Music: Circa Survive
There is much wisdom that can be gleaned from the Toms. Tom Petty taught us long ago to listen to our hearts, because “it’s gonna tell (us) what to do. And Tom Cruise reminded us eloquently and succinctly, “Sometimes you’ve just gotta say, ‘What the fuck, make your move.’ ” Eleven years ago, Anthony Green…
Sound Advice: Circa Survive with RX Bandits and Citizen
There is much wisdom that can be gleaned from the Toms. Tom Petty taught us long ago to listen to our hearts, because “it’s gonna tell (us) what to do. And Tom Cruise reminded us eloquently and succinctly, “Sometimes you’ve just gotta say, ‘What the fuck, make your move.’ ” Eleven years ago, Anthony Green…
Music: Vanessa Carlton
Loving Vanessa Carlton comes with baggage. Not as much as if you were a Hanson fan. But there’s still something people find scoffable about the “A Thousand Miles” songstress. While she’s certainly grown up and expanded her sound in the 14 years since that first hit single, it’s the song that will continue to haunt…
Sound Advice: Vanessa Carlton with Joshua Hyslop
Loving Vanessa Carlton comes with baggage. Not as much as if you were a Hanson fan. But there’s still something people find scoffable about the “A Thousand Miles” songstress. While she’s certainly grown up and expanded her sound in the 14 years since that first hit single, it’s the song that will continue to haunt…
Music: GRiZ
Though he had more of a history in the EDM world, you can draw some parallels between jack-of-many-trades Grant Kwiecinski (aka GRiZ) and Mark “Uptown Funk” Ronson. Both began as successful DJs and both are noted for their work with electronics and in production. And both gravitated toward a more organic, live-instrumentation-based sound as their…
Sound Advice: GRiZ with Russ Liquid and Muzzy Bearr
Though he had more of a history in the EDM world, you can draw some parallels between jack-of-many-trades Grant Kwiecinski (aka GRiZ) and Mark “Uptown Funk” Ronson. Both began as successful DJs and both are noted for their work with electronics and in production. And both gravitated toward a more organic, live-instrumentation-based sound as their…
Music: The Lone Bellow
After honing its Country/Roots/Americana skills as Zach Williams and the Bellow, the band (with Williams on guitar and vocals, Kanene Pipkin on mandolin, bass and vocals and Brian Elmquist, also on guitar and vocals) rechristened itself The Lone Bellow. The group added a full complement of backing players and notched a number of impressive opening…
Sound Advice: The Lone Bellow with Anderson East and Hugh Masterson
After honing its Country/Roots/Americana skills as Zach Williams and the Bellow, the band (with Williams on guitar and vocals, Kanene Pipkin on mandolin, bass and vocals and Brian Elmquist, also on guitar and vocals) rechristened itself The Lone Bellow. The group added a full complement of backing players and notched a number of impressive opening…
Local Musicians Do It Up for Halloween
With Halloween falling on Saturday this year, pretty much every club you go to this weekend is going to be having a Halloween party, most likely with a “Halloween costume contest” component. My recommendation — scheme up the most kick-ass costume you can and then hit up 15 or so bars and see if you…
Ridin’ Wordy
C raig Finn writes songs. He can’t help it, and he isn’t stopping anytime soon. Best known as the frontman for The Hold Steady, Finn has been delivering his detailed, word-addled songs about everyday people and places for more than two decades, a tradition he continues with his recently released second solo album, the eclectic…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all! Here’s the news today. It’s a nasty, rainy pre-Halloween mess out there, so gather ‘round the warm, cozy glow of your computer screen and I’ll tell you some scary stories. Mostly about politics. • Cincinnati City Council’s Law and Public Safety Committee yesterday discussed a possible ban on panhandling near schools. You can…
Mad River Rising (Review)
Walk into the Marx Theatre at the Cincinnati Playhouse for Mad River Rising and you’ll be in a different world, the hayloft of an ancient Ohio barn. (It’s an engaging design by Jeff Modereger.) The farm’s decline is reflected in this timeworn structure. Hand-hewn beams and planks don’t look as sturdy as they surely once…
Halloween Haunts
It's almost the end of haunted house season here in the Tristate, which means you only have a week or so left to scare the crap out of yourself at freaky local attractions. Whether you’re looking for thrills, chills or something a little more family-friendly, this list has you covered, including an intensity guide to help you find just the…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning, everyone! Here are your morning headlines. • The Cincinnati Park Board is using private endowments donated to the board nine years ago by a private individual to give its top executives some pretty sweet perks. Records obtained by The Enquirer show that executive director Willie Carden is given a car allowance of $12,000 a year…
Noon News and Stuff
Happy Friday, Cincinnati! Here are your headlines. • Mayor Cranley has hit a few more speed bumps on his proposed city park tax levy. The Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati has come out against his proposed levy after initially taking a neutral position. The group changed its mind after a letter by nine board members suggested that Cranley had access to how the…
Stage Door: Buying and Selling — Lots of Theater Options
You’ll find a lot of good theater choices this weekend — Death of a Salesman at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is fine, moving production of a classic drama, while Ensemble Theatre has a hit with its one-man comedy, Buyer and Cellar, about a guy managing a shopping mall in Barbra Streisand’s basement. Here’s a review that provides my comments…
Your Weekend To Do List (10/23-10/25)
FRIDAY ATTRACTIONS: THE ART OF THE BRICKMillions of LEGO bricks are taking over the Cincinnati Museum Center. Anticipated exhibit The Art of the Brick features more than 100 artworks created by contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya using nothing other than LEGOs. Explore life-size human figures, a 20-foot-long T-Rex skeleton and replicated famous paintings, including “Starry Night”…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning Cincy. Here’s a rundown of the news today. More details are coming to light surrounding Issue 22, the proposed charter amendment to fund new projects in the city’s parks. First, The Cincinnati Enquirer has information on the donors funding the campaign promoting the proposed amendment. Among the names that contributed the $670,000 raised…
Dance: Lady of the Camellias
Imagine it’s 1998. Cincinnati Ballet is performing Val Caniparoli’s choreography for a full-length story ballet — the exquisite 1995 Lady of the Camellias. It’s the first time artistic director (now CEO) Victoria Morgan has chosen a ballet for her company from the up-and-coming choreographer. The story is from Alexandre Dumas’ Camille, the famous 1848 novel…
Onstage: Death of a Salesman
The production of Arthur Miller’s 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman is coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the playwright’s birth. It’s unarguably one of the great plays of the 20th century, and Cincy Shakes’ artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips has put together a masterful staging featuring two of our region’s finest professional actors.…
Art: Transformed Worlds
Land art — or earth art — is a term for when artists go outside the gallery and, often using indigenous materials like soil, water and stone, create large works that seem integrated into the surrounding natural landscape. I recently wrote about a new film called Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art, directed by James…
Kubrick and Cocktails
When Pleasant Ridge’s The Shining-themed Overlook Lodge opens on Halloween, don’t expect pools of blood pouring out of elevators; instead, expect simple craft cocktails in a no-frills lodge setting. Last year, bartender and movie aficionado Jacob Trevino launched the local Gorilla Cinema, a pop-up dinner and movie experience where people watch a movie paired with…
From Homeless to Hopeful
W hen you’re homeless, it can be difficult enough to know where your next meal will come from, let alone to consider starting your own business. But with help from MORTAR, a local incubator that helps launch non-traditional entrepreneurs, that’s exactly what JameriSol’s Nyah Higgins did. JameriSol offers a line of Jamaican-American-inspired vegan foods and…
Halloween Vibes
With October 31 just around the corner, there’s plenty on TV to get you in the Halloween spirit.American Horror Story: Hotel (10 p.m. Wednesday, FX) – Alex struggles with reminders of Holden; The Countess’ rival (Angela Bassett) comes for Donovan.The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sunday, Fox) – “Treehouse of Horror XXVI” features Sideshow Bob, memory loss…
‘Beasts of No Nation’ Streams into New Frontier
The 40th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival ushered in a few unique changes to the longstanding event’s format. For the first time, a new category — the Primetime Program — augmented an already world-renowned international film slate. The category broke through with a narrative mix that would introduce new serials like Heroes Reborn,…
Cincinnati Ballet Brings Back a Modern Masterpiece
Imagine it’s 1998. Cincinnati Ballet is performing Val Caniparoli’s choreography for a full-length story ballet — the exquisite 1995 Lady of the Camellias. It’s the first time artistic director (now CEO) Victoria Morgan has chosen a ballet for her company from the up-and-coming choreographer. The story is from Alexandre Dumas’ Camille, the famous 1848 novel…
Old and New, Tragic and Comic
Theater can take you to so many places, and two shows that opened last week demonstrate the possible range — a classic modern tragedy at Cincinnati Shakespeare and a contemporary comedy at Ensemble Theatre. Take your pick — they’re both winners. The production of Arthur Miller’s 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman is coinciding…
Donald Kelley Brings the Outdoors Inside
Land art — or earth art — is a term for when artists go outside the gallery and, often using indigenous materials like soil, water and stone, create large works that seem integrated into the surrounding natural landscape. I recently wrote about a new film called Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art, directed by James…
Adapting Adeptly
V enice will be no farther away than 444 Reading Road on Friday evening, when “Venezia Carnevale,” a Beaux Arts Ball hosted by the Art Academy of Cincinnati Alumni Council, takes place at the Bell Event Center. Gondolas and an expansive landscape painted by academy students will be part of the scene for an event…
Film: Leningrad Cowboys Go America
Doing its part to improve awareness and appreciation of contemporary international film in Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Film and Media Studies is kicking off a three-film series of European movies next Wednesday with a great title — Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s droll, deadpan road picture about a Russian Rock band, 1989’s Leningrad…
Halloween: Roast of Harry Potter
Put on your Slytherin robes and “Potter Stinks” badges — the Louisville Roasters is bringing its magically crude Roast of Harry Potter to the Funny Bone. Kent Carney portrays the Chosen One as he is prodded by friends and enemies alike, including the likes of Rubeus Hagrid, Severus Snape, Lord Voldemort and best friends Ron…
Halloween: MainStrasse Village Dog Costume Pawrade
Can you put an outfit on your dog without it freaking out and trying to rip it off? If so, head to the 14th-annual MainStrasse Village Dog Costume Pawrade. This year’s theme celebrates video game characters, which means if you can figure out how to maneuver overalls around your pooch’s tail, you can do a…
Halloween: Halloween Gala
Not entirely sure what to do with yourself for Halloween? Have a costume but nowhere to go? Support a local charity and have yourself a blast at this year’s Halloween Gala, hosted by Children’s Dyslexia Centers of Cincinnati, a nonprofit dedicated to literacy. Enjoy music by the Naked Karate Girls, food from the Midwest Culinary…
Art: Eton Place Alley Festival
In a rapidly transforming neighborhood like Over-the-Rhine, advocacy for historically overlooked public spaces is often left out of strategic development efforts. In an effort to combat this oversight, Cincinnati-based nonprofit Spring in Our Steps will host a pop-up art installation by artist Mary Baxter, commenting on the construct of alleyways as catalysts for fear. Baxter’s…
Dance: Finding Myself in This Earth
Last April Demi Reber, professor emeritus in dance at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, asked a few of her performer/choreographer friends to knock around in the studio. The resulting works will be staged at Contemporary Dance Theater’s College Hill Town Hall on Saturday. “Working in a Dead Woman’s Kitchen and Other Stories,” from Cincinnati-based choreographer…
Halloween: From Cincinnati to the Moon
Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Jules Verne’s sci-fi classic, From the Earth to the Moon, with a costume party at the Cincinnati Observatory. The tale, which follows three men as they attempt to launch themselves onto the moon via a space gun, is perfect for some steampunk flair, so break out your best corsets, goggles…
Event: Cincinnati Art & Antiques Festival
This three-day extravaganza features 18th- to 20th-century English, American and Continental furniture, as well as fine art, posters and prints from a distinguished group of dealers, all set up in elaborate room displays in Music Hall. Proceeds benefit the Convalescent Hospital for Children and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Noon-5 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m.…
Music: Lyfe Jennings
Toledo, Ohio native Lyfe Jennings’ life could have been quite different, but it was actually a stint in jail (and inspiration from an Erykah Badu album) that turned things around. As soon as he was released (he was serving a 10-year sentence for arson), Jennings set about pursuing his dreams of a career in music,…
Attraction: The Art of the Brick
Millions of LEGO bricks are taking over the Cincinnati Museum Center. Anticipated exhibit The Art of the Brick features more than 100 artworks created by contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya using nothing other than LEGOs. Explore life-size human figures, a 20-foot-long T-Rex skeleton and replicated famous paintings, including “Starry Night” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring,”…
Event: Fall Fest Weekend
Between music festivals and celebrations dedicated to beer, it may seem like Washington Park is more adult-playground than actual playground. But this weekend the park transforms into a family fun zone for Fall Fest. Enjoy family-friendly movies on Friday night (Scooby Doo: Decoy for a Dog Napper at 7:30 p.m. and The Addams Family at…
Event: Bloom Under the Moon
This casual “flower power” party is held in conjunction with the Cincinnati Art Museum’s four-day biennial event Art in Bloom. On display Thursday through Sunday, the exhibit features the work of more than 60 florists, who have each created floral arrangements inspired by artwork from the museum’s collection; flowers interpret the color scheme, mood and…
Comedy: Alex Scott
Alex Scott is a comedic chameleon of sorts. Virginia locals know him as Comedy Dad, a blogger and TV personality who works for the local NBC and FOX affiliates. On his dad blog, he waxes about everything from baby wipes to the environment. On stage, though, he’s more freewheeling, recounting past experiences in the Air…
Onstage: Mad River Rising
The Cincinnati Playhouse opens Mad River Rising, a play by Dana Yeaton that artistic director Blake Robison produced two decades ago in New Hampshire. It’s about an elderly man, escaped from a retirement home and hiding out in an old barn hayloft, defending the family farm where he grew up and grew old. The script…
Where to Eat Now
Delicious details on more than 300 local eateries, from bars and grills and ethnic eats to pizza places and fine dining destinations — something for every craving. Turn to a page, close your eyes and put your finger down at random to pick where to have dinner tonight. Restaurant listings are compiled from CityBeat dining…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all. Thanks for wading through the sea of Back to the Future Day-themed blog garbage to hang out and talk about news! Last night, there was another debate Uptown about Issue 22, the proposed amendment to Cincinnati’s charter that would fund big changes to the city’s parks as well as much-needed maintenance for them.…
Bees in the ‘Burbs
When Oakley breakfast spot Sleepy Bee Café opened at the end of 2013, it proved to be so buzzed about that husband-and-wife owners Dr. John Hutton and Sandra Gross decided to open a second location in Blue Ash this year. They say there were two main reasons for the Blue Ash location, which opened its…
Foodie Flicks
Theatre Management Corp., the people behind the Esquire, Kenwood and Mariemont movie theaters, plans to give new meaning to the phrase “dinner and a movie.” Come November, they’ll launch a new theater concept — Eastgate Brew & View — where patrons will be able to booze it up and eat gourmet food while watching first-run Hollywood…
Can’t Stop Macaron Bar
Macaron Bar at 1206 Main St. in Over-the-Rhine has been open for 10 months and is already expanding into its fifth location. Since December 2014, the bakery has staked its claim in the burgeoning cultural and foodie neighborhood. From the start, co-founder Patrick Moloughney, a former brand manager at Procter & Gamble, knew they would…
Toast of the Town
Consider the cronut. Food trends, for the most part, tend to take the form of the exotic and the unusual: a donut-croissant hybrid, goji berries, macarons, Greek yogurt, quinoa (did you know how to pronounce the name of the South American grain before 2012? No, you did not). But the most versatile, and arguably most…
Terrific Tastings
H aving a choice is good, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to put yourself in the hands of a professional and let him or her do their job. In the case of food, this concept turns up in the form of a chef’s tasting menu — generally small portions of several dishes chosen…
Edible Expansions
It may seem like the Cincinnati dining scene is exploding — a never-ending expansion of excellent eats — originating with a glut of gourmet in Over-the-Rhine and downtown and bursting into the far-flung suburbs. And that’s because it is. Good food is everywhere in Cincinnati. OTR might have been one of the first neighborhoods with…
Ohio NORML: Issue 3 Could Pinch Marijuana Users’ Fourth Amendment Rights
As election day looms, medicinal and recreational marijuana users in Ohio are mulling cloudy questions around how ResponsibleOhio’s legalization amendment could affect their lifestyle. While voting to legalize marijuana seems like a smoker’s dream, some tried-and-true Ohio marijuana activists three decades into that fight are concerned about what the future holds if the proposed constitutional…
Shared Causes
On the chilly morning of Oct. 14, nearly 100 activists gathered outside of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals downtown from as far as Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis to support Rasmea Odeh, a 68-year-old Palestinian-American activist who was scheduled to appeal her conviction on immigration fraud charges from a federal court in Detroit in…
Shattered Expectations
With a paltry loan from his mother, John H. Johnson started Ebony magazine 70 years ago as a tactile place for black Americans to roost, rest, feel safe, get news and information specific to our American experiences and to mostly see ourselves well-represented in a country that usually — and still sometimes does — renders…
One-Source Story Blues
What do reporters do when they have one source for the hottest story of the day and their attempts to check it out fail? That was the bind reporters found themselves in when Kentuckian Kim Davis’ lawyer indicated Davis had an unannounced audience with Pope Francis during his visit to Washington, D.C. Even if the…
Music: Meat Wave
Chicago threesome Meat Wave’s name apparently causes giggles and results in a lot of questions (fair enough, as it was reportedly taken from the headline of a 12-year-old story from The Onion: “ Dozens Dead In Chicago-Area Meatwave”). But the group’s name isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) as head-turning as its vibrant take on…
Sound Advice: Meat Wave with The Dirty Nil
Chicago threesome Meat Wave’s name apparently causes giggles and results in a lot of questions (fair enough, as it was reportedly taken from the headline of a 12-year-old story from The Onion: “ Dozens Dead In Chicago-Area Meatwave”). But the group’s name isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) as head-turning as its vibrant take on…
Music: Cherub
Someone needs to check Nashville, Tenn.’s water supply, because the only explanation for the incredible diversity within the city’s current music scene might be some sort of hallucinogenic creativity drug delivered straight through everybody’s taps. The latest case in point is Cherub, the high-energy Indie Electro Pop duo of Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber, who…
Sound Advice: Cherub with Hippie Sabotage
Someone needs to check Nashville, Tenn.’s water supply, because the only explanation for the incredible diversity within the city’s current music scene might be some sort of hallucinogenic creativity drug delivered straight through everybody’s taps. The latest case in point is Cherub, the high-energy Indie Electro Pop duo of Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber, who…
Music: Bronze Radio Return
It’s so easy to wind up jaded by new music. In a world where even the “influencers” have blatant and utterly trite influences, where can we find new music that isn’t already tired and played out? Bronze Radio Return hopes to turn up in your search. The East Coast sextet doesn’t exactly offer up something…
Sound Advice: Bronze Radio Return with The Roosevelts
It’s so easy to wind up jaded by new music. In a world where even the “influencers” have blatant and utterly trite influences, where can we find new music that isn’t already tired and played out? Bronze Radio Return hopes to turn up in your search. The East Coast sextet doesn’t exactly offer up something…
Music: Nicholas David
The third season of The Voice boasted a strong slate of contenders, but none were as accomplished or as singularly unusual as Saint Paul, Minn.’s Nicholas Mrozinski. By the time Mrozinski made the cut to appear on the 2012 edition of the NBC vocal competition program, the soulful hippie had already put out several releases…
Sound Advice: Nicholas David with Dawg Yawp
The third season of The Voice boasted a strong slate of contenders, but none were as accomplished or as singularly unusual as Saint Paul, Minn.’s Nicholas Mrozinski. By the time Mrozinski made the cut to appear on the 2012 edition of the NBC vocal competition program, the soulful hippie had already put out several releases…
