I Just Can’t Get Enough
Think “selfies” were limited to teenagers at the mall food court, drunk girls at bars and an alarming amount of people in bathrooms? Broaden your scope to include law enforcement with Cop Selfies, which sadly also include plenty of toilet shots: And even one with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger. Possibly more depressing than the fact that…
Homeboy Sandman
A triple bill of crafty, progressive Indie Hip Hop artists have joined forces for the national “The Dear Hunter Tour” this summer and it’s coming to Cincinnati to give local Hip Hop fans not only something great to do on a Tuesday night, but also an excellent, diverse and unpredictable concert that will cost them…
Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson has led a rich and colorful life. For the uninitiated (or for those who have somehow forgotten), here’s just a taste of the Texas native’s singular resume: he appeared in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” column for his various athletic achievements; he graduated summa cum laude from Ponoma College with a degree…
Pro Era
The clique has long been a staple of Hip Hop, with squads like Run-D.M.C., N.W.A, Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan going on to wield immense influence over the genre. In the last couple of years, the concept of the Hip Hop group has experienced a massive upswing in popularity. Loads of provocative, fresh factions, including…
The Aristocrats
Sure, it’s the punchline of the epic as-dirty-and-shaggy-as-you-want-to-make-it joke, but it’s also the name of one of the most frenetically entertaining instrumental Rock/Fusion power trios in recent memory. The Aristocrats first assembled in 2011, when bassist Bryan Beller (known for his work with Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc.) and drummer Marco Minnemann (known…
Literary: Ben H. Winters
Ben H. Winters is a prolific writer. His latest book, Countdown City, is the second in a trilogy of detective novels set in a pre-apocalyptic United States — there are just 77 days left before an asteroid collides with Earth. The first book in the trilogy, last year’s The Last Policeman, drew stellar notices (it was an…
Event: MainStrasse Village Classic Car Show
For the 11th year, classic cars, hot rods and kustom cars (modified 1930s-1960s vehicles) will take over the streets of MainStrasse for a day of oohing, ahhing and exhibiting. Many top prizes are offered: 40 for pre-1980s vehicles, 20 for post-1980s and 10 “Best Of” awards. Day-of registration runs from 9 a.m.-noon. Show runs 9…
Art: Oh Feel Ya at Bathroom Gallery
If one could say there is an “appropriate” art show for a gallery inside of a public restroom — aka Northside International Airport’s “Bathroom Gallery” — it might be Micco Caporale’s upcoming exhibition Oh Feel Ya. The Minneapolis-based, Cincinnati-raised graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design illustrates her life via a particularly gritty…
Event: Taste of OTR
Celebrate the spirit of Over-the-Rhine and give back to the community at the inaugural Taste of OTR. Organized by Tender Mercies — a nonprofit that provides security, dignity and community via transitional and permanent housing for homeless adults with mental illness — the event features food from a huge array of OTR restaurants and vendors…
Event: 1940s Weekend
If a traditional trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal isn’t enough of a step back in time for you, head there this weekend for a 1940s weekend. The museum will relive Union Terminal’s heyday — when it was transporting up to 34,000 people daily — with two days of living history. There…
Comedy: Rich Guzzi
Though comic Rich Guzzi still does some traditional stand-up for his “The Rich Guzzi Comedy Hypnosis Show,” the bulk of his show is audience volunteer hypnosis and something Guzzi describes as a self-help element. “I get people to quit smoking, to lose weight,” he says. “I have a lot of special tools. There’s a whole…
Event: Great Inland Seafood Festival
While the words “inland” and “seafood” may seem mutually exclusive, Newport’s 26th annual Great Inland Seafood Festival is out to once again convince festivalgoers otherwise. There will be more than 15 local and national food vendors selling the freshest seafood, from shrimp and crawfish to oysters and salmon, even whole, live Maine lobsters for just…
Event: Hamilton County Fair
Produced by the Hamilton County Agricultural Society, the 158th Hamilton County Fair features a variety of events from demolition derbies to cooking contests to an exotic animal petting zoo. Fairgoers will enjoy live entertainment, classic midway rides and a cow-milking demonstration for curious city folk. Keep the kids busy at a kids’ workshop tent or…
Event: LEGO My Music Hall
Let 60,000 LEGOs take you back in time for a bird’s-eye view of Cincinnati’s Music Hall as it stood more than 100 years ago. A miniature model of one of the Queen City’s most beloved buildings is on display inside present-day Music Hall, built entirely out of the plastic building blocks. Bring the kids along…
Onstage: Chicago
Maybe you’ve seen the 2002 film of this classic show, but Chicago is even more brassy and sassy onstage. Find out for yourself as Covington’s Carnegie opens its production of the sexy Jazz Age story about murder and mayhem in 1920s Chicago. Choreographer David Baum and actress Leslie Goddard are Broadway veterans who’ve come home…
Music: Etienne Charles
The It’s Commonly Jazz free concert series has one of the hottest young names in Jazz Thursday: the Etienne Charles Quintet. Charles is a Trinidad-born trumpeter who has been winning accolades from The New York Times, JazzTimes and DownBeat. He teaches trumpet at Michigan State University in addition to being an invigorating and in-demand performing/recording…
Morning News and Stuff
Early voting for the mayoral primary election begins today. The top two winners of this round of voting will go head-to-head in the Nov. 5 election. The candidates: Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls , a Democrat who supports the streetcar and parking lease ; ex-Councilman John Cranley , a Democrat who opposes the streetcar and parking…
Morning News and Stuff
Ohio death row inmate Billy Slagle, who was scheduled to be executed on Aug. 7 was found hanged in his cell on Sunday. Slagle, who fatally stabbed his neighbor 17 times in 1987, was recently denied clemency by Gov. John Kasich, despite a rare request from prosecutors to have his death sentence commuted to life…
Incoming Federal Cuts to Hit Low-Income Ohio Families
With a temporary boost to the federal food stamp program coming to an end this November, more than 1.8 million Ohioans — 16 percent of the state’s population — will receive significantly less food aid, according to an Aug. 2 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). The report calculates that the…
Requiem Project Files Lawsuit over Emery Lease
The Requiem Project filed a complaint today asking a judge to force the Emery Theater’s operating entity to enter into a long-term lease with the organization. On Monday, Judge Carl Stitch is scheduled to rule on a motion to grant a temporary restraining order to stop the Requiem from being evicted from the building. The…
REVIEW: Those Guys’ ‘For Good Reason’
When I interviewed Cincinnati's Those Guys earlier this year, I saw an endless amount of drive and potential coming from a group of kids who loved making Hip Hop music. What I didn’t see was an identity. Their song “You Ain’t Know” had shown that they had the talent to become something more and the…
‘Enquirer’ Restructures Kentucky, West Chester Offices
Although it’s moving staff out of its offices in Kentucky, The Cincinnati Enquirer intends to continue publishing a daily Kentucky edition with unique content for Northern Kentucky. Editor Steve Wilson was among those laid off from The Kentucky Enquirer yesterday. He will remain at the newspaper for four weeks, along with several colleagues who were…
Your Weekend To Do List: 8/2-8/4
Music Hall will come to life this weekend. Thanks to a collaboration between Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Landor Associates and funding from local organizations, the Cincy landmark will be part of LumenoCity, a first-of-its-kind multimedia performance in Washington Park Saturday and Sunday. Many details of the performance won’t be revealed until the show, but we know…
Flawed Research Costs Reporters, Scientific Journals Credibility
Pity local editors who must decide whether a distant medical and scientific study or discovery is newsworthy. I’m not talking about breathless stories about whether coffee is good (helps test grades) or bad (blinds us and grows hair on our palms). Unlike many stories that come across editors’ screens, those are harmless. Rather, editors…
Looking for Mr. McNabb
When I moved to another apartment building here in Covington, Kentucky at the end of January, my decision was to stay pretty much to myself and not get involved with my neighbors. When living at my previous address in Covington, the neighbors in the building drove me crazy and had become a nightmare. I didn’t…
PREVIEW: Cincy Blues Fest 2013
This weekend, the Cincy Blues Fest — presented annually by the Cincy Blues Society — returns for its 21st year, a remarkable accomplishment for a music festival of any sort. The festival kicks off tonight and continues tomorrow at Sawyer Point along the riverfront. The weekend features two main stage acts with serious ties to…
Morning News and Stuff
Ex-Councilman John Cranley is outraising Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls in the mayoral race by $124,000, but the history and research of money in politics suggest the lead might not matter much, if at all. Mayor Mark Mallory was outspent more than three-to-one in the 2005 mayoral race by David Pepper, but Mallory won the vote…
Stage Door: Double Dose from CSC
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is offering a double dose of entertainment this weekend. First and foremost is The 39 Steps at CSC's mainstage (CityBeat review here). If that title sounds familiar, it's because it was a classic espionage novel a century ago, made into a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock 80 years ago, now turned into…
Massive Layoffs at Gannett Papers, Including ‘Enquirer’
The Cincinnati Enquirer and its parent company Gannett went through another string of layoffs today, including the reported closing of the newspaper’s Kentucky office. [CityBeat followed up on this story on Aug. 2 here.] Jim Romenesko reported on his journalism industry blog that there were layoffs at The Kentucky Enquirer, the Kentucky edition of the local…
REVIEW: Pitchfork Music Festival 2013
It’s no secret that Chicago is a great place for music. Pretty much any touring band of note — and no doubt many a musical outfit that need not be noted — is sure to include a Chicago stop, and the city’s local scene remains rich and diverse, aided by a host of nurturing venues and…
Cranley Outraises Qualls in Mayoral Race
Ex-Councilman John Cranley is outraising Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls in the 2013 mayoral race by roughly $124,000. Some are calling the fundraising lead an important indicator of strength, but the history and research of money in politics show the lead might not matter much, if at all. The numbers came in yesterday as political candidates…
PREVIEW: It’s Commonly Jazz Series 2013
One of the oldest free series of its kind in the region, the It’s Commonly Jazz showcases have now been running for 28 years, presenting marquee artists like Eddie Harris, McCoy Tyner, Javon Jackson and David “Fathead” Newman. The free series — running every Thursday in August (lucky Jazz fans get five events this year)…
Morning News and Stuff
Although this year’s cuts are being undone, City Hall has been cutting resources to the homeless, long-term unemployed, crime victims and casualties of domestic abuse since 2004. Aid to those groups is part of human services funding, which is supposed to receive 1.5 percent of the operating budget but currently gets a quarter of that…
Smurfs 2
When Gargamel (Hank Azaria) kidnaps Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry), her little blue brothers seek the aid of their human friends (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) to thwart Gargamel’s devious plan. Director Raja Gosnell seems to enjoy indulging in cartoon nostalgia, returning for a second helping of Smurf escapades. He’s also known for helming…
The Hunt
This powerful foreign language drama from co-writer and director Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration) turns its gaze onto Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), a lonely teacher caught in a custody battle, whose life spins out of control after a child wrongly accuses him of abuse. While the story focuses on Lucas, it is also an indictment of a…
2 Guns
Baltasar Kormákur, the director of last year’s Contraband, reteams with that movie’s star Mark Wahlberg for yet another action-adventure. Wahlberg and Denzel Washington play competing undercover operatives who must join forces after each fails to infiltrate a drug ring on their own due to massive double and triple crosses within their agency ranks. The B-movie glow…
Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz with T.I. and more
• New Orleanian Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., better known to the world at large as Lil Wayne, has jammed a couple of lifetimes into his first 30 years, but that’s bound to happen when you sign a music contract at age 9. That’s when Wayne linked up with rapper B.G. to form the duo the…
Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Dawn McCarthy and Anwar Sadat
• It doesn’t really come as a surprise that slanted Americana-flavored singer/songwriter Will Oldham (aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy) was an Everly Brothers fan as a kid growing up in Louisville, Ky. More curious is the fact that Oldham’s latest album, What the Brothers Sang, is a tribute to the Everlys’ iconic employment of vocal harmony. …
Longshot Mayoral Candidates Angry over Debate Schedule
Independent mayoral candidate Sandra “Queen” Noble sent an F-bomb-laden email to mayoral debate organizers and Libertarian Jim Berns quit the race in protest of news that two mayoral debates hosted by The Cincinnati Enquirer and WCPO will take place after the primary election. Under the current primary system, multiple mayoral candidates are allowed to run.…
Watermelon Slim & The Workers
Bill “Watermelon Slim” Homans has the kind of Blues backstory that would never translate to the silver screen because no one would believe it. As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Slim’s history stretches back to the early ’70s, when he released Merry Airbrakes, the only full-length Vietnam protest album recorded by an actual Vietnam veteran. …
Is Ohio’s New License Plate the Worst or Just Bad?
In case you haven’t noticed, Ohio has gained a new distinction among the 50 states — that with the ugliest license plate. Gone, after just three-and-a-half years, is the “Beautiful Ohio” plate, a bucolic affair that managed to combine green rolling hills, a red barn, a city skyline, trees, a yellow sunburst, the Wright Brothers’…
World’s Longest Yard Sale Kicks off Thursday
In my first days as a freshman at the University of Virginia, I was introduced to the “guys in ties, girls in pearls” traditional attire that students were expected to don at the season’s first football game. Frantic to find a set of pearls without visiting one of Charlottesville’s budget-busting boutiques, I called my mom,…
Analog or Bust, Craigify and Michael & Mercury
HOT: Saving Our Recordings Jack White has again put his money where his analog-lovin’ mouth is, ponying up $200,000 to help finally make the National Recording Preservation Foundation “operational,” according to an NRPF press release. The NRPF came about when Congress approved the National Recording Preservation Act in 2000, but White’s contribution is its “first…
Remembering Jeremy Ramundo
The first time I remember meeting Jeremy Ramundo was at Walnut Hills High School during the late ’90s. I didn’t know him as “Roger” — his actual first name by which he’s being referenced in media reports about his shooting death by Cincinnati Police on July 24 (see “The Unexpected Death of Jeremy Ramundo” at…
Got Faith? Get Love
Will anyone reading this even live long enough to witness the world’s major religions change their closed ranks, homophobic ways and teachings? More obtusely, how do faith leaders get us from heart-warming and seemingly progressive Hallmark rhetoric to inclusion and welcoming? It will mean reaching the hearts and ultimately the deeds of their respective flocks.…
Cincy Blues Fest Turns 21
This weekend, the Cincy Blues Fest — presented annually by the Cincy Blues Society — returns for its 21st year, a remarkable accomplishment for a music festival of any sort. The festival — held Friday and Saturday at Sawyer Point along the riverfront — has nationally- and internationally-acclaimed main stage headliners like Watermelon Slim &…
Cincinnati vs. The World 07.31.2013
Economists and polar scientists published a report that found climate change in the Arctic could be impactful enough to deal a $60 trillion blow to the global economy. WORLD -1 A bunch of people that care about Kentucky students’ educations have helped implement an overhaul of the state’s science education standards to include more on…
Staying True
G rizzly Bear is the kind of band that sneaks up on you. Its atmospheric, richly textured songs take time to process, its hooks less overt than your typical Indie Rock outfit’s. The band’s four multitalented members are just as understated in personality and presentation, all of which makes Grizzly Bear’s steady upward trajectory somewhat…
Worst Week Ever!: July 24-30
WEDNESDAY JULY 24 It’s hard to find a job that pays $40,000 and allows you to be you, because most people with money are insufferable to be around. In order to do so, you have to either have marketable talent that makes you stand out or something else. Some people, like a former staffer of…
Morning News and Stuff
Six of nine JobsOhio board members have direct financial ties to companies that have received tax credits and other help from the agency and state government, an investigation from Dayton Daily News discovered. The members are connected in various ways: Some are employed by the companies, others sit on their boards and a few just…
The Drama Workshop Is Rolling Strikes at the Glenmore
There’s no place like home. That mantra has put several Cincinnati area community theaters in a good place: Owning a facility means scheduling flexibility, room to rehearse and the opportunity to grow. For example, Mariemont Players’ century-old schoolhouse in Plainville, just east of Mariemont, has served the company well since 1960; and Footlighters presents its…
Giffords’ Anti-Gun Violence Organization Opens Ohio Chapter
The gun violence prevention group founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords announced on July 27 the launch of an Ohio chapter that will continue the national organization’s efforts to support officials who back responsible gun legislation. The new chapters of Ohioans for Responsible Solutions, located in Cleveland and Columbus, are part of Americans for…
Ray Donovan: Hollywood Fixer with Personal Problems
Following Dexter is Showtime newcomer Ray Donovan (10 p.m. Sundays), starring Liev Schreiber as a man with a messy job — one we’ve seen before. But that familiarity doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Paraphrasing Vanilla Ice, if there’s a problem (yo), he’ll solve it. From surveillance work to getting rid of dead bodies, Ray…
Onscreen Alternative: Craving Black & White
A few times each year, certain films challenge me on a deeper, primal level. They rattle the critical cage, issuing a call that necessitates a response from more than the safe sanctity of the intellect. They demand a blood offering from the heart. I confronted the duality of walking into the movie theater as both…
Council Considering Racial Disparity Study for Businesses
City Council might use leftover revenue from the previous budget cycle and money from the parking lease to fund a disparity study that would gauge whether minority- and women-owned businesses should be favorably targeted by the city’s contracting policies. “Once we conclude the parking lease agreement and see the results of the close-out of the…
City to Reduce Some Budget Cuts
A motion proposed by a majority of City Council on July 30 would use leftover revenue from the previous budget year to undo cuts to various programs, including human services, parks and the Health Department. The restorations mean no city workers will be laid off as a result of the operating budget passed in May.…
GOP Continues Playing Politics with Ohioans’ Health
Ohio officials announced on July 23 that they’ll take a hands-off approach to promoting the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), leaving it to the federal government to inform citizens about opportunities and benefits provided under the law. For many, that might seem obvious. Why would a Republican-controlled state government that opposes Obamacare take part in promoting…
Works on Paper Help Make Memories Last
There’s something special about ideas committed to paper. While our thumbs rest from texting, our fingertips appreciate the tactile sensation of a physical page. As we create and study images, our brains connect moments from our past, forming a trail. Phyllis Weston Gallery’s Paper Trail2 celebrates local artists working with paper. This memorable show is…
Circle of Violence Unbroken
B illy Slagle is going to die on Aug. 7. The Ohio Parole Board recommended against granting Slagle clemency on July 16, and Gov. John Kasich last week denied Slagle’s request to have his death sentence commuted to life in prison. There’s not much left for Slagle and his family. From the date of this…
Toil and Trouble (Review)
Lauren Gunderson’s Toil and Trouble is a very new play inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The title page of her script calls it a “Scottish-ish” comedy. Know Theatre of Cincinnati is giving the script just its second production. It premiered at Impact Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., last November, the second of her “cycle” of plays with…
Poor Priorities
C rime victims, homeless youth, the long-term unemployed and casualties of domestic violence are receiving considerably less resources from Cincinnati’s government than they did in 2004, the last time the city administration and City Council met their goals for human services funding. The money going to human services is traditionally linked to the city’s adult…
Summer Food Favorites and Can’t-Miss Events
We’ve already passed the middle of summer? Someone put on the brakes! I’ve barely scratched the surface on my summer must-eats list. I’ve done pretty well on fresh fruits: I’ve had watermelon and peaches but could use a few heirloom tomatoes. But I haven’t yet indulged in my annual summer creamy-whip “fruit” — a blackberry…
Porkopolis Takes Over NYC
W hen a group of elite chefs met last fall at Black Oak Holler Farm in the Appalachian forest of Fraziers Bottom, W.Va., they couldn’t possibly imagine that their weekend of eating, drinking and forging new friendships would culminate in a pork-themed group dinner (dubbed The Heritage Pork Feast) just 11 months later, on Aug.…
Mapping The Music
S ince opening just more than a year ago, Washington Park has become the go-to venue for everything from concerts to fundraisers. Now, Music Hall’s tenants who call the park “our front yard” are gearing up for LumenoCity, a musical and visual collaboration that is the first of its kind in the world, featuring the…
