Phyllis Weston-Annie Bolling show is bright and engaging
Although burdened by a title that's a little too cute, Young at Art: Works on Paper by Emerging and Established Artists at Phyllis Weston-Annie Bolling Gallery is a bright and engaging show. These are the very individual works of five artists with ties to Cincinnati, plus a renegade Russian who used his art to speak…
Getting to the ‘Real Truth’
A tenet of ethical reporting is to verify information not personally known to the reporter. That's true even if — especially if — a public official, a public figure or a syndicated columnist makes a claim of public concern. Sometimes the only people likely to know what's going on are the sole source(s) for the…
Tight Times
All this talk of a recession got me to thinking. Before the gas hike, people carelessly spent money as if dollar trees grew in the backyard. Television sold us notions of what middle class families owned, which we bought. Now everyone's shuddering in fear of high prices as if that's a new nightmare. Inflation and…
When Your Relationship Gets Serious
One thing I feel I did right earlier in my life was building a strong, communication-based relationship with my wife in the years before our marriage. We talked about everything, building up to a point where no topic was off limits between us and we could expect a truly honest answer from each other. From…
The Bad Words (Profile)
The Bad Words are already living up to their name in high profile fashion. The recent regional winners of the Colgate Country Challenge, a Nashville Star-like talent competition, have been told by the toothpaste sponsor that they can't play one of their signature songs, "Drunk at Church," at the contest's state level. "We've been censored…
Spring Awakening
Winton Place — ahem, Spring Grove Village — is not the kind of place you probably think it is. The Cincinnati neighborhood on the east side of Spring Grove Cemetery recently changed its name, partially to shake loose a reputation of being a place riddled with crime. Certainly Winton Place has crime, along with a…
Take the Local Music Challenge
Do you know which two members of a long-running, still-active local band were name-checked on The X-Files? Which local guitarist/actor had a bit part in the Jodie Foster movie Little Man Tate? Or which local musician was given his nickname by Jazz giant Stan Kenton? Me neither. But I do know which popular Country music…
Slanted humor and deft Indie Pop propel We Are Scientists
My collegiate band experience was an exercise in intellectual masturbation. Consisting of only a friend and I, we spent half-hearted weekends loosely constructing songs about skin diseases, sonic ballads about why no one wanted to date us and playing dismal Neil Young covers that were infinitely more depressing than the original tracks. Our live performances…
Annual Comic-Con is a multimedia pop culture extravaganza
The idea of remaking a beloved classic science-fiction film as a huge summer blockbuster starring Keanu Reeves might seem like a hard sell, especially to an audience of hardcore genre fans, but this is exactly the challenge director Scott Derrickson faces in supporting his version of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).…
A really long yard sale, seafood festival on the river, Greg Giraldo, Taste of Colerain and much more
WEDNESDAY 8/06 MUSIC: JAKE LA BOTZ gets ready for his third annual tattoo parlour tour at One Shot Tattoo. See Sound Advice preview here. ART: PHYLLIS WESTON-ANNIE BOLLING GALLERY presents a bright and engaging show with a cute title, Young at Art: Works on Paper by Emerging and Established Artists. See review here. ART: CREATIVE…
Lawsuit alleges Cintas executives aren’t addressing employee safety
A Greater Cincinnati company with a history of federal workplace safety violations is being sued by one of its institutional shareholders, which alleges the firm's directors foster a corporate culture that ignores safety regulations and discriminates against its workers. The lawsuit alleges that directors at Mason-based Cintas Corp. aren't fulfilling their fiduciary duties to the…
It Came from Cincinnati
Once in a while it's fun to look back at theater productions from Cincinnati that have had subsequent life in theaters elsewhere. The Cincinnati Playhouse's Around the World in 80 Days recently transferred to off-Broadway's Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City for an eight-week stint, opening on July 20 and running through Sept. 28.…
The Great Cincinnati Music Trivia Challenge
Trivia and I have had a long relationship. From growing up a TV addict and watching years of Jeopardy! with my family to combing music and entertainment magazines for the most miniscule facts, I imagine I'd be a hell of a lot smarter if my brain weren't filled with so much useless information. I'm the…
Another seven days of drugs and sex for sale
WEDNESDAY JULY 30 A respected organization of physicians has released an official warning of the dangers associated with text messaging, and the AP made some calls today to see what kind of hilarious ways people have gotten hurt looking at their cell phones instead of where they're walking. Among the funny (non-fatal) injuries were 15-year-old…
Wining and Dining You This Month
It seems everyone in Cincinnati, and possibly everyone in the country, wants to wine and dine you this month. Check it out. First, Jean-Robert at Pigall's offers dinner Friday with Jan Krupp of Krupp Brothers Estates, a premium Napa Valley winery. Jan will present family wines and Jean-Robert de Cavel will offer a special menu;…
West End Questions Mayor’s Motives
West End residents are nothing if not tenacious, and now they're ready to fight one of their own, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. A group in the neighborhood that was once home to Mallory and his extended family recently issued a statement that accuses the powerful clan of numerous conflicts of interest affecting their public service.…
Cincinnati Music Trivia Challenge Answer Key
1. MOTH 2. Over the Rhine 3. Buckethead 4. Hank Williams, Herzog Studio 5. e) Talking Heads' 1977 6. SS-20's Jughead 7. Midnight Star's "No Parking on the Dance Floor" 8. Sleep Theatre 9. Out of Their Mouths and Into Your Head. Bands: The Tigerlilies, The Ass Ponys, Wolverton Brothers, Chrome Cranks, The Murkins, Sugarhead,…
Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
Several local musicians and their fans have started a new "get out the vote" campaign. And they're not pretending to be bi-partisan. At the group's site, CincyRocksObama.com, one can find useful voting information (including voter registration info and Web sites that help confirm you are registered and where you should vote). A calendar for shows…
Rusty Bucket Corner Tavern (Review)
Critic's Pick I find myself wanting to dine casually much more often these days. I'm happiest eating at the bar with paper napkins, and if I don't have to dress up I'm pretty close to bliss. That's why I felt pretty good racing out of the house last Sunday in shorts and a T-shirt to…
Carrie Nixon
Carrie Nixon's paintings and drawings are based in perception. Similar to a diary, they document a continuum of moments. Her subjects often include the human figure absorbed in thought or activity and frequently focus on the fleeting effects of color, light and movement. Catch a glimpse of her work in Exquisite Drawing at Dicere Gallery…
The Griffey Dream Ends, but Not Dreaming
"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." — John Barrymore We should probably stop speculating about the future after botching Junior Griffey's engagement in Cincinnati so badly, but we can't. We really need the future right now. The present is worthless, after all. The worst that can be said about…
Hipsters and Immigration
I'm no staunch conservative nor an extreme liberal, but we can't continue to accommodate the rejects from Mexico and South America ("Sheriff Richard Jones, Butler County's Delivery Man," issue of July 30). And, yes, Mexico opens up its jails and dumps criminals at the border. What about some of the Central Americans who wear loin…
Music series presents uncommonly good Jazz, kicking off with Tia Fuller
Cincinnati is in for a treat. The open-air Jazz concert series known as It's Commonly Jazz will be celebrating its 23rd anniversary, this Thursday by moving to Eden Park's Seasongood Pavilion. The concert series, taking place every Thursday evening in August, is kicking off with the musical equivalent of a freight train — the Tia…
More concert previews of note
Delta/Piedmont Blues translator Jake La Botz's resume reads like fiction — except for the facts. Raised by his radical leftist union organizer/journalist father in Chicago, La Botz loved acting early on, ushering at local theaters at age 8 to see free plays. He tried high school fine arts, discovered Punk, stole a car at 15…
Jacoby & Pronk ‘do their own thing’ at the Gala of International Dance Stars
Whatever the style, dance — like life — constantly calls for changes and shifts. As summer shifts into the dog days, it's already August and time for the season's splashiest dance treat, a chance to catch top dancers from top companies the world over in a one-night powerhouse program. Fresh changes are afoot this year…
