Cocktail Fest Spotlights Spirited Dining
Cocktails before breakfast! What could make that better? How about complimentary cocktails before breakfast made by one of the country’s top mixologists? That Black Paloma I enjoyed on the mezzanine of the Hotel Monteleone last Friday before heading up to the rooftop for fresh bagels with vodka-cured lox was just one of the excellent perks…
Onstage: Riding Shotgun
Screenwriter and playwright Greg Newberry looked high and low — from soccer fields to airplane hangers — in search of a venue for the world premiere of his new script, with the stipulation that he had to put a 1974 Buick LeSabre convertible onstage. He finally found the right spot at Northern Kentucky University’s Corbett…
Music: It’s Commonly Jazz with William Menefield
It’s Commonly Jazz is not only one of the best and longest running free Jazz concert series in the region; it's also one of the “greenest” music events in the Midwest. The series — which, in its 25-year-history, has showcased superstars and legends like McCoy Tyner, Terence Blanchard, Eddie Harris and David “Fathead” Newman —…
Events: Picture It: A Festival of Photography
Photography is a type of art that even the most non-artistic person can get into. Everyone likes to remember a fun event or a beautiful scene, and The Taft Museum of Art (316 Pike St., Downtown) wants to help. The museum will be hosting Picture It: A Festival of Photography. Everyone is welcome — from…
Music: MidPoint Indie Summer Featuring Dawes
After a required high school stint, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Taylor Goldsmith and guitarist/vocalist Blake Mills assembled the framework of their first band, each lending a middle name toward the newly forged Simon Dawes. With drummer Stuart Johnson and bassist Wylie Gelber, the Malibu, Calif., quartet crafted a couple of impressive EPs and, after an inordinate amount of…
Art: Patricia Timm at Augusta Art Guild
Pat Timm looks at Kentucky landscapes with a photographer’s eye, and the results of her observations are just a pleasant drive along the river away at the Augusta Art Guild (116 Main St., Augusta, Ky.). Kentucky Landscapes: Photography by Patricia Timm opens 6-8 p.m. Friday with hours from noon-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through…
Attractions: Play Me, I’m Yours
In celebration of Cincinnati’s Classical radio stations, touring artist Luke Jerram will distribute 35 street pianos throughout Cincinnati and its suburban outskirts in an effort to promote creativity in a public space. In Luke’s words, “The street pianos … provide an interconnected resource, an empty blank canvas, for the public to express themselves and share their creativity.”…
TANK and John Boehner
[WINNER] TANK: The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky recently bought a 2.5-acre parcel on Mall Road in Florence, just off I-75, where it will build a new Park & Ride hub. Construction will begin in the fall and, when completed, the site will feature a shelter for riders and 200 parking spaces. The action makes…
The Other Will Ferrell
Longevity, besides being a respectful euphemism for old age, means you’ve got more stories to tell and there’s a greater chance that one or two of them might be good. Quite often I joke about being old because I’ve got a few gray hairs and I find that I’m a little slower getting out of…
Music: Rogue Wave
If there was one good thing that came out of the dot.com collapse eight years ago, perhaps it was the fortuitous rise of Rogue Wave. After losing his job, Zach Schwartz decided to take stock of his situation with a quick trip from San Francisco to New York, intending to record a few songs with…
Art: Non-Zero Sum at Museum Gallery/Gallery Museum
Museum Gallery/Gallery Museum’s next exhibition, Non-Zero Sum, features one of the collective’s own members, Reid Radcliffe, alongside Jeremy Flick, an artist who now lives in Maryland but studied at the University of Cincinnati. For several years, Flick has been working with the patterning found inside security envelopes, isolating these blue grids, plaids and checks to…
Events: Flying Circus
Over 175 modeled aircrafts will take to the sky in celebration of the Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club’s 150th anniversary of its Flying Circus. Jets, helicopters and a rocket-powered space shuttle will demonstrate their flight capabilities and be on display for guests. Don’t worry about getting hungry or thirsty at this two-day event, because food…
It’s Commonly Jazz with William Menefield
"It’s Commonly Jazz" is not only one of the best and longest running free Jazz concert series in the region; it's also one of the “greenest” music events in the Midwest. The series — which, in its 25-year-history, has showcased superstars and legends like McCoy Tyner, Terence Blanchard, Eddie Harris and David “Fathead” Newman —…
Life As Art: Thom Shaw
News that a great artist has died always raises the stakes for me; the responsibility of creating moving art and important discussions surrounding it is more immense, because there is one less innovator sharing the weight. Thom Shaw — one of Cincinnati’s best known and most admired contemporary artists — passed away on July 6,…
Events: World’s Longest Yardsale
Bargain hunters unite this week to partake in every penny pincher’s fantasy — a yard sale stretching from the foothills of the Appalachians to the interior of the Great Lakes region. Covington’s MainStrasse Village, located nearly dead center along the 600-mile expanse of the sale, will be setting up its own tables to lure local…
Music: Bill Kirchen
If it’s true that you’re known by the company you keep, Bill Kirchen is very well known. The Titan of the Telecaster, as he’s been rightfully tagged, keeps company with Elvis Costello, Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks and Commander Cody on his latest album, Word to the Wise. But, truth be told,…
Onstage: Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra breathes new life into the hits of the 1960s with Fun Fun Fun, which features what they call “Pop music without the whining.” The outdoor concert features adaptations of music by Tom Jones, The Turtles, The Beatles, The Monkees and The Fifth Dimension. Part of the KSO’s mission is to make…
Getting Out the Vote for the CEAs
It’s too late to vote early, but not too late to vote for the 2010 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. If you haven’t done so yet, go to citybeat.com to pick your favorite stage performances from the past season. [NOTE: Voting ended on Aug. 9. Thanks for your input!] [Click here for all the nominees, photos from…
Why Fact-Checking Is Even More Important in Today’s Go-Go Media World
It’s such a journalism cliche that when someone says, “If your mother says she loves you,” everyone chants the rest: “Check it out!” When that advice is ignored, it’s often a hoot. I’m still laughing at the credulity of the NAACP national office, the White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack. You…
Onstage: Shakespeare in the Park
It’s summer, so it’s a great time to take advantage of Greater Cincinnati’s many beautiful parks. And now that they’re venues for theater, I like them even more. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) is offering two productions this summer — Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream —which can be enjoyed at city parks and other such…
Events: Rabbit Hash’s Dog Days of Summer Art Fair
Did you know the center of the universe is as close as Florence, y'all? Rabbit Hash is a tiny town in Northern Kentucky that has attracted attention since 1998 when a dog was elected mayor. The town’s four-legged officials and historically preserved general store have been featured in national news and even a documentary, Rabbit…
Music: Cincy Blues Fest Featuring Candye Kane
Since the mid-1980s, Candye Kane has been singing the Blues for the veritable Rainbow Coalition of fans that comprise her audience. She is a former adult model/porn star, a single mother, a self-proclaimed big, beautiful woman, an avowed bisexual, a cancer survivor and an unapologetic sexual, social and political free thinker. Kane can take a…
Comedy: Vince Morris
What’s new with Vince Morris? “I just got out of prison and my life has changed,” he says, laughing. Quite the opposite, actually — the Columbus native is now a father, living outside of Dayton. Almost every week, though, the Comedy Bat Signal calls and he returns to his role as one of America’s sharpest…
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra breathes new life into the hits of the 1960s with Fun Fun Fun, which features what they call “Pop music without the whining.” The outdoor concert features adaptations of music by Tom Jones, The Turtles, The Beatles, The Monkees and The Fifth Dimension. Part of the KSO’s mission is to make…
Shakespeare in the Park (Review)
It’s summer, so it’s a great time to take advantage of Greater Cincinnati’s many beautiful parks. And now that they’re venues for theater, I like them even more. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) is offering two productions this summer — Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream — that can be enjoyed at city parks and other…
Events: Glier’s Goettafest
I mean, goetta is sausage. That’s pretty much it. They put oats in there, but bottom line: It’s sausage. So it’s weird that 100,000 people come to this festival, right? And it’s weird that people from all 50 states and over 40 countries are expected to attend, right? And that the festival is “Bigger than…
Mynt Martini (Review)
Mynt Martini is mostly a place to have pricey specialty martinis in a swanky atmosphere. But, lucky for you, they serve tapas and sandwiches, too. Mynt has a couple things going for it: An unbeatable location on Fountain Square with patio seating and “Happy Days” specials until 8 p.m. on weekdays. The Happy Days specials…
Music: Cincy Blues Fest Featuring Joe Louis Walker, the Arches Boogie Woogie Stage and more
The annual two-day Cincy Blues Fest features three stages of continuous music at Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point on the banks of the Ohio River. Saturday's musical acts include Joe Louis Walker (pictured), Rick Estrin & the Nightcats and The Insomniacs on the Main Stage at P&G Pavilion and the Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage…
Candye Kane Isn’t Twisted
Since the mid-1980s, Candye Kane has been singing the Blues for the veritable Rainbow Coalition of fans that comprise her audience. She is a former adult model/porn star, a single mother, a self-proclaimed big, beautiful woman, an avowed bisexual, a cancer survivor and an unapologetic sexual, social and political free thinker. Kane can take a…
Tommy Keene: Tommy Keene You Hear Me (A Retrospective 1983-2009)
I’m beginning to understand my wife’s frustration when she feels as though I’m not really paying attention to her when she talks to me about whatever the hell it is she talks to me about. I've been shouting to an empty sky about Tommy Keene for literally the last 30 years (as have a goodly…
Bill Kirchen
If it’s true that you’re known by the company you keep, Bill Kirchen is very well known. The Titan of the Telecaster, as he’s been rightfully tagged, keeps company with Elvis Costello, Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks and Commander Cody on his latest album, Word to the Wise. But, truth be told,…
Dweezil Zappa: Return of the Son of…
Five years ago, Dweezil Zappa, eldest son of Frank Zappa, envisioned a series of concerts designed to expose the almost supernaturally challenging compositions of his late father. The hook in this project would be that Dweezil’s presentation of Frank’s music would be note-perfect recreations, a daunting clause that essentially required Dweezil to relearn his fingering…
Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul
There aren’t many albums that can be described as both contentious and tragic, but the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse collaboration Dark Night of the Soul certainly fits that slim category. The album’s tortuous path began when Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and Sparklehorse’s main power source Mark Linkous conceived a fascinating project where they would create instrumental…
Hank to Thank
An up close and intimate show starring Dallas Moore Band and featuring legendary guitarist Jody Payne celebrating the 61st anniversary of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" session at the former Herzog Studios, current home of Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation (811 Race Street, 2nd Floor). Seating will be limited, therefore only 100…
Rogue Wave
If there was one good thing that came out of the dot.com collapse eight years ago, perhaps it was the fortuitous rise of Rogue Wave. After losing his job, Zach Schwartz decided to take stock of his situation with a quick trip from San Francisco to New York, intending to record a few songs with…
MidPoint Indie Summer Series Featuring Dawes
After a required high school stint, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Taylor Goldsmith and guitarist/vocalist Blake Mills assembled the framework of their first band, each lending a middle name toward the newly forged Simon Dawes. With drummer Stuart Johnson and bassist Wylie Gelber, the Malibu, Calif., quartet crafted a couple of impressive EPs and, after an inordinate amount of…
Theater on the River in 2011
The historic Showboat Majestic is in the midst of its 88th season at Cincinnati's Public Landing (it opens The Nerd later this week), but today it's announcing the 2011 season. There are five shows, three musicals and two plays, an entertaining lineup that seems designed to please its older demographic. The season opens with Li'l…
Tommy Keene, School of Seven Bells, Dweezil Zappa, Innocence Mission and a Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse collaboration
I’m beginning to understand my wife’s frustration when she feels as though I’m not really paying attention to her when she talks to me about whatever the hell it is she talks to me about. I've been shouting to an empty sky about Tommy Keene for literally the last 30 years (as have a goodly…
Center Urges BP Informants to Come Forward
The National Whistleblowers Center (NWC) is urging the Obama administration to use a law signed by President Abraham Lincoln against BP, as a method to circumvent any limits on damages it can seek from the company.—- NWC recently wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting the federal government used the False Claims…
Dinner for Schmucks (Review)
Great comic pairings don't come along often, yet Steve Carell and Paul Rudd strike a snappy chemistry as straight-man Tim Conrad (Rudd) to funny-man Barry Speck (Carell) in this adaptation of Francis Veber's Le Diner du Cons (1998). Ambitious Tim keeps proposing to his affectionate girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) when he isn't trying to advance…
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Review)
There’s an inherent logistical problem when it takes almost 10 years for a studio to develop a sequel to a kid’s movie featuring live-action talking animals — the obviously young audience that initially flocked to theaters with parents in tow are now teenagers who are probably unlikely to be caught dead anywhere near such silly…
Friday Movie Roundup: Searching for the Best of 2010 (So Far)
By now I typically unveil my favorite movies from the first half of the year. Yet looking back on the first six months of 2010, only two films —Lee Unkrich's Toy Story 3 and Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop —have discerned themselves as unqualified contenders to make my year-end list. —- That's not to…
Stage Door: Classics and Revolutionaries
Well, here it is, the end of July and you're probably gasping for onstage entertainment. There's not much to go around from our local theaters, although Cincinnati Shakespeare is doing its level best to keep us entertained with Blithe Spirit on its mainstage and performances in area parks of Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream.…
Interview with Piggy from Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie performed as part of the Mayhem Festival in Cincinnati last Wednesday alongside KORN, Lamb of God and others. The resilient crowd stayed through the rain to enjoy a full day of metal music. Zombie performed a pyro filled, high-energy set for the crowd at Riverbend Music Center. We caught up with Piggy D,…
Interview with KISS drummer Eric Singer
KISS is touring this summer with their The Hottest Show on Earth tour which kicked off July 23 in Cheyenne, Wyoming and will be hitting Cincinnati Friday, July 30 at Riverbend Music Center. The boys are back with a tour that is bigger than ever and they are attracting whole new generations of fans. We…
Love Canal Activist in Town
The Pleasant Ridge Community Council wil get words of advice and inspiration tonight from environmental activist Lois Gibbs, who was instrumental in the fight to clean up Love Canal in New York during the 1970s. Gibbs will speak to the group at 7 p.m. at the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church.—- Many Pleasant Ridge residents are…
Tea Party Spokesman Leaves Group
Last week's Porkopolis column examined the in-fighting among the various Tea Party factions after the spokesman of the Tea Party Express wrote a satirical blog item about a letter from “Coloreds” to President Abraham Lincoln. The not very funny but very hateful item was written by conservative radio talk show host Mark Williams, who was…
Clifty Falls State Park Hike
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 6.1 milesConfiguration: Loop with out-and-backDifficulty: DifficultScenery: Creek bed, cliffs, forest, observation town, tunnel, and fallsExposure: ShadedTraffic: Moderate-heavyTrail Surface: Exposed bedrock, loose river stones, soil, boardwalk, and gravelHiking Time: At least 6 hoursDriving Distance: 1.5 hours southwest of CincinnatiSeason: Year-round, but Trail 2 may flood in spring and might be hazardous during…
Dems Seek to Overturn Election Law
Hoping to take advantage of a recent federal court ruling in Kentucky, the Ohio Democratic Party joined a lawsuit filed today that seeks to abolish the restrictions imposed on judicial candidates in Ohio. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this month struck down the rules used in Kentucky for electing judges, stating they violated…
Time for GOP to Clean Up Stadium Mess
I t’s time for Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters to use his considerable influence and put the squeeze on Mike Brown. No, the Bengals owner hasn’t broken any law — not unless engendering public outrage and being a prick have recently been added as punishable offenses in the Ohio Revised Code. We’ll explain Deters’ pivotal…
Rub, Dredge, Fry (Repeat)
Cincinnat's Pones Inc. performed their piece Rub, Dredge, Fry (Repeat) at Museum Gallery/Gallery Museum's Deep Fried Freedom Festival exhibition Friday, July 24, 2010. Click here to learn more about Pones Inc.
Challenging a Broken System
D an LaBotz understands his campaign to become Ohio’s next member of the U.S. Senate is a bit of a curiosity. As Republicans and Tea Party members continue to throw around the term “socialist” as a sort of epithet, LaBotz, a Clifton resident, is one of just three national candidates from the Socialist Party, and…
Cuts in HIV Drug Program Could Prove Fatal
T he latest round of state budget cuts literally is a matter of life and death to some of the people affected. More than 5,000 people use the Ohio HIV Drug Assistance Program (ODAP) to get expensive life-saving medications that treat HIV. Recent government belt-tightening, however, has led to a first-time waiting list and other…
Heavenly Bodies
On July 27, local Indie Pop crew Enlou released its new EP, Body of Friends, Body of Water, via Lujo Records. The band’s first local show since the release is Friday at Northside Tavern. Body of Friends, Body of Water (the group’s third EP in just over a year) is a magical listening experience and…
The Evolution of War Memorial Design
A couple Saturdays ago, I went on an Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati-sponsored excursion to Columbus, Ind., a city just 90 minutes away that has developed an international reputation for its Modernist architecture. Besides the buildings, I was particularly moved by the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans in the city’s downtown. Constructed in 1997, it smartly…
Taste This: Head Cheese/Hot Souse
Unlike the majority of items featured in this monthly examination of “weird” food products found at your local grocery store, I have actually handled this Lost in the Supermarket subject matter. In my early twenties I worked as a meat and cheese technician (aka “deli monkey”) at a Kroger grocery store. If anything in my…
The Kids Are All Right (Review)
F or a film about family, Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right effectively twists the dynamics in ways both obvious and subtle. As a long-together lesbian couple, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have achieved a degree of domestic perfection that defies convention by being utterly conventional in its own way. They have…
County Survey and Jean Schmidt
[WINNER] POLICE & RESIDENTS: Well, he finally made it official. Confirming what we’ve all suspected for awhile, Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. told WLWT-TV that he will retire early next year. Through a spokeswoman, the city manager said he didn’t know details about the retirement. That’s not surprising: Streicher has a history of ignoring…
Hipster Pigeons, Cloisterfuck and Brokencyde
[HOT] Hipster Pigeons Ruin Concert Once upon a time, Kings of Leon was this scruffy, scrappy little band all the cool kids loved. Then radio started playing their songs every 10 minutes. Then those cool kids began looking at the band with a disdain usually reserved for Nickelback. Then birds began to rain shit on…
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: That’s My DJ
Last month I ended my column on artist burn-out with the advice to drink bleach. I took my own advice, and it really brightened my perspective. Thus my burn-out is over. Writing that column put the nail in its coffin. So now back to advice. I’ve chosen to go back and cover something specific this…
Ramona and Beezus (Review)
Apparently Beverly Cleary's series of popular kids’ books features a young heroine named Ramona (Joey King) who dares to be different and sometimes swims in imaginative waters while others barely dip their toes in the shallow end because they are too caught up in the pressures of the world. That’s a fine idea for kids…
July 21-27: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY JULY 21 The debate over whether or not cheerleading is an actual sport is complicated: Flipping around in the air shows definite athleticism, but cheering for men to win their games in your underwear is kind of misogynistic (unless men do it — then it’s just gay, which is fine). A federal judge today…
The Art of the Steal
In a quiet borough of Lower Merion, Penn., sits the greatest collection of Post-Impressionist and early Modern art that people have never heard of. Don Argot’s passionate documentary examination of the art collection’s outright theft by Philadelphia power mongers could help change that level of ignorance, but not in time to prevent it’s seizure by…
Cincinnati’s Just OK
Dearest Cincinnati, After nearly eight years, I’m afraid our relationship just isn’t working out. I’m sorry, it’s not you. It’s me. I like you and all. You’re fun, unique and quirky. How can I put this? I just don’t love you. I think I should start seeing other cities. You really deserve better — someone…
