FRIDAY 04
EVENT: CINCINNATI PIZZA WEEK
Pizza lovers (read: everyone) rejoice: CityBeat is bringing you a full week of $8 ’zas from some of Cincinnati’s most popular eateries. With more than 30 participants including 15 North, Taglio’s, Martino’s on Vine, Goodfellas and Pomodori’s, hungry diners can fill up on a nearly endless variety of pies, ranging from signature concoctions to secret menu specialties. Make sureto grab a Cincinnati Pizza Week passport at your first destination — restaurants will provide a stamp for each pie ordered. Eligible pizzas are 10 inches and larger, and offers are dine-in only unless otherwise stated. Through Nov. 7. $8. Various locations. For a full list of participating restaurants, visit cincinnatipizzaweek.com.
MUSIC: AMERICAN VOICE FEATURING SARA EVANS
Country star Sara Evans combines forces with the Cincinnati Pops for three nights of celebrating the best of America’s musical heritage. Conductor John Morris Russell will lead the Pops through a variety of American classics including “Ring, Ring the Banjo” and “Fanfare for the Common Man,” then Evans will take the stage to highlight American music of today with a variety of her hit songs including “Born to Fly” and “A Little Bit Stronger.” 8 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $25-$105. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, cincinnatisymphony.org.
COMEDY: BRENT MORIN
“You ever try and leave a conversation by saying something witty and charming?” Brent Morin asks an audience. “Then your brain and mouth don’t work and actual words don’t come out. A girl says, ‘Nice to meet you,’ and you’re like, ‘Yeah, for-fah, forsh, sa.’ Maybe she thinks I just had a stroke and am cool about it.” Morin is perhaps best known as a former panelist on Chelsea Lately and the web seriesCrunch Time. The Connecticut native originally went to Los Angeles to attend film school, but soon started doing stand-up. Last year he released a one-hour special titled I’m Brent Morin through Netflix. Friday-Sunday. $15-$18. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com.
MUSIC: RECKLESS KELLY
The story of Reckless Kelly is a Country song come to vivid life and then made into a movie that would be completely implausible if it weren’t absolutely true. The Braun brothers — Willy, Cody, Gary and Micky — were drafted into their father’s Western Swing band as children and played professionally for many years as Muzzie Braun and the Boys, touring constantly and even appearing twice on The Tonight Show. Along the way, the family moved from their native Idaho to Bend, Ore. and the brothers shifted their attention to their own bands — Gary and Micky to Micky and the Motorcars and Willy and Cody to Reckless Kelly, a sly reference to legendary Australian bandit Ned Kelly. In short order, Reckless Kelly, acutely influenced by Son Volt’s Trace album, made fans of Texas music icons Robert Earl Keen (who managed the band for a spell) and Joe Ely and applied lessons learned at the feet of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle and others to its blazingly honest and soulful songs. The result was Reckless Kelly’s self-released debut album, 1998’s Millican, and the stage was set for a two-decade run that has produced two live sets and seven additional studio albums, including 2011’s Grammy-nominated Good Luck & True Love, 2013’s Grammy-winning Long Night Moon and the group’s latest triumph, the just-released Sunset Motel. 7 p.m. Friday. $25 door. Madison Theater, 730 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky., madisontheateronline.com.
SATURDAY 05
EVENT: BEST FRIENDS & BREWS
Two of the best things in the world — dogs and beer — converge this weekend at the SPCA’s Sharonville shelter. The organization’s annual Best Friends & Brews features adoptable pups of all shapes and sizes in addition to Rhinegeist beer, various local eateries and music from DJ Kenneth Wright, with proceeds benefiting SPCA Cincinnati. Rhinegeist brewer and cider-maker Chris Shields will discuss the seasonal and rare brews available at the event — general admission tickets get guests three drink tickets plus all the food they can eat, like tapas from Mazunte and Boswell’s. VIP tickets include a pre-party at The Drinkery in Over-the-Rhine. Because adoptable dogs will be onsite, party-goers are asked to leave their own pets at home. 6-10 p.m. Saturday. $35; $20 designated driver; $55 VIP. SPCA Sharonville Shelter, 11900 Conrey Road, Sharonville, spcacincinnati.org.
EVENT: NORTHSIDE RECORD FAIR
Have you been looking for months to find that one super-rare, limited-pressed, special-edition vinyl? Well, chances are good it could be at the annual Northside Record Fair. With thousands of records dispersed at more than 40 tables and vendors specializing in Jazz, Punk, Classic Rock, R&B, Country, Electronic, Folk, Soul, Experimental, Hip Hop and everything in between, these vendors bring the good stuff, the rare stuff, the cheap stuff and even the stuff you had no idea existed. Queen City Imperial Soundsystem will be spinning all day, so you can listen to great music while you discover great music. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. $5; $10 early-bird (10 a.m.). North Church, 4222 Hamilton Ave., Northside, northsiderecordfair.com.
ONSTAGE: LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE
Fans of the romantic comedies Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally — both written by Nora Ephron — should have this show in their sights. It’s Ephron’s humorous and touching stage play (based on Ilene Beckerman’s book) that uses a cast of five doing monologues to explore events and emotions in the lives of 28 interwoven women, all using clothing as a metaphor for their experiences. Subjects include first dates, prom dresses, miniskirts, shoes, all things black — and the perfect purse. The show had a 1,000-plus performance run Off-Broadway between 2009 and 2012, evoking lots of memories for those who saw it. Weekends through Nov. 20. $25. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, Ky., thecarnegie.com.
EVENT: PUMPKIN CHUCK
It would be easy to just throw out your unused pumpkins and no-longer-needed jack-o’-lanterns, but the annual Pumpkin Chuck wants you to get as much use out of the gourds as you can. That means launching your pumpkin off of one of three unique trebuchets into the abyss at Stanbery Park. Once the launch is complete, you can participate in the pumpkin olympics or enjoy some live music while you snack on food from five different vendors. It’s the most appropriate way to say goodbye to Halloween and hello to the rest of the holiday season. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Free admission; $3 to launch your own pumpkin; $5 to launch a provided pumpkin. Stanbery Park, 2221 Oxford Ave., Mount Washington, mwcc.org.
EVENT: THE GREAT OHIO BREW N’ QUE
Barbecue and beer are the working man’s cheese and wine. Nothing goes better together than some smoked meat and a delicious craft beer. That is why this Saturday chefs and brewers from Fifty West will team up with Great Lakes Brewing Company to create an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet featuring a variety of meats, sauces, sides and even a vegetarian option. On tap will be 10 Great Lakes craft beers, 10 Fifty West beers and even a special collaboration beer from respective brewmasters Luke Parcell (Great Lakes) and Blake Horsburgh (Fifty West). 4 p.m. Saturday. $40; includes eight beer tickets. Fifty West, 7668 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, fiftywestbrew.com.
EVENT: BIG CIS PILSNER & PARTY
In memory of Mike “Big Cis” Cisneros, Braxton Brewing Company, Rivertown Brewery and Barrel House, Fibonacci Brewing Company, MadTree Brewing, Bad Tom Smith Brewing, and Alexandria Brewing Company all came together to collaborate on one of Mike's favorite styles...introducing the Big Cis Pilsner. The beer goes on tap at 5 p.m. with a raffle and prizes for the Boy Scouts of America and Reds Community Fund. Cincy Brewcast will also be broadcasting live from the taproom, and Hunting Agnes will play live music. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday. Free admission. Braxton Brewing Company, 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, Ky., facebook.com/braxtonbrewingcompany.
SUNDAY 06
ART: VAN GOGH: INTO THE UNDERGROWTH
Vincent van Gogh’s timeless art pieces join other nature-themed works from the likes of Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s exhibit Van Gogh: Into the Undergrowth. The show specifically focuses on van Gogh’s “Undergrowth with Two Figures” and other woodland landscapes and explores his poetic depictions of the forest floor — orsous bois. His odes to nature were reactions to the urbanization and industrialization of society, and visitors will be able to compare van Gogh’s treatment and manifestation of the forest theme with other artists who influenced and inspired his work.Through Jan. 8, 2017. $10 adults; $5 kids. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
TV: THE WALKING DEAD
This Sunday’s episode will focus on Negan and the Saviors’ home base, The Sanctuary, and the continued breakdown of the captive Daryl. It will be our first look at the settlement. Negan has surely broken Rick down, but could he do the same to Daryl? It would be really interesting to explore a sort-of turning of a character. 9 p.m. Sundays, AMC.
