LCT Recognizes Theater Productions
The League of Cincinnati Theatres still has some kinks to work out in terms of sending out timely announcements of what they’re calling awards (last year they were nominations) for current productions. Despite the fact that the Cincinnati Playhouse’s God of Carnage opened on Sept. 7 and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s A Man for All Seasons…
A Key, Instrumental Force
It’s hard to imagine a more fantastical introduction to the world of music than Memphis teenager Booker T. Jones experienced in the early 1960s. Jones — a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member as well as recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy — is one of the headliners for this year’s MidPoint Music Festival.…
A Decade with No Decay
My memories of the very first MidPoint Music Festival in 2002 are pretty vague. I remember bits and pieces from that inaugural fest, when the vast majority of performers were local. I recall being in the car way too much for such a fest — I caught bands at the Madison Theater in Covington, the…
An Asian Brunch Experience
Since 1977, the Wong family has held court at Oriental Wok locations around Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Their Fort Mitchell location (317 Buttermilk Pike, 859-331-3000) has it all: a gong at the door, a relaxing fishpond, a quirky, lovable owner and a Sunday brunch buffet ( $12.95). Sweet and Sour Chicken and fried rice might…
Meritage (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK With legacy eateries like Grand Finale and the beloved Friendly Stop, Glendale’s always been a great neighborhood for dining. Now it’s added a new option this fall with Meritage. Owners Tom and Kriste Fowee, the chef, opened their doors in early August. The grey-clad building is just north of the center of Glendale…
![Jimmy Gibson [Chef FB’s]](https://i0.wp.com/www.citybeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/lookwhos_jimmy_gibson_by_kevin_wauligman_2.png?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
Jimmy Gibson [Chef FB’s]
I interview a lot of chefs, and there is always a common thread: They don’t have time to dine out. This is especially true for Jimmy Gibson, chef at FB’s in downtown Cincinnati (126 W. Sixth St.). While most chefs toil in a well-equipped, professional-grade kitchen, Gibson is making Whole-Hog Waffles and chicken wings using…
Everybody Dance Now
For many Cincinnati area audiences, dance means classical ballet — annual Nutcracker performances or perhaps Swan Lake. But Mario de la Nuez and Meridith Benson, co-artistic directors of de la Dance Company, are trying to change all that with performance evenings like DanceCincinnati2011, running for the next two weekends at the Aronoff’s Jarson Kaplan Theater.…
A Houston Art Pilgrimage
As a devotee of the kind of enigmatically mysterious, ambitious conceptual art installations — sometimes minimalist, sometimes abstracted or color-field — that can be called “spiritual,” I’ve made pilgrimages to some pretty unusual places. The rationale behind such art often is that remoteness adds to the intensity of the experience. But I was never more…
Intimate Visions
Realms of Intimacy: Miniaturist Practice from Pakistan, which opens the Contemporary Arts Center’s 2011-12 season Sept. 23, isn’t really about Pakistan. It’s not even all about small pictures. “It’s about using beauty to discuss difficult issues,” says Assistant Curator Justine Ludwig. Ludwig has assembled the work of five artists, all former students of the National…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Listen to David Wax Museum (Mommy: Belle and Sebastian when they're on their meds; Daddy: Old Crow) and Penguin Prison (Mommy: Chromeo; Daddy: Cut Copy) because they will get you in the mood for this weekend's MidPoint Music Festival.—- You can stream new albums by Wilco, Apparat and Tony Bennett on NPR. The good people…
The Ridges’ MPMF Promo Clip (VIDEO)
One of the bands on my MPMF.11 itinerary is The Ridges, a Chamber/Folk/Indie/Pop ensemble from Athens, Ohio. They have interesting instrumentation (cello, trumpet, accordion, etc.) and their songs are remarkably infectious. Read what I wrote about them in the MidPoint guide here. The group just sent us an MPMF promo video in advance of their…
Football to the Face!
Sorry to do this, guy who got hit in the face by Michael Boley's celebratory throw. But dang was it funny.—- During second quarter of the New York Giants-St. Louis Rams Monday Night Football game last night, Rams running back Cadillac Williams dropped a short pass behind the line of scrimmage, which Giants linebacker Michael…
Chamber Opposes Anti-Streetcar Issue
As part of its slate of endorsements announced today, the Cincinnati U.S.A. Regional Chamber of Commerce stated it's opposed to Issue 48, the proposed charter amendment that would block construction of Cincinnati's planned streetcar system. The Chamber announced its positions on six local issues that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.—- Regarding Issue 48,…
R.I.P. “Winning”: The Roast of Charlie Sheen
They say you only roast the ones you love, but what can be said about someone with few redeemable qualities, who's essentially spent the past year roasting himself in the media? Quite a bit, apparently.—- Last night's Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen could have been predictable and stale, but both the roasters and roastee…
Squeeze the Day for 9/20
Music Tonight: Alternative music legends (and The Beatles of children's music) They Might Be Giants play the Southgate House in Newport tonight in support of their latest "grown up" album, Join Us. Check out CityBeat's interview with one of the Johns here. The duo will also being doing an in-store signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in…
Morning News and Stuff
Do you enjoy looking at slideshows of rich people? Here's a good one, themed “Most Corrupt Members of Congress.” Guess which local Eastside representative made the list … Here's a hint: Jean Schmidt.—- Gov. Kasich did his part this week to make Ohio cool, offering pharmacy company Omnicare $6 million in tax breaks to move…
Behind the Scenes
A lot more than actors go into making a play come to life onstage — lights, sound, scenery, props, dressers and so on. These are part of the rehearsal process, of course, but they get their final tweaks during technical rehearsals, an aspect of production that audiences seldom get to see. Sure, it might take…
The Emmys Recap
Last night was the Modern Family 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which is basically an orgy of television shows from Glee to Deadliest Catch to The Daily Show.—- Jane Lynch spread her Sturdy Wings and soared as the hilarious hostess of the evening. The skits throughout the show were pretty funny for a stodgy TV…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Appearing as a presenter on the 2011 Emmy Awards last night, Charlie Sheen declared before naming the nominees, “I want to take a moment here to get something off my chest and say something to everyone here at Two and a Half Men…” Oh shit!—- “From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing…
I Don’t Know How She Does It
Sarah Jessica Parker goes from Sex and the City to career mommy under siege (while breaking the sacred wall to talk directly to the audience) in this family comedy from Douglas McGrath (Infamous) with a script from Aline Borsh McKenna (27 Dresses, Morning Glory). I can’t for the life of me figure out how she…
Squeeze the Day for 9/19
Music Tonight: Progressive Indie band SHADOWRAPTR are doing the rounds this month in support of its just released full-length, It's Always Winter on the Moon. The Cincinnati ensemble crafts humbly epic songs full of winding, unexpected compositional shifts and an overall mysterious magnetism. They call the album a "guitar-soaked psychedelic-soul-pop odyssey," and cite influences like…
Morning News and Stuff
Bill Cunningham is still trying to do TV, even though he looks like a doll who's come to life to murder people. This report explains how his new spray tan, hair coloring and expensive suits have contributed.—- President Obama will be in town this week to discuss the importance of the Brent Spence Bridge and the American…
MidPoint VIP Passes, Ticket Giveaway Coming to End
Sales of MidPoint VIP Passes end tonight at midnight, as do all online ticket sales for MPMF.11. Go here to make your online purchases of VIP Passes ($125) and 3-day wristbands ($49); you'll receive your tickets in the mail before MidPoint begins on Thursday. Meanwhile, Biore® Skincare's giveaway of 20 free pairs of 3-day wristbands…
Warrior
Sometimes the story is the story — that’s all there is, and the producers stick with it. Gavin O’Connor (Miracle, Pride and Glory) gets to mash-up two of his favorite genres — crowd-pleasing sports and gritty sibling drama — with Warrior, the story of two brothers (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) waging distinctly different…
‘Sunny’ Premiere Disappoints At Least One Person
After watching the Season 7 premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia last night, I decided to do a quick Google search of the many poor reviews I assumed would populate the good 'ol internets today. But when I typed in “sunny in philahdelpha reviews” (spelled it wrong), all I got was a bunch of…
Your Weekend To Do List: 9/16-9/18
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is taking over downtown this weekend, bringing around 500,000 guests! Once you've had your fill of schnitzel, Spaten and sauerkraut, stop by the CityBeat booth for the official Oktoberfest guide and register for a VIP MPMF Package and other prizes.—- vitaminwater uncapped LIVE Cincinnati is a series of music and events around town.…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Charlie Sheen has proudly taken all of our money after watching his public meltdown, shitty comic routines and buying his stupid T-shirts. Sheen on Thursday told Jay Leno that he was actually "losing" during his breakdown and that he "thought I could come back … kind of like you did." Sheen says that he has…
Squeeze the Day for 9/16
Music Tonight: Eilen Jewell does her part in putting the "Alt" back in "AltCountry" when she and her band hit the Southgate House ballroom stage tonight at 8 p.m., supporting her fantastic latest album, Queen of the Minor Key. Superb area singer/songwriter Lauren Houston opens up the show. Check out CityBeat's recent interview with Jewell…
Straw Dogs
Rod Lurie, back before he became a writer-director of thoughtful adult films like The Contender, The Last Castle and Nothing But the Truth, spent time in the trenches as an entertainment reporter and film critic, and he brings that experience to bear in his latest film, a contemporary updating/remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (1971).…
Morning News and Stuff
The game of Cornhole has apparently spread from its modest beginnings in some West Sider's backyard all the way to the Northeast, thanks largely to a Fox News anchor who in 2005 took a set from his hometown back to New York and started teaching other people how to throw the beanbags at a hole…
Q&A with Black Stone Cherry (X-Fest Preview)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The members of Kentucky's Black Stone Cherry take pride in their closeness. They are still just four guys rocking out and living their dream. BSC's just-released third studio album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, reached the Top 30 in the Billboard 200 and the group is currently…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
Twenty-three people in a five-seat minivan were pulled over in Austria on Saturday. The group of 23 Romanians were on their way home from Ireland when they were pulled over by traffic police. The driver may face charges. The group was ordered to continue the drive with the legal number of passengers and the remainder…
Q&A with Theory of a Deadman (X-Fest Preview)
Theory of a Deadman is a Hard Rock band that has made a dent in popular music with catchy hooks and sounds that appeal to the heartbroken everywhere. Together for over 10 years, they became hitmakers with their third album, Scars and Souvenirs, and the No. 1 hit “Bad Girlfriend,” along with other popular tracks…
Squeeze the Day for 9/15
Music Tonight: A solid (and free!) Indie Rock double-bill at MOTR Pub tonight features two quality bands with a healthy dose of ’90s Indie influences evident — Athens, Ga.'s Witches and Florida's Holopaw. Witches' dirty but warm sound (which reminds me a little of Cincy heroes Wussy) is on glorious display on the band's 2011…
Morning News and Stuff
Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis came out of his bomb shelter today to describe the Hell on Earth that will ensue should SB5 be voted down in November. Leis says a $7.9 million cut to his department will mean closing three of his 10 jails floors and releasing inmates early. In general, the sheriff says…
Monzel’s Motion May Backfire on MSD
A proposal made today by a Hamilton County commissioner involving sewer work related to the city of Cincinnati's planned streetcar system won't harm or delay the project, city staffers said. That's because the motion introduced by County Commissioner Chris Monzel, a streetcar foe, would only affect additional improvements sought by the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD),…
MPMFers Cut Copy Unveil New Video
MidPoint Music Festival headliners Cut Copy yesterday dropped a new video, "Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution," from the band's recently released full-length Zonoscope. The clip uses Planet of the Apes-esque dudes in a way that's both amusing and crafty — way better than most of the videos MTV used to play back when it…
Explaining OTR’s Messy Mound
Many motorists and pedestrians in Over-the-Rhine have wondered what it was, and now CityBeat has the answer. “It” refers to the nearly three-story high mound of dirt located at the corner of Liberty and Race streets. The dirt, which first appeared a few months ago and has grown in size ever since, lies behind a…
Music, Movies and the Not So Mundane
A metalworker in the province of Henan in central China by the name of Kho Jian is designing and building a replica of Noah’s Ark out of re-salvaged and converted oil barrels. The SS Noah’s Ark will cost around $36,000 and will come equipped with a kitchen and bathrooms (for the bonobos?).—- “Shit better come…
Criminalizing Photography Is Worrisome
Until the other day, I thought Cincinnati police officers were too bright to confiscate cameras in a public place at a public meeting to which the public was invited. Hell, the owners of the cameras weren’t disrupting the meeting or photographing coppers using excessive force. But I was wrong. One of Cincinnati’s finest took two…
STP Gets Doctor’s Note; Black Star Too Busy
Two highly anticipated concerts this week have been canceled. Last night, I received an emailed press release from the promoters of the Stone Temple Pilots concert at Taft Theatre at 7:24 p.m. announcing the show had been called off due to singer Scott Weiland’s inability to perform (not for the reason you’re thinking — Weiland…
Cool Issue 2011:
“We need to make Ohio cool, and part of it is a company like American Greetings.” — Ohio Gov. John Kasich, explaining how Ohio needs to retain the creative young people who keep moving to places like Austin, Tex. We don’t need to spend a lot of time explaining to you, dear CityBeat reader, that…
Too Cool Kasich vs. The Liberal Elites
Smarmy, round-shouldered and sporting a haircut that makes his head look just a little asymmetrical, Ohio Gov. John Kasich cuts a striking pose in his weekly video addresses (available at www.youtube.com/user/HouseConference). Checking these out gets you close to the Governor’s mansion in that way that Facebook gets you close to your friends — that is…
Cincy Shakes It Up
There’s a lot to be celebrated about Cincinnati’s varied theater scene, but one of the coolest aspects might not be immediately obvious: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s stock in trade is shows that were written four centuries ago. So how is that cool? Well, let me count the ways. Let’s consider actors, plays and outreach. First, those…
Fall Ball
College football season is already upon us, but what many sports fans often fail to realize is that college basketball is just around the corner. With 10 more weeks of University of Cincinnati football scheduled to overlap the school’s November basketball exhibition games, it’s safe to say that this fall is going to involve watching…
Looney Tunes
In 1999, a young Ohio State alum named John Kasich was featured in a newspaper article about his potential run for President of the United States. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But what was a bit strange, in hindsight, was the way the paper (the San Francisco Chronicle, no less) described this young buck…
Cool Things To Do This Fall
COOL INDIE CRAFTS: This year marks the second anniversary of Cincinnati’s Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show, a gathering of more than 50 local crafters, artists and designers making it easy to find those special gifts for all your holiday shopping. Last year’s show drew more than 2,100 shoppers and this year proves to be as much…
Brent Spence and Wendell Young
[WINNER] BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE: The overcrowded, dilapidated bridge on Interstate 75 that connects Cincinnati to Northern Kentucky got a shout-out last week from the main man. President Obama mentioned the rusty steel structure in his Aug. 8 speech to Congress as an example of projects that could be expedited if his jobs plan is approved.…
Toubab Krewe with The Giving Tree
If you chanced upon the intoxicating West African instrumental music of Toubab Krewe without knowing anything about them, there are two very potent facts about the quintet that wouldn’t be conveyed by their captivating sound. First, the band has only been together for six years, and has released three excellent albums in that time (their…
Rise To Fall
The recent Do Downtown Restaurant Week was a big hit, at least for me. I had an exceptional three-course prix fixe dinner at Orchids at the Palm Court for just $35. It was elegant and delicious, and I couldn’t figure out why the place wasn’t packed. Well, if you are sorry you missed that deal,…
Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
Eden Park’s Seasongood Pavilion plays host to the third annual “Bluegrass for Babies” concert this Saturday at 4p.m. The event was co-founded by Matt and Anne Schneider, who organized the family-friendly concert to raise funds for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center after their son Nicholas underwent emergency surgery there the day after he was born.…
Jewell of the Dial
On her four original albums, Eilen Jewell has deliberately given each one a slightly unique feel while maintaining the basic elements that have converted so many fans and critics. Her first two albums, 2005’s Boundary County and 2007’s Letters from Sinners & Strangers, were hailed as the work of a legend-in-waiting, while reaction to 2009’s…
Jaworski Drops S-bomb During MNF
Did anyone else think they heard Monday Night Football broadcaster Ron Jaworski say "shit" during the Patriots-Dolphins game? I vaguely recall thinking something weird happened, but probably was too distracted by my fantasy football team getting totally destroyed. Jaws apologized later in the broadcast, and ESPN said that was good enough for everyone to move…
GOP Debates Reveal Disturbing Beliefs
I f ever there was more proof needed that the Republican Party has been hijacked by extremists , look no further than the two recent debates held for the GOP’s presidential contenders. No, I’m not referring to what the candidates said, although some of their remarks also would underscore my point. Rather, I’m referring to…
Drive
R yan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Reyn. Audiences should get used to seeing these names together, because this could be the start of a beautiful collaborative relationship. It would be one based on a real love of movies — good gritty Hollywood movies — proving that there doesn’t have to be any shame involved in…
Here Come the Johns
Over the past three decades, They Might Be Giants has worn so many unique hats — Indie Rock nobodies, alt.press darlings, phone-to-internet pioneers, commercial successes, TV/film contributors, kids music heroes, Grammy winners, documentary subjects — it seems as though they’ve had to grow a new head to accommodate each successive chapeau. Thankfully, the longstanding duo…
Morning News and Stuff
Cue Waylon Jennings' Dukes of Hazzard narrator voice: “Them daggone Republicans gone and done it again, redistrictin' the whole state in their favor. Ain't that somethin'.” For real though, they'll likely hold 12 out of the state's 16 districts going forward, with Cincinnati's two (Chabot & Schmidt) being restrengthened with GOP-rich areas. Except in Cleveland,…
Keith, Party Rock and Narcs
[HOT] Where’s the Keef? Keith Richards has more cool in his elongated, coke-scooping pinky fingernail than 99 % of the actors in Hollywood, so news from Keef (reported by the U.K.’s Telegraph) that there has been talk of turning his bestselling autobiography Life into a feature film has casting directors all over Tinseltown sweating bullets.…
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Greg Hardman [Christian Moerlein Brewing]
It‘s time for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, so who better to check in with than Cincinnati’s premier brewmaster, Greg Hardman. Hardman, since purchasing the historic Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. in 2004, has reinstated Cincinnati’s great brewing tradition by restoring many classic brands and crafting new beers, like my favorite, the Moerlein OTR Ale. Hardman currently is consumed…
America 2011
Exiled from Main Street XXXXII: with apologies to Allen Ginsberg’s poem, “America.” I gave America a Labor Day party this weekend and it was a lot of work. The kids aren’t so much interested in fireworks anymore, but rest assured we adults still like our alcohol. America, are you tired? I know I am. Tired…
La Badiya (Review)
Years ago, I reviewed a restaurant down by the airport that had sent a lot of press releases announcing how authentic and delicious its “country-style” food was — made from Mammaw’s own recipes! After a few bites, I was really feeling sorry for poor Pappaw. The food was so incredibly bad that at one point…
A Current Affair
N o guts, no glory. No risk, no reward. These clichés generally hold true for Cincinnati Ballet’s annual season opener — its modern-leaning, mixed-bag New Works showcase — but they seem more apt than usual. This year’s Kaplan New Works Series , which opened on Thursday night at the Ballet’s own intimate Mickey Jarson Kaplan…
Scarred But Not Scared
“It’s beauty in a whole different way, shocking at first, but so meaningful,” says Litsa Spanos, whose gallery, Art Design Consultants Inc., will show the traveling photography exhibition The SCAR Project from Sept. 29-Oct. 2. The show presents photographer David Jay’s life-size prints of young women whose struggles with breast cancer have left them…
Hooked On Comics
Comic book culture is embedded in our collective imaginations like never before, inspiring a slew of Hollywood blockbusters like Batman and Superman (for starters), as well as a number of gritty independent films, such as American Splendor, Ghost World and Road to Perdition. The genre also attracts all manner of craftsmen to explore it as a…
Q&A with Emphatic (X-Fest Preview)
Omaha rockers Emphatic began making waves within the music scene with the single “Bounce,” which has flown up Rock charts. The band, which just released its debut album, Damage, are currently on the Carnival of Madness tour, which comes to Dayton's X-Fest (at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds) this coming Sunday with Staind, Theory of a…
Q&A with Adelitas Way (X-Fest Preview)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Las Vegas-based Rock band Adelitas Way has skyrocketed through the ranks and charts in the last year. The group's second studio release, Home School Valedictorian, hit music shelves earlier this summer and the first single “Sick” reached No. 1 on the Active Rock charts in the U.S. The band is…
Advice for a Bob Evans Enthusiast
I ’m pretty sure that Gov. John Kasich has more important things to think about than his favorite restaurant. But it is clear that Kasich thinks that Bob Evans is pretty damned cool. During his campaign last year, it was reported that Kasich staffers had to set all Bob Evans locations into the GPS devices…
Duke Wants New Fee on Customers Who Opt Out
In a move almost as confusing as its monthly bills, Duke Energy has proposed a 10-year rate plan that would impose a new “capacity” fee on both its own customers and those who have switched to other electricity providers. While the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) evaluates the proposal, Cincinnati residents are considering an…
Digging Up Answers for Bones
At an Aug. 23 press conference, as Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters declared the investigation into the police shooting death of David “Bones” Hebert over, clearing the officers of any wrongdoing, Paul Carmack was waiting outside the room, getting occasional updates from members of the media. Carmack, charged by Hebert’s family as administrator of his…
Sept. 7-13: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 7 It’s good to know that Ohio’s governor has the time to break away from his busy schedule of selling Ohio’s stuff to private companies making Ohio more business friendly to right an institutional wrong perpetrated by the laws of this state. The governor today reduced the charges against a woman convicted of…
Joy Kills Sorrow
With Nickel Creek abdicating their crown, the Bluegrass/Americana scene has been awaiting the rise of the next big group of young turks to bring something fresh to the genre. Joy Kills Sorrow certainly seems to have the potential to be that group. The band coalesced out of the strong and competitive Boston Folk scene six…
