Built to Spill
Rumor had it that Built to Spill’s 2009 album There Is No Enemy might be its last. None other than frontman Doug Martsch’s wife wrote the following on the band’s website upon the album’s release: “Three and a half years in the making, the efforts of writing and recording THERE IS NO ENEMY led Built…
The Fleshtones
For the past 40 years, Kiss and AC/DC have largely been churning out the same general sound with minor tweaks and filling arenas and stadiums in the process. That’s a fairly impressive feat, but it pales in comparison to the dedication and passion of The Fleshtones, who have followed a similar blueprint for nearly as…
Jaill
Jaill’s band name conjures something hard and uncompromising, an outfit that might relish the opportunity to cover Nine Inch Nails’ “Happiness in Slavery” or to emit some Lower East Side scuzz. Surprise! This Milwaukee-based quartet is anything but menacing, delivering hook-infused Garage Pop ditties that wouldn’t be out of place at a Beach Boys convention.…
Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang
Les Claypool is primarily known for fronting his band Primus, but he has also proven to be a diverse, intelligent and unique bass player who can throw down with a variety of other artists in a wide array of genres. He can rip on Funk Metal, Alt Rock, Progressive Slam, Quirk Rock and more, and…
The Spits
Once upon a gobsmacked time, Punk was a full-scale sonic assault with squalling guitars, pogo-bounced bass runs and double-clutched drumming providing an adrenalized soundtrack to snottily shouted lyrics that railed against boredom, apathy, mediocrity and the status quo. The Spits remember that time, patterning their own new-millennial take on Punk after heroes like NOFX and…
City Sets First Streetcar Tracks
Standing in front of roughly 40 supporters, city leaders gave the order on Tuesday to lay down the first two streetcar tracks. The milestone has been years in the making for the $133 million streetcar project — ever since City Council approved the streetcar plan in 2008 and the project broke ground in February 2012.…
Cats and Humans Can Drink Together at Last
Wino cat ladies rejoice! The Japanese have finally done it; they've created the world's cutest, best, happiest happy hour where cats and their humans can finally partake in bacchanalian revelry together — each with their own adorable beverage. Japanese pet supplement provider B&H Lifes recently launched Nyan Nyan Nouveau (aka "meow Nouveau"), a bottled wine made…
Morning News and Stuff
Early voting for the 2013 City Council and mayoral elections is now underway. Find your voting location here . Normal voting hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some days will be extended. City leaders will host an event today to lay down the first streetcar track. The event will take place at…
Sports: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
Hey, kids, did you know Cincinnati once had its own NBA team? Yes, the Cincinnati Royals, led by former University of Cincinnati star Oscar Robertson, played in the NBA from 1957-1972 until leaving to become the Sacramento Kings. Andy Furman’s attempts not withstanding, it’s unlikely another NBA team will ever return, thus our lone chance…
Music: Those Darlins
Nashville, Tenn., quartet Those Darlins first grabbed national attention with its 2008 self-titled debut and picked up even more steam with 2011’s Screws Get Loose, introducing the group as a purveyor of Girl Group shimmy, trad Country twang, Indie Pop hooks and Garage Rock bluster. The Darlins’ new album, the recently released Blur the Line,…
Event: de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation Family Day Brunch
The de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation formally invites you to the 10th annual SIDS family and friends brunch. Food vendors from all over the city, including Taste of Belgium, Via Vite and Shanghai Mama’s, will be in attendance. A silent auction will also take place at the event, as well as hands-on activities for children…
Event: Northern Kentucky Wine Festival
Take a break from Oktoberfest brews with something a bit more grapey. Saturday, pour yourself a glass of wine (or two or three) as MainStrasse Village gives you the chance for a little weekend wining and dining. The festival features tastings from more than 15 local wineries — including Baker-Bird Winery, Elk Creek Vineyards, Purple…
Event: Cincinnati Maker Faire
Washington Park has quickly become the scene for artists, movers, shakers and makers since its 2012 rebirth. The park is a constant staple for everything artistic, from the City Flea to outdoor music festivals. This weekend is no different. The park will be home to more than 90 makers for the Cincinnati Maker Faire. But…
Event: Taste of Tibet
The Gaden Samdrupling Monastery and Cultural Center is a community center for Buddhist study, practice and culture — a tiny corner of Tibet on the West Side of Cincinnati. On Saturday they’ll offer a celebration of Tibetan culture with authentic food prepared by Tibetan monks, including momos dumplings, bean threads, potato and cheese rounds and…
Halloween: HallZOOween
Take your kid trick-or-treating near lions and elephants at this year’s HallZOOween, weekends through October. Even if you don’t come dressed in costume, you can get your face painted in the zoo’s very own Beauty Shop of Horrors. After you finish collecting candy, attend a Halloween animal meet-and-greet and watch animals play with pumpkins. Or…
Onstage: Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck’s literary classic of enduring friendship in the face of unendurable hardship in Depression-era America is the next offering at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. The story of down-and-out migrant laborers features two of Cincy Shakes’ most versatile performers. Jeremy Dubin is pragmatic George, who struggles to protect oversized, simple-minded, trouble-prone Lenny, played by Jim…
Event: Listermann Brewing Company Craft Beer Oktoberfest
Listermann presents their second-annual Craft Beer Oktoberfest. Come join these local brew masters as they celebrate a festival full of craft beer, music, food and the ongoing “Oktober.” This year’s edition has been extended to a two-day event, with Friday designated as “Free Food Friday,” featuring food by Parkers Blue Ash Tavern and Glier’s meats, while…
Halloween: Heritage Village Museum Haunted Village
The Heritage Village Museum, Cincinnati’s premier 19th-century living history village goes from historical to haunted for six nights of fright and fun. The annual “Haunted Village” features a family-friendly dose of thrills and chills. Take a wagon ride through the village or tour the cemetery, all the while enjoying the company of the village locals…
Halloween: Friday Fright Night
Washington Park screens free family-friendly freaky films on Friday nights in anticipation of Halloween. This week’s installation brings viewers the creature classic Gremlins. After a pet adoption goes awry, little green monsters descend on the town of Kingston Falls in this comedic horror film, causing mayhem and mischief. No water and no food after midnight…
Comedy: Marina Franklin
“I was in Cincinnati years ago,” comedian Marina Franklin says. “I opened for Tony Woods at Go Bananas. That was my first real comedy room outside of New York, so for me this is a big deal coming back as a headliner.” The Chicago native wound up in New York after getting her master’s in…
Art: Imminence at the Weston Art Gallery
When now husband-and-wife artists Ana England and Steven Finke were first asked to have a joint show at the Weston Art Gallery in 1997, the two ceramicists decided to produce works addressing the theme of creation. For their current exhibition and their second collaborative effort, Imminence, England and Finke explore impermanence, mortality and grief. Imminence…
Art: John Ganis: Consuming the American Landscape at the Iris Bookcafe
John Ganis is a Detroit-based photographer whose works “mediate between the idyllic and the apocalyptic.” He spent two decades photographing the continental United States, recording glories and encroachments on our landscape, which are reflected in his show at the Iris Bookcafe and in his book, both titled John Ganis: Consuming the American Landscape. Ganis gives…
Thousands of Early Voters to Get New Ballots
More than 3,000 Cincinnatians who already voted early will get new ballots in the mail after an Ohio Supreme Court decision forced the Hamilton County Board of Elections to change the ballot language for Issue 4, the tea party-backed city charter amendment that would semi-privatize Cincinnati’s pension system. It remains unclear whether the early voters,…
Wilmington Haunted Hollow Ride (Preview)
This haunted hayride offers new scares for 2013. Take a tour of the Slaughter Hotel, a strange underground hotel with a rumored secret floor and electrical laboratory, or the Nightmare Penitenteiary, a prison for the criminally insane, in between being chased by fire-breathing semis, monsters, madness and mayhem through the fields of Clinton County. $13…
The U.S.S. Nightmare (Preview)
The Death Dredge remains one of Cincinnati's most terrifying haunts. A top-notch crew of actors and movie-quality effects deliver nearly half-an-hour of thrills to intrepid explorers of this authentic riverboat. The tour includes popular visits with the rat girl, the Captain and pit monster, plus new scenes of the crew quarters, the head and an…
Springboro Haunted Hayride (Preview)
Arguably one of the Cincinnati area's most intense haunts, this dark ride drips with down-home, righteous, back-woods evil. Expect a creaking, bumpy hayride through one fantastically haunted nightmare after another. Creeps hop on board with machetes and running chainsaws, seeking out the timid and squeezing out screams. The Black Bog is the accompanying corn maze…
Scaredown (Preview)
Expect a mix of Hollywood and down-home frights at this (allegedly) haunted rural farmhouse orchestrated by local horror filmmaker Josh Hasty. There's the historic haunted house — aka Devil House — said to be the site of a series of grisly murders (mama and Cletus allegedly murdered their three children and three of their friends…
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride (Preview)
It's one hell of a frightful ride beneath the clear, dark sky and bright stars at this haunted farm. Fan favs such as the Headless Horseman and the hillbilly's revenge are among the crazy scenes you'll see along the trail. The hayride's intensity is ramped up by the shrieks of fraidycats onboard and demonic actors…
St. Rita School for the Deaf Haunted House (Preview)
Cincinnati's oldest haunt still shines, darkly, with kid-friendly spookiness that includes creative, handmade props, Dracula, the Wolfman and a zombie horde. This is an all-volunteer acting team providing mild scares for the young and young at heart. Proceeds benefit St. Rita's School for the Deaf. A special lights-on matinee for children ($2) 3-5 p.m. Oct.…
Mount Healthy Haunted Hall (Preview)
The Mount Healthy Haunted Hall is a super cool, old-school haunt that can take more than 40 minutes to explore. Handmade props and scenery and an enthusiastic cast make this a blast to the 1970s-past of haunted houses; there are real scares delivered by real people in crafty ways. You'll get lost in a blackout…
The Mayhem Mansion (Preview)
This alleged murder house is said to have been haunted since the Roaring '20s and provides plenty of opportunities for visitors to roar today. The off-kilter, boarded-up farmhouse vibe is brought to a boil by a very aggressive team of actors playing the roles of a family of ghouls. You're on their land and you'll…
Lewisburg Haunted Cave (Preview)
This historic, 80-foot-deep mine is now home to an hour-long maze of mayhem. You'll cross a real rickety footbridge in the dark as waterborne terrors grasp for your feet, explore the devil's maze and encounter person-sized indoor pyrotechnics. It's wicked fun and the closest you'll get to crossing the River Styx on this side of…
Land of Illusion (Preview)
There are five haunts in one at this haunted theme park: The Temple of Terror (think Indy and the Temple of Doom), Dr. Psycho's Haunted Estate (The Re-Animator), Killer Klowns, the Voodoo Bayou Shanty (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and the esteemed Middletown Haunted Trail, which offers a mile of freak outs and school busses buried on…
Kings Island Halloween Haunt (Preview)
After darkness falls, evil rises. Kings Island's carnival of terror returns this season with the region's largest collection of ghouls. The main event is a collection of 11 haunted walk-throughs, including the new Delta Delta Die haunted sorority house, the 28 Days Later-inspired Urgent Scare, the killer clowns of Carnevil and Madame Fatale's Cavern of…
Heritage Village Museum Haunted Village (Preview)
Hamilton County Parks serves up this more eerie than scary event for all ages. There's a mild zombie chase on a hayride, a bonfire, trick-or-treating and activity stations for children and spooky ghosts wandering about this 19th-century village. It's great fun for families and a mild, spooky event that everyone can enjoy. $8; $3 per…
The Dungeons of Delhi (Preview)
Probably the region's best charity haunt, the Dungeons serves up one horrifically familiar scene after another in a sendup of the horror movies and night terrors that make your nightmares what they are. There's a ton of wonderfully handcrafted props, costumes and gear plus a whole lot of heart. Scenes can be very intense. $10;…
The Dent Schoolhouse (Preview)
Spoiler alert: The janitor did it. And he will again. The fiendish schoolhouse mop-dancer returns to cover the floors of these hallowed halls with the blood of innocents. Plan to study the three ‘H’s — Horror, Haunt and Hell — at this twisted school. The effects and scenery are movie quality and the acting is…
The Chambers of Horror (Preview)
Brutal, dark and immersive, the Chambers offers the brave a chance to explore one of the city's most surreal haunts. There are doors — hundreds of doors — some go nowhere and a few take your from the frying pan to the fire. One path sets you free, but which one? Be afraid. Be very…
Halloween Happenings 2013
MASQUERADE BALLS, TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS Queen City is Haunted Tour Photo: Provided A Wicked Affair — Drinks, dancing and a costume contest in support of organ donation, benefiting the National Kidney Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. $50 for single tickets; $80 for couples. 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Oct 26. Receptions Banquet and Conference Center, 4450 Eastgate…
Remembering Better Days: The Sinai Peninsula
Headlines describing terror in the Sinai left me thinking of a happier era when Enquirer editor Luke Feck agreed to let me cover the first return of Arab land taken by Israel in wars with Egypt. It would be an historic moment and I wanted to be there. Sinai is a triangular peninsula south of…
R.I.P. Larry Malott
The local music scene lost one of its veteran players this past weekend. Larry Malott — also a veteran of the Vietnam War — suffered a brain aneurysm last Wednesday from which he never recovered. A gifted bassist, Malott (who was 65) was the low-end anchor of hard-working, popular local Blues band Them Bones. Along…
Rapture, Blister, Burn (Review)
Critic's Pick Rapture, Blister, Burn, Gina Gionfriddo’s 2013 Pulitzer runner-up in its regional premiere at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, features an unusual love triangle. Cathy (Corinne Mohlenhoff) and Gwen (Jen Joplin) were college roommates, and Gwen was in love with Don (Charlie Clark). Cathy and Don were drinking buddies back in the day, full of intellectual…
Morning News and Stuff
Gov. John Kasich will not look to the full legislature to expand Medicaid and is instead asking a seven-member legislative oversight panel to consider using federal funds for the next two years to expand Medicaid eligibility to more low-income Ohioans. The Controlling Board, which is made up of one Kasich appointee, four Republican legislators and…
Governor Bypasses Legislature for Medicaid Expansion
After months of wrangling with legislators from his own political party to support the federally funded Medicaid expansion, Republican Gov. John Kasich decided to bypass the legislature and instead ask a seven-member legislative oversight panel to consider expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income Ohioans. Kasich’s decision to go through the Controlling Board means he no…
Three-Year-Old Talks to His Poop (Viral Video)
Cheesestring, poutine, pickle chips, an apple, chocolate thingies, more chocolate thingies — this kid has seriously inhaled a shit ton of food. And now he's worried about overflowing the toilet. In his words, ugh.
Morning News and Stuff
The Ohio Supreme Court upheld most of the controversial ballot language for Issue 4 — the tea party-backed city charter amendment that would semi-privatize Cincinnati’s pension system — but the court also concluded that the Hamilton County Board of Elections must add language about how much the city can contribute to the new retirement accounts.…
Stage Door: Solid Choices
Several great choices for theatergoing this weekend. At the top of your list should be Rapture, Blister, Burn at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. I was at the opening of Gina Gionfriddo's 2013 Pulitzer Prize runner-up on Wednesday, and it's another fine example of the kind of excellent production we've come to expect from ETC. Lynn Meyers…
National Reporting Project to Examine Accessibility of Plan B
The right to obtain emergency contraception is one that was only recently granted to all women of child-bearing age, marking a huge national victory for women's health rights over conservative political agendas. But now that's it's available over-the-counter, is it really easy to access? According to the Reproductive Justice Reporting Project, it depends on where…
IsWhat?! Curates Night of Art, Music, Poetry and Film
Great Cincinnati-based experimental Jazz/Hip Hop group IsWhat?! is gearing up for another one of its frequent European touring jaunts, but before the group leaves, the members will be presenting a night of film, art, poetry and, of course, music, this Friday at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills, all curated by and/or affiliated with IsWhat?! in…
Cranley Rejects COAST’s Support
Mayoral candidate John Cranley says he would reject an endorsement fromthe Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), a conservative group formed in 1999 with a history of anti-LGBT causes. “I don’t want it. I’m not a member of COAST,” Cranley says. The response comes just two days after COAST on Oct. 8 tweeted…
Building Preservation Group Scrutinizes Transitional House
Anywhere but here. That's the common response when city residents are asked where group homes for men and women experiencing homelessness and/or recovering from drug or alcohol addiction should be operated. While most citizens seem to agree that the group recovery facilities like halfway homes and supportive housing are generally a good thing, there's one…
Morning News and Stuff
By the time a new mayor and City Council candidates take office in December, the city will have laid out roughly half a mile of track and spent or contractually obligated at least $117 million for the streetcar project. The contractual obligations mean it could cost more to cancel the project than to finish it,…
Port Authority Cuts Parking Plan Payment
The parking plan’s lump sum payment is being reduced to $85 million, down from $92 million, and the city could be on the hook for $14 million to $15 million to build a garage, according an Oct. 9 memo from City Manager Milton Dohoney to council members and the mayor. Dohoney wrote that the Greater…
Council Approves Pure Romance Tax Credits
Oct. 10 update: At its final full session before the Nov. 5 election, City Council on Wednesday approved nearly $854,000 in tax credits for Pure Romance that city officials say will bring the company to downtown Cincinnati for at least 20 years. Councilman Charlie Winburn, the lone Republican on council, was the only council member…
Have Your Alcohol and Eat It, Too
A ccording to these featured chefs, there are several reasons to add alcohol to desserts, including everything from cutting the richness and cleansing the palate to lighting it on fire for show. But the best reason we can think of? Just because. “I love using booze as an ingredient,” says chef Sarah Ray, pastry chef…
A Smattering of Restaurants with a Focus on Food and Drink
Abigail Street — The Mediterranean-inspired menu of small plates revels in Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Greek influences, with unique twists only Chef Wright could pull off — chorizo-stuffed dates, grilled octopus, batata and more. Wines are available on tap, by the bottle or the glass. Open Tuesday-Saturday. $10-$30. 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-4040, abigailstreet.com. Amerasia — Quaint…
Grab a Fork and Raise a Glass
With Ohio brewing more than 980,000 barrels of craft beer in the past year — the fourth largest amount in the country — and breaking records with America’s largest Oktoberfest, it’s no secret that Cincinnatians love a good brew. And these days, with the complexity of craft beers (especially from our local brewers) becoming on…
A Culinary Balancing Act
P airing food with any beverage is both a balancing act and a chemistry experiment; it is equal parts personal and scientific. Whether the beverage in question is a cocktail, beer, wine or something as simple as fruit juice, it all comes down to balance. Chef Steven Geddes of downtown restaurant Local 127 is one…
Old World Craftsmanship in a New Location
A ccording to Ohio law, to be considered a “microdistillery” and maintain micro status (for taxes, permits, etc.), a business must produce less than 500 barrels of spirit a year. Woodstone Creek, a winery, meadery and the first licensed microdistillery in the state, only produces about 1/100th of that. Founded in a barn north of…
Spotify is 5, Stapp’s a Sweetheart and Sinead v. Miley
HOT To Stream or Not to Stream? It’s understandable why music fans might be confused about the “morality” of Spotify, which recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of its launch. Making it more difficult are thoughtful perspectives from both pro and con factions. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke called the streaming subscription music service “the last desperate fart…
ACLU Sues Ohio Over Anti-Abortion Restrictions
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio on Wednesday announced it is suing the state of Ohio over anti-abortion restrictions enacted as part of the 2014-2015 state budget. “To put it simply, none of these amendments have any place in the state budget bill,” said Susan Scheutzow, ACLU cooperating attorney and partner at the…
The Food + Drink Issue
Welcome to CityBeat’s annual Food & Drink Issue. Throughout history, food and beverages have always gone together because if you don’t eat or drink for a couple of days, you die. First, there were cavemen. There they were, eating their mammoth burgers around a fire, getting super thirsty talking about making wheels and drinking lake…
Morning News and Stuff
A bill enacting new regulations on minor political party participation in state elections yesterday passed through the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate despite objections from the Libertarian Party and other critics that the bill will shut out minor parties in future elections. The bill now needs approval from the Republican-controlled Ohio House and Republican Gov. John Kasich,…
Cincinnati vs. the World 10.09.2013
Chris Seelbach paid $1,218 out-of-pocket to dismiss a costly, unfounded COAST lawsuit alleging the councilman’s misuse of funds for a May trip to Washington, D.C., when he accepted a national award for successfully championing LGBT change in Cincinnati. CINCINNATI -2 A nice billionaire couple probably totally unaffected by the government shutdown donated $10 million to…
The More Things Barack Obama, the More They Stay the Same
The racist brouhaha swirling around University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ronald Jackson should quell once and for all any lingering nonsensical verbiage about a “post-racial” America or the “end of blackness” since the election and return of President Barack Obama. Because the more things Barack Obama, the more they stay the…
The Dark Also Rises
I f someone only marginally aware of AFI had seen footage of the band’s powerhouse show at the legendary Troubadour club in Los Angeles last month, where the group opened with its Platinum single, “The Leaving Song Pt. II,” they might have thought it was just another above-average gig to a club audience packed with…
Hate, with a Passion
Last week, as I was avoiding clicking back to the Cincinnati Reds’ unfortunate “postseason” collapse, I found myself sucked back into the game via my second screen — Twitter on my dumb smartphone. Pitcher Mat Latos’ Twitter-prolific wife Dallas created a breaking news situation with one 140-character-or-less post about being punched in the back of…
White (and Orange) Noise
R oughly half a mile of streetcar track will be laid out before Cincinnati’s next mayor takes office in December, and $117 million is already spent or contractually obligated to the transit project. But one of the two leading mayoral candidates still insists he’ll be able to shut it all down if he wins the…
Worst Week Ever!: Oct. 2-8
Walmart Finds New Way to Look Like Assholes, Surprises America Halloween is coming up soon, and that means you’ll probably get roped into attending a party and binge drinking to avoid thinking about if it’s dumb or not to be in costume at your age. When people need things but are willing to settle on…
Romeo and Juliet
Yet another adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tale of young lovers from rival families, but the presence of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) behind the pen bodes well, along with the wonderfully engaging Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) as Juliet and the likes of Damian Lewis, Natascha McElhone and Stellan Skarsgård in supporting roles. Expect…
Machete Kills
One-man filmmaking band Robert Rodriguez returns with another grade-Z action flick featuring his favorite leather-faced anti-hero Machete (Danny Trejo), who, this time out, gets recruited by the President of the United States (Carlos Estevez aka Charlie Sheen) to sneak into Mexico to hunt down an arms dealer aiming to launch an attack on the world…
Can Music Save Mountains?
T he Music for the Mountains (MftM) project has been a great example of the power music still has to get things done and have a sociopolitical impact. Prior to the music-driven venture’s launch in 2011, I was only slightly aware of “mountaintop removal” strip-mining, a practice exclusive to the Appalachian mountains, whereby coal companies…
The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete
Back in 1997, George Tillman Jr. made a name for himself writing and helming Soul Food, a family drama about the impact of the loss of a strong-willed old-school matriarch on the extended clan. Intriguingly, more than 15 years later, Tillman returns to broken family dynamics, except The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete presents…
Concussion
Sometimes life pushes our buttons to the extent that an escape plan, something more substantial than a warm bath behind closed doors, seems like a welcome option. In writer-director Stacie Passon’s Concussion, Abby (Robin Weigert) suffers a blow to the head and just can’t quite stay stuck in a home as a wife and mother,…
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Jonathan Levine, writer-director of Warm Bodies, makes a second appearance on the 2013 box office charts with All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, a mysterious horror thriller about a good girl (Amber Heard) who gets invited to a weekend party with the cool kids in her high school, but must keep her head when everyone…
The ‘Captain’ of This Ship
There’s a desire to slip inside the news stories that dominate our attention, to experience (and not just vicariously) the white-knuckle drama, the fear, the anxiety. Is it a factor and function of the social media age we find ourselves living in? Is this age really so different from the dawn of the 24-hour news…
Enter the Coven
What makes a good scary story? There must be a convincing villain, a relatable protagonist in danger and unexpected plot twists. American Horror Story, now in its third miniseries installment, indulges viewers while elevating the horror genre with an outstanding cast, suspenseful writing and the perfect touch of sex and camp. And this season is…
Mike Birbiglia Tests New Material at a Favorite Local Club
Though he hails from Massachusetts and lives in New York City, Mike Birbiglia has an affinity for Cincinnati and Go Bananas Comedy Club. Through the fall, he will be visiting three of his favorite comedy clubs — including Go Bananas — to work out material for an upcoming theater tour, which will commence in January.…
Photographer Michael E. Keating drops ‘Cincinnati: Shadow & Light’
Michael E. Keating spent 34 years as a photojournalist at The Cincinnati Enquirer, where his vivid work gave readers views of the Queen City that could be beautiful, troubling or revealing — sometimes all at once and almost always imbued with an uncommon sense of humanity. A native of rural Indiana, Keating insists he stumbled…
The Explosive Art of Peter Halley
Artists have long had an interest in serial imagery — repeatedly painting or making prints of such objects as haystacks (Monet), numerals (Jasper Johns) or flowers (Warhol). For the artist, it isn’t a rote, repetitious action — seeing how color, light or perspective changes the way you see an object makes one artwork as different…
Music Beyond Genres
T he Constella Festival got it right when they named Missy Mazzoli as this year’s composer-in-residence. At 33, she’s earned the awards, commissions and acclaim you’d expect from artists twice her age. And her two Constella concerts this year feature compositions she’s created since 2005, both for small ensembles and solo performance. “This is definitely…
