Event: Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk
Join the Cincinnati community in the 11th annual Out of the Darkness walk to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Registration for the event begins at 5 p.m. and the 2.9-mile walk starts at 6 p.m., preceded by a balloon release, memorial garden, face painting and live entertainment. During the last mile of the…
Event: Cincinnati Chocolate Festival
Delectable chocolate treats of all makes and molds will fill the fifth annual Cincinnati Chocolate Festival. Chocolats Latour, Cupcake Crazy, Macaron Bar, SugarSnap! Truck and more will be dishing out samples, and local chefs like Lisa Cooper Holmes of Haute Chocolate and Todd Owen from Belterra Park will show off with deliciously tempting demonstrations. There…
Event: Newport Harvest Fest
Hosted by the Historic Newport Downtown Business District, Harvest Fest showcases local artists, restaurants, entertainment, shopping venues and classic cars. From 11 a.m.-5 p.m., listen to live Bluegrass on Monmouth Street and then head to a bourbon tasting walk. Starting at 5 p.m., the bourbon walk will stop at 12 different businesses, like Mokka, Southgate…
Event: Northern Kentucky Wine Festival
You don’t need to visit Sonoma or Napa Valley to sample flavorful American-made wine. The ninth annual Northern Kentucky Wine Festival features wines from more than 10 wineries throughout the Bluegrass State, plus local food, artisans and live entertainment. Admission includes a souvenir wine glass and four wine-sampling tickets, with additional tickets available for purchase. …
Halloween: Evil Dead the Musical
Fort Thomas’ Village Players bring Sam Raimi’s low-budget cult horror film Evil Dead to the stage in this musical adaptation — sans Bruce Campbell. Five college students head to an abandoned cabin in the woods (?) for a weekend and get turned into demons. Luckily, Ash and his chainsaw are there to save the day.…
Art:Faces and Places at Funke Fired Arts
Few artistic mediums reveal the trace of the hand of the artist more than ceramics. And although clay and porcelain work is often grouped into decorative arts categories (as opposed to fine art sculpture), artists like Ken Price and Arlene Shechet, who have long worked in the medium, are increasingly becoming more recognized in fine…
Event: Petcasso
Even after they leave their artwork all over our floors and windows with their muddy paws and smudgy nose prints, we still want to do anything for our pets, but not everyone can afford regular veterinary care. That’s where the nonprofit Pets in Need of Greater Cincinnati helps, serving low-income households at its Lockland clinic.…
Event: Cincinnati Art & Antiques Festival
This weekend’s Cincinnati Art & Antiques Festival at Music Hall features more than 35 antique and art dealers from all over the U.S., raffles and guest lectures. On Friday, James Farmer, best-selling author and interior designer, will be speaking on his passion for Southern culture and cuisine. And on Saturday, Patrick Snadon, associate professor at…
Onstage:The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock scared the bejesus out of folks with his 1963 movie about killer birds. The original story by Daphne du Maurier was more recently adapted by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, a guy who knows his way around creepy stories, including his The Weir and The Seafarer (produced at local theaters in past seasons). Set…
Comedy: Graham Elwood
Graham Elwood is in that group of comedians that is also widely known for being at the forefront of podcasting. Along with fellow comic Chris Mancini, Elwood is the host of Comedy Film Nerds. The two are also the founders of the L.A. Podcast Festival, and this past year began work on a documentary about…
Onstage: NANOWorks Day of the Dead
North American New Opera Workshop (NANOWorks) continues to challenge traditional ideas of opera as it kicks off its new season with the first two parts of Daniel Felsenfeld’s triptych, She, After. The performance’s Midwest premier, Alice In The Time Of The Jabberwock and Nora and the Great Outdoors depict Alice in Wonderland and Nora from…
Iron Fork Transforms Brewery Into Kitchen Stadium
We’ve all seen Iron Chef, right? That’s basically what’s happening at CityBeat’s inaugural Iron Fork event from 5:30-10 p.m. Wednesday. The Christian Moerlein Brewery in Over-the-Rhine will transform into a local version of Kitchen Stadium with area chefs Frances Kroner (feast, Sleepy Bee Café, Random Snacks of Kindness), Jose Salazar (Salazar) and Joe West (The…
Music: Bosom Ball for Breast Cancer
For the past several years, longtime local Pop radio station Q102 has been bringing in hitmakers to perform at its Bosom Ball concert, raising money for various breast cancer research and awareness organizations. This year’s 10th annual concert features popular Pop Rock band O.A.R., British Pop singer Katy Tiz, the duo Alex & Sierra (winners…
Onstage: Cirque du Soleil Varekai
Count on Cirque du Soleil to take a simple story and elevate it to the universal. In this touring show, a solitary young man falls from the sky — perhaps it’s Icarus who flew too close to the sun? — into a magical forest populated by fantastic creatures. Of course, they’re played by mind-boggling acrobats,…
These Walls Have Heard It All: Sudsy Malone’s
When researching Bogart’s for the first of these columns, I discovered a place that used to be its side-stream neighbor. Sudsy Malone’s, which sat just across the street from Bogart’s until 2008, may be a well-known name to older Cincinnatians, but to those of my generation I imagine it’s a legend unheard. Sudsy’s, as those…
Music Tonight: Tim Shelton
Singer/songwriter Tim Shelton, co-founder of the popular Bluegrass group NewFound Road, plays Newport’s Southgate House Revival tonight in the venue’s Revival Room. Shelton’s solo career began when NewFound Road’s mandolinist decided he needed a break from the group. (Shelton was the only original member of the band at that point.) “He’d been with me for…
Morning News and Stuff
So, I skipped writing the morning news yesterday to hang out at City Council half the day. I know, you’re jealous. Let’s catch up. The city should declare Mahogany’s, the former restaurant at The Banks, in default on its $300,000 loan, Councilman Kevin Flynn said during the Budget and Finance Committee meeting yesterday. After coming…
Cincinnati (and CityBeat) Featured in New York Magazine
It seems every day a new love letter to Cincinnati makes its rounds on the Internet. The latest is from New York Magazine’s Weekend Travel section, where Alex Schechter touts Cincy as a perfect three-day trip thanks to the city's breweries, restaurants and neighborhood redevelopment. Where to Stay: Downtown’s 21c Museum Hotel and The Cincinnatian…
County Budget Proposal Could Further Shift Tax Burden
Hamilton County’s tax structure could become more regressive next year if a new proposal to increase sales tax while decreasing property taxes is put into effect. A budget proposal by Hamilton County Administrator Christian Sigman unveiled Oct. 13 called for a .25 percent increase in sales taxes and a decrease in property taxes for the…
Valley of the Sun Tour Diary: European Bathrooms Rule!
Saturday night contained a lot of firsts. It was the first time I ran merch, the first time we played in Germany, it marked the first appearance of the hot dog suit and the first time I said “fuck you, asshole” in German. We got a late start on our trip from Antwerp, Belgium to…
CCM Grads Back Bennett and Gaga
Jazz musician Brian Newman, Ohio native and graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, has become a New York City Jazz scene staple with his group’s popular residencies in the city. And he’s been popping up on national television a lot recently thanks to his role as the bandleader of Lady Gaga’s Jazz…
Moby Dick (Review)
Know Theatre’s 17th Season theme is “adaptation,” and on the evening of Oct. 10, the company opened Julian Rad’s 2003 take on Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick. In case you missed the compulsory reading of Moby Dick in the past, this Great American Novel follows the obsessive captain Ahab and crew on a voyage…
Your Weekend To Do List: 10/10-10/12
It's the weekend, y'all. And as it approaches 5 p.m. on a Friday, you're probably thinking to yourself, "What should I do this weekend?" Why not try one of these … Watch the all-OTR episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Vine Street turns into Flavortown as Guy Fieri eats his way from Taste of Belgium…
Books by the Banks Offers Dining Deals
Books by the Banks, the annual celebration of books, authors and all things literary, takes over the Duke Energy Convention Center on Saturday. Along with children's book authors, sci-fi authors, teen authors, women's lit authors and all the other types of authors, there will also be cookbook authors! Attendees will have a chance to meet chef…
Event: CityBeat’s Iron Fork
CityBeat hosts it's first Iron Fork event — like Iron Chef, but with Cincinnati chefs and we used the word "fork" instead. Three local chefs — Jose Salazar of Salazar, Frances Kroner of Sleepy Bee and Joe West of The Palace — will battle in a head-to-head competition, preparing and plating three dishes to be judged by a…
Event: FotoFocus Biennial
Just by adding the word “Biennial” to its official name for 2014, FotoFocus — which occurs this month in some 50 venues throughout Greater Cincinnati — is aiming to raise its importance and artistic significance. This time FotoFocus is also curating its own high profile “featured exhibitions.” To do so, it hired its own artistic…
Lit: Books by the Banks
Books by the Banks once again takes over the Duke Energy Convention Center for a day of readings, author panels and other literary-based fun. Authors at the eighth annual event include children's book author Marc Brown (creator of Arthur), sci-fi writer John Scalzi (Lock In), Emily Giffin (The One & Only; Something Borrowed) and more.…
Vine Street Restaurants Featured on Food Network Tonight
Remember when Guy Fieri and his Flavortown mobile came to Cincinnati this summer to film Diners, Drive-ins and Dives? The Food Network star made appearances at several area restaurants from Corryville's Island Frydays and Northside's Melt to a bevy of spots in Over-the-Rhine. Melt and Island Frydays' segments have since aired; tonight, a special OTR-centric…
Valley of the Sun Tour Diary: Brussels, Desertfest & Kitty Folders
When I first met Valley of the Sun, one of the first things Ryan ever said to me was, “So you’re the enemy,” with a huge grin on his face. He was obviously referencing something and was extremely happy that he was finally able to do so. I didn’t get it. For those of you…
There’s a Fake John Matarese Twitter Now
If imitation really is the greatest form of flattery, WCPO's John Matarese should feel truly honored. Someone has created a parody Twitter account, @John_Mattress, devoted to Mr. Don't Waste Your Money. Like the real Matarese, fake John offers penny-pinching tips, like this helpful idea: Who runs the account and why it only has 7 followers…
Morning News and Stuff
Oh wow it’s Friday, I saw pretty much the best show I’ve seen in months last night when Mirah played MOTR Pub and I just had a pretty great donut and tons of iced coffee. But this isn’t a baked goods or early 2000s music blog (I wish), so let’s get to the news. Attorneys…
Homemade Happy Hour: Abigail Street
Cocktail-mad scientist and adventurist Mike Georgiton is the bar manager/director of Senate, Abigail Street and forthcoming barbecue joint Pontiac (all owned by Daniel and Lana Wright). His unique creations make you want to rethink your regular cocktail order to try something that’s thoughtfully crafted to perfectly pair with your dish. CityBeat: When did you start…
WATCH: Zebras in Public’s “Blown Away” Video
Cincinnati’s Zebras in Public recently unleashed a new music video for its hard-charging rocker “Blown Away,” a highlight of the band’s 2014 full-length release, Paradise Leg. Directed by the band’s drummer, Chris Himes, the rumbling music is matched up with footage of the band members zooming around Full Throttle Indoor Karting in Springdale. The fast-paced…
Some of the Best Films in Town Are at FotoFocus’ Screenings
Since they’re not playing at a multiplex, or even an indie theater like the Esquire, you might easily overlook some of the best films in town right now. They’re in FotoFocus’ Screenings program, curated by its artistic director Kevin Moore and showing at Lightborne Studio, 212 E. 14th St. in Over-the-Rhine 11 a.m.-8 p.m. today…
Stage Door: A Whale, Two Brothers and a Beast
Know Theatre sets sail this weekend with tonight's opening of Moby Dick. It's Herman Melville's great American novel stripped down to its bare essentials of men at sea doing battle with a creature that maimed their obsessive captain. It's Know's first main stage show staged by new artistic director Andrew Hungerford, who's teamed with co-director…
Mayesfest Music Event Moves Indoors
With cool, rainy weather in the forecast, this weekend’s planned Mayesfest Bluegrass & Americana Festival in Bellevue has been cancelled. But with artists traveling into Northern Kentucky for the outdoor, riverside event, and many fans excited for it, organizers have decided to present what they’ve called on their Facebook page a “mini Mayes,” moving the…
Journey with the Valley of the Sun: An Introduction
(Editor’s Note: CityBeat contributor Nick Grever leaves today for Europe, where he’ll be on tour with Cincinnati Rock group Valley of the Sun as the band’s “merch guy.” Nick has graciously agreed to blog about his journey for citybeat.com over the next three weeks. Below is his first installment, an introduction written last night when…
Dems Cry Foul Over Husted Signs in Polling Places
Theoretically, there is no better real estate for a political candidate than the inside of a polling place, where a candidate’s name can be freshly stamped onto voters’ minds as they enter the voting booth. Currently, though, only one politician in Ohio gets access to this potential last-minute plug: Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted.…
From the Copy Desk
Morning, readers. I haven't had my coffee yet so … let's skip the intro and jump right into the list of "Words Nobody Uses or Knows" found in this weeks issue. Best word of this issue is gustatory, found in Rick Pender's warm review of I Loved, I Lost, I made Spaghetti, the current one-woman…
WATCH: Founding Fathers’ ‘Welcome Home’ Video
Early this year, Cincinnati Indie Dance Rock crew Founding Fathers released a tease of their forthcoming debut full-length release with a music video for their funky track, “Stop Drop and Roll.” Last week, the band unveiled another cool video clip to accompany its fantastic new song, “Welcome Home.” The clip, directed and edited by Peter…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning! Apparently two tuba players are dueling with chainsaws outside our window, or at least it sounds like it. I’m going to try and fight through the distraction to give you the morning news. Today’s update is mostly a politics sandwich, but stay with me here, because things are getting interesting as we speed…
NYC Vice Mayor Tours CPS Community Learning Centers
New York City Vice Mayor Richard Buery is in Cincinnati today and tomorrow touring the city’s groundbreaking community learning centers. He’s in town to glean best practices from CPS as New York Public Schools ramps up its own community learning center program. "What Cincinnati does, that they have probably done better than any other city,…
Public Celebrates New EP, Walk the Moon Tour Launch
Up-and-coming Cincinnati AltPop trio Public released an Ebola-level catchy new EP, Let’s Make It, on Oct. 7 and this Saturday the band will celebrate with an all-ages show at Rohs Street Café (245 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights, rohsstreetcafe.com). The show begins at 9 p.m. and also features special guests Harbour and Columbus, Ohio’s Nick…
Secrets From Sotto Chef Danny Combs
The executive chef at Sotto, the rustic, below-ground Italian trattoria on Sixth Street, is not Italian. Not even a little bit. He is, however, extremely skilled in crafting classic Italian dishes that will impress even the most scrutinizing Mediterranean palate. In fact, one of Sotto’s goals as a restaurant is to execute traditional Italian dishes…
Fireside Pizza (Review)
F ireside Pizza in Walnut Hills is the latest in the ever-growing cadre of food trucks/carts upgrading to brick-and-mortar locations in Cincinnati. Since 2010, Mike Marschman has paraded around town in his distinctive mobile pizza wagon comprised of a miniature version of a brick wood-fired pizza oven on top of a small trailer. When deciding…
‘Freak Show’ and ‘Walking Dead’ Kick off Spooky TV Season
The season of pumpkin spice (formerly known as autumn) is upon us, and with it comes some favorite shows to scare your pants off. First up this week is American Horror Story: Freak Show (Series Premiere, 10 p.m. Wednesday, FX). This season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s creepy anthology series takes place in 1952…
Rocks in my Pocket
Writer-director Signe Baumane takes audiences on an extremely personal quest for sanity in Rocks in My Pocket. This animated dramedy — a feature directing debut — is based on true events, detailing the experiences of five women in Baumane’s family, including Baumane herself, as they struggle with depression. The film has been selected by Latvia…
One Chance
Paul Potts (James Corden) lived life in the shadows, working as a hopelessly shy shop assistant with dreams of making a name for himself as an amateur opera singer. His “one chance” comes when he earns a spot on the reality competition Britain’s Got Talent, which he ultimately wins. David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada),…
The Notebook (Le Grand Cahier)
War stories, far removed from the battlefield, offer a more honest and intimate glimpse into the psyches of the troops on the front lines. Hungarian director János Szász, known for the documentary Eyes of the Holocaust and his related contribution to TV miniseries Broken Silence, cracks the code on The Notebook (Le Grand Cahier), based…
Kill the Messenger
Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner), a reporter with a regional California newspaper (in San Jose), stumbles his way into a stunning investigation of the Central Intelligence Agency’s efforts to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua by collaborating with drug dealers, importing cocaine and flooding major urban centers with the drug. Webb breaks the story, becomes a sensation,…
Dracula Untold
Are we truly ready for a reboot of the greatest vampire of them all after the desecration the legend has sustained? Well, at least this reimagining from director Gary Shore, making his feature debut, and screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (the writing duo’s debut here led to a next assignment on Gods of Egypt,…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
In advance of last Sunday’s Bengals game against the Patriots (I know, let’s not speak of that), some local players were featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s popular "Tonight Show Superlatives” segment. Andy Dalton truly is a personified pumpkin spice latte, isn’t he? Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice…
Poor Judgment
Right from the start, David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) lays his cards out on the table as if he’s got a winning hand. He’s excited. He’s dreaming of the big gold pot at the center of the table, the one with the little gold statue standing in the middle of the pile. The problem is, all…
David Bell Continues His Mysterious Ways in ‘The Forgotten Girl’
Cincinnati native David Bell’s latest thriller, The Forgotten Girl, centers on Jason Danvers, a 45-year-old graphic designer in small-town Ohio whose comfortable existence is seriously altered when his wayward younger sister re-enters his life. Bell’s taut, stripped-down prose propels a story that keeps one guessing until The Forgotten Girl’s final pages, along the way exploring…
Street Photography in the 21st Century
One purpose of Eyes on the Street, the Cincinnati Art Museum’s look at 21st century street photography, is to reveal how the phrase itself has evolved since the mid-20th century. The show, part of the citywide FotoFocus Biennial, opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 4. The mid-20th century was when street photography became well known,…
mewithoutYou with The Appleseed Cast and Hop Along
It hardly seems possible that adventurous Post Hardcore riffmeisters mewithoutYou have been around long enough to notch milestone anniversaries, but the Philadelphia quintet coalesced at the turn of the new century and has worked steadily for the past 15 years. The band’s new album (identified on its website as “LP 6,” which could simply be…
Zebrahead with MxPx, Allister and Survay Says!
In July 2013, user “SimplyStupid” asked a telling query of his fellow posters on MFZB Online Community, a forum dedicated to the group Zebrahead: “does ali rap, or does he just sing really angrily?” (sic) “Ali” here refers to Ali Tabatabaee, one of Zebrahead’s two frontmen. Trading off time with Matty Lewis — the band’s…
Cherub with Ghost Beach and Gibbz
Electro Pop duo Cherub offers yet another example of the diverse scene that Nashville, Tenn., is hosting these days. Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber met at Middle Tennessee State University nearly a decade ago where both were studying music promotion, eventually forming Cherub in 2010. Pursuing a sound that blends a passion for 8-bit Pop…
Changing Tides
M irah’s voice is a versatile thing of beauty, childlike and endearing one minute, haunting and rich the next. The nomadic Philadelphia native’s latest full-length, Changing Light, recorded over several months in multiple cities across the United States, is her most mature effort to date, a moody, sonically nuanced effort informed by heartbreak and Sinead…
To Do This Week
Looking for some things to do this week (Oct. 8-14)? If you like food fests, the arts or animals playing with pumpkins, you're in luck. This week marks the kick-off for the FotoFocus Biennial, which celebrates lens-based art and photography. For a list of events and recommend viewing, including the much talked about Vivian Maier street photography…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey all. Check out what’s going on right now. Republican Councilman Charlie Winburn is having a lot of changes of heart lately, all of which surely have nothing to do at all with him running for state Senate in a largely Democratic district. Winburn recently softened his stance on abortion (he once was a hardliner,…
Film: 20,000 Days on Earth
In 20,000 Days on Earth, Nick Cave, one of the most dynamic and inventive musicians that Rock & Roll has ever produced, gets an innovative, fascinating and unconventional “documentary” worthy of its subject. The word is in quotations because filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard use Cave as a sort of untrustworthy narrator of his…
Event: Fall Food Festival
Findlay Market celebrates the harvest season with its annual Fall Food Festival. This year’s festival includes food demos from the market’s very own cookbook, Findlay Market Cookbook, as well as craft cocktails, live music by The Recreationals and Tracy Walker and pumpkin painting for the kids. Show off your amateur baking skills or an old…
Event: Wine, Art, Beer & Cigar Festival
Wallow in your favorite vices at the fourth annual Wine, Art, Beer and Cigar Festival. Enjoy the distinctive taste and fragrance of a fine cigar, or check out the selection of more than 40 red and white wines and 25 craft beers. Beer and wine experts will be on hand to offer educational sessions throughout…
Like Fluttering Pages
When I was five and before our mother packed us into the back of the black Ford Econoline station wagon to drive away from our father and the black working-class life we thought we’d know forever, my two older brothers and I either walked to, were taken to or dropped off at Hamilton Lane Public…
Halloween: HallZOOween
Every Saturday and Sunday in October, the Cincinnati Zoo hosts a kid-friendly extravaganza with a Halloween twist that is always hairy but never scary. Kids can explore the park as usual while satisfying their sweet tooth at trick-or-treat stations or searching for two golden Frisch’s Big Boy statues to win prizes. Throughout the day there…
Worst Week Ever!: Oct. 1-7
Proposed OTR Parking Plan Hailed for Being Equally Expensive and Stupid City of Cincinnati administrators are currently working on a parking plan to accommodate all the rich suburban folk who moved into Over-the-Rhine in the past few years. The proposed plan would cost residents who park on city streets $300 per year, with some…
Halloween: Fall-O-Ween
Enjoy fall and Halloween favorites at Coney Island’s Fall-o-Ween festival. Watch a dazzling choreographed Halloween-themed light show in front of Moonlite Gardens, enjoy Coney Island’s classic rides, meet your favorite farm animals and ride a pony. There will also be a Trick-or-Treat Trail, hayrides, a “Monster Bash” live show, pumpkin launch, magic show, face painting…
Event: Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Ready for a road trip? Head to downtown Waynesville, Ohio, for the 45th annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival. The fest celebrates sour cabbage with arts, crafts, contests and more than 30 vendors offering all varieties of kraut eats from cabbage rolls, reubens and German sundaes to sauerkraut pizza, sauerkraut brownies and cabbage soup. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.…
Art: Founder’s Day at Pyramid Hill
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum celebrates Founder’s Day Friday with free admission to its more than 60 pieces of outdoor sculpture and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the park’s new entrance art. “Passage,” a large-scale metal sculpture by renowned artist John Henry that spans the width of the park’s entrance, will be dedicated at…
Event: River Grill Before the Big Chill
Cincinnati Parks hosts the city’s first-ever sanctioned State Championship Kansas City Barbeque Competition, where guests can watch pro teams compete to make the perfect barbecue in categories based on meat type — and then taste the results. There’s also a backyard competition for amateurs in pork ribs and chicken wings categories, with a grand prize…
Event: Weeki Wachee Mermaids at Newport Aquarium
The world-famous Weeki Wachee mermaids of Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs are coming to Newport Aquarium this week. Since 1947, beautiful women in colorful fishtail costumes have performed synchronized underwater ballet at Weeki Wachee, and this tour brings them to the aquarium’s Coral Reef exhibit. The “real-life” mermaids will swim from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. each day…
Onstage: Moby Dick
Herman Melville’s classic 1851 novel about obsessive Captain Ahab and his pursuit of the Great White Whale that took his leg is one of the most enduring works of American literature. A stage adaptation by Julian Rad washes ashore at Know Theatre this week. The manic journey of the Pequod and its crew has been…
Comedy: Sean Donnelly
Sean Donnelly’s first comedy audience was his family. “At the dinner table, I’d kill,” he says. “That was the first inkling of a performance-based future.” Even though he knew he wanted to do comedy, it took a while to work up the guts to actually try it. “There was nothing else I really wanted to…
Music: Debussy + Dvorák
In 1994, Kazem Abdullah played clarinet in the Cincinnati Youth Symphony. Twenty years later, the CCM graduate and current music director for the city of Aachen, Germany, returns to Cincinnati for his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut — as a conductor. The program, Debussy + Dvorák, shows off Abdullah’s extraordinary range, combining orchestral and choral works.…
City Launches Domestic Partner Registry
Cincinnati’s LGBT community on Oct. 2 celebrated another move toward legal equality when City Council celebrated the launch of the city’s domestic partner registry during a press conference on the steps of City Hall. The registry is designed to give couples in a domestic partnership a legal record of their relationship, making it easier for…
Supreme Court Decision Takes Away Ohio Early Voting
The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 29 issued a stay on a decision by lower federal courts that had extended early voting hours in Ohio, effectively reverting the state’s early voting schedule back to one drawn up by conservative lawmakers. U.S. District Court Judge Peter Economus originally ruled a limited early voting schedule unconstitutional because…
Sittenfeld Announces Living Wage Employer Initiative
City officials on Oct. 2 announced the Cincinnati Living Wage Employer Initiative, which will officially recognize employers paying their employees at least $10.10 an hour. The program looks to reward businesses and nonprofits that take the step, providing a website, cincinnatilivingwage.com, where consumers can check to see which businesses pay employees a fair wage. Though…
Something Wicked This Way Comes
BAR EVENTS Arnold's Halloween Blackout — Arnold's hosts a Halloween Blackout party, tapping eight hard-to-find seasonal black stouts including Rivertown's Deateh, Southern Tier's Warlock, MadTree's Are You Ready for the Darkness, Bell's Java Stout, Bad Tom Smith's, 50 West, Listermann's Lateral Nitro Oatmeal Sweet Stout and Great Lakes Brewing aged black stout. Live music from the Hot Magnolias. Beers…
Hands-On Harvest
In today’s fast-paced world, we often miss out on the opportunity to get our hands in the earth and walk through the field or orchard where our food grows. This fall, plan a family (or friend) day trip to one of the Tristate’s various pick-your-own fruit and veggie farms, and hand-select your own produce. From…
Music’s Not Dead
HOT Music’s Not Dead As the process of consuming music continues to evolve, many complain that the changes have cheapened the artform. But this year’s Nielsen’s Music 360 report on music consumption suggests that listening to music is still the most popular form of entertainment in the U.S. The study found that 93 percent of…
Key FotoFocus Events Begin Today
Today starts the key stretch of FotoFocus Biennial activities at Memorial Hall, which begin at 8 p.m. with Triumph of the Wild, a show of animated firms by Martha Colburn accompanied by music from Thollem McDonas, Tatiana Berman and the four-person Constella Ensemble. On Thursday, programming at Memorial Hall turns to the theme of Photography in…
Scare City
Can’t decide whether you want to be chased through cornfields by zombies, encounter Dracula and Wolfman or explore some of the darkest parts of the city? With this haunted house preview guide, all you have to do is read, pick your poison and get ready to run. The Chambers of Horror Classically dark and monstrously…
Behind the Mask
A masked man comes barreling at you from inches away, steam pouring out of a freshly fired-up chainsaw. Like a barn-born-baby in the winter, shrieking, you fall, scrambling backward as the huge figure looms over you. You look for light in his eyes and find none as he slowly begins to lower the saw, the…
Food Fight
J ust prior to the Food Allergy Research and Education walk in mid-September, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine immunologist Fred Finkelman took the stage to discuss groundbreaking research on suppressing food allergies in mice. While the therapeutic approach is, even optimistically, several years from human clinical trials, local FARE Walk organizer Heather Yee says…
Joyful Filth
I t’s at first a bit perplexing why the FotoFocus Biennial booked John Waters to perform his This Filthy World comedic monologue at Memorial Hall on Saturday night. Not because his observations about his life and the larger world around him can be — as the title indicates — randy and raunchy. But how exactly…
Cincinnati vs. The World 10.08.14
According to CNN, American middle class income hasn’t risen since 1995, when it stood at $51,719 (today it’s $51,939), but people are paying more for many things. Tuition for private, four-year colleges has risen 61 percent, gas is up 94 percent and home prices have risen 13 percent. World -2 Two Cincinnati breweries received national…
