Cincinnati Hosts Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest Qualifier
What’s more American than honoring Independence Day by competitively stuffing as many hot dogs as possible down your gullet for 10 minutes while tens of thousands in attendance cheer you on? Not much. And for the third year in a row, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest — held on the Fourth of July at Coney…
Mariemont’s National Exemplar Hosts ‘Great Food for a Great Cause’ to Raise Funds for Head and Neck Cancer Research
On April 29, the National Exemplar is donating all net proceeds from its 5-9 p.m. dinner service to the Gromada Head & Neck Cancer Foundation. The restaurant's "Great Food For a Great Cause" event has no special menu or program or speeches, it's just an evening dedicated to raising funds for the foundation, which helps…
Pop/Hip Hop Phenom Lizzo is Coming to Madison Theater in June
Rising Pop/Hip Hop phenom Lizzo, who is in the midst of a run at the Coachella weekends, is coming to Covington, Kentucky’s Madison Theater on June 19. The show is billed as “KISS 107.1 Loud & Proud 2019” and is being sponsored by the local radio station. Tickets for the concert go on sale this…
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is Closed to Traffic Starting This Afternoon
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 6 (which covers Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton and Robertson counties) announced on its social media today that the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which connects Cincinnati and Covington, will be closing to vehicular traffic at 4 p.m. April 17 — until further notice. According to…
Over-the-Rhine’s Reunion Clothiers Will Close at the End of May
Two years ago, Cale Darrell and Frank Welling opened Reunion Clothiers. Now, that chapter is coming to an end. The vintage haven announced last night via Instagram that, at the end of May, they'll be closing. "We feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to do this in OTR, a neighborhood and community that…
Federal Authorities Announce ‘Single Largest’ Crackdown on Illegal Opioid Prescribers
Federal prosecutors with a regional anti-drug abuse initiative today announced charges for 53 doctors and pharmacists who they say illegally doled out opiate prescriptions in seven states. More than 300 investigators with the federal Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force have been working on the cases since the group’s creation last November. The group works…
Newsweek Names Cincinnati Music Festival One of the Best Summer Fests of 2019 Alongside Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza
A recent article from Newsweek has named the long-running Cincinnati Music Festival as one of the "13 Best Music Festivals of Summer 2019." The local R&B fest was included alongside heavyweight events like Coachella, Hangout Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Outside Lands and Woodstock 50. Here's what Newsweek had to say about this year's…
Live Music in Greater Cincinnati: This Week’s Concerts and Club Shows (April 17-23)
WEDNESDAY 17 *20TH CENTURY THEATER – SWMRS with Beach Goons and Destroy Boys. 8 p.m. Rock/Pop/Punk. $16, $18 day of show. ARNOLD'S BAR AND GRILL – Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Piano/Various. Free. BLIND LEMON – Tom Roll. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE – Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10. HILTON…
Cincinnati’s Brewing Heritage Trail Opens First Phase in Over-the-Rhine
Cincinnati has had a craft brewing resurgence in the past decade or so with a new brewery seemingly popping up every year. But before this new wave of breweries, the Queen City was the king of beer with a booming brewing industry. To honor that legacy, the new Brewing Heritage Trail — a two-mile hike through…
Colorful Jazz Pop Singer Nellie McKay to Play Intimate Concert This Week in Northern Kentucky
Nellie McKay’s charmingly offbeat sense of humor was evident right from the start of her recording career. Her acclaimed 2004 debut album — recorded with former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick (who worked on Revolver and Abbey Road) — was titled Get Away from Me, a play on the breakthrough hit from another jazzy Pop artist,…
Progressive Dallas Metal Band Polyphia Plays Newport’s Southgate House Revival This Week
If you think it’s difficult maintaining the attention of frenzied metalheads with shredding guitar proficiency, heart-stopping volume and triple-clutch drumming, imagine keeping them entertained without the benefit of the accompanying pentagrammatic pit-of-hell or witch/warlock spell-casting lyrical imagery. And yet, that is exactly the kamikaze mission that the musicians of Polyphia have set for themselves every…
The Green Issue: CBD, THC and Other Marijuana Matters
This year for CityBeat's annual Green Issue, since it's hitting the streets the week of April 20 and marijuana is an especially hot topic of late, we decided to look into cannabis' history, benefits and uses. We examine the current legalities of CBD and medicinal marijuana in Ohio, take a peek at a current museum…
Happy 4/20!
Happy 4/20! This year for CityBeat's annual Green Issue, since it was hitting the street the week of April 20 and marijuana is an especially hot topic of late, we decided to look into cannabis' history, benefits and uses. We examine the current legalities of CBD and medicinal marijuana in Ohio, take a peek at…
Hemptations Founder E.R. Beach Has Been Promoting the Benefits of Hemp for Nearly a Quarter of a Century
E.R. Beach wears head-to-toe hemp every single day, from his hat to his jeans to his red, green and yellow-striped Adidas. And it doesn’t stop there. The coffee cup he’s drinking from? That’s made from hemp. His desk? That too. The chair he’s sitting on? Hemp again. To graduate from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio,…
The ABCs of CBD: Which Cannabidiol Products to Use and Why
CBD products are those made with cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive ingredient found in the cannabis plant. Unlike with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the compound that produces the heady, psychotropic effect associated with traditional marijuana usage — there's no "high" feeling and many tout a number of benefits associated with regular CBD use including its anti-inflammatory effects, its…
Smokin’ Grooves: Cincinnati Sounds That Might Go Well with Your Next Legal or Illicit High
Just as the social mores of marijuana use have shifted, so too has the go-to music most associated with smoking (or ingesting) weed. Whereas Jazz, Reggae and Psych Rock might’ve been the most pigeonholed as pot-smoking music back in the day, today that musical spectrum has greatly expanded, embracing everything from the deep bass thumps…
Everything You Wanted to Know About Legal Cannabis (and Have Already Been Asking About)
Ever since the Ohio General Assembly in 2016 passed a law legalizing medicinal marijuana and creating a state-overseen process for patients to get it, there has been confusion about the ins and outs of the program. Add to that legal technicalities around products like CBD that some say have therapeutic qualities but don’t contain THC…
Will Central Parkway Be Closed on FC Cincinnati Game Days?
When FC Cincinnati settles into its new home in the West End beginning in March, 2021, the city could decide to close portions of Central Parkway around the stadium for up to six hours a day. But some council members want to get more input from those living in the neighborhoods around the stadium before…
Lloyd Library’s ‘Through the Rx Bottle’ Exhibit Looks at the Long Timeline of Medical Cannabis
As Erin Campbell walks me through the Lloyd Library and Museum’s current exhibit, she stops at a display case containing botanical illustrations in a book drawn by famed physician Elizabeth Blackwell. Published in the mid-1700s, Campbell, the reference and technology librarian, points to the intricately drawn plants — seven olive green leaves branch outward and…
Cincinnati is the Fourth Best City to Celebrate Easter
According to WalletHub, Cincinnati is the fourth best city in America in which to celebrate Easter — and it's not just because we have a lot of churches. OK. It's partially because we have a lot of churches. The study tried to figure out which place promises the most "egg-citing" time on April 21 (aka Easter, you…
Northside Transit Center Poised to Move Forward
UPDATE: Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously April 17 to approve the zoning changes necessary for the transit center. After a long delay, a new transit center serving one of Cincinnati's busiest locations for Metro bus riders looks ready to take another step forward. Cincinnati City Council's Economic Growth and Zoning Committee today voted to advance…
VegFest Celebrates “Plant-Based Living” (and Eating) in Cincinnati
On May 18, VegFest returns to Cincinnati for the first time since 2012, for what organizers are planning as an annual local event. This year's Cincy VegFest will take place at the Burnet Woods Bandstand in Clifton and run from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. There is no admission charge. On its website, Cincy VegFest is described…
Indie Star Conor Oberst to Return to Cincinnati This Summer for a Concert at Taft Theatre
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Conor Oberst just announced a summer U.S. tour that includes a return to Cincinnati's Taft Theatre on July 25. Joanna Sternberg opens the show. All tickets are $33 (plus fees) and go on sale this Friday (April 19) at 10 a.m. via ticketmaster.com or at the Taft Theatre box office. Oberst is a man…
The Cocktail Terrace at 21c Cincinnati is Opening for the Season
The Cocktail Terrace at 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati is opening Friday, April 19 — weather permitting. It will be the bar's seventh season in operation. Head down Gano Alley to find the discreet door to gain access to this hip outdoor rooftop drinking destination, which can be accessed via an elevator ride up to the…
With a New Executive Chef at the Helm, Metropole at 21c Retains its Excellent Bar and Restaurant Offerings
Over-the-Rhine might get more attention as a hip neighborhood, but I would nominate the intersection of Walnut and Sixth streets downtown as one of the best parts of Cincinnati — it’s got everything. Expand the geography by a couple of blocks and you wouldn’t have to go anywhere else in the city to find a…
A Disney-Themed Bottomless Boozy Brunch/Sing-A-Long is Coming to Cincinnati
For most millennials, the words "bottomless brunch" hold enough fairytale magic to get our hungover asses out of bed on a weekend morning. But this extraordinary event is something even Sleeping Beauty would awaken for. A Disney-themed bottomless brunch sing-a-long party is coming to Cincinnati. Guests are encouraged to dress up for "The Magical Brunch,"…
After a Rare Book-Tour Stop in Cincinnati Last Year, Jeff Tweedy Returns This Week for Music Hall Concert
Jeff Tweedy, one of America's best singer/songwriters of the past 25 years, has visited Cincinnati numerous times with his popular Rock band Wilco, playing smaller venues like Ripley’s (as well as shows at the Cincinnati Zoo — with The Jayhawks — and Bogart's) in the ’90s up through local shows in the current millennium at…
Minimum Gauge: Is Pete Buttigieg Trying to Take Coveted Indie Rocker Jobs from Hard-Working Americans?
HOT: Most Musical Candidate? Last week we wrote about the music cred of Democratic presidential hopefuls Beto O’Rourke (who was once in a band with Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta) and Pete Buttigieg, who wrote an essay for his college newspaper about post-911 musical tastes. O’Rourke had the edge in…
Godless in Cincinnati: American Atheists to Host National Convention Downtown
Cincinnati might seem like an unusual choice for the American Atheists organization’s annual national convention — a great many people here just presume everyone believes in a higher being, usually a Christian one, as part of their family-inherited “American values.” But to American Atheists, which was founded in 1963, that’s exactly the reason Cincinnati is…
UC’s Fiction Festival Connects Students With Contemporary Writers
The University of Cincinnati’s Robert and Adele Schiff Fiction Festival returns to campus April 17-19, welcoming four notable contemporary writers for three days of panel discussions and readings, including Sloane Crosley, Katie Kitamura (see interview, page 34), Uzodinma Iweala and Brendan Mathews. “These are all writers we think have exciting careers and interesting work, and…
‘High Life’ Plunges Into Surreal Melancholic Depths
How long will it take for audiences to accept that Robert Pattinson has moved on from the sparklingly moody vampire franchise Twilight? We’ve been far more willing to embrace and celebrate his co-star Kristen Stewart’s headlong rush into indie and internationally-tinged narratives. But he has worked with David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis and Maps to the Stars),…
Adventurous Indie Icons Deerhoof Swing Through Cincinnati for Woodward Theater Concert
Adventurous Indie icons Deerhoof just keep going. Twenty-five years after springing from the fertile mind of founding drummer Greg Saunier, the San Francisco-based outfit has released 14 full-length albums via a plethora of labels, each a fascinating snapshot of where Deerhoof was at any given moment. The current lineup — Saunier, bassist/vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki and…
Cincinnati City Council Set to Vote on Revised Short-Term Rental Regulations
After more than a year of back and forth about short-term rentals like those found on Airbnb and other sites, Cincinnati City Council will once again consider regulations on the industry. Council member David Mann has been spearheading efforts to regulate short-term rentals. His latest ordinance, which passed unanimously through council's Budget and Finance Committee…
Katie Kitamura On Writing ‘A Separation’
Katie Kitamura’s third and most recent novel, 2017’s well-received A Separation, centers on a mystery that is never fully resolved. The oblique narrative follows a woman whose estranged husband, a London-based author, has gone missing in Greece while doing research for his next book. The woman, a book translator whose name is pointedly never revealed,…
Drug Charges Dropped Against Cincinnati-Based State Lawmaker
Democratic State Rep. Sedrick Denson of Bond Hill won't face a felony drug charge that could have ended his tenure at the Ohio State House. That charge, in connection with a single Adderall pill found in Denson's car when he was pulled over for speeding and a lane-change violation, was dropped today as Denson agreed…
Reviews of the Contemporary Arts Center’s This Time Tomorrow Performing Arts Festival
Sprawling over four days (April 11-14), the CAC’s inaugural performing arts festival, This Time Tomorrow, promised a diverse lineup both stylistically, thematically and otherwise. Like its title alludes to, the fest centered on “art of the moment.” A mirror to contemporary art as a whole, the performances within This Time Tomorrow, in large part, are…
Graeter’s Ice Cream Introduces New Derby-Inspired Ice Cream Flavor
With Derby Day right around the corner, Cincinnati's beloved ice cream shop Graeter's is celebrating with a new flavor — Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan. The flavor, which combines bourbon-glazed pecan pieces inside brown butter bourbon ice cream, is an elevated take on their recently discontinued classic flavor Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip. According to a press…
![REVIEW: Nic Kay’s ‘PUSHIT! [an exercise in getting well soon]’](https://i0.wp.com/www.citybeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/nickay_paigedeglow_4.5cb3e6dad1e90.5cb49cc64dcbf.png?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
REVIEW: Nic Kay’s ‘PUSHIT! [an exercise in getting well soon]’
“That’s an artist?” asks a puzzled group of children near the corner of West Elder and Vine streets. It’s one spot where NIC Kay, a gender nonconforming performance artist, chose to momentarily cease their brisk stride to perform one in a series of pained and decelerated contemporary dance progressions. This combination of acute promenades and…
REVIEW: Mammalian Diving Reflex’s ‘All the Sex I’ve Ever Had’
It’s rare to find a show as open and uplifting as Mammalian Diving Reflex’s All the Sex I’ve Ever Had. The performance’s run at Aronoff Center’s 5/3 Bank Theater — as part of the Contemporary Art Center’s This Time Tomorrow performing arts series — featured six Cincinnatians over the age of 65 sharing stories about their…
REVIEW: Rashaad Newsome’s ‘RUNNING’
Being led blindfolded into a large room isn’t the most reassuring experience — especially when that room is as spooky and opulent as the Hilton Cincinnati’s Hall of Mirrors. Taking care not to trip over your feet and then fidgeting with your eye mask while trying to imagine your surroundings are all part of the…
REVIEW: Intermedio’s ‘On Touching’
On Touching is, perhaps, best experienced as a clean slate. Forged by creative studio Intermedio, the performance — as part of This Time Tomorrow’s festival lineup — is a surreal one. Made up of Justin West, Sam Ferris-Morris and Eric Blyth, Intermedio enlisted the help of two others for On Touching: Erin Sansalone and Ashley…
Permanent Supportive Housing Coming to South Cumminsville
South Cumminsville will get a new, 80-unit affordable housing development next year for people who have experienced homelessness or have disabilities. The $12 million, permanent supportive housing project called The Commons at South Cumminsville, developed by National Church Residences and South Cumminsville-based Working In Neighborhoods, will include single-bedroom units that are semi-furnished. The development will…
Best-Selling Author David Sedaris Comes to Aronoff Center in October
English-major hearthrob™ David Sedaris is known for his witty memoirs and essays. Just take a glance at the titles of his previous bestsellers: Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Come Oct. 21, WVXU will present An Evening with David Sedaris for a one-night special event at Aronoff Center's…
Cincy Shakes’ Kelly Mengelkoch Reimagines the Role of Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is perhaps the most cunning, ruthless and well-known female lead in Shakespearian tragedy. But in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s current production of Macbeth — with the addition of a succinct original opening scene and thoughtful subtlety throughout the play — Kelly Mengelkoch has made the 500-year-old role her own. Mengelkoch, 38, grew up in…
This Popular BLINK Installation Will Return in 2019
One of BLINK Cincinnati's most popular attractions will be back bigger than ever this year. The installation in question? The Architects of Air luminarium. At 2017's inaugural festival, the inflatable structure took up residence at Washington Park as BLINK's only ticketed attraction. (It cost $5.) Attendees could walk through the maze-like attraction and be immersed…
Popular Americana Duo Mandolin Orange Comes to Cincinnati for a Sold-Out Concert at Taft Theatre’s Ballroom
Andrew Marlin has an active, endlessly curious mind, which is a big reason his band, Mandolin Orange, has been so prolific since coming out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina a decade ago. Marlin and his musical co-conspirator Emily Franz — they both sing and play various stringed instruments — have crafted six full-length albums over…
REVIEW: Lorena Molina’s ‘Tu Nombre Entre Nuestras Lenguas’
Lorena Molina's Tu nombre entre nuestras lenguas recounts the deadliest massacre recorded in Latin American history. On Nov. 11, 1981, nearly 1,000 people — mostly children — were murdered in the village of El Mozote at the hands of the Salvadoran army, who were trained and funded by the United States. The Salvadoran government denied…
Over the Rhine’s Fourth Annual Nowhere Else Music and Arts Festival to Feature James McMurtry, John Paul White, Leigh Nash and More
Cincinnati music greats Over the Rhine have announced the lineup for their fourth-annual Nowhere Else Festival, a three-day music and arts event held at OTR members Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist's farm in rural Clinton County. This year's Nowhere Else — set for the weekend of May 24-26 — will feature James McMurtry, Birds of…
REVIEW: Tania El Khoury’s ‘As Far As My Fingertips Take Me’
We sent two of our writers to experience Tania El Khoury's As Far As My Fingertips Take Me. Here are their thoughts. Mackenzie Manley: The premise of Tania El Khoury's As Far As My Fingertips Take Me is forward enough: You walk into a room, sit in a chair, slip on a pair of headphones and stick…
Music Venue at The Banks is Likely Moving Forward… Eventually
The Hamilton County Commission and Cincinnati City Council have both voted to approve a deal providing infrastructure for a music venue by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's booking and promotions arm, MEMI, at riverfront development The Banks. But there are still some complications. Hilltop Basic Resources, a concrete company, will need to move to make way…
Ohio College Republicans Apologize for Calling Congresswoman “Domestic Terrorist” in Fundraising Email
An email sent by the Ohio College Republican Federation yesterday called a Democratic congresswoman a "domestic terrorist," a label often used to describe mass shooters and perpetrators of other violent acts. The fundraising missive signed by OCRF Chairman and University of Dayton student Tom Ferrall begins with the subject line "AOC is a Domestic Terrorist." …
Skirball Museum’s ‘Hanging Figures’ Exhibition Coincides with Genocide Awarenesses and Prevention Month
Torn from a phonebook, Whitepages containing hundreds of names from Cincinnatian and Northern Kentuckians line a wall of the Skirball Museum. Each page is framed in black, worn and browned, with their edges curling forward. On top, black paint is interspersed with red. The exhibition — titled Hanging Figures — was created in response to…
FC Cincinnati Announces Hiring Initiative for West End Stadium Construction
As it continues to move forward with a $250 million Major League Soccer stadium in Cincinnati's West End neighborhood, FC Cincinnati has announced an effort to hire its local workforce for the construction jobs the project will bring. The effort, a partnership between the team, Turner + Jostin Construction and West End social services hub…
Is Cage the Elephant Playing a Concert at an FC Cincinnati Game Next Month?
If you search for concerts by Cage the Elephant on ticketmaster.com, a couple of interesting events pop up — both are Major League Soccer matches, including a May 11 date at UC's Nippert Stadium, when FC Cincinnati plays the Montreal Impact. (The other — perhaps coincidentally, since Cage is from Bowling Green, Kentucky — is…
Michael Johnathon, the Creator of Popular Americana Music TV and Radio Program ‘WoodSongs,’ to Perform This Weekend in Cincinnati
Michael Johnathon’s “folksinger” credentials are of the highest order. The singer/songwriter took the advice of Pete Seeger and moved from Texas to Appalachian Kentucky to better study Folk music tradition, and he went on to play shows alongside heavyweight icons like Odetta and Judy Collins. He is also the founder and host of perhaps the…
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Signs ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Ban, One of the Nation’s Strictest
UPDATE, April 11: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed the legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened a lawsuit over the law. The Ohio House of Representatives and State Senate today passed one of the nation's tightest laws regulating abortion — the so-called "Heartbeat Bill" — after hours of protests and debate. The legislation…
Glier’s Goettafest Pulls a Coachella and Expands to Two Weekends
When Glier’s Goettafest returns this summer it will be bigger than ever before. Like the Coachella music festival in California (minus the ultra-expensive musical lineup and plus lots more goetta), the event will encompass two weekends and eight days, running July 25-28 and August 1-4 at Newport's Festival Park at the Levee. The popular local…
BLINK Pop-Up Party Gives an Early Glimpse at What’s to Come
BLINK Cincinnati — the popular light and art festival — is just six months away. In case you need an early dose, though, on April 25 (7-10 p.m.) a pop-up party will unfold in Over-the-Rhine. Featuring grub, drinks and BLINK "surprises," the party will also mark the finale to ArtWave's 2019 Community Campaign to fund…
Australian Indie Rocker Courtney Barnett Announces Greater Cincinnati Concert This Summer
Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist Courtney Barnett, who scored a Best New Artist Grammy nomination in 2016, is coming to Covington, Kentucky’s Madison Theater this summer. Tickets for Barnett’s July 1 show go on sale Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. through ticketmaster.com. Barnett recently unveiled a new single titled “Everybody Here Hates You,” which will be available…
The Queen City Blues Alliance Hosts Its First Festival
This Saturday at The Southgate House Revival (111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com) is the Queen City Blues Fest, presented by upstart local Blues organization the Queen City Blues Alliance, a local group founded last fall. The group’s inaugural festival will take place on all three stages of the Northern Kentucky venue. On the main…
Live Music in Greater Cincinnati: This Week’s Concerts and Club Shows (April 10-16)
WEDNESDAY 10 *20TH CENTURY THEATER – Chris Smither with Kevin Gordon. 8 p.m. Folk/Blues. $30-$35. ARNOLD'S BAR AND GRILL – Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Piano/Various. Free. BLIND LEMON – Jonathan Spaulding. 7:30 p.m. Free. *BOGART'S – Pop Evil. 8 p.m. Hard Rock/Various. $22. CAFFÈ VIVACE – Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz.…
New Bill in Ohio House Would Legalize Sports Betting
Would you cruise down to your nearest casino to place bets on the Final Four? You might have the opportunity to do so if the Ohio General Assembly passes a bill introduced yesterday by Cincinnati Democrat State Rep. Brigid Kelly and Republican State Rep. Dave Greenspan, who represents suburban Cleveland. Under the proposed legislation, the…
