Music: Freekbass
There is a very particular bit of artist-centric evidence that determines the ostensible success of an album. Everybody’s Feelin’ Real, the new release from Cincinnati Funktronica legend Freekbass, is packed like a Kardashian’s overstuffed suitcase with that specific proof. Freekbass’ catalog to date has been warmly embraced by the Electronic and Jam communities, and with…
Music: White Denim
If Corsicana Lemonade, the fifth full-length studio album by White Denim, sounds like the group’s most focused yet, it didn’t happen by accident. Words like “focused” and “cohesive” haven’t always been the first descriptions to come to mind when it came to White Denim’s output. The band has moved around quite a bit stylistically and…
Music: Steep Canyon Rangers
Steep Canyon Rangers have risen to the top of the Bluegrass world slowly but surely. Formed while college students in North Carolina (and now based near Asheville, N.C.), the group represents the younger guard in Bluegrass music, a band that is fluent in the traditional side of the genre yet open-minded and contemporary in their…
Music: Ray LaMontagne
“Drive-In Movies,” the last song on Ray LaMontagne’s latest album, Supernova, is a nostalgic ode to the past in an album teeming with retro flourishes. LaMontagne has always been a bit of a throwback, an impressively bearded troubadour from another era with a soft spot for the likes of Stephen Stills and The Band. But…
Music: Phosphorescent
Multi-instrumentalist Matthew Houck seems slightly bashful about attaching his given name to his recorded output. Nearly a decade and a half ago, after relocating from his native Alabama to the inspiration-rich environs of Athens, Ga., Houck self-released his debut album, Hipolit, but cloaked his identity under the band-like pseudonym Fillup Shack. Houck soon decided his…
Music: Yvette
Yvette is one of those bands whose music, at its best, sounds like something going really, really wrong. The Brooklyn, N.Y., team of vocalist/guitarist Noah Kardos-Fein and drummer Dale Eisinger generate wild, anxious, Industrial-skewing Noise Punk that constantly thunders, squirms or drones. Unforgiving, metallic-sounding sharp edges protrude from all over Process, Yvette’s recent debut album,…
Beastie Boys: Still Not For Sale
HOT: Beasties Won’t Budge Attention ad creators — Beastie Boys will never let their music be used to sell a product, no matter how craftily you try to maneuver around their wishes. In March, the surviving members settled with toymaker GoldieBlox over the use of a parody version of their song “Girls” for an online…
Coming Into Focus
If Corsicana Lemonade, the fifth full-length studio album by White Denim, sounds like the group’s most focused yet, it didn’t happen by accident. “I know everybody was thinking about every other song (on the album) while we were making it,” drummer Josh Block says. “It’s the most cohesive we’ve made.” Words like “focused” and “cohesive”…
Event: Food Truckin’ for Josh Cares
Josh Cares, a local nonprofit that provides companionship and comfort to children hospitalized in critical and chronic care units at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, hosts its second annual lunchtime Food Truckin’ for Josh Cares festival. More than 10 diverse area food trucks will be on Fountain Square — from New Orleans to Go and…
Event: Margarita Madness
CityBeat hosts its second annual Margarita Madness party, presented by Milagro tequila. The festival celebrates the unofficial cocktail of summer — the margarita — with a margarita throw-down, featuring a margarita-making competition between vendors including Bakersfield OTR, Django Western Taco, Neons and more. There were also be a “guac off” between participating restaurants. 5:30-8:30 p.m.…
Event: Mercantile Library Harriet Beecher Stowe Lecture
You know him for his 2011 New York Times Magazine essay in which he “came out” as an undocumented immigrant. You’ve seen his face on the subsequent cover of TIME magazine and may even have seen his documentary, Documented. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas will speak at the Mercantile Library’s Harriet Beecher Stower Lecture…
Onstage: League of Cincinnati Theatres Awards
With the 2014 Fringe Festival wrapped up, it’s time to look back at the whole theater season. Since last August, representatives of the League of Cincinnati Theatres have attended shows and identified productions and performers to be considered for their annual awards. Rub elbows with the theater community and learn who is deemed the best…
Event: MainStrasse Village Goettafest
If there’s anything Cincinnatians love more than enjoying their ancestors’ loving gift of breakfasty goetta goodness, it’s absolutely nothing. And now not just for breakfast, either. Sample Goetta reubens, goetta cheddar cheese, goetta chili and other variations of the pig-and-oat mixture while shopping, dancing and playing on historic MainStrasse Village’s tree-lined Sixth Street Promenade. While…
Event: Queen City Invitational Baseball Festival
Since 1869, Cincinnati’s been a baseball city — the first professional one, in fact, thanks to the Cincinnati Red Stockings. And the Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club is putting those red stockings back on for a day of old fashioned baseball at the Heritage Village and Sharon Woods Park. This isn’t your father’s game, it’s…
Reel to ‘Real’
T here is a very particular bit of artist-centric evidence that determines the ostensible success of an album. Everybody’s Feelin’ Real, the new release from Cincinnati Funktronica legend Freekbass, is packed like a Kardashian’s overstuffed suitcase with that specific proof. “I’ve been listening to the album,” Freek says over coffee. “I rarely listen to my…
Event: Juneteenth Festival
In 1988, Cincinnati’s Juneteenth tradition began as a neighborhood festival in Kennedy Heights, celebrating Emancipation Day and drawing close to 1,500 people to Daniel Drake Park for picnicking, games and historical reenactments. Twenty-seven years later, the annual ritual featuring Abe Lincoln, a variety of live entertainment and plenty of arts and craft vendors has grown…
Art: Collaborate at Galaxie Skateshop
As contemporary art moves further away from the trope of the singular artist toiling away in front of his — because the myth of the “mad genius” is always male — easel, living artists who are interested in pushing the boundaries of their own imagination often actively seek out opportunities to work with others to…
Comedy: Bill Cosby
It’s time to take your favorite Bill Cosby-inspired sweater out of storage and send it off to the cleaners in time for the weekend — the man himself is coming to town. Iconic comic (and everybody’s favorite TV dad) will make a rare appearance at the Aronoff Center with a comedic routine that promises to…
Food Truck Festival for a Good Cause
Josh Cares, a local nonprofit that provides companionship and comfort to children hospitalized in critical and chronic care units at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, on Wednesday (June 18) will host its second annual lunchtime Food Truckin’ for Josh Cares festival. More than 10 diverse area food trucks will be on Fountain Square — from…
Event: Jungle Jim’s International Beer Fest
It’s not summer until there’s barbecue and binge drinking, and Jungle Jim’s is providing more than 350 different beers from more than 100 breweries — national and international — at its ninth annual International Beer Fest. If you don’t know any beers besides Nati Light, there will be experts on hand to expand your beer knowledge…
Music: Julian Velard
If you’re tired of going to concerts you really want to hear only to be consistently distracted by people doing myriad things with their cell phones, talking loudly or drunkenly dancing while spilling their drink all over you, the DownTowne Listening Room is a new venue just for you. East Coast transplant Scott Skeabeck founded…
Comedy: Mike Stanley
When he was younger, Mike Stanley wasn’t sure how one became a comedian. “I thought you had to live in New York or Los Angeles and be a movie star,” Stanley says. The turning point came when he got older and ran into an old friend at a party. “He said ‘I’m doing stand-up comedy…
Onstage: Carmen
Cincinnati Opera kicks off its season with Carmen, a rep mainstay about a gypsy woman who lives by her own rules. Chances are you’ll recognize Bizet’s classic melodies that vividly evoke Spanish dances and fiestas. Stacey Rishoi is the fiery Carmen; fine lyric tenor William Burden is her hapless lover Don José; and Daniel Okulitch…
Event: The Original Creative Festival
The Original Creative Festival, Quilt, Sew and Fiber Expo features a display of more than 300 quilts from around the world, including the special exhibit The Parkinson’s Quilt Project, which raises awareness of the impact of the disease, plus the opportunity to take classes from renowned fiber artists. Nancy Zieman from PBS’ Sewing With Nancy…
Event: Newport Italianfest
Join more than 100,000 fellow Italian food and culture enthusiasts on the Newport riverfront to celebrate (and stuff yourself with) Italian food and fun all weekend long at Italianfest. The festival features authentic Italian food from beloved local eateries including Pompilios, Bella Luna, Tony’s Italian Sausage, Roma’s and more. As you enjoy sausage, pasta and…
Attractions: Downtown Cincinnati Public Art Map
Downtown and Over-the-Rhine streets, parks, walls and other spaces have so much public art that it's worth a special walking tour — or five. That's how many Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI) has created on its new online database of public art. Themes are “Hometown Heroes,” “Music City,” “The Old Ballgame,” “Take in the History” and “Mother(lode) of Presidents,” and everything is…
Yvette with Sleigh Bells
Yvette is one of those bands whose music, at its best, sounds like something going really, really wrong. The Brooklyn, N.Y., team of vocalist/guitarist Noah Kardos-Fein and drummer Dale Eisinger generate wild, anxious, Industrial-skewing Noise Punk that constantly thunders, squirms or drones. Unforgiving, metallic-sounding sharp edges protrude from all over Process, Yvette’s recent debut album,…
Phosphorescent with PUBLIC and Cedar Skies
Multi-instrumentalist Matthew Houck seems slightly bashful about attaching his given name to his recorded output. Nearly a decade and a half ago, after relocating from his native Alabama to the inspiration-rich environs of Athens, Ga., Houck self-released his debut album, Hipolit, but cloaked his identity under the band-like pseudonym Fillup Shack. Houck soon decided his…
Ray LaMontagne with The Belle Brigade
“Drive-In Movies,” the last song on Ray LaMontagne’s latest album, Supernova, is a nostalgic ode to the past in an album teeming with retro flourishes: “I miss those drive-in movies/I spent all my childhood years wishin’ that I looked like a movie star.” He could just as easily be talking about the musical artists that…
Steep Canyon Rangers with Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle
Steep Canyon Rangers have risen to the top of the Bluegrass world slowly but surely. Formed while college students in North Carolina (and now based near Asheville, N.C.), the group represents the younger guard in Bluegrass music, a band that is fluent in the traditional side of the genre yet open-minded and contemporary in their…
Elections Commission to Hear Suit Against Smitherman
The Cincinnati Elections Commission will hold a hearing June 23 on City Councilman Christopher Smitherman’s campaign finances after Nathaniel Livingston Jr., a well-known Cincinnati radio personality and former City Council candidate, filed a rather colorful complaint against him. The complaint filed with the Commission says Smitherman exceeded campaign contribution limits during his 2013 campaign and…
Morning News and Stuff
Here's what's up today in Cincy, Ohio, and beyond. Vice Mayor David Mann isn’t super happy about the fact that LumenoCity tickets sold out in 12 minutes yesterday morning and then popped up just as quickly on Craigslist and eBay. He’s requesting an investigation into the ticket giveaway to find out about any illegal sale…
Father’s Day Dining Specials
Father's Day is equally as important at Mother's Day. And so, on Sunday, June 15, area restaurants are offering specials meals and deals for dads. BrewRiver GastroPub — Traditional brunch menu items including beer-inspired cocktails. All Dads receive free bacon-infused donuts, while supplies last. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 2062 Riverside Drive, East End, 513-861-2484, brewrivergastropub.com. King's Island — Dad's eat free…
Thanks, Cleveland Press Club!
We thought it was a little weird when the Cleveland Press Club told us it “highly recommended” we attend its awards ceremony on June 6, largely because its representative put the words "highly recommend" in quotation marks and we couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic — maybe someone just wanted to see us drive…
Graeter’s “Official Ice Cream” of the Western & Southern Open
Graeter's has been named the official ice cream of the annual Western & Southern Open (Aug. 9-17) tennis tournament — which makes sense because Cincinnatians love Greater's and the W&S Open is in Cincinnati … well, technically Mason. Cincinnatians and W&S Open out-of-towners (nearly 200,000 fans from 50 states and 30 countries) alike will enjoy the ice-cold and creamy…
Camp Washington Coney Eating Challenge
Fountain Square's Freaky Friday Series gets meaty during the Camp Washington Chili Coney Eating Challenge (Friday, June 13). This chili-crazy city has more chili parlors per capita and square mile than any other city in the United States, eating more than 2 million pounds of chili each year … topped with 850,000 pounds of shredded…
Avery Brewing Tap Takeover
Boulder, Colo.'s Avery Brewing takes over the taps at The Lackman at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 12. On tap will be the brewery's Avery IPA, White Rascal, Karma, The Maharaja, plus a special tapping of their 21st Anniversary, Lilikoi Kepolo and a limited amount of their sour release, Rufus Corvus, by-the-bottle. The Lackman, 1237…
12th Annual Taste of the NFL Tackles Hunger
The Cincinnati Bengals host the 12th annual Taste of the NFL, a celebrity dinner, to benefit the Freestore Foodbank. The dinner-by-the-bite event combines food, football and fun at Paul Brown Stadium. Hosted by Cincinnati Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis (#42) and chef Stephen Williams of Covington, Ky.'s Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar, the event pairs chefs…
Ohio Supreme Court Orders Rape Flier Records Unsealed
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled June 5 that a Butler County judge acted improperly when he sealed records relating to a 2012 rape flier posted at Miami University. Judge Robert Lyons ordered the records sealed after a student at Miami University was charged with and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for posting a flier listing…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning all. Let’s start out this Monday news rundown by going uptown. •On Friday, Cincinnati’s Planning Commission passed a sweeping new plan for the area in the coming years. The plan anticipates the upcoming reworking of Interstate 71 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and envisions big changes to the area in Avondale, Corryville,…
Another Fringe Makes Crazy History
The Cincinnati Fringe had its finale on Saturday evening in a chaotic round of thanks and kudos at Know Theatre. If you’ve never attended but want to know what it’s like, I’d compare the party to a tumultuous Saturday morning at Findlay Market. It’s a cast of characters including performers, fans, volunteers and supporters from…
Ida
A stark emotional honesty permeates Ida, the new release from Pawel Pawlikowski (The Woman in the Fifth), which is finally opening in our market. The film starts off at some point in the 1960s with Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a young woman in a Polish convent preparing to take her final vows to become a nun, who…
The Fault in Our Stars
Young Adult fiction author (and Indianapolis native) John Green gets adapted here by screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (the writing and producing team behind The Spectacular Now and 500 Days of Summer) and director Josh Boone (Stuck in Love), and there’s no fault in the inevitable comparisons to the 2002 romantic drama A Walk to Remember, which…
Wussy Plays First, Last Local Show of the Summer Tonight
Since being released nationally in early May, Cincinnati rockers Wussy’s amazing latest album Attica! has been scoring an insane amount of neon-glowing reviews from many high profile outlets. Pitchfork, Pop Matters and Spin, among many others, have all given the album high praise (Spin also recently named it one of the Top 50 album releases…
Your Weekend To Do List: 6/6-6/8
The Cincinnati Rollergirls close their season with the third annual Crosstown Knockdown Saturday. The double-header opens with a mixed game featuring CRG’s Black Sheep team and the Battering Rams, Cincy’s men’s team. During the main event, CRG’s Violent Lambs face-off with the Black-n-Bluegrass Rollergirls’ Blackouts. CRG’s home rink is at the Cincinnati Gardens; with the…
Hip Hop Greats Perform in Honor of “Funky Drummer”
Cincinnati’s King Records and its various subsidiary labels have been widely celebrated for its vital contribution to the development of popular music in the 20th Century. The legendary label’s groundbreaking, integrated roster of Roots, Bluegrass, R&B and Funk artists gave the world recordings that were integral to the development of Rock & Roll, Pop, Country…
Stage Door: Wrapping up Fringe
Just two more days of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, so here are a few recommendations for great shows you can still catch. (Look for reviews of these performances on CityBeat's Fringe page here.) Many Fringe performances are sold-out, so check in advance to be sure seats are still available: cincyfringe.com. I was very impressed by…
Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) and Authorial Intent
The final opening of the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe happened on Thursday evening at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. As has been the case for several years, ETC’s interns — who spend most of the season behind the scenes, occasionally understudying roles but more often moving furniture and working the tech side — use the Fringe as a…
Morning News and Stuff
It’s that time again when I tell you all about the weird stuff that has happened in the last 24 hours or so. Cincinnati’s a crazy place, and the rest of the world isn’t far behind, so let’s get started. • Remember those folks who hung the Greenpeace banners off the side of the Procter…
Sherrod Brown Pushes Student Loan Refinancing
What’s something that homeowners, business and local governments can do that college students cannot? Aside from buying alcohol, everyone else can refinance loans for lower interest rates. But at a time when charges for borrowing money have hit nearly historic lows, students have been locked into their older, higher rates. A new bill looks…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati passed its $358 million operating budget yesterday, and it’s great and all, except for the parts that aren’t. Nearly everyone on council applauded the fact that the budget is balanced, or close to balanced, or … well, I won’t replay that argument, but the city is getting close to leveling spending with what it…
Gentri-Fire (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Since there’s only one performance left of Gentri-Fire (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.), you might want to get a ticket soon. It’s a sometimes one-sided but energetic, magnetic and fierce look at the phenomenon of gentrification, showcasing spoken word artists. As people filed into the performance space at 17 E. Court St. on Wednesday night,…
Jean-Robert de Cavel to Throw First Pitch at Reds Game
Chef and everyone's favorite local Frenchman Jean-Robert de Cavel celebrates 20 years in Cincinnati by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at tomorrow's Reds game against the San Francisco Giants (12:35 p.m. Thursday, June 5; toss at 12:15 p.m.; tickets start at $5). He's the first chef to toss a first pitch at a Reds game —…
WATCH: Puck’s “Weekend Warrior”
Local MC Puck has unleashed a great new track, “Weekend Warrior,” along with a solid accompanying music video (which includes a guest appearance from Cincy Hip Hop duo Those Guys). The young Hip Hop artist shows the positive effect and influence of Kanye West’s recent experimental work (and there’s even a Kanye nod in the…
Cincinnati Ranked No. 3 U.S. Staycation Destination
Cincinnati has finally been released from its icy prison, and the citizens have thawed out and are ready to start rebuilding their relationship with the sun. Time to buy a plane ticket for California, right? Nope. Time to explore our own beautiful city. A study done by WalletHub, an online personal finance resource, compared the…
City Roots: The Giving Fields
Tucked away on the Ohio River, 10 miles from downtown Cincinnati, lies a quiet farm with long, beautiful rows of nutrient-dense kale, broccoli and lettuce, ripe strawberries and blueberries, bee hives and a magnificent orchard of nearly 400 fruit trees. This idyllic and very productive farm doesn't earn a penny. Welcome to the Giving Fields…
The Main Library’s Inspired Idea for Listening to Vinyl Records
Steven Kemple, who was featured last year in CityBeat’s Cool Issue for his innovative programming as the Main Library’s music librarian, runs a monthly Listen to This! session there at which the group (it’s open to anyone) hears in new ways selections from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s vast collection of recordings.…
Local Walmart Workers to Strike Wednesday
Protesting illegal firings, low wages and erratic scheduling, Walmart workers are taking a stand this afternoon in Cincinnati by walking off their jobs. Workers will protest outside the Walmart on Ferguson Road at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon with Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, according to a press release sent out this morning. Today’s strike is…
Things To Do This Week
Looking for stuff to do this week? You're in luck — there's a ton going on. This weekend, check out this year's first Second Sunday on Main event, Opera in the Park, National Donut Day or head to the opening of Private Lives at Cincy Shakes. For all of this week's staff picks of things to do,…
Streetcar Advocates Expand Focus
Believe in Cincinnati, the grassroots group that played a big role advocating for the Cincinnati streetcar during and since the infamous City Hall pause, is expanding its focus beyond Over-the-Rhine. More than 80 people showed up to a meeting in Clifton Tuesday night to discuss taking the streetcar beyond OTR. "We started around the streetcar,…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
FX biker drama Sons of Anarchy will embark in its final ride this fall, after a game-changing penultimate season. The show has featured a few guest stars from the music world, including Henry Rollins and Dave Navarro. Next on that list is a surprising name — Marilyn Manson. Manson will play a recurring role in…
Cincinnati Art Museum Purchases Courttney Cooper Map
Old embraced new in a powerful way when Cincinnati’s oldest art institution, the Cincinnati Art Museum, purchased a new piece from local, contemporary artist Courttney Cooper this week. "Cincinnati Map" is now part of the museum’s permanent collection and skillfully depicts the buildings, streets, and roadways that make our city one Cooper never tires of…
Cincy Blues Challenge Band Competition Returns Sunday
On June 1, area Blues singer/pianist/multi-instrumentalist Jimmy D. Rogers won the Cincy Blues Challenge competition for solo artists and duos after competing against several other performers at downtown club/restaurant Arnold’s. This Sunday, the Blues Challenge presents the band competition. The Cincy Blues Society organizes the annual challenges, and the winners earn not only slots at…
Jesus Christ, Bad Idea
HOT: Jesus Christ, Bad Idea Somehow someone thought that a production of a 44-year-old hippie Rock musical starring a member of ’N Sync not named Timberlake, a singer from Destiny’s Child not named Beyoncé, an elderly Johnny Rotten, a British TV talent show winner and the singer from Incubus would not only make for a…
Cincinnati vs. the World 06.04.2014
Proposed EPA regulations aim to cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants and new plants by as much as 30 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. If they survive a year of public comment, these regulations will be the biggest single step by the U.S. against climate change. WORLD +2 City officials took…
Worst Week Ever!: May 28-June 3
West Siders Ask for $50 Million, Everyone Is Like “Hell Nah, Bruh” For many Cincinnatians, the scariest part of going across the Western Hills Viaduct is not knowing which lane you should be in as you wrap around that McDonald’s that greets you on the West Side — one wrong turn and you could be…
CAC Announces 2014-15 Season
The Contemporary Arts Center today announced its upcoming visual arts exhibition season, as well as several events in its performance schedule. Here is the release, edited for length: Visual Arts Exhibition Season: Memory Palace (Sept. 12, 2014-Feb.16, 2015)Curated by Steven MatijcioOn the occasion of the CAC's 75th anniversary, this exhibition will present memory as soft,…
Morning News and Stuff
All right. It's morning, it's nasty out, and it's only Wednesday. Let's do this news thing because we've all already uploaded five pics of those ominous clouds to Instagram and doing actual work is hard. A bill the Ohio House took up yesterday would make it illegal for insurance to cover abortions. House Bill 351,…
Beat Our Fests
The festival scene has long been a fabric of summer in Greater Cincinnati, with church and neighborhood festivals going down every weekend across the region. But during the past decade, almost as many music festivals have popped into the area as well. From big-ticket, multi-day events to relatively smaller affairs with a focus on local…
Home Run Neighborhood Bars
We love baseball in Cincinnati. The Reds paved the way as the first Major League Baseball team in 1869 and our Opening Day celebration is pretty much the biggest holiday next to Christmas. Lets face it — our city knows how to do it right, especially when it comes to food, booze and rooting for…
Big Screen Summer Classics
L arry Thomas, a longtime local film buff and lover of great old movie theaters, speaks for many Cincinnatians when he says, “I try at least once a week to consciously think to curse the names of all those who had a hand in murdering the Albee. What a waste!” It’s indeed hard to believe…
Birthday for The Beast
J ust ask any roller coaster rider who’s logged their fair share of hours at Kings Island, and they’ll have a memorable tale or two of The Beast to share — and after 35 years and 48,882,975 rides, it’s easy to see why. The wooden coaster has become a rite of passage for any roller…
Vegetarians Need Grills, Too
Hot dogs are the American flag of summer meats. The tube-shaped, sheath-packed meat-sticks plump away on charcoal grills and in baseball stadiums everywhere from Memorial Day to Labor Day, serving up freedom with a side of ketchup. Unfortunately, there’s a group of U.S. citizens who can’t enjoy the taste of a blistery frank, nestled in…
Grilling with Jimmy
A t age 56, chef Jimmy Gibson of Jimmy G’s is at an age where most chefs have hung up their tongs and high-tailed it out of the kitchen for a cushier life as either restaurateur or the occasional expeditor. But not Gibson. The Pennsylvania native arrived in Cincinnati in 1989 when hospitality industry…
Visions of Cincinnati
C incinnati is changing. Nowhere is this fact more apparent than in our once-sleepy downtown. From The Banks to Over-the-Rhine, from Fountain Square to Washington Park, the urban core is alive with activity. Zan McQuade arrived just in time to witness the Queen City’s shift in fortune. A native of Oxford, Ohio, McQuade lived and…
(Orange Is the New) Black Friday
Jenji Kohan’s dark comedic take on the true story of Piper Kerman’s stint in a federal women’s prison was a runaway hit on Netflix in its 2013 debut. Now Orange Is the New Black is back (full season on Netflix Friday) with another 13 funny, disturbing and thought-provoking episodes. In the Jodie Foster-directed premiere episode…
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ Offers Indie Sensibilities with Studio Purse Strings
At one time, the title for Doug Liman’s new release was All You Need is Kill and it featured a raw 18-year-old military recruit sucked into a time-fractured narrative that had him reliving the same day on what seemed like an endless loop — a D-Day style attack on an alien outpost on the Normandy…
MUSE’s Season Ends with Diverse City’s Debut
MUSE, Cincinnati’s women’s chorus, presents Brave Happy Love this weekend with guest performers Diverse City, the area’s first chorus for LGBTQ youth and their allies. It’s a fitting way for Rhonda Juliano, MUSE’s new artistic director, to conclude her first season. Although Juliano has conducted two previous concerts, Brave Happy Love is the first MUSE…
Grab a Great Show or Two as the Fringe Winds Down
The 2014 Cincinnati Fringe Festival is in full swing, heading toward its finale on Saturday. If you haven’t attended yet, you still have plenty of chances to see some fascinating performances. If you’ve been going, you might want some tips on good choices. CityBeat’s Fringe reviewers have been catching opening nights and writing about them…
FotoFocus Has New Ideas, Big Plans for 2014 Event
At a luncheon/press conference Thursday in New York, the FotoFocus Biennial will announce details of its 2014 activities in Cincinnati for this year’s Oct. 8-Nov. 1 run. This sounds eyebrow-raising — why is this citywide celebration/festival of photography and lens-based art unveiling plans in New York? (It’s at a trendy restaurant/whiskey bar called Maysville, named…
Summer Guide 2014
Get out the grill and put on your swimsuit — summer is here! Celebrate the heat with our annual Summer Guide. Learn how to grill steak with Jimmy Gibson, celebrate 35 years of The Beast roller coaster, check out all the cool area summer music festivals, learn how many ingredients are in a veggie dog…
