BBC’s Kay Gives a Local Shout Out
When Katty Kay was asked during her visit here last week about the most trustworthy news source, she joked that her bosses at the British Broadcasting Corp. would not be pleased if she answered anything but “BBC.” Beyond loyalty, she was right in a global sense. For decades, BBC’s World Service has been the most…
Aroma Restaurant and Sushi (Review)
Critic's Pick Somehow food has become an endurance contest — restaurants and diners in hot pursuit of the latest fad. Fortunately, Aroma Restaurant and Sushi bucks this trend. While exceedingly contemporary in design, the unspoken philosophy behind much of Chef Romuald Jung’s menu makes us slow down long enough to appreciate the importance of smell,…
Events: Ghosts in the Museums Tour
The Spiritual H.O.P.E. Society — or the Spiritual Historians of Paranormal Evidence— is a local paranormal team founded by DaShane Watkins, educated in the “history of spiritualism” and an authority in EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon — think Michael Keaton in White Noise). Based on the Society’s goal of bringing an understanding of the paranormal to…
Music: A Tribute to Phil Blank
Veteran Cincinnati Blues bandleader/singer/guitarist/harmonica master Phil Blank passed away Jan. 15 due to complications from cancer at the age of 57. On Sunday, many of his friends, fans, peers and bandmates will join together for a musical tribute at the Southgate House, performing songs culled from Phil Blank Blues Band set lists. The 5 p.m.…
Arts: The London Police Ride Again at The BLDG
The British are coming! Actually, the warnings have sounded too late, because they’ve already stormed the walls of The BLDG gallery in Covington. International artist collective The London Police have arrived for their inaugural show of 2010, The London Police Ride Again, opening 8-11 p.m. Friday. In addition to the exhibition opening, which will feature…
Onstage: Daddy Long Legs
No, it’s not a sequel to Arachnophobia. In fact, this new show at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has nothing creepy about it. It’s a brand-new, charming musical and the title is an affectionate name an orphan uses to address her anonymous supporter in a series of letters — which composer Paul Gordon has…
Comedy: Kevin Brennan
“I love stand-up, but I don’t love show business,” says comedian Kevin Brennan. “People say ‘You picked this business.’ I didn’t really. I picked stand-up comedy, which bleeds into show business.” Brennan, it seems, is just happy telling jokes. Even the lure of steady work in commercials didn’t pique his interest. Years ago, at the…
Attractions: Spring Floral Show
It’s spring outside, but it’s spring inside too … at least inside the Krohn Conservatory. Their Spring Floral Show kicks off Saturday with a simple theme: “Glorious Spring.” To celebrate the true beauty of this season the Krohn has built a traditional spring garden, already in full bloom. So while your crocuses are just beginning…
A View from Abroad
Katty Kay is a worldly Brit who’s covered our nation for more than a decade, though a “strange duality” continues to puzzle her: • The more highly respected an American politician is abroad, the more suspect he is at home. President Obama has raised America’s stature overseas but — nuttiness about his birth certificate aside…
Green Zone (Review)
What is Green Zone? Is the latest collaboration between filmmaker Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon an extension of their Bourne franchise with a bit more topicality? Or is it, due to the aforementioned Iraq War relevance, a companion piece to Greengrass’ phenomenal United 93? This adaptation of Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s book Imperial Life in the Emerald…
Music: Extra Life
CS13, the creative alternative gallery continues its forays into cutting-edge experimental music presentations with a show by Brooklyn Art-Pop-Chamber-Prog experimentalists Extra Life. The band is led by Charlie Looker (pictured), a guitarist/composer and member of chamber ensemble Zs who has worked with such daring new music provocateurs as Dirty Projectors, Glenn Branca, Tyondai Braxton and…
Art: Chaz Chew at the Creative Gallery
In his current exhibition at Creative Gallery, draftsman Chaz Chew mines the imagery of Marie Antoinette’s courtesans, Japan’s opulent geishas and a crowd of attractive dandies seemingly drawn from fashion photo shoots or Gatsby-era narratives. These divergent sources all culminate in a series of pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings that recall Paul Cadmus and Alphonse Mucha.…
Events: The Shrine Circus
Clowns, daredevils and all manner of fearsome beasts invade the Cincinnati Gardens this weekend and it’s not even election season. The Shrine Circus brings its particular brand of American kitsch that includes tightrope walkers, motorcycle stunts and trapezists. It’s a favorite among children and families, delivering on promises of elephant rides, face painting and neon…
Pink Floyd Maintains ‘Integrity’, the Jacksons Cash In and Sweating to the iPods
[HOT] Money, It’s a Gas Reuters reported that Pink Floyd (pictured) has succeeded in stopping its label, EMI, from unpackaging its albums and selling individual songs as downloads or ringtones. A judge sided with the band in ruling that the classic rockers’ original contract clause stating the label must “preserve the artistic integrity of (its)…
Art: Abundance at Collector’s Art Group
Claire Darley gives us a lilting reminder of the ways that the medium an artist uses alters the appearance of the subject matter in Abundance at Collector’s Art Group now through April 10. The small gallery blooms with Darley’s reflections on Lotus Pond at Big Bone Gardens in Kentucky through watercolor, charcoal, graphite and in…
The King of the Ring
Speight Jenkins will be the first to tell you that there’s grand opera and then there are Richard Wagner’s operas, those massive, sprawling epics populated by feuding gods, warrior women sporting winged helmets, knights of the Grail and sexually frustrated lovers. Wagner's “The Ride of the Valkyries” is one of the most famous operatic themes,…
SXSW: Pothole Trolls and Keyboards on Laps
One car. Five people. Eighteen hours. Local band You, You’re Awesome and friends embarked on their maiden voyage to Austin’s South By Southwest music festival around 3 a.m. Sunday morning and arrived Monday night at midnight. Aside from holding keyboards in laps and not being able to see out of the back window of good…
The Never Setting Suns (Profile)
Funny/strange the way clerks sometimes question what you buy. I was at a quickie-mart buying a Powerbar. Clerk said, “Wow, healthy snack! Same as yesterday!” I was kinda creeped out. Next girl bought a 12-pack. Clerk said, “You gonna put that all away tonight?” Girl turned red. It was nonstop. Out of the damn dark,…
Extra Life
CS13, the creative alternative gallery at 1219 Sycamore St. in Over-the-Rhine's Pendleton District, continues its forays into cutting-edge experimental music presentations with a show by Brooklyn Art-Pop-Chamber-Prog experimentalists Extra Life. The band is led by Charlie Looker (pictured), a guitarist/composer and member of chamber ensemble Zs who has worked with such daring new music provocateurs…
Yo Gabba Gabba: The Real Kid Rock
Of all the hot tickets on the spring concert circuit, one of the biggest draws might be DJ Lance Rock, host of Yo Gabba Gabba, the Indie Rock-fueled kids show on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. cable channel. Musical guests/fans like The Flaming Lips, Weezer, The Shins and The Killers means that Yo Gabba Gabba’s target audience…
A Tribute to Phil Blank
Veteran Cincinnati Blues bandleader/singer/ guitarist/harmonica master Phil Blank passed away Jan. 15 due to complications from cancer at the age of 57. On Sunday, many of his friends, fans, peers and bandmates will join together for a musical tribute at the Southgate House, performing songs culled from Phil Blank Blues Band set lists. The 5…
Music: Portugal. The Man
Between the studio and the road, Portugal. The Man are perpetually busy; they’ve headlined or supported the likes of HORSE the Band, Circa Survive, Rx Bandits, The Photo Atlas, Gatsby’s American Dream and Earl Greyhound, among many others. And since P.TM’s 2006 debut, the band has managed to release an album every year: 2007’s Church…
Onstage: Yo Gabba Gabba
Of all the hot tickets on the spring concert circuit, one of the biggest draws might be DJ Lance Rock, host of Yo Gabba Gabba, the Indie Rock-fueled kids show on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. cable channel. YGG’s Indie Rock genealogy is easily traceable as Jacobs and his creative partner, Scott Schultz, both front Indie bands…
Our Family Wedding (Review)
Silliness abounds in this clash of cultures as a pair of blandly-in-love overachievers (America Ferrera and Lance Gross) seek to start off their marriage with a big family wedding that can't seem to blend African-American and Mexican-American traditions. Carlos Mencia and Forrest Whitaker play the duddering dads at odds in this knock-off of Guess Who…
Music: Sound Tribe Sector 9
The Atlanta band Sound Tribe Sector 9 coalesced in 1998 around an instrumental Drum and Bass sound that quickly evolved into a style that tended to embrace and incorporate an amazing array of genres, including Funk, Electronica, Trip Hop, Jazz, Soul and Rock. That early diversity has paid fascinating dividends, allowing STS9 to share stages…
Music: A Place to Bury Strangers
Oliver Ackermann manufactures noise for a living. Fronting Brooklynite Shoegaze/Indie Rock outfit A Place to Bury Strangers isn't enough to satisfy his thirst for rattling decibels. As a supplement, he founded Death by Audio, a guitar pedal company that shares its moniker with a New York venue. Creating for a client list that includes U2,…
Covering the Science Beat for an Increasingly Anti-Science Audience
In today’s cultural, intellectual and financial world, I can't imagine a media job with less potential than science reporter. When your sources become objects of public scorn and ridicule, what’s to write? Scientists spend as much time lamenting their inability to communicate with the public as they do explaining the origins of life, evolution, global…
Springing Forward With the Stars
As Daylight Savings Time arrived last Sunday, local theaters began to turn the spotlight to their 2010-11 seasons. I used to get involved in a silly contest with other media to be first to announce things before I remembered that CityBeat’s readers care more about the week ahead than productions that are months away. That…
Playhouse to Get ‘High’ With Kathleen Turner
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has been celebrating its year-long 50th season with a remarkable number of premieres. Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern will sustain that commitment to new work with a world premiere to kick off the 2010-11 season in September. High will feature movie and stage actress Kathleen Turner in a drama already…
Today’s Fountain Square Activities Are a Go
Despite today's rain, all the scheduled activities for O'Nati's Irish Pub on Fountain Square are going as planned. The St. Patrick's Day Parade this morning was wet, but reports are that attendance was pretty good.—- The Tigerlilies kicked off the afternoon's music show a few minutes ago, and CityBeat Marketing Manager Dab McCabe, who booked…
A Wee Bit O’ Fun for St. Paddy’s
No matter your last name, everyone’s green on St. Patrick’s Day, but finding authentic (and near authentic) Irish events in German-dominated Cincinnati can sometimes be difficult. Not anymore. The newly opened Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati will offer a variety of Gaelic-oriented events tomorrow and on the holiday itself, Wednesday. They include Irish musical…
Becky’s New Car (Review)
It’s commonly observed that a successful comedy is tougher to pull off than a serious dramatic play. Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers never seem daunted by that challenge. The latest piece of evidence is ETC’s production of Becky’s New Car by Steven Dietz. I've seldom heard people laugh out…
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Frightened Rabbit, Ted Leo and Even Some New Jimi Hendrix
There’s just a bit of errata to clean up from last week before we dive into this week’s pile of digital gumdrops. In my John Hiatt review, I mentioned Sonny Landreth as the guitar guru on a pair of Hiatt’s greatest albums, Slow TurningBring the Family. That was an error on my part; Landreth is,…
Portugal. The Man
Portugal. The Man started in Wasilla, Alaska, and their fourth album was titled The Satanic Satanist. Let the Sarah Palin jokes commence. The band actually began seven years ago as a side project for Anatomy of a Ghost vocalist/guitarist John Baldwin Gourley, who was becoming increasingly interested in tape looping and sampling — P.TM gave…
A Place to Bury Strangers with The Big Pink and Eat Sugar
Oliver Ackermann manufactures noise for a living. Fronting Brooklynite Shoegaze/Indie Rock outfit A Place to Bury Strangers isn't enough to satisfy his thirst for rattling decibels. As a supplement, he founded Death by Audio, a guitar pedal company that shares its moniker with a New York venue. Creating for a client list that includes U2,…
Sound Tribe Sector 9
In these days of hyperspecific microcasting, where there are satellite radio stations dedicated to Pink Floyd songs over 10 minutes long or Bob Dylan sans facial hair, it seems like the best strategy for artists would be to cast their sonic nets as wide as possible to attract the largest possible fanbase. For the past…
Friday Movie Roundup: All Hail, Kathryn Bigelow
We didn’t need the Academy Awards to tell us that Kathryn Bigelow is a really good director — she’s been that for more than 30 years. —- Armed with a visual art background — she studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program and eventually…
Here’s the Whole Beckett E-mail
Local Democrats wasted little time in trying to make some political hay out of this week’s Porkopolis column about an e-mail written by Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Monzel’s chief of staff. Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke is urging Monzel, a Republican, to fire his employee, Brad Beckett. Burke wrote that Beckett’s e-mail was…
Shakin’ It Up at Cincy Shakes: Year 17
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips, says, "Secrets can be good and bad." But there's one less secret today, now that he's announced the company's 17th season, eight productions, kicking off in July.—- The theme is secrets, summarized in the line, "What lies beneath." Works by William Shakespeare include Much Ado About Nothing…
The Shows Go On: Broadway Series Announced
Broadway Across America's Cincinnati season was recently announced. I had hoped for a few productions that are touring (or soon will be), but Tony Award winners Billy Elliott the Musical and August Osage County are missing. Straight plays like the latter by Tracy Letts, even when they've done well in New York City (and a…
Coffee Party Sets Local Events
Politically minded people who are turned off by the harsh rhetoric and anti-government stance of the Tea Party movement have a new group where they can express their opinions and try to affect public policy — the Coffee Party. The fledgling movement will hold a series of get-togethers across the nation Saturday to commemorate “National…
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
Thai martial-arts wiz Tony Jaa shot to international stardom with the 2003 film Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, a breakneck whirlwind of intense, choreographed violence about a rural villager who ventures to modern Bangkok to recover the head of a revered statue stolen from his people, unleashing much acrobatic whoop-ass in the process. Five years…
Snow Jobs
Maybe spring is around the corner, but my mind is still on this winter stuff. On Feb. 18, I wasn’t standing at a bus stop on Queen City Avenue. I was standing in a driveway that had been cleared of snow. Waving my arms like hell, I was hoping the bus driver would take notice…
Music: One Stop Northside Tour
Longtime friends and singer/songwriters Chris Collier, Mary Kroner and Lynn Herman will perform together for the first time in more than 15 years Saturday at the North Presbyterian Church in Northside at 7:30 p.m. to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief. For the show (dubbed the “One Stop Northside Tour”), the three will perform “in…
Martin Puryear’s Prints Are Mysterious, Compelling
If I were to pick the three best contemporary sculptors working on public art today, they’d be Richard Serra, Mark di Suvero and Martin Puryear. Serra unashamedly trumpets the strength inherent in large COR-TEN steel pieces while di Suvero playfully undermines monumentality with his large metal pieces whose I-beams create open and playful spaces. (His…
Metal Machine Music, Keith’s Sobriety, Muzak
[HOT] Precious Metal? Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music has a special place in musical history, alternately seen as one of the biggest commercial debacles ever, a spiteful contractual obligation fulfillment and the blueprint for the entire modern, experimental “Noise” movement. Despite its legendary status in avant garde music circles, the 1975 album — essentially two…
Music: Cash Flagg and Koala Fires
Finding original live music in suburban Cincinnati can sometimes be a bit like finding a liberal at a Tea Party rally. But local music booster organizations CincySounds and the All Night Party are looking to change that, booking local Indie bands at “unconventional” venues (i.e. not the Northside Tavern or Southgate House). On Saturday they’ll…
March 3-9: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MARCH 3It’s difficult to dispute that Ronald Reagan transformed the nation’s political and economic thinking. Getting poor people to believe in the trickle down theory is like getting a sixth grader to say the Pledge of Allegiance without being scared. That’s why a North Carolina congressman today suggested that the government keep its hands…
Tickled by Taquerias
Saturday lunch is one of the best meals of the week. Totally low key and relaxed, it’s a break from running errands — or a chance to plan the rest of the day. For me, it’s taqueria time. I went into mourning a few years back when Taqueria Mercado closed its Erlanger branch, which was…
St. Patrick’s Day Events
March 17 Bar/Restaurant Parties aliveOne Offers up Irish drink specials like $3 Harp, $4 Guinness, $4 Smithwick’s, $5 Car Bombs, $5 Jameson and more. Noon March 17. 941 Pavilion St., Mount Adams, 513- 721-6977. BlackFinn BlackFinn turns into BlackFinnegan’s for St. Patrick’s Day, opening at 9 a.m. for kegs and eggs with bagpipers, giveaways and…
Music: A Tribute to Stan Kenton
The University of Cincinnati’s prestigious College-Conservatory of Music is kicking off its Jazz department’s spring season this Sunday at Corbett Auditorium with “A Tribute to Stan Kenton.” The 4 p.m. concert features the school’s Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band, as well as guest artists Mary Ellen Tanner and John Von Ohlen, the legendary local…
Gearing Up for Change
Cold, snow and everything else that comes along with a Cincinnati winter have many people longing for spring right about now. If you’re a cyclist, nothing says spring like taking a warm cruise around the city on a sunny weekend. If city planners have their way, it will soon be easier and safer to do…
Jason Haap and Local NAACP
[WINNER] JASON HAAP: Many people have a love/hate relationship with Haap, who operates The Cincinnati Beacon Web site. Say what you will about him, but he has a knack for raising issues before others do and that was the case recently with the need for bilingual signage at Fountain Square. Noting that the League of…
Lectures: Bluegrass Music: What, Who, When, Where, Why
Whether you're a hardcore Bluegrass fan or just someone who owns the O Brother soundtrack and wants to know more, the “Bluegrass Music: What, Who, When, Where, Why” series at Covington’s Behringer-Crawford Museum sounds like an entertaining and insightful program. The four-part series is hosted by local Bluegrass hero Katie Laur, who will discuss everything…
Peeking into the Minds of Local Conservatives
One of the primary duties of a journalist, at least in my humble opinion, is to ferret out confidential information that could have an impact on public affairs and the political landscape. With that in mind, CityBeat recently obtained a copy of an e-mail written by Brad Beckett — chief of staff to Cincinnati City…
Art: Martin Puryear’s Prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum
A current show of Martin Puryear's prints at Cincinnati Art Museum, on display now through June 13, offers insight into Puryear's motivations and process. It features 23 prints plus a book for which he did woodcut illustrations. It is a good introduction to a major living American — and African-American — artist, for those who…
Get Involved: Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids
CCM's Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids (LINKS) program — which provides refurbished instruments for students who desire to study music — will host “Collection Days” this weekend. Those with instruments (new or used) to donate to the “recycling program” can drop them off at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Hyde Park Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday…
All the News that Fits (the Budget)
It’s no secret that the rise of Internet advertising has corresponded with a shrinking advertiser base for newspapers. Craigslist has, for example, torn away newspapers’ once lucrative classified advertising base. Cheap online display ads nibble away at print media’s bread and butter. And it is advertising that pays for the work of journalists and editors…
