CAC Announces New Season
It's official: the Contemporary Arts Center today announced that hot Shepard Fairey retrospective currently at Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art will be coming there for the 2009-10 season. Fairey, creator of the famous Obama posters, will also come when the show opens here to do public art and participate in CAC events.—- Also scheduled for the upcoming…
MidPoint Submissions Deadline Friday
Just a friendly blog reminder (or blogminder?) that musicians wishing to be considered for a performance slot at this year's MidPoint Music Festival at the end of September need to do so by this Friday. Spread the word. Interested parties can go here to submit (click on the "Get Heard" in the upper right corner).—-…
Art: Jose Versoza at Art Damage Lodge
Context is everything. So when artworks made with gallery settings in mind are given a different space in which to operate, they can become wholly new experiences. This is the case with the series of video pieces that Joey Versoza will present at 9 p.m. on Friday at the Art Damage Lodge in Northside. For…
Music: N.E.R.D.
N.E.R.D. The University of Cincinnati’s campus is ready to rock out with Virginia Beach group N.E.R.D. The band, which describes themselves as Hip-Hop/Alternative, will be playing at 8 p.m. at Sigma Sigma Commons. Come support Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley, who will be promoting their latest album Seeing Sounds. The event is free…
Sights of the Season
Shepard Fairey, the hip alternative-culture artist who has become a superstar in the wake of his “Hope, Change and Vote” posters supporting Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, leads the Contemporary Art Center’s 2009-10 exhibition schedule. The museum made the announcement April 28. Fairey’s Supply and Demand exhibition, a retrospective of the South Carolina-born artist’s innovative and…
Events: Taste of India
For most Cincinnatians, the closest they get to Indian culture is probably grabbing a quick bite to eat at Amol before heading to see Slumdog Millionaire at the Esquire Theatre. But India is the second-most populous nation in the world and its multi-faceted culture goes back for centuries. A more in-depth glimpse can be had…
Music: Coltrane Motion
When singer/composer Michael Bond and guitarist Matt Dennewitz of Coltrane Motion relocated from Cincinnati (where Bond helped helm the still-in-operations datawaslost collective/label) to Chicago a few years back, the Indie music world was just beginning to show more of a whole-hearted interest in danceable, electronic sounds. It was perfect timing for the admittedly more adventurous…
Music: Hands Across Basements Fest
Basements easily transform from eerie urban catacombs to anything-goes live music venues dedicated to the sweaty glory of Punk Rock. These claustrophobic spaces are perfect for music fans willing to pack in for a more immediate experience than the one offered by a lot of local clubs. Bucking an increasing generational trend favoring reserved behavior,…
Comedy: TJ Miller
“It’s a mix between observational humor and me talking about awkward human interactions,” says comedian TJ Miller when asked to describe his set. “I do a lot of characters toward the end of the act.” Indeed, Miller started off as an improvisational performer before following his heart and pursuing stand-up. In fact, he toured with…
Music: Robin McKelle
Gossip Girl soundtrack. Volkswagen commercial. MySpace primo placement. There are any number of ways for a new artist to get their big break these days, but the key for a Jazz artist might just be getting profiled on National Public Radio. After smooth chanteuse Robin McKelle was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, her sales ranking…
Onstage: Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over
With a subtitle, “Dispatches from the Front Lines of Parenting,” this show continues to ride the wave of enthusiasm that started a year ago at the 2008 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. The revue by composer Richard Oberacker and lyricist Robert Taylor was a big hit with audiences who saw themselves — as parents or children of…
Lectures: Creative Visionaries
All institutions that once took their audiences for granted are struggling to find their place in a world of constantly new breakthroughs in digital and electronic options, and the arts are no exception. Diane Ragsdale, of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will discuss “Sharing Our Art in a Changing Community” at 4:30 p.m. May 6…
Music: A Day to Remember
With an idea to do something distinctly different, A Day to Remember assembled six years ago from the ashes of a variety of other bands in the flourishing Metal/Punk scene around Ocala, Fla. Utilizing influences that ranged from Post Hardcore to Pop/Punk to Death Metal, ADTR crafted their 2005 debut, And Their Name was Treason,…
Onstage: A Little Night Music
It seems appropriate that the swan song for the much-loved but underfunded New Stage Collective should be Stephen Sondheim’s bittersweet musical, A Little Night Music. NSC announced its demise a few weeks ago but shared the good news that Night Music would still be produced, thanks to a gracious gesture by Know Theatre, which offered…
Events: Cinco de Mayo
Fountain Square is the place to be for all things Cinco de Mayo this week. Cincy-Cinco Latino Festival starts the celebration at noon on Sunday with a flavorful family-friendly event that showcases Latino culture, tradition and values. There will be music and dance troupes from as far away as Peru, and authentic Latino cuisine. And…
Sports: Flying Pig Marathon
The Flying Pig, now in its 11th year, takes athletes of all skill levels through the streets of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. The course starts west of Elm on Mehring Way and ends with a post-race party at Yeatman’s Cove featuring a variety of vendors. If you haven’t signed up to run in this classic…
Remembering Cowboy Copas
On Saturday, Brian Powers of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County — so instrumental in organizing that institution's ongoing tribute to the legacy of Cincinnati's King Records — put together and conducted one of the best King events yet, a panel discussion on Cowboy Copas & the Golden Age of Country Music. —-…
Movies: The Great Buck Howard
The Amazing Kreskin is a mentalist-thought reader known for his appearances on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and later on The Late Show With David Letterman. Writer/director Sean McGinly served as Kreskin’s road manager for a brief stint and has converted his experiences into The Great Buck Howard, an insider’s look at show business…
Onstage: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Even if you know the story of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic 1886 horror story, you’ll likely be surprised by the Cincinnati Playhouse’s version, since it twists and turns the tale in unanticipated directions. Jeffrey Hatcher adapted the story; his scripts, from Scotland Road in 1993 to Murderers in 2007, have…
And They’re Off!
April showers bring May flowers and the start of run/walk/roll fundraisers. Combining a worth-while cause with fitness and the great outdoors is way to stay in shape as much as it is an opportunity to lend your time and financial support to groups you believe in – toss in a few prizes and other activities…
Little People, Big Moron
Midgets are adorable. I can’t help it. So imagine my surprise when I went to Lexington last night with You, You’re Awesome for a show at Al’s Bar (Owl’s Bar to Kay Bay Bay) and there were not one, but TWO midgets there! Little people? Whatever you’re supposed to call ‘em, I like ‘em! I…
brakesbrakesbrakes, Booker T. Jones, Manchester Orchestra, Milk & Honey Band and More
If I keep pushing titles into the following week, I’ll be reviewing a couple hundred CDs in December, which could actually work out pretty well. The release sheets the month before Christmas are skinnier than my 401K returns in 2008, so I’ll need to hold back some material for the lean times. But for now,…
Avenue Q (Review)
Critic's Pick When a character in a musical sings, “'The more you love someone/ The more you want to kill him,” you know you’ve entered an alternate reality. Or maybe there’s nothing alternate about it. The truth is that Avenue Q, which won the 2004 Tony Award for best musical, is more about the real…
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Review)
Critic's Pick Even if you know the story of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic 1886 horror story, you’ll likely be surprised by the Cincinnati Playhouse’s version, since it twists and turns the tale in unanticipated directions. Jeffrey Hatcher adapted the story; his scripts, from Scotland Road in 1993 to Murderers in…
Good Start For Reds Could Soon Be Legitimized
Today is one of those days where it's hard to imagine any activity being more appropriate than baseball. Hopefully, Reds fans flock to the stadium tonight, and the rest of this homestand. —- Tonight's starter for the Braves, Javier Vazquez is commonly referred to as a "fly-ball pitcher." I know there are statistics regarding what…
CityBeat Podcast 3: Dan Quixote
On Podcast 3, CityBeat's Danny Cross presents a comedic, quixotic adventure that includes the misuse of peanut butter and drunk party kids. Suscribe to our podcast in iTunes or use our RSS feed. —-
MidPoint Indie Summer Series Announced
The initial lineup for this year's local-music-heavy Indie Summer series (taking place each Friday this summer on Fountain Square) has been announced. The successful series has teamed with the MidPoint Music Festival this year (musicians, don't forget the submission deadline is May 1) and will include a few special "late" shows of note. On June…
Inside Out Studios Insider
We are building an art production studio. No big deal you say? Well what if I told you it was compiled from two groups of teenagers, still nothing special? Okay, they are young people who are incarcerated and those recently released from incarceration. Yes, in jail and on parole. Now what do you say? That’s…
On the Road with Banderas: Part Three
(Editor's note: Cincinnati rockers Banderas recently kicked off an extensive tour with local Rockabilly/Psychobilly band Rumble Club. We've asked them to keep notes and they have obliged with some excellent, entertaining journaling. The "West Bound and Down" tour has hit as far west Anaheim and includes stops in Arizona, Texas and Tennessee. Part Three of…
The Eco Go Go Fashion Show
The second annual Eco Go Go Fashion Show took over Fountain Square on Earth Day April 22. The event featured environmental-conscious clothing and fashion designed around cycling. Check out CityBeat's Green Issue for more on how Greater Cincinnati is going green.
Tex the Vortex
Attn: The Vortex Kings Island 6300 Kings Island Drive P.O. Box 901 Kings Island, OH 45034-0901 Dear Vortex, I really want you to know that you have my support. I know things are getting tough now a days with the new additions to the park. Two fancy ass rollercoasters have been intruding on your fame…
Gender Bending
Pride/Visibility Week at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is about inclusion and acceptance, not merely tolerance. Beginning on April 29, a variety of events are scheduled to focus on and celebrate LBGT (if you need an explanation of that acronym, you really need to attend a few events).—- Parking will likely be a pain, as…
Charterites Honor Tarbell
Jim Tarbell has been a Rock & Roll club owner, Cincinnati’s vice mayor, a champion of preserving historic neighborhoods, an advocate of building a Reds stadium in Over-the-Rhine and a tireless promoter of the city, among the many hats he’s worn over the years. Now the political group that helped elect Tarbell to public office…
Lawsuit: Cintas Quotas Are Hazardous
Cintas Corp. sets unrealistic production quotas for laundry workers that cause dangerous conditions and it led to the death of one worker in March 2007, according to a motion filed in a lawsuit against the company. The widow of Eleazar Torres-Gomez, an employee who died when he fell into a dryer at a Cintas facility…
CityBeat Podcast 2: Earth Day
Rumpke representatives Amanda Pratt and Anne Gray discuss recycling and the environment on CityBeat's Podcast #2. They were two of the subjects of a story we published last week on the Rumpke sanitary landfill and recycling facility. Suscribe to our podcast in iTunes or use our RSS feed. —-
To Tweet or Not to Tweet
(UPDATE AT BOTTOM) Managers at The Cincinnati Enquirer may be encouraging its staff to use Internet social networking sites to lure more readers, but at least one editor at a Gannett sister newspaper has had enough of Twitter and Facebook.—- The Gannett Blog, a popular Web site operated by ex-Gannett employee Jim Hopkins that covers…
Ablutions: Notes For A Novel (Review)
The book jacket states Ablutions is Patrick deWitt’s first novel but it’s really, as the subtitle suggests, notes for a novel — notes made by a nameless fictional bartender working at a down-and-out Hollywood dive. Throughout, we’re introduced to a variety of characters who are patrons of the bar, such as Curtis — a disconsolate…
Fighting (Review)
Writer/director Dito Montiel drops down a few rungs after his promising debut, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, with an undernourished drama about small-town fighter Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) who comes to Manhattan where he meets two-bit hustler Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard). Harvey introduces Shawn to a world of underground street fighting, and Shawn proves…
12 (Review)
This Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film (2008) directed by Nikita Mikhalkov plays like Twelve Angry Men meets The Usual Suspects. The core of the narrative follows 12 jurors in Russia charged with deciding the fate of an 18-year-old Chechen boy accused of killing his stepfather, an officer in the Russian army. Over…
Peter, Bjorn and John
I remember Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” from drunken nights at former Northside club alchemize. I initially hated the song viciously. The chronic whistling that precedes each verse and the chorus made me feel like my insides were swimming is unleaded gasoline. What could be more annoying? I heard it again the day the…
Beneath Oblivion (Profile)
For some people, listening to the shrieking vocals, emotively raw lyrics and ponderously paced, cacophonously loud downtuned guitars of Doom Metal is a painful experience. For fans of the admittedly narrow genre, the sound is utopian bliss. For Beneath Oblivion guitarist/vocalist Scott Simpson, both reactions are valid, since his band’s blissful sound is ultimately grounded…
A Brief History of the Future (Review)
The good news about Jacques Attali’s latest literary work is that in painting a startling and timely picture of humanity’s downward spiral, the author does not mince words or cop to his own smarts — that’s no small feat for a world-renowned economist, one that is especially impressive considering his counterparts’ failure to deliver even…
Photos Take Spotlight at CAM
It’s been a slow start with an unexpected delay, but James Crump, the new curator of photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM), has his first show, Garry Winogrand: Women Are Beautiful, opening soon. The exhibition is an attempt to champion the reputation of a post-World War II American “street-life” photographer whose legacy has slipped…
Boehner on the Environment: Shit Happens
As Earth Day arrives once again, it’s comforting to know that our political leaders are safeguarding the environment for future generations. Take U.S. Rep. John Boehner, the pride of Southwestern Ohio. “The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical,” he said on ABC’s This Week With…
Taxing Matters
He’s a rock and roller by night. By day, he’s a mild-mannered mayor literally trying to save his village. Leroy Ellington might be best known in the area for fronting his E Funk Band, for 15 years one of the area’s most popular party bands. For the last year his day job has been mayor…
Dreams and Trees (Review)
Critic's Pick Half the people I’ve ever loved have moved to New Mexico. The spirit of that place as it is represented in art is infused with such a longing as to cut me to the quick. (Except for the works of Georgia O’Keefe, many of which just sit there for me.) I’ve grown to…
Virgil’s Cafe (Review)
When I heard about Virgil’s Cafe in Bellevue, it sounded like just the type of restaurant I’d like. It’s nice and clean but casual, and chef Matthew Buschle focuses on fresh local and seasonal ingredients. Buschle is obviously passionate about what he does. He took on the huge project of turning a run-down apartment building…
LeBron James Poised to Become the World’s Greatest Athlete
Like a dream doomed to end with an alarm, the time for LeBron James to win an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers is ticking toward an abrupt finish in a year, give or take, depending on how many times the young superstar pushes the snooze button. Or James can take care of it right…
Pinocchio (Disney)
Walt Disney ran into roadblocks with Bambi. Struggling with the script and overall structure, he delayed its release and began work on Pinocchio — a story from Italian author Carlo Collodi about the adventures of a wooden puppet who becomes a real boy. But Disney again strained over the script, revising and tweaking a story…
Collective Consciousness
Many bands exist for years before anyone deigns to care. It took Aimee Mann the better part of two decades she went from fronting ‘Til Tuesday in the ‘80s, known only for the sugar-sweet hit, “Voices Carry,” to getting nominated for an Oscar at the turn of the 20th century for her contributions to the…
The Soloist (Review)
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez’s The Soloist, the best-seller about how he befriended and tried to help a talented but mentally ill homeless man who loves to play classical music on the streets, isn’t an easy book to film. It has no cathartic, feel-good ending with an easy moral. Unlike the Beethoven symphonies so…
What Makes Sammy Run? (Koch Vision)
A piece of legendary television history, long considered lost but discovered and restored by the Archive of American Television, makes its DVD debut with its crackling, electrifying energy intact. Budd Schulberg wrote What Makes Sammy Run?, a portrait of venal and ignorant but desperately striving, hustling Hollywood studio boss Sammy Glick, way back in 1941.…
The Informers (Review)
Bret Easton Ellis’ novels translate nicely from page to screen. The author’s obsession with pretty surfaces — from faces to food to designer clothes — is catnip for an industry/art form that thrives on images. Adaptations of Less Than Zero, American Pyscho and The Rules of Attraction all work better than expected in cinematic form,…
Hard-Luck Heartbreakers
Five years ago, it didn’t look like Lucero was going to make it. As noted in the beginning of Dreaming in America, Aaron Goldman’s 2005 documentary about the Memphis quartet, they were a “band without a label and without a single royalty after 20,000 albums sold. Touring (was) their only income.” The film itself is…
Save Your $$$
Save Your $$$I read Larry Gross’ Living Out Loud columns all the time, and he’s probably a nice enough guy but maybe a little foolish. In his column “Hump Day” (issue of March 25) he was approached by three panhandlers in only a short period of time. The only one who was totally honest was…
Shock & Awe (Review)
At a guess, neither playwright Damon DiMarco nor director Michael King meant for Shock & Awe: Soldiers’ Voices from Iraq to take stage as a laugh riot when, on Thursday night, it opened Northern Kentucky University’s biennial Year-End-Series (Y.E.S.) new play festival. But it did. At a guess, DiMarco was aiming at sage and poignant…
Nightjars (Review)
Despite a few structural fumbles in the second act of Mark Rigney’s Nightjars and the occasional tendency to get knotted up in its own vehemence, the play is an engrossing, in-your-face theater piece. It’s the third of three world premiere scripts on view at Northern Kentucky University’s biennial Year-End Series (Y.E.S.) new play festival. Curtain…
Another Seven Days of Angry Popes and Happy Suburbs
WEDNESDAY APRIL 15When a government tries to tread on Americans, we don’t take it lying down. That’s why thousands of people visited downtown Cincinnati today to participate in the Cincinnati Tea Party, a widely organized event meant to demonstrate displeasure with President Obama’s federal stimulus package and the concept of taxes in general. More than…
Yella (Cinema Guild)
Herk Harvey’s classic 1962 low-budget horror flick Carnival of Souls is twisted into an odd, disquieting but ultimately unsatisfying thriller in the new effort from German filmmaker Christian Petzold. Nina Hoss stars as the titular Yella, who decides to flee her abusive husband in the countryside for a new life and job in the city.…
Mona Thinks Big, Bob Cushing Celebrates the Blue Note and the Return of WoodyFest and Blacklight Barbarian
Local newcomers Mona Medusa celebrate the release of their debut CD, Shiver, this Friday with a show at the Northside Tavern. The free event also includes performances by some of Cincinnati’s finest Rock bands — The Host, Caterpillar Tracks and The Prohibitionists. For their set, Mona Medusa promise a theatrical production in the form of…
Officials Ignore Cincinnati Police Department’s Strife
Something’s going on to cause turmoil in the top ranks of the Cincinnati Police Department, but no one seems to know exactly what. We’ve written plenty of times in the past about Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr.’s unprofessional behavior and fiery temper. What’s surprising about the latest blowup, however, is he’s the one accusing…
Love and Communication (Review)
Watching new scripts in their initial productions can be a double-edged sword: While it’s exciting to be among the first audiences to see a brand-new play, there are often rough edges. Within James Christy’s Love and Communication is a heartfelt, painful story about two parents dealing with the difficulties of raising an autistic child. (That's…
Wild at Heart
As we move purposefully through our overly scheduled, technologically advanced lives, we probably all still think of ourselves — in our darker, more-secret moments at least — as wild at heart. The same is true of wine grapes. Vast, picturesque vineyards might be planted in well-tended rows, but precious few of those grapes owe their…
The Great Buck Howard (Review)
The Amazing Kreskin is a mentalist-thought reader known for his appearances on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and later on The Late Show With David Letterman, although he makes his real living touring community theaters wowing audiences with a mix of jokes, song interludes and feats of mental dexterity that astonished believers and led…
Didn’t Jesus Love Lambs?
Before I left my apartment on that Good Friday before Easter, I checked my mail. My eelskin wallet had arrived from the mail order place. Smiling, I put it on my desk and headed out the door. In my shirt pocket, I had a note reminding me what kind of wine to get at a…
Earth (Review)
Sixty years ago, Disney’s True-Life Adventures blazed the trail for nature filmmaking. Today, after basic cable and other family-friendly documentaries have picked up the slack, it feels like the company’s bringing up the rear. Co-directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield fashion a “year in the life of the planet,” spanning the globe for epic tales…
MDC with Embrace The Kill and others
“MDC” means a lot of things. Using each record to interpret their name differently, the acronym of the Austin, Texas-bred band has stood for Millions of Dead Cops (the most commonly applied meaning, from their 1982 full-length debut), Multi-Death Corporations (1983), Millions of Dead Children (1984), Metal Devil Cokes (1989) and Magnus Dominus Corpus (2004),…
Afghan Whigs, The Eagles and Booty Dance
[HOT] RARE WHIGS Defunct Cincinnati-bred rockers The Afghan Whigs (pictured in their heyday) have a great rare track posted on their MySpace page. The song is a cover of John Lennon’s “Woman,” originally recorded for a planned (then shelved) Lennon tribute album in the mid-’90s. The group had trouble with the song initially because it…
Eight Ex-Mayors Discuss Cincinnati
It was comforting to sit in the audience listening to former Cincinnati mayors talk about the state of our city. See, much of this time I thought I’d completely lost my mind. Was I the only one frustrated by the stagnation prevalent in the upper echelons of Cincinnati’s power structure? Not exactly. Even former mayors…
Shepard Fairey Hits the CAC?
As the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) prepares for next Tuesday's announcement of its 2009-10 season, there is indication it will be bringing the big, nationally reviewed Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand show here from Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). The first museum retrospective for the popular and controversial street artist, Supply and Demand looks…
Re-Integrating Millions
Considering that the United States has incarcerated more of its citizens than any other country in the world, we’ve created a problem we can’t avoid – re-integrating millions of people into mainstream society. With restrictions on employment that bar former felons from even submitting an application for an open position, we’re creating conditions that, at…
