Cover Story: Hot Issue: Cincy Fringe 4.0
Jacob Drabik Hot Issue 2007 Click here for our Fringe review blog See the rest of our Hot Issue here If your taste in theater runs to the adventurous, you'll be in heaven for the next two weeks. Starting Wednesday and continuing through June 10 is the fourth annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival, our city's…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Graphic Content Part III
Todd Oldham Studio Todd Oldham (right) with artist Charley Harper The third rotation of the Contemporary Arts Center's (CAC) exhibition, Graphic Content: Contemporary and Modern Art/Design, opens June 4 with special visits from exhibition designer Todd Oldham and new CAC Director Raphaela Platow. The summer cycle of Graphic Content groups two Cincinnati-based modern designers…
Music: Afghan Rebels
Sam Holden Bassist John Curley (second from left) says that, while there are no current plans for anything, the "door's open" for further Afghan Whigs activity. Like anyone who was in Cincinnati in the late '80s and aware of local music, I have profound and personal recollections of The Afghan Whigs. The first came…
News: Rape, Not Romance
slim Jim Puvee If a twentysomething rapist fell in love with his teenaged victim, romanced her and eventually married her, most people would feel outrage. No, it's not another teacher/student thing happening; it's fiction. The rape/romance "love story" kept a generation of girls mesmerized in the '80s as the plot line behind the relationship…
Curtain Call: : High Hopes for ‘Company’
John Doyle/Watermill Theatre Company's John Doyle received a Tony nomination for Best Director of a Musical. Cincinnati has extra reason to look forward to the American Theatre Wing's 61st annual Antoinette Perry Awards, otherwise known as the Tonys. This year's awards happen on Sunday evening, June 10. The local hopes are pinned on the…
Facing the Blues Society Challenge
Wanna see the best the local Blues scene has to offer? You won't get a much better chance than this Sunday when the Cincy Blues Society presents its ninth annual "Blues Challenge" at Germania Park in Colerain Township. The popular outdoor event is more than just a showcase — as the name suggests, it is…
Summerfair
CityBeat Archive Summerfair patrons check out some of the festival wares. This year marks the 40th anniversary of SUMMERFAIR, one of largest and most popular arts festivals in the Cincinnati area. Beginning on June 1 at 2 p.m., over 300 artists of all media will converge on Coney Island. Forty years ago, the scene…
Locals Only: : The Frankl Project
The Frankl Project The Frankl Project You can say that Reggae's not your thing, but then you remember those summer deck parties where tanned cuties belted out Marley tunes like true rastas. And it's alright if you don't dig Ska, but then how might you explain the fact that 311's "Down" still brings about…
Upcoming Concert Reviews of The Avett Brothers, MxPx and More…
Shore Fire Media Avett Brothers THE AVETT BROTHERS WITH THE VOODOO ORGANIST Thursday · Southgate House "We grew up in the country, and Country music was always around but it was in the background," says Scott Avett, banjo picker of the aptly named Avett Brothers. "Our father was a musician and still is, and…
How Right Trades Turn Wrong for the Reds
Jerry Dowling The baseball season, if nothing else, is a drama, and most good drama has a three-act structure. The first act introduces the dramatis personae, the second act sets up and deepens the conflicts between them, then the third act resolves the conflict. As the baseball season reaches the one-third mark this week,…
MainEvent: Where Would You Wear That?
CAM Go Your Own Way Call it fashion, yet it's decidedly anti-fashion. Contemporary clothing becomes fine art as the Cincinnati Art Museum opens WHERE WOULD YOU WEAR THAT? THE MARY BASKETT COLLECTION, an exhibition highlighting works — garments — from three of most important and influential modern Japanese fashion designers: Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Summer Wheeze
By MIKE BREEN "Soft Rock on the radio/ Everything comes 'round again" — Hotel Lights, "A.M. Slow Golden Hit" Summer-friendly Soft Rock (aka "Mellow Gold") from the 1970s creeps me out. Hugely. To me, the guitar lead in Seals & Crofts' Soft Rock anthem "Summer Breeze" is the single most terrifying sound ever recorded. I…
Restaurant Scene Changes
In the "for what it's worth" department, I read Anne Mitchell's article from a few years ago about the loss of The Maisonette and agree with much of what she wrote (issue of Sept. 7, 2005). I was planning a trip to Cincinnati soon and wanted to make reservations at the restaurant, not knowing…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Hot 100 Days Calendar
´ May ´ Wednesday, May 30 The CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL kicks off today, continuing its mission of challenging our perceptions of performing and visual arts. Artists from the Queen City and abroad descend on downtown and Over-the-Rhine for 12 days of experimental works. "Full-frontal" all-access Fringe pass is $150; $10 for individual performances. May 30-June…
Living Out Loud: : Seven Months
I moved to Cincinnati from Athens, Ohio, around seven months ago. It's great that I can keep my Ohio license plate, driver's license and Ohio taxes — but really, I moved to another state. Not "Cincinntucky" but a state of confusion and uneasiness. Before ever considering living in Cincinnati, I only knew about the…
Running Scarred
by bob woodiwiss I run. Not fast, not proficiently, not impressively, but doggedly — a polite way of saying I stop often to urinate on fire hydrants and shrubbery. My form, while never exactly elegant, has, apparently, improved over the years because it's been a little while since anyone's approached me with the question/suggestion, "Ever…
News: Pros and Cons
Photos.com Unlike other states, Ohio didn't gouge prisoners when it privatized prison commissaries. The con with the Tootsie Pops ruined it for everyone else. Until Jan. 1, inmates serving lonely stretches at Grafton, Mansfield and crossbar hotels across Ohio were able to receive care packages from home, filled with everything a man needs to…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Peter Adams As Bedroom Maestro
Peter Adams Be prepared for stirring violins, softly psychedelic Rock, orchestral undertones, textured classic acoustic guitar and multi-layered songs that conjure up visions of an artistic octopus. Dream-drenched, smooth as water. Think of light on lakes, sharks cutting through waves. All created by one man: soft-spoken, brown-haired Peter Adams, a 23-year-old innovative musician from…
Lookwhos: Look Who’s Eating: Steven Hubbell
Graham Lienhart Steven Hubbell Steven Hubbell made his way to Vinyl from his hometown in Detroit six months ago after he and owners Roula David and Michael Spalding hooked up on Craig's List. The three are creating a flourishing Over-the-Rhine culinary empire with their latest endeavors, Jardin Wine and Tapas Bar — a joint…
Couch Potato: DVD Review: George Lopez Show
George Lopez: The Complete First Season 2002-03, Not Rated Taking a formula that powered The Drew Carey Show and making some adjustments, producer Bruce Helford (who also developed Carey's show) created a nearly equally successful vehicle for fast-rising comedian George Lopez. Actress Sandra Bullock also produced and had a recurring role as "Accident" Amy,…
Couch Potato: DVD Review: Scarface: The Shame of a Nation
Scarface: The Shame of a Nation 1932, Not Rated Comparisons are inevitable between Howard Hawks' 1932 gangster classic, Scarface: The Shame of a Nation, and Brian De Palma's 1983 remake, Scarface. As there should be. The stories are virtually identical but the means by which each tells the tale of a ruthlessly ambitious criminal's…
NO
CAM Stand before this NO theatre mask in the Cincinnati Art Museum's (CAM) newly renovated Asian galleries and you'll look a centuries-old Japanese tradition straight in the eyes. Carved from Japanese cypress wood and painted, the mask depicts an old man, or maijo, with wrinkled forehead, drooping cheeks and furrowed brow. His hair is…
Another Notch on Ohio’s Syringe
Graham Lienhart But is it art? Mentos makes Diet Coke surge skyward on Fountain Square. It must have been a moment of pride for all Ohioans last week — and especially for the new Democratic governor — when Christopher Newton was slowly executed at the state prison in Lucasville. The poison didn't take effect…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Moths to the Flame
Joe Lamb Tommy Schneider and Andi Ridder play with fire with Dante's Gypsy Circus. From the Olympic torch to the licking flames of Dante's Inferno, fire is an element that blazes with symbolism, representing everything from passion and strength to recklessness and punishment. As children, we're told to stay away, yet there's something dangerously…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: High-Energy Sports
Emily Lang It was already a month into spring, and I was getting edgy. I guessed that I'd spent 60 hours on the bike, and it still didn't start. Fresh oil, new plugs, rebuilt carbs, a clean gas tank — I filled it full of gravel and gasoline and shook it like a maraca…
Couch Potato: DVD Review: A Purge of Dissidents
A Purge of Dissidents 2007, Not Rated Twisted animation with a raucous, cacophonous soundtrack, A Purge of Dissidents is the product of a unique collaboration between graphic artist Dalek and Noise Rock collective HAZE XXL. Led by Tom Hazelmeyer of Amphetamine Reptile Records, HAZE XXL also includes members of The Melvins and Grant Hart…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: ACORN Summer Voter Registration Drive
In previous campaign years, the nation's airwaves have been bombarded with pleas to "Get Out the Vote," "Help America Vote," "Rock the Vote" and most recently a campaign fronted by P. Diddy telling people to "Vote or Die." This summer, instead of celebrities preaching through their TV screens, Cincinnati ACORN, a local organization mostly comprised…
News to Use
Keep Cincinnati Looking Good A study on preserving scenic views of Cincinnati is the topic of a public meeting from 4:30-6pm May 30. The study, prepared for the city, was conducted by the Hillside Trust and Human Nature, a local landscape architecture firm. The meeting is in Committee Room B on the third floor of…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Sarah Polley Is ‘The Natural’
Sarah Polly directs the location shoot of Away From Her. Sarah Polley makes it all look so effortless. She pulls back her long blonde mane to reveal a satisfied grin. Not so surprising, given that her feature directorial debut, Away From Her, is getting rave reviews for its sensitive and intelligent take on a…
Mexico Moves to Eighth and Walnut
Leaving behind its small Court Street storefront, Javier's Mexican Restaurant (100 Eighth St. at Walnut, Downtown; 513-381-3287) has moved to a much larger corner space, where it's now open for breakfast and lunch. With its wood and tile flooring, pendant lights and earth-tone walls, it feels vaguely like an Aztec Panera. But one thing hasn't…
Diner: Review: Dancing Wasabi
Joe Lamb At Dancing Wasabi, owner/sushi chef Charlie Choi brings the heat — from his Kimchi Soup to his long list of special sushi rolls, many of which contain a powerful punch of the hot stuff — even when not described that way. Perched along Mount Lookout Square, Dancing Wasabi is a small, tightly…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Critics’ Picks
Hot Artist: Joseph Winterhalter Joseph Winterhalter's new exhibition at the Weston Art Gallery, Leaving the 21st Century, acts as a romantic and preliminary look at lived spaces while hinting at the uncanny. Opening June 22, the show brings to mind French philosopher Guy Debord's proposition that time is "made of qualitative leaps" existing as choices…
Film: Boys Will Be Boys
Universal Pictures Mismatch made in heaven: Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogan star as unlikely parents-to-be in Knocked Up. After knocking around the business, Judd Apatow seems to be making an attempt to corner the market on fairly smart mainstream comedy. This young television veteran got his start (and a string of Emmy nominations) with…
Cover Story: Hot Issue: Ruthe Pearlman’s Extraordinary Vision
From what I gather, Ruthe Pearlman was one spunky dame. I never knew her myself, yet in speaking with her friends and colleagues, it's immediately apparent that Pearlman was a firecracker of a woman, unique and cherished by many. I keep hearing many of the same descriptions over and over again: She was intelligent,…
Art: on Wheels
Joe Lamb Local artists and supporters of the arts stand in front of the "Magic Bus," a crafty shuttle that transports riders to various galleries around Covington. The next big piece of art to be featured in Covington won't be found in any gallery — it's something that takes people to the galleries. Dubbed…
