FRIDAY 16
MUSIC: DRU HILL
The past isn’t any easier to predict than the future, but it’s safe to say Dru Hill might have been one of music’s biggest groups if fate had been slightly more favorable. Their 1996 eponymous debut album and 1998’s Enter the Dru collectively sold over three million copies, and the group churned out seven Top 40 hits and were poised to join Soul/Hip Hop/R&B’s royalty. Instead, internal tensions and uncontrollable forces derailed what might have been a stratospheric career. Dru Hill’s foundation was laid in Baltimore when childhood friends Mark “Sisqó” Andrews and James “Big Woody Rock” were enlisted by Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin for his vocal quintet. They worked at a local fudge factory and sang for store patrons while making fudge, and ultimately turned a talent show gig into an amateur night appearance on Showtime at the Apollo. Originally Gospel-based, they took a more secular approach — Woody’s mother nearly ended his membership as a result — and Larry “Jazz” Anthony replaced two departing members. Performing under the name Legacy, the group was discovered by Island Black Music president Hiram Hicks, who flew them to New York to record “Tell Me” for the Whoopi Goldberg movie Eddie. Hicks signed them after the session, with the label suggesting a new name, Dru Hill, after Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park. Dru Hill celebrates the 20th anniversary of its debut album Friday at Bogart’s. More info: bogarts.com.
MUSIC: THE WEEPIES
Music not only has the power to change lives; it can create them as well. A decade and a half ago, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, two singer/songwriters in the Cambridge, Mass. scene, became enamored of one another’s work. When they finally met, they immediately began writing together and joined forces in an Indie Folk duo they dubbed The Weepies. Taking their name from an archaic term for films specifically designed to induce tears, the personal and professional twosome recorded and self-released their first album, Happiness, in late 2003, which ultimately sold over 10,000 copies without label assistance. Four years later, Talan and Tannen married and eventually expanded their family unit by three: the power of love and music in action. The Weepies play Taft Theatre Friday. More info: tafttheatre.org.
HOLIDAY: HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE HILL
Winter is coming, and if you’re anything like me, when the temperature dips below freezing you’re rarely inclined to leave the house. But Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park has a remedy to cold weather-induced anxiety: a 2-mile drive-through lights display that makes you feel festive and warm. Hundreds of thousands of lights are wound throughout the 265-acre park, fashioned into towering trees, falling snowflakes and even a swan that floats on a lake. 6-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 6-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday through Jan. 1. $20 per carload Monday-Thursday; $25 per carload Friday-Sunday; $15 members. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, pyramidhill.org.
HOLIDAY: THE NAUGHTY LIST
There’s some serious hilarity going on at Arnold’s Bar & Grill thanks to the folks who populate OTRimprov. They’re hanging out in the courtyard on Eighth Street for the fifth consecutive year, making things up based on suggestions from the audience. They’ll offer games and improvised scenes that change from night to night, making every evening unique. You’ll have the most fun if you arrive around 6 p.m. and have dinner and a few drinks to ramp up your holiday spirits. (Food and drink are not included in the ticket price. Reservations for dinner are recommended.) 7:30 p.m. Through Dec. 27. $20. Arnold’s Bar & Grill, 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, 513-300-5669, knowtheatre.com. Dinner reservations 513-421-6234.
COMEDY: RYAN HAMILTON
Ryan Hamilton is a stand-up that works clean, but never made a conscious decision to do so. “I look at the comedians I was always drawn to and loved watching when I was young,” he says, “and they happen to be clean. And I’m always drawn to more of the observational kind of stuff.” Indeed, Hamilton first became interested in humor by reading columnist Dave Barry. He even went so far as to ask his local paper in Idaho if he could write a humorous column for them. “It was high school happenings and I would try to make them really funny,” he says. “I was reading over some of them when I was home for Christmas a few years ago. It’s so funny to see what you used to think was funny.” Showtimes Thursday-Sunday. $12-$15. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, 513-779-5233, liberty.funnybone.com.
SATURDAY 17
HOLIDAY: THE CITY FLEA HOLIDAY MARKET
Get a dose of winter whimsy at Washington Park during The City Flea’s holiday market, an outdoor wonderland of sparkling lights, hot chocolate, cheer and a whole bunch of vendors, makers and crafters selling locally made goods. A last-minute stop to finish off that holiday shopping list. 5-10 p.m. Saturday. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.
FILM: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
If you’re slightly sick of all the saccharine snuggles and ho, ho, hos, head to the Denton Affair’s every-other-Saturday screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to inject a little naughty pelvic thrusting and cosplay into your weekend. The cult classic film is presented with a live cast and welcomes audience interaction; feel free to bring flashlights, noisemakers, bells and yourself in costume. 11:55 p.m. Saturday. $10. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.
HOLIDAY: ANTIQUE CHRISTMAS AT THE TAFT MUSEUM OF ART
You might encounter the ghosts of Christmases past, present and future in the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, but if you’ve only got time for one, the Taft Museum of Art’s exhibit Antique Christmas will take you back in time. Visitors can get into the holiday spirit by experiencing the joy of antique ornaments, toys and decorations. This year features items such as a miniature log cabin in Christmastime woods, a vintage clockwork Santa, an exhibit of early German nutcrackers and more. Securing tickets ahead of time is recommended, though walk-ins will be accepted when space is available. Through Jan. 8. $12 adults; $10 youth and seniors; free for members and to the public on Sundays. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.
SUNDAY 18
EVENT: A DANCE BETWEEN DANA FRANKLIN AND MILLIE-CHRISTINE AT CHASE PUBLIC
Together with violinist Eddy Kwon and live illustrator Mike Fleisch, spoken word artist and performer Napoleon Maddox will merge the real lives of his great-grand aunts, conjoined twins Millie-Christine McKoy, with Dana Franklin, the character from Octavia Butler’s science fiction novel Kindred. As stated in the performance description, Maddox summons his aunts, born into slavery in 1851 and labeled as sideshow freaks, “in the way a character in peril called for Dana to cross space in time to save his life.” An hour before the performance, Maddox will lead a discussion-based workshop on the texts, themes and content of this choreographed work. This project culminates in a performance at the Contemporary Arts Center’s Black Box Theater in February 2017. 6 p.m. workshop; 8 p.m. performance Sunday. Free; donations encouraged. Chase Public, 1569 Chase Ave., Suite 4, Northside, facebook.com/chasepublic.
HOLIDAY: CINCINNATI BLACK SANTA CLAUS
The Cincinnati Black Santa Claus flies his sleigh to the Cincinnati Art Museum to greet kids, review their Christmas lists and take some photos by the tree. Parents are welcome to take pictures during the event, and high-resolution photos will be available for download at The Voice of Black Cincinnati’s Facebook page. Parents can also make special requests for Santa to give their kids a phone call for the holidays. 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiartmuseum.org, thevoiceofblackcincinnati.com.
This article appears in Dec 14-21, 2016.
