CityBeat | Sept. 4, 2019

back together

BY BRIAN BAKER

CINCINNATI’S NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY | SEP. 04-10, 2019 | FREE

What Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler learned in Cincinnati band The Greenhornes has been applied to everything they’ve done since, including their current “reunion” with The Raconteurs

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NEWS

As West End Stadium Takes Shape, New Details — and Questions — Emerge Stadium design; light and sound mitigation; traffic issues and road closures; and other issues are all coming into sharper focus as stadium construction continues. But loose ends remain

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

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ontractors working on FC Cincinnati’s coming $250 million West End soccer stadium presented details about the facility at a Cincinnati Planning Department staff conference on Aug. 28, and attendees had plenty of questions.

The takeaway: Don’t expect discussions over the stadium to get any less contentious soon.

City and team-affiliated officials presented new information about likely street closures, the possible demolition schedule of at least one building close to the stadium, changes to the Central Parkway bike lane, brief overviews of light and sound studies and other details.

Meanwhile, some attendees raised questions about the fate of four residents in buildings the team purchased earlier this year. Those residents have expressed frustrations with construction surrounding their buildings and the slow process of relocation to other housing in the West End. Critics say the team shouldn’t receive an expanded zoning change until residents who live in the expanded area have relocated.

Finally, not all questions about the stadium have been answered, especially around the location of a county-built parking garage and the resolution of tension between the team and Cincinnati Ballet, which is just north of the stadium site, and with the Cincinnati Arts Association, which is still concerned about possible noise impacts of the stadium at nearby Music Hall.

The team has applied for a 1.2-acre expansion of its request for a zoning change for the area occupied by the stadium. That expansion would encompass land just north of the stadium site up to Wade Street that is currently occupied by

a now-vacant Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall and an apartment building with a few remaining residents, as well as some vacant land owned by the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. FC Cincinnati is in negotiations to purchase those plots.

Representatives from Elevar, the design firm working with the team on the stadium, and with Turner Construction, the stadium’s construction contractor, indicated that the team wishes to use the space as a surface parking lot in the near future.

Demolition on the Jehovah’s Witness site could be done in the coming month, a representative from Turner said. A confidential agreement between residents of 421 Wade St. would keep the team from demolishing that building and another outside the zoning request at 1559 Central Ave. until all residents have found housing elsewhere or by a Jan. 31 deadline.

At the start of the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, Greg Otis of Elevar ran through the stadium’s major architectural features, as well as crowd flow, lighting and sound issues. Otis said that sound and light studies commissioned by the team found minimal disruption to the surrounding neighborhood due to sound or light pollution coming from the stadium, though some residents nearby in Over-the-Rhine have questioned that assertion.

The bulk of the stadium’s crowd will come in through a grand stairway on

Construction on the new FC Cincinnati stadium PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL

Central Parkway, Otis said.

“The stadium is anticipated to have about 26,000 seats,” he said. “Nearly half of those folks — 13,000 to 15,000 or so — will be ascending those steps and entering that plaza. There will also be a gate entrance to the south and north sides.”

That massive entryway could require a change to the city’s existing Central Parkway bike lane. The current proposal would be to bring the bike lane up to the level of the sidewalk on either side to provide a wider place for game attendees to stand as they wait.

“The idea of this is that... if all of that is brought up to one level, effectively we get to provide more walking surface as all these folks are culminating at the bottom of the stairs before they ascend up the steps,” Otis said. “That’s where the sidewalk needs to be the widest. This gives us the opportunity to get that width without creating a trip hazard by bringing the cycle track up to the same level as the sidewalk.”

The bike lane is on city-owned right-ofway. The city’s Department of Transportation & Engineering would have the final decision about changes to the lane.

Not everyone was thrilled with that idea.

“On game day there won’t be a bike lane,”

Over-the-Rhine resident Margy Waller said at the meeting. “You won’t be able to use it, because there are 13,000 people walking across it.”

Otis pointed out that a shared bike and pedestrian walkway currently exist in other places in the city, including further up on Central Parkway.

“The bike lane would exist,” Otis said.

“I didn’t say it would be easy. I said it wouldn’t be closed. People do what they want to do, but from a design perspective, it is a best practice.”

Another idea that has in the past drawn some pushback — closing Central Parkway from Ezzard Charles to Liberty Street on game days — is likely moving forward, according to police officials.

Cincinnati Police Sergeant Timothy Fritz said that large crowds coming to and from OTR and safety concerns about possible violent acts, including bombings, would require closures of the street, likely two hours before games and an hour afterward. Fritz also mentioned that John Street on the stadium’s western edge would likely be closed as well during those time periods.

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CITY DESK

Change in Food Assistance Policy Could Hit Ohioans Hard, Critics Say

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

A change in the way the federal government administers food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could see thousands of Ohioans lose those benefits, some critics say.

But federal officials say the change could streamline the program and cut down on wasteful spending and make aid programs more consistent from state to state.

In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture presented a proposal that would end automatic SNAP eligibility for those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Lawmakers in Congress have voted against legislation decoupling assistance programs in the last two farm bills, but USDA officials would like to change the department’s policies internally.

The change, if implemented, would mean that families who are eligible for TANF would need to reapply separately for SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.

That’s onerous for many time-constrained families in which adults are working multiple jobs.

“For too long, this loophole has been used to effectively bypass important eligibility guidelines,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny

Perdue wrote in a USDA news release about the rule change proposal. “Too often, states have misused this flexibility without restraint.”

The USDA’s news release highlighted a case in which a Minnesota millionaire named Rob Undersander enrolled in SNAP benefits for 18 months to show that the program has flaws.

Eligibility for SNAP in Minnesota considers only income, not wealth, and thus Undersander claims he was able to apply for and receive benefits for 18 months. His situation did not involve TANF, however, and Undersander revealed his SNAP enrollment to support a Minnesota bill that would tie benefits to asset limits.

Generally, the government’s food assistance programs have among the lowest rates of abuse of any federal program — less than 1 percent of food stamp payments go to those who are not eligible for the program, the federal government says.

The new rule could affect between 37,000 and 100,000 people in Ohio, according to an estimate by left-leaning think tank Policy Matters Ohio. That has implications not only for fighting hunger but also

for Ohio’s economy, critics of the proposed rule say.

“SNAP doesn’t just put food on the table,” the Ohio Association of Foodbanks tweeted in response to the proposed change. “It also generates revenue for local grocery stores, creating and maintaining jobs & income tax revenue for local governments. It should be as easy as possible for people who need SNAP to get it.”

If some Ohioans lose their SNAP benefits, their children’s school lunches could also be affected. One way children qualify for free and reduced lunch at public schools is via their family’s enrollment in the SNAP program.

Nationally, as many as 3 million people could lose SNAP eligibility due to the rule change, and some 500,000 children could lose access to free and reduced school meals. But federal officials supportive of the USDA rule change say those children could gain eligibility for those programs via other means.

Anti-hunger groups aren’t the only ones opposing the proposal. The U.S. Conference of Mayors Aug. 21 issued a letter signed by 70 city leaders, including Dayton

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

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Apple Street has been working to establish a worker and community-owned grocery store in Northside since 2014 to replace a Save A Lot location that closed in the neighborhood. The nearest grocery store to the bustling, otherwise-walkable neighborhood is currently about a mile and a half away.

Organizers with Apple Street hope to remedy that with a store that will offer fresh food and other groceries affordable to a wide swath of the surrounding population.

The co-op effort is one of 23 initiatives receiving an inaugural round of funding from the USDA program, which is

aimed at expanding access to fresh food in areas where its availability is limited. Ten of those projects, including Apple Street, will receive financial help totaling $1.4 million, while another 13 will receive a total of $400,000 in technical assistance. More than 240 applicants from 46 states were vying for the grants.

Reinvestment Fund, a national financial institution that administered the grants, says they’re about revitalizing communities in an equitable way.

“Access to healthy food is about more than making sure all Americans have easy access to nutritious, affordable food — it is also about strengthening local economies and community infrastructure,” said Reinvestment Fund President and CEO Don Hinkle-Brown in a news release. “The response to this funding opportunity

is indicative of the immense need and the innovative approaches communities are undertaking to support equitable access to fresh, healthy food for everyone.”

City Outlines Plans to Take Streetcar Reins from Transit Authority

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney released a memo on Aug. 28 outlining a plan to transfer control of the downtown and Over-the-Rhine streetcar system from the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority to the city.

That divorce will cost $536,000, according to the memo, and will take approval from Cincinnati City Council.

Duhaney writes in the memo that the final steps in the split should be wrapped up by July 20 next year.

Co-Op Grocery Effort Apple Street Market Wins $80,000 Grant Northside-based cooperative grocery initiative the Apple Street Market will receive an $80,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Health Food Financing Initiative, representatives from the co-op effort have announced.

Mayor Nan Whaley, criticizing the rule change proposal.

“As Mayors, we serve as the CEOs of the nation’s cities; and remain most concerned about any proposal that will reduce improvements to the health of our residents, weaken nutrition programs, deteriorate advances to healthy food access, and spur declines in local and regional economies,” the letter reads.

The USDA is taking public comment on the proposal until Sept. 23.

1,200 shareholders.

In late January, Columbusbased Finance Fund withdrew $900,000 in seed financing from the project because Apple Street had not yet raised enough operating capital. But that was just the start of the bad news.

Last year, Apple Street seemed close to securing the funding necessary to open a store at the former Save A Lot location in Northside, which the neighborhood’s community development corporation NEST purchased with the help of $400,000 from the City of Cincinnati. However, a series of events toppled much of that financing, and now NEST says it must explore other options for the building.

The market in February was supposed to close on New Market Tax Credits worth $1.5 million in financing for development costs. But PNC, the investor in those credits, withdrew from many of its 2019 new market projects due to devaluation in the credits caused by tax reforms passed by Congress in 2017.

Apple Street, for its part, says it has raised $700,000 this year to finance the market, including the USDA grant, and could receive a major philanthropic gift if it can secure a location. As of February this year, the cooperative had more than

The Cincinnati Development Fund held the credits.

Because of the financing difficulties, CDF had to allocate them to other projects, though Apple Street organizers say CDF could commit future tax credits to the project.

Duhaney says the city should consider a rebranding and “relaunching” of the streetcar, which has struggled with low ridership numbers and difficulty making its recommended 12-15 minute wait times, and could adjust the transit system’s fares and schedule.

Currently, the city owns the streetcar, but SORTA is under contract to run the 3.6-mile transit loop. The transit agency, in turn, pays private company Transdev to hire and manage streetcar staff and daily operations.

The move would streamline operations by bringing the streetcar and associated Transdev contract under direct city control.

One subtext for the split: the perceived political realities around a likely Hamilton County sales tax levy for SORTA’s Metro bus service. Separating the streetcar — which has been a contentious subject — from SORTA could win over some voters outside the urban core.

Officials have promised that the as much as 1-cent sales tax increase would not go to streetcar funding either way, but the transfer of control could provide a further political firewall.

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FROM PAGE 04

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“The road closures you’ve heard about are road closures that the police department feels are going to be necessary to implement the strategy of maintaining safety for the residents, businesses and people attending the games at the stadium on game day,” he said. “Based on these issues and scenarios that are being presented at this time, I don’t see how, on game day, I can leave Central Parkway open.”

Officials say they expect traffic will be re-routed around to Linn Street. Exceptions would be made for people who work or live on Central Parkway, Fritz said.

Fritz also mentioned potential parking restrictions around the stadium. Those might require closure of streets nearby, with residents showing a driver’s license or utility bill to gain access to parking on their streets.

Some attendees brought up the fact that Cincinnati City Council opposes the closure of Central Parkway.

“They do, but city council doesn’t dictate how public safety is done,” Fritz said.

“That’s up to the police chief.”

Residents who still live in the two buildings purchased by the team earlier this year attended the meeting, as did several of their advocates.

“With respect to the area just north of the construction site that is part of this request — people still live there,” said Greater Cincinnati Legal Aid Society Director

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John Schrider. “They’re looking for other housing, but they want to stay in or near the West End, and they’re doing their best to move. But they’re concerned that the place they’re living in right now is being re-zoned.”

Schrider also had wider concerns, which he says are propped up by a housing study paid for by FC Cincinnati and completed

by Atlanta-based APD Planning. That study is soon to be released, but some preliminary results suggest that more than a quarter of the West End’s 6,600 residents are “extremely threatened” by potential displacement. The area has a median income of less than $15,000 a year and, according to the housing study, 87 percent of residents there are renters.

“We need to be asking ourselves bigger questions about what the City of Cincinnati is doing to prevent displacement,” Schrider said. “Some might say that’s not on the agenda today, but it should be.”

James Weaver, of the Cincinnati Department of City Planning, says the city is looking at how to prevent displacement.

Among the possibilities: a TIF (tax increment financing) district could be created that could potentially be used for housing.

“One of the things we are beginning to work out with the West End Community Council is a tax increment financing district that would cover a sizable portion of the neighborhood for public

improvements,” he said. “We’re starting those conversations now; we’re not just standing idly by.”

Schrider asked if another proposal around zoning incentives for the creation of affordable housing was also under consideration. Cincinnati City Council member David Mann has proposed legislation to that effect, as well as an interim development control (IDC) district put in place to provide extra checks on demolitions or other activity until the completion of a study about how those incentives could be accomplished.

That proposal has gotten some pushback from a group of homeowners in the West End, who say that the neighborhood already has too much subsidized housing.

Letters to the city protesting the proposal express worries about increased crime, litter and other problems if more affordable housing is built.

The city is mulling Mann’s proposal, Weaver said.

The remaining residents at the Wade Street and Central Avenue sites, however, say they’re growing impatient with the process.

“This should have already been looked at,” 1559 Central Ave. resident Crystal Lane said. “I’m one of those residents. While you all are looking at stuff, I’m looking to move.

I doubt it will be in the West End because I’ve been looking for something since

February and I haven’t found anything.

You should respect that we’re still there as much as we’re respecting your request that we move.”

FROM PAGE 06

Some parts of the plan are already happening. Earlier this year, the city hired Travis Jeric as the first streetcar director on an interim basis. Jeric is currently technically on SORTA’s payroll but will move over as operations come into the city’s hands.

Under the plan outlined in Duhaney’s memo, the costs associated with separating the streetcar from SORTA would come out of the transit project’s operating funds, which currently stand at roughly $823,000.

The costs include $121,000 for a consultant to manage the transition, $265,000 in internal and external legal costs, $100,000 for a chief safety officer and $50,000 for training from the Federal Transit Administration.

Council will likely take up legislation related to the split in committee the first week of September and could begin voting on the measures as soon as its Sept. 11 meeting.

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back together

BY BRIAN BAKER

The Raconteurs (L to R): Jack White, Patrick Keeler, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence // PHOTO: VANCE POWELL

What Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler learned in Cincinnati band The Greenhornes has been applied to everything they’ve done since, including their current “reunion” with The Raconteurs

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The Raconteurs in Atlanta // PHOTO: DAVID JAMES SWANSON

From the very beginning,

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The Raconteurs have occupied a rarefied space in Jack White's creative mindset. Unlike his other projects, where he's either the frontman and primary contributor or taking a relatively secondary role, The Raconteurs functions as a fairly equal collaboration, with White dipping his edgy dark chocolate Blues/Rock instincts into singer/songwriter/ producer Brendan Benson's sweet and salty AltPop/Rock peanut butter.

And it's no surprise that there were a number of Beatles-esque moments on the band's first two albums, 2006's brilliant introduction, Broken Boy Soldiers, and 2008's exquisitely chaotic and complex Consolers of the Lonely. In a very cogent sense, Benson is The Raconteurs' Paul McCartney and White is their John Lennon.

The recently released third Raconteurs album, Help Us Stranger, is typical of its predecessors' high quality and something of a bar elevation. Upon its June 21 release, Help Us Stranger went straight to the top of the Billboard 200, marking the band’s first No. 1 album. And the preponderance of glowing reviews was evidence of a solidly crafted and well-executed contemporary Rock album with skillfully absorbed Classic Rock/Psych/ Power Pop influences. “Bored and Razed” and “Don't Bother Me” hit with jackhammer force and surgical precision, while more nuanced moments like the title track, “Only Child” and “Now That You're Gone” still generate the bracing power of a velvet-gloved fist.

Through all of the power shifts and sonic pyrotechnics, the rhythm engine that has driven The Raconteurs from day one consists of bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. The pair have come to global prominence in recent years due to their association with White as a performer and producer, but some fans in the Greater Cincinnati area remember them vividly for their incendiary run with The Greenhornes in the late ’90s and early ’00s behind guitarist/vocalist Craig Fox and, for the first three years, guitarist/vocalist Brian Olive and keyboardist Jared McKinney.

Lawrence was introduced by a mutual friend to a local Dearborn County, Indiana group of grade-school buddies that had become a high school band called Us and Them. They began knocking around the Cincinnati scene, becoming The Greenhornes with Lawrence's arrival in 1996.

Neither Lawrence nor Keeler could have predicted that their chance meeting over 20 years ago would cause their fortunes to become inextricably intertwined as one of the longest standing and most storied

rhythm sections in contemporary music.

And just as The Greenhornes have been dormant since the 2010 release of Four Stars, which itself represented an eight-year gap between full-length albums, The Raconteurs had been relatively inactive in the 11 years since Consolers of the Lonely. Just after the release of his most recent solo album, 2013's You Were Right, Benson characterized The Raconteurs' absence as more split than hiatus, given White's various and numerous musical collaborations, duties as the founder and operator of Third Man Records and demands of his burgeoning solo career.

Against all odds, Third Man's 10th anniversary vinyl pressing of Consolers of the Lonely was also heralded by the release of the first new Raconteurs songs in over a decade — “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You're Gone,” which were released as a vinyl 7-inch and as digital downloads. For Lawrence and Keeler, the shock wasn't necessarily that the band was getting back together — it was that the band could still play like a band after a decade of relative inactivity.

“I personally thought it was pleasantly quick, as far as feeling like the band,” Keeler says in a recent conference call with Lawrence. “It didn't feel like a struggle, even when we were making the record. We sat down and a few things instantly came that were like old tricks that we would do, which felt really good.”

“I think in our minds it was going to be much more difficult than when we actually got in the room to do it,” adds Lawrence. “It felt like not that much time had passed.”

It was a good thing that muscle memory took over as The Raconteurs coalesced back into a performing unit because Help Us Stranger was about to be shaped by a very different group of musicians than the one that had drifted apart after the Consolers tour. White had created a physical location in Nashville for his Third Man label and released his debut solo album, 2012's Blunderbuss, and its follow-ups, 2014's Lazaretto and 2018's Boarding House Reach, during The Raconteurs' downtime. Benson had founded his own label, Readymade Records, and added three more solo albums to his catalog in that same span. Lawrence and White formed The Dead Weather with Alison Mosshart (The Kills) and Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and recorded three albums. Lawrence did mountains of session work and Keeler began drumming with a Cincinnati-spawned music institution, The Afghan Whigs, in 2014. Those vastly different journeys changed each individual member, which, by proxy, changed the whole dynamic of The Raconteurs.

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Jack White // PHOTO: DAVID JAMES SWANSON

“I was just amazed at how well we worked together,” says Lawrence, who, for easier communication, has earned the nickname “Little” Jack (or just LJ). “I think from branching out on our own, and then coming back together, we've all been playing with different people and having different experiences in the studio, and we all brought something new. It's like we learned a different language, and then we could teach these guys: 'Oh, that's how you say that.' It was nice that after all these years we could get back in the studio and work so well together, probably better than ever.”

One of the most appealing qualities of Help Us Stranger is its immediacy. The album doesn't feel labored or overworked — it bristles with the excitement and anticipation that marked its conception and delivery.

“I would say that a lot of the tracks were cut within the first few days of getting together after eight or nine years,” Keeler says. “It was like ‘boom, boom, boom.’ I'm not saying they were finished but the foundations were there pretty quick. And I think you can hear that, in a good way.”

The first Raconteurs album had been recorded in Benson's home studio and their sophomore set had been done in Nashville's Blackbird studio (“Our first posh studio experience,” Lawrence says). Help Us Stranger was the band's first recording in White's Third Man studio, also in Nashville. There were other significant differences in the processes that would result in The Raconteurs' third album, and yet a similar feel and outcome emerged.

“I feel like there were more songs that were developed, either from Brendan's or Jack's solo stuff,” Keeler says. “We were weeding out stuff. We had a lot of stuff we recorded, probably another album's worth. But other than that, it was just the four of us in a room, like the two albums before.”

“They'll write things for their solo records or for somewhere else, and it just doesn't fit right with them and they'll be like, 'This feels like a Raconteurs song. I could take it to the guys,' ” Lawrence says. “Then it'll be, 'I don't have words for this chorus, I've just got a melody. Why don't you come up with the words?’ Brendan will say to Jack, or the other way around. A couple songs on the record that were just riffs that would start in the studio — like ‘Bored and Razed’ was a riff that made its way into (a) song. 'Live a Lie' was a riff that Brendan had and Jack wasn't even there for most of that day — he had a meeting — so that just happened in the studio.”

Yet another wrinkle in The Raconteurs' sorta reunion (the foursome had played a handful of one-off gigs during the extended break) was going back to relearn songs from the first two albums for their current tour. Songs from Consolers of the Lonely proved particularly thorny to work out.

“It was a bit more experimental, almost Jazz-like, I would say,” Keeler says of the Consolers material.

“I see that, but I was thinking more like Prog almost, that Rock/Jazz stuff,” Lawrence says. “We were learning songs from the past albums and whenever we had a hard one, it would be from that record. It was like, 'Why did we put that in there? Where is this bridge coming from? Nowhere?' ” “When the four guys who wrote and performed it originally can't figure out how it goes, it's probably too complicated, I would think,” Keeler says.

Since none of the material on Help Us Stranger was road tested in advance, The Raconteurs' current tour represents the first time any of the new songs have been staged. Perhaps even more problematic was the fact that the tour began before the release of the album, forcing the musicians to play completely unknown songs to a fan base that hadn't seen them live in over a decade.

“We've been doing these phone-free shows, so it did allow us to play stuff off the album without worrying about it being out before it came out,” Keeler says, referring to the band’s policy whereby concertgoers put their phones in locked pouches upon entering the show, minimizing the chance for live videos to be spread online. “I've worked on albums where you play everything for months before you record it. I guess that's one way to do it. I think that's what happened on Consolers of the Lonely. We worked on a few of those songs between soundchecks and rehearsals, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I like them fresh.”

Throughout the discussion of The Raconteurs' history and new album, the common theme was playing music with friends. Lawrence and Keeler often referred to each other in just that manner, and it goes a long way toward explaining why they're still a solid and inventive rhythm section nearly a quarter century after meeting as members of The Greenhornes. And that meeting was about as starcrossed as one could imagine.

Keeler was born in Cincinnati but only because his native Indiana parents drove here for the hospital facilities.

Lawrence was born in southern Illinois, a stone's throw from St. Louis, but his father's railroad job led him to Cincinnati and then to more affordable accommodations in nearby Covington.

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together.”

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“ I was just amazed at how well we worked

Jack Lawrence

// PHOTO: DAVID JAMES SWANSON

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The pair's musical journeys are distinctly different as well. Lawrence picked up a guitar as a teenager as an alternative to skateboarding (“We got tired of getting hurt and thought we should find a safer hobby,” he says) and then taught himself how to play, based largely on his mother's 45 collection. Lawrence found it easier to drop the needle on a single song to learn a passage than to try to find the right spot on an album track.

“The first song I learned was 'Louie, Louie'

by The Kingsmen, and then 'Green Onions' was the next one,” Lawrence says. “Once I learned those three chords, I was like, 'Man, I can play about anything. That's all this is?'

Done.”

Keeler's training came much earlier. His parents gifted him with a drum set at age 5 and immediately signed him up for lessons. It may well have been a parental ploy to see how serious he was about his newly acquired kit, but Keeler was clearly born to drum.

“My mom and dad were very good about what one got, the other one got. My brother was getting either a guitar or a saxophone, and I said, 'I want to play drums,' ” Keeler says. “I took lessons at Buddy Rogers Music in Cheviot with Brian Baverman. I did that until I was 18. I started working the door at (legendary Cincinnati Jazz club) the Blue Wisp when I was 16, and I would watch (drummer/ Blue Wisp Big Band leader) John Von Ohlen.”

The critical decision that allowed Lawrence’s and Keeler's paths to converge happened when Lawrence switched from guitar to bass.

“Classic story — no one wanted to play bass, so I wound up doing it,” Lawrence says.

With that necessary adjustment, introductions were made and Lawrence stopped jamming with friends and joined his first real band. At that point, Craig Fox, Brian Olive and Keeler were all attending different colleges but living together in Clifton. The Greenhornes' first album, 1999's Gun For You, shows the newly minted rhythm section's value as a fluid anchor to whatever stylistic direction the band was pursuing, from raw, untamed Garage Rock to soulful Pop Rock balladry.

The Greenhornes developed quickly in the new millennium. Early in 2001, they released their impressive self-titled sophomore album and established themselves as

one of the area's leading musical lights. Later that fall, they opened for The Strokes on their first nationwide tour to promote their debut album, This is It, at the original location of the Southgate House in Newport. The Greenhornes' frantic and adrenalized opening set must have had the New York quintet wondering exactly what they'd gotten themselves into with the booking.

Almost as important as the chemical bond between Lawrence and Keeler was the connections The Greenhornes were making as they made their way out of Cincinnati.

Lawrence and Keeler are quick to credit the city's prime location as a hub close to so many bigger markets as one of the reasons for The Greenhornes' rising profile in the Midwest.

One of the cities that The Greenhornes returned to time and again was Detroit, home to a thriving Garage Rock scene. They had made friends with a band called The Hentchmen and they began trading shows with them. On one particular trip to the Motor City, they made the acquaintance of a guy named Jack White who seemed to be a fixture at The Hentchmen's local shows.

“He was friends with The Hentchmen and after a show, he had a party and we ended up crashing at his house,” Lawrence says. “We saw him the next two times we were up there, but we didn't even know he was in a band.”

Although Lawrence and Keeler have cut way back on the intensity of road festivities (“I remember stuff now,” Lawrence says), The Greenhornes' legendary capacity for, shall we say, party-favor consumption has worked its way into Detroit's musical folklore, a decade and a half after their heyday.

“When we showed up, it was going to be on,” Keeler says. “There's a longstanding catchphrase in the old Detroit Garage Rock scene: 'Getting Greenhorned.' We've only done that a few times on this round.”

“We became a verb,” Lawrence says.

Not long after The Greenhornes established a presence in Detroit, White, already a part of several bands, started The White Stripes with wife Meg White (famously billing themselves as brother and sister at the onset) and The Greenhornes began trading shows with them as well.

“They opened for us at (former Corryville Rock club) Sudsy Malone's,” Keeler says. “And we toured together a lot with them.”

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The Raconteurs (L to R): Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler, Jack Lawrence, Jack White // PHOTO: OLIVIA JEAN

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Jack White with The Raconteurs in Niagara Falls // PHOTO: DAVID JAMES SWANSON

The friendship would pay enormous dividends when The White Stripes' fortunes skyrocketed in the early '00s.

A couple of years after The Greenhornes released their third full-length, 2002's Dual Mono, White was tapped to produce Country icon Loretta Lynn's 42nd studio album, Van Lear Rose, and he contacted Lawrence and Keeler to be the rhythm section for Lynn's studio band, The DoWhaters. The Greenhornes had lost Olive and McKinney and were on the verge of the eight-year gap before the release of Four Stars, so Lawrence and Keeler agreed to do Lynn's album. The near universal praise for Van Lear Rose shone a direct spotlight on White as producer and on Lawrence and Keeler as players, which spurred industry interest in all of them.

“I still think that's the biggest thing I'm ever going to be a part of,” Lawrence says.

The engineer on Van Lear Rose was none other than White's old Detroit crony Brendan Benson, sowing the seeds for the launch of The Raconteurs in 2005. The subsequent decade and a half has been a whirlwind of extracurricular band projects, touring opportunities and session work for Lawrence and Keeler, and they have availed themselves of every offer they could squeeze into their increasingly packed schedules.

But through it all, they've never forgotten the lessons learned and experiences forged in the fires of The Greenhornes. It's been nearly a decade since Four Stars was released, but the band never officially announced a breakup or even a formal hiatus, so they remain suspended in the amber of not working but not definitively finished either. Fox has kept his oar in the water locally with well-regarded bands like Cincinnati Suds and Oxford Cotton, and Lawrence and Keeler have maintained contact with him over the years.

“I miss him tons,” Lawrence says of Fox. “We were together for a long time — a long time to be in a band in a van and barely breaking even.”

“I would always get back with Craig,” Keeler says. “I don't think we ever ventured into black territory in the checkbook area. But it

was fun — (it) taught me more about playing music than anything. And it was such a cool band because there were zero rules about what you played or what you did.”

Lawrence and Keeler moved to Nashville in 2005, and while Keeler has called Los Angeles home for the past six years, his plane ride back to Cincinnati is no longer than Lawrence's drive from Nashville. Obviously, Lawrence has less hoops to jump through to get back to the area — he was just here to record bass parts at Northern Kentucky’s Candyland studio for Kim Deal's new solo project — but the way is clear for something to happen with The Greenhornes.

Not all of Keeler's time is taken up with playing drums — he currently works for a clothing company designing Rock T-shirts.

“I've done anyone from The Rolling Stones to the Grateful Dead, Metallica, Elton John, Bob Marley, The Beatles,” Keeler says. “We do a lot of Rock & Roll licensing.”

“I don't know if you've heard of any of these guys,” Lawrence says dryly.

Lawrence and Keeler banter and react to one another with the easy camaraderie of two guys who have been friends for nearly a quarter of a century, and not two long-term professionals who have accomplished great things and now have a legacy to maintain.

Keeler goes back to a point made about The Raconteurs reassembling after a long layoff.

“I learned how to play Rock & Roll with Jack Lawrence,” he says emphatically. “That's why it's easy to do when it comes back around.”

“If we could only get rid of those pesky guitar players, we'd be fine,” Lawrence responds, tongue firmly in cheek.

“I use four drums, LJ uses four strings,” Keeler says. “That's all you need.”

Good friends first, a great rhythm section after that. The point is that Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler are prepared to lay down the perfect rhythm for whatever opportunities are presented to them, because it will always be easy to do when it comes back around.

The Raconteurs play the Taft Theatre on Sept.

14. Tickets/more show info: tafttheatre.org.

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sat sept 21 tickets on sale now!

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miamivalleygaming.com

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JUST OFF I–75 EXIT 29 Must be 21 or older to gamble. Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-589-9966) or visit www.org.ohio.gov

STUFF TO DO

Ongoing Shows ART: Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style Cincinnati Art Museum, Mount Adams (through Sept. 15)

WEDNESDAY 04

ART: Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. examines the legacy of revolutionary AfricanAmerican men through original works of art, quotes and dramatic photographs.

See feature on page 26.

LIT: Sonia Sotomayor at Walnut Hills High School U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is stopping

by Cincinnati to promote her new kids’ book, Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You. Hosted by JosephBeth, the event will feature a discussion of the book in which Sotomayor, the first Hispanic/Latina Justice, discusses how our differences make us unique. In Just Ask!, Sotomayor uses her own experience as a child with Type 1 diabetes to encourage children to inquire and embrace each other’s “special powers.” 7 p.m. Wednesday. Free. Walnut Hills High School, 3250 Victory Parkway, Evanston, josephbeth.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

THURSDAY 05

PHOTO: BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ

$26 and $36 three-course menus at participating restaurants. $15. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday. Fueled Collective, 3825 Edwards Road, Rookwood Exchange, Norwood, citybeattickets. com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

FRIDAY 06

MUSIC: Hank Von Hell of Turbonegro plays the Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 40.

MUSIC: Rick Springfield with Greg Kihn and Patty Smyth Several ’80s Pop Rock hitmakers are traveling the country together this year as part of the “Rick Springfield Presents Best in Show” tour,

including Tommy “867-5309” Tutone and Richard Marx.

For the Cincinnati tour stop, it was initially announced that Springfield — a soap opera star who turned in one of the 1980s’ more enduring Pop hits with “Jessie’s Girl” — would be appearing with Eddie Money, but Money had to drop off the lineup due to pneumonia that developed after his heart surgery. The “Two Tickets to Paradise” singer later revealed that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. Taking Money’s place on the bill is Patty Smyth, the frontperson for Scandal, which had big hits in the ’80s with songs like “Goodbye to You” and “The Warrior.” Power Pop veteran (and now novelist) Greg Kihn, whose contributions to the ’80s zeitgeist include classics like “The Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy,” will also perform. 7:30 p.m.

Friday. $23.50-$73. PNC Pavilion at Riverbend, 6295 Kellogg Ave., California, riverbend.org. — MIKE BREEN

ART: Leaves of Plates at the Lloyd Library During their artists’ residency at the Lloyd Library earlier this year, Katie Parker and Guy Michael Davis — the duo behind local studio Future Retrieval — stumbled upon a phrase while looking through the library’s catalog: “leaves of plates.” To break that down, a “leaf” refers to a book page, while a “plate” is an illustration printed separately from the text. In learning that term, Parker and Davis pored through Lloyd’s collection of illustrations in books about botany, exploration and alchemy.

Though much of their leads were seemingly disparate, they eventually weaved their ideas together to create cohesive pieces inspired by their time at the Lloyd. That work culminates as Leaves of Plates. The show will feature mixed media works that include ceramics, cut paper and textiles alongside apothecary jars — all CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

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EVENT: Covington Oktoberfest Covington’s Oktoberfest will return to Mainstrasse Village for a weekend of music,

arts, food, drink and celebrating the city’s German culture. This year, the free, family-friendly event will be a little bit smaller and will focus on the local offerings of Covington businesses. “In previous years of Covington Oktoberfest, businesses in Covington’s MainStrasse Village experienced less foot traffic as visitors opted for street food and beer instead of indoor dining,” a press release explains. “This year, restored by local leaders like Braxton Brewing Co., the focus will be put back on local businesses.” 5-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m.

Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Goebel Park, 501 Philadelphia St., Covington, facebook.com/ mainstrassevillage.

— HAILEY BOLLINGER

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MUSIC: Amos Lee Soulful Folk/Rock singer/ songwriter Amos Lee began cultivating his large and loyal fanbase in 2005 when he released his self-titled debut album, but it was 2011’s Mission Bell that pushed him into the mainstream consciousness. Featuring contributions from legends past and presents — from Willie Nelson to Lucinda Williams to Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam — Mission Bell debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Lee’s latest album, My New Moon, was released last summer to widespread critical acclaim

and strong chart debuts. Billboard called the LP — Lee’s first for Dualtone Records, after previous work for Blue Note and Republic — “the most personal and deeply felt of his seven studio albums,” and it topped the Rock and Americana/Folk charts when it was first released. Though many of the glowing reviews of My New Moon spotlighted how the Philly-based performer was in peak form in terms of songwriting, the album also contains a potent cover of Marvin Gaye’s perpetually timely “What’s Going On.” Madison Cunningham, who’s been compared to Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, will open for Lee this week when he brings his My New Moon tour to Cincinnati. 8 p.m. Friday. $39.50-$89.50.

Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.

— MIKE BREEN

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EVENT: Meet the Chefs: Fall 2019 Meet several chefs participating in CityBeat’s Greater Cincinnati Fall Restaurant Week and sample some bites and cocktails from Maker’s Mark. There will be a Q&A with each chef, hosted by WWE Ring Announcer Greg Hamilton. Participating chefs include Dave Bever from The View at Shires’ Garden, Shawn Heine from Prime Cincinnati and Jack Hemmer from Nicola’s Restaurant. This event is 21 and older. Greater Cincinnati Fall Restaurant Week runs Sept. 23-29 with special

Amos Lee

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LIVE LOUD CONCERTS PRESENTS

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of which draw inspiration from the library’s collection.

Opening reception 5:30-8 p.m. Friday. Through Nov. 22. Free. Lloyd Library and Museum, 917 Plum St., Downtown, lloydlibrary.org.

— MACKENZIE MANLEY COMEDY: Brad Williams They say luck is when opportunity meets preparation and that’s exactly how Brad Williams became a comedian. While attending a show by Carlos Mencia, Williams was called up onstage to chat with the veteran comic. Williams killed and gained the confidence to do comedy himself. However, it wasn’t his natural cleverness that helped him win the audience over that night, so much as a lifetime of using humor as a defense mechanism. Williams credits his father, an attorney by trade, for bringing humor into his life. “My dad’s one of the funniest dudes I know. He’s funnier than me. He’s great with comebacks and zingers, so he gets me a lot.” The elder Williams made fun of his son, who was born with

SUBLIME WITH ROME OCTOBER 4

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RHYTHM BREW ART & MUSIC F E S T I VA L SEPTEMBER 27-29

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MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD OCTOBER 30

achondroplasia, but not in a mean-spirited way. “He did it because he knew other kids would make fun of me, so he did it first to get me prepared for it. Kind of ‘A Boy Named Sue’ thing.” 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Friday; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. $20$52. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone. com. — P.F. WILSON EVENT: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Film with Live Orchestra The Cincinnati Pops’ first-ever principal guest conductor Damon Gupton (also an accomplished actor aka SSA Stephen Walker on Criminal Minds, for any fans out there) leads the orchestra in a live rendition of John Williams’ epic score to accompany a screening of the second installment of the intergalactic cinematic saga, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Say hello to Yoda and goodbye to Luke’s hand as the Pops perform every single note of the film’s soundtrack as it is played on the big screen above the stage at Music Hall. 7 p.m.

Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m.

T H E R E V I VA L I S T S // P H O T O : B R A N T L E Y G U T I E R R E Z

Sunday. $25-$115. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-theRhine, cincinnatisymphony. org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

SATURDAY 07

MUSIC: The Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett plays Top Cats. See Sound Advice on page 40.

EVENT: 12th Street Shuffle Give back while drinking for cheap. The second-annual 12th Street Shuffle pub crawl takes attendees to 12 bars around Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine for $4 drink specials from participating venues including 3 Points, Nation Kitchen and Bar, Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey, Rosedale, HalfCut, Wiseguy Lounge and Cobblestone. Shuffle bars will be serving discounted brews from 3 Points, MadTree, Streetside and West Side Brewing, and you’ll get a commemorative mug, a free drink at 3 Points and a raffle ticket. Proceeds benefit Give Back Cincinnati. Noon-7 p.m. Saturday. $12. 3 Points, 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton, facebook.com/3pointsbeer.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

SATURDAY 07

MUSIC: David Shaw’s Big River Get Down Since 2015, Hamilton, Ohio’s David Shaw has been annually returning to his hometown to host the Big River Get Down, a multi-act music festival at the city’s RiversEdge Amphitheater (also the site of the recent Whimmydiddle Country music fest). Shaw also headlines the Get Down with his band The Revivalists, who, over the past decade, have become one of the more popular Rock groups in the country. Formed in New Orleans, The Revivalists broke big in 2016 with their single “Wish I Knew You”; the Platinum-selling track set a record for the most spins on Alternative Radio in a single week. The band — which recently opened for The Rolling Stones — has drawn major props from high-profile media outlets like Rolling Stone and Billboard, which praised them for their “creative, compelling blend of musical ingenuity and heart.” For this year’s fifth-anniversary Big River Get Down, The Revivalists will be joined by The War And Treaty, Brent Cobb, Southern Avenue, Chris Gelbuda and Chicago Soul singer Neal Francis. Find complete details at bigrivergetdown.com. 3 p.m.

Saturday. $38.40. RiversEdge at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton St., Hamilton, riversedgelive.com. — MIKE BREEN

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY 3CDC

SUNDAY 08

EVENT: Adult Swim Close out the summer swim season with this adults-only party at Ziegler Pool. The RhineStones synchronized swim team will be on hand for a special performance, with a bonus DJ and beer from Rhinegeist. No outside alcohol is permitted and attendees must be 21 and up.

7:30-10 p.m. Sunday. $10. Ziegler Pool, 1322 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/ zieglerpark. — MAIJA ZUMMO

EVENT: Tea Dance It’s time for another Tea Dance, and this month things are getting elevated on the Rhinegeist rooftop.

This LGBTQ-friendly Sunday afternoon dance party is an inclusive love fest featuring views of Over-the-Rhine and Mount Adams; music from Gabriela G9 and Jacoby;

MUSIC: Pat Metheny Side-Eye brings a uniques improvisational Jazz style toMemorial Hall. See Sound Advice on page 41.

EVENT: For the Love of Food: A Free Foodie Fest The Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District and La Soupe are hosting this festival to raise awareness about food

EVENT: Second Sunday on Main Over-the-Rhine’s eclectic street festival is back with a “Sustain on Main” theme.

This event will focus on businesses and groups who are committed to working toward a green future for the city, with demonstrations including info on electric bikes and cars, compost collection and a tutorial on how to make a “living garden.” Sew Valley will also be there to explore the concept of sustainable fashion and artist L.D. Nehls, formerly of Rock Paper Scissors art materials store, will be applying botanically themed temporary tattoos.

Check out live music, shop main street merchants and visit the biergarten lounge with brews from Taft’s, 3 Points and Platform Beer Co. Noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Free admission. Main Street between 12th and Liberty streets, Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/OTRSSOM. — MAIJA ZUMMO

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

FRESH PRODUCE EVERY DAY Local, Organic, Ethnic

LARGESTN SELECTIO !

AROUND

Junglejims.com

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SUNDAY 08

and beer, wine and cocktails for purchase. 4-7 p.m.

Sunday. Free admission.

Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/teadancecinci.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

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waste. This carnival invites families to enjoy lunch while learning about the value of food through games, music, educational booths, cooking demos and giveaways.

Travel through Washington Park with a Foodie Passport — if you complete the passport, you leave with a reusable bag filled with groceries. La Soupe will be serving a dish featuring donated food, Plant Cincinnati will be grilling, the indoor 80 Acres Farms will have salad and there will be a “produce petting zoo” to learn how to store food correctly. The event is the result of a nationwide campaign to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-theRhine, hamiltoncountyrecycles.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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MUSIC: The Avett Brothers at Great American Ball Park Hugely popular and critically acclaimed Americana group The Avett Brothers are coming back to Cincinnati and once again they’ll be performing at Great American Ball Park following a Reds game. (The band previously played the stadium in 2017 after an August game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.) On Saturday, the Avetts will follow the Reds after the team plays the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game begins at 4:10 p.m.

Saturday and the concert starts about 20 minutes after the final out. Admission to the concert is free with a ticket to the game. Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown, mlb.com/reds. — MIKE BREEN

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ARTS & CULTURE Andy Warhol’s Silver Screen Columbus’ Wexner Center offers a rare chance to see the 1960s underground classic The Chelsea Girls and others

BY S T E V EN R O S EN

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A still from Andy Warhol’s The Chelsea Girls PH OTO: C O U R T ESY T H E A N DY WA R H O L M U S EU M

over the imaginary airwaves a menu for her “listeners” — “Chinese apples with 1,000 seeds of blood, blue strawberries, and may we suggest for dinner squash.”

The vignette known as “Eric’s Trip” or “Eric Says All” is famous in itself — Sonic Youth named a song after it. In the scene, the young, long-haired Eric Emerson narrates us through his LSD trip in real time.

Warhol’s photography provides colorful psychedelic effects. I’m not sure if what Emerson is saying is profound, but he’s so involved in self-discovery — describing how a chill going through his body feels good, declaring how he likes to “groove on sex” — that you can’t help but like him.

You certainly like him (and LSD) compared to “Pope Ondine,” who injects himself with speed before beginning his spiel as a priest hearing confession from a young woman, Ronna Page. (There are two separate Ondine vignettes in The Chelsea Girls.) When Page questions his wisdom, he violently, brutally attacks her — for real.

It’s shockingly upsetting (Page escapes and isn’t seen again), especially because Warhol’s camera never stops running and he seems so non-judgmental about depicting what’s occurring. I would have called the police.

But even here, you have to acknowledge his commitment to Warhol’s vision.

Ondine desperately stays with the filming and tries to keep performing. Warhol’s superstars showed an amazing dedication to The Chelsea Girls.

For directions to the Wexner Center for the Arts and information about movie times, tickets and fees, visit wexarts.org.

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paradise for artists, intellectuals and those who wanted to live near them. One of Warhol’s most famous superstars, the chanteuse Nico, not only is prominently featured in the movie but also subsequently released a tie-in album, Chelsea Girl, featuring a song written by Lou Reed called “Chelsea Girls.”

(While the hotel is one of the film’s locations, only one of its actors — poet René Ricard — lived there at the time. Further, not all the separate vignettes are about women; the movie should be called The Chelsea Boys and Girls. Also, two of the vignettes are scripted by Warhol associate Ronald Tavel.)

It begins with “Nico in the Kitchen,” a black-and-white vignette notable mainly for Nico trimming her blonde bangs. I don’t say that sarcastically. Her bangs descend like a meticulous waterfall over her lashes and even a bit of her eyes, so there’s real tension to the trimming process. It’s mesmerizing and far more interesting than so many clichéd commercial movies.

Another highlight is the vignette known as “Hanoi Hanna,” which Tavel wrote for Mary Waronov, who went on to make some much higher-profile movies, including playing the stern principal in the cult classic Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.

It appears she is rehearsing the part of a North Vietnamese radio host during the Vietnam War, interrogating (or perhaps brainwashing) an American woman.

Waronov’s face in close-up can move from being warm and teasing to cruel and dominating, and her voice has a chilling calm to it that tries to avoid but also reveals a personality. Her Hanna also announces

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a “straight” audience — superstars inject speed, a young man describes his LSD trip as it’s occurring, two men talk in bed.

For all the above reasons, The Chelsea Girls has been a hard movie to see, even as its fame has grown. But now, the Wexner Center is presenting not only a new digital transfer of the film, but is also showing it in a series of other, shorter Warhol films.

The overall series is called The Chelsea Girls Exploded and gets underway this Friday (Sept. 6) with a screening of The Chelsea Girls and continues through Sept.

25. Organized by Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum and New York’s Museum of Modern Art, it will also present Afternoon and The Closet on Sept. 11; The Trip [Version 1] and [Unknown Eric Reel] on Sept. 19, and The John and The Pope Ondine Story on Sept. 25. These are important because they were either originally intended for inclusion in The Chelsea Girls or are alternate takes from it — Afternoon, with the dynamic Edie Sedgwick, for instance, was removed from the film when she complained.

Additionally, Chuck Smith’s superb new documentary Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground — about a young, rebellious New York filmmaker and creative thinker of the 1960s who befriended and influenced Warhol, The Velvet Underground, Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan, among others — will screen Sept. 18, along with the radically visionary avant-garde film she made from 1963-65, Christmas on Earth.

Part of The Chelsea Girls’ ongoing allure comes from the fact it is set in Manhattan’s Hotel Chelsea, at the time a bohemian

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o much of the creative works that Andy Warhol was associated with in the 1960s have become touchstone reference points of American culture that it’s tempting to call him this country’s one-man Renaissance. This month, there’s a chance to experience one hard-to-see aspect of his artistic prescience — his early movies, especially The Chelsea Girls — at Columbus’ Wexner Center for the Arts.

We’re reminded of his Pop Art’s enduring impact every time we visit a museum.

The band he managed, The Velvet Underground, is ground zero for the Indie Rock movement as well as adult lyrics in music.

And the strange underground films he directed (sometimes with co-director Paul Morrissey) have become avant-garde cinema landmarks, as well as vivid chronicles of New York’s alternative artistic lifestyle during that fervid time. His actors — often improvising for the camera and seeming to portray themselves rather than characters — were called “superstars.”

This acceptance of his early movies has been a slow process — at the time, they seemed intentionally alienating or confrontational, with their slow pacing, deadpan tone and non-judgmental depictions of drug use and sex.

Of the approximately 60 films that Warhol made between 1963 and 1968, none has turned out to be more influential than 1966’s The Chelsea Girls, co-directed with Morrissey. Some three-and-a-quarter hours in duration, it featured 12 separate 33-minute reels (or vignettes) that often played more like extended, unedited improv. The Chelsea Girls was sometimes slow going yet simultaneously riveting. It was originally presented split-screen via two side-by-side projectors, each synchronously showing a separate reel, but only one had an accompanying dialogue track.

Watching it was a challenge: Where do you look? The different vignettes could be in grungy black-and-white or splendiferously psychedelic color. And the subject matter could be daunting at the time to

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‘Men of Change’ Exhibits Artistic Activism

BY J EN I FER M O O R E

In a time when America is buckling under the pressure of race relations and social justice issues, Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will ignite conversations about the importance of recognizing the contributions of black American men as change agents in U.S. history.

The exhibit, located in the Skirball Gallery, developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund, chronicles the work of revolutionary men such as Kendrick Lamar, Alvin Ailey, James Baldwin, Charles Bolden and Michael Seibel. The featured individuals, from all walks of life, disrupted the status quo in the name of seeking equality for all.

Far too often and for too long, AfricanAmerican men have been depicted in the media and by society at large in a negative light. Men of Change seeks to alter that perception with original works by 25 contemporary artists, including Nina Chanel Abney, Derrick Adams and Tariku Shiferaw.

While all of the men are depicted similarly in each large-scale work, the medium used was at the discretion of the artist.

Each piece is also accompanied by quotes, photographs and/or historical information to add context and illuminate the legacy of the individual.

Men of Change offers those of AfricanAmerican descent the ability to tell their own stories, their way. One of the men featured in the exhibit is responsible for sharing moments of black cultural progress: the late John H. Johnson, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company. Joe Prytherch’s portrait of Johnson — which runs alongside front covers of the company’s flagship magazines Ebony and Jet — reinforces the significance of Johnson’s work in capturing everything from the everyday lives of black Americans to the frontlines of the civil rights movement.

Film director Ryan Coogler is also featured in the exhibit. Alfred Conteh’s painting of Coogler is a harmonious yet haunting recreation of his Time “Person of the Year” photograph; Coogler was one of six runners-up for the award in 2018. He shook up the film industry with his first feature, Fruitvale Station, in 2013, which tells the story of Oscar Grant’s last 24 hours of life before being fatally shot by a police officer while unarmed. With follow-up film Creed and Marvel’s box-office hit Black Panther, Coogler has continued to challenge the industry to make space for minorities. Conteh’s painting uses contrasting light and dark hues to nail Coogler’s intricate profile.

Another section of the exhibit features notable sports figures such as Muhammad Ali, LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick alongside civil rights activists, highlighting the importance of celebrities using their platform to speak out against injustices.

Excerpt of “Home Team” featuring Ryan Coogler PHOTO: ALFRED CONTEH / GALERIE MYRTIS

Photos of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, two young unarmed black men fatally shot by police in their local communities, serve as sobering reminders of how some individuals bring about change through tragedy.

Coinciding with the exhibition is Ford Motor Company Fund’s “The Men of Courage Cincinnati Barbershop Challenge,” an initiative to give two local barbershops — Precision Blendz Barbershop and Razor 1 Kutz — the opportunity to win a $10,000 grant based on their efforts to encourage positive imagery around African-American men.

Cincinnati is the first stop on Men of Change’s three-year, 10-city tour. Pamela Alexander, director of community development for the Ford Motor Company Fund, says that the idea to launch the exhibit in Cincinnati was a no brainer.

“We love the Cincinnati community and it is so strong here,” Anderson says. “This exhibit is not just for African-American men. It is about African-American men and we want people from every possible gender and background to come in and see what we see — the strength, the accomplishment and the commitment to the community.”

Men of Change’s force lies in its strong ability to show that being black in America is not a monolith. Audiences will leave knowing that the mission of the men depicted was to not just survive but also to thrive here at home.

Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. runs through Dec. 1 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Tickets/info: freedomcenter.org.

FILM

Satirical Slasher ‘Ready or Not’ is Bloody Fun R E V I E W BY M AC K EN ZI E M A N L E Y

ROBERT COLESCOT T Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott

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Kill the rich...by playing hide and seek? At least, that’s the twist Ready or Not viciously and hilariously employs. This campy dark comedy about a newlywed bride, Grace (Samara Weaving), who discovers that her extremely wealthy in-laws are hell-bent on murdering her (literally), delivers a not-so-subtle middle finger to the 1 percent.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Samara Weaving in Ready or Not Gillett, the flick seems completely absurd at first, PHOTO: ERIC Z ACHANOWICH // COURTESY 20TH CENTURY FOX but that’s the fun of it. Prewedding, Grace’s fiancé, Alex (Mark O’Brien), the son of the rich and the lifeblood of this satirical slasher flick powerful Le Domas family — their wealth and does an excellent job of keeping us is built upon a generational board game on the edge of our seats. In one moment dynasty — gives his soon-to-be-wife a of badassery, she rips off the bottom of chance to skedaddle. She doesn’t. Sure, his her wedding dress. Wearing scuffed up family is made up of passively aggressive Converse sneakers, and later securing and outright rude folks and his parents live her own weaponry, she becomes the in a giant, eerie mansion complete with image of survival. We’re taken on Grace’s dumbwaiters, butlers and maids. (Think evolution through the night, from a deerRichard and Emily Gilmore vibes except in-the-headlights to a determined, albeit instead of casual takedowns and high exhausted, fighter. expectations, there’s buckets of blood, gore Infused with wit and over-the-top gore, and satanic rituals.) the film is not for everyone, especially if But Grace, who is revealed early on to be you’d rather not see a head chopped off, an orphan, is in love — and Alex skimped an arrow slicing through someone’s neck on a few key details. or sacrificial rituals. Infused with biting For starters, his family has a tradition socioeconomic commentary about class that anyone who marries into the Le divisions and the pure greediness of our Domas family must play a game at world’s most wealthy, Ready or Not falls midnight. In a room reserved for familyalong the lines of Scream and What We Do only — decorated mostly with old-timey in the Shadows. Its smarmy humor, snappy weapons and taxidermied animal heads dialogue and penchant for shock value — cards are dealt in a puzzle box, which recall the 1980s cult classic Heathers. (The reveals the game they must play. ending is especially reminiscent of the As shown in an opening flashback scene, Winona Ryder film.) we know that hide-and-seek at the Le Ready or Not doesn’t leave you guessing Domases is played a bit rougher — aka the what the creators were hoping to imply. end objective is a good ol’ fashioned hunt Instead of layering the film in metaphors down of the bride. But if Grace can escape and symbolism like Jordan Peele’s Us, the bloodthirsty clutches of her new fam Ready or Not dives straight into mayhem — including Alex’s parents, Becky (Andie and, in doing so, lays it all out on the table.

MacDowell) and Tony (Henry Czerny); With each escape act, Grace dismantles matriarch Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni); another piece of the systems working clumsy and drugged-out sister-in-law against her — namely, class and the (Melanie Scrofano); frigid sister-in-law institution of marriage.

(Elyse Levesque); and oblivious brotherRunning a bit over an hour and a half, in-law (Kristian Bruun) — then, as the there are missteps and plot holes. Three family lore goes, the clan will all die a fiery, maids are killed off with little agency, and bloody death. Yay! Alex’s older brother it would have been interesting to see them Daniel, played by Adam Brody, is the only as more than thoughtlessly discarded (mildly) redeemable member of the bunch. bodies. Honestly, though, the film moves But, again, Grace isn’t clued in until at such a rapid-fire pace we’re not given later on. When she finally stumbles upon time to ponder these conundrums in the the truth, as told to her by a frenzied moment.

Alex, she gears into full-on fight-or-flight Ready or Not presents a hell of a game. mode. Weaving’s portrayal is honest and Drenched in bloody, bloody satire, it’s enrapturing. As she flees for her life, we also a lot of fun, all the way to its explosive cheer her on every step of the way. She’s ending. (In theaters) Grade: B+

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Every year, for the past decade, I have Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, eagerly approached late August as if it Atlantics. With the Senegalese-set film, were the highest of holidays, my birthday also her feature debut, Diop became the and Christmas morning, all rolled into first black female filmmaker to have a film one glorious gift. The reason for such joy in competition at the renowned festival. is the announcement of the schedule for A tale of fated lovers, Atlantics merges the Toronto International Film Festival the supernatural with social conscious(TIFF) and the anticipation that comes ness, enticing for global audiences already with attempting, over the precious few enthralled by the work of writer-director weeks leading up to the event’s kickoff, to Jordan Peele. determine how many films I will be able to Next up, I enter the world of The Lightcatch during my time at the fest. house, from Robert Eggers (The Witch), And this year, much like previous years, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem there’s a sneaky undercurrent to my anticipatory glee, a bit of jealousy, in fact, lit and stoked by my colleagues in the media and the unavoidable presence of two competing festivals — Venice and Telluride — which take place days before the start of TIFF. These three festivals push and shove one another in the lead-up to their annual events like spirited siblings seeking the attention of their adoring parents or friends.

A handful of journalists, generally from major trade A still from Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Atlantics magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, or PHOTO: MK 2 FILMS well-connected industry bloggers with significant followings, attend a couple of these festiDafoe as a pair of lighthouse keepers in vals each year. This level of access affords 1890s New England. If you’re going to be them the opportunity to create the initial locked up in isolation on a creepy island, buzz about titles that wind up on Top 10 Pattinson and recent Academy Award lists and in the hunt for awards. nominee Dafoe (Best Actor for At Eternity’s Something curious happens though, for Gate) make for excellent company. critics like me, who enter the scrum later And that’s just day one. TIFF loves to tout in the game. Instead of feeling like a late their record for the People’s Choice Award comer to the proceedings, I appreciate winners earning Best Picture honors at the being in the position to confirm or overclose of the awards season (Slumdog Milturn the rush to judgment that has already lionaire, The King’s Speech, 12 Years a Slave, taken place at one of those other festivals. and last year’s Green Book), but this year’s I’m not part of the industry machine, genintrigue will certainly run high for a rather erating yet another piece of puff to keep an surprising choice — the Todd Phillips imposter afloat. I can be the pin prick that standalone origin story for one of the most deflates the gaseous hopes of a lesser entry, iconic comic book villains ever, Joker. one not worth the time and attention. Or, Known for broad comedic hijinks (Old far more positively, I can offer a hearty and School, The Hangover trilogy), Phillips trusty second opinion capable of convinc(with co-writer Scott Silver) has crafted an ing folks that something real exists in those R-rated feature that, based on the trailer, projected dreams up there on the screen. appropriates the look and feel of 1970s era My 2019 schedule starts off fully loaded: Martin Scorsese to create a sadly realisthe latest film from the elusive master Tertic backstory for a homicidal fiend who rence Malick, A Hidden Life, will set the bar becomes the arch-nemesis for the world’s quite high. While I have not always been a greatest superhero-detective. That sounds fan of Malick’s most recent output (there’s the least like a typical TIFF entry, but with a straining in To the Wonder, Knight of Cups Joaquin Phoenix in the lead and Robert De and Song to Song that makes the effortlessNiro as back-up, Joker just might get the ness of Badlands and Days of Heaven even last laugh. I’ll let you know. more astonishing), I have to admit that I Contact tt stern-enzi: find myself drawn in to each new work as if request@citybeat.com.

I’m watching him for the first time.

I follow that up with Mati Diop’s Cannes

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FOOD & DRINK

Mexico City on Main Street Mazunte Centro serves tacos, tortas, tostadas and tlayudas — crispy tortilla pizzas — to the workday lunch rush and lingering dinner crowds

BY SA M I S T E WA R T

T

Inside Mazunte Centro PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Mazunte Centro 611 Main St., Downtown, centro.mazuntetacos.com

One of the most notable artistic differences at Centro is the map of Mexico and Central America. It’s thickly outlined and was purposefully kept bare so later it could be sparsely filled in with doodles.

There’s a banana in the Yucatan region, cacti in the Chihuahua, agave plants near Guadalajara. Some areas are clustered with scribbles. Others have yet to be touched. Each of these doodles represent the things that make these regions of Mexico and Central America special to the people of Mazunte. Anyone who’s had their hands in Mazunte’s journey is welcome to draw something significant on the map.

“It’s us. You can literally see us on a map,” Wamsley says. “This is where we’re all from.

This is what we love.”

From the beginning, Mazunte has been a communal effort. Spearheaded by Wamsley, supported by his business partners, family and friends in both Cincinnati and Mexico, the core of his business has always been about connecting people by way of really good tacos.

“I want to design a company that’s going to be around 10, 20, 30 years in the future that’s not dependent on my presence,” he says. “This restaurant is not for me; this is for all of us at Mazunte.”

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

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around a wine bottle and fried. Don’t be alarmed when a foot-tall cheese tube arrives at your table; be amazed. It’s an excellent two-for-one deal — snap some off and dip it in salsa roja or salsa verde (both if you’re bold) or crumble it over the tlayuda for an added crunch factor.

Out-the-door-tacos for those on their lunch break and lingering evenings sipping tequila are both served with the same warm hospitality. “Nighttime is our chance to connect with people,” Wamsley says. Although folks in Mexico indulge in a leisurely meal and siesta midday and grab street tacos at night, Americans are more accustomed to working through lunch and partying after dark. Wamsley is serving Mexico City food on a Cincinnati schedule.

“It’s flipped. We’re here, where dinner reigns a little bit more supreme. If it were Mexico, this would be a late-night place, but this isn’t a late-night area,” he says.

The shop’s design, much like its tortillas, was crafted by the hands of the Mazunte team. It’s specific to them. Makeshift and authentic, lively but simple.

“We built it ourselves,” Wamsley says.

“We built the furniture, we designed everything.”

The team has adopted a DIY mindset since opening Mazunte Taqueria, inviting friends to be part of the process and asking some of the same artists to design the Centro location who initially helped design the Madisonville space.

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rented him a cinder block room for $100 a month, threw in a fridge for an extra $20 and built him a stove so he could cook.

She taught him the basic techniques of Mexican cooking two to three Saturdays a month.

He learned how to shape and cook tortillas from a friend’s mother, who emphasized that the tortilla is the hallmark of Mexican cooking.

“Now I know what makes a taco,” he says.

“It’s not the salsa. It’s not the meat. It’s the tortilla.”

For the past six years, tortillas have been the cornerstone of Mazunte’s authenticity. The employees at the restaurant make them fresh, serve them with most everything and bag up the crispy ones and sell them for cheap at all locations.

Mazunte Centro still serves the classics — tacos and tostadas, tequila and Topo Chico. But a handful of dishes exclusive to this location were added to the menu, namely tortas and tlayudas (imagine a love child between a Mexican pizza and a giant loaded nacho). The house recommends splitting a tlayuda — expect leftovers for two and a table littered with crumpled, grease-stained napkins, tortilla remnants and runaway salsa dribbles by the end of your meal.

The impressive chicharrón de queso is also new on the Mazunte Centro menu.

Literally translated to “cheese cracklings,” it’s a disc of shredded cheese wrapped

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he newest Mazunte location opened in downtown Cincinnati at the end of July, just days before the six-year anniversary of the flagship Mazunte Taqueria, located in a Madisonville strip mall. The taqueria envelops Oaxacan culture, while Mazunte Centro, located at 611 Main St., is inspired by the vibrancy of Mexico City. (The Mazunte portfolio also includes the Mazunte Mercado and an ever-growing catering and events team.)

Mazunte Centro has diversified the taqueria menu to include some Mexico City favorites and adapted its service to city life, focusing on fast lunch and slow dinner.

“I realized I didn’t want to tell the same story over and over,” says Mazunte founder Josh Wamsley. “How can we grow?”

Ten years ago, Wamsley returned home after spending a year Korea, where he traveled around eating a massive variety of food, and all he wanted was a really good taco. This turned out to be a harder quest than he expected. Inspired by his craving for excellent Mexican, he scribbled down a menu while sitting in his parents’ basement in Madeira, Ohio, which turned out to be the spark that fed Mazunte’s flame.

Wamsley decided that his next adventure would be to go to Mexico to educate himself on the various regional subcultures, with plans to return to Cincinnati and make really good tacos. He spent a year in Oaxaca fully immersed in Mexican culture, learning by way of eating and befriending locals at the market.

“I went down there and I treated it like a project,” he says. “I needed to learn the language if I was going to understand how Mexican cuisine varies from state to state, region to region; North, Central and South.

I needed to learn every single aspect of Mexico to be able to pull this off.”

On weekdays, he taught English at a university. On weekends not spent at Mazunte Beach or backpacking, he took cooking lessons from his landlord. She

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THE DISH

A New Chef and Seasonal Fare at Oakley Wines

BY L AU R A L E AV I T T

Oakley Wines is a cozy spot off of Madison Avenue’s main drag. The upper floor wine bar and bottle shop is minimal, bright and full of grab-and-go selections, and an unassuming staircase leads down to The Cellar, a low-lit speakeasy-style space with room for live music.

Oakley Wines changed ownership last year when Stephanie and Dave Webster, who also own The Rhined cheese shop in OTR, were ready to expand their brand.

They opened The Rhined in 2017 and acquired Oakley Wines in September 2018.

“I had just gotten back from France for a month, and it was the first time I’d left The Rhined for that long,” Stephanie says.

“When I got back, everything was under control, and I thought, ‘Maybe now would be a good time to do a second thing.’ A friend of mine reached out and said, ‘I know someone who is selling his business in Oakley, I think you’d be a really great fit.’”

The Websters already held various wineand cheese-related events at their shop near Findlay Market, and the opportunity to expand had appeal. Oakley Wines had featured a small plates menu since before the ownership change but putting food front-and-center at the wine bar was one of the Websters’ new priorities.

“Coming from the cheese shop, the cheese is so much our brand and what we do, so we wanted to get really great cheese and to be proud of the food we can serve here,” Stephanie says.

Oakley Wines’ chef, Lydia Jackman, moved to Cincinnati from Nashville after working in restaurants with a focus on seasonal foods. She began bartending and serving wine part-time at Oakley Wines to learn more. With her experience, the Websters asked her to craft a new menu that would be delicious and fairly uncomplicated, given the small downstairs kitchen at the wine shop.

“We wanted to use local produce, plate things beautifully, and still make it fairly easy to create,” Jackman says.

As the Websters accustomed themselves to the strategy needed to run a

two-location business, they realized that an executive chef over the events and food at both The Rhined and Oakley Wines made sense. Jackman ended up accepting the job, and she has brought her own Southern and seasonal twist to the food offerings, from the day-to-day menus to the catering options for private parties.

“My direction is definitely creating a multi-cultural experience where you can eat French, Italian and German-inspired dishes with our by-theglass or from-the-bottle wine list,” she says.

While there are certainly hearty items on the menu at any given time, Jackman A spread of the food offerings found at Oakley Wines tried to think about the breadth of options she PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER wanted to include, as there was meat, but it’s vegan.” well as the regulars she Another crowd pleaser — the tomato pie already knew from bartending.

— has its roots in a cooking rivalry between “Most people come here to get a glass of Jackman and her sister. wine and a snack,” she says. “Our regulars “We have little cook-offs when we go know this is a place to come for food, and home. I make dinner one night; she makes we can accommodate dietary needs. A dinner another night. We have a big family really cool thing about being a bartender and we decide who does each dish betfirst before becoming the chef is that I ter,” she says. “Tomato pie is in a pie crust, know a lot of people that come in, and either pastry or cracker. I use a water bufI can arrange something for them that falo cheese from The Rhined, then I dredge makes them comfortable. Every time I the tomatoes in corn starch and add spices, walk upstairs, there’s someone I know. It’s as well as creating a caper aioli on the side.” about getting to know people and caring Stephanie adds, “She uses heirloom for them.” local tomatoes, alternating yellow and red, Stephanie has a few favorites despite so it’s also just beautiful. Every time she discovering constant novelty in Jackman’s makes it, everyone in the bar says, ‘What cooking. “The mushroom toast is so good, it has so much umami, so meaty and filling is she making?’ because it smells so good and savory,” she says. “It’s like you’d think and smells the whole place up — they are

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ready for a slice of tomato pie as soon as it comes out.”

As the Oakley Wines menu grows and their expansion comes into full fruition, they also hope to host local chef pop-ups and evening events that feature both wine and food. (They’ve already had several.)

“We’re looking forward to the winter; it’s really busy because of the fireplace downstairs, so I’m sure we’ll have a good, hearty winter menu,” Stephanie says. “We’ll continue to see Lydia grow in ways she wants to, sourcing great ingredients, and tying both of our businesses together over the next year so that these two places are synonymous in quality.”

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CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 04

80 Acres Farms Tour — Take a one-hour tour of this indoor farm. The tour includes a meet and greet, a view of the facility, a produce tasting and a goodie bag to go. 6:30-7:30 p.m. $15. 80 Acres Farms, 4535 Estes Ave., Spring Grove Village, 80acresfarms.com.

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Spayghetti & No Balls — This fundraiser for the UCAN Spay/Neuter Clinic features a dinner buffet with salad, pasta, veggies, bread and dessert, plus a cash bar, games, a silent auction and raffle baskets inside the American Sign Museum.

Proceeds help the clinic provide free spay/neuter surgeries and vaccines to community cats and the pets of homeless people, domestic violence victims and families living in poverty. 6-8 p.m. $50. American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington, facebook.com/ucanclinic.

Meet the Chefs: Fall 2019 — Meet five chefs participating in CityBeat’s Fall Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week and sample some bites and cocktails from Maker’s Mark. There will be a Q&A with each chef, hosted by WWE Ring Announcer Greg Hamilton. Participating chefs include Dave Bever from The View at Shires’ Garden, Shawn Heine from Prime Cincinnati and Jack Hemmer from Nicola’s Restaurant.

This event is 21 and older. $15. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fueled Collective, 3825 Edwards Road, Rookwood Exchange, Norwood, citybeat.com.

Oktoberfest Classics Cooking Class — If you can’t wait for Oktoberfest, get the party started in the kitchen. Tablespoon Cooking Co. will teach you how to make German classics like wiener schnitzel and potato salad with hands-on instruction from professional chefinstructors. Class includes beer and wine, a booklet of recipes and all the food you cook during class. 6-9 p.m. $85. Findlay Kitchen, 1719

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

Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, tablespooncookingco.com.

Late-Summer Shrubs: Cocktails & Non-Alcoholic Drinks — Learn how to make your own sipping vinegars from scratch and then how to use them to make playful cocktails and mocktails. Shrubs help preserve the flavors of the season. Farm-fresh appetizers will be served during class. 6:30-8 p.m. $55-$65.

Turner Farm, 7400 Given Road, Indian Hill, facebook. com/turnerfarmohio.

March First Apple Fritter Cider Launch — March First’s popular Apple Fritter Cider collaboration with Holtman’s Donuts is back.

The cider will be released at the taproom. 4-10 p.m.

Free admission. March First Brewing, 7885 E. Kemper Road, Blue Ash, facebook. com/marchfirstbrewing.

FRIDAY 06

Hispanic Heritage Month Biergarten Bash — Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a Findlay Biergarten party featuring brews from Rhinegeist and Christian Moerlein, music from DJ Andres Bautista, some sangria to sip, an arepa-making demo from The Arepa Place (7-8 p.m.) and dancing. 4-8 p.m. Findlay Market Biergarten, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, findlaymarket.org.

Grainworks Second Anniversary — Celebrate the brewery’s second anniversary with a weekendlong party. There will be live music, food from food trucks (Krimmer’s Italianette, MexiQ and Lyons BBQ) and more than 25 beers on tap, with a specialty anniversary can release. 3 p.m.-midnight Friday; 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday.

Free admission. Grainworks Brewing Company, 7790 Service Center Drive, West Chester, facebook.com/ grainworksbeer.

Vinoklet’s Art & Wine Festival — Vinoklet hosts its 21st annual Art & Wine Festival, featuring a weekend of wine, beer, food and

fine art. There will be more than 60 booths with local art for purchase, plus a grapestomping contest, live music and beer, food and wine for purchase. 6-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Vinoklet Winery, Restaurant & Vineyard, 11069 Colerain Ave., Bevis, vinokletwines.com.

SATURDAY 07

12th Street Shuffle — 12 bars on 12th street in OTR and Pendleton come together Saturday. Stop at places like 3 Points Urban Brewery, Nation Kitchen and Bar, Boomtown Biscuits, Rhinehaus and Cobblestone for $4 beers from 3 Points, MadTree, Streetside and West Side Brewing. Ticket proceeds benefit Give Back Cincinnati. Noon-7 p.m. $12.

3 Points Urban Brewery, 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton, facebook.com/3pointsbeer.

SUNDAY 08

For the Love of Food: A Free Foodie Fest — Head to Washington Park for this foodie fest. La Soupe and the Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District will be at the park to educate the public about food waste.

The zero-waste event will feature free food, water, music, games, educational booths, cooking demos and giveaways. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, facebook.com/ hamiltoncountyrecycling.

TUESDAY 10

Chicken Salad Chick Grand Opening — Anderson Township fast-casual chicken salad eatery Chicken Salad Chick is hosting its grand opening and the first 100 guests will get free chicken salad for a year.

The first guest will get a free large Quick Chick per week for 52 weeks and the first 2-100 guests will get a free large Quick Chick per month for 12 months. 10 a.m. Free.

Chicken Salad Chick, 7919 Beechmont Ave., Anderson, facebook.com/chickensaladchickandersontownship.

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MUSIC

Hear and Now Cincinnati’s Jazz musician John Zappa’s new band project Now Hear This reflects the expansiveness of his musical experience and curiosity

BY B R I A N B A K ER

T

Now Hear This PHOTO: MICHAEL WILSON

This is rounded out by pianist Mike Darrah and drummer Jason Smart — they and Myers are veterans of groove-driven Ray’s Music Exchange — plus bassist Aaron Jacobs. It’s an ensemble of Jazz titans, all of whom work in a singular fashion without overwhelming each other.

“It always has that sense of democracy among the players,” Zappa says. “At any given point, any person in the band can make some decision that’s going to change the course of the whole thing. And everybody is totally willing to go with it.

We’ve done a number of performances of these tunes and they’re always different in different situations.”

With Now Hear This, Zappa has tried to hone in on his own personal definition of Jazz, which is a tricky proposition with the genre’s long traditions and history.

“Defining Jazz is hard because it doesn’t utilize the same criteria that all our various forms of popular music use to define themselves,” he says.

“It boils down to a combination of improvisation and what I call musical conversation. We play improvised solos in Salsa, but there’s not a conversive element to it. The melody voice has to be flexible and the accompanying voices can’t be boxed in where they can’t respond. If that organic nature is going back and forth, that’s when Jazz is happening.”

For live dates more on Now Hear This, visit nowhearthis.band.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

have represented distinctly different musical approaches — from Salsa to Funk/R&B — and each one has added a new color to Zappa’s creative palette.

The seeds of Now Hear This were sown in 2015 when Zappa was in France for his second consecutive summer of touring. A canceled gig in Marseilles led the French group’s drummer to invite Zappa to stay with him.

“He was a hardcore Irishman who’d met a French woman and relocated. He was a great Jazz drummer so we hung out and played,” Zappa says. “He was talking about how he was working out these Afrobeat rhythms. I had heard classic ’70s Fela Kuti and all that, but I had no idea what was going on in modern Afrobeat and how it evolved. So I went to France and got turned on to Afrobeat by an Irish guy.”

When Zappa returned home, he had the framework for a couple of songs and ideas for more and began assembling a group to realize his vision. His first guitarist was college friend Don Gauck, who brought an interesting sensibility to the material.

“He’s a Rock guitar player but he understands Jazz,” Zappa says. “He’s super creative and he doesn’t play, technically or vocabulary-wise, what typical Jazz guitarists play.”

Gauck moved away before Now Hear This got too far along, and Zappa replaced him with local Jazz luminary Brad Myers, who brings a similar-yet-different approach to his guitar parts. Now Hear

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from my father.”

Because of his father’s orchestral activities, Zappa was introduced to every conceivable instrument, but was drawn by the sonorous sounds of the cello. He might well have wound up as a Jazz bassist had he pursued that muse, but his elementary school band program didn’t have a string component so he wound up with a trumpet.

“I wanted to play drums and my parents said, ‘No, you’re not playing drums,’ ” he says. “I picked the trumpet from a line drawing — they didn’t even have photos.

I was not that thrilled because it’s a hard instrument to play. I’d gotten into the School for Creative and Performing Arts on the visual arts side but was still playing in the band, and I met some older musicians who turned me on to Jazz. I heard Miles Davis and I thought, ‘If the trumpet can sound like, I want to learn how to play the trumpet to sound like that.’ ” From there Zappa wound up at University of Cincinnati’s CollegeConservatory of Music as a Jazz Studies major. He eventually did get to play those drums, obtaining his masters degree in Jazz Percussion, inspired primarily by his work with and tutelage under the late, great Von Ohlen.

Over the years, Zappa has gigged and recorded with a variety of structures, under his own name and as a group member, including Tropicoso and Leroy Ellington’s E Funk. Many of those groups

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rumpeter John Zappa’s career in the Cincinnati Jazz scene bears at least a passing resemblance to the life of Woody Allen’s title character in 1983’s Zelig.

He’s played with some of the area’s biggest musical icons and he’s been a presence in the background from an early age. Zappa’s relatively new band project, Now Hear This, has just released its eponymous debut album, a swirling fusion of groove and beat that both respects and refracts Jazz traditions, offering something for every musical taste.

“It’s not all one thing. Whatever the first tune is, the second tune is different in some way,” Zappa says. “We have things that are more Afrobeat or more American R&B. We have tunes that are long explorations on one chord, and tunes that have complicated harmonic mazes to figure your way through. I really like the record. It’s something I’m still willing to listen to myself.”

Drill down into Zappa’s lengthy résumé and you’ll find he’s played with local Jazz luminaries like Jimmy McGary, Frank Vincent, Cal Collins and John Von Ohlen, who drummed in a trio with Zappa. At 18, he sat in with the renowned Blue Wisp Big Band, and shortly after he played in Jam Factor, a 13-piece show band that gigged regularly at the now shuttered Waterfront and featured the talents of future members of Blessid Union of Souls.

Zappa was born into a musical family; his father was trained as a Classical composer and conductor who started a local blue-collar opera company in Northern Kentucky in the 1970s, restored the dilapidated Devou Park bandshell and presented orchestral concerts in high schools and area parks to make music available to people who would otherwise have been unable to afford the experience.

“That started when I was 5 or 6,” Zappa says. “The singers would rehearse operas in my house. I’d sit there coloring or drawing and listen to Mozart or whatnot.

I’m sure I got some of my isms and tastes

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SPILL IT

AltPop Rockers Harbour Share ‘Thoughts’

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BY M I K E B R EE N

Lizzo Files For Trademark

Pop sensation Lizzo is looking to trademark the phrase “100% That Bitch” for merchandizing purposes. The line comes from the song “Truth Hurts,” on which Lizzo sings, “I just took a DNA test/Turns out I’m 100 percent that bitch.” But when news of the trademark filing broke, British singer Mina Lioness protested on Twitter, saying she had tweeted the phrase seven months before “Truth Hurts” came out in 2017 (the track has just recently been inching its way to the top of the charts).

Lioness seems to be seeking a songwriting credit and suggested she’d contacted Lizzo’s representatives previously but was ignored. “They’re doing it because they know I have no capital to address her,” Lioness tweeted. “I’m just the poor Black girl from London that don’t have a dog in the fight.”

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In the most cringey high-profile “I’m hip to the trends, kids!” moment since Hillary Clinton urged voters to “Pokémon GO… to the polls” (still sends shivers), official Donald Trump-defender Kellyanne Conway recently struck back at Taylor Swift by singing the Pop star’s own song.

At the MTV VMAs, Swift criticized the White House for not responding to a petition of support for the Equality Act, which would expand legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. Conway appeared on Fox News the next day and, after mocking Swift and young people in general, said she liked Swift’s song “You Need to Calm Down,” then, without a trace of irony, proceeded to sing, “Say it in the street, that’s a knock-out/But you say it in a Tweet, that’s a cop-out.”

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This Friday, Cincinnati AltPop/Rock band Harbour celebrates the release of its new album, Thoughts on Letting Go. It’s the third full-length from the group, which formed in Lebanon, Ohio in 2014 and has since built a fervent local/ regional fanbase with its hyper-catchy sound (think Vampire Weekend meets Walk the Moon meets Bad Suns).

Thoughts on Letting Go is Harbour’s first release since drummer Harrison Miller amicably parted ways with the group last year and newest member Ryan Sulken took over the throne.

In late July, Harbour released “Radiate,” the Harbour first single from Thoughts P H OTO : FAC E B O O K .C O M / H A R B O U R T H E B A N D on Letting Go. Buoyed by trickling-waterfall guitar now lives in San Diego — will also be riffs, the track surfs on a warm, beachy sharing more of what else he’s been funk before bursting into its ebullient up to of late with a workshop on “artist chorus, with singer Ryan Green’s soaring, entrepreneurship” for area independent elastic pipes guiding the way. artists at Elementz Youth Center (1640 Harbour’s release party for Thoughts Race St., Over-the-Rhine, elementz.org). on Letting Go is set for Friday, Sept. 6 The Sept. 17 workshop is titled “An Idiot’s at the Woodward Theater (1404 Main Guide to Anarchy: Building Multiple St., Over-the-Rhine, woodwardtheater.

Revenue Streams With Your Music” and is com). Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $12 a part of Gmeiner’s overall An Idiot’s Guide in advance (available at cincyticket.com/ to Anarchy project, which has included an harbourrelease) or $14 at the door. album and a recently released short film, Harbour will be joined by a pair of likeas well as a lecture series. minded fellow Cincinnati acts for Friday’s The workshop is aimed at songwritshow — Coastal Club and Sylmar, which ers, engineers and producers, but will be recently teamed up with area label Soul enlightening to anyone interested in the Step Records for a 12-inch vinyl issue of professional side of the musical arts. For their great recent five-track EP, Telford. the clinic, Gmeiner draws on the ups and Soul Step previously released the vinyl downs of his extensive experience as a DIY for Sylmar’s first single, as well as the artist and entrepreneur to share useful band’s self-titled debut album from last insight. According to the event page for year. Telford’s limited-edition run of 100 the Elementz gathering, the workshop will white-vinyl platters was made available at tackle “concepts of ownership, passive/ soulsteprecords.com on Sept. 2.

Columbus, Ohio-based rockers Spirit of active income and how to create revenue the Bear are also in the lineup for Friday’s streams from the various stages of album show. creation and release.” Gmeiner adds For more on Harbour, visit that the workshop will cover things like harbourtheband.com. “campaign roll-out, maximizing limited resources, creative discipline, adaptation, passive and active revenue streams, Ill Poetic Returns for Workshop spotting industry shifts, time management, Former Cincinnati-via-Dayton Hip Hop team building and much more.” artist Ill Poetic is coming back to the The Sept. 17 Idiot’s Guide to Anarchy Queen City next month to play the Overworkshop at Elementz begins at 6 p.m. It’s cast Hip Hop Festival at Top Cats, which free to participate and open to all ages. runs Sept. 20-21. Find more about the fest Attendees are encouraged to register — which will also feature performances by ahead of time via Eventbrite. Find links local faves like Triiibe, Raised X Wolves, and read more about all of Ill Poetic’s Sons of Silverton, Juan Cosby, Devin projects at illpoetic.com.

Burgess and Audley — at overcastfest.com.

Contact Mike Breen: When he’s back in town, Ill Poetic — who was born Timothy Gmeiner and mbreen@citybeat.com.

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Hank Von Hell

Friday • Southgate House Revival

Hans Husby first came to prominence as Hank Von Helvete, the flamboyant and full-bore frontman of Turbonegro, the Norwegian Hard Rock/Punk Metal group that became known for their outrageous send ups of gay culture set to a Glam/ Hard Rock/Metal soundtrack, which they characterized as Death Punk. Turbonegro formed in Nesodden, Norway in the late ‘80s, recorded four well-received albums (including their masterpiece, 1996’s Ass Cobra, hailed by no less than Jello Biafra as the best Punk album of the ’90s) and toured relentlessly before breaking up in 1998, citing Von Helvete’s debilitating heroin addiction as the cause. After Von Helvete’s rehab stint, the band reunited for their first new album in five years, 2003’s Scandinavian Leather.

After a 2010 tour, Von Helvete left Turbonegro and formed a new band, Doctor Midnight & the Mercy Cult, releasing their one and only album, I Declare: Treason, in 2011. By then, he had already had a hit Christmas single under his birth name with Norwegian Pop/Folk singer/songwriter Maria Solheim and starred in a film where he portrayed Dutch singer/songwriter Cornelis Vreeswijk.

After a relatively quiet six-year hiatus, Von Helvete rebranded himself as Hank Von Hell, and announced the release of his first solo album, last year’s frenetic Egomania, solid evidence that he hadn’t lost a step over the course of his nearly 30-year career. The album’s range is defined by the open-throttle Motörhead roar of “Too High” and the operatic soar of “Bum to Bum,” featuring Von Hell’s observation to his Jiminy Cricket spirit guide — who turns out to be Jackass’ Steve-O — to look within himself:

Chris Shiflett PHOTO: BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ

“Is this some sort of Lion King shit?” The album’s cover art is a painting of Von Hell in white top hat and dinner jacket with black Alice Cooper eye makeup, flipping off the viewer. (Brian Baker)

Chris Shiflett with Cordovas and Jeremy Pinnell Saturday • Top Cats

For the past two decades, Chris Shiflett has been Dave Grohl’s primary guitar foil in Foo Fighters. But just after joining the band, Shiflett began pursuing other opportunities to fill his admittedly small window outside of his day job’s recording/touring boundaries. During his 20-year Foo run, Shiflett has done stints with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Viva Death, while fronting solo-oriented outfits like Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants. At this point, he’s whittled it down to Foo Fighters, a podcast and his solo activities.

“Foo Fighters is obviously a time-consuming life,” Shiflett says. “Between my podcast and my music stuff, that’s about all the bandwidth I’ve got. I’m married with

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

three boys, so I wind up getting spread a little thin.”

In 2013, Shiflett & the Dead Peasants recorded a set of interesting Country/ Americana covers and a couple of originals, then he released his first true solo album, West Coast Town, in 2017, shoehorning gigs with a succession of hastily assembled backing bands into his hectic schedule. Recently Shiflett returned with his all-original sophomore solo set, Hard Lessons. His first album sounded like Gram Parsons influenced by The Rolling Stones, while Hard Lessons sounds like the Stones influenced by Parsons. While Shiflett recognizes the connective tissue of his band and solo work, he also understands the differences that delineate them. ”Most of them were basically solo records where I was sort of leading the charge, but I never wanted to call them by my name,” he says. “I always wanted to have bands and try to keep them together and it’s just not very possible given my schedule. I finally just figured that every time I do one of these things, I’m putting together a new group to go out and play, so I’m just going to drop any pretense of this being a real functioning band and put my name on it and it’ll be what it is. There’s a freedom in that and it’s great, but I’ve always been a band guy.”

For this current tour, Shiflett is utilizing the immeasurable talents of Nashville outfit Cordovas, led by journeyman singer/ songwriter Joe Firstman. Cordovas will serve as Shiflett’s support act and then return to the stage as his backing band.

That set-up represents another element of Shiflett’s solo presentation that has been a necessity from the start — the financial and scheduling constraints that prevent him from employing a full-time band.

“I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of playing with different people, and each group is going to sound different and interpret the songs differently — and it’s fun,” Shiflett says. “It’s like this

After starting out on the Kansas City circuit in the early ’70s, Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny officially launched his internationally-renowned career with a bang when, in 1974, he appeared on an album with pianist Paul Bley, bassist Jaco Pastorius and drummer Bruce Ditmas. He didn’t even know the session he played was being recorded. But he left a lasting impression and would release his debut album, Bright Size Life, in 1976.

“The foundation I had from Kansas City was the key to everything that followed (Bright Size Life),” Metheny says. “Joining Gary Burton’s band at age 18 was like joining The Beatles for me. Each step followed the next. But in the end, whatever the music has wound up being has fostered whatever happened.”

His unique improvisational style that blends “the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players,” as it’s put in his bio, quickly turned him into a sensation. There’s a vibrancy to his playing that’s apparent on Pat Metheny Group’s 1978 self-titled debut. The complexity of tunes like “Phase Dance” and “Jaco” are suggestive of his prodigious talent.

Last year, Metheny — who, over the decades, has performed with everyone from Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman — launched Side-Eye, his project with keyboardist James Francies and drummer Marcus Gilmore.

Metheny says he always tries to “create an environment where whoever it is I choose (to play with) at a particular time can also shine and get to the things that they do best.” Side-Eye continues in that tradition.

“Many of those musicians have grown up listening to my stuff as part of their broad interest in this music and have absorbed the details of it in a way that is really interesting to me,” he says. “(SideEye) is a chance to explore some of the older music through that prism, and also for me to write some new things to feature the aspects of their relationship to that language that might lead to something special.” (Jeff Niesel)

The

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LISTINGS

CityBeat’s music listings are free. Send info to Mike Breen at mbreen@citybeat.com. Listings are subject to change.

See CityBeat.com for full music listings and all club locations. H is CityBeat staff’s stamp of approval.

WEDNESDAY 04

H

BOGART’S - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. 7 p.m. Synth Pop. $29.50.

BRICKHOUSE PUB & GRUB - Bam Powell and the Troublemakers. 7 p.m.

Rock/R&B. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Dan Dorff Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Dallas Moore. 10 p.m. Country.

Free.

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

Free.

MOTR PUB - The Alphas with The Fine Line. 10 p.m.

Folk/Rock/Country. Free.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Rachel Baiman with Mike Oberst. 9 p.m.

Folk/Americana. $12, $15 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Bass Harvest with Codex X Stantnk, Tekknatron X Gin Faced, CR33P, Serotonin Deaf, Toph X Wizhrd and Misgivings. 9 p.m. EDM. $5-$10.

THURSDAY 05

H

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Metal Against MS with The Filthy, Antic Terror, War Hammer and more. 6:30 p.m. Metal. $20.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio.

7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

H

COMMON ROOTS - Open Mic. 8 p.m. Various. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Kenny Cowden. 9 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

MADISON THEATER - Flying Lotus with Brandon Coleman, Salami Rose Joe Louis and PBDY. 8 p.m. Alt/Electronic/Jazz/Hip Hop/Various. $28, $30 day of show.

MOTR PUB - Toon Town and Sleepcrawler. 10 p.m.

Indie Rock. Free.

H

NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE - Summer Music on the Levee with Moonbeau and This Pine Box. 7 p.m. Alt/Synth/Pop/ Rock. Free.

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Genocide Pact with Sanguisugabogg, Hanging Fortress and xPaddingtonx.

8:30 p.m. Metal.

H

SCHWARTZ’S POINT - Stephane Wrembel Gyspy Jazz Band. 9 p.m.

Gypsy Jazz. $20.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Adam Lee, Dylan

Walshe and Brook Blanche.

7 p.m. Singer/Songwriter. $10.

STANLEY’S PUB - Juan de Hoyas. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Dirty Fuss, Calico Vision, Fycus and The Tangees. 9 p.m. Alt/ Indie Rock.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Open Mic Night with The Inturns. 8 p.m.

Rock/Blues. Free.

FRIDAY 06

H

20TH CENTURY THEATER - Cincinnati Transit Authority. 8 p.m.

Chicago tribute. $20.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Jess Lamb. 8 p.m.

Alt/Pop/Soul/Various. Free.

Jazz. Free.

Electronic/Various. Free.

Industrial/Rock. $28.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Eugene Goss Quartet. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

MT. HEALTHY CITY PARK - Like Minds. 7:30 p.m. Rock/ Jazz/Blues. Free.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Emily Grace Jordan Trio.

8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Mandy Gaines with the Brad Myers Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE Queen City Silver Stars.

7:30 p.m. Reggae/Tropical/ Various. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Sly Band. 9:30 p.m. Rock/Pop/Dance/Various. Cover.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Patrick Sweany. 9 p.m. Blues. $15, $20 day of show.

JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Danny Frazier. 9 p.m. Country. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - 13:30. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

H

MADISON LIVE - Oski Isaiah, Bla’sze, Chris Crooks and more. 8 p.m. Hip Hop. $15.

BOGART’S - Walk Off the Earth. 8 p.m. Pop. $38.50.

H

MANSION HILL TAVERN Jeff Bonta and the Tuckers.

9 p.m. Blues. Cover.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Hal Melia with The Phil DeGreg Trio. 9 p.m.

H

MOTR PUB - Soften with FLOCKS and GRLwood. 10 p.m. Indie/Rock/

PNC PAVILION AT RIVERBEND - Rick Springfield with Patty Smyth & Scandal and Greg Kihn. 7:30 p.m. Pop Rock. $23.50-$73.

RADISSON CINCINNATI RIVERFRONT - Basic Truth.

8 p.m. R&B/Soul/Funk. Free (in the Fifth Lounge).

THE REDMOOR - Misterman and the Mojo Band.

7:30 p.m. Blues RICK’S TAVERN - 3 Day Rule. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

H

RIVERFRONT LIVE Stabbing Westward with Relic and Skeleton Hands. 7:30 p.m. Alt/

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Hank Von Hell. 9 p.m.

Rock. $20, $25 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Extansion with Kiwano Sour. 10 p.m. Jam/Funk. $5.

H

TAFT THEATRE Amos Lee with Madison Cunningham. 8 p.m. Roots/ Soul. $39.50-$89.50.

TOP CATS - Spectrvms with The Story Changes, Current Events and The Virtue Signals. 8 p.m. Rock. $8.

URBAN ARTIFACT - James and the Drifters, Chalk Eye and The Electric Indigo. 9

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Nick Fryer Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

H

|

DELHI PUB - Rockne’s Open Mic. 8 p.m. Various.

Free.

P H O T O : M AT H I E U B I T T O N

S E P. 4 -1 0 , 2 0 19

CAFFÈ VIVACE - El Ritmo del Manana. 7:30 p.m. Jazz.

New Orleans brass great Trombone Shorty performs Sunday at Riverfront Live

45

PUZZLE p.m. Rock/Roots/Various.

Free.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - Pan Vibe Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Xander Wells. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic Rock/Blues. Free.

H

WOODWARD THEATER - Harbour (album release show). 8 p.m.

AltPop/Rock. 12, $14 day of show.

SATURDAY 07

H

ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS Leon Bridges. 9 p.m. Soul. $53.74-$153.74.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON L.A. Guns. 8 p.m. Rock. $20.

BROMWELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HĂ&#x201E;RTH LOUNGE - Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

CAFFĂ&#x2C6; VIVACE - Art Gore All Stars. 8:30 p.m. Jazz.

Cover.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Mambo Combo. 9 p.m. Latin Jazz.

Free.

S E P. 4 -1 0 , 2 0 19

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

RIVERSEDGE - David Shawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big River Get Down with The Revivalists, The War And Treaty, Brent Cobb, Southern Avenue, Neal Francis and Chris Gelbuda. 2 p.m. Rock/Roots/ Blues/Soul/Various. $38.40.

H

SCHWARTZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S POINT Marcelo Silviera Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

H

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

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Smoke Signals..., Green Tree Novelty Tea and Ohio Sons. 9 p.m. Rock.

Free.

STANLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUB - The Last Troubadour, The Electric Indigo and The Punctuation.

10 p.m. Rock/Jam/Funk. $5.

H

TOP CATS - Chris Shiflett with Jeremy Pinnell and Cordovas. 8 p.m.

Country/Americana. $12.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Damn the Witch Siren and Punchdrunk Tagalongs. 8 p.m.

Rock.

JAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - Gee Your Band Smells Terrific. 9:30 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s Pop/Dance/Rock. Cover.

WASHINGTON PLATFORM - The Ludlow Trio with Michael Mcintire. 9 p.m. Jazz. $10 (food/drink minimum).

THE MAD FROG - Gettoblaster with Pumba, DJ Xanadu and more. 9 p.m.

House. $10.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Jet Pack Academy. 7:30 p.m. Rock/ Country. Free.

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

Cover.

SUNDAY 08

MOTR PUB - The Dukes are Dead with Lemon Sky. 10 p.m. Rock. Free.

46

H

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Rated BG. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass.

Free.

THE REDMOOR - RL Big Band. 7:30 p.m. Jazz/Swing RICKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TAVERN - Done With Sergio. 10 p.m. AltRock.

Cover.

RIVERFRONT LIVE - Allen, Mack, Myers, Moore. 8 p.m.

Rock. $12.

H

BOGARTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S - Soulfly with Unearth. 6 p.m.

Metal. $20.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Mike Darrah. 10:30 a.m. Jazz. Free.

LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - BlueBirds. 8 p.m.

Rock/R&B. Free.

H

MEMORIAL HALL - Pat Matheny Side-Eye. 8 p.m. Jazz. $45-$75.

MOTR PUB - Brain Clinic with Bleach Garden. 9 p.m.

Rock. Free.

PNC PAVILION AT RIVERBEND - The Head and The Heart with The Moondoggies. 8 p.m.

Indie Folk. $23.50-$84.50.

REVEL OTR URBAN WINERY - Grace Lincoln Band. 4 p.m. Soul/R&B. RIVERFRONT LIVE - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. 7 p.m.

Brass/Funk/Jazz/Various. $30.

WESTSIDE VENUE - Blues Jam with Jimmy D. Rodgers and Lil Al Thomas. 7 p.m.

Blues. Free.

MONDAY 09

MCCAULYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUB - Open Jam with Sonny Moorman. 7 p.m. Blues/Various. Free.

MOTR PUB - Reality Something with Mockery. 9 p.m.

AltRock. Free.

H

TAFT THEATRE - Glen Hansard with OHMME. 7 p.m. Indie/Folk. $33-$43.

TUESDAY 10

BLIND LEMON - Nick Tuttle.

8:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BREWRIVER CREOLE KITCHEN - The Twirlers. 7 p.m. R&B/Classic Pop/Standards. Free.

CAFFĂ&#x2C6; VIVACE - Scott Wojahn Trio. 7:30 p.m. Jazz.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Carlos Vargas Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

H H

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - One Eleven Heavy. 9 p.m. Rock. Free.

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Deathcrown with Apalling, Ancalagon, Nithing and Meat Grinder.

8:30 p.m. Death Metal. $10, $12 day of show.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Elizabeth Moen.

7:30 p.m. $10, $12 day of show.

STANLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUB - Trashgrass Tuesday with Maritime Law. 9 p.m. Jam/Acoustic.

Free.

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

AC R O S S

1. Lorenzo of the Brewers 5. LOVE scuptor ___ Indiana 11. Bosch alternatives 14. Large boats 15. Bush that blooms in the spring 16. In the style of 17. Author Stibbe 18. Boxer grimaced?

20. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Orange Is the New Blackâ&#x20AC;? star Aduba 21. Charged particle 22. Guitar god who had an Experience, to fans 23. Spots where the victors all hang together?

29. Makes bootees, say 30. Movie tough guy Ray 31. Dr. who treats vertigo and sleep apnea 32. Super-satisfy 33. Slowness metaphor 34. Anal probe overseers, supposedly 35. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital is DA BOMB!â&#x20AC;??

39. Sure shot 42. Intends 43. Shaving product that sounds like when you might use it 47. Fish for breakfast 48. Completely transfixed 49. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s similar to slander 50. What an assistant to Robert Schumann did for his 1st Symphony?

54. Mixture of everything 55. Scale parts 56. Distance of a proverbial epic journey 57. Freaking out, and a hint to the theme answers 62. Conform 63. Washington bill 64. Defender room 65. Lille lady 66. Some NFL linemen

Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Beef?

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

DOWN

1. Hockey team with an orca in its logo 2. Big name in shit iced tea 3. Phrase said when the lights turn on?

4. Anti-Russian election meddling org.

5. Unwanted discovery in home inspections 6. Form of oxygen 7. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got the goods 8. 1/3 of a gallon 9. RV part: Abbr.

10. The way, out East 11. Mountainous region of northern Israel 12. Periodic-table item 13. Hurting souls 19. GHWBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successor 21. Power brokers 24. Big-ticket ___ 25. Burst upon, as a stage 26. Long fingernails 27. Brief confession 28. Character study 33. Scenic view

67. Dragsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wheels 68. Typical Insta user

36. ___ Casspi (first Israeli to play in the NBA) 37. Airplane assignment 38. Not good, but not bad 39. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ may be manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.â&#x20AC;?

(Frank Sinatra) 40. Valvoline product 41. They sometimes get the house 44. Holder of secrets that conspiracy theorists really want their hands on 45. Rationally

defensible 46. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take Me to the Riverâ&#x20AC;? singer 49. Record Store Day purchases 51. Versailles monarch 52. Fantasy ring-bearer 53. Put in stitches 58. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll passâ&#x20AC;?

59. New Nordic Hair ___ (baldness product) 60. Play a part 61. See 62-Across 62. With 61-Across, vehicle used in drag racing

L AST WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANSWERS:

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LEGAL NOTICES Extra Space Storage hold a public auction at the location indicated: 2900 Crescent Springs Pike, Erlanger KY 41018 on September 17th 2019 at 12:45pm 218,238,248,260,309,4 43,507,565,910,1002,11 43/1144 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. 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.

Extra Space Storage hold a public auction at the location indicated: 7 Sperti Dr Ste 100, September 17, 2019 at 1:15 PM 1024, 2141, 2147, 1604, 1310, 1608, 1420, 1060 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. 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.

811, Unit 839, Unit 843, Unit 1003, Unit 1101, Unit 1115, Unit 1239, Unit 1505, Unit 1703, Unit 1709, Unit 1714, Unit 2122, Unit 2129, Unit 2137, Unit 2243, Unit 2325, Unit 2537, Unit 2617, Unit 2920 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. 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.

Extra Space Storage hold a public auction at the location indicated: 2526 Ritchie Ave Crescent Springs, KY 41017, September 17th 2019 at 1:00 pm 249, 928, 239, 624 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. 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.

Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction at the location indicated: 525 W 35th St, Covington, KY 41015 on Tuesday September 17,

2019 at 1:30 PM. Unit 03127, Unit 03316, Unit 02119, Unit 05135, Unit 03329, Unit 06108, Unit 03206, Unit 05127, Unit 04331, Unit 03405, Unit 03260, Unit 03115, Unit 03421, Unit 03215, Unit 03119, Unit 02307, Unit 04103, Unit 05101, Unit 02401 The auction will be listed and advertised on storagetreasures.com.

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.

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12:30 pm Unit 1053, Unit 564, Unit 572, Unit 953, Unit 555 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. 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

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If you would like sell or if you have questions, call or text 513-205-2681 I am a local buyer, pay cash, have 39 years experience, and I guarantee the highest price!

MUSIC EDITOR MIKE BREEN KNOWS MUSIC.

Celebrating 35 Years of Authentic NY-Style Bagels • Sandwiches • Soups • Salads • Sweets

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