Passion Pit with Cults
Passion Pit’s profile has expanded rapidly since forming a few years back, moving from frontman Michael Angelakos’ one-man bedroom project to a major-label five-piece with gigs at massive summer festivals like Coachella. The buzz surrounding the Boston-based band’s ascent took a toll on Angelakos, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 18 and who…
The Lumineers with Cold War Kids
Although some have tagged the Lumineers as Mumford-come-latelies, the Folk/Pop band’s roots actually date back to 2005, when vocalist/guitarist Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites were playing the New Jersey/New York circuit as the unfortunately named Wesley Jeremiah. Finding the scene competition in their Brooklyn base a bit too bloodthirsty, the duo relocated to Denver,…
Melvins
Everybody Loves Sausages, the 21st (or so) recording in the Melvins’ improbable 30-year existence, features 13 cover songs that, according to founder/frontdude Buzz Osborne, “will give people a peek into the kind of things that influence us musically.” Truth be told, it’s that same kind of influence that has allowed his band to remain culturally…
Nappy Roots
There are more than a few surprises in the long and fairly illustrious timeline of Nappy Roots. The Hip Hop collective first assembled in Bowling Green, Ky., in 1995, and then spent the next four years honing their craft and sharpening their skills before dropping their debut album, Country Fried Cess. The album was a…
More MidPoint Music Festival 2013 Performers Announced
The first 17 acts for 2013’s MidPoint Music Festival — coming up Sept. 26-28 at venues throughout Over-the-Rhine (plus a few Downtown) — were announced on May 3, boasting great names like The Breeders , Cody ChesnuTT , Foxygen and The Head and the Heart . Now we have another handful of artists heading to…
Mighty Like Some Prose
K enny Roby is philosophical when considering his place in the musical food chain. His big break in the ’90s came when his rootsy Americana band Six String Drag joined Steve Earle’s newly formed E-Squared label, but SSD released just one album with Earle before dissolving. Roby’s subsequent solo career has been littered with brilliance…
Culinary Q&A: Dan Katz of Meatball Kitchen
Dan Katz left his culinary ventures in New York City to start something new. He wanted a restaurant in a fun, welcoming environment and Cincinnati was just the place. But before he opens his restaurant, Meatball Kitchen, Katz is hosting pop-up dinners to see what people think of the food offered at his forthcoming establishment.…
Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Supports Gay Marriage
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald told Outlook Columbus in a May 17 interview that he supports same-sex marriage, drawing a strong contrast to Republican opponent Gov. John Kasich, who is running for re-election in 2014. “I believe in full equality for all Ohioans, and that includes the LGBT community, and that includes issues not just…
‘Antiques Roadshow’ Offers Behind-the-Scenes Look at Cincinnati Episode
CET will premiere behind-the-scenes footage from Antiques Roadshow’s Cincinnati episode (taped at Duke Energy Convention Center on July 21, 2012 and aired April 1-15, 2013) at 8 p.m. Monday, June 3. When it was announced in February 2012 that Antiques Roadshow would return to Cincinnati to tape another episode of the PBS show locally, the…
Morning News and Stuff
The Ohio Senate is poised to introduce its own budget plan today, and it could forgo the Medicaid expansion and include measures to defund Planned Parenthood and fund anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. But how the Senate budget plan differs from the Ohio House version remains uncertain. CityBeat covered the House’s budget plan, which inspired controversy…
Krisit (Review)
Last night I went to see Y York's new play Krisit at Clifton Performance Theatre. It was an "industry night" with lots of actors and theater types in the audience; I had the good luck to set next to Ed Stern, former producing artistic director at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, recently returned from…
Phone-a-Thon to Help Enroll Ohio Children into Medicaid
A "phone-a-thon" is seeking to address one of the main issues public officials have faced when trying to provide health coverage to low-income Americans: awareness. The event could help reach some of the estimated 15,000 children in southwest Ohio who are uninsured but qualify for Medicaid. The event, which is being hosted by WCPO and…
Blog Guide to Taste of Cincinnati
Start summer off scrumptiously with the 35th annual Taste of Cincinnati — the nation's longest running culinary arts festival. Six blocks of Fifth Street (from Race to Broadway) will be filled with eats from dozens of local signature restaurants, including a Food Truck Alley on North Broadway, and continuous live entertainment from Saturday through Monday. To survive the…
The Hangover Part III
The Hangover trilogy will end in Las Vegas, back where it all began. The Wolfpack (Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper) with Doug (Justin Bartha) in tow, set off to transport Alan (Galifianakis) to a new home following the death of his father, but end up losing Doug once again (maybe it’s time for…
Fast & Furious 6
For a series about outlaw street racers and the undercover cops who chase and then team up with them, Fast & Furious, under the guidance of Justin Lin (who has been at the helm since the Tokyo Drift installment), has souped up each model with enough turbo and nitro to leave every other aging franchise…
Epic
Chris Wedge, known for directing the first Ice Age and Robots, trains his sight and animated talent on the natural world of today, shrinking things down, but still uncovering the mythic and the Epic. Mary (Amanda Seyfried), a teenager with a scientist father, embarks on a very big adventure that forces her to choose sides…
The Angels’ Share
The latest slice of life from British director Ken Loach (Riff-Raff, My Name Is Joe) finds Robbie (Paul Brannigan), having just avoided going to jail and facing the daunting realities of fatherhood, ready to embrace life anew. Despite his best intentions, change proves difficult for Robbie. Loach will certainly unearth both comedy and drama in…
Live Reggae Galore
• The annual food/music fest Taste of Cincinnati — Cincy’s unofficial “start of the summer” — doesn’t begin until tomorrow, but tonight you can get an outdoor music fix that couldn’t be more “summery.” Reggae Culture Splash 2013 goes down 7-10:30 p.m. tonight at Washington Park (1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine). The event features a stellar…
Ray of Light
Last Monday, while surfing through the various music sites I routinely monitor in the course of a day, a brief notation in a chatbox simultaneously caught my eye and stopped my heart: "Ray Manzarek RIP." A quick Google search confirmed the terrible news that The Doors keyboardist had passed away on May 20 in Germany…
Eat to the Beat: Tasty Sounds at Taste of Cincinnati
The music for this weekend's Taste of Cincinnati event — running Saturday-Monday — is heavier on local cover bands than it's been in a while, with only a small handful of acts that perform primarily original music. In years past, The Enquirer's weekly paper offshoot had presented some high-quality original artists (i.e. those who write…
Morning News and Stuff
If you have any questions about Cincinnati, CityBeat’s staff will do its very best to answer if you submit them here . The Ohio Ballot Board certified an amendment that would legalize medical marijuana and industrial hemp in Ohio. Petitioners will now have to gather 385,253 signatures to get the issue on the ballot —…
Stage Door: Near Season’s End
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company finishes its run of Measure for Measure this weekend (CityBeat review here). It's a dark tale of hypocrisy and manipulation, with a few glimmers of ribald humor. Director Brian Phillips has transported the story from Renaissance-Era Vienna to the United States of the 1920s when Prohibition made everyday occurrences of fast living…
Shipwrecked! (Review)
If you’ve paid attention to theater recently, you might have noticed a trend. Plays based on novels and films are told inventively and humorously with minimal scenery, visibly produced sound effects and a small cast who handle multiple roles. The most prominent example is the very tongue-in-cheek The 39 Steps, based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935…
UC Baseball Interview Shenanigans Go Viral
The University of Cincinnati baseball team might not have had a winning record last year (24-32, 6-18 Big East), and it is currently without a leader after the school fired longtime head coach Brian Cleary last week. But that doesn’t mean the dudes didn’t have some fun this season — at least after the games…
Cincinnati March Against Monsanto to Take Place Saturday
“It’s time to take back our food,” boasts the Facebook page for the first ever March Against Monsanto, a worldwide protest movement aimed at speaking out against genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The march, being held on six continents and in 36 countries, will take place this Saturday. Cincinnati is one of 250 cities slated to…
Rising Stars
I wrote my Curtain Call column before the League of Cincinnati Theatres held its Monday night awards gala at The Know Theatre. So I thought you might want to learn the results. I'm glad to report that the LCT voters and I agreed about the season's best shows: I thought that Know Theatre's When the…
Morning News and Stuff
A group is ordaining Roman Catholic women priests despite Vatican opposition, and Debra Meyers will be Cincinnati's first woman to go through the ordination on May 25. Meyers told CityBeat the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests' movement is about pressuring the Catholic Church to be more inclusive, including with women, LGBT individuals and other…
Music: Andrew W.K.
In 2002, I interviewed Andrew W.K. about his debut full length, I Get Wet, famous for its cover shot of his hemorrhaging nose and ubiquitous hit single, "Party Hard." Back then, AWK was trying to bridge the gap between his slavishly loyal fans and the numerous critics who dismissed him as a mildly talented yet…
Music: Simo
A good overzealous band bio can make for quite the unintentional treat. Take what Simo and/or its management cooked up when someone decided to go off the rails with the hard sell. According to the bio as it appears on the Southgate House Revival's page, Simo is “the new breed of modern Rock,” frontman and…
Music: New Found Glory
New Found Glory is a rarity in contemporary music; a band that attains iconic status without succumbing to compromise or internal fracturing. The Florida quintet coalesced in 1997 when vocalist Jordan Pundik and guitarist Stephen Klein, high school pals at the time, paired up to write songs, with bassist Ian Grushka, drummer Joe Marino and…
Music: Col. Bruce Hampton
About 10 years ago, Col. Bruce Hampton played the now-defunct Barrelhouse here in Cincy. After spending the afternoon with the Colonel, I attempted to get a message to local politician and entrepreneur Jim Tarbell, trying to get him to the show so he could reunite with the visiting guitarist and singer. In between Hampton’s first…
Onstage: The Fringe Festival
So what tips can I offer, as the 10th Cincinnati Fringe Festival is about to begin? I’ve attended these annual round-ups of theater, dance, comedy, music, monologues and oddball unclassifiable performances for a decade, so I have accrued some modest authority. Of course, I can’t compare myself to Know Theatre’s team who pulls all this…
Music: The Cliftones
Friday, Cincinnati Reggae greats The Cliftones celebrate the release of their latest single, the third to be issued this year, with a show at the Southgate House Revival in Newport. The 9 p.m. event also features performances by Magic Jackson and The Almighty Get Down. The ’Tones latest, “Warn Mi,” is another Prophesy/Scientist collaboration. Be sure…
Music: The Socials
After a couple of years of little-to-no activity, excellent Cincinnati Punk band The Socials has returned to the local club circuit and (cool) record store bins. On Saturday, June 1, the trio performs at The Comet in Northside in honor of its new release, a 7-inch vinyl single/EP on longtime Cincy Punk/Experimental label Centsless Productions,…
Art: Continuity and Change: The Return to Figurative Painting
The frequently sun-struck paintings in the engaging exhibition, Continuity and Change: The Return to Figurative Painting, now at Cincinnati Art Galleries, are the work of seven area artists — Emil Robinson, Rob Anderson, Linda E. Anderson, Aidan Schapera, Brian Burt, Tim Kennedy and Eve Mansdorf — many of whom have looked long and hard at…
Music: Mountain Heart
Ten years ago, Mountain Heart opened up a concert at the Taft Theatre for recently deceased Country Music Hall of Famer, George Jones. To Jones’ credit, his love of Bluegrass music allowed for such bands to be a part of his show. But, due to the legend’s well-oiled touring machine, Mountain Heart only got 20…
Layoffs at the Contemporary Arts Center
In order to avoid deficits for fiscal year 2014 and beyond, the Contemporary Arts Center on Monday laid off four employees and Director/Chief Curator Raphaela Platow announced other cost-saving measures. The four positions were associate curator of education, exhibitions director, development director and director of communications and community engagement. Additionally, Platow herself took a 20…
Michael Shannon Gives Chills as Real-Life Contract Killer
The story of Richard Kuklinski (portrayed here by Michael Shannon) is one of those true crime tales that you simply can’t believe. It’s too crazy to be true, but it also has that “made for the movies” vibe. It is so carefully plotted and surreally episodic in its chronological movement, if told as fiction, it…
Walt’s Hitching Post (Profile)
Bill Melton loved horses. He loved horses so much that he enshrined his restaurant, Walt’s Hitching Post, with his passion. Melton took over the Fort Wright, Ky., eatery from founder Walt Ballanger in 1958 — 16 years after Ballanger opened the rib and steak joint — and ran the place until he passed away in…
On The Road
T his weekend kicks off the official summer travel season, which means May to September is ripe for taking road trips. Instead of stopping at prosaic chain restaurants advertised along the interstate, let the Cincinnati-based startup Roadtrippers.com plan your ultimate expedition. Newlyweds James Fisher and Tatiana Parent launched the seminal website/travel app last summer, and…
Another Door Closed
HOT Another Door Closed Social media sites got a boost of credibility this week when “rumors” that The Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek had died turned out to be true (he was 74 and died from bile duct cancer). It may be a first. Enough celebrities (Eminem, Gotye, Ludacris and many others) have “died” on Twitter…
Morning News and Stuff
Local job numbers continued their positive trend in April, with Cincinnati’s unemployment rate dropping to 6.9 percent and the rest of the region following suit. Michael Jones, research director at the University of Cincinnati Economics Center, attributed the job gains to improvements in manufacturing and continued growth in health care jobs. Still, the public sector…
Mountain’s Range
T en years ago, Mountain Heart opened up a concert at the Taft Theatre for recently deceased Country Music Hall of Famer, George Jones. To Jones’ credit, his love of Bluegrass music allowed for such bands to be a part of his show. But, due to the legend’s well-oiled touring machine, Mountain Heart only got…
Singles Going Steady
• After a couple of years of little-to-no activity, excellent Cincinnati Punk band The Socials has returned to the local club circuit and (cool) record store bins. On Saturday, June 1, the trio performs at The Comet in Northside in honor of its new release, a 7-inch vinyl single/EP on longtime Cincy Punk/Experimental label Centsless…
Good News Reveals Budget Deception
In the past few weeks, the joint efforts of the city manager, mayor and council members have brought down proposed firefighter layoffs from 80 to zero and proposed police layoffs from 189 to 25. While the good news is appreciated, it reveals city officials were, at best, disastrously wrong or, at worst, lying when they…
Man From “Crippled Girl” Case Sues City
A Kentucky resident implicated in an incident that took place in May 2012 at a public Party in the Park event is now suing the city of Cincinnati for false arrest, malicious prosecution and deprivation of his constitutional rights after nearly a year of legal entanglements with the city in court. Plaintiff Forest Thomer was…
Motion to Eliminate Fire Layoffs, Reduce Police Layoffs to 25
A budget plan proposed May 16 by two council members would eliminate layoffs at the fire department and reduce the amount of police layoffs from 49 to 25 by making cuts elsewhere, particularly by forcing city employees to take 10 furlough days in fiscal year 2014. Council members Roxanne Qualls and Chris Seelbach are co-sponsoring…
Seelbach Wins National Award
The White House announced May 20 that Councilman Chris Seelbach has won the Harvey Milk Champion of Change award, which recognizes 10 community leaders around the nation each year for a commitment to equality and public service. Seelbach, Cincinnati’s first openly gay council member, won the award after he was nominated by the Gay, Lesbian…
Navigating the Novelties
So what tips can I offer, as the 10th Cincinnati Fringe Festival is about to begin? I’ve attended these annual round-ups of theater, dance, comedy, music, monologues and oddball unclassifiable performances for a decade, so I have accrued some modest authority. Of course, I can’t compare myself to Know Theatre’s team who pulls all this…
Cincinnati vs. The World 05.22.2013
Republican Ohio state legislators are working to take away unauthorized immigrants’ right to receive driver’s licenses, a privilege recently granted temporary amnesty by the federal government. CINCINNATI -1 A 24-year-old employee at Ogilvy & Mather’s Beijing office died of a sudden heart attack caused by overwork after spending the last month working grueling overtime hours;…
Breaking the Holy Ceiling
D espite strong Vatican opposition, one group is preparing to ordain Cincinnati’s first Roman Catholic woman priest on May 25. The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) already ordained a woman priest in Louisville, Ky., and it’s hoping to carry the movement around the country, including Cincinnati. The Vatican and local Catholic leaders oppose…
The Eye Test
I’ve become a believer in the eye test. It goes all the way back to Thomas, the ever-doubtful disciple, who just couldn’t bring himself to believe the testimony of his brothers in faith following the Crucifixion. Thomas sounds like a far more practical man, someone most of us can relate to because sometimes you hear…
Worst Week Ever!: May 15-21
WEDNESDAY MAY 15 Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and a host of other business and governmental leaders will take part in this week’s season finale of the CBS show Undercover Boss. The show does a great job of making viewers wonder what it would be like to travel all the time and eat sashimi instead of…
Head Tingles: Less Creepy Than They Sound
When my cubicle buddy, German Lopez, finds himself in one of his Internet black holes, it’s not uncommon for him to share things with me like cat videos or weird news stories. Sometimes they make me laugh. Sometimes they’re about video games or the economy and I zone out two lines in. A few days…
Sick with This (a Rant in B-Flat)
I’m sick of chubby and portly and misshapen young black women wearing stingy shirts, bad bras and too-small pants that leave too much fleshy real estate exposed; I am sick to death of them walking around thinking this is cute and acceptable. I’m sick of being terrorized by their muffin tops. I’m sick of the…
