Wu Tang Clan, Bono and Steven Tyler
[HOT] The Genius, Fa Real? Fans of East Coast Hip Hop institution the Wu Tang Clan probably once never imagined that Method Man and Redman would become deodorant pitchmen one day, so maybe the announcement that their fellow Wu-man GZA is set to lecture at esteemed universities like MIT and Cornell this spring about —…
Goin’ Down to South Park: 16 Years and Counting
Who would have thought that a cutout animation featuring four potty-mouthed kids, one of the first viral Internet videos, would go on to become an international phenomenon? Surely South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had no idea when the show launched back in 1997 that they were creating an award-winning television show, what…
What to Do With Wasson Way
T here’s a stretch of old railroad tracks running through the bustling, lively area of Hyde Park just off the Smith-Edwards Road exit. Businesses thrive among a quiet, upscale residential area; children board buses for school. Just to the side of the road, though — away from the life and hullabaloo — is something very…
Best Foreign Language Nominee Takes Shelter In the Depths
Stories about the Holocaust lead to questions at the heart of our humanity. Beyond what it means to be human — Dr. Cornel West’s assertion that the human urge is to engage in the fierce struggle to live with the inevitability of death — what is it that we, in any given moment or situation,…
Cincinnati vs. The World 3.14.12
The city of Cincinnati is considering selling Over-the-Rhine’s historic Music Hall for just $1 to nonprofit Music Hall Revitalization Co. Inc. The looming need for $165 million worth of repairs has been too great for the city to handle, and selling it to a private entity could make attaining the funds easier. Some council members,…
Rumpke Now Accepts Plastic Lids
Environmental nerds unite! In the past, recycling a plastic bottle has always required an extra step that sometimes-recyclers might not have known about; plastic bottle lids, such as those from pop or juice bottles, couldn't be recycled through traditional single-stream recycling. Rumpke Recycling sent out a press release Tuesday announcing that they'll now accept those…
Your Tuesday To Do List
The instructors at The Art Institute of Ohio — Cincinnati talk the talk and walk the walk. In addition to teaching up-and-coming artists, they, too, create works of art on a regular basis. Tonight, check out their work during the college's 2012 Faculty Exhibition closing reception. The event runs from 6-8 p.m. in the Mason…
SXSW 2012: The Adventure Begins
After two days of driving in the Vanarama — a 1996 GMC Rally 3500 in school-bus yellow — we're only about 3.5 hours outside of Austin. This is the second time I've made the trek to SXSW, but every time I make the four-state drive, a few things remain constant: Arkansas highways suck and everything…
Coles’ Final Story at Miami
With the Reds away in Arizona and another story already planned on UC this week, I was left pondering what to do to fill this space — and then I got one of the greatest gifts ever handed to sportswriting — Charlie Coles. The Miami University basketball coach announced his retirement March 5 after his…
The St. Patrick’s Day Massacre
I was celebrating the fruition of what I had recently recognized as my life-long dream of becoming an authentic life coach by printing my online diploma, when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I said. With his white shirt and well-coiffed speckled gray hair, how could I not recognize him? I sat…
On the Theatrical Horizon
Most CityBeat readers want to read about things to do right here and right now, so I don’t allocate many words to theater season announcements that show up this time of year. Keep your eye on citybeat.com, especially the arts blog, for up-to-the-minute information and recommendations. In particular, each Friday you’ll find my “Stage Door”…
Trademark Registers
R ap MC Mark Aaron Glacken — aka Trademark Aaron — exudes quiet confidence, sharp focus and clear humility when discussing his music, life and goals. The titles of Aaron’s sophomore full-length, Prelude to Greatness, and its predecessor, 2010’s Make Room, may seem frontloaded with typical Hip Hop braggadocio, but they’re a straightforward assessment of…
Volcanic Disruption
P ompeii is the disaster-grabber of all time. How old were you when that terrible story first drew you in? I was 8, I think, and Pompeii still grips my imagination. For all of us who can’t shake this fascination, A Day in Pompeii, now at Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, is a must.…
Harris Drops Out of Commission 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 Monday night that a contract awarded to his educational consulting firm means he will be spending a large amount of…
This Date in Music History: March 13
On this day in 1911, pulp fiction/sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard — who would go on to develop the self-help "Dianetics" program as well as found the Scientology religion — was born. Ninety five years later (to the day), one of his disciples, legendary Soul man Isaac Hayes, asked to be released from his contract…
Event: YWCA Annual Heart-to-Heart Racial Justice Breakfast
Slavery was abolished in this country long ago, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X fought during the Civil Rights Movement nearly a half-century ago, yet we still have to confront the fact that racism is still very real. Keynote speaker Andrew Young will lead such discussion in the twelfth installment of the Racial…
Art: Expecting to Fly
What do antique circus posters, Italian wrapping paper, geological survey maps and a Canaletto print have in common? Nothing, unless you’re collagist Sara Pearce. Perhaps best known as a veteran arts reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer, Pearce has spent the past year and a half garnering a sterling reputation for fashioning meticulous collages packed with…
Music: Zeds Dead
Zeds Dead, the Canadian duo comprised of Electronic musicians DC and Hooks, returns to the Madison Theater this weekend following a packed appearance at the venue in November. Blissfully not sorry for party rocking, the Hip Hop-inspired Dubstep twosome is in the midst of its biggest tour to date, an 80-plus date bus tour featuring…
Morning News and Stuff
After months of delays, a federal judge on Monday sentenced a once prominent Butler County politician to prison. U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Beckwith imposed a penalty of four years behind bars on Mike Fox, an ex-Butler County commissioner and former state representative. Fox's attorneys had tried to argue he should get home incarceration because…
Event: Cincinnati St. Patrick’s Day Parade
It’s happened again! Each year the customary “stealing” of the famous statue of St. Patrick from the Holy Cross-Immaculata church kicks off the events leading up to Cincinnati’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, produced by the Cincinnati St. Patrick Day Parade Committee alongside the Fountain Square Management Group. Since 1970, the statue has been traditionally “stolen”…
Event: Althea Harper Trunk Show
“Everyone (thinks) she’s only on the show because she’s a tall blond beauty,” said Tim Gunn, host of Project Runway. “But she’s extremely talented. She’s going to blow people away.” Althea Harper, a DAAP graduate, fashion designer and finalist on season 6 of Project Runway is coming home for a visit and bringing her trunk…
Art: The Search for the Spiritual Through Art
Music and art are supposed to be more than time-passers — at their best, they're supposed to offer enlightenment. A new, innovative five-week series that begins today at area museums and religious institutions takes that mission very seriously. Called The Search for the Spiritual through Art, it aims to explore the intersection of music, worship…
Onstage: Time Stands Still
Have you ever considered the lives of the people who report on or provide photos of wars around the world? That’s the subject of Donald Margulies’ new play getting its regional premiere at Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati this month (through April 1). Nominated for a Tony Award in 2011, Time Stands Still focuses on Sarah,…
Eli’s BBQ (Review)
First located at Fountain Square and Findlay Market under a rather dainty tent in the summer months this past year, Eli’s BBQ has graduated to the restaurant scene — and with honors. What was once a humble street vendor with one impeccably prepared item on the menu — the perfect pulled pork sandwich — is…
Glass Toast, Balloon Sushi and The Art of Food
The greatest thing since sliced bread might be the glass toast by Sandra Gross and Leah Busch at The Art of Food, in its sixth year at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center in Covington. “This is going to be branding material,” gallery director Bill Seitz decided after the Brazee Street artists delivered a…
Cincy Invades Texas, You Get Free Music
window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer window.onload=WorldNowRenderEmbedVideoPlayer Tomorrow the music portion of the huge, annual South By Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., kicks off and, as we told you before, Cincinnati music is very well represented this year. Local promotional/licensing organization The All Night Party presents its first…
Wright’s the People’s Choice
Congratulations to Chef Daniel Wright of Senate and Abigail Street! Wright won Food & Wine’s People’s Choice competition for Great Lakes Region’s Best New Chef. Wright’s work is wowing locals and filling his two hip Over-the-Rhine eateries out the door with eager diners. Nice to bring this recognition home again, following The Palace’s Jose Salazar’s…
Cincinnati Ballet Announces 2012-2013 Season
Cincinnati Ballet today announced its 49th season schedule. Dance fans can expect an array of popular classics and exciting premieres for 2012-2013. The season kicks off Sept. 6 and runs through April 27, 2013. The Kaplan New Works Series (Sept. 6-16, Cincinnati Ballet Center): This annual season opener celebrates new ideas and creative movement showcasing…
Your Monday To Do List
Wash down your Bock with the sounds of Bach tonight at the German Brass and Beer, hosted by Arnold's Bar and Grill. The concert:nova brass qunitet has a set of traditional waltzes, dance numbers and marches in store for the 6 p.m. concert. At 7 p.m., enjoy a dinner of authentic German fare. Tickets are…
Occupy Settlement Grants 24-Hour Public Space, Keeps Rules
The city of Cincinnati and Occupy protesters have reached a legal settlement that will erase criminal charges against protesters and designate part of Piatt Park a 24-hour public space for one year. The open space will still be subject to park rules, which include the “prohibition or restriction on noise, encampments, open flames, tents, and…
This Date in Music History: March 12
On this day in 2003, The Rolling Stones were slated to perform in China and, like certain big tech companies, were keen to oblige the nation's government in order to take advantage of the lucrative marketplace. The event came as China seemed ready to fully embrace Western popular music performers; since Wham! broke the barrier…
Morning News and Stuff
Here's some good news to help CityBeat readers start their week: Not only have city officials reached a settlement with Occupy Cincinnati protestors to drop all trespassing charges against them, but the deal also designates a portion of Piatt Park as a public space that's open 24 hours a day for one year. The settlement,…
Merrily We Roll Along (Review)
Critic's Pick At a swanky 1976 cocktail party, we witness the last gasp of two former friends. Composer Franklin Shepard, at the pinnacle of success in the entertainment world, is miserable. Author Mary Flynn is outspoken, loud and drunk. They argue about their old pal Charley Kringas, whose name can’t even be mentioned without ire.…
Your Weekend To Do List: 3/9-3/11
The Cincinnati International Wine Festival opens tonight at Duke Energy Convention Center. More than 600 varieties from 100 wineries will be at your disposal during the grand tastings tonight, tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. There will also be live music, a silent auction and plenty of food to soak up that alcohol. This is a…
Tornado Victims Benefits This Weekend
Fox 19, in conjunction with the Red Cross, is airing a telethon all day today in an effort to raise money for the victims of the devastating tornadoes that recently blew through the area. The event — dubbed the "Road to Recovery Telethon" — runs until 11 p.m. tonight (and kicked off at 4 a.m.…
Cincinnati Joins Clean Air Cities Campaign
Cincinnati is the latest city to join the Clean Air Cities campaign, according to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, who spearheads the campaign. As a member, Cincinnati joins the likes of dozen other cities, including Seattle, Wash., Berkeley, Calif., Tuscon, Ariz. and Cambridge, Mass. Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution on…
Flynn Elected as Charter President
He might not have won in November’s Cincinnati City Council elections, but Kevin Flynn has scored a victory elsewhere. Flynn, who ran unsuccessfully as a Charterite in the 2009 and 2011 council elections, has been selected as the president of the group that endorsed him. The Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati announced today that Flynn…
Beach Waterpark Closed for Summer
The Beach Waterpark, a summer hotspot for locals and visitors alike, will not open this summer, according to a press release from Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The organization's president and CEO released this statement today: “We are saddened to hear The Beach Waterpark will not be open this summer. Tourism is the largest…
Music Tonight: Young Jeezy, Brighton MA and More
Hip Hop star Young Jeezy performs tonight in Corryville, bringing his tour behind the recent Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition album to Bogart's for an 8 p.m. show. The Def Jam Records recording artist released his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, in 2005, spawning the hit single "Soul Survivor," featuring singer…
Considering UC’s Possible NCAA Tournament Draws
The Bearcats’ sweet double-overtime victory yesterday over Georgetown was the team’s sixth win in its last seven games, three of which were against teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time. The ’Cats are now 6-3 against the RPI top 50, with tonight’s 7 p.m. Big East semifinal against No. 2 Syracuse offering an…
Enquirer Posts, Then Censors, Anti-Santorum Photos
I have to pay more attention to The Enquirer's websites. That’s apparently where the fun is. Former Cincinnatian Peter Heimlich follows our Sole Surviving Daily online and on his blog, The Sidebar, he noted two photos that suggest web posts don't get the same alert editing as those in print. One photo this week showed a…
Queen City Hoops: Conference Tournament Edition
It’s a big night on the hardwood for the Queen City this evening. UC faces No. 2 Syracuse in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament — a place the Bearcats have never reached since joining the conference in 2005. Xavier has had far more success in their endeavors in the A-10 tournament, although last…
Stage Door: Sondheim, Afghan Women’s Writing and More
Last night I attended the opening of the Cincinnati Playhouse production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. It’s been directed by John Doyle, who inventively staged Sondheim’s Company in 2006, a production that moved to Broadway and earned a Tony Award. He uses the same approach this time — actors who provide their own…
This Date in Music History: March 9
Today is the 15th anniversary of the murder of celebrated rapper Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls, aka Big Poppa, etc., etc.). Since his death, Wallace's status has risen considerably and he's widely considered one of the best MCs to ever hold a mic, for both his smooth, laid-back flow and lyrical…
Charlie Daniels Band
Long before Hank Williams Jr. was banned from Monday Night Football, Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift and the Dixie Chicks ticked off the entire Republican party, one musician has continually spoken out against the unfair, the unquestioned and the un-American. That man is Charlie Daniels. Born in 1936 in North Carolina — and eager to get…
Larry and His Flask
It’s a tale as old as Alternative Press; a band spends years flailing about in the Punk trenches because that’s where the parties are sweatiest and best, until they tire of three chords and the mosh and reinvent themselves as a full throttle, hellbent-for-the-cheap-seats Country/Roots/Folk outfit. So it was for Redmond, Ore., troupe Larry and…
Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime with The Cliftones
Sublime fans know: Everything changed in 1996. That was the year the band’s frontman Bradley Nowell died. Since séances all over the states haven’t succeeded in bringing Nowell back, fans have to settle for the next best thing. For that, fans have two options: Sublime with Rome or Badfish: A Sublime Tribute. Sublime with Rome…
Morning News and Stuff
A plan by two Hamilton County commissioners to help solve a $14 million deficit in the stadium account by reducing operating expenses at the county-owned facilities for the Reds and Bengals and hosting more events there isn't feasible, county staffers said. In December Commissioners Chris Monzel and Todd Portune proposed the plan rather than reduce…
Acoustic Hot Tuna
When Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady assembled Hot Tuna in 1969, it seemed like little more than a busman’s Blues holiday for the respective guitarist and bassist from Jefferson Airplane, a way for the duo to work out their Delta and Piedmont obsession while the Airplane sat on the runway. Amazingly and against all conceivable…
Fewer Republicans, Youth are Voting
Voter turnout for Tuesday’s Ohio primary was a disappointing 13.9 percent but the turnout among young people — those aged 30 and under — was even lower. Although the Republican primary in Ohio was highly contested, youth turnout was far below the amount that voted in the 2008 primary. Just 7 percent of Ohio youth…
Music Tonight: The Spits and Dave Alvin
Seattle-based underground heroes The Spits bring their riotous roadshow to Northside's Mayday for an evening of face-melting, over-the-top Punk Rock theatrics, sure to please anyone who feels “Punk” ain’t what it used to be. Joining the melee is the progressive Punk band TV Ghost, a sludgy but no less abrasive crew from Lafayette, Ind., that,…
School Director Says Re-Testing Teachers Won’t Help Schools
Gov. John Kasich’s budget plan called for several large reforms to fill an $8 billion hole in the state budget, but it appears teachers are facing the brunt of Kasich’s larger changes. Aside from cutting funding statewide for K-12 education, the plan mandates a reform not seen by educators in any other state: required licensing…
Bob Odenkirk Launches ‘Let’s Do This’
Bob Odenkirk premieres a new project called Let's Do This today on Adultswim.com. The comedian's solo episode follows a sleazy, low-budge filmmaker, Cal MacKenzie-Goldeberg (Odenkirk), and his ragtag group of shameless fame-seekers. Fans will recognize Odenkirk from Mr. Show, Breaking Bad and countless other TV appearances, where he generally plays a cheap, arrogant skeezball. Let's…
Your Thursday To Do List
Spring is a time of change and new beginnings in nature, so why not apply that to our lives? A-Line's Spring into Action event tonight celebrates Cincinnati's nonprofit and volunteer organizations and it's a perfect opportunity to find out how to get involved. Meet with representatives from Planned Parenthood/STOP AIDS, Visionaries & Voices, SCPA, Women…
This Date in Music History: March 8
On this day in 1993, two blissfully ignorant adolescents named Beavis and Butt-Head became instant superstars when their Mike Judge-created TV series began its run on MTV. The episodes "Door to Door" and "Give Blood" were the first to air as a series (the notorious "Frog Baseball" and "Peace, Love and Understanding" shorts debuted on…
Morning News and Stuff
Since it's an election year, it must be about time for pandering by lawmakers seeking to keep their offices. Cue U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Westwood), who is proposing a bill in response to fears about an influx of publicly subsidized housing for the poor into suburban areas. Chabot wants to impose time limits and work…
God Save the Queen
No matter what you think about her, you’ve at least got to admire her spunk. Perennial candidate Sandra “Queen” Noble has suffered another defeat at the polls. Noble ran in the Libertarian Party’s primary Tuesday to be the nominee for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District seat. Noble received just 20 votes (12.74 percent of ballots cast)…
This Date in Music History: March 7
On this day in 1987, the Beastie Boys' debut LP Licensed to Ill became the first Rap/Hip Hop album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard album charts. Though the band members today seem embarrassed by some of the ridiculousness evident all over the album (including, no doubt, the Wiffle Ball Bat-assisted sexual assault references),…
Music Tonight: Louis Logic, Hugo and More
It's an usually busy Wednesday night on the local club scene, with numerous options for music lovers to get out of the house on this gorgeous summer, er, spring, er, winter day (thanks, global warming!). • Indie/Alt Brooklyn rapper Louis Logic performs a free show tonight in Over-the-Rhine at MOTR Pub on his way to…
Seed Catalogs a Throwback to Yesteryear
A printed news source I can’t do without comes unfailingly in the mail: seed catalogs. Forget Hindu, Jewish, Chinese or Gregorian new years. Delivery of the first seed catalogs starts my new year before Thanksgiving. There’s little I can do to respond to sub-Saharan hunger and malnutrition caused by deforestation, overgrazing, political/religious/tribal violence, drought…
Council Considering Options For Four-Year Terms
The first of four public hearings on proposals to extend the terms of Cincinnati City Council members will be held March 21. City Council has drafted two proposals for consideration. Under one proposal, all nine council members would run at the same time, while in the other, terms would be staggered so some members would…
CPS Board Member to Question Test Erasures
Cincinnati Public Schools board member Eileen Cooper-Reed plans to raise questions about test scores at Taft Information Technology High School at the board’s March 12 meeting in response to a recent CityBeat article (“Miracle or Mirage?,” issue of Feb. 22) that delved into contrasting Ohio Graduation Test and ACT test scores at Taft in 2010…
CityBeat Acquired by SouthComm
CityBeat on March 2 was acquired by SouthComm Inc., a Nashville-based publishing company that owns and operates alternative weeklies in six mid-sized Midwestern and Southern markets. CityBeat is the sixth altweekly in the company’s portfolio, joining Nashville Scene, LEO Weekly in Louisville, The Pitch in Kansas City and Creative Loafing papers in Charlotte and Tampa.…
New Music Series ‘Unsung’ Debuts Tonight
Head to Northside's Mayday tonight to check out the first installment of a new monthly music series showcasing brand new bands from the Greater Cincinnati area. The "Unsung" night will go down the first Wednesday of each month. For tonight's first Unsung, the featured act is Formerly Ghosts. The trio — Sebastien Hue, Pyn Wayne…
Your Wednesday To Do List
If you're in the mood to swap your yamaka for a cowboy hat, Jewish Young Professionals Access hosts its regular HeBREW Happy Hour series at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill tonight. Jewish Young Professionals 21-35 and their significant others are invited to visit the 88-foot, guitar-shaped bar, hop on the mechanical bull,…
Cincinnati vs. The World 3.7.12
The Rush Limbaugh Show, the most listened to talk show in America, is suffering from an exodus of advertisers, including AOL Inc., after Limbaugh called a law student a “slut” and a “prostitute” for her views on contraception. WORLD +2 A controversial new provision to Gov. John Kasich’s budget law will require all teachers at…
Morning News and Stuff
Tuesday's primary election yielded a few surprises that even jaded political pundits didn't see coming. Chief among them was the stunning upset that Brad Wenstrup pulled off against incumbent Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. Wenstrup, a podiatrist who is an Iraq War veteran, got 49 percent of the vote to Schmidt’s 43 percent, according to final,…
Talking About Friends, Kids and Production
Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) take notes as the arrival of children seems to rip the romance out of the relationships of their coupled friends, the ever-horny Ben (Jon Hamm) and Missy (Kristen Wiig) and the humorously rock-solid Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd). The six are lively and cultured New Yorkers…
Greater Cincinnati’s South By Southwest Takeover
If you were to use Cincinnati’s representation at this year’s South By Southwest festival as an indicator of the health of our local music scene at the moment, then Cincinnati music circa 2012 is in top physical condition. Never has Cincinnati had such a presence at America’s premier fan/industry showcase and conference in Austin, Tex.…
Truth and Rules Pose No Hurdles for Schmidt
I n all likelihood, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt will be safely on her way to running in the November general election by the time this column is published. Although I’m writing this on March 6, the day of Ohio’s primary elections, and Schmidt is facing three opponents for the Republican nomination — which is believed to…
March 1-6: Worst Week Ever!
THURSDAY MARCH 1 The New York Times reported today that Mike Huckabee will hold a GOP presidential forum on Saturday at a closed DHL plant in Wilmington, Ohio. Candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich will attend the event, though Ron Paul won’t be in attendance due to what an aide described as a…
