The Afghan Whigs to Headline MidPoint
The first artist to be announced for this year’s MidPoint Music Festival (which is owned and operated by CityBeat) is one with inexorable ties to Cincinnati. One of the Queen City’s all-time great musical exports, The Afghan Whigs, are set to appear at this year’s MPMF, which returns to the clubs and venues of Over-the-Rhine/Downtown…
Bike Month Calendar
WEDNESDAY MAY 7 Bike to School Day — National Bike to School Day encourages children to safely ride their bikes to school. walkbiketoschool.org. Ride for Reading — WordPlay, Spun Bicycles, MoBo and Queen City Bike host the second annual Ride for Reading to promote literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to…
Tour de Bean
Culturally, bikes and coffee go hand-in-hand — just ask the Europeans. “A lot of bike rides start at coffee shops or end at coffee shops or stop along the way at coffee shops,” says Mark Ball, owner of Velocity Bike & Bean in Florence, Ky., “and certainly in Europe that’s the way it is. I…
Bikes + Wine = Fête d’ Été
What better way to celebrate summer’s nighness than a sun-dappled evening consisting of wine, light bites and a bike tour? On May 20, Portlandia invades Cincinnati when family-owned and sustainability-focused Anne Amie Vineyards hosts a progressive bicycle winemaker dinner featuring five courses paired with the Portland, Ore., vineyard’s wines. Named Fête d’ Été (French for…
Chill Brew
What exactly is cold-brew coffee? First of all, cold brew isn’t the same thing as iced coffee — that’s just regular drip-coffee poured over ice. Cold brew takes ground beans and steeps them in room-temperature water for at least 12 hours. By removing the heat element from the coffee, the result is a much smoother,…
Cheapside Cafe (Feature)
When Joe Creighton opened The Rookwood Bar & Restaurant in 2008, he was met with naysayers suggesting things like the foundational craft cocktails of Rookwood’s bar menu were silly. Flash forward six years and craft drinks appear on local menus to a sickening degree. This month, Creighton and his partners are attempting to reinvent the…
Onstage: Celtic Woman: The Emerald Tour
Global music phenomenon Celtic Woman will take the stage at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center as part of its new The Emerald Tour, which celebrates Irish heritage with an elaborate show that combines the Emerald Isles’ musical and cultural heritage along with new musical gems, traditional Irish anthems, Pop standards and original music by Emmy-nominated producer David Downes. …
Event: Petopolis
The two-day Petopolis pet show features on-site adoptable pets and exhibits from local, regional and national pet supply businesses. Bring in your own pet so they can enjoy watching Ultimate Air Dogs dock-diving, stage performances and demonstrations or play in the Bark Park, featuring an agility course provided by Cincinnati Parks. For non-four-leggers, there will…
Event: Ohio Against the World Pop-Up Shop
Local brand Ohio Against the World is hosting a pop-up shop in OTR with new Ohio Against the World clothing and accessories available for purchase before they’re on the web store, plus DJs. Secret after-party to follow. Noon-7 p.m. Saturday. 1332 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/ohioagainsttheworld.
Event: Art Fair 562
The first annual Art Fair 562 at Listermann Brewing Company is “central Cincinnati’s answer to Summerfair.” Named after the Norwood Lateral (State Route 562) near the brewery, the event will include craft beers, live music, food trucks and more than 30 local vendors ranging from professional photographers to local jewelry artisans. Noon-8 p.m. Saturday. Free.…
Event: College Hill Spring Fling
The fifth annual College Hill Spring Fling art show and sale takes over the parking lot behind College Hill Coffee Company, Bacall’s Café and Schwartz Jewelers Saturday, featuring local artists selling everything from fiber arts and jewelry to birdbaths and tile. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; rain date May 17. Free. Gen Kress parking lot, near…
Event: Cincinnati Library Comic Con
Comic book fans, undercover heroes and anyone else interested in meeting Darth Vader or Spider-Man are invited to check out the Cincinnati Library’s second annual Comic Con event. Fans can meet amazing comic book artists, writers and game creators to learn about their inspiration and techniques. There will also be free comic books while supplies…
Event: Northside Art in the Park
Shop all media ranging from textiles, pottery, photography, watercolors, oils, jewelry and more. There will also be performances by Wump Mucket Puppets and Dramakinetics, live music from Wild Carrot, family-friendly activities from Happen, Inc., and WordPlay, plus food from the likes of Red Sesame and Roll with it Café. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free. Jacob…
Event: Cincinnati Preservation Association Spring House Tour
The Cincinnati Preservation Association will host its 2014 spring house tour, featuring the historic mansions of Lafayette Avenue in Clifton. Tour three outstanding homes, including architectural icon Oakwood, the 1866 Norman Revival home of Henry Probasco; Scarlet Oaks, the 1870 High Victorian Gothic mansion of George Shoenberger; and Stonehedge, an 1887 Swiss Chalet with arts…
Art: Pixxxel: Sex & Technology Opening Reception at Boom Gallery
In an age when the screen (TV, computer, handheld device, etc.) is an established and expected mediator in so many of our interpersonal exchanges via texts, Skype, Facebook postings, online chats, etc., how is the ultimate indicator of intimacy — sex — influenced by our technological advances? A diverse group of artists employing a wide…
Event: The Appalachian Festival
The spirit of mountain people is returning to Cincinnati for the 45th annual Appalachian Festival. Guests can enjoy a lineup of authentic music, storytelling, dance and mountain foods plus festival crafts, educational exhibits and a living history village with demonstrations in Appalachian life, beekeeping, apple butter making, Native American drum and dancing, natural dye methods…
Event: The Spring Bazaar
Just in time for Mother’s Day, a slew of arts bazaars and craft shows will take place, including the Spring Bazaar in Mariemont. The market will feature 10 vendors and small businesses, plus free finger foods, a cash bar and live music all day. 2-10 p.m. Thursday. The Heritage Tastings at the Cottage, 7664 Wooster…
Comedy: John Roy
You never know who is going to turn up at Go Bananas’ Pro-Am Night, held most Wednesdays at the Montgomery comedy club. A few months ago, comedian John Roy popped in to close the show and promptly destroyed, as they say. “I was working on trying to send some stuff out to Arsenio and Seth Meyers,…
Music: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas
Last fall, Detroit ensemble Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas issued their latest collection of compelling, dynamic songs with the EP Demons. The near-perfect five-track release is perhaps the group’s most impactful effort yet, seamlessly blending classic Soul, slanted AltRock and dark and shadowy gypsy/cabaret sounds into an aural mélange that suggests a supergroup starring Janelle…
Literary: Phil Nuxhall
Opened in 1844, the Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is an often overlooked local treasure — a national historical landmark, the second-largest cemetery in the U.S. and a place were a beautiful array of exotic trees and foliage bloom. And, of course, it’s also the resting place for many who are no longer with us.…
Event: Cult Classics at Washington Park
Washington Park hosts a weekly showing of cult classic films in honor of the subculture that participates in repeated viewings and endless dialogue quotes. Every Wednesday through May 21, enjoy fast-paced trivia followed by a screening of an iconic cult movie. This week, Bill Murray, Slimer, Zuul and the rest of the Ghostbusters take over…
Onstage: Size Matters
Ray McAnally is an actor. He’s also a big guy. Put those two facts together and you end up with a lot of stereotyping — overweight cop, portly professor, fat repair guy. Sure, it means roles in plays, films and TV, but it can also affect your self-esteem. So how to deal with it? McAnally…
REVIEW: Sleep’s ‘Branded: The Damon Winton Story’
The album is an endangered concept in music, with MP3s and streaming encouraging more and more people to listen to tracks “a la carte.” If people aren’t listening to a collection of songs intentionally put together by an artist in a specific order, why should the artist bother trying? It’s one of the reasons releasing…
From the Garden to the Kitchen at Natorp’s
Natorp's Nursery in Mason hosts From the Garden to the Kitchen, a culinary event focusing on using plants from the garden in your own kitchen, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Rita Heikenfeld, culinary expert, author and herbalist, will instruct on how to create dishes using herbs and flowers from the garden; Ron Wilson, host…
Free Pizza!
To commemorate the grand opening of its Mason location, Blaze Pizza will be offering free pizzas all day Saturday to its social media fans. Try Blaze's custom-built, 11-inch individual pizzas — no strings attached. Fans of Blaze on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook get free pizza 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, May 10. 9341 Mason-Montgomery Road, Mason, blazepizza.com/locations/mason.…
City Roots: An Urban Agriculture Blog
For his 66th birthday last month, Larry Williams gave himself a gift that linked his future with his past: a vegetable garden. Williams, who has lived in Madisonville since 1994, wants to grow food sustainably like his family before him. "When I grew up, my daddy and granddaddy grew all sorts of vegetables," Williams says.…
Brunch for Mom
Mother’s Day is May 11 — a day to celebrate moms and motherhood in all its forms, because none of us would be here if it weren’t for moms. It’s an easy holiday to forget — the date of “the second Sunday in May” changes every year — so we’ve compiled a list of some…
Brunch for Mom
Mother’s Day is May 11 — a day to celebrate moms and motherhood in all its forms, because none of us would be here if it weren’t for moms. It’s an easy holiday to forget — the date of “the second Sunday in May” changes every year — so we’ve compiled a list of some…
Dress Like Big Boy; Get a Free Sandwich
Local Frisch's restaurants are celebrating the birthday of founder David Frisch with a day of free food on May 3. Frisch opened The Mainliner in 1939, the area's first year-round, drive-in restaurant. Nine years later, he opened Big Boy on Central Parkway. To honor his birthday, dress up like Big Boy — checkered pants/overalls and all…
Ensemble Theatre Announces 2014-15 Season
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati's artistic director D. Lynn Meyers has assembled another set of intriguing productions for 2014-15, opening with the musical Hands on a Hardbody (September), a Tony-nominated 2013 musical with a book by Doug Wright, the playwright of I Am My Own Wife and bookwriter for Grey Gardens, both hits for past ETC seasons.…
Stage Door: Rare Shakespeare, Romance and More
If you're looking for a show that will get things going romantically, I'll point you to the Cincinnati Playhouse's production of Venus in Fur (onstage through May 17). But be careful what you wish for: You might end up like playwright/director Thomas with your hands full of more than you wanted to take on. He's…
A Bug Hanging out in My Kitchen
There’s pretty good pest control in the building where I live in Covington. I seldom ever see a bug, but I did the other day — a bug hanging out in my kitchen. I don’t know what kind of bug it was. It sort of looked like a roach, but it wasn’t one, pretty sure…
Derby Day Parties
The 140th annual Kentucky Derby "running of the roses" is deemed "the most exciting two minutes in sports" — the Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs only run 2 km. This year's horse contenders include fantastic names like Dance with Fate, Vicar's in Trouble and Candy Boy, almost as creative as some of the derby hats ladies wear to the…
Hidden Words of Coldplay
HOT Hidden Words If you want to know what Chris Martin is singing on Coldplay’s forthcoming album, Ghost Stories, you could wait for its release May 19. Or you could go to the library. The band announced that lyric sheets for the album’s nine songs are hidden in “ghost story” books stashed in nine libraries…
PUBLIC Reveals New Tracks, Headlines First Show
If you are a betting man or woman and the bet is “What Cincinnati band will be the next to break into the national spotlight?,” putting your money on Indie Pop/Rock trio PUBLIC would be one of the safer wagers you could make. The three gifted young musicians craft some incredibly catchy music that would…
Fighting Foreclosure
H amilton County foreclosures decreased again in 2013, but communities are still feeling the effects of the housing crisis, signaling a long road to recovery. In the meantime, various government and private organizations are taking proactive measures to reverse the problems that often come with disproportionate numbers of foreclosures. Foreclosure filings dropped to 4,268 from…
Considering the “Double Effect”
My undergraduate journalism students never were livelier than when they explored what philosophers and ethicists call the Principle of the Double Effect. Put simply, it’s doing the right thing knowing it could or will cause harm. That’s not the Lesser of Two Evils. Two evils means neither is right or good; there’s no Double Effect.…
True Stripes
“None of us say it with arrogance, but we’re confident that we have something special,” Zebras in Public drummer Chris Himes says over a pizza smorgasbord at Newport Pizza. Zebras in Public (ZIP) is rightfully protective over their brand of juiced-up metallic Soul/Rock and the band-of-brothers attitude they’ve adopted to create it. Justin Smith and…
Growing Up in Public
Wussy’s rise from modest Cincinnati upstarts to one of the best bands on the planet has been slow and steady, a natural evolution that couldn’t have happened in any other way. And while I probably wouldn’t go as far as noted Rock critic Robert Christgau, who has repeatedly called Wussy the best band in America,…
Worst Week Ever!: April 30-May 6
Legalize Gay Marriage ’Cuz Stone Cold Said So These are interesting days in which we live. The world will end soon, but in the meantime a professional wrestler who rose to fame for drinking beers (like a real American would do) in the ring and saying his name and then “said so” a lot has…
Nickel Creek with The Secret Sisters
Uhhh, guys? I don’t know how to tell you this, but Nickel Creek is back. The Bluegrass-y trio first arrived in 1993 and quickly became a well-loved band with songs like, “Reasons Why” and “The Hand Song.” Band members Chris Thile, Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins were young, though. So young — Sara and Thile were…
Robben Ford with Kelly Richey
Ace guitarist Robben Ford has always had the chops. The California native has a resume that includes five Grammy Award nominations, as well as music made with a list of artists ranging from George Harrison, Miles Davis and Phil Lesh to Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi. Ford’s Cincinnati visit comes fresh off of…
Leo Kottke
My first exposure to Leo Kottke came courtesy of late night FM radio in the early ’70s. The perpetually stoned, third-shift jock on my favorite Lansing, Mich., station was not bound by a playlist and I was always prepared to capture any mutant sound he released into the wild with my crappy tape recorder and…
Sitting Sterling’s Shiva
Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling thinks all black people stink. He has a predilection for the black male body, sometimes ushering white women into his locker room to admire them, saying things like “Look at those beautiful black bodies,” as though they’re up for sale on the auction block. He thinks all Hispanics sit…
A “Canon” Shot
W hen scholars refer to William Shakespeare’s canon — his “complete works” — they typically count 38 plays, written between 1590 and 1612. Only six modern theater companies have staged them all, a feat called “completing the canon.” But this week Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will do just that when it opens the rarely staged The…
