Music: Against the Odds
Lisa Johnson Unlike most, label ownership moves actually benefited Rise Against, who are thrilled with Geffen. Tim McIlrath says Rise Against chose to sign to a major label knowing full well that there were no guarantees it would be the right move. "We went into this thing realizing it could backfire on us," he…
News: Good Hair, Bad Air
J.D. Cutter There is a direct connection between deodorants and hair-care products and smog, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). OEPA will hold a public hearing July 23 to outline its plans to bring the Cincinnati area into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act. One of the key aspects of this…
‘Company’ coming to Public Television
Sandy Underwood Missed Company at the Playhouse? No problem: PBS taped a recent Broadway performance for an upcomingtelevision broadcast. If you've been kicking yourself for missing the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Tony Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's COMPANY when it was here in town and if you really couldn't afford…
Film: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Magnolia Pictures Crazy Love tells the wild true-life story of Linda and Burt Pugach. In concerts, singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley used to self-depricatingly announce that he was going to play "another twisted love song" in a set that included titles like "Last Goodbye" and "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" from his only full-length release,…
Music: Tales of the City
Joesph Cultice On his new album, soulful singer/songwriter tributes one of his heroes with a moving solo-piano version of The Replacements' classic, "Bastards of Young New York City has always been a muse for artists. From Sinatra to Dylan to Lennon, the city's larger-than-life persona overwhelms musicians but still allows them to create in…
Locals Only: : 7 Speed Vortex
Andy Dobson 7 Speed Vortex The quirky band 7 Speed Vortex relaxes at Biagio's Bistro in Clifton, slowly sharing a bottle of red wine, interrupting each other as if they're at a family reunion. Lights dim. They relax and kick back, discussing venues and their visible connection. No rush to eat or leave. Paris…
Rockabilly roundup gets Rusty (York, that is)
Rockabilly/Hillbilly kings the StarDevils celebrated the third anniversary of their monthly Rockabilly Roundup showcase last year by bringing in one of the queens of Rockabilly, Rosie Flores, for a ballroom blowout at the Southgate House. This Friday, the Devils (fresh off some tour dates in England) celebrate the event's fourth birthday at the Southgate with…
News: Birthing by Nature’s Book
Mark Bealer Nurse-midwife Paula Morelli (right) holds Miller, a baby she helped Erika Johns (left) deliver in February. Holding her older son, Hollis, Johns says midwives give more personal attention than physicians. Meet the techno-baby: fetal-monitored, forceps-ed and C-sectioned into a foreign and frightening process. Prior to the 1930s, when hospitals became the common…
Sound Advice: : Minus Story, Tracy Grammer and Violent Femmes
Minus Story Minus Story with Old Cranes Thursday · Southgate House (Parlour) A lot of bands can claim long relationships stretching back to teenage band aspirations, but Minus Story's seeds go back to a Boonville, Mo., kindergarten class where guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Jordan Geiger and bassist Brian Phillips became friends after discovering their mutual dinosaur joneses.…
Laughing With Pat Renick
Pat Renick's path crossed mine back in 1976, when both she and I were nominated for a Post Corbett Award in separate categories. She had already won as a visual artist in 1975, and I was nominated as a performing artist. I can't remember who beat me that year, but I think it was Carmen…
Reds’ Manager Change Isn’t a Real Change at All
Jerry Dowling In the shadows of championship baseball are found some sad stories in life. The standings alone can't count the misery, because only one club can finish in last place. Among the more dreaded stories still to be told this summer is the outcome in the National League Central, which could have been…
Lookwhos: Look Who’s Eating: Steve Hellmich
Steve Hellmich Steve Hellmich After graduating from the New England Culinary Institute, Steve Hellmich (aka Graeter's Candy Man) found his way to the Cincinnati area and cooked for luminaries such as Allen Greenspan, Craig Claiborne and Tony Bennett before he had the chance to turn his candy-making hobby into his day gig. Hellmich also…
Tyler Davidson Foundation
Dan McDonald She's gorgeous and world famous, yet she's remained accessible to admirers throughout the years. As the focal point of the TYLER DAVIDSON FOUNTAIN, the Genius (or Lady) of Water has been enjoying her prominent downtown Cincinnati position since 1871. Bavarian artist August von Kreling and the director of the infamous Royal Bronze…
Bad Brains: Build a Nation (Megaforce)
BAD BRAINS — BUILD A NATION Speaking of artists who don't get enough credit! Bad Brains were a vital part of the American Hardcore and Punk movements, though it seems they rarely get the attention of, say, Black Flag or Germs. Singer HR was the greatest frontman to ever come out of that scene…
Film: Ready to Dance
Magnolia Pictures Hugh Dancy is Buddy Wittenborn, a hard-drinking wiseacre with myriad problems, in Evening. Hugh Dancy is not a household name in America. But that's likely to change: The 32-year-old British-born actor has three movies coming out this year. Then there's his burgeoning, tabloid-hounded relationship with Claire Danes, his co-star in the just-released…
Prince
HOT U.K.: Land of the Free … Prince CDs Besides still making relevant music, Prince has also continued to be creative in the way he gets that music out to the public. He bucked the major-label system and started his own label (with major distributors) before it was in vogue, enabling him to do his…
Living Out Loud: : Going Cold Turkey
The week was a bit of a surprise. We all, including my landlord, thought that my new apartment downtown was in move-in condition. We thought that until we turned on my computer and window air-conditioning unit at the same time. Sparks went flying, surge protectors got destroyed — one after another — and the power…
Getting involved in your community: News to use
Country at War Aurore Press marks the publication of Country At War: Reflections on the War in Iraq with a release party at 6 p.m. July 7 at Sidewinder Coffee & Tea in Northside. The book is a collection of commentary and art by Greater Cincinnati writers and artists on the U.S. invasion and occupation…
Screamers (First Look Home Entertainment)
SCREAMERS 2007, Rated R Metal band System of a Down are screamers, both musically and in another more important sense. As defined in this documentary by former BBC World News anchorwoman Carla Garapedian, a screamer is one who cannot stand idle as the world refuses to acknowledge international genocides. Overtaken with anger, sadness, fear…
Cover Story: The Pretenders
Five kids from Mansfield, Ohio, were marketed as Bubblegum Pop stars in the late 1960s, but they never actually recorded their hit songs. Here's a 1968 version of The Ohio Express with (L-R) Tim Corwin, Dean Kastran, Dale Powers, Buddy Bengert and Doug Grassel. Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I got love in my tummy And…
Film School (Docurama)
FILM SCHOOL 2007, Not Rated This IFC original docu-series from Academy Award nominee Nanette Burstein seems like a cross between the HBO-Miramax series Project Greenlight and the Fox reality series On the Lot. Fortunately, it deviates from the reality-programming premise of using challenges to remove contestants and simply invests in the story of several…
Art: Wearable Art
Joe Lamb Mary Baskett stands amid her collection of Japanese fashions at the Cincinnati Art Musuem, which she contributed for the exhibition Where Would You Wear That? Mary Baskett is wearing an Issey Miyake dress. It has vertical gathers along the side seams in a most interesting way. She's also wearing an asymmetrical Miyake…
The Murder of Fred Hampton (Facets)
THE MURDER OF FRED HAMPTON 1971, Not Rated What began as a documentary on Hampton and the Illinois branch of the Black Panther Party by filmmakers Mike Gray and Howard Alk was transformed into vital evidence that was used to refute the testimony of police officers and news reports after the brutal slaying of…
Moore Is Sick
Now that Micheal Moore has opened our eyes in his new documentary Sicko ("The Provocateur," issue of June 27), I suppose boatloads of Americans will begin washing up on Cuba's shores for "free" healthcare. That's about as ridiculous as Moore pointing to Social Security and the U.S. mail as models of efficient government services. Sicko…
The Abandoned (Lionsgate)
THE ABANDONED 2007, Rated R The recent neglect of creepy haunted house flicks in favor of high-intensity gorefests is a shame considering the former's long history within the horror genre. The Hostel and Saw films might bring immediate shocks, but where are the old-fashioned spooks and scares? Spanish director Nacho Cerdà attempts to answer…
Universal Grille and More…
Universal Grille (909 Vine St., Downtown) has a new chef, new menu and new dining room. According to owner Peter Laffoon, "The vibe is what we like to call grown up, not stuck up." Laffoon also notes that the restaurant is focusing on more and more organic fare that will be featured on the restaurant's…
Dance: Bust a Move
Elizabeth Wu Tuzinho (left) instructs students during a Capoeira class. Beware, Tae Bo, there is a contender. A combination of dance, martial arts and gymnastics, this regimen will kick your workout's butt. Capoeira is lethal — in more ways than one. After my first class in over two years, I've got the "day after"…
Sinead O’Connor: Theology (Koch)
SINEAD O'CONNOR It's hard to believe it has been 20 years since Sinead O'Connor released her masterpiece, The Lion and the Cobra, which stands as one of the greatest debut albums ever. If ever there was a "celebrity" who should write an autobiography, it's O'Connor. From her rough, abusive upbringing to her thrust into…
Diner: Review: Moy’s Pacific Rim
Joe Lamb Tucked into a strip mall in the sprawl of Kenwood, I've probably driven past Moy's Pacific Rim 100 times without stopping. A lot of other people have probably driven past it, too. It's a difficult restaurant to notice. Outside, Kenwood Road is bustling with traffic from the mall, which clogs the roads…
Running Again and Running Still
Graham Lienhart Surrounded by his family, Christopher Smitherman announces he's turning Green. After winning a tumultuous election earlier this year to become president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP, Christopher Smitherman is now turning his attention to a possible return to Cincinnati City Council. During a press conference June 30 at his North…
News: Dale Mallory Records Released
We've all seen police say it in the movies or maybe even heard it in real life: "Move along, folks, there's nothing to see here." The phrase usually is delivered by officers anxious to get people to look away from something they don't want examined too closely. Some West End residents say that's the implicit…
The Aliens: Astronomy for Dogs (Astralwerks)
THE ALIENS — ASTRONOMY FOR DOGS I would think "Astronomy for dogs" would involve chewed-up telescopes and the dogs' own asses, but this Brit trio has other ideas. The band contains the founding members of the influential Beta Band, minus frontman Steve Mason, who quit music after the band finally split in 2004. The…
Not All Content Is Created Equal
A thoughtful correspondent faults my harsh assessment of The Enquirer's credulous May 20 embrace of the Creation Museum. Among his targets is my decision to ignore the interaction among readers in the paper's letters, columns, op-ed contributions and Web sites, known in the trade as "user content." Because Enquirer staff doesn't produce them, I don't…
The secrets to growing (older)
Perhaps the presence of a 77-year-old nurse demonstrates what must be a scientific principle of the common sense variety — the secret to aging with grace is to stay active and useful. Vi Selzer, director of Mental Health and Addiction Services at the Health Resource Center of Cincinnati, received the Florence Nightingale Award for excellence…
