Layoffs Coming to Enquirer
Merry Christmas. Now, get out. A memo sent today from a top Gannett Co. executive indicates layoffs are coming at the company’s newspapers — including The Cincinnati Enquirer — by the first week in December.—- The memo was written by Robert J. Dickey, Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing president, and was sent to all publishers and…
Let’s Just Stone Them to Death
There is a story in the New Testament where Jesus stops the stoning of a woman of ill-repute by arguing that no one is without sin, except him, and so no one has the right to stone this woman for a sin. Jesus doesn't judge the woman and shows her grace and she is saved.…
Music: The Strongest Proof
The past few months have been a season of change for The Strongest Proof, culminating in the release of the band’s brief but potent second Post Punk album, Robot Eats a Steak. Guitarist Tony Roth sheared his mop of curls to a boot camp cut, frontman Matt Tomlinson moved from guitar to bass and bassist…
Comedy: Gary Conrad
Comedian Gary Conrad found his way into hypnosis rather serendipitously. The former stockbroker, looking for a way to improve his concentration while bodybuilding, discovered hypnosis in 1980. At first he pursued it clinically, even traveling to England to study. He eventually took his skills to the stage and has been performing ever since. Not unlike…
Halloween: Bite Me Ball
Only the classiest local ghouls will be haunting the Bite Me Ball, the Contemporary Arts Center’s vampire-inspired costume party. The ball follows the Cincinnati Ballet’s performance of Dracula at the Aronoff Center. Expect eerie, sexy ambiance with music by DJ Pillo and fantasy installations by Mexican artist Carlos Amorales. Prizes will be given for best…
Halloween: When Pumpkins Collide
Ever been lost about what to do with those pumpkins left lying around after Halloween? Well, with Stanbery Park’s third annual “Pumpkin Chuck” event, you can make sure that your leftover gourds go out with a bang, not a whimper. How? Via trebuchet, of course. For just $2 (and a relatively short wait in line)…
Music: Afterhours
While still just below the radar in the U.S., Afterhours are musical icons in their homeland, routinely reaching the Top 10 on the Italian charts. A steady stream of annual stateside appearances, as well as good musical friends like former Afghan Whig Greg Dulli, have helped raised their profile. The band’s latest disc, I Milanesi…
Music: The Dwarves
It’s almost impossible to believe that the Dwarves began their perverted Punk march over 20 years ago in a Chicago garage as a psychedelic Paisley Underground band called Suburban Nightmare. Within three years, the Dwarves true colors bled through like head trauma through cheap gauze with their glorious 1989 Punk debut for Sub Pop, Blood…
Onstage: War of the Worlds
Don’t be scared. Well, maybe a little. Orson Welles did a pretty good job of fooling gullible listeners 70 years ago when his 1938 Mercury Theatre of the Air radio drama created a nationwide uproar with a special Halloween radio broadcast retelling H.G. Wells’ classic science fiction tale. So realistic was the program that many…
Onstage: The History Boys
The History Boys makes it four in a row for wunderkind Alan Patrick Kenny of New Stage Collective. Four less similar items are difficult to imagine. To recite: Last spring there was a mordant, terrifying production Bug. Soon followed the razzle-dazzle staging of Jerry Springer: The Opera. Lately there was an exhilarating production of Conor…
MidPoint Videographers
[Video Home] MidPoint Videographers Thanks to all of the volunteer videographers who made the 2008 MidPoint Music Festival a huge success. Listed below are the the videographers who helped with this year's event! Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductionsBen Dudley – http://www.cohesivepartners.comR.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprodRajiim Gross – http://www.ragehomevideo.com/Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/Marvin John – http://www.myspace.com/marvinjohnmusicRichard O…
Music: Cale Parks
It seems very fitting that multi-instrumentalist Cale Parks is playing in Greater Cincinnati (The Southgate House in Newport, to be exact) Monday, just one day before his sophomore solo album, Sparklace, drops on Polyvinyl Records. Parks spent some of his formative years in Cincinnati; his family came here when he was 14 so his dad…
Onstage: Tai Murray with the CSO
Some kids might admit to their parents that they want to play a musical instrument. Some might even want to make it their lives. Tai Murray was like that at the age of 2 — but she also had an uncanny sense others lack. “At a very young age, I knew it would entail a…
Art: Art Beyond Boundaries
“The theme of Houdini’s Box is all-encompassing,” explains Jymi Bolden, the Art Beyond Boundaries' gallery director. Bolden put the exhibition together to showcase a diverse range of photographers working with film and digital techniques. Bolden calls the exhibit Houdini’s Box, he says, because photography is a magic act. It freezes a moment in time forever…
Music: Steve Poltz
Steve Poltz tasted success with the Rugburns on their 1996 Pop/Punk college radio breakout Taking the World by Donkey, but his co-write with Jewel on “You Were Meant For Me” gave him the leverage to start his solo career. It began a decade ago with One Left Shoe, but he ultimately opted out of his…
Dance: Dracula
Looking for something different to do on Halloween? It’s the perfect weekend for the world premiere of Cincinnati Ballet Associate Artistic Director Devon Carney’s Dracula at the Aronoff Center. The production is based on the famed Bram Stoker novel that Carney mentions has never been out of print since its original 1887 publication. Literary works…
Comedy: Tracy, Dean & Jesus
Tracy Marune is coming to save your soul. One of the many alter egos of Cincinnati native/current West Coast dweller Andre Hyland, Tracy is a zealous, trucker-hat-wearing youth minister intent on shielding impressionable youngsters from the world’s many sinners and evildoers. Hyland, who many locals will remember as the dude behind a host of crafty,…
Music: Thao Nguyen
When 23-year-old Thao Nguyen was a child, she boasted a talent that perhaps a fair percentage of her generation could claim as well, namely, an almost limitless capacity to absorb television. But even for a child who can concentrate on the tube’s benign blather for nine hours at a stretch, there comes a point when…
Onstage: Concert:Nova
In 1997, the celebrated illustrated book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak was interpreted by Randall Woolf into a musical score for a ballet version of the story. Thursday at 7 p.m., Concert:Nova will present this music accompanied by lively, gestural illustrations by Till Lassmann at the Contemporary Arts Center. Woolf’s music is…
Art: Art Academy of Cincinnati
However those involved happened to arrive at titling Art Academy of Cincinnati’s current exhibition Generosity, truly all meanings apply to what has been presented. A bounty of sculptural works by Nopchai “Toi” Ungkavantanapong create what is without a doubt the most striking use of the Pearlman Gallery space I have ever seen. The predominately plaster…
For the Firefighter in Your Life
Just like teachers, social workers, lawyers and other professionals in the helping services, Ohio firefighters are now required to renew their certification. The new rule was adopted in January 2008 and the deadline is coming up fast – Jan. 24, 2009. “The Division of EMS (Emergency Medical Services) has worked hard to share information regarding…
Local MTV: The Tillers
A couple of weeks ago, I finally got to check out the muched-buzzed about band The Tillers, nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award in the Folk/Americana category. Playing in the Southgate House's "lounge" room, the trio (playing stand-up bass, guitar, banjo and more) huddled around a single, vintage-looking, multi-directional mic and delivered their sweet, accomplished…
Dog Blog…
Dogs in costumes! Shut up! Hilarious and adorable. Pug as pig? Genius! I swear this is going to be one of my only dog posts. Scout's honor. Here are some pictures from the dog costume paw-rade (once again, not my pun) by Ryan Grubish… Two Web sites for people who find these pictures as heartwarming…
Peter Dressman
[Video Home] Peter Dressman at Lodge BarVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
Cari Clara
[Video Home] Cari Clara at Cadillac RanchVideo by Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/
Chico Fellini
[Video Home] Chico Fellini at Subway Bar and LoungeVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
Al Hidalgo
[Video Home] Al Hidalgo at Inner Peace CenterVideo by Ben Dudley – http://www.cohesivepartners.com
Pomegranates
[Video Home] Pomegranates at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Jared Mahone Band
[Video Home] Jared Mahone Band at Buddakhan's Classic Rock CafeVideo by Rajiim Gross – http://www.ragehomevideo.com/
The Swarthy Band
[Video Home] The Swarthy Band at Courtyard CafeVideo by Marvin John – http://www.myspace.com/marvinjohnmusic
The Zionites
[Video Home] The Zionites at Arnold's Bar & GrillVideo by Richard O Jones – http://www.richardojones.com/
Fizzgig
[Video Home] Fizzgig at Buddakhan's Classic Rock CafeVideo by Rajiim Gross – http://www.ragehomevideo.com/
Diet Audio
[Video Home] Diet Audio at Subway Bar and LoungeVideo by Matt Mulcahey, Matt Beck and Justin Nieves
The Sundresses
[Video Home] The Sundresses at Subway Bar and LoungeVideo by Matt Mulcahey, Matt Beck and Justin Nieves "Strange Fruit"
Buckra
[Video Home] Buckra at Cadillac RanchVideo by Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/
Baby Teeth
[Video Home] Baby Teeth at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Look Mexico
[Video Home] Look Mexico at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
noctaluca
[Video Home] noctaluca at Lodge BarVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
Peter Adams
[Video Home] Peter Adams at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Everthus the Deadbeats
[Video Home] Everthus the Deadbeats at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Mouse Fire
[Video Home] Mouse Fire at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Production – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Ruckus Roboticus
[Video Home] Ruckus Roboticus at Lodge BarVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
The Cincinnati Suds
[Video Home] The Cincinnati Suds at Know TheatreVideo by Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/
Chick Pimp
[Video Home] Chick Pimp at Arnold's Bar & GrillVideo by Richard O Jones – http://www.richardojones.com/
Nick and The Excitement
[Video Home] Nick and The Excitement at Subway Bar and LoungeVideo by Matt Mulcahey, Matt Beck and Justin Nieves
MidPoint Music Videos
[MidPoint Central] [MidPoint Photos] We know you can wait until next year, but now you can enjoy some of your favorite performances from this year's 7th Annual MidPoint Music Festival here with 80 videos from dozens bands. Click on your favorite band to be taken back to best event of year. Over 180 bands performed,…
Cavashawn
[Video Home] Cavashawn at Cadillac RanchVideo by Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/
Russenorsk
[Video Home] Russenorsk at Courtyard CafeVideo by Marvin John – http://www.myspace.com/marvinjohnmusic
Kim Taylor
[Video Home] Kim Taylor at Inner Peace CenterVideo by Ben Dudley – http://www.cohesivepartners.com
Music: Sing Out The Vote Ohio!
Several female singer/songwriters are hitting Ohio hard these next couple of weeks in an effort to get out the vote. Headed up by acclaimed songwrier Holly Near and dubbed "Sing Out The Vote Ohio!," the tour will hit 10 Ohio cities, including Cincinnati today at 7:30 p.m., at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. Other "social …
The Koala Fires
[Video Home] The Koala Fires at Know TheatreVideo by Ben Popel
Black Owls
[Video Home] Black Owls at Courtyard CafeVideo by Marvin John – http://www.myspace.com/marvinjohnmusic
The Dark Romantics
[Video Home] The Dark Romantics at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Spectrum
[Video Home] Spectrum at Blue WispVideo by R.P. Goens Productions – http://www.myspace.com/rpgprod
Tyler Traband
[Video Home] Tyler Traband at Cadillac RanchVideo by Jeff Harper – http://jeffharpervideo.com/
Paper Airplanes
[Video Home] Paper Airplanes at Inner Peace CenterVideo by Ben Dudley – http://www.cohesivepartners.com
William Sides Atari Party
[Video Home] William Sides Atari Party at Know TheatreVideo by Ben Popel
The Elms
[Video Home] The Elms at Lodge BarVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
Rosella
[Video Home] Rosella at Buddakhan's Classic Rock CafeVideo by Rajiim Gross – http://www.ragehomevideo.com/
Mallory
[Video Home] Mallory at Inner Peace CenterVideo by Ben Dudley – http://www.cohesivepartners.com
The Emeralds
[Video Home] The Emeralds at Arnold's Bar & GrillVideo by Richard O Jones – http://www.richardojones.com/
The Seedy Seeds
[Video Home] The Seedy Seeds at Subway Bar and LoungeVideo by Blind i Productions – http://www.myspace.com/blindiproductions
Heevahava
[Video Home] Heevahava at Courtyard CafeVideo by Marvin John – http://www.myspace.com/marvinjohnmusic
Dear Of Montreal: Please Come to Cincinnati
This past Friday, I traveled to St. Louis to catch a concert by freak-flag-fliers Of Montreal. When I told CityBeat A&E Editor Jason Gargano about my trip, he gave me a puzzled look (not an uncommon occurrence). “I like them,” he said, “but not enough to drive that far.” —- A few months ago, when…
There’s Something About Baseball
As the World Series draws to a close, ending another baseball season, I can’t help thinking about the place the game has in my life. And it’s not because the franchise I’ve rooted for my entire life, the Philadelphia Phillies, is one win from claiming the championship … although that feels pretty special. For many…
Monday Wellness Roundup
This has been a three-cup-of-coffee morning for me. Maybe for you, too. To help get you started on a healthier week, here's some wellness oriented news that should get your blood moving. (We'll work on getting it to boil next time.)—- • Wisconsin has banned the practice of drug companies giving gifts to doctors. This…
Voting in English
When English speakers have a hard time figuring out when “yes” means “no” on a ballot initiative, imagine how confusing it can be for people who have English as a second or third language. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) voters need help at the polls. The good news is that an interpreter is allowed to…
Palin as President?
Having trouble imaging what a Sarah Palin presidency might mean for our country? (Well, besides inducing millions of people to shit their pants.) —- This new, amusingly interactive Web site, which envisions Palin in the Oval Office, might give you a pretty good idea. (Warning: Don't click on the red phone too many times.)
Special Prosecutor: ‘No’ to Ballot Quarantine
Breaking with the wishes of Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a special prosecutor appointed to investigate allegations of voter registration fraud said today there’s no need to quarantine the votes in question.—- In a letter hand-delivered to the Hamilton County Board of Elections this afternoon, Special Prosecutor Michael O’Neill stated that the board can continue…
Something Good About Cincinnati
My friend Charlie texted me this morning to ask if I had baseball pants and a jersey (a wooden bat would be great too, he said). Assuming he was throwing together a Halloween costume, I replied: "Of course i do. u can get it tonite. :)" Charlie said thanks and that he'd come by during…
And the Winner Is….
Why are you voting for Barack Obama? Because he isn't Republican? His perspective? His experience?
Blood For Bearcats
So, it totally sucks that UC point guard Cashmere Wright tore his ACL the other day. It really sucks. It sucks really bad. But instead of cursing God or the NCAA or the fragile ligament that connects from a posterio-lateral part of the femur to an anterio-medial part of the tibia, we should rise up…
Friday Movie Roundup: Torture Porn in the U.S.A.
Is there any end to the Saw franchise? The simple answer is no — not as long as torture-porn-loving teenagers and twentysomethings flock to each new, uncommonly brutal installment. —- In celebration of the series’ rabid following, AMC Newport on the Levee 20 offered a Sawfest marathon Oct. 23, culminating in a midnight screening of…
Fruits and Veggies: Simply Radical Preventive Health
As a person who is (or at least is trying to be) health conscious, I have discovered that besides an active lifestyle with plenty of physical exercise, one of the most simple and radical things that I can do to improve my health is to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the…
Mac’s Pizza Pub…
Mac's Pizza Pub is the greatest bar on earth. I seriously can't get enough of it. When it first opened and no one really went there, it was great. Now that there are a ton of college kids in there, it's still great. The drinks are whatever. No better or cheaper than anywhere else, but…
Nader Campaign Pushes Reform
Some campaign workers for independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader are conceding their choice for the Oval Office probably doesn’t have a realistic chance at being elected. But they say Nader’s platform of issues is what’s truly important and are urging progressive voters to pressure the winners in this November’s elections into pursuing his agenda.—- Campaign…
Good Luck With the Future of the Franchise
Losing Game 1 of a seven-game series is not good. (Yea, yea, losing Game 1 of any series isn’t good, smart ass.) So with the pressure already on the lovable Tampa Bay Rays, I believe we should up the stakes on this somewhat uninteresting World Series.—- If Tampa Bay loses, Major League Baseball should move…
ACLU, Others Blast Voting Probe
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and several voting rights groups are asking that a special prosecutor drop his investigation into vague, unspecified allegations of voter registration fraud. If the probe isn’t ended, the groups hint that they may file a lawsuit against the Prosecutor’s Office. This week’s issue of CityBeat features a Porkopolis…
BRINK 2008: New Local Music Showcase
Each year, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards celebrates the local music that has been made over the course of the previous 12 months. And each year just prior to the awards, the BRINK showcase puts the spotlight on the "next wave," new artists who look like they'll make a big impact on the next 12 months.…
Grade A Theater
Sometimes there are just too many theater events in town to feature every one of them in print. But let me bring to your attention one that's happening for just three days, Oct 23-25. Showbiz Players, which usually offers larger musical theater productions is undertaking a piece that's more like a musical cabaret, A ……
Pneumonia Vaccine Recommended for Smokers
If you're a smoker, it's a probably a good idea for you to be vaccinated against pneumonia and meningitis. The Cincinnati Enquirer has this AP story explaining why:Studies have shown that smokers are about four times more likely than nonsmokers to suffer pneumococcal disease. Also, the more cigarettes someone smokes each day, the higher the…
Scribble Jam Inspires Exhibitions
Cincinnati Art Museum’s China Design Now and Contemporary Arts Center’s Maria Lassnig and Carlos Amorales shows have been at the top of the list for contemporary art followers for quite some time. But now that they're both open and (hopefully) seen, it's a good chance to turn to some smaller but interesting gallery shows around…
Gettin’ Purdy for Voters, You Betcha
What would Joe the Plumber think? As some Republicans continually try to peg Democrats as latte-drinking, sushi-eating “elitists” who are out of touch with ordinary Americans, here comes yet another example of their hypocrisy. The Web is ablaze today with news that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has spent more than $150,000 on clothes and…
Movie Hookers: Dreaming of Mrs. Miller
I got an e-mail the other day with the subject line: “Julia Roberts: not a top 5 movie hooker…” Curious, I opened it and found a list of the “Top Five Working Girls (and Boy) in Movies” as compiled by Spout.com. (Note to eager publicists or enterprising ladies of the night: Please don't take this…
Rouster’s Apple House…
Fall makes me want to get all bundled up to go poking around outside to look at natural things like changing leaves. My roommate just went up to Circleville for the annual pumpkin festival which inspired me to have some wholesome fall fun of my own. I made two of my friends wake up earlier…
Music: Old Crow Medicine Show
A decade ago, a bunch of geographically distant friends met in the upstate New York Dead haven of Watkins Glen and put together a band that tossed caffeinated versions of Folk, Gospel, Bluegrass and Country into the collection plate and halleleujahed their way into the rootsy revival as Old Crow Medicine Show. Discovered by iconic…
Music: Scribble Jam
Every year around this time is kind of like "Steelers Week" for football fans in Cincinnati. Only the fans aren't football ones, they're Hip Hop die-hards. You'll see a lot of out of towners around the area this week, as Scribble Jam attracts Hip Hop heads from all over the country, either just to attend…
Comedy: Mike MacRae
“A lot times I’ll just sort of discover by accident that I can imitate someone,” says comedian/impressionist Mike MacRae. “I’ll quote a movie line to someone, or repeat something someone says, and I’ll sound like that person. ‘Hey, I might have something there.’ That’s how my Vince Vaughn impression came about.” MacRae is so adept…
Music: Maurice Mattei
A trip to the mall usually results in a new pair of shoes or maybe an Orange Julius and a pretzel. For singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei, a stroll through the Kenwood Towne Centre resulted in his new album, Kenwood Towne Center. “I was walking though there one day in the winter and what I saw initially…
Art: Life by Merlene Schain at the Phyllis Weston-Annie Bolling Gallery
While the putto (or baby angel) owes some of its conception to religious and mythological characters, it has been largely defined and redefined by its use in art history. I’ve always found the uses and meanings of putti endlessly intriguing — how they can be variously romantic, mischievous, horrified and even violent at times. But…
Fear Factor
Halloween and cinema were made for each other. Open your door to the waves of trickor-treaters or head out to any costume party and you’ll find a mad mass of horror movie monsters staring back at you. And the season isn’t complete without watching and re-watching horror favorites both classic and contemporary to get in…
World Series Rivals Phillies and Rays Built for the Long Haul
The phrase “Worst to First” told the tale of the 1991 baseball season, when the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins each rose from last place in their divisions to face each other in the World Series. A predictably unpolished Fall Classic resulted from two Worst to First contestants. The Twins won it in seven games,…
Something in the Air
Honesty. That’s the first word that comes to mind when someone mentions Atmosphere, a fiercely independent Hip Hop duo (producer Ant and MC Slug) from Minneapolis whose reputation has grown exponentially (and organically) since its inception more than a decade ago. Slug’s deft raps leave crass, bling-laden boasting on the sidelines in favor of first…
From Trolley Car to White House
Will Mr. Smith go to Washington? That’s Marvin Smith, who is the Ollie behind Ollie’s Trolley, the West End landmark dining car. Ollie has catered five of soon-to-be-president-elect Obama’s campaign events and has pictures to prove it. There are posters of Marvin proudly posing with each of the Obamas, Barack and Michelle, on every window…
Maurice Mattei (Profile)
A trip to the mall usually results in a new pair of shoes or maybe an Orange Julius and a pretzel. For singer/songwriter Maurice Mattei, a stroll through the Kenwood Towne Centre resulted in his new album, appropriately titled Kenwood Towne Center. “I was walking though there one day in the winter and what I…
Old Crow Medicine Show
A decade ago, a bunch of geographically distant friends met in the upstate New York Dead haven of Watkins Glen and put together a band that tossed caffeinated versions of Folk, Gospel, Bluegrass and Country into the collection plate and halleleujahed their way into the rootsy revival as Old Crow Medicine Show. Discovered by iconic…
Onstage: The Turn of the Screw
At Halloween season a kind of madness seems to grip many Cincinnati theater companies who seek to outdo one another in scaring audiences. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) is already at it with a spooky production of Hamlet, but they’re turning up the volume with a second production to fill in the cracks, a two-person theatrical…
Music: Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman’s career has proved so long-lasting — more than 35 years now — because he is seen as the eternally endearing manchild. At age 57, he still has the looks of a boy, an adorable waif maybe — lean with dark hair and staring eyes, a knowing smile and an oddly punctuated, affectless speaking…
A Mouthful of Roaches, a Fistful of Fame
You either respect or revile a man who takes a shot at the Guinness Book of Records by holding 11 Madagascar hissing cockroaches in his mouth. I’ve opted for respect with a dash of bemusement. Travis Fessler is one weird guy. He swallows swords, eats fire and allows 300-pound men to stomp on his chest…
Music: Atmosphere
Honesty. That’s the first word that comes to mind when someone mentions Atmosphere, a fiercely independent Hip Hop duo (producer Ant and MC Slug) from Minneapolis whose reputation has grown exponentially (and organically) since its inception more than a decade ago. Slug’s deft raps leave crass, bling-laden boasting on the sidelines in favor of first…
Lit: Joyce Hinnefeld
I’m no ornithologist, but Joyce Hinnefeld’s debut novel sure had me intrigued by the mysterious, delicate nature of birds and their impact on the Kavanagh family. In Hovering Flight tells the story of Addie Sturmer Kavanagh, an activist and “bird artist” whose failing health has spurred her 34-year-old daughter, Scarlet, to come home. Hinnefeld uses…
Joseph Arthur And The Lonely Astronauts
I have mixed feelings about overly prolific musicians and songwriters. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to see such an outburst of creativity. Maybe all of the 349 albums Ryan Adams released last year weren’t amazing, but it’s impressive to see someone so overflowing with art. And for your die-hard fans, too much material can…
Simple Things
Playwright John Kolvenbach likes simple things. He lives in lower Manhattan and walks across the Brooklyn Bridge to his tiny studio office in an area called “DUMBO” (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) where he works on scripts … and answers the phone for interviews. I spoke to him recently about his play, Love Song,…
Hamlet (Review)
Critic's Pick For his handsome, new, close-focused production of Hamlet at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC), Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips has distilled and intensified the drama’s stark internals, stripping away affairs of state, concentrating on family conflict and reducing the running time to about three hours (four is the norm). No wars with Norway. No…
Unopposed, but Campaigning
When Hamilton County voters go to the polls Nov. 4 and cast their ballots in the two county commission races, they will have their choice of candidates in each contest — despite the best efforts of local Democratic and Republican party leaders to prevent it. In one race, longtime Democratic incumbent Todd Portune is facing…
Targeting Ohio’s Reddest Counties
With just a few hours to go before last week’s final presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters at Smokey Bones BBQ & Grill in West Chester were furiously busy. These Democratic volunteers, seated at tables and booths in a set-aside area with their cell phones out, were calling Butler County voters classified from previous research…
A Prosecutor’s Moment of Truth
As Republicans become increasingly desperate about John McCain’s prospects on Election Day, reasonable people are asking whether Joe Deters’ position as McCain’s Southwest Ohio campaign chairman is influencing his actions in his day job as Hamilton County prosecutor. Deters, a loyal Republican who’s served on many GOP campaigns, recently launched an investigation into county residents…
Another Seven Days of Alcoholic Disputes and Voter Resolutions
WEDNESDAY OCT. 15John McCain today did his best to try to halt Barack Obama’s increasing momentum, arguing during the final presidential debate that the liberal senator will raise taxes, spread everyone’s money around and crush the hopes and dreams of successful plumbers and tradesmen in the heartland. Analysts were impressed by McCain’s feistiness and his…
Turtle Hunting in Ripley, Ohio
Recently, I was invited to a turtle fry in Ripley, Ohio, an hour east of Cincinnati along U.S. Route 52. According to local legend, it’s been going on for generations. I went with three questions: 1) How do you catch a turtle 2) How do you prepare it and 3) Is it worth eating? Like…
Baby, He’s a Rich Man(child)
Jonathan Richman’s career has proved so long-lasting — more than 35 years now — because he’s seen as the eternally endearing manchild. At age 57, he still has the looks of a boy, an adorable waif maybe — lean with dark hair and staring eyes, a knowing smile and an oddly punctuated, affectless speaking style…
Art: Beyond Pictorialism: The Photography of Doris Ulmann at designsmith gallery
At just 15 photos, Beyond Pictorialism: The Photography of Doris Ulmann at Over-the-Rhine’s designsmith gallery is one of the largest exhibitions mounted in the past 15 years of this little-known photographer’s work. The exhibition reveals Ulmann’s historical and aesthetic significance through 12 portraits and three architectural photographs and demonstrates how she bridged two important photographic…
Onstage: Love Song
Playwright John Kolvenbach likes simple things and simple things inspired the play Love Song, which premiered in 2006 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. That simple thing was a record player Kolvenbach purchased on eBay. The writer, now 42, found himself listening to LPs from his teens, twenties and early thirties. He spent a lot of…
Phobias And Their Films
Agoraphobia (fear of public places or open spaces): North by Northwest (1959), Days of Heaven (1978), Vantage Point (2008) Arachnophobia (fear of spiders): Arachnophobia (1990), Starship Troopers (1997), Spider (2002) Automatonophobia (fear of ventriloquist dummies): Dead of Night (1945), Magic (1978), Dead Silence (2007) Coulrophobia (fear of clowns): Fellini’s The Clowns (1971), Killer Clowns from…
Scribble Time
Every year around this time is kind of like “Steelers Week” for football fans in Cincinnati. Only the fans aren’t football ones, they’re Hip Hop die-hards. You’ll see a lot of out-of-towners around the area this week, as Scribble Jam attracts Hip Hop heads from all over the country, either just to attend and have…
Art: Semantics
Walking into Matt Morris’ solo exhibition at Semantics, I Will Never Recover from this Macaroon, is like walking into a house the morning after a decadent, frenetic party. Candles, just snuffed out, drip wax onto satin sleeves and wood floors. Vanity mirrors made of tin foil and encaustic have whited-out faces, as if someone’s having…
Onstage: Papa
It’s a night to benefit local theater. At the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC) you can enjoy actor Adrian Sparks (who plays Sharky in the very Irish current production, The Seafarer) in Papa, a one-man show about novelist and all-around man’s man, Ernest Hemingway. The Los Angeles Times described Sparks’ performance of a script by…
Onstage: Hamlet
No wars with Norway. No Fortinbras. A murdering king, a perfidious queen, a ghost of kingship past, a maundering old fool, a garrulous gravedigger, a troupe of wandering players, a maiden driven into mewling madness and one prince hell-bent on vengeance. Plus, of course, the most deathless poetry ever spoken upon a stage. Candles flare…
Lectures: 9/11 Truth
Some people call them paranoid wackos and others are offended by their line of inquiry, but their supporters say they’re doing the type of probing and questioning that’s essential for a functioning democracy. The organization, Cincinnati For 9/11 Truth, will sponsor a lecture by San Francisco architect Richard Gage, who believes questions arising from the…
Congress Needs Changing
Whom do you trust to fix the problems facing the federal government, from the financial meltdown to the disastrous wars in the Middle East to rehabilitating America’s standing in the world to reforming health care to charting an energy course for both the short term and the long term? The Republican members of Congress who,…
Onstage: Calculus: The Musical
It’s a night to benefit local theater. One way or another, you can help out a great theater in Over-the-Rhine. If it’s offbeat comedy you seek, then you’ll want to stop by Know Theatre for a special performance of the funny math show, Calculus: The Musical. It was a hit at the 2007 Cincinnati Fringe,…
The Right View
America has a monumental decision coming up Nov. 4. Do we elect as our president — the theoretical leader of the free world and the individual who we expect to lead us to the Promised Land — an old guy who’s been in public/political life for more than 25 years and believes in following his…
Music: Joseph Arthur
Joseph Arthur and the other songwriters mentioned seemingly have only released a fraction of what they have actually written. Arthur’s busy 2008 has included four EP releases and the superb full-length, Temporary People. So far. He’s also had his artwork (yep, he paints too) exhibited in between all the music stuff. The EPs are a…
Rachel Getting Married (Review)
Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) is getting married, and like many American families today, broken and blended branches of the tree poke at the newly woven fabric. Rachel’s father Paul (Bill Irwin), a sensitive worrier, has remarried Carol (Anna Deavere Smith), a strong, loving woman with an eye for practical details. Meanwhile, Rachel’s mother Abby (Debra Winger)…
Dear Big East Basketball Coaches
Y’all done fucked up. If you think UC is going to finish 11th in the conference this year, you're dumber than Roy Bright.—- Y’all shoulda read about Mick Cronin’s boys coming onto the team this year and respected how hard they can jam. I know there’s going to be a lot of reliance on freshmen…
Intersection of Fashion and Art
I’m smarting from an Oct. 21 article in The New York Times by Nicolai Ouroussoff called “Art and Commerce Canoodling in Central Park.” The piece reviews the most recent stop of the Chanel Pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid (of local reputation for designing the Contemporary Arts Center) in loose collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. I won’t…
Philip K. Dick’s Religious Awakening
I became vaguely aware of Philip K. Dick a decade ago. An author of more than 100 works of science fiction, he died suddenly in 1982 just as his work began to be recognized by the mainstream. This was the year that Blade Runner, which was based on Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,…
