Cafe Lang Thang (Review)
Café Lang Thang in Over-the-Rhine, from the proprietors of Findlay Market’s Pho Lang Thang and Gateway Quarter’s Quan Hapa, offers Vietnamese street-style food that won’t drain your wallet — even if you dine with them once or twice a week (… or sometimes three times, let’s be real); nothing on the menu is more than $8.…
Cooks in the Kitchen
Watching television during the wee hours can be downright dangerous, not only to your sleep schedule, but also to your wallet. Valuable time can be wasted on late-night hucksters bound and determined to get you to part with your hard-earned cash in exchange for expensive, frivolous and oftentimes gigantic kitchen gadgets that almost always perform…
Literary: Alex Myers
It’s 1782 in Massachusetts. The American Revolutionary War is in its final stages. Deborah Sampson Gannett, frustrated that she can’t serve because she’s a woman, disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental Army. Gannett’s fascinating true-life story is the basis of Alex Myers’ Revolutionary, a deftly crafted historical novel about the nature…
Film: Groundhog Day Screening at the Esquire
This Super Bowl Sunday, trade in your bucket of chicken wings for popcorn and head to the Esquire for a celebratory screening of Groundhog Day … on Groundhog Day. As the temperatures continue their seemingly never-ending downward spiral, there’s never been a more appropriate time to root for the sometimes-clairvoyant Punxsutawney Phil. Even if the…
Event: Tribute: The OTR Anniversary Party
Original Thought Required (OTR), the Over-the-Rhine streetwear boutique, invites you to help them celebrate not only being in business for four years, but also being a part of the culture in downtown Cincinnati. After 1,460 days of business, their birthday bash at Mainstay has an impressive list of musical guests on the books, including Grammy…
Event: CSO Concert and Encore: Drums and Dvorak
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra presents innovative percussionist Colin Currie for a concert, Drums and Dvorák, followed by a CSO Encore party with live music, cocktails and an underground afterparty at Jimmy G’s steakhouse. Listen to the music of Czech composer Antonin Dvorák paired with some daring percussion combinations. And then don’t miss your chance to…
Dance: Koresh Dance Company
For more than two decades, artistic director Ronen “Roni” Koresh, an Israeli native who immigrated to the U.S. in 1983, has been creating dances in his inimitable, highly expressive signature style. His Philadelphia-based ensemble, Koresh Dance Company, eloquently fuses techniques from modern, ballet and jazz dancing that ignites a fresh, explosive physicality. Much of the…
Art: Fits Exhibition Opening and Performance by Fred Thomas at LOHIO
Fred Thomas, the highly prolific, Michigan-based multi-instrumentalist behind experimental Pop band Saturday Looks Good To Me, has been compulsively creating music with an endless stream of bands and related projects for nearly two decades. This Saturday (appropriately enough), Thomas will perform as part of the opening reception for his multi-media installation Fits, a combination of…
Event: Winter Day of Quiet
Take a time-out from the chaos of your busy lifestyle and indulge in some much-needed “you time,” at Grailville’s Winter Day of Quiet. Allow yourself to meditate in the peacefulness of the winter season on this self-directed day. Grailville will provide a quiet space to nurture your relaxation and renewal. Escape within their rural environment…
Local Guitarist Wins Master Class with Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold
For most musicians, a trip to Hollywood to train with a legendary Rock star would be nothing more than a dream, but for local guitarist David Puthoff, it’s a reality. After winning a nationwide competition, the 19-year-old was one of 10 top prize winners chosen to be flown to Los Angeles to attend a VIP…
Event: Karneval Maskeball
Stop hibernating inside and add a splash of color to this winter with costumes, music and fun at the Germania Society’s Karneval Maskenball party, which celebrates Karneval season during the weeks before Lent. Partake in the festivities by showing off your favorite costume. The theme of the grand ball is “When in Rome.” Entertainment will…
Attractions: Medicine, Marbles and Mayhem at Union Terminal
Who would think that their old medicine jars, toys and toothbrushes would be on display one day? Probably not many Cincinnati locals, but that’s exactly what’s happening at Medicine, Marbles and Mayhem. Unknown “time capsules” from the 1800s have been excavated from old outhouses around the city. Archaeologists dug their way through local privy sites,…
Event: Daniel Wohl + TRANSIT
Coming off January’s well-attended and superb concert by prepared-piano virtuoso Hauschka, the Contemporary Arts Center presents its next avant-garde event this Saturday when electroacoustic composer Daniel Wohl + TRANSIT appear. The Paris-born, New York-based Wohl and the chamber ensemble together offer Corps Exquis, with Wohl handling electronics and TRANSIT playing acoustically while specially created videos…
Music: Crooks on Tape with New Strange
In the ’90s, guitarist/singer/composer John Schmersal was the guitarist for progressive Electro Rock champs Brianiac, one of the best bands to ever come out of Dayton, Ohio. In the 2000s, Schmersal formed the adventurous Indie Pop outfit Enon and moved to New York City. In 2010, Schmersal (now Los Angeles-based) got together with friends Rick…
Comedy: Henry Phillips
Comedian Henry Phillips has just released a new CD called Let’s Get Suicidal as alter-ego Jose Suicidio, which is a companion to his hit web series Henry’s Kitchen. “I’m a bachelor, so every time I cook, I go to YouTube to see if there’s a new recipe I can try,” he says. Along with the…
Class: Cooking with Vodka
If vodka is your drink of choice, why not try putting it in your food? Join the folks at Nectar restaurant this Thursday for an exciting Nectar Dinner Club event, “Cooking with Vodka.” The five-course menu includes vodka mussels, borscht, vodka green goddess salad and some vodka-cured pork loin. Hosted by cocktail diva Molly Wellmann,…
Onstage: Shen Yun
Shen Yun performing arts group is globally renowned, bringing Chinese culture and history to stages all around the world. “Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture,” its website…
Onstage: Tribes
Billy is the deaf son of a really noisy family. He’s found ways to cope with their boisterous, contentious lives, but they haven’t done the same for him. When he makes friends with a young woman who has a different take on dealing with deafness — she signs, he lip-reads — a tug-of-war ensues. Nina…
Report: Reading Proficiency Falls With Income
Ohio’s lower-income fourth-graders were much more likely than higher-income fourth-graders to fall below reading proficiency standards in 2013, according to a report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Four in five lower-income fourth-graders were declared below reading proficiency standards in 2013, the report found. Only 48 percent of higher-income fourth-graders fell below proficiency.…
Morning News and Stuff
Local early voting could move from downtown to Mount Airy, where only one bus line runs, following a split, party-line vote from the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Democrats oppose the move because they say it will make early voting less accessible to people who rely on public transportation to make it to the ballot…
Advising a Louisville Theatre Field Trip
If I could charter a bus and offer you transportation to Louisville over the next few days to see a production at Actors Theatre, I'd happily do so. I made the drive to see a Sunday matinee of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, "reimagined by The Hypocrites." This zany group of theater artists…
‘Downton Abbey’ Season Four, Episode Four
Upstairs: Mary, who looks about five minutes away from death, (yes she is THAT pale) wonders if the children have a “good childhood” and Lord Grantham has too much time on his hands and is super careless with his money. So…what’s new? The latest development in the settlement of the property is about Mr. Drew,…
Cincinnati Entertainment Awards to be Featured on ‘The List’
As the dust from last night’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards settles and musicians/attendees/hosts across the city nurse their hangovers, everybody’s talking about the epic night in local music that is the CEAs. Check out a list of the night’s winners here. Stay tuned for a full recap and photos from the show in this week’s upcoming…
Ohio’s Clean Energy Standards vs. Stalinism
State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, continues comparing Ohio’s renewable energy and efficiency law to Stalinism and other extreme Soviet-era policies. Seitz’s latest comparison, according to Columbus’ Business First, claims Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell didn’t need “Stalinist” mandates to pursue their inventions. “It was not some Stalinist government mandating, ‘You must buy…
Early Voting Could Move Outside Downtown
The Hamilton County Board of Elections on Monday split along party lines over whether the board should move its offices and early voting from downtown, Cincinnati’s urban core, to Mount Airy, where only one bus line runs. The two Democrats on the board dispute the move. They claim the move would make voting less accessible…
Morning News and Stuff
The Hamilton County Board of Elections plans to decide today whether it will move its offices and early voting from downtown to Mount Airy. The two Democrats on the board argue moving the offices would push early voting away from public transportation options and the city’s core, while the two Republicans claim it’s “good government”…
CEA 2014 Winners
Check out a wrap-up of last night's 17th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards show in this Wednesday issue of CityBeat. (Spoiler alert: It was an amazing night.) In the meantime, below are the winners in each of the CEA categories. Congratulations to all of the performers, presenters, nominees and other attendees for making last night's show at…
Rabbit Hash Chili and Cornbread Cook-Off
Head to Rabbit Hash this Sunday for a chili and cornbread cook-off, featuring live music from the Star Devils. And while it is too cold outside to hang on the Rabbit Hash General Store porch with a beer, you can hang out in the relative warmth of the Rabbit Hash barn, chomping on some chili.…
School Employees Could Soon Carry Concealed Guns
The Republican-controlled Ohio House on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow school boards to designate some school employees to carry concealed firearms and prohibit school boards from releasing the names of those employees. As part of the designation, school employees would have to participate in “active shooter training” established by the state attorney general.…
Stage Door: ‘Clybourne Park’ and More
I caught the opening night of the Cincinnati Playhouse's production of Clybourne Park last night. The play won the theater triple crown: Tony for best play on Broadway, Olivier for best play in London, and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama. It's being staged by a lot of big theaters this season, but you need…
REVIEW: The Tigerlilies – In the Dark
It has been much too long since Patrick Hennessy and any viable version of The Tigerlilies have committed to a studio regimen and the clear goal of emerging with something/anything approaching the scorching delight of their first three discs, 1992's Deeper, 1997's Space Age Love Songs and 2003's Ceci N'Est Pas Pop. Hennessy's involvement with The Fairmount Girls began…
Morning News and Stuff
Mayor John Cranley yesterday offered free space to the Hamilton County Board of Elections at the city-owned Shillito’s building to keep the board’s offices and early voting downtown. The idea comes in the middle of a debate between Democrats and Republicans on the Board of Elections over whether they should move their offices — and…
Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Return Sunday
The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony/party returns for its 17th annual celebration of the Greater Cincinnati music scene this Sunday at Madison Theater (730 Madison Ave., Covington, madisontheateronline.com). The show is open to music fans of all ages and kicks off at 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.) This marks the first year the CEAs…
The Bourbon Classic Returns to Louisville
One of the nation's premier bourbon events is returning within driving distance of Cincinnati (… not that anyone should necessarily be driving after partaking in a bourbon event). The second annual Bourbon Classic comes to Louisville next weekend — Jan. 31-Feb. 1 — offering world-class culinary and bartending talent. The event is open to bourbon…
Cranley Proposes Alternative to Keep Early Voting Downtown
Mayor John Cranley on Thursday offered the Hamilton County Board of Elections free space at the city-owned Shillito’s building to keep their offices and early voting downtown. The offer comes in the middle of a contentious debate between Democrats and Republicans on the Board of Elections over whether the county should move the board to…
The Many EPs of WolfCryer
Five years ago, Matt Baumann was exploring the fringes of avant garde Jazz and creating sparse Ambient soundscapes with nothing more than his alto/tenor saxophones (he occasionally duoed with friends Eric Barnett and Jim Feist, but largely worked on his own) and a vision of crafting a quietly powerful body of work. At the time…
Portune Flounders on Campaign Announcement
Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune on Thursday declined to announce whether he will challenge gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald in a Democratic primary after all, despite previously telling The Cincinnati Enquirer he already made a decision. While CityBeat will certainly cover Portune’s announcement once it finally comes, it’s all with the acknowledgement that his chances of…
Hops for Hippos
The Cincinnati Zoo wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas, and while they didn't quite raise enough money yet, they're hoping to secure the total $7 million that it will take to finish their hippo pool through fundraising and donation efforts. The hippo pool will be situated in the zoo's grassy-plained Africa exhibit, the most ambitious wildlife exhibit in…
Morning News and Stuff
An anti-gentrification organization says development in southern Over-the-Rhine and downtown is leaving out low- and middle-income residents. The People’s Coalition for Equality and Justice (TPCEJ) cautions it’s not against development, but it supports policies that would seek to help more people take advantage of the revitalization of Over-the-Rhine and downtown, such as more affordable housing,…
Two-Hour Streetcar Pass Could Cost $1.75
Riding the streetcar will cost $1.75 for two hours and $3.50 for 24 hours, according to a model unveiled Wednesday by Paul Grether, Metro’s rail manager. The model also set streetcar operating hours at Sunday-Thursday 6 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 6 a.m.-midnight. Under the model, the streetcar should sustain 3,000 daily boardings, Grether said. But…
The Invisible Woman
Ralph Fiennes has made a career being typecast as men of indomitable intelligence with a healthy sense of the romantic. So it should come as no surprise to find him slipping into the role of the great Charles Dickens for his second turn as both star and director, working with screenwriter Abi Morgan (Shame and…
I, Frankenstein
The Hollywood monster mash-up continues with I, Frankenstein, but at least this time out co-screenwriter and director Stuart Beattie (recognized for the characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the story for GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra — great calling cards, right?) forgoes the obviously inane soapy teen romance for something more…
The Lasting Legacy of Roger Ebert
I am Life Itself community member #888. There are at least 1,656 others. All of us, although we may never know each other by name, are bound together by one of the most influential people film history has ever known: film critic Roger Ebert. As community members, we contributed donations of all amounts to the…
Sundance Kid
A ndre Hyland is a really funny guy. He’s also a relentlessly creative, DIY-influenced artist who’s spent the last 15 years honing his unique talents through a variety of media — from his early obsession with graffiti art to his crafty, lo-fi Blond Chili short videos to his more recent work as an actor on cable…
FitzGerald Supports Death Penalty
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald on Wednesday told reporters he supports the death penalty — a position that aligns him with his Republican opponent, Gov. John Kasich. The debate over the death penalty recently re-ignited in Ohio after state officials took 26 minutes to kill Dennis McGuire, a convicted killer and rapist, with a cocktail…
Industrial Pollutants and the Ohio River
The recent spill of the chemical MCHM in West Virginia recalled an era when our drinking water wasn’t so well protected from industrial pollutants. Coincidentally, the Enquirer reported how our drinking water could be threatened by new plans to ship “fracking” waste down the Ohio. All of this recalls our 1977 immersion course in…
Cincinnati vs. The World 01.22.2014
Tea party activists and fiscal conservatives are securing seats on local school boards across the Tristate and taking their anger over big government and Obama out on tax levies and Common Core standards. CINCINNATI -1 Former war crimes prosecutors say there is evidence that Syria has tortured and executed 11,000 detainees since the start of…
My Right Foot of Fury
I have always taken for granted simple things like balance, mobility, independence and 10 toes and, as a raging diabetic, I am particularly obsessed with my feet, with the circulation in them, nail color and length, because diabetes is a disease that cancels circulation. I dress from the feet up: If my feet aren’t supremely…
Cranley Opposes Double Dipping
Mayor John Cranley told CityBeat on Jan. 17 that he’s still troubled by the practice of “double dipping,” but he said the incoming assistant city manager is only eligible to receive a salary and pension benefits because of policy set by City Council. The city will hire Bill Moller in February to fill in as…
Activists Push Voter Bill of Rights
State Rep. Alicia Reece and other activists are mobilizing a campaign to get a “Voter Bill of Rights” on the Ohio ballot this November. If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would, among other changes, preserve the 35-day early voting period, expand early voting hours, allow voters to cast a provisional ballot anywhere in a…
ACLU: Stop the Death Penalty
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio on Jan. 19 asked Gov. John Kasich to halt the use of the death penalty, following the botched execution of convicted killer Dennis McGuire that reportedly lasted 26 minutes. McGuire’s prolonged execution, the longest since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999, was carried out on Jan. 16…
Death Penalty Brings More Costs than Benefits
Ohio is one of 32 states that allow the death penalty, and the United States is the only Western country where the practice is legal. One would think that, under those circumstances, U.S. and Ohio officials would act rather carefully about how the state kills people. Think again. On Jan. 16, Ohio took 26 minutes…
Redeveloping Issues
Although Cincinnati continues receiving nationwide praise for the revitalization of southern Over-the-Rhine and downtown, some local activists say low- and middle-income residents are being left out of the progress. With the formation of a new group, these activists hope to prevent Cincinnati’s wealthy elite from absorbing all the gains of what some call gentrification. To…
Morning News and Stuff
The Hamilton County Board of Elections remains split on whether to move its offices and early voting from downtown to Mount Airy. The two Democrats on the board oppose the move because it could make voting more difficult for Over-the-Rhine and downtown residents. The two Republicans on the board support the plan because it will…
The Ariel Quartet to Perform All 17 Beethoven String Quartets
In the world of chamber music, Beethoven’s 17 string quartets are the ultimate summit. Composed over a span of more than two-and-a-half decades, Beethoven created masterpieces of astonishing beauty and complexity that never fail to engage listeners. A seasoned ensemble might perform one or two quartets over a season. But very few take on the…
Playing Favorites
Two weeks ago, I spoke to a group of high school kids about being a theater critic. One asked, “What’s your all-time favorite show?” I was stumped. Even if I’d answered at that moment, a week or a month later I’d have a new and different choice. Lately I’ve been obsessed with The Book of…
Kapturing Life
T here’s probably been quite a few times in your life when you wished you recorded a snippet of a conversation — maybe someone told a funny joke, or you just wanted to remember an idea. Instead of pulling out your smartphone, it would have been easier just to tap a thin, wearable device and…
Let’s Hear It for the Girls
Could this third season of Girls (10 p.m. Sundays, HBO) be the strongest yet? We’re only two weeks and three episodes in, but it’s obvious the show is evolving — along with the Girls themselves. Right off the bat, it’s refreshing to find Hannah relatively stable and happy. She’s certainly not the worst-off character (Adam’s…
‘Gimme Shelter’ Offers Inspiring Look at a Secret War on the Home Front
Imagine, if you will, living in a hellhole, deep, dank and dark. You’re a teen forced to turn tricks by your mother to pay your own way, while also knowing that your earnings are feeding her drug habit. One day, you’ve had enough. You’re tired of looking at all of the other girls, all of…
