What a Week! April 19-25
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 Kid Rock, Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin walk into the White House… It’s no joke: The hillbilly trifecta descended onto Washington this Wednesday after Donald Trump invited Palin to dinner and asked her to bring her best buds. Together they chilled in the oval office with Trump and took childish selfies in…
CAC to highlight Swing House, Swoon in 2017-18
Can a new Cincinnati architectural artwork be recognized as a masterpiece before it’s even finished — and before all but a lucky few have even seen it? The Contemporary Arts Center believes so, which is why one exhibit planned for its 2017-18 season is highlighting the Cincinnati-based artist Mark deJong’s Swing House. Scheduled to open…
Morning News: Portune pitches fix for Metro woes; Cincinnati adds jobs, housing; federal judge blocks Trump sanctuary cities order
Hello Cincy. Let’s get right to the news this morning, shall we? Is a fix for on the way for Metro’s woes? Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune says he may have both short-term and long-term solutions to bridge a looming $3 million deficit next year and a $170 million shortfall over the next decade.…
Minimum Gauge: Billy Murray Goes Classical? Sure, Why Not
HOT: Murray Goes Classical Bill Murray has a rare legacy of bulletproof cool bolstered by some classic comedy films, epic appearances on talk shows and tales of random hangouts with everyday folks across the country. Not even playing the voice of Garfield put the slightest dent in Murray’s reputation. That also means that many people…
Morning News: Richardson takes offensive in latest debate; UC law dean files federal suit against school; officer interviews in Rice shooting released
Good morning all. Here’s a little news today. Cincinnati’s three mayoral primary candidates squared off yet again last night in a debate hosted by WKRC Local 12 TV at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Over-the-Rhine. There wasn’t much new in the way of policy discussion, but the dynamics of this debate certainly shifted.…
‘Trampoline’: An Illustrated Novel about Appalachian Girlhood
Trampoline's cover identifies it as “an illustrated novel” with the heroine/narrator shown right there, hair and glasses slightly askew, lined out in a black-and-white drawing like those found throughout the book. The illustrations and story are by Robert Gipe, who lives, writes (and draws) in Harlan, Ky. Gipe will be one of five presenters for…
Morning News: Health Gap trims budget request; city manager won’t get raise; Kasich promotes new book
Hello all. It’s news time again. The CEO of controversial nonprofit the Center for Closing the Health Gap says his organization is trimming its spending and its budgetary requests for next year. Former mayor Dwight Tillery, who heads the Health Gap, says his organization has dialed back spending this year and will submit a budget…
Richardson outraises mayoral opponents
Cincinnati’s three mayoral candidates filed pre-primary campaign finance reports yesterday, giving the public a look at what those candidates will be working with in the final weeks before the May 2 primary and who is supporting their campaigns. Former University of Cincinnati board chair Rob Richardson Jr. had the largest haul, raking in $264, 512…
Stage Door: Lots of Performance Options — Some Free — This Weekend!
There’s rarely a weekend in Cincinnati without good theater, and I want to quickly mention a few shows worth seeing: It’s the final weekend for All the Roads Home at the Cincinnati Playhouse (CityBeat review here) as well as Bloomsday at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (CityBeat review here). And Know Theatre is giving Kara Lee Corthron’s…
Ohio Supreme Court orders halt in liquidation of defunct Chesley law firm
For the second time in a year, the Ohio Supreme Court has blocked an attempt to use Ohio courts to derail collection of a $42 million civil judgment from the disbarred attorney Stan Chesley. On April 17, the high court ordered the emergency stoppage of the liquidation of the now-defunct law firm Waite, Schneider, Bayless…
Tom+Chee Unveils FLAMIN HOT Cheetos Grilled Cheese
Do you ever think to yourself: I wish there were more ways to get Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into my mouth? If you do, you should work for Tom+Chee because everyone’s favorite gourmet grilled cheese purveyor is putting crushed-up hot Cheetos on everything from donuts to melts. And when we say everything, co-founder Corey Ward assures…
Your Weekend To Do List (4/21-4/23)
FRIDAY 21 EVENT: GREATER CINCINNATI RESTAURANT WEEK Calling all Cincinnati foodies: CityBeat has partnered with area restaurants to put together memorable meals and one-of-a-kind dining experiences during Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week. Through Sunday, restaurants including Bistro Grace, Kaze OTR, Moerlein Lager House, Somm Wine Bar, The Golden Lamb, Metropole and many more will offer exclusive…
Morning News: Cincy snags NCAA tourney games, but there’s a big if; Fairfield mother of four deported; state rep. appeared on white supremacist radio show;
Good morning all. Here’s some news today. It looks like first and second-round NCAA basketball tournament games will go down in Cincinnati in March, 2022. But there’s a $200 million “if” attached to the prospect. The city’s successful bid for the six games on March 17 and 19 is dependent on the successful completion of…
Morning News: Refugee resettlement stops in Cincinnati; U.S. Bank owners want new arena; will Silverton fill its city hall with beer?
Good morning Cincy. Let’s talk news real quick. It was supposed to be a record year for refugee resettlement in Cincinnati. But instead it looks as though the city won’t see any more coming for the foreseeable future. Catholic Charities of Greater Cincinnati was set to welcome 450 refugees by the end of September, but…
What a Week! April 12-18
WEDNESDAY APRIL 12 R.I.P. Margaritaville. The Jimmy Buffett-approved joint in JACK Casino announced it is closing this week. It was one of the O.G. restaurants in what was Horseshoe Casino when it opened in 2013. If you really need one last round of frozen sugar bombs, volcano nachos and Tommy Bahama shirts, Marg-ville will stay…
Instrumental rockers Explosions in the Sky recalibrate their creative approach and explore new ground
For music and film geeks, could there be a better job out there than scoring movie scenes? With dozens of soundtracks to its credit, Explosions in the Sky would most likely say there’s not. The band’s instrumental Post Rock music epitomizes the adjective “cinematic.” And for the first time in more than five years, the…
Moonbow unchains powerhouse third album, ‘War Bear’
When is a supergroup allowed to drop the “super” prefix and stand on its own merits? It’s a tough question to answer for two reasons. The first is, simply, most supergroups suck right out of the gate. And second, the few that manage to even survive past the first — and generally lackluster — album…
Sound Advice: Hurray for the Riff Raff with Ron Gallo (April 24)
Alynda Segarra grew up in the Bronx as a loner of sorts. Identity was an early source of confusion: Her Puerto Rican parents, both successful in their professional endeavors, divorced when she was a child, leaving Segarra to be raised by her working-class aunt. She found comfort in music — first in stuff like Motown…
The Green Issue
A look at green-leaning advocates, innovators and growers in Cincinnati — plus a locally produced, award-winning documentary that puts a face to the African water crisis. Protecting Pollinators Sustainable in the City Get Growing Locally Produced Documentary Personalizes the African Water Crisis
Locally Produced Documentary Personalizes the African Water Crisis
In two slums of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi — Kibera and Dagoretti — the handling of life’s most precious resource hangs in a tumultuous balance, tight-rope walking a fine line between reverence and exploitation. Here, there is no easy access to clean, drinkable water. Without adequate sanitation or infrastructure, sewage, garbage and the bloated…
Sound Advice: Thursday with Touché Amoré, Basement and Cities Aviv (April 22)
New Jersey quintet Thursday had been together for two years when the band’s 1999 debut album Waiting ushered in a new era of Alternative Rock. Packed with dark odes to suicide (“Ian Curtis” directly addressed the death of Joy Division’s frontman, one of Thursday’s avowed heroes) and the aftermath of rape, Waiting established a Post…
Get Growing
Every little bit helps. That’s the point Krohn Conservatory director Andrea Schepmann drives home when asked about the benefits of creating pollinator gardens, which she says can range from a box in your windowsill to a full-fledged backyard oasis. “Pollinator gardens have flowers of many types and are in bloom from the beginning to end…
Sustainable in the City
More than 280,000 people in the Tristate don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and 94,000 of them are children, according to the Freestore Foodbank. Many of these food-insecure individuals and households are located in food deserts, generally defined as impoverished areas of the city lacking grocery stores or farmers markets — devoid…
Protecting Pollinators
There’s no such thing as a typical day in the life of a land steward — except, in Adrienne Cassel’s case, a morning cup of coffee. Since 2013, Cassel has maintained the land at Arc of Appalachia’s Kamama Prairie, a 92-acre nature preserve in Adams County that is renowned among experts as a particularly unique…
Peeps-Flavored Milk. Why?
For many Cincinnatians, the Easter season means the resurrection of Christ, egg hunts with tiny tots or feasting during Passover. For this Cincinnatian, it means candy. Spring heralds my annual gaining of five solid pounds due to the consumption of candy. I scour Kroger for Reese’s eggs, crème-filled rabbits and saccharine Harry Potter-themed jellybeans. This…
4EG stakes its claim in Columbia Tusculum with POP Bar, the Post Office Place bar and grill
POP Bar — or Post Office Place — is Columbia Tusculum’s newest bar and grill to call Eastern Avenue home, alongside the nearby Pearl’s and Streetside Brewery. The name is a direct homage to the 1930s building in which it’s housed, once a local post office. POP’s reincarnation has capitalized on as much building history…
‘Feud’ Explores Women’s Relationships
When miniseries king Ryan Murphy first announced his latest offering, looking at different famous feuds throughout history beginning with actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, the show seemed like an exercise in camp. Murphy is no stranger to that playful and over-the-top style, as seen in his works like Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story and Scream…
A Failed ‘Promise’
As a storyteller who toggles back and forth between screenwriting (penning In the Name of the Father and The Boxer for Jim Sheridan) and directing (Some Mother’s Son and Hotel Rwanda), Terry George certainly has displayed a passion for human drama of the highest social order. Based on his past efforts, George seeks inspiration in…
‘Free Fire’ Is All About the Ricochet
Back in the early 1980s, while everyone enjoyed the good-rockin’ Pop vibes of the David Bowie hits “China Girl” and “Let’s Dance,” I couldn’t escape the brooding allure of an album track like “Ricochet,” where the Thin White Duke preached of the “Sound of thunder, sound of gold/Sound of the devil breaking parole.” This was…
Ballet, CAC to Showcase Street Artist ‘Swoon’
As street art becomes so accepted and popular a genre that its most outstanding practitioners have developed international followings, one of the foremost — a female artist known as “Swoon” — has two upcoming projects in Cincinnati. The first is a collaboration with choreographer Jennifer Archibald for the Cincinnati Ballet’s The Kaplan New Works Series,…
Local charities are concerned about the city’s new textile recycling program cutting into their resources
When the city of Cincinnati rolled out a new curbside textile recycling program in March, it appears to have done so with the best of intentions — to conveniently reduce the amount of textiles that end up in landfills while putting a little coin in the city’s coffers. The organization behind the program is Simple…
Just Say Yes to Two New Plays at NKU
Every two years, Northern Kentucky University’s Theatre & Dance Department puts out a call for brand new plays to explore. It’s called the Y.E.S. Festival, so named because it’s a “year-end series.” Festival co-director Mike King says the play-reading process for this year’s 18th series, which begins Thursday and lasts through April 30, started 11…
Julian Stanczak’s Contribution to Cincinnati Art
Julian Stanczak, the Polish-born American artist who lived near Cleveland and did important work in Cincinnati, had an international reputation that was only growing when he died on March 25 at age 88. The abstract art that he called “perceptual painting” — sharply delineated lines and sections of color that seemed to change or move…
CCM commissions a play about young people to give its students relevant acting experience
When college students major in theater, they’re trained to act like other people. Because many plays tell stories of mature adults, they need to learn to perform as older people — a little gray in their hair, lines on their faces. But if they’re serious about an acting career, once they graduate and start to…
Revenue Shortfall Looms after Kasich Tax Cuts
State tax receipts have fallen more than half a billion dollars short this year in Ohio, raising questions about whether billions in tax cuts made under Ohio Gov. John Kasich have left the state better off. Those cuts were supposed to grow the state’s economy, Republicans have said, by encouraging businesses to grow. But by…
Sound Advice: PAWS with Smut (April 19)
If you knew nothing about PAWS and heard them on the radio for the first time, you’d swear that the trio had some direct connection to the blustery Southern California Punk/Pop movement of the ’90s. But all your oaths would be in vain because beyond fandom and influence, PAWS is about as far from California…
