Final Friday
I agreed a long time ago that I would die. — Maya Angelou He looked homeless, whatever that means. Truth is, Mike Markiewicz looked the way he did — bedraggled, a bit greasy, disheveled, grungy, filthy, even — because appearance mattered not at all to him. What mattered — matters — are books, records,…
Kasich to Sign Bill Delaying Renewable Energy Standards
Gov. John Kasich says he’ll sign a bill that would freeze the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards for two years and weaken them after that. Kasich announced his intention to sign SB310 shortly after the bill passed the Ohio House May 28, paving the way for Ohio to become the first state to…
Metro to Offer Domestic Partner Benefits
Cincinnati Metro on May 29 announced that it will provide health and dental benefits to domestic partners of its employees, becoming the first employer to say it will utilize Cincinnati’s domestic partner registry, which passed out of committee June 2 and is expected to be passed by full council this week. Should it pass, Cincinnati…
Advocates: Include Rail Options in Next Western Hills Viaduct
Advocates in the West Side are calling for consideration of future transit options including possible light rail or street car routes as planning for the aging Western Hills Viaduct moves forward. “It’s about the future of our city and connecting one another,” said John Eby, a resident of Westwood, during a City Council transportation committee…
The Gospel According to Peanuts
This happened at Christmas time, 1966. I was an 11-year-old boy who read comic strips in the paper. Well, actually, I read only one, but that one was and is by far my all-time favorite. I’m talking about Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. The first Peanuts television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, had been on TV the…
Sports: Cincinnati Cyclones Kelly Cup Finals
Cincinnati’s friendly minor league hockey team is once again in the Kelly Cup finals and will host games 4 through 6 of a best-of-seven series against the Alaska Aces starting this weekend. The Cyclones won the league championship in 2008 and 2010, but they’ll need to win both weekend home games for a chance to…
Confusion and Concerns
M ore than 60 people crammed into a small conference room at Xavier University the evening of May 27 to witness a presentation by Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority on its five-year strategic plan, but many weren’t there to hear CMHA Director Gregory Johnson discuss mission statements and rebranding. Current residents of various public housing projects…
The Black Lillies with Kentucky Struts
If Cruz Contreras’ name sounds familiar, you may remember his stint with Robinella and the CCstringband, the jazzy Bluegrass group he co-founded with his wife Robinella Bailey in the late ’90s (he was “CC,” naturally). Sadly, the band and marriage collapsed almost simultaneously, and Contreras took a career break, accepting a job as a truck…
Jackie Greene with Rich Robinson
If there’s a commemorative tablet somewhere inscribed with the names of the most unlikely people to be drawn into the Grateful Dead’s musical universe, Jackie Greene should be chiseled on it along with Pop/Jazz pianist Bruce Hornsby and former Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick. It’s been seven years since Dead legend Phil Lesh contacted Greene to…
Poliça State
P oliça frontwoman Channy Leaneagh has led a fairly colorful life to date. It has included a stint at the Ramsey Fine Arts school in Minneapolis, forming the acoustic Folk/Rock duo Roma di Luna with former Oddjobs member Alexei Casselle after graduating high school, becoming an art teacher in Cambodia for a year, marrying Casselle,…
Secrets from Sommeliers
If the thought of being presented with a multi-page wine list literally drives you to drink with its scary-sounding words like “appellation,” “biodynamic” and “decantation,” have no fear — you’re not alone. Even the pros know there’s always something new to learn. After all, comedian George Carlin once asked, “What wine goes with Captain Crunch?”…
Hang Over Easy (Review)
The best course of action when opening a restaurant with the aim of catering to the glassy-eyed, post-party brunch bunch might be to keep it close to a college campus. And Hang Over Easy chose the perfect spot in Corryville, close to the University of Cincinnati and a string of thriving new hot spots on…
Morning News and Stuff
City council continued to tinker with the budget yesterday, shifting around a few items in an edge of your seat, five-plus hour thrill ride that was as riveting for me to watch as it would be for you to read about. Instead of giving you the play by play, though, because it’s probably too early…
Reputante with Poliça
A little mystery never hurt anyone. In Reputante’s case, the members of the young Brooklyn-based Electro Rock group seem to actively refrain from releasing too many details about themselves. Take these two sentences, which comes from the quartet’s confounding, five-sentence-long Facebook bio titled “The Story of Reputante”: “Reputante is a tragic love story with an…
Sam Bush Band
In the late ’70s, Sam Bush was getting booed onstage at the Stone Valley Bluegrass Festival, held just across the Ohio state line in southeastern Indiana. At the time, he was playing with his now-renowned band New Grass Revival, and the group’s drums and electric bass were getting the purist grassholes in attendance all riled…
Event: Second Sunday on Main
Second Sunday on Main, the eclectic monthly street festival in Over-the-Rhine, features vendors, food trucks, live music, street performers, a beer garden and more between 13th and Liberty streets, which are closed to vehicular traffic for the fest. This month’s theme is “Main Street Block Party,” with music by the Hot Magnolia, a sneak peek…
Onstage: Opera in the Park
Carmen is coming and you don’t have tickets or, perhaps more accurately, you don’t have the funds required to purchase said tickets. It’s OK — this is where Cincinnati Opera has thought things through. Opera in the Park is starting its season with a free outdoor concert in Washington Park that will feature operatic selections…
Music: Carnifex
Sunny Florida has somehow inspired the formation of a slew of top-name Death Metal bands over the past quarter century. The equally idyllic San Diego, Calif., has also produced its share of doom-and-gloom, heavy-as-hell rockers, including Death Metal champs Carnifex. The brutal yet progressive five-piece (its name taken from the Old English word for “executioner”)…
Event: Concours d’Elegance
Ault Park’s Concours d’Elegance, the nationally recognized car show, returns to Cincinnati for its 37th annual exhibit Sunday. This year’s theme, “The Art of the Automobile: Great American Design,” celebrates American autos plus 50 years of the Mustang and Microcars and the 100th anniversary of Maserati. This show highlights 13 classes of classic, vintage and…
Event: Cincinnati Playhouse Scenery Shop Sale
This Saturday go behind the scenes — and even buy some of them — during the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s popular scenery shop sale. The Playhouse will be selling some of its props, furniture, dresses and more, garage-sale style, from plays including A Delicate Ship (a coffee table), The Trip to Bountiful (two bus benches…
Art: Your Face is Killing Me: Work by Harry Donnermeyer at Live(In) Gallery
In early celebration of Father’s Day (which is June 15), photographer Molly Donnermeyer — one of the creators of Live(In) Gallery and a former member of U-Turn — has co-curated a site-specific selection of photographic work by her father, Harry Donnermeyer, himself a professional in the photographic field since the mid-’70s. The elder Donnermeyer’s photographic…
Event: Mulberry Festival
The Imago Earth Center is celebrating the mulberry, an underappreciated wild fruit, with its own festival. The event will feature a mulberry hunt, live music, a mulberry dish tasting and an awards ceremony for the best dish. 1-4 p.m. Saturday. $8 in advance; $10 at the door. Imago Earth Center, 700 Enright Ave., Price Hill,…
Event: National Donut Day
Yes, it’s really real and bakeries all over the city are proving it — and raising money for The Salvation Army while they’re at it. Join Holtman’s Donuts, Servatii Pastry Shop, Busken Bakery and 14 other area sweet shops for an afternoon of games (donut-stacking competitions and donut-sliding races), music and free coffee and donuts…
Event: Valley Vineyards Wine & Beer Festival
Get a taste of Warren County at Valley Vineyards’ 44th annual wine and beer festival. With live local music, food from local producers, cellar tours, rides in hot air balloons — which will light up at dusk — and more, it’s a weekend to enjoy the libations of Valley Vineyards and their attached brewery, Cellar…
Onstage: Private Lives
Noel Coward might have been one of the wittiest playwrights of the 20th century. Not only did he write the 1930 comedy Private Lives, but he also starred in its original production with a cast that included Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company wraps up its 20th season with this sparkling story of…
Comedy: Ian Bagg
Native of British Columbia Ian Bagg says weather is a big reason he fell in love with his current home base of Los Angeles. “It’s blue skies all the time,” the comedian says. “For the first three years I lived out here, I wouldn’t go to a movie during the day because I couldn’t believe…
Event: Taste of Duveneck
The 24th A Taste of Duveneck, the Cincinnati Art Museum’s food and wine event named after Covington-born painter Frank Duveneck, will benefit the upcoming special exhibition Cincinnati Silver: 1788-1940, a display of Cincinnati-manufactured luxury silver wares. The evening will include great food, wine and beer from vendors including Andy’s Mediterranean Grille, Brio Tuscan Grille and…
Council Poised to Pass Domestic Partner Registry
Cincinnati is one step closer to joining nine other Ohio cities that have established domestic partner registries, which would open up more possibilities for equal employee benefits for same-sex couples. A measure introduced by City Councilman Chris Seelbach to have the city set up the registry passed unanimously through the council’s Human Services Committee today.…
Mediterranean Food Fest This Weekend
Prep for Panegyri by enjoying the incredibly diverse Mediterranean menu at the St. James Orthodox Church's Mediterranean Food Fest (which also includes authentic music as well as games and all the other fun summer festival activities). The homemade Middle Eastern cuisine features everything (pretty much literally) ranging from appetizers (hummus, baba ghanouj, fattoush, tabbouleh, olives,…
Morning News and Stuff
City Council is likely just days away from voting on the city's $358 million operating budget, but some sticking points remain. A deferred repayment of funds meant to improve eight neighborhoods around the city has raised concerns among some council members. In 2011, the city borrowed $5 million from tax incremental finance districts in Avondale,…
CAC Seeks Proposals for Summer Performance Series
The Contemporary Arts Center has issued a call for proposals for a Summer Performance Series. The deadline is June 13. Here is the announcement: The CAC is now accepting proposals for original performance works by artists and collectives from or currently living in the Greater Cincinnati area for the 2014 Summer Performance Series. This series…
Around Dark Matter
Few topics are heavier or demand as much delicacy as the Holocaust. The loss of eight million people is an event so fraught with grief and evil that it can be difficult to tell whether individuals and organizations centering their work here seek to mourn the past or capitalize on the tragedy to further current…
Traffick (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Explore the space, the host implores as you enter the vestibule at First Lutheran Church. The more you explore, the richer the experience. So begins Traffick, the ambitious and multi-disciplinary theatrical experience from director Kim Popa and her merry band of social change-agents-cum-dancers from Pones Inc. By now experienced fans should know what…
Fotis Canyon (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Let’s get right to the point: Fotis Canyon is hilarious. The setup for this show could not be simpler. Mike Fotis, a performer and writer from Minneapolis, sits at a table with a binder of stories and bottle of flavored water for fuel. He starts with a little preshow banter, and then reads…
An Unauthorized Autobiography of Benny Hill (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick British comedian Benny Hill’s variety show was a TV staple in Great Britain and the U.S. in the 1970s and ’80s. It featured roly-poly Hill in short comedy sketches — he often played multiple (sometimes all) characters — and performances by contemporary musicians and singers. Born in 1924, Hill inherited and extended the…
Where Edward Went (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick At the beginning of Where Edward Went we meet Denny (Ben Dudley), a young man in the midst of filming a documentary, asking members of couples to tell him about falling in love. The question is first asked of a middle-aged couple on film and later to Denny’s two roommates, Elyse (MaryKate Moran)…
Papa Squat’s Store of Sorts (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Opening night for Papa Squat’s Store of Sorts at the Coffee Emporium saw a full house, earthy coffee aroma (smells from home), an energetic crowd and an outstanding artistic effort by Paul Strickland. Strickland, from Indianapolis, had a big hit, Ain’t True and Uncle False, in the 2013 Fringe, so there was a…
I Hate My Job and Other Tales of Squandered Potential
Would you recognize the sound of rapid-fire clicking of a computer keyboard out of context? When heard combined with a performer standing ankle-deep in a cardboard box with arms held in a bound position behind her back, slowly undulating against this restriction, it makes you think. In a form as abstract as dance, intention is…
Ikelus
Ikelus,” St. Xavier High School’s entry in the set of four Fringe Next productions presented at SCPA, has a title with Grecian overtones that high schoolers themselves no doubt link to a particular online game. But it also suggests that a classic story is being told. “Ike,” as this Ikelus is called, is a high…
The Legend of White Woman Creek (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick In a narrow, dank room beneath MOTR Pub (seating about 60), you can take in a mournful, historically based ghost story told in song. Katie Hartman solemnly introduces herself as an academic and paranormal researcher. She lights votive candles, sets them around the small stage, then chants an incantation to conjure the ghost…
Park + Vine Celebrates Seven Years
Local green general store Park + Vine is celebrating seven years in Over-the-Rhine with a party. This family-friendly party will feature live music, food, a phototbooth and a DJ — all coinciding with OTR's Final Friday gallery walk. The celebration, officially titled the "Seven Year Itch," starts at 7 p.m. “Seven years seems like a…
Sarge (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Sarge is a one-woman show written by Cincinnati-based actor, writer and director Kevin Crowley featuring Christine Dye. In three short vignettes, Crowley imagines the life of Dottie Sandusky, aka “Sarge,” the wife of Penn State’s assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky around the time he was indicted for multiple counts of child molestation. In…
Reflections
It’s no secret that in our culture thinness is a social and cultural ideal and that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to negative feelings regarding their inability to meet unrealistic physical standards. Reflections takes on the problem with a cast of seven attractive young people in a variety of skits that guide the audience (mostly teens…
The King & I: a Hunk of Burnin’ Love (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Celebrity worship can sometimes become exactly that. That’s never been more true than with Elvis Presley. Almost 40 years after his death he’s still celebrated as a pillar of music and more. Kevin Holladay’s show explores the King of Rock & Roll’s sway on his people and the allure of groupthink on the…
Heist
Here’s what you get with Heist, this year’s Fringe production from Performance Gallery (the only group to be represented in each of the 11 Cincinnati Fringe Festivals): Three odd thugs have taken refuge in a closed basement space. With them are two bags of loot and two hostages. One of the captives is a woman…
![[Frankenstein] (Critic’s Pick)](https://i0.wp.com/www.citybeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/empty-2947.gif?fit=1%2C1&ssl=1)
[Frankenstein] (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick The legacy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reverberates 200 years after its publication. The prescient tale of a scientist playing god has been reimaged to the point of saturation, but somehow [Frankenstein] by Alex Talks and Harper Lee manages to make it fresh. A loose adaptation of the novel set in a near future,…
Blogging Behind Bars (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick The mission of Unity Productions is to make a positive change through the arts, education and community service. Blogging Behind Bars fulfills that mission. It’s the story of Whitney Smith, a local kid who found himself imprisoned in maximum security, where he eventually took his own life. This is a heartbreaking account of…
A Million Ways to Die in the West
All of the promotional efforts for A Million Ways to Die in the West alert us to the fact that the movie is “from the guy who brought you Ted,” which means Seth MacFarlane has certainly been able to capitalize on that huge branding opportunity. We should respect him though because he’s proving to have enough guts to…
Maleficent
The movie poster for Maleficent features Angelina Jolie teasing audiences with the notion that this “fairy” tale will wander down a darker path than most of Disney’s traditional fare. Everything about Jolie, as a scorned fairy who places a curse on an infant princess (who grows up to become Elle Fanning), is severe. Her eyes are black…
Aquarian Exposition: A Trip Back to the Original Woodstock
Cut to 1969, the Summer of Love and Woodstock. Well, almost. This Philadelphia dance company offers a modern homage to Woodstock or — according to the program notes — what the people listening to the concert might have been doing in the fields during those three days that defined an era. The ensemble’s 50-minute show…
Your Weekend To Do List: 5/30-6/1
It’s Pride Week in Cincinnati, a time to celebrate and support the local LGBTQ community, promote diversity as well as equality and just have a good time as a plethora of events takes over the city. The Pride party has been going all week and the fun continues tonight with the Skyy Vodka Pub Crawl…
Confessions of a Fatherless Daughter
As the girls paced across the floor, their babble of voices filled the small space, gradually resolving into a single whispered word: strength. Confessions of a Fatherless Daughter, presented by Sluts & Cupcakes (students from SCPA), was a frank exploration into the power a father holds in defining his child’s worldview. This production, written and…
Names
Arienette, central character in the interest-compelling production Names, is a young girl beset by demons, not unlike a character in an old-fashioned story. But because this is not an old-fashioned story, her demons are figments of schizophrenia — every bit as hard to handle as the demons of old. And illnesses, mental or otherwise, subtly…
Matters of our Art: Portraits of the Artist
If you’ve been to the Cincinnati Art Museum recently, and specifically since March 22, you’ve probably found yourself lingering among portraits in a corner of the second floor. (Up the grand staircase and in Room 212, the space now designated as the museum’s photography gallery.) And it might’ve been Jean Renoir’s doing. The filmmaker’s honest,…
Get Fringy With It
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival's 11th iteration is full-go, with more than 30 performances scheduled across various stages in and around Over-the-Rhine through June 7. Once again, CityBeat is reviewing early performances of every show, and contributing theatre editor Rick Pender will offer an update on the best of the fest in his Curtain Call column…
The Ultimate Stimulus
Remember all those statistics we heard a few years back about the vast disparity in the distribution of wealth in our country — and how the worst area of all could be found in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine? There were lots of graphs and such, but the bottom line was that the gap is now so great…
Stage Door: Full Speed Fringe
If you haven't found a couple of 2014 Cincinnati Fringe show that you're dying to see this weekend, you need to go to CityBeat's Fringe hub for some recommendations — including reviews of early performances of all 30-plus shows. But if you're still coming up short, there are more choices from area theaters. If it's…
HOT DAMN! It’s the Loveland Frog! (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Hot Damn! The creators of Don't Cross the Streams: The Cease and Desist Musical, the hilarious hit from the 2012 Cincy Fringe, are back with another entry. And the great news is that this show is even better. There’s a lot to love about this little gem of a musical. Let’s start with…
Short Attention Span Theatre
The self-imposed challenge faced by Short Attention Span Theatre: 30 short shows performed in a maximum of 60 minutes. An appealing eight-member ensemble from Tucson tackles theater performance as a quasi-athletic completion. If they can accomplish the feat within an hour, the cast gets to munch on a bag of candy. If the hour timer…
A Brief History of Beer
“This is a drink-along show,” it said on the video monitor in Know Theatre’s Underground Bar prior to this show by Wish Experience from the U.K. It continues, “You may wish to have more than one drink at the ready. You have been warned.” Alas, not quite enough. The warning might be even clearer: “You…
Fountain Square, Washington Park Music Series Begin
The free musical performances at Over-the-Rhine’s Washington Park and downtown’s Fountain Square (aka the PNC Summer Music Series) kick off in earnest this week. Shows run 7-10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Visit myfountainsquare.com and washingtonpark.org for complete lineups and updates. Washington Park CROWN JEWELS OF JAZZ (Wednesdays): Rashon Murph, Randy Villars (May 28); Marc Fields…
Kasich to Sign Bill Delaying Renewable Energy Standards
Gov. John Kasich says he'll sign a bill that would freeze the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards for two years and then weaken them after that. Kasich announced his intention to sign SB310 shortly after the bill passed the Ohio House yesterday, paving the way for Ohio to become the first state to…
TRAGEDY: a tragedy
New Edgecliff Theatre returns to Fringe with Will Eno’s 2008 TRAGEDY: a tragedy in which a local television news anchor and three reporters in the field cover the unfolding media drama of “the event of ‘night.’” Is it merely nightfall as usual? Or does the apocalypse come under the cloak of darkness? Eno is equal…
Night Walkers
Theater is a medium that allows metaphor to really breathe, and Elizabeth Harris’ play does just that. The well-established Cincinnati playwright’s collaboration with Homegrown Theater proves to be a provocative, cerebral and often painful experience. The company, featuring local actors, writers and musicians, has been a Cincy Fringe performer since 2012 and prides itself on…
How to Fold a Pleated Skirt: An Educational Guide
The Susie Thiel Collaborative’s 2014 Cincinnati Fringe show provides about 50 minutes of well-crafted and mildly entertaining fare. If these 12 skits revolving around the idea of “how to” directions (“how to make a peanut-butter sandwich,” “how to get over loosing a boy/girlfriend” or “how to build a bookshelf”) had been presented at the end…
Metro to Offer Domestic Partner Benefits
Kim Lahman was doing cartwheels in her mind for Metro this morning. The organization’s Ridership and Development Director celebrated Metro’s announcement on Thursday that it will provide health and dental benefits to domestic partners of its employees. Lahman said she has used same-sex partner benefits in the past, when she went back to school. “[My…
Rhinegeist Zen Now Available in Cans
Rhinegeist Brewery yesterday released its third canned beer, Zen Session Pale Ale. The brew is described as "like walking barefoot through a citrus grove in the morning. Earthy and orange zest hop character permeates this Session Pale." The dry hopped brew promises to be a perfect summer companion with notes of grapefruit and pine. Zen…
Men At Work
T he Men are busy. Formed in Brooklyn in 2008 by co-frontdudes/guitarists Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi, the current five-piece has dropped five albums in the last five years, the last four for its hometown label Sacred Bones. Each record has been slightly different, moving from the Hardcore roar of the first two to the…
Ligature Marks (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick Ligature Marks kicks off my lineup for the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe 2014. I’m thrilled to say that it’s worth your consideration, the perfect Fringe show. Two characters seamlessly playing multiple roles, a spare set, goofy background music and a well-crafted script by Mac Rogers all combine for weird entertainment. The story covers two…
Revolting Circumstances
This production is a LOUD, in-your-face hodgepodge of history, hegemony and wacky interpretation. Did I say LOUD? Nine actors on a small stage chanting slogans in stereo can be abrasive, especially for folks in the first three rows. The show features boundless energy, several funny lines, creative costumes and some fine acting. In particular, Derek…
Slut Shaming (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick The idea of rape as a life-changing event is certainly not new ground; it’s been the stuff of movies, plays and public service television for years. Yet Trey Tatum’s Slut Shaming, as directed by Bridget Leak, tells us in no uncertain terms that it is other people — not the rapist — who…
Something Something New Vagina (Critic’s Pick)
Critic's Pick It’s a brave journey, changing genders — not to mention one that most of us perhaps have never imagined and will never experience. Rebecca Kling shares and bares all in her solo show, Something Something New Vagina. Kling, from Chicago and back for her second Cincinnati Fringe run, has now made what could…
Son of a Hutch
New York-based writer and solo performer Joe Hutcheson returns to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival with his new show, Son of a Hutch, a wryly funny riff on his memories of growing up gay in the shadow of his macho father. Hutcheson had a huge hit at the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe with his play Miss Magnolia…
Bebe
Tolstoy’s famous opening line to Anna Karenina proposes that all happy families are alike, while each unhappy family is miserable in its own way. Patchwork’s entry for the 2014 Fringe, Bebe, proves the opposite can also be true: Even our flaws can be generic and indistinct. The troupe opens its performance with the announcement that…
Will the Streetcar Go West Someday?
Picture yourself hopping on a streetcar in Price Hill or Westwood and cruising downtown for lunch. It probably won’t happen anytime soon. But a group of West Side residents was determined to put just that image in the heads of city council’s transportation committee as it met yesterday to consider what will be done with…
Don’t Look Back
Don’t Look Back is an admirable thrust in taking on large issues and relating them to life experiences, especially lives at the juncture of childhood and adulthood, i.e., high school. One of the most interesting things about this production is that the play itself was written by Gio Bakunawa, a Newport Central Catholic High School…
BOOTY! A Revolutionary Pirate Tale
This show is almost impossible to quantify. The fourth collaborative Cincy Fringe effort of Tangled Leaves Theatre Collective, the play is co-written and directed by Robin O’Neal Kissel with all music composed and performed by co-writer Serenity Fisher and her band, The Cardboard Hearts. Centering on historical female pirates and a young girl in 1976…
Celebrating UC’s Rainbow of Students
Saying that the University of Cincinnati’s Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans* and Queer Center began in a closet sounds like the beginning to a bad joke. But the fact that the center, along with the university’s LGBTQ community, has flourished and grown exponentially since coming out of the closet isn’t just some ironic punch line. It also…
Former Dusmesh Owners Open New Indian Restaurant
For die-hard Dusmesh fans, the former owners of Dusmesh Indian in Northside have opened a new Indian restaurant in North College Hill called Swad. After seven years of ownership, the family sold Dusmesh to new owners in July 2013 and have recently opened Swad — which translates to "tasty" — a 110-seat dining establishment with…
Hofbräuhaus Keg Tapping Tonight
Hofbräuhaus Newport taps their seasonal June selection tonight — their summer Marzen. The amber-colored beer offers a rich, malty character with a hint of hops and a 5.8 percent ABV. The beer will be paired with Ofenfrischer Leberkase, a grilled pork and beef loaf featuring Munich-style finely textured sausage topped with a sunny side up…
Mellow Mushroom Opens in Hyde Park
Atlanta-based pizza chain Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers has opened in Hyde Park. Founded in 1974, each Mellow Mushroom is locally owned and operated with a focus on fresh, stone-baked pizza; an eclectic, artistic environment; and family-friendly atmosphere. “We are thrilled to bring the unique Mellow Mushroom brand to the Hyde Park community," says owner Kevin…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
With Jenny Slate’s new, ahem, “abortion comedy” Obvious Child coming to theaters (no word on a Cincy screening yet), I could highlight many examples of the comedian’s genius: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Mona Lisa from Parks and Rec; “PubLIZity” on Kroll Show; even the f-bomb heard ‘round the world on her SNL debut.…
Negroni Week
The Negroni has been called an “indispensable cocktail” by Esquire magazine cocktail expert David Wondrich and is frequently referred to as “the perfect dinner cocktail” because its bitterness acts as an apéritif. Plus, it features two of summer’s signature liquors — gin and Campari — sweetened and mellowed with vermouth, making it an excellent choice…
Unity in Diversity
T his Pride Week, as citizens of Cincinnati wave their rainbow flags up high, we show support not only for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community but for our city as a whole and its progress toward acceptance of all individuals. For years, Over-the-Rhine club Below Zero Lounge has been at the forefront of…
Pride Week Events
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28 Pride Movie Night: Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine Featuring the Tristate debut of Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine, presented by the CNKY Film Festival. The film follows director Michele Josue, a close friend of Shepard, as she travels to pivotal locations in Shepard’s life, interviewing other friends and family members…
Talking Pride
I t’s not always flattering when the national spotlight shines on Cincinnati, especially when it comes to social issues. Our city not so long ago felt mired in the negative perception still lingering after Mapplethorpe, Article XII and the 2001 race riots, to name a few. The good news is that things appear to be…
The first Jewish baseball superstar’s distinctive mark on Reds history
Despite a vagabond baseball career that saw him careening from team to team across the Northeast and Midwest for a decade, Lipman “Lip” Pike arrived in Cincinnati in early 1877 to play for the Red Stockings — the early name of today’s Reds — amid a fair amount of hype. During that time, when the…
Reporters and Ill-Advised Security Reporting Tactics
There’s something about a WET PAINT sign that overwhelms good sense and manners. We have to test it. The same thing afflicts reporters after some high-profile breach of security makes the news. We wonder if we could challenge local insecurities and produce a prize-winning story. Otherwise, why do so many — often TV — journalists do…
On the Capital Defense
T he botched execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma in late April was sufficiently horrific to inspire the pro-death-penalty Obama administration to do some long-overdue soul searching. “Deeply troubling” was how Obama characterized the Oklahoma fiasco, which went like this: Medical staff failed to locate a suitable artery on Lockett’s body and elected to insert…
Blitzen Trapper with The Parkington Sisters
“Feel the Chill,” the first song on Blitzen Trapper’s latest, 2013’s succinctly titled VII, finds the Portland, Ore., outfit in new territory — it sounds like Kid Rock doing Mellow Gold-era Beck covers, its funky beats, harmonica flourishes and Southern-fried guitar lines almost enough to inspire dance-floor movement. “We definitely wanted to do something that…
Gone
I’d naturally thought all along that he had wanted to disappear, that he was not “taken” by anyone else and as the days wore on and there was no sign of him I secretly thought maybe he’d killed himself, troubled by some gut-deep darkness only he could feel. I’d thought this not because I needed…
The Lawrence Arms with The Copyrights and Sam Russo
In the bustling, sprawling world of music — really, any medium — there will always be worthwhile artists who go generally overlooked. Though they have achieved some underground fame, The Lawrence Arms are one of those bands that deserves better. This 15-year-old Chicago three-piece specializes in smart, wry, often genuinely powerful Punk Rock with a…
Annie Sellick
Talented Jazz vocalist Annie Sellick returns to Cincinnati this week for three shows at the Blue Wisp with her trio (drummer Chris Brown, bassist Jerry Navarro and pianist Chris Walters). The Nashville singer’s wide-ranging projects — which include a Gypsy Jazz-inspired album, a full-length with famed Jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco and an excellent 2013 Christmas…
Kid Ink with King Los and Bizzy Crook
Brian Todd Collins may have been born on April 1, but he’s no fool. Self-christened as Kid Ink (for his manic pursuit of tattoos), the Los Angeles native became enamored of music as a teenager, immersing himself in beat creation and production techniques in after-school programs, which helped launch his career as a producer nine…
Superheaven (formerly Daylight) with Sheet Ghost, Chalk and Armslength
Just a few weeks ago, Daylight was out on the road with Bayside, Four Year Strong and Cincinnati’s very own Mixtapes, tearing things up good and proper and getting great notices for their efforts. Apparently, lawyers were paying particular attention, as well. A Spanish Punk band also dubbed Daylight, with a 10-year history and a…
New AMC Drama Explores ’80s Wild West of Tech
While HBO pokes fun at modern day tech start-ups in Silicon Valley, AMC’s newest drama gives viewers a look at the early-1980s “Silicon Prairie” with Halt and Catch Fire (Series Premiere, 10 p.m. Sunday, AMC). North Texas was a hotbed of early computer innovation in the ’80s, a setting referred to as the Wild West…
Holocaust Aftermath Tests Faith in Festival Gem, ‘Ida’
Last year’s Toronto International Film Festival offered big ticket selections like Gravity and 12 Years a Slave that would go on to claim the lion’s share of the attention during the awards season; advance previews of titles like Don Jon, Prisoners and Rush seeking to grab some last minute buzz before their opening weekends; and…
Internet-Famous Cat Person Pens Local Play
A large chunk of the Internet knows Ben Dudley as that guy who got “booped” on the forehead by a meowing cat’s paw. His 11-second viral video featuring himself and Pouncy the pussycat, titled “Interspecies Bonding,” has gotten more than 1.2 million views, landing him a fat 200 euro payday courtesy of his decision to…
Chromeo Added to the MidPoint Music Festival Lineup
Hugely popular Canadian Electro Funk duo Chromeo is bringing its groovy sound and stage show to this year’s MidPoint Music Festival. Chromeo’s tour in support of its recently-released fourth album, White Women, will include a headlining turn at MPMF.14 as the twosome heads up the bill on the Washington Park stage on Thursday, Sept. 25.…
Celebrating an Outstanding Critique
The folks behind the Cappies program that recognizes high school theater productions and performances decided to establish a new recognition for the 2014 awards, presented on Friday, May 23, at the Aronoff Center. The organizers use student critics to evaluate productions at one another’s schools, so student writing is the cornerstone of the Cappies. They…
The Next Generation of Local Theater
I’ve been a theater critic for almost three decades. I’m an optimist: I routinely attend shows hoping to be pleased or surprised. Doesn’t always happen, of course, but I keep going back. Maybe that’s a little crazy, but I’ve kept at it for all these years because our Cincinnati theater scene gets better and better,…
Midlife Crisis
T he Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra concludes its 40th season on June 1 amid symptoms of classic midlife crisis. There’s no equivalent of a red Porsche, but there are serious concerns about the organization’s viability and how it might reinvent itself in a continually uncertain marketplace. The CCO debuted in March 1974, evolving from all volunteers…
