FRIDAY 07
ONSTAGE: EVACUATED
Erika Kate MacDonald was a strange girl in a strange land in 1998 as an exchange student in Jakarta, Indonesia. When the city erupted in riots triggered by food shortages and student unrest, more than 1,000 people died. She had to make a hurried, chaotic departure dodging tanks and gunfire. Her experience became a 2016 Cincy Fringe monologue called Ice Candle. It was a Critics’ Pick-of-the-Fringe winner and it’s getting an encore this weekend with a new title — Evacuated — as MacDonald gears up for summer Fringe festivals in Florida and Canada. Thursday evening’s show is a pay-what-you-can performance to benefit RefugeeConnect. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $15. Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine, knowtheatre.com.
MUSIC: BRANDY CLARK
Country singer/songwriter Brandy Clark self-released her first EP five years ago, and has since recorded a pair of acclaimed albums, 2013’s 12 Stories, which placed high on many critics’ year-end lists, and last year’s Big Day in a Small Town, which hit the top 10 of Billboard’s Country chart. That slender discography, which includes five singles pulled from her two albums, would seem to justify calling Clark a Nashville neophyte, but nothing could be further from the truth. If you think you don’t know Brandy Clark’s work, there’s a better than average chance that you do, given that she’s been a Nashville songwriter since 2005 and has written or co-written for some of Country’s biggest names, including The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”), Miranda Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”), Kacey Musgraves (“Follow Your Arrow,” “Biscuits”), Reba McEntire (“The Day She Got Divorced”) and Keith Urban (“Come Back to Me”), among many others. Read more about Clark in this week's Sound Advice. Brandy Clark performs at 20th Century Theater Friday. Click here for tickets/more show info.
MUSIC: MILES NIELSEN & THE RUSTED HEARTS
Singer/songwriter Miles Nielsen may well be the scion of Cheap Trick six-stringer and Pop/Rock legend Rick Nielsen, but don’t imagine that the son has any affinity for his father’s night-of-a-thousand-guitars-and-baseball-caps shtick. Miles Nielsen is very much his own artist and has offered conclusive proof on a number of releases, from his 2009 star-studded debut, Miles, and his 2011 band introduction, Presenting the Rusted Hearts, to the band’s scintillating 2014 concert set Live in Rockford and last year’s stellar Heavy Metal. Nielsen’s impressive output to date — which now includes an EP with his wife Kelly Steward in a side project they’ve dubbed Weep & Willow — exhibits a variety of Folk, Soul, Pop and Rock influences, boiled down by Nielsen himself to Otis Redding and Jellyfish. It’s self-described as “Beatlesque-Cosmic-Americana.” But even as Nielsen carves his own initials into the family’s musical tree, he doesn’t ignore the paternal elephant in the room; he often performs an acoustic ballad version of “Surrender” that is absolutely heart-stopping. Read more in this week's Sound Advice. Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts play MOTR Pub Friday. Click here for more on this free show.
COMEDY: JIMMY PARDO
While he’s still not quite a household name, Jimmy Pardo has a sizeable and loyal following. “I agree with that,” he says. “There’s a circle that knows me and knows me very well and either love me or have no interest in me. And then there are the people that don’t know I exist yet.” The latter is getting smaller thanks to his work on Conan and his own very popular podcast, Never Not Funny. 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $16. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
EVENT: MONSTER JAM
Monster Jam, the world’s largest touring entourage of monster trucks, makes a stop at U.S. Bank Arena this weekend. Featured trucks to race, pop wheelies and smash other vehicles include Pirate’s Curse, Megalodon, Alien Invasion, Monster Mutt Rottweiler and the ever-popular Grave Digger. With each truck clocking in at approximately 10.5-feet-tall, 12-feet-wide and 17-feet-long, weighing around 10,000 pounds, this is an impressive show of power. 7 p.m. Friday; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday. $15-$60. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, usbankarena.com.
ART: ERIC STANDLEY: STRATA AT MARTA HEWETT GALLERY
Virginia-based artist Eric Standley creates intricate laser-cut stacked paper sculptures that explore visual archetypes. His newest compositions on view at Marta Hewett Gallery are derived from geometry that occurs on a molecular level. According to the artist, “Fractal geometry has a self-similar replication that creates visual rhythm. These rhythms are found at a cosmological scale in the ever-expanding universe, across culture and time in Gothic and Islamic architecture as well as at the profoundly fundamental building blocks of life.” Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday. Through June 3. Free. Marta Hewett Gallery, 1310 Pendleton St., Over-the-Rhine, martahewett.com.
MUSIC: MIKE MAINS
Detroit-based singer/songwriter Mike Mains’ well-crafted Indie Pop/Rock songs have that special quality that enables listeners to hear themselves in the lyrical poetics. Loaded with thoughtful, searching introspection and laced with a consistent optimism, Mains’ loyal and growing fan base is evidence of his music’s intimate power to touch and connect with people on a grand scale. In 2014, Mains (and his band, The Branches) released a sophomore album, Calm Down, Everything is Fine, which was crowd-funded by those dedicated fans, something that has allowed the group to operate on its own terms. Mains’ anticipated third album — songs from which are being previewed on this current tour — is set to be released later this year. Cincinnati Indie Rock band Motherfolk is doing a few shows with Mains on his current tour, including Friday’s date at the Woodward. 9 p.m. Friday. $8 advance; $12 day of show. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.com.
ART: YOU ARE HERE AT THE GLOBE GALLERY
Oversized, highly detailed hand-drawn maps of the streets and landmarks of Cincinnati are becoming quite a popular art form. Visionaries + Voices artist Courttney Cooper has achieved widespread national acclaim for his large-scale works featuring pen on paper — he’s in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection and has shown in Chicago. Now, People’s Liberty Globe Grant winner Phil Rowland takes the concept 360 degrees by creating a map on the walls, floor, stairs and even windows of the organization’s storefront gallery in Over-the-Rhine. Beginning Friday and continuing through May 20, visitors are invited to admire the project and even color in the spaces between the black lines. Opening reception 6-10 p.m. Friday. Through May 20. Free. People’s Liberty Globe Gallery, 1805 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/youareherecincinnati.
EVENT: CLUB B
Don some leather, denim, lace and a pair of comfortable shoes: This year, the theme of the Cincinnati Ballet’s annual fundraiser/dance party is Grace + Grit, “a reflection of the nature of dance — a delicate balance of elegance with strength and determination.” Held at the newly opened MadTree 2.0, the party commemorates the ballet’s many performances and accomplishments throughout the year, from the completion of Artistic Director Victoria Morgan’s 20th season to the arrival of Executive Director Scott Altman. In addition to dancing throughout the evening, the night includes cocktails, dinner by the bite and live performances by the ballet’s Second Company choreographed specifically for the event and DANCEFIX. 8 p.m. Friday. $150. MadTree 2.0, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, cballet.org.
SATURDAY 08
EVENT: AMADEUS LIVE
On Friday and Saturday, Greaves Concert Hall at Northern Kentucky University will play home to a live orchestra screening of the Academy Award-winning film Amadeus. The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra’s presentation will be only the second symphonic screening of the film in the United States, after Eugene, Ore. It premiered in London last October. After this screening, it moves to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Led by music director James Cassidy, the KSO will play the movie’s music onstage during a high-definition screening of the film, accompanied by pianist Sophie Wang and members of the Voices of the Commonwealth and Collegium Cincinnati’s Summer-Sing chorus. Directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer, 1984’s Amadeus tells a tale about the alleged rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). The 7:30 p.m. Saturday performance of Amadeus Live has sold out, but the orchestra and producers have added a 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7 show at Northern Kentucky University’s Greaves Concert Hall in Highland Heights. Tickets/more info: 859-431-6216 or kyso.org.
MUSIC: CASPER SKULLS
If you’re a fan of Indie Rock and all of the music that led to it and you haven’t heard about the Canadian quartet Casper Skulls, it’s time to fix that. You will not be disappointed. Upon its debut, the band immediately caused a stir in its Toronto hometown, hooking up with the city’s well-regarded independent label, Buzz Records, right out of the gate, and earning a reputation as a shit-hot live band. Casper Skulls released its debut EP, Lips & Skull, through Buzz last fall, within about a year and a half of playing its first gig. (The band’s first full-length is slated for release this fall.) Read more about the band here. Casper Skulls play The Comet Saturday. Click here for more on this free show.
EVENT: CITY FLEA AT 21C
Head to the 21c on Saturday for a spring preview of the forthcoming City Flea shopping season. Browse and buy goodies from local vendors — from vintage finds and handmade textiles to wood and ceramics — and grab a special adult slushie from Metropole while sampling snacks from the likes of Fireside Pizza, Collective Espresso and Babushka Pierogies. While you shop, a special film will show artwork from Chris Doyle’s video animationWaste_Generation, and the current exhibit, A Global Gathering: The 21c Collection, will also be on display. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free. 21c Museum Hotel, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, thecityflea.com.
EVENT: POP ART CON
Immerse yourself in the world of art. Gorilla Cinema — the creative minds behind the Shining-themed Overlook Lodge and new Quentin Tarantino-inspired bar The Video Archive — takes over Woodward Theater Saturday with Pop Art Con, a live art convention during which guests can watch artists create pieces live in a variety of mediums: comics, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, jewelry and more. Grab a cocktail to sip on and browse boundary-pushing pieces, many of which will be on sale throughout the day. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. $5 pre-sale; $6 door. Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, gorillacinemapresents.com.
EVENT: EGG HUNT AT WASHINGTON PARK
Easter is right around the corner, so spend the afternoon with the kids at Over-the-Rhine’s biggest egg hunt at Washington Park. There will be 10,000 candy-filled eggs, face painting, photos with Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny and baby animals from Sunrock Farm. Each egg hunt lasts an hour, and there are four different groups: Kids ages 3-6 can chase after eggs at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; children 7-10 can hunt for them at noon and 2 p.m. Participants must bring their own baskets.11 a.m. Saturday. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.
EVENT: CEILIDH 2017
You might remember the infamous scene in Titanic where Jack Dawson takes Rose Bukater to a “real party” with the Irish and Scottish third-class ship passengers? The official term for that gathering is a “ceilidh,” and the Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes & Drums Band is throwing its annual Ceilidh 2017 this Saturday. Founded in 1912, the organization seeks to spread awareness and appreciation of Scottish culture through traditional and celebratory music. This weekend, the Cincinnati Highland Dancers, McGing Dancers and more will join the Pipes & Drum Band, and there will also be Scottish cuisine, baked goods, whisky tastings and, most notably, a North American Haggis Eating Contest. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday. $18; $25 with bottomless beer mug. American Legion Post 72, 497B Old State Route 74, Mount Carmel, cincypipesanddrums.org/ceilidh-2017.
EVENT: VICTORY OF LIGHT FESTIVAL
Inhale, exhale and make your way to the Victory of Light festival for holistic healing sessions, psychic readings, live music and educational seminars. This family-friendly event features 300 psychics, healers and exhibitors offering 90 seminars to festivalgoers; you can even attend a presentation by Rhonda Manning, one of the country’s leading psychic mediums, and receive a personal reading. Swing by for a Thai massage, or attend the “Blessing of the Animals” by Tibetan Buddhist Monks with your furry friend. You won’t leave empty handed, either, thanks to vendors selling a wide array of crystals, art and more. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $15 daily; $25 both days; free children 12 and under. Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, victoryoflight.com.
EVENT: POLLINATION FEST
Celebrate intentional, creative and sustainable living at Northside’s Pollination Fest, an experiential and holistic fest that strives to create spaces to empower individual purpose and enhance communal livelihood. Live music from Eugenius, Eddy Kwon and others will follow a number of daytime workshops on topics including permaculture, meditation and Yoga somatics and sound. Partners include The Hive, which will host workshops, discussions and yoga, and brewery Urban Artifact. The courtyard between the two venues will serve as a space for vendors, crafters and outdoor recreation. Noon-1:30 a.m. Saturday. $12-$40; free kids 12 and under. The Hive, 1662 Blue Rock St., Northside; Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, pollinationfest.com.
SUNDAY 09
EVENT: BRAHMS FEST
Classical Revolution Cincinnati presents the second-annual Brahms Fest at Northside Tavern. The music of Johannes Brahms will fill the air as members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra perform alongside other talented musicians. An official Brahms Fest beer will be on tap for you to enjoy — a winter hefeweizen created by Ei8ht Ball — along with fake Brahms beards fans can wear. Donations encouraged. 8 p.m. Sunday. Free. Northside Tavern, 4163 Hamilton Ave. Northside, classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com.
