Dining Changes and New Opportunities in 2013
Eat Well Café and Takeaway (3009 O Bryon St., O’Bryonville) is now open. Chef/owner Renee Schuler’s newest endeavor is just what I expected — fresh, polished and yet simple and comforting. I had time to run in to the preview event for just a minute, and they looked as excited and proud as new parents…
Change and Continuity Collide in ‘Forward into the Past’
“Experimenting is what art is about,” Jens Rosenkrantz told his audience in the small, early 19th century rooms at Betts House last Saturday afternoon. Rosenkrantz’s exhibition Forward into the Past had opened there the evening before and he gave a gallery talk on the varied contents of the show, work he prefers to call “lens-based”…
Fusian Dreams of Sushi
A sk any business owner what it takes to succeed and you’ll likely hear that you must have the stomach for taking risks, putting in long hours and learning from mistakes. And if you really want to get the entrepreneurial juices flowing, try founding a restaurant based on sushi, whose rate of skyrocketing popularity means…
High-Wire Act
P laywright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was in Chicago early in 2008, rehearsing the world premiere of a new play he had just written for Steppenwolf Theatre. The company was staging Arthur Miller’s legendary 1953 Tony Award winner, The Crucible, on its mainstage. “I had, of course, read it in high school,” he recalls, “and later seen…
I Just Can’t Get Enough…Golden Globes
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday, making the three-hour event pretty much bearable! Some awards were pretty predictable (Les Mis) while others were surprising (Girls) but T&A — I’m coining their celebrity couple name — kept the show fun by teasing Hollywood greats and each other. The first…
Film: Reveal the Path
During my time at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I took up what became a personal motto to go “where the frames took me” over the course of my weeklong viewing experience. It is quite humbling to encounter a film like Reveal the Path, which takes that idea much further down the proverbial road.…
Art: Friends With Benefits Silent Auction
With few (exceptional) exceptions, to say that it’s financially challenging to work in the arts is an understatement. And unless one works for an organization or company that can afford medical insurance, emergency procedures can literally devastate one’s hopes and dreams for monetary stability. When former members of Museum Gallery/Gallery Museum heard that their friend…
Event: CCM’s “A Moveable Feast”
The popular CCM fundraiser, “A Moveable Feast,” returns for a night of music, dance and theater for you to sink the sensory organs besides your teeth into, this year celebrating the theme “A Star is Born.” All around the CCM village, guests will enjoy backstage tours of CCM productions and plan their own samplings of…
Onstage: Red Light Winter
Playwright Adam Rapp has a pretty bleak outlook on life, and that plays out in his tale of two buddies who end up in an Amsterdam apartment and contest over a mysterious young woman who shows up on their doorstep. Red Light Winter, the next production by Untethered Theater at Clifton Performance Theatre, was considered…
Event: CityBeat’s New Music Showcase
Rewind to high school. You and your friends are sitting in the car in the parking lot outside of Bogart’s, waiting for Battle of the Bands to start. Two water bottles are being passed around the car, one halfway full of vodka that your friend took from his parents’ house, the other full of orange…
Event: Friends of the Public Library Winter Warehouse Sale
When you’ve got a library system like ours, there’s absolutely no reason to spend your hard-earned cash on brand-new books, music and movies at big-box stores. It’s best to support the little guys and save a ton of money in the process by shopping local and used, and there’s no better way to do that…
Comedy: Keith Alberstadt
Comedian Keith Alberstadt has always been sarcastic. “I was in a wine store,” he tells an audience, “and I couldn’t see the label very well so I asked the woman who was working there, ‘What year is this?’ ” The woman replied, ‘The wine?’ That’s when the sarcasm kicked in. ‘No ma’am. I am a…
Music: Plume Giant
Combining some of the idiosyncrasies of modern Indie Folk with uplifting Pop melodies, Chamber music arrangements and an Americana grab-bag of various other influences, the trio Plume Giant makes a glorious noise that is buoyed by the clever, collaborative songwriting, as well as the trio’s vocal chops, which add a slanted, colorful layer to the…
Art: ARTiculate: Jimmy Baker
Ever look at a work of art and think, “What’s going on here?” Or, “How does he/she do that?” Museum directors might have similar questions, and Cincinnati Art Museum Director Aaron Betsky will be asking them in ARTiculate, a series of programs featuring Cincinnati area artists beginning tonight in the Museum’s Fath Auditorium. Jimmy Baker,…
Marilyn Manson
Former Goths unite! Pull out your old bondage pants and black liquid eyeliner — Marilyn Manson is in town. If you can’t squeeze your beer gut into your old threads, remember there’s a Hot Topic at Kenwood and Tri-County malls. But, please, whatever you do, don’t let your children see you dressed like a terrifying…
Stephane Wrembel
Sometimes it only takes a well-placed reference to bump an artist up to the next level. French-born guitarist Stephane Wrembel was already enjoying an acclaimed career when director Woody Allen tapped him to score the theme of his 2011 Academy Award-winning film Midnight in Paris (Allen had previously used Wrembel’s song “Big Brother” in his…
Morning News and Stuff
Gov. John Kasich’s 2014-2015 budget plan is on the horizon, and it contains “sweeping tax reform,” according to Tim Keen, budget director for Kasich. Keen said the new plan will “result in a significant competitive improvement in our tax structure,” but it’s not sure how large tax cuts would be paid for. Some are already…
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen has always straddled the line between Americana and Country Blues music. But, more than anything else, he is a singer/songwriter who has the ability to weave sonic tales that are vivid, interesting and fun. Keen has been around since 1981, writing songs for himself as well as for artists such as Willie…
Snowmine
A recent post on Snowmine’s Facebook page thanked its growing base of admirers before conveying that the band would “promise to give you more soundtracks for your memories yet to be made.” It’s a promise they’re likely to keep — the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based five-piece creates layered soundscapes that would be right at home as the accompaniment…
Richard II (Review)
Critic's Pick With its current production of Richard II, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company brings to the stage the 37th of Shakespeare’s 38 surviving plays. (Next year with Two Noble Kinsmen CSC will complete the canon, a feat accomplished by just five theater companies in the U.S.) Audiences seeing Richard II will wonder why it’s not…
MPMF Teams Up With New Music Industry Trade Show
On Thursday, Feb. 7, local promotional company The Counter Rhythm Group will debut a new "trade show" event that will offer local musicians a chance to check out a wide range of "good and services" available to them in the Greater Cincinnati area. The first "Locally Insourced: Cincinnati Music Industry Trade Show" will take place…
New Videos From CEA ‘New Artist’ Nominees
This Friday at Bogart's, the nominees in the "New Artist of the Year" category in this year's Cincinnati Entertainment Awards will perform at Bogart's for CityBeat's first New Music Showcase. Showtime is 8 p.m. and you can get tickets for $7 at the Bogart's box office (or here if you'd like to pay the ticketing…
Morning News and Stuff
Gov. John Kasich is ready to support further action on human trafficking . Members of the Ohio legislature have already committed to further action. The next few measures will address the statute of limitations for trafficking, parents who traffic their children and laws affecting children services and child welfare. Last session, the legislature passed a…
Local BMX Dude to Appear on ‘Survivor’
Anyone affiliated with BMX in Cincinnati knows Matt Bischoff. The 38-year-old, bearded BMX warrior and all-around good dude hosted one of the region’s best sets of BMX trails in his Anderson Township backyard in the late ’90s. Since that time, he’s gotten married, had two kids, founded a BMX company called Failure Bikes and built…
More Bad News From Private Prison
Private prison critics have been proven right once again. Smuggling incidents are on the rise around Lake Erie Correctional Institution, which Ohio sold to the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in 2011. In a letter to Gov. John Kasich’s northeast Ohio liaison, Conneaut Councilman Neil LaRusch claimed a rise in contraband smuggling has forced local…
Stage Door: Cincy Shakes Opens 2013
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is the first out of the chute with a new production in 2013. Of course, it's a 400-year-old play about a king from two centuries before that. But Shakespeare proved with his script for Richard II that there are universal traits that make us all human, even if we're a king who's…
Morning News and Stuff
An annual human trafficking report released by Attorney General Mike DeWine gave Ohio a C . The grade, which comes from Shared Hope International, was a step up from D’s in the previous two years. But DeWine says it’s not enough, and further action will be taken. Ohio has made some strides on the human…
Music Tonight: Fever Fever and More
Tonight at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine, it's an evening of ethereal Indie Pop atmospherics as Columbus quartet Fever Fever joins Oklahoma-bred sibling duo Clemency for a free, 9 p.m. show. Both groups have sounds that are big-sky spacious and slathered with chiming, The Edge-like guitar echoes and passionate vocals. And both groups give it up…
Ohio Drops in Education Ranks
For the third year in a row, Ohio has dropped in Education Week’s annual ranks. The news comes despite the state slightly bumping up its grade from 79.5 percent to 79.6 percent. The state was ranked No. 12, down from No. 11 in 2012 and No. 10 in 2011. Ohio did best in standards, assessments…
Morning News and Stuff
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is pushing local election officials to begin investigating legitimate cases of voter fraud or suppression. He also vowed to continue pushing for uniform voting hours and redistricting. During election season, Husted developed a bad reputation around the nation for suppressive tactics, which CityBeat covered here , but it seems…
Gateway Gourmands
Nothing screams artisan or handcrafted food like a flannel-shirted, tattooed server. Remove the pageantry from the building, please, and just give us the weird cuts of beef or spruced up hot dog served alongside a Prohibition-era cocktail. Cincinnati’s growing food scene is bursting out of its starched, white linen restraints and moving onto an exposed…
Charges Dropped Against Miami Rape Flier Author
The case of a former Miami University student who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for posting a “Top Ten Ways to Get Away with Rape” flier in a dormitory bathroom just keeps getting more controversial. The controversy began Nov. 8, when Butler County Area 1 Court Judge Robert Lyons took the guilty plea and ordered…
Report: Charter Schools Evade Closure Laws
When an Ohio charter school consistently fails to meet academic standards, the state automatically shuts it down. It’s an aspect of Ohio law that’s touted as one of the toughest standards for charter schools in the nation, but a report from Policy Matters Ohio found some charter schools may be evading the rule altogether. In…
Music Tonight: Jamaican Queens, Elia Goat and More
Detroit producers/Electro musicians Ryan Spencer and Adam Pressley formed its new project Jamaican Queens last year, following the demise of their previous band, Prussia. The pair bonded over a mutual love for Hip Hop production, something that would find itself central to Jamaican Queens winding sound. Together less than a year, the twosome's single "Kids…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Thirteen may historically be an unlucky number, but we’re all sure to be blessed with pop culture gold this year. Sure, Heidi and Spencer are back on TV and Kim Kardashian is cooking up a baby with Kanye West — don’t run for the hills quite yet. The fact that the New Year was rung…
Bengals Stand Behind Dalton, For Now
In the middle of the season, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called out quarterback Andy Dalton and middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, putting the success or failure of the team squarely on their backs. As the 2012 season ended in the first round of the playoffs in Houston, it seems unlikely Maualuga will return in 2013…
Cincinnati vs. The World 01.09.2013
Ohio’s own, U.S. Speaker of the House, John Boehner, told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to “go f— himself” at a White House meeting last week after Reid publicly accused him of running the House like a dictatorship. CINCINNATI -2 Former NRA president Marion Hammer compared a ban on assault weapons to racism, citing both…
Time Warner Drops Current TV After Al Jazeera Purchase
Cincinnati’s largest cable provider announced Jan. 3 that it will drop Current TV after its sale to Pan-Arab news network Al Jazeera. After the deal was reached, Al Jazeera announced plans to gradually transform Current TV into Al Jazeera America by adding five to 10 new U.S. bureaus and hiring more journalists. But immediately following…
NKY Congressman Tries to Loosen Gun Laws Near Schools
U.S. Rep. Tom Massie, the congressman who represents the Kentucky side of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, used his first day in Congress to file a bill that would erase a 23-year-old federal ban that makes it a crime to carry guns near schools. As of the filing, Massie did not have any co-sponsors signed up…
Gaga’s Shrinkmobile, Tapes & Vinyl Thrive and More
HOT Wheelin’ and Healin’ At first glance, headlines about a new addition to Lady Gaga’s tour seemed to be softball lobs for smart-ass tweeters and/or late-night talk show hosts to riff on — “Lady Gaga will offer mental-health counseling before concerts,” blared the one at latimes.com. But the counseling isn’t prep for how to get…
Metro Drivers Protest New Sick Day Policy
A new policy limiting the amount of sick days for Metro bus drivers was not received well by the bus service’s workers last week. Fifty-nine bus drivers called in sick Friday, Jan. 4 in protest of a new policy reducing the number of sick days available for drivers. The details of the protest are unconfirmed…
Looking Ahead to a Busy Year in Local and State Politics
With 2012 in the past, it’s time to start preparing for a brand new year of politics and policy. From what’s been hinted at so far, progressives could have another big year in 2013, but only if they work for it. At the local level, the biggest news of 2013 will likely be the mayor…
Unforgiven Offenses
I n the 1940s, upholding a dainty, proper nuclear family wasn’t just common — it was the absolute standard for social acceptance. Seventy years later, that’s no longer the case. And still, churches still seem to desperately be clinging to old-fashioned ways of thinking to reinforce outdated social norms. Recent actions against female employees have…
Morning News and Stuff
Despite challenges to its constitutionality, JobsOhio is moving forward with a bond sale . The agency, which is meant to create jobs, is holding a bond sale Jan. 23 to raise money for economic development. But ProgressOhio, which is suing Gov. John Kasich’s administration over JobsOhio, says the governor should halt the sale until legal…
Music Industry ‘Reference’ E-Book Due in 2013
After more than a dozen years playing drums with a variety of local bands, Brian Penick in 2010 vacated the drum throne he occupied with The Seedy Seeds to help launch a new company — The Counter Rhythm Group. Since then, the CRG has worked with a handful of the top bands in Greater Cincinnati,…
A Haunted House
Yet another horror parody makes an appearance at the box office, this time featuring the return of Marlon Wayans (of Scary Movie and the Wayans family comedy troupe fame). A Haunted House arrives courtesy of Michael Tiddes, making his feature film-directing debut and picks what little meat there is off the spectral bones of the…
Moving Up With Grace
Cincinnati has been good to Grace Potter. She has performed here many times, usually as an opening act. Potter and her band, The Nocturnals, came out of the jam band scene of Vermont about a decade ago and quickly established themselves as a viable new group. One of their first visits to Cincinnati featured them…
Gangster Squad
After a brief postponement from the fall — to edit a violent sequence in a movie theater — Gangster Squad, the 1940s and ’50s crime thriller from Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less) seeks a hostile takeover of the weekend box office. Charting the rise of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) during mob-related expansion…
Perdido en el Supermercado
Growing up in Cincinnati, the Latino community was so small that I didn’t notice it. It would take trips to other cities to fully realize this void in our cultural landscape. About 20 years ago, I traveled to Chicago quite often and marveled at the size of the Hispanic community, driving around and listening to…
Haute Asian
I n 2012, food trends like “weird Chinese” and “Asian hipster cuisine” hit a fever pitch in New York City. With the advent of Quan Hapa and neighboring Japanese izakaya hot spot Kaze, the trend’s finally supplanted itself in Over-the-Rhine, albeit, with less outlandishness. “Hapa” is the word for a mixed race Asian or Pacific…
2012 Was a Great Year for Art Films
To say that 2012 was a great year for art films isn’t just a reference to the kind of foreign and American-indie narrative features, like Amour or Your Sister’s Sister, that are too thoughtful to play the multiplexes. There are plenty of those out there. But ever since Rivers and Tides, the 2001 documentary about…
