FRIDAY 05
EVENT: LUMENOCITY
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s über-popular light and music show returns this weekend for its fourth and final year, and organizers are promising “a fully immersive experience unlike anything audiences have seen before.” For the first time, the show, which combines dazzling visual effects with live performances from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops, will take place indoors at the Taft Theatre — a necessity because of ongoing renovations at its previous venue, Music Hall. LUMENOCITY: RE-IMAGINE is tailored specifically to the Taft, with visual elements created by local company Lightborne utilizing the building’s architecture to tell a story. A free LUMENOCITY block party coincides with performances throughout the weekend, featuring live music, art installations, food, crafts, a lantern parade, a music lab and an outdoor LUMENOCITY watch party, during which the show will be projected on a giant LED screen outside of the Taft. Art installations include “Instrument 112,” a responsive piece created specifically for the show by artists from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, which turns space and body movements into sound, light and color. Show 8 and 9:40 p.m. Friday; 2, 3:40, 8 and 9:40 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Block party 7 p.m.-midnight Friday; 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday; 1-11 p.m. Sunday. $12 partial view; $20 full view; block party free. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, lumenocity2016.com.
MUSIC: THE CLAUDETTES
In his band oh my god — an AltRock crew that had a sizeable audience in Greater Cincinnati thanks to frequent tour stops and a high-powered live show — Chicago-based musician Johnny Iguana’s talents on the keyboard fueled the music, turning the organ into a lead instrument in a Rock band better than anyone since Deep Purple. But Iguana’s skills are even more impressive than many oh my god fans probably realized. He has toured or recorded with Blues legends like Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, and he’s currently a member of acclaimed Blues tribute acts The Muddy Waters 100 Band and Chicago Blues: A Living History. With The Claudettes, Iguana stays in the Blues realm, but he also gets to get his ya-yas out and show the breath of his abilities within songs that blenderize every conceivable style of Blues, are sometimes arranged like Jazz or Classical compositions and also often creatively work elements of Soul, Pop and Rock into the stew. Friday. Free. MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com.
EVENT: LISTERMANN BREWING COMPANY’S VOLKSFEST
The word “volk” means “people” in German, and expect a crowd to turn out for this people-pleasing fest. Listermann Brewing Company holds one of the summer’s biggest Cincinnati beer bashes at their brewery and taproom in Norwood with live local musicians, food vendors and sessionable beers with lower ABV for easy drinking on hot summer nights. Cincinnati craft breweries like Rhinegeist, MadTree, Braxton, Christian Moerlein, Blank Slate and more have teamed up to offer festgoers the best of the best — some beers have even been made just for the event — and to say thanks to all their customers for drinking local. German heritage organization Cincideutsch is co-hosting the event to complete the German feel, and the festival is both family and dog-friendly. 5 p.m-midnight Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Listermann Brewing Company, 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, listermannbrewing.com.
EVENT: DELHI SKIRT GAME
The 39th-annual skirt game pits Delhi men of all shapes and sizes (including police and fire chiefs) against each other in a friendly softball match to raise funds for local families in need. The catch? The guys have to dress in drag. This year’s theme is “’70s vs. ’80s,” so expect some bell-bottoms and big wigs, along with beer, brats and fireworks. 5-11 p.m. Friday. Free. Delhi Township Park, 5125 Foley Road, Delhi, delhiskirtgame.org.
EVENT: GLIER’S GOETTAFEST
The Tristate’s biggest goetta gala descends on Newport’s riverfront with two stages of entertainment, family-friendly activities and more goetta creations than a human can or should (theoretically) eat in four days. Food vendors will serve up more than 40 classic and creative goetta dishes, from Rubens, pizza and calzones to nachos, egg rolls and fudge. Participating eateries include Beckhart’s, Cincinnati Grill and Pompilios, the latter of which will offer an all-new goetta lasagna. Learn more about the German specialty meat at a goetta history booth, visit the world’s only goetta vending machine and watch a new Thursday night firework display above the Ohio River. 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Festival Park, Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky., goettafest.com.
ONSTAGE: GIRLFRIEND
Like singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet, writer Todd Almond grew up in Nebraska. Sweet first found fame when he released the album Girlfriend in 1991, a set of tunes that powerfully influenced Almond, several years younger than the singer. After a decade of allowing Sweet’s songs to percolate, Almond hung them on a story of his own devising about two boys just graduating from high school in Nebraska who are attracted to one another. Will (Montez O. Jenkins-Copeland) is an awkward social outcast; Mike (Cary Davenport) is a popular athlete with a bent for music. Much to Will’s surprise, Mike initiates a friendship with the gift of a mixtape and invites him to a cheesy sci-fi movie at a local drive-in theater. That launches a summer of discovery that faces obstacles including an imminent departure for college, Mike’s disapproving father and some unthinking jock friends. But happiness is the ultimate outcome for these kindred souls. Girlfriend continues through Aug. 27 at Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine, knowtheatre.com.
SATURDAY 06
EVENT: OVER-THE-RHINE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
Washington Park is already a community hotspot for Over-the-Rhine residents and Cincinnatians in general, but this will especially hold true Saturday during the Over-the-Rhine Community Festival, a public party that invites residents, community organizations and religious groups to come together for a fun-filled day in the park. There will be booths with games and prizes, live entertainment, food and a children’s talent contest at 3 p.m. This will be the 31st year the Over-the-Rhine Contact Center has hosted the event. Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.
ART: NORTHSIDE SUMMER MARKET
The recently renamed Northside Summer Market (formerly the Northside Community-Wide Yard Sale + Art Market) will take place along Hoffner Street (which will be closed to traffic) between Hamilton Avenue and Cherry Street in Northside, one of Cincinnati’s most artist-driven neighborhoods. Produced by PAR-Projects under the guidance of the Northside Community Council, the one-day event will feature a fine art and craft marketplace for shoppers and an urban beer garden with suds from Rhinegeist for imbibers. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; vendors sell until 3 p.m. Free admission. 1662 Hoffner St., Northside, northsidesummermarket.com.
EVENT: MILFORD STREET EATS FOOD TRUCK RALLY
One of the blessings and curses of food trucks is that they’re mobile, which means they may or may not be where you want them to be when a Korean taco or gourmet grilled cheese craving hits. Luckily, more then 20 local food truck favorites will be in the same place Saturday — historic downtown Milford — for the fourth-annual Milford Street Eats Food Truck Rally. Trucks like SugarSnap!, C’est Cheese, Renegade Street Eats, Cuban Pete, Waffo, streetpops and more will be parked along Chamber Drive for an afternoon of eating, live music and local beer. 3-10 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. 701 Chamber Drive, Milford, milfordstreeteats.com.
EVENT: OHIO RIVER PADDLEFEST
America’s largest paddling trip kicks off this year with a new 9-mile course along the Ohio River, starting at Schmidt Recreation Complex in Cincinnati’s East End and wrapping up at Gilday Riverside Park with a celebration featuring free parking, easy boat drop off and a shuttle service. Those who choose to paddle can enjoy affordable rental prices and those who choose to watch can feast on food-truck fare and craft beer at the finish line. Explore the origins of the Licking River and the Mill Creek, paddle under seven bridges, take in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati skylines and stop at the “Halfway Celebration” along the route. Camping is available for more adventurous crew members. 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday. Boat rental and camping charges. Gilday Riverside Park, 3540 Southside Ave., Riverside, ohioriverpaddlefest.org.
SUNDAY 07
MUSIC: WYE OAK
The guitar/drums duo has become a pervasive entity in Indie Rock in the new millennium, but, as in any musical endeavor, the important aspect is not necessarily the elements in the equation, it’s what they add up to create. In the case of Baltimore twosome Wye Oak, the elements actually do make a difference. The duo — named after Maryland’s honorary state tree, a nearly 500-year-old oak that stood in Wye Mills until it was toppled in a 2002 storm — is comprised of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Jenn Wasner and drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack, and their multi-instrumental abilities give them the capacity to create almost any imaginable soundscape. 7:30 p.m. doors Sunday. $15. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse.com.
MUSIC: ROB ZOMBIE
If Rob Zombie had produced only his brilliantly brutal catalog with White Zombie, his place in Metal’s firmament would still have warranted a bronze statue. In fact, Zombie’s ambitions extended beyond merely making music, given his childhood fascination with horror movies and his stated desire to combine Alice Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Bela Lugosi and Stan Lee, a goal he’s clearly achieved. Zombie’s immediate concern is this summer’s touring behind Electric Warlock, which his longstanding guitarist John 5 described earlier this year as “definitely my favorite Zombie album, by far, really incredible.” High praise indeed, but for Zombie, the album is just the beginning; the performance is the flamethrower, the grindhouse, the blood carnival and the chainsaw massacre rolled into one. If Herschell Gordon Lewis were here, he’d remind you to take your heart medicine; Rob Zombie is back with a blood-soaked vengeance. 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $21.50-$66. Riverbend, 6295 Kellogg Ave., California, riverbend.org.
EVENT: ART ON VINE
Fountain Square transforms into a maker’s market the first Sunday of the month (through October) during Art on Vine, a boutique art fair. Find fine art, handmade goods and photography from more than 60 local vendors and artists, all for sale. Noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown, artonvinecincy.com.
COMEDY: TYRONE HAWKINS
“I’m back on the scene with a new hour of comedy and only available for six shows at Go Bananas,” says comedian Tyrone Hawkins. “I’ll also be selling comedy USB sticks. Guarantee you will laugh.” USB sticks instead of CDs? “I try to stay ahead of the market,” he says. Hawkins has also changed his stage name to simply “Rone,” though he’s still Tyrone Hawkins to the folks here in his hometown. “I’m giving Hollywood what they need to be able to properly shop my deal as the next hotness,” Hawkins says. “I just signed on to one of NBC’s new websites so we will see how that goes.” Thursday-Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
EVENT: WORLD’S LONGEST YARDSALE
The World’s Longest Yard Sale spans roadsides from Gadsden, Ala. to Hudson, Mich., with hundreds upon hundreds of vendors taking to the street to sell their wares — from shops and stores to moms and pops trying to clear out the garages and closets. Locally, you can find a sale hub in MainStrasse Village, where nearly 100 booths will be set up along the Sixth Street Promenade and in Goebel Park selling everything from antiques and collectibles to literal kitchen sinks. And expect to find plenty more pop-up yard sales around town. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Free admission. MainStrasse Village, Covington, Ky., mainstrasse.org.
ART: LOST IN THE MAKING
Christian Schmit’s current exhibition at the Weston Art Galley, Lost In the Making, is the work of an artist deftly demonstrating both his mastery of craft and conceptual concerns. With a BFA from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Schmit works as an adjunct at both of his alma maters and employs everyday objects such as pizza and cereal boxes and junk mail in his art, recycling the paper-based materials into scenes that he thinks of as monochromatic “drawings.” Yet throughout Lost In the Making, Schmit’s work provokes a tension of intimacy with his audience, as the one-inch-to-one-foot scale in which the artist works forces viewers to get up close and personal with each delicately fragile diorama in order to really appreciate them for their meticulous intricacies. Though visually unassuming from afar, the closer you get, the more mind-blowing Schmit’s work becomes. Lost in the Making is on view through Aug. 28 at the Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org.
TUESDAY 09
MUSIC: GWEN STEFANI
To Gwen Stefani, her new album This Is What the Truth Feels Like was more than just a chance to create music. In a sense, she says it saved her life. That may sound a tad overdramatic, but the new album certainly reflects what has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions and upheaval in Stefani’s life over the past couple of years — one that has taken her to some serious depths and back to pure exhilaration. The events in Stefani’s recent life have been well chronicled — in the mainstream media, as well as in tabloids and online. Early last year, her 13-year marriage to Gavin Rossdale (lead singer of the band Bush and father of her three sons) started coming apart and sent Stefani into a swirl of sadness, anger and depression. She responded by doing what she knew best — writing songs. Along the way, she started connecting with Country star Blake Shelton, one of her fellow coaches on the television show The Voice. Shelton was going through his own divorce from his wife, Country singer Miranda Lambert, and the two bonded over the similar life-changing events they were experiencing. The Stefani/Shelton romance has since gone public. This Is What the Truth Feels Like is heavily informed by the whole saga. “Music has to be from real life and it has to honest and with the right intentions for people to connect to it,” Stefani says. “And that’s what this record was. And so I just feel grateful to have to go through the pain to get to this place, because that’s sometimes what you have to do.” Gwen Stefani performs with Eve Tuesday at Riverbend Music Center. Tickets/more info: riverbend.org.
