Music: Gym Class Heroes
The Rap Rock quartet began back in 1997 when frontman/MC Travis McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley met, naturally enough, in gym class at their Geneva, N.Y., high school. Although the band started off playing birthday parties and basement shows, the gigs got progressively bigger and better as they graduated to clubs and festivals around the…
Comedy: Jim Short
Jim Short was born in Australia and moved with his family to Texas when he was 12-years-old, yet he doesn’t feel like a native of either. To make matters worse, he now lives in San Francisco and is soon moving down the coast to Los Angeles. “I feel like the biggest nomad, you know? I…
Art: Alice Pixley Young and others at the Weston
Opening this Friday at the Weston Gallery in downtown’s Aronoff Center for the Arts are three solo projects: Alice Pixley Young’s Nightfall, Steve Zieverink’s Live Station, and paintings and wall drawings by Rick Mallette. While Young’s installations deal with nostalgia and memory, Zieverink’s creative process takes into account our ever-progressing technologies and how these new…
Music: Steve Schmidt Organ Trio Christmas Spectacular
Like the trains at Duke Energy’s HQ (they think we won’t still hate them if they throw a little holiday razzle-dazzle our way?) and sensationalistic stories from the local media about how you’ll die if you go downtown to shop, the holiday season in Cincinnati wouldn’t be the same without Jazz musician Steve Schmidt and…
Holiday: Northside Holiday Exchange
The Northside Tavern is really doing its part to make sure you shop locally and crafty this year. A few weeks ago they held The Crafty Supermarket and Saturday they’re hosting the Northside Holiday Exchange with The Hiders. A bunch of local vendors will be on hand selling vintage, handmade and other unique gifts. Able…
Onstage: Every Christmas Story Ever Told
Every holiday season I start out in a good mood, but by the time I’ve seen a dozen or so seasonal shows, I’m about ready to hit someone with a fruitcake. That’s pretty much the attitude behind Cincinnati Shakespeare’s annual poke at the holidays, Every Christmas Story, which begins with a reading of A Christmas…
Music: Monty Are I
Willie Shakes said, “What’s in a name?” Monty Are I says right back, “Plenty.” In Lynyrd Skynyrd fashion, the Cranston, R.I., quintet named the band after their high school band instructor Arthur Montanaro. Unlike Skynyrd, the band’s original name — Monty’s Fan Club — reflected their affection for their former teacher. The band eventually shortened…
Music: The Elms
In a game of musical word association, "Seymour, Indiana" would, nine times out of 10, trigger the response "John Mellencamp." But in that tenth round, perhaps the person on the receiving end of the clue would be a savvy music head with a penchant for seeking out obscure but great Americana bands that combine classic…
Events: Winter Solstice Celebration
Celebrate the Solar New Year with the Cincinnati Nature Center’s Winter Solstice Celebration. The Winter Solstice marks the first astronomical day of winter, the day the sun is farthest from the earth and the longest night of the year. Take a horse-drawn wagon ride through Rowe Woods to see nature at its most peaceful, take…
Art: Ryan Snow at the Frank Duveneck Arts & Cultural Center
Ryan Snow’s six new minimalist paintings at the Frank Duveneck Arts & Cultural Center reward close looking by patient viewers. Snow holds a B.F.A. in painting and works as a designer, so it’s not a surprise that his subtle paintings incorporate the element of graphic design. Typography bleeds through here and there, the result of…
Dance: Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker
It’s holiday time and therefore Nutcracker time, complete with Sugar Plum fairies, sword-fighting rats, dancing dolls, a spine-tingling Tchaikovsky score and much more. It’s a remarkable year for Cincinnati Ballet’s presentation of the seasonal classic for a few reasons. It’s the final year for this particular production, so catch it while you can. (A new…
Holiday: Holiday Skies at Drake Planetarium
The Drake Planetarium offers up some super sweet laser light shows with holiday themes for the holiday season, as well as some shows paired with classics like Pink Floyd’s The Wall (because nothing says Christmas like Roger Waters). The seasonal laser show, Laser Holiday Skies, features a mix of traditional and modern Christmas music, including…
Lit: Shawn Abnoxious
Local ’Zine legend (and CityBeat contributor) Shawn Abnoxious is to words what Butthole Surfers are to music. Experiencing them can be both rousing and confusing, but their eccentric approaches are satisfying, stimulating exercises in boundary-crashing. You might love it, you might hate it, but, goddamn, you’ll remember it. Abnoxious celebrates the release of his new…
Friday Movie Roundup: Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood might be one of the most overrated directors currently making movies — don’t get me started on the heavy-handed melodramatics of 2004 Best Picture winner Million Dollar Baby — but you can’t call him lazy. The 79-year-old has made five movies since 2006, all of which can be admired for their thematic ambition…
Brothers (Review)
Jim Sheridan reworks Danish director Susanne Bier’s Brodre in this timely story of a U.S. Marine captain (Tobey Maguire) who, once thought killed in Afghanistan, returns home to discover his black-sheep brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) has grown close to his wife (Natalie Portman) and two daughters. Sheridan, an Irish director who made his name with a…
Crude (Review)
Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger travels to various locations in Ecuador in order to show the extensive damage wreaked by Texaco/Chevron, a company whose negligence and greed led to the raping of a 1,700-square-mile area of the Amazon rain forest — now called the "cancer death zone"— and dumped 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic…
1997 Music Nominees and Winners
FolkUncle Daddy and the Family SecretJanet PressleyMa Crow and the FlockThe Marshwiggles World/Ethnic/ReggaeBailando DesnudoLee Harvey SkaswaldOver the Rhine Steel Drum BandAdmiral Walker RockFugueThe GreenhornesBig in IowaThe Simpletons Singer/SongwriterRoger KlugClete FrancisTracy Walker (Ain't Helen)Ric Hickey Modern/UndergroundRadiolariaClifford NevernewTigerliliesDitchweed BluesKelly RicheyH-Bomb FergusonThe Sonny Moorman GroupAlice Hoskins Rap/Hip HopMoodIswhatWatusi TribeCutty B. Spooky JazzStandard TimeMarvin CurryThe PsychoAcoustic OrchestraSylvain Acher R&B/FunkSHAGNadanufThe…
1998 Theater Nominees and Winners
Actress In A Leading RoleDeb Girdler As Mac in Three Viewings, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiMarni Penning As Hamlet in Hamlet, Cincinnati Shakespeare FestivalPamela Myers As Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Playhouse in the ParkClaudia Robinson As May N'Kame in Going to St. Ives, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Actor In A Leading RoleTim Donoghue As Henry…
1997 Theater Nominees and Winners
Actress In A Leading RoleBrienin Bryant As Veronika Jonkers in Valley Song, Playhouse in the ParkRaye Lankford As Sylvia in Sylvia, Playhouse in the ParkAnnie Fitzpatrick As Iana in Copperheads, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiLynn Redgrave As Mme. Arkadina in The Notebook of Trigorin, Playhouse in the Park Actor In A Leading RoleBill Hartnett As Mark…
1999 Theater Nominees and Winners
Local Actress In A Leading RoleBeth Harris As Violet in Violet, Ensemble Theatre of CincinnatiMary Chichetti As Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers, UC College-Conservatory of MusicEydie Cohen as Roy Cohn in Angels in America, UC College-Conservatory of MusicKristy Cates as Katisha in The Hot Mikado, UC College-Conservatory of Music Local Actor In A Leading RoleNicholas…
1998 Music Nominees and Winners
Country/BluegrassBrothers FirstKatie LaurStagger LeeDallas Moore FolkUncle Daddy and the Family SecretJanet PressleyWild CarrotMike Helm World/Ethnic/ReggaeBailando DesnudoLatin X-posureOver the Rhine Steel Drum BandSilver Arm Adult Alternative/Adult ContemporaryThe GraveblanketsOver The RhineMonkDoug Perry Ensemble RockJason Allen Phelps BandRob FettersBig in IowaOdd Man Out Singer/SongwriterChris CollierJohn KinneyClete FrancisMaurice Mattei Alternative/UndergroundRadiolariaClifford NevernewFairmount GirlsThroneberry BluesKelly Richey BandGreg Schaber and High StreetBig…
1999 Music Nominees and Winners
Country/BluegrassComet Bluegrass AllStarsKatie LaurJeff ClineDallas Moore FolkMaurice MatteiLee RolfesWild CarrotThe Ditch Lilies World/Ethnic/Ska/ReggaeThe MagnetsRogue's CrossMohenjo DaroOB1 Adult Alternative/Adult ContemporaryTracy WalkerOver The RhineMonkDavid Wolfenberger RockRoger KlugCircus of the SunThe GreenhornesKelly Richey Band Singer/SongwriterMark Messerly/Brian EwingRyan AdcockMaurice MatteiDavid Wolfenberger Alternative/UndergroundChalkKoanRoundheadMahoola Blues/R&B/FunkSonny Hill and the NightshiftRicky NyeBig Joe DuskinSweet Alice Hoskins and Unfinished Business Hip HopIswhat?!MoodBombthreatMista Rare Groove…
CityBeat Podcast 39: Bart Campolo
Progressive, urban minister Bart Campolo on the downward mobility, the Walnut Hills Fellowship and working with the poor in Cincinnati. —- If you like what you hear, please support our podcast by subscribing to our podcast in iTunes or via our RSS feed. Also, please tell your friends and share this link on Facebook and…
“Foggy Mountain Breakdown” Turns 60
By pure coincidence, the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the recording of legendary Bluegrass track "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in Cincinnati's Herzog recording studio on the same evening as Earl's grandson — former BR549 member and successful Indie/AltCountry singer/songwriter Chris Scruggs — is playing…
Student Housing Faces Foreclosure
A private, off-campus apartment complex geared toward students and located just blocks away from the University of Cincinnati is facing possible foreclosure. The Bank of America has filed legal action in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas against the owner of McMillan Manor, a five-story, 122-unit apartment building that opened in 2006.—- Located near…
Week 14 – Drew Clark
You were under a lot of pressure tonight. What advice would you give other athletes who want to keep cool in extreme sports such as Bengals Football Bolo Toss?Don’t let the crowd stress you out and throw straight. Is there anyone who you would like to thank who may have played a small role in…
Gifts for Under $100
Ambience Salon SpaRelax and indulge your loved ones at the Ambience Salon Spa. Choose a 75-minute fusion stone massage ($90), with your choice of aroma, to enliven the senses and invigorate your body. Or, for the hairy guy in your life, surprise him with a back wax ($50). Or offer her the chance to add…
ZZ’s Pizza (Review)
I didn’t know what to expect from the newly re-opened ZZ’s Pizza, as I had never been to the original incarnation of the Walnut Hills eatery, which closed in 2005. On a recent rainy evening — after circling the block three times looking for a decent parking spot — I settled for a parking meter…
Random Apollo Thoughts
The oddball: My friend and former co-worker Jim has invited me back to his hometown of Apollo, Pa., for Thanksgiving many times in the past, but I’ve always declined. Understand, I’m a smoker and none of his family smokes — but this year I decided, what the hell, I’ll go. While there, I was certainly…
A Moving Predicament
Two years ago, Charles McAfee established residency at the Metropole Apartments, a 230-unit building located in the 600 block of Walnut Street across from the Aronoff Center for the Arts. He chose the Metropole because it was conveniently located in the Central Business District with bus routes and businesses nearby. In addition to the convenient…
Music: Wade Baker
There are fine lines between confidence and arrogance and humility and self-doubt. Wade Baker is nowhere near either line. His confidence is as boundless as his musical talent, and yet he takes neither his abilities nor his place in the Cincinnati scene for granted. Although Baker nabbed his first CEA nomination in the Jazz category,…
Gifts for Under $25
Aquarius StarPreviously home to Spiral Light, this space has become more of a Spiritual Center than a store. But they still offer literature on various religious and spiritual philosophies as well as unique giftable items. For instance, I found Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma ($16) on the shelves. They also offer a selection of…
Art: Jimmy Kuehnle
The cast of colorful and eccentric characters populating downtown and Over-the-Rhine will inflate by one this Friday when performance artist Jimmy Kuehnle comes to town. At first, he’ll look pretty normal just before his performance starts at noon Friday near Washington Park. But within seconds, without warning, he’ll transform into … well, it’s hard to…
Another Galaxy
Chances are you know who Ed Emberley is, even if you think you don’t. He’s an old guy from Massachusetts, but he’s also an illustrator and Caldecott Medal winner who’s worked on more than 50 children’s books since the 1960s. Based on the philosophy that anyone can draw, his books give children, and people in…
Leagues of Their Own
Three years ago, it was a safe bet that The Minor Leagues would soon be dominating the Cincinnati Indie music scene. The band’s 2006 album, The Pestilence is Coming, and its entertaining live work had earned them two CEA nominations and they were already working on a follow-up release. “We were going to be one…
Arthur’s (Review)
Arthur’s in Hyde Park has always been the quintessential neighborhood bar, especially for people who don’t live in the neighborhood. So when I heard it had a new winter menu, I had to check it out. We strolled in on a Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. and the place was packed with people in semi-trance…
Music: Seabird
The local band Seabird spent 2008 riding high on its debut for EMI/Credential Recordings, ‘Til We See the Shore, promoting it on the road (including a recent tour with Christian Rock superstar David Crowder) and on TV (network shows like Numb3rs, Grey’s Anatomy and Pushing Daisies have featured Seabird’s dramatic, emotive music) and even scoring…
Seraphine (Review)
In writer/director Martin Provost’s patiently restrained biopic about the self-trained French painter Seraphine Louis, the audience is brought increasingly closer into the heart and mind of a genius whose turbulent inner life eventually envelops her conscious being. Yolande Moreau gives an earthy and compelling performance, measured by her character’s direct connection to the natural world…
Holiday Planning
It’s the time of year when people ask me which holiday production they should see. I usually throw that back to them, asking what they’re looking for. If it’s traditional holiday entertainment, there’s nothing better than the Cincinnati Playhouse’s A Christmas Carol, a production I’ve seen annually for 18 years. Every year it’s beautifully produced…
Eateries and Events
To avoid getting stressed out during holiday shopping sprints, enjoy these restaurants and events. You can also purchase gift certificates at many of these dining establishments either for people on your list or for yourself to return to later. Aglamesis BrothersAglamesis boasts delicious desserts, scrumptious sundaes and ice cream carry-out cups. My favorite treat is…
Look Who’s Talking to CCV
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports about the demise of the anti-porn, anti-gay, anti-anything different Citizens for Community Values are greatly exaggerated. In fact, the antiquated group — often referred to simply as CCV — is probably affecting your life in ways you haven’t imagined and talking behind-the-scenes to public officials who might surprise you. For…
Happily Secluded
Everything sounds better with headphones. The singular listening experience can be as robust and powerful as the best, sold-out, jam-packed live show ever seen. With headphones, the listener is in charge of the tiny world that exists between a song’s melody and the brain’s erogenous zone. You’re all alone in a sound-drenched chamber and you…
Gaga, Vatican OG, Happy X-Mas
[HOT] “Waiter, There’s a paparazzi photo of Lady Gaga on vacation in my soup” Late night talk show writing staffs around the globe rejoiced when it was announced that Rolling Stone magazine was planning on opening a restaurant chain. Music news hub site The Daily Swarm went with the straightforward snark of “Everything is served…
Southern Comfort
Staying at the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville was a mistake at first. We were supposed to go to Montreal. Then Chicago. Wait, Pittsburgh, right? We concluded that we couldn’t afford the time or the trip to any destination outside of two hours, so my wife Jennifer and I thought about Plan D. We both…
Gifts for Under $50
City BeverageYou know your friends will be enjoying several adult beverages this year, so why not contribute to the cause? City Beverage has everyone covered with Beer Gift Baskets starting at $13.99 and Wine Gift Baskets starting at $29.99. Each basket mixes and matches flavors of wine and beer with candy and decorative items.3661 Shaw…
Dec. 2-8: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY DEC. 2 Imitation is to flattery as satire is to mockery. Hamilton County GOP chairman Alex Triantafilou today demonstrated this analogy when he mocked Barack Obama’s 30,000-troop dedication to Afghanistan on Tuesday. Triantafilou compared Obama’s new plan to George W. Bush’s 2007 surge, arguing that Obama was attempting to flatter the former president by…
Adjusted for Inflation
The cast of colorful and eccentric characters populating downtown and Over-the-Rhine will inflate by one this Friday when performance artist Jimmy Kuehnle comes to town. At first, he’ll look pretty normal just before his performance starts at noon Friday near Washington Park. But within seconds, without warning, he’ll transform into … well, it’s hard to…
Deb Weissbuch and the Local Media
[LOSER] TOM GROSSMANN: The ex-Mason mayor and current Warren County Republican Party chairman got a little good old-fashioned patronage recently from his pal, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. Deters hired Grossmann to work for the Prosecutor’s Office, receiving a $108,160 annual salary — at the same time as county offices are facing cuts due to…
Invictus (Review)
Is Morgan Freeman the greatest American actor? Venerable New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael posed this question back in April of 1987, in response to Morgan Freeman’s fascinating portrayal of a pimp in Street Smart. It was a funny query at the time because Freeman hadn’t become the Morgan Freeman of the present; he wasn’t…
Thoughtful Gifting
While doing research for this year’s Gift Guide (read: shopping all over town), I obviously kept my eyes open for items that would fulfill and exceed my giftees’ holiday wish lists. In doing so, I saw a lot of unusual gifts at local stores but also a few common themes throughout their festive stock. For…
Gifts for Over $100
Bromwell’sBromwell’s has been serving Cincinnati’s fireplace and hearth needs for generations, as they’ve been in business since 1819. Yes, almost 200 years. The showroom displays more than 10,000 square feet of fireplaces, home design options and a new second-floor art gallery. It’s getting cold outside — time to warm up the house.117 W. Fourth St.,…
