Love Horse-Drawn Carriage and Parades? Kick Off December in Lebanon
The 30th-annual Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and Festival is a self-explanatory holiday procession featuring strictly horse-drawn carriages with two parades this Saturday (Dec. 1): one at 1 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. Lebanon’s quaint downtown area will also be taken over by local food and craft vendors along Mulberry and Mechanic streets. Originally launched…
Don You Now Your Gawdiest Apparel for 16 Bit Bar+Arcade’s Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl
The human being is a social creature that craves safety in numbers. This fact is most evident during holiday-themed events like the third-annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl presented by Over-the-Rhine's 16 Bit Bar+Arcade, which returns this Saturday. While “ugly” is subjective, there’s no shortage of tacky holiday-themed sweaters that might not be at the height…
Celebrate ‘Dark Charge Day’ with Braxton Brewing in Honor of Its Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Stouts
A good beer is a great friend in these turbulent times and, sometimes, to overcome the darkness in your soul you must drink a beer that’s even darker. Braxton Brewing Company is celebrating the newest release of Dark Charge, its line of bourbon-barrel-aged Imperial Stouts. The Northern Kentucky brewery is so excited about the stouts,…
Comedian Pete Lee, Who Once Followed Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan (Voluntarily!), is Coming to Cincinnati
“I’ve spent most of my career on the road,” says comedian Pete Lee. “So, a few years ago, I decided to downshift and stay home in New York City and perform more and audition more.” That makes his upcoming appearance at the Funny Bone that much more special. “I just get to let loose. I’m…
Bundle Up and Find Some Unique Gifts at Northern Kentucky’s Covington Night Bazaar
It’s December, which means holiday-themed events are getting into full swing. And you might also need to do a little shopping (either starting or finishing up — who are we to judge?). The Covington Night Bazaar is back for its fourth year in a row this Saturday, Dec. 1. Local stores, food and booze will…
Visit Crafty Supermarket’s Holiday Edition at Music Hall for a Wealth of One-of-a-Kind Gift Ideas
Move over, Black Friday: 6,000 shoppers are expected at this weekend's holiday edition of the Crafty Supermarket pop-up handmade market, which boasts over 100 juried and hand-selected makers. Saturday's (Dec. 1) event takes place in Music Hall and includes a live DJ, local grub and vendors upon vendors to peruse for the perfect gift for…
A Group of Cincinnati Women Created Their Own Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon
In August, a group of local women led by mixologist and bar owner Molly Wellmann and Britney Ruby Miller of Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment traveled to Maker's Mark's distillery in Loretto, Ky. to tour the facilities, learn about the bourbon distilling process and create their own barrel of Maker's Mark Private Select bourbon. The barrel program…
Ignore the Bengals for a Few Days and Celebrate Cincinnati Baseball at RedsFest 2018
As we do so often in Cincinnati, when things are looking bad for one of our sports teams (cough Bengals cough), it's time to turn our attention to a different one. While baseball season may be over, RedsFest, “the official winter warm-up of the Cincinnati Reds,” returns this weekend to celebrate the upcoming 150th anniversary…
Explore OTR to the Sounds of Holiday Choral Music at Christmas Saengerfest
Cincinnati is the birthplace of Saengerfest in America, a German singing festival that took place in a temporary exhibition structure built on the current Music Hall property in the latter half of the 1800s. By 1870, the popular music festival consisted of almost 2,000 singers and more than 60 area choirs. Seven years ago, American…
Let’s Get Small: Art Academy’s Popular Annual ‘Minumental’ Exhibit Opens This Week
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is celebrating its approaching 150th birthday with the 31st annual Minumental exhibit, opening this Friday (Nov. 30). Original pieces created by local artists — who are either faculty, staff, students or alumni of the Art Academy — and sized no larger than 2-inches-by-2-inches will be for sale for one night…
OTR’s We Have Become Vikings is Transforming into a Twin Peaks Pop-Up Shop
Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup collides with ham. Except maybe these damn fine skateboards. Habitat Skateboards — along with We Have Become Vikings — are hosting a Twin Peaks pop-up shop, with skateboards, apparel and accessories based on the cult classic TV series. Board designs include a portrait of beloved Log Lady…
Talawanda Votes to Drop Native American ‘Braves’ Mascot
In a 3-2 vote last week, the Talawanda School District Board of Education elected to drop the high school’s Native American “Braves” mascot by removing the final letter. The Butler County high school will now be known as the “Brave,” a name meant no doubt to connote fortitude on and off the field. The school…
Subpoenas Issued in Cincinnati City Council Texting Case
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters has convened a grand jury to determine whether any of five Democratic Cincinnati City Council members broke laws in relation to text messages they sent during the tumult around the exit of then-Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black this spring. Hamilton County Sheriffs deputies last night attempted to deliver the subpoenas…
New Sonic Temple Hard Rock Fest in Columbus Announces Foo Fighters, System of a Down and Disturbed as 2019 Headliners
The lineup for the first Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival — set for May 17-19 at Columbus, Ohio’s Mapfre Stadium — has been announced and it’s a doozy, particularly for fans of hard and heavy Rock, but also for ones with open minds and tastes. Headliners announced for the inaugural three-day festival are Foo…
Monthly Literary Event Word of Mouth Cincinnati Celebrates Newly Published Collection of Poetry by Aralee Strange
For the November edition of Word of Mouth Cincinnati tonight (Nov. 27), the monthly literary event is moving from Over-the-Rhine’s MOTR Pub to the Woodward Theater, just across the street. The occasion is to celebrate a new collection of poems by longtime Over-the-Rhine resident Aralee Strange. Published by Dos Madres Press, The Road Itself is…
Holiday Junction Trains Keep A-Rollin’ at Cincinnati Museum Center
Trains captivated the American psyche when they first appeared in early 19th century, ultimately becoming a pervasive element in art, literature, film and music (even after automobile and air travel facilitated their decline). That same allure translated to toy trains when they were introduced in 1896 by Cincinnati’s Carlisle & Finch Company. Initially, a model…
Cincinnati Native Doug Yeager Returns to UC with the Documentary ‘Free to Rock’
Documentary film Free to Rock explores the powerful and lasting impact music — Rock & Roll in particular — has on social movements. Directed by Jim Brown and narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, the 60-minute film will be screened Nov. 30 at the University of Cincinnati’s MainStreet Cinema. A Q&A session will follow with Cincinnati native…
Minimum Gauge: Indie Rock Giants The National Continue Their Mission to Become Thanksgiving Music Icons with New Song and Music Video
HOT: Holiday Music Icons in the Making Compared to the holidays that bookend it — Halloween and Christmas — Thanksgiving doesn’t seem to lend itself to “holiday songs.” But the purely American holiday does have a few big boosters besides Adam Sandler, whose “The Thanksgiving Song” has cornered the underserved market ever since it was…
Waiting for ‘The Nutcracker’? Catch Another Tchaikovsky Classic, ‘Swan Lake,’ This Week at Taft Theatre
While you wait for Cincinnati Ballet’s annual presentation of The Nutcracker (Dec. 13-24) to take over Music Hall, see another one of Tchaikovsky’s classics — Swan Lake — at the Taft Theatre. The Ukraine’s National Ballet Theatre of Odessa brings 55 dancers to the United States on the troupe’s first tour of America to perform…
Notable Regional Books for 2018
A “regional book” can be defined broadly (the author is from Cleveland) or narrowly (it could be about University of Cincinnati’s history). As a result, in any given year there are many to choose from. Thus, this survey of 2018’s most notable regional books is necessarily selective. To me, the most significant 2018 book of…
Break Up That Endless Loop of the Film Version on TV and See ‘A Christmas Story’ Live and Onstage in Covedale
“You’ll shoot yer eye out, kid.” Embrace the alluring glow of the leg lamp during Covedale Center for the Performing Arts’ production of A Christmas Story. If you’re like me, you probably watch the classic holiday movie in your PJs every year on Christmas Eve, but beginning this Thursday, Nov. 29 you can catch the…
Celebrate “A Sunnydale Christmas” with Trailer Park Boys in Cincinnati This Week
Cincinnati is about to get real greasy. The troublemakers from Sunnyvale Trailer Park are stopping by the Queen City to spread some holiday cheer, which in this case means liquor, dope, pepperoni and cheeseburgers. Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and Randy are coming straight from the hit show Trailer Park Boys and there’s no telling whether Santa…
Sneak a Peek at Weston Art Gallery’s Two New Exhibits
Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery welcomes two new exhibits at the tail-end of November: Rhizome and Synthetica. Located within the Aronoff Center for the Arts, become witness as the newly-christened art pieces claim the space. As a whole, they range in style and meaning — many are made through untraditional means and…
Cincinnati’s Tent City Fight is Part of Larger National Debate
Standing near a large window that looks out on Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine from long-time advocacy hub the Peaslee Center, Patrick Chin talks with attendees at a just-finished news conference — his first ever, he says. He has a freshly-buzzed head, crisp fleece sweatshirt and detailed explanations about subjects like the excellence of Starbucks’ filtered water.…
Rock Legends KISS to Bring Their Final Tour Ever to Cincinnati Next Year
Local KISS fans upset that Cincinnati wasn't on the list of cities named when the band announced its final tour dates on Halloween can pull the facepaint back out of the closet. Today the band announced it would bring its End of the Road tour to Riverbend Music Center on Aug. 29. Tickets for KISS's…
REVIEW: Women are in Charge in Know’s ‘Susan Swayne’
Some unexpected twists and surprising turns are encountered in Know Theatre’s production of Reina Hardy’s Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride. First off, the stage looks nothing like the usual off-kilter sets typically employed at Know. In fact, there’s a proscenium frame with a red velvet curtain that opens to reveal a two-dimensional scene of…
Watch “Forever,” the New Music Video for Cincinnati Hip Hop Artist Ronin Halloway’s Collaborative Track with Audley and Papa Gora
Last night (Nov. 25), Ronin Halloway joined fellow Cincinnati Hip Hop artists Patterns of Chaos, Devin Burgess and others onstage during Triiibe’s performance a the 2018 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards at Memorial Hall. One of the highlights of the night (Triiibe ultimately won the CEAs for Artist of the Year and Hip Hop), for Halloway and his…
Big Local Music Love Once Again at the 2018 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards
On Nov. 25, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony took place at Over-the-Rhine's Memorial Hall. The show was founded by CityBeat 21 years ago to pay tribute to the local music-makers who make Greater Cincinnati’s music scene so amazing. There were great performances by local artists and award presentation in 19 categories, but the overall theme…
Indie Folk Darlings The Lone Bellow Strip Down and Cover The National Ahead of Intimate Acoustic Show in Cincinnati
The formation of The Lone Bellow seven years ago seems like a star-crossed event. Guitarist/vocalist Brian Elmquist was a solo artist in Nashville who played regular gigs and recorded three albums, while mandolinist/vocalist Kanene Pipkin was living, performing and teaching music lessons in Beijing, China. Guitarist/vocalist Zach Williams had the most terrifying journey; during his…
Springboro AltRock Band This Pine Box Embodies Late Radio Outlet WNKU’s Dedication to Local and Independent Music
If there was ever any doubt concerning late Greater Cincinnati radio station WNKU’s ability to have an impact on a band’s trajectory toward success, one need only examine the recent arc of one of the station’s last promotional efforts for rootsy regional AltRock outfit This Pine Box. The band’s seeds were planted in their hometown…
Cincinnati Funk Superhero Freekbass Invites You to Get Down at His Annual Post-Turkey-Day “Funksgiving” Concert
On Oct. 3, keyboardist Joel “Razor Sharp” Johnson — who had played with Cincinnati Funk artist Freekbass’ band The Bump Assembly for the past three years (and appeared in the “Steppin Outta Line” video this summer) — died following surgery for a heart problem. Among other gigs, Johnson had also frequently collaborated with hometown Funk…
Open Your Ears: A Locals’ Guidebook to Greater Cincinnati Music
Does the lead up to the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards have you excited to explore the local music scene, but you don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’re interested in dipping your toes into a new genre, but don’t know who the major players in Greater Cincinnati are? Or maybe you’re new to town and…
REVIEW: Amazon’s ‘Homecoming’ Will Mess With Your Head
Conspiracy theories have long existed in fringe circles, but this type of thinking has become more mainstream in recent years, whether it’s being spouted by world leaders or used as an explanation for atrocities in society. And while these ideas are flawed and often false, they open a line of questioning: Do you trust the…
Arts Center Presents Amended Plans for Facility in Cincinnati’s Burnet Woods
The Clifton Cultural Arts Center is still considering a new home in the neighborhood's Burnet Woods, one of Cincinnati's largest and most-loved parks. But the locations it is mulling and the dimensions of the building it is considering have changed. The organization has been on the hunt for a new site since it lost the…
Recommended Greater Cincinnati Concerts for the Week of Nov. 21-27
WEDNESDAY 21 20TH CENTURY THEATER–Sixth Annual Benefit for the Oakley Food Pantry featuring Noah Smith. 8 p.m. Country. $10, $15 day of show (bring canned goods). ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL–The Tillers. 9 p.m. Folk. Free. BOGART’S–Grunge Fest with Lift The Medium, STP2, Hollow and Seven Circle Sunrise. 7 p.m. Rock/Grunge. $15. CAFFÈ VIVACE–Blue Wisp Big…
Between Globetrotting Dates with Macklemore, Cincinnati’s Eric Nally Has Been Plotting His Latest Recording Project, ‘Full Moon’
Since 2004 or so, there have been two distinct Eric Nallys. One is a soft-spoken husband and father, a guy who values his privacy and his downtime with family. Without his trademark dyed-black hair, he was almost indistinguishable among the regulars who roamed the Yeatman’s Cove/Sawyer Point area during Bunbury four years ago, shepherding his…
