I Just Can’t Get Enough
James Gandolfini, who rose to icon status with his leading role in The Sopranos, died Wednesday in Italy from a heart attack. He was 51 years old. Holsten’s, the New Jersey ice cream shop featured in the final scene of the legendary television series’ finale, paid tribute to Gandolfini by reserving the booth where he…
Rush
My enduring memory of discovering Rush came with the release of its sophomore album, Fly by Night, in 1975. My most excellent friend Kevin had recently purchased a swank stereo component system, complete with manual Pioneer turntable (meaning, of course, no automatic return; you physically lift the tonearm off the record). We knew Rush only…
Local Employment Grows in May
Cincinnati-area employment shot up in May, rising by 6,400 from April and 5,400 year-over-year, according to data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Michael Jones, research director at the University of Cincinnati Economics Center, says the numbers show the local economy is still growing. The unemployment rate rose from 6.5…
Drummer Versus Emulator
Injecting the energy of a real drummer into live EDM performances is nothing new. But if you catch the duo Drummer Versus Emulator headlining this week’s “Beats” concert (free shows every Saturday on Fountain Square presented by Cincy promo group Self Diploma), you will witness a genuinely unique show. DvE is the work of veteran…
Merle Haggard
In the late ’50s, few would have guessed that Merle Haggard would be sitting in a chair at California State University in Bakersfield on June 14, 2013, wearing a cap and gown. Back then, he was a bit of a rough cob who found himself sitting in the infamous San Quentin prison after being convicted…
Slaid Cleaves
When it comes to the struggles of the wandering troubadour, Slaid Cleaves knows the perils of that life from top to bottom. He's sung on the street for his supper in Ireland and Boston, played in Punk and Roots Rock bands for little or no return, fixed his own van on the road and been…
Salsa on the Square Attempts World Record
Thursday may just be a historic night for the city of Cincinnati as Salsa on the Square attendees attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Most Salsa Dancers. In order for the record to be broken, at least 2,000 people are needed on Fountain Square to dance the night away. People of all ages…
Morning News and Stuff
The streetcar project is moving forward following yesterday’s votes from City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee, which approved increased capital funding and accountability measures that will keep the public updated on the project’s progress. The increased funding fixes the project’s $17.4 million budget gap by issuing more debt and pulling funding from various capital projects,…
Streetcar Project to Move Forward
The streetcar project remains on track following today's votes by City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, which approved increased capital funding and accountability measures that aim to keep the public informed on the project's progress. The increased funding was previously proposed by City Manager Milton Dohoney to fix a $17.4 million budget gap. The money…
Art/Music Collide Tonight at CAC’s ‘Scroll Improvisation’
Singer/songwriter/musician Joe Hedges — known for work with his band July for Kings, as well as some great solo ventures — is collaborating with visual artist Jiemei Lin tonight at downtown’s Contemporary Arts Center as part of the museum’s series, "The Living Room." (Hedges is also a visual artist, creating paintings, web art and installations.)…
Class: One Night One Craft
Spend the evening at the Contemporary Arts Center making a project during One Night One Craft, an evening of DIY for grown-ups. This class, which happens every Monday night during summer, spends two hours teaching you something new. Interact with friends and strangers, and you don’t even have to clean up your mess. This week,…
Event: Hopefest
Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky families are invited to attend the second annual Hopefest Elementary Education and Health Festival, an event that teaches children and their families how to take good care of themselves and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children will receive backpacks filled with school supplies and there will be medical volunteers conducting screenings and…
Event: Cincinnati PRIDE Parade and Festival
Pride Week is here, celebrating 40 years of Cincinnati Pride. This year’s Pride Parade encourages participants to use the organization’s anniversary as a theme for their floats. Those that do will earn automatic entry into a float contest, giving them a shot at a trophy and free 2014 parade entry. The parade is just the…
Art: Final Friday at RBds Gallery
In the past few years since galleries on and near Main Street closed (YES Gallery, CS13) and/or left the area for cheaper pastures (a la MG/GM who moved to Brighton) there has been a bit of a lull during Final Fridays on Main. But with new design studios like RBds Gallery moving into the neighborhood,…
Event: Panegyri Greek Festival
For the 39th delicious year, the Panegryi Greek festival takes over the grounds of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Finneytown for the entire weekend. With authentic Greek food, imported Greek wine, Greek music, Greek dancing and rides, start the evening with a gyro, grab a class of Sitia Crete White and end it with…
Event: Happy Hour with the Butterflies
Their drink of choice is nectar while you prefer something a little stronger, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get together for a fantastic party. Join the butterflies of Krohn Conservatory’s current Butterflies of Morocco exhibit for happy hour and a movie — the classic Casablanca, set in Morocco — at 5:30 p.m. After a…
Music: Kings of the Mic Tour Featuring LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and DJ Chuck Chillout
The cross-country “Kings of the Mic” tour is technically an old-school Hip Hop exhibition, but the packaging of these particular artists — most of whom have been and remain vital and relevant today — makes it much more than just a 21st century version of an “oldies” revue. And the fact that these artists’ classic…
Comedy: Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane has quickly become a comedian’s comedian, since moving out of his parent’s home in Chicago and moving to Los Angeles. His Midwest upbringing is still a source for comedy though. “I have stories about friends of mine back in Chicago that are always good to tell,” he says. “Stuff I’ve been through.” But…
Last Chance for The Answers Issue
You have one more chance to submit us a question for CityBeat's first-ever Answers Issue — after today, we're closing the polls, sorting through all the questions and divvying them up amongst our reporting team. We'll spend the next few weeks hunting down the answers to your questions as best we can and bringing back…
Morning News and Stuff
The federal government is committing another $5 million to Cincinnati’s streetcar project , but the city must first close the budget gap that has recently put the project in danger. The U.S. Department of Transportation is also asking the city to restore certain aspects of the project, including a passenger information system and a screen…
Avenue Q (Review)
Last Friday I was in Dayton for another reason and decided to get a ticket to see the Human Race Theatre Company's production of Avenue Q, the very funny — and rated X — musical spin-off of Sesame Street. Well, kind of: It has the "sunny atmosphere" of that long-popular kids series on PBS, full…
Report: Government “Megadeals” Fail to Produce Jobs
Ohio is No. 3 in the nation for “megadeals” — massive government subsidies to corporations that are meant to encourage in-state job creation — but a new report found many of the deals rarely produce the kind of jobs initially touted by public officials. In the Good Jobs First report released on June 19, Ohio…
Know Announces Summer Comedy Opening July 26
Eric Vosmeier says he’s stoked by a show he’s just added to Know Theatre’s production schedule for the summer. He’s set to direct a modern take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth called Toil and Trouble. Lauren Gunderson’s play had its world premiere at Impact Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., last November; Know is giving the show its second…
CCA Loses Four Prison Contracts in June
The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) lost four prison contracts in June as a result of rising violence and turmoil in the corrections facilities, echoing many of the same problems critics claim are found in a CCA-owned facility located in northeastern Ohio. A report from the American Civil Liberties Union found CCA lost contracts in…
City, County Work Out Compromise on Sewer Projects
Cincinnati and Hamilton County today announced a compromise that will end the county's funding hold on sewer projects, allowing the projects to move forward. As a condition, the city will have to rework and repeal the controversial laws that incited county commissioners into approving the hold in the first place. As part of the deal,…
Feds Commit Another $5 Million to Streetcar Project
Cincinnati's streetcar project is getting another $5 million in federal funding. But before the money is handed over, the city must first eliminate cost overruns that have recently put the project in danger. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood unveiled the news in a letter to Mayor Mark Mallory dated June 19. The letter acknowledges…
Port Authority Signs Parking Lease
Cincinnati is officially leasing its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority. The agency announced today that it had signed a lease agreement with the city, putting an end to a four-day controversy over whether the Port would sign the lease to begin with. The Port will now move forward with…
Your Weekend To Do List: 6/21-6/23
It’s the 12th annual Paddlefest weekend, when more than 2,000 locals and visitors will descend onto the Ohio River on kayaks and canoes to paddle along the scenic route. It’s an all-around nature weekend with the Ohio River Music & Outdoor Festival Friday; the second annual Pedalfest (a part bike-part paddle ride) Saturday; and Global…
Stage Door: The Droll Days of Summer
Most of our local theaters are cooling their jets for the summer months, but you still have two more weekends to catch the hilarious, three-actor Sherlock Holmes spoof of Hound of the Baskervilles at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. This one is definitely fine-tuned, featuring a trio of Cincy Shakes best actors — Jeremy Dubin, Nick Rose…
Morning News and Stuff
Ohio’s unemployment rate was 7 percent in May, unchanged from April and down from 7.3 percent in May 2012, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services . Although the number of unemployed increased by 5,000 between April and May, the number of employed also…
Port Still Hasn’t Signed Parking Lease
It’s been three days since City Manager Milton Dohoney signed an agreement to lease Cincinnati’s parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority, and the Port Authority still hasn’t signed the agreement. Port Authority spokesperson Gail Paul told CityBeat she had no definitive information on when or whether the Port Authority will…
Final State Budget to Cut Income Taxes, Raise Sales Tax
Republican state legislators today rolled out a major tax overhaul that would cut Ohio income taxes, but the plan would also increase and expand sales and property taxes. Legislators plan to add the tax changes to the $61.7 billion two-year budget. The final plan is being touted as a merger of the original proposals from…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Japan is the breeding ground for freaky trends that never (thankfully) make it across the ocean. In fall of 2012 we were introduced to “bagel heads,” a temporary look achieved by injecting saline into the forehead until a dome is formed, then creating a creating a small crater in the center. The end result looked…
Morning News and Stuff
Even though it’s now illegal under local and state law, texting while driving often eludes punishment in Greater Cincinnati. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department has issued no tickets so far to vehicular texters, while the Cincinnati Police Department has given out 28, with only four going to teenagers. Although almost everyone acknowledges the dangers of…
Truckshop Launches Cincinnati’s First Mobile Fashion Boutique
Truckshop, Cincinnati’s newest mobile vendor, launches tonight at the Columbia Center in Columbia Tusculum. The mobile fashion boutique features clothing and accessories at affordable prices and a unique experience unlike that found in brick-and-mortar stores. While mobile boutiques have become popular trends along the coasts, Truckshop is introducing shopping-on-the-go to the Midwest and Greater Cincinnati…
50 Ways To Love Your Growler
“ Y ou ever have those moments where you just get really excited in life and you can’t sleep?” asks Bobby Slattery, co-owner of Fifty West Brewing Company. Slattery was restless and pumped full of adrenaline over his new craft beer business. A vision had popped into his head in the wee hours of the…
Report: Ohio Tax Code Increasingly Complicated
Politicians and economists often talk favorably about simplifying the tax code, but a June 17 report from Policy Matters Ohio found Ohio’s tax code will remain complicated under the budget plan being discussed in the Ohio House and Senate. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for House Republicans says reform will come through separate bills later this year.…
Republican Medicaid Opposition Ignores Ohio’s Best Interests
As the state budget process winds down, it’s looking more and more likely that Republican legislators will reject one of the most obviously positive policies to ever come before them — even as a clear majority of Ohioans support it. As part of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), states are asked to expand their Medicaid…
Ohio House Bill Would Increase Abortion Restrictions
An Ohio House bill introduced June 11 would add more restrictions to obtaining a legal abortion in Ohio, and some of the requirements may force doctors to provide medically inaccurate information. With an exception for medical emergencies but not rape or incest, House Bill 200 would increase the waiting period on abortions from 24 to…
Bill Could Ease Restrictions on Semi-Automatic Magazines
A new Ohio House Bill introduced on June 4 by State Rep. John Becker (R-Union Township) could, if passed, allow gun owners to purchase high-round magazines for semi-automatic weapons, removing language from the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that currently restricts use of magazines exceeding 31 rounds for semi-automatic weapons. Specifically, the proposed bill would remove…
City Manager Signs Parking Lease, Could Make Changes
The city signed an agreement on June 17 to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority, but the mayor and City Council may make changes to the plan before it’s implemented. At the same time, opponents are moving to appeal the court ruling that allowed the city to sign…
Cincinnati vs. The World 06.19.2013
China has invented “anti-pervert” hairy pantyhose for women to wear in case anyone should wrongly glance at a woman’s bare legs in the summer. WORLD -1 The world’s most advanced solar plane touched down in Cincinnati before embarking on its record-breaking trip across the U.S. CINCINNATI +1 M. Night Shyamalan told the world that he…
TTYL, Texters
E mboldened, or perhaps chastened, by the passage of laws banning texting while driving in 33 other states, the Ohio General Assembly decided to stand up for texting-free roads in 2012. The state started ticketing violators on March 1 of this year, joining Kentucky, Indiana and the city of Cincinnati. Once again, life would be…
Morning News and Stuff
City Manager Milton Dohoney signed an agreement Monday to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority, but the mayor and City Council may still make changes to the controversial parking plan before it’s implemented. In the past week, the Hamilton County Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s ruling,…
MidPoint Indie Summer Goes Punk
The free, every-Friday MidPoint Indie Summer (MPIS) series concerts at Downtown’s Fountain Square have featured some eclectic music over the past few years, everything from Bounce and Electro to Roots Rock, World music and Pop. But this Friday, the series goes where it has yet to go, presenting the very first all-Punk MPIS concert. Though…
Before Hell Freezes Over
So far, this has been a hell of a year for Punk. By that, I mean it’s been a great year for recognizing the formative influence that Richard Hell, now 63, has had on Punk – and, by extension, all Rock & Roll and pop culture that has followed in its aggressive, assertive, rebellious wake. …
Cincinnati Theaters — Come and Gone
I’ve written about theater in Cincinnati for more than 25 years — including reviews and features for CityBeat since it began in 1994. I recently dug through my files on theaters that came and went during the 1990s. In this column (and one on July 3), I’ll provide an overview of that era and offer…
Farm Fresh
R ichard Stewart says he always envisioned a dinner series at Carriage House Farm, his family’s North Bend homestead about 20 miles west of Cincinnati, near the Miami River. With more than 300 acres of idyllic farmland, Carriage House produces vegetables, herbs, honey and specialty grains for local restaurants, retailers and farmers markets. But to…
No Boundaries On Main Street
J ymi Bolden seems propelled by momentum. A deliberate speaker with a warm smile, Bolden’s Art Beyond Boundaries (ABB) gallery has been exhibiting at its current location on Main Street for more than six years. He first began exhibiting artwork as ABB under the auspices of the Center for Independent Living Options (CLIO) on Seventh…
World War Z
What hath George Romero wrought? No longer are we being overrun with zombies created from a deluge of toxic waste near a cemetery. Now we face zombie pandemics, global emergencies that demand international coordination, but that means there will be opportunities for American heroes armed with all the know-how that comes from being all-American (it…
Much Ado About Nothing
Joss Whedon, with a 12-day window in his schedule, did what any tent pole director would do — now assigned to guide the overall game plan for the Marvel Movie Universe — he brought a collection of actors to his home to shoot a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. That he…
Monsters University
Now that Pixar is in the sequel business, it’s fair to ask if they’ve lost a step. Their once completely fresh slate of films is now being peppered with revisits. What are Cars up to? And, let’s check in with Nemo and Dori in 2015. This thinking led to an interesting premise: what about a…
Same-Sex Love in Graphic (Yet Quite Ordinary) Frames
Love has apparently been in the air of the pages of Astonishing X-Men and I’m sadly a late arrival to the latest love fest. I remember, from back in the day, stories of mutants struggling with being treated differently while facing off against far more militant strands of homo superior, regular old super-powered mad men…
The Kings of Summer
Those middle teen years can be a crushing grind, especially during the summer. You’re not old enough to get in the car and drive far away from your parents and all of the household drama under your roof. There’s never enough privacy. And it seems that no one else realizes that you’re capable of greatness;…
The East
Sarah (co-screenwriter Brit Marling), an undercover operative with a private security firm, is assigned to infiltrate an anarchist group that targets corporations suspected of massive cover-ups that impact the health and safety of their customers and the environment. Sarah has to submerge herself in the wandering anarchist lifestyle, including dumpster diving for food, working her…
The Bling Ring
So, this is what has become of the Bonnie and Clyde mythos, the ballsy outlaw bandits with bullets to spare and a knack for creating (and then unfortunately believing) their own hype? It is somewhat depressing to watch Sofia Coppola’s latest film (a true story based on a Vanity Fair article) about a collection of…
Worst Week Ever!: June 12-18
WEDNESDAY JUNE 12 Part of being a Cincinnatian is reading about the same local issues over and over again for long periods of time before anything happens or changes. Currently, one of those issues is the streetcar and the importance of deciding once and for all if it sucks or not. Today’s Enquirer featured an…
In Defense of Lobsters
Did you know that lobsters will bury their food in the sand to guard it for safe-keeping? That they can live as long as 100 years? That they migrate by the thousands, capable of traveling about 10 miles a day? Just some facts I picked up during some light crustacean reading I did the other…
Aralee Strange: 1944-2013
There was this woman with a deep, slow drawl spoken in something between a rasp and a whisper who had a lightning bolt inked high on her right cheekbone not as thuggery, irony or defiance but as a simple, stunning marker adding to the mystique of a woman easily mistaken in her era-defying androgyny for…
The Dog Days of Summer
It’s time to spark up a J, laugh out loud and then question your existence with an Australian guy in a gnarly dog suit. Wilfred’s back (10 p.m. Thursdays, FX). Now in Season Three, we still don’t know why Ryan (Elijah Wood) sees his neighbor Jenna’s mutt, Wilfred, as a pervy, vice-stricken dude in a…
Long Live the Kings of Indie Cinema
This summer, moviegoers have been amenable to mainstream comedies and superhero flicks, but sometimes it’s the smaller films that deserve our attention. The Kings of Summer, a film that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January under the title Toy’s House and went on to clinch a theatrical distribution deal with CBS Films, has…
“Movement Specialists” Assemble Local Performers for a Cause
First launched in 2011, the evocatively titled Global Water Dances was a biennial world event hatched by movement specialists at a 2008 conference in England. The idea was to involve choreographers, dancers and community organizations around the world in an effort to focus attention through artistic expression on the critical need for safe drinking water.…
Jon Kovach Still Lighting up Area Stages
As the Sitwell’s Coffee House crowd buzzes around him, Jon Kovach calmly ticks off his lengthy list of commitments for the approaching summer. He has already delivered stellar 2013 performances in Know Theatre’s When the Rain Stops Falling, Untethered Theatre Company’s Red Light Winter and Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Covedale Center for the…
Ice, Ice, Baby
I had an epiphany recently when I stopped to order my favorite iced coffee from BLOC Coffee Company in Price Hill and their ice machine was on the fritz. “Try it cold, without ice,” the barista suggested. “Some of our customers like it better that way.” So I pouted but decided to give it a…
