Nov 1-8, 2017
The Election Issue: Fresh Picks for Mayor, City Council and School Board
Charity dinner provides the unique experience of eating while blindfolded
Chefs take great pride in the visual presentation of a meal. And, as attested to by all those Snapchats of delicately arranged entrées, it’s a big part of the experience for diners as well. But, what if you couldn’t see your meal or even the plate it’s on? That’s the premise behind Dining in the…
Cincinnati’s Pike 27 releases ‘The Long Fight’ and moves on to its next phase
The evolution of Pike 27 has been one of the more interesting to behold in recent Cincinnati music history. Built around the songwriting of frontperson and veteran local musician Dave Purcell, the band’s debut album, Falling Down Hard, emerged at the turn of the century, showcasing a captivatingly rootsy and rockin’ vibe. Not long after,…
‘Stranger Things 2’ Lives Up to Original
Stranger Things (Netflix) took most of us by surprise when it debuted in 2016. A compelling and frightening romp through the 1980s Midwest and its treacherous parallel plane, the show highlighted a group of talented child and young adult actors — along with Winona Ryder in her first major television role — under the direction…
A Most Wonderful ‘Wonderstruck’
As the end of 2017 approaches, it is time to consider that it might come to be defined, movie-wise, as a year of Wonders. Patty Jenkins gave us a Wonder Woman movie that proved we were more than ready for a female superhero, while writer-director Angela Robinson exposed the real story behind the creation of…
What a Week!: Nov. 1-7
Halloween Out, Christmas In The lull between PSL/jack o’lantern/scary movie season and Mariah Carey/gift shopping/deck the halls season shrinks more and more every year. So at the stroke of midnight on Halloween Tuesday night, holiday season officially began. Christmassy commercials are already in full swing. Starbucks’ holiday cup made its debut with little outrage this…
Broadway Today; Cincinnati Soon?
I spent last weekend in New York City with colleagues from the American Theatre Critics Association, so I had a chance to see shows that might turn up in Cincinnati in a touring production or staged by our local theaters. The likeliest prospect is Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale, a coming-of-age story set in New…
Sebastian Maniscalco Waited for His Big Break
One door is closing and another is opening as comedian Sebastian Maniscalco winds down his Why Would You Do That? tour. The comedian performs Thursday at the Taft Theatre, telling tales of life’s little annoyances as well as his experience as a new father. To gather material, he has gone back and listened to several…
Seeing Our Oneness with Elephants
It’s going to sound funny, I fear, to describe the short film Apotome — a key element in Wave Pool’s current Animal Magnetism exhibit — after I say how profound and mesmerizingly beautiful I found it. The 2013 film was made in Paris by two Puerto Rico-based artists: the Philadelphia-born Jennifer Allora and the Cuba-born…
Minimum Gauge: Country Music Association tells the press not to ask touchy questions ahead of annual awards show
HOT: CMA Rescinds Restrictions At every major awards show since about, oh, Nov. 9, 2016, artists haven’t been shy about voicing political and social concerns. But the Country Music Association seemed to want to avoid such unpleasantness at its upcoming CMA awards, instructing media members not to ask any artists questions about recent gun violence,…
Morning News: Go vote; city responds to third lawsuit against city manager
Good morning Cincinnati. Did you vote yet? Go vote. Don’t eat breakfast yet. Don’t check Twitter. Don’t text your boo. Don’t shower. OK, maybe shower first. Then get down to your polling location and vote. If you still need help deciding, check out our election issue and this list I made of our coverage of…
Echoes of a Lost West End
One day about six decades ago, a tremendous roar rippled through Melvin Grier's classroom at Holy Trinity School on West Fifth and Mound streets in Cincinnati's West End. He and his classmates ran to a window to see Holy Trinity’s neighboring 99-year-old church building being torn to the ground. That was just the beginning. By…
How The Motet Got Its Groove Back
As 2015 came to an end, Lyle Divinsky had his immediate future pretty well mapped out. He was releasing his solo album Uneven Floors and getting ready to hit the road to promote the new music. Then everything changed: Divinsky was contacted by The Motet, a Funk band that suddenly found itself in need of…
Groucho Marx Arrives in Mount Adams
Groucho Marx once quipped, “Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light.” At the tender age of 9, actor Frank Ferrante was inspired by the light of Marx’s humor. “I was raised in a fairly repressed household,” he says, “a Catholic-Italian family. We played by the rules. To experience a Marx Brothers…
Losing a job after reporting an act of bigotry
A Kennedy Heights man is claiming in a lawsuit that he was fired by a Batavia company after repeatedly complaining about a racially offensive comment written on a toilet paper dispenser in a factory bathroom. The suit was filed last month in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati by Justin Evegan, who is black. Evegan alleges…
Third Lawsuit Alleges Retaliation by City Manager
A former superintendent of the City of Cincinnati’s Public Works Department today filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging he was fired for highlighting waste of tax dollars related to the use of third-party contractors. City Manager Harry Black is named in the lawsuit. The suit by Gary Colorez, hired in June this year and…
STAGE DOOR: Todd Almond to Return as Hedwig at Ensemble Theatre
New York performer/actor/composer — and CCM grad — Todd Almond was featured in a pop-up concert at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati on Wednesday evening with folksinger-songwriter Michelle Shocked. He’s in town for a production of his new play, The Earth Is Flat, onstage this weekend at his alma mater. (See story here.) It was great to hear…
Morning News: Simpson, Cranley debate one last time; study: Cincy’s Amazon bid not out of the question
Good morning all. Here’s some news for you today. It’s sad, I know, but with Nov. 7 breathing down our necks, we’re getting near the end of election season. Yesterday, Mayor John Cranley and Councilwoman Yvette Simpson had their last of more than a dozen debates (I’m sorry, “candidate forums”) on local NPR affiliate WVXU.…
Sound Advice: Brian Setzer Orchestra with The Texas Gentlemen (Nov. 14)
When you think of the yuletide season, Rockabilly and Swing music may not be the holiday soundtrack that first comes to mind. However, amid the Christmas clichés of carols, hymns and moldy standards stands a more uniquely invigorating listening experience for this time of year that’s fueled by those two elements — the Brian Setzer…
Sound Advice: Arkells with Irontom (Nov. 9)
Since 2006, Arkells has grown from a passionate young college Indie Rock band into a mature yet still visceral and engaging collective. Along the way, the group has been nominated for and won a number of Juno Awards, cementing its place in Canadian music history. Arkells' journey began at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, when…
Sound Advice: Adrian + Meredith (Nov. 8)
Detroit is a longstanding crucible for every type of musical experimentalism, from the sweet soulful truth of the Motown Records stable of talent to the howling heart-punch of The Stooges and MC5 to the cracked Blues mirror of The White Stripes. While East Nashville, Tenn. is a contemporary hotbed of musical activity, the majority of…
Woodward Theater Wins $150,000 Grant
Woodward Theater co-owner Dan McCabe says Cincinnatians know a bright idea when they hear one. Thanks to community support in a national online voting contest, the Woodward announced Thursday that it has won a $150,000 grant to recreate the venue’s 1913 electric marquee and fully light up one of Over-the-Rhine’s historic treasures. The Woodward finished…
Cranley Vetoes Council Tax Budget
Mayor John Cranley today vetoed a tax budget passed by Cincinnati City Council Jan. 6. That budget set the rate for property taxes in the city at 5.6 mills. Though the rate is the same as last year's, it could bring in more property tax revenue this year due to new development and other economic…
Morning News: mayoral race flooded with cash; UC professor apologizes for comments to Muslim student
Good morning all. Lots going on so let’s run through the news real quick-like. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County got a new trustee yesterday as it mulls a controversial move that could mean the sale of one of its downtown facilities. Hamilton County Commissioners voted to appoint Karen Clemons to the library’s…
