The Clock’s Artistry, Minute by Minute
The worst job I ever had involved a supervisor who was a by-the-clock stickler — if I tried to leave at 5:25 p.m., he would tell me, “We work until 5:30.” As a result, I loathe clockwatching — or so I thought, until I saw three hours worth of Christian Marclay’s amazing The Clock, a…
Omnivorous Options
R ight down the road from Virgil’s Café in Bellevue is a newly opened (since November) neighborhood burger joint, The Elusive Cow. Originally, I had heard that it was a vegan or vegetarian pub, but one look at the menu made it clear: This restaurant is much more than that. The owner of The Elusive…
Rising To The Top
P laywright Deborah Laufer loves to tell stories. “I think what theater does,” she told CityBeat recently, “is bring people together to contemplate what it means to be human at this point in time. It’s a place to ask all the big questions. And it affords me the opportunity to research and learn about all…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Sunday’s Super Bowl was arguably one of the most entertaining sporting events for even the most athletically clueless. Admittedly, I fall into that category — this was probably the most recent football game I’ve watched since last year’s SB — and generally watch for the commercials and half-time show/to justify eating my weight in cheese…
Traffic Congestion Cost Cincinnati $947 Million
Traffic can be awful — not just for drivers, but economies and the environment as well. A study released Tuesday by the Texas A&M Institute of Transportation found Cincinnati lost about $947 million in 2011 to delays on the road, coming in at No. 27 nationwide. The Annual Urban Mobility Report also ranked Cincinnati No.…
Music Tonight: Donny McCaslin and Shovels & Rope
California native and acclaimed Jazz composer/saxophonist Donny McCaslin got a fairly big jump on his music career, performing with an ensemble of experienced musicians by the time he was 12. If there was any nepotism involved (the group was McCaslin’s father’s, a vibraphonist), the criticisms probably faded quickly as McCaslin started his own group in…
Morning News and Stuff
New casino revenue numbers are well below 2009 estimates. State officials previously estimated Ohio’s casinos would bring in $1.9 billion a year once they were built and functional, but the latest state budget cuts that prediction by half. The new estimates are due to competition with racinos and lower-than-expected performance at casinos that are already…
dada
With the almost constant presence of “Dizz Knee Land” on FM radio, it hardly seems possible that 20 years have blinked by since the release of dada’s 1992 debut album Puzzle and its ubiquitous single. From the very start, dada crafted a unique sonic identity that defied comparison to their AltRock/Grunge peer group. The Los…
Ken Stringfellow and the Young Heirlooms
Ken Stringfellow’s new solo album, Danzig in the Moonlight, is all over the stylistic map, employing an eclectic array of moods and instrumentation, no doubt informed by its creator’s rich musical history. Album-opener “Jesus Was An Only Child” perfectly encapsulates Stringfellow’s use of shifting dynamics, opening with a lilting, strings- and organ-driven ode to childhood…
Trixie Whitley
Trixie Whitley was destined for a creative life. She's the daughter of acclaimed Blues/Folk singer/songwriter Chris Whitley (if you don’t know his work, make your life better by seeking out everything he ever did) and his Belgian wife Helene Gavaert, whose Gypsy lineage brims with painters, sculptors and musicians. Whitley was introduced to performing early…
Astronautalis with Why?
Typically, a musician's choice of touring partners says much about him or her. Exhibit A: Astronautalis. The Virginia-born, Seattle-via-Minneapolis rapper, born Andy Bothwell, has shared bills with Tegan and Sara, k-os, Flobots, Bleubird, Sims and Busdriver. Every name on that list is tied to Indie and/or Alt Hip Hop. The singular exception is Tegan and…
Kasich Budget Expands Medicaid, Cuts Taxes
Gov. John Kasich released his 2014-2015 budget plan today, and it has a few surprises — some pleasant, some not — for progressives. Despite his vocal opposition to Obamacare, Kasich will be taking up the federal law’s incentive to expand Medicaid, the health care program for low-income families. But instead of taking back past cuts…
Morning News and Stuff
There’s even more bad news coming from Ohio’s newly privatized prison. Violence last week forced Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to call in the state’s special response team, according to Plunderbund. Two teams from the Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation were dispatched. Gov. John Kasich pushed prison privatization in his 2012-2013 budget to save…
Court to Decide Dispute over Streetcar Utility Lines
Another hurdle in the ongoing struggle to make the streetcar a reality was bypassed today, when Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. announced that after months entangled in a gridlock, Duke Energy and the city of Cincinnati have finally reached an agreement over who will pay for the relocation of utility lines.…
WNKU Announces ‘Studio 89’ Season Lineup
Yesterday, Northern Kentucky independent radio outlet WNKU celebrated two years of expanding its broadcast to 105.9 and 104.1 FM (as well as the standard 89.7 FM). Today, the station announced the upcoming season of its great in-studio concert series, Studio 89. As usual, the lineup is a great, eclectic mix of local acts and national…
Your Weekend To Do List: 2/1-2/3
Remember when you could buy a proper cocktail with the spare change in your pocket? OK, probably not, but you can still enjoy Prohibition-era prices at Japp’s new happy hour kicking off Friday. From 4-6 p.m. tonight (and each night thereafter), Japp’s will serve up 33-cent Plymouth gin martinis with a side of live Jazz…
Guest Blog: Building the ‘Musicians’ Desk Reference’
A thousand words. That’s what I have to tell you everything about what I am doing, why I am doing it and how it may affect musicians and the music industry. At the end of it, you get to form an overlying judgment on both who I am and my reasoning. So here we go.…
Stage Door: Closing Shows
No new shows opened this week. But several will close this weekend, so it's your last chance to see them. At the top of that list I would put Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II (Review here). If you're a completist, this is a rare chance to catch a show that's produced very infrequently.…
Kasich Announces Education Reform Plan
Speaking in front of Ohio school administrators Thursday, Gov. John Kasich unveiled a surprisingly progressive-sounding education reform plan that seeks to diminish school funding inequality, but it also expands Ohio’s flawed voucher program. Kasich said the plan will not cut any school district’s funding, but it will work to reduce gaps between the wealthy and…
Bands Just Wanna Have Fun! (No Period Necessary)
For a band that is called fun., I sure find it ironic that their music sparks nothing close to that feeling. I admit comfortably that when I was 16, I was a fan of Nickelback, Disturbed and other bands that would fall under that “Cock Rock” territory. That’s a pretty bold statement. While I’d say…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
The Screen Actors Guild Awards were Sunday and I didn’t watch that low-budge mess, but here are the winners if you care. America’s girl crush, Jennifer Lawrence, nabbed an SAGy (?) for her role in Silver Linings Playbook (I know I’m late on this, but that movie is just great. Go see it.) After a…
Music Tonight: Yonder Mountain String Band and More
Contemporary "Newgrass" kings Yonder Mountain String Band return to the area tonight for an all-ages, 8:30 p.m. show at Covington's Madison Theater. Tickets are $25. Opening the show is the very cool Lake Street Dive, a "jazz-schooled, DIY-motivated and classically pop obsessed" quartet that formed at Boston’s New England Conservatory. Check out this clip of…
Morning News and Stuff
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls is asking the city administration to complete construction of the streetcar in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will be hosted in Cincinnati. A letter from Qualls to City Manager Milton Dohoney and Mayor Mark Mallory explains her reasoning: “This may present a challenge, but it is…
Bad Veins Splits in Two
One of Cincinnati's finest Indie acts, the brilliant Bad Veins, has split in two. Last night, BV's singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist Benjamin Davis took to the group's website to announce that founding member, drummer Sebastien Schultz, has decided to "move on from his time with Bad Veins." Schultz — previously the drummer for local Indie rockers Cathedrals —…
String Theory
Most bands would be kicking at the studio door after a long stretch between albums, but Yonder Mountain String Band has never subscribed to any set of rules beyond their own. While the Nederland, Col.-based Jamgrass quartet has new songs that have been dropped into recent sets, the musicians are in no particular hurry to…
All-Star Game in Tow, Castellini Wants World Series
Until July of 2015, you’re going to hear a lot about Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. And for good reason — the game could bring anywhere from $75-$100 million into the city. It’ll also bring the sports world’s eye to an ever-changing Cincinnati, which by 2015 could be even more impressive than it is today.…
Chabot Refuses to OK Superstorm Sandy Disaster Relief
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot called the deadly storms that hit the Cincinnati area last March “catastrophic,” and he offered shattered communities a financial lifeline through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s low-interest rate disaster loan program. In 1997, when Washington wrangling over budget issues held up relief after the Ohio River flooded Cincinnati, Chabot raged against…
City Negotiating Settlement Over Pension Lawsuit
The city of Cincinnati and a union representing city workers are currently negotiating an out-of-court settlement for a lawsuit involving the city’s pension program. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) claimed in a 2011 lawsuit the city isn’t meeting funding requirements. A Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas motion filed Jan.…
Cincinnati vs. The World 01.30.2013
In line with the country’s increasing energy usage trends, statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Agency found that China now uses 47 percent of the world’s coal; its usage grew by 325 million tons in 2011. WORLD -1 According to a new study, one in 12 workers admit to having stolen a coworker’s lunch a…
Stupid Grown-ups
I live in Downtown Covington, Ky., and Patsy lives in my apartment building on the second floor. I don’t know her well enough except to say hello when I see her in the hallway or out on the sidewalk. She’s a pretty young girl — tall and thin with long black hair and blue eyes.…
State School Board Leader Sinks Public Discourse
State Board of Education President Debe Terhar must think everyone else is really stupid. Terhar, a Cincinnati Republican, drew criticism recently for posting a politically motivated picture of Adolf Hitler on Facebook. The caption read, “Never forget what this tyrant said: ‘To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.’ — Adolf Hitler.” Many critics quickly…
Paving Paradise
“ L ook at all the asphalt,” says Myra Greenberg, as her fingers graze a map of Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine. She points out the surface parking lots, which riddle the downtown landscape. Greenberg, a resident of the Pendleton neighborhood since 1996 and board member of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation, has grown weary of asphalt. She’s…
Skeleton Hands Ride Moody Wave on ‘Gone’
After a couple of singles and EPs on esteemed (and diverse) local Electronic/EDM label Racecar Productions, local electronic Coldwave/Darkwave duo Skeleton Hands present a free album release party this Saturday at Northside venue Mayday . The twosome will be joined by labelmates The Librarian and Ellie Herring for the 9 p.m. show (open to those…
Morning News and Stuff
Between October and December, the U.S. economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 percent — the first contraction since 2009. The downturn was primarily caused by the threat of conservative fiscal policies, particularly defense spending cuts. Dropping business inventories also helped drag down the economy. Otherwise, consumer and business spending was actually strong. Some Republicans want another…
Line of Fire
Black gunmetal strikes coarse against the skin. With its stout and angular design, the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle hangs light in the hands. Shadows catch along the sharp edges of the gun's frame. Cold and unvarnished, the rifle reflects a ruthless efficiency. Cradle the weapon against one arm. With another hand, click the curved magazine into…
Social Media as Cocktail Party Chit Chat
A new study from GlobalWebIndex posted on MediaBistro.com reports that Twitter was the fastest growing social network of 2012, fighting off stiff competition from the usual suspects (Facebook and Google+), which means that for the first time, my usage (vote) actually counts in this new social media democracy that’s sweeping the globe. I remain staunchly…
Worst Week Ever!: Jan. 23-29
WEDNESDAY JAN. 23 State Board of Education President Debe Terhar has made some folks not so happy. She shared a link on Facebook from some pitiful source who posts things like photos of our president with the caption “Where’s Lee Harvey Oswalt when you need him?” (their misspelling, not ours) and a picture of a…
Benchmark
There was trouble at the University of Cincinnati the night of Aug. 6, 2011. Real, life-and-death trouble. There’d been a fight outside Turner Hall. UC Officer Richard Haas responded. It was 2 a.m. Nothing good ever happens at that hour. Troubles from the day before seem always to take unsettled layovers. But trouble never takes…
Lemon Out!
After seven seasons of night cheese, epic eye-rolls and general hilarity, Liz Lemon and the TGS crew head to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for one last show. 30 Rock comes to an end this week with a one-hour finale (8 p.m. Thursday, NBC). Over the years, we’ve watched the ups and downs of writing and show…
Writer-Director Michael Haneke Puts Love to a Most Brutal Test
Amour, the brave new film from Michael Haneke, is a story that speaks to the notion and philosophies espoused by Dr. Cornel West, in particular, his consideration of what it means to be human. For West, being human deals with living and struggling in the face of inevitable death, fighting daily despite having an awareness…
Dance Goes Interactive with ZviDance
Do you know when you go to a dance concert — or any formal performance — and they ask you to turn off your phones? Well, that won’t be happening when ZviDance performs Zoom at the Aronoff Center this weekend. In fact, you’ll be encouraged not only to leave your phone on, but to use…
Photographs From a Private World at Iris BookCafe
The camera is a curious instrument. Its purposes run from mundane to exotic and include a sweeping range between, but the odd thing is that the operator of the instrument is reflected whatever the purpose may be. By neatness or carelessness of composition, by selection of subject, by some slight suggestion of attitude toward what…
Tea Time
E ven if you aren’t a Downton Abbey addict, I’m going to assume that at some point in time you’ve watched a British movie or TV show. If you’ve been to Britain, even better still, as you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about: Any situation short of a rugby scrum calls for a cup of…
Pleasures Unveiled
T he story has long been set in Rock & Roll lore: Ian Curtis, lead singer for Joy Division, hanged himself the day before the Manchester, England-based band was to embark on its first tour of America. It was May 1980, less than a year after the band released its acclaimed full-length debut, Unknown Pleasures,…
Warm Bodies
What in the world are dreamy undead fans going to do now that the Twilight saga is over? Well, they can always seek the warmth of Warm Bodies, which features Nicholas Hoult as R, a zombie who seems to be developing a bit of a heart, especially after a close encounter with Julie (Teresa Palmer),…
Bullet to the Head
Revenge unites an assassin (Sylvester Stallone) and a detective (Sung Kang from Fast & Furious fame) in Bullet to the Head, the latest buddy action flick from old-school shooter Walter Hill (48 Hours). It looks like we’re in the middle of a massive out-of-retirement move for several older action heroes with Stallone joining Arnold Schwarzenegger…
