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LETTERS Pretty Excited for Platform Beer Bree Henry: Columbus and Cincinnati are basically the same thing at this point Mignonne Silva: Not really. Maybe the Over-the-Rhine/ Short North section but not the rest of the cities. Alex Breyer: Very different cities. Bree Henry: Doy. I’m from Cincinnati, I live in Columbus. The only thing I am saying is that a lot of our “local” businesses are the same. For example: Platform, 16-bit, soon to be Mikeys Late Night Slice, Homage...the list goes on Evan Sander: YES Lou Velazquez Ali Miller Olivia Blanton Ali Miller: OMG YES. You have no idea how excited I am for this Olivia Blanton: So excited!!!! Jess Wagoner: Omg Nick Hoffman Nick Hoffman: Omg Matt Tibbe: Gordon Rosenberry Jennifer Rosenberry new spot to try Comments posted on Facebook.com/CincinnatiCityBeat in response to the Feb. 1 post, “Cleveland’s Platform Beer Co. is opening a taproom in OTR that combines beer, coffee and barrel aging. Expect to start drinking at 1201 Main St. (that navy and red building across from Japp’s) by summer 2018.”

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blairgodshallI: work with this gal! She’s incredible!!!! helloorganizationcincy: You go girl. And look at those boots! clubbbs: Yes, Natalie!!! So proud of everything you’ve done — keep kicking ass you make ladies everywhere look good.

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Comments posted on Instagram.com/citybeatcincy in response to the Feb. 4 post, “Natalie Blair, a brewer at Rhinegeist, is just one example of women working in the local beer industry. Read more about how female brewers are bridging history and innovation in the taproom, brewing floor and classroom in this week’s issue!” Photo: @haaailstormmm

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

retirement party? It’s not his fault he’s so culturally insensitive. He was designed that way! I’m sure fellow retirees The Frito Bandito, Joe Camel and the Arby’s oven mitt would gladly attend.

Super Bowl Hot Takes

K E V I N G I L L / C R E AT I V E C O M M O N S

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What’s a Super Blue Blood Moon?

It may sound like a fruit snack from the ’90s, but the Super Blue Blood Moon is actually a lunar trifecta: a supermoon, blue moon and blood moon, all at once. And this past Wednesday, stargazers across the globe caught a glimpse of this rare occurrence. Let’s break it down. A supermoon is when there’s a full moon and it’s at its closest distance to Earth, resulting in the moon looking larger and brighter than usual. A blue moon is a non-scientific term to describe when two full moons happen within the same month — the name doesn’t really have anything to do with color. Finally, a blood moon gets its name and color from the red sunlight that shines around the edges of the Earth during a lunar eclipse. Last week the stars aligned (see what I did there?) and all three happened at the same time. And, depending on where you live, you may have seen a gigantic, orange light in the sky. In North America it was visible just before dawn, so you know my ass missed it. The next Super Blue Blood Moon is expected in 2037. Maybe I’ll become a morning person in the next 19 years.

R.I.P. Chief Wahoo The Cleveland Indians are removing their mascot’s logo from team uniforms starting next season. Chief Wahoo, as the mascot is lovingly(?) known, is a controversial image — many believe the red-faced, grinning Indian is a racist caricature of Native Americans that is absurd in the year 2018. Of course, those same people would probably agree that they should do away with the whole “Indians” thing altogether. Baby steps. My question is: Who’s throwing Chief a

of a Prince hologram, which would have been a bad idea for many reasons — one of which being he once called holograms “demonic.” JT’s cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” did feature a projection of The Purple One’s 2007 Super Bowl performance. But no holograms. I digress. The star of the halftime show was Selfie Boy, some kid on his phone (seriously, everyone was on their phone. Some people had two phones. I get snapping a pic if Justin Timberlake ran up to your section, but recording the whole thing?! /rant) who ended up sharing an awkward moment in order to get an epic Super Bowl selfie with a singer he may or may not even recognize. And that was it. No surprise guests, special effects or aerial choreography. To top it off, one of his handful of songs was “Rock Your Body” — THE song that he was performing when he exposed Janet’s nip at the Bowl 14 years ago. Not cool, JT. The epic second half of the game distracted audiences from that questionable performance, and when the Eagles secured their win, Philly descended into utter chaos. Fans took to the streets flipping cars, climbing and knocking down lamp poles and traffic lights and starting fires. Hell, their crazy asses will probably still be cheering in the streets by the time this gets published! After all, it was Philly’s first Super Bowl win ever ever. In a more pleasant form of celebration, Dunkin’ Donuts and Bud Light both got in on the fun, offering free coffee (in the Philadelphia area) and free beer (along the Super Bowl parade route) to fans of all kinds. It all made for an exciting night that left many of us calling into work on Monday. And in conclusion, fuck Tom Brady.

Eagles win! But more importantly, Patriots lose! Philly delivered an upset that many weren’t upset about when they beat New England 41-33. It was an exciting game from start to finish, complete with an underdog win and at least one play that resulted in a crotch to the face (shout out to Brandin Cooks and Rodney McLeod) — but face it, we’re really here for the commercials and halftime show. Viewers got sneak peeks at Solo: A Star Wars Story Story, Stephen King horror series Castle Rock, some Avengers movie with literally every Marvel character ever, Westworld and The Rock’s Die Hard rip-off, Skyscraper. The red M&M became human Skyscraper by way of Danny Devito. Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman lip synced for their lives to Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott in a Doritos/Mountain Dew ad. Natch. An awesome Australia tourism ad tricked us into thinking Kenny Powers was the next Crocodile Dundee (still hoping that’s true). Hopper from Stranger Things tricked us into thinking every commercial was a Tide commercial. And in an NFL ad, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. nailed the Dirty Dancing routine COMPLETE WITH LIFT. Then there was the halftime perforContact T.C. Britton: letters@citybeat.com mance. I was pumped for Justin Timberlake to headline the show, even if there decidedly wasn’t going to be an *NSYNC reunion or Janet Jackson redemption storyline (Happy #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay). JT’s 15-minute performance took him from outside the stadium to various stages on the field and into the stands — and that tidbit is probably the most interesting thing about the whole damn show. It was boring as hell! Justin was really selling his whole Man of the Woods image with camo pants, a bandana and some Bob Ross artlooking shirt with mountains and deer on it. He gave us new material. He gave us “Cry Me a River.” He danced, played piano and performed with a huge marching band. There was a tribute to Prince (a Minnesota native; the game was played in Minneapolis). Now, T O M B R A D Y : J E F F R E Y B E A L L ; F I N G E R : P R AT H Y U S H before the Bowl there were rumors T H O M A S / C R E AT I V E C O M M O N S

This Week in Questionable Decisions… 1. Tom Hanks will play Mr. Rogers in an upcoming movie. I just can’t see it. Two American treasures don’t make a right! 2. A young radio host — of a show Tom Brady is paid to appear on weekly — called Brady’s 5-year-old daughter an “arrogant little pissant” on air. 3. Kim Kardashian styled her hair in braids and beads, citing Bo Derek and pissing off a lot of people who found it to be yet another example of kultural appropriation. 4. A woman at Newark airport tried to fly alongside her enormous emotional support peacock. She was denied. 5. Nazi sympathizer and Holocaust denier Arthur Jones is running for Congress unopposed in the Republican primary in Illinois. 6. Doritos are developing a more ladylike chip that boasts less crumbs and a quieter crunch. For ladies! 7. A typo on White House invitations encouraged guests to attend the “State of the Uniom.” 8. A Bachelor contestant was found on a missing persons list after her mother reported her missing while she was away filming the reality show. 9. A Florida man tried to kidnap Lana Del Ray while she was in Orlando for a concert. 10. Logan Paul — the punchable YouTuber who recently live-streamed a dead man while in Japan — is “back.” Already. 11. Kylie Jenner revealed she was pregnant all along and gave birth to a baby girl Feb. 1. And I actually kind of care.

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CELEBRATION!

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March 28 • 5:30-9 pm • The Phoenix

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NEWS

Former Juror: Don’t Execute Tibbetts A juror who recommended the death penalty in a Cincinnati murder case is now asking that the killer’s execution be halted BY N I C K SWA R T S E L L

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commuting his sentence. Another attempt to save Tibbetts from lethal injection failed Feb. 1 when the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a constitutional challenge to that execution method. Ohio uses a controversial three-drug execution method that opponents say can cause a slow, possibly painful death. The U.S. Court of Appeals in 2011 also upheld Tibbetts’ sentence. But in their decision, the three judges acknowledged that representation at his trial was inadequate. Tibbetts’ attorney “certainly could have conducted a more thorough investigation” into this upbringing, two judges voting to uphold the sentence wrote. But they also argued that the brutality of the crime went beyond any justification, including childhood abuse. But a dissenting judge argued that his attorney’s “failure to engage in basic preparation” meant that his sentence should be reconsidered. Geiger agrees, citing the fact that he had no idea when he was sequestered in a jury room 20 years ago that detailed records and testimony were available showing Tibbetts had been abused and was struggling with mental illness and addiction at the time of the murders. “Based on what I know today I would not have recommended the death penalty,” he wrote in his letter to Kasich.

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The Massachusetts-based Fair Punishment Project advocates for a more fair and accountable justice system across the country. It says Ohio’s death row inmates illustrate big problems with its administration of the state’s most severe punishment. “Unless the governor or a court intervenes, over the course of the next two years, Ohio is poised to violate that constitutional limitation by scheduling the executions of nearly a dozen individuals with devastating impairments, including mental illness, childhood abuse and intellectual disability,” a report about Ohio FPP issued last year reads. Others disagree, however. Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Executive Director John Murphy has said that current state laws against executions for the mentally ill or disabled are adequate safeguards and that any further bars would inhibit the justice system from appropriately applying the death penalty. Research has shown that experiencing abuse can greatly affect a person’s longterm mental health and cause a number of behavioral issues. Psychological experts who testified at Tibbetts’ clemency hearing said that the persistent abuse and neglect “rewired” his brain, and that his background was a “recipe for disaster.” Despite those statements, Tibbetts’ clemency board voted 11-1 against

during his trial, opponents of his execution say. Tibbetts, who was heavily addicted to opiates and alcohol, had undiagnosed mental illnesses stemming at least in part from a chaotic and unstable childhood. His biological mother and father were mostly absent, according to testimony from his attorneys before a clemency board hearing in January 2017. When they were around, they were physically abusive. Tibbetts and his siblings were taken from the home when he was 2 years old, and he then bounced between different foster homes and orphanages, where he also experienced abuse and neglect. Testimony from Tibbetts’ sister about their upbringing, as well as social service records about his childhood, were available but not presented at trial. In the months before the murders, Tibbetts attempted suicide. He had attempted to get into a treatment program for drug and alcohol addiction a month and a half before killing Hicks and Crawford, but was turned away. Those efforts show Tibbetts was suffering from mental illness, his attorneys have argued. An Ohio Supreme Court joint task force on the death penalty included a ban on executing the mentally ill among other recommendations it has made to the state. Many of those recommendations, including the ban, have not been passed by state lawmakers or implemented by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. A bill introduced into the Ohio General Assembly last year by State Rep. Bill Seitz, a Republican from Cincinnati, would take up that recommendation, preventing the execution of convicts who can prove they were suffering from mental illness or impairment at the time of their crimes and allow current inmates on death row to file for resentencing.

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ust weeks before Ohio executes Raymond Tibbetts for a brutal 1997 Cincinnati murder, one of the jurors who helped put him on death row 20 years ago is asking Gov. John Kasich to pump the brakes on the convicted killer’s Feb. 13 execution. Ross Geiger’s name appears on the list of Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas jurors who in 1998 convicted Tibbetts of murder and recommended he be put to death. But in a Jan. 30 letter to Kasich, Geiger says new evidence has convinced him that the death penalty isn’t appropriate for Tibbetts. “I am writing today to ask you show mercy to Raymond Tibbetts by commuting his death sentence to life in prison with no possibility of parole,” Geiger writes. “This is not an easy request for me as I was a juror on the trial for that horrible crime.” Geiger’s reasons for the change of heart stem from revelations not discussed at Tibbetts’ original trial about horrific abuse he suffered as a child, details about his drug addiction, lack of preparation from Tibbetts’ defense team during the sentencing portion of his trial and other factors. Mental illness is common among death row cases in Ohio. Twenty-three of Ohio’s 26 death row inmates set to be executed by 2020 suffer from cognitive disabilities or mental illness. Seventeen of those inmates had experienced severe childhood trauma rooted in physical or sexual abuse, and six were experiencing severe mental illness. The remaining three of the 26 men on Ohio’s death row waived the opportunity to present mitigating evidence related to their crimes, and thus it’s unknown if they have a history of abuse, mental illness or cognitive disabilities. Tibbetts was convicted of stabbing 67-year-old Fred Hicks to death and beating Hicks’ 42-year-old caretaker Judith Crawford to death with a baseball bat in Hicks’ Cincinnati home in 1997. Tibbetts had married Crawford a few weeks prior. Authorities found three knives left in Hicks. The grisly case made big local headlines. Tibbetts was sentenced to death for Hicks’ murder and life in prison without parole for Crawford’s. But important information about Tibbetts’ background wasn’t fully explored

Pureval Announces Bid for Chabot’s Congressional Seat BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, an up-and-coming player in the Democratic Party, announced Jan. 31 he would seek his party’s nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot for his 1st congressional district seat. Pureval is on a something of a hot streak, upsetting long-time Republican Clerk of Courts Tracy Winkler in 2016 before winning some positive press by cutting $800,000 from the office’s budget. At announcements in North Avondale and Loveland Jan. 31, he hit major Democratic talking points on health care and other issues while painting Chabot as a sycophant to President Donald Trump. “This is not a decision I entered into lightly, or something I planned to do,” he said. “But on issue after issue, from trying to rip health care away from 35,000 people in Southwest Ohio to giving tax breaks to billionaires, Steve Chabot is enabling Donald Trump and moving our country in the wrong direction.” He drew big crowds at the events, but Pureval also faces some big obstacles. Already, Chabot and other Republicans are pointing out that Pureval wasn’t registered in the 1st congressional district until literally Jan. 30, and that he has lived in a $400,000 house in Hyde Park.

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Pureval has countered that he moved recently into the district and that he’s served Hamilton County as clerk no matter where he lives. There’s no legal requirement that a candidate live in the district where they’re running, but it definitely doesn’t help to live elsewhere.

In a written statement, Chabot spokesman Cody Rizzuto called Pureval’s run “a nearly flawless combination of arrogance, inexperience and political opportunism,” going on to blast Pureval for not being from Cincinnati or Warren County, not having a legislative record and trying to “sell Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda to voters.” Before he can face off against Chabot, Pureval will have to contend with at least one primary opponent, Rabbi Robert Barr. First-time congressional contender Barr has made national headlines about his run and raised big piles of campaign cash ahead of Democrats’ efforts to take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

CITY DESK

CPS Board: We’ll Do Our Homework on FCC BY N I C K SWA R T S E L L

West End residents and others came to a Jan. 31 Cincinnati Public School Board meeting to express their concerns about overtures FC Cincinnati has made to the district about a potential “partnership” in the neighborhood. The team sent that feeler out to the board in a letter earlier this month as it mulls where to put a potential soccer stadium should it get a Major League Soccer expansion franchise. The board’s seven members stressed they haven’t seen anything more than a letter requesting a meeting from FCC, and that they’re not selling any property without engaging the community first. “We don’t even know what we’re being asked to do,” CPS Board Vice President Ericka Copeland-Dansby said at the meeting. “We have lots and lots of rules. We can’t just give up property.” FCC, for its part, says it’s just doing its due diligence on potential stadium sites in the West End and Oakley. Late last year, the team locked down $52 million in infrastructure aid from Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati for a stadium in the latter neighborhood. The team says it

will proceed carefully with future plans for either neighborhood. But recent developments have put some residents on alert. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority Jan. 30 voted to grant FCC a purchase option on 66 parcels in the West End north of Ezzard Charles Drive for housing. Meanwhile, news outlets have reported that the team is interested in Taft High School’s Stargel Stadium. Earlier this month, West End Community Council President Keith Blake said no one from FCC had reached out to him about the team’s plans and that the community felt “disrespected and ignored.” Later, after talking with representatives from the team, however, Blake said he trusted that FCC would do thorough community engagement around its plans. Others aren’t yet convinced. “Generations of families have lived in the West End and want to continue living there,” Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses Director Alexis Kidd told the CPS board. “Your decision affects that.” Kidd was one of several speakers who asked that CPS seek a community benefits

agreement from any land purchaser. Such an agreement would hold a developer to certain standards — including requiring hiring workers from the neighborhood, building affordable housing and other stipulations. Cincinnati City Councilman David Mann on Feb. 2 introduced a motion proposing the city hold FCC to a community benefits agreement before providing any incentives, infrastructure help or zoning changes for a potential stadium. The city has pledged more than $30 million in infrastructure spending should FCC build its $200 million, privately financed facility. CPS Board Member Mike Moroski, while reiterating that it’s unclear what FCC’s intentions are, said he would be interested in exploring a community benefits agreement should it get to that point. Other speakers also expressed worries about how a potential stadium could change the neighborhood, a big concern in the predominantly black community that has seen decades of disinvestment and a historically sticky relationship with development. In the early 1960s, a large chunk of the neighborhood was destroyed as I-75 was built, displacing roughly 30,000 residents. “The West End’s history is rich with devastations,” resident Tia Brown said. “We know that development is needed, but we want it to be equitable with the community

Council Passes Controversial Park Board Appointment

be found.

BY N I C K SWA R T S E L L

According to Sittenfeld, some descendants of the founders of endowments supporting the parks have said the new accountability arrangements could violate the original intent of those trusts and that they will consider legal action against the city if they feel city administration takes too much power from the Park Board.

Cincinnati City Council on Jan. 31 approved the appointment of Jim Goetz to the Cincinnati Park Board, despite controversy over the exit of outgoing Park Board Chair Dianne Rosenberg. Mayor John Cranley originally appointed Goetz to the seat last year, and council approved the appointment, but that set off a court battle after Rosenberg contested her exit. She said she thought her term lasted until 2021; Cranley said that she was appointed to fill out an unfinished term that ended in December. A judge ruled her term ends Feb. 1, but also ruled that Goetz’s appointment and council’s vote were illegal since Rosenberg’s term wasn’t over. Council’s vote broke down 5-2, with council members Tamaya Dennard and Chris Seelbach voting against Goetz’s appointment. Dennard said that council had wasted too much time fighting about the appointment instead of solving real issues facing the city. Seelbach declined to vote for any of the more than 30 appointments to various boards before council, citing the fact that none had end dates stipulated. That, Seelbach said, is what got council into the battle over Rosenberg in the first place.

Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld abstained from voting, saying that he thought Goetz was qualified but explained that he didn’t agree with a core issue underlying his appointment — an effort to bring new accountability measures to spending by the Park Board from private endowments. A state audit last year found problems with the Park Board’s expenditures from those trusts, including questionable perks like raises and vehicle allowances given to top Park Board brass. Cranley has said Goetz will help with the transition to a more accountable process. “He’s exactly what the doctor ordered,” Cranley said at the Jan. 31 council meeting, saying that Goetz was imminently qualified to join the board. But Park Board members and others, including Sittenfeld, say that the proposed process by which spending will be approved — which would require the city to sign-off on expenditures — gives the city too much control over the independent Park Board. Sittenfeld claimed the arrangement would give the city “veto power” over the board’s spending, something that runs counter to the city’s charter. He asked for a delay of “weeks, not months” on Goetz’s appointment until a better solution could

Cranley swatted back at Sittenfeld’s argument, saying that Goetz is independent and will make his own choices on the board and that the new accountability arrangement doesn’t mean the city will “veto” Park Board decisions. Councilman Greg Landsman voted for Goetz’s appointment, but also said he wanted to make sure the Park Board maintained its independence. “I think it’s important that we say that no one is going to tell the Park Board how to spend its money,” he said. Beyond the issues of Park Board control, Rosenberg’s supporters claim that her departure is political. Rosenberg was a supporter of Cranley’s opponent, former Councilwoman Yvette Simpson, in his bitter reelection fight. In a filing related to Rosenberg’s lawsuit, attorney Jim Burke, who has represented other Park Board members in the past, says that Cranley promised to “destroy her in the press” if Rosenberg backed Simpson. Cranley denies making that statement.

at the table.” The demolition of low-income housing like Laurel Homes and Lincoln Courts as part of the federal government’s Hope VI program in the early 2000s has also left sour memories, even though that program resulted in the construction of mixedincome developments. Laurel Homes and neighboring Lincoln Courts, constructed in the 1930s, were once home to 5,000 low-income people. They were down to roughly 1,100 units of old, deteriorated housing when they were demolished during that program, and about 630 new units of housing were eventually created. Some residents who were promised housing in the neighborhood were never able to come back, groups like the Cincinnati NAACP say. The NAACP cited that history in a statement demanding that the soccer team be transparent about its plans. “The West End is a historically African American neighborhood that over the years has seen the fabric of its community strategically and systematically torn apart and gentrified in the name of ‘progress’ and unfulfilled promises,” the group wrote in a Jan. 31 press release. That release said the NAACP is reserving judgment until definitive plans are unveiled. FCC says representatives from the team will meet with the West End Community Council Board Feb. 13 to

discuss the situation. “I understand that there are fears that FC Cincinnati’s stadium could negatively impact Taft High School,” FCC General Manager Jeff Berding wrote in a statement the afternoon after the meeting. “I wish to put these concerns to rest. While there are several configurations that could work, none of them touch the High School building. We look forward to discussing how FC Cincinnati could support Taft High School directly in new soccer programs, new student internships, new extracurricular fundraising opportunities and other ideas as determined when we meet with CPS and Taft staff, parents and students.” The district has other things to consider beyond the stadium’s impact on the neighborhood. Several board members also expressed a firm commitment to making sure that the district also gets whatever tax money is coming to it from any development that happens due to the stadium. Things like TIF districts, tax abatements and other incentives could chip away at the district’s take when it comes to property taxes, board members said. Julie Sellers, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, echoed that point. “I’m here to ask that the district hold strong in any negotiations with FC Cincinnati to make sure they pay their fair share,” the union leader said.

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STUFF TO DO

Ongoing Shows ONSTAGE THE HUMANS Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Overthe-Rhine (through Feb. 17)

WEDNESDAY 07

ONSTAGE: GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? sets the table for tough conversations at Cincy Shakes. See review on page 26. MUSIC: Indie quartet HIPPO CAMPUS plays 20th Century Theater. See Sound Advice on page 36.

EVENT: BACCHANALIAN SOCIETY WINTER GATHERING Wine snobs: “Check your

attitude at the door,” warns the Bacchanalian Society’s website. The philanthropic organization — named for the Greek god of the grape harvest and inebriated frenzy — will host its quarterly gathering on Friday, challenging teams of up to three members to join in a wine-tasting competition. Each team brings three bottles of the same wine and submits two, leaving the third unopened. This gathering’s varietal is California red. The tasting commences, and the teams that offer the five highest-rated wines divide the leftover bottles. Channel your inner decadence and test your tastebuds — if you’re lucky, you might just receive the blessing of an ancient deity. 7-10 p.m. Thursday. $20; $25 at door. Cincinnati Masonic Center, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, bacchanaliansociety.com. — JUDE NOEL

THURSDAY 08

ONSTAGE: CARMINA BURANA + SERENADE The Cincinnati premiere of Carmina Burana + Serenade heads to Music Hall this weekend. The co-production between Cincinnati Ballet and Ballet West will open softly with Serenade, “a piece of ethereal beauty that spotlights the artistic craft and genius of George Balanchine, performed to Tchaikovsky’s lush and moving Serenade for Strings,” and close with worldrenowned choreographer Nicolo Fonte’s version of Carmina Burana. Originally composed by Carl Orff in 1935, Carmina Burana explores timeless topics like the nature of life, joys of spring, and complexities of wealth, gluttony and lust. Live music performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and voices from the May Festival Chorus will accompany the diverse pieces. 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $36-$125. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cballet.org. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE

FRIDAY 09

COMEDY: JOSH WOLF Recently, comedian Josh Wolf noticed his teenage son was stealing booze. “I asked him, ‘Did you know vodka doesn’t freeze? And did you know water freezes?’” The younger Wolf did know that. “Then why is my vodka frozen, dumbass? Why do I have a vodka-sicle in my freezer? We all stole liquor from our parents, but at least I was creative about it.” Wolf used

to leave a bottle of apple juice on the family’s back patio for two weeks until the contents fermented. “When I put it back in my dad’s bottle it would smell like whiskey. To this day my dad’s like, ‘I can’t drink that whiskey it gives me the runs.’” As for his own son, Wolf sat down and had a few beers with him. His son eventually passed out. “I shaved one of his eyebrows and drew a dick on his cheek because

you never pass out first.” Through Sunday. $15-$17. Funny Bone Liberty, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone.com. — P.F. WILSON ART: ALIENABLE AT THE CLIFTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER In conjunction with Ellina Chetverikova’s As in the Mirror and Boisali Biswas’ Eternal Reflections on CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

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ONSTAGE: THE PILLOWMAN You might know Martin McDonagh as the screenwriter and director of the Academy Award-nominated film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

His current fame is based on a foundation of playwriting, including The Beauty Queen of Leenane and this frightening black comedy from 2003. Set in an unnamed totalitarian police state, a writer of macabre fairy tales is the subject of a brutal police interrogation regarding a series of ghastly child murders that resemble his stories. It’s been called “a riveting and very original theatrical nightmare” and “a thrills-and-chills examination of the storyteller’s art.” It’s sure to make you uncomfortable — and that’s what McDonagh had in mind. Through Saturday. $22; $15 students. Falcon Theater, 636 Monmouth St., Newport, falcontheatre.net. — RICK PENDER

THURSDAY 08

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BALLET WEST BY LUKE ISLEY

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ART: ROMANCING THE STACKS AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY Love and lust are in the air — and on paper — at the Main branch of the Cincinnati library with the Romancing the Stacks exhibit. The library has handpicked a display of love stories and romance novels from its collection of 12,000 — titles like The Undesirable Wife, Night of the Unicorn, Love’s Strange Mysteries and The Scent of Rain. There are fantasy romances, farfetched scenarios and steamy romps in genres ranging from historical and medical (Psychiatric Nurse, anyone?) to the paranormal (Haunting Kiss). The books also feature mostly vintage covers, as the press release says, “from the earlier days of illustrations to the days of models striking a pose in a studio setting.” Think Nancy Drew meets Stormy Daniels. Through March 15. Free. Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Main branch, 800 Vine St., Downtown, cincinnatilibrary. org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

FROM PAGE 13

Belonging, the Clifton Cultural Arts Center will hold an opening reception for Cincinnati-based artist Karay P. Martin’s multidisciplinary exhibition Alienable. Featuring work she made from 2015 to 2017, Martin focused on art as a way to reconcile her usually optimistic and cheery demeanor with the harsh realities of women’s rights and representation, as well as her own reproductive health experience. She uses personal narrative as a means of self-empowerment. Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday. Through March 17. Free. The Herrick Gallery at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Ave., Clifton, cliftonculturalarts.org. — MARIA SEDA-REEDER

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EVENT: THE ART OF FOOD Prepare to loosen your belt and broaden your horizons, because The Art of Food is expanding in its 12th year. Known for inspired creations from the region’s top culinary and visual artists, the Carnegie’s high-energy event is spilling beyond the galleries for the first time and into a heated tent on the plaza. Enjoy dinner by the bite from 27 restaurants, including Bauer Farm Kitchen, Coppin’s, The Littlefield, Red Feather and Senate. For dessert, pop inside a giant cake that artist Bill Ross of Thunder-Sky Inc. is whipping up out of stuffed animals and surreal party images from photographer Bob Scheadler. Other artists and performers include the UC Duct Tape Studio, Tony Dotson, Lindsey Whittle and Pones Inc. 6-10 p.m. Friday. $50; $35 members; VIP tickets $75. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St., Covington, thecarnegie.com. — KATHY SCHWARTZ

SATURDAY 10

EVENT: MARIAN SPENCER: KEEP ON FIGHTING features a talk by and discussion with Dorothy Christenson at the Main library. See feature on page 27.

EVENT: MY FURRY VALENTINE Have your efforts to score a Valentine’s date proved fruitless? Frustrated by the shallow, ephemeral qualities

of modern romance? Fed up with humanity’s shortcomings? This Valentine’s Day, seek out the only form of love proven to withstand any trial or tribulation: the bond between owner and pet. For the seventh year in a row, My Furry Valentine, Cincinnati’s largest animal adoption event, will allow attendees to match with the perfect companion. More than 800 prospective pets will visit the Sharonville Convention Center through Valentine’s weekend, joined by a herd of vendors offering treats and information on local animaladvocacy organizations. Visit myfurryvalentine.com to browse a comprehensive list of adoptable dogs and cats, which functions as cuter, less perilous take on online dating. 10 a.m.-noon early bird Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. $5; $25 early bird. Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, myfurryvalentine.com. — JUDE NOEL EVENT: CIN CITY BURLESQUE BEAUS AND EROS Expect class. Expect sass. Expect laughs. It’s burlesque! Cincinnati’s premiere troupe of classical and neoburlesque dancers are coming to Bogart’s Saturday night with a little something for everybody (over 18). From Ballet to Jazz, Go-Go to Latin, the traveling troupe specializes in all styles of dance, especially the steamy. While the ancient art has not abandoned its satirical roots, it has developed into more of a striptease in America in response to Prohibitionera laws like Ohio forbidding women from exposing more than two inches of neck. The nerve! Performers include Cinnamon Twist, Tobi L’Rone and Cin City founder Ginger LeSnapps, along with emcee Sweet Biscutt and house band The G-String. 9 p.m. Saturday. $15-$50. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE EVENT: MAINSTRASSE MARDI GRAS Fat Tuesday is upon us so spend the day feasting, drinking and pretending Covington is New Orleans. Slip on some beads and a

feather boa — colored in hues of purple, gold and green — and celebrate Mardi Gras in MainStrasse Village or, more specifically, its bars. As a pub crawl with a Grand Parade, each participating bar will have its own specials on Little Kings and Hurricanes. Chill out to music, which will be piped out onto the streets, as you make your way down the sidewalk from bar to bar. 7 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturday. Free admission. Mainstrasse Village, Main Street, Covington, mainstrasse.org. — MACKENZIE MANLEY

SUNDAY 11

EVENT: THE NATIVE ONE + NORTHERN MARKET VALENTINE’S DAY POP-UP Head to new indie homegoods/clothing/accessories/etc. shop The Native One and Northern Market for a special pop-up Valentine’s Day sale. There will be manicures from Spruce Natural Nail Shop, flowers from Gia and the Blooms, jewelry from Rock Salt Vintage and Ellebrux, cards and goodies from design shop Handzy, bags from Baqette, ceramics from Amanda Bialk, indigo from Eliza Dot Design and more, including Felix Coffee. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. 1301 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook. com/thenorthernmarket. — MAIJA ZUMMO

TUESDAY 13

MUSIC: TURQUOISE JEEP brings some doubleentredre Hip Hop to the Woodward Theatre. See Sound Advice on page 36. MUSIC: Emo Pop/Punk THE ORPHAN THE POET plays Urban Artifact. See Sound Advice on page 36.

EVENT: GALENTINE’S DAY AT THE RHINED It’s ladies night. Bring your gals for an evening of wine, cheese and female friendship. There will be bubbly beverages, soft cheese and truffles from Velveteen Chocolate. No crafts. No weird activities. Just ladies hanging with ladies, eating dairy and drinking booze. 4-8 p.m. Tuesday. Free admission. The Rhined, 1737 Elm St., Over-theRhine, facebook.com/ther facebook.com/therhined. — MAIJA ZUMMO

PHOTO: PROVIDED

EVENT: MARDI GRAS AT BREWRIVER Things get real NOLA in the East End during BrewRiver’s Mardi Gras celebration. There will be a crawfish boil (featuring crawfish flown in that day from New Orleans), beads, masks and a King Cake beer from Brink Brewing — with bonus homemade king cake for dessert — plus menu favorites like po’boys and gumbo. RSVP recommended. 5-9 p.m. BrewRiver GastroPub, 2062 Riverside Drive, East End, brewrivergastropub.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

EVENT: BIG CHEESE FEST Time to cut the cheese: Jungle Jim’s Big Cheese Festival is back this weekend with local, artisan and international styles and flavors of dairy from more than 80 companies. Vendors will provide meat, bread, spreads, wine, beer and beyond to complement the star dish: cheese. The family-friendly scene will feature live music, a stilt walker and a cheese carver. Attendees can show love for their favorite cheesemakers by voting in the Best of the Fest Awards and early birds over the age of 21 can sign up for a demo class in the Cooking School. Did I mention there’ll be a Mac & Cheese alley? It’s gonna be legen-dairy (har har). Noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $10 advance; $12 door; Saturday is currently sold out. Jungle Jim’s International Market, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, junglejims.com. — MCKENZIE ESKRIDGE

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

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and soon embraced by the movement. More recently, the new Flint Eastwood single, “Monster,” was embraced by an entirely different entity — Ford Motor Company has been using it in its campaign for the 2019 Mustang GT 500. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $10. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org. — MIKE BREEN

following by taking its live show on the road for extensive tours. Flint Eastwood then inked with Neon Gold Records (home to Tove Lo and Charlie XCX), which released the Broke Royalty EP last spring. The track “Queen” was inspired by the initial Women’s March (triggered by Trump’s inauguration a year ago — it’s only been one year?!)

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MUSIC: FLINT EASTWOOD After wowing Cincinnati fans at the Bunbury and MidPoint music festivals over the past couple of years, Jax Anderson brings her acclaimed Indie Pop project Flint Eastwood back to town for a headlining gig. The Detroit-based act began crafting a unique mix of Electronic Pop, R&B swoon, Hip Hop beats and Indie Rock bluster at the start of the decade, self-releasing EPs in 2012 and 2015 and developing a

SATURDAY 10

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The Pet Issue

nstagram has gone to the dogs. And cats. And critters. Pets like Doug the Pug (@itsdougthepug), Lil BUB (@iamlilbub) and Grumpy Cat (@realgrumpycat) have garnered genuine celebrity statuses thanks to the social media platform, with many accounts boasting follower counts in the mind-blowing multi-millions. And as the mom of @dex_thedapperdog, I recently got to know other local Insta-pets and their parents, who shared the adoption stories, quirks, milestones and more that are making their fur babies #instastars.

#petsofinstagram Follow these local dogs and cats living their best lives in the Queen City

By Emily Belgey

fire hydrant, and she actually did! We were shocked.” Today, Mollie’s Instagram page highlights her “placing” amid a hodgepodge of beloved locales, from the Cincinnati Museum Center to ArtWorks murals to Great American Ball Park. COOPER THE ONE-EYED CAT @coopertheoneeyedcat Followers: 2,790 Cooper the cat may only have one eye,

DOGS OF CINCY @dogsofcincy Followers: 12.5k Established in 2015, this account is an Instagram photo blog that tells the stories behind local pups. Exuding a distinct Humans of New York vibe, Dogs of Cincy is helmed by Jane Sullivan, who snaps pictures of dogs she crosses paths with while exploring her hometown. “When I started out, I didn’t think anyone would talk to me, but so far not one single person with a dog has turned me down,” Sullivan says. “Every dog is amazing and unique and I love telling their stories every day.” CATS OF CINCY @catsofcincy Followers: 140 The alter-ego of — and inspired by — Dogs of Cincy, Cats of Cincy features various felines living in the Queen City. Cat-lover Abby Erwin is the sole moderator of the account. “The idea stemmed from the Dogs of Cincy page,” Erwin says. “I figured if dogs have their own dedicated page in Cincinnati, cats should, too! People in Cincinnati love their cats, and it shows.” Erwin kicked off the account by featuring her own cat, Sammy, who still stars in the page’s profile picture. Post a pic of your own cat with the hashtag #catsofcincy for a chance to be featured.

P H O T O : I N S TA G R A M

but that doesn’t stop him from seeing how good life has become. “He was found in a wood pile near our home by a wonderful lady who captures feral cats to have them spayed and neutered,” says Cooper’s mom, Holly Ross. “She knew I love cats and asked if I wanted him. He immediately crawled onto my shoulder, under my hair, and I went home with him that day.” Cooper’s right eye, however, wasn’t developing properly and was removed when he was just a few months old — a condition Cooper’s veterinarian attributes to a likely case of feline herpes at birth. “Having only one eye has not limited him in any way,” Ross says. “We, of course, think he’s the cutest.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

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PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Mollie loves to balance on everything from fire hydrants to tree stumps.

MERLE (AND FELINE BFF AMOS) @mynameis_merle Followers: 175 This little pitty has quite the ~lewk~: a crooked face, a lil’ snaggle tooth and a tongue that’s always outside of his mouth. But life wasn’t always good to Merle; he was discovered in the woods by the owner of

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MOLLIE THE STAND-UP DOG @molliethehounddoggie Followers: 1,050 Fire hydrants. Tree stumps. People. There’s nothing Mollie the hound dog can’t balance on, as evidenced by an Instagram account in which she stands atop myriad humans, objects and things. “We adopted Mollie when she was about 7 months old from a big adoption event organized by the League for Animal Welfare — she came from Brown County Animal Shelter,” says Mollie’s human, Patti Mossey. “We had a rocky start; she had been abused, was fearful of everything and everyone, was super high-energy and not trained at all. It’s kind of amazing how far she has come, because she absolutely loves people and life now. The jumping/balance thing — we knew she loved to jump up on stumps in the woods, and we had a command to send her there: ‘Place.’ As a joke one day, walking in the ’hood, we told her to ‘place’ on a

Cooper the One-Eyed Cat

The Pet Issue FROM PAGE 17

st. nicholas by conor mcpherson

friday 9 february 2018 8 pm ticketing at cincyticket.com or ihc box office at 513-533-0100 irishcenterofcincinnati.com

A cynical and jaded theater critic in his late 50s falls for a beautiful young actress. In pursuing her, he meets a group of modern-day vampires who offer him eternal life. He says of them:

They have power. Not the power to make you do what they want, but real power, to make you want what they want.

TUX THE TOOTHY PUG MIX @tuxthepugmix a veterinary clinic, emaciated and with a Followers: 745 severe case of mange. “After the vet clinic Tux, a pug/Japanese Chin mix, was did some digging, they found out that he adopted from local rescue group Stray Aniwas adopted from the (SPCA) not so long mal Adoption Program (SAAP) in October ago and the new owner just didn’t want of 2016. “My husband (Kyle Healey) and I him anymore,” says Merle’s new mom, were married in October 2015 and I had Stephanie Norman. The crookedness of his been requesting a new family member for about a year,” says Tux’s mom, Mandy Shoemaker. “He kept telling me he didn’t want a dog because Merle and Amos they were so much responsibility and we work a lot.” One night, a PHOTO: I N S TA G R A M friend from SAAP sent Shoemaker a picture of Tux — and it was love at first sight. “The next day, while Kyle was golfing, I picked up Tux and brought him home, praying we both wouldn’t be left out in the cold. Then I sent Kyle a photo of him sitting on our couch and Kyle texted back that if the dog wasn’t so cute we would both be in trouble.” Shoemaker says Tux has a lot of pug tendencies: an under-bite, a susceptibility to gaseous conditions and a curly tail.

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face was most likely caused by blunt force trauma, and although he still takes some time to warm up to new people, he’s making progress in strides. “We try to take him out to places that allow dogs like breweries, bars, restaurant patios (and) Washington Park events to show him that people are not going to hurt him anymore,” Norman says. Merle lives with four other dogs, two cats (including his best friend Amos) and six chickens in Northside.

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THE REAL GEORGE MICHAEL @therealgeorgemichael Followers: 517 Laura Hughes adopted this suave mix through the League for Animal Welfare, where George Michael — then named Chet — was the only dog who didn’t bark at Hughes when she walked by. “I had to meet him,” she says. “He was surrendered to the shelter because his previous owner was a pet hoarder; apparently George Michael lived with dozens of other animals and his owner was charged with animal neglect.” Today, GM goes to work with his mom on the daily at Over-the-Rhine’s Union Hall. “He loves to steal my coworkers’ office chairs for naps, run around the building greeting visitors and is in a constant search for dropped food on the ground.” His Instagram features him going for walks, sunbathing on sidewalks and generally lounging about. But don’t worry — his mom keeps things rated PG by tastefully blurring out his manhood, should it be visible.

LUCY THE DEAF BOXER @lucys_dog_diary Followers: 455 Lucy — full name Lucy Goose — was rescued when she was only eight months old, discovered in the middle of the road after being hit by a car. “Both of Lucy’s front legs were severely injured,” says Lucy’s new mom, Felicia Forsythe. “One was broken, which a rod had to be inserted into, and the other suffers permanent nerve damage, which is why Lucy is often seen wearing a boot — she walks on the side of that paw. Along with those injuries, Lucy was underweight, her collar was almost embedded in her neck and it’s thought she was also physically abused. Miss Lucy Goose is also deaf, but she doesn’t let any of this slow her down.” Lucy now enjoys camping, agility and going on an annual vacation to Florida. “She is so super-spoiled but deserves every second of it,” Forsythe says. MOZZIE THE MAJESTIC @mozzie.the.aussie Followers: 688 Such beauty. Mozzie is an Australian shepherd/border collie mix adopted from the League for Animal Welfare. This energetic guy enjoys exploring local parks with his parents and keeping his breeds’ roots alive by herding his feline brothers, Luna and Fat Storm. “I wanted to adopt a dog before I started grad school as a way to manage stress and stay active,” says his owner Rachel Jackson, a doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati working on her masters in educational studies. An avid explorer and outdoorsman, Mozzie’s ’gram says he stands with environmentalists to protect his favorite places to play.

The Pet Issue JN: I have the sensation of having just popped a breath mint. It might not smell good but my breath feels good right now. It wasn’t what I expected it to taste like because I was expecting a Red Lobster (Cheddar Bay) Biscuit but once I started taking more bites, it tasted good to me. Not, like, amazing, but good. MB: I just wonder, do dogs appreciate the spices? Is that necessary? Are you cooking it for them because you think, “Oh my dog will love this?” NS: It’s definitely like if you described a Red Lobster biscuit to an alien being using only words and then the alien being had to bake Cheddar Bay Biscuits. That’s kind of what it reminds me of.

Pet Wants

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Human Trials

CityBeat staffers (and interns) taste test local dog treats

BY Maija Zummo

Brewhaus Dog Bones

Whisk & Wag

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This local family-owned company makes dog bone baking mixes — think Bisquick but for pups — that come in different flavors like cheddar and herb (which we tried), honey and oats and apple and cinnamon. Just add water, oil and bake. whiskandwagtreats.com HB: It’s got a nice herby-ness to it. It’s definitely more like a cookie than the bones. Initially it’s like a nice herby taste but then you start to get hints of whatever else is in here — cheddar? Oats? I wouldn’t eat more of them. MM: It’s crumbly. I do kind of actually like the herby taste and you can definitely taste the cheddar hints shining through. It has a weird aftertaste. ME: I actually like biting into the other treat more, but this is herby. It tastes like Italy — what I imagine Italy tastes like.

Brewhaus bones are made using spent grain from local breweries and natural peanut butter — we tried bones baked with grain from Listermann Brewing Co. and Taft’s, and paired them with beers from the respective brewery. Brewhaus also doubles as a nonprofit that provides vocational training for young adults with disabilities. brewhausdogbones.com

Hailey Bollinger (Photographer): (The Listermann bone) has a nice peanut buttery taste; a nice crunch to it. I thought the Taft’s was more bland. The beer definitely enhanced both bones. The Taft’s tasted a little smokier with the beer pairings. Mackenzie Manley (Copy Editor): For me, the Listermann was too hard, but I have human teeth. It tastes like Ezekiel bread. I think (the Taft’s) actually has a better crunch to it. It tastes slightly more refined. McKenzie Eskridge (Intern): I think (the Listermann bone) is edible. It got thick on my tongue, but it went down nice with the complementing beer. The Taft’s definitely went down easier. I didn’t have to turn to the beer to get it down. It kind of tasted like a crouton. Jude Noel (Intern): (For the Listermann bone), there’s definitely these overtones of stale sprouted wheat with, like, a peanut crunch that’s sort of baked into it. I actually liked the Listermann’s better — it had a texture that I enjoyed. The Taft’s tasted like

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e wanted to test the theory that people tend to feed their pets better than themselves so we decided to eat some locally made highend dog treats. These indie companies use real ingredients and even organics — not fillers or chemicals — to craft artisan snacks. They certainly aren’t the only treat-makers in town, but we thought these three sounded good enough to eat (and see if they’re worth the hype and price). Note: These are not actually made for human consumption, but that didn’t stop us from making our interns try some.

how I imagine loose-leaf paper tastes. Mike Breen (Music Editor): I tasted the Taft’s one right after and that’s delicious compared to the Listermann — a little more rich. I think the Listermann’s was a little more “rocky.” Nick Swartsell (News Editor): The Listermann one didn’t taste like anything to me. It was dry. It tasted very much like I was getting fiber — I felt healthy in a way. The Taft’s one had a nice, almost roasted taste to it that I really liked. I think if I had several more beers it would be better.

Pet Wants is a purveyor of their own line of natural pet food and other specialty dog supplies, treats and toppers, including a freeze-dried raw bar. Their jerky is made with inside-round beef and a secret house marinade, and their dried sweet potatoes come either plain or with turmeric and peanut butter. petwants.com HB: I would maybe make (dried sweet potatoes) for myself and then share some with my dog. I think this is maybe more for a dog than to share with a human. Very Styrofoam-y. I’m sure dogs don’t mind texture. The flavor isn’t bad. It tastes like turmeric and peanut butter. (But) I love the jerky. I like it better than regular jerky because it’s so thin. The flavor’s great — kind of a little bit soy saucey. Will eat again. MM: I actually like this (sweet potato). If you let it soften in your mouth a little bit, it tastes like a sweet potato chip, so I dig it. ME: This is my first sweet potato ever. I like the crunch. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I got the plain one and I’ll probably finish it. I had really high hopes for (the jerky) because everybody has been taking two pieces and I like jerky in real life but it just tasted too much like what I imagine and smell dog food to be like. JN: I actually kind of enjoyed (the sweet potato). The texture is a little gross — it feels like tree bark — but the taste actually tastes like a sweet potato chip that you might get at the store. This (jerky) is by far the best one and it tastes a lot better than some jerky I’ve had in the past. It’s got the soy sauce; it’s super savory; it’s crunchier. MB: My first thought was that (the sweet potato) reminds me of taking psychedelic mushrooms — the spongy texture. (In the jerky), you can feel the sodium. But I was thinking you could use it like Bacon Bits, crumble them over a dog salad. NS: (The sweet potatoes) are my absolute least favorite texture I’ve ever had in my mouth, but the taste is really good. It’s definitely sweet potato-y but has a little carroty flavor, too. I love the jerky. 10 out of 10; will eat again. It’s like Wild Joe’s jerky (from Camp Washington), which is really good thin-cut beef jerky. It’s got a soy sauce marinade and I think it’s delicious.

The Pet Issue

Dogs...

And their original intended purposes

By Zachary Petit Labrador: To be a dog for suburban people who do not want dogs yet are savvy enough to know that golden retrievers are painfully basic

Dachshund: Hunting bananas Basset Hound: Hunting plantains Beagle: Be available as an option for those who want a professionally bred dog that looks like a rescued shelter dog

Great Dane: No specific purpose, other than for breeders to essentially see if they could create the Big Gulp equivalent of a dog

Poodle: To prove that stuffed animals can be sentient

Chihuahua: Failed attempt at creating offbrand Star Wars tie-in merchandise

St. Bernard: To help lost mountaineers with the cessation of alcohol using that tiny portion-controlled barrel around its neck

Bull Terrier: Bred solely to give name to the odd thing that Spuds MacKenzie was

Border Collie: To serve as mad scientist in the coming dog uprising

Fig. 1: The Saluki

Greyhound: To convey the importance of the Bauhaus decree of form following function

German Shepherd: Bred by Border Collie to serve as foot soldier in the coming dog uprising

Saluki: To show what happens when a greyhound has a great f*cking hair day

Golden Retriever: To be a dog for suburban people who do not want dogs

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The Pet Issue

Caffeine and Cuddles

Cats at Kitty Brew Café PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

What to expect when visiting Mason’s Kitty Brew Café

By Erin Couch

his year marks the 20th anniversary for a niche industry to delight the cat person and coffee snob in all of us: the cat café. It all started in Taipei, Taiwan at the Cat Flower Garden, where the concept of snuggling kitties while sipping on a cappuccino first came to fruition. It’s a new worldwide phenomenon that has made its way to America in recent years, starting out as a pop-up concept in New York City, then California and eventually blossoming into permanent cat cafés around the United States. Fortunately for the die-hard cat person, there’s such a venue right in Cincinnati’s own backyard — Kitty Brew Café in Mason, Ohio. It’s worth the voyage to the northern ’burbs to experience this unorthodox pairing for yourself, but a few questions naturally come to mind: Can I just show up and start snuggling kittens on the spot? Isn’t it gross to have food service mixed with animals? What happens if I fall in love with that perfect tabby, only to have my heart broken at the end of my cat-petting hour? Fear not; your answers lay below.

waiver (the cats are fully clawed), you can come to the café at your designated time and will be allotted one hour to ogle and play with the pretty kitties. Kitty Brew does accept walk-ins, if there’s space. Capacity is 20 people. And children under the age of 16 need a parent or guardian with them during their visit.

How it Works As for the experience, it’s pretty selfexplanatory: It’s a coffee shop with free-range felines vying for your love and affection — or, in some cases, straight-up ignoring you in typical cat demeanor. Most places require a reservation so the kitties don’t get overwhelmed by masses of people trying to grab them. In the case of Kitty Brew, it’s about $10 to RSVP. After you reserve a spot and sign a mandatory safety

Separate Spaces Given the reality that there is a litter box somewhere in the building, it might make some customers a little queasy to ruminate on the cross-contamination implications. For those not too fond of the concept of an animal in the same space as your food, the façade of the café should give you some reassurance: There are two separate doors; one for the café, one for the “Cat Lounge.” In other words, it’s a strictly paws-off policy

The Café You can start your experience by picking from a selection of beverages supplied by Seven Hills Coffee Roasters and bakery treats made in-house and supplied by local bakeries. But you won’t find your average run-of-the-mill pumpkin spice latte at Kitty Brew; customers can indulge in various cat-themed hot, iced and blended drinks. Their specialty is scrumptious, whipped-cream-topped delicacies you drink through a straw. It’s worth the splurge at Kitty Brew, with handcrafted, cat-themed fraps like the popular Purple Catnip, lavender with espresso and hints of vanilla; or the Tuxedo, a blended coffee drink with cookies and cream.

If you’re looking far and wide for that perfect kitty you’ve been dreaming of, there are a few other spots in the Buckeye State that can aide you in your pursuit.

Coffee Cat Corner: Situated just northeast of Columbus in Gahanna, Coffee Cat Corner was previously known as Coffee Time Bakery & Café before they decided to upgrade the space to include a feline presence. Coffee Cat Corner has the traditional cat café set-up, but makes a point to specialize in their coffee department, offering products from local small-batch roaster, Thunderkiss. Sip on classic espresso and coffee drinks while you check out their rotating five-cat lounge. coffeecatcorner.biz

Kitty Brew Café is located at 6011 Tylersville Road, Mason. More info: kittybrew.com.

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Gem City Catfé: If you’re the odd man out in your majority catperson friend group, Gem City Café in Dayton might be your best bet. Sit in the café area and watch from afar while your gang plays with the kitties, and then head upstairs to quell the boredom and check out an art gallery featuring local artists. And, if allergies are your problem, the two spaces have completely different HVAC systems — eliminating any chance of getting the sniffles from the kitties. gemcitycatfe.com

The Adoption Process But what happens when you find a whiskered friend you just can’t live without? Luckily, a staple of cat cafés is the ability to adopt. If you find a cat you want to keep, you can apply to adopt the animal right there through Animal Friends Humane Society. It will take 24 hours or less to hear back. If there are multiple applications for the same cat, they’ll be evaluated on a firstcome, first-served basis. That connection you make with that adorable calico in the corner, Barton says, is vital to a successful life for a cat. “It’s a 15- to 20-year commitment. The better of an idea that you have of their personality and how they’re going to interact with children and other cats is really important to know,” she says. “I’m not saying you can’t get that interaction at a shelter — you most certainly can — I just think here, it’s a lot less stress.” Since opening its doors in April 2017, Kitty Brew has found homes for 454 cats and counting — which tallies to roughly 1.6 cats per day on average. Even with adoptions happening left and right, Barton says she’s not leaving new pet owners out in the dark. “We always tell them, when they leave, if they have a question or a concern, give us a call,” Barton says. “We don’t just adopt out cats and say, ‘Good luck with that.’ We try to be here for the long haul for them.”

Eat, Purr, Love Cat Café: It’s Central Ohio’s first cat café, in operation since mid-2016. Located in the Columbus neighborhood of Clintonville just around the corner from Ohio State University, Eat, Purr, Love has about a dozen cats roaming their Cat Lounge at a time, giving the kitties designated human-free zones and cat nap time for the most humane experience possible. You won’t find any kittens here; they get all adult cats from Columbus Humane to ensure that those animals get the star treatment — just like adorable baby kittens. eatpurrlovecatcafe.com

The Cat Lounge After your order’s up, slip outside and head to the Cat Lounge next door with your drink, where you’ll be greeted by up to 30 eager animals chilling in high-rise cat condos, on couches and, the vessel of choice

for most cats, plain old cardboard boxes. They have free rein of the space so feel free to roam around their dwelling to find the most playful kitty. Be careful though; you signed a safety waiver for a reason. Snuggle and play to your heart’s content — just make sure to ask before you pick one up.

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Other Cat Cafés

when it comes to mixing food service and animals. In fact, you have to physically walk outside to go back and forth between the Cat Lounge and the café area. Owner Jenni Barton says this keeps it safe and sanitary. “There’s no way a cat could get into (the café area) unless somebody picked them up and carried them in,” Barton says. “We wash our hands more so than any other place because we’re making drinks all the time or we’re next door and you’re petting cats or putting on medication, and you’re constantly washing your hands. Everything is 100 percent separate. Separate rooms, separate mop heads, separate mop buckets — everything.”

The Pet Issue

Cold-Blooded Companionship

Attendees at the Cin City Reptile Show find creature comfort with snakes, lizards and other atypical animals

By Jude Noel

Your Park Awaits

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Best park (city) - 2nd Best wedding w reception Hall - 2nd Best scenic overlook - 3rd Best Hiking t trail - 2nd

For reservations r 513-221-2610 www.premierparkevents.com

ith an unbroken length of winter coats, snow-caked boots and Midwestern flesh, the queue to enter Fairfield’s monthly Cin City Reptile Show is appropriately serpentine, and packs the convention center with bodies eager to escape the cold. Adrenalized grade-schoolers rattle off animal factoids. Packs of teenagers show off their novelty lizard-themed T-shirts, clutching their ticket money. Whether they’ve come to buy, sell, trade or just sneak a peek, they’re here for the zoo’s worth of scaly critters that inhabit the ballroom. From bearded dragons to tree frogs, the full breadth of Reptilia is represented. In the middle of it all, Lawrenceburg, Ind. native Scott Karn juggles a pair of clear Rubbermaid containers, which transport a total of three coiled snakes. His girlfriend Holly Fare keeps an eye on the entwined creatures. The couple made the hour-long drive to Fairfield in pursuit of a trade: ball pythons (male and female) and an albino ball — which looks like buttered popcorn — for a single snake sold by a vendor at the show. Karn tells me that albinos are sought after by some breeders, as their pink eyes and yellow splotches are the key to creating “morphs,” or snakes that look a little dif different than normal members of the same species. “I kind of rescued these three,” Karn says. “A friend of mine had them but his house is too cold, and we were worried about them dying.” A dog or cat may be a cozy friend to curl up with on the couch at the end of a long day, but for the reptile lover, a snake or lizard seems to serve as a scholarly peer. It’s an entry into the expo subculture, a spark to fuel one’s curiosity and a colorful sight to behold. Karn is looking for a new snake he can introduce to the five currently slithering around in a tank in his living room. Some enthusiasts see new species as collector’s items, keeping hundreds of specimens in tubs on custom shelves and using breeding techniques to create designer morphs. Karn and Fare view their snakes as beloved household pets. “I get a lot of grief over it, but they’re just like any other pet,” Karn says. “The more

you socialize with them, the better they are. Holly’s daughter’s not afraid — she’ll reach right in the aquarium and pull a seven foot snake out of there. As long as you keep them socialized every day they make great pets.” At the end of the line, the pair fasten their event wristbands. Fare points to a table of pythons dozing off in the sort of clamshell containers gas station tuna sandwiches come in. “They’re cute, right? They’re like glazed donuts, the way they’re coiled up,” he says. The trail of reptilian donuts leads to a booth tabled by show organizer Chris MacMillan. In addition to organizing the event, he sells prints of his ultra-realistic animal sketches. A veteran showgoer, he started attending expos in the late ’80s as a high school biology enthusiast. That interest led him to become a breeder and later start shows across the East Coast. He helped found the Cin City show in 2011 and has watched its surrounding subculture grow to an average of about 1,000 attendees a month. Though MacMillan spends much of his time nurturing his expo, he has whittled his reptile collection down to focus on his two favorite pets: his kids, Ethan and Olivia. Derrick Burnett, who co-owns Cin City, says that the show is a good chance to see the breadth of personality the reptile community has to offer. There are those who use the show as a sort of zoo to observe exotic species they’d otherwise only see in books, there are owners whose affection for cold-blooded species is no less intense than a dog-lover’s fondness for their pooch, and there are collectors who constantly trade and purchase new species to study. “For them, it’s like Pokemon,” Burnett says. “They want to own them all at some point.” Charlie Butler, an arachnid aficionado from Louisville, falls somewhere in between the categories of owner and collector. He’s fascinated by his family of invertebrates, some of which are for sale at his table. On his left side, an array of tarantulas ranging from the aptly named Mexican red rump to the elegant Poecilotheria regalis scuttle in their plastic bowls. A small cluster of scorpions flank his right. To Butler, coming home to his spiders is

The cutest little dude at Cin City Reptile Show. PH OTO: M EG AN WAD DEL

as comforting as watching a goldfish swim laps in a tank. “They’re lower maintenance,” he says. “You don’t always need to pet it and take it outside.” His passion for his pets defies the danger that some of the species pose to him. “The bite from this one’s very, very painful,” he says, pointing to a bowl. “With some of these guys here, though, you’d probably have to spend a few days in the hospital. I’ve never been bitten. And that’s a good thing because I’m allergic to bees. Anything on that table bites me, I go into anaphylactic shock.” Animal fandom can lead to other dangers, too. Breeder Dennis Blankenship, owner of Magical Geckos, says that his mother was initially horrified to find out about his large reptile collection, which has topped out at over a thousand specimens. “Since then, she’s come around to them, though,” he says. “She’ll sit in the living room with a mug of coffee or tea and just sit and watch them. They’re fun to watch.” Though he loves his geckos, Blankenship says it’s hard to tell whether his reptiles can express affection back. “I’ve had some that when you put your hand in a cage, they’ll walk over to you,” he says. “But what’s their motive for doing that? I can’t really say.” The vendors here are generally soft-spoken and humble, yet light up at the chance to recite Latin classifications or describe a python’s genetic makeup. Whether or not reptiles can love back doesn’t really seem to matter to Cin City’s attendees. For them, these species act as an extension of themselves, like scaly spirit animals. The Cin City Reptile Show takes place once a month in Fairfield. For dates and directions, visit cincityreptileshow.com.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Why Leonard Bernstein Still Matters The American icon’s importance in American culture extends beyond music BY A N N E A R EN S T EI N

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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eonard Bernstein would be turning 100 in August, and his centennial is being observed throughout the world. Events planned here are numerous. University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music’s Philharmonia features Bernstein’s overture to Slava! as part of a Feb. 16 concert and a Lenny and Friends on Broadway program for Feb. 25; CCM’s Wind Orchestra offers “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story and “Three Dance Episodes” from On the Town at a March 2 concert; and there are three additional CCM spring concerts celebrating him. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra offers its Bernstein Centennial program April 20-21. The Pops performs the score to the Oscar-winning film version of West Side Story April 27-29, while the film plays on Music Hall’s big screen. The May Festival’s chorus will sing Bernstein’s Missa Brevis as part of an April 22 concert at Covington’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. The May Festival on May 19 will present Bernstein’s MASS: A Theatre Piece of Singers, Players and Dancers at Music Hall. On May 25, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms is part of another May Festival concert. And Cincinnati Ballet dances to Bernstein’s score to Jerome Robbins’ ballet Fancy Free March 15-18. So, clearly, the late Bernstein (who died in 1990 at age 72) still matters in Cincinnati and elsewhere. But why is that so? An acclaimed conductor, composer and media personality from the 1940s on, Bernstein propelled American music and performers to international prominence. West Side Story guarantees his immortality, but it’s only one facet of his breathtaking genius. He remains a powerful influence on everything from the current generation of symphonic conductors to American musical theater, multi-media’s presence in the arts and arts education. If you’re a Bernstein newbie, start where I did: The 1958 Young People’s Concert “What Does Music Mean?” My parents plunked me in front of the TV because, they explained, Leonard Bernstein was doing a show for kids. A handsome man began conducting the theme from The Lone Ranger Ranger. I recognized the music, but when he began to talk, he didn’t mention the composer or the music’s title; instead, he talked about what music means. I was hooked. He spoke to

me as a peer and had a keen instinct for respecting kids’ intelligence. Bernstein demolished barriers between genres. He showed how The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” exemplified three-part sonata form and how Dvorák used African-American spirituals in his Ninth Symphony. There was no Classical music — it was the world’s music and it belonged to everyone. By 1958, Bernstein was already an American success story several times over and had inspired a surge in American music, starting by fronting an orchestra. American conductors owe a huge debt to Bernstein, who was 25 when he got his lucky break on Nov. 14, 1943, replacing an ailing conductor to lead the New York Philharmonic in a concert broadcast nationally on CBS radio. World War II dominated the headlines, but Bernstein’s debut was frontpage news in The New York Times. The real story was an American-born and American-trained musician leading a major orchestra at a time when only European conductors were considered suitable. In 1953, he became the first American to conduct at Italy’s La Scala, working with iconic diva Maria Callas; five years later, he was appointed the New York Philharmonic’s music director. Bernstein opened the field for generations of American conductors, many of whom he trained at Tanglewood’s summer music program in Boston, including Mark Gibson, head of conducting at CCM. Bernstein’s own conducting still remains a source of debate. His leadership was either revelatory and groundbreaking or self-indulgent and bombastic. He encompassed it all and every move was calculated in service to the music. That kind of approach was vital as Bernstein passionately advocated for works rarely heard in the late 1950s, especially those by Gustav Mahler. He wasn’t the first Mahler proponent, but Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic frequently performed Mahler and Bernstein was the first to record a complete cycle of Mahler’s nine symphonies in the 1960s. Bernstein’s musical catalog reflects astonishing variety — symphonies, choral pieces, chamber music, songs, ballets, TV and film scores, a mass and, of course, his works for musical theater. Those theatrical works are Bernstein’s best and most unabashedly American;

Leonard Bernstein P H O T O : PA U L D E H U E C K / COURTESY THE LEONARD BERNSTEIN OFFICE

they are wildly energetic, full of the rhythms and harmonies of Jazz and Blues that have never lost their appeal. If you only know West Side Story Story, listen to On the Town, written over a decade earlier, and you’ll hear elements of what would become West Side Story’s Prologue. That theatricality finds its way into all of Bernstein’s compositions, and listening to his other scores, you’ll hear references to his stage works. Music critics called him out for just that, but to my ears that tonal mix sounds just right. In every aspect of his career, Bernstein was an unsurpassed educator. He could have invented TED Talks and, thanks to his good looks, immense charisma and ease in front of TV cameras, American audiences loved and listened to him, whether he was talking about a Bach cantata, Blues or The Beatles. His books remain vibrant and full of insights. The Joy of Music (1959) is a wonderful series of essays that fully convey the

title’s intent. Findings (1955) is a revealing self-portrait through letters, essays and other writings. Failing health prompted Bernstein to state, in the summer of 1990, he would devote the rest of his life to education. He died on Oct. 14, just five days after the announcement. Leonard Bernstein matters in every part of American life and especially for the American creative community. He would be horrified by today’s political rhetoric and realities, but he might have repeated what he said following John Kennedy’s assassination: “This will be our response to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly, than ever before.” For more information about CCM events, visit ccm.uc.edu; for the Ballet, cballet.org; for CSO/Pops concerts, cincinnatisymphony.org, for the May Festival, mayfestival.com

‘Wormwood’ Blends Truth and Speculation BY M AC K EN ZI E M A N L E Y

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Since the release of his 1988 film The Thin secret MKUltra program that tested LSD. It Blue Line, a combination of interviews and becomes a stark portrait of a man driven aestheticized drama structured to prove by the grief of not knowing, of being lied a death row inmate’s innocence, director to and of never finding the satisfaction of Errol Morris’ work has tested the boundclosure. aries of truth and fiction. He’s one of our Morris ends nearly every episode at the greatest documentarians, winning an same scene: a crash of glass, billowing Academy Award for 2003’s The Fog of War War, off-white hotel curtains and Frank (porbut he’s also a restless one, seeking new trayed by Peter Sarsgaard) falling/diving/ ways to pursue truth. dropped to the ground. His new six-part Netflix series WormThe scripted period-accurate scenes play wood (each episode is 40 minutes) with shadow: A figure walks down a hotel disregards the rules of both documentary and drama even further than he has done previously, with its brushstrokes of surrealism and haunting reality. At its center is a single, cemented fact: In November 1953, a scientist who worked at a United States Army research lab, Frank Olson, died after falling from a hotel-room window in New York City. That term “falling” is revisited over and over again by his son, Eric — the main subject of the interviews — as he grapples for some sense of truth, steadfast in his belief that Bob Balaban (left) and Peter Sarsgaard in Wormwood the death of his father was at the hands of the CIA. Did he PHOTO: COURTESY OF NETFLIX fall, dive or was he dropped? “You’ll never know what happened in that room,” Eric says his hall and his edges blur as he moves toward mother, Alice, told him. At the end of the the window and is seemingly engulfed by series, even when he does know, the truth daylight. Moments are stretched thin in still feels incomplete. Despite the entrancthe wake of suspense: Dr. Robert Lashingly controlled dramatic scenes, it’s brook (portrayed by Christian Camargo), Wormwood’s interview with Eric — sitting in the hotel room the night of Frank’s with director Morris at a long table bordeath, places his head in his hands, bent dered by windows — that truly sticks. over. Music mounts. Small noises are Frank Olson’s death was initially clasamplified; the sound of a coffee cup placed sified as an accident, causing Eric to sink on a table, the rustling of a hand in a purse, into a murkiness he’s never truly left. In the swish of curtains, feet against floor1975, his family received an explanation boards and the rise and fall of shaky breath. from President Gerald Ford, becoming the Besides such staged scenes, the only family to be apologized to in the Oval segmented interviews with Eric, as well Office. Frank, Ford said, had been dosed as with journalist Seymour Hersh (who with LSD as part of a CIA experiment and broke the story in 1975) and family lawyer reacted badly, causing his suicide. But Harry Huge, are shot just as creatively. At are there still further government secrets times, Morris employs multiple panels to about his death that have never been overwhelming effect. revealed? Wormwood explores that. The series’ name comes from a line Eric’s voice swells and recedes with spoken by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Eric flashes of anger and frustration as he sees himself as the tragic Danish prince. recounts this story; by Wormwood’s finale, Throughout Wormwood, scenes from he admits that he has lost himself. Home Laurence Olivier’s classic 1948 Hamlet videos of his childhood interpose with his flicker through, creating a sense of myth words as he says this — his dad pushing and texture. him in a swing and later teaching him how Wormwood is as compelling as it is to swim. “Because the value of the loss is paranoia-inducing in the way it uses a infinite, the sacrifice is infinite,” Eric says, fragmented lens to search for the nature as a video shows him falling back into the of truth while questioning whether the water. “Pft. You’re gone.” answer is ever obtainable. In the end, its Wormwood begins as a conspiracy conclusions are left unsaid: a chorus of story, laced in tales of the CIA and its whispers left in the trenches of history.

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Setting the Table for Tough Conversation BY R I C K PEN D ER

A half-century has passed since the film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? confronted moviegoers with social issues including racism, prejudice and mixed marriage. The story about a liberal, affluent white couple whose impetuous daughter returns home to announce her engagement after a whirlwind romance with an African-American physician both distilled and complicated conversations. There were no easy answers to many of the issues raised, although the film’s rather pat conclusion — perhaps necessary in the idealistic and hopeful late 1960s — offered a sense that differences could be overcome. Fast forward to 2018: Currently onstage at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, playwright Todd Kreidler’s 2012 adaptation of William Rose’s screenplay tinkers slightly with the story to reflect contemporary attitudes. The interplay between Christina and Matt Drayton — portrayed onscreen by iconic actors Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy — has a more level playing field for Cincinnati performers Annie Fitzpatrick and Barry Mulholland. After the initial shock of their daughter Joanna’s decision, Fitzpatrick’s Christina, who owns a high-end art gallery, argues more assertively with husband Matt. Similarly, the relationship between Joanna and fiancé John Prentice is more rooted in reality. In the movie Katharine Houghton played Joanna with breathless, naïve optimism; Sidney Poitier brought John to life in a steadfast, committed performance. Cincy Shakes’ veterans Caitlin McWethy and Darnell Pierre Benjamin play their parts more pragmatically. Her Joanna has more credibility, even though she initially states, “My parents love surprises!” Matt calls his daughter a “radical optimist,” but it’s evident that her good faith in her parents is severely damaged by her father’s behavior, especially when he proclaims that her news is not a surprise but an “ambush.” McWethy plays Joanna with enthusiasm, but her depth of emotion has considerable texture, especially in the second act. Likewise, Benjamin gives the buttoneddown physician some serious volatility, especially interacting with his parents who make a startling, less-than-pleased entrance as dinner guests. Ken Early plays the senior John Prentice as an intransigent, backward-looking man who sees no good coming from this marriage. Thursday Farrar is Mary Prentice, the more understanding but reticent mother. Three more characters provide further perspectives that expand the issues underpinning Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Kelly Mengelkoch plays Hillary St. George, the art gallery’s tightly wound and subtly racist manager, who eventually gets her comeuppance. Jim Hopkins is a Catholic monsignor and family friend who seeks to turn down the heat but delivers

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ONSTAGE

Caitlin McWethy and Darnell Pierre Benjamin PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY

a boatload of unhelpful platitudes, not to mention offers to smooth tensions with liquor. Finally, Burgess Byrd is the Draytons’ faithful maid, Tillie Binks, fiercely protective of Joanna and dubious of her suitor. She is eventually convinced that the young couple’s emotions are genuine. Byrd handles the role, which could potentially be a caricature, with humor and strength, making Tillie’s response a sign of hope. Cincy Shakes wisely chose Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s D. Lynn Meyers to guest direct this production. At ETC, she favors new plays that explore issues relevant to the Greater Cincinnati community. Although Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? is a classic tale — in keeping with the Cincy Shakes mission — many of its troublesome issues and attitudes are still sadly present. Meyers has a deft touch that brings actors together to explore differing, contentious viewpoints and advance the conversation in ways that point audiences toward deeper understanding. The play’s action is performed on a single set, a clearly upscale suburban San Francisco home designed by Shannon Moore and lit by Justen N. Locke. The most intense conversations are played on the new theater’s thrust stage area, furnished with expensive upholstered chairs and a davenport, a well-stocked bar and a glowing Persian rug. Douglas J. Borntrager’s soundtrack, using Dave Brubeck’s Jazz tunes such as “Take Five,” provides the right ambience for the story’s era. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? is a cultural icon — the movie’s title has become a cliché for any unexpected, troubling surprise. And this stage production is a daunting reminder that we still have a long way to go to address and resolve issues that were vexing in 1967. A production like this will keep that conversation going. Dinner anyone? Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? continues at Cincy Shakes through Feb. 17. Tickets/more info: cincyshakes.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

Activist Marian Spencer Celebrated BY J U DY G EO R G E

Marian Spencer in 2017 PHOTO: BREWSTER RHOADS

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

Marian Spencer: Keep on Fighting, featuring a talk by and discussion with Dorothy Christenson, is free and takes place Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Main Library. More info: cincinnatilibrary.org.

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Marian Spencer learned not to be afraid of racism when she was 8 years old. It was a dark, warm, moonless night in 1928 and the Ku Klux Klan was marching in her hometown of Gallipolis, Ohio. “My father took my twin sister Millie and me to the balcony on the second level of our house and said, ‘Look at them, girls. They’re marching and they’re wrong,’ ” Spencer says. “They wore white costumes and their faces were covered with white masks. And my father said, ‘Look at them. You don’t need to be afraid.’ “That’s what I always remember: You don’t need to afraid.” The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will honor Spencer this week as part of Black History Month. The first African-American woman elected to Cincinnati city council, Spencer is a lifelong community activist, well known locally for her fight to integrate Cincinnati’s Coney Island amusement park. But Spencer is also a national hero. She spearheaded efforts to desegregate YWCA programs throughout the U.S. And with Fred Shuttlesworth, a prominent civil rights leader and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., she launched a campaign to raise awareness of industrial toxic-waste practices in minority neighborhoods, which became part of national Superfund legislation. “Her life is about social change,” says biographer Dorothy Christenson, who will discuss her book, Keep on Fighting: The Life and Civil Rights Legacy of Marian A. Spencer, at downtown’s Main Library on Spencer Saturday. Throughout the month, the library will showcase several African-American women who chose to become leaders, notes Brian Powers, a reference librarian of local history and genealogy. “Marian Spencer is a Cincinnati icon,” he says. “When you think of empowerment and achievement, you think of her.” When Spencer arrived in Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati in 1938, the campus had only one

African-American organization. Dormitories, hotels and regular restaurants were not open to black people. After graduation, she became the youngest president of the all-black West End YWCA. The allwhite YWCA was moving to a new building with a swimming pool, which the West End Y could not afford, so Spencer started negotiating a merger of the two groups. When the new Metropolitan branch opened, she insisted the cafeteria and swimming pool be desegregated. “Thanks to Marian, the YWCA cafeteria became the only place downtown where integrated groups could meet or eat together in public,” Christenson says. It was her role as a parent that led to Coney Island’s desegregation. “One day in 1952, my boys were watching the Uncle Al show on television and saw pictures of the Coney Island and the rides,” Spencer says. “My boys were 8 and 10 and they wanted to go, too. I called Coney Island and the girl who answered the phone said of course we’d be welcome. ‘But we’re Negroes,’ I told her.” The receptionist told Spencer she was sorry, but her children would not be allowed in the park. “I wanted to find out who had made that decision,” Spencer says. “My boys should be treated just like any other children.” Spencer enlisted the NAACP to sue the park and organized protest marches at the gate that August. “The national NAACP told us we needed an integrated effort, so we had well-dressed white women in hats and gloves marching with us,” she recalls. “An integrated group of ministers drove to the front gate and was pelted with dirt clods and fruit.” The group won. Blacks could enter the park and picnic and ride the paddleboats. But because the park’s Sunlite Pool was situated in Clermont County, it remained off limits for another eight years. Nearly 98 years old, Marian Spencer, who empowered black women and men throughout her life, keeps fighting. But she is puzzled by recent events like the whitenationalist march in Charlottesville, Va. “I thought we were past all that,” she says, “but apparently, some people are still in another time.”

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Reality Bites: What a Tangled Web We Weave BY JAC K ER N

Some of the most indulgent, entertaining “unscripted series” are on TV right now, and upon closer inspection, they’re all strangely connected. Characters from one show will pop up in another. Popular reality programs are getting spinoffs and becoming a franchise. What does it all mean? (That producers are trying to trick us into watching more? That it’s working? That we’re all garbage people?) Let’s dive deeper, with a taste of some reality TV favorites gracing our screens right now. Vanderpump Rules (9 p.m. Mondays, Bravo) is one of the most addictive guilty pleasure shows on TV right now. Originating as a Real Housewives spinoff, the show follows the dramatic lives of the waitstaff at SUR, a Hollywood restaurant owned by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump. There are podcasts, Facebook groups and columns dedicated to Vanderpump Rules. Celebs of all kinds and normies alike tune in to see this week’s villain, find out who cheated on who and the latest bombshell rumor. What would you expect from a group of friends that have all worked together, slept together, lived together and cheated on one another (with each other!)? Intentional or not, these real-life characters are both horrifying and hilarious, thanks in part to savage editing on the producers’ part. Matron Vanderpump stirs the pot for her hardpartying employees and their cohorts as she remains the reigning queen of… The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (8 p.m. Tuesdays, Bravo). Easily the most glamorous of the franchise, this is more aspirational viewing than Rules (unless you aspire to take Jäger shots in a shitty apartment you share with roommates as you’re pushing 40). Beverly Hills is all about the mansions, cars, walk-in shoe closets, intercontinental vacations and questionable wardrobes worth more than my life! Seriously, these women travel everywhere. And the cast is full of somewhat recognizable characters — former child star Kyle Richards (aunt to Paris Hilton), soap star Lisa Rinna, actress/singer Erika Jayne and John Mellencamp’s daughter Teddi. Here, being served the wrong glass of wine could boil over into a friendship-ending feud. Meanwhile, across the country… The Real Housewives of Atlanta (9 p.m. Sundays, Bravo) boasts a totally different vibe. These messy queens are in-your-face and unapologetic. While the Beverly Hills ladies will let a minor social infraction fester all season, these women call one another out, getting down and dirty — and dark. One of last season’s storylines revolved around the false rumor that one wife drugged and assaulted another. Domestic violence has been a major topic this season, but there are more than enough theme parties, weave changes and brunch gossip to balance it out. We’ve also

Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules P H O T O : I S A B E L L A VO S M I KOVA / U S A N E T W O R K

got a mystery husband, an incarcerated boyfriend and a former Top Model. That’s right, the newest Atlanta Housewife is actress Eva Marcille, who rose to prominence as the winner of… America’s Next Top Model (8 p.m. Tuesdays, VH1). Tyra Banks’ iconic modeling competition dates further back than any of these series, debuting in 2003. After a short-lived cancellation in 2015, VH1 revived ANTM ANTM, giving it a fresh rebrand not unlike the makeovers received by the model-contestants. Rita Ora took over hosting duties from Tyra (as if!), with a new panel of judges that included the arguably more famous and host-worthy model Ashley Graham. Obviously, the show could not go on without Ty Ty for long, and Ms. Banks returned to the show this year, keeping the rest of the panel that also includes creative director of Paper Magazine Drew Elliott and celebrity stylist Law Roach. ANTM is known for its insane photoshoot concepts (there has been a baby bump shoot this season and we’re only four episodes in), and one upcoming challenge will feature drag queens from… RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (8 p.m. Thursdays, VH1). To call this a guilty pleasure would be rude because there is no guilt to be had watching the best reality show of all. Host RuPaul summed it up best when describing the ultimate in reality TV competitions: “To be a winner on this show the contestants need to be a fashion designer, an American Idol and a top model all rolled up into one. And they definitely have to be smarter than a fifth grader.” This is the third installment of All Stars, featuring contestants from previous seasons, and the level of “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent” is off the charts. Sickening lip syncs, epic celeb impersonations and meme-worthy reaction shots — what more could you ask for? Contact Jac Kern: @jackern

FILM

Will Oscars Honor ‘Call Me By Your Name?’ BY T T S T ER N - EN ZI

There is no way I could begin a review of Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name without owning up to my appreciation for I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, his two previous features. In those films, the Italian director explores love, personality and fame with a European flair that sometimes fails to engage American sensibilities. That could explain why this film, an Academy Award favorite during its festival run at Toronto, garnered a meager four nominations (Best Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay and Original Song). In Call Me By Your Name, Guadagnino partners with screenwriter James Ivory of

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

quite gangly Hammer unfolding accordion-like out of a tiny car, triggers disdain and curiosity in Elio. He’s assuming Oliver will be just another ugly American, an outsized figure to be scorned and dismissed. But it’s their shared Jewish heritage that cracks open the door a bit. Call Me By Your Name seems, simultaneously, like quintessential Oscar bait and far too esoteric an experience for voters and audiences alike. Guadagnino gives us a beautiful postcard — a “wish you were here” snapshot — with a laissez-faire attitude about sexuality that never questions itself. But what eases our concerns is the quiet presence of Stuhlbarg, an unheralded performer since the 2009 Coen brothers film A Serious Man, which I caught during my initial trip to the Toronto International Film Festival. I had the chance to sit across from him during roundtable interviews at the event and was intrigued by his unassuming demeanor. Stuhlbarg wasn’t averse to playing the publicity game, but he had little interest in giving us a show in that Timothée Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name setting, just as here he doesn’t want to light up the P H O T O : S AY O M B H U M U K D E E P R O M C O U R T E S Y O F S O N Y P I C T U R E S CLASSICS screen with pyrotechnic acting displays. Merchant Ivory fame ((A Room With a View You purchase the ticket for Call Me By and The Remains of the Day Day), who adapts Your Name for the sensual slow burn of a novel by André Aciman that’s set in the a love story that develops between Elio 1980s in Northern Italy and details the lazy and Oliver, captured against the gorgeous summer fling between the teenage boy backdrop of Northern Italy, but you might Elio (Timothée Chalamet), on the cusp of find yourself moved to tears by the genuine manhood, and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a appeal Stuhlbarg makes to his son when graduate student/research assistant helpfirst love turns, as it must, to heartbreak. ing Elio’s father (Michael Stuhlbarg) work This educated and worldly man sits down on an excavation of priceless and quite with his son and schools him on the sensual artifacts. impact of love and longing, in an honest As both a coming-of-age narrative and a and explicit manner that lays bare all that tale of coming out, Guadagnino seals the Mahershala Ali’s Juan sought to impart to film away in a bubble of sorts, removing Alex Hibbert’s Little in the initial segment it from parallels to the current mood and of last year’s Best Picture winner Moonlight. need to place it in our social discourse. It was surprising, on the morning of the The early 1980s period could have easily Oscar nominations, to not hear Stuhlbarg’s fallen into the trap of a pre-AIDS lens, but name in the Supporting Actor category. I the Italian setting mutes such concerns to was sure the Academy would recognize a large degree and the summertime vibe his serious turn here, a near-twin of Ali’s completes the effect, encasing the experimesmerizing award-winning performance ences of Elio and Oliver in amber. last year. But the argument is that a likely We are allowed to sit back and watch as Stuhlbarg-Hammer logjam in the category the bright and quite sensitive Elio passes prevented either actor from breaking into time with his friends (swimming, biking the final five. and playing volleyball) in between practicIn the end, awards don’t ever tell the ing music and reading in solitude. He’s a full story, which leaves it up to audiences mix of tossed-off adolescent angst and oldto ponder the reflection that Guadagnino soul longing that probably works best on presents. And we should call it by its true the page, but Chalamet looks exactly like a name and intention, for it is a narrative fictional creation with his dark wild curls, that reminds us how first love defines what smoldering stare and rail-thin frame. And it means to be human. (Now playing) (R) the arrival of Oliver, with the giant and Grade: A

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FOOD & DRINK

Sleepy Bee Café opens cocktail bar Aster and a downtown café on Fourth Street BY L E Y L A S H O KO O H E

Aster focuses on shareable snacks and craft cocktails. PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

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

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adds a lovely dimension and aroma to the creamy dip. The shakshuka, a heat-filled tomato-and-red-pepper-sauce dish with poached eggs, was perfectly balanced. All dips are served with crunchy carta di musica, a Sicilian flatbread coated in olive oil and salt that gets its name from the ultra thin dough. Cotter describes it as ideally being so thin before baking that you can read a sheet of music through it — hence the “musica.” If taste is an indicator of that achievement, then the yeasty, crispy end product signals a mission accomplished. Pressed sandwiches include a flavorful chutney-filled grilled cheese and a lamb BLT. More sharing is on the way. Aster will soon introduce “socials,” a carafe of drinks meant to serve four to six people. The idea is to eliminate time spent waiting at the bar for individual drinks and instead focus on the company you’ve come to spend time with. “We want this to be a very flexible space. We want it to feel comfortable for a lot of different types of people, coming from and going to different types of events or going home,” Cotter says.

the idea of bringing the farm to the cocktail world was intriguing.” Standout cocktails include the Fig Dandy, a fig syrup, bourbon and dandelion tea concoction, and the Voodoo Lily, a carrot-orange coconut milk and rum cocktail with a kick of curry. There’s also a smattering of nonalcoholic and low ABV cocktails that go beyond soda and virgin mixed drinks. The Moonville stands out on the non-alcoholic list — coconut milk makes it creamy while pineapple and rose water add sweetness, lime gives it a refreshing zing and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top adds texture. And then there’s the food. The bar serves weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays and all day Sunday, plus dif different, more shareable items after 4 p.m. Kroner and Cotter wanted to elevate the concept of bar food, along with relishing the challenge of creating a whole new menu of items intended for sharing. “We built a skeleton that makes changes really easily,” Cotter says. “The guests are always going to know about what they can expect, they know what level of food they can order, and then we can just keep playing with it seasonally and as ingredients get exciting to us.” There are many dips to choose from, including an avocado yogurt dip with dukkah and a mini shakshuka. When we tried the avocado dip, we had no idea what dukkah was: it’s an Egyptian spice blend that

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ster Social Sippery — a new bar downtown helmed by the team behind the Sleepy Bee Café — happened by happy accident. As the restaurant was renovating the third floor of their third Sleepy Bee location on Fourth Street, they unexpectedly discovered expansive ceilings and beautiful wooden beams. “Once they uncovered more of it, we kind of just decided what we wanted to do with it and that was open a bar,” says Frances Kroner, executive chef and partner at Aster and Sleepy Bee. “It felt like a space that we wanted people to celebrate (in). I don’t know what else would do it justice.” Kroner, along with executive sous chef Emma Cotter (of both Aster and Sleepy Bee), are the leadership duo at the bar, which is situated upstairs Aster from the breakfast /lunch 8 E. Fourth St., restaurant space. Downtown, 513-381The pair have worked 0956, asteronfourth. together for more than four somehow — the hospicom. Hours: 4 p.m.years running the Sleepy tality piece; the fact that midnight Monday, Bee, with locations in people are coming in to Wednesday and Blue Ash, Oakley and now seek solace from their Thursday; 4 p.m.-1 downtown. Their intuitive day and to have a really a.m. Friday; brunch 11 partnership and balancing good time and feel that a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday strengths made running warmth.” 1 a.m.; 11 a.m.-midthe bar a no-brainer for The bar is decorated to night Sunday. Sleepy Bee and Aster coemulate a living room — owner Sandra Gross (along somewhere relaxing and with husband Dr. John comforting. Lounge-y Hutton). couches are sprinkled “I would trust them with throughout, along with a anything. Seriously. Frannie is ridiculously handful of tables and a few high tops. The thoughtful about every single detail,” bar top seats are cozy, and the whole space Gross says. “What Emma brings, one of her has a welcoming vibe. greatest strengths, is working with people “We really wanted people feeling like and hearing people and allowing people they’re supposed to be here, like they’re to express themselves. Both Giacomo comfortable here,” Kroner says. “We (Ciminello, beverage director) and Zach wanted it to feel a little bit like a house (Shumate, general manager) are bringing party or like you’re in someone’s living strengths and incredible ways of viewing room, and that they took a lot of time to put the bar.” really delicious drinks together.” The name Aster comes from both the That’s where Ciminello comes in. perennial flower that serves as an imporKnown as much for his distinctive handletant food source for bees, and is ancient bar mustache as the boozy milkshakes he Greek for “star.” The team has added a made a staple at Sundry and Vice cocktail third definition: “A social sippery where bar in Over-the-Rhine, Ciminello worked old friends gather and new ones are made.” closely with Kroner and Cotter to create “I can’t stand walking into a place and the cocktail selection at Aster. feeling like I’m not supposed to be there,” “I love working with chefs,” Ciminello Kroner says. “That’s my least favorite says. “They just have a different way of thing ever, and I think it’s most people’s looking at cocktails. They’re looking at the least favorite thing. I feel like, a lot of bars, organic ingredients, whereas a bartender they’re so cool, that piece is forgotten generally looks at the spirit ingredients, so

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Daniel Noguera at Urbana Café’s Pendleton location PHOTO: JESSE FOX

Daniel Noguera’s Urbana Café, a Cincinnati-born coffee shop with a strong presence both in Findlay Market and Pendleton, is taking its talents to Walnut Hills later this year. And with the expansion comes innovative adjustments in what Urbana will bring to the table, both literally and figuratively. While maintaining their myriad pastry options, Noguera and his team plan to bring in an outside chef as a consultant to build on the breakfast-focused menu. The intent is to add options for lunch, including an upscale transformation of a college dorm room staple: the Hot Pocket. “Part of the Hot Pocket variations is that we’re making things that people understand and have seen, and they’re fun,” Noguera says. “And we’re making them a little better. We’re trying to mimic all of the fun things that make a Hot Pocket a Hot Pocket, but still make it a bit more refined with better ingredients.” Deep in dough-driven experimentation, Noguera was unable to disclose any of the final recipes behind his Hot Pockets, but the goal is to have both savory and sweet options available. He has also retrofitted his brick and mortar on Broadway Street to improve the current kitchen’s efficiency in preparation for the pivot to lunch cuisine. Noguera intends to take a “themeoriented” approach to the style of his new Walnut Hills shop, having his patrons take to the skies in what he calls an exclusive Mile High Club set in the 1960s, with rich colors and leather seating, stripped of the risqué undertones — mostly. The goal is to turn a coffee break into more of an experience. “Our coffee is as good as the coffee in Italy, the coffee in New Zealand, Latin America, but what we don’t do is make cof coffee an experience,” Noguera says. “It’s just a pit stop. You come in with your computer and are looking down, never appreciating the coffee you’re drinking. “It’s going to be accessible for everybody, but it’s not the place where I foresee people

coming to do their papers. It’s the place I see people coming to have a date or a conversation or catch up… to just have a cup of coffee.” Despite the expansion, Noguera wants to avoid the cons that often follow suit when a company starts to spread its wings, and he has no intention of losing what has made his original concept successful. “We want to experience having a second location that is not too far from (the current Pendleton location) and manage both and keep the experience as the focus,” he says. “The idea is to keeping hammering on the experience. We want the customer to feel so damn good about the space where they are.” Urbana’s Walnut Hills location will feature a new and improved espresso machine crafted by Dutch company Kees van der Westen, serving the shop both practicality and aesthetically with its hyper-modern look and feel. “(Westen) uses technology to an extent but also uses a lot of hardware to control water flow, temperature and things like that,” Noguera says. “In most modern espresso companies, they use a lot of computer programming and software to control the temperature of the machine and keep it stable.” While originally committed to serving just the Queen City’s epicenter, Noguera is excited to move away from the hustle and bustle of Over-the-Rhine and downtown and stretch toward the outer neighborhoods. “Initially, the idea when we first started the company was to be able to offer coffee to the core of the city, to be very embedded into the downtown area,” Noguera says. “And now that town has seen so much growth that it’s almost saturated. There are so many coffee shops out there. So we want to branch out a little more, bring some of what we’ve done here to other places.” The Walnut Hills location is expected to be the first of several Urbana Cafés stretching outside of Cincinnati — Noguera has aspirations to set up shops as far as Mason and even Dayton. Fortunately for Findlay Market frequents, Urbana’s expansion will not keep Noguera’s espresso-fitted Vespa from setting up outside the community market, as he plans to continue if not strengthen his efforts at OTR’s signature landmark. Noguera aims to have his second location up and running between late March and early April of this year. Urbana Café will be located at 2714 Woodburn Ave., Walnut Hills, urbana-cafe.com.

CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 07

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

Authentic Polish Pierogies from Babushka — Sarah Dworak of Babushka Pierogies leads this hands-on class on how to learn how to make savory potato-cheddar pierogies, plus stuffed cabbage rolls, cucumber salad and a sweet pierogi. 6:30-9 p.m. $60. Cooks’Wares, 11344 Montgomery Road, Harper’s Point, cook cookswaresonline.com.

THURSDAY 08

Ladies Night: Craft Cocktails with Molly Wellmann — Mixologist Molly Wellmann will be creating craft cocktails incorporating balsamic vinegar and olive oils from We Olive. Taste each featured cocktail, learn how to recreate them at home and choose your favorite for a full glass. The night includes a specialty cocktail hour food menu. 6-9 p.m. $27. We Olive & Wine Bar, 33 E. Sixth St., Downtown, facebook.com/weolivecincy. Mardi Gras at 20 Brix — Get a taste of New Orleans with a themed multi-course dinner featuring Mardi Gras-inspired cuisine. 6 p.m. $80. 20 Brix, 101 Main St., Milford, 20brix.com.

Valentine’s Day Cruise — Hop on the BB Riverboats for a cozy evening cruise. Feed yourself with a buffet dinner (menu includes lobster mashed potatoes, spinach salad topped with walnuts, Asian glazed salmon and vegetarian primavera) and relax to the sound of the Ohio River. 7-9:30 p.m. $60 adults; $40 children. 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, bbriverboats.com.

SUNDAY 11

Valentine’s Day Sweet Stroll — Head to Findlay Market for a sweet sampling stroll. There will be tasting stations at different vendors’ stalls, including a wine pairing courtesy of Market Wines and a tea pairing from Churchill’s. Stations include baklava from Areti’s Gyros, mini cannoli from Bouchard’s, petite tarts from Cake Rack Bakery, truffles from Maverick Chocolate Co. and more. Get five samples, pairings and a wine glass with each ticket. Noon-4 p.m. $23.16. Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, findlay-market-sweet-stroll. eventbrite.com.

TUESDAY 13

Galentine’s Day at The Rhined — Ladies night! Bring your gals for an evening of wine, cheese and female friendship. There will be bubbly beverages, soft cheese and truffles from Velveteen Chocolate. No crafts.

Galentine’s Day at The Rook — Celebrate lady friends (or just pals in general) Valentine’s Eve, a day declared “Galentine’s Day” by Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation fame. The Rook will celebrate with board games, snacks and a short session of Magical Girl RPG designed by Emily Reinhard. Plus, whip up some cool crafts for your friends. 7-10 p.m. $25. The Rook, 1115 Vine St., Overthe-Rhine, facebook.com/ therookotr. Ramen Tuesday at Please — Please hosts a ramen night every Tuesday with unique twists on the traditional dish. 5:30-10 p.m. Prices vary. Please, 1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, pleasecincinnati.com. Mardi Gras at BrewRiver — Things get NOLA in the East End during BrewRiver’s Mardi Gras celebration. There will be a crawfish boil featuring crawfish flown in that day from New Orleans, beads, masks and a King Cake beer from Brink Brewing. There will be bonus homemade king cake for dessert, plus menu favorites like po’boys and gumbo. RSVP recommended. 5-9 p.m. BrewRiver GastroPub, 2062 Riverside Drive, East End, 513-861-2484, brewrivergastropub.com. Mardi Gras Crawfish and Shrimp Boil — Mardi Gras on Madison is hosting its 12th-annual crawfish and shrimp boil in honor of Mardi Gras. Tickets are on sale now and include boiled crawfish, Cajun corn, shrimp and your choice of beer, wine or a hurricane. Expect plenty of beads and good times. 6:30-9 p.m. $65. Mardi Gras on Madison, 1524 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills, email for RSVP: shrimppoboys@ gmail.com, facebook.com/ mardigrasmad.

Celebrate Mardi Gras! Thursday

West 6th BreWing Pint night, Live music from LagniaPPe

Friday

aBita King caKe soda aduLt Beer fLoats, With house-made geLato

Saturday

excLusive aBita Wrought iron Pina coLada iPa firKin taPPing

Sunday

neW orLeans Brunch, Live music from todd hePBurn, BottomLess mimosas

Tuesday: Mardi Gras!

Louisiana craWfish BoiL, Live music from Ben Levin trio, aBita Beers, BreWriver King caKe Beer, Beads & masKs, t-shirt giveaWays & more!

20 62 Rive r sid e D r • Cin cin n ati , O H 45202 b rewrive rg a s tro p u b.co m • (513 ) 8 61 -24 8 4

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Bourbon, Wine + Chocolate with Velveteen Chocolate — Sherri Prentiss of Velveteen Chocolate discusses flavor pairings and how to

Valentine’s Day Dinner and Carousel Ride — It’s a two-for-one. Eat dinner at Moerlein Lager House and then hop on Carol Ann’s enclosed carousel at Smale Riverfront Park. Each guest who eats at the Lager House will receive a ticket for a free ride, with extended evening operating hours through Feb. 14. Offer good Feb. 10-14. Prices vary. Moerlein Lager House, 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown, facebook.com/ events/532929863755636.

No weird activities. Just ladies hanging with ladies, eating dairy and drinking booze. 4-8 p.m. Free admission. The Rhined, 1737 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/therhined.

SATURDAY 10

identify them. Try chocolate with bourbon and two wines. 5:30-7 p.m. $45. Findlay Kitchen, 1719 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, findlaykitchen. org.

F E B . 7 – 1 3 , 2 0 18

Date Night: Handmade Pasta — Bring your sweetie and learn to make pasta dough from scratch, rest the dough, roll out and cut fresh pasta and make seasonal ravioli with a flavorful sauce. 6-9 p.m. $160. Findlay Kitchen, 1719 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, tablespooncook tablespooncookingco.com.

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

MUSIC Passion to Burn After two decades together, Ampline produces its most potent album to date BY B R I A N B A K ER

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

F E B . 7 – 1 3 , 2 0 18

s our conversation about the new album by Cincinnati trio Ampline draws to a close, vocalist/guitarist Mike Montgomery makes a salient point that not only speaks to Ampline’s situation, but any number of similar bands in the same general position. “I don’t know how to make this interview more exciting,” he says. “It’s (just) an old band with a new album.” Montgomery has a flair for boiling a topic down to its essence, but while his statement is fundamentally true, there are facts that should be taken into account. First, the interview didn’t need excitement. Exciting interviews can be fun, but also distracting and uninformative. Second, Ampline has been around since 1997, but that doesn’t make them an old band. Veteran, sure. Old? Not a chance. Finally, Ampline does have a new album, but there’s more to it than that simple pronouncement. Coming eight years after the trio’s last album, 2010’s You Will Be Buried Here, Passion Relapse is the Post Rock/ Post Punk soundtrack to a host of angels in chainmail trumpeting the advance of battle-armored elephants on their way to a Viking funeral on a glacier in a hurricane. In other words, forces of and beyond nature channeled through guitar, bass and drums in search of the Rosetta chord. “I think the underlying root of it all was that we wanted to make a record that sounded like us, like we sound live,” says bassist Kevin Schmidt. “No ProTools, no curving the edge of every tom (drum) hit. We’re a live band.” “We felt like that (live feel) was always missing from our previous records to a certain degree and that was the thing we wanted to capture,” adds drummer Rick McCarty. “We just weren’t sure collectively how to do it, and I think Mike had a better sense of how we could do that and the tools we needed to make it happen.” Given that Montgomery is one of the area’s busiest producers at his Candyland Recording Studio facility, it’s logical that he’d have the technical acumen to ideate the answers; his first request was that he didn’t want to both play on the album and engineer it. The surprise was the speed

Ampline PHOTO: KEITH KLENOWSKI

with which it all came together. “They said, ‘What would you do?’ and I said, ‘I’d like to track to 2-inch tape,’ ” Montgomery says of his initial instinct to eschew the now-commonplace all-digital recording process. “While we were talking, Kevin got on his phone, found a (reel-toreel) machine on Craigslist, we drove down to Nashville the next weekend and bought it off some studio.” Mechanical aspects aligned, the trio concentrated on the album itself. Inspired by a book on Ferdinand Magellan, Montgomery wanted Passion Relapse to tell the story of a 15th-century explorer who sets off on a voyage to find the edge of the world and, in an alternate-universe twist, finds it. As time passed, the theme remained essentially intact, but the method of telling the story changed. “We were working with an artist friend of ours, Rob Martz, and we were going to have a whole series of panels and release a (vinyl) 7-inch for each song,” Montgomery says. “We tracked a lot of the album years ago and I scrapped all of it. I wanted to redo it all (on) 2-inch tape and I wanted to track it all live. But I didn’t want to wire any of that stuff until I moved into (Candyland’s) permanent new location in Kentucky. A lot of songs came and went over those years and it was almost like, ‘Hey, what was this record supposed to be? Let’s finish that and move on.’ Then some songs came in that weren’t as lyrically or thematically tied to that.” Passion Relapse’s longer-than-usual

gestation and evolution allowed many of the new songs to grow and change in a live context. “This is the first time we’ve spent years touring on songs that weren’t recorded, and then going back and refining those songs,” Schmidt says. “On some records, we had seven or eight good songs and we made a record around them. This is one of the first times we’ve kept pounding songs night after night.” That protracted woodshedding process resulted in a considerably shorter in-studio timeline. “It only took two days to record,” McCarty says. “I remember thinking (during studio takes), ‘Should we do that again?’ It was too fast. I don’t usually nail it that quickly. I thought it was going to take a lot longer. I was all revved up to do this, and we’re all done.” “I think he planned on using 10 different drum kits,” Montgomery says. “(But) we put the mics up, we had the sounds in about 15 minutes and it was like, ‘Let’s go!’ It took us five years to make an album in two days.” The variety of delays that caused the gap between You Will Be Buried Here and Passion Relapse represent the overarching reason that Ampline has remained together for over 20 years. The three musicians have committed themselves to the band, but never at the expense of their personal and professional lives. Among other projects, Montgomery is perpetually busy producing at Candyland, he

plays in R. Ring alongside Kelley Deal and when she returns to The Breeders, he’s the band’s touring guitar tech. McCarty is the programming coordinator for Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI), which books the Taft Theatre, Riverbend and the MidPoint Music Festival. And Schmidt is a self-employed woodworker who welcomed two sons to his family between albums. (“My wife’s cool about it,” Schmidt says. “I don’t think she’d want to be around me if I couldn’t do this.”) Montgomery sounds philosophical when explaining Ampline’s important place in everyone’s life. “When you’re younger, you don’t have other things in your lives that eclipse your flashy passions,” Montgomery says. “But we’ve gotten older and we accept and acknowledge that we’re encouraging each other to grow as humans, whether that’s in our personal lives or careers. Ampline is a part of all of our families. It’s a thing we can do forever as long as we acknowledge that sometimes it has to bend around things that have more immediate and pragmatic demands on our existence. We all have cool wives because they know we’re unyielding in the idea that this is extremely important to us — it’s just about accepting the reality of it. “Ampline is as important to us as it was 20 years ago, it’s just that our expectations of what we hope to do with it or get out of it have changed a bit.” For more on Ampline, visit ampline.net.

SPILL IT

Newcomers MARR Release Debut Single BY J U D E N O EL A N D M I K E B R EE N

BY M I K E B R EE N

Hologram Denial

MARR PH OTO: A N DY K N O L LE

to do with,” jokes Koppenhafer. You can see MARR’s expansive setup in action this Friday when the group plays Urban Artifact with Columbus-based Fashion Week, Nashville’s Sad Baxter and local Folk Punk outfit Happy Little Accidents. The free show begins at 9 p.m. Get more on MARR at facebook.com/ marrband. (JN)

Smoke Parade’s Debut-ish

Last summer, music fests in the U.K. added pineapples to the list of prohibited items thanks to the band Glass Animals, whose fans routinely bring the fruit to shows due to a song lyric. This year’s top ridiculous banned item at a festival looks to be potato peelers, fallout from the ongoing feud between brothers/former Oasis bandmates Noel and Liam Gallagher. Playing off his fondness for referring to his brother as a potato and mocking Noel’s infamous “scissor player” (who accompanied him during a TV performance), Liam last year asked someone to bring a potato peeler to his gig and join him onstage. Someone did, so after it was announced that Liam would be a headliner at the Parklife festival this year, the U.K. event’s founder said the utensil would “most definitely” not be allowed.

all local dr afts cr aft beer menu nk y’s original bourbon bar

uP CoMing E VE NTs february 15 wooden cask brewing company tap takeover

liv e m us i c february 8 gary devoto & company february 9 sami riggs

More Banned Items News Speaking of prohibited items and Foo Fighters! A list of banned items reportedly posted at a recent Foos concert in New Zealand included some expected items (umbrellas, fireworks), but also things like scythes, “derogatory press clippings of Shania Twain,” leg warmers, Ted Nugent-free issues of Creem magazine and “any mention of Friendster or Webster (starring Emmanuel Lewis).” The band’s involvement in the list hasn’t been confirmed, but the sense of humor is incredibly on-brand.

(859) 5 81-3 0 65 p o m pi li o s .co m 6 0 0 wa s h i n g to n av e . n e w p o r t, k y

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Contact Mike Breen: mbreen@citybeat.com.

Utensil Banned

fe aturing

Last fall, singer/songwriter/guitarist Taylor Shannon and his band released Another Another Sad Story Story, which marked a very successful shift into Modern Rock territory for an artist who, over the course of a decade, had established himself as more of a Country musician. The remarkable EP was one of the best music releases to come out of the Greater Cincinnati area in 2017. Going into 2018, the somewhat clunky “Taylor Shannon and the 2 Bit Smoke Parade” moniker that graced the cover of Another Sad Story has been streamlined to just Smoke Parade, which also features Shannon’s longtime bandmates, drummer Zach Backus and bassist Seth Bunton. To honor the name realignment, the trio has reissued Another Another Sad Story Story as Smoke Parade’s “debut,” and put out a music video for the smoking single “Solid Ground,” which was shot and directed by Adam Steele at Elite Visual Media (watch in now at citybeat.com). Smoke Parade has recently been in Louisville, Ky. working on new material. The group’s next local show is this Friday at Southgate House Revival (111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse.com) with Micky and the Motorcars. Showtime is 9 p.m. and tickets are $15. For more Smoke Parade info, visit smokeparade.com. (MB)

The day before Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, word spread that Justin Timberlake’s elongated Pepsi commercial/half-time show would feature a hologram of Twin Cities legend Prince. In a precursor to the uproar over a Martin Luther King Jr. speech being used in a truck commercial (a speech in which King railed against manipulative advertising and buying new cars to “keep up with the Joneses”), many outraged fans pointed to an interview in which Prince called the duet-with-a-dead-celebrity trend “demonic.” Sheila E. reportedly talked Timberlake out of using the hologram, though he still “dueted” with Prince while his image was projected on a large sheet. Though it wouldn’t have connected with the mainstream audience, how much more respectful would it have been to have Foo Fighters as special guests and pay tribute to another hugely influential Minneapolis music legend (and Dave Grohl hero) who passed away much more recently: Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart?

F E B . 7 – 1 3 , 2 0 18

A droning meditation held together by tight-knight threads of tension, MARR’s debut single Gills/Posture is Gills/Posture is a waterbed fit Gills/Posture to burst, its liturgical synth chords undulating under the weight of Maggie Cleary’s swollen vowel sounds. The two-track effort (available at marrband.bandcamp.com) is a surprisingly focused whole: it’s the sum of a quartet whose musical inspirations couldn’t be more disparate. Cleary, who handles lead vocals and guitar, hones her songcraft on singer/songwriter fare, while bassist Mike Huhn works to blend the complex technicality of his background in Metal bands with Shoegaze’s more skeletal rhythms. Drummer Tony Squeri even factors some Industrial Techno into the equation — his personal Soundcloud page features a sampler of lurching dance cuts that recall Factory Floor or Andy Stott. MARR formed in 2016 when Cleary and Squeri — former University of Cincinnati/ DAAP dorm neighbors — met at a party, post-graduation. “I asked him, ‘Hey, want to help me record some of my stuff?’ and he was like, ‘Sure,’ ” Cleary says. “Once we had done that, we were just like, ‘Can we just write music together?’” The band’s current lineup began to take shape after the pair started to collaborate. Squeri’s roommate, Tim Koppenhafer, working on his thesis at the time, was enlisted as a member and graphic designer as a reprieve from his strenuous workload. Huhn joined the fray after the band booked its first show, still in search of someone to play bass. Despite all evidence, including a copy of Johnny Marr’s autobiography Set the Boy Free Huhn had on hand, MARR is not named after the famed Smiths guitarist. It’s Cleary’s mother’s nickname, which was the winning suggestion in a band-name brainstorming session. Their band’s early efforts birthed a handful of demos now housed in a neatly packaged Bandcamp EP. A flock of cutand-pasted penguins crowd its cover, interrupted by MARR’s name printed in a Chillwave-y gradient. “Hey Glitter” is the choicest cut of the collection, sprinkling sun-bleached guitar riffs into a squawking Synth Pop soundscape. There are shades of Fleetwood Mac’s late ’80s foray into New Wave here, hiding in the track’s tropical humidity. In the near future, MARR hopes to finish an EP that reflects the sound of its live set, shearing the demos’ controlled chaos for the subdued dreaminess hinted at in “Gills.” Though they’ve managed to eliminate the Logic backing tracks that performing the original demos required, MARR’s setup still sprawls across the stage, including a few keyboards that are used in just one song apiece. “We have more gear than we know what

MINIMUM GAUGE

SOUND ADVICE

Hippo Campus PHOTO: DEVIN SMITH

Hippo Campus with Sure Sure

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

F E B . 7 – 1 3 , 2 0 18

Wednesday • 20th Century Theater

A band bio revelation that a group formed in high school can suggest a jaw-dropping span of time. For the members of Minnesota quartet Hippo Campus, the perspective of their high-school formation is shaped by the fact that it came during the fifth year of Barack Obama’s presidency. And while the Indie Pop/Rock foursome’s history has essentially taken place in just the past five years, the group has built an impressive fan base (every upcoming show on the band’s current tour is sold out, including its Cincinnati date) and accomplished a great deal in that short timeframe. In the beginning, vocalist/guitarist Jake Luppen and bassist Zach Sutton were in a St. Paul band called Blatant Youth, while guitarist Nathan Stocker and drummer Whistler Allen played in Northern, two groups that often found themselves on the same bill. Eventually the four musicians broke away to form Hippo Campus. The new bandmates began recording while enrolled at the University of Minnesota, releasing their debut EP, Bashful Creatures, in 2014, which attracted the interest of Grand Jury Records. With a label and management lined up, Hippo Campus had a breakout year in 2015. Grand Jury reissued Bashful Creatures and released the South EP, helping to earn the group high profile touring and festival opportunities, radio airplay and TV exposure. With the increased national profile, the group dropped its first full-length, Landmark, in early 2017. It was lauded by an exponentially expanding fan community and critics from outlets like NPR, BBC and Noisey, who appreciated the maturity and expansion of the band’s big, synthladen AltRock sound and the lyrics’ smart

Turquoise Jeep PHOTO: PROVIDED

critique of things like social media’s effects. Last fall, Hippo Campus released a third EP, warm glow glow, which could well serve as a preview for the next full-length, an album that has the potential to rocket the foursome to even loftier heights. (Brian Baker)

Turquoise Jeep and Flynt Flossy with The Doughty Family Tuesday • Woodward Theatre

The Hip Hop/R&B collective known as Turquoise Jeep Records has been doing its thing for nearly a decade now, drawing in a diverse array of bemused, head-bobbing converts along the way. For the uninitiated, the Jeep was founded in 2009 by Georgiabased rappers/singers Flynt Flossy and Whatchyamacallit and includes a loose collection of collaborators with like minds when it comes to their humorous, satirically tinged take on genre conventions. Early, addictive videos for “Lemme Smang It” and “Did I Mention I Like to Dance” garnered a strong following on YouTube, which in turn yielded an entertaining live outfit that has toured consistently ever since.

The Jeep has released three “official” full-length albums, each driven by sexcrazed, double-entendre-laden lyrics and booming beats. Case in point: The collective’s latest album, 2017’s Eclectic Catapilla, opens with “We Touchin or Naw?,” in which Whatchyamacallit repeatedly asks if he and his lady are ready to “cut it.” That’s followed by “Drop It Low Like a Discount,” wherein Flynt Flossy doesn’t take long to let us know the drop in question isn’t related to prices at the local K-Mart. While Turquoise Jeep’s crafty, low-budget YouTube videos have been an undeniable piece of its puzzle, Flynt Flossy doesn’t want anyone to discount the other aspects of what they do. “It all stands alone, our music and our videos, it’s just an extra treat if you can see both,” Flossy once said in an interview with the Edmonton Sun. “YouTube was our gateway because it gave us the platform to create our own fan base.” Of the collective’s seemingly satirical approach, Flossy said in the same interview, “I don’t care about how people perceive me. There’s humor in reality, so however people take it is meant to be. If they laugh at it, they dance to it… it don’t matter to me. As long as I get across some kind of message, I did my job.” (Jason Gargano)

The Orphan The Poet P H OTO : FAC E B O O K .C O M / T H EO R P H A N T H E P O E T

band’s headquarters), but the group was formed after each gravitated to the city. The band’s debut EP, 2009’s In Brevity Brevity, was a mature and expansive first work for a young band, relying on acoustic subtlety and electric bombast in appropriate measures. TOTP’s sophomore EP, Translating, Translating followed in 2010, and the band supported both releases with a relentless tour schedule. That admirable work ethic kept the band perpetually road-bound, but also kept it out of the studio for close to six years. When the musicians finally returned with 2016’s Terrible Things, the raw talent that was evident on early recordings had been hammered into a familiar but more The Orphan The Poet with I muscular sound that still benefits from knowing when to glide and when to hit the The Victor and more thrusters. Tuesday • Urban Artifact The Orphan The Poet’s band-of-brothers The music scenes of Dayton, Ohio and Cincamaraderie was a saving grace several cinnati are eerily similar. They both have months ago when the group’s tour van diverse band cultures, and they’ve both was broken into and the members lost all produced acts that have of their personal belongbuilt loyal fan support at ings. The subsequent home and then gone on torrent of financial and to replicate that success emotional support from Future Sounds outside the local safety family, friends and fans Teddy Riley/Monica/ net. In the Emo Pop/Punk (and aren’t they all the Dru Hill/Ginuwine – and Post-Hardcore realms, same thing in the Big Book March 24, U.S. Bank the Gem City can point to of Rock & Roll?) got them Arena Hawthorne Heights and through the crisis. As EselMother May I as examples groth explained in a New Of Montreal – April 6, of hometown kids made Noise Magazine interview, Woodward Theater very good. it was both his worst and Deer Tick/John MoreTheir successes have best band experience, as it land – April 18, 20th been inspirational to simihammered home the realCentury Theater larly wired local bands, ity of how important their particularly The Orphan music is in people’s lives. Indigo Girls – April 20, The Poet, a quartet whose The quartet’s latest Madison Theater infectious, energetic single, “Still Buzzin’,” has Alabama – May 11, sound has been compared the hair-raising, ass-shakBB&T Arena to groups like Manchester ing, fist-pumping potential Orchestra, Further Seems to be a breakthrough hit if Primus/Mastodon – Forever, Thrice and Weegiven the right exposure. June 12, PNC Pavilion zer. None of the members It’s had a good start — Miranda Lambert/ of TOTP — guitarist/vocal“Buzzin’” scored some good Little Big Town – July ist David Eselgroth, guitarradio play (including spins 13, Riverbend ist Dakota Johnson, bassist on BBC 1 and Sirius XM’s Jake Floyd and drummer Alt Nation) and received a Zac Brown Band – Sam Gordon — are Dayton boost from official playlist Aug. 4, Great American natives (and Columbus adds on Apple Music and Ballpark is currently listed as the YouTube. (BB)

LISTINGS

CityBeat’s music listings are free. Send info to Mike Breen at mbreen@citybeat.com. Listings are subject to change. H is CityBeat staff’s stamp of approval.

WEDNESDAY 07

MADISON THEATER - Greensky Bluegrass with Joshua Davis. 8 p.m. Bluegrass/Americana/Various. $25, $27 day of show.

HERZOG MUSIC - Beeing the Beatles with The Newbees. 7 p.m. Beatles tribute. $10.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Jess Lamb. 8 p.m. Soul/Pop/Various. Free.

MOTR PUB - Calumet with The Lovers. 9:30 p.m. Rock/ Roots/Pop/Various. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - Two For Flinching. 8 p.m. 90s Pop/Dance/Rock/ Various. $5.

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

ORCHIDS AT PALM COURT - Brad Myers Quartet. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

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

MOTR PUB - The Novel Ideas. 10 p.m. Country Folk. Free.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT JAZZ & ACOUSTIC CLUB Jordan Pollard & Friends. 9 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Hippo Campus with Sure Sure. 8 p.m. Alt/ Indie/Pop/Rock. Sold out.

ORCHIDS AT PALM COURT - Phil DeGreg Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Adam Lee. 9:30 p.m. Pop/ Soul/R&B/Various. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Old Salt Union with Mike Oberst & Sean Geil. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass/ Americana/Various. $10.

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

THURSDAY 08

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Dottie Warner and Ricky Nye. 7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

BOGART’S - Corey Smith with Ben Miller Band and The Summit. 8 p.m. Country/ Roots/Rock. $32. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Todd Hepburn and Friends. 8 p.m. Various. Free. THE GREENWICH - Phil DeGreg & Brasilia. 8:30 p.m. Latin Jazz. $5.

HORSE & BARREL - John Ford. 6 p.m. Blues. Free. LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - Marcos Sylvestri. 7 p.m. Blues/R&B. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Rod Picott. 7:30 p.m. Americana. $10. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Justin Wells, Porter Union and Austin Lance Howell. 8 p.m. Americana. $12. URBAN ARTIFACT - Bob Marley Tribute with Andy Shaw Band. 7 p.m. Reggae. Free.

FRIDAY 09

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Forever Diamond. 8 p.m. Neil Diamond Tribute. $15. ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Lagniappe. 9 p.m. Cajun. Free. BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Steve Schmidt Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free. COLLEGE HILL COFFEE CO. - Ricky Nye. 7:30 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free. THE COMET - Former Friends of Young Americans with Mockery and Season Sleep. 10 p.m. Alternative/ Various. Free. CROW’S NEST - Bryan McPherson. 10 p.m. Folk/ Americana. Free.

MADISON LIVE - P.O.D. with Islander, Ded, Spring Grove and Blackwater. 7 p.m. Rock. $25.

THE GREENWICH - Kathy Wade featuring Phil DeGreg Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - The Cliftones with Mighty Mystic. 10 p.m. Reggae. Free. OCTAVE - Desert Dwellers. 9 p.m. Dub/ Electronic/World. $20, $25 day of show.

ORCHIDS AT PALM COURT - Brent Gallaher Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

Wednesday 2/7

wed 7

paulaner beer tasting the novel ideas

Thursday 2/8

thu 8

calumet the lovers

Fri 9

elliott brood static falls

Cybele with The Steve Schmidt Trio 8-12

s at 10

ernie johnson from detroit

saTurday 2/10

sun 11

freedom nicole moore mark gibson

mon 12

willow tree carolers cookin’ hearts

tue 13

motr mouth: stand-up comedy writer’s night w/ lucas

Jess Lamb & The Factory 8-11 Todd Hepburn & Friends 8-11

Friday 2/9

John Zappa with The Steve Schmidt Trio 8-12 cocktaiLs

firepLaces

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

www.BromwellsHarthLounge.com

859.431.2201

free live music open for lunch

111 E 6th St Newport, KY 41071

1404 main st (513) 345-7981

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - The Part-Time Gentlemen. 7:30 p.m. Americana. Free. RICK’S TAVERN - Bad Habit. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover. SCHWARTZ’S POINT JAZZ & ACOUSTIC CLUB - Carlos Vargas-Ortiz Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Cover. SILVERTON CAFE - Who Dey Band. 9 p.m. Rock. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Micky and The Motorcars with Smoke Parade. 8 p.m. Rock. $15.

THOMPSON HOUSE War of Ages with Earth Groans and Convictions. 8 p.m. Metal. $10.

URBAN ARTIFACT MARR, Fashion Week, Sad Baxter and Happy Little Accidents. 9 p.m. Indie/ Rock/Electronic/Various. Free.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 38

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE LOUNGE OR TICKETFLY.COM 2/7 - old salt union, mike oberst & sean geil; adam lee: feb artist in residence

2/11

the dustbowl revivAl Arlo mckinley & the lonesome sound

2/8 - rod picott; justin wells, porter union, austin lance howell; x-ray mary 2/9 - punk rock night; micky and the motorcars, the smoke parade 2/10 - kiss off/kiss me; lift the medium, sound & shape, smoke signals; mudpies 2/11 - dan layus, caroline spence 2/13 - an evening with jd souther 2/14 - mac sabbath, go go buffalo, brad sabbath; adam lee - feb artist in residence 2/15 - john dee graham, ben de la cour 2/16 - love sick: the tammy whynots, joe’s truck stop, veronica grim & the heavy hearts, mike ingram as george jones

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

2/17 2/10 2/13

bAd veins moonbeAu, mArr

cincy prohibition 2018 w/ the cincy brAss

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

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER - Justin Roberts with Liam Davis. 7 p.m. Children’s Music. $7-$10.

MOTR PUB - Elliott Brood with Static Falls. 10 p.m. Rock/Roots/Various. Free.

no cover

THE LISTING LOON - Rachel Mousie and Adron. 9 p.m. Indie/Pop/Various. Free.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Gray Dawgs. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

1345 main st motrpub.com

F E B . 7 – 1 3 , 2 0 18

THE HAMILTON - Will Pope. 7 p.m. Guitar. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) X-Ray Mary. 9:30 p.m. Rock/ Punk/Various. Free.

MADISON LIVE - The Exit Strategy (EP release show) with 500 Miles to Memphis and Veronica Grim and the Heavy Hearts. 8 p.m. Rock/Various. $8, $10 day of show.

Live Music

PUZZLE

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

FROM PAGE 37

SATURDAY 10

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Head For A Cure Mardi Gras Maskerade featuring Robin Lacy & DeZydeco. 7:30 p.m. Cajun/ Zydeco/Various. $75.

ARNOLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BAR AND GRILL - The Hot Magnolias. 8 p.m. New Orleans Jazz/ Funk/Various. Free. BROMWELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HĂ&#x201E;RTH LOUNGE - John Zappa with The Steve Schmidt Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

SYMPHONY HOTEL & RESTAURANT - Philip Paul Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - BuzzBin. 9 p.m. Various. Free.

THOMPSON HOUSE Third-Annual Black Hearts Ball with Homebound, Derailed, For the Fire, Avanti, Denihilist, Eternal Void, The Earth Laid Bare and more. 4 p.m. Rock/Various. $10.

MOLLY MALONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IRISH PUB (COVINGTON) - Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Concert with Serenity Fisher and the Cardboard Hearts. 8:30 p.m. Indie/Dream Pop. Cover.

MOTR PUB - Ernie Johnson from Detroit. 10 p.m. Funk/ AfroBeat/Various. Free. NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - 90s Hip Hop Dance Party. 9 p.m. Dance/DJ/Hip Hop. Free. F E B . 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 3 , 2 0 18

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Lift the Medium with Sound & Shape and Smoke Signals. 9 p.m. Rock. $7.

KNOTTY PINE - Under the Sun. 10 p.m. Rock/Alternative/Various. Cover.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Jay Jesse Johnson. 9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Mudpies. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Various. Free.

THE HAMILTON - Tyler Carson. 8 p.m. Singer/Songwriter. Free.

MADISON LIVE - Southern Drawl Band with Branden Martin. 8 p.m. Country/Rock. $10, $15 day of show.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

SILVERTON CAFE - Night Owls. 9 p.m. Rock. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Kiss Off/Kiss Me: Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Edition featuring Devils Due, Sweet Revenge, Lovecrush 88 and more. 8 p.m. KISS tribute. $10.

FRESH THYME - Carl G. Noon. Acoustic. Free.

Enyard Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

OCTAVE - Rumpke Mountain Boys. 9 p.m. Bluegrass/Trashgrass. $10.

ORCHIDS AT PALM COURT - Brasilia. 9 p.m. Latin Jazz. Free. PLAIN FOLK CAFE Hickory Robot. 7:30 p.m. Progressive Bluegrass/ Americana/Various. Free.

SCHWARTZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S POINT JAZZ & ACOUSTIC CLUB - Ron

URBAN ARTIFACT Room for Zero with Hello Luna and Sun Delay. 9 p.m. AltRock.

WESTSIDE VENUE Toybox Killer with Marley X, T Caps, Without and Death Broker. 7 p.m. Rap/Metal. $5. WOODWARD THEATER - Cincy Prohibition 2018 with The Cincy Brass. 8 p.m. Funk/Jazz/ Dance/Pop/Rock/Brass/Various. $15, $20 day of show.

SUNDAY 11

BOGARTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S - Starset with Grabbitz and Year of the Locust. 7 p.m. Alt/Rock/Various. $20. FAIRFIELD BANQUET & CONVENTION CENTER - Autism Rock 9 with Hand of Doom, Twisted Fate, Cincinnati Sinners, Sonny Moorman, Relics, Gen X, Jess Lamb, Mojo Rizin, Stagger Lee and many more. noon Rock/Country/Various. $20.

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU - Carl G. 5:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free. THE MAD FROG Shaggy 2 Dope. 5:30 p.m. Rap. $25.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Open Jam with Deb Ohlinger. 6 p.m. Various. Free. MOTR PUB - Freedom Nicole Moore and Mark Gibson. 7 p.m. Indie/NeoSoul/Rock/Various. Free.

SONNYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ALL JAZZ LOUNGE - The Art of Jazz featuring the music of Art Blakey. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free. SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Dan Layus with Caroline Spence. 7:30 p.m. Country/Folk/Americana. $12. WOODWARD THEATER - The Dustbowl Revival with Arlo McKinley & The Lonesome Sound. 7 p.m. Roots/Americana. $12, $15 day of show.

MONDAY 12

MCCAULYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUB - Open Jam with Sonny Moorman. 7 p.m. Blues/Various. Free. MOTR PUB - Willow Street Carolers with Cookinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hearts. 9 p.m. Folk/Americana. Free. NORTHSIDE TAVERN Northside Jazz Ensemble. 9:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

TUESDAY 13

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) JD Souther. 8 p.m. Singer/ Songwriter. $40-$50. TAFT THEATRE - Flint Eastwood. 8 p.m. Indie/ Pop/Electronic/Rock/Various. $10 (in the Ballroom).

URBAN ARTIFACT The Orphan the Poet with I the Victor, One Day Steady, Beloved Youth and Colly. 8 p.m. Rock/Various. $7.

WOODWARD THEATER - Flynt Flossy And Turquoise Jeep with Doughty Family. 8:30 p.m. Hip Hop. $12, $15 day of show.

SEE CITYBEAT.COM FOR FULL MUSIC LISTINGS AND ALL CLUB LOCATIONS.

AC R O S S

1. Like mortal enemies 6. Big to-do 11. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like, yesterday,â&#x20AC;? initially 14. More grounded in reality 15. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Previously on ...â&#x20AC;? montage 16. No longer working: Abbr. 17. Openers covered with bone material? 19. Test in a tube 20. Legal deg. 21. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You game?â&#x20AC;? 22. Vehicle rental on the beach 23. Where Maria Sharapova was born 25. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Newlywed Gameâ&#x20AC;? host Bob 27. Place whose residents drink a lot of beer? 31. Ready for business 32. Singer who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be discovered? 33. Conductor Seiji 37. Room with a La-Z-Boy, likely 38. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hystericalâ&#x20AC;? on the internet, and a hint to this puzzleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme 41. Socialite 42. Bonus feature 44. Alamo offering 45. Starbuckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hirer 46. Knowledge of all things relating to fancy plates? 50. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love you,â&#x20AC;? to Macron 53. Future visionary 54. Holiday periods 55. Egg season 58. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get the pictureâ&#x20AC;?: Abbr. 61. Cancel out 62. Totally into capitalism? 64. Tommygun, e.g. 65. Bring into the family 66. Underwater killers

67. Interview seg. 68. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Storage Warsâ&#x20AC;? channel 69. Modern treaty violation DOWN

1. Page layout code 2. Nearly-disappeared sea 3. Choppy 4. Poetic adjective 5. In need of some coffee 6. ___ Mawr 7. Defeated in a humiliating way on the web 8. Blackjack holding 9. Egress 10. Record Store Day purchases 11. Image shapers 12. QB Carr 13. Wax collectors 18. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Geronimo,â&#x20AC;? for one 22. â&#x20AC;&#x153;4:44â&#x20AC;? rapper 24. Rm. with a ticket counter 26. Good buds 27. Method 28. Height 29. Western alliance initials

30. New York city with the supposed nickname â&#x20AC;&#x153;the city that God forgotâ&#x20AC;? 34. Zealotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s belief 35. Sign of use 36. Soccer legend Wambach 38. Hawaiian fish, on menus 39. Bank support? 40. Story changer? 43. Some LCDs 45. Put away the groceries 47. Marcos of the Philippines 48. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man With a

Planâ&#x20AC;? star 49. Soul-searching talk? 50. Stacked game 51. Aquafina rival 52. FBI probe missives 56. Bay Area force 57. Telethon gift bag 59. Genteel drinks 60. Dermatologistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s removal 62. Org. with a Driving School section on their website 63. Boxerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bit

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CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL NOTICES Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated: 525 W 35th St Covington, KY 41015 (859) 261-1165 on February 20, 2018 on or after 12:00 pm. Lucretia Dunaway, 03357, household items, washer; Amy Northcutt, 03111, Household Good, Furniture; Jeanine Early, 04117, Household goods, furniture; Marissa Heeg, 03243, Household furniture; Tim Bitter, 06115, Furniture and household goods; Erica Batton, 04122, 3 dressers, couch, chair, table, futon, tvs, older box tvs, radios, fridge and mothers items as well..; Larry Doellman, 06106, bicycles and bicycle wheels; Angela Thompson, 03124, bed, washer, dryer, dining room set, household; Tabitha Gentry, 04219, Household furniture and other misc items; Shatona Campbell, 04309, Couch and other misc items; James Vaughan, 04215, Furniture and other misc items; Isaha Dean, 04328, Household items; Julie Abdon, 03312, Misc household furniture; Maggie Mcdaniel, 03431, Household Furniture; Lesvia Lopez, 03432, Misc items

Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

Rosalie Dallary, Unit 203, Household; Shannon O’Brien, Unit 265, Household Items; Dru Coppage, Unit 432, Household goods; Nicholas Hawley, Unit 507, Household Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction at the storage facility listed below, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated: 5970 Centennial Circle, Florence, KY 41042, 859-408-5219, February 20th, 2018, 10:30 am Janet Whittamore, 947, Household items; Steven Bruin, 652, Household items Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property. Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction at the storage facility listed below, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated: 2900 Crescent Springs Rd, Erlanger, KY 41018 on Tuesday, February 20 th at 11:00 AM

Extra Space Storage, 8080 Steilen Dr. Florence, KY 41042 on February 20, 2018 at or after 10 am. Janie Morgan, Unit 2537, Household Goods; Kristi Austin, Unit 1710, Household Goods; Glenda Phillips, Unit 2301, Household Goods; Tara Konkright, Unit 2411, Household Goods; Elbert skip Eubank, Unit 2122, Household Goods; Jason Jewell, Unit 1111, Household Goods; Tammy Kirchheimer, Unit 2827, Household Goods; Jeffrey Tillinghast, Unit 2615, Household Goods; Christian Tate, Unit 711, Household Goods, Deborah Smith, Unit 401, Household Goods; Alicia James, Unit 732, Household Goods; Jerry Lovitt, Unit 2313, Household Goods; Gena Osborne, Unit 2242, Household Goods; Kelly King, Unit 431, Household Goods; Seth Brazier, Unit 2130, Household Goods; John Hensley, Unit 2504, Household Goods; Lisa Tharp, Unit 2509, Household Goods; Jeremy Delaney, Unit 126, Household Goods; Rodney Hall, Unit 2114, Household Goods; Tracy Schoborg, Unit 1003, Household Goods Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase

Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated: 7 Sperti Dr Ste 200, Edgewood, KY 41017 (859) 795-2771 on February 20, 2018 on or after 11:45 am. Ronda Carter, Unit 1616, Boxes Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property. HEALTH PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401 MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY. Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-732-4139 Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978- 6674

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Regina Ruth, Unit 228, Household items; Sherri Ferguson, Unit 434, Household; Brandon Claborn, Unit 578, Trundle bed, household goods; William Poore, Unit 631, Household goods/Furniture; Erin Baute, Unit 726, Household goods, furniture, appliances; Sarah Burns, Unit 803, Household items, furniture; Michael Demoret, Unit

Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction at the storage facility listed below, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at location indicated:

up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

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DELIVERY CONTRACTORS NEEDED

CityBeat needs contractors to deliver CityBeat every Wednesday between 9am and 3pm. Qualified candidates must have appropriate vehicle, insurance for that vehicle and understand that they are contracted to deliver that route every Wednesday. CityBeat drivers are paid per stop and make $14.00 to $16.00 per hr. after fuel expense. Please reply by email and leave your day and evening phone numbers. Please reply by email only. Phone calls will not be accepted. sferguson@citybeat.com

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