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With Deadlines Near, Cincinnati’s Abatement Debates Intensify Just weeks before a 20-year agreement between the city and Cincinnati Public Schools expires, multiple debates are raging about the city’s tax incentive policies for developers

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

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s the expiration nears of a 20-yearold deal between the City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Public Schools around tax incentives, the battle over those tax breaks and financing districts for developments in some city neighborhoods continues.

The city’s teacher’s union, educational advocates and Cincinnati Public Schools say the abatements and tax increment financing (TIF) districts drain tax revenue from the school district — a claim that the city contests, leading to an apparent stalemate ahead of the expiration at the end of the year of the deal that allows the city to give more generous abatements.

Complicating that debate: A proposal to add 15 new TIF districts in the city that council will likely take up Dec. 18, just before the deal expires.

As negotiations continue, another set of arguments around abatements continues as well. Critics say some of the abatements given to developers are unnecessarily generous and should include more stipulations around the city’s need for affordable housing and living wages.

The city’s Department of Community and Economic Development, however, says that the tax incentives are vital for continuing development in a city competing with other hot locales like Nashville and surrounded by suburbs where building is cheaper and easier. In a 60-page

Vacant property in northern Overthe-Rhine for which a developer has applied for tax abatements as part of a plan to create market-rate housing PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL

report requested by Cincinnati City Council, DCED also posits that the best way to address the city’s considerable affordable housing deficit is by increasing wages and clearing the way for more market-rate housing construction to soak up demand.

DCED argues that the city deploys the incentives as a “last-in” effort for valuable projects that would not happen otherwise — at least, not within the city limits.

“Given our history of disinvestment, investment is not a given,” DCED’s report reads. “Investment cannot be assumed to be part of a ‘new normal.’ In DCED’s experience, every decision involving

private capital is made in a competitive environment. Investors of all types and sizes have broad and easily accessible alternative options, including low-risk and moderate-return investment vehicles such as the bond market, as well as higher risk investments like stocks and real estate.”

What are Abatements and TIFs?

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) tax abatements work like this: If a developer builds or renovates on a property, generally their property value will rise and their

property taxes will go up. But the CRA tax breaks allow the developers to forego taxes on the improvements they make for a period of time.

TIFs, meanwhile, redirect the increased tax revenues from such improvements in specific neighborhoods into funds that can be used for public projects. Importantly, under what are called project TIFs, developments in or outside TIF districts can be named a “public purpose” and the TIF funds can be funneled back into those projects.

Proponents say these district and CONTINUES ON PAGE 06

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project TIFs create funding pools for neighborhood-specific projects that otherwise might not get funding from the city.

Skeptics, however, point out that it is hard to glean how much is each of the city’s TIF funds and charge that sometimes, those funds are used for projects not backed by neighborhoods.

Under the current deal between the city and the school district, the city pays CPS $5 million a year to offset tax abatements given to developers to incentivize new projects in the city — a deal reached in the 1990s as part of the development of Cincinnati’s two riverfront stadiums, which are tax abated.

Developers are also required to provide payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) on roughly 25 percent of the valuation of their project’s improvements. In return for those payments, the city can offer 15-year property tax abatements on up to 100 percent of the value of improvements or new construction. CPS also gets payments equal to about 27 percent of the revenue going to TIFs. Without the deal, Ohio Revised Code provides more limited options for the city’s incentive policies: abatements at less than 50 percent for up to 15 years, as well as similar limitations on TIFs. Last year, the city had $1.6 billion in property value abated via 20 TIF districts and $1.3 billion in property value abated via commercial CRAs, according to city data.

Under another provision in the Ohio Revised Code, the city also abates improvements to single-family residential properties, though those abatements aren’t a part of the city’s deal with the school district. Last year, the city had abated another $200 million in property value via that provision.

Ahead of the potentially expiring school district-city agreement and a property valuation reassessment by the Hamilton County Auditor’s Office next year, time could be running out for the current state of play for the tax incentives — a situation that has led to a stampede of new deals for council to approve recently.

Council’s Budget and Finance Committee Dec. 2 got its first look at 10 proposed property tax abatements and five TIF agreements the city’s administration recommended for projects around Cincinnati.

Council passed the abatements Dec. 4, but held most of the TIF deals until more details were furnished about the developments.

Those details are usually provided in a separate development agreement council approves concurrently with the TIFs, but DCED Director Phil Denning said those development agreements would not be ready until sometime next year.

Denning acknowledged that the prospect of an expiration of the city-district deal and property revaluation factored into the rush to council, but called the deadlines a “secondary” factor.

The abatements in Over-the-Rhine, downtown, Corryville and Lower Price Hill

would write off property taxes assessed on 100 percent of the value of improvements made to the properties for between 10 and 15 years, though developers would pay 25 percent of that abated value to CPS and another 15 percent into a fund for either the streetcar or affordable housing.

The TIF agreements would funnel money that would have been paid in taxes assessed on improvements made to properties in Avondale, downtown, Overthe-Rhine and Evanston back into the developments.

Abatements and Housing

Councilmember Tamaya Dennard had questions about the value of some of those abatements, and others questioned the timing.

Dennard was the sole member voting against several of the incentives, including one 15-year, 100 percent tax abatement for a property on Walnut Street in northern OTR creating five housing units that will rent between $1,500 and $2,000 a month and another by a small developer on Mohawk Street creating six units with rents between $1,000 and $1,400 a month.

Neither project includes affordable housing, Dennard says, and thus, shouldn’t get city subsidy.

“The argument is, (these properties) are vacant,” Dennard said after her vote against several recent abatement deals for market-rate housing Dec. 4. “But we’re needlessly giving away tax abatements when we don’t have to. And number two, it’s a ripple effect that impacts the surrounding neighborhood. You can’t tell me that an adjacent property owner is going to accept $500 rent when they can get $1,000 or $1,500 rent.”

Other council members, however, have pushed back on the idea that neighborhoods like OTR are struggling with affordability.

“I really do reject the narrative that OTR is gentrifying,” councilmember Chris Seelbach said in a committee meeting Dec. 2, citing the fact that the city has approved deals providing a number of new affordable units recently. “I really reject that OTR is becoming a place where only wealthy people live. As someone who lives there and has lived there, on a daily basis I see people mostly of low incomes that I interact with.”

Census data and recent studies, however, suggest that lower-income people, many of them African American, have left OTR in recent years at the same time rents have risen.

The four Census tracts that make up Over-the-Rhine saw 635 more middle-tohigh-income residents move in between 2000 and 2016, while as many as 3,000 low-income residents moved out over time, according to a study from the University of Minnesota Law School’s Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity that was generally skeptical of the narrative that development-driven displacement is occurring in most cities. The neighborhood is still predominantly low income, though by a much lower margin.

The authors of the study call tracts like this “displacement tracts.” It isn’t entirely possible to know why residents left a neighborhood using the study’s data, but its findings are consistent with a 2017 analysis of Census data by CityBeat suggesting that as many as 1,800 predominantly low-income black residents left the neighborhood during a more specific time period between 2010 and 2016, even as the neighborhood’s white population increased by about 200.

And a study by Xavier’s Community Building Institute using Census data and real estate listings found that even as middle- and high-income housing has increased, the most affordable housing in OTR decreased by 73 percent from 2000 to 2015, going from 3,235 units to just 869.

OTR has also seen a decrease in residents living in the neighborhood who receive rental help from HUD attached to Section 8 vouchers. In 2004, 545 voucher holders lived in OTR. By 2015, that number had dropped to 326, according to HUD data.

The city administration’s balanced development report acknowledges challenges in affordability and suggests a number of possible solutions outside of changing abatement policies, including the potential lift in affordability that could come from more market-rate housing.

But the reality may be somewhat more complicated.

While DCED cites a recent study by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research showing that market-rate housing construction can drive down housing prices in a region, the Upjohn study contains a repeated caveat that market-rate housing generally does not ease the housing market for very low-income renters.

In Hamilton County, the affordability crunch is manifesting most significantly among those households making under $15,000 a year, according to a study by the Greater Cincinnati Local Initiatives Support Corporation. That study found there are only 28 units of housing available for every 100 households in that income bracket in the county.

The Upjohn study also makes the point that the increases in affordability brought by more market-rate housing will be regional, not necessarily neighborhood-based.

“Because the private market will not provide housing at below marginal cost, market-based strategies may not lower prices in neighborhoods with already very low prices,” the author writes. “Alternative policies that either lower the cost of provision or subsidize incomes are likely necessary to improve affordability in such areas. Another limitation is that I study regional effects, and new buildings could have different effects on their neighborhood, where they may change amenities or demographic composition.”

Elsewhere in its report, DCED does acknowledge that subsidy will be required for housing affordable to the city’s lowestincome residents and makes recommendations for increasing that kind of housing, including expanding the city’s applications for federal Low-Income Housing

Tax Credits, marketing the city’s recentlycreated federal Opportunity Zones for affordable housing development and other measures.

If you ask city officials, they’ll likely agree that the goal is to balance new development and efforts to avoid displacing long-time and predominantly low-income residents in places like OTR and other redeveloping parts of Cincinnati. But asking how best to do that will get you a lot less consensus.

Councilmember David Mann landed somewhere between Dennard and Seelbach in the argument about affordability in neighborhoods like OTR and the role abatements can play.

Mann has recently pushed for the creation of the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the use of taxes on short-term rental properties to fund it.

“It’s a hard balance, and I think all of us anguish about whether, when we get it all done, OTR will be peopled only by folks of higher income and therefore largely not people of color, and what have we done if that’s the case,” he said in council’s Dec. 2 committee meeting. “Fortunately, other things are happening — maybe not enough... but we’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Abatements, TIFs and the School District

Meanwhile, as city officials wrangle with the issue of affordability and the role abatements should play, the question of the district’s deal with the city looms large.

It expires at the end of this month.

CPS, which is primarily funded via local property taxes, says the district loses millions every year from the city’s abatement and TIF policies.

The city, however, has countered that the district actually comes out ahead under the policies because it receives a boost in state funding due to the abated property values.

CPS reportedly holds that 33 percent of the revenue collected on abated properties would be necessary to fully compensate the district. The city, however, argues that the true percentage necessary to make the school district whole is 5 percent.

Both sides have their own numbers to buttress their arguments. Which one is correct? The answer is murky.

On one hand, CPS counsel Dan Hoying points out that state funding to school districts will remain static for at least the next two fiscal years, something the Ohio Department of Education confirms. That means cranking back abatements doesn’t do anything to change how much the district will receive in state funding in the near future. And after that time, the state’s controversial funding formula could change, the district says.

But has CPS benefited in the past?

“There are so many variables used to calculate funding,” Ohio Department of Education Office of Budget and School Funding Director Aaron Rausch said in an CONTINUES ON PAGE 08

CITY DESK

Trump Administration Rule Tightening SNAP Restrictions Could Affect Thousands of Ohioans

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Dec. 4 announced new restrictions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that analysts say could cost hundreds of thousands of Americans their food benefits during an average month.

The new rule announced sets new requirements for states seeking waivers to a rule that limits able-bodied adults between 18 and 49 to three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period unless they work at least 20 hours a week or are enrolled in a vocational program or volunteering.

In the past, states could apply for those waivers in areas experiencing some economic hardship. Now, the criteria for requesting those time waivers will become much tougher.

According to a study by the Urban Institute, roughly 716,000 Americans would have lost eligibility during an average month had the rule been instituted last year.

Almost 10,000 recipients in Ohio would have lost their SNAP benefits under the rule change, the Urban Institute report says. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, meanwhile, says 45,000 people in Ohio benefit from the waivers

and could be impacted by the tighter rules.

Hamilton and surrounding counties are not on waivers currently.

The Trump administration has floated two other rule changes — one that would rescind blanket eligibility for SNAP for families receiving other kinds of government aid and another changing the way the federal government considers utility costs state-to-state — that could cause even more people to lose benefits.

But U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says the new rules will encourage able-bodied recipients to find work, vocational training or volunteer opportunities.

“Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch,” Perdue said in a statement announcing the rule change.

“Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand. Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work.”

Purdue says that SNAP use has ballooned since 2000, when roughly 16

million Americans used the program. Now, SNAP feeds 36 million Americans, despite the fact the nation’s unemployment rate is at a near-historic low of 3.6 percent.

But the expansion of the program hasn’t happened in a vacuum: wages have stagnated since the turn of the Millennium.

Average hourly wages for those with less than a high school education or a high school diploma increased by less than a dollar during that time, according to federal data. Wages for those groups have actually fallen by more than $2.50-$3 since 1979 when adjusted for inflation, the data shows.

At the same time, Ohioans and others across the country are increasingly relying on low-wage jobs.

A recent report by the Brookings Institution found that 44 percent of working Americans work low-wage jobs that pay a median of $18,000 a year. And six of the 10 most common jobs in the Cincinnati Greater Metropolitan Area don’t pay enough to support a family without government assistance, a study by liberalleaning think tank Policy Matters Ohio found last year.

“In 2000, five of the 10 most common occupations paid so little that a family of

three was left dependent on food assistance to get by — now it’s six,” the study reads. “Some occupations paid less as a share of poverty in 2017 than they did a decade and a half ago.”

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks and other nonprofits focused on food security have decried the rule change.

“We can’t meet the demand for emergency food assistance now and approval of these rule changes will be further detrimental to thousands of Ohioans,” Ohio Association of Foodbanks Executive Director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt said in a statement Dec. 4. “This is a heartless approach that will only increase the food insecurity among populations that are suffering from a lack of services, opportunities and access to basic human needs.”

Perdue, however, says the new rule is about incentivizing work at a time when the Trump administration says there are roughly 7 million job openings nationwide.

“This rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re-enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them,” he said as he announced the change Dec. 4.

Environmental Protests Against P&G Continue; ‘Santa’ Arrested

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L Dressed as elves and reindeer and singing Christmas carols mocking Procter & Gamble’s Charmin brand toilet paper, roughly two-dozen local and out-oftown environmental activists assembled downtown Dec. 5 to protest the use of Canadian forests for the production of P&G’s bath tissue.

P&G has said it takes sustainability seriously and has made efforts to ethically source material for its products.

Police arrested David Freeman, 68, when he attempted to enter the company’s lobby about an hour after the start of the protest, which involved elves, reindeer and Santa marching around P&G’s downtown headquarters singing parodies of “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

No other demonstrators were arrested.

Cincinnati Police tweeted about the incident.

Protesters gathered outside the company’s headquarters on Halloween dressed as grim reapers, priests and dead caribou bearing tombstones with messages like “RIP Forests.”

Earlier that month, two activists stood silently with signs inside P&G’s annual shareholders meeting as another two dozen protested outside.

NRDC in February gave Charmin the lowest possible rating in a report called “The Issue With Tissue.” The environmental group said Charmin received its “F” grade because it is made with virgin, nonrecycled fibers from trees it says are often clear-cut from places like the Canadian boreal forest, one of the largest in the world.

“Because the Canadian government claims that only 0.02% of Canadian forestry results in deforestation, companies that purchase boreal wood products from Canada have been led to believe that Canadian forestry practices are sustainable and deforestation-free,” Stand.earth said in a statement. “This myth further

incentivizes companies that have committed not to contribute to deforestation through their supply chain to choose Canada for their wood fiber needs.”

NRDC also highlights the impacts clearcutting has on indigenous communities, which continue to rely on the boreal forests.

The Canadian government says the country has lost roughly 1.2 million hectacres of forest since 1990, but points out that that is a small percentage of the country’s 347 million hectacres of overall forest. A report by the government does acknowledge that caribou herds in some parts of the country have been reduced to “unsustainable” levels by “natural and human-caused habitat loss,” however.

While protesters were chanting outside P&G’s shareholder meeting in October, P&G CEO David Taylor told roughly 200 shareholders in attendance about efforts the company has made on environmental issues.

P&G has said it has met with the NRDC and Stand.earth to try and come to agreements about new environmental commitments it can make. The company says that it replaces each tree it cuts down with at least one new tree, has helped replant

2 million trees destroyed by the California wildfires this year, has invested heavily in research strengthening the fibers making up its toilet papers so that people can use less and has continued to research fibers not derived from trees and those from fast-growing varieties of trees certified by environmental organizations.

NRDC and local activists, however, say that the company isn’t doing enough, that other toilet papers don’t use the virgin tree fibers made from old-growth forests and that Charmin should follow suit. Charmin, along with other popular brands like Quilted Northern and Angel Soft, received “F” ratings in the NRDC report. Meanwhile, some brands using recycled elements — like 365, Green Forest, Natural Value and Seventh Generation — received “A” grades.

“Procter & Gamble’s Charmin toilet paper is from 100 percent fresh-cut trees,” Stand.earth climate campaigner Mary Zeiser said at the protest. “Toilet paper shouldn’t be made from trees, especially critical forests like the boreal forests in Canada... Toilet paper can be made from sustainable fiber like recycled content or bamboo.”

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Before the protest was over, a North Carolina man dressed as Santa Claus ended up in handcuffs facing misdemeanor charges he trespassed on P&G property as he attempted to deliver 100 pounds of coal to company leadership.

The demonstration was the latest in a series organized by the National Resources Defense Council and Stand. earth with the help of local activists.

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email Dec. 3. “If all of the abated property in Cincinnati was assessed, the district would have higher capacity locally, a lower state share, and less likelihood of increased state funding. It’s difficult to say if the district would have actually received less in state aid, but theoretically, they may have. There are other factors — limits to growth in funding, guarantees to prevent losses in funding, funding somehow tied to prior year funding, and flat funding in (fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021) — that make it difficult to fully understand the impact without doing an analysis specific to Cincinnati.”

That’s exactly what some on Cincinnati City Council — including councilmembers Greg Landsman and David Mann — would like to see.

A third-party accounting of the impact of the city’s tax incentives on school revenue is part of a proposal Landsman has put together for CPS and city administration that would keep the district’s compensation at 25 percent for abatements and 27 percent for TIFs, but strike the $5 million yearly payment.

The remaining 8 percent that the district wants would instead be funneled into jobs programs and an affordable housing fund under Landsman’s proposal — efforts that would address challenges CPS students face outside the classroom, he points out.

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It isn’t clear if the school board or a majority of city council will agree to Landsman’s deal.

Another related proposal by Landsman would direct the city’s administration to reconsider the way it cuts abatement and TIF deals to award points for affordable housing and wages — part of the larger debate about abatements, development and affordability.

Landsman included a number of ideas from DCED’s balanced development report and other suggestions in that proposal.

The motion includes suggestions for a development scorecard that considers housing affordability, living wages, local jobs, anti-displacement efforts and minority inclusion goals in city-incentivized development projects and calls for work to increase the number of applications for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits the city files with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, among other goals.

“We’re taking two steps forward here,” Landsman said of discussions around abatements and TIFs. “One is to say that we’re going to finalize an agreement with our partners in CPS and hold them financially harmless and, secondly, that we’re going to update our TIF and abatement policies so that they reflect our values.”

City Announces, Then Pulls, Hearing on Making Streetcar Fare-Free

BY N I C K SWA R T S E L L Could Cincinnati’s streetcar go fare-free?

Some city officials have a plan to do just that, but right now, it’s a wait-and-see proposition.

Interim Deputy Director of Streetcar Services Travis Jeric was set to give a presentation about the proposal at the meeting.

The city sent out a news release Dec. 3 saying it would hold a public input session at City Hall Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. during Cincinnati City Council’s Major Projects and Smart Government Committee to gauge public opinion on a restructuring of the streetcar’s funding to eliminate fares and cover lost revenue with money from sponsorships sold on the assumption that streetcar ridership will increase.

The proposed shift comes as the city looks to take over the reins of the streetcar at the beginning of 2020. Currently, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority oversees its daily operation via contractor Transdev, though the board of the transit agency last month voted to cede control to the city as SORTA pursues a county sales tax to fund its Metro bus service.

The city sent out another news release Dec. 6 saying that the hearing has been delayed and that public notice would be given when a new date is set.

The streetcar took in about $406,000 in fares in fiscal year 2019 — a drop from 2018’s $445,000 — and received about $900,000 from sponsorships and naming rights that year, an increase from $629,000 the year prior, according to data from SORTA. It costs the city about $125,000 a year to collect the fares.

There was no explanation for the cancellation and no future date for the hearing was given.

Currently, the 3.6-mile rail transit loop through downtown and Over-the-Rhine costs $1 for a single ride. An all-day pass costs $2.

Cincinnati City Council member David Mann first floated the idea of making the streetcar fare-free in 2018, citing the success of Kansas City’s fare-free streetcar.

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Compiled by Elizabeth Davis and CityBeat Staff MIRACLE AT THE OVERLOOK LODGE

— Miracle, a national nostalgic holiday bar pop-up experience, returns to transform Pleasant Ridge’s Overlook Lodge into a winter wonderland full of themed cocktails and ugly sweaters. The Overlook will be decked out with a ton of classic Christmasy decor and feature a Miracle cocktail list with drinks like the Christmapolitan, Run Run Rudolph and SanTaRex. Through Dec. 26. Free admission. Overlook Lodge, 6083 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, facebook.com/overlooklodge.

Miracle at the Overlook Lodge | Photo: Provided by Miracle

THE NORTH POLE EXPRESS — Presented

by LM&M Railroad, this hour-long train to the North Pole features cookies, hot chocolate and an appearance from Santa and his elves. Through Dec. 28. Coach class: $26 adults; $22 kids/seniors. Deluxe class: $39 adults; $35 children/seniors. LM&M Railroad, 16 E. South St., Lebanon, lebanonrr.com.

OTR A-GLOW — This storefront display

competition pits OTR businesses against each other to see who can create the most magical winter wonderland in their shop window. Each evening, shops (and residences) will illuminate their displays.

Through Dec. 31. Free. Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/otraglow.

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THE FROG PRINCESS AT ENSEMBLE THEATRE — Look past the quirks (and

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warts) and you might just find love. And, more importantly, kindness. At least, that’s the moral center of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s whimsical production of The Frog Princess. No, it’s not a take on that Disney princess tale. With music/lyrics by David Kisor and a book by Joseph McDonough, this Russian fairy tale first premiered at ETC in 1997. It tells the story of Princess Vasilisa (played sweetly by Brooke Steele), who hails from a faraway land shrouded in mystery.

Once selfish, she has been cursed to live as a frog unless she is able to bring kindness into her heart. Through Jan. 4. $57 adult; $29 students; $27 child. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, ensemblecincinnati.org.

ICE RINK AT FOUNTAIN SQUARE — Whether you’re a professional skater or someone who can barely stand on skates, this slice of winter wonderland on Fountain Square is open to everyone. Skate rental is available and concessions include snacks, hot chocolate and alcohol. Santa skates select weekends in December. Through Feb. 2. $6 admission; $4 skate rental. Fountain

Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

THE PEDAL WAGON POLAR BEAR EXPRESS — While the weather outside

is frightful, pedaling on the Polar Bear Express is a cheerful way to warm up your body temp. The 15-passenger pedalpowered wagon stops at local bars in downtown and OTR for drink specials. An electrically assisted wagon is available upon request. BYOB onboard. Through February 2020. $29 adults weekends; $25 adults weekdays; $255 private ride. Pedal Wagon, 1114 Bunker Alley, Over-the-Rhine, pedalwagon.com.

HOUSE PARTY AT THE TAFT: TIS THE SEASON TO CELEBRATE — The Taft

SantaCon | Photo: 3CDC

and fun activities while kids wait for their free photo with Santa. Photos are free, but you must bring your own camera. Gabby Claus 1 p.m. Dec. 14; Santa Galen 1 p.m. Dec. 21.

Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.

MOUNT ADAMS REINDOG PARADE

Museum of Art is hosting an after-hours house party with a celebration theme.

Partnering with the Cincinnati Young Black Professionals group, expect ornament and card crafting, hot spiked apple cider and a cash bar, a preview of the Taft’s Journey to Freedom: Art Quilts by Cynthia Lockhart and access to Antique Christmas. 5-8 p.m. Dec. 12. Free admission. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.

— Dress your pets in holiday gear for the 30th-annual Mount Adams Reindog Parade.

The parade features multiple costume categories including those for small dogs, large dogs and dog/owner look alike. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative, festive and unique costumes. 12:30 p.m. registration Dec. 14; parade begins at 2 p.m. There is a suggested donation to the SPCA to register.

1055 Saint Paul Place, Mount Adams, spcacincinnati.org.

UGLY SWEATER PARTY AT ARTS OTA

CINCINNATI SANTACON — Ho, ho, ho.

— Happy Friday the 13th. Wear your worst ugly sweater to compete for a prize. There will be a dance party, spiked apple cider and egg nog. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Dec. 13. Free admission. Arts OTA, 2141 Central Ave., Brighton, artsota.com.

UGLY SWEATER PARTY ON FOUNTAIN SQUARE — Head to Fountain Square’s ice

rink for a ugly sweater-themed party with a DJ. Bring a gently used coat to donate for free skate rental. 7-10 p.m. Dec. 13. $6 admission; $4 skate rental. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

SANTA’S WORKSHOP AT WASHINGTON PARK — Two Santas will be visiting

Washington Park. Santa Galen and the elves from Happen, Inc. or Gabby Claus and a merry band of elves will be at the gazebo at Washington Park with a letter-writing station

The annual hibernal holiday pub crawl (or horror show, depending on whether or not you appreciate 10,000 drunk Santas on the streets) known as Cincinnati SantaCon is back — and it’s bigger than ever. This year, drinking destinations in Northside, Covington and Mount Adams have joined downtown and Over-the-Rhine. More than 50 venues across the area are participating.

If you feel like you’re ready to don a red suit and imbibe a night’s worth of milk and cookies (aka alcohol) surrounded by up to 10,000 Santas, check out a tip sheet online for how to be your best Santa with a lyric sheet of songs the group will be singing. Remember, this is about the holiday spirit, so don’t drink and drive and don’t be a dick and mess with cops, kids, security or other Santas. Noonmidnight Dec. 14. $15 registration. Leaves from JACK Casino, 1000 Broadway St., Pendleton, cincinnatisantacon.com.

UGLY SWEATER & REINDEER GAMES PUB CRAWL — Head to Covington for an

ugly sweater-themed interactive pub crawl.

Don your worst holiday outfit for fun and games (and prizes) at stops including Parlor on Seventh, Hotel Covington, the Hannaford, Rich’s Proper Food & Drink and Braxton Brewing Co. There will be games at each bar and a chance to win prizes. 7 p.m.-midnight Dec. 14. Free admission. The Hannaford, 619 Madison Ave., Covington, facebook. com/thehannaford.

KRAMPUS AT WEST SIDE BREWING —

Enjoy an evening of beer and the darker side of Christmas. West Side Brewing will release a Krampus Kandy Beer exclusively for the evening while Krampus himself pays the brewery a visit. A portion of proceeds will to go the Boys & Girls Club. 5 p.m.- midnight.

Dec. 14. Free admission. West Side Brewing, 3044 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, facebook. com/westsidebrewing.

MACY’S DOWNTOWN DAZZLE — Experience the magic of Christmas during Macy’s cheerful downtown celebration. Be sure not to miss Santa on his sleigh and stay for a fabulous fireworks show. 5:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21. Free. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

CINCINNATI BLACK SANTA CLAUS

— Black Santa Claus visits the Cincinnati Art Museum. He will be on hand to greet children of all ages, listen to their Christmas wishes and have pictures taken. Bring your own camera! 1-4:30 p.m. Dec. 14.

Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, facebook.com/ thevoiceofyourcustomer.

ODD PRESENTS: HOLIDAY HYSTERIA!

— ODD Presents alternative drag troupe is committed to bringing “queercentric entertainment in all its forms.”

Dress in holiday theme and be ready to get weird. 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Dec. 19. Free admission.

The Mockbee, 2260 Central Parkway, Brighton, facebook. com/oddpresents.

A CHRISTMAS STORY TRIVIA NIGHT — Trivia

with a Twist presents a “fra-gee-lay” night of trivia. 7 p.m. Dec. 19. Free.

West Side Brewing, 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood, facebook.com/ westsidebrewing.

— A holiday burlesque revue with live music by Mr. Lugosi.

9 p.m. Dec. 20. $15; $50 VIP. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com.

Mount Adams Reindog Parade | Photo: Emerson Swoger

BRRRBON HOLIDAY DINNER CRUISE

— Local distilleries and BB Riverboats have teamed up for this boozy cruise. There will be a buffet of holiday favorites, live music and bourbon. 7-9:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21. $60 adults; $42 children. BB Riverboats, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, bbriverboats.com.

DRAG BRUNCH: SUGAR PLUM FAIRIES

— The queens get festive this holiday brunch. Naughty and nice sugar plum fairies will be stomping it out in this seasonally inspired drag show and brunch featuring family-style dining and Amaya Sexton.

11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 15. $35 per person; includes brunch, show and a welcome mimosa. Metropole, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, metropoleonwalnut.com.

NEW STORIES ABOUT LIVING JEWISHLY — Adath Israel Congregation is

STREETSIDE SANTA PAWS 2 — Head

to Streetside Brewery for dog photos with Santa, doggie giftables and dog-friendly drinking. One dollar from every pint will benefit the League for Animal Welfare. 2-4 p.m. Dec. 15. $10 suggested donation.

Streetside Brewery, 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum, facebook.com/ streetsidebrewery.

and surprises. This 1954 Christmas classic starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney is a romantic tale that takes place in a Vermont lodge — where it is almost always a “white Christmas.”

Crosby and Kaye’s successful song-anddance team become involved with a sister act and together work to save the failing inn of their former commanding general. 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Dec 15. $15. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre. com. 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 14. $15. Mariemont Theatre, 6906 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, mariemonttheatre.com.

ELF TRIVIA NIGHT AT SAM ADAMS

GREMLINS AND GREMLINS 2 AT THE ESQUIRE THEATRE — Catch a double-

feature of Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch at the Esquire. A kid gets a new fuzzy pet and breaks some important rules, unleashing a bunch of mischievous monsters on an unsuspecting small town. 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 and 2 p.m. Dec. 21; Gremlins 2: The New Batch 10 p.m. Dec. 20 and 4:20 p.m. Dec. 21. $10.25 adults; $7.75 seniors and kids. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.

reflect on the ancient tradition of observing the winter solstice (the longest night of the year). Learn about the event’s history and symbolism, the significance of the solstice as we look to spring, take a hike by moonlight, participate in a drum circle and enjoy traditional music and light snacks. The hike is outdoors so dress accordingly. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 21. $15; $10 members. Cincinnati Nature Center, Rowe Woods, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, cincynature.org.

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION AT FIBONACCI BREWING — Celebrate

the solstice at Fibonacci with special beer releases, special wine drinks, ornament crafting and live music. Noon-midnight Dec. 21. Free admission. Fibonacci Brewing Co., 1445 Compton Road, Mount Healthy, facebook.com/fibonaccibrewing.

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

— Celebrate the solstice at Imago with an optional potluck, personal reflection, storytelling, art making and the history of solstice celebrations from around the globe.

6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Free but RSVP online; $5 suggested donation. Imago, 700 Enright Ave., Price Hill, imagoearth.org.

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION AT UNION TERMINAL — Honor the

winter solstice, lunar new year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas at Union Terminal.

There will be hands-on activities to explore holiday traditions around the world. Noon-3 p.m. Dec. 21. Free for members; included with Discovery Ticket. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, facebook.com/cincymuseum.

LOTS O’ LATKES — Mayerson JCC is hosting Hanukkah festivities featuring a latke bar, music, crafts and a menorah lighting.

5-6:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Free but RSVP online.

Mayerson JCC, 8485 Ridge Road, Amberley Village, facebook.com/mayerson.jcc.

LATKAPALOOZA — Head to Braxton

on Christmas Eve for a full-blown party.

There will be drinks, a DJ and dreidels.

There’s no cover, a cash bar, Kosher eats and a menorah lighting. For ages 21-45.

8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Dec. 24. Free. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, facebook.com/jewishcincinnati.

— Head to the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom for some Elf trivia. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams of six or less. 8 p.m. Dec. 17. Free admission.

Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom, 1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/ samadamscincy.

LISTERMANN’S UGLY SWEATER PARTY

WWE LIVE HOLIDAY TOUR — WWE Superstars Roman Reigns and King Corbin face off, with more matches featuring Braun Strowman, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn and Bray Wyatt. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26. $19$503. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, heritagebankcenter.com.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS RUN! MARIEMONT

EGG NOG JOG 5K — The 28th-annual Egg Nog Jog takes festive runners through the frigid and scenic streets of Mount Adams and Eden Park. 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 21. $27. Chapter Mount Adams, 940 Pavilion St., Mount Adams, facebook.com/ runningtimeraceservices.

THE BOAR’S HEAD AND YULE LOG FESTIVAL — This medieval pageant comes to

— Deck yourself out in holiday lights and take a five-mile run through Mariemont. At the end of the run, you can sip on beverages.

6:30 p.m. Dec. 17. Free. Tri-State Running Company, 7433 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, facebook.com/tristaterunning.

HOLIDAY DINNER CRUISE — Grab the

family and take a trip down the Ohio River with a holiday buffet. 7-9:30 p.m. Dec. 18. $56 adults; $38 children. BB Riverboats, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, bbriverboats.com.

— The third-annual Listermann ugly sweater party features a competition (judged by bartenders), a photo booth, music and beer.

8-11:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Free admission.

Listermann Brewing Co., 1621 Dana Ave., Norwood, listermannbrewing.com.

THE CHRISTMAS BAR CRAWL — Take a Christmas Bar Crawl around Over-the-Rhine with a $500 costume contest, drink specials, food specials and more. 4 p.m.-midnight Dec. 21. $20. Below Zero Lounge, 1120 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, belowzerolounge.com.

Christ Church Cathedral for the 80th year. The performances feature characters in costume — lords, ladies, hunters, cooks, knights and more — with ceremonial mince pie, plum pudding and a roasted boar’s head. 2 and 5 p.m. Jan. 4; 2:30 and 5 p.m. Jan. 5. Free but tickets required; tickets will be distributed 8:30-10 a.m. Dec. 14 at the church. Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., Downtown, boarsheadfestival.com.

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hosting an event with Rabbi Moshe Smolkin to discuss navigating faith and experiences this time of year. And Rabbi Benjamin Chaidell will discuss a different side to the Chanukah story that is “darker and more complex.” 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15. Free. Adath Israel Congregation, 3201 E. Galbraith Road, Amberley Village, adath-israel.org.

WHITE CHRISTMAS INTERACTIVE EVENT — Crowd participation, singing

RIOT ROSE VARIETY PRESENTS DANCER AND PRANCER’S HOLIDAY REVUE

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION AT ROWE WOODS — Head to Rowe Woods to

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Idina Menzel, Los Lobos, Ne -Yo, Rob Halford and many others have fresh Christmas collections for 2019

By Alan Sculley It’s been a rather prolific year for holiday albums — the 17 titles covered in this column even omit a few 2019 releases. And there aren’t any real duds, either. Here’s a look at this year’s best selections.

IDINA MENZEL – CHRISTMAS: A SEASON OF LOVE

If one 2019 Christmas album is likely to become a big seller year after year, it’s probably Christmas: A Season Of Love. Menzel, whose role in the Frozen movies has made her one of the world’s most popular vocalists, applies her considerable vocal talents to 18 songs, most of which are time-tested favorites. They’re given big, brassy treatments (that on occasion go just a bit overboard), but Menzel brings plenty of enthusiasm to this entertaining disc.

KEB’ MO’ – MOONLIGHT, MISTLETOE & YOU

Keb’ Mo’ has never been strictly a bluesman, so it’s no surprise that this isn’t a one-trick holiday album. The title cut and “Better Every Day” have a good bit of Soul, while “Christmas Is Annoying” (about how perspectives on Christmas change when you grow up) has a jazzy feel and “One More Year With You” adds some Pop to the equation. The variety is welcome. One thing this warm, enjoyable holiday album won’t give you this season is the blues.

LOS LOBOS – LLEGÓ NAVIDAD

This great band from East Los Angeles brings a good bit of Mexican influence to its first Christmas album. But other locales — Colombia, Puerto Rico and Texas — also figure into the entertaining album, with most songs sung in Spanish. Llegó Navidad doesn’t feel like a holiday album, enabling it to play just as well when it’s sunny and 90 degrees out as when snow blankets the ground.

CHICAGO – CHICAGO CHRISTMAS

On their third Christmas album, Chicago goes primarily with songs penned by the band members. The group, which shows a bit more of an R&B slant in its horn-laced sound, deserves credit for taking such a risk. Some of the songs work well (“All Over The World,” “I’m Your Santa Claus” and “Bring My Baby Back”), but a few others fall flat. Even with the duds, I find an album of originals more interesting than one of oft-covered standards.

NE-YO – ANOTHER KIND OF CHRISTMAS

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This refreshing effort also favors original songs and has its share of creativity. The funky “Just Ain’t Christmas” is a break-up song that gets a twist because it happens on Christmas Eve. “Open Mine Tonight” has some clever wordplay in its tale of Christmas Eve romance after the kids are asleep. On the other hand, “Christmas Vibez” goes for a tropical feel, but comes up a bit light in the song’s Reggae styling. But that’s one of the few flaws on the R&B singer’s fine holiday effort.

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MARIAH CAREY – MERRY CHRISTMAS: DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Carey’s hugely popular holiday album gets a 25th-anniversary expansion with a second disc that includes six tracks recorded in December 1994 at a benefit concert, plus remixes and a few other bonus tracks. If not essential, these extra goodies should entice many of the six million buyers of the original album to spring for the new version.

LEA MICHELE – CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

The star of Glee has made a classic-sounding Christmas album, employing Big Band/orchestral arrangements. The collection is mostly made up of holiday standards, including her duets with Darren Criss (“White Christmas”) and Jonathan Groff (“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”).

JOSH ROUSE – THE HOLIDAY SOUNDS OF JOSH ROUSE

For years, Rouse has been writing a Christmas song annually for his family.

Eventually, he realized they would make up an interesting Christmas album. So here we have nine originals that feature Rouse’s familiar folky sound blended with dashes of Pop, Rock and Jazz and offer (mostly) lighthearted stories related to the season. Glad Rouse decided not to keep these songs in the family.

SILENT WINTERS – CHRISTMAS MORNING

This holiday album from the Canadian duo of Olenka Bastian and Jonathan Chandler is described in a press release as “fireside harmonies for a sparkling Christmas morning.” That pretty much captures the sound and feel. If you like spare Folk music, this album might get multiple spins while you’re roasting chestnuts this season.

DAVE KOZ – GIFTS OF THE SEASON

Gifts of the Season offers more of what Koz’s previous six Christmas albums have delivered. It’s a set of Christmas standards given a smooth Jazz makeover. Koz’s accomplished and tasteful saxophone work often takes the lead, but guest vocalists, including Melissa Manchester, Jonathan Butler and Chris Walker, also provide highlights on this solid effort.

ROB HALFORD WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS – CELESTIAL

Halford may be the turbo-lunged singer of Judas Priest, but Celestial, his second holiday album, isn’t strictly a head-banging affair. “Away in a Manger” has considerable ambience. “Morning Star” is a rootsy and gentle original tune, while another original, “Protected by the Light,” is an Irish-accented hymn complete with accordion. Of course, Halford can also crank it up, particularly on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Joy To The World” and “Deck The Halls.” Suffice it to say, the “fa-la-la-la-las” of the latter standard have never sounded quite like this.

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS – DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS

Working with in-demand producer Dave Cobb, this latest Oak Ridge Boys holiday album favors heartfelt and humorous contemporary songs co-written with the likes of Anderson East, Jamey Johnson and Mando Saenz.

Cobb keeps the instrumentation lean and puts the four Oaks and their signature vocal harmonies out front, a wise approach that works well.

THE IMAGINARIES – HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS

Husband-and-wife duo Shane Henry and Maggie McClure have made minor waves as solo artists. Now paired up as The Imaginaries, they’ve made one of 2019’s best Christmas albums. Hometown Christmas is split evenly between familiar holiday tunes and equally strong original songs.

With a cheery brand of organic Pop (think Sheryl Crow or Sara Bareilles), their songwriting chops shine on such appealing songs as “First Thing on My Christmas List,” “Christmastime Again” and “Kiss For Christmas.”

MEG & DIA – DECEMBER, DARLING

This sibling duo takes an intimate and low-key approach here, keeping instrumentation spare and their vocals out

Various new Christmas albums | Photos: Provided

front. The effect is quite charming, if a bit simplistic. The renditions of favorites like “Winter Wonderland,” “Let it Snow” and “White Christmas” are fine. But it’s the four originals that stand out, as the two sisters bring some memorable Pop hooks to the party on “Lights Blown Out” (a tender, lyrically creative ballad about holiday loneliness) and the title song (about the sights, sounds and feelings that make the season special).

DANNY GOKEY – THE GREATEST GIFT: A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

Gokey offers both the expected (standards like “Silent Night” and “Come Let Us Adore Him”) and less predictable fare on this outing. It’s the latter selections, like the epic ballad “Until You” and the bouncy “The Holidays Are Here” (both Gokey co-writes), that elevate the album.

JONATHAN BUTLER – CHRISTMAS TOGETHER

This singer/guitarist’s second Christmas release is a guest-filled affair that sticks mostly to established standards. Things work because of the fresh elements in many of the arrangements. “Winter Wonderland” gets a bit of a Hip Hop twist, while the instrumental versions of “Joy To The World” (with sax man Dave Koz) and “We Three Kings” (with trumpeter Rick Braun) showcase nifty elaborations on their base melodies.

MICHAEL LINGTON – A FOREIGN AFFAIR CHRISTMAS

Touted as having a global sound, the smooth Jazz saxophonist indeed brings some Latin, Afro-Caribbean and European flair to a few tracks on this collection. But most of the album sounds quite domestic. That’s fine, because Lington and guests (including Vince Gill, Russ Freeman and Rick Braun) deliver heartfelt performances of nine familiar holiday tunes.

Compiled by Elizabeth Davis and CityBeat Staff CHRISTMASTOWN AT THE CREATION MUSEUM — Check out a reenactment of the birth of Christ at the Creation Museum’s holiday nativity. In addition to watching the arrival of Jesus, get a 360-degree view of the Garden of Lights multicolored display as you take a zip line through the park or visit the Eden Animal Experience petting zoo. Family dining is available, with hot chocolate and wandering costumed bible characters. Through Dec. 30.

Free admission. The Creation Museum, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, creationmuseum.org.

WINTERFEST AT KINGS ISLAND — Kings Island’s

nostalgic winter wonderland is back, complete with festive food and drinks, special holiday shows and ice skating underneath a Christmas tree-bedecked Eiffel Tower.

There will be an artisan village selling holiday crafts, booze-infused hot beverages, ice carvers, carriage rides and even blue hot chocolate. Through Dec. 31. Tickets start at $27.99. Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason, visitkingsisland.com.

SCUBA SANTA’S WATER WONDERLAND AT THE NEWPORT AQUARIUM — Scuba Santa trades in his

reindeer for a herd of seahorses at the Newport Aquarium.

The man in red will be underwater in the 385,000-gallon Surrounded By Sharks exhibit to give kids a chance to interact with him and tell him their holiday wishes. See magic bubbles and costumed elves and drop a letter in Scuba Santa’s post office. Through Dec. 31. $25.99 adults; $17.99 children online. Newport Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Way, Newport, newportaquarium.com.

CHRISTMAS AT ENTERTRAINMENT JUNCTION —

EnterTRAINment junction invites all of Santa’s little helpers to journey to the North Pole with a magical indoor train display. Watch as Santa’s elves pack gifts and Mrs. Claus bakes cookies. Through Jan. 1. $9.95-$17.95. EnterTRAINment Junction, 7379 Squire Court, West Chester, entertrainmentjunction.com.

A FRANCISCAN CHRISTMAS IN OVER-THE-RHINE

—This Christmas creche display features nativities from around the world, a Dickens village, a decorated tree, model trains, a collection of Santa Claus figurines and more at the Moerlein event center. At Saint Francis Seraph nearby, there is also a live nativity featuring goats, sheep and donkeys. Through Dec. 29. Free admission.

Christian Moerlein Brewery Event Center, 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/sfschurch.

The historic home-museum will be decked with a whimsical collection of vintage ornaments, including Disney and German fairy tale pieces; trees decorated with pre-World War II miniature glass ornaments from Germany, Poland and Japan; Art Deco gift boxes; various iterations of Santa Claus figurines; a dining room set with china, crystal and silver; and an exterior swept with evergreen garlands and wreaths. There will also be, according to a description, “A whimsical display of the types of transportation Santa Claus uses to make his special deliveries, as well as a feather tree hung with brightly colored Russian ornaments watched over by figures of Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden.” Through Jan. 5. $12 adults; $10 seniors; free for

members and 18 and under; free admission for all on Sunday; discounts online. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.

A ZINZINNATI HOLIDAY AT THE KROHN CONSERVATORY —The Krohn’s annual holiday

display’s theme is A Zinzinnati Holiday and the conservatory’s cache of tropical and lush green plants will be complemented by “representations of Cincinnati’s historical architecture,” fragrant holiday floral displays, model trains and mini Cincinnati buildings constructed out of whimsical natural materials. Through Jan. 5. $10 adults; $7 youth; free ages 4 and under. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiparks.com/krohn.

HOLIDAY JUNCTION AT THE CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER — The 73rd-annual Holiday Junction transforms

the museum into a whimsical winter wonderland with toy trains zooming around a mini city, faux snow, custom wintery LEGO creations and a view of the Union Terminal rail yard. The Duke Energy Holiday Trains display includes more than 300 toy rail cars and 60 locomotives that run on 1,000 feet of track. In addition to a whole lot of locomotives, the event also features a special “interactive winter wonderland” where guests can build snowmen, leave footprints and even take a ride on a train. You’ll also get a chance to see Thomas the Tank Engine and friends. You can also pay a visit to Brickopolis, where you’ll find plenty of Disney and comic book character portrayed in fun scenes. Through Jan. 5. $14.50 adults; $13.50 seniors; $10.50 ages 3-12; $5.50 ages 1-2. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, cincymuseum.org.

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AT THE BEHRINGER-CRAWFORD MUSEUM — The Behringer-Crawford Museum’s

Holiday Toy Trains display is back for the 28th year with over 250 feet of model train tracks and more than 30 “guest-activated” displays. There’s also a Charles Dickens village, holidays concerts, a visit from Santa, live readings of The Polar Express from local librarians and more. Through Jan. 5. $9 adults; $8 seniors; $5 kids; free members. Behringer-Crawford Museum, 1600 Montague Road, Covington, bcmuseum.org.

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY VILLAGE — The 18th-annual Victorian Holiday Village features miniature decorated Victorian homes with thousands of sparkling lights plus cocoa and cookies. Please bring a nonperishable food item,

Scuba Santa at Newport Aquarium | Photos: Provided by Newport Aquarium

which will be donated to the Freestore Foodbank. 6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13. Free admission. Ohio National Financial Services, 1 Financial Way, Montgomery, ohionational.com.

HOLLY DAYS AT HERITAGE VILLAGE MUSEUM — Be transported to the 19th century for a simple holiday celebration. Heritage Village’s historical buildings will be traditionally decorated and costumed villagers will offer 1800s-style storytelling, craft making, train displays and holiday treats. Visit Mother Christmas and watch a reenactment of the first Christmas dinner in Cincinnati in 1788.

Noon-4 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15. $10; $5 children; free 4 and under; free for members. Heritage Village Museum, 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville, heritagevillagecincinnati.org.

A CHRISTMAS NIGHTMARE AT DENT SCHOOLHOUSE

— The ghouls of favorite horror attraction the Dent Schoolhouse get in the holiday spirit with A Christmas Nightmare, a freaky yuletide take on the classic haunt.

Dent’s classrooms and hallways will be illuminated with lights, garlands and Christmas trees, while willing participants wander through scenes staffed with evil Christmas creatures. Krampus and his twisted cohorts will be deciding if you’ve been naughty or nice, and Charlie the janitor will be Santa Charlie; admission tickets include a photo op. 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14. $25-$55. The Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.

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ANTIQUE CHRISTMAS AT THE TAFT MUSEUM OF ART —

WinterFest at Kings Island | Photos: Megan Waddel

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Compiled by Eliabeth Davis and CityBeat Staff

Over the Rhine | Photo: overtherhine.com

A CHRISTMAS EVENING WITH OVER THE RHINE — Local Folk/Americana

superheroes Over the Rhine create Christmas magic with their annual performance featuring a wintry mix of holiday classics and songs from their oeuvre. The group will be performing multiple shows, with special guest Lucy Wainwright Roche. 8 p.m. Dec. 20 and 21; 2 p.m. Dec. 22. $40-$65. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com.

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A VAE CHRISTMAS — Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble performs holiday tunes both classic and new. 7 p.m. Dec. 14; 5 p.m. Dec. 15. $25-$35. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com.

A VERY MOTHERFOLK CHRISTMAS —

Motherfolk presents their annual Christmas show with special guests Matthew Thiessen & the Earthquakes and Coastal Club. VIP tickets include early entry, an acoustic performance, cookies and cocoa. 7 p.m. Dec. 20; 6 p.m. VIP. $10; $25 day of show and VIP. 20th Century Theater, 3021 Madison Road, Oakley.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

HOLIDAY POPS FEATURING MEGAN HILTY — Broadway and TV star Megan

Hilty (Smash; Wicked) will accompany the Cincinnati Pops in a performance of holiday hits with a choir, dancers, characters in costume and a visit from Santa. 8 p.m.

Dec. 13; 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 14; 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 15. Tickets start at $25 adults and $15 children. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatisymphony.org.

JIM BRICKMAN A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION — Pianist Jim Brickman performs

FEEL SOMETHING.

holiday tunes and No. 1 hits. 8 p.m. Dec.

Megan Hilty | Photo: Sidney Beal

11. $45-$65. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com.

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS

BY CHIP DAVIS — Mannheim Steam-

roller celebrates 35 years of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by performing the entire album live. 7 p.m. Dec. 26. $38.75$78.75. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org.

RICKY NYE & BEKAH WILLIAMS XMAS SHOW — Ricky Nye and Bekah Williams

bring Blues, Boogie Woogie, R&B and New Orleans-style Jazz to Schwartz’s Point.

6 p.m. Dec. 22. Schwartz’s Point, 1901 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/ schwartzspoint.

Compiled by Elizabeth Davis and CityBeat Staff CHRISTMAS GLOW AT LAND OF ILLUSION — This haunted

Halloween attraction transforms for the season; instead of ghosts and ghouls, find “Southwest Ohio’s largest Christmas lights drive-thru event.” See three million lights strung across a mile-and-a-half, then visit the Christmas Village Santa Workshop to see the man in red. A 45-foot-tall Christmas tree lights the way to gas fire pits. Save $2 when you bring canned goods for the Hope House Mission of Middletown. Through Dec. 30. $18 per vehicle; $22 with Christmas Village admission; $36-$44 for eight to 15 passengers. Land of Illusion, 8762 Thomas Road, Middletown, landofillusion.com.

CHRISTMAS NIGHTS OF LIGHTS AT CONEY ISLAND — Enjoy the warmth

of your car while lights manipulated to resemble dancing candy canes, glowing snowmen, colorful tunnels and giant holiday trees are synchronized to Christmas tunes available via your car radio. The two-and-a-half-mile long display features more than one million lights. Through Jan. 5. $6 per person; free age 3 and under.

Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, christmasnightsoflights.com.

THE CHRISTMAS RANCH — The

Christmas Ranch features one million lights synchronized to music. Drive along an animated, illuminated route or park the car to visit the Christmas village with seven shops, a bakery and café, train and wagon rides and a toy factory. A portion of proceeds benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Little Miami Food Pantry, Neediest Kids of All and Shriners Hospital for Children. Through Dec. 23. $20 per carload. 3205 S. Waynesville Road, Morrow, thechristmasranch.com.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDEN

who will start taking visitors an hour before the festival begins. Whatever you do, make sure to do it with a cup of hot cocoa (spiked or not) in hand. Through Jan. 4. Free with zoo admission. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE HILL AT PYRAMID HILL — Pyramid Hill Sculpture

Park & Museum’s drive-thru light display features two-and-a-half miles of creative, glowing scenes and an additional new projection-mapped sculptural installation overseen by Brave Berlin, part of the team behind the BLINK art and light festival.

This is the park’s second year collaborating with Brave Berlin and this year’s display is a stepping-stone to the park’s Journey BOREALIS, a “top-tier art and holiday destination,” arriving in November 2020. Through Jan. 5. $20 per car load Monday-Thursday; $25 per car load Friday-Sunday. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Hamilton, pyramidhill.org.

HOLIDAY IN LIGHTS AT SHARON WOODS — Kick back in your car and take

a joy ride through a mile-long stretch of Sharon Woods. Dial the radio to Warm 98 — the lights are synchronized to the music. New this year are Pixel light displays and more lighted trees. After or before, take the kiddos to the wonder-filled Santaland, open through Dec. 23. A portion of proceeds goes to A Child’s Hope International to help feed children around the globe. Through Dec. 31. $15 per vehicle. Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville, holidayinlights.com.

THE LEGENDARY LIGHTS OF CLIFTON MILL — Prepare to be amazed by the

dazzling lights of Clifton Mill, all 4 million of them. The mill, trees, riverbank and more will all be illuminated in colorful lights for the 32nd year. There will also be a miniature village, a Santa Claus museum and Santa’s workshop. Through Dec. 30. $10; free 3 and under. Clifton Mill, 75 Water St., Yellow Springs, cliftonmill.com.

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— The Festival of Lights is back for its 37th year of wintery amazement. Voted the No. 1 zoo light show in the country by readers of USA Today, 3 million LED lights (that’s 284 miles of lights) transform the zoo into a dazzling display of color and festive cheer. New this year is an immersive Northern Lights experience and Fiona’s Fairyland, where five fairy hippopotamuses are hidden for visitors to find. Ride the Toyland Express train past the Wild Lights show on Swan Lake, snack at the two S’mores-n-More stations, meet the “royal sisters” at the Frozen Wonderland, catch a Madcap black light puppet show and snap a pic with Santa,

Holiday Lights on the Hill | Photo: Provided by Pyramid Hill

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Compiled by Elizabeth Davis and CityBeat Staff

Sit.

Stay.

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Savor.

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4335 Glendale-Milford Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45242 (513) 794-1610 browndogcafe.com

Winter Market on Fountain Square — Fountain Square will be decked out with little holiday huts full of maker-made goods. The vendor list includes the likes of Daisy Jane’s Flower Truck, Little Patch Alpacas, Oat and Honey Bakery, Sweet Jazz Treats and more.

There will be full concessions available, including beer and wine. 4-9 p.m.

Fridays; noon-9 p.m.

Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 22. Free admission. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

Holiday Walk on Woodburn — The holiday Walk on Woodburn features food, music, drinks and local shopping. There will be carolers, selfies with Santa and Mrs. Claus and later hours for Woodburn Avenue shops, bars and restaurants. Support Mercy Neighborhood Ministries by bringing canned or boxed food or personal care items and dropping them off in donation boxes. A list of desired items is online.

6-10 p.m. Dec. 13. Free. Woodburn Avenue, East Walnut Hills, facebook.com/ walkonwoodburn.

The City Flea Holiday Market | Photo: City Flea

Taft Brewing Company Holiday Market — Shop local vendors selling anything and everything from coffee and handmade goods to succulents and home décor. Sip on beer and enjoy artisan snacks. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 14. Free admission.

Taft’s Brewpourium, 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, facebook. com/taftsbeerco.

Delhi Holiday Market: Handmade for the Holidays — 35 crafters will be exhibiting and selling their wares. All products are entirely homemade. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dec. 14. Free admission. Delhi Senior Center, 647 Neeb Road, Delhi, facebook. com/DelhiTownshipOhio.

Market BLEU — Shop the winter quarter Market BLEU event at the Contemporary Arts Center to find handmade artisan products from vendors in an opulent setting. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 14. Free admission. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, marketbleu.com.

Holiday Shuk — Visit the Mayerson JCC for an Israeli-style market. Find Judaica, jewelry, handmade goods, a kids’ section and more unique gifts. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dec. 15. Free admission. Mayerson JCC, 8485 Ridge Road, Amberley Village, mayersonjcc.org/holidayshuk.

Pleasant Ridge Shop Hop — Check out what’s new in Pleasant Ridge during the third-annual holiday shop hop. Neighborhood businesses will be open to sell their wares while you walk from shop to shop for food, drinks, fun and caroling. Noon-4 p.m. Dec. 14. Pleasant Ridge, facebook. com/prbiz.

Art On Vine Holiday Gifts Sale — Monthly maker pop-up Art on Vine has moved indoors to its winter hub at Rhinegeist. Discover and shop more than 70 local crafters, collectors and fine artists while sipping on a brew or snacking on dishes from Sartre OTR. Noon-7 p.m.

Dec. 15. Free admission. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, artonvinecincy.com.

The City Flea Holiday Market — The City Flea turns Washington Park into one big shopping cart with local makers, crafters and artisans, with festive refreshments. It’s a great place to do last-minute shopping or pick up something for yourself — you’ve been good this year, too. 4-9 p.m. Dec. 14. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.

Compiled by Elizabeth Davis and CitBeat Staff

Every Christmas Story Every Told (and Then Some!) | Photo: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS AT THE TAFT THEATRE — Children’s Theatre of

Cincinnati presents this play, based on Charles M. Schulz’s characters and the classic TV special. Through Dec. 16. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org.

AWAITED AT THE ARONOFF CENTER — Awaited is a “creative retelling

of the Christmas story” featuring original choreography and music from more than 80 performers. 8 p.m. Dec. 20; 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Dec. 21, 22 and 23. $25-$100.

Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org.

BLACK NATIVITY WITH THE CINCINNATI BLACK THEATRE COMPANY

EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME) AT THE CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY — A

silly spin on all things Christmas. This play pokes fun at holiday classics like Rudolph, Frosty and A Christmas Carol, all lampooned with the help of three high-octane actors and tipsy Santa. Dec. 13-29. $40-$60. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

returns. Watch as the miserly Scrooge miraculously transforms his view of humanity (just in time for Christmas), realizing it’s never too late to change your ways. Through Dec. 29. $30-$108. Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET AT THE COVEDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS — Doris Walker sus-

pects the Santa at the Macy’s where she works might be the real Kris Kringle. Enjoy this humorous and heartwarming holiday classic with songs including “Pinecones and Hollyberries” and “It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas.” Through Dec. 29. $29 adults; $26 seniors/students/children. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Ave., Covedale, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.

THE NAUGHTY LIST WITH OTRIMPROV

— Using audience suggestions, OTRImprov comedians/performers skewer the holidays in cheerful and cheeky ways.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 17-19; arrive by 6 p.m. if you want to order dinner. $20 (dinner not included). Arnold’s Bar & Grill, 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, otrimprov.com.

THE NUTCRACKER WITH THE CINCINNATI BALLET — This favorite Cincinnati

holiday tradition returns as the ballet’s professional dancers perform sparkling choreography to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, played live by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Dec. 19-29. $29-$125.

Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cballet.org.

Visit us online to see a full list of product & service offerings • (513) 721-3801 • decalimpressions.com

D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

— Originating in 1961 and performed Off Broadway, Black Nativity is a joyous retelling of the birth of Christ with Gospel music, costuming, prophetic storytelling and dance. Presented by the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14. $25; $20 students/seniors. Word of Deliverance Family Life Center, 693 Fresno Road, Forest Park, cincinnatiblacktheatre.org.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL AT THE PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK — The tradition

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Survive and thrive in the cold weather with these heated cocktails from local bars

By Sean M. Peters When the temperature drops, it’s always nice to have a warm drink — not only to serve as a temporary hand warmer, but also to raise your spirits. Speaking of spirits: While it’s not necessary that a winter tipple be made with alcohol, if someone else is going to steer the sleigh, why not fortify your holiday cheer with a nice, warm cocktail? Here’s a few from local bars to add to your list.

COMFORT STATION: QUETZALCOATL HOT CHOCOLATE 793 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, comfortstationcincinnati.com

Named after an Aztec god, this boozy hot chocolate is made with 65 percent cacao chocolate syrup from Ghirardelli, whole milk, El Jimador reposado tequila, mole bitters, Sriracha whipped cream and cinnamon.

“Comfort Station’s iteration is a play on the age-old Mexican hot chocolate,” says General Manager Jack Keane. “We like to challenge our young and up-and-coming bartenders to experiment and try new things, even if they aren’t always successful. This time it worked out with the experiment of Sriracha whipped cream and I couldn’t be prouder.”

1215 WINE BAR & COFFEE LAB: CAFFEE CORRETTO 1215 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 1215vine.com

The hot toddy is another excellent way to face the cold winds of winter.

Jen Miller, bartender at Longfellow, likes to start her toddy recipe with two ounces of Irish whiskey, rum or brandy. She’ll reach for Tullamore Dew (their Cider Cask in particular), Appleton Estate Signature Blend, or Asbach Uralt (a German brandy). The liquor of choice is poured into a preheated mug with six ounces of hot water mixed with a barspoon of Carriage House Farms honey and garnished with a lemon slice studded with whole cloves.

“It has an appealing simplicity: just good booze, hot water, citrus and spice,” Miller says. “Anyone can make one, but attention to detail — and a properly temped glass — really make it special.”

LISTING LOON: THE GOLDWING 4124 Hamilton Ave., Northside, facebook.com/ thelistingloon

If you’d like a little caffeinated kick with your toddy, try The Goldwing from The Listing Loon. It is made with hot water, Wild Turkey Rye (for a little spice) and honey. The Loon’s resident bartender, Sammy Burroughs, wanted to make this recipe a little smoky and thought Lapsang Souchong black tea would be the right fit.

“Our staff came together and tasted The Goldwing for the first time, and everyone exclaimed it’s like being at a campfire,” says Listing Loon owner Melanie Quallen.

“When you sip on The Goldwing, it tastes like you are getting wrapped up in a blanket of smoky autumn.”

OVERLOOK LODGE: BAD SANTA 6083 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, thatshiningbar.com

Nostalgic holiday bar pop-up experience

The Bad Santa at Overlook Lodge | Photo: Provided by Miracle

Miracle has returned to transform Pleasant Ridge’s Overlook Lodge into a winter wonderland full of themed cocktails and ugly sweaters. The bar has been decked out with a ton of classic Christmasy decor — think garlands, tinsel, lights and vintage holiday tunes — and features a curated cocktail list with drinks like Jingle Balls Nog, Christmapolitan and Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r!

On the warmer side, try the Bad Santa — “a hot rum drink that will make sure you end up on the naughty list,” says owner Jacob Trevino. The drink, served warm, is mix of rum, Batavia Arrack, black chai tea, date-infused oat milk and vanilla syrup.

OAKLEY WINES: MILK PUNCH 4011 Allston Ave., Oakley, oakleywines.com

A big batch of something to melt the icicles off your eyebrows is always a welcome addition, such as the clarified milk punch served at Oakley Wines.

“This drink is meant to be made in larger quantities, at least eight guests, so it’s really perfect for sharing with friends and family,” says Liz Wolf, head bartender at Oakley Wines. “It lasts for months, even years, since the process of clarifying the milk actually stabilizes the punch, strips away the harsh compounds of the citrus and the alcohol and the result is a silky smooth, boozy bev.”

Wolf’s recipe infuses two cups of brandy, either Pierre Ferrand Cognac or Watershed Apple Brandy, with a quarter cup of Earl Grey tea leaves, and a half ounce each of lemon peels and orange peels in a lidded container. Let the mix sit at room temperature for at least 18 hours or up to

two days. Strain and discard the tea and citrus peels.

Now that the brandy is suitably flavored, warm one cup of full-fat milk on the stove until it’s steaming, but don’t let it boil. In a large liquid measuring cup or pitcher, whisk the infused brandy, two cups of water, four ounces of turbinado simple syrup (equal parts warm water and turbinado sugar combined), lemon juice and orange juice. Once thoroughly heated, set the milk aside in a glass bowl and pour the brandy mixture into the milk. Gently stir the resulting curds with a small spoon and then let it sit for at least 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Strain the concoction several times through cheesecloth and a fine mesh sieve and discard the curds. Then filter the liquid again through a coffee filter. The resulting liquid should now be clear, but if it’s a bit cloudy let it settle for half an hour and then filter it once more. To serve warm, bring the punch to temperature — never to boil — on the stove, pour into a glass and garnish with an orange peel.

JERRY’S JUG HOUSE: DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN DYLAN 414 E. Seventh St., Newport, facebook.com/ jerrysjughouse

This hot toddy has some heat from more than just the temperature. The spicy hot toddy at Jerry’s Jug House features local honey infused with cayenne pepper, Buffalo Trace bourbon, hot water and lemon.

“It’s called the Dylan Dylan Dylan Dylan Dylan, cause it spits hot fire,” says coowner Stuart MacKenzie.

D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Justin Marquis, bartender at 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab, recommends an old Italian favorite, the caffee corretto, which translates to “corrected coffee.” In this case, the correction is made via a shot of liquor.

“There are as many versions as there are liquors that can be added to coffee,” Marquis says. “I like mine as a 2-ounce shot of espresso with an ounce of either Italian amaro or grappa or some other grape brandy.”

Marquis favors Amaro Averna, which he says has just enough sweetness to counter the bitterness of the coffee and bitter botanicals in the liquor.

“It warms you with temperature, caffeine and a little alcohol buzz quickly and efficiently,” he says. “Its strong flavors and concentration mean it’s taken in small quantities, ideal for short breaks from work or a quick step in the bar while enjoying a winter day outside.”

LONGFELLOW: HOT TODDY 1233 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, longfellowbar. com

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The founder of Krampuslauf Zinzinnati discusses the origin of this Christmas beast, where to find him in Cincinnati and common Krampus misconceptions

Interview by Maija Zummo If you’ve paid attention to pop culture over the past several years, chances are you’ve heard of Krampus, perhaps from the 2015 holiday horror film of the same name or perhaps you’ve avoided being stuffed into his sack while visiting one of Cincinnati’s German-themed Christmas markets.

Krampus — a sort of mythical furry, horned goat-demon — appears in holiday traditions throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Typically, he walks the streets on Dec. 5 during Krampusnacht (or Krampus Night, an evening of debaucherous revelry) and on Dec. 6 for Saint Nicholas Day, when the bearded saint arrives bearing gifts.

“While Sankt Nikolaus (German for Saint Nicholas) brings good children candy and treats, legend states that Krampus punishes bad children during the yule season and captures particularly naughty children and carries them away to the woods,” says Brother James, co-founder of Krampuslauf Zinzinnati.

James refers to Krampus as the “other side of (the Saint Nicholas) coin” — the sort of yin to his yang, the dark to his light.

“Krampus is an amalgamation of several different figures from Central European folklore that were, over time, merged into the mythical figure of Krampus.

By the 17th century, this creature was incorporated into the Christian tradition of Sankt Nikolaus and became his partner,” James says.

And since 2014, the Christmas beast has appeared at various Queen City events thanks to Krampuslauf Zinzinnati.

We chatted with James via email to learn more about his group, the story

of Krampus and to reverse some common misconceptions about the anthropomorphic fiend.

CB: Are there different variations of the Krampus costume?

CITYBEAT: How many current Krampuses

costume that is their own interpretation of the character. Our members have spent a ton of time researching traditional depictions of Krampus in German and Austrian culture, as well as researched what others have done to make their costumes, both in the U.S. and Europe.

do you have on board?

BROTHER JAMES: About eight or nine at last count. But we also have someone dressed as Sankt Nikolaus, as well as several “handlers.” The handlers are important as it’s hard for the Krampuses to communicate while wearing their masks, and the handlers help with that, as well as help organize any picture taking and donation collection.

CB: And what do you guys do at the

events?

BJ: Our group walks around the event —

usually several Krampuses, as well as one person dressed as Sankt Nikolaus — and people come to us wanting to take pictures with our group, or often just to greet us and thank us for coming. We raise money for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati by asking folks to donate something if they take a picture with us or to donate just because. Almost everyone contributes something and we’ve raised a lot money — each year getting better than the last.

CB: Where do you get your costumes?

BJ: All the costumes are handmade by our

members. Usually they are different parts of other costumes/masks that have been modified, or they’re built from scratch.

BJ: Each Krampus in our group has a

CB: What accessories do you carry?

BJ: Krampus usually carries a bundle of sticks, or ruten in German, as that’s the traditional gift for the naughty children instead of candy or treats. Krampus often carries a whip or a cat o’ nine tails to “beat” bad children with — though we never do so. However, some adults often insist that a mock beating (of the adult) be part of their Krampus photos. Krampuses usually have chains hanging from them, and a common, traditional accessory is a very large, loud cow bell, or several.

CB: What’s the most common misconcep-

tion about Krampus?

BJ: That Krampus is evil and/or we are at

events to scare children.

CB: What do you want to make sure

people know about Krampus and your organization?

BJ: We are at events by invitation, we do not appear where we have not been welcomed by event organizers. We are not at

events to scare children — in fact, children are our biggest fans. We are helping to keep a beloved German tradition alive and educate the public about this tradition and its roots. Most of all, we’re there to have fun and so that others can have fun with us.

CB: Best reaction?

BJ: At every event we have countless children that approach us wide-eyed or excited to meet/visit with Krampus. It’s a real treat to see their reactions, and I know it warms all of our hearts to interact with them.

CB: Worst reaction?

BJ: We’ve had many adults that don’t know

anything about the history or tradition, don’t bother to let us explain — we pass out pamphlets that provide a lot of history and information — and accuse us of scaring children and making up something new because we “hate Christmas.” All of that could not be further from the truth.

Krampuslauf Zinzinnati will be at West Side Brewing (3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood) on Saturday, Dec. 14 for a Krampus Kandy beer release and photos. Get more info at facebook.com/cincykrampus.

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Inspired by groups found throughout Europe and the U.S. (e.g. Krampuslauf Philadelphia, Krampus Lauf PDX, Baltimore Krampuslauf), James and three friends — David Dalton, Geof Garver, and David Plogman — made Krampus (pronounced “krohm poo s” vs. “krampu s” they say) come alive. And three to five times per year around the holidays, costumed Krampuses will descend upon events via invite to spread knowledge of the winter tradition and take photos with people to raise money for charity.

Krampuses! | Photo: Krampuslauf Zinzinnati

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International initiative The Book Fairies shares the gift of reading year-round

By Natalie Hamren It was Emma Watson leaving copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in Paris that inspired Cincinnatian Amanda Moore to become a book fairy.

Moore, a social media and public relations specialist at Sibcy Cline, saw a post about Watson on Facebook and thought it was a unique way to give back to one’s community. And so she wanted to bring the concept to Cincinnati.

Jan. 18

“You walk upon this book and it has a ribbon and a sticker and it says, ‘You found me.’ It’s this whimsical, almost childlike experience,” Moore says. “You feel like this gift was left for you.”

The Book Fairies project was launched in London in 2017 by “Book Fairy in Chief” Cordelia Oxley. The goal, according to the website, is to leave books for people to find, read and then rehide for someone else to discover. There are over 9,000 book fairies in 100 countries.

After buying stickers from The Book Fairies website, Moore dropped her first book — The Wedding, by Nicholas Sparks — at Summit Park in July 2017.

Moore serves as one of two Ohio Book Fairy officials, as well as the Cincinnati Book Fairy. Anyone can be a Book Fairy, but officials are responsible for maintaining social media accounts and spearheading local book drops.

As an organization, The Book Fairies has themed weeks, which sometimes dictate what books Moore delivers. Keep an eye peeled ahead of Christmas — they plan to hide books wrapped like presents.

“My fascination with it is really finding the perfect match for the book,” Moore says.

“I like finding the perfect placement for it.

And that, I just think, is even more special when you come upon it.”

When Moore first started scattering books, she would buy them at Half Price Books. Now, she has a partnership with Oakley’s Blue Manatee Literacy Project in which they provide her advance reader copies and other various books.

She hides the literary treasures in public places and typically doesn’t let an establishment know in advance — she likes the element of surprise. She says a few

companies have reached out to her and thanked her for leaving a book.

“Once (Comfort Station) saw that I dropped one at their blue door outside,” Moore says. “They regrammed it and were like ‘The book fairy came to visit.’ Most of the time, the companies are very excited when I come and drop a book.”

She recounts one story in particular about a girl who follows the Cincinnati Book Fairy account; she always looks for books that Moore places. One time, she found one. She told Moore that it made her summer because she was at a low point in her life and it gave her a feeling of happiness.

“It’s one of those things that you don’t realize the impact you have on people,” Moore says. “Because it seems so simple, right? You’re just dropping a book at these places and leaving it.”

Moore’s favorite book she dropped was actress Busy Philipps’ memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little. Wrapped in white ribbon, complementing the bright pink cover, she left it in front of a flower mural near Over-the-Rhine’s Brown Bear Bakery.

Philipps liked the post on Instagram, which Moore says was “kind of a big deal.”

In the future, Moore hopes to increase partnerships with authors, distribute more children’s books and encourage others to become Book Fairies.

“Anyone could be one,” she says. “The one girl that I said that follows us kind of religiously — she has sent me pictures of books that she’s dropped after she’s completed them. And that’s what I love is this continuation of the story.”

Keep up with the Cincinnati Book Fairy on Instagram @bookfairies_cincinnati.

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After sifting through stacks of books, Moore decides where a good location will be. If she has a book about pizza, she’ll leave it at a pizza restaurant. If it’s a book about fairies or a children’s book, she may leave it at the Krohn Conservatory.

One time, she left a copy of Alice in Wonderland at a park.

From the Book Fairy | Photo: Courtesy Amanda Moore

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Local author Riane Konc’s new book, Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance, let’s you create your own made-for-TV holiday film

By Mackenzie Manley Riane Konc spent this April checking out dozens of made-for-TV Christmas specials from her local library. Yes, she watched them all — or at least, most of them. No, she wasn’t going through a bizarre crisis that only heaps of ham-fisted sentimentalism could cure.

She was writing Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance. If you ever wanted a choose-your-own-adventure-style holiday romance, this book delivers with off-thewall humor doused in (loving) parody.

A Cincinnati native, Konc is a humor writer and essayist who has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times and McSweeney’s. The book’s concept came from a publisher approaching a Facebook writers’ group looking for someone to take on the seed of an idea to pen a satirization of those cheesy made-for-TV Hallmark (Lifetime and now Netflix) specials.

You know the ones: Generally, a businesswoman who lives in the city and inexplicably hates Christmas must — for some reason — travel to a small town where she falls for a flannel-wearing dude and rediscovers the magic of the season.

Or maybe one of the characters is actually — gasp— secretly royal. Or perhaps a local shop needs to be saved from evil corporate overlords. You can also expect at least one character to exist only to bake pastries.

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Though Konc’s 150-page book has a throughline plot, readers will notice several references to various subgenres scattered throughout. And, depending on which path you choose to take, there are variations to this tale — just don’t expect an intricate behemoth like the popular choose-your-own-adventure sci-fi books of the late 1970s and ’80s.

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“(The publishers) knew from the beginning they wanted to do some kind of element of choice in there,” Konc says. “It took a while to figure out how to actually do that...I felt like, ‘I’ve seen enough of these movies to feel like I’ve got a good sense of what I could do with this.’”

kind of my attempt of saying, ‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t do this one, but here’s a little taste of what it might have been like.’”

In the midst of writing, Konc likened her office space to that of a conspiracy theorist with red strings leading from picture to picture. Post-its were everywhere; notes were color-coded; arrows pointed from one plot point to another.

For all the levels of organization, Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance is an effortlessly fun romp. (In fact, I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.) Originally, Konc had planned to have four primary plots running through the book. But, in keeping the word-count relatively short, it didn’t shake out that way. Instead, the story opens on a Christmas-hating businesswoman named Chrissy living in a city and doing, er, business with her equally workaholic boyfriend. When her mom calls to ask if she’s coming home for the holidays, that’s when the choices start to roll in.

“I was initially doing too much just for what we were able to do in a book like this,” Konc says, “but yeah, it started with the baseline plot and then I added all the branches of that.”

There are a total of eight sections, each one referencing a genre hallmark. Here are a few highlights: everyone’s favorite, “The Meet Cute”; “The Dramatic Mix-Up,” in which Chrissy comes to terms with catching feelings for Nick — a guy from her hometown that could have either been her high school sweetheart or onetime nemesis, depending on your choice — just in time for ex-boyfriend Cole to make a reentrance; and the self-explanatory “The Kiss.”

Konc is able to keep the variations nebulous enough — without being boring — that multiple moments fit into the disparate pathways.

There are so many subgenres within the genre that Konc says she felt like she couldn’t just watch a couple of holiday films, hence her trips to the library for research. She watched a few in each of the most-recognizable categories to pin down what elements she wanted to emphasize. This is especially prominent in the book’s ending(s), which offers seven distinct finales.

This brand of humor is present from the story’s open. Just look to the first paragraph: “Chrissy slammed her business phone down on her business desk and sighed. She looked around. Her entire desk was covered with business binders, business books (including the classic, How to Business Your Way to the Top of Business), and business supplies. One thing was for sure: She was a business lady. The phone rang again. She picked it up, shouted, ‘Business!’ and slammed it back down. She simply had too much business to do to deal with all of this.”

“In order for (the book) to have any kind of sensible plot, a lot had to get left out,” Konc says, “so the endings-palooza was

With humor writing, Konc says using repetition can be helpful as it makes clear what joke one is making.

“I like taking a vagary past the logical amount you’d expect to see the word like business used,” Konc says.

“In part, because you’re spelling out the joke, but it also sort of creates dialog that is fun to write where you’re not writing realistic dialog because you’re subbing in the actual words people would be saying with like ‘I want my business suit; I want my business money,’ which is not how people talk but it’s a fun way to imagine them talking.”

Some details veer on the absurd, and yet readers can likely imagine them being explained away in an actual cheesy holiday flick.

For one, Chrissy comes from a long line of organic candy cane farmers who live in the town of Candy Cane Falls. Seriously, they harvest the red-and-white candies straight from the ground. Weirdly, in Konc’s world-building, the cane has hooks on both ends, which actually serve as a vital — if not odd — plot point when she finds herself needing to be saved from a frigid lake. There’s mention of the love interest’s attractive arm veins and goldenretriever-esque personality. Strange twinkling bells play. A man named Kris with a big white beard makes a mysterious appearance. There’s an Uber driver who at first seems promising until he starts talking about his totally cool podcast that you should definitely listen to.

Woven in between all the funny moments, of which there are many, is a light social commentary on how women are represented in these films.

“So much of the book is a joke vehicle,” Konc says of layering in commentary. “It’s a silly book; it’s teasing this genre and it’s me fitting in just about every kind of joke that I personally think is funny. But if the book has a point of view, it’s very much also about how Hallmark Christmas movies are not responsible for the two-dimensional woman character. All the media is

Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance | Photo: Riane Konc

responsible for that. But it exists there, too. It’s just the holiday version of it.”

But mostly, Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance is a fun read to curl up with by the fire, with a hot cocoa and a stack of two-hooked candy canes in tow.

Even if you’re not a fan of this particular brand of films, Konc’s ability to craft jokes that never fall flat is worth a read.

“I feel like people who genuinely love (these movies) can enjoy this book and not feel like they’re just being made fun of,” she says. “And also, if you like making fun of these movies, there’s a place. And if you’ve never watched a single madefor-TV Christmas movie in your life and you just like jokes, I tried to make it so you could legitimately and honestly be a person in any of those three camps and say, ‘I like this book; this has something for me.’”

But after months of having these flicks on her brain, will Konc settle in and watch any this holiday season? Maybe one, she laughs. After all, she’s basically an expert now.

Riane Konc’s Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance is now available. For more info, visit rianekonc.com.

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Cincinnati chefs share their favorite wintertime recipes for the holiday table — or any table

By Sean M. Peters While it might get stressful to have the whole family around a holiday table, one of the best parts of the winter season is what we eat together — nobody can argue politics when their mouth is full of delicious food.

Some of Cincinnati’s favorite chefs sat down with CityBeat to describe winter dishes they can’t wait to eat every year so that we could interpret them into recipes you’re sure to love. Whether you’re looking for something exotic, inventive or downright comforting, there’s a good chance you’ll want to make a new tradition and eat one (or all) of these meals every year.

SHORT RIBS BRAISED IN BORDEAUX WINE Jose Salazar of Salazar, Mita’s and Goose & Elder

“I have been eating this dish since I first learned to make it in culinary school about 20 years ago. It reminds me of the excitement of being a young cook and learning new techniques and recipes. I do not associate it with a particular holiday — however, it does remind me of chilly winter nights.” — Jose Salazar INGREDIENTS: Short ribs, beef stock,

Bordeaux wine, vegetable oil or rendered beef fat, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, salt.

INSTRUCTIONS: To properly braise meat,

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you must cook it low and slow partially submerged in flavorful liquids, in this case beef stock and red Bordeaux wine. Before you get started with anything else, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

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Brown the short ribs on the stove in a large Dutch oven with vegetable oil or rendered beef fat. This serves to create the caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pot known as fond, which provide an incredible depth of flavor.

Once browned on all sides, remove the ribs and set aside. Add chopped aromatics such as celery, onion and carrot to the pot. Salazar likes this dish with plenty of garlic. Another hit of salt will bring out the moisture from the aromatics, which helps to deglaze the pot and incorporate the fond into the dish.

After sweating on medium heat for several minutes, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen the fond into the mix.

An example of a customizable hot pot set up | Photo: Erin Celesti

Replace the short ribs in the pot and add enough Bordeaux and beef stock to come up halfway to the top of the meat. Put a lid on the pot and cook in the oven until the meat falls off the bone, two to three hours to start, but don’t be surprised if more time is needed depending on the weight.

To make a pan sauce, strain out the cooking liquid and simmer in a saucepan until it’s reduced to your desired consistency.

TO DRINK: Serve with a bottle of Bordeaux,

of course.

HOT POT Rich and Johnny Chu of AmerAsia

“Hot pot’s only served when you have unity at a gathering. On the day of Chinese New Year, that’s the only time an average family would get together and have hot pot. The hot pot is all to be determined on what your preference is. Some like to be heavy on the meat, some like to have it heavy on vegetables.” — Rich Chu, translated by Johnny Chu The most important part of hot pot is the broth, according to Rich Chu, AmerAsia’s master chef. While he doesn’t speak much English, his son Johnny translated his thoughts on the dish that their entire family

is excited to share each winter.

There are special pots designed just for hot pot, bisected down the center by a little wall to make two usable halves that hold different broths. If everyone at the table eats meat, the options typically include one spicy broth alongside a milder broth. If vegetarians are at the table, it’s normal to have a meaty broth in one half and a plant-based broth in the other. Of course, you could always use two pots instead if you don’t want to invest in specialty equipment, but make sure you have a heat source such as an electric range top or canned heat on the table to keep the broth boiling until the end of the meal.

INGREDIENTS: A vegetarian or meat broth

of your choice (ideally homemade); sliced chicken, pork, beef, lamb, shrimp or firm tofu or all of the above; an assortment of thinly sliced vegetables.

INSTRUCTIONS: This dish is served like fondue, where everyone sits around the bubbling broth, fills their bowls and continually dips their raw ingredients into the boiling liquid to cook them. Everything comes thinly sliced on a plate. Chicken on one plate, pork on another. Beef, lamb and shrimp on are also popular proteins. All the veggies are kept separate from meat,

so as not to contaminate them. Firm tofu is also a popular addition.

Any of your favorite vegetables can likely work with hot pot, just make sure they’re thinly sliced prior to serving to ensure they achieve a preferable texture when dunked in the boiling broth. Popular options include Napa cabbage, leeks, radish and various mushrooms like enoki and oyster.

Rice isn’t usually served with hot pot.

The Chus’ preference is glass noodles.

They say the noodles go well with hot pot because they’re so thin, cook quickly and don’t expand too much in your stomach.

It’s not unusual to serve small bowls of chili-infused oil with hot pot if you want some added heat.

TO DRINK: If the Chu family was back in Taiwan to eat hot pot, they’d drink Taiwan Beer, which for decades was the only beer legally brewed in the country due to its monopolistic government regulations. The best alternative to this beer in the Chus’ eyes is the popular Tsingtao Beer. This crisp, light lager pairs well with the bodywarming savoriness of hot pot.

TAKHA (STEWED BUFFALO IN CHILLED GRAVY) Rose and Ashak Chipalu of Bridges

Nepali Cuisine

“It melts in the mouth and we really relish that. We let it sit overnight so it jellies up while the meat stays down. All the gravy is like a jelly right on top.” — Rose Chipalu Takha is a traditional dish prized by Rose Chipalu and her son Ashak of the Newari tribe from Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley.

Made with stewed buffalo meat, this cool-weather food uses Nepal’s naturally chilly environment to let the flavors of all the components meld together as it sits covered on the counter overnight to achieve a gelatinous gravy (though we can’t legally recommend you leave meat on the counter overnight, so just opt for the fridge).

First, if you can’t find decent buffalo meat (preferably cut from the head and leg), Rose assures that beef is a suitable alternative, but encourages you to try the authentic recipe. Look for leaner cuts with minimal fat. Other recipes have used goat, too. No matter what meat you choose, always opt for the bones and skin to be included.

INGREDIENTS: Meat (either beef, goat

or buffalo), ginger, garlic, cumin, salt, turmeric, garlic, mustard oil or olive oil, cilantro.

INSTRUCTIONS: Add chopped meat, ginger,

garlic, cumin, salt and turmeric to a large pot, cover with water and bring to boil.

Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, cover and cook for eight to 12 hours. Remove the meat after the first three hours and set aside to avoid over stewing.

Add the meat to a bowl and cover with cooking liquid. This will sit in the fridge overnight. The next day the liquid will have gelatinized thanks to the collagen from the bones. The dish is garnished with chopped garlic, mustard oil (can substitute olive oil) and cilantro.

Typically, one quarter of the cooking liquid is reserved for a spicy gravy called sanya khuna. It’s made with fried anchovies and lots of spicy chili pepper mixed with the finished takha liquid and set overnight alongside the takha. There is no buffalo meat in sanya khuna, only fried anchovies in the gravy, which is garnished with a lot of red chili pepper powder.

TO DRINK: To drink with takha, the Chipalus enjoy a strong milky rice ale which is similar to unfiltered Japanese sake — likely your best substitute in our region.

SHISH BARAK (DUMPLINGS IN YOGURT SAUCE) Kate Zaidan of Dean’s Mediterranean Imports

“Lebanese food is great if you want

Think of this dish as Mediterranean tortellini. You can go about this dish several ways, even buy frozen stuffed pasta to throw into the sauce. But the best dumpling is the one you’ve made yourself.

Luckily, you can get everything you need for this dish from Dean’s Mediterranean Imports at Findlay Market. To make the dumplings, you can simply buy wonton wrappers or follow a basic flour-based dumpling dough recipe, but we’ve had no complaints from commercially available wraps in this application. For vegetarians, replace the ground meat with finely chopped mushroom, or buy mushroom tortellini for a convenient, luxurious meal.

INGREDIENTS: Wonton wrappers, ground

beef or lamb, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, chopped cilantro, garlic, olive oil, Greek yogurt, one egg.

INSTRUCTION: Using either ground beef

or lamb, saute the meat with a mixture of cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and chopped cilantro. When the meat is browned, set aside to cool. Start on the yogurt sauce while you wait for the meat to come down to room temperature. Alternately, the dumplings can be made days ahead and stored in the freezer.

In Lebanese cuisine, you don’t use a garlic press or chop the garlic; use a wooden mortar and pestle instead. It makes a paste out of the garlic. Add some olive oil to a high-walled pan and then lightly saute the garlic paste with cilantro. (The garlic can also be pulverized with the flat of your knife on a sturdy cutting board, just simply press the blade onto peeled garlic and smear across the board.)

Reduce the stovetop to low heat and mix the aromatics in the oil with Greek-style yogurt and whisk in one large egg to make the sauce. Season to taste. Add a bit of water if you prefer a thinner sauce. This can simmer on low while you prepare the dumplings.

Put a small ball of the ground meat in the middle of a wonton wrapper and fold it into your desired shape: a crescent moon is a popular starting point. Make sure the dumpling’s contents are sealed inside with no tears. Add to a salted pot of boiling water. It’s better to err on the al dente side, since the dumplings will continue to cook when added to the yogurt sauce.

Once the dumplings have achieved their desired texture, you can add them to the sauce on a low simmer. To plate, this dish is best served with an extra glug of olive oil on top with a garnish of parsley and a shake of red pepper flake.

TO DRINK: Pair with a strong Persian black tea with a few sprigs of dried sage and sweetened with rock candy sugar cubes.

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Takah and sanya khuna are best served cold alongside basmati rice, cauliflower, marinated spinach or mustard greens and a potato dish.

really flavorful savory dishes. It’s layers of flavor. You always start with garlic and aromatics. Spices are really important, which is one of the reasons why my dad started a spice store.” — Kate Zaidan

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STUFF TO DO Ongoing

ATTRACTIONS: WinterFest Kings Island, Mason (through Dec. 31) Festival of Lights Cincinnati Zoo, Avondale (through Jan. 4) Antique Christmas Taft Museum of Art, Downtown (through Jan. 5) A Zinzinnati Holiday Krohn Conservatory, Mount Adams (through Jan. 5)

WEDNESDAY 11

MUSIC: The Get Up Kids bring Emo/Pop Punk to the Southgate House Revival.

See Sound Advice on page 54.

ONSTAGE: Know Theatre presents the hilarious tongue-in-cheek Puffs, or seven increasingly eventful years at a certain school of magic and magic, a wizarding world tale about a house of magical doofuses and a hopeful hero. See review on page 42.

P H O T O : J U L I E TA C E R V A N T E S

Dwight, or as Jim dressing up as Dwight, or just want to enjoy the party, attendees can enter the Grand Prize Sweepstakes, where the winner will be awarded a trip for two to Los Angeles.”

No word if Scrantonicity II — Kevin’s kick-ass Police cover band — will perform, but one can always dream.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11. $15; $29.99 for admission and a Dundie; $39.99 for admission, a Dundie and a goodie bag. Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.

— MIKE BREEN ONSTAGE: Hello, Dolly!

Touted as a must-see revival of the original 1964 musical of the same name, Hello, Dolly! is a four-time Tony Award winner that lives up to its predecessor. Based on the book by Michael Stewart and paying tribute to the original choreography

by Gower Champion, Hello, Dolly! tells the story of sassy, strong-willed matchmaker and widow Dolly Gallagher

Levi as she tries to find a mate for a wealthy Yonkers grump. Famously starring Carol Channing on Broadway and Barbra Streisand in the film of the same name, it’s a romantic rollick that Rolling Stone magazine calls “a musical comedy dream.” Through Dec. 15.

Tickets start at $30. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts. org. — CAMERON BYERS ATTRACTION: The Christmas Ranch Take a drive up to Morrow to visit the Christmas Ranch, a winter wonderland that features one million lights synchronized to music.

Drive along an animated, illuminated route or park the car to visit the Christmas village with seven shops, a bakery and café, train and wagon rides and a toy factory. A portion of proceeds benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Little Miami Food Pantry, Neediest Kids of All and Shriners Hospital

for Children. Through Dec. 23. $20 per carload. 3205 S. Waynesville Road, Morrow, thechristmasranch.com.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

THURSDAY 12

ONSTAGE: 2 Pianos, 4 Hands is an entertaining tale of piano playing and acting at the Playhouse in the Park.

See review on page 43.

MUSIC: Renowned pianist George Winston heads to the Ludlow Garage. See Sound Advice on page 54.

MUSIC: AltMetal trio Chevelle play Bogart’s. See Sound Advice on page 55.

FILM: Fantastic Fungi: The Magic Beneath Us Portobello, cremini, shiitake — there are hundreds more mighty mushroom varieties than these, and they’re capable of greater feats than simply adding umami to your dinner plate. Connected to every earth-bound organism through a vast underground network, the humble ‘shroom has the power to

feed, medicate, solve ecological problems and alter human consciousness itself.

Narrated by Brie Larson (yes, that Brie), Fungi: The Magic Beneath Us unveils the wonders of fungi’s unbound potential with the aid of expert mycologists, farmers, physicians, ecologists and writers. If nothing else, go for director Louie Schwartzberg’s stunning time-lapse cinematography of alienesque fungi emerging from forest floors in bursts of technicolor and texture. 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12; 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29. $10.25 adult; $7.75 senior/child. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.

— MORGAN ZUMBIEL EVENT: Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Surprise: There’s a gender gap in Wikipedia content.

But international campaign Art+Feminism is out to close that divide via events like the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon, which aims to “improve

content on women and the arts on Wikipedia, and to encourage women to participate in the online encyclopedia,” says an event description. Bring a laptop to the Cincinnati Art Museum — and ideas for Wikipedia entries that need to be updated or created, if you have them — and listen to a brief tutorial on how to update posts before you begin. All gender identities and expressions are encouraged to participate. It’s also a perfect time to check out the museum’s current Women Breaking Boundaries, which displays works from the permanent collection created by females from the 17th century to modern times — including Georgia O’Keeffe, Mary Cassatt and Chiyo Mitsuhisa — and encourages visitors to “think critically about gender, representation, and diversity and how that translates to the museum’s collecting practices and gallery CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 4

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EVENT: Scrantonicity Is your office having a “Secret Santa” this year?

Instead of a nutcracker or a teapot (unless it’s for your crush), you can say “Happy birthday, Jesus” and blow your co-worker’s mind by giving them tickets to “Scrantonicity,” a The Officethemed holiday party/trivia night at the Ludlow Garage.

The Dunder Mifflin-style shindig promises Office trivia, Office-inspired cocktails, stand-up comedians and a DJ. They’ll also have their very own Dunder Mifflin Office Olympics and a special Dundie Awards ceremony, where you can “win” your very own Dundie (by paying a little more for your ticket, which really puts into question the integrity of the whole Dundie awards process). There will also be games and an Office costume contest with a pretty sweet prize. According to the event description: “Whether you dress up as

The cast of Hello, Dolly! (2018)

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SATURDAY 14

EVENT: Mount Adams Reindog Parade Is your canine imbued with the Christmas spirit? Dress your pet in their finest and most creative holiday gear to participate in the 30th-annual Mount Adams Reindog Parade. The festive procession features dressed-up dogs competing in multiple categories including best small dog costume, best large dog costume and best dog/ owner look alike. Prizes will be awarded for the top looks. 12:30 p.m. registration Dec. 14; parade begins at 2 p.m. There is a suggested donation to the SPCA to register. 1055 Saint Paul Place, Mount Adams, spcacincinnati.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

off your Christmas list. On Friday, Dec. 13, there’s also an Ugly Sweater Party from 7-10 p.m. Wear your best worst sweater around the ice rink while a DJ spins tunes.

Bring a gently used coat to donate to a coat drive for free skate rental (usually $4).

4-9 p.m. Fridays; noon-9 p.m. Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 22. Free; ice skating is $6 admission. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare. com. — CAMERON BYERS PHOTO: EMERSON SWOGER

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installations,” says the CAM. A gallery map highlighting works by women artists and works with strong female subjects is available at the museum entrance. Women Breaking Boundaries is part of ArtsWave’s Power of Her initiative and is on view through April 12, 2020.

6-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12.

Free; RSVP not required.

Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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COMEDY: Jon Reep Long before he scored top prize on Last Comic Standing, Jon Reep was just a redneck from tiny Hickory, North Carolina, which the locals call “the furniture capital of the world.” “(And that’s) not including all the stuff on the front porches,” says Reep.

“Even our one homeless guy has a nice living room set.” As a broadcasting major at North Carolina State, Reep stumbled into comedy in the stands at a Carolina Panthers game.

During timeouts, his dancing attracted the team’s mascot, who coaxed him on to the field to boogie in front of

fans. Their cheers turned to boos when the cops hauled him out of the stadium.

These days, Reep still feeds off his Southern roots when he talks about topics he knows best: beer, football and growing up in rural America. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12; 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 13; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. $12$45. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty.funnybone. com. — P.F. WILSON EVENT: House Party at the Taft The Taft Museum of Art is hosting an after-hours house party with a celebration theme. Partnering with the Cincinnati Young Black Professionals group, expect ornament and card crafting, hot spiked apple cider and a cash bar, a preview of the Taft’s Journey to Freedom: Art Quilts by Cynthia Lockhart and access to Antique Christmas. Journey to Freedom: Art Quilts by Cynthia Lockhart features colorful fiber art and textile creations that “encourages people to more deeply understand the diversity of people, cultures, and beauty in the world around them,” says the museum. 5-8 p.m. Thursday,

Dec. 12. Free admission.

Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum. org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

FRIDAY 13

ONSTAGE: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s high-octane holiday romp Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) is back onstage with your favorite festive characters and a boozy Santa.

The comic tale begins with a production of A Christmas Carol before spiraling into “beloved holiday classics,” which are retold with irreverent wit. The cast sends up the likes of It’s a Wonderful Life, Frosty, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more. It’s a jolly 100-minute jaunt, but Cincy Shakes does warn the show is not for “any theatergoer who still believes in Santa.” Through Dec. 29.

Tickets start at $30. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-theRhine, cincyshakes.com.

— MAIJA ZUMMO SPORTS: Cincinnati Cyclones Star Wars Weekend May the force be with the Cyclones this weekend as they pay tribute to the 20th

anniversary of Episode I The Phantom Menace (hopefully sans Jar Jar Binks). The team will be wearing special Star Wars jerseys on Friday (vs. the Kalamazoo Wings) and Saturday (vs. the Toledo Walleye), which will be auctioned off after Saturday’s game. Friday also happens to be 513 Friday, with $5 craft beers, $1 sodas and $3 cheeseburgers. Find humans dressed like Star Wars characters for photo ops. You can also purchase a four-pack family ticket deal which includes four lightsabers ($77 total). 7:30 p.m. puck drop Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Ticket start at $18. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, cycloneshockey.com. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: Winter Market at Fountain Square and Ugly Sweater Party Eat, drink and be merry at the Winter Market on Fountain Square. With a changing list of vendors, shop for holiday gifts in the heart of Cincinnati while snacking on food and beverages (even alcoholic ones). To work off the calories, ice skate at Fountain Square’s ice rink.

When you’re tired, visit the artist huts and cross items

EVENT: Holiday Pops Featuring Megan Hilty Broadway and TV star Megan Hilty (Wicked, Smash) hits the Music Hall stage with the Cincinnati Pops for an evening of classic Christmas tunes. There will be favorite holiday songs, supported by characters in costume, choirs and even Santa himself. 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14; 2 and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 15. Tickets start at $25 for adults and $15 kids. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatisymphony.org.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

SATURDAY 14

MUSIC: Rock quartet The Messthetics play MOTR Pub. See Sound Advice on page 55.

EVENT: The Cincinnati Art Book Fair takes over The Carnegie with zines, participatory performances, art books and more. See feature on page 41.

EVENT: Krampus visits West Side Brewing to celebrate the release of their Krampus Kandy Beer. See an interview with Krampuslauf Zinzinnati on page 25.

FILM: A Christmas Story Interactive Event The Esquire Theatre (and its sister theaters in Mariemont

and Kenwood) came up with the brilliant idea this year of hosting screenings of holiday movie classics that are on TV 24/7 during the season. How is that brilliant?

Because the screenings are “interactive events,” where hardcore fans of the flicks can participate in sing-alongs, yell out memorable lines in unison, dress up and enjoy some specialty concessions. They’re like those midnight Rocky Horror screenings, but more family friendly, with less fishnets and more mistletoe. A few of the screenings may be sold out in advance — the Elf one sold out especially quickly — so be sure to check the theaters’ websites before getting all dressed up and heading out. As of press time there were still tickets available for interactive screenings of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and, our recommendation, A Christmas Story. Start practicing your timing now. Say it with me: “Stuck… stuck…

STUCK. STUCK. STUCK! STUUCCK! STUUCCCK!” 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. $12.

Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre. com. — MIKE BREEN EVENT: Cincinnati SantaCon Ho, ho, ho. The annual hibernal holiday pub crawl (or horror show, depending on whether or not you appreciate 10,000 drunk Santas on the streets) known as Cincinnati SantaCon is back — and it’s bigger than ever.

Last year, those dressed like Santa and other Christmasy characters met at the “North Pole” and embarked on a costumed group pub crawl around downtown Cincinnati and Over-theRhine. This year, drinking destinations in Northside, Covington and Mount Adams have joined in the

fray. (Note: Other years have also included stops in Mount Adams, just not last year.) More than 50 venues across the area are participating. Registration gets you a SantaCon wristband, an itinerary with official bar stops, access to food and drink deals and entry into a raffle. It also includes a donation to benefit The Cure Starts Now. If you feel like you’re ready to don a red suit and imbibe a night’s worth of milk and cookies surrounded by up to 10,000 Santas, check out a tip sheet online for how to be your best Santa with lyrics to songs the group will be singing. Remember, this is about the holiday spirit, so don’t drink and drive and don’t be a dick and mess with cops, kids, security or other Santas. Noon-midnight Saturday, Dec. 14. $15. Pick up your wristband at JACK Casino, 1000 Broadway St., Pendleton, cincinnatisantacon. com. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: Ugly Sweater & Reindeer Games Pub Crawl Head to Covington for an ugly sweater-themed interactive pub crawl. Don your worst holiday outfit for fun and games (and prizes) at stops including Parlor on Seventh, Hotel Covington, the Hannaford, Rich’s Proper Food & Drink and Braxton Brewing Co. There will be games at each bar and a chance to win prizes.

7 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Dec. 14. Free admission. The Hannaford, 619 Madison Ave., Covington, facebook.com/thehannaford.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

EVENT: Market Bleu Head to the Contemporary Arts Center to peruse fine arts and crafts at this quarterly night market.

Market Bleu features a hand-selected collection of local and regional artisans from cities like Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington and Virginia. Grab a drink from the CAC bar while you shop.

6-10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.

Free admission. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, marketbleu. com. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: City Flea Holiday Flea City Flea turns Washington Park into one big shopping cart with local makers, crafters and artisans plus festive refreshments. It’s a great place to do last-minute shopping or pick up something for yourself if you’ve been good this year. 4-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Free admission.

Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com. — LIZ DAVIS

SUNDAY 15

EVENT: Sugar Plum Fairies Drag Brunch The queens get festive this holiday brunch. Naughty and nice sugar plum fairies will be stomping it out in this seasonally inspired drag show and brunch featuring family-style dining and

Amaya Sexton. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. $35 per person; includes brunch, a show and a welcome mimosa. Metropole, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, metropoleonwalnut.com.

— MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: Art on Vine Support local vendors at Art on Vine at Rhinegeist. Enjoy fine arts and homemade goods from more than 70 regional artists. If you work up an appetite perusing the art and meeting the artists, try some food brought to you by downstairs bistro Sarte OTR. Noon-7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 15. Free admission. Rhinegeist,1910 Elm St., Over-theRhine, artonvinecincy.com.

— CAMERON BYERS

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE ‘DON’T MISS’ EVENTS

JAN. 25

WEDNESDAY 18

MUSIC: Mannequin Pussy brings a roller-coaster ride of emotions to Woodward Theater. See Sound Advice on page 49.

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THE PHOENI X

THURSDAY 19

FILM: The Mini Microcinema’s Holiday/ Closing Party Celebration After over three years at its current Main Street location, The Mini Microcinema announced earlier this fall that it would be closing at the end of December. An

MAR. 25

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P H O T O : P R O V I D E D B Y T H E C I N C I N N AT I A R T M U S E U M

APR. 20-26

SATURDAY 14 The Voice of Black Cincinnati brings Black Santa Claus to the Cincinnati Art Museum. He will be on hand to greet children of all ages, listen to their Christmas wishes and have pictures taken.

1-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

MAY

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT CITYBEAT.COM

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EVENT: Cincinnati Black Santa Claus

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VOTE FOR ME!

THURSDAY 19

PHOTO: PETER MUELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

DANCE: The Nutcracker A favorite family tradition is back onstage at Music Hall as the Cincinnati Ballet presents their annual rendition of The Nutcracker. It’s Christmas Eve, and Clara and her nutcracker prince must wage war against an evil mouse king and journey to the Land of Sweets, where a Sugar Plum Fairy and dancing delicacies from around the globe celebrate Clara’s bravery.

Choregraphed by the ballet’s artistic director, Victoria Morgan, the imaginative two-act event features swirling snowflakes, Tchaikovsky’s iconic score played by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and an appearance by the ever-graceful Fiona the hippo, in her tutu. Through Dec. 29. $29-$125. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cballet.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

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BEST OF CINCINNATI 2020

experimental, independent and local film hub, it has given a space for filmmakers — especially in the local scene — working outside of the mainstream to share their work. Celebrate that work with The Mini family on Thursday, Dec. 19 at the nonprofit’s closing party celebration. Though its future schedule is uncertain, founder C. Jacqueline Wood hopes that, even without a physical home, the organization will be able to host pop-up events and screenings. “At the end of December, we will have held more than 391 screenings in our 4+ year history,” reads a release. “Pretty good for a scrappy volunteer-run organization!” Cheers to The Mini Microcinema; you’ve served Cincy well. 7-10 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 19. Free. The Mini Microcinema, 1329 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, mini-cinema.org. — MACKENZIE MANLEY COMEDY: Tammy Pescatelli Though she’s on the road a lot, headlining clubs and theaters across the country, Tammy Pescatelli still makes it back to her home state of

Ohio every now and then. “I don’t make it back to work as often as I’d like, but I’m there,” says the Perry, Ohio native. She’s still a Midwestern gal at heart. “In the words of Madonna, ‘I don’t compromise my artistic integrity.’ The audience will find you. I will talk about local things if I know (about them). There’s no way I could go to Ohio and not talk about the Browns, Indians, Buckeyes, Reds and Bengals. You can’t not do that, because that plays such a big role in Ohio life.” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $15-$45. Liberty Funny Bone, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township, liberty. funnybone.com. — P.F. WILSON MUSIC: 10,000 Maniacs Formed in 1981 in Western New York, 10,000 Maniacs emerged from the same College Rock scene that had pushed bands like R.E.M. — who they’d tour, collaborate and become friends with — into superstardom. With a breezy, earthy mix of Folk and Pop, the group’s breakthrough

came with their second major-label album, 1987’s In My Tribe, and they’d reached the peak of their popularity in 1992 with Our Time In Eden. The band’s 1993 MTV Unplugged album was also massively successful, but just prior to the release, Natalie Merchant — the face and voice of the band — decided to leave for a solo career.

The remaining members quickly enlisted vocalist (and violinist) Mary Ramsey, who has been a part of 10,000 Maniacs — on and off — ever since. Ramsey and longtime core members Dennis Drew (keyboards), Steven Gustafson (bass), John Lombardo (guitar) and Jerome Augustyniak (drums) have kept the Maniacs alive as a popular touring act, releasing various albums, EPs and live recordings, including 2016’s Playing Favorites. In 2015 they released Twice Told Tales, an album of traditional British Folk songs. 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19. $35-$65. Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.

— MIKE BREEN

PI NTT S NI G H

JOIN US FOR PINT NIGHT

Every Friday at Eastagate & Fairfield

P H O T O : F A C E B O O K . C O M / E G G N O G J O G M TA D A M S

SATURDAY 21

EVENT: Mount Adams’ Egg Nog Jog There may be nothing you want to do less after drinking egg nog than jog but thankfully gulping the creamy yuletide drink is not a requirement for this race — despite the name.

The 28th-annual Egg Nog Jog takes festive runners through the frigid and scenic streets of Mount Adams and Eden Park. It’s a winding and hilly courses which offers great city views. 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 21. $27. Chapter Mount Adams, 940 Pavilion St., Mount Adams, facebook.com/eggnogjogmtadams. — MAIJA ZUMMO

FRIDAY 20

SATURDAY 21

MUSIC: Merry Spliffmas with Afroman Hip Hop cult hero Afroman returns to host and

headline another “Merry Spliffmas” concert. The L.A. native singer/rapper/ multi-instrumentalist broke through in a big way in 2001 with “Because I Got High,” a c’est-la-vie tale of stoner’s remorse that became a cultural phenomenon, earning slots on soundtracks like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and garnering Afroman a Grammy nomination and a short-lived major label record deal.

While he’s never enjoyed that level of success since, Afroman’s funny songs, diverse sound and pothead persona have enabled him to maintain a steady career touring and self-releasing music. Afroman has previously done Spliffmas shows at Newport’s Thompson House, but this year he’ll be throwing down at Riverfront Live featuring a lineup loaded with area Rap and Rock acts, including See You In The Funnies, Toybox Killer, Lazy Ass Destroyer and Mike Defendant + Katrina Jo. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. $10. Riverfront Live, 4343 Kellogg Ave., Columbia Tusculum, riverfrontlivecincy. com. — MIKE BREEN

ER

BREW

EVENT: Winter Solstice Celebrations at Union Terminal Honor the winter solstice, lunar new year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas at Union Terminal. There will be hands-on activities to explore holiday traditions around the world. Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. Free members; included with Discovery Ticket. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, facebook.com/cincymuseum. — MAIJA ZUMMO

TUESDAY 24

EVENT: Latkapalooza Head to Braxton Brewing Co. on Christmas Eve for a fullblown party hosted by the Mayerson JCC and the Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Division. There will be drinks, a DJ and dreidels, plus a cash bar, Kosher eats and a menorah lighting. The night before (5-6:30 p.m. Dec. 23), the Mayerson hosts a Lots o’ Latkes Hanukkah party featuring a latke bar, music andmore. 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Dec. 24. Free admission.

Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, facebook.com/mayerson.jcc.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

Junglejims.com

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FILM: Gremlins and Gremlins 2 Catch a double feature of Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch at the Esquire. It’s Christmastime and Billy gets a new fuzzy pet, Gizmo — an adorable mogwai — who comes with three very important rules: don’t get him wet, don’t feed him after midnight and don’t expose him to bright light. After breaking more than one of those, he unleashes a bunch of mischievous monsters on an unsuspecting small town. Things take a turn in Gremlins 2, when Gizmo has been taken by scientists.

Skyscrapers, building sprinklers, genetic serums and food courts lead to an entire anarchic gremlin army. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 2 p.m. Dec. 21; Gremlins 2: The New Batch 10 p.m.

Dec. 20 and 4:20 p.m. Dec. 21. $10.25 adults; $7.75 seniors and kids. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

ING ROTAT ED R FEATU IES

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ARTS & CULTURE

Roebling Point Books & Coffee Thinks About Expansion The beloved community coffeeshop and bookstore keeps its historic location and looks to the future after almost having to shut its doors

Richard Hunt, owner of Roebling Point Books & Coffee P H O T O : K AT I E G R I F F I T H

BY K AT I E G R I FFI T H

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between Hunt and Urban Sites promises a future for Roebling Point. A five-year lease is in the works with a monthly bill that the store can foot; specific numbers were not shared by Hunt or Urban sites.

“The growing popularity of the area means we’d have no problem renting that space at market rate,” says Greg Olson, CEO of Urban Sites, in an email. “But looking for an arrangement to extend our relationship with Roebling was our first course of action and we’re glad that’s the course we took. More importantly, we believe Roebling’s loyal customers are glad we did it, too.”

Because the shop is involved in and supported by the community, Roebling Point was challenged but not overwhelmed by the rent increase. Hunt sits on the board of institutions Keep Covington Beautiful and Renaissance Covington; the shop also provides free community meeting space.

Hunt and employees also participate in cleanups and giveback programs like Adopt-a-Spot.

“It’s the question of the moment,” Hunt says. “When big, new buildings come in it becomes something you can’t look around.

But I’d like to think that it cannot overwhelm what’s already in place.”

Hunt says he didn’t want to be a lever when it comes to increased rent. He feared that even if Roebling Point was able to pay the new price, it might be used against other small businesses in the neighborhood.

“I thought, I just can’t cave,” he says. “I don’t want to be the example that’s pointed to and be the first to fall.”

It’s a win for Hunt and the community, which is responsible for Roebling Point’s ability to survive.

When Adventure Keen Publishing moved from Walnut Hills to Covington in 2009, Hunt, president of the publishing company, noticed residents peering through the windows, curious about the space. The building, which once housed Kenton County Legal Aid and is said to have been the office of John A. Roebling, already had a local celebrity aura.

“We noticed this interest right away and thought maybe it’s time (Adventure Keen works) in the offices on the second floor and evolves into the bookstore (on the first),” Hunt says.

Roebling Point has created its niche by providing fair-trade, organic coffee in addition to books and by sharing profound quotes on the chalkboards on the building’s exterior. Multiple rooms house a customer-influenced book inventory.

Fiction and non-fiction works rest among local authors, poetry, children’s books and a handful of classics.

“We are not best-seller driven,” Hunt says.

“You can get those books a lot of different places; here we try to look at the books that maybe people have always meant to read.”

Before the stress of these past months, Hunt notes Roebling Point rarely faced adversity. Lack of parking and reliable WiFi

are minuscule problems comparatively.

Luckily, he and the shop are resurfacing with pride and even ideas of expansion.

When the possibility of having to move or close loomed, the search for a new home was afoot and multiple individuals reached out to Hunt with requests for Roebling Point to relocate to their neighborhoods. Dayton, Kentucky and North College Hill are some candidates for where another Roebling Point could thrive and maybe become employee-share-owned, Hunt says.

Chas Brannen is a member of the selfappointed Roebling Point “salon,” a group of locals who convene each morning in the store’s main room. They banded over four years ago and the six-plus members would be lost without the physical hub to gather.

“It’s extraordinary what (Roebling Point) means to the community,” Brannen says. “And it’s all a result of Richard Hunt’s personality, his drive, his dreams.

Look around. We are sitting in old chairs drinking coffee and there’s a dog hunkered down over there.”

Naturally, residents and patrons want to know what’s next for Roebling Point.

For now, the almost decade-old bookstore and coffeeshop is being rewarded with continual business and the possibility of a second “third place.”

Roebling Point Books & Coffee is located at 306 Greenup St., Covington. More info: facebook.com/ roeblingpointbooksandcoffee.

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t’s 7:30 a.m. Gray November clouds slink outside and a biting wind blows through the front door, briefly upsetting the cozy warmth of Roebling Point Books & Coffee. Bits of red and yellow leaves sneak in just before a mailwoman enters.

“I just came in to hang out before work,” she says. “I’m already caffeinated.”

It’s rush hour on Greenup Street in Covington and inside Roebling Point; the front door might as well be a revolving one. Barista Brea McConnal greets the mailwoman, saying with a smile, “No problem. That’s Elvis,” nodding toward a wiry-haired dog who welcomes almost every customer with an adorable underbite and quick sniff. “He will assist you.”

For some, the 10-year-old shop is a part of their morning rush. For others, it’s a part of their morning slow-down or “third place,” as owner Richard Hunt says. “You have work and home and then the other place you go to,” he says.

Either way it’s ingrained in most patron’s routines, ones they feared might need to be refigured when Roebling Point was recently challenged with a new, highly demanding rent.

“Covington is becoming hot,” Hunt says.

“We had a great rent and what they wanted to move to is called a ‘market rent.’ It’s one of those things we can’t do.”

Hunt says his lease with real estate developer Urban Sites dates back to 2015.

It was a lasting and affordable relationship until November, when Hunt says he received a letter stating a new payment amount four times more than what he’d been paying. Roebling announced it would have to close shop by year’s end — though that’s no longer the case.

For now, a non-binding letter of intent

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CULTURE

The Cincinnati Art Book Fair Keeps Growing

The 2018 Cincinnati Art Book Fair at The Carnegie PHOTO:COURTESY C I N C I N N AT I A R T B O O K F A I R

Since its inaugural run in 2017, the small press and art book fair has increased its attendance and programming

BY L I L L I A N C U R R E N S

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celebration of art books, zines and small presses in December 2017. For all their lastcelebration of art books, zines and small presses in December 2017. For all their last-minute work, the fair was a hit.

The initial turnout had the group looking for a larger space. Rosenberg and Steele had just shown work at The Carnegie in Covington and, according to Mace, the idea to use the building came up when they were searching for a new home.

The Carnegie’s Exhibitions Director Matt Distel offered up the space for their summer 2018 fair, allowing more room for performances and readings, including a participatory performance in which vendors and visitors collaborated on a zine with artist Jessica Caponigro that was later set on fire in an alley.

This will be the fair’s second year at The Carnegie, and Mace and Steele expect big things (Rosenberg has since moved to Pittsburgh). The two are especially excited for this year’s satellite programming, which will include an opening on Friday, Dec. 13 at downtown’s 21c Museum Hotel.

The exhibition from Baltimore-based graphic designer Jerome Harris is titled As, Not For: Dethroning Our Absolutes; an artist talk is slated for 6 p.m.

Harris’ work explores the absence of African-Americans from graphic design’s often-taught history, and the exhibit will feature printed ephemera from the last century. “(It) will be extremely provocative in thinking about the politics of graphic design and the politics of the visual marketplace,” Steele says.

Miller & Shellabarger — married artist collaborators — will also be exhibiting their performance piece, “Untitled (Pink Tube),” that Friday at the Contemporary Arts Center from 2 to 4 p.m., with an additional performance from 6 to 9 p.m. at the 21c.

In addition to the fair, The Carnegie will present curated exhibitions in the upstairs galleries, including one from Cincinnati nonprofit Visionaries & Voices titled V3:Visionaries + Voices + Volume, in which attendees will be able to slip on white gloves and handle artists’ work.

Nathaniel Parsons: Souvenirs from Camp Wanderfall will also be on display and is presented by The Progressive Corporation, which has been acquiring (and exhibiting) contemporary art since 1974. Pitymilk, a small press from Milwaukee, will organize readings on Sunday. The lineup isn’t yet pinned down, but attendees can come see a variety of writers perform their work at 1 and 3 p.m. both days.

Of course, there will be art books, publications, prints and zines — and lots of them. Attendees can interact with (and purchase from) dealers, small presses and artists on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Entry to the fair itself is free.

The Cincinnati Art Book Fair isn’t the only fair of its kind to call the city home.

Cincinnati’s art book and zine scene has seemingly exploded in recent years. The founders of the small press Zinecinnati, Tom and Lauren Boeing, have been hard at work organizing a drink and draw, a 24-hour comic event and a fair of their own after noticing how many Cincinnati artists

they would see at out-of-town shows.

The Cincinnati Art Book Fair was already planting its roots, but as Lauren puts it, “it was clear there was enough local demand to add another local show.”

A unique aspect of zines and art books is the approachability of the medium, and Lauren urges those who might want to get in on the action but don’t know where to start or feel short on inspiration to come out to the Cincinnati Art Book Fair.

“There is no rule book,” she says. The two will be tabling this year, with Tom showcasing some of his semi-autobiographical comics and Lauren bringing copies of her zine series Kimchi Babe.

For many, the printed object is a way to make artwork accessible to all types of people, not just collectors. With a zine or an art book, the work is usually affordable and portable.

“They don’t require you to go someplace special,” Mace says. “They can be part of your everyday life.”

He says he likes the personal aspect, while Steele adds that the medium can be a “different way of experiencing how artists think and many times (is) more immediate.”

What better way to support local artists and wow your loved ones with the gift of contemporary art this holiday season than with a trip to the Cincinnati Art Book Fair?

It’s a win-win.

The Cincinnati Art Book Fair takes place noon-5 p.m. Dec. 14-15 at The Carnegie (1028 Scott Blvd., Covington). More info: cincinnatiartbookfair.com.

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n 2017 Rebecca Steele and Lydia Rosenberg had just moved back to Cincinnati from Portland, Oregon. As artists with roots in the Queen City, they had been given the opportunity to set up a gallery and event space on the first floor of the Hoffner Lodge in Northside, which they dubbed Anytime Dept.

“I didn’t know many people when I moved back to Cincinnati,” Steele says, “and art projects seemed like one of the better ways to meet people and hang out.”

It was through one of these early meetings with fellow artist, designer and zine-aficionado Kyle Mace that the Cincinnati Art Book Fair was born.

Mace was already curating Torn Light Records’ book section and working on Limited Press, a regional zine and small press publication fair he started organizing in 2016, when he met with Steele and Rosenberg at a Mexican spot in Clifton.

The three discussed their interest in creating an event similar to book fairs they had attended in larger cities.

“It already felt like a natural partnership,” he says.

Steele adds the initial planning around the event wasn’t particularly strategic.

“Lydia, Kyle and I just thought we’d have access to the space, let’s see if this will work, if it will be fun and if people will like it.”

That’s how the first year of the Cincinnati Art Book Fair came to be. The trio knew Hoffner Lodge’s upstairs room — a high-ceilinged event space with an old wooden stage and big, bright windows — would be a perfect setting for artists to come together, collaborate and sell their work. That inaugural year, the three scrambled to get the fair together in just a few weeks. They contacted friends, artists, dealers and professors they knew to showcase their work during a two-day

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ONSTAGE

‘Puffs’ is a Farcical Wizarding Underdog Tale R E V I E W BY S E A N M . PE T ER S

CRITIC’S PICK

Magic is real and growing up is just as wizarding adventures does significantly awkward for teenage wizards as it is lend to the experience, as major segments for muggles: that’s what we learn in the that may have taken hundreds of pages to hilarious play Puffs, or seven increasingly unfold are mentioned only in passing for eventful years at a certain school of magic the sake of a punchline. and magic. Fans of a particular British boy Wayne wants to be the hero in a story wizard whose adventures first captivated that’s already been assigned one, a fact international readers and moviegoers that weighs heavily on our main characaround the turn of the 21st century would ter. Dudley, with a deep understanding of do well to catch Know Theatre’s perforcomedic contrast, plays Wayne straight mance of this delightfully farcical comedy. in order to complement the often wacky The show begins with an introduction by the narrator (Merritt Beischel), who finds herself somewhat baffled at having to condense the exploits of seven strange magical years into a show that’s about 120 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission). Nevertheless, she persists and introduces us to the main story. Regular addendums by Beischel’s narration bookend each scene.

Wayne Hopkins (Ben Dudley) learns he is bound for magic school. There, a The cast of Puffs talking hat separates the PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY students into four different houses: Braves, Smarts, Snakes and Puffs. It is in the Puffs’ house performances of his supporting cast — where Wayne meets his new best friends: special credit to Maggie Cramer, Brianna the mathematical savant Oliver Rivers Bernard and Chris Wesselman for adding a (Brandon Burton), who can’t quite get a stupendous amount of charisma and levity grip on magic, and Megan Jones (Maliyah to the production.

Gramata-Jones), an angry young lady who While this play was written with a feels she’s been misplaced in the Puffs due particular wizard’s exploits in mind, to her being the daughter of a notorious it serves as an excellent standalone “Death Buddy” that supported the most performance with heart and joy all its evil wizard from Snakes house, Mr. Voldy own. As the show’s producing artistic (Andrew Ian Adams). director Andrew Hungerford says in the While the other houses are celebrated playbill, “Puffs builds on a long tradition for their courage, intelligence or cunning, of transforming stories that we know the Puffs are a collection of magical and love in order to look at them from a doofuses and pushovers with an affinity different angle.” In this case, we’re seeing a for snacks and early bedtime. Guided by hero’s journey through the underdog’s eye.

Cedric (also played by Andrew Ian Adams), Puffs moves chronologically from the the one Puff who seems to really have students’ first year to the final days in their potential in the eyes of other houses, the magic school. All of the major events you’d Puffs aim high and challenge themselves expect to see are likely covered, but never to achieve mediocrity. in the same way you might have expeThe new trio of Puff pals attend magic rienced before. If you’re the kind of fan school the same years as that famous who absorbs the source material with any wizard boy (played with tongue gleefully regularity, you’ll find yourself absolutely in cheek by Jordan Trovillion). The show enchanted by playwright Matt Cox’s attenonly refers to the bespectacled wizard as tion to detail concerning small references.

Harry, as it seems Harry is now he-whoPuffs is the perfect excuse to marathon must-not-be-fully-named in order for the all eight films of a certain franchise with show to avoid lawsuits. your family and friends this holiday season.

Puffs simultaneously celebrates and Life’s weird enough without magic and, as lampoons its source material with the Puffs demonstrates, it only gets weirder kind of amicable confrontation reserved when wizards are left in charge. for a childhood friend with whom you Know Theatre’s Puffs is onstage through affectionately trade beratements.

Dec. 21. For more info/tickets, You don’t have to be a diehard Pottervisit knowtheatre.com. head to enjoy what’s happening on the stage, but having seen or read the original

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

D E C . 11- 2 4 , 2 0 19

NOV. 9, 2019 – JAN. 5, 2020

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ONSTAGE

‘2 Pianos, 4 Hands’ Shows Stunning Skills R E V I E W BY R I C K PEN D ER

Being an accomplished professional actor is one thing. Being a Classical musician is another. But being both? It’s hard to imagine.

You don’t have to imagine — you can witness not one but two such performers onstage at the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre through the holidays: Jefferson McDonald and Matthew McGloin are showcasing their piano-playing chops as well as their diverse acting skills in a production of Ted Dykstra’s and Richard Greenblatt’s 2 Pianos, 4 Hands. Staged by Tom Frey (whose own résumé includes playing both roles as well as directing 18 past productions of the show), this is one breathtaking evening.

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fuller spectrum of life.

Along the way, the actor/musicians show off astonishing skills at the pair of Steinway pianos placed in the center of the theater. The opening moments have them performing a movement from a Bach concerto for two pianos that goes painfully (and comically) off track. This leads them back in time to childhood piano lessons with lively teachers and exacting parents and later to adolescent attempts at showy performances.

While their principal endeavors involve Classical pieces by Mozart, Chopin, Grieg and others, there are several delightful distractions into Pop tunes from Hoagy Carmichael’s “Heart and Soul” to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” McGloin and McDonald masterfully ping-pong from inept to accomplished and back again, showing the full range of talent and expectations that young performers need.

The production is played with the audience on all four sides of Steve Lucas’s simple scenic design.

Temporary seating for 24 has been installed in the area that’s usually the rear of the Shelterhouse stage. The pair of unlidded pianos sit on a blond Jefferson McDonald and Matthew McGloin in 2 Pianos, 4 Hands wooden floor positioned so the performers can face PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY one another; James Sale’s lighting design uses both Dykstra and Greenblatt were promising shadows and pools of light to convey mood. young musicians in the early 1990s who It’s possible to imagine that this show aspired to Classical musical stardom. But could be more concise; it’s performed in their aspirations did not quite move them two 60-minute acts. Some of the scenes to the pinnacle of such careers. Instead, become a bit repetitive and could be they created this show to chronicle their condensed. But it is entertaining moment paths from young, not terribly enthusiastic to moment, and it does cover an arc of students to hardworking talents who tried experience that is relatable regardless hard but didn’t quite make it. McDonof the accomplishments you might have ald portrays Ted as beefy and rumpled; dreamed of as a young person imaginMcGloin is a slight, precise Richard. ing what you might become. (In fact, the But they don’t stop there: They take Shelterhouse lobby has a white board invitturns portraying one another’s colorful ing Post-it mentions of what theatergoers and demanding teachers, overbearing parimagined they’d be when they grew up.) ents and arrogant coaches. These moments The sweetest moment comes when the are played largely for humor, although the pianists return to the Bach concerto that scenes also certainly convey the discipline went astray for the show’s finale. They and commitment needed of anyone who confess that they might not be the best aspires to such careers. pianists in the world, in Canada (they’re Sometimes McDonald’s and McGloin’s Canadians), even in the city — but they playing is astonishingly synchronized; can take pleasure in being the best in at other moments, they use their music their neighborhood. I will venture to say almost as elbows, jostling for position and that audiences will deem them the best clowning physically against one another. performers to be seen on Cincinnati stages Their characters’ hours of practice, often to this holiday season. the exclusion of other aspects of life, even2 Pianos, 4 Hands, presented by tually takes a toll on both of them.

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park at its When they receive harsh judgments Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre, continues following their college auditions, the through Jan. 5. Tickets/more info: results are deflating but not necessarily cincyplay.com. depressing as their eyes are opened to a

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Comedian Paul Mecurio Digs Deep

BY P. F. W I L S O N

Comedian Paul Mecurio has several other, or we’re way into each other’s projects on his plate: he’s a guest business,” Mecurio says. “There is no commentator on major cable news middle ground in the country anymore. In channels such as CNN, Fox News and politics, you’re either one side or the other.

MSNBC, and has a regular gig on CBS’ If we disagree on one thing we’re like, ‘Go Sunday Morning. Add to that Permission fuck yourself.’ It’s not supposed to work to Speak, a one-person show that has that way. It’s a mix of things that make up been running on Broadway for over a year. who we are.

Its interactive format features Mecurio “Part of what I like to talk about is getting bringing audience members onstage, back to a more reasonable approach that speaking to them candidly and, in doing so, reflects on what life is like in that gray area. getting to know their stories.

We’re not all this or that.”

“It’s not stand-up. It’s a theater show done in a comedic style,” Mecurio says. “It involves and engages the audience. It’s me telling stories, but the audience is also telling stories along with me. I’m planning on taking it on the road because I feel it can play anywhere.”

But come Dec. 13 and 14, Cincinnatians can catch Mecurio bringing his stand-up to Go Bananas Comedy Club. He says that his work on Permission to Speak has greatly Comedian Paul Mecurio informed his routine.

P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y O F PA U L M E C U R I O “I’m talking to people on a deeper level in my act,” he says. “It’s no longer: ‘Where are you Mecurio feels that most people don’t from? What do you do? Nice hat.’ It’s more want to be divisive, and that they want to than that. You end up opening your eyes find common ground. to things and you find out misery loves A former writer for The Daily Show with company, and we’re all fucked up. It’s very Jon Stewart — for which he won an Emmy empowering, and there’s solace in finding and Peabody Award — people often ask out you’re not alone.”

Mecurio why he appears on Fox News.

There’s no end to the types of stories “‘They’re the enemy,’ they say to me.

Mecurio hears night to night.

They’re not the enemy; they’re just people “I met this lesbian couple during one that think differently than you,” he says. show,” he says. “One of them was married “That’s a narrow view on how to live your with kids previously. She realized she was life. You’re not going to talk with anyone gay, met this woman, and had an affair.” that disagrees with you?”

The woman divorced her husband, but But Mecurio won’t bring too much there’s a twist — the two women now live political talk into his act — he says that’s together with the woman’s children and like beating your head against the wall. the ex-husband stays in the guest room “I’m talking more about society and down the hall. how no one wants to embrace stereotypes “This happened in the Midwest,” Mecuwhen we actually should,” he says. “We rio says. “These crazy stories aren’t just don’t want to all be the same and be from whack-a-doodles in New York City or homogeneous. I’m Italian; I’m fiery, I yell a Los Angeles. People from all over the world lot, I get into a lot of arguments, I talk with have stories.” my hands and my cousin runs numbers for Another funny example is the 19-yearthe mob. old man who came out to his family. The “My wife is a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon young man’s father blurted out, “Funny Protestant). They don’t get emotional about you should say that. I’m gay too.” a lot of things, they just keep it inside and “Who tops their kid at that moment?” get divorced. My parents should have been Mecurio asks with a laugh. “Your kid has divorced, but they’re Italian, they don’t do been waiting for almost 20 years to tell you that. They just yell at each other and die.” this. Don’t upstage him.”

Paul Mecurio performs 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Mecurio, of course, famously left a Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday Dec. 14 at career in business law to be a stand-up Go Bananas (8410 Market Place Lane, comedian. These days, his stand-up act Montgomery). Tickets are $18. More info: focuses on double standards and political gobananascomedy.com. correctness.

“We’re either very indifferent to each

FILM

‘Knives Out’ Carves Up Expectations R E V I E W BY T T S T ER N - EN ZI

There’s a reason why Clue is such a popular parlor game: it places players in a confined setting and lets their imaginations run wild as they test their deductive reasoning skills. Details and hunches have equal weight in the proceedings as you race against the clock, so to speak, because you don’t want to let another player beat you to the revelatory punch.

Mystery novels — Agatha Christie serves as the standard-bearer here — work in similar ways, except they boil things down to a battle between the author and the reader. Can you crack the case the author has built before the truth is revealed? The twists and dead ends incorporated into the proceedings are a delicious part of the fun.

The cast of Knives Out PHOTO: CL AIRE FOLGER

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With Knives Out, writer-director Rian Johnson (in his follow-up to Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) has taken the pure rush of playing Clue and merged it with the surreal head game of the classic mystery novel to concoct a highly enjoyable diversion that could become a cult classic or wind up being the perfect sleeper during this year’s awards season hysteria.

Forget the whowinsit drama. Settle down instead and try to figure out what happened to mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (an always game Christopher Plummer) on the night of his 85th birthday.

What should have been a wonderful family celebration turns into a battle royale of family squabbles, and poor Harlan winds up with his throat slit, lying in a pool of blood.

Was it his eldest daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), a force of nature who runs her own business — which she is quick to remind everyone that she built from the ground up, much like her father did with his storytelling and publishing empire?

She’s married to Richard (Don Johnson), who looks like an updated version of the guy from Sade’s first video, “Smooth Operator,” so you just know there’s something going on there. Of course, you have to wonder about their rakishly headstrong

offspring, Ransom (Chris Evans), who seems to be the black sheep, which makes you wonder if being the black sheep in a family full of dark, shady characters even matters?

Next up is Harlan’s youngest son, Walt (Michael Shannon), who oversees his father’s publishing empire. But it’s plain that Walt’s not much of a decision-maker at the end of the day and the situation is grating on him. He’s got a barely present wife named Donna (Riki Lindhome) and a creepy alt-right son (Jaeden Martell), who appears ready to head off to the next rally in Charlottesville.

Rounding out the immediate family, so to speak, is Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette), who was married to Harlan’s deceased son and has been embraced by the family along with her daughter, Meg (Katherine Langford).

By “embraced” I mean Joni and Meg received stipends and college tuition to keep them living the life to which they would have likely grown accustomed.

Hovering on the periphery are Fran (Edi Patterson), the longtime housekeeper, and Marta (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s nursing attendant, who was more of a confidant and companion than mere caretaker. Marta, curiously, suffers from an inability to lie; when she does, she projectiles vomits, a trait that’s put to the test quite often throughout the film.

The characters are something else, but what’s truly special is the collection of talent Johnson has corralled together to bring this game to life. They most definitely feel like family as we watch them backbite and connive against one another with glee, while working overtime to maintain the appearance of being a caring and loving clan.

And there’s great pleasure to be had in watching the verve Daniel Craig brings to the role of Benoit Blanc, the noted sleuth commissioned to solve the case (which was initially ruled a suicide).

But the real thrill comes from observing LaKeith Stanfield’s Lieutenant Elliot attempt to work the evidence knowing full well that the deck is stacked against him.

Truth be told, this character becomes the real stand-in for the audience, because he gets to comment (winkingly) on the whole affair through eye rolls and double takes that never cross the line into broad hijinks.

He’s not actively breaking the fourth wall, but he recognizes what’s going on and just goes along for the ride, which isn’t quite genre-breaking, although Johnson bends and reshapes things in an impressively sharp image. (In theaters) (PG-13) Grade: A

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FOOD & DRINK

From Fish House to Steakhouse Losanti — from the owners of Crown Republic Gastropub — fills a gap with meatcentric menu in the former Anchor-OTR space R E V I E W BY PA M A M I TC H EL L

F

The prime filet mignon with scampi PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Losanti 1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, losantiotr.com

longer than anywhere else because the seats are so comfy.

Otherwise, you can eat in a back room that used to be the main seating area at Anchor, and there’s a charming space with a single, six-seat chef’s table that would be delightful to reserve for a special outing with family or friends.

Stevens said the interior renovations were extensive, with the new owners keeping only the bar itself and rethinking most everything else. They removed the large booths in the middle of the dining room, put in tables and reorganized the space to make it both more efficient and more intimate, according to Stevens. Décor items include family heirlooms such as the chef’s grandmother’s chandelier, which now hangs over the chef’s table.

Chef Sitek cooked at restaurants in Miami, Chicago and New York before he moved to town two years ago with his wife, Haley, who is a Cincinnati native. They opened Crown Republic soon thereafter and then decided to jump into the OTR market right around the time that Anchor closed shop. Haley and her parents took the lead in the renovations and décor for Losanti, Stevens said.

“There’s so much life here,” Sitek said about the neighborhood, “and so many things to drive people to our restaurant.”

He noted Losanti’s proximity to Washington Park, Music Hall, the Cincinnati

Shakespeare Company and other performance venues, along with the fact that the Washington Park garage is only a block away. And for the convenience of patrons, unlike many OTR eateries, this one takes reservations. That’s a huge plus for the pretheater crowd and will be another draw.

As you would expect, the menu is heavy on meat choices, from steaks to chops, a burger and a chicken entrée. The three types of steak — filet, New York strip and ribeye — are priced by the ounce, from $3-$3.75 (available sizes actually don’t vary much and usually are at least nine ounces).

We tried two cuts of steak — the smallest filet they had that night and a strip — each served with a head of roasted garlic and half a lemon. I’m not a steakhouse regular and thought it odd to squeeze lemon on beef, but I guess that’s a thing. The roasted garlic was tasty although it was rather messy to pop out the cloves with your fingers.

As is often the case with these cuts of meat, the filet was almost fork-tender, but the strip packed more flavor thanks to its higher fat content.

The 12-ounce frenched pork chop ($26.95) tasted great, too, and I liked the fact that it came with braised kale, carrots and a few tablespoons of mostarda — a fruit compote in a mustard-flavored syrup.

We also ordered one of the four pastas, rigatoni in a rich bolognese sauce ($17), that I thought rather lackluster in flavor,

but that might be by comparison to the meat dishes.

Among appetizers and sides, we enjoyed the little gem salad ($12) with avocado, candied walnuts, grapefruit, fennel and champagne vinaigrette. The creamed kale ($8.95) stood out as an improvement on most steakhouse creamed spinach sides; the sauce was creamy without being heavy and the baby kale was tender and flavorful.

We weren’t nuts about the focaccia ($5.95) with roasted tomato, parmesan and basil.

The cocktail menu has a little section of variations on an Old Fashioned made with mezcal or spiced rum. I actually tried both of those and can now fully understand why most bars stick with a base of bourbon or rye in this drink.

Sitek said that their most popular offerings thus far have been the filet mignon, which he said sold out some nights, the pork chop and the butter cake dessert ($12). Four of us split the cake, which arrives warm in a skillet topped with salted caramel ice cream. It was delicious, but we couldn’t finish it. One steakhouse tradition Losanti seems to replicate is over-the-top desserts. And the goal of making sure that nobody walks out without a completely full stomach.

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

D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

or at least the past few years, it seems like every type of food or drink I could possibly want has been available in Over-the-Rhine. It’s a cornucopia of gustatory delights for all tastes, right? But a new place has come along to remind me that, in fact, something important has been missing.

Billing itself as a “boutique steakhouse,” Losanti has revamped the space near Washington Park that used to be The Anchor-OTR and given the area a meat-centric menu unlike anything in Cincinnati’s hottest neighborhood.

When I compared its menu to other restaurants nearby, I was surprised by how hard it can be to find a steak on or near Vine Street. On fall menus, I found a porterhouse steak for two at the Mercer, a sirloin at Salazar and more casual steak and fries at some of the restaurants near Findlay Market. But this new venture by chef/owner Anthony Sitek — who also owns Crown Republic Gastropub downtown — fills a niche. The neighborhood seems to be responding with open arms during Losanti’s first couple of months.

The space itself certainly is inviting. I don’t remember Anchor’s interior very well, but the transformation has resulted in a couple of beautiful rooms. The front of the house includes a bar with both seating and some standing room — great if you’re meeting people and want to wait, with or without a drink, and not have to crowd around diners. The bar itself is spacious enough to eat there.

To the right of the bar room is a dining/sitting area the staff refers to as “the library.” Its colorful back wall features a mural by regional artist Atalie Gagnet, whose terrific outdoor works are some of the most striking in mural-rich Cincinnati.

The library has a few dining tables and also lounge seating with velvet couches and low, marble tables. Front-of-house manager Alex Stevens said people tend to sit there

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THE DISH

48

Tuba Baking Co. Crafts Swabian-Style Pretzels and Other German Dishes in Covington

BY M C K E N ZI E G R A H A M

As Cincinnatians, we like to think of ourselves as German 2.0 — distantly but still authentically connected to das vaterland through our love of goetta, our many breweries, Oktoberfest, etc. Yet so much of the focus on German food is on that which comes from Bavaria, leaving a world of German cuisine unexplored.

Drew Rath of Tuba Baking Co. is changing that, one Swabian-style pretzel at a time. He opened his Tuba Baking Co. storefront in Covington in September.

“Swabia has so many things that make it special, and I really wanted to make sure people could taste the most authentic version possible,” Rath says.

Swabia is located between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Compared to traditional Bavarian pretzels, Swabian (pronounced “schwabian”) pretzels have skinny “arms” that cook up crisp and are connected toward the top of the pretzel rather than the bottom. They also have a higher fat content from butter, more water in the dough and a slit in the “belly” to release steam.

“I began to research every recipe I could find and began translating them as best as I could from Schwabisch to German to English,” Rath says. “I wanted to incorporate grains native to the area since my ancestors were all grain millers, so I put spelt and rye in them.”

Rath found out only recently — after taking a DNA test from Ancestry.com — that his family hails from Swabia and worked with grains. The discovery led him to uncover 16 generations who came from Aldingen, a town at the foot of the Swabian Jura, seven of whom were millers. The connection became even more meaningful after Rath and his wife took a trip to Germany to visit and tour the food scene.

“We ate dozens of pretzels and so many amazing meals and beers,” Rath says. “We got to meet with bakers to find out their pretzel process. Plus, we got to visit the town my family had lived in since the 1100s or earlier and that was so emotional and amazing.

“We really felt like we got a feel for the cuisine and the culture and I was beyond inspired to bring back a menu that Americans couldn’t easily find over here.”

Although Rath started out with pretzels — his sourdough recipe takes three days from start to finish — baking them wholesale for buyers like MadTree and Urban Stead, he’s gradually expanded the menu at his pretzel bar to reflect the authentic Swabian-style foods he and his wife encountered on their trip.

He makes seasonally changing flammkuchen, a type of German flatbread pizza. He also makes fresh soups, often vegetarian, with homemade stock, and has offered pickled pumpkin — a classic fall dish in Germany — with rabbit and kielbasa from Avril-Bleh on a housemade pretzel bun.

Swabian-style pretzels differ from the traditional Bavarian pretzel most of us are used to P H O T O : D R E W R AT H

Then there are the springerles — stunning cookies from the 14th century typically eaten around the holidays and imprinted with a traditional German mold.

Rath buys and uses a baker’s ammonia called hartshorn as the cookies’ leavener rather than take a shortcut.

The food is complemented by a four-tap bar of local and imported German beers.

Rath’s favorite beers include dunkels, hefeweizen, schwarzbier, pilsners and kölsch, each of which he says brings out the nuance of the pretzel dough.

Eventually visitors may be able to take their beer and pretzels to an outdoor biergarten, if Rath has his way.

“I hope to continue to expand and move into a larger space in Covington with a beer garden, a larger kids’ space, maybe brew a few beers and apfelmost, a Swabian dry hard cider with low carbonation,” he says. “I’d like it to be a slice out of Germany,

similar to Hofbräuhaus but on a more mom-and-pop scale. I definitely want to be able to have a bakery area where people can pick up fresh, authentic German baked goods throughout the week.”

He currently has help on that front from baker Kate Nycz of North South Baking Co., who contributes croissants, pies and other rotating bakery items to Tuba.

Although Rath’s storefront is smaller than his ultimate dream for the company, it was a perfect fit for his and Nycz’s range of products. The building used to be a beer hall in the 1800s, a fact Rath didn’t even know until he’d visited the space. The basement was a Prohibition-era brewery, and with three kids under 6 at home (who he’s hoping will inherit his passion for German baking), Rath loves the size and commitment. He still spends his weeks fulfilling wholesale orders for local restaurants, breweries and food shops, so

the storefront is only open from 3-10 p.m. on Saturdays — although he’s open to expanding his hours eventually.

If you’re looking for the newest food platter worthy of your social media feed during the holidays, a pretzel tray might be just the thing, arranged with German-style cheeses and meats. Rath recommends pairing the pretzels, which he also sells as round bites, with various types of compound butters for a traditional presentation.

Keep an eye on Tuba’s Facebook and Instagram feeds, as they’re updated almost daily with the shop’s offerings, often bolstered by food products from other local businesses.

Tuba Baking Co., 212 W. Pike St., Covington, facebook.com/tubabakingco.

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D E C . 11- 2 4 , 2 0 19 C I T Y B E AT. C O M |

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SATURDAY JANUARY 25, 2020

· THE PHOENIX

W W W. B R U N C H E D C I N C Y. C O M

MUSIC

The Art of Contrast Philadelphia Noise Punk band Empath visits Cincinnati in support of acclaimed debut album Active Listening: Night on Earth

BY JAS O N G A R G A N O

E

Empath PHOTO: DANIEL TOPETE

in Chapel Hill, N.C. The fuzzy sounds emanating from Elicson’s phone often brought to mind the band’s music — four voices combining to create a compelling yet sometimes disorienting whole. But it’s Empath’s founding duo, Elicson and Koloski, who do most of the talking when asked various questions about the band’s songwriting process and evolution from sonic dabblers to worldwide touring act.

“We had similar musical influences that we were trying to rip off for a while,” Elicson says when asked what drew her to Koloski. “We listened to a lot of music together.”

Koloski jumps in: “I feel like it started with us doing fake Jazz shit with my other roommate and then I was like, ‘Oh, Catherine and I should write some songs.’ We also like some of the same weirdo Art Punk bands.”

“Yeah, mostly like Deerhoof and Ponytail, that kind of stuff,” Elicson adds. “And we were listening to a lot of Jazz records together.”

“I feel like it just came together naturally,” Koloski says.

The band’s lo-fi recording style also surfaced organically, the result of Elicson’s upbringing in Columbus, Ohio, where she fronted a pair of Punk Rock outfits in her late teens before moving to Philadelphia.

“There really is a lineage for that in central Ohio, like Guided by Voices and Times New Viking and more unknown bands, that really influenced me,” Elicson says. “I was really into four-track records. The first

band I was in in Columbus, that’s how we recorded, so I always liked that lo-fi sound.”

Elicson’s anxiety-riddled lyrics are inspired by everything from poets like Adrienne Rich (“Be the tear that washes out the eye” appears in “The Eye” from Liberating Guilt and Fear) to more Popleaning tropes (“You don’t have to spend all of that money on me, baby,” also from “The Eye”).

“It’s kind of a hard thing to articulate,” Elicson says of her approach to lyrics.

“There’s some exorcism that has to happen.

Maybe that’s where the anxiety angle comes from, but not all the songs are about that necessarily. There’s always an attempt to write a good Pop song, like on a base level. That’s always kind of like what the attempt is.”

“For me, it feels more complex emotionally when things are like that,” Elicson adds of the band’s mixing of different moods and tones. “If you write a song that’s kind of sad and only uses minor chords, that doesn’t really do it for me unless it’s like really over the top like Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy or Nick Cave or something.”

The lyrics are also influenced by the music, which is almost always written first.

“It kind of depends on the song,” Elicson says of how the music comes together.

“Sometimes I’ll have the whole thing written and other times I just have a vision and we’ll work it out together. Usually the structure will change a little bit when Garrett and I work it out together, because there are a lot of rhythmic gaps that need

to be filled in. I play acoustic guitar and he’ll play over it until something pops out.”

Given the name of their band, it comes as no surprise that Empath have a thing for New Age practices both inside and outside of the music they create together, which in turn influences their interest in combining natural sounds with more chaotic sonic textures.

“I like all the ambient sounds because it can bring you somewhere else,” Koloski says. “It’s like us playing in the middle of a field or the woods or wherever you want it to be. It makes it seem like it’s not just all in a studio setting. I feel like the studio stuff isn’t all that organic. It’s kind of fake. The ambient stuff makes it fun.”

“Yeah, there’s this mysterious narrative that you can project onto it when you include natural sounds,” Elicson adds.

Ultimately, fun is of utmost importance to Koloski, whose tours with previous bands were often grueling endeavors.

“The Empath tours are way easier than any of the other tours I’ve done,” Koloski says. “I feel like at some point you only want to tour with your friends because you’re forced to be around them for so long.

It just doesn’t work if you’re not in a harmonious group or bunch. I feel like friendship is the only thing that really matters now when I tour.”

Empath plays a free show Friday, Dec. 20 at MOTR Pub with Tweens. More show info: motrpub.com.

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mpath’s full-length debut, Active Listening: Night on Earth, opens with the calming sound of crickets and birds chirping. Moments later, drums, bass and keyboards crash the proceedings. The song, “Soft Shape,” then introduces the ethereal vocals and texture-adding guitars of Catherine Elicson, yielding a jarring juxtaposition that is simultaneously soothing and disorienting.

The collision of the natural and the artificial — the melding of art-damaged noise and more ambient sounds — is what makes Empath’s music so curious. Think a Punk Rock version of Alice Coltrane, the Jazz visionary who dedicated her life to finding the “ecstatic joy” in music.

Elicson and drummer Garrett Koloski (who formerly provided the chaotic backbeat to the similarly art-damaged Perfect Pussy) were roommates at a Punk Rock house in Philadelphia when they started making music together in late 2015. They soon added another housemate, Emily Shanahan, on keyboards and Empath was officially born. Synthesizer guru Randall Coon eventually jumped aboard, freeing Shanahan to add bass guitar to the band’s repertoire.

The quartet’s four-song EP Liberating Guilt and Fear dropped in the spring of 2018, garnering praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Fader and Pitchfork. The attention came as a surprise to the band, and Elicson was quick to praise the efforts their label, Get Better Records, a Philadelphia-based DIY endeavor whose motto is “for the queers, by the queers,” for “making it all possible.”

Active Listening followed in May of this year. It features nine songs over a brisk 27 minutes, moving from the driving, junkyard drone of “Hanging Out of Cars,” which brings to mind The Go-Go’s by way of Sonic Youth, to “IV,” an atmospheric instrumental that wouldn’t be out of place on a Tim Hecker record or as the soundtrack to an experimental documentary about birds.

The foursome recently spoke to CityBeat by cell phone from their tour van during a stop at a Whole Foods parking lot

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Have Yourself a Local Music Christmas

BY M I K E B R EEN

north pole.” Levin is joined on the track by guitarist Takuto Asano, saxophonist Eli Gonzalez, bassist Chris Douglas and drummer Oscar Bernal.

You can find “Forgot Mrs. Claus” on your favorite digital platform at ForgotMrsClaus. com.

You can enjoy the new song live when Levin performs with The Heaters in the coming weeks. On Friday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m., he’ll be at Arnold’s Bar and Grill (210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, arnoldsbarandgrill. com). On Saturday, Dec. 21, catch the crew at 8 p.m. at Mansion Hill Tavern (502 Washington Ave., Newport).

Find more info at benlevinpiano.com.

• One of the coolest uniquely Cincinnati holiday traditions are the annual Christmastime holiday shows performed by local music legends Over the Rhine.

The band — led by Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler — has had a busy 2019.

In their 30th year as a musical entity, OTR released the acclaimed Love & Revelation album, hosted its Memorial Day weekend arts and music festival Nowhere Else on its Martinsville, Ohio farmland and toured coast to coast.

The group has plenty of original “Reality Christmas” (as they call it) material from which to chose, having released three holiday albums in the past 20-plus years, including the 2014 full-length Blood Oranges In The Snow. This year, fans can catch OTR on Dec. 20-22 at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm St., Over-theRhine, memorialhallotr.com). Tickets are $40-$65. The Dec. 20 and 21 shows start at 8 p.m.; the Dec. 22 concert begins at 2 p.m. Renowned singer/songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche will open all three shows.

Get the latest on Over the Rhine at overtherhine.com.

• If you like (or think you might like) a little tropical flavoring in your holiday music, the fourth-annual Island Christmas Holiday show returns to The Redmoor (3187 Linwood Ave., Mount Lookout, theredmoor.com) on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

The event is headed up by Scotty McEvoy (of The SunBurners) and Mark Becknell (of the Queen City Silver Stars), who lead a band of local musicians (dubbed The Merry Gentlemen) through a program of Christmas music (both classic and original) delivered in the styles of Soca, Calypso and Reggae. Attendees this year will have the opportunity to take home a CD featuring recordings of the songs; the $10 discs are exclusively available at the Dec. 19 show.

Tickets can be purchased in advance ($10) at islandchristmasholiday.eventbrite. com.

• The Steve Schmidt Christmas Schmidtacular is taking over The Comet (4579 Hamilton Ave., Northside, cometbar.

Blossom Hall’s “Midnight Mass” PHOTO: PROVIDED BY BLOSSOM HALL

com) again this year for another three nights of holiday-themed Jazz music. Local Jazz keyboardist Steve Schmidt will again lead his Organ Trio — with Brad Myers and Marc Wolfley — on Dec. 18, 19 and 20, with music beginning each night at 7 p.m. Singer Mandy Gaines is slated to join the festivities on the first two nights of the residency.

This is the 20th year that the Christmas Schmidtacular has been hosted at The Comet.

• The popular Santamania music-athon returns Dec. 13-15 to Northside Yacht Club (4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com). Other than the name and being timed to the holidays (and probably a few boozed up Kris Kringles running around the joint), the three-day fest isn’t explicitly a Christmas-themed event, but with nearly 100 acts performing over three days it is a veritable Christmas morning for local fans of Punk, Hardcore, Metal, Rock, Indie and more.

Among the many local acts performing throughout the long weekend (some

touring/regional bands will also play): Tweens; The Harlequins; Vacation; Mr. Phylzzz; The Dopamines; Mr. Dibbs; Fleshmother, Newport Secret Six; Lung; Slutbomb; Cold Stereo; Casteless; Smut; Lockjaw; Casino Warrior; Pout; Eunoia; Lashes; Jon Hays; Crime of Passing; Welp; The Abdo Men; The Obnoxious Boot; and Pop Empire. Yacht Club co-founder (and DAAP Girls/Lions Rampant/Cincinnati Royals member) Stuart MacKenzie announced on Dec. 8 that there would be a special Lions Rampant/Cincinnati Royals combo performance at Santamania on Friday, Dec. 13.

Music begins at 4 p.m on Dec. 13 and 14 and 2 p.m. on Dec. 15. Cover charge is $10 each day. Find the full schedule at the NSYC Facebook page and visit northsideyachtclub. com for more venue info.

Contact Mike Breen: mbreen@citybeat.com

D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

In late November, Cincinnati Indie Rock band Blossom Hall released an original Christmas song, “Midnight Mass.”

The chiming, folksy track sways like boots strolling across crunchy snow and is described by the group as “a smoky, meditative dirge of spiritual doubt” that is “more in the vein of Charlie Brown than Wham,” in terms of holiday songs. The aforementioned doubt can be found in lines like, “I want you here with me/On Christmas Eve/It’s up to you/I don’t know what I believe.”

“Bask in the nostalgia and melancholy that many of us feel around this time of year,” the band’s statement concludes.

“Midnight Mass” — which features slide guitar from the great Cincinnati guitarist Stephen Patota — can be streamed and downloaded now at blossomhall. bandcamp.com.

• Freekbass and his band The Bump Assembly celebrated a fruitful 2019 by releasing a special holiday single to help close out the year.

The powerhouse Funk ensemble — which again scored the Funk/Soul/ R&B trophy at this year’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards — put its groovy spin on “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” the 1971 single by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The track (and accompanying music video) features vocalist and regular collaborator Sammi Garett, as well as saxophonist Greg Sanderson, who plays with Garett in the Brooklyn-based Funk ensemble Turkuaz.

It seems likely that Garett’s Turkuaz duties will pull her away from The Bump Assembly even more in 2020 — the band is scheduled to tour with Talking Heads’ guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison and Northern Kentucky native Adrian Belew to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light album (Belew played on the LP and was a member of the Light touring band).

“We have grown so much this year, and we know we owe that to you,” Freekbass said in an email sent to fans announcing the single.

Freekbass is working on a new album for Colorado’s Color Red Records. He also has a Feb. 8 date booked at Cincinnati’s Ludlow Garage. For more info, visit freekbass.com.

• Young Cincinnati Blues singer and pianist Ben Levin — who got his start busking in Mount Washington when he was just 11 — is also showing his holiday spirit in song form this season.

Now a UC freshman, Levin has released the playful Christmas single, “Forgot Mrs. Claus.” The track has an early Rock & Roll vibe and tells the story of a certain jolly old elf who, despite getting “the whole world presents,” neglects getting his wife a little something for the holidays. In fine Blues tradition, Levin gets a little raunchy on the track: “I gotta find somethin’, even if I stole/I need a gift to keep a happy

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The Get Up Kids with Hembree and Sontalk

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

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Wednesday, Dec. 11 • Southgate House Revival

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Problems, The Get Up Kids’ first full-length album in eight years, opens with lightly strummed acoustic guitar as frontman Matt Pryor’s pensive, high-whine voice relays the following: “By myself/I don’t think anybody else even cares if all is well/ You’re only thinking of yourself/It’s a long way down for me.”It’s a stark contrast from “Holiday,” the opener to 1999’s Something to Write Home About, which bursts forth with slashing guitars, bombastic drumming and Pryor’s keening vocals: “What became of everyone I used to know?/Where did all respectable convictions go?”

Yet the juxtaposition between the two table-setters makes sense: The Kansas City, Missouri-spawned band is 20 years on from Something to Write Home About, a well-established landmark that helped define the then-burgeoning Emo/Pop Punk genre. The follow-up, 2002’s On a Wire, was a significant shift in direction — less driving and more acoustic-based, it featured lush production from Peter Katis, who would go on to make his name working with the likes of Interpol and The National. Pryor is well aware of On a Wire’s contentious place in the band’s trajectory, but that didn’t stop him from reuniting with Katis for Problems, 12 songs that reflect the maturity of five guys who are now in their 40s. Pryor also admits to looking outward more often for inspiration these days.

“On the one hand, my own catharsis in songwriting is only going to fill up so much space, so I need to draw from other people’s issues to have things to write songs about,” Pryor said in a recent interview with Billboard. “As I’m always saying, ‘I love my kids, I love my wife, life is good’ is not really good fodder for Rock music. Ironically, (it works) really well in Bro Country. Have you ever noticed that all the Bro Country songs just talk about how good life is?”

Speaking of irony, album closer “Your Ghost Is Gone” is one of the saddest songs The Get Up Kids have yet put forth, a pianobacked lament about fading memories and the perils of moving forward. (Jason Gargano)

George Winston

Thursday, Dec. 12 • Ludlow Garage On the precipice of his 70th birthday later this month, renowned pianist George Winston has once again provided glorious evidence of his astonishing ability to inhabit and reinterpret the work of others with the ears of a composer and the hands of a genius. On his recently released Restless Wind, Winston combines a couple of his own compositions with his unique perspective on the Great American Songbook, ‘60s Rock, Gospel Soul, Jazz and Folk with

covers of the Gershwins’ “Summertime,” The Doors’ “The Unknown Soldier,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and a powerful reading of Mark Isham’s theme from the 1984 documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk.

The seeds of Winston’s self-described Rural Folk Piano style were planted at age 16 when he heard Vince Guaraldi’s distinctive score to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and were harvested when, already a fan of R&B, Rock and Jazz instrumental music, he heard the first Doors album and was inspired to begin playing the organ. At 22, he became enamored of the stride piano work of Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson and switched to piano. A year later, he recorded his debut album, Piano Solos, for John Fahey’s Takoma Records, an album that produced barely a ripple as it sank.

Seven years later and primarily guided by the New Orleans sound of Professor Longhair and Dr. John, Winston gave his demo tape to William Ackerman, a guitarist who had just founded his own label, Windham Hill. Ackerman played the tape for several people on his subsequent European tour and was amazed at their reaction to it. He signed Winston and produced his sophomore album, Autumn, which went on to become one of Winston’s (and the label’s) biggest albums, achieving multi-platinum status and continuing to be a reliable catalog seller.

Since then, Winston has amassed a huge global fan base and released a string of beloved instrumental albums, among them two volumes covering the work of Vince Guaraldi and an album of Doors covers, as well as seasonal companions to his Windham Hill debut (Winter Into Spring, December, Summer), an atypical album of harmonica solos and three benefit releases, including one for cancer research, a subject close to Winston’s heart as he is a cancer survivor himself.

Winston has been unfairly lumped in with the New Age aural wallpaper that Windham Hill produced over the years, which is sad because, for a solo pianist, there are few who are as engaging and inventive; he’ll actually reach into the piano and mute strings while he plays, an old guitarist’s trick.

George Winston is an unassuming figure in flannel shirt and jeans, but when he sits down at his Steinway, his genius fills a room like a rising tide. (Brian Baker)

Chevelle with Convey and The Band Royale

Thursday, Dec. 12 • Bogart’s

It’s been said many times, particularly by me in these pages, that Rock & Roll makes strange bedfellows. One sterling example would be AltMetal trio Chevelle, initially a band of brothers from metropolitan Chicago whose personal faith rarely leaks over into their musical presentation.

Still, their 1998 demo release led to them

SOUND ADVICE

The Get Up Kids PHOTO: SHAWN BRACKBILL

signing with contemporary Christian label Squint Entertainment. And their first official album, 1999’s Point #1, was recorded by noted indie noisemonger Steve Albini. That’s a whole lot of strange in one futon.

Chevelle was formed in 1995 by fledgling guitarist Pete Loeffler with his brother Sam on drums and youngest brother Joe joining on bass soon after. After winning a pair of Dove Awards (Christian music’s Grammys), Chevelle toured strenuously for over a year with the likes of Powerman 5000 and Sevendust, but lost their label when Squint was shuttered in 2001. It was a mixed blessing, as being on the label had pushed the group into a “Christian Rock” corner they didn’t identify with.

The band showcased and received three offers, ultimately choosing Epic Records.

Chevelle’s major label debut, 2002’s Wonder What’s Next, spawned their No. 1 Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock single “Send the Pain Below.” Chevelle’s follow-up, 2004’s This Type of Thinking (Could Do Is In), cracked the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

Before the band toured Wonder What’s Next, Joe Loeffler was either fired from the band (his story) or voluntarily left (according to his brothers’ official statement) and was replaced on the road

by Filter bassist Geno Lenardo. In 2006, Chevelle welcomed old friend and brotherin-law Dean Bernardini as their new bassist and recorded Vena Sera, which just missed Billboard’s top 10; their next album, 2009’s Sci Fi Crimes, hit No. 3.

After 2014’s La Gárgola, Chevelle veered into heavier, denser sonic territory with 2016’s The North Corridor, which was followed by last year’s place-holding 12 Bloody Spies, a B-sides/rarities collection. The band may be entering another transitional phase with the September announcement that Bernardini is planning to exit the band after the December run of shows. Does this set the stage for Joe Loeffler’s return or will

George Winston P H O T O : T O D D V. W O L F S O N

Chevelle find new “vena sera” for their next chapter? Stay tuned. (BB)

The Messthetics with Lung Saturday, Dec. 14 • MOTR Pub

There are names in contemporary music that loom so large it’s difficult to get through or around the shadow they cast, and few are as impenetrable as Fugazi.

Although the band has done nothing since its announced 2003 hiatus and has never officially broken up, the Washington, D.C. quartet remains one of the most influential Rock bands of the past three decades.

Ian MacKaye formed The Evens and has done production work, Guy Picciotto is primarily a producer, Joe Lally has released a trio of solo albums and played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer in Ataxia, and Brendan Canty has done indie film score work, played with the likes of Bob Mould and Mary Timony and has done video work on the Burn to Shine DVD series. All in all, nothing to challenge Fugazi’s mythic reputation.

Until recently, that is. In 2016, a friend of Canty’s advised him to check out a D.C. guitarist named Anthony Pirog, a diverse stylistic player who easily shifts between avant garde squeal and thoughtful and nuanced melodicism. Around that same

Chevelle PHOTO: CHRISTIAN L ANTRY

The Messthetics PHOTO: ANTONIA TRICARICO

Mannequin Pussy with Kississippi and The Ophelias

Wednesday, Dec. 18 • Woodward Theater

Mannequin Pussy frontperson/creative maestro Marisa Dabice isn’t shy about

PHOTO: MARCUS MADDOX

putting her feelings on display. The Philadelphia-based band’s latest record, Patience, is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, 10 songs in 26 minutes that nevertheless feels like an epic journey.

(The length is actually an evolution from the brevity of their previous record, 2016’s equally stellar Romantic, which burned through 11 songs in 17 minutes.)

The quartet — which also includes guitarist Athanasios Paul, drummer Kaleen Reading and bassist Colins Rey Regisford — has become a well-oiled machine, ably moving from the Hardcore roar of “Cream” to the ebb-and-flow, nearly straight-up Rock of the addictive “Drunk II,” which is yet another fierce first-person Dabice tale, this time about drowning romantic heartache in alcohol.

“Once Patience was done and I started listening back to the mixes, I had a few moments of just sheer panic,” Dabice told Upset Magazine shortly after the record was released back in June. “I was listening back to what I said and started asking myself: ‘Oh fuck, do I really want to admit all this so publicly?’ I hadn’t experienced that before with an album.

That moment where you wonder if maybe you should self-censor, asking yourself if you’re actually ready to talk about these things with an audience, is a crucial one. I think it’s still going to be a struggle with a few of the themes on the record, but I’m trying to shed the shame of some of these experiences.”

At nearly four-and-a-half minutes, “Drunk II” seems like something of a breakthrough, the best distillation yet of Dabice’s melding of rage and melancholy.

Perhaps most curious of all is “High Horse,” a surprisingly atmospheric lament that possesses the same emotive power of Live Through This-era Hole and features this evocative vision: “Pushing me against the kitchen sink/I feel your breath on me/I can taste it in my teeth.”

The album closes with “I’m in Love Again,” a hopeful finale that, in typical Dabice fashion, gets right to the point: “I’m so happy lying here with you/I’m in love with you.” (JG)

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D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

time, Lally returned to D.C. after years of living in Italy, reconnected with Canty and played him some of the new solo work he had written. Canty suggested bringing Pirog into the mix, and when the three clicked, Pirog asked Lally and Canty if they’d back him on a project he had slated for Tzadik Records. In the meantime, the freshly minted Messthetics had booked their first show which MacKaye attended.

MacKaye was so impressed by the trio’s blistering instrumental attack that he offered them a spot on the Dischord roster.

The Messthetics’ first two album’s, 2018’s self-titled debut and this year’s triumphant sophomore release Anthropocosmic Nest, show that Lally and Canty remain one of Rock’s most powerful rhythm sections, a force of nature capable of altering weather patterns and shifting tectonic plates. It also shows what MacKaye must have recognized at that first gig; Anthony Pirog is a guitarist’s guitarist, a virtuoso player who combines the avant precision of Robert Fripp, the incendiary invention of Jimi Hendrix, the subtlety and scorch of Steve Tibbetts and the experimental bent of Frank Zappa, with the rare ability to make it all sound appealing to a broad spectrum of musical interest. (BB)

Upcoming shows

Mannequin Pussy

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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 11

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

MEMORIAL HALL - Jim Brickman. 8 p.m. Christmas Jazz/Pop. $45-$65.

H

MOTR PUB - The Nailers. 10 p.m. Rock. Free.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Jason WIlber. 5 p.m. Folk/Americana. $10, $13 day of show.

REVEL OTR URBAN WINERY - “The High Note.” 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - The Get Up Kids with Hembree and Sontalk. 8 p.m.

Rock. $20, $24 day of show.

THURSDAY 12

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BOGART’S - Chevelle with Convey and The Band Royale. 7:30 p.m.

Rock. $35.

H H

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

LUDLOW GARAGE George Winston. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $25-$85.

MOTR PUB - Sun Delay with Sunmates. 10 p.m.

Rock. Free.

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SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Softspoken with VRSTY, The Northern, A Scent Like Wolves, Grave Friends and Third Person Omega. 6:30 p.m. Post Hardcore. $10, $15 day of show.

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

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STANLEY’S PUB - Silversel, Hot Diggity Daffodil and Misunderstood. 9 p.m. Punk/ Metal. Free.

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THOMPSON HOUSE - Riot Ten, Dr Ozi and Sharps. 9 p.m. EDM. Cover.

FRIDAY 13

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ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Ben Levin and the Heaters. 8 p.m. Blues.

Free.

BIG ASH BREWING Redemption Brothers. 7:30 p.m. Americana/Roots/Rock.

Free.

BLIND LEMON - Tallant & Harmony. 9 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON Confederate Railroad. 7 p.m.

Country Rock. $20-$28.

H

BOGART’S - Phantogram with Houses. 8 p.m. Indie Pop. $28.50.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - The Five Little Bears. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Scott Wojahn Quartet. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

CAMP SPRINGS TAVERN Mike Oberst. 8:30 p.m. Folk/ Americana. Free.

H

THE COMET - Tooth Lures A Fang with WVWhite and National Barks. 10 p.m. Indie Rock.

Free.

THE CROW’S NEST - Bob Cushing. 10 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY - The Gamut. 8 p.m. Rock. Free.

H

THE GARFIELD THEATRE - No Promises Vocal Band. 7:30 p.m.

Holiday A Capella. $15, $20 day of show.

THE REDMOOR - Vinyl Sunshine with Top Shelf. 7 p.m.

Pop/Rock/Holiday/Various. $15-$20.

RICK’S TAVERN - Cassette Junkies. 10 p.m. Rock.

Cover.

H

RIVERFRONT LIVE Bonerama with Ernie Johnson From Detroit. 9 p.m.

Funk/Rock/Various. $20.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Sean Hicke Trio. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

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

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Will Kimbrough. 8 p.m. Americana. $18, $20 day of show.

H

STANLEY’S PUB Gentry’s Electric Thumb and Desmond Jones.

10 p.m. Funk. $10.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Ricky Nye and Chris Douglas. 7:30 p.m.

Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free.

SATURDAY 14

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Faux Frenchmen. 9 p.m. Jazz.

Free.

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Modern Groove Jazz Band. 8 p.m. Jazz.

Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - Airwave. 9:30 p.m.

Pop/R&B/Dance/Various.

Cover.

BIG ASH BREWING Lagniappe. 7:30 p.m. Cajun/ Roots/Various. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Jake Walz.

9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

LUDLOW GARAGE - Norman Brown’s Joyous Christmas with Bobby Caldwell and Marion Meadows. 8:30 p.m. Holiday Jazz. $40-$75.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON Jack Russell’s Great White.

7 p.m. Rock. $22, $25 day of show.

H

H

THE MAD FROG What an Ugly Christmas with Tekknatron, Gin Faced, CR33P, DJ Mildm4n, R3surfac3 x CHUBBZ and DJ Gnarfox. 8 p.m. EDM. Free.

MADISON THEATER Goose. 9 p.m. Funk/Folk/ Jam/Various. $18.

H

MOTR PUB - Jess Lamb with Molly Sullivan and Siri Imani. 10 p.m.

Indie/Alt/Various. Free.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Ohio Valley Salvage. 7:30 p.m.

Rock. Free.

BOGART’S - Sum 41 with Amigo The Devil and The Orphan, the Poet. 7 p.m. Pop/Rock. $35.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Steve Schmidt Trio. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Mandy Gaines Quartet. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

H

CAMP SPRINGS TAVERN - Wonky Tonk and Nick Dittmeier. 8:30 p.m.

Acoustic/Singer/Songwriter.

Free.

THE COMET - Basement

Reggae Night with Queen City Imperial Soundsystem.

7:30 p.m. Reggae. Free.

FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY - Billy Rock Band. 8 p.m. Rock. Free.

GANO TAVERN - Bob Cushing. 7 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

H

HERZOG MUSIC - Flatt & Scruggs Tribute with Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass and Comet Bluegrass All-stars. 1 p.m.

Bluegrass. Free.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Ron Jones Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Good Hooks.

9:30 p.m. Rock. Cover.

JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Project Doyle. 9 p.m. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Black Bone Cat. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

LUDLOW GARAGE - Exile.

8:30 p.m. Country. $20-$45.

H

MOTR PUB - The Messthetics with Lung.

10 p.m. Post Punk/Indie Rock. Free.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - China Catz. 7:30 p.m. Grateful Dead tribute. Free.

QC LOUNGE - Toy Drive with F.I. Entertainment and Trick Kings. 3 p.m. Hip Hop. THE REDMOOR - 2nd Wind.

8 p.m. Pop/R&B/Rock/Funk/ Various. $15.

H

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Warsaw Falcons Christmas Show. 7:30 p.m. Rockabilly/ Roots. Free.

H

WOODWARD THEATER - Dance Yrself Clean. 9 p.m. LCD Soundsystem tribute. $15.

SUNDAY 15

BLIND LEMON - Jeff Henry.

8 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

H

BOGART’S - Angels & Airwaves with Weathers and Hardcastle. 7:30 p.m.

Pop/Rock.

H

THE COMET - Comet Bluegrass Allstars. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass. Free.

MOTR PUB - Actual Italians with Hot Diggity Daffodil and Plug. 8 p.m. Rock. Free.

The Ophelias. 8 p.m. Indie Rock. $12, $14 day of show.

THURSDAY 19

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Julia Higgins Quartet. 7:30 p.m. Jazz.

Cover.

H

THE COMET - The Steve Schmidt Christmas Schmidtacular. 7 p.m.

Holiday Jazz. Free.

H H

LUDLOW GARAGE 10,000 Maniacs. 8:30 p.m. Pop/Rock. $35-$65.

THE MAD FROG - Holiday Silent Disco Party featuring DJ Odi, Untitled Funk, MossCo, Organtica, Primal, Krowd Khemistry, Rubiks, Janu, Lostcause, DJ Xanadu and more. 9 p.m.

EDM. $5.

H

MOTR PUB - Coast Off, Venicia & The Shadow People and The Reckoneers.

9:30 p.m. Free.

THE REDMOOR Island Christmas Holiday featuring members of The SunBurners and Queen City Silver Stars. 7 p.m. Tropical/Reggae/Holiday. $10, 15 day of show.

H

H

TUESDAY 17

STANLEY’S PUB - No Show Cadillac and Willow Tree Carolers. 9 p.m. Folk/ Americana. $5.

MONDAY 16

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Jeremy Pinnell with Kristina Murray. 7:30 p.m. Country. $10, $12 day of show.

H H

THE COMET - Aziza Love. 10 p.m. Soul.

Free.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Society Jazz Orchestra Plays Ed Moss’s Christmas Book. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. $10.

FRIDAY 20

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

RICK’S TAVERN - Templin Road. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

MADISON THEATER - With Why Don’t We, with Spencer Sutherland and EBEN. 8 p.m. Pop. $45, $50 day of show.

RIVERFRONT LIVE - Wade Cota with The Jacks and Saving Escape. 7 p.m. Rock. $10.

STANLEY’S PUB - Trashgrass Troubadours with Highly Likely. 9 p.m. Bluegrass. $5.

BIG ASH BREWING - Bam Powell and the Troublemakers. 8 p.m. Rock/Roots/Various. Free.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Ryan Jones Trio. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

WEDNESDAY 18

BLIND LEMON - Will & Olivia. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - See You in the Funnies, Rookwood and Nolan Taylor. 10 p.m.

Rock/Blues. $10.

H H

THOMPSON HOUSE The Nixons and Sponge.

7 p.m. Rock. $20-$35.

URBAN ARTIFACT Nithing with Well of Night and Automaton. 9 p.m.

Metal. Free.

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

THE COMET - The Steve Schmidt Christmas Schmidtacular. 7 p.m. Holiday Jazz.

Free.

H H

STANLEY’S PUB Fyakey. 9 p.m. Reggae.

$5.

WOODWARD THEATER - Mannequin Pussy with Kississippi and

THE AVENUE EVENT CENTER - King Von. 10 p.m. Hip Hop. $40.

H H

BLUE NOTE HARRISON - Yngwie Malmsteen. 7 p.m. Metal. $28-$65.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - The Brandon Coleman Quartet. 9 p.m.

Jazz. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Randy Villars Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz.

Cover.

COLLEGE HILL COFFEE CO. - Ricky Nye. 7:30 p.m.

Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free.

H

THE COMET - The Steve Schmidt Christmas Schmidtacular. 7 p.m.

Holiday Jazz. Free.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Marc Fields Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

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

H

MADISON LIVE Oolacile with Rvbbish, Stanktnk, Invader Grim, Obe-1 and Bownser. 8 p.m.

EDM. $10, $15 day of show.

H

MEMORIAL HALL - A Christmas Evening with Over the Rhine and Lucy Wainwright Roche. 8 p.m.

Folk/Pop. $40-$65.

INCLINE THEATER - No Promises Vocal Band. 8 p.m.

Christmas A Capella. $20.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Crosstown. 7:30 p.m. Rock/Blues/ R&B. Free.

SATURDAY 21

BIG ASH BREWING Hickory Robot. 7:30 p.m.

Bluegrass/Americana. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Jamonn Zeiler. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BOGART’S - Badflower with Bones UK and Silent Rival.

8 p.m. Rock. Sold out.

REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Whiskey Daredevils with Jake Logan & The Midnight Riders. 9:30 p.m. Roots/ Rock. Free.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - Chris Knight with Justin Wells. 9 p.m. Americana. $20, $25 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Moselle and Extansion. 10 p.m.

Funk/Jam. $5.

H

THOMPSON HOUSE - “A Merry Spliff-mas” with Afroman. 8 p.m. Hip Hop. $10.

BROMWELL’S HÄRTH LOUNGE - Mandy Gaines with The Steve Schmidt Trio.

9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

H

MOTR PUB - Empath with Tweens. 10 p.m.

Noise Pop. Free.

THE COMET - Old City, The Full Counts and Sharp Toys.

10 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Djunah, Lashes and Euonia. 10 p.m. Noise/Rock/ Punk/Various. Free.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Dixie Karas Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Thom Stevenson Trio. 7:30 p.m.

Classic Rock. Free.

H H

PEECOX ERLANGER Saving Stimpy. 9:30 p.m.

Rock. $5.

RADISSON CINCINNATI RIVERFRONT - Basic Truth.

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

THE REDMOOR - Soul Pocket. 8 p.m. R&B/Pop/ Dance. $10.

RICK’S TAVERN - Naked Karate Girls. 10 p.m. Rock/ Pop/Dance. Cover.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Carlos Vargas Christmas Party featuring Ron Enyard and Lou Lausche. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

STANLEY’S PUB - Suede Jackets. 10 p.m. Rock. Free.

H

URBAN ARTIFACT Go Go Buffalo, Zoo Trippin, Fuzzmuck and BANGS. 9 p.m. Rock/Various. $5.

THE WARSAW FEDERAL

LUDLOW GARAGE - Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone: An Olde English Christmas. 8:30 p.m. Pop/ Rock/Holiday. $35-$75.

H

MEMORIAL HALL - A Christmas Evening with Over the Rhine and Lucy Wainwright Roche. 8 p.m.

Folk/Pop. $40-$65.

MOTR PUB - The Harlequins with The Ragcoats and Time Tombs. 10 p.m.

Garage/Psych/Rock. Free.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE Kentucky Myle. 7:30 p.m.

Country. Free.

WED 18

IAN MELLENCAMP, BRENT JAMES AND HILLARY HAHN

SUN DELAY

THU 19

WARD HAYDEN & THE OUTLIERS (BOSTON) W/ MARIA CARRELLI

JESS LAMB & THE FACTORY RECORD FRI RELEASE, MOLLY SULLIVAN AND SIRI IMANI 2 0 THE MESSTHETICS (D.C.) S AT S AT 14 21 W/ LUNG ACTUAL ITALIANS, HOT DIGGITY DAFFODIL S U N SUN AND PLUG 15 22 FRI 13

EMPATH (PHILADELPHIA) W/ TWEENS THE HARLEQUINS, THE RAGCOATS (NASHVILLE) AND TIME TOMBS CHRIS COMER TRIO XMAS SHOW - 2 SETS

M O N COAST OFF, VENICIA & THE SHADOW PEOPLE M O N 16 23 AND THE RECKONEERS

W/ MATT BAUMANN AND JEREMY SMART

WRITER’S NIGHT W/ DAVE FEAT. MAGGY

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE! BAR OPENS AT 7PM

TUE 17

TUE 24

SARAH DUPEE

1345 MAIN ST. IN OVER-THE-RHINE | SINCE 2010

MEMORIAL HALL - A Christmas Evening with Over the Rhine and Lucy Wainwright Roche. 2 p.m.

Folk/Pop. $40-$65.

H

MOTR PUB - Chris Comer Trio Christmas Show. 7 p.m. Holiday Jazz.

Free.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Everything’s Jake. 5 p.m. Classic Rock/Various. Free.

MONDAY 23

1404 MAIN ST (513) 345-7981

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

Cover.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Rob Allgeyer Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

RICK’S TAVERN - Black Bone Cat. 9 p.m. Rock.

Cover.

TUESDAY 24

SOUTHGATE HOUSE

THE NAILERS AND GUEST W/ SUNMATES

H

H

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Erwin Stuckey Christmas Party. 8:30 p.m. Jazz. Cover.

THU 12

SUNDAY 22

H

THE REDMOOR Sundae Drives, Lift The Medium and Harlot & The Hounds. 8 p.m. Alt/Pop/ Rock/Various. $5.

WED 11

MOTR PUB - Sarah Dupee with Matt Baumann and Jeremy Smart.

9:30 p.m. Singer/songwriter.

Free.

H

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Ricky Nye. 5 p.m. Jazz/ Blues. Free.

H

STANLEY’S PUB - The Traveling Jam. 9 p.m.

Bluegrass. Cover.

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

1 2 / 14

DANCE YRSELF CLEAN A TRIBUTE TO LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

2 /8

CINCY PROHIBITION PARTY 2020

1 2 / 18

MANNEQUIN PUSSY WITH KISSISSIPPI

3 /13

OF MONTREAL WITH LILY AND HORN HORSE

1/22

MIPSO WITH BRIDGET KEARNEY & BENJAMIN LAZAR DAVIS

4 /2 6

ALL THEM WITCHES

BUY TICKETS AT MOTR OR WOODWARDTHEATER.COM

D E C . 11 - 2 4 , 2 0 19 | C I T Y B E AT. C O M

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Terry McBride. 9 p.m. Country. $15, $20 day of show.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - My Sister Sarah.

9:30 p.m. Rock. Cover.

URBAN ARTIFACT Largemouth Brass Band and Plazmatic. 9 p.m.

Jazz/Various. Free.

NIGHTLY FREE LIVE MUSIC AND LATE NIGHT EATS DAILY LUNCH AND 1/2 OFF HAPPY HOUR

57

PUZZLE AC R O S S

1. Feature of “part� or “start�

6. Nautical location 11. Quick yank 14. It’s in the high 70s 15. Bug-eyed Kafka character 16. It starts with enero

Splinter Group

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

20. Still on the shelf 22. Hall-of-Famer’s opposite 23. Cheese-and-ale dish 26. Costa ___

17. Mind-ripping 18. Fighting technique that employs impressive overwhelming power to cripple the enemy

27. Chest coverings 28. “Yeezus� intro?

29. Really expensive and high-class

60. Quaintly corny

philosopher Jeremy

supposedly

31. Some cheesy pies, briefly

61. “10Q�

30. Hesitant

62. Canon ratio

32. “Three Christs� actor Richard

43. Shakespeare poem

32. East Flanders metropolis 34. Fruity cupfuls 35. “My posse is getting things done,� and hint to this puzzle’s theme 37. Mix things up 39. Plastic 40. Plastic ___

D E C . 11- 2 4 , 2 0 19 C I T Y B E AT. C O M   | 

46. Getting treatment

36. Hacker’s coup

49. Up until now

2. Bounding spot

37. Paint stain

50. Drying kilns

3. Brief moments 4. Bloody Mary and The Virgin Queen, e.g.

38. Container with a rabbit

52. “Frozen II� character

40. Illuminated from behind

55. Game with the spin-off Dos

5. Safe havens

41. Accept, as terms

56. Energy

6. Donkey’s uncle

45. Out of the ordinary: Pref.

7. Outburst heard often this time of year

47. “The Reader� actress Lena

8. Facial expression?

9. Poofy ties

48. “Almost Famous� writer/director

10. Create

51. Harmful, like fumes

12. Casts off, as a boat

53. Threw up

13. “I need my space�

54. Lost everything 57. “The House of the Seven Gables� setting 58. Sustainability prefix 59. Coeur d’___ Idaho

44. Propels with oars

33. Pin for an oar 35. Tube steak

DOWN

1. Former Starbucks CEO Howard

43. Shop-till-youdrop moments

46. Parrot of Agrabah

58

63. Determined to do

11. Dark mark?

19. Rub the wrong way 21. Sci-fi character that had a sex change in 2017 24. Look over 25. Utilitarianism

42. Marine Corps applicants,

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LEGAL NOTICES Extra Space Storage hold a public auction at the location indicated: 2526 Ritchie Ave Crescent Springs, KY 41017, December 17th 2019 at 1:00 pm 249 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: 2900 Crescent Springs Pike, Erlanger KY 41018 on December 17 th 2019 at 12:45pm 114,273,283,291,303,333,443,507,510,551552,640,807,1036 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: 8080 Steilen Drive, Florence, KY 41042 on December 17th, 2019 at 12:15 pm.

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.

Unit 1, Unit 6, Unit 223, Unit 712, Unit 819, Unit 1029, Unit 1101, Unit 1210, Unit 1416, Unit 1703, Unit 2004, Unit 2110, Unit 2122, Unit 2513, Unit 2617, Unit 2702, Unit 3014 Extra Space Storage hold a public auction at the location: 7 Sperti Dr Ste 200, Edgewood, KY 41017 on December 17, 2019 at 1:15 PM 1507, 2147, 1520, 1608 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 35 th St, Covington, KY 41015 on Tuesday December 17th, 2019 at 1:30 PM. Unit 2133, Unit 2307, Unit 2334, Unit 2401, Unit 2414, Unit 3113, Unit 3215, Unit 3266, Unit 3307, Unit 3349, Unit 3360, Unit 3433, Unit 4205, Unit 4301, Unit 5117, Unit 5119, Unit 7110, 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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NIGHT GARDEN RECORDING STUDIO

Seamless integration of the best digital gear and classics from the analog era including 2” 24 track. Wide variety of classic microphones, mic pre-amps, hardware effects and dynamics, many popular plug-ins and accurate synchronization between DAW and 2” 24 track. Large live room and 3 isolation rooms. All for an unbelievable rate. Event/Show sound, lighting and video production services available as well. Call or email Steve for additional info and gear list; (513) 368-7770 or (513) 729-2786 or sferguson. productions@gmail.com.

GOLD is over $1500 an Ounce!

If you have any gold or silver jewelry you no longer want or wear NOW is a great time to sell!

Your old jewelry could be worth thousands of dollars!

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!

DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE

Dissolution: An amicable end to marriage. Easier on your heart.

Easier on your wallet.

Starting at $500 plus court costs.

12 Hour Turnaround.

CONTACT:

SALES@CITYBEAT.COM

SEND RESTAURANT TIPS, NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES TO

810 Sycamore St. 4th Fl, Cincinnati, OH 45202

513.651.9666

WANTS

TO

WIN STUFF!

WALK THROUGH FIRE WORLD TOUR JANUARY 21

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

D E C . 11- 2 4 , 2 0 19

TAFT THEATRE

60

Visit CityBeat.com/win-stuff to enter for a chance to win tickets to this upcoming show!

Voted BEST INDIAN for 18 Years

Dinner 5 OFF 2ndEntree

$ 00

$5 Off Carryout Entree. Good Only at Ambar India.

Only 2 Coupons Per Party, Per Table.

Expires 12/31/19

Lunch 3 OFF 2ndEntree

$ 00

$3 Off Carryout Entree. Good Only at Ambar India.

Only 2 Coupons Per Party, Per Table.

350 Ludlow Ave • 513-281-7000

Expires 12/31/19

6:00 PM

6:32 PM

7:12 PM

PHOTOS BY JEFF FRIED PHOTOGRAPHY, JEFFREYFRIED.COM; CIRCLE OF LIFE PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS; ©DISNEY

6:46 PM

7:04 PM

7:15 PM

Behind the Scenes with The Lion King With just two hours until curtain, things are starting to heat up backstage. The show is celebrating its 20th year on Broadway and has played for more than 100 million guests around the world, yet each night is a new opening as the curtain rises on this singular live experience. From stage set-up, to make up, to warm up, we discover the methodical and meticulous attention paid to every component of this much-lauded show. A small army of dedicated stagehands, artists and actors has arrived to deliver the astonishing Broadway show that is like no other.

6:00 PM » The stage is set as the crew begins to assemble sets, pull costumes, and arrange props for quick scene changes, off-stage cues and last-minute directions.

6:32 PM » Cast members take the stage and begin their warm-up. Their combination of strength, grace and movement is a major reason this magnificent production continues to deliver a seamless marriage of entertainment and art.

6:46 PM » Costumes and props rest silently, waiting to be beckoned to the stage as the “Circle Of Life” unfolds before the audience.

7:04 PM » Actors are transformed from residents of the urban jungle to inhabitants of the exotic world of the savannah.

7:12 PM » Performers complete their preshow routine and relax before entering wardrobe.

7:15 PM » The cast assembles to take their places. As they wait behind the curtain, the sounds of theatre patrons entering and arriving at their seats call to them. The level of excitement rises in the audience and backstage.

7:30 PM » The audience is awe-struck as the ensemble of Disney’s The Lion King emerge from every corner of the theatre and take their places on stage—and in the hearts of theatregoers.

RETURNING TO CINCINNATI!

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

BEST AVAILABILITY FOR PERFORMANCES IN RED 5

12

19

26

2

MON 6

TUES 7

WEDS 8

THURS 9

7:30 PM 1:00 PM 6:30 PM 1:00 PM 6:30 PM 1:00 PM 6:30 PM

13

15

14

7:30 PM 20

7:30 PM

7:30 PM

18

25

8:00 PM 31

7:30 PM

2:00 PM 8:00 PM

8:00 PM 24

30

2:00 PM 8:00 PM

8:00 PM

7:30 PM

7:30 PM

SAT 11

17

23

29

28

10

7:30 PM

7:30 PM

7:30 PM 27

16

22

21

1:00 PM 7:30 PM

FRI

8:00 PM

FEBRUARY

JANUARY

SUN

1

2:00 PM 8:00 PM 2:00 PM 8:00 PM

1:00 PM 6:30 PM

JAN 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 2 | ARONOFF CENTER www.CincinnatiArts.org | 513-621-2787 Groups

(10+):

513-369- 4363