Ring in Spring with Fresh Produce
Lord Alfred Tennyson famously said, “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” But for chefs, springtime means a return to fresh, locally cultivated produce, as well as some of the more exotic items foraged from our bountiful Ohio Valley forests. “I love spring,” says chef Mike Florea of Maribelle’s…
Le Bar a Boeuf (Review)
I had never tried any of the restaurants in The Edgecliff private residences high-rise on the border of Eden Park in East Walnut Hills, but when our city’s most beloved restaurateur, Jean-Robert de Cavel, announced he would be revamping and reopening the space as Le Bar a Boeuf, I knew that would change. Based on its…
Art and Identity, Lost and Found in ‘Woman in Gold’
Much investigation has gone into the issue of Nazi art theft during World War II, with grand efforts made to verify claims and restore pieces to their rightful owners or their surviving family members. But a more intriguing examination might focus on the loss of identity and the resulting depreciation of culture as time passes.…
MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra Fosters Development Through Social Change
Bows glide across stringed instruments as fluent melodies fill the room. One stops, another starts. Rehearsal for MYCincinnati, a free youth orchestra program in Price Hill, begins as Eddy Kwon, assistant program director, leads the Ambassador Ensemble, a string sextet of young musicians, in their practice. Kwon, a violinist/composer/conductor who has broad experience with a…
Warhol’s Baseball Art Is a Hit at CAM
Turns out Pete Rose wasn’t the only baseball player that artist Andy Warhol ever depicted. He wasn’t even the only Red. Tom Seaver came first — but accidentally. That’s one surprise of Cincinnati Art Museum’s new and informative exhibition Up at Bat: Warhol and Baseball, on display in a first-floor gallery now through Aug. 2.…
The Art of Beer
W hile live music has always mixed well with alcohol, visual bar art in Cincinnati is starting to stretch beyond portraits of dogs playing poker and glowing beer signs. “We are seeing individuality as part of bars and breweries,” says Michael Morgan, founder and president of Queen City History & Education and author of Over-the-Rhine:…
Event: An Evening with David Sedaris
David Sedaris doesn’t really need much of an introduction. If you don’t know who he is, read any of his poignant, hilarious, sardonic and masterful collections of personal essays: Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You are Engulfed in Flames and his latest, Let’s Explore Diabetes with…
Event: Toast to the Tunnels
Back by popular demand, Toast to the Tunnels takes you on a tour to explore the Christian Moerlein Malt House’s underground barrel vault tunnels, once home to the pre-Prohibition Kauffman Brewing malt house. A quick taste of history will be accompanied by a $10 flight of Moerlein beers in the taproom. Proceeds benefit the Betts…
Event: Tartan Day Spring Ceilidh
The Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes & Drums, a local nonprofit that aims to preserve and promote Scottish heritage, hosts their annual spring party. The Celtic bash will feature music from the likes of the Blue Rock Boys, Ceol Mhor and Riley Gaelic Singers, and performances from the McGing Irish Dancers and Cincinnati Highland Dancers. Themed food…
Event: The 1919 Tour
As the birthplace of the first professional baseball team, as well as the creation of the World Series and the location of the National League and American League merger, Cincinnati has a long history of incredible on- and off-field moments. American Legacy Tours digs deeper into the city’s baseball past with The 1919 Tour. In…
Event: Ballet A Go Go
Inspired by the world famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles and New York’s Peppermint Lounge discotheque, Ballet A Go Go is one hot dance party. Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the ballet’s Club B, each room of the Cincinnati Ballet Center will transform into a trendy ’60s nightclub for an evening of Mod…
Art: Slow Art Day
Slow Art Day is one of the best ideas to reach art museums ever — a break from the rush-rush hubbub of trying to see everything. Visitors concentrate on just looking, really looking, at a few pieces and then discuss them with others. Saturday, the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum and Pyramid Hill…
Event: Victory of Light Expo
Established in 1992, the Victory of Light Expo showcases the world of the intuitive arts and psychic sciences. The festival provides a venue for spiritual teachers, readers, healers and vendors from around the country to share their philosophies and teach free seminars on topics including the shamanic anatomy of the soul, manifesting your desires and…
Music: Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express
San Francisco singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet’s illustrious career began in earnest when he joined the influential and critically acclaimed Roots Rock band Green on Red right after high school. Since then, similar acclaim for his solo work has never slowed; he has released more than a dozen albums since 1990 that have carried the torch of…
Event: Brazee Street Studio Art Supply Swap
If one artist’s junk is another artist’s treasure, then Friday’s art supply swap at Brazee Street Studios might be a gold mine of fodder for artistic creation. An informal exchange of materials, guests are asked to bring any two items to donate — paint, markers, pencils, rhinestones, charcoal, paper, canvas, yarn, sequins, etc. — and…
Onstage: Disney’s Aladdin Jr.
Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and a shiny magic lamp are on their way to the Taft Theatre — by magic carpet of course — as the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati brings this favorite Disney movie to life. With direction by Roderick Justice, music by Alan Menken and a featured role of the Genie by Local 12’s…
Comedy: Nate Bargatze
"I like to think of myself as a storyteller, but in joke form," says comedian Nate Bargatze. "I don't think I'm a storyteller like Ron White — my longest joke is like two minutes. But now I'm trying to look at a topic from every angle." The son of a successful magician, Bargatze’s first foray…
Literary: Hal McCoy
Hal McCoy has written about the Cincinnati Reds since the inception of the Big Red Machine, and in an age in which most baseball beat writers rarely get to know the players personally, McCoy received rare access, highlighting the human side of America’s Pastime. McCoy’s new book, The Real McCoy: My Half-Century with the Cincinnati…
Onstage: Race
David Mamet is a playwright known for dialogue that comes at you like a spray of bullets from an automatic weapon. He’s accurately called it “an ability to speak the language viciously.” Race, his 2009 play, approaches that sensitive titular topic head-on when two lawyers — one black, one white — defend an influential white…
Onstage: CincySings
CincySings, the regional choral competition, returns with vocal talent you won’t hear anywhere else. From Doo-Wop to Hip Hop, teams of employee choirs from top regional companies face off in this high-energy evening, hosted by Drew Lachey and judged by area musicians and arts professionals. Cheer on your friends, neighbors and colleagues and see who…
Forgotten Classics: Death on the Nile
The year 2014 was a great one for movies — a really, really good year. Sure, there were duds and bombs just like any other year, but there were seriously so many good films that it was tough to properly list off my favorites in a satisfying order. One of my favorites of last year…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all! Upside today: The Reds won last night. Downside today: It’s really gross outside. Now that I’ve covered the perfunctory topical conversation points, let’s get on to the news, eh? Investigations continue into a deadly drive-by shooting that happened over the weekend near the Walnut Hills YMCA. Seventeen-year-old Kelcie Crow died in that shooting…
Leftovers: What We Ate This Weekend
Each week CityBeat staffers and dining writers tell you what they ate this weekend. We're not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food. Danny Cross: My girlfriend’s parents popped into town Saturday morning, which meant that we needed to eat out a couple times and they were going…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all! Today is Opening Day. You already know this. What you don’t know is that it’s my first Opening Day back in Cincinnati after a few years of missing them. So let’s resign ourselves to the fact that half of the news blog today will be dominated by stuff around this most momentous of…
Taft’s Ale House Opens Today
Over-the-Rhine's new three-level bar and restaurant, Taft’s Ale House — named for William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, former Supreme Court Justice and native Cincinnatian — opens on Monday, Red’s Opening Day, and will feature a variety of specialty beers, as well as an emphasis on tri-tip beef (cut from the…
Opening Day: Parties and Pre-Games
Nobody does Opening Day like Cincinnati. And, let's be real, since no one's going to work, here are some parties and bars (and some other associated events) where you can pregame before the Reds take on the Pirates at 4:10 p.m. April 6. Arnold's Bar & Grill: Arnold's continues its Opening Day tradition with breakfast…
Onstage: The Lion King
T he Lion King began as a popular Disney animated feature film in 1994, but back then no one imagined that it would become a worldwide blockbuster stage production. In fact, when it was being assembled for Broadway’s refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre, a lot of skeptics wondered what would become of a story about heroic and…
A Jolly Romp Through a Problem Play
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Being an Aging Parent
Spring is finally here and I’m glad. I like saying that I’m happy to be living in a part of the country where I get to see all four seasons, but winter is a season I dislike. I dislike it, in part, because of my kids and them having to drive in winter weather. For…
New Food, Drink and Retail Options at Great American Ballpark
Reds season kicks off Monday at Great American Ball Park, which means Cincinnatians will be spending a varying amount of time in the stadium, depending on their fan level. Whether you go once a season or to every Reds game, GABP has added a few new features for everyone in 2015, and just in time…
Apothecary-Themed Cocktail Bar Sundry and Vice Now Open
Back in the day, doctors and pharmacists used to treat everything from colds and stomach aches to fainting spells and typhoid with alcoholic elixirs and tonics — wine for the plague, absinthe for intestinal parasites, bitters for indigestion, brandy for just about everything. So it makes sense that Sundry and Vice, Over-the-Rhine's newest cocktail bar, has adopted a vintage apothecary theme. The bar,…
Your Weekend To Do List (4/3-4/5)
FRIDAY ONSTAGE: THE LION KING The Lion King began as a popular Disney animated feature film in 1994, but back then no one imagined that it would become a worldwide blockbuster stage production. In fact, when it was being assembled for Broadway’s refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre, a lot of skeptics wondered what would become of…
Stage Door: The Circle of Life
I've seen The Lion King five times, on Broadway and on tour. I wrote about it in a feature this week, describing how a successful but not terribly profound animated Disney feature became a stage musical that's a worldwide phenomenon. A touring production is at the Aronoff through April 26; it's the third time the…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning y’all. I cannot wait for this weekend so let’s get to it. Are you a businessperson in Indiana steamed about the state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act? A lot of people are. In the wake of controversy around Indiana's law, which as written allows businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals on the basis…
Pop-Up Dinners Return to Carriage House Farm
North Bend's Carriage House Farm is fully embracing the farm-to-table movement with this year's pop-up dinner series. From May through November the farm will play host to a variety of local chefs, who will be preparing more than two dozen seasonal dinners, utilizing ingredients available on the farm, like garlic, ginger, beans, heirloom tomatoes and comb honey. The intimate…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all. I’m hyped for the season’s first thunderstorm, which is officially rolling in as I type this. As far as I’m concerned, it’s finally spring. On to the news. Residents displaced by the King Towers fire in Madisonville last Thursday will be able to stay in their extended stay hotel in Blue Ash for…
Avoidable Errors Erode Confidence in ‘Enquirer’
Pointing out Enquirer errors — mistaken information that local copy editors would have caught in the Good Old Days — used to be a guilty pleasure. Sort of like catching The New Yorker in a typo. Today, repeated lapses raise a serious question: Have years of buyouts, firings and redefined duties eroded newsroom discipline? I’ve…
Worst Week Ever! March 25-30
Russian Leader Doing Mad Nefarious Things, Still has Tighter Online Game Than Most Leaders Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have things all figured out. After all, one’s online reputation will one day soon be more important than what the lousy people who know you face-to-face think. With this tech realization in mind, Putin and…
The Indiana in Us All
Jesus ain’t a hater. The March 26 signing of Indiana’s bill by Republican Governor Mike Pence giving Christians the legal right to refuse service to gays and lesbians is subversive and riddled with hate-mongering in the guise of protecting “basic religious freedoms.” Really, Jesus has little to do with religiosity, but that’s for a master…
Morning News and Stuff
Hello Cincy. Let’s get straight to the news. The weather is beautiful and perfect for honoring a hero, even if the occasion is incredibly sad. Today is the funeral for firefighter Daryl Gordon, who died last week after falling down an elevator shaft while fighting a fire at an apartment building in Madisonville. Large crowds…
6 String Drag with Hannah Aldridge
Band reunions can be joyful, fist-pumping celebrations or dismal funeral services for long deceased entities that should never have been exhumed. If you’re scoring at home, Roots Rock ‘N’ Roll, the first new 6 String Drag album in 18 years, belongs deliriously in the celebratory category. For those needing a refresher, 6 String Drag (a…
The Whiskey Charmers with Straw Boss
If it’s possible to get drunk on sound alone, The Whiskey Charmers’ intoxicating self-titled debut album will do it. And it’s utterly unfathomable for me to comprehend how something that sounds like a soundtrack to a spaghetti western’s most sexy boudoir scene could possibly come from Detroit. And yet … I imagine the formation of…
Somebody’s Darling with The Whiskey Shambles
It’s hard to stand out in the crowded Blues/Roots Rock field but Dallas-based Somebody’s Darling is a stacked deck of secret weapons. The visceral ’70s-to-today guitar pyrotechnics of David Ponder, the massive keyboard groove of Michael Talley, the velvet jackhammer rhythm section of bassist Wade Cofer and drummer Nate Wedan, and the smoke-and-whiskey-cured vocals of…
SORTA, Union and Council Wrangle over Streetcar Operating Contract
The Cincinnati streetcar is facing ongoing questions over who will operate the transit system. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which is tasked with operating the streetcar, must choose between two types of bids: those from companies that will manage SORTA’s union employees and those that will hire their own. That’s caused controversy. A motion proposed…
Ohio House Passes Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban
The Ohio House on March 25 passed HB 69, called the Heart Beat Bill, which would ban abortions as soon as doctors can detect a heartbeat for a fetus. The proposed law as written does not make exceptions for rape or incest. The bill has met opposition from both Democrats and even some pro-life Republicans,…
Cincinnati City Council Formally Backs Marriage Equality
As LGBT rights issues around the Tristate continue to make national headlines, Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution March 25 supporting marriage equality in the state of Ohio. That stance is at odds with the official policy of the state of Ohio, which does not recognize gay marriages. In 2004, Ohio voters passed a constitutional…
Rubblebucket with Vacationer
Born in Burlington, Vt., and headquartered in New York City, Rubblebucket is a perfect storm of Pop precision, Soul passion, Art Rock quirk and Ska bob-and-weave choreography. Even a cursory spin through the band’s third and best album, last summer’s brilliantly loopy Survival Sounds, reveals a talented group of musical changelings who can bounce off…
New Plan, Old Tensions
As Main Street crosses Liberty Street in Over-the-Rhine, it goes from a bustling corridor filled with bars, restaurants and music venues to a less traveled and less developed streetscape. Rothenberg School is there, as are some affordable apartment buildings owned by Over the Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH). Near them are some vacant lots, a community…
A Crushing Ignorance
HOT: A Crushing Ignorance Some Country music fans are outraged over a new single by Little Big Town, with attempts to “Dixie Chick” the group underway. The group’s single “Girl Crush” is about jealousy over an ex-boyfriend’s new flame, but once the song began to receive airplay, a few stations started getting boycott threats over…
Lift One to Life
It has been decades since Covingtonians have whiffed fresh malt percolating from a neighborhood brewery, but from now on when they’re near the corner of Seventh and Pike streets, this will be the norm. The family-owned and -operated Braxton Brewing Company held its grand opening on March 27, and invited the community into the 11,000-square-foot…
Old City Brings Back the Cassingle
Cincinnati Indie Rock trio Old City is going old school with its new EP/maxi-single release, putting the four-song The Sun is My Light out on “cassingle” (that’s a single on a cassette for those under 35). The release (designed and hand-packaged by the band members) will include a digital download code, for those who long…
Moore Is More
A l ot has happened in Dallas Moore’s life since our last conversation almost exactly seven years ago. The topic was 2008’s Tales from a Road King, which came after a six-year gap since the “Outlaw Country/Ameripolitan” belter’s last album, 2002’s High on the Hog. In the years between Hog and Road King, Moore toured…
Merchants of Doubt
I thoroughly appreciate the conceit that documentary director Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.) uses to introduce his latest feature — Merchants of Doubt — which explores the flim-flam nature of public relations in the service of creating skepticism surrounding hot-button topics like tobacco and global warming. He posits that such underhanded efforts are similar to the…
The Last Five Years
Based on Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown’s musical play, The Last Five Years from writer-director Richard LaGravenese (PS I Love You and Freedom Writers) captures the fragile deconstruction of the love affair between a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) and a novelist (Jeremy Jordan) told in their respective voices. The conceit upon which…
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
I have to say, based on the premise alone, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter certainly promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience. Co-writing along with his younger brother Nathan, David Zellner, a multi-hyphenate from Austin, helms the story of Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi), a lonely Japanese woman who stumbles upon a VHS copy of the Coen Brothers’ 1996…
Furious 7
As a diehard fan of the fourth through sixth installments in the The Fast and the Furious franchise, I have to admit that I am eagerly awaiting the chance to partake in the latest adventures of the street racing crew-turned-global-anti-heroes led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (the late Paul Walker who, by…
Indie Horror Reinvigorates the Genre
“No one seems to understand,” Meshell Ndegeocello sings on “La Petite Mort” from her 2011 release Weather. She continues, “I worship the ground you walk on.” A steady, slightly slower marching drum beat and insistent bass line anchor the proceeding. The song, which popped up in an iTunes playlist on my phone, dropped me back…
End of an Era
Since its debut in 2007, Mad Men (Final Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Sunday, AMC) has offered a definitive look at 1960s American culture. Like a film femme fatale from that era, Mad Men lured audiences in with the idealistic beauty of men and women who dressed up every day to go out into a picturesque…
