Music: Surfer Blood at MidPoint Music Festival
In existence for just over a year, Surfer Blood seems to have arrived on the scene fully formed. The West Palm Beach, Fla., quartet's debut full-length, Astro Coast, is an uncommonly cohesive set of songs informed (but never bound) by 25 years of Indie Rock touchstones and founder/frontdude John Paul Pitts’ own unique vision, which…
Art: Where Do We Go From Here? at CAC
Where Do We Go From Here? Selections from La Colección Jumex is the kind of wonderful group show that the Zaha Hadid-designed Contemporary Arts Center was built to exhibit. It helps tremendously, of course, that the downtown museum’s director/chief curator, Raphaela Platow, knows the strengths of her building so well and can supervise this exhibit’s…
Hueston Woods Hike
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 5.84 milesConfiguration: Series of loops and out-and-backDifficulty: Moderate–difficultScenery: Woods, old-growth forest, and lakeExposure: ShadedTraffic: ModerateTrail Surface: Soil and exposed rocksHiking Time: 2.5-3 hoursDriving Distance: 1 hour from CincinnatiSeason: Year-roundAccess: Half hour before sunrise to half-hour after sunsetMaps: USGS College Corner; Hueston Woods State Park mapWheelchair Accessible: NoFacilities: Restrooms and water at…
MidPoint Tickets Coming & Going
The 2010 MidPoint Music Festival is just three days away, so if you haven't firmed up your plans yet now's the time. And here's the big ticketing detail you need to be aware of: Three-day "all access" wristband sales end before the festival kicks off Thursday, replaced by one-day wristbands on sale each night at…
Events: Hudy’s Tailgate on The Square
Want front-row seats to the Bengals games for free? Well, sure, who doesn’t? Though they can’t provide a seat at Paul Brown Stadium, Hudy can give you the next best thing. (Dinner with Ocho Cinco at J. Alexanders? OK, the next next best thing.) Come tailgate Sunday on the square with some Hudy and watch…
Music: Tom Tom Club at MidPoint Music Festival
It’s not been easy to see Tom Tom Club play live. The pioneering, avant-percussive Dance Rock band, formed in 1981 by Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz (her husband), has taken a back seat in recent years to family life. Tom Tom Club — the duo augmented with other players and vocalists…
Art: Hanging Garden at Holy Cross Church
Besides being the best public-art project I've seen in Cincinnati since my return here three years ago, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto's Global Tree Project: Hanging Garden at Mount Adams’ old (and otherwise empty) Holy Cross Church is so contemplatively beautiful it should be permanent. But that would create a problem — one of the two trees suspended…
Events: The Dent Schoolhouse
The city’s most deranged janitor is back with new terrors and a devilish new detention hall. The Dent Schoolhouse has earned its title as one of the area’s premier haunted attractions by amping up the scares with movie-quality sets and skilled actors, including the legendary Damien Reaper. It’s been voted one of Haunted Attraction Magazine’s…
Music: Van Dyke Parks at MidPoint Music Festival
Van Dyke Parks is not a household name. His recorded catalog, revered by a cultish number of fans, has sold sparsely yet his influence is inescapably broad. Parks’ work as a producer/arranger and the amazing artists he’s worked with over the past four decades has cemented his iconic status. Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Harry Nilsson,…
Events: Newport Oktoberfest
Get your Bavarian swag in order and start prepping your biceps because the bier steins will be overflowing as Newport kicks off one of its biggest festivals of the year, Oktoberfest. Start your weekend right by indulging yourself to the bottom of the liter for Friday’s official grand opening at 6 p.m. And if dancing…
Alpha and Omega (Review)
I have to question the decision to dedicate this animated adventure about a couple of young wolves (voiced by Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere) from opposite sides of the pack to the late Dennis Hopper. I can fully appreciate the desire to honor his last performance, but everything about his work here — and the…
Art: Raymond Thunder-Sky Folk Art Carnival
Thunder-Sky Inc. keeps finding celebratory and clever ways to continue magical, idiosyncratic art-making in the spirit of Raymond Thunder-Sky, a recently departed local artist. This weekend the organization has teamed up with Happen Inc. and Building Value, two other Northside nonprofit organizations, to put on the Raymond Thunder-Sky Folk Art Carnival to bring together 30…
Events: Walk to Stop AIDS
Lace up your walking shoes and head to Sawyer Point for the 21st annual Walk to Stop AIDS. The event starts Sunday at 9 a.m. with breakfast (pastries and coffee) and entertainment provided by DJ Andy G. Productions. At 10 a.m. you’ll start steppin’ with a four-mile riverfront walk. The route will wind past Great…
Onstage: South Pacific at Broadway Series
If you’re thinking that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s South Pacific is some tired old warhorse of a musical, you don’t really know the show. Of course the music is familiar — “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and “Bali Ha’I” — and the show was a hit more…
Comedy: Mike Birbiglia
Before putting it to rest, as it were, comedian Mike Birbiglia wanted to commit his acclaimed one-man show Sleepwalk With Me to CD. It had a successful run of over 200 performances off-Broadway, but he wanted to record the CD in a comedy club, not a theatre. “I developed the show in comedy clubs,” he…
Music: Caribou at MidPoint Music Festival
On his first two full-length releases and a handful of CD singles and live recordings, Dan Snaith had established himself as a rather well-informed and astute purveyor of Psychedelic Pop as he transformed it into his own unique brand of one-man-laptop bravado. Snaith’s releases are located in record store bins and on that interweb thingie…
Friday Movie Roundup: Something for Everyone
I've emerged from the darkness. After catching nearly two dozen films in six days at the Toronto Film International Film Festival, I've finally returned to life as we know it, still buzzing more from the gallons of coffee I ingested than TIFF's cinematic offerings.—- That's not to say it wasn't a fine festival, but, as…
Devil (Review)
A narrator informs us about a childhood spook story, based in the modern world, in which the Devil walks among us, gathering souls to take but doing so according to an exacting plan. You’ve heard it before: Everything happens for a reason. And like all such tales, there is a moral lesson, a choice that…
Easy A (Review)
Fired Up director Will Gluck hands his Scarlet Letter high school update to Emma Stone and she delivers, making her hard sell pitch for promotion to the A-list look as easy as Sunday morning. Of course, it’s not like she’s in this one alone, because Gluck stacks the deck with a supporting cast of characters…
Stage Door: Lots of Weekend Theater Options
You want something frothy this weekend? Check out Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Showboat Majestic or Much Ado About Nothing at Cincinnati Shakespeare (read Julie York Coppens' review here). The latter is especially fun if you're a Baby Boomer — it's set in 1968 and has a soundtrack from the era.—- If you prefer something…
West Side Summit Planned
A summit of neighborhood leaders from Cincinnati's West Side is being planned by the Westwood Civic Association (WCA). The association is inviting all West Side neighborhood groups, not just those from its home base of Westwood, and says it's seeking input on topics that will be discussed.—- WCA sent invitations via e-mail to organizations and…
X-Fest Precap with Papa Roach and Buckcherry
The annual X-fest rolled through Indianapolis and Dayton this weekend with a line-up featuring Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Sublime with Rome, Shinedown and many more. The annual festival is sponsored by local rock stations and draws tens of thousands of fans to the two shows from the Tristate region. This year the weather was beautiful and…
Superman Is a No-Show … For Now
Superman might be faster than a speeding bullet, but his all-too-human writer isn't. The issue of DC Comics' Superman title that features the Man of Steel visiting Cincinnati was supposed to arrive at comics shops today, but has been delayed due to an illness by one of the creators. That put a crimp in the…
Onstage: Much Ado About Nothing at Cincy Shakespeare
There are two unlikely pairings in Cincinnati Shakespeare’s 1960s-flavored Much Ado About Nothing. First is the romance between Beatrice and Benedick, competing wits whose friends trick them into realizing they’re perfect for each other. That match-up triumphs here just as it should, thanks to a playful and well-paced performance by Bruce Cromer, as Shakespeare’s most…
Groups Plan Protest at Reds Game
Some local groups will be holding signs outside of Great American Ball Park today and Thursday while the Reds play, protesting Arizona's new immigration law and seeking signatures for a petition that asks Major League Baseball to move the 2011 All-Star Game from the state. The Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, the Immigration Advocacy Movement and…
Equality Cincinnati’s Full Statement
This week's issue of CityBeat features an article about the grassroots effort last year to have the city of Cincinnati establish a Domestic Partnership Registry. Ultimately, Equality Cincinnati (EC) became part of the effort, assumed responsibility for the registry and then delayed trying to have one officially enacted through City Council. Instead, EC created its…
Break on Through to the Other Side
Cincinnati keeps it old school when it comes to traditions. From our love of pork by-products and church festivals to the way we talk (I will never cease to say "please?" when I really mean "huh?"), we tend to hang on to our quirky customs. And when it comes to enduring attitudes, the East side/West…
A Civil Stroll
Somehow, a sensational thing happens when hiking around the city on a historic walking tour: The modern world is always present but seemingly overlaid with a transparency from the past, the ghosts looking back at us while we search for them. At least that’s been my experience when good storytelling is involved, as it is…
Vine Street and Charlie Winburn
[WINNER] VINE STREET : Vine is the symbolic heart of the city, stretching like its namesake across the middle of downtown and separating East Side from West Side. It once was so filled with glittering activity that some 19th Century observers called it “the Paris of North America.” So it’s fitting that city planners chose…
Shalini Latour [Chocolats Latour]
Since starting her handmade chocolate business Chocolats Latour (chocolatslatour.com) a little over a year ago, Shalini Latour has seen some ups and downs in the chocolate world. The positives are obviously the excellent chocolates she makes with fillings and flavors like Juniper Berry, Ancho Chili and Stout (using the local Mt. Carmel Stout). And the…
Love Ranch (Review)
Taylor Hackford, the director who attracted widespread kudos for his 2004 Ray Charles biopic, proves incapable of fitfully exploiting more pulpy subject matter. Based on real-life exploits of the husband-and-wife team (Joe and Sally Conforte) that opened and operated Nevada's Mustang Ranch (the first legal brothel in the country), Love Ranch holds the seedy promise…
Grey Collar Jobs
Keeping your money right is harder now than it's been for over half a century. In these tough economic times, people are always on the look out for new, innovative ways to make a living. But there are some among us who have decided to stop looking on Craigslist and instead find careers in the…
Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary Hike
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 3.6 milesConfiguration: LoopDifficulty: Easy-moderateScenery: Prairie, forest, and pondsExposure: Open in prairie areas, shaded in woodsTraffic: Light-moderateTrail Surface: SoilHiking Time: 2-3 hoursDriving Distance: 15 minutes south from Connersville, IndianaAccess: Dawn-duskMaps: USGS Alpine; property maps available at kiosk on siteWheelchair Accessible: NoFacilities: Toilet, water, and picnic sheltersFor More Information: (765) 827-0908 or www.indianaaudubon.org/MaryGray…
Tough on Crime, Tough on Wallets
Many people believe a justice system that’s tough on crime is crucial to citizens’ sense of security, providing them with the comforting notion that criminal offenders will be put under lock and key to keep their neighborhoods well-protected and functioning in an orderly fashion. A report issued last month by the American Civil Liberties Union…
Symbolism vs. Substance on Gay Rights
As the push for African-American civil rights heated to a boil in the early 1960s, some people urged the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to take a slower, less confrontational approach to accomplish his goals. When King planned a non-violent protest against segregated retailers in downtown Birmingham, Ala., eight white clergymen published a letter asking…
David Gallo: Master of Alternative Universes
Theater designer David Gallo was 10 when Star Wars was released. “I loved the idea of creating worlds, other places,” he says. “Star Wars crystallized it for me — the creation of an alternate universe.” Gallo grew up in Long Island, where his interest in theater blossomed. He tried college, but professional opportunities came quickly.…
Cool Sounds of the Renaissance
At first glance, the Catacoustic Consort might appear gimmicky, like Civil War Reenactors a little too obsessed with an era they’ve romanticized and obsessed over, disconnected from the modern world. But the music of Cincinnati’s Catacoustic Consort isn’t an attempt at time travel so much as it is a method of exploring the sounds, emotions…
The Persistence of Cool
Welcome to CityBeat’s annual Cool Issue, wherein we highlight “cool” people, places and events during the “cooler” fall season. But what exactly makes something “cool?” Like anything else in our rapidly fracturing world, opinions and standards of “cool” vary greatly depending on whom you ask. Sure, some things are undeniably (or should be) cool no…
Rollin’ and Bowlin’: New Downtown Asian Lunching Options
You've got two new Asian-inspired lunch options downtown — one that has crowds queued up out the door and the other that hasn't quite been discovered yet. Both benefit from friendly staffing and fresh ingredients. The buzz belongs to Soho Sushi, near the Fourth Street entrance to Tower Place (28 W. Fourth St., 513-246-4261). The…
Springsteen and His Boss Hogs
Bruce Springsteen hasn’t played in Cincinnati since 2008, but various iterations of him promise to keep the local concert and record scene busy this fall. There are at least three major acts coming to town that — in the style and substance of their material — have been pronouncedly influenced by The Boss. The first,…
The Wolverton Brothers Got Guts
Standing outside the practice space used by Cincinnati’s legendary mainstays of underground Rock, The Wolverton Brothers (Tim Schwallie, Bill “Billy Wol” Stuart, Jay McCubbin and drummer T. Lothar Witt), I reminded them it was their 25th year in brotherhood. The band’s first gig was in 1985 at the C.A.G.E. Gallery on Fourth Street. “It came…
The Tillers and Matthew Shelton Come Home, and Music Photos at the Library
• If it's seemed like Cincy Folk trio The Tillers haven’t been as omnipresent on the local club scene this summer, that’s because the group has been spending a lot more time on the road since the release of its sophomore album, By the Signs. The band has been playing clubs and festivals throughout the…
Prosecutor, Enquirer Play Fast and Loose with Facts
You don't have to be a liberal or even sympathetic to the plight of homeless people to be outraged by an announcement from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters on Sept. 2. Deters, a staunch “law and order” Republican known for his support of law enforcement no matter the circumstances, said his office wouldn't file any…
The Photographic Cool of J.P. Ball
When you walk into the Cincinnati Museum Center’s rotunda you’ll see huge banners heralding exhibitions and Omnimax films. But it’s a shame you won’t see mention of the wonderful show of J.P. Ball photographs in the low-profile Ruthven Gallery, on the lower level of the building near the entrance to the Children’s Museum. The exhibition…
