Menopause: The Musical, Mardi Gras, new library, human rights films, chamber music and more
Tig Notaro WEDNESDAY 1/30 ONSTAGE: MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL If you're older than 50 and female, perhaps the subject of "the change of life" brings you together with friends. If so, you might find yourself with other like-minded women at Menopause: The Musical. The show has been a hit since 2001 when it began in…
Dungeon Thud
Dungeon Thud Dungeon Thud at The Weston. You couldn't understand what Jimmy Baker and Nathan Tersteeg were saying to each other during their performance at the Weston Art Gallery Jan. 25. The booms and the chaos were too distracting, muting the frantic communication between the two artists. And that was the point. Baker and…
Where Did the Fun Go?
Today a scoop usually means stumbling on a story or digging through data to piece together a picture no one has seen before — in short, luck or grunt work. In the old days, scoops meant an adventure, beating the competition although everyone knew what might happen. The recent death of Sir Edmund Hillary moved…
Why We Do ‘Person of the Year’
The Person of the Year cover story is always one of my favorite CityBeat issues each year. With our profile of Jason Riveiro here, we've now named 10 key people or groups over the past decade who have helped make Cincinnati a better place to live. As with every year, it was difficult to narrow…
News to Use
Poets Needed for Peace Mission For the fifth year in a row, a group of local poets and artists is putting together a book of poems and drawings on the themes of peace and justice. Any poet in Greater Cincinnati is encouraged to submit one to three poems for a book to come out during…
Stick Up
In my nearly four years living along Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, I've never been a crime victim — to the surprise and chagrin of many. Sure, my car was the victim of a hit-and-run side-swiping once, which wasn't fun, but hardly a crime that would typify the neighborhood's often deserved reputation as a crime haven.…
Damaged Goods
Since I began writing about Greater Cincinnati music more than a decade ago, there have always been murmurs about what the "Cincinnati sound" actually sounds like. The conclusion is usually that it doesn't sound like anything ¸ and everything all at once. The folks at Art Damage, Inc. and Tokyo Rose Records (both longtime supporters…
Locals Only: : Junior Revolution
Patrick McCue Junior Revolution "Indie Rock with blurred edges" might be how Junior Revolution describes their sound, but I'm head-scratching here. Think of Cake, the band. When you listen to those puppies, you might jam along, or you might laugh your ass off, hearing lyrics about "the land where large, fuzzy dice still hang…
Back to Basics
Recent memories of the holiday season have given me pause to consider the pervasive feelings that surround it — the feelings of obligation to buy the perfect gifts even if your heart isn't in it and the expectations and pressure to create the perfect holiday scenario. I've always wondered why we need a holiday to…
Film: Review: Persepolis
Sony Classics Oppressive forces look down on Marjane (center) in Persepolis. Persepolis arrives in Cincinnati as a cause celebre within the art-film community. This animated feature, adapted by Marjane Satrapi from her autobiographical graphic novels about life in post-Islamic Revolution Iran, was considered a cinch for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination. (It's…
Debunking Myths About Electrodermal Testing
Electrodermal Testing (ET), a variant of acupuncture, has its roots as a diagnostic aid for practitioners recommending homeopathic and nutritional remedies, including dietary supplements, for various medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, allergies or food sensitivities. ET combines the principle of galvanometer-based skin differentials with Chinese acupuncture theory, creating a connection between the skin's electrical characteristics and…
Cover Story: 2007 Person of the Year: Making a Big Difference
Joe Lamb 2007 Person of the Year: Jason Riveiro He's the guy who beat "The Big Juan." It's hard to fathom in 21st century America that a multimillion-dollar corporation would base an advertising campaign on racial and ethnic stereotypes and not expect a backlash. Such is the clout of WLW (700 AM), however, and…
Art: Review: The Creative Eye
Marc Suda's "Hibiscus II (Ethereal)" In a world gone digital, certain photographers soldier on with film. Some even work in black and white, ignoring siren calls of color, immediacy and digital tricks. They might, however, have a few neat tricks up their own sleeves. For proof, see The Creative Eye at the Dayton Art…
News: Power to the Corporations
Woodrow J. Hinton Corporations rule Cincinnati. No shocker there. But would you let a business control your child's education? How about the way you vote? What about the efforts of the charitable causes you support? Well, that's exactly what they do, according to a new study recently released by Dan La Botz, a college…
Onstage: Review: Endgame and No Exit
Rich Sofranko Giles Davies (left) and Jermey Dubin have fun withSamuel Beckett's Endgame. One could argue for the non-necessity for new scripts after watching the current double-bill of existential, absurdist classics at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC), the 2008 offering of their Studio Series. Jean-Paul's Sartre's No Exit and Samuel Beckett's Endgame are challenging, provocative…
Will the Reds Stick to Their Turnaround Plan?
Jerry Dowling Books about how to succeed in business might not be the lifeblood of the publishing industry, but any visit to a bookstore will tell you the industry couldn't live without them. Many such books merely capitalize on executive celebrity, and if that doesn't cue customers that they're pure junk, browsing a few…
Darlene Showed Me the Way
For some reason, I've been running into my past lately — people I thought were long gone from my life. It's a little unnerving at times as it brings back some memories I'd just as soon forget, but I don't feel that way about Darlene. I didn't expect to run into her at CVS Pharmacy…
Another seven days of spending responsibly, ignoring gays and cancelling field trips
Nice scarf, buddy! WEDNESDAY JAN. 23 In a sudden bout of responsible spending, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services has decided to replace 2,700 government vehicles with more efficient models. The majority of employee-driven, state-owned vehicles in the state are mid-sized cars, which offer ample trunk and floor space for storing briefcases, purses and…
Sound Advice: : As I Lay Dying, Lee Rocker and Accidentally on Purpose
Cindy Frey As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying with August Burns Red and Evergreen Terrace Wednesday
Hot Fun in the Wintertime
The heat is cranking in the kitchen this February — culinary events abound! EQ at the Party Source in Newport will hold demonstration cooking classes for the Valentine holiday. At A Chocolate Lover's Fantasy on Feb. 5 ($55), attendees will learn how chocolate is created, how to select and store chocolate and how to work…
Society to Blame
As a young librarian I feel compelled to respond to Larry Gross' Living Out Loud column "Shhhhh!" (issue of Jan. 16). While I do not work for the Cincinnati Public Library (CPL) system, I do fully understand and appreciate the services the CPL offers its patrons. The public library is meant to be a free…
Si Leis Plays Bogeyman
CityBeat Archive Simon Leis Jr. Hamilton County officials need to learn that just because they can get away with using scare tactics on conservative talk radio, where facts don't matter a lot, it doesn't mean voters will fall for the ploy. Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. appeared last week on Willie Cunningham's afternoon talk show…
Film: Review: Cassandra’s Dream
Woody Allen obviously knows Greek history, or at least Greek theater, and its mythology. Mighty Aphrodite (1995) was permeated with it, including Greek choruses at Greek ruins. Ten years later, Melinda and Melinda was presented as a cinematic meditation on the critical debate founded in ancient Greek theater: Is life naturally comic or tragic? This…
Music: Drive That Funky Soul
Laura Hanifin Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Picture being at a late-night house joint where the hostess never runs out of good 45s. That's something like listening to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, whose unadulterated Rhythm & Blues sounds light years more bona fide and warm than most retro-Soul recordings ever muster. "That's because…
Music: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
In the Rock band hierarchy, frontmen often become surrogate patriarchs of supremely dysfunctional families. The pressure upon them is twofold: They usually are responsible for writing and singing songs that will (theoretically) thrust them triumphantly into the annals of commercial fame. And they also must protect their sonic investment from dissent, dissolution and fragmentation. The…
Where’s the Love?
Sean Hughes The Art Academy of Cincinnati's Convergys Gallery is hosting a group show of art produced at Covington Catholic High School through Friday. The psychedelic despair projected from the works is a pointed retort to the demands of a youth-obsessed culture in search of the next up-and-comer. Possibly the savior in this exhibition…
Reserve Restaurant and Piano Lounge (Review)
Joe Lamb Reserve Restaurant and Piano Lounge Couples having a baby are often asked if they want to know the sex of the future bundle of joy. While many do, some say that with so few good surprises in life, why not let this be one of them? I know that comparing birth to…
