bring your best five-minute tales that can reasonably be tied to the theme or just kick back and listen.…
A Band By Any Other Genre …
Depending on how specific you get with your generalizing, genres can be vague or finite. Generally speaking, one cannot be “in a relationship.” That relationship must be defined. Casual or serious? Straight or homosexual? Open or monogamous? Films are Rom Coms, Thriller or Family. Nothing, though, has been more categorized than music. Metal is no…
Music Tonight: Sparrow Bellows at MOTR
It's a slow night if you're looking for some touring acts to check out — in other words, typical Monday — but there are still a handful of local artists performing tonight. If you're a musician, there are some open jams (Blues jam with Sonny Moorman at Anderson Bar & Grill and Jazz jam with…
Sushi Bears’ Cooking Classes For Two
My mom always told me that nothing gets a man’s heart like good cooking. After two sticks of butter, one quart of heavy cream and a half-gallon of milk, my date might have thought I was trying to clog his arteries rather than “steal his heart.” Instead, we discovered each other’s love for high calorie,…
This Date in Music History: Feb. 27
On this day in 1968, one of Rock & Roll's Shakespearean tragedies came to an end as singer Frankie Lymon, a Pop superstar in the mid-’50s with Rock & Roll/R&B vocal group The Teenagers, died from a heroin overdose at the age of 25. Actually, if you've ever seen the 1998 film Why Do Fools…
Morning News and Stuff
One of the biggest attractions at The Banks shopping and residential district opens to the public today. The Moerlein Lager House restaurant and microbrewery, next to the still under-development Smale Riverfront Park, features 19th Century-inspired food and a large selection of beers including craft brews and more than 100 international beers, all meant to evoke…
Into the Woods (Review)
Critic's Pick One of the songs in Into the Woods warns, “Careful the things you say. Children will listen.” In the case of the current production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s a blender full of fairytales, some familiar and some not, the “children” — that is, CCM’s performers in training — clearly listened well as…
The Minor Leagues Launch New Album Tonight
Last weekend, I made a last minute decision to travel to Pittsburgh and finally check out the Andy Warhol Museum (amazing — it was definitely the first time I've ever read every detail and tried to see every piece on display at a museum). I grabbed the new CD by Cincinnati's excellent Indie Pop powerhouse…
The Ohms ‘Press On’ with New LP
Yes, even beyond the huge chunk of shows already posted today, there are more solid musical options for tonight. Popular Reggae/Rock crew The Ohms are set to unleash Press On, the local group's second official album. The band wants you to come celebrate with them tonight at MVP Sports Bar & Grille in Silverton, former…
Your Weekend To Do List: 2/24-2/26
Radius, a local crowd-sourced short film shot at MidPoint Music Festival, Final Fridays and other area events, premieres Saturday at Memorial Hall. According to the press release, the movie follows "a man's investigation into a mysterious superhero and its effect on the community leads to a startling revelation." The red carpet event kicks off at…
Carp Attack!
Coming soon to a Great Lake near you: giant, evil fish out for blood. OK, hopefully not, but it's possible, wildlife experts say, if the new plan to control Asian carp, a pesky freshwater fish with a penchant for destroying some of the U.S.'s greatest natural water habitats, doesn't end successfully. The fragile ecosystem of…
Queen City Hoops
The Cincinnati Bearcats look one step closer to being a lock for their second straight NCAA tournament appearance after a 60-56 win against Big East rivals Louisville in front of a sellout crowd at Fifth Third Arena Thursday night. UC entered the game as the second-best 3-point shooting team by percentage – 36 percent –…
Music Tonight: D.R.U.G.S., Dementia Precox and More
This week in my weekly local music column, Spill It, I wrote about the unexpected glut of really strong music events this week. Tonight may be the hardest of all to make a decision about. Let's work through this together, man. We'll find something for you to do. • Catch a couple of Indie Pop…
Stage Door: Sondheim at CCM; Broadway 2012-13
A lot of Stephen Sondheim’s shows are kind of heady, but Into the Woods — an intersection of a bunch of fairytale characters — is perhaps the most approachable and especially when it’s given the kind of colorful, overflowing with talent treatment that you’ll find for the next two weekends at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music…
This Date in Music History: Feb. 24
There have been several Grammy Awards held on this date. Here are a few highlights from three random Feb. 24 ceremonies: 1982's 24th Grammy Awards were big for Kim Carnes' one-hit-wonderful "Bette Davis Eyes," which won the Record and Song of the Year trophies. John Lennon won Album of the Year posthumously for Double Fantasy.…
Morning News and Stuff
The Enquirer today looks into an issue CityBeat investigated back in May of last year — the ongoing debate weighing the danger police pursuits pose to innocent bystanders and the police officers themselves. Our story referenced the March 16, 2011 deaths of a downtown taxi driver and his passenger when a fleeing suspect broadsided the…
Best of Cincinnati Party Tickets
Be the first to know about Cincinnati's favorite restaurants, businesses and people by attending the first ever Best of Cincinnati Preview Party! On March 27, Memorial Hall (which housed last year's incredible Best of Cincinnati celebration) will be buzzing with Cincinnati's stars that you all voted for last month. Enjoy dinner-by-the-bite from 15 Best of…
Mitt Romney Misquotes Seinfeld
During a debate last night Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was in the middle of an awesomely cliché jab at President Obama about his ruining of the American dream and all, when the eager audience interrupted him with a round of awkward applause. The break prompted Romney to look over at Rick Santorum and say,…
Watch Out, Obama — Real Socialists Are Running in 2012
If President Obama hopes to rely on all the socialists who in 2008 elected him with hopes of seeing all of America’s wealth get spread around, he better come up with something even more radical this year. Something called the Freedom Socialist Party announced in December that it is running two candidates in a national…
Don’t Believe the Hype About Jobs
There is an old saying that goes, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." It’s alternately been credited to writer Mark Twain and British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. No matter where it originated, though, the quote applies well to unemployment figures released by the U.S. Labor Department. Earlier this month the…
The Seedy Seeds’ SXSW Send-Off
Greater Cincinnati has an exceptionally large contingency headed to Austin, Tex., in a few weeks for the big music industry showcase/conference South By Southwest. As in the past, CityBeat will have troops on the ground covering everything Cincinnati at SXSW, with regular dispatches and more. But before any vans/RVs/tourbusses leave the driveway and start heading…
TEDxCincy 2012 to Surface in May
I often find myself fantasizing about a fictional career in which I make an ample living staying home in my pajamas, drinking wine and watching TED talks all day long. It’d be nice, wouldn’t it? Cerebrally, it would — there’s nothing like resorting to a TED talk when you want to get your creative juices…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Thanks to Facebook friends with good taste, my mom's stream of animal photo chain emails and my voracious appetite for gossip and craft blogs, I'm constantly exposed to some of the greatest items from the far-reaching corners of the internet. Here's what I just can't get enough of this week. "Bad Girls" OK, so M.I.A.'s…
MusicTonight: Leo Kottke, Trey Songz and more
Just like this weekend, there are a lot of solid live music options around the area tonight. If the spring-fever bug hits you once the temps make it to 60 (that's when my shirt comes off and I start cranking the AC) and you want to get out of the house, you can hit the…
Your Thursday To Do List
The Crazy Fox Saloon hosts a beer tasting tonight featuring samples from Goose Island and Shocktop breweries. There will be five varieties total, and a distributor on hand to answer any questions. If you've never been to the Newport bar, you're in for a treat — it's one of the most welcoming drinkeries around! The…
This Date in Music History: Feb. 23
On this day in 1940, American music icon Woody Guthrie wrote his most famous song and one that has become embedded into the DNA of American life, "This Land is You Land." The Folk music legend and notorious fighter for the social causes of the poor and working class is said to have written the…
The Dirty Guv’nahs
It’s safe to say that when a band is formed to cover up a college kid’s half-baked plan, it usually doesn’t last. Dirty Guv’nahs are the exception, forming in 2006 when bassist Justin Haskins volunteered his nonexistent group for a benefit. Between roommates and random connections, the fictional band became real enough to rehearse. During…
Morning News and Stuff
In a move that's been expected for months, the parent company of The Enquirer informed investors Wednesday that all of its websites will implement a paywall model by year's end. Under the switch, online users will be able to access a limited number of articles for free every month, then must subscribe if they want…
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus’ stylized logo looks like it was lifted wholesale from a Stanley Mouse-designed poster for a Fillmore West concert circa 1967. While the group exhibits an obvious fondness for that era of musical expansiveness, there’s much more to UVHippo than retro worship. the Grand Rapids-based quintet’s sound has evolved by way of a series…
Here’s What Facebook Censors
Never piss off the proletariat. Upset about his low pay and dismal working conditions, a worker at one of Facebook’s Third World contractors has leaked the social media site’s ultra-secret document about what type of content it censors. Amine Derkaoui, a 21-year-old Moroccan man, worked for an outsourcing firm last year that scanned Facebook members’…
Your Wednesday To Do List
Arianna Huffington is speaking as a part of SmartTalk ConnectedConversations tonight at the Aronoff Center. The media queen will discuss how she became "fearless in love, work and life" (a phrase taken from the title of her 2007 bestseller). Huffington has made her mark as an author of 13 books, co-founder of The Huffington Post,…
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill Now Open
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill this week became The Banks’ newest tenant, opening its red, white and blue doors and offering “family friendly” lunch and dinner, ongoing live performances and a guitar-shaped bar where patrons can drink beer out of Mason jars. The official website says its family friendliness makes it “the…
Crafty Supermarket Accepting Applications
Crafty Supermarket, one of Cincinnati's greatest showcases of all things handmade, is accepting applications for its spring show. Indie crafters wanting to sell their items at the May 5 event have until Feb. 29 to woo CS organizers with their creations. Applicants should send five photos of their best work, provide a description of their…
Ohio Pit Bulls No Longer Branded ‘Vicious’
Dog lover or not, one must admit that pit bulls suffer from a pretty abysmal reputation. Thanks to their depictions in pop culture and history as fighting dogs, pit bulls have arguably garnered the most discrimination of any dog breed; many have visions of them constantly gnashing their teeth, chomping down on everything in sight,…
Music Tonight: Jeremy Pinnell’s Return
The music he made with groups like The Light Wires, The Great Depression and The Brothers and the Sisters helped make singer/songwriter Jeremy Pinnell one of many local music fans' favorite songwriters. Pinnell's folksy songs were marked by his ability to convey — with an almost uncomfortable accuracy — the kind of dark, ominous emotions…
This Date in Music History: Feb. 22
On this day in 1967, The Beatles continued work on arguably their best song, "A Day in the Life." After a debate over how to end the track following the huge orchestral build-up (sustained choral vocals were considered, but scrapped), the group decided to simultaneously strike a massive E chord on three pianos and sustain…
Morning News and Stuff
In a refreshing sign of sanity at City Hall, Cincinnati officials might change the way they go about drafting the municipal budget. Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who heads council's Finance and Budget Committee, is proposing the group adopt a new priorities-based process that involves more community input. Six council members support the idea, which means…
Article Highlights Cost-Effective Charities
Years ago, after speaking at a local Catholic high school on the students’ duty to give intelligently when they donate to charity, a student grabbed my arm en route to lunch of grilled cheese sandwich and cream of tomato soup. “How do I know I ain’t going to get Jew’ed,” he asked of charities in…
