Feb 1-8, 2017
The Pet Issue: A love letter to our faithful companions and local animals in need
Morning News: Proposed law would penalize sanctuary city officials; Dennison demolition begins; the $100k Harambe Cheeto
Good morning all. It’s news time for you on this balmy February day. Will Mayor John Cranley and other city officials be in hot water with the state for declaring Cincinnati a sanctuary city? Some state officials are pushing legislation that could have that consequence. State Rep. Candice Keller, who represents Middletown, has introduced legislation…
Four of five applicants to state appeals court would be rookie judges
Two months after he was defeated in his first countywide election, former Hamilton County Commissioner Dennis Deters is one of five candidates for two vacancies on Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Gov. John Kasich’s office is providing no timetable for appointing successors to Pat DeWine and Pat Fischer, who were elected to…
Broadway announces upcoming season; ‘Hamilton’ to come through in 2018-19
Broadway in Cincinnati has announced the shows it will present at Downtown Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center for its 2017-18 season. If it weren’t for the movies, there would be fewer choices coming our way: Five of the seven productions included in the season are shows inspired by films created between 1983 and 2007. The season offers…
Morning News: Downtown property owner sues to block Dennison demo; large pool of Council candidates makes fundraising difficult; DeVos, Sessions could be confirmed this week
Good morning all. I heard there was some kind of sports game on yesterday. Did you enjoy it? Good, good. Now let’s talk about the greatest sport of all: the news. A property owner near the embattled Dennison Hotel is suing to avoid demolition of the 125-year-old building. Woods Real Estate Investments filed in court…
Morning News: Cranley leads big in mayoral race fundraising; your tax dollars paid for campaign security; Portman to vote to approve DeVos
Hey hey Cincy. Here’s some end-of-the-week news before we all turn our brains off for a couple days. How are the contenders in Cincinnati’s mayoral race stacking up when it comes to fundraising? Well, spoiler alert: One person is way ahead, and he happens to already be the mayor. As we talked about earlier this…
LISTEN: Title Track from Brian Olive’s Forthcoming LP, ‘Living On Top’
Grammy-winning local musician/producer Brian Olive is gearing up for his latest solo album release, Living On Top, which is due April 28. This morning, a release party on that date was announced for Over-the-Rhine’s Woodward Theater (tickets available here). Pop Empire and Royal Holland will open the show. CityBeat is honored to present the title…
Your Weekend To Do List (Feb. 3-5)
FRIDAY 03 VALENTINE’S DAY: SWEET AND LONELY HEARTS Feel like something a little out of the ordinary this Valentine’s Day? If so, head to the Pendleton Art Center on Friday for “Cincinnati’s most bizarre Valentine’s event” — an art show complete with gifts-browsing, photo sessions and body painting by local artist Aryn Fox, a previous…
Stage Door: Scary Things Onstage to Entertain You
I’m not a fan of scary stories, at least not violent, make-you-jump-out-of-your-skin kind of tales that draw big crowds to movie theaters. But I love theatrical stories that have a premise that might furrow your brow or even play with a bit of horror. Maybe it’s because we’re in the theater with real live actors…
Morning News: Cincy’s sanctuary city status official; city settled with family accusing CPD detective of wrongfully jailing children; Chabot’s tough week
Good morning all. Here’s some news for you today. After two hours of public testimony for and against an ordinance by Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young officially making Cincinnati a sanctuary city, Council yesterday voted 6-2 to go ahead with that measure. That lead to boos and calls of “traitors” from those in attendance opposed…
Cincy Shakes and Other Theaters Announce 2017-18 Seasons
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a “classical arts corridor” taking shape on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine. Joining Music Hall, Memorial Hall and the School for Creative and Performing Arts will soon be another significant anchor, CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY and its Otto M. Budig Theater, opening Sept. 8, 2017. It’s close to restaurants, breweries, pubs, distilleries, shops…
Critic’s Pick: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Cincinnati Playhouse
Flashes of lightning and thunder. Then a girl group resembling the Shirelles, Pop queens from the early 1960s, opens Little Shop of Horrors in the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Marx Theatre. “Call a cop,” they sing. “Shing-a-ling/What a creepy thing to be happening!/Feel the sturm and drang in the air/Sha-la-la/Stop right where you are, don’t move a thing.” It’s…
Trump’s Unsubstantiated Assertions
Repeated White House accusations of lying are more than a pissing match between reporters and Trump and his lackeys. Trump’s contempt initially exploded during the campaign, but it reflects a long-term GOP campaign to erode your trust in verifiable facts, evidence and news stories. It’s meant to undermine your reliance on mainstream journalists — whether…
Fantastic Pets and Where to Find Them
EVENTS My Furry Valentine Cincinnati’s largest companion animal adoption event returns to the Sharonville Convention Center. The sixth-annual My Furry Valentine features more than 800 animals available for adoption from nearly 40 local shelters, including the Animal Friends Humane Society, Louie’s Legacy, Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic and SPCA Cincinnati. Take home a new…
What a Week! Jan. 25-31
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25 A gaggle of Greenpeace activists climbed a crane in D.C. to unfurl a huge (yuge) “Resist” banner near the White House on Wednesday. The sign was soon removed but not before someone snapped the perfect shot of it floating above Chez Trump. One protester live-streamed the stunt on Facebook. Greenpeacers are known for…
The Difference Between (Alt-)Right and Wrong
As the “alt-right” movement continues to take over the country, many are confronted with the uncomfortable reality of the white supremacy and indoctrinated hate that (still) exists in America. In Hate Thy Neighbor (10 p.m. Mondays, VICELAND), comedian Jamali Maddix takes on the harrowing task of exploring these groups, meeting the folks who subscribe to these beliefs and making…
Major Titles for the Jewish & Israeli Film Festival
With a manageable 12 films in five venues across Cincinnati, the 2017 Mayerson JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Festival, which runs Saturday through Feb. 23, affords audiences a chance to explore the meaning behind its tagline: “Secrets. Journeys. Discoveries.” It has also scored at least one coup in the local premiere of a new documentary,…
Sweatin’ It Out on the Dance Floor
Sweat Baby Sweat has been touring with its Flemish choreographer and creator, Jan Martens, and the same two (only two!) dancers for nearly six years — they’ve just celebrated their 100th performance. So it’s safe to assume the three of them have become well acquainted with each other, and that’s especially evident watching dancers Kimmy…
A Good Year Locally for Women Playwrights
For several years, I’ve updated CityBeat readers about local productions of shows by female playwrights who are answering the historical dominance of men in this line of creative work. Traditionally, men have represented nearly 80 percent of the shows produced on Broadway and beyond. Cincinnati theaters are making serious inroads against this imbalance, in several cases…
Critic’s Pick: ‘Dragon Play’ at Know Theatre
You probably haven’t heard of Jenny Connell Davis, whose 2012 show, Dragon Play, is receiving its regional premiere at Know Theatre. She’s a rising playwright whose work is just the kind we often find onstage at Know, a theater that likes to take risks on shows that push boundaries. If they happen to be by…
The Pet Issue
Nineteenth-century humorist and lecturer Josh Billings provided one of the best-known quotes to date about the relationship between humans and animals: “A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” Those words ring true not only for dogs, but for all manner of companion animals we share our…
Morning News: City issues Dennison demo permit; conservative officials push back on Cincinnati “sanctuary” declaration; Trump appointments sail by Ohio senators so far
Good morning all, here’s some quick news today. The city of Cincinnati yesterday granted Columbia REI a permit it requested to demolish the Dennison building downtown. The real estate company held by the local auto magnates the Joseph family owns the historic 125-year-old Dennison, which sits in the Main Street Historic District. The building has…
A women-centric Dungeons & Dragons group fosters friendships and fun at the downtown library
It’s far underground. An old fortress juts through the earth, completely devoid of sunlight. In its center is a spiraling tree brimming with magical fruit — some of which grant a consumer eternal life, while others inflict instant death. The story of the Sunless Citadel is a familiar one to fans of Dungeons & Dragons, an…
Dayton’s Wood Burl Coffee roaster creates artisan beans for passionate craft coffee shops
Dayton, Ohio’s Wood Burl Coffee roasts some of the best coffee in the region. With the third wave coffee movement (aka the movement that considers coffee an artisan beverage), good coffee is easier to come by — but excellent coffee is another story. Six years ago, Brett Barker, a skilled craft barista, took his years…
A Place to Call Home
All animals want — and need — a place to call home. That is the mission of the Ohio Pet Sanctuary rescue organization. And it all began with a ferret. In 2009, a stray ferret, malnourished and covered in fleas, approached a group having a picnic in a park outside of Cincinnati. The group took him to…
Love Struck
Pets express their love in many languages, whether it’s coming home to a dog bouncing out of excitement at your reunion or feeling your finicky cat curl up to you in the middle of the night. Oftentimes, animal lovers fret over how to express that love back. Proclaiming “I love you!” to your pet usually…
Peridoni takes on the new year with ‘Jade’
Primarily instrumental Progressive Rock foursome Peridoni is having a great first month of 2017, and its prospects for the rest of the year look even brighter. On Jan. 31, the Cincinnati group — which has spent the past few years building its name on the Jam-band circuit —released its second studio album, Jade, the follow-up to…
Cats and a Cuppa
A tomcat hijacking a community service program helped spur a passion project for one Fairfield couple. Jenni Barrett, then working as a probation officer, was supervising a program when a tomcat sauntered into a room of men waiting to get checked in. Passing from one to another, the furry guest left nothing but smiles in…
Furry Finds
Brewhaus Dog Bones Brewhaus Dog Bones is a nonprofit that specializes in offering vocational training for young adults with disabilities by producing handmade, small-batch dog treats using whole grain sourced from local breweries like Braxton, Listermann and Mount Carmel. The company is 100 percent nonprofit, meaning the proceeds go straight back into growing the program…
Sound Advice: The Cadillac Three with Brent Cobb (Feb. 2)
Sometimes a band’s sound doesn’t necessarily result from its membership but is more a matter of timing, circumstance and mindset. The Cadillac Three is an interesting case in point. The Nashville, Tenn. trio’s members have worked in a variety of situations and genres. Drummer/vocalist Neil Mason was a member of Indie Rock outfit Llama, bassist/dobroist/vocalist…
Sound Advice: Ms. Lauryn Hill (Feb. 2)
In the mid-to-late ’90s, Lauryn Hill was a musical phenomenon. She was a crucial part of one of most celebrated Hip Hop albums ever, 1996’s The Score by her trio Fugees, which earned multiple Grammys and was a multi-Platinum seller that crossed over into many different markets thanks to its fusion of Soul, Rap and…
Sound Advice: Yonder Mountain String Band with The Railsplitters (Feb. 2)
Next year, Yonder Mountain String Band will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and they’ll likely take that party on the road. That’s where the Bluegrass superstars have spent the majority of the past two decades. But things have changed within the YMSB camp over the past few years. While the Colorado-based band still tours incessantly, home…
Minimum Gauge: Less than a year after his death, Prince’s music will be made widely available to stream
HOT: Dead Man Streaming One of the few holdouts on the bigger streaming services will reportedly have music available on those services by the night of the Grammys, Feb. 12. Though it feels a little gross to have the work of a music legend who seemed to dislike streaming featured again on platforms like Apple…
With a shorter name but broader sonic spectrum, AJJ continues to challenge itself and its fans
Let’s get it out of the way from the get-go — Andrew Jackson Jihad officially changed its name to AJJ early last year. The band posted a statement on its website, listing the following reasons for the change: “1.) We are not Muslims, and as such, it is disrespectful and irresponsible for us to use…
Trump’s executive order on immigration causes intense local backlash
An unexpected executive order from President Donald Trump banning travel from seven countries and temporarily halting refugee resettlement garnered big pushback in Greater Cincinnati, signaling that the president’s critics here won’t be backing down soon. The order, which was issued the afternoon of Jan. 27, caused a number of people entering or re-entering the country…
