I Just Can’t Get Enough
A role on a Law and Order episode is a rite of passage for actors — it won’t necessarily guarantee success, but nearly every major TV actor has done time in the Law and Order franchise. I mean honestly, if you haven’t portrayed a bludgeoned child prostitute, an over-affectionate music teacher or an undercover crack…
Deltron 3030
It’s been 14 years since rapper Del the Funky Homosapien, producer Dan the Automator and turntable guru Kid Koala combined forces to drop Deltron 3030, a futuristic concept album centering on Deltron Zero’s fight to keep corporations from ruling the world. Why the wait? “To tell you the truth, it wasn’t where my interest was…
Ziggy Marley
It’s a hard thing to follow in an icon’s footsteps, especially when that icon is your parent. But Ziggy Marley proved he was worthy of the legacy set by his father, Bob Marley, many years ago. Though it is hard to believe, Ziggy is now in his 40s and his first acclaimed albums and Grammy…
Aloe Blacc with Bruno Mars
Aloe Blacc is a great believer in keeping things smooth. When the Laguna Beach, Calif.-bred, Los Angeles-based singer, born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, was choosing the first name of his alias, he went with a plant associated with a famous kind of lotion. Other potential monikers were Sirocco and Aeolus, two sorts of wind —…
Sarah Jarosz
The last time Sarah Jarosz showed up in Cincinnati was during the MidPoint Music Festival last year. And I’d wager that the vast majority of people who should have seen her probably missed out. A Grammy-nominated performer, Jarosz has been making old music pretty much since she was a kid. Her debut album, Song Up…
Sherbert with Paul Collins Beat and The Cry
Michelle Sullivan made a name for herself as a teenager in the Cincinnati music scene during the mid-’00s, playing in bands like Slant and Pieces of People. So when she moved to Nashville with another young Cincy music vet (and her now-husband), Sean Sullivan, it only figured that she would continue to develop her knack…
Literary: Marji Mendelsohn
Compelled by the Christian Right’s role in the 2004 presidential election, local author Marji Mendelsohn (who writes under the pen name K.C. Boyd) embarked to know more about how religion has become intertwined with politics. The result of her quest has surfaced with Being Christian, a pungent, deftly rendered novel centering on John Christian Hillcox,…
Event: One Night, One Craft at the CAC
Make portraits (self or otherwise) something new during an evening of silhouette-making at the Contemporary Arts Center. Artist and educator Sam Meador teaches clever and contemporary ways to create art from profiles using fibers, ceramics and cut paper. (Think vintage plates complete with the shapes of your furry friends and loved ones, Etsy style.) Bring…
Art: The Meanest of Them Sparkled at Thunder-Sky, Inc.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of American writer Flannery O’Connor’s death, Thunder-Sky curators Keith Banner and Bill Ross have asked several artists to create work in any media inspired by the iconic Southern essayist, who also dabbled in painting and cartooning. Participating artists include Joey Versoza, Antonio Adams, Emily Brandehoff, Doug Korfhagen, Chris Reeves and photographer…
Event: Bigger Than Sneakers
Sneaker addicts will get a huge fix at Bigger Than Sneakers, a sneaker showcase that aims to bring awareness to sneaker culture in Cincinnati and also unite buyers, collectors, designers and boutiques from around the country. Now in its fourth year, the event allows guests to buy, sell and trade sneakers as well as make…
Event: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400
Turn right for what? Nothing. Pull over to the Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400. Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but Carl Edwards is coming in hot with his latest win at Sonoma Raceway. Start the day with a pre-race concert by Country artist Thomas Rhett to get your engine going.…
Event: Rhinegeist Anniversary Party
One year of good brews and good times calls for an all-day soirée, and Rhinegeist Brewery is hosting one for everyone. In celebration of its rookie year, stop by the brewery for a special tapping of Rhinegeist’s Rookie Anniversary IPA at noon and stay for rarity keg tappings every two hours afterward. The Almighty Get…
Event: West Fest
North, east or south, every direction should head west this weekend to West Fest, the West Side’s biggest street festival, with two full days of food and music. The Budweiser and Bud Light stage will host an array of bands and offer enough beer for any of-age festivalgoer to enjoy. The classic car show brings…
Event: Powerhouse Factories’ 10th Anniversary
Ten years ago, Powerhouse Factories set out to make badass custom posters and connect bands with culture. A decade later, they’ve had years of success — opening a Newport, Ky., storefront and studio and crafting posters for bands like The Black Keys and The Shins. On Friday they’re throwing a shindig to celebrate, complete with…
Event: Panegyri Greek Festival
Gyros, souvlaki and baklava, Opa! The wait is over; Panegyri Greek Festival is back for the 40th year, with all of your favorite Greek cuisine, prepared by parishioner women with recipes straight from the old country. Watch the traditionally costumed Greek Festival Folk Dancers until you’ve had enough Greek wine to join in. Sample Mediterranean…
Comedy: Vince Morris
One of Vince Morris’ most hilarious bits involves the Columbus, Ohio native recalling how his father would sit in the dark, smoke cigarettes and listen to the Isley Brothers. Morris is now a father himself and loving every minute of it. “It sounds clichéd, but I have a newfound respect for life,” he says. “I’ll…
Onstage: The Sunshine Boys
Maybe you thought Lewis and Clark were explorers in 19th-century America. But if you’re a theater fan, you know about Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudeville team and the central characters in Neil Simon’s 1972 classic comedy The Sunshine Boys. They worked together onstage for 40 years and grew to hate each other.…
Music: Calliope
The four members of Calliope began to develop their hypnotic brand of Rock & Roll at the start of this decade in a basement in their Milwaukee, Wisc., hometown. Since then, the quartet has released a pair of magnetic albums, most recently Orbis, a compelling display of Blues-based Psych Rock driven by the howling soul…
Ed FitzGerald to Walk in Northside Fourth of July Parade
Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald is coming to Northside for the Fourth of July Parade. FitzGerald will walk in the parade, but will not hold a speaking event. The parade will be his only public appearance while he is in Cincinnati. “He knows it’s a great celebration for the 4th of July and he…
Morning News and Stuff
As previously noted, tons happened yesterday. Let’s dive in now that the dust is settling. The Cultural Facilities Task Force pitched its ideas for ways to fund Union Terminal and Music Hall renovations to Hamilton County Commissioners. The group of business leaders suggested a tax levy that would raise either sales or property taxes to…
Countrified Musical in Dayton
Country Music can be slippery territory for musical theater: It deals with primal emotions, lost love, heartbreak and gettin’ even. That might make for a powerful musical. But Play It by Heart, at Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company, has taken these elements and run aground with soap opera-ish caricatures and stereotype. That’s not to say…
GE Moving to The Banks
General Electric is officially moving 1,800 employees to The Banks, the entertainment and retail complex on Cincinnati's riverfront. But it took some deal-sweetening by the city to make it happen. City Council and Hamilton County Commissioners on Monday approved a landmark deal that incentivizes the company to consolidate some administrative and finance jobs at the…
Morning News and Stuff
A rare alignment of the stars (or at least schedules) makes today a crazy day to be a general-assignment reporter. And while I wouldn’t normally just give you a list of really exciting, awesome meetings that are happening, there are lots of issues that could decide the city’s future being debated around town. I prefer…
Courts: Ohio Agency Owes Area Businesses Big
What do the Cincinnati Ballet, Jungle Jim’s and the YWCA have in common? Last month, an Ohio court upheld a ruling that the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation has been overcharging these and thousands of other businesses and organizations in the state. Meanwhile, the BWC cut rates for other employers who were part of preferred…
Think Like a Man Too
Tim Story (the first two Fantastic Four movies, Barbershop) gathers the gang from the adaptation of Steve Harvey’s bestselling relationship advice tome (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man) for dueling bachelor/bachelorette parties in Las Vegas and, of course, a series of misadventures will tie the couples up in knots before the inevitable all’s-well-that-ends-well…
Your Weekend To Do List: 6/20-6/22
Two annual festivals descend on the Ohio River this weekend: Paddlefest and RoeblingFest. The 13th annual Ohio River Paddlefest takes over Coney Island — and the nearby river — Friday through Sunday, bringing hundreds of canoes, kayaks, boats and lovers of the outdoors. The weekend kicks off with the ninth annual Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo…
Stage Door: Keep the Groove Going
Probably the most entertaining thing onstage right now is Private Lives at Cincinnati Shakespeare. It's been selling so well that 2 p.m. matinee performances have been added this Saturday and June 28. (It closes on June 29.) It's the story of honeymoons going bad when a feisty divorced couple decide to reunite rather than stick…
Morning News and Stuff
Friday's usually kind of a slow news day, but lots of important or just plain weird stuff has already happened. Get ready for it. In what must be one of the most biblical mass transit emergencies in recent Cincinnati memory, a Metro bus was partially sucked down a 20-foot-deep sinkhole near the zoo at about…
Essencha Iced Tea Tasting
Essencha Tea House in Oakley is celebrating summer with some fun iced tea events. On Thursday, June 26 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., they will be hosting a free iced tea tasting. Guests will be treated to free iced tea made with different types of tea — Essencha has more than 80 varieties of loose leaf to…
Jersey Boys
Clint Eastwood has a no-nonsense approach that has served him well over the course of his career. He refuses to clutter up a performance with tics and affected mannerisms; his method is more common sense, just being content to live in the moment and express what comes to the fore, in that moment. As a…
Mecklenburg Gardens 18th Anniversary
German restaurant and biergarten Mecklenburg Gardens celebrates the 18th anniversary of reopening Zinzinnati's oldest restaurant with a party and German buffet. Starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25, there will be food, music and a ceremonial keg tapping. The Alpen Echoes Duo start off the night, followed by a keg tapping of beer from…
Free Smoothies from Orange Leaf
To celebrate the summer solstice (aka the longest day of the year), Cincinnati Orange Leaf frozen yogurt locations will be giving out free 5-ounce smoothies from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 21. Customers can choose from two different flavors: pineapple strawberry banana or peanut butter banana. Just like Orange Leaf's yogurt business model, these smoothies…
Summer Solstice Wine Tasting
The Cincinnati Observatory is hosting a summer solstice wine tasting on Friday, June 20 from 8-10:30 p.m. These celestial sips will feature four organic and biodynamic wines selected by Shannon Depenbrock, sommelier at D.E.P.'s, along with savory appetizers and a chance to view saturn out of the observatory's telescope — America's first. $60. Space is…
WATCH: Buffalo Killers, Afghan Whigs Recent TV Appearances
On June 4, two Cincinnati-born bands were featured on two different late-night network television shows. Rock foursome Buffalo Killers, promoting their excellent new album, Heavy Reverie, appeared on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly in a pre-recorded interview package sprinkled with some cool performance footage. It was the band’s network television debut. Earlier that same…
Bonnaroo 2014: That’s a Wrap
After 96 consecutive hours of baking in the Tennessee heat and humidity, walking from stage to stage to take in as much music as possible and drinking and dancing sometimes from noon until dawn, even your third and fourth shower after returning home from Bonnaroo can be like a religious experience. Though the festival itself…
Morning News and Stuff
The best news today is that this week is almost over. But there’s a lot more to talk about, so let’s go. As we reported yesterday, Over-the-Rhine’s Community Council is asking the city to hold off on a deal with 3CDC over vacant properties north of Liberty Street near Findlay Market. The council says 3CDC…
Film: The Cincinnati Jewish & Israeli Film Festival Summer Cinema Series
The Cincinnati Jewish & Israeli Film Festival, sponsored by Mayerson JCC, is having a three-night Summer Cinema series — Tuesday through Thursday — at the Cinemark Oakley Station. Tuesday's film, Diane Kurys’ For a Woman, is a drama about a woman who finds troubling secrets in her parents' World War II-era histories. Wednesday's film, a…
OTR Community Council: Rethink Deal with 3CDC North of Liberty
The Over-the-Rhine Community Council today asked Mayor John Cranley and City Council not to make a deal with 3CDC over buildings north of Liberty Street. In a letter authored by OTR Community Council President Ryan Messer, the group praised 3CDC’s work over the last 10 years but said the developer’s large cache of properties is…
From the Copy Desk
Did you know that it's someone's job to read the entire newspaper searching for everybody else's mistakes? Well it is, and this common method of editorial quality control is my job for the summer — I read every issue of CityBeat (yes, every single page, even the Eats: "Classes and Events," which is painful) and…
Mixtapes Frontman Finds Catharsis with New Solo Album
Cincinnati Pop Rock quartet Mixtapes formed about four years ago and immediately hit the road with a relentless dedication. The band’s hard work paid off and it has experienced great success, building a dedicated fan base across the country with great live shows and hook-drenched, nationally-released albums and singles. As anyone who has seen Mixtapes…
CAC Offers Extended Thursday Hours for Summer
Fresh off its 2014-2015 season announcement, Downtown’s Contemporary Arts Center adds a new promotion to its calendar of exhibits, performances and special events. Night Museum gives visitors a chance to check out the CAC during evening hours every Thursday. From 5-9 p.m., guests can view the latest exhibit, shop the CAC Store, enjoy a cash…
Morning News and Stuff
All right. It's time for the good stuff, the bad stuff and the ugly stuff in today's news. Fair warning — the ugly stuff involves a mummy. Big changes are coming to the Lytle Park area. Alterations to the area’s historic district designation are set to pass City Council today. Western and Southern Financial Group,…
’Q are You?
In the early 1990s, while working at The Denver Post, I did a preview of an NRBQ concert and referenced that the eclectic, rousingly good-natured Rock band had been at it for four decades now. That was true — the band formed in Louisville, Ky., in 1966 and released its first album for Columbia Records…
The Devil is in the Details
A s the music recording business continues to shrink, the music merchandising business continues to grow. In the last few years, one of the most unusual burgeoning merch trends has been bands attaching themselves to alcoholic beverages. You can find wines, beers and liquors whose names and imagery are officially tied to AC/DC, Pink Floyd,…
Lift the Medium, Heavy Hinges Release Debut Albums
Cincinnati Hard Rock foursome Lift the Medium has only been a band for a year, but you wouldn’t know it listening to its accomplished debut full-length, Mastermind. The band celebrates the release of its rock-solid album with a show Saturday at MVP Bar & Grille in Silverton (mymvpsportsbarandgrille.com). The 9 p.m. show also features performances…
Bjork: Tech Genius?
HOT: Björk: Tech Super-Genius? Most musician-affiliated smartphone apps are just mini-versions of the artists’ websites. But leave it to Björk (and a team of artists, scientists, software developers and more) to come up with something truly revolutionary. Originally released in 2011, few apps since have come close to the innovation of Biophilia, which features not only the…
The End of a Campy, Sexy Vampire Era
What started as a fun, hot addition to the YA vampire lit craze with a killer concept — the invention of synthetic blood sparks a population of vampires “coming out of the coffin” to mix with the humans they no longer have to feed on to survive — has become quite the crazy train of…
‘The Rover’ Captures the Utter Collapse of Humanity
Based on his work as a filmmaker, David Michôd, Australian partner of the brothers Edgerton (Joel and Nash), channels into the darkest corners of his heart to investigate the primal, animalistic urges that take mankind far away from the civilized façade we’ve constructed for ourselves. Animal Kingdom, Michôd’s debut feature film as a director (having…
Funny Fortune
“I wasn’t the funniest person in the room or anything like that,” says comedian Fortune Feimster of her childhood in Belmont, N.C. “I would tell jokes that I heard to friends and I’d watch Saturday Night Live a lot and mimic the sketches in school the following Monday, so comedy was a part of my…
ArtWorks Brings ‘Touching Strangers,’ Hot Dogs, Murals and More to Town
From now through June 27, you may be approached on the street — or anywhere public — by a photographer and asked to physically interact with a nearby stranger as if you two were closely acquainted. The photographer’s name is Richard Renaldi, and ArtWorks — the nonprofit organization that commissions public art, usually employing youth…
Style Sisters
M akeup artist sisters Andrea and Ashley Lauren are a multifaceted brand: salon owners, production mavens and organic lifestyle champions. In October of 2012 they opened Alba Organic Beauty Studio and Cincy Organic Stylebar in the same building in Hyde Park, offering myriad services to make both men and women look beautiful, all in a…
Media Musings From Cincinnati and Beyond
An inaccurate Page 1 story in Saturday’s Enquirer blew a chance to discredit popular, irrational opposition to measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations. The paper attributed those celebrity-fueled fears to work by a “discredited scientist” whom the reporter later described as a “researcher.” Both terms are wrong. Andrew Wakefield wasn’t a scientist. He was a physician. He wasn’t…
Cincinnati vs. the World 06.18.2014
The Pope and the archbishop of Canterbury joined together to call for action against human trafficking. In a meeting, the two faith leaders talked about how to combat modern-day slavery. WORLD +1 Fares at CVG are the second-highest in the nation and aren’t going down anytime soon. Round trip flights average $510. Discount carriers like…
A Day in the Life
For Kiese Laymon, with gratitude. I run into my oldest brother going into the new bookstore across from Fountain Square and he’s coming in off Vine Street and we hug a good, long time; it’s one of those double hugs, where you hug and, just before the release, you squeeze again. “I was just going…
Court Restores Early Voting Days
A federal court handed down a big victory for voting rights advocates June 11 when it ruled that Ohio must maintain three days of early voting previously eliminated by Ohio Secretary of State John Husted. U.S. District Court Judge Peter Economus ruled that the state must provide voting the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before election…
ACLU Says Feds Should End Contract at Ohio Private Prison
Youngstown’s Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, Ohio’s only privately run prison, has had a fraught history since it was opened by Corrections Corporation of America in 1997. In its first year, the prison saw 13 stabbings, two murders and six escapes, far more than comparable prisons. Under a cloud of violence and mismanagement, the prison closed…
City Funds Bike Share, Battles Over Bike Paths
Before the summer is over, Cincinnatians should be able to rent a bike in Over-the-Rhine, Clifton or downtown and take it for a spin. But whether or not there will eventually be more bike lanes to ride in may still be up in the air. City Council passed legislation June 11 to help fund a…
Buildings’ Burden
T wo of Cincinnati’s most famous buildings make appearances on postcards, in logos and anywhere else symbols representing the city are needed. But in real life, they’re slowly crumbling as the region tries to figure out who will pay for their renovations. The136-year-old Music Hall looms over Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, a mountain of intricate…
Ballin’ in Brazil
A fter an informal survey of the fan base swarming in the São Paulo airport, one wonders how many Mexicans can possibly be left in Mexico. On the opening morning of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Mexicans are by far the most visible by virtue of both sheer numbers and the prodigious size…
