Conservative Group Hires Beckett
A local conservative activist has found another job in politics. Brad Beckett recently was appointed as Heritage Action for America’s first regional coordinator for the Cincinnati area. Beckett served for years as chief of staff for City Councilman Chris Monzel, until Monzel left that group in January 2011 to become a Hamilton County commissioner. In…
Rich Hoffman, Boehner and CPS
Anti-Tax Leader Ousted for ‘Prostitutes’ Comment Anti-tax activist Rich Hoffman should have stuck closer to the Glenn Beck style of commentary that characterizes many Butler County Tea Partiers like him; too much Rush Limbaugh-style invective got the bullwhip performer ousted March 15 by the local organization he helped start. The Enquirer reported last week on…
Cincinnati vs. The World 3.21.12
Ohio Sen. Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville) proposed new legislation to prevent new ownership of exotic pets such as gorillas and lions to prevent incidents like the one in Eastern Ohio when dozens of neglected animals were shot to death after their owner set them free and committed suicide. CINCINNATI +1 Students at Dunkerton High School in…
Up For the Challenge
W hen Hamilton County voters go to the polls this November, they will encounter a rare occurrence: They actually will have a choice for county prosecutor. In recent years, few candidates have been willing to challenge longtime Republican incumbent Joe Deters. In the four elections where Deters has run for the job, he had no…
Limbaugh, Carney and Lachey
[HOT] Hypocritical Oaf The radio show hosted by former drug addict and defiler of the sanctity of marriage (thrice divorced, so far!) Rush Limbaugh might be loaded with a lot of dead air soon, and not just because advertisers are fleeing the program like passengers on the Titanic. Droves of musicians are coming out to…
College Basketball Town, U.S.A.
Once again we live at the epicenter of college basketball — and this time it’s positive. For the first time in the history of the NCAA Tournament, four teams in the Sweet 16 — a qualified quarter — are from the state of Ohio, with Cincinnati, Xavier, Ohio and Ohio State moving on to make…
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
O liver Ackermann has a Cincinnati story he enjoys sharing: Back when his band, A Place To Bury Strangers, played the Contemporary Arts Center during the 2010 MidPoint Music Festival, Ackermann’s Shoegaze/Noise Rock band wreaked chaos on the Sixth Street space’s electrical system. “We kept on blowing the power out and it kept on being…
Your Tuesday To Do List
Spring is here! Celebrate the official start of the season (even though it feels like we skipped forward to summer) with live music, cold drinks and a lovely patio at Neon's. Tonight from 6-9 p.m. Singer-songwriter Tracy Walker will join Adam Sanregret on bass for a night of original music. Find tons more happy hours…
Pop Art Is Popping Up At Cincinnati Art Museum
Artists have to come from somewhere, I suppose. Still, it’s remarkable how many of the giants of Pop Art came from and/or matriculated in our stretch of the Midwest — Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Robert Indiana in the Hoosier state, Roy Lichtenstein studied at Ohio State and Jim Dine and Tom Wesselmann both…
Verbal Becomes Visual in Textuality
At Manifest Creative Research Gallery, ideas for exhibitions are almost an intellectual art form on their own. The little “neighborhood gallery for the world” in East Walnut Hills has a history of dreaming up surprising themes. Textuality, subtitled An International Exhibit of Works Involving Text or Letterforms, is guaranteed to bring in people like me,…
Teach the Children Well
F airy tales, however fantastical, are more than mere fluff. Try mining them for more meaning and mixing them with modern dance. This seems like the most natural thing in the world for internationally recognized choreographer/artistic director Robert Moses. His Fable and Faith offers a multi-layered, multi-faceted mash-up of dance, theater, myths and mores. His…
This Date in Music History: March 20
On this day in 2003, the Iraq war quagmire began. Depending on where you stand and your perspective of "facts," the war was a) a huge mistake based on fabricated information, b) a nobly-intentioned-attack-turned-Bush-administration-blooper ("Whoops, sorry!"), or c) a perfectly reasonable military operation that spread democracy and made Toby Keith a billionaire. It is estimated…
Morning News and Stuff
To help avoid a $43 million deficit, the Cincinnati Board of Education voted Monday to cut 40 staff positions for next year. The positions affected are central office staff and administrative employees. The board said some teacher layoffs are possible later, but it wants to see how many people plan on retiring after the school…
SXSW 2012: Random Notes
Several of Cincinnati's biggest artists scored some national attention for their appearances in Austin during the just-concluded South By Southwest festival. • Among various other appearances in Austin during South By Southwest, RCA Records' Walk the Moon were also featured at the mtvU Woodie Awards Festival. The fest (streamed live online) was an offshoot of…
Art: Man in the Planet
We all start somewhere. I remember my first solo show as an undergraduate was in bar, one of my best friends’ was in a major international chain coffee house. I still pine for that big-name gallery solo show, but the strange thing is more people probably saw my paintings at that bar than at any…
Event: Best of Cincinnati Celebration
All of the votes have been tallied and somebody somewhere in the depths of the CityBeat family knows who the winners are; but the rest of us will wait with anticipation for Tuesday’s Best of Cincinnati Celebration, which will offer a sneak peak of CityBeat’s 2012 Best of Cincinnati Issue, scheduled to hit on streets…
Event: Bonia Shur Tribute Concert
Bonia Shur’s compositions are heard in virtually every Reform Jewish congregation throughout the world, but you don’t have to be Jewish to love his music — religious and secular groups of every persuasion commission work from the composer who celebrates his 90th birthday next year. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion celebrates Shur’s musical legacy…
Music: Stephane Wremble
Guitar virtuoso Stephane Wrembel comes to the Blue Wisp Jazz Club Friday for two shows. French-born and Brooklyn-based, Wrembel composed the song “Bistro Fada,” the theme from the score to Woody Allen’s great “comeback” film, Midnight In Paris (Wrembel performed the composition at the Academy Awards ceremonies this year). Wrembel came to acclaim with his…
ReOccupy Starts Tonight
One week after a landmark settlement was signed, members of Occupy Cincinnati will gather this evening in downtown’s Piatt Park to listen to music and discuss free speech issues. The event, known as ReOccupy Free Speech Day, begins with a general assembly meeting at the park at 6 p.m. It will be followed by comments…
Event: LEGO Kidsfest
LEGO’s KidsFest comes to Cincinnati, bringing all the creative hands-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one jam-packed activity suitable for kids of all ages, as well as builders of all experience levels. Hosted by the Duke Energy Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, the event will be packed with LEGO-based activities for everyone.…
Comedy: Ryan Stout
Born in Ohio and raised in El Paso, Tex., Ryan Stout appeals to a wide swath of American culture. His usual stage attire, a suit and tie, belies some of the cringe-worthy things he shares with his audiences. “According to a new study, young girls’ math scores are now equal to young boys’ math scores…
Onstage: Tigers Be Still
A tiger has escaped from a local zoo and its whereabouts are unknown. That terror seems to pale against the challenges faced by Sherry Wickham, whose youthful expectations of a perfect career in art therapy and life as a teacher are thwarted by everyone in her life. Her mother has barricaded herself in an upstairs…
GOOD Ideas for Cities Application Deadline Extended
Think you might have what it takes to spearhead some strategies to improve and revitalize Cincinnati's urban core? Well, hop to it! GOOD Magazine has extended its application deadline for its Cincinnati GOOD Ideas for Cities event to March 21.The GOOD Ideas for Cities events have taken place in metropolises around the U.S. in hopes…
Your Monday To Do List
If you don't have tickets to tonight's MythBusters: Behind the Myths event, you better call up your best nerdy scalper, because the live show sold out! Yup, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage bring their Discovery Channel show to life with a touring production that kicked off this January in California. The ginger-esque duo take a…
SXSW 2012: Pinstripes Go ‘Unofficial’ at SXSW
The 2012 SXSW festival has come to an end and it's left us tired, sore and broke. In retrospect it seems like a meager price for a full week of live music, free booze and hanging out in one of the country's coolest cities. But for many bands, it's just another week on the job. …
This Date in Music History: March 19
This date in music history is a sad one, marking the "gone too soon" deaths of several young musicians with a lot ahead of them. • Guitarist Paul Kossoff was the cofounder of British Rock band Free with singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser. The band's 1970 Fire and Water album spawned the band's…
Ohio Teams Go 8-0 In NCAA Tournament
Late Sunday night, as the Cincinnati-Florida State game prepared to determine the final member of this year’s Sweet Sixteen, the national analysis dudes all started talking about how the state of Ohio had gone 7-0 up to that point — Ohio University had just defeated South Florida to get into the Sweet Sixteen for the…
Morning News and Stuff
Many people in Greater Cincinnati still are reeling from the revelation over the weekend that the U.S. soldier who allegedly killed 16 people in Afghanistan grew up in Norwood. Military officials identified U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert “Bobby” Bales as the suspect in the case, which has inflamed tensions between Afghanistan and the United States…
Anti-Immigration Group Targets Boehner
A conservative organization that advocates for immigration reform will begin running TV and radio commercials in Southwest Ohio next week that attempt to pressure House Speaker John Boehner (R-West Chester) to allow a vote on the “E-Verify” bill. The group, Numbers USA, said Boehner is letting the bill languish in the House Ways and Means…
Modern Drinking: A Contemporary Playlist for St. Paddy
Twice a year the huddled masses gather at their favorite watering holes and bond over their shared ethnicity. Whether your ancestors came over in the Mayflower, through Ellis Island or in the back of a pick-up doesn’t matter. In March, everyone is Irish and, in May, we’re all Mexican. When Cinco De Mayo rolls…
Your Weekend To Do List: 3/16-3/18
DAAP grad and former Project Runway contestant Althea Harper is in town tonight, presenting a trunk show at OTR's Sloane Boutique. Check out the designer's Spring 2012 looks featuring her signature combination of fine tailoring and delicate draping. Sloane offers 15 percent off its spring merchandise and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate.…
SXSW 2012: R. Ring Makes SXSW Debut
Kelley Deal of The Breeders and Mike Montgomery of Greater Cincy bands like thistle and Ampline debuted their newest project to eager SXSW crowds Thursday and successfully left them craving more. Deal (from Dayton, Ohio) and Montgomery (from Dayton, Ky.) formed R. Ring about a year and a half ago. Even though they have yet…
A People’s History of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated, if not intoxicating, holidays in the United States. It’s steeped in both Irish and American history and commonly considered to be the first greening of spring. And while March 17 may be best known for its draughts and revelry, its history may surprise you. As many…
Music Tonight: Loudmouth, The Dublin Defense and More
The good part about St. Paddy's Day being on a Saturday this year is pretty obvious — unless you're a preacher, there's a good chance you don't have to work Sunday, so you can drink your heart out (if you're into that kinda thing). The bad news — you have to wait until tomorrow morning…
Stage Door: ETC, Playhouse, Mariemont Players
Fewer productions onstage this week, but still some great choices. On Wednesday evening I attended the premiere of Donald Margulies’ very much in-the-moment drama Time Stands Still at Ensemble Theater. It’s the story of two journalists who have been addicted to the adrenalin rush of covering wars. He’s now running away and hiding in film…
Queen City Hoops: March Madness Edition
It’s a big day for fans here in the Queen City, for those repping the navy and white and the red and black. After the five months of build-up March Madness has finally arrived and after success for other semi-local teams — Ohio State, Kentucky and Louisville — the Bearcats and the Muskies look to…
This Date in Music History: March 16
On this day in 1991, Country superstar Reba McEntire lost eight members of her touring entourage when their charter plane crashed near San Diego, late at night after Reba and the band had performed a corporate gig for IBM. McEntire and her husband received the news at their hotel room nearby where they'd been sleeping.…
Time Stands Still (Review)
Critic's Pick A photojournalist’s image is framed and captured, a moment of high emotion frozen by the camera lens, a distillation of a larger, often tragic event. Today those events, all too often, are scenes of physical and emotional devastation in war-torn nations. In Donald Margulies’ 2009 play, Time Stands Still, we learn that shooting…
J. Roddy Walston
Absolutely no one has ever wondered what would happen if a mad scientist isolated the musical DNA of Camper Van Beethoven, New York Dolls and Georgia Satellites and recombined them in a beaker with a shot of Gospel and a splash of Soul. If that thought should cross some inquiring mind, rest assured they need…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati’s new law for selling scrap metal, which was scheduled to take effect today, has been put on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by two local dealers. The law, approved by City Council last month, would require people who sell scrap metal within the city to get a license and make businesses…
The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable has plied its loudly melodic Shoegaze Pop trade well beyond its Welsh homeland since forming in 2007, but the trio has simply exploded over the past year. Vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist/vocalist Rhydian Dafydd did stints with Tricky Nixon and Sidecar Kisses before heading home to assemble The Joy Formidable with drummer…
Cloud Nothings
Hold onto your seats, Cloud Nothings fans, as we're about to exclusively break a new and crucial piece of info about the Cleveland band's second record. While discussing the development of Attack on Memory, Nothings leader Dylan Baldi reveals a curious detail: “Steve Albini bought us kazoos that we used on the second song.” Take…
Borgore
Honestly, if you saw the name Borgore typeset in one of those dripping entrails fonts, wouldn’t you expect a downtuned Death Metal corpsefest? Don’t let the name fool you; Borgore is one of the Dubstep scene’s leading lights, although to hear 24-year-old Israeli producer/songwriter/DJ Asaf Borger tell the tale, he singlehandedly destroyed the genre (he…
Lakota Anti-Tax Spokesman Booted For Derogatory Remarks
Local angry guy Rich Hoffman should have stuck closer to the Glen Beck style that made Butler County Tea Partiers like him — too much Rush Limbaugh got the bull whip performer ousted today by the local organization he helped start. The Enquirer reported this week that Hoffman recently ranted on his blog about a…
No Sex for You!
If you’re a horny little bugger, you might want to get as much sex as you can during the next six weeks. A left-leaning advocacy group, Liberal Ladies Who Lunch, is calling for a nationwide sex strike from April 28 to May 5. It says all “women and people who want to join in solidarity…
SXSW 2012: Getting Weird with The Lions Rampant
Austin prides itself on being weird and this week has proved to be no exception. For instance, on a bus ride from our hotel to Sixth Street, we witnessed a marriage proposal of an older couple who had met the day before on a park bench. The announcement was awkward, more so for us tourists,…
HBO’s ‘Luck’ Cancelled
HBO's new drama Luck, which we featured on our TV column last month, has been cancelled. The show, which follows the events at Santa Anita Park and the trainers, jockeys and gamblers who spend their days at the track, has halted production of its second season after the death of a third horse. The show…
Tax Reduction Plan Is Typical Kasich
Gov. John Kasich yesterday outlined a plan to reduce Ohio income taxes over a five-year period and make up for the reduction in revenue by taxing the oil and natural gas extraction industries his administration is luring to the state. The resultant pushback from gas and oil companies now pits opposition to various parts of…
Music Tonight: Badfish and Hot Tuna
For my blog post earlier this morning, I wrote a piece about Lightnin' Hopkins' 100th birthday and a huge lightning/thunder storm passed through downtown (it was sunny without a cloud in the sky when I started writing). Then I wrote about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. When I was done, I…
Your (Thirsty) Thursday To Do List
I suppose with one of the biggest drinking holidays right around the corner, it would only make sense that tonight's events all take place at bars! If you've read our Swizzle Bar Guide, you know we've got a handle on a ton a great area bars and clubs. To celebrate these excellent establishments, we've launched…
This Date in Music History: March 15
On this day in 2004, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted a fairly heady class of artists, welcoming Traffic, ZZ Top, The Dells, Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, George Harrison and Prince. Prince was inducted by Alicia Keys and the notoriously shy singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist gave a slightly humbled (for Prince, at least), short speech of…
Morning News and Stuff
In the works since December, Hamilton County commissioners completed the sale of the county-owned Drake Center rehabilitative hospital in Hartwell on Wednesday. Commissioners voted 2-1 to sell the facility for $15 million to the University of Cincinnati, with Greg Hartmann casting the sole “no” vote. Commissioners Chris Monzel and Todd Portune want to use the…
SXSW 2012: Chatting Up The Sundresses
We're now settled in our Super 8 hotel room, alongside the humidity and mosquitoes, and finally have a few shows under our belt. Last night marked the debut for Cincinnati bands at this year's South By Southwest, featured at the Midwest by Southwest showcase. The event was put together by The All Night Party folks…
Power to the Pedals!
Have you spotted a giant, pedal-powered contraption rolling around town? No, we're not talking about tall bikes (though we do love us some crazy cyclists) — Pedal Wagon is a new venture from two Cincinnati-natives that offers a first-of-its-kind experience in the area. Jack Heekin and Tom O'Brian created the Pedal Wagon to give locals…
Duke’s Streetcar Claim Might be Crumbling
A review of the fine print in Ohio law could spell trouble for Duke Energy in its dispute with Cincinnati about who must pay to move utility lines to accommodate the city’s streetcar project. Readers of CityBeat’s March 6 cover story know that one of the legal arguments made by Duke Energy is that it…
This Date in Music History: March 14
On this day in 2001, British Pop Art legend Sir Peter Blake sued EMI for more money for his work on a 1967 album cover. That cover is not only his most well-known piece of art — it's also one of the most well-known album covers in history. Blake and wife Jann Haworth created the…
Your Wednesday To Do List
The Cincinnati Art Museum currently has a collection of Monet paintings on display; if you haven't checked it out, see our review for details. Dr. Benedict Leca, the CAM’s Curator of European Painting, will stop by Joseph-Beth (Rookwood) tonight to discuss the making of Monet in Giverny: Landscapes of Reflection. From 6-7:30 p.m., Dr. Leca…
Music Tonight: The Winter Sounds
Nashville Indie Roots band The Winter Sounds performs a free show tonight at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine. The band matches beats and synths with a more organic, rootsy base that somehow successfully marries romantic, lush ’80s Pop and contemporary Indie Rock and Folk for a distinctly exquisite and evocative sound. The Nashville Scene sez the…
Morning News and Stuff
A recent vote by Cincinnati City Council to give nearly $1 million in grants and loans so a Hamilton restaurant could open a second location in The Banks district is again coming under scrutiny. Council's vote occurred after a week’s delay when members learned owner Liz Rogers owed more than $49,000 in back taxes to…
Krikorian, Dems Seek Federal Probe
A Democratic candidate in the March 6 primary election has sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office asking for an investigation into help that his opponent received from a super PAC with mysterious origins. Madeira businessman David Krikorian ran against William R. Smith, a virtual unknown from the small town of Waverly in Pike…
Harris Drops Out of County Race
A Democrat who was challenging Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann in this fall’s election has left the race due to work commitments. Greg Harris, a West Sider who is a former Cincinnati city councilman, said this week that a contract awarded to his educational consulting firm means he will be spending a large amount of…
CPS, State Refuse to Address Taft Erasures
If Cincinnati Board of Education members harbor any doubts about the validity of graduation test scores at Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School, they’re not sharing them publicly. Last month, CityBeat reported questions surrounding Taft’s ascent to “excellence,” as measured mostly by Ohio Graduation Test scores (“Miracle or Mirage,” issue of Feb. 21). The…
March 7-13: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MARCH 7 For some people, it is unfathomable that Rep. Jean Schmidt could be defeated in an election. As such, the results of a recent party primary, which ousted Schmidt from the seat she’s held since 2005, were apparently very difficult to make sense of. The Enquirer suggested that “it was a combination of…
Remembering Johnny Schott
To anyone who knew late veteran musician/promoter Johnny Schott, it should be no surprise that there will be a huge “Commemorative Concert” in his honor loaded with tons of local performers this Sunday. Schott was not only a kind soul, but he assisted and mentored many local artists. When the call went out for performers,…
Cincinnati Should Be Proud of Occupy Settlement
A fter an absence of nearly four months, protesters from Occupy Cincinnati could begin spending the night again in downtown’s Piatt Park beginning March 19 — just in time for warmer spring weather. That’s when a landmark settlement between the protesters and Cincinnati officials fully takes effect. Under the deal reached this week, the city…
So You’re Scheduled to Work During March Madness…
The NCAA Tournament comes around every year, which is great for those of us who believe it to be the greatest postseason event in sports — the first two days of which are particularly dramatic and exciting. But the reliability of this annual phenomenon comes with a downside — your boss knows that at best…
Then and Now
Tu Holloway and Kenny Frease know all too well what it means to be senior basketball players at Xavier University. For three seasons they saw older players — the likes of Jason Love, B.J. Raymond and Jamel McLean — lead the program to deep runs in the NCAA tournament. It would be Holloway and Frease’s…
Mind Over Body
P ain came from inside Cashmere Wright’s head, looking to get out, pulsing, like his brain was expanding beyond what his skull could contain. His eyes — perhaps the most important part of his multifaceted game on the court — betrayed him; he could barely see. A single ray of light crippled him, yet he…
