Officers Charged with Covering Up Accident for Controversial Cop
Two Cincinnati Police Officers have been charged in the cover up of a car accident involving a third officer, Sgt. Andrew Mitchell. Mitchell was the same officer who shot and killed local musician David “Bones” Hebert in Northside in 2011, according to a source within the department. According to court documents filed Saturday, Mitchell was…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all, here’s the news today. Two Cincinnati police officers face charges of covering up a car wreck involving fellow officer Sgt. Andrew Mitchell. Mitchell crashed his car March 22 on West McMicken Ave. According to dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice charges filed in Hamilton County Municipal Court, officers Jason Cotterman and Richard…
Onstage: Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale offers a break from unrequited love, tragedy and death. Nobody dies in Donizetti’s comedy, which is his most-performed opera during his lifetime. The tale of an old bachelor tricked into a fake marriage with his nephew’s sweetheart is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and its music is like limoncello on a sweltering summer…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning y’all. I hope your holiday weekend was as crazy as mine in all the good ways a weekend can be crazy without being crazy in all the bad ways a weekend can be. One BAD way your July 4 extravaganza can be crazy is when you have to wrestle a strange naked man…
Your Weekend Playlist: America!
There’s a lot to celebrate this year, folks. After Supreme Court officially legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the feeling of freedom is especially felt in the LGBTQ community and the rest of those filled with joy for all the love in this ever-changing country. On June 25, history was made. And as July 4 approaches, it’s…
Stage Door
With the Fourth of July falling on a weekend, most theaters will be dark, and all the hubbub around the All-Star Game means that most of them will wait until the dust settles at Great American Ball Park before they crank things up again. But if you’re jonesing for some good summer theater and you…
Morning News and Stuff
What’s up Cincy? No morning news tomorrow so I can chase down sources for a longer piece I’m working on. I’ll also be pre-gaming patriotism in preparation for the Fourth. But let me give you a brief rundown of a few things happening around town and beyond before I go. Locally-based Macy’s Department Stores dumped…
REVIEW: Bunbury Music Festival 2015
If This is Friday, It Must Be Bunbury 2015: Day One (June 5) Although this was the fourth edition of the Bunbury Music Festival along Ohio’s riverfront, in many ways it felt like the first year for the fest. And in many ways, it was just that. With founder Bill Donabedian selling a majority stake…
Magic Mike XXL
Curiosity dominated the critical conversation when Academy Award-winning renaissance man Steven Soderbergh teamed up with Channing Tatum, the lantern-jawed heartthrob who danced his way into our pop cultural consciousness in Step Up (and starred more recently in Foxcatcher and the ongoing 21 Jump Street franchise). Well, we should have remembered that Soderbergh, thanks to his…
Ted 2
The Thunder Buddies — John (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (voice work by writer-director Seth MacFarlane) — are back and seeking to establish personhood for Ted so that he and his new bride Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) can have a baby together (a grown woman wants to have a baby with a teddy bear — don’t ask).…
Max
Boaz Yakin started out as an indie upstart director to watch with the urban chess thriller Fresh in 1994 followed by A Price Above Rubies in 1998, but since then has pursued more mainstream fare like Remember the Titans and Uptown Girls (with a brief harder flirtation thanks to 2012’s Safe starring Jason Statham). His…
Manglehorn
Part of an Al Pacino double-feature (along with Barry Levinson’s adaptation of Philip Roth’s The Humbling) at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Manglehorn, from director David Gordon Green (the indie darling behind George Washington and All the Real Girls who went on to Pineapple Express and The Sitter), was the more nuanced showcase for…
A Little Chaos
There’s always a heightened bit of intrigue when a noted actor steps behind the camera to leave an imprint of his or her own. Although he may always be German terrorist Hans Gruber to me and a generation of Die Hard fans, Alan Rickman has carved out quite a filmography, complete with deftly nuanced portrayals…
Terminator Genisys
After the last lackluster outing (Terminator Salvation) in this groundbreaking science-fiction adventure series (with its first two installments helmed by James Cameron, which explains the early success), the producing powers that be tapped Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) to return the franchise to some semblance of its past glory. The script, from Laeta Kalogridis…
Lit: Leah Stewart at Joseph-Beth
Oscar Wilde said, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” The way we keep secrets and tell lies is at the heart of Leah Stewart’s latest novel, The New Neighbor. It tells the story of two women — a frail and bitter 90-year-old, Margaret Riley, and a single mother named Jennifer Young, who is…
Music: Dale Watson
Thankfully, there are still cats who throw down authentic Rockabilly and Country music, and one of them is Texas music great Dale Watson. Listening to Watson’s music is like going back in time to when Honky Tonk meant a fun groove and the story-songs were about true life blues and not all silly. Watson, Austin’s…
Music: Eli Cook
For more than a half century, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers has been the launching pad/finishing school for some of the world’s most formidable guitarists: Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Jon Mark, Walter Trout and many others have sharpened their chops and honed their sonic identities under the tutelage of the veteran bluesman. So…
Music: Yonder Mountain String Band
Ever since founding member Jeff Austin left Yonder Mountain String Band in 2014, there’s been a question floating in the air among fans: How can the band be the same without Austin? The simple answer, of course, is that it can’t. But to say that’s necessarily a bad thing would be to forget what Yonder…
Music: Charlie Parr
Three years ago, when I wrote about a Charlie Parr club appearance here, it was necessary to introduce him and his work to even those readers who followed acoustic Blues, Folk and Americana music. Yes, the Minnesotan had recorded 11 albums that showed off his rugged voice, fine rustic songwriting and transcendent drone-like and locomotive-fast…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
@font-face { font-family: “Arial”; }@font-face { font-family: “Cambria Math”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; It’s always weird when a celebrity agrees to do a…
Art: Petra (Pieces)
Normally, the acquisition of a new photograph by the Cincinnati Art Museum wouldn’t be that impactful. By and large, prints are small and subtle, and often black-and-white until recent decades. But Ryan McGinley’s “Petra (Pieces)” is different. There is its size — almost six feet by nine feet. There is the strong color, with a…
Event: Tri-State Antique Market
Expect to find an abundance of patriotic ephemera at this month’s Tri-State Antique Market, Indiana’s largest antiques- and vintage-only market. Since 1985, this market has been a resource for collectors, dealers and decorators searching for everything from early 19th-century primitives to Pop Art from the 1970s. All merchandise is required to be at least 30…
Event: Northside Fouth of July Parade
One of the city’s most eclectic and colorful Fourth of July parades (since 1854), the Northside parade celebrates independence with sparkling floats, neon Acid-dream processions (mostly from vintage store Chicken Lays an Egg), tons of classic cars, lots of dance troupes and drum lines, plenty of hand-shaking and candy-throwing politicians, many creative red-white-and-blue outfits and…
Attractions: The Healing Garden at Krohn Conservatory
Now that the butterflies have gone, Krohn Conservatory is turning itself into a Healing Garden for its summer floral show. Find fragrant flowers, bright colors and music to heal mind, body and spirit. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Through Aug. 23. $4 adults; $2 children. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, 513-421-4086, cincinnatiparks.com.
Music: Red Wanting Blue/Independence Day Celebration on Fountain Square
Columbus five-piece Red Wanting Blue formed in Athens, Ohio 20 years ago and worked hard to establish a fervent fanbase through consistent touring and a DIY approach to releasing albums of heartfelt, heartland Rock & Roll. The group’s hard work paid off in a big way when 2012’s From the Vanishing Point became a critical…
Event: Red, White and Blue Ash
Parking within three miles of downtown during any type of event (sporting or otherwise) is the bane of any sane Cincinnatian’s existence — especially over a holiday weekend. Which is why it’s so awesome that the Tristate’s biggest Independence Day fireworks show is out in the ’burbs (with shuttle service from the UC Blue Ash…
Event: Fourth of July Jam
Washington Park is getting in on the family-friendly red, white and blue fun with its Fourth of July Jam, a day of live music, carnival games and a truly jammy screening of The Grateful Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” performance at Soldier Field — celebrating the Dead’s 50th anniversary, as well as the remaining members’ final…
Event: Newport Motorcycle Rally
Motorcycles have been ingrained into American culture à la James Dean and Easy Rider since William Harley and Arthur Davidson figured out how to attach an engine to a bicycle during the earliest years of the 20th century. So what better way to celebrate these bikes and their place in American mythology than over Fourth…
Event: LaRosa’s Balloon Glow
Fireworks won’t be the only thing lighting up the sky for the Fourth of July at the 16th-annual LaRosa’s Balloon Glow at Coney Island — tethered hot air balloons will illuminate the park with glowing color all evening. Events kick off with live entertainment in Moonlite Mall: strolling stiltwalkers and jugglers, plus live Jazz and…
Noon News and Stuff
Hey hey all! Hope your week is going well as we speed toward what I’m sure is going to be an awesome July 4 weekend. Before we get to news, I wanted to welcome our new staff writer and news reporter Natalie Krebs, who starts today. Natalie comes to us after working in the Texas…
Comedy: Bo Dacious
“I love Sponge Bob,” comedian Bo Dacious tells an audience. “That shit changed my life. It kept me in the house many a day when I could have been outside getting into trouble.” But Dacious wonders who created the beloved cartoon character. “I want to see these guys. What do they look like? How do…
Art: The Mini Microcinema Opening Screening and Party
People’s Liberty’s second Globe Grantee, filmmaker C. Jacqueline Wood, kicks off the first night of The Mini Microcinema — 10 weeks of experimental film/video/media screenings — Thursday at the nonprofit’s Globe Gallery in Findlay Market. While Wood has invited filmmakers, critics and independent groups to curate each week’s programming, Thursday features films Wood herself has…
Music: Northside Rock N’ Roll Carnival
Northside rocks Fourth of July weekend with its annual Rock n’ Roll Carnival, featuring free live music, side-show acts like fire-breathers and sword-swallowers, tons of food and a lot of local beer. This year’s music lineup includes: Ohio Knife, The Harlequins, Jeremy Pinnell and the 55s, plus headliners Wussy on Thursday; Comet Bluegrass All-Stars, R.Ring…
16-Bit (Feature)
In 2004, the first arcade-themed bar, Barcade, opened in New York City, combining alcohol with cabinet video games of yore. The concept of selling nostalgia spread like wildfire, and soon practically every major city had one — Chicago alone has several. In 2013, Ohio got its first “barcade,” 16-Bit in Columbus. Finally, Buckeyes could play…
Shark Week 2015
Discovery Channel’s 28th annual Shark Week begins Sunday, promising eight days of deep-sea programming (plus more sharktastic stuff to watch later in August). Here’s what to watch: Shark Trek (8 p.m. Sunday) – Kicking off Shark Week, Massachusetts’ Senior Marine Fisheries marine biologist Dr. Greg Skomal tags Great White sharks off the coast of Cape…
Thomas Mann: From ‘Project X’ to ‘The Dying Girl’
Weaned on ludicrous white-male teen fantasies like Risky Business and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (the whole John Hughes oeuvre, really), even as an adult I have to admit to a partiality toward movies in which the teen heroes live in a world gloriously beyond the attention of parents who bear more than a passing resemblance…
Review: Morning Star World Premiere
Morning Star, the new opera by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist William Hoffman, had its world premiere last night before a near-capacity audience in the School for Creative and Performing Arts’ Corbett Theater. Based on a 1940 play by Sylvia Regan, the story follows a Jewish immigrant family in the early decades of the…
Secrets and Lies with Leah Stewart
Oscar Wilde said, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” The way we keep secrets and tell lies is at the heart of Leah Stewart’s latest novel, The New Neighbor. It tells the story of two women — a frail and bitter 90-year-old, Margaret Riley, and a single mother named Jennifer Young, who is…
Artists Descending a Staircase: Stairwell’s at Wave Pool
This month, an itinerant curatorial project by San Francisco-based artists Sarah Hotchkiss and Carey Lin called Stairwell’s will be in town for Wave Pool’s Art Space is Your Space artist residency program. The duo has been using stairs as sites for art experiences since 2011, and their two-week residency will include three group walking tours,…
Creativity in Closed Captioning
HOT: Creativity in Closed Captioning During Kanye West’s performance at May’s Billboard Music Awards, over a minute of the Rap superstar’s performance was muted by ABC censors due to “objectionable” language. Those handling the closed captioning for the BBC during West’s anticipated/controversial performance at the Glastonbury festival last weekend had to get a little more…
A Show-Stopping New Photo at the Cincinnati Art Museum
Normally, the acquisition of a new photograph by the Cincinnati Art Museum wouldn’t be that impactful. By and large, prints are small and subtle, and often black-and-white until recent decades. But Ryan McGinley’s “Petra (Pieces)” is different. There is its size — almost six feet by nine feet. There is the strong color, with a…
Taste of Belgium Rookwood: Now Open
Taste of Belgium, the local Belgian bistro that specializes in great beers and Belgian food with an American twist, opened its third Greater Cincinnati location in the Rookwood Exchange (3825 Edwards Road) — beginning with breakfast today. “We are delighted to be a locally owned restaurant in the already great lineup at Rookwood,” says owner…
Mini Cine
C. Jacqueline Wood is trying to address one of the glaring weaknesses in Cincinnati’s cultural offerings — the lack of non-profit venues whose ongoing programming takes film seriously as art. Her creation, The Mini Microcinema, opens Thursday at People’s Liberty’s Globe building and gallery in Findlay Market (1805 Elm St.). A party begins at 6…
Equal
All things being equal, I am mightily confused by America, but also greatly enamored with Her. She has fooled around and redeemed herself to a great many of Her people. She is turning ever more humane. For 50 years I had grown accustomed to Her face, to Her frowning “no” face that foretold of major…
U.S. Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 26 that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. The court released its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a set of cases challenging same-sex marriage bans in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. “The Fourteenth Amendment requires a State to license a marriage between two people of the…
Fighting On
In the gray early morning of June 24, a charter bus idled outside the Elizabeth Campbell Surgical Center in Mount Auburn waiting to take a group of Planned Parenthood supporters from Cincinnati to the state capitol building in Columbus. About 25 people piled on board, and as the bus sped through the drizzly Ohio countryside,…
Pitch Perfect
Ea rlier this spring, area arts organization ArtWorks invited local established artists, designers, makers and overall creative entrepreneurs to participate in its second-annual Big Pitch competition. The competition matches local business owners with mentors and U.S. Bank small business specialists for a 10-week period and ends with the finalists presenting a five-minute pitch to a…
Sound Advice: Dale Watson with Straw Boss
If I hear another Bro Country song about a six pack, a lake, a pickup truck on a gravel road and girls who can’t get enough of all that goofy shit, my head may just implode. Not that I have anything against any of those topics, because I love to get off the hard road…
Sound Advice: Eli Cook
For more than a half century, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers has been the launching pad/finishing school for some of the world’s most formidable guitarists: Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Jon Mark, Walter Trout and many others have sharpened their chops and honed their sonic identities under the tutelage of the veteran bluesman. So…
Sound Advice: Yonder Mountain String Band with The Goodle Boys
Ever since founding member Jeff Austin left Yonder Mountain String Band in 2014, there’s been a question floating in the air among fans: How can the band be the same without Austin? The simple answer, of course, is that it can’t. But to say that’s necessarily a bad thing would be to forget what Yonder…
Sound Advice: Charlie Parr with Casey Campbell
Three years ago, when I wrote about a Charlie Parr club appearance here, it was necessary to introduce him and his work to even those readers who followed acoustic Blues, Folk and Americana music. Yes, the Minnesotan had recorded 11 albums that showed off his rugged voice, fine rustic songwriting and transcendent drone-like and locomotive-fast…
Northside’s Rock N’ Roll Carnival Returns
Northside not only hosts the city’s most unique Fourth of July parade (coming up Saturday at noon; visit northsidejuly4.com for details); the neighborhood also has the most one-of-a-kind festival to celebrate America’s independence in the region. The Northside Rock N’ Roll Carnival was first put on in 2006, and it has since grown into a…
Aoife Madness
O n paper, Aoife O’Donovan is the busiest woman in the music business. If we believe Wikipedia and other online informational sources, O’Donovan is still active in her longtime band Crooked Still and her side project Sometymes Why, in addition to managing her flourishing solo career. In reality, O’Donovan is not juggling those particular chainsaws.…
Music: Red, White & Boom!
The Cincinnati Pops (with conductor John Morris Russell) take over Riverbend’s Corbett Pavilion for a patriotic concert, complete with special appearances by Folk darling Aoife O’Donovan (see interview with O’Donovan here), the May Festival Chorus, baritone Nmon Ford and the USO Show Troupe, plus a Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks display — you can’t have a true…
