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NEWS Out on Campus How local universities are navigating LGBTQ+ protections in the age of Trump BY M AC K EN ZI E M A N L E Y

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n her first day of college three years ago, Nova Grace went to Northern Kentucky University’s LGBTQ center. It was pivotal to the process of coming out as transgender, she says. Through the office, she found security and empowerment. Now, in a time when LGBTQ rights are in question, the center has continued to be a vital refuge, Grace says. “It’s such an important thing, you just can’t quantify it,” she says, adding that the office helped her as she navigated not only a new campus, but a new phase of being out to the world. NKU isn’t the only school with an LGBTQ center, of course. Centers at local state universities have continued to adapt, offering a haven — and inspiration for activism — as protections for the LGBTQ community seem to erode. Bonnie Meyer is in her fifth year as director of NKU’s LGBTQ Programming and Services. She says centers like NKU’s are especially important in the current political climate. Grace and others say Trump’s election seems to have predicated a more hostile atmosphere, even on generally accepting college campuses. But the election also kicked off a new round of activism and engagement among young people, something she counts as a positive. “It’s not like Trump invented homophobia or racism,” Grace says, “but I think this election is what made it like, ‘Oh no, it’s very here.’ ” University of Cincinnati LGBTQ Center Director Amy Schlag says that though her students may feel fear in a shifting political climate, they’re also ready to push back. After a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling stated that restricting marriage to only heterosexual couples is unconstitutional, it felt like the LGBTQ movement had “finally arrived at that moment” when rights were nailed down, Schlag says. But “backlash usually follows victory,” she says, citing past moments in struggles for civil rights. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in February announced the department will remove anti-discrimination language from its mission statement. And the Trump administration has made recent attempts to ban trans people from the military. In the wake of those decisions, Schlag says the center she oversees exists to “provide a sense of home (for LGBTQ students) and take care of their immediate needs” in a world that sometimes seems increasingly hostile. With a total enrollment of nearly 44,000 on UC’s campus, those needs vary. But the basics are similar from school to school, Schlag says, pointing out that with any university LGBTQ center, inclusivity trainings and support groups for students are standard. Like UC, NKU’s center offers “Allied Zone” trainings, including trans-ally trainings to students, faculty and staff. Both campuses tout some standard efforts to offer more inclusiveness, including gender-inclusive restrooms and locker rooms in their recreation centers. But both are also still working to implement them in every building throughout campus — old and new. UC receives a 2.5 out of 5 on the Campus Pride Index, a system developed by the nonprofit Campus Pride to assist colleges with creating a safer and inclusive environment for LGBTQ students. As the website notes, reasons for the ranking include the fact the campus lacks procedures for reporting LGBTQ-related bias incidents or hate crimes and does not have ongoing training for hate-crime prevention or a mentorship proCONTINUES ON PAGE 09 gram. After pushing through some new initiatives,

Nova Grace PHOTO: MACKENZIE MANLEY

NEWS

Multiple Cincinnati Neighborhoods Face Eviction Rates Higher Than the National Average BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

Part of Walnut Hills’ Census tract 267, an area with high eviction rates.

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In November last year, Sheron Kidd found herself in a very difficult situation: a new owner wanted to renovate her rented home in Walnut Hills, but she and her neighbors were finding it hard to secure new housing nearby. The situation became tense, and soon Kidd and her neighbors say the landlord was threatening evictions if they didn’t leave their townhouses on Kenton Street. At the last minute, the residents found places to live — Kidd moved across town to Price Hill — and avoided the painful process of being formally evicted from their homes. But many others in Kidd’s neighborhood — and Cincinnati as a whole — haven’t been so lucky. That’s a big deal, because housing instability can cause any number of other problems with employment, mental and physical health and social ties, and because eviction is often a dark mark on a person’s rental record that can make finding housing harder in the future. Roughly 11 people a day were evicted in Cincinnati in 2016, according to data from Princeton University’s new Eviction Lab, which tracks the legal removal of residents from rental homes. That’s more than 4,000 evictions that year. Fourteen Cincinnati Census tracts have an eviction rate higher

than 8 percent — a huge five and a half points above the national average. The city as a whole had a 4.7 percent eviction rate in 2016, more than two points above the national average, according to data from the Eviction Lab. The first-of-itskind lab and database are run by Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, who last year won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Evicted, tracking America’s growing housing crisis. Cincinnati has generally had a higher rate of eviction than the nation as a whole, though in 2007 and 2009 the city’s rate dipped well below the national rate before rising again. Nationally, Desmond’s past research suggests that black women are hit especially hard by America’s eviction crisis. Predominantly black neighborhoods show up on Cincinnati’s list of neighborhoods with the highest eviction rates — but so do predominantly white neighborhoods. The tracts generally have

one thing in common: a median household income well below the city’s $35,000 a year median. The Census tract where Kidd and her neighbors used to live, tract 267, had the 10th-highest eviction rate of Cincinnati’s 129 Census tracts in 2016. Kidd and her neighbors’ near-evictions happened due to housing redevelopment, but there are a number of factors that can cause someone to be evicted — loss of a job, inability or unwillingness by a landlord to

Roughly 11 people a day were evicted in Cincinnati in 2016, according to data from Princeton University’s new Eviction Lab.

keep a building up to municipal code, violation of lease terms, and so forth. According to the data, the tract containing Kidd’s former home in Walnut Hills saw 48 evictions in 2016, giving the neighborhood a roughly 8.8 percent eviction rate. Eviction Lab arrives at that rate by comparing the number of actual evictions carried out in each neighborhood with the number of available rental units in a particular neighborhood. Other Cincinnati neighborhoods have even higher rates. A number of tracts in the Price Hill neighborhoods are high up on the list, including Census tract 93 in East Price Hill, which had the highest rate in the city in 2016. The trends aren’t static. In 2011, for instance, the tract containing Kidd’s former home saw roughly half that number of evictions and had just a 5 percent eviction rate. Nearby neighborhoods, like the two northern Census tracts in Over-the-Rhine, meanwhile, had rates at roughly 9 percent that year. The rates in that neighborhood have fallen as tract 267’s rate has risen. Policy experts suggest a number of strategies to avoid evictions and keep people in their homes, which include building more affordable housing, intervention for those who have been evicted to get them back into housing quickly, and better data on who is evicted in America.

Here are Census tracts with the highest eviction rates in Cincinnati in 2016: 1. Census Tract 93 (East Price Hill) – 13.15 percent eviction rate, 98 evictions 2. Census Tract 28 (Camp Washington) – 12.71 percent eviction rate, 52 evictions 3. Census Tract 85.0 (Mount Airy) – 12.47 percent eviction rate, 150 evictions 4. Census Tract 100.02 (Westwood and East Westwood) – 12.21 percent eviction rate, 227 evictions 5. Census Tract 103 (Sedamsville) – 11.8 percent eviction rate, 36 evictions 6. Census Tract 94 (East Price Hill) – 11.47 percent eviction rate, 46 evictions 7. Census Tract 98 (West Price Hill) – 10.77 percent eviction rate, 66 evictions 8. Census Tract 95 (East Price Hill) – 9.74 percent eviction rate, 57 evictions 9. Census Tract 272.0 (Lower Price Hill/ Queensgate) – 10.14 percent eviction rate, 67 evictions 10. Census Tract 267.0 (Walnut Hills) – 8.78 percent eviction rate, 48 evictions 11. Census Tract 263.0 (Queensgate/Lower Price Hill) – 8.6 percent eviction rate, 24 evictions 12. Census Tract 69 (Avondale) – 8.42 percent eviction rate, 76 evictions 13. Census Tract 269.0 (West End) – 8.11 percent eviction rate, 79 evictions 14. Census Tract 97 (West Price Hill) – 8.05 percent eviction rate, 103 evictions

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however, that ranking could see an uptick. NKU, meanwhile, gets 4.5 out of 5 on the Campus Pride Index. But Kentucky as a whole is another matter. Only nine counties in Kentucky have anti-discrimination laws for LGBTQ individuals. It’s a little better in Ohio, where 19 municipalities have laws that prevent housing, employment and public accommodation discrimination. But both the Bluegrass and Buckeye states are among 28 states that leave protecting LGBTQ people out of their state laws. Security only extends so far at NKU. Covington is the only nearby city in the state with LGBTQ protections in its municipal code. “Take a couple of steps off campus, and there is no inclusive policy or fairness ordinance in place for Highland Heights folks,” Meyer says. “So, our students are protected based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression here on campus, but not if they get an apartment.” Campus isn’t always completely welcoming either. Just after the 2016 election, someone from the NKU community had a slur spray-painted on the side of their car and a brick thrown through the window. Grace says she’s been screamed at once or twice walking through campus for having

a PRIDE button on her backpack. Knowing she has NKU’s center, she says, makes the day-to-day easier. “Having a place to call home and knowing that you’re surrounded by people that have similar experiences to you is such a comforting thing in general,” she says, adding that the day after the election people were in the office crying and holding one another. The centers offer a sense of refuge from sweeping policy changes and societal dynamics. But they also provide assistance with something as practical and personal as a name. At NKU, Meyer says transgender students going through a name change process are able to change both pronouns and names in the university’s system — all the way down to their email addresses. “We do work with students quite a bit who are transitioning and part way through (the semester) decide to change their name around communication with their faculty members,” Meyer says. Grace was one of the first students to go through that process, which provides a list of pronouns to instructors so she doesn’t have to directly come out to professors. By next year, Meyer hopes that this process will become even more seamless. Instead of going to her, students will be able to change their first names and

pronouns directly within the “myNKU’ online portal. Schlag is also working to make UC’s system more streamlined. “One of the challenges we face as a big school is that there are a number of systems in place; sometimes getting them to communicate can be challenging,” she says. “As of now, when students come to the university, if they would like to register with a preferred name they can go through (the school’s online portal) Catalyst and have it changed.” Still, their email may carry their birth name, which has to be changed manually. There are other ways the centers work to make campus literally feel like home. Since traditional dorms often cater to heterosexual and cisgender identities, Meyer says NKU decided to offer “flex housing,” an option that allows students to choose their own roommates regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. That is available in most housing, except the two traditional residence halls. But those halls could be included after ongoing renovations wrap up, she says. The center is especially concerned about how to support first-year students. “Flex housing is available to returning students and students who have lived in housing before,” Meyer says. “That doesn’t do a lot for the new or transfer student who needs the flex housing option.”

Down the road, Meyer wants to implement a living-learning community for LGBTQ students similar to a model called the Bayard Rustin Community on University of Louisville’s campus. Across the river, UC is making similar efforts. Schlag says the university will soon launch the Audre Lorde living-learning community, a floor dedicated to trans individuals. Grace already lived in flex housing once, and plans to return next school year, noting that the process is now online. Having that option to live in an inclusive, LGBTQsafe environment is one she says she’s grateful for. “Having that space — it really is an empowering thing for the queer students on campus,” she says. For NKU center director Meyer, having a supportive community and outlet via activism is essential “when you feel like you’re being attacked at all sides” as a student. Though LGBTQ rights efforts have suffered setbacks via recent attempted federal and state legislation, she says that students are fired up. “They’re not willing to take 18 steps back,” she says of students. “We’ve seen this our entire lives through this movement for equity and justice. The youth aren’t shying away from it, so I think we really have an opportunity to stand up and fight for this work.”

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CITY DESK

Teachers Rally in Frankfort as Bevin Veto Is Overturned BY M C K EN ZI E ES K R I D G E

School was closed in 39 Kentucky districts on April 13 as thousands of teachers returned to Frankfort to protest moves by the Kentucky legislature and Gov. Matt Bevin around funding for education and public employee pensions. The protests sparked pushback, including controversial accusations by Bevin about abuse students may have endured while their schools were closed. The rallies in Frankfort were the latest in a series of protests that began April 2 in response to the General Assembly’s last-minute passage of Senate Bill 151, the sewage-turned-pension bill that partially privatizes future Kentucky teacher and other public employee pensions. Opponents say it will drive aspiring educators and other public servants away from public schools in the state and push current teachers into early retirement. Despite public objection, Bevin signed SB 151 into law on April 10. That sparked a lawsuit filed April 11 by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, the Kentucky Education Association and Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police against Bevin, the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees and the Kentucky Retirement System. “As passed, the new SB 151 substantially

Cincinnati Red Bike Announces Equity Effort

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BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

Bike riders and would-be cyclists in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky aren’t just young professionals on slick single speeds or spandex-clad road racers — they’re very often working folks without a lot of extra disposable income. Now, a new program by Cincinnati’s Red Bike, funded by nonprofit Interact for Health, will make the city’s bike share more accessible to those with lower incomes. Red Bike announced its Red Bike Go program on April 16, which will offer $5 memberships to residents who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, energy assistance programs PIPP or HEAT, or who are clients at local nonprofits partnered with the bike share program. “Bicycling can be a convenient way to actively commute around the city, get to work or school, run errands, exercise and enjoy time outside with friends and family,” the bike share program said in a news release. “The Red Bike Go program hopes to expand that awareness and interest to be more inclusive and representative of the larger community.” The program’s initial partners are Ohio Means Jobs, Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, Greater

alters and ultimately reduces the retirement benefits of the over 200,000 active members of the pension systems, including teachers, police officers and firefighters,” Beshear said in a statement, alleging the bill violates the public employees’ contracts. Beshear, along with the KEA and the FOP, contend that the bill violates multiple sections of the state constitution governing the number of times a bill must be read, requirements that bills must be accompanied by fiscal analysis, and broader, more sweeping sections of the constitution governing the limits of governmental power. Kentucky law mandates that legislators provide three public readings of a bill before it can be voted on. That happened for SB 151 — when it was still just a ninepage sewer bill. After those public readings, lawmakers converted it into hundreds of pages of changes to the state’s pension system. SB 151 wasn’t the only controversial piece of legislation in play. Teachers were also showing up at the capital in response to calls from the statewide teachers’ association goading lawmakers to override Bevin’s recent vetoes of House Bills 200 and 366, the state budget and tax reform bills.

Cincinnati Urban League and the Brighton Center in Newport. Red Bike is also working with the Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County to offer Red Bike Go passes to clients of its 50 member organizations. The company says it is looking for other partners as well. That membership offers unlimited 90-minute rides for the duration of the monthly pass and includes a membership card. Riders interested in enrolling in the Go program can pay for passes via bank card, prepaid value card or in cash. Payment via card will be accepted online at the new program’s website: cincyredbike.org/gopass. Future Red Bikers can also pay via card or in cash in person at Red Bike’s shop at 14 W. 15th St. in Over the Rhine or during outreach events. The first of those will be conducted by Red Bike’s street outreach team April 28 at Cincinnati’s Health Expo in Washington Park. Another outreach event will be held May 7 at the Ohio Means Jobs Center at 1915 Central Parkway. Red Bike’s equity effort is based on other successful

Though the legislation has downsides for small businesses, working-class Kentuck Kentuckians and public universities, the bills are more education-friendly than budget proposals presented by Bevin. HB 200 includes increased spending per student, funding for family resource and youth centers, restored transportation, $17 million toward classroom resources and an agreement to fully fund the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System, which hasn’t been at its mandated funding levels in over a decade. The Republican-led House and Senate swiftly overruled Bevin’s vetoes on April 13 and 14. That vote took place along party lines. Every Northern Kentucky Democrat voted against the bills. Senator Dennis Keene, a Democrat from Campbell County, said he was not given enough time to read the budget bill before voting on it, but that he knew “that taxes were raised on those who could least afford it while giving tax cuts to the rich” under the legislation. Not all teachers were appeased by the final budget and tax bills. While the Kentucky Education Association applauded congress members’ decision to override Bevin, they publicly acknowledged that “neither bill gives citizens of the Commonwealth everything that our students,

Red Bike P H O T O : C I T Y B E AT

their parents and our communities need. However, both bills provide much needed P-12 funding for the next biennium.” Bevin had harsh, and some say outlandish, words for teachers taking to the capital, blaming them for sexual assault and abuse of children that he says surely happened while their schools were closed. “I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them,” Bevin said April 13. “I’m offended by the idea that people so cavalierly and so flippantly disregarded what’s truly best for children.” Legislators unanimously passed a resolution condemning the comments the following day. Bevin responded to the backlash Sunday afternoon, April 15, via video on personal platforms. “I made some comments about the unintended consequences of schools being shut down…and the result that can come from that,” he said, adding, “I’m sorry for those of you, every single one of you, that has been hurt by things that I’ve said. Let’s work together.” Teacher protests around the controversy in Frankfort have had a big impact on local school districts. Boone and Kenton counties were on spring break last week, but Grant, Gallatin and Owen county schools closed, along with Erlanger-Elsmere Independent, Bellevue Independent and Newport Independent Schools.

programs in places like Philadelphia and California’s Bay Area. The launch of the low-cost bike share membership comes after months of community outreach, focus groups and surveys, particularly among the area’s black communities, to identify interest in and barriers to using bike shares. According to 2015 Census data, about half of the people who commute to work by bike make below $25,000 a year. Granular data for Cincinnati isn’t readily available, but cyclists from low-income areas will tell you bike commuters are more common than people realize, especially in places where levels of car ownership are far lower than average. Last summer, CityBeat cov CityBeat CityBeat cov ered efforts to extend a bike path out of Winton Hills, which is 90 percent black with a median household income of less than $11,000. Just 15 percent of Winton Hills’ 4,787 residents own their own cars, according to a report by the Cincinnati Health Department. The bike share program also announced a $15-a-month membership pass without income requirements. That pass offers the same benefits as the Red Bike Go program but is available to anyone regardless of income.

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One of the trails at Mount Airy Forest

the green issue

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

EASY AND INTERMEDIATE CINCY PARK TRAILS TO GET YOU OUTSIDE AND IN-TUNE WITH NATURE

ccording to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 87 percent of their life indoors and another 6 percent in cars. That means humans are only outside for roughly 7 percent of their lives — a disheartening statistic. But you can buck that trend: Greater Cincinnati is home to myriad free parks with their own unique vibe. And, if you need another reason to step outside, the outdoors increases serotonin levels and gives your immune system a boost — it’s a natural energizer. Got a dog? Walk it. Have kids? Tire them out. An old friend? Reconnect with them. Or, go Walden-style and wander alone to your heart’s content. This handy guide of local parks is just a sampling of where you can go in the Queen City for an outdoor outlet, with a specific focus on hiking trails achievable for any fitness level (a few are even paved for strollers and wheelchairs). CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

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take a hike

BY MADELEINE MEEKS

FROM PAGE 13

THE PARKS

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North French Park 3012 Section Road, Amberley Village, cincinnatiparks.com Features: Intermediate hiking, ample parking, gravel paths only In French Park, pockets of grassy knolls lay hidden in the woods, and a large stream moseys behind the French House, a 1900s brick mansion perched royally on the hill. Second in size only to Mount Airy Forest, it is considered by many to be the city’s — and Cincinnati Park’s — best-kept secret. Considering its massive 275-acre size, you’d expect more hikers to busy the trails, but a jaunt here is frequently a quiet venture. “The whole ambiance of the park is majestic,” says Ruthann Spears, manager of Explore Nature programs at Cincinnati Parks, “especially having that French House up on the hill. French Park has an active stream, meadow trails and my favorite part about it are the fossils you can discover in the creek.” The park features a web of trails tucked behind French House with four trailheads visible from the main parking lot. The outermost loop, plush with green grass, is about 3-miles long. The inner stream trails are made up of dirt, gravel and bridgeways. These hikes are decidedly hilly and intermediate and not for the faint of heart. Fun fact: The grave of the beloved dog of French Park’s original owner, Procter & Gamble executive Herbert Greer French, can still be seen near one of the backwoods trails.

Amberley Green 7801 Ridge Road, Amberley Village, amberleyvillage.org Features: Easy hiking, ample parking, paved paths only Amberley Green neighbors French Park. Bordered by Ridge and East Galbraith roads, traffic noise is a given but the space is peaceful nonetheless. It’s a surprising 133-acre plot of land: formerly Crest Hills Country Club and golf course, it was converted to a park in 2007. A handful of ancient pine trees and stoic oaks surround the pond situated in the center of the park. Otherwise, the Green is not wooded. It has a perfectly rectangular shape, plus some obvious fairways, which make plain that this was once a grand course. Former cart paths now serve as leisurely walking and jogging trails. Baby strollers and senior patrons have an easy time here because the cart paths are never busy. There are two trail loops; the outer is little less than 2-miles long, and the inner is about 1 mile. Sharon Woods 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville, greatparks.org Features: Easy hiking, ample parking, gravel paths and paved paths Sharon Woods, established 1932, is the oldest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton

French Park PHOTO: MADELEINE MEEKS

County network. Within its 730 acres are trails, a lake, a boathouse, pavilions, playgrounds, a golf course and Heritage Village, a “living museum” that recreates what Ohio life was like in the 1800s. Kimberly Whitton, Great Parks public engagement coordinator, says one of the paths — the 0.7-mile “Gorge Trail” — is a state-dedicated nature preserve “with waterfalls and deep gorges.” While the trail is relatively level, there’s a slight ascension if you start near Buckeye Falls, a destination for photographers, and end at Sharon Lake. The path is wide, well-maintained and ideal for running or beginner-level hiking. Hiking boots are not necessary. The path passes by the expansive golf course. “It’s one of my favorite trails. It’s short and sweet,” says Whitton. Otherwise, there are two paved trails: the Shared Use trail, a 2.6-mile loop around Sharon Lake, and the 1-mile Parcours Trail, also known as the Fitness Trail, which features workout stations. The park is part of the Great Parks Hiking Staff Program. If you hike seven different trails annually, you’re eligible to buy a wood hiking staff for $3 after the first year, and a $2 metal emblem (to attach to the staff) every subsequent year. Note: This park requires a parking fee of $3 for Hamilton Country residents and $5 for non-residents. East Red Bird Hollow 6168 Given Road, Indian Hill Features: Easy hiking, minimal parking, gravel paths only On the edge of Terrace Park sits Indian Hill’s Red Bird Hollow, a narrow, 3-milelong gravel trail with a stream running alongside it. The path is simple: You come out the same way you went in. When the trees are in full bloom, the Hollow looks like a labyrinth — sun rays can’t penetrate through the leaves and there are minimal

Ault Park PHOTO: KELLIE COLEMAN

sounds other than a trickling stream and chirping birds. The trail, while secluded and quiet, requires you to wave hello to passersby a fair amount, and the occasional couple walking by is almost always joined by a well-mannered dog. One of those couples? Roseann and Riley Hayes of Terrace Park, who walk their pooches at Red Bird Hollow daily. “This is more of an every-day I-goto-Red-Bird-Hollow kind of thing,” says Roseann. “It’s pretty and accessible and close to Terrace Park.” West Mount Airy Forest 5083 Colerain Ave., Westwood, cincinnatiparks.com Features: Intermediate hiking, ample parking, gravel paths and paved paths “Mount Airy is the heart and soul of hiking for Cincinnati Parks because it has so

many trails,” says Explore Nature’s Spears. “It’s a historical, man-made forest that can only evoke gravitas.” One of the few African-American Civilian Conservation Corps in Ohio was employed to plant over one million trees in Mount Airy. They lined the trails with stones and built dams, picnic shelters and more. The Corps restored this vast farmland that had gone bad due to improper tilling to the National Historic Site it is today. Red Oak Trail is 1 mile long and is the primary artery cutting through the western woods of the park. Many other trails stem from Red Oak, namely Ponderosa, a 3-mile trail, and Beechwood, a 1.3-mile trail. Runners often compile the Beechwood, Quarry and Red Oak Trails into a 7.5-mile jogging loop. All are considered intermediate. Want a challenge? The Stone Steps is a

Caldwell Nature Preserve PHOTO: KELLIE COLEMAN

the Ohio River for a mile and a half before looping back to the baseball field where it started.

MORE TEMPTING TRAILS

Big Bone Lick: If you’re up for a short drive, Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Ky. has a collection of easy and moderate trails that pass through the historic site’s woodlands, grasslands, savanna and saltsulfur springs. Named after the Ice Age Megafauna that once occupied the area and its saltwater streams, the park is still home to a collection of giant mammals: bison. The 10 to 15 on view are a link to the Ice Age and an attempt to reestablish a herd of the endangered animals at the park. More info at parks.ky.gov. Caldwell Nature Preserve: Ranked as one of the top 10 hikes in Ohio by Marmot outdoors company in 2016, Caldwell Nature Preserve in Carthage has 3.5 miles of trails that include a paved and level path into the woods that is accessible to those in wheelchairs. More info at cincinnatiparks.com.

strenuous 90-stair uphill climb that runners often tackle. For an easier alternative, there’s the 1.75-mile Treehouse Trail, which starts at Everybody’s Treehouse, the park’s wheelchair-accessible hidden gem wooden treehouse. Although Mount Airy Forest’s trails are numerous, all of them delve deep into a forest of woods and wildlife. The sheer size — a whopping 1,500 acres — is breathtaking. Both standing and fallen trees span for miles and miles, accompanied by a bed of shimmering, silver-gold leaves leftover from winter. “Mount Airy is a big part of Cincinnati,” says Spears. “So many people have fond, family memories of it. And today it’s still used in the same way.”

go Vibrant Walking Tours: If an urban landscape is more up your alley, check out go Vibrant’s collection of walking routes through city neighborhoods like East Walnut Hills, Madisonville, Mount Adams and Northside. Signs mark the routes, generally between 1 and 5 miles long, through each neighborhood and wind walkers and runners past business districts, historic homes, urban parks and hidden nature trails. New routes are coming soon to Clifton, Mount Washington and Newport. More info and maps at govibrant.org.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

If you’re interested in hiking with a buddy, check out the Tri-State Hiking Club, an 8,000-plus member group with almost daily hiking meetups in urban, suburban and rural parks. There are simple strolls through Winton Woods, a hike that takes you from the Newport Aquarium to Eden Park and back, a weekly Wednesday mix of trails through Mount Airy Forest and vigorous Saturday workout hikes at the Cincinnati Nature Center. There are even overnights and camping trips to places like Hocking Hills and Red River Gorge. The nonprofit group is for hikers of any skill level — beginner to expert — interested in getting outside and making like-minded friends. For more information or to sign up to attend a hike, visit tristatehikingclub.com.

South Tower Park 900 S. Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas, ftthomas.org Features: Intermediate hiking, ample parking, gravel paths and paved paths Tower Park, located in Fort Thomas, is remarkably multifaceted for only 87 acres. There’s a baseball field, a sand volleyball court, tennis courts, basketball courts, an indoor pool, a track and a pristine

playground near the front entrance. Plus, an amphitheater for concerts, a military museum, a reserve center, a retirement community and a veteran’s medical clinic. It’s rife with military history. Plaques with names of the deceased decorate every bench, tree and structure. Ten Army homes, originally built in the 1890s, stand in the Alexander Circle cul-de-sac. For the last 15 years they’ve been empty, and though they stand in disarray, they’re striking nonetheless. Tower Park wears its history on its sleeve, with trails that are relatively steep and intermediate. Most patrons enjoy the paved walking loop around the baseball field and Mess Hall. There are many narrow offshoots from the main Amphitheater Road trail. A major stream runs parallel to the popular Landmark Tree trail, which bends and borders

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Central Ault Park 5090 Observatory Ave., Mount Lookout, cincinnatiparks.com Features: Intermediate hiking, ample parking, gravel paths and paved paths Ault Park is nestled within an unsuspecting nook of Mount Lookout. Here, the suburban rush slows to a lull. Hiking loops orbit the park’s signature palisade, which doubles as an overlook and event space. In front of the palisade are well-maintained gardens, marking it as an ideal spot for engagement and family photos. Between the gardens lie open fields where visitors can kick a soccer ball, toss a Frisbee or hang hammocks on nearby trees.

In the summer, there are beer and wine tasting events, free yoga classes, drumming concerts and firework displays. On higher ground, where Heekin meets Principio Avenue, there’s a playground very popular among kids. From early morning until late afternoon, the sprawling landscape is full of people traversing its paved loops and gravel trails. If the park were smaller than its boastful 224 acres, it may feel crowded. Hiking boots and a stick serve as the best equipment for the trails. The mud and tree roots can be tricky for ascension (and great fun for kids). There are at least nine trails, but the two most notable loops are the Perimeter Trail (a compilation of four smaller trails) and Ridge Trail. Perimeter Trail is just the amendment of Shattuc Trail, Cliff Trail and a small portion of Forest Loop Trail, finishing on the wide and flat Valley Trail — at 3 miles, it the widest loop in the park. Ridge Trail is a little more than 1-mile long. It branches off of Valley Trail and later reattaches.

Cincinnati Nature Center: Located in Milford, the Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods has more than 16 miles of hiking trails through Eastern deciduous forest. Trails range from easy to difficult. Easy means the trail is comparatively flat, less than 1.25 miles long, is at least 3-feet wide and features stream crossings with bridges. Things amp up in moderate and difficult trails, which feature elevation changes, remote locations and harder stream crossings. The Center’s Hike for Your Health program features a passport you can pick up at the visitor’s center. After completing and getting a stamp for all 15 trails at Rowe Woods and sister facility Long Branch Farm in Goshen, you get a special prize. More info at cincynature.org.

the green issue

Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum PHOTO: KELLIE COLEMAN

alternative outdoor activities

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Sometimes you need more than a pretty view to get you off the couch. These alternative outdoor activities pair novelty and physical activity for an atypical experience.

BY JUDE NOEL

Goat Yoga Yep, you read that right. Goat. Yoga. The union of mind, body and soul. And goats. Taking place throughout the summer, Honey Sweetie Acres’ Goat Yoga classes ($41) lead participants through poses and asanas while America’s favorite ruminant quadruped uses your twisted-up body as a playground: “You may or may not be visited by a baby goat who wants to climb on you,” says Honey Sweetie Acres’ website. “T-shirt pulling, pony-tail tugging and pebbles on your mat are all risks you take during class.” Even Khloe Kardashian has taken part in the national craze, stretching out with some goats on Kevin Hart’s new YouTube series, What the Fit. Keep up with the Kardashians — curl up with furry friends. Class sizes are limited to 20 people, 18 and older (except during Teen and Me dates). The next class is May 4. Sunrock Farm in Wilder, Ky. also hosts a barnyard yoga class with Rooted Yoga. On April 21, the half-hour class includes goats, bunnies, chicks and lambs. Honey Sweetie

Disc golf at Mount Airy Forest PHOTO: KELLIE COLEMAN

Goat Yoga at Honey Sweetie Acres in Goshen PHOTO: HONEY SWEETIE ACRES

Acres, 2710 Spring Hill Road, Goshen, honeysweetieacres.com; Sunrock Farm, 103 Gibson Lane, Wilder, Ky., sunrockfarm.org. Newport DIY Hand-built by local skaters, Newport DIY is the brainchild of Galaxie Skateshop founder Gary Collins and a testament to the power of human ingenuity. The park is an evolving landscape, one that began as a rudimentary setup of grindboxes and ramps before blossoming into the concrete playground it is today, complete with a kidney-shaped pool. Despite its humble location under the I-471 bridge in Newport, Ky., the DIY spot is a nationally recognized landmark: one of the few “unofficial” skate parks that has survived the scrutiny of local officials. Make a trip across the river to experience firsthand the dedicated sense of community that has nourished this concrete beast.

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Visit Utopia Heaven is a place on Earth — and it’s only a 45-minute drive from Cincinnati. Utopia, Ohio, a short-lived and ill-fated community in Clermont County, was founded in 1844 by French Socialist Charles Fourier, an iconoclastic philosopher who was an early proponent of women’s and workers’ rights. Unfortunately, the community, which kicked off in the same year that Boston’s Brook Farm opened, lasted only a little longer than its Massachusetts counterpart. Utopia closed three years later, only to be sold to a group of spiritualists who were swept away in one of the Ohio River’s worst floods. After becoming home to some local anarchists for a brief period, the city’s social experimentation died down. Though it’s still home to a few folks, it’s often referred to a ghost town. If you’re feeling adventurous, invite some pals out on a trip to paradise: there’s little more than a gas station and the remains of a spiritualist church there, but tap into your inner ghost hunter and you might be surprised at what supernatural surprises lurk within.

Family Owned & Operated since 1890

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Mount Airy Disc Golf Course You’ve probably passed by a disc golf Pole Hole at some point — they’re a fixture at public parks, with beckoning chains swinging eerily in the breeze. They’re easily overlooked, as much a part of the landscape as a rusted grill or a jungle gym. Stumble upon Mount Airy Forest’s disc golf course, though, and you’ll find a vibrant community of enthusiasts, each with their own arsenal of multi-colored discs (Warning: Don’t call them Frisbees) and group of pals. The game is taken seriously here and attracts a group of fans that aren’t bound by age or gender. Kids come with their parents; college kids bring their pets; older folks up their step counts. Whether you’re a card-carrying member of the Professional Disc Golf Association or a newbie who can’t tell a driver from a putter, 18 holes at Mount Airy is a prime opportunity to enjoy some fresh air at Cincinnati’s largest park. Visit the pro shop — The Nati Disc Golf — to grab some discs of your own and learn more about the game. Mount Airy Forest, 4800 Lodge Road, Westwood, thenatidiscgolf.com.

Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum Think about it: Is there a better place to take a walk than a cemetery? They feature paved roads, dope Gothic architecture, manicured greenery, total solitude and the constant reminder of your own mortality. Memento Mori. Challenge: bring a friend, seek out the most extravagant headstone or mausoleum and take to your search engine of choice to find out as much as possible about the person buried there. Alternatively, make the trip solo and enjoy a walk’s worth of silence. The 150-year-old Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum hosts events from time to time, including 5k races and guided tours. There’s an Arbor Day Walking Tour on April 28 to explore the grand grounds and magnificent, old trees; and a Weekend Walkabout on May 5 (held the first Saturday of each month May-October) to meander through the monuments on a guided walk. 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org.

the green issue

BY MAIJA ZUMMO

ifty West Brewing Company has turned a stretch of Wooster Pike into a veritable outdoor recreation corridor. Across the street from the flagship brewpub sits Fifty West Canoe & Kayak, Fifty West Cycling and Fifty West Production Works (home to six sand volleyball courts). All are geared toward building community through shared experiences, which include drinking craft beer and getting outside: It’s all about an active lifestyle, says brewery co-owner Bobby Slattery. “Our mission, from a company standpoint is, basically, if you’re on the bar stool, we want to get you off the bar stool and figure out a way to add value to your life,” he says. “And if you’re not on the bar stool and you’re out there being active, we want to educate you on craft beer and get you to sit on the bar stool every once and a while.” The initial impetus for the brand’s expansion into sports and recreation came when they realized they needed to make more beer. To meet demand, they had to add more tanks and fermenters and those fermenters couldn’t fit into the brewpub’s original building, a historic 1800s homestead and former speakeasy, so they turned

Sand volleyball at Fifty West PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

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fifty west: brews, canoes and bicycles, too

their attention across the street, redeveloping the site that had been volleyball bar Hahana Beach (owned by Slattery’s father) into the brewery’s Production Works facility. Opened in May 2016, they kept the sand volleyball courts and added four 40-barrel fermenters plus more space for beer drinkers to mix and mingle. “We kind of got this hunch, ‘Well, what if we could get the people to jump from spot to spot?’” Slattery says. “If you’re really into craft beer, we try to get you into volleyball. If you’re really into volleyball, we can get you into craft beer.” Fifty West’s proximity to the Little Miami River and Loveland Bike Trail — arguably the city’s most popular thoroughfares for canoeing, kayaking, running and biking — also added a spark. “We looked at being next to the river, being next to the bike path and thought, well maybe we can do more than just (volleyball). So that’s when we opened up the bike shop and the canoe and kayak livery,” Slattery says. The addition of the new businesses brought the brewery’s outdoor activity portfolio to four: volleyball and running clubs at the Production Works, canoe and kayak rental at Fifty West Canoe & Kayak and cycling at Fifty West Cycling. Most

activities are seasonal — running groups, volleyball and group bike rides take place March through November, and canoe and kayak rentals start around April or May, depending on weather, and run through October or November. Fifty West Cycling Co.’s bike shop is open year-round, however, for sales and fittings. They’ve also added a family-friendly Roadside Grill to their seasonal offerings. While the brewpub offers chef-driven, sitdown dining, the Roadside Grill is a place to grab snacks, sandwiches and salads to eat before a bike ride or jog along the trail. “It’s a permanent food truck, is the best way to describe it,” Slattery says. “You order at the window and we give you a number and we bring your food out to you. It’s very casual.” The menu includes grilled cheese, burgers, wings and nachos and some more upscale offerings like shrimp banh mi. There’s also a kids’ menu and pouryour-own tap root beer and orange soda in barrels. “For us, we make fantastic beer but there’s a ton of places making fantastic beer, so it’s how can we add value to your life that’s going to make you want to continue to be part of this Fifty West experience,” Slattery says.

Volleyball Fifty West’s Production Works’ six sand volleyball courts host co-ed leagues for groups of four or six (for $240-$330 per team) during spring, summer and fall sessions. Games take place Monday through Thursday nights; courts are open to the public for free Friday through Sunday. Fifty West Production Works, 7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, volleyball.fiftywest volleyball.fiftywestbrew.com. Cycling Fifty West Cycling is a full-service bike shop that sells new and used bikes, offers bike fittings and provides daily rentals (starting at $24). The building abuts the 80-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail, aka the Loveland Bike Trail, and goes all the way to Yellow Springs. Slattery says Great Parks will soon announce a trail expansion that will extend the path to the back of the Production Works facility. If you already have a bike and want to join a group ride, Fifty West offers a Tuesday night ride and a bi-weekly Saturday morning women’s ride, among other events (like the Full Moon Bike Ride and Movie on April 28). The co-ed Tuesday night social ride leaves from the shop parking lot at 6 p.m. and travels about 15 to 20 miles

through the Little Miami Scenic Trail and on roads in Terrace Park, Milford and Indian Hill. It’s no-drop and geared toward intermediate riders. The women’s ride starts at 10 a.m. every other Saturday and is also geared toward intermediate riders. Helmets are required for all rides. Fifty West Cycling, 7669 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestcycling.com. Running Fifty West’s running group leaves from the Production Works facility at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday for a 3- to 5-mile friendly run. “We might have the most popular running groups in the city right now,” Slattery says, adding that they expect up to 75 people each week, depending on the weather. The brewery-led, rotating routes take runners on the bike trail toward Terrace Park, through Little Miami or into Mariemont and are set for any skill level. “We’ve had guys come in there that are 400 pounds that walk a mile and that’s all they do. We’ve had people that go and they run 15 miles,” Slattery says. “It’s all different paces. It’s not like you have to be an Olympic runner to do it. A lot of people, it’s their first time running in a long time and they like (how casual) it is.” You also get rewarded for running.

Fifty West keeps track of your mileage and how many times you run. After five runs, you get a T-shirt; after 10 runs, you get a long-sleeve shirt; and after 50 miles, you join the 50-mile club and celebrate with a party twice a year. There’s no cost, and the brewery has started integrating free craft beer education sessions after the running group. Fifty West Production Works, 7668 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com. Canoe & Kayak Fifty West’s livery offers myriad floating rentals, including tubes, rafts, kayaks

(single or tandem) and canoes. The 2018 season will officially begin Memorial Day weekend and all hours are subject to change based on weather. All trips — priced for 5 and 10 miles — begin and end at the livery. You can call ahead to RSVP for groups (10 or more boats) and RSVP is required 24 hours in advance for the 10-mile trip. Dogs who can swim are allowed on the river, but alcohol is not. Separate your cabrewing experience into two distinct parts with canoeing first and brews at the bar second. Fifty West Canoe & Kayak, 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestcanoe.com.

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MORE OUTDOOR GROUPS Fifty West isn’t the only place to join a volleyball league or running group. Plenty of other Tri-State clubs and businesses offer opportunities to get involved and get outside.

VOLLEYBALL

Cincinnati Recreation Commission — The CRC offers summer volleyball leagues at Sawyer Point and the Dunham Recreation Complex with evening games Monday-Thursday. Prices range from $100-$270 per team and new team registration takes place April 24-May 4. cincyrec.org. The Sandbar — This seasonal beach-themed bar in the East End features seven sand volleyball courts and a thatched cabana bar. Organized by Cincinnati Sports Leagues, the spring and summer volleyball games are co-ed and recreational. They also host open play/pick-up games on Saturday and Sunday for $4 per person. 4609 Kellogg Ave., East End, thesandbarcincinnati.com. Setters Beach Volleyball & Outdoor Lounge — Hosts indoor and outdoor beach volleyball leagues year-round, with doubles, quads and sixes. Register online for women’s, men’s and co-ed teams in levels from purely recreational to very competitive. Spring, summer and fall outdoor leagues run April 30-Oct. 21. Setters also has a bar. 4005 Hopper Hill Road, Cherry Grove, cherrygrovesportscenter.com.

CYCLING

Fleet Feet Sports — Fleet Feet offers community fun run groups as well as training programs for races and marathons like the Flying Pig. For more than a decade, the Cincinnati Sunday Runners have taken on a different part of the city with run options ranging from 6 to 20 miles. fleetfeetcincy.com. Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati — A 40-year-old nonprofit that promotes “running, walking and general fitness.” Membership dues are $25 per year and include gatherings and group runs. The club calendar also lists upcoming running events and 5ks. cincinnatirunning.com.

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Queen City Running & Walking Club — This training group with more than 600 members is for runners and walkers from novice to experienced, with pricing options and events for each level, whether you’re just starting out or looking to tackle a marathon. queencityrunningclub.com.

CANOEING & KAYAKING

Green Acres Canoe & Kayak — Located in Harrison, Green Acres takes paddlers on 3- or 8-mile trips down the Whitewater River with prices ranging from $21.75-$24.75 per person. They also rent out rafts and tubes for “leisure floating.” 10465 Suspension Bridge Road, Harrison, greenacrescanoe.com. Loveland Canoe & Kayak — A family-friendly excursion along the Little Miami River. Their Castle Adventure trip lasts between two and four hours and travels 5 miles, past the Loveland Castle. The Seven Bridges trip lasts between four and six hours and travels 10 miles from South Lebanon to Loveland Canoe & Kayak. 174 Karl Brown Way, Loveland, lovelandcanoe.com. Scenic River Canoe — This southernmost livery on the Little Miami river offers three trips: Terrell’s Short Trip (2.1 miles), Fletcher’s Mid Trip (6 miles) and Isabella’s Long Trip (10 miles) for $21-$29 per person. RSVP is required for 10-mile trips. 4595 Round Bottom Road, Terrace Park, scenicrivercanoe.com.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Queen City Bike — This local nonprofit bike advocacy group’s Facebook page shares upcoming rides and events from a variety of

RUNNING

Cincinnati Cycle Club — The oldest cycling club in the region, the Cincinnati Cycle Club offers and organizes group rides and social activities and provides a weekly ride calendar listing cycling opportunities for urban, trail and casual riders. cincinnaticycleclub.org.

biking sources. facebook.com/queencitybike.

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Bike Month — May is National Bike Month and Cincy is celebrating with group rides, happy hour events, themed film screenings and more. Find rides and how to get more involved with local bike culture at cincybikemonth.com.

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Housemade Pork Rinds with Cincy “Beer” BBQ sauce Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese with Sixteen Bricks sourdough crostini BrewRiver Salad with housemade creamy balsamic vinaigrette or creamy peppercorn dressing

Caesar Salad with brioche croutons SECOND COURSE

Gorgonzola-Crusted Beef Medallions with three 2 oz. tournedos, mushroom marsala sauce, roasted vegetables, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes Chicken Milanese with crispy Romano chicken and herb pasta Pasta Alla Vodka with ricotta-filled pasta, spiced tomato Parmesan cream sauce, crispy pancetta and basil THIRD COURSE

Creme Brulée Carmel Mascarpone Cheesecake Anglaise

THE BROWN DOG CAFE

1000 Summit Place, Blue Ash, Ohio 45252 513-794-1610, browndogcafe.com $35 Dinner

THIRD COURSE

Classic Crème Brûlée Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake GCRW Cock tails

The Churchhill | $10 The Nine to Five | $10

CHART HOUSE

405 Riverboat Row, Newport, Ky. 41071 859-261-0300, chart-house.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

FIRST COURSE

Caesar Salad New England Clam Chowder

Scallop with salmon checkerboard galantine, currant jam, Sicilian lemon balsamic and micro greens Camen with pear-roast camembert cheese, poached pear, onion straws, baby arugula and port reduction Sesame-Crusted Rib Eye Skewer with taro sauce, glass noodles, charred onion and peppers

Cedar Plank Salmon with coconut ginger rice and broccoli with peppers Parmesan-Crusted Snapper with citrus butter and coconut ginger rice Savory Shrimp Pasta

THIRD COURSE

SECOND COURSE

Dark Chocolate “Beer” Brownie

House Salad with balsamic vinaigrette Caprese with balsamic reduction Classic Caesar Salad with fried anchovies

THIRD COURSE

Raspberry Sorbet Chocolate Crème Brûlée

THIRD COURSE

CINQUE RISTORANTE BY NICOLA’S

SECOND COURSE

Served with hand-cut fries Buttermilk Crispy Chicken SAMich Oyster Po’ Boy Landslide Burger Black Bean & Chickpea Burger

GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Mark Mint Julep Blackberry Saints and Sinners Cocktail

BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE

7600 Gibson Road, Liberty Township, Ohio 45069 // 1 Levee Way, Newport, Ky. 41071, brioitalian.com $25 Lunch & Dinner FIRST COURSE

Lobster Bisque Brio Chopped Salad

Chicken Saltimbocca with prosciutto-wrapped Ohio Amish breast of chicken, sundried tomato, caper, asiago stuffing, Swiss chard and Parmesan risotto Grilled Swordfish with sautéed shrimp, tomato, wild mushroom, herb garlic butter, crispy pasta bowl, Parmesan risotto and dueling pestos Duck Filet with potato pancake, duck confit and Swiss chard GCRW Cock tails

SECOND COURSE

9415 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 513-231-5555, cinquerestaurant.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Carrot Soup with farro, curry yogurt and basil oil Broiled Goat Cheese with fig jam, walnuts and crostini Spinach Salad SECOND COURSE

Restaurants with more than one option listed in the course will give guests a choice on their selection. Menus are subject to change.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

G R E AT E R C I N C I N N AT I R E S TA U R A N T W E E K . C O M

Strawberry Shortcake with limoncello crema and poppyseed scone Chocolate Cannoli with housemade ricotta, amaretto cherries and candied pistachios Cheesecake with cinnamon crust and raspberry sauce

BONE FISH GRILL

588 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs, Ky. 41017 859-426-8666, bonefishgrill.com $35 Dinner

8 oz. Filet Mignon Roasted Chicken Citrus-Glazed Salmon 14 oz. Dry Aged New York Strip Steak Table Accompaniments: Sam’s Mashed Potatoes and seasonal fresh vegetables

Risotto con Salsiccia THIRD COURSE

Braised Lamb with peas and carrots, polenta and orange-sesame gremolata Scottish Salmon with warm potato salad, arugula and meyer lemon aioli Amish Chicken with kale, cannellini beans and tasso GCRW Cock tails

Antica Manhattan | $8 Crema al Limone Basilico | $10

COOPER’S HAWK WINERY & RESTAURANT

7490 Bales St., Liberty Township, Ohio 45069 513-463-9463, chwinery.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Over the Border Eggrolls with Southwest chicken, corn, black beans, cilantro and cheese Asian Ahi Tuna Sashimi Carne Asada Flatbread with sliced skirt steak, pesto, mozzarella and roasted chili sauce SECOND COURSE

Wild Mushroom-Crusted Chicken with sweet corn and pea risotto, shiitake mushroom, spinach and lemon butter Gnocchi Carbonara with pancetta, chicken, sage, peas and Parmesan-garlic cream sauce Southern Grilled Shrimp & Polenta with andouille, tomato-braised kale and smoked paprika-cilantro oil Maple-Mustard Pretzel-Crusted Pork THIRD COURSE

S’more Budino Cooper’s Hawk Chocolate Cake Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée

COURT STREET LOBSTER BAR 28 W. Court St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-246-0184, courtstreetlobsterbar.com $35 Lunch & Dinner

SECOND COURSE

Filet Mignon with smoked sunchokes, broccolini, soubisse and red wine demi glace Crispy Potato Gnocchi with bourbon glazed apples, sweet potato purée and crispy sage Scottish Salmon with sauteed cauliflower, shrimp bisque and parsnip purée THIRD COURSE

Chef’s Choice Ice Cream Sampler Bread Pudding with bourbon butter glaze and vanilla-bourbon ice cream

50 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Suite 20,Covington, 20, Ky. 41011, 859-392-2850, fireatrivercenter.com $25 Lunch FIRST COURSE

Soup of the Day Small Horiatiki Salad Caesar Salad SECOND COURSE

Southern Crisp Chicken Sandwich Blackened Cajun Chicken Sandwich Country Club Sandwich THIRD COURSE

10808 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 513-489-1212, eddiemerlots.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Caesar Salad King Crab and Corn Bisque SECOND COURSE

Entrees served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans 4 oz.* Filet Del Mar Grilled Creekstone Farms Pork Chop served with Southern Comfort barbecue glaze Cedar Plank Oven-Roasted Salmon with barbecue glaze and garlic aioli *Upgrade to a 7 oz. Filet Mignon for an additional $10 per order, or a 7 oz. Filet Mignon Del Mar for an additional $15 per order THIRD COURSE

Creme Brûlée Chocolate Cake GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Mark Burnt Orange Manhattan

Restaurants with more than one option listed in the course will give guests a choice on their selection. Menus are subject to change.

FIRST COURSE

Gourmet Grilled Cheese & Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad Duo with old world sourdough, triple cream brie and cherry chutney served with shaved Brussels sprouts, toasted almonds, crispy Sky Haven ham and celery seed vinaigrette Local Mushroom Bisque topped with black truffle granola Maker’s Mark-Brined Locally Raised Bone-in Pork Chop Sustainably Sourced Seasonal Fish Grilled Certified Angus Beef Filet Mignon sliced and served with sea-salt and tarragon butter atop spring vegetable pan roast | $10 supplemental Cauliflower “Cous-Cous” Style with flash sauté with heirloom beans, baby kale, spinach, asparagus, sundried tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil with sea salt and olive oil toast THIRD COURSE

Dark Rum & Rhubarb Cobbler Peppermint Mocha Panna Cotta GCRW Cock tails

JAG’S STEAK & SEAFOOD

FIRST COURSE

Chicken Madeira Steak Bites Miso Salmon

EDDIE MERLOT’S

GOLDEN LAMB

27 S. Broadway St., Lebanon, Ohio 45036 513-932-5065, goldenlamb.com $35 Dinner

$35 Dinner

SECOND COURSE

Smoked Maple Old Fashioned | $9 Casco Bay Mule | $8

Creme Brulée Cheesecake Squares Warm Chocolate Brownie with Breyers ice cream, dark chocolate sauce and salted caramel sauce Key Lime Pie with white chocolate sauce Ooey Goey Butter Cake with whole vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries in juice

Maker’s Mark Collins | $8 Tito’s Blood Orange Martini | $8

SECOND COURSE

GCRW Cock tails

THIRD COURSE

Key Lime Cheesecake White Chocolate Irish Cream Brûlée

Lobster BLT: fresh Maine lobster, smoked bacon mayo, bacon, heirloom tomatoes, Sixteen Bricks challah bun Blueberry Cobbler Bites

Cold Water Lobster Tail | $23

SECOND COURSE

FIRE AT RIVERCENTER

Lobster Bisque Small Fire Chopped Salad

THIRD COURSE

G R E AT E R C I N C I N N AT I R E S TA U R A N T W E E K . C O M

FIRST COURSE

Yellowtail Maki Sushi Roll Duck Confit Dumplings with bourbon-barrel aged teriyaki ponzu and sesame oil Butternut Squash Bisque with toasted pumpkin seeds, brown butter truffle vinaigrette

Spicy Crab Dip

FIRST COURSE

EMBERS RESTAURANT

8170 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 513-984-8090, embersrestaurant.com $35 Dinner

THIRD COURSE

Key Lime Cheese Cake White Chocolate Irish Cream Brûlée GCRW Cock tails

Makers Mark Peach Tea Titos French Strawberry Mojito

FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL 5075 Deerfield Blvd., Mason, Ohio 45040 513-234-9032, firebirdsrestaurants.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Lobster Queso with homemade tri-color tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo Roasted Chile Hummus with tomato corn relish, cucumbers and grilled flat bread Homemade Soup of the Day Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup BLT Salad Mixed Green Salad Caesar Salad SECOND COURSE

Slow-Roasted Prime Rib served with homemade au jus and creamy horseradish sauce and choice of loaded baked potato or Parmesan mashed potatoes Lemon Caper Salmon served with cauliflower mash and sautéed asparagus with lemon-caper butter sauce drizzle Lobster Ravioli served with shrimp and asparagus in a chardonnay creole cream sauce Chipotle BBQ Chicken with wood-grilled chicken breast basted with sweet and spicy barbecue sauce topped with smoked cheddar cheese, applewoodsmoked bacon, diced tomatoes and green onions; served with a rice pilaf Add: Jumbo Shrimp | $6.60 Sea Scallops | $12.75

5980 West Chester Road, West Chester, Ohio 45069 513-860-5353, jags.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Truffle and Pecorino Sacchetti with baby arugula and aged balsamic Fresh Ricotta & Spring Pea Bruschetta Cream of Asparagus Soup Heirloom Tomato Salad with fresh buratta cheese SECOND COURSE

Black Truffle Scallops over truffle cream linguine with roasted vegetables 5 oz.* Grilled Filet Mignon with whipped potatoes and asparagus Roasted Organic Chicken over orzo with spring vegetables Ora King Salmon over coconut lime beurre blanc with mango salsa * 8 oz. Filet Mignon | $10 THIRD COURSE

Pam Sturkey Chocolate Torte with oatmeal crust Key Lime Creme Brûlée with raspberry coulis Fresh Peach Gelato between butter sugar cookies GCRW Cock tail

TBD

KAZE

1400 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-898-7991, kazeotr.com $35 Dinner

Nigiri Dinner featuring a fresh selection of our sushi Chef’s daily pickings, 1/2 spicy California roll THIRD COURSE

Classic Creme Brûlée Churros with cinnamon, sugar, chocolate dipping sauce Platinum Brownie with milk chocolate cayenne ice cream, Miso caramel, sesame tuille Housemade Sorbet

MATT THE MILLER’S TAVERN

5901 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 513-914-4903 9558 Civic Centre Blvd., West Chester, Ohio 45069 513-298-4050, mtmtavern.com $25 Lunch & Dinner FIRST COURSE

The Miller Salad Bowl of Soup: Beer Cheese, Tomato Basil Bisque or Chicken Noodle Bavarian Pretzel Bites, warm, dusted with sea salt and served with roasted garlic sauce and sweet and tangy mustard sauce Loaded Tavern Chips topped with bleu cheese sauce, crumbled bleu cheese, shredded white cheddar, diced tomatoes, smoked bacon, scallions and tarragon essence SECOND COURSE

6 oz. Filet Asian Salmon Shrimp & Sausage Baked Rigatoni 10 oz. Smoked Pork Tenderloin THIRD COURSE

Oreo Brownie Mini Cheesecake Mini

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S SEAFOOD & STEAKS

21 E. Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-721-9339, mccormickandschmicks.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Blue Crab Corn Chowder with fire-roasted corn salsa, fresh herbs and chili oil Arugula & Roasted Beet Salad with Manchego, toasted pumpkin seed vinaigrette Shrimp & Brie Crostini with butternut squash hash, dried cranberries, apple cider glaze SECOND COURSE

Pan Seared Mahi Mahi with roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon, red bell pepper Truffle Beef Medallions with Brussels sprout, bacon and potato hash, bordelaise sauce, truffle butter Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Oscar with roasted potato medley, lump crabmeat, lobster demi-glace Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast with whiskey-glazed heirloom carrots, smoked tomato jus, roasted red pepper white cheddar mashed potatoes Twin Maine Cold Water Lobster Tails with lobster mashed potatoes and drawn butter | $10 THIRD COURSE

Peach Cobbler Peanut Butter Pie

THE MELTING POT

11023 23 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249 513-530-5501, meltingpot.com $25 Lunch & Dinner

FIRST COURSE

Kaze Salad with avocado, cucumber, radish, shishito and shiso vinaigrette Pork Bun with apple, frisée and mustard vinaigrette Miso Soup OTR Roll with tuna, avocado, cucumber, spicy scallion aioli and ponzu

Green Goddess Cheddar Cheese Fondue Bacon Brie Cheese Fondue

SECOND COURSE

Includes All Filet Mignon, Teriyaki Sirloin, Barbecue Pork Medallion and Chicken Potstickers Accompanied by bottomless Vegetable Medley and Dipping Sauces

Filet Mignon with turnip purée, smoked fingerlings, broccoli, tomato and beef jus Salmon with seven-pepper crust, crispy ramen, bok choy, eggplant, soy roasted mushrooms and General Tso’s sauce Katsu Bowl with panko chicken, fried Brussels sprouts, yuzu aioli, tare and rice

Melting Pot Mule | $10.95 The Official Melting Pot Mule Mug (souvenir) | $9

SECOND COURSE

Caesar Salad California Salad THIRD COURSE

GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Manhattan | $10.95

THE MERCER

1324 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-421-5111, themercerotr.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Artisan Mixed Green with oranges, walnuts, gorgonzola (gf) (v) Albacore Tuna with chickpea and olive salad, lemon-garlic aioli (gf) Beet Salad with crispy salumi, ricotta salata, blood orange (gf) (available vegetarian) SECOND COURSE

Farfalle with kale pesto, Italian sausage, preserved lemon, ricotta salata (available gf/v) Risotto with green onions, truffle mascarpone, figs (gf) (v) Branzino with celery root, charred cabbage, black rice, smoked citrus (gf) Pork Tenderloin with fried Brussels, squash, turnips, mustard cream (gf) THIRD COURSE

Cheesecake with graham crumble, blueberry, citrus (v) (available gf) Grasshopper Martini with chocolate liqueur, mint, cream Madisono’s Lemon-Basil Sorbet

METROPOLE

609 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-578-6660, metropoleonwalnut.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Potato Soup with cured egg yolk, fried shallot, chive Spinach Salad with quinoa granola, Manchego, red onion, sherry vinaigrette SECOND COURSE

Garlic Bigoli with charred broccoli, broccoli pistou, lemon, pecorino Grilled Chuck Roast with glazed carrots, polenta, fennel frond gremolata Carolina Catfish with asparagus, fennel purée, rhubarb jam THIRD COURSE

Black Forest Cherry Cake with espresso pearls, cherry meringue Lavender Mousse with honey oat crumble GCRW Cock tail

Maker’s Skyline 12 | $8

MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & BAR

One Levee Way, Suite 2129 ,Newport, Ky. 41071 859-291-7454 9456 Water Front Drive, West Chester, Ohio 45069 513-779-5292, mitchellsfishmarket.com $25 Lunch FIRST COURSE

Mitchell’s House Salad Classic Caesar New England Clam Chowder SECOND COURSE

Harpoon Shrimp Salad with blackened shrimp, egg, tomato, bacon, blue cheese, sweet and sour dressing Cajun Black Pepper Fettuccine with shrimp, chicken, red bell pepper, spicy tomato sauce, Parmesan garlic bread Seafood Paella with clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chorizo, peppers, saffron rice THIRD COURSE

Mini Sharkfin Pie Crème Brûlée $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Mitchell’s House Salad Classic Caesar New England Clam Chowder SECOND COURSE

Salmon Crab Oscar with smashed redskins, sautéed asparagus, hollandaise

Crab Cake + Shrimp with broiled shrimp, Maryland style crab cake, roasted corn sauté, smashed redskins Seafood Paella with clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chorizo, peppers, saffron rice THIRD COURSE

Mini Sharkfin Pie Crème Brûlée

MOERLEIN LAGER HOUSE

ribs (your choice of original slow-roasted ribs or hickory-smoked spare ribs), with a hand-spiced, slow-roasted quarter chicken, both served with Montgomery Inn’s famous barbecue sauce Salmon California: grilled and served on a bed of spinach, topped with sautéed mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. Served with a creamy butter, white wine and dill sauce Two Grilled Pork Chops: extra-thick, hand-cut, hand-spiced pork chops served with onion straws and Montgomery Inn’s famous barbecue sauce THIRD COURSE

115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-421-2337, moerleinlagerhouse.com $35 Dinner

Profiterole stuffed with Graeter’s vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge Traditional Cheesecake

FIRST COURSE

GCRW Cock tails

Avocado Toast with housemade lager bread, hop butter, avocado, apricots Roasted Beet Salad with blue cheese crumbles, oranges, toasted almonds, and lemon citronette Caesar Salad

TBD

SECOND COURSE

Cincinnati Hot Brown with a buttermilk biscuit, beef pastrami, alehouse onions, port salut bechamel Chicken Schnitzel ala Holstein with a lemon caper butter, herbed spaetzle, roasted Brussels Crispy Balsamic Tofu with spinach basil farro with roasted tomatoes and wild mushrooms topped with shaved asparagus and preserved lemon salad THIRD COURSE

Banana Custard Tart served with plantain chip Hop Brownie Sundae GCRW Cock tails

Charlie Hustle | $12 Blueberry Mule | TBD

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE

441 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-621-3111, mortons.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Morton’s Salad Caesar Salad Cup of Baked Five Onion Soup Cup of Lobster Bisque ($3 upgrade) SECOND COURSE

6 oz.* Center-Cut Filet Mignon 16 oz. Double-Cut Pork Chop Broiled Salmon with Beurre Blanc Chicken Christopher * Upgrade to Center-Cut Filet Mignon 8 oz. | $10 Second Course Accompaniment (Choose One) Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes “Twice Baked” Au Gratin Potatoes Steamed Broccoli Florets Creamed Spinach THIRD COURSE

Double Chocolate Mousse Key Lime Pie Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake ($6 Upgrade)

MONTGOMERY INN

FIRST COURSE

Gulf Shrimp Cantonese with three delicately breaded shrimp, fried golden brown, served with Montgomery Inn’s sweet Damson plum and hot mustard sauce Classic Caesar Salad Bleu Lettuce Wedge SECOND COURSE

World-Famous Montgomery Inn Full Stack of Ribs: an extra-generous stack (approximately 12 bones) of Montgomery Inn’s world-famous ribs. Choose either original slow-roasted ribs or hickory-smoked spare ribs Ribs and Chicken Combo: a smaller portion of

6880 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio 45227 513-271-2103, nationalexemplar.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Hungarian Mushroom Soup, a National Exemplar Classic since 1983 Smoked Trout Salad with baby arugula, watercress and frisée, fingerling potatoes, green grapes, shaved fennel, creamy horseradish-dill dressing with trout roe Surf & Turf with seared dayboat scallop, crisp pork belly, parsnip purée, black garlic dashi, apple and watercress salad SECOND COURSE

Bourbon-Smoked Pork Chops: grilled, peach-honey glazed pork chop, Vermont cheddar grits, collard greens, cider pork jus Arctic Char with saffron potatoes, braised bok choy, bouillabaisse jus, herb salad THIRD COURSE

Carrot Cake served warm with cream cheese icing Chocolate Angel Food Cake & Strawberries

PALOMINO RESTAURANT & BAR 505 Vine St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-381-1300, palomino.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Portabella Mushroom Soup with caramelized onions, leeks, sherry cream Warm Spinach Salad with roasted mushrooms, candied pecans, pancetta balsamic vinaigrette Seafood Bucatini with prawns, calamari, Roma tomatoes, EVOO Parmesan, fresh basil SECOND COURSE

Organic Rotisserie Chicken with cauliflower mashed potatoes, toasted garlic green beans, roasted chicken jus and your choice of white or dark meat (gf) Roasted Moroccan Salmon with housemade spice rub, prawn and scallion rice cake, lemon beurre blanc, arugula and radish salad Pappardelle & Marsala Cream with fresh vegetables, roasted mushrooms, alfredo sauce, ricotta salata veg Grilled Filet Mignon with Roquefort blue cheese risotto cake, roasted seasonal mushrooms, crispy onion strings, cabernet demi-glace THIRD COURSE

Palomino Chocolate Tiramisu Orange Ricotta Donuts Selection of locally made Gelato or Sorbet, Biscotti GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Mark Manhattan Cosmopolitan

PARKERS BLUE ASH TAVERN

4200 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 513-891-8300, parkersblueash.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Parmesan Potato Croquettes Lump Crab Cake with frisée salad, bacon lardons, citrus aioli

THIRD COURSE

Award-Winning Creme Brûlée Cheesecake Godiva Chocolate Ganache Cake Ohio Maple Sugar Cotton Candy GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Fashion | $10 Zig Zag Mule | $10

THE PRESIDENTS ROOM

812 Race St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-721-2260, thepresidentsrm.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Strawberry Gazpacho with whipped ricotta, guanciale, black pepper Tuna Tartare with mango, coconut yuzu custard, white soy Sauerkraut Ball with Yukon gold potato, sauerkraut, prosciutto, pickled beer mustard SECOND COURSE

Paparadelle with beef-cheek bolognese, pecorino romano, porcini breadcrumbs Chilean Sea Bass Honey Roasted Chicken Chipotle BBQ Chicken Vegetarian options available upon request THIRD COURSE

Chocolate Torte with Frangelico mousse, mango, hazelnut crumble Coffee and Donuts with foie gras donut, Turkish coffee affogato GCRW Cock tails

Maker’s Mark Old-Fashioned | $8 Spring Daisy | $8

POMPILIOS

600 Washington Ave., Newport, Ky. 41071 859-581-3065, pompilios.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Toasted Cheese Ravioli Calamari Eggplant Parmigiana with Peppers and Onions SECOND COURSE

Choose Two Entrees, Includes Two Tossed Salads Classic Meat Lasagna Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo Meat or Cheese Ravioli with choice of marinara or meat sauce Eggplant Parmigiana served with rigatoni pasta marinara Chicken Parmigiana served with a side of pasta Italian Sampler: platter of lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, meat and cheese ravioli, meatball and sausage Cheese Tortellini Bolognese THIRD COURSE | + $ 4

Cannoli Tiramisu GCRW Cock tails

Strawberry Basil Bellini Pomps Cosmo

PRIMAVISTA

810 Matson Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45204 513-251-6467, pvista.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Arugula Salad with marsala-soaked apricots, almonds, goat cheese and honey-lemon vinaigrette Potato Gnocci with butter, peas, sage and pancetta Fresh Mozzarella with scallion-pistachio pesto, pepperonata and speck SECOND COURSE

Grilled Pork Chop “Saltimboca” with prosciutto, sage, fontina and provolone cheeses, polenta and veal glaze Sautéed Verlasso Salmon with brown butter-white truffle oil vinaigrette, beets, mushrooms and bacon Crab and Fettuccine with mushrooms, butter, parmesan, arugula and pangrattato THIRD COURSE

Budino di Panettone Tiramisu Espresso Custard

PRIME CINCINNATI

580 Walnut St., Suite 100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-579-0720, primecincinnati.com $35 Lunch & Dinner

SOMM WINE BAR

3101 Price Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45205 513-244-5843, sommwinebarcincinnati.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Roasted Beet Salad Tuna Tartare SECOND COURSE

Hanger Steak with roasted fingerling potatoes, asparagus, charred scallion chimichurri Pork Tenderloin with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, whipped potatoes, currant demi-glace Maryland Rockfish with roasted tomato cannelloni THIRD COURSE

Pecan Pie Chocolate Pot de Crème

FIRST COURSE

Caesar Salad Greek Salad House Salad Lobster Bisque Soup du Jour SECOND COURSE

Crispy Skin Golden Tile Coconut Shrimp with vegetable rice Cajun Berkshire Pork Chop with brown-sage sweet potato gnocchi, maple-bacon Brussels Grilled Cobia with grilled vegetable couscous, dehydrated tomato coulis 6 oz. Petit Filet with roasted shallot mash, julienne vegetables, red wine demiasta primavera THIRD COURSE

Half-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Grippo’s Pretzel-Crusted Triple Chocolate Brownie Key Lime Pie

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

100 E. Freedom Way, Suite 160, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-381-0491, ruthschris.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Caesar Salad Steakhouse Salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette dressing SECOND COURSE

Petite Filet: the most tender cut of corn-fed Midwestern beef broiled expertly to melt-in-your-mouth Salmon: Fresh salmon broiled and served with sizzling lemon butter Stuffed Chicken Breast: oven roasted free-range chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and served with lemon butter Choose One Side Creamed Spinach Garlic Mashed Potatoes Upgrade Your Side | +$5 Sweet Potato Casserole Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

STONE CREEK DINING COMPANY

9856 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, Ohio 45242 513-489-1444 6200 Muhlhauser Road, West Chester, Ohio 45069 513-942-2100, stonecreekdining.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Crab Avocado Mango Salad with field greens, green tomato carpaccio, grapefruit gastrique SECOND COURSE

Blackened Mahi Mahi over Dirty Rice 6 oz. Spiced Chicharron-Crusted Filet served over a corn, bacon and jalapeno cream THIRD COURSE

Strawberry Shortcake

TRIO BISTRO

7565 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 513-984-1905, triobistro.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

Caesar Salad Chopped House Salad Shrimp Bisque SECOND COURSE

6 oz. Black Angus Barrel Cut Beef Tenderloin served with garlic mashed potatoes Lemon Chicken with mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic mashed potatoes and lemon-caper beurre blanc Pan-Seared Steelhead Trout with Rio medley rice, roasted broccoli and thyme-lemon butter Sweet Pea Ravioli with optional lump crab THIRD COURSE

Flourless Chocolate Torte Vanilla Cheesecake Brûlée

WE OLIVE

33 E. Sixth St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-954-8875, weolive.com $25 Lunch & Dinner

THIRD COURSE

FIRST COURSE

Mini Cheesecake with Chocolate Bark

Stuffed Peppadews with fresh goat cheese, genoa salami, picked african peppers and traditional aged balsamic

SEASONS 52

3819 Edwards Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209 513-631-5252, seasons52.com $35 Dinner FIRST COURSE

To Share Roasted Roma Tomato Garlic Pesto Chicken Seasonal Selection SECOND COURSE

Seasonal Spinach Salad Organic Field Greens Crisp Romaine & Baby Kale Caesar

SECOND COURSE

Orchard Salad with arugula, apples, red bell peppers, walnuts, marinated figs, goat cheese, meyer lemon olive oil and fig balsamic Caprese Panini with roasted tomato, basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, basil olive oil, blackberry balsamic Artichoke Caper Flatbread with artichoke caper tapenade, mozzarella, roasted tomato, meyer lemon olive oil, fresh basil chiffonade THIRD COURSE

Blood Orange Brownies with Housemade Whip GCRW Cock tails

Fig & Whiskey | $9

THIRD COURSE

Cedar Plank-Roasted Salmon Wood-Grilled Filet Mignon Wood-Grilled Pork Tenderloin All-Natural Roasted Half Chicken FOURTH COURSE

Two Mini Indulgence Desserts

Restaurants with more than one option listed in the course will give guests a choice on their selection. Menus are subject to change.

G R E AT E R C I N C I N N AT I R E S TA U R A N T W E E K . C O M

925 Riverside Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242, 513-721-7427 400 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017 859-344-5333 9440 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 513-791-3482, montgomeryinn.com $33 Lunch & Dinner

THE NATIONAL EXEMPLAR

SECOND COURSE

Parker’s Specialty 12 oz. cut Roasted Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus with creamy horseradish sauce and choice of one side dish 7 oz. Mesquite Charcoal Grilled Filet Mignon with béarnaise sauce, and choice of one side dish Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops with white cheddar grits, grilled asparagus, roasted tomato purée

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STUFF TO DO Ongoing Shows ONSTAGE: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, OTR (through April 28) VISUAL ART: Immerse Pique, Covington (through May 25)

WEDNESDAY 18

MUSIC: Durand Jones & The Indications bring some vintage Soul revival to the Woodward Theater. See Sound Advice on page 36. MUSIC: Experimental Punk/Hip Hop New Jersey duo Ho99o9 take over the Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 36.

Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty. funnybone.com. — P.F. WILSON EVENT: The 1835 Lecture with Susan Orlean Celebrated journalist and Ohio native Susan Orlean is speaking at The Mercantile Library on Thursday as part of The 1835 Lecture, which focuses on highlighting historic people and events that took place after The Mercantile’s opening in 1835. Orlean is best known for her novel The Orchid Thief Thief, which was adapted into a film starring MERYL STREEP, but she’ll be discussing her upcoming The Library Book, a tale that explores the power of libraries and “her quest to solve a crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out in 1986: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately destroying 400,000 books?” Read

an interview with Orlean on page 28. 6-8 p.m. Free for members; $20 nonmembers. The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St., Downtown, new. mercantilelibrary.com. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE ART: DRAWN and MACROCOSM at Manifest Starting Friday, Manifest will present its fifth-annual international exhibition of contemporary drawing, DRAWN, and a (rare for Manifest) two-room solo exhibition of sculpture and installation by Columbus-based artist Dana Lynn Harper. For her show, MACROCOSM, Harper will transform one room into an immersive visual experience. For the annual DRAWN show, volunteer jurors selected 33 artists from 18 different states and countries who submitted works of drawing in any media relevant to the practice, style or genre as a separate but complementary extension

of Manifest’s International Drawing Annual publication. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday. Through May 18. Free. Manifest, 2727 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, manifestgallery.org. — MARIA SEDA-REEDER

FRIDAY 20

EVENT: The 420 Experience Celebrate the dankest day of the year at mecca OTR, where bleary-eyed locals can burn the midnight (cannabinoid) oil while taking in an exhibit of glass-blown art presented by The Cupboard — Ohio’s oldest headshop. Mecca will dish out the munchies while local artists Ezra Kalmus and Tyler Durden demonstrate live glass-blowing. As if that weren’t cool enough, you and your pals can hit the dancefloor from midnight to 2 a.m., reveling in witchinghour haziness. Don’t miss out on this opportunity: 4/20

only comes around once a year. 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday. Free. mecca OTR, 1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, the-cupboard.net. — JUDE NOEL

SATURDAY 21

MUSIC: Record Store Day at Shake It Most record shops across Greater Cincinnati will participate in Record Store Day, Saturday’s global celebration of independent music retailers (visit recordstoreday.com to see which ones). Recently voted the best “CD/Record Store” by CityBeat readers in our Best Of Cincinnati issue, Shake It Records is once again doing up RSD in a big way. Along with carrying hundreds of the RSD exclusives being made available for the celebration by artists big and small — including a 7-inch vinyl EP from Cincy greats CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

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COMEDY: Steve Byrne Steve Byrne’s latest hour, Tell the Damn Joke, premiered on Showtime last

year to rave reviews. He’d been building the hour since his TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son was cancelled in 2014. “Now I’m writing another scripted show, working on a feature and I’m also working on a documentary on the Amazing Johnathan,” he says. He was also part of last year’s Wild West Comedy Festival in Nashville and the Goddamn Comedy Jam, where comedians do standup and then sing a song. Byrne sang The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” As for Byrne’s other ventures, singing will not be among them. “No way,” he laughs. “I’m not a singer at all. Doing that Goddamn Comedy Jam was really nerve wracking. You’re taking comedians out of their element. It’s reminiscent of the early years of doing stand-up because it’s such a euphoric feeling when you’re done. But I’m not a singer by any stretch.” Through Sunday. $15-$17. Funny

THURSDAY 19

PHOTO: JEREMY DANIEL

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ONSTAGE: The King and I Shall we dance? That’s the question the King of Siam asks Anna Leonowens, a widowed English governess he’s hired to teach his family about Western culture. He wants to modernize his small nation, but he’s not always open to changes. And she’s not quite ready for the feelings they develop for one another. The romantic, tuneful show opened on Broadway in 1951, won five Tony Awards — including Best Musical — and presented more than 1,200 performances during its three-year run. It’s a perennial hit on Broadway: The touring production now at the Aronoff was the Best Revival of a Musical in 2015. Through Sunday. $30-$107. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. — RICK PENDER

The King and I

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Wussy that includes covers of songs by The Beatles, The Afghan Whigs and others — Shake It (which opens at 8 a.m.) will feature morning DJ sets from Cincinnati Hip Hop legends Mr. Dibbs and Animal Crackers and live performances by Lung, Arlo McKinley and area Boogie Woogie piano prodigy Ben Levin. Rhinegeist will also be helping Shake It party, offering the first sips of its Slow Jam IPA at the store, which is also offering a 10 percent discount on your RSD purchase if you bring a canned-good donation. Visit citybeat. com for more on the local Record Store Day action. 8 a.m. Saturday. Free. Shake It Records, 4156 Hamilton Ave., Northside, shakeitrecords.com. — MIKE BREEN COMEDY: Adam Sandler Live with Rob Schneider If you like buddy comedies, stand-up and miss early-’90s SNL, mark your calendar for Saturday.

Adam Sandler and BFF Rob Schneider are coming to the Taft Theatre for an evening of comedy. If you don’t know who Sandler is — or Schneider — there’s a chance you didn’t watch TV or movies from like 1995 until now. After stints on Saturday Night Live, both men (frequently together) went on to make highly quotable movies like Billy Madison (“Stop looking at me, swan”), Happy Gilmore (“You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?”), The Waterboy (“Now that’s what Waterboy I call high-quality H20”), Big Daddy Mr. Deeds, That’s Daddy, My Boy Boy (please watch this if you haven’t) and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (“That’s a huge bitch”). The promo photo for the live show features Sandler with a guitar, so it may be an evening of comedy/stand-up and music. (If so, you can probably bet on a performance of “The Hanukkah Song.”) Whatever the evening holds, it should be entertaining. There’s a reason these guys have

been household names for decades and influenced frat boys and out-of-touch adult males to shout, “Want to touch the hiney” at various women for just as long. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $59.50-$250. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

SUNDAY 22

MUSIC: Texas singer/ songwriter Walker Lukens will shine bright onstage at MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice on page 37. ONSTAGE: Actresses Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt take the stage at the Taft Theatre as their musical duo Nancy And Beth. See interview on page 25. MUSIC: X Ambassadors bring The Joyful Tour to Bogart’s. See interview on page 34. EVENT: Running of the Goebel Goats Covington’s safer and more family-friendly alternative to Pamplona’s Running of

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PHOTO: B. KRAMER

SATURDAY 21

EVENT: Market Bleu There’s a new curated artisan market coming to Cincinnati. Market Bleu, held quarterly at the Contemporary Arts Center, will showcase elevated handmade products and fine arts from local vendors. The juried show includes some of the city’s top makers, including Chertova jewelry, Eco-Raw Studio textiles (from Sonja Thams of Deerhaus Décor), multidisciplinary artist Megan Bickel and Eliza Dot Design hand-dyed textiles from Beth Kalinksy, co-founder of the market. The more streamlined approach to a modern market means there will be a focus on high-quality works from working artists. And the evening hours — the market runs 6-10 p.m. — means it’s a perfect place to pop by before or after dinner or cocktails. 6-10 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, marketbleu.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

PHOTO: PROVIDED

SATURDAY 21

EVENT: Cincinnati Earth Day Despite our president’s logic that cold Decembers in New York have signaled the end of American environmental troubles, Cincinnati’s annual Earth Day celebration will go on this Saturday at Summit Park in Blue Ash. Hosted by the Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition, the environmentally conscious and kid-friendly festival kicks off at noon and will feature educational exhibits, an Earth Day scavenger hunt and a petting zoo. The full schedule is posted online, but you can also expect live music from local bands like Room for Zero, the Brandon Coleman Quartet and Hickory Robot. It’s unclear how one prepares to Rock & Roll with mother nature, but we’re guessing it starts somewhere between fertile soil and local produce. Noon-5 p.m. Free. Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash, cincinnatiearthday.com. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE

WEDNESDAY 25

LIT: Pussyhat creator and artivist Krista Suh discusses and signs her book, DIY Rules for a WTF World, at the Contemporary Arts Center. See interview on page 27.

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

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EVENT: History in Bloom at Spring Grove Go on a tour through history as a horse-drawn carriage takes you around the grounds of Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum. There are three separate docent-led walking tours to choose from: First is the Walk in the Grove/Women of

the Grove, next is the Memorial Mausoleum Windows/ Spring Avenue: Affluent Families of the Gilded Age and last but not least is the History and Heritage tour. The grounds of Spring Grove have been used by horticulturalists since the mid-19th century as an arboretum for the study and display of a diverse array of native and non-indigenous plants and trees, and many will be in full bloom this weekend. See flowering trees and foliage and meet some of the cemeteries notable residents aka people in historic costumes. Noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Free. Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, springgrove.org. — ZACHARY PERRIN

EVENT: Earth Day OTR There’s no time like the present to start advocating for our planet’s health. Let Earth Day be your catalyst for change. Head to Washington Park to recognize the holiday with your fellow Cincinnatians, taking part in

an afternoon’s worth of ecofriendly activities presented by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. From noon-5 p.m., a diverse lineup of international musical acts ranging from the Latin Jazz of April Alosio Trio to Reggae sextet Queen City Silver Stars performs. In the meantime, Chicken Mac and Kona Ice will whip up poultry bowls and snowcones by the truckload while you peruse booths tabled by environmentally conscious vendors, including The Green Store Cincy, Rooted Juicery + Kitchen and Urban Greens. Noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-theRhine, keepcincinnatibeautiful.org. — JUDE NOEL

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the Bulls, the third annual Running of the Goats is your chance to celebrate community on the other side of the Ohio River, snack on local grub and craft beer, indulge in some greenery at the Westside Plant Show and — of course — catch a glimpse of the Goebel Goats’ annual “goat run” to their summer home: Goebel Park. These goats aren’t your everyday animals. They spend the warmer part of the year keeping MainStrasse cleaner, chomping on hardto-tackle tangles of weeds and undergrowth that can sometimes begin to grow at the park. Drop by the Hellman Creative Center Sunday to thank them for their service. 2 p.m. Sunday. Free. Hellman Creative Center, 12th Street and MLK Blvd., Covington, facebook.com/goebelgoats. — JUDE NOEL

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ARTS & CULTURE Megan and Stephanie and Nancy And Beth Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt set acting aside for their inventive and brilliant musical revue, Nancy And Beth BY B R I A N B A K ER

Stephanie Hunt (left) and Megan Mullally PHOTO: MEGAN M U L L A L LY

because these dance moves have taken it to another place.” Mullally adds: “We always have the same feelings about the same songs. We get that feeling where we have to clutch something to hold ourselves upright. One thing we realized last year — and it wasn’t a conscious decision — is we don’t sing victim songs, like torchy, the-man-thatgot-away, my-man-done-me-wrong kind of songs. It’s funny because we never really talked about it.” Much of the duo’s animated choreography winds up complementing the physical arrangements of the songs, which they work out with their crack band. Drummer Joe Berardi was Mullally’s timekeeper in her previous band, Supreme Music Program. Mullally knew violinist Petra Haden as a “weird musical genius.” Hunt connected with keyboardist Datri Bean and bassist Andrew Pressman through a recommendation from the costume designer on Somebody Up There Likes Me. “And they knew a guitar player, and he was our original guitar player, but we killed him and we’ve got a new guitar player and now we’re on the run,” says Mullally, presumably joking. And, with a sly reference to Thelma & Louise, she says, “And that’s why we’re called Nancy And Beth.” Nancy And Beth play the Taft Theatre Ballroom (317 E. Fifth St., Downtown) 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets/more info: tafttheatre.org.

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her frontal lobe. “The name Nancy And Beth came into my head, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll stick it in the middle of the list somewhere and see if she notices,’ ” Mullally says. “I emailed it to her and she immediately emailed back ‘Nancy And Beth.’ If you see the band play live or even just see the music video, it makes total sense, but we can’t explain why it’s called Nancy And Beth because we don’t know.” “It’s part of the thing,” says Hunt. “We both intuitively know why we know what we don’t know.” After gigs at the Newport Folk Festival and opening for the likes of Robert Plant and Emmylou Harris, the pair recorded their eponymous debut album three years ago. But due to their individual schedules, they didn’t release the album or tour again until last year. Like nearly everything else about Nancy And Beth, Hunt and Mullally are intuitive about what songs wind up in their set lists. They change their set every night, and this current tour will feature songs from their 2017 album, a few songs they added to last year’s set and some new ones that they may record when they hit the studio next month for their sophomore release. What makes a good Nancy And Beth cover song? “You feel it in your tummy somehow,” Hunt says. “And the songs are really polished, but it’s a nice juxtaposition because it’s loose and all of a sudden we’re dancing together. Sometimes a song will go from something we weren’t sure about to something amazing,

spelling of the conjunction in their name. “The thing about the name of the band is the ‘A’ is capitalized,” Mullally says. “People have gotten so mad. Certain publications and newspapers were like, ‘We’re not printing it capitalized. It’s not grammatically correct.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah, but that’s the name of the band,’ and they don’t care. We’re Megan and Stephanie and the band’s called Nancy And Beth, so you’ve got to capitalize the ‘And’ or people are going to think it’s four chicks that are going to do the show.” “And we’re just backing up Nancy And Beth,” Hunt says of herself and Mullally. “Why (was) it fine for Ke$ha to have a dollar sign?” Mullally asks, with mock indignance. “Why does the Washington Post not object to that?” Nancy And Beth began six years ago when Hunt and Mullally were both cast in the indie film Somebody Up There Likes Me. The pair escaped the Texas heat by ducking into an air-conditioned car and out of boredom began singing, with Hunt directing Mullally on their impromptu car karaoke set list. “It was very clear that our voices sounded good together and there was something to that,” Hunt says. With little forethought, Hunt and Mullally moved forward with their musical plans, such as they were. While still in Austin, they brainstormed band names, with Mullally documenting on her phone. Back home in Los Angeles, Mullally typed up the list when a new name flashed across

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egan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt seem to thrive on the chaotic activity of their band, Nancy And Beth. For our conference call interview, Mullally is in Los Angeles while Hunt is at a noisy bar in Austin, Texas, on a path to find a quiet spot to hear and be heard. The pandemonium of Hunt’s environment mirrors the duo’s hectic career arcs; both are renowned actors with extensive credits: Hunt has had roles on Friday Night Lights and Californication, as well as in several indie films, and Mullally is best known for her Emmy-winning portrayal of wealthy elitist and unrepentant horndog drunk Karen Walker on Will & Grace, as well as for her work onstage and in films both great and small. None of that matters at the moment. Hunt and Mullally are hitting the road with Nancy And Beth, which is their full band’s name and not the names of characters they play within the band. The band comes to the Taft Theatre Ballroom on Sunday. In Nancy And Beth, the pair utilize exquisite harmonies and inventive arrangements to interpret an almost impossible range of material, from Dinah Washington’s “Harbor Lights” to Joni Mitchell’s “River” to George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” to Gucci Mane’s profane “I Don’t Love Her.” On the latter, which Mullally wryly calls “a feminist anthem,” every eyebrow-raising expletive is left intact and the song’s ubermale perspective is unchanged. “It’s not a comedy band, it’s just a band,” Mullally says. “But when you see it live, you see there’s a lot of wit in the choreography, and between songs we talk about whatever. It’s kind of like this interview — it gets weird.” The biggest controversy the two women have generated is with their chosen

ONSTAGE

Art Meets Science in ‘Ada & the Engine’ BY JAC K I E M U L AY

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CRITIC’S PICK

Ada & the Engine, written by playwright bring a progressive nuance to both men. Lauren Gunderson and now onstage at As Babbage, Griffin mirrors Ada’s passion Know Theatre, outlines the story of titular for numbers and displays both a softness character Ada Byron Lovelace, the headand a darkness in the inventor, who must strong, bubbly and whip-smart daughter of confront hard truths about his heart and the famed Romantic-era poet Lord Byron, intellect. as she reconciles her unique cravings for Davenport conveys the subtlety of a man both science and propriety during the Britwho is very clearly the intellectual inferior ish Industrial Revolution. A mixture of love of his wife, but who also works to control story and historical fiction, the play details and conceal his pride to take the role as a the complicated relationship between Ada supporting and loving husband. and her friend and soulmate Charles BabOne of the most impressive elements of bage, who is often referred to as “the father the show as a whole is the sparse but strikof computers.” Ada is strongly encouraged to study mathematics and logic by her overbearing mother, Lady Annabella Byron, as an antidote to her father’s flamboyant and romantic ways. Ada finds herself consumed by her love of numbers, machinery and all things science. When she first encounters Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer (known as the “Difference Engine”) at a party hosted at his home, sparks fly and minds whir in a fateful conversation leading to life-altering inventions and devastating heartbreak. Ada & the Engine, which Tess Talbot in Ada & the Engine examines history and the intersection of poetry and science, is PHOTO: DAN R. WINTERS ultimately a celebration of the women who dared to imagine new futures involving those pursuits. ing set. Director (and scenic and lighting The women steal the stage at Know, designer) Andrew Hungerford excellently which beautifully reflects the intent of uses the space he designed; the actors the show. The production is driven by don’t leave a single area untouched. Tess Talbot’s captivating portrayal of There is beauty in the simplicity of the Ada. Talbot brings a manic energy to the minimalist set, which features various character and presents Ada as a dynamic levels and very little furniture. Lining the young woman with a proven ability for back wall are thin metal bars positioned love and communication, as well as an directly in front of the cyclorama lights, indisputable aptitude for math and science. which display a wide array of colors to The infectious passion Talbot pours into help set the tone of each scene. But the Ada spreads throughout the ensemble and most impressive aspect of the design is into the audience, which helps hold their the metal doors in the back that swing attention through the moments of dense open silently and seamlessly, solidifying mathematical exchanges. the utilitarian nature of the mechanically Playing dual roles as Lady Annabella inspired set. Overall, the various levels Byron and Mary Sommerville, Ada’s friend work well to help the actors brilliantly disand mentor in mathematics, Annie Fitzplay power dynamics and relationships. patrick expertly brings two wildly different The audience connects with this show characters to life. Through distinctions in a visceral way. One marked moment, between each one’s body language, voice just before the end of the first act, elicited placement and speaking patterns, Fitza chorus of “ooohs” from the audience, patrick delivers a nuanced performance which buzzed with excitement as the lights that creates two strong characters — the came on for intermission. Ada & the Engine first as a rigidly composed, overprotective draws in its audience with unbridled pasmother and the second as a confident and sion and fascinating creativity, making boundary-pushing scientist. sure to give the narrative to Ada and let Behind the women stand Brian Griffin people know what a forgotten pioneer she as Charles Babbage and Cary Davenport was in the field of science. as Lord Lovelace, Ada’s eventual husband. Ada & the Engine is at Know Theatre (1120 They are written by Gunderson to be charJackson St., Over-the-Rhine) through May acters as strikingly complex as their female 12. Tickets/more info: knowtheatre.com. counterparts, and Griffin and Davenport

VISUAL ART

Pussyhat Creator Brings ‘Artivism” Here BY K AT H Y S C H WA R T Z

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The title itself is an Expect to see more attention-grabber: wearers keeping DIY Rules for a WTF watch on politicians World. Then consider before November’s the cover illustramidterm elections. tion of the pink kitty Suh’s book swipes ears that filled the at “the patriarchy,” National Mall in but in our interview Washington, D.C. in she clarifies that she January 2017, when isn’t referring solely more than a million to men. “To me, patriwomen in handmade archy is the idea that caps made “pussy there’s one right way grabs back” their ralof doing something. lying cry. Like those So if you’re a woman, marchers, Krista a person of color or Suh’s book refuses to not the ruling class — be ignored. surprise! — the way The Hollywood you’re doing it is not screenwriter and the right way.” knitter took an idea DIY Rules is written for staying warm and in the conversational in two months turned tone of a BFF, rather it into a worldwide than with the smugmovement known as ness or reserve of Krista Suh The Pussyhat Project. what Suh terms “the A year later, she’s exceptional woman.” PHOTO: RACHEL LEE STROUD written what could Eye-rolling by a skepstand as The Feminine tical reader quickly Mystique for her generation. gives way to feelings of empathy and then During a phone interview, Suh happily empowerment as Suh shares her mistakes and fearlessly accepts being compared to while offering women a toolkit for personal Betty Friedan, author of the groundbreakand global illumination. ing 1963 book that identified for bored “I call it ‘the bad-influence best friend,’ ” housewives “the problem that has no Suh says. Such a woman carries what Suh name.” As she continues her predecessors’ calls the “valid stamp,” ready to help confight for respect, Suh will stop at the Confirm that your seemingly crazy idea is legit. temporary Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on April A pussyhat might sound silly by itself, 25 to sign copies of her own feminist guide, but together they formed an impactful sea subtitled How to Speak Up, Get Creative, of pink. “I think looking at the women who and Change the World. The 30-year-old also came before you, you suddenly realize, ‘Oh, will discuss “artivism.” I’m not just a drop in the ocean, I’m part of Suh slowly changed her personal world a wave that’s going somewhere,’ ” Suh says. when she allowed herself to be creative While she feels a kinship with earlier and have fun. “(Creativity) was certainly leaders like Friedan, Gloria Steinem and marginalized in my life — literally,” she Susan B. Anthony, Suh sets herself apart by says. “I was very much a cliché Asianencouraging today’s feminists to have fun American good girl. I got straight As and I and even be splashy. was pre-med.” But during biology classes Suh says older women who marched at prestigious Barnard College, she found in 1960s and ’70s, plus those who never herself writing poems along the edges of demonstrated before, approach her to say, her notes. “We’ve been waiting for you!” “All through my 20s, I reversed that,” she “Patriarchy is one right way to do somesays. “I started making creativity the main thing,” Suh says. “Creativity means there part of my paper and moved the things are many ways to do something — and you that I wasn’t really, truly interested in into get to choose. I think a woman’s right to the margins.” choose goes beyond reproductive rights. It Suh thinks knitting is perfect for womgoes to how you choose to feel about youren’s protests because crafting is put down self, how you choose to speak up, and how as the “feminine” or “domestic” cousin you choose to get involved. And for some of art. The sexually suggestive pussyhat women, they’ve chosen to be involved via landed on the covers of Time and The New knitting. And I think that’s a really powerYorker because it broke rules. “The content ful statement.” is revolutionary, but the form is really Krista Suh discusses and signs her book revolutionary, too,” Suh says. “They’re both 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Contemporary Arts subversive.” Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown. Free. Her latest fiber project, the evil eye glove, More info: contemporaryartscenter.org. was adopted by gun-control advocates at March for Our Lives demonstrations.

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LIT

Susan Orlean Loves Libraries BY J U DY G EO R G E

Libraries delight Susan Orlean. “A library itself is a character,” she says. “It has this wealth of stories related to it, as well as the story of every person connected to it — all those books and all the people who come through.” Orlean, an author and staff writer for The New Yorker Yorker, will talk about her upcoming work, The Library Book, at the Mercantile Library Thursday evening. The nonfiction book is the story of the largest library fire in the history of the United States, an unsolved arson that destroyed or damaged more than one million books in 1986 and closed the Los Angeles Central Library for six years. Her previous books include the best-selling The Orchid Thief Thief. “What drew me to the subject was touring the L.A. public library for the first time and suddenly realizing all the stories about the library, about how it was developed, about the architect, about the fire,” she says. “One thing that interests me is a place that seems very familiar, but you’ve never stopped and really thought about its history or the people who have been involved in it.” The Library Book combines three threads of narrative: the story of the fire and the man accused of arson, the history of the L.A. library and observations about daily life in a big city library — “a remarkable kind of Grand Central Station with people who are passing through, each with their own stories and each pursuing something in the library,” Orlean says. As a young girl in suburban Cleveland, Orlean saw libraries as a rich and important source of discovery. “I grew up going to libraries all the time,” she says. “I think a lot of people have the same memory of being taken to this treasure chest of fascinating stories, and you could have any of them for free.” Visiting the library was a very particular experience, Orlean says. “I would always go with my mother and, without a specific book in mind, just browse the library. Every step would introduce me to another story, another idea that I had never heard of or didn’t know anything about it. It seemed very magical.” And libraries still seem wondrous. “It’s incredible that our society has created these storehouses of things that we can all share,” she says. “That, in and of itself, is a miraculous thing.” The big boom in libraries occurred in the United States around the beginning of the 20th century, when college was not an option for many people. “The one chance for people to further their education, or to get knowledge or be exposed to great literature was in the libraries,” Orlean says. When the internet exploded, there was a real question of why people needed libraries when so much information was available online. “There are a couple of answers to that,”

Susan Orlean’s new book is about an unsolved arson at the Los Angeles Central Library. PHOTO: GASPER TRIANGLE

she says. “One, a great deal of information is not online — and never will be — because the cost of digitizing all of the material that libraries have is simply insurmountable.” But libraries are also physical spaces, she observes: “There’s a realization that a library is a place, like a city park, that has a very real meaning.” And libraries have begun to offer services and reasons to be a community center. In college, Orlean worked in the law library at the University of Michigan. “It was kind of Zen to shelve books,” she says. “It was weirdly relaxing. I’d get very focused, but also I would see books I would have never seen.” That’s something that delights her: the sense of being physically present with books, the slow pace of exploration and the serendipity of what you might come across in the stacks. “The accidental encounter that a library offers is something very special,” she says. Libraries also preserve stories, which are essential to the human experience. “That is what makes them so indispensable and so remarkable,” she says. “They are where we preserve forever the curiosities and discoveries of the human mind. And that itself is a glorious thing.” Susan Orlean will discuss The Library Book at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Mercantile Library’s 1835 Lecture. Free to members; $20 nonmembers. To RSVP, email reservations@mercantilelibrary.com.

FILM

Facing up to an American ‘Outrage’ BY T T S T ER N - EN ZI

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Since 9/11, the United States government has engaged in an exercise to settle upon a unified definition of terrorism. But as an important recent film being used as a teaching tool here and elsewhere makes clear, this country should look at its own history for guidance — the way white citizens of the South (and sometimes the North) terrorized AfricanActivist Hattie Lawson is featured in the documentary An Outrage. American residents through lynchings. PHOTO: FIELD STUDIO For their 34-minute An Outrage, filmmakers Lance Warren and Hannah Ayers traveled South. The EJI found that in the 1890s, to lynching sites in six states, where they during the height of the lynching epidemic, spoke with descendants of victims. Using “one African-American was killed sometheir accounts, plus archival material and where in the South every four days.” An new interviews with activists and scholars, Outrage’s website states that more than the directors vividly show us the impact of 4,000 African-American men, women and these native-soil terror attacks. Their film children died from just after the Civil War is available to stream for free through the to well into the middle of the 20th century. Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton The EJI staff was intent on looking County’s Kanopy service. Those without beyond the specific acts, in the hopes of access to Kanopy will be able to stream it developing an understanding about the for a small fee from an-outrage.com beginfull impact of the terror created by this ning in May. “sanctioned” violence. What they discovWarren and Ayers have been travelered was that these terrorist strikes were a ing the country presenting An Outrage at cause of the migration of millions of black educational institutions — in January they people from the South, creating a class of were at Xavier University as part of the uniregional refugees and exiles in our country. versity’s MLK Week commemoration; they The National Memorial for Peace and returned to town last week to the National Justice, which stands as the culmination Underground Railroad Freedom Center. of the investigation by the EJI, will open to One important lesson of An Outrage the public on April 26 in Montgomery, Ala. is that lynchings were not occasional The six-acre site incorporates sculpture, murders for which perpetrators tried to art and design to symbolically render the hide their involvement to escape arrest. thousands of lynching victims across the They were often treated like parties by United States. It reminds us that terrorism the white populace, which turned out by had a home here long before 9/11. the hundreds, even thousands, to cheer At the Q&A following the Freedom on and celebrate the act without fear of Center screening of An Outrage, Warren punishment. and Ayers had to worry about potentially Nor were the victims necessarily chosen being seen as white liberal do-gooders who because they had been accused of crimes; might not get the full implications of these perceived “affronts” to racist society could heinous lynchings. But their film itself bring on death and torture. In one notorihelps absolve them of any such charge — it ous case, an African-American postmaster spotlights black citizens addressing their was lynched with his infant daughter own narratives. because his federal appointment violated And then, Warren and Ayers in person the rules of the segregated South Carolina went a step further in asserting their town where he lived. understanding, boldly stating they used The current movement toward recognitheir white privilege in pursuit of getting at tion of lynchings as American terrorism a greater truth about how lynchings could owes much to the Equal Justice Initiative go on for so long. They each eloquently (EJI), founded in 1989 by public-interest spoke of how their skin provided them lawyer and author Bryan Stevenson with access that might have been denied to a commitment “to ending mass incarother filmmakers. And also about how ceration and excessive punishment in the powerful it was for them to stand with their United States, to challenging racial and subjects in such charged locations. economic injustice and to protecting basic Only by directly confronting our own human rights for the most vulnerable terrible past can we, as a nation, truly fight people in American society.” the ongoing acts of terrorism in the world In 2010, its staff embarked on an investitoday. gation into the lynchings in the American

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FOOD & DRINK Baladi Restaurant & Bakery Brings Syrian Cuisine to Clifton The Barazi family realizes the long-held dream of opening their own restaurant BY I L EN E R O S S

CityBeat: Why did you want to come to the United States? Hanan Barazi: I had the idea about America — it’s the free land, it’s the opportunity land and the education. CB: Do you still have family in Syria? HB: I do have family. I have my oldest brother and my oldest sister with her family and with his family. Rana Barazi: All of our people, all of our family were in Syria before the war and no one was planning on going anywhere.

the traditional food, we have the street food. We are very close to the Lebanese, so we are very similar, but they have more French. If we’re talking about Jordanian, they are more Bedouin — they have more rice and meat and yogurt. Heavy stuff. But for us, because we have land and farmers, we have people who specialize in dessert, we have the variety of everything. RB: Syrian food just tastes very clean. It’s not overdone. The spices that you use in the food are really just to enhance the food and the flavors there. So, it’s not confusing. You never wonder, “What am I eating?” With, like, the Foul, it’s like these are fava beans with fresh lemon juice and fresh olive oil and fresh tomatoes and parsley. I can taste everything, and it tastes amazing just as it is. CB: You are devout Muslims and you opened your restaurant during the notably Muslim-averse Trump administration. Has it affected business in any way? RB: No, I think it just goes to show that, “Hey, Trump, most of us are not actually with you, dude.” He doesn’t affect our life. HB: I’m not really into politics. I like to be here to present myself as a Muslim woman for people to see how much I can offer. I’m giving you good food, clean food. This is who I am. You like to come to my restaurant, welcome. You have any objection, you have any question, if I can answer it, I will.

RB: But you contribute how you can. It’s very difficult in the beginning when you first open a restaurant. You do not know the work that goes into it and the work that my mom was doing that she’d never done before. And just seeing her was so exhausting and feeling like, wow, she’s really working more than she should be, but then it’s like, now you’re making a difference. You are a positive Muslim, you are an articulate Muslim, you are an educated Muslim. So that even if it’s just one person a day that comes and meets you and talks to you and feels safe by this new version of a Muslim that they just found out, and they can go and share that with somebody else, then I think that everything that’s hard pays off. HB: I’m just being who I am. That’s the way I like people to see me. I’m so pleased with God’s plan. If I had to make this plan for myself, I can’t. Even though this is a place for food, when I cook, I say, “Bismillah,” in the name of God, and I wish the blessing for everyone (who) come and sit and eat here. Baladi Restaurant & Bakery (3307 Clifton Ave., Clifton) serves authentic Arabic and Syrian dishes with a special focus on baked goods. More info: baladicincy.com.

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

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

CB: How does Syrian food differ from other Middle Eastern foods? HB: It is delicious. We are close to Turkey, so we have (the influence) of the Turkish and the French (Syria gained its independence from the French in 1946). We have the chance of the classic food, we have

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

CB: Is there a misconception here in the U.S. that people aren’t living a normal dayto-day life in Syria? HB: In Damascus, you hear the bombs, you have checkpoints everywhere you go, everything’s so expensive; you always live in fear. RB: But before the war everyone was very happy. It was fine. You were used to your dictator. It was fine — just don’t rock the boat. There were lots of people, like our cousins that were saying, “Be quiet with your freedom. You think you’re going to get your freedom with your protests and your riots? You’re not going to get what you think you’re fighting for.” HB: They numb the people. They’ve been in control for 40 years, so imagine those generation of people from 40 years until now — they are numb. With education, you cannot excel. With business, you cannot excel. They want the people to be like sheep with a remote control.

Hanan (left) and her husband, Suhail Barazi

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any people consider opening a restaurant to be one of the most daunting business opportunities there can be. But if you’ve already managed to gather up your young family, leave a country run by a dictator and relocate to a land where you don’t speak the language, perhaps opening a restaurant isn’t so dif difficult after all. Thirty years ago, Syrian troops under the government of Hafez al-Assad — father of current President Bashar al-Assad — unleashed a bloody 27-day attack on the town of Hama, killing approximately 25,000 people. The assault was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of tensions that had built up over many years between al-Assad’s government and political opponents. The country was left brutalized and in fear. While not in direct response to that attack but after realizing the country was not going to change for the better, Suhail and Hanan Barazi left Syria in 1986 and followed family to Kent, Ohio in search of the American dream and a better education for their children. Suhail came first for six months to work two shift-jobs to save up enough money to send funds back for airfare for Hanan and their three small children. Over the course of the next 31 years, Hanan learned English and how to drive a car, took care of her home, raised and expanded her brood to eight, taught Arabic and Quran at her mosque, and cooked and volunteered at her children’s schools. But all along there was a love of the food of her homeland and the desire to share that food with people. Last June, the time was finally right and Hanan and her daughter Rana, who had moved to Cincinnati as a married woman, finally realized that dream when they opened Baladi Restaurant & Bakery in Clifton. According to the restaurant’s website, Baladi means “my country” in Arabic, which describes how the Barazi’s want their guests to feel — welcomed and at home. We recently sat down with them to discuss Syrian food, family, the current state of affairs in their homeland and the importance of their faith.

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THE DISH

Meet Salazar’s Female Chef de Cuisine BY AU S T I N G AY L E

The lingering fires of misogynistic ideologies still fuel the misguided opinions that place women behind the stove at home but away from restaurant kitchens. Erin Wilshire, the newly named chef de cuisine at Over-the-Rhine’s Salazar, overcame these archaic ideals, rising above the hurdles that stand between women and commercial cuisine to lead one of the few female-dominated kitchens in Cincinnati. And, despite standing at the forefront of breached gender boundaries, she sees the progressive dynamic in the kitchen as the afterthought it should be. “Everybody’s different, male or female,” Wilshire says. “You just have to learn how to manage personalities, not so much genders… You can learn from anybody in the kitchen.” Wilshire’s receptive approach to both working within and managing a kitchen has proven pivotal in her swift ascent of the culinary totem pole at Salazar over the past three years. “In every kitchen that I’ve worked in, I go in with the same mentality: just working my ass off and trying really hard to learn as much as possible and move through the kitchen,” she says. “It’s paying a lot of attention to the stations above me and working really hard to get myself set up to help other people and learn more stuff.” A graduate of Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute, Wilshire worked for Newport caterer eat well celebrations and feasts before joining Salazar as its first female line cook. She took on her current role as chef de cuisine in February of this year, replacing longtime chef Andy Hiner, who moved on from Salazar to accept a position at Maplewood Kitchen and Bar. “I think that maybe a lot of females think that they may not be able to handle the heat and the stress,” Wilshire says in regard to why the industry is so maledominated. “It’s a lot of hours; it’s a lot of work. You have to be really committed to it, male or female. It’s a lifestyle. It’s not just a job. You’re there open to close every day. You don’t have much of a social life outside of the bar at the end of the night with your friends from the kitchen.” Since August, Meranda Weathers has worked both alongside and beneath Wilshire as a line cook. She attests to Wilshire’s appetite for learning from others. “She’s driven, focused,” Weathers says. “It’s also kind of cool because she is willing to collaborate and listen to everyone else’s opinion rather than only focusing on her vision… She works with the rest of the personalities in the kitchen to make that (vision) come to be.” Wilshire also leans on Salazar’s owner and executive chef, Jose Salazar, to refine her craft in the kitchen and better

Erin Wilshire (in a blue bandana) and her team PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

understand the business side of the restaurant. A key cog in Cincinnati’s rapidly expanding restaurant culture dating back to 2008, Salazar says that Wilshire’s transition from sous chef to chef de cuisine has gone swimmingly, calling her a “bad-ass young chef.” “Erin is a smart, passionate and talented person,” he says. “Her work ethic and stamina is something that I think make her one of the best young chefs in town.” Salazar has turned to Wilshire to reflect her strengths in the restaurant’s menu and other work behind the scenes. “She has been instrumental in many dif different changes,” Salazar says. “She particularly assists me with the sweet items on the menu because I am someone who doesn’t excel at making deserts. On the savory side of the menu, she recently came up with this delicious beet and rhubarb dish with a preserved lemon vinaigrette.” Wilshire’s dish is a component of a recent menu change, which she and Salazar had significant roles in bringing to fruition. Keeping the restaurant’s menu on a constant rotation and matching ingredient lists to the seasons are strategies the two “are big on” given their tight-knit relationship with local farmers, Wilshire says. Weathers, who also contributed to the menu with a Samoa-inspired dessert, is specifically interested in seeing Wilshire test her talents on her own menu rather than another’s recipe. “It’s cool to finally see her put onto the menu versus onto the plate,” Weathers says, “because I’ve seen her put herself onto the plate within another chef’s perspective, but I think it will be interesting to see her cook the food that she imagines.” Salazar will run off the recent menu change for the foreseeable future, which is expected to be the first of many with “Ms. Erin Wilshire” penned at the bottom. Salazar is located at 1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: salazarcincinnati.com.

CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 18

Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week — Since 2016, Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week has been offering a curated craft dining experience at restaurants across the city: special chef-prepared, multi-course prix fixe menus priced between $25 and $35. Diners pick and choose from course options to build their own three-dish dinner. Basically, you get a lot of fancy food for cheap for one week only. Through April 22. More information and GCRW menus at greatercincinnatirestaurantweek.com.

Savor Cincinnati — Cincinnati Magazine’s five-night dinner series features custom menus and chef collaborations. Each five-course meal — with wine pairings — will be prepared by a duo of chefs, like Ryan Santos and Brad Bernstein on Thursday. 6-9 p.m. nightly through Friday. $125 each. Pinecroft at Crosley Estate, 2366 Kipling Ave., Mount Airy, cincinnatimagazine.com. Cincy Top 10 Food Tour — Enjoy a tasty sightseeing tour that stops by 10 Cincinnati landmarks and five restaurants the city is famous for. The jaunt includes lunch, an all-day streetcar pass and a three-hour tour. Tasting locations cover Taste of Belgium, Graeter’s, Skyline, Holtman’s and more. 10 a.m. $49 adult; $39 children. Leaves from Taste of Belgium, 16 W. Freedom Way, The Banks, Downtown, riversidefoodtours.com.

THURSDAY 19

Yappy Hour at Washington Park — Grab your furry friend for happy hour at Washington Park’s Southwest Porch. There will be drink specials and doggothemed fun. 5-8 p.m. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-theRhine, washingtonpark.org. TBSP & Friends: Stir Fry with Chef Mapi of Quan Hapa — Chef Mapi De Veyra of Quan Hapa heads to Findlay Kitchen to teach students how to make a stir

Most classes and events require registration and classes frequently sell out. fry. 6-9 p.m. $75. Tablespoon Cooking Co., Findlay Kitchen, 1719 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, tablespooncookingco.com/classes.

FRIDAY 20

The Original Findlay Market Tour — Learn about the history of Ohio’s oldest public market while taking a tour and enjoying small bites from five specialty merchants. 11 a.m. Friday. $20; $5 optional wine tasting. Leaves from the information desk at Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatifoodtours.com. Ault Vines Fine Wines — Head to Ault Park for an evening of food, wine and friends. There will be tastings, an art show, live music and more. 6:30-10 p.m. $40. Ault Park, 5090 Observatory Circle, Hyde Park, aultparkac.org. Pirates Cove Opening Weekend — This East End party bar opens for its 25th season, featuring Key West-inspired eats, drink specials and more. 4 p.m. Free admission. Pirate’s Cove Tropical Bar and Grill, 4609 Kellogg Ave., East End, facebook.com/ piratescovecincy.

SATURDAY 21

Record Store Day Slow Jam Release — Rhinegeist celebrates Record Store Day with the release of Slow Jam, an IPA, plus plenty of related merch at Shake It Records. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission. Shake It Records, 4156 Hamilton Ave., Northside, rhinegeist.com. Listermann Terrcotta Army Can Release — The Cincinnati Art Museum’s hotly anticipated exhibit, Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China, opens Friday and by Saturday you could be sipping a themed Terracotta Army New England Red IPA. The ale, “fit for a warrior,” was brewed in collaboration with Listermann Brewing Company and features galaxy and citra hops, hints of tropical fruit and a red tint, which mimics terracotta

clay. A launch party will kick off sales at Listermann at 10 a.m. 10 a.m. Free admission. Listermann Brewing Co., 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, listermannbrewing.com. Building a Vegetable Garden Bed at Home — Get ready to learn how to grow fruits and vegetables in a raised wooden bed, with a design taken from traditional market gardening techniques and permaculture. 10 a.m.-noon. $20. Turner Farm, 7400 Given Road, Indian Hill, turnerfarm.org. Urban Artifact Third Birthday — The Northside brewery and music venue celebrates three years with a special sanctuary bottle release and all-day live music. Noon-midnight. Free admission. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, facebook.com/ urbanartifactbrewing. Cellarman’s Tour — The Brewing Heritage Trail leads this tour featuring 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 a lagering cellar and a beer tasting at the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom. 12:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. $25. Leaves from the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, brewingheritagetrail.org.

MONDAY 23

Monday Midnight Diner Series — Chef Hideki Harada is back at the Northside Yacht Club for a new pop-up series. Promoting his forthcoming venture, Kiki, Harada will be making Japanese bar food. There will be gyoza, karaage Japanese fried chicken, mixed ramen and Yuko’s vegetarian curry donuts. 8:30 p.m.-midnight. Prices $3-$11. Northside Yacht Club, 4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com.

CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 18

THURSDAY 19

FRIDAY 20

SATURDAY 21

Building a Vegetable Garden Bed at Home — Get ready to learn how to grow fruits and vegetables in a raised wooden bed, with a design taken from traditional market gardening techniques and permaculture. 10 a.m.-noon. $20. Turner Farm, 7400 Given Road, Indian Hill, turnerfarm.org.

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Urban Artifact Third Birthday — The Northside brewery and music venue celebrates three years with a special sanctuary bottle release and all-day live music. Noon-midnight. Free admission. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, facebook.com/ urbanartifactbrewing. Cellarman’s Tour — The Brewing Heritage Trail leads this tour featuring 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 a lagering cellar and a beer tasting at the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom. 12:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. $25. Leaves from the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, brewingher brewingheritagetrail.org.

MONDAY 23

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Listermann Terrcotta Army Can Release — The Cincinnati Art Museum’s hotly anticipated exhibit, TerTer Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China, opens Friday and by Saturday you could be sipping a themed Terracotta Army New England Red IPA. The ale, “fit for a warrior,” was brewed in collaboration with Listermann Brewing Company and features galaxy and citra hops, hints of tropical fruit and a red tint, which mimics terracotta

clay. A launch party will kick off sales at Listermann at 10 a.m. 10 a.m. Free admission. Listermann Brewing Co., 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, listermannbrewing.com.

TBSP & Friends: Stir Fry with Chef Mapi of Quan Hapa — Chef Mapi De Veyra of Quan Hapa heads to Findlay Kitchen to teach students how to make a stir

fry. 6-9 p.m. $75. Tablespoon Cooking Co., Findlay Kitchen, 1719 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, tablespooncook tablespooncookingco.com/classes.

STEAKS

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

MUSIC A Joyful Noise AltPop hitmakers X Ambassadors hit the road ahead of their anticipated new album BY A L A N S C U L L E Y

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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Ambassadors’ fans have gone almost three years since the release of VHS, the album that thrust the group from Ithaca, N.Y. into the Pop spotlight behind the hits “Renegades,” “Jungle” and “Unsteady.” But by no means have those fans been left empty handed while waiting for a follow-up album. In just the past 12 months, the group has released six singles. That’s an interesting approach to take when following up a breakthrough hit album — and it may be the wave of the future, especially for major-label acts. The new music is first parceled out in a series of singles, while the album is saved for release at some to-be-determined point, perhaps after a single starts to make noise online, on radio or on a streaming service, or to create anticipation for a major tour. Whatever the strategy, X Ambassadors keyboardist Casey Harris is fine with a shift in focus toward singles. He said it suits a group like X Ambassadors that always has new songs in the works. “We’re always writing material and we always just want to put out material for people to hear,” he says. “We have so much material that we’re sitting on that it was practically leaking out our ears. We sort of had to release tracks to relieve a little bit of the pressure at some points. But we also want to find out, to be honest, what people like. I feel like the best way to do that is to write tracks that we like and release them and see what people think.” Harris also believes putting out singles aligns with how music gets heard these days. “With everyone listening on streaming services and on their phones, and as important as radio still is, I would say the singles-focused market is purely driven by streaming, because playlists and (the way) people jumble (them),” he says. “People are really listening to single tracks by dif different artists. It’s really powerful because you have a higher chance of at least getting some of your material heard if it happens to be on a ‘what’s new’ playlist or whatnot.” Of the post-VHS VHS singles that were released last year, including “Hoping,” “Torches” and “The Devil You Know,”

X Ambassadors P H O T O : C AT I E L A F F O O N

only “Ahead of Myself” made much of a chart impact, going Top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative chart and Top 15 on the Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts. Riding the momentum of “Ahead of Myself,” the singles released so far this year — “Joyful” and “Don’t Stay” (from January and February, respectively) — have scored airplay and received positive feedback from fans. Meanwhile, the next X Ambassadors album remains in something of a holding pattern. Titled Joyful, Harris says it is essentially finished, with 13 songs in place (including the two singles from this year), but “spring 2018” is as precise of a “release date” given so far. Even with the band’s pivot to releasing single songs, the musicians have still been mindful of making the new album a larger, cohesive artistic statement instead of just a collection of unrelated singles. “We always have the album in focus whenever we’re thinking about releasing singles these days, because the album is really the centerpiece of our writing from the past year or so,” Harris says. “The songs (on Joyful) do sort of run a story arc. I don’t want to give away really what that it is, because it should be obvious when you listen to the album itself. But it definitely runs a story arc and is of a theme.” Musically, Harris didn’t offer many clues about how Joyful compares to the Hip Hopinflected Pop Rock of VHS, but he seems confident that fans of the previous album will like what they hear on the new one.

“As much as I love VHS and still really love playing that material live, this album is musically and songwriting-wise — and performance-wise and production-wise — head and shoulders above where VHS was,” he says. But fans liked VHS just fine. The album went Gold, while “Renegades” was a platinum single and “Unsteady” went double platinum. It was a nice payoff for a band that had waited a good while for its moment in the spotlight. Formed in 2009 by Harris and his brother Sam (vocals/guitar), drummer Adam Levin and longtime friend and guitarist Noah Feldshuh (who has since left the group), X Ambassadors initially based itself out of New York City, where the group gradually gained a local following. In 2012, the band independently released a single, “Unconsolable,” which started getting radio play on a station in Norfolk, Va., where it was heard by Dan Reynolds, frontman of Imagine Dragons. Reynolds tipped off producer/songwriter Alex Da Kid to the band and soon X Ambassadors was signed to Kid’s KIDinaKORNER imprint, which is distributed by major label Interscope. X Ambassadors then went to work on VHS, with Kid producing. Despite no clear release date for the album, the band’s just-launched road jaunt is dubbed “The Joyful Tour.” Running through mid-June, X Ambassadors’ set list will vary somewhat from night to night, with a mix of songs from VHS, the recent singles and at least a couple

of yet-to-be-released tracks from Joyful. Throughout the tour, the core trio is joined by an additional guitarist, as well as three backing singers. “It’s really incredible having them all playing with us,” Harris says of the auxiliary Ambassadors. “I love having a stage full of lots of people.” Harris is loving life offstage, as well. In March, he married his girlfriend of five years, Olivia. And life in X Ambassadors is better than ever for the keyboardist, who has been visually impaired since birth, finding his passion as a child via a piano in the family home. He later graduated from the School of Piano Technology for the Blind and was a professional piano tuner up until X Ambassadors’ career skyrocketed. “It’s amazing. I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing with my life if I wasn’t in this band,” Harris says. “We’re all like family now. We know each other so well — we spend way too much time with each other. But we’re really close. We know how each other works. We know what makes each other tick at this point. I can’t tell you how grateful and how lucky I feel to have had a band that’s remained this close and this constant for so long. “And I’m grateful that me and my brother get along so well. He’s my rock, you know, he’s the best — him and my wife, of course. Yeah, it’s pretty incredible.” X Ambassadors play Bogart’s on Sunday. Tickets/more show info: bogarts.com.

SPILL IT

Wild Carrot Returns with Sublime New LP BY M I K E B R EEN

BY M I K E B R EE N

Rock Hall Party Poopers

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was again an odd affair, not in a “those rockers are so weird” way, but more “these old guys have issues.” The tinge of Jon Bon Jovi’s ungratefulness showed a baffling lack of self-awareness, coming off as if he saw himself as The Beatles incarnate after saying he’d been rewriting his induction speech since childhood and that sometimes it’s been a “thank you” speech and other times it’s “the ‘fuck you’ speech” because the band had to wait a whole 10 years to earn the nod. Bon Jovi played two early big hits that sound exactly alike and a song from 2016 — “one of the few times in Hall of Fame history that a group has played a new song,” according to Rolling Stone. The Hair Metal Lite group turned generic Radio Rock staple turned Adult Contemporary act is still massively popular, but their influence and effect on music seems negligible — quick, what bands wouldn’t exist were it not for ’Jovi? Creed? Staind?

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Dire Fire

Meanwhile, Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler didn’t even show up for his band’s induction (perhaps realizing his band wasn’t really worthy?). In fact, half of the Dire Straits musicians inducted didn’t make it to the event. There was no post-induction performance or tribute, and the Rock Hall apparently couldn’t find anyone to justify the group’s induction — for the first time ever, there was no guest induction speaker, leaving Dire Straits’ bassist John Illsley to begin the members’ speeches with, “It’s my honor to welcome Dire Straits into the Hall Of Fame.”

Read us on your phone when you’re at the bar by yourself.

Big Thinkin’

the all-new

.com

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

It’s unimaginable what Kanye West will say when he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but going by his reputation thus far, it will probably be interesting and weird. The rapper recently reactivated his dormant Twitter account, which was always a good indication of where his head was (like Trump’s Twitter but not terrifying). The best new bits have been philosophical nuggets like, “Some people have to work within the existing consciousness while some people can shift the consciousness.” West has apparently been big thinkin’ a lot lately — he recently said he is working on a “philosophy book” called Break the Simulation.

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Before “Americana” became a buzzword (on piano, xylophone and “harp synth”), for the broad spectrum of American Roots Brandt Smith (dobro and backing vocals), music, Wild Carrot’s music exemplified it. Brenda Wolfersberger (harmony vocals) Singers/multi-instrumentalists Pam and the stellar Their Roots Band musicians Temple and Spencer Funk have been making music that lovingly and gracefully combines elements of vintage and contemporary Folk, Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass and other Roots stylings since the late ’90s, officially releasing their first album, Defined, in 1999. That’s also around the time Temple began her tenure at WNKU, the beloved Northern Kentucky radio station that ceased operations last year. Temple hosted shows like the live Studio 89 performance series and The Front Porch, on which she played a diverse mix of Roots music similar to what’s contained within the Wild Carrot sound. Along the way, Wild Carrot (which, when expanded Wild Carrot’s Between the Darkness & the Light with other musicians and singers beyond the duo forPHOTO: PROVIDED mat, is billed as “Wild Carrot and Their Roots Band”) has received numerous accolades, toured Suzanna Barnes (fiddle) and Andrew Wilthe country, were designated Folk Music liams (bass). The album also sounds fanAmbassadors by the U.S. State Department tastic, with the production (it was largely twice and released four albums, including recorded with Archer and Noah Diamond a swinging full-length collaboration with at Cincinnati’s Last Riff Studio) bringing Jazz artist Hank Ross featuring several forth the songs’ natural, lush warmth. NYC Jazz players. The official hometown release show for Wild Carrot recently returned to the CD Between the Darkness & the Light is Sunday, bin (the digital version is coming soon) April 22 at Leo Coffeehouse, the longtime with Between the Darkness & the Light Light, its Folk/Roots music showcase hosted by the fifth album and first release since 2010’s Queen City Balladeers (featuring open Live: Crowd Around the Mic. The new mics, jam sessions, songwriting workshops album is a wonderful display of Temple’s and more) where Temple and Funk first songwriting prowess, which is at peak met in 1991. The Sunday showcase is curstrength on tracks like the silky, flowing rently held at Zion United Church of Christ “Talking with Ghosts,” “Now I Fly,” the (2301 Indian Mound Ave., Norwood, zionbillowy “Cold December Day” and “(The churchucc.org). Showtime this Sunday is Power of a) Pancake Breakfast,” a homey 6:30 p.m. For more on Leo Coffeehouse ode to things like community and interevents, visit queencityballadeers.org. relatedness that particularly resonates in Wild Carrot and Their Roots Band will our digital distraction age. The album also also perform a free morning show on April includes a few covers, including fantastic 20 on the Middletown campus of Miami versions of songs by two of Wild Carrot’s University. Part of the school’s “Fantastic more obvious influences — Emmylou HarFree Fridays,” the 10 a.m. appearance ris (“Red Dirt Girl”) and Joni Mitchell (“A at Dave Finkelman Auditorium (4200 N. Case of You”). University Blvd., miamioh.edu/regionBeyond the writing and top-notch als) is described as an interactive perarrangements, Between the Darkness & formance,” as the group performs and the Light also includes some excellent discusses American Roots music over the performances from Temple (whose honeylast century. dripped vocals are always one of Wild CarGet more on Wild Carrot at wildcarrot. rot’s best selling points) and Funk (who, as net and facebook.com_wildcarrotmusic. always, provides some stellar lead guitar), Contact Mike Breen: as well as musicians like Jazz guitarist mbreen@citybeat.com Brad Myers (on mandolin), David Archer

MINIMUM GAUGE

JBM PROMOTIONS presents

SOUND ADVICE

Durand Jones & the Indications P H O T O : H O R AT I O B A I T Z

Durand Jones & The Indications with Ernie Johnson from Detroit

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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Wednesday • Woodward Theater

In just the past couple of years, fans of the vintage Soul revival lost two of its brightest lights when both Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley passed away after battling cancer. But a new wave of like-minded musicians provides assurance that the pure, live-wire sound pioneered by artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding isn’t going away anytime soon and new music inspired by that generation of artists will continue to be made. Durand Jones & The Indications is one of the best of the current Soul-shaking acts. Formed at Indiana University in Bloomington, the group’s popularity is currently the highest it’s ever been; with a summer touring itinerary that includes the Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza festivals, it seems certain that by year’s end, Jones & Co. — who have performed several times in Cincinnati over the past couple of years — should be even more widely known nationwide and beyond. Jones, a Louisiana native, first got into music when his grandmother gave him a saxophone as a child, leading him to pursue music in college, which is eventually how he ended up at IU doing postgrad work at the college’s Jacobs School of Music. When a “Soul Revue” show for which he was writing horn arrangements needed vocalists, he pitched in and moved up to the mic. Hearing Jones’ remarkable, elastic voice today, when his colleagues — including his future bandmate, guitarist Blake Rhein — first heard him sing, it had to have brought about a severe case revelatory goose-bumps. Fellow classmates Kyle Houp (bass), Aaron Frazer (drums) and Justin Hubler (organ) began writing and honing their chops, developing a tight Soul

Ho99o9 PHOTO: HADAS DI

explosiveness worthy of their influences. Initially just a hobby, Durand Jones & The Indications recorded its self-titled debut after several years of playing and writing on Sunday nights for fun and stress relief. Though — or perhaps because of — the hobbyist approach and low “budget” recording ($425.11!), the release of the album on Loveland, Ohio Soul label Colemine Records (the label counterpart of the Plaid Room Records store) found an audience enamored by the raw, salt-ofthe-earth vibe. Coupled with the band’s magnetic live presence, the album and group’s reputation has continued to grow since its 2016 release, leading to a reissue via indie label Dead Oceans and Colemine. The deluxe version of Durand Jones & The Indications also includes a digital live album. (Mike Breen)

Ho99o9 with 3TEETH, Street Sects and Relic

Wednesday • Southgate House Revival Music has an interesting tradition of playing fast and loose with the alphabet when it comes to naming conventions. The most prominent example would be Prince and his “love symbol,” and the most obscure

Walker Lukens PHOTO: PROVIDED

achieved the critical acclaim that has been heaped on Texas singer/songwriter Walker Lukens over the past five years. Sadly, a disproportionate amount of those accolades have been lavished upon Walter Lukens, in yet another glaring example of Google unilaterally deciding that most of us can’t even be trusted with a keypad. No, Google, we did not mean “Walter Lukens,” because we typed “Walker Lukens” and if you continue to badger people about this, we’re going to wish you a nasty end by way of autocorrect asphyxiation. So there. Born in Houston and based in Austin, Texas, Lukens received broad exposure with his 2013 debut album, Devoted, which inspired a critical response that identified him as “one of the best songwriters in Texas.” Considering that Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Guy Clark would fit comfortably in that particular category, one would have to consider such praise as ridiculously high. But it’s not hard to understand the compliment after hearing Lukens’ work; there are touches of Lone Star psychedelia and ripping Roots Rock woven into his Folk/ Pop fabric, all of it appointed by his crafty lyrics and a voice reminiscent of Anthony Keidis if he’d been born and reared in Texas. And take a look at the cover of Lukens’ third EP, 2017’s Ain’t Got a Reason; he looks like Seth Green strapping on a Fender Jazzmaster and copping a pigeontoed New Wave Elvis Costello pose. And it’s not just music journalism wonks lining up behind Lukens. Early on, Lukens met Spoon drummer/producer Jim Eno in an Austin bar and he was so impressed that he invited Lukens and his band, The Side Arms, to record in his studio, Public Hi-Fi. And that implicit endorsement has sent Lukens and his band on any number of cross-country barnstorming tours. Last fall, Lukens finally dropped his sophomore album, Tell It to the Judge, and like any selfrespecting phenom, he created his strongest set of songs to date. Alabama Shakes and Sturgill Simpson trembled on this same brink before blowing up; this might be your best chance to see Walker Lukens shine bright on a small stage. (BB)

A good many artists have toiled forever and never

Wednesday 4/18

wed 18

the wild reeds, sky hank

thu 19

parker gispert

CLOSED for Private Event 8-11

Fri 20

hissing tiles, eugenius

Friday 4/20

s at 21

bumpus

sun 22

walker lukens, dark colour

mon 23

anna burch, carriers

tue 24

word of mouth: open poetry writer’s night w/ lucas

Jess Lamb & The Factory 8-11

Thursday 4/19

Jess Lamb & The Factory 8-12

saTurday 4/21 Emmaline Band 8-12 cocktaiLs

firepLaces

Wed. - Fri. open @ 5pm | 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

TICKE TS AVAIL ABLE AT THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE LOUNGE OR TICKE TFLY.COM 4/18 - shawn james (solo); 3teeth, h09909: lights out america; april artist in residence chris comer trio, tom the torpedoes, dick sorice

4/18

DuranD Jones & the inDications ernie Johnson From Detroit

4/19 - prison book club, calumet, wilder

Midge Ure and Paul Young – June 21, Ludlow Garage Blackberry Smoke/JJ Grey & Mofro – Aug. 11, PNC Pavilion Andrea Bocelli – Oct. 19, U.S. Bank Arena MC50 – Oct. 25, Bogart’s Kansas – Nov. 9, Taft Theatre

4/20 - salt orchard cd release; tommy castro & the painkillers - stompin’ ground tour; ben levin & the heaters 4/21 - sierra hull; mack mckenzie, jamie suttle; cincinnati noir dance night 4/22 - rod hamdallah (legendary shack shakers), breaking glass; matt woods & the natural disasters, arlo mckinley & the lonesome sound, adam lee 4/24 - billy strings, maria carrelli; dan conn (of dan conn & the travelin kind)

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

4/26

caLexico rYLeY waLker

4/24

Frenship, Yoke Lore

4/27 BuLLY, sheLLshag, swim team buy tickets at motr or woodwardtheater.com

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Sunday • MOTR Pub

Too Many Zooz – June 20, Taft Theatre (Ballroom)

no cover

Walker Lukens with Dark Colour

Andy McKee – June 17, Southgate House Revival

1345 main st motrpub.com

A P R I L 18 - 2 4 , 2 0 18

would likely be Post Punk/New Wave band XBXRX, which could be read X Box Rocks or Ex-Boxer Ten or Zeebex Prescription, but was just a roll call of their letter string. To the pantheon of alphabetical codetalkers, we add Ho99o9, the experimental Punk/Hip Hop duo from New Jersey. (For the record, it’s pronounced “Horror.”) Ho99o9 began six years ago when theOGM and Eaddy met as members of the NJstreetKLAN, a performing arts collective based in Newark, N.J. While the duo was deeply influenced by old school Gangsta Rap and Hip Hop like Bone Thugsn-Harmony and DMX, they also frequently road-tripped to New York to catch underground Punk shows. With Ho99o9’s formation, theOGM and Eaddy combined their musical loves — which include former White Zombie frontman and horror film auteur Rob Zombie and Ice T’s Body Count — into an incredibly powerful and visceral Industrial/Punk/Hip Hop presentation that has been yardsticked against the likes of Death Grips, Big Black and Ministry. Since 2012, Ho99o9 has released a pair of EPs, a single and a mixtape in tandem with a series of grindhouse-inspired music videos, and they’ve spread their Industrial Hip Hop gospel at festivals around the world, including Afropunk and South By Southwest, where their show was halted due to the full metal moshing they inspired. Last year, Ho99o9 finally released its debut full-length album, United States of Horror Horror, to somewhat mixed reviews, although hardcore fans seemed to be more than satisfied. And whatever edge has been perceived to Future Sounds be recently sanded down The Devil Makes Three by the duo certainly gets – May 12, Madison sharpened when Ho99o9 Theater takes the stage. Strap in, hold on and set the controls David Allen Coe – June for the heart of metallic Hip 2, Ludlow Garage Hop darkness. (Brian Baker)

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 18

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Deer Tick with John Moreland. 8 p.m. Rock/ Alternative/Americana. $25, $27 day of show.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Jess Lamb & The Factory. 8 p.m. Alt/Soul/ Rock/Pop. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Pam Mallory and Wayne Yeager. 7 p.m. Jazz.

MADISON LIVE - Caitlyn Smith with Andrea Davidson. 8 p.m. Country. $15, $18 day of show.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Losing Lucky. 8 p.m. Roots. Free.

MOTR PUB - The Wild Reeds with Sky Hank. 10 p.m. Indie Folk. Free. PIT TO PLATE - Pit to Plate Bluegrass Night with Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. 7 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Chris Comer Trio with Tom The Torpedoes and Dick Sorice. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - 3TEETH and Ho99o9. 8 p.m. Industrial/Hip Hop/Alt/ Various. $18. TAVERN ON THE BEND Carl G. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free. URBAN ARTIFACT - Blue Wisp Big Band. 8:30 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

A P R I L 18 - 2 4 , 2 0 18

WOODWARD THEATER - Durand Jones & The Indications with Ernie Johnson From Detroit. 8 p.m. Soul/Funk. $12, $14 day of show.

THURSDAY 19

BLIND LEMON - Mark Macomber. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Todd Hepburn and Friends. 8 p.m. Various. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Rusty Burge and Steve Allee. 7 p.m. Jazz.

FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY - Ricky Nye. 6 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. THE HAMILTON - Will Pope. 7 p.m. Guitar. Free. HORSE & BARREL - John Ford. 6 p.m. Blues/Roots. Free. IRISH HERITAGE CENTER - The Alt. 7 p.m. Irish Folk. $24, $26 day of show. LUDLOW GARAGE - The Verve Pipe. 8 p.m. Alternative Rock. $17-$40. MOTR PUB - Parker Gispert. 10 p.m. Rock. Free.

THE REDMOOR - Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra Meets Bowie. 7 p.m. Jazz/Bowie tribute. $20. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Prison Book Club, Calumet and Wilder. 8 p.m. Roots/ Americana/Various. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT Marcus Alan Ward, Mister Moon and The Willy Clark Band. 8 p.m. Alt/Soul/ Pop/Rock/Various. Free.

FRIDAY 20

BLIND LEMON - Donna Frost. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Super Bob. 8 p.m. Rock/ EDM/Hip Hop/Various. Cover.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Jess Lamb & The Factory. 8 p.m. Alt/ Soul/Rock/Pop. Free. CAFFÈ VIVACE - Brad Myers Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz.

THE COMET - Headroom, David Nance and Sarn Helen. 10 p.m. Psych/Rock/ Pop/Various. Free. CROW’S NEST - The Woodsheep. 10 p.m. Americana. Free. THE DRINKERY - MixTape. 6 p.m. Rock. HILLSIDE GASTROPUB Sonny Moorman Group. 8:30 p.m. Blues JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - C-RAS. 9 p.m. Reggae/Soul/Various. $5. KNOTTY PINE - Final Order.

10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

MADISON LIVE - Murs with Raised X Wolves. 9 p.m. Hip Hop. $15, $20 day of show.

MADISON THEATER Indigo Girls with Lucy Wainwright Roche. 8 p.m. Folk/Rock/Pop. $32, $35 day of show.

MANSION HILL TAVERN - Jeff Bonta & the Tucker Boys. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover. MARTY’S HOPS & VINES Over Easy. 9 p.m. Soft Rock. Free.

MOTR PUB - Hissing Tiles and Eugenius. 10 p.m. Punk/Noise/Hip Hop/ Various. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Electric Citizen and Temple. 10 p.m. Hard Rock. Free.

SATURDAY 21

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Working Class Villain. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free. BLIND LEMON - Jake Walz. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free. BOGART’S - Pink Droyd. 8 p.m. Pink Floyd tribute. $7.50. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - EmmalineBand. 8 p.m. Alternative R&B. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - John Zappa Quartet. 8 p.m.

Jazz

COLLEGE HILL COFFEE CO. - Raison d’Etre. 7:30 p.m. Americana/Folk. Free.

THE COMET - Thollem and Nancy Paraskevopoulos. 10 p.m. Experimental/Various. Free.

CROW’S NEST - Stephen J Williams & The 1865. 10 p.m. Americana. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Female Energy featuring Abiyah, Xzela, Lauren Eylise, Muwosi, Halvsies, Dinge, Brooklyn Hansley and Katrina Jones. 9 p.m. Indie/Hip Hop/Soul/Pop/ Rock/Various. Free. PUTTERS SPORTS GRILL (MAINEVILLE) - Basic Truth. 8 p.m. R&B/Funk/Soul. Free. RISING STAR CASINO Gin Blossoms. 8 p.m. Pop Rock. $25. SILVERTON CAFE - Night Owls. 9 p.m. Rock. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Mack McKenzie and Jamie Suttle. 9:30 p.m. AltCountry/Roots Rock. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Sierra Hull. 8 p.m. Bluegrass/Folk/Americana. $22.

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Terror Pigeon with Lipstick Fiction, Build Us Fiction and Slow Glows. 9 p.m. Alt/Pop/Electronic/ Dance/Rock/Various. Cover.

OCTAVE - Jahman Brahman with Chris Bro. 9 p.m. Jam/ Rock/Electronic/Various.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - My Sister Sarah. 9 p.m. Rock/Pop/Dance. $5.

JOCKO’S PUB - Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m. Rock. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT Urban Artifact Third Birthday Celebration with Hot Magnolias, Lung Jay Dorsey Band, The Lovers, The Midwestern, Dee Dee Catpiss and the Fuzz Coffins, Lipstick Fiction, CincyFuse and Zack Lemons Band. Noon Alt/Indie/Rock/Blues/ Roots/Various.

KNOTTY PINE - Naked Karate Girls. 10 p.m. Rock/ Pop/Dance. Cover.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Mike Wade. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

L’BURG DRINKS & MORE - Pandora Effect. 9:30 p.m. Rock.

WOODWARD THEATER - Smoke Out 2018 with Smoke Parade, Sundae Drives, See You In The Funnies and Camper Clark. 8:30 p.m. Rock/Alt/ Pop/Various. $10, $12 day of show.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Ben Levin & The Heaters. 9:30 p.m. Blues. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Salt Orchard. 8 p.m. Rock. $8.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Tommy Castro And The Painkillers. 9 p.m. Blues. $20.

GALLAGHER STUDENT CENTER THEATRE - Chris Potter. 8 p.m. Jazz. $35-$40.

LUDLOW GARAGE - Nick Colionne. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $35-$65.

URBAN ARTIFACT - The Collection, Sylmar and Turtledoves. 9 p.m. Indie/Alt/ Rock/Pop/Various. Free.

MADISON LIVE - Hopelessly Fryed, Wax Wings, Papa Squat and Saints Among Us. 8 p.m. Rock. $8, $10 day of show.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Rusty Burge and George Simon. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

MANSION HILL TAVERN - Tickled Pink. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

YESTERDAY’S OLD TIME SALOON - That Pressure Fest featuring Jay Bee, Lamahj, Yon Li, D-eight, Luna Bruja, Ski Isaiah and Princess Tiana. 9 p.m. Hip Hop. Free.

MARTY’S HOPS & VINES - Two Blue. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

MEMORIAL HALL Mavis Staples. 8 p.m. Soul/Roots/Various. $55-$80. MOTR PUB - Bumpus. 10 p.m. Soul. Free.

THE SKELETON ROOT Noah Wotherspoon & Jessi Bair. 2 p.m. Roots. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Rod Hamdallah with Breaking Glass. 7 p.m. Blues/Roots/ Rock. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Matt Woods and the Natural Disasters, Arlo Mckinley & The Lonesome Sound and Adam Lee. 8 p.m. Americana. $8.

TAFT THEATRE Nancy And Beth. 8 p.m. Comedy/Pop. $25, $30 day of show (in the Ballroom).

URBAN ARTIFACT - Actual Italians, Meangirls and Granddad. 10 p.m. Alt/Pop/Rock/Various. Free.

MONDAY 23

BLIND LEMON - Joe Rollin’ Porter. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

THE GREENWICH Baron Von Ohlen & the Flying Circus Big Band. 7:30 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $5 donation or 2 canned goods.

MANSION HILL TAVERN - Acoustic Jam with John Redell and Friends. 8 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

MOTR PUB - Anna Burch with Carriers. 9 p.m. Indie/Roots/Various. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN Northside Jazz Ensemble. 10 p.m. Jazz. Free.

TUESDAY 24

YESTERDAY’S OLD TIME SALOON - Midwest Meatknife. 10 p.m. Rock.

BOGART’S - Morbid Angel with Misery Index, Dreaming Dead and Hate Storm Annihilation. 7:30 p.m. Death Metal. $20.

SUNDAY 22

THE COMET - Pout. 10 p.m. Indie Punk. Free.

BOGART’S - X Ambassadors with The Aces and Son Little. 8 p.m. AltPop/Rock. $30.50. MANSION HILL TAVERN Open Blues Jam with Deb Olinger. 6 p.m. Blues. Free.

MOTR PUB - Walker Lukens with Dark Colour. 8 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

THE HAMILTON - Preston Charles III. 7 p.m. Violin. Free.

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