Music: Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes
Elvis Costello’s career has spanned across four decades and probably quadruple that many genres. While he made his name with the highly-melodic, energized New Wave/Rock/Pop sound of his “angry young man” years (and his subsequent, more mature Pop), Costello has never shied away from a musical challenge, exploring various styles, recording with string ensembles, Jazz…
Events: Cincinnati Salsa Festival
Spice up your weekend by attending the second annual Salsa Festival. At Thursday’s free kick-off party on Fountain Square, enjoy live music from Son Del Caribe, a salsa demonstration and a free salsa class by Salsa Underground. Get amped for the fest during Friday’s pre-party at the Contemporary Arts Center from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. For…
Comedy: Darrell Joyce
For someone who tells jokes for a living, Darrell Joyce is actually kind of shy. “I’m not really an outgoing person,” he confesses. “I’m kind of introverted, but I can go on stage and make it happen, and then come off and within 10 seconds I’m the complete opposite.” He knows a lot of non-comedians…
Spindrift
Jim Morrison said it 40-plus years ago, and it might well still be true: The West is the best. There’s more than a hint of The Doors’ dark poetic vision in the work of Spindrift, the latest projectors of dreamy, psychedelic, cinematic L.A. soundscapes, but that’s certainly not the only weapon in the band’s formidable…
Peter Rowan, The Hackensaw Boys, The Tillers, Buffalo Killers and More
Tree-huggers, city slickers, hippies, beard enthusiasts and just plain folk will unite in hordes to attend the Whispering Beard Folk Festival, a three-day music event that showcases local and regional talent in a laid-back, rural setting. The tranquil lakeside pastures of Thorn Hill Farm, located 30 minutes from Cincinnati in Morning View, Ky., will be…
Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes
Elvis Costello’s career has spanned across four decades and probably quadruple that many genres. While he made his name with the highly-melodic, energized New Wave/Rock/Pop sound of his “angry young man” years (and his subsequent, more mature Pop), he's never shied away from a musical challenge, exploring various styles, recording with string ensembles, Jazz artists…
Events: Quilting, Stitching and Crafts Expo
Interested in taking a craftastic voyage this weekend? Head over to the Sharonville Convention Center to get some creative inspiration and stock up on all your crafting needs. The Expo offers over 60 workshops all weekend, including lessons on machine sewing, embroidery and quilting. Check out daily D.I.Y. fashion shows showcasing handmade ensembles. You can…
Fareed Haque & the Flat Earth Ensemble
Is there anything Fareed Haque can't do with a guitar? The answer is seemingly “no,” based on his incredibly varied musical activities, which include fronting Jam icons Garaj Mahal, guitaring for George Brooks in his Jazz band Summit and maintaining a solo career that includes duo gigs with guitarist Goran Ivanovic and recording and touring…
Art: The Chemistry of Color at the Taft Museum of Art
The exhibition currently on view at the Taft Museum of Art, The Chemistry of Color: The Sorgenti Collection of African American Art, highlights some of the key artists in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts — Saar, Faith Ringgold, Howerdina Pindell, Sam Gilliam, Beverly Buchanan and Romare Bearden, as well as artist Jacob Lawrence himself.…
Three Dog Night, Kansas, Commodores and More
Blue Ash tastes … good! Savor the flavor of summer for one last time with a visit to the 24th annual Taste of Blue Ash featuring free performances from local and national acts, including Three Dog Night (pictured) at 9 p.m. Friday, Kansas at 9 p.m. Saturday, Commodores at 7 p.m. Sunday and others. Plus,…
Hiking Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana
Welcome to Menasha Ridge Press’ 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, a series designed to provide hikers with the information they need to find and hike the very best trails surrounding metropolitan areas. Our strategy is simple: First, find a hiker who knows the area and loves to hike. Second, ask that person to spend a…
What Bad Weather?
In regard to the weather, I’d like to dispel the myth that you can’t hike in “bad” weather. As long as it isn’t dangerous weather, hiking during “bad” weather, such as a mild rain or light snowfall, provides some of the best times to hike because there are fewer people to bump into and more…
Theater CEAs To Be Handed Out Aug. 30
The 13th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs), Greater Cincinnati's longest running local theater awards program, celebrate the recently completed 2008-09 theater season and anticipate the coming season. Winners will be announced in 20 categories, 12 of which were determined by public vote; eight “Critical Achievement Awards” were determined by a panel of area theater critics…
Delbert McClinton, Joe Henry, Hot Club of Cowtown and Brendan Benson
One of these fine days, I’ll use my turntable for more than a high tech coffeetable, but it might not be anytime soon. I’m scrambling to get my normal volume of work done and in the meantime, my household duties have doubled with my wife’s broken shoulder, the MidPoint Music Festival previews are looming on…
All in the Family
When things really got rolling for Tim and Jennifer Perrino and Denny Reed, they had no trouble seeing that their efforts were having an impact on the local theater landscape. But they didn’t quite realize that the bargain included being responsible for some of Cincinnati’s most beloved landmarks. When they finally figured it out, it…
Bruffy to Leave Know Theatre
Jason Bruffy will leave his position as artistic director of Know Theatre of Cincinnati on Sept. 4 to lead the Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC) in Utah. He became Know's artistic leader in 2004 and oversaw the company's 2006 move from a church basement in Over-the-Rhine to a remodeled, two-story building on Jackson Street in…
Health Care Tour Here on Saturday
The "Highway to Health Care" tour rolls into town Saturday, stopping in Bond Hill to help local people contact their members of Congress to demand real health care reform. Sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the tour features an RV outfitted as a mobile activism center, complete with on-board…
Friday Movie Roundup: Basterds Highlights Home Stretch
The summer movie season is closing with a flurry: Recent weeks have given us such diverse, worthwhile fare as Funny People, The Girl from Monaco, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, (500) Days of Summer, Ponyo, District 9 and the best film of the year so far, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. —- Add to…
Post Grad (Review)
Alexis Bledel’s big blue eyes and dimpled chin might be adorable, but they’re not nearly enough to save Post Grad from cliché-ridden mediocrity. Bledel is Ryden Malby, a freshly minted college graduate determined to procure a position at a fancy publishing house in Los Angeles. During a job interview Ryden talks about her passion for…
Tulpan (Review)
Director Sergey Dvortsevoy's Tulpan is a poignant story about Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov), a Kazakh soldier who returns from a duty in the Russian Navy to his family's remote, bucolic life on the southern steppe. Asa's plans to marry a local girl named Tulpan (translates as Tulip) and follow his family's nomadic tradition of herding and…
Soul Power (Review)
Soul Power is a vital documentary about “Zaire ’74,” a three-day concert, preceding the famous Ali/Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in Kinsasha, Zaire, where great musical acts like Celia Cruz, the Fania All Stars, James Brown, The Spinners and B.B. King performed under a banner intended to popularize Zaire President Mobutu Sese Seko.…
Music Resource Center Opening
The Music Resource Center – Cincinnati opened its doors Aug. 15. It will be a multifaceted teen center that will use recording and performing arts, as well as life skills mentoring, to create a sense of empowerment and accomplishment in the urban community. The center is located at 3032 Woodburn Avenue and is currently seeking…
Stage Door: Free, Stripped-Down, Outdoor Shakespeare
Right now most theaters are readying shows that will be onstage in early September, so there's not a lot to see around town. But if you're looking for some dramatic entertainment on Sunday evening that will keep you outdoors, I suggest you head to the lawn at the Harry Whiting Brown Community Center in Glendale…
CityBeat Podcast 22: Mafia Enforcer Anthony Fiato
Former Mafia enforcer Anthony Fiato tells stories from his life of crime. Fiato was the subject of the memoir The Animal In Hollywood by John Smith which was published in 1998. The interview was recorded the same year. < If you like what you hear, please support our podcast by subscribing to our podcast in…
Cintas Will Pay $22M to Settle Lawsuit
After a six-year legal battle, Cintas Corp. has agreed to an arbitrator’s recommendation and will pay more than $22.75 million to settle a federal lawsuit about overtime pay for uniform delivery drivers.—- Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit alleged Cintas misclassified thousands of its drivers as exempt…
Lessons Learned
Ah, summer: a time of blissful carelessness, rash decisions, heat-induced mistakes and occasionally painful life lessons. (Remember Sallie May from the summer of ’01? Didn’t think so.) The old adage that art imitates life couldn’t be truer than during the months of May to September, when Hollywood peels off its clothes, adopts that “go big…
NUDE (Review)
Critic's Pick Looking for the right kind of art show to fill East Walnut Hills’ Manifest Gallery during the hot days and nights of August, chief curator Jason Franz has decided to go NUDE. The show, an addition to the planned original season of eight exhibitions, opened Friday and continues through Sept. 11. It reflects…
Lots of Winners in Local Theater World
The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEA) for theater, set to be handed out Aug. 30, led me to wonder if our theater scene compares favorably with other cities. Would the 100 CEA nominees compete with performers and productions elsewhere? Those are subjective judgments, to be sure, but simply counting productions of important plays, we match up…
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: Beats, Rhymes and Life
Recently, CityBeat gave me a really big word limit to tell you guys stuff I know ‘cause I write good. Also, as I said before, I dropped out of English 103 and college in general, which makes me a winner. A quick summary, if you missed the first column: the Cincinnati Hip Hop scene of…
Gilpin’s Bagel & Deli (Lunch Review)
After seeing the little flyer hanging up in the CityBeat elevator every time I came to the office, I’m glad I finally got to visit Gilpin’s Bagel & Deli (37 E. Seventh St., Downtown, 513-421-GBAD). I was welcomed with a nice retro display outside when I arrived for a recent visit. There was grass turf…
REACHing for More
As summer draws to a close and families with schoolage children begin preparing for the coming semester, the leaders of Project REACH are gearing up for their second year of work. The program, which provided intensive college-prep guidance in five Cincinnati Public Schools high schools last year, hopes to expand to two more schools for…
Owned by Ono, Kanye’s Film and Rock ‘N Roll Camp
[HOT] Rock Band gets Yoko Ono’d Giving the Beatles hell wasn’t enough for Yoko Ono, as Rock Band designers are now getting a taste of the former First Lady of Rock. Ono reportedly decided to wait until the last minute to tell the designers of The Beatles: Rock Band video game that she felt it…
Cincinnati: The Original Music City
Believe it or not, back in the 1940s and ’50s, before recording artists flocked to Nashville, Tenn., some of Country music’s most legendary artists came to Cincinnati to record hits that would one day make them famous. Musicians like Hank Williams, Patti Page and Flatt and Scruggs all played sessions at Cincinnati’s historic Herzog Studios,…
Music: Hank Williams and Herzog Studios Marker Benefit
Believe it or not, back in the 1940s and ’50s, before recording artists flocked to Nashville, Tenn., some of Country music’s most legendary artists came to Cincinnati to record hits that would one day make them famous. Musicians like Hank Williams, Patti Page and Flatt and Scruggs all played sessions at Cincinnati’s historic Herzog Studios,…
Dusty Loves Making Headlines
Did you know that Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes likes taxes and hates foster children? OK, that’s not entirely accurate. But it is just the sort of simplistic distortion of the facts and political posturing that Rhodes himself used recently when he announced that he might have to report everyone to the Internal Revenue Service…
Billy Catfish Swims Upstream
Sometimes it helps to get things going by having a sippin’ glass of whiskey within your reach. You can think of many obsolescent forms of media and the memories you have of hitting the “play” button. And when someone asks about that rubber band wrapped around that hand-held cassette recorder, you can ignore them. Or…
House of Sun (Review)
Critic's Pick If there’s no vacation in the budget this year, there are still loads of opportunities to expand your dining horizons. You can flavor your staycation with authentic Chinese cuisine at House of Sun, where brunch rivals the best dim sum I’ve had in any city. This no-glamour dining spot is in a small…
Remembering Oliver
I moved to Clifton last week, out of my parents’ home and into my first apartment, just in time for the dog days of summer. I moved with my family a couple of times over the years. Each time I move I find a trace of my childhood worthy of a chuckle or pang of…
District 9 (Review)
It’s worth noting that co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp sets District 9’s pivotal event — the arrival of a derelict alien spacecraft over Johannesburg, South Africa, leaving more than a million extraterrestrial refugees — in the 1980s. Apparently, that’s when the filmmaker learned everything he needed to know about allegorical/satirical science fiction. Blomkamp sets the bulk of…
The Enquirer, Election Commission, Public Library
[WINNER] THE ENQUIRER: Admittedly, we have a history of questioning the actions of The Cincinnati Enquirer, but we’ll give them a shout out this week. Editor & Publisher has listed The Enquirer as one of “10 That Do it Right” in 2009. E&P said one of the reasons it chose our local daily as an…
Inglourious Basterds (Review)
Let the record show that Quentin Tarantino did not remake, remix or reconfigure Enzo G. Castellari’s 1978 World War II exploitation flick Inglorious Bastards, starring Bo Svenson and Fred “The Hammer” Williamson. (I doubt you could find two guys more up QT’s alley if you tried). No, these Basterds, unique for more than the misspelled…
Krononauts (Profile)
All four members of Krononauts wear glasses. True thinkers, they pause before speaking. See, they’re worried. Outside of music, they work together. Closely. And revealing the intricacies of their jobs could have catastrophic results. They take an incredible risk in talking with an outsider like me. Any conversation misstep could alter the future dramatically. Krononauts…
Aug. 12-18: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY AUG. 12 Living in a recession is hard. We at WWE! have already sold a kidney to pay for ramen and Playboy, and we can still only afford to drink Natty Light (in bottles when we feel like classing it up or we have a lady friend over). The Enquirer reported today that although…
Stressed in Sharonville
Dear Intern, I recently started a new, professional job in an office building where everyone works in open cubicles, and sometimes while I’m talking customers on the phone I write my thoughts about them on a piece of paper. Things like, “Your voice is going to give me a brain aneurysm,” or “I’m sleeping with…
D.I.Y. Samurai: Denim
I hate wearing pants. For every ten pairs of pants I try on, I might look slightly normal in one. They’re usually too short and I always have a hand-full of extra fabric in the crotch region (Do pant designers assume everyone has a foopa? ). I wish a dress or skirt was appropriate for…
