Oscar Shorts & More 2011
Sick and tired of the lame, creatively challenged cinematic offerings currently crowding the multiplex? Head over to Cincinnati World Cinema's most popular event, the annual Oscar Shorts & More, which takes over The Madison Theater in Covington tonight, Wednesday and Sunday. —- This year's batch of Academy Award-nominated shorts —an area of film that gets…
Events: Taste of Northern Cincinnati
Wonder what Northern Cincinnati has to offer your taste buds? Looking for an alternative to your Sunday afternoon television watching? Well prepare yourself for a spectacular afternoon of face stuffing at the Taste of Northern Cincinnati. Delicious samples from 20 restaurants will be there to help you enjoy the afternoon. There will also be 11…
Comedy: Wendy Liebman
In stand-up comedy there is something known as a Wendy Liebman-style joke. An example from Ms. Liebman’s act: “I was on an airplane and this guy wanted me — to stop talking.” She laughs at the notion of having a style of joke named after her. “It’s a misdirect,” she points out as if to…
Music: Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot grabbed a slot at the CMJ Music Marathon less than six months after forming on the campus of Syracuse University in early 2006. It’s been onward and upward ever since. The sextet — which includes singer Wes Miles, guitarist Milo Bonacci, bassist Mathieu Santos, cellist Alexandra Lawn, violinist Rebecca Zeller and new drummer…
Events: The Beehive Collective’s True Cost of Coal
America is a nation of change. We strive to always move forward, pushing to make new technologies viable while leaving the old and inefficient to wither away. Sometimes, we must be reminded of our heritage, especially when that heritage is still being formed. Appalachian coal mining is one of America’s energy mainstays, but many Americans…
Film: Oscar Shorts
Sick and tired of the lame, creatively challenged cinematic offerings currently crowding the multiplex? Head over to Cincinnati World Cinema's most popular event, the annual Oscar Shorts & More, which takes over The Madison Theater in Covington Wednesday and Sunday. The films are presented in two different programs (“A” and “B"), each of which features…
Onstage: End Days at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati
The title of Deborah Zoe Laufer’s thoughtful comedy, End Days, says it all — the end is near. However, depending on which character you listen to, the shape of that conclusion is not clear. The play portrays a family changed by the events of 9/11, two years earlier. Sylvia (Amy Warner) has flipped from being…
Events: Art is Gay
Strap on your favorite pair of designer shoes and check out some of the area’s finest creations from 5-10 p.m. Saturday during “Art is Gay.” This gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender art event is free and open to the public at Northside Tavern (4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside). You’ll have the pleasure of viewing all mediums…
Music: California Guitar Trio
In most instances, three guitars on any given stage might not be such a good idea (I’m looking at you, Molly Hatchet), but this is clearly not the case as far as the California Guitar Trio is concerned. It’s been nearly a quarter century since Paul Richards, Bert Lams and Hideyo Moriya met at one…
Events: Brush Factory Spring Collection Premiere
The world has just cycled through several fashion weeks around the globe in New York, Milan, Paris — you name it. This weekend, Cincinnati is offered our own opportunity to check out brand new looks from several emerging designers. At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Brush Factory will premiere their new spring collection at their boutique…
Events: VeganEarth’s Vegan Ooh La La
Chef Robert Coltrane's kitchen will be pretty busy from noon-3 p.m. this Saturday as the Summit Restaurant at the Midwest Culinary Institute presents Vegan Ooh La La and serves up mouth-watering vegan fare fit for even the most finicky of eaters. This plant-based buffet, presented by VeganEarth and Mercy for Animals (in conjunction with the…
Art: This Is Strobridge at the Main Library
While the Cincinnati Art Museum attracts crowds with its The Amazing American Circus Poster show, featuring posters printed by Cincinnati-based Strobridge Lithographing Company, there's a smaller (but nonetheless fascinating) related exhibit of Strobridge entertainment-related material of the late-19th/early-20th centuries at the downtown Main Library's Cincinnati room. It turns out Strobridge
Music: That 1 Guy
Back when I was reading Trouser Press in college, there was a Punk band that advertised in the back pages called Someone and the Somethings, which seemed like a brilliant name at the time. Mark Silverman probably never heard of them, but he was similarly inspired when he christened his one-man-band project That 1 Guy.…
Onstage: Cincinnati Ballet’s The Firebird
Where would dance be without risk? Risk-taking is required to progress the form, especially when it comes to ballet. In recent years, Cincinnati Ballet has taken bold leaps forward by presenting fresh, contemporary works both in their annual New Works studio series and season programs. The Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Adam Hougland continues to play a…
Over the Rhine Guest Edits Magnet
Fans of locally-based band Over the Rhine who have read songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Linford Detweiler's journal-like musings on the band's Web site over the years (he was "blogging" before that word became everyday) know what an interesting and insightful writer he can be. Now, he and musical/life partner Karin Bergquist are presenting their thoughts to the readership…
Morning News Stuff
There are some things that we just shouldn’t look back on. Sodom. Gomorrah. 150-year-old sheepskin condoms found in a boat captain’s diary. But once in a while, because we can’t let some things go, we pull out artifacts from our old lives and reminisce. You can do that at “Controversy: Pieces You Don’t Normally See,”…
Coffee Party Holds Rally
The local chapter of the Coffee Party political movement will hold a rally Saturday to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the Iraq War, and call for reallocating war funds to a more useful domestic purpose. The event, entitled the Patriotic American Peace Rally, will be held from 1-3 p.m. at downtown's Fountain Square. It will…
California Guitar Trio
In most instances, three guitars on any given stage might not be such a good idea (I’m looking at you, Molly Hatchet), but this is clearly not the case as far as the California Guitar Trio is concerned. It’s been nearly a quarter century since Paul Richards, Bert Lams and Hideyo Moriya met at one…
That 1 Guy
Back when I was reading Trouser Press in college, there was a Punk band that advertised in the back pages called Someone and the Somethings, which seemed like a brilliant name at the time. Mark Silverman probably never heard of them, but he was similarly inspired when he christened his one-man-band project That 1 Guy.…
Morning News Stuff
Drink up, in the name of balancing the budget. Reports today say that Governor John Kasich and his administration are planning on turning to booze for profit. Although state officials haven’t confirmed the plan, reports say that Ohio liquor sales would become a funding source for Kasich’s nonprofit job-creation thing, JobsOhio. The $743 million-a-year business…
Friday Movie Roundup: Kevin Smith Goes DIY
Writer/director Kevin Smith's self-financed Red State 13-town, movie tour hits Ohio on Monday with a stop a Clark State Performing Arts Center, which is about a 90-minute drive north of Cincinnati in Springfield. Described as “a horror/comedy/satire about a Westboro Baptist Church-esque fundamentalist community that murders those it finds abominations in God's eyes (aka gay…
Blues Society to Offer Marketing Workshop
The Cincy Blues Society has given a lot to local and regional Blues fans with its annual festivals and other musical events. And the organization has given back to the community with its Blues in the Schools program. But what about the people who actually play the Blues? Adding to opportunities like the annual Band…
Mars Needs Moms (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The latest 3-D adventure shepherded by special-effects producer Robert Zemeckis suffers from the same technical problems that have fatally wounded his recent animated projects Beowulf and A Christmas Carol: the dead eyes. Motion capture has revolutionized the movement of animated characters and involved voice actors in entirely new ways in…
Battle: Los Angeles (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Having been the subject of advance teasers that drew comparisons to the horrific box-office Skyline invasion, Battle: Los Angeles finds itself engaging in a tough ground game to convince audiences to sign up for this tour of duty. But for those looking for a grittier take on Independence Day, Jonathan…
Over the Rhine, David Lowery and North Mississippi Allstars
I think this month’s Grammy ceremony is worthy of some small examination. Perhaps the biggest surprise, other than The Arcade Fire’s dark horse Album of the Year win for The Suburbs, was the relative lack of awards. After the first 75 minutes of the broadcast, only Train had taken the stage to claim a statue…
Stage Door: Last Chance Weekend
After a big burst of theater in February, this weekend is kind of a pause before another surge. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is concluding its sold-out run of Pride and Prejudice Sunday and Covedale Center for the Performing Arts wraps up Shout! The Mod Musical the same day. —- The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production…
Morning News Stuff
John Kasich is looking to handle the state’s $8 million deficit by selling bits and pieces of Cincinnati. Officials from citizen action group Ohio Environmental Council yesterday told the Enquirer that they believed Kasich would be putting unused state parks up for sale. Kasich is also looking to cash in on prisons, the Ohio Turnpike…
Curse of the Central Division Aces
What's up with the presumed opening-day starters for the three NL Central Division favorites? First the Cardinals Adam Wainwright goes down with a bum elbow that required season-ending Tommy John surgery. Then the Reds Edinson Volquez, whom manager Dusty Baker oddly anointed as the opening-day starter before spring training even opened, was thrown off course…
Morning News Stuff
John Kasich's “State of the State” address on Tuesday started strong but was drowned out by union members who filled the Statehouse rotunda. Chants of “Kill the Bill,” in reference to Senate Bill 5, canceled out Kasich's speech. Had the union members not been yelling for 30 minutes, they would have heard key points in…
Local King Records Artist Dies
William “Beau Dollar” Bowman, a Hamilton-born singer/drummer who recorded at King Records in the 1960s with both The Dapps and Beau Dollar & The Coins, has died in Cincinnati after an extended illness. Until recently, he had been living in Florida. He was 69. Information on funeral services is available at www.webb-noonan.com.—- According to a…
Muse Choir Holds Benefit
A workshop for aspiring songwriters and a benefit concert by Muse Cincinnati Women's Choir are all part of Feast of Music and Words, an event to raise money for the Grailville Retreat Center in Loveland. Founded in 1944, Grailville is located on 300 acres of woodlands, pastures and organic gardens. It offers various spiritual, cultural…
What the U.S. People Really Want
By no measure can The Wall Street Journal be mistaken for a liberal newspaper, so the findings of its latest poll should greatly disturb Republicans. A poll released late last week, done in conjunction with NBC News, found that most Americans support collective bargaining rights for workers, want to end the Bush-era tax cuts for…
Coffee That’s Off the Chain
Hey, the Target in Newport has opened. Exciting times for people who want to buy stuff, particularly the stuff that Target sells. Otherwise, hit my yard sale this spring and you can really go crazy. Kidding aside, this is good news for people in downtown, Mount Adams and surrounding neighborhoods who didn’t like going to…
Mike Maxwell [Market Wines, Owner]
Relative newcomer to Over-the-Rhine’s Findlay Market scene, Market Wines (market-wines.com) has quickly become a hotspot for knowledgeable wine lovers and neophytes alike. Owner Mike Maxwell moved to Cincinnati in 1997 and worked in the wine business for a while before opening Market Wines in 2008. Maxwell has long been a Findlay Market shopper and wanted…
Damn Pigeons
Walking downtown a few days ago, I was heading to the CVS Pharmacy on Race Street to pick up a prescription. As I neared the store, there were at least two dozen pigeons on the sidewalk feasting on some crumbs that someone had dropped for them. As I approached the birds, a loud truck went…
Kings of Pastry (Review)
The French Ministry of Labor bestows the title, Le Meilleur Ouvrier de France, on the top craftsmen in France. Textile designers, photographers, woodworkers, masons, graphic artists, florists and beyond can all strive for the honor. Pastry chefs hoping to become M.O.F.s must submit to a competition held every four years that tests both skill in…
The Dukes (Profile)
Photo by Matthew Rust You gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to dirty, filthy Rock & Roll. For guitarist/vocalist Lucas Frazier of Cincinnati’s The Dukes, the suffering includes time spent putting earwax on his handlebar mustache. “I can’t afford that CVS deluxe product,” Frazier says, smiling. But bassist Randy Proctor splurges for…
The National Come Home for MusicNOW
In 2006, Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner of The National launched the MusicNOW festival, bringing unique and creative artists and Indie music heavyweights to his hometown for a unique and subsequently much-anticipated springtime event. MusicNOW has featured headlining artists like Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, The Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, Kronos Quartet, Joanna Newsom and St. Vincent,…
Provocative Lectures at Our Art Museums
In recent weeks, there have been some thought-provoking guests at our art museums. I’ve attended talks by the French superstar street artist/photographer JR at Contemporary Arts Center and renowned architect Billie Tsien, who is designing the new Barnes Collection building in Philadelphia, at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Both offered ideas and comments worthy of further…
Growing Up Under Apartheid
As a young girl growing up in Krugersdrop, South Africa, Nontombi Naomi Tutu remembers wondering why, when her family took road trips to visit her grandparents, they would have to register with the local police before they could enter the community even though both of her own parents had grown up there. Such were the…
Anti-Streetcar Effort Purposely Misleads Voters
In all likelihood, Cincinnati residents this fall might once again be casting their votes on a streetcar-related ballot item. The same groups that tried — and failed — to block the city’s planned $128 million streetcar system through a ballot issue in November 2009 are busy collecting signatures on a petition for another try. Back…
Phil Collins, Lady Gaga and the Grammys
[HOT] Throwing It All Away A remarkably self-aware Phil Collins announced plans to retire from music. The former Genesis singer/drummer and solo sensation is apparently that rare breed of successful musical artist who knows when it’s time to throw in the towel. And the fact that it has at least something to do with public…
March 2-8: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 Signing one’s name to things is a large part of the collegiate experience, from marking your personal essays to supporting petitions for a better world to student loan agreements that secure party money now in exchange for decades of payments later. But even the highest private-loan apr can’t compete with the document…
Horn of Plenty
T rumpeter Scott Belck — who holds a doctorate in music studies, so that’s Dr. Belck to you and me — has a résumé that is almost ridiculously annotated with some of the greatest names in Jazz and Pop music, including the Woody Herman Orchestra, Manhattan Transfer, Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, Doc Severinsen and our…
Wendell Young and Procter & Gamble
[WINNER] WENDELL YOUNG: The Cincinnati city councilman has withdrawn his support from a study on the feasibility of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office taking control of all policing activities within city limits. Young, a retired cop, said he initially backed the study when City Council was considering laying off more than 100 officers to avoid…
Money Changes Everything
I n the 14 months since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned restrictions and allowed for unlimited corporate spending in campaigns for elections, the political landscape of America already has dramatically changed. During the 2010 midterm elections in November, the first major cycle after the decision, so-called “independent groups” spent more than four times…
Should Everybody Love a Circus?
W hen does something become art? One answer is when a museum shows it. Thus, the current show at the Cincinnati Art Museum through July 20, The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company, qualifies as art. And I doubt few of the visitors to this exhibit will quarrel with this claim. There’s appeal…
The Grove (Review)
I f Northside had a Mini-Me, surely it would be The Grove. Terry and Amanda Vincent opened The Grove in the space I used to call “Kay’s-Ray’s-that Mexican place that was supposed to open” on Dec. 1, 2010. Like Northside in general, The Grove could use a little sprucing up. But isn’t that part of…
Raw and Retiring: Kevin Smith
You would be hard-pressed to find a less dogmatic person than Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks (and its sequel), Dogma and the new horror thriller Red State, which he is screening during a 13-city tour from March 5 through April 9 prior to its theatrical release in October. The writer-director has been making movies…
Interview With a Leprechaun
It’s almost Saint Patrick’s Day, and you know what that means! We all get to be Irish (and drunk) for a day — and get a special little bum pinch if we aren’t wearing green. Doesn’t that happen? And while we CityBeaters were out trolling around bars for timely and Irishy stories about green beer…
The National to Play MusicNOW
In our local music column Spill It from the CityBeat issue out today, we announced the lineup for this year’s much anticipated MusicNOW festival, which includes a closing-night headlining appearance by Cincinnati-bred Indie music stars The National on May 15. National guitarist Bryce Dessner is the brains behind MusicNOW, which began in 2006 and has…
