Jul 18-25, 2018
Brick by Brick: Cincinnati Opera launches the U.S. premiere of “Another Brick in the Wall,” a theatrical Rock opera based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 album, “The Wall”
Third Street Camp: We’re Not Moving
The cleanup crews came in at 7:30 a.m. July 25 to clear out the camp under downtown Cincinnati's Fort Washington Way and disperse any remaining campers there once and for all. By the time the crews in masks and disposable gloves came with trucks to begin throwing away tents and other belongings and pressure wash…
Pleasant Ridge’s Share: Cheesebar is Turning One and They’re Celebrating All Week Long
Share: Cheesebar is a reflection of its owner, Emily Frank. Fused with a sense of energetic calm, she takes whatever comes her way in stride. After all, that’s what she says an entrepreneur does: figures it out. After six years of owning C’est Cheese gourmet grilled cheese food truck, a Queen City staple, the transition…
New movie about Neil Armstrong to open prestigious Venice Film Festival
It was announced today that Damien Chazelle will open this year's Venice Film Festival with the world premiere of First Man, his story of Ohio-native and University of Cincinnati professor Neil Armstrong's journey to walk on the moon in 1969. This is the sequel to his acclaimed La La Land, and like it stars Ryan Gosling.…
Pay to See REO Speedwagon with Blood
This summer, Riverbend Music Center has been trading concert tickets… for blood! OK, it’s not as vampiric as it sounds. The popular Cincinnati music venue has teamed up with the Hoxworth Blood Center to give away tickets to those donating blood for medical purposes. Hoxworth serves 31 hospitals throughout the region and receives more than…
Cincinnati City Task Force Recommends $150 Residential Parking Plan for OTR
It's no secret that it continues to get harder to find places to park in Over-the-Rhine as redevelopment continues there. That's especially true for residents of the neighborhood. Now, a task force made up of staff from various City of Cincinnati offices has recommended a residential permit program in the neighborhood to address that difficulty.…
Just Announced: August “Gala” Celebrates Crucial Music Legacy of Cincinnati’s King Records
On Aug. 25, Memorial Hall will host “Celebrate the King: The Gala,” an event honoring the 75th birthday of the pioneering Cincinnati-based record label King Records, one of the most historically important record labels of the 20th century. In 1943, Cincinnati’s Syd Nathan asked Country artists Grandpa Jones and Merle Travis to go into the…
Cincinnati Music Great Brian Olive’s Long Delayed Solo Album is (Finally) Available
In January of 2017, CityBeat premiered “Living on Top,” the title track from Cincinnati musician Brian Olive’s anticipated third solo album. A refresher on Mr. Olive from that particular write-up/premiere: Olive first came to the attention of local (then national) music fans as a member of Cincy legends The Greenhornes. After two albums with the…
Camp Washington’s Pop-up Beer Garden on Friday will help fund its free community school
With all the new cultural activity occurring in Camp Washington, one can overlook one of the neighborhood's long-time educational institutions, the Camp Washington Community School. It was started by the local non-profit redevelopment corporation — Camp Washington Community Board, whose logo is Made in Camp — in 1988 to help adult residents get the High…
Cincy Beerfest Moves from Fountain Square to Great American Ball Park
The 10th annual summer Cincy Beerfest is moving from Fountain Square to Great American Ball Park for a single-day, two-session festival on Sept. 1. Sessions take place 1:30-4:30 p.m. or 8-11 p.m. that day, and early admission tickets get you into each session one hour early. Beerfest will be taking over multiple areas within and…
With No SORTA Levy, What’s Next For Bus Service?
Today was supposed to be the day that the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority voted on a Hamilton County sales tax levy. Had voters approved it on the November ballot, the tax would have shored up the region’s struggling bus service and plugged a $184 million deficit over the next decade for the transit agency.…
Notoriously Ruthless Comedian Anthony Jeselnik to Perform in Cincinnati this Fall
Comedian Anthony Jeselnik, who provided one of the most notable sets during the Comedy Central roast of a pre-POTUS Donald Trump, is coming to 20th Century Theater on October 25. Tickets for the show are available now here. Jeselnik is one of the most “politically incorrect” performers on the comedy circuit, a favorite at the…
Busken Bakery Celebrates its 90th Birthday with SprinkleFEST in Hyde Park
Forget Candy Land: Busken’s SprinkleFEST is the ultimate sweet-tooth wonderland brought to life in the Hyde Park bakery’s parking lot. This yummy fest is all in celebration of Busken’s 90th birthday, so skip dinner and go right for dessert. The fest will feature “funtivities” such as: Donut Plinko Sprinkle sandboxes Smiley face tongue tattoos DIY…
TV Show ‘American Pickers’ is Coming to Cincinnati and They Want to See Your Junk
The History Channel's "American Pickers" Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are coming to Ohio. The duo is filming for their TV show — American Pickers — across the region in September and they're looking for treasure. "Pickers" are those who scour hidden history, looking for valuable antiques and vintage finds in people's collections, closets, basements…
What To Do This Weekend in Cincinnati: July 27-29
Friday 27 MUSIC: Cincy Grit Pop band Vacation celebrates the release of its new album at MOTR Pub. Get details and an album review in Spill It here. DANCE: The new Moving Arts Cincinnati contemporary dance performance takes over the Aronoff’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater Friday and Saturday. See an interview with the founders and get event…
Downtown Cincinnati’s Northside Distilling Celebrates the Release of Their New Rum with a Tiki Party
In the spring of 2017, Northside Distilling opened its new location on Race Street downtown after moving from its former barn operation in Northside. At the time, they only had a few spirits available: corn whiskey, bourbon, vodka and moonshine. Over the past year, the distillery has expanded its offerings with the release of gin,…
SORTA Will Opt Against Pursuing Bus Levy on November Ballot
After more than a year of hemming and hawing, the board of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority will not vote to put a sales tax levy on the November ballot after all, multiple sources say. The levy was set to be between .5 and 1 percent and, depending on the amount the board chose,…
Recommended Concerts: Uniform with Decide Today, Obliferous and fever9 (July 29)
There’s a scene early on in Twin Peaks’ infamous Showtime reboot in which five would-be carjackers are engulfed in flames when their petty crime intersects with a larger, more sinister conspiracy. As the crowbar-wielding teens break the booby-trapped car’s locks, a harsh cut of Industrial Garage Punk pours out from the stereo of their own…
Recommended Concerts: Castlecomer with Passeport (July 26)
Castlecomer checks all the boxes for an ambitious Indie Pop group in the new millennium. The handy pronunciation guide on the band’s Facebook page indicates that their Australian lineage and lingual constructs should lead you to call them “Castlecoma” regardless of the spelling. Castlecomer is the name of a coal-mining village in Ireland — the…
Cincinnati Grit Pop Band Vacation Releases New Album at MOTR Pub
Keeping up with Vacation’s output takes some effort. The Cincinnati-based quartet — which currently includes guitarist John Hoffman, drummer Dylan McCartney, vocalist/guitarist Jerri Queen and bassist Evan Wolff — has dropped a torrent of releases via various indie labels since surfacing in 2009, nearly all of them anchored by Queen’s first-person-laden lyrics and a brand…
Hop Along cements their reputation as the quixotic darlings of Indie Rock with their new album, ‘Bark Your Head Off, Dog’
For existing fans of Hop Along, their recently released new album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, is yet another wonderful Indie Rock synthesis of their varied influences and continued evidence of the band’s ongoing brilliant musical and lyrical evolution. For anyone who is just discovering the Philadelphia quartet’s estimable gifts, Hop Along’s third album has…
Local Breweries toast to the Cincinnati Art Museum’s terracotta army at Art After Dark
Toast to the Cincinnati Art Museum’s terracotta soldiers after hours during this month’s Art After Dark, a special beer bash featuring drinks from local breweries. Sample brews from DogBerry, Fibonacci, Fifty West, Mt. Carmel, Listermann, Streetside and Urban Artifact while snacking on bites from Dewey’s and Graeter’s. Creole band The Hot Magnolias will provide the…
Cincy Shakes The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is a Zany Romp through all 38 of the Bard’s Plays
Don’t think that a classic theater can’t have a good time. Prime evidence is offered this week as Cincy Shakes again presents one hilarious piece of theater that gallops through the Bard’s entire canon of 38 plays. In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), many of the plays are touched on in the silliest…
Jack Toebbe May be Cincinnati’s Longest Serving Bartender
Turnover is notoriously high in the service industry. People get fired. They quit. (Or they just stop showing up altogether, seemingly disappearing into thin air without a trace.) It can be tough to find reliable peeps who will stick with it for more than a few months. Sure, some stay at one job for a…
Moving Arts Cincinnati dance festival debuts this weekend at Downtown’s Aronoff Center
You can add a new dance festival to the city’s cultural offerings when the inaugural Moving Arts Cincinnati occurs Friday and Saturday (July 27-28) at the Aronoff Center for the Arts’ Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Created by Cincinnati Ballet principal dancer Cervilio Miguel Amador, former Cincinnati Ballet dancer Anthony Krutzkamp and Kansas City Ballet dancer Logan Pachciarz…
Northside Yacht Club’s Peanut Butter Tequila Shooter is not as gross as it sounds — or looks
National Tequila Day is Tuesday, July 24 — because after a shitty Monday, everyone needs some tequila. Honor the holiday by tossing back a few of our 2017 Best Of Cincinnati staff pick for the Best Protein-Packed Power Shot: the Peanut Butter Tequila Shooter at the Northside Yacht Club. Sounds gross, tastes delicious. It's like…
Recommended Concerts: Cincinnati Music Festival (July 26-28)
UPDATE: Fantasia has canceled her appearance at the festival because of illness. Here's what she posted to Twitter: Founded in 1962 by Dino Santangelo and legendary Jazz promoter George Wein as the all-Jazz Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, Cincinnati’s popular “Jazz Fest” has gone through a lot of changes in its 50-plus-year history. It moved locations from…
Over-the-Rhine’s Ziegler Pool goes to the big kids during its Adult Swim series
Kiddos aren’t welcome at OTR’s Ziegler Pool on Thursday night because it’s reserved for adults only. You heard me. No children will be around to splash you relentlessly while you’re trying to flip through a magazine or wade in the water. During Adult Swim, DJ Diamond will play tunes for you float to, while the…
Dog Days of Summer at Cincinnati breweries mean dinosaurs, puppy parties and themed dinners
The dog days of summer are upon us, and breweries are continuing to release new drafts, cans and bottles — but not at the pace they were during the spring. However, some new beers include The Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati’s James Nut Brown Ale (named after the Funk legend) and Bircus Brewing’s Raspberry Buffalo…
Get Tied Up at Cincinnati’s Fifth Annual Bondage Ball
If you're looking to add a little kink to your weekend, Cincinnati's fifth annual Bondage Ball takes place 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. Saturday (July 28) at DF Productions and Events (26 Donald Drive, Fairfield). The annual event, hosted by local dominatrix Devlynn DeSade, usually attracts around 400 curious and committed fetish fans for an evening of live…
Cincinnati-filmed ‘The Old Man and the Gun’ will premiere at upcoming Toronto International Film Festival
The eagerly awaited, Cincinnati-filmed The Old Man and the Gun will get its international premiere as a Special Presentation selection of September's Toronto International Film Festival, it was announced today. Toronto described the film this way: "Academy Award winners Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek lead an all-star cast, including Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Elisabeth Moss, and Casey…
Cincinnati Opera’s ‘As One’ Sings the Journey of a Transgender Woman
Opera has embraced gender fluidity since its founding in the mid-17th century, with men singing women’s roles and, starting in the late 18th-century, women portraying adolescent boys (e.g., Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Octavian in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier). But no opera took on gender fluidity as its subject matter until As…
Sabato’s Crystal Ball Changes Chabot/Pureval Congressional Battle to ‘Toss Up’
Could U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot lose his seat representing part of Cincinnati and its suburbs in Ohio's 1st congressional district? Seasoned election watchers say the needle is moving away from an easy win for the Republican, who has served in the seat since 1995 (save for a one-term interruption). Leading election tracker Sabato's Crystal Ball…
The Ultimate Cincinnati Taco Truck Guide to the 275 Loop
When dissecting the anatomy of the taco, one must first start with its exterior: the tortilla. Aside from this pillowy vessel, the rest is up to interpretation, and cultures across the world have their own unique take. Blanketing meat, seafood or simple veggies could be any number of toppings, from fresh cilantro to zesty salsa.…
Cincinnati music group Triiibe blends Hip Hop, acts of service and a DIY ethos to create its own brand of ‘artivism’
How many people do we have out here who garden?” asks Siri Imani, eliciting a chorus of woos from the sizzling mass of Northsiders brave enough to stand in Hoffner Park’s unshaded edge on the Fourth of July. A shirtless man dressed as Beaker from The Muppet Show takes the opportunity to lift his cylindrical…
What a Week!: July 18-24
Cents and the City People are mad about a Refinery29 story that’s part of an ongoing series called “Money Diaries,” in which a 21-year-old shares her lifestyle and spending habits for a week on a $25-per-hour internship salary…and a monthly stipend from multiple family members. With a title like “A Week In New York City…
This Week in Questionable Decisions: July 18-24
This Week in Questionable Decisions… 1. MGM Resorts International, owner of Mandalay Bay, filed suit against more than 1,000 victims from the Las Vegas mass shooting to avoid liability. 2. Rugrats is getting the reboot treatment with a 26-episode series and a live-action movie with CGI characters — the stuff of nightmares. 3. In a…
Sacha Baron Cohen’s new TV series finds outrageous humor in our country’s anxieties
Sacha Baron Cohen is back. On July 4, the sardonic master of disguise delivered a cryptic video on Twitter featuring clips of Donald Trump bashing Cohen in 2012, the Trump University logo and the message, “Sacha graduates soon.” I was intrigued. My first thought was that there must be a forthcoming movie in the vein…
Northern Kentucky University Kicks Papa John’s Franchise Off Campus
So long, Papa. At least for Northern Kentucky University, which announced Monday that it is cutting ties with Papa John's, a pizza chain with roots in Louisville, Ky. The school’s food services partner, Chartwells, will remove the franchise from the campus Student Union and replace it with an “in-house service that will serve a pizza-based menu…
CPS Could Handle New Stargel Stadium Construction; More News
Hello all. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here’s a quick news rundown to get the week started. Cincinnati Public Schools will consider taking a payment of $10 million from FC Cincinnati to build a replacement for West End’s Stargel Stadium itself. That’s a change from the original plan, which had FCC building the stadium as…
Downtown Cincinnati Tent City Won’t Relocate, Faces Removal Wednesday
Last-minute relocation plans for a roughly 40-person camp near Third and Plum Streets have fallen through, and now the city of Cincinnati is slated to remove tents and personal belongings from the space under Fort Washington Way Wednesday, July 25. Samuel Landis, co-founder of Maslow's Army, says the city went back on its part of…
Cincinnati Opera’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ is an Entertaining, Cathartic Trip
CRITIC'S PICK Cincinnati Opera’s production of Another Brick in the Wall, based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 Rock magnum opus The Wall, is an entertaining and hallucinatory spectacle that explores Rock & Roll excess, mental illness and fascism. It had its U.S. premiere here Friday evening at Music Hall, in an operatic version composed by Julien…
Cincinnati Opera announces its 2019 summer season
The Cincinnati Opera announced today — the same day it opens its U.S.-premiere production of Another Brick in the Wall — the productions for its 2019 summer season. One, according to Artistic Director Evans Mirageas, will be a world premiere of Blind Injustice, featuring music by Scott Davenport Richards and a libretto by David Cote…
FC Cincinnati releases MLS season ticket prices; more news
Hello all. Let’s do a brief end-of-week news rundown, shall we? The board of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is considering putting a 1 percent sales tax increase before Hamilton County voters in November to shore up the region’s faltering Metro bus system, according to this scoop from the Cincinnati Business Courier. But there’s…
Bevin Administration Reverses Cuts to Medicaid Vision and Dental Benefits
In an unexpected development, Kentucky officials have restored vision and dental benefits for Medicaid recipients in the state after cutting them earlier this month as they await federal approval for an overhaul of the state's healthcare system designed by the administration of Gov. Matt Bevin. Roughly 400,000 Kentuckians who receive Medicaid had their dental, vision…
Kasich Commutes Death Sentence for Tibbetts
Ohio Gov. John Kasich today commuted a looming death sentence for Raymond Tibbetts, a man convicted of two murders in Cincinnati. Earlier this year, Kasich temporarily halted Tibbetts' execution after a former juror at his trial expressed regret for the sentence, citing evidence about Tibbetts' abusive childhood and mental illness he believes was withheld from…
Two Cincinnati Authors have Upcoming Major Music Books
Two well-regarded music writers with strong Cincinnati connections each have upcoming books on major figures in the history of American popular music. Alan Light, who was born and raised here and attended Cincinnati Country Day School but now lives in New York, announced yesterday that his upcoming project is the illustrated biography Johnny Cash: The…
What To Do This Weekend in Cincinnati: July 20-22
FRIDAY 20 COMEDY: T.J. Miller The sometimes-controversial comedian and actor T.J. Miller takes the stage Friday and Saturday at the Funny Bone in Liberty Township. A headlining comedian for years, he is perhaps better known as an actor thanks to his run on the hit HBO series Silicon Valley. He left that show after two seasons, much…
A Tent City in Downtown Cincinnati will Stay up Another Week
Sitting in a folding chair under the steady hum of semi trucks and sedans speeding across Fort Washington Way, a man who calls himself Wow Wow explains how he came to live with 40 or more other people who have taken to staying in the underpass between Paul Brown Stadium and the looming glass office…
Recommend Concerts: Radiohead at U.S. Bank Arena (July 25)
Radiohead could very easily have reimagined the stylistic parameters of 1993's Pablo Honey and its eventual signature hit “Creep” in slightly varying degrees over the course of a dozen subsequent albums and made a rainbow's-end kettle of cash as well as a respectable career out of that enterprise. Thankfully, the band's Saint Vitus-infused frontman Thom…
OTR’s Simply Rolled Ice Cream Celebrates its Grand Opening by Giving Out 50 Free Ice Creams
Just in time for summer, the Thai rolled ice cream trend has taken our city by storm with multiple new options for the frozen treat. If you haven't heard of the fad, you might be wondering what all the buzz is about. Popular in bigger cities like Los Angeles and New York City, rolled ice…
Greater Cincinnati Named “Most Sustainable City” in New Ranking
Do you think of cutting-edge sustainability efforts when you think of Greater Cincinnati? If you believe a new ranking by Site Selection Magazine, you should. For the second year in a row, the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area landed at the top of the corporate real estate and economic development magazine's list of cities pursuing environmental…
Henry Rollins brings his edgy Travel Slideshow to Cincinnati Music Hall Ballroom in September
In what should be a far edgier travel slide show than the kind that usually occur at libraries and community centers, the great Post-Punk singer, spoken-word artist, writer and cultural commentator Henry Rollins is bringing his Travel Slideshow 2018 to Music Hall Ballroom at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 20. He'll be showing his favorite photographs…
Greased-Up Australian Comic Neil Hamburger Brings Off-Color Humor to Woodward Theater
What do you get when you add a tux to greasy combover and a throat full of phlegm? The “brilliantly awful” Neil Hamburger, so says the New York Times. The anti-comedy underdog (a character played by Australian comedian and musician Gregg Turkington) is coming to Cincinnati and bringing with him his sometimes rude, usually gross…
Drink, Dine and Dance at Sawyer Point’s Crafted Food, Beer & Music Festival
What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than eating as much food as possible and washing it all down with 84 ounces of beer? Sawyer Point is hosting a riverside picnic in conjunction with seven different restaurants and more than 38 craft beer options featuring everyone from Bouquet Restaurant & Wine Bar and the…
Sample More than 50 Different Tequilas at Fountain Square’s Tequila Fest
Some people love a wine tasting, others dream of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Tequila lovers, now is your time. Head downtown for a night of tequila tasting, live music and (probably) some agave-influenced shenanigans. Sample up to 12 of over 50 different top-shelf tequilas and enjoy beer and drink specials, a 50/50 raffle and entertainment…
Cranley Says Council Can’t Delay Removal of Downtown Camp; OTR Church Reverses Offer of Shelter
Cincinnati City Council is set to vote today on legislation that would slow down the removal of a camp where about 40 people without other homes are living under Fort Washington Way near Plum Street downtown. But that vote won't stop the city from clearing the camp, Mayor John Cranley says. The standoff comes as…
The Cincinnati Zoo Goes Country with a Red, White & Zoo Concert by Stars Jordan Davis and Granger Smith
The Cincinnati Zoo welcomes Country singers Jordan Davis and Granger Smith for a Red, White & Zoo concert. Listen to Davis and Smith perform their own unique take on Country style. Davis, the Shreveport, La.-born and Nashville-trained musician, blends lyrically driven songwriting with big production sounds and is working on his debut album for Universal…
Kent, Ohio Hosts Harry Potter-Themed Fest Wizardly World of Kent
The Ohio city of Kent gets a magical makeover on Saturday, July 28 as it transforms into a Harry Potter-themed Wizardly World of Kent. It’s definitely worth the 3-and-a-half-hour drive — because Floo Powder sadly doesn’t exist. Formerly known as Kent Potterfest, this fest fêtes the boy who lived and his magical companions with activities, themed menu…
Hamilton County Sales Tax Fight a Proxy for Bigger Battles
A small Hamilton County sales tax hike has turned into quite the complicated political tangle. Anti-tax activists with the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, the Hamilton County GOP and other groups yesterday turned in about 38,000 signatures collected in an attempt to get a tax hike repeal effort on the November ballot. The…
