Aug 22-29, 2018
A Royal Rebirth: Cincinnati unites to celebrate music institution King Records’ crucial legacy while also considering its future potential
All the Beers You Can Drink this Weekend at Cincinnati Beerfest
The 10th-annual summer Cincy Beerfest is moving from Fountain Square to Great American Ball Park for a single-day, two-session festival on Sept. 1. Sessions take place 1:30-4:30 p.m. or 8-11 p.m. that day, and early admission tickets get you into each session one hour early. Beerfest will be taking over multiple areas within and outside…
Chelsea Clinton is Coming to Cincinnati to Promote her New Children’s Book
Joseph-Beth Booksellers has announced that Chelsea Clinton will be coming for a book signing from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 15. Her new children's Start Now! You Can Make a Difference. She'll appear at its Rookwood store, 2692 Madison Rd. The new book, according to the bookseller, information on problems both large and small. "Chelsea Clinton…
‘Cincy Kids’ Photography Book Places Larger-Than-Life Action Figures at Cincinnati Landmarks
It’s the little things we remember from childhood, and favorite toys loom larger than life for Kristian Geer, a UPS sorter whose hobby is forced-perspective photography. For about three years, the fifth-generation Cincinnatian has posed tiny treasures from a chest that his dad made in front of city landmarks. Now he’s compiled the shots into…
Burnet Woods’ Trailside Nature Center will temporarily be an art gallery
Welcome an interesting new venue for a visual art exhibition — the Trailside Nature Center at Burnet Woods. The Clifton Cultural Arts Center has announced that the ninth installment of its juried The Golden Ticket group exhibition will occur there Nov. 2-Dec. 15, rather than at the traditional location, CCAC's home in the old Clifton…
‘Bark in the Park’ Invites All Good Dogs to Watch the Cincinnati Reds (and Parade Around) Great American Ball Park
Bring your pup to the park for the Cincinnati Reds’ Bark in the Park event. All good dogs (who have signed a vaccine wavier) are invited to parade around the field 40 minutes before the first pitch and then join their human in a special seating section to watch the game. Vendors will be on…
Stricker’s Grove — Hamilton, Ohio’s Private Vintage Amusement Park — is Open to the Public on Labor Day
Stricker’s Grove is closed to the public for most of the year, save for a few special days in the summer and fall. Labor Day is one of those days. This family-owned, 25-acre old-fashioned amusement park is home to tons of nostalgic games and classic rides. Play mini-golf and arcade games or take a ride…
University of Cincinnati Researchers to Study School’s Connection to Slavery
The University of Cincinnati, today one of the city's largest employers and one of Ohio's most prominent state universities, didn't come into existence until five years after the Civil War ended and enslaved African-Americans were emancipated. But its history goes back earlier than its official 1870 birthday — and so does its connection with America's…
Need a Guided By Voices Fix? Some Local Musicians Have Teamed Up to Pay Tribute to the Ohio Indie Rock Gods
Two years have passed since influential Dayton, Ohio rockers Guided By Voices rocked a stage in Greater Cincinnati. And while area hardcore fans who need to experience the communal epic-ness of GBV’s live show at least once a month in order to function have been able to drive a few hours to catch the band…
Cincinnati Indie Pop Greats Pomegranates to Reunite for Free Outdoor Block Party Concert Downtown this Friday
This Friday, Aug. 31, the Cincinnati Indie Pop group Pomegranates returns to the concert stage for the first time in since 2015, when the band released its Healing Power album with a pair of shows at Southgate House Revival. Pomegranates were regulars on the national tour circuit and released several well-received and critically lauded albums…
After Four Years of Aging, Northern Kentucky’s New Riff Bourbon is Ready to Meet the Masses
On a hot Tuesday afternoon in July, more than 2,000 people have gathered on the Purple People Bridge, lining the structure from Newport to Cincinnati in two haphazard rows. They’re here to participate in “The World’s Biggest Bourbon Toast” — and to get a taste of New Riff Distillery’s highly anticipated first batch of bourbon. After…
U.S. Senate Bill Would Return Federal Funds for a Shuttered Ohio Charter to Public Schools
Cincinnati Public Schools lost out on roughly $14 million in funding that instead went to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, an online charter school which shuttered early this year after the state accused it of juicing its attendance numbers. And that was just the state money funneled to the now-defunct charter. In addition, districts like CPS also…
What a Week!: Aug. 22-28
Coconut Oil: Natural Lifestyle Staple or Literal Poison? A Harvard professor last week gave an educational talk about the dangers of nature’s lubricant: coconut oil. The ingredient has gained mainstream popularity in the States and beyond in recent years, being used as a healthier alternative to other fats and oils. But this prof called coconut…
This Week in Questionable Decisions: Aug. 22-28
This Week in Questionable Decisions… 1. The “In My Feelings” challenge can officially R.I.P. after an FBI most-wanted double homicide suspect did the dance while being escorted in handcuffs by police. Meanwhile, in a very “I’m not a regular teacher, I’m a cool teacher” move, instructors across the country are using the Drake song in…
Recommended Cincinnati Concerts: The Dead Daisies with Dizzy Reed at Bogart’s (Aug. 30)
Of all the unlikely origin stories in the history of Rock, The Dead Daisies may possess the unlikeliest of them all. Co-founder/guitarist David Lowy’s résumé prior to 2011 included holding the Executive and Managing Director positions for Australia’s Westfield Group, a corporation that oversaw the creation, acquisition and marketing of shopping centers (or centres, as…
FILM REVIEW: Inside the maddening perfectionism of John McEnroe
Tennis legend and commentator John McEnroe has become the subject of several films recently. At last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, director Janus Metz Pedersen and screenwriter Ronnie Sandahl captured the essence of McEnroe’s rivalry with the centered, machine-like Björn Borg in their dramatic portrayal of Borg vs McEnroe. Now, the documentary John McEnroe: In…
Recommended Cincinnati Concerts: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio at MOTR Pub (Sept. 1)
The Vintage Soul revival has largely been fueled by singers who magically recapture the emotional depths of Rock & Roll-era R&B greats like Sam Cooke or Al Green. But rising star Delvon Lamarr has taken a different route, and it’s wordless. The Hammond B-3 organ specialist is more Booker T than Otis — he channels…
Cincinnati Brewery News, Events and Fresh Releases
Breweries have become synonymous with music fests. Urban Artifact hosts a two-day Hip Hop festival called Overcast from Aug. 31-Sept. 2 (see Spill it on page 31 for more), but on Sept. 22, Cincy’s ladies of Rock get their chance to shine at the brewery’s Moxie Rock. Acts include Kristen Kreft of the Perfect Children,…
Cincinnati Roots music newcomers Chelsea Ford and The Trouble release debut album recorded in a Kentucky tavern
“I finally got the guts to start doing this and I don’t ever want to stop,” proclaims 35-year-old Chelsea Ford, bandleader of Cincinnati’s Chelsea Ford and The Trouble, beaming with a mischievous smile under a worn trucker-style cap. “I ain’t going nowhere!” That outlook bodes well for the rest of us, as Ford and her…
Greater Cincinnati May Have the Nation’s Sorriest Bus Stop; More News
Hey all! Let’s run through the news real quick to start the week off. Finally, a tournament bracket where Cincinnati has a real shot at winning it all. Readers of Streetsblog.org, a popular urban transit site, are mulling now whether Cincinnati has "the sorriest bus stop" in the country. A Metro bus stop in Springfield…
Northside Yacht Club Hosts ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ Ramen Night
In the latest rendition of its ongoing pop-up with forthcoming College Hill Japanese gastropub Kiki, Northside Yacht Club is presenting a tomato-themed ramen night on Mondays. Chef Hideki Harada — formerly co-owner and chef at Kaze OTR — and his wife Yuko are slated to open Kiki this year and to get people a lil'…
‘John Waters: Indecent Exposure’ museum exhibit is coming to Columbus’ Wexner Center in early 2019
John Waters, primarily known as an filmmaker whose satires like Pink Flamingos, Pecker, Hairspray and Mondo Trasho skewer uptight American society while embracing those on its cultural fringes, is also a distinguished visual artist. His work is in the collections of The Baltimore Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of…
World Champion Joey Chestnut to Defend Bratwurst-Eating Title at Oktoberfest Cincinnati
Want to watch some dudes inhumanly stuff their faces with bratwurts in the name of competitive glory? Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, a world champion competitive eater, will chow down to defend his bratwurst-eating crown at the 43rd-annual Oktoberfest Zinzinnati (Sept. 21-23). Players have 10 minutes to consume (inhale?) as many bratwursts as possible. Imagine: 10…
Rising Hip Hop Star Aminé to Perform in Cincinnati This Fall
Aminé, the Portland, Ore. native and rapper who broke through on Soundcloud and then later with the hit single “Caroline,” will perform in Cincinnati on Nov. 29. Tickets ($25, or $75 if you want the “Early Entry Merch Package”) are on sale now here. The son of Ethiopian immigrants, Adam Aminé Daniel, took his love…
Air Quality Test Shows Less Mold in Streetcars Than Outside Air; More News
Hello all. Let’s do a quick news roundup to finish up this crazy week, shall we? Remember that whole deal with the mold on the streetcar that blew up early this month? Welp, turns out there was more mold in the air outside that vehicle than there was inside, the Cincinnati Business Courier reports. A…
Cincinnati Native and AltRock Star Andy Black Celebrates Making the Cover of Alternative Press for the 10th Time with New Single
Andy Biersack, who grew up on the West Side of Cincinnati before taking his Black Veil Brides band out west and finding worldwide success, has dropped a brand new solo single, "My Way," in conjunction with his latest appearance on the cover of the music magazine Alternative Press. The track is a cover of the…
New trailer released for Robert Redford’s Cincinnati-filmed feature, ‘The Old Man and the Gun’
IndieWire has just posted a story about the new trailer and growing interest in the movie, which was filmed in Cincinnati and Dayton and may well be Robert Redford's last role before retirement: Among the local sites that can be glimpsed is Northside's Blue Jay Restaurant and the city skyline. But perhaps the most arresting…
With Tax Increases Nixed, Cincinnati’s Budget Troubles Continue
A plan that would have provided funding for human services agencies through the city via a ticket tax hike appears to be off the table. Cincinnati City Council members P.G. Sittenfeld and David Mann, both Democrats, announced the proposal in June at a news conference at the West End’s Center for Addiction Treatment. The plan…
WATCH: Cincinnati Funk Music Great Freekbass and Friends Cavort Around the American Sign Museum In New “Steppin Outta Line” Video
Cincinnati modern Funk master Freekbass has been having some fun on the road lately. This past Sunday, he sat in on bass with Umphrey's McGee for a cover of Prince’s “Controversy” in Knoxville, Tenn., and he’s been doing some dates as part of the Joe Marcinek Band, which has featured legendary musicians like Melvin Seals,…
A Farm in Falmouth, Ky. Needs Help Finding Homes for More than 300 Rescue Pigs
Upward of 300 potbellied pigs on a property in Falmouth, Ky. need help finding new homes before a Sept. 14 deadline. According to a Facebook post on Butler County's Atti’s Acres, a rescue nonprofit for potbellied pigs that has partnered with other rescue organizations to help the pigs and their owner, the owner of the property has…
Minimum Gauge: Sony confesses several “new songs” on Michael Jackson’s posthumous 2010 album were actually performed by an MJ impersonator
HOT: Fake Tunes Several unreleased new songs that appeared on Michael Jackson’s posthumous 2010 album, Michael, should now be written as “unreleased new songs,” after Sony Music came clean about their origins. The songs “Monster,” “Keep Your Head Up” and “Breaking News” were fake, according to the record label conglomerate, and the work of an…
LISTEN: Ohio Pop Rock Maestro M Ross Perkins’ “Bed Sheet Wing”
Earlier this year in our 2018 Best of Cincinnati issue, we cited Northern Kentucky's well-distributed Sofa Burn Records as the " Best Record Label with a Powerhouse Local Music Roster." The label's great stable of artists isn't limited to Greater Cincinnati, though. No. 1 case in point: Dayton, Ohio's fantastic singer/songwriter M Ross Perkins, whose…
A New Tent City Has Popped Up — But It’s Fake
It is hard to know what is real these days. Over the last month, the city and advocates for people experiencing homelessness fought a pitched battle over a tent city that originated under Fort Washington Way near Third Street and moved several times as the city sought to remove it. Earlier this week, the last…
Meet ArtWorks’ latest mural of a Cincinnati music great — Mamie Smith
Mamie Smith has joined Rosemary Clooney and James Brown as one of the great performers to have their own Artworks' Cincinnati Legends mural. The Smith mural, designed by Julia Bottoms, was dedicated at 309 W. 13th St. in the Pendleton District on Wednesday (Aug. 22). Smith, who is believed to have been born in Cincinnati…
Celebrate the King: The Gala Kicks-Off Cincinnati’s King Records Month in Style at Over-the-Rhine’s Memorial Hall
Syd Nathan put his plan to launch a record label into action in September of 1943, enlisting Country music entertainers Grandpa Jones and Merle Travis to record the first music for the venture, which Nathan dubbed “King Records.” To mark the beginning of what would become one of the most crucial record labels in the…
Cincinnati’s 21c Museum Hotel Hosts Beer Cheese Dinner with Local Cookbook Author
Downtown's 21c Museum Hotel's in-house restaurant Metropole is pairing with local cookbook author (and CityBeat contributor) Garin Pirnia on a pre-Oktoberfest beer cheese dinner on Thursday, Sept. 20. Pirnia's cookbook, The Beer Cheese Book, unravels the history and recipes for Central Kentucky's classic cold beer cheese dip, including how to travel along the Beer Cheese…
Sample Great Cincinnati and National Music and Nearly Four Dozen Different Beers at This Weekend’s Bewilderfest in Northside
The annual Bewilderfest music festival (sometimes styled as “beWILDerfest”) returns to Urban Artifact in Northside this weekend boasting its best lineup yet. Besides being top-loaded with some impressive touring headliners, including Cults, Moon Hooch, Gangstagrass and Saintseneca, Friday and Saturday’s Bewilder-festivities also include sets from some of Greater Cincinnati’s top local artists from various genres.…
Kroger To Just Say No To Plastic Shopping Bags… Eventually
Those who rely on Kroger shopping bags for things like cleaning out their cat litter boxes, disposing of dog poop and perhaps other non-animal-feces-related things will have to come up with a new plan in a few years. The Cincinnati-headquartered company announced this morning that it plans to phase out the supplied plastic bags in…
