More Than Blood, Sweat and Tears
Steve Katz’s new memoir Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years: Is Steve Katz a Rock Star? has maybe the most spectacular revelation yet of any Rock memoir. Katz was a guitarist with two successful hybrid-Rock bands of the 1960s, The Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears, and he went on in the 1970s to…
The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters are one of the more high-powered acts that exist on the fringes of Bluegrass music. Ten years as a band, the Stringdusters have built up an impressive following with albums and live shows that are upbeat, fun and fueled by amazing musicianship. The members of the Stringdusters (Andy Falco on guitar, Travis…
Rudd, Wiser
Xavier Rudd's career didn't require a creative shakeup. The Australian native had nothing to prove, after releasing eight well-regarded Gold and Platinum albums over the past dozen-plus years, earning several ARIA (Australia’s Grammys) nominations and amassing a feverishly loyal fan base in every corner of the world. As is often the case with multi-faceted musicians…
Leftovers: What We Ate This Weekend
Each week CityBeat staffers, dining writers and the occasional intern tell you what they ate this weekend. We're not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food. Ilene Ross: Friday night’s ReUse-apalooza! at Building Value in Northside gave me the opportunity to do one of my favorite things for dinner:…
Cincinnati-Filmed ‘Carol’ Receives Outstanding Reviews
The Cincinnati-filmed Carol premiered over the weekend at the Cannes Film Festival and received sterling, outstanding reviews that called it an instant Oscar contender and the most important high-profile gay drama to come out of American cinema since 2005's Brokeback Mountain. The film is in competition at Cannes. Based on Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel The Price of Salt…
Your Weekend To Do List (5/15-5/17)
Lots of things to do this weekend, from festivals and craft beer drinking to arts and film screenings. Plus, The City Flea, Carol Ann's Carousel and new OTR shop Idlewild open. FRIDAY Head to Bogart's for INTERPOL Interpol’s 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights seemed to arrive out of nowhere, a visceral, uncommonly mature effort that…
Stage Door: Take a Trip to Ireland?
If you debating which show you might go see this weekend, my strong recommendation is Ensemble Theatre's Outside Mullingar (ETC, 5/6-24). It's a great script by John Patrick Shanley (who wrote the award-winning play Doubt and the award-winning screenplay Moonstruck). It's set in Ireland, so the characters are overflowing with dry wit. And the actors…
Weekenders: What We’re Doing This Weekend
Each week CityBeat staffers share their weekend plans: from dinner and drinks or special events to out-of-town concerts and stories we're working on. And some of us just watch TV. Mike Breen: I’m planning on going to see Pixies at Horseshoe Casino Saturday night. I was actually fortunate enough to see them “back in the…
Councilman Sittenfeld Backs Marijuana Legalization Amendment
Cincinnati City Councilman and U.S. Senate Candidate P.G. Sittenfeld has come out in support of a ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana in Ohio. The proposed amendment to the Ohio constitution by ResponsibleOhio would allow anyone in the state over 21 to buy marijuana but would restrict commercial growth to 10 sites around the state…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally were in town this weekend for a performance on their Summer of 69: No Apostrophe tour. You may know them as Ron Swanson and Tammy Two from Parks and Recreation, and Megan will be forever immortalized as Karen from Will & Grace, and the two are actually married in real…
Noon News and Stuff
Hey all! I’m going to do a long news blog today. I won’t be doing the blog tomorrow or next week, as I need to burn up the vacation time I have before it expires and my boss says I’m not allowed to work while I’m not working. Tyranny, I say. Anyway, let's get all…
Art: The Cincinnati Series at Carl Solway Gallery
I n his The Cincinnati Series of 29 paintings depicting depopulated city sites, Peter Waite — a Connecticut-based artist — neither celebrates nor dismisses what he sees. Rather, he just tells it like it is. His artwork is at Carl Solway Gallery in the West End through Aug. 1. If he finds something architecturally interesting to him that…
Music: Interpol
Interpol’s 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights seemed to arrive out of nowhere, a visceral, uncommonly mature effort that channeled not only a host of Post Punk staples but also a distinct post-9/11 desolation. It was, in fact, the product of the band’s founder, guitarist and driving force Daniel Kessler’s long-simmering vision, one he formed through…
Music: Agent Orange
In a world where Punk has become a commodity on a par with soy lattes and $500 tennis shoes, it’s comforting to know that Agent Orange is still prowling the wastelands and kicking the universe in its rapidly descending ballsack. There are almost no active Punk bands that can claim AO’s impressive legacy, including its…
Music: FIDLAR with The Slippery Lips
The first time I heard FIDLAR, I was parked on my couch holding my cellphone over my head and smiling like a massive dork up at the screen. Some cute boy from OKCupid was sending me links to YouTube videos from his favorite bands. The Skate Punk/Surf Rock sounds of FIDLAR made up most of…
Music: Pixies
History will always chiefly remember Kurt Cobain as a creator of music, not a consumer. But the Nirvana leader was also an avid advocate for his favorite groups and most cherished influences. In the posthumously released Journals, he documented his 50 favorite records. Most telling of all was his inclusion of Pixies’ Surfer Rosa in spot No. 2.…
Art: Secrets of the Deep at Malton Gallery
You’re a sneaky one, Dr. Seuss. With entertaining drawings, simple words and rhythmic rhymes, you taught us how to read. Although we’re not 5 anymore, we’re under the spell of his imagination again at Secrets of the Deep, a traveling exhibit subtitled “The lost, forgotten and hidden works of Theodor Seuss Geisel,” at Malton Gallery in Oakley.…
Cincinnati Art Museum’s James Crump Re-Emerges with a New Film
James Crump, the Cincinnati Art Museum's chief curator/photography curator who was a key figure in the planning and programming of the first FotoFocus festival in 2012 and then resigned from the museum in early 2013, has re-emerged as the director of a new documentary, Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art. It tells the story, with plenty of…
Santo Graal (Review)
The demise last year of Mahogany’s restaurant at The Banks, located next to Holy Grail sports bar, the successful anchor of the riverfront neighborhood, opened prime space for another watering hole or restaurant. In January, the Grail’s local owners announced they would remodel and open an Italian restaurant in the vacant storefront. Just in time…
Room for Dessert
Finding magic in unexpected places is what makes the Cincinnati dining scene so exciting, like finding a traditionally Greek dessert in a local Mexican restaurant. Django Western Taco in Northside is known for authentic and creative Tex-Mex cuisine, but the cheesecakes featured on their dessert menu are worth praising as well. Frannie Rosenkrantz, a 21-year-old…
This Week’s Dining Events
This week's dining events and cooking classes — beer dinners, German dance parties, crawfish boils, wine tastings and more. WEDNESDAY 13Wine Tasting and Food Pairing — 20 Brix pairs food and wine in a winemaker dinner with Matt Flick and La Crema. 6:30 p.m. $55-$75. 20 Brix, 100 Main St., Milford, 20brix.com. Taste of the…
Event: Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic Good Spirits
Get a sneak peak of September’s second annual Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic at Good Spirits, a paired cocktail dinner party featuring mixology and bites from the crew at Metropole. The party will be held at New Riff Distillery’s bar and outdoor patio, and will celebrate the recent release of the distillery’s Kentucky Wild Gin.…
Comedy: Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam
Shaquille O’Neal’s All Star Comedy Jam is coming to town — get excited. Now lower the bar two notches because Shaq will not actually be there. … But raise the bar up again because comedian and actor DeRay Davis is hosting and he was on an episode of Empire. Other featured comedians include Tommy Davidson…
Music: Quiet Company
With an instantly, insistently catchy Indie Pop/Rock sound that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Weezer and Death Cab for Cutie, Austin, Texas’ Quiet Company has seen its national profile rise considerably with the release of each new album, including this year’s excellent Transgressor. The group (which features former Cincinnatian and CityBeat employee Matt…
Event: Price Hill Thrill
Sunday there will be a tour of art studios and galleries in Price Hill, sponsored by the Weston Gallery. The event begins and ends at the Dunham Arts Center in the Dunham Recreation Complex and includes food, drink and entertainment by Comet Bluegrass All-Stars at a 5-7 p.m. closing reception. 2-7 p.m. Sunday. $35. 1945 Dunham Way,…
Event: Library Comic Con
Move over, San Diego. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s third annual Comic Con proves you can immerse yourself in countless comic book universes locally. The five-hour festival has expanded to offer a host of events, including trivia, guest panels from local cartoonists, drawing contests and a superhero training camp for kids. Have…
Sports: OTR 5k
The ninth annual OTR 5k run/walk kicks off summer in the city a little early. The race begins and ends in Washington Park, with a course that takes you through historic Over-the-Rhine. Dogs and strollers welcome. Register online or in person. 10 a.m.; afterparty celebration until 4 p.m. Saturday. $30. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St.,…
Event: The City Flea
Curated monthly urban flea market The City Flea launches a new season Saturday at Washington Park. Keep your dollars local and support small business by shopping from hundreds of area vendors, selling everything from handmade goods and vintage finds to artisan eats and organic beauty products. Food trucks flank the park and drinks will be…
Event: Cincy Swing Fest
Put in your pin curls and break out the saddle shoes for the second annual Cincy Swing Fest. Can’t Lindy Hop? No problem. Cincy LX/Swingallery will be on hand to provide complementary dance instruction to live music from Swing Band The Makeshifts. Classic cocktails available, plus pin-up makeovers from Retrocentric. 6-10 p.m. Friday. Free. Fountain…
Event: Arts & Crafts
Organized by a handful of sophomore graphic design students at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP (and with sponsorship from Modern Makers, a multidisciplinary arts collaborative), Arts & Crafts involves the consumption of local craft beer and the exhibition of up-and-coming artists — with accompanying food trucks and live music. With the expressed intent of supporting…
Event: CincItalia Festival
The CincItalia festival celebrates all things Italy. You’ll find main dishes with lots of authentic Italian flavor like stromboli, lasagna, grilled spiedini and more, complete with a wide selection of wine and beer and cooking demonstrations. Visit the ladies of La Societa Fuscaldese Femminile to try their famous cannoli or enjoy lively music and a…
Film: The Breakfast Club
Revisit your favorite brain, athlete, basket case, princess and criminal Friday when The Breakfast Club’s Brat Pack returns to the silver screen at the Esquire Theatre in honor of its 30th birthday. John Hughes’ high school bildungsroman might not be completely timeless, but it’s the movie’s cliché moments that make it so enduring. Forgo popcorn…
Event: Maifest
Based on the German tradition of welcoming the first spring wines, the 36th annual Maifest fills six city blocks of historic MainStrasse with food, beer and wine, and works by more than 75 artisans and craftsmen. There will also be entertainment by top local bands — 500 Miles to Memphis, Young Heirlooms, Ricky Nye and more…
Comedy: Todd Yohn
Though he still plays serious music, about a third of Todd Yohn’s stand-up set involves songs. “I was told by The Bob & Tom All-Star Band that my music is complex with inane lyrics,” he says. That radio show’s co-host Tom Griswold often describes Yohn as one of the best all around comedians in the…
Onstage: Henry V
If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you might want to tune in to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, which is working its way through the real thing presenting Shakespeare’s eight history plays in chronological order over the span of five years. Up next is Henry V, in which the profligate Prince Hal has succeeded his…
Media Musings From Cincinnati and Beyond
Cincinnati thugs threaten and sometimes kill people they fear will testify against them or their buddies. Police and prosecutors often complain about the lack of cooperating witnesses. It’s no secret. The Enquirer reports it. People who know too much have reason to fear. So why did the paper run a reporter’s photo and story about…
White Like Me
There is an entire generation of black women who owe our very nerdiness to David Letterman — the man and the show. There is no earthly way that in 1982 when Letterman started hosting his Late Night with David Letterman on NBC that any of us would have seen any semblance of ourselves — or…
Beyond Idol Chatter: On to the Next Chapter
Since Jess Lamb’s time on American Idol, she has been busy getting her name and brand out in the public eye. She has played constantly at venues old and new, teamed up with other local musicians for projects and made many TV and radio appearances around Cincinnati. Up until this point, her output has been largely…
Developers Announce Hotel Coming to The Banks
A seven-story hotel by Marriott is coming to riverfront development The Banks, the lead development group for the project announced May 11. The announcement comes after months of speculation and some controversy over the need for a hotel at the joint city-county riverfront development. Developers have said that other additions, including a possible grocery store,…
OTR Parking Plan Sparks Mayoral Veto, Debate About Residential Permits
Mayor John Cranley on May 6 vetoed a plan passed by Democrats on City Council that would have converted 400 to 450 of the neighborhood’s 1,200 spots into permitted parking for residents. Vice Mayor David Mann drafted the plan, which would have charged residents $108 a year for a parking pass. The proposed fee for a…
Marketing the Market
For more than 70 years, residents in Clifton enjoyed what has become an increasing rarity in urban neighborhoods: a full-scale neighborhood grocery store. That grocery closed four years ago, but a community group has recently made big strides in bringing it back. What’s more, their business plan envisions a cutting-edge shopping experience in a store…
Onstage: Three Days of Rain
Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain is a mystery that unfolds in reverse. In Act I it’s 1995 as three adult children of two iconic New York City architects ponder the current state of their lives and what motivated their parents three decades earlier. Their conclusions, based on memory and a recently found laconic journal,…
Onstage: Welcome to Night Vale
It seems like everyone has at least heard of Serial, the murder mystery podcast from the creators of This American Life. While I prefer listening to RuPaul: What’s The Tee?, I, too, have become a podcast addict. And some podcasts are so successful they even tour the country. Welcome to Night Vale — a twice-monthly…
TV: Mad Men Series Finale
Throughout its seven seasons, Mad Men (Series Finale, 10 p.m. Sunday, AMC) has remained as elusive as its complicated lead character Don Draper. Audiences never quite knew what the heavy-drinking, handsome ad man would do next, much like the story itself. As the series’ final 75-minute episode looms, let’s consider a few likely scenarios, Internet…
Pitch Perfect 2
Despite concerns for my own credibility, I find that I must let it be known that I was a huge fan of the first Pitch Perfect movie. The rise of the Barden Bellas, in particular the quietly alternative Beca (Anna Kendrick) and the truly rebellious Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) tickled me to no end and…
Mad Max: Fury Road
The post-apocalyptic wasteland as only George Miller has ever dared to present it gets a gloriously violent reboot. Miller brings back his signature antihero, the original road warrior Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy steps into the driver’s seat) and teams him up with a brawling mystery woman named Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) as they seek to…
‘Lambert & Stamp’: Sign of the Changing Times
The birth of the DIY movement, it could be argued, arrived when Christopher Stamp — the younger brother of actor Terence Stamp — and Kit Lambert stumbled upon each other and discovered their shared dream of becoming filmmakers. The pair hatched a harebrained scheme to make a movie: Why not find a raw and ragged…
Death of the Country Guitar Solo?
HOT: Death of the Country Guitar Solo? It’s getting harder and harder to hear a guitar on Pop radio these days as Top 40 music continues to shift away from Rock. Now it appears that Country radio is following suit and losing some guitar solos in the interest of time. Billboard reports that due to…
Hypothetical Endings for the ‘Mad Men’ Series Finale
Throughout its seven seasons, Mad Men (Series Finale, 10 p.m. Sunday, AMC) has remained as elusive as its complicated lead character Don Draper. Audiences never quite knew what the heavy-drinking, handsome ad man would do next, much like the story itself. As the series’ final 75-minute episode looms, let’s consider a few likely scenarios, Internet…
Precipitation, Parenting and (Ultimately) Love
Critic's Pick Rain encourages life; it can also drown it out. Sometimes parents have a similar effect on their children. Love might be the fuel to navigate these channels. Such is the case in two very different plays currently onstage. John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a kind of cockeyed Irish…
The Part-Time Gentlemen Launch Debut Album
Cincinnati Americana trio The Part-Time Gentlemen celebrate the release of their debut album, Whiskey on My Breath, Sunday afternoon with a 3 p.m. show at Arnold’s Bar and Grill (210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, arnoldsbarandgrill.com). The event runs until 7 p.m. and also includes performances by Dead Man String Band and Casey Campbell of Buffalo…
Oh, the Places You’ll Go with Dr. Seuss
You’re a sneaky one, Dr. Seuss. With entertaining drawings, simple words and rhythmic rhymes, you taught us how to read. Although we’re not 5 anymore, we’re under the spell of his imagination again at Secrets of the Deep, a traveling exhibit subtitled “The lost, forgotten and hidden works of Theodor Seuss Geisel,” at Malton Gallery…
Agent Orange with In the Whale and Bearer of Bad News
In a world where Punk has become a commodity on a par with soy lattes and $500 tennis shoes, it’s comforting to know that Agent Orange is still prowling the wastelands and kicking the universe in its rapidly descending ballsack. There are almost no active Punk bands that can claim AO’s impressive legacy, including its…
Games of Life and Learning: ‘Circle Mirror Transformation’
Wendy Goldberg knows her way around new plays. After two decades of staging them, mostly in Chicago, she moved to Connecticut to lead the O’Neill Theatre Center, the nation’s premiere spot where new theatrical and musical shows are workshopped — written, tried out, refined and tuned up for subsequent production. For several weeks every summer…
Pixies
History will always chiefly remember Kurt Cobain as a creator of music, not a consumer. But the Nirvana leader was also an avid advocate for his favorite groups and most cherished influences. In the posthumously released Journals, he documented his 50 favorite records. Most telling of all was his inclusion of Pixies’ Surfer Rosa in…
Architectural Allure
I n his Cincinnati Series of 29 paintings depicting depopulated city sites, Peter Waite — a Connecticut-based artist — neither celebrates nor dismisses what he sees. Rather, he just tells it like it is. His artwork is at Carl Solway Gallery in the West End through Aug. 1. If he finds something architecturally interesting to…
FIDLAR with The Slippery Lips
The first time I heard FIDLAR, I was parked on my couch holding my cellphone over my head and smiling like a massive dork up at the screen. Some cute boy from OKCupid was sending me links to YouTube videos from his favorite bands. The Skate Punk/Surf Rock sounds of FIDLAR made up most of…
The Antlers with Mutual Benefit
There is a sense of desolation and edgy calm in The Antlers’ expansively compelling soundscapes. If you were freezing to death on an Antarctic ice shelf, this is the music your brain would spontaneously create to distract you from your imminent popsicle-hood. And whether The Antlers are exploring the quieter, more reflective regions of their…
Persistence of Vision
Interpol’s 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights seemed to arrive out of nowhere, a visceral, uncommonly mature effort that channeled not only a host of Post Punk staples but also a distinct post-9/11 desolation. It was, in fact, the product of the band’s founder, guitarist and driving force Daniel Kessler’s long-simmering vision, one he…
