Events: Ballet & Beer
If you’re put off from professional dance by all the formality associated with it, Cincinnati Ballet’s “Ballet & Beer” events might win you over. The come-as-you-are event (wear a T-shirt if you want) welcomes the public in to watch Cincinnati Ballet dancers rehearse. Visitors can also snack on hors d’oeuvres and mingle over drinks. The…
Art: Gasoline Rainbow at CS13
CS13 presents Gasoline Rainbow, which intermixes a couple of local artists — Matthew Dayler (work pictured) and David DeWitt — with several from around the globe to feature an all-male lineup that looks into the representation of homosexuality in contemporary art. Even with 10 different artists, the artworks planned for the exhibition offer a cohesive,…
Sports: Flying Pig Marathon
Whether you walk, run or come just to squeal, the biggest party in town this weekend is at the 12th Annual Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Nowhere else can you sport a pink porcine nose or full pig regalia with so much fanfare. Billed as a marathon for people of all abilities, the Pig attracts about…
Art: One Solid Mutiny at U-turn Art Space
Beginning with a 7 p.m. reception Saturday, U-turn Art Space features One Solid Mutiny, a solo exhibition of recent sculptures, installations and works by Zach Rawe, an Art Academy of Cincinnati graduate. As part of the show conceived for the space, a "battlefield" demarcated by duct tape will run the length of the gallery, with…
Music: Quasi
You have to give emotionally mature props to Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss. The once married couple has been playing together in some form for the past two decades. Coomes and Weiss were a couple when they formed Motorgoat in Portland, Ore., in 1990, self-releasing a pair of cassettes and a 7-inch before calling it…
Comedy: Drew Hastings
“Most of what I do … comes from pain or anger,” muses Kettering native Drew Hastings. “I think that’s what tends to drive my stuff. And then I probably tend to look at the human condition using me as an example.” His comedy comes from his own experiences in the world and not as a…
Events: Cinco de Mayo
Tea Party protesters like to carry signs that say stuff like “Make English America’s offical language!” And although the irony of people misspelling words on signs demanding that immigrants speak English correctly is pretty funny, most of us would prefer to welcome people of other cultures into our community without such embarrassing conditions. Today we’ll…
Art: Vegas 360 at the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum’s latest photography exhibit, Vegas 360 by Cincinnatian Thomas Schiff, continues through Sept. 26. It features large-scale full-color panoramic images of the famous 24/7, neon-lit Vegas Strip shot with a custom-made Hulcherama 360 camera mounted on an extended tripod, rotating 360 degrees or more on its axis to expose film in a…
County Commission in the Crosshairs
Most political junkies are busy focusing on the outcome of state and federal races in Ohio’s May 4 primary. For Democrats, it’s a chance to see who will prevail to become the party’s candidate in this fall’s race for the open U.S. Senate seat. For Republicans, it’s a chance to gauge how well GOP incumbents…
Art: My House at Art Beyond Boundaries
For a look at how eight talented women see the human experience, stop by Art Beyond Boundaries for My House, up now through May 28. Joyce Phillips Young makes strongly colored, stylized figural paintings, while Deb Ward concentrates on flowers; Barbara Gamboa, who also curated the show, is interested in faces; Cynthia Lockhart and Lynn…
Music: Cymbals Eat Guitars
Soon after Joseph D’Agostino got his band underway, Cymbals Eat Guitars received Indie Rock's most profitable stamp of approval. Pitchfork assigned the 2009 debut Why There Are Mountains album an 8.3 rating and included it on the site’s “Best New Music” list. Early acclaim did come with a price. “We had no fucking clue what…
Onstage: Cirque du Soleil: Alegria
Alegria means “jubilation” in Spanish, and the colorful costuming and characters of this baroque ode to the energy of youth (plus the soundtrack’s Jazz, Pop, Tango and Klezmer songs) make it a truly joyful Cirque performance. Themed around the passage of time and the transfer of power from ancient monarchies to modern democracies, the characters…
Music: NOFX
With 12 studio albums, more than a dozen EPs and a discographer’s wet dream’s worth of 7-inch releases to their credit (in total accounting for close to 4 million units sold) since their Los Angeles formation an astonishing 27 years ago, NOFX is clearly one of the most successful Indie Punk bands of all time.…
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: Ego Trippin’
They say it's all in the timing. In my last column I shouted out the Thursday night Open Mic at Baba Budan’s in Clifton Heights. The following week was its final week. My column timing is officially delayed like Dilla snares. I'm finding myself wanting to go two different routes with this month's column. Its…
Vout (Review)
Critic's Pick If you’ve recently driven past Slims restaurant in Northside, you might have noticed a sign near the door at the corner of Hamilton and Blue Rock that reads “VOUT.” Vout is the a la carte, more laid-back version of Slims open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday. As with Slims, the hours are “5:30…
A Contemporary New Season
The Contemporary Arts Center’s just-announced 2010-11 season continues its support of emerging artists — including Cincinnati-based ones — in a series of shows mostly curated by Raphaela Platow, director and chief curator of the downtown arts institution. But it will also feature a tightly focused retrospective of the work of the late Keith Haring, whose…
Onstage: The Marvelous Wonderettes
In the program for The Marvelous Wonderettes, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s D. Lynn Meyers admits that when the show was brought to her attention she “did not leap at investigating it.” But today she feels that it exemplifies her season’s theme of “never settle” because it’s about four young women who have dreams and hopes…
City Island (Review)
Andy Garcia was on the verge of becoming the new Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino in the late 1980s and early 1990s — dark-haired and handsome, volatile yet seductive, equally good as cop or criminal, lover or fighter in films like Internal Affairs, Black Rain, 8 Million Ways to Die, The Untouchables and especially The…
‘All Hell Broke Loose’
Herbert Shapiro, a University of Cincinnati history professor, learned about the planned march while he was out of town. His wife called and told him that Thursday night, April 30, 1970. President Nixon had ordered troops into Cambodia. The Vietnam War had escalated and widened. On that Friday morning, his wife picked him up at…
Comedy: Underbelly Anniversary
Comedian and sketch performer Mike Cody wants to be the next Lorne Michaels, but he didn’t realize it until he was few months into a project known as Underbelly. Featuring area comics doing “everything but stand-up,” the show is marking its one year anniversary on Tuesday. Each Tuesday for the past year, this loose affiliation…
Events: Taste of India
Savor the flavors and culture of India at the Taste of India. This event, held at UC’s Tangeman University Center, is organized by the Association for India’s Development as a way to expose students and Cincinnatians to Indian culture (in lieu of just doing a restaurant crawl down Ludlow). You’ll find music, dance, Rangoli (ornate…
Events: CS13 Laugh In
Recently dubbed “Most Creative New Art Gallery” in our recent Best of Cincinnati issue, CS13 continues experimenting with the function of an arts venue with two new projects this week. On Thursday at 8 p.m., the gallery hosts a “Laugh In,” where for an hour and a half all participants will engage in exaggerated, self-induced…
Events: Bold Fusion
In a world that’s becoming more virtual every day, young people have an almost visceral need to get their hands dirty and make things, says David Pescovitz, research director for Institute of the Future in Palo Alto, Calif. This “maker culture” can irritate corporate America when established products get hacked, reimagined and changed, but he…
Tea Partier’s Complaint Tossed
The Ohio Elections Commission today dismissed a complaint filed by Cincinnati Tea Party founder Mike Wilson against his Republican primary opponent in the race for the 28th Ohio House District seat. Wilson had filed a complaint with the commission contesting statements used in a telephone poll recently conducted by Tom Weidman’s campaign.—- Specifically, the poll…
Clark Montessori Races to the Top
By now you've probably heard about the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, in which schools around the country are competing to have President Obama attend and speak at their graduation ceremony. Clark Montessori has been chosen among the six finalist schools, and now the public is voting to help select the winning school; voting…
NFL Draft AFC North Report Card
AFC North teams did a nice job overall in this year’s draft. Most teams addressed their main needs and picked up late round steals that very well could contribute next season. Here’s my breakdown of each team’s strongest picks as well as a final overall grade for their draft selections.—- Cincinnati Bengals 1. Jermaine Gresham…
Small Time Crooks (Profile)
You’d never guess it, but Ryan Rockwell's all-time favorite band is Counting Crows. See, he has loads of tats and his T-shirt has a gun on it. Long basketball shorts hang down his legs. His hair, dyed black. Rockwell smirks. “Can I just talk about local bands that suck and cause controversy?” A fast-talking vocalist…
Why the Media (Even the Big Boys) Fail to Ask the Right Questions
Reporting creates personal reservoirs of trivia. My treasury includes South African troopers in vehicles designed to defeat land mines laid by ANC’s military wing during the apartheid era. So I wondered why American reporters in Washington, Iraq and Afghanistan haven’t written about the Pentagon decision to go to war without South African vehicles that could…
Revealing the First MidPoint 2010 Details
Some details about the 2010 MidPoint Music Festival were unveiled April 23 at the Contemporary Arts Center, where Indie bands Aloha and Pomegranates performed at the MPMF10 "Reveal Showcase." Several artists already booked for the big September fest were announced, as were some of the bigger acts lined up for the free summer-long MidPoint Indie…
Angels in America: Perestroika (Review)
Critic's Pick Three weeks ago I saw the opening of Millennium Approaches, the first part of Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s staging of Tony Kushner’s monumental Angels in America, a work that was first presented early in the 1990s. This week Know added Part II: Perestroika to the repertory performance of this important work, finally receiving…
Just Imagine…
Despite numerous examples of intolerance and hatred at its events and multiple polls showing the group represents only a small minority of the populace, the noisy Tea Party movement continues to gain an unwarranted amount of media attention as it strives for respectability.—- Meanwhile, conservative commentators turn a blind eye to the movement's excesses and…
Picnic (Review)
I love seeing new works onstage, but sometimes it’s great to be reminded that every era had its fine playwrights and their work should be seen more often. William Inge (1913-1963) is such a writer. His work seems antique to some today, but in its day it was as in the moment as Tracy Letts’…
MidPoint 2010 Details Revealed
Some details about the 2010 MidPoint Music Festival were unveiled last night at the Contemporary Arts Center, where Indie bands Aloha and Pomegranates performed at the MPMF10 "Reveal Showcase." Several artists already booked for the big September fest were announced, as were some of the bigger acts lined up for the free summer-long MidPoint Indie…
The Marvelous Wonderettes (Review)
Critic's Pick In the program for The Marvelous Wonderettes, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s D. Lynn Meyers admits that when the show was brought to her attention she “did not leap at investigating it.” But today she feels that it exemplifies her season’s theme of “never settle” because it’s about four young women who have dreams…
NOFX
With 12 studio albums, more than a dozen EPs and a discographer’s wet dream’s worth of 7-inch releases to their credit (in total accounting for close to 4 million units sold) since their Los Angeles formation an astonishing 27 years ago, NOFX is clearly one of the most successful Indie Punk bands of all time.…
Cymbals Eat Guitars with Los Campesinos
Soon after Joseph D’Agostino got his band underway, Cymbals Eat Guitars received Indie Rock's most profitable stamp of approval. Pitchfork assigned the 2009 debut Why There Are Mountains album an 8.3 rating and included it on the site’s “Best New Music” list. Early acclaim did come with a price. “We had no fucking clue what…
Quasi
You have to give emotionally mature props to Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss. The once married couple has been playing together in some form for the past two decades; it took me nearly half that long just to talk to my ex-wife on the phone without experiencing tightness in the chest and a twitchy eye.…
MPMF Reveal Showcase Tonight!
If you're looking for something cool to do tonight — and especially if you're a huge fan of the falltime MidPoint Music Festival — head to the Contemporary Arts Center at 8 p.m. for a MidPoint "Reveal" showcase featuring the stellar, textural Indie Rock of local faves Pomegranates, nationally-acclaimed foursome Aloha (pictured) and Cleveland's The…
Cincy Shakes Goes Wilde, More ‘Angels’
I wish I could point you to a good production of a Shakespearean play today, since it's the Bard's 446th birthday. But Cincy Shakes is presenting Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband in a delightfully enacted production that ranges from witty humor to heartfelt emotion. It's definitely worth seeing.—- (Check out Tom McElfresh's review here.) For…
Listen to The National’s New Album Now
The new album by Cincinnati-bred/Brooklyn-based Indie Rock stars The National, High Violet, won't be available until May 11. But, thanks to The New York Times, you can listen to the full-length in its entirety on the Old Gray Lady's Web site. —- The band's new 4AD release is the first album The Times has ever…
Friday Movie Roundup: No Wave, Wine & Socialism
A trio of “event” screenings boosts this week’s mixed bag of new releases (of which Bong Joon-Ho’s Hitchcockian thriller, The Mother, is the clear winner).—- First up was Art Damage Lodge’s Wednesday night screening of Ericka Beckman’s 135 Grand Street New York 1979, a freshly issued documentary on NYC’s No Wave music scene. And now…
Blood Into Wine (Review)
The presence of Maynard James Keenan, frontman for Art Metal bands Tool and A Perfect Circle, is no doubt the only reason for the existence of Blood Into Wine, a tedious documentary that looks at Keenan’s deepening interest in the art of winemaking. Co-directors Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke track the rise of the enigmatic…
The Back-Up Plan (Review)
As things stand now, it would appear that Jennifer Lopez needs a back-up plan for her career. In my estimation, her last strong performance was opposite an emerging George Clooney in Out of Sight (1998), but she was clearly unable to capitalize on that moment like Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh. If she had been…
Oceans (Review)
Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud (Winged Migration) offer up a lot of pretty pictures; what they don’t offer is something that feels like a movie. It certainly talks like a movie, with Pierce Brosnan providing soothing narration framed by the not-particularly-interesting question, “What is the ocean, anyway?” But that’s not the same thing as…
Onstage: Picnic
It’s time to jump into the way-back machine for a trip to the 1950s, courtesy of UC’s College-Conservatory of Music and a production of William Inge’s Picnic, a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner from 1953. With his portraits of small-town life and settings rooted in the American heartland, Inge became known as the “playwright…
Ethical, Sustainable Jewelry-Making in Spotlight at Miami University
As the sustainability movement gains ground — in food production and dining, in transportation, energy use and housing — another front is emerging: sustainable crafts. Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Miami University Art Museum, sustainable metalsmith Gabriel Craig of Houston will speak on “Crafting Activism in an Age of Ambivalence.” That will be followed by…
Kim Maurer [Sidewinder Coffee & Tea]
Kim Maurer, owner of Sidewinder coffee shop in Northside and co-owner of the recently opened Mayday, has a lot on her plate … so to speak. But as frequenters of her hangouts can tell, she’s not too busy to have a good time. She can often be found at either business, slingin’ drinks or tipping…
Events: Brian Joiner Exhibition/Benefit
Native Cincinnatian Brian Joiner is well known and loved for his rich, diverse practice as a mixed-media artist. On Friday from 5-10 p.m., the Mary Barr Rhodes Studio hosts A Celebration of the Life and Art of Brian Joiner, a benefit being held due to Joiner’s current battle with stage 4 liver cancer. Several friends…
Attractions: International Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory
The 15th International Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory is titled (and also features) the magnificent “Butterflies of Japan.” While wandering through Krohn’s beautiful Japanese-inspired garden, view many exotic plants and flowers, including a Sakura display about Japan’s rich traditions in regards to cherry blossom trees. The floral exhibit will change three times. You can…
The Losers (Review)
I realize there’s an A-Team movie set to be released this summer, but after catching The Losers I’m thinking I’ve pretty much got that ground covered. Yes, this is the story of a group of highly skilled U.S. military operatives who are framed for a crime they didn’t commit and out to clear their names.…
Comedy: Bruce Baum
You’ve seen Bruce Baum somewhere before. As a guest star on The Simpsons or Northern Exposure? Comedy Central? You know he’s funny, but you might not be able to place the name with the face. “That's why I keep this face,” laughs Baum. A true comedy veteran, he’s been cracking up audiences since the late…
My Crutch
When I was diagnosed with diabetes more than 10 years ago, I was also informed that I have neuropathy — nerve damage in my legs and feet, one of my side effects of being diabetic. I had some numbness in my feet, but I didn’t have a difficult time getting around. Fast-forward 10 years. This…
Lectures: John Bartlett
As part of the final week for the show Marilyn Minter: Chewing Color at the Contemporary Arts Center, fashion designer John Bartlett will speak at 5:30 p.m. Monday about something close to photographer/video artist Minter's heart — the relationship between fashion and art. The internationally known Bartlett, an Anderson Township native, runs his own menswear…
Events: Cincinnati Flower Show
Time is running out to catch the 21st annual Cincinnati Flower Show at Symmes Township Park. Called “The king of all flower shows” by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, this event features garden exhibits ranging from “Creative Containers” to “Dramatic Table Settings,” along with a Grand Marquee pavilion that houses dozens of exhibits from African…
Taste This: Fast Food Monstrosities
Consider this installment of Lost in the Supermarket an emergency “on the road” edition. I’ve decided to interrupt the column’s regularly scheduled concept (i.e., I eat weird food from the grocery store so you don’t have to) due to a sense of civic responsibility. With recent developments in the restaurant world, I feel it's more…
Todd Portune and Mitch McConnell
[WINNER] TODD PORTUNE: The longtime Hamilton County commissioner is urging his counterparts on Cincinnati City Council to follow the county’s example and change the city’s hiring policies. Portune wants the city to end its usual practice of automatically disqualifying applicants who have a criminal record, no matter how old. In 2006, the city refused to…
Lit: National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month is coming to an end and after celebrating with weekly poetry readings in its Reading Garden Lounge, the Cincinnati Public Library will wrap things up this week with readings by poets Dana Ward and Michael S. Hennessey. Ward is the author of Roseland & the Drought and editor of Cy Press. He’s…
Events: Asian Culture Fest
The Cincinnati Museum Center brings Asia to Cincinnati with their popular Passport to the World series. Spend the weekend exploring the far reaches of Japan, China, India, Taiwan and Korea with activities, attractions and performances designed to immerse you in the culture of the Far East. Throughout the weekend, stop by the Asian Market and…
Taxidermia (Review)
A scruffy, harelipped guy runs a lit candle across his naked body. The flame makes him wince in pain and whisper laughter. The laughs continue as he begins to masturbate furiously, eventually ejaculating a stream of fire high into the air. This shock opens Hungarian director Gy
New Albums, New Bands and a Tribute to Woody
• Saturday night at Molly Malone’s in Covington, The Beau Alquizola Band (pictured) celebrates its new album, Weddings in Louisville, with the solid support bill of Kyle English, Messerly and Ewing and Mike Fair and the Adventure Seekers. Alquizola — who got his professional start singing Soul and R&B in Florida — has shown his…
April 14-20: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY APRIL 14 Thanks to the Cincinnati Police Department, the nearly 150 residents of three Section 8 buildings in Avondale today had their utilities turned back on. Landlord Joseph Lentine III blamed the disruption in service first on Duke Energy and later on the interruption of his work schedule caused by the final two seasons…
Events: Violence Against Women National Conference
You don’t really need to collect a bunch of scary statistics to prove that violence against women is a national — and international — problem. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said “Violence against women cannot be tolerated in any form, in any context, in any circumstance” and locally the Sisters of Charity are bringing…
Bonnaroo Buzz, Hip Hop Putin and Hecklers
[HOT] Tastes Like Stoned, Smelly Chicken? We love companies like Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream maker’s ethical business practices and charitable projects prove that old hippies who want to be successful in today’s business world don’t have to chuck their integrity and core beliefs just to get a foot in the door. And though…
Mother (Review)
Movies, especially suspense movies, have taught us that motherhood isn’t always as nurturing and character-building as it’s cracked up to be. See Hitchcock’s Psycho, which clearly showed how it can be too much of a good thing for some lonely, troubled boys. Mother, from the gifted South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho (The Host), isn’t Psycho,…
NAACP, Councilman Clash Over Streetcars
While much of the local media attention during the past several days was focused on Cincinnati City Council’s vote to approve $2.58 million for the proposed streetcar system, another controversy involving the long-discussed project was brewing that went barely noticed. The cash will be used to do planning and design work for the system’s $128…
Art Damage Lodge Rides the Wave
The adventurous people over at Art Damage Lodge (4120 Hamilton Ave., Northisde) are at it again with a one-night-only (9 p.m. tonight) screening of Ericka Beckman’s 135 Grand Street New York 1979, a freshly issued documentary on NYC’s No Wave music scene — a movement noted for its aggressively DIY aesthetic and anti-everything nihilism. —-…
