WATCH: Zebras in Public’s “Propaganda” Music Video
Cincinnati five-piece Zebras in Public has released some propaganda to promote its new single and sophomore album. Actually, it’s a new single and accompanying music video for the group’s strong new song “Propaganda,” an ear-grabbing AltRock track that is slated for the new Zebras in Public full-length, Paradise Leg. The follow-up to the eclectic band’s…
Q&A with Mike Healy of Papadosio
Papadosio is a trendsetting, progressive voice in the world of Rock, mixing an electronic sound with improvisation and dashes of psychedelia. The North Carolina-based band has created a groundswell through the musical landscape with steady tour dates and the development of its own festival, Rootwire, in Southeastern Ohio, the group's birthplace. CityBeat caught up with…
Kaze to Expand Lunch Hours Starting Black Friday
Japanese gastropub Kaze will be expanding its hours to include lunch beginning on Black Friday (Nov. 29). The restaurant will now open at 11 a.m. and stay open through their regular dinner hours ('til 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday; 'til 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday). The new lunch menu will include some dinner favorites plus a…
Papadosio with EarthCry
For the past seven years, Papadosio has been bridging the gap between icy Electronic music and meandering, monolithic Jam epics by warming up Synth Pop’s brittle chill and giving Jam explorations both a concise power and a discernible destination. From Papadosio’s formation in 2006, the Athens, Ohio, quintet has clearly understood the correlation between the…
The Melodic with Vikesh Kapoor
Naming a band The Melodic means you instantly have a lot to live up to. That’s no problem here — The Melodic are, indeed, beautifully melodic. And the new British Folk ensemble’s free local appearance Friday should be a delight. AllMusic, the online music guide, compared the group — whose wonderful first full-length, Effra Parade,…
Eric + Erica with Sun Country
Eric Kuhn and Erica Fink have been making beautiful music together for a relatively short time, releasing their recording debut as Eric + Erica (an introductory EP) just this past spring, mere months after forming. But the Oakland, Calif., duo’s easy rapport and creative chemistry is immediately evident in their warm, gauzy, minimalistic Indie Pop…
ACLU Opposes New Limits on Early Voting
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio says it opposes Senate Bill 238, which would reduce Ohio’s in-person early voting period from 35 to 29 days and repeal a five-day period in which Ohioans can simultaneously register to vote and vote in person. “The five-day window offers major benefits to many voters, including those with…
Ohio House Passes Stand-Your-Ground Law
The Ohio House on Nov. 20 passed sweeping gun legislation that would impose a stand-your-ground law in the state. The bill now requires approval from the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate and Republican Gov. John Kasich to become law. Supporters claim the measure would make the public safer by making it easier for people to defend themselves…
Drop Inn Center to Leave OTR
The Drop Inn Center and Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation (3CDC) announced a deal on Nov. 22 to move the region’s largest homeless shelter from its current location in Over-the-Rhine to Queensgate. 3CDC has been interested in moving the shelter since it began its efforts to revitalize Over-the-Rhine and parts of downtown, which some label…
The Macabre Entertainment of JFK Assassination Commemorations
Fifty years after JFK was killed, I still don’t get the popular fascination with him. And until someone convinces me that it matters to our public policy today, I really don’t care who killed him or what was behind those fatal shots in Dallas. I was outside the country and missed most of the Kennedy…
City: Canceling Streetcar Could Nearly Reach Cost of Completion
Streetcar Project Executive John Deatrick on Nov. 21 revealed that the city might only keep $7.5-$24.5 million if it cancels the $132.8 million streetcar project. That means the city could potentially spend more than 94 percent of the project’s total costs before it manages to fully close down the streetcar project, which is currently undergoing…
Cranley Losing Credibility on Projections
As the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Parade continued past CityBeat’s Race Street office on April 1, then-mayoral candidate John Cranley stood inside our lobby for about 20 minutes complaining to CityBeat Editor Danny Cross and me about a recent blog we published that included criticisms of his budget proposal. Cranley had been walking in the…
Cin City Burlesque: Sisters in Striptease
The art of the peel. The striptease. The shimmy-and-shake. Whatever you want to call it, burlesque has played a role in American culture since the late 19th century. Of course, that role has changed and been redefined over the last 100 years or so. Today, the term could conjure up images of scantily clad women,…
Easier Said Than Done
A majority of newly elected council members say they’re committed to structurally balancing Cincinnati’s operating budget — a promise repeated by Mayor-elect John Cranley on the campaign trail and following the Nov. 5 election. But budget specifics were few and far between in a series of interviews CityBeat conducted with seven of nine council members…
Sittenfeld to Support Continuing Streetcar Project
Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld on Monday announced he will vote to continue the $132.8 million streetcar project. Sittenfeld’s support for the project means the incoming City Council might not have the six votes required for an emergency clause that would immediately halt the project and make a cancellation vote insusceptible to referendum. If streetcar supporters successfully…
Dining Out This Thanksgiving?
If you don’t want to spend all day cooking (or all day waiting for someone else to cook), the following are some of the local restaurants offering Thanksgiving dining options to satisfy friends, family and kids. Reservations are required for pretty much all meals and buffets, so call ahead. BB Riverboats Thanksgiving Day Cruises: Thanksgiving dinner…
Cincinnati vs. the World 11.27.13
The American Family Association got real mad last week when it found out Radio Shack is not using the word “Christmas” in its holiday sales, calling for a boycott of the retailer due to “censorship.” WORLD -1 A self-congratulatory local tea party organization called the One Percent for Liberty announced nominees for its annual “Defender…
Hunger Games (a Thanksgiving Phantasmagoria)
There are times when Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) CEO Steve Leeper brings to mind the Great White Explorers of yore — Christopher Columbus, Capt. John Smith — who, upon landing on foreign soil, set about making it “new” by extracting the natives who were already there to make room for the Pilgrims who…
Worst Week Ever!: Nov. 20-26
Macy’s Learns About Internet Commerce Via Teenager’s Insult Macy’s chief executive Terry Lundgren described a bold new future to investors at the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer Conference in New York last week. While the chain will continue to close stores that aren’t meeting sales goals, technological improvements have made shipping more efficient and increased their…
Acarya Celebrates New “Tribal Rock” EP
Cincinnati duo Acarya celebrates the release of its new EP, Reperio Terra , Friday at The Drinkery (1150 Main St., Over-the-Rhine). The twosome is joined by local Rock/Blues quartet The Whiskey Shambles for the free event. Showtime is 9 p.m. The EP can be pre-ordered at acaryaband.com , which offers various price levels that include…
Oldboy
What happens to a man (Josh Brolin) after he has been kidnapped and sequestered for 20 years, then mysteriously released? More than likely he’s going to want to find out whom orchestrated his living hell and dish out a little revenge. If the premise sounds familiar, its because this “new” Spike Lee joint is not…
Homefront
When a former DEA agent (Jason Statham) settles down with his family in a small town, you just know he’s not going to be able to keep out of trouble, especially when the head troublemaker, a meth dealer (James Franco), comes around and knocks down his door. Homefront — a Gary Fleder-helmed project based on…
Frozen
Chris Buck (writing credits on Pocahontas and Surf’s Up and directing for Family Dog and Tarzan) and Jennifer Lee (writer on Wreck-It Ralph) team up to take the helm of this chilly adventure about a young woman, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), braving the elements with the help of a mountain man (Jonathan Groff) and…
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak’s novel about a young girl (Sophie Nélisse) struggling to survive the horrors of Germany during the second world war by stealing books and passing them along gets adapted by screenwriter Michael Petroni (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Rite) and director Brian Percival (About a Girl, Pleasureland).…
Black Nativity
This musical-drama from writer-director Kasi Lemmons (based on the work of Langston Hughes) tags along with a Baltimore teen (Jacob Latimore), who is sent to New York to stay with his grandparents (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett). This early Christmas release is all about broken families seeking to become whole again, but the real gift…
The Marvel Universe Leaps Across Formats in a Single Bound
A quiet revolution began back in 2003 with the release of The Animatrix, a collection of animated short films that explore the history of The Matrix universe. And in the case of shorts “Final Flight of the Osiris” and “Kid’s Story,” the collection dared to fill in key information that would impact the ongoing series,…
The Incredible Shrinking Record
At independent record stores across North America, this week’s “Black Friday” shopping event is when labels and musicians offer all sorts of unusual, collector-minded gimmicks to draw customers: picture discs, special singles, remixed tracks, unique reissues and more. Also popular are EP (“extended play”) releases that are longer than singles but shorter (and cheaper) than…
Streaming Shows to Binge on This Thanksgiving
Many popular series take a break this week for the holiday, which is kind of a bummer — for some of us, the Real Housewives are the closest thing we have to family! But it does give us a chance to feast on some buzzed-about shows on streaming sites and devices. Here are some great…
Chatfield College Opens New OTR Campus
It’s no coincidence that Chatfield College is expanding into the heart of Over-the-Rhine. It’s more like destiny. Since its 1845 founding in Brown County as an Ursuline convent and school, Chatfield College (renamed as such and opened to the public in 1971) has repurposed land to educate those who lack access. “We want to attract…
Shrewdness of Apes Gives Emerging Artists a Home
Hilary Nauman and Michael Boyd are taking DIY to the next level with Shrewdness of Apes, their new Covington, Ky., gallery-boutique. After participating in what she calls a “makers’ movement” of arts markets across the region, Nauman says she and Boyd were inspired to create a more permanent home for emerging artists and makers. Veterans…
Foxy & Elsewhere
Eric Nally measures his words carefully as he describes his excitement over the impending release of the fifth Foxy Shazam album. Nally and the rest of the Foxy crew — guitarist Loren Turner, keyboardist Sky White, bassist Daisy Caplan, trumpeter/back-up vocalist Alex Nauth, minus drummer Aaron McVeigh, who was unavoidably absent for our interview —…
Thankful for ‘Twelfth Night’
So it’s Thanksgiving week and I’m wandering down memory lane to offer an insight into why I’m thankful to be a theater critic. I grew up in a small town near Cleveland, acted (poorly) in some high school productions and was infected with an abiding love for theater. As a teenager I sought out productions…
Lasting Legacy: Remembering Mike Amann, Covington’s Public Arts Advocate
Mike Amann wasn’t interested in overthinking things. The designer, gallery owner, contemporary art collector, husband and new father was more prone to spontaneous acts of creativity than pre-calculated plans. Whatever the project, he always dove right in and went for it. On a whim one Sunday afternoon in 2002, Mike took his then-girlfriend and…
Morning News and Stuff
For the third time, a representative from the federal government yesterday reiterated to Cincinnati officials that if the $132.8 million streetcar project is canceled, the city would lose $40.9 million in federal funds and another $4 million would be left to the discretion of the state government, which could allocate the money anywhere in Ohio.…
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with Dom Flemons
Could there be any unlikelier success story in music than the pride of Brown County, Ind., Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band? And by success, we mean still making a living nearly a decade after its self-released debut, The Pork ‘n’ Beans Collection, playing an endless tour of 250 dates per year while living in a…
Event: Thanksgiving Dinners
If you don’t want to spend all day cooking (or all day waiting for someone else to cook), the following are some of the local restaurants offering Thanksgiving dining options to satisfy friends, family and kids. Reservations are required for pretty much all meals and buffets, so call ahead.BB Riverboats Thanksgiving Day Cruises: Thanksgiving dinner with…
Music: Eric + Erica with Sun Country
Eric Kuhn and Erica Fink have been making beautiful music together for a relatively short time, releasing their recording debut as Eric + Erica (an introductory EP) just this past spring, mere months after forming. But the Oakland, Calif., duo’s easy rapport and creative chemistry is immediately evident in their warm, gauzy, minimalistic Indie Pop…
Music: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Could there be any unlikelier success story in music than the pride of Brown County, Ind., Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band? And by success, we mean still making a living nearly a decade after its self-released debut, The Pork ‘n’ Beans Collection, playing an endless tour of 250 dates per year while living in a…
Music: Papadosio
For the past seven years, Papadosio has been bridging the gap between icy Electronic music and meandering, monolithic Jam epics by warming up Synth Pop’s brittle chill and giving Jam explorations both a concise power and a discernible destination. From Papadosio’s formation in 2006, the Athens, Ohio, quintet has clearly understood the correlation between the…
Music: The Melodic with Vikesh Kapoor
Naming a band The Melodic means you instantly have a lot to live up to. That’s no problem here — The Melodic are, indeed, beautifully melodic. And the new British Folk ensemble’s free local appearance Friday should be a delight. AllMusic, the online music guide, compared the group — whose wonderful first full-length, Effra Parade,…
Dining Out This Thanksgiving
If you don’t want to spend all day cooking (or all day waiting for someone else to cook), the following are some of the local restaurants offering Thanksgiving dining options to satisfy friends, family and kids. Reservations are required for pretty much all meals and buffets, so call ahead. BB Riverboats Thanksgiving Day Cruises: Thanksgiving…
Mayday (Review)
Mayday, the storied Northside bar, jumped into the restaurant game last month when they hired Chef Julz Lucas and added a full menu of gourmand dishes to their stable of Senate-like hot dogs. Since the neighborhood is bursting with new restaurants (e.g. Ruth’s Parkside Café, Django, Barrio), it was inevitable that Mayday, which opened in…
Holiday: Afternoon Tea
The Cincinnatian Hotel is offering a traditional afternoon tea service in The Cricket Lounge for adults and children weekends during the December holiday season. They also offer a Teddy Bear Tea for kids with hot chocolate or tea and kid-friendly sandwiches (PBJ or ham and cheese) and treats. 2-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through December.…
Music: Kim Scott
Alabama’s Kim Scott has an impressive résumé as a Classical flautist and educator, but when she comes to Cincinnati this weekend, that side of her split musical persona won’t be on display. With 2011’s Crossing Over album, Scott became a “newcomer” again, transferring her masterful flute abilities to the Smooth Jazz format and quickly earning…
Holiday: OTR AGLOW
Historic Over-the-Rhine will be in lights for seven nights starting Saturday. This holiday event invites street-level OTR storefronts and residential windows to compete in a glowing window display extravaganza. Participants will set their original window displays a-glow between 5:30 and 10 p.m. each evening until Dec. 6. Windows will be judged based on creativity and…
Comedy: Mike Lukas
Comedian Mike Lukas returns to familiar territory this week. The Cleveland native, who graduated from the University of Dayton, was living in Cincinnati when he started his comedy career. His run at Go Bananas comes off a recent stint in the Caribbean. “I have been performing at the Punchliner Comedy Clubs aboard most of Carnival…
Holiday: Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt
While German Christkindlmarkts, including the oldest and most renowned in Nuremberg, date back to 1639, this is the second for Cincideutsch — a group of German-speaking Cincinnati residents. Expect handcrafted gifts, seasonal décor, hot spiced Glühwein, traditional German holiday sweets, European baked goods and more out of charming half-timbered vendor fronts. After its run on Fountain…
Literary: Dann Woellert
Cincinnatians like their chili. Dann Woellert knows this as well as anyone, as his incisive, impressively researched book on the subject, The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili, makes clear. His history is packed with photos and informed by numerous interviews with purveyors — like the Kiradjieff, Lambrinides, Perdikakis and Sarakatsannis families — that have made…
Event: Northside CoSign Unveiling
There is an art to business signs, and the people at CoSign understand this better than many. As part of the Queen City Project, a local initiative to get people excited about businesses in Cincinnati, CoSign will be returning to Northside and unveiling new signs for nine storefronts. The goal is to showcase the work…
Event: Black Friday Shop Local Events
Independent businesses are in the Black Friday shopping spirit this year with a ton of shop-local incentives to prove big deals don’t just come from big-box stores. All day Friday is OTR’s fifth annual Holidays in the Bag event (otrchamber.com). Buy the official $5 holiday bag and receive discounts at participating OTR stores. Hyde Park…
Holiday: Scuba Santa
Grab the kids in your life and keep the holiday festivities going with Scuba Santa at the Newport Aquarium. You never know if Cincinnati weather will bring a true winter wonderland, but Scuba Santa’s got you covered as he dives into his ninth year in a 385,000-gallon Water Wonderland filled with sharks, sea turtles and…
Holiday: Macy’s Light Up the Square
Fountain Square gets a holiday makeover with this annual tree-lighting event. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. with live music from Archer’s Paradox followed by food from the likes of Tom + Chee, a tree lighting at 7 p.m., more live music from the Von Trap Kids and a fireworks show finale. The ice rink is…
Onstage: A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens is surely the patron saint of many theaters. His beloved tale of Scrooge’s re-education by ghosts on Christmas Eve has kept many afloat with holiday productions. The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has one of the best I’ve seen, and it’s back for its 23rd year. But to see how the story can…
Event: Fall Feast
Give Back Cincinnati presents this community-centric Thanksgiving dinner and event — one of the region’s largest. All are invited to a traditional turkey dinner, especially the homeless or underserved, to join 4,000 neighbors in a day of thanks, feasting and fun. There will also be games, entertainment and a kids’ zone plus free coats, free…
Sports: 104th Annual Thanksgiving Day Race
The course for the 104th incarnation of this traditional holiday run/walk has been changed from the standard jaunt through Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky — runners and walkers will now pass by new additions and historic sites and neighborhoods in the Cincinnati area. Fountain Square is on the course as is the new Horseshoe Casino and…
Cranley Appoints Mann as Vice Mayor
Mayor-elect John Cranley on Monday announced he will appoint Councilman-elect David Mann to act as vice mayor. “Quite simply, he passes the bus test,” Cranley said at a press conference, suggesting that Mann is capable of doing his job if the mayor were to die after getting hit by a bus. “He’s the one guy…
Event: Hudepohl Turkey Trot
Maybe it’s an excuse to get your drink on early in hopes of drowning out pesky relatives as they sit around your Thanksgiving dinner table. Or maybe it’s a prolonged toast to the friends you are really thankful for after a spirited “Friends-giving” feast. Regardless of why you’ve chosen to spend your Thanksgiving-eve downing brewskies,…
Onstage: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!The Musical
Thanks to a 1966 animated TV special, Dr. Seuss’ 1957 story about the mean-spirited Grinch’s efforts to ruin the holiday celebrations in Whoville has become a beloved tale. Despite his dastardly thievery of decorations and gifts, the Grinch — a cousin of Scrooge, to be sure — discovers the true meaning of Christmas. After two…
FTA: City to Lose Federal Funds If Streetcar Is Canceled
Although it has already been explicitly stated in two letters from the federal government, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Chief Counsel Dorval Carter on Monday reiterated that if Cincinnati were to unravel the $132.8 million streetcar project, the city would lose $40.9 million in federal grants and another $4 million in federal funds would be transferred…
Morning News and Stuff
The Drop Inn Center and 3CDC (Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation) on Friday announced a deal to move the region’s largest homeless shelter from its current location in Over-the-Rhine to Queensgate. The Drop Inn Center says the new location represents “most of the things on our wish list, which is fantastic.” And 3CDC has been…
WATCH: The MidPoint Sessions featuring Indigo Wild
Over the past few weeks we’ve been sharing some great new videos shot at September’s MidPoint Music Festival by The Queen City Project. The clips feature performances from The MidPoint Sessions, a day party held during MPMF at Art Academy of Cincinnati in conjunction with FotoFocus’ Reverberation concert photography exhibit. The event showcased acoustic performances by four…
Research: Stand-Your-Ground Laws Increase Homicides
Supporters of a stand-your-ground law claim the measure would make the public safer by making it easier for people to defend themselves from criminals, but the research so far shows the law might weaken public safety in a few key areas and actually increase the amount of homicides. On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Ohio House passed…
Your Weekend To Do List: 11/22-11/24
When Tim Haines purchased the Mohawk Building on Central Parkway in 2012, he understood that he would probably need to sort through some abandoned items in the space, particularly leftover stock in the old Castner Picture Frame Company warehouse. But he was surprised to find hundreds of thousands of vintage frames and equipment left behind.…
Stage Door: Comedies Abound
The theater season takes a bit of a pause around Thanksgiving, since many companies are readying holiday productions. But there are plenty of choices available this weekend. I'm not the only one who enjoyed the laugh-fest that is The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) at the Cincinnati Playhouse. I've heard numerous people who saw it…
Morning News and Stuff
Streetcar Project Executive John Deatrick yesterday revealed that the city might only keep $7.5-$24.5 million if it cancels the $132.8 million streetcar project , after accounting for $32.8 million in sunk costs through November, a potential range of $30.6-$47.6 million in close-out costs and $44.9 million in lost federal grant money. But Mayor-elect John Cranley…
City: Canceling Streetcar Could Nearly Reach Cost of Completion
Streetcar Project Executive John Deatrick on Thursday revealed that the city might only keep $7.5-$24.5 million if it cancels the $132.8 million streetcar project. That means the city could potentially spend more than 94 percent of the project’s total costs before it manages to fully close down the streetcar project, which is currently undergoing construction…
Concert Photography Celebrated at Know
Tomorrow (Friday) at Over-the-Rhine’s Know Theatre of Cincinnati, a special photography collection will be on the display, showcasing some of the best work of local photographers who especially shine when shooting live music events. In the spirit of the Reverberation: Capturing the Live Music Experience exhibit presented by FofoFocus at the Art Academy of…
WATCH: Valley High’s “Let Me Get Em” Video
Along with creating captivating, dynamic music that has helped to make it one of Cincinnati’s finest Hip Hop groups, Valley High has released several stellar music videos over the past few years to accompany its tracks. This year has seen some of the best clips yet from the group, including ones for “That One Too”…
Touring Musician Arrested for Peeing in Mason
One week ago today, on Nov. 14, the fun and increasingly acclaimed Michigan-based Electro Pop band Stepdad was bringing its nearly two-month, nationwide tour to a close and was set to perform at Cincinnati’s MOTR Pub. The band had a great fall tour; outside of some trouble with its tour van, things had gone smoothly…
Morning News and Stuff
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald selected State Sen. Eric Kearney of Cincinnati as his running mate for his bid against Gov. John Kasich in 2014. Although Kasich is widely perceived as a favorite as the incumbent, recent polling found the race is tied . (The poll was commissioned by Ohio Democrats, but the firm behind…
Onstage: Owen Wingrave
The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) performs Benjamin Britten’s Owen Wingrave, in which a young man chooses pacifism over a military career. Performances of Owen Wingrave at CCM coincide with Britten’s 100th birthday on Nov. 22, and are sponsored by a grant from the Britten-Pears Foundation. Based on a short story by Henry James, Owen is…
Art: Is This It
Is This It by Cincinnati artist Joey Versoza, curated by Justine Ludwig, has a helter-skelter approach. I’d be hard put to explain why all the party balloons festoon the video clips in “This Is It,” or why the music that accompanies the images is what it is. The show’s title refers to the This Is It comeback concerts…
Art: by every wind that blows
The Contemporary Arts Center’s show by every wind that blows by Diane Landry is an engaging show that mostly features the Canadian artist’s graceful use of existing, repurposed everyday objects, some of which have been mechanized. There is also a video component. The gallery piece that attracts the most attention is “Exhaustion.” From a distance, as you approach…
Event: SoapBox Open House
The perpetually hip neighborhood of Northside may be known for its dining and bars, but tucked away on Knowlton Street is the newly established heart of the progressive community — SoapBox Books and Zines, a nonprofit, non-hierarchical, volunteer-run community space with a serious mission. According to SoapBox’s website (soapboxbooks.org), the organization “distributes alternative media, provides…
Music: Toubab Krewe
Over the last half century, Greater Cincinnati has been a place where grooves of all stripes and genres have been cultivated in various nooks and crannies. From Reggae, Salsa, Funk and Bluegrass to the Blues, Punk, EDM and Hip Hop, an assortment of beats and rhythms can be heard coming out of a variety of…
Music: Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls
An interesting trend has developed over the past couple of decades — Punk bands have inexplicably become a reliable farm system for acoustic Folk/Americana/Bluegrass explorations. The reasons for the conversion are varied, but Punk musicians who pursue this path often cite honesty and passion as the connective tissue between their seemingly disparate genres. There are…
Music: Manchester Orchestra
Born out of frustration and isolation during lead singer Andy Hull’s days in high school, Manchester Orchestra is far from lonely now. For almost a decade, the band has toured across the globe collecting famous friends (like Brand New and Biffy Clyro) and devoted fans everywhere it goes. The band’s driving guitars and urgent vocals…
Music: The Dustbowl Revival
When it comes to the current revival of early 20th century Jump Blues and Swing music, there are two ways to go. There are groups that simply try to be a “retro” band and attempt to recreate those days musically. Others play the music straightforward, as if they were living in those days now, meaning…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Apparently Lady Gaga did damn well as host and musical guest on this week’s Saturday Night Live, because I keep seeing stories like this praising her. I don’t know for sure, though, because I fell asleep on the couch at 10:30 p.m. and woke up just before 1 a.m., just in time to see something…
ACLU Opposes New Limits on Early Voting
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio says it opposes Senate Bill 238, which would reduce Ohio’s in-person early voting period from 35 to 29 days and repeal a five-day period in which Ohioans can simultaneously register to vote and vote in person. “The five-day window offers major benefits to many voters, including those with…
Cincinnati vs. the World 11.20.2013
White supremacist Craig Cobb, the same dude that wanted to turn a North Dakota town into an all-white enclave, found out on national television that he’s 15 percent black. WORLD +2 Schools in Ohio’s poor urban districts spend considerably less on basic education for the average student, according to new research. CINCINNATI -1 The Chinese…
Miles on Film, ODB WTF and Kendrick vs. GQ
HOT Jazzing up the Big Screen Whenever a film about a music legend is announced, there’s a bit of nervousness from fans about casting. But every now and then, casting announcements get an almost universal, “Yeah, makes sense.” That was the case when word spread that Kill the Trumpet Player, about Jazz icon Miles Davis,…
Worst Week Ever!: Nov. 13-19
Department Store with DJs Proves Too Futuristic for Cincinnatians; Plans Move Saks Fifth Avenue’s Fifth Street location downtown will relocate to Sycamore Township after years of Cincinnati residents never being able to afford anything from their store other than deeply discounted clearance items. The retailer’s move to the abandoned mall next to Kenwood Towne Centre…
Novel Ideas for Cincinnati’s Future
I was recently walking around 801 Plum St. — otherwise known as the address of City Hall — and I saw the incoming mayor and council members walking out the front door. Some looked really happy, while others looked a little worried. Charlie Winburn looked hungry and crazy. Anyway, as they were walking from the…
Music: The Texas Guitar Women
Starting in 2008, the five members of the Texas Guitar Women possess the kind of resumes that would drop the jaw of the most jaded music professional. Texas Music Hall of Fame inductee Cindy Cashdollar has lent her considerable guitar skills to Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Levon Helm, Dave Alvin, Jorma Kaukonen and Van Morrison,…
Exit Where You Entered
The Nov. 12 resignation of McMicken Arts and Sciences Dean Ronald Jackson at the University of Cincinnati marks a sad ending and an even sadder beginning for the university’s battered, tattered and exposed race relations (whatever that means these days.) Jackson was McMicken’s first and the university’s only black dean, and his 18-month tenure was…
Let The Fire Burn
Jason Osder, an assistant professor with George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, dives headfirst into topical documentary filmmaking with this examination into the May 13, 1985 standoff between the Philadelphia police force and the radical group MOVE, which resulted in the use of military explosives that decimated a number of row houses…
Give Thanks for Live Local Music on Thanksgiving Eve
Next Wednesday, Nov. 27, is one of the most coveted dates to book for musicians, perhaps only rivaled by New Year’s Eve. The night before Thanksgiving will once again see special events all over the area, as clubs take advantage of what is allegedly the biggest bar night of the year. Instead of waiting until…
Dallas Buyers Club
Dallas Buyers Club serves as the latest yellow brick on the road to career redemption for Matthew McConaughey. Remember the silly romcoms with Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), Jennifer Lopez (The Wedding Planner) and Jennifer Garner (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past)? At his worst, he always slipped in a shiny distraction…
The Friendly Market (Profile)
Cincinnati has the year-round Findlay Market, and now Northern Kentucky has The Friendly Market, which officially opened on Sept. 7. Nestled in a spacious, barn-like building in the back of Mt. Zion Crossing Shopping Center in Florence, Ky., The Friendly Market is the brainchild of retired tobacco farm owner Jack Berberich, who owns the land…
Cross-Cultural Communication
O ver the last half century, Greater Cincinnati has been a place where grooves of all stripes and genres have been cultivated in various nooks and crannies. From Reggae, Salsa, Funk and Bluegrass to the Blues, Punk, EDM and Hip Hop, an assortment of beats and rhythms can be heard coming out of a variety…
Delivery Man
Advance word proclaims that Vince Vaughn finally settles into a maturing presence as David Wozniak, caught in the seemingly inescapable grasp of arrested development but upended by the knowledge that, thanks to a mistake at a fertility clinic more than 20 years ago, he has fathered 533 children. And a class action suit by 142…
The Texas Guitar Women
Here we are, a decade and change into the new millennium, and there are still pockets of ignorant men that honestly believe women are inherently incapable of guitar mastery. A healthy contingent of gifted X-chromosomed six-stringers would beg to differ, notably Bonnie Raitt, Kaki King, Sylvia Juncosa, Melissa Etheridge and a host of others, but…
The Conventional Odds Favor ‘Catching Fire’
Right off the bat, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has her very own I Am Legend moment. She’s in the restricted area outside District 12 with her trusty bow, surveying the land. The turkeys gobble-gobbling along better beware because she’s about to head off for her victory tour, celebrating her “win” at the 74th Hunger Games,…
The Northern Kentucky Incubator Kitchen (Profile)
The kitchen in the basement of the Senior Services of Northern Kentucky (SSNK) is huge — 5,000-square-feet huge. So when Rachel DesRochers was first offered it for her burgeoning vegan graham cracker business Grateful Grahams, she turned it down. She had started — and was quickly outgrowing — the company in her home kitchen, but…
Manchester Orchestra
Atlanta is a decent enough place. The best thing going for the city is its musical history. Nearly 10 years ago, that very music scene birthed Manchester Orchestra. For that, tens of thousands of fans are eternally grateful to the overstuffed city of Hotlanta. Though born out of frustration and isolation during lead singer Andy…
Ja’mie King Is Back, You Fugly Povos
The last time audiences saw queen bee-otch Ja’mie King, the Australian high school student had just finished a term as an exchange student at — gasp! — a public school in Summer Heights High. Now she’s back on her home turf, wrapping up her senior year on-camera in Ja’mie: Private School Girl (Series Premiere, 10:30…
Bill Would Stop Insurers From Offering Abortion Coverage
Union Township Rep. John Becker introduced a bill on Nov. 14 that, if passed, would introduce regulations that would ban most public and private health insurance policies, including Medicaid, from covering abortions and several common methods of contraception. According to a press release from NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, H.B. 351 would manipulate language on the Ohio…
Music Tonight: The Dustbowl Revival, Frank Turner and More
Since Los Angeles is one of the centers of the music universe, being dubbed the “Best Live Band” in the city is an incredibly high honor. Energetic eight-member Americana ensemble The Dustbowl Revival received that exact honor this year when the city’s L.A. Weekly named the group the Best Live Band of 2013 in its…
The Dustbowl Revival
When it comes to the current revival of early 20th century Jump Blues and Swing music, there are two ways to go. There are groups that simply try to be a “retro” band and attempt to recreate those days musically. Others play the music straightforward, as if they were living in those days now, meaning…
Dohoney Out as City Manager
City Council on Nov. 14 accepted City Manager Milton Dohoney’s resignation, setting the stage for the end of more than seven years of service that fostered Cincinnati’s nationally recognized economic turnaround, the $133 million streetcar project and the controversial parking plan. The request comes just one day after Mayor-elect John Cranley announced Dohoney’s resignation. Cranley…
Northside’s SoapBox: Community Infoshop with Progressive Mission
The perpetually hip neighborhood of Northside may be known for its dining and bars, but tucked away on Knowlton Street is the newly established heart of the progressive community — SoapBox Books and Zines, a nonprofit, non-hierarchical, volunteer-run community space with a serious mission. According to SoapBox’s website (soapboxbooks.org), the organization “distributes alternative media, provides…
Streetcar Supporters Organize Campaign to Save Project
Streetcar supporters packed Mercantile Library and Fountain Square on Nov. 14 to start a two-week campaign that seeks to prevent the incoming mayor and City Council from canceling the ongoing project. Turnout was particularly strong as supporters reached the 200-person capacity at Mercantile Library before the event started. Another 200 watched the event from the…
False Equivalency Confuses Streetcar Debate
Mayor-elect John Cranley says he supports a $10-$15 million so-called trackless trolley system that he claims is a suitable replacement to the $133 million streetcar project. But when looking at the data, Cranley’s claims appear far-fetched. Of course, that hasn’t stopped Cranley or The Cincinnati Enquirer from delving into a false equivalency for the debate.…
Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls
An interesting trend has developed over the past couple of decades — Punk bands have inexplicably become a reliable farm system for acoustic Folk/Americana/Bluegrass explorations. The reasons for the conversion are varied, but Punk musicians who pursue this path often cite honesty and passion as the connective tissue between their seemingly disparate genres. There are…
Restricted Responsibility
M iami University has a problem with sexual assault. But so does every other college campus in the United States. One in four female college students will be a victim of sexual assault during her academic career. By nature, there’s something about a campus that makes it a high-risk place for sexual assault — some…
Artist Diane Landry Makes Waves at the CAC
The opening of a new show can be a tense, contentious time for an artist. Doubts arise: “What do the public and critics think? Does this show really work?” But at the Contemporary Arts Center’s recent opening of her show by every wind that blows, Diane Landry was above all that. Literally. In the museum’s…
Morning News and Stuff
Urban schools spend less on basic education for a typical student than previously assumed after accounting for the cost of poverty, according to a Nov. 19 report from three school advocacy groups. After weighing the extra cost of educating an impoverished student, the report finds major urban school districts lose more than 39 percent in…
Singing The Personal And Political
T he personal is definitely political in two operas onstage this month. The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) performs Benjamin Britten’s Owen Wingrave, in which a young man chooses pacifism over a military career. The following week, the Cincinnati Opera and CCM collaborative effort Opera Fusion: New Works offers a workshop performance of…
REVIEW: Performa 13 (Part Three)
Meeting with other curators and programmers while I'm traveling always gets me eager to head back to Cincinnati to start plugging away at full speed on new projects. So I was in a privileged situation on Friday to find myself at the Performa Hub (the official festival HQ) for a casual meet and greet. The…
