Art: Meddling With Nature at Prairie Gallery
Never before have I seen such a menagerie in an art gallery. An iridescent blue peacock, its feathers spreading at least 8 feet, stands in full glory near the entrance to Prairie gallery in Northside. Two other peacocks — one leucistic (white), the other a rare bronze variety — perch on columns, their tails cascading…
Art: A Global Affair at The Carnegie
Multi-show openings at the Carnegie Arts Center expand in a new direction Friday with Andrea Kay’s performance of Flutterby in the Otto M. Budig Theatre at 8 p.m. Kay combines her drawings, watercolors and a narrative into a dramatic presentation created when her father was dying of Alzheimer’s for “a reflection of how each of…
Music: Michael Franti & Spearhead
Michael Franti has been ruffling the feathers of the music industry for over 20 years now and he shows no signs of slowing down in the new millennium. Franti began in the mid-1980s with his first band, The Beatnigs, which scored a couple of releases on Alternative Tentacles before breaking up. In 1991, Franti and…
Bobby Mackey’s Music World
Directions Take I-75 south into Kentucky to exit 191, the Twelfth Street/Covington exit. Follow the road straight until you get to KY-1120 East/West Twelfth Street. Turn left onto West Twelfth Street. Follow this road for a little more than a mile and then turn right onto Brighton Street. Then turn right again onto West Twelfth…
Comedy: Henry Phillips
Henry Phillips didn’t always want to be a comedian. He started out in show biz as a serious singer/songwriter. However, to get people to pay attention in the coffeehouses and other small venues, he would drop in silly lyrics. “I’ve been writing melodies since I was 8 years old and didn’t have any content for…
Events: Chicken Lays an Egg Zombie Party
The Zombie Invasion Network of North America (ZINNA) released an alarming report this week revealing that the deadly, flesh-eating virus known as Solanum (a.k.a. Zombie Virus) has finally touched down in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Investigators determined the site of contamination to be Northside’s vintage clothing boutique Chicken Lays an Egg, located at 1608 Chase…
Film: 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King Esquire Opening
Remember Pete Rose the baseball player, the unparalleled competitor who played nearly every inning of every game for more than two decades and got more hits than anyone in Major League Baseball history? It's been nearly a quarter century since Rose put on a Cincinnati Reds uniform. An entire generation has grown up knowing more…
Onstage: You Can’t Take It With You at Playhouse
There’s a good reason that Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s comedy won awards including the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and has had countless productions in the intervening eight decades: It’s a classic comedy with a good heart. In fact, I think it could be seen as a forerunner of today’s TV sitcoms: A funny…
Music: Chakras
When Andrea Simler DeGolier and her husband relocated to Cincinnati from Buffalo, N.Y., in 1996, she left behind the successful regional band Kama Sutra and a burgeoning scene. After several projects that didn’t quite gel, DeGolier decided in late 2007 to take one last stab at putting together a Cincinnati band. “It took a long…
Events: Carnival Noir
The third annual Carnival Noir rolls back into town this Friday with another dark tale of woe. Zahara’s Bellydance Fusion & Gothic Bellydance welcome Draconia and Loren the Black's return as your on-screen, devilish guides for a night of voodoo and vice, complete with tarot readers, make-up artists, vendors and more. Special performances by Bollywood…
Onstage: Thurgood at ETC
Before the opening performance of Thurgood, director Lynn Meyers invited to the stage retired Federal Judge Nathaniel Jones, who knew the eminent attorney and Supreme Court justice. As a child in Youngstown, Ohio, Jones met the civil rights activist during times that were troubling and exhilarating. He recalled people exclaiming optimistically, “Thurgood’s coming.” Moments later…
Music: World Music Fest
Jules Verne needed 80 days to travel around the world, but Saturday you’ll be able to make the trip (culturally, at least) in about 10 hours as the World Music Fest returns for its fourth annual celebration of global music, dance and culture. Part of Covington’s month-long “Full Spectrum” arts celebration, World Music Fest takes…
Events: Addams Family Gay BINGO
What do you think of when your eyes pass over the word bingo? If you haven’t fallen asleep already, you’re probably close. What bingo needs is a little shot in the arm, a little pizazz, a little spark. Maybe a game with an Addams Family theme perhaps? How about easily accessible alcohol during the event?…
Onstage: Dracula at Cincinnati Shakespeare
Abraham Van Helsing insists all men are madmen. This theory might help explain why, as hard as he works to kill Count Dracula — garlic, crucifixes, the nasty business of turning the Nosferatu torso into a Transylvanian shish kabob — theatre artists work even harder, October after October, to bring the vampire back to life.…
Walton Creek Theater
Directions From downtown Cincinnati, take Columbia Parkway/US-50 east. After following this road for ten miles, you will go through the town of Mariemont. Just past Mariemont, where the road is no longer divided by a grassy median, turn left onto Walton Creek Road. You cannot miss the theater; it is the creepy-looking building directly in…
Sleeper’s Hill Sedamsville Woods
Directions From downtown Cincinnati, take US-50 west. Just past the first gas station you see, you’ll find Fairbanks Road. Turn right. There is a park at the corner of Fairbanks and Route 50. Sleeper’s Hill is the wooded hill directly behind this park. History In the 1950s a man whose last name was Sleeper lived…
Onstage: Cincinnati Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty
Devon Carney is tired, but somehow he doesn’t look the part. The associate artistic director for Cincinnati Ballet has been putting in roughly 16-hour days recently. All these efforts go toward the company’s upcoming production — ironically, Sleeping Beauty. When I playfully suggest he’d be a sleeping beauty when this is over, Carney chuckles and…
Greening the Media
Like any field, environmentalism has its own jargon that's easily understood by advocates but can be incomprehensible to the average person. That dichotomy can be a major challenge for newspapers, television programs, radio stations and Web sites that want to broaden the public's knowledge about green issues. Even terms like "LEED Certified" and acronyms like…
CEA Music Nominees Announced
The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs) for local theater ended with August’s final awards ceremony, but the CEAs for music still are going strong. The nominees for the 14th annual event are in, and your votes determine the winners in 16 public categories. Three Critical Achievement categories are decided by the CEA nominating committee. This year’s…
Music: David Rhodes Brown Album Release Party
There was a time when David Rhodes Brown was one of the hottest guitarists in town. He began as a teenager, playing in a string of garage bands (“I was singing ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ before I even knew what it was,” he says), which led to a succession of Alternative Rock/Punk outfits. In…
Art: Cedric Michael Cox at Weston Gallery
In Ascending Horizons — one of three exhibitions currently on view at the Weston Art Gallery — Cedric Michael Cox presents a densely hung, ambitious collection of paintings and the interesting drawings that accompany them. The gallery is packed, echoing Cox’s iconography of boxes, grids and architectural motifs Cox uses to interpret the Italianate architecture…
Music: The Soft Pack
When vocalist/guitarist Matt Lamkin, guitarist Matty McLoughlin, bassist David Lantzman and drummer Brian Hill first assembled three years ago in San Diego, they christened themselves The Muslims, which could be construed as either extremely shrewd, funny or stupid, depending on your perspective. In any event, ignorance and racism won the day and the foursome were…
Events: Cincinnati Chocolate Festival
Willy Wonka doesn’t have anything on this weekend’s sweetest event, the Cincinnati Chocolate Festival. Bring your little ones and your Grandpa Joes to Sunday’s community-wide festival designed for finger-lickers of all ages. Feel your taste buds smile as they experience the delights of over 24 chocolate vendors including SugarPlums Cupcakery and Queen City Cookies. Let…
Attractions: Mount Healthy Haunted Hall
A blackout maze, original characters and props make the Mount Healthy Haunted Hall a terrifically fun, old-school haunted house. There are no animatronics or high-tech tricks. Instead, the Hall is filled with an enthusiastic troop of volunteer spooks who chase, cajole and surprise the screams out of their guests. $10 per person with a $2…
David Rhodes in Browngrass
There was a time when David Rhodes Brown was one of the hottest guitarists in town. He began as a teenager, playing in a string of garage bands (“I was singing ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ before I even knew what it was,” he says), which led to a succession of Alternative Rock/Punk outfits. In…
Events: Dalai Lama at Duke Energy Center
His holiness the Dalai Lama will travel to Cincinnati to accept the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s International Freedom Conductor Award. This award honors those whose actions public and private reflect the spirit and courageous actions of the Underground Railroad conductors. The recipients of the IFCA are contemporary individuals who have made significant contributions to…
Price Hill Potter’s Field
Directions Take I-75 to the Harrison Avenue exit. At the exit, follow the signs to Queen City Avenue. Follow Queen City up the hill for a couple miles and then turn left at the traffic light onto Sunset Avenue. Follow Sunset until you get to Guerley Road and then turn right onto Guerley. A half-mile…
Events: Brush Factory Ice Cream Social
The Brush Factory, Cincinnati’s retail and production outlet that pays homage to the arts & crafts movement with unique hand-crafted apparel and home goods, is celebrating its new Oakley storefront with an ice cream social — and a twist. This old-fashioned ice cream archetype gets a modern update by replacing the traditional dairy-based treat with…
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Michael Franti has been ruffling the feathers of the music industry for over 20 years now and he shows no signs of slowing down in the new millennium. Franti began in the mid-1980s with his first band, The Beatnigs, which scored a couple of releases on Alternative Tentacles before breaking up. In 1991, Franti and…
Dracula (Review)
Abraham Van Helsing insists all men are madmen. This theory might help explain why, as hard as he works to kill Count Dracula — garlic, crucifixes, the nasty business of turning the Nosferatu torso into a Transylvanian shish kabob — theater artists work even harder, October after October, to bring the vampire back to life.…
World Music Fest
Jules Verne needed 80 days to travel around the world, but Saturday you’ll be able to make the trip (culturally, at least) in about 10 hours as the World Music Fest returns for its fourth annual celebration of global music, dance and culture. Part of Covington’s month-long “Full Spectrum” arts celebration, World Music Fest takes…
The Soft Pack with Kurt Vile & The Violators and Purling Hiss
When vocalist/guitarist Matt Lamkin, guitarist Matty McLoughlin, bassist David Lantzman and drummer Brian Hill first assembled three years ago in San Diego, they christened themselves The Muslims, which could be construed as either extremely shrewd, funny or stupid, depending on your perspective. In any event, ignorance and racism won the day and the foursome were…
Jackass 3D (Review)
Johnny Knoxville and his merry band of juvenile thirtysomething buddies — including Steve-O, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Wee Man and Chris Pontius — are back, inflicting all kinds of masochistic mayhem on each other, much of it in three glorious dimensions. Longtime Jackass maestro Jeff Tremaine again directs this third film version of the TV series…
Friday Movie Roundup: Apathy Is Not an Option
Our movie-house winning streak continues, as this week delivers yet another collection of worthwhile options — from Davis Guggenheim's eye-opening documentary Waiting for Superman and Sam Taylor-Wood's John Lennon docudrama Nowhere Boy to the latest works from the irrepressible Jackass crew and the ceaselessly prolific Woody Allen. Even the right-wing “documentary” about the role government…
Waiting for Superman (Review)
Documentarian Davis Guggenheim delivers the same level of cultural awareness about American education myths as his film An Inconvenient Truth brought forth regarding global warming. The filmmakers methodically introduce America's systemic public education crisis with data and graphs that show how the majority of U.S. high schools have become "Drop-Out Factories." With U.S. students coming…
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (Review)
It seems now that if you wander the streets of any major city outside the United States (London and Barcelona have become his favorite homes away from home), you run the risk of bumping into the displaced New York City neuroses of Woody Allen or his ever-changing cast of dopplegangers. I have to say I…
Events: Cincinnati Film Festival Awards Gala
Every year, the culmination of the CFF is the Awards Gala, 7 p.m. Friday night at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine. Ohio native and comedian Steve Caminiti, who Showtime has called the "Funniest Person in Ohio," will host the event. The Awards Ceremony and Gala features the presentation of more than a dozen CFF Jury and…
Red (Review)
Here's another pound of cautionary proof supporting the theorem that "story is about thoroughness, not shortcuts." Director Robert Shwentke's adaptation of a DC Comics action/comedy graphic novel is nothing but a series of creaky narrative half-steps. The result leaves no cohesive story in which an audience can invest. Bruce Willis plays a lonely retired CIA…
Thurgood (Review)
Critic's Pick Before the opening performance of Thurgood, director Lynn Meyers invited to the stage retired Federal Judge Nathaniel Jones, who knew the eminent attorney and Supreme Court justice. As a child in Youngstown, Ohio, Jones met the civil rights activist during times that were troubling and exhilarating. He recalled people exclaiming optimistically, “Thurgood’s coming.”…
Stage Door: Kathy Y at ETC
During several of the years I spent at CityBeat as arts and entertainment editor, I sat just a few feet away from Kathy Y. Wilson. She was an indisputable force of nature: When she arrived in the office, the otherwise quiet room full of writers exploded with her raucous laughter, challenging dialogue and outspoken presence.…
Local Gay Rights Group Intolerant of Dissent
In an old episode of the sitcom Will & Grace, the male half of the titular pair scoffed when his flighty pal, Jack, said the gay mafia was out to get him for booting one of his well-connected students out of an acting class. “Jack! Enough,” Will shouts near the episode's end. “There is no…
Nowhere Boy (Review)
Everyone knows John Lennon, the smart Beatle, the tough realist opposite the sunnier Paul McCartney in the famous songwriting partnership. Lennon's the one who broke up the world’s greatest Rock & Roll band so that he could go off and attempt to fulfill his utopian musical dreams with Yoko Ono. He was also the first…
ETC a Premiere Organization
A small investment can make a big difference. In August 1986, with $200 in hand, several aspiring theater artists produced three one-act plays at Memorial Hall. Success inspired them to create Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC). Two years later arts patrons Murph and Ken Mahler and Ruth and John Sawyer financed the purchase of an…
Fresh Table Makes Findlay Market Even Greener
Local. Organic. Sustainable. Memo to self: Head to Findlay Market for gourmet “green” prepared dishes from Fresh Table, the new stand across from Busch’s Country Corner. Fresh Table is the brainchild of first-time business owners Meredith Trombly and Louis Snowden. They spent the past five years with bigg’s, Trombly as the organic buyer and Snowden…
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride
When peering into the cold, starry sky from the Sandyland wagon, you really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere or, more specifically, somewhere you shouldn’t be. Trespassers are treated to a slow-moving creepmobile trip through a haunted cornfield and woods. Not that you’d want to get off — imagine the walk back! Stalks…
Introducing Cincinnati Haunted Handbook
My two greatest interests are, first, the paranormal and, second, history. The reason I have placed these two fields of study in this order is because, essentially, this is the order that they became my top interests. In 2005, I lived near a road in Cincinnati that was reputed to be haunted. I cannot explain…
Oct. 6-12: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY OCT. 6 The Cincinnati Reds today ended their 15-year hiatus from the playoffs by getting no-hit by a man who skirted NAFTA regulations and got traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies last offseason. Keeping alive the longstanding tradition of Cincinnati's sports fans being football kicker Charlie Brown and Cincinnati's teams…
Springboro Haunted Hayride
As a huge combine with jagged teeth on its blades bears down on your haywagon at the Springboro Haunted Hayride, the Covington “cut in the hill” at rush hour suddenly doesn’t seem so bad anymore. It’s only the last of a gauntlet of vehicles, ranging from a flame-belching quasi-hearse with zombies leaning out of the…
Beaver Creek Wildlife Area Hike
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 1 mileConfiguration: LollipopDifficulty: EasyScenery: Woods, wet woods, river and floodplainExposure: Shaded and full sunTraffic: Moderate to heavyTrail Surface: Boardwalk, gravel, and grassHiking Time: 30 minutesDriving Distance: 1.25 hours north of CincinnatiSeason: Year-roundAccess: Sunrise-sunsetMaps: USGS Beaver CreekWheelchair Accessible: Boardwalk is accessible but a gravel/grass area near the kiosk might not be passable…
Europa (Review)
The Palmieris, the family most recently behind Angelina Fine Foods in Findlay Market, have another venture that has been flying a little below the radar since opening last June: Europa. Located in the heart of Covington’s MainStrasse area, the restaurant brings a taste of the old countries to Northern Kentucky. Europa’s ambience won’t exactly transport…
St. Rita’s Haunted House
The old farmhouse on the hill behind St. Rita’s continues to terrorize Greater Cincinnati hauntgoers. This season the path through the 20-plus scene attraction has been completely changed with many refurbished rooms, including a well-done expanded Klown area. As with most charity haunts, the attraction is driven by its young volunteer actors, an army of…
What Does Acclaim Mean?
In August it was announced that CityBeat’s longtime Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs) for theater would join forces with the Acclaims, another local theater recognition program. Since the season began last month, I have worked closely with Acclaims’ volunteers, including Cincinnati Enquirer theater critic and Acclaims founder Jackie Demaline, to evolve and improve the program in…
Showing Off Cincinnati’s Roadfood Scene (Part 2)
During his recent visit to Cincinnati, Michael Stern — who explores regional food for books (Roadfood) and public radio’s The Splendid Table with ex-wife Jane Stern — told me Aglamesis ice cream was on his must-try list, so we head to Oakley to visit the shop. “It seems like when you say you’re coming to…
The USS Nightmare
Many board the Captain’s boat, and few leave unchanged. The USS Nightmare stands out as the region’s most original and bizarre attraction. A godawful crew of scum fill this antique tub, and every one of them is out for your blood. Elaborate and authentic, the tour includes a treks over two grated catwalks, circling the…
Kim Taylor: Miracle Worker
Kim Taylor is not content with a single dream. Her desire to live off her musical endeavors has largely been fulfilled with a steady stream of physical and digital releases (the latest being the gorgeously sparse Little Miracle) and the required supporting gigs, an increased profile from advantageous song placements on television shows (including One…
Procter & Gamble and Mayor Mark Mallory
[WINNER] PROCTER & GAMBLE: The maker of household goods has long been a fine corporate citizen here in its hometown, whether it's by donating to charities or bringing fresh, creative young talent to live in the Queen City. The latest example is P&G's support for the city's expanded recycling program. To help boost participation just…
Retracing History’s Steps
A fraternity at Miami University is trying to break the stereotypes of Greek life by hosting a walk that will support the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity holds its first Freedom Walk on Friday and Saturday. The 40-mile walk will follow the historical Underground Railroad route that was traveled by…
Emil Mallat [Total Juice Plus]
Total Juice Plus (631 Vine St., Downtown, 513-784-1666) has been serving natural fruit smoothies, wraps and fresh squeezed juices to the weekday downtown population for over a decade. Emil Mallat has been the owner for the past six years. With only two other employees, he does it all — from cooking, cleaning and managing to…
Reintegrating Into Society
Rejoining society once you have a felony conviction on your record can be a smothering burden. From diminished job opportunities to housing problems and other legal entanglements, it can be a disheartening struggle, one that can lead to disenfranchisement and apathy. With one group of ex-felons taking the lead, though, that's changing locally. In September,…
Land of Illusion
This haunted theme park combines five individual, full-sized haunts with a large courtyard complete with a bonfire, snack bar and the Club Zombie dance party. Club Zombie — the new teen-focused rave among the cornfields — is mostly a spectacle if you’re over 25 but looked to be great fun for the high school kids.…
Mount Notre Dame High School
Directions Take I-75 north to Ronald Reagan Highway east to the Ridge Road exit. Turn north onto Ridge Road (left if you’re headed east on Ronald Reagan, right if you’re headed west on Ronald Reagan). Ridge Road will angle slightly to the left and change its name to East Columbia Avenue. The high school will…
Oso Good Start
Covington-based rockers Oso Bear celebrate the release of their debut, a self-titled, six-song EP, this Saturday at The Mad Hatter. Opening the show are Mad Anthony, Swear Jar, The Zach Burns Band and The JC Four. At varying times, Oso Bear’s sound resembles early Indie Rock, pre-trendy Grunge, Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Punk and Garage…
The Dungeons of Delhi
The 2010 Dungeons are celebrating “The Year of the Crazy,” and they’re taking it to heart. From the Klowns to the body bags to the frenzied sorties The Keeper mounts on the crowd, you’ll be treated to a high energy haunt that has no dead spots. Using a large crew (up to 50) of youthful…
Harrison Avenue’s Dead Man’s Curve
Directions Take I-74 west to exit 7. Turn right (north) onto 128, toward the gas stations and Wendy’s. Take 128 through Miamitown until you get to Harrison Avenue. Turn left onto Harrison Avenue. From where the road begins to curve in front of the Village Pump Antique store up to the point where it straightens…
Daytripping (or in this case, Nighttripping)
The Paranormal Pub CrawlThe Best Spirits in Town! 1st Stop – Shimmers Ballroom and Tavern2nd Stop – Bobby Mackey’s Music World3rd Stop – Southgate House4th Stop – Crow’s Nest5th Stop – Smokin’ Monkey6th Stop – Habit’s CaféFinal Stop – Latitudes(Remember, do not drive drunk. The city has enough ghosts. We don’t want you making more.)…
Kings Island Halloween Haunt
As the all-you-can-eat buffet of Halloween experiences, there are both advantages and drawbacks to the Halloween Haunt. In terms of overall value, especially for season pass holders (buy a 2011 season pass and you get one free admission to the Haunt), you can’t beat it. A dozen haunted attractions, free midget wrestling, a sexy vampire…
Josh Eagle’s Sweet ‘Teeth’
He calls Cincinnati music a “wild dog.” Although Josh Eagle (vocals, guitar, harmonica) spent time in Hawaii last year, he’s back in Northside, living like a poet in a house in the woods where he creates. With a fresh album out (Show Your Teeth), he seems serious and engaged. Tall and wiry, he kicks back…
Taft Museum of Art
Directions Located in downtown Cincinnati, the Taft is a few blocks from the center of the city. Follow Fifth Street east (it’s one way) until just past the Taft Theater. Turn right onto Pike Street. The Taft Museum of Art will be on your left. There is a parking garage behind the building. History This…
The Dent Schoolhouse
The Schoolhouse is one hell of a haunt. Josh, Bud and Chuck (owner operators/Board of Deaducation) have assembled a slick horror-movie-style production. Period antiques, authentic materials such as a lunch counter and overhead projector and fine attention to detail make the experience immersive. It’s a real schoolhouse, and it really feels like a trip to…
Halloween Events Listings
Bar Events Who Dey Halloween Funday Sunday: Halloween-themed tailgate action with Cincinnati Bengals vs. Miami Dolphins on the tube. 1 p.m. Oct. 31. BlackFinn (19 E. Seventh St.) and Lodge Bar (35 E. Seventh St.), Downtown, 513-721-9400. Bulldog’s Halloween Bash: Delivers excitement and prizes for the scariest, sexiest and best dead celebrity costumes. Judged by…
Coney Island
Directions Take I-471 south to I-275 east. Take I-275 to the Kellogg Avenue exit near the Ohio River on the east side of the city. Turn right (east) on Kellogg. Coney Island will be on your right. History Between 1500 and 2000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians frequented the land that is today Coney Island.…
The Chamber of Horrors
The Chambers of Horror comes to you this year in 3-D … Demons, Darkness and Doors, that is. Boasting 33 scenes and 100 doors, they offer hauntgoers ample opportunity to land in hot water. Or inside the walk-in freezer of a family of psychos whose scion warns that “anyone touchin’ muh wives is gonna be…
Strange, Beautiful
Five a.m. Dear God. Often, that’s how I begin journal entries. And so begins this one to you. Dear God, where’s J? Miss you, bro. Gonna caulk my tub today. Damn, can’t stop thinking about that kid who jumped from the GW Bridge. Could’ve been me a while back. Amy’s frozen meals on sale. God.…
Mount Healthy Haunted Hall
The Hall is my favorite charity haunt, combining old-school DIY haunted house design with an awesome volunteer cast. The actors have a lot of heart and inspire plenty of screams. Unique features include an extra-long backwards-spinning vortex tunnel and a turntable floor that almost knocks you off your feet. The journey offers a zombie chase,…
