Apr 20-27, 2016
The Green Issue: Small Steps, Big Change // OTR Tiny Houses, Pocket-Sized Water Purifiers, Eco Manicures, Go Green Listings
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning all. Hope your weekend was as perfect as mine. Let’s talk about news real quick. Vice Mayor David Mann says the private foundation that raises money for Cincinnati Parks Board should open its books to public scrutiny. The Cincinnati Parks Foundation, a nonprofit group, came under scrutiny last year during a contentious bid…
Your Weekend To Do List
FRIDAY 22 EATS: GREATER CINCINNATI RESTAURANT WEEK Be a culinary tourist in your own city with CityBeat’s inaugural Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week. Do you like eating? Do you want to try some multi-course meals for cheap? Restaurants throughout the Tristate will be offering $35 three-course meals to delight the palate and impress your date. Participating…
CityBeat Wins National Reporting Award
The Society of Professional Journalists announced the winners of its national Sigma Delta Chi awards today, and CityBeat is among the publications receiving recognition. Nick Swartsell’s August 26, 2015 cover story, “That Which Divides Us,” won in the Public Service category for non-daily publications. That story explored economic segregation in Cincinnati and has helped foster…
Lonnie Mack 1941-2016
Yesterday marked the passing of not only Prince, but another music legend — Lonnie Mack. Mack, who was born in Harrison, Ind., and cut his teeth in Greater Cincinnati’s nightclubs, died Thursday at his home in Tennessee from natural causes. The influential guitarist was 74. Recording locally and releasing early material on Cincinnati’s Fraternity label,…
Stage Door
You have more theater choices this weekend than time, I suspect, so choose carefully depending on the kind of show you most enjoy. If it’s a classic, I suggest you check out Julius Caesar at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. This tale of one of history’s most memorable political assassinations is one of Shakespeare’s shorter plays, about…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning all. Or, well, let's be honest with ourselves: This is a not good morning. Prince is dead. The Reds lost yesterday in what appears to be the highest-scoring no-hitter since the 1880s. There’s some rain in the forecast today. Ouch. Anyway, here’s the rest of the news if you can bear it. •…
Go Green
APRIL 21 Zoo Blooms — The zoo transforms into an explosion of color with one of the largest tulip displays in the Midwest. Through April 30. Free with zoo admission. $18 adult; $13 child/senior. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org. Butterflies of the Caribbean — Beautiful, live butterflies coast around…
Morning News & Stuff
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s unlikely road to the GOP presidential nomination took yet another hit in New York on Tuesday. While Kasich topped Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, finishing second, his 25 percent only yielded four delegates. Frontrunner Donald Trump took just over 60 percent of the votes, for 89. Back in Ohio, the Democratic Party…
A Hologram for the King
Writer-director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) might seem to be an unlikely choice to steer this seemingly pedestrian human drama about an American businessman (Tom Hanks) on the decline who concocts a scheme to reclaim his footing by traveling to Saudi Arabia to pitch an idea to a wealthy monarch. Of course, this Hologram comes…
Everybody Wants Some!!
Moving on from Boyhood, filmmaker Richard Linklater follows a wayward collection of college baseball players attempting to strike a balance between freedom and responsibility at a time when their only concern would seem to be enjoying and maintaining the good-time ride they’re on. Everybody Wants Some offers a return to the Dazed and Confused mode…
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
To follow up Snow White & The Huntsman, the decision was made to delve into the complex history between the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Long before Snow White came into the picture, Ravenna manipulated her younger sister Freya (Emily Blunt), triggering the emergence of her powers as a sorceress…
Elvis & Nixon
Just in time for election season comes a film that fuses the grandeur of history with a surreal comedy scheme seemingly made for the modern era. Director Liza Johnson (Hateship Loveship), working from a screenplay by Joey and Hanala Sagal and Cary Elwes, reveals the untold story behind the most requested photograph in the National…
Task Force Unveils New Initatives Aimed at Reducing Campus Sexual Assault
A task force created by City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld unveiled new initiatives at a Tuesday press conference aimed at better supporting survivors and educating the community about sexual assault. The effort, called the Task Force Reduce Campus Gender-Based Violence, involved eight months of concerned parties working together to come up with ways the city can reduce…
Lit: Felicia Day
Hey, nerds: Felicia Day — you may know her from her role on Supernatural, her web series The Guild or her Nerdist Industries-acquired YouTube channel Geek & Sundry — is coming to Joseph-Beth in support of her latest book, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). The book, a memoir about her homeschooled childhood in…
Event: MainStrasse Village Bazaar
The weather calls for sun, shopping and a load of vintage items on Sunday when MainStrasse Village comes to life during the monthly Village Bazaar (every fourth Sunday through October). Peruse the Sixth Street Promenade for furniture, home goods, decor, architectural elements, tools, jewelry, clothing, gadgets, collectibles and more. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Free. Sixth…
Art: International Sculpture Day at Pyramid Hill
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum — a more than 300-acre arts destination near Hamilton that features a vast collection of large, modern outdoor sculptures, a 10,000-square-foot Ancient Sculpture Museum and a newer indoor exhibition space — has teamed up with the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning to celebrate International…
Event: The Darcy and Lisa Show with the Kuzak Sisters at the Ice Cream Factory
Sequential artist and illustrator Dame Darcy and writer Lisa Crystal Carver (aka Lisa Suckdog) will be performing raucous scenes from their collaborative new book The Jaywalker on Sunday evening at the Ice Cream Factory. In the brutal spectacle tradition of Carver’s underground band Suckdog (Darcy was also a member), the performers, together with sisters Maddie…
Event: Second Time Around Adult Prom
Want to relive the excitement of prom without the teenaged awkwardness? The Second Time Around Adult Prom lets you do exactly that while living out the star-studded theme of a Hollywood awards show. Hosted at the Contemporary Arts Center, the event stays true to the essentials of prom — food, a DJ, dancing until your feet…
Event: Earth Day OTR
Celebrate Earth Day at Washington Park. 3CDC has partnered with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to offer eco-friendly activities for kids and adults, like the opportunity to climb an inflatable rock wall, join a recycling drive and listen to live music all day from bands including Elementree Livity Project. Eli’s BBQ will serve up classic barbecue and…
Event: World Culture Fest
Take a trip around the world within the walls of the historic Cincinnati Museum Center during Saturday’s World Culture Fest. Performers and presenters celebrate cultures around the globe by showcasing some of the most unique and traditional practices from Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. The event also explores the extensive history of immigration in…
Event: Lebanon BrewHAHa
Frauen and herren are invited to break out their lederhosen and dust off their beer steins (or wear their normal attire) for the second-annual Lebanon BrewHAHa. Educate yourself about craft beer and expand your palate, whether you’re a beer aficionado or novice; represented breweries include Fifty West, Warped Wing, Moerlein, MadTree, Mt. Carmel, Rhinegeist and…
Music: Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is, of course, best known as the star of numerous films and the TV show 24. But music has also long been a part of Sutherland’s life. He and singer/songwriter Jude Cole created the Ironworks label/studio to support independent artists, releasing albums by Rocco DeLuca & the Burden, Ron Sexsmith and Lifehouse. Sutherland…
Onstage: Present Tense Imperfect
As part of the ongoing celebration of the Weston Art Gallery’s 20th anniversary, the gallery is offering Present Tense Imperfect, a performance series of spoken word, music and film held in the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater. Artists include Jay Bolotin, Jack Burton Overdrive, Elese Daniel, Mark Flanigan, Matt Hart, Desirae Hosley and the…
Comedy: DC Benny
Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Comedian, actor and writer DC Benny was not a writer for The Dennis Miller Show. “I wrote a spec script for The Dennis Miller Show,” he says. “Somehow on the internet it comes up as I wrote for them.” But a job he did have sounds like…
Event: Twilight Tour at Spring Grove Cemetery
The towering angel monuments that mark many of Spring Grove’s graves are among the cemetery’s most popular and mysterious, containing intricate histories and an intriguing ghost story or two. Get up close and personal with these statues during Spring Grove’s April Twilight Tour, which focuses on the angels and the many forms in which they…
Event: Party for the Planet
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden — the greenest zoo in America — hosts its seventh-annual Party for the Planet Earth Day celebration. Green businesses and local organizations will be on hand with booths set up throughout the zoo so visitors can learn about living more sustainably and get information about solar energy, composting, recycling,…
Onstage: Beauty and the Beast
The story of Belle, a smart young woman, and her romance with a Beast (a handsome prince under a spell) is a “tale as old as time,” but its tour stop in Cincinnati is short — only five days. Kids will enjoy this one, but the special effects are fun for everyone, especially the dancing…
Watch the Thrones
So you want to talk about Game of Thrones (Season 6 Premiere, 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO)? Would you like spoilers with that? Whether you read every book, interview and fan theory before each season or you have the Spoiler Shield app installed to prevent seeing even the most innocuous set photos, fans can’t help but…
Ethan Hawke Plays It Cool in ‘Born To Be Blue’
Last year’s 40th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival, based on my selections, felt more like a celebration of music than cinema. I never go in with an agenda; instead, I let the films speak to me. I let the titles and themes reach into my subconscious so they can guide me to some…
FotoFocus Announces Plans for Fall Biennial
When FotoFocus recently released information about its upcoming regional photography biennial in October — its third since 2012 — there was some head scratching from readers about the theme. The press release announced the biennial’s unifying element to be “Photography, the Undocument.” The accompanying explanation of the phrase was that all FotoFocus’ exhibitions — more…
Strong Women: For Better or Worse
Critic's Picks It’s not so rare today to see a play with a woman as its focal character. Two current Cincinnati productions define opposite ends of the spectrum of admirable and despicable characters, perhaps demonstrating that gender is not a determinant of behavior. Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky, staged by director Tamara Winters for Know Theatre,…
Do Ho Suh’s ‘Passage’ Honors Hadid’s CAC
Zaha Hadid’s recent death at age 65 was sad on many levels. One of those is that she won’t get a chance to see the Contemporary Arts Center’s brilliant use of her building for its current installation, Do Ho Suh’s Passage. Hadid died of a heart attack on March 31 while being treated in a…
Play by Play
D oing anything for 40 consecutive years is a noteworthy feat, especially when that “thing” is producing new plays. That’s been the work of the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre in Louisville for four decades. The 2016 festival offered six world premieres; Louisville’s renowned regional theater gives each show a full…
Sustainable Cincinnati
This year marks the 46th-annual Earth Day celebration, which started in the United States in the spring of 1970. The holiday has since become an international movement aimed at building a healthy, sustainable environment, addressing climate change and protecting the Earth for future generations. Locally, the nonprofit Green Umbrella, the region’s environmental sustainability alliance, is…
On-Point Natural Nails
One of the most shocking things you experience when walking into Spruce Natural Nail Shop on Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine is the smell — it actually smells good. There’s a candle burning from neighboring shop The Candle Lab on the front desk, and hints of lavender and tea tree essential oils from the in-house product…
The Green Issue 2016: Small Steps, Big Change
T he theme of this year’s Green Issue — our annual and fully recyclable print edition dedicated to exploring local eco issues and advances — is “Small Steps, Big Change.” Every year around Earth Day, we take a second to evaluate our impact and ask a couple of questions like, “What’s my carbon footprint and…
App for Appetites
W hen a hungry group of friends gets together to go out to eat, the scenario often plays out something like this: “Let’s go get some food.” “OK! Where?”It’s at that moment when you say you don’t care — any restaurant sounds good — but you don’t like any of the options your friends suggest.…
Growing Debate
D epending on the angle you look at it from, the 124-year-old Dennison Hotel is a historic gem needing to be rescued, the last sliver of bygone affordability in an ever-pricier downtown or a crumbling holdover from a less-successful era standing in the way of new development. The owners of the building subscribe to that…
Media Musings from Cincinnati and Beyond
Here’s the perfect story for some aspiring TV journalist passing through Cincinnati and eager for an award-winning clip: Ask hospitals and other institutions/businesses why they post their signs banning deadly weapons inside, where anyone who sees the warning may already have violated the law. You know what I mean: red circle with red bar running…
Worst Week Ever! April 13-19
Local Woman Earns Chance to Show Nation What Cincinnatians are Really Like Cincinnatians love them some reality television. Whether it’s watching or participating, this type of programming grabs our attention for some reason. This week, The Enquirer interviewed a lady described as an “East Hyde Park resident” who is taking part in American Grit, brought…
Music: The Darkness
When The Darkness burst into the public consciousness back in 2003, the first sonic reference point for most critics was Queen, and it was hardly a stretch to connect those dots. Frontman Justin Hawkins’ powerful night-at-the-opera vocal histrionics and the band’s Glam-bedazzled accompaniment left little room for alternate conclusions. And given the distinct lack of…
Sound Advice: The Darkness with RavenEye
When The Darkness burst into the public consciousness back in 2003, the first sonic reference point for most critics was Queen, and it was hardly a stretch to connect those dots. Frontman Justin Hawkins’ powerful night-at-the-opera vocal histrionics and the band’s Glam-bedazzled accompaniment left little room for alternate conclusions. And given the distinct lack of…
Music: Generation Axe
The mathematical logic of “a little bit equals good, so a whole lot more equals great” doesn’t always add up. A pint of Graeter’s on occasion is a lovely treat; five pints at once could trigger a butterfat-and-sugar brainfreeze/coma. In that light, what are we to make of the guitar supergroup Generation Axe and its…
Sound Advice: Generation Axe featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi
The mathematical logic of “a little bit equals good, so a whole lot more equals great” doesn’t always add up. A pint of Graeter’s on occasion is a lovely treat; five pints at once could trigger a butterfat-and-sugar brainfreeze/coma. In that light, what are we to make of the guitar supergroup Generation Axe and its…
Music: Sarah Borges
Sarah Borges jumped out of the gate with three well-received AltCountry records — 2005’s Silver City, 2007’s Diamonds in the Dark and 2009’s The Stars Are Out — each indebted to her broad array of influences, from Dolly Parton to X. The Massachusetts native then took a few years off to get married and have a…
Sound Advice: Sarah Borges
Sarah Borges jumped out of the gate with three well-received AltCountry records — 2005’s Silver City, 2007’s Diamonds in the Dark and 2009’s The Stars Are Out — each indebted to her broad array of influences, from Dolly Parton to X. The Massachusetts native then took a few years off to get married and have a…
Music: Killswitch Engage
Just as the individual components of chocolate and peanut butter became a different entity combined in the hands of a guy named Reese, elements from Metalcore progenitors Overcast and Aftershock coalesced in 1999 and immediately began writing a unique new chapter in the genre’s history as Killswitch Engage. Killswitch Engage had little trouble attracting interest…
Sound Advice: Killswitch Engage with Memphis May Fire, 36 Crazyfists and Toothgrinder
Just as the individual components of chocolate and peanut butter became a different entity combined in the hands of a guy named Reese, elements from Metalcore progenitors Overcast and Aftershock coalesced in 1999 and immediately began writing a unique new chapter in the genre’s history as Killswitch Engage. Killswitch Engage had little trouble attracting interest…
Morning News & Stuff
City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld suffered a scare yesterday when he collapsed during a press conference at City Hall. Medics quickly tended to the councilman and former Senate candidate, who later said he was simply overheated and had low blood sugar. Sittenfeld said he’ll get the A/C pumped up at City Hall and will be fine.…
Indie Folkers Cookin’ Hearts Celebrate Debut
Impressive Indie Folk/Americana quartet Cookin’ Hearts is preparing for the Tuesday release of its self-titled debut full-length with a pair of weekend shows. The band started off as a duo featuring singer/guitarist Joe Hart and singer/banjo player Alex Cook. As the twosome developed, they added different wrinkles to their increasingly unique sound, as well as…
Cool Adia
A dia Victoria has been working toward this year and this particular moment in her life for a good many years. Victoria was born in Spartanburg, S.C., raised in a severe Seventh Day Adventist home, and then spent her 20s on a global walkabout to Atlanta, Paris, Germany and New York before settling in Nashville,…
Bono Wants to Kill Comedians?
HOT: Bono Wants to Kill Comedians? U2 singer Bono recently offered an unusual suggestion for fighting terrorism in front of a Senate subcommittee. The singer said that “comedy should be deployed,” arguing that fighting violence with more violence isn’t working, so making fun of terrorists might do the trick. He then offered up sacrificial funny…
Go Green
APRIL 20 Zoo Blooms — The zoo transforms into an explosion of color with one of the largest tulip displays in the Midwest. Through April 30. Free with zoo admission. $18 adult; $13 child/senior. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org. Butterflies of the Caribbean — Beautiful, live butterflies coast around…
Pocket-Sized Power
Speaking on the phone from the Kenyan city of Kisumu, Randie Marsh, executive director of locally based nonprofit SOTENI International, recalls hearing singing on her way to a recent support group meeting — one of the 106 meetings SOTENI helps facilitate every month as part of its mission to reduce HIV/AIDS in rural Kenya and…
Starting Small
The tiny living movement has gained momentum in recent years, evidenced by notoriously addictive television shows like Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House Nation. Comedy Central’s Portlandia even took a friendly knock at the trend in a skit about “microhouses” (“This is a bathroom — and a home office!”). With a loyal following spanning from…
