Onstage: The King and I
Covington’s Carnegie Center has been pulling together some interesting theatrical events, and this week marks yet another intriguing outing — a concert staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1951 hit The King and I. The Carnegie has assembled a cast of singers and actors with Broadway experience, accompanied by 12 musicians from the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra,…
Events: A Moveable Feast
Holiday weight gain is like the ugly sweater your aunt has wrapped up for you under the tree — you don’t want it, but you get it every single year. Forget the pounds for a night and dine guilt-free at CCM’s “A Moveable Feast” benefit, where you can sample culinary delights and burn the calories…
Onstage: Tiempo Libre
There’ll be smoke on the floorboards at Music Hall when Tiempo Libre joins the Cincinnati Pops for A Night in Havana with high voltage Afro-Cuban rhythms and mashups of Classical, Jazz and Latin American music. The septet was a huge hit at the Aronoff in 2008. “It’s going to be bigger, better and wilder,” promises…
Events: No Particular Menu
We all have billions of words, thousands of stories that are often neglected for everyday exchanges. In a world that seems to be constantly filled with noise, are we all being silenced? Important People, a collective of writers, has come together to form a reading series that is more a communication device than a performance.…
Comedy: Sean Patton
They say that talk-show appearances don’t do as much as they used to for stand-up comics. However, the heat was on Sean Patton after a hilarious appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last winter. Patton gave viewers a hilarious snapshot of his full stage act, relating a story about a fight he almost got…
Music: Corey Smith
The internet age has made it easier for practically anyone, with the right break, to be successful in music, but it isn’t just those who inadvertently back into a lucrative career with a fluke video clip, like, say, Rebecca Black. While Georgia-born-and-based Country (with Rock and Blues tinges) artist Corey Smith’s massive success without the…
Onstage: Billy Elliott The Musical
More than 4.5 million people worldwide have seen this show since its 2005 debut in London, an inspiring tale drawn from the hit movie about a kid who stumbles out of a boxing ring and into a ballet class. He discovers a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community in a way…
Music: The Dig
Although The Dig has been together in name since 2008, the roots of the band go all the way back to the sixth grade musical pursuits of guitarist/vocalist Emile Mosseri and bassist/vocalist David Baldwin. After several teenage band adventures, Mosseri and Baldwin connected with guitarist/keyboardist Erick Eiser in high school; the trio continued to write…
Review: The Civil Wars and The Staves in Covington
On any given evening there is a crowd somewhere being forced to sit anxiously through an awful opening act. Then there are nights where concert-goers become wrapped up in the opening act. They become so enthralled that they call out for one more song, not minding that they are delaying the band they paid good…
Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade
If you’re looking for yet another sign of the reemergence of American Roots music, look no further than Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade. The Brooklyn-based Tess has been around the country and back again, performing her version of folkie Jazz and Swing music from sea to shining sea. The results of her extensive…
‘Future Shock’ featuring William Brittelle, Clarice Jensen and Nadia Sirota
Fans who love the music presented at the MusicNOW festival (the annual local event organized by Bryce Dessner of The National) will want to be at the CAC this weekend for a special night of “electro-acoustic Chamber music” by a trio of notable musicians — cellist Clarice Jensen, violist Nadia Sirota and William Brittelle on…
Tea Leaf Green
Tea Leaf Green plays Rock music, but not the kind you hear on WEBN or the sort that sometimes makes it onto Top 40 playlists. The only new(-ish) artist that even begins to compare to the band is Derek Trucks, and he’s not appearing regularly during the rush hour mix, either. That’s OK, though. Tea…
Tiempo Libre with the Cincinnati Pop Orchestra
Armed with Classical conservatory training and Cuban heritage, Miami-based Tiempo Libre has scored three Grammy nominations and international acclaim since forming in 2001. The music collective’s explosive hybridization of Timba, Son and Latin Jazz routinely fills dance floors and electrifies audiences worldwide. The group possesses a seamless ability to inhabit stages in dance clubs, Jazz…
The Dig
Although The Dig has been together in name since 2008, the roots of the band go all the way back to the sixth grade musical pursuits of guitarist/vocalist Emile Mosseri and bassist/vocalist David Baldwin. After several teenage band adventures, Mosseri and Baldwin connected with guitarist/keyboardist Erick Eiser in high school; the trio continued to write…
Henry VIII (Review)
Shakespeare wrote Henry VIII in 1612 or 1613, probably in collaboration with John Fletcher, another playwright. The events of the history play date from an era not long before Shakespeare’s birth, and the work — known originally and hyperbolically as All Is True — chronicled events that were still vivid in England’s cultural memory. The…
‘Whites Only,’ the Tea Party and COAST
This week’s ruling by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission that a Greater Cincinnati landlady violated a girl’s civil rights by posting a “whites only” sign at an apartment complex’s swimming pool is a decision that most rational people would say is just. The Jan. 12 ruling means the commission, if it cannot reach a settlement…
UC, XU Hoops Continue In Opposite Directions
Things have gone in two drastically different directions for the UC and XU men’s basketball programs after the embarrassment that was the "Crosstown Brawl." The Bearcats have won eight out of their last nine, while the Muskies have lost five of eight. Both teams had key players suspended and UC found motivation in the fallout…
I Shall Be Released: Timing Is (Not Always) Everything
I’m still getting used to my new digs here at The Daily Beat as everyone rushes about, delivering their stories with right-this-minute immediacy and what not. Of course, with my continuing effort to bring you up to date on the reviews from last summer and fall that were missed for a variety of reasons, my…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
EMI Records has filed a lawsuit against the Irish state for not fulfilling its obligations under European law to block online piracy. Despite major record labels in Ireland (Warner, Universal, Sony and EMI) being harmed by Ireland’s lack of “blocking, diverting or interrupting of Internet communications,” which breaches copyright law, Ireland never implemented any piracy…
Goat Rodeo Sessions Live on the Big Screen
The first time I heard Yo-Yo Ma was on the episode of West Wing when his White House performance triggered Josh Lyman’s PTSD. Obviously, this was a horrible first impression. It tainted my opinion of the cellist for nearly a decade. Recently, though, I’ve become rather fond of Mr. Ma. That fondness only multiplied when…
Stage Door: Henry, Magnolia and Patsy
That headline might sound like a new TV sitcom, but it’s actually a rundown of three shows you might consider seeing this weekend. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Henry VIII: All Is True, the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Always, Patsy Cline and a presentation at Know Theatre of a one-man hit show from the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe, Miss Magnolia…
Squeeze the Day for 1/13
Music Tonight: Local Folk/Rock/Jazz/PopRoots/Etc. group Shiny Old Soul hosts a release party for its debut full-length, Cash Is King, an excellent recording that showcases the group's uniquely fluid and organic songwriting and superb musicianship and harmonies. In this age of Auto-Tune and increased computer doctoring of recordings, SOS is a great testament to the beauty…
Schmidt Sparks Strange Bedfellows
An anti-tax group has made opposing Cincinnati’s planned streetcar project its primary cause in recent years, so it might be surprising to now find one of its leaders teaming up with a major streetcar advocate. But that’s exactly what is happening later this month as Chris Finney, of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and…
Squeeze the Day for 1/12
Music Tonight: One of the more "Did you see that?" shows from last year's MidPoint Music Festival was by Austin, Tex., rockers Bright Light Social Hour, a thrilling live band that practically owns its hometown scene. Last year, BLSH were the big winners at the Austin Music Awards (presented each year during SXSW), scoring six…
ArtSeen: A Conversation with Brian Harmon
Brian Harmon, an artist and educator from Taylor Mill, Ky., delights eyes with his photographic and installation artwork. Harmon uses his artwork as a means to communicate themes such as memory, memory loss and archiving. He took time out of his schedule to speak with ArtSeen about his artwork and his artistic methods.—- ArtSeen: Can…
Kearney Introduces Jobs Bill
After a few months of preparation, two Ohio legislators today formally introduced an economic development plan that a nonpartisan group has said could create up to 16,000 jobs in the state. State Sens. Eric Kearney (D-North Avondale) and Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) have submitted Senate Bill No. 278, known as “Forward Ohio,” for the State Legislature’s…
British Treats for Watching ‘Downton Abbey’
I haven’t had cable TV for the past five years. We watch DVDs and we’ve got streaming Netflix, so I’ve never missed day-to-day TV — that is, until the season two premiere of Downton Abbey! Yes, I know how big of a geek that makes me. I’ve been pining away to find out what happens…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
A recent study shows that only 78 percent of men in the UK change their undies every morning, while 95 percent of women put on a fresh pair. The study also found that women are more than twice as likely to do their laundry while living alone, and of men who are a part of…
Awake at the Wheel
Back in 1999 Deborah Ooten found herself filling her gas tank at the Shell station in Clifton Heights when something spoke to her: The universe told her that she was going to start the Conscious Living Center. “I was at the Shell and I heard this voice say ‘Hey, this is what you gotta do,’…
Eating With Purpose
I get almost as many spam emails about weight loss as I do about erectile dysfunction. Since I don’t have a penis, the Viagra ones get an automatic delete. But I do have a bit of a tummy. Should I read about how to melt belly fat in just 15 days? Nah. I already know…
Fun and Fitness
With January officially underway, many might be determined to make this the year to look fabulous by getting fit and losing weight. But instead of doing the same old thing, signing up for another gym membership or trying the latest fad diet, why not try a new strategy? Health and fitness come in many forms,…
Squeeze the Day for 1/11
Music Tonight: After witnessing my third or fourth “Chillwave” band at last year’s MidPoint Music Festival, it finally hit me what the Indie/Electro/Dance/Pop sub-genre is all about. The sound of Chillwave is the sound of Prince’s first album slowed down slightly and played underwater. While Washington D.C. quartet Deleted Scenes uses some elements of Chillwave…
Jan. 4-10: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY JAN. 4 Cincinnati City Council’s Livable Communities Committee today passed a motion that requires the city to install multi-lingual signs on Fountain Square. Other cities, most of which have never unsuccessfully prosecuted members of their art community for trying to front like pictures of dongs can be considered anything other than obscenity, have displayed…
Richard Cordray and Duke Energy
[WINNER] MUSIC RESOURCE CENTER: Thanks to local donations, the nonprofit, after-school program recently was able to complete the purchase of its building on Woodburn Avenue in Walnut Hills. For the past three years, the program has provided music education for students in grades 7-12. During that time, more than 760 teenagers have benefitted from its…
Surprising Bengals Season Offers Cautious Optimism
There’s nothing quite like the dilemma of the Bengals fan, where optimism is always tinged with cynicism born of years of false hope, false idols and false promise. Once again, things should be looking up and yet there’s the lingering memories of false starts in the past. Saturday’s playoff loss shouldn’t matter — the fact…
Mitt, Newt and Covering Religion in Politics
Religion continues to bedevil politics reporting. News media prefer the simplicity of characterizing elections as horse races until there is a winner. Religion beyond clichés complicates politics. If voters are to appreciate the implications of campaign thrust and parry, it’s time to yoke religious and political reporters for the duration. This disconnect was bizarrely evident…
The Staves with The Civil Wars
Sweet harmonies and simple guitar. That is all The Staves need to steal (and break) your heart. The Staves are made up of three surprisingly young sisters — Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor. It’s hard to believe they are each only in their twenties, especially with lyrics like those in “Gone Tomorrow,” off their Live…
Paul Cebar
When taking stock of the various scenes at the forefront of American music’s evolution during the past four decades, Milwaukee doesn’t immediately spring to mind. The fact is that one of the city’s favorite sons, Paul Cebar, has done as much as anyone to introduce hip audiences to the seductive wonder of Latin, African and…
Bright Light Social Hour
If you missed the Bright Light Social Hour when it shredded at last fall’s MidPoint festivities, the acclaimed Austin quartet must have missed you too, because the band has notched a slot on their winter tour for another swing through Cincinnati to level any shaky structures that survived the last visit. Pinning down the BLSH’s…
TV People
"There are only two things I love in this world: everybody and television." — Kenneth Parcell, 30 Rock You’re either a TV person, or you aren’t. For years, I didn’t own a television and, like many others, was very vocal about stating that fact. See, TV people get a bad rap because most crap on…
