Apr 11-18, 2018
Inside Swing House: Camp Washington’s radically new experiential, experimental and interactive artwork abode
OTR’s Please hosts ‘Bake Sales’ with some of America’s best female pastry chefs
Cincinnati chef and entrepreneur Ryan Santos is doling out extra treats this summer at his OTR eatery Please with a series of “bake sales,” hosted by some of the finest pastry chefs in the country. The goal of the Please Bake Sales is to celebrate female pastry chefs from some of “America’s most touted restaurants…
Council to discuss 911 call center problems; more news
Hello all! A lot happened yesterday. Here are the highlights. Cincinnati City Council removed one of the final hurdles for an FC Cincinnati stadium in the West End yesterday, voting 5-4 to provide more than $34 million in infrastructure help for the facility should FC Cincinnati win a Major League Soccer franchise. You can read…
Stuff to do with goats this weekend
SATURDAY and MAY 4: Goat Yoga Yep, you read that right. Goat. Yoga. The union of mind, body and soul. And goats. Taking place throughout the summer, Honey Sweetie Acres’ Goat Yoga classes ($41) lead participants through poses and asanas while America’s favorite ruminant quadruped uses your twisted-up body as a playground: “You may or…
Film ‘An Outrage’ chronicles American history of lynchings
Since 9/11, the United States government has engaged in an exercise to settle upon a unified definition of terrorism. But as an important recent film being used as a teaching tool here and elsewhere makes clear, this country should look at its own history for guidance — the way white citizens of the South (and…
Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt set acting aside and bring their musical revue, Nancy And Beth, to the Taft Theatre
Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt seem to thrive on the chaotic activity of their band, Nancy And Beth. For our conference call interview, Mullally is in Los Angeles while Hunt is at a noisy bar in Austin, Texas, on a path to find a quiet spot to hear and be heard. The pandemonium of Hunt’s…
CRITIC’S PICK: Ada & the Engine at Know Theatre
Ada & the Engine, written by playwright Lauren Gunderson and now onstage at Know Theatre, outlines the story of titular character Ada Byron Lovelace, the headstrong, bubbly and whip-smart daughter of the famed Romantic-era poet Lord Byron, as she reconciles her unique cravings for both science and propriety during the British Industrial Revolution. A mixture…
FCC fallout hits West End Community Council
The battle over an FC Cincinnati stadium in the West End has triggered some fallout within the neighborhood’s community council. A regularly-scheduled meeting of the West End Community Council (WECC) took place in a small, packed room at the Lindner YMCA in the West End yesterday, and tension was high, with back and forth battles…
Fifty West Brewing Company launches an outdoor activity corridor on Wooster Pike
Fifty West Brewing Company has turned a stretch of Wooster Pike into a veritable outdoor recreation corridor. Across the street from the flagship brewpub sits Fifty West Canoe & Kayak, Fifty West Cycling and Fifty West Production Works (home to six sand volleyball courts). All are geared toward building community through shared experiences, which include…
Sound Advice: Walker Lukens with Dark Colour (April 22)
A good many artists have toiled forever and never achieved the critical acclaim that has been heaped on Texas singer/songwriter Walker Lukens over the past five years. Sadly, a disproportionate amount of those accolades have been lavished upon Walter Lukens, in yet another glaring example of Google unilaterally deciding that most of us can’t even…
AltPop hitmakers X Ambassadors hit the road ahead of the release of their anticipated ‘Joyful’ album
X Ambassadors’ fans have gone almost three years since the release of VHS, the album that thrust the group from Ithaca, N.Y. into the Pop spotlight behind the hits “Renegades,” “Jungle” and “Unsteady.” But by no means have those fans been left empty handed while waiting for a follow-up album. In just the past 12 months,…
Goat Yoga, Disc Golf and More Alt Outdoor Cincy Activities
Sometimes you need more than a pretty view to get you off the couch. These alternative outdoor activities pair novelty and physical activity for an atypical experience. Goat Yoga Yep, you read that right. Goat. Yoga. The union of mind, body and soul. And goats. Taking place throughout the summer, Honey Sweetie Acres’ Goat Yoga…
Baladi Restaurant & Bakery Brings Syrian Cuisine to Clifton
Many people consider opening a restaurant to be one of the most daunting business opportunities there can be. But if you’ve already managed to gather up your young family, leave a country run by a dictator and relocate to a land where you don’t speak the language, perhaps opening a restaurant isn’t so difficult after…
Meet Salazar’s Female Chef de Cuisine
The lingering fires of misogynistic ideologies still fuel the misguided opinions that place women behind the stove at home but away from restaurant kitchens. Erin Wilshire, the newly named chef de cuisine at Over-the-Rhine’s Salazar, overcame these archaic ideals, rising above the hurdles that stand between women and commercial cuisine to lead one of the…
Cincinnati City Council approves support for FC Cincinnati stadium in West End
After a multi-hour committee meeting punctuated by high-flying rhetoric and the passage of a fourth version of an ordinance that will spend $34 million for infrastructure around a privately financed, $200 million FC Cincinnati stadium in the West End, Cincinnati City Council finally approved the deal. Council voted 5-4 on April 16 to approve the…
Minimum Gauge: Jon Bon Jovi has been pissed his genius wasn’t heralded earlier by the Rock Hall
HOT: Rock Hall Party Poopers The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was again an odd affair, not in a “those rockers are so weird” way, but more “these old guys have issues.” The tinge of Jon Bon Jovi’s ungratefulness showed a baffling lack of self-awareness, coming off as if he saw himself…
Oakley’s Maribelle’s eat + drink to Close May 6
Maribelle’s eat & drink will close Sunday, May 6 after serving the Oakley community for almost 12 years. The tavern has been sold to an unnamed buyer. Owner Leigh Enderle, who opened Maribelle’s in December 2006, then moved the eatery to its current location in 2012, said that she chose to sell her business for…
Louisville’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival to feature Robert Plant, Sting, David Byrne, John Mayer and lots of good bourbon (and food!)
The lineup has been announced for this year’s Bourbon & Beyond festival, which is returning Sept. 22-23 to Louisville, Ky.’s Champions Park. The music lineup for this year’s event is like the playlist for a Classic Rock radio station, with Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, Sting, Lenny Kravitz and David Byrne among the…
Cincinnati’s Red Bike announces equity effort
Bike riders (and would-be cyclists) in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky aren't just young professionals on slick single speeds or spandex-clad road racers. They're very often working folks without a lot of extra disposable income. Now, a new program by Cincinnati's Red Bike, funded by nonprofit Interact for Health, will make the city's bike share more…
Cincinnati Americana duo Wild Carrot returns with ‘Between the Darkness & the Light’
Before “Americana” became a buzzword for the broad spectrum of American Roots music, Wild Carrot’s music exemplified it. Singers/multi-instrumentalists Pam Temple and Spencer Funk have been making music that lovingly and gracefully combines elements of vintage and contemporary Folk, Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass and other Roots stylings since the late ’90s, officially releasing their first album,…
Susan Orlean Brings her Love of Libraries to the Mercantile on Thursday
Libraries delight Susan Orlean. “A library itself is a character,” she says. “It has this wealth of stories related to it, as well as the story of every person connected to it — all those books and all the people who come through.” Orlean, an author and staff writer for The New Yorker, will talk…
Teachers rally in Frankfort as Bevin veto overturned
School was closed in 39 Kentucky districts on April 13 as thousands of teachers returned to Frankfort to protest moves by the Kentucky legislature and Gov. Matt Bevin around funding for education and public employee pensions. The protests sparked push back, including controversial accusations by Bevin about abuse students may have endured while their schools…
Pleasantry to open fast-casual chicken spot in downtown Cincy
Simple chicken menus at fast-food chains are nothing new, but the power trio behind OTR’s wine-coffee-and-approachable-eats restaurant, Pleasantry, are bringing a unique spin on it to Cincinnati’s Central Business District: a “chef-driven fast-casual” chicken eatery that holds on to values of rich flavor and sustainable sourcing, but operates in a capacity to accommodate downtown lunch…
Cincinnati experimental music fest No Response announces Kim Gordon’s Body/Head and more for 2018
The annual No Response Festival is returning in June and once again will feature some big names and influential artists from the experimental music world. Last year, the event (founded by longtime experimental arts promoters Jon Lorenz and John Rich) brought to Cincinnati influential creators like Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and Japanese…
‘Barry’: A Hitman Goes Hollywood
As a Saturday Night Live super-fan, it’s always great to see a performer go on to solo success in movies or TV. Bill Hader, who starred on the sketch comedy show from 2005 to 2013, is the kind of performer I hated to see leave SNL but was excited to follow his next projects. He…
Everything you need to know ahead of City Council’s vote on FC Cincinnati in the West End
Cincinnati City Council Monday will consider an amended deal that could bring a professional soccer facility to the West End should FC Cincinnati win a Major League Soccer franchise. Cincinnati City Council members P.G.Sittenfeld and David Mann on Wednesday released a version of the ordinance that would provide millions in public financing for infrastructure around…
These Cincinnati neighborhoods suffer the most evictions
In November last year, Sheron Kidd found herself in a very difficult situation: a new owner wanted to renovate her rented home in Walnut Hills, but she and her neighbors were finding it hard to secure new housing nearby. The situation became tense, and eventually Kidd and her neighbors say the landlord was threatening evictions…
Sound Advice: Ho99o9 with 3TEETH, Street Sects and Relic (April 18)
Music has an interesting tradition of playing fast and loose with the alphabet when it comes to naming conventions. The most prominent example would be Prince and his “love symbol,” and the most obscure would likely be Post Punk/New Wave band XBXRX, which could be read X Box Rocks or Ex-Boxer Ten or Zeebex Prescription,…
Sound Advice: Durand Jones & the Indications with Ernie Johnson from Detroit (April 18)
In just the past couple of years, fans of the vintage Soul revival lost two of its brightest lights when both Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley passed away after battling cancer. But a new wave of likeminded musicians provides assurance that the pure, livewire sound pioneered by artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke…
Court Street Lobster Bar puts a fresh twist on a classic summer cocktail
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week kicks-off on Monday (April 16) with chef-made multi-course, prix fixe menus priced between $25-$35. And with liquor sponsors Maker’s Mark and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, some restaurants are also offering a specialty cocktail to pair with your meal. Downtown’s Court Street Lobster Bar is offering the Casco Bay Mule ($8) made with…
Metropole offers a Cincinnati-chili-infused whisky cocktail
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week kicks-off on Monday (April 16) with chef-made multi-course, prix fixe menus priced between $25-$35. And with liquor sponsors Maker’s Mark and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, some restaurants are also offering a specialty cocktail to pair with your meal. Downtown’s Metropole is offering The Manhattan Skyline ($8) to accompany their $35 menu, which…
Pussyhat Creator Krista Suh Gives Talk in Cincinnati
The title itself is an attention-grabber: DIY Rules for a WTF World. Then consider the cover illustration of the pink kitty ears that filled the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in January 2017, when more than a million women in handmade caps made “pussy grabs back” their rallying cry. Like those marchers, Krista…
Hamilton County’s progress on infant mortality is leveling off; more news
Hello, all. Are you enjoying the sun? Oh my god. Will we get a spring after all? I’m giddy. But I’m going to hold it together, put on my news pants, and give you some news. Will FC Cincinnati get more money from the state of Ohio? They seem confident they can do so. The…
HudsonJones Gallery Reopens, Bringing More Arts Activity to Resurgent Camp Washington
"I'm happy to be back," says Angela Jones, whose HudsonJones contemporary art gallery at 1110 Alfred St. in Camp Washington has just reopened after going on hiatus last Nov. 4 following the close of its last show. It was established in 2016. The re-opening show is red, white and brown, featuring new drawings and sculpture by…
Teen’s death sparks calls to investigate Cincinnati’s 911 call center
The accidental death of a teen in a Seven Hills School parking lot has called attention to what some officials say are deeper issues with Cincinnati’s 911 call center. Cincinnati’s call center has experienced a number of problems — understaffing, outages and alleged management issues — in the past few years, officials say, and the…
Cincinnati Streetcar expected to hit 1 millionth rider soon
Cincinnati's streetcar is expected to glide its millionth rider around its 3.6-mile loop through Over-the-Rhine and downtown sometime in the next few days, and someone who rides it tomorrow is going to get a party as a result. It's a big deal for the rail transit project, which has at times struggled with ridership lags…
Would you become a Pure Romance consultant to see Pitbull?
Pure Romance, the Cincy-based/world's largest seller of woman-to-woman relationship-enhancement products (read: sex toys and intimate playthings), is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a blow-out bash. The private party for Pure Romance consultants and guests coincides with the company's World Conference (April 18-22), featuring training, motivational speakers, parties and live performances from rapper Pitbull and Country…
Fiftieth-anniversary MC5 celebratory tour comes to Cincinnati this fall
It’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-induction-ceremony-time again. And as has been the case since probably the second year of the Hall’s existence, it also marks the season of think-piece campaigns for acts that have been “snubbed” by the institution. (Paste’s 2018 submission is pretty on point.) A band often mentioned in those articles is the musically, politically and culturally…
Boehner joins marijuana company board; more news
Hello, all. Here’s a quick rundown of the news happening today. Lots happened in the ongoing FC Cincinnati stadium drama yesterday. You can read the full story here, but let's give you some highlights. Yesterday we got our first look at the details of the deal Cincinnati City Council will vote on next week that…
Groups protest stadium in West End as pieces fall into place for FC Cincinnati
A group of West End residents, anti-stadium activists, faith leaders and politicians gathered outside Taft Information Technology High School in the West End April 11 to protest the stadium coming to the neighborhood. Those protesters say they’re worried about displacement that could be caused by the stadium, noise and traffic. The focus of their ire…
City Announces New Poet Laureate
Mayor John Cranley's office today announced that it wants the city's next Poet Laureate will be Manuel Iris, whose distinguished writing — according to a press release — has netted him Mexico's National Award of Poetry Merida in 200 for his book Notebook of Dreams, and that country's Regional Award of Poetry Rodulfo Figueroa in 2014 for…
Ohio gubernatorial candidate draws a blank on the Brent Spence; more news
Hello Cincy. Let’s just get right into the crazy amount of news going on today. Last night the Cincinnati Public School Board of Education voted to enter into a land swap agreement with FC Cincinnati so that the team can build its potential stadium in the West End. We have all the details for you…
Recommended Greater Cincinnati concerts for April 11-17
WEDNESDAY 11 THE COMET–ADM, Fell Runner and Animal Mother. 10 p.m. Indie/Rock/Jazz/Various. Free. (Read more here.) SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY)–David Bromberg Quintet with Chicago Farmer. 8 p.m. Americana. $25. (Read more here.) TAFT THEATRE–Buddy Guy. 8 p.m. Blues. $35.50-$55.50. THURSDAY 12 MOTR PUB–Heavy Hinges with Dinge. 10 p.m. Rock/Soul/Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY)–My Life…
