CityBeat | Jan. 31, 2018 by Cincinnati CityBeat

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LETTERS More S’mores Plz

Julie Greene: Ashley Greene-Yacobozzi and Lindsey Jeanette. Why are you two torturing yourselves by looking at these posts.

Emily Bradford: Jessica I need you to go try this and report back. For science.

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Saraya Brewer: Goldman Barbara these look so good! I bet you would KILL at makin’ some gourmet s’mores

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Liz Sieger: Katie Sue guess where we’re going in February

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Brooke Rowley: Nicole Zygmunt this reminds me of those popsicles...... we needa go here Stephanie Thompson: Erin and Toni, someday we’ll do dessert for lunch here! Megan Peterson: Ali Grace umm did you know about this place?! Sarah Gates: We stopped in last Tuesday !!! A new favorite spot

TWITTER @CityBeatCincy @CityBeat_Eats @CityBeatMusic INSTAGRAM @CityBeatCincy SNAPCHAT @CityBeatCincy

Comments posted on Facebook.com/CincinnatiCityBeat in response to the Jan. 23 post, “Yes: There is a s’mores bar in OTR. Quaintrelle makes artisan marshmallows and squishes those sweet squares between graham crackers and covers them in toppings like caramel, pecan, dark chocolate and candy. There are even mallows infused with booze. Bourbon marshmallows, anyone?”

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Voices, Votes and Representation

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mindthecrows: So proud of my city

jessiels24: Thank you for acknowledging BLMC in your post. It’s so important that all voices have representation. mikelikesdonutz: @bijketabchi I forgot to mention that, what or who did I offend? roywebb33: What rights do they not have..? What am I missing here..? Comments posted at Instagram.com/CityBeatCincy in response to the Jan. 23 post, “More than 10,000 people marched through the streets of downtown Cincinnati Jan. 20 for the second-annual Women’s March. This year’s theme was “Hear our Vote,” and the event focused on getting people engaged in the electoral process. A coalition of groups organized by Black Lives Matter Cincinnati held a panel discussion later in the day to talk about how fight for women’s rights goes beyond the ballot box.” Photos @nswartsell

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WHAT A WEEK! BY T.C. B R I T TO N

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Guggenheim Offers Trump Gold Toilet

Unpacking the Grammys

The 60th annual Grammy Awards took place in New York City Sunday, and if you were playing a drinking game where you took a shot every time someone called it “music’s biggest night,” you are probably still in the hospital. Get well soon! It felt like the Grammys were six hours long, included 50 performances and only featured nine actual awards. OK, those

It’s not uncommon for U.S. presidents to borrow famous pieces of art from museums and galleries to display around the White House. New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art loaned two Edward Hopper works during the Obama years, which were displayed in the Oval Office. So the Trumps followed suit, requesting Vincent van Gogh’s “Landscape With Snow” from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to hang in their living quarters. They were denied — the painting is traveling to Spain for an exhibition. The Guggenheim’s chief curator and shade queen Nancy Spector wrote to the White House explaining that while she could not accommodate the request, she could offer Maurizio Cattelan’s “America” another piece: contemP H O T O : S O L O M O N R . G U G G E N H E I M F O U N D AT I O N porary artist Maurizio Cattelan’s interactive first two were slightly exaggerated, but sculpture, “America,” a fully functioning 75 categories were announced before the 18-karat gold toilet. The gaudy pisser (talkbroadcast, leaving just nine for the actual ing ’bout the potty, not the president) has show. I don’t want to sit through a 10-hour been on display at the Guggenheim for a show any more than any other casual year— in the museum’s public restroom, home viewer, but it sure seems like if you no less — but now it’s available for loan. weren’t one of a handful of mostly mainSpector included a photo of the toilet, sugstream, mega-popular artists, you might gesting the Trumps might be interested as well have stayed home! One notable win in installing that instead. No word on the you might have missed: Cincinnati-bred White House’s response. It’d definitely rockers The National took home their first be a tough call for Trump: On one hand, Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. he’s the IRL version of Goldmember from Nice job! Austin Powers, but the germophobe in him Here are some hot takes: would probably be rightly grossed out by a • Lil Uzi Vert wore raver pants and a mestoilet used by 100,000 strangers. Sick burn, senger bag, looking like a kid who’d get Nancy Spector! questioned by a mall cop in 1997 for acting suspicious in a Hot Topic. He served Frenchies Go IDAGF realness on the red carpet, giving Cuckoo for Nutella amazingly awkward interviews: When From savage to sauvage (that’s French asked the ubiquitous “What’s next?” he for “wild;” keep up, plebs): The French are responded, “Waking up, eating some inherently cooler than Americans. They Pop-Tarts.” can judge us for our love of junk food and • Ugh. Joy Villa is back. The “singer/songholiday shopping stampedes, but it turns writer” who was not nominated wore out they might not be any better than us a garish Claire’s sales rack tiara and garbage people. One French supermarwhite dress painted to depict a fetus in a ket chain slashed the price of Nutella on rainbow womb. Her purse, also apparThursday and there were mobs! Scenes ently hand-painted by a small child or rivaling Black Friday during the Tickle-Meperhaps fetus, read “Choose Life.” She Elmo era showed swarms of folks ransackgained notoriety last year after wearing ing displays of the chocolate-hazelnut a dress emblazoned with “Make Amerspread. At 70 percent off, containers that ica Great Again” and Trump’s name. typically went for €4.5 were just €1.41. • Kendrick Lamar opened the show with Some brawls even resulted in minor a politically charged performance injuries. Now that’s a supermarket sweep! that included dancing soldiers, Dave Perhaps American culture still has interChappelle interludes and a surprise U2 appearance. Kendrick was a big winner national influence after all.

that night with five awards. • Both Lady Gaga and Pink delivered separate stripped-down versions of their recent hits without any of the crazy costumes, acrobatics or elaborate sets they’re known for, which is fine for their songs’ messages, but I CAME TO BE ENTERTAINED. • Winner of Earworm of the Year? “DES. PA. CITO.” J/K. While Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee performed their banger, they did not walk away with a trophy. • Sting and Shaggy — yes, as in “It Wasn’t Me” — took the stage together and are working on a joint album. So, this is what’s happening in the year 2018. • A pre-recorded sketch found host James Corden auditioning celebrities to narrate the audio version of Fire and Fury, musing on how it could be a Grammy nominee next year. Hillary Clinton made an appearance. Corden also rudely teased that Barack Obama might be coming onstage before revealing it was actually Recording Academy president Neil Portnow. RUDE. • Throughout the night, presenters and performers spoke on behalf of gender equality and Time’s Up, DACA and immigrants, suicide prevention and the victims of recent concert violence. • SZA was the real MVP as the most nominated woman of the night, and she killed her live “Broken Clocks” set, but she left empty-handed. Best New Artist went to Alessia Cara, the only woman to bring home a trophy during the live show. (Side eye) • Bruno Mars arguably had the best night of all, performing his new ’90s-inspired single “Finesse” with Cardi B and nabbing all six awards he was nominated for. Does that mean we can retire “24K Magic” and “That’s What I Like?” Please? • Elton John and Miley Cyrus (why?) teamed up for “Tiny Dancer.” Elton recently announced his retirement, with his farewell tour making a stop in Cincinnati next February — as in 2019. (Will we all even still be here?) • Rihanna completely owned the stage during a performance of “Wild Thoughts,” singing live and dancing like a goddess. Has she ever looked better? • Speaking of goddesses, where was Beyoncé? Husband Jay-Z was nominated for eight Grammys (but walked away with none), but he appeared alone at the show’s start. Thankfully she showed up fashionably late, and with Blue Ivy! The Carters’ first-born should be up for an Oscar in a new category I propose, Best Performance in an Audience. She sternly shushed both of her parents as they were applauding, insisting that they stop clapping. #OprahBlueIvy2020 Contact T.C. Britton: letters@citybeat.com

This Week in Questionable Decisions… 1. Hillary Clinton had people scratching their heads when, in a video, she thanked “activist bitches supporting other bitches.” Abuela, no! 2. Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley compared marriage equality to high-speed internet, saying that the U.K. government would not “impose” same-sex marriage there, “in the same way it’s not for me to impose the way super-fast broadband is rolled out across the country.” 3. London’s Wireless festival managed to book only a measly three women artists compared to 30-plus male acts for the three-day music showcase. 4. A man in the U.K. was pulled over for using his phone while driving (which is illegal there, unless you’re hands-free). His excuse to the cop? “I was just putting a laughing emoji to my girlfriend.” 5. A Canadian train conductor was fired for posting “racy” photos of herself posing on train tracks (off duty). 6. A dozen animals were disqualified from Saudi Arabia’s prestigious camel beauty pageant for having Botox! Yet another example of unrealistic beauty standards for women. 7. Barry Lubin aka Grandma the clown of the Big Apple Circus is the latest #HimToo after admitting to pressuring a 16-year-old aerialist into taking pornographic photos. 8. 50 Cent “forgot” he accepted 700 Bitcoins for his 2014 album — they’re worth more than $7 billion now. 9. The Bombay Times told LGBTQ interviewees that they didn’t look queer enough for a photoshoot and instructed them on what to wear for a redo. 10. The Doomsday Clock moved 30 seconds closer to “midnight” this week, at 11:58, the closest it’s been since the height of the Cold War in 1953. 11. Trump affirms, “I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist.” Ya don’t say! 12. Viewers of the Bravo reality dumpster fire Vanderpump Rules accused the cast of using the word “pasta” as code for illicit drugs in a recent episode.

SPORTS!

FCC May Get an MLS Franchise — If They Can Nail Down Some Details BY JAC K B R E N N A N

“Cincinnati seems to have the edge. There was a time when that edge seemed to belong to Sacramento, but I think that has changed.” And why has that changed? Why has Sacramento stumbled despite being seen not so long ago as the perfect MLS pursuer? The California capital has a long history of courting the league, a Top 20 TV market, a shovel-ready stadium plan and a fine fan base. But it’s the money, in the end. Stable money, lots of it, and where it is and isn’t. Cincinnati’s ownership group is headlined by Carl Lindner III — ’nough said — while Sacramento’s bid has been hurt by the pullout of Meg Whitman, the very rich eBay and Hewlett-Packard mogul. “One thing that has become apparent in this process is how much more important deep pockets have become,” Carlisle said. “Not that it hasn’t always been the case, but now you’re talking about a $150 million expansion fee and a $200 million investment in a stadium, you need to have billionaires with a capital ‘B.’ Money will never be an issue with Carl Lindner, and as the cost of this whole thing began to go up, some fragility within the Sacramento ownership structure has been exposed.” “MLS loves big money,” said Goff. “Detroit has big money (led by billionaire NBA moguls Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores), and it’s a huge market that will probably get in at some point. But their proposal of using Ford Field (home of the NFL Lions) instead of building a stadium has put the brakes on their momentum.” “Billionaires don’t grow on trees,” said Straus. And in addition to Lindner and his family, the Cincinnati investor group includes Scott Farmer and the family-run Cintas empire. Cincinnati also has a fan base that immediately became the largest in the USL, well ahead even of Sacramento’s strong support, and our town’s stadium situation has for some time seemed close to being resolved. But “close” doesn’t mean “done” — like Sacramento’s stadium deal is done — and therein lies the one caveat Carlisle would pose to hungry FCC fans. “The ownership is so solid, and they only have to get the stadium situation sorted out, but it seems like an odd way they’re going about it,” Carlisle said. “Someone in their group, or someone in MLS, may not be that thrilled with the Oakley site.

Maybe it’s whether that really qualifies as the ‘urban core’ MLS is looking for.” Indeed, though FCC’s official bid lists Oakley as its stadium site, news came out recently of FCC getting its ducks in a row for a possible land purchase in the West End, near Taft High School and just a few blocks from the millennial-packed Washington Park area. “But MLS is not going to give them the team until they have everything figured out,” Carlisle said, “and what this does in my mind is to give Sacramento an opening to find that investor who can put them over the top. “It just seems to me like Cincinnati is better off making a decision — ‘This is where

“I think, in soccer terms, that we’re into stoppage time, and that Cincinnati has the lead and they’re just trying to close this out,” said Jeff Carlisle, who covers MLS for ESPN. it needs to be; let’s just do this’ — rather than hemming and hawing. I still expect Cincinnati to get it; it’s their game to lose at this point, but if nothing happens in a couple months, I think it could be a time to get worried.” Personally, I like the West End. The Enquirer recently ran a photo showing Taft High’s soccer field with the downtown skyline looming large in the background, and it spoke to me of “soccer in the city.” But gaining necessary neighborhood support for the plan looks dicey at best. I’m not a big fan of Newport, Ky. It may be as physically close to downtown as the West End but, sorry, you cross that big river and the city ambience takes a dip. Oakley would be my No. 2, not in the core but still in the city, and with vibrant hipster base. But I’m with Carlisle. Let’s pick a darn spot, lest Sacramento score a tying goal in stoppage time and then beat us in a shootout. Contact Jack Brennan: letters@citybeat. com

the all-new

.com

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Jeff Berding didn’t want to talk about it. And after talking to a few other people who ought to know something, I think I understand why. Outside the current kerfuffle over FC Cincinnati stadium plans, I texted the club’s GM seeking an updated handicap on the issue that could make all stadium plans moot: the race against Sacramento for the one remaining expansion berth on Major League Soccer’s current to-do list. Though even more expansion is envisioned down the road — MLS teams may someday outnumber Dollar General stores, it seems — the city that fails to nail this chance is stuck for an indefinite number of years, trying to stay excited about the second-tier United Soccer League. But Berding politely declined to discuss the bid, suggesting that if I needed an FCCrelated column, he’d get me an interview with the head coach about the team’s upcoming USL campaign. Thanks, Jeff, but … zzzzzzzzz. It’s MLSor-bust for this futbol fan. I can put up only so much longer with the USL life — hosting Rochester and Bethlehem and reminding myself how to find Channel 64 for road games that show other franchises with perhaps 400 in the stands. I can do more USL only if there’s assurance that after a couple more seasons — in 2020 is the thinking — FCC can graduate into the big league and join the Reds and Bengals as teams that bring our city a true major league vibe. But it’s OK that Berding declined an audience on all that’s at stake. After acquiring the takes of three national MLS writers — journalists who follow this for a living but have no regional self-interest — I take Berding’s silence as evidence he believes FCC’s chances to be good as a penalty shot. Thus, the entirely understandable position that talking about it now could far more easily foul it up than help. My soccer panel voted 3-0 that Cincinnati is positioned to beat out Sacramento, as well as a flagging Detroit bid that’s officially still in the running but not thought to be truly viable for this round. Also, the panel’s consensus is that MLS remains desirous of awarding the franchise before March 3, when the 2018 season begins. So we’re talking only four to five weeks? Get ready to party, folks. Jeff Carlisle, who covers MLS for ESPN, puts it this way: “I think, in soccer terms, that we’re into stoppage time, and that Cincinnati has the lead and they’re just trying to close this out.” Steven Goff, of The Washington Post, says: “My hunch is that Cincinnati is the next team to go in. I was a little surprised that they only named one team in December, and that Nashville was the one, not Cincinnati.” And from Brian Straus of SI.com:

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NEWS Authentic Connections

Jill Cleary and Molly Grace work with students in Mount Washington. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Local nonprofit Starfire is working to radically change the way we interact with those who have disabilities BY S T EPH E N N OVOT N I

Their model is designed to get away from segregating people with disabilities, Vogt says. Instead, they work to build connections and relationships and help their clients discover their own passions and talents so they can lead engaged and fulfilling lives. Jill Cleary and Molly Grace are Community Builders with Starfire. Cleary is a paid employee and Grace is a client, but the Starfire team avoids these sorts of terms. Grace, in her early thirties, became involved with Starfire in 2010. She moved to Cincinnati nine years ago and lives with her mother in Turpin Hills. She has a cognitive disability, meaning she may need a little more time to catch on to something new, but she is able to work and maintain relationships well. Grace says she didn’t have much of a social life or luck in finding purposeful work before Starfire. “It is hard sometimes to get along with people,” Grace says. “Starfire helped me connect. It helped me get the job where I’m at on Fridays.” Cleary meets with Grace once a week. They brainstorm ways to get Grace involved in community life and work on ways to deepen the connections they’ve built. They almost

“They are treated as if they have no sort of decision making ability or any ability to participate the way the rest of us are,” says Starfire’s director of vision and scale Tim Vogt.

never spend time at Starfire’s office in Madisonville. The goal is to get Grace out in the world to build relationships that last a lifetime. Over the past several years, Grace has begun a clerical job that she works every week. She takes part in fantasy football games with her co-workers and is on the planning committee of Bark For Life, a fundraiser for the local branch of the American Cancer Society. “I think we just try and find affiliations where we would find good people to connect with,” Cleary says. “The overall work of reaching out and trying to find people that can relate to you and make a difference — I think no matter who you are, if you just ground yourself in that, then you can do good work together. “I think it’s hard sometimes,” Cleary says of Grace. “We might expect Molly to understand what other people are thinking, but she’s only lived as herself so she doesn’t have that perspective. I think Molly has found a lot of good people who have seen Molly for who she is and Molly didn’t have to change anything about what she naturally was.” Vogt’s insights about the social service industry came early in his career, when he was a counselor at a camp for people with physical disabilities in California. One man at the camp had cerebral palsy and had difficulty moving his body. He motioned to Vogt to help him light his cigarette and, later, asked Vogt to help him

pour a shot of whiskey into his coke. “To me, it made perfect sense,” Vogt says. “The guy’s on vacation, he’s 27-years-old. People with cerebral palsy have complete control over their intellectual faculties and their abilities to make decisions and he had brought it himself. So, I’m just being his hands.” But the head counselor didn’t see it that way and threatened to fire Vogt. “It struck me at that moment that here was a great injustice,” Vogt says. “He could still vote. He had all the rights that everyone else had but he didn’t have the right to have a drink on his vacation. What happened was this weird social assumption — that he was a camper and what he really needed was control and support.” The moment planted seeds in Vogt’s mind, but it would take a while for them to bloom. Starfire worked the standard social service model until 2010, when the organization’s leadership realized what they were doing was helping to prop up a broken system. Vogt was executive director at the time and oversaw the transition toward the collaborative and engaged model it uses today. Ironically, the capriciousness of U.S. Government funding and policies has pushed Starfire and other agencies toward a more collaborative approach. The 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Olmstead CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

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onnecting with others can be challenging for anyone. It’s often especially difficult for those with cognitive disabilities, who face barriers most of us never consider. Some may have trouble with conversation, or aren’t able to drive. These issues can lead to isolation and feelings of loneliness, especially for adults. But helping people overcome those obstacles is the goal of Tim Vogt, director of vision and scale for Starfire. Starfire is a local nonprofit that works to help those with developmental and cognitive disabilities thrive. The lives of most disabled people are not considered in this way, Vogt says. Many times, they get up and go to an institutional program multiple days a week. Associates there are oftentimes people who have been paid to play at being their friends, or others with disabilities. The person may be interested in Classic Rock or metaphysics or horse racing or any other thing by which people find kinship with others. But, says Vogt, the institutional structure lumps them with other people by disability instead. The message is clear: You’re broken and don’t belong with the rest of us. “They are treated as if they have no sort of decision making ability or any ability to participate the way the rest of us are,” he says. Starfire strives, as much as possible, to be unlike other social service agencies.

CITY DESK

Decisive Vote in Park Board Battle Ahead BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

A judge’s ruling that Cincinnati Park Board Chair Dianne Rosenberg’s term ends Feb. 1 has yet to cool the fight over her spot on the five-member board. Will council go along with Mayor John Cranley’s suggested replacement, appointed Jan. 24, or hold out? Cranley, who wants Rosenberg out, says his push for a new board member has to do with financial transparency. He’s appointed Jim Goetz, a retired vice president and chief financial officer at the David J. Joseph Company, to fill Rosenberg’s spot. But Rosenberg’s supporters say she should be on the board until 2021 and that her removal is about politics. The park board chair is a well-respected community leader who also leads the Greater Cincinnati Foundation Board. A state audit last year suggested that the city should oversee park funds currently controlled by a private foundation. Over the last couple years, reports of questionable spending habits on bonuses, travel perks and car allowances by the foundation and board have dogged the organizations. The park board would like to retain control of that money, saying it is in the best position to decide how the money is spent and citing the city charter’s provision that it is an independent entity. Late last year Cranley moved to replace Rosenberg, saying that the unexpired term of an outgoing board member she was appointed to fill was ending. That was a surprise to Rosenberg, who says she was under the impression that she was slated to serve six years— the standard length of a park board term. Information on the city’s website and original paperwork from when Rosenberg was appointed back up her claim. But Cranley and city administration say that was due to a clerical error. Those moves have led Rosenberg’s

supporters to claim that her ouster is political. Rosenberg was a supporter of Cranley’s opponent, former Councilwoman Yvette Simpson, in his bitter re-election fight. “Elections have consequences,” attorney Jim Burke, who has worked as a lawyer for other park board members, claims Cranley said about Rosenberg’s ouster. That claim came in a filing related to Rosenberg’s lawsuit. “Dianne backed Yvette Simpson and she should have offered her resignation after the election… if she really tries to hold onto her position by working through city council it will be a war and I will destroy her in the press.” Cranley denies making that statement. Now, after Mayor John Cranley officially appointed Goetz again, Cincinnati City Council must decide what to do. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Goetz’s nomination went before council last December. Council members approved him 5-4. But Rosenberg filed a lawsuit and Judge Charles Kubicki Jr. ruled that the 2017 appointment and council vote were illegal, since Rosenberg’s term wasn’t up. Kubicki also ruled that Rosenberg should stay in her position until a replacement is approved. That wouldn’t be complicated, except that council’s last vote was before three new council members were sworn in. Two of those three — Tamaya Dennard and Greg Landsman — joined P.G. Sittenfeld, Wendell Young and Chris Seelbach in signing a motion saying they wouldn’t approve a replacement for Rosenberg. The five represent a majority that could sink Cranley’s appointment. Now the moment of truth is coming. Council is set to vote on Goetz Jan. 31. (Visit citybeat.com for updates). Among potential swing votes, Dennard says she hasn’t decided yet. “My goal is to help us get to a positive resolution on Wednesday,” Landsman

FCC Explores West End Stadium Location J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

Where will FC Cincinnati’s stadium land should it win a bid to join Major League Soccer? That’s still up in the air. But recent moves by the team suggest it could still choose the West End over Oakley, where it had put most of its focus up until now.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

FCC General Manager Jeff Berding sent a letter to Cincinnati Public School Board President Carolyn Jones requesting a meeting about a possible soccer stadium in the West End at the site of Taft High School’s Stargel Stadium.

The Cincinnati Business Courier later reported that the team had even signed a purchase option on land owned by the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority in the neighborhood, including plots next to several homes there. CMHA leadership must vote on that purchase option at the end of this month.

“One of the neighborhoods we have considered is the West End,” the letter reads.

But neighborhood leaders say FCC didn’t reach out to the community first, and now

“There are multiple locations in that neighborhood where the private investment of the stadium could generate considerable economic impact that would be positive in the West End and overall for our city.

Cincinnati City Hall PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL

Charter Closure Leaves Financial and Educational Fallout BY N I C K SWA R T S E L L Students once enrolled in shuttered online charter the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow are starting to trickle into public school districts and other charters, but it’s too soon to tell how well that re-enrollment process is going. About 12,000 students found themselves without classes mid-school-year after ECOT’s sponsor organization forced it to shut down. But so far few of those students from the state’s largest urban areas have enrolled in public schools near them. Of the 1,000 students from Columbus and Cleveland who enrolled in ECOT, only about 100 had enrolled with the public schools in those cities as of last week, according to cleveland.com. Long a darling of Republican lawmakers and

the neighborhood’s community council says residents feel “disrespected and ignored” by the team. Community Council President Keith Blake told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the potential stadium could “impact a lot of plans” the community has already laid. Blake later said that he believed the team would do a good job getting community engagement about its stadium plans, however. Meanwhile, FCC’s Berding says the team actually hasn’t signed a purchase option on the land. Berding also says reaching out to CPS was just the team doing necessary groundwork to keep the West End open as an option. Berding has said that Oakley was still the preferred site for the team, but that he’s waiting to hear back

said via email, “one where we lift Dianne Rosenberg up for her very good work, ensure that the Parks Board maintains control over spending decisions, and puts us on the path to getting the messiness of all of this behind us.” Meanwhile, Cranley is pushing hard for his appointee. “It is my hope that Council will not treat Jim Goetz like Mitch McConnell treated Merrick Garland,” Cranley tweeted this week, referring to the Obama-era Supreme Court Justice nominee Republicans effectively stalled out of a seat. “Goetz is more than qualified, will reform accounting practices and bring much need transparency to the Park Board.”

other officials, even winning awards from Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost, ECOT is now being forced to repay up to $80 million after it was revealed last year that its attendance records vastly overcounted students logging into the school’s online learning modules. Ohio paid ECOT more than $100 million a year to run the online charter. ECOT founder William Lager and his two companies owe the state $10 million in the near future in the fallout of the school’s attendance data scandal. That’s on top of the $5 million the company has already paid. Had the companies paid that money faster, Auditor Yost says, lawmakers may have decided to let ECOT finish out the year. The online charter is fighting the state in court over how much it owes and how it will pay the money back. The latest proposal by the school: stop payments to Lager’s companies, which receive fees for managing the school, and in exchange be allowed to finish out the year.

about traffic studies that will measure the potential impact of a stadium there. The FCC GM also promised the team would do robust community engagement in whatever neighborhood it selects. Of course, all that hinges on whether FCC gets a Major League Soccer expansion franchise — something we may not find out until February. That delay could have something to do, oddly enough, with American football. As it turns out, the New England Patriots’ President Jonathan Kraft is also chairman of the MLS’ expansion committee. The Patriots, owned by Kraft’s father Robert, are Super Bowl-bound. That means Kraft will likely have his attention trained on the NFL for the next couple weeks.

FROM PAGE 09

v. L.C. requires states to get rid of the unnecessary segregation of persons with disabilities. This revision to the Americans with Disabilities Act essentially pushes for less institutions and more community building. In a way, that was a vindication for Starfire, which lost some donors and even saw one client’s family call for Vogt to be fired during the 2010 transition to a collaborative social service. But there’s a flipside to the approach: There are thousands of locals who qualify for Starfire’s services but only about 100 clients can be served by the organization on an annual basis. Budget restraints, very little turnover among clients and increasingly restricted Medicaid funding mean Starfire can’t serve everyone who needs its help. According to Starfire Executive Director Candice Peelman, about 30 percent of Starfire’s funding comes from Medicaid. Medicaid waivers, which offer a community alternative to institutionalization, allow recipients to participate in the Starfire program. That funding is threatened in the current political landscape. “The last I heard from Hamilton County, there were about 3,000 people waiting to get a Medicaid waiver,” Peelman says. “And that’s not a very fast moving list. Our question at Starfire would be, ‘How do

we find natural connections and natural support when we know we don’t know the future of Medicaid?’” Other agencies have also responded to the shifting landscape. Wendy Partridge says she founded Chicago-based nonprofit Heroes of the Game so that she could provide some normalcy for her Autistic adult son and others in her region with cognitive disabilities. She says she regularly seeks advice from the Starfire team. Heroes works with about 20 people with a variety of disabilities and helps them find their place in society. “We’re just trying to help them have a normal life,” Partridge says. “I met Tim a few years ago and really liked what he was doing and I’ve learned a great deal from him.” The future of social services in America is not getting any cheaper, Peelman says. “For us, we’ve said we are going to play in the space of community and natural resources and already existing experiences that people can go to that don’t cost a lot of money,” she says. “There are places and there are people that already exist for all of us. How do we start helping people think of it that way?” Starfire is located at 5030 Oaklawn Drive in Madisonville. To learn more, visit starfirecincy.org.

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

C I T Y B E AT. C O M | J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

STUFF TO DO

Love is in the Air... Valentine’s Day may be built on corporate lust, but hey, it’s also an excuse to buy heart-shaped chocolate (or you can work the capitalist system by buying it a day after at 50 percent off…). Here at CityBeat, we don’t believe you need a significant other to be a complete person, but there are events happening around the Queen City that will make you swoon. Go with a lover, yourself or platonic pals. Valentine’s Day Cruise — Hop on BB Riverboats for a cozy evening cruise. Feed yourself with a buffet dinner (menu includes lobster mashed potatoes, spinach salad topped with walnuts, Asian glazed salmon and vegetarian primavera) and relax to the sound of the Ohio River lapping against the boat as soft music plays. 7-9:30 p.m. Feb. 10, 14 and 17. $60 adults; $40 children. 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky., bbriverboats.com. Galentine’s Day at The Rook — Celebrate lady friends (or just pals in general) Valentine’s Eve, a day declared “Galentine’s Day” by Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation fame. The Rook will celebrate with board games, snacks and a short session of Magical Girl RPG, designed by Emily Reinhard. Plus, whip up some cool crafts for your friends. Ticket price includes snacks and $10 will go toward Super Heroines, Etc., a nonprofit that seeks to empower women to embrace their inner nerd. 7-10 p.m. Feb 13. $25. 1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, eventbrite.com.

WEDNESDAY 31

ONSTAGE: The Humans at Ensemble Theatre is a powerful play about people. See Curtain Call on page 32.

ONSTAGE: Million Dollar Quartet continues at the Playhouse in the Park. See review on page 33.

Lil’ puppo at My Furry Valentine PHOTO: PROVIDED

Valentine’s Dinner at Cincinnati Zoo — Can you feel the love tonight? Hang out at the “sexiest Zoo in America.” Enjoy closeup critter encounters, a buffet dinner and a champagne toast and learn about the “Wild Side of Love,” a night of insight into the love (and lust) lives of animals in the wild kingdom. Fun. 6-9 p.m. Feb. 10 and Feb. 11; 6:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 14. $175 per couple. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org. Candlelit dinner at White Castle — Chow on some classy burgers at a slightly more classed-up White Castle, which started accepting reservations for this dinner as early as Jan. 4. A yearly tradition, the decadent experience includes sliders, dripping with American cheese and grease, fried shrimp and strawberry milkshakes. Imagine: the White Castle logo reflected in your lover’s gaze. 4-9 p.m. Feb. 14. Prices vary. Multiple locations, whitecastle.com.

able to see a partial eclipse, it’ll still be a pretty cool sight. 6 a.m. arrival Wednesday; 6:48 a.m. partial eclipse begins; 7:44 a.m. moon sets in partial eclipse. Free. Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Place, Mount Lookout, cincinnatiobservatory.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

THURSDAY 01

MUSIC: Country/Punk Joe Buck Yourself plays Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 44. FILM: The Jewish & Israeli Film Festival kicks off with Hummus! The Movie. See feature on page 34.

EVENT: Drink & Draw: Eff Cupid Head to the CAC’s next installation of Drink & Draw for a night of “drawing games and drinks that have nothing to do with

Valentine’s Day.” Eff cupid as you play crazy versions of classic games like giant Pictionary while sipping on specials from the CAC bar. Fun with friends! Note: You are allowed to come with your significant other, but don’t be mushy about it. 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Free admission. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

FRIDAY 02

MUSIC: Local Art Pop band Why? kicks off a U.S. tour at Woodward Theater. See interview on page 42.

EVENT: Cincy Winter Beerfest It’s time to use that last Uber gift card from Christmas: Cincy Winter Beerfest is back in town. Join brewers from Cincinnati and across the country at one

of three sessions throughout the weekend to sample hundreds of craft beers. There will be new, classic and specialty beers from locals like 16 Lots, Braxton, MadTree and Mt. Carmel and out-of-towners including 21st Amendment, Abita, Bells, Brooklyn and more. Opt for a standard entry (which includes 25 samples) or go big with a Connoisseurs Reception, which includes 25 samples, a souvenir snifter glass, a reception area, light bites and a private bathroom. In addition to beer, Beerfest celebrates live music and proceeds will be donated to the Big Joe Duskin Music Foundation, dedicated to supporting music programs in underfunded elementary and junior high schools. Read more about beer in this week’s Beer Issue on

page 17. 7:30-11 p.m. Friday; 1-4:30 p.m. or 7:30-11 p.m. Saturday. $45 advance; $55 door; $55-$65 early admission Friday and Saturday. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincybeerfest.com. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE EVENT: Syrian Shrine Circus Grab a bag of popcorn and hang out under the big tent: The 97th-annual Syrian Shrine Circus heads to BB&T Arena for a three-tent circus that features aerial gymnasts, dancers, clowns and animals. There will be deathdefying acts, the famous Shrine Circus clowns and opportunities for kids to ride and pet animals including elephants, donkeys and camels. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. $10-$30. BB&T

Ongoing Shows ONSTAGE SuperTrue Know Theatre, Overthe-Rhine (through Feb. 10)

Arena, 500 Louie B. Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, Ky., thebbtarena.com. — ZACH PERRIN FILM: 25th Anniversary Groundhog Day Screening It’s 1993 and weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent on assignment to Punxsutawney, Penn. to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities with news producer/hottie Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell). Phil had predicted a snowstorm CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

EVENT: Blue Moon Eclipse “Once in a blue moon.” It’s an idiom that means “very rarely,” but, fun fact, it also refers to a real lunar event: the second full moon in a calendar month. There’s a blue moon this Wednesday morning and, not only is it a blue moon, it’s also a blue moon eclipse. The Cincinnati Observatory will open early for any eclipse enthusiasts excited to view the spectacle as the sun, moon and earth align. Although from Cincinnati you’ll only be

My Furry Valentine — Find your true love in the eyes of an adoptable animal this Valentine’s Day. Hosted at the Sharonville Convention Center, more than 800 dogs, cats, puppies, kittens and cute critters will all be under one roof. Noon-5 p.m. Feb. 10 with early bird admission 10 a.m.-noon; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 11. $5 general; $25 early bird admission. Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, myfurryvalentine.com.

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FROM PAGE 17

was going to miss the area — and his hometown of Pittsburgh — but, surprise, it doesn’t and he and his news team are stuck in this little town. Phil is kind of an arrogant jerk and thinks everyone there is a hick, but after he’s trapped overnight, Phil realizes it’s worse than he imagined. He has to relive every single Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney again and again until he learns some kind of lesson about life and love. It’s like a Scrooge tale but with groundhogs and a lot of suicide attempts. 10 p.m. Friday. $10 adults; $7.50 seniors/children. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre. com. —MAIJA ZUMMO

SATURDAY 03

MUSIC: ElectroPop Jam duo BoomBox play 20th Century Theater. See Sound Advice on page 44. MUSIC: J-Live In 1995, underground Hip Hop circles began to buzz about deft MC/DJ/producer J-Live’s debut track “Braggin’ Writes.” The 1996 followup “Can I Get It?”/“Hush the Crowd” single raised anticipation for a J-Live album to a fever pitch. That album, The Best Part, became the stuff

of legend in a very circuitous way. Due to numerous industry obstacles, The Best Part didn’t surface until 2001, and its arrival was somewhat muted due to the endless delays and bootlegs. Still, some consider the album an underground classic, with its Soul and Jazz grooves, production contributions from DJ Premier and Prince Paul (among other luminaries) and J-Live’s remarkable flow and lyrical prowess. While some postulate about the heights he would have achieved had that debut fulllength been handled properly, J-Live stayed focused and dedicated to his art. He’s continued collaborating on others’ music and releasing high-quality solo material independently ever since, including his most recent album, 2015’s How Much is Water? 9 p.m. Saturday. $8; $10 day of. Northside Yacht Club, 4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com. — MIKE BREEN EVENT: Radio Artifact Fundraiser Radio Artifact is the independent AM radio station that broadcasts local music and programming out of Northside brewery/taproom Urban Artifact. And as the station continues to grow,

it needs to raise funds for maintenance and equipment. Saturday evening’s smorgasbord of music is available for a donation of your choosing. How much would you pay to see Paper Doll Scissor Fight, Go Go Buffalo, Lipstick Fiction, Fycus, Fritz Paper, Grave Clothes and Juan Cosby & Friends? You decide at the door. Like a choose-your-own-adventure but focused on fundraising and you not being a cheapass. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday. Donation at the door. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, radioartifact.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO ART: WITH NO MEMORIES, NO TIES, NO PHANTOMS TO TEND FOR at Wave Pool Curated by Wave Pool gallery’s first curatorial resident, Abby Mae Friend, WITH NO MEMORIES, NO TIES, NO PHANTOMS TO TEND FOR is a multi-media exhibition of works inspired by a Eunsong Kim essay titled “Found, Found, Found: Lived, Lived, Lived,” which explores the ghostly fragments of cultural identity that colonialism separates from the individual. On Saturday, the gallery’s upstairs “locker room” will present an interactive screening of short films by contributing artist Merritt

SATURDAY 03

COMEDY: Jerry Seinfeld Twenty years since Seinfeld’s departure from network television, the seminal sitcom’s frontman endures as a slowly pulsing strobe in the collective conscious. Jerry Seinfeld is to laugh tracks and mainstream Postmodernism what Garfield is to color newsprint and Bart Simpson is to bootlegged T-shirts — he’s an exploitable icon that evokes nostalgia and a surreal sense of emptiness each time you see his name. Would the @Seinfeld2000 Twitter handle be as absurdly funny if Fraiser screencaps served as its source material? Would we care to watch Seinfeld’s Netflix show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, if he weren’t behind the wheel? This Saturday, find out why his signature brand of observational stand-up persists as a pillar of American pop culture. By popular demand, he’s performing two sets at the Aronoff Center, setting his sights on a year’s worth of national and international performance. 7:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday. $50-$175. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St, Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. — JUDE NOEL

PHOTO: JS TOURING

PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY

THURSDAY 01

ONSTAGE: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

A half-century ago, an Academy Awardwinning film featured Hollywood’s first interracial kiss. Oscar-winning African-American actor Sidney Poitier played John Prentice, a doctor and the unexpected fiancée of the daughter of liberal white parents, portrayed by screen legends Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The provocative tale set American moviegoers talking. Todd Kreidler’s 2013 adaptation gets its local debut at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where it’s directed by Ensemble Theatre’s D. Lynn Meyers. Several local stage veterans — Annie Fitzpatrick, Barry Mulholland, Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Caitlin McWethy, Ken Early and Kelly Mengelkoch — constitute a powerful cast for a powerful story that’s still timely in 2018. Through Feb. 17. $55 adults; $51 senior; $31 student. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes. com. — RICK PENDER

Johnson, titled Exorcising America, in which attendees will be invited to participate in a guided exorcism. 5 p.m. Saturday. Free. Wave Pool, 2940 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, wavepoolgallery.org. — JUDE NOEL

MUSIC: Indie trio Weakened Friends head to MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice on page 45. EVENT: Chocolate in the Chapel The sweetest entrepreneurs in town are showcasing their chocolatey goods Sunday afternoon during Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum’s fourth-annual Chocolate in the Chapel event. Chocolats Latour, Treats by Tiff, Kilwins at the Greene, SugarSnap! and other local favorites will being providing samples and selling their treats at Norman Chapel just in time for Valentine’s Day. Support the community while stocking up on endorphin-releasing candies, and feel no guilt: a mini walking tour will be offered at 1 p.m. Noon-3 p.m. Sunday. Free. Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE EVENT: Super Bowl Watch Party at Lachey’s Calling all football fans: If you feel like leaving your living room Sunday, Lachey’s is hosting a Super

Bowl watch party on their more than 30 HD TVs with half-price tot or fry bowls, half-price hat trick dips and a “wheel of prizes.” 6:30 p.m. kick-off Sunday. Free admission. Lachey’s, 56 E. 12th St., Downtown, lacheys. com. —MAIJA ZUMMO

TUESDAY 06

FILM: Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 3 A feuding family, sketchily animated in pencil, is eaten by rogue termites. A Hebrew Israelite church conducts a worship service. Abstract lines and shapes swoop across a pitch-black background, mimicking avian flight. The third installment in Full Spectrum Features’ Chicagoland Shorts series is a collection of 10 experimental films that display the diversity of the Windy City’s arts scene. The hour-long collection comes to The Mini Microcinema Tuesday, showcasing the work of nine directors in three languages. 7 p.m. Tuesday. $5 donation. Mini Microcinema, 1329 Main St, Over-the-Rhine, mini-cinema.org. — JUDE NOEL

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

COMEDY: Kathleen Madigan Kathleen Madigan, like many comics, is talking a bit more about politics in her set these days. “It’s so in our face,” she says. “You can’t even get on Twitter without hearing something about something. That’s why I don’t want Oprah as our next president. I don’t want a loud person. I want a quiet person that does their job.” Like it or not, she points out, we’re all in this. “Even if you say, ‘I’m going to ignore Trump,’ well, good luck with that.” Trump is not taking up that much of her act though. After all, she was selling out theaters long before Trump became president. “I’m mostly talking about the smaller things I’ve talked about forever: my family, travelling and the silly things in life,” she says. “Even the Trump stuff I keep light and silly... I just try and point out the absurd.” 8 p.m. Saturday. $32.50. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown tafttheatre.org. —P.F. Wilson

SUNDAY 04

C I T Y B E AT. C O M | J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

Some creative can designs from local brewers. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

ave you ever held a craft beer can in your hand and wondered who came up with the artwork? Cincinnati has more than 35 breweries and about half of them bottle and can their beers for distribution. And in the ever-saturating market of cool craft beers, not only does taste matter but so does design — especially if you’re trying to grab shoppers’ eyes in stores or taprooms. Here are some local breweries that have their identities well thought out, crafting cans to create maximum visual impact and weave stories for current — and future — fans of their artful brews.

Rhinegeist

Beer can design sets local breweries apart on store shelves BY G A R I N P I R N I A

Braxton Braxton takes a similar approach with their cans. Keith Neltner of local Neltner Small Batch designed the original can of Storm, a golden cream ale. “We wanted to do something classic but clean,” says Jonathan Gandolf, Braxton’s chief marketing officer; Covington neighbor Durham Brand & Co. now does the graphics. Braxton’s core lineup of cans are color coded — Storm is blue, Dead Blow has a greyish tint — and feature a large oval emblem in the middle with the name of the brew and Braxton’s logo: an eagle with a body made of hops. “We do try to maintain the same hierarchy throughout all of our cans,” Gandolf A rendering of Listermann’s Slow As Molasses label PHOTO: PROVIDED

says. “This will help us shelf block when they’re all in the store together.”

Urban Artifact Whereas Rhinegeist and Braxton employ a more fundamental concept, every can of Urban Artifact beer has a narrative behind the hand-drawn label. In 2016, the brewery started canning its wild-caught yeast beers and tasked Scott Hand, an architect who helped design and construct the Northside brewery/taproom, with helping to create the labels. “Our beer names are all versions of artifacts — either items, jobs, fossils, etc.,” Hand says. “And we like the label to have

Listermann/Triple Digit Five years ago, Listermann/Triple Digit tapped Hamilton design company LemonGrenade Creative to conceptualize the brewery’s 16-ounce four-packs of cans, bottle labels and tap stickers. In August, they redesigned the brewery’s logo.

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

In 2017, Rhinegeist created around 90 different labels for their drafts, bombers and cans. Their design method is simple: place their skull logo front and center with the name and type of beer in lettering below, then surround it with multi-colored stripes or fi ll the entire can with one color. “The clean, distinctive look comes from a desire to create something timeless that would also stand out among the visual clutter at the craft beer shelf,” says Greg Althoff, Rhinegeist’s creative director. “Since we do release quite a large number of beers in a year, we wanted to have a packaging system that is relatively easy to update and maintain as well.” The pink cans of the brewery’s rosé ale Bubbles parallel the pink color of the cider beer, and hoppy ale Dad features a tartan print plaid — a pattern that evokes something a father would wear. “Sometimes, we use color combinations to represent the fl avor profi le,” Althoff says. “Other times, like in the case of Dad or Andromeda (with a galactic blue theme), we push the artwork to support a concept.”

ART AND CRAFTS

a memorable visual representation of that word.” For instance, Keypunch, a seasonal gose made from key limes, is named after a female punch-card-machine operator from the 1960s. “We decided that we liked the idea that the perennial beers and goses would all have characters that represent the beer names,” Hand says. “Some are a bit more cartoonish, but hopefully rooted in the history of the name.” For instance, Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchbook contained a rendering of a flying machine based on a whirling motion (basically a primitive helicopter), which inspired the drawing on the label for the blueberry-flavored Whirligig beer. Hand says the background of three different blue watercolor washes complements the bluehued beer, made with fresh blueberries. “The swirling blues are really what pull the flavor onto the aesthetics,” he says. Depending on the idea, it takes Hand anywhere from 10 hours to a week to complete a draft of a label. He generates the sketches using a felt-tipped pen and paper and then scans them into a computer. Scott Hunter, Urban Artifact’s co-founder and chief of strategic development, and Bret Kollmann Baker, co-founder and chief of brewing operations, also contribute to the ideas. Hand gets to work before the beer has finished brewing — unless it’s a barrel-aged beer — but they talk through the flavor profile, fruits and concept before he starts, he says. Like Rhinegeist, they produced more than 90 different labels in 2017.

17 CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

~ Craft Beer Bingo ~

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

t’s the 11th annual Cincy Winter Beerfest at the Duke Energy Convention Center this weekend and that means you can sample hundreds of crafts beers from more than 150 local and national breweries (probably not all at once…). Bring this beer bingo sheet with you if you’re attending and sample your way through these local crafts on the event’s beer list. Or take it with you to various taprooms to play Craft Beer Bingo with your friends. Note: You will win nothing if you complete the Bingo sheet other than our utmost respect and the respect of your friends and the general public anytime you flash your completed card. (Or, if you do complete it, tag @citybeatcincy and maybe we’ll give you something.)

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Milk Stout

Lock & Dam #37 Scotch Ale

Old Betsy Imperial

Doom Pedal White Ale

Hazy River NE IPA

13 BELOW

16 LOTS

50 WEST

BAD TOM SMITH

Hold the Reins English Mild

On the Black Cascadian Dark Ale

Vlad the Impaler Czech Pilsner

My Blue Heaven

Cookies for Breakfast Milk Stout

BRINK

DOGBERRY

FRETBOARD

GRAINWORKS

LISTERMANN

Identity Crisis Porter

Power Stoutage Stout

Little Kings

Hibernation Black IPA

Uptown Avondale American Stout

MAD TREE

CHRISTIAN MOERLEIN

SCHOENLING

MT. CARMEL

NINE GIANT

Carpathian Dunkel Lager

Cafe Ink Imperial Stout with Coffee

Roebling Porter

Wicked Elf Belgian Strong Ale

Return of the Mac Coffee Blonde

QUEEN CITY BREWERY

RHINEGEIST

RIVERTOWN

ROCKBOTTOM

STREETSIDE

Winterbrau Lager

Major Kool Farmhouse Ale/ Saison

Chariot Cherry Gose

Scottish Ale

Salmon Short Sighting Blonde

TAFT’S

TAP & SCREW

URBAN ARTIFACT

WEST SIDE BREWING

BRAXTON

FROM PAGE 18

Every month, Listermann releases quirky new cans from their Hip Hop and animal-inspired New England-style IPA series. The brewery and the design fi rm spitball ideas back and forth. “Usually they provide the name of the beer and we present concepts,” says Thommy Long, LemonGrenade’s creative director. “For example, for their peanut porter called Nutcase, I quickly sketched a peanut in a straight jacket and they loved the idea and they have been using it ever since.” For the East Coast Hip Hop line, Listermann will send LemonGrenade a photo of rappers and they’ll superimpose hops (get it?) over the faces, like with the beer Biggie (named after The Notorious B.I.G.). “When we rebranded Listermann, we made the artwork the most dominant part of the label,” Long says. “Even the brewery name is on the side of the label, so it is all about the art.” The team at LemonGrenade sometimes hand sketches the art, such as for the can design for Brass Monkey and Slow As Molasses imperial oatmeal stout, which features a sloth hanging from a tree. However, Listermann’s most famous line of cans feature the Cincinnati Zoo’s princess of the people: Fiona the hippo. Since last summer, Listermann has released several limited-edition brews named after the photogenic cutie including Team Fiona and variants Team Fiona: Bifi, DDH Team Fiona and Team Fiona: Birthday, for her fi rst birthday. On Birthday’s can, there’s a photo of her donning a superimposed party hat. During Fiona can releases, there are lines out the taproom door of fans trying to get their hands on a pack. “I could’ve hand drawn those labels and they would’ve sold just as fast,” says Listermann’s general manager Jason Brewer (who is not an artist). The zoo series isn’t limited to just Fiona, though — Listermann brewed a black IPA named after Kendi, the zoo’s new black rhino calf. The zoo provides the photos of the animals and LemonGrenade adds colors based on them; Kendi has accents of gray and black on the can and Fiona brews are usually tinted with hues of pink and purple. Besides zoo animals, Listermann has also released cans with photos of employees’ pets on them. Hank the Dumpster Kitty IPA is based on a kitten they found in the brewery’s dumpster. Babycat Meowface double IPA was a bit of a challenge for the fi rm because they only had a blurry iPhone image to work with. “We turned a boring photo into a Die Hard-ish type movie poster,” Long says. Listermann doesn’t have a huge marketing budget, so every label needs to count, Brewer says. “It’s gotta be something that we really love for us to say, OK, it’s going to be a can design.”

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

New and Coming-Soon Breweries BY J U D E N O E L

THE POWER OF

PINK BOOTS

Natalie Blair, a brewer at Rhinegeist, is just one example of women working in the local beer industry.

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Female brewers bridge history and innovation in the taproom, brewing floor and classroom

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

BY L E Y L A S H O KO O H E

he girls are back in town. And by town, we mean brewery. At breweries across Cincinnati — and the country — women are becoming ever more present on the production floor, in the taproom and even in the classroom, teaching each other about the ancient craft.

To be honest, it’s not so revolutionary that women are stepping to the forefront of the beer industry, but rather that society is finally beginning to recognize it as a normal occurrence. “There are tons of female brewers or tons of women in production,” says Natalie

Blair, a brewer at Rhinegeist. “I mean, beer started with women. Alewives were the first women who brewed beer.” In ancient Mesopotamia, brewing was a job performed by women, or “alewives” — a trend that continued into the Middle Ages. Their hymns to honor the Sumerian beer goddess, Ninkasi, doubled as beer recipes, which were passed down from woman to woman. The Pink Boots Society, an international organization that assists, inspires and encourages women in the beer industry, also educates on the notso-secret tradition and legacy of female brewers. CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

nderstanding Cincinnati requires a solid grasp of the past and the present: our city continually grows and innovates, while our people hold steadfast to our traditions and heritage. Bridging this divide is our communal love of craft beer. Local breweries played a pivotal role in Cincy’s history, sparking an economic boom at the turn of the 20th century that even managed to circumvent Prohibition. Thanks to entrepreneurial spirit, the city has reclaimed its roots as a community of brewers and beer aficionados, with new faces seeming to crop up each month. Here’s a formal introduction to some of these newcomers.

16 Lots Mason, 16lots.com

Twenty years of home-brewing experience and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering are evident in Jeff Cosgrove’s German-inspired beers, ranging from APAs to pilsners and porters. His company takes its name from the 16 lots of land purchased by Revolutionary War officer William Mason that expanded into Mason, Ohio, where Cosgrove and his friend Mike Burton later founded the city’s first brewing company. Holding firm to the area’s history, 16 Lots’ aesthetic is inspired by the American Colonies’ military uniforms, marked by a logo modeled after 18th-century surveying tools. Brews to try: 16 Lots’ flagship APA is the 1803, which pays tribute to the year Mason was founded with a distinct citrus flavor and aroma.

Bircus Ludlow, Ky., bircus.com

Bircus beckons from the intersection of your subconscious that joins childlike wonder and affinity for ale. Ludlow’s first microbrewery is the product of two concepts you’d never expected to pair so well: the acrobatic surreality of trapeze performance and the full-flavored innovation of craft beer. Former Ringling Bros. clown and Circus Mojo founder Paul Miller serves as the company’s CGO (Chief Goof-Officer). Since officially opening up shop in late December, he’s offered a unique sipping experience that brings juggling, fire-breathing and hula-hooping to the nearby Ludlow Theatre and other local venues. Brews to try: The oddly named Comic Walrus was inspired by one of the circus acts that frequented Ludlow Lagoon in the late 1800s. It’s tinged with cranberries. CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

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FROM PAGE 20

“Women in beer are growing all the time,” says Carla Gesell-Streeter, operator of the blog Hoperatives and leader of the local chapter of The Pink Boots Society. A professor, Gesell-Streeter also instituted the Brewing Science program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, which offers students a two-year Associate of Science degree in the field. Inspired by the popularity of the craft beer movement, coupled with Cincinnati’s own rich brewing history, she took a sabbatical from Cincinnati State to research putting together the school’s brewing program. She visited the Niagara College Teaching Brewery in Ontario, Canada, which offers what she says is one of the best two-year

programs in the world, along with a few others, before firing off emails and meeting with as many local breweries and distributors in Greater Cincinnati as possible to get curriculum input, suggestions and perspective. “We started in fall of 2015,” GesellStreeter says. “We offered our first Intro to Craft Beer class — two of them, there was such popularity — and then the next year we offered the sales and marketing certificate. And then this past year was the two-year degree.” Currently, the program has a female enrollment of 20 to 30 percent, with students studying for the two-year degree and the brewing certificate. There’s also a brewing sales and marketing certificate. Rhinegeist’s Blair took a slightly

different path to brewing. “I started out third shift, working on our cask canning line, which was in the taproom where the second bar is now,” she says. “I worked overnight and felt like an animal in a zoo, but it was an incredible experience. I’d been teaching at the school of architecture at Miami University before that and, just, I was kind of over it. And found my way into beer. It’s great.” Now, two-and-a-half years in, Blair works first shift at Rhinegeist (4 a.m. to noon), which employs brewers around the clock. She’s up at 3:15 a.m. and at the brewery by 4. She and three other members of the first-shift brew team (including a brewing assistant) get the low-down from

Little Miami Brewing Company Milford, littlemiamibrewing.com

Founded by brothers-in-law Dan Lynch and Joe Brenner, Milford’s Little Miami Brewing Company sits on the banks of its namesake river, pouring 11 beers alongside a selection of brick-oven pizzas. The RJ Express is the menu’s most inventive offering: it’s topped with pepperoni, sausage, banana peppers and toasted almonds. Is 2018 the year we make nuts on pizza a thing? Will legumes usurp

CONTINUES ON PAGE 25

Listermann Brews Women’s Day Beer BY M c K E N Z I E E S K R I D G E Little Miami brews beers in Milford.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

raft beer is getting woke. Listermann Brewing Company will honor International Women’s Day for the second year in a row by releasing three different farmhouse ales brewed by women from the local community. On that day — March 8 — the brewery will be donating 10 percent of the female-brewed bottle sales and a dollar of every pint sold to Women Helping Women, a Cincinnati-based organization that supports survivors of gender-based violence with counseling and job training programs. The century-old holiday both celebrates progress toward gender equality and calls for further action. Former taproom manager Karenna Brockman introduced the idea last year with the Riveting Rosie Hibiscus Saison. This year, marketing director Kristen Ballinger and current taproom manager Nicole Freeman have taken the reins and are excited to build on the success. “It was one of the most packed Wednesdays we’d ever had, so I’m hoping to raise more money for Women Helping Women and get more community involvement and just have women connecting over beer,” Ballinger says. The three styles of beer — Riveting Rosie, Call to Farms and a yet-to-be-named ale — were brewed in January during a training session led by Ballinger and Freeman that invited women from the area to learn the basics of brewing. Ten participants

Women from the community gathered to brew beer on Jan. 22. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

PH OTO: M EG AN WADELL

Listermann’s Women’s Day beers are three farmhouse ales. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

from various backgrounds filtered in and out throughout the six-hour process that doubled as a networking event. “It’s such a male-dominated industry,” Ballinger says “so it’s great to get women involved.” Listermann didn’t just rely on ladies for the brew; they also collaborated with local artists to design the bottle art. White Whale tattoo artist Jaclin Hastings drew inspiration from Rosie the Riveter when she designed the single bottle last year, but since Listermann has expanded to three recipes, Ballinger has called on more Cincinnati creatives to pitch in, including artists Katie Jaeger and Kaycie Coy. If you can’t get enough feminist bottle art, fear not — Listermann’s got more than beer on tap. National Screen Printing will be on site to copy the bottle designs over to T-shirts. Notching the festivities up another level, Sassy Snaps photographer Amanda Reed is bringing her photobooth, stocked with props like red bandanas that pay tribute to women who’ve been chipping away at gender barriers for generations. The love for women doesn’t stop at the bar. Listermann’s in-house food vendor, Renegade Grille, is run by Kris Buening of food truck Renegade Street Eats. After “some serious soul searching,” she quit her job, gathered help from family and friends, and built up a dream. The Grille opened in the taproom in June of last year. The International Women’s Day party with a purpose starts at 5 p.m. March 8 at Listermann’s taproom (1621 Dana Ave., Norwood). More info: listermannbrewing.com.

pineapple’s reign as the most controversial topping? Ponder these questions and more over glasses of Bike Path, a European-style lager with spicy, noble hops, and Blackbird Fly, unfiltered American wheat blended with real blackberries. Brews to try: Pterodactyl is worth a sip based on its name alone. It’s a classic Bavarian wheat beer infused with hints of banana and clove.

Happy 2 Brewing Company Anderson, facebook.com/ happy2brewing

What could be a more happy medium of comfort food classics than pizza and beer? Located within Mio’s Pizzeria, Happy 2 Brewing works on a small scale, using a two-barrel system that brews exclusively for the taproom. “It leaves our experimentation and drive to make interesting beers wide open,” says co-owner Dan McGrath, who says that although many breweries cash in on a burgeoning market, H2B “functions for the love of the craft.” Brews to try: McGrath recommends Also Amber, Happy 2 Brewing’s signature lager and the mildly hoppy Vision.

West Side Brewing Westwood, westsidebrewing.com

Hoping to revitalize Westwood’s business district, West Side Brewing Company opened its doors in summer 2017, offering 30 taps’ worth of beers and wines. It’s a family-friendly and community-oriented establishment, featuring cornhole, live music and a steady rotation of food trucks. Pet lovers can cart their fur babies to weekly Dog Friendly Tuesdays, which CONTINUES ON PAGE 25

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

C I T Y B E AT. C O M | J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

DUKE ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER 155

Umami Bites Brink Brewing Co. Listermann / Triple Digit Paradise Nine Giant Tap and Screw Clearly Unique Tin Tap Cidery Westside Brewing Big Joe Duskin Brink Brewing Co. Warped Wing Braxton Little Fish Fretboard Chicken Mac Truck Blake’s Cider Braxton Labs

153

151 ➔ 152

135

68 ➔ 72

112

149

74 ➔ 87 104

SILENT DISCO

89 ➔ 103

113

133 114 ➔ 122

31 21 ➔ 29

WATER

55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

Troges New Holland Maumee Bay Kindred Green Flash Erie Dark Horse Alpine Abita Bells Rolling Pepperoni North High Southern Tier Founders Vandermill Hi Wire Goose Island Devil’s Backbone

30 18

ATM

45 ➔ 49

 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90.

Taft’s Ale House 13 Below 16 Lots Bad Tom Smith Brewing Cellar Dweller Crooked Handle Dogberry Bavarian Nuts Grain Works Hairless Hare Homestead Rockmill Land Grant Pop2Now March First MadTree Blue Moon Jacks Cider

16 17

38 40 ➔

Braxton 50 West Taft’s Ale House Cincy State NKY Home Brewers Mispillion River Brewing Rusty Rail Wild Ohio Whiskermen Brain Bandz Brew Kettle Royal Order of Hibernians Elevator Millersburg Rhinegeist Stage Rhinegeist Wyndridge Weyerbacher

134

123 ➔ 132

73 105➔ 111

37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54.

146 ➔ 148

WRISTBANDS

50 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.

145

150

Stone Heavy Seas Jackie O’s Left Hand Lexington Brewing Maui New Day North Coast Cider Boys Crafted Artisan Mead Crooked Stave Dogfish Head Fat Heads Fig Leaf Forbidden Root Karaoke Shofferhofer Pedal Wagon

144

142 ➔ 143

WATER

GLASSES

140 ➔ 141 WATER

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.



136 ➔ 138 139

154

2➔

58 ➔ 63

2018 BOOTH MAP

4➔

53 ➔ 57

CINCY WINTER BEERFEST

 

➔

160 ➔ 167

159

91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106.

Lagunitas Leinenkugel New Belgium Oskar Blues Perrin Sweetwater Terrapin Municipal Brew Works Mother Stewarts Choc Freak Bacon Queen City Brewing Streetside Woodburn Beerfest Merch Epic Avery

107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122.

Tallgrass Ballast Point Breckenridge Elysian Rivertown Silent Disco Blake’s Cider Great Lakes Brooklyn 21st Amendment Alaskan Angry Orchard Christian Moerlein Lost Coast Magic Hat Over the Line

123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138.

9 ➔ 15

Deschutes Anderson Valley Mt. Carmel Brewing Oddside Rogue Ales Cincinnati Beer Soap Sam Adams Thirsty Dog Uinta Brewing Victory Brewing Sierra Nevada Stone Sierra Nevada Party Source Quaff Brothers Whisker Biscuits

139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154.

Texas Joe Jerky Hut 50 West MadTree Brew City Sausage Ham Cty Safe Comm Drive Sober Packhouse Good Guys Food Cincinnati Cold Kegs Rockbottom West Sixth Deschutes OCBA Air Brush Tattoo Southern Tier Platform Brewing Co.

155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167.

Yellow Springs Brewing Against The Grain B Nektar Boulevard Brew Dog Kentucky Speedway Old Firehouse Ommegang Revolution Shorts Brewing Stone Urban Artifact Whiner

Cincy Winter Beerfest 2018 Beer List! 1,000,000 Ounces Of Craft Beer! 400+ Craft Beers From Down The Street, Around the Country and the World!

B E E R

L I S T

B E E R

13 Below (Cincinnati, OH) Gravensteen Amber, 5.8% Lock and Dam37 Scotch Ale 6.9% Submerged Witbier 4.7

L I S T

B E E R

L I S T

SANTA ROSA Cider SNAP DRAGON WAKEFIRE Cider

16 Lots (Mason, OH) Old Betsy, DIPA, ?% The Major German Pilsner, Pilsner, 5.4% 21st Amendment (San Francisco, CA) Black in Black Black Ale 6.8 Blood Orange IPA IPA 7

6.5 Cider 6.5

L I S T

5.4

Boulevard (Kansas Ciy, MO) Bourbon Barrel Quad Quad Tank 7 Farmhouse/ Saison

11.8 8.5

6.5 Milk Stout 7.2 6 4.8 IPA

Brew Dog (Columbus, OH) Elvis Juice IPA 6.5 Hazy Jane IPA 7.2 Punk IPA IPA 5.6

Alaskan (Juneau, AK) Amber Alt 5.3 Huskey IPA 7 Smoked Porter Porter 6.5

Brew Kettle (Strongsville, OH) Kitka Milk Stout 5.75 White Rajah IPA 6.8 Brink Brewing Co. (Cincinnati, OH) Chocolate Hefeweizen Hefeweizen Citrus zest vanilla milkshake IPA Hold the Reins English Mild Peach vanilla milkshake IPA IPA

Alpine (San Diego, CA) Duet, IPA , 7% Windows Up, IPA, 7% Anderson Valley (Boonville, CA) Blood Orange Gose, Gose, 4.2 Framboise Gose, Gose, 4.2 Thirbbal Currant., Am. Wild Ale, 10.4 Wild Turkey, BA Stout, Stout, 6.9 Winter Solstice, Brown Ale, 6.9

Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY) Bellaire Sour 6.7 Black Chocolate Stout Stout Black Ops Imperial Stout 10.7 Defender IPA 6.7 Naranjito Pale Ale 5.2

Angry Orchard (Cincinnati, OH) Crisp, Cider, 5 Rose, Cider, 4.2

5.6 10.2 5.6

B Nektar (Port Moddy, CA) Liliko’i Kepolo Fruit Beer 5.6 Maharaja DIPA 10.2 White Rascal Witbier 5.6 Bad Tom (Cincinnati, OH) Hazy River IPA 7.3 Jackson Hustler Witbier Ballast Point (San Diego, CA) Hazy River IPA 7.3 Jackson Hustler Witbier Bells (Kalamazoo, MI) Hop Slam DIPA 10 Two Hearted IPA 7 Titania Am. Pale Wheat ale Amber Amber Ale 5.8 Blake's Cider (Armada, MI) GRIZZLY PEAR Cider 5 ARCHIMEDES Cider 6.5 EL CHAVO Cider 6.5

Elevator (Columbus, OH) 380 IPA IPA 7 Bleeding Buckeye ale Red Ale Elysian (Seattle, WA) Dayglow IPA IPA Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout The Fix Imperial Stout

4.7

N/A 5.5 5.5

5.3

6.4

Dark Horse (Marshall, MI) BA plead the fifth Imperial Stout 12 Double Crooked Tree DIPA 12 Raspberry Ale Fruit Beer 5.5 Deschutes (Bend, OR) RED CHAIR IPA 6.2 BLACK BUTTE Porter CULTIVATOR Frmhouse/ Saison Hop Henge DIPA 8.3 FRESH SQUEEZED IPA

5.2 7.5 6.4

Fruit Beer Sour 7 4.5

Erie (Erie, PA) Cherry Bomb Fruit Beer Skipper Stout Stout

4 7

Founders (Grand Rapids, MI) All Day Pale Ale 4.7 Azacca IPA 7.3 Breakfast Stout Stout Rubaeus Fruit beer 5.7 Fretboard (Blue Ash, OH) Vlad the Impaler Czech Pilsner Trey American Amber Amber Ale Improv IPA 7.1

7.2

4.8

B E E R

L I S T

Hi Wire (Asheville, NC) Hi-Pitch IPA Strongman Milk stout

6 Stout

Homestead (Heath, OH) Snake Oil Pale Ale Tenpenny Amber Ale

7.5 4.6

5.75 7.25

5.3

6.4

Jackie O's (Athens, OH) Berliner Berliner Weiss Mandala (Centinial) DIPA Mystic Mama IPA 7 Razz Wheat Am. Pale Wheat Ale

Milk Stout 9.4

Jack's Cider (Biglerville, PA) Jack’s Helen’s Blend Cider Jack’s Original Cider

4.5 5.5

10 7

Kindred (Columbus, OH) Camp Fire Pale Ale 4.2 Hodad IPA 7.5 Oj Curacao Belgian Chocolate Waves Pale Ale Pale Ale

Stout 6.3

5.54 9 5.5

Lagunitas (Petaluma, CA) IPA IPA 6.2 Sumpin Easy Pale Ale TBD Undercover Shutdown Ameriacan Strong Willettized Coffee Stout Imperial Stout 12 Land Grant (Columbus, OH) Deep Search Baltic Porter Porter Stevesy Helles Lager Helles Stiff Arm IPA IPA 6.4

Pilsner 5.7

Leinenkugel (Chippewa, WI) Pom Shandy Fruit beer 4.2 Lexington Brewing (Lexington, KY) KY Peach Barrel Am. Strong 8 Ky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale 5.5 KYBBA Eng. Strong Ale 9 Mole Stout Stout 8

Great Lakes (Cleveland, OH) BLACKOUT STOUT Stout 7.5 CONNWAY’S Irish Red 6.5 DORTMUNDER Lager 5.8 HOLY MOSES Witbier 5.8

5.3

6.5

Listermann/ Triple Digit (Cincinnati, OH) Chickow Variant Brown Ale 10 Cookies for Breakfast Milk Stout 5.4 Nutcase Porter 6.7 Sabotage NE Milkshake IPA IPA 6.4 Little Fish (Athens, OH) No-Fi., IPA, 6.1 Passionfruit Reinheitsgewhat!?, Berliner Weiss, 5 Woodthrush, Biere de Garde, 6.1 Lost Coast (Eureka , CA) Tangerine Wheat, Fruit Beer, 5.5% Watermelon Wheat, Fruit Beer, 5.% Madtree (Cincinnati, OH) Lift Kölsch 4.7 Dissentience BA Rye Brown Ale Identity Crisis Porter 6.9 Luna Lux Belgian IPA 6 PsycHOPathy IPA 6.9 Rubus Stout 7

8.8

7 5.5

Left Hand (Longmont, CO) Milk Stout Milk Stout 6 Saison Baies Ameres Farmhouse/ Saison

8.3

Grain Works (West Chester, OH) Russian Imperial Stout Imperial Stout 9.1 The Blue Heaven ESB 5.3

Green Flash (San Diego, CA) Remix IPA 6.2 West Coast DIPA 8.1

L I S T

Heavy Seas (Baltimore, MD) Ameri-Cannon Pale Ale Loose Cannon IPA Siren Noire Imperial Stout 9.5 Tropi-Cannon IPA 7.25

7.5

Goose Island (Chicago, IL) Fulton Street Coffee Blend Blonde 5.5 Midway IPA IPA 6 Old Man Grumpy Farmhouse/ Saison Sofie Pale Ale 5.8

Crooked Handle (Springboro, OH) Roadside Porter Trinity Haze NEIPA IPA Crooked Stave (Denver, CO) Colorado Wild Sage Farmhouse/ Saison St. Bretta Am. Wild Ale 5.5

Epic (Salt Lake City, UT) Brainless on Cherries Common Interest NE IPA IPA Tart n’ Juicy IPA

B E E R

Hairless Hare (Vandalia, OH) CRV Porter Porter 5.8 Devil Hare IPA 6

Forbidden Root (Chicago, IL) Money On My Rind Witbier 6 Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen 5

Crafted Artisan Mead (Mogadore, OH) Bananas Fosters Forever Mead 6 Madras Mead 6

5.3

L I S T

Fig Leaf (Middletown, OH) Basamati Cream Ale Cream Ale 5.1 BBA Imperial Stout Imperial Stout 10 Iso-Trope IPA IPA 7.2

Cider Boys (Stevens Point, WI) Grand Mimosa Cider Pineapple Hula Cider

B E E R

Fat Heads (North Olmsted, OH) Bumble Berry Fruit beer 5.3 Head Hunter IPA 7.5 Head Trip Tripel 9.5 Kohlminator Smoked Bock 8.5

N/A 7.3 4.8 7.3

Cellar Dweller (Morrow, OH) Eye Opener Stout 7.5 Raspberry Tart Fruit beer

L I S T

Dogfish Head (Milton, DE) 90 Minute IPA DIPA 9 Flesh and Blood IPA Olde School Barleywine 15 Seaquench Ale Gose

6.3

Against The Grain (Louisville, KY) 35k Milk Stout 7 Citra Ass Down DIPA 8.2 Jackyale Brown Ale 9.5

B E E R

Dogberry (West Chester, OH) Flogger Pilsner 6 On the Black Black Ale 8

Braxton Labs (Covington, KY) BBA Coffee Oatmeal Stout Stout Belgian Quad Quad Buckeye Stout Stout Single Hop Pale Ale Pale Ale

Abita (Abita Spring, LA) Purple Haze, Fruit Beer, 4.2% Sweet Grapefruit Harvest, IPA, 6%

L I S T

Devil’s Backbone (Lexington, VA) Danzig Baltic Porter Baltic Porter 7.5 Gold Leaf Lager Helles 4.5 Southern Passion Helles 6.1 Trail Angel Hefeweizen 5.1 Vienna Lager Vienna Lager 5.2 Wood Bear Imperial Stout 10

Breckenridge (Breckenridge, CO) Hop Peak IPA IPA 6.5 Oak Aged Saison Farmhouse/ Saison Snow Glare Am. Pale Wheat ale 6

Avery (Boulder, CO) Liliko’i Kepolo Fruit Beer Maharaja DIPA White Rascal Witbier

B E E R

6.5

Blue Moon (Golden, CO) Belgian White Am. Pale Wheat ale

Braxton (Covington, KY) Revamp IPA Black Raspberry Chip Dead Blow Export Stout Spotlight IPA Storm Cream Ale Movin To Country

50 West (Cincinnati, OH) 10 and 2 Barleywine 10.2 Cincy beerfest Colab Sour N/A American Lager Lager 5 Coast to Coast IPA 6.8 Doom Witbier 5.5 Doom blueberry and lemon Witbier 5.5 Farm to Kettle Sorta Cider Fruit beer N/A Going Plaid Wee heavy 8.5 Main St. Amber Amber 4.6 Paycheck’s Porter Porter 6.1 Punch You in The EyePA DIPA 10

B E E R

8.3

Cincy Winter Beerfest 2018 Beer List! 1,000,000 Ounces Of Craft Beer! 400+ Craft Beers From Down The Street, Around the Country and the World!

B E E R

L I S T

B E E R

Magic Hat (South Burlington, VT) FEAST OF FOOLS Stout TFG IPA 6.6 March First (Cincinnati, OH) Mosaic Pale Ale 5.2 Swiss Chocolate Stout Stout Maui (Kihei, HI) Bikinin Blonde Coconut Hiwa Porter Double Overhead Lorenzini DIPA Pineapple mana

Millersburg (Millersburg, OH) French Ridge IPA IPA Nuthouse Porter 6.3

5.5

8.1 7.5

Mispillion River Brewing (Milford, DE) Not Today Satan IPA 6 Reach AroundI PA 7.3 Moerlein (Cincinnati, OH) CHERRY CHORDIAL BARAROSSA Lager 5.3 EMANCIPATOR DOPPLEBOCK 7 MOER MOSAIC PLEASE Lager N/A POWERSTOUTAGE Stout N/A

Mt. Carmel Brewing (Cincinnati, OH) HIBERNATION ALE Black Ale TAKE HOME IPA IPA

6.5 6

Municipal Brew Works (Hamilton, OH) Approachable Blonde Blonde 4.7 Timber Trail Brown Ale N/A True West Coffee Porter Porter 5.4 Scout IPA N/A New Belgium (Fort Collins, CO) Fat White Belgian Pale 6 Funk Sour N/A Juicy Haze IPA 6 Tartastic Sour 4.5 New Day (Indianapolis, IN) Johnny Chapman Cider South Cider Cider 6

New Holland (Holland, MI) Dragons Milk Stout 11 Hoptronixs Pale Ale 4.4 Nine Giant (Cincinnati, OH) Uptown Avondale Stout Hyperballad NE IPA IPA

6.1 6.6

North Coast (Fort Bragg, CA) Old Rasputin Imperial Stout 9 Scrimshaw Pilsner 5

B E E R

7 7

L I S T

Oskar Blues (Longmont, CO) Interstate Smash Express IPA Bwuhahaha Pale Ale 5.7 Dales Pale Ale 6.43 Mamas Pilsner 5 Paradise (Cincinnati, OH) Red Eye Rye-PA IPA Luck O’ the Irish Stout Stout Peppercorn Pale Ale Pale Ale Perrin (Comstock Park, MI) Black IPA Black Ale 5.8 Blackberrry IPA Fruit beer

B E E R

6.9

Shorts Brewing (Bellaire, MI) S’mores StoutS tout 9.2 Soft Parade Fruit beer 7.5 Super Fluid DIPA 9.1

N/A 6 N/A

Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA) Pale Ale Pale Ale 5.6 BA DUNKEL WEIZENBOCK Weizenbock HAZEY LITTLE THING IPA HOP BULLET DIPA 8 KELLERWEIS Weissbier 4.8 TROPICAL TORPEDO IPA BA GINGER BIGFOOT Barleywine

5.0

Queen City Brewing (Cincinnati, OH) Carpathian Dunkel 5 Cincinnati Famous IPA Genius of Water Lager

7 4.8

B E E R

L I S T

Pale Ale Barleywine DIPA 6.9 IPA

Taft's Brewing Co. (Cincinnati, OH) SKRONK JUICE IPA GAVEL BANNGER IPA GUSTAV Vienna Lager 5 KETTLE SOUR , Sour NELLIES Fruit Beer 4.8 WINTER BRAU , Lager

6.0

5.6

Brown Ale DIPA 5.5 7.5

5.7 10

7.5 6.7

12 IPA Porter

Tin Cap Cidery (Wilmington, OH) Blackberry Cider 6 Jacks Mad Mango Cider

Vandermill (Grand Rapids, MI) Bon Chreiten Perry 6.8 Totally Roasted Cider Vandy Cider 5

6.7 9.3

Victory Brewing (Downingtown, PA) BLACKFOREST CAKE STOUT HOME GROWN Lager SOUR MONKEY Sour MIGHTY THINGS DIPA

4.6

L I S T

7.5

5.7 11 8.9 6.7 N/A 4.3

5.4

6.8 7 N/A 7.2

9.6 5.5

6 5.8

7.4

6.8

Stout 12 6.1 9.5

Warped Wing (Dayton, OH) Chardonnay BA Barn Gang Farmhouse/ Saison Gamma IPA 7.2 Trotwood Lager 4 Whiskey Rebellion Imperial Stout 11

14.1

Terrapin (Athens, GA) Beyond The Galaxy IPA 6.3 Hopsecutioner IPA 7.3 Luau Krunkels IPA 6.5 Wake n bake Imperial Stout 9.4 Thirsty Dog (Akron, OH) BA WULVER Scotch Ale BLOODORANGE IPA LEG HUMPER

B E E R

Urban Artifact (Cincinnati, OH) Chariot Gose 4.7 Glimmer IPA 7.5 Operation Plowshare Fruit beer Owler Brown Ale 6

Tallgrass (Manhattan, KS) King Buffalo Imperial Stout 10.5 Raspberry Jam Berliner Weiss Tap And Screw (Cincinnati, OH) Golden mallet Belgian Strong Ale Major Kool Farmhouse/ Saison All Jacked Up Porter 5.7

Rockmill (Lancaster, OH) Belgian Pilsner , Pilsner, 5.5 Saison, Farmhouse/ Saison, 7

L I S T

Uinta Brewing (Salt Lake City, UT) COCKEYED COOPER Barleywine 11.1 HOP NOSH IPA 8.2 HOPSCURSSION II Am. Wild Ale 6.8 HOP NOSH GRAPEFRUIT IPA 7.3

Sweetwater (Atlanta, GA) Tripple Tail IPA 5.5 Grass Monkey Am. Pale Wheat Ale 420 Pale Ale 5.4

4.2

B E E R

Troges (Hershey, PA) Java Head Stout 8.2 Nugget Nectar IPA Scratch Pilsner 4.5

6 7

Streetside (Cincinnati, OH) Brett In Berlin BA Berliner Weiss Cereal Milk, Milkshake Blonde 5.25 Little Balls of Blue Berliner Weiss Return of the Mac Blonde 6.1

Rockbottom (Cincinnati, OH) 513 Kolsch Kölsch 4.7 Queen of hops Am. Pale Wheat Ale Three Pepper Ale Blonde 4.8 Wicked Elf Belgian Strong Ale 7.2

Sam Adams (Jamaica Plains, MA) 513 Lager 5.5 COLDSNAP IPA 6.5 NE IPA IPA 6.2 SAM 76 Lager 4.7

Southern Tier (Lakewood, NY) Raspberry White Witbier 2X IPA DIPA 8.2 Blueberry Tart Am. Wild Ale 8.5 LIVE Pale Ale 5 Manhattan Ameriacan Strong Nu Skool IPA 6 Stone (Escondido, CA) Ripper Pale Ale 2016 Old Guardian Inevitable DIPA Stone IPA IPA Tangerine Express

Revolution (Chicago, IL) Anti Hero IPA 6.7 Little Crazy Belgian Pale 6.9

Rusty Rail (Mifflinburg, PA) Rail Spike IPA 7.1 Snowflyer Porter 5.5

L I S T

Schofferhofer (Frankfurt, Germany) Grapefruit Hefeweizen, Hefeweizen, 2.5%

Rivertown (Cincinnati, OH) 3984 Lager Lager 5.3 NE Style Hazy IPA IPA Roebling Porter 5.7

B E E R

Schoenling (Cincinnati, OH) Little Kings Cream Ale 5.5

Quaff Brothers (Newport, KY) 50W, Cincy beerfest Colab Sour

Rhinegeist (Cincinnati, OH) Bubbles Cider 6.2 Cafe Ink Imperial Stout 10 Dingo Pale Ale 5.4 Knowledge DIPA 8.5 Press Tart Berliner Weiss Squirrel Brown Ale 4.8

L I S T

Scarlet Lane (McCordsville, IN) HorrorHound Ale Part 2 Pale Ale Asteria Australian IPA IPA

Platform Brewing Co. (Columbus, OH) Calypso Pale Ale 5.1 Gose Gose 4 High Brow Barista, Coffee Rye Pale Ale Hubris Quad 11.5 Speed Merchant IPA 6.6

Rogue Ales (Newport, OR) HAZELNUTLY CHOCTOBULOUS STRAIGHT OUT OF NEWPORT YELLOW SNOW Pilsner COLDBREW IPA IPA

North High (Columbus, OH) Filthy McNasty, Imperial Stout, 9 Life, Pale Ale, 7.5 Pale, Pale Ale, 5.5 Stardust, DIPA, 8.8 Oddside (Grand Haven, MI) APRICOT DANK JUICE IPA DIGGY DANK JUICE IPA

L I S T

Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) 3 Phils Quad 9.7 Pale Sour Belgian Pale 6.9

N/A

Mother Stewarts (Springfield, OH) Cashmere IPA 7.8 Porter Porter 6

B E E R

Old Firehouse (Williamsburg, OH) Code 3 Red Ale 5.2 Flash Point IPA 6.7 Maple Porter Porter 6.5 Pin Up Blonde 5

Helles 5.1 6 DIPA 8.5 7.6 Am. Pale Wheat ale

Maumee Bay (Toledo, OH) FakeJuice IPA 7.5 Maple Total Eclipse Stout

L I S T

4.3

West Sixth (Lexington, KY) Cerveza Lager 4.6 IPA IPA 7 Meadoweisse Berliner Weiss Pennyrile Pale Ale 5.5 Snake Eyes Imperial Stout 11

7.5

4.4

Westside Brewing (Cincinnati, OH) DIPA DIPA 9 Scottish Scottish Ale 6 Weyerbacher (Easton, PA) Insanity IPA 5.9 Mellow Tripel 9.3 Sexy Mother Pucker Am. Wild Ale 7.5 Whiner (Chicago, IL) Le Tub Farmhouse/ Saison Miaou Am. Wild Ale 6.5

6.4

Wiedemann (Cincinnati, OH) Le Tub Farmhouse/ Saison Miaou Am. Wild Ale 6.5

6.4

Wild Ohio (Columbus, OH) Black Cherry Bourbon Tea/ Beer Blood orange Tea/ Beer 5

9.2

Woodburn (Cincinnati, OH) Han Solo Blonde 4 Salmon Short Sightings Blonde 4.8 Woodburn Double IPA DIPA 8.2 Chocolate Mint Stout Imperial Stout 9.3 Wyndridge (Dallastown, PA) Brown Dog Porter 7.7 Cherry Cider Cider 6 Crafty Cranberry Cider Pineapple Orange IPA IPA

6 6.5

Yellow Springs Brewing (Yellow Springs, OH) Carpet Nap Quad 15.3 Boat Show IPA 7 Captain Stardust Frmhouse/ Saison Dr. Bunsen IPA 13 Handsome Brown Ale 5.4

4.9

FROM PAGE 22

To learn more about the local chapter of The Pink Boots Society, visit facebook.com/pbs.cincinnati.

happen to coincide with West Side’s recurring Drunken Hog BBQ. Brews to try: The Oktoberfest is an amber lager made from toasted bread malts and a touch of hot spice.

Coming Soon Alexandria Brewing Company Alexandria, Ky., alexandriabrewingcompany.com

Bridging Cincinnati’s heritage with Northern Kentucky’s tight-knit community, Alexandria Brewing Company is a familyfriendly, Rock & Roll themed brewery that places high importance on fun. Opening in March 2018, ABC will focus on a four-beer roster of classics that prop up its rotating list of seasonals, which includes the honey-brewed Go Hop Yourself and the murky-black Licking River Water. While you’re waiting on these tongue-in-cheek brews to be released, grab the truckerchic mesh hat that’s up for sale on the brewery’s website.

Esoteric Brewery Walnut Hills, esotericbrewing. com

Their name implies arcane knowledge — ancient forces that can only be discussed in hushed tones. Cincinnati’s first black-owned brewery, set to open this winter in Walnut Hills, owns its intrigue: inspired by Egyptian mythos, the company brands itself with the lotus symbol, which is meant to represent the elevation and rebirth it plans to bring to the local community. Esoteric plans to set up shop in the neighborhood’s former Paramount Building, which has remained unoccupied for over 50 years, looming over the intersection of E. McMillan Street and Gilbert Avenue. Esoteric will specialize in Belgian beers served in traditional glassware.

Humble Monk Rabbit Hash, facebook.com/ humblemonkbc

Formerly known as Rabbit Hash Brewery, Humble Monk will brew its homegrown creations atop what its owners believe to be a network of catacombs. True to its monastic name, Humble Monk looks to the brewing practices of Trappist Monasteries for inspiration: the brewery’s “partigyle” technique yields three different types of beer from a single mash, varying in alcohol content and taste.

Check our website for this week’s deals!

Rebel Mettle Brewery OTR, rebelmettlebrewery.com

Hoping to settle into its 40,000-squarefoot space on McMicken Avenue this spring/summer, Rebel Mettle will honor OTR’s former status as pre-Prohibition America’s brewery capital, occupying what was once the home of the historic Clyffside and Sohn Brewery and offering ales, lagers and maybe ciders.

CINCINNATI.ALTPERKS.COM Facebook/ T w i T Ter: perkopol is

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

third-shift brewers. They find out where the brews are in their production stages, what tanks need to be cleaned, what beer needs to be moved to finishing tanks, if a beer needs to be run through the centrifuge (which removes the particles from the brewing process) and if a beer needs to be carbonated so it can be ready for the packaging team, who arrive at 7 a.m. “Then we get to work,” she says. “The three brewers, we rotate stations on the brew deck, and then the other two will be in the cellar, so that means we’re cleaning tanks, we are moving beer through, moving yeast into tanks so we can get ready to brew into them, cleaning parts, expanding cider.” Blair is passionate and fervent and describes her work with a reverence that is palpable. She’s a self-declared tomboy, and acknowledges a certain measure of a “boys’ club” perception about brewing, albeit, more on the external front. “The guys I work with are phenomenal,” she says. “Guys outside of the beer industry, talking to me about beer, I receive a shit-ton of sexism — pardon my language.” Fellow Rhinegeist brewer Stacey Roth, a 16-year veteran of the industry and recent Michigan transplant (where she worked for breweries including Grizzly Peak, Arbor Brewing, and Arcadia Brewing Company), agrees that any sexism inside what’s perceived to be an historically male-dominated workplace is less prevalent than one might think. “Working at Rhinegeist — there isn’t any difference between any of us,” she says. “Every once in a while, I won’t be able to open a door or do this. A lot of times, they won’t be able to fit their hands into something or squeeze through something, but I can. Just like in any other situation, you figure it out. You want to do the job, you figure out how to do it, regardless of whether you’re female or male.” The lingering societal perception of beer as a traditionally male beverage versus female-friendly drink is rapidly being dispelled. Roth says she’s seen a “huge evolution” of that perception, and both she and Blair note the recent influx of sour beers on the craft market as a good introduction point. Roth helps run Fermenta, a group of brewers (similar to Pink Boots) in Michigan, aimed at helping build camaraderie for women in the industry. “In starting to do these seminars and meet-and-greets with Fermenta, I just had women either wanting to get into the industry or just wanting to learn more about alcoholic beers in general, say that they were glad they had a space to go to where they felt comfortable,” she says. “There’s more and more women that are buying craft, learning about craft and drinking it. I think it’s more of a women’s thing than a guys thing nowadays.” Cheers to that.

FROM PAGE 22

BREWERS GIVE BACK

Local breweries put a focus on philanthropy through sales and events BY AU S T I N G AY L E

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

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“B

eer builds community, and community builds beer.” Mike Stuart, director of people and social strategy at MadTree, takes pride in the brewery’s tagline and makes it a reality through his role facilitating the company’s charitable actions. With his team of brewers and an internal committee, Stuart helps MadTree support four core charities year-round: Give Back Cincinnati, Starfi re, CityLink Center and Cincinnati Community ToolBank. But the brewery doesn’t stop there. It also gives back to another 12 charities throughout the year, highlighting one per month at their taproom in Oakley via an array of donation-focused events and games. The committee already has each month’s charity scheduled through 2018. “For us, community is not a one-time thing or just a project-based thing,” Stuart says. “It’s a part of our mission statement. We have three cornerstones to our mission statement, which are making quality beer, taking care of our employees and supporting the community.” Outside of the taproom, MadTree recently partnered with a number of Cincinnati chefs to create Mix and Mash: Recipes for the Table and Glass. This 125-page, full-color cookbook is riddled with recipes that feature MadTree beer as an ingredient, including braised pork belly with apple butter, slaw and spaetzle and a vegetable fritto misto. The $50 cookbook can be purchased on MadTree’s website and a portion of the proceeds go to Newtown’s La Soupe, a nonprofit committed to transforming local food waste into nutritious meals for food-insecure families in Cincinnati. Of course, MadTree isn’t the only brewery to place an emphasis on charity and supporting the community — Stuart and Co. are merely an example of how Queen City’s brewers are giving back, one pint at a time. Through Cincinnati’s The Cure Starts Now foundation, which supports children’s cancer research, both Rivertown Brewery and Braxton Brewing Company have created special-edition beers to support the cause. Rivertown fi rst got involved with The Cure Starts Now in 2016, teaming up

Bircus hosts “One For All Wednesdays” and donates $1 from each pint sold to a local charity. P H O T O : B R I T TA N Y T H O R N T O N

to create Brennan’s Bucknut Brew, a chocolate peanut butter stout. Rivertown donated a portion of the proceeds from every keg sold back to the nonprofit. Eager to remain involved, Rivertown teamed up with organization again in 2017. The brewery released Salted Carm-Ale in November. Inspired by Lauren Hill, who attended Mount St. Joseph University and ultimately passed away from a rare form of brain cancer, the brew is based on her favorite candy. A portion of the proceeds of pints sold at the taproom went back to The Cure Starts Now and the beer ultimately became Rivertown’s winter limited edition series, seeing distribution throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida. Lindsey Roeper, Rivertown’s “Dream Facilitator” and wife of owner Jason Roeper, has been overjoyed with their relationship with The Cure Starts Now and remains appreciative of the fact that she and her husband are in a position to give back. “To sum it up in one word, I’d say it’s amazing,” she says. “To be able to use our business in a way that brings more good into the world is just an amazing feeling.

We’ve been very blessed and worked hard to be in this position to give back in meaningful ways.” Braxton also partnered with The Cure MadTree gives back through monthly events. PHOTO: PHIL HEIDENREICH

Starts Now, releasing Blueberry Pie Brown Ale in September 2017 as part of their collaboration with both Graeter’s and the nonprofit. Taking flavor inspiration from Graeter’s Elena’s Blueberry Pie ice cream — Elena is the little girl who inspired the creation of The Cure Starts Now — Braxton canned the beer and donated a portion of the proceeds. Following a similar charitable model, Listermann Brewing Company partnered with the Cincinnati Zoo to create Team Fiona, a New England-style IPA, last June to support the Queen City’s favorite hippo. Now canning the beer for the sixth time since its release, Listermann general manager Jason Brewer says Team Fiona has been the source of $40,000 to $50,000 in donations — making the collaboration a giant success. Like MadTree, Listermann doesn’t limit their charitable reach to one area: Brewer and his team also work with Elementz, an Over-the-Rhine-based and Hip Hopcentric nonprofit that helps inner city youth fi nd their voice and engage in the community. Listermann works with Elementz on beer collaborations like their IPAs Sabotage and Babycat Meowface and donates the proceeds. The brewery also allows kids and teens involved with the nonprofit to spray paint one of the taproom’s outside walls throughout the year. Breweries also give back through weekly events. Over-the-Rhine’s Rhinegeist gives local nonprofits an opportunity to fundraise at their taproom through the Charitable Suds program. Every Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. a portion of the brewery’s proceeds go to that week’s organization. And on Wednesday nights at Ludlow, Ky.’s Bircus, it’s “One For All Wednesdays,” where $1 from each pint sold goes to a selected cause. As craft beer and drinking local continues to grow in popularity, Cincinnatians can take pride in the fact that committed, charitable-minded owners are behind plenty of pints.

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Where the magic happens. P H O T O : B R I T TA N Y T H O R N T O N

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

hen it comes down to it, live music and craft beer aren’t too dissimilar. They both revel in local flavor, encourage experimentation and spawn dedicated subcultures. Bradley Plank, Jim Klosterman and Joe Sierra, the trio behind Blue Ash-based Fretboard Brewing Company, seek the perfect marriage of their two passions — music and beer — by providing creation spaces for local musicians to rattle off riffs while grabbing brews at the taproom. “We wanted to create a brewery themed around music, how they intertwine with each other,” says head brewer Plank. Plank’s self-styled title in the company is “Head Brewer of Positive Libations” — a reference to Bob Marley’s “Positive Vibration.” Fretboard’s main stage hosts live performances nearly every night, putting an emphasis on the sort of rootsy Blues tunes and Americana that are nearly synonymous with microbrewed beverages. The taproom is situated next to the brewing equipment, all within sight of the performance stage. “We have bands rent out studio space and you can watch them on TV in the taproom and listen to them in what we call the Consumption Station, where you can listen to the bands practice,” Plank says. “It’s the same with beer as it is with music — you don’t ever see what goes into the process, you only hear or taste the final product. We’re trying as best we can to display the creative journey to get to the fi nal product in a polished process.” Plank worked in IT and brewed beer as a hobby for more than a decade before he and the other founders of Fretboard took the leap into professional brewing. “This is my first professional job as a brewer; my résumé is being built right now,” Plank says. “I came with my homebrewing portfolio of 60 to 80 recipes and we’ve brewed maybe 10 of them.” Kevin Moreland, former head brewer for Taft’s Ale House, recently joined Fretboard as managing partner after an initial consulting contract. The addition of Moreland, a locally renowned brewmaster who got his start with Listermann Brewing Company and founded their Triple Digit brand, lends massive industry credibility to the Fretboard team. Plank’s partners Klosterman and Sierra, who title themselves “Lead Guitar” and “Drummer,” respectively, were so pleased with Moreland’s consulting work that getting him back on board was a no-brainer. And Moreland was as excited about their direction — especially the music. “In my career I’ve done pretty much all the things you can do in beer. We all have

Fretboard specializes in German-inspired beers.

SONICS AND SUDS Fretboard Brewing Company is rooted in community, craft beer and live music BY S E A N M . P E T E R S

The Blue Ash brewery/taproom is themed around music, with studio space and a performance stage. P H O T O : B R I T TA N Y T H O R N T O N

a great passion for beer (and) for music as well,” Moreland says. He goes on to reminisce about Over-theRhine’s Barrelhouse Brewing Company, a former brewery and music venue that was located in the building that now houses the Art Academy. Moreland sees a kinship between Fretboard and the Barrelhouse and says their goal is to construct a similar experience. “Our first craft beer experiences were in

a place we want to recreate that’s no longer here,” he says. “(The Barrelhouse) did great beer and they had great bands.” In terms of great beer, Moreland’s dedication to brews that embrace experimentation is no secret. His recipes have earned him acclaim in the local community. “The first beer we brewed (at Fretboard) was also one the hardest kinds to brew, our Czech pilsner ‘Vlad the Impaler,’ ” Moreland says.

P H O T O : B R I T TA N Y T H O R N T O N

“That was the fi rst beer we put into our tanks. We haven’t changed one thing on that beer since and it’s doing really well.” After helping open both Taft’s Ale House and Taft’s Brewpourium, Moreland left the company in January 2017 to launch his own consulting business, KDM Brewing Solutions, which took him across the city and even abroad. “I landed with Brad and the Fretboard team through consulting,” Moreland says. “I came in passionate about their vision, what they wanted to do. I really clicked well with Brad — I think Brad’s style of brewing and mine align in what we want to do. “Quality is important to us. A lot of people can throw that word around, but I tried Brad’s beers before he became a professional brewer and I knew he had great talent.” Some notable mentions from the tap list at Fretboard are the Dunkel, a traditional brown German lager; Lyric, an extra pale ale with mosaic hops; and Jazz, an American stout. The brewery also released a new imperial stout called Nati Dread, infused with smoked coconut and cocoa nibs from Findlay Market’s Maverick Chocolate Co. Fretboard raised money for ArtsWave at the beer’s recent launch party. “There’s so much variety. We’re just a thirsty city,” Plank says. “We want to do traditional style and get back to Cincinnati roots-style brewing, and the German heritage is preserved with the lager, pilsners, the bachs, the dunkel. Obviously IPAs are still strong in the market, but what we’re seeing is a reset on beer drinkers going back to the basics.” Along with beer and music, the taproom also offers classic barbecue fare from Smoked Out Cincy. The pulled pork sandwich is a popular option; they also have smoked or fried wings, sides like mac and cheese, chicken tenders for kids and a veggie burger for vegetarians. Fretboard Brewing Company is located at 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash. More info: fretboardbrewing.com.

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Start 2018 Off right! No ENrollmENt fEE for NEw mEmbErs! the excellence of triHealth classes and training, in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati. Just 2 blocks North of the Aronoff Center. Located on the streetcar route at the PubLic Library stoP.

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J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

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ARTS & CULTURE

Reviving a Historic Clubhouse Breakfast buddies unite to preserve a Hannaford home and the legacy of black women lifting others up since 1904 BY K AT H Y S C H WA R T Z

A Few Good Men is helping the Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

again,” Harshaw says. A Few Good Men are improving not just the women’s surroundings but also their spirits as they try to recruit a new generation that will continue to provide snacks at Douglass Elementary, visit nursing homes and volunteer at health fairs. “You know they say there’s nothing like having a man around the house? There’s nothing like having a group of men around the house,” Orr says. And what a house it is. This is the only city federation clubhouse remaining in Ohio, Orr says. The onetime residence of late-19th century Mayor John Mosby features Rookwood fireplaces in each room, brass chandeliers, bay windows, white-enameled spindles on the staircase and a bas-relief sculpture in the foyer of a woman accepting a sister’s helping hand. Inspired by the resourceful women of the 1920s who pooled their dollars to buy the home for $18,000 (about $250,000 today), the men are now selling inscribed bricks for $15 apiece to return the mansion’s vinyl floors to hardwood. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, but Harshaw says the federation itself is an American treasure. He notes that it was formed several years before the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1909) or the Urban League (1910). Harshaw, a retired banking executive

turned author and historian, received monthly $25 scholarships from one of the federation’s clubs during his junior and senior years at Taft High School. That amount was enough for him to pay his family’s $15 rent and still have money for clothes, his 1959 graduation cap and gown, and a class ring. He wrote a book about growing up in the segregated West End from the 1940s to 1970s, a period he refers to as “when we were colored.” It’s an era that Samuel AbuBakr experienced as well, and he was reminded of it after doing landscaping at the clubhouse in 2015. Short on money to pay him, the women instead offered him tickets to hear author Wil Haygood speak. Now AbuBakr feels the need to repay the women. “I know some of us don’t like that word (colored),” AbuBakr tells a recent breakfast gathering. “We’re not talking about colored people. We are talking about a time in our history when we were so connected and involved in everything that we did.” It was a period before government grants, when neighbors and even strangers reached into their pockets to help someone in need. AbuBakr’s breakfast buddies include a who’s who of black Cincinnati: broadcaster Courtis Fuller, photographers C. Smith and Melvin Grier, retired physician Charles Dillard, beauty pageant founder Robert Humphries and 93-year-old Leslie Edwards, a mechanic with the Tuskegee

Airmen. But AbuBakr is quick to hold up the everyday accomplishments of a group of women whose motto is “Deeds Not Words.” One of the federation’s first acts was establishing a kindergarten at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Walnut Hills. During the migration of blacks from the South in the mid-20th century, the clubhouse offered women and children a place to stay. “If these women’s deeds were put in a cup, our cup would runneth over,” AbuBakr says. “There’s no measuring what they’ve done. You’re supporting the independence of the people.” AbuBakr says complete renovation of the house, including a slate roof, will cost about $238,000. But he believes that as word gets out, money will come in. The men and women have music, veterans and health events planned into the summer. “We’re going to figure it out,” AbuBakr says. “I am so blessed to be a part of this history, to be a part of this turnaround, to see this house coming back, to see these women smile again. To see them upstairs (gathering historical photos) and hear that chatter — that wasn’t here a year ago.” John Harshaw and federation members will speak Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Main Library, 800 Vine St., Downtown. Free. A related exhibit is on display through Feb. 14. More info: cincinnatilibrary.org.

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

ore than a half-century ago, before “black” and “AfricanAmerican” became rooted in our lexicon, more than a thousand ladies of the Cincinnati Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs regularly filed into 1010 Chapel St. in Walnut Hills to work for racial progress. They poured into its 17 rooms to discuss clothing drives, scholarships and donations to institutions like the Negro Sightless Society. The members of the federation, established in 1904, looked after their own from a place they proudly called their own — a stately clubhouse that their visionary founders had purchased in 1925 through $15 shares. Today just 54 members, ranging in age from their 50s to more than 100 years old, are continuing the federation’s mission of “lifting others as we climb.” But the efforts of those few good women now have a boost from A Few Good Men. Since fall 2016, about two dozen black male friends have pitched in to handle repairs and raise money to restore the luster of the women’s historic brick home, which was designed by famed Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford (Music Hall, City Hall) in 1888. Last June, the men’s group moved their Tuesday breakfast from the Queensgate Frisch’s to the clubhouse, with each diner donating at least $10 a week. “This organization and this building kind of sat dormant for quite a while,” John Harshaw, a member of A Few Good Men, says. “Most young black women, black men, even people in the (Walnut Hills) community, didn’t know what it was.” On Feb. 3, he and the women will share the federation’s story during a Black History Month presentation at the Main Library. President JoAnn Orr has belonged to the city federation for more than 50 years, following in her mother’s footsteps. When Orr joined, there were about 40 clubs representing several hundred members. Today there are only five. But “these ladies have come awake

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18

CURTAIN CALL

They’re Only Human BY R I C K PEN D ER

A play titled The Humans doesn’t reveal shared by the sisters. It concludes, “Dance much about its content. Aren’t most plays more than I did. Drink less than I did. Go about humans? Ensemble Theatre Cincinto church. Be good to everyone you love. I nati’s set by Brian Mehring for its regional love you more than you’ll ever know.” premiere of Stephen Karam’s Tony AwardDistracted Erik has betrayed his marwinning play is an everyday, slightly riage and lost his job; he’s overwhelmed below-average, two-story living space: by responsibility for his mother. Deirdre Grungy off-white walls, few furnishings, a can’t stop eating and fretting about her solitary barred window, two card tables daughters in New York City. Aimee’s and six folding chairs. longtime partner Carol has deserted her, Dinner is about to happen, and the tiny her employer has told her she’s no longer orange-and-brown turkey decorations needed and her colitis is back with a indicate Thanksgiving. We’re in America, vengeance. Brigid, an aspiring musician, for sure — in New York City’s Chinatown — is getting no traction in her search for a neighborhood devastated by flooding following Hurricane Sandy. As the Blake family arrives at the apartment recently rented by Brigid (Becca Howell) and her boyfriend Richard (Jeff Groh), it’s apparent that they’re skeptical. They try to put a good face on it, but her disapproving parents, Deirdre (Christine Dye) and Erik (Tony Campisi), can’t contain CRITIC’S their judgmental, dubiPICK ous observations. They’ve driven three hours from A family gathering is the source of drama in The Humans. Scranton, Pa. with Erik’s senile, wheelchair-bound P H O T O : R YA N K U R T Z mother (Dale Hodges). Brigid’s cynical older sister Aimee (Jennifer Joplin) is along, too, with a meaningful work. Admirably portrayed by dark cloud clearly hanging over her head. veteran Cincinnati actors, they’re a family The Blakes are a contentious family. of Jonahs; beleaguered humans trying to Still, why has Karam labeled his play The survive while caring for each other. Humans? My guess is that he wants us to Brigid’s apartment building rumbles see them as typical everyday folks, even with threatening, thundering noises. Erik though we soon learn they are plagued and Aimee narrowly missed being victims with an avalanche of fears that afflict of 9/11, and everyone is made skittish by many middle-class, blue-collar Americans the building’s ominous growls and thumps. — poverty, old age, unsatisfying jobs, ill Erik is plagued by tortured nightmares, but health — and even more fundamental Richard tells him to embrace the dream issues, including the loss of love and death. of being lured into a tunnel (“Tunnels Nice-guy Richard makes conversation can just be stuff hidden from yourself, so as he seeks to reduce the tension that passing through one could be a favorable keeps bubbling over. He mentions Quasar, omen”). a comic book he’s loved since he was a kid: Erik dodges this advice with a joke about “It’s about this species of like half-alien, fortunetelling, but as the story ends, he’s half-demon creatures with teeth on their suddenly alone and in the dark with just backs. … On their planet, the scary stories one way out. It’s a frightening moment, but they tell each other… they’re all about us. perhaps Erik is on his way to something The horror stories for the monsters are all promising. It’s hard to tell. The Humans about humans.” isn’t a feel-good kind of show, but it’s a There you have it. “Humans” are the powerful glimpse at people who despersource of scary stories. This might lead one ately need one another, clinging to hope. to think that Karam’s play is depressing, Inspired by this play, ETC has assembut in this production, staged by vetbled The Humans of Cincinnati, a collection eran guest director Michael Evan Haney, of portraits and interviews with dozens of glimmers of love and hope keep shining people from all walks of life throughout through as rituals and family traditions the area. They are on display at ETC and are enacted. online at humansofcincinnati.com. Even though Hodges’ addled Momo The Humans is at Ensemble Theatre never speaks coherently, a heartfelt email Cincinnati through Feb. 17. Tickets/more she sent before the onset of dementia info: ensemblecincinnati.org. urging them to get beyond worrying is

Rockin’ Good Time at the Playhouse BY R I C K PEN D ER

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A whole lotta shakin’ is onstage at the Cincinnati Playhouse for Million Dollar Quartet. Back in 1956, when an actual intersection of Pop music icons Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis happened at Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn., there was common wisdom that Rock & Roll was a passing fancy. But Sun’s owner Sam Phillips (James Ludwig) knew better. “Rock & Roll is not a fad,” he declares. “It’s a Sean McGibbon as Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet damned revolution.” This production conPHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY vincingly demonstrates Phillips’ proclamation. The first shots were fired in Sun’s grungy also sense his envious frustration with studio, a converted car repair shop lovPhillips’ attention to others. ingly recreated on the Playhouse’s Marx Seals has a solid grasp on Cash’s earnest, stage with a detailed design by Adam Koch, straightforward demeanor, and his lowreplete with gauges, stand-up microend vocal range is exactly right for familiar phones, a balcony and a raised platform numbers like “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I for two accomplished back-up musicians: Walk the Line.” Brother Jay on the acoustic bass (Eric Scott Wilford’s Presley has perfected the Anthony) and drummer Fluke Holland singer’s louche smile and rubber-legged, (Zach Cossman). gyrating stage presence, and he does a fine But the focus is on the stars. First up we job with the sensual delivery of familiar meet upstart Lewis (Sean McGibbon), a lyrics. Voth comes along as arm candy in musical phenomenon who pounds out a brilliant green dress, but she holds her frenetic melodies on a spinet piano. Rockaown for two songs, the steamy “Fever” in billy star Perkins (John Michael Presney) the first act and the charge-’em-up “I Hear turns up, dismayed by the new piano You Knocking” in the second. player, who Phillips is eager to cultivate. Despite the stars’ evident individuality, Next to arrive is an established star, solthey also sing together harmoniously on emn Country & Western singer Cash (Sky several numbers (“Down by the Riverside” Seals). Then Presley (Ari McKay Wilford), a and “Peace in the Valley” are given moving past Sun talent wooed away from Sun by renderings). McGibbon, Presney, Seals and big-time recording company RCA, shows Wilford turn in startlingly real perforup accompanied by Dyanne (Bligh Voth), a mances as actors, vocalists and musicians. gorgeous aspiring vocalist. How convincing they are is reinforced This pantheon of talent isn’t entirely near the end of the two-act show when an comfortable mixing. Cash knows he’s actual photo from 1956 is projected and we about to jump ship from Sun, but he can’t hear a snatch of the music recorded that find the right moment to tell Phillips. And evening. the brash upstart Lewis rubs everyone the The production milks audience engagewrong way, at one moment joking that “I ment with a series of closing numbers. might just let you boys be my opening act.” Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” is followed by This isn’t simply a jukebox show with bows and a reprise of “Down by the Rivergood tunes — there’s some real drama as side.” They all leave the stage momentarily Phillips struggles to hold on to a stable of but return wearing glittering jackets for young performers he has nurtured. Doufinal numbers by Presley (“Hound Dog”), bling as the show’s narrator, Ludwig turns Cash (“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”) and Perin a convincing portrait as the producer kins (“See You Later Alligator”), inspiring whom the singers dub the “Father of Rock some genuine audience interaction. & Roll.” Just as the audience feels it must be McGibbon sports Lewis’ unruly mop of over, Jerry Lee Lewis bounds back on for golden curls and handles the manic piano a breathtaking, zany, physical perforperformance antics required for songs like mance of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” “Real Wild Child” and “ Great Balls of Fire.” Everyone was on their feet and shakin’ — a He’s a constant, cocky magnet for attention. rambunctious send-off for a highly enterAs Perkins, Presney is the most imprestaining evening. sive guitarist, taking the lead on his own Million Dollar Quartet continues at Playsongs, like “Matchbox,” and iconic numhouse in the Park through Feb. 18. Tickets/ bers associated with the others, including more info: cincyplay.com. Cash’s “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” But we

FILM

Jewish/Israeli Film Fest Has Poignant Stories BY M AC K E N ZI E M A N L E Y

The 12 new features being presented at this year’s Mayerson JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Festival, which gets underway Thursday and continues through Feb. 22, offer a variety of unforgettable stories and characters. Like the festival’s theme —“Faces of Israel”— the movies are rooted in an array of experience and culture. The quirky documentary Hummus! The Movie will lead off the fest with a soldout screening at 20th Century Theater in Oakley. It is an homage to its namesake spread, layering it in a history that binds Jews, Muslims and Christians together in the Middle East and, if a stop at Trader Joe’s is any evidence, worldwide. There’s also Scaffolding (Feb. 8, Kenwood Theatre), a coming-of-age film full of restlessness, inevitable quarter-life angst and the conflicts of a 17-year-old negotiating his way through family life and Israeli culture, and Amor (Feb. 19, Mariemont Theatre), the story of an artist returning to his childhood home in Israel and being confronted with memories — some lyrical and awash in nostalgia, others painful — as he explores love and love lost. These are just some of the stories that

Asher Lax stars in the Israeli film Scaffolding.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

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PHOTO: GREEN PRODUCTIONS

will populate the festival, which will present its features (often paired with shorts) in five locations (Esquire Theatre and Mayerson JCC, the event’s host, are the other venues). This year, its 24th, the festival is including more Israeli films than usual to celebrate the 70th anniversary of that country’s establishment. Israeli film expert and screenwriter Galit Roichman will lead discussions after films. She’ll be at the Esquire on Monday for Ben-Gurion, Epilogue. It’s a documentary drawn from six hours of archival footage of an elderly David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding figure and first prime minister. According to the festival’s website, at the time the footage was shot, Ben-Gurion was 82 and living in a secluded desert home. He speaks with hindsight on Zionism and his “introspective soul searching provides

a surprising vision for the crucial decisions Israel faces today.” Roichman will also be at Scaffolding and Tuesday’s Mariemont screening of The 90-Minute War, a fiery mockumentary that proposes an odd question: “What if the feud between Israel and the Palestinians could be solved by a soccer match?” Among other features, Home Port follows a seaman who returns home to mend a relationship with his daughter. Bye Bye Germany, which is set in 1946 Frankfurt, follows characters who survived the Nazi regime. After the screening, Jodi Elowitz from the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education will lead a discussion. The documentary My Hero Brother follows a group of young people with Down syndrome and their siblings as they journey through the Himalayas on a meaningful trek (psychologist Ryan Niemiec will lead the post-screening discussion). Other films to be shown include Across the Waters, And Then She Arrived and The Law. The closing-night (Feb. 22) title Big Sonia follows a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor after she receives an eviction notice. It’s a humble portrait of a woman — both painful and triumphant — that blends humor and honesty to tell the story of a life well-lived. Caroline Kennedy, founder and CEO of Empower: Educate and Inspire, will speak after the 7 p.m. screening at the 20th Century. Though the films navigate Jewish and Israeli culture, Mayerson JCC’s Frances Kahan says she and a committee of 15 sought balance when choosing the selections. She wants the festival to have films that everyone can appreciate. “There are things that are throughout each of these films that people can identify with,” she says. “Be it food bringing people together, which is something I think that many cultures do, or relating to your history and learning from it.” Whether it’s a family drama or a romcom where you want to watch people fall in love on the screen, Kahan says there’s something for everyone. As diverse as the films are in genre and in character, the festival seeks to captivate and explore rich, vibrant cinema while celebrating the people and experiences that make up Jewish and Israeli culture. The lessons learned from watching can be applied universally. For tickets or more information about the Jewish & Israeli Film Festival, visit mayersonjcc.org.

FILM

Sneak Peak at ‘Green Book’ Film-in-Progress BY T T S T ER N - EN ZI

Ramsey (left), Searles (third from left) and crew PHOTO: JIMMY E. SEARLES

Contact tt stern-enzi: letters@citybeat.com

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Recognized as the world’s largest publisher of travel and tourism guides in English, Fodor’s first book appeared in 1936 — the European guide On the Continent: An Entertaining Travel Annual. It was the start of making Fodor’s a household name. Intriguingly, that same year, another guidebook was started — one that has long been forgotten, but shouldn’t be. And it may not be for much longer if a new film has its desired impact. In 1936, Victor Hugo Green, a New York City postal employee, presented The Negro Motorist Green Book, a soon-to-be-annual publication for African-American travelers that offered vital specifics for safe journeys across the U.S. during the Jim Crow era. It served to minimize the hardships that African-Americans faced traversing a nation where segregation and discrimination were commonplace and, in the American south, brutally enforced by law. Black motorists of the time needed to know which white-owned businesses would be willing to repair their cars, whether or not hotels and restaurants were white-only establishments and which locations were whites-only after sundown. The Green Book series ran from 19361967 and expanded its reach to cover most of North America. The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which struck down racial discrimination, negated the necessity for the guidebooks, leaving them to seemingly disappear from the cultural landscape. But New York-based playwright and author Calvin Alexander Ramsey, together with Becky Wible Searles — an animation professor at Savannah College of Art and Design — are hoping to recognize the historic importance of the Green Book series. They are working on The Green Book Chronicles, an hour-long film combining animation and interviews with people who

had connections with Green and/or the travel guides. They are hoping for completion this year, and a 12-minute edit will preview 6:30 p.m. Thursday at downtown’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (50 E. Freedom Way), with Ramsey present to discuss the project and its history. The event is free; reservations are available through freedomcenter.org. Ramsey’s interest in the subject is not newfound. He penned a children’s book, Ruth and The Green Book, that is a fictional tale about a young African-American girl and her experiences using the guidebook, and he wrote a two-act play called The Green Book. In a promotional video for the project, Searles recalls encountering Ramsey in 2012 “when, as a professor of animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus, I took a group of my students to see a live musical performance with animation and puppetry developed from Ruth and The Green Book.” When I communicated with Searles recently via email, she mentioned that “most people Calvin and I have met, black or white, have never heard of the Green Book.” She hadn’t until that stage performance. “By the end of the show, we were enlightened, inspired, and blown away,” she says. “It was one of the best productions I had seen about anything anywhere, making a very difficult and complex subject into an uplifting story of inventive generosity that kids and their parents of all races and backgrounds could connect with.” Searles is a Medina, Ohio native who graduated from University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning in 1976 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education. At New York’s Pratt Institute, she earned a Masters in New Forms, which included studying mixed-media art, video and animation. “I grew up hearing that (my) family ancestors had owned a tavern on Lake Erie that was a stop on the Underground Railroad — Rider’s Inn in Painesville (Ohio),” she says. “The tavern passed out of Rider family hands around 1902, but the concept of the Underground Railroad always intrigued me growing up. So the chance to work with Calvin was a natural fit, and I thank the universe for the great gift of working with him on it.” With Ramsey’s research serving as the foundation, The Green Book Chronicles has gained momentum thanks to the pair’s willingness to engage and incorporate a host of willing participants. Consider the Freedom Center event a chance to learn early about a project that will attract increased attention in the months ahead.

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TELEVISION

‘This Is Us’ Continues to Captivate BY JAC K ER N

The runaway success of This Is Us (9 p.m. these identities in his portrayal of Randall Tuesdays, NBC) is something of a surprise, and he’s the crown jewel in a fantastic considering network TV’s revolving door ensemble. I particularly love the young of new series and their struggle to compete actors playing the Big Three at ages 8-10 with flashy cable fare. A second season, and 15-17. dozens of award nominations (including And we’ve all fallen in love with sweet the first broadcast drama series to be up for Jack, personified by Milo Ventimiglia an Emmy in five years) and several wins in a rotation of facial hair to reflect the later, it’s clear why the series strikes such a time period. We also know that he dies chord among audiences and critics alike. at some point, with sparse details slowly It was the comparison to a previous NBC family drama, Parenthood, that lured me into This Is Us and, like millions of others, I was hooked by the twisty, nonlinear narrative following the Pearson family across multiple time periods. Between the substantial mix of diverse characters, their various personal struggles and triumphs at different points in life and their complicated relationships with one another, every viewer can identify with at least one Pearson or storyline. “There’s something for everyone” can be a clichéd trap. Try too hard to be universally relatable and you might lose touch with your Justin Hartley(left), Chrissy Metz and Sterling K. Brown audience completely. Then there are the gut-wrenching P H O T O : R O N B AT Z D O R F F / N B C plot twists, often resulting in a cliffhanger. There are hits and misses. The reveal at the end of the revealed: daughter Kate feels responsible series premiere — that the show was actufor his death; it happened when the kids ally flashing between 1980 and present were teens in the late-’90s; a house fire is day, following three siblings on their 36th the cause. It wasn’t until the most recent birthday and on the day the “Big Three” episode that we finally saw the beginning were born — was a thoughtfully calculated of the end for Jack — and learned about the surprise. Meanwhile, the cloud of Pearson dangers of an unattended Crock-Pot. patriarch Jack’s imminent death has needThe continuation of the fire scene lessly hung over the series since its fifth airs Sunday night after the Super Bowl episode. Viewers have lamented this grim (another new episode airs at its regular mystery, especially when it seemed like time Tuesday), which is sadly fitting for the mystery would come to light in the first the show’s timeline — everything goes season finale, only to get a bait-and-switch. down the night of that big game in 1998. But more on that later. Will This Is Us retain its captive audiThis Is Us manages to indulge and tease ence after this long lingering question is audiences (and sometimes string us along) finally answered? Of course. I don’t think while still capturing real human emotion. anyone truly tuned in just to see if this is However gimmicky or overly gratifying the episode where Jack dies. In fact, I think it may seem, the show has heart, and the moving past this “Will he or won’t he?” will ensemble acting to make it beat. only benefit the series. The show struck gold with its casting Because more than serving as a grab of Sterling K. Brown, who has won Emmy, at human experiences or even cry-porn Golden Globe and SAG awards (among (there are some really funny, heartwarmothers) for his role as Randall. More than ing scenes, too), This Is Us is really about any of these crazy, mixed-up Pearson kids, consequences, cause and effect and how Randall is an extremely complex characone seemingly small moment can make a ter. A black man adopted as a newborn lifetime of an impact. The fact that it’s so by a white family when they lose one of popular, emotional or relatable will turn their triplets in childbirth, Randall has to some people off, but I say take the show for try twice as hard to find his place. We’ve what it is, cozy up with a loved one and just seen him as an overachieving family man enjoy this fun family therapy session. balancing the high-pressure job; we’ve Contact Jac Kern: @jackern watched him break down and reveal all his vulnerabilities. Brown captures all of

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FOOD & DRINK Grateful Gastronomy The Wheel carryout in Oakley is good enough to turn this Punk into a Deadhead R E V I E W BY M AC K EN ZI E M A N L E Y

The roasted carrot sandwich is a work of art. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

art; the colors were as unique enough to feel new, The Wheel balanced as the freshness but are simple enough not 3805 Brotherton inside. to feel pretentious. Each Road, Oakley, 513The Wheel opened in vegetable stands strong 271-0291, thewheemid-September. Before in its own right, but when loakley.com. Hours: that, chef Antenucci added to a forkful of the 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. attended the French Culicreamy, tangy dressing, it Tuesday-Friday. nary Institute, worked at becomes a new flavor. restaurants both in ManPicture: The scene from hattan and San Francisco Ratatouille when Remy and was a personal chef for holds up two ingredients five years. — a strawberry and a piece “I think (The Wheel) is of cheese — and combines becoming a neighborhood gathering place them. Colors fill the air and as the flavors of sorts of people from different areas, like roll across his tastebuds, different notes of Hyde Park, Mariemont and Oakley,” Antemusic emerge. nucci says. “We just want it to be a place That’s how Antenucci’s food feels; it where everyone feels welcome, almost as if becomes more than the food itself. It’s an you’re coming into our home to eat.” artform that happens to be edible. Each And the food did feel like home: simple, ingredient is carefully placed to evoke a loving, spontaneous and hearty. With certain emotion, be it nostalgia or ecstasy, one exception — the food at The Wheel is joy or longing. far better than any food I could get at my The pizza-by-the-slice, which was a actual home (sorry, ma). special of the day, felt the same way. Thick, As a side, I ordered a kale salad ($5.50), crispy handmade crust was topped with which came with watermelon radish and basil pesto, garlic crushed tomatoes and romanesco. Anchovy dressing comes on a smattering of other spices. Not present? the side. The dish was surprisingly light Cheese. But, never fret, The Wheel’s reguand palate cleansing. Its ingredients are lar pizza offering (pepperoni and speck) is

topped with mozzarella and ricotta. That being said, this slice ($4.50) was better without. The ratio of oregano, basil and roma tomatoes was somewhat sporadic, thriving on its inconsistency. The slice was soaked in olive oil, which dripped from its boundaries. This food has a way of making you get lost in its ingredients. Each one is treated with care. It is food with a soul — with history and family. It’s a scenery on its own: a landscape where oil drips beneath the horizon of freshly baked, homemade bread — crunchy, yet soft. It’s speckled in herbs and vegetables. It’s wistful and honest, just like the music that inspires Antenucci. “The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down/You can’t let go and you can’t hold on/You can’t go back and you can’t stand still/If the thunder don’t get you than the lighting will.” As the sign inside says, thank you, Jerry.

FIND MORE RESTAURANT NEWS AND REVIEWS AT CITYBEAT.COM/ FOOD-DRINK

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he Wheel is an Italian takeaway restaurant housed on a well-hidden residential block in Oakley. A spinning wheel hangs above the door; inside, concert posters adorn pale blue walls, joined by personal iconography curated by owner Chrissy Antenucci. It’s textured like a living room and you can see slices of activity in the kitchen: cooks rolling fresh dough and mixing housemade sauces. A news clipping of Antenucci’s grandmother, Norma, is framed on the wall — an homage to a family history rooted in love of food (Norma hosted a cooking show on WCPO in the ’50s). The food provides evidence that cooking is an act of love and creativity for Antenucci, who named The Wheel after a Grateful Dead song. “I really like to cook the way (the Grateful Dead) plays: walk out onto a stage without a set list and see what happens,” she says. On the surface, the ingredients seem simple; I ordered the rosemary roasted carrot sandwich ($9). The first bite alone was enough to convert this Punk into a Deadhead. The carrots were tender and hearty. Within the dish, they were a vegetable transformed — I experienced a taste metamorphosis with each new bite. As a vegetarian, it was more exploratory and creative than most other veggie sandwiches I’ve had. Kale peeked through between bites of carrot; both were covered in the perfect amount of romesco sauce and garlic yogurt, the latter of which added a surprisingly creamy touch. The bread, which Antenucci makes fresh daily, is thick — almost like foccacia — and cradled the ingredients within. My dining companion — also vegetarian — tried the grilled mushroom sandwich ($9). It was topped with local cheddar, arugula, pickled onion and spread with barbecue aioli. Despite being loaded with ingredients typically associated with grease, Antenucci managed to create a sandwich that preserved the oily nature of the contents without it feeling overly heavy. Both sandwiches were spectacles of

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THE DISH

Central Kentucky’s Cold Beer Cheese BY A L I S O N B A X T ER

Not all beer cheese is created equal — or served at the same temperature. In Central Kentucky, the way they make their decadent app is a bit different than the process we use in the Queen City, but a local author says: If it’s not cold, it’s not traditional. When the term “beer cheese” comes to mind, most people think of a hot dip paired with some type of salty chip, bread or soft pretzel — a gooey spread that combines and melts two of humanity’s favorite vices. But Central Kentucky beer cheese is served chilled and made with just four ingredients: cheddar cheese, garlic, cayenne pepper and, of course, beer. Writer (and CityBeat freelancer) Garin Pirnia tells a story of authentic cold beer cheese in her recently published The Beer Cheese Book, which details the history of the cold dip, where it came from and why it’s so appetizing. Pirnia, a Covington resident, fell in love with beer cheese while at Party Town in Florence, Ky. Confused yet intrigued by the cold spread, she had to try it. “It was a pre-packaged spread made by Kentucky Beer Cheese, which is based near Lexington. I tried it and loved it,” she says. Immediately impressed, she researched the decadent snack. Following the first taste of cold beer cheese, she attended The Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester, Ky., in 2014. Held each June, this festival is the only one in the world dedicated to the food. Winchester claims to be the city where cold beer cheese originated, and it’s also home to the “Beer Cheese Trail,” an eightrestaurant jaunt through Clark County where intrepid eaters can sample the cheese spread at the different establishments (and get a T-shirt). Learning more about the dip, Pirnia decided to bring her knowledge a tad north to Cincinnati. Many believe that this loveable appetizer comes from German descent, which is a good guess considering it’s commonly found under “appetizers” at most German pubs and taverns around the city. The real story is that the original cold beer cheese was made in 1939 across the river (and about an hour-and-a-half south) in Winchester. “Johnnie Allman and his cousin Joe came up with the recipe so they could sell more beer at their restaurant (The Driftwood Inn), which was located on the Kentucky River,” Pirnia says. They thought that by adding beer and cheese into one dish, it would make their restaurant-goers order more beer. They were right. This was the first documented collaboration between these delicious treats. Pirnia’s The Beer Cheese Book is the first to be published completely devoted to the dip. “There are books out about beer and cheese pairings, and some beer cheese recipes are featured in cookbooks, but my book is the first one to include recipes, the history of beer cheese and a total of 216

A local writer created the cold beer cheese bible. PHOTO: PROVIDED

pages about the food,” Pirnia says. The book includes 20 recipes ranging from beer cheese buttermilk biscuits and beer cheese crab and broccoli casserole to pawpaw beer cheese and beer cheese cupcakes. “The thing about beer cheese is, most people feel the need to not share their recipes. There’s a weird secrecy surrounding it,” Pirnia says. “Some people wouldn’t even tell me what kind of beer or brand of cheese they used. Because of that, I had to build most of the recipes myself.” The beer cheese guru also makes her own spread at home, the traditional way. Any beer is suitable — lagers, IPA’s, even porters. “Some people have spent decades perfecting their family recipe, which is weird because most recipes are only a handful of ingredients,” she says. “But the kind of beer and cheese you use makes a big difference.” “There are other variations, like adding jalapeños or buttermilk or cream cheese,” Pirnia adds. Around Cincinnati, most locals have never tried the cold dip, just its hot counterpart. Pirnia admits she has to explain to some natives what beer cheese even is. But you can find authentic Kentucky-style beer cheese at places like Servatii, Kremer’s Market, Tousey House, Moerlein’s taproom and Longfellow. Otherwise, most restaurants and breweries in the area serve the warm dip. “I do encourage people to try the recipes and to travel to Central Kentucky and visit the Beer Cheese Trail and the Beer Cheese Festival,” Pirnia says. “Bourbon country is close enough to the Beer Cheese Trail that people can do both in the same visit.” It may not be Cincy’s famous 5-way chili spaghetti, but we have to try new things sometimes. The Beer Cheese Book, published by the University Press of Kentucky, is available online and select booksellers.

CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 31

Raclette Night at The Rhined — The Rhined takes a big old half-wheel of raclette cheese (a semi-hard cow’s milk Swiss) and heats it and scrapes it onto different stuff, like potatoes, ham and housemade pickles. 5-8 p.m. $12. 1737 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook. com/therhined.

Olive Oil 101 — How do you know that you’re getting the best quality olive oil? What’s the difference between freshly pressed extra virgin or flavored olive oil. The experts at We Olive answer all your questions while you taste fresh, fine California olive oils and foods prepared with olive oil. 6-8 p.m. $25. We Olive & Wine Bar, 33 E. Sixth St., Downtown, eventbrite.com/e/olive-oil101-separating-fact-fromfiction-tickets-41441046285. Super Bowl Party All-Stars — Gather friends and family for an afternoon of snacking. Make classic favorites like Southwestern fiesta dip, mini lamb gyros, Teriyaki glazed wings and Guinness and vanilla shakes. 6:30-9 p.m. $50. Cooks’Wares, 11344 Montgomery Road, Harper’s Point, cookswaresonline. com.

THURSDAY 01

Super Bowl Wings with David Willocks — Chef Dave details his supersecret wing recipe: buttermilk fried wings with honey-Buffalo sauce and blue cheese dip. 6:30-7:30 p.m. $35. Artichoke OTR, 1824 Elm St., Over-theRhine, artichokeotr.com.

Hearty Winter Stews — Stew comes to the rescue during the winter. These can be made ahead and

reheated on cold days. Recipes include smoked fish chowder, Tex-Mex chili with cornbread, oyster and chicken gumbo, green chile pork stew and Provençal veal stew with rice. Noon2:30 p.m. $65. Cooks’Wares, 11344 Montgomery Road, Harper’s Point, cookswaresonline.com.

FRIDAY 02

Cincy Winter Beerfest — The 11th-annual Cincy Winter Beerfest features hundreds of craft beers from more than 150 breweries, plus live music. There are three sessions to choose from, including a Connoisseurs Reception with a special entrance, 25 samples, souvenir snifter glass, largeformat beers, appetizers and more. 7:30-11 p.m. Friday; 1-4:30 p.m. and 7:30-11 p.m. Saturday. $45 advance; $55 day of; $95 Connoisseurs Reception. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincybeerfest.com. Celebrating the Chinese New Year — Celebrate the year of the dog with this hands-on communal dinner and learn about Chinese New Year customs. The meal includes rainbow raw fish salad, both plain and spicy hot pots, pork meatballs with dipping sauces and more. 6-9:30 p.m. $50. Cooks’Wares, 11344 Montgomery Road, Harper’s Point, cookswaresonline. com.

SATURDAY 03

The Wine and Food of Italy — This class pairs food and wine. Get transported to the Italian countryside with a menu of fennel, radicchio and olive panzanella, chicken and sausage caccitore, baked parmesan polenta and more. All will be complemented with wine selections. Noon-2:30 p.m. $75. Jungle Jim’s, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, junglejims.com. Cellarman’s Tour — The Brewing Heritage Trail leads this tour featuring the tales of several Cincinnati breweries, plus the city’s

past and present brewing traditions. Learn about the 19th-century workers who built the dangerous lagering tunnels and the Beer Barons who built their fortunes producing local brews. Tour includes a visit underground into the lagering cellar of the Schmidt Brothers Brewery and a beer tasting at the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom. 1:30 p.m. By donation. Leaves from the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, brewingheritagetrail.org.

SUNDAY 04

Chocolate in the Chapel — Get ready for Valentine’s Day with chocolate in the chapel. Participating vendors include Chocolats Latour, Kilwins at the Greene, Sugar Snap! and more. Noon-3 p.m. Registration required. Norman Chapel, Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org.

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The Best Winter Soups — Learn to make two-cheese beer soup with kielbasa, cream of chicken and wild rice chowder, black bean soup with chorizo, Tuscan peasant soup and herbed yeast spoon rolls. 11 a.m.1:30 p.m. Tuesday; 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday. $55. Jungle Jim’s, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, junglejims.com.

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TUESDAY 06

Ramen Tuesday at Please — Please hosts a ramen night every Tuesday with unique twists on the traditional dish. 5:30-10 p.m. Prices vary. Please, 1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, pleasecincinnati.com.

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WEDNESDAY 07

Bread Baking II: German Breads — Led by bakers John DePuccio and Jesse Bonney, students will learn how to make traditional German bread. Make your own pan bread and learn about the history and types of German bread. 6-9 p.m. $75. Findlay Kitchen, 1719 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, tablespooncookingco.com.

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Hands-On Homemade Rustic Italian — A warming and rustic Italian meal. Learn to make homemade Italian sausage, Italian beef and sausage ragu, handmade fettuccine and chocolate-almond biscotti. 6-8:30 p.m. $75. Jungle Jim’s, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, junglejims.com.

Most classes and events require registration and classes frequently sell out.

MUSIC

Wolf of All Streets Cincinnati’s Yoni Wolf takes a break from shopping a new TV show to take Why? back on the road for another U.S. tour BY B R I A N B A K ER

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

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or most musicians, having a band and the attendant writing, recording and touring it entails would be more than enough to occupy the bulk of their time. Cincinnati’s Yoni Wolf is not most musicians. For decades, besides his globally beloved and acclaimed Art-Rap-soloproject-turned-Art-Pop-band Why?, Wolf has been nearly sociopathic in his pursuit of musical adventures, recording and performing with various collaborators under a plethora of identities, including Greenthink (with Doseone), Clouddead (with Doseone and Odd Nosdam), Hymie’s Basement (with Andrew Broder) and Apogee (Doseone, Mr. Dibbs and his brother Josiah, also a member of Why?), among others. Wolf has always done production work and that’s remained a part of his arsenal — he’s currently helming the board for a new album from Cincinnati band The Ophelias. But he’s also been busy in recent years on projects outside of the music realm, including his popular and long-running interview/commentary podcast, The Wandering Wolf, although he’s dialing back on that slightly. “I started the podcast at the beginning of 2013,” Wolf says. “I did 100 episodes, every single Wednesday, without missing a week. I realized I wasn’t making any music and I don’t get paid for the podcast, so it was a problem. I want to say I have that kind of self-discipline, but it’s more like selfflagellation. I enjoyed it, but at some point I had to relax a little bit. I love asking people about themselves. I always learn something new from every conversation that I can integrate into my life or my work, and I’ve met a ton of new people doing this. It’s forced me to be extroverted where I tend to be introverted naturally. It’s been really good for me.” Wolf recently worked up a television version of The Wandering Wolf with videographer/director (and Culture Queer singer/ guitarist) Scott Fredette, and the pair is shopping around the idea of turning these segments, filmed in the Cincinnati area, into a series for an independent network. The idea is to take the template of talking to people involved in music, the visual arts, food, local politics and activism and apply it to other cities around the country. “It’s a sped-up, drugged-out version of the podcast,” Wolf says with a laugh. “I did like 18 hour/hour-and-a-half-long interviews, but we only use like a minute of each one, so it’s fast-paced. We’re going

to pitch it to Netflix and Vice and Amazon, whatever. The content gatekeepers of the world. We’ll see what happens.” Outside of multimedia endeavors, Why? remains a primary focus of Wolf’s. He and the band are prepping for another round of coast-to-coast touring behind Why?’s 2017 release, Moh Lhean. The twist is that the occasion for this particular run around the country is the imminent release of a remixed version of Moh Lhean. The tracks have been retooled by the likes of Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier and Islands’ Nick Diamonds and packaged in a box set of eight 7-inch vinyl singles, with Why?’s original track on one side of each platter and the remix on the flip. The package is limited to 350 copies and will be released on Feb. 5. “It’s a shtick, of course, but it’s a throwback; it comes in its nice little carrying case,” Wolf says of the project. “It’s a way to extend the whole journey for us, and involve friends of ours.” There was not quite that level of journey extension for Why? after the release of 2012’s Mumps, Etc., which was followed by two EPs, 2012’s Sod in the Seed and 2013’s Golden Tickets. In the subsequent four years, Wolf started The Wandering Wolf — he’s now done over 125 episodes — and collaborated with old friend Serengeti (as Yoni & Geti) on a concept piece about the difficulty of balancing real life with band life titled Testarossa, which was released in 2016. There wasn’t any particular reason for the lack of a Why? album and there wasn’t any particular reason for the band to start working on one. “I think it just took time to marinate and it came out the way it needed to,” Wolf says. “Things just started to rev up, I think. I found myself sitting on songs, and eventually it’s like, ‘Oh, wait, it’s an album.’ I found myself not wanting to force it. If I did have deadlines, things might be a little different, and the output and timelines would be different. For whatever reason, I don’t have deadlines. Obviously, I’ve got to make a living, so there’s that aspect, but other than that, I’m pretty free to finish things when I finish them.” Wolf isn’t being cagey when he’s vague about the nature of the upcoming Why? tour, simply because that aspect doesn’t gel until rehearsals progress. He admits that they’ll likely work with a ratio of onethird Moh Lhean songs and two-thirds back catalog for the set list (“We like to throw in a couple of old treats from back in the day, that half of the audience is

Yoni Wolf of Why? PHOTO: PROVIDED

like, ‘What the fuck is that?’ and a couple of ultrafans are into,” he says). And Wolf notes that once he gets his current packed schedule cleared, he’ll get back to working on new material, some of which are tracks that didn’t work for Moh Lhean, for an album he’s tentatively considering for an early 2019 release. The only thing for sure is that the next Why? album won’t sound like the last Why? album. Or any Why? album, for that matter. “It gets stagnant. I enjoy changing it up,” Wolf says. “We’re not making car axles that have to work the same way every time. I think the next one will be different. By the nature of what it is, it should

express something new and fresh and real every time. It doesn’t happen with magic; there should be magic in it, but that’s not quantifiable. I didn’t love the process of Moh Lhean the whole time, it was arduous — the perils of home recording but wanting high fidelity. In retrospect, it sounds great because it adds an organic quality you don’t get otherwise, but it’s a lot of work. “We’ll see what the future brings. Robots. Or interns. Or intern robots. Even better.” Why? plays Friday at Woodward Theater with Open Mike Eagle. Tickets/more info: woodwardtheater.com.

SPILL IT

Winter Blues Fest Expands in Size and Scope BY M I K E B R EEN

BY M I K E B R EE N

Haley Says, “Shut Up and Sing” The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. expressed her disappointment in the recent Grammys for “ruin(ing) great music with trash.” The ire of Nikki Haley was drawn by the show’s attempt at humor and light political commentary in a skit in which various musicians (and Hillary Clinton) auditioned to be the audiobook narrator of the Trump White House book Fire and Fury. “Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it,” Haley tweeted in a shrewd throwback tribute to the patriots who burned Dixie Chicks records after the trio criticized George W. Bush. Haley’s music-critic credentials were first established in 2013, when she wrote on Twitter, “Heard ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ by Baha Men on the way to Chester County! Forgot how fun that song was!”

Tone-Deaf Tone The Grammys are perennially pressured to show more musical diversity in the general award categories, and the Recording Academy usually acquiesces. They’ve never come out and said, “Maybe if Hip Hop artists just tried harder.” Inconceivably, especially given the current social climate, that’s essentially how Recording Academy prez Neil Portnow responded to those upset by the low number of female artists nominated, telling Variety that women are always welcome, they just need to “step up.” The industry’s only responsibility, he suggested, was to “make the welcome mat very obvious.”

Music and Name Trends A recent survey of baby-name trends by names.org showed how the rise in popularity of several monikers is tied to the popularity of certain music stars. According to the study, Pop icon Mariah Carey has lent her name to the most babies. While the numbers spiked during career peaks (and dipped during downturns like Glitter), the number of baby girls named Mariah has remained at a level much higher than before Carey was famous. The study also found naming surges related to the success of everyone from Aretha Franklin and Sheena Easton to Adele and Rihanna. As for boys, in the Top 20, only former One Direction singer Zayn Malik was shown to have had a unique corollary impact, though the impending thousands of baby Lil Uzis will likely change that in time for next year’s survey.

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In early January, Blues fans from around the world got a dose of what Ohio has to offer at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., which annually brings together artists from around the world. This weekend, local fans will get a chance to check out those musicians and many more (from Greater Cincinnati and beyond) when the 2018 Cincy Winter Blues and Heritage Fest comes to the Duke Energy Convention Center The Whiskey Shambles (525 Elm St., Downtown, duke-energycenter.com). P H OTO : M A RY B E T H W E AV E R The Cincy Blues Society has been presenting a winter festival for the past several years (a comTaft, Jay Jesse Johnson Band, Cheryl & panion to its long-running summertime Shorty (Cheryl Renée and Shorty Pullie festival at Sawyer Point) on a few stages at Starr), Jimmy D. Rogers, Ralph & the downtown’s The Phoenix, but this year’s Rhythm Hounds, The Whiskey Shamevent steps things up with some higher bles, The Sonny Moorman Group, Greg profile national headliners, necessitating Schaber, The Medicine Men, Strum n’ the move to the larger Convention Center, Honey, The Tempted Souls Band, G. Miles where more than 30 acts will perform on and the Band of Helping Hands, Johnny five stages Friday through Saturday. Fink & the Intrusion, Leroy Ellington Modern Blues guitar hero Tinsley Ellis Band, The Beaumonts, John Ford, Marcos headlines Friday, joined on the bill by Sastre, Noah Wotherspoon, Joe Wannabe Cincinnati native Noah Hunt, the former and Lyn Payne Holland. frontman for Cincy band Uncle Six who For the full schedule, ticket info has been singing lead vocals in the Kenny and more details, visit cincyblues.org/ Wayne Shepherd band for more than a winter-blues-fest. decade and a half now. Saturday’s national More Local Notes headliners are New York City band Jane • Root Cellar Xtract, the Country Rock Lee Hooker, which has been drawing band whose Rear View Mirror Eyes was one acclaim for its punkish brand of Blues Rock, of the top albums released by local musiand rising Blues/Americana sensation cians in 2017, will be paying tribute to other Samantha Fish. Cincinnati songwriters during its show The lineup is largely rounded out by a Friday at Southgate House Revival (111 E. great representation of the current state of Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse. the Cincinnati Blues scene, as well as some com). Along with RCX tunes, the group will regional acts, but this year’s festival also also play songs written by some of their extends beyond the Blues (thus the “and favorite area artists, including Noah Smith, Heritage” addition to the name). Friday John Ford, Mark Becknell, Jim Pelz and and Saturday, for example, the DHR Guitar Jeremy Francis, who kicks the show off Heritage Stage spotlights Jazz musicians, with his own set at 9 p.m. Admission is $8. including local players like Mike Wade, • The lineup for this summer’s Bunbury Eugene Goss, The Faux Frenchmen, Steve Music Festival was recently announced. Schmidt, Pat Kelly and Brandon ColePerforming alongside blockbuster headman, as well as renowned non-Cincinnati liners like Jack White, blink-182 and The guitarists Jack Wilkins and Rhett Butler. Chainsmokers at the June 1-3 festival at Blues still makes up the bulk of the festiSawyer Point/Yeatman’s Cove will be a val though. Artists appearing at the Cincy trio of Cincinnati acts — progressive Hard Winter Blues and Heritage Fest who are Rock crew Lift the Medium (which scored fresh off of performing at the International the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Blues Challenge include Cincy Blues SociMetal/Hardcore/Hard Rock at last year’s ety representatives the Doug Hart Band CEA ceremony), Pop Punk/Post Hardcore and Brian Keith Wallen (who made it to band Friday Giants and Synth Pop act the finals in Memphis), Ben Levin (playing Moonbeau (winners of the 2017 CEA in the with The Heaters), Ricky Nye (playing with Electronic category). For tickets and full Chris Douglas), The SoulFixers, Chris lineup details, visit bunburyfestival.com. Yakopcic and The BITS Band, featuring students from the Society’s Blues in the Contact Mike Breen: Schools program. mbreen@citybeat.com Other Greater Cincinnati artists performing over the weekend include Dudley

MINIMUM GAUGE

SOUND ADVICE Joe Buck Yourself

C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

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Thursday • Southgate House Revival

Throughout his 20-plus-year career, Murray, Ky. native Jim Finklea (aka Joe Buck) has consistently aligned himself with the most visceral projects and operated at the highest possible intensity. The band that brought him to the spotlight was Gringo, a rootsy Punkabilly trio with then-girlfriend Leila Vartanian that sounded like whisper-to-scream demos for X in full Metal Knitters mode, with Patti Smith tagging in for Exene Cervenka. Gringo released two albums in the ’90s for Chicago’s Pravda label before breaking up, which led Buck to join J.D. Wilkes in the Legendary Shack Shakers for the band’s blistering 2003 sophomore album, Cockadoodledon’t. After just one outing with the Shakers, Buck began his solo career under the banner of Joe Buck Yourself, releasing his debut album, Joe Buck Yourself Motherfucker, in 2004. At that point, Buck had already provided backing vocals to Hank Williams III’s Boot #3 Pre-Release “bootleg” album, and in 2006 he took on a more prominent role with Hank 3, playing upright bass on a number of his albums while also touring with Williams’ Metal/ Punk outfit Assjack and solo backing unit The Damn Band. In between stints with Hank 3, Buck has concocted a collection of cool, crazy solo releases, including three albums, the latest of which was 2012’s Who Dat? There is not a single molecule of back-down or compromise in Joe Buck’s body, and his one-man-band catalog holds all the proof to back up that contention. There may well be a somewhat muted atmosphere to some of the material on Who Dat?, but it shouldn’t be construed as Buck’s attempt to curry favor with a wider audience. It’s more like aging a fine barrel of bourbon until it has more bite than a bayou full of alligators and enough mellowness that you don’t even feel the teeth. Imagine the DNA of Rev. Horton Heat and Mojo Nixon engineered into a single organism and then flooded with enough gamma radiation to Hulk it up. Give it a stringy mohawk, a simmering rage and a battered Gibson, call it Joe Buck Yourself and unleash it on an unsuspecting and grateful world. (Brian Baker)

Joe Buck Yourself PHOTO: PROVIDED

creative force Zion Godchaux. Godchaux’s parents’ full musical background gives partial insight into BoomBox’s sound. Donna Jean Godchaux was a singer and session musician in Muscle Shoals, Ala. and can be heard on classic recordings like Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” She joined The Grateful Dead in the early ’70s with her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux — in the middle of their eight-year tenure with the group, the couple welcomed Zion (middle name “Rock”) into the world. Keith and Donna formed The Heart of Gold Band in 1980 after leaving The Dead, but Keith died tragically in a car accident after the group’s first show in San Francisco. In the early aughts, Donna revived Heart of Gold with the help of Zion, who wrote songs, sang and played drums, percussion, guitar and sax on the band’s comeback At the Table album. Another part of the Heart of Gold revival was sound engineer Russ Randolph. Zion and Randolph bonded over similar musical tastes — which, on top of classic Soul and Rock, also included House music (Zion was a DJ during the ’90s), Modern Rock

BoomBox

Saturday • 20th Century Theater

Over the past couple of decades, Electronic music has increasingly become as much a part of the fabric of the eclectic “Jam band” scene sound as extended guitar solos. BoomBox is one of the best representatives of the sonic crossover, because you can easily trace the lineage of the Electro/ Funk/Pop project back to Jam icons The Grateful Dead, not just in the music’s DNA, but also in the literal DNA of guiding

BoomBox PHOTO: PROVIDED

Future Sounds Pallbearer – Feb. 24, Northside Yacht Club Moon Taxi – March 23/24, Madison Theater Mavis Staples – April 20, Memorial Hall Calexico – April 26, Woodward Theater Tune-Yards – May 13, Taft Theatre Ballroom

Weakened Friends PHOTO: PROVIDED

Weakened Friends Sunday • MOTR Pub

Last fall, Portland, Maine Indie Rock trio Weakened Friends released “Hate Mail,” a single featuring guest guitarist J. Mascis. Nabbing the legendary Dinosaur Jr. frontman for a scorching cameo is a pretty decent get for a band that’s barely been around three years. “Hate Mail” is a great platform for Mascis’ guitar voodoo, since

Slayer – June 6, Riverbend

Weakened Friends’ sonic profile isn’t too far off the beam from Dinosaur Jr.’s. Guitarist Sonia Sturino plays with a visceral passion for melodic noise and controlled chaos similar to what Mascis has perfected over the years, while the rhythm section of bassist Annie Hoffman and drummer Cam Jones possesses the slippery bedrock quality that Mascis seems to prefer. The point of departure comes through the mic, as Sturino sings with the unhinged intensity of Björk, absent the sometimes impenetrable artifice, and with plenty of Pop/Punk fury in its place. Weakened Friends coalesced in 2015 after Sturino moved to Portland from Toronto and began writing for her band Box Tiger, which was in the midst of mixing a new album. Sturino quickly realized that she had a pile of material that didn’t fit Box Tiger’s approach and so she presented the songs to Jones, her roommate and Box Tiger bandmate, to see if he’d be interested in fleshing them out. Sturino met Hoffman when Box Tiger and Hoffman’s band, The Field Effect, played a show together, and a mutual friend encouraged Sturino to contact Hoffman about joining the new project. Hoffman was ecstatic about the offer; their shared bill was The Field Effect’s last show before a hiatus, and Hoffman was actually considering a band-less life going forward. In short order, the trio worked up Sturino’s songs, released the EP Gloomy Tunes and started doing shows with the likes of Juliana Hatfield, Silversun Pickups and Beach Slang. In 2016, the trio dropped the Crushed EP to equally enthusiastic reviews. “Hate Mail” and a celebrated South By Southwest appearance last year exponentially increased interest in Weakened Friends. We can only hope that the big news of 2018 will be the release of Weakened Friends’ first full-length album and that “Hate Mail” was just a small glimpse into its greatness. (BB)

1345 main st motrpub.com

no cover

Wednesday 1/31 Jess Lamb & The Factory 8-11

wed 31

rachel baiman mike oberst

Thursday 2/1

thu 1

resonator never setting suns

Fri 2

sky hank & the heady weed marr

s at 3

young heirlooms carriers

sun 4

post animal weakened Friends

mon 5

truth serum: comedy game show

tue 6

cincy stories writer’s night w/ dave

Todd Hepburn & Friends 8-11

Friday 2/2 Adia Dobbins with The Steve Schmidt Trio 8-12

saTurday 2/3

Five Little Bears 8:30-12:30 cocktaiLs

firepLaces

Wed. - Fri. open @ 4pm | Sat. open @ 6pm 125 West Fourth st. | CinCinnati, ohio 45202

www.BromwellsHarthLounge.com

859.431.2201

Free live music open For lunch

111 E 6th St Newport, KY 41071

1404 main st (513) 345-7981

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE LOUNGE OR TICKETFLY.COM 1/31 - tiny moving parts, mom jeans, oso oso, jetty bones; ray vietti - january artist in residence

2/2

why?, open mike eAgle

2/1 - joe buck yourself; tilford sellers, adam lee 2/2 - michael glabicki & dirk miller (of rusted root); root cellar xtract, jeremy francis; the cousin kissers, sissy brown 2/3 - folk soul revival, sean geil 2/7 - old salt union; adam lee: february artist in residence

2/11

2/8 - rod picott; justin wells, porter union, austin lance howell; x-ray mary

2/10

2/9 - micky and the motorcars, the smoke parade

2/13

2/10 - kiss off/kiss me; lift the medium, sound & shape, smoke signals; mudpies

W W W . S O U TH G A TE H O U S E.COM

the dustbowl revivAl Arlo mckinley & the lonesome sound

cincy prohibition 2018 w/ the cincy brAss

Flynt Flossy And turquoise Jeep buy tickets at motr or woodwardtheater.com

J A N . 3 1 – F E B . 6 , 2 0 18 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

and Hip Hop — and began making music together separate from Heart of Gold. The pair created BoomBox in 2004, the same year At the Table was released. BoomBox is definitively an Electronic project, with Randolph handling the drum programming and other tech in concert, while Godchaux fronts the band with his vocals and guitar. The duo instantly ingratiated itself into the Jam band scene with its mix of hypnotic rhythms, atmospheric psychedelia and heavy elements of Soul, Rock and Blues, finding the sweet spot between programmed and organic sounds. BoomBox became a regular presence on the road, playing huge festivals and shows with the likes of Particle, The Disco Biscuits and The Motet, which joins BoomBox later this year to co-headline Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. But BoomBox’s sound has wide appeal that extends beyond Jam die-hards — with a solid songwriting core, many of the tracks on 2014’s Filling in the Color are in line with the ElectroPop sensibilities of acts like Empire of the Sun or (early) MGMT. Last year, after Randolph left BoomBox amicably, Godchaux enlisted DJ Harry, a Colorado DJ/producer who has been exploring the Electronic/Jam band synergy even longer than BoomBox (his 2001 debut album was a remix project of music by the band The String Cheese Incident). Western Voodoo, the first BoomBox album since Randolph’s departure (which Godchaux has described as “Dirty Disco Blues”), is due later this year. (Mike Breen)

Def Leppard/Journey – May 30, U.S. Bank Arena

Live Music

LISTINGS

CityBeat’s music listings are free. Send info to Mike Breen at mbreen@citybeat.com. Listings are subject to change. See CityBeat.com for full music listings and all club locations. H is CityBeat staff’s stamp of approval.

WEDNESDAY 31

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Todd Hepburn. 7 p.m. Blues/Jazz/Various. Free.

BREWRIVER GASTROPUB - Old Green Eyes & BBG. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Jess Lamb & the Factory. 8 p.m. Soul/Rock/ Pop/Various. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Dallas Moore. 10 p.m. Country. Free. MOTR PUB - Rachel Baiman with Mike Oberst. 10 p.m. Folk/Americana. Free. SONNY’S ALL JAZZ LOUNGE - Karaoke. 7 p.m. Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Ray Vietti. 8 p.m. Acoustic. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Tiny Moving Parts, Mom Jeans, Oso Oso and Jetty Bones. 7:30 p.m. Indie/ Alt/Rock/Pop. $15.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Blue Wisp Big Band. 8:30 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10.

THURSDAY 01

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Dottie Warner and Friends. 7 p.m. Jazz. Free. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Todd Hepburn and Friends. 8 p.m. Various. Free. COMMON ROOTS - Open Mic. 8 p.m. Various. Free. THE GREENWICH Mambo Combo. 8 p.m. Latin Jazz. $5.

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HORSE & BARREL - Sonny Moorman. 6 p.m. Blues. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Chalis. 9 p.m. Pop/Rock/Blues/Various. Free. LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Ricky Nye and Bekah Willliams. 6 p.m. Jazz/Blues. Free. MOTR PUB - Resonator with Never Setting Suns. 10 p.m. Blues/Rock. Free. PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Open Mic with Lars Noble. 7 p.m.

Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Tilford Sellers with Adam Lee. 9:30 p.m. Roots/Americana. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Joe Buck Yourself. 8 p.m. Roots/Rock/Punk. $10.

URBAN ARTIFACT Matt Waters and See You in the Funnies. 9 p.m. Rock/Blues/Pop/Various. Free.

FRIDAY 02

Music Festival with The True Believers, Nosta Musica, The Flex Crew, The Caribbean Steel Pan and more. 8 p.m. Reggae/Caribbean. $18.50, $23 day of show. MADISON LIVE - Madison Theater Band Challenge Round 2 with Big Cat & The Showgirls, Left on 9th St., National Barks, The High Plains Drifter, Vibrant Fiction and Whiskey River. 8 p.m. Various. $10. MANSION HILL TAVERN - Doug Hart Band. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover. MOTR PUB - Sky Hank & the Heady Weed with Marr. 10 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle. 9 p.m. Americana. Free.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Adia Dobbins with The Steve Schmidt Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN Cookin’ Hearts. 8:30 p.m. Americana. Free.

THE COMET - Marisa Seremet, Shit Bees and Thom Meyer. 10 p.m. Indie/ Alt/Various. Free. DUKE ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER - 2018 Cincy Winter Blues & Heritage Fest with Tinsley Ellis, Noah Hunt, Jay Jesse Johnson Band, The SoulFixers, The Whiskey Shambles, Jack Wilkins and much more. 6 p.m. Blues/Roots/Jazz/ Various. $25 (two-day pass: $45).

FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER - Bottle Rocket Cabaret. 8 p.m. Roots/Folk/Jazz/Soul/Various. $15-$20. THE GREENWICH - Rollins Davis Band featuring Deborah Hunter. 9 p.m. Jazz/R&B. $5. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Project Doyle. 9 p.m. Classic Rock/Pop. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Bloodline. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover. LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Billy Rock Trio. 8 p.m. Blues/Soul. Free.

OCTAVE - Goose. 9 p.m. Funk/Folk. Cover. PEECOX ERLANGER Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m. Rock. $5. PLAIN FOLK CAFE - River City Ramblers. 7:30 p.m. Roots. Free. REVEL OTR URBAN WINERY - J Dilla Tribute with DJ Pillo, DJ Wellblended, DJ Rare Groove, DJ Ken Masters and The Kamp Band. 10 p.m. Hip Hop/Soul. $5.

RICK’S TAVERN - Elementree Livity Project. 10 p.m. Reggae/Rock/Various. Cover. SILVERTON CAFE - Kickstart. 9 p.m. Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - The Cousin Kissers with Sissy Brown. 9:30 p.m. Country. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Root Cellar Xtract with Jeremy Francis. 9 p.m. Country/Rock. $8.

LAWRENCEBURG EVENT CENTER - Survivor. 8 p.m. Rock/Pop. $20-$100.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Michael Glabicki & Dirk Miller (of Rusted Root). 8 p.m. Rock/Roots/Pop/Various. $20.

THE MAD FROG - 18th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Tribute/Caribbean

URBAN ARTIFACT Kate Wakefield, Wonky Tonk and Sheri Streeter. 9 p.m.

Alt/Indie/Roots/Various. Free. THE VENUE CINCINNATI - Trailer Park Floosies. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Pop/Rap/Country/ Various. $5. WASHINGTON PLATFORM SALOON & RESTAURANT - Mike Wade & the Nasty Nati Brass. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

WOODWARD THEATER - Why? with Open Mike Eagle. 9 p.m. Indie/ Pop/Rock/Hip Hop. $16, $20 day of show.

SATURDAY 03

20TH CENTURY THEATER - BoomBox. 9 p.m. Electronic/Rock/Pop/ Soul/Various. $20, $22 day of show.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Cincinnati Dancing Pigs. 9 p.m. Americana/Jug band. Free. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Five Little Bears. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Free. DEPOT BARBECUE - Forest Hills Bluegrass Band. 7 p.m. Bluegrass. Free. DUKE ENERGY CONVENTION CENTER - 2018 Cincy Winter Blues & Heritage Fest with Samantha Fish, Jane Lee Hooker, Strum n’ Honey, Doug Hart Band, Brian Keith Wallen, Jack Wilkins, Tempted Souls Band and much more. 6 p.m. Blues/Roots/Jazz/Various. $25 (two-day pass: $45).

THE GREENWICH - Kelly Richey. 8 p.m. Blues. $10. JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Bobby McClendon. 9 p.m. Country. KNOTTY PINE - Wayward Son. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover. LIVE! AT THE LUDLOW GARAGE - The Ark Band. 9 p.m. Bob Marley tribute. $12-$20. MADISON LIVE - Madison Theater Band Challenge Round 2 with Faith to Hate, Kyla Mainous, Someday Morning, Stranger, These Fine Gentlemen and Twelve Minute Mile. 8 p.m. Various. $10. MANSION HILL TAVERN

- Soul Pushers. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover. MOTR PUB - Young Heirlooms with Carriers. 10 p.m. Indie/Folk/Rock/Various. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Sexy Time Live Band Karaoke. 8:30 p.m. Various. Free. NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - J-Live with Sons of Silverton, NaTiNoAhIMeaN, Stallitix, Jay Hill and Kelby Savage. 8:30 p.m. Hip Hop. $8, $10 day of show.

OCTAVE - Powerful Pills and Restless Leg String Band. 9 p.m. Phish tribute/ Jam. Cover.

PEECOX ERLANGER Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m. Rock. $5. PLAIN FOLK CAFE - DeadCentric. 7:30 p.m. Rock/ Roots/Jam. Free. THE REDMOOR - Just Vince and The Fellas. 8:30 p.m. R&B/Soul/Pop/Dance/ Various. Cover. REDWINE & CO. - Blue Rock. 8 p.m. Classic Rock/Blues/ Country/Bluegrass. Free. RICK’S TAVERN - Naked Karate Girls. 10 p.m. Rock/ Pop/Dance/Various. Cover. SILVERTON CAFE - DeJaVue. 9 p.m. Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Folk Soul Revival with Sean Geil. 8 p.m. Folk/ Americana. $8. THOMPSON HOUSE - No Time To Waste Rap Showcase. 8 p.m. Hip Hop. $10. URBAN ARTIFACT Radio Artifact Fundraiser with Paper Doll Scissor Fight, Go Go Buffalo, Lipstick Fiction, Fycus, Fritz Pape, Grave Clothes and Juan Cosby & Friends. 8 p.m. Alt/Indie/Various. Cover.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM SALOON & RESTAURANT - George Simon Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

SUNDAY 04

MANSION HILL TAVERN Open Jam with Deb Ohlinger.

6 p.m. Various. Free. MOTR PUB - Post Animal and Weakened Friends. 8 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

SONNY’S ALL BLUES LOUNGE - Blues jam session featuring Sonny’s All Blues Band. 8 p.m. Blues. Free. SONNY’S ALL JAZZ LOUNGE - The Art of Jazz featuring the music of Art Blakey. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free. WASHINGTON PLATFORM SALOON & RESTAURANT - New Orleans Jazz Brunch with the 2nd Line Trio. 11:30 a.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

MONDAY 05

INCLINE LOUNGE AT THE CELESTIAL - Tom Schneider. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free. KNOTTY PINE - Pete DeNuzio. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame: Jazz at Dusk. 6:30 p.m. Jazz. Free. MCCAULY’S PUB - Open Jam with Sonny Moorman. 7 p.m. Blues/Various. Free. NORTHSIDE TAVERN - The Qtet. 9:30 p.m. Funk/Rock/ Jazz/Fusion/Various. Free.

TUESDAY 06

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - John Redell. 7 p.m. Blues. Free. BOGART’S - Kayzo with Dubloadz, Gammer and JSTJR. 8 p.m. EDM. $20.

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL - Music Live@Lunch: The Shakespeare Band. 12:10 p.m. Renaissance. Free. THE COMET - Ball of Light. 10 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

CROW’S NEST - Open Mic Night. 8 p.m. Various. Free. MOTR PUB -º Writer’s Night. 9 p.m. Open mic/Various. Free. URBAN ARTIFACT - Kryst Kruer, Kyla Mainous, Venicia K and more. 7 p.m. Singer/ Songwriter/Various. Free.

PUZZLE

GAME TIME

CLASSIFIEDS

BY B R EN DA N E M M E T T Q U I G L E Y

AC R O S S

1 Dozing off for a moment

8 LOLcat greeting

11. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s punk label that launched 40-Across

17. Moderate gaits 18. Some Arp work

21. Make contact (with) 23. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Threeâ&#x20AC;? summit site

19. Zings 20. Intricate ornamental metalwork

14. End the relationship 15. Matt Lauerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soon-to-be ex-wife Roque

24. Last call for some places 25. Some Vans 27. Place near Sundance?

55. Rocket man, once

Tonightâ&#x20AC;?

37. Wallop 39. Bird in a coal mine

56. Big bucks

20. Many pussy hat wearers

29. Shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aid

DOWN

22. Healthy lunch

41. Central cores

31. Barnyard dams

1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Good Placeâ&#x20AC;? channel

26. xxx-xx-xx ID

44. Rounds in the playoffs

32. Big test 33. Bowling spots 34. Loom string 35. Norse god who is 36-Acrossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother 36. Norse god who is 35-Acrossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother 37. Your lady friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 38. Painting on plaster

42. Spanish homes 43. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better believe them 45. Soothsayers

3. Relating to prison 4. Intercepting weapon

30. Spanish honorific

48. Contacts company

5. Japanese flower-arranging

32. Small character in fantasy

50. Law practitioner: Abbr.

6. Pillow that helps breastfeeding moms

33. Infuser contents

51. Schumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s party: Abbr.

7. Google Maps setting 8. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ taken an extra ten seconds ...â&#x20AC;? 9. Sports talk radio types

47. Root (for)

10. Aloo gobi cuisine

49. Put in a separate spot

11. Commence fighting

50. Startled

12. Group that barely runs by?

52. Like stamp-free postage 53. Casserole dish 54. Compass dir.

45. Coin with a torch

28. Decide democratically

13.Âş French head 16 .Singer with the 1998 hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Save

46. Start over

IN THE CIRCUIT COUR OF THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: 2017-DR-17433 KIMBERLY ANNE DWYER-ROEW, Petitioner/Wife and KEEGAN ALLEN ROWE, Respondent/ Husband NOTICE OF ACTION FOR PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE WITH MINOR CHILD(REN) AND OTHER RELIEF TO: KEEGAN ALLEN ROWE YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action has been filed for Petition of Dissolution of Marriage With Minor Child(ren) and Other Relief against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written objections, if any, to/onâ&#x20AC;? R. Gregory Colvin, Esquire P.O. Box 3106 Orlando, FL 32802 on or before 02/01/2018, and file the original with the Clerk of this Court at 425 North Orange Avenue, Suite 320, Orlando, Florida 32801 before service on the Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you failed to do so, a default may be entered against you for the

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L AST WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANSWERS:

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40. ___ Youth (punk rock icons)

2. King Abdullah, e.g.

27. Casts out, as demons

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