Onstage: Driving Miss Daisy
Two of Cincinnati’s finest local professional actors are sharing the Carnegie’s Otto M. Budig stage in a production of Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. (The movie version was an Academy Award winner in 1989.) Dale Hodges is playing the ornery, strong-willed and wealthy Atlanta widow, Daisy Wertham, and Reggie Willis is Hoke Colburn, the long-suffering…
Music: Jaill
Formed more than a decade ago in Milwaukee, Wis., Indie rockers Jaill spent their formative years self-recording and releasing a variety of music on their own or for small labels. In 2008, the band put out its debut full-length, There’s No Sky (Oh My My) — which was reissued on Burger Records (the label also…
Art: Dick Waller’s Art Place Opening
To say Dick Waller has lived a full, interesting life is an understatement. The Clifton resident was a member of the U.S. Navy band from 1954-1960, played clarinet in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1960-1994 and founded the Linton Chamber Music Series in 1978, where he was artistic director for 30 years. He’s performed in…
Event: Autumn Air Art Fair
Art is best celebrated and appreciated when it’s shared. More than 40 artists in painting, photography, sculpture and other media present their unique and distinct works at the sixth annual Autumn Air Art Fair. It’s a perfect opportunity to shop for holiday gifts. All proceeds benefit a scholarship fund at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. …
Event: Thanksgiving on the Ohio Frontier
European settlers sat down with Native Americans in November of 1788 to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in Ohio. More than two centuries later, Shawnee Lookout gives guests a chance to relive the historic event with live retellings by Society of Northwest Longhunters reenactors at the Lookout’s log cabin and Springhouse lawn. After re-experiencing this incredible…
Event: Whiskey City Festival
Help celebrate Lawrenceburg, Indiana’s rich distilling history at the inaugural Whiskey City Festival. Tickets to the “rye, bourbon, beer and barbecue” event include 10 bourbon, whiskey or beer tastings, plus a full buffet, food vendors and a cigar tent. Try out your mixology skills in the signature cocktail contest, judged by Molly Wellmann. Also, REO…
Event: Holiday Craft Beer Extravaganza
There are many good things that come along with winter’s creeping cold: the holiday seasons, sunshine glinting off fresh snow and, of course, seasonal craft beers. The Ohio Craft Beer Association is celebrating with a Holiday Craft Beer Extravaganza on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn at Smale Riverfront Park. The event will feature loads of beer…
Art: Spirit of OTR Mural Tour
ArtWorks hosts a mile-long walking tour of seven to 10 of Over-the-Rhine’s best community murals. A guide will tell the story behind murals like the new The Cincinnati Strong Man: Henry Holtgrewe, a colorful turn-of-the-century advertisement-style collage of the German immigrant and strong man Henry Holtgrewe; Mr. Tarbell Tips His Hat, the admittedly mildly bizarre…
Art: Printers Proof: Selections From the Archive of Clay Street Press
There are but a few longstanding galleries in Cincinnati where emerging and internationally renowned artists have equal possibilities of showing their work. But printmaker, publisher and artist advocate Mark Patsfall has worked with both over the course of more than 30 years since founding his printmaking studio/gallery Clay Street Press in Over-the-Rhine. Curated by Patsfall…
Comedy: Andy Woodhull
Andy Woodhull is a comedian on the rise. In August he was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and he just taped an episode of Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, as well as a spot for DirecTV’s Gotham Comedy Live. “I got married a year ago,” he says. “In the marriage I got two step…
Literary: Mary Curran Hackett
Mary Curran Hackett’s second novel, Proof of Angels, centers on Sean Magee, a Los Angeles firefighter who is forever altered after a horrific fire nearly takes his life. As the book’s title and that of her previous novel, Proof of Heaven, might suggest, Curran Hackett is a writer with a particular view on faith, one…
Onstage: Masters of Illusion
Born from the TV show of the same name and featuring participants from the World Magic Awards, the Masters of Illusion Tour runs the “gamut of magic styles,” according to Magic Magazine. (As long as that gamut doesn’t include female magicians, #amiright?) There’s Drexus, the mononymous man of mystery who can “make beautiful women appear…
Most Epic Election Pic Ever?
Why are you reading this? You should be voting right now. Like this guy. If you've already gone, though, check him out. As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell cast his vote a bit earlier today in Louisville, a spirited voter behind him got a perfectly-timed photo bomb, shedding the secrecy of the voting booth for…
Valley of the Sun Tour Diary: The Rules of Dibs
Hours spent in the van, hours spent waiting for sound check in the venue, hours spent wandering European cities waiting for the venue to open, hours waiting for show time and hours spent waiting for the show to wrap up. All of this adds up to lots of free on our hands and not much…
Pressing Imperfections
Brian Stuparyk is the owner of Steam Whistle Letterpress, a shop located in historic Over-The-Rhine that’s been pumping out hand-pressed cards, posters, flyers and more since opening in 2011. The shop uses vintage letterpress machines, a medium widely used to print for hundreds of years up until around the mid-20th century. Steam Whistle is now…
Election Day News and Stuff
Today is the day we Americans go to the polls, check some boxes and get a cool sticker. Some say we also get to choose who governs us, but the jury is still out on that one. Nah, just kidding. These are big decisions! Make sure you’re fully awake and well-nourished by drinking several cups…
Cook Your Way Through Findlay Market
Findlay Market and foodies go hand in hand (as do people who enjoy cost-effective wine tastings at noon on a Sunday followed by some Velvet Smoke BBQ). Now, you can experience Findlay Market in your own home…sort of. The new Findlay Market Cookbook ($24.95) goes on sale on Thursday, Nov. 6, and it's full of recipes from market…
BLDG Adds to Covington’s Murals with Art Collective FAILE
Adding to the ever-growing number of public art murals in Covington, Ky., BLDG welcomed the Brooklyn-based street art collective, FAILE in October to complete a massive painted Pop art installation in their torn collage style that spans three walls and either side of Sixth Street. BLDG, the locally grown art gallery/branding firm, is responsible for…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all! We’re just two days away from an end to the ceaseless campaign ads, yard signs, life-size cardboard cutouts, mailers and other political spam candidates have hurled our way for months now. That’s exciting. To celebrate, maybe go out and vote if you haven’t already. Speaking of voting, early voter turnout in Ohio has…
Music Tonight: PUP, Ora Iso and Hoodie Allen
Toronto punk rockers PUP play MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine tonight. The free show also includes performances by NYC's Chumped and Washington, D.C., Garage Pop group Typefighter. PUP put out its debut album last year on the Canadian label Royal Mountain Records and then the subsequent buzz landed them a deal with L.A.'s SideOne Dummy Records…
“Should I Die Tomorrow”
Just so you know, I’m writing this in mid-afternoon in late October. I know this column will run in CityBeat in early November and will be my last one before Thanksgiving. I’m assuming I’m going to live long enough to get these words to my editor. Of course, you know what happens when you assume.…
It’s Never Too Late
Veteran singer/songwriters stop performing and recording for all kinds of reasons — health, fatigue, lack of success, too much success or changes in music trends all sometimes figure into it. But the reason the New York City-based musician Garland Jeffreys, who will be performing Wednesday at Southgate House Revival, didn’t issue a U.S. album of…
Claire Wesselmann Discusses Husband Tom’s Art
Beyond Pop: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective opens to the general public today at Cincinnati Art Museum, with an Art After Dark Halloween costume party from 5-9 p.m. part of the celebrations for the late native-Cincinnatian, New York-based Pop artist. But last night, members of the museum’s Founders Society level ($1,500-$50,000) got a special opening that…
Valley of the Sun Tour Diary: Würst Merch Guy Ever
I crowd surfed for the first time ever in Strasbourg, France. And I did it in a hot dog costume. Man, I can’t wait to tell my grandkids this story. The hot dog spawned from a Facebook Messenger conversation before we even left. As we were preparing for the trip, the group bought me a…
Weekend Music: Murs + ¡Mayday!, Zach Deputy and More
Halloween shows abound tonight. Elsewhere on our site you can read about several of them, including 500 Miles to Memphis' release party at Southgate House Revival and Gov't Mule's tribute to Neil Young at Taft Theatre. In the Spill It column, find out about tonight's Injecting Strangers' release party at MOTR, as well as two…
Cincinnati Ballet to Bring ‘Peter Pan’ to Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati Ballet will be spreading their wish to inspire hope and enchantment in the community by broadcasting the 2 p.m. performance of Peter Pan on Nov. 8 to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital live from the Aronoff Center. Patients and their families who might otherwise miss the magic will now be able to experience the spectacular tale…
Morning News and Stuff
Halloween is here. I’m taking an informal poll: how many folks are dressing up as Union Terminal and/or Music Hall tonight? I’m not knocking ya. I just wish I’d thought of that in time. Instead I have an Abraham Lincoln mask, American flag aviators, and a bow tie for a costume, so I will probably…
LISTEN: Injecting Strangers’ Spooky, Fun “Haunted Heavens”
In this week’s CityBeat we review Patience, Child, the debut full-length from Cincinnati’s theatrical Progressive Pop madmen Injecting Strangers. Given some of the album’s playfully spooky tracks (including the two-part horror story “Nightmare Nancy”), it’s fitting that the band is celebrating the album’s release tonight at a free Halloween spectacular at Over-the-Rhine’s MOTR Pub. Nashville’s…
Stage Door: No Tricks, All Treats – Theater Choices for Halloween Weekend
Don't be scared. Just because it's Halloween, you don't have to miss out on good theater. In fact, there are some great deals available. For instance, this weekend is your last chance to see Ensemble Theatre's production of An Iliad (CityBeat review here), a one-man retelling of Homer's epic tale of the Trojan War. (The…
Safe House (Review)
Although Safe House is the title of Keith Josef Adkins’ world premiere play at the Cincinnati Playhouse (the 71st work to debut there), the primitive but neat cabin inhabited by the Pedigrews, a free family of color in 1843 Kentucky, is a dangerous place. A pair of brothers have diametrically opposed views of how to…
Into the Woods (Review)
Critic's Pick If you’re excited by the imminent arrival (Dec. 25) of a movie version of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, you can get ready for the experience by catching a performance of the show at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. The fairytale mash-up might lack the film’s star power…
Homemade Happy Hour: A Tavola
A Tavola has made its mark on Over-The-Rhine with its rustic wood fired pizzas and superb flavor combinations. What you might not know about the high-end pizza joint is that its craft cocktails are one-of-a-kind. CityBeat sat down with A Tavola’s head bartender Aaron Strasser to pick his brain, and it turns out he is…
Is Cincinnati America’s New Urban ‘Sweet Spot’?
That’s the opinion of John Sanphillippo of San Francisco, in this recent article from newgeography.com about how acquaintances from there who, upon finding that city too expensive, moved to Cincinnati and discovered a similar environment, only affordable. His point is very provocative — young people who want but can’t afford the progressive, stimulating urban life…
Valley of the Sun Tour Diary: Ode to a Van
For the past two and a half weeks, Arnaud’s van has been home for five full-grown men. While we’ve been lucky enough to not have to spend the night in it at any time, we’ve done pretty much everything else. We’ve eaten in here, we’ve slept in here, we’ve emptied bladders (well, only one ……
The Search for a “Holy Grail” Photo at a FotoFocus Show
Brian Powers, the Cincinnati librarian who has done exhaustive work researching King Records history, thought he had found a “Holy Grail” photo — of the West End record store that Syd Nathan owned before starting King. He knew it had been on Central Avenue, but didn’t know what it looked like. It was in the…
Morning News and Stuff
All right! So I’ve got some great Halloween parties lined up and it’s really hard to sit still and focus on important things. But since that’s pretty much what being a grownup is about, and since they pay me to (kind of) be a grownup around here, let’s talk about news for a few. •…
Music Tonight: Reflection Eternal, Nude Beach and more
The show by Trigger Hippy (featuring Joan Osborne and members of The Black Crowes) scheduled for tonight at Newport’s Southgate House Revival has been postponed due to a death in Osborne’s family. The band is hoping to reschedule the show soon. But there are plenty of other solid live music options in Greater Cincinnati tonight.…
City Passes Ride Sharing Regulations
City Council yesterday voted to approve rules governing ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft, the first time since the companies came here in March that they’ve been regulated by the city. “I don’t know if it will ever be perfect, but in other cities, they’ve outright banned Uber and Lyft,” said Councilwoman Amy Murray, the…
National Media’s Obsession Over a Local Tragedy
Who cares? Everyone’s white. Seemingly affluent. Neither young nor old. No cops, no shooting. No protesters calling for “justice.” A death but only a murder indictment, not a conviction. No Obama emissary to hold family hands. So why does a local death turn into a national story? It’s the usual suspect: the insatiable demand for…
Nightcrawler
Dan Gilroy, the brother of filmmaker Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity and The Bourne Legacy), steps behind the camera (after sharing a screenwriting credit with his brother on The Bourne Legacy, among other works) for a dark examination of the underground world of freelance crime journalism in Los Angeles. Here, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a far-too…
Horns
Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) has loved Merrin Williams (Juno Temple) since they were kids and, as flashbacks reveal, Merrin loves Ig, too — so it is surprising when Merrin is found bludgeoned to death beneath their forest hideaway and Ig starts to sprout devilish horns as a sign of his guilt. Ig seeks to determine…
The Blue Room
Timing is everything and this pop cultural moment could certainly be defined by concerns about infidelity. On the heels of the new Showtime release The Affair, Mathieu Amalric (likely recognized by stateside audiences for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Quantum of Solace) condenses the drama down significantly in The Blue Room, but he…
Before I Go to Sleep
In what sounds like a distaff take on Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Nicole Kidman plays a woman who enters each day with no memory — the result of an accident — but one day, encounters evidence that challenges her entire existence. Writer-director Rowan Joffe (best known as the screenwriter of 28 Weeks Later and The American)…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
With Halloween coming up Friday, we’ve got lots of costumes to look forward to/dread: over-the-top celebrity ensembles, clever pop culture costumes, folks who didn’t get the memo that Halloween is not an excuse to be racist. But we get an awesome early costume from Paralympian Josh Sundquist. The athlete lost his left leg as a…
HBO Miniseries Explores Small-Town Relationships
It’s a familiar tale: A sleepy town’s beguiling picturesque landscape hides the flaws of the people who call it home. In Olive Kitteridge (Miniseries Premiere, 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO), that town is a coastal New England village, home to sharp-tongued teacher Olive, her friendly pharmacist husband Henry, her resentful son and a collection of complicated…
The Technical Virtue of Andrea Riseborough
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) poses several perplexing challenges for the performers onscreen, the crew working feverishly behind the scenes and, most importantly, for audiences attempting to find some semblance of sanity and stability in the narrative, which seemingly takes place in the creatively chaotic mind of Riggan…
Cultural Traditions Inspire Story of Community
“I was born and raised in northern Israel,” says ZviDance founder Zvi Gotheiner, whose modern dance company appears this weekend for the second time in Cincinnati as part of ZviDance/Dabke, presented by Contemporary Dance Theater. The 2012 work for four couples, which premiered to strong reviews from prominent critics, draws from the rich dance and…
Grailville Celebrates 70 Years of Eco-Friendly Living
After visitors travel the gravel pathway leading to Grailville, they enter a cultural oasis made up of rich farmland, peaceful nature trails, organic gardens and a group of women dedicated to sustainable living and a holistic approach to life. The 315-acre environmental, education and retreat center tucked away in Loveland serves as a portal for…
Dance: ZviDance/Dabke
“I was born and raised in northern Israel,” says ZviDance founder Zvi Gotheiner, whose modern dance company appears this weekend for the second time in Cincinnati as part of ZviDance/Dabke, presented by Contemporary Dance Theater. The 2012 work for four couples, which premiered to strong reviews from prominent critics, draws from the rich dance and…
Ooh La La! Diane Lala Keeps Performers Moving at CCM
With a name like Diane Lala, she was apparently destined for a career in musical theater. I’ve often wondered if she made up the name to add cachet to her career. So I asked. “It really is my last name,” she says. That day she was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words, “Ooh La…
Event: Grailville 70th Anniversary
After visitors travel the gravel pathway leading to Grailville, they enter a cultural oasis made up of rich farmland, peaceful nature trails, organic gardens and a group of women dedicated to sustainable living and a holistic approach to life. The 315-acre environmental, education and retreat center tucked away in Loveland serves as a portal for…
Art: Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective at the Cincinnati Art Museum
The long-awaited Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective discusses this native son’s controversial career as one of the original Pop artists. “Still Life No. 60,” from 1973 is big — almost 30 feet long and 10 feet high — and somewhat epic in its painted depiction of objects likely to be found on a woman’s…
Larger Than Life
A s the long-awaited Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective prepares to open Friday at Cincinnati Art Museum, there is much to discuss about this native son’s controversial career as one of the original Pop artists. But the first thing to say is, “Wow!” That was my response upon seeing what may be the…
Music: Zammuto
For more than a decade, guitarist/vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong created wonderfully indescribable cacophony as The Books, pursuing a wildly unique and experimental sonic collage direction that borrowed technique from Brian Eno and Negativland, avant-garde-ian attitude from Frank Zappa and snarky wise-assery from They Might Be Giants. After four albums, an EP…
Music: Hoodie Allen
One of the most fascinating aspects about the rise and spread of Rap music has been seeing how the genre changes. As a white, generally wholesome, teenage-girl-friendly rapper who quit his day job at Google to chase a music career, Hoodie Allen is a sterling example of how Hip Hop is anyone’s game. The New York…
Music: Zach Deputy
A little more than six years ago, Zach Deputy was scheduled to play a show and had to make a tough decision when his bassist couldn’t show: cancel the gig or face the crowd by himself. He chose the latter, using a delay pedal as a looper to fill in for his missing bassist, a…
Music: Ian McLagan
It isn’t everyday that a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member comes to town. But when one as talented as Ian McLagan comes without much advance word, you have to worry if he’ll attract the sizeable audience he deserves. McLagan was the keyboardist for Small Faces, huge British hitmakers of the late 1960s whose…
Music: Gov’t Mule
For many years now, Gov’t Mule has chosen Halloween night to present a series of unique concerts where they recreate the music of a Classic Rock band or musician. In the past, the band has cranked up the sounds of The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Doors and other legacy acts. This Friday evening at…
Halloween: Live Music
Late last year, unique Cincinnati Rock crew Injecting Strangers unveiled its first EP, the great three-track sampler Nightmare Nancy. This Friday, the band is ready to celebrate the unleashing of its first full-length, the wonderfully entertaining Patience, Child (made available online Oct. 28). The group will play a free album release party at MOTR Pub…
Music: 500 Miles to Memphis
Ryan Malott, founder, vocalist and guitarist of Cincinnati’s 500 Miles to Memphis, started the group in the early '00s. The musical progression from the band’s earliest years is evident to any fan who has stuck with Malott and his bandmates — currently bassist Noah Sugarman, drummer Kevin Hogle, guitarist Aaron Whalen and lap steel player David Rhodes…
Mitchell’s Fish Market Tastes of the Pacific Northwest Dinner
Mitchell’s Fish Market at Newport on the Levee celebrates the flavors of the Pacific Northwest with a four-course pairing dinner. The four seafood courses will be paired with wines from Oregon and Washington. First Course: Sweet Corn and Crab Bisque with Spicy Pumpkin Seeds paired with King Estate “Signature Collection” Pinot Gris, Oregon Second Course:…
Hoodie Allen with Chiddy Bang and MAX
One of the most fascinating aspects about the rise and spread of Rap music has been seeing how the genre changes. Once only found in black communities in the Bronx, elements of the style have since been used by Rock and Reggae bands, and MCs come from all kinds of countries and ethnic/cultural backgrounds. As…
Zach Deputy with Hot Buttered Rum
A little more than six years ago, Zach Deputy was scheduled to play a show and had to make a tough decision when his bassist couldn’t show: cancel the gig or face the crowd by himself. He chose the latter, using a delay pedal as a looper to fill in for his missing bassist, a…
Cincinnati, Columbus Parks Finalists for Urban Land Institute Award
Two relatively new Ohio parks, Cincinnati’s Washington Park and Columbus’ Columbus Commons and Scioto Mile, were among the four finalists for the non-profit Urban Land Institute’s 2014 Urban Open Space Award. According to the Institute, the award “celebrates and promotes vibrant, successful urban open spaces by annually recognizing and rewarding an outstanding example of a…
Team Behind Kaze, Embers to Open New OTR Eatery
Restaurateur Jon Zippersteain — the man behind Japanese gastropub Kaze in OTR and sushi/steakhouse Embers in Kenwood — is slated to open the new Mercer OTR on Nov. 4. The Mercer, at corner of Vine and Mercer streets (on the ground floor of the Mercer Commons apartment complex), will be a casual, European-influenced bistro with…
Young at Heart
This has been an emotional week for Warren Haynes. The leader and founder of Gov’t Mule, Haynes has also been a member of the legendary Allman Brothers Band for over 25 years. On Oct. 28, the Classic Rock giants played their last-ever concert at New York City’s Beacon Theater. At the beginning of 2014, Haynes…
Let It ‘Bleed’
R yan Malott, founder, vocalist and guitarist of Cincinnati’s 500 Miles to Memphis, places his order at a local Waffle House after working his day job and then attending night classes at the University of Cincinnati. He’s famished, as the three separate entr é es he’s ordered (in addition to an entire pot of coffee)…
Foxy No More?
On Monday, Cincinnati's Foxy Shazam, one of the Queen City's more successful musical exports in recent years (and one of the city's best ever live bands), announced on its Facebook page that it would be disbanding, effective immediately. The extremely hard-touring band has canceled all forthcoming shows, including a hometown New Year's Eve appearance at…
Morning News and Stuff
Phew! Our election issue is done and out in the world, I just wrapped up a draft of next week’s cover story, and I have literally hours before the next City Council meeting. Let’s hang out for a minute and talk about what’s going on. Mayor John Cranley has endorsed former City Councilman and Human…
Leslie Isaiah Gaines: 1945-2014
Before Leslie Isaiah Gaines had a mind to, there weren’t any lawyer commercials on television. Imagine that. Your insomnia-fueled nighttime watching and trashy daytime television programming — game shows, empty chat shows, what’s left of soap operas — ran uninterrupted by what we used to call “ambulance chasers” until Gaines put together a low-rent,…
Cincinnati vs. The World 10.29.14
Fox News is taking heat after its co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle said young woman should be excused from voting in the upcoming Midterm election and other civic duties because they “just don’t get it” and are “healthy and hot and running around without a care in the world.” She elaborated: “I just think, excuse them so…
Worst Week Ever!: Oct. 22-28
State Senator Suggests Naming Highway After Obama, Boos Reign Down President Barack Obama has been a polarizing figure ever since he got on the ballot with a weird name and started being half black. So it’s no surprise that a Cincinnati Enquirer story last week about State Sen. Eric Kearney suggesting the renaming of State…
Cincinnati’s Last Remaining Abortion Provider Could Close
The city’s last remaining women’s health clinic that provides abortions might soon be shuttered. The Elizabeth Campbell Medical Center, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Mount Auburn, received a citation dated Oct. 14 from the Ohio Department of Health because it is not compliant with a law requiring it to have admitting privileges at a local…
NAACP Considering Cincinnati for 2016 Convention
The convention planning committee for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Oct. 17 recommended the Cincinnati for the civil rights organization’s 2016 annual convention. Cincinnati last hosted the NAACP event in 2008. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain both spoke there as part of their presidential campaigns. The convention drew…
Mayor’s Jobs Initiative Criticized for Diverting Nonprofit Funding
Mayor John Cranley’s “Hand Up” job initiative will be funded in part by cuts to other anti-poverty and blight mitigation programs. That has some advocates for the poor up in arms. The program, which has an overall budget of $2.3 million, will provide education, job training and other services for Cincinnatians experiencing poverty through nonprofit…
New York Times Streams Over the Rhine’s New Holiday Release
Over the Rhine is releasing its third Christmas album, Blood Oranges in the Snow, on Nov. 4, but The New York Times’ website is offering an early listen through its “Press Play” website. Click here to listen. The album, which follows previous “reality Christmas” efforts Snow Angels and The Darkest Night of the Year, is…
Battle of the Stars
A s Democrats fight an uphill battle against incumbent Republicans for major statewide offices, one race in particular has taken on an increased significance. The battle between Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and his challenger, Democrat State Senate Minority Whip Nina Turner, could decide how much access to the ballot box residents of…
Event: Design Build Cincy
Design Build Cincy is the latest in design shows hitting the OTR market. As the city's only "curated, intimate design showcase," Design Build Cincy isn't just a tradeshow; it will transform the second floor grand ballroom of Music Hall into a physical Pinterest board of inspiration and creativity. More than 100 of the areas best artisans…
Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson to Star in Cincinnati-Filmed Movie
The Greater Cincinnati Film Commission continues to bring film shoots to the Queen City — next up is Andy Goddard's The Blunderer, starring Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson. The film, based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name, begins filming on Nov. 17 and will be shot entirely in Cincinnati. Director Andy Goddard,…
The Election Issue 2014
It’s kind of fitting that election day comes right after Halloween. All that spooky stuff gets you conditioned for a really frightening realization —the choices put before us in the ballot box are more often than not rather abysmal. This year’s election season is grimmer than most. The 2012 election saw all the hubbub of…
CityBeat: Yes on Issue 8
Perhaps the most prominent issue of the election, Issue 8 is a proposed five-year sales tax increase for the significant renovation and rehabilitation of Union Terminal. The levy is estimated to generate $170 million and bump Hamilton County’s current sales tax of 6.75 percent to 7 percent. It will begin in 2015 and last for…
CityBeat: Yes on Issue 7
Issue 7, the Health and Hospitalization Levy, is a renewal of an existing levy approved in 2011 that provides funds for medically needy Hamilton County residents at University of Cincinnati’s Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Medical Center and certain indigent care programs. The proposed levy will raise $37 million per year, including $14.9 million for…
CityBeat: Yes on Issue 6
The Family Services and Treatment levy, or FST, funds vital mental health services and drug prevention and treatment services for those currently incarcerated or with criminal records. It provides judges at sentencing with alternatives to jail time, thus preserving already-limited jail space for more serious offenders. The services funded by this levy make communities safer…
CityBeat: Yes on Issue 1
CityBeat has, in the past, reported on the state’s broken system for school funding and the extent to which Cincinnati Public Schools must rely on local levies to sustain its education system. Issue 1 is, unfortunately, a necessity for the district, which has suffered over a decade of severe budget cuts at local, state and…
CityBeat: Dusty Rhodes for Hamilton County Auditor
In the past, if you wanted good odds on the outcome of a race, you could put some money on Democrat Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes has held his office since 1991 and has had few problems getting re-elected as the county’s financial watchdog. This time around, though, he faces a somewhat serious challenger…
CityBeat: Jim Tarbell for Hamilton County Commissioner
In the highly charged Hamilton County Commissioners’ race, do we choose the tea party-aligned Republican who moved to deny voters the chance to approve Music Hall’s renovation? The 27-year-old IT consultant who was once a ghost hunter? Or the candidate who ran and lost in 2010 as a Democrat, now running as an independent with…
City Beat: Cecil Thomas for Ohio State Senator
Republican Councilman Charlie Winburn wants to represent Ohio’s 9th District, which encompasses most of Cincinnati and leans 70 percent Democratic. Just one problem — Winburn is a staunch fiscal conservative who opposes same-sex marriage and has in the past made some pretty definitive statements about his anti-abortion beliefs. He has since walked back on those…
Musical Motivation at Work?
HOT Musical Motivation The Guardian recently reported on a study that found that nine out of 10 workers perform better when they are listening to music. The study conducted by Mindlab International (at the request of some music licensing companies, so … grain of salt) found that people not listening to music during the testing…
CityBeat: Simendinger, Driehaus, Bryant for State Representative
Ohio’s House of Representatives is a magical place where small-town thinking goes to become statewide law. A Republican majority in recent years has passed legislation putting Ohio on par with the most conservative states in the nation when it comes to abortion restrictions, regressive tax structures and environmental protections. Ohio has made it so difficult…
CityBeat: No Endorsement for Ohio’s 1st District
Staunch conservative Rep. Steve Chabot has this district locked up safely against his less-experienced challenger Fred Kundrata. This race has been competitive in the past — in an epic battle of Steves, Chabot lost the seat in 2008 to Democrat State Rep. Steve Driehaus. But it’s a snoozer now, mostly due to 2011’s congressional redistricting…
CityBeat: Connie Pillich for Ohio Treasurer
Normally, sketchy business and blatant political opportunism by current Ohio Treasurer Republican Josh Mandel would be enough by themselves to null any inclination CityBeat might have for endorsing him. There’s the whole weird business with Mandel intervening in a regulatory case between the state of California and Ohio businessman Benjamin Suarez, only to get $100,000…
Injecting Strangers Reward Patient Fans with ‘Patience, Child’
Late last year, unique Cincinnati Rock crew Injecting Strangers unveiled its first EP, the great three-track sampler Nightmare Nancy. This Friday, the band is ready to celebrate the unleashing of its first full-length, the wonderfully entertaining Patience, Child (made available online Oct. 28). The group will play a free album release party at MOTR Pub…
CityBeat: Nina Turner for Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has been really, really busy over the past couple years working to cut down the number of days people in Ohio have to vote, especially days when reliably Democratic voters (minorities and the poor) are most likely to turn out to the polls. Yes, Ohio’s most recent early voting…
CityBeat: No Endorsement for Ohio Auditor
Ohio Auditor Dave Yost’s job is to make sure the state’s money is used efficiently and without corruption. Yost, a Republican, hasn’t done a terrible job in this respect and has demonstrated integrity. Yost tried to audit the state’s economic development agency JobsOhio, a Republican darling nonprofit with $261 million in the bank that runs…
CityBeat: David Pepper for Ohio Attorney General
Down the ticket a couple notches, the Democrats have better prospects. Attorney general candidate David Pepper has the professional and political experience for the job — he’s a practicing lawyer and law professor and has served as a Cincinnati City Councilman and a Hamilton County Commissioner. Republican incumbent Mike DeWine says Pepper is somehow not…
CityBeat: No Endorsement for Ohio Governor
What can you say about this year’s governor’s race? Democrat Ed FitzGerald seemed somewhat promising at first. He has political experience as Cuyahoga County Executive, he backs policies that would help working-class Ohioans. Unfortunately, at this point, Fitzgerald’s campaign is nearly in shambles after reports uncovered that he spent 10 years without a driver’s…
Q&A With David Pepper
A year after failing to unseat Dave Yost as Ohio’s auditor, David Pepper returns to the ballot this year opposite incumbent Attorney General Mike DeWine. Pepper’s campaign has hammered the Republican DeWine on multiple fronts, including his response to Ohio’s heroin epidemic, his refusal to allow local jurisdictions to analyze a backlog of the state’s…
The Contender
B efore Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes decided to enter Kentucky’s Senate race last summer, the first-term secretary of state had been told to think again. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has spent three decades building a political machine known for burying people. Grimes and her family members would be targets of vicious attack ads, confidants…
Zammuto with Barnaby Bright
For more than a decade, guitarist/vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong created wonderfully indescribable cacophony as The Books, pursuing a wildly unique and experimental sonic collage direction that borrowed technique from Brian Eno and Negativland, avant-garde-ian attitude from Frank Zappa and snarky wise-assery from They Might Be Giants. After four albums, an EP…
Park and Vine Gives Away Free Veggie Burgers for National Vegan Day Saturay
Celebrate World Vegan Day at Park + Vine with free veggie burgers on Nov. 1. From 11 a.m.-3 p.m., P+V takes inspiration from Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio, which gives away free vegan burgers on Earth Day to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Vegan Society. Park + Vine, 1202 Main St., Over-the-Rhine,…
