(Keeping) A Low Profile
"I'm what has gone out blithely and with noise returning." — From A Man of the Middle Class by Gwendolyn Brooks Above my head I hear plantation lullabies. And their lyrics are lies written on the bullet-riddled bodies of dead, white schoolchildren. They are little white, little black lies. As a result of the repetitive…
Why Is a Dead Man Raising Your Rent? And Why Didn’t He Do It Sooner?
Why Is a Dead Man Raising Your Rent? And Why Didn't He Do It Sooner?Who owns the land? If you own a business or rent an apartment in certain parts of Over-the-Rhine, the answer might be an expensive surprise. Eighty-one parcels near the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) likely will see a substantial…
Relationships
Once in a while I have this dream that after I die my mother is going through my stuff and finds things that I really wish I had thrown out sooner. I mean, it's not big deal because I'm dead, but my mother really doesn't need to know that I have a butt plug or…
Thom Collins in Charge
This column has talked a lot about artists who have ditched Cincinnati over the years. This story is about one arts leader who's decided to stay. Thom Collins, Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) Curator of Contemporary Art, is part of a group of young artists and arts administrators who are making things happen in Cincinnati. He's…
Go Robot Go Wait 3 Days … Then Attack
Go Robot, Go! Post-Pong Pop at it's finest. It's the policy of CityBeat's CD of the Week to search the globe for CDs worthy of your attention. We've rung up huge phone bills interviewing artists in London, Amsterdam, Paris and, uh, Georgia. But this week, we've looked no farther than our very own backyard…
News: Sharing the Wealth
Myron Orfield found glaring inequalities in Greater Cincinnati. Like an out-of-step marching band, Tristate communities are too often moving to the beat of their own drummers — and it's costing all of us. Although parts of the eight-county Tristate region are doing well, its core and inner suburbs are falling victim to a quadruple…
States Getting Ready to Tax Internet Sales
Zipping around the Internet and plucking products from the collectively massive inventory offered by thousands of retailers around the world is easier, faster and usually cheaper than fighting through traffic and crowds, only to be disappointed by the mall's scant offerings. It is no surprise then that on-line shopping is booming. The U.S. Department of…
News: Special Delivery
Cincinnati appears to have escaped the national postal budget cuts announced last week. The U.S. Postal Service has halted about 800 construction projects nationwide to make up for an expected deficit of $2 billion to $3 billion this year. The freeze on new construction includes 10 projects in Ohio, 11 in Kentucky and 16 in…
Jake Speed digs into the rich history of Roots and Folk music
Come join Jake Speed for his next birthday. He'll be 23, going on 123. That's because there is little, if anything, contemporary about this singer/songwriter/ entertainer. With his wavy red hair tucked underneath a fedora, plus matching sideburns lining his Library of Congress photograph face, Jake Speed could've easily wandered in to any of the…
Music: Lethal Dose
Boom Bip "With Circle, my original intention was to use every single genre I could think of," says local DJ Boom Bip (Bryan Hollon) of his acclaimed album with former University of Cincinnati student, current rapper/lyricist extraordinaire Doseone (Adam Drucker). "I wanted a Country song on there. I wanted a something like Classical. Rock,…
Streetbeat
Clifton When Marilyn Hyland's back door in Clifton was kicked in and her house robbed, she got angry. She contacted Cincinnati Police District 5 and asked to set up a Block Watch meeting. The meeting included two adjacent streets, so neighbors could get to know each other. The response from the community at large was…
Curly tales of the city
Top o' the MorningSo much for smashing stereotypes. Friends of Sinn Fein held a fund-raiser March 14 featuring Martin McGuinness, chief negotiator for Sinn Fein — the party that has led opposition to British occupation of the six counties in the north of Ireland. McGuinness rang the World Peace Bell in Newport and spoke about…
Disarmed to the Teeth
CONFIDENTIAL MEMOTo: All local NRA chapters From: NRA National Headquarters Subject: School violence spic control Fellow gun enthusiasts, The latest spate of school shootings is, of course, a serious matter (though there's a good one going around the office about some students suggesting Santana High School should maybe change its name to Grateful Dead High…
Maggi, Pierce & EJ
Maggi, Pierce & EJ Even though he only released one album in his lifetime, there's no doubt a Jeff Buckley tribute album is out there somewhere (if not just in the works). You know the type — b-level AltRock acts poorly trying to simply mimic the original artists. Chances are Buckley would have much…
Diner: No Sacrifice
Who, in his or her right mind, would give up pizza for Lent? Booze, swearing — heck, I'd even forego chocolate before giving up the ultimate comfort food. Yet, every year, my husband dutifully sacrifices our weeknight supper staple for the Lenten season — which ultimately means I lose out as well. So imagine my…
Critics’ Picks
Thursday 15What's not to like about DINNER WITH FRIENDS? You've got your fine wine, your good conversation, more fine wine, your hearty meal and still more fine wine. Of course, by the end of the evening, there's so much alcohol in everybody's system that things really start getting interesting. Now we ask you: What's more…
Artists, Exhibits, etc.
With the decline of art as a regular course in public schools comes a need being filled by Lois and Richard Rosenthal at their new UPTOWN ARTS facility in Over-the-Rhine. Currently teaching about 300 students, charging no fees, and accepting enrollment on a first-come, first-served basis, the school is up and flying with just one…
