FRIDAY 17
ART: BADGE OF HONOR
Someone give Jonathan Sears a medal. Badge of Honor, the show he has curated at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, feels intimate even though there are weighty issues to consider. Sears and his three artists never lose sight of the individual — even when it’s represented by a figure barely 2 inches tall — as they think about the big picture. Badge of Honor is about centers of resilience and calm amid conflict. Sears, the executive director of Northside’s PAR-Projects, drew the show’s theme and title from an episode of the television series Murder, She Wrote. This line from an actor portraying a veteran got his attention: “Souls are more fragile than human flesh. Sometimes they just never seem to heal.” Read more about the exhibit here. Badge of Honor is on display through March 5 at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, with an artist talk 5-6:30 p.m. and reception until 9 p.m. Feb. 25. More info: kennedyarts.org.
ONSTAGE: SUMMERLAND
Childhood diseases and America’s bloody Civil War left many families in the 1860s bereft, yearning to connect with lost loved ones who they believed had moved on to a lovely place called “Summerland,” where they awaited entry to heaven. Spiritualism thrived, and many believed the mysterious art of photography afforded ghostly glimpses of those who had passed when a portrait of a widow or grieving parent was taken. Those are the circumstances in Arlitia Jones’ world premiere at the Cincinnati Playhouse, where a photographer and an investigator spar over what’s real and what might be a scam. Read a review of the production here. Through March 5. Tickets start at $30. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.
MUSIC: RUTHIE FOSTER
To say that Ruthie Foster comes from a musical family is like saying the Kennedys are political — it’s accurate but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. The native Texan is at the end of a long familial line of Gospel singers, so naturally she was a soloist in her church choir. But as a community college student pursuing music and audio production, her horizons began to expand. As a result, she found a Blues band that needed a singer and began her unofficial education as a performer. In search of travel and adventure, Foster joined the Navy, where she sang in Pride, the naval Pop/Funk band. After her hitch, she relocated to New York where she discovered the Folk scene and earned a reputation within that iconic community, ultimately leading to a contract offer from Atlantic Records. Unfortunately, Atlantic wanted to groom Foster to be a Pop star, a path that didn’t interest her in the least. She declined the offer and continued to seek out new musical outlets in New York until her mother’s illness forced her return to Texas. Foster took a television production position and cared for her ailing mother until her passing in 1996. A year later, Foster self-released her debut album, Full Circle, followed in 1999 by her sophomore set, the aptly titled Crossover. The albums’ independent success attracted the interest of renowned indie label Blue Corn Music, which released her subsequent five studio and two live albums, and will be handling her next release, Joy Comes Back, slated for late March. Read more about Foster in this week's Sound Advice. Ruthie Foster performs Friday at Southgate House Revival. Click here for tickets/more show info.
Since CityBeat last spoke to comedian Sean Patton, he’s been doing a lot of work in the U.K. He’s found the stereotype of rough crowds there to be false. “That’s a mistake a lot of (American comedians) make when they go overseas,” he says. “They think they have to spend the first 20 minutes of their set pandering to the audience.” However, when comedians from other countries come here, they fall into the same trap. “ ‘Did you know you Americans are obese? And your government…’” Patton says. “Shut up, we know. You’re not blowing any minds buddy.” Thursday-Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.
Los Angeles-based artist Andrea Bowers is known to dabble in the provocative intersection of art making, social justice and political activism. Her exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center, Womxn Workers of the World Unite!, is no exception, focusing on Bowers’ survey of the feminist movement and its evolution, including the status of trans-feminism in addition to the difficulties associated with maintaining purpose in an increasingly heterogeneous environment. Bowers’ work draws from her personal collection of political graphics that depict powerful, radical women. Through June 18. Free. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org.
MUSIC: ANDY BLACK
Andy Biersack’s upbringing in Cincinnati’s Delhi neighborhood was no walk in the park, considering his penchant for Goth fashion and makeup and his dreams of forming a Horror/Punk band as a Cincinnati tween. While Biersack was a student at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, he formed the nascent version of the band he had long envisioned, Black Veil Brides, although the band’s membership was a revolving door due to a general lack of commitment. In 2009, just after his 18th birthday, Biersack relocated to Los Angeles, living in his car while he attempted to capitalize on the buzz created by Black Veil Brides videos on YouTube and music posted on MySpace. Assembling a new version of the band, Biersack scored a label contract with Rock/Metal label StandBy Records for Black Veil Brides’ debut album, We Stitch These Wounds, which did fairly well on the indie charts. That success and Black Veil Brides’ unprecedented merch movement through Hot Topic resulted in a contract offer from Lava Records. The band’s follow-up, 2011’s Set the World on Fire, received a mixed critical reaction but did well overall, particularly with the band’s fervent fan base, and the album’s title track wound up on the soundtrack to Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. Read more about the artist in this week's Sound Advice. Andy Black performs Friday at Bogart's. Click here for tickets/more show info.
ONSTAGE: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
It’s a dark and stormy night, and Brad and Janet have lost their way. Are you ready to do the Time Warp again? This cult hit was the brainchild of a British guy with a thing for sci-fi and horror films, which he parodied unforgettably. The show ran successfully in London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and became a legendary 1975 film starring Tim Curry, paving the way for midnight celebrations for years to come. Take your own trip to Transylvania at the Incline Theater and enjoy Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s hospitality. You can bet that audience participation will be encouraged.Through March 5. $26 adults; $23 seniors/students. Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre, 801 Matson Place, East Price Hill, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
EVENT: CINCY BEERFEST
Craft beer is everywhere these days, from the taprooms serving rarities to grocery stores selling out of the local stuff first. But that wasn’t always the case. If you wanted a Cincinnati craft beer 10 years ago, you could grab a bottle of Christian Morlein, which was contract-brewed at the time outside the city limits. Or you could try a draft from the Rock Bottom Brewery chain located at Fountain Square, or a growler from Anderson Township’s Mt. Carmel Brewery. For those who weren’t hip to Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewery, an early go-to craft brew in the Cincinnati market, the options for non-Bud drinkers were scarce: Sam Adams, Newcastle and the like. Even so, this was around the time Craig Johnson and Matt King set their Beerfest empire in motion. This year’s 10th-annual Cincy Beerfest expects a crowd of 17,000, its biggest ever. And the company has expanded the Beerfest concept into five other markets since those early days. See this week's cover story for more info on the fest. The 10th-annual Cincy Beerfest takes place Friday and Saturday at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Tickets and more info: cincybeerfest.com.
MUSIC: K.FLAY
In 2003, Stanford freshman Kristine Flaherty boldly asserted that she could write a better Rap song than anything she’d heard, and quickly churned out “Blingity Blang Blang.” Since then, Flaherty — better known as K.Flay — has independently released singles and mixtapes, signed to a major label, returned to independent status for 2014’s excellent Life as a Dog and has now re-upped as a major-label artist with Interscope Records for her triumphant new album, Every Where is Some Where. Read more about K.Flay here. K.Flay performs Friday at Madison Live. Tickets/more info: madisontheateronline.com.
Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show with David Letterman) are visiting the newly renovated Memorial Hall this weekend to present Vol. 8 of The Found Footage Festival, a collection of rare, exceptional and unusual VHS tapes that were discovered at garage sales, thrift stores and dumpsters across the country. Serving as curators, Pickett and Prueher provide live commentary and where-they-are-now updates to the people seen in each video, which can range from hilariously awkward, shabbily produced industrial training videos to bizarre “how-to” home videos. Highlights of Vol. 8 include a collection of satanic panic videos from the ’80s, outtakes and bloopers from 10 years of North Dakota local news and a star-studded Desert Storm parade sponsored by Taco Bell. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $12. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-The-Rhine, 513-977-8838, memorialhallotr.com.
SATURDAY 18
Get charmed at Cincinnati’s premiere Mardi Gras masquerade and cabaret, the Voodoo Carnival. Boogie to New Orleans-inspired tunes, slip under the spell of magician Robbin Marks Magic, be titillated by Hexa Burlesque and try not to look away from the sideshow stylings of the Pickled Brothers Circus, specializing in fire eating, sword swallowing and bullwhip artistry. Dancing feet? Head upstairs for classic ’80s, Goth and New Wave Noir. 8 p.m. Saturday. $15 advance; $20 door. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., thepandorasociety.com/voodoo.
MUSIC: WE THE KINGS
The current We The Kings tour coincides with the 10th anniversary of the band’s eponymous debut album. Although the album wasn’t a blazing success upon its 2007 release, peaking at No. 151 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, its second single, “Check Yes Juliet,” went on to sell over a quarter of a million copies in the U.S. The album and single were even bigger hits in Australia, where both were certified Platinum. The Bradenton, Fla. Pop/Punk quartet formed in high school just two years prior to their first album and were initially known as Broken Image, then De Soto. The band — vocalist/guitarist Travis Clark, guitarist Hunter Thomsen, bassist Drew Thomsen and drummer Danny Duncan — earned a reputation as a hard-working road act and began building an online profile by posting tracks on Purevolume, which ultimately led to their signing with EMI imprint S-Curve. Read more about the band in this week's Sound Advice. We The Kings perform Saturday at the Taft Theatre. Click here for tickets/more show info.
SUNDAY 19
Avant-garde graffiti film Wastedland 2 gets its local premiere at Masonic Temple-turned-arts-collective The Lodge on Sunday. Part of a traveling exhibition by artist Andrew H. Shirley, this existential fantasy follows the spirit animals of graffiti writers across a post-apocalyptic wasteland while they hunt for the meaning behind decaying enigmatic artwork, as well as search for beer, weed, walls to paint and the answer to the question, “What’s the point?” Also screening is the narrated slideshow The Indian Picture Show by artist Dylan Thadani, which examines the curiosities and beauty of Indian culture via 200 35mm photographs shot by the artist. But wait; there’s more: The evening also features live performances from bands All-Seeing Eyes and mr.phylzzz, and The Lodge now has a beer license, so alcohol will be for sale. 6 p.m. Sunday. $5 suggested donation. The Lodge, 231 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Ky., facebook.com/thelodgedaytonkentucky.
Art on Vine returns with fine art and homemade goods from more than 60 local artists. What started as a small fair in a parking lot in OTR is now a monthly pop-up held throughout the year at Rhinegeist and Fountain Square. Buy locally made goods, sip on Rhinegeist brews and snack on pizza from Taglio. Noon-7 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-The-Rhine, artonvinecincy.com.
Kodo, the world’s foremost professional taiko traditional Japanese drumming ensemble, will stop at the Aronoff Center on Sunday to perform DADAN, an athletic and rhythmic percussive production featuring only young male Kodo members. With soul-stirring solos and reverberating taiko drums of all different sizes, the immersive production will challenge the physical, technical and spiritual talents of the drummers. A pre-show performance by Cincinnati Dayton Taiko will take place in the lobby at 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. Sunday. $30-$50. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org.
