News: Oktoberfest Uber Alles
A drunk driver at Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati last year injured 23 people, including three police officers, but the city doesn't plan to close more downtown streets during this weekend's event — not like the city did during Ujima Cincibration, the African-American heritage festival held on July 28-30. Oktoberfest draws an estimated 500,000 people downtown, more than three…
The Shams focus their energy on live shows
The Shams When I first heard that The Shams played '60s Rock & Roll, I thought, "How '60s can four very young (early 20s and younger) local musicians really be?" I was surprised to say the least. "It's generation gap-filling music," according to Zach Gabbard, lead singer and guitarist for The Shams. "It's something…
Scott Jones
Scott Jones Scott Jones finds ways to reap multiple rewards from everything he does. He works at The Palace Restaurant in The Cincinnatian Hotel, which also happens to be the location of his pig, Don Pigiovanni. "The restaurant world keeps the bills paid and keeps me sane (financially)," Jones says. "The art world keeps…
Some Days the Bar Eats You (Part 1)
The sign outside is somewhat misleading. It reads Key Club. But this is not a "key club." At least not a key club like, say, the old Playboy Club. Here the word "key" refers to an island, like Key West or Key Biscayne or whatever. And "club" doesn't mean you have to be a dues-paying,…
Death Becomes Us
"Anything to help a kid along, he went the extra mile." — Fellow black officer outside Police Officer Kevin Crayon's Sept. 6 visitation The above quote is damage control if ever I've heard it. Sincere and ironic, no doubt, but damage control nonetheless. In fact, nearly every word publicly uttered and written since 12-year-old Courtney…
Who Killed Whom in Mount Airy? Hindsight Isn’t Always 20-20
Did a Cincinnati cop break the rules and kill a child Sept. 1, or did a delinquent kid take a police officer's life? Depending on your sympathies, you can criticize Officer Kevin Crayon for escalating a routine traffic stop into a lethal situation or you can criticize 12-year-old Courtney Mathis for driving without a license…
Diner: Raw Experience
My friend said, "But I don't do sashimi," when I invited her to eat sushi with me. Sashimi is a Japanese dish of sliced raw fish, often available at a sushi bar. We met in front of Beluga, Hyde Park's newest hip eatery. Beluga's contemporary building has been under renovation much of this year and…
Made For TV Football
Give the people what they want, and they'll still complain. The National Football League (NFL) has never been more popular, but at the same time criticism of the pro game has also never been higher. Rising ticket prices, players in trouble with the law and owners threatening to move franchises if publicly funded stadiums aren't…
Cover Story: Attack of the Missionary Lizards
Ken Ham (left) and Mike Zovath, leaders of the effort to build Answers in Genesis' creation museum and education center in Boone County, pose with their newly acquired dinosaur models. Life in Burlington, Ky., couldn't be simpler. A rural town 20 miles south of Cincinnati, it has a certain rhythm, an uncomplicated grace. Don't…
Travis
Travis With the release of The Man Who, Glasgow's Travis have given the world the latest in a line of contemporary classics from the British Isles, following in the footsteps of What's the Story (Morning Glory), OK Computer and Urban Hymns. The group's distinct, cerebral Pop songs have already made them superstars in England…
News: American Cities on the Mend
You might not have noticed, but many American cities are becoming better places to live. Reforms and movements in public housing, education, policing, finance, welfare and community building are gradually erasing the stigmas of poverty, crime and obsolescence cities have suffered for decades, according to Paul Grogan, co-author of Comeback Cities. City crime rates…
Brownfields Bill Isn’t Much More Than a Start
On Nov. 7, Ohio voters will consider a constitutional amendment intended to pay for land conservation and the reclamation of polluted industrial sites. State Issue 1 would give lawmakers the power to issue up to $50 million of general obligation bonds each year for land conservation and preservation and an additional $50 million of special…
Making Political Hay Over High Gas Prices
Just as a tidal wave of enthusiastic hysteria has lifted the price of dot.com stocks to atmospheric levels for no logical reason, some unidentified, mysterious force has propelled upward the price of gasoline in the Midwest. According to U.S. Department of Energy records, the average price of a gallon of self-serve, regular, unleaded gasoline in…
In the Beginning
It was all my idea. OK, not really all mine. My editor and I had been batting around the idea of me writing a column for well over a year. You know, The World According to Me kinda thing. (If you're already turned off by my perceived arrogance, get your own column.) You don't know…
Popular local trio Lazy Rocket mix Pop, Rock and a touch of Rap into their dynamic blend
Want to see a high-energy performance with obscenely loud Rock, onstage pyrotechnics and exploding bombs? Yes, Mötley Crüe is coming to town this summer. But you could also check out a Lazy Rocket show. Lazy Rocket is a local three-man band. Their very diverse selection of music ranges from some original Rap songs to Rock…
Our Birthday Present to You
CITYBEAT celebrates the 196th anniversary of the dueling death of Alexander Hamilton this week with a sleeker, more modern look and more news and information than ever. On Nov. 17, 1994, CityBeat began serving readers in Cincinnati with a photo-filled, 32-page edition that hit the streets on a Thursday afternoon. Today, the CityBeat of the…
It’s a Disestablished Fact
So, you're all excited about the big breakthrough in the mapping of the human genome, huh? Well, don't bother. Because the absolute answers science provides today will very likely be rescinded by science tomorrow. Example: Some recently discovered bird feather fossils are so old they totally shit-can the heretofore incontrovertible scientific evidence that birds evolved…
What Homophobic Reputation?
Anyone who's listened to Nick Vehr, president of the privately funded 75-member group working on Cincinnati's 2012 Olympic Games bid, knows that he and his fellow Olympic hopefuls have put a great deal of thought and effort into their work since beginning research on the idea in 1996. For starters, Cincinnati 2012, the local bid…
Avoid the Hassle
It's funny how two diametrically opposed forces can see the same action as detrimental to their causes. A few weeks back The Procter & Gamble Company decided not to sponsor Dr. Laura Schessinger's new TV program. This decision sent debris flying out of two different dawg pounds. Dr. Laura has had some rather unpleasant things…
Bio Ritmo
The eight-person "Salsa Machine," Bio Ritmo, returns to town, bringing with them their timeless Latin dance rhythms and soulful vocals. The band formed in 1991 in Richmond, Va., as an eclectic dance band, but within a year they developed into a pure Salsa act, playing regionally at various festivals and cultural events and developing a…
News: Cruise Control
For the first time in years, summer Sunday nights are quieter in Corryville and Eden Park. Corryville business leaders, though, say the situation still needs work. It's a warm, overcast early July Sunday afternoon in Eden Park. A crowd of younger people — many teen-agers, a few who look to be in their twenties, nearly…
Onstage: Pulling out the stops
Molly Andrews, starring in Always … Patsy Cline at the Playhouse in the Park, is an amazing singer. Her voice is rich as cream and smooth as butter. In Appalachian Strings, in which she appeared last year, her singing was thinner, appropriate to the character she was playing, but for her role as Patsy Cline,…
Diner: Vegging Out
Meat on a bun. That seems to be the summer staple, especially this time of year. After holiday cookouts and summer barbecues, even meat-eaters can face burger burnout. Mullane's Parkside Café and the Healing Earth Café in Clifton both offer tasty vegetarian and other healthy alternatives at fair prices. Casual, Coffeehouse StyleI'd visited Mullane's in…
Cheap Beer, Free Love, Expensive Gonorrhea
Cheap Beer, Free Love, Expensive Gonorrhea Gonorrhea. The Clap. VD. The Drip. This might sound like just another preview for wrestling on cable TV to many CityBeat readers. … And Gonorrhea has the Drip in a half nelson. Oh, The Clap isn't going to like this one bit … But it's not. In fact, gonorrhea…
One Vote Can Make a Difference
After missing two votes, Charles Winburn said, "City council is not my full-time job." The nine-member Cincinnati City Council isn't supposed to have many tie votes. But after Councilman Charlie Winburn left the June 28 meeting early, two high-profile issues were stopped or delayed by 4-4 votes. That means both items — a controversial…
Motherboard Goose:Data File 2
Billy Gates Gruff For years and years, in a far off land by the sea, a wealthy merchant prince ruled a vast yet ever-expanding kingdom. But no matter how big the prince's kingdom became, he wanted it to become bigger and bigger still. In fact, what the prince really wanted was for his empire to…
Fred Weaver
While Fred Weaver's music will certainly appeal to fans of the Indie/Punk world, his approach is slightly startling. The Baton Rouge, LA-based singer/songwriter was frustrated when he couldn't find the right musicians to flesh out his emotive, intense songs, so he decided to forgo the whole "band" concept and play the songs with just…
The Nightmare in Our Schools: Part 1
Our students are the most over tested on earth. For some reason, our country, stupidly and unlike other advanced nations, has decided that competent adults can be produced based on specification of high test scores, as if that reflects a competent and intelligent individual rather than someone good at getting high scores. In fact, the…
A walk on the wild side of the Main Street music scene
Early in June I walked my dog, Sister, to the playground at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. I had forgotten that it was graduation time; I was surprised to see the student chamber orchestra tuning up out on the rise of the soccer field, dressed for commencement exercises the women in long…
News: What Price Freedom?
Old and new images of Assata Shakur from afrocubaweb.com After seven months, Elian Gonzalez has left America for Cuba. After 20 years, Assata Shakur might never leave Cuba for America. The difference? Both are free, depending on the definition, in a country not known for giving its citizenry a wide berth of privilege. The…
Lisa Molyneux
Lisa Molineux Lisa Molyneux had to add a little pigskin to the Phantom of the Slopera andPig-malion, since their heads weren't designed to wear hats. She had to build up their craniums before they could don full costumes. She added a staff, complete with pig skull for the Phantom, created for the Broadway Series.…
Pat Quealy’s Declarations of Independence
The first thing that strikes you is his youth. The second is the energy bursting out of him. It's more than just the coffee he's drinking. Patrick Quealy wants everyone to be as energized as he is, and he doesn't particularly care about what. Being a Libertarian, Quealy expects people to decide issues for themselves…
The Dating
Ever heard the expression, "Go with your gut feeling"? As you probably know, it doesn't have anything to do with an actual cramp or ache in your belly. It's intuition, an inkling that something isn't quite what it seems. When it comes to boyfriends, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache if I…
