There are few buildings in the Greater Cincinnati area with more significance than the King Records complex in Evanston. For decades, King Records produced music hailing from numerous musicians across multiple genres — including James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Philip Paul, Otis Williams and many more. In CityBeat‘s latest issue, we examine the significance of this Cincinnati landmark and how the recently-formed King Records Legacy Foundation aims to preserve it for future generations. Keep reading to discover all of the stories you can find in CityBeat‘s latest print issue, out on newsstands now.
‘The King Thing’: Inside the Movement to Save King Records, the Cincinnati Studio that Produced Decades of Stars and Hits
By Katie Griffith
The shell of the King Records complex in Evanston has been vacant for years, sadly without much national public acknowledgment of how the label, artists and producers shaped both the music of the time and the future of rock and roll, soul and more. Fortunately, that may be changing. The King Records Legacy Foundation launched in 2021 as a collaboration between City of Cincinnati officials, the neighborhood of Evanston and former King Records recording artists Otis Williams, Philip Paul, Bootsy Collins and others. Read CityBeat‘s in-depth cover story to learn more about King Records’ important legacy — and how the King Records Legacy Foundation intends to preserve it. Scroll through CityBeat‘s timeline of important King Records milestones to better understand how the record label shaped music history in the country and beyond.
Singer Martha High Keeps Alive the Legacy of James Brown and Cincinnati’s King Records
By Steven Rosen
Martha High is perhaps the strongest active link to the Original Funky Divas associated with James Brown, arguably King Record’s most successful recording artist. Their work together included Brown’s massive hits for King, his funk classics on the Polydor label and his final hits on Scotti Brothers Records, including “Living in America.” Read CityBeat‘s story to learn more about High’s unique bond with Brown, and how her latest album honors that special relationship.
The Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub Aims to Revolutionize How Locals Approach — and Participate in — Waste Reduction
By Maija Zummo
The Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub — colloquially known as “the Hub” — aims to help mitigate the effects of climate change, with a mission to “revolutionize how people think about ‘things’ and to provide a place where almost anything can be recycled or reused.” The Hub accepts everything from plastics, packaging materials and Styrofoam to items you never thought could be recycled, including corks, contact lens packaging, glue sticks, empty toothpaste tubes, Brita water filters, scissors, dried-up markers, fishing line, used Swiffer pads and even silica packets. Read CityBeat‘s story to learn more about the local impact of waste reduction.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s New Season Opens With Thought-Provoking Drama
By CityBeat Theater Critic, Rick Pender
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s 2022-2023 season features a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a Tony-nominated comedy, a witty and honest story of connection, and the world premiere dramedy of a reimagined classic. The season opens with the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Sweat by Lynn Nottage. It’s a socially conscious drama set in a working-class bar where factory layoffs and picket lines are tearing apart friends and colleagues who’ve worked together for years. Read CityBeat‘s story to find out more about ETC’s season lineup.
Over-the-Rhine’s Sneaker Resale Shop From the Sidewalk is a Sneakerhead’s Paradise
By Katie Griffith
From the Sidewalk – a sneaker resale and clothing store, creative hub and popup space – is one of Over-the-Rhine’s newest shops. Owner Nick Nguyen has collaborated with Nigel Agboh and Mike Giddens to create a space that caters to local sneakerheads and vintage enthusiasts. Read CityBeat‘s story to learn more about what treasures shoppers can unearth at From the Sidewalk.
College Hill’s El Camino Baking Co. Serves Up ‘Real’ Bread and Pastries
By Sean M. Peters
College Hill is now home to El Camino Baking Co., which, after several weekends of what it described in an Instagram post as a “barebones low-key dry run,” is now open for regular bakery/coffee shop hours as of Aug. 24. The bakery is owned by Ryan Morgan, who gained national attention as owner and head baker of Sixteen Bricks. Read CityBeat‘s story to find out why Morgan finds this venture particularly nerve-racking.
Over-the-Rhine’s Alice Offers Imaginative Cocktails, a ‘Retro-Future’ Design and Weekend Discos
By Leyla Shokoohe
While Alice, a new bar in Over-the-Rhine, opened in late June, doesn’t take its name or inspiration from the one of Wonderland fame, the spot is just as charming and beguiling. Located in an old garage-warehouse on the corner of East Liberty and Main streets, Alice stands apart from the other bar options in the area with colorful industrial vibes and clever cocktails. Read CityBeat‘s story to learn more about Alice’s ambiance and intriguing cocktail menu.
Dayton Emo Band Hawthorne Heights Launches Ohio Is For Lovers Festival at Riverbend This Weekend
By Katrina Eresman
Famed Dayton emo export Hawthorne Heights has started a music festival. Ohio Is For Lovers Festival — named after the band’s breakout single and regional emo anthem — brings together well-known emo and emo-adjacent acts like Senses Fail, Story of the Year and Bayside. Ohio’s music scene will also be represented with Cincinnati locals Leggy, Tweens and Vacation; other regional acts include Dayton punk band the Raging Nathans and Better Anyway of Springfield, Ohio. Read CityBeat‘s story to learn more about what inspired the band to create the Ohio Is For Lovers Festival.
Sound Advice: John Craigie Brings Spare Instrumentation, Folk Tunes and a Sense of Humor to Madison Theater
By Greg Gaston
Everyone handled two years of a touring pause in different ways. Some fretted, some denied, and some, like John Craigie, wrote and recorded an album about street mermaids and howling at the moon, among other practical concerns. The Portland-based singer/songwriter recently released Mermaid Salt, a stirring, intimate collection of moody songs and spare instrumentation. Mermaid Salt reveals a more somber, contemplative tone in his songs. Instrumentally, he relies much less on his acoustic guitar and more on piano, with a purring electro-beat set back in the mix, accompanied by a rotating cast of musicians. Read CityBeat‘s story to find out how Craigie’s sound will translate on the stage.
Sound Advice: Old 97’s Fans Can Expect Some Deep Cuts at September’s Southgate House Revival Show
By Brian Baker
The band — for 30 years composed of frontman Rhett Miller, bassist/vocalist Murry Hammond, lead guitarist/vocalist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples — would release Twelfth that August, in the midst of a long, costly pause that halted most live music. Outside of a few scattered gigs last year, this marks the Old 97’s’ first full-scale tour since 2019 and their first local appearance in four years. Before the pandemic shut things down, the band was still touring on the back-to-back releases of 2017’s Graveyard Whistling and 2018’s primarily original Christmas album Love the Holidays, and looking forward to doing the same for the forthcoming Twelfth. Read CityBeat‘s story for what to expect at the Old 97’s upcoming show at Southgate House Revival.
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This article appears in Sep 7-20, 2022.