FRIDAY 26
MUSIC: Aimee Mann brings some moody and acoustic ruminations to the Madison Theater. Read an interview here.
ART: Albrecht Durer: The Age of Reformation and Renaissance at the Cincinnati Art Museum examines the master’s prints and inspiration. See Big Picture here.
ONSTAGE: The Humans
If you made it through the holidays without boiling over at a family member, you should be congratulated. The working-class Blake family has no such luck in the regional premiere of Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning script from 2016. They gather for Thanksgiving dinner and within minutes they’re faced with feelings and fears we all dread: poverty, unemployment, sickness, loss of love, old age and death. Their intermingled fates are portrayed with humor, pain and poignancy as they contend with issues that are top of mind in America today. Guest director Michael Evan Haney has assembled six top-notch professional actors for this production. Through Feb. 17. $61 adult; $31 student; $27 child. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, ensemblecincinnati.org. — RICK PENDER
COMEDY: Nikki Glaser
Nikki Glaser has been doing stand-up her entire adult life, having started at age 19. She’s now become more reflective with her material. “I am a woman dealing with these issues like whether or not to get married, whether or not to have kids and all those things,” she says. She tries to keep her approach honest. “People might be like ‘I can’t believe she said that,’ but I like talking about things that will help make girls feel less alone. I would have loved for my (Comedy Central special, Perfect) to have been out when I was in high school and feeling I was the only one who thought this way.” She jokes her set is for 20-year-old white girls who feel directionless, but really it has a much broader appeal. “It’s fun for everyone,” she insists. Through Sunday. $15-$20. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com. — P.F. WILSON
ART: Liberating Insecurity at The Mockbee
Bee Gallery in The Mockbee is hosting a closing reception for Minnesota-based multidisciplinary artist Kendra Elyse Douglas. With her large-scale sculptural installation of Venus figurines, female torsos, flowers and casts of her own body, Liberating Insecurity investigates the impact of engaging with a personal sense of vulnerability in an effort to empower and liberate other women. According to the press release, the work “serves to radically reimagine how American culture views bodies, encouraging a social movement of body celebration.” Closing reception 6-9 p.m. Friday. Free. The Mockbee, 2260 Central Parkway, West End, facebook.com/themockbee. — MARIA SEDA-REEDER
EVENT: Art After Dark: Winter is Here
Much like Season 7 of Game of Thrones, winter is most definitely here and the Cincinnati Art Museum is offering frostbitten fans of Renaissance art a respite from the weather with this month’s Art After Dark. Take a free, interactive tour of Albrecht Durer: The Age of Reformation and Renaissance with the Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Grid team, listen to Renaissance-themed music from Jameson’s Folly, check out performances from Ohio Renaissance Festival actors and grab food for purchase from Eli’s BBQ. I guess the real questions are: Will there be turkey legs? And where is your doublet? 5-9 p.m. Friday. Free admission. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO
SATURDAY 27
ART: Brent Green and Sam Green bring their Live Cinema event to Memorial Hall as part of the CAC’s performance series. Read more about the event here.
MUSIC: Zach Deputy brings some multi-instrumental songwriting to Urban Artifact. See Sound Advice here.
MUSIC: Hip Hop/Rock group Flobots head to Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice here.
EVENT: Garage Brewed Moto Show
Bust out the leather jacket, adjust the elastic strap of your goggles, and prime your appetite for suds: The Garage Brewed Moto Show parks 50 of Cincinnati’s rarest, weirdest and most desirable motorcycles under Rhinegeist’s roof. Hosted by the Cincinnati Cafe Racer Club, the free event seeks to showcase the artistry of Midwestern builders and collectors, featuring a vast array of two-wheeled wonders that range from choppers to Mad Max-influenced “rat bikes.” Vehicles aren’t the only biker paraphernalia on display: Back by popular demand, the Biltwell Art show will exhibit sculptures and paintings by Cincy artists who swap out canvases for custom helmets. These wearable creations will be auctioned off to benefit local charities. Imagine biking to and from work with a unique masterpiece plastered to your dome. Come for the bikes, stay for the beer. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Free. Rhinegeist, 1428 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, garagebrewed.com. — JUDE NOEL
EVENT: Bockfest Beefsteak Club Dinner
Returning for its 26th year, Bockfest honors the heritage of Over-the-Rhine with three days’ worth of traditional German garb, plenty of pretzels and — as the festival’s name suggests — bock beer. To celebrate (and raise funds for the fest and parade), the historic Kauffman Brewery event space inside the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom is hosting the 2018 Beefsteak Club Dinner, a tradition that began at the turn of the 20th century, serving elegant meals and beer pairings to Cincinnati’s upper crust. Ronda Breeden and Arnold’s Bar and Grill will prepare the menu while Christian Moerlein handles the taps, keeping drinks flowing as artist Pam Kravetz presents a lineup of art and performance. Kravetz’s Carnival will feature Circus Mojo acts, a photo booth, body painting, mud wrestling, jugglers, fire breathers, tea-leaf readings and more. If you’ve ever fantasized about leading the life of an 1890s socialite, this your chance to do so for one night. (N.B.: Despite the name of this event, steak is not on the menu, oddly enough.) 6:30 p.m. Saturday $55. Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, otrbrewerydistrict.thundertix.com. — JUDE NOEL
SUNDAY 28
FILM: Wasted! The Story Of Food Waste
The United States throws out 40 percent of the food it produces. The film Wasted!, executive produced by celebrity chef/writer/globe-trotter Anthony Bourdain, seeks solutions to help slice this dicey problem down to size. Featuring a cast of culinary icons from Dan Barber to Eve Turow Paul, the film reclaims the parts of plants and animals that often find their way to the rubbish heap. Bourdain and Co. extol the virtues of eating fish heads and finding more ecologically conscious ways to feed livestock, all the while relishing in the producer’s trademark cynical charm. “I don’t know if we deserve to live,” Bourdain says through a stifled giggle in Wasted!’s trailer. If you’re still convinced life’s worth living by the closing credits, stick around for a panel discussion with local chefs and waste management experts on how businesses can minimize their trash flow. Cincy-based broth brigade La Soupe, which rescues otherwise would-be-wasted produce and turns it into nutritious meals, will provide dinner. 3:30 p.m. Sunday. $20. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com. — JUDE NOEL
EVENT: Findlay Market Chili Cook-off
Chili: The Queen City’s most revered dish. Cheer on your favorite local amateur chefs as they concoct their own take on Cincinnati’s chili for the 14th-annual Findlay Market chili cook-off. Afterward, warm up with chili samples and enjoy the tunes of Johnson Treatment. Make it a bloody mary afternoon with a build-your-own bar from Watershed Distillery. If the cook-off samples didn’t satisfy your hunger, you can also grab some chili from market vendors, including Hispanic-style chili at Cake Rack Bakery or Bison-infused chili at Fresh Table. Soak either up with jalapeЦo bread from Em’s Sourdough or wash it down with chili-inspired tea (“Some Like it Hot”) from Churchill’s Fine Teas. Noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Samples: $2 per ticket; $10 for six; $15 for 20. Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, findlaymarket.org. — MACKENZIE MANLEY
EVENT: Fifty West Can Launch Brunch
Fifty West is getting into the canning game. On the morning of Jan. 28, they’ll co-host a brunch with the Colorado-based Oskar Blues. Brunchers will enjoy three courses of food — cornbread donuts, pork belly biscuits and braised brisket — alongside beers from both breweries. After the meal, brunchers will be able to take home a six-pack of Fifty West beer, included in the $45 ticket price. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. $45. Fifty West, 7668 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, fiftywestbrew.com.
TUESDAY 30
MUSIC: Noah Gundersen
Seattle-based musician Noah Gundersen began releasing albums while still a teenager, gradually building a strong and loyal following with his beautiful, intimate Indie Folk songs. At the beginning of the 2010s, Gundersen’s music started to reach even more people when it was used on various television shows. After his song “Family” was used on the popular Sons of Anarchy, he was commissioned to write another for the program; that song, “Day is Gone,” went on to score an Emmy nomination. On Gundersen’s latest album, White Noise, his artistry shines as he reaches beyond the relative starkness that found him lumped into the “Singer/Songwriter” bin to explore new sonic terrain. The 2017 release proved to be just as compelling and emotionally resonate as his earlier work, projecting a similar lushness but one that is refracted through a more multi-dimensional filter, creating a broader, more cinematic atmosphere. Described by Gundersen as “a sensory overload” that was inspired by (as he told Consequence of Sound) Radiohead, The Beatles, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Cash and, uh, Lionel Richie, the wide-angled White Noise is dynamic, from the lyrical themes to the oscillating rhythms and hues in the music. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $18; $20 day of show. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com. — MIKE BREEN
This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2018.
