Mayberry Moving to Main
Mayberry is small but mighty tasty. Soon, it will be slightly larger — large enough to accommodate the big talent of its young owner, Josh Campbell. Cincinnati native Campbell said today that he'll be opening in the space formerly occupied by the Courtyard Cafe, 1211 Main, sometime in the New Year. Mayberry's current locale, while…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Gerard Butler had to be pulled from the dangerous waters of the sea while filming the surfing movie Of Men and Mavericks. Butler was taken to a hospital after being rescued by a patrolman. It was determined by doctors at the Stanford Medical Center that Butler was not seriously injured, just dazed. "[Butler] had that…
Lending a Helping Hand
A s the weather turns cold and gas and electric bills begin to rise, many local residents worry about how they can afford to keep warm. A local nonprofit organization is trying to help, however, by providing critical home repair services to help those in need. The organization, People Working Cooperatively (PWC), provides repairs, weatherization,…
Into the Fire
T he haze of the smoke has already crept to the first floor. We’re walking bowlegged up the building’s stairs because the center of the steps is the first part to be weakened by the fire. I have a fire hose under my arm. Pulling it up the steps reminds me of dragging a long…
Onstage: CYPT Reunion Benefit Concert
Alumni of Cincinnati Young People’s Theater (CYPT), which celebrated three decades of summertime shows last August, will be gathering on Tuesday at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts to catch up and entertain an eager audience of friends, admirers and others who have been involved in some of the more than 50 shows the…
Morning News and Stuff
If you're one of those people who enjoys relaxing in a public park, maybe eating a sandwich and enjoying the lush greenspace Cincinnati has grown proud of, that's all well and good. (Bring a blanket and some apples; enjoy yourself.) That is, until you get a little sleepy and want to lie down on the…
Art: Meantime
Under curator William Messer, the photography shows at Iris BookCafe and Gallery have been consistently valuable and thoughtful, providing yet another reason — besides the books, records and refreshments — for lingering at one of Main Street's most appealing destinations. The latest — up now through March 16 — continues that standard. It features the…
Events: Holiday Lights on the Hill
More fun than watching cold donkeys stand around at live nativity scenes and safer than sledding down hills on lunch trays stolen from the school cafeteria, holiday light shows are sort of a contemporary yuletide tradition. Hamilton’s Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park has embraced this family-friendly wintertime spectacle and is presenting its annual Holiday Lights on…
Cramerding Runs for Treasurer
A longtime campaign consultant has decided to jump into politics himself. Jeff Cramerding announced today that he will seek the Democratic nomination to run for Hamilton County treasurer next year. Cramerding, 38, of Price Hill, is a local attorney who has served as a consultant to numerous area politicians, mostly Democrats and Charterites. They include…
Art: One2
How do you narrow down a single work of art for display out of more than 252 entries? That’s the challenge presented by Manifest’s One Prize. For the second year in a row, the gallery has devoted an entire exhibition space to a solitary object selected by a pool of 10 (conspicuously anonymous) jurors. Last…
Comedy: Andre Hyland
Like so many entertainers — from porn stars to horrible bands — comedians have figured out that the internet is the best thing to happen to promotions since the invention of the press release. Cincinnatian Andre Hyland has been making hilarious videos since he was a local high school student and his steady stream of…
Events: Festival of Lights at Cincinnat Zoo
We may have to wait until 2050 for space tourism but there is definitely an out of this world feeling at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights. Whirl through light tunnels into other galaxies without the loss of gravity. Observe aliens roar and growl and swim on their planets. Take a ride on a space-locomotive…
Events: Holidays Downtown
Downtown Cincinnati is spreading holiday cheer this festive season with plenty of activities and events planned for all ages. This Wednesday enjoy an evening that includes the unity lighting of an 18-foot menorah at 5:30 p.m. Indulge in ice skating to Hannukah-themed music at the U.S. Bank Ice Rink and enjoy Jewish cuisine, including jelly…
Dance Delights
Cincinnati Ballet’s The New Nutcracker is, in a word, spectacular. And I mean that in the literal sense: It’s truly a spectacle. Thursday evening’s well-attended opening night at the Aronoff Center offered an impressive smorgasbord of visual and dance delights. It’s clear the Ballet’s Artistic Director and CEO Victoria Morgan, who choreographed this new version,…
The Ballad Of Aralee Strange
What is it about being human that causes us to toast only the dead? Let us instead now celebrate the living. Aralee Strange. The name is almost too perfect, as if a literary device. Yet she is, if nothing else, very real. I first saw Aralee in the early ’90s at a reading she gave…
![Deters and Burress [Bah Humbug Edition]](https://i0.wp.com/www.citybeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/winnerslosers-2.png?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
Deters and Burress [Bah Humbug Edition]
[LOSER] JOE DETERS: Never one to pass up an opportunity to make headlines, Hamilton County’s prosecutor inserted himself into the outrage over the 10-second fight that broke out among players during the Dec. 10 Crosstown Shootout basketball game. Deters said he would review video to determine whether criminal charges were warranted against the players. A…
Groups: Mortgage Change Would Spur Growth
A national coalition of community groups, including two Cincinnati organizations, are urging President Obama to push big Wall Street banks into writing down all “underwater mortgages” to market value. The groups said the action would pump up to $1.6 billion into Ohio's economy and create more than 24,000 jobs statewide.—- The two local groups, Communities…
Comedy: Dave Waite and Mark Chalifoux
“It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” says comedian Mark Chalifoux about moving from Cincinnati to New York City. “I was born and raised in Cincinnati, so I kind of felt it was time for a change on that front. And for someone as ADD as me New York has been pretty…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Radiohead has released “The Daily Mail” and “Staircase,” two tracks previously recorded during The King of Limbs sessions. The two songs are available through digital retailers starting today but you can stream them here to make sure you’ll dig 'em. The King of Limbs: Live From the Basement will also be released digitally on iTunes…
Squeeze the Day for 12/19
Music Tonight: A great trio of Greater Cincy-area bands will pay their respects to the Southgate House tonight, playing what will likely be each acts' last performance at the ol' house in Newport, which switches ownership/management on Jan. 1. (Though the new owners, who also run notorious nightspot The Brass Ass, have been reported as…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Christian Bale was attacked by Chinese police while trying to visit blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng, who has been living under house arrest since his release from prison last year. Footage shot by CNN, which was invited on the journey by Bale, shows police telling Bale to leave and trying to grab the video…
LGBT Group Elects Officers
The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati recently held its annual membership meeting and elected leaders for 2012. Rusty Lockett and John Maddux were elected to another term as board president and vice president, respectively. Lockett formerly served as the center’s clerk before first being elected president in early 2010. Also, he has…
Weekend Squeeze for 12/17 & 18
Music Saturday: This weeks' CityBeat cover stars The Kentucky Struts have reached the end of their yearlong recording/art project, The Year of the Horse. After releasing one track online from the album each month in 2011, as well as showcasing a corresponding, horse-themed piece of art commissioned to accompany the song, the Roots/Country/Rock band will…
Your Weekend To Do List: 12/16-12/18
With the holidays right around the corner, this weekend promises plenty of twinkling lights, Christmas songs and the one gift the three wise men forgot: booze. —- Tonight, watch Over-the-Rhine begin to glow as volunteers place luminaries across the neighborhood. Light Up OTR kicks off at Neon's, so meet there at 7 p.m. if you'd…
Preview Turntable Master Tobotius’ New Album
One of Cincinnati's all-time great turntablists, Tobotius (aka Tobe Donohue, member of DMC award-winning collective Animal Crackers), is preparing to release a solo album this February titled I, Tobot, but website The Untz posted the first leak from the record yesterday (click here for a free download). The track, "The Blox," is a collaboration with…
Wilco’s Latest Venture: TV Weather Reporting!
The best music-related viral video this week has been footage of Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy doing the weather on Chicago "superstation" WGN (see below), which Pitchfork immediately awarded a 9.3 rating, calling it the best TV weather reporting since the members of Neu!'s infamous "Das ist snow!" Krautrock version on German national television in 1973.…
Squeeze the Day for 12/16
Music Tonight: Just four short years ago, Marbin — performing tonight at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills — came together in Israel when two musicians met just when both were in coming-of-age “crossroads” periods in their lives. Israeli saxophonist Danny Markovitz had just completed his military service (he was an infantry sergeant) when he met…
Stage Door: It’s TRUE-ly Christmas
This is the final weekend for performances by New Edgeclif Theatre of an unusual double-bill. Part one is a delightful one-man performance by local actor Joshua Steele of David Sedaris's The Santaland Diaries, an account of working as a Christmas elf — named "Crumpet" — at Macy's in New York City. Steele was great in…
Light Up Over-the-Rhine Tonight!
Tonight's the Second Edition of the a new Holiday Classic benefiting the Freestore Food Bank – ‘LIGHT UP OVER-THE-RHINE’ presented by Ionic Collective and Peanut Butter & Jelly Co. • 7:00 P.M. Volunteers can gather together to assemble luminaries at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged. • 8:00 P.M. Teams will be coordinated to disperse the luminaries…
Group Upset at Gamble Neglect
A group that supports preserving the historic Gamble House in Westwood is angry that Cincinnati building inspectors aren't enforcing the law at the property, which is allowing heavy rainfall to damage it while a court battle drags on about whether to save the mansion from demolition. Bob Prokop, of Save the Historic Gamble Estate Now,…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
There is a trailer up for Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest film, The Dictator. While the director has given up on trying to fool unsuspecting people to be in his movie, he has hired A-listers Ben Kingsley, John C. Reilly and Megan Fox to be in the film. Patton Oswalt was booted from the Alamo Drafthouse…
Squeeze the Day for 12/15
Music Tonight: Rootsy Connecticut-based trio Plume Giant performs at the Rohs Street Cafe in Clifton Heights with Columbus, Ohio's Deadwood Floats and Cincinnati's own Molly Sullivan (check out Sullivan's lovely, unique track "Bad Weather" here). Plume Giant released its self-titled debut EP last year, drawing praise from Seattle to New Haven, and travelled up and…
Unpacking the Concerning History Behind ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’
Santa (aka Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Sinterklaas, Tim Allen) is an old white dude of debatable Pagan/Christian/secular origin whose primary task is to bring gifts to children all over the world at some point during the months of December and January, arriving via sleigh, donkey or by boat from Spain. And while it…
Holiday Performances and Events
Aronoff Center for the Arts Victoria Morgan, now in her 15th season as artistic director and fourth season as CEO of Cincinnati Ballet, first performed the The Nutcracker at age 8. Now she’s presenting the world premiere of her own version, The New Nutcracker, which will feature more than 100 young ballet students and gymnasts.…
Events: Holiday in Lights
Looking for family-friendly fun this holiday season? Take a magical drive through a mile of twinkling holiday light displays at Holiday in Lights in Sharon Woods. Enjoy a winter wonderland set aglow with thousands of festive lights without leaving the warmth and comfort of your vehicle. Admission is $12 per car and $45 per bus…
Onstage: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
Some holiday novelty shows get old with repetition, but Cincinnati Shakespeare Company seems to have struck gold with its annual production (now in its sixth year) of this mash-up of holiday tales that you probably remember from childhood — especially TV specials and classic stories. Four actors take 90 minutes to remind us of everything…
Music: Over the Rhine
Cincinnati has a lot of holiday happenings that bring people in from across the region, but there’s one holiday music event that annually brings music lovers from across the country to the Queen City. It seems like every time beloved Cincy-based Folk/Pop act Over the Rhine presents its annual “Holiday Homecoming Show,” it comes at…
Onstage: Knox presents Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
If you’ve had all you can Handel but need a Baroque oratorio to get you in the holiday spirit, look no further than Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. It’s not about competition with Messiah: Bach’s masterpiece stands on its own. Originally composed for his Leipzig congregation in 1734-35, Bach wrote six oratorios to be performed…
Art: Picasso Masterprints
Pablo Picasso's long career included accomplishments not only in different artistic styles, but also different mediums — besides painting, he was a dedicated and accomplished printmaker. Masterprints, at Cincinnati Art Museum beginning this Saturday and running through May 13, presents etchings, linoleum cuts and lithographs by the artist, one of the 20th Century's greatest. Drawn…
Events: Powerhouse Factories’ Pass the Flask Party
Often, after entering a new friend’s house and spotting a poster of a band I love on their wall but that I have seen a thousand other places, I feel a numbness of sorts towards the overly familiar image rather than a heightened interest. This sensation makes me think of John Berger’s novel The Ways…
Art: A New Reality
According to Mary Heider, the curator of the current A New Reality exhibit at Covington’s Artisans Enterprise Center, artists take “pieces and parts … and create from them something not previously conceived.” It’s hard to imagine a more elegant statement on the nature of visual art, and it’s the premise upon which the show rests.…
Streetcar Gets Grant for Riverfront
It will be headed to the riverfront, after all. U.S. Transportation Ray LaHood will hold a conference call Thursday afternoon with media to announce that Cincinnati's planned streetcar system is getting a $10.92 million grant. The announcement is set for 12:15 p.m.—- The money will allow Cincinnati officials to build a loop to downtown's riverfront…
Local GOP: No Deal This Time
Even as the local Republican Party searches for a competent person willing to take on Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune in next year's election, the GOP chairman insists the party won't be cutting another deal to let Portune run unopposed. With the Dec. 7 filing deadline now past, the Hamilton County Republican Party has listed…
Gifts Over $100
L ace Vase Joseph Williams Home, 1232 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, josephwilliamshome.com, $59.99. Cosabella Vanna Bustier Black with animal print burnout. Knickers of Hyde Park, 2726 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, knickersofhydepark.com, $154. Thad Cline Art Deco Ring This exquisite ring is available in the Cincinnati Art Museum Shop, which offers an extensive collection of jewelry and…
Gifts From $50-$100
Adam Savage & Jamie Hyneman: Behind The Myths Tour This all-new, live stage show, starring Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, co-hosts of the Emmy-nominated Discovery series MythBusters, promises to be an an unexpected evening of on-stage experiments, audience participation, rocking video and behind-the-scenes stories. For the first time ever, fans will join Jamie and Adam…
Gifts From $25-$50
M agician’s Changing Bag Capture the “magic” of the holidays in more ways than one. This crafty change bag is a great way to exchange, vanish, or reproduce an item. Entertain friends and family this season. Step-by-step illustrated instructions included. Artie’s Magic Shop, 526 Philadelphia St., Covington, 859-491-1313, $25. Broadway Theater Give the gift of…
New Maurice Mattei & The Tempers Music Video
Recently, local singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei and his band, The Tempers, celebrated the release of a live album recorded last December at a Christmas show at Covington's Madison Theater. While The Tempers Christmas Show does include a few holiday classics (Lieber & Stoller's "Santa Claus is Back in Town" and Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run"), the…
New Dallas Moore Band Video for “Crazy Again”
On Aug. 30 of last year, local Country artist Dallas Moore and his band teamed up with longtime Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne (who grew up in Cincy) to celebrate the 61st anniversary of music icon Hank Williams’ historic recording sessions at Cincinnati’s Herzog recording facilities. The musicians gathered at the very spot Williams recorded…
SVP and City Council
[WINNER] PAINT THE TOWN : A project of the Give Back Cincinnati group, Paint the Town is an all-volunteer effort that paints the exterior of dozens of houses in a single community in a single day. This year, the project has chosen Cheviot as its target area and is working with local officials to organize…
Nicholson’s Delivers Knockout Brunch
It’s hard to believe that Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub (625 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-564-9111; nicholsonspub.com) has been around for more than 14 years. One of the reasons they’ve lasted so long is that the owners are not afraid to evolve. They are always looking for new ways to increase business and promote excitement about the…
Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
On Aug. 30 of last year, local Country artist Dallas Moore and his band teamed up with longtime Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne to celebrate the 61st anniversary of music icon Hank Williams’ historic recording sessions at Cincinnati’s Herzog recording facilities. The musicians gathered at the very spot Williams recorded (now the headquarters of the…
Dec. 7-13: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY DEC. 7 The ACLU today asked the Franklin County Jail in Columbus to reconsider its proposed plan to charge inmates a $40 fee for getting locked up. County Sherriff Zach Scott has been directed by county officials to find new sources of revenue. Scott became intrigued by the idea of pretending that jails are…
Group Pushes ‘Pro-Neighborhood’ Agenda
S mall victories often are the baby steps that lead to greater ones, especially for Communities United For Action (CUFA). On Dec. 2, CUFA achieved a small victory for its so-called “People’s Platform” when City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. announced his proposed 2012 municipal budget that eliminated a projected $33.6 million deficit while also fully…
Reframing the Scene
D uring the next few weeks, audiences will be presented with re-adapted versions of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a trio of ongoing franchise installments (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and a Steven Spielberg-Peter Jackson collaboration that aims to…
Beyond the Grave Concerns
F or a show focused on two skeevy, aimless teenagers, Beavis and Butt-Head sure has done a lot of good for the world. In its original run, the MTV program delivered endless numbers of gloriously stupid dirty jokes, set the stage for Daria, and gave hundreds of musicians exposure by way of playing music videos…
Squeeze the Day for 12/14
Music Tonight: Popular Detroit Psychobilly/Punkabilly/Powerbilly trio The Koffin Kats hot-rod it into Newport for a show at the Southgate House. While the band, which formed in 2003, has done the Psychobilly schtick, writing songs with Horror and Sci Fi themes, the Kats' more "real life" songs have always been around and, over the years, become…
They Save Horses, Don’t They?
T odd Lipscomb didn’t deliberate very hard or very long in conceiving the concept around the second album from his locally based band The Kentucky Struts. Like most great ideas, it was a flash of illumination in a contemplative moment. “Last December, I was eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast and it just hit,”…
The Devil Wears Prada with Whitechapel
It’s been a wild ride for the Christian Metalcore maniacs of The Devil Wears Prada since forming in Dayton six years ago. The sextet’s 2006 debut, Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord, brought them to the attention of the Christian Metal audience and earned the band invitations to Christian festivals like Cornerstone. But the band’s sophomore…
Marbin
Just four short years ago, Marbin came together in Israel when two musicians met just when both were in coming-of-age “crossroads” periods in their lives. Israeli saxophonist Danny Markovitz had just completed his military service (he was an infantry sergeant) when he met Israeli-American guitarist Dani Rabin, who had also just been through a rigorous…
Events: Light Up OTR
Spend your Friday night being merry and bright at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged for its second annual Light Up OTR celebration presented by Ionic Collective and PB&J Co. After the success of last year’s event, it is clear this neighborhood tradition is here to stay. Volunteers will meet up at Neon’s (208 E. 12th St.)…
Straight No Chaser
There are parallel realities in Straight No Chaser, the a cappella men’s singing group named simultaneously for Thelonious Monk’s brilliant 1967 album of the same name and the popular bartender command. Fifteen years ago, Indiana University student Don Ponce started a men’s chorus with nine fellow students, dubbing the aggregation Straight No Chaser. In short…
Bortz, Partisan Politics and Truth in Advertising
I t’s amazing how quickly some politicians will change their tune when it suits them. For years, local developer Chris Bortz would complain whenever I referred to him in columns and news articles as a “registered Republican” while he was a member of Cincinnati City Council. Bortz insisted that he should be referred to as…
Just Scrapping By
G as money. That’s why Tina Karle and her husband scrap. They both work, he as a maintenance man, she as a writer of hiking guides, but scrapping is something they do to fill their tanks and make their paychecks stretch. They advertise on Craigslist to remove unwanted household appliances. Tina acts as the secretary,…
Comedy: Auggie Smith
Comedian Auggie Smith used to follow current events, but has kind of lost his stomach for them recently. “I can’t watch any politics anymore without getting angry,” he says. “I think it’s better for my blood pressure if I remain divinely and beautifully naïve of all that’s going on around me.” And he advises others…
Korn, Megaupload and Pearl Jam
[HOT] Korn Flakes The good news for political conservatives — they finally have a somewhat relevant musical act on their side now! The bad news? It’s Korn. With enough paranoid hyperbole to make even Glenn Beck say, “Uh, that’s a little nutty,” Davis told Billboard that Korn’s new song “Illuminati” was inspired by America’s President,…
Abigail Street (Review)
I used to think ham was the furthest back piece of the pig I’d ever eat, since trotters don’t appeal to me. But, no! I’ve had pigtail. And I liked it. Don’t let the image of a curly pink spiral deter you. The pigtail I ate at the newly opened Abigail Street in the Gateway…
High Art at Hughes High
It was about a year ago this time I was climbing the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral to look beyond the famous stone gargoyles and see Paris. I recently climbed the winding stairwell of the usually closed-off, 145-foot-tall square tower at Clifton Heights’ Hughes High School to view Cincinnati from the exposed landing at the…
‘Reality’ Show
A ccording to Mary Heider, the curator of the current A New Reality exhibit at Covington’s Artisan’s Enterprise Center, artists take “pieces and parts … and create from them something not previously conceived.” It’s hard to imagine a more elegant statement on the nature of visual art, and it’s the premise upon which the show…
Friday is Deadline to Apply for 2012 Cincy Fringe
If you’re thinking of submitting a production for the 2012 Cincy Fringe Festival, now is the time to solidify your thoughts and get your application in to Know Theatre, the Fringe’s organizer. Friday Dec. 16 is the absolutely final day to do so. Follow this link for details, but don’t dally — this is a…
A Magical Makeover
I magine what goes into creating a brand-new production of a beloved full-length ballet, top to bottom. The time is finally here: Cincinnati Ballet’s long-awaited, eagerly anticipated The New Nutcracker premieres Thursday at the Aronoff Center. It takes a lot to make any ballet look effortless, and an undertaking as big as a new Nutcracker…
Governor’s Awards Recognize Cincinnatians
Among the eight winners announced for the 2012 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio are several Cincinnatians. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern, who retires at the end of the current theater season, and Executive Director Buzz Ward have been named the recipient of the year’s recognition in the field…
Gifts Under $25
Coffee Gift Pack Wake up with Coffee Emporium’s “Perfect Pot” pack featuring coffe, mug and gift card. 110 E. Central Parkway, Downtown; 3316 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, coffee-emporium.com, $25. Made In Ohio T-Shirt Represent the Buckeye State with this super soft T-shirt designed and printed in Oxford, Ohio by Wire and Twine. Also available in…
