Heartless Bastards Stay Busy, Go Country
As if touring with Jenny Lewis, The Decemberists and The Avett Brothers (plus doing shows with Andrew Bird and Wilco and playing just about every big summer music fest out there) wasn't enough,
Bronson’s Disappearing Act
A recent blog item by Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Peter Bronson has generated plenty of national attention for the newspaper, all of the negative variety. Bronson posted comments July 1 on his ironically titled blog, Bronson is Always Right, which criticized the long-delayed appointment of writer and comedian Al Franken as one of Minnesota’s senators. Accompanying…
Onstage: Ainadamar
Ainadamar is an old well located north of Granada. The name is Arabic for Fountain of Tears, and it was there that Spain’s preeminent poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca was murdered by Falangists in August 1936. Less than a decade earlier, Lorca eerily foretold his death in his play about Mariana Pineda, the Spanish…
Onstage: The Music of Musicals: The Musical
Here’s one last chance to see one of the summer’s most entertaining productions — and support a worthy cause. Cincinnati Landmark Productions (whose co-founders, Tim and Jennifer Perrino and Denny Reed have been selected by the League of Cincinnati Theatres for their 2009 Continuing Achievement Award) presented The Musical of Musicals back in July on the…
Music: Forecastle Festival
This weekend one of the Midwest’s most well-respected music festivals comes to Louisville, Ky. The Forecastle Festival, now in its eighth year, will be headlined by acts such as The Avett Brothers, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic and The Black Crowes plus more than 65 other bands and DJs. Billed as “one of the top…
Comedy: Isaac Witty
“I describe myself as an observational comic,” says Tulsa-native Isaac Witty, “but I’m more self-observational. I pretty much talk about myself, the situations I put myself into. It’s always about me and human interactions that are awkward.” That can go back quite a ways. “Remember back in middle school the gym teacher would say ‘OK.…
R.I.P. MJ, Reviewing Wilco, Little Richard, The Bats and Tom Brosseau
As a child of the ’60s, a good deal of my early education in Rock came at the hands of a headmaster named Ed Sullivan. His Sunday evening variety show was the place to see crooners, comedians, scenes from hit Broadway shows, magicians, plate-spinners (God, how I loved the plate-spinners) and, oddly enough, the absolute…
Onstage: I Love a Piano
I Love a Piano, presented by the Commonwealth Theatre Company at Northern Kentucky University, features the all-American music of Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin wrote tuneful, good-hearted and, well, all-American music. Some 65 of his tunes are in this revue at least in part. Despite his ethnic roots, this is a distinctly white-bread musical portrait of…
Music: Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
Eric Goulden, now 55 and enjoying a career resurgence due to his excellent 2008 album of wistful, funny and powerful Folk Rock with wife Amy Rigby (it’s just called Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, on the revived Stuff label), will play during an exceedingly rare appearance in this region Wednesday. Eric’s career has had its…
Events: St. Rita Festival
A good deal less scary than their annual haunted house, the St. Rita Festival, which has been going on since 1916, focuses on family, fun, rides, Texas Hold’em and turtle soup — the famous secret family recipe always sells out before the festival closes on Sunday. Located on school grounds, the St. Rita Fest serves…
Five Way on the Showboat
The Showboat Majestic is set to host five musicals for the price of one. Kind of. In fact, The Musical of Musicals: The Musical is just one story, but it’s interpreted five ways — in the styles of various legendary musical theater creators. Given that musicals are in high demand on the Showboat, this show…
The Whole World Is Watching Iran
Go to YouTube and watch Neda Agha-Soltan die. She’s on the Tehran pavement, shot by a government theological thug. Her eyes roll up and blood flows from her mouth and nose. It wasn't a gunfight. Not even the Iranian government claims that demonstrators shot at police, soldiers or militias. In our celebrity-obsessed era, she has…
Music: Diana Krall
Diana Krall, the Grammy Award-winning Jazz singer and pianist, is in the midst of a world tour promoting her new album, Quiet Nights. She's also enjoying attention via her scene in Public Enemies, the Johnny Depp film about John Dillinger — she sings "Bye Bye Blackbird" in a club scene with Depp and Marion Cotillard,…
Lineup Announced for Bubblegum Masquerade
"The Bubblegum Masquerade," you say? Indeed. A local gentleman named Paul O'Moore has put together the Saturday show under the banner of his Vibrant Fringe Productions group, an essentially pro bono, one-man promotions organization founded to "exclusively support local and regional music" and to be "a partner in rebuilding Greater Cincinnati's music scene," according to…
Fashion Inspiration: John Dillinger and The ’30s
Last week was the grand opening of Public Enemies, Johnny Depp's portrayal of John Dillinger. Maybe it was just Depp's charming good looks or maybe it was his effortlessness at being so cool, but I was hooked on the fashion from the sunglasses down to the shoes.—- There certainly has been a surge of '30s…
Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby with Lisa Walker
Growing up in England in the 1960s and 1970s and loving Rock & Roll, Eric Goulden always wanted to write a classic three-chord garage-band anthem like Van Morrison’s “Gloria.” While it's taken him a while to realize it, he did — way back in 1977. It was called “(I’d Go the) Whole Wide World,” and…
Bobaflex and Friends
For the past 11 years, Nu Metal quintet Bobaflex has enjoyed the consistent lineup of co-frontmen/guitarists/vocalists/brothers Marty and Shaun McCoy, guitarist/backing vocalist Mike Steele, bassist/backing vocalist Jerod Mankin and drummer Tommy Johnson. That’s a fairly significant accomplishment for any band, but it’s doubly impressive for Bobaflex. The McCoys are decendents of the West Virginian clan…
Music and Lyrics
By the edge of the fountain, when no one was looking, my hope came to nothing. — Federico Garcia Lorca, Mariana Pineda Ainadamar is an old well located north of Granada. The name is Arabic for "Fountain of Tears," and it was there that Spain’s preeminent poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca was murdered by…
Magnolia Electric Co. with The Donkeys and Kim Taylor
Jason Molina’s prolific discography can be attributed to three words: work, work, work. The leader of the now-deceased Songs: Ohia and the mastermind of Indiana-based outfit Magnolia Electric Co., his ethic is the antithesis to traditional Rock & Roll decadence. Molina writes lyrics daily (eschewing a reliance on inspiration), frequently rotates old material for new…
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Review)
This less-than-engaging outing starts off on the wrong foot with a mix of mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and dinosaurs that wouldn't have a remote chance of occupying the same timeframe. While I completely appreciate the fact that we’re talking about a kid’s movie, I believe that, on some fronts, we’ve been spoiled by filmmakers driven to…
Klyde the Rhino
The Cincinnati Zoo has a new member of their family, a young black rhinoceros.
Free Stuff from Freekbass!
Everyone's favorite funkdified, dancetastic bass hero, Freekbass, has teamed up with Hip Hop/DJ collective Tobotius for a slammin' couple of tracks that'll definitely get your booty motorin'. —-"Don't U Think That U Don't Want to Dance" and "Black Market Deathwish" are all massive beats, tricky-rocked rhymes delivered right on time, expert turntablist scritch-scratchin' and a heaping spoonful of slap bass licks as…
Ding Dong, the Witch Is … Gone
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is exiting stage left. Praise the lord. In a surprise announcement today, Palin said she not only wouldn't run for reelection as governor next year, but also won't even finish her first gubernatorial term. Palin will resign her office in the next few weeks.—- By not even completing her term, it's…
100 Facing Layoffs at Enquirer
In a memo distributed to employees Thursday, Cincinnati Enquirer Publisher Margaret Buchanan wrote that the newspaper will lay off up to 100 people in the next few days. The Gannett Co., The Enquirer's parent firm, is bracing for about 1,400 layoffs in its newspaper division before July 9. Buchanan's memo is the first indication about…
White Castle’s Guide to the Supreme Court
I’ve been working at Kroger for about six years now. The union, however, will tell you it’s about four because of the frequent absences I take in the name of higher education. (And believe me, this makes a drastic difference in my pay scale.) In the six (four) years I’ve been at Kroger, I thought…
Madoff, Michael Jackson and U.S. Justice
If the folks at CityBeat can finagle it, I want this entire blog to be in the color green. You know, to support Iran. Because nothing shows the despotic Shah (or is it the Ayatollah now? It’s hard to differentiate between ruthless dictators nowadays) that we Americans won’t stand for stolen elections like wearing the…
Local CD Review: Moegly’s ‘It’s Getting Hard to Find…’
Cincinnati singer-songwriter Moegly (a.k.a. Nicholas Moeggenberg) is one of those dreamy, skinny, intelligent boys who always go over well with the coffee shop crowd. His debut five-song (well, six with the hidden track) EP, It’s Getting Hard to Find Good People, is a smooth, gentle Indie Folk effort that sounds especially good in its jumpier…
Lance Stephenson Will Jam On Your Head
This week’s addition of 6-foot-5 shooting guard Lance Stephenson to UC’s 2009 recruiting class will have effects far beyond the instant upgrade it means for the Bearcats’ starting swingman position. Stephenson — a big shooting guard fast and strong enough to drive to the basket — is one of the rarest commodities in college basketball.…
Cheri (Review)
Stephen Frears’ adaptation of two combined Colette novels never takes hold due to a myopic screenplay by Christopher Hampton and a severely misjudged performance from Kathy Bates that threatens to sink the film whenever her distinctly non-British “Baroness” appears. Set in the Belle Epoque era of the late 1800s, Michelle Pfeiffer plays Lea, an aging…
‘Choo-Choo Trains’ and Hidden Motives
The COAST/NAACP anti-streetcar petition crew is causing all sorts of debauchery and grabbing headlines for its attempt to garner support for a sweeping, all-inclusive anti-rail ballot initiative. And it is exhausting.—- My favorite comments on the issue have already been posted on the Cincinnatians for Progress blog and re-posted at least once (at CincinnatiBeacon.com), but…
CityBeat Podcast 15: The Manly Art of Wrestling
The Wrestling Podcast includes a recording of a local wrestling exhibition by the Dynamic Wrestling Alliance at the Price Hill Recreation Center as well as interviews with Darren Aronofsky, who directed The Wrestler, and Necro Butcher, a real wrestler who played himself in the film. The theme music you'll hear was performed by Captain Destiny…
Health Care Reform Forum Thursday
A forum on health care reform featuring people who have been adversely affected by the current system that relies on private insurance will be held Thursday. Entitled “National Health Care Reform: The Time Is Now,” the forum will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. at St. Monica/St. George Parish Center, 328 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights.…
Dems Target Berding’s Endorsement
Sparked by festering resentment over several recent votes, some Democratic Party precinct executives are mulling whether to call for a special meeting to try to rescind the party’s endorsement of Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Berding.—- Several precinct executives are talking privately about stripping Berding of his party endorsement and instead giving it to City Councilwoman…
Fashion Inspiration: Henry Darger
America knew Henry Darger late. So it goes for most prodigious artists. Born in 1892, Darger worked as custodian at a children's school for most of his life. His mother died early and his sister was put up for adoption. Darger actually never met his sister and spent his time growing up in various institutions,…
Watson Park (Profile)
When I step into Reality Tuesdays, a Covington coffee joint, I scan the room for “band signs” — tattoos, Chucks, skate shoes, black clothes, wrecked hair or wicked t-shirts, the usual dead giveaways. Then I see two guys huddling in a booth — early twenties, whispering about sound systems. Bingo. Watson Park. Drummer Nate Staggs…
R.I.P. Michael Riley
It’s often been said of larger than life characters that if they didn’t exist someone would have had to invent them. Thankfully we had Michael Riley, because it’s difficult to imagine the twisted cosmic novelist that would have been necessary to come up with him. Riley was the personification of dichotomy. He was a fixture…
Hot July Nights
If you’re in the mood to schmooze with strangers this month, there are quite a few communal drinking/dining experiences to get you out of your comfort zone and meeting new people — from “Euro-Chic” young professionals to not-as-chic UC professors. On July 9, the European-American Chamber of Commerce will host “Euro-Chic” Happy Hour at Cumin.…
Jealous in Hyde Park, Burning Downtown
Dear Maija, I’m a young professional man, and I have a best friend who is a woman. She’s also a young professional, and we’ve known each other since high school when we were the only students in the smart classes who smoked weed. We often enjoy eating sushi and shopping for fixtures that are very…
June 24-30: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24Getting kicked off a high school soccer team in America is easy — all you have to do is skip a couple two-a-days or pull the ’ol wheelie kick into the wrong goal during practice. The AP today reported that in Iran it’s even easier to get kicked off the national team, as…
Whatever Works (Review)
Larry David, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, is an acquired taste that I no doubt won't ever wholly embrace. His playing of himself on his hit HBO series grates not only on my nerves but also threatens to drill through my bone to the very marrow, which I can’t honestly say I would…
Keeping Faith at Old St. George
Seventeen months after a major fire nearly claimed Old St. George Church in Clifton, its iconic spires are still missing from the city’s skyline. The church lies dormant, virtually moth-balled with temporary roofing while its owner, the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. (CHCURC), decides its fate. Relatively little has been done to the building…
The Flight Station Find Their Wings
When The Flight Station’s founding members, guitarist/vocalist Corey Moore and drummer Corey Powell, were 13 years old, they started a band simply to bang out their adolescent energy on some musical instruments that happened to be lying around in Moore’s dad’s basement. Two weeks later, the Pearl Jam- and Beatles-inspired youngins were playing in front…
Kanak (Review)
Sometimes I miss Swami. I miss going to Mayura in Clifton and having him bring out samples of that night’s special and complimentary bhajias to the table. The congenial owner would always make the rounds, remembering not only everyone’s name, but the names of their relatives, friends and neighbors and the last time they were…
Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women (Review)
Critic's Pick At the turn of the 20th Century, when a woman’s most acceptable occupation was motherhood, Bessie Potter Vonnoh succeeded professionally as a sculptor, flouting convention by focusing on a career instead of raising children. Rather than challenging traditional expectations of women, however, her sculptures idealized women as mothers. Her success as an independent…
A Thong and a Prayer
I was standing at the bus stop on Queen City Avenue a few afternoons ago, and the sun was blazing down. The temperature was in the 90s. The bus was late. I didn’t really want to go downtown, but a friend wanted to talk to me about a writing project she was working on and…
Winners and Losers
[LOSER] PUBLIC LIBRARIES: Gov. Ted Strickland proposed an additional 50 percent cut in the state’s Public Library Fund, the primary funding source for libraries. If approved by lawmakers, the local results would be catastrophic for Hamilton County. Up to 20 of the 40 branch libraries would be closed, there would be a dramatic reduction in…
The Tao of Wow
A few thousand years ago, primitive man discovered that beating on logs with sticks made an appealing rhythmic pattern and blowing into a hollow bone created an interesting whistling noise. Thus was born the musician. In the next cave over, another primitive man yelled from his entryway, “What is that?” The first musician said, “It’s…
CAM’s Craft Exhibition Will Bowl You Over
Cincinnati Art Museum has launched so many new exhibitions this summer — large and small — that it’s hard to keep up with them all. But Outside the Ordinary: Contemporary Art in Glass, Wood and Ceramics from the Wolf Collection is a don’t-miss-it stunner. It accomplishes exactly what it set out to do — show…
MJ’s Legacy, Condom Starship and Men SUED At Work
[HOT] Legend Dies, No Other News Happens It’s been a tough week here at Minimum Gauge. The world lost one of its giants of culture and we’ve barely been able to get out of bed, let alone troll for news headlines to make fun of (largely because all the news was focused on our beloved…
Buy Local, Eat Better
Something happens when Chef Michael Peterson cooks that my hands somehow are unwilling to duplicate. My wife and I recently dined at NuVo Modern American Cuisine, Peterson’s restaurant in Newport, and commented on how flat our culinary skills felt after eating his renditions of South American sea trout and seared scallops. “That’s why we’re here,”…
Mallory’s October Surprise?
People who follow local politics were probably surprised recently to read Mayor Mark Mallory’s response to the news of a pending budget deficit next year. When Cincinnati City Council received its monthly financial report in late May, members were informed that the city potentially faced a $40 million deficit in 2010 due to a drop…
Gangster Hero No. 1
[Read Jason Gargano's review of Public Enemies here.] By the summer of 1934, John Dillinger’s fame had caught up with him and his debts were getting close. Even at the tail end of a one-year crime spree totaling at least six states, 11 banks and $300,000, Dillinger remained a working-class hero. The law saw things…
CAM Announces Fall Film Series
The Cincinnati Art Museum has announced its fall film series, the first under its own aegis since ending its relationship with Cincinnati World Cinema earlier this year.—- The movies will be connected to art exhibits, the current Outside the Ordinary show of contemporary crafts and the upcoming Roaring Tigers and Imperishable Beauty shows. It will…
The Flip-Flop Contessa
Lamb Chops & Warm White Beans Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce 2 cloves garlic, smashed 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 12 loin lamb chops,
