Event: Fringe Festival
“Kinda weird. Like you.” Experimentation and pushing the boundaries are exactly what the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, hosted by the Know Theatre of Cincinnati, is all about. If the audience is weirded out, that’s a good thing. For its ninth creepy season, the festival is showcasing fringe artists working in theatre, dance, music, poetry, visual art,…
Event: Bike Prom
Cummerbunds, corsages and bad dresses. Prom is supposed to be the best night of your high school career, right? Well, if your high school prom wasn't enough, here's your chance to relive it all over again at Cincinnati's first Bike Prom. Supported by the City of Cincinnati Bike Program, Bike Prom will kick-off at Hoffner…
Judge Rules ‘Jesus is Not a Homophobe’ T-shirt Permissible
A federal court judge in Cincinnati ruled Monday that gay Ohio student Maverick Couch will be permitted to wear his "Jesus Is Not A Homophobe" T-shirt to school whenever he pleases. Wayne Local School District, the district in which Couch attends high school, will also be required to pay Couch $20,000 in damages and court…
Event: Taste of Cincinnati
If you can’t make it out to the Reds games this weekend, there is a rather tempting alternative for you to sink your teeth into. This annual food lover’s dream is Cincinnati’s way of welcoming summer. Prepare to gorge on close to 230 dishes from 45 of the region’s top-rated restaurants. The day won’t be…
Onstage: Exhale Dance Tribe: Imprint
Cincinnati-based Exhale Dance Tribe knows how to make an impression, both visually and choreographically. No doubt they’ll do so once again with their season finale Imprint this Saturday at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Artistic Directors/Choreographers (and real-life married partners) Missy Lay Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard are Broadway vets with the chops and connections to…
Art: Stephen Bach, Gary Kelley, Mark Hall
This month The Miller Gallery in Hyde Park teams up three highly regarded artists for a group show that is rooted in music, nature and atmosphere. Painter Stephen Bach’s landscapes emanate the gentle hues and warm glow of the early evening hours. His “Ominous Beauty” is an eerie depiction of a super-cell thunderstorm illuminated by…
Comedy: Shane Mauss
Shane Mauss always wanted to be a stand-up comedian but was hampered by two things. “I had no idea how to become a stand-up comedian,” he says. After moving from La Crosse, Wis., to Boston, Mauss made his way to New York City where, serendipitously, he found himself in a comedy club. There, the notion…
Event: Smart Talk: Andie MacDowell
Acting sensation Andie MacDowell will headline the final installment of Smart Talk. Through her conversation, “Acting as a Way of Life,” MacDowell shares behind the scenes information and personal accounts of what it’s like being a successful actress. She has appeared in box office hits including "Groundhog Day," "St. Elmo’s Fire" and "Four Weddings and…
Music: Dedication of the Rosemary Clooney Music Room
The Blue Wisp Jazz Club has settled into its new space downtown at 700 Race St. and this week the club dedicates its live music space to an icon from the area. The room will officially be known as “The Rosemary Clooney Music Room” after it is dedicated as such this Wednesday on what would…
J. Waters, J. White and B. Ward
[HOT] Cool Waters Heading to a gig in Bloomington, Ind., Indie Rock band Here We Go Magic saw a familiar looking man on the side of the road holding up a sign and wearing a hat with the words “Scum of the Earth” who looked a lot like Indie film legend John Waters. After some…
Taj India: Anything But Typical
Indian cuisine has become my latest version of a Chinese takeout meal. It’s spicy, easy to share and something I’d never try to make myself. Taj India is my latest find for this new addiction, but I’m glad my friend and I decided to dine in recently. Otherwise we wouldn’t have experienced one of Taj…
Challenge Accepted
W e live in an answer-fueled society today. Search engines are the go-to solution for every problem or tinge of curiosity — Google knows us as well, if not better, than we know ourselves. Some questions can be answered with a linear response. Some cannot. A city is an amalgamation of voices far more complex…
Up from Under the Sun
B ased on sound alone, The Donkeys come off as pretty mature. The San Diego band plays a tender, starlit kind of Rock with a folky side that isn’t too sleepy, an AltCountry side that isn’t too twangy, a Blues side that isn’t too reverb-heavy and a Psych Rock side that isn’t too psychedelic. We…
To Whom It May Concern
I have a human being. This can be quite unnerving at times… The human being worries: thinks about its history, its government, its future. The human being even thinks about us. The human being cries. Its tears roll down my screen like rain off a window. The illogical thing is that the human being does…
Cincinnati vs. The World 5.23.12
City Council officially repealed Cincinnati’s nine-year pit bull ban last week, removing all breed-specific language from the city’s municipal code. CINCINNATI +1 The Pakistani government briefly banned access to Twitter country-wide on Sunday because of “blasphemous” material. WORLD -2 When successful Kentucky business owner Rankin Paynter learned his local Kmart store was closing, he decided…
If These Walls Could Talk
B efore Burger Madness, there was mural madness at Arthur’s, the Hyde Park restaurant/bar. From 1981 to 1992, Jerry Dowling painted caricatures of 142 regulars on a 44-foot wall. The characters are still there — on the mural, anyway — but the character has changed. Customers who enjoyed happy hour then come for hamburgers today,…
The Midwestern Native Garden by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz
Although gardeners have always been drawn to the exotic, the authors of this book encourage exactly the opposite approach and eye non-native plants as encroachers. As gardeners themselves, this husband and wife team has transformed their own grounds from a traditional mixture of naturalized and native plants to one that harbors only natives to the…
Literary Cincinnati by Dale Patrick Brown
Cincinnati writer Dale Patrick Brown says, in her lively new book Literary Cincinnati, the city “can point to an impressive literary history, but rarely does.” Brown proceeds to remedy the situation with eminently readable accounts of literary figures, homegrown and visiting. Harriet Beecher Stowe is among them, of course, as well as Mrs. Trollope of…
Your Tuesday To Do List
May 22 is Buy a Musical Instrument Day, so whether you’ve got the budget for a grand piano or a kazoo, go out there an make some music! Our readers voted Buddy Roger’s as the Best Musical Instrument store in this year’s Best of Cincinnati awards. Check them out here. Over-the-Rhine vocal ensemble Young Professionals’…
Onstage: Babes in Hollywood
If you’ve ever uttered the words, “My dad has a barn — let’s put on a show!” you should board the Showboat Majestic for Babes in Hollywood, a revue inspired by the musical careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. That’s a good choice for many of the Showboat’s regulars, who grew up watching movies…
This Date in Music History: May 22
Call it "Rock & Roll Pervs Day." On this date in 1958, Jerry Lee Lewis arrived in the U.K. for a tour. Though it had been hidden at the time from the press and public, a reporter greeted Lewis at the airport and asked the rocker about his wife, Myra Gale Brown. She was Lewis'…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman was arrested early Monday morning for driving with a suspended license in Grove City, outside of Columbus. Chapman, who has previously purchased vanity plates that read MPH102 and 101MPH based on his ability to throw a baseball way faster than you're allowed to drive, was caught doing 93 on I-71.…
Music Tonight: Horse Feathers
Eight years ago, guitarist/vocalist Justin Ringle relocated from his native Idaho to Portland, Ore., and very quickly shifted his stylistic allegiance from the aggressive Rock he had played at home to the gentler Folk sound that pervades the Northwest scene. Ringle formed Horse Feathers to pursue his newfound acoustic passion and garnered rabid fans and…
This Date in Music History: May 21
On this day in 2000, brilliant Icelandic musician/singer/composer Björk won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her starring role in Lars von Trier's gloomy "musical" Dancer in the Dark. The film also won the festival's highest honor, the Palme d'Or. The movie is amazing but also difficult to watch because of…
Self Diploma Announces Free “Beats” Summer Series
Following last week's announcement of the lineup for this year's MidPoint Indie Summer — free concerts every Friday on Fountain Square featuring an eclectic mix of local and nationally-touring Indie bands — kick-ass local promoters Self Diploma have unveiled who they have coming in for the Beats Summer Concert Series. Like Indie Summer, the Beats…
Morning News and Stuff
City Leaders have decided that they don't need to sell Music Hall to a private organization in order for the historic building to receive tax credits toward its renovation. Mayor Mallory on Sunday told The Enquirer that selling the building was not part of any discussion he's willing to have. While city leaders hope a…
Carolina Chocolate Drops with the Dave Matthews Band
Talking about race is always a dodgy premise, but Carolina Chocolate Drops and their music practically encourage such discussions. The Durham, NC, three-piece string band took the inspiration for their name from Louie Bluie, a Terry Zwigoff film concerning black string band player Howard Armstrong. Their 2010 record goes by Genuine Negro Jig, their discography…
Natural Child
Although Natural Child coalesced back in 2009, they sound like they’ve been around forever. Almost stereotypically young, the Nashville trio’s influences date to their parents’ record collections and that sense of musical classicism is infused with an appropriate dose of hormonal rage and rebellion. There’s nothing new about kids channeling The Stooges’ “TV Eye” and…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
So, I know you probably read CityBeat exclusively and religiously, but it is kind of cool when Cincinnati pops up in national news for fun reasons. Lately, our grub and attractions have been name-dropped by some major outlets. Food and Wine mentioned Eli's BBQ as one of their "Best BBQ Pit Masters and Grill Geniuses."…
Q&A with Megadeth
Megadeth can be considered one of today's legendary bands, not just in Metal, but in all of music. They are synonymous with a time period, moments in the lives of so many of their fans. They may have a different look than when the band was formed in 1983 but they are one of the…
Hoots & Hellmouth
Wailing guitars and screaming Rock stars have their place in the hearts of many Americans, but they’re certainly not needed to make great Rock music. A quick listen to Hoots & Hellmouth will prove exactly that. The boys of Hoots make music that may be different from what graces Top 40 radio, but it’s far…
The Thompson House Opens Tonight
Tonight, the Venue Formerly Known As The Southgate House hosts its first big show. The Thompson House — as it's now called after a family dispute went to court and resulted in the longtime operators getting the boot and the owners of faux-strip club the Brass Ass taking over — opens its doors tonight to…
Your Weekend To Do List: 5/18-5/20
When Shirley Temple sang about the “Good Ship Lollipop,” she probably wasn’t envisioning a booze cruise of drag queens (though, you know what they say about the crazy lives of child stars). Tonight, CNKY Scene and BB Riverboats present Big Ship Lollipop, a sweet late-night cruise for the local LGBTQ community and friends, complete with…
This Date in Music History: May 18
Though today he is known as one of the strangest characters on "celebreality" TV, Gary Busey was once thought to have the potential to be one of the greatest actors of his generation. On this date in 1978, The Buddy Holly Story — featuring Busey in the title role — premiered. The film covered Rock…
Stage Door: Last Call for ‘Titanic’
If I were you, I’d to my best to catch a performance of Titanic: The Musical before it closes on Saturday at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. The show puts you in the midst of dozens of characters as they board the ship, overflowing with great expectations — of success, of escaping poverty, of new…
New Afghan Whigs Song Unveiled
The Afghan Whigs have unveiled their first new recording in five years, an acoustic-based cover of "See and Don't See," original recorded in 1970 by Soul singer Marie Queenie Lyons. The song premiered this morning on Rolling Stone's website. At noon today, the song will be available for free at the band's website. According to…
Morning News and Stuff
After 18 months in the courts, Democrat Tracie Hunter has won a Hamilton County Juvenile Court judgeship, but a GOP challenge to the court's acceptance of Hunter's challenge is likely to follow. Republican John Williams led hunter by 23 votes on election night 2010, but Hunter filed a lawsuit over provisional ballots cast at incorrect…
Q&A with Black Stone Cherry
Black Stone Cherry is a Kentucky-based band that combines its Southern roots with hints of Metal. Last time we spoke with the band, BSC had just released its third studio album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which the group continues to tour behind this summer. BSC have been featured on major tours…
A Tribute to Colin Hay and “Overkill”
Australian Pop/Rock band Men At Work hit me — and many other music fans around the world — at just the right time. I was 12 when the single “Who Can It Be Now?” exploded onto the charts. I was intrigued by the group’s quirkiness, but it was singer/guitarist Colin Hay’s voice that initially drew…
Music Fest Roadtrippin’ This Weekend
If you're feeling a little adventurous this weekend, there are a pair of great music festivals in the region this that are less than a three hour-drive from Cincinnati. (Stay tuned for continuing previews of the Rock on the Range Hard Rock/Metal fest in Columbus this weekend, for those who like things a little heavier.)…
This Date in Music History: May 17
Today is the 46th anniversary of one of the most memorable "heckles" in entertainment history. And the response was pretty classic, too. In July of 1965, Bob Dylan shocked the audience at the Newport Folk Festival (where he was virtually a god after performing the previous two years) by performing "electric" and with his full…
Foxy Shazam: House Band for “Guys Choice” Awards
It ain't the Oscars, but Cincinnati rockers Foxy Shazam will be making like Bill Conti and providing the music for Spike TV's manly "Guys Choice" awards, which will be telecast on the channel June 9 at 9 p.m. (the show is taping in Culver City, Calif., on June 2). Foxy will rock between the doling…
Cincinnati Pit Bull Ban Repealed
Pit bulls can legally put their paws on Cincinnati ground today for the first time in nine years. After a long, arduous battle for dog lovers and Cincinnati animal welfare advocates, success has arrived. Today, Cincinnati City Council voted 8-1 to officially repeal the breed-specific language in Cincinnati's vicious dog ordinance, which previously made ownership…
State Republicans Push Drug Test Requirement for Welfare
In a move that is now being contested by Democrats, Republicans have pushed for a pilot program to make drug testing a requirement for welfare recipients. The program will be active in three counties for two years. It would require anyone suspected of using drugs to submit to and pay for a drug test. Those…
Q&A with John 5 (Rob Zombie)
John 5 has seen almost everything in Rock music. He's toured with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie (with whom he's currently rockin') and been credited on songs from a wide range of artists — from Saliva to Salt n Pepa to k.d. lang to an upcoming collaboration with Rod Stewart. The guitarist…
Music Tonight: Yanni!
Greek New Age music god Yanni performs at the Aronoff Center tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $39.50-$99.50. Think you're too cool for Yanni? Are you cooler than Beck and Thurston Moore? Because they love Yanni so much, they covered an entire album of his. • If Yanni is a little out of your…
Your Wednesday To Do List
GOOD Ideas for Cities is an opportunity for problem-solvers to tackle some of their cities’ greatest urban challenges. GOOD has an excellent magazine, but the company is also a collective of innovative individuals, nonprofits and other organizations united to push the world in a positive direction. The GOOD Ideas for Cities program will be presented…
This Date in Music History: May 16
Today in history was not kind to some major Pop Culture icons. Today we lost the Master of Muppets, Jim Henson (in 1990), Andy Kaufman (1984) and lead "Untouchable" Eliot Ness (1957). On the musical tip, we lost masterful, hugely influential Hot Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (1953), Rat Pack singer/performer/actor Sammy Davis, Jr. (1990) and,…
Planned Parenthood Battles Pro-Life Defunding Efforts
Planned Parenthood advocates and supporters packed a hearing room in Columbus this morning to demonstrate opposition against controversial House Bill 298, a measure that, if passed, would put family planning clinics such as Planned Parenthood at the back of the line for state funding, instead giving priority to health departments. The House Health Committee heard…
2012 Summer Film Preview
The visions are as fresh as the day they entered my impressionable head. As a child weaned at the entertaining teat of 1980s blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future, I have a soft spot in my movie-snob heart for a good summer popcorn movie.…
MidPoint Indie Summer 2012 Lineup
The lineup for this summer's MidPoint Indie Summer series — every-Friday free concerts on Fountain Square — features another strong mix of solid national headliners (many are MidPoint Music Festival alumni) from as far away as Australia and Timbuktu and local favorites. Stay tuned for additions and updates. Friday, June 1: The Bright Light Social…
May 9-15: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MAY 9 Barack Obama today became the first sitting president to endorse same sex marriage, in what will go down in history as an important step toward non-heterosexual Americans being treated the same as everyone else. Many news outlets have theorized that this momentous event was spawned by “a shift in public opinion,” though…
Top 10 Behaviors to Keep Out of Political Discussions this Election Year
Among friends, family and even the most bearable of coworkers, politics is a dangerous conversation. Once broached, you’re liable to offend people you thought were like-minded comrades or reveal the dark underbelly of your beliefs. After a few spoiled relationships and one too many awkward elevator rides at the office, we ought to learn our…
Summer TV Preview
Ever since the days of Stick Stickly (Nickelodeon’s popsicle stick seasonal host of the ’90s), I’ve loved me some summer television. When you get burnt out on bikinis and barbeques, crank up the AC, crack open a beer and check out these summer shows. True Blood (9 p.m. June 10, HBO) – Sookie, Bill and…
MidPoint Indie Summer 2012 Lineup Announced
The lineup for this summer’s edition of the wildly successful MidPoint Indie Summer series has been released and, once again, it’s loaded with some of the best local artists around. It also features several MPMF alumni and an impressive array of international talent, with acts from as far away as Australia and Timbuktu (literally!) coming…
Lucasville Riot Coverage Demonstrated Resourceful Journalism
I t hit me a few days ago. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the bloody Easter uprising at Ohio’s crowded, racially tense maximum security prison at Lucasville. That deadly riot, the longest prison riot in American history, was The Enquirer’s finest hour. When it was over we knew we’d done something special…
Retiring to India in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Based on Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel imagines a final adventure for a group of English men and women — one last hurrah where they can get away from the familiar day-to-day they’ve come to know all too well, or their busy families caught up in living in the…
Morning News and Stuff
The ongoing saga involving Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig and his nonexistent policing powers will continue into July, as a hearing scheduled for Thursday has been continued. Craig's attorneys will argue in front of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission that his prior experience, and certification in three other states, should exempt him from a…
Hendrix 3000, Beach Boys and Freddie Mercury
[HOT] Impersonating Legends Two contemporary music stars have been cast as two legendary ones in a pair of recently announced projects. The L.A. Times reports that Andre 3000 of Outkast will finally portray iconic Rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix in the biopic All Is by My Side, even though it doesn’t have the backing of the…
Asian Food Fest Comes to The Banks
One of my favorite foodie events of the year is coming to The Banks this weekend. I almost hate to report this, since it’s been a best-kept secret, but the Asian Food Fest is a don’t-miss. The Fest, which is operated by a group called Care2Share, has been held in Kolping Grove the past few…
Kasich’s Education Reform Struggles in Ohio Legislature
Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been at odds with his own party during the past week over a battle for education reform. On May 8, Republicans in the Ohio Senate pushed to slow down Kasich’s reforms, which would call for tougher reading standards and report-card rating systems in Ohio schools and districts. Under Kasich’s new…
City Taxi System to Change
Cincinnati City Council last week approved a motion brought forth by the Cincinnati Taxicab Advisory Commission that will implement changes to the design of the city’s taxicab industry, some of which will be seen as soon as July 1. The efforts were spearheaded by Councilman Wendell Young, who believes the reform is a necessary measure…
Anti-Fracking Roadshow Kicks Off
The first in a series of nine events in cities across Ohio, culminating with a rally at the Columbus statehouse, kicked off in Cincinnati last week to protest the use of fracking across the state of Ohio. The educational event was held May 12 at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. It’s part of the Don’t…
