Ben & Jerry’s Gets to the Core
In this column, we’ve routinely written about the “limited edition” products that food companies unleash to draw attention to themselves. And it seems like there has been a rise in more outrageous and adventurous twists on old favorites. These new products don’t even have to taste good; they just have to be different enough for…
Bloody Good Drink
When and where the bloody mary was invented is a matter of dispute. Was it Paris or New York City? Was it in 1921 or in the 1930s? Either way, the mary — a complex cocktail made with tomato juice, vodka and a slew of savory and spicy flavorings like horseradish and Worcestershire sauce —…
Event: Fifth Annual Mini Model Engineering Show
If you are a fan of engineering and appreciate tiny details, come see the incredible working miniature trains built by some of the region’s greatest model craftsmen. The show also has fully functioning steam engines, internal combustion engines, ships, boats, airplanes and action figures. It’s all part of March Madness at EnterTRAINment Junction, which features…
Event: Opera Wine and Dine
Winos and opera fans alike are invited to Greenacres Arts Center for an evening of food, cocktails and music. The Cincinnati Opera will be performing the Bizet classic Carmen, with a modern twist — Carmen Redux is set in modern times, the story of a beautiful, zealous woman who becomes the object of one man’s affection,…
Onstage: Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era
Join the Cincinnati Pops and conductor Steve Reineke for an evening of style and lush lounge standards during Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era. Kick back, loosen your skinny tie and enjoy a smooth soundtrack from an unforgettable era, including iconic ’60s television themes with a splash of swinging favorites made famous by…
Event: Bockfest
In the 1800s, Cincinnati was one of America’s top beer-brewing cities; Cincinnatians drank more beer per capita than any city in the country, and Over-the-Rhine was the epicenter of both beer production and consumption. Today, as Cincinnati experiences a brewing renaissance, the city has even more reason to celebrate its rich brewing history with the…
Event: V-Day at the University of Cincinnati
In an atmosphere of celebration, acceptance and activism, the University of Cincinnati will host a production of The Vagina Monologues as part of the global V-Day campaign, an activist movement to end violence against women and girls. Sponsored by the UC Women’s Center, every UC student and Cincinnatian is encouraged to attend the play —…
Literary: April Smith
April Smith’s route to published author has been a curious one. The New York City native started her creative career as an Emmy-nominated writer and producer of television shows like Lou Grant, Cagney and Lacey and Chicago Hope. Successful but not completely fulfilled, Smith eventually returned to her love of books. In 1994, she wrote…
Art: Recent Portraits by Gaela Erwin at Manifest Gallery
After 15 years of creating self-portraits, Gaela Erwin’s recent paintings in pastel “have twin goals of celebrating realism and re-invigorating portraiture,” according to her artist statement. Her solo exhibition, consisting of nine pastels, was one of only six selected from 165 proposals submitted to Manifest for its 10th season, and the Louisville, Ky.-based artist’s work…
Comedy: John Caparulo
Comedian John Caparulo is probably most widely known for his appearances on Chelsea Lately and as part of The Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Next Generation. The Steubenville, Ohio native discovered his comedy voice fairly early into doing stand-up. “I was afflicted from the start,” he says. “I’ve always been essentially the same guy, but…
Event: First the Barre … Then The Ballet
Come stretch your legs (or just grab a drink) with the Cincinnati Ballet. Join fellow young professionals and Cincinnati Ballet dancers for cocktails at downtown’s Obscura cocktail lounge in celebration of the upcoming production of Symphony in C & Boléro (March 28-29). Back by popular demand, Bolero is the most famous of composer Maurice Ravel’s works.…
Event: Cincinnati International Wine Festival
One of the largest wine festivals in the Midwest, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival has been raising money for the wine industry and local charities for 24 years. Four events — winery dinners at local restaurants, a charity auction, golf tournament and the Grand Tasting — encompass the three-day festival. The Grand Tasting (the main…
Onstage: The Irish Curse
Have you picked out something green to wear for St. Patrick’s Day? Either way, you might consider further St. Pat’s prep at the Clifton Players’ production of Martin Cassella’s very funny new play The Irish Curse, described as being simultaneously wickedly delightful and heart wrenching. Size matters to a group of Irish-American men who meet…
Art: Canstruction
Encounter unique sculptures that provide some food for thought. Organized by the Cincinnati Chapters of the American Institute of Architects and the Society for Design Administration, Canstruction is a competition for charity that unites design, art and public service. Local teams have constructed colossal sculptures made entirely from canned and packaged food. After the exhibition…
Music: Royal Teeth with Chappo and Parade of Lights
If this seemingly endless brutal winter has had you down in the dumps most of the season, on Wednesday a trio of bands will bring their upbeat Pop sounds to Cincinnati for an aural pick-me-up. New Orleans-based sextet Royal Teeth headlines the festivities with their big, buoyant Alt Pop sound, which is laced with colorful…
R.I.P. Reading Comprehension
HOT R.I.P. Reading Proving that people only read the headlines on all those links you share on social media (and people in the regular media barely read much more), a map of the U.S. by music stats/algorithm company The Echo Nest showing the most distinctive music listened to in each state made the viral rounds…
MC Till and All That Jazz
Since he began releasing music in the mid-’00s, Cincinnati Hip Hop artist MC Till’s work has been marked by honesty, positivity, collaboration and ambition. Till’s early releases included an upbeat collaborative album with national “Holy Hip Hop” fave K-Drama; the darker (yet still hopeful) and introspective Beautiful Raw solo LP, on which he questions and…
Connie Men
A decade ago, years before American keyboardist Adam Weiner and British drummer/guitarist Dan Finnemore realized their vision of incendiary Piano Rock as Low Cut Connie, Weiner made his Greater Cincinnati solo debut. Booked at the original Southgate House in Newport, Ky., to warm up the crowd for local Honky Tonk/Rockabilly greats StarDevils, Weiner found an…
ScHoolboy Q with Isaiah Rashad
The name Quincy Matthew Hanley wouldn’t look out of place on a law firm’s letterhead, but Hanley had no such aspirations growing up in Los Angeles. Gangbanging at 12 with the Hoover Crips, and selling Oxy, crack and pot, Hanley was also a B student in school and actually went on to play football at…
Amos Lee with Chris Kasper
It’s been a decade since Blue Note Records signed Amos Lee and put out his self-titled EP. Since then, the Folk/Soul singer/songwriter has yet to disappoint. With a voice that could cut through any venue’s rattle-and-rush, and lyrics and stories that seem just right coming from a former teacher, Lee hooks a finger into the…
The Copyrights with Elway and The Vains
Fans of Cincinnati’s Dopamines are certainly familiar with The Copyrights; the two bands shared a split 7-inch in 2009, the great Songs About Fucking Up (with cover art that parodied/tributed Big Black’s Songs About Fucking album). Fans of bracing Punk/Pop in general are equally tuned in to the Carbondale, Ill., quartet’s engaging blend of adrenalized…
The Ragbirds with Box Truck Rescue and Evan Ray
Ann Arbor, Mich., is the nexus for a lot of weird, wonderful musical behavior, and The Ragbirds are another brilliant reminder of that odd harmonic paradigm. Combining elements from a variety of sources — Gypsy Jazz, Celtic Folk, Bluegrass and Rock filtered through Middle Eastern, African and Latin rhythms — the band creates a groove-laden…
Har Mar Superstar
The mayor of Minneapolis declared Sept. 13, 2013 as “Har Mar Superstar Day,” in honor of a man whose soulful, hyper-sexual R&B stylings have been overshadowed by his resemblance to porn star Ron Jeremy and a stage show that includes the singer clothed in nothing more than a pair of tighty-whities. The declaration is just…
Royal Teeth with Chappo and Parade of Lights
If this seemingly endless brutal winter has had you down in the dumps most of the season, on Wednesday a trio of bands will bring their upbeat Pop sounds to Cincinnati for an aural pick-me-up. New Orleans-based sextet Royal Teeth headlines the festivities with their big, buoyant Alt Pop sound, which is laced with colorful…
I Just Can’t Get Enough…Oscars
And just like that, “Awards Season” comes to a close. Does anyone else think it went out with more of a bore than a bang? Sunday’s Oscars were preceded by the Film Independent Spirit Awards Saturday. I was introduced to this indie movie celebration last year and was pleasantly surprised by the fun, fast-and-loose nature…
Morning News and Stuff
Mayor John Cranley could dismantle a deal that would produce a grocery store, 300 luxury apartments and a new parking garage downtown. Cranley says he doesn’t want millions put toward the deal, even though the developer involved plans to invest another $60 million. Councilman Chris Seelbach says the deal isn’t dead just because of the…
Playhouse in the Park Announces 2014-15 Season
The Cincinnati Playhouse announced its 2014-15 season on Monday. I’m especially looking forward to Peter and the Starcatcher, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Circle Mirror Transformation, as well as the premiere production, Safe House. Here’s what’s coming our way, in chronological order: Jeffrey Hatcher’s new whodunit featuring the world’s favorite detective, Sherlock…
The Art of Food
It’s not often enough that the worlds of food and art collide. And why not, I ask? We first eat with our eyes, and after spending hours traipsing through museums and galleries gazing at masterpieces, we get really, really hungry. This is just one of the many reasons I always eagerly anticipate the opening of…
Morning News and Stuff
About 1 in 20 Cincinnatians, many of them in the wealthiest neighborhoods, pay less in taxes because their home renovations and constructions are subsidized by a local tax program. While the program benefits the wealthy, it also hits Cincinnati Public Schools and other local services through lost revenue. The tax abatement program aims to keep…
The Instigator
I’m going to call her Beverly here. Actually, for a long period of time, I got inside my head this was her real name. She lives on the same floor as I do to here in an apartment building in downtown Covington, Kentucky. I’m guessing she’s in her late sixties. She’s rather short, big boned…
Les Miserables (Review)
Critic's Pick Les Misérables without a turntable? No rumbling barricades lumbering down from the wings? Is that even possible? Yes, indeed, as is being proved at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music where a magnificent staging of the blockbuster long-running musical is being presented. Directed by Aubrey Berg, the head of CCM’s renowned musical theater program, the…
Shake It Records Celebrates 15 Years with Free Shows
In March of 1999, after running the Cincinnati-based Shake It Records label for several years, brothers Jim and Darren Blase opened a new record store in the Northside neighborhood. The store, also called Shake It Records, was an instant hit with local record-buyers, offering a huge chunk of vinyl alongside their CD stock, as well as…
Trending Topics
Each week our intern Amber will be exploring what Cincinnatians are interested in by scouring the local Twitter trends and reporting on what she’s found. From serious tweets to goofy hashtags, she’ll highlight what Cincy’s been buzzing about. So get to tweeting, folks. #SK2K Sean Kilpatrick became the second player to score 2,000 career points…
REVIEW: Saturn Batteries’ ‘Real Far East’
An EP can serve several purposes — a stopgap release between full-length releases; fresh merch to offer at shows; a teaser for more material down the road; or an exploratory release to test the waters for a response to a new band or an existing band's new direction (among others). In any event, whatever a…
Stage Door: Hapless Heroes at Cincy Shakes
There's a magnificent production of the legendary musical Les Misérables at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. I attended the opening performance at Patricia Corbett on Thursday evening, and a show that I've seen umpteen times has been given new life with fresh direction, impassioned staging and innovative design — even if you've seen…
Taft’s Ale House Groundbreaking
Head to the old St. Paul's Evangelical Church (1429 Race St., OTR) at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 7 to check out the groundbreaking for the new 3CDC project, Taft's Ale House, as well as interior renderings of the project. Taft's Ale House will be a new OTR brewery and pub, christened after Cincinnati's greatest…
REVIEW: Denim Road Band’s ‘Blame It On the Stars’
The combined musical experience of the members of the Denim Road Band easily eclipses the century-and-a-half mark and encompasses every conceivable type of band and genre of music; local show/dance/cover outfits to nationally recognized entities playing Classic Rock, Blues, R&B, Jazz, Fusion, Top 40 Country, Funk and everything between and beyond. DRB's sense of history…
Morning News and Stuff
City Council yesterday expressed support for a barebones parking plan that would upgrade all meters to accept credit card payments and increase enforcement around the city, which should boost annual revenues. The plan does not increase rates or hours at meters, as Mayor John Cranley originally called for. It also doesn’t allow people to pay…
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Announces 2014-15 Season
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company today announced its 21st season, commencing in July. The company is committed to staging works by Shakespeare, of course, but its goal is broader: It also presents definitive works of drama and literary classics adapted for the stage. As far as the Bard's work, the 2014-2015 season will include a holiday staging of the…
Cincinnati-Based McDonald’s Franchisee Invented Filet-O-Fish
According to an article in LA Weekly, Cincinnati-based McDonald's franchisee Lou Groen invented the Filet-O-Fish sandwich in 1962. Apparently, he was having an issue selling his burgers to our huge Catholic population during Lent. So he called up McDonald's founder Ray Kroc and explained his dilemma, suggesting they try selling a fish sandwich instead. Kroc said…
Where to Find a King Cake
Cincinnati may be a German town but we certainly get a little Cajun in us around Mardi Gras. The Queen City is hosting a plethora of Mardi Gras parties this coming week (you can read about some here), and our local bakeries and restaurants are dishing up some serious New Orleans flavor. On Sunday, Findlay Market…
Drama in Kentucky and More Media Musings
WDRB-TV Louisville’s general manager, Bill Lamb, implied the Louisville Courier-Journal rigged a statewide poll putting challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes ahead of Mitch McConnell. His on-air charge included the statement, “It stretches credibility to think that a newspaper with time-tested bias is not going to rig its polls.” He told jimromenesko.com, “I’m saying that when a…
Mahogany’s: Turn Out the Lights
As a precursor to the few times my father ever whipped my ass when I was a young girl — all times I needed and deserved it — I recall he said: “This is gonna hurt me more than it will hurt you.” Neither my young head nor my young hide could reconcile that, but…
Son of God
Arriving a week before the start of the Lenten season, this story of Jesus (Diogo Morgado) spans from his birth all the way through his death and resurrection with ample attention paid to his teachings and his daily interactions with those around him. Son of God condenses the episodic chapters of the television mini-series The…
Repentance
An author and life coach (Anthony Mackie) with a troubled past must confront his own demons and the potential misapplication of his teachings after being kidnapped by a client (Forest Whitaker) seeking unrealistic solutions to his own problems. Co-writer and director Philippe Caland is best known for his work on the story and as a…
Non-Stop
Liam Neeson, as the modern-day Clint Eastwood type (let’s call him, “The Man Who Needs No Name Other Than Liam Neeson”), takes to the skies — this time out, as an air marshal attempting to fend off a mysterious hijacker on a transatlantic flight who has pledged to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless…
Free The Mind
This new documentary by Phie Ambo (Mechanical Love) explores and seeks to quantify the power of meditation for skeptical audiences. Studies by neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson provide the foundation for an investigation into the impact of meditation, yoga and breathing exercises on heightened peacefulness and happiness in veterans, children and a host of others. Initial…
Dysfunctional Family Man: Luc Besson
Take, if you will, a picture — or how about several motion pictures stretching back all the way to 1990, almost 25 years of pictures — from Frenchman Luc Besson. Take a close look at those pictures and a theme emerges, a variation on a theme. Besson has become a one-man band, the Stevie Wonder…
CityBeat Staff Picks
Assorted Mardi Gras parties, Les Miz at CCM, the Cincinnati Home & Garden Show, graffiti-as-art Final Friday exhibits and more. Read all of our staff recommendations of stuff to do this week here.
Bryan Fuller’s Beautiful Dark, Twisted Fantasy
The dark and decadent dinner party that is Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal (Season Premiere 10 p.m. Friday, NBC) returns this week, continuing its grotesquely beautiful take on the story of Dr. Lecter, his companions and victims. Hannibal Lecter has long been an intriguing character across literature, film and television. Most are familiar with him as the…
A Shot of Kentucky Creativity: Humana Festival No. 38
One of America’s most important theatrical events happens annually just 100 miles south of Cincinnati via I-71: the Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, kicking off its 38th year this week. It is a destination for serious theatergoers as well as theater professionals from across the nation and around…
Designer Wigs Out on Minaj
HOT Designer Wigs Out on Minaj Hip Hop star Nicki Minaj’s former wig designer wants $30 million from her, claiming she stole his designs to sell her own line of wigs. Should she have to pull the wigs, Minaj’s fans can console themselves with some other merch — T-shirts emblazoned with “Barbz” (her nickname for…
New Show at CAM Focuses on Modernist Jewelry Designer
We know that post-World War II Greenwich Village was a center for progressive Modernist arts in the U.S. — Abstract Expressionist painting, the Beats, method actors and Folk musicians like Bob Dylan. But the Village, so full of creativity and new ways of thinking, also was the center of a lesser-known avant-garde movement in jewelry…
Music: Lydia Loveless
After a childhood in tiny Coshocton, Ohio, a move to Columbus and a gig playing bass in her family’s New Wave/Rock band as a teenager, Lydia Loveless set out on her own musical path at the age of 17. In 2010, the 20-year-old Loveless released her debut album, The Only Man (produced Greater Cincinnati’s venerable David Rhodes Brown), which…
School of Snacks
C ollege kids are notorious for putting on the “freshman 15,” and receiving care packages stocked with candy bars certainly doesn’t help. After realizing that a niche to supply healthy snacks to college students existed, Cincinnati-based Marissa Hu and Andy Fortson founded Co-Ed Supply, a subscription-based start-up that targets the collegiate crowd by providing them…
Income Inequality Rises in Ohio
Income inequality vastly grew in Ohio and other states between 1979 and 2011, but Ohio actually fared better than most other states, according to a Feb. 19 report from the Economic Policy Institute and the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). Ohio’s top 1 percent saw their inflation-adjusted income grow by roughly 70 percent between…
Ohio Moving Left on Social Issues
Ohioans are moving left on marijuana and same-sex marriage, according to a poll released Feb. 24 by Quinnipiac University. The poll found 87 percent of Ohioans support legalizing marijuana for medical uses. About 51 percent support allowing adults to legally possess a small amount of the drug. And 83 percent agree marijuana is equally or…
GOP Approves Election Changes
Republican state officials on Feb. 21 signed off on controversial election measures that will allow the Hamilton County Board of Elections to move from downtown to Mount Airy, reduce the early voting period in Ohio and restrict Ohio counties’ abilities to mail out unsolicited absentee ballot applications. Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted’s decision hit…
The Art of Food (Feature)
Alfio Gulisano, executive chef of Alfio’s Buon Cibo in Hyde Park, wants to bring his “A game” to The Art of Food, The Carnegie’s annual exhibition of culinary and food-inspired visual art. Although the focus is on engaging the senses through food as art and art as food, he and other chefs say that every…
WCPO’s Sloppy Streetcar Reporting Misses Real Concerns
Since I joined CityBeat two years ago, I’ve read and watched a lot of bad attempts at investigative journalism. But on Feb. 24, WCPO genuinely surprised me with the worst piece of reporting, journalism or whatever one wants to call what I saw: a so-called “investigation” into deaths related to streetcars. There is just so…
Serious Seuss
The Seuss is not loose at the Cincinnati Art Museum, which has a stash of the good doctor’s political cartoons filed away and unavailable for public viewing in its archives. The five cartoons were drawn for a New York newspaper’s editorial page and appeared years before Horton heard any Whos. These works date to the…
Morning News and Stuff
Universal preschool could save Cincinnati $48-$69.1 million in the first two to three years by ensuring children get through school with less problems and costs to taxpayers, according to a University of Cincinnati Economics Center study. The public benefits echo findings in other cities and states, where studies found expanded preschool programs generate benefit-cost ratios…
New Local Music Releases Celebrated This Week
• Friday at The Drinkery (1150 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/drinkery.otr), local Indie rockers Saturn Batteries release their sophomore EP, Real Far East. The band is joined by Founding Fathers for the 11 p.m. show. There’s a compellingly silky vibe to Saturn Batteries’ brand of fluttering Indie Pop on Real Far East, the follow-up to the…
New Fires from Old Fuel
To take a page from Judy Collins’ notebook, Lydia Loveless has seen life from both sides now. After a childhood in tiny Coshocton, Ohio, a move to Columbus and a gig playing bass in her family’s New Wave/Rock band as a teenager, Loveless set out on her own musical path at the age of 17.…
Hero’s Journey
T he National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has seen its ups and downs during its now decade-long existence on Cincinnati’s riverfront. Although the project originally promised to break the city’s conservative reputation, it quickly faced problems with disappointing attendance and financing. Within the past two years the Freedom Center even came close to closing its…
