View (Review)
Critic's Pick Do you recall the time when one dined in hotels with well-appointed lobbies? Elevator rides taken to a dining room nestled between living quarters where one imagines very highbrow things happening? Me neither. Upon arriving at View restaurant in the Edgecliff Private Residences on Victory Parkway, however, I was transported to a more…
Events: Breakfast on the Bridge
Bike Week wraps up on Friday with Breakfast on the Bridge — grub and good conversation for hungry cyclists. Free. 7-10 a.m. Friday. Get event details here. Learn more about Bike-to-Work Week here.
Comedy: Mike Birbiglia
Mike Birbiglia feels that when he first started in stand-up, he oscillated somewhere between two of his idols, Mitch Hedberg and Richard Pryor. He has gradually moved away from short observational gags, though, and into compelling and hilarious storytelling. He regularly contributes to Public Radio International’s This American Life (heard locally on WVXU/WMUB) as well…
Music: Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers
When Ramseur Records released Samantha Crain’s EP, The Confiscation, two years ago, it was a debut only in the loosest sense of the word, as Crain had already self-released a fairly voluminous series of demos before signing with the label. The young Oklahoman (and full blood Choctaw) sings and writes with the emotional authority that…
Events: The Event
Downtown's Contemporary Arts Center on Saturday will have an event so big it can only be called THE EVENT. A fundraiser for the museum, it celebrates Shepard Fairey's return to the CAC where his hugely popular Supply and Demand retrospective is on display along with the opening of two additional shows, Ernesto Neto's Dancing Allowed…
Peak and Flow (Review)
Critic's Pick Fritz Chesnut apparently was California dreamin’ during his 11 years in New York. The 37-year-old artist (who grew up in Santa Barbara) is living in L.A. now, and his new abstract paintings radiate a definite West Coast vibe. Pacific waves crash. Malibu mudslides ooze. But the appeal of the Californian’s Peak and Flow…
Better Living Through Rebellion
Since entering pop culture over three decades ago, Punk has become a muddled word with a small army of variations and sub-categories following in its wake. While the notion’s nucleus still refers to Rock with blitzing guitars and incendiary leanings, it’s astounding to consider that the Misfits, Simple Plan, Blondie and The Casualties have all,…
Lucy Kaplansky
It’s always nice to have options as a struggling musician, and Lucy Kaplansky has one of the best side gigs imaginable: She’s a clinical psychologist. Amazingly, the New York-based Folk singer/songwriter has managed to balance and prioritize both disciplines across long careers in both fields. Kaplansky’s journey began in 1978, when the Chicago native chose…
Music: Country Throwdown Tour
Kevin Lyman organized the Country Throwdown Tour, which on several levels embodies the new world he expects the Country music industry and its artists to face in the not-distant future. To begin with, the tour offers something new as the first traveling, all-day, multistage festival in mainstream Country. On another level, Country Throwdown represents the…
Music: Thre3Style DJ Competition
For a varied, eclectic and creative night of DJ styles, the event of the year has to be this Thursday’s “Thre3Style” competition at the Southgate House. Presented by Red Bull, the show presents a handful of top local club DJs who will each be asked to do 15 minutes in which they must blend three…
Art: Transcending Loss & Loss/Lost at Iris Bookcafe
Patrons of a book cafe like to read, right? Seems so at the Iris BookCafé where the photographs-plus-text of Darryl Glenn Baird, University of Michigan professor, are getting close attention. Baird’s digital collages, which combine found and generated images with printed texts, invite close study. Also on view is the other half of the show…
Onstage: The Wedding Singer
Footlighters Inc., a venerable community theater that stays up with current trends, presents The Wedding Singer at Newport's Stained Glass Theater through May 22. The Wedding Singer has a lot of heart — and that gives Footlighters' production, directed by Mark Femia, a winning way. A lot of this production's likability is rooted in Femia's…
Vincere (Review)
Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s great directors. At age 70, he’s a subject of European film-festival tributes and his new films still get treated as the important works of a seasoned auteur. Yet he’s never made an impact in the U.S. to rival his early and controversial Fist in His Pocket (1965), in which…
Events: Queen City Bike and Dine
Bikes and food are some of our favorite things. If these are your faves too, check out the Bike Dine, a progressive meal on wheels. Riders meet up at Park Vine and participate in a 20-mile tour of local eateries, including Take The Cake (Northside), The Loving Cafe (Pleasant Ridge), Lucky John Slow Food Market…
Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers
When Ramseur Records released Samantha Crain’s EP, The Confiscation, two years ago, it was a debut only in the loosest sense of the word, as Crain had already self-released a fairly voluminous series of demos before signing with the label. The young Oklahoman (and full blood Choctaw) sings and writes with the emotional authority that…
Dance: Exhale Dance Tribe
Expect awesome physicality and trademark theatricality from choreographers and co-artistic directors Missy Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard in Exhale’s one-night-only season closer, Going…(Now)here. The “hypnotic human experience” features returning tribe member Alessandra Marconi guesting in a world premiere solo. “Exhale on Antone,” three dance shorts to the music of Antone (a man who performs as a…
Cincy Blues Challenge
Due to the abundance of submissions/competitors this year, the Cincy Blues Society is expanding its annual “Cincy Blues Challenge” (now in its 12th year) to two days. The winners of the Challenge get to represent Cincinnati at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, while organizers will pick other artists from the competitions to perform at…
Art: Katie Parker/Guy Michael Davis at Prairie Gallery
Katie Parker and her collaborator Guy Michael Davis are increasingly ubiquitous in Cincinnati’s art scene, with recent projects shown at Country Club and the store High Street and subtle installations at Memorial Hall during the MusicNow festival. Their latest projects — the results of Parker’s Cincinnati Individual Artist Grant — will be exhibited in a…
Music: Cincy Blues Challenge
Due to the abundance of submissions/competitors this year, the Cincy Blues Society is expanding its annual “Cincy Blues Challenge” (now in its 12th year) to two days. The winners of the Challenge get to represent Cincinnati at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, while organizers will pick other artists from the competitions to perform at…
Music: Lucy Kaplansky
It’s always nice to have options as a struggling musician, and Lucy Kaplansky has one of the best side gigs imaginable: She’s a clinical psychologist. Amazingly, the New York-based Folk singer/songwriter has managed to balance and prioritize both disciplines across long careers in both fields. In 1998, she joined forces with Dar Williams and Richard…
Events: Bike-to-Work Week Celebration
There’s a party for cyclists on Fountain Square to celebrate Bike-to-Work Week. It includes live music by Lagniappe; food and beverages from Melt, Five Star Foodies and La Terza Artisan Coffee; and booths packed with information about local cycling organizations and opportunities to get out on two-wheels. Free. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday. Get event details…
Thre3Style DJ Competition
For a varied, eclectic and creative night of DJ styles, the event of the year has to be this week’s “Thre3Style” competition at the Southgate House. Presented by Red Bull, the show presents a handful of top local club DJs who will each be asked to do 15 minutes in which they must blend three…
Events: OTR/Gateway Summer Celebration
This successful urban summer festival is back for a second year to highlight the goods, people and culture that make up the OTR/Gateway Quarter. Complete with art, crafts, music, food and beer, the only thing missing is you! The party gets started at 10 a.m. with the Go OTR 5K run/walk, where participants can look…
Events: Friday Fish Toss
Join 3CDC all summer long on Fountain Square for fun and entertaining events for all ages. This Friday at noon the Square features its fourth annual Fish Toss. Come watch in amusement as teams of four attempt to toss a fish from teammate to teammate down a 50-foot course in only 60 seconds. In addition…
Throwdown In Yo Town
Kevin Lyman has seen the future of Country music, and he’s bringing it to an amphitheater near you. He’s organized the Country Throwdown Tour, which on several levels embodies the new world he expects the Country music industry and its artists to face in the not-distant future. To begin with, the tour offers something new…
Just Wright (Review)
Music video and Something New director Sanaa Hamri returns to the romantic comedy world with Just Wright, teaming Queen Latifah up with fellow Hip Hop head Common for what should have been Love & Basketball meets Brown Sugar. Latifah plays a physical therapist having problems meeting a guy who sees her as anything other than…
Josh Ritter: So Runs the World Away
Perhaps because he caught his childhood love of music at least in part from Nashville Skyline, Josh Ritter has been subjected to Bob Dylan comparisons for most of his career. Not that those comparisons have been unwarranted; Ritter’s Folk constructions on his first five albums over the past 10 years, whether electric or acoustic, and…
The Wedding Singer (Review)
This has apparently been my week to see musicals adapted from the backwaters of pop culture: Last Tuesday evening it was Legally Blonde: The Musical, presented by Broadway Across America at the Aronoff Center for a two-week run. On Thursday I was at Newport's Stained Glass Theater, where Footlighters Inc., a venerable community theater that…
The New Pornographers: Together
A.C. Newman should be studied by science in an attempt to discover the secret of his dual creative successes as the primary spark plug for The New Pornographers and as a solo artist. Newman and the Pornographers are riding an unprecedented hot streak since their 2001 debut, Mass Romantic, with the band notching four consecutive…
Letters to Juliet (Review)
One-time indie ace Gary Winick’s Letters to Juliet, typical of his Hollywood efforts, features a down-the-middle, batting-practice speed pitch just waiting for audiences to take a big swing at it. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is a lowly but dedicated fact-checker for The New Yorker dreaming of writing for the magazine one day. She’s engaged to a…
You Can’t Take It With You (Review)
Don’t work too hard. That’s the moral of the 1936 comedy You Can’t Take It With You. Life is for living, declare the members of the eccentric Sycamore clan. Paint, write, manufacture illegal fireworks in the basement — do whatever makes you happy. Not all the actors on the Showboat Majestic, however, embrace this message.…
Robin Hood (Review)
For as muddled as its medieval politics are, thanks to a scattershot screenplay by Brian Helgeland, director Ridley Scott’s cloud-covered history of Robin Longstride’s path to outlaw legend soars whenever Cate Blanchett takes the screen as Maid Marion. The same filmmaker responsible for Alien, Black Hawk Down and Gladiator works in a brown and gray…
Legally Blonde: The Musical (Review)
Perhaps I'm not the right person to review Legally Blonde: The Musical. I’ve haven’t seen the 2001 movie on which it’s based (or its 2003 sequel), and I certainly don’t fit the demographic that this touring version of the 2006 Broadway show attracts. On opening night, I was surrounded by teens and young women who…
The Secret of Kells (Review)
Today, animation is all about photorealism and three-dimensional effects. It's a visual medium, of course, and its target audience is younger and more jaded in a way because they have seen all that the frame can currently contain. On top of all that, the stories themselves need to reflect the pop-cultural relevance of the 24-hour…
Bootsy to Open Funk University
Born-and-bred Cincinnatian Bootsy Collins is now a university president/founder. The Funk music pioneer has announced the launch of Bootsy Collins Funk University, an "online bass guitar school." The "campus" opens July 1 and promises online lessons from "Professor Collins" and a host of "the finest bassists in music."—- A story at the AllHipHop.com Web site…
MidPoint Submissions Deadline TODAY
If you are a musician interested in performing at the upcoming MidPoint Music Festival (Sept. 23-25), today is the last day to get your submissions in. If you're not a musician but know any that might be interested, be sure to spread the word. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. tonight.—- Head to the MidPoint…
Stage Door: The Human Comedy at CCM
Last fall UC's College-Conservatory of Music rousingly revived the 1967 hit musical Hair, an iconic work that distilled many of the attitudes of a generation using music by Galt MacDermot. CCM returns to MacDermot (whose other musical, Two Gentlemen of Verona, was a big production a year ago at Patricia Corbett Theater) with his last…
City Solicitor Seeks Streetcar Opinion
In an attempt to end the controversy about whether some Cincinnati City Council members might financially benefit from the proposed streetcar project, the city solicitor today sent a letter to the Ohio Ethics Commission asking for a specific opinion about the project. City Solicitor John Curp sent a four-page letter to the Ethics Commission, along…
Seelbach Announces for Council
Hoping to beat the flood of candidates who will jump into the race next year, local Democratic activist Chris Seelbach announced today he will run for a seat on Cincinnati City Council in 2011. Seelbach, 30, is an Xavier University graduate who helped lead the successful effort in 2004 to repeal Article 12, the anti-gay…
They’ve Got Gumption
For the first time in its history, the Charter Committee has selected three winners for its Gumption Award. All three people were involved in defeating Issue 9 — which Charter describes as the “anti-progress charter amendment" — in last fall’s election. This year’s winners are Bobby Maly, Rob Richardson and Joe Sprengard, all of whom…
Ill Poetic and Approach [Live Streaming Concert]
Around 10:00 p.m. Thursday, May 13, you'll be able to watch live streaming video from the live show headlined by Ill Poetic and Approach at the Mad Hatter. Come check it out tonight! Live TV : Ustream
The New Pornographers, Josh Ritter, Paul Weller, Tonic, Walter Schreifels and Greg Laswell
I’m drained, boys and girls. This posting is wicked late due to a veritable shitstorm of deadlines this past week, which have included five features and four interviews, plus a variety of smaller items including MidPoint Music Festival preparations and research for perhaps four to five additional interviews next week. Then there’s the annual Mother’s…
Watch Ill Poetic Live at Citybeat.com
Tonight, CityBeat hosts its first-ever live concert stream, enabling you to look at and listen to the Ill Poetic/Approach Hip Hop show at The Mad Hatter at citybeat.com. The event — which also features guests like DJ Rare Groove, Jamili Brown and DJ Bandcamp — is a release party for Ill Poetic and Kansas MC…
May 5-11: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MAY 5 University of Cincinnati researchers today admitted that a drug they thought helped treat diabetes might not do what it’s supposed to do but could aid in the fight against cancer instead. George Thomas, scientific director of UC’s Metabolic Diseases Institute, and colleagues reportedly learned that the drug metformin actually works through a…
FilmDayton Moves Forward
Some of the more sophisticated political commentary regarding the rise of the Tea Party engages in discussions about the nature of this brand of reactionary politics. Is the Tea Party a movement, a collection of disaffected voices shouting to be heard or a galvanized organization with a real platform that has long-term staying power? Of…
Music: Ricky Nye and the Paris Blues Band
There’s nothing out of the ordinary about a band doing a string of local dates to celebrate the release of an album. It is unusual when the album is nearly two years old and the band has to fly in from France for the shows. For Cincinnati’s Boogie Woogie Blues piano master Ricky Nye, it’s…
Radio Return
Covington is gaining another new original music club this week, further upgrading its status as one of the premier destinations for music lovers in Greater Cincinnati. Radiodown was Frank Hulefeld’s first stab at a live music venue several years back when it opened above Tickets Sports Café. Hulefeld and his team went on to make…
Fort Ancient State Historical Site
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 3.9 milesConfiguration: Out-and-backDifficulty: Easy-moderateScenery: Native American earthworks, mounds, serpent mounds (only one is visible from the hike), woods, and the Little Miami River.Exposure: Shade and full sunTraffic: Moderate-heavyTrail Surface: Soil, wooden stairs, asphalt, and mowed meadowHiking Time: 2.5-3 hoursDriving Distance: 1 hour north of CincinnatiSeason: Year-roundAccess: April-October: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;…
The Floods, Kanye and Comics
[HOT] God Hates Music Just kidding. There’s no such thing as God. But if there were, the people of Detroit should be mighty nervous. After dismantling New Orleans, Mother Nature has now gone after another huge American music town: Nashville. The major flooding the city has suffered through there has resulted in at least 29…
How Much Recognition Is Enough?
Greater Cincinnati has two theater awards programs. Our theater scene is excellent for a city this size, but it’s worth asking if competing awards enhance what we have or duplicate recognition. The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs) were established by CityBeat in 1997, using theater critics from all the local media to determine nominees. The Acclaim…
Public Allies Expands Its Scope
A nonprofit “quiet giant” in Cincinnati is about to have its biggest year yet. Public Allies, a program of BRIDGES for a Just Community, has gotten little attention over its 11-year existence, but that might soon change as the group is poised to enroll its largest class ever and embark on a trio of projects…
Ludlow Reunion
Last week I wrote about how The Most Miserable Man in Cincinnati has moved from downtown to my neck of the woods in Westwood. After our bus ride together, it got me thinking it’s time to move. Bus rides with Lee are something I don’t want to make a habit of. Thinking about moving got…
Music: May Festival
The May Festival, the oldest continuous choral festival in the western hemisphere, has been directed by Maestro James Conlon for 31 years. This two-weekend festival opens its 89th season with four magnificent choruses by George Frideric Handel at Music Hall and continues this weekend with Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion" and a Sunday evening performance of…
Local Case Goes to Ohio Supreme Court
A local child custody battle involving a same-sex couple that could establish an important legal precedent is headed to the Ohio Supreme Court. The case involving former partners Michele Hobbs and Kelly Mullen about access to their 4-year-old daughter Lucy was featured in a recent CityBeat cover story. As the article related, Mullen gave birth…
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
I’ve been complaining for years about Nicolas Cage’s slide from subversive, unpredictable actor (see Valley Girl or Vampire’s Kiss, among other ’80s gems) to the checkcashing Hollywood joke he appears to be today. An entire generation of moviegoers has essentially come of age thinking of Cage as the guy in big-budget mediocrities like The Rock…
Maria Walley [Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese]
What’s wine and cheese without crackers? It’s just incomplete. And that brings us to Maria Walley, who has the enviable position of supplying vinophiles with an essential element of their favorite meal. Maria is the owner of Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese, a new company selling delicious English biscuits — that’s crackers to you Yanks —…
Expanding Waists and Scrumptious Tastes: Judging the Best of Taste of Cincy
Have you ever felt like Monty Python’s Mr. Creosote, the bloated epicurean who explodes in a gory mess when he surrenders to the inducements of an evil maitre d’ offering him a “wafer-thin mint” after a laughably enormous feast? Well, that’s how I felt last Monday. Why? Well, let me explain. I was excited to…
Mike Wilson and Simon Leis Jr.
MIKE WILSON: We believe in giving credit where credit is due. First, the Cincinnati Tea Party founder followed through with his rhetoric by actually filing the paperwork to run for the Ohio 28th House District seat instead of just complaining about government. Then he won the Republican Party’s nomination in the May 4 primary against…
